GINEVRA WEASLEY ⸻ introduction
APPLICATION !
welcome back to hogwarts, GINNY WEASLEY ! according to your file, you’re a TWENTY ONE year old PUREBLOOD. as i’m sure you remember, last spring had its challenges, but i’m confident you’ll take your studies more seriously this year. as a FOURTH year GRYFFINDOR, focusing on POTIONS AND ALCHEMY, you’ve got a lot on your plate. our records show that you're STUBBORN and BRAVE however, they seem to have left off that you're RECKLESS and EMOTIONAL. if i’m correct, you’re siding with THE LIGHT. let’s hope you make it through the year in one piece.
AESTHETICS !
an old DIARY that rests on a weathered desk, its pages open to a SPECIFIC memory, worn and loved CONVERSE, self-knit jumpers that make you feel LOVED, a wand carefully tucked away and almost invisible but EASY to reach, a collection of potion bottles, each with a HAND-WRITTEN label, lined up neatly on a rustic wooden shelf, a WEATHERED broomstick leaning casually against the corner, its bristles slightly frayed from countless adventures, a patchwork of magical knick-knacks COLLECTED over the years, each with a story and a bit of magic of its own.
MINI PLAYLIST !
i. I LIVED - OneRepublic .
ii. LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO - taylor swift .
iii. SO WHAT - pink .
iv. QUEEN OF KINGS - alessandra .
STATISTICS !
full name : ginevra molly weasley
nicknames : ginny, gin,
birthday : august 11
age : 21
sexual orientation : bisexual
romantic orientation : pan romantic
house : gryffindor
BACKGROUND !
Early Life (Pre-Hogwarts, Ages 0-17)
Ginny Weasley was born on August 11, 2003, as the youngest child and only daughter of Arthur and Molly Weasley. Growing up in The Burrow, a warm but chaotic household in the countryside, Ginny was surrounded by her six older brothers: Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, and Ron. Being the youngest, Ginny developed a fierce independence and determination from a young age, often trying to keep up with her brothers and prove herself in their eyes.
Ginny’s early years were filled with a mix of playful adventures and magical mishaps, as she eagerly observed her brothers’ use of magic. She demonstrated a natural talent for magic even before receiving formal training, often performing small feats of magic unintentionally. Despite her brothers’ protective attitudes, Ginny was never one to back down from a challenge, and she quickly earned their respect.
By the time she reached her teens, Ginny was brimming with excitement to attend Hogwarts, just as her brothers had before her. However, she had to wait until she turned 18 to begin her magical education. During these years, Ginny practiced magic in secret, using her brothers’ old textbooks and any spare wands she could find. She also developed a deep love for Quidditch, often sneaking out to fly on her brothers’ broomsticks. By the time she was ready to attend Hogwarts, Ginny was more than prepared, with a strong sense of self and a determination to make her mark.
First Year at Hogwarts (Age 18/19)
Ginny Weasley began her Hogwarts journey at the age of 18, entering the school with a mixture of excitement and determination. She was sorted into Gryffindor, like all her brothers before her, and quickly began to make friends and immerse herself in the school’s activities. However, her first year took a dark turn when she came into possession of Tom Riddle’s diary, which led to her being manipulated into opening the Chamber of Secrets. The ordeal was traumatic, leaving her shaken and vulnerable, but Ginny’s inner strength allowed her to recover and learn from the experience. This challenging year marked the beginning of Ginny’s transformation from a shy girl into a resilient and determined young witch.
Second Year at Hogwarts (Age 19/20)
Returning to Hogwarts for her second year, Ginny was more determined than ever to prove herself. She joined the Gryffindor Quidditch team as a Chaser, quickly establishing herself as a talented and competitive player. Ginny also began to step out of her brothers' shadows. Despite the lingering memories of her first year, Ginny focused on her studies and extracurricular activities, steadily gaining confidence and becoming more assertive. Her second year was one of rebuilding and growth, as she started to carve out her own identity at Hogwarts.
Third Year at Hogwarts (Age 20/21)
Ginny’s third year saw her continuing to grow in confidence and skill. She played a crucial role in Gryffindor’s Quidditch victories, becoming a key player on the team. Socially, Ginny began to emerge as a leader among her peers, known for her sharp wit, courage, and ability to stand up for others. She also became more involved in the wider issues affecting the wizarding world, particularly as Voldemort’s return became an increasingly looming threat. This year marked Ginny’s evolution from a quiet, reserved girl into a strong, vocal, and determined young woman, ready to take on the challenges ahead.
PERSONALITY !
Ginny Weasley is known for her fierce independence, sharp wit, and unwavering courage. She has a strong sense of justice and is never afraid to stand up for what she believes is right, even if it means going against the norm. Ginny's fiery temper is balanced by her compassionate nature; she cares deeply for her friends and family and will go to great lengths to protect them.
Ginny is also highly competitive, especially when it comes to Quidditch. Her determination to excel in everything she does is a reflection of her desire to prove herself, not just as the youngest Weasley, but as an individual with her own strengths and capabilities. Despite her strong exterior, Ginny has a deeply empathetic side, often understanding others' emotions and offering support when needed.
Ginny’s ability to remain calm and collected in high-pressure situations makes her a natural leader. She has a keen sense of humor, often using sarcasm to deflect uncomfortable situations or to lighten the mood. However, Ginny is not one to tolerate injustice or cruelty, and she has little patience for those who underestimate her or her loved ones.
