#yes the eng sub is out!!

[mostlyfate]

[jokeroutsubs]

[ENG SUB] Bojan Cvjetićanin and Nace Jordan on 'Na sceni', Val 202 (19.11.2024)

Bojan and Nace discuss the process of making the new album, 'Souvenir Pop', the songs 'Mesto duhov', 'Muzika za decu', 'Stephanie', 'Ako toga više neće biti' and 'Lips', and the therapeutic note Nace brings to the band.

The original audio, including the songs which are cut out here for copyright reasons, can be found here.

Transcript and translation by a member of JokerOutSubs, review by IG 10_anja, proofread by IG GBoleyn123, subtitles by @vesdagrem and a member of JokerOutSubs.

Full video with transcript below the cut 👇

Host: Good evening, welcome to Val 202. You're listening to Radio Slovenia, the second programme. The 'Na sceni' ('On the Scene') broadcast has just begun and today's guests are from the band Joker Out. Good evening.

Bojan: Good evening.

Nace: Good evening.

Nace Jordan and Bojan Cvjetićanin have come to our studio. They've taken precious minutes out of their probably too-full schedule. Bojan, what's that been like for the past year and a half?

Bojan: The schedule is nicely full, but an interview like this one today, these are nice notes on the calendar, so...

Thank you.

Bojan: Thank you for hosting us.

Nace, how have things changed after the second album, 'Demoni', has anything changed at all?

Nace: That'd be hard for me to comment on, since I only joined the band with the second album.

Bojan: Well, has anything changed for you?

Nace: A lot of things have changed for me. I became a member of a band. I finally have a band with my peers, kind of, and we've created a new album. We suddenly saw a big part of Europe, by playing concerts in... how many countries did we visit, I don't even know. Well, in most of Europe. And... I hope we'll go somewhere outside of Europe as soon as possible, too.

And that would be only right. You're one of the few Slovenian ensembles, performers, who have even managed a feat like that.

Bojan: I mean, we managed to do something really nice. Basically in one night, I'd say, from that... if we think of it as the final night of Eurovision flowing into our new band era. We really went from a band that performed practically exclusively in Slovenia to a band that, in the past year and a half, performed, I would say, exclusively outside of Slovenia. So we definitely had a 180-degree turn happen to us, but I'd say that we really took the proper steps on this path too, even though it happend, I'd say... well, very quickly, but we didn't get ahead of ourselves. So I'd say that, as a band, we're still held together by nice foundations and roots.

The album is called 'Souvenir Pop', so it'll forever be written down somewhere as a kind of memory, right?

Bojan: That's right!

A pop one, even though a few songs are quite, let's say, well, significantly harder.

Bojan: Yes...

How come, it's a live experience, right?

Bojan: Yeah, you know what it is? We're children of a generation of parents who always said that you should bring a magnet home when you go somewhere. It was always like that for me. You absolutely had to bring a magnet from a trip. And these songs are actually, with all the memories and all the emotions they pull, they're magnets that we've all brought together and collected in a bag and they will forever remain very tangible souvenirs for us, I'm sure.

First up was 'Mesto duhov'. Bojan?

Bojan: Yes, 'Mesto duhov' is actually, I'd say, the first absolutely pessimistic song I've ever written. I have to say that I'm pretty sad and unhappy every time I wake up from the slumber of everyday life and realise that there is constant injustice and inequality and basically impossible living conditions around us. And... I also started to feel that in the general climate for the first time. I feel that people have a different aura around them, that we're all on some kind of high alert. There's a lot more of a negative whiff in the air. Young people are pretty pessimistic. That's how I perceived the current climate, not only at home, but basically wherever we went. So I think that 'Mesto duhov' was a very clear reflection of how I felt when I first walked through the streets of Ljubljana when I came home after a longer period of time, which never happened to me before, I was never away for that long.

Nace, the next one is called 'Muzika za decu'.

Nace: Yes.

How did you fall into... I won't say the Joker Out machine, but into this creative process of yours, or, how are songs generated?

Nace: This song actually has a very interesting origin. That is, if I remember correctly, in the six weeks that we spend in the studio in Hamburg, we were kind of waiting for Bojan to write and bring another song which we would then put our instruments over, and in one moment, Bojan said: "We're not doing it that way anymore. We'll do a song here tomorrow and that song will be a hit, will be the best." And I have to say he wasn't wrong because we grabbed our instruments and... That was definitely one of the highlights of those six weeks in Hamburg. I think that was when we lived like a band the most, or felt a kind of mutual energy the most, we took the instruments and played that together. And I think Bojan had an idea in the back of his mind.

Bojan: No, I had... I had something on the piano. Pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa pa.

Nace: That idea.

Bojan: But it was called 'Zlatna kosica' ('Golden Hair') initially, I have no idea what it was, something like "how I'm drawn by your golden hair", which just, I didn't feel like constantly drilling the piano, so Kris did it on the guitar...

Nace: That's right.

Bojan: Then it was very clear where the song was going, even with that busted guitar. But it had an attitude, and just bam, 'Muzika za decu'.

Nace: I think it has, the whole song captured exactly that energy.

Bojan: I came up with the lyrics while singing. The idea was that because I was recording on, I don't know, an SM58 or something, which is a microphone that you generally use for live singing, not recording. And I was in the place with them while all the instruments were rattling, and the plan was just that... Okay, the lyrics work, even if I came up with them more or less on the spot, but I'd record the vocals again in Ljubljana. I came to Ljubljana, I recorded with a proper studio microphone, it was a catastrophe and then poor Žare had to clean all those vocal channels of all the noise surrounding it. So this song is truly, the way we did it at our place there, that's how it came out, from start to finish.

Great, so Joker Out, the album is 'Souvenir Pop', the third album in a row, this will be 'Muzika za decu'.

You're listening to 'Na sceni'. Our guests on Val 202 are members of Joker Out, they are Nace Jordan and Bojan Cvjetićanin. The album is a bit of a mix of languages, right? On purpose. Three Slovenian ones, four Serbian ones and a few English ones.

Bojan: True.

Did someone from your headquarters recommend that you do that?

Bojan: The soul. The soul recommended it. The songs are written in the language in which they came up when I started writing them. With the exception of 'Mesto duhov', which was initially a song called 'Wembury Mews', which was our street in London that we lived on. But I then ended up writing it in Slovenian because I had a story that resonated with something I wanted to tell, and I think it also coincided very well with the music. But no, like... We travelled a whole lot, I thought and spoke in those three languages a lot and that just came out of me in the way of songwriting. I think that it was a very clear, at least clear to me, reflection of parts of me that come out completely differently when I think about them in a different language.

Anyway, the team is now that you've joined as the last one, Nace, still the same, right? Who are the other three matadors?

Nace: The other three are Peteh Jan, guitarist, Kris Guštin, guitarist, and Jure Maček, drummer.

And if you spend six weeks together in the studio and live somewhere together, like some kind of football team, do you ever argue?

Nace: Of course we do, it's normal to have a moment when you disagree with someone. But I think that now we've spent so much time together, we know each other well enough to spot which one of us might be in a not-great mood in that moment and give him some space or sometimes agree with him for the sake of mutually good energy.

Bojan: But I was thinking that we've actually never argued in the sense of fighting. There have absolutely always been many disagreements as far as creating and logistics and all that stuff go. But there was never a moment of something blowing up. Genuinely. I don't remember that happening. So that's very good. But that's the consequence of us constantly clearing things up, and... We don't allow anything to inflate that balloon and for everything to end up exploding, but... Nace, for example, is the most important, let's say, member of this relationship. Especially because he brought this "filtering" dynamic into the band, because he's actually the only person who always calls all of us the moment he feels that there's a bad mood in the air. You always get a call from Nace: "Is everything okay? Today I sensed that things were a little off, what happened? If you want to talk, you can hit me up." So I'd say that Nace also brought a very healthy therapeutic aspect to this band.

Commendable, of course. You need that too, you'd probably have a hard time without it. Up next is 'Stephanie', so an English one.

Bojan: 'Stephanie' is actually an interesting song. I wrote just the line "Her name is Stephanie, she lives about a thousand miles away from me" about three years ago, but it didn't actually have any kind of story, except the melody and this line that sounded nice to me. But by now, things have already happened in my life that actually gave it its story so the song wrote itself very naturally after that. It kind of has a slightly different sound. Because we didn't really know what to do with the song, Žare Pak and I kind of patched it together with his famous Reason programme for creating percussion. And then Nace played around with programming for an hour or twelve.

Nace: The song is interesting because most of us don't play our primary instrument in this song.

Bojan: That's true.

Bojan: Jan...

Rotation.

Bojan & Nace: Yes.

Bojan: Jan and I are on the bass.

Nace: Kris and I are on the guitars.

Bojan: Yes. I played the keyboards.

Nace: I also played the keyboards. I mean, like, it's something completely different.

Yeah, that must contribute to the vibe.

Nace: Yes.

Bojan: Yeah, I mean, making this album was quite the sandbox. Sometimes you had to fight for the toy rake you liked the most.

So, 'Stephanie' and Joker Out. Tonight's guests in 'Na sceni' are Bojan Cvjetićanin and Nace Jordan, Joker Out, of course. 'Souvenir Pop' is the third album, Jernej Vene is with you. There are two concerts in Cvetličarna coming up, both sold out. You're not going to a bigger place on purpose, right? Because you like proximity. What does the audience give to you?

Bojan: We're not going to a bigger place, or a different place, on purpose because we presented the first album twice, in a twice sold-out Cvetličarna. That was absolutely, if not the most beautiful, then one of the most beautiful moments of our lives. This year, when we've been away from home so much and played in clubs so much, we saw what a good effect that club energy truly has on us. How much of a reciprocal "give and take" moment it is, meaning, you give your all and the audience gives it all back to you and the same thing happens for them. So we said that we wanted to play at home, somewhere we also feel at home. That is definitely home to us.

There's actually a bit of a problem now since you have three albums. How do you pick the songs for the concert?

Nace: I mean, we just started that this week, when Bojan wasn't here, putting it together a bit already, what should be played, and it's actually a real problem because there are a lot of songs that are "the juicy ones", as we call them. Those are the songs we have to play or that we like to play or that...

Bojan: For a 'Greatest Hits' album.

Nace: Yes. The juicy ones. And alongside the new album, which we'll play in its entirety at the upcoming concerts, there are too many of these songs to fit into a two-hour concert so we'll definitely...

Bojan: Oh, we have such horrible problems.

Nace: No, no, no. I mean, it's a problem because some fans want to hear one song, others another, so we'll probably change the playlist a bit between the concerts so that we can play at least something for everyone.

Moving on. 'Ako toga više neće biti'.

Bojan: I don't know, it's probably my favourite song from this album. One of my favourites in general, as well. I think we feel it. It was a bit weird initially. I remember that when I showed the boys a rough idea, they weren't really sure what, basically... What the poet wanted to say¹.

¹It is a phrase commonly used in Serbo-Croatian speaking area, meaning that it is hard to understand what the author of the original piece of art wanted to say, the meaning isn’t transparent or clear right away. This phrase also has another word used sometimes, it’s pisac instead of pesnik; in that case it translates as ‘What the writer wanted to say’. Pisac is a writer, but the meaning of the phrase is the same.

I'd say that this is where we sound the most like a band. Well, maybe here and in 'Muzika za decu'. But purely from the sound aspect and from a kind of vibe aspect, this recording makes me feel the most like I'm listening to a band that's playing in the same space. Because most of it actually was played together, as well. I like it. It's organic, it's very close to my heart.

So, 'Ako toga više neće biti' and Joker Out.

Joker Out in 'Na sceni'. The album 'Souvenir Pop’ is their third one. Bojan and Nace are here. After Ljubljana, you're on the road again soon, or what?

Bojan: That's right.

Nace: True, true. We're going around the Balkans for a bit, that is, I think we're starting in Novi Sad², continuing in Belgrade, Skopje, Zagreb, then we're returning to Maribor and finishing in Vienna.

²The concert in Novi Sad was later rescheduled due to a tragic event that happened in the city when a canopy at the railway station collapsed, killing several people.

That's still for this year.

Bojan: That's for this year, yes.

We continue with another Slovenian one, titled 'Sonce'.

Bojan: Yes, 'Sonce' is a song that came about as basically my direct response to what's currently happening in Palestine. I actually kind of had a story in my head of a son who's saying goodbye to his mother from the afterlife and is basically addressing his mum with those words. So I'd say it's a pretty atypical song for us, seeing as there's no repeat chorus, or that it doesn't have the kind of classic song structure. And I absolutely have to say that Jan did an incredible arrangement, and wrote his own piano part and recorded it as well, which really added even more dots to the 'i' for the song. So I'm glad that it's basically... what I wanted to say with my voice, Jan completely encompassed with the piano as well, so... It's a heavy song to listen to, at least for us, I'd say, but still beautiful. It fits onto this album.

Joker Out on 'Na sceni'.

Bojan and Nace are still tonight's guests. We won't ask about plans because they happen on their own, right. Are there any days that aren't planned?

Bojan: Absolutely.

Nace: Definitely.

To clear your heads, right?

Bojan: Yes, yes, yes. I mean, in general I think that Nace and I in particular are not really the type of people to... When...  Yeah.

Nace: To set up schedules for ourselves.

Bojan: Yes, we're not the type of people to have a schedule, especially for free days. And, I don't know, for me, even with days that are planned, I often happen to wander off somewhere. And it's by accident, but... I don't know.

Nace: I mean, everything is definitely organised so that we at least have mornings free. So, if we do want to seize the day, we just wake up a little earlier.

Bojan: Yeah, right. Stop it.

Nace: Well, look, it happens, stuff happens. You go to sleep too early...

Bojan: Yeah, okay.

N: ... and you seize the day.

Bojan: That's right.

Nace: Early.

For the end of the broadcast another English one, 'Lips'.

Bojan: 'Lips' is truly a song that had many forms. It started out as 'Je t'aime'. A Franz Ferdinand-esque rock song with French and English. It ended up as... what kind of genre would that be, if any?

Nace: I'd call it cinematic rock

Bojan: Cinematic... wow. There you go, a cinematic rock song. It's also, I'd say, a departure from our traditional sound. This is in large part thanks to Nace on my right, because he arranged practically the whole song as well as put it into its sound form. He really put in the effort here and spent a whole lot of time on it, so we really have to say "Thank you!" to Nace here. Or, if you don't like the song, tell him to get lost, but...

Nace: I'm the one at fault, yes.

Bojan: Yeah, I mean, I like it, I think I had a very determined vision of how I wanted the vocals to work in this song. Whereas what would happen around it was kind of a mistery to me. So Nace, with his cinematic rock, hit the nail on the head with me too.

Nace: But as a fun fact, well... this song was happening in the studio, we were in a bit of a hurry, honestly.

Bojan: At the end, yes.

Nace: We were in a bit of a hurry at the end, and one evening, I was like: "It can't be like that." I got...

Bojan: Yes, Žare and I made the basic beat and stuff, but it was very bland. And then Nace, in five hours or so, put something together and sent back something that, if we put it as a trailer for, I don't know, James Bond or something, it'd be awesome.

Nace: As a fun fact, I did all that while lying in bed.

Bojan: Well, there you go.

Nace: On my laptop.

Bojan: Such hard work, that you can do it in bed on your laptop.

Fun. Gentlemen, thank you for visiting us.

Bojan: Thank you for the invite.

Nace: Gladly.

And good luck on all the roads ahead of you in the next year and beyond.

Bojan: Thank you.

Right, to finish off, 'Lips'. The album is 'Souvenir Pop', Joker Out is the band, you know all that. Nace Jordan and Bojan Cvjetićanin were with you. Jernej Vene, signing off. Until next time, to plenty of good music. Goodbye.

Bojan: Goodbye.

Nace: Goodbye.

[vminizzle]

Cry for me

pairing : husband!jungkook x f. reader

genre : SMUT, fluff

warnings : soft dom!jungkook, sub!reader, dacryphilia, overstimulation ( multiple orgasms ), !!concensual sex!! , mention of safe word, praising, pet names, hair pulling (jk), marking, fingering, oral (f.receiving), unprotected sex, penetration, creampie, cockwarming

words count : 1.1k

A/N : not the best but did my best! I hope you’ll enjoy it nonetheless. Like usual, don’t mind my mistakes my eng still sucks. I want to thank everyone here for your support. I created this blog a month ago and it makes me so happy to have such amazing readers that enjoy my writings. Thank you everyone, I mean it. Love y’all, please take care of yourselves - sunny

FEEDBACKS ARE VERY WELCOMED :)

M RATED

“i can’t Jungkook” you whimpered.

Jungkook hushed you softly stroking your right thigh “you can do it baby hm?”

You shook your head whining “c’mon love, i know you can.” he looked up at you from your parted legs, his lips glistening with your essence.

You nodded hesitantly as he smirked “that’s my girl”.

He dived back down, getting closer to your heat again, looking up at you one last time before connecting his lips with your glistening ones.

