#or at least has that as a language option doesn't have to be originally japanese specifically

[bayonettas-tits]

Does anyone have Japanese visual novels they recommend? Asking because I'm in the process of learning the language.

[thegirlwhorideslikeasamurai]

The beauty of accidental marriage proposals

Yuuri very likely didn't intend to propse to Viktor at the airport but his heart knew what it (and he) truly desired and twisted his words into a proposal—or rather something akin to a proposal that resulted in a spontaneous engagement.

Let's unpack this.

Yuuri returns from the Rostelecom Cup with his mind full of things that he wants to tell Viktor. While we don't learn the details, his inner monologue in the previous scene gives us a good idea of the things he's mulling over.

Yuuri has convinced himself that Viktor will abandon him after the Grand Prix Final. Thus, that competition is his final chance to win gold and he's determined to fulfil the promise he made in his speech in ep. 5 and win that medal. But even if doesn't win gold, there is one thing that he feels he needs to do after seeing skaters and skating fans react to Viktor becoming a coach at two consecutive competitions.

Regardless of how much Yuuri has profited from Viktor's support, he is very conscious about the fact that Viktor belongs to the ice. Or at least that is what his anxious brain has convinced him of. In this sense, giving up his own career so that Viktor can resume his own is an act of love and the only possible solution for them to stay together (in Yuuri's brain).

We never learn about the end of Yuuri's contemplation, but the subtext of the next scene implies that breaking up with Viktor is not an option. Or if it was an option, it was off the table once he was back in Viktor's arms.

Since Yuuri has anxiety, it's safe to assume that he has been overthinking his talk with Viktor over and over during the flight, going through all kinds of scenarios based on Viktor's imagined reaction. After hours on the plane, his brain must have been on the verge of exploding, casting poor Yuuri into a state of total overwhelm. If you have anxiety, you can possibly relate.

However, the moment that he spots Viktor, his mind goes blank and instinct takes over as he runs into Viktor's arms and instead of whatever speech he has prepared, he just blurts out the following line:

僕も考えてた。引退まで 僕のこと—　お願いします！ "I've been thinking, too. Please take care of me until I retire!"

The English translation is a bit messed up here. In the original, Yuuri never uses the word coach in that line. "Please take care of me" is Japanese proposal language. The translators probably didn't recognise this nuance and sadly, the nuance is still lost in the Bluray version.

But that's why Viktor recognises the proposal in Yuuri's words.

However, based on the details given and the illogical ways anxious brains work, Yuuri intended to inform Viktor about his retirement plans and to voice his desire to make the most of the little time he thinks they have left. But that's not what his heart wants. And since episode 5 we know what that is:

初めて自分から繋ぎとめたいと思った人、それがヴィクトルです

A more accurate translation of that line is "The first person I want to tie myself to and never let go is Viktor" because 繋ぎとめたい means wanting to tie someone / something to you and never let it go (see this translation error masterpost).

Of course, Yuuri doesn't want his relationship with Viktor to end and no matter if his anxiety his skyrocketing in the face of the GPF looming ahead, that desire has taken root in his heart and brain. However, his anxiety stops him from proposing actually and turns his addition "until I retire" into a gentle prodding to find out whether he and Viktor are on the same page.

And of coruse, they are.

And it's all Yuuri has wished for. He's been anxious the whole time. Until Viktor recognises the proposal and response with a yes in the same fashion that Yuuri has asked.

To wrap all of this up:

Absence nurtures desire and in this case, the time apart has shown Yuuri and Viktor how much they want to be by each other's side. Because he missed Viktor so desperately, Yuuri's heart wins over his anxiety for once and enables him to tell Viktor his deepest desire. By recognising said desire, Viktor is able to accept the proposal and the two boys are now officially engaged. And that's yet another beautiful aspect about this show.

Unfortunately Viktor didn't really catch the part about the retirement, which will result in him thinking that Yuuri wants to break up when Yuuri announces his retirement plans in Barcelona. On the other hand, knowing that Viktor wants to stay by his side forever is a huge relief for Yuuri and allows him to enter the GPF without any emotional baggage.

Bonus: look at that cute tiny smile right between Viktor recognising the proposal and the second hug.

For further readings related to this please check out:

Japanese dating culture in YOI

Unwrapping "Let's end this"

On Yuuri's top-secret love life

If you enjoyed this meta you might like to check out my YOI canon works on AO3 or just support me by reblogging this post.

[vii0so]

[BSD 119] Theory/Analysis

"The Bookmark" and Akutagawa.

How Atsushi is the bookmark/what it means and why/how Akutagawa is also involved with this + Why I think Akutagawa is acting like this (knightly-medieval) without Bram's influence.

█▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒

1. "How is Atsushi the bookmark/ What does it mean to be the bookmark?"

Well let's start simple: "What's a bookmark?"

It's an indication of where you left off in a story.

In a game, you could think of it as a [save] point.

Now, IRL, a bookmark is optional. You may just remember the page or fold the corner.

But what if there was no way to remember or fold corners...only the bookmark?

The bookmark would be the only way to progress in a story. The only thing telling you where the 'present' is.

Time is divided in three:

Past -> Present -> Future

Q. Where is Atsushi?

A. The present

No matter wether he could time travel, or we read chapter 1 again, he will always be experiencing it 'currently'/in 'present time'.

"But that's obvious!" But did you realise the meaning?

The bookmark is used to mark the 'present' time of a story.

Atsushi (the 'bookmark') is the protagonist, keeping the story moving and being the indicator of 'present' time.

We could say that it's because he's the protagonist (they are always the centre of the story - the 'present') but I believe that in Atsushi's case, in the case of bsd as a story, he is the protagonist because he is the bookmark, not the other way around.

And while other characters, like our - many times mistakenly confused as protag - Dazai, have had their spotlight moments (e.g.prison arc), it was still centred around people and events Atsushi was in some way involved in (directly or indirectly).

In short: Atsushi/the bookmark is like the sun

Planets orbit around the sun

If the sun's gone, we're gone

If the sun's here, life continues

It's studying the sun that gave us the concept of 'time'. Of course the moon plays a part in stuff too, and I could talk more on it too.

But I won't. I'll just mention 2 points: the moon doesn't revolve around the sun but the planets instead.

I could also say how the moon is/could be Akutagawa with a few theories but I'll be getting off track...maybe in another post.

So back to the Q: "How is Atsushi the bookmark/ What does it mean to be the bookmark?"

Atsushi's ability is the 'bookmark' which in turn makes him it too.

It means that he is needed for their world (the book) to continue. He is 'present' time. The moment he is gone, so is time.

Fyodor saying this (pictures below) as if it's a certain fact that:

The tiger (Atsushi's ability) is the bookmark, not him.

The tiger is a seperate being to Atsushi, or at least has a very different personality (hence why Fyodor was disgusted to witness Atsushi's reaction, so different to his image of the tiger)

Btw, for anyone who may not know: Abhorrent = morally very bad

So just to clarify: Fyodor is saying that the tiger is morally bad and noble (as in elevated ideals/conduct or prideful and arrogant)*.

