#i wish they'd just put the original words and a * and give the translation on the side

[unxpctedlybleach]

That official translation has got to be censoring all the swears, there's no way Grimmjow would tell Shinji to "eat rocks"

It's annoying how the translation was done asfgfhj

[ciaossu-imagines]

I also feel you on the KHR reboot, though I can't find it in myself to completely give up hope. You know what I would happily settle for? The manga being put back in print. I live in the USA and I hate that it isn't sold anymore

anywhere. It's near impossible to find. And you can't find anything after the Future Arc. Hell, I'd love to have an official translation of the Hidden Bullet novels and such.

Anyways, I know it's unlikely to happen but I'd still love to see it. Thanks again for your amazing posts. 💕💕

I can definitely get not wanting to completely give up hope! I wish with all my soul a reboot would come along and surprise us all, revitalize the fandom, so I get the want for it, just don't really think it will happen sadly! Oh my god though, do I feel you on that one. Canada here - I have volumes 1-5 and 7-10 collected in earlier days of the fandom before they became quite so impossible to find. I cannot find volume 6 anywhere and even finding any volumes past 10 now? Impossible, unless I want the original Japanese versions and even then, they're used copies and expensive. I'd honestly love to see a rerelease of the whole manga, especially if they'd put out omnibus editions to make it easier to collect and afford! And you are definitely preaching to the choir on the Hidden Bullet novels. I have so many other series where translations of the light novels are easy to find and it should've been like that with KHR. Hell, I bought the School Briefs for BNHA and the BSD light novels right from my Kindle! The Hidden Bullet novels, translated and readily available, I think would have drawn a lot of fans in. The fan translations I've read were all solid, yes, but hard to find and I had to use Google Translate on a couple of them, but the stories alone?? God, some of them were absolutely incredible and they all added a lot of really interesting aspects to the characters! You're not alone in those wishes at all and I'm with you - I doubt it would happen. I'm sure the publishers and such don't think there's enough of a demand, but it would be like 20+ years of Christmases all at once if it ever happened! And aww, thank you for such sweet words and for stopping by to talk with me 😊

[memorydragon]

Since I've now played through the remake eight times now (this is normal) I felt like I should say a few words on Trials of Mana, or Seiken Densetsu 3/Secret of Mana 2 as we called it back in the day.

First of all, let me say SD3 is one of my top two games of all time (the other being Tales of Phantasia). I have played this game an unholy number of times in my youth. I've had the Trials of Mana remake for a while now, tbh, but have held off on playing it because I didn't want Remake Disappointment. But coming off of three games in a row that ended on a downer (I'm looking at you, Kiseki) and a really rough semester, I finally decided to give it a go.

On the whole, I have to agree with the review that I read before diving in. Which is to say, it's a very faithful adaptation. It has everything that made the original fun and enjoyable. I do kinda wish they'd actually put a bit more effort into additional content (because there is so much they could have done and it would have been amazing), but overall very satisfying to play through.

I will say I am delighted that my fave was turned into a bisexual icon. He and Angela are both very bisexually color coded and my headcanon is that they are bi besties who wingman for each other and chat under the sacred bi tree about mutual crushes. ("He's hot." "He's not the smartest around." "Yeah, but you have to admit those muscles." "You're bringing me around to himbos." vs "Do you ever just look at Riese and think damn." "All the damned time. She could have her wicked way with me any day." "She's Riese, she's too kind for wicked." "I know. T_T" ) Like, if I could find the way to transfer photos from the ps4 without massive amounts of headache and digging, there's one screen cap for when I got an achievement of them in their dark classes still matching and it was like, yes, good.

Hawkeye is still my absolute fave, especially since they animated him with dancer warmups and very bisexually. He has soulful sad eyes. He hits fast. His beaming smile at friends is sweet. He's a treasure hunting thief. He was most definitely sleeping with Eagle He's out for revenge but ends up pitying Belladonna.

And honestly, let me just say that Fairy just kind of going 'oh, well. I don't have much choice, the MC is the only character around' as the way of picking the chosen of Mana still tickles me. Like, not even giving them a choice about things, just there's only one person here and now you're the chosen one.

