#THANK YOU SUBTITLES. by the way. i love understanding what people are saying :)

[lem-argentum]

“or like a magical key, one that can unlock any door — like from the video games!!” i am in love with y

[bo0mcat]

Hi Joker Out Tumblr!

I’m not very active here but after seeing all the comments regarding the recent JokerOutSubs interview in London I had to respond.

I was the one who went to go and interview them in London and the response over the last couple of days has been incredibly emotional, and incredibly overwhelming, so firstly, thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for making me so indescribably happy. Seeing people say that they felt safe watching this interview, and that it’s going to be a comfort video for them, actually brought me to tears on a number of occasions.

I wanted to respond to a few comments that I’ve seen. The questions were mostly devised by me and @alephai . When we were perfecting the questions and going over ways we could make them as respectful as possible, she suggested that we ask permission from Bojan before jumping into personal questions about his anxiety. I immediately agreed and I’m so glad we insisted on keeping it in, even as the questions went through several redrafts. We are both strong advocates of mental health acceptance, and I certainly understand on a personal level how challenging it can be to talk about. We wanted to make sure he had the opportunity to not talk about it, if he didn’t want to, and we were prepared for multiple scenarios.

We also decided right from the beginning that we didn’t want to put our own interpretations on the band. We wanted to frame the questions so they could answer anything they wanted to them, and make it clear that we’re not trying to sensationalise or find some kind of clickbaity quote. A looooot of thought, time and effort went into the questions and we think that the band could sense that there was a lot of love, respect, and genuine admiration for what they do in them. We’re really glad everyone else noticed it too!

We were also really mindful that the questions flowed neatly into one another - for instance, the questions about Bojan’s anxiety got steadily less personal and lighter so it would move smoothly into the questions about music. Again I’ve seen loads of comments about this and it’s so validating to see that the hard work put in was noticed.

We were extremely mindful of appropriate boundaries, and kept the knowledge that we’re ultimately strangers to them front and centre. The main goal on the day was to be as professional as possible. I’m genuinely so happy that they felt relaxed and comfortable enough to open up. I’m glad to say there was never a moment in the room where there was any tension, it truly felt like having a chat with friends! Afterwards, Bojan asked me if I were a professional journalist (which I am not) and it really made me incredibly happy. They are all absolutely sweethearts and some of the warmest, kindest people I’ve had the pleasure to spend an hour with.

The aftermath of the interview was one of the most intense weeks of my life and I have to shout out to every member of @jokeroutsubs who worked on this one. The dedication I saw from the subtitles, translators and video editors was insane. Lots of conversations at mad hours of the morning trying to get this out to the highest possible quality, and I am, as ever, bowled over by the JOS team. To say that joining up with them has been life changing is an absolute understatement, and I’m glad to say that through JOS I’ve met a series of women without whom I can no longer imagine my life. Strong, intelligent women from all over Europe who I now consider to be my sisters, and whom I love incredibly dearly.

I have to mention the message at the end of the interview. This was the product of many months of conversation about the impact of Joker Out on Slovene society between me and several members of the slo team, something that it’s been amazing to learn about from the perspective of an English girl, and we’re so glad we had an opportunity to tell them. Massive thank you again for all the voice notes I was sent to help me practice my pronunciation. I wanted to make sure it was as good as I could possibly manage to show my respect for the Slovenian people, language and culture.

Lastly I wanted to say thank you for all the messages I’ve received complimenting me on this interview. Credit in this case has to be shared between so many people. It was truly a team effort and I’m just so happy I could contribute in giving something back to a band I love and admire, and a community that embraced me with open arms during a difficult time in my life.

I love you all, and thank you all for your wonderful words. X

[misc-obeyme]

Hello there! I hope you’re doing well, I was wondering if you could do a few head cannons or a ficlet (whichever you prefer) where the brothers (and/or dateables) find out that MC is multilingual.

I’m mostly thinking in the context that they didn’t know before and suddenly hear MC speaking said language, but you can change that if you prefer of course! Or not do the request entirely if this idea doesn’t strike your fancy.

Have a nice day/night!

Hi, anon!

Okay I wasn't sure if multilingual meant MC speaks two languages or if it's like more than two, so I kinda did a little bit of both. And really I think everything could apply to either option, so hopefully that all still makes sense!

Thank you for the request!

brothers react to hearing GN!MC speaking in a different language

Warnings: none!

Lucifer

When he first hears it, he’s sure he’s just tired. He’s never heard you speak any other language before. Surely his mind is playing tricks on him. Starts thinking he must really need to take a break like everyone is always saying.

If you do it again, then he’ll ask. MC, are you multilingual? Demonstrate all the languages you speak. However many it is, he's impressed. He wants to know the details of how you learned this language. Tell him more about it.

He will ask you to teach him the language so he can speak it with you. Really loves it when he gets fluent and can carry on conversations with you that other people don’t understand. He will say all kinds of things with the sole purpose of making you blush.

Lucifer will find records of music that’s sung in languages you know. Might ask you for a translation of the lyrics, but mostly just wants to share the experience with you. Sit with him in the music room to listen and he won’t be able to stop himself from holding you close, whispering sweet sayings that you've taught him in your ear.

Mammon

Woah! MC! Since when could ya speak more than one language? You’re always surprising him with the things you can do!

He will ask you to teach him all the swear words. Says them to Lucifer under his breath more because it makes you laugh than because he really means it.

Wants to know the circumstances in which you learned this language. Is it your native tongue? Or did you just learn a whole new language for some reason? Either way you had to learn a second language at some point and that sounds like a lot of work. Wouldn’t do it himself but he’s impressed that you could.

Actually picks up parts of the language pretty easily. Depending on how often you use it around him, Mammon will be able to imitate your most used phrases. He’ll say stuff without knowing what it actually means, he’s just repeating you. If you tell him what it means and how to use it, it will just become part of his own speech from that point on. Only says lovey things when the two of you are alone.

Leviathan

The first time he hears you speaking it, he’s confused. What was that? Did you just speak in a different language? Quick, MC! Tell him all the different languages you know!

Instantly wants to hire you to translate any media that’s in a language he can’t speak. Video games, manga, shows, movies, even songs! If you insist on teaching him so he can do it himself, he’ll actually be excited to learn. Teach him everything!

Absolutely will watch movies and shows in any languages you speak with you. He’s gonna need subtitles. He’ll ask you about how accurate the subs are. Makes you go through every single line and complains about any inaccuracies you guys find. Posts your translations in online forums.

Talk to him in your language and he’ll be flustered even if he has no idea what you’re saying. You could be telling him to clean his room, but it sounds so romantic? Now he’s blushing like crazy. Levi actually really likes to hear you speak to him in a different language. If he's learning it for himself, he won't get as flustered if he knows what you're actually saying. Either way, he's going to hesitantly ask you to say it again.

Satan

You’re sitting near each other somewhere when you ask a question out loud in a different language. Without looking up or missing a beat, Satan answers your question in the same language. Several moments pass before the two of you look at each other in surprise. Then you both launch into a conversation in that language about how surprised you are that the other person knows it.

This guy has spent many years learning all kinds of languages and that includes human world ones. His main goal was to be able to read books in their native languages rather than translations. But it turns out he’s just good at it so he speaks pretty fluently too.

Now that he knows this about you, he’s almost always talking to you in a language the others doesn’t understand. Finds it especially entertaining to discuss his prank ideas with you while Lucifer is sitting right there.

Do not think for one second that he’s not going to take this opportunity to recite poetry in that language to you. Blushes the whole time, but does it anyway. Please indulge him, MC. You are the only one who can truly appreciate these romantic lines.

Asmodeus

Did he just hear you speaking in a different language? Oh, MC, you’re so full of surprises! He has no idea what you just said, but he is swooning! Please flirt with him in your language, he’s really going to fall even harder for you now. You could say anything but if you do it in the right tone of voice you will get a dramatic reaction from him.

Teach him how to say “I love you” and things like “hug me” and “kiss me.” Know that once you do, he’ll be saying them to you all the time. Asmo might ask you to teach him some insults, too, just so he can use them on unsuspecting demons who have no idea what he's saying.

Designs some clothes with sayings in your language on them. Won’t tell anyone what they mean - he only knows because you told him. But everybody else is just going to have to wonder about it! This is a secret between the two of you! (Well, and everybody else who speaks that language… but that is not the point.)

Might start learning the rest of the language without you knowing. Gets Satan to help him. Then when you’re alone with him he starts saying a whole speech about how much he loves you. Giggles happily at the look on your face before kissing you.

Beelzebub

The first time he hears you, he thinks he must have heard wrong. Blinks in confusion. What was that you said, MC? He’s not sure he heard you right. Explain to him that you were actually speaking a different language and he’ll be even more surprised.

He wants to know more about it. Where did you learn it and why? Beel asks you about the names of food. He doesn’t want to learn them necessarily he just wants to hear you say them.

If you tend to refer to a specific food in the other language, he will start calling it that too. Just straight up replaces that word in his vocabulary. Might do this for non food related things as well. Pretty much just does that thing where he picks up little words and phrases from you simply because he's absorbed it from being around you so much.

He likes to listen to you speak in a different language, even if he can't understand anything you're saying. Might ask you to say anything just so he can listen to the sound of your voice. You could read a dictionary to him and he would be all about it. Content to just sit quietly and listen.

Belphegor

The only one who doesn't even notice at first. It's not that he doesn't care, it's just that it doesn't even register. For some reason, it seems perfectly normal to him that you speak multiple languages. He considers you to be a smart person, someone on Satan's level, and Satan knows several languages, so why wouldn't you?

After he hears you using that language a few times, he gets curious. He doesn't know what you're saying, but he does realize if you're using the same language, especially in the same context. Always letting out a string of it when you hurt yourself? Maybe you rant in that language when you're frustrated? He recognizes the sound of it.

Now he's going to ask you about it. What language is this, MC? Tell him about it, please. He'll ask you to teach him how to say things like "take a nap with me" and "Lucifer sucks." The first time he says that last one, Satan does a spit take.

Belphie will ask you to sing in your language. He wants to hear some songs that were originally written in it. He's especially interested in lullabies. If you sing him one, he'll fall asleep on your lap pretty quickly. Might get needy and ask you to sing to him every night.

masterlist | Thank you for reading!

[burgeoning-ambition]

Finally a first language laddering post! In the near future I hope to start posting updates to my personal studying, maybe accompanied by study materials for others to use if I have the time! But first, I wanted to post an introduction.

Transcript of the images below the cut!

Language Laddering!

