lets see if im any good at reading chinese outside of txting madre bc i wanna read the jeweler richard novels

i can kind of read it....but i am Not Good at recognizing words in chinese anymore so I am looking at my dictionary too much. i prob would have been fine if someone read this out loud to me tho lol

well i guess i can just,,,hop between google translate and my dictionary and....i should be able to get it...hopefully

wait i could stick into google translate and read the ping-yin

WAIT I FOUND A GOOD PING-YIN SITE THAT ANNOTATES ABOVE THE TEXT im saved time to read jeweler richard for real

reading seigi waxing poetry about richard in chinese Hits Different for some reason

whY are there so many dead links to chapters

"The night is always really sad. Once I fall asleep, I always have an irritating dream. Why in my dream is Richard standing next to my bed in my apartment though?"

lol i told my friend this line and she thought richard sounded like a serial killer and i can't unsee it now

not going to lie, reading this much chinese for the first time in forever actually makes my head kinda hurt but it is worth it for these bois

seigi saying that finding two new stones to name separately being too unrealistic and saying if they do discover a new stone to name the stone after the both of them is just...the cutest thing ever?

im circling back to read things that i didn't find earlier lol so chronological order is not a thing rn oops

so i circled back and read some extra cases but idk i feel bad actually reading vol 4 without reading topaz or jadeite ://

hmmm maybe this is a sign i should just sleep and read more tomorrow

i just read the fluorite extra case and richard calling seigi an acquaintance at this point just makes me Sad

the parallel between the sister yeeting off to america on a whim and richard preparing to head to london without a word to seigi hMMM

ok yeah i can't find topaz and jade...time to just go back to where i left off on vol 4

how seigi threatens richard in jade: i won't make you royal milk tea or pudding anymore....the only way to threaten the sweets king

i circled back to read celestite and the metaphor makes me want to scream bc the fragile stone looks like richard's eyes and the eyes are the window to the soul and seigi is going to protect/cherish the stone so it's like he wants to protect richard's fragile heart

the part where seigi was waxing poetry about richard's eyes being the most beautiful kind of blue eyes made me want to scream too

wow it lowkey took me 3 days to actually finish vol 4 case 1 bc i kept on circling back to earlier cases oops

time to start case 2 and meet our favorite stalker jeffrey

jeffrey just introduces himself on the plane to seigi, talks about his japanese skills lacking compared to richard, talks about how richard is v cool and rational, and then launches into a story about richard when their family dog taro died....why jeffrey

jeffrey....has a girlfriend???? :O

jeffrey saying he tracked seigi down by having ppl stalk seigi at the uni library and look through his browsing history to find what flight he'd be on...and then clarifying that this isn't illegal
JEFFREY

my chinese translation skills may be lacking so sorry if this isn't the best translation but JEFFREY WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS
(for context jeffrey is talking to seigi about richard)

i get you want to help henry jeffrey but is there really no other way but to abandon richard here ADSFSFDFS

according to seigi the 3 layers of hell are :
- not knowing enough english to escape jeffrey and navigate london himself
- having to deal with jeffrey taking pics and being an ~influencer~
- being sick for the first time in forever which also puts a damper on his escape plans

also, i feel like the anime didn't do a great job portraying that seigi was starting to feel sick over the course of his journey to london. to me it felt like he just suddenly collapsed out of nowhere in the taxi with richard with a fever :/

....is richard using his hand as an cold towel thing on seigi's forehead? dsjklsjflsdkjfdlsfd

hello i translated this scene bc it is too cute

TIME FOR WHITE SAPPHIRE the scroll bar is so tiny but here i come

the more i read sapphire the more sad i am the anime had to cut so much of seigi and richard's convos
like richard trying to physically fight seigi bc he doesn't treasure himself enough? seigi thanking god that richard doesn't actually know karate? iconic

richard: hugs seigi
seigi: hugs back and starts crying
richard: slaps back, coughs, and quickly pulls away and tells seigi to get a towel

adsfjlkfs plz richard just let him hug you a little longer

ooo richard is in the kitchen with jeff and seigi :o this was not in the anime at all...interesting
richard just casually entering "like a prince" and hugging seigi's waist and staring down jeff telling him to leave

i still have so much of sapphire left ahHH i think im gonna have to finish this tomorrow my brain is starting to become too tired to properly read anything in chinese

i can't believe seigi is hiding behind the curtains spying on the claremont trio lololol he's like what a good english listening exercise...i understand....basically nothing

when seigi keeps listening and somehow understands when henry asks richard to get back together with his ex lol seigi i see your english skills do exist when it comes to certain topics

why am i not surprised richard knew seigi was there the whole time

wait wait wait wait HOLD ON seigi said that what touched his cheek was probably not richard's hand....sooOOOO was that....A KISS???

