#imo the translators did a great job

[blluespirit]

Overall NATLA Thoughts

Okay, now that I've watched the series, I can give my thoughts.

Overall, I thought it was good!!! I had fun watching it! I'd rate it a solid 6.5/10. It's nowhere as good as the original, but it was definitely enjoyable and made some nice changes here and there that I liked. There were also some things I was also Not a fan of too.

I said in another post that it's best to treat this like an AU of the original. There will things that are great and things that are bad. That's the nature of adapting something.

Having said that, I need to get my initial thoughts off my chest... here we go.

Things I thought were good:

Sokka's characterisation - I really enjoyed him! I thought Ian did a good job! He played the funny moments well and retained the underlying seriousness/cautiousness. It wasn't perfect, but I enjoyed the changes a lot and think it was overall a solid performance.

Zuko's characterisation - Like Sokka, I do think I was most satisfied with their performances. A lot of Zuko's moments from the cartoon are sometimes... well, cartoonish and definitely wouldn't translate to live action, but I think Dallas did a nice job at balancing Zuko's desperate anger and that occasional sassiness well.

Zuko and Iroh moments were great. Had me on the floor crying. As it should have.

The bending looks a trillion times better than the movie - I understand it would not have been easy for the actors but, overall, I was very happy about it.

The scenery was stunning. It just looked so beautiful. I loved it so much.

Absolutely ADORE that they made Zuko a good calligrapher and artist. I read a fic about a million years ago where Zuko is a fantastic calligrapher and I thought it was perfect and made so much sense, and now I can say it's canon. This is perfect for me.

S U K I

The Freedom Fighters were ✨ perfect

They were so real for making Oma and Shu lesbians

Koh, Wan Shi Tong and Hei Bai looked fantastic, but I have more to say about all of them below, unfortunately.

I actually like the change they made that Katara is Aang's sole waterbending teacher.

Aang is not perfect, and needed more goofy scenes HOWEVER, I did like how they've had Aang's guilt more prominent in the story. The original didn't do a very good job with that, imo.

Zuko entering is breaking and entering era by breaking into an impenetrable Earth Kingdom prison is just perfect.

In Masks, I like how Aang and Zuko got a longer conversation - that was pretty cute.

I liked how they changed Yue a bit and got her out of the arranged marriage... how Yue saw Sokka in the Spirit World before meeting him in the real world.

Things I didn't like:

Far too much info-dumping/exposition. So much spelling things out. It was not as egregious as the movie, and I get there's a lot of information that needs to be conveyed well and quickly... but sometimes it really took me out of the show.

Why are Mai and Ty Lee here.... I was hoping the live action would give them a bit more depth (and they might as it goes forward!), but why put them in season 1 at all if they're just going to stand around???

Some odd changes - putting this as one point, but there are some bizarre changes that didn't make sense to me, as they did not benefit the story or deepen the characters. I have two main examples: a) making it so Aang didn't run away from home, and b) making it so Zuko actually fights Ozai in the Agni Kai.

Characterisation of Katara was Not Great. I don't think I got many hints of the reckless, compassionate, badass Katara until the end when she fights Pakku and rallies all the women together to fight (which happens off-screen). She was sweet and kind, but she just lacked the fire that OG Katara has.

Azula's characterisation - Azula is desperate to impress Ozai and so her character is just…. brewing with anger, frustration, desperation. I was SO excited to see the Azula we are introduced too… perpetually and irritatingly calm, calculating and ruthless. She's perfect, she's terrifying! She's literally the character of all time. But this Azula had more Zuko vibes? I don't think there's anything wrong with giving Azula more concrete motivation by wanting to impress Ozai and establishing that Ozai is abusive to both his kids, but I do think trying to do that right off the bat is a mistake.

WHY is Wan Shi Tong here. I love Wan Shi Tong, but like I said: Why Is He Here? Why could we not have his iconic, ominous as fuck introduction from The Library, and instead he's introduced in a random season 1 episode giving Aang Information(tm) about the Spirit World.

When Aang gave Koh the statue, and then he just takes it and immediately lets all the villages go, and neither of them even say anything, I actually laughed out loud. Like, I am so sorry, but what in the jesus fuck was that.

Speaking of Koh - I think Koh is better the less we know about him. Roku saying ~all Koh wants is a family like the rest of us~ just pissed me off?? I like my Koh the Face Stealer Terrifying and Unknowable, thank you.

NOTHING EVER REALLY HAPPENS WITH HEI BAI!!?? where's my precious spirit bear?? Like Aang never really does anything with him and the replacement Koh story is boring and it sucks.

Bumi.... sorry I just didn't vibe with him at all.

Things I can't decide on:

Fancy spirit knife to kill the moon spirit annoyed me a bit, but I guess they wanted to Kuruk something to work with and a little bit more interaction with Aang which I get but idk. I really flip/flop on this one.

I've been very on the fence about having Azula (and Ozai) being in the show in season 1 in general. I'm not sure if it benefited either of their characters.

Azula & Ozai's dynamic - Okay, so, I think they're trying to give Azula more depth, right? They're trying to establish what it was like for Azula to live with Ozai and that she's also (like Zuko) trying to desperately prove herself to him, but Ozai using Zuko's... achievements to do that just felt so weird. I get he's doing it to manipulate her, but that just felt so wrong when in canon it's very obvious that Ozai just didn't give a single fuck about Zuko. Ozai pits Azula against Zuko by saying he's a failure, he's a bad bender etc. Azula is born lucky, Zuko is lucky to be born - like, Ozai says that to Zuko's face. I don't know if I am communicating this point very well, but it just didn't seem right to me??

Zuko vs Zhao in the Siege of the North... I genuinely do not know how to feel about it! I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. I don't know how to feel about Zhao telling Zuko that his mission is a sham and that Azula is the prized one... It feels like it's saying the quiet part out loud? In the OG we all know that Ozai sending Zuko on that mission was an excuse to get rid of him, but we can work that out, no one actually says it. And then Iroh just fucking killing him/mortally wounding him instead of the Iconic scene where Zuko reaches out to save him despite everything Zhao has done to him, but Zhao's own pride gets in the way from letting him accept help from Zuko.

Zuko’s crew being the 41st is not necessarily a bad thing at all!!! But I do just want to say that in the original, the attack goes ahead, and presumably, those soldiers die. It’s horrible. Zuko’s sacrifice is in vain, and it was always going to be in vain because the Fire Nation as it stands would not allow Zuko's compassion to win. Ozai would not allow it. While not necessarily a bad choice (all the soldiers bowing to Zuko on the boat was so sweet I loved it!) but I think it does take away some of the horror of Zuko’s story (same as it does with making Zuko fight back in my opinion) because the whole point is that Zuko did the right thing - and he was punished for it, and those soldiers died anyway.

anyway...

Okay!! got that off my chest. I know I just had a big whine here, but I still had a lot of fun watching this show. I think some of the backlash is a bit over the top and unwarranted. It was never going to stand up to the original - and that's okay.

Enjoy it for what it is!

[xxxlebensfreudexx]

HPCC Hamburg

The following are some of the little things the actors incorporated that really stuck with me:

Albus was very teenagey, like the perfect depiction of this awkward teen phase of struggling with your own emotions about yourself, about your parents, about school. Just feeling such big emotions but not knowing how to properly process or constructively communicate them. Very relatable!

I personally also always liked how Harry is portrayed in hpcc because I really get losing some of your youthful sparks of rebellion and adventure, when you become an adult, need to follow all these rules. It isn't always easy to keep that spark inside you alive when (corporate) life, all these responsibilites etc. restrict you. Harry also (imo) still is a very traumatized man and hasn't processed and/or healed the plethora of trauma he has experienced.

The German Harry actor did a great job. I completely understood where he was coming from and that his actions were justified in his mind, even if I disagree. He perfectly "balanced" harsh, overbearing father but also just being a traumatised child himself.

Act 1 Scorbus was the depiction of a true and beautiful and close friendship with starting hints of "more" through lingering touches and soft gazes. E.g. the library scene where Albus hugs Scorpius after they say the "Friends?" "Always" line. (Fun fact: that line translates to "Friends?" "Always" but can also mean "for forever" in german, which adds a layer of emotion to it.) Cedric (German actor playing) Albus was always very soft with Scorpius in a physical touch way. Very small touches or soft gazes that were so meaningful and held so much emotion!

A fun mishap that also happened: at the start of the moaning myrtle scene where albus usually hexes the soap bigger. Today the soap was nowhere to be found. And albus asked scorpius for the soap two times while scorpius answered no soap two times. So albus dropped his wand, the albus actor stood there for like 2 seconds contemplating which lines to drop and where to start again with the dialogue. ;) live theater I don't think someone who has never seen the play would have noticed.

