#some more alternative subtitles

[hms-lurking-latinist]

guess who just got all the Hornblower DVDs for $6 at the library book sale

[ratguy-nico]

La Sociedad de la Nieve

Guys this is totally out of my usual content but i have to say I just saw "La Sociedad de la Nieve" a netflix film about the Uruguayan 1972 Andes flight disaster, an historical event that happened here in my own country, Chile,.

I’m very tempted to write this in spanish just because of how proud I'm from this film, which is huge because this film is not from my countries Chile or Peru, is a co-production between Uruguay and Spain with actors from Uruguay and Argentina and it feel so wrong to talk about something so close to my home in a so foreign language. But I want you to see it. I really want you to see it cause este es un peliculón. Is one of the greatest film I have seen in a long time (2023 was truly a very good year for the cine)

The film goes about a rugby team from Uruguay who mean to travel to Chile but crash with la Cordillera de los Andes (Andes Mountains) and are left to their fate, having to depend only on each other.

Now I have some Trigger Warnings.

-the film is wonderful for its rawness and can be too much for some. I was literally trembling and mostly in shock while watching it.

-is based in a true story and is not a happy story.

-and the most important warning and a major spoiler if you don’t know nothing about it. The film talk a lot about cannibalism, is very explicit but not in a gore way, but in a how far one must go to survive way.

So yeah this film hit hard, but believe me it worth it. The cinematic, the performances, the sound, the script, the timing, everything is literally perfect, but what I love most about this movie is how it make the survivors and the victims of this horrible tragedy real people, most movies like this make them heroes or martyrs, but no. This movie is about a bunch of young men, about kids that went trough the impossible, trough unfair and pointless situation and how they support and save each other, because everyone was important, the ones that didn’t make it and the ones who survived.

[purecommemasolitude]

les rois du monde is a curtis gang song. in this essay i will

(also perhaps not in lyrics but in vibes j'ai peur is a ponyboy song)

[blacktabbygames]

We're thrilled to announce that Slay the Princess — The Pristine Cut is releasing on PC, Mac, Linux, and consoles on October 24th! Please enjoy this animated trailer ^^

For those of you who aren't aware, The Pristine Cut is a free upgrade to the base game, that among other things:

Expands the game by roughly 35%. This means thousands of new voice lines, over a thousand new illustrations, and 17 tracks of brand new music.

Adds significant glow-ups for The Fury, The Den, and the Apotheosis, each of which has over three times as much stuff to see as they had in the base game.

Introduces three brand new Princesses that branch off of The Damsel, the Prisoner, and the Spectre.

Adds an entirely new ending to the game.

Adds a deep, interactive gallery to help you chart your progress across over 420 unlocks and that brings back your best (and worst) memories with the Princess.

Provides subtitle support for: Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, European Spanish, Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Korean, Japanese, German, Polish, French, Russian, and Italian.

Brings the game to consoles — PS4 + 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox! And if you're the sort who collects things, both the PS5 and Nintendo Switch versions are getting a physical release, including a collector's edition!

And for those of you who have been waiting for an EU-friendly version version of the collector's edition that doesn't get hit by a ton of import fees, we're thrilled to finally reveal that we have one! Its contents are a little different from the US version of the CE — it swaps out the statue for a poster — but it should be a much more affordable alternative!

But wait, there's more!

You know how The Pristine Cut is coming out the day after Slay the Princess' one year anniversary? Well... we've also got something for you on 

the one year anniversary itself! Join us, Jonny, Nichole and Brandon for a big ol' livestream on our Twitch channel. Abby will be drawing EACH Princess live (new Pristine Cut princesses excluded), we'll be chatting about what it was like to work on the game, and we'll even be playing through one of the many paths through an expanded Pristine Cut route to give you a little taste of what's to come!

AND THAT'S NOT ALL!

We've also got you covered on the merch front! T-shirts and optical illusion Spectre keychains are now available on Serenity Forge's website, and for all of you Pin-Heads, we even have some extra Pinny Arcade Princess pins from this year's PAX West. Get 'em while they're hot!

And finally, a teaser for what's to come. I think you'll all really like what we've got cooking here >:3

Thank you all so much for your love and support — it's because of all of you that we're able to take big, ambitious swings with our work. If you haven't had the chance yet and you liked Slay the Princess, consider picking up our other Equally Good visual novel, Scarlet Hollow, which will be getting an enormous fifth episode next year!

All the best, Tony and Abby

[jjeremysstash]

Fixing Windows 11 - A Masterpost

Windows 11 is absolute crap for a good bunch of stuff so yeah, have a masterpost with most of the things I've found around to fix it haha (they're not all here because I did stuff around and I don't remember what)

YES, I KNOW at this point Linux would be a better alternative, however some here can't use Linux due to some proprietary programs that are not on Linux. This Masterpost is for the people in the same situation as I, aka those who have to have Windows or they can't do their job.

I also have a ko-fi if ever you want to help.

Stopping W11 from making you create an account/setting up your computer without internet (with a way to create gpedit.msc if your version doesn't have it)

Fixing the Taskbar (in case you also don't like the grouped Battery/internet/sound or the way the windows look)(there's more to it, check the settings)

How to move the volume and luminosity pop ups (so you can finally see those sweet sweet subtitles)

In case ModernFlyouts doesn't automatically start up, possible solution

Fixing the Start Menu (ExplorerPatcher can do that too, btw)

How to show all options right away

A way to stop Outlook (new)'s forced install (great if you're using the calendar)

https://github.com/matej137/OutlookRemover

(Tumblr doesn't want to embed the link for some reason)

How to remove Copilot if you have it (I don't, but it might be because I'm in Europe??)

Archive

Apparently Copilot is being forced on people so hummm

Other stuff not specifically related to the shit W11 did

Changing the size of the scroll bars

How to fully remove Cortana

Website with tools to fix W10 and W11

[lurkingteapot]

Every now and then I think about how subtitles (or dubs), and thus translation choices, shape our perception of the media we consume. It's so interesting. I'd wager anyone who speaks two (or more) languages knows the feeling of "yeah, that's what it literally translates to, but that's not what it means" or has answered a question like "how do you say _____ in (language)?" with "you don't, it's just … not a thing, we don't say that."

I've had my fair share of "[SHIP] are [married/soulmates/fated/FANCY TERM], it's text!" "[CHARACTER A] calls [CHARACTER B] [ENDEARMENT/NICKNAME], it's text!" and every time. Every time I'm just like. Do they though. Is it though. And a lot of the time, this means seeking out alternative translations, or translation meta from fluent or native speakers, or sometimes from language learners of the language the piece of media is originally in.

Why does it matter? Maybe it doesn't. To lots of people, it doesn't. People have different interests and priorities in fiction and the way they interact with it. It's great. It matters to me because back in the early 2000s, I had dial-up internet. Video or audio media that wasn't available through my local library very much wasn't available, but fanfiction was. So I started to read English language Gundam Wing fanfic before I ever had a chance to watch the show. When I did get around to watching Gundam Wing, it was the original Japanese dub. Some of the characters were almost unrecognisable to me, and first I doubted my Japanese language ability, then, after checking some bits with friends, I wondered why even my favourite writers, writers I knew to be consistent in other things, had made these characters seem so different … until I had the chance to watch the US-English dub a few years later. Going by that adaptation, the characterisation from all those stories suddenly made a lot more sense. And the thing is, that interpretation is also valid! They just took it a direction that was a larger leap for me to make.

Loose adaptations and very free translations have become less frequent since, or maybe my taste just hasn't led me their way, but the issue at the core is still a thing: Supernatural fandom got different nuances of endings for their show depending on the language they watched it in. CQL and MDZS fandom and the never-ending discussions about 知己 vs soulmate vs Other Options. A subset of VLD fans looking at a specific clip in all the different languages to see what was being said/implied in which dub, and how different translators interpreted the same English original line. The list is pretty much endless.

