#maybe I will post a eng version later

[lalaith999]

Basicaly a short story that reveals my understanding of AHam.

I am so in love with his high sensitivity and low empathy. This whole deal of not trusting crowds makes him partially out from the human society. I love the feeling SOOOO MUUUUUUUCH

And maybe because I was putting in so much genuine emotion, creating this artwork was a blast! I hope this little story manages to pass on some of my feelings to anyone how read!

Here is the full poem I wrote in chinese:

《一只掠食者如何死去》

啃食母亲血肉的幼犬。

用尾巴拖出一条褐色的脐带，

那凹陷的肋骨

和他身下的白骨

如此相称！

咬下最后一口肉块，

它迈步狂奔。

凄厉的狂吠是亲人的丧钟，

脆弱的脚带它走向新的路。

可怜可悲的怪诞生物，

妄图扭成人形？

可他余下罪孽更加可怖！

贪婪的嘴巴吞下每个机会，

急躁的手掌抢夺每份荣耀。

幼犬长成冷血的狼，

却仍然学不会

从奔跑中停歇。

在这时竟吐出人言：

——神圣的天使！

你傲慢的耳

或许听说过

沉默的绵羊

如何任人践踏。

你高贵的眼

或许阅读过

狡猾的老鼠

如何自甘堕落。

你广阔的学识

或许见证过

懦弱的兔子

如何困死病榻。

你苍白的脸上可曾溅上鲜红的血？

从缪斯停留的古典画框里，

自潘神藏身的大理石像中，

我们尊贵的诗人显出真身，

隔着玻璃怜悯无声病逝的宠物，

却厌恶再去多看出逃的猛兽一眼。

虚假的伪君子，冠冕堂皇的大人。

你何必再为注定被遗忘的人铺床？

死亡本是

我们每晚的归宿，

在漫长的奔波中

让不体面的争抢和讥讽

充满天堂。

我们认为以下是真理不言自明

人人生而贪婪，

造物者赋予他们若干不可逃避的欲求，

其中包括：

支配欲

报复欲

永不餍足的野心

怯懦的人跌倒死去，

愚蠢的人骨断筋折。

固执又狡猾的野狗手脚并用着往前爬行，

逐渐被记忆撕碎成载着刻薄和焦躁的幽灵。

只等待

最后一声枪响点燃灵魂上的火药，

烧出人皮下扭曲的苍白骨架，

令围观者欢呼

肮脏的掠食者注定死于非命！

[cometrose]

i’ve got two zhongli origin theories

1. he’s a fallen star or a piece of the sun that fell in teyvat or a sun god/solar chariot

2. hes a servant of celestia but was banished/demoted for disobedience

theory 1 is an old theory but i always feel he’s an astral body of some sorts “planet befall” is his burst name “stars dim light fades” is his namecard description “gold is the tears of the sun” this is what the melusines say after being handed a piece of cor lapis the fact the solar chariot crashed when rex lapis was young and then zhongli is always symbolized by the sun with gold as his signature item. All the other archons (ei, rukkha, nahida, furina etc) are represented by the moon as are many other deities or divinities (azhdaha, guizhong, xiao and ganyu) zhongli is one of the few immortals to fully embody the sun

theory 2 has more to do with his connections to celestia. while super subject to change and not at all reliable i always think about one of zhongli’s beta lines is about celestia and he speaks very fondly of it stating he hasn’t been there is a long time next is the mora he produces with the triquetra symbol associated with celestia

then in chinese it states zhongli was demoted 6000 years ago when he arrived in teyvat as opposed to the eng version of ‘descended’.

In his 5th character story prior to rukkha getting erased it stated that barbatos and morax were the only original members of the seven and now it states that they were the only two in positions of leadership but isn’t that the same thing? not to mention barbatos fell asleep the same time nahida was born so in reality of the original 7 only rex lapis was in a position of leadership and then in the same text later down it still says that “The seven seats changed and again were changed, till five of the seven at the table were all departed” but if he really forgot rukkha shouldn’t it be four not five? this section of text is the same pre and post sumeru so long story short i think he remembers rukkha to some extent so he didn’t come straight from tevyat

and then even though he states he’s eroding he is very confident in his memories likely due to his contracts so i think erosion effects him differently and then their is his connection to the heavenly principles he specifically states erosion was imposed on him by them and then he praises furina for deceiving them and then there is his contract with them that stops him from talking about the cataclysm all in all i believe he’s familiar with the heavenly principles on a deeper level like he’s playing both sides

bonus: i think it’s neat zhongli is always associated with life and creation much like celestia (and the sun), he gave azhdaha eyes and created the archaic petra flower he created whales and eagles and beasts made of stone granted the adepti illumination and a mastery over alchemy

bonus bonus: morax was alive during the age of the 3 moon sisters and there are few stories were it’s implied he mentions them directly anyway this just means he’s far older than 6000 and has lived through numerous tevyat societies so he’s got a very long lifespan not as much as an elemental being but he knows far more about this world

bonus bonus bonus: zhongli’s 6th constellation is “Chrysos, Bounty of Dominator”. Chrysos is latin but is borrowed from ancient greek meaning Gold (Khrysos). Khrysos is a daimon which are lesser divinities in greek mythology and often a personification of abstract concepts. Daimons were great and powerful figures who after their death were granted divinity and some were transformed by Zeus to guide humanity. Khrysos is son of Zeus and the personification of gold and wealth ‘that cannot be devoured by moth or rust’. Son of Zeus? Free of impurities? Tasked with guiding humanity? Very similar to the relationship to the archons and celestia and could mean zhongli has very divine origins.

anyway that’s what i got, as to what he *is* maybe he’s a celestial dragon that got demoted.

or i think about heavenly chinese immortals who, when they commit crimes, or want to grow as a person, may be sent to the human realm to go through trials and suffering that comes with living and guess what zhongli does in his free time.

May he’s a piece of the sun that crashed down in teyvat and got assigned godhood hence his dedication to the future and seeing a new day

[linabirb]

INMF ENG Translyrics

i totally didn't forget to post these

so inmf won in the poll i've made and!! here it is! i will most likely post the purge march later since it got the second place

(actually maybe it's for the best that ily got the last place bc tbh.. i don't think my translation of it is that unique or interesting? :'D)

uhhh you can suggest songs to translate?? if you want??

i will talk about it more in the notes but yes i tried to make the lyrics closer to the original jp version. official eng translation scares me and i can talk about it for hours but i am probably not supposed to use my linguistics major privileges for this

i hope it's not too similar to the other inmf translations?^^'' i've tried to make it sound unique but idk idk..

Ah yes, you see, I knew I'm gonna win

That's how it's always been all this time

I was born under a lucky star

That's why no matter what everything will be mine

My gentle sting is enough to control them all

Can't get enough, this is so exciting!

But if you envy me and wish to run away

Better listen to what I've got to say

You know what's gonna happen to you, right?

Don't you, don't you

Know it's not my fault?

I could never be wrong, I never make mistakes after all

Do you see it?

Come on and bring it

Bring all that honey to me

And worship me forever

Don't you, don't you

Know it's not my fault?

You wanted to forgive me, it's true, I've seen it all

Glad to hear it, I can't help it

Go take a look at me and say how pitiful I am

(You know it's not my fault

You know it's not my fault)

Sorry, sorry

It hurts, doesn't it?

I swear, I didn't mean to wound you so bad

You're just a little annoying and I promise that's all

So we're even and now I can leave you alone

My gentle sting is enough to control them all

Can't get enough, this is so exciting!

But if you envy me and wish to run away

Better listen to what I've got to say

I've told you about the consequences, right?

Don't you, don't you

Know it's not my fault?

I could never be wrong, I never make mistakes after all

Do you see it?

Come on and bring it

Bring all that honey to me

And worship me forever

Don't you, don't you

Know it's not my fault?

You wanted to forgive me, it's true, I've seen it all

Glad to hear it, I can't help it

Go take a look at me and say how pitiful I am!

Hold on a minute

Let's imagine, hey, what if

I'm really guilty, so what am I supposed to do from now on?

Tell me, tell me

That you won't hate me

What happened after all that pain, it doesn't matter at all

Just wait a little, you know it's not my fault

You get it, right? Actually, maybe you're the one in the wrong

Glad to hear it, I can't help it

Go take a look at me and say how pitiful I am

(You know it's not my fault

You know it's not my fault)

Ah yes, you see, I knew I'm gonna win

That's how it's always been all this time

I was born under a lucky star

That's why no matter what everything will be mine

Translation notes:

You know how like. You know the official eng translation is going to be fun to read (or painful. depends on how much you care about the character) when it literally hits you with the very first sentence being translated in a weird way. I respect the queen bee symbolism, but like.. Maybe it's just me, but "I told you I'm queen" and "I knew it! See? I win!" give off very different vibes to me?

The original mentions Muu being talented, but I went with "I was born under a lucky star", kind of like a reference to her being pretty, rich, popular, all of that, and her "natural talent" can count as that too.

I overall tried to make these lyrics sound more.. maybe playful? Maybe more like a teenage girl? I didn't really want to make Muu sound like a villain, so I kinda. Made this translation more soft compared to the official one, maybe?

"You know it's not my fault" is also kinda supposed to be sort of like.. Muu is sort of going "Don't you know it's not my fault?" in the beginning of the chorus, but then she sounds more assertive and goes "No, actually, you KNOW it's not my fault". That was my vision.