Act 2 Scorbus scenes had a lot more emotional weight to it but in a good sense. You could definitely tell their friendship now had a much deeper emotion behind it and that their relationship needed to change and grow with them and their own personal growth. It felt like a very natural evolution of realizing your deeper feelings. The actors beautifully toed the line of true, deep friendship that is on the cusp of developing into something more in a very slow and meaningful way! I love that what they have is so pure and sweet that it doesn't really need a label because they both know they love each other but are also just figuring themselves out and who they are, let alone, what they are to each other. (I swear to God puberty and growing up is already hard enough as a muggle. ;) )

Act 2 details: in the owlery where scorpius tells albus that he fought for him and albus answers "Oh? Good!". You could tell that albus knew what that implies and the way he responded "good" was like elated and relieved that scorpius has the same feelings towards him, almost like glad that his feelings are reciprocated. In the church in godrics hollow albus sits down on the bench next to scorpius while explaining sth about the plot but the coy gaze when he sat down next to him was so meaningful and held so much emotion! I also just wanna add of all the hpcc boots I have watched I feel like the Hamburg one, where I was today, was the one that was the most obvious about the blooming romantic connection between them! It's subtext in all the other ones too but the body language and gazes between them in Act 2 today?! It feels wrong even calling it subtext. It was so painfully clear!

The palace of harmony scene: on the stairs albus and scorpius were so physically close with each other that really exceeds platonic closeness. To me it seemed like Albus was very clear about his feelings and that he knows that he likes him in a romantic way. Like trying small steps to test out the waters to see how scorpius would respond. Like when asking if it's really rose he wants in his palace albus gazes into scorpius eyes, hand on shoulder, faces like 10 cm apart from each other, knowing how he feels but also knowing how scorpius feels about him. It was a really beautiful thing to see. Albus so secure in himself and the way he perceives their relationship and its developing nature. Very cathartic, as the entire play he is always confused how to behave with his father, at school, fixing the time lines, he is never in a comfortable headspace, it's always in chaos. But the play ends with such clarity and security and safety of this bond he has with Scorpius!!!!! At the bottom of the stairs when scorpius hugs albus the albus actor played and said the line like "why are YOU hugging me?" as in usually it's him hugging scorpius and he wants to hear scorpius say what has changed in their dynamic. The see you at dinner line was very flirty while still being very innocent. In this version of the play physical touch and soft, meaningful gazes really is their love language!

The ending dialogue between harry and albus is so healing and cathartic, resolving what was at the core of the entire play their struggling father-son-relationship. They both are so vulnerable with each other, talking about their deepest emotions and opening themselves up. I love how the lines about his relationship with scorpius read like a coming out talk, while it never explicitely is stated.

I think I got the most important parts and want to really recommend the play to everyone! Watch it for the superb emotional storytelling!!!

[simplybakugou]

Could you do another drink bakugo?

⋆ PAIRING: drunk/prohero!bakugou x fem!reader ⋆ WARNINGS/TAGS: swearing; alcohol; all characters are adults ⋆ WORD COUNT: 3003

A/N: taking a break from mystic academia cause this has been sitting in my inbox for so long and i wanted to save it until i got some inspiration for another drunk!bakugou and i finally found the inspo hehe. also when i first started writing drunk!bakugou oneshots, i was 17 LMAO and now as a 23 y/o that has actually been drunk i can write this a little more accurately lol. also i was struggling trying to end this cause i didn’t want it to be longer than it already is (imo) lol so im sorry for the awkward ending. ty for requesting and i hope you enjoy!

© simplybakugou — all rights reserved. DO NOT REPOST/REUPLOAD, TRANSLATE, OR EDIT ANY OF MY CONTENT ON HERE OR ANY PLATFORM

It was a stupid idea. Why the hell would Bakugou go into a bar with the most loud and raucous people he knew even though he’d never drank a day in his life?

He couldn’t think of something he wanted to do less in that moment. He was exhausted, coming from a day of patrolling and hero work. Although his friends also came from their jobs, they actually drank alcohol and wanted to unwind after five years of constantly overworking themselves.

“Are you really not gonna get anything, Katsuki?” Sero questioned, giving the table’s drink orders to the bartender.

“I’m not fucking up my body just to look like an idiot like you dumbasses,” Bakugou huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back in his chair. 

“Why’d you come then?” Kaminari quipped, interested in hearing Bakugou’s answer.

“Cause your dumbass wouldn’t stop bothering me about coming out tonight!” Bakugou replied angrily.

“Oh yeah!” Kaminari exclaimed, laughing at himself. “I forgot.”

“It’s good to come out with us once in a while,” Kirishima said, nodding his head. “You’ve been working yourself to the bone since we graduated, man. We haven’t seen you in years.”

Bakugou rolled his eyes. “Don’t be fucking ridiculous. I’m not stopping until I’m number one. You shits can drink all you fucking want but I’m not gonna sit around every week just to catch up.”

Kaminari sighed, shaking his head. “This is why you’ve never had a girlfriend.” Sero nodded along with him.

“And what the fuck does that have to do with anything?” Bakugou snarled, slamming his fist against the table out of annoyance.

“You’re a workaholic, dude,” Sero stated matter-of-factly. “When are you gonna have the time to date? If you slowed down a little you could’ve at least gone out with Y/N back when you had a crush on her in U.A.”

“I did not have a crush on that shitty girl.” Bakugou felt himself getting even more angered just hearing your name uttered. 

“You keep telling yourself that,” Kirishima said, patting his friend on the shoulder only to get shook off by Bakugou. 

The drinks Sero ordered arrived and the rest of the guys cheered each other before downing their beverages. Bakugou sipped on his water he was forced to get after Sero berated him to order something.  

The more alcohol his friends consumed, the more rowdy and even more raucous they got and Bakugou questioned even more why he decided to go out with them. It was karaoke night at the bar and Bakugou swore his ears were bleeding as Kaminari consistently kept attempting to serenade him.

Despite how chaotic it was in the bar that night, Bakugou eventually found himself enjoying it. Kaminari and Sero got the most drunk, getting up to dance and stumbling over one another, which made Bakugou and Kirishima burst into laughter. He would never tell them, but he needed this time out and away from the constant need to work towards his one and only goal. 

The night was going great; until the door to the bar opened. Bakugou turned his head to the noise of the bell ringing above the door. It stuck out amongst the voices and loud nature of the room and he felt his face drop at the sight.

There you were, five years older than the last time he had seen you in person. And you weren’t alone as your arm was looped around the arm of another man.

Bakugou couldn’t help but stare at the sight. He drowned out the sounds of Kaminari, Sero, Kirishima, and a few strangers they had recruited at the bar playing drinking games as his focus was only on you. You scanned the area, waving shyly to a few people that recognized you as their favorite rising hero and sat in the corner of the room with your mystery man.

Kirishima glanced at Bakugou, recognizing that he was distracted by something else and looked towards what had caught his eye. He immediately understood the reason for the defeated look on his friend’s face.

“I’m sorry, man,” Kirishima stated simply. 

“Sorry?” Bakugou scoffed. “For what? There’s nothing to be sorry about. We were never together.” The last part Bakugou muttered to himself as he finally tore his eyes away from you and down to his glass of water.

And it was true; you and Bakugou were never together back when you attended U.A. with him and the others. Matter of fact, you didn’t even know Bakugou liked you back then as he made it his mission that you never found out. Not only did he refuse to let himself be subjected to such vulnerable feelings like love and infatuation, you and your peers were constantly bombarded with hero work and dealing with the League of Villains to ever have the time for confessions. At the time, romantic relationships were trivial. 

As things died down by the time class A graduated, Bakugou busied himself with his long-time goal of wanting to become the number one hero. He kept telling himself that it was time to grow up and forget about what he assumed to be a little crush but the more he kept shoving his feelings inside, the more intense they became.

That was why it felt like a punch to the gut to see you laughing with and leaning onto a man that wasn’t him. 

“Hey, dunce face,” Bakugou grunted. Kaminari lifted his head and looked over at Bakugou with hazy eyes. “Get me the strongest drink here.”

“Dude, you really should slow down,” Kirishima urged, concerned as he watched Bakugou down shot after shot. “You’ve never drank before and this’ll probably mess you up fast.”

“I don’t give a fuck,” Bakugou said in a rush, out of breath from the abundance of liquids he furiously ingested. He held the next shot glass to his lips, preparing himself to throw it back along with the countless shots he had already done; he felt like he was going to be sick, to no one’s surprise. Bakugou slammed the shot glass down onto the table, still full of alcohol, and he slammed his head onto the table as well. His head was throbbing but he felt like he could float in the air if he really tried. 

