Hey, if you read SVSSS and like liushen as a ship, you’ll probably enjoy After the Disabled War God Became My Concubine. (Note: the translator listed is fudging their chapter count, so the translation is only around halfway completed. The mtl is pretty serviceable once you have a base understanding of who is who, though.)

fyi to followers if you are considering watching Justice in the Dark:

If you’re not strong and concerned about not getting to watch more later, I suggest waiting to view the episodes until the show is done airing. Which may be in April-March, so just wait until you hear news it’s fully released all episodes. I am guessing like most youku dramas, at some point youku will put the episodes on youtube with subs especially once the show is fully aired so maybe check there in a month or two. 

If you do really want to watch, but again feel concerned we may never see the rest, you could view it as seeing 1 arch or a couple book arcs adapted to live action (like how the Audio Drama seasons are), and just try to view it as that for now. The first book case is covered, I am not sure if the second book case finishes by ep 8 as I’m still finishing up the last few eps, but that’s about where the plot pauses on episodes currently out. I handled the audio drama doing one chunk of story at a time so I’m viewing it this way so I don’t anticipate/get frustrated for what isn’t out yet so much.

If you want to watch it NOW as far as the 8 episodes out, they’re on Youku app (and I’ve heard the machine translations are gradually being updated to human made translations which read much better). There’s both a ‘Justice in the Dark’ version and 光渊 Guang Yuan version, at least one should have updated human made english subtitles, possibly both by now. Mkvdrama site has the episodes for download with the human made subs, several alternate drama watching sites also seem to have the episodes up now but subtitles being mtl or the correct ones depend on the site. I do think in a couple months whenever airing resumes, youku will probably put the show on youtube though since it normally does for it’s dramas. So you can wait if watching on youtube is preferred. 

Change

I’m currently on the plane home after my first semester ended. It’s been a while since I’ve written something. Let’s write.

It’s been a while since my thoughts disappeared. I mean, I still have thoughts of course. Just not as many, and none as interesting as before. When I used to see people and wonder things about them, or take my own experience in my head and run it around in my brain until it meant something.

I think those parts of me had something to do with how I perceived time. I didn’t used to just experience moments, I used to know them. I used to think about them and collect them, grow them into experiences, and know them like a favourite book I’ve paged through a million times. Maybe my lack of memory, my feeling of just moving through the time, holding onto nothing, has something to do with this.

My first semester is over. Four months of a new life.

It’s wildly interesting to me because I’ve never had a new life before. For my entire existence, I’ve lived in the same place. With the same people, in the same room, looking out the same window every day. Going to the same place. I didn’t know it could all change so fast, and more than that, that it could all feel so normal so fast. This summer as I left, I piled my belongings into boxes full of junk I’d collected over the years. I placed it in a new room, wondering how I could ever feel home in a place that I didn’t grow up in, haven’t spent years in. But as I left my new room this morning, unplugging all the lights, I realized I’d miss it. I realized all my stuff lives somewhere else now. I thought of how quickly I moved in, wondering when I’d be able to get back home, and then suddenly it was like I’d lived there all my life.

Experiences are scary for me. Especially going through so many at once. I remember walking down the streets of Montreal the first time, as my parents told me to go pick up my student ID in August. I’d never walked down foreign city streets alone. Heart pounding. My first plane trip alone at Thanksgiving. I thought I’d have to be older to know how to do things like that, but suddenly, you realize you are older. And then it’s easy. These are things you’ve done all the time.

It’s weird how last year at this time, I spent the break dreading being alone. Writing grade 12 essays, hoping I could get someone to drive me to the pharmacy to pick up shampoo. I felt caged. I felt like nothing.

It frustrates me to look in the mirror and feel like nothing’s changed. To see my hair and my face. That I didn’t explode into some white swan over the four months I’ve been away. But I forget that I’m more now, because all the newness feels normal. Normal enough that I have to remind myself I wear sweaters I love and I picked out myself, ever day. And that I have a student ID, a little room key, for my own room, and a MTL metro card in the holder on the back of my phone. My card says “Faculty of Science”. That I have special beers in my fridge. That I own a tiny blue kettle. That the most texted contacts in my phone are all new people, asking me to go to quesada for dinner. That I have posters of Harry Potter, My Neighbour Totoro, Flaming Lips, and Back to the Future on my walls. Not just inside my closet where my mom can’t see.

And then I have moments where I realize it really is that different. Moments where I look up at the basketball net of the field house, a moment of calm during my physics final, and a sense of smallness envelops me. I’m back in the gym of my high school, waiting to walk out after my grade 9 exams. Basketball hoops all look the same. But this time, it’s the first final season where I’m not walking home with the same people I’ve always walked out with. The last day of term doesn’t have a moment, waiting for the bus, everyone in Christmas sweaters holding their secret Santa gifts. The thing about your life never changing is that the moments you love come again and again, in ways you can always count on. It’s cruel to give someone so much stability, imply a routine for so long, then suddenly take it away. I’ve never experienced such a heartbreak. The idea that I’ll never have those moments again is something that floors me, often.

I don’t know if it’s normal, to feel this sad all the time. To carry with me the knowledge that your time will never reset. You’re a human, carrying around countless memories you love, knowing they’ll never be real again. Your best friend’s face, whispering during a sleepover on New Year’s Eve. I don’t want to get older, because as many new moments I make, the more sadness I carry with me. Is growing up just acknowledging you become more and more torn between your lives, broken up by memories, and weighed down by that knowledge? That to experience good things fully, you’re trading a future moment of heartbreak when you realize you can never go back? Or do most people just think forward?

When I was younger, I never understood why people cried over movies. Or when people in movies cried after a breakup. “It’s not that sad! Just get a new boyfriend” I thought.

I understand now.

People are really messed up. As a kid, I couldn’t imagine having a nice birthday party and being sad it was over. I think it has something to do with being smart, looking at that experience and realizing, “huh, wait, if it happened, then that means…it’s gone now”. We get more upset the more things we realize, and when you grow, you learn to realize a lot. To think while you gain experiences means to mourn them too. Humans make a moment in the present become linked to the moments in the past. We string together thoughts and memories and emotions like song lyrics, placing them in order until they make us sad. Happy too, but most often, sad. I’m a victim of it especially, maybe more so than others. I have a talent for amplifying feelings that don’t need to be amplified, until small sadnesses feel like large bubbles of goo running through my whole body and I can’t leave the floor. Even though we don’t need to, to survive, we do it. We make ourselves more messed up just for the sake of life. Part of being a human means being a little messed up. And it’s hard to acknowledge the weight of that will never go away. That’s why people cry during movies.

Little kids don’t know this. Neither do some people. They say the ignorant are the happiest, and I agree.

But I’m trying my best, and that’s something I’m proud of. When you get trapped in the past like I do, you forget that real love exists in the future as well. That those days you loved were real before they were memories. That you can still make more. That you can embrace the worst days of your life, wishing you were back in the “good old ones” because the good old days of your future may be tomorrow. It’s hard to feel like good things are coming your way when you struggle to realize you still exist. But you do. So you keep reminding. You lose some and you win some. You feel some days more that others that you’re real again.

Days of watching your first concert. Falling asleep in the arms of someone you love, with a movie on in the background. When random people come play mariokart in your room. Your first full day at the library, followed by a walk in a twinkly Christmas market. Coming home for Christmas. It’s all real. And I love it.

If I had known this time last year, that these would be part of who I am now, I wouldn’t believe you.

So be.

I may not feel that all the time, but damn am I learning. And it’s worth it.

Adventures of a Rola

Adventures of a « Rola ». 1

So I booked a small room on an Airbnb where you could see there was a queen bed, not too fancy but fair enough for the price listed. I was gonna sleep there three nights.

And the neighborhood was adorable, the beautiful Montreal style houses, trees at both sides of the street with autumn leaves falling and it has just rained so the street was shiny, and the smell was amazing. I was so excited and felt like I was in a movie. And I started singing bidam bu bum brabadabii

And then I got to the address and I climbed up the cute small steps of the stair, I open the door and boum! It’s the tiniest smallest shitty place with three midget beds on the left, a small corridor, a crappy kitchen full of fruit flies, and if it wasn’t for the facemask, anyone would have seen my smile turn upside down. What the actual hell! But I’m a warrior (I said to myself) I’ve slept in worse places… how bad could it be? Right?

The host was this 50 something old white man that actually lived there, on the biggest room which was tops, only a 6 m2 room.

But I had no choice… It was a non-refundable reservation and when I saw again the tittle of the Airbnb I reserved… It literally said, “tiny hostel”.

I guess it’s my bad, right?

The host started to state the fucking rules, and made an emphasis on: There is no curfew

So… why would he say it like that if there is none?

And then he started talking, and showing me a (again) tiny little map of Mtl where there is just half of the island, as if it was designed to this tiny house, which was kind of a half house herself…

Little did he know that I have lived in Mtl for 3 years already… But as a good Latina, I let him mansplain, to make him feel he was in power of the situation/conversation. He talked and explained over 40 minutes while I was holding a fart all the time.

Then I wrote my mom and sister to let them know I was ok and that the place was ok, also, to reassure myself that I was ok.

I mean, it wasn’t that bad… I would have loved a little bit more of privacy and a closed bedroom to sleep/watch/talk by the phone all I wanted but, well, what was done was done.

The host wasn’t that bad either, he invited me to eat dinner with him, which I refused, not because I’m a good Latina, but mostly, because everything he was eating looked expired…. Mushrooms that seemed like rocks, eggs that weren’t in the fridge, cheese that had mold on it. But I accepted some oranges that looked ok and a delicious jasmine green tea, which I drank all by myself and consequently had to suffer going to the bathroom several times before going to bed.

The conversation was dull, again, him speaking 80% of the time and giving glory and praises to his city. Mtl’s the first city of the world in this and the second on that and bla bla bla

But I don’t know why I liked him, I think he’s a gay man in denial with his sexuality because of his stupid religious beliefs, but then, I have been mistaken judging people so many times, because I always see the best on them…  I think I kinda pitied him.

So, everything was ok, except for the reason I was there in the first place.

Before going to bed I wrote to my sister until she fell asleep and then my mother was awake — time difference of 6 hours ahead — then I talked to her until 5am.

I couldn’t sleep for two reasons, the bed was horribly small and irregularly stiff, and my other problem, the problem which had taken me to an Airbnb in the city I live.

I improvised a bigger bed; I filled the whole that separates the two tiny mattresses with the blankets that were left. And to fall asleep I composed two pieces for children in an imaginary piano on my legs: Pluie au Piano, and Diplomatie à trois.

Form the imaginary book for children to learn piano called: Conversations au piano.

They were so good that I laughed to myself and calmed my thoughts a little, making the promise to write them for real latter – as you can imagine, I do this for so many great ideas jajaja -.

Although I liked the host, I was a bit scared of him too. Specially because of the invitation he made me to a Full Moon gather away on Verdun’s beach to commemorate women…. But I had a no-dream sleep and woke up like new by 10h30

(to be continued….)

Second part here: https://issahanko.tumblr.com/post/665667613245014016/adventures-of-a-rola-2

First of all thank you for your edit in mtl finale and extras chapters of thousand autumns....I see your blog talk alot about mxtx works and faraway wanderer (love your blog, btw)....can I ask about qian qiu? Who are your favorite characters in qian qiu? And what do like about shen qiao and yan wushi relationship? Thanks again.....

No problem at all!! I was having such a lovely time with that book and was heartbroken to see that translation gap at the end. I wasn't sure anyone would be interested in an mtl edit, and it's been delightful to see how happy it's made some folks! Someday I'll have to go through a side by side reading with a real translation and see how good my instincts were, haha

Oh man, this book...... Okay, to start, by far, my faves are Yan Wushi and Shen Qiao. They're both very strong Archetypes, but executed in a really lovely compelling way. My least favorite part of the book is honestly the overwhelming number of side characters, and if I hadn't enjoyed both leads so much, I would have absolutely stalled out. It's not a problem with the author, because i love the peerless/wushuang side cast, but something about this book... Some of the side characters were decent, like Bai Rong and the kids, but the two leads were what kept me going.

