#i'd be super curious to see it be one-sided too

[croquettish]

I'm the wedding anon - pretend I spelled Radzig correctly I know how to write his name I just wrote the ask very quickly on my phone 😭😭 TY for the response! I ❤️ baselessly speculating about games that are not even announced yet

Anyways yes I can see the scenarios you listed happening, I really like the first one in particular! I can very easily see Hans impulsively swooping in in Vienna (in game terms it should be towards the middle of the game, around the time of the actual heist for maximum drama) and this causing huuuuge problems with Hanush, Jitka and Botschek and straining the marriage. Maybe he runs away during his honeymoon lol

Side note but I wonder how much of the inheritance debacle between the IRL Jan and Hanush will actually play out in the game (if KCD3 indeed ends up being a direct sequel). If Warhorse takes artistic liberties and Hans actually plays a role in freeing Wenceslaus I cannot see Hanush withholding control of the fiefdom for too long - in real life I think Jan had to drag Hanush to court in 1410, which I'm not sure will happen considering how sympathetic Hanush is and how responsible he is for Henry's zero to hero story.

Omg pls you're fine!!! Please typo as much as you want in my ask box, I'm just happy to have my brain picked like this!!! :D

I've actually had some super interesting replies to my super long post both on my post directly and where someone reposted it in the Hansry comm (thank you for that, by the way! always makes me super happy when people think my meta is worth reading).

I'd say that Hans' heavy involvement in the third game is more or less a given, considering the sheer success this game has seen off the backs of us queers alone. This feels very friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend and we're advised to take it with a grain of salt, but in a comment on this post, @bindi342 mentioned that a particular streamer has a frequent chatter who supposedly did some work on KCD2 as a writer, this including the romance. Apparently Warhorse are "discussing ways to further develop the romance." And here @wonderful-calalini and @bucket-fucker (love that username, 10/10) brought up that Warhorse doesn't always adhere to historical accuracy either, which is true!

All that to say that, the idea you just described? I would eat that shit up. Do you hear me, Warhorse??? Runaway groom + Wency heist in Vienna with the boys?? If you're reading this, I need you to know that this is THE DREAM. We get so many runaway bride stories but I don't think I've ever seen runaway grooms??? Hans Capon first runaway groom please excuse me I am manifesting this as we speak.

I went into this in more detail in the long ass post I linked to up there but Jan Ptáček did indeed have to drag Hanuš of Lipá's ass to court in 1410. So here's the thing. And I will say right away that I'm a little worried about how long this will get because I haven't really gone into my thoughts on Hanush here just yet. But.

Based on what we've seen in the game I actually think it is extremely plausible that we might encounter this conflict regarding the inheritance.

Hans tells us that Hanush laid down the law pretty clearly, that he's not seeing his rightful inheritance unless and until he gets married:

Which is, honestly, quite bold of him! The terms of Hans' inheritance did not involve marriage as a requirement at all, Hanush is just adding that in now.

Henry even points this injustice out!

Why, yes, Hans! That's exactly what you might have to do!!

I think it's interesting that they included that. It seems to hint at the fact that there will be conflict in the future over his inheritance. Hanush feels comfortable adding in his own conditions that he technically has no right to be doing. Legally this is not within his right.

But let's dig deeper, shall we? Because we see a lot of this in his conversation with Hanush before Henry joins them. If you're curious, the whole secret conversation is here (and yes, I did compare and contrast romanced vs. non-romanced Hans, but alas there are no differences. Which is very sad but makes sense for a conversation that the player is never actually supposed to overhear...)

Hanush starts us off beautifully.

Huh. Not the right time yet? Why is that?

He drops that particular claim real fucking fast though:

Oh, so this actually doesn't have to do with timing at all. Now it has to do with "Hans' future." Interesting!

What does that have to do with his ability to rule, exactly?

Recall, if you will, how desperate Hans is to prove himself, especially to Hanush. He wants, so badly, to not be treated like a little kid anymore. It's the reason for the entire journey to begin with!

[ Not pictured: An unnecessary amount of extra words all about how badly Hans wants his uncle's approval and how he doesn't even realize it himself to begin with, let alone think it's possible for him to achieve, that were scrapped for not staying on fucking topic. ]

My beloved mutual @audentesfortunaiuvatt wrote an excellent post about how infuriating this whole conversation between Hanush, Dry Devil, and Radzig while they're at Raborsch is, and I agree 100% with her argument and the follow-up. Hanush still views him as a child. It doesn't matter that he forgave him (what was there to forgive!). Hanush calls his behavior "shenanigans," insisting that he doesn't act like an adult. It's what sparks Dry Devil's suggestion to marry him off. To "straighten him out" and "tame him."

Does Hanush actually believe that this would make him a better ruler? Or would that just make Hans easier to manage? Stop me before I return to the gilded cage metaphor, but it really is alarming that the thought of "a firm woman's hand," as Radzig puts it, is apparently meant to keep him in line here. In what way would this make him a better ruler? If anything, it would just keep him busy.

I find it curious that Hanush felt the need to lie about how withholding his inheritance was about "timing." Because when Hans is (understandably) upset at this argument, Hanush doesn't explain that he thinks having a wife will mature Hans. Instead, he argues that he's just looking out for his future. He even goes so far as to push the whole "this is what your father would have wanted, something I know because I knew him and you didn't."

Why?

Hans would still have been upset if he'd been faced with that argument, but it would have been an easier sell for Hanush than this roundabout thing he's pulling in this conversation. So there must have been a reason why he decided to withhold the truth.

Most likely because he's trying to avoid actually promising giving up the territory.

Because suddenly this whole conversation is no longer about that. It's not about Hans' maturity level or his ability to rule. It's exclusively about how Hans is being pressured into a marriage he doesn't want and that Hanush is, effectively, blackmailing him here by withholding his inheritance in exchange. Which Hanush technically doesn't legally have the right to do. Which is precisely why he's invoking Hans' father here and the status of the nobility:

How interesting! Look at how quickly he switched topics again: now it's no longer about the duties of the nobility or what his father wants, now it's just "this will happen, you don't have a choice in the matter."

This is where Hanush was going with this conversation the whole time. He didn't necessarily want to get there if he could avoid it, but I imagine he expected it would end up there.

Hans does his best to find loopholes, like pointing out that her father might be against it since only her uncle arranged the betrothal and arguing that he might not like Jitka. Hanush doesn't care. It doesn't matter what Hans throws at him, he has an answer for everything!

Hans still isn't happy, but he decides to reroute the conversation back to the thing that's at stake here, which is his inheritance. Which is where things get really interesting.

Not to point out the obvious here but that's a nothing-burger.

You'll recall the conversation Henry and Hans have during The Prey in KCD1 where Hans explains why Hanush is still managing his property even though he's already an adult:

The king is, in fact, still gone, as Henry then correctly points out. One of them would sooner lock Hans up than confirm his claim and the other one is locked up in Vienna and is about to have his claim to the throne revoked.

What exactly would change if Hans marries Jitka? Hanush can try and convene that council to no real result. The country is at war. What if some of them have perished? What if they can't make it? What if some of them have changed sides and/or have a vested interest in seeing Hans not get his title?

Even more importantly, Hanush is not the only voice here. He'll "recommend that they decide in [his] favor," but that is far from a guarantee. For all he knows, they could still decide to deny Hans the claim. This is all extremely wishy-washy!

Beloved mutual @audentesfortunaiuvatt mentioned in her post that this could all be a ploy to just keep moving the goalposts and thereby keep Hanush in his position for as long as possible. But I think there's an additional layer to all of this. Which is that historically speaking, not only was Hanush a robber knight/baron (KCD1 confirms this as being the case in the games as well), but he had a gambling problem and thus a serious issue with debts. This is even hinted at during the conversation between him, Radzig, and Dry Devil!

And at an earlier occasion, we learn that he's a bit of a skinflint:

This conversation happening, of course, with the context of Hanush potentially ransoming (or not ransoming!) Hans out of captivity.

Hanush insists several times that he's only pushing this wedding on Hans because he gave his word to Botschek and that "his word is his word." But I think there's more to it than that.

Namely, the fact that Jitka is implied to all but be made of money. Even Hans acknowledges this in his conversation with Henry afterward. With those coffers full, Hanush would 100% benefit. And if we consider that angle, suddenly Hanush's extreme reactions to Godwin's news about the betrothal makes a lot of sense. Because first, he's under the impression that it's because Hans got someone pregnant:

And not just anyone, not even a peasant girl, a specifically impoverished noble's daughter. As if he would have been fine with it if only it had been a wealthy noble's daughter!

And then, it also explains his extremely positive reaction to the news of whom he'd be marrying:

Why else would he be celebrating to that extent? If this didn't affect him at all, I think his reaction would have been a lot less enthusiastic.

With that in mind, it also makes sense why he wouldn't want to give up control. His noble standing is quite meager compared to Hans', and he'd lose access not only to all that money but also to quite a few privileges he is afforded while acting as Hans' ward. Historically, we know it took seven more years before he was served up a court order for Jan to contest his claim in 1410 and two more after that until he got full control of his territory in 1412. Considering all the hints we've been given, I think Warhorse would be foolish not to use this to their benefit.

Even if it's just used in the name of Hans and Henry either a) ditching the wedding to rescue the king so he can declare that Hans gets his territories, or b) finding that Hanush is still clinging on to control and coming up with excuses at every turn even after the wedding and deciding to go rescue the king because of that. Hilariously, by the time Wenceslas was rescued, he was no longer king, so... that would actually be a fantastic way to finish things off, seeing as both games so far have ended on a note of "you win some, you lose some."

Mind you, none of this is to slander or villainize Hanush in any way. @koolcatses has put out two excellent posts that defend the man quite beautifully, and I agree with those. Hanush is an excellent ruler. We've been shown time and time again that this is the case. The people like him a lot and he quite clearly did a fantastic job teaching Hans how to be a good ruler. What I do, however, also think is that he wasn't (and still isn't) the best at providing for Hans a) enrichment in the enclosure aka his gilded bird cage, b) helping him grow emotionally, c) loving him the way he needed to be loved. He is a fantastic guardian. He is a terrible parent.

@georgecostanzaatemysoup made an excellent post on a similar topic recently, specifically about how Hans most likely learned that negative behavior got him attention, thus reinforcing said negative behavior. There's a lot of learned behavior there, and I agree with people who have said that Hans is the way he is because of Hanush. All that in mind, I don't think he's painted as the most sympathetic character tbh.

As for him helping Henry... that's really more Radzig's doing imo. Hanush is hosting them because Radzig doesn't have a new castle yet, but beyond that he doesn't have much of a relationship with Henry aside from him being squire to Hans, who happens to be Hanush's nephew.

And also, like, listen. When I play CK3, all the feminism and belief in love and free will that I normally have in me leaves my body while I do everything in my power to accrue more power and more territory. I will be the last person to judge Hanush in terms of just the pure... politics of it all. He is technically entirely correct in terms of this being good for Hans and his house! But from the perspective of someone who cares about Hans' emotional state, if he was unwilling to ask Hans he should have at least talked to him about it beforehand. Talked him into it, if need be! Hans says as much as well, and it's heartbreaking to see how little agency Hans is afforded in his life choices.

But that's another post entirely.

[noxiatoxia]

do you have any favorite or standout things in the japanese version of dr2 that doesn't get translated properly/at all into the english version? anything from jokes to speech quirks or differences in characterization. anything at all! i'm just super curious about the differences so i want to give you an opportunity to ramble.

Thank you, anon! I'm sorry this too so long. I've been busy and I had many different things I wanted to share.

I'm sure there's gonna be a lot of stuff I'll miss...I'll just tell you what's on my mind.

Well, firstly, I'd say what I lament most always is how everyone's speech patterns got largely phased out. You see it here and there still with Souda and Owari - occasionally they try to keep the urban accent. Komaeda's filler words got removed, as already discussed. Really, everyone had something unique to them that got removed, and that makes me so sad! Granted, I understand some of it can be quite tricky.

For example, Mioda is a big one. Remember in the NISA translation, she always refers to herself in third person? This is a somewhat clunky translation. Mioda does call herself "Ibuki", but in Japanese, this isn't as weird, and is seen as a sort of cutesy thing. You can pull it off if you're a young/cute woman.