Kirishima chuckled at his friend, taking advantage of the situation and taking the shot glass away from Bakugou. 

Kaminari swung his arm around Bakugou’s shoulders. “See, dude, now we’re having fun!” The last word was elongated as he let out a small hiccup.

“Get the fuck off of me, dunce face,” Bakugou mumbled with his head still on the table, causing his words to be muffled. Nevertheless, Kaminari knew exactly what his grouchy friend had said but ignored him.

For the first time that night, Kaminari looked around the room and noticed you sitting alone now in the corner of the bar. He shot up, waving his hand out at you. “Y/N!”

Bakugou’s eyes, which were once closed shut as the alcohol was rushing to his head all at once, shot wide open as he whipped his head up. He felt dizzy from how quick the motion was. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“Come on, man, she’s sitting over there all alone,” Kaminari reasoned, turning his attention back to you. You also had finally noticed your old classmates, smiling at the sight. “Hang out with us, Y/N!”

“Alone?” Bakugou questioned softly. He looked over at you and felt a wave of relief wash over him as he carefully watched you make your way to their table, mystery man out of the picture.

“I didn’t know you guys were here tonight,” you said with a smile. You sounded level-headed and Bakugou determined that you were probably the most sober person in the room that night.

“Yeah, we come here a lot after our patrol shifts,” Sero commented.

“All of you?” You questioned, interested as you scanned each of the guys sitting at the table. Finally you locked eyes with Bakugou and he swore your gaze could’ve pierced right through him. He broke eye contact first as he felt his face burning up even more with the effects of the alcohol. 

“We usually have to beg Katsuki to come out. You know how he is,” Kirishima teased, wanting to lighten the mood for his friend. It didn’t work as Bakugou still had a sour expression on his face.

“Wanna get a few drinks with us?” Kaminari offered.

You shook your head. “No, it’s alright. Tonight hasn’t gone the way I wanted so I think I’m going to call it a night. It was nice seeing you guys.”

You waved goodbye to the boys, sending a small smile towards Bakugou as you understood he was in a bad mood but not understanding why. Your back was turned to them as you walked towards the exit and it was a miracle how you didn’t have two vermillion holes in your back the way Bakugou was staring at you leaving.

Bakugou stood up abruptly and he grabbed his coat and wallet. He sloppily pulled out a few bills and slammed them on the table as he made his way out as well.

“Where are you going?” Kirishima questioned.

“Don’t worry about it.”

You cursed at yourself for leaving your jacket in your date’s car as the winter snow began to litter the streets. Your body was shivering terribly. The bar had a few tables and chairs in front of the building and you sat yourself down as you contemplated how on Earth you were going to get home. 

Before you could come up with a game plan, you felt a heavy leather jacket plop down onto your shoulders. You jumped at the sudden contact, watching as a clearly drunk-but-pretending-to-be-sober Bakugou sat himself in the chair across from you. “Bakugou! What’re you doing here?”

Bakugou ignored your question as he bluntly asked, “Where’s that fucker you came in with?”

You were taken aback by his questions. Only a few minutes ago did you realize that Bakugou, Kirishima, Kaminari, and Sero were there in the bar with you that night. If he had seen you with your date, that meant Bakugou had seen you when you walked in. 

You sighed, leaning back in your chair and pulling Bakugou’s jacket closer to you as it kept you warm. “He was being… weird.”

“Weird how.” It was a question but you sensed the animosity in Bakugou’s tone as his expression harshened in a way that made his question a statement.

You waved your hands to calm him down. Why was he so upset? “Nothing bad, don’t worry. He’s just some guy I started dating. We weren’t official or anything but I liked him. He said he didn’t like me being a hero and said I should get a job that’d suit me in a feminine way.” You chuckled humorlessly as you recalled the misogynistic comment.

“What a fucking loser,” Bakugou grumbled, loud enough for you to hear and laugh at. He leaned back in his chair, resting his eyes. “You told him to fuck off, right?”

You nodded, amused as you always were back in U.A. with Bakugou’s colorful vocabulary. “Yup. He got pissed and left me here and I left my stuff in his car like an idiot.” 

Bakugou opened his eyes and reached into his front pocket, cursing at himself as his fingers kept missing the opening seam. He pulled out his car keys and tossed them onto the table. You furrowed your eyes at the sight in confusion.

“Take my car to get home.”

You widened your eyes at his insane proposition, looking at the insignia on his keys as an expensive brand. “Bakugou, your car’s worth like a hundred million yen! There’s no way I can drive that!” 

“Just do it, idiot,” Bakugou groaned, placing his forehead on the cold, snow-covered table. “Can’t let you just sit here in the cold.”

A moment passed as you were contemplating your choices only to realize in that time, Bakugou had fallen asleep. You chuckled softly, never expecting to see health-conscious Bakugou who’s always been adamant about never drinking inebriated. 

You grabbed his keys and put them in the pocket of his leather jacket, slipping the jacket onto your arms. You knew you couldn’t just take his car and leave him here like this so you got up and went over to his side, gently shaking his shoulders to wake him. “Come on, big guy. We’re going home”

Bakugou let out a groan as you got him to his feet, your arm around his shoulders and you wrapped his arm around your waist to support him, resting your hand on his hand. You felt his body stiffen in reaction and you looked up at him curiously. His face was red again and you assumed it was a combination of the alcohol and the frigidness in the air. It most definitely was not either of those things.

“Where’d you park your car?” You asked as you slowly helped him walk.

He nodded in the direction ahead of you and you assumed he was referring to the parking lot that was thankfully right next to the bar. The two of you continued walking towards the lot and you found it unusual how quiet Bakugou was.

Once reaching the lot, you were originally going to search for Bakugou’s car only to not have to put any effort at all since his bright red sports car stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the Subarus and Toyotas.

You laughed, shaking your head. “Why am I not surprised by this at all, Bakugou.”

Bakugou flinched and he slowly pulled away from you, shoving his hands in his pockets as he wobbly made his way to his car. “Stop calling me that.”

“What? You don’t want me to call you Bakugou?” You question, confused. “Oh! I get it. You want me to call you by your hero name, right, Dynamight?”

“That’s not it either, idiot.”

“Oh, then, Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight?”

“You’re so stupid.” Bakugou stopped right in front of his car and turned around, slowly so that he wouldn’t fall over. He had his signature frown on his face only this time it was out of frustration. “Back in U.A. you’d call me Katsuki.”

“Yeah, I guess I did,” you said, nodding your head as you recalled doing so. “But that was five years ago. I haven’t seen you since then and I just wanted to be polite.”

Bakugou kept quiet but his eyes never faltered or wavered as he kept them on you. You felt like he could burn right through you if he tried as you didn’t understand his frustrations. “Is everything okay, Ba– I mean, Katsuki.”

Bakugou’s eyes slightly widened for a moment and he felt like he was transported back to being a teenager. “No. Everything’s not okay ‘cause I still have this stupid crush on you that I’ve had since our first year in U.A.”

He let out a sigh, feeling a weight on his shoulders dissipate and he turned around back towards his car. You stood in place, shocked at the confession that you did not foresee at all. There was no way the Bakugou Katsuki had a crush on you, especially when you were just teenagers.

“Open the door.” Bakugou turned his head to you as he waited by the passenger door.

“Wait, wait, wait.” You waved your hands in front of you, still unable to wrap his words around your head. “This has to be a joke. There’s just no way– Why would you have a crush on me?”

Bakugou shrugged. “Dunno. Just happened.”

Your face felt hot and it wasn’t because of the weather. So much of your relationship with Bakugou made sense with this new realization. The reason for his cold shouldering you on numerous occasions or annoyed stares he’d give you when you got in a relationship in your second year all started to make sense. It was his way of conveying his feelings for you. 

You shook your head, shaking the complex thoughts from your mind and snapping yourself back to reality as the cold air and Bakugou not having a jacket, since you were obviously wearing it, made you unlock his car with the key he gave you. You watched as Bakugou entered his car on the passenger side.

You knew you needed to give yourself a minute before you could enter the car beside him. How did you feel about him? You always thought he was handsome, when he wasn’t scowling at least, and you enjoyed seeing him mature every year in U.A. Even after graduation, you always watched the news fondly as you watched him evolve into an incredible hero, one that you knew was worthy of becoming number one. 

So Bakugou Katsuki liked you. If your poor previous relationships taught you anything, it was to not turn down a good man when he was right in front of you. Or at least sitting in his sports car waiting for you to drive the two of you home since he was unexpectedly inebriated to do so himself. 

Taking in a breath, you knew what you had to do; you wanted to see where this would go between the two of you. You opened the driver’s side door, sitting in your seat and collecting your thoughts briefly before turning to Bakugou to tell him exactly what was on your mind. You wanted to give it a shot.