I do like the voices, both english and japanese. Charlotte is still.... unfortunately translated, but the fact that their actor pool is all from New England is hysterical. Like, the Wiki says Angela has a valley girl accent and I'm over here like, um... I can see how you think that, but she's very definitely still a New Englander. No one says 'on' like that in California, I should know. That's where they put me in speech class.

Overall the game is easier, not just because they give all sorts of tips that I would have loved to know the first time I played. (The first time I played was... well. This is a game that very much needed the manual it no doubt came with, but I was emulating an english translation that didn't come with the manual. And I still persisted in playing.) The two main differences is that now the game lets you powerlevel your way through things and full screen class skills can be avoided. The former was Weird, because I played the original an unholy number of times and had every level and seed acquiring down to an art, and suddenly I'm several levels above where I should be, but it's keeping the skill points for later. That took a lot of adjusting to, but I managed, and now am usually past 38 even before I get to the first mana stone. XD Kinda makes me miss using the second class changes, but oh well. Full screen skills being avoidable is part of a 3d environment, which is honestly nice. It does make beastmen/swordsman and other monsters much, much easier though. It's no longer Kill Immediately and aggressively before they use their tech and shred your party.

The trap door monster in Laurant is much more of a bitch though. Fuck that thing, 3d made it so much worse.

The post game content is a bit monotonous, but not terrible. What I wish they'd done more with is the personal quests and at least a bit more interaction between certain party arrangements. Mainly along the shared quest lines. The all girl/all boy party was a fun touch, but I'd I wish they'd even done a bit more with that. Just more interaction with the characters, since that's half the charm of the game was who is and who isn't in your party. Writing didn't seem to be the remake crew's strong point though. Honestly, being faithful to the original is probably way more than enough. It's just wishful that we could have gotten a little bit more than just a little bit extra.

The new techs and new game plus does make replaying through faster, which is sometimes great when you just want to play with combinations. They also let you reset your class with specific items, which is a fantastic addition. I don't use it much, but being reminded why Riese's light/light class had the worst summon, it was nice to be able to switch her around. I also like that you can change the outfits regardless of class, which is great when Angela's dark/dark class was honestly clashing terribly on top of being a bikini armor. Now when I want to use Ancient, I just switch to her more reasonable outfits.

Kevin and Duran getting boob armor for their dark ultimate class was amazing though. Hawkeye not having revealing outfits also gives way to lots of gender headcanons. I also now have a lot of polycule headcanons, because they absolutely are. Except Charlotte. She can cuddle, but she needs to grow mentally 50 years. Then she can be the hot half elf who hits up her silver foxes/cougars, but she does not act her age in the slightest and looks about ten so she's waiting until she does some growing.

Being able to fight the black rabite on all paths rather than only available for Duran/Angela main is great too. I mean, it's still traumatic in a deeply unhinged way, but again, the game is easier in the remake. That includes superboss. Though I did not appreciate being asked twice each time I go to fight it if I'm sure I want to fight it. Like, fuck you game. I've already got the psychological trauma of the original.

(It does make me miss my irc heyday, when I had my bot named BlackRabite and would occasionally switch over just to make it bounce.)

Rabites are still the Most Monster of all time. I love them. Even when they're murdering me or I'm murdering them. You can't actually kill the black rabite. It just bounces away when it's done messing with you.

Anyway, I've played through most of the classes now, though I think I'm still missing one of each for Riese/Duran/Charlotte. I actually did a no healer run this time, which was interesting. Way easier in this version, especially with certain shared techs, but it's nice to not have to plan a party on needing a healer. I'd probably have all the classes by now if I didn't like, use Hawkeye for everything, but hey. He's a fave. I did a Hawkeye-less run, of course, but still. He's going to be in my party the majority of the time, because I love my bisexual thief. (They made his ultimate class change item the Loyal sphere, which also hits mine and Riese's Loyality kink, just as she hits his kindness kink and yeah, I've got a lot of headcanons about Riese accepting her bisexual thief boyfriend and outside game canon incest is just going to happen. Sorry, square, you made that final scene of Eagle saying the memories they had together were his most precious treasure after you've made a prequel game I didn't play that made Hawkeye Flamekhan's grandson. I found this out through wikipedia (and will absolutely be checking out how to emulate gba now, because Hawkeye's mom sounds Badass) and only after you made me ship it, so now it's just Flamekhan who gets ulcers when he finds out with Jessica as a supportive sister-in-law because only he knows he disowned his badass daughter. He only has himself to blame, while Ignorance is gonna stay blissful. And while Jessica and Hawkeye are distancing themselves from the old man because they think he's being homophobic, Jessica takes over Nevarl. As she should. Queen of Thieves we all deserve.