Mioda also calls everyone first name-chan, making her appear childish/quirky.

She also ends her sentences with っす ssu, which is a version of です desu. This makes Mioda, technically, one of the few Danganronpa characters to use keigo speech, although it's so quirky/casual I wonder if it counts...

Souda also uses keigo, but only when talking to Sonia. He calls her Sonia-san, which got translated as "Miss Sonia" (great translation choice btw!) and is the only character he uses honorifics for - well, typically. There is a part in chapter 5 where Souda calls Hinata "Hinata-chan" to tease him, and it's so cute to me xD

By the way, I don't talk about V3 much, but I know there's contention with how they translate Gonta. From what I've seen of V3, the thing that sticks out about Gonta is he, too, uses his first name as his pronoun. I believe the ENG version went with a Tarzan-esque choice of translation, but the joke in the JP version, I believe, was - as said - first person self-pronoun is reserved for young, cute girls...Gonta neither looking like either.

Most of all I lament Hinata's speech...he sounds so similar to Naegi in English, which is a shame, as he was meant to be Naegi's opposite. In Japanese they're night and day, and Hinata really loses that bite he had in the NISA version. It's what makes me sad most :(

On the game itself, there's a joke I think about a lot, that (understandably) loses it's meaning in English. It's in Tanaka's freetime event.

I have no issue with the translation itself. It's sadly just a joke that's lost in English as things are.

It's in the word kotodama. Kotodama refers to the idea that words hold spiritual power. Like a spell, or something. The joke here is Hinata...actually is a kotodama user. Literally.

In JP Danganronpa, truth bullets are called...kotodama. It's a cute little meta joke.

On the flip side, here is a translation I do take issue with:

I understand how they made this error, but it's still a little shocking to me.

First, let's look at context. Context is important in any language, but in Japanese especially. The context is this: Komaeda has a dramatic buildup, talking about how it's time he's gotten a little good luck, that now he can finally say it, and then dramatically pauses after saying Hinata's name...

Let's not be naive. This reads like the buildup to a love confession.

And then, Komaeda just asks, "Can you be my friend?"

It's a wonderful scene. Perfectly captures Komaeda's life in that asking just to be friends requires this much forethought, and it's wonderfully hilarious at the same time. Very Danganronpa, isn't it? Makes you think about the character, gives you some emotion, but also makes you laugh.

I digress. Now that we have context, let's examine Hinata's response.

First he goes, "What?" or え？in Japanese.

Then he says: ああ...なんだ。

"Ah...oh, that's it?" is a fine way to put it here. Literally speaking, the line basically reads: Oh...what? but なんだ is used as a sort of emotional signifier. The words are failing me right now but here are some examples of how なんだ could be translated when used like this:

"What the hell. Okay."

"Jeez, really?"

"That's crazy!" (in response to a story or suchlike)

Does this make sense? It expresses disbelief, shock, surprise, irritation...stuff like that.

So "Oh...that's it?" is good in this context. Clearly, Hinata also expected Komaeda to say something more heavy.

It's the last line that bugs me.

"So that was all just for fun..." is not how I would put it at all. I see how they got that, but I don't know why they didn't realize it sounds super odd. I will break it down.

...そんなことで、よかったのか... ...sonna koto de, yokatta noka...

そんな means "that" or "those", as in "that person" or "those books", etc.

こと means thing, but usually is abstract for an idea. It's a bit hard to explain, but think of it like the English word "it". You say stuff like "it's cool" when someone screws up. "it" represents an abstract idea: referring to the accident a person just made. Instead of repeating that all, you condense the idea down into the word "it". Very similar.

で is a particle that marks "direction" here. All you need to know is that here it's saying "everything that comes before me is what the words after me are referring to".

よかった, literally speaking, is the past form of "good". This is a very flexible word, and we will come back to it.

のか is some sentence ending particles. Again, we will come back to this.

Strictly and literally speaking, the sentence goes:

In response to those words you just said, it was good...

The issue that occurred here is how they read よかったのか. They took よかった to literally be the past tense of good (fun), and のか to be questioning in tone. These are both correct ways to read these individual words, but not in this context I think. It's how we got:

So that was all just for fun...

But I think it's obvious よかった is supposed to be read as it most commonly is in this past-form: an expression of relief/happiness, while のか is supposed to be more monologue-ish.

I emphatically think the line should be read as:

Oh, thank God that was it...

I think it's pretty obvious Hinata is rejoicing that Komaeda, in fact, was not going to suddenly dump something like a love confession on him out of the blue.

Sorry that was a longer one. I don't know how many of you care to hear the in-depth technical talk of how it got mistranslated. Usually I just provide my translation, but I know some people out there probably like the explanations. (I also get a little embarrassed because I often run in circles worrying I'm getting stuff wrong myself....and the fact I'm aware I suck at words. I'm just writing how I read it, and putting it in a way that makes sense to me. I'm always open to discussion if you are a beginner speaker or a native and anything between.)

OK, moving on...I want to talk about Owari's island mode ending. Not because it was translated badly per se, but because it hinges on an element that's impossible to translate. To be fair, the team did their absolute best with it.

Owari never talks about wanting to talk more "girly" outright in the Japanese version. Rather, this is what the line (plus the last as it is part of the sentence) reads literally:

OWARI: So, would it be weird if...I started using a-atashi for myself?

Through the whole game, Owari talks in a very rough manner. She uses オレ(ore) to refer to herself, which is a very masculine pronoun. The Katakana script makes it even more rough. I believe in SDR2, only Souda and Kuzuryuu also use this pronoun/script combo (I can never remember if Monokuma uses オレ or ボク).

However in the Island Mode ending, Owari wonders if it'd be weird if someone like her uses あたし(atashi) for herself. By contrast, "atashi" is at the complete opposite end of the spectrum. It is a very feminine pronoun, and would be a complete 180 from ore.

It is also written in Hiragana, further lending it to be "feminine" and "soft".

So the translation change to her saying she wishes to speak more girly is pretty apt. I dunno if there would be a better way to do this. It's very difficult.

Speaking of Owari and pronouns, her pronoun changes again when she catches the despair disease.

When she has the coward's disease, Owari no longer uses オレ(ore), but instead 私(watashi). This is considered a rather basic/default casual pronoun for women, but it is exceedingly more polite/feminine than what Owari normally uses. Coming from her also, Kanji is a very odd script choice, almost opposite to Katakana.

She also never uses honorifics for people, but while sick, she calls Nidai "Nidai-kun" 弐大君. It's sad this detail, unlike in Island Mode, did not get translated whatsoever.

If I'm on the topic, I might as well talk about some other script changes that weren't translated into English well (or at all).

Remember fake Naegi in Ch.6? Well, I always thought this part was strange:

To me, nothing Naegi is saying warrants Sonia to respond in such a manner. Bryce Papenbrook's delivery of the line doesn't make Naegi yell or anything, either.

But this line makes a whole lot more sense in Japanese.

Fun fact, I'm getting these screenshots from a (mostly silent) let's play by a Japanese channel. The let's player almost never talks, but during the first screenshot, he let's out a questioning "Hm?" and then the second, he chuckles and says, "What's with this sudden sharp turn, man?"

That's because in this scene, Naegi completely changes the way he talks. I've talked about it before, but to reiterate: Naegi talks in a very mild way. He's casual, but he never uses any masculine particles, or employs the imperative form.

However, in the first screenshot, Naegi ends his sentence in ぞ, which is a masculine sentence ender (Hinata uses it). Then in the second one, he uses やろう, which is a very rough/derogatory way to say "you guy(s)".

Anybody who's played DR1 would instantly know something is wrong, since Naegi never speaks like this.

To be honest, it could've easily been translated as making Naegi swear at them, since Naegi doesn't swear a lot - certainly if you had him use "fuck", it would have achieved the same effect.

Next, Twogami's final free time event is full of quirky things that get translated a little poorly.

Firstly, there's this line from Hinata:

While not a mistranslation on a technical level, I feel like it sort of misses a joke here.

Twogami asks Hinata if he likes him (好き). In Japanese, 好き is often used to declare your (romantic) love to someone, or ask someone if they love you. I think then Hinata's answer being "I don't hate you" is him skirting around saying "I like (love) you" to not sound like he's confessing his love, or something.

Then, there's this:

Much like we've seen before, this line makes more sense in the context of Japanese.

Since Twogami is impersonating Togami, he speaks like him, too. And when Togami refers to others (the "you" pronoun, as there are multiple in Japanese), he uses お前(omae). This is very masculine and pretty rude.

However, in this scene, Twogami suddenly calls Hinata キミ(kimi), which is much softer and warmer. Hinata picks up on that, but in English, it comes across a little weird, because what exactly is Hinata picking up on in the English version, then?

HINATA: But you've got to stop using "kimi", it's making me sheepish. And besides...the you I know has always called me by "omae".

Here's a literal translation for you, to illustrate this scene better. I don't know why they cut out the part where Hinata directly tells Twogami to stop calling him キミ because it makes him flustered (very cute by the way), but I feel there was probably a better way to go about this anyhow...

I understand it's a very tricky thing to translate since both キミ and お前 mean "you" in English, but surely there was some better way to word it...

I'd have Twogami talk to Hinata more friendly-like, and have Hinata say "The Togami I know has always been a bit mean to me" - or suchlike.

Moving away from scripts but sticking to Freetime events, here's a mistranslation from one of Saionji's:

There's one big issue in both of these that changes the meaning of the scene entirely. Firstly, 人好し means more than "kind-hearted" - it comes with the impression that the person is easily exploitable for their kindness.

Likewise, 勝手に言って is more than "I don't care" - I think they got that because it literally translates as "say what you want", but it's used as a sort of angry statement. See, it literally translates as "speak as you'd like", but 勝手に is usually used to show that someone will do something in spite of anyone else's wishes. So, really, the phrase means "say whatever you want jerk, I know I can't stop you".

I'd write this scene as:

SAIONJI: You're a really big pushover, mister. Well...I guess that's good for me. HINATA: No one fucking asked.

(I would assume Hinata is doing the equivalent of swearing, as he is using an already antagonistic phrase + imperative form + よ).

Also, if you're wondering...while "say what you want" is a valid English phrase, I feel it doesn't really work here...? Though that's how 勝手に言って translates, the phrase focuses more on the disrespectful aspect of speaking out of turn. I feel "nobody asked" is then more accurate.

This line is also interesting. It's not a mistranslation, but I'm just interested in the Japanese text, because I don't think Hinata's ever replaced ない (nai) with ねー (nee) before? It's a sort of urban accent - Owari, Kuzuryuu, and Souda all have it. It makes you sound rougher.

Like instead of "Jyanai yo" ("that's not it") you say, "jyanee yo" ("Tha's not it") <- I'm unsure how to convey an Urban accent...

"Hell no", then, is actually quite appropriate since it is rougher-sounding (meaner). But it interests me since Hinata's never (?) used this accent before. I guess he was so pissed off he didn't even think about it.

Actually, because of the nature of Saionji's talent and fixation on her home country, her Island mode and FTE is full of references to Japanese culture that doesn't get translated well. It's a tough spot to be in - do you not translate it for the sake of staying accurate to the Japanese culture, and let the Western players stay confused, or do you change it to something more understandable, but lose that nuance? I think it depends case-by-case on what's decided.

I sadly don't have a screen cap of the JP text, but I do have it from the game's files, so I'll write it down here:

SAIONJI: あー、馬鹿とナントカは高いところが好きって言うもんね。 HINATA: そっちを伏せるのかよ…

This is a Japanese saying, the full saying being 馬鹿と煙は高いところが好き - "Idiots and smoke like high places". It refers to people who foolishly advance "higher and higher" without thoughts of the consequences (when they come crashing down).

This saying though gets often changed to "idiots and so-and-so like high places".

I don't really agree with the English translation because "you-know-what" sounds...sexual? To me, at least. While there is nothing sexual about the original phrase whatsoever. The reason it gets "censored" to ナントカ (nantoka, literally the quotation marker とか with the word "what/something", making it "that 'something'") is unknown to me, but the phrase with ナントカ instead of 煙 is pretty popular especially in spoken Japanese. I think it literally just has to do with the fact that "baka to nantoka" flows out the mouth easier than "baka to kemuri", and isn't because of actual censorship.