And you were intent on doing just that until you turned to look at Bakugou only to see he was once again fast asleep, his chest rising and falling. You chuckled at the sight, taking in how adorable he was in that moment. Slipping his jacket off your body, you draped it over his body.

“Guess you’ll have to stay with me tonight.”

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[kotegiris]

Hiiiii!! I just wanted to ask, since you’ve translated a lot of stories, which Akuneko event story is your favourite? Can you please give me a top 3 list?

And also which card story is your fav for your oshi(s)?

Thank you for sharing your translations as always, you’re amazing <33

Thanks for the ask! You're so sweet this made my day. I'm happy to know that people enjoy my translations🥹🫶

Akuneko honestly has so many great events so it was hard to pick! This is based on the story itself more than the visuals, but here are my top 3 events!

1. Cage of Black Raven

This story is bittersweet but it's soooo good. It does such a great job of showing Boschi's soft side. There's a lot of cute moments between the butlers and aruji too. It's hard to say anymore without spoiling it, but I love this story so much it's the first event story I ever translated…

2. Ice Castle of Thaw

This event has both Bastien and Ammon in it and I'm biased sooo... But it also has two of my favorite event characters, Shira and Yukino! I love both of them and imo it's always nice to see more female characters in joseimuke games. There's also a big twist at the end that I did NOT see coming but I'm so glad it went in that direction. Everyone's also just so cute here 😭

3. Large Flowers on the Night of the Festival

This event is just very funny and adorable. Basically, the butlers and aruji are enjoying a summer festival but... there are a bunch of assassins after aruji so cue all sorts of shenanigans as they try to keep aruji and muu from finding out. I'm so excited for this event to be fully voiced 😆

Favorite Bastien Card Story!

I haven't read all of them because gacha hates me, but my favorite is his 3rd anniversary one! It's mainly him and aruji talking about their future together. They were so sweet and domestic it got me kicking my feet in the air (honorable mention to his 2025 birthday one too because their date made me feel like i was reading a shoujo manga)

[cbrownjc]

I apologise in advance for the length. I wanted your take on one specific part of 2x5 that bothered me a little and is partially why my little DM shipper hope wavered (that and being burned by ongoing shows in the past). Both you and @nalyra-dreaming have brilliantly pointed out how the episode does a great job at recreating the horror origin where Daniel is kept in the cellar and I wholeheartedly agree. However, what has bothered me about it is that, in the episode, it is not Armand that chooses to let Daniel live. Granted, in the book it's more a stay of execution than anything else, but it's still his choice alone. In 2x5 that choice is now Louis'. And while I know that in the novel Armand considers Daniel a gift from Louis, part of me is bothered by this slight lack of agency. It felt to me like just another thing Armand did to comply to Louis' wants in his desperation to not lose him. And that any Chase that happens is not necessarily out of genuine curiosity but because Louis called Armand boring and Armand just wants to know what set Daniel apart for Louis.

And then my brain goes "fruit of the poisonous tree" and am then afraid that Daniel's meaning wrt Armand (which, to my great frustration, I have already seen other book readers diminish) will literally be: oh he's just the scraps Armand gets because he couldn't have Louis or Lestat (because of the horrors, he did all of it, etc). I don't WANT it to be that and I guess I'm a little terrified about it.

Idk what to make of any of it and I'm nervous because I REALLY want to see this pairing develop as they deserve. So please, tell me what I'm missing in my rambling and borderline incoherent concern. Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my sanity's only hope. ^_~

Hi!

Okay, well, I will try to be your Ben Kenobi here, but remember, even he failed to see what was going on with Annikin before it was too late . . .

Yeah, okay that isn't very confidence-giving, is it? 😬 🙃

Anyway! 🤭

Okay, so on the first point:

I have actually seen one or two people point out the fact that it was Louis who basically intervened and stopped Armand from killing Daniel, and Armand didn't do so himself. And I'm not going to say I can't see yours and some other's point about this. All I can say about that point for now is that we don't know what happens right now between Daniel and Armand after Daniel was let go and dropped off at the drug den. Because there might actually come a point when Armand thinks he very well could kill Daniel and Louis would have no idea, as Louis only requests that Daniel live out "this night." There was no request from Louis to Armand for Daniel to live out his whole life.

So we might actually get a moment, in the future, where we see a time when Armand decides to just kill Daniel -- but, just like with Louis in the tunnel back in the 40s -- stays his own hand via his own decision to do so.

So, I think on this point right now, the only thing any of us can do is take a "wait and see" about it. But there are still doors open to Armand deciding on his own to spare Daniel's life in a significant way I think. With him not even being in love with Daniel yet at the time too IMO.

So, on to the second point:

No, I very much do not think Daniel is going to be seen as "scraps" that Armand gets because he couldn't have Louis or Lestat. And I think what is going to come into play to make that clear is the slight change the show has done wrt Armand's character and the Great Laws. After the Children of Darkness/Satan coven busted up, Armand in the book really didn't hold those rules in any high regard anymore. But the show has very clearly changed that, to where Armand was ready to kill Louis because Louis broke many of the Great Laws.

Assad himself made this clear that Armand really was going to kill Louis and only didn't do it because he chose love instead.

And if you take a look at the full list of the Great Laws that someone was amazingly able to translate, as well as this gifset of a specific scene from 2x03, a vampire being with a human in such a way is a direct violation of those laws that Armand in the show clearly holds to.

So for Armand to break that rule and choose to be with Daniel? Will not be a small thing.

So I think that alone will show that Daniel is not just a scrap. Armand's love for Daniel will be so much that he will, once again, ignore a rule he once held fast to in order to, once again, choose love.

And then, of course, there is the fact that Armand chose to actually break his biggest rule of all for Daniel, which is to never turn someone into another vampire -- which is also one of the laws the cult drilled into him. Yes, Armand's main reason for not doing so in the books was because he didn't want to damn someone into vampirism, as well as not believing that the Maker/Fledgling relationship can ever really work. But the other reason that I feel the show will also touch upon will very much also be because of the Great Law that older vampires should never work the Dark Trick upon someone, less that fledgling be too powerful in the blood.

But Armand's love for Daniel will be so great that he will not bear the thought of Daniel actually dying. And so, when the moment comes, he will not only break that Great Law, but his own personal reason why he doesn't want to turn someone. And he would rather face having to truly put his fear and belief about Markers and Feldglings to the side (and maybe still lose Daniel that way -- which in the books, he actually did for a time!) than lose Daniel forever via death.

Again, that has never seemed to me as Daniel just being a "scrap" to Armand, even when it comes to the books. But I expect the show will put an even greater emphasis on this, both when it comes to Armand's backstory and how now Armand in the show actually holds to those laws in a serious way.

So yeah, just some of my thoughts on those two points. I hope they can calm you somewhat but, if not, just know that, because of the format this story is now being told in, that will very much lend to things -- the characters and their relationships with each other -- to be even more fleshed out, along with character arcs to be planned out overall as well. (Which yes, not every TV show does, but this one is clearly doing so.) We won't get every answer to these things right away, but I think there are many doors open to exploring these things in a satisfying way over the course of the show. 🙂

[xenobean]

Just finished the German dub of Transformers One. I liked it. My German isn’t that great yet but it helps to watch and listen to media in German. I liked basically all the voices, Starscream sounds almost exactly like in the English version, with the tone of voice and everything. There’s one moment at the end where they seem to forget that his voice box has been ruined but I may just be hearing it wrong. I also liked Bee, just felt like his voice fit well. I also felt like D-16/Megatron’s voice actor did a REALLY good job switching from D-16 to Megatron. Really menacing. Optimus/Orion did not work for me though. He sounds too old. Maybe as just Optimus he could have been better but in several scenes I kinda forgot he was playing Orion because he just doesn’t sound like him.

Also, gotta love different age rating guidelines. Hearing Sentinel Prime say “You look like shit” to Alpha Trion was hilarious. A little while ago someone told me that Megatron’s “I want to kill him” line is more chilling in German. I watched it and thought it was very impactful. It is definitely on par with the English version IMO.

Extra note: Maybe this isn’t actually that impressive and is quite normal in dubbing, but I feel like they did a SUPER good job making the words match up with lip movements. Danish dubbing often messes this up but maybe it’s because it’s difficult grammar-wise and maybe some translators prioritise accurate translation over lip-syncing. (Also we very much suffer from typecasting. There’s this one guy who voices at least one man over 50 in almost every animated kids movie. He’s known as “The man with the 1000 voices” and while I do admire his abilities, he is just…. Everywhere… and you get tired of it… I think we can find someone else in our population of 5,9 million… just once) Now, I’m not able to understand the deeper nuances of the sentences because of my skill level, so maybe they did sacrifice something, but overall it at least looked good.

