#it's still canon なの

[ryuuseirune]

Unfortunately this seems to be a mistranslation, 自閉的 (introvertedness) and 自閉症 (autism) are two distinct things. You'll see in the screenshot that though the words are similar it's 2 different kanji at the end. (Source: Me, a Japanese autistic person. I just submitted a written report on my autism to the Tokyo Bureau of Immigration in Japanese.)

Fortunately, this is still really funny and he is now autistic in my mind. Cyrus autism beam

edit: yes it's entirely possible for 自閉的 to mean autistic (in fact that's its more common meaning recently) but the game was made in the 2000s so without context it's not necessarily 100%. however I'm simply choosing to believe gf meant he’s autistic even if I'm wrong because I want to

DIVERSITY WIN!

The evil team leader attempting to harness the powers of time and space to recreate the world without emotions is autistic!

[yuurei20]

If it’s alright of me to ask , is there any examples of yuu/prefect having any canon details about them ? such as their height being pointed out by characters or if they are psychically weak/strong?if not that’s alright I’m jus curious :) since I remember a line from Crowley saying they looked “effeminate “?

Hello hello! Thank you for this question! 🦐

I found multiple sources ( 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 ) that all agree that Crowley seems to mumble a line with no subtitles in Chapter 7 of the prologue about the prefect seeming "effeminate"!

(the subtitles say only "But..." and then ブツブツ, for "mumbling")

While the sources above do not all report the exact same wording (it is difficult to make out what he is saying), it is generally agreed the dialogue is something similar to the following:

「ま、どう見てもこのか弱さは猛獣使いでも、猛獣にパックリとやられてしまいそうな…なんだか少し女性的な感じ…」

"Well, no matter how you look at it, with this frailty, even if they are a beast tamer, they look like they'd be gobbled up in one bite by a beast…a somewhat, slightly effeminate impression…"

For their height, we know that Floyd considers them to be small!

And Grim says that their legs are shorter than Vil's!

Note: this is only for the game-prefect! We know very much what manga prefect look like as we have seen them. The symbolism behind their names has been explained here.

(screenshots from Square Enix's official website: Yuuken | Yuuka | Yuuta )

The novel's Yuuya's physical appearance has been described here.

For non-physical-appearance details the prefect has the option of being either very poor at playing instruments or being adept at playing the flute and/or bugle!

Neither option seems to have any impact on the story, so the prefect being not being able to play flutes/bugles and being able to play flutes/bugles are both technically canon!

And the prefect also canonically knows the holiday "Tanabata"!

It is interesting that both dialogue choices mention Tanabata. The prefect not knowing what Tanabata is is not an option 📝

They also have the option of knowing what American football is! (though the characters in the game do not) 📝

And is this maybe all that has been specified in game? 🧐

Other things get into theory territory! I have seen many ideas in many places (the prefect is maybe a shape-shifting demon? The Chernobog? Will'O the wisps Fae? They don't know who Mickey mouse is, so how they can be from present-day earth? They want to leave Twisted Wonderland, which is the same as the player wanting to stop playing the game--are they not from our world? Are they themselves Mickey Mouse? Are they the mysterious chairman of the school, suffering from amnesia? Are they dead or in a coma?), but we have many more theories than facts ^^ Still fun to think about!

[guiltygearwiki]

The general consensus regarding the canonicity of XX is that most (if not all) of it has been disregarded by later entries. However, since Vastedge is purported to recycle quite a bit of dialogue from XX, are those specific pulls the only bits we should regard with any legitimacy? Especially since it can get really screwy in regards to the timeline (Zappa being a prime example, since presumably he's portrayed as still being haunted by spirits, when Xrd implies he's been in control for a while).

There are layers to the question being asked here, so this answer might end up being a bit long-

First, let's address the idea of a "general consensus regarding the canonicity of XX".

Overall, the idea of a true "canon" in Guilty Gear is nebulous, especially in all of its earlier entries, not just XX. All of ML's endings as seen in game can't have occurred exactly the way they're portrayed, and X had alternate paths and endings just like XX did. Even events that we know "actually happened" are often shown to differ slightly when revisited later in the series.

And this is without considering the fact that alternate timelines have been shown to exist in the world of Guilty Gear, too.

For the purposes of our wiki, we actually intend to phase out the term "canon" in favour of phrases like "the main storyline" and the like, depending on the context. "Canon" is ultimately not a term we can definitively apply most of the time, and our Western fandom understanding of "canon" is also not quite the same perspective as it would be for the actual developers and writers of the series.

Now, one context in which one might've heard the term "canon" used in Guilty Gear material is the "Guilty Gear Codex", an artbook that came with the limited edition of Xrd -Sign-, exclusively in North America.

This book largely contained bits of information that were translated from the Japanese-only "Guilty Gear 10th Memorial Book" (But please note that the English Codex contains some mistranslations in places.)

The term translated as "canon" in the English Codex was 正史/seishi in Japanese, which translates literally to "official history", and can roughly be considered analogous to the term "canon" when it comes to how fans use it, but still has slightly different connotations.

In any case, both in the English Codex and the original Japanese 10th Memorial Book, canon/正史 is often applied to XX with the sentiment of "If it's a thing that comes up later, it's canon/part of the 正史"- but this isn't the case for XX as a whole, only a few scenarios in it.

Aside from those instances, XX isn't treated as if its overall "canonicity" is up in the air.

To give one example, here is a quote in reference to Accent Core's story mode (on page 15 of the 10th Memorial Book, English translation by me):

(…) なお、ストーリー内容は『２』につながるものもあるので、『２』から『GG』シリーズのファンになった人、また、『XX』の続きがどうなるかきになる人は、是非ともプレイしてみよう。

"(…) Also some of the story content (of Accent core) is connected to GG 2 Overture, so folks who became fans of the GG series with Overture, or folks who want to know what happens after XX should definitely check it out."

Another interesting example is this bit from Anji's profile (on page 95 of the 10th Memorial Book, English translation by me):

闇慈の明確な目的については、アーケード版の中ではあまり触れられていない。 『2』 に通じる正史から見ると、 ifストーリーが多い家庭用において、 『XX』で彼が 「あの男」に述べた 「ギアは兵器計画ではなく、 人類を強化する計画」 とい��仮説は否定されていない。 これが正史だとしたら、 非常に重要な伏線となるが･･････?

"Anji's exact goal doesn't come up a lot in the arcade versions. Going by the official history leading up to "Overture"- there are many What-if stories in the home console versions, and in "XX", he proposes the theory to That Man that Gears were not intended to be weapons, but rather to strengthen humanity, which has not been denied. If this turns out to be part of the official history, this might actually end up being crucial foreshadowing…?"

I point this one out because it's a prime example of a detail from XX that is treated as up in the air here in the book, but eventually was revealed to be actual foreshadowing later- with Anji's theory being confirmed in Xrd -Revelator-.

Given all this, I want to add that I personally feel the extent to which XX's two story campaigns have been labelled as "disregarded" is a bit much.

