Oooh Arknights. I've heard good things about that game. I also want to make a joke about it being yet another gacha that you're playing but xD (I do know gacha games are accesible because they're often free.)
With your mention of Bassline's name in Chinese I'm curious, is it a literal translation? Or is it just a name, or does it mean something else? It's kind of an odd name though at this point I'm pretty much used to anime characters having any random word as a name. I'll say tbh the word "bassline" makes me think of music and I don't see much music-related stuff in the design (though you did mention a taste in music so I'm curious about it).
Good luck with the game! I hope the gameplay is enjoyable, tower defense is a bit stressful for me personally but maybe you'd do better at it xD. Sometimes learning by experience (actually playing) is a lot more useful than scouring through tutorials I've found out.

Also suuure you're saaaane...
Btw why are you in the refrigerator but have a Milo pfp

I love cross-universe referencing how people evaluate characters' combat statistics
Run's weightlifting class is "at least Class M", which is higher than Spy x Family Yor's "at least Class 50". And that'd be funny enough to imagine already (because if Yor somehow caps out before Class M, then even imagining this disparity is hilarious), but also Class M is classified as being the weight of the "largest ship" so I'm just imagining Run pulling the Titanic out of the water or something, hilarious.
yeah I think maybe Run isn't that strong xD

-Galaxian-

You might notice (you probably didn't but maybe you did lol) that my translation of the entire song is quite different from the original portion I did Halloween of last year, and you would be right. It's astounding how differently the same characters in the exact same structure and context can be perceived differently. 
Yeah, lemme just praise Ancient Chinese poetry real quick. We Chinese may have spent wayyy too much time fighting each other and different people and committing war crimes, but hey we at least got one of the hecking coolest languages through all that trouble. That's a win. 
But at the same time it's hecking hard lol. I love doing these translations primarily because I learn so much from them. 
In the future I will look at this translation and cringe because it's so crude, but behold, it's also so crude because I plan to yabber more about it. Buckle up (or exit the tab now lol it's not gonna be pretty)

Copying and pasting the original fragment of the translation here for reference because, of course, I need to talk about it.

（天道常变易 运数杳难寻）
The will of heaven constantly changes, and the path of destiny is hard to trace; 
（成败在人谋 一诺竭忠悃）
So, holding victory and defeat within our human strategy and tactics, we swear our fealty to our lords. 
（丈夫在世当有为）
As men, we have a duty to carve down our accomplishments while living on this earth,
（为民播下太平春）
To sow the seeds of a peaceful spring for the people.

（归去归去来兮我夙愿）
I have always desired with all my heart to traverse this earth, 
（余年还作垅亩民）
Yet with my remaining years, my will is to remain but a humble farmer. 
（归去归去来兮我夙愿）
I have always desired with all my heart to traverse this earth, 
（余年还作垅亩民）
Yet with my remaining years, my will is to remain but a humble farmer. 

（清风明月入怀抱）
As I embrace the clear wind and bright moon into my bosom,
（猿鹤听我再抚琴）
The cranes once again listen to the sound of my zither.

I actually still quite like it. As a fragmented translation it's pretty good imo. I think I can tell how emotional I was feeling about this piece at the time, so essentially, it's super biased and only an interpretation, but English just can't succinctly describe so many different things at the same time. 
But in the whole translation, I feel like the song employs the dragon metaphor much more than the fragment did, so I tried to reflect that in the tense usage and the perspective. Still, I do honestly think that using more personal pronouns fits all the emotions encapsulated in the song (representing those of Zhuge Liang the character). 

I'm about to go stanza by stanza (and technically, sentence by sentence) without coherence btw. Just as a roadmap.

Verse 1 wrote:

束发读诗书修德兼修身
His hair bundled upon his head, he reads and studies so he may become the embodiment of virtue,
仰观与俯察韬略胸中存
Hiding all that he observes within his heart.
躬耕从未忘忧国
Even while seeding the fields, he never forgets to worry about his country--
谁知热血在山林
Who would have thought that such passion is hidden deep within the mountains?