[preheville]

things i read in march 🌧️ not a great month for the most part... started a few different books, hopefully i'll finish them in april. i did read more than february, so i'm happy :-)

poetry/plays

barber shop chronicles, inua ellams - absolutely wonderful play. sharp, witty, dynamic. i regret that i can't find anywhere to watch it online because the trailer i saw looks even better than the script (which makes sense: it is a play)

mother, nuala ní dhomhnaill, trans. eiléan ní chuilleanáin - unfortunately the only copy of this poem i could find comes from the raised by narcissists subreddit 😭 had to read this one for class, don't think it was particularly great but i think that might be because i read a translated version & the author has some pretty interesting views on that anyway

the mermaid, nuala ní dhomhnaill, trans. eiléan ní chuilleanáin

the cow's death, liam ó flaithearta

the touch, liam ó flaithearta - neither this nor the previous struck me as especially special, but i did enjoy touch more

short fiction

on exactitude in science, jorge luis borges, trans. andrew hurley - really really interesting, stylistically and philosophically… it's only a singular paragraph (145 words) long so i'd love if you guys gave me your thoughts on it ^_^

the v*mpire, p h lee - a bit heavy-handed but it captures its setting perfectly

books

the collected schizophrenias, esmé weijun wang - have a few criticisms for this one. some essays were good but most of them struck me as pointless and meandering, and not in an interesting way; the author herself feels, as one review put it, "braggadocious" in her approach. ricochets between clinical and personal without being personal. doesn't work well as a collection either (imo). again, broadly interesting, but nothing great.

letters to a young poet, rainer maria rilke - feel like this got way too hyped up in my head (IK this is on me and not the text) so i felt a teensy bit let-down... i think most of what is in this collection i already think about and write about and so that is why it didn't strike a chord with me as strongly as it has so many other writers. definitely worth the read, though, those are just my thoughts

love bullet, inee - been meaning to read this one for a while... the art style is really neat and i thought the story was fun. excited to see where it goes!

we had to remove this post, hanna bervoets, trans. emma rault - was genuinely a bit shocked to see how low this book was rated, and then i saw a lot of those comments mentioned tiktok and everything slid into place. don't go into this expecting some shocking, gory horror story, because it's not that, and you're told as much in the first few places — this is a case study of the human brain in a certain environment, and i think it does a really great job of it. i liked this book a lot — plus, it's really well written/translated!

[hypothermiatapes]

Do you think J.K.R wasted the potential of such a great character like Tom Riddle on such a ridiculous children’s book villain like Voldemort? IMO Tom Riddle is such a complex character with an interesting upbringing and different factors that played into him becoming Voldemort, but Voldemort is a simple villain with the goal of ultimate power and immortality.

Hm, that’s an interesting question anon, and I’ll try my best to answer it since it’s actually a very complex question.

The truth is I think Voldemort was partially a good villain along with having plenty of wasted potential. Now, I do not believe him to be a very complex character from what we’re told and led to believe in the books, but some of the things he did were intelligent and he had some grasp on political concepts.

Character wise he is not a complex person from what we are canonically told, though that might just be because we read the books from Harry’s point of view. This can also translate to a very cartoonish villain because he is depicted as just the evil guy, he isn’t shown to have any good traits or conflicting beliefs that shape a complex character.

His main motivations and goals all revolve around power, while they may vary a bit they all translate to power. This immediately makes a strike towards a simple character with only one goal and aspiration, there is no conflicting feelings, goals or motivations, it just makes him less real.

Personality wise he is also extremely simple, he is always angry, only finds amusement in cruelty, and he’s just a shit human being. Again, there’s nothing there to indicate a human being, he is just a stereotypical villain with no conscience. He isn’t really sympathetic in any way.

Tom Riddle is actually different in these aspects. Now, I can’t really say anything about goals or aspirations except maybe immortality, so I’ll skip over it. However, we are shown his fascination in magic, his fear of doctors, his charisma, and his cruelty and manipulation. The first two make him immediately more human because they show a sympathetic person, a child who is enthralled by the world and traumatized.

Now, I won’t say Voldemort is a horrible villain despite him being extremely simple. He could be a far better villain, but he’s definitely not the worst. I say this because of how he went about taking over magical Britain.

What he staged to take over the Ministry was a coup which was carried out at the perfect time and went so smoothly because of the DE’s infiltration of the Ministry. The reason it was the perfect time was because the most powerful wizard in Britain had already died, the ministry was weakened due to the change in minister of magic, and Harry was in a predictable position.

How he went about the eradication of the muggle borns was set up almost perfectly for genocide. He started out by creating a “us vs them” mentality, made propaganda that would get the general public against them and started drawing up lists, had organization and other things. These are steps found in the ‘ten stages of genocide��.

He also catered to a very powerful group of people, the purebloods. They are powerful due to their money which means Voldemort has constant financial support, they also are very involved in the government typically.

Now, there are ways that he could have gone about it better, but considering his situation it went pretty smoothly. I don’t know why he went after the muggleborns since their death doesn’t really matter in the end if his goal is power, but it either had to do with him being a sucky person or him trying to make the purebloods happy. Or, it was because the muggleborns are less likely to agree with him and it’s practical to get rid of the opposition.

That’s my stance on Voldemort. I think JKR definitely wasted the opportunity to make him an extremely complex character (that’s no surprise though since the books are very black and white), but she did a decent job showing his skill in taking over a government. I mean, he definitely was a force to be reckoned with, not to the extent he could be, but he was something.

Find it pretty funny though how she’s funding bills that Voldemorts Death Eaters would have if they had to do with muggleborns. Maybe she should reread her own books.

[bluechanas]

ok y'all here are some thoughts on the op live action trailer

- casting is great. but we already knew that

- i like the costume design a lot!!! its cheesy at times but that was expected. still, everyone looks great, i think they did a really good job

- on that note, rip usopp's nose and sanji's eyebrows, but i get why they did it

- and ON THAT NOTE i find it hilarious that they didn't change buggy that much (other than overall creepiness)

- the baratie looks super cool girl wtf (props and settings look good overall imo)

- from the snippets of dialogue it looks like the humor might be a bit marvel-ish which i don't love but we'll see

- i also feel like they might make some personality changes (zoro seems more stoic and luffy seems like he has slightly more functioning braincells than usual), which i think might just be an executive decision to tone down the goofiness so it adapts better to live action. idk how to feel about it. but then again we didn't get that much dialogue so i might be wrong

- not sure how well they're going to manage the action scenes since the fighting in this show is the kind of silly i don't think will translate super well into live action??? but that swordfighting scene looked pretty cool ngl

overall i have my qualms with some things but i think it looks good and i'm actually pretty excited. i'll get back to you in august😗✌️

[jerry-the-leech]

Нічого такого не сталось

Poem by Ліна Костенко (Lina Kostenko)

(source: https://ukrainianpoetry.com)

The original:

Нічого такого не сталось. Бо хто ти для мене? Сторонній. Життя соталось, соталось гіркими нитками іронії. Життя соталось, соталось. Лишився клубочок болю. Нічого такого не сталось. Ти просто схожий на Долю

Their translation:

Nothing in particular happened. What are you to me? Someone else’s. Life unraveled where it was unhemmed to irony’s bitter farewell threads. Life unraveled where it was unhemmed. A yarn ball of pain’s all that is left. Nothing in particular happened. You just look a little like Kismet

My translation:

Nothing much really happened Because who are you to me? A stranger Life fell apart; it unraveled With irony's bitter threads Life fell apart; it unraveled What remains is a clew of pain Nothing much really happened You just remind me of Fate

DISCLAIMER:

Okay so I am an amateur who just decided to do this because I was bored, and this is my project for translating poems now in order to get closer to my language.

This is not intended to be used as a professional translation but you could use it ig just keep that in mind.

explanation and rambles below the cut

I tried to keep the rhythm that exists in the original poem in my translation, but it sort of got lost in the first four lines. I do like how I translated "Life fell apart; it unraveled" because it sounds the most similar to the original line.

For the last line, where the other translator used "Kismet", in all honesty I didn't know what that meant until I looked it up, but I could have used "moira" as well, or "destiny" I chose fate because it seems the most final, and also it works better with the rhythm imo. also it is similar to the word "fatal", which ties into the theme of the poem.

So i am not going to explain how I interpreted what the poem is talking about because I think it would be better for each individual and please tell me what your opinions are on the two translations. If you speak ukrainian as well please tell me what I could have done differently, and if you don't speak ukrainian please tell me how the translations give off different impressions and what they are.