There are many aspects of XX that reappear later in the series beyond things like Anji's conversation with That Man. Faust's friendship with Slayer, Robo-Ky's fondness of certain women, Bridget's interest in the entertainment business- just to name a few.

Another example is Crow, a crucial character in Accent Core, having an entry in GG World that describes the details of his storyline much as they were portrayed in XX (creating the Robo-Ky series, experimental copies of Justice, being secretly Japanese), and goes on to mention what he’s been up to more recently.

A lot of these examples could be dismissed as “this is true, but the details of the event/how it came about could differ from how they were shown in XX.” But this just puts XX in the same boat as ML and X.

All of this to say, XX should not be dismissed entirely. Anything that has not been contradicted could potentially be revisited by the writers at any point, and there are precedents for this happening.

This kinda brings us back to your actual question about XX in regards to VXT (and the games that followed.) And things do get a bit screwy here, even outside of the XX context.

For starters, what complicates any story-related discussion of VXT is the fact that it doesn't really tell a story in a conventional way. There are only three-ish events that can be called cutscenes, and almost everything else happens in the form of random lines that fly across the screen with next to no context.

Nothing is really shown in chronological order either, because you will be tossed forward or backwards in the "narrative" depending on your rolls. It's all very chaotic, making it hard to deduce what one is supposed to take away from some of the minor characters especially.

And, like you mentioned in your question, it's not just XX that's a problem- VXT doesn't always align well with Xrd either, even though their narratives are explicitly connected.

The main "continuity" issue here is the portrayal of Zappa, and to a lesser degree Bridget, as seen in VXT.

Now, VXT does not actually "recycle quite a bit of dialogue from XX" really, but I see where the idea comes from.

Anyway, based on Zappa's and Bridget's dialogue, they seem to be in the same point of their storyline as they were in XX, even though no quotes are reused verbatim. This becomes confusing when they return later in Xrd -Revelator- and Strive. There, their stories seem to have progressed further than what some assume could have reasonably happened in the gap between VXT and those games- or outright do not fit into the timeframe VXT portrays.

Bridget can be explained easier, as her story in Strive occurs in her Arcade Mode. That one takes place an unspecified amount of time after Strive's main story, so there is more wiggle room.

Zappa, however, is a bit harder to justify, as only three months pass between VXT and Xrd. This seems too short of a time for Zappa to have had his epiphany and study the science behind paranormal activities to the degree that he clearly has by the time of Xrd.

Adding to that, his VXT dialogue also reads as if his troubles are a more recent thing-

俺はザッパ。最近、体の調子がおかしいので、名医を探して旅をしているんだ。

"My name is Zappa. I've been feeling strange lately, so I'm travelling to look for a doctor." (English translation by me)

-which also wouldn't match Xrd nor XX!

His troubles being a fairly recent thing wouldn't really work with XX, because it takes place nearly 6 years before VXT. And it would't work with Xrd either, since there Zappa suggests he's had these troubles for at least 5 years.

Focusing on XX again for a moment, Zappa's VXT dialogue also reads like he might not even have met Faust yet, which would also render any of their interactions in XX as disputed, if we take his VXT appearance as the more "valid" one.

But again, since Zappa's VXT portrayal doesn't quite align with Xrd either, and there are aspects where XX is actually closer to Xrd…

As you can see, you're going to run into some issues either way.

A possible explanation for inconsistencies like these is that the writing team could've simply changed their mind about how to write Zappa's storyline once he was included in Xrd.

While this seems likely to me, keep in mind that it's still speculation.

This leaves us with many questions, like:

“Can we assume Faust and Zappa first met in 2181 as shown in XX, or did they not meet until 2187 as suggested in VXT?”, etc.

The answer to these, generally, is that we do not know for sure unless they decide to revisit these story beats and clarify.

Some events of XX are surely supposed to have happened, and a good deal of VXT is surely supposed to have happened, but the finer details remain vague.

Sorry if this wasn't the definitive answer you'd hoped for, but the fact is that definitive answers like this are tricky in a series like Guilty Gear.

[oro-kapi]

i hope one day we can get the full cover arts of after god

Orokapi crying makes me want to explode tbh

Volume 8's cover- he looks so goooooood I love the snake scale tie I think we need more character design like that.

A promo of volume 8 was posted without the small title card, revealing that Orokapi is actually crying. Somehow I do feel like the covering of the teary eye detracts a bit, but it is really cool symbolism and a mindblowing one to come by it on your own. If the actual covers had it like a peelaway sticker that would be pretty neat 🤯

[Vol 8 Cover] [Vol 8 Promo]

Spoiler warning up to latest english chap (67 as of current) below

In another tweet, Eno notes all the volume covers share a similar motif where the title card obscures something the character wants to hide.

アフターゴッド８巻の内容+描き下ろし内容です。 &タイトルロゴなしverのカバーをチラ見せです。 タイトルロゴの位置は毎巻、「本人が隠したいもの」の位置に置いています。[Tweet Link]

Google Translate: Contents of After God Volume 8 + newly drawn contents. & A glimpse of the cover of the version without the title logo. In each volume, the title logo is placed in the position of ``something the person wants to hide.''

各巻のロゴの下に隠したもの一覧です。 1巻→目、2巻→舌、3巻→（代里子への）指輪、4巻→目、5巻→口・タヌボーグミ、6巻→ない左目、7巻→（池に投げた母の）指輪、8巻→涙 [Tweet Link]

Google Translate: This is a list of things hidden under the logo of each volume. Volume 1 → Eye, Volume 2 → Tongue, Volume 3 → Ring (for Yoriko), Volume 4 → Eye, Volume 5 → Mouth/Tanubogumi, Volume 6 → Missing left eye, Volume 7 → (Mother's thrown into the pond) Ring, Volume 8 → Tears

Thoughts/Interpretations:

Waka wanting to hide her eyes checks out especially in volume 1. Chapter 3 she exclaims she didn't want this either.

I'm not really sure why Tokinaga wants to hide his tongue; with only the context from the first two volumes one could assume it's because of the in-world thing about hiding one's face. But the specification it's the tongue with future insight, it could be an overarching thing where he technically hasn't been very truthful to others and has been lying, hiding the truth.

Minami and Yoriko canonically don't hide their engagement status, so could Minami's decision to hide his engagement ring be related to their work relationship possibly hindering their own personal lives? Snake imagery is pretty present here too. And we know later on in volume 3 what happens to him, and it literally separates the two.

Obikawa hiding his god pupils specifically is pretty self explanatory. But I'd also like to think of in chapter 32, he tells Tokinaga he doesn't want to use his god eyes on him.

Apparently there's a Tanuboo Gummy there in Waka's mouth?

Tokinaga's left eye holding a lot of secrets... the thing in his eye and his birthmark. COUGHS and chapter 66 was a massive exposition dump to be honest

The wedding ring of Yako/Furuya's mother, in which was what Furuya used to incite the death of over 80 people. I still love the drop at the end of chapter 58 where Yuma puts two and two together while his sisters ask what Furuya meant. The juxaposition of us, the audience knowing too with the child's innocence really hits the horror tenfold.