lowkey curious what made jeffrey's social media presence get so big...like what kind of account does he run? :o

i finally finished white sapphire ahhh that was def a more satisfying ride compared to the anime. my heart is so soft for these two

lol i can't read ignore whatever i said before the extra case is tourmaline oops time to work through that

the minute saul steps foot outside of the shop richard and seigi make eye contact and go to the kitchen to switch out the tea leaves
as expected of our royal milk tea enthusiast richard

richard is sad that he missed all the seasonal fall sweets and seigi is like DON'T I GOTCHU and opens up the cabinet to show richard he's been stockpiling non-perishable ones

seigi

ok but for real richard is so much more relaxed and happy around seigi now after london and the way he talks so much gentler and less guarded

lol im starting to realize when i tweet i either typo or leave out half the words floating thru my brain plz bear with me and my singular braincell

saul: so, you ask me to watch over the store and then the first thing you do when you come back is wax love poetry to seigi?
richard: no, that's not-
saul: if i just write down what you said and recite it to seigi you'll see what i mean. don't worry he won't fall in love with me

tourmaline was so cute now onto vol 5!

seigi carries around royal milk tea flavored candy at all times for richard

the minute the lady explained to seigi that she works as a jewelry designer, i started waiting for the moment that richard would show up and see the two together...i was not disappointed

the anime just had seigi worrying about exams shoved in out of nowhere so it seemed like an excuse to quit in ep 12 :/ in the novels, seigi has actually been stressed about exams, entering the workforce, and what he wants to do with his life for quite some time actually

my brain animated tourmaline and citrine for me in my dreams last night

seigi is determined to eat ramen with richard one day in chrysoprase lol is this why he had that ramen shop dream in the bday special short story?

in sardonyx now and all the terminology is making my head spin but they keep on comparing things to food to explain mineralogy lol

seigi: no this stone isn't pink...it's cherry blossom colored!

uh seigi im pretty sure cherry blossoms are considered to be different shades of pink

otomura (? i hope i got the right name out of this lol) is like richard have you found someone you love now? *looks directly at seigi*
seigi: ???
seigi: *proceeds to talk about wanting to confess to Tanimoto*
otomura: wait...what *looks at richard*
richard:

otomura (someone plz correct me if im wrong) tells seigi that over time as he keeps coming to the shop he feels like he has watched them grow from an employer-employee relationship into close friends and now he thinks they are together

well

he technically isn't wrong

idk why i am surprised that richard is capable of sending emojis in his text messages

like

it's very normal

but i am still surprised for some reason

finally done with sardonyx ! idk if im mentally prepared for zircon ahHH

richard telling saul that he shouldn't let suspicious men like him be alone with monica and that he should be more careful of her safety

that reminds me of when richard told seigi he shouldn't just let someone he met for the first time take his grandmother's ring

this part hurts and i know it's only going to get worse

scrEAMs jeffrey come here ik richard just punched you but let me just....punch you again

richard is literally having nightmares about you betraying him and telling him to get out of his sight FASDFDSFD

i knew about the scene with richard's trigger
but
i
was
not
prepared

my
heart
is
not
okay

this is the scene with richard being triggered,,,,
tho my translation skills may have mangled it but

this scene drove home how emotionally scarred richard is

THE STONE RICHARD SOLD at the BEGINNING that SAUL tOOK BACK from tHE COUPLE
is
on
MONICA'S CROWN

okok i stopped commenting bc a) i am bad at it lol and b) my brain is overloaded rn with lots of Thoughts and Feelings and my singular brain cell is shaking
here are some thoughts about zircon that ran through my head that may just be v obvious but let me just dump them somewhere

saul pointed out that richard and seigi are v much alike and i have to agree
the whole richard trying to steal back the crown for monica ordeal just seems to me like a big fat parallel to seigi trying to fix richard's inheritance deal in sapphire

it makes me think that when richard saw seigi go so far to help him fix the inheritance issue that richard saw himself in seigi which is why he was so upset but also so grateful because someone was willing to go so far to be his hero

there was a lot about the concept of not wanting to be pitied but rather understood (? idk if that is the right word to use here) that concept is going to play a big role later with seigi and his bio-dad in vol 6 (esp from what i saw in the anime i can see lots of tie ins)

also nanako-sensei's portrayl of richard's mental state was honestly heartbreaking but also v well done
it also does a lot of character building for him too that make him much more human and really makes me reconsider a lot of earlier scenes in a new light

