#And obviously the eng release is much later...

[drag0nalias0]

The evil lord of an intergalatoc empire has an anine now?!? I remember reading the novel years ago!

[cheekinpermission]

hello! I was just wondering, do you have any advice for getting so many gems in Twst? Also thank you for your wonderful art, I enjoy looking forward to see what you draw next :D

Buy them

Just kidding! I've only made one purchase for TWST. It was less than $10 and was way back in the beginning for some kind of deal or something.

My 16k gem stash is the product of two years of grinding and selective pulls. I really wish I could say I had some kind of hack but that's really it. I'll talk about how I approach spending resources in the game, though, if anyone finds that useful.

As per usual, I ramble so it'll be under the cut!

1. Pick a favorite character

HEAR ME OUT I KNOW ITS HARD BECAUSE ALL THE CHARACTERS ARE GREAT! But it helps a lot if you're limiting who you're willing to pull for instead of every pretty card that comes out.

Personally, Riddle is my favorite (+ Grim but he's not really a concern card wise) so I'm committed to getting all of his cards. I'd really hate if I couldn't get one of his cards that I really want because I spent my keys / gems on a card that I only kind of wanted. So that's something to think about if it helps keep things in perspective.

All my Riddles!! (I definitely don't have a favorite Riddle shhh)

For example, I absolutely love Ortho's Fairy Gala card. I think it's one of the prettiest in the game! But I didn't pull for it because Ortho isn't a favorite character of mine.

It works the opposite, too. Kalim, Vil, and Ruggie are among my favorites but I've passed on a lot of their cards for one reason or another. I passed on Tsum Kalim because I didn't like the groovy, I passed on Silk Adorned Vil because I didn't like that it didn't have an attached vignette, and I passed on Camp Vargas Ruggie because I didn't like the event itself. While I really love these characters, I'm picky about which ones I'll pull so I don't miss out on a better one later.

For characters that I like quite a bit (top 5 ish), I'll use their free ten set you get on their birthday to try and pull for them. If I don't get them within those ten pulls, I accept it and move on.

I also want to say that this method has allowed to me to get pretty much every card that I've actually wanted. I can even pull for characters that aren't among my favorites (e.g. Idia who has THE BEST SSRS FOR SOME REASON??) and still have a big gem safety net.

I don't pull super often, I don't think, but I've gotten everything I've wanted so I think it's a fair trade-off.

Given my gem stash, you might be able to get away with collecting for a dorm but it'd have to be one of the tiny ones (Scarabia would be excellent because Jamil has almost no SSRs rip)

2. Plan ahead of time using JP TWST events

One of the biggest advantages of JP TWST releasing events way before Eng TWST is that we know what's coming ahead of time so we can plan accordingly. Obviously, this won't work if you're trying to save gems on the Japanese server.

You'll have to be okay with spoilers for the English server, too. At least enough to know if a character you like is in the event. I like to look at the card art and groovies, personally, as those will influence my decision if I'm on the fence.

SPOILERS FOR JP TWST EVENTS

I know which cards that I need to save for in the future:

Riddle’s Swimear SR

Ruggie’s Clubwear SSR

Rollo's SSR (pending available keys)

Riddle's Bloomquet SSR

Vil's Luxe Couture SSR

Vil and Malleus's Tsum SSR (pending groovies)

While we don't have a definitive schedule for a lot of these, a lot of them you can kind of guess.

For example, Riddle's Swimwear SR is part of Stitch's event which seems pretty summer-y to me. It'll likely come out in June or July of this year. Clubwear cards come relatively quickly so I'm anticipating Ruggie's Clubwear SSR fairly soon, too. Gotta make sure I'm saving right now for those bad boys.

Rollo and Riddle will probably come around the same time (Aug-Nov) so I've got a bit of time to build up my collection of keys again.

The others just got released in Japan so they'll take awhile before they reach us and I'm not too worried about them just yet.

SPOILERS DONE!

I think of it like going to the grocery store with a shopping list. Stick to the list and you know you can't overspend!

3. Don't pull for dorm cards

"That's easy for you to say, Cheekin. Riddle is your favorite character and you can get his dorm card for free at the beginning of the game!!"

Why, yes. Yes, you can. Thanks, Riddle!

(Ngl I might've caved and done it for Riddle but ONLY Riddle because he's my fave :D)

Now that all of the dorm uniforms have been released, dorm showcases aren't really a thing but in the event that they do a re-run I would avoid spending keys / gems on them. Same goes for the standard show case. Neither are worth it, IMO.

Dorm uniform cards will always be in the SSR pool regardless of the event, so I think it's better to just take your chances and collect them slowly overtime. Of course, the odds of getting the one you want aren't super high but you'll amass quite a few dorm cards just by pulling for event cards anyways. You're bound to get one you like eventually.

For reference, I've gotten Dorm Idia, Ortho, Vil, Jamil THREE TIMES, Kalim, Azul, Ruggie, Jack, Trey TWICE and Deuce TWICE as a byproduct of pulling for event cards. I wasn't trying to get them but they're here now and I love them for it <3

---

And that's about it! Nothing too groundbreaking. The biggest thing is knowing when to stop. Sometimes when I'm on that gacha grind high and I want to pull just cause it's been awhile since I've gotten an SSR, I'll tell myself to do it later because 99% of the time I'll just forget and it'll never happen!

I have been burned by too many gacha games in the past that I refuse to let it happen to me again in TWST (cough Obey Me COUGH)

Here are all my SSRs so you can judge for yourself how effective it is. (Or if its worth it)

I genuinely have no clue what the average number of SSR's a player who has been playing for over 2 years like me has, but I'm comfortable with what I've got. I've gotten all the cards I've wanted and most of the cards I was interested in so I think it's worth it.

tldr: be selective about your pulling, plan ahead, and resist the urge to pull constantly

Thank you for your kind words about my art!! (And if anyone got to the end of all this WORD VOMIT thanks for listening! Reading. Whatever.)

[bicayaya]

What's your favorite part of Liam's route?

hi, anon!! 💗 thanks for the ask, i hope you’re having a good day

i guess my answer will be spoiler-ish, so i’ll keep it under the cut in case anyone wants to avoid reading it!

i’m kinda bad talking about my impressions on the routes, specially in english, so please ignore if i couldn’t express myself properly ><

tbh, i wasn’t expecting much from ikevil. i decided to give it a chance mostly to say i did, yk? and because of that, there wasn’t any suitor that caught my attention before the eng release. i decided to start with liam mostly because, after reading the routes’ previews, he seemed like the one i could like the most.

and, to my own surprise, i fell for him so quickly, hahah. i liked his route’s pace and evolution, learning more about him, why he acted certain ways. he treated the mc so sweetly from the start. even if later he says he was doing it for selfish reasons, just like the mc said, to me he was always very kind.

he was like a sad kitten looking at me with big eyes and begging for love and attention… how could i deny it? 🥺

i also enjoyed his route’s plot in general. all the situation with his father and having to face ghosts of his past, bringing out how he never processed it or got over it. liam lived his whole life up to this point trying to compensate the world for his sins, denying anything he wanted. i liked the mc’s choices too. even if she was a little dense during some chapters (imo, obviously), i liked how determined she was to stay at liam’s side once she realized how hurt and depressed he was, how she persisted even after he didn’t hold her hand (iykyk).

i chose the mad love route first, and i loved it! the last two chapters were 😭💗💕💘💕💓🥰😍💕 the crown members tricking them so liam would finally go after what he wanted. he finally saying how much he wanted her to stay at his side. THE MEANING BEHIND THE FLOWERS HE ALWAYS GIFTED HER 😭. i loved everything about it

but wait, after rambling a lot i realized you asked me about my favorite part 😅 sorry, i hope this wasn’t too boring to read…

finally answering your question, my favorite part was when liam was planning to die after the meeting with his father, and wrote all the letters for the mc. it was so heartbreakingly sweet. in his supposedly last day alive, all he cared about was trying to make sure mc wouldn’t be sad with his “disappearance”, hoping she would eventually forget about him and would be happy and 🥹🥹🥹🥹 it was too much for my little soft heart. if i hadn’t fall for him already, this moment would change it.

[perhaps-in-anotherdream]

[CN] Victor’s Sea Voyage Date (Eng Translation)

⌚Warning⌚ This post contains detailed spoilers for a date, 寻海之约, that is yet to be released on the global server! ♡

[Translation under the cut]

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•  

【Subbed Video】

[Notes from Anika]: There’s obviously a long analysis +rambling  at the end of the post. But for those of you who wish to read it, but are directly gonna head to the subtitle and don’t want to scroll all the way down later, you can find the analysis +rambling here too: ♡♡

──────────────────  

【Transcript】

【Chapter 1】

The weather is sunny and cloudless~ Truly a great day for going out to sea! The beach is covered in pristine, white gravel without any footprints~ What a perfect canvas to write something on!

I casually pick up a twig and write on the sandy beach: “Victor is the universe’s No. 1––”

Before I can finish the last stroke of my writing, the branch unearths a beautiful shell as I pull it out from the sand. 

I hurriedly bend down to pick it up. But as soon as I do, seeing my already bulging pockets causes me to feel distressed.

Victor: I told you to wait on the boat. Why are you sunbathing here by yourself?

Victor’s voice drifts from behind me, and as I turn to look, he is already walking toward me in large strides. The sea breeze ruffles his bangs and swells out his slightly open shirt.

I trot over to him and show him the seashell I’ve just picked up.

MC: I found another lovely little shell, but look at my pockets…

I pat my two pockets, which generates a solid and heavy sound of seashells clashing together.

MC: So, I’ve decided to bury this seashell under the writing “Vic” over there.

I point to the words I’ve written on the beach to show him.

MC: When we come back, I’ll dig it out of the sand again.

He looks up at the words written on the beach and nods his head in a manner as if he is very much in earnest.

Victor: You’re really genius to have come up with such a brilliant idea.

Victor: When we return, it will be high tide, and the water will come up to the shore, possibly reaching the spot we are standing right now. Do you think these words will still be there by then?

The teasing in his words is very obvious.

Victor: If you want to express that I’m the universe’s No. 1 dummy…

Victor: When it comes to the “dummy” discussion, I really don’t think I can be considered the No. 1 in your presence.

MC: Ahem! Mm… you’re right, though. So, I have come up with an even more genius idea!

I directly reach into Victor’s pants pocket and put the small seashell inside.

MC: The safest option is to keep it here!

Victor seems unable to refute, so he once again directs his gaze to the words written on the beach.

Victor: So, in your eyes, I’m the universe’s No. 1 safe-keeper?

MC: That’s not it.

I stumble over my words.

MC: …I haven’t thought about what I want to write yet.

I initially wanted to write that Victor is the universe’s No. 1 big dummy!

I turn my head and ponder my unfinished “masterpiece” multiple times, but I’m still unable to come up with anything.

MC: It doesn’t matter. Let’s get on the boat first. Who knows? Perhaps I’ll get some inspiration after seeing your performance today!

Victor: [dragging out teasingly]  Performance?

Victor savors the word, the hint of a smile tinges his eyes, and he reaches out his hand to me.

Victor: Let’s go.

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•    

  —  

【Chapter 2】

The sea’s winds and waves are gentle, and the boat rocks only slightly. The real-time footage transmitted by the drone is displayed on the tablet computer in Victor’s hands.

In the footage, a dolphin leaps out of the water and then dives back in, swimming its way to the northeast underwater.

MC: Does it still recognize the route to its home?

Victor: It’s smarter than you.

I pout, deciding to not comment.

Several weeks ago, LFG Marine Foundation rescued a stranded dolphin. And today, we’ve come to the sea to send it back home to its marine environment.

—

───── [Flashback Begins] ─────

 MC: It looks very dispirited.

Victor: The doctor just gave it a shot and medication, but it won’t have an immediate effect. We’ll need to keep it under observation for some time.

The stranded dolphin has been rescued and is now being adequately taken care of in the oceanarium the foundation is preparing to build.

It’s lying on its stomach in the pool, with its head drooping, resembling a listless puppy.

MC: Would it still be able to return to the sea?

Victor: After complete recovery, there may be a spell during which it will receive wildness training. If everything goes well, it can be released back into the sea.

Victor: If you feel concerned, you can come and visit it often.

—

In the following days, the stranded dolphin is nursed back to health in the oceanarium with utmost care and gradually recovers day by day. And with my feeding from time to time, it quickly develops a friendship with me too.

The only problem is that I don’t know what to call it, resorting to always using “hey” or “come here” to communicate. Victor suggests that I give the dolphin a name.

MC: But it’s not my pet…

Victor: Friends can also give each other nicknames.

Victor looks at me somewhat meaningfully–– the answer is already ready to appear on the call.

I crouch down and pet its head in the pool.

MC: Let’s call you “Dum-Dum,” then. As Victor often says, dummies usually have good luck. You’ll surely recover soon and return to the ocean where you belong.

—

[Anika’s notes]: I honestly struggled to come up with a good translation for the nickname LMAO. MC named the dolphin 笨笨 (BenBen), taking the first character from the nickname 笨蛋 (Bendan - dummy) Victor calls her. The fun here is that the character “笨” independently means “silly/dummy.” The “蛋” term is complementary in 笨蛋. So, using only 笨 for the nickname still means calling the dolphin “dummy.” MC simply used iteration (笨笨) cause it sounds cutesy in Chinese haha~ 🥺💕

───── [Flashback Ends] ─────

—

MC: I didn’t realize how quickly time would pass. In the blink of an eye, it’s already time to send it home. 

Victor hands me the tablet and points to the route displayed on the screen.

Victor: Dr. Yu said that as long as Dum-Dum moves a certain distance from the coast, we don’t need to continue observing it.

Victor: It has already reached home.

There is no longer any sign of Dum-Dum’s figure in the real-time footage. The azure sea is as serene as ever.

That smart little dolphin must have already made it back to its familiar nest and is now reuniting with its family and friends from whom it had been separated for a long time.

MC: This heartless little Dum-Dum! Forgot about its good friend as soon as it got home!

MC: I wonder if I’ll ever have the opportunity to see it again in the future…

Victor takes the tablet from my hands and turns off the signal source.

Victor: Who knows? Perhaps you will meet again next time you guys go to the sea.

MC: Mm… hmm? Hold on–– did I catch the keyword right? Does it mean that CEO Victor has decided to support my new show?

About two weeks ago, an Evolver who previously participated in “Finding Miracles” contacted us seeking assistance.

It’s highly likely that there are a few surviving individuals of a fish species that has already been declared extinct. But this year’s monsoon weather is unusual. And it means that if no action is taken, they may not survive winter.

This guest has never been wrong with their predictions about marine life activities, and I really want to join them on a sea expedition to search for this fish species and film a program about it.

 …even setting aside how the result of this filming will be, this trip out to sea will take me several months at the very least.

Victor: Are you saying that if I don’t support it, you won’t film the show?

Victor: I’ve noticed you’ve been working till midnight every day recently. Isn’t it because you’ve been occupied with this project?

MC: Hehe, I really can’t hide anything from CEO Victor.

When I talked to Victor about this project before any concrete plan was on the drawing board, he didn’t even express any opinion and left the decision up to me.

But after spending some time with Dum-Dum, I developed a new appreciation for the ocean, and as a result, I decided to start preparing for the project.

Victor: You’ve met Dr. Yu from the foundation. He is an expert in marine biology and is very interested in your project. He would like to join you guys on the journey.

Victor: Earlier at the dock, you already saw the ship, drones for aerial photography, and underwater equipment needed for the sea expedition. I will be providing all of these for you.

Victor: Instead of letting you go around seeking investments everywhere and owing favors to others, I’d rather you owe me that favor.

MC: Woah–– CEO Victor, you’re so generous…

Seeing that I’m about to get up enthusiastically to express my “sincere gratitude,” Victor reaches out and pushes me back down.

Victor: [laughs softly]  I’m not done yet.

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•    

  —  

【Chapter 3】

The surface of the sea glistens clearly in the sunlight, reflecting Victor’s lightly smiling profile.

Victor: Modern-day technology is capable of solving 90% of maritime emergencies. So, I don’t have concerns regarding your safety issue.

MC: …but shouldn’t you still worry a little bit? After all, I’ll be drifting alone on the ocean for several months.

Victor: It’s not the era of Titanic anymore. Besides, you won’t be alone.

Seeing me deliberately putting on an expression of feeling wronged, Victor appears slightly contemplative.

Victor: The show’s concept is great. But the topic of rescuing endangered species is always controversial and can cause public opinion disputes. So, you need to come up with a corresponding plan to ensure LFG’s stock price doesn’t get negatively affected.

MC: Huh? Oh…

Met with my half-hearted response, Victor’s tone elevates slightly.

Victor: It’s business.

MC: Of course, CEO Victor. Noted!

After a slight pause of two seconds, Victor speaks again.

Victor: Furthermore, I’m lending you experts and equipment, but you must comply with one condition of mine.

MC: Please, go ahead~

Victor finally looks at me with an earnest expression, a smile gracing his lips.

Victor: [chuckles softly]  Call me every day to let me know you’re safe and sound.

I prop my chin up, wearing a troubled expression.

MC: But the signal reception is poor when out at sea...

Victor: There is no such problem with satellite phones.

Inwardly amused, I stretch out my hand and gently run my fingertips over his forearm, tracing my way up from where he is holding onto the boat’s railing until I reach the sleeve folded at his elbow.

MC: Victor, you must miss me a lot when I leave, won’t you?

Victor picks up the camera nonchalantly and adjusts the parameters.

Victor: If I’m not busy, I might think about you once in a while.

Not receiving a satisfactory answer, I tug at his sleeve.

MC: But CEO Victor… for the next few months, you will have to go home alone after work, eat alone, and feed the cat alone…

MC: And amidst a pile of taxing work, you will also have to wait anxiously for a phone call from the sea.

My fingertips trail up his arm and linger on his neck, straightening the collar that has been blown askew by the wind.

MC: When the time comes, I’m sure you will miss me terribly.

Victor helplessly removes my hand resting on his neckline.

Victor: We are on a boat. Sit tight.

However, instead of letting go of my hand, he gently strokes the backs of my fingers with his own.

Victor: You’re about to set sail towards the stars and the sea, yet you’re still worried about whether or not I will miss you often?

MC: Of course. Because I will miss you like crazy.

I gently caress his palm, trying to engrave every grain on it in my memory.

MC: If it weren’t for you waiting for me, I’d truly be someone adrift on the sea all alone.

MC: When you have no home to return to, even freedom doesn’t seem valuable anymore.

I look up and carefully observe Victor’s slightly upturned lips, then continue to speak unhurriedly.

MC: So every day after setting sail, I will keep thinking about you all the time and take notes of every moment of my voyage…

MC: I will look forward to our reunion on the journey back and telling you about everything I’ve seen and experienced on the vast sea under the starry sky in our time apart.

With abundant patience, Victor waits for me to finish my speech, then cups my hand directly into his palm.

Victor: All these grand reasonings, just for coaxing me into saying I will miss you?

MC: What I said was…

Suddenly, the sound of dolphins comes from the sea surface, and I immediately lift my head––

MC: Dum-Dum!