"You wanted to forgive me, it's true, I've seen it all" is kind of a fun fourth wall thing. If I'm not wrong, the original mentions everyone wanting to forgive her as well, but here I also kinda. Made a little reference to the voting system. As a treat <3

THE ORIGINAL DOESN'T MENTION MUU "DOING THIS JUST BECAUSE SHE'S BORED"?? I THINK?? Instead, the original mentions someone who Muu ended up hurting doing something to offend or annoy her, so i tried to include that. AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE ARE JUST THE SAME MUU. The original makes so much more sense, since it's like. an eye for an eye and all that stuff..

"What happened after all that pain, it doesn't matter at all" just a reference to "After Pain" just like in the original and in the official translation!

[behind-the-screen-of-bangtan]

Hey! New fan here. I'm not quite sure where to start. There's so much content. Any tips?

Hello there, I'm so sorry, it took me an eternity to answer you...

First of all, welcome to the fandom! When it comes to managing the gigantic amount of BTS content that exists, I can only advise you to take your time: navigate the content, watch what catches your eye, and leave the rest, maybe for later. For a long time now, Big Hit has aimed to offer a variety of fan experiences so no matter who you are, you can find something you really enjoy. Maybe it'll be the documentaries following the group during world tours or the cooking game with chibi versions of the members, it's up to you.

I'll try to give a few tips depending on what you may be interested in:

1 - You're here for the music

YouTube, streaming apps, and albums are your friends!

An easy start is the Hybe playlist since it has all their main tracks. Then if there's a song you really like, you can try and go for the album.

If you want more info about a song/album, you can check my blog post about it, it should have lyrics translations, filming places, a list of the referenced works and nods to other things, as well as some more trivia.

Then it's time for the documentaries (they're listed here among other shows) and the special performances to witness unique versions of your favorite songs paired with incredible choreo. Lastly, collaborations with other artists complete their discography.

2 - You're here for the members' personality:

Their variety shows, behind-the-scene videos, and socials are the way to go!

The iconic one is of course Run BTS!, which started in 2015 and is still going strong nowadays with the Run Jin! version, a show packed with laughter, treason, and games no one understands. But the true OG remains the Bangtan Bombs (Eng trans). Each video is a time capsule of the boys at each point of their career.

Once you've gone through all that free stuff (should take you some time though), the paid content is the logical next step: from the adventurous Bon Voyage to the relaxing In The Soop, you once again have the freedom of choice.

3- You're here to collect:

Merch and characters are the rabbit hole you're looking for!

BTS merch, products advertised by BTS, HipHop Monsters, BT21, TinyTan, you can buy them all! If you're like... super duper rich

4 - You believe there are rabbits baking cakes on the moon:

Welcome to the theorists' world (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ a.k.a the BU.

It's pretty much dead now, some people expect new things for 2025 but there's no guarantee. It's a fiction set up in the BTS MVs that then got extended through web comics, novels, and a web series.

That should be it. I didn't mention a lot of things (the Festa, the solo works, the DVD packages…) but it should cover your bases and it's mostly free and easily available. I think you'll naturally come across the rest during your time in the fandom (there are tons of compilations and curated extracts). I think that's one of the nice things about BTS, you always discover something you had never heard before even when you're an experienced fan!

To stay up-to-date, don't hesitate to follow official accounts, as well as a few translators. You can also check r/bangtan on Reddit, there are often new fans asking for help/recommendations there, it's probably more complete than what I could come up with on my own.

And of course if you want to ask something else, I'm still here (and promise, I'll try to answer sooner)

See you! 💜

[coredrill]

perhaps my most insane collection of brvn thots yet

do we think lulu is from the moon. i think this for three reasons. one: when she told superbia she was going to ride him the moon was quite large and prominent in the shot. symbolism. two: when she got her fancy hairdo, she had two little buns that looked like moons. three: “lulu” could come from “luna” the same way it could come from the first syllable of smith’s name. why would she become spanish? don’t worry abt it. also if she’s from there then maybe the “final battle” which obari allegedly said would take place in an unexpected location will indeed be on the moon (pls dont ask for a source on this bc i don’t think i could find it again but it was one of the like. EARLY early interviews iirc. or it was just a rumor. this part of the post is a joke anyways LMAO). however this IS a super robot show so i feel like the moon in general is actually a more expected location for me than like. idk. cleveland

everyone pointing out the animation differences maybe indicating different timelines is so funny to me cause like. if it’s NOT intentional, the fans are putting together a list of fixes to make for the bluray on a silver platter LMAO. also god i hope we get a western bluray release, i honestly am considering getting the jp one if it somehow winds up w eng subs though just cause i know it’s such a long shot for CRUNCHYROLL of all motherfuckers to put one together 🥲 discotek ur our only hope………………

i keep thinking abt the like. pacing of the previous fight scenes being reused in ep9 in such a smart way…………like with smith/lulu v superbia - isami/bravern v cupiridas AND with smith/lulu v knuth - isami/bravern v pessimism/vanitas they kept doing the quick jumps between each of the two fights in a way that made it clear that isami and smith were in conversation even if they were doing completely different shit, and then bringing that completely to the forefront this ep while isami is asking smith why he died and at the same time smith is refusing to die bc of his promise with isami. BLEW MY FUCKIN MIND to see the pattern reused like that, i swear to GOD everyone talks about how fun and hype this show is but it’s so damn GOOD too 😭😭 and then after that the fuckin. symmetrical docking ass cut and then later the gattai which has been held off for SO long bc they are no longer separate conversations. JESUS

called my shots too early tho w smith not melting ppl’s minds in a kaworu manner where they convolute the story x1000 to try to make him seem straight 😭 congrats white boy, your days are numbered until ppl start saying you love isami like he’s your pet dog……….also in a related fashion the giant naked smith fanarts are taking me out LMAO

you can tell idk shit abt fuck when it comes to time travel fuckery cause i rly am just here like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ atp LMAO, the serious theorizing is GONE. i trust the show to finish out in a satisfying manner and also in a way that my pea brain can understand and i’m rly looking forward to savouring these last 3 episodes :] and then rewatching the whole thing from the beginning once the remaining twists have been revealed and i Know :3 like not to get way too sentimental w 3 whole episodes left but we are so lucky to be following this story in real time you guys 😭 like i’m just gonna put the same post i made back after episode ONE here cause it’s true but times a million with what we’ve seen so far, truly this is such a special experience to have and i’m so glad this show waited until i got into mecha to get made so that i could like. Understand it yknow. anyways good for january 14 2024 version of me, you are so excited andyet still have NO idea the kind of treat you are in for 😭

“lewis” jumpscare tho omg. i forgot it took me like a week to figure out what the hell was goin on with all the characters first and last names LMAO. anyways everybody go look at sumiisa sekiha love love tenkyouken right now i am no longer asking

[vynegar]

lost in translation (ch 9)

just a running list of things i noted down for the translation of chapter 9, while watching the chn and eng versions side-by-side. there’s nothing as major as in my other “lost in translation” posts, but a still few translation errors/omissions and cultural notes that i wanted to write down

disclaimer: i am not fluent in chinese, so keep in mind that there will be mistakes. feel free to let me know if you have questions, concerns, or comments.

overall: like i said above, nothing stands out as a major accuracy error that i feel has seriously impacted characterization or plot understanding (well, maybe one for characterization). saw multiple instances of subject-verb agreement issues and some clunky sentences

any translations below the game screenshots are my own translation of the chinese text, based on the official translation but with edits (most important difference bolded).

9-2

...But to the people who don’t know the truth, doesn’t reporting it like this equate to washing themselves of any connection?

technically the translation can be correct, but i think it’s easy to (mis)interpret it as a “clear line” connecting Heirson and NXX, rather than separating them. it’s definitely how i read it at first, though later lines (example below) make it clear what the meaning should be

9-06

No problem. When we were kids, didn’t you always secretly slip me the things you didn’t like to eat?

kind of a small detail, but i feel like the original is even more charming. leftovers could just be a matter of practicality, but giving luke the things she doesn’t like shows even more of that childish willfulness (the word i want to use is 任性) and how much luke indulges rosa

9-08

Which means that the hospital working environment wasn’t actually all that perfect, and there were many times they were mistreated.

i guess this could come down to interpretation of the original, but i feel like the original sentence was more focused on pointing out the hospital’s issues, while the translation seems to be toning it down.

9-12

The messages in the suicide notes are like a smokescreen deliberately set up by a guilty person to help conceal what they’ve done.

Sometimes this smokescreen is a lie, and sometimes it is a secret.

i’m not sure why they changed the analogy to a more direct explanation.

9-14

Didn’t I tell you? When asking for a favor, you should use “gege” [哥哥, literally “older brother”].

so here’s the one requiring a cultural note: there are a variety of ways and terms for addressing people in chinese, often based on things like the person’s job or their relation to you. the little girl has been calling jerome “shushu” (叔叔) which literally means “uncle”, but is also the way for a child to address a man who is a generation above them.

jerome is (lightheartedly) telling her to call him “gege” instead, which is the form of address for a boy/man older than you but still in your generation. so he still wants to be seen as a younger person, and he’s telling the girl to flatter him by saying he’s young so he’ll be more willing to grant her favor. again, this feels cute and joking to me, especially since he braids her hair anyway.

and then she continues to call jerome “shushu” anyway, while marius gets a “gege” in the same sentence xD (it all gets translated as forms of “mister” in English)

and MC gets called “jiejie” (”older sister”, female equivalent of “gege”). translated as “lady” in English.

9-16

Marius immediately warns him with pretend-sternness.

English translation doesn’t seem to have “故作” in its translation, which means “to pretend/feign.”