And that's … idk if it's fine, but it's what happens! A lot of the time, concepts -- expressed in language -- don't translate 1:1. The larger the cultural gap, the larger the gaps between the way concepts are expressed or understood also tend to be. Other times, there is a literal translation that works but isn't very idiomatic because there's a register mismatch or worse. And that's even before cultural assumptions come in. It's normal to have those. It's also important to remember that things like "thanks I hate it" as a sentiment of praise/affection, while the words translate literally quite easily, emphatically isn't easy to translate in the sense anglophone internet users the phrase.

Every translation is, at some level, a transformative work. Sometimes expressions or concepts or even single words simply don't have an exact equivalent in the target language and need to be interpreted at the translator's discretion, especially when going from a high-context/listener-responsible source language to a low-context/speaker-responsible target language (where high-context/listener responsible roughly means a large amount of contextual information can be omitted by the speaker because it's the listener's responsibility to infer it and ask for clarification if needed, and low-context/speaker-responsible roughly means a lot of information needs to be codified in speech, i.e. the speaker is responsible for providing sufficiently explicit context and will be blamed if it's lacking).

Is this a mouse or a rat? Guess based on context clues! High-context languages can and frequently do omit entire parts of speech that lower-context/speaker-responsible languages like English regard as essential, such as the grammatical subject of a sentence: the equivalent of "Go?" - "Go." does largely the same amount of heavy lifting as "is he/she/it/are you/they/we going?" - "yes, I am/he/she/it is/we/you/they are" in several listener-responsible languages, but tends to seem clumsy or incomplete in more speaker-responsible ones. This does NOT mean the listener-responsible language is clumsy. It's arguably more efficient! And reversely, saying "Are you going?" - "I am (going)" might seem unnecessarily convoluted and clumsy in a listener-responsible language. All depending on context.

This gets tricky both when the ambiguity of the missing subject of the sentence is clearly important (is speaker A asking "are you going" or "is she going"? wait until next chapter and find out!) AND when it's important that the translator assign an explicit subject in order for the sentence to make sense in the target language. For our example, depending on context, something like "are we all going?" - "yes" or "they going, too?" might work. Context!

As a consequence of this, sometimes, translation adds things – we gain things in translation, so to speak. Sometimes, it's because the target language needs the extra information (like the subject in the examples above), sometimes it's because the target language actually differentiates between mouse and rat even though the source language doesn't. However, because in most cases translators don't have access to the original authors, or even the original authors' agencies to ask for clarification (and in most cases wouldn't get paid for the time to put in this extra work even if they did), this kind of addition is almost always an interpretation. Sometimes made with a lot of certainty, sometimes it's more of a "fuck it, I've got to put something and hope it doesn't get proven wrong next episode/chapter/ten seasons down" (especially fun when you're working on a series that's in progress).

For the vast majority of cases, several translations are valid. Some may be more far-fetched than others, and there'll always be subjectivity to whether something was translated effectively, what "effectively" even means …

ANYWAY. I think my point is … how interesting, how cool is it that engaging with media in multiple languages will always yield multiple, often equally valid but just sliiiiightly different versions of that piece of media? And that I'd love more conversations about how, the second we (as folks who don't speak the material's original language) start picking the subtitle or dub wording apart for meta, we're basically working from a secondary source, and if we're doing due diligence, to which extent do we need to check there's nothing substantial being (literally) lost -- or added! -- in translation?

[non-bird-nary]

salvation

more details about this piece and my ideas behind it under the read more, bc i love this piece and i MUST gush about it!!

originally started this for soriku week last year in 2023, hence the subtitle "salvation". i finished it in two days sometime late January after getting back on my ADHD medication, which kicked my ass into high gear and cleared the fog of executive dysfunction.

this is i think the first full illustration that i've completed and posted, and i'm really proud of it! i'm also proud of the the stained glass texture and the lineart, especially since it's my first time fully utilizing the former. this is also the first time i did full shading. a lot of firsts wrapped up in this piece.

i'm so happy that i was able to capture my exact thoughts when i imagined this piece, because this scene is one of THE soriku moments ever and i was shocked that no one had yet made something like this. prime example of make the art you want to see in the world.

anyways, here are some alternate versions with different color filters! wanted to try it out and i think they turned out pretty good! mainly made them to see if i could make the colors more ~romantic~, so i slapped some magenta over it a couple times and these are the results.

[detailtilted]

NEW Enhanced Edition - VANCON 2011 - J2 Breakfast

Direct link to video. Link to YouTube channel. (20 videos available.)

My latest video is up. It's the J2 breakfast from VANCON 2011. Nearly 100% of the video is from AgtSpooky, and 65% of the audio. There was a tiny 3-second blip where the video cut out, and there were no alternate video sources that I could find to cover it. However, SPNJAVideos from YouTube very graciously sent me an audio recording they'd made at the con and I was able to edit that in. I was ecstatic that at least we can have uninterrupted audio!

My next video will be the main J2 panel. It's an hour long, so it could take me up to six weeks to finish it at my typical pace. I'll publish it sooner if I can. That's my last panel for which I have videos from the amazing AgtSpooky. After that, I'll circle around to some of the earlier and more challenging conventions that I'd skipped and try to bring order to that chaos.

Before/After Comparison Photo

A recap for anyone not familiar with this project…

In December 2023, I started a project to enhance old convention videos. The project is mostly focused on Jared and Jensen, but there will occasionally be videos with other actors. I'm upscaling the videos and making other visual improvements, adding extra content to clarify various references, and adding human-generated, color-coded subtitles so you can better understand the sometimes-chaotic audio. The subtitles can be auto-translated to other languages via YouTube.

My goal is to publish the best, most complete, and most watchable versions of these older convention panels yet seen, but this is only possible thanks to the fans who captured the footage in the first place and were generous enough to share it with other fans. My video descriptions on YouTube will always credit my sources.

If you have any old convention videos you'd be willing to contribute to this project, please message me! I can also be reached at DetailTilted@gmail.com. If I can get them to upscale (I can't always), I'd happily send the upscaled files back to you for your own collection whether I use them or not.

[fascinating-yarn]

So You Want To Know About Chess The Musical

So you want to know about Chess. The first piece of advice I have to give you is:

Step 0: Are you sure?

Because trust me, it's a whole lot weirder than you think, even if you know that the story is, in fact, only very little about chess (the board game). But if you are sure, because you have a friend who, like me, can't stop talking about it, then, you're ready to begin with step one.

Step 1: Listen to the concept album

Yes, there are plenty of recordings of the full show that are easily accessible on YouTube. Do not be fooled. With very minor exceptions, they will not elucidate anything at all. Trust me, even if your favorite actor is in one of them, start here. You will have time to get back to them later, trust me. It helps to read the synopsis of the album while listening; this has been kindly transcribed here by @alovebizarre.

Already hooked? Yeah, probably. Now you understand why all of us got stuck down here in our circle of complaining about this show. We, too, all thought it was going to be good based on the concept album.

Step 1.5: Watch the 1989 concert

This is mostly the songs of the concept album and retains the two male leads, but has Judy Kuhn playing Florence, the female lead. It's a strong concert and only cuts one song, and adds another ("Someone Else's Story", the show's only breakout hit not on the album). There is plot narration in Swedish, but one of the versions on YouTube has been subtitled in English

Step 2: Acquaint yourself with The Big Four

Now you know the music but the plot may still not be totally clear. The next step is to get to know the major variations. These are, generally:

The 1986 London version (and derivatives)

The 1988 Broadway version (and derivatives)

The 1990 Sydney version (there aren't really derivatives for this one but the material shows up Everywhere)

The 2002 Swedish version aka Chess på svenska (and derivatives)

Now, you can watch the original productions of all of these, but the issue is that the first two are both... not great. So here are some alternatives.