Hinata's response then may be to Saionji specifically or in general. Either he's A) asking why Saionji bothers to censor the second part (implying he's never heard the abbreviated version before) or B) he's wondering to himself why people bother to censor the second part in general (implying he is well aware of the abbreviated version).

So, the convo may actually look something like:

SAIONJI: Oh well, as they say: "Idiots and so-and-so like high places!" HINATA: I wonder why that's the part that gets skipped over...

I think this is more plausible. It really has nothing to do with Saionji in particular.

Actually, if you'll recall from earlier in this post with the Komaeda Island Mode ending, we touched on のか, and Hinata is using it again here. Funnily, if we go with my translation, then they ran into the same issue with Komaeda. They read のか in the same erroneous way.

I could be wrong of course...but given the surround culture of the phrase + common sense (I find it hard to believe Hinata would have never heard 馬鹿とナントカ before), this makes more sense I think.

An English version is hard to think of, since this is related to the option "Climb the Statue", so Saionji whipping out that metaphor is a joke in the fact she's calling Hinata an idiot for literally wanting to climb a tall statue.

The closest I can find is a quote form the bible, "Folly is appointed to great heights, but the rich sit in lowly positions". This seems to be somewhat known, but I didn't know of this quote before researching for an English version, so replacing it would make little difference, then...the whole point is the phrase is a common one, but I don't know any common English phrases about idiots in high spots.

...I think this is a good stopping point. There is surely so much more to talk about - more I am forgetting and more that I'll find in the future (and other small things that could not make this post due to image constraints) - but this is what I have right now! I do have more SDR2 translation post I'm working on, but that's it's own beast so it's not something I can really go into here.

Hope any of this was interesting! Thank you!

[thatd3adgirl]

My thoughts on the SOTR Castings

Since we have all/ most of the castings for the SOTR movie I thought, id give my thoughts!

Haymitch Abernathy:

Now im not gonna lie, I am disappointed but not surprised that they made Haymitch white and blonde.. again. I would've liked to finally see book accurate Haymitch. But if he does a good a job as Woody I suppose I can't be to disappointed. Now I don't actually know much about Joseph Zada acting- wise , but I've been looking up some of his other projects and he seems like a pretty good actor.

Overall I'm pretty okay with this casting.

Lenore Dove Baird:

I actually think Whitney Peak is a great casting appearance wise. I do hope the tint of red in her hair is included, maybe as highlights or a wig. Once again I'm not super familiar with her acting but from what I have seen she's also a pretty good actress. I am happy that LionsGate did choose an actress who looks similar to Rachel Zegler, Since Lucy Grey and Lenore Dove are related.

Overall I'm very happy with this casting, I hope she does Lenore Dove justice.

Maysilee Donner:

I cannot explain to y'all how much I happy I was to see McKenna cast as Maysilee. I was hoping for either McKenna or another actress, so i'm very happy to see that one of the two got it! I am hoping they include the braids in her hair, I know it's not in the book but it'd be such a nice detail!! I do actually know about McKenna grace acting wise, and I believe she'll be a great Maysilee. Very excited to see Drusilla slapped on screen.

Louella McCoy & LouLou:

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't super shocked over Louella and LouLou's casting. I didn't hc them as white, but it's not a huge deal, my head cannon was very different tbh. At first I thought their skin colors were actually stated in the book, they were not so I was wrong there. I had hc Louella and LouLou as black or indigenous, so the actresses being white had thrown me off at first. Maybe that's because of how Katniss and Gale were described in the original trilogy and them having the 'seam look'? Obviously not everyone from the seam is gonna look the same tho.

I would've like to see more diversity in the movies (main& side character wise) regardless, if i'm remembering correctly there's Boggs, Beetee, Enobaria, Rue, Thresh, Cinna, Chaff and a lot of now Wyatt and Lenore. which is not alot please lmk if i'm forgetting someone tho!

I also was confused over two actresses playing Louella and LouLou, it's not a huge deal but I am still curious. The actresses still look very similar so it's not a big deal obviously. I was just curious since the only difference I can remember is the scar. Haymitch does say anyone who knows her would tell the difference, so maybe the two actresses will work really well for that? Its a very small thing to nit pick but im still curious why.

I've never actually seen either of these two act, but im sure they'll do great.

Overall this might be one of the few castings that I'm the most shocked/ iffy about. Purely because of my own head canons! I'm sure the actresses themselves are great and no hate to them ofc. *I did re-write a good bit of this section after posting it, since I messed up my tone, came off super angry over it, and I didn't actually convey my thoughts. I also got ALOT of details wrong!! so I wanted to correct that!*

Wyatt Callow

I don't think this is a terrible casting, I'll be honest at first I didn't put character who's good with number and predictions +Asian actor. But after all the posts, I've seen I did put two and two together. I'm gonna be hopeful and say it wasn't the intention to have the only Asian actor(that we know of) play the guy good with calculating odds. I do see how it can be seen though.

Now I will say we didn't get a very in depth description of Wyatt like Louella. So there's not too much for me to say, I'm still disappointed we're getting nobody who looks like they're from the seam but I digress. I will say he doesn't not look like how he's described. then again we only get black hair and a big maybe stocky I don't remember exactly the build he has. If I'm forgetting more about how he's described please correct me!

Acting wise I (once again) don't know much about Ben wang, nor have I seen him in much, but I have faith he'll do a great job.. if Lionsgate doesn't destroy our boy. I have a feeling they might give him the Peeta treatment and take a lot of his personality away, i'm hoping i'm wrong but we won't know until the movies released.

Overall I don't think it's a bad casting. I do see and agree that theres issues with having the only asian actor play the character who's good at calculating odds. Hopefully they explain on Wyatt's character so that's not his only trait.

Effie Trinket

I can't believe they listened to us, i'm really excited about this casting as well. I think that Elle Fanning is a fantastic younger Effie, she looks a lot like Elizabeth so they match up appearance wise. And Elle Fanning is the actress who I'm most familiar with, and she's a fantastic actress. So I have no doubts that she'll do amazing.

Overall this might be the casting I'm the most happy with!

President Snow:

Oh boy what a double edged sword this is, I'll start with the positives then ill talk about my issues.

Ralph Fiennes is an excellent actor and he's does look like snow. If you put him, Donald, and Tom side by side I can definitely see the resemblance. And I can believe that they are all snow while watching the films. Ralph is undeniably an excellent actor, he did a great job as Voldemort, and many of his other roles. I do like him being cast as our favorite evil dictator who's still upset over his situationship that ended 64 years ago.

Now my only issue with this casting, is Ralph Fiennes himself. He's openly defended JK Rowling, stating"abuse directed at her is disgusting". Mind you she received this 'abuse' after repeatedly being transphobic. Now even giving him the benefit of the doubt that he didn't know why she was receiving the hate, he could easily educate himself and make another statement.

Overall He will likely do an excellent job as snow, but i'm still disappointed he was cast.

Wiress:

I'm gonna be honest I didn't see Maya Hawke as her at all, but after seeing her side by side with catching fire Wiress I see it. I think she'll fit fairly well, and I think she'll do a great job. I'm hoping we get some flashbacks or scenes of wires games tho!!!

Overall I don't have too much to say about this casting, and im pretty happy about it.

Betee Latier:

Omg Kelvin looks just like him, so perfect casting appearance wise. Kelvin is also a great actor so im sure he'll play Beetee well.

Once again I don't have too much to say about this casting, but im happy with this casting.

Mags Flanagan:

I have basically nothing to say, the actress has been in a lot of amazing projects, so I have faith she'll do great as Mags.

Plutarch & Ceaser:

Both actors are fantastic, I'm putting the two together since im basically saying the same for both. Im happy with both castings.

I like nearly all of the castings, I have my issues ofc. I'm happy regardless since we are getting a film.

[notdrawingwhileasleep]

your graves au is very interesting! I'd like to know more about it in general please!

The Graveyard, Flower Fruit Mountain. One of the pieces of concept art I've made for this AU...In case yall wondered why the name.

I technically gave a little introduction to this AU months ago, in this post. But lets be fr, that was super vague. but it does hold the gits of it, at least in what I consider "Modern day graves AU" but lets back track.

Okey so, Graves AU:

After the events of s4 MK starts having nightmares. Most of them about being trapped in a void. Some he feels as if he is being buried alive. Some times he wakes up screaming; a head splitting headache forcing him to silence himself... Then the dreams get weirder. He meets people in his dreams that are long dead, he hears of prophecies long forgotten... And though the sinking feeling in his guts tells him to look at what is in front of him, he never expected to find that Sun Wukong and the Six Eared Macaque had more to do with his creation that he though. MK has to adjust to his new monkey body, new monkey parents and haunting nightmares that insists he keeps digging and digging an old grave he is not sure who it belongs to. With the hopes whatever ghost is haunting him lets him rest for the night.

The AU is currently being divided in 3 parts:

Macaque's & Wukong's infancy.

Brotherhood Era/ the fight in heaven

Modern day (post LMK s4)

Post LMK s5

Unintentionally, this AU became a rewrite of season 5, too. Because I started most of this before season 5 was out and then It just fit, so I ran wit it.

Every single one of the parts is meant to explain a "Why" in Wukong and/or Macaque's development and how we got to the current issues.... So we wont really be seeing much of parts 1 and 2 until it is necessary. But I have sprinkles of them on the tag. if yall are curious.

But that is enough angst for today!

As a side note. I love Bai He, and in this AU Macaque is the one to raise her, so MK gets a Little sister. Because I say so!

They bond over being adopted and having Macaque as a mom.

also, cuz I think is a funny fact. I only made Assitant/ shakled au because I wanted a fluffy break from writing/ drawing for this one. Chaoooo.

[bun-z-bakery]

can we get some relationship head canons between dogday and angel? Who fell and confessed first? Going by your fic how would Angels friends react? Also maybe some spicy head canons if that's ok? Would dogday be a sub or Dom? How flirty is he? You can also add your own head canons too, I was just curious about what you think for those.

Absolutely! Also plz don't be shy about sending requests I love answering them! I'm very slow so I apologize! Also I have the worst memory so if I already mentioned something in this hc post I did in the previous ones. I'm just super forgetful, sorry!

Plz remember these are just my personal silly headcanons for fun :3

More dogday headcanons woo!

CW: MDNI a few mentions of some spicy stuff ahead, nothing super explicit but you've been warned!

-Dogday most definitely fell first. He probably started falling for his angel once they gave him his legs back and from there it just snowballed.

-dogday is 100% confessing first. In subtle ways like staying by your side to protect you and helping around the house, lotssss of compliments, and probably being a bit more touchy with angel.

-If Angel doesn't get the hint, he'd just plan out a confession and an at home date with whatever you have.

-so going based on my fic, angel's friends/family would probably either be supportive or try to have some kind of intervention. There is no in between. That's either

“Wow, I'm happy for you!” (is happy you found someone who makes you happy but also slightly concerned)

Or

“Wow, you should really find someone else anyone else, plz we're begging!”

(Is actually VERY concerned / calling the nearest hospital and government officials. )

-Soft Dom dogday anyone?

(Ngl I could probably see Ethan being like “I'm happy pookie but what the actual f*@k is wrong with you?” but just smiling through his state of panic💀)

-If vanilla isn't the type of fragrance you're a fan of or want to wear that day, he will have a collection of fragrances that he likes (and totally didn't buy with our card while you were sleeping) and will douse you in before you step out.

-he's touchy, he just loved the feeling of having his angel in his hands.

-If you have to go out, he'll try to rub his scent all over you and will say it's "just a hug".

-he would want you to wear something with a sun on it, whether it be a necklace, choker, ring, hair clip, orange scrunchie, tattoo, whatever it is, it doesn't matter as long as it's orange or has a sun on it. He can't be there wherever you go so why not take something that reminds you of him? Totally not his way of marking you of course!

-depending on what his angel is into, he'd probably be super hesitant to be rough or say anything degrading, I'd say he leans more into vanilla because of fear but if you're into it and are vocal about it then don't expect him to stop anytime soon if you're enjoying yourselves.

-praises you for how good you're doing. You're really his angel in more ways than one, especially when you're so obedient for him. How could he not praise you? You most definitely deserve all the praise and another round gift.

-on a scale from 1-10 he'd be like a 5 on the flirtyness scale, but would go into a 7, once he starts he won't stop and would most definitely become putty in your hands if you flirted back.