An Overview

I recently made a post asking about interest in me posting my personal Japanese -> Korean language laddering study journey and resources. And a lot of people seemed interested! Let's start off with an introduction to language laddering itself, since people may not have heard of it, or may not recognize this name for it! For my own personal stuff, I hope to post updates to my studies along with some resources as regularly as I can manage!

What is Language Laddering?

Language laddering, as I'm using the term, is a method of language study in which you use one target language (TL1) to learn a second target language (TL2). Basically, you cut your native language out of the equation and study in a target language!

How I Ladder

There are several methods you can use that I'd say count as language laddering, but I'm only going to go super in-depth into the methods I personally use!

If you study this way and have a specific method you love that I didn't mention, please mention it in a comment or reblog! I'd love to hear more methods.

Reading Japanese textbooks for Korean

Getting access to resources in Japanese is definitely harder because of international shipping, but I'm able to find store listings that offer sample pages! I've been using these until I can get the money to actually buy them.

In the meantime as I wait to get fully Japanese texts, I use the speaking pen from Learn Korean With BTS, haha- the speaking pen reads the book in four languages, and Japanese is one of them! So I just listen to it like an audiobook instead of reading the English!

Using apps and websites made by and for Japanese learners

While my Japanese dictionaries and apps are all in English, my Korean dictionaries and apps are all in Japanese!

I use an online Japanese-Korean dictionary on my phone, and when I practice grammar and other concepts in Korean, I use Japanese websites for Korean learners.

Recently, I've been using the site ハングルの森 to review basic grammar. I've been getting a pretty strong hold on Japanese grammar terms, too, which is exciting for more fully laddering!

Laddering languages in the way I choose to can be a very fun way to learn a new language and study one you've already been working on, but it doesn't work for everyone!

People who enjoy learning grammar and reading about how language works may enjoy it because they can learn grammar the way it's taught in their target language rather than how it's taught in their native language! This can be exciting, it's interesting to see how different languages teach concepts and learning grammar terms in a TL can open grammar-related doors! If you're a linguistics nerd like me, grammar-related doors are super exciting.

However, if you struggle a lot with understanding language instruction, and classroom language learning is really difficult for you, then it may only make things harder to try and use your TL's classroom language learning material for a new TL.

And that's okay! Not every learning method is for everyone. Learning through immersion may be easier and less frustrating if you struggle with classroom learning!

And guess what?

You can still ladder languages when doing immersion learning! Watching something in your new TL with subtitles for your stronger TL is one good way you can combine immersion learning with laddering!

I hope to post more about language laddering, although it will probably be pretty catered to my own personal study! People can feel free to send asks about anything specific they'd like to know! (Although I certainly am not an expert, so I can't answer everything)

Also, I know this post was SUPER text heavy, so thank you for making it to the end! I hope it wasn't too droning to read ^-^ Good luck with language laddering if you decide to try it!

[morallyinept]

A full transcribe of JAVI GUTIERREZ'S dialogue/lines from the film THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT.

Includes full dialogue, and dialogue from any deleted/additional scenes available.

I've created this as a point of reference when writing for Pedro's characters, and I hope you find it useful. Even if you just want to read the dialogue. 🖤

FULL MASTERLIST OF PEDRO CHARACTERS DIALOGUE

☝🏻Dialogue has been fully transcribed by myself using reference to original scripts (if available), audio subtitles and using my own two ears. Therefore, mistakes can be made, however I have tried to be as fully accurate as I can. If you spot an obvious mistake, please kindly let me know. Where audio is not clear, I have marked with *inaudible* Scenes are separated for ease of reference.

FULL SCRIPT DIALOGUE:

Of course.

__________________

Mr Cage, I’m-

Javi. 

I’m not sure I understand. 

I think so. 

I am Javi. 

__________________

It was fine. Normal. No big deal. 

He was incredible. But also like, super cool. He was taller than I imagined because they say actors are pretty short. 

No. 

He was… just right. 

No, we didn’t bring it up. I didn't bring it up. It wasn’t the right time. 

I don’t know, Gabriela, maybe I am living in a fantasy world. I mean, look who we are talking about here, the man is a legend! 

__________________

Hi. 

Huh? 

Oh no, I’m sorry, I thought that… did you say? No, I… Oh, never mind. Yeah, so along those same lines, I was wondering, and it’s totally okay if you haven’t, but I was just wondering if you had a chance to read my screenplay? 

Mr Cage, this is Ms. Gabriela Lucchesi. She runs all of our agricultural operations. And this is uh, my cousin. Lucas Gutierrez. 

What? What do you mean “retired”? 

__________________

Gabriela said you are really excited about the cliffs. 

Oh, shit! Shit! 

We must go now! 

Faster! 

The General! 

The General! The General forbade me to see his daughter Matilda. But we defied his orders! And now, he wants to end my life. Can’t you see him? 

Stanislavski? Is he part of the resistance?  

I’m sorry, but you can’t quit acting! You can’t! 

Whether you like it or not, you have a gift. And that gift brings light and joy to an increasingly dark and broken world! 

And to turn your back on that gift, is to turn your back on the entire human race  

I’m afraid so. 

If we don’t go now, they will fucking kill us! These people smell blood and they come running. They are almost to the edge of the forest. I can hear them! And Matilda, she is waiting down the coast. We have to go now! We have to jump! 

I’ve always loved her. 

Oh, shit! 

__________________

Are you two close? 

How did you meet Olivia?

Beautiful film.

So what happened? 

No. There's one woman, but uh… sometimes circumstances get in the way of love. And that's just the way it is. Anyway, Mr Cage, what is your favourite movie? 

Number one, Face Off. 

Number two, let me think… uh. The Cabinet of Dr Caligari. 

__________________

It’s hard, like you said, 100 plus years of rich cinema. 

Paddington 2. 

I cried through the entire thing. It made me want to be a better man. 

I fucking told you. 

__________________

Truth, or dare, Nick? 

Did you hate my screenplay? It’s okay if you did. I just need to know. 

I sent it to your agent. He was supposed to give it to you. 

Now? Like, right now? 

I sent it. 

No. Honestly I’m too nervous. My heart is beating so fast. I think I need to go to bed. 

__________________

I just want to thank you all for coming tonight. It means more to me than you can know. And I would like to tell a story. A few years ago, my relationship with my father had deteriorated to the point where we were no longer speaking. He could be extremely difficult, my father. And to be fair, maybe I am not that much better. Haha. But when he got sick, I realised I didn’t want to lose him before we could repair our broken relationship. 

But I didn’t know how. And then one day, about a week before he died… it happened. A miracle. I looked up and I saw on a tiny little hospital TV… Guarding Tess. We disagreed about literally everything, my father and I. Except for this movie. We both loved it. We would quote it back and forth. In a way, my father was Tess. The former first lady, and I was Doug Chesnic, the secret service agent charged with taking care of him. That movie brought us together. So, on behalf of my late father and myself, I want to thank you.

I bet you didn’t know Doug Chesnic could have such an impact on someone. 

Well, thank you for your sacrifice. It was extraordinary. 

So, does that mean you want to be in it? 

I say, yes. Yes. 

__________________

Mr Cage. 

Nick. I realised that if we are going to create a work of art, we can’t just sit and stare at a screen. We have to open our minds to the infinite possibilities of what the cosmos has to offer. 

Divine inspiration. LSD. 

So, I was thinking that maybe our movie would be character-driven. 

Right. Or like big explosions. 

And work on multiple levels. 

And maybe it's just the drugs talking, but what if we had, like a big drug scene?

Fuck, man (In Spanish)

It’s going to be so fucking good! But like, what's it about?  

__________________

In terms of genre, I-I like comedies. But not when it’s just two people sitting around, talking. 

Oh. 

Nick. Listen. You know what I was thinking? Maybe we could have, like a paranoid, thriller-y angle. 

Right. Right. Wait, have they been watching us? 

Fuck! Did you see that? They just looked over at us. 

No, no. Maybe it was just a coincidence. I will look again. Are you ready? 

No, that’s how you spook a bear. 

A fake laugh? Okay, good. 

Oh, no. 

__________________

Do you see them? 

Here. Use me as a human stool. Do it! 

I have a very big head. I’m not gonna make it, am I? Will you tell Gabriela I will miss her? 

No. It’s okay. You go live a good life. 

But then, we will both die, and I could never live with myself after that, so you let go! You let go! 

Goodbye, Nicolas Cage. 

I’ll never forget you. Now you get the hell out of here, you go!

Mr Cage? 

Hey. 

Oh. Yeah… turns out we could have just walked around. 

Whatever. 

There they are!

__________________

Ow! Ow!

You have to drive on acid, you are a better driver than me. 

Because I read that you did all of your own driving stunts in Gone in 60 Seconds. 

The wheelies are amazing. Now drive the car! They’re coming, let’s go! 

Oh! Holy shit! 

Holy shit!

No, Nick. I have an idea. Maybe this movie… maybe it’s about this. About us. Our relationship. 

__________________

You want me to let you in there, huh? 

Regardless of what the consequences are? Because once you go in there… it could change the way you feel about me. Our entire relationship could change, Nick Cage. 

Is it too much? 

I know, I am sorry if it is weird. 

The Rock. 

Con Air. Heh. 

No, it's not creepy. 

Mandy is a masterpiece. 

Of course they are real. 

Made especially for the film. 

Just look at the guns. 

Hmm. About 6,000. 

I am sorry, Mr Cage, but this is not for sale. 

__________________

Hold on, hold on. Your daughter gets kidnapped? 

But who kidnaps her? 

The barrel is definitely not warped. Who kidnaps her? 

It feels like a completely different movie. 

And then what? The finale is about two men saving the girl? That’s terrible. 

Give me the gun. You know the key to shooting well? Controlling your breath. Do you know how to control your breath, Nick? Your heart. Your heart must be still. At peace. My heart… is not still. My heart is not at peace. Do you know why? 

Because you’re lying to me. 

Don’t fucking lie to me. 

Don’t fucking lie to me! 

I know why you keep on talking about this kidnapped girl. You feel guilty about your relationship with your own daughter. 

You are blocked. Creatively. Because you feel guilty about what kind of father you have been. 

Pull! 

__________________

Nick, I need you to come with me. 

I’m sorry to have to take this step, Nick. 

No, it is the only option. 

What? There’s no need to call them. They are here. 

Unfortunately, I can’t do that. You left me no choice! 

Yes. Creatively. 

No, physically he is tremendous. I mean, he will probably outlive us all. 

Ha!