(Falcon in the thereafter may have had a few ulcers herself, but then decided, fuck it. Her father was the one who said he didn't have a daughter first, so she doesn't have a father. She's got a cute son-in-law now instead of step brother and will have a cute amazon princess daughter-in-law soon, so her son is obviously doing well.)

I did warn you I have thought A Lot about this. XD

The one thing I kinda wish didn't carry over is the total play time, because I do really not need to know how many hours I spend on this game. But well, no one else needs to know. XD I also kind of wish the final class was more of a combination like it promised than just a few extra stats, but hey.

Anyway, in terms of a remake, I do highly recommend it. I enjoyed it greatly, and it's very New England english cast, which most people may or may not necessarily realize that all of them are from there, but those were the vowels of my people. Also, I'm more forgiving of Charlotte's manner of speaking now, because she's hilariously also strongly from New England.

Listen, when you're put in speech classes and told your accent is terrible as a child, it's only natural to turn to Spite. That's just how it is. XD

On a final note, they animated the merchants in the most unhinged manner possible, and I adore it. It's absolute madness. They went there and it's glorious.

[fff777]

reaction to wayv's who's the criminal episode: case of the missing director. spoilers for the case are below the cut.

i used to watch the cvariety show who's the murderer, based on the kvariety show crime scene. i stopped watching who's the murderer because the episodes got too long, but this wayv video is only an hour (which is in line with the original who's the murderer episodes) so i think the pacing will be ok!

the last time we had a crime show game with nct was nct crime zone...i wish they'd bring the series back, it's so much fun. but i know it probably takes a lot of time to set up since they need a writer to plan the story and clues and then they have to actually make the clues and hide them for the players.

ngl i wish winwin was here because i think this is gonna be fun, but i can have fun with the other five members too!

aww kun is the detective! cutie X3

character names: ten: 李編舞 (choreographer lee) xiaojun: 蕭舞美 (stage designerxiao) hendery: 黃燈光 (lights manager huang/yellow light) yangyang: 劉輔導 (assistant director liu)

hendery: i am so busy, i have so many lights to manage, yellow lights, red lights, green lights kun: do you fix street lights? is that your job? hmm??? that got a chuckle out of hendery and yangyang X3

making fun of a little guy's pronunciation slip up 😅

oh we're going multilingual here lol, ten is speaking in korean

hendery just has to introduce himself and the other two triplets are already cracking up

hendery: i was eating by myself kun: can anyone prove it? hendery: what was i supposed to do, film a vlog? everyone: ....yeah maybe

i love that they all have little notebooks, it does really remind me of who's the murderer. also i love having a notebook and writing notes in it, really makes me feel like a real detective 🕵️‍♀️

xiaojun: why would i have called the police if i committed a crime? yangyang: have you watched detective conan? hendery: 此地無銀三百兩 the translation is...a little weird? what hendery said is from a story. it's about a person got a lot of money and they decided to hide it in the ground but they didn't want other people to steal it so they put a sign there saying "there isn't 300 taels here." which obviously means that there is 300 taels there. so the moral of the story is that some people try to deny doing something but end up admitting to it. anyway, that got a laugh out of kun >3

yangyang: but dejun... hendery: who the heck is dejun yangyang: uh....wumei it's a thing in who's the murderer where characters' jobs are often just their proper names lol

so yeah no one has an alibi lol. they were all just on their own when director jin disappeared.

woohoo! clues time

lol hendery used to be a professional boxer

ten: everyone other than me is suspicious honestly...the right way to play this game

xiaojun: 平常也動手比較多...*snicker* these guys can't even talk about hendery without laughing. dejun was just saying how hendery's character is like, kind of combative and fighty physically speaking.