and as much as seigi *knows* richard is human i still think that to a certain degree that he tends to put him on a pedestal without meaning to
this is def another push for seigi to try and reframe in his mind what he wants his relationship with richard to be

richard's delight at being able to love sweets again + his first encounter with royal milk tea? ik it was supposed to be cute but to me it symbolized richard deciding to try his best to move forward again (along with the crown ordeal that was the real big catalyst)

ok the rest of my brain is just,,,incoherent screaming at this point bc it is almost 4 am and my singular brain cell is v exhausted
if i manage to reorganize my thoughts i may just dump more stuff here before i read peridot :')

i compiled all the peridot sections into a google doc so i wouldn't have 3 million tabs open again when i read bc i keep losing track of where i am in them and wow i honestly didn't realize how long each case is?
but anyways
on to peridot

seigi meeting chieko for the first time and seeing some framed photos of england's scenery in her room: omg LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT MY BOSS-

i am actually v impressed that seigi can tell the difference between white and brown sugar simply by tasting pudding

ik brown sugar has a more rich and caramel-y taste to it so i can sometimes tell the difference but still...wowowow

granted it took a few times to figure out the exact difference between his and chieko's pudding but i def do not have the skill to do that haha maybe that's why im so impressed

it v much makes sense to me now after zircon why richard has a tendency to tell stories about himself in 3rd person asflkjslfjslkdf

...was seigi's grandmother giving seigi tips on how to shoplift???

seigi....is comparing how beautiful richard is when he sees chieko again for the first time....to a matcha frappuccino?? seigi where did this comparison even come from??

the sushi shop owner thought seigi and richard got married bc of what seigi said when he brought the flowers back from homura's wedding up to estranger lolololol

well i am done with peridot...that was a cute case
onto the andalusite extra case!
hopefully i can get thru the 2 extra cases tonight so i can start vol 6 tomorrow

is this the christmas eve that seigi was talking about in peridot that he didnt know it was richard’s bday ? :((((

andalusite was the usual seiricha cuteness with seigi telling richard he is thankful for everything he does for him and how he gives him strength
now onto the tiger eye extra!

tiger eye basically just continues the saga of seigi being Distracted by how beautiful richard is
there is a diamond extra case too so onto that now

the only really notable thing about the extra diamond case has seigi reflecting on what kind of dream he actually wants to pursue with some cute texts between richard and seigi

vol 5 was def a lot,,,esp in regards with everything that happened in richard's past in zircon
tbh my mind is still trying to process everything that happened in it
time to sleep tho i shall start vol 6 tomorrow !

so....i read the sinhalite prologue to vol 6
and
is this guy the girl with...seigi??????? :O

the more i think about it the more its prob seigi the girl is talking to...
and now im just like
seigi
speaking
perfectly accented
queen's english

seigi, you've grown so much

richard told seigi he thinks he's become more reliable lately

i am just as happy as seigi was about the compliment

this line seigi says rlly resonates with me for some reason:

"being able to succeed relying solely on your own efforts is a kind of blessing"

maybe it's bc im sick of the whole "hard work = success" mentality bc success is honestly a culmination of so many different factors

ok i finished pearl !
that was lowkey a history lesson
but the commentary tied into it was also v nice
the whole dinner exchange was infuriating (and cute too haha) bc seigi is Clueless but what else is new

i am on spinel
here's the abridged ver of what is happening so far

the lady is incredibly tired of the guy she's with complimenting her 24/7
seigi feels personally attacked by her statement & is like do you feel this way too richard??
and richard says it's ok if its from you

richard is like you always compliment me bc you want to make me happy and then he gives this long af speech that seigi's compliments are sincere so they make him feel comfortable vs all the empty flattery he receives from others and omg im dying

omg she's asking seigi for advice on how to compliment ppl
and seigi is like well idk im not really good at it either other than with richard, then all the extravagant flattery just comes naturally...so i guess it depends on the person?

Seigi do you realize what you're saying

shimomura told seigi's classmate when seigi disappeared over winter break he was living it up with the rich in london

spinel was v cute esp that exchange between richard and seigi about compliments but that bit of foreshadowing with someone asking seigi's classmate about seigi has me worried bc tanzanite is a thing

anyways, onto tourmaline!