Look, I have grown to care very deeply about your father. And ex-husband. We are working on a movie together. A beautiful character-driven, adult drama. But, he has so many unresolved issues with you, that it is beginning to bleed into the work in a negative way. Isn’t that right, Nick? 

Well, you see he has so many regrets. 

Well, I had a cat die in the kitchen. And my grandmother was never able to get rid of the smell. I am very sorry for the inconvenience, but this is an emergency. Have lunch with us. And let him say what he has to say. Don’t you think that is a good idea, Nick? 

__________________

Wow. That was fucking pathetic. 

No, no, no. I am honestly speechless.

Shit. I think we have more work than I realised, but this is good. This is very good. This is a good first step. 

Gracias. 

__________________

(In Spanish) Well, Lucas. What was so urgent you came all the way up here? 

(In Spanish) Sergio Baldassari? The head of the Calabero crime family? I thought he was dead? 

(In Spanish) You’re the boss. It’s your call. 

(In Spanish) Wait. The election? That means you… You kidnapped Delgado’s daughter. 

(In Spanish) What? Who’s being betrayed? 

(In Spanish) Lucas, what's wrong? What does any of this have to do with me? 

Oh, bullshit. 

(In Spanish) What? No. Lucas, no. I had no idea. 

(In Spanish) Lucas. Calm down! Calm down!   

(In Spanish) Lucas, please don't do this. I swear to God, I didn’t know. No! No! No! No! No! 

__________________

Hi. 

I’m sorry. I should have asked you before bringing them down. 

And I was thinking maybe a kidnapping would work. Our movie would start out as a beautiful character piece, and then slowly change into a more thrilling… 

Would you like to drive out to the cliffs? Clear our heads and think through the third act? 

__________________

So… 

Yeah. 

These? No. I’ve had these. 

I don’t wear them very much. I don’t think they're really me. 

Do you wanna try them on? I think they would look amazing to you. 

Oh, wow! Those look incredible on you. 

Yeah. 

Like, permanently? 

Okay. 

I totally agree. It’s just… easy. 

Well… I guess it’s time to figure out how this thing ends. 

__________________

Nick… I meant what I said back there. Which is why this really hurts. 

I’m sorry, Nick. 

Wait. You were gonna kill me? And are those my golden guns? 

Why the fuck would you kill me? 

My cousin Lucas is the head of the organisation!

The whole world thinks I run it. When my father died, Lucas took over. He forced me to be the figurehead. 

You don’t just leave this world, Nick. You, and everyone you care about, is in constant danger. Why do you think I cannot be with Gabriela? 

Are you fucking kidding me? I can’t be with Gabriela because that would put a target on her back. Wait, you seriously didn't realise that we liked each other? 

You're in the CIA! 

No way. You go first. 

I don’t wanna kill you.

I fucking love you! 

It’s my cousin. He must've known I wouldn't kill you. 

__________________

Faster! 

Okay. You just run out there. You get the truck. You come back and get me. I will keep a lookout. 

I love that plan. I do. But, you are a faster runner than me, even in subpar footwear. I saw how fast you were in National Treasure. 

Not according to the Making Of featurette. 

Wait! So you’re gonna go? I’m going with you. 

There they are! 

__________________

He’s coming up on us. 

On your left! On your left! 

Holy shit! 

Hit the brakes! Hit the brakes! He’ll hit the back of the truck. 

Yes it will, yes it will! Just do it, do it, do it, do it! 

Don’t worry, he’s totally passed out. 

Fuck! 

I’m okay. Are you okay? 

__________________

There are more soldiers coming. We have to go. 

His people could still be in the area. We have to go. 

I have a place. Let’s go. Come, come. Come now. 

I bought this house 10 years ago for a situation just like this. It has everything we need. Food, passports, materials for disguise. We’ll be safe for the night. 

Olivia. I promise you will get your daughter back. 

__________________

The girls are likely being held in my cousin’s compound. It is a monastery that they use as a cover, but it is a fortress. It is impenetrable. There are walls on every side. 

Tunnels. But with metal doors that only open from the inside. Even if it weren’t for all of the armed guards, it is impossible to get in. 

We are going to walk straight in through the front gate. 

Lucas is trying to form an alliance with Sergio Baldassari, the head of the Calabero crime family. 

Exactly. And since no-one has seen him, no-one knows exactly what he looks like. Olivia. Nick says that you were an incredible makeup artist when you met. So, with some prosthetics and a little makeup…

__________________

Wait. Where is Nick? 

He will never make it out if there alive.

Hey! 

Shit, come on. Nick, go. Go! 

Oh, shit! 

Olivia, hand me the guns. They’re right in there. 

Okay, stop the truck. I will slow them down. 

Yes! You are two kilometres from the embassy. If I slow them down you will all make it. 

No! 

I'm never going to have any kind of a life unless I stand up to my cousin! I need this. Now, go. Go!

You stayed. 

__________________

Nick. 

Oh, no, I couldn't watch. I was, uh… I was too nervous. How did it play? 

Really? Oh, wow!

This is… Nick. Thank you. 

Do you wanna ride to the party with me? They want to interview us. Uh, Vanity Fair. 

__________________

DELETED SCENE:

I just want you to enjoy yourself, have fun. You will have the rest of the day to unwind, tomorrow to explore. And the big party on Sunday.

N.A.T.I.O.N.A.L.T.R.E.A.S.U.R.E.2

Colon. Book of Secrets. All caps.

I mean, I can change it, if you want.

I should have changed it. I apologise.

You are right, why would I? It is a wonderful film and a phenomenal password.

Welcome to Mallorca, Mr Cage.

__________________

DELETED SCENE:

Okay. You ready?

What do you say we cut the chit chat, A-hole!

Yes, I'm sorry. 

What do you say we cut the chit chat, A-hole?

What do you say we cut the chit chat, A-hole!

What do you say we cut the chit chat, A-hole!

We cut the chit chat, A-hole!

Chit chat, A-hole!

A-hole!

What do you say, what do you-what do you say- fuck, Javi! What do you say-what do you say-what do you say we cut the chit chat, A-Hole!

__________________

FULL MASTERLIST OF PEDRO CHARACTERS DIALOGUE

[notfreetoday]

MPW Ep 3 Subtitle Corrections

EP 1 || EP 2 Cultural/Language Tidbits: EP 2

Same translation disclaimer applies. Thanks again for indulging my crazy long t/n, please keep geeking out with me in the notes!

We've got a change of director this episode - to Funabiki Shinju (twitter linked here) who was the scriptwriter for Jack Frost. This date is also a drama-only episode and does not appear in the manga. So, we have quite a few ad-libs here! I'll point out these out, as well as any interesting comments by the director and the producer from the Ep 3 twitter space as we go on. (Due to tumblr's image space limitations, some of these scenes will have no pics, just a description)

Ep 3, let's go! (If you read nothing in this post, please just read Yoh's monologue)

Since this is the theme of this episode, and Yoh's favourite word, let's talk a little more about it. I've mentioned it previously, but both "嫌い (kirai)" and "大嫌い (dai kirai)" are often translated as "hate/really hate", when they really function more as the opposite of "(suki)", ie "to like". That said, the amount of emotional weight this word carries depends on the context. It can accurately convey the pain/anger of hating someone, but it can also be used very mildly. For eg, it's often used by kids in the "I hate homework/vegetables/the rain/etc" form, or by teens/young adults in the "I don't want everyone to hate me" form, as opposed to other synonyms. When introducing yourself/getting to know someone, it's not uncommon to be asked "what are your suki/kirai?"

In other words, overuse of this word can actually come off as slightly childish, because kids/young people are usually the ones using this word to reject small things/express themselves. Yoh's constant insistence that he hates Segasaki pretty much sounds like this - which is why Man-san expresses doubt about it, and why when Segasaki repeats this line back to Yoh, Yoh understands that Segasaki is teasing him. (The word "love" is considered too heavy and precious of a concept to be thrown around easily, so "suki" is the default go to even in committed relationships.)

Y: 相変わらずすごいよ、この人の外面モード。 Y: As always, this person's "public mode" is amazing.

"外面 (soto zura)" literally refers to the "outside face", and when used to describe a person means someone who puts up a certain personality/attitude depending on who they're speaking to/the situation.

The reason Yoh's saying this is because Segasaki is speaking to him in a much nicer way than he usually does at home 🤣He's using plain forms yes, but he's also praising him and smiling at him and actually saying a whole, proper sentence as opposed to the one-word sickness he has at home🤣 This is most obvious right before Segasaki leaves, when he warns Yoh to be careful when drawing other people - he says "気をつけてね~ (ki o tsukete ne~)", ending with a ne~ which is sweet and cute and which he almost never does with Yoh at home 🤣🤣

Twitter Space Note (TSN): They decided that since they finally got to shoot an "outdoor scene" for Yoh, they'd try to make him look a little more fashionable with a shirt instead of a hoodie 🤣

Y: いってらっしゃい Y: Itterasshai - this is a standard greeting that you say when someone is leaving the house (or the office, if they're going out on a business errand). Basically, the one leaving says "ittekimasu" and the one staying behind says "itterasshai". They mean "(I'll) go and come back/Go safely and return well" When returning, you say "tadaima" and the one welcoming you back says "okaerinasai" meaning: "(I have) just now (returned)/ (you have) returned safely". Unlike Yoh, Segasaki does none of these standard greetings (which Yoh complained about in Ep 1 whilst chopping onions).

Y: だからね、気持ちが通じ合った*っていう描写が必要だと思うんだよおれは Y: だからこそ、体が盛り上がる**、的な？ M: はーん。中高生処女みたいなこといってろ Original: Y: That's why I think it's necessary to depict the feeling of "mutual understanding" Y: That's how the physical aspect also gets exciting... or something like that? M: Hmm.. talking about it like a high school virgin, huh? Mine: Y: So that's why, I think it's important - showing that (the characters') have this unspoken understanding* of each other's feelings. Y: It's precisely because of that, that you get physically excited** - something like that? M: Mm.... you're saying things a high-school virgin would say **体が盛り上がる - literally, "the body gets excited/heated up/lively etc" - given that they are talking about erotica, he probably means physically aroused here, but this term also works to explain the feeling of excitement or emotion just swelling in your chest for eg *通じ合った - is not just "mutual understanding" - it specifically refers to a situation in which both parties understand each other without having to say a word - like when you look at someone and just get them, or like in sports, you just look at your team mate and you know.