HEADCANONS !
Wand Affinity: Ginny’s wand is made of cherry wood with a dragon heartstring core, known for its power and loyalty to its owner. The wand is particularly attuned to Ginny’s fiery nature, making her spells especially potent.
Quidditch Superstitions: Before every Quidditch match, Ginny wears a specific pair of socks given to her by Fred and George, believing they bring her luck. She also has a pre-game ritual of touching the handle of her broom three times before mounting it.
Secret Keeper: Ginny has a knack for keeping secrets. Many of her friends confide in her, knowing she will never betray their trust. She’s also known to quietly fix problems behind the scenes, helping others without seeking recognition.
Hidden Talents: Beyond Quidditch, Ginny has a talent for potion-making, which she rarely shows off. She learned this skill from her mother, who taught her to brew complex potions as a way to calm her mind. Ginny often uses this skill to help her friends with their studies or to create special concoctions for pranks. This is also the area she chose to study in to have a second choice in case quidditch doesn't work out for her.
Fear of Vulnerability: After the incident with Tom Riddle’s diary, Ginny has developed a fear of being controlled or manipulated again. This fear drives her to be fiercely independent and to constantly work on strengthening her mental and magical defenses.
Favorite Spot: Ginny’s favorite spot at Hogwarts is a secluded area by the Black Lake, where she often goes to think and practice spells. It’s a place where she feels most at peace, surrounded by the calm waters and the sounds of nature.
HEADCANONS !
Give me everything !!
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Private Encounters
Pairing: Cardan Greenbriar x reader
Summary: you were tired of Cardan constantly attacking you and your friends. one day, though, Cardan asks to speak with you privately, and no good things could come from the prince of elfhame wanting to speak with you with no one else around
Word Count: 2.4k
Masterlist
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"Hurry up, you guys! We're gonna be late again!" Taryn whisper-shouted as you and Jude trailed behind her towards the courtyard.
Usually, you two went alone on your adventures, but Taryn decided she wanted to be spontaneous, too, and wanted to join along. Unfortunately, she didn't seem to have that much fun, and urged you back to class almost as soon as you got there.
"Who cares if we're late?" Jude rolled her eyes. "It's not like anyone would really care."
"Just because they don't like us, doesn't mean I want to draw their attention. Who knows what they'll do." Taryn shifted the picnic basket of food between her hands, nervously. She was always the most cautious of you three; always fearing what they would say or do to you guys.
You scoffed, "Taryn, let's be real. Even if we were there on time and minded our own business, Cardan and his little fanclub would still find some reason to bother us."
Jude chuckled, "he's so insufferable. What I wouldn't do to wipe that idiotic grin off his face."
You laughed, "I'm right there with you. It's like his greatest pleasure is being annoying."
"I don't know." Taryn slows her speed walk to match pace with Jude and I. "I feel like Cardan mostly has it out for you, now, (Y/N)."
You rolled my eyes.
"Oh yeah," Jude agreed. "Ever since we became friends, he's like diverted the hatred for us onto you."
You laughed, "Wow, thanks guys. Who knew being your friend would make a prince despise me."
Jude laughed too. "I don't think it was all our fault. You're human, so he would have hated you anyway."
"That's so reassuring, thanks for that."
Jude smirked, "anytime."
When we finally emerged onto the courtyard where class was taking place, most everyone ignored you, save for the professor.
"Ah," he said, "nice of you three to join us. Please find a seat so we can continue on with our lessons of astronomy."
Taryn bowed her head to keep from looking at anyone. You noticed Jude did not bow her head, but she would not look at the other students.
You, however, must be an idiot to not follow along with them, because your gaze falls straight to Cardan, who is staring back at you with much ferocity.
As the even bigger idiot you are, you do not avert your gaze, but simply glare back at him. To that, and small, devilish grin grows on his face. It almost seems like an invite of this little game you play. He hates you and your friends, goes out of his way to torment you three, and for that, you refuse to back down. Sometimes, you think he likes that you fight him so much.
"(Y/N)," Taryn calls, quietly as to avoid too much attention. She waves you over. Only then do you realize you've been staring at Cardan so long that Jude and Taryn have already set up the blanket and started spreading out the food.
Your cheeks heat as you walk the few feet to where they are sitting. You can hear Cardan snicker as you walk past him and Nicasia.
"What were you thinking!" Taryn scolds as you finally sit down on the blanket. Your professor continues with his lecture, but you don't even bother to pay attention to him.
You shrug, "I'm not really sure. I just can't stand him so much it makes me crazy."
Jude laughs at that. "I'm so glad we're friends, (Y/N). I think I'd go crazy if I didn't have someone else to share my hatred for Cardan with."
You giggle, "well it's a good thing I'm here, then, huh?"
"I don't think anyone is happy you're here."
Looking up from where you're sitting, you see Nicasia and Cardan looming down over you. Seems like the lesson is over as everyone else has abandoned the courtyard.
"Oh, Nicasia, always a pleasure." You rolled your eyes as you stood up. Behind you, you hear the shuffling of Jude standing and pulling Taryn up with here. "To what do we owe you coming over here and bothering us for?"
She smirked, "I have no reason for being near you filthy mortals other than to make sure you stay in your place. You don't belong here. You're frail, and worthless, and someone needs to remind you of that."