Shen Qiao is less My Type, and I'm not even sure how to explain why I like him so much. He's not UNlike Xie Lian, but even if they have similar temperaments, they have different priorities. At first I dont think I cared about him too-too much, and i worried he would just be a passive sexy doormat, because that is a character type you sometimes run into in the genre, but THAT actually echoes how i initially responded to Cui Buqu in Peerless, where the author baited and switched me HARD on what a character was all about. And i love it!

When he thwarted Yu Shengyan's assassination road trip adventure, even blind and amnesiac, that got my attention, but i dont think I REALLY got into him until he stone-cold killed a man. It's a really interesting balance of values going on with him, where he works so, so hard to be kind, in the face of an overtly cruel world, where he is FREQUENTLY hurt by his own determination to be kind, and.... where he still has his limits, which people can cross, and where he WILL respond as one of the top martial artists in the world. I just think he's Neat, especially in contrast to.......

YAN WUSHI! the clown love of my life! (I kid, feng xiao is my actual favorite clown man, but yan wushi sure is a hell of a contender). He's so INTERESTING. Especially in the early parts of the book, he very much is NOT kind, though he sometimes does kind acts for what are... usually cruel reasons. Saving Shen Qiao to see if he can corrupt Shen Qiao, things like that. It's an archetype i don't mind, but one I would get bored with if it was static over the course of a whole book. But also..... it's an archetype that is hard to believably develop past, especially when he isn't our main pov and our characters sometimes spend extended periods apart.

I desperately wish we had any more or his backstory, especially from his childhood, and what made him change his name, and what made him pick THIS name, where (i think) 'wushi' uses the characters for 'without a teacher'. I absolutely LIVE for his story about how a man tried and tried to polish a stone into a gem, until he had to finally admit that a stone was a stone, and he liked that stone better than any gem he'd ever seen. And especially........ I live for the way that by the time he tries to tell that story, Shen Qiao is absolutely DONE with his bullshit and is barely listening to what he says and parses exactly 0% of his intended meaning XD

Yan Wushi is perhaps the most self-sabotaging lead I've ever read in a novel. It's WILD. And to a certain extent, it smells like trauma, though the book never confirms anything, and Yan Wushi never tries to make excuses for his own shitty behavior. I would like him a lot less if he did, honestly. He spends a LOT of time acting in inexcusable ways, and only very gradually starts to realize 'wait, shit, i shouldn't'a done that'. And even then, when he knows what he WANTS, he still criticizes Shen Qiao for being willing to forgive him for his past actions. Shen Qiao rides a very fine line between being a reasonable character and being a caricature of a martyr, and Yan Wushi is one of the only characters who's willing to really dig into that.

And as he does so, he's very upfront about how HE is one of the people who's taken advantage of Shen Qiao too. It gives a very interesting flavor to the way his feelings grow. He says he's not sorry, and he never performs remorse or asks for forgiveness, and that.... I wouldn't necessarily say that he doesn't have any regrets, but the way he presents himself to Shen Qiao is brutally unforgiving, in a really interesting way that I haven't seen elsewhere.

(And once he starts being a little more kind and courting shen qiao more seriously....... what a fucking clown man playing clown games. When he did a deliberately shoddy cover-up of a fake medical emergency to try to trick shen qiao out of leaving. I just. I mcfucking lost it)

(Also the traumatic brain injury adventure. Also Yan Wushi being bitterly jealous of himself. The clownery is CHOICE)

And. I can't leave without saying a quick word for my two good boys who aren't actually good at all. Bian Yanmei, Yan Wushi's oldest disciple.... I love him. Why? We just don't know. But he's a good, polite boy, i swear, and there's something so charming about him (yu shengyan is also a good boy). And then there's Yu Ai. This. This is my type. This is a boy who's made a terrible choice that poisoned everything he cared most about, where he didn't realize how much he was ruining as he did it, only realized the consequences of his actions after it was all said and done. No matter how bitterly regretful he is, it can't be undone, and all he can do is press on along the path he's chosen, torn between the awareness that if he turns back now, he'll have sacrificed everything for nothing, but also the desperate desire to salvage something of what he once cherished. He showed up, and i was like 'oh no, you're going to make me hurt.' Sure enough, i cried. Yu Ai is so much my jam that it hurts. I can't even handle him.

Just so you know!! The masquerade in More to Love is probably going to be two chapters long! It was originally going to be the half-way mark of the first book but as I’ve been writing and planning the ending, it’s going to be a bit closer to the end than originally planned... my guess is there will be around 18 or 19 parts of MTL total.

I don’t want it to be too terribly long for a few reasons: this is the type of story that will get repetitive if dragged out too long, and I’m actually afraid it’s already starting to be repetitive and struggling to keep it fresh. I also HATE fan fics that are super long like 30 chapters. I would much rather have two books that are shorter than one really long one. I am also really excited to jump into the sequel because it’s going to be very different from MTL and will go more into depth in the world I’ve built!

Okay that’s all ily. I think I’ll have 10 done by Friday!

Hakuoki Yuugiroku 3 Fall Saito Story

managed to recover my first post of the year which seemed to have disappeared from tumblr via exporting it…

hope everyone had a safe and happy new year… recently hit 500 followers over the holidays so I’d like to say thanks for appreciating the stuff I’ve uploaded and my translations (I kinda feel the need to say this but: I am an adult who occasionally uses crude language so please be aware of that. Also, i don’t run an image-focused blog. i only wanted to post everything that I thought wasn’t available as clean images online so that people would be able to find and access more Hakuoki content… and i do believe i have done that for the most part).

Threw together a list of things that I hope translate this year into in one of my other posts today… here’s hoping that it will be less volatile than 2020… tho im not expecting much given the news yesterday though i can’t say that i didn’t expect it.

Anyway. translation. Story from the 3rd Yuugiroku game.

The CN of the title I have for this translates to the effect of “The fate/return/destination of (a) migratory bird(s),” which I think looks weird and I’m not sure how accurate that tl is, so I’m just going to categorize these stories by season and char lol. not that it’ll be any time soon before I go and translate another one of these since this did feel quite long…. and it’s not like anyone else is translating these (please someone translate these xD there are 2 side stories per route and i am not looking forward to torturing myself with them!).

also, a significant portion of the punctuation and stuff wasn’t used in the tl i found for this, so that will be reflected in this… will fix it later.

Hakuoki Yuugiroku 3 - Fall Saito Story

Translation by KumoriYami

That day I was delivering Hijikata-san’s message and came to Saito-san’s room.

Yukimura Chizuru: Saito-san, are you there?

[I] Called him from outside his door but he didn’t seem to hear me.

Did he go out?

But the other warriors clearly stated that he was in the room.

Using a slightly louder voice, I called again.

Yukimura Chizuru: Ah, Saito-san are you there?

Saito: Yukimura, is there something [you need]?

Yukimura Chizuru: Hijikata-san said that he had something to say to Saito-san so I was asked to get you.

Saito: Vice-commander? I see.

I got it/I understand I will go at once, you’ve worked hard, Yukimura. [I’ll check the game for punctuation later….probably?]

Yukimura: It’s rare, for Saito-san didn’t hear me calling you.

Saito: I was concentrating, [and] I didn’t hear your voice.

Yukimura: Concentrating? Was it on sword maintenance?

Saito: nn, more or less.

Yukimura: ．．．．．．？

It was rare for Saito-san to answer questions in such vague terms.

Saito: Isn’t (the) vice-commander calling me? I’ll hurry up.

Saito: You can go back.

Yukimura: I understand, then I’ll be going now.

I gently lowered my head and prepared to leave Saito-san’s side.

Yukimura:．．．．．．

His unusual mood made me feel a little worried.

Afterwards at dinner, there was a strange/unusual incident.

Saito-san who finished eating earlier than everyone else set down his chopsticks.

Heisuke: What’s wrong are you already full Hajime-kun?/Hajime-kun you’re already full?

Saito ……Nn.

Yukimura: There’s more of Saito-san’s favourite tofu.

Saito: I’ve had enough for now, I’ll be leaving first.

Leaving behind those words, Saito-san bought his plate into the kitchen.

Nagakura: What’s wrong with Saito? It’s simply unfathomable for him to only eat a small portion of tofu.

Harada: It doesn’t look like he’s feeling unwell, so maybe he secretly ate earlier?

Yukimura: What, Saito-san isn’t a person who would do something like that.

Toudou: Hajime-kun’s been acting weird lately. In the morning today, he went back to his room right after practice.

Nagakura: did he have a headache? Sano, did you ask him?

Harada: If he doesn’t want to say anything, then I can’t ask.

Nagakura: If this continues, perhaps something permanent might happen [gave up rewording for now lol].

Yukimura:．．．．．．

What was wrong with Saito-san?

Was something bothering him?

A few days later.

For the sake of mending the warriors’ uniforms, I went to the common room [tl is large main hall].

Chizuru: Ah, you’re here, Saito-san.

Saito: ! Yukimura——

Saito-san hid what he was holding behind him in a panic.

What was it?

It looked like a book.

Saito:……Will you be mending clothes here?

Yukimura: Yes, will this bother you?

Saito: No, it’s no bother.

Yukimura: Then I’ll be mending/sewing here.

I took out my needlework box and began mending the clothes.

Saito-san seemed to be hesitating about if he should stay or leave/ leaving or staying.

Yukimura: Um.

Saito: What?

Saito: Was Saito-san reading something just now?

Saito: Ah, um, nn, more or less.

Yukimura: Don’t mind me and continue reading.

Saito: But.

Yukimura: Am I bothering you?

Saito: No, but……

Saito-san looked very confused, after…

Saito: Yukimura.

Yukimura: What is it?

Saito: I hope you don’t tell anyone else that I was reading this book.

Yukimura: Don’t tell the others?

What was going on?

To actually not want any of the other warriors to know about this book.

Could it be that this book was on something, like assassination techniques, that shouldn’t be passed onto others?

I felt a bit uneasy.

Yukimura: I understand. I will never tell anyone else.

Saito: I believe you.

With a sharp glance at me, Saito-san began to read again.

The cover of the book looked badly worn.

Yukimura: Is that a manual on kenjutsu?

Saito: Yes, I happened to find it a few days ago, and took it to read. As a result, I’ve started reading this without stopping. If I have time, I’ll read. [reword later]

Yukimura: So it was like that.

That’s why Saito-san has been behaving strangely lately.

Yukimura: But why don’t you want to let the other warriors know?

There was no need to hide a swordsmanship manual.

Saito: That, because. The author of this book and I are not from the same school. Reading manuals from other styles is considered unethical.

Yukimura: I see.

I couldn’t help but laugh at such serious reasoning.

But, that truly was Saito-san’s style.

I started sewing again as Saito-san to read again.

We focused on our own things, and while we were in the same room, it however was natural for there to be no dialogue.

Retreating to the tranquility of the autumn night with only the sound of cicadas, [reword later] and the occasional sound of Saito-san turning a page.

Suddenly I was very interested in that sound and was looking in/looked in Saito-san’s direction.

Focused on reading, his entire posture was completely serious.

My heart felt happy just by looking at him, and I unconsciously smiled.

As a result, he noticed my staring, and while his gaze didn’t leave the book, he asked me a question.

Saito: What’s wrong? Is there something on my face?

Yukimura: No, Saito-san’s expression is very earnest/serious.

As a result, Saito-san tilted his head slightly, murmuring quietly.

Saito: So there’s nothing strange. I don’t understand what you’re thinking.

Yukimura: If I’ve upset you, I’m sorry.