ten: *looking on the computer* ten: ...i'm gonna look at your recycling bin 😏

ten thinks yangyang and director jin are secretly dating lmfao

i think this is a digital camera and not an instant polaroid camera

tons of DRUGS in ten's desk. so the line of thinking is that he could possibly have drugged director jin.

everyone trying to get into ten's diary for juicy details

dejun just trying to break into the diary with force

??? he just knows how to break into this kind of lock? i guess he's feeling when the lock gives way when the number is right

ok nvm hendery couldn't open it lol

the shinsigae bags in director jin's office. product placement lol.

hendery putting up his evidence but not remember whose rooms he found them in 😭 so much for saying that his words and memory are the best evidence

so director jin was embezzling moneyyyy

LMAO an apology to the folks who shipped director jin with yangyang but they were not in a romantic relationship

also yangyang being like "ten is really just saying anything" 😂

ten danced until he had a nosebleed? 😭

in depth clues session

remove the dejun

now onto discussion session again

so dejun did drug dejun but he insists he didn't kidnap him

dejun got voted the culprit

why...does he handcuff him like that

the reveal was super anticlimactic because they were just told and there was no drama lol

but the culprit was yangyang

another man to handcuff

LOL brought back the mannequin that was director jin

guys: what's director jin's name? guys: kim...? yangyang: kim midat

lol it was fun! i hope there are more crime scene shows in the future. in this case it's a promo for their concert tour :P

[rocketmuse]

I thought I'd share my playlist for the anniversary of the boathouse kiss. :)

Song translations, MANY thoughts, and timeline under the break.

Noise warning for song 19, Hinahanap-Hanap Kita. 4:23 to the end. Loud high pitched beeps.

YouTube music version to be made soon.

Translations for foreign songs:

Ewan [Dunno] — Apo Hiking Society — Filipino/Tagalog

Amour plastique [Plastic love] — Videoclub — French

Panalangin [Prayer] — Apo Hiking Society/Moonstar88 — Filipino/Tagalog

Hinahanap-Hanap Kita [I'm Looking For You] — Rivermaya — Filipino/Tagalog

This is a collaborative playlist made with my friend.

Thought Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy would be a good starter song. Something about the music. Represents a good start of Alec persuing Maurice, like, hey, I can be yours... Whatcha doin'?

I added Puppy Princess because of the chorus but I know some people don't like that song so... You can skip if you'd like. KISS MEEEEE KIISS ME WITH YIIR EYESSS CLOSED . ALL I WANT IS YOU YEAH YOU. TELL ME I'M NOT FUNNY TELL ME I'M LEGIIIIT

Ewan. OH MY GOD this song is so them. Alec cares for Maurice, and doesn't like not being taken seriously or being treated badly and brushed off.

"I don't know why you're like that, you're difficult to talk to and you're a snob" COME ON IS THAT NOT THEM — Just a smile from you, and I'll be in heaven. Please give me a response, anything but "No idea"... What a perfect representation of Alec's continuous persuit of Maurice, always talking, always trying...

I could go on with every lyric.

Edit: I just realised this song fits so well for Alec's letters and meeting at the museum. Must resist the urge to add the same exact track twice.

So about Touch Me... Some of the lyrics apply better in other versions. Spotify just has this version tho. Touch me, just like that.

All I've Ever Known. Maurice discovered so much that night about touch and sharing and being with someone. He wants to be with Alec. "All I've ever known is how to hold my own, but now I want to hold you too. [Hold you close, I don't wanna ever have to let you go. Hold you tight, I don't wanna to back to the lonely life.]" Alec opened up his eyes and he'll never be the same.

Can't Help Falling in Love With You. 'Did you ever dream you'd a friend, Alec? ... Someone to last your whole life...' 'Alec, you're a dear fellow and we've been very happy.'

I'd Like To Walk Around In Your Mind was added from Maurice's perspective. Perhaps it fits Alec too...

I think Love At First Sight has the double meaning of the literal title, as well as "wouldn't you like to kiss her" perhaps being... Something Maurice would hear.

I Don't Dance. Based on this post/edit. Please watch this video oh my God.

Pink in the Night. Alec yearns for Maurice in the boathouse. He hasn't come. He hears his heart breaking tonight.

