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Brachimon doodle

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If you ever harassed her, made a ‘callout’ post about her, or contributed to either…

You have blood on your hands.

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The whole Spy×Family fandom right now:

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FINAL FANTASY VII (1997), dev. Square

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Baryou is peak, though. Love that man.

Sometimes life is full of irony (or injustice?) like Baryou losing his virginity before Jinshi lmao

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Wondered about the robot nipples but then saw Robert Silverberg and it all made sense

Artwork for 'Across A Billon Years' by Robert Silverberg, 1977 (Terry Oakes)

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KNH FANS YALL FAILED ME. WHY DIDNT YOU TELL ME JOFU WAS A THING

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All that ship talks kinda reminding me that Maomao has yet to acknowledge the fact that she's capable of having affection for people. Romantic feelings seeming to be far fetched at this stage of her character progress.

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My 2cents on the KNH LN5 Epilogue Translation

Alright, here we go. I've written this post 10 different ways and at different periods throughout the year, but I think I just need to post it instead of letting it torment me in my drafts.

Every time I see people use "bad translation" as the reason why Japanese and Western fans have such a different interpretation of the LN5 epilogue I just... don't agree. Even when people try to provide evidence and their own alternative translations to prove that the scene is "sexier" in Japanese, I still don't think their examples are that different or even better than what the official English translation provided.

For me, I feel like English readers are just interpreting the text differently because dubcon just isn't as accepted by English readers than it is for Japanese readers.

(my thoughts continue under the cut if you wanna read my ramblings.)

Does the English translation have mistakes that make it confusing when JinMao kiss? YES. Absolutely! But honestly? It's not like the kisses are described in a particularly sexy way in Japanese. They're just as vague and nondescript. A Japanese reader is used to reading kiss scenes like this though--where you NEVER see the word kiss or are directly told that two people's lips are touching or even when their lips stop touching. You're just supposed to figure out from context. It's all just "breathes being exchanged" and "~something~ pressing against my lips" or "suddenly tasting a hint of cherry" or whatever.

English readers, however, are much more accustomed to direct descriptions and so when encountering kiss scenes described this vaguely I can see why many readers completely missed the kissing. The translation mistakes don't help, but I don't think the mistakes were actually big enough to completely misrepresent the moment.

Also, I feel like what most people actually have issue with in the epilogue is the violence. And the reality is that the violence is translated exactly as it is.

So it always seems a bit disingenuous when I see people say "The translation is bad. The scene is actually sexier in Japanese!" and then specifically only focus on translating the parts where they kiss, because I feel like non-Japanese readers take that and assume that the scene is less violent. But it's not.

Jinshi chokes Maomao. He does so without permission. When he wraps his fingers around her neck he is not doing so after having a carefully negotiated discussion--he does it out of the blue and on impulse. Also let me remind you--this is the image we are given for this scene.

Ya'll - the violence - the UNNEGOTIATED DUBIOUS CONSENT/FORCEFULNESS - IS THE SEXY AND KINKY PART. He chokes her and then kisses her. They argue, then Jinshi pushes Maomao down and kisses her again (cause she's being purposely obtuse with his feelings), and Maomao goes into autopilot and does god-knows-what with her mouth that results in... whatever happening to Jinshi and Maomao slipping away. (the Japanese word Hyuuga-sensei used to describe Jinshi's reaction at the end was a freaking onomatopoeia (ぴくっぴくっ). Seriously, don't go looking at the Japanese text for clarity because you will not find it).

Also for the second kiss, which morphs into the third, Maomao is monologuing the whole time about how to get out of it until her brothel instincts kick in. Would it have been sexier if it was more clear that they had been kissing the whole time? Sure! But even the Japanese text doesn't make this very obvious, which, again, is okay because Japanese readers are used to filling in extra context in a way English readers aren't so it doesn't matter, and b) regardless, Maomao is not enjoying the moment. She might not be having a panic attack, but my girl is not having a good time.

In the Japanese text all of this is presented in typical Japanese fashion with a side dose of Maomao's personal brand of detachment - this means using a lot of vague descriptors that quickly glosses over what is happening with the barest of details. The English didn't leave anything out on that front. It's not like we have entire missing paragraphs describing in detail what their make out was like - what you got in English was basically what you got in Japanese. Which is to say - not much.

Also, please remember this is a light novel. Light novels, in terms of writing level (not necessarily subject matter) are basically equivalent to YA novels in English. The language isn't meant to be super complex and the prose tends to more simplistic for quick easy reading. So honestly, there is no way this scene could ever be genuinely that sexy. The fact that people insist that this chapter is meant to be super hot genuinely confuses me because again, this is a light novel. They couldn't make the chapter genuinely sexy even if they wanted to!