* Tried to translate the original Japanese for a clearer idea:

Note: I believe the translation above is accurate. It's just that I sometimes like searching for differences in the original language or things that may not translate well into english (double meanings, etc.).

DeepL spit this out:

"That high-steeled and abominable ‘shining tiger’ is only this good."

The original being:

"あの高覺にして忌まわしき「輝く虎」がこの程度の....."

Random fact: 栞 (しおり - shiori) = bookmark

^ The original Japanese for anyone interested.

███▒▒▒▒▒▒▒

2. Why and how is Akutagawa involved with the bookmark?

I could simply say: "Obviously they're yin and yang, two halves of a whole, so just like [Beast beneath the moonlight] is the bookmark, [Rashoumon] must be involved and be the bookmark's opposite."

But I'll try to explain with reasoning.

Rashoumon is said to eat through all it encounters, even if that something is space itself.

Sound familiar?

I would also just like to take a moment and mention that Fyodor genuinely seems like he had no idea that Rashoumon could put up a fight with Ame-no-Gozen.

Anyway...

Rashoumon is powerful. Powerful enough to fight against a being that isn't even in the same dimension (plane of existence) as itself. This means that Akutagawa's ability is 'god tier' (world bending/ changing) as well, just like Atsushi's tiger.

Honestly, to me, that by itself proves that Akutagawa is in some way connected to the book, just like Atsushi. If I think of more reasons I'll make another theory post.

I've been trying to think of what he would be to compliment the [bookmark] and have come up with many things, though none of them make sense and there are holes. So I'll have to come back to it.

█████▒▒▒▒▒

3. The reason I think Akutagawa is acting like this (knightly-medieval) without Bram's influence.

Rashoumon

Yes, you read that right. I believe he's acting like this due to his own ability.

Don't know how, can't explain it. Been thinking of how to explain this and Aku's involvement with the book further forever and this whole post has been sitting in my drafts gathering dust for weeks because of it.

So I'll just mention some noteworthy points that may contribute to the reason or not:

Atsushi's tiger is - as Fyodor has hinted at - different, personality/ morals wise. Meaning Rashoumon could also be different to Aku.

Abilities and their users are just two sides of the same coin

Abilities are the soul memory, the users are the body memory

Post Bram's possession, Aku's being could be considered half dead (in a way. Alive > Dead > Vampire > Alive-ish?) and so, that could have triggered his ability to front. Not sure if anyone knows DID enough to know what I mean by that but just think of it like how Atsushi was when he turned into the tiger completely - different - and then returned without any memory of the event.

So Aku still seems like himself (sorta) but the one in control is his ability - Rashoumon.

This would explain Aku not knowing who Atsushi is. Rashoumon could be familiar with the [tiger] but not Atsushi.

The clothes and speech: Most people think it's because of Bram's influence but does anyone even think about how old abilities are? If Fyodor has been alive since before Aku and Sushi were born and likely was aware of their abilities' existence since long before that, then it's likely that the law of reincarnation could apply here.

The law of reincarnation: (Not factual - off the top of my head)

Soul + body = self

Body dies = soul detaches and gets cleansed before rebirth

Reincarnation = (soul > soul + body > born > die > soul leaves body > repeat) x infinity

But because souls house abilities in BSD, it would be:

Soul + body = self divided in half (main self & ability self)

Body dies = soul detaches and gets cleansed, but [ability self] retains it's purpose (e.g. the bookmark) and carries over through rebirth.

Reincarnation = (soul > soul + body > born to fulfil purpose > die > soul leaves body > repeat) x infinity

This means that abilities have been around since the BSD world's existence or - if you'd like to believe the theory I think about a lot - since they were written in to the book.

Which means, Rashoumon taking control and choosing medieval attire and speech isn't unlikely, as they probably haven't been able to consciously use a body themselves since that type of stuff was still the norm.

Anyway, so no, personally I don't believe it's Bram's influence.

██████████ Complete!

I'm so glad I wrapped this up. As I mentioned, this has been in my drafts 80% finished since I made this account but I wanted to finish it before posting. Then I had assignments and had no time.

I probably forgot a lot of stuff I originally wanted to say when I started writing this, but oh well...not everything goes to plan.

While writing, I started overthinking the theory, when it's exactly that...a theory. It doesn't have to be exact with tons of evidence it can be far fetched and messy.

So as we're approaching the end of the month and the next BSD update, I thought: I better post this now. So here it is in all it's dot-point messy glory. I'll appear again when the new chapter comes out.

Btw, haven't had the chance to proof read as I decided to post this in a rush, if something sounded weird or didn't make sense that's why.

Thanks for reading ✦

[1moreff-creator]

Hey guess who's still thinking about the David MV.

I'm here to talk to you about these symbols from around 3:39, after "I remain undefeated by the rain". I tried researching myself, though the best I can do is draw them in symbol recognizer websites which isn't great. Keep in mind they're not necessarily supposed to make sense, as yellow is literally just the letter w.

(Best image I could get for the blue ones :p)

Below the cut is what I've found about what these symbols could be. I only checked for Japanese (because that's the original language of the song) and Chinese (because footnote 13 is a Chinese character so at least there is a connection).

The blue symbol might be 䀫 flipped upside down, I think it looks quite similar. It's a Chinese character which, from what I could find, means something like... narrow and dim eyes, or having one eye smaller than the other? Or "one-eyed", which I guess could be connected to Xander. It may also be "wink of the eyelashes" or movement of eyelashes, whatever that means. But I think the most interesting one could be "sleepy, drowsy, dim, vage and hazy". You can connect it to the dead as being "sleepy" or David since he appears to have some trouble getting out of bed, probably due to depression.

EDIT: Actually it may be 哈 which is the equivalent of a “jaja” laugh in Mandarin, so that’s probably it. As accirax pointed out in the comments, they actually may all be laughs :v

As for the green one, to me, that just looks like the n-ary product symbol, which is ∏ (longer legs than pi, 𝝅, though it is just the capital letter pi). If you don't know, that's the symbol used when you have to multiply a sequence of things. But what does math have to do with this.

I guess you could say if green is related to Hu ("substance of the arts" line stays winning) then maybe it makes sense, since her profile states she dislikes math? But that ranks a solid 10 in the Literature Girl Insanity scale, so.

Wait, no! It could actually be the uppercase letter pi, because it's the 16th letter of the Greek alphabet, and Hu has numeral 16! Yeah, sure, that works. Honestly the best I have for it.

The other option could be 丌, which I think is Chinese but I'm not sure. I didn't find anything conclusive about its meaning, and I didn't feel like researching too much because... it just doesn't really look like that. The MV's version doesn't have a little curl on the left leg.

I also tried flipping around the symbol a bit like I did with the blue one, but I didn't find anything in Japanese/Chinese symbol recognizers. Could be another language, or just a different non-language related symbol, but I don't care enough to research more.

Uppercase pi it is! Though that would mean green is actually Hu, unless I'm seeing wrong and that's mint, but I'm already kinda suspecting green is Hu anyways so.

Anyways, I'm open to different interpretations, if anyone has better ideas. Or if anyone actually knows Chinese and can properly tell me what the hell 䀫 means, because as you can see, there's quite a few things I found on the internet. Or, hell, maybe I'm stupid and that's not even Chinese, my language skill issues aren't exactly uncommon. Take care!