You mocked her with a laugh, "is that really all you've got?"
Taryn let out a quiet gasp.
Nicasia narrowed her eyes. "What did you say?"
You shrugged. "All I'm saying is you give the same excuse every time you come over here. 'I'm putting you in your place', 'make sure you know what a worthless mortal you are'. Blah, blah, blah. It's very redundant, Nicasia, and quite truthfully, it's just tiresome." You said condescendingly.
The fire is her eyes was hot. Her fists balled at her side as she glared at you.
Now, it's not like you were looking for trouble, or that you wanted anything bad to happen to you or your friends. You just could not stand the way she and Cardan always came over to you and caused problems.
The slap was expected. Your cheek burned as Nicasia's hand left your face. Taryn couldn't hold back the very audible gasp that left her lips. Looking back to your friends, Taryn looked utterly frightened, and Jude looked angrier than you'd ever seen her.
Right as Nicasia was about to slap you again, Cardan interrupted her.
"Nicasia," Cardan warned as he lifted his hand, "that is quite enough."
You scoffed. "Oh, and since when are you ever the peace maker?"
Cardan smirked, "Since Nicasia decided she was going to slap you. I quite like your face the way it is."
All heads turned to Cardan as he said that. Nicasia looked hurt, Taryn looked almost as confused as you felt, and Jude just looked disgusted.
You narrowed my eyes at Cardan, despite your confusion. "What games are you playing at, Greenbriar?"
His eyebrows shot up in delightful surprise. A cheeky smirk playing on his lips. "I have no games, (Y/L/N)." He spat out your last name like it disgusted but also intrigued him.
He looked between Nicasia, Jude and Taryn. "You, leave us. I have a few words for (Y/N)."
Jude and Taryn looked at each other, confused and contemplating if they should leave or not. You stood your ground though.
"I'll be fine, guys. I'll just meet you back at Madoc's, okay?" You tried to reassure them, though you weren't exactly sure what you were getting yourself into. All you knew was that you didn't want Cardan to know he frightened you.
Jude nodded her head. "We won't be far. And Cardan," she turned to him, "if you so much as touch one hair on her head, I will-"
"Oh relax, would you, Jude? Always resolving your issues with murder." Cardan rolled his eyes. "Leave us. Now."
Jude glared at Cardan before turning to you and giving you a reassuring look. Just as quickly, she turned away and pulled Taryn off with her.
"And you," Cardan said as he turned to Nicasia. "I believe I ordered you away, as well."
Nicasia looked shocked. "Me? Why would I need to be sent away? Whatever punishment you have for the way she spoke to me, I want-"
"Leave, Nicasia. I won't ask you again."
Stunned, Nicasia's mouth hung open just slightly as she looked between you and Cardan. With a 'hmph', Nicasia turned on her heel and strutted away, leaving behind just Cardan and you.
The two of you stood there in silence. You gazed up at him, trying to decipher why he could possibly want to speak with you alone. Maybe he wants to kill you. Maybe he's grown tired of this cat and mouse game you have going on.
"What do you want, Cardan?"
He smirked, and took a daring step closer to you. "I just wanted to talk with you. You're... interesting. I find you intriguing to say the least."
You raised my brow in confusion. "You find me intriguing? Now I know you're toying with me. What do you really want, Cardan?"
He scoffed. "Is it that hard for you to admit that I might find you interesting?"
"How interesting could I possibly be? I'm mortal, remember? Can't believe you would forget, not after you and your friends made it your entire personalities to constantly remind me of my mortality and how worthless you believe me to be."
Cardan's smirk only grew. "You are quite right. You're mortal. Mortals by nature are fragile, slow, susceptible to our tricks, and yet you seem to be quite the opposite."
Your eyebrows shot up, completely shocked by this sort-of compliment you just received from the Prince of Elfhame.
Cardan continued before you could even get a word out. "I dislike mortals quite a bit. I think they are weak. They have little skill that is worth anything, and they are often succumbed to the nature of our people. You, however, are quite different, (Y/N)."
He took a tender step closer to you. Your breath was caught in your throat. Cardan had never shown any type of interest in you. You thought he'd never actually shown anything other than disgust towards you, but maybe you were wrong.
Maybe all of those teasing smirks and cruel comments were him testing you, trying to figure out just how far he could push you.
"You've stood up to me. You've been given every chance to back down. I've seen how far you are willing to go to defend yourself and those little friends of yours. I find it admirable in a way."
You force out a laugh. "You find it admirable? Everything you consider so 'strong' and 'admirable' about me is what I've had to do to survive this place. You've done nothing but make living here just that much harder than it already is for mortals."
You strode closer to Cardan, persistence on your face. His eyes widened slightly, but the daring smirk never faltered from his lips.
Just as you two were chest to chest, you spoke, "answer now, Cardan, what is it you really wanted to tell me?"
"I've already told you, (Y/N). I think you're admirable. I think you're intriguing. I think there is something about you that keeps drawing me in. Something so pulling, it's frustrating how much I think of you."
No words left your mouth. How could they when your jaw laid open the way it was.
Cardan chuckled. "Now, another reason I wanted you here. I must ask: I know you mortals can lie, something we folk can not do, but how are you so good at pretending?"
Your eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Pretending?"
Cardan's smirk only grew, "pretending you aren't in love with me, that is."
