#vs. the original that was speaking specifically to Black/brown audiences and if you were a white viewer you could keep up or not

[chronomally]

I'm rewatching The Birdcage and there's something about the like incisive satire of queer comedies from the '90s that are so thoroughly unconcerned with the feelings of cishet audiences

[thesunnyshow]

Name: Megan

Writing Blog URL(s): @yunocity​

What fandom(s) do you write for? NCT (127, Dream, Wayv, U)

Age: 20

Nationality: Asian American

Languages: English, Hmong with limited knowledge in Chinese and Korean

Star Sign: Sun: Scorpio, Moon: Taurus, Rising: Aquarius 

MBTI: ESTJ-A

Favorite color: Black, red, white

Favorite food: Spring rolls

Favorite movie: Miracles in Cell No.7, Love Rosie

Favorite ice cream flavor: Mango

Favorite animal: Baby pandas

Coffee or tea? What are you ordering?: Tea!

Dream job (whether you have a job or not): Marketer for a luxury fashion company or a high-end makeup brand

Go-to karaoke song: Video Games- Lana Del Ray

If you could have one superpower, what would you choose?: Mind Reading!

If you could visit a historical era, which would you choose?: Roaring 20s

If you could restart your life, knowing what you do now, would you?: No, I think the way my life is laid out is how it’s supposed to be. I’ve made mistakes and I’ve learned from them. I think if I were to restart my life, I’d not be who I am at this moment and I like who I am right now, I like who I’ve grown to be! 

Would you rather fight 100 chicken-sized horses or one horse-sized chicken?: 100 chicken-sized horses 

If you were a trope in a teen high school movie, what would you have been?: The dancers/athletes!

Do you believe in aliens/supernatural creatures?: I’m skeptical about them so yes 

Fun fact about yourself that not everyone would know?: If you look closely, my eyes are different shades of brown!

When did you post your first piece?: May 11, 2020

Why did you decide to write for Tumblr?: I’ve been on Tumblr for a long time, but I’ve only gotten into reading other accounts’ works 2-3 years ago. Eventually, they inspired me into wanting to make my own writing account and share my stories and ideas!

Are there any times when you regret joining Tumblr?: Nope!

What inspires you to write?: My emotions and ideas. Also reading old texts from people I love or used to be in my life, tv shows/movies/kdramas, vision boards, and aesthetics of different countries around the world. Most of the time, my mind just comes up with wild random scenarios.

What do you do when you hit a rough spot creatively?: I take a break! I’d close my laptop and usually go dance (it’s a way for myself to take a break, yet still feel physically inspired), spend time with family, grab a snack, do some digital art, or research a conspiracy theory!

Do you write fluff/angst/crack/general/smut, combo, etc? Why?: Yes, I write smut (legal members only ofc), angst, and general. I write those kinds of genres because those are the most common and there’s so much that you can do with them! You can write them however you want and write whatever kind of plot you see fit, there’s so much flexibility.

Do you write OCs, X Readers, Ships...etc?: As of right now, I have been writing for “X Readers” because I want to be really inclusive of everyone! I don’t think I’ll go into OCs or ships (assuming idol and another idol?) because I don’t see that as inclusive. I most likely will stick to “X Readers”.

Who is your favorite person to write about?: Jaehyun from NCT

What genres/AUs do you enjoy writing the most?: I’ve only gotten to post one kind of au (arranged marriage au), but some that I have in my drafts that I absolutely enjoy are idol au, friends to lovers au, enemies to lovers au, mafia au, fwb au, and mythology au. A genre I also love writing is angst!

What is your writing process like?: I usually write at night after I shower and do my night routine. I plug in some headphones, play some music that fits the mood of the story presently, and start writing! If I have writer’s block, I’ll usually watch some old mvs that bring back old memories!

What is your favorite work and why? Your most successful?: I haven’t published it yet, because it’s still under the wraps and I want to post about other members too, but I have a mythology au with Jaehyun and it’s my absolute favorite right now! I can’t wait to post it!!

Do you think there’s a difference between writing fanfiction vs. completely original prose?: Yes and no! Yes, because whenever I think of (original) prose I think of a technique of writing that flows naturally with speech and has grammatical structure, so as long as stories have those skills, I would consider them as so. We as humans actually speak, write, and think in prose because it’s seen as a straightforward language and conversational speech. No, because at the same time prose consists of many things. There are several types of prose (non-fictional, fictional, heroic, poetic), so if a story states that it is a specific prose, I would say there is a difference!