EDIT: Nope! It’s ㅋ which is jaja in Korean! Throw away the post everyone, they’re all laughs!

[drawnaghht]

"Wait hold on is there a Japanese dub? Or am I reading wrong oop"

@freakova Yes! yes there is! :D :D whoever edited that TVtropes page I mentioned is wrong, I'm not sure if they just didn't have the track available bc of region-restrictions on Netflix (like here for example, we don't get some shows) or bc they have some downloaded version which only has other tracks, but whoever recorded/ripped it originally, didn't have the JP dub track. I suspect it might be the latter.

I know I watched a bit of the japanese version in august, so I wonder if it's those 2 options or maybe even that most people don't watch netflix on PCs/laptops on their browsers, and so they miss out on the extra dubs on TV. That's smth that I often miss on our Netflix, i.e. some shows will have a finnish dub (the closest language to estonian where I don't need subtitles myself), but if it's smth super popular, it won't show the option for the finnish dub on the TV version of netflix at all. Japanese is a language very often missing in the TV version for many things, doesn't seem to be related to how J is in the middle of the alphabet, but rather, whatever system of regions Netflix uses to give suggestions to users. But if I switch to finnish on my PC, it will continue that show/other shows with available dub in my selected language. This goes for subs too!

Lol if u have a friend with Netflix or have it yourself, you can check it out. I have watched it with japanese dub + sub on at the same time to get any interesting language/delivery differences but also just to watch it out of curiosity. this is what I base some of my posts on too like the one's about names, but when I was just curious to see what the JP subtitles were like I got curious abt the dub too and then switched to both. It's

I also added this on the TVtropes page as a source to avoid ppl changing it, but Usagi's japanese VA, Kengo Takanashi, actually tweeted about his involvement for the airing of S2 (for those unfamiliar with voice actors there, like I am, he plays Link in the newer Zelda games. But also, fun TMNT trivia: he plays Donnie in the Bayverse japanese dub hehe x3 )

I think I found this randomly while going through twitter searching for something else. Definitely did not know about this VA before, but it's cool how happy he seemed about tweeting abt this show.

He sounds really nice as Usagi! He has that youthful and curious but annoying quality to it which makes Usagi unique and he sounds just as excited as the original, so the acting is on-point too. I've heard some people say that they like the JP dub over the EN original, but I honestly like both. There is a bit of a difference between Kengo (JP) and Darren (EN) with how different of a timber their voices have, but it's a very subtle difference. I've also watched the finnish and german dubs (both languages which I actually understand/speak more than japanese) and those also had very good Usagi voices. The russian dub versions sounds a bit deeper/ older but otherwise, the acting itself is fine, so it doesn't really bother me. In some versions, either Tetsujin or Gen sound either too young or too old for their roles, but otherwise, most of the dubs for this show at least, sound pretty good and similar to the og.

Anyway, I am not thinking of doing a spring cleaning on TV tropes now to clean up any more old/misleading info hehehe >:3c

[just-chickaen]

OUTDATED

This post is outdated!

Go to this link for updated version:

Hi, this is posted on my tumblr because youtube flagged my original comment on the video as spam. So I'm just gonna put it here. Even though tumblr has a 4096 character limit at least there's less aggressive censorship

The video in question:

Hi, this is me after writing this entire comment. this is so painful that I am going to the Mariana Trench and drown myself. Anyway. Below contains the lyrics and (most of the)text on screen(I tried)(also some analysis by me). I wrote this because there doesn't seem to be anyone else doing the exactly same thing, and also there's is barely any english or any other language at all here. The translations are done by using Google Translte, ChatGPT 3.5 turbo, and my own brain(not trustworthy).

Translation will be provided like this:

(The original text)

((optional)japanese translation)

(traditional chinese translation)

(english translation)

[note by me](scroll down to see it)

I will probably do the same for the other 2 videos(not gonna happen now), at least in this week.so, finally, as a non-english-mother-tongue person, sorry for bad english.

Title:

終末期

End Stage

bar code: the demiurge system[1]

text(1):

意識の覚醒を検知

檢測意識覺醒

Detects awakening of consciousness

text(2):

Good morning "Eve".

[2] [3]

ある日の事だった。

有一天，事情發生了。

It happened one day.

隣人が死んだ。

��的鄰居死了。

My neighbor died.

顔も知らなかった。

我甚至不認識他的臉。

I didn't even know their face.

「残念ね」そう言った。

「真可惜」我這樣說。

"What a shame," I said.

愛なんて教義。

愛情，一種教義。

Love, a doctrine.

とうに消えた。

早已消逝。

Disappeared long ago.

他我の証明は、

自我證明已經

The proof of other self

不可能になった。

變得不可能。

It became impossible.

text:

「神性は不死で意識を持っており、人格を持ち人間と同じように知的欲求を持ち、願望を持ち感情をもっている」

「神性是不死的，擁有意識，擁有個性，像人類一樣擁有智慧渴望、願望和情感。」

[Divinity is immortal, possesses consciousness, has personality, and, like humans, possesses intellectual desires, wishes, and emotions.]

何度も　繰り返した

一次又一次地

Repeatedly,

怒り　取引

憤怒，懇求。

Anger, Bargaining.

鬱に　うなされた

沮喪

Depression.

やがて　受け入れた

接受

Acceptance

[4]

text1:

>Commit suicide

Are you sure?[5]

text2:

――サイレンの音が聞こえる

——我聽到警笛聲

--I hear the siren sound

不本意な神性の、不条理な権限を、

不情願的神性，荒謬的權威，

the involuntary divinity, the absurd authority,

放棄出来たならば、いいのにな。

如果我能放棄，那該多好。

It would be great if I could abandon it.

際限無い幻想に、囚われたまま、

陷入無盡的幻想，

Trapped in an endless imagination,

夢が褪めなければ、いいのにな。

如果夢不褪去，那該多好。

if would be great if my dream doesn't fade.

text:

Warning! "Eve": Permission denied.[6]

変数の変更は繧キ繧ｹ綱?Bによって拒否されました。

變數的變更被"繧キ繧ｹ繝?B"[7]拒絕。

Change of variable was rejected by "繧キ繧ｹ繝?B"[7]

現在あなたは豊肴ュサ螻樊?ァへのアクセス権限を剥奪されています。

現在你已經被取消了對"螻樊"[8]的訪問權限了嗎？

You have now been revoked from accessing "螻樊"[8]?

実行するには管理者に驛」邨、縺励※縺上口縺輔>

請要求管理員運行它。[9]

Please ask the administrator to run it.[9]

wall of text 1:

気味の悪い音が聞こえる。

聽到令人不寒而慄的聲音。

A creepy sound can be heard.

自分で切り落とした手首が、ごとりと地面に落ちた。

自己切下的手腕掉在地上，咚地一聲響。

The wrist I cut off myself falls to the ground with a thud.

血液がぼたぼたと流れ落ちて、白い生地を穢していく。

鮮血滴滴地流淌，污染著純白的地面。

Blood drips and flows, staining the white surface.