“Pax Pharmaceutical is caught in this wave of doubt. CEO Marius von Hagen was attacked by an unidentified person during a banquet...”

even though marius does get questioned in this chapter, i... don’t think this part of the text said that Marius is under suspicion? more that pax is also impacted by the confidence crisis in the pharmacy industry.

9-18

Artem glares at the owner of the voice and plucks back his tie, then his face instantly darkens further.

some of the phrases of the sentence don’t have the subject explicitly stated, but i think it should be artem throughout

also a cultural note: “Do you believe in light?” is an online meme referring to the well-known children’s tv show Ultraman. but basically, this is probably intended as Artem having no idea what new meme the young interns are referencing, rather than a strangely philosophical question.

9-21

“Live on and try [it?]” (tiramisiyu’s translation, i pretty much would translate it the same way)

might be splitting hairs, since if the note is attached to the bottle, using the powder is implied; but the chinese message can be interpreted as explicitly indicating to try the powder. hm, i guess the more i think about it, the more that there’s enough room for interpretation in both versions that maybe this doesn’t need to be in the list.

[meimi-haneoka]

The situation is pretty messed up right now, so I'll give you a notice beforehand: my post on Chapter 70 might be a bit later than usual, because of the current ruckus with the simulpubs.

The ENG version will not be released on Azuki, Crunchyroll and other platforms because Kodansha decided to interrupt their simulpub agreements with all of them.

This is the announcement from Crunchyroll, where there's also a statement they received directly from Kodansha:

Azuki said this is going to affect ALL the platforms they have ongoing simulpub agreements with. However, the thing that baffles me the most in their statement is this:

"For now, the best way to keep up with your favorite series will be by following the collected volumes"

Lol, for real?

But that wouldn't have been a problem for me personally, since I give priority to the JP original anyway. The fact is, as of now, Comic Days hasn't updated chapter 70 either (and it should have, by now, following their usual schedule).

I don't believe for a second that the chapter isn't going to be posted on Clamp's Youtube channel, especially cause they haven't said anything about any interruption of that service and the FR and PT-BR versions seem to be scheduled regularly. However, we all know the limitations of that (free) service. It's certainly not handy as primary source of the chapter.

If Kodansha really wanted to open their own simulpub platform for those manga, they should have pulled them from the distributors WHEN the new service was ready. Not leaving us wondering where the hell we should be reading them.

For all these reasons, I really don't know if I'll be able to read the chapter before it gets released on YouTube, and considering here it'll be 3 am, the time I'll take to read both the ENG and JP, maybe the ESP as well + time to digest what happened + research of kanji I don't know + various observation on the chapter will take its sweet time. If usually I already have my post ready by the time the chapter is up on YT, this time it'll take longer. Please bear with me and wait for my notes, hoping there won't be any severe mistake!

[mentalhells]

推さないで-Don't Push Me

NOTE: the japanese slang term/pretty much direct equivalent to “stanning/to stan” is Oshi, which sounds like the term for to “pushing/to push”. i wish i could translate this song as “Don’t Stan Me”, but unfortunately that would mess up a lot of the clever wordplay and i want to be as accurate as possible so… maybe i’ll make a silly localized version later. for now just replace every instant of “push” with “stan” and “stanning” in your head

I’m an idol, a pretty-girl idol

I can’t fall in love, I’m not permitted to love

I’m messing around with my eyes and nose, I’m lying about my age

All I can drink is water, ‘cus I’m not permitted to get fat either

But really, I’m human too

Just like anyone else, I like you

You said that you like me too, but

Don’t you only like me when I’m standing on stage?

Don’t push me, pull me, draw me in

With the red thread, with the ace of hearts*

Try to pull me in, but don’t, don’t push me

On this lonely planet, as if we’re drawn together,**

I’ll show you what attraction is,

So don’t push me

You’re a fan, and that’s why I’m nervous

Even though you say “I adore you”

You’re buying hearts, buying them with money

Like a god, or a customer, whatever you are, sir,

But it’s not like that, you’re human too

Behind that smile, killing hearts

I want to draw attention, but also to be drawn in

Feel free to push me, a pushing-only relationship

I won’t give it, ‘cause you won’t give it to me

Both blue flowers and four-leaf clovers

If you won’t give it, then I won’t give it to you

Switching from one loneliness to another

But there must be someone… But y’know, y’know

You and I are both content

Surely everyone is someone else’s content

That girl’s tears were yummy today too

I stan it, it’s emo, it’s chill, it’s sus***

Hey,

You say that you like me but

I‘ve left the stage, so will you still like me?

Don’t push me, pull me, draw me in

Be gentle with my red thread, be gentle

Try to pull me in, but don’t, don’t push me

Try to enthral me and bewilder me,

Go ahead and seduce me****

Don’t push me… (x8)

I’m an idol

TRANSLATION NOTES

* you’re probably familiar with the red thread of fate, but if not, it’s a common folklore belief across several east asian cultures wherein an invisible red thread ties two soulmates together. 

** the original phrase, 引き合う, can mean both “to pull together/attract” and “to profit”… because that’s showbiz baby

*** this line is several internet slang terms: 推せる we’ve covered, エモい/emoi is, emo, but used less in the strictly negative emotion sense and more in the nostalgic or heartwrenching sense, like “i listened to that song again for the first time in years and got so emo🥺”. チルい/chirui is also literally, chill, and in this sense used for something that’s relaxing or chill to consume. 香ばしい/kobashii literally translates to fragrant, but is apparently ancient internet slang hailing from 2chan for someone who posts weird/cringe/creepy shit. you know, like we’d expect on our end from 4chan. i couldn’t really think of an equivalent period accurate term to describe eng shitposters…

**** the kanji 誘 for invite and 惑 for bewilder come together to make 誘惑, seduce. clever.

"hey, wait a second! this song isn't on streaming!" wow that's crazy you should buy the album.

[yumiluna]

Being with you just like this, forever locked in this birdcage. 

Just the two of us in this world, longing for each other.

[hanafubukki]

YESS (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧ʸᴱˢ SURELY I WILL BE VERY HAPPY WITH MORE VIL CONTENTS.

And protect Yuu at all cost ୧( ಠ Д ಠ )୨

YOU'RE FIGHT BECAUSE OF THE LESSON LINES I OVERTHINKING A LOT TOO, though my tiny brain has no idea what will happened in the future. (　；∀；)

And first forgive me with lots of typo I'm a fast typer and my auto correct can be annoying at times to times (∩´﹏`∩)

And if you think about it Lilia often says something about he often forget things.. Is that perhaps leads to something..?

AND ACE BETRAYAL THEORY IS JUST-

NO YANA SENSEI PLEASE NOO ｡･ﾟ･(ﾉД｀)･ﾟ･｡

But.. Almost all of the first year got their UM.. How if Ace felt useless because of it? OH GOD ANOTHER GUY WHO FELT USELESS (´；д；`)

(Yuu and Ace crying together in the corner゜:(つд⊂):゜。)

And Malleus is very powerfull he could stop time and control lots of things. Time loop theory is a very possible option for future chapter. AND WHO'S READY FOR DIASOMNIA CONTENT AND SSR DORM CARDS?? ( ✧Д✧) WE NEED THEM!! KYAAA I'M SO HYPED UP FOR FUTURE CHAPTER (*≧∀≦*)

Though the Possiblity of chapter 7 will come so late like chapter 6.. (◞ ‸ ◟ㆀ)

But my feeling just told me that in chapter 7 we may have something to di with Mickey. And maybe realized more about all of the dreams they had has a meaning in it.

And do you remember when Yuu has a vision of seeing the Beautifull Queen poisining an apple? What if in next Ignhyde part Yuu will have another vision? (〇o〇；)

And let's hope no Ace betrayal, I love Ace and Deuce so no betrayal (•ˋ _ ˊ•)

OH and what do you think while we wait for chapter 7 what kind of events will come? Personally I really want some more RSA and Diasomnia content ( ͡≖ ل͜ ͡≖)

How about you? o(〃＾▽＾〃)o

YEESS lets gooo 🤝🤝🤝!! we can make Vil happy and protect Yuu at the same time 🔪👏

ksjlkjdkldjskdl no worries! don’t worry at all about any typos or anything 👏👏 You have nothing to be forgiven for ☺️🌺 I do the same thing. I get so excited replying and then make a bunch of typos too jsdjkjskdk so, no worries! you’re in good company ☺️👏

Me too, all their lesson lines has me paranoid and im like....what could this mean???? jkljddkjkllkjk and Lila does, doesn't he? 🤔🤔 I always wondered if maybe it was because he’s so old and the memories kind of get jumbled or something 🤔🤔 but maybe the time loop has some kind of influence? I think one of his lines also mentioned about he hates not finding things 🤔🤔🤔 hmmm that would add onto that mystery. YANA SENSEI LET ME INTO YOUR BRAIN REAL QUICK PLEASE 

I WILL BE SO HURT IF THAT THEORY IS TRUE. ILL GET MY ACE NEDOROID AND JUST SHAKE HIM. LIKE WHYYYYY YOU DOOFUS WHYY??? 😭😭😭 But you know, I cant help but wonder. what if Ace already has his? like, before school started. because Jack already had his and I wouldn't be surprised if sebek has his either. Maybe that's how ace can be so tricky and manipulative? 🤔🤔 I’ll feel really sad if he feels useless 😭😭😭 Deuce gets to punch ace if he tries anything stupid 😤😤

YEESSS PLEASE WE NEED DIASOMNIA CONTENT. WE ARE BEGGING HERE. SJKHJHJSDHJJHKK GIVE IT TO USSS. A PERFECT TIME WOULD BE FOR THIS FAIRY GALA RERUN. FAIRY GALA MALLEUS PLEEEAAASSSEE OR ANY DIASOMNIA JSDJKFNJKDNS

Yeah 😭 I notice how late chapter 5 took to finish and then chapter 6 was almost 6-8 months later and who knows how long it will take to finish and with twst tendencies to leave us on a cliffhanger its going to hurt 😭

now that you mention mickey again, omg, have you seen the post about how Lilia could be chernabog?!?!?! what if that's how mickey comes into play?? and he helps beat Lilia or maybe Mickey mentions the time loop?? I wouldn't be surprised if we see a vision next part, I wonder which ones they'll do? maybe the titans? or the river of styx? 