Orokapi's tearful eye, in which we see in the chapter he misses Vollof.. We also see potential parallels of Vollof in Tokinaga momentarily too from his perspective.

---

There is a photo of what Waka looks like under the cover of Chapter 1

[Image Source]

Someone replied asking if there will be plans to show the rest of the characters similarly. Eno says there's no plans right now, but maybe in the future. [Source]

I hope so! The covers are gorgeous and I'd love to see them all one day. I already adore staring at Eno Sumi's work

[lilithrebellion]

Another $500 of Yui merch😅

And translations of all the message cards I have under the cut!

However, due to Gacha BS I still somehow didn't get about half the messages despite ordering 65 whole cards??? That's half the value of the order?? There should be 28 total, and even accounting for unspoken rarity bs (wtf rejet??) that I did know about when deciding how to order this is just weird... Like, I'm still missing one D rarity card despite FORTY out of all the cards being Ds. WTF???

Anyway, on to the translations!

#1-B: "I don't know what's going to happen, but I'm sure it'll work out!" (😭😭😭 Yui always with saying exactly what I need to hear and making we not just believe it, but want to make it happen. For her. Specifically.)

Saw a picture of #1-C, and the message/translation is: 「これ以上吸われたら 困っちゃうよ……！」 "If you drink anymore, I'll be in real trouble...!" (I like to think she says this to mess with Amaya sometimes because she would JUMP in the cutest way (in Yui's opinion lol)😂)

#1-D: "Are you trying to cheer me up?" (Is it working? *eyebrow wiggle*😉heehee)

#2-C: "...Are you worrying about me?" (Always😭😭 But somehow, she does always make me feel like no matter what, everything will be okay. (See 1-B))

#2-D: "I can tell how kind you are." (Because of you, always. You're the one who makes me want to be better.🥺)

#3-A: "I'm really looking forward to going shopping with everyone!" (Server buddies!! You heard Yui, we're going on a shopping group date, asap!!😁😁) (Also, why was this 4/5 of my As? I do love her expression in this but I really couldn't get to see more of the other ones? 😭)

#3-B: "Were you keeping me in mind...!?" (You're on my mind virtually every moment of my life.😊)

#4-D: "I'm glad that you seem to be having fun!" (How could I not have fun getting messages from you!❤️)

#4-B: "I never said you could drink from anywhere!?" (She's messing with Amaya again lmao)

Also saw a picture of #4-D, which is: 「今日の思い出も、絶対に忘れないよ。」 "There's no way I'd forget the memories we made today." (Neither will I. Every moment with you is priceless.)

#5-A: "Maybe I should try saying 'I love you' too?" (KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!😍😍😍😍)

#5-B: "I wanted to spend today with you no matter what." (We can spend as many days together as you want!!)

#5-C: "I'm plenty happy just being with you." (The feeling is mutual😭😭😭)

#5-D: "You're going to drink from there too...!?" (Yui, you are going to kill your girlfriend with the teasing😂)

#6-C: "Maybe I'll tease you once in a while?" (Ngl I was legit combusting for a few minutes when I saw this one. Anyway if you doubted my previous assessments, yeah no. It's canon. She would.😂 Also it's the design where she has the fangs??? omg... >///////<)

#6-D: "I'd be happy if we could spend every day together." (Yui said Every Day Means Every Day and I am helpless but to oblige😁)

#7-C: "This might be a little embarrassing...! Does it suit me?" (ABSOLUTELY!!!😭😭😭 You look perfect in anything because you're the more beautiful person to ever exist🙇🙇🙇)

#7-D: ""We'll always be together. Promise?" (YES!!!!! ALWAYS AND FOREVER!!! YOU ARE THE LOVE OF MY LIFE!!! 💕💕❤️💍❤️😍💘😍❤️💍❤️💕💕 and I have 14 copies of this card to show for it!!!)

Aaaaand that's everything I have! (btw I used my sasakoi tote bag as the photo taking background lmao. What? It works. Can't escape from the yuri in my house😂) Will try to update this if I ever manage to buy the missing ones on resale or come across pictures on the interwebs!🫡

[speedofsoundsketches]

The second chapter for the Shadow Manga was released today and its become clear that it de-canonized itself lol

This story started tying itself more into Sonic X Shadow Generations but I think it’s now only very “loosely” based on the games with the author definitely taking creative license and doing his own thing. Not uncommon for these CoroCoro mangas to do, like in Spin and Dash where Sonic and Shadow were super goofy and OOC.

That said, there are still really solid moments. The beginning broke my heart completely. 😭😭😭 The new character introduced is kinda weird as a concept but eh now that it’s obviously its own thing, I'm just going along for the ride. I’m curious what the author is gonna do with the set up. Admittedly disappointed a bit but not really surprised.

I’m sure it’ll be eventually posted for free like the first chapter ended up being but man I’m a blubbering mess MARIA GAAAAHHHH ;A;

Here’s where you can purchase it if you’d like to help support the official release!

[3600frames]

Was it confirmed that Acht speaks inklish in bancala or anywhere else? In a post, you also mentioned the accent being an intentional tone. Is it a mix of both tone and octarian accent or explicitly just the tone?

I hope this ask doesn't sound too confusing. I wanted to make a note of how Acht comes off in speech. Thank you.

short answer: there’s no canon info specifying whether Acht speaks the inkling language. however, in the JP version, Acht speaks in a similar way to other Octarian characters, with said specific way of speaking for these other characters very likely denoting accented speech. but...

long answer:

using katakana, which is otherwise used for loanwords and foreign names (in modern times) for words that are written in hiragana/kanji gives a feeling of "difference". it’s very commonly used to denote accented speech or a foreign language in media. examples of its usage by Octarian characters that canonically originate from the domes:

(1) DJ Octavio:

throughout all three games, DJ Octavio speaks in all katakana, and seemingly in a slow, deliberating way, as every word is separated by a space (rather than a space after a few words like with the rest of splatoon's text, which is instead of no spaces like normal JP writing, which is likely done for readability purposes)

サイキン　シモベタチガ　シッソウ　シテイタハ

(2) Marina:

how Marina speaks in the JP version has been fairly well-documented, but just in case: she speaks in the polite keigo, specifically teinei-go; the literal textbook Japanese that people learning it as a second language are first taught. however, she uses tame-guchi/casual speech with Acht exclusively (in both Side Order and #3-etude), and it’s unknown whether she used it with her other Octarian peers. she also very occasionally uses katakana for some words that are otherwise written differently.

side note: her lyrics in Off the Hook are written in katakana, and are canonically in the “octo language” (イイダが歌うタコ語はカタカナになっている).

the JP version of Octo Expansion explicitly states that Marina spoke in “broken Inkling” when she first met Pearl (more directly translated version here). Marina’s "let's start a band” quote as per Pearl:

MC Princess >思い出した！山でノドのウォームアップしてたらいきな り「アナタ探シテタユニット組ミタイ」って言われて、ストーカーかと 思ったわ

is written in all katakana besides the kanji portions, and is more blunt than the teinei-go we see her using otherwise. 