The world had stopped. It felt like your entire world had shattered. This was quite possibly the last thing you thought Cardan would get you alone for.
Anyone with eyes could see that Cardan Greenbriar was gorgeous. All of his kind were gorgeous, but he had exceptional beauty. Beside that, you couldn't find one characteristic about him that you had liked. Sure, maybe he stopped Nicasia from hurting you further than she would have. And by the way Jude recalled his cruelty before they met you, it seemed to have subsided quite a bit since you met him. That still doesn't change the fact that he is cruel, and has been for a long time.
"Cat got your tongue?"
You shook your head clear from your thoughts. "No. Just confused how you could possibly think I would be in love with you."
"You want to know how I know you're in love with me, despite what you might believe?" Cardan grinned and closed the already small space between you two. "Because I know how insufferable you find me. I know how I get under your skin, how you lay awake thinking of how much you hate me. I know this because I feel the same towards you, and despite my feelings of irritation with you, I still find myself completely infatuated by you."
"You are?" You questioned, voice so quiet you might barely have heard it, but Cardan sure did.
He grinned. "Oh, yes. I have been infatuated with you from the moment I laid eyes on you. I wasn't lying earlier when I told Nicasia I'd like her to leave your face the way it is. I think you are pretty for a mortal. You give off this glow and iridescence. You are unlike any other mortal I've come across. The way you've kept me up at night, the way I am excited to see you just to have our little spat had me confused for the longest time. Eventually, I just couldn't take it anymore and I’ve decided to act on it."
You couldn't take it anymore. Everything Cardan said resonated so deeply with you. Somehow he knew exactly how you felt. The way you hated him, the way you were angry with yourself when you thought of him so often, everything he said he felt is exactly what you were going through as well.
You decided, if Cardan was going to act on his confusing feelings, you would act on yours as well.
Already chest to chest, you reached up and gripped Cardan hair, tight enough to hurt, and kissed him with all of the pent up anger and hatred for him you had.
If Cardan was surprised, he didn't seem it. He gripped onto your waist and kissed you back with so much ferocity it made your knees weak.
It was hot, and it was unlike any kiss you've ever had before. Kissing Cardan was unleashing something so deep inside of you. All of your confused feelings for him wrapped up all into a long-awaited kiss.
Gasping for air, you and Cardan separated, though not fully. While you were no longer kissing, you had yet to pull your fingers from the tangles of his hair, and he had no plans of letting go of his hold on your waist.
"I still hate you," you said breathlessly.
Cardan smiled, he actually smiled and replied, "I think I hate you more."
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So I’ve been watching playthroughs of Yakuza games for a while now, but when I saw that the newest game takes place in Hawai’i, the place where I was born, raised, and have lived in for nearly 30 years now, I knew that this was something I had to have first-hand experience with and not let some guy tell me how to feel about it, to put it bluntly.
I went on a month and a half long journey to finish this game, so I sat around for a bit like
Jesus Christ I should write a review on it.
So if you’d like to read about 5k words on what I thought about The Video Game™, here you go.
Overall, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a really really good game. However, as Hawai’i local it was kind of hard for me to turn my brain off to some of the cultural inaccuracies and as someone who tends to play smaller indie games, I clocked in about 110 hours on this and I burned out a little towards the end.
GAMEPLAY
Let’s get into Gameplay first because I think I have the most positive thoughts about it. If you haven’t heard my thoughts about Pokemon lately, it mostly boils down to “It’s the only RPG I’ve really been playing in recent years and the gameplay has been very watered down and I yearn for a decent PvE experience.” This game definitely scratched that itch in more ways than one.
Infinite Wealth’s turn-based combat system revolves around positioning. Some moves have an AoE of either a straight line or a circle. Positioning a character next to an ally will proc a combo move with them and positioning them near items will proc an item attack where you can beat a guy to death with a traffic cone or something.
The job system is robust. Every character starts off with a default class- Ichiban’s is Hero, an all-rounder that can pretty much do anything; characters like Nanba and Eric (I know the game calls him Tomi or Tomizawa, but I’m not the game and “Fuckin’ Eric” sounds way better than “Fuckin’ Tomi”) are magic-oriented, so they’re basically wizards by default. You can change their class to other jobs (Desperado is my favorite because it’s basically gun mage), which unlocks new skills as you level them up. You can also change jobs as much as you want and skills carry over between them, so there’s a bit of moveset mixing and matching that makes my brain feel good.
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, (the Yakuza devs, which we’re just gonna abbreviate to RGG from here on out) have always been REALLY good at asset reuse (again, I cast a dirty look to Game Freak). They’ll make a whole-ass map of a region and reuse that same map for several games down the line. Not only do you spend a significant time in Ijincho again and not only do you go to Kamurocho for little bit… AGAIN, but there are two… what I can only call “macro” games that have the best asset reuse I’ve seen in, like, maybe anything ever.
DONDOKO ISLAND
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth comes with a whole-ass Animal Crossing clone that’s also kind of The Sims called Dondoko Island. In this, you rehab an island that’s being used as a dump for some trash pirates (no, seriously, they’re actually pirates, yar har and everything) back into a five star resort. There’s a whole-ass crafting system where you go around the island, harvesting resources, to build furniture and facilities, which include whole-ass buildings which have appeared in past Yakuza games. The crafting system is GREATLY improved over Animal Crossing: New Horizon in that you can skip the goddamn animation and craft multiple of the same items at once. You don’t even have to have all the materials in your inventory, it’ll take it from your storage. Placing items in the world is also in an overhead view and the only grievance I have with the system is that placing paths is really weird and you can only place a limited number of them. But overall, Nintendo, was it really that hard to put into the video game. Why did you make AC:NH disrespect my time in that way?