Every lyric is perhaps pulled straight from Alec's brain, to be honest. I remember seeing a post with this song in other contexts with them too. So yes, a few meanings.

Amour plastique. Alec reminiscences on the night in the Russet room. Why hasn't he come?

In my mind, everything goes wild. I lose myself in your eyes. I drown myself in the vagueness of your loving gaze.

And at night I cry tears that stream down my cheeks. I think of you only when the days ends, only when my sad demons descend upon my mind, into the bottomless abyss.

Waiting in the boathouse at night, when the day ends.

I ring out in kisses all down your chest. Lost in the avalanche of my heart astray. Who are you? Where are you?

The moments of then repeat in his mind. Where is Maurice?

I suppose Hopelessly Devoted To You and I'm A Fool To Want You are self explanatory. Maurice should really come... Alec really toughed it out, 2 days he spent in the boathouse, really wanted to see Maurice, really knew they had something, and doesn't want to be treated like a dog. Generally, his 1st letter.

Moon Song. My friend said they added it as a general love song. — Why do you treat me like this? Why didn't you come to the boathouse? — Alec's 2nd letter as a whole. Plus bits of 1st.

And you pushed me in, and now my feet can't touch the bottom of you. ... So I will wait for the next time you want me, like a dog with a bird at your door.

Ewan would fit here tbh.

Panalangin. My only prayer in this lifetime: to be beside you, to be together with you, that's my prayer.

"I since cricket match do long to ... place both arms round you and share with you, the above now seems sweeter than words can say."

And this heart won't allow if you will be away from me, my love, please listen.

It also fits the end of museum.

I Want You. Maurice, can you come to the boathouse already? Alec has no power to teleport you there. I hold one card that I can't use.

I found you. I found the door, but when I stepped through, there was no floor. He found Maurice, bit he's not being here for Alec.

You're coming back And it's the end of the world We're starting over And I love you, darling And I am done, dear

Alec wishes this would happen. Also, he does come back later and they love again over, and "it is finished".

Credit for suggesting the next two songs goes to @beatle-capaldi!!! He also wrote was in quotations!

English Summer Rain

The Most Radical Thing To Do

Hinahanap-Hanap Kita. 1st letter, he's looking for Maurice. Thinking about them together.

In my thoughts and dreams, in every turn of destiny, I look for you. Also applies to that hotel/post-hotel feeling. I look for you, even if I try to forget you, saying goodbye, looking back...

Wildest Dreams. They think a lot of each other. They share once more. But they must say goodbye. Alec saw this coming. Maurice hopes that Alec will remember him like this.

I Hear a Symphony. Alec truly opened up Maurice's eyes. Maurice was meant to be with him. He helped Maurice, changed his life. But now Alec is leaving on ship... Or is he? The symphony leads into...

An orchestral sountrack. The Boathouse. Unfortunately the Maurice soundtrack is not on spotify. It's on my personal YouTube music version. I added it because it just captures the boathouse the only way the sountrack itself can.

The Word of Your Body (Reprise). MLM people have moment of romantic tension, which culminates in confessions of love. Just had to add it. "Haven't you heard the word of your body?" perfectly describes Alec gifting and showing Maurice the wonder of truest physical affection and love. He lets Maurice be okay with himself, and again, changes everything. Every lyric is perfect.

Also, sorry JBW, I like other versions more... Too bad Spotify is mean.

I See The Light. Yeah. Every lyric. Maurice is Rapunzel. Movie Blond too. Both the morning at Russet room and the museum. And the world has somehow shifted. All at once everything is different, now that I see you. "By now they were in love with each other consciously."...

Suddenly Seymour. Suddenly see more, yeah? Clive = ass and someone gives him affection for once, wow! Sidenote, I want to sing this with them and their accents... Suddenly SCUDDER...

Helpless. Musical theatre songs seem to be good retellings of their love story. It's why they belong in post boathouse. Summaries and retellings. They're also good at conveying love they'd feel for each other in general, all times ever. Like loving men, retelling a story.

I'll Cover You. Cute love song feat. gays. I like to imagine them dancing around, declaring their love and devotion for each other. Walking and dancing around like in the original scene, sometime post canon. In my own imagination, I thought of Alec as Angel and Maurice (Christopher) as Collins.