Look. Translating a novel is hard ya'll. In many ways, much harder than other mediums like manga or TV shows where you have visuals to help provide more context. In novel translations all you have is the written word. You have no images to help readers picture what is meant to be portrayed in the original (and in this case, the visual we were given was not exactly a positive one). There is a much larger dilemma of how one can keep the stylized voice of the original author (pure translation) while also making the novel actually read well in English (localizing the text). You never want your translation to sound like it's a translation, and you also don't want to localize so much that you've basically re-written a whole new book from the ground up. And yet, a translator still needs to help an English reader envision the exact same thing a Japanese reader might be envisioning when at baseline, English literary writing and Japanese literary writing are completely different approaches to writing AND the tropes/cultural norms/backgrounds etc. are also wildly different.

How can you do that with a scene like this - where on a baseline level Japanese readers are going to be much more okay with what is happening, and they know the game. They know they're meant to fill in some (hundreds of) missing blanks. Whereas your average English reader (who I'm assuming is Western and disproportionately North American) would set up a scene like this very differently, and be expecting different rules in how to engage. The expectations are entirely different from one language to the next--and yes, this is true even if you understand both languages. I think and approach reading Japanese texts differently than I approach reading English ones because they're fundamentally different ways of writing.

So yes, unfortunately some of the "sexual tension" was lost in translation for the epilogue--I don't disagree with this sentiment. But I personally don't think the reason is "bad translation" as it is folks reading the scene differently because Japanese readers are used to reading scenes like this, are okay with what was presented at face value and are happy to fill in the blanks themselves, whereas English readers aren't. It's like trying to convince a modern day person that seeing someone's ankles is ~scandalous~. A translator can only do so much to bridge a gap that wide.

Overall personally, I give the KnH LN translations as a whole an 80/100. Perfectly passable leaning towards the better side. Not outstanding, but I think the translator captures Hyuuga-sensei's tone pretty well, and a Japanese fan and an English fan could easily talk about this series and come away with the same understanding of the characters, and the overall arching themes/plots of the novel without any issue.

As for this chapter specifically? 75/100. There are mistakes in crucial areas that definitely make the chapter slightly more confusing than it needs to be, but overall, it gets all the important stuff across.

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Not to be shady (but I am) but the over-exaggerated response of some scenes getting shortened in the anime is so funny to me like I’ve watched other animes completely plow through the source material with no regard because because two pieces of dialogue were left out it’s ruined the entire season for you 😭

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I do not dislike Shisui, love her. But people, especially anime onlys, who have carved out a lot of unnecessary fuss out of their friendship, I wonder how would they react to MaoMao's later interactions with Lishu, that balcony scene Or that injury scene with Chue (if anime ever gets to that point). Or even her reaction to Yao's poisoning in front of Shrine Maiden (they were not even friends at that point)...

Last couple of interactions have been used to downgrade Jinshi's relationship with her (lol, y'all ain't ready for LN5 scene and onwards). For me though, MaoMao mirrored a very human reaction to Shisui's act. Mao² realised Shisui is walking essentially to her death, one of her closest people. Mao² who slapped across a lady's face for endangering a consort's life in a time when she had little to no regard for these high-status people, how did you expect her to react when she realised a friend of her is walking towards her end? This is where Loumen's upbringing makes a difference. Despite everything, and repressed emotions, Mao² is kind-hearted especially towards human suffering. And does whatever she can according to her station. She let her much hated father have a chance with his dying love. She saved Jinshi without even knowing it was him. Now Shisui is a close person walking towards her demise, she would have reacted more or less in the same way had it been Xiaolan. The way Mao² reacts to Jinshi's scars, and keeps on admonishing him from time to time, is another reflection of her with her close people. Yet people are hell-bent on making Shisui something she is not— a competition to Jinshi. She never was.

I do not care because I have read till LN-14, a lot has gone down since this arc, something lot serious and mind-altering for both of them.

However, I find it amusing when people say Jinshi and MaoMao did not have chemistry like Shisui and Mao² in last few episodes. Yeah, no shit Sherlock, it is because it is the END of a precious relationship while more serious phase of MaoMao and Jinshi's kind of BEGINS at this stage. How could the intensity of what has ended be compared to what has begun? Tho honestly I was more sad about the fact that Mao² never wanted this, and genuinely wanted her relationship with Shisui and Xiaolan to remain as it is.

Lol, what you think would be the situation, if it is Jinshi seperating from MaoMao. It will be at least 10 times worse, in terms of intensity and dramatics. The intense turning point for MaoMao and Chue in Bandits arc makes Shisui and MaoMao exchange look like a milder version. The point is how else would you expect a separation look like if not all sentimental and intense compared to two people who have just realised their relationship has entered into a new phase. In other words, no way were Shisui and Jinshi interacting with MaoMao in same capacity or at same level. It is after this arc actually that Mao² view of Jinshi goes a fundamental transformation. So, how are these two relationships comparable?

Please develop a reading comprehension, it was either no Jinshi or just Jinshi in the novels.... Don't turn something as incredibly sentimental as a loss of friend into an unnecessary ‘jumping the gun’ competition...