Saito: I’m not upset.

Saito-san lightly sighed, adjusting the way he sat slightly.

Yukimura: Saito-san really loves kenjutsu.

Saito: I don’t have any other skills, but I do have some knowledge about kenjutsu/experience.

Yukimura: Ah, a talent/Oh my.

The conversation ended like this, and Saito-san once again began focusing on the manual.

From time to time, there was the sound of pages being turned.

The silence was soothing. I continued sewing the clothes.

A few days later.

I finished washing the clothes, and was about to head back into my room.

Nomura: Spare me, Saito-san. There’s no way we can defeat Saito-san./How could we beat Saito-san!

I saw Saito-san, Souma-kun and Nomura-kun practising with the blunt side of their swords [check jp mtl].

It looked like he was trying to put what he had read in that book a few days ago into practice.

Saito: A little bit more, just a bit more and I’ll have grasped it. One more time.

Souma: But we’re going on patrol next. Regardless of what is said, we can’t neglect our duties as members.

Saito: I’ll finish this as as [you?] obtain a point. There won’t be any problem.

Nomura: To quickly get a single point, what the hell is that! This is terrible.

Souma: But it’s pointless to continue like this…

As of the three of them talked, Nomura noticed me an started speaking with me.

Nomura: Ah, Yukimura-senpai, you’re just in time.

Yukimura: Ah, just in time for what?

Nomura: Why don’t you ask Yukimura-senpai to practise with you, Saito-san?

Saito: Ask Yukimura?

Yukimura: This, that’s not something I can do, there’s no way I can fight Saito-san.

Nomura: That doesn’t matter, we’re about the same [skill] level.

Yukimura: But…

Nomura: We have to go on patrol later, so please help us.

Souma: Nomura, don’t force Yukimura-senpai like this. Yukimura-senpai is also very busy.

Yukimura: ．．．．．．

Fighting against Saito-san will be incredibly difficult.

Yukimura: Saito-san, am I okay [acceptable?]?

Saito: Is that okay? Have you been instructed to do anything?

Yukimura: I’ve already finished with those things. However I don’t know if I’ll be of any use.

Saito: That is more than enough, thank you, Yukimura.

Yukimura: Not at all.

Nomura: The we’ll be going to work, so we’ll leave this to you, Yukimura-senpai!

Souma: Is this really okay, Senpai?

Yukimura: There aren’t a lot of opportunities to learn/This is a good opportunity to learn.

Souma: Then, we’ll be leaving/take our leave.

Yukimura: Okay. See you.

The two of them went directly back into headquarters to prepare for patrol.

Saito: Then, let us begin, Yukimura. Are you ready?

I took a stance a distance away from Saito-san, and held up my kodachi.

Yukimura: Please advise me. [well not sure what the JP equivalent of this is….]

Following the silence, my entire body was filled with a sense of tension [reword later].

After.

At the sound of my foot stepping forward, in a split second, Saito-san was facing me.

Chizuru: !

I hurriedly prepared myself, but he was faster than I was.

Yukimura: Ah!

My kodachi flew in an arc and landed on the ground.

Saito: Ippon.

Yukimura:……

Saito-san’s killing intent left me speechless.

Saito: As expected, knowledge acquired from reading needs to be tested in real combat.

As Saito-san spoke, he picked up my kodachi, which had fallen onto the ground, and handed it back to me.

I received it with trembling hands.

Yukimura: Thank you very much.

Saito-san became stronger again.

Saito: The fact remains that you have also improved, Yukimura.

Yukimura: Is that so……

Saito: Let’s return now. It’s about time to prepare dinner.

Yukimura: Yes!

Afterwards, Saito-san and I helped prepare dinner together.

—-end—

next week’s post is Saito’s 7th Ginsei no Shou chapter!

Dig a Grave to Dig Out a Ghost - Chapter 16

Original Title: 挖坟挖出鬼

Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Supernatural, Yaoi

This translation is based on multiple MTLs and my own limited knowledge of Chinese characters. If I have made any egregious mistakes, please let me know.

Chapter Index

Chapter 16 - Game

Ten minutes later, Lin Yan appeared on the stage awkwardly wearing a silver-grey robe with a small dragon pattern embroidered on it. All ten participants took their seats. Even the Professor File Folder put on a traditional teacher's outfit. The buzzing activity coming from the crowd made Lin Yan blush. It felt like he was sitting on pins and needles; it was uncomfortable no matter how he tried to adjust himself.

This whole situation felt like a melodrama between Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai. He couldn't help but glance back at Xiao Yu several times. The only real ancient man in the audience was standing behind him with a frown. Looking at him with a serious stare, he pressed his hand against Lin Yan's shoulder, like he was trying to comfort him.

When he changed his clothes, he noticed that something was wrong with Xiao Yu, or maybe it was just everything that was wrong. In the dressing room, the ghost had wrapped himself around him and hugged him. He pushed and shoved the other around the narrow room, creasing his costume. Just as Lin Yan was about to start fighting back, Xiao Yu suddenly stopped tugging him around. He pulled him over to the mirror, put his chin on Lin Yan's shoulder and he stared at the person in the reflection. For the first time, his chaotic eyes seemed calm, even holding a quiet sadness.

The mirror surface swayed, like a droplet hitting a calm pool of water, waves rippling away from the center. Standing in the brass mirror was a young man standing with clear eyes, hands resting beside a cloud brocade waistband, and a face exuding pride. Lin Yan backed away in horror. He almost screamed. The person in the mirror wasn't him. Although he had the exact same face, life had done a number on him and he wouldn't be able to make an expression like that anymore.

The scent of agarwood incense in the room was intoxicating. The young man's eyes softened. The tall man in the traditional Chinese clothes adjusted his chin on his shoulder, raising his long eyebrows. His voice was slow and hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time: "I've been waiting for you for so long. . ."

Lin Yan's head snapped back to the mirror. He staggered forwards and leaned against the mirror. The person in front of him had hair as black as paint, and his mottled blood coat didn't match his eyes that seemed so sad and hopeless. . .

I have been waiting for you for a long time.

Lin Yan scrambled out of the dressing room.

"The break is over. Please quiet down and we'll get started with our next activity." The girl in the red jacket skirt read.

Lin Yan sat in the chair in a daze. The bright stage lights and the dark crowd in the audience made him feel like what just happened in the dressing room was a hallucination, and Xiao Yu was no different. Lin Yan looked back at him, panicked. Xiao Yu leaned down and held his trembling hand. On the table were a small whiteboard and a soft black marker. Xiao Yu motioned for him to pick it up and he moved his hand across the whiteboard: I'll help you.

Lin Yan was stunned and wrote out: Do you remember something?

Xiao Yu didn't seem to want to answer. He shook his head and let go of his hand. He still stood behind him holding onto Lin Yan's shoulder for support.

The audience quieted down, and bright white chasing lights hit the mahogany silk box on the centre of the stage. The red jacket skirt girl stepped forward to open the silk box, revealing the glass box within. The audience let out a few exclamations, and Lin Yan's eyes lit up. It was a beautiful moon flask with two handles. The maiden leaned against the tree art, the linework was meticulous, the enamel fully covered the flask, the piece was still intact, and the overall flask was in good condition.

This authentification wasn't difficult for a student studying cultural relics. Lin Yan carefully looked at the glaze texture and enamel of the flask's body. He wrote his answer on the whiteboard after double-checking that it was correct. When the time was up, the host walked past the square table and stopped when he reached the PSP guy, holding up her mic and asking: "You, what's your answer?"

The PSP guy’s whiteboard turned out to be empty. He was leaning on the table and his attention was focused on his game. When the host asked the second time, he raised his head as if he had just woken up. He glanced lazily around and sarcastically twitched the corners of his mouth into a smile. "It's genuine," he spat out. Then he brushed the host off and lowered his head to continue playing the game.

Lin Yan knew this guy was arrogant, but he didn't expect him to act this to everyone. The girl in the red jacket skirt was embarrassed by PSP's attitude. After putting a polite expression back on her face, she nodded and walked to the next student.

"Well. . . There were nine students who got the answer right, might as well switch it up for the last one." The audience let out a good laugh, and the boy three places down from Lin Yan grinned and left the stage. The professor briefly spoke about the flask. Lin Yan cleaned off the whiteboard and waited for the next question. His mind couldn't get over what he saw. He thought that most people wouldn't make a mistake on such a simple question. It seemed that the people on the stage were not as professional as they thought.

Professor File Folder also seemed a little disappointed. He took a sip from his stainless steel cup and turned his attention to the laptop, not knowing what he was looking at.

The brocade box in the center of the stage was swapped with a smaller one. After the mysterious sound effect, the box slowly opened. It was an ancient book. The host motioned everyone to take a closer look. Lin Yan stood in front of the glass box for a while and returned to his seat to write the next answer: "Genuine, the Southern Opera "White Rabbit" published in the Ming Dynasty, unearthed from the tomb of the Xuan family in Jiading."

He had seen this thing in the Shanghai Museum. Lin Yan thought, this lecture is like an antique appreciation meeting. No wonder it attracted so many people. After they all answered the question, another person left the stage amidst the applause and whistle of the audience, leaving another armchair free.

The questions were asked one by one, gradually getting more and more difficult. A fake yet elaborate sunflower gold hairpin inlaid with gemstones stumped three people, and then a bucket-colour fine-grained water chestnut bucket imitation with a "grinding" technique even had Lin Yan hesitate with his answer. After the authenticity of each item was announced, the professor simply added a few points on the piece, which could count as educating the audience on the topic. The seats were vacated one by one. When the eighth object was brought out, there were only two people left on the stage. Lin Yan glanced to the right, and it was the PSP guy who had toughed it out until the end.

He looked careless, but he didn't expect that he understood the field so well. Lin Yan put his cold palms on his face to cool down and took a long breath as he waited for the next question.

The red jacket skirt girl was holding a delicate paper box in her hand. Instead of showing it to the audience first, she walked over to Lin Yan and the PSP guy, signalling them to come forward. She opened the paper box and carefully took out a fan.

The ink on the front of the golden fan wasn't very visible; it wasn't well-preserved. The ribs of the fan were slightly damaged, and there are signs of water damage on the ink-painted mountains. With this kind of condition, it would be difficult to fetch a good price in a private auction if it wasn't made by a famous artist. But when the inscription on the face of the fan was exposed, Lin Yan and the PSP man couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. On the front, a few lines of the unruly inscription were written on the fan: “Wildwater Bridge Road, The Village of Barren Chickens and Fallen Leaves. Returned to Hou Xidu, The Child Sweeps the Firewood Door." What surprised the two of them were the three small characters following the poem: by Tang Yin.

Lin Yan's heart sped up. If this was Tang Yin's authentic work, then the fan in front of him was worth at least 500,000 yuan. Wasn't he afraid of being robbed bringing such a valuable thing to school? Then a clear picture of the fan was shown on the big screen. As expected by Lin Yan, an exclamation sounded from the audience, and even the host's voice was drowned by the buzzing discussion.

Professor File Folder grew impatient and coughed into the loudspeaker to signal the audience to shift their attention back to the event.

Lin Yan carefully looked at the light brown fan in front of him. He couldn't help but take his time with his answer. Tang Yin's paintings were extremely difficult to distinguish in the field of calligraphy and painting. His style of painting changed throughout his pieces, and he rarely indicated the year on the paintings so it was difficult to guess the painting based on its creation year. Therefore, there were countless counterfeiters and imposters on the market. To be honest, judging this kind of work could only be based on the painting style, date and seal inscription. The most important thing is the eye and inspiration of the connoisseur. Being extremely familiar with the author’s style, the first time he saw the work, he could only make a guess. This wasn't just an answer determined by years of study, but it was also just a luck-based gamble.

