#japanese is supposed to say “The Power of Knowledge!!” but there might be a translation error. apologies

[drawingwilsoneveryday]

知の力 !! (day 7)

[memoriashell]

okay i’ve been seeing some things go around due to one of kodaka’s bluesky posts, so i’m going to throw my hat in the ring and offer my interpertation based on what i got out of his original post. since i think some things have gotten lost in translation and have gotten some misinterperations spreading because of it.

tldr; i don't think kodaka retconned or anything, owada is still ishimaru's first real friend by far.

disclaimer, i’m not fluent in japanese, so i'm not claiming that this is perfect or potentially not without misunderstandings. i’ve also included some translation notes to clarify some things that i felt needed clarification and to offer explanation as to why i reached the conclusions that i did.

kyappu-o ’s question:

最近石丸清多夏の中学生活が気になって美味しい物しか喉を通らない状態です！

These days, [I’ve] been wondering about Ishimaru Kiyotaka’s middle school life, and the circumstance is that appealing things cannot be swallowed.*

* Okay, I know this isn’t really important in the grand scheme of things, but the second part of the question was giving me a little difficulty; mainly because I think it’s probably slang that doesn’t 100% translate. Anyways, the connitation here is implied to be negative, so I think unlike the translation that’s been going around, it isn’t meant to be a positive statement. If I had to guess, in English something that is hard to swallow is generally a negative thing, or at least not positive usually; so I think there is a similar euphiusm in Japanese. In turn, I think the request might have been implying that they were requesting they wanted to know something not so positive. Again, this is just a guess, and not really important in the grand scheme of things.

kodaka’s response:

クレヨンしんちゃんの、しんちゃんみたいな自由奔放な友人がいて、毎日振り回されていました。

Similar to Shin-chan from Crayon Shin-chan*, there was a free-spirited friend**, and every day [Ishimaru] was pushed around***.

でも、引っ越してしまって、寂しい石丸少年でした。

But [the friendship] ended when [that person] moved, and Ishimaru was a lonesome youth [following this] ***.

* Not going to lie, this one is probably hard to follow a little without the context of knowing what Shin-chan is. Here's the wikipedia  if you want to better understand the idea of 'free spirited' that is being conveyed here; but basically, five year old that is very brazen, I guess. Basically, attitude wise this friend was the opposite of Ishimaru.

Also, while 自由奔放 doesn't exactly translate to free-spirited, it is close in meaning; it translates to free and uncontrolled, or behaving with abandon.

** As a note, 友人 (yuujin) is used here instead of 友達 (tomodachi); which is a more formal way of saying friend. I would assume Kodaka's word choice is pretty intentional here. I'd say it's to convey that despite being friends, this wasn't a close friendship; just closer than classmates, perhaps.

*** This is the part I think has gotten a little misunderstood. 振り回す can be intereperted a few ways, which includes: ++ to show off (generally in the sense of one's knowledge) ++  to abuse (one's power) ++  to manipulate someone

Thus, why the translation I went for was that it's a friendship where Ishimaru's being pushed around. It's open for interpertation how you want to take it, but it's clear that it's probably supposed to be understood as not the most healthiest friendship. Probably a very one-sided one.

**** Also a little bit hesitant on translating this bit, but I think it's mostly correct. To explain why this bit differs from the other translation going around:

While 年 does refer to time, 少年 (shounen) means boy, lad, youth, etc. I think it makes more sense to interpert it as Ishimaru was a lonely youth [afterwards]; rather to break 少年 up to get Ishimaru was lonely for a little time [afterwards].

[prideoftheknights]

SPRING TROUPE 10TH PLAY: MOON TRAVELER — ムーン・トラベラー 【CHAPTER 6】

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translation under the cut!

Citron: I worked hard at practice and now I'm hungry...

Izumi: Omi said he's going to make pasta for dinner tonight. He's making napolitan and some hot and spicy arrabbiata too.

Sakuya: Really!?

Chikage: I'm looking forward to it.

Tsuzuru: I'm glad that Fushimi-san makes our favourite foods during rehearsals as a way of cheering us on.

Izumi: Last time he made kata yakisoba, right?

Guy: Good work so far.

Izumi: Oh? Guy-san?

Guy: I've got a package from Zafra.

Citron: Oh! It came early!

Sakuya: Wow, what a huge box!

Guy: There's another box, I'll go and get it.

Citron: That box is very heavy. Chikage and I will go get it.

Guy, you stay here and hand out the contents of this box!

Guy: Understood.

Izumi: Ah! This is the candy that I liked, isn't it?

Sakuya: What's this over here?

Guy: It is a health product. You can massage your back with it.

Tsuzuru: T-This works way too well...!

Chikage: It's heavy. What's in it?

Citron: It's a special gift for Chikage.

Chikage: ?

Chikage: The size of this box is the same as the one we just saw.

Citron: Let's carry it! Prepare yourself or you might get a surprised hip!

Chikage: You mean a slipped disc.

Well I suppose...... The weight of this box, it's about the same as a book? I'm hoping it's spice though.

Citron: Drumroll... Boom shaka laka!

Chikage: A book and spice...... so it was both.

Citron: As expected of Chikage.

Chikage: Ah, this is the spice I was wondering about.

Citron: Mix it with honey to care for your throat.

Chikage: That's perfect for rehearsals right now. I'll give it a try once it's over.

And this book......

Citron: This is a novel version of the movie that was the motif for this play.

Chikage: The version of it in Zafran is rare. This is my first time seeing it.

Citron: It's an ancient book, so I had a hard time finding it, but it's a gift to commemorate your lead role.

Chikage: Thank you. I hope I'll be able to read it with my knowledge of the language.

Citron: 《......The Chikage right now should have no problem with that.》

《You had no problem with daily conversation when we first met, but now you're as close as you can get to a native speaker.》

Chikage: 《I'm honoured to be able to receive approval from the Minister.》

Citron: 《......Why is it that Chikage knows the languages of so many different countries?》

Chikage: 《Is that your question?》

Citron: 《Yes.》

《I've studied many languages for diplomatic reasons since I was a kid, but it's hard to master them all.》

《If it were a language spoken in many countries, it would be better. But Zafran is a minor language that you can only use in Zafra.》

《You're also familiar with the languages of other countries, right?》

《If it's alright with you, I'd like to know if Chikage's power is simply a natural talent, or if it has to do with his roots.》

Chikage: 《......》

《I suppose my upbringing is a big part of it.》

《In the town where I was born, people from all over the world gathered together.》

《We shared a common language, but we all had different roots, and we cherished them.》

《People with the same roots spoke in their mother tongue, so I grew accustomed to hearing it, and they were happy to teach it to me if I asked them.》

《Of course learning a new language is always a struggle, but I think that's why I'm better at it than others.》

Citron: 《Oh? Then, out of all the languages you've experienced, which one do you find the most interesting?》

Chikage: 《Each of them are interesting in their own way, but right now I think I'd say the languages of Northern European countries.》

《There are many words that are pronounced similarly to those in Japanese, but have completely different meanings.》

《For example, 'rabbit' sounds like 'crab' in Japanese.》 [1]

Citron: 《Crabs are rabbits? How interesting!》

《Then, how do you say 'dream' in their language?》

Chikage: 《Dream, huh...... If I'm not mistaken it's ––》

Citron: Thanks for answering my question! I'm going to use that word you taught me a lot so I don't forget it!

Chikage: I don't think you'll find the opportunity to use that word often.

Citron: ––Chikage.

Chikage: ?

Citron: 《It was nice to learn a little more about the current Chikage's roots today. We may not be in our home countries right now, but let's cherish our roots nevertheless.》

Chikage: ––

Citron: Goodnight.

Chikage: ......Goodnight.

Izumi: Good morning.

Chikage: Morning. Is that tumeric?

Izumi: I just wanted to prepare today's dinner.

Chikage: You can also use the spices that Citron gave me the other day.

Izumi: Good idea!

In the recent rehearsals, I've noticed that Roberto's performance is slowly getting better. Kind of like he's lost some of is power, or like he's become more honest.

Fufu, it must be the effect of Spring Troupe's Q&A showing, right?

Chikage: Hmm, I wonder.

But I was thinking if it might be better if the people involved with his character were to think things like, 'I don't know what this guy is thinking.'

Izumi: That's a good point but......

The way that Roberto tries to understand those around him, and how they slowly unify for the success of the project...

I think the audience will sympathise with that.

Chikage: I see.

Izumi: So, do continue your 'role study' as you have been please.

Chikage: My role study, huh.

Izumi: Speaking of which, have you chosen a name for the alien species?

Chikage: I've been giving it a lot of thought, but can't seem to make up my mind. I was just thinking that it's about time to get everyone's opinion too.

Izumi: Fufu, it's rare to see Chikage-san so troubled. I'm looking forward to the name you came up with.

[1]: Rabbit in Finnish is 'kani'. crab in Japanese is カニ 'kani'

24/03/23 update! Chikage is speaking Finnish which is a language of Northern Europe rather than a Scandinavian language. I've edited the lines and footnotes accordingly!

PREVIOUS CHAPTER | MASTERLIST | NEXT CHAPTER

[litchilalitchi]

スプーン ♩ 木材 ♪ 鎖骨 ♬ ゼラ ♫

has anybody ever wondered if there was additional meaning that the original text of this scene could enlighten us to? well we did! in a way, the answer to that is yes and no. what jaibo says in japanese (courtesy of mari. my own knowledge is very very limited) is LITERALLY ★ スプーン (supuun) ★ 木材 (mokuzai) ★ 鎖骨 (sakotsu) ★ ゼラ (zera) ★ and another one i want to highlight from the speech above is 電線 (densen, electrical wire) and these words all translate literally. there isn't a hidden contextual meaning that's missing in english. the only thing i would say these words lack in english that they don't in japanese is a sort of soothing rhythmic quality, which is what i would expect. but the answer is YES as well as no. it took us seeing that the words are literally exactly the same in japanese to be struck with the STUNNING realisation that these words may be a random choice made by jaibo because they sound nice together, but they are not random choices by furuya. especially when paired with the fact jaibo stares out directly at the viewer in this panel, i think the words chosen here are supposed to give reference to the coming events. ★ nico gouges his eye with a spoon because of jaibo's "mishap". ★ jaibo and zera kiss among the wood of the lychee trees. ★ leaving the collar unbuttoned, zera's pet hate, exposes the clavicle/collar bone. (especially notable since in that one scene jaibo is the one to unbutton zera's collar for him) ★ and electrical wires come into play to power their beloved machine. so in short we got so caught up in the idea that there might be some hidden meaning that the original text could shed light on that we DID NOT SEE what was right in front of our eyes the whole time. you could say we couldn't see the wood for the trees LOL i don't know if anybody else has ever noticed this before or drawn attention to it but it was such a standout moment in the experience of seeing the original text of bokura no hikari club that i thought i should share anyways, even if this is common knowledge. it slayed me. it was there the whole time the only thing that trips me up is i don't see orange and mount fuji having as much relevance as the others, aside from an orange is a fruit i guess??? lychees arent even a citrus fruit. i can't comment on mount fuji bc i don't know anything about it. i know it's very important and it may have some meaning im missing because i am the palest shade of white and i don't know any context surrounding it that would make it fit in here. < 3 of course it really could be random but i think especially the inclusion of clavicle in there, because it's brought up multiple times after that, makes me believe it isn't random. - molly xx

[reccyls]

Ikemen Genjiden Part 2 Prologue

(I am not fully fluent in Japanese so if there’s something wrong with my translations, please let me know!)

Prologue

MC: Phew… This is so nerve-wracking.

I was jittery with the knowledge that history was being made right before my eyes.

Shigehira: There’s nothing for you to be nervous about, you know? Just be your normal, carefree self.

MC: W-well, you’re not wrong, but…

Yoichi: A smile suits you better than a frown. That’s what you wanted to say, wasn’t it, little lord?

Shigehira: …Tch, I’ll thank you not to presume that we’re close enough that you can speak for me.

Right now, representatives of the rebel army and the imperial court were gathered at Ookura Palace.

(It’s been three months since the war between the Bakufu and the rebel army ended.)

(I had no idea what would happen when the imperial court joined the battle, turning it into a three-way war…)

After a long, long battle…

The three sides had finally decided to agree to a peace treaty.

(And today should be the day to commemorate it!)

Yoritomo: All right, preparations on my side are finished.

Yoshitsune: Excellent news. I was just about to get tired of waiting and just cut your head off.

Yoritomo: If you need help learning to be more patient, your “onii-chan” is always willing to help, Yoshitsune.

Yoshitsune: …It seems that to match you being born before me, you also wish to die before me.

Akihito: Ahh, you two get along as poorly as ever, but I suppose that’s all right, isn’t it?

(Well, you can’t really expect the past to be washed away so cleanly…)

Kurama: Hurry up and get on with it. I’ve got a duel with Tamamo I need to get to.

Ibuki: Have you already forgotten how you blew the roof off a teahouse at Kamakura just 10 days ago?

Tamamo: Even though there’s an unspoken agreement with everyone about our true forms, that’s still no reason to intimidate humans as you please.

Tamamo, Kurama, and also Ibuki all took very active roles in the war, and so their true nature as ayakashi was revealed to the soldiers.

And rumors had spread widely throughout town as well, though it was still technically all gossip for now.

(Of course, a lot of things occurred as a result of these rumors, and I’m sure that the three of them had a lot to deal with.)

For the time being, Tamamo, Kurama, and Ibuki were still pretending to be normal humans in front of others… or at least, they should have been.

Benkei: If the three of these guys were freed from their bonds, they could just destroy the whole town, couldn’t they?

Kagetoki: Only slackers with too much free time worry about a future that might not even happen.

(That’s right. Even though the war was over, that didn’t mean that everything was neatly taken care of.)

(If peace truly were to come, then perhaps Yoshitsune and Akihito would also end up giving up their powers…)

In the case of Tamamo and I, he had been able to recover enough magical energy during the war.

But in order to maintain the balance of power with the rebel army and the imperial court, we hadn’t broken our bond yet.

Yasuchika: Rather than worrying about an all out ayakashi war,

Yasuchika: You should all be worrying about how to join hands with the people whose blood stains them. I’d say that’s a more pressing issue, wouldn’t you?

Yoichi & Shigehira: ……

Morinaga: MC. As someone who got tangled up in this bloody war, what do you think?

(Me…?)

MC: …I don’t know what the future holds, but I think it’s a wonderful thing that we’ve reached a point where we can think about having hope for what is to come.

With everyone’s attention suddenly directed at me, I chose my words carefully.

MC: Everyone here carries the burdens of the past with them. I’ve seen it demonstrated through the war.

(I’d seen everyone’s beliefs and determination clash. Of course, I wanted to help the Bakufu.)

(But I couldn’t overlook the beliefs and ways of life of the people who had once been my enemies.)

MC: It wasn’t just a terrible war, but also a tragic one. And that’s why…

MC: To everyone here, whom I admire and respect, I hope that you can all be happy.

At my spirited declaration, the expressions of everyone softened just a little.

Sueharu: Well, well. Who could be boorish enough to refuse a heartfelt request like that?

MC: That was probably too presumptuous of me. I’m sorry.

Still, though, I hope that there could be a day when people could simply exchange smiles, regardless of whether they were enemies or allies.

And just as I was imagining that lovely future–

(Aaah!?)

A sudden thunderous roar cut my daydreams short.

Shigehira: …! What was that!?

Some of the soldiers waiting outside of the hall raced in.

Bakufu Soldier: Lord Yoritomo! We shall go to confirm the situation right away!

Yoritomo: I shall go as well.

At Yoritomo’s words, everyone else stood up and prepared to follow him out.

Morinaga: MC, you wait here.

MC: Ah… no! I’m curious about what happened so please let me go as well.

(If it’s a landslide or an earthquake, then people may need medical assistance.)

We all rushed out the gates of the palace–

MC: What is this!?

The ground had split open, and an eerie black mist was rising out of the fissure, staining the sky dark.

Bakufu Soldier: T-this is…

Rebel Soldier: What in the world happened here!?

Yoshitsune: Everyone, calm down. We’ll split up from here to find the source of the anomaly.

Yoritomo: At the same time, people are going to be panicking so we should escort them away. First of all–

Yoritomo and Yoshitsune immediately began directing their respective subordinates.

Akihito: Yasuchika, do you know anything?

Yasuchika: I’ve sent some shikigami out to investigate.