Video Games. They must love spending time together. I thought this to be Maurice POV. Only worth living if somebody is loving you I mean, come on.

It's you, it's you, it's all for you. Everything I do. I tell you all the time, heaven is a place on Earth with you.

Un sospiro. I headcanon that Maurice picks up the piano and plays for Alec. Perhaps he picked it up bc of/after Clive, but now can play it for someone who gives a shit.

Something about the melody reminds me of them. And then it gets more intense... A bit like the passions of love, showing up in sharing and touch and more, too.

Liebestraum. I mean, it means love dream/dream of love. I just had to. Also I just like Liszt.

Take Me Up With You, Dearie. This song is just so sweet... So soft... Edwardian to boot... I love how quintessentially 1909 it is. Discovered it in a YT video. The thought of them getting married makes me cry. This song in general makes me want to cry, it's so romantic, tender, and exudes my favourite era...

Let us float, float, float through the clouds, and just have a lot of fun. We'll go up, up, up as two and then come down as one.

Put Your Head on My Shoulder. We Belong Together. I always imagine Maurice and Alec slowdancing to songs that come on the radio together, when the 1950s hits... Alec probably rests his head on his shoulder as this plays and they dance...

I'm using a lot of ellipses, am I secretly Rupert Graves?

Welcome to the 70s and 80s. They love dancing together and being with each other. Now, Panalangin can be a happy song. My only prayer for this lifetime ... To be together with you. And this heart won't allow if you will be away from me.

Just the Two of Us. What a nice, vibey song. Great title, great scenario of them dancing to this...

Tiny Dancer. Your Song. MLM people in the 70s + Radio, being happy and in love with each other. — I just thought I should add some Elton. A different friend, and I, like him. Maurice sings to Alec, "And you can tell everybody this is your song." That I put down in words how wonderful life is with you in the world.

Electric Love. Fun fact: this song got me to share the playlist. Got me thinking about them and their anniversary again. The funky busy instrumental describes well their passionate love. The highs of electric LOOOOOOVE describe the intensity of them.

Alt text continued: themselves together under and the love. And the love. The song has its own tension and it perfectly pictures their own tension. So yeah, this is THEIR song quite literally.

Sorry if my music taste is perhaps basic. I just made it for when I hear songs that are Them.

Falling for Ya. Alec falls for Maurice. "I saw you when you first drove up, Mr Hall..." Something about Maurice, right? Plus really nice vintage vibes with the music. The bit about Into your arms and it's a secure sure sounds like Maurice. Awh, they're falling for *each other*...

Rainbow Connections. Gay and bi people. Marriage. Everything that Maurice and Alec went through to get here, where they were meant to be. Clive. Working for Clive. Leading up to now.

All the things that had to go right, all the things that had to go wrong, that lead us to the place where we were going all along.

On the YT version there's a soft/jazzy cover of Panalangin here. Because they're old and spending time together and being happy. What a throwback, a defined meaning in their lives over time.

Still Into You. After all these decades... Old and grown, together... True soulmates... Two men can defy the world... Maurice and Alec still roam the greenwood. Imagine Maurice meeting Alec's mom in this context. If only.

Postmodern Jukebox cover, because they are a quintessentially 20th century couple. They exude vintage.

Some piano playing for Alec. Soft, tender, romantic, emotional, true. Feels like nighttime. Feels like Maurice and Alec. And a throwback to the pre 1914 world as well. Claire de Lune feels like... A credits of life piece. Time spent in the early 1980s. Nocturne feels like that too, but more romantic. Smidge less nighttime. Ah yes, Gymnopédies. The truest credits feel of them all. None of these actually are credits for Maurice and Alec, but I struggle to find the word for this feeling. But yeah. These all have Them vibes to me. Piano of the time just does I suppose. Glad to be reminded of them at any time.

What a long playlist. Like going through almost their whole lives together. 1:52 hrs. Almost like a movie. Imagine that. A full movie of THEIR lives... But leaving to the imagination was a good thing. Led to this such action. Thank you E.M. Forster.

Timeline:

1. Pendersleigh

4. & 5. Russet Room. Night, then Morning

9. Cricket

10. Boathouse Nights

18. The Museum

20. The Hotel

21. After

23. The Boathouse

24. They Still Roam the Greenwood

I just like to imagine them dancing to songs on the radio, for decades to come...