His hands were pinning your waist firmly to the mattress as he was laid comfortably between your weak legs. He ate you out, eyes closed as he focused on you.

Switching to your swollen clit to nibble on it making you arch your back, hands clenching desperately at the soft sheet. He sucked on it harshly ripping out a loud moan from your throat.

You were near your release, so near your thighs started closing shakily around his head. He knew it too at the way you were squirming.

He smirked inserting two fingers at once into your wet walls “J-Jungkook oh my- fuck!!” your hands found his long black hair pulling on the soft tresses.

“Cum for me princess.” Jungkook said before kitten licking your clit, the tip of his tongue pushing you on the edge.

A wave of pleasure washed over you making you cum hard for the third time “oh my god!” you cummed all over his face and fingers, legs trembling a little as he stroked them gently.

”you did so well..so good for me.” he said leaving butterfly kisses on the inside of your thighs. He kissed your abused clit gently making you hiss because of the overstimulation.

Your husband caressed your sides, lips on your tummy ”so soft.“ he murmured lips traveling their way up to the top of your collarbone giving it a light bite.

“Jungkook.” you moaned softly.

He painted little red and purple flowers on the sensitive skin of your neck. ”look at that.”

He pulled away admiring his masterpiece ”you look ethereal." he said making you look away shyly.

“cute” he smiled.

“can you handle one more darling?” he caressed your cheek gently. You stared at him hesitantly, your last orgasm too recent to confront another one.

“just one more princess, hm? ” he kissed your jawline still caressing your cheek “for me?” he whispered.

You gulped taking a deep breath before nodding making him smirk.

“remember the safe word?” he asked serious.

You nodded again.

"no no baby. I need words.” you smiled tiredly before replying.

“yes, I remember the safe word.” he pecked your lips “good”.

Jungkook got rid of his pants and boxer throwing them over the pile of clothes on the carpeted floor. He spread your legs making room for him to lay in between them again.

“if you want me to stop at any moment, if it’s too much, tell me and I will stop right away. I don’t want to hurt you.” he laid a tender kiss on your forehead making you smile.

“I will.”

Jungkook positioned himself at your entrance “you ready my love?” he looked deep in your eyes, waiting for approval.

“yes.”

He rubbed his cock on your glistening lips teasingly. 

A quiet sob escaped from your throat when he entered you slowly. You bit your bottom lip hard, eyebrows frowned as you threw your head back at the painful yet so delicious stretch. He ground his hips into yours, making you hiss.

You whimpered as he started rolling his hips slowly.

“Jungkook  I-”

A loud moan passed by your lips as he suddenly snap his hips into yours “fuck yes! right there oh f-”

Your fingers laced into his soft black curls pulling on them tightly. He moaned the little burn turning him on more. 

You groaned , your nails digging into his muscular back forming like crescents as he hits your g-spot repeatedly.

“b-baby .. you feel so good! So warm and tight for me.” he moaned .

“You’re doing so so well for me princess” he kissed you passionately taking his time to suck on the abused flesh.

"I want you to cry.. cry for me.” Jungkook whispered, a soft smile adorning his lips. He looked so adorable. How was it possible? In such a situation? You shut your eyes close, bottom lip caught between your teeth.

He buried his head into the crook of your neck , one of his hand placed on your waist holding you still, the other one holding you thigh above his hip as he reached deeper. Hitting all the places he couldn’t before, making you see stars “fuck I’m so near!” you sobbed.

His eyes were sparkling “you look so beautiful like that” he groaned at your ruined state, tears ready to slid down your cheeks. 

Jungkook could have sworn he could cum at the sight in front of his eyes, teary eyes, body covered in hickeys, love bites, you biting your lips to stay silent.

“baby, let me hear you” he nibbled on your earlobe, his warm breath caressing the skin of your neck.

You scratched his back as he picked up the pace, hitting you at the right spots. He took both your hands placing them at each sides of your head , intertwining your fingers together .

“Jungkook, I-I’m .. ah” your voice cracked.

”I know.. come for me.” he whispered pecking your lips softly.

“cum princess.” you pulled at his locks harder, his hair a complete mess.

You could felt the oh-so familiar knot in your stomach making you clench around him, low moans leaving his throat.

You cried out, tears sliding onto your cheeks as Jungkook watched you in awe, eyes following the tear’s path down to your neck.

“fuck look at you.” he bit his lip.

“so fucking beautiful and.. ruined.” he trailed out lust laced in his voice.

You kept on tightening around him, pushing him more and more near his own orgasm.

"Fuck yes!” you threw your head back deep into the pillow, your fingers tightening around his as you came around him.

Your little sobs made him felt lightheaded, your wet cheeks such a turn-on for him. He couldn’t hold on any longer, he moaned as he cum inside you, filling you up to the brim, your velvety walls still clenching tightly around his throbbing cock.

Jungkook moaned your name loudly head dropping on your chest.

You both took deep breath to calm down, heart slowing down gradually. 

You whimpered when he moved a little to get comfortable.

“shh it’s ok, you did great..” he soothed you.

He kissed your tears away, caressing your cheeks gently “you were amazing baby. You were such a good girl for me.” he hummed softly when you caressed his scratched back. 

“I love you.” he said lovingly as he nudged the bridge of his nose with yours cutely.

He stayed inside you, his body laying on top of yours.

“I love you Kook” he left little kisses on the valley of your breasts as you played with his fluffy hair and started cuddling each other.

—

A/N : thank you for 0.7k lovely people!! have a nice day everyone :)

[ilovealonelystar]

Oh, the joy pain of being a baby turtle...

Yes, it was a joy until it became a broken heart T.T Thankfully two lovely souls ❤️ corrected me here on the comment section and told me that actually the artist stated that these comics are not connected to GGDD and he's a GG anti 😡😡😡😡

I'll leave this post here for some time so other baby turtles can be aware of this, just like me. Sorry for not knowing about this before posting! I guess it's part of our baby bxg journey 😪

Just yesterday I found out about Buya & Boji, and I got SO SHOCKED AND GIGGLING AND BLUSHING AND KICKING MY FEET. Maybe I'm too late for the party, but I thought it was one of the cutest CPN/candies of all!!!! 🥺

For those who like me until yesterday don't know what I'm talking about, there is this ~amazing~ X thread very detailed about it but in short: someone released this character, Buya, on Weibo in June 2018 - it's a duck. Then Boji's - a chicken - first appearance was in July 2018. C'mon, Boji > Bodi > Bo-di? Seriously?!

Then TONS OF coincidences with GGDD started to show in how they were portrayed and interacted with each other in the comics. Ok, some people will say: but everybody knows how GG and DD interacted in the never-ending footage of CQL behind the scenes. Sure, but notice the date: it was first released IN JUNE 2018, way before people had access to those videos - in fact, the filming was still ongoing. And then, on December 24, 2018, GG used a Buya drawing as his Instagram profile pic. WHAT?!?!

Anyway, you can check that X thread for all the deets but I just wanted to share how lovely I thought it was 🥰 and maybe someone like me who didn't know about this will feel the same way! ❤️

Some of my fave:

Buya with a birthday cake posted on August 9, 2018 --- 1 day after DD's bday !!!!! C'MON!!!!

Buya trying to learn how to skateboard (to impress his crush? 😏)

Boji says Buya can't work during vacation and they CUDDLE <3

Buya is feeling swamped, puts on his headphones, and starts imagining/remembering a summer day with Boji <3²

Buya as Luffy (GG said in this interview that he is his fave character -- sorry I couldn't find the Eng sub version but I swear I've seen it before)

One thing that I kept thinking is, if GG really is/was the artist behind it (at least in the beginning), he probably never ever would have thought how massive CQL would turn out to be and how people would scrutinize every little detail about him and GGDD relationship, so he started it maybe out for boredom behind shootings? Maybe to express his adoration for DD? Who knows... the thing is, IT IS SO DAMN CUTE! >.<'

[knichii]

OK. does anyone else feel irritated that eng dub seems to be favoured in mha? in edits, in fics, it's clear most people watched dub and idk it's been rlly grinding my gears.

okay, to get this out the way, I don't like mha's eng dub. I don't like any of them. half don't fit their characters, 75% of the time the tone lands forced and awkward, and its literally just unbearable for me to watch I'm sorry. I have this issue with a lot of anime and cartoons so this isn't solely a my hero problem, but this is definitely the most severely I've disliked a dub. and yet I cannot escape it.

one of my biggest issues is the nuance that's lost in translation. anyone with any familiarity with the Japanese language will know what I mean. list of examples:

HONORIFICS

1. iida refers to class 1-A with '-kun'

2. yaoyorozu refers to class 1-A with '-san'

3. asui refers to class 1-A with '-chan'

3. deku with '-kun' (m) & '-san' (f)

that says SO MUCH about their characters, how they view their relationships, how they view themselves,, but in dub?? all of that's lost. ESP the significance of deku still calling bkg 'kacchan'. [simplified, '-chan' is used for cute/endearing things. it stemmed from children mispronouncing '-san', and became a childish, cutesy way of calling someone, usually someone you're VERY familiar with. it implies a shocking ammount of intimacy] thru years of bullying, all the rocks and straight up non existent road of their relationship, deku STILL calls him 'kacchan', the ONLY one allowed to do so ("but kaminari--" NEENAWNEENAWNEENAW).

in eng dub it gets reduced to a mere nickname, lacking all of its weight.

another thing is bakugou sub vs dub (...)

URGGGGGGHHHH

the most recent example is when bkg says "of course you pulled it off, Icyhot." (I forgot the context tho) in sub, he says "of course you pulled it off, TODOROKI".

THATS SUCH A NICHE, SUBTLE WAY OF SHOWING HIS DEVELOPMENT THATS TOSSED STRAIGHT OUT THE WINDOW. translation (manga) also has him calling his seniors 'senpai' which is... not what he says in sub????? 'senpai' indicates respect for someone your senior,,,, which. bkg would never show. (or only in EXTREMELY rare cases, MAYBE)

there's also my peeve abt names. this may be an only me issue, but I don't like it when japanese names are written in western format (e.g Izuku Midoriya)... ("this guy cannot be fr rn" unfortunately yes I am). I don't have a reason for this, and I'm aware it's niche and irrational, but I always cringe a little when I'm reading a fic, that's SET IN JAPAN, and their names are written Given Name, Family Name. emphasis on SET IN JAPAN. THEY ARE JAPANESE. THEY ARE NOT AMERICAN.

bkg's hero name. his og one which was translated to King Explosion Murder, losing all of the wit and cleverness in the jp original. this post goes into more detail and is very cool check it out

slightly irrelevant but bkg's jp va, Okamoto Nobuhiko, like. wow. the bkdk fight? the voice cracks? the ANGUISH?? the softness in his voice when bkg was abt to die (the hallucination w all might) ??? like,, wow. the emotion is so much more raw than it's conveyed in eng

I've gotten off point. point is I WISH MORE PEOPLE APPRECIATED AND WATCHED IN JP SUB. IM SCREAMING INTO THE VOID AND MY OWN VOICE IS ECHOING BACK I CANT DO THIS ANYMORE.

(note: jjk was my first anime fandom so I'm probably spoiled. over there, sub seems to be favoured, barring a few iconic lines [ray chase lwk served as sukuna in the shibuya arc] and the fics, like 70% of the ones I read, used japanese honorifics and culture. in comparison, mha was a bit of a shock. the side of the fandom I washed up on is so... American??? maybe I'm in the wrong place idk. everything's just extremely white and slightly uncomfortable.)

this was a bit of a vent post,, obviously ik people are entitled to opinions (even if they're wrong), I js wanted tk if anyone else felt the same way

reading this back, I'm aware of how chronically online I am. yeah. still tho

[kaiowut99]

Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V Episode 1 "Dub-Uncut" (ENG Dub w/ JP OST) WIP #1 | Ladies & Gentlemen!

Soooo, after plugging away at this little project for more than a year, I'm pretty sure, I think I'm just about done with it--a "dub-uncut" take on ARC-V episode 1's dub! Like when I worked on those 5D's "dub-uncut" episodes, I find that there's some potential in the 4K/KCM dubs, but overall it's hampered by the dub's music [which especially hurts for ARC-V given the awesome score by Kotaro Nakagawa], some writing choices, and other little oddities/cuts. (I also did plan on trying to sub ARC-V up until Crunchyroll took the wheel on that, and I did want to do something with the work I'd put into prepping the OP/EN for that, lol; I think I actually started this a little in early 2022 at some point, but due to my SSD dying on me in October of that year, I pretty much lost everything and had to dig through what little backups I did to not start from scratch (I had to restart this though). This has also been an ongoing idea, since I did do a dub-with-JP-OST take on episode 10's first 10-or-so minutes years back.

Of course, since working on that version of episode 10, we now have things like UltimateVocalRemover out there to help with things like this, as well as Duel Links or Cross Duel (RIP) for better/more accurate takes on different lines. So, after using UVR to isolate episode 1's audio in both versions, I got to work piecing the dub back together with the JP OST/SFX, using lines from later episodes and Duel Links as helpful to make the dialogue more in line with the original; I'd been chipping away at it mostly for the past year, but worked a bit more on finalizing it and leveling the audio over the past few months to get it off the backburner, lol, along with revamping my subs for BelieveXBelieve and One Step (which I'll be showing off separately).

For this clip, I made Gongenzaka properly say his Monsters' names while tributing them by pulling audio from 138's dub (and one other); Yuya's "Ladies & Gentlemen!" and "Quick-Play Hippo Carnival" lines are from DL, and I found an AI-voice-generating site that had the voice of the Narrator from Pokemon's dub, which I thought would fit for the Action Duel narration before the OP. [Also, yes, I will be correcting every instance of "Zuzu" to "Yuzu" using lines with "you" in them because why.]

Lemme know what you think! I'll likely post another couple progress videos while I apply some finishing touches, and I should probably be posting about the full thing in the next week or two.

[onyxonline]

Space Riders AU {Voice Claims} {Guys Edition}

It took me 20 years/j but I finally got to work on our crew's voices!

Dogday's voice: Leon S Kennedy remake 2, young and impressionable but not annoying, serious but in a way that is not gritty. (I also based his personality on this Leon ahahaha...) Leon's Best Moments in Resident Evil 2 Remake (Cutscenes + Dialogues) (youtube.com)

Catnap's voice: Kamisato Ayato's Japanese voice, Genshin Impact. Right pitch thought maybe a little lower, and the fact he speaks calmly all the time helps. Also, their personality match, they're serious but also really silly in their own way. Kamisato Ayato Demo Trailer JAPANESE DUB w/ Eng Sub Genshin Impact (youtube.com)

Kickin Chicken's voice: Sonic from Sonic Boom. There's no need for explanation. I love Roger Craig Smith. Sonic Being a Sassy Dork - Season 1 Part 1 (youtube.com)

Bubba Bubbaphant voice: Sparkling Cookie, Cookie Run Kingdom. Yes i know, "this is completely different to what you expected" but, HEAR ME OUT. both have something in common and it's their politeness! and also charisma, yes im saying Bubba has charisma, and i am DYING IN THAT HILL. Also because deep voices does not fit this man at all, nuh uh. Sparkling Cookie (All Voice Lines) Cookie run Kingdom - YouTube

[perhaps-in-anotherdream]

[CN] Victor’s Mind Quest: Melding Into You (Eng Translation)

⌚Warning⌚ This post contains detailed spoilers for a mind quest, 纵融流入你, that is yet to be released on the global server! ♡

[Additional warning]: Same old warning LOL. Considering the super vivid explicitness, if you don’t qualify for the 17+ rating of the game (CN server), it’s very highly recommended that you don’t proceed under the cut~ :>

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

─

【Subbed Video】

[Heads-up]: Yes, read the transcript for reading, of course! But for the life of me, PLEASE DO WATCH THE VIDEO!! YOU DO NOT WANNA MISS WU LEI’S GODLY VOICE ACTING AND THOSE CLOSE-UPS AKSJSJSDGFG (+ excuse my real-time reactions 🤪😂)

───────

【Transcript Version】

【Chapter 1】

With every breath, the air is saturated with the briny smell of seawater. The sun is beaming so brilliantly that it appears almost white, reminiscent of a melted silver sphere.

The scorching sand sears through the soles of my shoes, grilling the bottoms of my feet. The water within my body evaporates continuously as sweat trickles down.

MC: Ngh… Victor…

Lacking strength, I weakly tug at the hem of his shirt, and my hand naturally reaches into the backpack, retrieving the item I need.

MC: Ah… we’re about to run out of this last bottle of water too.

I hold the remaining half-filled bottle of mineral water against my ear and give it a shake, attempting to quench my thirst by listening to the sound of water.