Yasuchika: But, this is the first time I’ve encountered such a strange aura.

Yasuchika: It feels as though miasma from the spirit realm has been mixed with something even thicker that I can’t identify.

(So even Yasuchika doesn’t know what this is.)

Tamamo: It gives off an awful stench. For now, let us search for where the aura is heaviest.

…

Taking only the bare minimum of soldiers with us as guards, we followed the aura to the source.

I was riding along on a borrowed horse.

(When did it get so foggy…?)

Bakufu Soldier: Ugh…

Rebel Soldier: Strange, I suddenly feel so sleepy…

Through the fog, I saw the forms of the soldiers ahead of me suddenly start to sway.

MC: Careful!

The soldiers slipped off their horses and fell to the ground.

I stopped my horse and dismounted to check on them.

Yoritomo: What is it?

MC: I’m not sure… It seems as though they’re just sleeping.

Benkei: Hey, the horses are falling asleep too. Watch out!

At Benkei’s call, everyone dismounted as well.

And then–

Sueharu: So, the only ones that haven’t fallen asleep are the fourteen of us.

Kagetoki: A suspicious development. It feels as though someone planned this.

Yoichi: But it’s not like we have any other choice but to keep going for now.

(I’m not sure what’s going on. But I have a bad feeling about this.)

Uneasily, we pressed onwards through the fog that was so thick that we couldn’t even see where we were going.

After some time, we arrived at…

MC: Is this the ocean…?

(The water is red. I’ve never seen anything like this before.)

The waves that lapped at the shore looked just like blood, and it made the hairs at the back of my neck stand on end.

Tamamo, Kurama, and Ibuki had all returned to their ayakashi forms at some point, and were surveilling the area with sharp eyes.

Yoshitsune: …! Everyone, halt.

(What… is that…?)

Within the mist, something enormous was breathing.

I could hear the sound of something massive and heavy scraping against the ground.

It grew louder and louder, and a dark shadow fell across us…

???: I have been awaiting you, Living Ones.

(Ah…)

No one dared to breathe.

A massive, eight-headed serpent stood before us.

(It’s like something out of a nightmare.)

After some time, Ibuki craned his head back and glared.

Ibuki: …Yamata no Orochi?

Yamata no Orochi: Yes, that is what I had been called in the distant past.

(...It’s cold.)

The goosebumps across my skin weren’t just from a normal chill, but also from sheer terror.

(I thought I had already gotten used to the presence of ayakashi.)

(But just from standing in front of Yamata no Orochi, I feel like it could crush me with its sheer presence alone.)

Ibuki: This isn’t some kind of bad joke, is it?

Ibuki: Even I’ve never come across Yamata no Orochi.

Ibuki: It’s supposed to have died in a time period so long ago that it’s considered a myth rather than history.

Yamata no Orochi: Indeed.

Yamata no Orochi: My current self belongs neither to the world where humans live, nor the realm of the ayakashi.

Yamata no Orochi: I am manifesting here as a messenger of the netherworld.

MC: The netherworld…?

Shigehira: When you say the netherworld, do you mean the realm where the souls of the dead travel to?

Kagetoki: Tamamo, is this snake telling the truth?

Tamamo: The next world after death is sacred to ayakashi. But as for where souls come from, or where they depart to…

Tamamo: I have lived for many centuries, and all I can say is that there is no way to know that without dying yourself.

Kurama: There is a way.

(Kurama!?)

Summoning whirlwinds at his side, Kurama conjured blades of air out of them.

And then he launched them towards Yamata no Orochi.

Yamata no Orochi: ……

The blades of air sliced through Yamata no Orochi’s torso without any resistance.

(Did Kurama do it…?)

However, in the next instant…

Kurama: …!

Yamata no Orochi: My, my. The youth are so lively nowadays.

The cross-section of Yamata no Orochi’s torso silently repaired itself, and soon it looked exactly as it did before.

(No way…)

Yamata no Orochi: At any rate, to act in accordance with the urges of one’s blood is the privilege of living beings.

Tamamo: No matter how ancient the ayakashi, regenerative ability of this strength still defies all reason.

Yamata no Orochi: You cannot kill what is already dead. That is all.

Yamata no Orochi: Even if everyone here were to band together against me, it would do nothing at all.

(How powerful is it, to be able to withstand the combined strength of everyone here…?)

Yoritomo: As things stand now, we cannot defeat you. I understand that.

Yoritomo: But you must have a reason to show yourself like this. What is it?

Yoshitsune: You said you were a messenger. So that must mean you have something you want to say to us.

Yamata no Orochi: Listen well.

Its eight heads began to move and twist, turning to face Yoritomo, Yoshitsune, and Akihito in turn.

Yamata no Orochi: Minamoto no Yoritomo, Minamoto no Yoshitsune… and Emperor Sutoku, Akihito.

Yamata no Orochi: As decreed by fate, the three of you are supposed to have met your ends already.

Yoritomo & Yoshitsune: …!

Akihito: ….

(What does it mean by fate…?)

If even one of the three of them were to die,

There would be no chance that the outcome of the war would be as peaceful as it is now.

Yamata no Orochi: All three of you possess the strength to cast your influence upon the world.

Yamata no Orochi: Upon your deaths, the people shall lose their spirits, and the world will fall into unimaginable chaos. This shall certainly come to pass.

Akihito: Will it? You speak as though you have seen the future. 

Yamata no Orochi: History is woven together by countless coincidences falling into place. Furthermore…

Yamata no Orochi: Events that could change the course of the world to such a degree are inevitably preordained. 

Yamata no Orochi’s words hung heavily over us.

Yamata no Orochi: Mourning the loss of Yoshitsune, the rebel army loses their direction and ceases to exist.

Yamata no Orochi: The Kamakura Shogunate, who should have been the victors, meet their end years later following the death of Yoritomo…

Yamata no Orochi: And the imperial court, although able to endure, lacked a steady ruler, and warps into a form unrecognizable to what it is now.

I didn’t want to believe the future that Yamata no Orochi spoke of, but its proclamation chilled me to the bone.

Yamata no Orochi: But the threads of fate have been entangled, and the three of you yet live.

Yamata no Orochi: And not only that, but the tens of thousands of people who would have perished in the ensuing struggle for power also yet live.

Yamata no Orochi: Therefore, the netherworld seeks only to right the balance of life and death.

MC: To right the balance…?

Kagetoki: In other words, you intend to kill Lord Yoritomo and the others, as well as those tens of thousands of people?

(No! Not after everyone has worked so hard for peace.)

Yoritomo: What nonsense. Fate is something that people take into their own hands.

Yamata no Orochi: There are some destinies that can never be changed. You all, who have lived through the worst of life, should know that better than most.

Yoritomo: …

Yoshitsune: If that is the case, then who decides these unchangeable destinies? You are only a messenger, so who is your master?

Yamata no Orochi: I do not know. The netherworld is itself simply the concept of death. And death has no form.

Yamata no Orochi: Even if it did, it would not be a form that neither humans nor ayakashi could comprehend.

Yamata no Orochi: When I had woken from a long slumber, my duty had already been engraved in my eight minds.

Yamata no Orochi: I am nothing more than a puppeted corpse.

(If that is true, then how do we resist?)

(We can’t fight against the concept of death…)

As despair began to set in my heart, I clasped my hands together tightly.

Yamata no Orochi: However… The will of the netherworld also commands me thus: Before claiming the lives of those who should have passed, put humanity on trial.

Yasuchika: A trial? What do you mean by that?

Yamata no Orochi: The boundaries of the netherworld grow weak. Thin enough for hordes of undead to emerge and force their way into the land of the living.

Yamata no Orochi: Commanded by the will of the netherworld, they will seek to bring destruction upon the living.

Yamata no Orochi: If you can prevent that, then you have passed the trial. If not… then the will of the netherworld will have come to pass.

Akihito: You’ve demonstrated that we cannot fight you. How do you expect us to fight against the undead? This sounds incredibly unfavorable to us.

Yamata no Orochi: I am different. The undead are not undying.

Yamata no Orochi: If you kill one ten times, then the connection that binds them to the world of the living will be severed, and they will return to the netherworld.

MC: Ten times…

(No matter how strong everyone is, a battle like that is too much to handle.)

Yamata no Orochi: The will of the netherworld is as fair as death. Accordingly, you shall be granted with new power.

(Power?)

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Yamata no Orochi’s tail move. And in that instant–

(Wha–!?)

My body was lifted into the air.

Shigehira: MC!

Wrapped up in Yamata no Orochi’s tail, I struggled desperately.

MC: L-let me go!

Yamata no Orochi: Be still. Wait.

MC: Ugh…

I thought at first that the tail was wrapping around me even tighter,

But a strange heat grew from where it was connected to my body.

Tamamo: What are you doing!?

(What is this? It’s odd… It feels just like when I’m channeling energy from my bond with Tamamo.)

Silver fluttered at the edges of my vision.

(...! My hair changed color! How is it drawing my magic out of me?)

Yamata no Orochi: Everyone, I would not move if I were in your position. I am sure you would not want me to strangle this girl, would you?

Everyone had moved to strike, but their faces twisted at Yamata no Orochi’s words and they did not take another step forward.

Yoritomo: She has nothing to do with the future of death you spoke of. Release her.

Yamata no Orochi: No. She is the center of that fate.

MC: What…?

Yamata no Orochi: At first glance, she is simply an ordinary apothecary.

Yamata no Orochi: Surprisingly, however, she is the one largely responsible for the peace that has fallen over the land.

MC: …! That’s not true!

(It’s only due to coincidence that I was bound to Tamamo and received these abilities.)

Yamata no Orochi: You may not realize it yourself, but everyone else here knows what I mean.

Everyone: ……

Yamata no Orochi: This girl shall become the miko of the netherworld.

Yamata no Orochi: The power of the nine-tailed fox is an interference, so I shall split the flow of the flow of magical energy.

(No, I can’t hold it back!)

A vast amount of power was swelling uncontrollably from deep within my body.

MC: Let me go!

Tamamo & Kurama: …

Ibuki: Tch…

That uncontrollable energy immediately began to drain away Tamamo, Kurama, and Ibuki’s magic as well.

(That’s strange… How is the power I received from Tamamo being turned against him?)

Yamata no Orochi: I will be taking the magical energy you have absorbed.

Yamata no Orochi: And now…

A sphere of light, swirling with an intricate mix of colors, drifted up to eye-level with Yamata no Orochi.

(Is that all their magical energy?)

Kurama: …Give it back.

Yamata no Orochi: Not in its original form.

Yamata no Orochi: A nine-tailed fox, a tengu, and Shuten-Douji. I shall give new form to your three energies, and create a new power from it.

Yamata no Orochi: Power to defeat the living dead, and to save the world… You may call it the Power of the Hero.

Shigehira: Power of the… Hero…

Yoichi: What a grandiose name.

Sueharu: So what? You’re going to grant us all that power?

Yamata no Orochi: There can only be one hero… Is what I would like to say. But this is too much power to grant to a single person. Two of you will be selected.

Yamata no Orochi: My miko, name the two heroes who shall be granted this power.

(Me!?)

The tail that was wrapped around me set me down, and I was free to move again.

Yamata no Orochi: The Power of the Hero was born of your will and your inner strength. You should be able to sense the two most fit to bear it.

Yamata no Orochi: But bear in mind that great power comes at an appropriate price.

Benkei: What price?

Yamata no Orochi: The Power of the Hero may frequently break free of its wielder’s control and drain their life force.

MC: …I don’t want to give anyone that kind of dangerous power.

Yamata no Orochi: Fear not. The outbursts can be contained by using the power of the fox spirit that you already possess. That too is the duty of the miko.

Yamata no Orochi: Though I suppose that it would feel somewhat different than normal.

(What is that supposed to mean?)

Yamata no Orochi: The Power of the Hero working in concert with the miko is very powerful.

Yamata no Orochi: If you were to join together with a partner with whom you shared a deep connection… you may experience a delight so strong it may feel more like torture.

As if to say that it would not listen to any more questions, Yamata no Orochi’s tail slammed into the ground.

Yamata no Orochi: Now, miko. It is time. Choose.

The sphere that glowed with an unearthly light drifted closer to me.

Biting my lip, I looked towards everyone.

(What do I do… If I don’t choose two people, it would be sacrificing so many others.)

With everyone’s gaze acting like a supportive hand pushing me forwards, I lifted my hand towards the sphere of light.

And my eyes slowly drifted shut…

(...Ah, I can hear the voice of the power…)

My voice was hoarse as I spoke.

MC: The two heroes I choose are…

[dialovers-translations]

Diabolik Lovers DARK FATE ー Reiji Maniac [Prologue]

ー The scene starts on the balcony of Banmaden

Shin: ーー Nii-san.

Carla: How is Ayato doing?

Shin: Still in a deep slumber per usual. Whether you stomp or kick him, he gives no reaction whatsoever. Almost like a corpse. 

Can’t we just kill him already?

Carla: Stop. We need him to lure out that woman. If you dare harm him, you will be punished. (1)

Shin: ...Ugh.

Why are we prolonging the process by relying on a hostage?

Whatever. I’m going straight to those Vampires’ castle and demand they hand over the woman!

Carla: No need to rush.

Shin: But...!

Carla: Shin, this is like a game of chess.

Shin: Eh...?

Carla: One must not focus solely on taking down the pieces right in front of them.

If you act hastily, unnecessary sacrifices will be made.

Shin: ...I get what you’re trying to say, but why are you being so careful?

Carla: ...Sakamaki Reiji.

Shin: Eh...?

Carla: The Vampire who was by her side ーー It appeared to me that he was rather sharp of an individual.

He will most likely come to us himself. Then the game will begin.

ー The scene shifts to the bedroom of Richter’s manor

Reiji: ...

*Thud*

Reiji: ...Phew.

( All necessary preparations have been made. Which leaves ーー )

Yui: ...

Reiji: Fufu, she is sound asleep.

( I should go while I have the chance. It pains me to leave without a single word, but I simply cannot keep on bringing her in more danger. )

( Furthermore, if my prediction is on point, this is the best move. )

Yui: ...

ー He leans in

Reiji: I’ll get going. ...Nn.

*Smooch*

ー Reiji leaves the room

*TIMESKIP*

Yui: ーー Nn...

*Rustle rustle*

Yui: Huh...? Reiji-san...?

( Reiji-san’s gone. Why...? )

*Rustle*

Yui: ...? This isーー

*Flip*

Yui: ...!

( This is a letter from Reiji-san! )

ー A flashback ensues

Reiji: ーー Please forgive me for leaving you behind.

I will now head towards the Founders’ quarters to retrieve Ayato. I am fairly certain I have pinpointed their whereabouts. 

Please try and behave until I return.

Furthermore, be careful of Richter. Do not trust him under any circumstances.

Until we meet again. I love you, Yui.

ー The flashback ends

Yui: ...Reiji-san...

( I’m sure he went by himself because he doesn’t want to bring me into danger. )

( He said his senses are currently numbed by the Lunar Eclipse so I wonder if he’ll be okay? )

( Knowing Reiji-san, I doubt he has asked any of his brothers for help. )

( However, I might just have to rely on them. )

( I wonder if there isn’t some way for me to contact the Sakamaki castle? )

( ...However, if I act of my own accord, I might end up troubling Reiji-san again... )

*Knock knock*

Yui: ...!

???: I’m coming in.

Yui: Richter-san...

Richter: I made some tea. Would you like to enjoy a cup together?

Yui: Eh...?

( What should I do...? )

( He’s being so kind to offer, but I should probably... )

Yui: Sorry. I’ll pass for now.

Richter: ...I see.

ー Richter leaves again

Yui: ( ...Did I do the wrong thing? )

ー The scene shifts to the outside of Banmaden

Carla: ーー So you have come?

Reiji: Good evening, First Blood gentlemen. 

I am flattered by the warm welcome. (2)

( As expected, they predicted that I would come by myself. )

( This is where the real game begins... )

ー The scene shifts to the reception hall

Carla: ーー Let me hear what you have to say.

Reiji: Well then, let me not waste any time...I have come to retrieve my younger brother. Would you be so kind to return him to me?

Shin: We won’t give him back for free. I’m sure someone as clever as yourself has figured out as much?

Reiji: I cannot hand over Yui. However, I will gladly accept any other request.

Carla: Hmph. ...So that is your approach.

Shin: Are you messing with us!? What else would we even want!?