苦痛に涙が滲む。情けない声が漏れる。

淚水在痛苦中滲出，可悲的聲音漏出。

Tears well up in pain. Pathetic sounds escape.

残っている���う片方の手に、上手く力が入らない。

剩下的另一隻手也無法用力。

The remaining hand can no longer exert force properly.

何度この工程を繰り返しても、痛みに慣れる事はなかった。

無論重複多少次這個過程，都無法習慣痛苦。

No matter how many times I repeat this process, I can never get used to the pain.

痛覚遮断は凍結されていた。

痛覺遮斷[10]被凍結。

The pain-blocking sensation is frozen.

オピオイドが恋しかった。

渴望著鴉片類藥物。

Longing for opioids.

胸にナイフを突き立てる。

將刀插入胸口。

Stabbing a knife into the chest.

wall of text 2(oh god why):

目が覚める。

醒來了。

(I) woke up.

人間は、痛みが限界を超えると気を失うように設計されている。

人類被設計成在痛楚超出極限時會昏厥。

humans are designed to faint when pain exceeds their limits.

両手の感覚があった。

雙手還有感覺。

I can feel both of my hands.

手首だけではない。

不僅是手腕。

Not just the wrists.

床に落ちていた手首も、血痕も無い。

手腕也沒有掉到地板上，也沒有血跡。

There is no wrist on the floor, no trace of blood.

血だらけだった服も新品同然になっている。

沾滿血的衣服也變得嶄新如初。

The blood-soaked clothes have become as good as new.

まるで、最初から何事もなかったかのように。

彷彿一切從一開始就沒有發生過一樣。

As if nothing ever happened from the beginning.

black screen text:

――いつまで生き続ければいいのだろう。

——我還能活多久？

--How long could I continue to live?

時間だけが経った。

只有時間流逝。

Only time passed.

市街は消えていた。

城市已經消失。

The city had vanished.

草木だけが、

只有植物，

Only vegetation

生い茂っていた。

茂盛生長。

thrived.

今日もSyslogを、

今天的系統記錄。

Today's System Log.

眺めていた。

我又凝視著。

I gazed at again.

悪魔の証明は、

惡魔的證明[11]

the devil's proof.[11]

聞きたくもなかった。

我什至不想聽。

I didn't want to hear

text:

果たして神性存在は、正常な精神状態のまま永遠の時を過ごすことが出来るだろうか?

神有可能在正常的心態下度過永恆嗎？

Is it possible for a divine being[12] to spend eternity in a normal state of mind?

何度、繰り返した?

我重複了多少次？

How many times did I repeat?

痛み　嫌だった。

我討厭這種痛苦。

I hated the pain.

やっぱり、駄目だった。

果然，一切都是徒勞。

As expected, it was futile.

原拠は、失った。

我[13]失去了根據。

I[13] lost the basis.

black screen wall of text(bingo!):

――権限が無い?

──權限消失了？

――No permissions?

昨日まではあった筈だ。

昨天應該還擁有的。

I should have had them until yesterday.

自身の変数に関しては誰もパーミッションを変更できなかった等栏

關於自身的變數，沒有人能夠更改權限等級。

No one could change permissions regarding my own variables.

そもそも、「あの日」にrootを付与されたというロンが出っていた。

事實上，有人聲稱在『那天』被授予了 root 權限。

Actually, there was a rumor that someone was granted root access on 'that day'.

rootにアクセスできない情報は無い。 そんな例外聞いたことが無い。

無法訪問 root 的信息。從未聽說過這樣的例外。

Unable to access information about root. I have never heard of such an exception.

このまま荳肴ュサ属性を解除できなければ。

如果無法解除這種束縛。

If I can't revoke this restriction as it is.

･･････いや、これは夢なのかもしれない。

......不，也許這只是一個夢。

...No, maybe this is a dream.

頬を抓る。痛い。

摸著臉頰。痛。

I pinch my cheek. It hurts.

夢じゃない。。

這不是夢。。

This isn't a dream...

手首を切る。痛い。血が出る。

切斷手腕。痛。流血。

I cut my wrist. It hurts. Blood flows.

夢じゃない。

這不是夢。

This isn't a dream.

ナイフを突き立てる。激痛が走る。涙が出る。嫌だ。痛い。痛い痛い痛い痛い痛い。

插入刀子。劇痛襲來。淚水流下。討厭。痛。痛痛痛痛痛痛。

I stab the knife. Intense pain surges. Tears flow. I hate it. It hurts. It hurts, hurts, hurts, hurts, hurts, hurts.

夢じゃない。

這不是夢。

This isn't a dream.

首を刎ねる。ふと気が付く。全てが元通りになっていた。

砍斷脖子。突然意識到。一切都恢復原狀。

I sever my neck. Suddenly, I realize. Everything has returned to normal.

頬を抓る。痛い。 ��うしてだろう。答えは出ない。

摸著臉頰。痛。為什麼呢？沒有答案。

I pinch my cheek. It hurts. Why? There is no answer.

思考がバグを起こしたかのように、ずっと問い続ける。、

思緒像是發生了錯誤，一直在追問。

My thoughts keep questioning, as if experiencing a bug.

どうして? どうしてどうしてどうしてどうしてどうしてどうしてどうしてどうしでどうしてどうしてどうしてどうしてどうしてどうしてどうしてどう もう、

為什麼？為什麼為什麼為什麼為什麼為什麼為什麼為什麼為什麼為什麼為什麼為什麼為什麼為什麼，

Why? Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why[14]

何も考えたくない。

我不想再思考了。

I don't want to think anymore.[15]

black screen text:

——耳障りな音が聞こえる。

——我��到刺耳的聲音。

——I hear a harsh sound.

不本意な神性の、理不尽な権能を、

不情願的神性，不合理的力量，

the involuntary divinity, the unreasonable power,

廃棄出来たならば、いいのにな。

如果我能放棄，那該多好。

If would be great if I could abandon it.

再現した現実に、囚われたまま、

被困在重建的現實中，

Trapped in a reproduced reality,

消えてしまえたなら、いいのにな。

如果我能消失，那該多好。

if would be great if I disappeared[16]

Wall of text 1(the boss)(me when not depressed):

螟ア護斐?譁?鍵繧定エユ縷薙〒縺?※縲?擇逋ㄡ縺?b縺ヨ繧定ヲ倶サ倥¢縺溘?

窶補?慕ア大ユヲ蜿イ荳翫?∵怙繧よ$繧阪@縺?ヨ滄イ薙?

繝阪ぜ繝溘↓豌ク驕?縺オ祷」鬟滉ス上r董晁イシ縺輔1縺溽炊誼ウ逧?↑迺ー蠅?r荳弱∴繧九→裸

�a�ズミに��?こ��v食�X��r����さ�1た理�b�藁?����-�?r与え�~��ꗇ

我把這頓飯給了祖米，然後又給了她一些食物。

I gave this meal to Zumi, and then gave her some food.

驟比クユ縺セ縺繝阪ぜ繝溽ヨ励〒蛟倶ス捺焚縺悟「励∴繧丸’裸

酔䑽�D�Zきj�ズ�a��で個�?�数が�u�えりۗ�

醉DZ螢幕上的物品數量非常多。

The number of items on the drunk DZ screen is very large.