What do you think makes a good story?: Emotion 100%. The ability to write with emotions without straightforwardly telling the readers what kind of emotion is felt within a character. Also description of an environment, again, having the ability to describe a moment without stating it like it’s supposed to be obvious. 

What do you hope your readers take away from your work?: The emotion that my writing invokes from them. I want them to read my work and feel the emotion that I’m trying to provoke! Also the fact that I work hard and put a lot of thought while being realistic as I can with the plot! 

Would you ever repurpose a fic into a completely original story?: Not yet!

What tropes do you love, and what tropes can’t you stand?: Ones that I love are enemies to lovers, friends with benefits to lovers, friends to lovers, different worlds (metaphorically), and I have some more that I can’t think of! Ones that I cannot stand are, stuck together to lovers, secret billionaire, childhood marriage promises, amnesia, and “If i can’t have you, no one will!!” 

What has been one of the biggest factors of your success (of any size)?: Definitely my process/planning; on how I think of a story and plan it out on my iPad with a bunch of side notes and idea webs.

How much would you say audience feedback/engagement means to you?: Oh, it means so much, I can’t even explain. I love it when I get asks that tell me about how mad they are, how much they cried, or how happy they are about something that happened in the story. It means a lot because it means that they actually read through my work and enjoyed it. I love it when my followers and anons talk to me in general!

Do you think fanfic writers get unfairly judged?: Yes, I definitely think that we get judged for being too much in our head or having too many unrealistic fantasies. Fanfic writing is just another way of expressing our ideas simply with the person we adore from a group, it doesn’t necessarily mean we fantasize it to happen. 

Do you think art can be a medium for change?: Yes! I think that any idea from the mind that expresses emotion and inspiration visually or not, is considered an art. There’s a lot that goes into writing than what people think! Such as finding the creativity for metaphors in a story that will not only bring out emotion from the character and reader, but also a visual representation to symbolize the emotion. 

Do you ever feel there are times when you’re writing for others, rather than yourself?: Yes, I always get asks asking me when I’ll update, but it’s not too much of a bother because I know they’re just really excited for the next part or another set of work. 

Do you ever feel like people have misunderstood you or your writing at times?: Not at all, I think I do a fairly good job at writing to the point where there’d be no misunderstandings. 

Do your offline friends/loved ones know you write for Tumblr?: No, I like to keep it private because I’d rather have them not tease or make fun of me for what I genuinely like to do. 

What is one thing you wish you could tell your followers?: That I literally love them all so much and I appreciate each and every one of them. I mean it from the bottom of my heart, they’re all so nice, welcoming, and supportive. It encourages me to write more! 

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers who might be too scared to put themselves out there?: Definitely go for it! You’ll never know until you try! There will be people who don’t like it, but those who truly love your writing will support you forever, will stick around, encourage you, and lift you up. Be confident in your writing, be confident that your brain came up with such an amazing plot/story and has woven so many things together to create it!

Do you have any mutuals who have been particularly formative/supportive in your Tumblr journey?: I do have a few mutuals that I talk to. One of them has read my story and given such good feedback, which I loved because I’m always looking for opportunities to grow as a writer. 

Pick a quote to end your interview with: “Throughout life people will make you mad, disrespect you and treat you bad. Let God deal with the things they do, cause hate in your heart will consume you too.” -Will Smith

BONUS K-POP CONFIDENTIAL

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[meggtheegg]

Hey! I've noticed that you do these "actor interpretations" for the actors of Dear Evan Hansen. They are all really good interpretations and I wanted to ask if you could possibly do one for all of the Evan actors that you have seen up to this point. I know that I am asking a lot out of you, but I would be very appreciative! Your reviews are so in-depth and I love reading them all!

Just want to say, this ask absolutely made my day! Thank you! I’d be more than happy to do more of these. They’re a lot of fun for me :D This one is going to be more specifically about the different actors’ techniques to convey Evan’s personality, but if you want one that’s more about Evan as a character, feel free to ask! 