It’s not only Dum-Dum! While we weren’t noticing, four or five dolphins appeared around our boat at some point, leaping and diving in the water surrounding us.

MC: Dum-Dum, come here!

Seeing me wave my hand, Dum-Dum takes the initiative to approach our boat and advances with us.

MC: Victor, look–– Our friendship is still strong. At least, it didn’t forget about me as soon as it got home.

Victor: You look ahead.

–

Amidst the cerulean sea and sky, four or five dolphins swim alongside our boat, jumping and diving up and down. Victor seeks to capture the moment by picking up his camera and framing the scene.

The sea breeze tousles the tips of his hair, drawing his entire being into the unbounded and more liberating expanse of the turquoise sky.

A dolphin, slightly chubbier than Dum-Dum, suddenly propels itself out of the water, carving a beautiful arc in the air before crashing back into the sea with a resounding splash.

Under the leadership of this dolphin, all the other dolphins follow suit, playfully jumping and competing with each other in response to the undulating waves.

Splish, splash! Water sprays all around, wetting Victor’s bangs and shirt. And as for me, I cheer Dum-Dum on enthusiastically.

MC: HAHAHA! Dum-Dum, you’re such a dummy! You’re about to be left behind by them! Hurry up! Catch up with them!

At this very moment, Victor suddenly aims the camera at me. And within just a few seconds, the shutter clicks away several times.

When I snap out of my reverie, he has already set aside the camera and is beaming at me with a smile.

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•    

  —  

【Chapter 4】

MC: Victor, shall we stop the boat and let them come closer?

Victor: Dr. Yu said that Dum-Dum has gotten accustomed to living independently of human support with great difficulty, so we shouldn’t approach it too closely.

But when Victor sees Dum-Dum calling out to me from the sea, he hesitates for a moment before eventually stopping the boat.

Victor: [sighs helplessly]  You can only play for a short while.

MC: Yes, sir!

I lean over the boat’s rail and shout loudly at Dum-Dum––

MC: DUM-DUM! WE MAY NOT HAVE MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO MEET AGAIN IN THE FUTURE. BE GOOD, AND LET ME TAKE THE MOST STUNNING PHOTO OF YOU!

As Dum-Dum pokes its head out of the water, I scramble to take out my phone.

MC: AHHHHHHHHH––

Victor is checking the photos he has just taken with his head lowered when my practically deafening scream startles him so much that he is left looking dumbfounded.

MC: My phone has dropped!

I stand in the spot where my phone has just slipped from my grasp, craning my neck to look again and again.

Victor’s bewildered expression lasts for a fleeting second before he quickly shakes his head with a subdued expression. I know all too well what this look means–– what he is simply trying to say is…

Victor: [chuckles softly]  I wasn’t thinking of calling you “dummy.”

Out of the blue, Dum-Dum pops up from the sea and promptly tosses my phone into the boat with its head.

The entire thing happens in a span of five seconds, and the transition from sadness to joy is so abrupt that I’m left dumbfounded. Wide-eyed, I stare blankly into Dum-Dum’s tiny eyes.

Victor, who witnessed the entire episode, suddenly laughs out loud.

Victor: [elated laugh]  MC, how could you dare to name it Dum-Dum?

I pick up my phone I’ve just regained and check it thoroughly–– Great, great, it’s not damaged.

MC: Oh, right! There are fish in the cabin. I’ll go and get them for you!

Carrying a heart filled with gratitude, I bring all the fresh fish from Victor’s cabin.

MC: Dum-Dum, you’re the smartest and cutest dolphin in the whole world! Thank you for saving my phone from premature death…

MC: All these fish are for you!

I find myself a pair of gloves and put them on before throwing a raw fish from the bucket to Dum-Dum. Seeing how busy I am, Victor reaches out and fixes my hair windblown hair.

Victor: The fish was on my boat. What’s up with this presenting the Buddha with borrowed flowers?

—

[Tidbits]: The music from here is his 6th birthday music btw~ T__T

Of course, I know what he is hinting at, but I deliberately pretend not to hear him. However, suddenly, Dum-Dum leaps up and gently brushes against Victor’s cheek.

MC: Woah!

If I understand correctly, it gave Victor–– a kiss.

Victor’s expression is replaced by a rare look of astonishment, and his hand holding the camera wavers slightly for a moment. What a shame! The moment was so fleeting that I couldn’t capture it on camera.

After Dum-Dum returns to the sea, Victor touches the water droplets on his cheek and sweeps his gaze over my face, who is laughing heartily.

Victor: I wonder who Dum-Dum learned to do that from.

White seagulls glide swiftly over our heads, flying toward the direction where the sun is hanging high.

As I gaze out at the sea, the friendly dolphins keep trying to playfully interact with me. I take a cue from them and lean over the boat’s side, gently tapping my head with Victor’s.

MC: Do you see how it’s swimming back and forth in a circle? Is it trying to tell us something?

As if to confirm my guess, Dum-Dum jumps up again and gently touches its head to mine.

MC: Victor, do you think it’s trying to thank us? Probably it’s thanking us for helping it?

MC: We humans express our feelings through kisses, and perhaps dolphins do the same too?

Victor: Is that so?

Victor lowers his gaze, speaking in a whispered tone as if he’s suddenly realized something.

Victor: Humans express their feelings through kisses, do they?

MC: Mhm… that’s right.

Receiving the implication in his words, I pretend to play with Dum-Dum and splash water, while my mind is quietly counting down the seconds.

At the end of the countdown, I’ll seize the moment when he isn’t paying attention and… kiss him.

Five, four, three…

Victor suddenly bends down and plants a kiss on my cheek.

MC: …

MC: [blushing]  How come I lost to you again…

Victor: I’m expressing my feelings to you right now, aren’t I?

Victor doesn’t wait for my response and directly throws me the answer. Though he speaks in a seemingly nonchalant tone, a profound tenderness is nestled within.

Victor: A scene like this before us is only possible when you are by my side.

Victor: This is also the reason why I support your freedom to explore the world freely to the maximum extent possible.

Victor: Like Dum-Dum, I am the recipient of your unconditional love and your meticulous care in every possible way. And so, I can’t help but reciprocate these feelings to you.

His voice is engulfed by the crashing waves, but it still sinks heavily into my ears.

Victor: Maybe it’s just the innate nature of all living beings–– just like how it’s for Dum-Dum, it’s the same for me too.

I slowly look into his eyes. His gaze hides within it many words that are yet to be spoken, but my heart already understands them all.

MC: Victor today seems a bit different, doesn’t he?

Victor doesn’t offer me any rebuttal. Instead, he simply withdraws his gaze and gestures for me to look at the time.

Victor: We should let Dum-Dum go now.

MC: Yes!

I exhale deeply and wave my hand toward Dum-Dum.

MC: It’s time for us to head back. We can’t keep playing with you any longer. You’re all good now, so hurry up and go home!

MC: If an opportunity arises in the future, we may cross paths again!

This time, I purposely refrain from calling it “Dum-Dum.”

I hope it can remember the time we had never met and how it lived so freely in this uninhibited and boundless sea.

As if understanding my words, Dum-Dum calls out twice from the sea surface and swiftly joins its companions as they swim into the wider ocean.

Victor and I stand on the deck, gazing at the dolphins breaking through the tranquil sea surface. Every time they soar upwards, the waves are refracted into a spectrum of colorful light beneath the sunlight. 

MC: Victor.

Victor: Hm?

I lift myself on my toes and steal a kiss on his cheek.

MC: I feel like… I am the one who is always being looked after by you, receiving too much of your love and care. And so, I can’t help but reciprocate these feelings to you.

Victor presses his lips together, and his gaze slowly lingers on the coastline as we make our way back.

Victor: So, have you thought about what I’m “No. 1 in the universe” for?

MC: Aw~ I see now. So you said all those deeply moving words today, just for coaxing me into praising you~

Victor: Those weren’t emotional enough to be deeply moving.

Victor’s tone is unhurried, speaking calmly.

Victor: I’m going to miss you terribly when you leave.

Victor: Amidst a pile of taxing work, I will wait anxiously for a phone call from the sea every day.

Though in a somewhat silly manner, I nod my head in understanding, satisfied as I take Victor’s hand in mine.

MC: Hmm… I’ve thought about it.

With my fingertips, I write two words on his palm. Victor watches me intently as I make one stroke after another, leaving traces in his palm.

MC: Never mind what you’re No. 1 in the universe or No. 1 in the world for. In any case, in my heart, only these two words can describe you most accurately.

These two words represent the sufficient tacit understanding and thoughtfulness between us every day, and they also represent the beginning and end point of every journey I embark upon.

Using this same hand that I have so attentively stroked, Victor wraps me in his arms in a habitual manner.

Victor: [the most euphoric of sighs as if holding the entire universe in his arms and yet feeling as light as a feather]  …

There’s no need to add any superfluous prefixes or embellishments. In my heart, there are only two words that can describe the name “Victor”––

My Beloved.

──

[Tidbits]: The term MC wrote is “爱人”, which actually means “spouse” i.e., you won’t casually refer to your girlfriend/boyfriend/lover as 爱人, unless they are the person you call “home”~ 🥺💕

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

[Anika’s Ramblings + what seems like an analysis LOL]

──

[spicynamericano]

Perception. - mk lee

sypnosis: you meet a stranger in the park, who helps you prepare for your interview with renowned author, mark lee.

word count: 2.1k

genre: fluff, strangers to friends!au, author!mark x reporter!reader

a/n: i impulsively wrote this in the wee hours of the morning because i can't stop thinking about mark lee and his poems! btw, this is my first time posting an au on this platform, but i do have ongoing twitter fics (written in eng/fil)!

I had just finished my late night shift at the office and was on my way home from work. Being a field reporter is not an easy job. I have to work my butt off to always stay up to date on the latest news and make sure to grab even the rarest exclusives.

I have to travel to basically anywhere, just to gather the most accurate information for the daily primetime news. And even if work is done for the day, I would usually go overtime to make sure no single detail is left out for tomorrow’s reports.

My workplace isn’t that far from home, or what I call home now. Moving into my elder sister’s old apartment was not a hassle. It was actually quite a blessing since I always used to stay over whenever we visited the city. I really thank the heavens that her place was near my workplace. Imagine the struggle of moving in and out from scratch. Actually, I wouldn’t even dare to imagine.

I would usually ride my bike to and from the office, but since I was running a bit late earlier in the morning, I decided to take the bus. Convenience at its finest. But it’s late now. A fifteen minute walk back home won’t hurt, right? Besides, I needed a breather. A walk in the nearby park would suffice.

It’s midnight and of course, the park is empty. Although Seoul is alive 24/7, I really like how some areas still have that laid-back vibe. I walk to the swings and place my bag on the ground. I do wish someone would push me right now. I just wanna be free from all the hectic stuff I’ve been doing lately.

But no, the quick rest I thought of didn’t stop me from going over tomorrow’s duties. I scan my little, brown notepad and check the work I have yet to accomplish. I mostly finished them before I got off work, but there is one more that I needed to do for tomorrow: interview Mr. Mark Lee, the author of the best-selling Late Night Scribbles.

It’s a collection of poems and prose he’s written over the course of five years during his travels to different cities as a renowned travel writer. His travel reviews and recommendations were something I always looked forward to reading. Maybe someday I could go on a stress-free holiday trip thanks to his advice.

I have read his book. For someone who’s trained into more technical writing like me, I could still clearly resonate with most of the poems he’s written. Not too shallow, not too deep. Though you do need to have a sense of literature in order to understand more of his deeper works. He isn’t famous for nothing.

What appalled me though is that he never showed his face to anyone, not even once. Some say he’s actually the main rapper of the world-renowned boy group NCT, since they bear the same name. I think otherwise. Well, it could be, though. Rappers do make their own lines and tell their own stories.

But I don’t think that Mark Lee would be the same person I’d be interviewing tomorrow. It’s weird because I won’t be actually meeting him face to face. He said he’d rather converse through email. Works for me since I don’t have to travel tomorrow. Thank God.

Well, let me tell you a secret. The reason I don’t think author Mark Lee is singer Mark Lee is because singer Mark Lee is actually my childhood best friend. Crazy, huh? I used to live in Vancouver when I was young until my family and I moved back to Korea during my teen years.

I don’t think he remembers me, though. But I do remember him. Our moms were practically best friends. I couldn’t say the same to us, only if he still actually remembers me.

I stretch my arms up high and bend it side to side. God, I need a massage asap. I was about to pick up my bag when a basketball rolled over and hit the tip of my loafers. A man dressed in black waves from the court, signaling to toss the ball to his direction.

I would toss it if I could but I walk over instead. Blame my poor strength and reflexes. And I obviously do not want to embarrass myself. A rough day’s a rough day. I don’t want an addition.

“Uhm, are you looking for this?” I ask the guy, tossing the ball mid-air.

“Yes, thank you…” he pauses. “uh…”

“Oh, it’s (y/n).” I introduced myself, “And you are?”

“Minhyung.”

“Well, you’re welcome, Minhyung. Good luck with your basketball practice!” I gave him a nod before finally turning back to go home.

“Wait!” he calls out. “Do you maybe wanna have a cup of coffee? There’s a nearby convenience store still open. I figured you might need it.”

Was it that obvious? I can’t imagine how stressed I look right now! He has probably seen the dark circles under my eyes. Gross.

I finally turn around and give him a smile, “You know, maybe I do need it. Let’s go?”

This man and I walk to the nearby convenience store just a few meters away from the court. It’s midnight and not many people are here. Well, just exactly like how I want it. The park can actually become full, even until 10 pm. But I guess these people also need some shut-eye. I’m actually surprised this man right here still has some energy left.

I wait outside and sit at the nearest gazebo while he buys instant coffee for the both of us. He arrives with three in hand. Does he like coffee that much?

“You’re really gonna drink two?” I ask him curiously.

“It’s actually for you,” he says as he hands me one of the cups. “I feel like you’re going to be staying up late tonight.”

Well, he’s right. I am gonna be staying up late. I still need to prepare questions for tomorrow’s, or later, rather, interview. I really won’t be getting some sleep tonight. I also need to do research on him too.

“Well, I do have an interview for tomorrow. I still need to prepare as it’s a very important one.”

“With whom, may I ask?”

“Mark Lee, the author. Not the singer.”

“Oh,” he lets out a soft sigh that can be heard, even through his mask. Is he offended that I don’t think author Mark Lee and singer Mark Lee are the same?

“Why do you sound so disappointed?”

“Uh, nothing. I just remembered the book he recently released. Have you read it?”

“Late Night Scribbles?”

“Yes, that!” he answered enthusiastically. Wow, I guess I found a fan right here. He might actually help me with my interview later. I need to grab this chance.

“Do you mind helping me? I’m actually going to interview him about it tomorrow.” I gave him the widest smile, hoping he’d say yes. I normally wouldn’t do this to strangers, especially at night. But I really just need to get this over with.

“Well, as someone who’s a fan of his works. I’d like to give it a try and interpret it,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee. “Just imagine I’m Mark Lee. Shoot your questions.”

“Hmm, I can’t be answering personal questions since you’re not Mark Lee.” I scratch my head. Damn, I can’t think of anything. My brain is not working right now! “But if you were Mark Lee, what would you want to be asked?”

“If I were Mark Lee? Well, rather than asking what my inspiration was behind the works I’ve made, I’d rather be asked on how I tried to convey my thoughts and feelings to this piece of work,” he explained, staring at the night sky.

I followed the direction of his gaze, and he’s looking at Orion, one of the brightest constellations out there. I gaze at it too while waiting for him to continue explaining.

“But isn’t it basically the same as drawing inspiration from something?” I ask profoundly.

“Not really. You can draw inspiration from anything. And you can come up with different outputs based on one inspiration. What’s important is how you’re able to connect the context of what you’re writing to the feelings you want to draw out,” he continues.

“With a single inspiration, I can come up with two completely different works based on how it’s written. The idea may be the same but the context is not.”

“Hmm, care to explain a little further?” I ask politely.

“We can use Black Socks as an example.”

Black socks are underrated

The way they connect the bottom sleeves of

my black sweatpants to my black sneakers

is just perfect

Pleasure from perfect alignment

That also goes for the ability to be parallel

with my thoughts and actions

I try to live out what’s in my mind, and keep

it consistent even when forgotten like a

working habit

A moment to think twice about what

seemed unimportant

Black socks have been making my day

these days and I knew I had to return the

favor by acknowledging them

I throw you in the bin only so that you can

be renewed again

“Black socks, literally an ordinary object that is tossed to the bin right after use. But what caught my eye is his appreciation for this mundane thing.”

“Through his words, you can tell black socks gave him comfort. He used a simple subject to convey his inner thoughts of how every little thing we don’t really recognize can actually be part of our routine, our life,” he said, looking me in the eye seriously.

“He found comfort in the most ordinary things no ordinary person would take notice of.”

Minhyung stands up and stretches his arms. He then continues, “It’s actually cool he shared this piece with us. If I were him, I’d go on and ramble how black socks could ruin my laundry.”

We both chuckle at the thought. It’s true. I hate how some of my black socks actually ruin my laundry. I dread the thought.

“It’s only a matter of perception, (y/n). Sometimes, you have to open your eyes and see, not look. Listen, not hear. Savor, not taste. Feel, not touch.”

“You know, you could actually be Mark Lee himself,” I tease him, “You do know your literature.”

I know he smiled at my remark. I can see his cheekbones rise from the edges of his mask.

“Sometimes, you just have to ask the right questions in order to get the answers you want,” he said teasingly. “You can’t get what you want if you don’t know what you want.”

For a stranger, he’s indeed a good talker. I actually learned so much from our talk tonight.

“Thanks for tonight, Minhyung. I really learned a lot.” I thank him before gulping down the last cup of coffee he bought me. “And thanks for the coffee, by the way! I now have energy to prepare for my interview later.”

“No problem. I’m just glad that I was able to help.”

I stood up from my seat and we both started walking away from the park.

“It’s 1 am. How are you gonna get home, (y/n)?” Minhyung asks worriedly. Yeah, it is pretty late. It’s a good thing I just live near.

“My apartment’s just two blocks away. I can manage,” I say with a smile, a genuine one at that. “How about you?”

“I’ll just grab a cab. Do you mind if I walk you home?” I don’t know why but I felt flustered for a moment. Surprisingly though, I just nodded my head, giving him permission to accompany me home.

We both arrive at the entrance of my apartment building and we say our last goodbyes.

“For a stranger, you really do know how to make people comfy,” I say, crossing my arms and giving him a stare, brows furrowed to tease him.

“Well, that’s just how I am,” he says while giving me a wink. Okay, now he’s flirting. Someone stop him, please. Just kidding.

“By the way, you haven’t taken your mask off the entire time except when drinking coffee. I couldn’t get a good glimpse at you since it was dark,” I explain. It’s true. Add the fact that I’m barely keeping myself awake the whole time. “I might’ve actually thought you’re an idol of some sort. Perhaps, maybe you are Mark Lee.”