Carla: Very well.

Shin: Nii-san...!?

Carla: It might be difficult to overwhelm him in one move. In which case, he shall get rid of the other pieces in the way first, before snatching the Queen.

Reiji: Oh dear. Do you enjoy chess? I have a feeling the two of us would get along splendidly

Carla: I have no intention of getting along with you. (3)

Reiji: Now that is truly unfortunate. Personally, I would have loved to sit down with you for a nice chat.

For example...Regarding your ‘plans’, perhaps?

Shin: You little...!

Carla: Shin.

Shin: ...Ugh.

Carla: Reiji, was it?

Your objective is to retrieve your younger brother. Therefore, I would assume that talking about anything else would be a simple waste of time.

Reiji: Good point. My sincere apologies.

( I suppose he will not take my bait that easily... )

( There must be some sort of reason as to why they are after Yui. Especially since her blood is known to be special. )

( I do not know whether they have a concrete plan in mind but if only I could get a better grasp on their goal and ulterior motive... )

Carla: You said you would agree with any other request, no?

Reiji: I am a man of my word after all.

Carla: In that case, become my subordinate.

Shin: Wha...What are you saying, Nii-san!?

Reiji: ( I see. So that is the move he has chosen to make. Carla...I cannot underestimate this man. )

Very well. However, I will not let you have Yui regardless.

Carla: I do not mind.

Shin: You’re trusting this guy!? He might simply pretend to vow loyalty to then try and stab a knife in your back!?

Or rather, that’s obviously his intention!

Reiji: I suppose I cannot blame you for not trusting me. In that caseーー

Shin: ...!

Carla: You bowed down, huh...? However, that is not sufficient.

Grab my hand and press it against your forehead.

Reiji: Understood, my Lord.

Shin: ...Tsk.

Reiji: Please call me at once if you need something. I will be on call until then.

Carla: Very well.

Shin. Bring out Ayato.

Shin: ...Fine.

ー Shin walks away

Reiji: ( ...This concludes game one. Under no circumstances will I let you grab the Queen, First Blood. )

( Furthermore, I will be the last one standing. )

*TIMESKIP*

Reiji: ーー Well then, I shall take my leave now.

My sincere gratitude for returning Ayato.

ー Reiji leaves

Shin: ...Nii-san, why did you do that!? Why would you make him your underling? 

Carla: I simply moved one pawn to obtain the Queen.

Shin: I don’t understand. Why would someone as powerful as yourself bother going through the extra trouble?

Carla: Raw power will only get you so far. While it may be necessary to take the offensive at times, you cannot win the game solely with strength.

Perhaps you should deepen your knowledge on chess a little more.

Shin: ...Roger.

ー The scene shifts to the living room of Richter’s manor

Yui: ...?

Richter: ...

Yui: ( I wonder what’s wrong with Richter-san? He seems to be sulking while sitting on the staircase. )

Richter: ...Oh, it’s you. Is something wrong?

Yui: I figured I would grab myself a glass of water...

Richter: I see...

Yui: ( I wonder why he seems down? Is he feeling under the weather, perhaps? )

( I know I have to take Reiji-san’s words to heart, but a little chat wouldn’t hurt, I suppose... )

Uhm, Richter-san? Is something the matter?

Richter: No...I just ended up remembering Cordelia.

She is no longer with us.

I will never be able to see her again, no matter how badly I want to...

Yui: Richter-san...

( Reiji-san called him a fool, but when I see him like this... )

ー Reiji enters the room

Reiji: Oh my, both of you are together it seems.

Yui: Reiji-san...!

Richter: Why are you carrying Ayato in your arms?

Reiji: I will fill you in on the details later. I would like to bring him to a room now.

Let us go, Yui.

Yui: Y-Yes...

*TIMESKIP*

ー The scene shifts to the bedroom

Reiji: ...Phew. I suppose this means we will have one less thing to worry about.

Yui: ...I was worried since you suddenly disappeared, you know?

Reiji: I left you a note, did I not?

Yui: You did but...You were going up against Founders, right?

Besides, the Eclipse is still ongoing, so I was worried whether you’d be okay all by yourself...

Reiji: I see. Thank you very much. However, as you can see, I am unscathed.

Furthermore, I was able to safely retrieve Ayato.

Yui: That’s true, but still...

( I’m genuinely relieved both of them made it back safely, yet... )

( I still wish he would stop acting by himself... )

However, how did you come to an agreement with Carla-san and his brother?

Reiji: Do you wish to know? In that case, please let me suck your blood. To the point where you will feel lightheaded and collapse.

Yui: Eeh!?

Reiji: Fufu, that was a joke.

Yui: ( I feel as if he just skillfully dodged my question... )

( Did he do something which has to remain a secret...? )

Reiji: Well then, what to do next...?

Yui: Aren’t we going to the pharmaceutical facility?

Reiji: No, we will stay here for a while and evaluate the situation.

I do not feel satisfied simply grabbing a few pieces. Now that we have come this far, we might as well aim for victory.

Yui: ( ...Knowing Reiji-san, I’m sure he’s got plenty of ideas running through his head again but... )

( I honestly have no idea what he’s thinking... )

( I wish he wouldn’t do anything dangerous... )

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー 

Translation notes 

(1) 断罪する or ‘danzai suru’ can imply both ‘to convict (for crime)’ in general or refer to beheading. I don’t know if Carla would go as far as to behead his own brother, hence why I went with the more neutral ‘punish’. 

(2) Literally he says he feels flattered since they went out of their way to come and greet him outside.

(3) In Japanese, the expression 話が合いそう or ‘hanashi ga aisou’ is used, which more specifically focuses on getting along in terms of having a conversation with each other, since you would both be interested in the same topic. However, in English I decided to translate it as ‘to get along’, so I had to adapt Carla’s phrase a little. A more literal translation would be ‘I have nothing to tell you’ or ‘I have nothing I want to talk about with you’.

→  LIKE MY TRANSLATIONS? SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI!

<- [ Dark Epilogue ] [ Maniac 01 ] ->

[milkmateartist]

HEAVENS Black Garden English Translation 【 Main Story Pt. 1】

[ --- I do not own Black Garden, HEAVENS, Utapri, or any of the characters. This is a fan translation using a combination of google translate and my own japanese knowledge --- ]

// Translated by MilkmateArtist

-------------------------------------------------

▽ = Speaking / Speaker

A deep forest covers the clear sky.

The air here is a little cooler than what's normal for the seasonal temperature.

The surroundings are quiet with only the noise of the trees and my footsteps.

▽ You

Is it really this way?

The continuing trail ahead of me looked more like an animal trail. It would be uncomfortable to even call it a road.

Anxious, I dropped my eyes down to the letter.

A letter that arrived to me even though I had no relatives.

It stated that I had the right to inherit the legacy of a person who claimed to be my paternal grandfather.

I lost my parents early and didn't know my grandfather, let alone his relatives.

Invited by the letter, I was now visiting the land mentioned there.

It was a place rich in nature called the "Heavenly Forest".

Everything I saw was shining.

▽ You

Maybe that is it over there...?

In an open area, there appeared to be a beautifully made road and an iron gate.

The gate is locked.

(A) Give up and go home

(B) Try calling out

(C) Break the lock

(A) Give up and go home

▽ You

There is no sign of anyone around, and there is no way to ask.

I have no choice but to give up ...

I went back the way I came and returned to my usual life.

BAD END

(B) Call out

▽ You

I'm sorry! Is anyone there?

I shouted out loud. Behind the gath, the path led further back, and I could see a bit of the shadow of a house.

Maybe they will notice?. However, there was no reply.

CONTINUE

(C) Break the Lock

I picked up a stone that had fallen nearby and swung it down at the key.

▽ You

Eh……?

The stone rolled off the hand without hitting the key.

My head hurt like it was burning, and my vision went red.. I had no choice but to fall into the place without power.

BAD END

CONTINUE:

Next I tried to push the gate.

▽ You

It's no use, but I'll keep trying. I wonder what I should do now.

Suddenly, a loud noise came from a nearby tree.

A person jumped from the top of said tree.

▽ You

!! !!

▽ Hugo

Who are you? What business do you have at the mansion?

I could see that he's well trained from his large body and mannerisms,

▽ Hugo

Hey, answer my question.

▽ You

…… My name is (___). I got a letter and was invited here.

I answered frantically while under the pressure from his force.

▽ Hugo

(___) ?

▽ You

Yes....

He brought his face closer, staring at me with a sharp look.

▽ Hugo

Nope! I haven't heard of you. You're pretty suspicious..

▽ You

Eh?!

▽ Virgil

Hugo, calm down. This person is a client. Moreover, they should be treated politely.

A man came running up from behind and got in between us.

▽ Virgil

I'm sorry, I seem to have surprised you.

With a concerned expression on his face, he bowed his head politely.

▽ Virgil

Hugo's job is to keep an eye on the area around the building since he's the mansions gatekeeper. Don't think too bad of him.

▽ Hugo

……Hmph.. I'm going to go look around. Take it from here.

▽ Virgil

I'm Virgil, the coachman of this building. I was supposed to pick you up, but there seems to have been a bit of a misunderstanding.

▽ Virgil

I apologize for the inconvenience, but you allow me to escort you to the mansion?

He extended his elbows as if he were dealing with a lady.

I was nervous, but followed him..

▽ Virgil

We have a short way to walk until we reach the mansion. Even someone whose familiar with the place can get lost.

▽ You

It's a very large area.

Even after walking for a while, I couldn't see the whole view of the building. I feel that the world they live in is different from my own.

▽ Virgil

Especially at night, it's pitch black, so it's dangerous. It's rumored that *things* come out around then.

▽ You

!! !!

I gasped, involuntarily making a large gesture.

▽ Virgil

Ah, that's a good reaction. You're cute, so I can't help but play around a bit. It's just a rumor!

▽ You

…… Oh, okay.

But it was true that there were dark places, that were black even in the daytime.

It's no wonder that something could lurk inside it.

▽ Virgil

Ah, we arrived!

Passing through the stone gate, there was a large mansion towering over it.

▽ Mika

Oh~ You're here~.

A child popped out from the entrance. He came down the stairs and stopped in front of me.

▽ Mika

I will guide you from here! Now go away Virgil!

When I took my arm from Virgil, he double-took as though he wanted to hug me.

▽ Virgil

Mika is pushy as always. But as many times as I say it, it doesn't matter.

He shrugged and went on, still somehow cheery in his tone.

▽ Virgil

I'll leave the rest to you. I'm going to the stables to check on the horses. I'll see you later.

▽ Mika

By the way, again ... I'm Mika! I'm working here as a messenger boy.

▽ You

Messenger ... Boy?

I tilt my head, puzzled. It's a profession I'm not too familiar with.

▽ Mika

I take letters from my master and deliver them to other peoples residences, and vice versa. Also, I'm so cute, so I'll be asked to accompany people when I go out.

The owner of this building must be a fairly high-ranking person.

▽ Mika

Leave the area to me, let alone this mansion!! I'm very on top of things, so I know everything.

He probably has a lot of opportunities at his job to come into contact with a lot of different thing.

▽ Mika

Indeed, I even know about that letter you have! My master told me that I went out to the town.

▽ Mika

I'll call Abel, so wait a bit here!

That said, Mika disappeared into the front door.

Left behind, I stopped in front of the big door at the front entrance.. Looking closely, I was amazed at the size of it. .

(A) Observe the mansion

(B) Look into the window

(C) Wait as told

(A) Observe the mansion

I walked around the mansion, drawn to the splendor of the building.

▽ You

I've never seen such a nice house. I wonder if this is also in the inheritance of the heritage ...

When I gently touched the wall, the cool sensation seemed to tell me that this was not a dream.

▽ You

Oh, I want to know soon!

I was thrilled by the glorious life that would be waiting for me.

I thought I heard a loud noise, the next moment, a shock ran to my body.

A part of the dilapidated building collapsed and fell heavily on me.

I can't breathe and I can't move one finger. I feel like I heard someone's voice in the distance, but then I couldn't hear it anymore.

BAD END

(B) Look into the window

I turned to the large window above the front door.

▽ You

!! !!

What I saw for a moment through the gap in the curtain was a devil with a terrifying appearance.

An indescribable horror struck me and I fainted.

When I woke up, I was in a small dark room.

There is no way to know how much time has passed. I was paralyzed.

I was just helpless, wrapped in darkness and waiting for the last moment.

BAD END

(C) Wait as told

I did as I was told. While waiting, I heard an energetic voice from the other side of the door.

I don't know what they were talking about, but I recognized Mika's voice.

He was probably explaining my presence.

The door opened and showed his face, smiling.

▽ Mika

He said you can come in!

I nodded and stepped inside.

▽ Abel

You've arrived, (___). . I'm Abel. The person who is entrusted with this mansion.

▽ You

Nice to meet you…….

▽ Abel

The owner of the mansion wants to extend hospitality to you. Please think of this as your home and relax.

▽ You

Thank you. Um ... may I ask you something?

▽ Abel

Oh. I'll answer to any question.

▽ You

The letter said that the owner of the museum was my grandfather, but what was he like?

▽ Abel

Is that so? I'm sorry for this. There is no way he could have written that. He is still alive.

▽ You

Oh is that so ...!

▽ Abel

He is on a trip now and away from the building. He was very concerned about whether you would respond to the letter.

▽ Mika

He was worried that you wouldn't come to see him.. Because you haven't been in contact for a long time.

▽ You

Above all, I am glad that you have done your best for me. I want to meet him in person and talk.

▽ Abel

Its best to relax until the master returns. You can use this building freely.

Feel free to use this large mansion ... What a luxury! Just thinking about it made me excited.

▽ Abel

However ...

▽ Abel

Do not enter only in the garden at night. Absolutely ...

He spoke in a soft voice up to that point, and my spine froze.

▽ Mika

……Oh... Oh yeah, That's right. I'll go call Keith. See you.

Mika looked frightened and ran to the back of the house as though to escape from something.

▽ Abel

It's dark at night and it's dangerous because the beasts come out. Of course, it's not easy to get in.

Before I knew it, things had returned to the original calm atmosphere.

▽ Keith

...... I made you wait.

▽ Abel

You're here. This is (___).

▽ Keith

...... I'm Keith. ……Nice to meet you.

I waited for his next words, but apparently this was the end of his self-introduction. He seemed to be the quiet type.

▽ You

It's nice to meet you.

▽ Abel

Keith is a servant of the master. He is also an escort and is a very reliable man.

I wondered if the sword on his waist was for escort too..?

▽ Abel

Keith, could you please guide them through the mansion? I have office duties from now on.

▽ Keith

……Yeah..

He nodded, extending a hand to me and we started walking.

▽ Keith

…… where to.. ...... Is there a place you're interested in?

(A) Somewhere to relax

(B) Somewhere fun

(C) A secret place

(A) A place to relax

▽ You

Where does everyone go to relax?

▽ Keith

……this way..

There was an open space beyond the entrance, with a large sofa.

▽ Keith

……the hall. Here ... people often talk ...

The light came in and there was a warm atmosphere. When I tried sitting on the couch I sank in, feeling how high quality it was.

▽ You

I might just wind up telling a long story now

CONTINUE

(B) A place to enjoy

▽ You

What do you enjoy doing during your breaks?

▽ Keith

...... Enjoy, huh? Not much ... entertainment around but...

Thinking about it a bit, he stepped forward. There was a quiet place in the basement.

Opening the door revealed many books. inside.

▽ Keith

Doing research ..., reading aloud ... Besides books, there are also games.

▽ You

Wow! With all of this there will never be enough time

CONTINUE

(C) A secret place

▽ You

Since this is such a huge mansion, is there a secret place? It's like a room that doesn't open.

Without thinking I curiously asked. Keith's eyes glistened.

▽ Keith

There is…….

▽ You

……!

▽ Keith

...... no such room.

▽ You

Ah, I- I figured....

I then saw at the end of the corridor that there was dim passage.

As I approached, I saw a staircase leading upwards. It was dark, and I couldn't see how long it was.

Strangely anxious, I stepped up the stairs as though they were sucking me in.

▽ You

Ah-…….

I couldn't understand what was happening.. A red stain was spreading at the soles of my feet.

▽ You

W..Why…….

Those were my last words.

BAD END

CONTINUE:

I was guided through the hall. There were various rooms, all of which were luxuriously constructed.

▽ Keith

There are still more rooms ... But I must not.. tire you out.