(3) Agent 8:

as a silent protagonist, Agent 8 obviously doesn’t get a lot of opportunities for dialogue, but there are some. their Mem Cake poems are all written normally. however, in both of their relationship charts, they speak in full katakana with spaces between every word.

スゴイ センパイタチ

(4) Acht, in chronological order:

#3-etude: narrates and speaks with no katakana (*)

Side Order: uses katakana instead of the hiragana for sentence endings, as well as inconsistently using katakana for nouns/adjectives/verbs/etc. in both spoken dialogue and the letters they write to Marina. some examples:

イイダは外に出て　良い仲間に出会えたようダナ ...ま、カノジョのコトだし、心配はしてなかったケド

カラーチップは、その結果によっていくつかの系統に分けられル系統ごとに　色や模様もチガウんダ

Ordertune: writes with no katakana

considering all the above examples, it’s easy to imagine that they’re speaking the Inkling language in Side Order, as they’d obviously be speaking the Octarian language in #3-etude. however, their speech patterns are rather casual/laid-back and don't have the faltering nature of other examples. it’d also make you wonder when Acht would’ve had the opportunity to learn the Inkling language before being sanitized, since Marina needed to be taught it by Pearl. the fact that it isn’t present in Ordertune could be a reflection of it being written rather than spoken meaning that an accent wouldn’t express itself… but they do use it in their written letters to Marina (I guess it could indicate they improved at the language that much in a short amount of time)

(if it doesn't represent an accent or different language, than it'd still beg the question of what language they're all using in the elevator... and this is probably going beyond the scope of the question, but maybe Marina is really enough of a genius to design the Memverse in such a way that anything said can transcend language barriers?)

there’s other examples of atypical katakana usage that likely represent an accent besides Octarian characters (jellyfish store owners, Spyke and Murch), but also likely other distinct usages (Tartar, as robot characters speaking in katakana in media is a staple. also whatever reason Frye's lyrics are written in katakana). the few line of dialogue from sanitized Octarian enemies in Octo Expansion are written in all katakana:

タイショウヲ カクニン... シマツセヨ

So finally getting to that asterisk: despite no other atypical katakana usage throughout #3-etude, the very final line is this:

イイダがボクたちの前から姿を消したのは、それから少しだけ後の話ダ。

a single katakana sentence ending finding its way in, as Acht narrates on how Marina would soon leave all of their lives. considering the subject matter of where this comes up, it makes me view their katakana usage as chiefly representing their hollowness post-sanitization, which they're eventually able to start recovering from. though ultimately that's just my interpretation.

[crepes-suzette-373]

Germa's Ancestors

(+ Shandora connection?)

This is a kind of long theory post. I feel like at some point it would make more sense to narrate this as audio/video, because I think people don't like walls of text.

Anyway, bear with me for now, this is a long post.

I want to begin by analysing this scene:

To my knowledge, the phrase 無念の魂 is very specifically only applicable to the souls of the dead, and you can't use it to say souls/spirit in a euphemistic sense. E.g "put my soul into my work", or something like "the spirit of the age". I did my best to check various examples of usage, and far as I can find it really just means dead people.

In that case, then the dialogue about 300 years in the raw would mean "To think that I entrusted you with 300 years' worth of my kingdom's regretful souls".

"Regretful souls" is, as it says, the souls of people who died with a lot of regrets or resentment. It's quite a different sense from "longing".

Also another thing, he says 合わせる顔もない about the dead. This isn't "disgracing their memory". This is "I'm so ashamed (of myself/my failure) that I cannot face them", hence the "I despise myself" dialogue that comes after. It didn't really specify a word for "direct ancestor" so I assume he meant all people of Germa of the past.

So... this could be either/or, but if failing to restore Germa = regrets, and supposedly people there have been dying in regret for 300 years, then it sounds like wanting to restore Germa was the people's dream ever since their destruction.

Though, that is still open to interpretation. It doesn't have to mean "reconquering North Blue" really was the goal that was passed down through generations. Maybe actually the ancestors just wanted to have some land again, but over the years that goal becomes corrupted and twisted.

Or all of that was just crazy talk and the ancestors never actually wanted this. Who knows?

(I do apologise to anyone who really don't like Judge for putting this stuff on your dash, but he's kind of the only one who ever actually said anything substantial about Germa history, and for analysis purposes he has to be in there)

Also a little conspiratorial bent.

The dialogue text said that the souls cannot return to their homeland, it strongly implies the land is just completely obliterated. It's similar to how the Shandians said that their ancestors no longer has a place to return after the sacred trees were cut down.

Germa, or at the very least Judge, has a similar attitude towards the ancestors as the Shandians. Perhaps not quite to the point of worshipping them as gods, but Judge view the past dead of Germa with deep respect.

I feel like it's hinted that "Moon = high technology", as shown by the robots on the moon that Enel saw in the cover story. I've made theories before speculating that Germa is thematically connected to the moon, but maybe they actually literally are related to the moon via one of the moon tribes that descended to the Earth.

I'm not sure how canon it is, but one of the Data Books had said that Skypieans don't actually have wings. Their wings are just costume/decoration.

Assuming this is real (Data Books and Vivre Cards are sometimes wrong), are there humans in the world who are actually descendants of Skypieans? After all if they literally have no wings, then they would look no different from regular humans. Skypieans didn't really have an obvious strong ancestral worship like the Shandians, but perhaps there is some shared culture that we don't know.

That, or possibly somehow the Shandians' wings are also fake. In the moon murals you can see that the Birkans' wings are differently-shaped from the other two. If the Skypiean wing is fake, who's to say that the Shandian one isn't?

Also, an interesting thing is that the Shandian ancestor seems to be the one making the robots, while the Birkan is either observing or giving instructions. So the Shandian ancestor is at least some form of engineer. Curious.

On that note, the people of Wano also deeply respect their ancestors, as real Japanese people do. They have curious Princess Kaguya hints, as well as strong prevalence of moon symbols all over.

As I noted in my analysis of honorifics, Skypieans, Wano, and Germa all share the 上 honorific usage. This is an unusual honorific that no other kingdoms in the world seem to use. Aside from the above 3, only the merfolk royalty and the Tenryuubito use them.

It could be that it's simply "archaic language" even in the One Piece universe, and it just fell out of use in most of the kingdoms. It still makes me wonder if there are actually a lot of humans who have blood ties to the moon tribes that isn't revealed yet as well.

I've also previously mentioned that young Judge has a "Kabuki face" that reminds me of Kin'emon, but I didn't consider that Kalgara also kind of looks like that too. It might just be design coincidence, but maybe it actually means something, I don't know.