“What?” he asks, puzzled and clearly taken aback. “Why’d you think so?”

“Because you share the same name with him.”

[actualaster]

Impressions of Episode 2!  Spoilers not just for the episode, but for the game--including parts towards the end of the game.  Screenshot-heavy

Also, NTWEWY Release Date Trailer reference at one point.

First up!  Love the proper intro!  Shame about what happened with the original intro being swapped out, there’s some spots where this version of Twister doesn’t quite fit.  But it fits better than the use of Calling they used as as a last-second sub in the first episode.

(For those who don’t know, one of the band members for the group that did the original song was involved in a criminal scandal so the music was pulled, apparently that’s not uncommon.  I feel more bad for the poor bandmates who’ve had their reputation tarnished by association, y’know?)

so!  first up on visuals!  New Noise!!  Wonder if these will show up in NTWEWY?  They don’t look as much like Noise as most others, missing that tattoo component, but they remind me of the Bats and the Sprogs.  Curious to see if that happens

FORESHADOWING with MR. PRODUCER HIMSELF.

So, we get some interaction between Neku and Shiki right off the bat when the episode starts, which involves Neku’s whole “I don’t like people” thing, and we see Beat and Rhyme join ‘em and they have a discussion.  Get some of the talk of everyone’s values colliding, which IIRC is a W2 sort of convo w/ Asshole Jesus?  Can’t quite remember...  Either way, get some more insight into the characters.

RHYME IS TOO CUTE HERE THIS IS SO PRECIOUS

Ahaha...  This sequence hurts.  The framing makes it so clear what they’re getting at with these two being siblings.  Also this entire bit is good, helps establish details about the characters both overtly through conversation and subtly, like the framing of this shot.

This part also hurts, Shiki getting so excited she forgets, just for a moment, what’s going on.

Honestly the entire sequence with the Prince is funny, and helps give some good insight into the characters.

Also. Same, Neku, Same.  That’s exactly my face when people start losing their minds over some RL celeb that’s apparently sexy or something lol.  But also starts to work in the importance of fashion and trends in this sequence.

The description is different but ultimatley the idea seems roughly the same for Imprinting--though Shiki knows what it is rather than Rhyme explaining memes.

(shame we couldn’t get “what’s a meme?” animated lol, but that’s probably just a funny thing in the ENG fandom and it IS based of the JP original ver)

Interesting way they handled Eri here, with her wearing a different outfit.

Dude talking to Makoto’s a Reaper, I’m betting--since he’s lacking that sort of washed out look the RG folks have.  Specifically planted here to give the Players the idea for what their mission is, if they’re paying attention to their surroundings and/or in the right area at the start of the day.

Nao and Sota make another appearance after their Ep 1 cameo!  Good way to introduce them before W2!

[knee-jerk reaction of screeching because THE FUCKING MOST ANNOYING FUCKING PINS EVER]

Also the fact that the dude in Red who was talking to Makoto says his boss is pressuring him to spread them around makes me pretty confident, aside from the “lacking the washed out RG look” that he’s a Reaper.

This was very interesting--the Support Reaper let them through because Shiki was holding a Keypin.  Setting the precedent for “this pin caused a wall to be cleared for us” but at the same time...  Not opening the wall itself.  And I wonder why the Reaper didn’t seem to care that a Player was holding onto a Keypin?  I mean, the Reaper addressed it with “take care of that pin”, so I suppose they’ve acknowledged it but still feels odd.  Then again, might be a case of “Player with a Keypin?  Higher ups didn’t say anything about that.  Welp, not my problem then.” and just not wanting to deal with it lol

also look at the Support Reaper (guy in red w/ the facemask)’s outfit.  Compare it to what “Neku” in the end of the latest (as of this posting) NTWEWY trailer was wearing--it’s pretty much identical except “Neku” is wearing black instead of Read (Harrier Reapers wear Black), is this “Neku” in NTWEWY a Reaper now?  Or trying to blend in and appear similar to a Reaper for some reason?  Or is it just coincidence?

see how similar they look?  (I know it looks purple here but the boxart it’s black so I assume it’s just lighting)

Then again, since the art seems the same between game and anime (or very similar, the eyes are handled looking the same it seems to me) it could be something else...  (Of course, who even knows if this is the real Neku?)

Anyway...

AHAHAHAHAHAHA Oh shiki, if only you knew that the second player pin is because of the bullet that wasn’t stopped XD

Working trends in somewhat, interesting to see that.  Makes total sense they’d do it this way since the “trends change based on what Players use in battle” is a game mechanic that I can’t see being easily worked into the story in another format, so this swap makes plenty of sense.  Using Imprinting on the Prince to get him to plug the advert makes sense.

LMAO.  SAME NEKU, SAME.  THAT IS SUCH A RELATABLE FACE.

I gotta wonder, though--using the Prince this way instead of the Players making it work, seems like that might not make Makoto get a big head about “his” success which would alter things in...  W2, right?  The ramen shop stuff’s W2.

So.  We have a few interesting massive deviations here.

First up, a look at the influence of the Red Skull pin on people.

And second...

A Familiar Looking Noise Symbol, found on the Shibuya River...  Megumi’s Noise Symbol.

Obviously a massive deviation as Players start getting Erased--despite the Mission being cleared.  Neku and Shiki are on the chopping block when...

A familiar bit of hair reveals their savior who’s not about to let Megumi end their little Game early using some underhanded tactics like “Earsing Players after the Mission is cleared”

I’m very not sure how I feel on a personal level about this decision, but on a narrative level I fully get where they were going with this.

It establishes a very powerful Noise, and if they remain true to the game later it’s foreshadowing that Megumi’s involved heavily.  AND it establishes (through subtle implication you’d not necessarily get if this was your first time watching and didn’t catch the hair) that Joshua is a very powerful person.  Before being in the Game.

Shiki comments on the unsualness of it, too!

I do, however, think they did real justice to the Eri and Shiki revelation.  I still wanna know what that “accident” is that killed Shiki, though.

And here we see a person having his ENTIRE WORLD rocked by the revelation that he’s dead.

Also we got a slight flashback to the incident that killed him, too blurry to see much but a little bit of one.  We saw a little of that in Ep 1, too, IIRC.

AND THAT’S IT FOR THE EPISODE

Well.  Except for the title card for Episode 3

WHO’S READY TO HAVE THEIR HEARST SHATTERED LIKE GLASS OVER THAT SCENE?!

[byteloading168]

Running Man Ep 278 English Sub

KMazing – Entering the year 2017 Running Man faced many problems. Such that, it was notified that the year 2017 will be the last year Running Man. Because of the issue of the dismissal of Song Jihyo and Kim Jongkook at the end of 2016 is horrendous and unacceptable. Finally, the PD and Member of Running Man agreed to end the program, Then before the end, the concept is built around a special episode where each member is given their own episode to be planned.

Running Man Eng Sub Full

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Running Man Ep 515 Eng Sub

Also read : Best Knowing Brothers Episodes of All Time (Up to 2018)

But in the end, Running Man continues on air after the dismissal of the “troublemaker PD”, the famous variety show even add 2 new members, namely Yang Sechan and Jeon Somin which turn out to be a huge improvement. Still, like in 2016 where Running Man’s rating is still not as good as in its heyday. Slowly but surely Running Man’s Rating improved once again, at the end of the year the program achieved 2 digit rating. Well, which episode is the best in 2017 and 2018 so far? Here are the 20 best Episodes, exclaimed as the funniest from Running Man of 2017-2018. Enjoy!

Running Man welcomes the comeback of SNSD in this episode. As the experienced girlband get involved, there are a lot of funny scenes presented here. Like when the member has to choose their partner where Yuri is the unlucky one to be the partner of Ji Sukjin. Not only that, we will also see the SNSD members show their dance skills and aegyo and you will be melted with the aegyo power by Sunny. For me, the funniest scene is where Haha is always being reprimanded by her partner Soo Young. The theme of this episode is actually looking for the Bad Girls throughout the mission. Who will be 3 girls that became the Spy?

The following Running Man Episode 278 English Sub has been released. Watch full episode of Running Man Series at Dramanice. Add to Favorites. To help maintain our system, we have to run popunder on player with very low frequency of 1 pop per 12 hour. Hope you will understand and support us.

Sinopsis Running Man Episode 278 X Man Collaboration Special. Lee Kwang Soo Siap Pimpin Tamu Tamu Tampan Running Man Episode Eng Sub Hd Running Man Kim Soo Hyun Ep.

Running Man is a reality-variety show that stars Yu Jae Seok, Kim Jong Kook, Haha, Jee Seok Jin, Song Ji Hyo, Lee Kwang Soo, Jeon So Min, and Yang Se Chan. In each episode, they must complete missions at various places to win the race. Each mission is action-packed and hilarious as each member tries to beat the others using their wits and skills. Each week, is filled with fun that includes.

Phase 10 card game online, free no download. Also read : Best Korean Dramas 2017 – 2018

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Episode 1 Running Man (2019) Korean Variety. Episode 1 Running Man (2018) Korean Variety. Episode 1 All the Butlers (2020) Korean Variety. Episode 1 Lie After Lie. Tags: Watch Running Man Episode 142 Engsub, Running Man Episode 142 full hd, download Running Man Episode 142, watch online, free Running Man Episode 142 kshowonline, dramacool, kissasian, youtube, dramanice, myasiantv, Running Man Episode 142 eng sub, Running Man Episode 142 English Subtitles.

The episode that took the Couple Race theme welcome the arrival of many beautiful and cute guest stars. One of them is Jeon Somin who will then become the latest member of Running Man. Just as in Episode 224 where Kwangsoo and Somin became a couple, this episode both of them also became it too. But as predicted, rather than a romantic moment this couple show a lot of betrayal moment that will make us laugh our *ss off. Kwangsoo who had been known as a good traitor and schemer got betrayed by Somin, twice.

Episode 334 is Kim Jongkook Week. Where the Running Man members have to help Jongkook while he is having a romantic date with a girl. They also perform various games that will help determine the fate of Jongkook blind date trip. The concept is really touching and easy to “digest” and such romance is needed for the vivid viewer of Running Man, since the Monday Couple have separated, the romance was so lacking throughout the episodes, this particular episode at least give us a break and add more dynamic toward the concept of member’s week.

In the episode of this new year’s edition, the Running Man members are getting their prediction about their lives in 2017. Not only that, their health is also checked through the condition of their eyes. This is the usual concept that has been repeated like two or three times before, the funny part of these New Year episodes is when the members get the answer about their luck for that year which of course varied. This is also the first time Song Jihyo and Kim Jongkook is coupled in a romantic way.

What I like the most from this episode is the adaptability of the members of Super Junior which make even a simple game hugely interesting. Super Junior and Red Velvet became Guest in episode 376. Not only they did come in complete personnel. It turns out that one of the members of Suju, Eunhyuk is a friend from the same elementary school as Jeon Somin. There are also a lot of funny stories between them. The closeness of Somin and Eunhyuk make Donghae jealous and this kind spark is what keeps this episode interesting.

Running Man once again took the theme of Couple Race but this time with much more guest. There’s even an extra 2 male guest, Jo Se-ho and Sung Hoon. Meaning there are 8 pairs in total. So do not be surprised if this episode took 2 episodes. Even for its opening alone spend half the episode. The guest stars are asked to show his or her talents. Sunmi is definitely featuring with the famous dance of Ganshina. Well, Jo Seho as always gets tricked by Yoo Jaesuk. Not only that Jo Seho who is paired with Song Jihyo always get scolded and even beaten.

This is one of the episode of Global Race where Jeon Somin and Kwangsoo have to undergo their punishment in Indonesia or precisely in Gunung Kidul Jogjakarta. They have to cross toward the fishing island using a cable car made by the coastal residents of Pantai Timang which is made with Wood and several strings connected to each other. This whole episode features Somin and Kwangsoo. The members have to guess what they are doing and the result of the action. Kwangmin couple’s moments will also make us laughed and melted here.

Cara install pcsx2 windows 10. In this episode Running Man welcome the arrival of special guest star Gary! Gary and his clone forces came into this episode to defeat the other members which come as a surprise since the member didn’t expect the appearance of their ex-member. The twist is there and presented professionally with good build up and tension. 7012!

Where Jae Suk became MC while the other Running Man member has a match against another team of entertainers. It’ss guaranteed a lolly moment when you watch this episode. Maybe for some, this episode is a bit bland and much more like the moment of revival for some entertainer, but the game was not blatantly simple, plus there is a twist at the end.

In this episode, the members were asked to collect items to fill a house which later will become their base camp. Starting from the sofa, carpet, mattress, to the toilet. They had to borrow or ask for many items from their fellow celebrities, from Cha Taehyun, Kim Dong Wook, to Park Bo Gum. This episode is really exciting for me because each member get their airtime almost equally and all of the moments created are super funny.

Continuing the theme of Global Race, this time Running Man visit Japan to get serve the sentence in the Ghost House. Unfortunately, Kwangsoo must serve the punishment by himself. While Somin went through it with Yoo Jae Suk and Ji Suk Jin served his “adventure” with Yang Se Chan. Lots of funny and thrilling scenes we go from this episode like VJ of Ji Sukjin who fled in fear and left his camera behind.

Well, Haha’s special episode is the best among the others. Haha has been known as a hesitant type of personality and wishy-washy with the choices available. In this episode, Haha will always be told to choose between two members who are prepared to undergo a punishment. Like Lee Kwangsoo or Ji Sukjin who will be thrown into the air with a giant ball. Or Kim Jongkook (eating high calories food) and Song Jihyo (touch insects). And the twist was Haha didn’t plan this episode but other members did this as the gift for Haha’s second child which had made Haha want to run away due to the shameful feeling.

Episode 372 can be categorized as to be one episode with the best Twist of 2017 or perhaps one of the best Twist in Running Man history. Early on, the member saw a video of Lee Kwangsoo who was talking with two mysterious people. Kwangsoo is upset about who he has takes to undergo the punishment in Australia. Well, you will be really shocked by what happened at the end. Usually, we’ll see Jeon Somin making a loveline with Kwangsoo or any male single guest but in this episode Jeon Somin create a romantic moment with Kim Jongkook. Like when somin act as a girlfriend of Kim Jongkook.

Last part of Global Race Project last of 2017 where Running Man members are divided into 2 groups. Lee Kwangsoo’s team which consist Jeon Somin, Ji Sukjin and Yoo Jaesuk flew to Australia and Kim Jongkook’s team consist of Haha, Song Jihyo, and Yang Sechan visited New Zealand. This is the second part because it has previously aired in Episode 378. If in the previous episode 378 (Team Australia) is stealing the attention, during this episode Team New Zealand became the star. Obviously, because this team offers cuteness and tension. Where Haha and Sechan had vomited before getting on the swing and the best moments when Song Jihyo and Kim Jongkook take on the Nevis Swing with the upside position.

Running Man’s blockbuster scenes frequently have a lot of rushes, chills and enough twist on the story to keep watchers oblivious until the last minute. This scene; highlighting apparitions from Running University, took the great Running Man blockbuster scene to another level with a sudden wind that left the individuals reeling, as well as the gathering of people. You wouldn’t have any desire to miss this scene, including incredible part science and collaborations, and a splendid storyline that will keep you snared until the finish of the race.

Still a continuation of episode 346, this 347 episode has three teams, namely Osaka team, Taipei team, and Jeju-do team. They have to buy souvenirs in those places. The team that has the heaviest souvenirs will win this mission. The scale of the mission is huge and Jang Do Yeon helps create smooth episode especially during the trip to Jeju-do. Overall this episode is a good one as the new member looks fluid enough to gel with the original member of Running Man.

This episode centers around the Running Man individuals gunning to be the beneficiary to Running Airline’s affluent director. As basic as it is an idea, the scene is made more troublesome by the beneficiaries; feisty and brimming with shocks. This present scene’s quality likewise originates from the last mission, an unofficial ID tearing mission in which the individuals need to battle against each other to be the beneficiary. There’s an immense twist towards the end which you presumably won’t see it coming either.

Special Christmas episode on Running Man, for the most part, have an amazing quality of esteem, however, to keep in accordance with the current year’s Running Man subject of wanders aimlessly, the PD have thought of yet another blockbuster scene including apparitions, vindictive spirits, and people. You’d most likely never observe Christmas similarly again. A note, the main portion of the scene tends to delay somewhat more, yet the real race is where the place of fun is.

This is the best and funniest Running Man episode in 2017 but not quite fundamental. Because this episode is special to celebrate 7 years Running Man. All Running Man members come to the show with their friends and family. Like Song Jihyo and Somin who brought their younger brother and Kim Jongkook who came with his older brother. Other members choose to take their friends. But before the guests come out they tell the habits of each member. Like Haha who once vent on and wanted to gang up Kim Jongkook. All agreed that the star in this episode is Haha’s friend Park Geun-shik and Jo Seho. Geunsik with his innocence often makes Haha angry while Jo Se Ho always gets teased by Yoo Jaesuk. But Tae Hang-ho (Friends of Kwangsoo) also take much of the airtime while trying the high voice game.

On episode 346, the new member Jeon So-min and Yang Se-chan start joining permanently as a cast member. Here we will be getting stomachache because of their hilarious behavior, especially from the new member! This time there are three teams that compete to win. They must successfully undergo a mission if not, the will be given a horrible penalty. It might not be the funniest, but this episode becomes the turning point of the new era of Running Man. Thus, we see this episode as the fundamental episode of Running Man in 2017.

5/5(7 votes )

Running Man Eng Sub Kshowonline

The Bridge

Two detectives from Malaysia and Singapore are assigned to work together on a double murder case. A body – split in half and made up of two different women – was found at the second link bridge that connects both countries. The killer later reveals that he will bring five issues to light that cause chaos in both Malaysia and Singapore – people are unequal before law, human trafficking, laundering, violence against women and children, and child labour. This politically charged and highly complex case leads the detective duo in discovering the close connection between the killer and those who are chasing him. Case by case, they learn about the killer’s hidden agenda.