諧?邨ら噪縺オ縺ツ豁サ貊?@縺ヲ縺励∪縺?→縺?≥螳滄イ鍋オ先棡縲

髱「逋ｽ縺?%縺イ縺ォ縲∽ココ鬘槭?蜈イ縺丞酔縺倡オ先忰繧定ソ弱∴縺ヲ縺励∪縺」縺溘i縺励>裸

縺溘口1鏈、驕輔≥幡ヶ縺後≠繧九→縺吶1縺-縲ュ縺九↑逕溘”谿九j縺梧艹鏈鏈鏈上↑鏈」縺7縺励∪鏈」鏈渣%键(裸 莠鬘械?邨力貊?r驕雜代k幢縺+螟画焚���呈桃菴懊〒縺阪鏈上↑縺」縺溘?鏈繧

た��1�Y�A違�?����があるとす�1�-〃�かな生�h残�jが�?�Y�Y�Y�な�Y�v�7しま�Y�v�Y��%?(�� �顊B?絗��?r�趑�k���+変数を操作でき��Y�なぁvた�?�Y�

如果存在 1 YA 誤差，則 1-1 原始殘差將為 7 Y �Y�v�Y��%？(�� 我希望我可以操縱變數。

If there is a 1 YA error, the 1-1 raw residual will be 7 Y �Y�v�Y��%?(�� I wish I could manipulate variables.

窶補?戊隍?”蜷医≥粿

Wall of text 2(Gave up)(me when depressed):

繧上。繧峨↑縺?%縺イ縛り線・サ蠕後?荳也阜縺蟄倅惠縺險譏弱@縺区九縺7縺?↑縺九▲縺渣? 蟒ｶ縲?→辟。髯仙セ碁??繧堤ケー縛願斐☆縺上i縺?↑繧峨?縲∫悛縺」縺7縺?◆譁ヶ縺碁▼縺九↓繧医゜鏈」純溘?

わ�Bらな�?%ぃC������E�T後�?世界�存䜨��明�@か���7�?��かった�? 延�?��焁B限�Z��??を�P�[����すく�i�?��ら�?、眠ぁv�7�?��斃�が遥かによ�K�Y�v����?

不知道CET之後這個世界還能存在多久。B極限Z????????

I don't know how long the world will exist after CET. B limit Z?? ���?

菴輔b閏?..縺溘¥縺縺九▲縺溘?

何�b�[?..たく�かった�?

你想要什麼？

What did you want?

繧ゅ≥菴輔b閏?.∴縺溘¥縺1縺??縺?縲

も�?何�b�[?.��たく�1�??�?�

有幾個 b[?.

How many b[?.

繧上◆縺励?迴螳溘縷蛾??£繧九h縺?↓縲√す繝溘H綢⁺綢繧繝7綱繧定キ蜍輔@鏈渣?

わたし�?�実��~��??��る�h�?��、シミ�H�a?�a��7�jを�L動�@�Y��?

我實際上要移動污漬 H�a?a��7�j @Y���？

I'm actually going to move the stain H�a?�a��7�j @Y���?

[17]

受容できない非合理的な

感情無法接受的非理性情感。

Unacceptable irrational emotions.

反証された存在に縋った

執著於被證明錯誤的存在。

Clung to refuted existence.

鬱々とした諦観的結果

憂鬱的領悟。

Melancholic resignation.

ただ目を瞑って夢を見てた。

只是閉上眼睛做夢。

Simply closed my eyes and dreamed.

[takamakisu]

『♥🖤Akira X Ann: Why I Support It.🖤♥』

In honor of the upcoming ShuAnn week, I have decided to contribute by writing a long post about why I love these dorks so much. I haven't seen a meta for them yet, so I figured I'd try my hand at it. (Which will be updated and expanded as I find more content) Without further ado, let us begin! Tagging the wonderful @shuann-week for this one.

1. The first encounter.

In media, the first interaction that two characters have with one another, regardless of relationship; lays the groundwork for said relationship and therefore is absolutely vital. When Akira first meets Ann, he's casually texting away on his phone and not really paying attention to much, but when she walks by he looks up. Already his curiosity is piqued, as is the player's; and then when she removes her hood, even then we don't get to see her face. But we DO see Akira's reaction, and he seems absolutely dumbstruck.

This is when things get interesting. Ann takes a few moments and sort of surveys her surroundings, and then she senses Akira's eyes and turns to him. And he doesn't look away, or get flustered; Akira keeps looking at her with that flabbergasted expression. He doesn't even blink. He is so taken aback by her he can't even greet her, and Ann just smiles at him and looks away- but even then, he doesn't break his gaze, and he never does until she actually leaves: Ann leaves him absolutely spellbound. And the music that plays during this encounter is exclusive to this encounter and this encounter alone. It never plays before this scene, nor does it ever play again after. There are heavy romantic undertones in this encounter, from the body language to the background music, and only Ann receives this treatment. It screams "attraction at first sight", and now with the groundwork laid, the relationship can begin to blossom.

 This is very important. Even before we get to see Ann's face, we already know from Akira's viewpoint that she must be pretty, at least in his eyes. And when we finally do get to see her face, she is indeed beautiful.

2. Her closeness to him.

First off, she's with you from essentially the beginning of the game, so you get a lot of time to get to know her and become closer to her. Ann is the third member to join your party and the first female member and therefore the first available romance option as well! (That's pretty big.) She's also your classmate, so you get to see her literally every day and there's a sense of familiarity that is built on from the beginning. 

Ann was the first to see Akira for who he truly was, and she looked past the rumors of him and got to know him for herself. Because she understands being an outsider and being mistreated, there's a level of understanding Ann has with you that the other girls simply do not. That's not to say they're bad, but Ann just connects better with the protagonist on that level. Let it also be remembered that before she met Akira, and by association the rest of the Phantom Thieves; Ann didn't have any friends, besides Shiho. Due to being a foreigner (and a very pretty one, at that) and the rumors surrounding her with Kamoshida, no one talks to her. While having a two-parent household, they are rarely home; and so Ann's lonely as well as bullied. Akira saving her from Kamoshida and then giving his genuine friendship then allows her to open up and be vulnerable to other people and that's very healthy. 

Another interesting interaction is during the Kamoshida arc, Makoto will ask you in essence what's the relationship between you and Ann, if there's something between you. If you say "there's nothing", her reply is "Didn't seem that way yesterday" and if you tell her you're classmates she'll say "But do friends get that close?"

3. How she falls for him.

For these reasons, I support these two. Lemme know in the comments what won you over to this pairing and any other moments that get your heart warm and fuzzy! 