Michael Lee Brown - So MLB was the first Evan I ever saw, and he will probably always be my favorite. The biggest thing that stands out with his interpretation vs most of the others is that MLB’s Evan is unquestionably autistic. All the Evans seem to have a nervous tic, but with him, it very clearly crosses into stimming. Constantly moving his hands, toying with his backpack strings or his tie or the cast. Seeking sensory input all the time. Very obviously making his worst decisions when people are yelling, ie. sensory overload. Those are just a few examples out of many, but I think you get the point. I’ve made lots of posts before breaking down why Evan is a better character if he’s on the spectrum, and I truly believe making that canon is the best way to go. What’s also really nice about MLB is that he has faith in people liking him. Some other actors try way too hard to be likable, in fear that Evan’s choices will make the audience hate him. MLB knows that if he clearly establishes Evan as a good but flawed person early on, then by Act 2, he can kind of be a jerk and not lose the audience’s support. And he is a jerk, especially towards Jared, and that makes for a very interesting show. If Evan is always a victim, then it’s just two and a half hours of the world beating up on a kid with anxiety. If Evan is clearly the cause of most of his own problems, especially in Act 2, it becomes so much more compelling, because there’s suddenly much more depth to both Evan and the people around him. Also, his chemistry with Mallory Bechtel is beyond anything I’ve ever witnessed in an onstage pair. I actually think the Evan/Zoe romance is pretty badly written, but they make it work. They look at each other with this powerful, innocent adoration. It’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen.

Colton Ryan - I was lucky enough to see the show almost exactly a week after the first time I saw it. Ben Platt was out for those two weeks, and MLB and Colton went on alternating days. So, the second time, I got Colton, and he made for an entirely different show. Much like Michael, a lot of his Evan comes from the physicality, but in a very different way. MLB’s Evan, up until the orchard scene, always looks like he’s not quite sure how to hold himself, and he usually takes up a lot of space. Colton starts out very intentionally making himself as small as possible. Hunched over, eyes on the floor, arms pulled in or wrapped around himself. He also speaks more timidly and quickly, like he wants to get talking to people over with. Sometimes, he even stutters. His Evan is definitely not on the spectrum, but is the best representation of crippling social anxiety I’ve seen. As the show goes on, he grows more confident and his posture gets better, he becomes more expressive, and he radiates this energy that always comes with newfound confidence. When the truth comes out, though, you physically see him wither, right back to how he was in the beginning, and it’s only then that you realize just how much he’d changed. Another interesting element to his Evan that is entirely out of his control is his appearance. An argument could be made pretty easily that Colton is the most “conventionally attractive” of the Evans. He looks like the kind of kid who’d be really popular in high school, and the fact that he’s not gives a pretty clear indication of just how scared and withdrawn he is. And, it makes his sudden popularity and relationship with Zoe feel a little more empty, but (unfortunately) much more realistic.

Taylor Trensch - Poor Taylor was wildly miscast in this role. It’s not his fault, at all. He just wasn’t a good choice. His voice didn’t fit the music style, and it’s painful listening to the vocal damage between his first and last show. He’s also been out of high school for a long time. Where the others were recent college graduates, Taylor has been out of college and living adult life for so long that he seemed to struggle to convey what it’s like to be a teenager. He always acted either too young or too old, and like I mentioned with MLB, he tried way too hard to make the audience like him. Even if it made the other characters’ reactions make no sense, he constantly made Evan the oblivious good guy who smiled his way through every poor decision and genuinely adored his mom and saw Jared as his best friend and put all his energy into the Connor Project. Everyone’s sudden anger at him in Good For You seems out of left field, and there is no satisfaction when his mom apologizes, because it feels like it doesn’t fit. He clearly tried his best, and he seems like an incredibly kind person, but Evan Hansen just wasn’t the right role for him.

Roman Banks - God, I love Roman, and I love everything that comes with his Evan. There’s something so powerful about the Connor Project being entirely made up of black kids, after the original version of the show was so overpoweringly white. As for his performance, he seems to have taken a lot of cues from Ben and MLB, in his physicality and his line delivery, but he did definitely add his own spin on things. His Evan is so sweet and you just want to hug him, always. He’s quiet and shy, but super friendly. That’s the biggest change between MLB and him. He’s a lot nicer and has far less of an edge. But why does it work with him, but not with Taylor?  Well, instead of being cheerful and friendly because that’s just how he is, Roman’s Evan is clearly terrified of not being perceived as nice. It’s essentially a coping mechanism. If he’s nice to everyone, he won’t get hurt. So he feels like he has to be sweet all the time, and when it becomes impossible, he gets frustrated. When he fights with his mom, he’s upset because she’s not getting it, but he’s also not trying to help her get it. I think he works very hard to be so kind to people and feels put-out when it seems like others aren’t putting that effort in. He’s naïve and definitely doesn’t understand others as well as he thinks he does. Something about him, more than any of the others I’ve seen, genuinely feels like a teenager. And this was his debut performance. I would love to see him become the full-time Evan or the alternate after MLB is gone, so he could have a chance to really grow and evolve, because if he was already that good, I can’t even imagine how amazing he could become.