▽ You

Is there still more! ?? From the looks of things I think I can go on..

▽ Keith

You don't have to rush ... There is a lot of time ...

He smiled as he looked at me with my eyes rounded. Seeing that smile made me happy we were getting more acquainted.

▽ You

Hey, that sword is pretty neat. Is it for self-defense?

What I had been worried about for a long time just kind of spilled out of my mouth.

▽ Keith

This ...?

He touched the sword that hung from his waist.

▽ You

Yeah, I'm asking about what it's used for....

I swallowed words on their way out. Acutely my body froze up and I couldn't move.

Keith's eyes became sharp and sparkled with a suspicious light.

▽ Keith

………….

I thought he was going to silently take out the sword from the sheath, but in an instant he thrust it at me.

▽ Keith

It's a cursed sword that seeks the blood of a young maiden. ...... Should I try it out?

He had a cold expression holding no emotion.

▽ You

Eek ...!

▽ Keith

……just kidding.

With that said, he rotated the handle of his heavy sword and put it back in its sheath.

▽ You

Ha, haha.... That was something.

The tension released at once, and I sighed loudly.

▽ Keith

I'm sorry ... I seem to have surprised you.

Seeing his clumsy smile, I understood this was his odd way of interacting with me.

▽ Eric

Hey, Keith. Can you taste the food for me? I think I did a good job!

A young man ran up with a smile.

▽ Eric

You are...! Could it be...

He corrected his posture, astonished when he noticed me.

▽ You

I'm ( ___ ), . The person who came here after receiving a letter.

▽ Eric

( ___ ), It's a nice name. I'm Eric. Nice to meet you.

A bit shy, his cheeks went pink and he bashfully looked down.

▽ Eric

About that, ... I was cooking for you. I hope you like it.

▽ You

Thank you!

▽ Eric

Ah, it's not a big deal at all. I was a little unsure because I made a special menu that I haven't all that often.

▽ Keith

Do not worry. Eric's food is ... always delicious.

▽ Eric

Is that so? I'm happy you say that. That's not all, I'm also in charge of cooking.

▽ Eric

Have you met everyone else yet?

▽ Keith

They have not met Simon....

▽ Eric

Simon should be in the garden at this time.

▽ Keith

Eric ... It would be good if you took them ... I will continue the cooking.

▽ Eric

Really ? I still have a lot of supper preparations left.

▽ Keith

It's fine……. You're able to convey the charm of the garden better as a gardener.

▽ Eric

All right. Thank you, Keith. Well then, let's go.

▽ Eric

It's better to go to the garden from outside the building. We will use the back road, it's a detour from where we are now.

Leaving the mansion, we walked side by side on the road leading to the garden.

▽ Eric

The roses are in full bloom this time of year, so I really recommend seeing them!

He spoke with an excited gesture. . I could tell he loved the garden from the bottom of his heart.

▽ Eric

It's breathtakingly beautiful. I see them everyday but I find myself visiting. I often have tea with my friends there.

▽ You

Friends……. What kind of relationship do you have with everyone? It's nice being close.

▽ Eric

I'm a colleague, but it's like we're a family. I've lived here together since forever and we're always by one anothers side.

I was very envious of that kind of family relationship since I had no relatives.

▽ Eric

Oh, Abel ... He's my real brother. So he's actually family.

Now that I think of it, it seems their hair and eye colors are similar. But their personality and energy are completely different.

▽ Eric

We'll arrive in the garden soon.

▽ You

Um……. I heard that you shouldn't enter the garden at night. Why is that?

I tossed out the words I've been contemplating for a while after asking Abel.

▽ Eric

...... Who, did you hear from?

Eric stopped.

▽ Eric

Who ...? Hey ...?

I was grabbed by my shoulder and interrogated. The energy he was giving off made it feel like he was a different person.

▽ You

…… M-, Mr. Abel.

▽ Eric

What my brother says is absolute. Don't go against it ... absolutely.

With a serious look, I nodded deeply.

▽ Eric

Haha. I thought you would understand. Well, we arrived.

After passing through the aisle, there was a grand "paradise".

The calm garden, full of flowers, praised the beauty of the world.

▽ You

Beautiful ...

▽ Eric

Right? I'm glad you liked it. But I can't find Simon.

I looked around, but there was no sign of anyone.

▽ Eric

He should be taking a nap somewhere in the garden, so let's split up and find search.

▽ You

Okay!

We split up and started looking for Simon.

(A) Search behind the tall hedge

(B) Search in the flower field

(C) Search the boundary between the forest and the garden

(A) Search Behind the tall Hedge

▽ You

Is it behind this hedge ...?

It was a good hiding spot since it was as tall as a person and provided good shade for a nap.

I looked behind, but no one was there.

CONTINUE

(B) Search in the Flower Field

▽ You

He must be in a flower field.

It felt like If I slept surrounded by these beautiful flowers, I'd have a good dream.

Pushing my way through the flowers, only butterflies took off and there was no harvest.

CONTINUE

(C) Search the boundary between the forest and the garden

▽ You

Maybe he's further out.

The back of the vast garden was adjacent to the forest. Maybe there was a good place to take a nap in the woods, like under the shade of a tree.

I went deeper and deeper in.

( -----JUMP TO SIMONS ROUTE------)

CONTINUE:

▽ You

Where are you ...

Distracted by the surroundings, I tripped in the grass.

▽ You

Kya!

Falling forward, I landed in a bush.

▽ You

This is…….

There was a small space in the bush that allowed me to get up, and in that place there also was a young man with transparent white skin.

▽ You

Are you Simon ...?

▽ Simon

Who are you ...? Why are you here ...

He curled up as if frightened, and bore the color of hostility in his eyes.

▽ You

I'm ( ___ ), I'm sorry to have surprised you.

▽ Simon

( ___ ) ……. The Lord's relative?

Most likely being explained to in advance, Simon looked relieved.

▽ You

This is a warm and comfortable place huh. It's very relaxing.

▽ Simon

Oh……. Do you understand too? A feeling of being gently wrapped in nature .... It seems to awaken a memory of before being born.

His expression was ecstatic and his eyes were shining. I could tell that he had a pure and straight heart.

▽ Simon

Oh ... what a wonderful day. I will once again enjoy the splendor while feeling the vibrations of the earth ....

Then he gently closed his eyelids.

▽ Simon

Zzzz …….

▽ You

Simon, don't sleep!

I grabbed his shoulders and shook him but it didn't help much.

▽ You

Eric was looking for you..

▽ Simon

...... Eric was ...?

▽ Eric

I found you! So you were here huh.

Eric looked into the bushes.

Suddenly, the low roar of thunder sounds.

A black rain cloud cast a shadow over the clear blue sky.

▽ Eric

The weather is going to change, so let's go back to the mansion.

We quickly left the garden.

---------------------------------------------------

Go to Black Garden English Translation Directory here for more routes.

[moved-to-void-kissed]

Huh. I already knew that the KOS-MOS and T-elos in XC2 weren’t 100% supposed to be the same characters as their original Xenosaga versions, because they’re called KOS-MOS Re: and T-elos Re: (where Re: stands for Refrain according to their visors) in the Japanese version of XC2. But I didn’t realise there was actual lore to both their presences in XC2 on top of that, rather than them just being crossover characters for the fun of it.

According to this video, there’s a caption in the official XC2 artbook that translates as follows: “From a past much more distant than 500 years, a Driver engaged with KOS-MOS and T-elos (not Rex or Amalthus) challenged themself to reach the top of the World Tree, failed in their pursuit, and perished. Thus, the pair fell down into the Cloud Sea of Alrest.” This means the pair have both canonically - or at least, as canonically as information given in an official artbook is - existed as Blades in Alrest for a long time, and actually technically might predate the creation of the original KOS-MOS (and therefore T-elos, since she was created after KOS-MOS) in the world of Xenosaga.

I think that’s actually pretty neat, and it’s something I do kind of want to incorporate into my version of events that has my selfship with KOS-MOS in it, since if a world has lore I always do my best to stick to it (or at least alter it in a way that is actually feasible based on what lore has already been given). And I think I’ve figured out a way to do that!

..It’s under the readmore because it got long, but, yeah! My selfship with KOS-MOS now has a slightly different backstory!

So, I think I’m going to make it so that Calanthe (my self-insert) still gets transported from the world of Xenosaga into Alrest because when KOS-MOS first awakens, and accesses the power of the Zohar, Calanthe being in physical contact with her causes it to happen as a consequence of the Zohar’s effect. However, KOS-MOS (or rather, that KOS-MOS, who normally has red eyes) doesn’t actually get transported with her when this happens, since she was designed to use the Zohar’s power. Instead, when Calanthe appears in Alrest, she does so holding the Core Crystal of the Blade version of KOS-MOS (i.e. KOS-MOS Re:, who always has pink eyes), which she immediately and unintentionally resonates with.

Now, normally, a Blade does not have any memories other than their name when they are awakened by a new Driver. However, it’s shown in KOS-MOS’ Heart-to-Heart that she knows how the World Tree was constructed, because she describes the process, and she says this information is stored independently of her normal memories. If the KOS-MOS in XC2 is just a normal Blade, this doesn’t make much sense that she would have this put in her. However, to explain why it’s a thing, I’m going to write in the headcanon that both versions of KOS-MOS derive power from/are linked to the Zohar/Conduit (it’s basically different universes’ versions of the same thing), and because the Zohar/Conduit is a gate between universes, the two versions of KOS-MOS are able to exchange memories and information between each other now that the Xenosaga KOS-MOS has activated. A bit like having two computers in different places both logged in to the same account and able to share files between each other in real-time. This means that the Blade KOS-MOS in XC2 knows who Calanthe is, and so as far as Calanthe understands, the two are the same entity.

However, the KOS-MOS in Xenosaga is a fully robotic combat android whereas the KOS-MOS in XC2 is a full-fledged Blade, although she still seems to retain some robotic aspects - the wiki calls her an AI, she tells Adenine she stores her knowledge in a database rather than books and encyclopedias, and Astelle is also able to upgrade her and tries to tinker with her (but then, she also refers to herself as a Blade in all instances I can think of, and she tells Pandy she doesn’t run on electricity when she offers to give her some lightning). So, I’m running with pieces of that and saying that KOS-MOS initially has a very robotic personality in XC2 because that’s what Calanthe knows the KOS-MOS in Xenosaga to have (and she thinks they’re the same physical entity) - but over time, as she travels more with Calanthe and the rest of the party and gains things like Trust and Affinity, she is free to express herself more “organically” if she wishes to. She isn’t necessarily restricted to a limited, programmed personality anymore.

I hope that that all makes sense! It.. doesn’t really change too much about the story of my selfship with KOS-MOS (moreso just the backstory), but it sticks closer to canon because it means the KOS-MOS in Xenosaga and the KOS-MOS in XC2 are no longer being treated as the exact same individual physical entity who moves across worlds (although they can share memories and information about their experiences). This also means I may well have two different versions of events for my selfship - the default version of events where Calanthe gets put into Alrest, and another alternate version of events where Calanthe stays in the world of Xenosaga and joins the party there. But I don’t know much about Xenosaga itself, and I first fell for KOS-MOS through her XC2 version, so for most intents and purposes it makes more sense to stick to that version.

Thank you very much to anyone who has read this!

[fantasyinvader]

My indoctrination theory I feel covers a few questions about Edelgard’s mental gymnastics.

Why does she scoff at Thales when he says Nemesis was a thief? Because daddy told her Nemesis was the hero on TWSITD’s behalf. Thales just let the truth slip there, but since it wasn’t out of her father’s mouth she doesn’t believe it.

Why does Edelgard think of Nemesis as a champion of humanity while her own ancestor sold mankind out? Because that’s what she has been told through her father, because the Agarthans wouldn’t look too kindly on the guy who sided with Rhea.

Why does Edelgard hold the Church responsible for the experiments when she says it was done by the nobility? Because daddy told her the Church controls them, that it’s leader isn’t human, and that it made the nobility founded on Crests.

This last two I feel work towards a bigger picture of what Edelgard gets wrong. Wilhelm was gutted in the translation to make Edelgard look good, that he founded the Empire on some social Darwinist slant with Rhea’s help. But we look at the Japanese version, where according to Hanneman the nobility was founded on the principle of people with knowledge guiding and protecting their people. Crests didn’t even enter into it until decades later, following the start of the War of Heroes. This is supposed to be the Oudou that started the Dynasty, and Edelgard thinks the guy a traitor to the human race.

Yet in the Japanese, she’s all about putting the world back as it once was, but she’s not doing it in Wilhelm’s way. Instead, she’s more about the iron-fisted rule that past Emperors had. But she’s getting her information from her father, the guy who tried to centralize power so he wouldn’t have to give families he took concubines from anything.

This walking erection is the guy who gave Edelgard the ideals she serves to the point she will turn herself into a monster. The guy who told her the ones who experimented on her and killed her siblings was the nobility, with Aegir as the ringleader, but then we play CF and can learn that in reality Ionius wasn’t the nobility’s puppet. He was TWSITD’s, and where Edelgard’s history came from makes a lot more sense.

Suddenly, Edelgard is going after the target TWSITD wanted her to go after when they made her into their weapon. If Edelgard didn’t go after the Church, then it would all be for nothing. Hubert being a Slither replacement who fell in love with Edelgard and betrayed his people doesn’t work as well as this.

And I kinda want to say this too. I can find this also works with Edelgard representing the High Priestess reversed, where she’s supposed to find it hard to follow her intuition. You look at the lyrics to Edge of Dawn and Edelgard sounds like she doesn’t want to go forward with the plan. She just wants to stay in peaceful days. She also identifies herself as becoming her mask, having a blackened heart, and later on that she lies and makes promises that won’t be kept. Edelgard’s instincts know that something is up, but she’s not listening to them. What she wants goes against the ideals she serves, what she seeks to accomplish.

Does deep down, does she know what she’s been told is all lies? That she does see all the contradictions around her, but instead puts blind faith in her father having told her the truth? Does Edge of Dawn hint that she knows what she’s doing is wrong, why she has trouble accepting what she sees at Remire, but she’s been made to believe it’s all a necessary evil in the name of the greater good? And at the end of the song, despite her wanting to put the world back to as it once was, she knows she can never return to those academy days she never wanted to end, She’s telling herself not to think about them even though she wishes to go back to them.

I mean, it’s still a villain song. Serves as the basis for her final boss theme which also plays during CF’s last battle. No matter what, Edelgard is always going to be the villain, and she might be lying to herself to say otherwise.

[bokunoheroanalysisforthefuture]

Sorry for the radio silence, had to take a bit of time off to finish coursework and stuff. I would like to get through this arc sooner rather than later, so here’s to hoping nothing else keeps me away.

(Also, just recently read someone’s twitter thread going through the same early content as I did, only with the original japanese printed manga, and I continue to be frustrated at my lack of knowledge of japanese language / culture that keeps me from accessing the root material. VIZ translation is just… not the same. orz)

[No. 19 - All Might]

We start out with an overhead view of All Might being held and the nomu being frozen in place under him (and halfway through the portal itself.) All Might comments on it being frosty, and concludes without looking that the source of said frost must be Todoroki - who is in fact nearby, with the ice trailing along the ground starting from under his right foot. 

All Might mentally admires the precise control, and how Todoroki just managed to avoid freezing All Might along with the nomu, and how thanks to that, the nomu’s grip is loosened. While he’s thinking that, All Might yanks himself out of the nomu’s grip and away, his side still trailing a bit of blood. 

(Actually, I wonder if this was the moment that All Might was thinking back on when he approached Endeavor during the sports festival to try and get tips for teaching the next generation. After all, Izuku’s main issue at this point in the story is his lack of control over a strong quirk, and All Might isn’t aware of the Todoroki Family Drama™ just yet.)

The next page is a double spread that’s basically a showdown between the hero side and villain side. 

I find it interesting that the two ‘leaders’ of the situation are on the opposite page of the spread from their helpers / minions, as well as how Shigaraki is on the opposite page from the heroes. When looking at it in a book proper (and not a scan on a webpage), this would give an even stronger sense of the divide between the sides in more than one way. The whole division between heroes and villains is also highlighted with the hero side all being on top - showing how the advantage has swung their way - while the bottom shows the villains who are all in bad positions now.

Oh man, you can also see the little teeny hero students watching from the top of the stairs - with just enough detail that you can tell the one in the front is supposed to be Ochako!