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Not to be shady (but I am) but the over-exaggerated response of some scenes getting shortened in the anime is so funny to me like I’ve watched other animes completely plow through the source material with no regard because because two pieces of dialogue were left out it’s ruined the entire season for you 😭

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Hisashi Saito, 1980

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Added on to my Maomao Pregnancy arc headcanon, I have this image in my head of Jinshi waiting outside their room when Maomao goes into labour and he can just hear Maomao screaming behind the doors, "THE PLACENTA! MAKE SURE YOU SAVE THE PLACENTA!"

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Arc that's unlikely to happen but would be so good if it did is Pregnant Maomao arc. It would so funny. She's kicked out of most of her work because pregnant working women is upsetting the men or something, and she can't taste poison or test meds on herself because she has to think about The Baby. So she starts going stir crazy and her brain is itching to do something so she goes around and basically solves every mystery and every problem she finds because she's so bored and The Baby is making her hot and emotional and stop touching her she will bite but also please bite me Jinshi.

It would be amazing.

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Am I allowed to reply or will the whole post get deleted again? 🙃

I don't ship Shimao. I love Jinshi and jinmao. I don't think there's anything wrong with shipping it. Frankly I think this shipping wars is extremely silly.

That said, no I don't agree with you on it ruining Maomao's characterisation. Like I said before, Maomao is an affectionate person. She has close friends for the first time in her life and she's learning to express herself through them. Jinshi, lovely character as he is, is not the sole reason for Maomao's growth. Xiaolan is more than just one-sided hugs from her. Maomao finds herself instinctively giving her head pats, hugs and gifts. Sure it's sisterly, but that doesn't take away from the importance of it.

Shisui is just the same. I don't think Maomao loved her romantically but she felt a strong kinship to her. They were good friends. The show might be emphasising that friendship a little stronger for the sake of the anime but once again, people are taking Maomao's thoughts at face value. How many times has it been said that Maomao is an unreliable narrator? Her actions speak louder than her words and Maomao's actions were to shed tears for her at the loss of her friend.

Book 4 is a culmination of a lot of moving parts but Maomao takes a chance to make friends and it backfires in her face spectacularly. She loses her position in the Rear Palace, she loses contact with Xiaolan and Shisui betrays her. Above all, she is cut off from Jinshi and that's the cherry on the top of her hurt at the end of the book.

Jinshi is a really important part of her character growth. But it does a disservice to the writing to omit the other characters that have had an impact on her.

Shimao is not canon.

(Spoilers) I responded to someone else’s post kind of in this spirit but thought I would write my own. In truth I don’t think I should have to say this but Shimao isn’t canon. The interaction between Maomao and Shisui, all the touching and things, added by the animators. In the light novel there’s none of that mentioned. They’re friends yes, although there’s even a complexity to that and a debate on how deep the friendship went from either side but we know they had a bond given Maomao’s prayer for Shisui at the end. However there’s no romantic undertone to any of this. I think the anime simply caused more problems by adding scenes that ended up being interpreted by the fandom in this light. If this stayed in the realm of headcanon, maybe not an issue although I still don’t see the need to ship them but the problem is that people have gone on to hate on the actual, canon core ship of the series, Jinmao, which was my main worry.

Even before Shisui and Maomao’s latest interactions people saw some of Jinshi’s actions as “problematic” which, even if they’re wrong about it, made an opening for them seeing his future behavior as worse if they now view Maomao as being interested in Shisui or as their “love” being thwarted due to the rebellion. It’s a silly concept because Maomao was literally kidnapped by Shisui, their friendship was on thin ice at the end and the dynamic in the original novel material is in no way romantic. But I’ve seen people are now upset at Jinshi’s later actions in rescuing Maomao, the carriage and the Verdigris House because he just doesn’t get that she’s repressing herself or wanted to stay with Shisui. This is not true in the slightest, actually there’s evidence to suggest she was hoping Jinshi would rescue her and further meaning in being separated from him in the last part of the novel. However this is what comes from the anime breaking with canon and giving the implication of Maomao’s affection for Shisui being deeper than the novel presents. Yes, she cared for her as a friend but there is nothing deeper between the two as people are taking from the anime.

These kinds of changes cause problems not just for shipping but overall character development because although Maomao may have been physically affectionate with say Xiaolan, it was more of a sisterly fashion and sometimes like allowing a one-sided hug. Otherwise her character is not “touchy” and so it factors into later storylines when she does let her guard down and casually touches Jinshi who’s the first person she begins doing this with without thinking about it. The show making Shisui that person takes away from her development as a character. Especially when we consider how Maomao appears put off when Jinshi touches her so there’s a lot of “see she’s really a closet lesbian” posts going around, a sentiment that’s not canon or true. But that’s how her development can be changed because the anime decided to give Shisui the preference as the person Maomao was comfortable reaching out to first vs. Jinshi, hence why I think these subtle details matter. I simply hope that people will realize the animators may have decided to include these things and Shimao may be a headcanon ship but it’s not realized in the novels at all. So to hate on Jinshi or Jinmao as a ship or insist Shimao is canon is going against actual canon which if you don’t like that it’s your preference but maybe go watch something else and don’t disparage the fans who are fine with the original material.