MC: I feel like I’m being roasted from head to toe…

V̲i̲c̲t̲o̲r̲ ̲s̲h̲i̲f̲t̲s̲ ̲h̲i̲s̲ ̲p̲o̲s̲i̲t̲i̲o̲n̲ ̲a̲n̲d̲ ̲s̲t̲a̲n̲d̲s̲ ̲i̲n̲ ̲f̲r̲o̲n̲t̲ ̲o̲f̲ ̲m̲e̲ ̲a̲t̲ ̲a̲ ̲d̲i̲f̲f̲e̲r̲e̲n̲t̲ ̲a̲n̲g̲l̲e̲,̲ ̲a̲l̲i̲g̲n̲i̲n̲g̲ ̲h̲i̲m̲s̲e̲l̲f̲ ̲a̲t̲ ̲j̲u̲s̲t̲ ̲t̲h̲e̲ ̲r̲i̲g̲h̲t̲ ̲t̲u̲r̲n̲ ̲s̲o̲ ̲h̲i̲s̲ ̲s̲h̲a̲d̲o̲w̲ ̲s̲h̲i̲e̲l̲d̲s̲ ̲m̲e̲ ̲f̲r̲o̲m̲ ̲t̲h̲e̲ ̲s̲c̲o̲r̲c̲h̲i̲n̲g̲ ̲s̲u̲n̲.̲

Victor: Let’s take a break if you’re tired.

I shake my head, gazing at the beach with endless waves in the distance and our private yacht stranded on the shore. It still feels unbelievable to me.

Who could have imagined it would turn out like this before we set off?

Recently, the several new projects Victor has been working on have been progressing steadily. And I have also finally managed to carve out some time for a vacation. 

Thereupon, we hopped onto Victor’s private boat and set sail, fully prepared for a delightful voyage at sea.

However, the navigation system suddenly failed when we were out at sea, leaving us without any means to find our way back to shore, and eventually, we ran out of fuel.

We drifted at the mercy of the waves for over ten hours at sea before finally making landfall on this unnamed island with no signal. And now, we are on the verge of running out of resources.

Victor sighs and reaches out, placing his hand on my forehead and the nape of my neck while I’m lost in thought. 

Victor: Your body temperature is still normal. It doesn’t seem like you’ve got a heatstroke.

H͟e͟ u͟n͟s͟c͟r͟e͟w͟s͟ t͟h͟e͟ w͟a͟t͟e͟r͟ b͟o͟t͟t͟l͟e͟ a͟n͟d͟ p͟o͟u͟r͟s͟ o͟u͟t͟ a͟b͟o͟u͟t͟ h͟a͟l͟f͟ a͟ c͟a͟p͟f͟u͟l͟ o͟f͟ w͟a͟t͟e͟r͟. T͟h͟e͟n͟, h͟e͟ d͟i͟p͟s͟ h͟i͟s͟ f͟i͟n͟g͟e͟r͟t͟i͟p͟ i͟n͟t͟o͟ t͟h͟e͟ w͟a͟t͟e͟r͟ a͟n͟d͟ p͟r͟e͟s͟s͟e͟s͟ t͟h͟e͟ m͟o͟i͟s͟t͟u͟r͟e͟ a͟g͟a͟i͟n͟s͟t͟ m͟y͟ p͟a͟r͟c͟h͟e͟d͟ l͟i͟p͟s͟.

As my lips become moist and cool, I can’t help but rub my lips against his fingertips. At this moment, looking up, I find that his own lips are also slightly chapped.

Victor: Where has your imagination run off to again?

Looking at his fatigued yet still unwavering expression, I find myself unable to utter a single despondent phrase like “We’re doomed” or “What are we going to do?”

I͟ s͟i͟m͟p͟l͟y͟ c͟u͟r͟v͟e͟ m͟y͟ l͟i͟p͟s͟ u͟p͟w͟a͟r͟d͟s͟ a͟n͟d͟ m͟o͟i͟s͟t͟e͟n͟ h͟i͟s͟ l͟i͟p͟s͟, m͟i͟r͟r͟o͟r͟i͟n͟g͟ h͟i͟s͟ g͟e͟s͟t͟u͟r͟e͟ j͟u͟s͟t͟ n͟o͟w͟.

MC: I’m just thinking, CEO Victor is always so thoughtful in moments like this.

Victor doesn’t expose my thoughts. Instead, he simply takes my hand and guides me in a different direction, heading straight for the lush forest at the heart of the island.

We savor a brief moment of relief, cooling ourselves off beneath the shades of the trees before Victor opens his mouth unhurriedly.

Victor: The coastal area we passed by appears deserted and untouched for a long time. Instead of trying our luck under the blazing sun, it’s wiser to change our route.

MC: What makes you so sure? 

Victor: In the spot where our boat got stranded, there were long discarded fishing nets underwater. Judging by the level of corrosion, they must have been there for at least three to five years.

Victor: Since we can’t be certain that help will be available, we need to move towards a location abundant in resources.

Victor: In areas filled with vegetation, even if we run out of fresh drinking water, we can still resort to extracting water from the soil layer.

Victor: The emergency food in our bag is sufficient to sustain us for half a month, and that should provide ample time for the insurance company to locate us.

As always, he calmly assesses the situation, and his confident tone sparks courage within me.

MC: Makes sense! I now feel like I was really being carried away earlier, thinking that we were about to dominate the headlines of next week’s news.

MC: Something like, “The CEO of LFG and his girlfriend have been missing since their trip at sea, suspected to have been killed on an unnamed island”...

Victor glances at me with a helpless yet amused expression.

Victor: You have the energy to crack jokes now. Seems like you’ve had a good rest?

Taking a deep breath, I muster all the strength I have left within me and tightly grip back onto his hand.

MC: Hmm! Let’s go! Let’s set off!

—

As we go deeper into the woods, the terrain grows steeper. After walking for more than ten minutes, we’ve arrived at the highest point of this small hill.

I involuntarily find myself stopping in my tracks, my eyes widening.

MC: …Victor, look!

Clusters of cottages dot the landscape along the paved road, nestled at the foot of the hills. The lush greenery of the island encircles them, akin to pearls embraced by green velvet.

Smoke rises from the kitchen chimneys of some houses, and clean laundry hangs in the front and back of the yards. Down by the seaside, freshly caught seafood is being sun-dried.

After being away from any signs of human habitation, I finally lay my eyes on the sparkling radiance of human civilization once again.

I can’t help but breathe a sigh of relief, and from the corner of my eye, I see that Victor’s previously slightly tensed jaw has also relaxed.

Our footsteps can’t help but quicken, and we hurry towards the seaside village.

—

Fifteen minutes later. We find ourselves seated on the cool, wide wooden chairs in the courtyard of the village chief's house, drinking water from enamel cups in big gulps.

The village chief listens to our experiences and nods understandingly.

Village Chief: Don’t blame yourselves. It was just a stroke of bad luck that you happened to be caught up in it. 

Village Chief: Even we old fishermen didn’t anticipate that this magnetic storm would have an impact on our coastal waters.

During the conversation, we learn that the name of this island is White Pearl Island, and the villagers here make a living through pearl farming.

As Victor had surmised before, the western coast where we made landfall had only been used as a fishing ground about a decade ago.

As time went on, the village prospered through pearl farming, and the villagers abandoned the fishing grounds to develop and operate pearl harvesting sites in the eastern coastal area.

While the village chief briefly steps away, Victor leans against the door with his arms crossed, appearing as composed as if he were standing in his own office.

Victor: What’s on your mind?

MC: I’m thinking, this place is so serene, untouched by excessive development. It’s perfectly suited for a sojourn.

MC: And who knows, I might even have the chance to enjoy a sumptuous seafood feast prepared by CEO Victor using fresh fish and shrimp!

A smile tugs at the corners of Victor’s lips as he pinches my cheek.

Victor: Always thinking about food.

Victor: Although, if a certain someone wants a peaceful vacation without any disruptions, this place certainly meets your criteria.

MC: I’m very satisfied, but I wonder if CEO Victor will be able to adapt?

I͟ a͟r͟c͟h͟ a͟n͟ e͟y͟e͟b͟r͟o͟w͟ a͟s͟ I͟ l͟o͟o͟k͟ a͟t͟ h͟i͟m͟. V͟i͟c͟t͟o͟r͟ b͟e͟n͟d͟s͟ d͟o͟w͟n͟ a͟n͟d͟ u͟n͟t͟a͟n͟g͟l͟e͟s͟ a͟ f͟e͟w͟ s͟t͟r͟a͟n͟d͟s͟ o͟f͟ m͟y͟ l͟o͟n͟g͟, s͟w͟e͟a͟t͟-s͟o͟a͟k͟e͟d͟, k͟n͟o͟t͟t͟e͟d͟ h͟a͟i͟r͟, a͟ s͟m͟i͟l͟e͟ f͟o͟r͟m͟i͟n͟g͟ o͟n͟ h͟i͟s͟ l͟i͟p͟s͟.

Victor: Why would I want to pass up the opportunity to reside in this “Seaside Utopia”?

—

Beneath the setting sun, Victor and I find ourselves standing at the entrance of a run-down health center.

The rosy golden light casts upon the shabby outer walls and stairway marred by dust, serving as a declaration of the antiquated and abandoned state of this place.

I wrap my arm around Victor’s and give him a wink.

MC: Although there isn’t a proper inn in the village, the village chief’s recommendation is not bad.

MC: For a village without a tourism industry, the living conditions here are much better than I imagined.

Victor: I see, so I wonder who was murmuring about being stranded on a deserted island earlier, and now in the blink of an eye, she can just “go with the flow”?

MC: It’s true that I’m not adept at survival on a deserted island... but I definitely excel at turning a place into a warm and cozy little home.

With his eyes on me, Victor’s lips form into a smile, warm like the hues of the sunset glow.

Victor: Well, I’m looking forward to seeing your performance.

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

—

【Chapter 2】

The moment the rusty key turns the lock and the door opens, a stream of sunlight floods through the crack, illuminating the billowing dust.

MC: Cough, cough, cough–– so dusty––

V͟i͟c͟t͟o͟r͟ c͟o͟v͟e͟r͟s͟ m͟y͟ n͟o͟s͟e͟ a͟n͟d͟ m͟o͟u͟t͟h͟, p͟u͟l͟l͟i͟n͟g͟ m͟e͟ b͟e͟h͟i͟n͟d͟ h͟i͟m͟. I͟ s͟q͟u͟e͟e͟z͟e͟ p͟a͟s͟t͟ a͟n͟d͟ r͟e͟s͟t͟ m͟y͟ h͟e͟a͟d͟ o͟n͟ h͟i͟s͟ s͟h͟o͟u͟l͟d͟e͟r͟, p͟e͟e͟r͟i͟n͟g͟ i͟n͟.

…it appears that the deserted state of this village health center exceeds my imagination.

The unattended floor, constantly exposed to heat and humidity, is covered in a layer of mold and dust. Each step on it produces a creaking sound. I try turning on the incandescent bulb, but it doesn’t light up.

There are even more “surprises” awaiting us as we step inside. The water in the toilet tank fills up slowly, and it makes a gurgling noise when flushed. The window glass is cracked, resembling a spider’s web.

The sole good news is that the signal of the landline phone at the health center is quite stable. Using his phone’s contact list, Victor dials the insurance company.

They inform us that they will come to rescue us and the boat once the seafaring is no longer affected. At that time, they will contact this phone number again.

As Victor wraps up the phone call, I have already prepared the cleaning tools and solemnly hand him a mask.

MC: Comrade Victor, it seems that our transformation task is very demanding!

Casting a brief glance my way, Victor rolls up his sleeves and takes out a screwdriver from the toolbox.

Victor: Does it scare you?

MC: Absolutely not! With the hardworking and wise CEO Victor at my side, why would I be scared?

MC: Let’s get to work!

As I go from scrubbing the floor to changing bed sheets and pillowcases, I gradually feel like I have turned into a cleaning robot.

In the meantime, Victor takes apart the light bulbs and rewires the filaments, restores the pieces of furniture that are still usable, and even goes through the process of repairing the electrical circuitry in the house.

By the time we’ve finally renovated the health center to a state that people can actually live in, the setting sun outside the window has long dipped below the sea surface.

As I lean back and topple onto the one-person hospital bed, to my surprise, I immediately hear an ominous creaking sound coming from beneath me.

Before I can react, the wheels at the bottom of the begin to roll, causing both the bed and me lying on it to move backward––

MC: ?!

A hand grabs onto the bed rail at its head, forcing it to a stop. As I lift my head, true to my expectations, I am met with the sight of a Victor with knitted brows.

Victor: …

MC: …ahem, this bed is surprisingly fun. CEO Victor, would you like to give it a try?

Victor: Indeed, it’s quite entertaining. Maybe I should build a track for you, and I bet a certain someone can ride the bed from the health center all the way to the sea.

I make a face at him and bend down to close the valve next to the wheels. Then, Victor and I each lay down on our respective beds.

After a long period of hustle and fatigue, we certainly both are in need of a thorough rest.

I nestle under the makeshift bedsheet that serves as a thin blanket, almost wishing to never wake up once I fall asleep. However, as soon as I close my eyes, the sound of rain reaches my ears from outside. 

The torrential raindrops relentlessly pound against the roof tiles and awning, creating the reminiscence of war drums on a summer island beating against me.

My sleepiness is entirely vanquished by the joint assault of rainwater and roof tiles, ultimately leading to a complete and utter defeat. 

In a daze, I open my eyes and habitually reach for my phone tucked under the pillow. It’s already 2 a.m.

Since I don’t have any sleepiness anyway, I simply decide to hold onto my phone, which has no signal or internet, and start flipping through my photo album.

From the sights we’ve shared together, to the fine delicacies cooked by Victor, and onto the little animals gravitating around him…

I find myself being so enthralled as I delve into the photos that I have completely forgotten about my insomnia. Whenever I come across something interesting, I excitedly turn over and delve deeper.

At this moment, the bed beside me makes a creaking sound. And with the dim light of my phone, I see Victor sitting up.

MC: Huh, you’re still not asleep?

Victor: I’m not so dull that I won’t be able to hear the sound of a certain someone tossing and turning.

Victor walks over and sits at the edge of my little bed.

Victor: I’m not feeling sleepy yet. I’ll keep you company for a bit.

As the screen of the idle phone gradually dims, fading into a dark and somber hue, Victor’s outline also slowly dissolves into obscurity.

Amid the darkness, just as I shift slightly to the side, his warmth instantly draws closer.

His long, slender, and toned body presses against mine, as Victor leans against the edge of the bed, squeezing into the cramped space of the tiny bed with me.

–

[Anika’s Notes]: Haha, I love how MC calls the bed “小小床” (xiao xiao chuang), really emphasizing how small it really is LOL *cries in their inability to sleep a single night apart* 🥺

–

The bed creaks under the weight, apparently struggling to bear our combined load. His arm comes around me, embracing my back.

Victor: Why are you still not sleeping?

MC: [coquettishly]  It’s my first time spending the night in a health center, so I’ve not adapted to it yet. And the sound of the rain on the roof is so noisy!

MC: I feel like I need someone to coax me to sleep~

Victor’s arm clasps me deeper into him, letting my face rest snugly against his chest.

Victor: Dummy…

Victor: If the sound of the rain is bothersome, just listen to my breathing. Don’t let your mind wander anywhere else.

In the dimness of the night, I can clearly hear his breathing. It sets off an uneven and erratic rhythm in my heart.

He is so close… so close.

The proximity is such that even the slightest movement causes our skin to graze against each other, sending tingles of sensation through me. It’s so close that his lips, when opening and closing, brush against my ear from time to time.

I try not to let my imagination run wild, but I feel that tingling sensation from my ear spreading to my cheeks.

Victor gently pats my back, and t͟h͟e͟ s͟o͟u͟n͟d͟ o͟f͟ h͟i͟s͟ v͟o͟i͟c͟e͟ c͟a͟s͟c͟a͟d͟e͟s͟ d͟o͟w͟n͟ u͟p͟o͟n͟ m͟e͟ l͟i͟k͟e͟ d͟r͟i͟f͟t͟i͟n͟g͟ d͟a͟n͟d͟e͟l͟i͟o͟n͟s͟, bringing with it a soft and tingling sensation.

Victor: Is this method not effective?

MC: It’s very effective. I’m already feeling more relaxed.

Victor: So why are you staring with your eyes wide open instead of sleeping? What mischievous thoughts are you up to?

MC: It’s not that easy to fall asleep, okay… How about we play a little bedtime game?

Victor: …insatiable.

The freshly dried quilt cover has no trace of detergent scent, allowing Victor’s warm breath to permeate through it––

Akin to a tiny hook, it entices me to draw closer, pressing myself against him.

MC: Or else, let me just soak up some of that “Victor energy.”

With these words, I extend my hand under the covers and wrap my arms around him, simultaneously tilting my head up and nuzzling my cheek against his chin.

Victor allows me to s͟h͟o͟w͟e͟r͟ h͟i͟m͟ w͟i͟t͟h͟ k͟i͟s͟s͟e͟s͟ a͟n͟d͟ g͟e͟n͟t͟l͟e͟ r͟u͟b͟s͟, until the sleep bugs slowly cast a veil of moist and warm haze before my eyes.