I kind of hope that Yuu makes a connection that they are in a Disney world or something, they have so many witty comebacks in the eng version lmfaooo chapter 4′s “its like a whole new world” ended me sjdijdkhkhew

YES! I agree! we need more diasomnia events , and an event where they actually do something or have a bigger role. they desperately need it. would mind a fairy gala with diasomnia. oh! I would forever be happy if we have a dance with the stars part 2! I would love that! and maybe somehow sprinkle in other characters like RSA popping up, I want to meet rielle or Neige again! or Cheyna, because he has literally been gone since chapter 1. 

I kind of doubt we’ll get a diasomnia home event so I would love to go to afterglow Savanah or pyroxene. mainly because I want to see Cheka again and make leona suffer lolol but also would love to meet Vil’s father or other family characters too.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL

April 2021 Part 4 

it’s my birthday week! *raises a glass of pink milk* 

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Second Chance Ep 4 - oh noes my babies are all so sad! Teen angst for the win. Tropes included: crying in shower, a very significant hand hold, & striped shirts. (At this point over half the cast has been in stripes.) 

Love Machine Ep 1 - not gonna lie, I barely made it through the first half, this is a short run LOW budget experimental web series and it’s not good. Dropped.  

Lovely Writer Ep 9 - I like it when LW gets serious because there are fewer dumb sound effects, but oof Aey, poor baby. How many Aeys have I known over the years? Rejected, broken, angry, lonely, and lashing out. On a different note, I haven’t see the “sex drug made us do it” plot device since 1980s Johanna Lindsey. Props to that cocktail rearing its ugly head. (yeh yeh) ZOMBIE TROPE ALERT. (Is this the point where I remind the world at a-play doesn’t have to hurt? Well, it doesn’t! Toys, prep, and lube people. Sheesh.) Anygay, zombie trope is put safely back underground. Please don’t let it rise again? (I KNOW, I’ll stop now.) So this was a rough episode, especially the back end. (Okay now I’ll REALLY stop.)  Seriously tho, BL doesn’t do a massive coming out family drama scene often. I liked LW’s handling of this one. Hard to watch but compelling. 

Close Friend Ep 1 (OhmFluke) - very cute snapshot into a LTR featuring an overworked music producer and his student BF. That’s the chassis for this whole series, each one has to do with the song & is a portrayal of that song’s message. Essentially, the theme of this one was remembering to make time for your partner. I enjoyed that. OhmFluke gave us easy casual familiar affection and a kiss, but no BL tropes, just romance. 

Fish Upon The Sky Ep 3 - Pi is a total spazz & the ghost story bit was... well, it was something wasn’t it? Lots of tropes: fixing his clothes, wound tending, drag baby around, piggyback, head in lap, hand hold, and ending on a drunk kiss. I just noticed Pi uses guu/mueng with Mork, but Mork’s a year older. (So I have a new entry onto the linguistic brats list.)  So rude and presumptuous. Also I gotta say this, don’t wear watches when you’re working on a cadaver, mmky boys? 

Y-Destiny Ep 4 - look MaxNat have great chemistry, this ep had loads of great tropes (e.g. cheek kiss, rooftop, public claiming via phone), it’s not their fault I’m just not wild about these characters. I do like Nuea’s wanna-be idol wardrobe though. And Sun is sporting the red bag version of Tharn’s black bag that I wanted so bad in TT2. (I wonder if I can score a knock off when I’m over there?) Regardless, I basically grinned all the way through this installment, so that’s another thumbs up from me for Y-Destiny. Who knew I’d come around? Man would I love to see these two get their own series. 

Brothers Ep 12 - teacher/student exposed! But the power of boys on phones will overcome all. No KhunKaow for me, so of course I found this ep tragically disappointing. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

HIStory 4: Close To You (Taiwan) Ep 6 - MuRen is officially a yaoi manga character in the flesh. H4′s outright mockery/subversion of tropes “don’t touch him he’s mine,” + “touch my lip & think of kissing” makes the fact that other (way more damaging) tropes are being blithely utilized without critique almost - dare i say it? - insulting. YongJie is trash but I’m the one who feels like trash because I want to forgive him. How aptly abusive & dysfunctional we all are. I don’t know whether to applaud H4 or start drinking. (Maybe this is the show I should invent a cocktail for? Who am I kidding? This is totally a jello shots show.) 

Friend or Lover (Taiwan) Ep 2 - I thought this was only a microfilm but turns out it’s a web series. It’s cute. I’m enjoying it. 

My Lascivious Boss (Vietnam) Ep 3 - subs take a while to drop but it’s still better than average. I like a secret identity trope, I love a grumpy/sunshine pairing, and the side couple is great but this ep was slow. With only 6 total (I assume) they better get the main couple together next ep or the improved quality of this series will be sacrificed on the alter of pacing issues. 

Word of Honor (China) Ep 28-30 - slowed down to focus on bad guys (yawn...ooo Scorpion...yawn again). Then baby gets kidnapped, other baby goes crazy, and old friends turn up. We end on DOOM because mathematically this was an episode 11. All boxes checked.

Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding (Korea) Ep 3-4 - how is this show SO DAMN CUTE & weirdly wholesome at the same time? Another one of those: Will Korea resolve this satisfactorily in 4 short eps? But I seem to say that half way through every Korean BL. These days, I have complete faith. Warm fuzzies for everyone. 

Stand Alones

Color Rush movie is the same as the series. There is a stinger at the VERY end (untranslated) but which I’m assuming has something to do with the missing mother. Is this a possible indication of a 2nd season? Hopefully someone will eng sub the stinger and post it out into the universe. So yeah, Color Rush movie = To My Star style, sadly, not Wish You. That said, I did enjoy watching with different subs. The first version I watched was fan subbed, and they were better on English colloquialisms. Viki’s subs are better on Korean colloquialisms. 

Breaking News 

Bunch of new press on Thailand’s I Told the Sunset About You 2 AKA I Promised You the Moon. Here’s a master post on the subject with all the links you could ever want. It will start airing May 27th 8 pm (Thai time) on LINETV.

New Thai Bl Golden Blood got a teaser trailer. Stars familiar side dish Gun Napat (Techno from LBC) as a rich kid who needs a bodyguard. Yeah, it looks to be the Thai version of Where Your Eyes Linger which is FINE. I love me a bodyguard romance. DO EETTT Thailand. Trailer contains ALL the tropes: dry his hair, piggyback, cooking together, and more, plus good smooches. It looks GREAT. Also cheeper to make then KinPorsche and it might get funded due to of residual enthusiasm. Also GOOD TITLE. 

Close Friend got another teaser trailer this one for Talay & Yoon (no subs). 

Taiwan has a new BL coming out... eventually. Looks to be a new franchise like the HIStory series with different couple(s) each season. It’s the first Taiwanese BL from a major in-country network. The first installment is titled Be Loved in House: I Do (seriously Taiwan, could we talk about your titles?). It stars a familiar face, Aaron Lai from HIStory: My Hero. It’s a grumpy/tsundere boss/employee office-set BL with some forced proximity to push them together. (Nods to Japan.) No release date, but (unlike Thailand) Taiwan usually doesn’t make announcements without content & serious intent. 

Gossip 

Taiwanese BL NOVEL Miracle dropped a trailer, no subs or translation. According to YouTube comments it was supposed to be part of HIStory3 but MODC took on its slot. Still it’s kinda fun to see what might have been.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Some shows may be listed later than actual air date for International accessibility reasons.

Upcoming 2021 BL master post here.

Links to watch are provided when possible, ask in a comment if I missed something. 

[demonfamilytherapist]

you can get qooapp for twst, or if you don't wanna deal with the launch bugs/eng translation in general, there's subbed japanese version on youtube for the main plot and wiki translations for the personal stories.

i thiiink there's a couple other ways to download the app and iirc you can download it by setting your region to the us as well — though that might be dependent on if you're using apple or android?

Thanks, a few people replied to my post with the same advice! I'll look into it, though I do like the convenience of having it on my phone. I'm not sure if it'll be available a little later?

I'm apple (please hold your hisses and boos, I'll switch to android on the next phone) but I don't want to change my region just yet. Maybe if there's a few different apps I want.

[cheri-translates]

[CN] Victor’s Colours of Rain Date (Eng Translation)

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for a date which has not been released in English servers! 🍒

This date is dedicated to anyone who’s had a tough and tiring week in school or at work 🥰

The date begins with MC heading to the office at the ungodly hour of 6am, right after landing at the airport.

She’s tired but has to sit through a sudden and lengthy meeting with Yuelai Entertainment (“Yuelai”).

Yuelai is a reputable company which suddenly changed its mind regarding establishing a long-term partnership with MC’s company.