Running Man Ep 515 Eng Sub

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[yibuo]

UMMM I would love to know what exactly happened with xnine too if you know??

i didn’t know how to answer this without hating on long danni but... that’s not possible when you’re talking about xnine

CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG IN ANY WAY @ DIMPLES AND CFANS

tldr ceo addicted to producing survival shows realizes boy group is incapable of feeding her fat rabbit because of her OWN mismanagement and throws them away (literally? probably not, maybe, idk)

HOLY SHIT THIS BECAME RLY LONG IM BEGGING KEEP READING TO WORK LO LOL LOL

long danni= wjjw company ceo

wjjw=company that xnine, xz, r1se, etc are under

huo mala: fat company rabbit that WILL give u nightmares goodness gracious thinking about him sends chills down my spine

alright so long danni (ldn i will refer to her) & ee media along w/ tencent and sm made the survival show x-fire... the premise of xfire was that 16 contestants split into two different teams (white and red) and then at the end it would boil down to each team having 4 members and the winning team would debut as a group called xfire...but wait...the group’s name is xnine? so out of red team (peng chuyue, baishu, xiao zhan, xia zhiguang) and white team(wu jiacheng, gu jiacheng, zhao lei, and guo zifan) white team won...and they unofficially debuted as xfire..went abroad to train yadda yadda yadda and then a few months later, TELL ME WHY LONG DANNI DECIDES TO RELEASE POLLS TO LET FANS VOTE IN 5 MEMBERS INTO XFIRE TO CREATE XNINE! ldn PLEASE if u wanted to rig the show you should’ve decided in the beginning what was the point of making the teams and the fans fight against each other...

so yeah xz and crew weren’t actually supposed to debut according to show rules...i mean i’m glad they debuted obviously bc x9 is x9 but ee media and frickin ldn couldve handled this better...like every member except chen molerat is amazing and great but....WHY DIDNT MaNAGEMENT NOT BLATANTLY RIG THEM INTO THE GROUP

but also thank u ldn for also letting us get to know the 4 guys who were added n not chen molerat <3 but like DO UR JOB PROPERLY

anyway the polls were RIGGED obviously thanks ldn what did u expect out of making POLLS, and xiao zhan, peng chuyue, xia zhiguang, yan xujia, and chen z*** were added to the group to create xnine...talk about rigged when chen z*** the molerat lookin turdface misogynist was added... anyway at the time he wasnt known to be problematic but ya the whole rigging thing caused a whole rift esp when x9 debuted bc there were fanwars and death threats initially but xfire did well because it was one of the (if not only) survival shows at that time and x9 debuted w/ a good response etc

then they got moved to wjjw (still owned by ldn thanks ldn) and wjjw is known for hoarding artists and not promoting them (THEY HAVE LIKE 45 ARTISTS BUT WERE FORMED 3 YEARS AGO MAKE IT MAKE SENSE) and not being promoted properly was EXACTLY what happened to xnine. as idols what they needed was music promotions, variety shows, etc stuff to get them as people out there but this genius ldn decided to promote them through stupid zodiac dramas like super star academy (to promote xfire finalists) and oh my emperor (which was an xnine drama). now i haven’t watched OME, but SSA gave me enough brain rot and gunk for me to not watch OME. (the only person who could act was baishu), and the story was SO BAD. nevermind the acting, because the boys weren’t initially slated to be actors, but the story was horrible, girl without superpowers suddenly becomes white cult goddess at the end??? WHAT???????? why didn’t ldn just promote them normally !!!!!! are they an actor group or an idol group???? I LOVE XNINE, THEY ARE TALENTED ARTISTS !!!! and eventually some went into acting (xz, guo zifan, gu jiacheng) BUT WAS THAT THE TIME DLFNJNF and then they just kept getting sent into random dramas and movies as random side characters instead of being able to make music and promote????? i’m sorry i’ve been stuck on using dramas to promote x9 for a while because that’s such a SILLY IDEA *vigorously shakes head* 

ldn knows how to do survival shows but she doesn’t know how to promote her artists thanks ldn. xnine has so much talented, we know xiao zhan is a great singer, but other main vocalists like wu jiacheng, zhao lei, and peng chuyue are amazing as welll, here’s me plugging this video of zl and pcy performing their self-written song on produce camp because it’s the most beautiful thing ever

-oh yeah somewhere in here insert chen molerat getting outed as a pedo misogynist cheater by his gf who still has the audacity to have xnine in his weibo name because xnine starting to get popular gtfo rat lookin ass i WILL barf, when we say ot8 xnine we mean xnine w/o chen toadratass but sometimes ppl think it’s xnine minus xz which is untrue-

they also have talented rappers (gu jiacheng yan xujia) and dancers (xia zhiguang guo zifan) like xia zhiguang can end me with his spinning flying kick thing and i WILL let him 

so YEAH !! TALENT that went to waste because wjjw gave them weird random hiatuses and kept pushing them as actors??? seriously what is with this actor stuff...so that’s why they debuted in 2016 and have very little discography to their name because wjjw just gave up...trying to promote them GOD thank u so much ldn for ur incomptency <3333 xnine had members in diff stages of life (ranging from xz who was born in 91, to yan xujia born in 2001, they were all close tho soo cute) and wjjw really was like nope we’re not gonna try to promote yall’s dreams of becoming singers on the stage because they couldn’t add 34783473 pounds to fat huo mala’s weight

so ya a lot of people are like omg wjjw hates xiao zhan!!! ya no they hate all of xnine but now xz is bringing enough money to make huo mala even fatter so good for huo mala i guess /s

also rumors and any bad media? lol wjjw doesn’t care they do a shit job at handling bad things too WHAT A WELLROUNDED COMPANY

OH ALSO TALK ABOUT HOW THYE HAD 3 DAYS TO PREPARE FOR A CONCERT???????????? WHAT????????? wjjw u mfs

anyway to summarize my rants above wjjw did  a SHIT job of promoting xnine as idols when the boys worked so hard and wjjw kept tryna push them to acting bye (some of them can’t act and literally don’t WANT TO ACT HHHSFLNF), wjjw is also horrible at letting all of the xnine members shine when as i mentioned before, they’re ALL TALENTED!!!! and then they just gave up on xnine somewhere in 2017-2018... ok anyway so is xnine disbanded? no although some may say their last concert in dec 2018 was their last concert ever they’re not disbanded

xiao zhan , gu jiacheng, and guo zifan went into acting

wu jiachang is focusing on his music etc (he was actually the first member of xnine i came across when i watched the collaboration/cyzj in 2018...yes carats this is That wu jiacheng!!!) MAN CAN SING

peng chuyue, zhao lei, xia zhiguang, yan xujia all went on produce camp 2019 (aNOTHER SURVIVAL SHOW BC THEY WANTED TO BE ON THE MF STAGE BC THATS WHY THEYRE HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE WJJW) along w/ fellow labelmates zhou zhennan and zhai xiao wen ... and everyone but peng chuyue made it to the final 11 spots and got to debut in the group r1se...UNFORTUNATELY ALSO UNDER WJJW HELP SEND HELP

if they’re in r1se does that mean they quit xnine? no! they’re in both that’s just how survival shows work it’s kind of weird

peng chuyue recently released a song and it’s really good and you can’t not tell me that it’s gay here it is

anyway xnine hasn’t disbanded!! the X玖少年团 (xnine) in the non-r1se members’ weibo names say that loud n clear!!! and when the r1se members from xnine won produce camp 2019, they all made xnine signs SO XNINE IS ALIVE and they do keep in contact!!

why haven’t we seen blatant public interactions btwen xiao zhan and the xnine members? because some frickin annoying xz solo stans/xfx claim that the other members use xz for popularity (HELLO??????? IN WHAT WORLD DOES THAT MAKE SENSE HALF OF THEM R LITERALLY HIS KIDS BUT OK) 

anyway in conclusion wjjw doesn’t know how to promote any of their artists, thus screwing over xnine members and making them go on a group hiatus where they focus on acting/singing/r1se for r1se members but they are very much xnine as of now !!!

here’s some REALLY GOOD RESOURCES to follow xnine bc as an ifan it’s mf hard

-xnine slideshow

-xnine faq

-xnine eng sub channel by yuer

-all of that content i listed above was made/subbed by one person and she is the queen of uhh...xnine international fandom outreach (????) how do i word it but she’s been subbing and spreading xnine long before xiao zhan’s popularity skyrocketed so go follow her for updates and memes here

-xnine intl fanbase twt and tumblr

-and here’s this twt account with dumb pics of xnine because why not

also i’m pretty sure there’s a wip video explaining x9′s history being created (by yuer because queen) so when that’s posted i’ll rb this and post it here

also here’s this video dragging wjjw

[struggle-but-its-all-ocean-floor]

Fans who say there is no difference between a Japanese or an English release are being purposely naive. We all know there is a difference - more than one - and I’ll name a few:

1. BTS have always released albums and original songs in Japanese. This is nothing new. It’s how the K-POP world works. 

Counterargument: it’s true that the kpop world has evolved and will start to cater more to Western audiences; English releases are inevitable. Japanese releases reflect JPN’s power in the Eastern market, and ENG releases represent mainly the US’s power in the Western market. JPN songs also sound different to Korean songs in order to account for different music tastes and trends in the different markets. BTS actually do a whole lot for their JPN fan base, even now that they’re so big, which must mean JPN’s market is a very stable cash cow. 

However, to international fans at the very least, Japanese and Korean cultures are similar enough that we enjoy their JPN releases almost as much as their Korean releases. Their JPN songs are, in general, slower and more sentimental, but that is something many kpop fans like (kpop is all about ballads, cute songs, and noise music). Furthermore, BTS speak better Japanese than English, love JPN, and write (some of) their JPN singles. 

Expectations about Japanese releases are also different... 

2. English and Japanese songs do not hold the same weight in BTS’s discography and career. 

We’re all okay with a few JPN songs, which are released like clockwork every year. They’re predictable, we have fun listening to them, and get a few extra performances and content out of them (content which is very similar to Korean content). The songs don’t have to be amazing, and our expectations are always met because they’re never very high. Japanese songs are not the main event - the main event has always been the Korean releases. 

Korean and Japanese releases complement each other. Meanwhile English releases have (for now) replaced Korean songs, and they represent a new development in BTS’s career. 

After all, it’s not a JPN song that is ever going to win SOTY at the MAMA’s, or take the #1 spot at BB’s Hot 100 chart. But English songs have done that. And now that we have ENG songs, we haven’t had a Korean release in months. And, THAT, is the main problem, and one of the reasons fans are so upset. Dynamite was, at first, just another “JPN” release, that the fans were happy about. And after it blew up and fans were upset that it got all the accolades other, more deserving, BTS songs never got, BTS released BE. Say what you will about BE, but it was 100% BTS’s work. 

However, a year later we got Butter, and now PTD, and a new pattern is starting to emerge. While JPN releases are predictable, everyone is unsure of what the future of BTS’s music looks like. 

3. Fans don’t like BTS in spite of them being K-Pop. We like BTS because they are K-Pop.

JPN songs fit under the umbrella of K-Pop. English songs are Western songs. They sound very different from kpop, so they are off-putting to many fans who’ve turned away from the American music industry. This obviously isn’t the case with Japanese songs. 

4. BTS themselves haven’t changed but the fandom and their identity has. 

BTS’s identity isn’t just what they’ve created, but how we see and respond to them. We have crafted BTS’s identity alongside them, and that identity has been changing. To many fans, BTS represent the underdog (first in the K-Pop industry, and later on in America). Fans found comfort in knowing a group of boys from Korea could get so big, and that people could accept another language that isn’t English, or even Spanish. BTS showed us that you don’t need America, or to be from a rich country, to succeed internationally. They give hope to people from countries no one takes seriously or knows of. But now they’ve changed. 

BTS have never fought US’s influence and power. They’ve actually exploited it and benefited from it all their careers - they’ve slowly outgrown K-POP, while remaining K-POP. But now they are explicitly catering to the US, shattering fan’s illusions of BTS being living proof that you don’t need the US, and shedding their K-POP label. 

Of course BTS want to be more than K-POP. They want to be as big and be taken as seriously as American artists are. And they love Korea still. But they are undoubtedly losing something of value in the process - their creative freedom for one.

Ironically, BTS don’t want to be stuck in the Kpop box. They want to experiment and do different things, and they seem happy with their new songs - BTS love American music. It’s too bad their fans don’t see it that way. We want them to be huge as well, but we want them to remain K-POP. Fortunately, they have, so far, maintained the core structure of the K-POP industry, although that’s not necessarily a good thing. 

Frankly, BTS have shown everyone that you can make it big in your own country, and that you can compete with the US in some way. They are based in Korea and their image is still very “Korean”. But now they are being, in a way, “assimilated” by the American industry, and distancing themselves from the Korean industry, showing US’s power. US are the best in many fields because they attract the best. US is taking BTS’s power for itself, in a way, and that doesn’t sit well with people. 

[sw4gg1e4life]

Yu Yu Hakusho (Reviewing 25 years later)

This anime is like a forgotten gem. It doesn’t come to mind as #1 first but when mentioned everyone goes oh yea that was like one of the best anime’s of all time. I feel like most anime’s don’t have the same level of action, adventure, comedy, drama, and growth that this show offered. Whether you watch it as a kid for action & childish humor or as an adult for the deeper drama, life lessons and adult humor, it’s great across generations and across time whether you watched it as a kid in the 90s/00s or now in 2021. 

Let me simplify it because there’s so much in-depth analysis I could go into.

Ratings per Arc/Saga:

Spirit Detective - 8/10

Dark Tournament - 10/10

Chapter Black - 8/10

Three Kings - 7/10

Deeper Analysis:

Spirit Detective - Honestly this arc had amazing parts to it, introducing the main characters, slowly improving enemies, and setting up for the Dark Tournament. I love the intro and how Yusuke has to undergo his ordeal showing his relationship with Kuwabara, Keiko, his mother, Boton, Koenma and everyone else around him. We’re introduced to a brat who doesn’t really belong but slowly finds his place and purpose starting here as Spirit Detective. I loved the deeper stories with introducing Hiei and Kurama. The introduction of Genkai was amazing, it showed there’s different aspects of growing and trying to master spirit energy. I only wish that section was a bit longer, maybe just 2-3 episodes of more unique competitors. The Spirit Beasts section is what made it a tad lackluster. This is their first real mission to spirit world and the abilities of the 4 spirit beasts just felt somewhat limited to me. Especially the fire-tiger beast, his tenacity just became annoying at some point. This is what dropped the Spirit Detective Saga to an 8 for me or else I would’ve made it a 9. The final part is amazing, it brings some backstory to Hiei by introducing her sister and most importantly the Toguro brothers leading to the Dark Tournament. 

All together, it’s probably one of the best intro sagas to any anime I’ve seen at least. There’s simplicity but also complexity at the same time depending on how deep you look into it. They didn’t just half ass the action like many of my other favorite action-packed anime (DBZ, Fairy Tail). There’s a lot of mystery, dark moments, and strategy for a supposed kids cartoon for the haters out there. 

Dark Tournament - This has to be the best saga in any ever because of the different strategies, emotions, growth, and somehow comedy still added in. I can’t help but re-watch this saga again and again every few years. We start with a mystery question: how much did the main characters grow in strength, abilities, and strategies? Now as a teen then now adult, the masked fighter is obviously Genkai because of the height, outfit and abilities, but as a kid, she was such a mystery for me haha. Anyways we go into the tournament and the committee seems hell bent on pitting everything against Yusuke & friends. I like that though Yusuke’s team comes out on top at the end of each fight, they do lose some individual matches for multiple different reasons. Instead of mindless matches purely on the fighting, we actually learn some backstory about many enemies and our main characters. It didn’t take long either; there wasn’t a ridiculous amount of episodes spent per backstory like Naruto or Fairy Tail. Genkai showed even more wisdom but also understanding of humanity as she knows her time is ending so she passes on her power abilities and most importantly wisdom to her favorite dim-wit. And throughout the story, we get to know more about Genkai and Toguro’s backstory and how power, morals and unfortunate events can change one’s future. The part that most people forget is the final episodes of the Dark Tournament: Toguro has been and wants to continue punishing himself. He actually does care for Genkai and Yusuke. He knows Yusuke has greater potential to grow into something great but needs proper and sometimes drastic measures and guidance to do so.

This saga had an amazing start, several related series of actions in the middle and a proper explanation at the end for many questions we had. On top of all that we’re left clues to the next arc, subtle clues you don’t realize until the next arc comes around. Episode 66, was shocking, Koenma actually granted Yusuke’s wish for his mentor and friend to be revived to live until the end of her life in peace as much as possible. 

Chapter Black - This saga was great. You really don’t know what it is until it’s fully explained. We all know there were stronger demons deeper in spirit world. But something deeper darker is coming and it’s crazy because after 66 episodes we realized we never wondered about a previous Spirit Detective. What happened to that one? Now we get a trio of test spiritually aware humans just to test Yusuke & Kuwabara, but the really interesting part is when Sensui and his team is brought in. A few abilities were obvious but others were so mysterious with a constant ominous presence and heartbeat music looming over. What is each unique opponent’s abilities and what is Sensui’s background and end goal? His multiple personalities each containing yet even more unique abilities with his desire for an open tunnel into the depths of Spirit World for A/S class demons is insane. It seems impossible for Yusuke to win here even with Kuwabara’s sacrifice again. But wow what a reveal that he does have a secret demon king lineage in his blood. I both love and hate this at the same time. It feels like a cop-out but also explains everything at the same time. It’s like Super Saiyan in DBZ but different because at least here it took until the 3rd Saga and several arcs to reveal it. I guess in the overall scheme of things it’s like having Dragonball before Dragonball Z. Anyways the ending is amazing as we see them fight and find out just why Sensui wanted this all along as well as his gay partner’s obsession over him. 

This was a great saga with a truly ominous back story and I love it. The only reason I keep it rated at 8/10 is unfortunately it happens right after the best saga ever in the Dark Tournament. At this point, power scaling and the use of demon king lineage in Yusuke just unfortunately puts the rating here. And we already know what the next saga is about for sure. There’s nothing left to really explore.

Three Kings - Here we go, the finale of Yu Yu Hakusho. We know Yusuke is of demon king lineage so of course he’s going to go train in Demon World. Hiei and Kurama obviously would follow along. Now with everything being obvious, why is it still interesting? Somehow the writers/producers of Yu Yu Hakusho find a way to bring even more back story in appropriate timing without it becoming filler. Learning about the deep ancient history of Raizen vs Yomi vs Mukuro shows how even as demons they have a human aspect: Raizen who ended up loving a human, Yomi who had a child and history with Kurama, and Mukuro with her tragic backstory that led to an odd relationship with Hiei. The ending is great with yet another tournament. As a kid, I wished they had a full tournament arc, but decades later I realized how much sense it makes that they didn’t show us the whole tournament, just key battles and how no one in our main crew won. Yusuke, Kurama and Hiei still has much to learn and grow. Yomi and Mukuro’s time has passed. A new brighter future awaits the demon world. Yusuke finally gets his happy ending with Keiko. 

This final saga unfortunately because of its timing and closure gets a rating of 7/10. For an ending it’s great and I’m not sure how to improve it. That’s why I’m not a producer/writer haha. But it is definitely amazing and I appreciate it. Yusuke went from a kid/teen to a young adult. The story we came to know and love is over and he did NOT end up obsessed like Toguro. He didn’t choose the demon life. He also didn’t choose a psychic path like Genkai. He chose his own path with his friends in the human world continuing as spirit detective but living as close to a normal life as possible. I love this ending, The ending and whole narrative makes me give this show a 10/10. Yes I know they released 2 specials in 2018 but why not that’s a small treat for us fans. They can do specials maybe every decade or so. I don’t actually want them to do a new continued series like Dragonball Super. Let the original show be what it is and be remembered in history as one of the most unique shows with catchy theme songs. Also the Eng dub is actually good haha. Listen carefully for the adult humor hidden in the show if you’re re-watching it. You likely didn’t understand every NSFW joke as a kid. I know I didn’t haha. 