Step 2a: London Alternatives

The London version is mostly an expansion of the plot of the concept album, with changes - most of the structural changes were initiated by director Michael Bennett, who left the production before rehearsals due to his illness, while most of the more distinct changes of themes are from later director Trevor Nunn.

There are videos of the original production, but they're generally poorly filmed and suffer from major generation loss. There was no cast album, but the score has been recorded twice: in 2002 with the cast of a Danish touring production (released as "Chess: Complete Cast Album," but recalled soon after and not on streaming) and in 2008 at the Royal Albert Hall (this is on streaming as "Chess in Concert" - one of two albums of that name).

Any one will give you an idea of the script, but the original London production is generally the most musically cohesive. The Royal Albert Hall version has some minor script changes, most of which make no real difference, but makes some bizarre choices in terms of transition music and is generally a poorly produced album. The Danish album is likewise not very strong.

The Royal Albert Hall concert was professionally filmed but the audio is poorly mixed and the show's cast varies from a few great performances to some that are... not so much. It's also got a track record of making people either latch on immediately or be totally turned away from the show, so watch at your own risk. For a possibly better experience, watch the original London production.

Step 2b: Broadway Alternatives

The original Broadway production still has a bit of a bad reputation in the fandom, but people have generally warmed up to it. The new book, by American playwright Richard Nelson, is generally strong (if a bit overlong) until about halfway through Act Two --- at which point it suddenly isn't anymore. The original production itself doesn't help, and though there are some good moments, it was not very well directed and some of Nelson's best scenes suffer.

Firstly, you should listen to the Broadway cast album. The cast is the best part of the show and does some incredible things. The new music isn't quite as good as the original material, but is still strong and worth knowing.

In terms of the actual book, your best chance at a good experience experience is probably the 1990 Long Beach production directed by David H. Bell and starring Jodi Benson, which has a watchable video online. There are some script changes, which serve to adjust the script to be less cynical, more palatable, and better paced. After this, do go back and watch the original cast, as it generally has a stronger overall cast and some scenes are genuinely great with them.

Step 2c: Sydney and Svenska

The Sydney production closed early due to the economic recession in Australia, and the script has never been revived, but parts of it appear all over the place, especially in the London derivatives of the early 1990s. It takes bits of the plots of both London and Broadway, and becomes its own thing. It is worth knowing, and there is a mostly bearable bootleg on YouTube.

If Sydney is its own thing for being a combination of London and Broadway, Svenska is its own thing because it resembles neither. The plot is streamlined to the essentials and takes place over a much shorter period of time, plus it has two new songs. There is a proshot that has been uploaded to YouTube with subtitles, and a very good cast album. There have been some productions since based on the script, but the original is still going to be your best starting point.

Step 3: Into The Abyss

There are so many other productions and they're all a little different from each other. Most are based on London or Broadway, but some are an odd combination resulting from people who wanted to produce the London version in the US being forced to retrofit the Broadway version (unavailable for US licensing until 2008). A non-exhaustive list is:

1992 Off-Broadway: Preserved only in an incomplete, poor-quality audio bootleg, plus a slightly more complete script from a lost recording, this script is Tim Rice's first (but not last) attempt at making something definitive post-Broadway. It is one of the most bizarre scripts out there and should really be experienced late to be fully appreciated.

1990 US Tour: An early attempt to jump off the Broadway script into something new, this production stars 42.9% of the original Broadway cast of Falsettos and has some wild stuff. Don't watch till you know Broadway, since it has been known to sour people's opinions on the show.

2003 Actors' Fund Benefit Concert: This one-night only concert is preserved on a leaked (but poor quality) archival video and a higher quality rehearsal performance. The script is an attempted hybrid of the London and Broadway scripts, but leans mostly on the London script with a few Broadway changes that serve really only to stay within the legal requirements of production still in place at the time (and doubly important due to Nelson's personal support of the concert).

2018 Kennedy Center Concert Series/2022 Entertainment Workers' Fund Benefit Concert: This script was eyeing Broadway for about five years but is no longer in the works as the rights were pulled. With a new book by Danny Strong, based on the London plot but with the details changed significantly, this production takes a more overtly political spin on the show and grounds it in actual political events. Start with the 2018 version, as it's generally agreed to be better than the later concert version.

2018 London Revival: To call this production a revival is generous, being staged by the English National Opera for a limited run and generally not being considered very important. It became well known mostly for being associated with the Kennedy Center production and the general knowledge that Rice was looking to bring the show back to Broadway. Despite that, this script is entirely unrelated to the Kennedy Center version and is mostly an onstage expansion of the concept album with the show being influenced heavily by Benny and Bjorn.

With all of these I have but one piece of final advice and that is:

Step 4: Be wary of The Discourse

This is not meant to scare you away from the fandom at all. I promise we're all very friendly and most of the discussions are quite civil. But every fan has very strong opinions about this show. I have tried to present this post as neutrally as possible but my bias has absolutely creeped in and you've already been influenced by my opinions on it. Some productions (notably the Kennedy Center script) are very divisive and I encourage you to consume them yourself and forming your own opinions.

And that is how to get into Chess. If you want to. It may not be the wisest decision, but hey, we all made the same mistake.

[hesgomorrah]

Trapper John, M.D. Masterpost

TL;DR, Trapper John, M.D. is a criminally underrated M*A*S*H spin-off that I'd love to see given a shot at redemption. Links to watch it are under the cut.

Since I've been talking about this show a lot recently, I thought it would probably be a good idea to make it easier to find, since it's fairly obscure nowadays.

If you've never heard of it, I don't blame you. TJMD is a M*A*S*H spin-off that ran from 1979 to 1986, with a contemporary setting and generally more dramatic tone but the same irreverent sense of humor and at times surprisingly progressive writing as its predecessor. It follows Trapper John McIntyre thirty-ish years after the Korean War, contending with medical mysteries and changing times as Chief Surgeon of a major hospital in San Francisco.

The series has few direct references to the events of M*A*S*H (in any of its previous forms), but it features a compelling ensemble cast of original characters that take many tropes M*A*S*H fans will be familiar with in new directions. Especially if you enjoyed the first three seasons of M*A*S*H, I highly recommend giving at least a handful of episodes a shot. The quality of said episodes varies wildly, but there are some true gems in there. (IMDb and Wikipedia links for more information!)

The only catch is, to date, the series has never been officially released to home media or any streaming platform, and I haven't found any evidence that it's still in syndication, so it's not the easiest show to track down. Luckily, all 151 episodes were recorded by dedicated fans, so the series is watchable in (very nearly) its entirety if you know where to look. I did the looking so you don't have to!

This Google Drive contains every episode of the series (with the exceptions listed below) in standard definition, plus my work-in-progress episode guide, highlighting episodes that are relevant to longer story arcs and offering a non-exhaustive list of content warnings for especially heavy episodes. (I'm looking for another place to host them but Google is the platform I'm most familiar with.)

Episodes 1x01 through 3x02 can be found in better quality here, remastered by a fan by combining footage from separate English- and German-language recordings of the series. It occasionally lapses into German audio with English subtitles as the German dub contains some scenes for which the corresponding English audio has been lost. Here is an alternate YouTube link with lower video quality but exclusively English audio, containing roughly 2/3 of the episodes.

If you speak German, you can find that dub here with slightly cleaner visuals.