I close my eyes and curl up against his chest, longingly and fondly.

Victor: Sleepy?

I initially wanted to deny it, but a sly idea sparks in my mind, and I pretend to be drowsy as I reply.

MC: Mhm… a little…

With my eyes closed, I snuggle closer and plant a kiss on the nape of his neck before nestling my head back down, pretending to be in a sleepy state.

Victor: …but I’m not sleepy anymore.

I hear Victor take a deep breath, somewhat helplessly brushing away the stray strands of hair from my face.

Following this, a soft and warm touch falls at the corner of my lips.

MC: [blushing]  Ngh…

Pretending to be drowsy, I tilt my head slightly, positioning myself so his kiss lands precisely on my lips.

Victor: …

His breath falters momentarily, then transforms into a knowing and husky exhale.

Victor: Your acting isn’t bad.

The softness on my lips slightly intensifies, prying open the space between my teeth and transmitting a dry and warm heat.

I͟ f͟e͟e͟l͟ a͟s͟ i͟f͟ V͟i͟c͟t͟o͟r͟ h͟a͟s͟ p͟e͟e͟l͟e͟d͟ o͟f͟f͟ t͟h͟e͟ t͟h͟i͟n͟ l͟a͟y͟e͟r͟ o͟f͟ t͟u͟l͟l͟e͟, opening my moist eyes and crashing into his intent gaze on me. I deliberately pout my lips at him.

MC: [blushing]  What do you mean… where was I acting…

Victor: Hmm, so you were not acting? Were you playing, then?

Knowing his intentions, I press myself closer to him, lovingly using my lips to lightly brush against the corner of his mouth.

MC: I thought… the game had already begun.

Victor lets out a knowing smile. Following this, h͟e͟ b͟e͟n͟d͟s͟ h͟i͟s͟ h͟e͟a͟d͟ s͟l͟i͟g͟h͟t͟l͟y͟ a͟n͟d͟ p͟l͟a͟n͟t͟s͟ a͟ s͟e͟n͟s͟a͟t͟i͟o͟n͟ o͟f͟ p͟r͟e͟d͟a͟t͟o͟r͟y͟ p͟a͟i͟n͟ o͟n͟ m͟y͟ c͟h͟e͟s͟t͟.

Victor: That’s true.

Victor: This game will continue for a long time, and…

His voice is so irresistibly alluring to me that I͟ c͟a͟n͟’t͟ h͟e͟l͟p͟ m͟y͟s͟e͟l͟f͟ f͟r͟o͟m͟ c͟l͟i͟m͟b͟i͟n͟g͟ u͟p͟ a͟n͟d͟ f͟i͟l͟l͟i͟n͟g͟ e͟v͟e͟r͟y͟ r͟e͟m͟a͟i͟n͟i͟n͟g͟ c͟r͟e͟v͟i͟c͟e͟ w͟i͟t͟h͟ k͟i͟s͟s͟e͟s͟.

MC: [blushing]  And what?

Victor: When it ends is up to me to decide.

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

—

【Chapter 3】

[Anika’s Notes]: Yeah, mark the euphemism in MC’s very first monologue here, and you’ll see what she really meant later on LMAO 🤪

–

C͟o͟n͟s͟i͟d͟e͟r͟i͟n͟g͟ t͟h͟e͟ i͟n͟t͟e͟n͟s͟e͟ r͟a͟i͟n͟f͟a͟l͟l͟ w͟e͟ h͟a͟d͟ l͟a͟s͟t͟ n͟i͟g͟h͟t͟, I͟ i͟n͟i͟t͟i͟a͟l͟l͟y͟ t͟h͟o͟u͟g͟h͟t͟ t͟h͟a͟t͟ t͟o͟d͟a͟y͟ w͟o͟u͟l͟d͟ b͟e͟ a͟ l͟i͟t͟t͟l͟e͟ c͟o͟o͟l͟e͟r͟.

Much to my surprise, even at noon, the sizzling hot and humid summer air persists over the sea surface.

Sitting at the edge of the deck, I hold a glass of chilled water and dip my feet into the seawater. The refreshing contrast in temperature compels me to sigh contentedly.

MC: Ha–– sure enough, being on the sea surface is the coziest thing during summer.

This morning, Victor requested the village chief for help in refueling our boat. After that, we sailed the boat to the coastal waters from where we could see the village.

MC: [musing to herself]  The sea, the fishing village, the sunshine… it would be even better if Victor were here.

Victor: I’ve only been in the water for ten minutes, and a certain someone already couldn’t wait any longer?

Just as I m͟u͟r͟m͟u͟r͟ h͟i͟s͟ n͟a͟m͟e͟ t͟o͟ m͟y͟s͟e͟l͟f͟, a spray of water blooms at my feet–– and there is Victor, floating up.

He takes off his diving cap and slicks back his damp hair. His entire being exudes a nonchalant charm.

A touch of a smile plays at the corner of his lips, r͟e͟m͟i͟n͟i͟s͟c͟e͟n͟t͟ o͟f͟ t͟h͟e͟ b͟r͟e͟a͟k͟i͟n͟g͟ o͟f͟ d͟a͟w͟n͟ o͟n͟ t͟h͟e͟ s͟e͟a͟’s͟ h͟o͟r͟i͟z͟o͟n͟, making me unable to help myself from squinting my eyes and fixing my gaze upon him.

Beads of seawater coalesce into droplets on his handsome cheeks, reflecting the dazzling sunlight and shimmering gorgeously.

MC: Isn’t it because I want to share the scenery above the sea surface with you?

MC: What was it like on your end? Is the underwater scenery here beautiful?

Victor: It’s alright. The water isn’t as crystal clear as in tourist spots, but there are plenty of shells being cultivated by pearl farmers underwater.

He leverages his body onto the boat and sits down beside me.

Victor: Once you finish enjoying your luxurious iced water, let’s go together to collect shells underwater.

MC: Huh? It wouldn’t be appropriate to collect someone else’s shells without permission…

Victor: You dummy, I’ve already talked to the village chief about it.

Victor: We accidentally ended up on this White Pearl Island. If you don’t participate in the “unique activities” that you like, would you be willing to return?

MC: You’re right. Then I should hurry and get in the water before it gets too hot!

I down the water in one gulp and bring the diving suit over, getting ready to change into it.

Victor: And this one, too. Don’t forget about it.

Victor reaches out and picks up the goggles that are set aside, but as he hands them to me, his eyebrows involuntarily knit together for a moment.

MC: What’s wrong? Are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere?

Victor: It’s probably because my back got scraped when I was under the water. It hurts a little.

MC: Huh? Why didn’t you say anything earlier? Show it to me, quick!

–

I promptly ask Victor to take off his diving suit and carefully examine him from all sides, finding large patches of dark red sunburn marks scattered all over his body.

MC: And you always call me a dummy? How could you be so careless? It’s not a scrape; it’s sunburn!

Victor: …

A rarely-seen expression of embarrassment appears on Victor’s face, but he swiftly regains his usual composure.

Victor: …I’m not such a dummy that I’d forget to put on sunscreen. It’s probably that the magnetic storm is affecting the UV rays, so the sun is stronger than usual.

MC: Humph, sophistry. Luckily, I brought some medication. You wait here!

As I speak, I squeeze out an amount of ointment and rub it onto a patch of red mark on Victor’s body, using my fingertip to spread it in circular motions.

MC: [affectionately]  If not treated promptly, sunburns can leave lasting marks. You have to wait for the cream to be fully absorbed like this.  

MC: [affectionate business-like tone]  CEO Victor did not take sun protection seriously this time. You must remember my notes properly.

Victor: Do you usually use this tone when giving feedback to your employees?

MC: I certainly do not. I’m just like you. This “small stove with a gentle fire” approach is reserved only for you.

—

[Tidbits]: The term MC uses here is 温火小灶 (wen huo xiao zao). It’s an idiomatic phrase used to describe a situation where someone is receiving preferential treatment or special privileges– the kind of partiality or preference you naturally tend to have for someone you love/ care for. I decided to do the literal translation here instead of a sophisticated one because of the innuendo later, haha~ 🤪

—

Due to Victor’s resolve to work out all year round, every muscle on his body has reached its prime condition. His skin is toned, and it’s silky smooth to the touch.

The red sunburn marks on his skin now have created the resemblance to a piece of white satin fabric being dyed red.

I can’t help but apply the cream with even gentler movements, massaging along the curves of his muscles to minimize any pain caused by the rubbing of the medication.

Victor breathes in gently as his muscles tense in response to the touch of my wandering fingertips, their texture moist and supple.

His skin already has a faint reddish tint due to sun exposure, but after applying the cream, it takes on a radiant sheen under the light, tempting me to keep touching further.

A hot and humid air lingers between us, perhaps causing some slight tingling sensation. His breathing seems slightly constricted.

Victor: …that’s enough.

MC: No, it’s not! I’ve only applied the ointment to one spot; I need to treat the other parts properly as well!

With a deadpan tone, I make him pull down the diving suit from his chest, revealing his neck and chest, which now have a reddish hue from the sunburn.

–

[Anika’s Notes]: Before we get into it, LMAO, I swear MC’s fetish for Victor’s Adam’s apple (and especially knowing he’s sensitive there), every freaking time, is something else entirely 😂

–

There is a slight redness at his Adam’s apple. And watching his subtle resistance, a wicked idea arises within me.

As I reach out and apply the ointment with my hand, my fingertips gently caress his Adam’s apple at the same time.

Victor’s Adam’s apple quivers slightly, and a raspy moan he’s unable to hold in escapes through his teeth.

Victor: Trying to mess around again?

Victor seizes my mischievous hand and runs his curled finger pad over my fingertips, silently questioning me with his eyes.

MC: [blushing]  No, I just thought that it would make you more comfortable this way.

I shamelessly make up a twisted excuse, but Victor narrows his eyes and studies me for a moment. Then suddenly, he curves his lips into a smile and clasps my hand, bringing it to his chest and caressing it.

MC: [blushing]  !!

The unforeseen sensation of smooth touch seeps into my hand, carrying the fiery heat that uniquely belongs to summer. I can’t help but let out a small gasp of surprise.

Victor: This way, I’ll be more comfortable.

MC: [blushing]  But…

Victor: Are you planning to treat different parts in different ways?

Victor narrows his eyes slightly, and his deep gaze carries an air of someone in complete control. My competitive spirit can’t help but surge.

MC: [blushing]  N-no, I won’t. I’ll make sure to carefully and thoroughly smear it onto every single part.

Taking the initiative, my fingertips spontaneously roam across his chest. And as the cream gradually melts with the warmth of his body, it becomes slightly sticky.

MC: [blushing]  Stop fidgeting. The cream is all over me now… it’s so sticky…

T͟h͟e͟ s͟a͟l͟t͟y͟ a͟r͟o͟m͟a͟ o͟f͟ t͟h͟e͟ s͟e͟a͟ p͟e͟r͟m͟e͟a͟t͟e͟s͟ t͟h͟e͟ k͟i͟s͟s͟e͟s͟, a͟n͟d͟ I͟ m͟u͟r͟m͟u͟r͟ i͟n͟c͟o͟h͟e͟r͟e͟n͟t͟l͟y͟.

Victor: All I can say is that… a certain dummy is just as careless.

Victor’s eyes are reminiscent of ocean waves beneath the blazing sun, passionately and fiercely locked onto me.

Victor: If it gets rubbed onto you, just let it be so.

Victor: Since the “small stove with a gentle fire” approach is reserved only for me, I’m sure the Big Producer won’t mind going through the process again later. 

The sunlight brings waves of heat onto the deck, while the tide continues to swell, lifting the boat higher and higher.

The boat glides like a nimble fish, swaying its body amidst the splashes of white foam created by the churning waves and producing the sound of crashing water.

Ripples spread out in circles, gradually expanding across the surface of the sea.

—

[Anika’s Notes]: LMAO the water euphemisms, no wonder Victor’s key word was “Moist.” Also, their energy LOL. Last night was gentle “love making” ft. biting on MC’s nips, among other things, and the next day was rough fcking ft. givin’ him head, among other things 🤪

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

—

【Chapter 4】

[Anika’s Notes]: Mark the very first monologue here, too, cause the euphemism will be given the explicit visual later on LOL~ 🤪

—

T͟h͟e͟r͟e͟’s͟ b͟e͟e͟n͟ f͟r͟e͟q͟u͟e͟n͟t͟ r͟a͟i͟n͟f͟a͟l͟l͟ d͟u͟r͟i͟n͟g͟ t͟h͟e͟ d͟a͟y͟ a͟n͟d͟ n͟i͟g͟h͟t͟ o͟n͟ W͟h͟i͟t͟e͟ P͟e͟a͟r͟l͟ I͟s͟l͟a͟n͟d͟ r͟e͟c͟e͟n͟t͟l͟y͟. A͟n͟d͟ f͟o͟r͟ s͟e͟v͟e͟r͟a͟l͟ c͟o͟n͟s͟e͟c͟u͟t͟i͟v͟e͟ d͟a͟y͟s͟, i͟t͟’s͟ b͟e͟e͟n͟ p͟o͟u͟r͟i͟n͟g͟ h͟e͟a͟v͟i͟l͟y͟ d͟u͟r͟i͟n͟g͟ t͟h͟e͟ n͟i͟g͟h͟t͟t͟i͟m͟e͟.

The rain at night, complemented by the sea breeze, is extraordinarily tranquil. And during these sleepless nights, Victor and I find ourselves engrossed in lengthy conversations, naturally resulting in us sleeping until noon.

…well, to be more accurate, I’m the one primarily responsible for letting nature take its course and dawdling in bed.

On occasions, by the time I wake up, Victor is already fully prepared and informs me about the plans for the new day.

Sometimes, we would dive into the water and swim under the gentle caress of the waves. Other times, we would wander hand in hand, exploring the desolate and peaceful stretches of the beach.

However, today is a bit different. When I wake up, I happen to be greeted by the sight of Victor carrying several large bags into the courtyard.

MC: Eh, did you go shopping?

Intrigued, I open the bags to take a look inside, only to find that they are filled with a variety of fresh vegetables, fish, and shrimp.

Victor: Today, we have something new in the plan.

I don’t know how, but somehow Victor has procured a bicycle. After he hangs the bags on the handlebars, he pats the back seat, gesturing me to hop on.

Victor: The village chief has arranged a suitable vacant kitchen space for us. Get on the bicycle first. 

His words pique my curiosity. I carefully circle my arms around his waist, and under Victor’s control, the bicycle steadily glides along the unfamiliar road.

–

The narrow path is incredibly rough, and the unevenly paved road occasionally causes the bicycle to jolt violently.

MC: V-Victor, can you go a bit slower?

Victor: Relax the hand that’s clamping down my stomach a little, and I’ll consider it.

Victor frees one hand and pats my hand that is wrapped around his waist.

Victor: You’ve already experienced my bicycle driving skills last year. Are you still not confident?

MC: …pfff, CEO Victor sure does hold grudges well. How do you even remember such details?

Victor: It’s only that I just can’t forget that silly expression on a certain someone’s face before getting on the bicycle back then.

MC: Hehe, although I’ve already experienced it, this time, it’s an advanced version of the track with a higher level of difficulty…

The sea breeze sweeps through, as if bringing the sound of the waves crashing along the coast where we rode last year to my ears, while simultaneously carrying our synchronized laughter even farther away.

–

[Tidbits]: Refresher- a big callback to the dual proposal date, i.e., the Love Pledge Date on EN~ ❣️

–

At the end of the narrow path stands a small, white lighthouse, resembling a tiny chess piece amidst the vast blue sea.

MC: Could it be that the kitchen you mentioned is inside this lighthouse?

Victor nods and, with one hand holding mine and the other pushing the bicycle, walks towards the opened door of the lighthouse.

—

Victor: The magnetic storm is not over yet, so the village’s boats are unable to sail too far. The original caretaker of the lighthouse has returned to the village for a break, so the kitchen here is temporarily available.

Victor: When you first arrived on this White Pearl Island, didn’t you want me to personally cook a seafood feast for you?

Victor: This place is just right for us. No matter how much fuss we make and loud we are, it won’t disturb anyone else.

The corners of my lips can’t help but turn up wildly. I pounce on Victor and lock him in a big bear hug.

MC: Yippee, then it’s time for me to show off my skills!

I find a brand-new apron in one of the bags and skillfully fasten it around Victor, smoothing out any wrinkles.

MC: Chef, what tasks do you need your Sous Chef to fulfill?

Victor arches an eyebrow, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. He takes out a few vegetables from the bags and hands them to me.

Victor: Well, let’s begin with washing the vegetables.

MC: Sure thing~

As we finish washing each vegetable that pairs well with seafood, their leaves are now adorned with shimmering water droplets, reflecting a brilliant sparkle.

When the ingredients for the dishes are almost prepared and only waiting to be cooked, I walk over to Victor with my hands swinging behind my back.

