Chris Samuels

Comic artist and illustrator.

[vampireapologist-archive-deacti]

i have 15 years’ worth of outstanding library fines in three separate cities and it’s my hope that eventually a bounty hunter librarian will come to collect and we’ll get in a bar fight and fall in love

[vampireapologist-archive-deacti]

I also can’t rent movies in two different towns so there’s that.

[vampireapologist-archive-deacti]

I’m newly terrified by the implication that librarians aren’t people and I’ve misjudged what exactly I’m up against

[lorethecat]

@pumpkin-patch41

[lorethecat]

Oops I painted another picture of Hyde..... for real, this started as just a side project to use up this giant cheap canvas I’ve had in my office forever while the other painting was drying... so of course it ended up being my favorite, haha.

Oil on canvas, 16″x20″

[lorethecat]

Quarantine has made it difficult to be creative, but one of the upsides has been rediscovering my favorite musician from my teenage years, Hyde. It seemed fitting to paint him, given it was his music that made me want to paint again.

Oil on canvas, 11″x14″

[larc-en-translation]

Finale - L’Arc~en~Ciel

This one was much more difficult than I expected it to be, mostly because it’s WEIRD and melodramatic. The music video always makes me laugh because it’s just so over the top. Why does Hyde’s hair look so greasy?? What is Ken even wearing??

Keep reading

[lorethecat]

Hey for the record, I started a side blog for my song translations so I wouldn’t flood you guys. Feel free to follow it if you want!

[lorethecat]

Milky Way - L’Arc~en~Ciel (English)

I’m thinking about moving these to a side blog so I don’t keep flooding my poor followers with songs, haha. Until I get around to that, here’s Milky Way, circa 1998.

The night is raining stars, and I want to see you

So without waiting for dawn, I slip out into the streets

You’re under the moonlight… even now

(Days) Those days when we walked happily together

(Maze) Seemed to go on forever

Why are you wandering lost, deep in your eyes?

Look, if you open the door to your heart, I can meet you

Back in that place, I promised you, I wouldn’t give up

This overflowing emotion wouldn’t be swept away by the wind

Beneath the downpour of stars, we embraced…. The two of us

(Lies) I don’t understand how those days became lies

(Eyes) I just close my eyes and escape into my memories, but…

But even here, I wouldn’t change a single thing

Really, the thing I loved wasn’t the past, but the shining future

I hesitated a little, and the wind began

To sweep away this overflowing emotion

This time, I won’t lose my way

The night is raining stars, and I want to see you

So without waiting for dawn, I slip out into the streets

You’re under the moonlight… you always have been

[lorethecat]

Blurry Eyes - L’Arc~en~Ciel (English)

I wonder if they realized, when they released this song back in 1994, that they would end up playing it at nearly every show they did for the rest of their lives? At least, it certainly seems this way. I still love it after hearing it ten thousand times, and hopefully they’re not sick of playing it. Also, gotta say, 1994 Hyde is SO my aesthetic.

(Why is this video subbed in Spanish?? Because this is the only one I could find easily.)

Wrapped in a distant wind

I can’t put together words that will reach you, but

You’re still gazing somewhere out the window

I keep having this foreboding feeling

If only those days hadn’t …

Like a caged bird, your vacant eyes

Are moved by the afternoon sun

As if the light is calling you outside

I keep having this foreboding feeling

If only those days hadn’t clouded over

As time goes around

Our promises seem to be stolen away

Even though I reach out to you with both hands

Your heart drifts…

(Why do you stare at the sky with your blurry eyes?)

As time goes around

Our promises seem to be stolen away

Even though I reach out to you with both hands

Your heart drifts…

As time goes around

My dear, you just…

You look back at me with a little sigh in your eyes

… and your heart drifts away

[lorethecat]

Good Luck My Way - L’Arc~en~Ciel

This one gave me a headache and I still don’t think I got all of it quite right, but I did my best. Any kind of punctuation would have helped. That said, there’s a line in the song, 「信じる道へ」, that I THINK is maybe what the title is meant to be haha. It’s kind of a weird phrase because what kind of sentence just ends on  へ like that, but I’ve translated it as “on the path of my beliefs,” so at least it looks as awkward in English as it does in Japanese. 