[gwenlen]

So I've just finally seen Downton Abbey II (which means I can finally unblock the Downton Abbey tag!) and here are my thoughts in case that is of interest to anyone:

That embroidered blue coat Lucy wears just after her wedding is gorgeous, I want the same (that was my first thought so sorry, this costume-y note comes first)

I liked the idea of the movie, but I didn't like the actors though. Myrna Dagleish's transformation from "spoilt and silly girl" to "shy and grateful woman" was too sudden, even if it helped enhance Cora's kindness. Guy's romance with Thomas was unnecessary and I wish they'd kept Richard as Thomas' love interest instead of throwing him away and coming up with another romance. And Jack Barber was... nice, I just wasn't sure why they wanted to draw this romance with Mary, it would have been nicer to have them just as co-workers I think. And Mary's line "it feels good to a married woman to see she still can attract men" was too much like Cora's pseudo-romance with Bricker, so... didn't like it.

The villa in the south of France. Glorious architecture, stunning landscape, incredible colours. Loved to see Edith's wardrobe perfectly matching the landscape (all those oranges and teals... Incredible).

Nathalie Baye seemed a bit off to me though? I'm French and I watched the movie in English but something in her lines disturbed me. I think the dialogues have been written in English and then translated into French and something wasn't natural with them.

Cobert Angst. Unnecessary to some extent, because the malignant anemia has already been used for Lord Merton and I already didn't like the "Deus ex machina" effect. But that scene in the garden? Robert breaking down thinking he's going to lose his wife? I loved it. The sweet scenes between them (when he took her hand in the boat!) were so beautiful. Loved them from start to finish. Robert's own interrogations about his origins were a good way to put him in an uncomfortable position and to give him and Cora new challenges to face.

Edith and Bertie, on the contrary, were so happy! Seeing Edith starting to write again was so cute. Also, wow, this girl can dance? She makes smooth moves at the party. She looked a bit like Duchess during the jazz scene in The Aristocats (I know, I know, my references are odd).

Mary and Edith. I've always been a Mary stan but I didn't like her evolution in season 6. I'm so glad to see they're at peace now, they confide in each other and it warmed my heart. They even joke and tease each other, but in a nice and harmless way. The way they cuddle just after Violet dies reminded me of Sybil's death, and I could see how both of them improved over the years. Mary and Edith's relationship is probably my favourite aspect of the movie.

Speaking of Violet's death, I loved the way it was built up during the whole movie. Giving everybody time to think about it, and finally having a peaceful death at Downton, was all we could wish for her. I'm glad she had time to speak to everyone before dying and even to have the last word with Denker. Loved this Oscar Wilde-like last sentence.

Oh, and Tom's and Violet's scene when she admits she wasn't fond of him in the beginning but she loves him and is glad they're friends? Made me tear up.

The funeral was so well-paced, too! Mary's and Carson's scene was so sweet and inevitably reminded me of their scene in S4E1.

Also, if anyone knows where I can find a brooch similar to the one Violet wears before passing it on to Mary? I want good Downton Abbey merch, I'm tired of seeing shirts and mugs to be honest.

Another costume-y note: the burgundy silk dressing-gown Mary wears for approximately 10 seconds in her bedroom was gorgeous, I need it.

Molesley and Baxter's arc. So cute. Their happy ending is definitely worth the wait. The proposal scene was both funny and sweet, just like them.

Loved the additional plot of Mrs Patmore and Mr Mason, and the part Daisy took in it. It was just a beginning, so it didn't add too much new details into the film but it was enough for us to hope and I'm here for it.

Also, Carson being Carson. Enough said. Flawless.

That's it I think. My inbox is open to chat if anyone fancies to!

[gaycey-sketchit]

(Gary anon) That's true, and this scenes could come back and play a big role later. Sometimes, things that you don't understand now can come to light later when you have more context. (Totally understand, I'm that way when it comes to certain characters too. Both videos more or less discussed what we just said about the episode and an outlook on Gary's character) Despite being things to think about when doing dubs, I think it's possible to still have honorifics be "present"

.