The representative from Yuelai bears bad news, saying that a partnership is unlikely due to budget constraints. MC asks for another chance to redo the proposal, but Yuelai gives her a vague response and leaves.

MC feels downcast because her staff members have been working very hard on the proposal, and all their efforts seem to have gone to waste. Anna tells her to rest, but MC wants to create a new proposal to change Yuelai’s mind.

She heads to Victor’s office later in the morning to present her weekly report. She starts dozing off.

A fountain pen taps my forehead. My eyes snap open in shock, and I am faced with an expressionless Victor.

Victor: Don’t get distracted during the meeting.

MC: Only the two of us are here…

I mutter under my breath, letting out a yawn.

Victor: Stayed up late again?

MC: I had a late flight, so I spent most of the night in the airport. And there was a sudden meeting at the office this morning…

I rub my tired eyes, feeling dejected as I recall the bad news from this morning.

Victor stops flipping through the material in his hands, raising his head to look at me.

Victor: Have you been feeling tired recently?

MC: Not really.

I deny instantly. Victor pauses, frowning slightly.

Victor: Just look at your eyebags. Even the pandas in the zoo recognize you as their relative.

MC: It’s just that everything is packed together so I’m busier than usual. I’ll be fine after getting through this period!

Victor: You’re really doing fine?

I nod without hesitation.

MC: Mm, I can handle it!

Goldman showed me Victor’s schedule for these two weeks, and the extent that it is filled to the brim is shocking. Compared to him, my workload is not worth mentioning.

Victor: Do you have any work this afternoon?

MC: Why do you ask?

Victor: I’ve read through your proposal and there aren’t any big issues. Go back and get a good rest. You’re not allowed to stay up late over the next few days.

I pause for a moment, look at the pile of work on Victor’s desk, and take out my laptop.

MC: I’ll stay here with you. Being able to stay with you is my best form of relaxation.

Victor: …up to you.

Victor lets out a sigh, a smile slipping onto his face.

Victor: How’s the deal with Yuelai Entertainment?

MC: This… I’m still not sure about their final decision.

I avert my eyes, even more determined to create a perfect proposal for Yuelai Entertainment.

MC is just about to ask Victor for advice when she receives a call. She has to return to the office to deal with a difficult guest on their talk show.

After that, MC finds one of her staff crying from stress

Thinking of how to comfort her, MC recalls the many trials she faced since Ch 1 of the main storyline, and how she plowed through them all

After that:

I finally have a short break and I rub my sore temples, the fatigue built up over the past few days overwhelming me.

The weather is fine and the leaves are swaying in the breeze. I stare at the clouds and find myself suddenly missing Victor. The time spent with him this morning was probably the only time I felt relaxed in days.

Someone from Yuelai calls MC. While MC’s company crafted a very unique proposal, Yuelai sees no future in having a long-term partnership with a small company like MC’s. Yuelai hangs up on her before she can even negotiate.

Depressed, she decides to walk home because the next bus would only arrive in an hour. To make things worse, it suddenly starts pouring.

The rain is so heavy that the bag she uses to cover her head slips out of her hands, her items falling all over the ground. Her neatly arranged documents get drenched too.

I want to escape from the spotlight. I don’t want to face tomorrow. I want to find an empty corner and just burst into tears. 

The phone lying in the water vibrates, signaling an incoming call. I rub my swollen eyes and reach for my drenched phone.

MC: Hello?

Victor: Where are you?

My voice is lodged in my throat. It never crossed my mind that Victor would call me at this very moment. I take a deep breath and pretend to answer in a relaxed manner. I didn’t want him to hear that I was about to cry.

MC: Why are you calling me at this time? I’ll be home soon, what about you?

Victor: …I see you.

MC: What did you say?

Victor: Turn around.

I follow what he says and am met with blinding headlights.

The car stops. Someone steps out of the car, opens an umbrella, and walks towards me.

Under the amber streetlights, his silhouette becomes clearer in the rain.

I stare dazedly at Victor, thinking that I’m hallucinating. The tears I had been suppressing threaten to overflow.

Victor frowns and looks at me, letting out a sigh.

Victor: How long do you want to stay in the rain? Come here.

I rub my eyes. Not caring how embarrassing I look, I rush into his arms.

The feeling of acid that has been accumulating in my heart finally escape. I bury my head in his chest and burst into tears.

The umbrella is tossed aside. He places his outercoat over me, and the residual warmth disperses the cold.

Victor: You’re crying so badly. Seems like you’ve suffered a lot.

MC: I’ve already worked so hard… I’ve tried everything… I don’t know what to do… so that I can be even better…

I speak and pause through my tears. Victor pats my back gently, his actions slow and tender.

Victor: I know. You’ve already done very well. I can see that.

His voice is impossibly gentle in the gradually lightening rain.

After some time, the rain finally stops.

I look up at him with my reddened eyes. The Victor standing in front of me still doesn’t seem real.

Water droplets from the trees above pelt onto his shoulder. Even the front of his shirt has a large patch from absorbing my tears.

MC: This isn’t a dream right… you… why are you here?

Victor doesn’t answer. He gently wipes a tearstain off my face.

Victor: To fetch a dummy home.

In the car, MC realizes that she has lost her house keys in the rain so she’s unable to return home.

Victor: We’re heading to my home anyway.

MC: Y-your home?

I suddenly think about the sight of me sobbing my heart out earlier.

MC: Victor…

Victor: What is it?

MC: Can you forget about my whole bawling incident just now?

Victor: Don’t worry, I’ll get my outercoat sent to the dry cleaners tomorrow.

MC: …

Victor: What happened today?

Faced with this sudden question, I don’t know where to begin. Maybe it was the sudden meeting with Yuelai Entertainment this morning, maybe it was dealing with the difficult guest, maybe it was the heavy rain…

Maybe the culmination of all these things left me helpless and made it clear that I am not as strong as I thought.

MC: I realized that I’m not as capable as I thought… the more ambitious I am, the more helpless and small I feel when met with failure… I feel like a good-for-nothing…

Victor: You really are stupid.

MC: Why are we on the topic of my stupidity again.

I mutter softly, but turn to look at him curiously.

MC: You look like you’ve never lost control of your emotions before.

Victor: I have.

In the tranquil evening, his voice becomes quieter.

Victor: I’m no different from you. There are many things I cannot do or force to make happen. It’s okay to not be strong, it’s okay to not do well. You don’t have to bottle up your emotions.

I stare at his side profile, recalling what he had once said to me—

Victor is also an ordinary person.

[Note] She’s making reference to Victor’s Understanding the Human World date

Victor: I won’t tell you to keep holding on no matter what difficulties you face. That isn’t realistic. There will come a time when you will become an even better version of yourself who will have enough courage and experience to deal with all of this.

I suddenly have a realisation.

MC: You are an ordinary Victor, I am a mediocre MC. Everyone will definitely experience joys and sorrows in life. It’s just that people have different thresholds of endurance.

He laughs lightly, not denying my words.

Under the gentle streetlights, he pauses. It is as though an inordinate amount of time passes before his voice reaches my ears, but every word is crystal clear.

Victor: But before that, I hope you can learn to rely on me. At least with me, you always have the right to be vulnerable.

After they reach Victor’s house, he towels her hair dry and covers her with a quilt. Victor prepares to take a shower and asks MC to get him a change of clothes. 

When MC enters the bathroom, Victor is in a state of undress – his shirt is half-open and his tie hangs loosely off his neck.

MC places the clean clothes down, but slips on her way out because - I kid you not - she keeps thinking about how she can see Victor’s abs through his shirt lol

Victor: Be careful!

Victor’s warning comes too late. I lose control of my body, falling against Victor. I hear a pain-filled groan from behind me.

Feeling something warm, I have a bad feeling as I lift up my head.

Under the bright lights, Victor pushes himself off the ground with his palm, leaning his back against the white tiles. His fringe is messy, beads of water on the tips of his hair.

His wet, half-translucent shirt sticks to his skin, revealing a sculpted abdomen that is usually covered and hidden.

The shower hose is at the side, and the sound of water continues to resound.

My line of sight trails from his leg upwards and finally settle on his handsome face. I feel slightly dazed.

Victor: Seen enough?

MC: No…

I bite my tongue before the words leave my mouth, trembling as I remove the hand that is still on his chest.

MC: One misfortune after another, haha…

Victor: Stand up. How long do you intend to sit on the floor?

Victor stands first before pulling me up. He then retrieves a towel to wipe off the water droplets on me.

Victor: There really isn’t a single moment when I don’t have to worry.

After this, MC chills on the sofa in the living room and looks around.

She sees her proposal on the table. Wondering what criticisms Victor has in store for her, she decides to flip through it:

Unexpectedly, every page is filled with more comments than usual.

“Not bad”

“There’s some improvement”

“Worthy of commendation”

Not only are there praises that I don’t normally see, but there are also extremely detailed examples and analysis.

A CEO who has a thousand things to do each day is so detailed and meticulous?

I can’t help but let out silly laughter, my fingers trembling lightly. I gently touch the handwriting that belongs to him.

In my most fatigued and embarrassing moment, Victor was the one who came to me with a hug.

He is the only island that I, a little boat which has drifted off course, can rely on.

Victor: Why haven’t you gone to sleep?

MC: …I can’t sleep. I was waiting for you.

Victor has stepped out of the bathroom and is now standing behind me.

He wipes his damp hair with a towel, water vapour faintly surrounding him. He looks at me, his line of sight following my actions to the proposal on the table. He looks surprised.

MC: I promise I’m not working. I was just looking around… and saw this.