Once the island has been cleaned up enough, you can start inviting guests over, which all have their own set of preferences for the vibe of your island (rustic, pop, sleazy, etc), their lodging quality, and how much of the island’s flora and fauna (and minerals, I guess??) you’ve discovered.
I really really liked Dondoko Island because who am I to say no to a management mini/macro game with decoration elements. I mostly really appreciate that it doesn’t waste your time. I wanna say I finished it in like less than 20 hours… which is not short for a game within a game (actually, that’s insane for a game within a game), but for a game of this genre, it’s pretty short.
There’s also an entire separate mini-island that further helps you with efficiently running your island by passively collecting resources over time and just being a general stockpile of bugs and fish to catch. But I can’t talk about this part without talking about…
SUJIMON
A returning character voiced by Keith Silverstein in the English dub – yes, that Keith Silverstein, who voices Masayoshi Shido of Persona 5 and Zhongli of The Genshin Impact™ is a professor who documents the behavior of weird and often hostile middle aged men, called Sujimon. When Ichiban goes to Hawai’i, he asks him to also document the native Sujimon there as there’s a prominent Sujimon scene there. Mans wasn’t kidding as there is an underground, more or less ilicit Sujimon fight club called The Sujimon League with its own Elite Four called The Discrete Four.
In the previous game, Sujimon was just your bestiary (literally called the Sujidex), but now it’s a whole-ass game, which I can mostly only describe as simplified Yokai Watch, but a glorified card game. Just so we’re not here for forever talking about middle-aged men cockfights… because I can talk about the mechanics and inner workings of middle-aged men cockfights for a hot minute, Sujimon League basically operates on a 3v3, with an additional bench of 3, rock-paper-scissors kind of system. You’ll need strong Sujimon to get through this macro game and you’ll recruit new guys through four ways- through random fights on the map, through literal Pokemon GO raids, through a gacha system, and through combining Sujimon of the same type into stronger Sujimon (don’t think too hard about that one). I had a LOT of fun with this and, again, it scratched an itch I’ve had for a while. Almost all of the Sujimon are just guys you’ll fight in-game, so, again, an excellent use of asset reuse.
Sujimon smoothly integrates into Dondoko Island in a way that makes Palworld look even more balls-less than it already is. You know that little island I was talking about a few paragraphs back? That’s Dondoko Farm. You can put your Sujimon to work on it! As you’re running around on Dondoko Island, letting it consume your life, your Sujimon will grow crops, scrounge around for resources, and earn some cash for you. The island also has some resources to help with Sujimon League by leveling them up with a small investment of some dondoko bucks and your time, but also a Pokemon-Amie type mini-mini game that helps strengthen the friendship of your current Sujimon team.
Yes.
This game lets you pet-
The sweaty, weirdo middle-aged men.
Don’t think about it too hard.
Especially don’t think about it too hard when you have a Sujimon on your team that uses Xander Mobus’ voice clips.
Anyway, there’s also another minigame called Sicko Snap, which is basically Pokemon Snap with Sujimon. It’s a good one, too.
STORY
I guess… the best way I’d explain my feelings on Infinite Wealth’s story is
Objectively, this is an okay story. Like, it’s par for the course for a Yakuza game. I have a lot of personal grievances with this plot which I’ll fully unsheathe my blade for in the next section, but for now I’ll just say… this game is basically Hawaii Five-O crammed into a Yakuza game and that was an emotional rollercoaster ride that I’m not sure I enjoyed.
Like a Dragon’s main theme is “Even if you hit rock bottom, it’s never too late to get back up again” and that’s something I hold near and dear to my heart.
They have used this theme to my benefit and to my dismay as this also apparently means it’s never too late for ~*Romance*~ which, sure, yeah, okay, true, but did it have to be Ichiban and Saeko?
I’m trying to give the game the benefit of the doubt because… to me, it’s mostly one-sided (as in, like, Saeko’s willing to give him a chance, but isn’t as crazy for Ichiban as he is for her) and, like, dude is allowed to have a crush. But from what I have seen… because I never got around to finishing her Drink Link (I was gonna but I’m like really burned out on the game), they kinda strap C4 to the Bechdel Test and raze a village to the ground with it when it comes to Saeko’s character arc because most of her dialogue and interactions are about The Incident with Ichiban, which sucks because she had more character than just a romance interest for the protagonist in the previous game. If you’re also REALLY not into this plot point like I am, the story DOES NOT let you forget that this indeed happened as it seems to be a plot thread that might continue into the next game as well.
Needless to say, I don’t ship it, and I don’t get to block tags and just walk away from this one.
The game also kinda keeps nudging at, “Hehe, Chitose’s pretty cute too, right?” to which I say
Yes I understand she’s of legal age but she’s only like 21 AT MOST and Ichiban’s like 40-something you stop with that.