[elena-et-les-films]

Cinema

by Stéphane Delorme

Cahiers du Cinéma, Editorial n°762 – January 2020

The controversy which followed Martin Scorsese’s sensational article in the New York Times against the marvelisation of Hollywood (“I don’t think they’re cinema”) was not without interest, since Bob Iger, Chief Executive Officer of Disney and therefore of Marvel, then announced plans for a meeting with the filmmaker, like in a parody of The Irishman. At stake here is a major and profound issue for American cinema. Everything is getting reorganised. Netflix has triggered a small brain drain with the New York trio of Scorsese, Safdie and Baumbach, which weakens the historical studios when it comes to the Oscars. The signifier “cinema” is burning on all sides. The choice of Twin Peaks: The Return as n°1 in our top 10 of the decade (corroborated by our readers’ top 10!) made some people gnash their teeth, especially in the United States, because it apparently isn’t cinema but a TV show [in Eng. in the text]. So what, Avengers would be cinema, but not Twin Peaks? The key issue was to affirm the fact that cinema was present there at its strongest intensity. Cinema is in Twin Peaks and in The Irishman, just as it is in Uncut Gems, even though these works are not showing in cinemas [besides a few theatrical screenings in some territories such as the UK and Ireland, Uncut Gems was only fully theatrically released in the United States. Elsewhere, it was released on Netflix only]. It is also in Joker, a torpedo against the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) inspired by Scorsese and which he almost directed himself (he truly does bring together all the elements of the debate), a film that is committed, thoughtful and risky, and not programmed for already conquered fans. The spiciest part of the story is that Robert Iger didn’t come out of nowhere: he is the same person who, in 1989, as director of programming at ABC, prevented Lynch from making Twin Peaks the way he wanted, sabotaged the second season by bringing forward the revelation of the murderer, and almost fired the filmmaker because “he did not know the rules of storytelling.” The people we are dealing with are destroyers. For Lynch to return 25 years later with “his” Twin Peaks is an extraordinary revenge. There is indeed, in the United States, a fight for cinema, carried out by Lynch, Scorsese, Coppola, as cinema is being emptied of its content in theatres and filmmakers take refuge wherever they can. 

According to some, Scorsese isn’t defending cinema but “personal cinema” [Eng.], a vague formula we do not use in France and which refers both to auteur cinema and to cinema in the first person. It used to be that personal cinema was the filmed diary of Jonas Mekas; now it is also Scorsese! This is a way of ghettoising filmmakers by creating a special genre for them. But let us keep the formula and flip it, and the obverse is an impersonal cinema: international, global, anonymous, aimed at target audiences. A personal cinema addresses persons. The reason we care so much about Tommaso is that Ferrara, who has taken refuge in Italy, finds inspiration in his emotions and in his actor. The Safdies say “Howard, he’s us!” [“Howard, c’est nous !”]. Almodóvar (who mocked the “sterilised” and asexual Marvel films) talks about himself through Antonio Banderas. Each time the filmmaker mines his own experience to find treasures, life is sublimated. All of them defend a romantic vision: the filmmaker expresses a vision of man and of the world. 

If we want to get past the literal idea that “cinema is what is shown in a cinema” (which serves to legitimise Disney, as it buys more and more screens), if we have an idea of cinema, like Scorsese does, the question then arises: is what we are seeing still “cinema”, this magical word radiating with history, with thoughts and practices? We have to wonder how much longer geeks and disruptive start-upers will need this beautiful old word. The Russo brothers, directors of the gruel Avengers: Endgame, the biggest success of all time, ultimately agree with Scorsese when they respond to his article with contempt: “Cinema is a New York word; we are making motion pictures [Eng.]”. The Russos are but one cog in the Disney machine that dethrones the filmmaker for the profit of the producer-king. Obviously, the conflict between producers and filmmakers has always existed, but producers have never been this ignorant, cowardly and lacking in imagination. At the end of the 1920s, William Fox and Winfield Sheehan were the first to create in the United States a safe haven for filmmakers: they had Hawks, Ford, Walsh, Dwan and Borzage under contract, and they invited Murnau, who then shot Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans. These men had a vision. Today, Fox is owned by Disney, and the company does whatever it pleases with its masterpieces, if it is even aware of their existence. Cinephiles must wake up. This is not a conflict of generations, this is the destruction of art, past and present, by haggling wheeler-dealers.

Translated from French by Elena Lazic, with help from Caspar Salmon and Paul Ridd.

[shijiujun]

[ENG] History3: Trapped Novel - Chapter Six

~5,000 words (proofread by @weilongfu​)

Translation Masterpost can be found here

Disclaimer: Translations are entirely mine and Wei’s - these are not official translations and some phrases have been changed for better English interpretation so you’ll definitely see better/different translations elsewhere. Also keeping in mind when we translated this we aren’t exactly thinking about the style of writing and this translation is as close to the novel as we can make it XD So yes, some parts may be a little awkward to read. And yes some teeny weeny details and words may not turn up in the translation because the Chi to Eng mind acrobatics didn’t work out. If you see asterisks, scroll all the way to the bottom for notes!

Full chapter below the cut

Chapter Six

Hospital

Tang Yi and Dao Yi both sprint into the emergency room and see Jiang Jin Tang, who’s wrapping up Hong Ye’s wounds.

“Hong Ye!”

“Ah Yi?”

Tang Yi rushes forward immediately and hugs Hong Ye, who’s sitting up in the hospital bed.

“How is she?”

As he’s treating her wounds, Dr Jiang explains the situation, “There are a few abrasions, I’ve already prescribed some medicine for that. And because we are afraid that she may have a concussion from trauma to the head, so we’ve also done a brain MRI, and now we’re waiting for the report to come out.”

Realising that Hong Ye was mostly fine, both men release huge sighs, relieved. Dao Yi’s tightly clenched fist at his side also relaxes gradually.

“That gun was just pointing at us… I was really scared, my mind just went blank-”

A nurse comes over with swift steps and goes over to Dr Jiang’s side, and reports, anxious, “Dr Jiang, the other patient has been wheeled into the operating theater, Dr Zheng hopes that you can go over right now.”

“Okay, I’m going now.”

Dr Jiang’s expression is somber, and just as he’s about to turn to leave, Tang Yi grabs onto his arm.

“Is it Meng Shao Fei?”

“Gunshot wound to the abdomen, his Glasgow coma score is 3♯.”

The man wearing his doctor’s robes answers, then moves Tang Yi’s hand off of his arm, before following the nurse quickly into the operating theatre. The doors of the emergency room slide open once again, revealing Captain Shi and the rest of Team 3, who were informed about Shao Fei’s injury earlier. Their expressions all reflect panic and worry - even Yu Qi’s eyes are red, and she’s obviously cried a few times on the way here.

Captain Shi rushes straight for the desk and grabs onto the nearest nurse to ask, “Meng Shao Fei, where’s Officer Meng?”

“Officer Meng was shot in the abdomen, he’s currently still in surgery.”

Standing on the side, Zhao Zi is unable to hide his panic either and asks, anxious, “How did he get shot?”

“We’re not very sure either. Please wait at the side, and don’t obstruct the way into the emergency room.”

Captain Shi looks up, about to find a place to sit, when he sees a particular someone in the waiting area. He walks forward angrily, and without saying a word, Captain Shi directly slams his fist on the other’s face. 

“Tang Yi! I agree to let Ah Fei protect you, but he’s not for you to use as a shield for bullets! Why did this happen? Why?”

Blaming himself for it all, Tang Yi does not resist - his eyes do not land on Captain Shi even once, and his expression is so cold and distant that he almost looks like a nonchalant outsider. Only those who know him well like Hong Ye and Dao Yi understand, that the man in front of them is in a state of absolute fury.

“Tang Yi you listen carefully, you better pray that nothing happens to Shao Fei, otherwise I won’t stand on ceremony and will arrest you to the police station!”

“Boss, don’t be like this! Boss!”

Zhao Zi and Jun Wei hold onto the captain’s arms on each side, and drag the fuming man away from the emergency room, that is packed with plenty of other patients and their family members. The last one to walk in is Ah Zhi. Right before he leaves, he turns and sends Ah De a look at the doors to the emergency room. Ah De subtly shakes his head at him, before turning his gaze back to Tang Yi seated in the plastic chair and who is staring straight ahead.

The Tang Household

Having just returned home from the hospital, Ah De follows closely behind Tang Yi up the stairs. Jack, who’s been waiting there since earlier, takes the initiative and approaches Tang Yi first, “Boss.”

“Where’s he?”

“Inside.”

Tang Yi’s footsteps do not cease as he angrily tears his suit jacket off of him, the garment dropping to the ground. Ah De picks it up and hangs it over his arm, his expression revealing both anxiety and unease. 

The moment the door to the room opens, they see the man who attacked Hong Ye and Shao Fei earlier tied to a chair in the room, gagged with a piece of cloth. Once the man sees Tang Yi’s expression, he immediately begins to struggle and shout.

“Get out.”

Knowing that Tang Yi intends to torture the man personally, Ah De immediately stops in front of him. He says, “Boss, let me do it. Don’t dirty your hands.”

“Get out,” the words leave Tang Yi’s throat softer than before, but his tone this time leaves a chill down everyone’s spine.

“This small matter, I can handle it-”

Ah De does not get a chance to complete his sentence before he’s viciously shoved to the wall. Glaring at the subordinate who has interrupted him repeatedly, Tang Yi glares at the man.

“He dared to touch my people, and you call it a small matter? Then what is a ‘big matter’?”

“I’m sorry, I spoke out of turn. I’ll leave right now.”

Having followed Tang Yi for so many years, this is the second time Ah De has seen such an expression on Tang Yi’s face - the first time, was four years ago when Tang Yi woke up in the ICU ward, only to be given the news that Boss Tang was dead. Ah De knows that he can no longer say anything. All he can do is hold onto the suit jacket in his hands and leave the room, feeling panicked.

The merciless expression on Tang Yi’s face is akin to a grim reaper just as it’s about to wield its scythe - he grabs at the man’s jaw and smiles coldly, “Hold on just a little longer. I’ll definitely let you listen to the sound of your ribs breaking one by one.”

Wearing his spiked brass knuckles on his dominant right hand, the man tied to the chair is so fearful that he soils himself, his pants stained with the evidence of his shame and also the unpleasant stench.

Outside of the room, Ah De is unable to sit still and instead paces outside the door, wanting to know what’s going on inside, then also looking at his phone from time to time, as if waiting for someone’s reply.

Jack calmly plays with the butterfly knife in his hands, and speaks, “Don’t worry. He won’t beat him to death. Boss knows this much at least.”

If the man is beaten to death, then he cannot reveal any clues. The trick is to beat him until he thinks he will die in the next moment, but leave him that tiny, little glimpse of survival. Only then can they get the answers they need. This is what Jack learnt from the battlefield, and this is also the logic he used on himself when he was captured as a hostage and interrogated. Even if he was at his limits, he remembered that there is no reason for him to be loose-lipped, because once he tells the truth he no longer has any value. And people without any value and use will truly walk towards certain death.

“Why would I be worried about that fucker?”

“Oh? Then I must be mistaken. I saw that you were so nervous, I thought both of you knew each other.”

“What do you mean? What do you mean by I know him? Who does he think he is, do you think I will know a small fry like him?”

Jack looks at the man who has suddenly switched moods, then smiles, “De Ge, don’t get so angry. I’m hardly being serious here, don’t take it to heart and don’t listen too closely.”

Ah De suddenly grabs onto Jack’s butterfly knife in his grasp and warns sternly, “Some things cannot be said for the fun of it. Also, be careful of your knife.”

At this moment, Ah De’s quiet phone sounds with an incoming message and quickly leaves. A few minutes later, Jack deftly keeps his knife and walks over to the floor-to-ceiling windows. With his smiling eyes that scream anything but friendly, he watches as Ah De drives out of the house.

Restaurant booth

“Why did you only just return my texts, he’s already been caught by Boss,” Ah De says to the person who’s been waiting there for a while, the moment he opens the door and walks into the booth.

Hong Ye coldly looks at the man who hurriedly closes the door, and asks, “Li Zhi De, did you really want to kill me?”

“I didn’t! The plan was just as I discussed with CEO Zuo previously. We’ll pretend that your attacker is your competition from the bid* and I already instructed them to use only sticks to teach Meng Shao Fei a lesson, to make him look like he can’t protect anyone at all, that’s al!”

Hong Ye picks up the glass of red wine, and with sharp eyes scrutinising the other’s every reaction, she continues, “Sticks? But he was holding a gun. That time, you were the one who said you could chase Meng Shao Fei away and that’s why I reluctantly cooperated with you. In the end, this show has turned out to be farce. Or… did you have other motives for this?”

“CEO Zuo, how could I have any other motives? I really don’t know why it has turned out like this. I called and confirmed it earlier, before my people got to the carpark everything had already happened. Those people weren’t sent by me. I wanted to take care of these small fries by myself, but who knew Boss would do it personally, and I didn’t expect that Boss would have such an extreme reaction towards Meng Shao Fei getting hurt…”

That very last sentence, Ah De says through gritted teeth.

At his words, Hong Ye, who was cutting through a slice of blue cheese with her fork, freezes. Taking a deep breath, she picks up her handbag from the couch, and with a raised eyebrow, she says to Ah De, “In any case, the show is over. If that guy says anything to Ah Yi, you’re on your own.”

“CEO Zuo! CEO Zuo!”

Ah De shouts after her in a panic, but he can only watch as the woman leaves the booth without a backwards glance.

The Tang Household - Balcony

Tang Yi, who hates the smell of cigarette smoke, smokes one now - something that happens rarely. His sleeves are folded all the way to his elbows, still stained with dried blood.

Jack walks to the balcony and speaks, “He’s been sent to the hospital to Dr. Jiang already. Does Boss already know who sent him?”

Tang Yi’s eyes are filled with murderous intent and his gaze sweeps towards the red-haired man. Jack shrugs and smiles, “I’m simply curious what person wants to die so much that he dared to touch the person Boss cares about the most.”

Tang Yi does not reply immediately. Instead, he draws a cigarette out of its box and lights it with his lighter, watching as the white rings of smoke float into the air and dissipate. Then in a voice coloured with resentment, he spits, “Chen. Wen. Hao.”

“It was him after all.”

Having gotten his answer, Jack’s eyes move to the side and watch the brass knuckles settled on the surface of the table still stained with dried blood, and secretly makes his plans.

Restaurant parking lot

Hong Ye walks towards the parking lot, but sees Dao Yi, who’s already standing next to her car.

“What are you doing here?”

“Boss already found out who sent the men who shot at you.”

“Is that so?”

Expressionless, she moves towards the driver’s seat, not want Dao Yi to realise that this was hers and Li Zhi De’s plan, but she hears an unexpected answer.

“Chen Wen Hao.”

Hong Ye heaves a sigh of relief on the inside, and pretends to be calm as she says, “I already told Ah Yi that he should be careful with that old fox.”

“Miss, this time you were lucky that nothing worse happened. I understand that you want to protect Boss, but getting our brothers to hurt yourself, what if something actually happened? We will be very upset and hurt.”

Hong Ye looks at the man who already knows everything, and stops playing the fool. Instead, she goes straight to the reason for doing it.

“Ever since Ah Yi met hat cop, nothing good has happened. I’m protecting him in my own way, what right do you have to accuse me?”

Dao Yi exhales heavily, and calmly replies. “You’ve seen Boss’ reaction towards him. If you’re really thinking about Boss, then let him handle his relationship with Meng Shao Fei. I don’t wish to see you get hurt.”

“You don’t want to see me get hurt?” Hong Ye looks at him, her eyes bitter and asks, “Do you know who has hurt me the most? It’s you, Gu Dao Yi!”

The man averts his gaze and is silent for a few moments.

“Let me send you home.”

He walks towards the left side of the car, about to open the door and sit in the driver’s seat and prepared to send the person most important to him safely home, but Hong Ye slaps his hand away in anger.

With tears running down her face, she yells, “Everytime we get to this topic you hide! Why can’t you face the feelings that I have for you? I just want to say, I like you, Zuo Hong Ye likes Gu Dao Yi!”

“Miss, it’s only because I’ve taken care of you for so many years, so you’re mistaken habit and dependence as liking me.”

“I’m definitely not mistaken! I’ve liked you since I was young, I’ve had a crush on you and also confessed to you for so many years! How could I be mistaken?”

“Miss…”

“Right. You’re right. It’s habit. I’m used to you treating me well, used to you taking care of me, used to you cleaning up my messes, and then I thought habit was me liking you… Very good. I’m awake now…”

Prideful, Hong Ye has tolerated one rejection after another, and yet today all she has gotten is this embarrassing situation. So she lifts her chin up, inhaling deep, and speaks, “You being nice to me is because Boss Tang asked you to. If that’s the case, let’s end it here. These past few years have been hard on you, Uncle Dao Yi.”

Pushing aside Dao Yi who’s standing next to the door, she sits on the driver’s seat and slams the door shut. She starts the engine of her blue car and drives out of the restaurant’s parking lot.

Dao Yi stands in the parking lot and watches Hong Ye’s car leave.

Hospital corridor

“Toothbrush, shampoo, cup, hot flask, ah! I forgot to bring the hot flask…. Is Ah Fei awake?”

Carrying a bag filled with a change of clothes and some necessities, Zhao Zi walks to the hospital room Shao Fei is in. Opening the door and taking a look, he immediately freezes.

Inside the room, Tang Yi stands at the end of the bed watching an unconscious Shao Fei, still under anaesthesia. Hearing the noise made from the door opening, his icy gaze shifts, and Zhao Zi immediately shivers. Timidly, he retreats out of the room and even closes the door shut on his way out.

Standing outside the door, Zhao Zi pats at his chest and hammering heart. “Oh my god, why is he here? I.. better visit later then.”

He picks up the bag, deciding that he will first go somewhere near the hospital to eat something first, then circle around the area a few times before he comes back to visit Shao Fei.

Inside the room, Tang Yi quietly holds Shao Fei’s hand - the one without the IV drip - and gazes intently at Shao Fei’s face, so pale due to the loss of too much blood.

“Meng Shao Fei,” Tang Yi softly calls the person who’s already become the most important person to him.

The man lying in bed moves the fingers clasped in Tang Yi’s hand, then slowly opens his eyes and looks at the blurry but familiar figure before him. Unconsciously, his lips curve up.

“Poker face.”*

Saying those words with a smile, Shao Fei closes his eyes, incredibly at ease, and slips back into sleep.

“You see? It has a dead face like yours, I’m giving this to you. Hold onto it!”

Tang Yi cannot help but laugh at the thought of their conversation then, and takes the keychain out from his suit. Since the day he lost control and beat the culprit who shot Shao Fei half to death and tossed him to Jiang Jin Tang afterwards, Tang Yi has been carrying the keychain with him, along with the lighter that Boss Tang gave him.** Shao Fei gave it to him, this skeleton keychain. 

Looking at the man in the hospital bed, Tang Yi is unable to move his gaze from Shao Fei for a long while.

Outside the hospital

Just as he’s leaving the hospital through its doors, his path is blocked off by a car that suddenly pulls its brakes and stops in front of him.

