#so i'm wondering if this qualifies as

[project-sekai-facts]

How are we feeling about ensekai’s emu3 translation!!! (I’m mad)

(if you remember the 3 whole posts i made when asahi got de-gayed on EN you'll know i am mad too and that this is probably going to get long)

i don't like to be too cynical but it was so obvious that they were going to change that line, i had a feeling since the event first released on JP and after the incident with Asahi where I went through and tracked down multiple other examples of EN removing queer subtext it became clear to me that in no way shape or form was "emu-chan really loves nene-chan" making it to EN without getting changed. what i didn't expect was them changing Nene's line after Luka's comment, which actually makes this whole situation far worse than many of their other instances of toning down queer subtext.

for anyone who isn't aware of what happened, in chapter 5 of the current Emu event, there's a scene where Nene, Rui and the Virtual Singers are talking about what would cheer Emu up. The vsingers all talk about how much Emu loves spending time with Nene, leading to the following exchange

If you look for them, any fan TL of this scene will be something similar to this:

Luka: ...Fufu. Emu-chan really loves Nene-chan, doesn't she? Nene: Th-that's nothing special...

EN's official translation is this:

So what's the issue? I'll start with Luka's part. In the original text, she uses the word daisuki, which can mean to "like a lot" or "love". It's a word you will see frequently in the idol/idol-adjacent genre of games, due to its ambiguity in that it can be read as either platonic or romantic when used towards a person, and often will be used in ambiguous situations so that it's harder to confirm the writers' intentions either way. so here, fans of the emu/nene ship could view the fact that emu loves spending her time with nene as more on the romantic side, but people who don't like the ship could view it as platonic and move on.

while they didn't translate daisuki directly, Luka's line still works, and still contains the ambiguity that works as ship tease in the original text. it's a perfectly fine localisation that still conveys the original intent. despite that, there is something to be said about EN's consistent refusal to translate daisuki as love in most instances when it's not used on An/Kohane (but then again, EN has literally teased An/Kohane on their twitter account so is it all that surprising?).

Here's some examples:

Aibou no koto ga daisuki de / he loves his partner -> he cares about his partner very much (The Power of Unity chapter 7 when Kaito is comparing Arata to Akito and Toya)

HARUKA-CHAN, DAISUKI DAYOOOO!!! / HARUKA-CHAN, I LOOOOOVEEE YOU!!! -> You're the best!!! (Dear Me, As I Was Back Then chapter 4 when minori is at an ASRUN concert. this one isn't actually that great of a localisation)

Honachan no koto daisuki dakara. Kore de iinda yo. / I love Honachan, so this is fine. -> I want what's best for her. And this is it. (Leo/need main story chapter 14 after Saki tells Honami she won't bother her anymore)

Minna daisuki de - taisetsuna tomodachi na no / I love them all - they're my dearest friends -> They're all amazing, and very dear to me. (Leo/need main story chapter 17. this isn't good either)

What's particularly amusing about that last one is that there's a second official translation for it that I assume was done by JP staff (since EN never promoted doing the Journey to Bloom subs like they did back when they provided subs for Petit SEKAI) that actually keeps the word daisuki as love.

Yeah. I love all my friends - and they mean the world to me.

It's a better localisation than the official EN team one.

Questionable localisation choices aside, Luka's line is fine and is actually in line with the original. The issue with this localisation very much lies with Nene's part, because that is an entirely new line.

In the original text, Nene's "that's just normal" or "that's nothing special" or however you choose to TL it, is meant to be her questioning Luka's statement, since all the things that the other vsingers said that Emu liked were pretty normal things like going shopping and playing video games with nene. To Nene, these things are normal activities for them to do together, so she gets embarrassed by the fact that Luka concludes from that information that Emu loves Nene. When I dissect it like that I think you can really tell what the writers were going for here lol.