(Part 2) and give a general idea on how a character refers to oneself or others. You just have to pick the right words to get that across. (Like, Satoshi referring to himself as "a grown man"; grown enough to venture out and do stuff on his own, but you can still pick out he had a haughty, immature outlook on what that meant before mellowing out as the show goes on) I enjoyed the 4kids dub for what it was and its actors, but I do wish they didn't change so much of the context. (Jokes)

(Part 3) (and references that don't translate well into other languages is one thing; but there's a big difference between not giving a full status to Brock's parents whereabouts and flat-out saying they're dead; for it to get 'contradicted' later when it was never there in the first place) We're hitting endgame territory, so it shouldn't be too long. He's on pace to being beating his DP attendance record; and if Project Mew ends before PWC, hopefully he can stay to watch that. (He can still)

(Part 4) (travel; he would just have a physical title now. Blue had a habit of leaving his gym too for his own reasons. And had his own staff in HGSS; happen with Lt. Surge in JN) I believe I've heard of it; if not that, I do remember the discussions of the impact that Mewtwo left on Gary [and other trainers]. (A few of it even moved to Blue; around Origins' time) Now we have him wanting to study Mew. (If not him becoming Leader, him just coming back to it for closure and reflection would)

(Part 5) (be nice as a callback) Still a bit of Gen 8's roster left to show. Like Thievul, which is said to be a rival to Boltund. (I hope by the time we get word on Paul, people have their expectations reasonable with him. Highly doubt they'd make him a full-blown rival again; especially this late in JN. Gary was brought back earlier for a reason) Bracing for what endgame could be; because I can sense a very strong response that could put older series to shame based on what happens.

Yeah.

Yeah, it can be hard to not be defensive of something that’s important to you, especially if it’s something that gets a lot of ridicule from people who know of it but don’t really understand it.

True, there are definitely ways to carry the connotations over even if it's trickier sometimes. Back when gen 7 was pretty new I heard that in Japanese, Guzma calls himself ore-sama, which was of course localized into "your boy Guzma"--the self-aggrandizing aspect is kind of lost but it carries a similar sense of over-familiarity.

That's fair. I'm very charmed by the 4Kids dub, but I'll still acknowledge there were problems with it--4Kids dubs had a xenophobia problem early on (though they got better about that with time), and some of the other liberties they took... didn't always pan out. The thing with Brock's mom... whoops. Guess the translation team didn't expect her to come back. Makes it seem like she straight-up faked her death to get away from her family or something (which is almost funny in a "crosses the line twice" way).

How time flies! Journeys had a kind of slow start but the kids have come so far now! Yeah, if Gary's going to make more appearances they can't take long with how late into the series we are--I really hope he sticks around for the Ash vs Leon fight.

True! I'm sure it's common enough for gym leaders to roam a little and have a substitute take their place sometimes.

Yeah, they (alongside me) are one of the fic writers I've seen most willing to acknowledge Gary's Mewtwo Trauma--and they tend to write some heavy stuff relating to mental health so they went the whole nine yards there. It’s kind of surprising it doesn’t get touched on more in fic, I’ve only seen a few fic writers acknowledge it at all.

It would not surprise me if Origins!Blue also had Mewtwo trauma, considering how badly it injured him. I’d like to see a fic about that too. Also like, I wonder how he even got out of Cerulean Cave with multiple broken bones and his Pokemon probably not in the best condition either.

How far Gary has come! One way or another, I would be very pleasantly surprised if canon outright acknowledged how that incident affected him. There’s implications (the fact that his loss at the Indigo Plateau mirrors his battle at the Viridian Gym and his reaction looks legitimately pained; his Eevee evolving into, of the five options there were at the time, the one that isn’t affected by psychic attacks) but it’s hard to say if they’re intentional or not. I choose to believe so.

Ooh.

Yeah, I honestly don’t expect much with Paul. (But I also don’t want to see much of him; he is the exact opposite of a comfort character for me.)

Yeah, I have to say I’m a little nervous. Some of the speculation I’ve seen worries me enough without thinking of how the fandom will react depending on how things play out. Journeys has already been probably the most polarizing leg of the anime, and how it ends will probably be what really makes or breaks general perception of it.