-he would crack dark jokes at the worst times, and he'd probably make some pretty bad normal ones too. A silly guy once he's comfortable around angel and would do anything to make you laugh, even if he had to embarrass himself.

-You're sad? Haha nope not anymore. Look! He's singing while doing cartwheels and failing miserably!

-Was a good cook as a human. He would try to help out in the kitchen and knock some stuff over in the process. To avoid making a mess he'd just hand you the ingredients or utensils.

-He would also try to remember how his favorite meals tasted so he could make and share them with angel.

-not sure if I mentioned this in the past hc posts BUT I could see him wanting to have some sort of wedding to make things “as official as possible”. He'd also want to pick out rings and would wear his ring on a necklace chain, never to be taken off. He doesn't have a need to anyways.

-At some point he has thought of what living as his former self would be like and what your lives together would have looked like. He would bring it up eventually in hopes of taking that weight off of his heart. Of course he's happy with you and what you have now. Doing things together no matter how small or insignificant they may seem they mean the entire world to him. Sometimes he can't shake the thought of how different life could've been though. (We still love him either way <3)

-he would pull the "your husband" card 100%. Need help reaching a high shelf?

"Your husband's got it!"

-he'd be so happy about it too.

-silly, but if someone's looking for you, and you're not home (probably a delivery man or person who stumbled upon your house) he'd most definitely answer from behind the door.

“He's a nice fellow! Take care!”

*delivery man knocks on the door and you answer*

“I came by earlier, but your husband said you weren't home to sign, here you go!”

*you blink in confusion and start to panic*

“Y-you met him!?”

*dogday creeps up behind you and laughs*

“I heard you have a husband. I wonder who he could be…”

A/N: that's all for now! Im glad you guys enjoy my silly stories and headcanons! I do appreciate you all! thanks for reading! 🐇

[alllgator-blood]

I have ten billion WIP sketches I need to finish, but for some reason I stayed up from 9 PM to 4 AM conceptualizing, making patterns, sewing, painting and applying makeup on this stupid fucking felt squid......the detailing needs to be cleaned up cause there's only one coat of paint so far, but he's pretty much done

my neighbors probably think I'm insane because I was running around the yard clenching this toy kallamar in a death grip and flying him around like an airplane/putting him in the barbecue/poking him with a stick. I want to tie him to a string and recreate the opening of napoleon dynamite >:) ALSO I MADE HIM SMOKE OUT OF A STUPID CRYSTAL PIPE BUT PLEASE DON'T ACTUALLY USE THOSE, THEY ARE SUPER TOXIC LMAO MINE IS FOR DECORATION

I don't have any process pics because I had tunnel vision autism style and forgot the rest of the universe existed while I was working on him. BUT if you're curious I'll ramble below the cut

Okay I am not a seamstress by any means. I've sewn my entire life but very, very infrequently. I've done plushies, clothes, cosplays, fursuits, accessories, etc. but I only do one like once a year, so while I planned to make all 5 bishops, I'm not really sure I'll get them all done. The material cost was like 20 bucks tops so I'm not too upset if I don't finish them. I AT LEAST WANT TO GET SHAMURA OR HEKET DONE.

here is the concept sketch ft. heket's toes and shamura's fingers. I decided to do his pre-schism version so I could fit him with jewelry! I did him first because like I said I sew infrequently and don't know wtf I'm doing, everyone else seemed a lot more complicated.

So I basically just traced this drawing on a printer paper-sized canvas in SAI, and guesstimated how everything would look in a 3D space. His head is four pieces, one triangle identical to the one in the picture, two wide triangles that are sewn together in the back, and a circle for his chin. You can't really see it in any of the pics but he's literally like a black cylindrical stick with little tentacles sewn on where his mantle connects to his cloak. The leg tentacles are one piece of felt that look like tassels, where they're connected by a rectangle but branch off into individual pieces. He can't stand up very well, so his cape keeps him up (that's gonna be an issue for every other bishop too except heket cause she's gonna be ROUND). Mostly everything like the crown, cloak, head, etc. are cones so I just had to make a lot of wide triangles.

For the details, I just used acrylic paint that was watered down so he's not especially crunchy, and for the blush tone I used a makeup palette my mom bought me 10 years ago in hopes I'd get in touch with my "feminine side", but I grew up into a nonbinary butch lesbian so OOPS. Kallamar looks better with makeup than me anyway. I'm kinda sad I couldn't get his freckles as lopsided as I draw them but it probably looks better in plush form to have them even anyway....

I could just post the pattern so I don't have to explain this but 1. I am mentally ill about the thought of my kallamar being in someone else's house and 2. the original pattern had to be tweaked while I was working on him so the final pattern straight up doesn't exist, I winged it the whole time

OH and the jewelry is just scrap pieces I had laying around, I might repaint it all to be gold instead of silver + bronze. I used 20g aluminum wire for his armlet thing, jumper rings for his earrings + ring (+ a diamond dot from my mom's kits for the gem) and chain for the bracelet. I made him an amulet as well but it felt like overkill so I took it off. I'm probably gonna make him a plague doctor mask and medicine bag sometime because I think about nurse kallamar more than I probably should :') I've already sewn one as a prop for a toy raven before so it shouldn't be too hard

[spinchip]

So glad someone asked about Ninjago Finds the Way Home AU recently cuz I just found that and oh boy do I have questions, this au is so cool!! So, since the ninja never became a team, this means they never found the golden weapons, so the megaweapon and Garmadon's subsequent healing never happened. And since he's not there, and Zane was quickly sent to the dungeons by Chen, this means none of the other ninja are wary of Chen (minus Cole and Zane due to your previous post). This also means, besides Lloyd, none of them know Spinjitzu or have their True potentials. Does anyone unlock their true potential *during* the Tournament?

Oh!! Also cuz they don't have their true potential unlocked, does this mean Chen's spell is weakened in power? Or does it just take the power (no matter the skill level) as a baseline fuel? Cuz I'd imagine taking the literal Elements of Creation would be really powerful, but they're not as powerful as they could be.

Also, I'm very curious if Chen still gets to Kai in this, since in canon Chen mentions he knew Kai's parents. For Kai in this au, someone who wants to live up to his parents legacy of being blacksmiths and restoring their shop to glory, how would he take this info? You also said he wants to avoid the prophecy and that he's only here because of Nya, so does that mean he doesn't really use his powers or participate? Or does he still try? Also since I mentioned Lloyd earlier, what are the groups reactions to seeing a child in this Tournament? I know you said they warm up Lloyd and see parts of themself in him, but how does that go about happening? Sorry for all the questions, this au is just super cool! Hope you have a nice day!

Omg long ask thank you ! I'll put the reply under readmore aaa

You're right! At first, no one is that wary of Chen or Clouse. I think there might be a bit of "Wait, somethings not quite right." but it's pretty easily brushed off by attributing Chens strangeness to the fact he's a wacky reclusive billionaire. He says something a little off color and it's like well, he has been alone on this island for years so...? I guess that makes sense. I do think Zanes little outburst and dinner raised some eyebrows, and made some of the more attentive EMs a bit slower to trust the whole situation, but for the most part everyone thinks they're there to play the game and win the crown. no more no less. This AU would focus a lot more on clues and mystery and unraveling how everything is connected I think.

I didn't give much thought to true potential, but thinking about it now- I think only one ninja would unlock his TP during the events of the ToE, and it would be Kai. I think this version of Kai is really resistant to change and is very focused on him and nya vs the world. I think him reaching his true potential is when he accepts that he needs and WANTS to make outside connections, and accepts his role as part of something larger than himself. I think he would still reach it protecting Lloyd in some way! Perhaps he still gets his hand on the staff and feels that corruption, and ends up reaching TP by destroying it and giving everyone their powers back? Might have to workshop that one a little. What do you think?

Personally, I think that taking the powers no matter the skill level of the user will give Chen their Fully Recognized Power. It's not that the power isnt THERE, just that there's a mental block keeping them from accessing it. The staff doesn't really have an mental blocks so- full power from the moment they're stolen!

the question about Kai and Chen is really interesting. It's been too long since i've seen s4 i need to rewatch augh. Kai is really individualistic in this version of the story- he wants to take care of what's his and nothing else. i think Chen bringing up his parents would play into that, and I think Chen would bring up his parents earlier on to get Kai on his side earlier on. Though I don't think he would phrase it like he knows a Big Secret, just that he KNEW them, which would be enough for kai, who starved of any and all information on his parents. I don't think this would set off any alarm bells for Kai at first because Chen clearly has an interest in the elemental masters, so it's not that strange he knew his parents, right? But as things start to become more obviously nefarious Kai's willingness to listen to Chen would quickly sour. Especially once he realizes that Chen was fighting against his parents in the war. At first, though, he would be extremely interested in learning everything about them he can from Chen. ANd he might still use that interest to trick Chen into thinking he's on his side later on so he can act double agent and help the others from behind the curtain so to speak.

Kai doesnt have any idea about the prophecy at first, and he's kinda just of the mindset of like- I gotta get Nya and go home. there's a blacksmith shop to be run. i don't have time for this tournament stuff i JUST started getting good at the forge. But he's still a young man and i think the more he was around other EMs the more he's like OKAYYYY this could be fun. maybe. and heck, i'm stuck here... so why not try to win? For the heck of it? so he does end up participating a bit!

there's a collective thought bubble from everyone who sees Lloyd that basically boils down to "Man, I hope someone else eliminates him before I have to." WHICH IS TO SAY no one would actually try to hurt him, but they would try to defeat him in the tournament. There's a lot of money on the line, after all...

There's a lot of inertwined stuff that happens that leads to Lloyd becoming really important to the ninja team. I think the basic idea is that first the group as a whole takes him in when he's getting into trouble on the ferry ride to chens island, then Zane, who knows who Lloyd is, is keen on keeping an eye on him. He and Zane bond quick because Zane does not treat Lloyd like a child to his face (To elaborate, Zane isn't like unjustly shouldering a lot of responsibility onto Lloyd like he were a fellow adult. he just listens to lloyd and takes what he says with the same gravity he would if those words were coming from someone like neuro or wu. Lloyd feels very heard and respected, so he sticks close to zane.) then, because Cole and Zane are fast friends and cole has a natural paternal instinct, he and lloyd bond. Colke and jay are a package deal, so Jay ends up growing close to Lloyd too. Jay and Nya are flitring a lot, so now Nya's in the mix and where there's nya, kai is not far behind.

a game of connect the dots in a way?

tell me what YOU think!

thanks for the ask!

[fivestaralien]

hiii! I’m obsessed with the ateez fics you’ve written! I was wondering if you could write one that’s Seonghwa x fem! chubby reader? The reader never dresses up due to body image insecurities, but on the first night of a getaway weekend with Seonghwa, they go on a date where she’s decided to go all out and it makes Seonghwa fall even more in love with her? Thank youuu!! 🫶🏼

all of me, all of you

-> seonghwa x chubby!fem reader

warnings+": insecurities on the readers part(all bodies are beautiful bodies, never forget that!!) seonghwa being so understanding and loving, so much kissing and a tiny bit suggestive at times?? but not really, word count: 1.8k a.n.// thank you so much for the request! I hope you enjoy my take and I hope I wrote this to your liking:) I also hope everyone knows they are beautiful no matter what anyone else says!! and if they don't agree I will fight them for you<3 pls let me know what you think about this one, I'd love feedback! stay safe and have an amazing day!

//

 No matter how many times you try on this dress throughout the week, it never seems to look good enough on you.

  Unfortunately it’s the only dress you have and you didn’t have enough time to get a different one. Seonghwa surprised you with a weekend getaway just for the two of you, as a thank you for always staying by his side no matter how long he’s gone. 

 You tried to come up with things that didn’t involve your body but when your friends suggested finally dressing up for him, you couldn’t get the idea out of your head. Now, you don’t hate how you look but wearing a dress always makes you super nervous, especially one that’s tighter than you’d usually like. You want to dress up for Seonghwa as a way to show him how much you appreciate what he has done for you. 

 As the week before the trip passes by all you could think about was that dress. How would Seonghwa react? Will he hate it and be grossed out by all of the extra weight you carry sticking out? Will he see the tops of your breasts pushing out and wish he was with someone smaller? 