I nod towards the red-coloured comments and cast him a smile that says: “I understand everything”.

Victor: I was just curious to see whether a silly technique of encouragement would be beneficial to you.

I’m not surprised that he isn’t speaking from the heart…

MC: It’s not silly at all, and it’s extremely effective! I recommend that you use it very often!

He ignores my teasing, walks around the sofa, and sits beside me.

I look at Victor, whose profile has been caged in a halo. Only the sounds of our breathing echo in the quiet air.

Victor: Your eyes are still swollen.

I subconsciously touch my eyelids.

MC: D-does it look ugly?

Victor: Mm, very ugly.

There is a smile in his voice.

MC: …then stop looking!

I lower my head dispiritedly, pulling the quilt over my head.

Victor: You dummy.

He looks even more deeply into my eyes. The breathing that falls on my ear is very gentle, very steady, and very long.

Victor: From now onwards, I’m the only one who can see your crying face.

💧

Phone Calls: First // Second

[masterhandss]

‘My Next Life as A Villainess’ Anime is over...

SO WHAT NOW???

A lot of us are disappointed that Katarina’s adventures are finally over, and a lot of us are gonna miss watching the wacky hi-jinks of our dense villainess. I’ve seen a lot of people say that they will stop posting or paying attention to hamefura after the anime ends, and while I might be the same to some extent, I just want to say that there are still a lot of hamefura things to look forward to after the anime ends!

These are actually some very obvious things to look forward to, but you know I’d still like to share them so you can use them to fill the hole in your heart that the anime left behind.

-------

Edit: (9/30/20) I added stuff, as well as a cut for all yall who says my posts are too long qwq

The Manga

Hamefura still has an on-going manga that is currently in Chapter 3 of the Light Novels! A lot of you already read it, and understand that it can get frustrating when there’s a lack of updates on the english side of things, but if you’re really curious, you can go over and check out the JP releases every month so you can have an idea of whats to come for the manga :DD (The fan translation of ENG Chapter 26 came out a few days ago so you know it’s not dead!!)

I’d recommend reading the english translation on Mangadex, since most translation groups officially upload their translation on there. 

The Spin-off (Hametsuo/Bakarina Alter)

It deserves it’s own category for just how unique it is in terms of its reception in the western crowd. I know a lot of people probably read it, but I guess people barely talk about because it’s not really that far into it’s premise yet. 

I just can’t stop recommending this manga to people (despite not going where I thought it’d be) because of how good the art-style is and how much promise it has. It updates monthly, which I know is a long wait, but it does pay off when you see the quality of everything. Plus it’s just fun to imagine how hamefura would go if it followed the typical “villainess otome isekai” format.

I actually love talking about hametsuo, so maybe my posts are woth the look ;; w ;;

The Light Novels

credits to @sparckle-art​ for the scans!

I’m happy to read that a lot of people are gonna go switch and buy the light novels after the anime ends! By the time the anime ends, the Vol. 6 of the LN would release a week later, acting kind of like a replacement of what is supposed to be a new episode for that week.

The fan-translated version of the web novel is available online, up until half of Vol. 4, but I still recommend buying the books on bookwalker (i don’t know if the sale is still there, but I’d recommend picking up the book regardless!). If reading the fan translation piqued your interest, then playing for the books would definitely worth your money if you ask me! 

An increase of sales might show them that there’s interest for this light novel, and might make them translate the JP novels even faster! (or maybe i’m just too impatient to wait 2-3 months for Volume 7 dshfjsfgs who knows?)

My only warning is that the tone really does shift post-arc 1 (Fortune Lover I) so if you’re looking for harem hijinks, from spoilers I’ve seen I think there would less of that and more of world building. (ps. please stop asking me where to read it ;;-;;)

Edit: Volume 8 is coming out in a few months, with Volume 9 probably being released at either Jan or Feb next year, then after that it’ll be a yearly update

StoryMe Otome Game

credit to the hamefura reddit discord for the screenshots!

I’m surprised a lot of people doesn’t know about the StoryMe game, despite it updating every week alongside the anime. Just kidding I didn’t either lol, I actually found about this thanks to the hamefura reddit discord server! StoryMe is a choose-your-own-adventure otome game, kind of like those “Episodes” or “Chapters” game that gets recommended on Youtube a lot. 

It’s still in japanese, which is probably why not a lot of people knows of it yet, but it seems like you can play as Katarina and romance anyone from the entire harem (yes, the girls too), so keep you eyes peeled for if ever it gets an english translation!

It’s basically the bluray Fortune Lover game with the DVDs, but instead of Maria, you actually get to play as Katarina!

(I’ll make a separate post for this later, maybe)

Edit: The game just came out in English in September 16, and just spat out a 11-episode update at September 30

tldr: go play it, it has 19 episodes out right now

Katarina’s Farm

It’s a newly announced mobile game with a web trial version that centers around playing as Katarina, trying to earn money and points for expanding your farm land, planting more expensive plants and getting the other members of the harem to join you! It’s a 2D pixel game that seems like it wouldnt take too much time to play (you can get the first 4 characters within 30 minutes of gameplay, but that might be adjusted in the mobile version) so I understand if it might not interest some people, but that’s still something to look forward to!

I made another post about it so check out the link to the web version here!

The Bluray Otome Game

While I can’t say this for certain, but maybe if there was ever an official english bluray release, it might include the Fortune Lover Male Capture Target Routes that are included in the game. Maybe someone will play it and translate it even! It would interesting to see how different the boys are, and give us further appreciation for Katarina’s influence and changes!

There’s a preview for a CG in Keith’s Route, which comes with the second bluray (no pv for Geordo ;; w ;;)

Edit: All the boy’s routes are out in Japanese

We don’t know if they’ll ever be released in English though, so hopefully someone translates them at least ;;w;;

The Manga and Yuri Anthology

Missing the hilarious and heartwarming antics of Katarina and her harem? Then you should check out the Manga Anthology (that has just been been translated in its entirety). It’s 14 chapters of absolute hilarity!

There’s also a Yuri Anthology, featuring the 4 girls of the harem! If you’re looking for more of that then, it’s an absolute recommendation!

Spin-off Visual Novel

Edit: They recently just announced a spinoff visual novel! It takes place after the Fortune Lover 1 Arc and features sexy pirates hgsjhgsdf

It’s just recently announced so there’s not a lot of info besides the company making it (it’s Otomate) and the fact that it’s gonna be an all new Bakarina adventure uwu

Bakarina Radio

I heard there’s a Bakarina Radio too, featurning the VAs of the anime cast. 

I don’t know if its a regular thing or a one time thing, but its still worth checkin out!

https//twitter.com/hamehura/status/1309831738525278209

The Second Season of the Anime

I seriously wasn’t expecting another season, considering how different the next arc is, but I’m happy nonetheless for more Bakarina! I hope this motivates the fans to continue supporting the series, as a bigger reaction will definitely lead to more content for us to enjoy! I have a theory about S2, which I think is worth the read :3c

Other Otome Isekais

There’s a lot of other Villainess Otome Isekai’s that are worth the read, and a lot of them as just as interesting as hamefura, despite the lack of a harem (from deep rooted revenge to hilarious and crazy villainess, there’s a lot!) The quickest recommendation I can give is just looking up “Akuyaku” and “Villainess” on Mangadex (do both btw they dont have the same results), but theres a lot that doesn’t get recommended so do your research! I swear it’s worth your time!

Anyways, I hope any of these fill the hole that the hamefura anime will leave in our hearts as we wait for season 2! (sorry for repeating the same line again hdsfgdjhsfg) Feel free to add anything like fanfic recommendations and artists, as I can’t cover everything on my own, as those really help provide hamefura fans with content :DD

[hashtagartistlife]

Do you have a license for all these hot takes? ▲ Unleash the other meta conversation. Please give use Ichigo.

Or not, apparently I don't know how to read and missed that you already did one for him. Oh well.

Even though I’ve already given my Hot Take about Ichigo (see here), I figured I can take this chance to write that meta I promised re: ichiruki’s double protag status, the meaning of ichigo’s name, and what it means to be a shounen hero. This will also sort of addresses the debacle a few months ago in regard to the Only well-worded, moderately coherent and somewhat valid IH meta I have read, which is also primarily about the meaning of ichigo’s name and how that ties in with the overall theme of protection throughout the manga. (I think the basis for the IH meta – that Ichigo only ever uses the serious form of the word ‘to protect’ for ORIHIME as an individual, and that the other times he uses them are for broader swathes of things—has been debunked in the comments, but since I don’t speak Japanese I really can’t figure out the validity of either side of the argument so I’ll take it as it is. Also, when I say ‘somewhat valid meta’, what I mean is in the context of the narrative I don’t think it’s valid at all, but at least there aren’t major glaring logical fallacies in the meta itself. The bar is so, so low for IH meta. I’m not even sure we can call most of their…. text-vomit… meta at all. 

Anyway. Petty and off-topic.) 

So, here goes: the meta about ichigo’s name and how it correlates to the theme of protection throughout the manga, what it means to be a shounen hero, and why and how those two things tie in with ichiruki’s double protag status! 

Ichigo’s name is comprised of two kanji – one obviously the kanji for the number one, the other a kanji that means ‘to protect’. We all know this. This leads to Ichigo’s name potentially having two interpretations: ‘one protector’ (or as the official eng translation put it, the one who protects), or ‘to protect one thing’ (the translation used in the scanlator’s versions + official kr translation). Both would make sense given the context of the entire story, but I tend to think the latter version is slightly more relevant (not necessarily more accurate— just more relevant), mostly because in chapter 19, straight after hearing the meaning of his name, Ichigo goes on to single out one thing (one person) that he wants to protect—his mom. 