"That's just us being friends" does still convey the idea that Nene thinks these activities aren't anything out of the ordinary and she isn't sure why the vsingers are picking these out as some of Emu's favorite things to do, but it's very different from the original line. "But those are just normal things we do together" is something I just came up with on the spot, but it's a lot closer to the original text and still conveys the same meaning. The fact they changed the line to "that's just us being friends" is, honestly, not even subtle that they're covering up queer subtext. The original scene was very clearly written in as ship tease, and EN mentioning "friends" for no reason, especially since the word nor anything close to it was not used in the original, is instantly a red flag because it's like the go-to for queerbaiting and censorship. This was intentional. There was no need for them to specify that the relationship is platonic, Luka's part is ambiguous for a reason so that fans can view it how they like.

Just to top all this off, here's Rin's original line just before that Luka+Nene interaction:

Oh, and! And! She said that playing games with Nene-chan is also super fun!

And here's Rin's line from the official EN translation:

That's not the same thing, but even more weirdly, the incorrect part (super fun->really loves) is a correct translation for the part changed in Luka's line. So, they can do it, they are willing to say "really loves", just not in the right places. Maybe because Rin's part is less personal than Luka's part? It's strange actually, this isn't the first time they've done this either. Off the top of my head I can think of an example from Shiho's Varied Kindness 2* story where they translated the word "suki" as really loves, despite that being much stronger than the original word used (and the fact that daisuki is used a lot in the Leo/need stories and it's incredibly rare if not entirely unknown for them to translate it correctly).

It's not subtle that they're trying to remove implications of the characters possibly being queer, they did it in curtain call and they did it in walk on and on, and multiple times before then too. And considering some of the content in this year's events and the amount of times they say daisuki alone, it's gonna keep happening. honestly i hate the fact that i keep trying to justify the translations in these posts. these translations are intentional. what happened in the curtain call translation back in october says enough. when a character who uses explicitly romantic language towards another guy passes as a straight character in the translation you know they're doing it on purpose.

oh and once again, it's only the EN server that has this issue. The scene in question was translated almost word-for-word on the TW and KR servers.

read fan translations. they're better than what EN gives us and people put a lot of effort into them.

[nachosncheezies]

In defense of late-canon x files (including the revivals)

I was thinking about this poll after I commented on it, and I kinda want to be brave and say more.

Short answer to the poll's question before I go any further: If you're a new fan and a sensitive sort who thinks you'll struggle with your blorbos Really Going Through It and you really need a happy ending, I suggest you stop at the end of season 8. Do not pass go, do not look at spoilers. Disregard this post entirely, close the internet, and go look at something that makes you happy. (Also fuck every part of society that characterizes sensitivity as inherently weak and bad and some kind of personal failing, you are valid.)

That said, "quality" as a concept is entirely subjective, and the question of whether or not there's a decline in quality for any story is wholly subjective, too. In the case of x files? I'm not convinced there is a decline. I am going to be upfront that I haven't yet watched past season 8, though I am almost completely spoiled on events after that - and the reason I haven't watched yet is not because of how I know events are going to unfold, but simply because I don't want it to end!!! Ohh, the tension between "I CAN'T WAIT!!!" and "Nooo don't be over D:"

When I first came to txf fandom on tumblr and gradually became spoiled about what happens in late canon though, I was often left uncomfortable and tbh kinda queasy about it. As I said in my comment on the poll, the hate for especially the revival and IWTB, or to a lesser extent even seasons 8 & 9, is very well documented. But! There are other takes to be found here on tumblr if you figure out where to look, and my feelings have changed!

The thing is, I have yet to find myself in any fandom where there isn't a vocal subset of fans who dislike the story after a certain point. I am not joking when I say that no one hates the things they love as passionately as sci-fi and fantasy fans. In my experience, it often hinges on the extent to which a viewer has strong notions on where they would like the characters to end up. In particular with series where shipping is a dominant component for the bulk of a fandom, I have almost universally found that there comes some turning point in the story where "let them be happy you cowards" is the dominant view, and things that compromise the attainment of a degree of romantic stability and/or domesticity are, to many fans, annoying at best and despicable at worst. But! As one tagset on the linked poll said:

and I think for any fandom, that last tag especially is so so so important. (I think that's harder for people watching a weekly series live, bc you have so much time to analyze and speculate and dream before the next breadcrumb drops, but I digress.)