On the very left side of the spread, we see Shigaraki comment on how the villains’ way out is pinned down, and considers it a problem. Not a huge one, mind you, since he’s not really reacting much. 

Katsuki straightens his arm out as he starts mocking the villains for slipping up, and how it was just like he thought - the parts that Kurogiri can turn foggy in the warp gate are limited, and he uses the mist to hide his real body. We get a brief flashback to a few chapters ago, when Katsuki first attacked Kurogiri and the villain commented that ‘that was a close one,’ before present Katsuki continues to explain his observations - if Kurogiri’s whole body was mist and physical attacks, then Kurogiri would never have said something like that. 

Friendly reminder that this is not the last time we’re going to see that Katsuki’s just as much a quirk nerd as Izuku is. Probably saw Izuku’s skill at it as a challenge to overcome or something. 

Kurogiri groans and turns his head to stare at Katsuki. Katsuki tells him not to move, and that if he decides the villain is doing anything fishy, he’ll blow him straight to kingdom come.

Kirishima has about the right of it. That slasher smile, though, jesus kid, relax. 

Shigaraki comments on how not only have the heroes beaten the level, they’re all at full health. Today’s kids are really something - the league of villains should be ashamed! I feel like this is sort of pseudo-thoughtful and pseudo-mocking. Which I mean is basically all of his speech patterns as far as I can tell, so. Anyways, he turns to the nomu and tells it to take out ‘the explosive brat,’ since they need their escape route back. 

Shouto is shocked, and it’s not hard to tell why, as the nomu literally pulls itself out of the portal, losing most of its frozen right side as the deep-frozen bits literally crack and crumble away.

...and I just realized that if Shouto had done that to a normal human, that person would likely be dead from intense frostbite from how cold he had to make that ice to literally freeze the limbs deeply enough for them to crumble like that. Or maybe the nomu was designed to reject damaged material and regenerate, and so the damage was only just enough to hinder and not kill? Either way, Shouto is fucking intense, man. Like, jesus kid, calm down a bit. 

Izuku comments on how the nomu’s body is falling apart, but still moving. All Might has his arm out as he warns everyone back, before directing a comment to the villains that he thought the nomu’s quirk was shock absorption. As we see the nomu’s right side bulge and warp horrifically, Shigaraki states that he doesn’t remember saying that’s all the nomu can do, and that this (referring to the bulging new muscle and skin forming) is hyper-regeneration. He then states that the nomu is a super-powered living sandbag designed to withstand everything All Might has got, while the nomu charges in with its newly reformed limbs.

And so we get to another pretty awesome double spread:

(I had to pull this from a fan translation site because the site I generally use had this split up into two pages, which was a mess to look at and parse. The dialogue is basically the same though, besides Katsuki calling Izuku an idiot. In the VIZ translation, he just tells Izuku to shut up.)

But yeah, you can see the force of the nomu’s retaliatory punch in how it literally sends All Might flying back and the excess causing a brief windstorm. Truly designed to be All Might’s equal, that. Also, I suppose this is one scene where it’s hard to really convey how fast everything was happening in a manga format - like here, it seems like the nomu was just slow enough that Katsuki was starting to react, but with how fast the nomu and All Might are supposed to be here, I feel like he shouldn’t have had that time? I mean, I know this is just him finishing the reaction to Shigaraki’s words and not the nomu’s movement, but still.

Interesting as well to see how Izuku somehow first assumed Katsuki was fast enough to dodge the nomu, instead of assuming All Might did something the way he did when he was saving Izuku and the others from Shigaraki and the nomu. Izuku’s brain really is just in ‘kacchan sugoi’ mode at almost all times.

We next see the smoke from the damage of the attack clear enough to see All Might at the end, his feet having dug grooves in the ground in order to slow himself down before he hit a wall. His arms are braced for defense, and show the scrapes that he ended up taking from the force of the blow. He coughs up a bit more blood as he comments on how the nomu doesn’t know how to hold back. 

Meanwhile, Shigaraki notes that All Might took the hit for the kid. Out loud, he replies ‘anything to save a comrade, right?’ He then points to Izuku and notes how it’s like earlier, when ‘the plain one’ came at him with everything he had. But violence in the name of saving others is admirable, isn’t it? 

Shigaraki throws out his hands as he states how that pisses him off. Heroes and villains both thrive on violence, but one is considered good and the other evil. He mocked All Might’s ‘symbol of peace’ title, stating that the hero is just a tool for violence to keep ‘us’ down. (Dunno whether he is referring to villains or just people in general.) He then says that violence only breeds more violence, and he’ll show the world that by killing him.

All Might calls it a load of hooey (I bet he wanted to say bullshit, but was mindful of the kids being there), stating that idealistic criminals have a different sort of fire in their eyes. Shigaraki? He’s just enjoying himself. 

Shigaraki doesn’t disagree. 

(Man, I continue to be impressed with how well Hori is able to convey emotion just through the eyes. He really does seem gleeful at the situation.)

Anyways, I’m gonna call it here, even if there’s not really a ‘break’ in the action. See y’all next time for (heavy spoilers) All Might kicking the nomu’s ass. 

[vulpes-incendium]

Question 0-0 I’m writing a historical fic (Ming dynasty to opium wars if that helps) with both HK and Macau in it (also has the rest of the gang), should I use the official Hong Kong Cantonese romanization of HK’s name or not because idk if the official Hong Kong romanization existed at that point, if not, how should I write his name? (I feel like you’re the name authority now lol so that’s why I’m asking 😆)

Romanisation of Cantonese in HK (+ other Chinese speaking countries)

Ahhh this is quite a complicated question. I'll try my best 🙈🙈🙈 Remember, I’m not a linguist nor a historian, these are only information I researched and based on my own knowledge. I could answer you right away that it’s safest to stick to the HK system for HK’s name now, but since romanisation has something to do with history, I thought this bit of insight would interest you and some others as well?

Basic facts

The standard English romanisation of Cantonese the HK government uses was introduced in late 1800s to early 1900s after HK was colonised and Hanyu Pinyin (Mandarin pinyin) in the 1950s after the PRC established, both did not exist back in the period you mentioned. So even Yao might not be Yao back then! (but I’ll talk about that later)

Also, the language has evolved a lot since then, plus there are also many other dialects (that are not mutually intelligible with Cantonese or Mandarin), this could play a role in it too!

Cantonese

How the system worked in Hong Kong 🇭🇰

So I only heard this from my parents and grandparents! Back then (30s - 50s) people just went to the registration office and said their names in Cantonese, the officers (mostly British I think) would hear it and translate it on the spot. I have yet found an official romanisation guide by the HK government (unlike Macau), but I believe with time, they kind of built up a system? HKers are used to the romanisation and would just know how to romanise names. There are some cases with names romanised not in the usual way, like 林 is usually Lam (99% of the time), but there are some romanised as Lamb, could be because of the mistakes made by some officers or they weren’t too used to the system, it does happen sometimes, but they are rare.

The government probably has a system for the street names, but it’s also a mess, they don’t necessarily reflect the pronunciation well, one obvious example would be “G” to “K” like the “K” in Hong Kong, it’s pronounced more like “Gong” in Cantonese, name romanisation has this problem too, but that’s another story.

Pre-colonial Hong Kong

Hong Kong was of course in the Canton/Guangdong region back then, there isn’t really like a border or anything like now. As the name hinted, the region speaks Cantonese. I couldn’t find that much information on the people living in HK, but one of the most famous people active around the HK area was 張保仔 Cheung Po Tsai, a pirate, active in the late 1700s. He wasn’t born in the area that is now known as Hong Kong, but HK was the area where pirates were active, because it’s surrounded by the sea. His name is romanised using the HK romanisation system, but I believe this is how the HK government preserves history. Mind you, this is the modern HK romanisation, his name might not be romanised like that back then, but I couldn’t find further info.

I believe only some people’s names were romanised in Cantonese because (Nanjing) Mandarin was the language the government used (which I heard was quite different from the Beijing dialect, aka modern Mandarin). There were only a few exceptions to have their names romanised in their native dialects (Cantonese, Hokkien, etc) to highlight their heritage/ importance to the region.

Hong Kong before the colonial period was very small and there weren’t a lot of people living there, most of our ancestors fled China for HK due to wars or political instability, but that was mostly after the Brits took power. So I’d say, for the sake of simplicity and also due to lack of information, using the HK system now would be fine, which is Wong Ka Lung or Lee Siu Chun, it also shows his identity (from HK) and his language. See this post for more info on his name.

Macau 🇲🇴

I have to also mention that even among Cantonese, the romanisation could be different too! Macau’s system is similar to HK’s but not 100% the same, this is because their system is based on Portugese pronunciation. Some common differences are Leong instead of Leung in HK or Ao instead of Au in HK. I’m not quite sure when they started using the system, but the document I found from the Macau government in 1985 showed they had a system for quite a while.

My bet for Macau is that his name was probably already romanised based on the Portugese system at that time, he’d probably also be given a Portugese name for the ease of communicating with the Europeans too. I have 2 names for Macau: 王濠鏡 Wong Hou Keang, popular among the Chinese fans which is based on one of Macau’s old names (I romanised his name wrong in my previous post using the HK system) and 王嘉麟 Wong Ka Lon, suggested by a HK fan, it shows his relationship with HK sharing the word 嘉 (many parents give siblings a sharing name). I use Vicente or Marco as his Portugese name. I can do a detailed post on this later.

Mandarin

Pre-PRC China (pre-1949)

Before the PRC was established (and Mandarin pinyin was introduced), I believe each country had their own method of romanisation for Chinese (all different dialects), probably catered to  their own speakers. Wikipedia said Nanjing dialect-based romanisation systems are more commonly used until the late 19th century, but I can’t really confirm that, since I don’t speak the dialect and I couldn’t find much info on that. But it could make sense, Nanjing was once the capital and a very important city, I could see why that would be the case.

If you look at this book from 1742, you can see the romanisation is very different from what we are used to, it's a French book so it’s based on French pronunciation, on top of the fact that the language back then was a bit different than nowadays (both French and Mandarin).

A notable example would be Confucius. It’s the latinised from 孔夫子 (Kǒng Fūzǐ in Mandarin pinyin) in the late 16th centuries by the early Jesuit missionaries in China, which consisted of mainly Italians, but also Portugese and Spanish I believe. Nowadays, of course his name wouldn’t be romanised like that, but this name was made popular by them based on Italian/Latin I think. In theory, his name would probably be based on the Nanjing-dialect, which I have no clue of, it does sound like Beijing Mandarin though.

Wade-Giles I believe was the most used romanisation system pre-pinyin. It was created in the 19th century and based on the Beijing-dialect. This may not be obvious if you look at important people in the modern (mainland) Chinese history because the Chinese government has probably changed the records to make the status of Mandarin pinyin more important (eg. Peking to Beijing). However, you can still find some hints in Chinese living abroad or non-mainland Chinese (most prominent example would be the Taiwanese).

Michael Shen Fu-Tsung was one of the first Chinese people who moved to Europe (late 1600s, from Nanjing/Nanking), he was using his Portugese name Michel Alfonso most of the time when he was in Europe, but his Chinese name was romanised using the Wade-Giles system later, could be because his life was more well-known in the west than in the east, so when Wade-Giles became popular, the European used the system when they refer him by his Chinese name?

All in all, China’s name would probably be romanised differently in each period by different countries. Not sure about Nanjing-Mandarin, but in Beijing Mandarin, his name 王耀 would be romanised as Wang Yao in both Mandarin pinyin and Wade-Giles luckily.

Taiwan 🇹🇼

Taiwan still used Wade-Giles until the government started encouraging the people to use Mandarin pinyin in 2009. I would say if you’re using 林曉梅 (Lin Xiao Mei), Lin Hsiao Mei would be more accurate to the time, for 林乙玲 (Lin Yi Ling) it’s Lin I Ling according to this. For Wade-Giles, names were usually hyphanated too I think so that the westerners know they have to use both words to refer to a person’s name, so Lin Hsiao-mei or Lin I-ling? (It’s not important, I just wanna mention my observation)

Taiwan also has another official language, which is Taiwanese (Hokkien). Now I don’t speak Taiwanese, but it’s also an important representation of the culture too and some people’s names were romanised from their own dialects, which leads me to my next point...

Other dialects

Some names were romanised from their own dialects, an example would be Koxinga from 國姓爺, or 鄭成功 (Zhèng Chénggōng in Mandarin pinyin). It’s the Dutch romanisation of Hokkien. From his name, you can probably tell why his name was romanised this way. He was of Hokkien and Japanese descent and he was most active in Taiwan (well, the sea regions, his family were pirates), hence he had most contact with the Dutch (he eventually replaced Dutch Formosa with Kingdom of Tungning). His name was also romanised differently, either from Beijing Mandarin or based on other languages, but I supposed he was most well-known by Koxinga.

Most of the Chinese immigrants in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Phillipines and Myanmar are of Hokkien (Hoklo) descent. I believe this is why many Chinese names are romanised differently in these countries, say the surname 陳 is usually Tan in Malaysia because it is romanised from Hokkien or Teochew (it’s Chan in Cantonese and Chen in Mandarin). This could theoretically happen in HK too, but most people wanted to integrate into the community and the majority of HKers speak Cantonese (eg. my grandparents were Shanghaiese but their names were in Cantonese).

Cantonese in Pre-PRC mainland China

This is just an extra piece of information if you’re interested, it’s about Cantonese in mainland China after British Hong Kong was established (mid-late 1800s), which is probably not your subject of interest, but maybe if someone wants to do an oc, or idk, just want to know in general? Long story short, there’s still not really an offical way to romanise names, but in my opinion, you can tell someone’s story/background from how their names were romanised.

Cantonese like 康有爲 Kang Youwei and 梁啓超 Liang Qichao were romanised like that (pinyin) because they worked at the Chinese government and I think the Chinese government now romanised them like that? Their names were probably not like that back then, not sure.

Another example would be 孫逸仙 Sun Yat-sen. He was Cantonese, born and was mostly active in the Canton(Guangdong) region. He’s more well-known as 孫中山 in Chinese (he had a lot of names), but he mostly went by Sun Yat-sen when he’s with westerners since he studied in HK. It looks a bit different than modern HK romanisation (it would be Suen Yat Sin I think), but I believe it was because that was the time the HK government just started developing the system, and as I’ve mentioned, there are some exceptions when romanising names in HK.

And then we have Chiang Kai-shek, who was not Cantonese (he spoke Wu, another Chinese dialect) but his name was romanised from Cantonese, probably because of the KMT activities he participated in were in Canton/Guangdong? He did change his name and the romanisation for his political career (he went through a lot of names too, I don’t speak Wu unfortunately to tell you whether one of his names were romanised from Wu, but some were from Mandarin using Wade-Giles). His name looks like it’s romanised using the HK system to me, it could really be that the Cantonese in the Mainland adopting the system when it was developing and got popularised in HK.

Cantonese might not be the main language used by the Chinese government (even though it almost became the official language of modern China), but since Canton/Guangdong was an important trading spot (on top of HK and Macau), many foreigners would learn Cantonese too.

Conclusion

Romanisation is to aid their own countries, it would be catered to their own languages, Turkish doesn’t have the letter Q, or W is pronounced V in German, Yao’s name in German could be “Jau” if the Germans were to romanise his name to cater their own people. The influence of the countries contributes a lot in it too. As you can see there are many names romanised from Dutch, because the Netherlands was a strong power, so I guess that’s why sometimes the Dutch romanisation would be more used? The HK romanisation and Wade-Giles got so popular probably because the British Empire was so strong back then or that English became an international language. And of course there is history too. Taiwan’s old name, Formosa, means beautiful in Portugese, because the Portugese were the first Europeans to discover Taiwan.

There are still so many different romanisation systems nowadays, one can tell where you’re from or where your root is just by seeing your romanised name. Say the surname 鄭, it’s romanised as Cheng in HK and Taiwan (different languages though), Cheang in Macau, Zheng in China and Tay or Tee in Malaysia and Singapore (Trịnh and Jung/Jeong would be the equivalent of the name in Vietnamese and Korean respectively) and they are all based on different languages, romanising different languages/dialects based on different languages.

Again, I’m not a linguist nor a historian so I might not be 100% correct! Please correct me if I got any of these wrong! Sorry for turning this into an essay lol, I really really appreciate your effort on making your fic historically accurate! Feel free to ask me more, I’m glad to help!