((And a note- again, my Japanese is still VERY poor, and Japanese grammar is confusing, so be gentle))

To break it down,  it’s composed of [ 信じる] +  [道] + [ へ], or [shinjiru] + [michi] + [e]. “Shinjiru” means, literally, “to believe,” but in -ru form up against a noun, it acts more like an adjective. “Michi” is path/way/road (literal or figurative, like in english), and “e” is kind of like “to” or “towards” but vaguer and comes after whatever the destination word. So... “towards the believing-road,” or “on the path of my beliefs.” 

Now, why do I think that’s what the title of the song was meant to be? Because if you translate it directly to English with no regard for grammar- and he may have done that before*... it COULD be “believing my way” and I don’t think it’s a leap to think he might have somehow gotten from “believing/believing in” to “good luck.” BUT! Who knows! He could have genuinely meant it as an imperative- “wish me good luck on my way!” The world may never know.

*Referring to a line in “I Wish” where he wrote “Ring bell through the window.” That, too, sounds like a weird command- “open that window and ring that bell dammit!!” But, if you wrote "ring bell” word for word in Japanese... it’s  鳴る鐘, which is more like “the bells are ringing” (again, “[to] ring” describes the bell[s] here, it isn’t a command). And in Japanese, word order is pretty flexible as long as the particles are correct- if he wanted to say “you can hear the bells ringing through your window”- especially if he wanted to emphasize that he was talking about the bells and not the window- that could easily be something like 鳴る鐘は窓から. Ringing bells from the window. Ring bell through the window. This ALSO makes more sense in the context of the song, where he describes the listener as being alone in their room listening to the ringing bells and music at midnight of the new year. 

ANYWAY HERE’S THE ACTUAL TRANSLATION I DIDN’T MEAN TO WRITE A BOOK ABOUT IT

Don’t wake me from this dream, not yet, not yet

There’s something down this road, isn’t there?

The answer is surely, surely here

So I won’t give up, I won’t stop

 But it’s like being dragged by my hair after even a little ways

I want to stay beside that gentle smile, but…

 I take off running, and the clear blue sky is radiant

The wind pushes me on, and I start a new journey

So that I can see you again, I’ll head towards tomorrow without looking back

[Good luck my way] On the path of my beliefs

 If I visit here and there without rushing, it seems,

I won’t break through, I won’t find the answer

Surely, surely I have no regrets

To see you laugh again, I’ll keep moving forward

 Look, there’s nothing to fear, no matter what happens tomorrow,

I can overcome it. Even if I fall, I’ve made it this far.

 I was happy to see you in a corner of this changing world,

But I couldn’t put this overflowing feeling into words

When we meet again, will I be able to tell you?

[Good luck my way] Smile at me

 I take off running, and the clear blue sky is radiant

The wind pushes me on, and I start a new journey

So that I can see you again, I’ll head towards tomorrow without looking back

[Good luck my way smile at me]

 I was happy to see you in a corner of this changing world,

But I couldn’t put this overflowing feeling into words

When we meet again, will I be able to tell you?

Cross over a distant rainbow

[Good luck my way] On the path of my beliefs

[lorethecat]

Hello - HYDE (English)

Not L’Arc, but L’Arc adjacent. This one was kind of awkward to translate because he uses so many commands and I just couldn’t make it sound natural in English haha, oh well. Translation under the cut!!

WARNING: there are some strobe light effects in the video!!

I woke up after a dream

Welcome to the end of a world of lies

I look up at the heavens, burning down slowly but surely

Let’s be revived in the grasping radiance

This longing is gaining speed. My prayers, lead me

Fly away, my prayers, to the other side of the sun

That promised smile

I took the long way to the room where you were waiting

Like just barely being embraced by the grim reaper

My burned out soul is also out of chances, but

This longing is gaining speed. My prayers, lead me

Keep flying, my prayers, to the other side of the sun

Believe me, it’s almost over

I’m going to your side

I woke up

[Won’t trust no one again]

I woke up

[Lead me to your side]

This longing is gaining speed. My prayers, lead me

Fly away, my prayers, to the other side of the sun

That voice in my heart is echoing now

Fly, my prayers, to my beloved

Believe me, it’s almost over

I’m going to your side

[Hello]

[lorethecat]

Dive to Blue - L’Arc~en~Ciel (English)

This is another classic from 1998! I don’t have much else to say about it, other than that the PV has peak levels of Hyde cuteness. Sadly the PV isn’t on youtube, but you can watch it here. Translation under the cut!!

“Spread your wings now.”