[deus-ex-mona]

an attempted tl of 東京アフタヌーンティー (Tokyo Afternoon Tea)~~

jk trio says nghy canon~~~~~~~

お試し期間？ そんなんダメダメ！ 取られちゃうかも？ そんなんダメダメ！ それって恋じゃん…

Why don’t you date him for just a trial run? No way, not a chance! Someone else may snatch him up, you know? No way, not a chance! This must be love…

まじで？まだ彼氏無し？ 幼馴染に告白されてます… え？え？えー？2回目じゃない？ ずっと好きでいてくれてるみたい

Really? You still don’t have a boyfriend? My childhood friend confessed to me… Eh? Eh? Ehh? Isn’t this the second time he's confessed? It seems like he’s always been in love with me

お試し期間？ そんなんダメダメ！ 取られちゃうかも？ そんなんダメダメ！ それって恋じゃん…

Why don’t you date him for just a trial run? No way, not a chance! Someone else may snatch him up, you know? No way, not a chance! This must be love…

付き合っちゃえ 付き合っちゃえ 付き合っちゃえばいいじゃん So happy happy end 聞かせてね　惚気話　(ヒュー) 目指すはシンデレラって ラブコメな展開 まだなお現在進行形

Go out with him Go on and date him You should just date him already So happy happy end And spill all the deets about your love story (Whoo) My goal of having a romantic comedy just like Cinderella’s  Is still a work-in-progress

Happy ending heroine Tokyo afternoon tea Happy ending heroine Once in a life time chance

まじで！？付き合っちゃった… 私も好きになっちゃいました パーティ開かなきゃだね ホテルのアフタヌーンティーがいい

For real?! You're really dating him… I’ve fallen in love with him too We have to throw a party Let’s have afternoon tea at a hotel

イケメンだよね？ そりゃそうだけど 浮気するかも？ そりゃそうだけど そんなんダメダメ！ そんなんダメダメ！！

He’s quite handsome, isn’t he? Yeah, he sure is He may cheat on her, don’t you think? Yeah, he might No way! No, he won’t! No way! No, he won’t!!

愛しちゃえ 愛しちゃえ 愛しちゃえばいいじゃん So happy happy end 言わせてね　おめでとうって (Yeah) 目指したシンデレラは ミッションコンプリート

Just love him Just love him You should just accept that you love him Let us give our “Congrats” to you (Yeah) Your mission of becoming just like Cinderella Is now complete

世界一 一途な恋 “彼女”自信ないな… おめでとう おめでとう 幸せならいいじゃん (Yeah) 付き合っちゃえ 付き合っちゃえ 付き合っちゃえばいいじゃん So happy happy end 聞かせてね　惚気話　(ヒュー) 目指すはシンデレラって ラブコメな展開 まだなお現在進行形

They have the most earnest love in the entire world But she still doesn’t have much confidence, huh… Congrats Congrats As long as she’s happy, that’s all that matters (Yeah) Go out with him Go on and date him You should just date him already So happy happy end And spill all the deets about your love story (Whoo) My goal of having a romantic comedy just like Cinderella’s  Is still a work-in-progress

おそらくヒロイン完全形！？

Have I attained the perfect form of a heroine?!

[orsan1070]

Alolan Raichu's Dark Origins

Yes, the title is kind of clickbait. No, it’s not incorrect. Bear with me here. It’s rare that a theory like this holds water.

Alolan Raichu is a sweet, fairly unassuming mon on the surface. However, with new information that has surfaced from the recent GameFreak “Teraleak”, its behavior and origins are painted in an… interesting light.

This post kind of got away from me. If you don’t care about the nitty-gritty, here’s the TL;DR: Alolan Raichu adapted from a diet of alien drug pancakes. No, this is not a joke.

First, let me preface this. I do not speak Japanese and do not claim to. All translations shown here are done in DeepL and/or Google Translate, or an amalgamation cross-referenced. While I have verified that my ideas hold water with someone who does speak Japanese (@kiskeym on Twitter / @boh.nonso on Medium), I do not have a full direct human translation.

Okay, so, let me provide some background. Some of the documents contained within the Teraleak were development profiles on Pokémon from gens 3 through 7. Of particular interest are the gen 5-7 ones, which contain information that came back later in various dex entries (particularly, I’ve noticed, in SwSh and SV) and other tidbits supported by canon. As these are from close to release and have come back later, I think it’s safe to say that the lore in these is canon. Most of the changes between these profiles and release comes from gameplay changes– I’ve only managed to locate one lore change, and that’s in Golurk. By Alola, these profiles were even being done alongside the concept art, as Palossand’s directly references it. Ergo, I’m treating these as canon. (Not 3 or 4, as those are too early in development, have a lot more changes, and don’t cover every mon in their respective gens.) I’d like to do, or help with, a full deep dive into these at some point in the future, but for now, I just wanted to get this out there.

That said, the information I’m providing here is frequently alluded to in various tidbits in games released after SM– I will provide those sources when necessary. This is almost certainly canon, outside of its scrapped gameplay integration.

(One more sidenote-- I've put leaked profiles in blue, official in-game content in orange, and supplementary material-- in this case, websites-- in green.)

Okay, enough preamble. 

Alolan Raichu’s adaptation is, in the games, played off as somewhat of a mystery, oddly enough. The Sun and Moon website says “Even Pokémon researchers don’t know why Raichu’s form changed in the Alola region.” Sword also says “It's believed that the weather, climate, and food of the Alola region all play a part in causing Pikachu to evolve into this form of Raichu.” Both of these have some sort of uncertainty to them– while there’s folklore about Raichu’s adaptation, the true cause is only through belief. The only consistent factor brought up is Raichu’s diet. The leaked profile expands upon this in an… interesting way. The Japanese text is as follows:

幻とされるデザート『スペシャル・パンケーキ（仮）』を食べることで進化する。

パンケーキに必要な食材はウルトラホールに起因するとされるもので、アローラ地方にしか存在しない。食材は熟練の職人により特殊な毒抜きをしない限り可食できず、そのレシピも、アローラ料理界において秘伝とされている。古老による口伝で語り継がれるのみで、知る者は極めて少ない。

A rough translation of this is:

It evolves by eating the mythical dessert "Special Pancake (tentative name)". 

The ingredients needed for the pancakes are said to come from Ultra Wormholes and only exist in the Alola region. The ingredients are inedible unless a skilled craftsman removes the poison in a special way, and the recipe is also considered a secret in the world of Alola cuisine. It has only been passed down orally by elders, and very few people know it.

This is already hugely interesting, regardless of the later conclusion. Even if you disagree with said later conclusion, this is still definitely fascinating info. It does mention a scrapped evolution item, the ‘Special Pancake’, but this is far from the only case of scrapped and altered evolution methods in these profiles– another example is Alolan Grimer originally being planned to evolve by use of a crystal shed from Alolan Muk. However, we know from Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee that the Special Pancake still exists in the lore:

It loves pancakes prepared with a secret Alolan recipe. Some wonder whether that recipe holds the key to this Pokémon's evolution. 