The view of his figure from behind remains as poised and graceful as ever. He seems as if what he’s standing before is not a rustic clay stove, but the back kitchen of Souvenir.

Just as I’m about to lean over and peek into the pot, Victor blocks me with his arm.

MC: Don’t be so stingy! Could this be some secret recipe that I’m not allowed to know?

Victor: …there’s nothing that you can’t know, but I have another task to assign to you now.

As if he’s long been prepared, Victor somehow pulls out a list from his apron pocket and hands it to me.

A little confused, I take it from him and find that it’s a list of materials, listing items such as rubber pads and sponges.

Victor: I asked the village chief before coming here, and these materials we need are stocked upstairs. Let's get them ready beforehand, and we’ll have use of them when we get back to the health center.

Looking at his sincere expression, I forget about any teasing intentions and nod in response.

MC: Alright, leave it to me.

–

I rummage through the second floor of the lighthouse. Once I’ve found and readied all the materials we need, I swing open the door leading to the first floor.

The next second, a dense plume of pungent smoke rushes into the room, instantly clouding my vision.

MC: Cough, cough–– what’s going on? Is there a fire?! Victor!

Amidst the billowing smoke and intense heat, I hurriedly run down the stairs skipping every few steps, only to find that the first floor is also consumed by rolling clouds of dense smoke.

With a strenuous effort, after I’ve managed to push open the door to the lighthouse, I hear Victor’s unhurried voice coming from behind me.

Victor: I’m here.

–

As the smoke dissipates, it becomes evident that there is no fire inside the room. Victor is calmly seated at the dinner table, with a dish already prepared and placed on the table.

Upon seeing that he is unharmed, I shift my attention to the dish waiting on the table.

The dish is vibrant and delectable, skillfully plated with precision, showcasing his usual level of expertise.

If one overlooks the lingering smoke in the room and the smudges of ash on his face, everything appears to be the same as usual.

Nevertheless, the present situation is undeniably bizarre, leading me to narrow my eyes in suspicion.

MC: Victor, what happened?

Victor stays silent for a brief moment before pointing towards the clay stove in the kitchen, where the firewood is still burning.

Victor: I…  [breaks into a short coughing fit and still sounds adorable]  cough, cough––

Just as he is about to speak, the smoke causes him to choke, and he bends over in a coughing fit. After a while, he finally speaks in a rather peculiar tone.

Victor: The stove got damaged.

MC: …?

Victor: I’m being serious. It’s damaged.

Taking a brief look at the smoke billowing from the firewood and the partially charred wall, I roughly have a grasp of what must’ve happened here.

Seeing how calm and collected Victor was, I had assumed he had already grasped the technique of burning firewood. I never expected to witness such a scene of disaster.

MC: …cough, well, it’s a bit unfortunate. But CEO Victor still perfectly completed his cooking, didn’t he?

With the spirit of not ruining the mood, I suppress my laughter and pick up my chopsticks to take a bite.

As the fish slides into my mouth, it brings with it the freshness and tenderness of the ocean. My eyes can’t help but lighten up.

MC: Despite a minor hiccup, Chef Victor’s cooking is still incredibly delicious!

Victor: The quantity and ingredients used are the same as I calculated, so the taste shouldn’t deviate too much.

MC: You’ve worked hard. Now you take a break while I go and prepare a dish for us to try.

As I walk towards the stove while recalling the firewood-burning techniques I had previously learned, Victor suddenly grabs my hand.

Victor: …you sit here and wait for a bit. I’ll go and clean the pot.

The smudges of ashes on his face make his typically concealed emotions more prominent. He seems to be a bit… embarrassed?

Victor’s complete deviation from his usual demeanor sparks a “rebellious” impulse within me.

MC: I’ll do it, I’ll do it. Chef Victor can sit back and enjoy some well-deserved rest. Go and wait to savor a seafood feast.

Without waiting for him to stop me, I have already lifted the pot lid skeptically.

Victor seems to take a short breath, and I find myself nailed to the spot in surprise.

A half-pot of charred and unidentifiable food clings to the edges of the stove. I can’t help but widen my eyes and look at Victor, who has a slight furrow on his brows.

He loosens his hold on my hand, and his gaze shifts from the pot to my face, his expression subtly composed.

Victor: I…

MC: You…

Victor: Never mind. As you can see, it was indeed a failed cooking attempt.

Victor: I have never used a cauldron before, so I made a mistake in my calculation. Go ahead and laugh if you want to.

MC: Pfftt, HAHAHAHAHA…

Granted a special pardon, I can’t help but burst into laughter, and it takes me a while before I can stand up straight again.

MC: It was your first time using a clay stove, and it’s perfectly normal to struggle with controlling the heat at the first attempt. I’m sure I would have done even worse than you.

Victor: “Even worse than me”?

Feigning ignorance, I clear my throat and lean in close to him, smiling as I gaze into his eyes.

MC: Looking at this from this angle, CEO Victor still has excellent foresight.

MC: If something like this happened in the village, everyone would think it was a fire. Luckily, there is no one around here.

Victor: The precondition of this “luckily” is that your attempt also doesn’t turn into an accident.

MC: Okay. But if I do stir up trouble, I’m sure CEO Victor won’t just stand by and do nothing, will he?

Victor’s expression softens as he takes the cauldron from me, which I’ve strained to lift.

Victor: Dummy… instead of overthinking, why don’t you think about how we can clean this cauldron together?

So, after thoroughly cleaning the pot, arranging the firewood, and tidying up the stove, I change the placement of the firewood and light it. This time, there is no plume of black smoke.

Victor: …you know how to burn firewood?

MC: When we were filming the countryside program before, I learned from the villagers that the positioning of firewood is crucial for proper ventilation.

MC: It’s coming in handy now. It feels like my previous learning wasn’t in vain after all.

A soft chuckle reaches my ears. Victor leans over, watching me.

Victor: A certain someone’s curious nature does indeed come in handy in moments like these.

MC: CEO Victor, are you not curious about the secret of setting up firewood?

Victor: If I say I am, will your chin soar to the sky?

MC: Just a little bit, definitely not that high.

Victor squints his eyes at me and gives a slow nod.

Victor: Go on then. Tell me about it.

MC: Well, let me hear you address me as “teacher” first.

Victor: …

An expression of being rendered speechless emerges on Victor’s face, and he stares at me with the look of “Are you a dummy” written across his countenance.

I can’t resist the urge to curve my lips upward, signaling my surrender.

MC: Alright then, if you address me as “Chef MC,” that will do too~

With a half smile on his face, Victor points at the cauldron in front of us.

Victor: Chef MC, your pot is about to burn.

MC: …!

MC: AHHHHH, don’t just stand there! Come and help, Victor!

In the end, before the ingredients run out, we eventually manage to prepare a dinner sufficient for two people.

Looking at the painstakingly prepared meal on the table, I even feel moved.

MC: It was really a challenge… but given that I got to witness CEO Victor’s culinary mishap for once, it was not a total loss~

Victor: You seem more thrilled about watching me make a mishap than you would be about eating pudding.

MC: Well, it’s not like I’ve seen you make so many cooking mistakes before…

Victor looks at me helplessly and shakes his head, laughing in spite of himself.

Victor: You’re right. I really can’t remember when was the last time I was this frantic and flustered.

MC: But to be honest, I think it’s rather nice this way.

MC: Today is a teensy bit less perfect than yesterday, but tomorrow will be a teensy bit more perfect than today.

MC: Each day brings something unique, and that’s what brings more freshness. I love that I get to see a novel version of you this way.

I reach out and circle my arms around Victor’s shoulders, brushing off the ash on his face with my fingertips. Then, I plant a kiss on the corner of his lips.

MC: See! Today I kissed Victor who didn’t even realize he had smudges of ash on his face~

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

—

【Chapter 5】

After dinner, we take our time to clean up the mess in the lighthouse before returning to the village.

Victor leads me along the stainless steel ladder, and together we climb up to the roof of the health center.

With the hottest hours of the day behind us, the sea breeze at dusk gently caresses us, carrying a slight salty moisture.

Watching as he puts together the sponges and rubber pads, my curiosity prompts me to speak.

MC: Sponges… rubber pads… it looks like you’re setting up a recording studio!

Just as these words leave my mouth, a realization suddenly dawns on me.

MC: Are you planning to add a soundproofing layer on the roof?

Victor: Not too slow. I don’t want a certain someone to toss and turn all night when it rains and end up looking like a panda the next day.

MC: Hehe, in that case, I’ll lend a helping hand too.

With a smile on my face, I take out the tools from the toolbox and help Victor set the soundproofing layer.

MC: I never imagined that you would not only know how to repair light bulbs and water tanks, but also be skilled in putting together wooden furniture and even installing soundproofing.

MC: It just feels like there’s nothing you can’t do. You’re so incredibly extraordinary, yet you always call yourself an ordinary person.

Victor: But on the flip side, there are things at times that many people can do, but I find myself not knowing how to do them.

Thinking back to the dinner experience, I can’t help but tug at the corners of my lips and look at him with an act of being very much in earnest.

MC: Indeed, there’s still more to learn when it comes to using a clay stove.

MC: But that’s actually great. Since coming to this village, I get to see a new side of Victor every single day.

V͟i͟c͟t͟o͟r͟’s͟ h͟a͟n͟d͟ r͟e͟a͟c͟h͟e͟s͟ o͟u͟t͟, t͟h͟e͟ b͟a͟c͟k͟ o͟f͟ h͟i͟s͟ h͟a͟n͟d͟ b͟r͟u͟s͟h͟i͟n͟g͟ a͟g͟a͟i͟n͟s͟t͟ t͟h͟e͟ s͟w͟e͟a͟t͟ d͟r͟o͟p͟l͟e͟t͟s͟ o͟n͟ t͟h͟e͟ t͟i͟p͟ o͟f͟ m͟y͟ n͟o͟s͟e͟, his voice infused with a smile.

Victor: If that’s the case, I have it easier then. Even without having to be here, I get to see a new side of a certain dummy every single day.

MC: Humph, it’s not like I don’t know how to do anything. Do I really make mistakes that often?

Victor: It’s all thanks to your imagination. You always manage to create unexpected stumbling blocks for yourself.

After Victor has finished setting up the last piece of the soundproofing layer, we organize the tools and do a quick cleanup.

Once everything is done, w͟e͟ l͟e͟a͟n͟ b͟a͟c͟k͟ a͟n͟d͟ l͟a͟y͟ d͟o͟w͟n͟ o͟n͟ t͟h͟e͟ s͟l͟a͟n͟t͟e͟d͟ t͟i͟l͟e͟d͟ r͟o͟o͟f͟.

The rays of the setting sun bathe us in its glow, outlining our figures with shades of depth and shallowness reminiscent of the sea’s undulations.

MC: After a day of hustling, taking a rest feels exceptionally comfortable.

Victor: Mhm, the moment right now, it’s very lovely.

From the rooftop, we gaze into the distance, all the way to the far-off horizon. As far as our eyes can see, everything is bathed in the resplendent hues of the setting sun.

The enormous sunset is making its leisurely descent beneath the sea, marking the end of yet another day.

 Everything in this small fishing village unfolds slowly; even the sunset that flits by in an instant in the city seems elongated as if captured in a slow-motion sequence.

MC: I never could have imagined that I would be experiencing life with you in a completely unfamiliar fishing village like this.

MC: I often feel as though this period of time is like a dream.

Victor: We’ve been to different villages and islands in the past. What’s different this time?

I tilt my face to the side and watch him, the twilight casting a golden shade along his jawline.

MC: Even though the previous trips were relaxing, I would always put myself in the shoes of a tourist.

MC: I knew I didn’t belong there because the trips would eventually come to an end, and you and I would return to the familiar rhythm of our work and daily life.

MC: But this time, the magnetic storm has made the date will come sooner or later uncertain.

Victor: Yeah, I know.

Victor: Occasionally, I also have fleeting moments where I get the impression that this is how we were truly meant to live.

MC: Moments such as?

Victor: When cooking, collecting pearls, tidying up the room… in many occasions like that.

Victor’s voice seems as if it’s imbued with twilight, radiating a warm aura.

Victor: Once you are uncertain about what becomes of tomorrow, the weight of being a tourist vanishes.

Victor: So, occasionally being able to experience a life like this–– I quite like it.

MC: I feel the same way too. This is really great.

I shift back, letting my ears be filled with that familiar heartbeat.

MC: Here, we don’t need to worry about the company’s profits and losses, and there’s no pursuit of wealth and fame.

MC: You’re not the CEO of LFG, and I’m not some producer either. I don’t have to secretly worry about you shooting down my proposals.

I hear Victor’s deep chuckle echoing behind me, reaching my ears.

Victor: It sounds like the last part is the main point here. A certain someone just outright said that she could laze around and not have to work here.

MC: That’s not the main point.

Victor: What is it then?

MC: The main point is… I genuinely love this alien yet fascinating life in the fishing village, and the fact that I’m sharing this life with you.

MC: Here, we solve each other’s various small and big troubles that crop up in our daily lives––

MC: Together, we stumble on trivial matters, learn how to solve them, and finally reap the rewards––

MC: And also, “play” together with interesting activities...

My voice softens as the sea breeze whisks away the trailing echoes, guiding our eyes to interlock.

Victor: It goes beyond that.

Victor: This village’s more significant appeal to me is in the feeling that it’s simultaneously small and vast in its essence.

MC: How so?

Victor: Because if I want to find a certain dummy, I can walk through the entire village in less than half an hour.

Victor: But when we want to explore the world beyond, the entire ocean unfolds before us.

His pupils are dyed with the fiery colors of the sunset, transforming into a valley of such depth that they fail my ability to capture in words at this moment.

We gaze at each other for a long, long time, neither of us saying anything, as if the world contains only the two of us––

Lasting for so long that I believed even the setting sun would descend between our locked gazes, sprinkling stars into our eyes.

A soft laugh can’t help but escape my lips as I reach out, resting my hand on Victor’s neck once again.

MC: Since we arrived in this village, I feel like our time no longer belongs to this world.

MC: It’s as if it is a creation of you and me. And only because of us, the rhythm of time alters, sometimes fast and sometimes slow.

Victor: When does it become fast?

MC: Those times that I don’t like, fraught with difficulties.

MC: Like when we have to deal with the water-soaked floor due to leakage, or when we have to fetch water from the well because the water tank is not working.

MC: Because you’re by my side, these troubles that are unfamiliar to us always pass by quickly.

Memories of those hard-pressed moments seem to resurface for Victor, causing a smile to curve on his lips.

MC: So, that’s when a thought occurred to me.

Victor: And what was that?

MC: If you were truly a fisherman on this island, and I had been living in the city all along, I would have definitely chosen to go out to sea on a certain day.

MC: Then, on a sultry summer day or perhaps a rainy night, I would have found myself stranded on this island, where our paths would have crossed.

MC: At that time, I would have undoubtedly been attracted to the “ordinary fisherman” Victor and become an ordinary fishing village man and wife with you.

MC: What I’m trying to say is, no matter where you are or what kind of person you become, as long as it’s you, our trajectories will eventually converge.

–

[Tidbits]: The term MC uses here is “夫妻” (fuqi), which means “married couple”/ “husband and wife.” So, I wanted to keep the essence of MC’s innermost wish~ 🥺

–

My fingertips twitch, as Victor takes my hand and brings it to his lips, planting a kiss on my index finger.

Victor: I believe that.

Victor: So, no matter which possibility it is, I will be here waiting for you.

Victor: However, it’s never been in my principles to wait around passively. If you don’t come soon, I’ll leave this island.

Victor: No matter what I encounter at sea, I will never look back.

MC: Uh…?

The twilight has already begun to dissipate, and the profound darkness of the night seeps in from behind. The final glimmer of twilight casts its light upon Victor’s eyes.

So warm, so radiant–– it’s as if his eyes hold all the unspoken secrets of blazing fervor.

Then he leans in, personally unveiling this secret with the warmth of his lips.

Victor: My principle is to always continue sailing in one direction, knowing that I will inevitably meet my beloved.

The lingering sunset casts its glow upon us, and the fragmented light and shadows intertwine with our profound love and yearning for each other, all submerging together beneath the sea’s surface.

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

—

【Chapter 5, Interwoven Emotions】

[Tidbits]: This is a bonus chapter (equivalent to the memory silhouette in SP MQs), described in the narrator’s POV, comprising moments before Chapter 4~ 🥺

—

Upon receiving an invitation to the village chief’s residence, Victor arrives to find the village chief standing in the courtyard, holding a flat clay jar in one hand.

Village Chief: Mr. Victor, I have already completed the communication process according to your guidance regarding the marketing of pearl farming you facilitated earlier.

Village Chief: Everything went smoothly, and they have agreed to come for a field assessment after the magnetic storm has passed.

The village chief’s aged and weather-beaten face has a tinge of joyful redness as he presents the case forward.