 “What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?” Seonghwa questions, lightly tapping a finger against your cheek. 

 You just shake your head and cuddle further into his chest. He makes a disapproving noise before moving you to face him. 

 “Baby what’s wrong?” 

 His hands move up to caress your cheeks, relaxing you enough to answer, “It’s nothing bad I promise.” 

 “Nothing bad? So there is something wrong?” Seonghwa sits you both up, urging you to continue. You mentally hit yourself for saying too much. 

 “Please pretend I didn’t say anything. I can’t tell you yet.” 

 His eyebrows shoot up, now very curious as to what you could be hiding from him. The number of things coming to his mind right now were endless. 

 “I promise it’s nothing bad, just trust me.” You plead. 

Seonghwa studies your face for a few seconds then nods with a smile. Right before you could move back he nudged you and tapped his lips. He never lets you forget to seal promises with a kiss, so you lean over and push your lips against his quickly. 

 Luckily he doesn’t bring it up again and the day you leave finally arrives. The only thing Seonghwa has told you is that you were going to a dinner the first night. That’s what sparked the idea for your friends to dress up. You were starting to regret not packing a back up outfit just in case you chicken out. Seonghwa slams the trunk closed once he double checked you brought everything, then goes to open your door for you. 

 You thank him with a kiss on the cheek and when he starts driving a hand comes down to knead at your thigh, then rests there. The drive was beautiful. Long, but beautiful. It was filled with nothing but gossip and laughter and the occasional bathroom break. 

 By the time you arrive and he unlocks the luxury cabin door, the dress is long forgotten in your mind. 

 “Can we take a nap? We still have a few hours before the reservation.” Seonghwa takes off his shoes and throws himself onto the bed. 

 You freeze by the door of the bedroom, wiping your hands on your shirt, as they suddenly become sweaty. The dress. 

 He flips his head to rest on his other cheek, making sure you were still there. Confused by your sudden silence he motions with his head for you to come over to him. You take a deep breath then carefully step up to the side of the bed closest to his upper body. 

 You slip off your shoes and tuck yourself right underneath his side. Seonghwa looks down at you as he lifts himself on his elbows, concern now written all over his face. You cup his face and pull him down for a sweet kiss. He savors every second of it, threading his fingers through your hair, his thumbs caressing behind your ears. 

 You lean your head up a little to press your mouth harder against his. The kiss is slow and lazy and it’s your favorite kind, especially when Seonghwa prodded your lips open with his tongue, like he is doing right now. You explore each other's mouths for a few minutes before pulling away to catch your breath. 

 Your hands go to his sides to pull him down fully on top of you. He always teases you that he was like a weighted comfort blanket and you couldn’t even deny it. Seonghwa knew you were hiding something still but you would tell him when you were ready. He trusts you fully. The two of you end up falling asleep not long after, cuddling into the soft duvet. 

 Seonghwa groans into your neck at the blaring alarm you had set before fully falling asleep. Within the time that you were in that deep slumber, you had moved to your side with Seonghwa behind you and his arm tightly wrapped around your middle, keeping you close to his chest. 

 Gently you nudge him to try and wake him up but to no surprise he doesn’t move a muscle. 

 “Hwa, we need to get up.” He remains silent. 

 You turn over in his arms and raise your hand up to playfully pinch his nose. Seonghwa huffs out a laugh as you then pepper kisses along his jaw, more awake now than a few seconds ago. You yelped in surprise when he pushed you onto your back and began giving you the same treatment. 

 “C’mon we need to get up.” You laugh, trying to push him off but he was just too strong. 

 He captures your lips with his before pushing off of the bed. The situation you’re in now hits you and you want to do anything except get up. You just need to get it over with. 

 “I’m gonna go change in the bathroom.” This catches his attention really quickly. 

 In the beginning of your relationship you never changed in front of him. You had explained that you weren’t too comfortable being that vulnerable and showing him everything. Seonghwa completely understood and didn’t even question it. He made it his life mission from then on to get you to see yourself the way he sees you. 

 An absolute beauty. 

 Over the months of your relationship you had grown more and more comfortable in your body. With the help of Seonghwa being so patient and supportive, you had gotten to the point that it wasn’t even a second thought to change whether he was in the room or not. 

 You still had your moments here and there but nothing that had Seonghwa freaking out. Until now though. You can see the wheels turning in his head as he tries to figure out what he had done to make you feel like you had to hide yourself. 

  “Hey stop that,” you walk up to him, putting your arms around his neck, “baby, you’ve done nothing wrong. I’m just a little nervous to show you something.” Your eyes move to his chest so you don’t have to look him in the eyes. 

 He presses his lips to your forehead, “Whenever you’re ready.” Why is he so perfect? 

 After a bit you remove yourself and grab your suitcase. You lock the bathroom door behind you and with slightly shaky hands you unzip the suitcase and take out the dreaded cloth. The dress fit the same as it did earlier the week before, showing all of the things you still feel a tad weird about. Especially in a room full of strangers that for sure would be staring at you. 

 You give yourself a once over and take a deep, deep breath. Your hand pauses on the doorknob and you shout out to Seonghwa to close his eyes and turn around. He laughs at your request but obviously does it anyway, wanting to show that you can trust him. 

 You peek out seeing his back turned to you then slowly step out of the bathroom. When you reach a few feet behind him you tap him on the shoulder. Seonghwa’s breath hitches as he takes in every inch of you. You shuffle under his intense gaze, your brain in shambles over what he might be thinking. 

 He takes your hand, lifting it above you effectively spinning you around to really get a good look at you. Your face flushes a deep red as he bites his lip, eyes darkening. 

 “Absolutely ethereal.” He whispers into the space between you. 

 Suddenly becoming overwhelmed with shyness, you hide your face in his chest, “thank you.” He wraps an arm around your back, rubbing up and down. His other hand cradles the back of your head.

 “Is this your surprise that you were so scared to tell me about?” You nod your head, “oh, my precious baby.” Seonghwa coos. 

 “I know that I shouldn’t think bad things about myself, but when I wear things like this everything just rushes in and I can’t stop it. I can’t help but think maybe you’d want someone else, someone-” 

 Seonghwa stops your rambling with a light shake to your shoulders, “Woah, hey, don’t say or think things like that. I want you and only you. There is not a single person in this universe that will turn my head. You are it for me baby.” 

 He moves your head with his hands so you are looking at him and juts his bottom lip out at the sight of tears building up in your eyes. His thumbs move to wipe away a few that let loose and kisses your forehead. The two of you sit in silence for a little then he suggests canceling and just staying in. 

 You shake your head, “Absolutely not. You planned a whole dinner for us and I would have dressed up for nothing. We are making that reservation.” 

 “Okay, okay.” Seonghwa laughs then completely wraps you up in his arms, “seriously though, you are so beautiful and I’m so honored to be the person you want to show all of yourself too. I love you.” He presses a few short kisses to your lips. 

 “I wouldn’t have gotten the courage if it wasn’t for you. You have been there for me and made me feel more confident than anyone I've ever been with and I thank you for that. I love you so much, Hwa.” 

 You kiss him a few more times, each one more passionate than the last and you had to physically push him away to get him to stop. You laugh as he kisses along your jaw and neck, hoping you can feel how much he loves you. 

 The dinner was better than you could have hoped for but let’s just say.. you couldn’t get back to the cabin fast enough.

// ateez master list , all master lists

[greenleaf4stuff]

I hope you don’t mind me asking (and please feel free to ignore if it’s too nosy!), but I am so intrigued by your choice to pair Adar with Celebrimbor in your fic (and did you invent SilverScars per chance? I'm not sure of the origin of this ship 🥰). 🖤✨

As they never met or interacted on screen, I'm so curious about what inspired this pair and this dynamic.... Like what made you think of it in the first place🤔💭

Excuse my curiosity getting the better of me, but I'd love to hear what sparked your gorgeous story! 💬🌿🛠️🩸

★·.·´¯·.·★⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆★·.·´¯·.·★

Hiii and hello! Thank you so much for your question (and your kind words about my fic!), @varda-star-queen, and no worries, I am always down for talking about silverscars! :D

Starting with the easiest bit - while I am very flattered by the thought, I didn't invent the ship nor its name! The first fic that I am aware of about these two was written by @plotdesigner and is called 'Hand in Gauntleted Hand'. The shipname itself came after, I got asked this question by someone else before and collected my 'research' in this post. (situations like these are when I am glad for my tagging system! XD)

As to why I ended up thinking of this pairing and began to ship them, and write about them, I think I saw so many parallels and similarities between them that got me; they both died the same season (though of course I still hope they might bring Adar back in the future), both of them through Sauron and rather painfully and tragically. They both don't have partners, they are leaders of their people, manipulated and used for Sauron's means. They both ended up resisting and defying him in some way, too, whether by (seemingly) killing him and freeing the uruk in the past, or by refusing Sauron's demands, and even Adar's decision to turn away from war and violence can be seen as resistance imo.

There are also differences that I found interesting; Celebrimbor likely lived through a sped up version of (some of) what Adar went through in the past under Sauron. One is the sole heir of an influential, famous elven family, the last of his line, the other is a nameless, former elf with no ancestors that we know of, first of his line, with many children, whether literally or figuratively. (To me it almost feels like a 'past and future' presentation.) Celebrimbor was named by his parents, Adar chose his own name. Celebrimbor is held in high esteem and founded his own city, Adar has to fight for the right to survive and have a home for his children, leading him to found Mordor. Adar founds Mordor in s1, Celebrimbor has his home destroyed by the end of s2.

(Also, I wasn't super versed in Silm lore when I started the series, but learning more about Celebrimbor's family history has only added more points to this; both of them must have lived through countless battles in Arda, perhaps even experienced the same ones from different 'sides'? And there are multiple references to Feanor in the series, with Celebrimbor's actions and deeds often being weighed and compared against those of his grandfather. Meanwhile, Adar is held responsible for and associated with Sauron and his cruelties. Influences they, likely, cannot so easily separate from and try to overcome, by besting Feanor and disavowing Sauron respectively.)

It's an intriguing combination of similarities and differences, to me at least.

And on a more personal level, my thought was that, if they met, a post-Sauron Celebrimbor might look at Adar and see the things he himself has just suffered and survived, and might therefore find a level of understanding and empathy for Adar that other elves might not reach; after all, if he has been manipulated and driven to create the Rings of Men despite his better judgement, someone else could have similar (and worse) happen to them as well, couldn't they? (He readily worked with Elrond and the dwarves, didn't have any reservations against Halbrand, showed understanding towards Galadriel.)

Meanwhile, Adar might see (a version of) his own past reflected at him, similar to what he did with Galadriel in the tent, though with Celebrimbor's experiences being different than hers. I imagine Adar might be able to help Celebrimbor move on from and overcome his trauma and guilt due to his own experiences and knowledge, give him guidance, and an understanding other elves may not be able to give Celebrimbor, due to not having endured the same thing.

I suppose that is the main thing that drew me in - in a sense, their individual experiences with Sauron serve as a connection between them, even if the two never meet on screen. (One might even argue that Sauron pits them directly against each other, via the siege.) Therefore, these experiences might work as a base from which they could build mutual understanding, empathy, and perhaps even more.

(Which, I also like the implications of that in general - that people who come from very different walks of life can recognize their similarities, set aside their differences, find comfort and connection in, and empathy for, each other after surviving awful things, help each other heal, and become stronger through this mutual kindness, affection, friendship (and more).)

And, as for what intrigues me about them being in a relationship - I think it is again a mix of similarities and differences. They both have elven roots. They are both leaders to their people and care about them, they have their own realms (though at different states, with Celebrimbor's either being finished or destroyed, and Adar's in its infancy), they are very driven when it comes to what they consider important. Celebrimbor is a craftsman, Adar has mostly known the fight for survival and is a fighter. Celebrimbor is royalty, Adar is not. Adar might be significantly older than Celebrimbor, the two have very different experiences of what happened through the ages.

It provides a lot of potential - for growth, understanding, drama, banter, humor, fluff, angst, healing, character studies, friendship, romance...

(As a sidenote, I also gravitate more towards m/m ships, which likely factors into this. Plus I think the fact that neither of them have canon partners in the series might have made me go "Oh look, wouldn't it be neat if they had someone as well?")