It doesn’t feel like Ichiban really had a character arc in this… unless you count “proposing on the first date” to “saying I love you on a redo and then being weird about it again” as character growth. He went to Hawai’i, had some shenanigans, found mom, got backstabbed again, fought the cult (which I’ll be really salty about in the next section), went back home to help Eiji’s character arc. This isn’t a bad thing, it’s just… Ichiban went on another adventure. And it was ok. I think maybe the game was sizing him up to, again, take Kiryu’s place and be The Hero, but… we already did that already? And I’m not even sure if the game was able to complete that message by the end of the game.
Kiryu probably got the most character development out of this game and talking this over with my friend Andrew, he brought up that it kinda wasn’t fair that this is supposed to be Ichiban’s game, but he had to share half of it with Kiryu. And I agree. His sections were also really hard to get into if you haven’t been a longtime fan. Again, I have a decent amount of Yakuza knowledge, but with Kiryu’s memories, a LOT of it went over my head. It seems like RGG’s been trying to retire him as a protagonist for like three games now and MAYBE this time they’ll actually do it after this victory lap they’ve given him. But he did learn that “my friends are my power” and “never ever give up, you still have time to do better.” And you know what, that’s rad.
As far as the villains go, just, I dunno, they’re fine? Ebina and Eiji are very “okay bitch, stay mad, then,” and it’s. Fine? My only complaint is that Ebina’s arc felt like it was under-seasoned before they put it in the oven to cook and they could’ve peppered it on a little earlier in the game or something. Bryce’s entire deal I may have taken a little too personally, but that’s for later. Dwight was literally just Danny Trejo doing a villain role and I have absolutely no qualms with it. He was fun to watch.
The supporting cast was fun as always. Eric I hated at first, but he grew on me in the same way that, like, I’d bully a friend. Chitose I also kinda hated at first, was very sus of, but then she had a character arc that was pretty good. The Yokohama gang didn’t really have character arcs to them, but they were still fun to hang out with nonetheless. We got to learn a little bit more about Seonhee and she’s really fun. Both her and Zhao, who is my favorite for several reasons, are really really fun characters as they are both crime bosses (former, in Zhao’s case) who are BIG FUCKING WEIRDOS and I love them for it.
Joongi Han becomes a party member WAY too late in my opinion that, in a way, he’s technically an optional party member, or at least like getting a Dratini right before the Pokemon League in Gold/Silver/Crystal. He had some fun character moments, but felt kinda like an afterthought.
But also, ain’t no way he got his Hawai’i clothes at Hilo Hattie. There’s no way.
To wrap up my thoughts on the main story, I’d just like to say: the plot point that they sailed to Japan on a little tugboat in a handful of hours as opposed to WEEKS is peak Hawaii Five-O vibes and it infuriates me, but everyone kept telling me “it’s okay, the coast guard picked them up, like, halfway” and I will sit down and not start a fistfight over it. And just. That was the vibe of the game for me. Just… alternating between a J-Drama and Hawaii Five-O.
I don’t really have much to say about the substories except that they’re either almost Oscar-worthy material or they’re a snoozefest that I just tabbed through. I can really only think of three substories off the top of my head that were EXCELLENT, though - Nancy and Olivia, the artificial snow quest (THIS ONE IS EMOTIONAL WHIPLASH), and the traveling aquarium one. The rest I mostly just tabbed through because they were just……. Eh. But I think I’m okay with that since we have Sujimon and Dondoko to make up for it.
THE CULTURAL GRIEVANCES
So as I type this section out, I run my hands over my face to remind myself and say
This is a game that takes place in Hawai’i from a Japanese perspective, written primarily for a Japanese audience and I assume that certain things may come from a place of ignorance, but not maliciousness.
Hey Tumblr.
I want you to read that first bolded sentence again.
Because I know how you guys are with reading comprehension.
But that being said, as a Hawai’i-born Chinese person, there’s quite a lot about the Hawai’i cultural aspects of this game that I have problems with. If you wanna see me roast this game, you can stick around, but if not… Here is your chance to bail.
I’ve tried my best to write this in a way where I look at the thing that pissed me off and ask myself, “Am I taking this too seriously or do I actually have a problem with it?” and write more or less objectively, but some of it might still come off as overly caustic. Just. I tried.
And after a deep breath,
Ho brah,
We go.
WHAT IS HAWAIIAN CULTURE, ANYWAY?
To start off, I’m not sure if RGG knows the difference between being a Hawai’i local and actually being of Hawaiian blood…? The game mentions at the very beginning that Akane is half-Japanese… and half-Hawaiian, which makes Ichiban one-fourth Hawaiian, which makes ME kinda… squint. Like, we’d need to know more about Akane’s backstory, but if you know anything about indigenous cultures, finding someone who’s half native is HARD nowadays. Akane also looks pretty light skinned for someone who’s allegedly half-Japanese, half-Hawaiian but that’s just my tiny nitpick?
I’m also… not sure what kinda research RGG did on Hawaiian last names because some of the ones I see on random enemies are kinda…
Who is that
What is that
I have never seen anyone named that in my entire life
Sure, my worldview is a little shut in, but, no, what IS that?
Mililani is not a last name, that’s a neighborhood, why’s she Lani Mililani?
WHAT IS THAT?