Village Chief: We are truly grateful to you for guiding the path for our little village. Everyone here feels that you two are the real lucky pearls of our island.

Village Chief: This is the finest pearl from our village, consider it as a token of our gratitude. I hope you won’t find it inadequate.

Having concluded his words, the village chief twists open the jar, revealing its contents to Victor.

Inside the box lays a black pearl that could fetch a lavish price at any auction. It absorbs all the ambient light and radiates its luster in an ethereal manner.

H͟o͟w͟e͟v͟e͟r͟, V͟i͟c͟t͟o͟r͟ d͟o͟e͟s͟n͟’t͟ h͟a͟r͟b͟o͟r͟ a͟n͟y͟ a͟m͟b͟i͟t͟i͟o͟n͟ t͟o͟ t͟r͟a͟n͟s͟f͟o͟r͟m͟ t͟h͟e͟ f͟a͟t͟e͟ o͟f͟ t͟h͟e͟ P͟e͟a͟r͟l͟ V͟i͟l͟l͟a͟g͟e͟ b͟y͟ h͟i͟m͟s͟e͟l͟f͟. H͟e͟ i͟s͟ m͟e͟r͟e͟l͟y͟ a͟ d͟r͟i͟v͟i͟n͟g͟ f͟o͟r͟c͟e͟, c͟a͟r͟r͟y͟i͟n͟g͟ o͟u͟t͟ a͟ m͟o͟d͟e͟s͟t͟ g͟e͟s͟t͟u͟r͟e͟ w͟i͟t͟h͟ l͟i͟t͟t͟l͟e͟ e͟f͟f͟o͟r͟t͟.

Victor: The partnership is a matter of negotiation, and it’s mainly the outcome of the island’s villagers’ dedicated hard work. There is no need for such a precious gift as thanks.

Village Chief: How can that be! You are the great benefactor of our village, and we must properly thank you regardless of what you say.

Victor: Since it’s like this, let’s opt for a simpler way then.

Victor lifts the corners of his lips, forming a gentle smile.

Victor: Currently, there are no long-distance sea journeys in the village, and the lighthouse appears to be unused. I wonder if you’d be able to let us borrow it for a brief period?

There is no reason to refuse, and Victor quickly receives the key sent by the village chief.

Over the past few days, they have been dining on the dishes prepared by the villagers. Thanks to the unique coastal environment, the ingredients are abundantly fresh, resulting in naturally exquisite flavors.

But he also has a desire to try his hand at cooking in the kitchen himself.

I͟t͟’s͟ n͟o͟t͟ o͟n͟l͟y͟ b͟e͟c͟a͟u͟s͟e͟ t͟h͟e͟ c͟o͟o͟k͟i͟n͟g͟ m͟e͟t͟h͟o͟d͟s͟ i͟n͟ t͟h͟e͟ f͟i͟s͟h͟i͟n͟g͟ v͟i͟l͟l͟a͟g͟e͟ a͟r͟e͟ r͟a͟t͟h͟e͟r͟ s͟p͟e͟c͟i͟a͟l͟, b͟u͟t͟ a͟l͟s͟o͟ b͟e͟c͟a͟u͟s͟e͟ h͟e͟ c͟a͟u͟g͟h͟t͟ w͟i͟n͟d͟ o͟f͟ a͟ c͟e͟r͟t͟a͟i͟n͟ d͟u͟m͟m͟y͟’s͟ i͟n͟a͟d͟v͟e͟r͟t͟e͟n͟t͟ w͟i͟s͟h͟.

According to the plan, he purchases the ingredients and makes arrangements for the next steps of his preparations.

–

Underneath the humble clay stove inside the lighthouse, Victor picks up the few remaining pieces of firewood and gives them a pinch.

Dampened by the overnight rain, the pieces of firewood seem to have lost their efficacy as a fuel source.

Victor: …looks like there are more things I need to try than I initially thought.

After selecting a fresh batch of dry wood, he firmly secures one log and raises the axe in his hand.

He tries to smoothly engage his shoulder muscles to sequentially drive the motion in his arms, and then exerts force in a downward strike with his hands.

Due to long years of usage, the handle of the axe has been worn down. The vibrations transferring from the iron head to the wooden handle c͟a͟u͟s͟e͟ h͟i͟s͟ p͟a͟l͟m͟s͟ t͟o͟ s͟l͟i͟g͟h͟t͟l͟y͟ r͟e͟d͟d͟e͟n͟.

After a while, the rough-shaped logs have transformed into evenly sized pieces of firewood, neatly stacked on one side of the woodshed.

Victor takes a look at the time.

Although it’s not as challenging as he thought it would be, there’s still room for improvement.

With the thoughts of a certain dummy who has no idea about his plans, Victor feels a heightened sense of ease about exploring new territories he has never encountered before.

In the past few days, he has purposely observed the villagers’ cooking techniques so that once he has gathered sufficient examples, he will be able to innovate and improve upon them.

He preserves the distinctive essence of the island’s cuisine but m͟a͟k͟e͟s͟ s͟u͟b͟t͟l͟e͟ m͟o͟d͟i͟f͟i͟c͟a͟t͟i͟o͟n͟s͟ t͟o͟ t͟h͟e͟ t͟a͟s͟t͟e͟s͟ t͟o͟ s͟u͟i͟t͟ h͟e͟r͟ p͟r͟e͟f͟e͟r͟r͟e͟d͟ p͟a͟l͟e͟t͟t͟e͟.

The firewood, ingredients, and cooking utensils for the clay stove are all prepared and ready. Right now, all that’s remained is waiting to bring her here.

As Victor takes in the sight of everything before him, a small yet soft smile graces his lips.

Victor: [I AM IN TEARS, HE IS SO JOYED]  It seems that managing the firewood and controlling the heat for the cauldron might not be as challenging as I initially imagined.

And he is also looking forward to seeing what kind of surprises a certain someone will bring to today’s dinner plan.

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

—

【Chapter 6】

We remain in each other’s arms on the rooftop for a long, long time, until the tangy and moist smell of earth quietly creeps in. A few droplets of water fall onto my body, bringing a sense of both temptation and reminder.

Victor releases me and takes my hand instead.

Victor: It’s raining. Let’s go into the room first.

I nod and follow Victor off the rooftop, running through the sprinkling drizzle and into the health center.

It’s only when inside the room that I can truly experience the effectiveness of the soundproofing layer.

The sound of rain, which originally sounded like drum beats, has now transformed into a soft and somewhat muffled tone as it lands onto the soundproofing layer.

We bring the electric fan over to the edge of the bed to alleviate the sultry heat that accompanies the summer rain, relishing in the precious moments of relaxation.

However, this moment of tranquility lasts for even less than half an hour. After numerous tosses and turns due to the sweltering heat, I eventually get up and leave the small bed.

I walk to the refrigerator and fetch a bottle of chilled water, pouring it into two glasses. With a complacent expression, I raise the glasses at Victor. 

MC: Are you hot? Check out what I’ve got!

Exhilarated, I hand him a glass of cold water, while my peripheral vision catches sight of a basin on the floor containing a clean towel soaking in water.

After taking a sip of the iced water, Victor notices my gaze and arches an eyebrow at me.

Victor: Wiping your body will make you feel cooler and more refreshed.

MC: Oh, yeah! How come I didn’t think of that!

I set the glass down and lean closer to Victor with a beaming smile.

MC: But it’s just too hot. I don’t feel like moving at all. What should I do~

Victor: …want me to do the work for you again?

MC: That’s not it! I’m just here, hot’ly seeking “Vi”... umph!

–

[Anika’s Notes]: Uh, this was a tricky translation LOL. MC actually uses a pun on Victor’s name <热来找“李”> (re lai zhao Li), and his first name is under the quote. What she’s doing here is killing two birds with one stone– requesting “Li Zeyan special service” for the wiping. And for the other implied meaning, she states it explicitly later on LMAO 🤪

–

Before I can finish my sentence, the damp towel in Victor’s hand has already been laid on my body.

The sudden coolness causes me to flinch, and I subconsciously arch my waist. But he firmly holds onto my arm.

Victor: Don’t move.

The cold towel sequentially wipes across my face, neck, and arms… leaving behind a trail of cool moisture embracing every inch of my exposed skin.

A slight quiver runs through me. However, after a brief moment of comfort, the dampness clinging to my skin is no longer a source of pleasantness.

A burning thirst, corroded by restlessness, seems to consume every crevice of my body, as if it were seeping out from the cracks in my bones. I yearn for something more indefinable, a need for something intangible that can bring me solace.

MC: [blushing]  Victor…

I call his name with a lingering intonation, yet Victor simply raises his eyebrows in response.

Victor: Turn around. I can’t wipe your back like this.

Humph!

Seeing that Victor isn’t taking my hints, I take matters into my own hands and pick up the water glass, seizing the opportunity to hide a piece of ice in my palm.

MC: [blushing]  Vic—tor—

Victor: What is it–– hiss!

Victor is startled by my sudden attack, causing his eyebrows to jump. But he swiftly recovers and captures my mischief-making hand.

Victor: Why are you always so mischievous?

I sport a bright grin and squeeze the ice cube in my hand, wearing an innocent expression on my face.

MC: I’m very well-behaved, you see.

MC: Aren’t I also helping CEO Victor cool down this way?

I entertain the thought of mounting another sneak attack as I say this. But as soon as I turn my wrist, Victor’s palm clamps me even harder.

Victor: I don’t need this kind of cooling method.

MC: Huh?

Victor: Because I have a more effective approach.

Before I can grasp the meaning behind his words, I feel a sudden tightening around my waist, causing me to be caught off guard and topple backward.

I let out a short gasp of surprise, only to have it immediately silenced as his lips consume mine.

The ice cube in my hand is too cold and slippery, making it impossible for me to keep hold of it. Victor effortlessly snatches it away from me.

T͟h͟e͟ s͟p͟r͟e͟a͟d͟i͟n͟g͟ i͟c͟y͟ w͟a͟t͟e͟r͟ s͟e͟e͟p͟s͟ i͟n͟t͟o͟ o͟u͟r͟ i͟n͟t͟e͟r͟t͟w͟i͟n͟e͟d͟, s͟c͟o͟r͟c͟h͟i͟n͟g͟ b͟o͟d͟i͟e͟s͟, c͟a͟u͟s͟i͟n͟g͟ m͟e͟ r͟e͟f͟l͟e͟x͟i͟v͟e͟l͟y͟ t͟e͟n͟s͟e͟ u͟p͟. Unable to endure it any longer, I blurt out a plea for surrender.

MC: [blushing]  It’s t-t-too cold, I––

Victor: It’s too late for that.

A second cube of ice comes down, along with his kisses.

I almost want to regret the prank I made just moments ago, as I now find myself t͟r͟a͟p͟p͟e͟d͟ i͟n͟ a͟ c͟r͟o͟s͟s͟f͟i͟r͟e͟ o͟f͟ e͟x͟t͟r͟e͟m͟e͟ c͟o͟l͟d͟ a͟n͟d͟ e͟x͟t͟r͟e͟m͟e͟ h͟e͟a͟t͟, unable to move in the slightest.

–

Creak, creak… the fragile hospital bed emits a series of repetitive protests, as it has been repeating often throughout this period.

The curtain next to the small bed sways high in response to our movements, and then descends gently and tenderly, accompanied by the seductive glow of the dusky rays.

Bathed in the soft, intoxicating light and shadows, Victor gazes at me. The sheet loosely draped over him has slid most of the way down, exposing a body that still bears sunburn marks.

He leans down, pressing his entire body against mine. In the unseen space, his searing palm cradles me, lifting me up.

I find myself hooped between him and the narrow bed, with my hand holding the glass forced to be raised high, circling around his back.

V͟i͟c͟t͟o͟r͟ h͟o͟l͟d͟s͟ a͟n͟ i͟c͟e͟ c͟u͟b͟e͟ b͟e͟t͟w͟e͟e͟n͟ h͟i͟s͟ t͟e͟e͟t͟h͟, a͟n͟d͟ t͟h͟e͟ s͟e͟n͟s͟a͟t͟i͟o͟n͟ o͟f͟ c͟o͟o͟l͟n͟e͟s͟s͟ b͟l͟o͟s͟s͟o͟m͟s͟ o͟n͟ m͟y͟ c͟h͟e͟s͟t͟ a͟l͟o͟n͟g͟ w͟i͟t͟h͟ t͟h͟e͟ t͟r͟i͟c͟k͟l͟i͟n͟g͟ w͟a͟t͟e͟r͟ d͟r͟o͟p͟l͟e͟t͟s͟.

MC: [blushing and moaning]  Mmm…!

Shivering, I͟ s͟u͟r͟r͟e͟n͟d͟e͟r͟ m͟y͟s͟e͟l͟f͟ t͟o͟ t͟h͟e͟ t͟o͟u͟c͟h͟ o͟f͟ h͟i͟s͟ l͟i͟p͟s͟ a͟n͟d͟ a͟l͟l͟o͟w͟ h͟i͟m͟ t͟o͟ s͟l͟o͟w͟l͟y͟ g͟l͟i͟d͟e͟ t͟h͟i͟s͟ i͟c͟y͟, w͟e͟t͟ s͟e͟n͟s͟a͟t͟i͟o͟n͟ a͟c͟r͟o͟s͟s͟ m͟y͟ b͟o͟d͟y͟.

And this mildly stinging coldness also impels me to hold him even tighter.

The temperature gradually climbs as our bodies intertwine, intensifying the already intoxicating and enchanting ambiance.

It’s only when the translucent ice has completely melted into an ambiguous tide of water that Victor finally speaks, his voice tinged with a husky tone.

Victor: …still want to provoke me more?

I tilt my face up and stare at him in a daze, finding his eyes radiating with a satisfied and sly glow.

I incline my right hand slightly, and the iced water from the glass spills out, landing on his back.

MC: [blushing]  Does this count as another act of provocation… mmph!

Victor doesn’t let me speak any further and firmly clamps my chin, using his lips and tongue to block the smile I couldn’t suppress.

Victor: Of course it does.

Just as I’m about to seize this brief opportunity to speak, another kiss cuts me off again.

Victor: After all, I’m merely an ordinary person now, and I don’t have to be so reasonable.

Victor: So, from now until the break of dawn, there will be no more pardoning for any of your actions.

The heat of his burning love submerges me, drowning out each of my futile attempts to plead my case.

Outside the room, a corner of the sky clears up, and the rosy blush of the sunset climbs up the window, sneakily peering into the bewitching scene inside.

The subtle patter of rain has completely dissipated at some point, but we are too caught up in our own world to notice.

Engulfed in the nearly dizzying collisions, we fill each other’s souls to the brim with only the resonance and whispers of this moment.

I feel as though I have transformed into a pearl calm, being picked up by Victor from that shimmering shallow beach——

M͟o͟s͟t͟ w͟i͟l͟l͟i͟n͟g͟l͟y͟, I͟ s͟u͟r͟r͟e͟n͟d͟e͟r͟ a͟l͟l͟ m͟y͟ l͟i͟n͟e͟s͟ o͟f͟ d͟e͟f͟e͟n͟s͟e͟ f͟o͟r͟ h͟i͟m͟, l͟a͟y͟i͟n͟g͟ b͟a͟r͟e͟ m͟y͟ r͟a͟w͟e͟s͟t͟ b͟e͟a͟u͟t͟y͟ b͟e͟f͟o͟r͟e͟ h͟i͟m͟.

Thereupon, all the gullies of yearnings and restless desires are finally quenched as they are engulfed by a mountainous tsunami——

— before finding solace in the serene tranquility of bliss.

────────────────/////

[Tidbits]: The phrase used here is “山呼海啸”, which literally translates to “mountains calling and seas roaring.” The idiomatic phrase conveys the idea of an event that is extremely grand, extraordinary, or of significant magnitude, evoking a sense of intense impact or overwhelming force.

[Anika’s Notes]: Yeah, good thing it was an abandoned health center and there weren’t people at least in the vicinity LMAO. Hats-off to the writers for one of the most intensely vivid and beautiful sex scenes writing I’ve ever read in my little life LOL— the blend of profound love, intense zeal, raw passion-- yet not losing the sense of reverence~ ❤️

─

────────────────────────────────────────────

【My two cents, feel free to ignore LOL】

—

[ratedfleur]

told you not to.

zhang hao x reader genre ୭ explicit

↳ tags: mean dom!hao, cockwarming, mating press, breeding, mentioned sub-drop, foul language (filo / eng)

request? yes! thank you to 🎻 anon! 😉

it had been a few minutes of cockwarming hao who lied on top of you, nibbling and sucking on your neck. the minute he came in you, he busied himself with your neck.

“ganda?” hao muttered, mouthing kisses against your neck. you hummed, focusing on the way his kisses melted against your skin.

“alam mo, you shouldn’t have been a whore or a brat. ‘di mo kasi kayang panindigan yang pinagagawa mo.” hao suddenly muttered in tagalog, shocking you with his words and by his sudden movements of thrusting into you.

agad agad namang mabilis ang mga bayo ni hao, striking exactly at your spot which he could reach. his hands pushed your thighs up against your chest, making you cry out.