Someone whispered

“Let’s fly from the borderline at your feet.”

Back to back with freedom

“Because these rusted chains

Couldn’t hold us from the start”

In my heart, in my heart, I’m getting closer to the sky

I want to dive into that deep blue color

Wearing the endless night sky wherever we go,

Let’s search for a new world

I want to see you and I can’t see you and I’m wavering uncertainly, but

These wings, now awoken, won’t be erased

There is no right answer

God only knows what lies down this branching path

Accelerating to an unstoppable speed

I’ll remember that this pulse is beating loudly

Everything is falling away, but

You, at least, please don’t grow up

Led by a nostalgic light

You gently wave your hand

Even the future we knew breaks away

Let’s imagine shattering the illusions

Let’s cut our predetermined fate to pieces

And slip away into the sky

Even now, even now, I’m remembering

Watching the sunrise as a child

Wearing the endless night sky wherever we go,

Let’s search for a new world

I want to see you and I can’t see you and I’m wavering uncertainly, but

These wings, now awoken, won’t be erased

Led by a nostalgic light

You gently wave your hand

Even the future we knew breaks away

Let’s imagine shattering the illusions

Let’s cut our predetermined fate to pieces

And slip away into the sky

[lorethecat]

Sunadokei [Hourglass] - L’Arc~en~Ciel (English)

This is another favorite of mine, and comparatively new, as it was released on their album Kiss back in 2007. Truthfully I’ve tried to translate this song before but found the sentence structure to be far too difficult. I think I had much better luck this time, which is exciting!

Translation under the cut!!

In this moment where nothing changes, it’s good if time passes, isn’t it?

I don’t notice. I try everything, even freedom.

It probably comes for everything.

Even if I abandon myself to the maze

The nearly vanished landscape has already taught me

It’s all connected, right?

[Make or break, make amends, and then it’s all gone]

  The answer that fell from the sky was an hourglass. Miracles don’t happen, but…

As the suffering comes to an end, I just look away.

I just wish for happiness, but I’m inviting tragedy

A smile exchanged for grief

My stolen peace is just a fake paradise

Like a hypocrite

[Hold your breath, hold your peace, it’s time to make or break]

To protect my loved one, I’m hurting someone else

I made a mistake. If no one notices, will it all be forgiven?

Until god’s judgement, the answer is the hourglass pouring into my palms

From the beginning, if I had understood my bottomless lust for everything I touched,

I would not have lost it all to this unending cycle of sorrow.

Until god’s judgement…

[lorethecat]

Bye Bye - L’Arc~en~Ciel (English)

I would describe L’Arc’s hallmark as “super happy sounding songs with depressing lyrics,” and this song epitomizes that perfectly. Apparently a friend of the band’s died in an accident right before this show, so that’s what Hyde is talking about before the song starts. (I am VERY bad at understanding spoken Japanese so I’m going off other people’s comments there). Honestly I can’t imagine trying to perform this song right after the death of a friend...

Translation under the cut.

We met for the first time by the park, do you remember?

The morning sun looked brilliant, and you were out for a walk

My breath stopped as the moment passed… I raised my voice

It was pointless to try, the ghost was already gone

Truthfully (don’t cry), I was thinking that I wanted to stay by your side (don’t cry) a little longer

Color spilled over the path, painting over it….  it was completely magic, wasn’t it?

I didn’t like the humidity, but it didn’t matter

You made a face, but it turned out well, didn’t it?

Look, (don’t cry) a new world is waiting for you (don’t cry), so don’t hang your head

Your smile (don’t cry) is more wonderful than anyone’s (don’t cry), so don’t forget that, okay?

I give a little wave at your back and softly say goodbye

It’s frightening to be apart, isn’t it? But you know,

Everyone will surely fall in love with your magic

You walked forward (don’t cry) and that brilliant season (don’t cry) surrounded you

Truthfully (don’t cry), I was thinking that I wanted to stay by your side (don’t cry) a little longer

I give a little wave at your back and softly say goodbye

So that you don’t look back, in a quiet voice, I say good

[lorethecat]

Kaze no Yukue [Where the Wind Goes] - L’Arc~en~Ciel (English)

Today’s song translation is an OLD one, but again, it’s one of my faves. It was released in 1994, but they still play it every once in a great while. Here’s a performance from 2012, which might honestly be better than the original album version. =) Truthfully, the lyrics are simplistic and a bit cliche, but Hyde’s voice carries so much emotion that it’s easy to overlook that.