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Black and White Dogs and How Alone Might Foreshadow the Whisperers

Despite the long title, this won’ be terribly long. I promised this post back before Sunday’s episode, so here it is. I wanted to get it posted before 9x07, because we know we’ll be meeting Daryl’s dog in the episode tomorrow. (Yea!)

So @thegloriouscollectorlady and I were hashing this out, and it got me super-excited. The most obvious conclusion to draw about Daryl’s dog is that it becomes part of the black/white/horse/shoe laces theory.

Here’s what we already know:

Black and white shoe laces/ties = Bethyl.

Black horse (Buttons) = Daryl, which means white horse = Beth.

Now, we have the dog. Granted, Daryl’s dog isn’t completely black. More brown/multi-colored. But it’s definitely more dark than white, right? 

So if dark dog = Daryl, then white dog = Beth. And where did we see the white dog last? In Alone.

Now, this makes perfect sense, because we’ve known for a long time that this white dog = Sirius/dog star symbolism, which, by extension = Beth. So this is nothing new.

But what this got me thinking about is that the dog is LITERALLY Beth. Not just representative of her arc, but actually, literally represents her. Maybe that’s not so different than what we already thought, but it still sent me thinking in new directions.

For example, the dog running away literally foreshadowed that Beth was about to disappear. Again, I know I’m kind of splitting hairs here. There’s not tons of difference between the dog representing the Sirius star, which represents her disappear-and-return-arc, and the dog literally representing Beth, but think of it this way. Daryl had a very small interaction with the dog. Hardly anything to speak of. Then it disappeared and he never saw it again. So it represented the very small amount of time he had with Beth in S4, and then she, for all intents and purposes, disappeared from his life.

But notice I saw he never SAW the dog again.

I emphasize SAW because he/Beth/the audience did HEAR the dog again. It started barking again just before Daryl opened the door and the walker herd got in. But we never actually saw the dog after that first time.

That thought really sent me down the rabbit hole.

On the one hand, not SEEING the dog but being given a sign that it’s still around is pretty much what Beth’s whole arc has been for the past 3 years.

But I remember back when I first started my account, asking questions about what happened to the dog and what people thought. Most people responded that they assumed the dog had either run away or been eaten by the walkers. Okay, maybe. But we didn’t actually see that. And we know details and what we see vs. don’t see is extremely important on this show. So the dog really just disappeared. Poof. Like Beth—I mean smoke!

I was also bugged by the how the walkers got up onto the porch. Daryl set up tin can alarms, and I believe we heard them when the dog barked, so Daryl assumed it was just the dog triggering them. But it wasn’t. It was the walkers. Still, how did the walkers get up onto the porch and claw at the door without them hearing them? It’s not particularly realistic, but I can accept it if it’s symbolic of something.

It’s almost like the dog was warning them about the walkers, who were right on top of them and they didn’t know it. For a while, I wondered if the Grady cops had been watching the funeral home and purposely set a trap, somehow directing the walkers up onto the porch to scare any people out and take them. The walkers have never been explained, so it’s possible something like this is the case, though it certainly didn’t seem that way from what we learned about Grady.

Okay, let’s look at this logically. The dog was…sort of warning them about the walker horde by barking. Then Daryl opened the door and got blindsided by the walkers. (Not to mention, him saying, “Go up the road I’ll meet you there.”)

So, I’m gonna cite 7x12 one more time. I haven’t even mentioned this since the episode, but we were 100% right in our analysis of the foreshadows in 7x12 and what it meant for Rick as a death fake out. I’m pretty sure we were the only ones who specifically mentioned his “death” would be by walker horde, even before the spoiler site knew that. So that just goes to show how in-depth the foreshadowing is.

So white dog = Beth. White dog warns Daryl about the walker horde. Then, in the midst of this walker horde attack, Beth disappears. It’s also worth mentioning that when Daryl leads the walkers into the basement, he becomes trapped, and uses scissors to stab several of them and escape. Scissors that are identical to the ones Beth used in Coda. So, we have some Grady symbolism going on here.

What’s my point? I think this entire sequence is one great big foreshadow. We’re seeing Daryl’s dark dog this season, so maybe that means we’ll see the white dog again (whether literally or just symbolically, which would mean Beth).