In the early years of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, many collectors relied on this ability to make money at auctions overnight, but it was too difficult for students like Lin Yan who hadn’t even finished school. He frowned and thought carefully. Regardless of the painting style, the date and the handwriting of this fan were almost flawless. Although there was a slight deviation from Tang Yin's other landscape paintings, the vigorous and unrestrained spirit of the brush strokes clearly distinguished this piece.

It should be the original one. . . Lin Yan bit on his pen and hesitated. Halfway through writing out his answer, his wrist was suddenly grabbed. Xiao Yu bent down and studied the fan carefully. His fingers lightly tracing the red seal and he seemed surprised. He shook his head at Lin Yan and crossed off the half-written "true" on the whiteboard with his hand.

"After so long, you still haven't figured it out?" PSP guy leaned over to Lin Yan casually with a disdainful expression. Seeing Lin Yan still holding the pen hesitantly, he couldn't help but sneer, "I thought you were so awesome."

The file folder-like professor was staring at his notebook in a daze. Hearing these words, he couldn't help turn his head around and looked at the two with interest. Lin Yan just focused his attention on the painting instead and had forgotten to be nervous. As soon as he raised his head to meet the professor's gaze, his cheeks became hot again. He couldn't help but cry inside. He originally planned to wait for the end of the event to ask the professor backstage regardless of whoever won the contest. Now he feels like he wouldn't be able to ask him anything if he lost to this guy in this activity.

"Hurry up, hurry up." PSP guy tapped the table with a pen and made some muffled noises. "Just go home already, you aren't qualified for this."

When the professor heard this, he couldn't hide his amusement and turned his face to take a sip of water to cover up his expression.

That was rude. He hadn't finished yet. Lin Yan clenched his fist and asked Xiao Yu as quietly as possible: "Are you sure?" Xiao Yu nodded, his pale fingers stroked his throat, and frowned. After a long time, it seemed that it took a lot of effort to say slowly and hoarsely: ". . . I drew it."

Lin Yan's eyes widened. He looked at Xiao Yu in disbelief, and then at the fan. In ancient times, there was no perfect reprinting technology. Famous paintings and calligraphy were often copied by literati and calligraphers. Some were for practice, some were to give to friends. Some were for selling, and the prices of those high-quality copies were even comparable to the originals. But Xiao Yu's counterfeit actually appeared here. . . Wasn't this too much of a coincidence?

"Dude, if you don't know what it is, stop wasting our time." Seeing Lin Yan's hesitation, the PSP guy shook his head impatiently. He lowered his head and continued to play his game, pressing the buttons with his thumb, clicking them loudly.

Lin Yan was also irritated but by this person's attitude. He took a deep breath and wrote his answer on the whiteboard. The crowd in the audience couldn't wait. The people in the nearby seats pointed at the PowerPoint. Someone nodded gently, seeming to recognize the authenticity of the painting.

The sound effect of a gong sounded, and when the host read out the answers of the two, Lin Yan heard a commotion in the audience and even a disdainful sneer from the corner of the room. However, the PSP guy completely ignored the audience’s reaction and crossed his legs. He glanced at Lin Yan, touched the pimples on his face and raised an eyebrow with a chuckle: "You're right, not bad."

The same answer was written on both whiteboards: fake.

The professor showed an appreciative smile on his face for the first time. After he said the right answer, he grabbed the microphone and explained to the audience: "Tang Yin's fan "Xiqiao Going Back to the River", a work made during the Ming Dynasty Chenghua period. The author is unknown. The two students answered correctly."

There was a sigh from the auditorium. This time, most of the people who had thought they were right about their guess couldn't help pointing at the screen to discuss the flaws in the fan. There was even a school official wearing a black suit in the front row who had turned around and argued fiercely with the guests in the back row.

Author unknown? Lin Yan wasn't focusing on the fan, instead looking back at Xiao Yu. His hands still rested on his shoulder, but he didn't respond to anything Professor File Folder was saying. Instead, he frowned as if immersed in memory. He seemed really lost in thought. Lin Yan looked into Xiao Yu's eyes, no longer as wild as a beast like when he first saw him. Now, his dark eyes were like the surface of the river after sunrise, and the turbid fog was slowly burned away in the sun, revealing a hint of clarity from within the chaos.

"Now that the first nine rounds are over, please give your attention to the last round with these two classmates, which is also the most difficult round today." The red jacket skirt girl raised her voice and signalled to something behind her.

I was tagged by @baoshan-sanren ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ thank you!

Top 3 Ships:

1. WangXian - this one’s an obvious one... but really they’re the first otp I cried so much over I remember watching CQL for the first time and then in episode 2 when LWJ recognised WWX because dense dumb dork was playing an out of tune version of their song, I just... broke down

2. SongXiao - MDZS is basically a novel of tragedies besides WangXian and SongXiao one of the most obvious of them all also this line always kills me

子琛……宋道长……宋道长……是你吗……是你吗……怎么回事……说句话……谁说句话？！Zichen… Song Daozhang… Song Daozhang… is that you… is that you… what’s going on… say something… who will say something?!

3. RanWan - *PAINED SCREAMING*

长阶血未尽，那是他带你回家的路 the long steps are still stained with blood, that is the path he took to bring you home (will haunt me for the rest of my life)

Last song: 消愁 (xiao chou) by 毛不易 (Mao Bu Yi) - it’s so mysterious and sad at the same time I love it, there’s also this one line:

清醒的人最荒唐 sober/ clear-headed people are the most absurd (it... doesn’t sound as poetic translated)

Last movie: the 2016 movie 长城 (The Great Wall). back then I swore I wouldn’t watch it because it seemed like another case of whitewashing, but I ended up watching it on Monday night because I’ve been listening to the theme song by Wang Leehom recently and damn. Not the best or most novel plot but it was seriously engaging and the costumes and music and acting were A++ (also I realised I had been mistaken on the whitewashing)

also: frikkin badass female warriors I stan

Current reading: 2HA *PAINED SCREAMING* I started in early March and I’m still at it (like... 5 more days to the end of the main story) bc after catching up with Rynn’s translations, I got too excited to wait, didn’t know there were MTLs, and ended up buying the (bootleg) books off Taobao. So now I’m stuck in reading in Chinese (if I’d switched to the MTL my money would’ve gone to waste ;_;) which explains my snail’s pace. Also I will die for 师尊 and 小叶子.

Tagging: not sure if you’ve done it already but (∩｀-´)⊃━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ @kaileech @wangxianbunnydoodles​ @kastors​ @laruines​ @sansatully​

How my chinese progress is going: 

 I cannot focus for anything. ;A;

I tried reading Xiao Wang Zi The Little Prince in chinese, since I have a chinese/french/english copy (and it’d be good french practice too). I am working through to directly translate the chinese version. Then later I’ll check my accuracy by reading the french or english part. Anyway I realized that for the characters I know - a lot of the times I can make a decent guess at what a compound word means. There were some compound words I could pronounce but just needed to look up the meaning for to double check. I noticed that I can make out 80% of sentences, and can highlight the words I don’t know - I DON’T know enough to understand sentences precisely unless they are shorter. But I do have a much better grasp of grammar. This has shown me I REALLY need to force myself to drill the hanzi/most frequent word lists. If I just DRILLED the frequency lists, I would have been able to read the sentences without a dictionary.

After that, I tried to read the Mandarin Reader version of Sherlock Holmes in Pleco. It’s got 300 high frequency words, and 400 new focused words. It’s written in a way to encourage easy extended reading to improve reading-speed and reading fluency. I will say it definitely serves that purpose. Currently, I find it very easy to read at a decent pace. There are only a few words a page I am not familiar with, and most are the ‘purposefully added new words’. This would definitely be good extensive reading practice for me, at the skill level I am at. 

HOWEVER, I also have the Butterfly Lovers book on Pleco - that is a bit higher of a reading level for me (or else it has more fairy-tale words I’m not familiar with). When I read Butterfly Lovers, I look up probably 1-2 words a sentence. So at the moment, Butterfly Lovers should be used for intensive reading practice.  

I’ve also been reading through the MTLNovel version of Silent Reading by Priest, with chinese and english side by side. It’s nice to read in Pleco or with my ZhongWen chrome add on to look up words or idioms. I am absolutely NOT good enough to read most of the novel without english to rely on. But reading with the chinese alongside helps for looking up more detail on idioms, and for double checking specific words. If I were to translate - it would be good to have the mtl english translation as a basis, then use the idiom/word individual dictionary look up to correct the mtl translation and improve upon it. Priest has really beautiful language, and so much gets lost in the mtl. 

I will say that the one area I am doing better in - interpreting chinese grammar. It’s become noticably easier to skim through sentences and understand the role of words and pick out words to look up, compared to when I started trying to read novels. In maybe December, I tried to read MDZS in pleco in chinese, and even when I looked up the words I COULD NOT comprehend the sentences because the grammar confused me. I haven’t done anything since to improve my grammar understanding purposely, so I think it becoming easier to comprehend is just due to exposing myself to it more. I will say that I think, in the very beginning of my study, forcing myself to read through that whole grammar guide probably helped a LOT. While at the time, it was very hard to chug through, and I felt unready to move on, and some points didn’t make sense yet - I think the fact I’ve already seen the grammar points before makes getting used to them afterward much easier. 

What I really NEED to do is just FINISH CHUGGING THROUGH THE HANZI BOOKS I HAVE. But it’s so hard... to read through the equivalent of a ‘dictionary’ of dense informative text... 

But studying the hanzi REALLY have helped me in reading comprehension. When I practiced with The Little Prince, I was able to sound out a lot of hanzi even when I didn’t know the word - because I’d been exposed to it’s pronunciation before. And with compound words, I had a better time guessing at the meaning of them, and recognizing where they started and ended. It really makes the difference between a wall-of-text, and something I can start parsing through. I KNOW if I just forced myself to get through my hanzi book, and my 2000 most Common Chinese Words book, my reading comprehension would be LEAPS AND BOUNDS better.

...I’m still shocked it’s been 6 months since I started studying, and my reading ability is SO much better than my japanese reading ability was after 2 years. In japanese, NOW, at best I can comprehend a word or two, maybe a phrase. When it’s slice of life topics, I can sometimes follow some dialogue or like short text comments. In chinese, I waded through the Little Prince without a dictionary at first, and managed to roughly follow along (I’d say 80% comprehension is probably accurate - I understood some, but there were enough unknown words that I couldn’t be sure if I was understanding correctly) relying on the hanzi I knew and guessing from context. So I’d say my grammar understanding is Much higher for chinese, as is my recognizable characters. 

The Song of Achilles/Metalocalypse AU

ahh !! I commissioned a friend of mine (who is an incredible artist and specializes in custom/DnD art!! If you’re interested in her work her etsy is MadisonNicoleArt) and she helped me finally create an AU I’ve been obsessed with for a while!

Ok this is going to be pretty long, so bear with me !!

If you’re not familiar with The Song of Achilles it’s basically a retelling of The Iliad by Homer, but from the perspective of Patroclus, the right-hand man of Achilles. It’s a beautiful, magical tale and if you’re familiar with The Iliad the ending is (spoiler)  gut-wrenching and heartbreaking. You spend the whole story knowing what’s coming, and you almost get lost in the enchanting beauty of Achilles’ and Patroclus’ relationship with each other. 

Now when I first got into the Mtl fandom I was surprised there weren’t any Iliad AUs (BUT CORRECT ME IF IM WRONG AND SEND THAT SHIT MY WAY), because Achilles was a beautiful, golden demi-God (sKWIsGAar in a nutshell LOL) and Patroclus his stong, toned, gorgeous (im extrapolating here but...) right-hand-man/partner/lover/soulmate/other half who, though never prophesied by the Gods for greatness, had his own strengths and made his own name for himself following his heart (Achilles ;))

Here are just some ideas I’ve had about this:

Skwisgaar

- Serveta being a promiscuous Queen who has a one night-stand with a lower level God that left immediately. The God’s seed was so strong that after birthing Skwisgaar his mother became incapable of having any more children and she resents him for this. 