[chiaki-translation]

The Amazing Museum: Event Translation Ch6-10

I like this event story~ Other than that, I don’t have much to say except that Epilogue might need to wait a bit, enjoy~

The Amazing Museum Ch1-5 / / Ch6-10 / / Epilogue

Disclaimer:

A3! is owned by Liber’s Entertainment

Translator’s Note: I translated the Museum’s Director to ‘Chief’ instead of ‘Director’ because I’ve been using Director for MC. It’s just to differentiate them.

On the play, they keep changing the person who’s reading the narration, so it’s not a typo.

Tsuzuru:

…I guess a museum after closing hour has this kind of atmosphere.

Director:

Maybe it’s because the electricity’s on despite the absence of people.

Homare:

The mysterious feeling is everywhere.

I think I can create some poetry here!

Tsumugi:

Ahaha.

Homare-san, that’s not the purpose we’re here you know.

Homare:

Chief, I’m grateful that you listened to my sudden request.

Chief:

It’s not a problem, I’m also really looking forward to the public reading session.

There are some exhibits inside that you can touch, please take a look as much as you like.

I will be in the annex beside this building, you can call me when you’re done.

Director:

Understood.

<Shifts to Fossil Exhibits>

Sakyo:

Ho, there are more substantial exhibits than I thought.

Tsumugi:

Right. Moreover, it’s quite spacious…

It’s like we can actually spend the whole day here.

Kazunari:

The museum at night somehow feels very mysterious!

Doesn’t it feel like an incident might happen here!?

Chikage:

You might not be wrong, look.

Kazunari:

Eh!?

Something’s written on the wall.

“Be careful of the Eyes of the Unknown”?

Homare:

Ah, the Chief said that it’s a graffiti made by a famous painter.

It seems that it’s written before I knew it.

Tsuzuru:

Eh, this graffiti?

That doesn’t seem to be the case…

<Short Time Skip>

Director:

Woah, there really are a lot of things on display…

Kazunari:

Ah, there’s a floor guide over here.

Chikage:

Fossils, Japanese Karakuri Puppets…

There seems to be an alien mummy too.

Director:

Woah, amazing! This is a fossil of a carnivorous dinosaur right!

Sakyo:

But there’re some metal fittings on the bone.

Tsumugi:

It seems to be a replica.

There’s a small caption written over here.

Sakyo:

It’s a well-made replica.

Kazunari:

So coolz!

Tsuzuru:

I was researching about this museum online, but as I thought, the amount of information that I can get are so different when I’m actually here—

Actually, it might be a bit too much…

This place closes early since it’s located in the middle of a mountain, that’s why I’m grateful to get the chance to come here.

Homare:

It’s thanks to the chief’s flexible response.

Tsuzuru:

Yeah. I have to say my gratitude to him later.

<Shifts to Doll Exhibits>

Kazunari:

Woah, I thought it’s a precious stone, but it’s actually just a bug!

Tsumugi:

It seems to be “World’s Strange Insect Specimens” corner.

There’s nothing but bugs that I’ve never seen before.

Sakyo:

This doll… A Karakuri Puppet that grows its own hair?

Why do they even display such a suspicious looking thing.

Kazunari:

If you say things like that, you might get cursed and disappear!

Look, it’s written here, “If you meet its eyes, you won’t be able to go home”.

Eh?

Sakyo:

What’s wrong?

Kazunari:

Ju, just now, the doll was looking this way…?

Sakyo:

Of course not.

Look, let’s just move on.

Chikage:

…

???:

…

Chikage:

--!!

<End of  Chapter 6>

Director:

…I think we’ve finished looking at everything.

Tsumugi:

Right.

Director:

Tsuzuru-kun, do you think you’ve gotten a good reference for your script?

Tsuzuru:

Yes, I’m glad I actually came.

Sakyo:

It’s already late. Let’s go home soon.

Director:

Then, we can excuse ourself to the Chief-san…

Kazunari:

Wait. Chikachon’s not here?

Tsumugi:

Eh? You’re right.

Sakyo:

He just went out first didn’t he.

Kazunari:

Maybe but… I’ll try to contact him just in case!

Director:

We can head out in the meantime.

…Eh? Ah, it’s not opening…!?

Sakyo:

Change with me.

What’s the meaning of this?

Even when I push or pull, it’s not budging at all…

Kazunari:

…Perhaps, we’re actually trapped inside?

Tsuzuru:

It can’t be…

Arisugawa-san, can you contact the Chief!?

Homare:

About that, the call doesn’t connect no matter how many times I tried.

Tsuzuru:

Eh…

Kazunari:

Actually me too, I tried sending a LIME message to Chikachon, but it kept saying out of range.

Tsumugi:

There doesn’t seems to be any phone extension inside too…

Director:

Then, we’re really…

Tsumugi:

Anyway, let’s try to search for an exit for now.

<Shifts to Doll Exhibits>

Sakyo:

So there’s no way out here too.

I thought we could go out from here if  the window frame comes off.

--!

Karakuri Puppet:

…

Sakyo:

…This doll, was it here just now?

???:

--

Sakyo:

…!?

<Short Time Skip>

Tsumugi:

Eh? I thought I heard Sakyo-san’s voice from over here…

…?

This graffiti—

“He who doesn’t lose his curiosity despite having knowledge”?

This… Fufu, I see.

???:

--

Tsumugi:

Eh…? Umph!

<Shifts to Fossil Exhibits>

Kazunari:

We can’t find an exit at all.

Tsuzuru:

Anyway, Furuichi-san and Tsukioka-san went to that corner earlier right.

Homare:

They haven’t come back, maybe they found something.

Director:

Should we go and find them.

Kazunari:

Agreed~!

<Shifts to Doll Exhibits>

Tsuzuru:

Eh…? No one’s here…?

Director:

That’s weird. It doesn’t seem that we can find an exit around here too…

Kazunari:

Ahaha… It’s like, they’re disappearing one by one…

Tsuzuru:

This is not an occult.

But, where did the two disappear to…?

Homare:

There are even things like the Mankai 7 Mysteries in the dorm.

It might not be strange for mysterious things to actually happen.

Tsuzuru:

…I’m a bit surprised.

I thought Arisugawa-san is a more realistic person.

Homare:

There are things in this world that can’t be explained with my knowledge alone.

Director:

Maybe they already moved on from this place.

Let’s try to find them in another place.

Tsuzuru:

You’re right.

Kazunari:

Wai, everyone, don’t leave me behind~!

Tsumugi:

…Kazu-kun.

Kazunari:

Eh? Tsumutsu--!?

<End of Chapter 7>

Tsuzuru:

Eh, where’s Miyoshi-san?

Director:

I thought he was just behind us…

Tsuzuru:

As I thought, there’s something off with this place!

Anyway, let’s move away from here!

Homare:

But the fact that everyone disappear here means that there’s something here.

Director:

It’s true, it does make sense…

Tsuzuru:

…! There’s something written over here…

“He who doesn’t lose his curiosity despite having knowledge”?

Director:

There might be some hints hidden behind those words.

*ground shaking sound*

Tsuzuru:

That, what sound is that…?

Director:

…!!

Homare:

What…!

Tsuzuru:

The dinosaur fossil replica, it’s heading this way!?

Homare:

We will be trampled if we stay here!

Tsuzuru:

Le, let’s run!

Director:

Wah!

Th, the wall’s turning around--!?

Ky, kyaaa!

Tsuzuru:

Director!?

Homare:

Director-kun!

Tsuzuru:

She’s not there… Did she just disappear…!?

Homare:

As I thought, there’s a secret behind this wall—

*ground shaking footstep*

Tsuzuru:

Ru, run away!

Homare:

Oh oh, wait for me, Tsuzuru-kun!

<Shifts to Corridor>

Homare:

Ahaha! Isn’t this delightful, Tsuzuru-kun! The ancient creatures are running away from the dinosaur too!

It’s like I’m inside my dream once again!

Tsuzuru:

This is not the place to say that kind of thing!

This is bad..!

Homare:

That’s the door that didn’t budge earlier.

What to do, Tsuzuru-kun. If we stay like this we’ll get trampled by the dinosaur and that will be the end of us.

Tsuzuru:

Damn… Ple, please open up!

<Shifts to Outdoor>

Tsuzuru:

…Ugh!

Chikage:

Oh, he’s out.

Kazunari:

Ahaha, Tsuzuroon screamed so loud.

Sakyo:

You did well on the escape.

Tsumugi:

The two of you, good work.

Tsuzuru:

Eh, what…?

Kazunari:

The Dokkiri’s a big success!

(TLN: Dokkiri refers to hidden-camera surprise prank.)

Tsuzuru:

Do, dokkiri…?

Homare:

Let us explain to you how everything works.

Actually, the Chief here was my old acquaintance from a certain magazine project.

I got the OK when I asked for an assistance to produce the script.

Tsuzuru:

…You mean, everyone here is an accomplice?

Director:

Sorry for tricking you.

Tsuzuru:

Ha, hah…

Homare:

The moving dinosaur, and the building structure with the hidden mechanism too, they were all the Chief’s hobby.

Tsuzuru:

Eh… Seriously…

Homare:

But you get to experience something that you normally wouldn’t have right.

I’m sure you wouldn’t be able to run from a dinosaur if you’re here during the day.

Tsuzuru:

…Of course.

Homare:

Fossils don’t move. Dolls are not supposed to move.

You can surpass those fixed concept anytime, as much as you want.

That is, I feel, one that makes a creation process interesting.

Of course, provided that you already achieve the required knowledge and experience.

This is the support that I wanted to convey to Tsuzuru-kun the previous time.

Tsuzuru:

Surpass the fixed concept…

…Arisugawa-san, thank you so much.

Perhaps, I got too fixated because it’s unfamiliar to me.

Somehow, the ideas are coming up now!

Homare:

Yeah, this looks promising.

Kazunari:

Tsuzuroon’s back to life~!

Tsumugi:

That’s great, Tsuzuru-kun.

Sakyo:

Geez, what a troublesome guy.

Chikage:

You said that, but you were quite worried about Tsuzuru-kun yourself.

Director:

(The thing that Homare-san wanted to convey…

I’m glad that it’s properly conveyed to Tsuzuru-kun)

<End of Chapter 8>

Homare:

Everyone, the day has finally arrived.

Sakyo:

The number of customers is good.

Chikage:

It’s great that the script was made in time too.

Kazunari:

Tsuzuroon worked hard to the last minute after all~!

Tsumugi:

That’s the power of his concentration.

Tsuzuru:

Thanks to everyone.

Director:

(The only thing left was to move forward with the script without any regret…)

Tsuzuru:

…

Director:

Tsuzuru-kun, are you alright?

Tsuzuru:

Yes. It’s just because it’s a kind of performance that I’ve never done before, I’m quite excited to see whether it will succeed or not—

I might be able to see an unknown scenery unfolds before me, that’s why I’m really excited.

Homare:

Getting to know the unknown and experiencing things you never do before will never get old.

Tsuzuru:

Yes.

Everyone, please enjoy today’s performance as much as you can.

Kazunari:

Alright!

Tsumugi:

Yes!

<Short Time Skip>

Narration (Tsuzuru):

This is a story about a museum on the outskirt of a town.

Ryuuhou (Tsuzuru):

Welcome to the Night Museum.

I’m Ryuuhou, the Chief.

Tonight, I will bring you on a tour at this museum.

Ratsutou (Homare):

I’m Ratsutou, the assistant.

Everyone seems to be ready ♪

Kougetsu (Sakyo):

Why do I have to take the trouble to change into a uniform?

Ryuuhou (Tsuzuru):

Why I wonder, it’s so we can differentiate ourselves from the customers and the exhibits.

Fukitani (Chikage):

That’s obviously not the case isn’t it.

Ryuuhou (Tsuzuru):

On the tour this time, we will introduce the content of each of the display items to the customers.

Fukitani (Chikage):

The case of Fukitani and.

Kougetsu (Sakyo):

Kougetsu.

Narration (Tsumugi):

The two would lead you through the exhibition room called the dark unknown zone.

Ryuuhou (Tsuzuru):

I’ll leave it to the two of you with the glasses to continue from here.

Narration (Tsumugi):

Inside the item that the Chief introduced was a horrifying alien mummy.

Kougetsu (Sakyo):

Alien mummy?

Fukitani (Chikage);

Why this kind of thing.

Ryuuhou (Tsuzuru):

There’s a secret behind the eyes of this mummy.

Narration (Tsumugi):

The two people who were wondering whether it’s real, went ahead and look straight into its eyes…

Kougetsu (Sakyo):

Arrgh!?

Ryuuhou (Tsuzuru):

It was said that people with bad eyesight will improve their eyes when they look into this light.

Kougetsu (Sakyo):

My eyes will die instead if it’s this bright!

Fukitani (Chikage):

I wear glasses for show so there will be no effect on me.

Hoshi (Tsumugi):

The case of Hoshi.

Narration (Kazunari):

This man requested to the Chief to present about a living creature.

Ryuuhou (Tsuzuru):

If that’s the case, you can introduce her.

Narration (Kazunari):

The one to be introduced by him was a Karakuri puppet with a beautiful black hair.

Hoshi (Tsumugi):

What’s this, it’s just a doll isn’t it.

It’s not alive, it’s a man-made item.

Ryuuhou (Tsuzuru):

Then, I’ll give you an admission ticket to the Museum.

Narration (Kazunari):

When he complained, the chief took out 5 admission tickets from god knows where.

Hoshi (Tsumugi):

What do you expect me to do with that kind of thing.

Ratsutou (Homare):

This doll grows its hair every day.

It’s a secret that only people who has taken it before know.

Ryuuhou (Tsuzuru):

By the way, on the third Saturday of each month, we have to hold a haircut show for her without fail.

Hoshi (Tsumugi):

…For a non-living being, it really doesn’t sound like one.

Takanashi (Kazunari):

The case of Takanashi.

Narration (Sakyo):

This is a story of a boring man, who fails to express his interest in anything due to his knowledge of the world.

The Chief was getting that man to introduce a special exhibit.

Ryuuhou (Tsuzuru):

I’m sure you can’t help but to be interested in this thing too.

Takanashi (Kazunari):

I’ve seen dinosaur fossils a lot of time before.

How can I even get more wisdom from this.

Narration (Sakyo):

The moment that the man said that he was not impressed with it, bang, a loud sound was heard.

Takanashi (Kazunari):

Eh?

Narration (Sakyo):

And when the man looked up—

Raaaaaaawr!!

The dinosaur opened its mouth wide and tried to attack him.

Customer A:

The fossils really move!

Customer B:

What an amazing force…!

Director:

(Alright, the customer’s reception is good.

We consulted the Chief about moving the fossils, I guess it’s the correct choice)

Takanashi (Kazunari):

U, uwaaaaaah!?

Ryuuhou (Tsuzuru):

Don’t anger him please!

Otherwise he will swallow everyone whole.

Ratsutou (Homare):

Well, if you get swallowed, you’ll only be left with the bones, there’s no way to survive ♪

<Short Time Skip>

Narration (Chikage):

In the end, the museum was closed safely that day.

Ratsutou (Homare):

You work well today ♪

Ryuuhou (Tsuzuru):

Yeah. Then, let us go back to our position too.

Narration (Chikage):

With that said, the two returned to the pedestals in front of the fossil, “The Figure of Knowledge” and “The Figure of Curiosity”.

<End of Chapter 9>

Tsuzuru:

Hmm. I don’t know where I should go for the next holiday.

Homare:

Oh, I know this author.

It seems that he has been gaining a lot attention overseas recently.

Tsuzuru:

Hee, that sounds interesting.

Maybe I should try to go to this exhibition.

Director:

Ah, Tsuzuru-kun. What a perfect timing.

Tsuzuru:

?

Director:

I managed to get in contact with Tadoru-san just now, I’ve received the report that “Encounter with the Unknown” session was a big success.

Tsuzuru:

Really!

I’m so glad…

Director:

It’s not only the public reading, the tour where you perform with the museum’s exhibits was very popular with the customers too.

The unusual exhibits have become a trending topic, the number of repeating costumers has definitely increased.

Chikage:

Speaking fo which, the exhibits which can be taken picture of have become a trending topic in the social media.

Tsumugi:

Fufu, it was worth the effort.

Director:

I told Tadoru-san to tell us if he still need more help.

Sakyo:

Why not.

It might become a good advertisement for our company.