Translation under the cut!!

Invited by the bright sky,

I opened the window a little on my day off.

The wind reached me as I rested my chin in my hands.

I wonder who it will visit next?

Every day rushes past busily.

Today is just a little bit slower.

I picked up a book in boredom, and what fell out

Was a smile that has long since stopped

A vivid memory of you is revived.

I will wait by the windowsill for the next breeze.

Don’t leave me. I want to stay by your side.

Your trembling voice resounds through my body,

And I can’t breathe.

Will those tears ever end?

A vivid memory of you is revived.

At the end of that long summer, you looked at me,

Crying like a lost child, and I...

It hurts, and I want to hold you close.

What is this feeling?

I won’t bother you anymore, so don’t leave from this room.

Don’t leave me alone.

Even now, your voice still echoes.

Even now...

[lorethecat]

Flower - L’Arc~en~Ciel (English)

The obvious follow up to translating Wild Flower was to translate one of my all-time favorite songs, Flower. This one is an oldie (1996!!) but a goodie!

Translation under the cut!!

So, I realized in the afternoon light, I am still sleeping.

I don’t understand why the scene never goes the way I want.

Because I can’t see you again today, I’ll close my eyes in my bed,

And I’ll be fascinated by the you in my dreams until the morning after next.

Your smile always makes me tremble,

And I want to bloom as intensely as the sun.

My heart hurts and hurts like it’s about to break,

So if this feeling is unrequited, at least let it wither away!

I can’t laugh anymore. Even in my dreams, you say the same thing, don’t you?

Beyond my window, I wonder what the real you is doing right now.

Back in the distant yesterday, I was walking around, carrying an empty birdcage.

I was surely looking for you, wasn’t I?

Even though I’m invited outside by a brilliant wind, 

I keep chasing after you in my dream.

The sky even now, even now, is engulfing me in blue

Like a downpour as I looked up.

Like a flower

(Flowers bloom in the sunlight and I live close to you)

Many seeds float up over the hills,

And I spread beautiful flowers.

Quickly, find me, find me, because I am here

Even though I’m waiting to be woken up.

Your smile always makes me tremble,

And I want to bloom as intensely as the sun.

My heart hurts and hurts like it’s about to break,

So if this feeling is unrequited, at least let it wither away!

[lorethecat]

Wild Flower - L’Arc~en~Ciel (English)

Sooo I really love this song, but I’ve noticed it’s kind of hard to find a translation of it, and the ones I’ve seen are... not uh. Super accurate. So I took a stab at it myself. [English words] are in brackets, and they really did not make this song easier to translate haha.

Translation under the cut!!

[Blooming] as if gently waking up

In a [wasteland] as far as the eye can see

The ground is barren where the flowers once bloomed

I am a lone [wildflower]

 The piercing sunlight is [blazing]

But if the sun goes down it will [change to cold]

I’ll hug my knees, [freezing]

Another day is dawning, [woah, welcome a new day]

 I’m [always] shaken by your scent on the distant wind

In the wasteland, a lone flower vividly blooms, [I will bloom]

 The stars watch me, [laughing]

I [kick] at the shimmering sky and [cry]

[Loneliness] is my friend

I fight to welcome another day [woah, welcome a new day]

 The distant wind blows and I’m lost in thoughts of you, [always]

Why would I [wanna bloom], a lone flower in the wasteland?

 [Notice that someone is watching you]

 The wavering sun pours over the distant horizon, [always]

 Tomorrow, so that I don’t blow away, I will take root and [I will bloom]

Even though I cannot see the distant horizon, I can feel it, and [I will bloom]

Tomorrow you will wake up, [blooming]

Spilling morning dew like [teardrops]

The ground is barren where the flowers once bloomed

You are a lone [wildflower]

Our lone flower, [not alone]

[lucheek]

Limited Palette Commission for OCR!

[lorethecat]

I LOVE this!!!

[ameliaglitter]

I saw this and thought of @fleamontpotter.

[justicewitch]

OP HOW CAN YOU NOT ADD THE BEST PART OF THIS TWEET THREAD

[indirispeaks]

[lorethecat]

This makes me so happy, I can’t even decide who to tag

[draconym]

If you don’t yet love your body as your own, sometimes it helps to think of it as a Thing you are capable of caring for.