- However, Skwisgaar was prophesied by the Gods to become the greatest/quickest warrier of his time with potential to become one of the Gods. His step-father (gentle Tyr) married Serveta and he loves her dearly, though she constantly cheats on him and neglects her only son. 

- Tyr does his best to make it up to Skwisgaar, but obvious damage has been done.

- Skwisgaar’s real father is never revealed and it’s quite popular in town to make theories about which gorgeous God Skwisgaar is the bastard of. (Adonis is a popular choice)

Toki

- Toki being the only son of the cruel King Aslaug, a malevolent leader of a deteriorating village. Toki is a small/weak boy for his age and is constantly beaten, belittled, and humiliated by his father, and therefore has no respect from the village people despite being the rightful heir. 

- He ends up accidentally killing a young bully his age (son of a noble man) in blind rage because he has certain freak episodes (episodes that likely led to his parents fearing/hating him??). (This is almost exactly what happened to Patroclus in TSOA) 

- He’ s exiled from his home, loses his family name, and is sent to be a ward of King Tyr and lives with various other abandoned orphans/exiled princes in Skwisgaar’s father’s rich, plentiful kingdom. 

NOW the fantastic slow-burn begins. Because Toki can’t seem to fit in with the other boys and there are constant rumors about how he beat a kid to death for such petty reasons and the rest of the kids are scared of him and keep their distance. 

aLL BUT SKWISGAAR! (and fuck i keep almost writing Achilles)

Who finds the new foreign boy utterly fascinating and is inexplicably drawn to him. 

Skwisgaar is obviously popular with the fellow boys for he is a tall, strong child destined for greatness, and he basks in this fact. 

Now I see Skwisgaar skipping training/class to wander off and play with a golden lyre in some hidden spot in the nearby woods.

The same spot Toki escapes to to avoid the blatant stares and loneliness. He’s shocked for a moment to see the golden prince lounging serenely on his favorite spot surrounded by flowers. But he’s stopped in his tracks after hearing Skwisgaar’s masterful Lyre playing and is absorbed in the music. He remember how, during his cold lonely years back home, an old wooden lyre was his favorite escape. 

Skwisgaar spots him and is not surprised to see how this young boy is amazed by his playing because everyone is. He’s a Lyre God. But he is surprised when the young boy timidly asks, 

“Cans I tries it?”

No one has ever had the audacity to interrupt him mid-play or the confidence to play anything that could match him. However, he’s amused and has been watching this new kid for a while, so he beckons him over and lets him play a song. 

NOW THIS IS THE MOMENT! The moment Skwisgaar is sHOOK by how Toki’s fingers glide across the instrument and the gorgeous sounds he makes. It’s not exactly like Skwisgaar’s, but it’s something entirely his own. Something gut-wrenching and heartbreaking. And Skwisgaar feels something he has never felt before for any music other than his own. 

And they end up sneaking off often and spending their free time like this, playing Lyre together and barely speaking. Eventually Skwisgaar tells his step-father he has chosen Toki to be his partner/right-hand-man (bc they did that in Greece, forgot what it was called??) and Toki is shocked and happy and can’t believe for once in his life he can be near the first person that’s ever made him so happy in his life. 

Then obviously the growing up together thing !!!

- Toki becomes stronger and truly grows into himself. He’ll never have Skwisgaar’s natural swiftness of foot or affinity for combat, but he’ll be damned if he doesn’t try. 

- Skwisgaar is originally jealous of/shocked/impressed/aroused by how muscular/toned Toki grows up to become, but he constantly lords his impressive height over Toki

There’s so much more I feel is too much to add!!! 

But the other mtl ppl too:

- NATHAN AS ODYSSEUS!! PLS AND THANK

- Murderface or Pickles would actually be a really cool Chiron (a satyr who has trained many Greek heroes)

- Abigail as Briseis !!! (wont talk too much about her role bc TSOA spoilers)

- I’m not sure yet who Charles would be but he definitely has a place in this AU!!!

- mAgNuS iS hECToR !!!ii!!Ii!!

And the boys have so many obstacles in the way of their relationship, society/expectations/responsibilities/themselves. And it’s hard and painful but so worth it as long as they have each other. 

And stuff happens and the Trojan war breaks out...

I have so many thoughts for what happens to them, but ugh it’s too much to put in words almost. Just, I can’t help but think of these quotes from the book?!?! They scream Skwistok to me

“I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.” ― Madeline Miller, The Song of Achilles

“He smiled, and his face was like the sun.” ― Madeline Miller, The Song of Achilles

and another quote that i can’t put up bc if i do ever get around to writing this i want it to be a heartbreaking shock bc just thinking about it makes me tear up LOL

Even re-imagining versions of these quotes in their broken english makes my heart hurt !!! 

Just asadasfsd

end rant, I hope to add more to this AU in the future

ANd pls if any of you writers are inspired by these ramblings at ALL pls feel free to write something with this AU. Because i crave Ancient Greek Skwistok fics so much

OKAY, here’s a cnovel rec for you: The Healer Demands Payment! 

I’m not done with this yet, but I’m going to go ahead and rec it anyways, because the novel is still in progress (the original work, not the translation) and the translation is up to about chapter 77/160, and I have no idea how far things are going to go past that 160 point. But I still feel incredibly comfortably reccing this, because I’ve had a great time so far, and a friend who’s read up to the end of the current translation hasn’t thrown up any red flags.

Now, the way I got here was feeling some shizunfucking cravings and idly trawling the master/student tag, and I thought this might be lesbeans. Sadly, no shizunfucker lesbians to be found in here, but what I found instead is still so sincerely delightful that I’m not even mad. It took me a little time to get far enough to confirm that the shizun in question is a dude, and while I might have been a little eurghhh at that concept before starting the book, by that point I was in deep enough that I am sold. (also, the framing is such that I can’t tell if our main girl is aimed for eventual monogamy or if she’s collecting a harem, and i’m guessing monogamy is more likely, but i won’t be mad either way tbhhhh)

The premise!! Meng Qi has had a second chance to do her life over (a la mo ran. transmigrating into your own past, reincarnating as your own younger self). In her first life, she was dedicated to following the path of the healer, and was deeply, deeply passionate about her work, and tried to do good and heal people. However, turns out! She’s just a supporting character! Cannon fodder! This story is about our female lead, and our female lead is not Meng Qi! All this time, as Meng Qi has tried to help people, those people have given credit to Lu Qingran, have suspected that she wanted to do harm to Lu Qingran, etc etc etc. If I was reading the book of her original life, I think it would have been too witch hunt for me to finish the thing. And, additionally, virtually every hot man who’s ever made an appearance on the screen has at one time or another pursued... Lu Qingran. In the end (I’m still not sure how, as of chapter twenty-something), Lu Qingran seems to have gotten Meng Qi and several of these nice(?) young men killed, while she swooned into their killer’s arms.

SO. This time around Meng Qi has learned her lesson. That lesson is FUCK ALL Y’ALL. 

That’s not exactly true, but she is taking a brutally practical approach to her new life. The first time one of Lu Qingran’s old suitors makes an appearance on the scene? Well, okay, last time she exhausted herself trying to cure him of poison for a solid week and passed out, only to be framed for him getting him hurt in the first place and thrown in jail for three months until someone got around to clearing her name. No! Thank! You! So this time he shows up, and he’s a fancy young man from a prominent sect, and she’s a teenager who’s only been learning (theoretically) for half a year. So she steps forward and says she can cure him..... in exchange for $$$$$$$

Like that, no karmic ties! No obligation! This is a nice! Simple! Exchange of goods!!!!

Yeah, so. At first he’s horribly offended, but I’m only like twenty chapters in, and he is INTO IT. At least one other guy has shown up too, who is also into it. These two chucklefucks are currently getting into catfights behind her back, because ‘she charged you that much money? but she only charged me this much?????’ and chucklefuck prime has started getting all blushuu when she extorts him

Like, legit, my girl has accidentally stumbled her way into a findom harem situation, and I am CHEERING. HER. ON.

Additionally! In her prior life, she had a shizun. And they were research partners (my god, they were research partners) and they developed a bunch of revolutionary new medical techniques together. Back in her new life, now, Meng Qi’s cultivation isn’t as advanced, she has no idea where her shizun is or how to find him, but she has all the theoretical knowledge that the two of them worked out together in another lifetime. Probably the biggest downside of this book is that it adheres very closely to the stages of cultivation with ‘nascent soul’, ‘golden core’, ‘soul severing’ and all that, but this conceit of her theoretical knowledge being leagues ahead of what she can accomplish with her current body makes it really work in a way that’s never clicked for me in the other xianxia books I’ve sampled with the strict cultivation stages. 

I’m preemptively in agony, because I can’t even MTL my way to the end of the story, the story’’s not all written yet. But I don’t even care, because this is so genuinely delightful. The two modern-day cnovels I just finished were fantastic as well, but there’s something about a high fantasy setting that always works for me, and this is exploring aspects of a xianxia universe that none of the other books I’ve tried have messed with yet. And also, I have no idea where the romance is going except that the story is tagged master/student on novelupdates, but I won’t be mad however this plays out, because 1) meng qi is a stone cold badass healer, and 2) every man in this story is an UTTER CLOWN. 

When I was talking about this with my friend, I think she nailed it on how to make sure that you write a good shizun into your story, and that formula is: clownery. As a rich young master introduced first thing, I knew that Chu Tianfeng was going to be a clown, and then when tyrannical young lord Qin Xiumo showed up, I knew he would be a clown too (his first appearance: tied, with his own belt, to the bottom of a pond). Su Junmo, the fox demon lord, was remembered by Meng Qi as an incredibly UGHHHHHHHHHHH part of her first life, so I was pretty sure I would love him (I do), and I have it on good authority that Meng Qi’s shizun is a clown in his own right. This book is so good. I was dithering on what to read next, because trying to get invested in something and having to slowly realize that it’s mediocre is a demoralizing experience, but this has been FANTASTIC. 

Finally, I have to quote the novelupdates page, because this was what sold me on this being my next book to try:

The cycle repeated, and eventually everyone she saved blindly loved the righteous female lead. Ultimately she was killed by one of the men who was entangled with the female lead.

……

So after her rebirth, she began to firmly adhere to the principle of ‘pay me first, then I’ll cure you’.

Male cannon fodders who love the female lead, charge them triple the fee!

Male side characters who are ambiguously entangled with the female lead, charge them ten times the fee!

Male lead, the most important one, charge him one hundred times the fee!!

Meng Qi, you’re doing so great, sweetheart, I support you and your accidental findom harem acquisition <33333

✨ please read the rules before you place your order ✨

🍰 Ships

You have a few different options for ships (please specify which type of ship you want)

*** ALL MY SHIPS ARE SHIP FOR SHIPS *** because honestly, why not? I get so many ship requests alll the tiiimeee and sometimes it just wears me down but I feel like this is a cute little incentive for me to get ships done faster and it’s fun to ship each other! Also I’m kind of using this as a way to make sure people are reading my rules! So, here’s what ya do:

Go to my about page HERE

Tell me in your ship request who you would ship me with. It can literally be ANY group. Any at all.

BAM that’s it. It’s literally nothing and you’ll have your ship in NO time!!

1) Selca Ships

Max 6 groups

Send 1-3 pictures of your gorgeous face

No heavy snapchat filters

NO DOG FILTERS

2) Written Ships 

Max 3 groups

Please provide a description of yourself. The more detailed your description, the better the ship! Literally go crazy with details!!

3) Collage Ships

Max 4 groups (I’d prefer a different pic for each but if you don’t want to that’s fine!)

Please send 1-4 pictures of your beautiful face.