Kazunari:

Hi hi! All attention to Kazunari Miyoshi!

Tsuzuru:

Uwa, Miyoshi-san… What a proclamation.

I have a bad feeling somewhat.

Kazunari:

I have received this from the Chief, it’s the security camera footage of Tsuzuroon’s Dokkiri’s operation.

Tsuzuru:

I thought so!

Kazunari:

Since we’re all here, let’s go and watch it  ♪

Let’s all gather in front of my PC~!

Tsumugi:

Ah. This is Chikage-san isn’t it.

Tsuzuru:

He’s staring at the doll so intently…?

Director:

What did Chikage-san find at that time?

Chikage:

Ah, actually, I thought there’s a camera hidden inside the doll’s eyes.

Chief:

…

Chikage:

--!!

Kazunri:

Ah, Chief-san!?

Homare:

What are you guys talking about.

Chikage:

Yeah. The director appeared after I was left behind by the other 2, I was talking to him about the Dokkiri operation.

Then, I went out using the hidden door behind the shadow over there.

Tsuzuru:

So that’s what happened…

<Short Time Skip>

Tsumugi:

This is… Sakyo-san?

Sakyo:

“…This doll, was it here just now?”

Chikage:

“--"

Sakyo:

“…!?”

Kazunari:

Uwawa, Frooch-san just fade out in the dark!

Tsuzuru:

The way Chikage-san appeared is just too scary isn’t it.

Sakyo:

Honestly, I even felt his bloodlust.

Chikage:

I thought Sakyo-san will fight back if I didn’t do it seriously.

Tsuzuru:

Somehow, did you just say something scary?

Director:

(Let’s not go there…)

<Short Time Skip>

Kazunari:

It’s Tsumutsumu!

Sakyo:

“—"

Tsumugi:

“Eh…? Umph!”

Homare:

Sakyo-san too, you executed it well.

Sakyo:

I just have to lie in the dark and pulled him in isn’t it.

Tsumugi:

Ahaha… I was actually quite surprised then.

<Short Time Skip>

Kazunari:

“Wai, everyone, don’t leave me behind~!”

Tsumugi:

“…Kazu-kun.”

Kazunari:

“Eh? Tsumutsu--!?”

Sakyo:

“—"

Tsuzuru:

I was completely deceived…

Kazunari:

At that time, I really thought that I got kidnapped you know~

Sakyo:

My bad.

Tsuzuru:

I see… I guess it really looks like that.

Anyway, what a large scale Dokkiri…

Director:

About that… Actually, we also didn’t know about the content of the Dokkiri.

Tsuzuru:

Eh!?

Homare:

I did say that I need everyone’s cooperation for the commencement of the Dokkiri, but I never told everyone in detail because I thought it would be good to have some reality in it.

Tsuzuru:

Then, isn’t this just a live reaction!

Kazunari:

Ah, this one! This is definitely the main highlight.

Sakyo:

It’s Minagi and Arisugawa huh.

Kazunari:

Ahaha, Tsuzuroon’s screaming so loud!

Tsumugi:

Homare-san’s laughing so much on the contrary.

Chikage:

He’s completely enjoying it.

Tsuzuru:

That’s enough… I was really desperate at that time.

I really thought I could die for real.

…But, I guess it’s something that I can’t experience anywhere else, I think it has really become a good experience now.

Regarding that… Thank you so much, Arisugawa-san.

Homare:

You’re welcome.

<End of Chapter 10>

[cryingcow]

Sera, Jingu, & Kazama - The Tojo Clan Secret [RGGO]

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 .

This month’s RGG Online event features Third Chairman Sera and the 10 Billion Yen. The gameplay is different from recent events, because it’s in the style of a boardgame.

It feels just like playing Judgment’s Dice & Cube (except I actually enjoyed playing this :V ). I have to admit, at first I was pretty meh towards Sera, but after going around the board 12 times (1 per chapter) and getting to level up my cards with him, I’ve gotten a bit fond of this dude :D

I’m going to be translating the chapters over the next few days/weeks, but it might be slow-going with a hundred screenshots of dialogue per chapter >_< Fair warning: I’m doing this armed with nothing but Google Translate, crude knowledge of Japanese, context clues, and paraphrasing especially when it comes to minor character dialogue and fights (the last one is more to save space and spare my fingers from typing everything out lol). But I’ll try to stay as accurate as I can!

Click on for the Prologue + Sera’s Side Comments!

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Sera’s Side Comments

During the course of the game, Sera comments on various things and people every time he lands on a box.

Sera’s comments on objects:

Insect Card? – “The child dropped something, so I picked it up. ?! This obscene illustration . . . ?! I should get Headquarters to investigate.”

Clothes – “I used to wear a white suit. It was hard work trying to remove blood.”

Magical stone [in-game item] – “Living in such a severe world, sometimes I want to cling to the thought of magic. Will this stone bring me something?”

Movie watching – “‘I’ll leave this in the hands of Headquarters.' The protagonist is very decisive. I should be like that.”

Nikkyo Consortium – “The iron rule is to conceal your identity when doing dirty work. Therefore, the subordinates wear Noh masks and dress as women. Everything is for work. It is true.”

Sera’s comments on people: (these ones were harder to make sense of)

Nishikiyama Akira – “A dangerous man. He is rushing to the top as if he has been led awry. What do you think, Kazama-san?”

Shimano Futoshi – “A proud man. But his ambition is exposed by his temper, which does not kill him. . . . heh. It’s easy to understand, and I don’t hate it.”

Kashiwagi Osamu – “There is word of a man named Kashiwagi here in Kamurocho, but I haven’t seen him around.”

Majima Goro – “He was like a dog with a collar on him, but a very strange person . . .”

Kiryu Kazuma – “ This man has became powerful like no one expected . . . Never thought this type of man would come from Kazama-san, makes me want to believe in destiny.” (thanks @potato-claudia​ for the translation!)

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----

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PROLOGUE

|1988. Chairman of the Nikkyo Consortium, Sera Masaru, wins a stake in the "Empty Lot" conflict. As a result, Sera rose to the top of the Tojo Clan and became the Third Chairman.|

[Tojo HQ - Chairman’s Office]

Kazama: "I'll be looking forward to working with you in the future . . . Third Chairman."

Sera: "I will serve as sincerely as I can."

Kazama: "What would you like to do with the Tojo Clan?"

Sera: ". . . I'm not originally under Tojo. Former criminals of crushed student movements . . . they have no place in this society. The one who gave me a place is you, Kazama-san, you and . . . the Tojo Clan. Because of that, I want to give the underdogs of the next generation a place within the Tojo Clan. That is all."

Kazama: "It seems I made the right decision in pushing you to be the Third Chairman."

Sera: "Thank you. I will continue to help you in any way I can, Kazama-san.”

----

|That night . . .|

[Idk where this place is supposed to be, but I’ll just call it Tea Room from now on because it looks like the place where Yayoi hangs out at Tojo HQ]

Jingu: "Drink some more, Sera. No, should it be 'Third Chairman'?"

Sera: "Heh. Don't say anything that's not in your heart. 'Sera' is fine."

Jingu: "Heh, that's right. With this . . . we are one step closer to our dreams."

Sera: "You in politics at the front, me the head of the yakuza at the back, both of us rising to the top."

Jingu: “And we will support this country together from the front and back.”

Sera: “Oh. I see you are active as a politician.”

Jingu: “I am. However . . . I’ve been involved in some trouble recently.”

Sera: “Trouble?”

Jingu: “To tell you the truth, I came here hoping to request something from you.”

Sera: “What is it, collecting votes?”

Jingu: “No, this isn’t going to happen without violence. It’s going to be rough.”

Sera: “What do you mean?”

Jingu: “I want you to get some money back. The future of Tojo . . . no, the cost of the future of this country is 10 billion yen.”

Sera: “10 billion . . . ?”

 .

-END-

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Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6

Masterlist

[demonfox38]

Completed - Faxanadu

So, at the end of my last post game evaluation, I brought up "Faxanadu" as a better alternative to "Zelda II: The Adventure of Link." I honestly don't know if that's a controversial opinion or not. On the surface, I can see that raising the gall of a lot of dyed-in-the-wool Nintendo fans. Like, how dare I lift the third-party product over something created by Nintendo itself. And, to be honest, I can feel that contradiction. "Faxanadu" looks worse, sounds worse, and plays just a bit stiffer than "Zelda II." Why would I like this game more if it is an inferior product?

Well, in this case, it all comes down to attitude.

"Faxanadu" is a weird little offshoot from a prestigious pedigree. Directly, it's a spin-off/side story to "Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu" of the "Dragon Slayer" series. I'm guessing that if you are as familiar with Japanese computer RPGs from the 1980s—that is to say, knowledgeable by the name alone—you might recognize its sister games "Sorcerian" for its lovely soundtrack and "Tokyo Xanadu" from a list of titles available on Steam. But, hey. TL;DR—"Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu" sold 400,000 game copies in 1985, so Nintendo was all too happy to get a slice of that pie. In the translation from computer to Famicom ("Faxanadu"? Get it?), the adaptation lost its RPG battles and became a more stream-lined action platformer with some vestigial RPG elements.

Sounds strange? It kind of is. Just think "Zelda II" without death pits.

Adding to the uniqueness of this game is its peculiar plot. In "Faxanadu", your PC is charged with stopping a horde of extra-terrestrial forces and dwarves hopped up on meteor dust from killing all of the elves living alongside them on the World Tree. It's like the Yggdrasil myth meets "Night of the Comet." Very, very 1980s in its mix of mythology and weird space shit.

The game itself is as you might expect from an action platformer. Move around locations, purchase equipment, fight, keep moving until you find the final boss. The weirdness of it flakes off a little bit at a time. Like, those experience points you accumulate? They don't go into stat improvements. You talk to a guru (a priest dude) to bank them in and earn a title. This will aid you when/if you die, as the game will drop your corpse off at the last guru you visited with a preset amount of money based on how awesome your title is. Dying can be a great way to warp around, as well as to get your ass back to full health for free. Hell, you don't even lose accumulated items if you die. (Although, if you use a key, that’s gone for good. You may have to purchase a few extra if you die in the wrong spot.) Death isn't always the best strategy, but it can help in the right circumstances.

Frankly, the game is very chill about your failure. Pretty much everything else, too.

The mellow atmosphere of "Faxanadu" is something to be appreciated. Even if most people have given up on their home being saved, they're more than alright sitting around, smoking and drinking and chatting you up. (God bless, there are so many smokers in this game.) People are constantly telling you to not try too hard to save their asses, as well as encouraging meditation and keeping calm in the face of defeat. Not to be crass, but it makes you wonder if people have something other than tobacco in their cigarettes.

Let's be honest. If they were toking, it would explain a few laughable bugs.

Oh, man. You've got to hear about these errors. Like, I know register mathematics and assembly coding is a bitch, but this game makes some choice mistakes. Like, that title system I mentioned earlier? You're supposed to be given more time to use special items like hourglasses and winged boots when your title increases in rank. In execution, the opposite happens. The more monsters you kill, the less time you're given on the clock to use cool shit. It doesn't ever lock you out of an area, but it is something to keep in mind. Additionally, there's this pendant that you're supposed to get in the second area that should increase your attack power. However, the game already thinks you have that equipped at the start, so when you get it, that attack boost gets turned off. That's right. Take the pretty necklace and you do less damage. I mean, hey. You don't want to get it accidentally broken, do you?

This game isn't particularly bright in the aesthetics department, either. Most of the color palette is brown, green, cream, and salmon. Character portraits have this weird animation when they talk to you where their blinking and speaking is desynced in a disturbing fashion. Hell, of the allegedly dwarven enemies, I can only point to one or two enemies that I believe are dwarves. The music is a little better than average for the NES, but nothing I'd put in a playlist (minus the opening theme, which is an awesome fantasy rip.) I mean, it's sure better than the "Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu" footage I saw on YouTube, but it's not exactly a feast for the eyes and ears. Even platforming and movement of your PC is a bit stiff. Also, this uses password systems to save instead of batteries. Which, hey, fine by me. But, it's definitely cheaper than using a battery, and I know a lot of people find passwords to be difficult or annoying to use.

So, if this is an inferior looking and feeling product in comparison with "Zelda II", why do I like this one more?

Well, the chillness factor, for one. The difficulty in this game is much more manageable as well. You can carry several healing potions on you, and there are classes of enemies you can farm for food to get your health up in dire straits. Hell, there's even an elixir that will auto-pop on you if you take too much damage. Additionally, screwing up platforming doesn't automatically kill you. It might make you have to take a few rooms to get back to where you were trying to go, but it's not a kiss of death.

Yeah, this one's easier, for sure. But, I don't feel like it's purposefully wasting my time, either. The cash for most equipment upgrades can be ground out within ten or fifteen minutes, if you're willing to put in the time. You can skip certain locations, if you really don't want to deal with their hassle. Granted, skipping too much could cost you the best equipment, and you certainly need that to fight the final boss. But, the trials you face to get that aren't the worst. Hell, getting the Dragon Slayer itself becomes retroactively sad and metal once you figure out just what you were fighting to get it.

There are important things to do, sure. Nobody's on your ass if you screw up. The NPCs want you to succeed, and they want you to do so with a clear head (and an empty purse, in some cases.) It's the kind of game where you take an afternoon or two to knock out. Nothing overwrought, nothing dramatic. Just you and a handful of Keebler Elves fighting back cosmic horrors that have taken over the neighbors.

It would be interesting to know the scale of this world. The dwarves don't seem to be that much shorter than the elves, so I have to wonder if everybody's just four feet tall or something.

I'm almost certain that I picked this up off eBay decades ago after reading either a genre list or recommendation list on GameFAQs. Even now, the price on it is cheap. (Of course, ROMs are free, but it's a $10.00 cart.) This was a better game than what I would normally get out of my other source of NES games—that is to say, the K-Mart bargain bin (which may have been leftover stock the company bought from FuncoLand? Not sure.) Long story short, this game is relatively short, cheap, and fulfilling. If you need something retro and easy going, this game might do the trick. It might not blow your socks off, but it won't blow your head off, either.

[helpmegoddamnit]

...𝕬𝖓𝖉 𝕵𝖚𝖘𝖙𝖎𝖈𝖊 𝖋𝖔𝖗 𝖆𝖑𝖑

I watched her pace around the room, the clack of her heeled boots deafening compared to the sly whispers of those in the jury. She was unsatisfied with her ability to convince these men of the boy’s innocence, her look was a dead giveaway to such a factor.

That was how I knew something interesting was about to happen.

  Koseina made her stop by a middle-aged man who sat among the jury, his hair fading to grey and his eyes hard and harsh, as though he had seen the hate of this world at its finest, though I doubted such from his fancy attire.

“…Judging by the sour face you’re making at me, I take it you still believe the boy is guilty,” she guessed, the man shuffling in his chair to adjust his posture as he nodded. “I do,” he replied gruffly, his arms crossed tightly as though the mere action of loosening them would result in his chest cavity falling out. “Right, I see,” she sighed, taking her thick-framed spectacles from her nose and cleaning the lenses, “if it’s not too much trouble, would you mind taking a look through my spectacles?”

Her slender fingers grasped the arms of her glasses as she held them out before herself and the man. He eyes her suspiciously, but took them anyways and held them close enough to his eyes that he could see through the lenses.

“Can you see through them clearly?” She asked, the man shaking his head as he handed them back to her. “No,” he grunted, the woman exhaling a scoff as she took them back and placed them comfortably on her nose once more. “Hm, consider that as what you see when it comes to this case. Your vision is clouded by unmitigated prejudice, you’re an ignorant man with a mind so plagued with bias that you have the inability to see through the lenses of truth. The lenses of justice,” she lectured, turning her back to the man so she wouldn’t have to see how much offense she caused him as her heels began clacking once more, “As dramatic as I make that sound, and as farcical as you may make me out to be, I speak only the truth, I wouldn’t dare even utter an untrue word to anyone in this room.”

She stopped momentarily, her icy stare landing itself on the judge who sat before all of us – above us, as a superior force. After all, he was the one who directed this, though he wasn’t the one who held the young man’s life in his hands. His life was for the jurors to decide.

“I am no falsifier, nor am I lady Justice for that matter. However, I wouldn’t have bothered taking up this job if I didn’t believe in a fair and honest trial, if I didn’t think a boy from the slum’s life was as valuable as my own,” her speech came across as a seethe, as if she had to tell the man as though the statement wasn’t obvious, as if it were normal to join the area of law without a sense of justice.