This is an important distinction because in this line, Yoh again emphasizes "I" - at the end of the sentence he ends off with the pronoun "俺 (ore)" marked by the subject particle "は (wa)" - which means that in this sentence Yoh is emphasizing that this is his opinion - that he himself thinks it's important to show that 2 people simply get each other, because that's exactly what translates to that sensation you feel in your body. This is what Yoh wants - he wants to understand Segasaki, and he wants Segasaki to understand him, without them having to actually say anything. Which at the moment, only Segasaki is achieving, ironically.

[ Man-san's dialogue, where she says "a sex scene follows]

TSN: Man-san actually only says “se-“ here, and then mutes herself (because they’re in public). In the script, it was supposed to be the full “sex” word, but they weren't sure whether it would be ok (it's not clear whether they mean ok for the actress to say this or ok for the show in general) so in the end it became "se-". Yes it's an odd place to be concerned about given the whole Ep2 but #Japan

Again, the word here used is “kirai” but translated as “dislike” instead of hate 😉

TSN: Between this scene and the start of the next scene, they praised how Acchan uses his eyes to convey Yoh's dejection and how he expresses Yoh's emotions very sensitively through his gaze (and I agree!)

TSN: The director mentioned that she had thought it would look good if Segasaki to put his hand up like this on the ceiling partition, but the moment Kouhei walked in, he just did it naturally without her having to say anything, and so she was really amazed.

S: じゃ、出かけるぞ (Jya, dekakeru zo) S: Then, we’re going out.

“Let’s go out” would be more of "じゃ、でかけましょう (Jya, dekakemashou)" – by using the ending form “(-ma)shou”, the listener is included in the action of going out as an equal to the speaker, the same way “let’s” is used in English. It is by far the most common way Japanese people make a statement without trying to sound too overbearing. But here, Segasaki once again demonstrates his habit of simply stating what they’re going to do, and speaking for Yoh. The sentence-final particle “zo” at the end of his sentence is an assertive one that doesn’t leave much room for argument.

TSN: Again they talked about how they emphasised to Acchan to do the housework improperly, since Yoh isn't supposed to be good at it. Also, when Yoh thinks, "what's with this, all of a sudden?", the director asked that he move his hands "more" as he folded the clothes, like he was still happy to be asked out.

Y: デート自体ないんだよ Y: I’ve never even been on a date.

Y: 俺、いま一体何してんだろう Y: What am I even doing right now?

Yoh’s not wondering what they’re doing, he’s questioning his own actions, like "why am I even here, doing this, what am I supposed to do" etc, because you know, he's never even been on a date before and he has no clue whether this actually is one.

[The scene with the 2 of them on the bench, and Segasaki asks Yoh what he'd like to eat]

TSN: The script only went up to Yoh answering that he wanted to eat “Chinese food”, and this whole bit afterward just happened naturally when they let the camera run.

Yoh says “たっか(taka)!” which is short for “高い(takai)” aka “expensive!” but his voice is so cute here I’m dying. (It really is bloody expensive, these things are usually anywhere between 180 yen – 300 yen pre-pandemic. Even with the big one they have here, I don’t think anyone would sell this above 500 yen)

TSN: They said they searched for a 1200 yen steamed pork bun but couldn’t find one, and in actuality the store sells them at a really reasonable price, so to please go give it a try 🤣🤣

[The scene of them walking and sharing the chicken cutlet]

TSN: This scene, as well as them walking along they alley way looking at the shops, was mostly ad-libbed (which is probably why we see Acchan smiling so much here hahaha I’m guessing the question about which he liked better was probably an adlib, which surprised Acchan). For the alleyway, they were told that their conversation was not going to be used, so they were quite relaxed (and that explains the audio fade out lol)

[The scene of them drinking Boba/Bubble Tea]

About Gyaru - when Boba/Bubble Tea first came to Japan, it became pretty popular amongst Gyaru, and quickly became associated with Gyaru culture - hence why they both felt it was something only Gyaru drank. It's similar to the idea that only ladies eat sweets/desserts that was briefly mentioned in OFC (which makes Nozue feel awkward about 2 men eating cake in a dessert cafe) - here they mean they both felt too embarrassed to try Boba out before due to the idea that it's a "Gyaru" drink (and I love how Yoh looks at Segasaki then, like he only just realises that even Segasaki might get embarrassed/feel awkward sometimes).

S: 乗るぞ (noru zo)

Again, this is “we’re riding it” instead of “let’s”.

Y: 思ったよりすごく透明で Y: (The cabin) is more transparent than I thought

The floor of the cabin is actually clear, so you can see right down through to the bottom, which is why Yoh is a little freaked out here. Not because he thought glass wasn’t transparent.

TSN: Acchan is also afraid of heights, so the stiffness you see here is real, he really didn’t like it, but they went 4 rounds in total to finish this scene. (Kouhei apparently was fine and enjoyed looking right through the glass, though I can’t remember which interview this was mentioned in, sorry!)

S: ほら S: See?

ほら (hora) is commonly used to draw the listener’s attention to something, so here Segasaki really just means “look (I was right)”

TSN: They apparently redid the scene where Segasaki dismisses the store attendant many times so they could make sure it was done in a way that looked natural and wouldn’t be off-putting.

We’re back to one of Segasaki’s humming sounds – the “hmm…?” here again conveys the “oh, really/is that so?” sort of lazy drawl that can easily be mistaken as Segasaki being bored – which is why Yoh immediately suggests they go do their own thing.

Y: そっちも、好きなところいっていいから Y: You too, it’s okay (if you go) to the places you like so…

Yoh uses “そっち” here to refer to Segasaki - which literally means “your/that side” and is another way in which Yoh avoids addressing Segasaki directly (remember, in Japan we don’t like being direct, and “you” is sometimes too direct).

Fun fact: Depending on which part of Japan you’re in, this can either be seen as a totally normal way of speaking, or it might annoy you a little to be referred to as if you were an object/place, or you might feel like the speaker was treating you a little like an “outsider”. The divide in opinion seems to be somewhere between the northeast regions, and the western regions. Tokyo and the rest of the Kantou region (where the show is based, judging by the lack of an obvious accent) are sort of 50-50.

Y: もしあれ*だったら、あ、あの、こっちはこっちで、好きにやってるし Original: Y: Ah, if you want to. Well… we’re both doing our own things… Mine: Y: If (you feel) that way*, then, ah, umm, I can… do as I like, by myself too...

*that way - this refers to that sort of awkward, uncomfortable feeling you get that is hard to describe when you’ve been put on the spot. So, this makes it clear that Yoh is offering Segasaki an “out” from this uncomfortable, weird position he thinks Segasaki is in.

Similar to his earlier sentence, Yoh refers to himself as “こっち (this side)”, and the phrase he uses pretty much means “I can entertain myself”. This is an example of kizukai – or at least, what Yoh thinks is kizukai - which is a concept where you do your best to think of the other person’s needs and wants, so you can anticipate what help they might need and so you don’t inadvertently inconvenience them. Ok, now get ready for some mental gymnastics:

From Yoh's POV, Segasaki wants to buy clothes, and has brought Yoh along to carry the bags. Therefore, Segasaki’s offer to buy him a shirt, and asking him if he is having fun, is Segasaki’s kizukai – Segasaki is going out of his way to make sure Yoh is taken care of. But! Yoh doesn’t want Segasaki to feel inconvenienced (similar to how in EP 2, Yoh said he doesn’t want Segasaki to dislike him), so he instead almost reflexively rejects Segasaki’s offer, then encourages Segasaki to go enjoy himself, and in response to Segasaki’s “Ha!?”, doubles down and says he’s totally ok by himself - This is Yoh’s kizukai.

Tired yet? This is a normal consideration in daily interactions! You can see why the phrase “yokei na kizukai (excessive/unwanted kizukai)” also exists in Japanese lolol 🤣

S: ああ。せっかくの休日に、大嫌いな俺*と一緒にいてのはたのしくない？ Original: S: Ah. So spending a day with someone you hate on your precious day off isn’t enjoyable? Mine: S: Ah. On your precious day off, being together with me – who you hate* – isn’t fun?

*“大嫌いな俺 (dai kirai na ore)” is literally “the ‘me’ that you hate”, or “me who is hated by you” - emphasis on "me", the person standing right in front of you.

Y: いや、それは…違。。。あ、その。。。 Y: No, that’s…not-…- ah.. um…

“A, so” again.

S: 五時にここ集合*な (goji ni koko shuugou *na) S: We’ll meet here at 5, *yea?

*Ending with “na” is softer than “zo” – this statement is still pretty much an order, as with his other statements that ended with “zo”, but it’s gentler, and softens the fact that he’s walking away from Yoh here.

TSN: Pretty much everyone was just going on and on about “oh, poor thing!” in response to Segasaki getting rejected and chased away, and how even though he’s sad here he’s still sweet and gentle with Yoh. Yes, that’s right, everyone loves Segasaki.

[The scene of Yoh spilling water on his shirt]

TSN: This was apparently pretty difficult to shoot in a way the camera could see the water spilling, but the wardrobe team came to the rescue with hairdryers so they could keep reshooting 🤣🤣

S: じゃ、帰んぞ  (Jya, kaen zo) S: Then, we’re going back

“zo” is back! Sorry for being so pedantic about tiny things like this, but I do think it gives us insight into Segasaki's character and how he may be feeling.

This line is the most important correction in this post.

Y: 本当はさ、ずっと、ささいな表情とか、しぐさとか、 俺が言うこと聞くとちょっと嬉しそうにするのとか、 晴れの予報を告げる優しい声とか、 全部バカみたいに俺ばっかり。 毎日俺ばっかり心臓大暴れさせてるみたいで　 嫌だった Y: むかつくとこ拾い集めて　大嫌いだって思ってないと　 その気持ちの不釣り合いに　息ができなくなってしまいそうで 嫌だった Y: 嫌いじゃない　嫌いじゃないよ Original: Y: Actually, all these times, your expressions, gestures, the way you look kind of happy when you listen to me, and your gentle voice forecasting good weather. All of them, make my heart beat as if it’s coming out. I don’t like it. Y: I gathered everything that annoyed me, thinking that if I didn’t, the imbalance of my feelings would suffocate me. I don’t like it. Y: I don’t hate you. I really don’t. Mine: Y: In truth, all this while, the little expressions you make, the gestures you do, the way you seem just that little bit happier when I listen to you, and the gentle voice with which you announce the sunny weather… All of that - like an idiot, it's just me who… It feels like it's just me whose heart has been made to pound and race wildly and - I didn't like that. Y: If I didn't gather up all the things that frustrated me and told myself "I hate this" then, the disparity (between us) in those feelings would suffocate me, making me feel like I could hardly breathe and - I didn't like that. Y: I don't hate you. I really don't hate you.