If you prefer to torrent, you can find those here:

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4 (the second half of 4x20 is corrupted, repeating the same ~2 minutes of footage for the rest of the duration)

Season 5 (5x11 is missing roughly the last 10 minutes of the episode)

Season 6 (the video is frozen for most of 6x23 but the audio is fully intact)

Season 7

[brofightiscancelled]

yapping about how i approached translating karamatsu's brand new world. just discussing the localization liberties i took and other things i think are interesting. i just love yapping sorry

part 1/4 because i forgot about tumblr post image limits lol

establishing my ethos: im still learning japanese but have been translating (chinese -> english) for over 7 years, so my translation skill is higher than my japanese skill. if there's anything i get wrong here pls point it out!!! i usually translate mostly songs, anime (donghua), and manga

The Title

japanese has multiple alphabets: 2 phonetic ones and 1 derived from chinese characters (kanji) that dont tell you anything about how they're pronounced

kanji characters have multiple pronunciations. for example, 心 can be pronounced "kokoro" or "shin" depending on the context it's used in.

"how do you know which kanji pronunciation to use" you guess. alternatively, media geared towards children (who have lower language skills) will sometimes spell out the right pronunciation above the kanji in little letters

sometimes people will just make up their own pronunciations for kanji for Style Points, in which case they will also spell out the intended pronunciation above the kanji

so this title actually reads "matsuno karamatsu's brand new morning". however the Style Points pronunciation guidelines indicated that this is pronounced "Brand New World". i deliberated over this for a while and ended up going with "brand new world" because the phonetic pronunciation is in english so i assume this would be the preferred title for an english localization. unfortunately this did lose the interesting double reading of "morning" and "world" but sometimes it just be like that.

Chapter 1

every time choro says something about the chopsticks in this first part, he's repeating the same thing each time: "Stop [pointing with your] chopsticks". but this 1. doesn't sound very natural in english, and 2. is too long to fit into these speech bubbles.

translations often have to take liberties due to the medium. in anime subtitles, they need to consider how fast a watcher can read the subtitles. in manga, it's often about how many words they can fit in a vertical text bubble.

the underlying impression is that choro is annoyed he even has to tell oso to stop pointing with his chopsticks (this is common sense, you're a grown ass man, why don't you know table manners, etc), so i tried to write it in a way like he's saying it short and snippy like an annoyed mom who has already reminded you 5000 times about this exact thing: Chopsticks.

oso calls totty "あざとい" here after hearing that he's trying out pancakes at a new cafe. as far as i can tell, this roughly translates to "cunning" or "sly" and is used to describe women kinda derogatorily, like a girl at the office who speaks harshly to the women but sweettalks to men (like tsunoda from aggretsuko).

i couldnt really think of a natural-sounding equivalent to this implication in english, so i settled on the kind of close "coquettish" to get across that oso is calling totty girly in a strange and insulting way. oso's dialogue here literally goes something like "sly.... you really are sly...", but since "coquettish" is kind of a weird word to use in english, i ended up localizing this around to suit my weird word choice to make it sound like oso was thinking for a second about the right word to call totty, which i also think comes off as a little more natural-sounding

japanese (and chinese) have a plural second-person pronoun, but english doesn't (besides y'all, which i did use in oso's dialogue earlier lol) which is a real headache and almost always needs some creative thinking to get sounding Normal. this was a relatively straightforward case: "how would a father address his sons as a collective?" -> "Boys"

CHAPTER 2

the dreaded jp onomatopoeia without an english equivalent. im lucky that these boys' whole gimmick is being from an old cartoon so i could get away with the very cartoony "honk" sound effect for "blowing one's nose".

the source material always translates イタい as "painful" so i do it too but i wish osmt had come out like just a few years later when "cringe" was in the common vernacular because it's a way better localization. in my opinion.

also a minor note: in the first bubble totty is actually repeating kara's words back at him "someone's? watching? me?", which is made clera by him using kara's self-pronoun (オレ) and not his own self-pronoun (ボク) (if you don't know about self-pronouns i will talk about them more in a future note). however this nuance is lost in english and could be misconstrued so i just went and made it so he's repeating back what kara said but not using the exact words

"頭おかし" does literally translate to "strange in the head" but colloquially just means "insane" or "crazy". but ichi is being really harsh to kara here, and kara does start questioning his mental sanity later in the chapter, so i went with a more harsh translation here that specifically references the head. also "YOU'RE INSANE" does unintentionally have a different meaning to most of us here on tumblr dot com, doesnt it lol

i dont know what the consensus is on giving iyami a french accent when localizing him. it's probably overkill to do both this AND keep the zansus. however i cant convey a mid-atlantic accent in writing so this is my next best way to convey that iyami talks very strangely. also it's funny

this panel was really hard to redraw. please clap

anyways same use of "strange" here as before with the head thing ("crazy") but it can also have the vibe of "abnormal". i thought "is something wrong with me?" helped convey both these meanings. come to think of it later in chapter 6 i translate okashi very literally as "strange". maybe i shouldve said "is something wrong with me" there, too....

CHAPTER 3

jyushi literally says "why do we do the olympics?" here. i localized it this way because it means essentially the same thing and is funnier. dats the art of translation babyyyyy

japanese personal pronouns quick rundown: in english we tell others to refer to us as different pronouns- him, her, they, etc., but we only have one pronoun to refer to ourselves with (I). japanese has many self-pronouns, and which one you use to describe yourself with is usually based around context and personality (some pronouns are more polite to use than others, some give off the connotation of being stuck-up or of being a country bumpkin, etc). this is helpful for characterization and also being able to tell who is talking through written dialogue

we aren't meant to know who this figure is at first, but we're also meant to have the clues to figure it out (if you were to investigate, you would find that f6 oso is the only one with full black gloves and knee high boots).

oso usually uses the masculine self-pronoun 俺, which is a rude and casual pronoun very fitting of the slacker eldest. however, f6 oso, a reliable and polite dreamboat, uses 僕, a polite and proper masculine pronoun (normal choro uses this pronoun). so this pronoun use masks the identity of this mysterious figure- but if you looked into it, you'd be able to see that this does link up to f6 oso. it's also possible the artist didnt know this and just went with 僕 to fit the fairytale prince vibe here though lol

i have no way to convey this in english so all of this is just lost nuance in translation. womp womp.

for the record these are the boys' personal pronouns:

oso: 俺 (ore can convey that he's rude, kanji alphabet can convey .... he's old-fashioned, possibly? shrugs?)

kara: オレ(ore can convey that he's full of himself, katakana alphabet can convey that he's [trying to be] stylish or loud)

choro:　僕 (boku can convey that he's polite, kanji can convey that he's proper)

ichi:　おれ (ore can convey a kinda casual-lazy vibe, hiragana alphabet can convey that he's soft-spoken kinda?)

jyushi:　ぼく (boku can convey that he's Just A Little Guy, hiragana alphabet can convey that he's childish)

totty:　ボク (boku can convey that he's Just A Little Guy, katakana alphabet can convey that he's [trying to be] stylish and modern)

CHAPTER 4

demonstration of localization for the medium: totty's dialogue here translates most literally to "What are you talking about?", but "talking" and "about" are pretty long words that are hard to fit into that skinny dialogue bubble. "the hell are you on about?" conveys the same thing, has shorter words that are nicer to fit into a bubble, and also shows a bit more personality (and i think is a little funnier).