That being said, I could likely ramble even more. There is just a lot about silverscars that speaks to me, both when it comes to the individual characters and their potential as a ship. I hope that answered your question? I'd love to know!

(And, if anyone wants to add onto this post with their own impressions or ideas, I'd enjoy hearing them! <3)

[aiakosaclysm]

Wholesome Hellscape Tour and Applications Announcement

yall want a tour of WHS? Here's the golbmine, the most recent addition on the server. The communal storage area, super smelter, sugar cane farm, and community area shared by Theo, Ink, Elictra, and their friends within the confines of the Safe Zone. It was just recently completed and has more redstone in it than any other build i've made on this server

On the way out of the Safe Zone, I saw this. Rhys' watch-tower. If you look closely, you might be able to see their pack. Thought it looked cool from this angle and felt like including it

after you get out, one of the first places you'll find is Charleston. This was my first base on the server, and it still finds use today. It's also the home of the Lost Woods. With in this maze of trees you can find Theo's tree. Theo's...well, He's Theo.

You can also find the shrubs Old Man, Charles, of whom Charleston is named after. He's the first tree I built on the server, though he's existed in various forms for much longer.

You can also find the Cave, which holds various animals, and our storage area. I've gotten good at these over the years, so this is something I happen to be quite proud of.

You can also see C!Aflac and Cinder's first bedroom here. The two have since moved out of Charleston, however. Currently, the only things that live here are the ghosts in the lost woods and the various plants and animals they protect.

Might be a bit difficult to see in the fog here, but you should be able to get a glance at the aforementioned lost woods. Above it is the mountain Charleston is buried under, though that mountain isn't fully pictured here. You can also see the paper mache dragon that Theo made.

On the way to The Aether, I had to make a pit stop in Prosperity. This once prosperous town is now home only to the poison of the void.

Sometimes I wonder how things could have been, if anything could have been different. If any of this could have been avoided.

After that pit stop, I managed to land in the Aether. I went ahead and grabbed some leftover supplies from Theo's apothecary, but what I needed wasn't here.

I figured I'd check his guest house after. See if what I needed was there. Fun fact about this house, Theo picked it up and moved it from a different town.

Once I got the things I needed from there, i started making my way back, when I saw something in the rain. I wasn't sure what it was for a moment.

It was Elictra's monument! I always forget its so close to the Aether. Unfortunately, it's been a little bit...corrupted. After her brother, Elias, was killed, he was buried here. This seems to have drastically affected it.

Those spikes were all over the place here. I didn't want to stick around too long, though. The Void Sickness is not something I'm very inclined to mess with. Here's another photo of it from afar.

I figured I'd take another pit stop. One of the rarest and the most secret location on the server. Only 3 people know where it is. Welcome to the Melon Bar.

Seems leaving the portal unattended has had some...unexpected consequences. I'm not a fan of the nether, but I don't hate it though.

In case anyone's curious, the servers goodest boy is doing just fine. Barnaby is alive and well.

Finally made it back to the Safe area. Here's Elictra's house. She's the town winemaker now, and has almost every crop in croptopia.

Here's another angle of the house. I just think it looks really nice.

Elictra's kids are funny too. Oak, Aspen, Fern, Spruce, Asparagus, and Artichoke. Theo named em. Sniffy lil guys.

Home sweet home. Theo's Bunker.

Built with efficiency and survivability in mind, each room in his side is outfitted with a crafting table and ender chest

It's a bit cramped, but his workspace has all the essentials. Loom, Smithing table,

Some furnaces, storage, a crafting table and Furnaces. Steve and some sculk. All the essentials.

Theo's always made potions, why stop now? The bed here is Inks, as she doesn't currently have a room. She lives here with Theo's trusty assistant, Frog Named Eris. He's hiding behind the brewing stands because he's a little camera shy.

His study and work area. Nothing much of note here, other than his actual notes.

Theo's bedroom. Two ender chests, for extra utility. I don't have a problem, what are you talking about?

Anyways, that's that. I couldn't show off every build, or even every bit of the builds I showed. Some things gotta be left to discovery. If anyone's curious, the SMP is called Wholesome Hellscape. WHS has been running for 4 years, it was founded by the amazing @inkmeloffical and it's still up and kicking. All builds here were made by its wonderful members. It's a 1.20.1 modded origins server with lore. If anyone's looking for an SMP to join, here's a link to the fan server, Applications open soon! https://discord.gg/F9V4AYJb EDIT: I've been given permission to share the actual application link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScwY5RxrYMp2pZlBJ6kA-_MibSkZBbjm_wSRGEDl99XrY2pLg/viewform?usp=sf_link Apps close on the 16th, and if we like your application, we'll start reaching out shortly after that in order to plan for interviews. I highly encourage you to join the fanserver above in order to get more consistent updates about this. Happy Applying and good luck! Builds created by me, ink, @polaris-solaria, @el-slime, @azelphyrr, @endtalesans, and others.

[m4rv3l-girl]

Curiosity

Bucky x Y/N

Y/N is too much of a nerd, and Bucky’s arm is going to be a problem.

Requests Open - See Blog!

Warnings: None. Y/N is a dork.

Y/N had always been excited by technological advancements. When she found out that Bucky Barnes was going to be working with her, she had to contain her sparks of nerdiness.

That Vibranium arm. What a progression in prosthetics...

It was early afternoon and the sun had settled comfortably in the sky, it was warm and humid. Y/N was waiting patiently to meet the super soldier - trying to make her excitement as unnoticeable as possible.

She heard the key rattle in the lock and the sound seemed to go on forever as she sat on the couch in anticipation.

When the door finally opened with a push against the thick carpet, she held her breath. The first thing that she saw was the glint of metal against the sunny rays peeking through the curtains, the sight alone making her heart speed up.

God. Pull yourself together, Woman. She scolded herself internally.

"Uh...hey. Are you Y/N?" His voice was deep and laced with a Brooklyn accent.

Y/N's voice got caught in her voice box and found herself unable to answer for a moment. Instead, she opted to stare up at the specimen of a man in front of her like a love-struck child.

She cleared her throat. 

"Yeah, I am. You're James." She stated.

"It's just Bucky" he insisted.

She nodded slightly, using all of her energy to stop her eyes flickering down to the bionic limb. 

Stop. He'll think you're a creep.

"Just...Just Bucky. Okay. Sure."  

His gaze was locked on hers. He must've caught her staring at the arm. 

A small frown embedded into his expression, she could tell he was trying to seem friendly. Yet, one accidental glance and he became visibly distressed. Pulling his left sleeve down a few inches, he spoke quickly, 

"I won't hurt you. I don't do that anymore"

His tone was sure and final. But he was coming to the wrong conclusion - assuming Y/N was scared of him. Of the arm.

He couldn't have been any more wrong.

"No, no, I know...I'm not-.."

She fumbled to find the right words. Accepting defeat, she closed her mouth and smiled awkwardly.

"I'm just a massive tech nerd and I'm fangirling a bit, I'm sorry. I'm probably making you really uncomfortable, I was trying really hard not to stare-..."

He chuckled.

Her head immediately shot up and she found his eyes crinkled in the corners as the small laugh slipped out. 

"Hey, it's okay, don't apologize, Doll. I'm glad. I like that you were staring out of curiosity rather than fear.."

She nodded slowly. Not sure how to respond, she simply scooted to the side to make room for him to sit down. The couch creaked as he settled into the gap she made - his hands locking together in his lap.

An awkward silence began, and seemed to last an age. 

Her eyes wandered with a mind of their own; they were naturally gravitating towards that bionic arm again...

Catching herself, she forced her curious gaze elsewhere. But, Bucky had already noticed with amusement.

"I can practically see the questions swirling 'round your head, Doll. You can ask." He insisted.

Her cheeks started to heat up and she could feel the burning under her skin - powerless to stop it. It was a combination of that name...Doll ..and his perceptive nature. The fact that he had so easily seen through her and noticed how eager she was to ask questions was both scary and embarrassing.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to...be annoying or anything." She said, as if trying to convince herself that she wasn't aching to interrogate him.

"You won't. I'd rather you ask....And I understand the interest. I'm a bit of a tech geek myself."

The questions were bubbling in her throat, ready to flow out.

"...Okay, does it have any feeling? I mean, I'm assuming it has some internal mechanisms that attach to your nervous system but given how sophisticated the tech is I just wondered if it acted similarly to a nerve ending?" She rambled - blurting the words as if they had been stuck. 

He laughed at her enthusiasm.

"Uh, that's a bit of a complicated answer. I can feel stuff like pressure, heat or if it's being yanked off. There's some artificial nerves for that. But I can't feel pain on it, or any sensations close to what a real arm can.."

Her eyes widened as she listened intently, leaning in closer to him absentmindedly.

"That is so cool..." She mused quietly.

"I guess it is. I've only ever really seen it as a weapon. But, at its heart, there's some cool tech." He replied, nodding.

They fell into another silence, but this time more comfortable. The TV hummed in the background and filled the stuffy air with a warm buzz.

"Hey, Y/N?"

"Yeah?"

"You're staring again." He laughed.

[noxiatoxia]

thanks for answering my questions! that was a super interesting read! i feel like in the english it feels like he suddenly got an “im better than you” attitude while in the japanese he’s just talking to them in a way that better reflects how he thinks they should be talked to based on their (for lack of a better term) status in his mind. it makes me wonder if he realizes what hes doing (dementia moment)

i did have another question about his lines specifically when he runs into hinata after the final dead room (the bits where he’s asking if hinata wanted to “become hope”) as i always thought that implied he knew he was kamukura at that point. and i want to know what he’s saying in japanese.

i’m also very curious about that line before the trial where komaeda is wondering why he still cares about hinata! if there’s any nuances there that are left out of the translation

You're welcome! I'm terribly sorry it took so long but I had to recover from being sick and then re-look over Ch.4 again. It was fun!

You bring up a really interesting point about the dementia thing...I wonder, does Komaeda's FTD still affect him in the NWP, does he have flare-ups? I'm unsure...Komaedaologists with better analysis skills than me probably could answer that.

Besides that, let me answer your questions.

So, the part where Komaeda talks to Hinata about admiring hope is interesting for a few reasons...before we even get to the admiring hope part, Komaeda says this:

When supposedly talking about Hinata's lack of talent, but then when he talks about why Hinata is talentless, he says this:

Which is confusing. He's implying Hinata "perhaps" doesn't have a talent because he wasn't determined enough (meaning, he didn't work hard enough) only to then say having a talent/being hope actually has nothing to do with working hard, and it's about how you're born.

When I answer these asks, I watch the ENG and JP version side-by-side, so I caught instantly what the issue was.

This line actually has nothing to do with talking about Hinata being talentless. Keep in mind, the line before this is Hinata saying, "Wh-What the hell...does that mean...?"

Combined with that, it's easy to see this is what the line is supposed to read:

KOMAEDA: Perhaps...you weren't prepared for this to be the answer.

For some reason I'm having a tough time wording it in English right now, so please excuse me. But Komaeda is saying, basically, "Were you not ready for the truth behind this question you've been wondering so long (aka his talent) to be this bleak? Had you not prepared for it to be this undesirable of an outcome?"

He was not commenting on Hinata being unable to get into HPA, he was commenting on his shocked reaction.

Moving on to the part you were actually asking about...

I actually kind of like the ENG translation. It's more liberal but in a good way. I'll provide a more literal translation in this case to better explain.

KOMAEDA: You yearn to posses hope...so you entered Hope's Peak Academy with the plan to devote yourself to that goal, isn't that so?

My only qualm with the official translation is a nitpick; "admire" is not how I would put it...I don't think?

I may be wrong, but in English, "admiring" something doesn't always mean you want to be it. I hear a lot, "I admire his ability to do such hard work" and such. It sounds like you hold a lot of praise for him, but you could never do that yourself. "I admire firefighters, I'd never want to put my life on the line like that" and stuff...

憧れ is better thought of as "aspire", I think. It has the nuance of you want to embody it. "Admire" works, but it's the kind of admiration where you want to be that, too.

Besides that, "Were you willing to sacrifice your body and soul" is a very powerful way to write その身を捧げるつもり, and I really have to give it to the team for this one.

Literally speaking, その身 means "That body", but 身 is an abstract way to refer to a person's self. その then makes it "one's self", and it sounds kind of...grandiose? Serious? I'm unsure how to word it.