TSN: This was ad-libbed too. It just happened that the metal post was coming up in between them as they walked, and Acchan saw it and planned to go around it, because he felt that emotionally there was a gap forming between Yoh and Segasaki at this point. But right as he was about to do that, Kouhei grabbed him by the sleeve and pulled him over, which Acchan was really surprised by, because they both had the same thought to ad-lib something about that post, and they both did it as their characters would do it, but it was the exact opposite action. The director said that when the 2 were walking back towards the start point they were both smiling a little, and then asked the director “how was that?” to which she replied “It’s really great!”, and then Acchan looked a little frustrated (in a sorta arrgh I got it wrong sort of way) whereas Kouhei was all “I was definitely right” (Acchan mentioned he was abit worried about the ad-lib, so I’m guessing they both were discussing as they walked back and finally decided to settle it by asking the director hahaha)

Y: すいません S: なにが Y: その。。。いろいろ S: だからなにが Original: Y: I’m sorry S: For what? Y: Well, for everything S: What do you mean? Mine: Y: I’m sorry S: About what? Y: That… for many things S: And (I said,), about what?

Yoh uses the formal "すいません (suimasen)" here, as opposed to his usual and more casual "gomen" or "gomen nasai", because this line is important to him, and he means it. "Sorry" in Japanese does not always carry the meaning of regret/remorse - it can be used to express gratitude as well. You''ll often here people say "Sorry that you had to (go through the trouble)" after they've accepted a gift, or "Sorry, I've caused you much trouble" as a way of thanking someone for their care. So, Yoh says "sorry" here after accepting Segasaki's gift, which could be seen as a thank you, but he also means he's sorry that he's like this, that he can't be honest/straightforward about his feelings (a theme that is brought up in Ep 4), that Segasaki has to care for him like this etc. "For many things" is a common way to encompass all of these mixed feelings, and yet not say them out directly.

Y: どうせ口じゃ、うまく言えないから Original: No matter what, I don’t dare say it Mine: Since I can't get the words out of my mouth properly anyway

S: よくできました (yoku dekimashita)

This is a formal way of saying “well done”, and if you did well in your work/test in elementary school you’d get a stamp that says just this, or your teacher would draw you a flower. The more elaborate the flower, the better you did. This is the only time thus far that Segasaki has said anything formal to Yoh at all. The sudden shift, and the imagery this phrase evokes – a literal stamp of approval – emphasises not just Segasaki’s approval, but also his role in Yoh’s life (ie, his role as Yoh’s provider, or well, maybe keeper is more accurate. Honestly Dom makes the most sense, but I’m not qualified to talk about that so see @lutawolf posts for more!). We’ll talk more about how both Segasaki and Yoh acknowledge the power dynamic between them in the way the speak in the language analysis post (that will come after this, before Ep 4's).

Y: この人、もしかして本当はめっちゃ俺のこと。。。？ Y: This person… could it be that he actually…really is… …me?

Y: 信じていい？ Y: Is it ok if I believe? sue me, I think believe and trust carry different nuances.

S: よかったな* (yokatta *na) S: シーツ買ったからいっぱいできんじゃん、大好きなセックス S: まあ　残念ながら　相手は大嫌いな俺**ですけど Original: S: Great, S: with more sheets, we can do it more often. Your beloved sex S: Well, unfortunately the other person is someone you hate Mine: S: Isn't this nice* S: Since you bought more sheets, we can do it a lot - the sex that you love so much S: Well, unfortunately, your partner is me - who you hate **so much

*The use of "na" here is slightly different from the one earlier - here it is used more for emphasis, and the downward tone carries a hint of mockery.

Again, Segasaki uses the same "the me who you hate" phrasing as he did earlier, emphasizing to Yoh once again that Segasaki is the one Yoh hates. Except here, he also ends off the sentence with "ですけど (desukedo)", and the whole phrasing of this line too, from the word "unfortunately" onwards, just feels business-like. As before, the shift in style gives the statement more weight- Segasaki is really not letting Yoh get away with this line here, and Yoh feels this acutely. The sharpness of the line makes him turn away abruptly in shock and even some anger.

S: お前が好きにしていいって言うんだから S: 好きにさせてもらうけど　*な (na)？ S: お前　本当バーカ Original: S: You told me to do as I like, S: then I’ll do what I want. Okay? S: You really are… an idiot Mine: S: You said I could do as I wish so, S: I'll gratefully do as I please... *yea? S: You're...really an idiot

*The "na" used here is similar to the one Segasaki used when telling Yoh to meet back at 5, in that it assumes the listener will agree with the speaker. This time it's not so much used to soften an imperative, but rather, to soften the teasing of the preceeding line - "I'll gratefully do as I please".

The phrase used here is "~させてもらう (~sasete morau)". "Sasete" means "to do" something, with the permission of the other person, and "morau" means "to receive (with thanks/gratefulness)" so together this phrase means that you're going to "do something (with the permission of the other person)", and you are thankful to have received that permission. It's usually used for things like asking your boss "May I please go home early with your kind permission" sorta thing, or telling someone that you "ate a meal someone provided for you that you are grateful for".

So here, Segasaki is pretty much saying "I'll do as I please since you so kindly told me I could, didn't you?" which is why he smirks as he says it.

/////

And we're finally done with EP 3!! Finally! Now I can finally talk about their general speech styles and what it means when they choose to switch between them. Thanks for joining me! Also, shout out to @eralkfang for tagging me in their meta post - I'm really glad these posts are helpful that way!!

[respectthepetty]

Of course I’m very grateful to all the wonderful smart people on here who analyze shows!! 🙏🏽 They really help me understand them on a deeper level than I would get just by watching by myself. I have to thank you for the explanation of Art’s performance in The Sign tho! I always miss the colors, for some reason I can’t seem to notice them! 😩 I guess I’m just too wrapped up in trying to understand what they’re saying that I’m not paying attention to what they’re showing. (Also I’m just really bad at understand art in the first place 😅) but I am noticing all the birds (eagles?) around Phaya! I’m trying to learn to be more vigilant 🙈 - Katros

Katros, I have the opposite problem. I only notice the colors and miss what is being said (which is why I'm fine watching Pit Babe without subtitles, and a majority of my shows on mute). Characters, and therefore dialogue lie, but the colors don't, so I trust what I'm seeing over what is being said.

Which is why the performance piece in The Sign was so intriguing because it connected Art's story and the colors he was using so well with the opening lines from Paulo Coelho he was reciting.

Performative art includes the audience, and The Sign greatly leaned into that showing how the elders were confronted by the performance, while Phaya looked longingly for and at Tharn and our future-ladies-in-love comforted each other.

The words Art spoke said the destined lovers would find a way to be together, but his piece continued, without words, and instead showed us a different ending, one where the lovers don't end up together.

Actually, one died.

Red, blue, and yellow are primary colors. ALL colors can be made with those three colors, yet Art chose to depict a basic story with a foundation of white and no use of yellow, which very much speaks to his story.

The visuals in this show are a complete narrative on their own.

Like how Art created this version of his lover who, in reality, was broken and hallow.

The images are constantly telling a story.

We are supposed to be viewing the art through this lens.

The visuals are telling us that, repeatedly!

So there is a reason Art started his performance staring through that hallow man at the bigger art piece.

This was his love story on display for the world to see without the audience being aware of it.

Which is why I found it odd that Chalothon seemed to already know it, like he was reciting it. Look at his mouth, as if he is speaking the Thai word for "love" as Art says it.

Which is why I pay attention more to the visuals than the words being spoken.

Because characters hide the truth.

Even as they are speaking.

But visuals the colors don't.

Which is why I, once again, think Chalothon is playing a much larger role in all of this than we are giving him credit for.

Because who else would arrange a meeting near a body of water while it's raining with dark green highlighting the scene? Look closely at her eyes.

They are green.

Wouldn't be the first time he has tried to drown a man, now would it?

No.

[rikeijo]

Hi! I've heard somewhere that some lines of Yuuri's speech at the press con in episode 5 were mistranslated and that because of this, the speech comes across as if Yuuri doesn't know what exactly he is feeling for Viktor. I can't tell if it's really mistranslated, but I always found the subs in this scene a bit confusing. So, I'd love to know: how would you translate his speech?

Hi! Thank you for the ask!

I must admit that I've never properly watched Eng sub or dub version, and even though I bought the US edition to someday discuss some translation choices (that's imo super fun thing to do ✨) my only laptop that had a built-in DVD player broke down >.<

Sooo, I searched online for his speech in subtitles, but I'm not sure if the subtitles I've found are official...

"My theme in this year's Grand Prix series is "love". I've been helped by many people in my competitive skating career thus far, but I've never thought about "love" until now. Though I was blessed with support, I couldn't take full advantage of it. I always felt like I was fighting alone. But since Victor has showed up to be my coach, I've seen something totally different. My "love" isn't something clear-cut like romantic love, but the more abstract feeling of my relationships with Victor, family and hometown... I was finally able to realize that something like love exists all around me. Victor is the first person I've ever wanted to hold on to. I don't really have a name for that emotion, but I've decided to call it love. Now that I know what love is and am stronger for it, I'll prove it myself with a Grand Prix Final gold medal!"

If this is the official translation, then well, the overall message is close, I'd say, but at the same time, hmm... If you wanted to base a ""deep"" character analysis on it, it could probably lead you in a wrong direction... Especially the end is just mistranslated.

今年のグランプリシリーズで僕がテーマにするのは〝愛〞です。My theme for this year's Grand Prix series is "love".

今までのスケート人生いろんな人に助けられながらやってきましたが、愛について考えたことは一度もありませんでした。In my life as a figure skater until now, I've come to the place, where I'm now, while being helped by a lot of different people, but I haven't even once thought/pondered about "love".

恵まれた環境にいながらそれを生かしきれず、１人で戦っているような気持ちでずっといました。けど、ヴィクトルコーチが現れて、僕の見ていた景色は一変しました。I've always been in a very favorable ["for me to be a figure skater" in this context] environment, but I wasn't able to make a full use of it and I always felt as if I had been fighting alone. But, Coach Victor appeared and the scenery I see [that is: the way I see the world around me] changed completely.