Also, I find it interesting how there are no real equivalents in English for the connotations of some ukrainian words. For example, "Сторонній.". It theoretically means "stranger" or "outsider" but the connotations I tried to convey were sort of someone who is distant and sort of "othered". I think stranger was the best way to convey that.

Another really important difference of connotations is the very first line, as well as the title of the poem:

Нічого такого не сталось.

Nothing in particular happened.

Nothing much really happened

For this one, I think that the Ukrainian poetry foundation did a better job of translating it because in my translation I used "much really" to keep the rhythm.

this is another one where the connotations can't really translate to english. The og line is trying to convey that nothing of a great magnitude happened. Something happened, but it wasn't significant. Something happened, but it didn't pose any significance to the author. Maybe in the future I will try to translate this again and maybe I will be better at getting the first line.

Anyways im gonna stop rambling now thank you for reading

Jerry

[korpuskristae]

Jasmine and Rose - A Sensory Shock That Jolts My Spirits

Warnings: Child abuse, alcohol abuse, usage of the F slur.

Pairing: Severus Snape x Female reader, reader uses She/Her pronouns

Word Count: 1300+

Summary: A peak into the enigmatic Potions Professors past, aka, I didn't expect this fanfic to get this far so I'm stalling and this is filler, present day Sev will be back next, NEXT, chapter.

Tag List: @likoplays (If you want to be tagged in the next chapter let me know!)

Song Choice: Nettie and Anesthesia are such Sev-coded songs, Life Is Killing Me is just very Sev overall if I'm being honest. (Context for non Type O fans: Nettie is about the frontman's mother) I'd like to think he was a mama's boy, as you can see I tried to lean into that a little. For those curious, the Latin roughly translates to: "I invoke he power of the Cross. My Mother alone could move the One Great God."

Part 1 Part 2

AN: I return! With a VERY late chapter, sorry xoxoxo, this chapter isn't a happy one either. Expect major spelling errors and mistakes, I seriously got so tired of looking at this so I just said fuck it and posted it, it feels very empty and like too much info IMO but it sets up the next chapter so just trust me.10/8/24* this is getting rewritten.

̩͙‿ ༺ ♰ ༻ ‿̩͙‿ ☆ ‿̩͙‿ ༺ ♰ ༻ ‿̩͙‿̩͙‿ ༺ ♰ ༻ ‿̩͙‿ ☆ ‿̩͙‿

Read on AO3

To understand the mysterious Potions Master of Hogwarts one must firstly understand what he came from. Born to Eileen Prince and Tobias Snape, he was their first and only child. A small sickly pale thing, Severus was born three months premature, even at such a young age, it seemed the weight of the world was slowly crushing him. 

Unbeknownst to many, simply because he was such a private person, Severus had always been very close with his mother. Looking at the potions master's current attitude and comparing it to that of his younger self, one may have thought they were two completely different people. Usually hidden behind his mother’s dress, Severus as a child often refused to socialize with anybody outside of his mum, a shy little bugger, he favored reading with Eileen over venturing outside into the rainy cobbled streets of Spinner’s End.

Looking at his parents' relationship, it’s fairly easy to come to the conclusion that they were the epitome of incompatible, ill-fated from the start even. It’s hard to believe that they were ever in love but according to Eileen, she’d originally married Severus’s father out of love. She was the type of person who found the good in everybody even, unfortunately, his father at one point, though she horrendously misjudged his… nature.

It was the one thing him and his mother disagreed on fundamentally. While he hated to admit it, he held a little animosity towards her for allowing his father to horrifically mistreat them. Even on a good day, it seemed impossible for Severus to think of his father in a positive light. Tobias Snape did not have a single loving bone in his body, if he did, it's safe to say Severus would’ve been an entirely different person.

As Eileen often reminded herself, It wasn’t always so tense between her and Tobias, when they were wed, the Snape family outwardly portrayed the perfect family, a hardworking husband, and a doting equally as hardworking wife, that was, until Severus was born.

His father was nothing special, a tall, lanky, pale, English muggle who carried the deep recesses of the bleak depression so fundamentally associated with post-war England with him. He worked a plethora of jobs at any given moment though he never stayed anywhere too long, mostly because he’d end up coming to work hungover or drunk more often than not, leading to a confrontation between him and whoever his current boss was. He was a notoriously stoic man who could go the entire day without giving so much as a glance to either Severus or Eileen until he got his hands on a bottle of beer.

 Later on in life, and much to Severus’s relief, his alcohol dependence proved to be his final nail in the coffin, just a few months short of his mother’s death. Apparently, he’d drunken himself into a stupor and walked into oncoming traffic… how ironic a man who used to hold so much power over him as a child was killed in such a way, quite literally bulldozed down like a powerless inconsequential ant underneath someone’s heel. 

He couldn’t bring himself to even muster up an ounce of fake pity, he had him cremated and his ashes spread into the sea. 

Severus’s mother, on the other hand, was born into the highly esteemed House of Prince. Much like the noble House of Black, the Prince House was a highly revered, and highly feared, house of powerful pureblooded witches and wizards who made their home in Ireland. Unlike many patriarchal wizarding families, the Prince family was headed by the less-than-polite, Catherine Prince, Eileen’s mother. Being an only child, Eileen was next in line to head the Prince House but upon hearing her daughter had married and fallen in love with a muggle man, Catherine disowned Eileen for being a “blood traitor” and “tainting” their family line.

Before their wedding, Eileen and Tobias lived in his parent's home, after their very small intimate wedding, the two moved into Spinner’s End in Cokeworth, England, just a few short months later, Severus was conceived and born on January 9th, 1960. Despite its less-than-favorable conditions, drab, rainy, cobblestoned England would serve to be their residence, its looming Victorian architecture only adding to the oppressiveness and overbearing weight of the country as a whole. The ghosts of a not-so-distant past served as a grim backdrop for the tense times they lived in.

For the first year of his life, Severus was rather sickly and pale as a result of being premature, unfortunately for him, these two traits regrettably followed him through his childhood and into adulthood, albeit, to a lesser extreme. He was a rather frail child resulting in him often sitting and playing with his mother rather than venturing into the outside world simply because it caused too much strain on his already strained body. 

Due to brain damage he sustained from one of the many beatings from his father, his development was stunted and many important milestones such as his first laugh, his first steps, and even his first words happened at much later times than they would for a seemingly healthy baby. Eileen wasn’t spared from Tobias’s wrath either, while her son bared the brunt of her husband’s aggression, she too sustained a multitude of bruises and broken bones at his hands.

Despite their harsh reality, Eileen never broke in front of her son, she taught Severus to never accept a life he didn’t deserve, to keep his head up, he was a Prince after all. Her confidence, born of a life of privilege at a young age was something even Tobias had a hard time breaking. 

As he grew older, Severus never grew out of his introverted tendencies. His constant ailments and aversion to words were a point of conflict in the Snape household. Severus was regularly berated for being too “weak” and acting like a “pansy” due to his mother’s quote-unquote “incessant coddling”. Coupled with the fact that he had grown out his hair and wore his mother’s hand me down clothing since his father’s hung off his lanky body, Severus was more often than not, subjected to harsh manual labor along with numerous beatings for whatever unforgivable crime his father felt he committed that day. In his father’s words, “He wasn’t going to raise a faggot”, how funny that sentence was to look back upon...

As a result of his father’s explosive temper and general aloof behavior, he and his mother grew extremely close. A certified social recluse even at a young age, Eileen was the only person he allowed into his little world. Once her son started displaying signs of having magical abilities, she broke out her old textbooks and started teaching him basic wandless spells in secret while Tobias was away working.

 His father detested magic with every fiber of his being, he didn’t like much of anything but magic for some reason seemed to entirely derail his behavior. So much so, that he snapped Eileen’s wand in a fit of rage not long after they were married.

The day Severus got his Hogwarts letter, Eileen was ecstatic, catching his father in a good mood, she showed him the letter proclaiming their son was a wizard and would be attending the best magical school in the world. Grossly hungover, Tobias didn’t fully register her words as she asked to take Severus to London, waving them off angrily, Eileen practically skipped out of the house with her son in tow.

The two spent the day in Diagon Alley, living what felt like a normal life for the first time. Splurging what little money she had on her son. Buying him brand-new robes and a wand, even going so far as to buy him ice cream at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour before heading off to the used bookstores. It’s this day that Severus believes was his happiest memory, rather,  it was one of his only happy memories from his childhood, the one memory he faithfully used to conjure his Patronus.

[firawren]

Thoughts on my first viewing of Jane Eyre 2006

(I have a vague notion that I've watched this before, but if so, I'd forgotten most of it.)

Overall: Really enjoyed it! Both Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens did a great job, it packed an emotional punch, and I thought the screenplay did a decent job at condensing the novel into its nearly 4-hour running time.