this part ends here becaues i forogt about the tumblr post limit. i will continue in future posts

part 1 / part 2 / part 3 / part 4

[boyfhee]

hello (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.) i just read your carrd you speak korean? if yes is it okay for me to send asks in korean? i'm self-studying it and am looking for someone to talk to😖 also can you tell me where i can learn it from? there are not a lot of free resources (；′⌒`)

yes i do ! i can speak basic to intermediate korean but i'm not super good with slangs TT you can definitely send asks in korean if you wish to, i'll use it as an excuse to revise my notes and practice it as well since i have no one to talk to in korean either. as for resources :

how to study korean offers a lot of free pdfs and practice sheets. their content is easy to understand, it's good if you're a beginner

talk to me in korean is also a good alternative and honestly better than htsk but it charges the learner so if you're down to spend some money, better spend it on ttmik than htsk. or you can watch their yt videos to help yourself with pronunciation as well ^_^

a friend of mine referred to learn korean 24 before joining paid courses offline and online, their content is also free. although, i never really used that site, she said it's helps but again, idk how credible that is so take it with a grain of salt

i rarely recommend apps but drops / duolingo helps with vocabulary and grammar, especially drops ( the free version can be dissatisfying but it's not completely worthless )

pinterest is a good alternative if you want to expand your vocabulary. i won't recommend it for grammer and all because you might want to study that from more credible sources

a pop of korean, honeyhangukeo, learninghangukeo are some blogs that might help too

alternatively, you can try joining a language community on discord. the servers offer free resources most of the time and you can find people to talk to as well. it sort of creates a learning environment since there are a lot of other people learning the language as well

lastly, watch content without subtitles at times. i used to, and still do, pause mvs, dramas, shows, etc. to learn certain phrases or words, or even just the pronunciation. it's a slow process, but it works.

tip : talk to yourself in korean. as crazy as this sounds, i used to do this a LOT when i took classes in hs. i have a habit of studying things while explaining them to myself, so i just tried to explain myself to me in korean. it's hard if you're a beginner but will get better later on. you can start by translating simple sentences from your daily life to korean

good luck w studying !!

[helvegen-s]

crossing lines | four

index

Pairing: Carlos Sainz x OC

Summary: In the dizzying world of Formula 1, where speed and competition dominate every second, Carlos Sainz Jr., a young Spanish driver with undeniable talent, struggles to find his place amidst the pressure and expectations. Livia Visconti, heiress to an Italian fashion empire, moves with the same determination in a universe of elegance and power. Two opposing worlds, two strong personalities, an inevitable clash that will ignite a spark between them. But in a world where image and success are everything, can they risk it all for a love that defies the rules of the game?

WC: 4.1k

Warnings: arguments, confrontation, kiss........

Livia woke up with a start from the persistent vibration of her phone on the nightstand. The pale light of the screen cut through the dimness of the room as she, still half-asleep, reached out to grab the device. At first, she thought it was just routine notifications or, worse, some message related to her father, whose health had become a constant source of concern. But what she saw on the screen left her frozen.

At the top, there was a message from Chiara, her best friend in Rome.

“Is this for real? You and Carlos?”

Livia's brows furrowed immediately. Still disoriented, she clicked on the link accompanying the message. The headline appeared in bold, as if it had been designed to hit her right in the stomach: 

The images accompanying the article left no room for doubt. There she was, caught in an unflattering angle, her brow furrowed and her lips tight. In front of her, Carlos looked at her with an expression alternating between disbelief and reproach. They looked like actors in the middle of a carefully choreographed scene, though everything that had happened the night before had been anything but planned.

The subtitle delivered the final blow: “Passion or an ego clash? The heir and the driver in an explosive confrontation.”

Livia dropped the phone onto the bed as if it burned her hands. She closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands, trying to calm the suffocating feeling that began to settle in her chest. She had been through scandals before, but this one felt different. This time, not only was her image at stake, but also Carlos’s, someone who didn’t deserve to be dragged into the media circus that had been her life since birth.

A sudden knock on her room door pulled her out of her thoughts.

“Livia, open up. We need to talk.”

She didn’t need to ask who it was.

Taking a breath, she got out of bed and opened the door. Carlos walked in with determined steps, his phone in hand, showing the same news she had just read. His expression was serious, though his eyes held more concern than anger.

“I saw it this morning,” he said, closing the door behind him. “Is this what you wanted to avoid? Being associated with me in the headlines? Because if that’s the case, I get it. The press can be… ruthless.”

Livia crossed her arms, trying to project a calmness she didn’t feel.

“It’s not just that, Carlos. Do you know what this means for my family? For my father, for his company... Every time something like this happens, it becomes ammunition for them. The board is already looking for excuses to discredit me as the future CEO, and this kind of thing doesn’t help.”

Carlos listened attentively, not interrupting. When she finished, he paused before responding, carefully choosing his words.

“What about you?” he finally asked, his tone softer. “How are you dealing with all of this?”

Livia looked at him, surprised by the question. She was used to people assuming that everything revolved around image, public impact. But Carlos seemed focused on something deeper.

“How could I be?” she replied with a hint of frustration. “It feels like everything I do ends up blowing up. No matter how hard I try, it all becomes a scandal.”

Carlos stepped closer to her, setting the phone down on a nearby table.

“Listen to me,” he said firmly. “I know what it’s like to live under public scrutiny. Since I entered this world, I’ve heard it all: that I’m a playboy, that I don’t take my career seriously, that I’m just a rich guy who drives fast. I learned to ignore it because, at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is what you think of yourself. The press can write whatever they want, but it doesn’t define who you are.”

Livia looked away, feeling his words cut deeper than she had expected.

“Sometimes I feel like everything I touch falls apart…” she confessed finally, in a whisper.

Carlos shook his head.

“That’s not true, and you know it. But if you don’t believe it, then it’s time to prove them all wrong.”

“How?” she asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically. “By showing up together holding hands and letting the press build a romantic story?”

Carlos let out a mocking laugh, lightening the tone of the conversation.

“Well, that would be pretty funny. But no. What I’m saying is, we can’t control what they think, but we can control how we react. If we give them the power to decide the narrative, then they’ve won.”

Carlos's words were simple, but filled with honesty that Livia couldn’t ignore. She nodded slowly, feeling that, at least for now, she could regain some of the control she had lost.

The paddock was alive from early morning. The roar of engines, the quick conversations of engineers, and the constant hustle of teams filled the air with palpable energy. However, that morning, the topic of conversation wasn’t just car performance or race strategies: all eyes were on Livia and Carlos.

Livia arrived at the circuit with a determined step, dressed in a black leather jacket that accentuated her figure and sunglasses that hid any signs of fatigue. Though she felt that every step was a challenge, she knew she couldn’t afford to falter. She had learned since childhood to move gracefully through critical gazes, and today would be no different.

Carlos arrived shortly after, in his racing suit partially unzipped with a team jacket over his shoulders. He walked confidently, but his eyes reflected a mix of concentration and discomfort from the excessive attention they were both receiving.

They met near Ferrari’s hospitality area. Their eyes met through the bustle of the paddock, and for a brief moment, all the noise seemed to fade away. Carlos was the first to approach, offering a half-smile that tried to ease the tension.

“Ready for the show?” he joked.

Livia took off her sunglasses, revealing a mix of determination and fatigue in her eyes.

“Always.”

They both knew they couldn’t control what others said, but at least they could face it together. However, the day would be long, and the real test was about to begin.

Carlos tilted his head toward the area where reporters were beginning to gather. He knew what was coming. Both of them were used to cameras, but this time was different. Now there was a narrative they hadn’t chosen, yet it dragged them along.

“Do you want to deal with this together, or would you prefer we handle it separately?” he asked, his tone suggesting he would respect her decision, whatever it was.

Livia looked at him, surprised by his consideration. She had expected him to just go on his way, handle it like it didn’t affect him. But this show of respect gave her a small spark of confidence.

“Together, but no grand speeches in front of the cameras. I’ll do my best not to jump down your throat…” she said, with a playful tone, adjusting her jacket.