束发读诗书修德兼修身
His hair bundled upon his head, he reads and studies so he may become the embodiment of virtue

-束发 (shu fa): Referring to the hairstyle at the time. For Han children, brushing their hair up signified maturation, with the two thresholds being at 15 years old and 20 years old. 20 years old was like the official adulthood stage. 
That's more cultural trivia, but essentially this just refers to a teenage Zhuge Liang, studying diligently just like most any other dedicated scholar of his time. 
-修德兼修身: 修德 refers to the cultivation of virtue (the closest translation to what "de" is in Chinese, along with morality).  Roughly, 兼 can mean "to do simultaneously." Truth be told, I am not that familiar with how 兼 as a character is used, but the way I'm interpreting it right now is something like "cultivating virtue lends to cultivating the body" (I'm not that familiar with Ancient Chinese philosophy at the time in general if that isn't abundantly obvious), so overall I tried connecting the terms together as one due to my understanding of 兼 inherently connecting the terms used on either side of it.
This portion reflects his virtue but also his normality. Scholars at the time were expected philosophically to embody virtue and knowledge at the same time, because ultimately they didn't study just to know things, but rather were expected to eventually put their knowledge (their gift/talent) to use to serve their country. So even though it's a single line, it reflects a young Zhuge Liang's dedication to scholarship and becoming someone of worth.  

仰观与俯察韬略胸中存
Hiding all that he observes within his heart

-仰观: "Looking up", technically. But 仰 evokes the feeling of someone really, really leaning back and looking up rather than just tilting their head up a bit. It's a very involved movement. 观 is usually used to describe observing. When I see this term, I think of someone standing on the plains and tilting themselves way back to observe the sky and the moving clouds. 
-俯察: The opposite. Something like "looking down." But again, the specific characters used create an image that's a little bit more elaborate. 俯 refers to bowing one's head. 察 is probably directly translated as surveying. The overall image I gain is someone standing on a very tall city wall surveying the land beneath them.
-与 is a conjunction, kinda like "and," except more sophisticated because that's how it goes lol.
-Therefore, 仰观与俯察 collectively evokes the image of someone who both looks at the greater world as a single person as well as sees it from a vantage point that isn't accessible to everyone. I'm not sure how much sense that makes to others, but that's a perfect description of Zhuge Liang in my eyes.
-韬: A character I'm not familiar with. I'll list its various definitions for measure: 1) A sheath for a bow or sword; 2) to hide/camouflage, such as hiding one's talents or dulling the shine of a perfect blade; 3) war strategies, such as in terms like 韬钤 and 韬略; 5) the swords (and symbols of authority) for ancient emperors.
Because I searched it up, I found that the term is pretty much just a synonym for "strategies" that I'm not familiar with.
-It's not unique to Chinese, but in Chinese, the chest (which I usually translate as bosom) is synonymous to the heart. The heart is used too, but usually the chest is used in the context of "greater" things than just emotions, such as accomplishments. I guess the more accurate way of putting it is that the heart is used in a more sensitive and personal way, while the chest is more grandiose (it has greater surface area and houses the heart, after all). 

Therefore, we come up with a literal translation of: The strategies he gains from surveying far and wide are all hidden within his heart. Or something like that. It really is hard to translate literally. I think the notes help me though. 

躬耕从未忘忧国
Even while seeding the fields, he never forgets to worry about his country

Probably an easier line for me. 
-躬耕 refers to personally seeding the fields. As you may be familiar with, agriculture has become less and less personal with mechanization, but back then a farmer tended to his fields personally. 
I'm also giving it a bullet point of its own because the term 躬耕 is highly associated with Zhuge Liang specifically. In another...I don't even know what to call it. work ig, the beginning is literally “亮躬耕陇亩”, which just means that "[Zhuge] Liang (yes, Liang is his given name) seeds the fields," along with other introduction stuff. So being a farmer is a critical part of his identity. 
-The rest of the line is pretty straightforward.
-从未: Never
-忘: To forget
-忧国: To worry about one's country, synonymous for patriotism. Back then, people were expected to worry about their country's welfare and actively want to change it for the better. (says the absolutely politically apathetic person lol)

So, "Even while seeding his fields, he never forgets to be patriotic." Or "Even as a humble farmer, he never forgets to worry about his country." The overall meaning seems rather obvious to me. 