Jack, who’s been following closely behind Tang Yi since they left the hospital room, immediately stands in a bodyguard’s position, shielding Tang Yi at his front, ready to attack at anytime.

A man alights the car and with an expression of calm, gestures towards the open car door and welcomes Tang Yi in. Politely, he says, “Mr. Tang, Boss Chen wants to see you.”

Jack moves to touch his butterfly knife, but immediately after a gun is pressed at his waist belonging to another subordinate. The clean and smooth movement is familiar to Jack - obviously, these are moves taught to him also by the army.

“Just as well. I have something I would like to ask Boss Chen as well.”

Tang Yi looks towards Jack and with his eyes, hint at Jack to not return the attack. Then, he moves into the backseat, and is sent to a Chinese tea room by Chen Wen Hao’s subordinates.

In the tea room

“We finally meet.”

The man who controls the drug network and supply in Cambodia looks just like any other elder, and with a smile he welcomes the young Xing Tian Meng leader, who was ‘invited’ here.

“If you’ve got anything to say, then get to the point. I don’t like to beat around the bush,” Tang Yi says, expressionless as he kneels on the tatami mat of the tea room.”

“Good!” Chen Wen Hao says, impressed. “We return to others what has been done to us. That has always been a rule in our world, and since you picked on my subordinate, Wang Kun Cheng, so I retaliated with Zuo Hong Ye. But now that Zuo Hong Ye is fine, it seems like I’m on the losing end of this.”

“What do you want?”

“I hear that Tang Guo Dong raised you up himself, and he treats you like his son.”

Deliberately using a nonchalant tone, Chen Wen Hao tries to find out the truth about the rumor that Tang Yi is Tang Guo Dong’s secret son***, but Tang Yi does not react to the sentence. 

Chen Wen Hao picks up his tea and drinks, then continues, “I once treated Tang Guo Dong as my family, and I even went to jail for him willingly. I didn’t expect him to have a son and then not tell me. Then again, according to the ranks in Xing Tian Meng, you should call me ‘Uncle’ as well.”

“Of course. Those who Xing Tian Meng re indebted to, I definitely will treat them as family… but those who betray Xing Tian Meng, no matter who they are, I will make him pay the price,” Tang Yi smiles, responding to Chen Wen Hao, who for some reason keeps focusing on the topic of Boss Tang.

“Since we’re all family, why not let’s make a deal.”

Chen Wen Hao looks at the unflappable young man who reveals no emotion no matter how Chen Wen Hao tries to sound him out, and gives up on asking about the relationship between Tang Yi and Boss Tang. Changing the subject, he talks business instead.

“I don’t intend to be Xing Tian Meng’s enemy. After all, this is not my territory, what’s more important is to be able to make money. I can forget what happened with Wang Kun Cheng and everything that happened before. We’ll treat it that we didn’t know each other then. From today onwards, I can reject all of Xing Tian Meng’s orders. I do my own business, you reform your organisation, we don’t touch each other’s territory. How’s that?”

Filling up a cup with hot tea, he slides it across the table until it’s settled before Tang Yi.

“It’s a deal!”

Tang Yi raises the cup in Chen Wen Hao’s direction, and the man raises his own cup as well. They down the cup in one go, then turn the cups over to show that no drop of tea is left in their cups.

Chen Wen Hao eyes curve as he smiles, and looking at the young man seated in front of him, he says, “Good! I’ll introduce you to someone next time, this person will be very helpful to your legal business.”

“Thank you Boss Chen,” he smiles at the old fox who has finally been led back here after years of planning, placing the cup back on the table.

Hospital roof

“Fuck! So suffocating!” Shao Fei shouts to the sky, who’s sitting on a wheelchair and was pushed up to the roof for some air by Tang Yi.

Tang Yi stands on the roof, gazing at the view in the distance, and says, “Thank you for saving Hong Ye.”

“Please, I’m a cop! This is what I’m supposed to do.”

“But…” Tang Yi returns his gaze to the person next to him, and frowning, he continues, “Don’t let this happen a second time.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t want to lose another friend.”

“Hey! I’ve been upgraded? From half a friend to a friend? Oh, ouch ouch ouch ouch-”

Shao Fei, who was almost at death’s door, enjoys less than three seconds of happiness, before he’s yelling out in pain from pulling at this wound.

“Are you okay? Let me bring you to a doctor.”

Concern written all over his face, Tang Yi anxiously looks at Shao Fei, who’s pressing at his abdomen. Shao Fei is bent at the waist, lightly holding onto where he pulled at his wound and pitifully, he implores, “I just came out and you want me to go back? Please let me have some more air, please, please.”

Tang Yi smiles, shaking his head. Gazing into the other person’s eyes and with a somber expression, he says, “Meng Shao Fei, I’m very happy that you’re still alive. Although you’ve been opposing me constantly in the past four years, but until the moment I was standing in front of the operating room and seeing how pale you were, in a deep, induced coma, I realised… I don’t want to lose you.”

The person listening to this recalls the moment he realised his own feelings for Tang Yi, the night that he cried out of hurt and pain. Shao Fei thought that in the other person’s eyes, he wasn’t even a ‘friend’, but now hearing the confession that Tang Yi didn’t want to lose him.

“You made my life so different and let me experienced warmth again. So I hope that you will live well, even if it’s just for my sake-”

Tang Yi continues to speak, not realising that the person next to him has teared up, his eyes all red. Suddenly, an arm hooks around his neck and lips press to his.

Until they’re almost breathless, only then does Shao Fei finish the kiss and stands from the wheelchair. He walks towards the roof’s shorter wall in front of him and looks towards the clear skies, then turns around and points at the Xing Tian Meng leader, who is sporting an indescribable and complex expression right now.

Full of sincerity and being so serious, Shao Fei says, “Tang Yi! I’m chasing you for sure!”

He will not be like the female characters in an idol drama where she is indecisive and counts the petals on a flower, but also eventually doesn’t dare to take the step to chase after her own happiness.****

No matter who he, Meng Shao Fei, likes, he doesn’t care for anyone else’s opinion. Even if the other person is a male, even if he’s Xing Tian Meng’s boss, even if the underworld and cops are from two different worlds, Shao Fei wants to trap Tang Yi’s person, and have Tang Yi’s heart as well. And-

He will never regret it!

The Tang Household

Tang Yi sits behind his office desk that is illuminated only by a desk lamp, looking at the lighter and skeleton keychain on the table. He recalls what Boss Tang once told him…

“Promise me, if one of these days, you can only choose between yourself and Xing Tian Meng, then give up Xing Tian meng.”

“I’m already prepared to-”

“Just leave that to me, you shouldn’t be the one to have it. Xing Tian Meng was established by your uncles and I, and we have a duty to keep it alive but also die with it. And you don’t.”

“Because I don’t have the right?”

“No, because you still have a future,” Tang Guo Dong smiles and caresses the top of his head.

“Silly boy! There are a lot of precious things in life that’s worth you chasing after, do you understand that?”

“Like what?”

“Love. If you’ve never been in love, you haven’t actually live life properly.”

The man reaches out with his finger and lightly pokes at Tang Yi’s chest, over his heart.

“Every person in life was born lacking one rib, and that rib grows on the person you like. Maybe you think it doesn’t matter right now, but I hope that one day you will understand what happiness is like loving someone. When that happens, don’t forget to let me see what you rib looks like. I hope you will that person won’t be like you, with an icy expression on their faces all the time…”

Tang Yi presses at his chest, right over his heart where Boss Tang once poked at and recalls everything that has happened between him and Shao Fei these past four years. He picks up the skeleton keychain, and makes a decision.*****

Hospital

Busy with helping Shao Fei pack after settling his discharge papers, Zhao Zi and Yu Qi look up to see the Xing Tian Meng leader walking into the room.

Bringing up her courage, Yu Qi opens her arms and blocks his path, and says, “What are you doing here? We don’t welcome you here.”

Although she doesn’t know what the other person is going to do, in any case, she must not let this man close to Shao Fei, because everytime something happens to Shao Fei, this man is always involved.

“Tang Yi, what are you doing here?”

“I’m here to give you an answer.”

“What answer?”

Zhao Zi scratches the back of his head and dumbly asks Jack, who’s followed at Tang Yi’s back and entered the room as well. Jack doesn’t reply, only pinching at Zhao Zi’s cheek with a smile.

Shao Fei nervously looks at the person walking towards him, not sure what kind of answer he will give him.

The next second, Tang Yi imitates the action that Shao Fei did on the rooftop a few days ago - he hooks his arm around the back of Shao Fei’s neck and pulls him close, and in front of the other three people, he kisses Shao Fei’s lips.

So startled Zhao Zi and Yu Qi are that heavy breathing sounds being to come from the both of them, their eyes wide and staring at everything that’s happening before them, speechless. On the other hand, Jack who’s standing on the side with his arms crossed, looks upon the scene with amusement.

“Meng Shao Fei, I want you!”

“We’ll see who will get the other person first!” Shao Fei declares, arrogantly lifting his chin up, and looking at the man who so certainly confessed to him.

♯Glasgow Coma Scale is usually used for helping to assess and quickly describe levels of consciousness in injured people, primarily looking at how impared the brain is by looking at the ability to open eyes, respond verbally, and respond with motor skills. A score of 3 is pretty damn low and means that Shao Fei is not doing well. When the book says he was probably close to death, they mean it!

https://www.nursingtimes.net/Journals/2014/10/10/n/p/l/141015Forty-years-on-updating-the-Glasgow-coma-scale.pdf

https://www.glasgowcomascale.org/

*In the previous chapters, I wrote ‘dead person’s face’ as a literal translation, but in this case, he’s calling Tang Yi that as a name of sorts and not a description, so I’ve switched to ‘poker face’ as a term rather ‘dead person’s face’ or ‘like a dead person’ kind of thing… sorry if it’s confusing!

**WE DID NOT GET THIS LITTLE GEM IN THE SHOW AND OMG that is possibly the sweetest thing ever?!!

***Think in usual cases we’ll call him a bastard i.e. a son had by a woman that Boss Tang never married

****What have you been watching, Shao Fei?!!!!

*****I really like this detail?!!!! And the way the flashback worked in this case because basically Tang Yi symbolically chose Shao Fei over Xing Tian Meng by picking up the keychain, just as Boss Tang said omg

[angiecakes1990]

FULL METAL PANIC INVISIBLE VICTORY S4

Also after a decade FMP finally got a S4 ���� cause the last season aired back in 2005 and got the original eng dub cast back too consider FMP is pretty popular with the dub and good hearing Chris Patton as our fav Military Manic again and Luci Christian as our fav tsundere Kaname Chidori, Hilary Hagg which would be impossible to come back but she did as Tessa and yes Vic as our fav blonde playboy Kurz I even asked him when I met him as Supanova and yes he was happy to come back as Kurz again.

Also seeing how much Sousuke will grow as a character too at the beginning we knew well since TSR that he has feelings for Chidori so he’s picking up the pace now only till Tessa’s brother Leonard comes and takes Chidori away from him and of course he reveals to his class what his identity is that he had to keep secret and yeah they obviously blame him for Kyoko getting injured but he had to keep quiet but he vows to bring Chidori back to them and yep he is no longer working with Mithril he’s gone solo.

He vows to become stronger therefore he met Nami who works on mechs and hires him seeing he is able to control one unaware of his background at first till he told her what he is doing she refused at first but later decides to help him but only for her to get killed cold blooded by Kurama.

Sousuke eventually makes it to Chidori only for her to be taken again by his former commander also foster father cause yeah Kaname has a power of a whispered but he reunites with Melissa and Kurz and rejoins Mithril and leaves us hanging and lets hope for S5 to finish off the series.

Chris, Luci, Hilary and Vic’s performance was spot on same with the Japanese cast.

MY HERO ACADEMIA S3

I only started watching the full on series this year 😂 my bad I plan to watch it for awhile now but I just kept putting it off so I’ll just put about S3 since that got released this year.

Its mostly about these villains who plan to kidnap Bakugo and recruit him to the villains side since he had that villain instinct so during class 1.A and 1.B’s training camp that's where they strike and manage to take him but some class 1.A students plan to rescue him and that's Momo, Todoroki, Eiijiro, Midoriya and of course Iida who tagged along to keep an eye on Todoroki and Midoriya since the hero killer incident back in S2.

They manage to rescue him as All Might was fighting All For One he was holding back cause he didn't wanna hurt Bakugo but once he escaped he went all out only to be broadcast live on TV and for everyone seeing his weaker form he manage to stop All For One but also led to All Might retiring from hero work now he has to watch over young Midoriya who is his successor at One for All and also with Midoriya he damaged his arms that much cause he went full out on a villain during the training camp just to protect a young boy that the next time he breaks them he won’t be able to use his arms anymore so he decides to use his legs for One For All instead.

Also U.A had to protect its students from ever being target by villains again so they put them in dorms inside the school grounds to protect them and also the hero license exam was on the horizon and everyone except for Bakugo and Todoroki pass the exam and got their licenses but the end part when Bakugo finally realized Midoriya’s quirk and what it is and who he got it from.

He realize he got his quirk from All Might so he decides to challenge Midoriya at night which is yes breaking curfew during their fight he blames himself for All Might retiring cause he let his guard down and got kidnapped but Bakugo won at the end and All Might was there hearing the whole conversation so he told Bakugo on why his chose Midoriya and the origin about the quirk and Bakugo vows to keep a secret so now he only knows.

Both of them ended up getting in trouble cause they break curfew so they were confined to their dorms for 3 days only for 3 upper classman to come which leads upto S4 next year.

yes I also seen the film that was epic too.

THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS S2 REVIVIAL OF THE COMMANDMENTS

In season 2 is where things get serious with the demon clan or the ten commandments have been revived about 2000 years of being sealed and it was because of Meliodas sword that got taken in S1 and Elizabeth’s blood which is goddess blood that revived them and also the reveal of the seventh member of the sins who is more powerful than Meliodas and that's Escanor.

We learn more about Meliodas past and that he was one of the ten commandments which reveal that Meliodas is a demon and part of the demon clan but he turn traitor on them and now they are out for vengeance against him and the fact his 2 younger brothers Zeldris and Estarossa are part of the commandments too and seeing Ban reuniting with Elaine who was resurrected by one of the ten commandments and also seeing Meliodas at his full power he’s pretty much OP.

Also seeing the real relationship between Meliodas and Elizabeth and the fact he became a holy knight at Liones just to be beside and protect Elizabeth as she grows and she is the reincarnation of his former lover Liz or so we thought YEA I READ MANGA.

yes both Bryce Papenbrook and Yuki Kaji share Eren and Meliodas voice and Zeldris voice too and spot on to both of their performances.

Movie hasn’t been released online yet I’m still waiting for that.

[a-writing-bear]

[AmeriPan - Permission To Date]

This is a Request fic written for @lonelymarblesoda !

Note: I am so very flattered by your sweet compliments! I hope you enjoy this fic as much as I did writing it. It was a great stress reliever for me and your prompt was very cute that I got carried away with fluff honestly <3 Sorry there’s more dialogue than intended!

Ao3 Link: 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16009922

This Has been cross-posted onto FF & Ao3 under Aliases: BearBooper

You can read this Fic on Tumblr under ‘Keep Reading’

Fandom: Hetalia Axis Powers

Pairing: America and Japan

Word Count: 2,742

Age Rating/Mature:  All Audiences :)

Prompt:  “Howdy, I'm the anon from earlier! Sorry for being shy (^^;) Since you're still taking requests, I was wondering if you were willing to do a fluffy ameripan fanfic where their relationship is revealed at a world meeting (or something along those lines)? Ψ(´▽｀)Ψ”

With an exhausted sigh and soft smile, Alfred pulled into the driveway of his Virginia home; the ignition silencing as he crossed his arms and rested his head on the now-still driving wheel, gazing upon his tall red brick house. Amused at the pristine garden and the open porch - This was another estate that his Government had preened and made proper, All the way to a point where it almost looked too perfect off a pamphlet. Unlike his apartment in New York, this house had been filled with some sort of personalisation yet Alfred still felt no completeness towards it. Alexandria was an old but beautiful charming town and it felt fitting to have his work home so close to DC. It was embarrassing to admit its old Victorian real estate made him feel much calmer compared to other parts of the city, A piece of his past residing within the restored cobbled paths.

His little thoughts drifted away as he slowly got out the car, humming to himself. It was a short drive back from work and after a long day of going over tomorrow's preparations made him gutsy and giddy. Tomorrow he'd have to fly into New York for a UN Personification meeting - undoubtedly with the expectation to make some more pesky deals and fix it what was going on with discussions of some new global catastrophes. Ah. One more look at his front door he delved into the wish he was a normal person. He wouldn't have to deal with such messes if that were the case.

However, he thought as he jammed his key into the mahogany door, there was one good thing about having a meeting tomorrow...

"Hey, I'm home!" His voice rang out loudly and through the living room doorway he heard a ruffling and a quieter voice muffled through what he assumed was a pillow.

"Welcome home.." Whenever they had a New York UN meetup, Kiku had an excuse to come over early and spend some more couple time. They weren't exactly the conventional couple who could enjoy each other's company constantly but he supposed this was enough. He wouldn't want to take Japan away from his livelihood anyway.

The blond padded his way to the living room after shedding his coat and shuffling off his boots. His smile growing wider as he finds Kiku lazing around on the comfy couch in his bright red sweats with Pochi on his chest. Plopping down onto the couch, nearly on the Japanese man's legs, He pulled Pochi off carefully. The hairy creature wriggling in his arms huffed as he released it onto the floor; Obviously, Pochi was not as excited to see him as the creature scampered off somewhere further into the house. Kiku had insisted on bringing his dog over as it would whimper without him. America Leaned down, almost tipping over to lay on his boyfriend.

"Have you been laying here all day Keeks?" locks of hairs splayed onto the shorter man's shirt as Alfred squirmed his way to lie down beside him- it was quite cramped and a miracle he didn't push Japan straight off his tiny couch.

Kiku opened his eyes, the charcoal eyes seemed to dull as he stared unamused at the man who had wormed his arms onto him. Kiku never really was that good with cuddling but he made compromises for his affectionate American lover.

"No. I did work for tomorrow and called the embassy to forward some papers back to Japan," he whispered as he craned his head over to Alfred's face. The two basked in each other’s embrace for a while as the American sneaked in a few kisses while talking about their days, Japan lamenting the lack of interesting tv shows to watch and Alfred venting about the new intern who spilt coffee in his office. Comfort hung in the air happily.

The two spent the evening packing up work papers and tapping away at tiny shiny laptops, documents astray across the bed in preparation for tomorrow. Alfred had just finished and settled under his comforter while watching Keeks still typing away, legs crossed on the blanket and brow furrowed in concentration when it hit him.