During the race, Livia stayed near the pit wall, watching closely every move Carlos made on the track. Although she tried to stay out of the spotlight, some journalists kept seeking her out, hoping for a statement. Livia, however, gave them no comment.

When Carlos crossed the finish line in fifth place, the atmosphere in the paddock shifted. Attention quickly returned to the race result, but the cameras didn’t take long to capture Livia approaching to congratulate him. A simple smile and a handshake between them were enough to stir new speculations.

Though Livia and Carlos had moved on with their separate lives after the Imola Grand Prix, something had changed. Their reconciliation, which had once been a secret between them, was no longer that. They followed each other on social media, sharing subtle comments on some posts, as if each interaction was a reminder of what might be. Livia had to admit that she found it amusing to read fans’ reactions to the interactions she and Carlos shared in Instagram comments: some kiss emojis, “the clothes from my brand look great on you, Carlos,” “you look great in Ferrari red, Livia”...

However, despite this public visibility, each of them continued to focus on their professional lives, their minds occupied with their own projects, but unable to avoid thinking about each other.

Livia had managed to contain the crisis at the company, claiming that the photos in the report were taken out of context and that there was no animosity between her and Carlos (not anymore, at least). On the other side, Carlos had calmed his PR team: when they found out that Carlos had staged that scene with one of the team’s main sponsors, they were eager to rip the pilot's hair out, one strand at a time.

Summer arrived with its usual promise of calm. Formula 1 was on its annual break, and Carlos had decided to spend those days on the Amalfi Coast, a place that had always offered him a refuge away from the cameras and the adrenaline of racing. He was with his childhood friends, a small but lively group who had known him before he became a driver. The plan was simple: enjoy the sea, good wine, and days with no schedules or responsibilities.

Livia, for her part, had also sought an escape. After months of endless meetings, exhausting runways, and the pressure of the press trying to tear apart every move she made, she had accepted her best friend's invitation to spend a few days in the same corner of southern Italy. For Livia, the trip was a breath of fresh air, an opportunity to relax and be herself. Above all, it comforted her knowing she was just a stone's throw away from her sick father, in case anything happened.

It was the second day of their vacation when Livia and her group arrived at a secluded cove. The place was full of color: striped umbrellas, boats anchored just off the shore, and the unmistakable aroma of limoncello served at a nearby beach bar. Livia, in a light white linen dress and her hair loosely tied up, walked across the sand with a serene smile. She felt comfortable, almost carefree.

As they looked for a spot to settle, Livia’s eyes happened to land on a nearby group, and her heart skipped a beat. There was Carlos, sitting on a lounge chair, his hair tousled by the wind, wearing an unbuttoned linen shirt that revealed his tanned skin. He looked relaxed, laughing with his friends, a beer in hand. He wasn’t the tense, competitive driver she remembered from the paddock. He was another version of him, simpler, more accessible.

Carlos didn’t immediately notice her presence. He was engrossed in a conversation, but when he turned his head to glance toward the shore, his eyes met Livia’s. There was a moment of recognition, followed by a smile that seemed to disarm her.

Livia couldn’t help herself. She walked over to him, leaving her friends settling under an umbrella. Carlos saw her coming, standing up from the lounge chair with a mix of surprise and joy.

"I didn’t expect to see you here," he said, with that half-smile that always seemed to have an effect on her.

"Neither did I," Livia replied, stopping just a few steps from him. She looked around, as if making sure there were no cameras. Fortunately, everything seemed as casual as it could be.

Carlos pointed to the chair beside his, inviting her to sit. She accepted, and for a moment, they both stayed silent, watching the sea. It was strange, but also comfortable.

"You look different," Carlos remarked, breaking the silence. His eyes slid over her, noting the ease in her demeanor, the smile that seemed to appear effortlessly. "Relaxed, happy."

Livia glanced at him from the corner of her eye, letting out a small laugh.

"I could say the same about you. This place suits you."

"It’s my refuge. Here, I’m not the driver or the guy in the headlines. Just Carlos."

"And what does 'just Carlos' do in his free time?" she asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

Carlos shrugged with a smile.

"I fish with my friends, sail a bit, drink more wine than I should, and forget about the rest of the world. And you? What does Livia do when she's away from the spotlight?"

Livia thought for a moment, looking out at the horizon.

"I read, cook for my friends, laugh until my stomach hurts..."

The conversation flowed with a naturalness that surprised them both. The sound of the waves, the warmth of the sun, and the intimacy of the small cove seemed to conspire to erase any tension or formality. However, time didn’t stop, and soon Livia’s friends called her to join them. Carlos also stood up, aware that his group was already watching them with a mix of curiosity and amusement.

"Well, I think I should go back to them," Livia said, nodding toward her group, who were sitting under a parasol, playing cards.

Carlos nodded but couldn’t help adding, casually:

"Before you go… how about we have dinner together tonight?"

Livia looked at him, evaluating the proposal. There was something tempting about the idea.

"Where?"

Carlos smiled.

"I know a place. Small, quiet, with the best view of the sea. You’ll like it."

Livia held his gaze for a moment before responding, with a smile that seemed to carry a challenge:

"Alright. Eight o'clock, at the entrance to the harbor."

Carlos nodded, and before they parted ways, he added:

"There will be wine. Just come hungry."

She laughed softly and went back to her friends, not looking back, though she felt Carlos’s gaze follow her for a moment.

It was almost dinnertime, and Livia was in the villa she shared with her friends, going through her wardrobe in front of the mirror. Around her, her three companions watched her with a mix of amusement and curiosity.

"Okay, can you repeat how this happened again?" Chiara, her best friend, asked as she lay on the bed with a glass of wine in hand.

"We ran into each other at the beach, talked for a while... and then he invited me to dinner. It's no big deal," Livia replied, distractedly checking a pair of earrings.

"No big deal, sure," Martina chimed in, raising an eyebrow. "It's just that Carlos Ferrari-superstar invited you to a romantic dinner on the Amalfi Coast. Nothing important."

"Stop exaggerating," Livia retorted, though a playful smile appeared on her lips.

Giulia looked at her intently.

"Livia, darling, be honest. Is this just 'a dinner between friends'? Because if it is, then why have you been deciding for twenty minutes whether to wear the blue dress or the white one?"

Livia sighed, holding the blue dress up in front of her.

"It's complicated. We made up after everything that happened, but that doesn't mean everything is clear. Plus, I don't even know what he's thinking."

"It doesn't matter what he's thinking," Serena, the most pragmatic of the group, interrupted. "What matters is what you want. Do you want to have dinner with him because you like him? Or because you think it's the right thing to do?"

Livia paused for a moment, looking at her reflection in the mirror.

"I want to have dinner with him because... because he makes me feel good. But that doesn't mean that..."

"That you're ready for anything more," Chiara finished, nodding with understanding. "That's fine, Livia. You don't have to decide anything tonight. Just have fun."

Martina jumped off the bed and snatched the blue dress from her hands.

"Perfect. Then wear this one. It's simple, elegant, but doesn't scream 'I care too much.'"

Livia laughed, accepting the choice.

"Thanks, girls."

"Don't thank us yet," Chiara joked. "We want all the details when you come back."

That evening, the sun dipped below the horizon, casting an orange glow over the sea as Livia arrived at the harbor. She was wearing the simple blue sundress, her hair loosely falling around her shoulders, and a quiet anticipation simmered beneath her calm exterior. The whole day had felt like a brief escape from reality, and now, dinner with Carlos seemed to carry its own kind of unspoken promise.

She walked to the entrance of the harbor and paused for a moment, looking around. It was still early, with just a few people strolling along the cobbled streets, and the soft sound of water lapping against the pier added to the tranquility of the scene.