In addition, Ann gets an on-screen kiss with the protagonist; a luxury only two other Persona girls have received (from 3-5, Maki kisses Naoya in P1): Margaret and Marie from Persona 4. The fact that Ann gets an explicit kiss (and possibly an implicit one as well because in Rank 9 her reaction to Joker hugging her hints he MIGHT have kissed her too) screams that while she's not 'canon' (nobody is) it sure does seem Atlus is sneakily pushing her towards Joker. They even match costumes in the dancing games! Oh yes, and Ann doesn't go home on Valentine's Day + Sojiro literally just "ayyyy" when she walks in- XD

Her Confidant has the protagonist and Ann getting closer as friends and also helping Shiho recover and you get to be a part of a few of Ann's interpersonal relationships. Shiho, as stated before, was Ann's closest and only friend before she met the player; and so earning her trust and helping her heal is significant. Suzui also hints to the player Ann seems to be attracted to them, talking about how her best friend talks highly of you and then the blonde gets flustered.

Her confession shot me through the heart. With Ann you don't have to increase your Knowledge or your Guts; just Kindness. To her, it doesn't matter if you get the best grades in the class or how brave you are, she just wants a friend who'll be there for her when she needs them, and that's what Ann falls for in the protagonist: his genuineness and his willingness to stick by her side. She falls in love with you for who you are and it feels the most natural and realistic. Something that's also very interesting about Ann's rank 9 event in Japanese is instead of saying “I guess we’re more than friends now...” she actually says, “I just realized it,” referring to her feelings for him (when she said “I love you”) in the original dialogue. And this is so so important. This hints at a love that developed slowly over a friendship and Ann wasn't even really aware it was there at first, until the only friend she'd had moved away and she felt alone and abandoned again. Akira being her pillar in that moment was the paradigm shift from platonic feelings to romantic ones and that is absolutely beautiful. But she ALREADY loved him, did you catch it? She just realized and became aware of it in that situation. Ann's been in love with the protagonist for who knows how long before she even confesses. And at the end of her confidant she calls you her light.. that just speaks volumes to me. The protagonist basically saved her, and because of that she wants to become stronger and encourage other people as well. It's beautiful. 

5. Other characters reactions to them.

There's a specific scene where the protagonist is in the bathhouse with Ryuji and Yusuke, and Ryuji will ask you what you think of Ann. If you admit you think she's pretty, he gets extremely excited ("Ooh, you straight up said it!")

Another very interesting thing that's different in the original language is when Akira gets home from interrogation. In English, Ann just chirps "Hey there!" No big deal, right? But in Japanese, she says, “okaeri”, which means “welcome home”. This greeting is said amongst family or couples in Japan, hinting a deeper level of closeness than the translation. 

(It's also something of note that when Ann got locked out of her room in Hawaii she went to Akira's room first. )

Additionally, after the school festival; Ann will talk to you about how she thinks about your future together! And if you tell her in another instance that you'd like to get married, she gets extremely excited whereas some of the other romance options become all flustered and blushy; a cute and interesting contrast.

A Mementos conversation also has Ann absentmindedly talking about how coffee goes well with sweets, to which Ryuji immediately replies 'Joker always smells like coffee, doesn't he?'

Now, I may be looking too deeply into this, but this could possibly be Ryuji "hint hint-ing" he thinks Akira and Ann are a good pair for each other. Ryuji also flat out refuses to date Ann during a scene in the gym when she offers to let him take her out. I don't know about you, but if I had a crush on somebody and they offered to let me go out with them, I don't think I'd turn it down as quickly and explicitly as Ryuji did (He tells her 'hell no, quit acting like you're some sexy anime character'). Personally I think Ryuji supports Ann with Akira and so he tries to gently nudge her over like "Okay, this guy? He's a good fit for you." Sakamoto's a great friend for Ann but I personally believe he's better as just that: a friend. 

4.  Their personalities blend well.

Ann's bubbly personality contrasts wonderfully with the protagonist's more introverted, reserved side. They're sort of like Robin and Starfire, just to less extremes. Ann is very pleasant and tender and she's got a big heart and it shows; consistently. She's a great friend to Ryuji and Shiho and big sister to Futaba, while at the same time tolerating nonsense from absolutely no one, regardless of status. I now want to cast attention to Meyer-Brigg's personality types. These are headcanons, but after analyzing Akira and Ann's characters Joker seems to be an ISTJ, while Panther is an ENFP. These are abbreviations for Introversion, Sensing, Thinking, Judging (ISTJ) and Extroversion, Intuition, Feeling, Percieving (ENFP) respectfully. Ann, at her core; is the heart of the Phantom Thieves honestly. She is very sensitive to others' emotions and feelings, and very emotionally intelligent. Being an extrovert, Ann also needs interaction and validation from other people: it energizes her and fufills her. And, in return she's a caregiver; Ann wants to support others and help them become stronger. She's a wonderful sister figure and just a comforter in general, and very amiable and chirpy. Contrast that with Akira, who makes decisions based on facts and logic rather than feelings and intuition (although in the Metaverse he seems to throw caution to the wind, quite frankly) and analyzes situations from a logical rather than emotional angle; (and there are exceptions to this like helping the woman Shido was assaulting and chasing Ann down to talk to her) and they seem on completely opposite ends of the spectrum. However, their differing personalities balance one another. While Akira keeps Ann grounded logically, she keeps him grounded emotionally and the bounce off is extremely healthy. 

In Yusuke's Confidant, saying Ann is the definition of beauty nets the most points. 

Atlus seems to like putting these two together as well, from giving them matching songs and outfits in the dancing games to putting them together in advertisements. It's pretty cute and though it's subtle, it's a nice little nod. 

[theangrypokemaniac]

There's a sneering attitude that the dub is inherently inferior solely for being a dub, and when I say 'dub' I mean the American one. No one attacks the South American interpretation, funnily enough, or the variety that exist globally.

Why not if foreign languages are so abhorrent?  Do you think it's kewl to hate America?

That's so original you know.

If the moan centres on the dub changing certain things, well that's a pointless stance, because it's impossible to do otherwise.

What's accepted in one country is not always permitted elsewhere, so either you make those alterations or it's never shown. I'd prefer seeing a slightly toned down version rather than have it never reach the West at all.

This is without considering the technical obstacles that a direct translation brings. The words do have to fit the mouth movements, and if they don't, truncation must follow.

America and Japan are different; the population of the former are not going to comprehend the references to the latter's history and culture, which necessitates some divergence from the original to give it mass appeal.

Anime is a branch of entertainment. It has to attract the public's good will to stay in business. If impenetrable, it'll fail, with all the resulting unemployment and finacial losses that brings.

Those in charge of dubbing understandably think they're on safer ground promoting familiarity rather than the strange, but that's not to say Pokémon was stripped of its identity. On the contrary, it was like nothing I'd ever encountered before.

I may have watched Western cartoons then, but the idea of doing so now is silly. I won't give time to any modern animation unless it's Japanese. Growing up on the dub has not produced an ephemeral fan less serious or 'true'.

The 4Kids dub had wit, humour, deep emotion, suggestive comments and flights of fancy. The voices fitted the characters well.

Unlike the current one, where everyone sounds on the verge of vomiting, but then they're clearly working with substandard material on a miserly budget. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear after all.

Dubs can be bad, but the very state of being a dub doesn't confer worthlessness automatically. Considering the work gone into them, attempting to gain your favour, it seems rude not to appreciate the time and energy spent in production.