So, Alolan Raichu adapted because of extradimensional pancakes. Crazy.

It gets weirder. Another excerpt from the profiles says

ほっぺのでんきぶくろを揉みしだくと、カスタードクリームと洋酒（仮）が混ざったような甘い香りがすることで有名。その理由は解明されていないが、サイコパワーを高めると香りが強まる為、超能力に由来する現象とされている。その香りには謎の中毒性があり、愛好家は感電防止の策を講じてそれを嗅ぐことに臨む。

Which roughly translates to

It is famous that when you squeeze the electric sac on its cheek, it gives off a sweet scent that resembles a mixture of custard cream and liquor (tentative). The reason for this is unknown, but since the scent gets stronger as the psychic power increases, it is believed to be a phenomenon that originates from psychic power. The scent is mysteriously addictive, and enthusiasts take measures to prevent electric shock when they try to smell it.

The Japanese word used for ‘addictive’ here is, in fact, a word frequently used to describe addictive drugs. This addictive scent has been alluded to in games after this, also, particularly in Ultra Moon:

When you rub its cheeks, a sweet fragrance comes wafting out. However, you'll also get a light shock! 

The aforementioned Pokemon Sun and Moon website also relays this information:

Raichu has electric sacs on its cheeks, and rubbing them causes a sweet aroma to be released. The mechanism behind this is not clear, but it’s thought to be connected to the psychic power that Alolan Raichu possess.

This directly reflects the profile. So, the pancakes made with ingredients from Ultra Space made safe for eating by an expert, give Alolan Raichu psychic powers (since it adapted to have them as a result of this diet) that are directly correlated with an addictive scent. The profiles also specify one more detail, this time about Alolan Raichu’s personality:

実際の性情も大人しくボーっとしたもので、何事においても動じず、常に笑みをたたえている。

This roughly translates to:

Its actual nature is also quiet and absent-minded, unfazed by anything and always smiling.

This is in direct contrast to Raichu’s usual nature, characterized frequently in the Pokedex as becoming aggressive when it has too much electricity stored:

It turns aggressive if it has too much electricity in its body. It discharges power through its tail.

When electricity builds up inside its body, it becomes feisty. It also glows in the dark.

These specific instances are from Brilliant Diamond and Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee respectively, but there are several more. This means that Alolan Raichu’s personality changed with its adaptation as well.

So, in short, we’ve got pancakes made with poisonous extradimensional ingredients, purified by experts, that give Alolan Raichu psychic powers connected to an addictive scent and make it quiet, absent-minded, and unflappable. While nothing is explicit here, outside the mention of the scent being addictive, this is certainly reminiscent of common portrayals of various kinds of drugs.

Alolan Raichu is on drugs. Canonically. Probably. Alien drug pancakes. What has Pokémon lore come to

(Thanks again to Kiskeym for verifying this information, and to MewMallow for pointing out some of the similarities here and making me realize what’s going on.)

[evilkitten3]

But listen, if Izuna had said yes to Hashirama's help after he was injured and he still died, would Madara rampage like in canon? Would he still chase the infinite tsukyomi?

the thing is, hashirama never offered to help izuna. i'm actually not sure he could have - the hiraishingiri pretty much cut through him like butter. moreover, while madara himself lauds hashirama's medical prowess, we actually know very little about his capabilities with medical ninjutsu. he could heal wounds without any hand seals, that's mostly all we know.

here are hashirama's words immediately after izuna is injured:

「マダラ・・・お前はオレには勝てない・・・もう・・・終わりにしよう・・・忍最強のうちはと千手が組めば・・・国も我々と見合う他の忍一族を見つけられなくなる・・・いずれ争いも沈静化していく」

"madara... you can't beat me... let's end it already. if the strongest shinobi, the uchiha and the senju, form an alliance... the country won't be able to find another shinobi clan able to counterbalance us... the conflict will eventually calm down"

he doesn't acknowledge izuna at all. whether he intended an offer of medical aid to be implied or not, it's never addressed. a bunch of people have claimed that this makes hashirama a jerk, and while i definitely get that viewpoint, i do think offering to help izuna without being absolutely certain he was capable of doing so would've been a terrible move, politically speaking. madara might have known that hashirama isn't the sort of man who would do something like this, but the rest of the uchiha clan would have no reason not to assume that hashirama didn't just take advantage of madara's kindness/trust/desperation/whatever to ensure that izuna died while potentially leaving room for madara to feel indebted to him for trying in spite of all the reasons he had not to bother.

hell, the clan might even come to the conclusion that madara intended for izuna to die so he could get his eyes, given what ended up happening in canon, so his fallout with them might actually happen even faster (and without the uchiha ever joining konoha at all, although without madara around to counter hashirama, i have no idea if/how the uchiha would manage against the senju from there)

all that aside, if hashirama had indeed offered help and izuna had agreed to take the risk and died anyway and the uchiha clan trusted that that was what had actually happened, i think pretty much everything else would've proceeded according to canon.

there's definitely plenty of fun possibilities to play around with concerning madara's path in life, but tbh i personally believe that without a massive deviation from canon, he would've eventually become who he became. hashirama definitely fucked up here and there, but i honestly don't think there was anything he could've personally done alone that would've changed madara's fate short of killing him back when they were kids, which he was never going to do. he was always doomed.

[katyahina]

Dark Souls 1 faces references Part 5: Quelana, Jeremiah, Grana, Cut Content Character, Domhnall

Quelana

Brown hair and eyes, like Quelaag's, predictably! Except not so much, but we will get to it in a second!

Jeremiah

I like how strong his features get, tbh, especially visible in profile!

Unusual situation of Grana

Alright, so... As you remember, there is that hostile NPC in Lost Izalith that is wearing the same clothing as Quelana! Another Chaos Sister!

( x ) 魔女の娘グラナ means 'Grana, the Witch's Daughter'! Not to be confused with Quelana's tag イザリスのクラーナ, which means 'Quelana of Izalith'!

However, turns out that this NPC's data is broken! Me and Rayan really could not understand what was going on at first! The very first time Rayan checked this character's data, it gave.... this:

No other NPC uses this face either, it had to be deliberately modelled! On a character labelled as a Daughter of Chaos!

However, when Rayan checked the data of the very same NPC another day, it instead gave this result:

Completely different AND distinct face, likewise not otherwise associated with any other NPC! And yet, according to Rayan, these two face data both had the exact same internal name tag and were literally put onto the same NPC! And turned out, the internal name for this character does match Grana's internal name!

I was there when Rayan tried to reload the game to check this NPC again, and it, once more, gave the guy data! It was super confusing! According to Rayan though, the body is "female" model, it does have chest wraps, but the head keeps switching between the guy and the girl! It is not supposed to happen, apparently!