Carlos appeared just as she had begun to wonder if she’d missed him. He was dressed casually—dark jeans, a simple white shirt, and sandals. He looked effortless, like someone who had spent their whole life perfecting the art of looking laid-back.

"You're right on time," he said, his voice warm, a touch of amusement in his eyes.

Livia smiled, though there was a glint of mischief in her gaze. "I didn’t want to keep the ‘just Carlos’ waiting."

He laughed, the sound easy and familiar. "Well, I’m glad you showed up. I promise, the place is worth it."

They began walking together, side by side, through the narrow streets of the village. As they passed little shops and quiet cafés, Livia noticed how people greeted Carlos, some with smiles, others with nods of recognition. It was clear he was known here, just another local among many, far removed from his racing persona.

The restaurant wasn’t far—a small, charming place perched on the edge of a cliff, offering panoramic views of the Mediterranean. The tables were small and intimate, lit by candles that flickered gently in the evening breeze. The sound of the waves crashing against the rocks below added to the ambiance, making it feel almost like they were dining on the edge of the world.

They were led to a table with the best view, just as Carlos had promised. As they settled into their seats, the waiter brought over a bottle of wine, already opened, the deep red liquid glinting in the dim light.

"To the simple things," Carlos said, raising his glass.

Livia mirrored the gesture, her eyes meeting his. "To the simple things," she echoed, her voice soft, but steady.

The meal was an effortless delight, the food fresh and flavorful, the conversation flowing just as naturally. They talked about everything and nothing—memories of their childhoods, their favorite places in the world, the little quirks that made them who they were. There was an ease between them, as if all the dissonances that had occurred between them had never happened.

For a moment, it felt like they had stepped outside of time, into a space where nothing else mattered except the present. But as the evening wore on and the wine flowed, the conversation began to shift, growing deeper, more personal.

"Do you ever miss it?" Livia asked, her tone turning serious. "The racing, I mean. The adrenaline."

Carlos took a moment, his eyes drifting toward the sea as if contemplating her question. "Sometimes," he said, his voice low. "There’s nothing quite like it—the speed, the challenge. But I’ve come to realize there’s more to life than the thrill of the race. I like this—this calm, this simplicity."

Livia nodded slowly, her gaze soft. "I understand. I think, sometimes, I forget what it’s like to just... breathe, without everything around me trying to pull me in a million different directions."

The silence between them was comfortable, filled only with the distant sound of the waves and the occasional clink of glass. It was a rare moment of vulnerability for both of them, and it felt, in a way, like a secret they shared.

As the night wore on, the stars above them grew brighter, the air cooler. Livia couldn’t help but feel a strange pull, a sense that this evening—this moment—was something more than just a casual dinner. It was something more significant, more intimate.

And when it was time to leave, Carlos offered her his arm, and they walked back down the cobbled streets together, the moonlight casting long shadows behind them. Neither of them spoke much on the way back, but both knew something had shifted between them—a quiet understanding, an unspoken connection.

Livia smiled softly to herself as they reached the entrance to the harbor, the sound of their footsteps the only noise in the stillness of the night. Carlos turned to face her, his expression a mix of contentment and something else—something she couldn’t quite place.

"Same time tomorrow?" he asked with a smile, his tone light but with an edge of something deeper.

Livia met his gaze, her smile playful. "We’ll see."

As Livia walked away, the light sea breeze brushing her face, Carlos watched her silently. The night had been pleasant, almost perfect, but at the same time, something else was growing between them. That subtle, yet intense tension that had always been there, but now felt more palpable.

Livia, with her steady and calm stride, had reached a few steps away from the main street when Carlos softly called her.

"Livia," he said, his voice deeper than expected. He stepped forward slightly, his heart pounding.

She stopped and turned, a slight smile on her face, but also a question in her eyes. "Yes?"

Carlos looked at her, uncertain, feeling the weight of the moment. There was a part of him that wanted to step closer, do what his body longed for without thinking too much about it. But there was another part, more cautious, that didn’t want to risk losing what they had just started to build that evening.

Finally, he took another step toward her, his breath slightly heavier than normal. "Livia..." he began, hesitating. "I want to kiss you. But if you don’t want to, I’ll understand, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable."

The silence between them stretched, the weight of his words hanging in the air. Livia’s eyes locked with his, and for a moment, everything seemed to stop.

Carlos waited, fearful of her response, of how she would react. But there was also something inside him that urged him not to back down. The spark that had emerged between them that night wasn’t just a game of glances, but something deeper, something they both knew, in some way, had to happen.

Livia took a deep breath, her gaze softening, and a flash of complicity appeared in her eyes. "Took you long enough," she said with a playful smile, but with a warmth that made it clear what she felt.

Carlos, relieved and more excited than ever, took the final step, moving closer slowly. Without saying another word, he kissed her with a tenderness that reflected everything they hadn’t said until that moment.

The kiss was brief, but meaningful. A brush of lips that sealed everything that had been left unsaid between them. When they pulled apart, Livia stayed looking into his eyes, a smile she couldn’t hide on her face.

Carlos’s hands rested lightly on her waist, and Livia’s fingers gently traced his jawline, as if savoring the connection. The air around them felt charged, as if everything they had been holding back had finally been released. Their eyes met again, and neither of them could hide the warmth that spread through them.

Livia took a breath, her voice barely above a whisper. "I didn’t think you would actually ask."

Carlos chuckled softly, his forehead resting against hers. "I had to be sure."

The moment was simple, but it was filled with an undeniable intensity. It was as though the kiss had unlocked something inside both of them—a realization of what they had been avoiding, or maybe what they had been longing for all along.

Without breaking their gaze, Carlos spoke again, his voice steady but with an edge of something more vulnerable. "I’ve been wanting to do that for a while now."

Livia’s heart skipped a beat. "And why didn’t you?"

He shrugged, a soft smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "I wasn’t sure if you wanted it too."

Her hand moved to his chest, fingers tracing the steady beat of his heart. "I do," she murmured, her voice full of certainty.

He pulled her closer, his lips brushing her forehead before claiming her mouth again in a kiss that was deeper, more urgent this time. There was no more hesitation, no more doubt. Just the quiet intimacy of two people who had finally let go of everything standing in their way.

They pulled back once more, but this time, the space between them felt different—more connected. With a final look, Livia smiled softly, and Carlos, unable to resist, kissed her once more, as though the world outside didn’t exist anymore.

Taglist:

@smoooothoperator @leptitlu

[alterhumanrecords]

Welcome To Alterhuman Records

| Adult | All Pronouns | Multikin | Spotify - Alterhuman Records |

I'm Sauro or Sid, and this blog is a space to share and discuss music with other alterhumans, whether it's created by us, or music that we find relates to our types in some way. These discussions are open to alterhumans of all kinds.

I'm a dragon, harpy, dromaeosaur, reptile and questioning others, find me on my primary kin sideblog @sauropsidsongs

💿 No DNI I block freely, please be respectful of others, this is not a discourse blog.

Above is a link to the official Alterhuman Records Spotify, where I am compiling mass playlists sorted by community, using clade, family, or other general community groupings. Help grow our collection by sharing music that connects to your own alterhuman experiences. Share playlists to connect with others with similar music tastes or suggest additions to our playlists.

Please include song/album name, artist name, playlist name, and language! If you are fictionfolk feel free to include your source and character name. The fictionfolk playlists are organized by fiction genre, but the music you submit does not have to fit that genre just relate to your type.

Song Example - Running With The Wolves by AURORA in English for the Canine playlist

Album Example - Wild Wet World by Cosmo Sheldrake in English for the Fish playlist.