But if the walker horde = The Whisperers (because they’re the group you would always think of to be symbolized by a walker hord) then maybe the white dog (Beth) will show up to warn Daryl/TF that the Whisperers are coming, just like the dog barked in Alone to warn them about the horde.

Maybe they used this for her original disappearance because it would mirror how she would return: via the Whisperers.

I’m not sure what Daryl leading them into the basement would represent. @thegloriouscollectorlady has some theories. Suffice it say, it may represent something he does after the Whisperers appear that we haven’t seen yet. I’m sure we’ll know it when it happens.

So yeah. This is what got me so excited. Think about it. The Whisperers are pretty much the only arc that could literally be symbolized by a walker horde. You wouldn’t think of the Saviors being associated with walkers, or the Hunters, etc. Because the Whisperers walk around with walker hordes, they’re the ones who have to symbolized by any given horde.

So when I realized this about the dogs, I realized that, assuming I’m right, Beth HAS to be returning with the Whisperers. And guess who’s here as of last week’s episode? Could I be wrong? Sure. I always can be. But I’m SUPER-excited about this. We should know pretty soon, by the end of the season, if not sooner, whether or not I’m right about this. Cannot wait to see how the rest of the season plays out! Thoughts?

[kinonoranove]

Kino no Tabi (2017) episode 4 review

The Ship Country

I’ll be frank, as someone who have read the original light novel, I found this episode downright disappointing. This episode fell into the trap that rushing adaptations tend to fall into, cutting a lot of meaty parts that only the not very delicious barebone be left. However I did read other discussion threads in other website and find the large portion of new viewers okay with this episode, so I can see that as a standalone story it managed to convey some meaning to the audience.

The core story about the Ship Country is already straightforward enough like all other stories they picked for this season, so I just want to go right into what the anime cut out that make this adaptation not work with me. If you are a new viewer who like the episode just fine, then you could stop reading here if you are tired of adaptation vs original source debate.

To give you a general idea, in the LN normal-lengthed chapter is usually 20~40 pages, longer chapter like Colosseum (adapted in episode 2) is 60~80 pages, and then there are a few behemoth chapters over 100 pages like the Ship Country. With such a length it should take at least 2 episodes to fully adapt “The Ship Country”, but the 2017 anime gave itself a difficult task of cramping the whole story into a single episode. The thing is, I’m fine with anime shortening and modifying the given material to fit into a 20-minute timespan as long as it still managed to tell a coherent story. This episode didn’t give me that impression, as the final scene between Shizu and Ti became very out of left field given the underdeveloped relationship between them due to the anime rushing the buildup.

I have reread the original story in the LN just now, so I will list what the anime have rushed and changed from the novel below:

1) The whole chapter was narrated by the dog Riku. Riku noted early on that Ti looked very foreign among the ship’s residents because the residents tent to have brown or black hair hair, while she had white hair and green eyes. Ti guided Shizu around the ship for 10 days and they have developed some sort of routine and emotional bond during this time. Ti took a liking to Shizu, voluntarily followed him around and found joy in eating Shizu’s bland portable rations. Riku also noticed that none of the ship’s residents want to associate with Ti. Ti didn’t speak at all and she even shook her head when Shizu asked her if she can write, all of this should be because of her complete isolation from the residents, so nobody taught her anything about communication. Despite that, Ti had very good memory and observation when she showed them around the ship and pointed out 143 locations in the map, which impressed Shizu and Riku.

2) Shizu was concerned that the residents look much older than their age as their meals mainly contain seafood and nothing else. It was also reported that the population on the ship highly decreased in recent years. Shizu asked some people worriedly about the ship’s shaking and poor condition, but despite that they said it’s normal and they are completely content with their life. Their denial to Shizu when they tried to go back to the Ship Country at the end also stings more as the Elder pointed out that travellers are wanderers who have lost their homelands who could never understand about the love people have for their own countries.

3) I just really like this piece of dialogue between Kino and Shizu after Kino’s identity was revealed, which showed these two’s clashing viewpoints, so I leave this here:

"In any case, I'm working for the rulers of this land until we reach the western continent in exchange for being allowed to stay here. I don't really want to do this, but I have to live too. Would you please go back?" Kino got straight to the heart of the matter. "I refuse." "You're not a citizen of this country. I don't understand why you're doing something for a stranger's land without even being asked to." Kino declared calmly. It was certainly like her to coldly point out the logic of the situation. Normally, of course, she would be right. A traveller must worry only for his own safety. He has no obligation to concern himself with the matters of other countries or people. To risk his life for them would be insanity. However, Master Shizu's answer was immediate. "It's because I realized something. If I can do something to give all these people a 'future'…" "…" I felt like I could hear Master Shizu tighten his grip on his sword. "I feel like I just have to try, you know?" I could not see Master Shizu's face, but I'm sure he must be laughing from his heart. "I see… Then it can't be helped. I will do my job."