僕の愛。それは分かりやすい愛や恋ではなくて、ヴィクトルとの絆や家族や地元に対する微妙な気持ち。My love. It's not [general] love or romantic love that is easy to understand, but my bond with Victor, and the lukewarm way I feel about my family and my local community. [This sentence, imo, is often mistranslated, but you can also argue about how it should be interpreted in Jp. However, to do that you have to be able to notice nuance just from the intonation of the sentence... For example, imo, because of where the VA makes a pause in the sentence, it should be "general love or romantic love that is easy to understand" and not "general love that is easy to understand or romantic love", but grammatically both option are possible. "微妙", when you look for the definition in a dictionary, is often translated as "subtle" or something similar ("abstract" is just a mistranslation, tho), but, imo, from the context, it should be the more modern meaning of the world, which basically means nowadays "not bad, I guess, but I don't really know". That's why Yuuko was offended by Yuuri's word choice. Also, based on the intonation and grammar (no need to have two "や"s in one sentence when giving examples) "bond with Victor" and "feelings towards family and local community" are two separate issues.]

ようやく自分の周りにある愛のようなものに気づくことができました。At last I was able to notice the love-like thing that is around me.

初めて自分からつなぎ止めたいと思った人、それがヴィクトルです。The first person that I myself [the vector of the action starts from Yuuri, it's an allusion to what the Nishigoris talk about with Victor in ep. 2] wanted to tie to me [and don't let them go] is Victor.

その感情に名前はないけど、あえて愛と呼ぶことにしました。This feeling doesn't have a name, but I decided to dare to call it "love".

愛を知って強くなった僕をグランプリファイナルの金メダルで証明しますっ！ I'll prove myself, who got to know what love is and because of that became stronger by [winning] a gold medal in the Grand Prix Final. [The way it's worded suggests that Yuuri wants to prove his own "worth", not necessarily that what he says is true - it's not "I want to prove that...", but "I want to prove myself, who...".]

Oh, and by the way, if you read the speech carefully, Yuuri talks about "two loves" here - first, he explains that his theme is "love" and what that word "love" means to him - so "something like love, that is around him", and only then he starts talking about one more feeling - the feeling that doesn't have a name, but he decided to "dare to call love" - and that is what he feels for Victor. Because the word "あえて" is there, and it means "dare to", do something "daringly", to me it always felt as a variation/reference to the famous quote from Oscar Wilde's lover, Lord Alfred Douglas' poem "The love that dare not speak its name", but maybe that's just me ✨

[tired-teacher-blog]

Hiiii 👋 I hope your requests are open! Do you have any headcanon about Aizawa and Yamada (separately) with a deaf and quirkless s/o? Like how did they first meet, how are they in a relationship?Love you 💓😗💓

Hi sweetie, this is so interesting and I really enjoyed working on it! Much love ♥️

My other half

Characters : Aizawa/ Yamada/ Gender neutral reader (deaf and quirkless)

Genre : Fluff/ Suggestive themes/ Headcanons

Please do not read if you’re a minor

Masterlist|Second Masterlist

Aizawa :

Your meeting with the pro hero was purely accidental, during one of his evening patrols when you were attacked by some lowlife criminals who were after your belongings.

His prime concern was to get you to safety before dealing with your attackers, which he did effortlessly, and when it was time for him to check on you, he was shocked to realize your disability when you uttered your thanks in the most unusual way he’s ever heard.

Your voice was a tad louder than it should have been, and your words jumbled up when you spoke.

Seeing his surprised expression made you feel self conscious, so you switched to hand signing your gratitude and he hated himself for flustering you.

He kept a close watch on you after that encounter, because for some reason you intrigued the underground hero who soon became your secret protector.

He found himself unable to keep you out of his mind, and even did his best to learn sign language in order to communicate with you.

First thing he made sure to memorize was “will you go out with me?” because that’s what he wanted, and as turned out, it was something you wished as well.

He admires your perseverance and willpower since you have never allowed your disability or quirklessness to hold you back, and he loves watching you pursue your dreams despite all obstacles.

That being said, he still keeps an eye on you like a hawk. He’s overprotective of you which makes you his main priority and the most important person in his life.

You helped him further his knowledge of sign language but you do communicate verbally as well, in which he makes sure to speak slowly so you could read his lips.

He loves hearing you talk, even though it’s something you rarely ever do in public because of the questioning looks you get whenever you let your voice out, but you happily do it when you’re together since he’s the only one who’s never treated you differently.

The first time he confessed his love to you, he did it in both sign language and speech since he was too nervous about messing up, and you excitedly responded in the exact same way.

He loves placing the softest kisses on the tip of your ears, and enjoys the way they turn red each time without fail.

During your intimate times, he whispers lovingly against your bare skin, and the movements of his lips and tongue together with the vibration of his voice makes you understand each and every word he’s saying.

He knows that meeting new people can be nerve-wracking for you, which is why he never pushes you out of your comfort zone or makes you do something you’re not willing to do.

If you wish to stay home wrapped up in a blanket and watch a subtitled movie, then he’s right there with you, holding you in his arms and enjoying your warmth.

And if you decide to go on a walk or run some errands, then he’s entwining his fingers with yours and keeping you company until you’re done.

You are the only person he desired a future with, and the day he knew you shared that same wish was by far his happiest.

Yamada :

Hizashi is a famous man, extremely so, not only because he’s a skilled pro hero and a competent teacher at one of most prestigious schools in the country, but also because he’s the host of a very well known radio show.

His lively personality and flashy appearance attract the attention of everyone around him, but when you passed him by one day without giving him a second glance, he was enchanted.

He couldn’t understand the reason why you disregarded him completely, nor why you were the only one not fawning over him, and so, he approached you with the intention of introducing himself.

You watched as he enthusiastically mouthed phrases after phrases, some of them you understood and some you couldn’t, due to his intensity and speed, but when you stopped him mid sentence and voiced your inability to hear him, he froze.

You tried as best as you could to explain your situation using both sign language and words, and for once he was left speechless.

You bowed your head and turned around to leave, but was immediately stopped by a gentle tap on your shoulder, one that contrasted his feverish nature.

He handed you a note, an apology written within it, but what caught your attention even more than that, were the words “I would love to get to know you.” to which you responded with a shy smile and a nod.

He learned sign language quicker than you imagined anyone could, and he would proudly show off his new gained skill just to see the sparkle in your eyes everytime he does.

He brags about you to his friends -and even listeners- as he enthusiastically expresses his bliss of having you in his life.

It used to hurt him that the person he cares about the most is the one who can’t follow his show, until he decided -with your consent- to bring you along every week to the station in order for you to see your man in action.

He has the habit of leaving you love notes everywhere around your apartment or his, -depending on where you’re staying at the moment- and it’s his way of bringing out that adorable smile of yours that he loves way too much.

He learned to speak slower when around you, making sure you’re solely focused on him as he tells you about his day and asks about yours.

He loves to hear your voice, and coaxes you into speaking more and using sign language less at least when you’re alone together, and you happily do so, receiving his sweet kisses as a reward.

He goes absolutely feral when you moan his name during your intimate times, and his heart swells with immense joy knowing that he’s the only one who gets to hear and see you in that state.

He believes in you more than anyone you’ve ever encountered, eyes full of pride as he regularly expresses his respect and admiration for you since you have never used your quirklessness or disability as a way out of your responsibilities.

You are two sides of a coin, polar opposites but complement one another perfectly, and it didn’t take long for each of you to realize that your lives had been incomplete before crossing paths.

[everybodyisasebfan]

Sky Germany’s best of Norbert Vettel as co-commentator during FP3 at the Austin GP. 

Translation under the cut!

*** 

​​Norbert, welcome to the team, we are glad to have you!

***

It would be a pity for Mick because Mick is actually- I know him personally, I find him a very decent, nice person, who stands with both feet on the ground. Very down to earth and it would be sad- and he has brought the performance, always, whether in formula 3 or in formula 4 or in karting. It's not as if he came last or was in the midfield and advanced because his name is Schumacher. He has shown that he can win championships. You can't imagine that someone like Mick... but that's the way it is in this business, very strange at the moment.

***

Sascha: That was Alex Albon’s girlfriend. I don't know her, do you know her Norbert?

No, I'm not like that in the paddock. I'm with the guys in the pits, I talk to the mechanics. These are the people who make a difference, and it has to be said that they all do a great job.

S: I've noticed that you often go to see the mechanics, the ferrari ones as well.

The guys who worked on the car, I still get along with them. There are always two classes, there are the ones on the pit wall, they’re... the politicians and there are the ones who work. It's like real life, the politicians don't have a clue or have never gotten their hands dirty, and the guys who do the work, you have to thank them.

***

Let's say that Lewis was used to winning for a long time. It's not about being first or second or setting the best time, a race is a race. But there also comes a time when, as they always say, you first have to be able to lose before you can win and sometimes it's the other way around.

***

I form my own opinion because I was a mechanic for Sebastian myself. For me, they all boil water, the water isn't hotter, it's just more expensive. Sometimes you don't understand them, they can't see the forest for the trees or the trees for the forest.

***

S: Sebastian has a beautiful helmet.

Yes, I think it's cool, very peace and love. I think it's very fitting for America: Woodstock, cool times like in the 70s and 80s. It gives me goosebumps.

(both laugh)

You are the way you are. I can't pretend to be someone I'm not, I am who I am. I think some people might need subtitles to understand me, but if I tried to speak High German, I think that would go a bit awry.

***

When we were in Suzuka, that's what he loves so much, the speed.

S: Yes, we saw that. 

That's the way it is. Suzuka is a track that you have to... as Sebastian might say, you have to have the balls to go into the corner and keep your foot on the pedal.

***

S: Now come the two Alpha Tauri, Gasly and Tsunoda, maybe you can see a difference there.

Ralf: That one is a bit slow.

S: That's right.

A bit slow...

Ralf: Yeah, he's probably on a cool down lap.

That's such a cramp.

(they all laugh)

Ralf: That's such a cramp. Unfortunately that's modern Formula One, whether you like it or not.

Modern Formula One. The cars are so long, when you see them in reality, they’re almost like minivans.

***

They’re adjusted to be so hard, it's like a plank. When they hit the barrier (...) it's like a kart, it lifts the rear axle. That's how hard the machines are now.

***

With Mick in Japan, you have to wonder what they were thinking, I have no idea.

S: When he was left to drive on wet tyres for a long time. 

They were hoping that someone would make a mistake at some point and they could then use the safety car, which did not happen.

***

The car is tailored to Max like a fist to an eye. Or, in other words, maybe he's just able to get the most out of the package. 