“hal, wait lang— no no no!” you cried out, feeling hao put you into a mating press — this way, he delved in deeper and harder against your warm walls and against your soft gummy spot.

tanging puro iyak nalang ang naririnig sa kwarto, hao’s moans and skin slapping against each other accompanying your cries.

“see? ‘di mo kayang panindigan yang pinagagawa mo. you’re just a whore after all. slut.” hao grunted, pushing your thighs down as he plowed into you.

you’re immediately crying, helpless under hao’s hands. hao laughs from above you, hips’ movement getting faster and faster.

“ano? putang puta ka na din? poor you, ganda.” hao mocked you with a laugh, feeling no remorse even if you were crying underneath him.

your chest heaved, panting like you ran a marathon. your shrieks and moans were getting louder and louder,

“god, ganda.. you’re so tiny, paano mo ko pinag-kasya diyan?” hao moaned at the sight of his dick peeking from your stomach, bulging through repeatedly as he thrusted.

“f-fuck… fuck me— my hole, please pogi please!” you babbled, words jumbled up as hao’s pace became erratic.

“but i already am, ganda.” hao panted. head lolling down to look at him disappear inside of you. his length quickly went in and out, head poking your stomach from the inside.

you cried out even louder, hand reaching up to mask up your cries and moans. hao doesn’t let this happen for long, he rips your hand away from your mouth.

“let them hear ya, ganda. parinig mo sakanila kung gaano ka ka-puta para sa’kin.” said hao, watching as tears streamed down your cheeks. he groans when your walls clench around him, squeezing his length.

“s-sarap, hal— more please please, f-fuck! sarap titi mo!” you moaned repeatedly, going dumb.

napapa-iling nalang si hao, finding it funny how it only took one rough fuck to get you stupid. tuloy tuloy lang ang bayo niya, labas pasok sa loob mo.

hao watched you writhe in pleasure underneath him, pussy spasming around his dick. lumalakas lalo ang mga ungol mo, hips trying to chase his thrusts.

“kantot na kantot ka ah? ano ba dapat pang gawin sa’yo? lagi kang kakantutin mula umaga hanggang gabi? fucking slut.” he grunted, hearing you let out incoherent sounds and mumbles.

napapa-liyad ka na sa ilalim niya, head throwing back as you thrashed around. hao plowed into you harder, then faster.

“m gonna cum!” you cried, scratching hao’s back while he thrusted. skin slapping against each other filled the room, accompanied by cries and moans.

“come for me, whore.” hao moaned as his thrusts started to slow down, coming deep inside you, filling your walls with his seed.

agad ka namang naiyak lalo nang maramdaman na maiinit ang iyong pakiramdam sa ibaba, feeling hao’s cum deep inside of you. he kept on thrusting, letting both yours and his orgasms die down as you both caught your breaths.

“i told you not to be naughty, ganda.” hao panted, forehead stuck to your shoulder as he was trying to catch his breath.

“behave, ‘kay?” he mutters, knowing you’re deep in your subspace. hao slowly pulls out, whispering a few words to you before running a bath, preparing you an hour long of aftercare before heading off to dreamland.

© RATEDFLEUR — ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

[dreamsfulblues]

Sending this ask because I wanted to tell you I’ve started Mr. Osomatsu!

And I’m fucking loving it. Holy shit, I don’t know really what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t this (in the best way possible.) I’ve watched the first three episodes and I just had a big goofy smile on my face the whole time!!

Every time Karamatsu speaks I get jumpscared hearing Bruno’s voice 😭 it makes me so happy!! 😭 oh my god the things he says kill me. Do you know how much edit potential Karamatsu’s lines have??? I could just rip his audio and slap a picture of Bruno on it 😭

I’m watching the subs right now, but do you know where I can find the dubs? I’ve seen clips and I NEED to watch them. I’m having a hard time finding them...

OMG IM GLAD YOU ENJOY IT YAAAAAAYYY💙💙💙💙

(If you can accept the insanity/stupidity it’s such a fun little show :>)

And I feel you on the voices part😂

I had the opposite effect when I watched part 5

I was like: „What is Karamatsu doing in my JoJo????“ i couldn’t believe my ears back then pffff

When I heard his voice I automatically see Karamatsu and since he and Bruno have such strong differences when I heard him it had me like: Woah 😳😳😳💦

Loved it (And the more you watch of the show the more you see Karamatsu could actually work as a JoJo character lol)

ALSO YES I HAD THE SAME THOUGHT MULTIPLE TIMES THAT I SHOULD MAKE BRUNO SAY HIS LINES LIKE I DID HERE:

Gosh can you imagine a world where Bruno is super goofy, flirty and a try-hard cool guy?

„So you are finally here, Bucciarati Girls~“

(You inspired me with new art ideas thank youuuuu💕✨)

As for the dub there is a reason why it’s so hard to find. From what I heard there were difficulties with the dubbing but I’m not fully sure of it💦

To my dear Oso-san fans can you help us out? Do you by any chance know where you can watch the Eng dub?

[jokeroutsubs]

[ENG SUB] Jan and Nace at Hitradio Center, 23.07.2024

Photo source: Hitradio Center FB

Jan and Nace were guests at Hitradio Center in the morning on Tuesday, the 23rd of July 2024. They talked to Vesna Ponorac and Melani Mekicar about, among other things, 'Šta bih ja' and what to expect from the new album, who snores on the tour bus, and what they like best about each other.

Translation and captions by a member of Joker Out subs, English proofreading by IG GBoleyn123, video graphics by X pastellibianchi.

Full translated transcript under the cut!

Melani: Good morning from (Radio) Center, it's 7:36 AM and Vesna Ponorac and Melani Mekicar are keeping you company, and now, we've been announcing and waiting for them for two days,and we listen to them every day anyway, and we're always happy to see them. With us in Center's studio are Joker Out, or, well, two fifths of them. Nace and Jan, welcome!

Vesna: Good morning.

Jan: Greetings.

Melani: Good morning. I know that... well, thank you for taking the time, I know you've been "on the go" recently, literally. Where were you over the weekend? Most recently, or...

Nace: Go ahead, Jan.

Jan: Oh, thank you. Most recently, we were in Germany, at the Deichbrand Festival.

Melani: Was it good?

Jan: It was good. The only bad thing was that it took us 12 hours on the plane...

Melani: Oh, great.

Vesna: A ride.

Jan: In each direction.

Vesna: Yes, this European tour of yours is pretty varied. How many cities have you already done and how many are still ahead of you?

Melani: Is anyone keeping count?

Nace: Oh, you keep count. I know that we've done most European countries.

Melani: Okay.

Nace: Or, we will, what we haven't done yet, we will.

Melani: You will.

Vesna: Such sweet problems.

Melani: Yes, nice.

Vesna: How many cities you've already done, the best. Are you tired at all? What does it look like? Jan, you are now...

Nace: Do we look tired?

Vesna: Ah, Nace. Right, you're approaching the threshold of a new decade.

Melani: You've actually crossed it already, the first one.

Vesna: Ah, you already did. Oh, okay, I didn't know yet, okay, sorry.

Nace: No, I did.

Vesna: Well, but after sleeping in the tour busand on planes, does your back hurt already? Your lower back? Any issues yet?

Nace: Sleeping on the tour bus is betterthan sleeping at home.

Melani & Vesna: Really?

Vesna: Do you have a waterbed in there?

Nace: No, I don't know what happens, but when... Like, when you're tired after a gig and lie down in your bunk and the bus starts to move...

Melani: And you're there... A baby in a stroller.

Nace: As if someone were rocking you. Noise cancelling earphones, we've already learned that. And then you just fall asleep. We've also got used to it on planes, to... Earphones and that thing for the eyes...

Melani: I was just going to ask who snores the most on the tour bus.

Nace: No one.

Melani: No one? Or do you just not hear it because you have earphones?

Nace: I mean, no one from the band. Well, that too.

Melani: No one from the band.

Nace: No one from the band, but... Usually it's so that the band is on one side of the bus, and the crew is like... It just happens to be that way.

Melani: Fair, fair. Well, enough about tiredness, no rest for the brave, or however you say, you're here to tell us a little more about your new single 'Šta bih ja'.

Vesna: An awesome song.

Melani: Do tell us,you're leaning towards the microphone.

Nace: We have to speak close to the microphone.

Vesna: That's true.

Melani: Well, Bojan, the songwriter, is not here right now, for us to ask him who he can't do without in a black night, but okay. Tell us when this song was made, because people have been singing it for a while at gigs, right, but you only released it just over ten days ago.

Jan: Yes, um... That was actually the first song that we started working on in London, where we went in January. We went to London, among other things, with the intention to have maybe a more... cosmopolitan sound and... to perhaps get new experiences, and the first song that was made turned out to be the most nostalgically Balkan.

Melani: That's right.

Jan: So yeah, you have to go somewhere to start being aware of...

Melani: Your roots.

Jan: Exactly.

Melani: Nice, nice.

Vesna: The song is very ex-Yugo, just like you were in Sarajevo, maybe... looking for inspiration. But can we then expect more like that on the new album, any similar songs, or...?

Melani: Which languages are waiting for us and so on?

Nace: I mean, the album definitely has a common thread, and there will be at least three languages.

Melani: At least three, okay.

Nace: I mean, there will be three.

Melani: Okay, nice. And speaking of the new album, come on, we want to know all the details. When will we hear it, where will we hear it live, we already said three languages, spill the tea, everything you can.

Jan: You know what, I'd like to know that too.

Melani: Really? Who does know?

Jan: Honestly, no one really does right now, but in October, it'll be out in October. I can say that.

Melani & Vesna: Okay.

Melani: Okay, nice.

Vesna: Well, we will be back, because...

Jan: Or, in September.

Vesna: In September? Okay, that's very soon. Anyway, we'll be back exactly two hits later, because there were a lot of questions submitted for you.

Melani: On our Instagram, yup.

Vesna: Exactly. And we got calls as well, so we're looking forward to it, stay with us, it'll be a good time.

(music break)

Vesna: 'The Sound of Silence', good morning, you're at (Radio) Center.

Melani: Morning!

Vesna: We are Melani Mekicar and Vesna Ponorac here with you, and Jan and Nace from Joker Out are here as well. Good morning!

Melani: Morning.

Jan & Nace: Good morning.

Vesna: Well, we already spoke about the tour and the new song earlier, and now it's time for our listeners to get their turn.

Melani: Yes, if you only knew how many questions we got on our Instagram. Instagram exploded, as well as the calls, so let's start.

Vesna: Let's start with the calls.

Melani: Let's start with the calls.

Vesna: First up, a question from Mateja.

Caller: I really want to know how many girls from primary school write to you now? Like, female classmates, and maybe male classmates too, look, you never know.

Melani: Well?

Vesna: Well?

Jan: For a few years, I've been in contact with maybe...

Melani: Hey, you have to come closer, you know. Yes, yes.

Jan: For a few years, I've actually only been in contact with two female classmates.

Melani: Were you already in contact before?

Jan: Yes, regardless of the band, so...

Melani: They weren't like, "Oh, what's up, Jan?"

Vesna: Have any others piped up from before? No?

Jan: I mean, no, actually they haven't. Not much has changed, honestly.

Vesna: They don't dare to. Nace, is it any different for you?

Nace: A classmate called me if I could get her an autographed shirt.

Vesna: Your autograph or someone else's?

Nace: No, like for the whole band to sign.

Vesna: Ah, the whole band.

Nace: Everyone then always says, "Yes, you know, it's for my nephew."

Melani: Yes, the classic. For relatives.

Nace: "Which size? Ah, ah." It's always like that, always.

Vesna: Okay. The best. Great. The next question is from Petra.

Caller: Hi, boys. Going to Sziget, that is, well, how to say, an achievement, an achievement. I'd like to know if you're excited yet? And I'd like to know which other artists will you watch, listen to?

Melani: Sziget. Tell us.

Jan: Yes, we're very excited. This is... That was definitely one of our biggest goals, which... which didn't seem conceivable at all, years ago. But yes, this year we're on the main stage. I don't know if we will... Will we be able to watch anyone?

Melani: If you could.

Nace: Well, I hope so.

Melani: Who would you like to?

Nace: I don't know exactly who's on that day.

Melani: Who it is. But you'll watch someone for sure, if you have the chance, right.

Vesna: Well, you will hang out in the backstage, isn't that even better?

Melani: Yeah, they don't need to watch.

Vesna: You don't need to watch, man. You can watch from the back. Well, the next question is from Matej.

Caller: Hey. I'd like to know if you have any advice for young musicians who want to make it the way you did. Thank you for the answer!

Melani: Alright, music advice.

Nace: Music advice. Yeah...

Vesna: A little closer to the mic, Nace.

Nace: I will say it very close to the microphone. Just practise a lot, a lot, a lot, practise a lot, and practise a lot. What else do they need, to be persistent.

Vesna: What about the mindset?

Jan: And have a good mindset.

Nace: Yes.

Vesna: What does that mean, a good mindset?

Nace: Well, to have a good mindset while practising.

Vesna: To already imagine yourself at Sziget.

Melani: To not give up.

Vesna: Or?

Jan: Was that question for young musicians?

Vesna: Yes, yes.

Melani: Exactly, for those who want to... I mean, young, that's relative, but yes.

Vesna: But like, bands that are just forming and don't know what to do. What's your advice for them?

Jan: Have a charismatic and likeable frontman.

Melani: Bravo, bravo. Okay, we still have good number of questions on Instagram, which we will ask you after a few minutes, and yeah, that's it, speak to you later.

(music and news break)

Vesna: Good morning, you're listening to (Radio) Center, Vesna Ponorac in Melani Mekicar are here.

Melani: Hello.

Vesna: As well as Nace and Jan, two fifths of Joker Out. You submitted so many questions to our Instagram that the boys had to stay a little longer so we can answer everything, and let's go ahead and start.

Melani: Well, first up: what is the most Slovenian or Balkan thing that you like? Accordion, ajvar¹, I don't know.

¹Ajvar is a typical Balkan condiment made from roasted bell peppers.

Vesna: Prekmurska gibanica.²

²Prekmurska gibanica is a traditional Slovenian dessert from the Prekmurje region in the north-east of Slovenia. It's made from several layers of phyllo dough and cottage cheese filling, poppy seed filling, walnut filling and apple filling.

Jan: Clean air.

Melani: Clean a– oh, nice. Fair enough. Nace?

Nace: What do we have... No, I want to think of something that is... There must be something that, when we're out there...

Vesna: Idrija lace.

Nace: Idrija lace. I mean, we always have that with us, so I don't miss that.

Melani: Fair, fair. But like, that's a very Slovenian thing that you love a lot.

Nace: Yes, definitely.

Vesna: Exactly. That's it. Okay. Moving on, a big concert in Slovenia, when?

Melani: Again.

Jan: How big?

Vesna: Stožice big.

Melani: As big as possible.

Jan: Not this year.

Vesna: No?

Melani: Okay, but how about, let's say, something a little smaller than Stožice?

Jan: That's coming this year.

Melani: Coming this year. Okay, you heard it here. Okay, your favourite thing about each other. If you were all here right now, this would be even more fun, but alright.

Jan: What, my... Mine, about Nace?

Melani: Your favourite thing about Nace, it can be his personality, it can be that he has a really awesome hairdo, whatever, and vice versa.

Jan: Nace is a very considerate person. Like, if he feels that... that you're not feeling okay, even if you're feeling totally okay, he'll ask you and be like...

Vesna: "Are you good, man?" Awesome.

Jan: "Jan, are you okay? You don't look okay."

Vesna: Nice. What's your zodiac sign, Nace?

Nace: Cancer.

Vesna: Aw, of course.

Melani: Nice. That's a very nice trait. Nace, what about Jan?

Nace: Jan's guitar playing. I mean... I'm sorry, that's...

Melani: That's true.

Nace: When he grabs a gui– just yesterday, we were at the studio, and I didn't tell him this, but when he started messing around and making weird sounds with the guitar, I said... I'm glad he's my guitarist.

Vesna: How nice, man.

Melani: Come on, stop it. Very nice.

Vesna: What a cute moment.

Melani: Okay, let's move on from this cute stuff to problems for a bit. Someone wants to know what the biggest problem you face as famous musicians is?

Vesna: And young ones.

Melani: Yes. So, I don't know, is it that girls are running after you, I don't know, is it that you can't just publish everything on the internet anymore? What's the biggest, like...

Vesna: A long deliberation, but take your time.

Melani: Well, is everything nice?

Jan: At one point, I had a bit of an... internet overdose. So... ever since I've distanced myself from scrolling Twitter every hour, I've...

Melani & Vesna: You've been much better.

Jan: I've spared myself a lot, yeah.

Vesna: I'd say so.

Melani: Okay. Nace?