NO DOG FILTERS/ANY FILTERS THAT HIDE YOUR FACE

4) Favorites Ships

They’re similar to written ships, but you just fill out the “form” below and I’ll ship you from that.

Max 6 groups

** If you’re another shipping blog, and think that you’d like to start doing favorite ships too, that’s so great! BUT I created this form, so if you’re going to use it, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE give me credit for it! Just a simple shout out for my idea is all I ask :) xx

Form: Favorite season: Favorite type of food: Favorite smell: Favorite coffee drink: Favorite planet: Favorite emoji: Favorite city: Favorite sound: Favorite song and/or book: Favorite color: Favorite body part: Your Hogwarts House: Your GOT House (if you watch it):

5) Name Ships

Max 4 groups

Just send me your name and I’ll ship you with your groups!

I’ll also provide your ship name :)

6) Ultimate Bias Ships

Send in a selca and/or a tiny description of yourself

I’ll pick a bias for you out of ALL the groups I know

7) Zodiac Ship

Send me your astro info! You can send in your sun sign only, or your sun/moon/rising! Honestly, doesn’t matter to me! (Or any other details about your chart!)

Max 6 groups

8) Kink Ships

Send me 1-3 kinks that you have

Send max 3 groups

I’ll ship you with someone in that group based on who I think has those kinks or similar kinks!

  9) Poly Ships

These will be selca ships! send in 1-4 pictures

No heavy snap chat filters that cover your face. they’ll automatically be deleted

Max 4 groups

I’ll ship you based on your selca on who i think you’d look the best with in a poly relationship (I will pick TWO (2) members from the groups)

10) Outfit Ships

Send me pictures (1-4) of outfits that you’re wearing! (they must be on your body in the pictures)

Max 4 groups

I’ll ship you based on who I think will be most attracted to your style!

11) KDrama Ships

Send in 3-5 selcas. No heavy filters that hide your face!

Go to my face page here and ship me with someone in a drama/an actor! It can be a girl or a guy!

You can ask me to ship you with up to FOUR (4) KDrama casts! Just send me the name of the Dramas you’d like to be shipped with, and I’ll look through the cast and decide!

If you’d like it specified (like boys leads, girl leads, only boys/girls, etc..) just let me know!

🍰 “Dating ____ Would Include…”

Bullet point format

Please only request one idol at a time! But can be any idol from any group we write for (check our groups lists on our main rules page)

🍰 Idol x Au (bullet point format)

Bullet point format

You can request a single idol or a whole group x an au from any group i write for!

Example requests include ‘Jungkook x Hogwarts au’ or ‘Pentagon x Football Players au’

🍰 “The Signs As…”

These are new, and I’m still trying to figure out rules for them

But I see them a lot and they’re just too cute

They’re like “The signs as BTS albums.” Or “The signs’ Seventeen zombie apocalypse squad.” Here’s one of my examples

Max ~ 2 groups/things per request :)   

🍰 Confessional Friday

Confessions are fun and everyone loves to confess on anon

Send me sexual confessions, fantasies, wet dreams, day dreams, literally send me anything

If they include your bias(es), great! If not, no big! But I’ll include a little something for you in the answer to you confession :)

You can send in confessions all week, but I’ll only be posting them on Fridays! (It’ll be every other Friday from now on until further notice!)

I write my confessions in a female perspective unless stated otherwise

here’s the tag link if you’d like to go through previous confessions   

🍰 Outfit Requests

Max 1 group per request

If you who don’t know what an outfit request is, just pick a group and a situation (etc. first date, move premier, growing potatoes idc) and I’ll make an outfit for you for each member :)

Here’s an example   

🍰 Scenarios/Drabbles/Imagines

i don’t write malexmale or memberxmember. however i usually keep my reader pretty gender ambiguous

Scenarios take the most time to finish, so PLEASE be patient for these!

I’ll do fluff, angst, or smut

Of those three categories ^ you have to at least tell us one so we have something to go off of

PSA: I LOVE writing au’s so please please request a ton of those and you’ll make my whole day :)

Drabbles: - Here’s the link to my regular drabble game list: xx - Here’s the link to my AU drabble game: xx - Pick at least one number from either list and a person you’d like me to write it with! - These will be max ~600 words

Scenarios: - Can really be anything you’d like - However, we need at least some sort of guidelines! So, give me a person and at least an idea of what kind of scenario you want! - These will be max ~1000 words

Imagines: - These will be max ~300 words - I do two different kinds of imagines (pick one): - Time Together Imagines:            - Give me a time and a bias and I’ll tell you what you’re doing - Song Imagines:            - Give me a bias and a song to base your imagine on

🍰 MTL

These stand for ‘Most to Least likely’

Honestly, anything goes

The smuttier the better, but I’ll do any scenario

Max 4 groups per request :)   

🍰 Sex Analysis

So, I’ve gotten a ton of requests for these and I love them lots!

Just pick ~ MAX 1 ~ person from any kpop group I write for and I’ll tell you what I think sex with them would be like!

Here’s some examples if you’re confused: 1 / 2 / 3

🍰 Aesthetic Associations

I saw these on another blog and they’re amazing

Max 1 group/max 3 artists (for ex. 1 group = BTS. But you can mix and match members, so max 3 artists would be like = Kai, Jungkook, G-Dragon)

I’ll write a pretty length list of aesthetics I associate with each artist/member

Ex: Jungkook - distressed denim, chocolate bars, cartilage piercings, (I’ll do more in the lists but this was just an example)