Now for some more detailed random thoughts:

WTF is a "half-cousin," St John?? (I guess they did this to make it less weird for him to want to marry his cousin? But it just makes it more weird to me, because that's not A Thing.)

Even though my husband was like "Why does Jane even like him?", I thought Rochester was a bit too nice. I especially wanted more of him being super cranky when Jane is not letting him buy her fancy stuff or refusing to eat dinner with him, because he deserves to be driven crazy by this after the Blanche Ingram stunt. He also wasn't quite weird enough. But, I did like his passion, strength, and charm, and he had great chemistry with Jane.

Ruth Wilson portrayed Jane's passionate spirit trapped under a calm and proper exterior really well.

The proposal scene was great! The drah-mah! The romance! The laughing in the rain afterwards!

This is controversial, but I loved the sexy stuff when Rochester is trying to convince Jane to stay, because it definitely is a sexual temptation for her that she has to overcome, and the sexual tension between them is so palpable in the book. They translated this well to screen, IMO.

I missed the religious themes from the book. It's an integral part of Jane's choice and Rochester's redemption, and God is an actual entity that drives the plot in the book. You don't have to believe in religion in real life to appreciate it within the universe of a piece of media.

I also missed St John's famous line "You were built for labour, not love." Why cut that? It's such a great line! And by "great," I mean it makes me want to punch St John in the face or throw up.

As usual, Jane and Rochester are too attractive. Especially Rochester. I mean geez, Toby Stephens?!

No, we don't have a potion for that, sir, because you're already extremely handsome! 🙄

[currantlee]

Ganondorf in German Tilo Schmitz Appreciation Post

The first cutscene of TotK is defining for Ganondorf as a character. I played the German version of the game, and the dub does a stellar job with this scene! It is very memorable IMO, and it instantly sets Ganondorf up as a somewhat stereotypical antagonist, but a serious threat nonetheless. It's one of my favorite scenes in the game, and that is also because Ganondorf's German VA, Tilo Schmitz, does an absolutely stellar job! It's great that he's getting the recognition he deserves for this performance!

Each line of Ganondorf's monologue in this scene is packed with (character) exposition, both textwise and deliverywise, but you don't even notice because you're in too much awe - at least that's my experience with the scene (in German).

Sooo... I wanted to take a closer look at how exactly both the scene and the voiceacting accomplish this.

Translation: That is supposed to be the sacred banishing sword? And my miasma shatters it just like that... A useless blade. English Localization: Was that the sword that seals the darkness? A blade that shatters so easily against my power cannot save you from me.

A few things about this line (and the rest of the scene) under the cut, because I'm gushing. A LOT.

The Master Sword is rarely called Masterschwert (its name in German) in spoken dialogue. I think over the course of the entire game, the Great Deku Tree is the only character to do so, and in Breath of the Wild, only Zelda calls it Masterschwert once. It is, however, called Masterschwert in the inventory, as well as several text-only dialogues. My hypothesis as to why they did that is that Masterschwert, when spoken out loud, sounds involuntarily comical in German since it comes off as way over-the-top, and can thus destroy an entire, serious scene. Personally, I think heiliges Bannschwert (which I would personally translate as Sacred Blade which Banishes Evil if I were to do a less literal translation, like I did above, into English) is a very fitting title, even though it doesn't sound quite as awe-inspiring if translated into English literally.

Secondly, the gloom is called Miasma in German, which is a historic name for mysterious sicknesses. While not common in contemporary German anymore, you can actually find it in the fantasy genre here and there, including in videogames. German localizers REALLY love to use this term. In comtemporary German, it would be übler Dunst (bad / ill haze), Verunreinigung (pollution / contamination), Befleckung (impurity) or Ansteckung (infection), all of which combined I find to be a really great description of what the gloom is and what it does! Especially considering that the entire reason Link and Zelda decided to investigate it in the first place was because the gloom was making the people of Hyrule sick.

I personally like this line much more than the English one, simply because to me, the English line screams "exposition!!". The German line is also exposition of course, but it does it in a much less subtle way.

Last but not least - let's appreciate Tilo Schmitz, Ganondorf's German VA. The way he delivers this line is spectacular! He makes it sound like Ganondorf is almost a little upset that the Master Sword shattered so easily, while sounding both dark and ancient at the same time. Honestly, I could not imagine a better delivery!

Translation: Zelda... And you, wielder of the banishing sword... Link. English Localization: Zelda... You who carries the fragile sword... Are Link.

Ganondorf explicitly draws a connection between Zelda and Link in German (not in the romantical sense), which feels much more natural than this kind of jump he does in English.

On a somewhat unrelated sidenote, I like that the camera shows both Zelda's and Link's reactions to Ganondorf knowing their names (unfortunately, I couldn't capture Link's because the subtitle vanishes just before he reacts, and I don't want to overload this post with pics, so... Go watch the scene again 😆). Love that Link has a very obvious reaction too, I feel like he is generally pretty expressive in TotK, which I very much enjoyed!

Translation: Rauru's grand prophecy... English Localization: Rauru placed his faith in you...

This is an interesting difference to me, because while both lines pretty much mean the same, the connotation (implied meaning) and tone are completely different.

In English, Ganondorf sounds like he is almost blaming Link and Zelda for not fulfilling Rauru's expectations, especially when combined with the next line.

In German meanwhile, this is more of a sarcastic comment, that expresses Ganondorf's disdain of Rauru more than anything else. Tilo Schmitz delivers this line with a very sarcastic undertone as well, making it clear that Ganondorf is, much like in the previous lines, mocking both Link and Zelda, as well as Rauru.

Translation: Two pathetic worms. English Localization: And that was all that you could do?

Now, there is a big difference! Whereas Ganondorf's line sounds almost like a challenge in English, in German, he is ourtight insulting Link and Zelda.

Also, Tilo Schmitz is amazing as Ganondorf in general, but this is probably my favorite line in the entire game from him. It sounds impactful, it sounds arrogant and despising, it has everything this line should have and more. Most of all, it sounds like he actually means this, and he means it as the character Ganondorf, not just as someone playing Ganondorf (from a meta perspective) or just anyone who can't stand Link and Zelda. It is a perfect line in my opinion, both scriptwise and delivery-wise.

Aaaaand that's pretty much it for this scene! Like in the English localisation, Zelda asks how Ganondorf knows their names (and Julia Casper makes her sound more timid than confused, which I also like very much!).

Anyway, thank you so much for reading 😊 Honestly, I was pretty overwhelmed by the response to my first posting about the German localization of TotK, so I wanted to wait a bit for things to calm down a bit 😅 In the 10+ years I've been on the internet, nothing I've made before has gotten this level of attention. It makes me very happy you guys seemed to enjoy it so much though, and I hope you enjoyed this one as well.

Have a great day, night, whatever time it is when you're reading this, and enjoy the game!

[carrionhearted]

i need to watch more horror movies so please drop your favourites 🙏🙏

GLADLY!!!! These are in no particular order, or category… just a list of horror (& adjacent) films that feel special to me. Some of these are genuine works of art, and others are just campy fun. Some of them are flaming garbage. Have fun figuring out which are which!

- House of 1000 Corpses (& sequels: The Devil’s Rejects, Three from hell) (Ho1000C is just a blast, campy and vibrant and fun— while the sequels are a lot more grounded and gritty in tone. The characters really make this franchise. Rob Zombie is great at writing hate-lovable bastards.)

- Eraserhead (a fever-dream-nightmare perfectly translated into film. Surrealist imagery that will permanently etch itself into your grey matter. I hope you like long shots and ambient droning sounds! I love films you have to decode in order to understand.)

- Donnie Darko (more ‘psychological thriller’ than ‘horror’, but god I love this film. If you like unreliable narrators and themes of unreality, blurred lines between the supernatural and psychosis… watch Donnie Darko.)

- I Saw The TV Glow (made me ugly cry until I threw up and gave me a headache so bad I couldn’t sleep afterwards. VERY effective psychological horror if you struggle with identity and dissociation/ dpdr. Like, dangerously effective.)

- Pearl (standout fav of this trilogy, though X and MaXXXine are also great. I am in love with Pearl as a character. Insane writing, insane acting, and it’s shot so well… ooghsgdh I love this film…)

- The Lighthouse (Damn ye! Let Neptune strike ye dead Winslow! HAAARK! Hark Triton, hark! Bellow, bid our father the Sea King rise from the depths full foul in his fury! Black waves teeming with salt foam to smother this young mouth with pungent slime, to choke ye, engorging your organs til' ye turn blue and bloated with bilge and brine and can scream no more - only when he, crowned in cockle shells with slitherin' tentacle tail and steaming beard take up his fell be-finned arm, his coral-tine trident screeches banshee-like in the tempest and plunges right through yer gullet, bursting ye - a bulging bladder no more, but a blasted bloody film now and nothing for the harpies and the souls of dead sailors to peck and claw and feed upon only to be lapped up and swallowed by the infinite waters of the Dread Emperor himself - forgotten to any man, to any time, forgotten to any god or devil, forgotten even to the sea, for any stuff for part of Winslow, even any scantling of your soul is Winslow no more, but is now itself the sea!)