(And why does he single out his mom for this honour? Because his mom always protected him. This is relevant a little later.)

He then does go on to say that as his sisters were born and he went to the dojo and got stronger, the list of things he wanted to protect grew, so it’s absolutely valid to read his name as just meaning ‘protector’. But, despite that, it’s very clear in the text that Ichigo always has one thing (person) that he wants to protect above all no matter what. This is the ‘one’ thing that he associates his identity of ‘protector’ to. Initially, it’s his mom—because when she dies, despite the ‘growing list of people he wants to protect’ still existing, Ichigo loses his sense of identity as ‘the protector’. Sure, he still protects his sisters, but it’s duty driving him— he no longer thinks of himself as a protector. How can he, when, in his view, he’s the one who practically killed his mother? His ‘growing list of people to protect’ halts to a stop, and years later, we see him telling Rukia that he’s ‘not a good enough guy to stick his neck out for other people’. This is a lie, as we all know, but it’s important that Ichigo is espousing this rhetoric. He has stopped actively wanting to protect. 

So, despite Ichigo having an innate desire to protect, I would argue it’s conditional – 1) dependent on the one person he wants to protect the most (e.g. his mom, and, as I will argue in a moment, Rukia) being alive and well, because otherwise he just falls into despair and rejects his identity as protector, and 2) initially dependent on the subject of protection being someone close to him. Ichigo, despite having progressed to ‘I will definitely protect everybody’ by the tybw arc, did not start there—it was a progression! He starts off very small and quite selfish – first, the person most important to him, his mom. Then his family. Then his friends. Then friends of friends, then acquaintances, then—and so on. This is why I said Ichigo is self-centred: everything he does is dependent first and foremost on the things and people that are most important to him. (Which is fine for a normal person! Maybe not so fine as a shounen protagonist, though that part comes later.) Ichigo doesn’t start off with some lofty ideal to protect the whole world – compare that to Rukia, who lands in the story and immediately demands him to protect everybody, regardless of distance or convenience. As dux put it in his excellent meta, this is an instinct towards protection versus a philosophy of protection. Ichigo has an instinct to protect, like most people do! But Rukia has a philosophy of protection, which most people can’t even begin to fathom or try to emulate. (This will, again, be important for a later point in this post, but for now, back to ichigo’s name.) 

So basically, we have established so far that: Ichigo’s name means one who protects or protector of one thing. But whichever interpretation we go by, it’s evident in the text that Ichigo has a… tether person, of sorts, that he ties the meaning of his name and his identity of ‘protector’ to—a person he wants to protect above all. Initially it’s his mom. But after his mom dies? 

It’s Rukia. 

It’s blatant. Ichigo being unable to save Rukia in ch56 broken coda is DIRECTLY paralleled with him being unable to save Masaki. At the end of the arc, in having saved Rukia, Ichigo regains his identity as protector finally gets some closure re: the Masaki era of his life: ‘the rain’s finally stopped’. It’s very clear that Rukia’s importance to his identity as protector is equivalent to the importance that Masaki had on it. Rukia has now become his ‘tether’; Rukia is now the person he wants to protect above all; Rukia is the one, who, should he fail to protect her, he would fall into despair and reject his protector identity again. He WAS a little down about being unable to protect Tatsuki, Chad, and Orihime in the HM arc, but it was nothing like the abject despair he experienced at Masaki’s death + Rukia being taken away for execution, and as soon as RUKIA comes back and affirms his identity, despite the fact of his failure still existing, Ichigo perks straight back up. Basically, failures to protect people other than Rukia get Ichigo down, but it’s not enough to keep him down as long as Rukia’s still standing. 

Ichigo also consistently goes apeshit over Rukia’s safety in particular. He’s not spurred into action re: going to find the Vaizards until Rukia becomes hurt. He thinks of Yammy and Ulquiorra, but his eyes don’t glaze over black until he thinks of Grimmjow, who has hurt Rukia. He refuses to split up and Rukia specifically calls him out  that it’s out of concern for HER safety. As soon as he feels Rukia being cut down, he immediately throws away the mission to go save her instead. And most importantly – what’s the main criteria for Ichigo deciding on the one he wants to protect the most? It’s the person who protects HIM. Rukia is one of the only people in the text who consistently protects Ichigo, physically, mentally, and emotionally. (She is also the only person that the text refers to as having ‘saved’ Ichigo. Nobody else gets this distinction.) 

Alright! So Ichigo’s instinct towards protection has a self-centred bent to it, and the person at the centre of this instinct has gone from being Masaki to Rukia. So what now from here? 

A little bit of a tangent: when I first read the chapter regarding the meaning of Ichigo’s name, I was a little taken aback, because – what a selfish name for a shounen protag, for someone who’s supposed to go on to become a hero of the world. Heroes don’t get to protect just one thing, they have to protect everybody! How is Ichigo going to be a shounen protag saving the whole world, if he’s only going to protect one thing? 

To answer this question, we need to have a look at what makes a typical shounen protag. Look at Naruto, whose ‘ninja way’ has rehabilitated countless people, who eventually became Hokage, so that ‘his ninja way’ officially became adopted as the whole Leaf Village’s ‘ninja way’. Look at Luffy and his crew, whose carefree attitudes and ride-or-die comradeship between their crew members is widely admired and emulated. Look at Fairy Tail, where Natsu’s guild is the ideal for what a guild should be, and many guilds have reformed in their image with their values. What makes a typical shounen protagonist, I would argue, are two main things: an indisputable, unshakeable, almost inhumanly good ideal widely recognized within the canon as the way that things should be, and the faith, power, and drive necessary to rehabilitate people to this ideal and change the world so that it becomes closer to this ideal. 

Naruto is the ideal of a ninja. Luffy and his crew are the ideal of a pirate crew. Natsu’s Fairy Tail guild is the ideal of a mage guild. 

Is Ichigo the ideal of what a Shinigami should be? 

Not initially! Initially, he’s just a prickly little kid with a shitload of trauma and depression to boot! Initially, his instinct to protect has a self-centred bent to it! Initially, he’s not even a Shinigami at all! 

This is where Rukia comes in. Rukia and her philosophy of protection is the ideal of this series – she is what all Shinigami should be. The text isn’t even subtle about this—Rukia canonically has the most beautiful sword (soul) in all of Soul Society. Realistic or not, Rukia is the ‘absolute good’ of this universe—her ideal is, theoretically, the universal ideal. 

But idealism alone doesn’t make Rukia the protagonist-- Rukia lacks the faith, power and drive necessary to turn people to her way of thinking and enact change, which is the other key component of a shounen protag. This is the part that Ichigo supplies—his complete and utterly unshakeable faith in Rukia and her values, the power necessary to back those values, and the ability to spread these values far and wide so that other people start to take up these values as well. I said above that Rukia’s philosophy of protection is so far-fetched that most people can’t even begin to fathom or emulate it—but Ichigo is not ‘most people’. He’s a shounen protag, goddammit! He has the ability to take up an ‘ideal’ that for most people would be impossible, and actually enact change towards that ideal. 

This is why Ichigo and Rukia are double protagonists. Not because they were designed to be matchy-matchy or because of their avalanche of matching titles or whatever else. This is why. They are literally two halves of one shounen protagonist. Kubo called them sand and rotator in the side A and B poems, and he could NOT have picked a better analogy for them. Think of a watermill (or a sand mill, as the analogy is given), which is used to grind grain. The mill by itself cannot perform its purpose any more than the water by itself can magically grind the grain. The water needs to be driven by the wheel through the right mechanisms, and the wheel needs the water to actually function. Rukia drives Ichigo, points him in the right direction with her values, and Ichigo supplies the force necessary to enact change. Rotator, and sand. One protagonist, split into two. 

(As a completely unrelated aside, I don’t know what it’s like in Japan, but in Korea ‘grinding the grain’ is a euphemism for sex, and watermills are inextricably associated with illicit liaisons. They’re the eastern world’s equivalent to the western world’s stables- any raunchy business conducted outside is usually conducted in a watermill.) 

This is also why Ichigo’s name wasn’t something more all-encompassing. He can ‘protect one thing’ and still be a hero – as long as the ‘one thing’ he protects is Rukia. He wants to protect Rukia above all else, to the detriment of others, even (as evidenced by him turning away from rescuing Orihime to rescue Rukia)—but Rukia tells him no, no, I refuse to be protected by you, you have to protect the whole world. This is why it HAS to be Rukia for Ichigo – anyone with less than the absolute selfless ideal that Rukia has could never make Ichigo into the hero. Rukia turns Ichigo’s head to the whole world, opens his eyes to the possibility of protecting more than those in his immediate circle, makes him selfless enough to go through with it. Rukia makes Ichigo the hero. (Big aside: I’m not using ‘hero’ and ‘protag’ interchangeably here. Ichigo is the ‘hero’ of the narrative, but BOTH ichigo and rukia are the ‘protagonists’ of the story.) 