The pidgin in the game is also there, but… small kine hit or miss. For those of you who don’t know, pidgin is Hawai’i’s creole, which came from a bunch of cultures who don’t speak the same language eventually falling into a kitbashed language system that works for everyone. Looking at the VA listing in the credits, they did hire some local people (they have Hawaiian names) and some of the VO performances work really well like Obispo in the restaurant side story and the cab driver dialogue that ONLY comes up in the Japanese audio version of the game for some reason. Others… are… hm (I don’t know what’s going on with Jeff the taco truck guy). I feel like the voice director got the intonation on the line reads down pretty well, but on the localization side, the syntax and grammar are a little off. Pidgin tends to come off as “broken english,” but it’s technically not since it’s its own language system with its own rules. So you have a lot of line reads that are in the right inflection, but the way it’s written is wrong for pidgin dialogue.
And it just doesn’t sound 100% right to me.
There’s also some… small pronunciation nitpicks that I have. Ukulele is pronounced the white way - it’s not Yooka-Laylee like the Chameleon and Bat, it’s ook-oo-leh-leh like Tapu Lele, the Pokemon. Some characters pronounce Hawai’i as huh-why and not ha-wuh-ee, which is more right (it’s SUPPOSED to be ha-vai-ee but I’m not native Hawaiian and this is kind of an axolotl situation so, y’know).
But shout-outs to the “Whatchu lookin’ at?” line guy.
Because that one is just, no notes, perfect.
NOTHING CAN BE NORMAL, I GUESS
Something that rubbed me the wrong way in this game is the mystification of a culture that’s foreign to you, that is, taking a culture that’s not yours and describing or representing it in such a way that it sounds so deviant and hard to comprehend compared to the one you’re used to. Think of that one tweet where someone describes hamburgers like a white person would describe asian fruit.
There's the lei substory where the girl needs to make a lei with blue plumerias (which does not exist by the way) because there’s an urban legend that if you give a blue plumeria lei to someone, it’s a way of confessing your true love. Lei are just… things you give as, like, a “congrats!” kind of a thing. Or if you wanna be touristy about it, a “welcome!” kind of gift. There’s nothing mystical about it, most grocery stores stock a few that you can just pick up, grab and go style.
The entire game mechanic of “shaka to make friends” was so?? Like maybe after 8 hours into the Hawai’i map, I was like, okay, I’ll just… fine. I’ll accept it. But my god did I not appreciate it when Kson came up to me and was like “what’s a motherfucker gotta do around here to make some friends” and told me how FRIENDLY the Hawaiian people were and how you can just throw a shaka to make friends; while me, probably the saltiest, introverted Hawai’i local that throws stink-eye at tourists who can’t watch where they’re going, playing the video game on that day was like, “We don’t fucking do that, hello??” I don’t even know why we shaka?? Most people you ask that question will just be like “idk it’s the local thing, they do it at the end of the 5pm news on KHON2.”
There’s a substory in this game with a character named Nathan, but we were all calling him racist Alpharad because he kinda looks like him (ALPHARAD HIMSELF IS NOT RACIST OR IN THIS GAME I WANNA CLARIFY THAT) and he’s basically, like… a weeb. He’s recording what seems like a PBS special on Japanese tourists in Hawai’i, but he’s kind of a shitter about it. He makes Ichiban choose between local foods and cold-ass rice and becomes upset when he chooses kalua pork over the rice since it wasn’t The Japanese Option. It escalates to making Ichiban play darts with shuriken and when he loses, he tells him to “live up to his dishonor,” slides him a knife and board, and asks him if he wants to take a finger or hara-kiri. To which Ichiban goes “dude, I get you like Japanese culture, but you can’t treat people this way”
To which I look back at the game like
You clearly understand how this feels, so why are you doing this to Hawaiian culture?
Again, I understand that a lot of this game was written with maybe just ignorance, and not malice, and this isn’t really a call-out post to RGG or anything, but BOY…
Okay.
Now we get to my biggest gripe with this game.
PALEKANA CAN SUCK MY NUTS
I’m kinda disappointed in their choice to use a Hawaiian cult as a plot point. It’s not quite a native savages kind of a vibe, but… In the year of our lord 2024, I thought we would know better than to portray an indigenous religion as a bloodthirsty cult? I also don’t like how they’re conflating the Hawaiian religion with what’s more like a Christian/Catholic cult in this.
Palekana is portrayed as “cultists who worship a goddess who lives in a mystical land, forbidden only to her chosen and maybe one day we’ll be worthy of her blessings.” Hawaiian religion is… not… like that at all? They did get the part about “giving back to the community” correct as a part of Hawaiian culture is mālama ‘aina, meaning, you need to care for the land you live on, which is… reasonable? I guess the other basic idea of Hawaiian religion is that certain places, things, and times that are important, and you shouldn’t touch it unless you wanna fuck around and find out. But the game just kinda wildly overboils this.
Like, I don’t claim to be an expert, I’ve only scraped the basics from what I learned in school (a year’s worth of Hawaiiana lessons in middle school, a semester’s worth in college; went to a private Catholic school, took two world religion classes in college), but Palekana has a very Catholic European religion kind vibe instead of a Hawaiian one. And I really, really don’t like that the game conflates the two. The Palekana cultists wear hoods, which is a distinctly European thing (it’s too hot for hoods here!). The beaded necklaces also seem more like rosaries, which, again, very Catholic. The idea that a god-figure will save you is also a VERY Catholic idea. I’m also assuming the goddess Nele that they use in the game is an expy for Pele, which… okay, like, you can do that with locations. Ala Moana Shopping Center represented as Anaconda Mall in the game hurts me a lot, but… to change up the name of the most prominent deity in Hawaiian religion is like
Dude, I’m not Hawaiian, but I know better than to shit on Pele?