Point is, turning その身 into "your [very] body and soul" is a perfect way to put it in this situation. 捧げる has an equal level of importance in feeling, it's like wholly dedicating everything to one thing. Sacrifice is apt.

This translation is also fine, but I wrote my own version too.

Komaeda: Or maybe...you were just a mindless sheep who looked up to Hope's Peak Academy [because everyone else was doing it].

Hinata then interjects, saying, "That's not why I joined at all!" (In the Official translation, he says "I-It's not like that! I...!")

And then Komaeda replies:

KOMAEDA: No, it's because you "wanted to become hope yourself" or something like that. Seriously, quit saying such idiotic things!

Also, I must amend my post here where I said I didn't recall Komaeda ever using ~てくれ outside of his laptop video. In this line, he does use てくれ. I'm sorry >.< my memory truly does suck.

Also, this line after Komaeda explains you either are born with talent or aren't is a mistranslation:

KOMAEDA: That's why...just "aspiring" to be something isn't enough.

I think it's pretty obvious that it's a mistranslation even in English because it reads like a totally unrelated non sequitur. In Japanese, it makes a lot more sense.

Komaeda's ideology can be quite confusing for a first time player, it doesn't help that there's so many mistranslations that make him say basically the opposite of what he means...I wonder why that is.

Only 2 lines later, we get these lines:

Which are, weirdly, way meaner than they are in Japanese.

KOMAEDA: In short...you're nothing more than a Reserve Course student who never had a talent to begin with. KOMAEDA: You just happened to forget. That's all there is to it.

He never calls him a "nobody" - the closest is 予備学科でしかない, where でしかない has a negative connotation to it. So, it's saying "you are merely just a Reserve Course student" with a bit of an edge, but that's it. I guess this could be read as "a nobody from the reserve course" if you interpreted it in the meanest way possible. It's not necessarily wrong; it's up to the reader to decide how "mean" Komaeda intends it to be I suppose. A bit of ambiguity.

I only translate it as more "neutral" as the follow up line does not sound mean to me, so I'm just keeping it consistent...but I would actually love to hear some theories on this. Do you think he's trying to be mean? Or is he just emphasizing Hinata is nothing more than, in a neutral way? Very interesting...

That's all for that part...there's nothing that would allude to Komaeda knowing Hinata is Kamukura based on these lines, I don't think. I'll let everyone theorize though, I'm just here to write translations haha

To your other question, I've actually looked into this before! I only discussed it with a friend privately though, so I never posted it here. Let's fix that.

KOMAEDA: Even so, why...? KOMAEDA: I know that you are an insignificant human being, so why is it that I care about you?

I know nuance is important in lines like these, so let me elaborate more on the Japanese text.

KOMAEDA: 取るに足らない人間だとわかっているのに、どうしてキミの事を気に掛けちゃうのかな?

取るに足らない means something not worth devoting any time to, something so small and trivial, hence insignificant.

どうして is a bit tricky to explain, but it means why/how. You're asking why in the sense of how...which is usually the same as an English "why", I think. In this way, it can be worded also as "so how come I care about you?"

キミの事 is "kimi no koto", and puts emphasis on Hinata's person.

Like, for example, in love confessions, a person will not say I love you (kimi), because it sounds stilted or insincere. You say "you" as kimi no koto, which literally translates as "your thing"...which sounds weird, but all you need to know is that it emphasizes the person's being - their personality, their feelings, their everything. It's a way to make whatever you're saying about this person sound more warm/intimate. Of course it's used for more than just love confessions!! That's just the most popular example. Komaeda uses kimi no koto in his love confession with Hinata in his FTE.

In short, he is just emphasizing Hinata as a person beyond a surface level. This isn't shocking, as this sentence would sound kind of weird if he did not use this turn of phrase.

気に掛けちゃう confuses me for one specific reason and I'll explain that soon. But 気に掛け means "care", specifically this English definition:

being concerned/weighing on one's mind is an integral part to 気に掛け。

The ちゃう attached to it gives the nuance that this is against Komaeda's will, and/or it is something he is doing to his chagrin. Basically, "despite the fact I shouldn't, I care about you [and I can't force myself not to]".

Back to what confuses me. It's how 気に掛け is written. Most commonly, it's written in Hiragana alone as 気にかけ and means the same thing. You can 100% write the second part in Kanji as it is here, but when it comes to written works like this, typically there's a reason for choosing one over the other. Which is to say, the reason it's written in Kanji here as opposed to Hiragana makes me think there's some sort of implied nuance...I could be totally wrong, but it's what my mind goes to.

The issue is, I don't know of any special nuance of using 気に掛け over 気にかけ...so, if this is indeed the case, my theories for why it is written in Kanji, from most likely to least, are:

to emphasize the word's meaning.

to imply a level of sophistication or eloquence to the speech.

to make the sentence easier to read.

If it were written in Hiragana, I think it would be just as easy to read. But it's always a possibility.

I'm very unsure on this last part here...so I'm open to all types of thoughts and theories.

I hope this answers your questions! Thank you again!

[jesseisquick]

[Absolute Flash #1 SPOILERS]

Theory: Wally had his powers before the incident

Gonna preface this by saying this might just be a crackpot theory, since it's all circumstantial, but I'm curious to know if anyone has any thoughts.

Something I've seen a few people remark on is the degree to which Wally blames himself for causing Barry's death. It'd be fair to argue that he's feeling so much guilt because he wasn't supposed to be in the lab in the first place (& because he's a kid, and might be less capable of processing and regulating his emotions), but what if he blames himself because something about him caused the backlash? What if he had some sort of pre-existing power (that he knew about) which reacted when he got caught in the explosion and protected him from harm at the expense of Barry's life? (Image below, it looks like his hoodie is being liquified in the explosion — but in the current time, it's in one piece. Maybe his powers managed to protect his clothing too?)

In the first few pages, Wally mentions that he'd felt something "coming on again," and that "she used to catch it early," that "she could make [him] relax." This might just be anxiety attacks — there's reference to "racing thoughts" and "obsessive overthinking," but it's phrased just vaguely enough that I feel the anxiety could be a symptom of something else: maybe a side effect of/a precursor to a power that he can't control rearing its head. Maybe these powers didn't just react to the explosion, but are in fact what caused it: maybe he went to the lab despite knowing and feeling in his gut that "it" was starting again, so he blames himself for putting Barry in harm's way. ("You know what you did," he says to himself in the image above)

Another thing I found interesting: Rudy's apparent distrust of Barry. He says the work is "dangerous" and that he has to "keep [Wally] safe." When Wally expresses a favourable view of Barry, Rudy totally freaks and forbids him from speaking to Barry again. (He's also very cold in his initial interaction with Barry) Meanwhile, Barry's been nothing but extremely cordial and kind. So, I see four possible reasons for Rudy's hatred of the man: 1) Barry brought a 15 yr old kid into a classified area with a bunch of experiments that're maybe not super safe, and Rudy's pissed he would put Wally in danger just to show him something 'cool', 2) Barry's kind of positioning himself as a mentor/father figure to Wally and Rudy's feeling very salty about it, 3) Rudy knows something unfavourable about Barry that we don't, or 4) Rudy wants the doctor who's in charge of experimenting on unknown lifeforms, specifically, as far away from his kid as possible; Barry just happens to be that doctor. Nothing personal.

Number 1) is the most likely, but Rudy's reaction to Wally talking about Barry is so extreme that I think 4) is also plausible within this theory. If Wally does have powers that Rudy knows about, it makes sense he'd want to keep him miles away from the "mad scientist" who's in charge of dissecting unusual things.

My final point: Wally doesn't seem super confused about what's happening to him. He takes being transported back in time into stride, and his main anxiety is about what his father is going to do to him when he finds out. He doesn't wonder what's happening to him; he doesn't seem to be struggling with the powers(?) themselves. He's scared because he "messed up". Maybe his dad has told him to repress his powers, and he's not only violated that command, but also blown up an innocent man in the process.

Like I said, this is all circumstantial, but I'd love to hear if anyone agrees or disagrees!

[a-vibing-potato]

Ignoring how angsty they are, 5x3 and 5x4 of Supernatural are SO GOOD for me as a Castiel and Destiel supporter like oh my gosh

5x3:

Dean gets jumpscared by Cas in the mirror

The turn around and the fucking LOOK. OH MY GOD THE LOOK. Gay fuckers I swear. Dean looking Cas up and down and looking SPECIFICALLY AT HIS LIPS with his babygirl eyelashes and they're lowkey breathing each other's air and-

"Cas, we've talked about this. Personal space?" Like WHEN did you guys talk about this! WHEN did you have TIME

"My apologies" and the step back :(((( I'm just a slut for characters saying apologize/apologies instead of just sorry

Cas is so curious for Sam <3

"Give me one good reason why I should do this." UM, he literally rebelled for you? He was killed and died for you? He's the reason you got to see Sam right before he killed Lilith? He's the only way you got away from Raphael alive? Need I name more? You just owe him one dude.

"Because your Michael's vessel and no one will dare harm you." "Oh, so I'm your bullet shield." I mean, yeah, that too

"I need your help because you are the only one who'll help me. Please." BABY MY HEART SWEETIE

Dean leaning away from Cas' touch and Cas' confused look and Dean going "Whoa. Last time you zapped me someplace I didn't poop for a week. We're driving." yes please

(Also the excitement I had for Cas being passenger princess was UNREAL)

Cas' genuine belief that they can tell the truth and people will understand and believe them. Honey, I wish so much for you :(

DEAN HAVING A FAKE ID FOR CAS???? LIKE WHY??? HOW??? WHEN DID YOU HAVE THIS MADE??? BECAUSE CAS SEEMS SUPER CONFUSED LIKE HE DIDN'T POSE FOR AN ID PICTURE BUT THERE HAS TO BE AN ID PICTURE RIGHT??? HOW WHY WHAT WHEN WHERE-

The tender readjusting of Cas' trench coat and shirt collar to get him prepped for interviewing the sheriff <333

"Because that's how you become the President." Did I ever mention how much I love Dean?

Dean introducing himself as FBI and Cas being absolutely ZERO EMOTION OR DESIRE TO TALK OR DO ANYTHING

The ID being upside down

Dean flipping it right side up and saying that he's new <3

CAS LOOKING AT HIS OWN ID CURIOUSLY. BABY JUST WANTS TO KNOW HE'S SO SWEET AND PRECIOUS.

Cas sitting in peak dissociation until he blurts out that angels and demons are causing this. Like honey you haven't talked in ten minutes and showed no desire to do so, why now lol

"What did he say?" "Nothing." "Demons." *look at each other* "Nothing." "Demons."

Dean's pointed look at Cas, clearly telling him to shut up. "Anyway..."

"He's down at St. Pete's." "St. Pete's." Baby thinks he's being so helpful lol. You're doing great, sweetie <3

"Just an empty vessel." Dude that's literally still a human. Like that just makes me think of referring to all humans as empty vessels, because, I mean, they are all just potential vessels waiting to be filled.

"So is this what I'm looking at if Michael jumps in my bones?" and Cas' response being basically "Nope! It'll be worse :)"

"Where've you been?" "Jerusalem." Great, just normal Tuesday things lmao

"You keep saying we're gonna trap [Raphael]. Isn't that kinda like trapping a hurricane with a butterfly net?" and Cas' response being "Nope! It'll be worse :)" Part 2

"Do we have any chance of surviving this?" "You do." LIKE YOU DON'T??? (I FLIPPED MY SHIT WHEN HE SAID THIS)

"So odds are you're a dead man tomorrow." "Yes." AND YOU'RE JUST CHILL ABOUT IT??? YOU JUST DIED AREN'T YOU SCARED!

"Well. Last night on earth. What are your plans?" "I just thought I'd sit here quietly." Stop he's so real for that

"Booze, women?" AND CAS IS SO FLUSTERED POOR THING HE'S SO INNOCENT I CAN'T DEAN YOU'RE MAKING HIM UNCOMFORTABLE

"You have been with women before. Right? Or an angel, at least?" AND THE UNCOMFORTABLE NECK RUB LIKE NO WHY WOULD HE HAVE BEEN? WHEN WOULD HE HAVE DONE THAT? Dean Winchester, do you really think Cas would've done that?