谁知热血在山林
Who would have thought that such passion is hidden deep within the mountains?

-This is a rhetorical question.
-热血: Translates directly to "Hot blood". I think just translating it to passion is good. Fun fact, epic things are still referred to using this term. Saint Seiya was also evaluated to encapsulate the spirit of "热血" shounen. If that helps at all.
-山林: I translated to "mountains" because that's just what English contextualises it as, but directly translating, this would be "the mountain forests." Just a term usage difference.

Verse 2 wrote:

凤兮凤兮思高举
The phoenix yearns for flight,
世乱时危久沉吟
Yet dawdles too long during times of need
{{repeat}}

The repeat makes translating easier. (not really btw. In fact, I wasn't sure how to convey the meaning of it properly. The repeat really emphasises the yearning of the phoenix but also pretty much demonstrates its hesitation, but I didn't feel the same thing when I translated it.)

凤兮凤兮思高举
The phoenix yearns for flight

-There are repeats even within the first line. (凤兮 is repeated, as a sort of calling. 兮 is an emphasis character that helps emphasise the tone, which I suppose is something like an "exclamation". It's akin to how English says things like "O' Lord", but at the same time it's probably not really like that at all. 凤 is just a way of addressing the phoenix, which is one of the mystical creatures most popular in Ancient China.)  
-思: "to think," but I translated it as "yearning" because when you think about something in a way that can be described as 思, you think about it deeply, and for long periods of time. So maybe the translation makes it a bit more emotional, but when do I not make my translations more emotional lol.
-高举: The characters directly translate to "high" and "raise". In human terms, this term refers to something like promotion or recognition for one's talents and deeds. I actually stopped at this part for a second because the phrase is just so...human. The phoenix is a mystical animal, so why does it wish to be promoted? The answer is obvious, because it's a metaphor for a person--rather, any person who wishes to make an impact along with others. But I decided to translate the entire line as if still talking about the phoenix, who has wings yet yearns for flight, just like how many people have the capability of making a difference but must rely on the perception and recognition of others for their breaking moment.  

I think considering Zhuge Liang is the dragon rather than the phoenix, this verse merely serves as a comparison of sorts. More on this later.

世乱时危久沉吟
Yet dawdles too long during times of need

Still talking about the phoenix.
-世乱: "chaos of the time." Ancient China had a lot of these times. It basically refers to tumultuous times, usually of change and war and rebellion. Again, this makes it plenty obvious that the phoenix is a metaphor. 
-沉吟: This term is best seen by itself rather than by its separate components (as a note because I separate some terms and don't for others). It means to dawdle and hesitate without making a decision. The direct meaning, "to murmur under one's breath cautiously," ties to the phoenix metaphor. So you could imagine the majestic fire bird chirping quietly to herself as she paces, unable to make a firm decision...but you could also just see the direct meaning of the term, you see?
-危久: translates to "for dangerously long," meaning the phoenix hesitates for too long.

I immediately get distracted trying to explain the context for the phoenix. I do not believe it to be referring to Pang Tong, but rather to the general cultural symbol. As is commonly known, the phoenix is a majestic fire bird who never dies and resurrects after death. In China, it is usually referred to as being feminine, paired with the dragon (which is masculine).
Unrelated to masculinity or femininity, the phoenix usually only appears for the dawn of a new era rather than at the dusk of an old one. In essence, it does not involve itself in times of trouble. Therefore, it is used as a contrast to Zhuge Liang (the Slumbering Dragon who ultimately moves to action), in that it actively yearns for flight but does not move during critical times, only appearing after all the action is over.

I will keep adding stuff in as I go. Submitting for now though.

-Galaxian-

Just to add onto that, I did this sorta stuff in a Disney autograph book.