Maybe I’m taking this a little too seriously, but it comes off as a little(??) disrespectful.
To give them the benefit of the doubt, maybe RGG wrote this plot point in this way to be like, well, they’re the villains, so we’ll write them so hyperbolically evil and wrong so people won’t mistake that for the actual culture? But my gut reaction is that they’re only writing from what they’ve seen in the movies and they wanted to make a story like that.
This was my least favorite part of the plot because not only does the cult aspect feel like it’s in bad taste, but it’s SO MUCH of the story and you REALLY can’t get away from it.
Alright. So now that I’ve aired that out of my system, I’m finally capping off this section with the part of the game that hit the closest to me and that is
CHINESE IN HAWAI’I
Listen. Again.
This is a story about Hawai’i, written by a Japanese team, for a Japanese audience.
Yakuza is a series that often talks about the racial conflict between the Japanese, Chinese, and Koreans. And I don’t expect them to portray any of these groups in anything more than a neutral light in this game about Gang Crime.
But ohhhhh my gooooood did they get the Chinatown section so wroooooooong.
Right off the bat, the big glaring problem I have with this game is. All the guys speak Mandarin. I think they might just be reusing voice clips from Yakuza 7, which, sure, fine, I understand that video games are hard to make and expensive.
In Hawai’i, like, real-world Hawai’i, not the bizzaro Hawai’i this game takes place in, we’re definitely starting to see more Mandarin-speaking immigrants show up, but most of the town speaks Cantonese.
Most of the people here a generation or two above me come from Guangdong or Hong Kong, which are Cantonese-speaking areas. It’s an entirely different dialect that’s really only been represented in small bits in media I’m familiar with, like in Jackie Chan Adventures (the uncle’s chant is basically “no more ghosts, get out of here” in Cantonese) and Digimon Tamers (“Moumentai” is “it’s okay/don’t worry about it” in Cantonese), and it seems really hard to get VAs that speak it, so I’m not… really that mad about it.
BUT. Then there’s Wong Tou.
Wong is the Cantonese pronunciation of 黄 , Huang or Hwang in Mandarin.
So like… clearly they knew?? But?? Decided not to go all in on it??
(And then Daniel Dae Kim is his face model and I just??? Bro’s Korean, hello?????)
And then there’s the name of Wong Tou’s gang. The Ganzhe.
Which is a stupid name.
The Chinese dictionary gives me 甘蔗 which translates to sugarcane, which. I get it. The plantation times. The Chinese and the Japanese and the Filipinos and the Portuguese and whatever all used to work on the cane plantations.
…But you’re out here calling your BIG KNIFE GANG “Sugarcane??”
My guy, you could start a reggae band with that name instead.
SPEAKING OF REGGAE-
No one knows how to pronounce Ganzhe properly besides Eric’s VA apparently? All the other VAs pronounce the gan closer to “van” when it’s supposed to be more like a “gone.”
Yes. That’s right.
Ganzhe is pronounced more like ganja.
You know.
The Marajuanas™
I’m a Hawai’i-born Chinese, first-generation local on my mom’s side and third-gen local on my dad’s. I grew up in Chinatown, so this was a section of the game that was near and dear to my heart. So I THINK and HOPE you’d understand my frustration to see that work needed to be done on the representation of my culture in this game. It was definitely a little fun to see my hometown modeled in this game- they got Maunakea Marketplace and Keikaulike Mall down pretty accurately and some of the motifs on the buildings made me do a double take because they were so familiar to me. BUT, man, this cultural aspect of the game needed A LOT of work.
SO TO FINALLY CLOSE THIS OUT
Japanese people love Hawai'i a lot.
I think Japanese people love Hawai'i more than Hawai'i locals do.
But as for portraying it accurately, I understand that no one can do it as well as a local islander can. Did I personally think they did the best they could?
………………ehh
Like, if you turn your brain off, it's fine??
If you turn your brain off and not let Palekana get to you, this game is fine.
It can be a little campy.
It can be a little Hollywood.
It can be a little Disneyland.
And despite my four pages of bitching about it, at the end of the day. It is fine.
So with that, I’ve hit like ten full pages on this Google Doc. Despite half of this review being me complaining about what they got wrong about Hawai’i culture in this game, I liked it a lot! When the game didn't have me strapped down for an episode of a J-drama or Hawaii Five-O, I liked running around town, fighting guys, making other guys fight other guys, and managing a resort island. If anything, this game actually motivated me a little to make more local-themed stuff, because as I notice people getting older, there’s less and less people to correctly preserve highly specific culture stuff like this. So a lot of that responsibility falls on me, y’know?
Thank you for making it to the end of this review! I know it was a lot. I don’t know what happened. I do recommend this game, but I ask that you do NOT finish the game with the takeaway that you have learned everything there is to know about Hawai’i.
I’ll fight you with a lawn chair (in Minecraft, for the FBI agent reading this) if you do that.
Other than that, I think you’ll have a lot of fun but also take your time because this game is, like, a 100 hour commitment. Not Persona 5 Royal long, but a commitment nonetheless.
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