Prompts for Requests

Feel free to choose a number from any of the categories, and if it's not there let me know, I'll work with you😘😘 I also take ideas for scenarios and imagines, and do mtl. Quotation Prompts 1.“Well, this isn’t going as expected.” 2.“Oh my god, I am so sorry!” 3.“If you had just asked, I would have.” 4.“Are you drunk?” 5.“I love you.” 6.“I hate you.” 7.“Get out!” 8.“You’re holding back on me.” 9.“This might hurt.” 10.“If you make one more stupid joke, I will kill you.” 11.“I’m pregnant.” 12.“Don’t you dare die on me, (name)” 13.“What the fuck?” 14.“Shut up and kiss me, you idiot.” 15.“Are we really doing this?” 16.0“Is that..” 17.“So you stole it?” “No, I borrowed it” 18.“I missed you.” 19.“Are you wearing my shirt?” 20.“You’re making me uncomfortable.” 21.“You look like you could use a massage.” 22.“You say some weird things when you sleep talk.” 23.“Bite me.” 24.“I don’t trust myself around you.” 25.“Are you jealous?” 26.“You’re not happy, are you?” 27.“Please remember that we share a wall.” 28.“You’re such an asshole!” 29.“Why are you at my doorstep at two in the morning?” 30.“Trust me, I can handle it.” 31.“My hair is better than yours.” 32.“Kiss my ass.” 33.“If you say that again I am going to stab you with a rusty knife.” 34.“All I need is a kitten and a big glass of lemon ice tea.” 35.“Brain over brawn? But they have neither.” 36.“I’m a lone wolf.” 37.“Did you just kiss me?” 38.“Your eyes are as beautiful as Enchanted Eden, your hair as perfect as Roasted Coffee and your lips as bright as Raspberry Bellini.” “Someone has clearly been looking at the dulex colour chart.” 39.“Well you seem busy.” 40.“Weird is an understatement.” 41.“She is a little crazy. And by little, I mean a lot and by crazy, I mean psychotic.” 42.“Please be quiet, I can’t even hear myself losing the will to live.” 43.“Take another step, and I can’t be held responsible for my actions.” 44.“I would call you an imbecile but that’d be cruel as you wouldn’t be able to spell it.” 45.“You interrupt my reading once more, and this book will become a lethal weapon.” 46.“Say that again.” 47.“If being clumsy was a currency, I’d be a bloody billionaire.” 48.“Kiss me you twat.” 49.“Your heart is as cold as my dorm room, and I can’t feel my toes in that room, so it’s bloody cold.” 50.“If you wanted a sign you should have said, and I would have punched you in the face.” 51.“What cruel irony it is to lose your glasses.” 52.“You aren’t a drama queen, you are a bloody drama emperor.” 53.“If they marked you on being wrong you’d be at the top of the class.” 54.“Have you got something to tell me?” 55.“Well aren’t you a hero?” 56.“If I were a Disney princess I would be Kuzco, as I’m fabulous and I may not be a princess but I deserve a crown.” 57.“Don’t you think we look alike?” “No. Not at all.” 58.“It’s best to not mention what happened last summer.” 59.“I wouldn’t say this is the happiest moment of my life. Once I found $ in my coat pocket and it was amazing.” 60.“The day you make me laugh is the day the dolphins start walking on land.” 61.“Come on dude! Why the hell did you shoot me?” 62.“That better be an apology pizza I smell, not just some stupid normal pizza.” 63.“I feel more inclined to take a bit out of my own flesh that eat that.��� 64.“Stop stealing my clothes.” 65.“We all have secrets.” 66.“I don’t need to be protected.” 67.“So how many weapons do you have?” 68.“A nail clipper isn’t a conventional weapon but believe me you’ll be crying for your mother when I’m done with you.” 69.“Did you paint the cat?” 70.“Well you are beautiful, just not as beautiful as me.” 71.“Malteses are satanic bunny poop.” 72.“Stop being dramatic, it’s only a tiny cut.” 73.“I’m not short, I’m adorable.” 74.“Can we just cuddle and pretend we have nothing to do?” 75.“Sometimes I wish you were dead.” 76.“How the hell did the sand get there?” 77.“I’m tired, so don’t make me angry.” 78.“Does it hurt?” 79.“are you even listening?” “yes, it just takes me a while to process so much stupid all at once.” 80.“Go float yourself!” 81.“Do you think we’re bad people?” 82. “Just smile, I really need to see you smile right now.” 83. “STOP INTERRUPTING ME!” 84. “Give me a chance.” 85. “I fucked up.” 86. “I came to say goodbye.” 87. “May we meet again” 88. “I’m so in love with you.” 89. “Isn’t this amazing?” 90. “Catch me if you can!” 91. “Are you drunk?” 92. “Of course I remembered!” 93. “You owe me.” 94. “It’s just your imagination.” 95. “I can take care of myself just fine.” 96. “Since when have we ever been friends?” 97. “We’re not just friends and you fucking know it.” 98. “Just talk to me” 99. “Just shut up and kiss me.” 100. “If we get caught I’m blaming you” 101. “Do you want to kiss as bad as I do right now” 102. “How long do we have?” 103. “How did we become this?” 104. “Am I ever going to see you again?” 105. “You make me feel invincible.” 106. ”Love isn’t perfect and that’s okay.” 107. “Are you ever going to tell him?” 108. “Just let me in. I promise I won’t hurt you.” 109. “I didn’t mean what I said.” 110. “Don’t look at me like that.” 111. “I’m pregnant and I don’t want to lose you.” 112. “What do you mean you love me?” “I mean that I love you..” 113. “Why are you so secretive?” “why aren’t you?” 114. “I need a place to stay.” 115. “I’m too sober for this.” 116. “Good thing I didn’t ask for your opinion.” 117. “No. Regrets.” 118. “Leave me alone.” 119. “That tattoo is hot.” “It is?”“Yeah, makes me wonder…” “Wonder what?” “What else you’re hiding.” 120. “I never meant to hurt you.” 121. “You need to leave.” 122. “I wish i’d never met you.” 123. “I can’t stand the thought of losing you.” 124. “Can I kiss you right now?” 125. “Don’t touch me.” 126. “Not sure if you could tell, but I’m not exactly a people person.” 127. “Was I really that drunk?” 128. “Did you hear that?” 129. “I hate how much I love you” 130. “I don’t want you to stop.” 131. “We need to talk.” 132. “Does he know about the baby?” 133. “That’s starting to get annoying” 134. “You can’t banish me! This is my bed too!” 135. “I’m not going anywhere.” 136. “I’ll keep you safe.” 137. “How did you find me?” 138. “I don’t want to talk about it.” 139. “Please, don’t cry.” 140. “If you had asked me to stay, I would’ve.” 141. “I didn’t do it!” 142. “I did it…” 143. “I don’t remember that!” 144. “This is girl talk, so leave.” 145. “Hey, hey, calm down. They can’t hurt you anymore.” 146. “You’re too good for this world.” 147. “There’s nothing I can do anymore.” 148. “It doesn’t matter. You’ve moved on and I have to be okay with that.” 149. “I don’t want to feel like this tomorrow.” 150. “Are you kidding me? We’re not fine!” 151. “I’m here for you.” 152. “Don’t leave me behind.” 153. “I have to tell you something.” 154. “You can’t just sit there all day.” 155. “Not everyone is out to get you. Stop thinking that. It’s annoying.” 156. “I hate you.” 157. “I don’t need you anymore.” 158. “I wish we could stay like this forever.” 159. “I’ve liked you for awhile now.” 160. “Are you flirting with me?” 161. “Is that my shirt?” 162. “Are you mad at me?” 163. “Are you cold?” 164. “You’re an asshole.” 165. “I had a bad dream again.” 166. “Do you think I’m scared of a woman?” 167. “Where am I going? Crazy. Wanna come?” 168. “Don’t argue. Just do it.” 169. “Kiss me.” 170. “Wait a second. Are you jealous?” 171. “Oh my god! You are in love with him!” 172. “I wasn’t going to wait around forever.” 173. “This is all my fault.” 174. “You deserve better than me.” 175. “This isn’t fair!” 176. “Could you be happy, here, with me?” 177. “Do you wish things had happened differently?” 178. “Something’s clearly wrong.” 179. “Keep your eyes on me.” Holiday Prompts 1.Christmas 2.Valentine’s Day 3.Fourth of July 4.Halloween 5.Thanksgiving/Friendsgiving AU Prompts 1.Coffee Shop AU 2.Soulmate AU 3.University/Highschool AU 4.Roommates AU 5.AU of your choice Song prompts: Congratulations- Day6 You Were Beautiful- Day6 Colors- Day6 Winter Is Gone- Day6 Letting Go- Day6 This Moment- Wonder Girls Girlfriend- Wonder Girls Stay- BlackPink Find A Way- Safetysuit As If You Know It All- Lim Kim Love in Seoul- Neon Bunny Smile Flower- Seventeen 20- Seventeen I Won’t Cry- Ladies Code I’m Fine, Thank You- Ladies Code My Flower- Ladies Code Chaconne- Ladies Code Autumn Leaves- BTS Let Me Know- BTS Time And Fallen Leaves- AKMU 200%- AKMU Heaven- Ailee Home- Ailee Insane- Ailee Goodbye- 2ne1 If I Were You- 2ne1 Missing You- 2ne1 That XX- G-Dragon Love You To Death- Taeyang This Ain’t It- Taeyang Take it Slow- Taeyang Rain- Taeyeon Secret- Taeyeon 11:11- Taeyeon Fine- Taeyeon Love in Color- Taeyeon Lost in Love- Taeyeon & Tiffany Heartbreak Hotel- Tiffany ft. Simon Dominic I Got Love- Taeyeon Paper Heart- f(x) Goodbye, Summer- f(x) Airplane- Ikon Apology- Ikon My Type- Ikon One of These Nights- Red Velvet Alone- Cheeze I love you (bye)- Cheeze I don’t Love You- Urban Zakapa Yellow- Coldplay Sparks- Coldplay Somewhere Only We Know- Keane Our Deal- Best Coast Boyfriend- Best Coast Secret Love Song ½- Little Mix Pillowtalk- Zayn Truth- Hatfelt Voice- Sweden Laundry Home- Roy Kim Seattle- Sam Kim The Only Exception- Paramore Kiss prompts: 1.Good morning” kiss 2.Kiss on the forehead 3.Drunk/sloppy kiss 4.Awkward kiss 5.Angry kiss 6.“I’m sorry” kiss 7.“I’ve missed you” kiss 8.Seductive kiss 9.“War’s End” kiss 10.“Goodbye” kiss 11.“I almost lost you” kiss 12.Kiss on the nose 13.Kiss on the ear 14.Kiss on the neck 15.Kiss on the back 16.New Year’s kiss 17.Needing to kiss to hide from bad guys 18.“I do” kiss 19.Shy kiss 20. Surprised kiss 21.Kiss on a dare 22.Sad kiss 23.Exhausted parents kiss 24.Kiss of life 25.Kiss inspired by a song 26.Jealous kiss 27.Giggly kiss 28.First kiss 29.Last kiss 30.Kiss under a full moon 31.Kiss at dusk 32.Kiss at dawn 33.Kiss in a dream 34.Returned from the dead kiss Themed kisses 35.“We can never be together” kiss 36.It’s-the-end-of-the-world kiss 37.Awkward teenage crush kiss 38.Spin the bottle kiss 39.Hiding/hoping not to be caught kiss 40.Forbidden kiss 41.Sated kiss 42.Soft kiss 43.Tender kiss 44.Passionate kiss 45.Long kiss 46.Quick kiss 47.Morning kiss 48.Before Bed kiss 49.In Secret kiss 50.Public kiss 51.Accidentally Witnessed kiss 52.Against a wall kiss 53.Against a Locker kiss 54.True Love kiss 55.Caught off-guard kiss 56.Breaking The Kiss To Say Something, Staying So Close That You’re Murmuring Into Each Other’s Mouths 57.Moving Around While Kissing, Stumbling Over Things, Pushing Each Other Back Against The Wall/Onto The Bed 58.Kissing So Desperately That Their Whole Body Curves Into The Other Person’s Throwing Their Arms Around The Other Person, Holding Them Close While They Kiss Hands On The Other Person’s Back, Fingertips Pressing Under Their Top, Drawing Gentle Circles Against That Small Strip Of Bare Skin That Make Them Break The Kiss With A Gasp 59.Lazy Morning Kisses Before They’ve Even Opened Their Eyes, Still Mumbling Half-Incoherently, Not Wanting To Wake Up 60.Routine Kisses Where The Other Person Presents Their Cheek/Forehead For The Hello/Goodbye Kiss Without Even Looking Up From What They’re Doing Being Unable To Open Their Eyes For A Few Moments Afterward 61.One Small Kiss, Pulling Away For An Instant, Then Devouring Each Other Staring At The Other’s Lips, Trying Not To Kiss Them, Before Giving In When One Stops The Kiss To Whisper “I’m Sorry, Are You Sure You-” And They Answer By Kissing Them More 62.A Hoarse Whisper “Kiss Me” 63.Following The Kiss With A Series Of Kisses Down The Neck 64.Starting With A Kiss Meant To Be Gentle, Ending Up In Passion 65.A Gentle “I Love You” Whispered After A Soft Kiss, Followed Immediately By A Stronger Kiss 66.When One Person’s Face Is Scrunched Up, And The Other One Kisses Their Lips/Nose/Forehead 67.Height Difference Kisses Where One Person Has To Bend Do Wn And The Other Is On Their Tippy Toes 68.Kisses Where One Person Is Sitting In The Other’s Lap Kisses Meant To Distract The Other Person From Whatever They Were Intently Doing 69.Top Of Head Kisses

Hakuouki Yuugiroku 3 Short Episode “Very Similar”

This translation is from the 3rd Yuugiroku game “Hakuoki Yuugiroku - Taishitachi no Daienkai,” and I will not be referring to it as such since it’s too much of a hassle to copy/paste/look up the title every time plus I reserve the right to be lazy since I don’t see anyone else translating anything from this game! xD lol... as such, this why I will only be tagging this under ‘Yuugiroku 3.’

ANYWAY.

when i was taking a break from filling up my queue with ssl stuff, i ended up translating this for some reason. lol. should probably have done something from kyoka-roku since there’s still that rain scenario stuff and the other char povs to do, but since i have translations for about 95% of this game (not counting yuugiroku 1 [have a patched psp iso file but I don’t care to learn how to extract text from it as i’m lazy] and 2 [have various tl for this... very unorganized plus some of it is incomplete] which are bundled onto this vita game), i figured that it didn’t matter if i got a tiny head-start. The only thing I can’t translate/have no translations for from this game is the section that has no text where the guys comment on various drinks or something (can’t remember what they are aside from sake cuz i distinctly remember Saito saying something about sake and tofu lol), and the misc dialogue that occurs when you select something in the menu or during the mini-games.

In regards to this content, I think this was in what was referred to as the “Appreciation section” [not sure+too lazy to check jp mtl], though the translation of the text on the right on the first image below the cut is ‘episode’ in Chinese so I will be labelling this as such... There are a total of 9 in these in the game.

all images used in this post are my screenshots aside from the game box art (this is the limited ed bonus version). do not repost elsewhere.

enjoy~

Hakuouki Yuugiroku Taishitachi no Daienkai - Episode “Very Similar” 

Translation by KumoriYami

Characters [text on bottom left]: Hijikata, Okita, Sakamoto 

Hijikata: Ah, I'm back.

Sakamoto: Yo Hijikata, I've come to visit.

Hijikata: ...! You are Sakamoto! What are you doing here!

Souji: We were just talking about HIjikata-san.

Hijikata: Me?

Sakamoto: Yeah! You and I were born in the 6th year of Tenpō [天保], really what a coincidence!

Hijikata: What nonsense, weren't there a lot of people born in that year?

Souji: That's not all, Sakamoto-san is also the youngest son of a rich family.

It's no wonder why [these] two [have] faces that looked completely spoiled by everyone and the world around them.

Hijikatta: Are you qualified to tell me that?

I suffered a lot during those days/years [the actual word used is "years" but the phrase used can mean either "in those days", "during that time", and "in those years"].

Sakamoto: That's right, have you tried being a merchant?

If you're capable of doing that, you should go and open and up your own store. [theres no damn pronoun subject in this sentence but based on jp mtl  and context, im assuming he's telling souji off]

Souji: Hijikatasan, you opened a store/ran a store? With his temper? That's not the way to joke [That's not something to joke about/That's a bad joke?].

Hijikata: Shut up! I also didn't think that suitable for me to do.

Sakamoto: After your parents also died early. [Weren't you] raised by your eldest sister who is [now the] closest to you too? Actually, that's another a coincidence!

Souji: Eh, it is like that. I was also left with my elder sister after my parents died early.

Sakamoto: Oh, then you were also brought up by your elder sister!

Souji: I don't remember so who knows.

Sakamoto: You don't remember....... you can't remember your own sister?

Souji: Mah, it's more complicated for me.

Sakamoto: (whispered) Although I don't understand that, it's better to not ask questions.

Hijikatta:  (whispers) Yeah, the exterior of this guy is [already] super troublesome.

Souji: By the way, doesn't Sakamoto-san have a friend who is sick and bedridden?

Sakamotto: Ah you're talking about Takasugi?

That guy is bedridden [literally: 'to fall gravely ill, never to recover' (idiom)] because of tuberculosis.

Hijikata: Tuberculosis.......  it's said to be an incurable disease, [we?] should go and meet him while he's still alive.

Souji: Hm....... There are similarities even in this aspect?

Hijikata: What did you say?

Souji: Nothing, just thinking aloud.

(”art” cg)

Hijikata: That reminds me, this morning you drew on my face while I was asleep!

Souji: I obviously used prepared ink, [so] I don't know how you managed to remove it.

Hijikata: I was desperately worked to get it off! It would have been a disaster if I didn't leave without checking a mirror!

Souji: It would be better to have all the mirrors inside headquarters hidden away next time I draw.

Hijikata: Souji, you.......!

Sakamoto: I don't know if the relationship between you is good or bad.