The only semblance of "progress" we got was that for final double check: Rayan first loaded Oscar's data (who is blond) and after loading Grana immediately after it gave the girl result, then loaded Crystal Warrior (who has brown hair) and when Grana was loaded immediately after, it gave the guy result. I suggested that which head loads responds to the hair color of what model was loaded last, not unlike how Darkmoon Soldiers simply copy the last face data that got loaded, but that was it..

I suppose by Occam's Razor, the girl one is "canon", especially considering the body is supposed to be "female" model.. As for the guy, I feel like it got to be cut content that yet still remains in the game's code! Can't know for sure, but can have some suggestions! For example:

(This and other screenshots for internal names are from this ( x ) video) Notice how not only the internal name hints at it, but also Jeremiah's head under his "crown" looks awful lot like this thing and he also uses Chaos Pyromancy specifically and he is said to be a king!

So, what if the prince is supposed to be that bearded guy, before he turned into that Parasitic Wall Hugger? Really looks awful lot like Jeremiah got affected by the same thing! I questioned whether Jeremiah might have been formerly a royal at Izalith, and @val-of-the-north suggested he could have been husband of Witch of Izalith, even! Could possibly explain why Grana is blonde, under assumption that brown hair and eyes is the typical feature for the sisters and Fair Lady is pale due to sickness; Jeremiah is blond! Could be his genetics, then!

On the other hand, maybe the bearded guy is remains of another cut interaction?

As far as the source material states, Ceaseless Discharge is the only brother amongst children of Witch of Izalith! I double checked ( x )! In his ring description, 愚かな彼は、それをすぐに落としてしまい (foolish man instantly dropped it (?)), 彼は seems to mean a he/masculine, or rather 'this (the one talked about in the sentence) man', and it is not just that English localisation thing where they default to a he in any uncertain situation!

We do meet Quelana long after her actual death, incorporeal, so like... what if we were meant to meet Ceaseless Discharge in the past or outside of time, from before he became a demon? The ring is human-sized, so he was just a normal humanoid once, too! And that guy data would be what he looked like? (Not my choice, personally; I'd think "tormented by lava at birth" should suggest more messed up look than literally just a guy, so I pick 'Izalith Prince' I guess)

These are just suggestions, but in any case, impressive how much the code for this NPC got broken, apparently! How- how did developers even DO this?

Domhnall

____________________________________

Part 1: Oscar, Ricard, Solaire, Anastacia

Part 2: Reah, Petrus, Vince, Nico, Leeroy

Part 3: Pharis/Evlana, Americus, Forest Hunter (Cleric), Beatrice, Dusk

Part 4: Shiva, Shiva's Bodyguard, Forest Hunter (Sorcerer), Forest Hunter (Thief), Forest Hunter (Bandit)

Part 5: Quelana, Jeremiah, Grana, Cut Content Character, Domhnall (you are here)

Part 6: Darkmoon Knightess, Lautrec, Lautrec's Helper (Sealer), Lautrec's Helper (Warrior)

Part 7: Ingward, Kirk, Oswald, Havel, Tarkus

Part 8: Griggs, Logan, Rickert, Crystal Knight, Laurentius

Part 9: Patches, Siegmeyer, Sieglinde, Mildred, Crestfallen Knight, Crestfallen Merchant

* Shots of characters' faces datamined and provided by RayanTheMad on Twitter + rayanwasalsotaken on Discord!

* Twitter thread with the faces here: ( x )

* Data for characters Ciaran, Darkmoon Soldier (Balder) and Darkmoon Soldier (Berenike) doesn't exist and they simply copy the last face loaded, when there wasn't any loaded they use default placeholder data

[brinleyparke]

Kingsman Fic Ideas/Prompts

Merwin, Perciwin, Hartwin, or Gen: Charlie gets kicked out or at least punished for the water prank.

Parachute test fix-it (Merwin or Gen): Perhaps Merlin takes a minute to understand why Eggsy has said chip on his shoulder

What if Eggsy and Charlie were the last two in the parachute test?

"Manners maketh man. You'd do well to remember that Mr. Hesketh." Or Harry is none too pleased when he finds out how Charlie has been treating Eggsy. (Can be Hartwin or Harry can be more of a father figure in this)

What if Charlie had passed the loyalty test?

Harry lets Eggsy teach Dean a lesson after Eggsy fails the final test and comes home and finds out that Dean hit his mom.

Post-TGC: (Merwin or Gen) Merlin lives, but Eggsy still feels guilty. He's also angry because Merlin sacrificed himself to repay Eggsy's father, not because of Eggsy himself, which parallels Harry saying, "Can't you see that everything I've done has been about trying to repay him?" in the first Kingsman film.

AU - Canon Divergence, Enemy of My Enemy: Eggsy doesn't kill Charlie. Eggsy and Charlie have to team up against a villain, not necessarily Poppy.

When Eggsy is 12-14 years old, Dean nearly beats him to death, and Eggsy ends up in the hospital. Michelle calls the number on the back of the medal. Harry is given custody of Eggsy but keeps Eggsy's name as Unwin because he feels like Lee deserves to live on through Eggsy.

Merwin or Gen: Daisy asks Merlin to dress up as Gru for Halloween so that her and Eggsy can be minions.

H/C after train track test

Maybe Eggsy is upset that he was drugged.

Maybe Eggsy has been drugged before, so he has a panic attack or a nightmare after the train test.

Maybe Eggsy is still freaked out a little because he thought he was gonna die.

Eggsy gets de-aged to 4 years old (mind and body). Harry takes care of him until they can turn him back. (GEN FIC) Based on this fanart:

Eggsy gets de-aged to 4 years old (mind and body). Merlin takes care of him until they can turn him back. (GEN FIC) Based on this fanart:

Eggsy gets de-aged to 4 years old (mind and body). Harry and Merlin take care of him until they can turn him back. (GEN or Merlahad FIC)

Eggsy gets de-aged to 4 years old (mind and body). The agents of Kingsman take turns taking care of him until they can turn him back. (GEN or Merlahad or Harry/Percival FIC)

Harry apologizes to Eggsy for what he said and the assumptions he made in the Black Prince.

Tilde tells her parents about Eggsy.

Merwin or Gen: After the toast to Merlin, Eggsy leaves the room (maybe he goes to the bathroom or something) and breaks down. Harry or Tequila or Ginger Ale comforts him.

Tilde meeting Daisy and Eggsy's mother for the first time.

Post-TGC: Eggsy has nightmares about Merlin and almost losing Tilde, and Tilde comforts him.

During training, Eggsy has nightmares about Dean.

After Merlin's "most dangerous job interview" speech, Harry explains the bruises on Eggsy's cheek and neck.

After the water test, all of the recruits receive physicals. Eggsy doesn't have much medical history because Jamal treated most of his injuries. The doctor and/or Merlin are concerned about the scars and/or broken bones or bone fractures that didn't heal properly.

"When was the last time you ate?" Or Eggsy's first meal at Kingsman. He's not particularly gross or rude about eating; he just eats very fast. Roxy or Merlin is concerned. In other words, Eggsy has food insecurity issues.