Knowing a little about history, sub-only fanatics remind me of the kind of folk who opposed an English Bible, because it was too good for the oiks to read the word of God.

Of course it was alright for them, rich enough to be taught Latin, but not so much the ordinary man.

It amuses me how dozens dismiss the dub, but see no hypocrisy in using its evidence to further their ship or anti-ship arguments, so it can't be that revolting.

It's also bizarre that so many hold sacred the sub of a series currently in a frenzy to shed every aspect of its anime and Japanese origins, leaving a vague, rootless ghost, supposedly making it easier to slip down the gullet of the masses.

Pokémon I've seen referred to as a 'gateway drug', as in the anime that introduced a generation to the entire concept. This means the dub. You would not have got enough kids in the late Nineties to read a screen rather than watch it, and even today most would lose interest rapidly.

Where would you be without that dub? Unless you're Japanese, your first experience of Pokémon will have been a dub, and if not the American, the one where you live, which was only made because there was the funds available.

You may have then progressed to watching the sub, but only because that dub stirred love in your soul.

Where would the franchise be without that dub? You think Pokémon would've grown to be a world-wide obsession raking in billions by itself? No, it'd still be a solely Japanese phenomena, and most likely never lasted this long.

Its decades of supremacy rests on the quality of that dub. It sold games and merchandise to kids by the ton, giving an incentive to keep the series going. If you're not a fan from the first wave, then your favourite era would have never existed had it not been financially attractive carrying on.

The team who wrote the first film actually preferred the dub, moved to tears by its emotive use of music, therefore they aren't so precious as the fans.

Where would anime be without that dub? Pokémon brought it to the West. A handful slipped through previously, but made minor impression.

To those who would dismiss Pokémon entirely in favour of more 'worthy' output such as Studio Ghibli, I would say that Pokémon, first the games, then the programme they inspired, must have an integral quality to have caught on in Japan, which isn't exactly short on similar concepts.

To have gained popularity in a crowded market, and so fervently a dub became an option, can only have come about because it held a certain magic.

It was the dub that smashed a hole in the cultural barrier, setting free the tidal wave to engulf the world. In Pokémon's trail followed Digimon, Cardcaptors, Monster Rancher, Yu-Gi-Oh! et cetera.

Without Pokémon, I doubt they'd have been translated, and definitely never broadcast on mainstream television. That came about as channels desperately hunted down anything Japanese to serve as the next craze.

I really appreciated the effort made by 4Kids in converting every aspect of the series to suit American tastes, including changing text on signs, letters and books into English. I assumed this was standard practice until I watched others.

I could never be as involved in them as I was Pokémon because of that block. It was like being denied access to the deeper waters, fenced into the shallows, and implied a rushed dub, with little care shown but to chase the same crowd and money.

If personified, the dub 'n' sub wouldn't be one human being, but rather identical twins: the same to a casual observer, but easy to tell apart by the more attentive.

It's like the games: Red and Blue are versions of a single adventure, but not totally one. Take the dub and the sub the same way. They are parallel dimensions running on separate rails, and beyond reconciliation, and that's before we consider that, sub and dub alike, each generation has only a faint relation to its predecessor, working on its own whims.

Everyone has a favourite, or can like both, and there's nothing wrong in that, but so many are proud of the fact they hate the dub, as if it conveys a revered status of supremacy.

When Disney films are shown abroad, they too are translated, and I'm sure references and jokes are redesigned to make sense to the locals. It's no use selling yourself as a comedy then being surprised when the audience refuses to laugh, having no idea what you mean.

If people prefer that one, for being what introduced them to Disney as a whole, or as a fond memory of childhood, then so what?

I don't mind if their view of a character is minutely at odds with mine, having seen the original, because what they think is canon to their version, so can't be wrong.

I don't go round declaring every Disney dub to be pathetic by its nature, that viewers of them are of a lesser breed of fan for preferring their own tongue, even though more of the world's population understand English than they do Japanese.

If you enjoy one tailored to your country there's no crime in it, just as I like one at least comprehensible to mine. It's not even my culture, but I pick it up mostly.

The choice must be made on which to follow, and this blog runs on dub canon, as that has a claim on my heart. Just because I don't acknowledge what takes place in the sub doesn't mean I'm unaware of it, but it has no bearing on what I write.

The idea that the dub alters things willy-nilly without rhyme nor reason is also mistaken. Often it does it because the original does not make sense.

In the sub, I know Nanny and Pop-Pop are just a couple of old duffers taken at random and dropped in to a castle, supposedly as James's far away nannies.

Oh yeah, that's a cushy position. You doing a lot of child care from miles off?

Mind you, it used to describe 'em as 'caretakers' on Bulbapædia, as if Nan serves as housekeeper whilst Pop tends to the garden.

That's right. Ma and Pa finally got some work out of this pair of freeloaders.

They're not related, remember? No, no, absolutely not, no way. Of course their style reflects that. They just gave Pop a 'tache, thick eyebrows and a bigger nose, and Nan got a bun and lines in her hair, but there's certainly no connection. Oh no. Such a thing is ridiculous.

They're NOT family. No. Yet Hoenn James still panics they might learn he's joined Team Rocket, spending the whole episode trying to hide the truth.

Why? Who are servants to criticise the son of their employers? Why should their opinion be of any consequence to Hoenn James, especially when his parents, fiancée and butler are cognizant of reality?

Children of aristocrats are usually brought up by governesses, thus develop a stronger attachment to these figures rather than their parents, but that isn't the case here.

James lived with Ma and Pa, not the codgers minding the castle. He would have very little contact with distant employees compared to those who waited on him daily, so why seek out their approval?

Hoenn James apparently was permitted visits to Nan 'n' Pop, which is strange considering they're not relatives. Why them and not any other house-stters?

That's right, Ma and Pa sent their son to one of their properties without them, entrusting him to the care of two shrivelled pensioners of his size that he barely knew, and who could keel over at any minute. There are no other servants present. Apparently Nan and Pop clean an entire castle by themselves.

Oh, and they run a makeshift Pokémon sanctuary, but since it's not their home it has to be done with Ma and Pa's blessing, who also have to pay for it, but they're eevul aren't they?

The idea that somehow Nanny and Pop-Pop have not cottoned on to James's occupation by now is risible.

Servants gossip about their masters. I bet the entire household of his home know, and so in turn does the county. That Nan and Pop remain oblivious proves how isolated they are, for no one's thought to inform them.

When it came to dubbing it, they were made his grandparents, removing all the above nonsense. Of course he visits his nan and granddad, it's their gaff and their money funding the place, and it is likely his mother or father would keep James's job a secret, for fear the shock would finish 'em off.

It should do really. If they're not bothered by it that's a sign of where his rapscallion ways were inherited.

They aren't facially akin to Ma and Pa, but display the same additions, so if staff it's bloody lazy, as if nannies have to resemble your parents, but inventing a blood link excuses the slothful characterisation.

Every reference I've seen on Tumblr relating to the coffin-dodgers calls them Nanny and Pop-Pop. Apparently the dub decision is met with universal approval. It does have redeeming aspects then.

Now the sub writers, rather than ignore this development, took to it too. They aren't exactly bursting with ideas these days and are probably grateful for the lifelines offered.