***

When you read, "Mick cost us millions," that's nonsense. The millions they've wasted, they've blown themselves. With strategy and whatever else. You can't just dish it out, you also have to be able to take it. That's always the problem, they never want to take it. It's always the person sitting between the steering wheel and the engine who gets the blame.

***

S: Norbert, I had a lot of fun.

I also had a lot of fun. I hope people understood most of what I said and I would like to thank all the viewers and also Formula One - or motorsport as a whole. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for everyone. I hope I didn't talk too much käs.

S: Absolutely not! The feedback was great, we got lots of great messages, I'll show you those in a moment.

Thank you very much!

[hi-there-buddies]

So dragon ball and dragon ball z is my childhood I watched half of it without understanding anything because it was not translated to my language (my older brother had to endure my constant questions when we were watching it) and I loved it! I loved the characters, I loved the plot, I loved every outfit Bulma ever had, I wanted to learn how to fly and all that ( I was 7 years old). I also loved that later I got my hands on subtitles in my language.

With time I moved on and started enjoying different fandoms and although db was always in my heart I never wandered into the fandom, never saw what was going on.

This week I got a little sick and suddenly got a lot of free time. Somehow led by nostalgia i revisited dragon ball and (after the initial warm feeling of my childhood) got so irritated. I just kept reading some takes on Goku and thought to myself "man, was I really such a bad judge of character" and decided to rewatch dbz. I'm not finished yet but my views from all those years ago didn't really change and Goku is still my favourite.

Anyway I wrote all of this to tell you that I agree with a lot of your opinions and I'm thankful that you are uploading them on the internet. You don't have to answer this but just know that you are now Defender of my childhood ❤️❤️

I feel the exact same way!!! Dragon Ball was my childhood too, and when I grew up I saw a lot of people saying it was actually bad and that everyone who liked it was blinded by nostalgia. Naturally, as a young teen I thought that I was one of those people, and compared to Naruto and Bleach, it wasn’t good at all. I just went with the most popular opinion because I thought “if this many people are thinking it, it must be true, right? It’s only popular because of nostalgia, the other shonen are much better”

Fast forward a few years later and I decided to rewatch Dragon Ball from OG to Z, and wow, I was so wrong for just going along with the public opinion. Because Dragon Ball is good!! It’s so fun and cool and satisfying, and I know it’s not nostalgia, because I’ve seen people who have never watched Dragon Ball before watch the entire series, and adore it!

I think people say that it pales in comparison to other Shonen because Dragon Ball is very subtle with its emotions. It doesn’t have a lot of flashbacks like Naruto, it doesn’t have a huge character roster like One Piece, and it doesn’t have incredibly thought out story lines like Bleach. But that’s not because Dragon Ball lacks any deeper meaning, it just finds a more natural way to convey feelings and emotions.

A really good example of this subtlety is Gohan’s PTSD. And when I say that, I don’t mean him striking Great Saiyaman poses that he got from the Ginyu force. I mean his PTSD during the Saiyan to Cell saga, and the constant nightmares he had. These aren’t one off things, either. He’s had at least 4 of them throughout the show. But he doesn’t dwell on them, so the audience doesn’t. But these nightmares illustrate one of the Gohan hates about himself: he’s always letting everyone down. This is stated explicitly in his beam struggle with Goku before going SSJ, but it didn’t come out of nowhere. It was just (say it with me) subtle

Not saying DB is better than any other shonen btw. It’s actually not even my favorite one, but I’d say it’s at least on par with the big three.

I’ll always defend Dragon Ball❤️

[nochi-quinn]

candela obscura chapter 4 episode 1 act 1: bleeding out

why is this episode 5 hours long, you can't do this to me, I'm sick

I also hope Aimee is tempered somewhat by the setting, she's usually too Up for me and I'm not at 100 as it is

don't ask me why opal is the exception to this, my love for the crown keepers does not follow logic

"fire."

bisexual lighting

heart. liver. lungs. nerves.

stop saying 'throbbing'

oldhair

last voyage of the dandridge

"that's right, none of you have said a word and I am COMING FOR YOU"

taliesin's hair is a normal color and I'm uncomfortable

LIAM we are five minutes in don't do that to yourself

the eyeliner is doing Things for taliesin

that cravat pin

glasses!

the fact that I'm pretty sure this is all stuff taliesin already owned

can we use this opportunity to make fun of taliesin's mollymauk voice

I missed Alex, I had to nope out of LAbN eventually

everybody just has such good names

oh, taliesin as a dandy is going to do me in

yes, the aorta, famously located in the upper thigh

I know he corrected himself, it's just funny

"a child's coffin" I know damn well you had a better comparison than that, you just went with the creepy one

Grimoria

oh we love a mononym

oh I'm already yawning and it's fucking with my sinuses, this is not auspicious

blood for the blood chest

"I hate ALL OF THIS. SO MUCH."

no way sunny makes it out of here

taliesin's little snaps at alex's six

"I just bought this vest."

oh I missed alex so much

taliesin what are your hands doing

the cardigan is off, I repeat, the cardigan is off

taliesin your drives

"she's lost in your eyes" understandable

oh leo's very sweet

he's a complete charlatan but he's very sweet

"candela" is becoming "yahtzee"

don't know why it tickles me so much that they're using alex's full government name in the subtitles

not the face!

lights??

aw hell

auuugh texture crawlies

should I stay or should I go (into the drink)

he's gonna need those later

I mean he needs them now but he's absolutely going to need them later

"do I want to let you swim back on that six" "you do."

"because I'm a little shit"

"charm bracelet in hell"

thanks I hate it

ghost friends are still friends

as long as she doesn't drill a hole in her head to let them out

"this young woman is now an old man" reverse jadzia dax

"but does HE have spells"

I had to step away, did they kill grimoria

"as the surgeon you are" night surgeon maybe

grim that's so fucking cute

THIS IS A VERY EARLY BREAK FOR A 5-HOUR EPISODE LIAM

we all know liam can't resist a cutesy nickname

I tried to start midst at one point, I need to try again

dead people living in it

I adore liam and aimee

"he does scream, I won't roleplay that" oh this? this is the time you won't roleplay the scream?

okay the congestion is fucking me up, I'm calling it here and catching the VOD for the other three quarters. have fun watching Liam bleed everyone to death.

[ytptennis]

I wanted to ask you something, reading your posts, I really liked what you say about Munch, I wanted to ask you some curiosities about them that you have in mind - Ex: What do they like to do in their spare time? What hobbies do you think they would develop? Would they be the type to go on family outings with Dot and Scotty? What do you think? I loved your headcanons about them, Munch could go to a therapist, to better deal with themselves and their surroundings :D How do you imagine them adapting to technology? Using mobile phones ? Learning to use computers ?

Imagine Munch trying to understand Scotty playing video games lmao 🤣

ahh i love these questions thank you 🥹 answers under the cut:

munch is 110% a bookworm. reads quickly but voraciously, no preference between fiction & nonfiction, but you will see him more often with the latter.

for more hands-on hobbies, probably knitting at first. he clearly knew how to sew before meeting the lyons so this just gives him an outlet completely divorced from survival techniques. he gets super blushy & smiley when he completes his first sweater for scotty.

i think he'd love to go on family outings, but depending on where they're going, it'd be tough for him to illustrate his boundaries & fears. im thinking more along the lines of county fairs, amusement parks, farmers' markets, & basically anything with huge volumes of people combined with constant noise. i dont think he'd be one for amusement park rides at all, but thats ok bc i totally see dot as the one who goes with scotty on everything, while he & wayne wait behind like the worrywarts they are. i think he'd be good at the carnival games, though. like if scotty wants a big teddy bear he'll be like "ugh fine" & then john wick his way through the shooting games. im not sure about others where he'd be the complete center of attention, like the strength mallet thing, even though he'd get a ridiculous score since i think he's a lot stronger than he looks.

one of the first things dot gets him to help him adjust is noise-cancelling earplugs, which are especially necessary since munch doesn't react well to music or electronic visual media so irt scotty playing video games i dont think he'd have any idea what he's looking at. if he finds the willpower to sit through a movie, subtitles are an absolute must, & even then i think he can only handle old movies for a while since they aren't as demanding on the senses as contemporary cinema.

i dont think munch would go to a therapist, or that the lyons would want him to anyway, being that his bond with dot is bone-deep and, for lack of a better term, supernatural. modern medicine is just not equipped to handle a 500 year old living body that's presumably developed immunities/resistances well beyond the limits of a normal human. dot & munch learn to heal while in each other's company simply because they are the only other person on earth like the other. obviously dot is not a sin vampire but its my headcanon that she & munch share a strong psychic bond, too.

aside from the basics he learned as a hitman (operating vehicles, using phones), i dont see modern technology having any place in munch's life. its not that he can't learn how to use it, but he doesn't see how it would add or subtract anything to the way he lives. i think at most he'd have like a basic smartphone to keep in contact with the lyons, but its strictly a phone & not a multimedia platform.

[shih-coulda-had-it]

If I may ask what is the original context for afohiko? I am still making my way through the manga so I definitely may not have gotten to a pertinent part yet so I preemptively apologize if that is the case. Is it based on an interaction they have, or was it spurred more from you imagining how they would interact and enjoying the way their personalities fit together? Either way your content of it is very enjoyable and very interesting. :] I also like how expressive your art style is! I hope you are having a nice day.

Aw, thanks :DDD

tl;dr (but I’m not putting it under a read more because I’m feeling obnoxious): the original context for afohiko is that I want Prime Torino to be popular, and if I have to bait people onto my blog with hot AfO, then I’ll fucking do it. It’s still honest work!

//

Okay. So, for context, what you need to know first is that I am a strong promoter of Prime Torino. I love him, he’s hot and miserable and devoted to lost (well, debatable) causes. And I want other people to love him too, but this is a thankless task because Prime Torino is very notably a traumatizing jackass.

I still want people to love him. So I scheme, quite constantly, for ways to slot Prime Torino into AUs and ships.

Around two years ago, April 2021, @pocketramblr made a Google Poll for cursed ships. GranAfO got 1%. This is pretty unremarkable, except for the fact that I could refer to it a month later, and assign the genesis of All for One x Gran Torino onto her when some anon (possibly frustrated that I kept dodging Nana x AFO questions) asked me about it.