ok i knew tourmaline had quite a bit of commentary in it about sexuality (and i didn't want to spoil myself too much about what exactly was being said)
but wow
richard actually said that

there was some commentary about being a gear vs a rock leading up to this and wow i have no words

omg,,,seigi apologized to her about what he said at the science museum about how it would be a waste to not fall in love and date someone
i am just continuously being rendered speechless

idk if im explaining this quite right bc what are words but tanimoto responds to seigi's "hypothetical" confession that she would be afraid that if they dated she would be continuously trying to change herself so that she fits the role of the ideal girlfriend in seigi's mind

richard is so conflicted about what he said to tanimoto bc he wanted to help seigi
and seigi got mad and was like no if you had tried to force our relationship i would have quit
im actually thankful for what you said bc that is the richard ik

apparently tanimoto lectured richard about how worried he made seigi with the whole london ordeal
i love this girl

so tourmaline ends with seigi's encounter of his biodad
well
that means
tanzanite is next
*stares into the void*

idk if i should be starting tanzanite at like 2:30 am....uhhhh maybe this is a sign i should go to bed

it is time to enter the abyss known as tanzanite

idk if ive emotionallly prepared myself for this enough but here we go

im barely a page in and i already want to punch shimeno

SHAKES SEIGI
please let the people who care about you help you AFDSJFD
i swear seigi and richard occupy the exact same braincell when it comes to asking others for help AH

seigi and richard are at the hotel as a farewell dinner bc seigi quit estranger
they at the bar eating choco
and seigi is like man it's a shame the choco is finished
and richard is like yeah it's a shame bc i don't want you to go home
seigi.exe does not comprehend

OO we finally meet jeffrey in the hotel room
i already highkey spoiled myself about this part way before i even started reading the novels but lol jeffrey is just being jeffrey as always

this convo hits different in the novel

how am i going to survive the rest of tanzanite im not even halfway through it and my heart already hurts in more ways than one aSDFSDS

seigi thinks telling richard everything is going to dirty/tarnish him bc of how filthy he is

i am sobbing
SEIGI

(ack there was a typo before tho there prob are more knowing me)
hello i just need the world to cry with me i guess even if my translation skills are questionable

i literally keep stopping when i read to stare at my screen bc my heart can't take these two

sEIGI my boi you of all people were never going to become someone who abuses their partner ASDFJFSD it's not a book of prophecy !!!!!! it's just statistics !!!!

"Not good, not good. Death from excessive intake of beauty"
SEIGI
but actually tho this line basically sums up a good half of jr

"don't worry! richard is beautiful but don't be fooled by his slender figure! underneath his suit richard is actually ripped!" -- jeffrey

oOOO nakata papa gave seigi the tanzanite cufflinks right after they got rid of shimeno
seigi.exe again has stopped working
but also
what is with seigi and richard forgetting their birthday is a thing

they both clearly don't think much of their birthday themselves akldsjfksjfldsj there are ppl !! who want to celebrate it with you !!!

henry told jeff that if anything happened to seigi he wouldn't forgive him
seigi you aren't strangers to the claremonts anymore buddy,,,,might as well just accept that y'all are family now

jeff is only any good as a talking wallet -- richard

"....my name is Nakata Seigi.....I really like it."
"I also really like your name"
"Thanks I also like everything about you"
Richard is speechless. Should I push it again?

SEIGI please richard.exe isn't working anymore either now

seigi also tells richard that no matter what happens he'd like to still be able to meet with him occasionally in the future and does a lot of typical seigi rambling
and richard responds by telling him he feels like he's being proposed to

well
i mean
it might as well be

"When I'm with you, there are times when even breathing comes easier to me" -- Richard to Seigi

richard takes seigi out to eat sweets again
and seigi is like you should be getting a blood sugar test instead bc we literally already had dinner
richard is like well in the future please continue to take care of and remind me of that
and seigi is like you'll be in my care

and then they hold hands in the car while on the way to said dinner place
AND TANZANITE ENDS THERe
I'm sCREAMING

kari.exe has stopped functioning
but anyways
time to read the sinhalite epilogue! i am so happy to be reading something in english again afjdslkfjdsljj

Seigi yelling SO CASUALLY at Richard to get out of bed to meet their customer in japanese afdslkfslkjfldkj

omg richard actually became a household inside joke im dying that's hilarious
but wow this girl is the older sister of the girl richard met in the fluorite extra story

"'Out of all the languages you can speak, Japanese may be your worst.' It's the only language he didn't teach me after all"

lol the fact that richard thinks seigi's native tongue is his worst is actually hilarious

i am now actually clued in on the whole they might actually be together but not actually "dating" theory in sinhalite

ok onto these extra cases! hopefully i can get thru these tonight and start arc 2!!

ok extra cases are completed!
one was about seigi's (and richard's eventually) adventure to the supermarket for that time he made melon soda for tanimoto when she came to estranger
the other one was seigi and richard traveling to kamekura and visiting a buddhist statue

i def have some chunks im missing for arc 1 that i haven't read bc of dead links and the likes that i will eventually circle back to
but time to start arc 2!!
im so excited
i can't wait to see what happens !!!!!