Even after Kino’s identity was revealed, Kino and Shizu’s fight still happened and in the end it was Kino’s victory again. Kino tried to announce the result to the Tower Clan, but because they were deep inside the ship, moving far from their original fighting location, so the Tower Clan didn’t hear Kino, and assumed that Kino lost. Then they decided to not board the land anymore to stop Shizu’s plan, much to Kino’s shock. So Kino had no other choice than to assist Shizu in overthrowing the Tower Clan and driving the ship to land.

4) In the middle of the way to the control room the group stopped by the  weapon storage in the Tower and took some weapons (including grenades) to fight against the ruling class. It was also implied that Ti could have took the knife here for self-defense (as it was specifically said that for a short while Riku didn’t really notice what Ti was doing).

5) Ti stabbing Shizu might have been a shock to readers but thanks to all the buildup in point no.1 & 4 above that it didn’t come out of nowhere like the anime. Shizu might not know about Ti’s situation, but he didn’t even pick up the obvious hints that the ship residents clearly didn’t care for Ti and the fact that Ti stubbornly followed him everywhere because she wanted to follow him and get away from the residents. Furthermore, Hermes revealed that the ship residents regarded Ti like a bad omen or demon because the ruling class used her to spy on the residents. Ti following Shizu at first was also spying, but then she truly took a liking to him, if the scenes when she refused to leave Shizu in bedtime as well as showing him beautiful sea views were any indication. Now with the AI ruling class gone and with the ship residents detesting Ti, Shizu telling her to go back to the Ship of Doom was like a death sentence for her, so she vent out her desperation by stabbing him.

6) When observing the situation unfold, Kino drew out a gun and asked Riku “Which one?” (as in which one should be left to die), meaning if Riku chose to save Shizu, Kino would shoot Ti, and if Riku wanted to spare Ti, Shizu will die. It was pretty clear from the outlook that Riku wanted to save Shizu and Kino was very down to shoot Ti, then Shizu suddenly shouted out “Neither” meaning he didn’t want anyone to die, showing his determination in saving Ti. It was a very emotional scene in the novel.

7) When Shizu collapsed and looking like dying, Ti was even more devastated and took the grenade from Shizu’s body for a double suicide. Finally, Kino shot the grenade away. (Things wouldn’t have been this bad if Ti had spoken up about herself before, but her communication skills were non-existent and her spyche was fucked up due to long-time isolation so Shizu really got involved in a real mess here.)

8) In the aftermath, Kino took care of Shizu for a while and intended to leave while he’s sleeping, but Shizu woke up. They shared another conversation which showed their different purpose and outlook on traveling, which I like so I leave it below:

“Could I just ask you one more thing?" "What is it? "I feel a bit bad for interrogating you like this, after all the help and support you've given me, but… Don't you ever think about settling in one place to live, Kino? Don't you want a safe, secure life where you're surrounded by loved ones, never having to worry about where to rest at night?" "I don't know. At the moment… well, I don't think I'll ever think about it." "That's completely fine with me. After all, it's a motorrad's jay to be able to always be on the move." "'Joy', right?" "Yeah, that." "… Isn't it… painful?" "It's not all fun." "…" "But it's not all pain." "I see. I guess everyone has their own perspective on things." "That's right."

Phew, that was long. If anyone was confused about Ti, I hope the long infodump answer your questions. Some more notes about Kino:

- I’m not thrilled with the anime’s choice of stories. They should have marketed this as a sequel (with a few remade backstory episodes for new viewers) rather than an unrelated reboot to previous anime. Ep 2-4 just have to pick specific stories from different volume (vol.1, 5, 8 respectively) where Kino became proactive, which is not Kino’s norm.

- In the novel, Kino also rarely broke 3-day stay rule got involved in the countries’ matter, unless Kino is requested to use marksmanship skills by the countries and is offered food, shelter and payment for it in order for Kino to cover traveling expense like ep 4, or due to unexpected circumstances like ep 2-3.

All translation credits go to Untuned Strings.