So why am I saying this and how do I apply it to x files? Well, I eventually found that there are also a subset of fans who find redeeming things right up to the very end and actually quite like the whole thing! The things that I had seen people rage and ventpost so much about honestly never quite sounded to me as "out of character" or "untrue to the story" etc as those same ventposts made them sound. And I've discovered I'm not the only one who felt that way. Do I love that the spooky squad had to go through all of those things? No, those poor guys D: Life is hard and they have been through so much trauma. But do those events and their choices make sense to me in light of everything that came before? Yes! And I honestly can't wait to see them fight to overcome those things, breaking, healing, always learning, always growing, always getting better.

So if you're wondering "where does it go wrong"... well, I'm a completionist, as many people who've answered that post are, but also my personal opinion is that I don't think it does go wrong. If you're new and interested in exploring why I've gone from "vaguely queasy" to "excited" about the whole thing, or want to maybe balance out the impressions you're getting about the later seasons before deciding whether or not you want to see the whole thing, I'll put a few blog names in the comments.

Final admission: even once I started feeling a little more confident in the possibility that "actually ok maybe I'm not crazy, maybe this all kind of is in character and does make sense", there was one big plot point that I was NOT looking forward to and I thought I would never be comfortable about. In hindsight, I think my discomfort came from the negative responses being SO seemingly universal that I hadn't stopped to let myself truly consider other possible interpretations on that point. (I mean my initial instinct when I first read about it was, why are we mad about this?? CSM is literally the most unreliable narrator in history???? it's obviously fake news?????? this must be either a fever dream someone's having or it's a misdirection ploy against whatever shadowy forces might still be lurking?????????????? but for whatever reason I guess I had halfway written that off.) Happily, just last month there's a new post-s11 novel out, and although reviews for the book as a whole are mixed, it seems to have laid the groundwork for resolving that plot issue in a way I think most fans would be broadly happy with. If you're interested in being spoiled about that and seeing how, I recommend searching #perihelion on @agent-troi who liveblogged reading it with receipts, scroll back chronological-style to the first post on the subject and see how it unfolded. (And never forget that Dana Katherine Scully is the queen of denial as a coping mechanism lol)

Everyone's mileage will vary. Each person can feel however they want! But for anyone new, I wanted you to know that the very many ventposts you might be seeing are not all there is to this show or its fandom. Some of us love it despite - or even because of - all the things that went "wrong". I think we just don't talk about it as much.

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

the x files au where everything is exactly the same except mulder takes home the child neanderthal from the jersey devil episode and raises them as his own

[ramenwithbroccoli]

when i was 13, i gave up on drawing. after years of being the dedicated "art kid" of the family and telling everyone i'm going to study in art school, i quit. my art didn't feel good enough and i didn't see the point. there were others better than me, and i would never achieve the same as them. so i gave up (for a very stupid reason. don't be like me)

but then i got into spg. granted, i still couldn't draw, but i posted doodles and edited pictures. i tried different artforms, like when i made hatchworth out of felt. it was good to make something with my hands.

and then the newest thing - fanbots. i had some murky ideas, some sketches, but it felt silly to just post them liek that. but when fanbot avalanche shook the fandom and my one project was almost finished, it was a perfect chance to share it. and i found people enjoyed what i created. then - other characters came around, and i was drawing them too - either as a thanks or to show people how much i adored their concepts. and it felt wonderful.

what all of those paragraphs mean is: thank you all. for creating your art and characters who may inspire others, for writing elaborate stories, for adding funny tags, for sticking around. all of that resulted in the urge to create outweighting the self-consciousness, and i'm sure glad it did because it feels lovely to make something. it's not about perfection. it's about having fun and trying new things and love.

so thank you <3

[deoidesign]

happy birthday! I just wanted to let you know that I came across this account after seeing this sick horror piece of old time churches, decinding to follow the page, and then realising that it was the same artist who'd written that sick comic on time travelling werewolves and vampires which I'd lost. and they're both t4t too ! effervescent

thank you!