Nace: Shoot... I always... maybe it's not like that here, but when we're somewhere abroad, and fans gather around our bus that we travel with, sometimes, when you're tired and because you're in a hurry to move on, it's kind of hard to go past these fans without giving them any attention.

Vesna: Especially because you're a Cancer, and so thoughtful, you'd probably like to give everyone there attention. Well, nice. Okay, this is it, boys. Everyone go listen to Joker Out's new song, 'Šta bih ja'. Thank you for being our guests and may your keep being successful.

Jan: Thank you very much for inviting us.

Vesna: Yes, gladly. Bye bye!

The subtitles in the video have a few slight differences from this transcript; they spoke very fast, so some sacrifices had to be made for the subs.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Disappointing Doom

Feb 2023 Wk 3

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

My School President (Fri YT) ep 12fin - Them openly dating and flirting with each other (finally) while keeping it “secret” was hilarious. No surprise they got outed tho. The whole “coming out homophobic teacher” sequence was very extra but suited this show. And ending with prom could not be more YA. Plus smiley kisses! 

CONCLUSION?

GMMTV gave us a classic high school set Thai BL with tropes like messy boys singing their feelings that was Love Sick for the modern age with all the gentle sweetness and pining ache, but none of the dated damaging tropes or issues.  Yes, we’ve seen it all before, but this is me: I ADORE this shit. Who let my BL be this wholesome and funny? This show was fantastic, it’s only flaw was the singing (and that’s my baggage). My favorite GMMTV offering to date. 9/10 (could go as high as 9.5 on my more forgiving days) 

Bed Friend (Sat YT, GaGa & iQIYI uncut) ep 2 of 8 - I’m ending my week with this one these days. I feel like this is an EXCELLENT life decision. King’s pining is WBL levels of EPIC. Uea’s ma may be the worst ma in Thai BL (and that’s some stiff competition.) Ah getting tested together, such a right of passage. I like King a lot, his attitude, life philosophy, the way he looks an Uea, everything. This show is GREAT. 

Bed Friend extra sexy bits explained:

YouTube has the cut version with slightly less sexy content (this is what I’m mostly watching). 

GaGa ALSO has the cut version, BUT they have “extra clips” with the uncut content, you’ll need to find and watch them separately. 

iQIYI has the uncut version with the above mentioned extra sexy bits integrated back into the full episode.

Okay? 

Okay.

Moonlight Chicken (Weds YT) eps 5-6 of 8 - The break up btw Wen & Alan was really hard to watch, both actors are so good. Speaking of good actors, where did GeminiFourth come from? Seriously? I love these characters almost as a much as TinnGun. Heart’s parents are EVIL. Told ya they’d kiss as this couple bf TinnGun. Back of head wrap ‘Kiss’ tho, haven’t seen one of those from Thailand in ages. Old school. And then Khaotung just broadsides us with PAIN. This is such an aces show, but it is A LOT. 

Never Let Me Go (Tues YT) ep 11 of 12 - More cute BF intercut with agony. Holy role reversal dad butler! Otherwise a somewhat lackluster ep 11 of DOOM as dooms go, but I’m okay with that. 

Chains of Heart (Sat iQIYI) 1-2 of 10 - This is a suspense thriller about smugglers, amnesia, and lost love. Haii is good (and gorgeous) in the lead but the story is choppy, disjoined, and confusing. May be intentional, bad writing, or the captions being particularly bad (or all 3). It’s an interesting and different start. Not good but interesting. It reminds me a little of Manner of Death only with better action sequences. But I’m not sold on it because MoD had MaxTul, and this... does not. Ep 2 did not improve matters. When Ken & Lue flirt it’s fine and the Thai food bits were fun. (Kao Soi is one of my fav northern dishes, I’m sad he didn’t get to finish it.) At the funeral, why are they all texting when it can be traced and they could just be talking to each other? Honestly, everybody behaves like an idiot in this show. So I guess this is a revenge narrative? I’m so confused. They pretty tho, so I’ll keep watching because I am weak, but if you can wait, I think this is one that’s gonna be better as a binge. 

Our Winter (Thai & Korea YT & TikTok under ThaiMiniSeries) eps 1-7 of 14 - TutorYim microseries, told in vertical (TikTok) shorts. (Thanks to the BL spies for reporting in.) Cute Trope snippits but Korean is HARD to understand with a Thai accent. I’m not watching it with Eng subs and I’m not wild about this style short form but still - cute. Funny how they styled TutorYim so that they look slightly Korean - wardrobe and makeup wizardry. 

Hit Bite Love (Sat YT) ep 6 fin - Degrassi Junior BL concludes in a very soap opera way, with new characters and new/extra drama. Trigger warning on the original trigger. The investigating cop was super hot tho. Can we give him a BL? Also I liked the final scene makeup tons. But honestly what a total mess. I don’t know what i just watched and neither does it. 3/10 (sorry babies)  

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

HIStory 5: Love in the Future (Taiwan Weds Viki) ep 9 of 10 (or 17&18 of 20) - Kind of a filler ep and lackluster for a penultimate DOOM installment. But the HIStory franchise gets this way sometimes. 

Jack o’Frost (Japan GaGa) ep 2 of 6 - I’m finding it a bit dull. 

It’s Airing But ...

My Beautiful Man 2 (Viki & Gaga) - Because there are only 4 eps, I’m waiting to binge this.

Boyband ep 2 of 10 - Stopped airing on YouTube, and only available in Thailand & Japan. Not sure if they’re working a distribution deal or just fucking with us. 

Destiny Seeker (Tues WeTV ) 10 eps - it’s not on any WeTV I can get ahold of. Bad Buddy the pulp rebirth meets Japanese handsome host club action. FairyGodBLer came through for me, but I’m collecting to binge just in case. It’s my new policy with the grey stuff. 

Cafe In Love (Thai) 10 eps on Ch3+ - Thai pulp, about trying to save a coffee shop. Same as above. 

Gossip

Thailand’s famous gay pink milk comes to Oakland, CA, USA. This amuses me greatly. And yes, next time I’m in the area, I’ll probably try to hunt it down.  (What is Pink Milk?) 

Kim Ji Woong is doing fine on Produce 101 5 Boys Planet. I agree with the pundits that he’ll likely make it through. (Yes, I think he’s a better actor than idol, and yes, we will mostly lose him from BL if he goes all in with whatever group results from this.) But does that matter when Peak Time is also airing? No, because Peak Time is MUCH better and more interesting show and it has Karam (Happy Ending Romance) fucking KILLING IT. You all know I love Leo’s voice but clearly VIXX-euphoria distracted me, because I had no idea Karam was such a stable vocalist. He’s insane and it’s fun to watch a 2nd gen fucking SERVE it up (have you ANY idea how hard Mirotic is to do LIVE?). 

In case you missed it 

Viki has acquired the airing rights to Advance Bravely. We can’t expect it to be much altered, but at least it will be legally available, and one hopes the subs will improve.

Viki added The Eighth Sense to their upcoming KBL roster, new one to me. “A university romance about the confusion often felt by college youth regarding life and love.” 

KBL A Shoulder to Cry On AKA Comfort the Boy coming to Viki, March 13. (MUCH anticipated by me, this is a high school set hurt/comfort delayed by OMGEA X scandal.) This will be the first BL to star idols from the same group! Fingers crossed it’s good because this is a group that definitely needs BL’s support. 

Next Week Looks Like This:

02/28 = Tin Tam Jai (Thai Gaga & iQIYI) 10 eps - Adorable Tin has a life-long dream to marry an older boy in his neighborhood, Park. Same production co as Coffee Melody & Ai Long Nhai. I'll likely binge it.

03/01 = The Promise, (Thai WeTV) 10 eps - friends-to-lovers, follow up to a previously aired miniseries Phupha | Nanfah. Because of this and the WeTV platform I likely won’t bother.

03/02 = All the Liquors (Korea Gaga & Viki) 8 eps - Liquor company rep and party boy Han Ji Yu buts heads with hot chef Park Ki Hoon, who doesn't drink.

03/02 = Heesu In Class 2 (Korea unknown prob Viki and/or Gaga) - A gay(er) version of Sex Education. I’m still not sure this one is actually happening. 

03/03 = A Boss and a Babe (Thai YouTube) 12 eps - ForceBook in an office set boss/employee rom-com. 

03/04 = Love Syndrome (Thai unknown prob iQIYI or Gaga) 10 eps - trailer, violent, hot/cold, hurt/comfort, amnesia. (Stars Frank formerly of FrankDrake.)

Full list of upcoming in March 2023 is here. 

2023 forthcoming BL master post. (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED)

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

That tentative hand GOT me bad. 

I love it when a character call’s out another character’s main characteristics. Very meta. (Moonlight Chicken.) 

OMG hot cop! 

Make up game ON POINT. 

(Hit Bite Love.) 

SO GOOD. (Bed Friend) 

(last week)

Current Kpop(ish) earworm? SHAUN & Jeff Satur - Steal The Show, you should watch it ALL THE WAY to the end, just trust me. Have I ever led you astray?

No.

Don’t answer that. 

[brolcagno]

Hey! I'm typing out part of the eng translations for Blue Demise from generic weeb content subbing channel for personal purposes, would anyone be interested in me transcribing the whole thing and sharing it?

[one-vivid-judgment]

Remember when I said I was gonna dice into the differences between the Eng and Spanish subs of Infinite Wealth?

WELL WAKE UP BABE, IT'S TIME FOR 'Vicky analyzes language differences'!!

Believe me when I say I would've loved to start this by dwelling on character interactions and whatnot, but as it turns out, that is a VERY time-consuming task and I'm still working on it (can you believe the Eiji-Kasuga interactions in chapter 2 ALONE take up 25 Word pages? Between Spanish subs-English translation of Spanish subs-English subs? Yeah, crazy). So, for now, let's focus on something else!

The chapter titles

As we all know by now, the English names of the chapters are all based on Elvis songs. In previous RGG games (and by that I mean the ones who actually have Spanish versions: LAD, Judgment and LJ), the chapter titles were all direct translations of their English counterparts. However, this doesn't happen in IW for the reason listed above; the meaning would pretty much be diluted, even if many Spanish speakers DO know about Elvis and have listened to his music. So, what did they do for the Spanish version:

Simple! Change the titles to Spanish songs (oldies, mostly) who convey a similar meaning. Or, as we'll see with chapter 1, a radically opposite meaning to the original, but which highlights a different side of the chapter itself/the characters personalities.

This would be a PRETTY long post if I talked about every chapter here. So, for now, let's focus on just one per post, yeah? Starting up...

In English: Doin’ the best I can

In Spanish: Voy a pasármelo bien (I’m gonna have some fun)

The songs chosen are pretty much opposites in terms of... everything, really.

In the English version, we have a very mellow Elvis song. It’s more about heartbreak than anything else, which is pretty fitting when you think about what happens in the chapter. Ichiban is living the life, with a stable job and carrying on Arakawa’s legacy (Doin' the best he can), he scores a date with Saeko and they have fun. It all comes crashing down afterwards though: Saeko rejects him then ghosts him for a year, he is exposed by the Tatara Channel and loses his job, and he goes from being ‘the hero of Yokohama’ to being at rock bottom again. At some point, after being fired, Ichiban says “Everything is back to how it used to be.” He tried his best, but it wasn’t enough (“I’ll be a dreamer, I’ll be a fool”, “Doin’ the best I can but it’s not good enough for you”).

Overall, the vibe of it is more about what goes wrong rather than the good things that happen.

Then there is the Spanish version picking a very hype song from Hombres G, a band that was very popular here in the 80s (they are still active, if anyone is interested, and they have many iconic songs under their belts. We still quote "Sufre, mamón" ('Suffer, asshole') to this day where I'm from).

The vibe is the complete opposite:

Hoy me he levantado dando un salto mortal 

Echado un par de huevos a mi sartén

Dando volteretas he llegado al baño

Me he duchado y he despilfarrado el gel

Porque hoy algo me dice

Que voy a pasármelo bien

(Today I woke up doing somersaults / threw a couple eggs in my pan / doing cartwheels I made it to the bathroom / I showered and wasted the shower gel / Cause today something tells me / that I’m gonna have some fun)

Sé que tengo algunos enemigos

Pero esta noche no podrán contar conmigo

Porque voy a convertirme en hombre lobo

Me he jurado a mí mismo que no dormiré solo

(I know I have some enemies / But tonight they can count me out / Cause I’m gonna turn into a werewolf / I swore to myself I won’t be sleeping alone)

Voy a cogerme un pedo'e los que hacen afición

Me iré arrastrando a casa con la sonrisa puesta

Mañana ya, si puedo, dormiré la siesta

Pero esta noche no, esta noche no

(I’m gonna get shit-faced like never before / I’ll drag myself back home with a smile still on / Tomorrow, if I can, I’ll take a nap / But not tonight, not tonight)

So yes, this song is all about the positive vibes before it all comes crashing down. Even so, after things do go sideways, Kasuga is still smiling and not letting it get to him (at most, he feels like shit because he dragged Adachi and Nanba down with him). The song goes very well, not only with the ‘happy’ part of the chapter, but also with Kasuga’s personality in general. Especially the “I know I have some enemies, but they can count me out.” Cause boy does Kasuga have enemies after the Tatara exposé. And even after all that, what he is worried about is how his actions affect other people, his vibes are that pure.

Overall, I would say that, although the vibes are completely different, it works as a sort of contrast. English goes for the ‘downfall’ and the sensation of failing even after trying your best not to, which is was Kasuga was trying to do employing former yakuza through Hello Work; meanwhile, Spanish chooses to go for a more light-hearted, slightly unserious tone that just so happens to perfectly match Kasuga’s personality and how he chooses to see the good side of things despite being back at rock bottom.

[airenyah]

no but when mhok told day to think of his plate as a clock and told him where on the clock the food was that really reminded me of one of my favorite movies from when i was in middle school which is also about blind people and where the title of the movie itself is a reference to thinking of the plate as a clock: it's called "erbsen auf halb 6" which literally translates to "peas at half past 5" (yes, "halb 6" means "half past 5", yes the numbers are different, don't worry about it)

the plot of the movie is a theater director losing his eyesight in a car accident and him being a director who kinda needs to see what's going on on stage he really doesn't take his sudden loss of vision very well. he gets assigned a helper/mentor, a lady who is blind herself and who's been blind since birth and is supposed to help him adapt to a life with disability. he ultimately runs away from her when he learns that his mother is sick to go find his mother in russia and say goodbye before she dies. his helper/mentor chases after him and they end up on a travel adventure together

it's been over a decade since i last saw the movie but i think at some point they eat and they talk about how the peas sit on the plate where it would be half past 5 on a clock?? anyway, that moment with mhok and day at the restaurant where mhok tells him the position of day's food with the help of an analog clock really reminded me of that movie

edit: i went to look for the trailer of that movie and i found the scene in question!! turns out they're at a restaurant and the helper/mentor character goes "if you imagine the plate as a clock... what numbers is the food lying on?" and the waitress is all confused going "i'm sorry?"

there are no eng subs for the trailer buuut the moment is at the very end at 2:11:

see it's a real movie i didn't just make it up kjdfkjdfk

[fosteraudios]

Hey its me again !! I was thinking whether to ask this question or not becuz idk if this is a stupid one .

So my question is when u start a story ,how do you keep it going ? I mean how do you carry a story while keeping the curiosity and the interest of the audience?? Do you think alot about how u write the next part of the story/ what to do next or do u write whatever comes to your mind without thinking too much ? Are there any times when uare stressed when u writing stories? ( i hope u understand what im trying to ask .eng isnt my 1st language so im sorry if my question isnt clear)

Heya! Don't worry, I get what you mean!

When it comes to writing, there are several things about story structure that date back all the way when humans first started communicating. Generally, we use three parts: beginning, middle, end.

Everything in life has a beginning, middle and end. Even this sentence I'm typing out right now!

If we zoom in a bit, each of those three parts of a story have their own unique characteristics. The beginning of a story sets up the situation, the characters, the stakes. The middle sees all those puzzle pieces being clicked into place, and the end shows the complete picture after the puzzle is made.

Each of those three acts also has their own 'sub-plots' that are in basically every story: things go wrong. people doubt themselves. conflict. So, in essence, every story ever told in human history can be put back into the same mould and same structure.

That's why, once you start to know the tricks of storytelling, it gets so much easier. Once you know which puzzle pieces to use, you can make any picture you want! So for me, as someone who's been writing for more than half of my life, and have been doing it professionally for almost 6 years, it's a second nature.

I very much trust the process in my own brain, because all the building blocks are so ingrained in me that it comes easy, and I don't have to think about anything. I can just put pen to paper and write whatever I want, and (down the line, with editing obviously) it'll make sense.

Stressed out - yes, but only when it's professional work. Things that have a deadline and that force me to be creative under immense pressure (like an entire crew of 20+ people waiting on set until I've rewritten an entire scene because something got messed up and I have to fix it).

Hope that answered your question a bit!