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[turtleskunks]

First significant detail that stuck out to me as lost in translation (in fan translations at least): the wording of the Will of Abyss talking about Alice, and how it compares to Xai talking about Oz. In the Japanese, the dialogue is exactly the same. This works because subjects/objects are frequently left out of Japanese sentences, but that isn’t usually the case in English. It being exactly the same sort of explains some of Oz’s visceral reaction to hearing those words in particular

Like the poor boy looks utterly horrified by that particular line saying ‘it’d have been better if Alice were never born’

Tbh I’m unsure whether the quotation marks in that speech bubble are because the WoA is quoting someone (Alice’s internal thoughts? idk) or because Oz recognizes the words as the exact same he’s heard before from his father.

But either way, it’s the exact same wording, very intentionally, and was unfortunately lost in the English translation

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Okay, I can sorta understand why some portions of this series creeped me out as a child

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Everytime I reread pandora hearts, it’s an immediate jolt seeing Mochijun’s old art. Like it’s still nice art, but it’s definitely more... Typical shounen art style?

And then later on it gets just... Absolutely gorgeous

I always worry when I go on and on about PH’s art, people who haven’t read it will just see the early stuff and think that’s the best it gets. But seriously, idk if I’ve seen any other mangaka change style and grow so much throughout a series as Mochijun did.

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Been reading through Pandora Hearts again now that I found a place to read the Japanese version alongside the English, and I’m looking forward to seeing the differences in writing (even tho my Japanese is awful). I imagine that a lot of things are vague in the Japanese version to better allow for the twists

Sadly, I can’t compare it to the official English versions cuz my official books are halfway across the world from me rn. But hopefully the fan translations don’t differ too significantly, lol

[turtleskunks]

Hades is a stupidly funny game 😭

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sylvain x felix is so good their supports and ending are so jjgjfjkjs the pairing needs more fandon content

they are!! wonderful!!!! sdjfhgsdfjhg i know the game has only been out a week but I need…more……..

[turtleskunks]

Finished a little drawing for one of my favorite Three Houses ships! I love love Dimitri/Ashe to the death of me, so once Dimitri’s summer alt dropped in FEH–I had to pair them up, asap!

Ashe is all too excited to talk to Dimitri about this brand of Crab. But the prince is content just looking at him too ☺️

(Bonus points if anyone can note some key differences in their outfits. They might have swapped an accessory together 😉)

Mini sketch under the readmore:

Keep reading

[turtleskunks]

[10]

okokokok ok ok ok ok 

SO KUROGANE

Like

ok I’ve been defeated by feelings I can’t arrange my thoughts

But KUROGANE

HIS PASSIONATE DEFENCE OF FAI

It’s almost a shame that Fai will never see this happen. It’s definitely a mercy that he’s passed out from the pain and shock at this point, but he’ll never get to see just how protective Kurogane was over him in this moment. The part just before this where Kurogane has a hand each on Syaoran and Fai, and when Autopilot slowly starts to hurt Fai again Kurogane HURLS HIM. 

HE JUST BODILY THROWS THE ENTIRE BOY ACROSS THE ROOM HARD ENOUGH THE BREAK HIS ARM ON IMPACT

And then HERE

Where you can SEE his memories of Fai in the background of the middle panel here. They’re re-used panels from earlier chapters, but at the same time you can see which exact moments have imprinted themselves on Kurogane’s heart. 

Fai smiling, saying he’s decided not to use magic. 

Fai going against his own motives and everything he’s been working towards and using magic to save his new family. 

And Fai smiling at Piffle, happy at Sakura’s success, but also unguarded, alone in Kurogane’s company, noting how much their children have grown. How much he cares. And this is the moment right before Kurogane tells him that he has too. 

The love he has for Fai is so clear - for who he is, but also who he’s chosen to be, the choices he’s made, the parts where he picks them. 

All of that echoes in his dialogue, where he’s telling this to Autopilot, but the thing he emphasises is that Fai changed himself for them, and Kurogane noticed every step of the way. He excludes himself from the equation (because he’s Kurogane, of course he does) and yells that Fai chose Sakura and Syaoran and has changed as a person to keep them safe. 

He’s swinging Fai’s love for his new family like a banner in an effort to bring Syaoran back, except it falls on deaf ears. 

And OH

OH THE POETICS BEHIND THIS ENCOUNTER

Where both Fai and Kurogane are doing the opposite of what they’ve been doing so far. 

Fai’s been avoiding his magic like the plague, hiding in the sidelines, pretending like he’s not involved - but at the first sign that Syaoran is in terrible danger he dives right in and uses an Extreme amount of magic to try save his life, AND willingly puts his own life on the line to try and save his soul. It’s the direct opposite of everything that would ensure his own goal succeeds, because in this moment those don’t matter as much to him as Syaoran’s own safety. 

And Kurogane too! To get here Kurogane drops his sword without argument. He’s here without a weapon, not fighting, and using his words the best he can to try and reason with Syaoran with feelings. Again, the complete opposite of anything he’s done in anything we’ve seen so far.

And just like Kurogane is pointing out about Fai, both of them are changing themselves drastically in this moment to try and save Syaoran’s soul, and it makes the tragedy of their combined failure all the more heartbreaking. 