He hadn’t told any of his closest allies about his newfound relationship (well- newly established, he and Keeks had been dancing around each other for centuries). Should he be freaking out over this detail? In terms of relationship milestones, Immortals such as them had very few; living long left very little opportunities for firsts and to be honest getting a stable relationship wasn't a thing people like them did. He'd admit, he was the one who would make a deal out of these sorta events whereas Japan was more reserved of their close relationship. Alfred gulped, thinking hard whether or not it was necessary to say the words that were already spilling from his lips

"Can I tell Matthew about us?" clicking and clacking came to a halt and Kiku had looked up but still ahead, gazing at the painting opposite him hanging loosely on the wall - some Italian painting obviously gifted by Feli. America felt disappointed all of a sudden, letting out a breath he didn't realise he had captured. Maybe he should have left the topic for another day. A few seconds later Kiku had resumed typing on what looked like some new policy proposal and with absently minded disinterest had replied with so much but a passing glance.

"He already knows Al.” voice slightly airy with cocky amusement as Alfred spluttered and shifted in the shared bed. Kiku suddenly felt uncomfortable as he felt cerulean blue depths bury themselves into his back; shutting his laptop and discarding it on the bedside table he fell backwards onto the feather pillow next to his boyfriend - the word felt foreign on his tongue (A bit immature? Boyfriend sounded kiddy.). For a while, they exchanged nothing but awkward glances before Alfred caved and intertwined his palm with Kiku’s.

“You know I’m traditional. I had to ask him if he would all-”

“You asked my brother if you had permission to date me?!” Kiku’s blank face did nothing but Make Alfred laugh even harder. “Kiku. We aren’t like- we aren’t teenagers. I’m literally hundreds of years old, fuck your Millions-” the black haired man shrunk further into the bed in annoyance of his age and quickly pushed a pillow between himself and his cackling lover.

“It’s how I do things. It’s polite and you're brother was kind about it. Did he not tell you?” Alfred threw the pillow barrier towards the bottom of the bed before scooting over closer to the Japanese man, who was getting more embarrassed and flustered by the minute.

“Nah. Mattie knows when there are times I don’t need to know things. I’m surprised that’s all.” he felt breathlessly in love and voiceless with contentedness at the other nation’s admission. It felt oddly nice to be…’courted’ in such an old way. “Besides, If anything, I expected you to bring it up with old man Artie or even Francis…”

Kiku turned, puzzled expression painted prettily on his face- which was only inches away from Alfred’s. “...I’m not marrying you. Why would I ask Mr Eng-”

A pillow cut him off unexpectedly as Alfred nearly fell off the bed in complete hilarity. Kiku was about to pout and say something more. With a few attempts at explaining why there was no point to marriage due to their immortality, Kiku floundered. As he peeked over the edge of where America had fallen off, he himself broke into a small smile. Alfred’s glasses had gone askew and were currently red in the face from the overexerting giggles. As the pair quieted down for the night they felt secure; Tomorrow would be fine, for now, America just wanted a cuddle.

Alfred’s feet tapped violently as he basically bounced off each step of his creaky staircase. Bounding off into the kitchen to pack some last minutes notes he had left on a table. He shouted out impatiently:

“KEEKS COME ON! WE’VE GOT TO GET TO NEW YORK!” he was in a complete flurry as he zoomed around, enthusiastic and frantic to get to their private plane on time- his bosses would skewer him if he delayed any longer, and no doubt Japan’s embassy would be in a fit if he were late too.

Speaking of the Asian nation, the man himself with all the grace and peace in the world came down. Dressed in a western style suit, Kiku readjusted his red tie and tutted himself for his messy morning hair, stoic glance nitpicking every corner of his newly tailored clothes. At the sight of Kiku’s very neat and smart look, Alfred swooned a little, puppy eyes widening as he quickly stole a kiss - which was received with a red face and another ‘tsch’ of shyness - before pushing his cute partner out the door and practically throwing both their briefcases into the car. The plane ride was uneventful and even when the planes kissed the clouds the only view that captivated the Alfred was the silly way Kiku had tried to keep himself occupied; sudoku books were the way to go apparently.

As the other nations began to file in, one by one, Alfred appeased his boss’s anxiety by greeting them all, including old-time allies such as the NATO nations and even the newer ambassadors. Japan had been lost in the mix, both had agreed to carry on as if they had entered separately - not because they didn’t want to show off, but instead to avoid making it difficult to sort out guest arrangements. Alfred fiddled with his watch as he made his own way to the front of the table. Familiar faces filled the large room. England had already buried his desk area with paper as France somehow charmed an admin into getting him a coffee. One look at the other end and he witness Germany scribbling incessantly and the myriad of eastern Europeans personifications huddled up avoiding the Russian. Witnessing Denmark and Sweden already debating on new guidelines, Alfred gulped. It was going to be a tiring day.

Talk after talk, speech and updates floated by and although his hands were writing his notes and his voice kept him engaged in conversation, his heart had decided to tether his brain to the thought of Kiku. The beauty who was sitting on his left. Already Kiku had resigned himself to a conversation between China and South Korea and was looking adequately bored over the talk of generic ocean trade talks. Coughing as inconspicuously as possible Alfred signalled to his partner and took his hand under the table, smoothing his thumb to reassure him of the time not being wasted. Both had shuffled in the movement and although Alfred was rambling on in response to something Arthur had spoken, the ever diligent Matthew noticed such a carelessly romantic gesture. Canada had been seated on Alfred’s right, and with only a second to glance at what had occurred he snorted and rolled his eyes before nudging his brother in utter glee. He was happy his overly ambitious brother found something as calming as a relationship for his very hectic lifestyle.

Matthew whispered to his brother and bordering Ally, “Congrats Alfie, however, If you think you’re being smooth you’re- as usual- idiotic.”

“You’re just jealous Gilbert is stuck in Germany holding the fort. Anyway, when were you gonna tell me Japan asked you for permission huh?t” with a shrug and a  kick to his knee under the table the two merely laughed it off, Francis and Arthur were confused at the NA brothers sudden cheeriness. Noticing this, Kiku turned to his secret partner, squeezing his hand tight enough that Alfred nearly yipped when he went to turn to him:

“I’m not sure if your conversation with Matthew-san is appropriate right now.” Matthew gave a sheepish glance as if to say sorry but suddenly just as the 3 of them tried to get back to task Francis had enough of missing out on a joke before quizzically pushing in to ask rather loudly.

“May I know what was not appropriate? It’s rude to leave friends out of a conversation is it not?” next to him even the Englishman nodded, interested in what was going on and before Alfred could deflect he hear a subtle Japanese swear roll of Kiku’s breath and something he thought he’d never hear even within his long-ass lifetime:

“I was telling Matthew how my relationship with Alfred was not of matter as of this moment.”

The room fell into silence. America’s suit felt too tight and he was unsure if it was the nerves of so many countries falling to a standstill or if it was his heart pumping way too hard after hearing Kiku practically announce out their very private relations. In a bit of shock, Alfred had stood up hastily, but his laced hands with Kiku dragged the Japanese delegation up with him- making the situation look even more entertainingly obvious. With a loud slap on the table, Arthur pushed his chair out and stood up as well, the man had a very irked expression.

“How did you tell Matthew about this before me?!” At this point Francis had broken out into a wide mouth smile, still seated and leaned his head onto England’s hip while trying to soothe the seething British man with a couple pats on the back. The long-haired Frenchman calmed Arthur down, chattering away about the etiquette of young love and it’s failure to respect their elders. For once in his lifetime, it almost seemed like Arthur and Francis were a couple of genuine parents lamenting over a son who had eloped without any contact. They all sat down slowly and Kiku had already turned to sort out the gaping look from his Asian counterparts. The conversation ceased to exist as the situation dissolved back into the murmurs of the nations. Soon, the conference ended and as each country left with a joyful congratulatory smile over fruitful debate and strong handshakes with closed deals. Even his least friendly connections gave him a note of thanks and wishes for the best. He saw Arthur and Francis alongside Matthew gathering in one corner of the now empty room, whereas Kiku was purposely packing away at a snail’s pace, stalling till Alfred came over.

“Keeks. You didn’t….why did you do that?”

“It’s not a secret. You said you wanted me to tell your former mentors Alfred. They have a right to know.” The American squished the smaller man into a close hug and a chaste kiss on the forehead before hearing a distinct “ahem”. Shaking Kiku’s hand firmly, Arthur looked Japan up and down before smiling uncharacteristically and pulling him into a hug- catching an unaware Japan quite well. Granted he had known England for while but he never knew he would be greeted with such glee and care. France had given Kiku some good pats and a big hug before chanting some famous French proverb and singing a dilly-dallying rendition of “la vie en rose” much to England and Canada’s despair. The other NA brother merely nodded proudly at Kiku and the short man appreciated that; he had enough hugs for today honestly.

Meekly he commented, already pulled close by a bashful Alfred, “I hope this won't interfere any deals in the future, Mr England and Mr France.” but his serious tone was met with only more exhilarated kindness.

“Enough with formalities for now. Of Course not Kiku. Here we are no longer Countries but ourselves. It is not America and Japan who are together in the way Alfred and Kiku are. Don’t let work change that.” Not really understanding but still thankful for the sentiment, the couple bid the 3 other men off and hopped back onto a plane. This time it was bound for Japan, and Alfred had already packed a bag and Pochi was already running down the walkway of the plane. The 2 sat patiently together on the flight, bathing in each other’s solitude before being interrupted by Japan’s phone dinging erratically- Yao had been calling.

So much for being quiet about things, Alfred Mused as his now public boyfriend fumbled to pick up the call. He only hoped China didn’t mind that he never ask for permission to date Kiku.

Oh well.

[segadores-y-soldados]

And because tumblr is going to destroy this post: the full image Please be kind to my terrible Paint skills, I wasn’t about to bust out an old tablet to make this super fancy. Please know that this is one possible interpretation of the final year, year and a half of Overwatch given what we currently have available to us right now.

Sources and more information under the cut:

To start off with, our baseline point is Recall.

Recall is when both the game and the main plot begin - the Recall animation and Winston’s “Are You With Us” recall message are initiated, and this “coincides” with the game’s release in 2016.  To make things easier for everyone, my math here is simply to project: 2016 + 60 years forward = Recall initiated in 2076

Fairly straightforward and makes following game updates a bit easier.

From here, forward-progressing events move roughly at the same time as the game has been released.  For example:

Summer of 2016 || Summer of 2076: Ana is released || “Old Soldiers” comic occurs

November of 2016 || November of 2076: The Sombra ARG concludes || Sombra leaks LumériCo’s secrets

November of 2016 || November of 2076: “Infiltration” is released || Talon attempts to assassinate Katya Volskaya

November 2076: Volskaya asks Zarya for assistance in finding Sombra

Holidays of 2016 || Holidays of 2076: the “Reflections comic” occurs

Now we’ve entered 2017 || 2077.  Things shift slightly here.

On-going throughout 2077: Zarya searches for Sombra

Late February 2017 || Late February 2077: Interview with Efi Oladele is released

July 2017 || Late February 2077: “Masquerade” comic is released || Doomfist breaks out of prison and returns to Talon

March 2017 || March 2077: Orisa is released || Efi builds Orisa

Sometime after Orisa is built, 2077: Zarya meets Lynx in Numbani

April 2017 || April 2077: the “Uprising” event is released || files on the Strike Team’s mission against Null Sector are declassified

July 2017: Doomfist is released

August 2017 || (likely) August 2077: Junkertown map is released || Junkrat and Roadhog initiate “The Plan”

September 2017 || (likely) September 2077: “Searching” is released || Zarya finally finds Sombra

This is why the “Uprising” content all says “seven years ago” - because the game and the overall plot since Recall has moved forward one year, but the actual event of Null Sector’s Uprising did not change in time. So, with the “Recall” event and the “Uprising” information, I have two anchor points of reference for the general, final year of Overwatch: 2076 - 6 years = 2070 2077 - 7 years = 2070

Michael’s GDC talk also gives us a third anchor point: the Halloween party where Reinhardt tells the story of “Junkenstein’s Revenge.”  This is actually set during Halloween the year before, so 31st October, 2069 (nice).

I’m breaking this up by section to help make this a bit easier.

Introduction

1. “Six Years Ago:” “Fading Glory: On the Trail of Jack Morrison,” in-universe article (https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/blog/19809396/) 2. Michael Chu’s timeline: “Thinking Globally: Building the Optimistic Future of Overwatch,” a GDC talk given by Michael Chu (Timestamp: 49:12 - clip starts at discussion of materials: https://youtu.be/bj56ejM5EcU?t=2952)

Late 2069/Early 2070

1. “Halloween party:” “Junkenstein’s Revenge,” a comic in which Reinhardt narrates a “scary” story to some of the Overwatch members (https://comic.playoverwatch.com/en-us/junkrat-junkenstein).  What is important to note here is that Michael actually puts this in the “Fall of Overwatch” era of his timeline.  It is also important to note that several major Overwatch characters - Lena, Winston, and Genji - are either not yet a part of Overwatch, or were not permitted to join the “core members’” Halloween party.  I have personally chosen to interpret this as the first option.  You may view things differently.

2. Tracer disappears from the timeline (not shown): “I was missing for months” - quote from her Origin video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27LPGldyY7M).  “[Tracer] reappeared months later, but her ordeal had greatly changed her: her molecules had been desynchronized from the flow of time.” - quote from her Hero profile (https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/heroes/tracer/).  “Months” here, as I understand it, probably means fewer than 12 months (a full year) but more than “a couple” (2 months).  It’s difficult to say when exactly Lena disappeared and when she returned, but we know she had returned by April of 2070 (at the very latest).

3. The Shimada brothers’ duel: alright.  Full disclosure inbound.  I got a handful of people countering me on this issue in my Moira discussion and here’s my response: we have a number of conflicting pieces of information and many of them could be possible.  I’d like to run through my reasoning for why I’m placing this event in the final year of Overwatch, as well as other possible places it could go.

3.1 “Nearly ten years ago:” a few people brought up that the 2014 Blizzcon Overwatch reveal panel described Hanzo (a then-playable character) as having left his home “nearly ten years ago.”  You can find this quote on this transcript here (http://overwatch.blizzplanet.com/blog/comments/blizzcon-2014-overwatch-unveiled-panel-transcript/3).  Reason why I disagree with this assessment: this line never made it to either of Hanzo or Genji’s final Hero profiles (Hanzo: https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/heroes/hanzo/) (Genji: https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/heroes/genji/). 

That said, this does not mean the line is incorrect, nor that it is not part of whatever internal timeline Blizzard is using.  I personally do not think it’s wise to specific details from the 2014 Blizzcon panel because of how old it is and how much changed between 2014 and the game’s release in 2016.  Remember - Blizzard was still rethinking its own plot well past the game’s release (when they canceled “First Strike”).  But in all fairness, if you want to make your own version of the timeline and use that, then feel free.

3.2 Late March/Early April: I had someone else note the fact that the “Dragons” animation shows several koinobori, or the Japanese koi windsocks traditionally flown on Children’s Day on May 5th.  There are a couple of issues with this: one, it does not particularly coincide with the blooming of the cherry blossoms in the Tokyo region (source: http://www.jnto.go.jp/sakura/eng/index.php), which is where Hanamura is “set,” and two, the idea kinda trusts that Blizzard did research on koinobori and when they are supposed to be used.  In an effort to be fair to Blizzard, technically, koinobori can begin appearing as decorations as early as April, and be flown all the way through to Children’s Day.

3.3 Genji in training: a related issue to 3.2 and the upcoming 5th event in the timeline is that Genji appears to be testing out his cyborg body in a sparring match against Lena/Tracer.  The “Art of Overwatch” book also provides a description that appears to imply that this skin is him when he is still recovering:

“Much like the Origins Edition skins, the designs released for the Uprising event offered a glimpse into a pivotal period of the characters’ lives.  One of the most extreme designs belong to Genji.  After his brother, Hanzo, nearly killed him, he was taken in by Overwatch and given a new body (below).  The experience left the hero embittered and angry, constantly at war with the cybernetics that were now a part of him.

“When designing a skin for this part of Genji’s story, the developers used his outfit to mirror his turbulent state of mind.  They made his armor feel like a mishmash of parts, symbolizing the hero’s struggle to accept what he has becomd.  The use of red throughout the skin also helped ot emphasize his uncontrollable rage.” - The Art of Overwatch, page 233

No date is given, hence why I feel the idea is only implied, but it is not stated.  Again, if you wish to create your own interpretation of this, you are free to do so.

4. Winston crash lands on Earth (no exact date given): this one is very difficult and admittedly extremely loosely incorporated into the final year of Overwatch.  You may interpret it differently.  My reasoning here is that Winston is not present in the Halloween comic, and no specific details are given in the ironically-named “New Details Emerge About Possible Fate of Horizon Lunar Colony” article (https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/blog/20812209).  However, Winston needs to be “present” and part of Overwatch when Tracer returns to the timeline from her accident, so this potentially puts Winston’s landing sometime around the Shimadas’ duel.

5. Uprising: As I described above, I’ve extrapolated that the time since release and the canon-events revealed have some parallels running between them.  Obviously, this is not set 100% in stone.  However, with Uprising, we do know a few things: 

it is Lena’s first mission, so it has to come after her return to the timeline

it features Winston, so he’s either a part of Overwatch now or taking a more active role

it features Winston testing Lena’s chronal accelerator, so it is relatively recent after her return and stabilization

it features Genji before he gets his normal cyborg “skin” 

it features Angela who appears to be testing Genji’s cybernetics

Reinhardt has not yet retired

Jesse is still present and part of Blackwatch

Ana is still present

Gabriel is still present

Overwatch is already under public scrutiny

Director Petras has already suspended Blackwatch activities

It takes place “seven years ago” from 2077.

These are a lot of constraints to place on Uprising, but they do limit us to what is likely the final year of Overwatch.  The teaser tweet for the event can be found here (https://twitter.com/playoverwatch/status/848958308643885056?lang=en) and the blog post can be found here (https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/blog/20696534).   Mid-to-Late 2070 (exact dates unknown) This is where things get very difficult to align, and the majority of events could be effectively rearranged to come before or after each other. 1. Moira recruited to Blackwatch: main source - Moira Origin Story (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ETybQd4uRE)   The newest event at the time of this writing, Moira’s recruitment is constrained by two major things - it must come after Genji joins, and it must happen before Genji and Jesse leave Blackwatch.  Again, if you see Genji’s fight with Hanzo as happening a couple of years before 2070, then yes, this event could come much earlier. The second “part” of this (which I’ve placed several months after her recruitment in the timeline) is that whatever Moira does or “tests” on Gabriel must come after Ana has “died” and separated from the Overwatch team.  Hypothetically, Moira’s “tests” are likely conducted over a period of time, but no matter what, Gabriel’s “final, unmasked appearance” (whatever it is) was never seen by Ana (but hypothetically has been seen by Jack/Soldier: 76).