-Carrie (the original is, of course, the best… but the 2013 iteration is also surprisingly good. She is so normal girl don’t worry about it)

- Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (SPECIFICALLY 2, but watch the first one also) (Bill Moseley as Chop Top… Oingo Boingo on the soundtrack… sexual tension with the chainsaw… the dinner scene… Leatherface <3… it has it all…)

- Society (Do not go into this expecting a good solid film. Go into it expecting to have a very confusing, VERY FUN time. One million bonus points for The Shunting.)

- Sleepaway Camp (another campy cult classic. The most wtf acting, wtf dialogue, wtf line delivery, WTF AMOUNT OF MEN IN BOOTY SHORTS, wtf kills and wtf ending. Also diversity win!)

- Slither (now that’s what I can body horror! This film is outrageous it’s insane it’s… goopy… lots of slugs. Great mix of horror and comedy imo)

- Ready Or Not (a “death game” premise with an almost cartoonish quality? The characters are all… all such characters, they did great fleshing out a large-ish cast. They did a great job in general. Also funny. Also WICKED set design.)

- Hereditary (a predictable answer, but I think it earns the praise. It’s uniquely effective at being… horrifying, as a horror film. The sense of dread in this film is something special.)

- Silence of the Lambs (another obligatory mention. It puts the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again.)

- Terrifier, 1 2 and 3! (obligatory Terrifier franchise mention. Art the Clown is just a silly little guy. God forbid a clown have hobbies.)

[shiftingtomydrs]

Marauders DR

sooo yeah this is gonna be confusing probably and definitely not organized but if youve read some of my rants youll be used to it by now haha

alright, so similar as in my golden trio dr, im the same person i am in my cr (like name, family, looks) plus the whole witch thing. i am also part of ravenclaw and a muggleborn. my s/o is james potter and i did kinda script out voldemort bcs we dont want that. james and i have the friends to lovers slowburn angsty arc and im not quite sure if i should script im related to lily / my last name is also evans bcs hear me out, someone asks james who he has a crush on and he just says evans and people start assuming its lily but its me and so he goes with it bcs he doesnt wanna ruin our friendship. so yeah. thats gonna happen now bcs now that i wrote it out loud i love it. i again dont play quidditch bcs scared of heights and stuff haha soo idk yet if ill do any sport (is there another sport?). i also wanna be an animagus but idk yet what form bcs i like the 'soulmates have the same form' headcanon but i also wanna be a cat. soo yeah. idk. ideas would be great. i scripted that i can be in the gryffindor common room / i never get caught doing it (idk if its actually forbidden or not tbh but id say yes) and im kinda the typical nerdy good smart girl soo i can pull of shit and teachers dont suspect me so i get away with it haha. james thinks its unfair. i also scripted in this one fanfic i once read and keep rereading bcs its so good (its a german translation and i cant find the original one sadly) and its basically the marauders finding a magical book with fanfiction about them inside it. its hilarious soo yeah i put that in it was like the first thing i put. i have two sisters but both of them are muggles. after hogwarts idk yet what i wanna do, maybe become a healer (no but fr what can you do except work in the ministerium, teacher, healer, journalist, or open a store or smth? jobs are limited in the wizarding world imo) or an auror (thats what you can do lmao but it kinda falls into ministerium i guess?). i dont have a pinterest thing for this dr yet but i imagine my aesthetic is kinda light academia / dark academia (idk the difference but i like both) and yeah. from the 3rd year on i do arithmancy, runes and care of magical creatures. i also do apparition classes in year 7.

idk what else i can say atm haha but if you wanna know more pls dont be shy to ask questions <3

[cocomanga]

*Spoiler Alert* Solo Leveling Ep. 19 Review

Sooooo.... 😊

This last episode🔥... Some may call episodes like this "fillers", but I tend to appreciate them, because they usually help to develop the story more, and support the characters, giving us insight into their personalities, helping us learn about who they really are and why they do what they do.

I loved so much about it, the beginning where we got to see the little argument between Baek and Choi was cute. LOL

The fact that they fought over him is hilarious, and I think they did a great job of translating that through the anime.

Not to mention this kinda hot, quite useless side character🤭. LOL

So... heres the thing though. You may notice this as I post the side by side photos of the Manhwa vs the anime images... I've noticed that the intensity of the characters is significantly different, and unfortunately lost sometimes in the anime vs what we see in the manhwa.😬 I hate to say it, but... I feel some kinda way about that.

This is still my favorite anime, but …yeah... its a thing. And I'm definitely not the only person to notice this.

The biggest deal for me was the guild leaders and Chairman finally seeing Jin-woo's powers for the first time. It was tremendously exciting, and a scene I think the anime creators executed very well.

HOWEVER... 😅 I just feel like … the way we seem to get these strange versions of Jin-woo more often, instead of the one from the manhwa. It can kinda be... like... underwhelming.??

I feel like in scenes like this (above), at the very least, we should see him in CHIBI form, as he expresses himself in his authentically represented form from the manhwa.... I've seen chibi used thousands of times in anime and manhwa/manga/manhuas all over, that really help us to see so much emphasis when characters emote. This would have been very useful here IMO. Whats crazy is, I see a lot of people complain about the anime, claiming that Jin-woo is not charismatic. But he TOTALLY IS. Its just unfortunate that we don't get to see much of that on the screen.

Yet... I LOOOOVE the way they had him just stand here unassumingly as he released his shadow soldiers, all of that power just flowing so easily from him as they stood by and watched. The execution of this was just so exciting to me. 💖🥰 And not something we could have gotten from the Manhwa. Only a vivid imagination could bring this to life this way.

Once he arrived at the weapons' depot... or shop... lol this was another scene that I caught, hoping we'd get more out of it.

Guys, it's almost like they've taken some of his most endearing and interesting character traits, the ones that give him so much depth, and really... really watered him down (and you can see that it happens with the other characters, as well.). Makes me sad when that happens. I actually wrote out another post about it, which I'll likely put up soon (once whittle my rant down from novella form😅).

We've all seen movies or tv shows that have changed some elements of a story, that cause it to deviate slightly from the books, novels, or panels, and i totally get that. As an artist, and someone who appreciates AAAAALLL THE WORK that goes into these processes, I'd never take that lightly, or dismiss the extensive effort that it takes to produce an adaptation like this.

Also, I can understand that they also tend to change or edit parts to make it more interesting for all, and keep those of us who have read it on our toes. In my humble opinion, that's a great thing. However, the panels and clips I'm pointing out are directly related to Jin-woo's personality, not the action's he's taking in the story. They are essential to what makes him who he is. I just personally feel they should keep his character as close as possible to the way Korea presented him to us... especially for those of us who love him so much.

But anyways... I digress...

I'm so happy that our King finally got his new Hunter ID, complete with his well deserved "S", which should really be like... a "Z" or something🥴. haha!

Just something else I noticed, along with everyone else, Jin-woo's looks are changed quite a bit, another thing that's been pretty consistent throughout the series, however, and although I'm not the type to complain a lot about something I'm grateful for, when it comes to Jin-woo, I'm a little sensitive.😌 I'm sure I'll feel the same way when we get to see JJK Season 3, IF this happens.

This was another a panel I was SO excited to see, only to have it kinda quenched down, and the "camera" was angled at his back instead of his face when it happened. LOL I mean... some may argue that it was executed just fine. And to be honest, they could've omitted it, as they did some of the other scenes so I'm glad it was there at all, but... I dunno... what do you think?

Regardless of all of that... This was still a great episode, 😌 And he's still SO PRETTY.

And the fight at the end... Good googly moogly! The character in the demon castle was super intense, and him calling the High Orc to defeat him was so badass.

Also, giving us a sneak peek into how we'll now finally get to see one of our favorite characters that he runs into at the castle was so much fun.

ESPECIALLY that last scene!!! Aaaaaah! Gawd he's sooo very HOTTT!! I was like 😩damn baby can you please tone down the SEXXXY while getting ready to kill someone?!?! 😭🙌🏾

He did the smirk... Aaaagh!!🥵😍

Unfortunately, snow and work had me posting this super duper late, and I'm currently super duper tired so I know it's kind of a sloppy post, 😓so forgive me in case you're actually trying to make sense of it. haha!💖

I'm looking forward to seeing our next episode tomorrow!