But that isn’t the end of it. I have mentioned, in the past, that Bleach is not typical shounen, that it is structured more like YA lit and should be analysed as such. ‘But Sera! You just spent like 2 A4 pages talking about why Ichigo and Rukia are Standard Shounen Protags together!’ Ah but you see, that’s only initially. INITIALLY, Ichigo and Rukia need each other to become One Whole Stock Standard Shounen Protag. Rukia lacks faith and drive, Ichigo lacks ideal. They need the other to support their flaws, initially. To be completely honest, this is an excellent way to start an unhealthy codependent relationship. The most beautiful part about Ichiruki is that they don’t go down this path at all. They start becoming a whole shounen protag individually, by adopting the other person’s strength as their own. Rukia’s ideals inspire Ichigo, and by tybw, he is as avid about protecting everybody as Rukia is. Rukia sees Ichigo’s unrelenting faith in the fact that she is a good person worth saving, and starts believing in it herself and reciprocates in kind in HM and FB arcs. This is where the YA component comes in—YA protags, unlike typical Shounen Protags, don’t start off with an unapproachable ideal and the power+faith+drive necessary to change the world with it. They GROW into it. That is what Ichigo and Rukia are doing—they are both growing throughout the whole story to fit their protagonist roles, so that eventually, they can become One Whole Independent protagonist on their own. 

It’s a beautiful, perfectly balanced, ironic jigsaw puzzle: Rukia had the ideal, but didn’t have the ability to turn others to this ideal. The only person she turned to it was Ichigo, but that was enough—Ichigo turns everyone else to it as well, overcoming centuries of tradition. Ichigo had the faith and drive, but no-one to put it behind. The only person he put it behind was Rukia, and that was enough—she and her values guide his choices and actions, and he becomes heroic. Ichigo and Rukia each failed one criteria for being a shounen protag, except with each other, BUT THAT WAS ENOUGH. Affecting and changing just one person—each other—was enough to set everything in motion.

A couple other points that I couldn’t find a place to fit into the essay cohesively, but think they’re still worth a mention:

Rukia says ‘all souls should be protected’, and she enacts this by protecting Ichigo, who is a hybrid of all the different soul types present in the narrative: human, quincy, hollow, reaper. Ichigo, despite being such a mixed entity, identifies firmly as shinigami, not because the shinigami convinced him with their ironclad, lofty morals but because Rukia did. 

If Ichigo’s main flaw is being self-centred and tunnel visioned + a weird sort of superiority/hero complex, then Rukia’s main flaw is probably the exact opposite - despite having this incredible ideal, her lack of faith in herself + her tendency to obey the system in all but the most dire, life-threatening situations. Even their flaws are a perfect balancing act, mitigating each other out. (Rukia’s main flaws I probably want to go into in a bit more detail some other time, since it’s not something the fandom in general has much discussion on.)

So! In summary, the tl,dr version: 

Ichigo’s name means ‘protector’ or ‘to protect one thing’ (both versions have been used in official translations). The latter is more relevant, as I have explained above. This ‘one thing’ initially is his mom, but by the end of the SS arc, it has very firmly become Rukia, again evidence listed above. 

This had the potential to be problematic, as it’s not very heroic of someone to want to protect just one person, to hell with everyone else. BUT the narrative sidesteps that by making Ichigo and Rukia two halves of one shounen protagonist, and making them work best when they are together.

Shounen protags require two components: an ideal, and the ability+desire to enact that ideal. Rukia had the former, Ichigo had the latter. That’s why it’s not problematic for Ichigo to want to protect just one person most— because that one person is actually the ‘ideal moral standard’ of their entire universe, and she keeps telling him to use his powers for good and not just her. 

But that’s not even all. Initially, they need the other to become ‘whole’, so to speak— but they don’t stay that way. Ichigo and Rukia have an immensely positive impact on each other, and help each other grow to adopt the best traits of the other and become a hero in their own right. Again, this is why they are both protagonists— because both of them kept growing and changing, right up to the final arc. 

So, even though it’s been said a million times before, it bears repeating: Bleach genuinely is a story about Ichigo and Rukia, both of whom felt a little displaced in their own worlds and had trouble making connections. They connected with each other, and only then could their immense capacity for good could start changing the world. That’s really the crux of it— that it had to be each other for these two, not anybody else. Nobody else could bring out the best in them except for the other. They would never have become this extraordinary had it not been for the other person recognising their inherent value. It absolutely had to be Rukia for Ichigo, and vice versa. It’s always going to be the Ichigo and Rukia show.

[meimi-haneoka]

Hello! I'm the not-word-good anon from earlier who should've gone to sleep before sending that ask XDThing is, I don't think Kaito tried to hurt anybody but one person. First of all, the danger of the artifact seems (from how I understood it) to come from the accumulated magic being dangerous specifically to the non-magical Akiho, not that it's inherently designed to harm. It's just a side-effect. (1/5)

Awwww hello anon, thank you for replying to me again!! First of all I want to apologize for the delay (again) of my reply, truth to be told I had started replying to you already yesterday......and then....due to a mistake, I ended up losing everything I had written, and it was a long ass reply (as probably this one will be, let's see if I have the patience to re-write all of that 😂). Unfortunately the auto-save wasn't turned on so here I am, typing everything once again from scratch! I also want to thank you for your nice words (about 'what I do', I just really try my best to spread my love for this series) and I'm really glad to know that my posts have encouraged you to come out of your silence and theorize about the story!! I appreciate a lot the enthusiasm and passion that I can feel from your words, so will you allow me to reply even if we might not agree on all aspects? Is that okay? (Also, I hope I received all the intended asks because there are some numbers missing, hahah)

Let's start from the beginning, Akiho's artifact. I think we have a differing idea of how the spell that the Association and the Squids have imposed on Akiho works. Maybe it's also due to the official ENG translation, I have checked that part and that chapter/scene in particular was translated with lots of inaccuracies, so maybe that's why. If you can, I suggest you to look for Impatient Scans' translation of chapter 35 (where we find out about the ritual through Sakura's experience), you can still find it on sites like Manganelo. Impatient Scans always did such a perfect job with their translations (see, it's not that I'm against any translation that is not mine: they really did a wonderful job, sticking to the original text and meaning as much as possible, and it's really telling that a fan scanlation did a better job than the official one but was forced to interrupt due to copyright reasons) so I totally recommend reading their version till the last chapter they released.

Back to us, and the artifact. Basically, the spell they decided to use on Akiho in that ritual is first of all considered a taboo spell, for evident moral reasons, but not only: its purpose is to turn a human being into a magical artifact. And it's so taboo that it ends up being dangerous even for the casters: we find out later, in fact, that both the Association and the Squids had some members losing forever the ability to perform certain magics as a consequence of having participated to that cursed ritual. The purpose of the artifact is indeed inherently harmful for the bearer, because its goal is to hoard and inscribe on the body of the bearer as many magic spells (obtained from magic books) as possible. And it's specifically said by Kaito that one of the effects of this spell is to crush the soul of the bearer. You have to imagine the body of the bearer as a container with a small balloon inside, representing the person's soul: what happens if you keep stuffing that space with more and more things, till you reach the limit? At one point, the balloon (= the soul) will break. Poof. Disintegrate. That's what got Kaito so on edge and so desperate for this whole time. Because that's a kind of death, per se. A body without a soul is like a walking corpse. Akiho wouldn't have been Akiho anymore. And the spell is specifically designed to obtain that effect because a magic artifact is so much easier to control if the human hosting it doesn't have a soul, a conscience. So it's apparent that, regardless of the bearer having magic or not, the artifact would've obtained that effect anyway. Even if it was passed on Sakura after a switch. And Kaito knew of this, that's why I don't agree on the fact that he would've passed it to Sakura nonchalantly.

Indeed, Kaito turned out to act precisely as you said: he attracted all the distrust and rage on him, but he didn't care, as long as he could bring to completion the only thing he genuinely ever wanted in his life - to keep Akiho safe and happy, without harming anyone in the process. Kaito unfortunately was "stinking" of self-immolating tendencies since long time, particularly for the past he had. Even just seeing how he used time magic without any regard for his life was already an indication that he didn't intend to get out of this alive. My comments on your predictions: 1) It's true that Nadeshiko's watch disappeared after the time rewind, so we don't know exactly where it ended up to, but as the Time Card was created with that appearance, it probably went inside that Card.

2) About Rika meeting Akiho, please keep in consideration that the JP text (differently from the ENG) only said that memories were rewritten by Kaito, not the actual facts or reality. Surely, discrepancies changed some things as to accomodate Akiho into the Kinomoto's household, but from how I interpreted things, this is just a giant hallucination everyone is under, for the effect of the forbidden spell. So it's entirely possible that things up to the point of the enforcement of the spell STILL happened exactly as they happened, but after the spell was activated, everyone's memories (and certain things like the costumes, roles etc) were changed to accomodate for the outcome Sakura and Kaito wished for (the change of the roles in the play, and Akiho being born as Sakura's sister). Because, as I've seen someone pointing out in the fandom, if the entire fabric of reality was rewritten, the artifact itself wouldn't even exist to begin with. Instead, we sadly know that Kaito had to take it into himself, with all the crushing spells (another indication that the artifact is harmful for whoever takes it in: Momo told Kaito that it would be harmful for him precisely in this chapter). This also makes things relatively "easier" if the kids want to reject this situation/break this spell and go back to normal. One thing is retrieving their true memories, another is to mess with reality itself. Also your point 4), Lilie's ring should be with Momo right now. We have seen Akiho's mother placing it on Momo's ear in the flashback, and it's represented by Momo's crown (which she didn't have before receiving that ring from her) in her true form.

Your point 5) is actually very interesting: while I do think that the dragon might be a representation of the seal imposed on Kaito, that same dragon was also depicted on the cover of the book where supposedly the Squids and Association took the ritual to turn Akiho into an artifact from. So yeah, we might have more surprises from here on out!