For the quote that I provided, you can check here (http://segadores-y-soldados.tumblr.com/post/167111711575/moira-preview-new-hero-overwatch-panel) or you can watch the source video yourself:

“Moira Reveal Panel” - quote from Michael Chu (Timestamp: 3:47 https://youtu.be/HsJU3PEk9JY?t=227)

Source for the “Soldier: 24 folder” - http://segadores-y-soldados.tumblr.com/post/167127031445/new-details-on-the-university-map-of-oasis-found

2. Doomfist’s arrest: main source - Doomfist Origin Story (https://youtu.be/vaZfZFNuOpI) Again, no exact date has been given, but there are number of constraints that put this after Uprising:

Tracer is part of the team that arrested him

Winston is part of the team that arrested him (this may come after Winston passes whatever certification test is in the photo in Recall)

Genji appears to have his new cybernetics and may have transferred to Overwatch

Other key members of Overwatch, such as Reinhardt and Torbjörn, are not present and may have retired.

This may come before Moira’s recruitment.  Talon activities at this time period are difficult to suss out correctly.  As Moira’s hero profile implies:

“After Overwatch was disbanded, O'Deorain was forced to turn to unconventional sources of funding. This time, she was invited to join the scientific collective that had founded the city of Oasis. Yet some have whispered that the shadowy Talon organization had already been supporting her for years, aiding her experiments in exchange for utilizing the results for their own purposes.” Moira may have already been working for Talon at this time.  The “organization had already been supporting her for years” overlaps with her recruitment into Blackwatch (no matter where you put it), meaning she may have entered Blackwatch and Overwatch as a Talon agent.  It is also possible that she was approached by Talon AFTER becoming a Blackwatch agent.

This is important - and unfortunately very vague - because our next two points rely on knowing when and how Talon began infiltrating Blackwatch and Overwatch. 3. Amélie’s transformation into Widowmaker (no exact date given): main sources - Widowmaker’s Hero profile (https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/heroes/widowmaker/) and “Legacy” comic (https://comic.playoverwatch.com/en-us/legacy)

The exact timeline of Amélie’s transformation is hard to pin down because so much of it is simply unknown.  We have a few constraints but don’t know the exact time or nature of them:

Her skin and heartrate have been affected by whatever chemicals Talon put in her, turning her blue/purple (and yes, that’s canon and not just “aesthetics” - “then her physiology was altered, drastically slowing her heart, which turned her skin cold and blue and numbed her ability to experience human emotion.”)

However, her Talon skin does not have the blue/purple tint yet, so it’s possible this is a representation of her shortly after she killed Gérard (I suspect Overwatch would’ve been much less casual about letting her return to her husband if she had been, well, literally blue/purple).

It is not known if this process was started before or after Moira joined Blackwatch, but it is incredibly suspicious that a “possibly Talon-affiliated” scientist with knowledge of altering genetics and physiology who is literally shown testing chemicals on her own arm which later turns blue/purple appears in the exact timeframe that Amélie’s transformation begins. The Fall of Overwatch: Late (?) 2070 1. Ana’s “death:” main sources - Ana Origin Story (https://youtu.be/yzFWIw7wV8Q) and “Legacy” comic. For my original discussion on this, check here: http://segadores-y-soldados.tumblr.com/post/159512959195/alright-so-the-subject-of-ana-being-the-source-of Ana’s death was likely a major, major turning point for both Overwatch and Talon.  Again, it’s hard to place because it appears to come after the majority of Amélie’s transformation into Widowmaker, but again, the exact date to place this is unknown.  Many fans originally believed that Ana had “died” much, much earlier in the timeline, like, several years earlier.  However, after Uprising was released and it was revealed that Ana was still present early in the final year, fan theories had to be changed.

It also makes a lot more sense if Ana’s “shoot-off” with Widowmaker occurs very close to the Fall of Overwatch - so close that she was not able to recover in time and return to the organization to help repair any rifts her “death” may have caused.  However, it also has to come before Gabriel’s final transformation or shift into “Reaper,” because Ana does not recognize “what has happened” to him.

It is also a little difficult to sort out, but a major “potential” cause for a rift between Jack and Gabriel could stem from discussions about Ana disobeying orders.  It’s a small detail to catch, but in the “Legacy” comic, Ana deliberately defies orders to evacuate and turns off her communications device, possibly leaving the Strike Team unable to find her location.  However, in the “Old Soldiers” comic, Reaper says that Overwatch “left [Ana] to die,” which seems to contradict the point that she disobeyed evac orders.  I know many fans don’t like the idea of the fallout between Gabriel/Reaper and Jack/Soldier: 76 being over a miscommunication, but it seems entirely plausible that Jack returned from the mission without Ana, claiming she had ignored his orders, and that Gabriel had accused him of abandoning her. Again, this is my interpretation of the events presented.  Reading between the lines, especially with such large gaps in the plot, is a difficult task and you may choose to interpret things differently. 2. Events with unknown dates: there are three events that have no set dates but occur near or close to the Fall of Overwatch, or at least must occur after certain other points.  These are: 2.1 Genji leaves Overwatch: this must occur after he participates in the arrest of Doomfist. 2.2 Jesse leaves Blackwatch: this must occur after Uprising and Moira’s recruitment (bare minimum), and must occur after “the infighting” within Blackwatch had begun (McCree’s Hero profile: https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/heroes/mccree/).  Direct quote: “McCree appreciated the flexibility afforded to the clandestine Blackwatch, unhindered by bureaucracy and red tape. But as Overwatch's influence waned, rogue elements within Blackwatch sought to bring down the organization and turn it to their own ends. Wanting no part of the infighting, McCree set off alone and went underground.” 2.3 The “Venice incident:” an unknown event alluded to in Moira’s Hero profile, in which her presence in Blackwatch is revealed (Moira’s Hero profile: https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/heroes/moira/).  Direct quote: “Her employment was a closely kept secret, until it was uncovered during inquiries following the Venice incident. Many high-ranking Overwatch officials disavowed all knowledge of her affiliation with them.”  This is significant because a major Talon leader - Vialli - works in Venice and appears (briefly and much later) during the events of the “Masquerade” comic.

These events have no set dates and no particular order.  Michael Chu has stated that McCree and Genji kept in touch after leaving Blackwatch separately, but no dates are given for that.   3. “What happened to you?”/“It was a conspiracy:” Main sources:

Reaper’s Hero profile: https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/heroes/reaper/

Soldier: 76′s Hero profile: https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/heroes/soldier-76/

Soldier: 76 Origin Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byhvUmpAA9c

“Fading Glory: On the Trail of Jack Morrison”: https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/blog/19809396/

Moira Origin Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ETybQd4uRE

Nesskain’s (the artist of the Moira Origin Story video) response to how Gabriel is feeling about the shadows: https://twitter.com/nesskain/status/926674887615188992

Moira Reveal Panel at 2017 Blizzcon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsJU3PEk9JY

“Old Soldiers” comic: https://comic.playoverwatch.com/en-us/ana-old-soldiers

“Are you with us?” Recall message: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwFu8kEsUW4

And now Here we are. I’ve put these two events side-by-side because it’s incredibly likely that they’re linked in some way.  The exact nature of their connections are still unknown, as are their dates. Hypothetically, by the time Genji and Jesse leave, “whatever happened” to Gabriel has not yet occurred.  That said, Michael Chu has stated that Jesse McCree has not seen Gabriel/Reaper in the current plotline, but that, if they were to meet, McCree “would known [sic] that Reaper was Reyes if he encountered him” (https://www.reddit.com/r/Overwatch/comments/6b63j3/ama_request_michael_chu/dhlepud/).  In other places, Michael has stated that the only people who recognize that Gabriel is Reaper are Jack, Ana, and Sombra (this is prior to the release of Doomfist and Moira).  Direct quote: “So far: Ana and Jack (when they encountered him in Old Soldiers) and Sombra (because she Knows Things). “Even with everything that's happened to Reyes, Ana and Jack would be able to recognize him immediately, given all their close experience serving together over the years. “(To make it extra confusing: it gets a little more complicated in-game because we chose to have some non-canon interactions because I think it's more interesting to have Reinhardt take out Reaper and say, "Traitor!" than to accurately reflect that he doesn't know Reaper's true identity. But as I've said before, events in game shouldn't be considered strictly canon.)” - Michael Chu (https://us.battle.net/forums/en/overwatch/topic/20753735625#post-13) So we’ve come to a few constraints on Gabriel’s “appearance:”

Jack/Soldier: 76 knows that Gabriel is Reaper by the time of “Old Soldiers,” if not beforehand.

Ana recognizes him by demeanor and personality, but is horrified by his appearance when she unmasks him in “Old Soldiers.”

Despite having worked with him for the same amount of time as Ana, Reinhardt canonically does not know who “Reaper” is, but would recognize him if he encountered him.

Jesse McCree canonically does not know who “Reaper” is, but would recognize him if he encountered him.

Interestingly, Widowmaker does not know who “Reaper” is.

Winston does not appear to know who “Reaper” is.

Genji may or may not know who “Reaper” is.

It is important to note that, by the time of the explosion at the Swiss Watchpoint, the majority of these characters are not present in Overwatch anymore.  Ana, Reinhardt, Jesse, Amélie (if she ever was close to the Overwatch agents), and Genji have all left.  Winston, presumably, is at Watchpoint: Gibraltar.  The locations of characters like Torbjörn, Angela, and Lena are unknown.

That leaves three possible “major characters” at the Swiss Watchpoint at the time of the explosion: Gabriel Reyes, Jack Morrison, and potentially Moira O’Deorain.  Her direct involvement in this event is unknown. According to the “Fading Glory” article, both Gabriel and Jack were seen by witnesses as being present in the Watchpoint before the explosion.  Soldier: 76 confirms this in his Origin Story.  Reaper confirms that he too was present at the base in the “Old Soldiers” comic.

What is significant is that Nesskain has confirmed that Gabriel is “scared” when what appears to be his final transformation is occurring (in the presence of Moira), yet for some reason, he specifically blames Jack and Overwatch for “what happened to him.”

Ana: “What happened to you...?”

Reaper: “He did this to me, Ana.  They left me to become this thing...”

Ana: “Gabriel...”

Reaper: “They left you to die.  They left me to suffer...”

Reaper: “...Never forget that.”

Reaper’s explanation in “Old Soldiers” is fascinating because it appears to be in direct contrast with information given to us in “Legacy” (Ana chose to turn off her comms) and the Moira Origin Story (Gabriel approached her for recruitment, Moira either created or enhanced his genetic mutations, resulting in his “Reaper” powers and/or current appearance/state of existence). It’s incredibly difficult to say how closely together Gabriel’s shift and the Swiss Watchpoint explosion occurred, or how much they are directly related, but it seems likely they are linked in some way.  At the very least, Reaper links “being left behind (to suffer)” by Jack/Soldier: 76 and Overwatch with the explanation for his current (2076) state of existence.

Again, I will leave you to formulate whatever interpretation or conclusion you want. Conclusion You don’t have to use this timeline. I’ve provided every major source that I have for this “final year of Overwatch” - watch them, read them, form your own interpretations, do whatever you want.  If your biggest issue is where I’ve placed things, go ahead and rearrange your own puzzle pieces. However, you should keep in mind an important quote from Michael Chu: “One of the things that we really like doing with Overwatch is playing with perspective.  We utilize perspective when we tell stories about what characters are thinking, what their goals are - and we have a lot of unreliable narrators.  We want people to pay careful attention to what characters think about in particular situations.  We want them to use their judgement and knowlege of a character’s thoughts to come up with their own ideas about the universe.” - Thinking Globally (Timestamp: 34:35 https://youtu.be/bj56ejM5EcU?t=2075) Not only are many of the points in the timeline effectively “freefloating” (aka, they have no exact dates, or hell, not even exact months or years), they are also complicated by the matter of unreliable narrators and biased perspectives.  The Moira Origin Story gives us a crucial clue to Gabriel/Reaper’s story, but the narration in the video is all told to us by Moira.  I am personally infinitely grateful for the Moira Reveal Panel and Nesskain’s comments on his own art because they provide us with very significant clues that are from outsiders looking in.  That is, they are not tinted with biases or unreliability.  

After going through the new clues on Oasis, as well as listening to the Moira Reveal Panel and seeing Nesskain’s comments, I have revised a lot of my initial ideas on her, Gabriel, and Jack.  At the moment, I’m waiting to see if we get any in-game interactions between her and Reaper when she is released to the PTR later. For now, this my interpretation of the Fall of Overwatch.

[kaoarika]

One of the few series I have been following nowadays in Naver Webtoon is “Devilish Romance”, and I was quite surprised that it was officially picked up by LINE Webtoon for an official ENG translation.

...especially since it isn’t as popular as other VERY popular series in the South Korean webtoon platform on its publishing day (it is always at the END of the Monday’s series!!!!)... but I guess it was one of those series that might do better abroad than in its origin country (also, I think LINE Webtoon wanted to fulfill the empty space that “Devil Number 4″ -that I will read this week, just when Daily Pass is around the corner to paywall it- left, while also waiting for “Brimstones and Roses” to come back for a 2nd season), considering that stuff like “Lucifer” or even “Obey Me!” have been pretty popular nowadays (although, can we stop... you know, comparing DR to Lucifer, please?)

I like the art (it makes me feel THINGS), and I think the story offers a fun and interesting rom com story with a seemingly evil demon and a cold-hearted prosecutor.

...The series is quite slow, however. As far as spoilers I go by, the story and its “romance” aspect doesn’t pick up until much later. And I mean, I like the slow burning in building the characters and their relationship, showing up their personalities, their motives and the worldbuilding... but it doesn’t really pick up until later. And it’s a shame it will take some time to arrive there. There’s... quite spicy stuff  👀, hence why I also have been following it, lol.

Even though I understand why ppl do not like Gye Seah/Narcissa Gye, and I’m not sure how much that will change later on, but MY GOD, you HAD ME when you have a complete doofus demon as Ma Gwinam/Damon Ma, LMAO. THAT’S MY KIND OF MALE CHARACTERS THAT I FALL FOR AS OF LATELY.

So, basically it is about a demon (who was reluctantly reborn as a human as some kind of punishment...) that is working in the Investigation Law Department. He has a goal working there, and that is finding the King of the Demons, who is probably the one who will return him to be his former demon self, Sitri.

Also, the former-demon dork there basically attempted to do some “investigation” in a victims’ residence because “it reminds him of his demon life”, but, to any human being he looked like a pervert creep and got in trouble because, remember, kids: tresspassing is BAD, especially if it’s a crime scene.

And the first encounter that Gwinam/Damon has with Seah/Narcissa goes “love at first punch”, lmao. They don’t like each other at first? But I’m pretty sure that he was struck with an arrow when he first saw her, hahah (and before a rude throw from her side).

...

Sorry if I’m going to be nitpicky, however...

My only complaint about this series is related to its localization. 

From every new series that LINE Webtoon has been picking for an English license/translation in the past six months, I have been noticing that they have been reducing (dropping) this practice of localizing Korean names to be more “English or Western friendly”.

I’m probably not the best person to complain about this, but I have talked about it before when I was reviewing series like “Oh! Holy” and “Ghost Wife”, which is a bit... “uhm... Kpop is mainstream? Kdramas are more popular nowadays? Worldwide?” and this is one of those practices that other Eastern media (Japanese mostly)’s localization have mostly left in the past (unless you are doign smth for kids or you are afraid of copyright infringement, like it happens in JJBA). It ruins the immersion, I guess? when it becomes... glaring... when the main cast have English names (while retaining their Korean last name) and other characters have full Korean names, you know? So, from all the series that have been released recently in LINE Webtoon... this is one where they are doing this.

While I don’t particularly agree or like this decision... I perceive it might be similar to what happened with “Oh! Holy” and “Ghost Wife”... because... the use of puns in the characters’ names.

Damon Ma = Ma Gwinam, the pun being that “Gwinam” literally means “demon” in Korean. In one scene, he basically mumbles “I’m a demon” (unconsciously or not, giving away his real identity because “I don’t like being a human, and yet I cannot believe I’m stuck in this situation :|”). Damon sounds like “demon”, so... the joke is there as well. (YEAH, the doofus of a demon is LITERALLY named “Demon”... what happened for his parents to name him as such, LMAO).

I am not sure why Gye Seah = Narcissa Gye, however. At least... not yet. Unless I’m missing a pun? or specific meaning? (I can’t tell, and maybe her name doesn’t have a particular meaning compared to, say, Gwinam/Damon). I do think “Narcissa” fits her personality, however?

What I do think what happened in the TL process was something like: “we cannot simply change the name of one MC for the pun, we need to change the other, because if we don’t the other would stand out like a sore thumb”.... however... they still didn’t change minor characters’ names that have been already introduced (like the Captain Jungi Yang or Sunam Ma, Gwinam’s brother), so they DO still stand out like sore thumbs (and more characters are introduced later, although I cannot yet confirm if thy retain their original names or what in LINE Webtoon, cause I am not buying/using Fast Pass, atm... but Cpt. Yang and Sunam are more “support cast”, so...)... especially if the setting is still EXPLICITLY happening in South Korea (the Han River is seen in the first chapter, the office where Gwinam and Seah work is in Seoul). 

However, you know what’s even more glaring? I mean... the TLs left “hyung” (hyeong, but still making my point) when Sunam is introduced, and they even had to literally explain a “this word and this other word are similarly pronounced and read in Korean, hence the visual joke of this scene”), and it feels a bit... silly, to change Gwinam and Seah’s names when you STILL are leaving Korean honorifics (Sunam is Gwinam’s younger brother, and he loves him, regardless... he is also a priest, so, you know, lmao) or explaining a joke in the original language setting. Although, you never know and the next round of translators might change smth around, back and forth as usual (i.e. changing the Korean Won currency to USD).

(EDIT: I just found out that the series had an earlier French official release on the FR Webtoon site and... both Gwinam and Seah retain their names there? was it not hard to do the same in English? puns or not?)

This is just me being nitpicky, obviously... and I’m not letting this affect my experience regardless... but, again, you know... this is one of those practices in localization you KINDA wish they would have dropped or abandoned nowadays... I mean, for real. If other translations seem to be abandoning this specific task in localization (I don’t have many problems with localizations! You cannot offer a 1:1 translation, either! I MEAN, they COULD have gotten around the “this word sounds as this word, hence the joke in visual form”!), I mean...?

On one hand I’m glad this series is getting an English official translation... But my little “purist” side is all “but at what price?” (at least this is not as somewhat annoying as in “Scorching Romance”, although some localized jokes there WORKED... but frick, why Aspen as a name???? I understand it HAD to be a very obscure reference to understand the meaning of his name... but seriously? Aspen, from Aspen, Colorado? and when other character name is OBVIOUSLY NOT RELATED TO THAT AND IT’S BLATANT OBVIOUS WE KNOW IT ISN’T... sadsaafdfg... and that’s just the type of the iceberg because the SPA release of this series is also doing the same ‘pun names = localized’ thing...)

TL;DR (don’t read my nitpicky criticism) - READ THIS SERIES IF YOU ENJOY FUN DEMON-HUMAN (LOVE) RELATIONSHIPS, especially if the demon is some kind of doof compared to his female protagonist. But don’t get too picky as myself, because even if the demons’ categories are realistically wrong if you do a “one-click-away” research (according to some commentators), or the localization might be sticking as a sore thumb, the series is STILL GOOD, and the art is attractive to the eyes (AND YES, SPOILER: IT GETS GOOD AND IT MIGHT GET SPICY LATER).