Honestly it is an extremely unfamiliar reality that someone could know me from multiple different things... Not sure what to do with that but I'm glad to have impacted you in small ways and I hope to continue to do so! So thanks for being here, I'm glad that fate brought us back together haha

[charismaquark]

Finally watched Goncharov (1973) and while I’m not generally into mafia movies... the Fruit Stand Scene???!!!

THIS LIVES RENT-FREE IN MY MIND NOW.

Katya gives Sofia the apple. Sofia hands Katya the pomegranate. The Eve-Persephone parallels (women whose destinies changed irrevocably after being tricked into eating a piece of fruit) are SPECIFICALLY invoked. But the real question is, which one is which?

The framing of the scene suggests that Sofia is Eve (about to lose her sense of innocence and be inducted into the knowledge of evil), and that Katya is Persephone (trapped by a marriage that binds her forever to the (criminal) underworld). Except, that also makes no sense because we don't see them eat the fruit. How could they reap the consequences for an action they didn't actually take?

I would argue that it's not about the fruits they RECEIVE... it's about the ones they OFFER. The fruits they have already eaten, and been doomed by.

Sofia doesn't need to learn about evil. She lost her whole family. She knows enough about evil already. And Katya doesn't need to be bound to anything, when her own choices have left her so deeply entrenched.

"That’s the first lesson. Always blame the Devil for your crimes." (0:15:24)

Katya is Eve. Katya got roped into this mess a long time ago and has so many regrets now that she understands what it all means. Katya plays her piano in the room next to a murder, not because she doesn't know what's going on, but because she DOES. Katya wishes more than anything that she could turn back the clock to some idyllic time before her daughter died, before she joined the mafia, before she ever had to steal a purse or put a gun to a man's head. She tries so hard to end that cycle of violence... and it doesn't work. It was never going to work. The Apple of Eden isn't part of a cycle; it's just the beginning of the story.

"Don’t you dare speak to me about Cosenza." (1:20:41)

Sofia is Persephone. Sofia is constantly arguing that murder isn't necessary- but she also nearly drowns Katya, and shows a bizarre fascination with death when Katya threatens her with the knife. Sofia is linked to nature (the green dress, the sunset motif, the vase of flowers in her first scene) but in paltry, disconnected ways (her dress has metal buttons, the sunsets are over the city, the flowers are halfway to wilting). Sofia is part of a cycle; moments of happiness and joy, interspersed and defined by recurring instances of death and violence. Her childhood in WW2. The incident where she lost her leg. Whatever happened that made her learn how to use a gun. Her whole bloodied dynamic with Katya now. But Sofia CAN escape... for a time. She can walk away from the violence and have her summer in the sunlight. At least until tragedy strikes again.

Which makes the ending of the movie really bittersweet. Sofia sails away on the boat (Charon's Ferry, making a reverse trip across the River Styx). And the scene closes as the first snowflakes start to fall. Winter comes to Naples, because spring follows Persephone when she leaves.

How long until she comes back?

[aelloposchrysopterus]

Today's apparently hot take: Bioengineering is not inferior to other types of engineering.