Remembering James had parents, they forced a likeness between them and Nanny and Pop-Pop. How else do you explain the inexplicable ageing, even when Sinnoh Ma and Sinnoh Pa are younger than Ma and Pa?

I've also known for years that the sub has this woman as Jessie's foster mother, not Ma Jess, but that's stupid.

I can grasp the idea that Jessie and Ma might have endured extreme deprivation, considering that's what Team Rocket has brought to Jessie anyway, and that they may have lived at the bottom of Mew's mountain prior to Ma's death.

What I find difficult to take in is that social services (or as they're known where I live, the S.S.), however notoriously awful they are, would give a child to a mad bitch in a shack with no running water.

Come on, they have to at least pretend to be concerned for Jessie's welfare.

As Jessie is very young, bereavement can't have befallen her in the distant past, so how can she be happy this soon after becoming an orphan? How could the grieving period be a cherished memory?

If that woman's creaming off the money, why hasn't she fixed the place up by now? Where do the payments go, sniffing glue?

Then there's the depiction. If this is just some daft bint never to be mentioned again, why do they conceal her face? Who cares what she looks like when she's unimportant?

Here's another figure from Jessie's past. She isn't disguised, and why not when she too briefly appears and is then forgotten?

Who was she?

The only sort of characters they tended to hide were other members of Team Rocket:

During the early scenes featuring Giovanni, he was enveloped in shadow, adding both intrigue and a sense of menace.

Madame Boss also got this treatment, even though there was probably no intention to ever feature her in the anime. What's the use in keeping an appearance a mystery if it'll remain masked?

With that pattern, it implies this woman is in the same category, like Ma Jess.

When it came to animation, it definitely was intended to be a foster mother. Not her real one. No.

What did they do?

They gave her Jessie's skin tone and purple hair hanging down her back!

You know, like Ma Jess?

Any colour would've done. Any at all, and being anime I do mean any colour, but no. The choice was made to give her the looks of the exact person she's not meant to be!

Is it that surprising the dub simplified things?

I don't mind if you like the dub, sub, both, or any from around the world, but I'm tired of the smug condescension, as if we all agree the sub is the only one that counts, and that dub fans are grunting troglodytes, or not 'proper' aficionados.

None of us would be here were it not for the dub. Pokémon would not be here. I think it deserves some respect for how much of a difference it made, to my life and to yours.

[kazimir-capriccio]

Okay. You know what? No. Fuck this.

I mainly work in the microlabel tradition for flag design so take what I have to say with a reasonable heaping of salt, but in my humble opinion everyone who texts EFLAG6 to 844-812-0033 should have their SIM card placed in an industrial macerator, and everyone who voted Option 6 on this poll should be permanently banned from Tumblr, have all their posts wiped off the face of the earth, and have their electronics confiscated by the three letter agencies.

That's a bit hyperbolic, I know, but there has to be some way to take care of people with such ungodly atrocious taste. Proposal 6 is in a genre for which the most charitable possible description is "physical map on a bedsheet", and it is the most egregious example of such that I have seen in my entire life.

The fundamental purpose of a flag is to convey information, typically about a polity or a social group. There are plenty of choices for symbolic language to be used to portray the shared values and history of some group. Now, for Evansville, you've got a lot of choices for who you want to represent with the flag. Original Native American peoples like the Shawnee? Early French hunters? 19th-century industrialists? Contemporary urbanites? Or, would you like to just slap a literal topographic map that tells you nothing about the culture or lineage of the city? The only groups that this flag speaks to are fish and worms.

There's a lot of atrocious Redditcore geographic flags in cool tones out there like Duluth or Coral Springs, but this? This one makes me want to gouge my eyes out, put them in a blender, and pour the resulting sludge into Evansville's water supply in the hopes of poisoning whatever idiot thought this flag was a good idea. The elaborate Bezier curves, plus the unnecessary inclusion of minuscule unpopulated islands that only exist for complexity's sake, are disproportionately difficult to replicate at small scales or in physical manufacturing, and as flags like Aomori demonstrate, it's perfectly possible to stylize landforms instead of literally just copy-pasting a Google Maps screenshot, but noooo, the designer of this so-called banner decided they were above that. Furthermore, the lazy slapping-on of a star is honestly unintentionally comedic, it's like they made a fucking "you are here" sign for a city of more than a hundred thousand people. It also means that in conjunction with the relatively large geographic range depicted in the flag, it's not even distinctive. If it were to flap in the wind in such a way that the star is obscured, it could easily be taken for a flag representing Newburgh, Paradise, or Melody Hill.

I hesitate to even call this a flag rather than just a rectangular cropping of a map, because flags actually fucking tell the viewer at least one relevant thing. I'm honestly impressed that someone managed to create some eye-toxin slop that is worse and more entirely devoid of meaning than Japanese prefectural flags, but that part is a rant for another day. Whoever designed this should take this unholy kitschy dish rag, fold it military-funeral-style, and shove it where the sun doesn't shine.

Fuck Option 6, and fuck everyone that had the absolute gall to vote for it.

Flag Wars Bonus Round

[myassbrokethefall]

Do you prefer watching Dark in German with the English subtitles, or the dubbed English version? I started watching it a while ago with the dubbed English version. And I'm the kind of person who likes having subtitles on regardless. I've noticed that with the dubbing sometimes what's being said doesn't match what the subtitles are. It's like they used two different translations. Anyway, just curious as to which one you prefer. It's such an excellent show!

Oh lord, I HATE!!!! dubbing. HATE it. I also always watch with subtitles on anyway, and I CANNOT STAND having the voices not match up. I feel like I’m watching it on mute and someone else is yelling in from another room. I’m glad dubbing exists for people who prefer to listen to than to read their TV (completely valid choice! Everybody’s brain has its preferred input methods), but I will pick reading EVERY time. 

Even with animated movies I sometimes prefer the original track with subtitles, although at least for the Ghibli ones, they are good quality and often the subtitles are nonsense. (It’s funny when they’re both on at the same time and the sound is like colloquial English and the subtitles are much more formal/stilted. Actually I find that interesting because I like to see the different translations.) If I decide on the English I usually pause it partway through and sample the Japanese (I mean that’s what it usually is) soundtrack just to hear all the characters’ “real” voices. 

I studied German for a hot second and I know, well, barely any, but *enough* to have the gist of how the language works and know much of the super basic vocab. (I’ve been enjoying reviewing my interrogatives! Wer was wo wann warum) So, I mean, without the subtitles I’d have no idea what they were talking about most of the time, but with the subtitles I can be like “aha, Zeitmaschine, time machine, nice” and other extremely nerdy ways in which I amuse myself. Interesting to notice stuff like how, they pretty much use scheiße (I learned that one from my German roommates, haha) for every swear, but the subtitles sub in “fuck” half the time. I guess they like to stick with a proven fave. 

Even when I don’t know the language I like trying to match it up with the subtitles a little as I watch. Anyway, this is a much more emphatic answer than this required, heh. Strong preference for subtitles! Are you watching on Netflix? Is there a dubbed version on there? That’s cool if they have both options. To each his own!