"What's his story?" Or during or after TGC: Ginger Ale or Champ is curious about Eggsy, and ask Harry what Eggsy's story is. Or maybe they ask Eggsy himself

Songfic based on "Waiting For Superman" by Daughtry about Michelle waiting for Lee to come back home even after Harry told her he was dead.

Songfic based on "Save Me" by Jelly Roll

Songfic based on "How to Save a Life" by The Fray

Eggsy meets Merlin's nephew, who is fancast as Richard Madden. They hit it off pretty well. (You can make up the name of Merlin's nephew.)

Merwin: Eggsy and Daisy convince Merlin to watch Brave with them.

Eggsy dresses up as Robin Hood for Halloween. 🔥🔥🔥🥵🥵🥵

Arrow x-over: Kingsman needs the Green Arrow's help.

Reacher (TV) x-over: Tequila tries to recruit Reacher.

Reacher (TV) x-over: Dixon or Neagley is recruited to Statesman to be the new Ginger-Ale

Supernatural x-over: While doing recon on what Kingsman believed to be a Satanistic cult, but is actually a coven, Eggsy gets de-aged to 4 years old (mind and body). Harry (or Merlin or Harry and Merlin or all of Kingsman) takes care of him until they can turn him back. Harry or Merlin knows someone in the British Men of Letters and makes some calls to get help reversing the spell. (GEN or Merlahad FIC)

Constantine (Arrowverse) x-over: While doing recon on what Kingsman believed to be a Satanistic cult, but is actually a coven, Eggsy gets de-aged to 4 years old (mind and body). Harry (or Merlin or Harry and Merlin or all of Kingsman) takes care of him until they can turn him back. Someone at Kingsman knows John Constantine and gets in contact with him to ask for his help. (GEN or Merlahad FIC)

[a-star-that-burns-brightly]

Quick theory for who I think will have the new MV (cw for mentions of addiction, specifically alcoholism and self harm)

So basically, Yoidore Shirazu is a song with lyrics pertaining to addiction. Specifically alcoholism

夢が覚めた　酔いどれ知らず yume ga sameta yoidore shirazu I woke up as an unaware drunkard うっちゃる幸せ　ずっと醒めないで uccharu shiawase zutto samenaide Neglecting my happiness, I never want to sober up

酩酩　　重ね重ね　存外　そう　悪くないわ meimei kasanegasane zongai sou warukunai wa Getting drunk again and again, unexpectedly- Ah, it’s not half bad 酔いどれ知らずの恋敵　だから yoidore shirazu no koigataki dakara I’m a drunkard unaware of my rival in love, so

Among other lines. Plus the song is literally called An Unaware Drunk/Drunkard in English. There isn't any character (from what we know) that suffers with alcoholism, but we do know there's a character that suffers, or has suffered, with an addiction. That being whoever has the "You took on your talent to distract from your incessant need to harm yourself for fun" secret, one of the few secrets that we still don't know the identity of That being said, it's a pretty common theory (a theory that I share too) that Veronika is the one with the secret because of multiple factors that other posts have probably explained better. Because of that, I think this MV is one that belongs to her. If so, I wonder if it will hint to her actually canonically having this secret (Not full-out confirming obviously, as I assume all the secrets will be officially confirmed within the actual series)

[sonadowwiki]

Gamescom interviewed Takashi iizuka, where he said that Shadow is not Sonic's friend. What kind of Sonadow can we talk about then?

I've already answered this before to someone else, which you can check here.

But, I'll answer again as well that that's just what Iizuka personally wants for the characters and that what he personally wants is not accurate to the official lore. He is not the owner of the series or the characters, SEGA Sammy is and he is not SEGA Sammy. He is only one worker from a single branch who has made many mistakes while being employed instead of listening to his superiors. He has made many mistakes and inconsistences already with the Shadow Generations game/animation and his views are not the same as the company that owns the series and characters who have said repeatedly that Sonic and Shadow are friends.

One such inconsistency is how in the Dark Beginnings animation 3rd episode, it stated that only Maria can talk Shadow out of something, but Sonic has been the one to talk him out of things in the present, which is stated in places like the Sonic x Shadow 2021 July Calendar Story description, in Sonic Battle where he told him he had a heart to not kill Emerl and he ended up not killing him because of his heart or in Team Sonic Racing where he distracted him from finishing off Eggman. It was never stated (that I'm aware of) that Maria talked him out of doing something in official materials with her included. She asks Shadow to help the world and people like in Sonic Adventure 2 and Shadow the Hedgehog 2005, but not to specifically stop doing something. Remembering what she asked of him to do isn't specifically her telling him to stop doing something.

[Link to story from Sonic Channel]

[Important phrases:

"懐に入って来られる稀有（けう）な関係"

"実際、シャドウにここまで懐深く入って何かを言えて、それが心に届く（届かないことも多いですが）のは、ソニックくらいではないでしょうか。"]

Already one big media that shows that what Iizuka says is not true and is what he personally wants, which is against what the company wants for the two, is Shadow being included in Sonic & Friends.

Shadow helps Sonic as a friend even in this video by passing the ball to him so that he can continue playing with Tails and Knuckles.

Merchandise of Shadow being included in the Sonic & Friends line was even talked about recently on Sonic Team's social media account.

In many games, Shadow helps or ends up helping Sonic because they're friends. Even in Sonic Forces it is implied that Shadow is a friend because he is one of the characters that helps Sonic and in Japanese, Sonic said that it is the bonds of friendships that got him that far unlike Infinite with his fakes that lack that. Shadow also showed concern for Sonic's safety in this game or protected him from a fake Shadow hurting him when it wasn't technically necessary to, which shows they are on good terms and friends.

Also in the same game, Shadow waves good-bye to Classic Sonic with a smile and in English Infinite calls Shadow one of Sonic's friends.

There are also posts from Sonic Team where it includes Shadow as part of Sonic's friends by saying, "Sonic and Friends" when Shadow is included. There's even a post that calls Shadow one of Sonic's friends and has the concept papers for Shadow with Vegeta's name on it, which was also mentioned in that interview.

So, what Iizuka states in that interview isn't to be taken as the company's words, it is his own personal opinion. The official medias, and even to today with the Japanese account, says that Shadow is one of Sonic's friends. Therefore, it doesn't change the canonical fact that Shadow is one of Sonic's friends. Therefore, one can still talk about Sonadow as before.

[jojosgaylittleadventure]

This is the fourth fic in my Josuyaus series that takes place while they're still in high school You can find my series here I also have a master post of all my Josuyasu writing here

Summary: After a study session gone wrong, Josuke finds himself needing somewhere he can feel safe and at home and that some where turns out to be Okuyasu. Tags: Post-Canon, Pre-Relationship, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, the following tags are not from/between the ship (just an fyi), Non-Consensual Kissing, Non-Consensual Touching, Side Character/Main Character Attempted Sexual Assault, Attempted Sexual Assault, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Victim Blaming