Currently I only have a handful of playlists, but I'm always looking to add more and community suggestions are appreciated. Suggestions may be opened to community voting so we can choose the best category. Please suggest a few songs along with your playlist suggestion so that new playlists aren’t empty.

🚧UNDER CONSTRUCTION 🚧

- General Tags -

— Bulletin Board - my original posts

— Community Bulletin - community discussion

— Zine Rack - zines and other written word projects by the community

— Posters - visual art by the community

— Music Suggestions - all song, playlist, album, and artist suggestions.

— Sauro Sings Along - songs I have personally added to playlists

— Burned CDs - personal playlists people have shared

— Music Video - what it says on the tin

— Explicit - any music or artists marked E for explicit will be tagged as such.

-- On The Radio (queue) - queue tag

-- Web Graphics - graphics I have saved for this blog

- Record Bins -

-- Bonus Tracks - catch all tag for songs that are not available on spotify, and can not be added the main playlists

— Alterhuman Jams Bin - music that is relatable to alterhuman experiences, but not a specific type

— Alterhuman Musicians Bin - music by the community, not exclusively about being alterhuman.

— Avian Bin -

— Bug Bin -

— Canine Bin -

— Dragon Bin -

— Feline Bin -

— Fish Bin -

— Machine Bin -

— Reptile Bin -

-- Cervid Bin -

- Genres -

— pop -

— rock -

— indie -

— singer songwriter -

— country -

— folk -

-- emo -

-- Queercore -

— punk -

— metal -

-- alternative -

-- industrial -

— electronic -

— vocaloid -

— new wave -

— funk -

— soundtrack -

— novelty -

-- cabaret -

-- jazz -

- Languages -

— English -

— English Subtitles -

— Spanish -

— Japanese -

— French Subtitles -

— Portuguese Subtitles -

-- Welsh -

-- Korean Subtitles -

Unique sign offs for people who want to track their music suggestions

- Frequent Submitters -

— ♟️🎼

-- ★🍷🪶

cassette dividers by strangergraphics-archive

[alcalexandria]

Terminator: Dark Fate - Augmented Cut.

Format is MKV and the file size is 3.06GB. Mega doesn't seem to like IE, so if you're having trouble try a different browser or switch between Mobile/Desktop.

A little rough around the edges in points, and not all of the changes I'd daydreamed about here were possible (still no Chinese Cut for that "kill you" line 😔) but here's somethin'.

Link and breakdown of changes are under the cut, but it's up to you if you want to know them in advance :D

Feel free to share around. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Night Scenes - Night scenes have been color graded a little to be more in tune with T1 and T2.

Intro - Movie now cuts directly from Sarah's Pescadero video to Grace's arrival.

Truck Chase - Some of the slow motion has been ditched to give the chase more immediacy, and the odd CGI of Grace being flung from the truck has been removed. I think it's a big improvement, if I say so myself, particularly to the rebar impact.

Remove the ADR’d line about Grace’s augments at 38:37 - "You know, enhanced speed and strength, Thorium reactor?". I just think it's awkward.

The imagined Terminator invasion/John’s death from the start of the movie has been moved into the hotel exposition scene - Not the most graceful cut, but the editor did what they could.

Shoulder touch in the bed of the pickup has been added back in - Not as slick as I'd like, but whaddaya gonna do.

The Crossing Deleted Scene - The alternate Border Crossing scene where Dani's uncle is killed has been edited back in, though the reuse of the computer search animation has been removed and some of the slow motion nixed.

CBP Escape - Dani's relief that Grace is alive and the slow motion handhold shot have been edited back in.

Alicia Confronts Sarah Deleted Scene - The deleted scene of Alicia confronting Sarah about Carl has been restored.

Scavenger Flashback/ “Let Me Save You” Deleted Scene - The concluding part of Grace's ruins flashback (forward?) reshoot has been removed, and replaced with Grace's "Let Me Save You" scene. Removing the reshoot takes the "raised me" line out.

"She's John" line has been removed.

Underwater Humvee sequence - This has been edited down and shortened to remove some of the sketchy CGI and present the scene more from the claustrophobic interior POV as they wait for the Rev 9 to attack.

"It will fry his neural net" line has been removed.

"You killed everything I loved" subtitle has been corrected.

Hope you enjoy. Let me know if you come across any glitches or issues.

[raining-anonymously]

i like delores aesthetically and i enjoy her as a character, but on a surface level i do not like her. i think we’re going too easy on her because she’s hot. the woman was a serial killer and a cult leader. tbh betelgeuse did whatever part of italy they lived in a favor. then she double-serial-killed people in the afterlife. she is EVIL and SCARY.

however, she is fascinating, both for the alternate light she casts existing characters in and in her own right.

this post was going to be about her but i got distracted so everything under the read more is about… geography? i think? and also languages, and also theorizing on how long delores was awake after she died.

based on the the guy who fell down the manhole at the beginning, it seems like wherever you die is directly correlated to what part of the afterlife you end up in rather than where you live. he died in the usa, so he ended up in the part we see, which is english-speaking and mostly has usamerican ghosts.

miss argentina, betelgeuse, and delores are not usamerican. sure, miss argentina’s beauty contest could have been in the usa, but betelgeuse and delores explicitly died in italy, and juno, who works in the usa sector of the afterlife, implies that she knows what it’s like to haunt places in italy. clearly, migration within the afterlife is possible.

re: charles and richard—ok i forgot where charles was flying from when he died. but if it was out of the continent, i think charles probably died close enough to the us that he got sent to that part of afterlife anyway. richard has been dead for years and had time to migrate. maybe that’s why he’s working civil service? as an excuse to switch sections? idk…

throughout both movies betelgeuse consistently displays an affinity for mimicking accents and voices, as well as being multilingual (he at least speaks spanish, italian, english). plus he’s been dead a long time. it’s believable that these combined factors led to him speaking english with an american accent rather than an italian accent. it is worth noting that his diction becomes more poetic and flowery when he’s speaking italian.

there’s also the thing where he says “mazel tov” during the flashback, but we don’t see his face while he says it, so that may not have been actually said at that time.

delores does have an italian accent. doylistically, this is because monica bellucci is italian. watsonian-wise, she’s probably just… not as good at vocal mirroring as betelgeuse. plus she hasn’t been awake for a large portion of her time as a ghost. but, and this is important, she has definitely been awake for some of it.

i do believe delores knew english when she was alive—her poison bottle is labeled in english. as for why she’d be speaking english to everyone around her? the first person who addresses her is the janitor, and he speaks english. from there, she correctly assumes that everyone else speaks english and responds accordingly. she also does the “betelgeuse is mine!” graffiti in english. and when she and betelgeuse are finally face-to-face, she speaks to him in english, too. doylistically, this is because the film is written in english and they didn’t want to overuse subtitles, but it is interesting that she wouldn’t address him in their first language.

still, even if we can’t use the language she speaks as a reason, i believe delores was awake before being dumped into a storage box. she adapts very quickly to the modern things in the afterlife (i don’t know how long spray paint and staple guns have been around, but i’m assuming they were invented post-black death). she doesn’t seem surprised or distressed by the fact that she’s dead or in multiple pieces, or by her soul-sucking / possession abilities. (she moves lydia with possession in the church.) she also navigates the afterlife fairly easily.

there’s also just no reason why she WOULDN’T be awake. the deceased can exist in pieces. look at the chopped-in-half woman in the first film.

so this gives us this mysterious block of time post-death where betelgeuse and delores moved to the usa and delores was eventually forced into the unconscious and separated state she’s in when the movie begins. no conclusion here, just food for thought.

anyway that tragedy sequence was so beautiful aauguhhhhhhhahahshjfjfj