And at first I was like, ‘Oh, ew. AFO is a jackass.’ And then I started drawing it, and I ended up with one of those standard kabedon poses with Prime Torino against the wall. Which got me these kind of reactions:

What could I conclude? That by drawing an attractive All for One with Prime Torino, I could bait people into thinking twice about Prime Torino. (MY AGENDAAAA)

DfO Week was then announced; between my own afohiko art and the few asks Pocket fronted for an dfohiko thought experiment, I was inspired to start writing the first of many branches of dfohiko verse. I like to ground my fics with a bit of basis in canon, but you gotta understand--this is a crackship. I’m shooting blind here except for a few key references/facts:

1. Gran Torino survived the initial retreat with Toshinori in tow, even though AFO certainly must have seen them fleeing the scene. Sorahiko then survived the following decades AND Kamino Ward despite evidence of AFO’s insane scorched earth policies.

2. The Ultra Analysis book has this for a quick 101 of Gran Torino’s perspectives of a few characters:

For a character assigned as ‘nuisance’, AFO sure doesn’t bother swatting him into a hole six feet deep. And for name-calling AFO a ‘monster’ + having an infamous stance on killing to save, Sorahiko is incapable of dealing damage. (Undoubtedly because he knows he would get squashed like a bug. But I digress. This post is for reading too deep into the unspoken bits.)

3. Gran Torino in his fight with Kurogiri ends up saying, “If you’ve got a preference for a date, then I’ll go with you wherever you want.” (Crunchyroll subtitles, E78). This is obviously one of those one-off lines, and not even canon to manga, but I like referring back to it as an indicator of Gran Torino’s Bad Taste in Men.

All this to say… afohiko is hilarious to me, and I can draw/write them as hot disasters, in both ways oblivious to the red flags at the start and end of their relationships. Emphasis on hot. You think Prime Torino’s hot, right? Did I succeed in my agenda?

[fabricated-misslieness]

ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: aymeric cassel x gn reader (Cyberpunk 2077)

ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ: thanks to modern live translation, international couples can thrive.

ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ: 1.05k

ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ: google-translated german and french

ᴍᴀʏʙ'ꜱ ɴᴏᴛᴇ: reader speaks german, but isn't strictly german nor swiss. why german? i'm learning it (i dont have a picture yet again c'est la vie)

☾⋆☆⋆☽

Switzerland is not like he'd imagined. What did he know about it? By comparison, most things are expensive, but compensated by jobs' higher pay; the usual crime gangs are almost nonexistent, not many skyscrapers, just as many homeless, the flag is square.

Eh, well, the people were nice enough. No chit chat, thank God, they tended to be more kept to themselves; he could fit in here.

Oh, but it's all terribly dull–Aurore would say it even worse–and it's all because she is now wanted by a crime syndicate in their own homeland that they are laying low in Switzerland. Agh, at least he speaks one of the languages, he blends in.

But his host, offering to hide him and his twin? The host is good, has been great, will continue to be wonderful, and he is so grateful.

Aymeric's never imagined this, falling in love.

He hasn't imagined finding someone to fall in love with at all, the decade of 2070 isn't exactly filled with the best people, him and his sister included. Plus, he's always been too busy to even think about it, unlike his rambunctious sister. There's always been a current job and another one on the horizon, but now he's got nothing to stress over.

He hasn't imagined the feeling of falling in love either. The sweat, the color on his face, the heat of his cheeks, the yearning in his chest, the warmth of you.

"Comment s'est passée ta journée?"

"Gut, aber...landweilig."

Modern technology, live translation and subtitles, made it easier for international partners to exist together, to love each other.

Aymeric smiles, sitting down on the couch right next to your tired form, handing you a coffee. You take a sip, it's just the way you like it; funny, considering he doesn't drink coffee himself.

"And you?" You ask, leaning against the arm he wraps around the back of the couch, around you. (Und du?)

"Boring too, yeah." He sighs, looking away for a moment. "You are what illuminates my day, after all." (Ennuyeux aussi, ouais. Tu es ce qui illumine ma journée, après tout.)

"What's with the flattery today?" You chuckle, putting your coffee down on the table. You don't need all of it, he's there to wake you. (Was hat es mit der Schmeichelei heute auf sich?)

"Can't I be nice to you?" Aymeric's expression is always quite passive, so the narrowing of his eyes with very clear sass is welcomed with a laugh. (Je ne peux pas être gentil avec toi?)

You shake your head at him, then let it settle against his arm, "No, you're right. Do be nice to me more often, though?" (Nein, du hast recht. Sei aber öfter nett zu mir?)

He rolls his eyes at that, "Oh, shut up." (Oh, ferme la.)

You give him a pointed look, in turn, "Where is being nice now?" (Wo ist jetzt nett zu sein?)

The two of you settle down for some nice relaxation, your head against his arm, your sides pressed against each other, his hand on yours, and watch the TV. Local news, never exciting, the odd traffic accident or two, or something about the government. Much like the time you've spent apart today, it's dull.

"I have an idea." You perk up suddenly, raising your head from his arm. (Ich habe eine Idee.)

"That so?" He sits up a little to better look at you, turning the TV volume down without tearing his eyes away from yours. "What is it?" (C'est vrai? Qu'est-ce que c'est?)

"Let's turn off our translators." (Schalten wir unsere Übersetzer aus.)

"What?" He asks, a sharp quoi? you recognize. It's a silly idea, you know it, he does too. Why would he willingly decide to stop understanding you?

"I wanna see just how much German you've picked up from me." You defend, shooting him a cheeky smile he can't shoot down. (Ich möchte sehen, wie viel Deutsch du von mir gelernt hast.)

He has to tear his eyes away from your smile to consider it in his own terms. "That's..." It wasn't so much a bad idea, actually. It might just be fun. What else has he got to do with his time, anyway? "alright, maybe it does sound fun." (C'est…ok, peut-être que ça a l'air amusant.)

"Sehen? OK." (See?)

You turn off your translator, as does he, washing a momentary blue sheen over both your irises to signal the quick action.

You begin first, tentatively, "Um, also, Aymeric?" (so, Aymeric?)

"Ce n'est pas exactement un mot allemand." He says, in French, and you definitely have no idea what he's saying, or well, you've got a hint: allemand meaning "German", and "Ce n'est pas" being quite a basic French thing: it is not. (That's not exactly a German word.)

You laugh, piecing context together, "Du hast recht, das ist es nicht." (You're right, it isn't.)

His eyes flash for a moment, not blue, but inquisitively. "J'ai raison?"

Raison? Reason? That's kind of English. You've only got the basics from high school you learned what feels like long ago, but you know what reason means. "Oui, du hast...raison." (Yes, you have...reason.)

Oui, he likes the way you say oui, it's cute, especially because you imitate his accent. He thinks back on what he's heard you say, "Kaffee, mit Milch, zwei Würfelzucker." (Coffee, with milk, two sugar cubes.)

You laugh, and though maybe it should make him a little embarrassed, he only thinks about how he likes the sound. He didn't quite nail the "ü" but you understood. "Vous ne buvez café." (You don't drink coffee.)

You had missed some things, mainly "pas de" after "buvez", but he understood. "Du hast recht, ich ne trinke pas kaffee." (You're right, I don't drink coffee.)

And he used French negation instead of German. "Okay, genug davon." You shake your head, "Ich habe tatsächlich etwas zu sagen." (Alright, enough of that. I actually have something to say.)

Aymeric has no idea what you've just said, but knows that perhaps you want to change topics by the way you shake your head. He's still confused, anyhow, but that feeling fades away when he feels your hand reach past his face and touch the cool chrome at the back of his head, one of his most vulnerable points, the netrunner connection. He can't help but gasp, and his eyes follow your arm until he can't see it anymore, past his head; and yet, he doesn't pull your hand away, nor his head away, because he knows he's safe with you.

"Aymeric." You say, catching his attention, calling his eyes back to yours. "Je t'aime." (I love you.)

"Ich liebe dich auch." He returns. His eyes swirl, again, not blue, but with adoration. (I love you too.)

You continue to hold him with a hand of his chrome, while he reaches to hold you, his fingers tracing over the shard port behind your ear. His lips near yours and you kiss, holding each other.

Maybe you will never learn each other's languages, but you will continue to understand each other beyond that.

[bengiyo]

Be My Favorite Ep 1 Stray Thoughts

I debated whether I’d do Stray Thoughts about this. I have old fan beef with Krist, but I am trying to be forgiving because he has had time to reflect. I hope his skill have improved as well. I do not promise to stick with this show. If I am having a bad time, I will not be continuing. With that out of the way, let’s begin.

We only have one sponsor on the opening card? The Eclipse and A Boss and a Babe had only one, Vice Versa had ten. What happened recently??

Not them coming for philosophy classes right out the gate!

I haven’t seen Aye in a while. I’ve always liked the way she moves in her characters.

I like that Kawi’s clothes don’t seem to fit him right.

Oh…. Kawi’s eyes and smiles don’t match. It reads sinister. He’s doing all these secret messages and gifting, but he hasn’t approached her? Does she even know he likes her or wants to be friends?

I want to be understanding, because I get being a Humanities student and also being broke. Still, you can be real with people and hang out with them by being upfront about your broke status.

This man really gave up on telling Pearmai he liked her because a snow globe broke, and now we have to watch him be sad 12 years later? Girl, bye.

I get being frustrated that someone claimed the benefits of the flirting he’d been doing with Pearmai, but also… that’s on him for being too chickenshit to say anything. Now we’re listening to him whine about losing his first love? I’m over him already.

Okay, it is funny that he’s working hard at creating subtitles and is making no real money. Feels kinda effed for a GMMTV character trait though.

I don’t think anyone has to drink, especially with the heavy drinking common in shows across SE Asia. Still, there’s a component to sharing in the overall group experience by at least participating in their toasts and dancing.

Suddenly, it’s the beginning of Lovesick, with some dude hitting his girlfriend outside of a bar.

Even the smile in the wedding fantasy looks off.

Thank you, magical man on the park bench, for getting the plot moving.

Kob Songsit stays busy. I feel like we see this man every month.

“I didn’t want her to be sad, and I didn’t want people to think you’re the antisocial type who would leave her hanging,” are kinda valid reasons. If Kawi wasn’t so head up his own ass, he’d probably be more curious about how ole boy knew he was her secret buddy.

Okay, Pisaeng is clearly showing off for Kawi.

Kawi is at least entertaining when he’s being over the top.

I suppose we’ll forgive the theft since he thinks he’s dreaming?

I wonder if we’ll return to this intervention on a domestic violence situation, because it feels like they want to reassure us that Kawi is maybe an alright dude outside of his obsessive devotion to Pearmai?

Ah, so Pisaeng was trying to take care of Kawi in the past?

Well, it wasn’t horrible, but I wasn’t impressed. I will probably stick with it for another episode.