I've heard that the Shinsengumi rules and ranks are well respected [maintained/adhered to.. i guess?].

But this doesn't look it's harsh to a deranged degree.

Souji: that's right, even though Hijikata-san looks like this, he's a very tolerant person.

(cg 2)

Hijikata: Hmph, it's annoying how you say whatever comes to mind [say whatever you please].

Souji: I'm serious, I truly respect Hijikata-san.

Hijkata: Shut up. If you're going to be making stupid comments, hurry up and leave with Sakamoto. I have documents I need to write!

Sakamoto: What? It wasn't easy for me to come/I finally managed to come [yet] you're so cold and detached.

Souji: Hijikata-san is such a person, but as he says, we should go. Ah by the way Sakamoto-san, are you able to write haiku?

Sakamoto: Oh? I'm only able to write basic phrases at the level of an ordinary person [I can only write basic phrases].

Souji: I have a lovely book of haiku, would you like to take a look?

(oni cg with horns + sound of thunder)

Hijikata: You stole my haiku collection again! I will absolutely not be letting you off today!

--------------------

did this in june lol. 

i do like these short stories... not that yuugiroku 3 has any real plot to speak of, though i have no idea when I’ll translate another of these or anything from this game again for that matter since i still got ssl and ginsei no shou to work on.

Dig a Grave to Dig Out a Ghost - Chapter 7

Original Title: 挖坟挖出鬼

Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Supernatural, Yaoi

This translation is based on multiple MTLs and my own limited knowledge of Chinese characters. If I have made any egregious mistakes, please let me know.

Chapter Index

Chapter 7 - Police Station

His early morning class was basically just background noise. After trying to listen to the professor, all the sentences blurred together until there was only a buzzing sound.

Lin Yan propped himself up with his elbow on the table, his head nodding off again and again.

"These Ming Dynasty shirts were made of jade-coloured cloth and silk. They had wide-sleeves and circular collars, with black ribbons and seams hanging down.

Even prisoners wore this style of clothing."

The city was immersed in sleep at midnight, and there was no activity insight. Lin Yan drove his car from the residential area to the main road, and the night breeze came in, blowing the hair on his forehead.

A person appeared silently in the middle of the road.

Lin Yan gasped. Too close to swerve out of the way, he subconsciously slammed on the brakes, "Squeak--"

The huge inertia made him rush forward. He prayed that he didn't get into an accident. When he looked up again, he saw the front of the car stopped less than two metres away from the person, but the person stood perfectly still as though he hadn't seen the car. There is no intention of moving out of the way at all. Did this guy want to die? Lin Yan's hand grabbed his chest. He flashed the car lights twice to signal to the person to move aside. After seeing the person clearly, Lin Yan's mind turned to static.

The man’s feet were reversed, with heels facing forward and toes facing backward.

He slowly raised his head towards Lin Yan. His head was a skull covered with chunks of flesh with bone peeking through. His lips were more than half-rotten, two rows of slanted white teeth exposed. There was a stiff, crooked grin that pulled at the corners of his mouth, and dark laughter sounded in Lin Yan's ears. . .

Lin Yan's body trembled and he was thrown back awake.

"Skirts were slightly lighter in colour in the early Ming Dynasty; white skirts were promoted during the Chongzhen period. There were one or two inches of embroidery around the hem of the skirts. . .

"At the end of the Ming Dynasty, it developed into eight or ten inches. Pleated skirts were very popular, with fine and large folds..."

It was the middle of the day, these were human voices.

. . . Was that a nightmare?

Lin Yan recovered from his mini heart attack and tried to slow his breathing, but his heart couldn't stop beating.

Hesitantly, a cold hand touched his hair lightly. It stopped on the back of his neck as if it were soothing, but it disappeared in an instant. Lin Yan froze. The anger and constant anxiety of being violated at any time would make anyone paranoid. His anger came to a breaking point; ghost encounters at night, dreaming of ghosts during the day, would it ever stop? With a wave of his hand, he threw the textbook to the side, slapped the table, stood up, and shouted, "Fucking try it again! Come at me, I'm not afraid!"

The book fluttered across the table and chairs in the front row, and the papers in the book scattered like snow. Lin Yan stood in a daze, and it took a moment for him to snap out of it. Looking around, his confusion melted into overwhelming embarrassment. He saw the hundreds of students in the classroom turned back and stared at him. The teacher that taught his Ming Dynasty costume research class stood on the podium at the front of the room and looked at Lin Yan with disgust.

"Sit down. If you have any questions, you can talk to me after class. This teacher is old and can't keep up with your young people's games."

The rustling whisper in the class turned into a roar of laughter. Lin Yan blushed and shuffled all the way to the front to retrieve the textbook. He bowed to his teacher and returned back to his seat.

He was terrified that the ghost would try something else for most of the night. It had gotten harder to keep his eyes open just as dawn broke. It was hard staying awake during his morning class but he didn't expect his half-asleep daze to cause him this kind of embarrassment.

His face was still burning.

Just as he was thinking about it, his phone screen suddenly turned on, and a text message popped up. Yin Zhou sent: "Was everything alright last night?"

Lin Yan settled down and quickly sent a reply: "I'm still alive. I should be fine before July 15th." Fingers snapped and moved across the keyboard: "I found something new on a supernatural forum. Meet me at the entrance of the cafeteria at noon so we can talk."

On the first day of the month of Wushen, the fifteenth day of the seventh month, was the day of the Ghost Festival, and the gate of ghosts is wide open.

Lin Yan shrugged his shoulders and lay on the table, scribbling on the notebook while thinking. Unconsciously, he had covered a whole piece of paper with the rebirth curse. He hadn't done anything, so why is this ghost doing all of this? Lin Yan poked the paper bitterly with his pen, making small holes.

At the end of his two classes, when it was time for lunch, Lin Yan rushed to the cafeteria after packing up his things haphazardly. He went out and, when he turned to the left, he roughly bumped into another person. His nose slammed into their forehead and he almost cried out loud.

He should have checked his horoscope before going outside today.

Lin Yan held his nose and hissed and sucked in cold air. The other man stood silently. When Lin Yan opened his eyes and looked at the person he hit, he was surprised to see that he had run into a Daoist priest.

He was short and thin, his skin pale and he appeared weak. He was wearing some weird Tibetan blue homemade clothes. His shoulders were hunched under the weight of his backpack. This person seemed so dull that people couldn't help but yawn just glancing at him.

"Sorry, I was rushing to the cafeteria and didn't see you," Lin Yan apologized embarrassedly. The man didn't seem to be listening to him at all. His gaze was focused on something over Lin Yan's shoulder. He stared at it and suddenly grinned.

"Such powerful Yin energy. You need to be careful."

After speaking, he let out a soft "ah" as if he had just woken up from sleepwalking, and lightly floated past Lin Yan.

"Is that guy rambling delusions again?" The boy following Lin Yan poked his arm and said in disbelief.

Lin Yan shook his head and rushed down the stairs with his bag.

It was raining lightly, and the whole campus was wet. The students who were going to eat held umbrellas over their heads, looking like large colourful mushrooms from a distance. Lin Yan stepped onto a small paved road to avoid stepping in a puddle. Looking around, he saw Yin Zhou, who was looking around like a stupid bird at the entrance of the cafeteria. He looked terrible. He was holding a large red umbrella, four characters seemingly hanging on his forehead that was advertising his current mood: Stay away from me.

People who passed by couldn't help but glance over at him.

Lin Yan strode over the accumulating water under the steps in two quick strides, and patted Yin Zhou on the shoulder: "Why do you look as bad as I do?"

Yin Zhou was a little out of it, and took a long time to look at Lin Yan: "Second Immortal Gu is dead."

"My mother just called and asked us to the police station."

Lin Yan's face dropped.

When the police offer on duty led Lin Yan and Yin Zhou into the morgue and removed the white cloth that covered Second Immortal Gu’s face, Lin Yan took two steps backwards in shock. Yin Zhou couldn’t stop gagging. The face was extremely distorted. Her eyes were cracked open, the eyeballs almost bursting out of the eye sockets. Her mouth was wide open like a black hole, and her face looked like it was covered with nail scratches. It seemed that she had witnessed something extremely terrifying before she died. The most disgusting thing was that the skin all the way from her face to her neck was covered with deep holes. She had been eaten at by insects and ants. It is only by the contours of her face that they could barely recognize her as the grandmother who pretended to be a ghost in front of them yesterday.

Lin Yan covered his mouth and tried his best to suppress the urge to vomit. He waved his hand vigorously to let the police know to put down the white sheet.

"This is the person?"

Lin Yan nodded and took a few steps back unconsciously.

"She died last night. The bug bites are still under investigation." The policeman said casually, and glanced at Lin Yan's expressions disdainfully: "Are you two okay? We are all used to seeing dead people. It's better to think about where they're going."

Lin Yan and Yin Zhou, as the last two customers of Second Immortal Gu, were asked to stay at the police station to assist in the investigation. The interrogators took them to record their statements and fill out some forms. The police officer shuttled back and forth between the two interrogation rooms with the folders. As he walked, he muttered: "College students still believe this. I've heard so many crazy things over the years."

At 3 pm, the autopsy report from the hospital was sent to the police station. Second Immortal Gu died of a heart attack, which was a normal death. The blood contains a lot of catecholamines, the myocardial cells are damaged, mixed with erythema; it was a common way to die for patients with cardiovascular diseases. There were many insects in the countryside, and they gnawed away at the corpse overnight.

Lin Yan and Yin Zhou were taken out of the interrogation room, and each concluded the case by leaving their fingerprints for the file. The policeman on duty sent the two out. Seeing that the superior was not there, they shook their heads and muttered to Lin Yan: "The report said that they were strongly affected. To put it bluntly, they were scared to death. When I was a child, I heard the villagers say that these sorts of people never died a peaceful death, and dealing with ghosts and gods would damage their morality and sucks away at their life to the point that it kills them."

When they left the police station, the pattering rain was still falling, and there were few people on the street. Lin Yan's face turned blue and he couldn't stop shaking from head to toe. When he passed by the convenience store, he bought a pack of cigarettes and sat side by side with Yin Zhou on the road. The body of Second Immortal Gu lingered in front of his eyes. Lin Yan wiped the rain off his face, his lips shaking as he asked, "Do you think. . . that thing did it?"

Yin Zhou was silent. "He came again last night, he seemed very angry." Lin Yan buried his face in his hands. "We shouldn't have gone to see her yesterday."

"You saw how she looked just now. That thing isn't human."

As he raised his head and looked around, his voice suddenly rose: "just because no one can see it, it thinks it can just kill anyone it wants to? That's a human being; a living, breathing person. No matter what I do, you always fucking leave regardless of what I say. You're coming after me and yet you take revenge on others?!"

Insane, perverted, totally unreasonable. Lin Yan said mutely, "Ghosts were human once too. Did you even have a conscience when you were alive?! Why don't you come out? Brother, I’m waiting to die, it would be very kind of you to come here now. Why wait for July 15th? Let's end this!"

On all the roads of all the towns and villages, the faces behind every window have remained unknown to the general population. No one knew that in a village in the northwest corner of the city, a grandmother had been robbed of her life. She died inexplicably. To many, it was as unnoticeable as stepping on an ant. A ghost did it! Who would believe that? Lin Yan recalled his experience last night. He thought that that gentle kiss would at least show that the monster still had some trace of his conscience from when he was a human being. It even sympathized with his paranoia, but now? Second Immortal Gu couldn't see his existence at all, what did she do wrong? Lin Yan shouted desperately in his heart, what did I do wrong!

"The next one could be me, my parents, or you. . ." Lin Yan squeezed the cigarette out, a vicious expression in his eyes: "I wanted to make peace with it, but now I changed my mind."

"He can come and try to take my life. I'll kill him first; a life for a life!"