[endofyourdecadence]

i have some news that i'm very excited about yet simultaneously terrified of sharing, but i really want to share it, so i am begging you to keep your opinions to yourself if you are going to invalidate my identity upon reading the post.

so, i had an (unrelated to gender) endocrinologist appointment today (basically it's the doctor i see for my diabetes but since she's an endo i figured i'd shoot my shot on this), and i worked up the courage to ask my doctor about going on estrogen, as i had my ovaries yeeted five years ago and stopped testosterone three years ago since it was making my dysphoria worse after a certain point. and she agreed to start me on a mid-level dose of estrogen!

i have had a hell of a journey to get to this point, trying to figure out how i'm comfy presenting and what my goals are with regard to transition, with some regrets and missteps along the way. for clarity, i'm cafab intersex and nonbinary. i identified as a binary trans man for years because i didn't know that dysphoric nonbinary people were a thing, and by the time i figured out i wasn't a dude, i had already legally changed my name and gender marker. the gender marker has been changed back to female to match my birth certificate since i'm no longer on testosterone so when i moved to a different state they had to go by my assigned sex at birth, and if they ever legalize marriage for people on the type of disability i'm on, i'll probably just change my first name and middle name when i change my last name to my fiance's. hopefully someday ohio gets an X marker for gender so i don't have to misgender myself on official paperwork.

i was on testosterone for seven years and while a lot of the changes were affirming, the big thing that bothered me was the body shape changes. i have never really wanted an inverted triangle body shape (not a judgment on anyone with that body shape, i just feel as if it's too overtly masculine for me to be comfortable having on myself), and seeing it in the mirror, watching my hips and ass seemingly disappear, made me incredibly uncomfortable. i wouldn't exactly describe it as dysphoria at first, but after a while, it did get to a point where i was dysphoric about it. i have always felt somewhat uneasy around men with broad shoulders and the inverted triangle body shape due to trauma (it makes me feel like they're going to hurt me since they look so strong), and seeing it in the mirror was extremely upsetting.

now, if i'm cafab, why do i need estrogen? well, first of all, by the time i was in my twenties, my ovaries were essentially non-functional due to the whole intersex thing. so at age twenty-two, i had a total hysterectomy where they took my entire internal reproductive system, including the ovaries, tubes, uterus, and cervix. i'm essentially a cafab eunuch. my body has basically no sex hormones in it anymore, because it is incapable of producing them in an amount that would have any effect on me.

anyway, i'll probably pick up my prescription on monday if my insurance doesn't pitch a fit over my chart still saying my sex is male since they changed it after i got my plumbing yeeted.

[sysig]

Cat wearing clothes (Patreon)

[softgrungeprophet]

this may be shocking, but if you want to "share" artists' work or show it to your followers, you have to actually share it.

i don't make or reblog those "you better reblog/comment/like!!" posts because they're annoying and guilt trippy but what do people think the reblog or retweet buttons are for? arguing?!

[theflyingfeeling]

aaaarrghghgh 😭

[tvrningout-a]

yells!! i'm gonna update my resume and put in some applications but i don't wanna!!

[soraaiame]

I'm applying for different jobs right now, and initially applied for an administrative assistant job at a local towing company...but they just messaged me asking if I wanted to apply for an open tow truck driver position???

I was about to message asking if the position I applied for is still available, and that I don't think I'm qualified for the driver position since I have never operated a tow truck before (and have never been behind the wheel of a large truck EVER in my life) but then I stopped to consider it...

I do have general driving experience, and the job listing sounds like they'll train me for it, plus that position sounds like it pays better than what I applied for, I wouldn't have to use my personal vehicle for work anymore (because my current job is killing my Jeep 🥲), and THEY asked ME to inquire about that position so...?

I'm going to ask my mom and sister for their opinions, but I think I might go for it! In the list of potential jobs, tow truck driver was NOWHERE on my radar, but since it's kind of fallen into my lap like this I think I'll give it a shot! 😁

[scorndotexe]

honestly the biggest thing i have against it in an irl setting is my irrational fear of prions

i understand but that's still not an argument based on morality

[bronzebtch]

god, she was so rhea (AND SO RIGHT) when she said this and then the darkling just ended up dismissing her 🧍

( s&b spoilers under the cut )

[wereverine]

3rd night in a row i've watched pbr,, i need to go to a rodeo