"Look, I've never had occasion, okay?" Yeah, and that's totally fine baby like that fits your life story and character arc, no need to be embarrassed

"There are two things I know for certain. One, Bert and Ernie are gay. Two, you are not gonna die a virgin. Not on my watch. Let's go." aka the GAYEST sentence of all time. I wish the next scene was them fucking dirty on the mattress because oh my GOD, DEAN

POOR Cas in the strip club, he looks close to tears, probably shaking. Sweetheart... he does not belong here. The autism doesn't like the club and the gay doesn't like the women lol

"This is a den of iniquity. I should not be here." BABY not to mention being somewhat of an ex-ANGEL in a strip club. That's fucking rough.

POOR CAS chugging that beer like it's his lifeline. He's also probably never really drank too much if at all before, so a lot of firsts for baby.

His begging, pleading look to Dean when he's about to go with the stripper :(

THE SCREAM?? And Cas looking a little disheveled with his trench coat coming off his shoulder a little bit <3 but also poor babe, couldn't even get his JACKET off before he got pushed out of bed

NOT CAS USING THE GIRL'S DADDY ISSUES AS FOREPLAY

"This whole industry runs on absent fathers." STOP

This being the hardest Dean's laughed in years <333 (and that's the story of how Cas got banned from a strip club :))

Cas's Enochian chanting >>> plus "I'm here, Raphael. Come and get me, you little bastard." is this honey's first time cussing??? or am I just forgetting some other time? Just feels like something he doesn't do.

CAS CALLING RAPHAEL HIS LITTLE BITCH

Cas looks so fucking beautiful riding in the passenger seat like the princess he is <3

5x4:

Cas standing on the side of the road, talking to Dean on the phone but a car goes by

"What???? What?! I didn't- I didn't get that." one of my FAVORITE Cas moments I've seen so far (and this is counting ALLL the spoilers I've seen for like season 9+) because his entire voice changes!! He drops the deep voice AND the gravel and is all high-pitched and ADORABLE and it makes me wonder if the gravely deep voice IS his actual voice or if he just puts it on for show. My headcanon is he just puts it on to sound more powerful but BABE.

THE quote of all time "This isn't funny, Dean. The voice says I'm almost out of minutes."

"I'll be there immediately." "Whoa, I've got stuff I need to do!" "What stuff?" Cas is so ready to roll lmao

"I'll just wait here then." Poor baby :( Dean hung up on him :(

"Why not go get washed up for the orgy?" WHAT??????? WHAT?!?!?!? AFTER LAST EPISODE WHERE HE WAS SO EASILY FLUSTERED BY SEX??? ORGY??? MY BOY

"What are you, a hippie?" "I thought you'd gotten over trying to label me."

End!Cas IMMEDIATELY understanding and knowing what's up with Dean

My favorite part of the entire episode: His SMILE and his GIGGLING and oh my gosh he's just so HAPPY and sweetheart <333

"no dice"

"Are you stoned?" "Generally, yeah." (With giggling!)

(Talking about torturing people) "No, that's good. Classy." *End!Cas laughs* "What? I like past you." (ALSO forgot to mention but I LIVE for the vibes of End!Cas in his ratty-ish lowcut shirt and baggy pants and just laid back energy, and in this scene specifically adored him propping his legs up on the table :) like our 2009 Cas would never do that)

"Are you saying we, uh, walk in straight up the driveway, past all the demons and the Croats, and we shoot the devil?" "Yes." "-Okay."

"Are you coming?" *End!Cas sighs* "Of course."

"He's coming." "-Okay." (Also one of my favorite things about End! Cas is every time he asks a question, End!Dean says some answer that End!Cas obviously thinks is wrong and kinda stupid, but End!Cas immediately just responds with okay before End!Dean has even hardly finished his sentence. He goes wherever his boyfriend goes <33)

Cas driving???? I mean, it's End!Cas but still. And taking pills ON THE ROAD?!

"It's the perfect antidote to that absinthe." Icon, honestly

"But when they bailed, my mojo just kind of— psshhew!—drained away. And now, you know, I'm practically human. I mean, Dean, I'm all but useless. Last year, broke my foot, laid up for two months." he's so chill about it though, like I hate this for him but also relatable queen

"So you're human. Welcome to the club." "Thanks." (genuine)

"Why the hell not bury myself in women and decadence, right? It's the end, baby. That's what decadence is for." Once again, ICON

"Why not bang a few gongs before the lights go out? But then that's, that's just how I roll." That is NOT how you roll but I love you

CAS SAVING DEAN FROM ZACHARIAH YES PLEASE

"That's pretty nice timing, Cas." "We had an appointment." (and Cas' genuine smile!!! He missed his boyfriend and couldn't wait for their date :))))

[aquamarine-oceanfront]

On Charlotte (Bunny Maloney)

I've been thinking a lot about her because I think there's an undercurrent of sadness to her as a character. She's undeniably got a number of significant flaws, but at her core I don't think she's a bad person like a lot of the cast (especially Bunny & Candy). Below is a lengthy analysis of her character - there's a very short summary at the end if you're curious but pressed for time.

One of the biggest reasons why I got on this train of thought in the first place was when Méko explained why she's such a shameless flirt:

She is looking for a real lasting relationship but her (low) criteria and the means she uses are of course confusing a lot. She's just stressed as she approaches thirty, seeing all her friends already settled...

Which certainly paints her fixation on romance in a different light, I'd say. She longs for connections but has no idea how to properly find or maintain them.

Obviously her carrying a torch for a man who's already taken isn't a good thing, but I think it's worth noting that both he and his girlfriend aren't particularly faithful to each other - to say nothing of the many other problems with their relationship.

Speaking of which: if you watch the show for a while, at some point I imagine you'll think to yourself "why are Candy & Charlotte friends?" Charlotte generally means well and tries her best to be supportive, but her foibles tend to make her a less-than-ideal companion to Candy:

Repeatedly trying to comfort her but inadvertently making her feel worse ("A Wrinkle in the ProtecTeam" & "Free Potchi" at minimum)

Promising to hear her out when she's going through another turbulent period with Bunny, only to flake the moment she learns Jean-François is nearby ("Jean-François: Super Model")

Occasionally just getting downright selfish (refusing to lend her a copy of a book in "Bunnies Are From Mars," getting into an argument while driving in "Raucous Caucus")

Of course, the other side of the coin is that Candy consistently thinks very little of Charlotte - she views the prospect of pairing her up with Stan as a terrible fate to inflict on him ("Stan's Perfect Match"), sometimes insults her to her face ("The D-FixItUp" & "Raucous Caucus" again), and rarely seems to really enjoy being around her. (Contrast with Charlotte, who always takes the time to talk to her whenever they happen to run into each other and tries to help her whenever she needs it.)

So why does Charlotte still stand by her? Frankly, I think much of it stems from her general lack of awareness. She tends to take things at face value and has difficulty discerning context in many situations (the pseudo-"who's on first" bit when she first enters the apartment in "Carrots Are a Girl's Best Friend" is a standout example), so I suspect she thinks Candy is a good friend just because she's occasionally nice and helpful. "Fishing for Trouble" provides the perfect case study of this: while pressed for time, Candy reluctantly hears Charlotte's relationship woes out and gives her a piece of advice ("dump him before he can dump you") that she earnestly appreciates.

"You always have the answer for everything!"

In short: I think Candy kind of does the bare minimum to help her when she's in need, and Charlotte gloms onto her for that. (Ironically, at times I feel like this is how Bunny & Candy's relationship works, but that's another story.)

With all that established, I think there's another reason why Charlotte is so devoted to Candy: she's desperate for any sort of relationship, platonic and romantic alike. Nothing really suggests she has many/any other friends - while this likely stems from economical animation practices (can't make too many unique character models, after all), it tracks with the only mention of her upbringing, midway through "Free Potchi:"

It's a joke, sure, but it's also canonical evidence that her parents didn't really like her or treat her well. With that in mind, it tracks that she'd obsessively try to find love as an adult - on some subconscious level, there's a void she yearns to fill. To some degree, it also explains why she struggles so much with maintaining long-term romance: she never really learned how to (Part of me wonders if some of her other flaws, like her inability to ever discern context or her occasional selfish outbursts, might also be explainable in the same light, but I may be stretching too much there.)

To cap this off, I think it's worth on one particular trait of hers: her complete sincerity. No matter what, she always states exactly what she thinks - oftentimes without regard for whether it might put off or offend those around her. At the same time, though, it also positions her as a sort of foil for Bunny and Candy, both of whom frequently resort to subterfuge against each other. ("Sick Bunny" is essentially a farce/pseudo-morality play focusing on this exact issue: the rabbits both want to go to a concert that coincides with prior arrangements they made together, try to lie their way out instead of just telling each other what they want, and end up all the poorer for it. It's not a coincidence that Charlotte and Jean-François, both of whom are far more open about their feelings, ultimately go together and have a great time.)

Very short summary: I think Charlotte desires love & friendship so desperately because she largely grew up without it. She's a nice person at her core, even with all her flaws, partially because of her sincerity (like Jean-François). Candy sometimes gives her advice/other help, so Charlotte views her as a treasured friend (even though Candy doesn't seem to care much for her).

[evenmyhivemindisempty]

Was thinking "I'd love to smoke a joint with this man" about Boyd and now I'm curious to see your ranking of best to worst Boyd chars to smoke a joint with >:3

Ty Shaw: Ty is undeniably the best of the boys to smoke with! He’s super laid back and endlessly fun, and always has the best music recommendations to chill out listening to! He’s down for staying indoors or going outside too - whatever you want! He’s happy to watch TV, but if you want an adventure, he’s got plenty of hookups for parties and he knows some excellent nature walks perfect for a stoned hike!

Eli Klaber: He’s actually a very good time! He’s got a good attitude when he’s high - he’s still bouncy, but the weed mellows him out to a pleasant level, and he’s very much down for whatever you are. Yeah, that movie/song/activity suggestion sounds great! Sure, pineapple on pizza sounds like a plan!

Steve Murphy: Steve is - shockingly - a lot of fun when he’s high. Weed radically reduces his anxiety level and general uptightness; he’s loose and giggly, although the downside is he starts thinking he’s *hilarious* and also stops being able to moderate his volume control.

Clement Mansell: He’s largely fine. He’s prone to occasionally going on self-indulgent tangents about music, philosophy, and art; some of these are genuinely fascinating to listen to, some of these get exasperating fast. He’s curated quite a few genuinely good albums to listen to when high - but he’s such a control freak about the music, he is NOT gonna take any suggestions.

The Corinthian: He’s… mostly okay. He’s relaxed and sociable, but he’ll also start getting weird *fast*. He’ll say off-putting things, make uncomfortable jokes, and ask borderline intrusive questions. He’s down to give you full control of the remote, though. And weirdly? He sometimes likes to bake when he’s high, and he’s pretty good at it.

Cap Hatfield: He’s a little twitchy but mostly quiet and unobtrusive - he fades into the background to the point you’ll completely forget he exists until you catch him crouched in your kitchen like a raccoon, scarfing down all your snacks.

Donald Pierce: Once in a while he’s a good time, but usually he’s prone to bursts of sudden paranoia, and he seesaws between being excessively chatty and unnervingly subdued. He also puts his foot in his mouth *so* often when he’s high. He has a habit of offending pretty much everyone he smokes with at one point or another!

Danny Maguire: Danny doesn’t chip in even a few bucks for the weed, but he’s got no compunctions about smoking *way* more than his fair share. He peer pressures you into getting uncomfortably high, and then tries to convince you to take a few lines of coke, too. He’s actually pretty jovial when he’s high, but he laughs like a hyena and he likes bragging about all his cool mafia connections.

Quinn McKenna: And coming in at last place, it’s Quinn McKenna!!! Never put this man around weed. There’s gonna be a concerning 30-45 minutes of him staring at the wall with his face screwed up, utterly ignoring everything you say, and then all of a sudden he’s commandeered the TV and put it on the local news or Cartoon Network. Alright, you might be thinking, CN isn’t bad at all - but you will not get a chance to really watch it, because as soon as Quinn gets settled he’s turning to you and diving into an intense and one-sided conversation about that military history podcast he’s been listening to, or the origins of the modern rifle, or his skeet shooting scores. Emily actually threatened to tell his CO he was getting high if he didn’t stop borrowing her vape pen.