[turtleskunks]

[19]

When you pass another gay in the street

[turtleskunks]

[7]

I tweaked a line so it matches up with our translation notes, and Seresu spoilers to follow, but OOH

OOH this is satisfying the second time around.

COMPLETELY worth it.

Especially when Fai explains that he’s going to keep maintaining this distance between Kurogane and himself moving forward. 

It’s BURSTING with all the character development that slides right by you the first time around. 

Back in the Reservoir Fai CHOSE the family. He COMMITTED to it. And yet, Fai’s weakest moment Kurogane made a decision in spite of what Fai wanted and Fai got turned into a vampire. 

And that woke Fai up. He snapped into full realisation of everything that he’d done and how he got here and what it all meant. It’s a volatile mix of what Kurogane had done to him, his choices being taken away, the KNOWLEDGE that he’s in too deep, that they’re in love, that Kurogane would do THAT much for him, and the familiar escalating guilt that he’s abandoned his twin a second time around for his own happiness - a chance that he shouldn’t have in the first place. And this hits right back to his backstory, down in the pit, where (thanks to Evil Wolverine’s memory meddling) Fai thinks he chose to let his brother die so that he could live. He’s lived with that his whole life. So here he is, ready to fix it, ready to make the Correct Choice this time and choose to die for someone else. He chooses (for the second time) to volunteer his death so that others can live. 

And AGAIN he is robbed of it. This time by Kurogane. 

But Fai doesn’t know this - he was robbed by Evil Wolverine the first time, and his whole life since then has been a carefully fabricated lie without his knowledge. He doesn’t KNOW he made the same choice both times. He doesn’t KNOW that he was always a good and selfless person, and has instead lived his entire life trying to change something he never did wrong in the first place. 

From Fai’s point of view, he chose Selfishly and Unforgivably as a child and watched his brother die for his own benefit. So in Acid Tokyo he’s faced with the same choice again and tries to choose the selfless option instead - and Kurogane takes it away from him. 

Kurogane is right to, to save Fai’s life, but as far as Fai knows Kurogane is reaching right into Fai’s past and forcing him to choose the death of his brother all over again. 

So instead of this becoming a changing point in Fai for the better, it actually slams him in full reverse. He’s course correcting, retracting all affection and fun and any fragment of himself that he’d given to Kurogane. 

And even that aside, how much must Fai RESENT himself for what Kurogame has done. Especially after his whole life he thinks he’s brought misfortune and tragedy to everyone around. He never wanted anyone else to get hurt for him, not ever again, and here is Kurogane swearing his life away for his benefit JUST LIKE his brother did. 

It’s too much for Fai. 

He can’t do that again, especially not to someone he loves, and especially not to someone he loves like Kurogane. 

Fai blames himself for what’s happened between them and the only solution that will keep Kurogane safe is if Fai retracts his feelings completely. At the same time, Fai feels betrayed by Kurogane for unknowingly recreating the trauma that he thinks he caused as a child, and he can’t accept that from him. 

Never mind the fact that it’s a bit too late - that he has to feed on Kurogane to live. As far as Fai is concerned, he shouldn’t even be here to do this to him in the first place. 

And look at what has happened because he’s here? All the harmless fun he indulged in, the teasing names and the stolen moments he thought would mean nothing, have instead lead to Kurogane trading away anything he has to save Fai, and it’s all Fai’s fault that he did any of this to him in the first place. 

Fai thinks that if he had never instinctively called Kurogane any of those nicknames, Kurogane never would have loved him like this. 

Which, like, laughable, but still. 

The conversation turns to Sakura next. Fai learns where she is and he instantly flips into full panicked concern. 

And what’s so INTERESTING about Fai’s change of priorities in Acid Tokyo is that he doesn’t retreat into himself and his original goals, as you might expect. Instead of fueling his life back towards reviving his brother he instead dedicates it fully and formally to SAKURA moving forward, and I just find that so fascinating. 

Chapters ago he committed to this family but Kurogane scared and hurt him so badly that Fai is trying to desperately distance himself from him, to protect them both. 

But that doesn’t apply to Sakura, and Fai is on Sakura’s side FULL BLAST regardless of everything else. 

Part of it is because this is the way it should have been for his original mission, I’m sure. He was supposed to guide Sakura through her journey and in exchange he would get his wish. 

But that’s not entirely true anymore. We see it in just a bit, but there’s a moment where Fai’s love for Sakura actually interferes with the mission, and he sides with the feelings rather than his goals. 

So it’s FASCINATING that he sticks with his choice, to dedicate himself to the family, but deliberately cuts Kurogane out of that equation and pretends he’s not there.

[turtleskunks]

the witch

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arm wrestling gone wrong

[turtleskunks]

A small contribution for this pride month. 🏳️‍🌈 I don't have a favorite ship in Vanitas no carte, I think everyone should get the support and love they deserve, in a loving polyamorous family. 💖

[turtleskunks]

Fancy Lucas is fancy

I love him 🥺💗

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Happy birthday Stahl!! 🎉🎉

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** Permission to post it was granted by the artist Do not repost/edit the art without permission Please, support the artist on their pages too **

Artist : 繁月 (pixiv / lofter / twitter)

Source

[turtleskunks]

** Permission to post it was granted by the artist Do not repost/edit the art without permission Please, support the artist on their page too **

Artist : 大沢あいじ@成仏

Source