-Galaxian-

I keep thinking about how bad the teamwork between Mu, Aiolia, and Milo is lol like yes it's illegal for Saints to gang up on an opponent Soul of Gold lol but if they're not bickering they're just waiting in their Temples, avoiding having to interact with each other
Added to that, Saga, Shura, and Camus have age gaps in between too, these three are all just 20.

Btw I realised like a month or so ago that Camus is also 20, so it's possible he's the youngest of the Gold Saints (but iirc me forgetting this is because I've headcanoned since the beginning he's actually older than Mu with his February birthday, and he'll turn 21 before the others)

SS chronology always about to make my head explode when I think about which month canon events occur in lol

-Galaxian-

F/GO Traum (I keep muscle memorying it as "Trauma" :skull: ) spoilers

I am making every choice to get on Kadoc and Xu Fu's nerves. For instance, because I know Chinese, Xu2 Xu2 is just a horrible nickname. So will I choose that precise option? Yes. 
Xu Fu is funny on her own ofc, but I love that she and Changgong will throw hands if anyone calls Yu Mei-ren ugly. 

Generally speaking, the story is entertaining so far. I like it. Not very analysis of me, but y'know what, I like to read just to read sometimes. I do think there's a sanity theme going on but I'm not in deep enough to tell.

I love Don Quixote. I might have to just put down any remaining Quartz that I was gonna throw at Charlemagne and Kriemhild to save for those two with the remaining time that I have. I do not care how good or bad they are in gameplay, I hecking love Don Quixote and Sancho and I will grail them too.
I also leveled up Salome because of this chapter. From what I can tell, she's sorta an Innocent Monster too (because historically her request for John the Baptist's head was probably due to her mother), and she tries really hard to suppress her Mad Enhancement, which I admire. The voice lines and final ascension concern me, but uppity. (she's at her max level now; I won't grail her but hey, at least she can hang around now.)  

Also of course I'd have to see Bradamante in another realm. Wouldn't be the owner of a loyalty god persona without getting betrayed, technically. Again.

-Galaxian-

I am so tempted to just jump back into Claymore 
Ngl part of the temptation is because it would screw up my art style so bad. Coupled with the current SS brainrotting going on, I mean. 
also because of Teresa and Clare. Sorry Helen and Deneve but the mother-daughter pairing is always the best pairing

-Galaxian-

Tsundere: (*exists*)
Me: (*points at them*) Haha. Tsun

Also Hakuouki songs came back onto my feed for no reason lol.
Iirc Hijikata over there is a tsundere, which makes the joke cursed to bring up

I find it funny how I know nothing about the Sakamoto Ryouma over there except that he looks like a smug bastard and sometimes dies canonically because that is what happened to Ryouma, yep.
Best Ryouma is a Ryouma with an Oryou. But design-wise I do love Hakuouki's Ryouma, dude gives a very Western vibe, and his face is very sculpted. And I love his hair. Fate's Ryouma is clearly intended to look more plain and suspicious and hard to tell the identity of. 

-Galaxian-

Time wrote:

The real question is Skullshatterer a guy or a gal?? I'm guessing you're playing in CN, but in English I think the writers use "he" a few times, but I could have sworn I've seen "she" too.

Like they say "he", but that short pants + leggings combo says something else dude...

Shhh bro skipped leg day, don't judge him and his clothing taste.

-Galaxian-

Bro drops that with no spoiler tags expecting Specter not to be tempted /j

-Galaxian-

Should I also delete the context to make it seem like you're calling me a femboy terrorist?

-Galaxian-

Would it make a difference if he was a 6' 5'' big twink in thigh highs?

-Galaxian-

Time wrote:

Nah it's fine

Like actually dude imagine, you're in battle, and you see the enemy leader being a 4'10 little twink in thigh highs I'd be giggling, idc if he's going to blow me up for laughing at him that's just too funny

Tactical femboy

Last edited by Time (May 21, 2024 22:41:51)

Echo literally just gave an example though (/hj?)

-Galaxian-

GalaxianExplosion wrote:

Echo literally just gave an example though (/hj?)

-Galaxian-

 
Look at Neuvillette and try to tell me he isn't