With a sharp, yet gentle turn, Koseina found herself facing the jury once more. I could tell by the silently fiery look in her eyes that she was preparing for a final blow.

“I look into you twelve men as if you’re making a decision which will determine the fate of our world. I beg of you, see to it that this young man is judged correctly and that he lives a better life than the one he lived prior to this after this is all finished,” she began, pacing toward the set of gentlemen again, “Make certainly sure that you examine the evidence with precision. Do not, allow bias to become a factor in deciding the boy’s fate.” Her pace came to an end in front of the jury, and since she was standing with her side facing the men, she only moved her head to the side so that she could see them in her line of vision. “Prejudicial postulations obscure what is the honorable truth. And as Lady Justice would say if she was more than just a figure of stone…”

This was it. The final blow. It was sure to be like the cat of nine tails, a harsh lash across the back that was sure to leave a red mark and a bruise.

“…And justice for all.”

 Clack, clack, clack.

 The woman took her seat before the judge once more, her expression as though nothing at all had happened within the walls of this court. Though the way everyone else’s features were contorted in the room told a story far different to what was presented by the cause herself.

 God, this woman never ceased to amaze me.

 Such passion, such ruthlessness, such sheer and absolute power.

   ~

  Koseina Saiban Masayoshi. While the woman herself wasn’t of Japanese ethnicity, that was where she was born and raised halfway before she came to live in the UK, where her fair skin, icy blue eyes and white-blonde hair better suit the scenery. Her first two names quite literally translate from the words ‘fair trial’, while her last name is derived from the word Justice. I’m not sure if it was merely a coincidence, or if her parents had her life mapped out before her as she grew from a new maiden to finishing her schooling. But regardless – pardon my French – she was pretty fucking good at her job.

From the moment she began, she had all jurors called onto any case on their knees, begging for forgiveness for the fact that they had let bias and prejudice overcome their senses upon learning the surface factors of cases. I mean, I speak metaphorically, but in all honesty from their looks they might as well have been.

Just then, you as the reader got a peek at what a case that she’s put onto follows. The issue being investigated was that of a boy who was accused of murdering his father, and after being called onto the case and analyzing the evidence with absolute precision, as per usual, she came to the conclusion that he wasn’t, in fact, guilty. Her speeches were always so dramatic, as I assumed was to provoke a sense of realization that felt similar to that of being branded by a blazing hot rod of metal. I say assumed because I didn’t actually know the woman personally. I myself am actually just a journalist, and attending any court case she was called onto was more of my own personal investigation, after having been on the jury for the first time while she was the lawyer of a brittle old man who had been accused of murder. She proved otherwise, and I swear I was on the edge of my seat from the moment she began speaking. How I knew the personal information of hers that I spoke of? Research, I suppose you could say. I translated her name out of pure boredom, and found myself laughing as though I’d cracked an impossible puzzle when I read the results. The fact that she had lived in Japan in the earlier half of her life came from a news article I had read on her, after her first few cases in which all were successful in her favor. And while seen as an idol in my eyes, she was very much seen as a rival – an obstacle – in the eyes of those who worked in the same line of work as her, against her.

I’d imagine that you must be thinking, wow, she must be loaded. You aren’t wrong in such an observation, it’s common knowledge that lawyers can make up to $100,000 a year. But she doesn’t do the job for the money, that much is clear. You probably think I’m lying – that she’s lying, for that matter. Maybe she’s trying to bring out a lovable character in herself with such a lie. I can promise you, she doesn’t give a shit about how other people see her. The only thing that seemed to matter to her was justice for those who could not obtain it through their own means, and whether she was raised like that or it had become an automatic moral on her own whim would remain a mystery to me.

~

[bemused-writer]

VNC Chapter 39 Analysis

This chapter immediately got off to a good start. With the return of Roland to the series the tone immediately takes a more energetic, urgent vibe. We also see that Noé has a pretty good understanding of Vanitas’s feelings both about Roland and hugs:

In other words, Vanitas can’t stand either and Noé is willing to be the body shield for the occasion. Probably doesn’t hurt that Noé likes both Roland and hugs, so it’s not like he’s making a huge sacrifice here....

Regardless, his efforts are for naught! Roland shields them both from the chasseur ships and we get an interesting tidbit as well:

They were heading to Saugues? I’ll admit I have no first-hand knowledge of France, so if anyone knows better please let me know, but looking at a modern map indicates Saugues is quite a bit further away than Gévaudan! From Paris to Saugues is 533 km while Paris to Gévaudan is 575 km. All this time, I was assuming they were heading for Gévaudan but Roland is making it sound like they ended up at Gévaudan purely by accident.

Chapter 24 never outright said where they were going, just that they were going somewhere. Gano was supposed to meet up with Astolfo, but so far we haven’t seen this Gano whatsoever.

So, Roland might be lying and I wouldn’t put it past him. Maybe they were heading for Gévaudan but he doesn’t want Noé or Vanitas to know that just yet. But he might also be telling the truth, which raises three interesting questions: Where is Gano? Why were they heading to Saugues? What was the incident in Carcassonne? Also, if you’re wondering (like I was), Carcassonne isn’t exactly close to Gévaudan either; it’s 301 km away. 8D Regardless of whatever else we learn in this chapter, we know the chasseurs are used to long-distance assignments all over France. I suppose this makes sense; they seem to have a limited amount of paladins and they’re keeping tabs on the whole country.

Getting back to Roland, he has immediately made himself Noé and Vanitas’s co-conspirator and I love it.

Noé looks slightly enchanted, which fits in with his general attitude twoard Roland at all times and Vanitas looks like his soul might depart from his body at any moment, which is also consistent to his reactions toward Roland. XD

What’s really great is the reason Roland gives them for why he’s helping them in the first place:

This is... technically not a lie, but Roland is omitting a lot of the truth here as well. Roland does like Noé, there’s no doubt about that, but a big part of why he’s helping them is because he no longer fully trusts the Church. He suspects they’re hiding something and he’s entirely correct. He’s been researching the Beast of Gévaudan since volume 5, chapter 22.

Even then he wasn’t seeking out banned books. He’s toeing the line remarkably well. Furthermore, the fact he isn’t telling this to Noé or Vanitas shows he still has enough loyalty to the Church that he isn’t about to voice his criticisms to outsiders; he wants to learn the truth of it for himself.

All of this is in interesting contrast to his namesake. The Roland from “The Song of Roland” never questioned the Church, his Christian morals, or whether their foe was someone they should defeat. He was a stalwart warrior who was loyal to an extreme. This Roland is loyal but he has no problem asking questions or adjusting his belief system.

Noé doesn’t suspect he’s not being given the whole truth, however, and confesses he likes Roland as well. I double checked the Japanese for this and they’re both using “suki” to describe their affection. With the reactions on display I had almost wondered if they were using “daisuki.” XD If they had, it would have been essentially a love confession and the ship would have been sailing freely, but as it is it’s a little toned down. This has done nothing to appease Vanitas, however:

Vanitas’s anger could be for two separate things (or both!): 

1) He can’t stand Roland, so the insinuation that Noé’s little declaration somehow counts for him as well is disgusting.

2) Noé is getting along with Roland exceedingly well. Arguably better than he gets along with Vanitas and he’s focusing all his attention on him, forgetting why they’re there in the first place. In other words, he’s a little jealous. He can’t exactly go around saying that--it would hardly fit his character--so he just gives Roland something to do. An important something, there’s no question that it needs to be done, but it’s also something that will keep Roland away from both him and Noé for a while.

Noé’s strong reaction to Roland’s declaration as well as the one back in the catacombs where Roland announced they were friends indicates to me that Noé is kind of lonely. That isn’t surprising; he only ever really had two friends and one of them died a few years back. Teacher only visited sporadically from what we’ve seen and Dominique is restrained in her affection in the present, which is understandable. She can’t let Noé how she feels, so she can hardly go around announcing something like this in the way Roland can. Of course, Vanitas can’t really be described as affectionate at all. 

Noé is pretty open with how he feels about people, so Roland is probably a nice change of pace and probably the only person being as open and forthright as Noé wishes everyone would be. Granted, as I just pointed out, a lot of Roland’s openness is a facade, but Noé doesn’t know that....

We also get to see Roland and Olivier in action at last!

Furthermore, we got to see Olivier’s weapon, which seems unnecessarily violent in my opinion. XD A sword and a chainsaw? Sounds excruciating... And apparently he’s quite vicious with it. I laughed pretty hard at how the villagers were initially cheering him on without abandon, but the more he fought the wolves the more their cheers started to die down as they realized this guy might be a little unhinged. 

That one guy became physically ill...

It’s also confirmed that Olivier’s weapon shares the same name, Hauteclaire, as his namesake in “The Song of Roland,” too. According to the edition I have on hand, Hauteclaire means “Highbright” while Durandal (Roland’s weapon) might mean “Enduring.”

As for the mysterious Gano, I haven’t yet seen a name that looks like his in the poem. Maybe it’s a nickname? If so, I wonder if he might be Ganelon. In that case, his weapon would be Murgleys, which the translation thinks may mean “Death brand.” If he does ever show up, I think we may find him the most fearsome paladin yet.

Olivier and Roland are each leading their own teams (team 6 for Roland, team 3 for Olivier) and we finally get to see how these two interact during battle and it’s exactly what I hoped for: Olivier is barely tolerating his nonsense, and Roland is getting his way through sheer force of will alone. In this regard, they’re definitely like their counterparts but the main difference is that they’re both leaders here as opposed to Olivier working for Roland. Granted, he seems to give in to what Roland wants regardless, so...

But Olivier is no fool. He sorts out why Roland is making such bizarre requests.

He knows that the only people to get Roland to change the way he does everything, to make him rethink his belief system, is Noé (and kind of Vanitas). He kind of looks worried; he knows Roland is pushing things with the Church, but there’s nothing he can do to stop him.

For all of Olivier’s worries though, Roland will do his job. He will wipe out all the vampires if he has to.

It’s all too easy to forget how dangerous Roland actually is but let’s not forget that while Astolfo called him a “buffoon of a man” this was the image he had of Roland when he thought of him:

He’s looking down on him with a face of stern judgment. That’s not a man to be messed with. Makes me wonder how Astolfo and Roland actually get along...

As it is, Noé only has the barest inkling of Roland’s true nature himself. But this scene makes one thing very clear: Roland is restraining himself. He has no doubt he could kill Chloé and quite likely Jean-Jacques if he needed to. It would be fascinating to see him and Jeanne fight each other. They’re each absurdly powerful but they each restrain themselves for personal reasons. If they ever did have a confrontation where neither was hindered, I honestly don’t know who would win. On the flipside, imagine if they teamed up? My goodness...

This monster kind of reminds me of Prédateur in the catacombs arc. It’s misshapen and grotesque. I suppose it must be a result of Chloé losing control of her power? I’m looking forward to seeing how he and Olivier sort it out.

This chapter we also finally got some insight on Jeanne as well. Honestly, I really thought this arc would be focusing a lot more on Jeanne than it actually did, so I’m glad we’re finally getting back to her.

Jeanne was knocked out along with nearly everyone else who was too close to Chloé, including Astolfo, Dante, and Marco (Astolfo’s assistant). She’s lost in a memory, and it’s a memory that is very interesting:

She’s surrounded by water and she’s being approached by a man with a candle, telling her she’s a doll who must obey without question.

To me, it looks very much like she’s in a tank, much like whoever this individual is:

Both Jeanne and the girl (?) in the tank have something to do with Ruthven as well. Furthermore, both of them react to Charlatan, which I’ll get back to in just a second.

There’s a theory that’s gone around that the Jeanne we know might be a clone and I’m really starting to wonder if that might be the case. Look at this flashback of her parents, for example:

The way this is set up is confusing. At first I thought the two individuals in the first panel were her parents but they kind of look like chasseurs, don’t they? Furthermore, they ask her if she’s alone and if she’s all right. After that we cut immediately to the second panel, which we know for a fact is a conversation between her parents and Ruthven, and it’s shown they’re not her biological parents.

If the two in the first panel are chasseurs, I think it’s safe to say she was probably in one of those tanks in the catacombs at some point and that she’s some kind of experiment, possibly of Dr. Moreau’s or simply of the Church/Ruthven more generally. Either way, not a good thing.

When her parents betray the vampires, she’s the one who’s punished, which is just absurd and heartbreaking.

This goes a long way toward explaining why Jeanne is so hesitant on occasion. She knows the price of doing things according to her own will: someone else will die in her place.

I think for the first time we’re actually seeing what she and Vanitas have in common. Neither of them were allowed much agency in their youth, both were treated as subhuman/vampire, and both are try to rectify the mistakes of their past. They differ in how they want to accomplish that, however. For Jeanne, she’s decided that the only way to sort through the horrors of her past is to obey and cut off any sense of individuality she might have. Vanitas is inflicting his opinions on the world at large and is trying to separate himself from other individuals by denying them any agency.

But this chapter we see them both go the opposite direction. Jeanne was reiterating to herself that she cannot be a person--she must be a tool. There’s no point trying to save Chloé--she’s beyond that point and Vanitas and Noé can’t hope to get there in time. But then:

 Vanitas extends a helping hand to Jeanne. A real helping hand, for once, free of any demand or manipulation. He tells her it isn’t too late to help Chloé; something can still be done.

What follows is something I find fascinating:

They’re having a genuine, honest discussion of how Jeanne sees things and we see how low Jeanne’s self-esteem is. She can’t even allow herself to hope for something, to wish for a different path in life. And for once, Vanitas actually seems understanding. I think he’s been here before; he knows what it’s like to have no hope for a better future, to accept a fate of darkness.

And when he was at his lowest, ready to give up utterly, someone helped him see another way of doing things. It almost doesn’t need to be pointed out, this chapter already does, but that person was Noé.

Vanitas is offering hope in the only way he knows how and is it any surprise that when he’s at his most genuine, his most caring, he’s imitating Noé? That doesn’t mean he’s being false here, quite the opposite, but it indicates Noé is the only example he has to go off of, the only person who has ever given him this kind care, and now he’s offering it to Jeanne in turn.

There’s no doubt in my mind that this is the first time Vanitas and Jeanne have felt genuine or romantic and it’s fascinating to witness. A lot of people would argue that the scene in the cabin was romantic; it was framed to look like a kiss after all! But to me that was more about Jeanne asserting herself; it didn’t further their relationship in a romantic sense. But this? A genuine exchange of feelings and a real offer to help her for once? That speaks greater volumes of how they’re both changing their perspectives of each other far more than what came before.

Even though Vanitas is offering to help Jeanne, she still can only bear to ask him to help Chloé out loud. She asks him to help her inwardly, but they’re still not at the point where she feels she can ask him to help her specifically.

Will they ever have a real, proper romance? I don’t know. When Jeanne reveals she does, in fact, care about whether Vanitas lives or dies, he returns to his usual playful, carefree demeanor. In other words, the act he always puts on when he’s around Jeanne. After all, he has no interest in Jeanne actually loving him. He still doesn’t want that. It raises the question of what it is he does want from her, especially as their relationship continues to change the further into the series we get.

Hmm, will Vanitas or Jeanne die first? That’s the big question, isn’t it? Vanitas is trying to fulfill a broken promise to Misha through Jeanne but we don’t know what that promise was exactly. We can guess it was similar to the promise he made Jeanne, though.

If the salvation Misha needed was death, if the salvation Jeanne needs is the same, than it would really be in Vanitas’s own best interest not to grow too attached to her. We already know Vanitas is actually pretty bad at not getting attached to people though (just look at Noé and then also consider how similar Noé and Jeanne are personality-wise), so he may be in more trouble than he realizes.

If Vanitas dies before her he would, in essence, be breaking his promise once more, something he refuses to do. And we can tell this is something that’s definitely on his mind, because this is what he says to Noé shortly after.

Honestly, this is Noé’s fault. It’s only because of Noé that Vanitas keeps growing attached to people, keeps caring strongly enough to risk everything to help them. Noé is the one that keeps forcing him to change his views and to do things he’d never do normally.

Now he’s made a promise he knows he might not be able to keep, and that’s helping Chloé but if she hurts anyone in Gévaudan, there’s nothing he can do. They can’t take out all the chasseurs and Roland made it clear that he would do what he must. They have a very limited time frame to work with now and Vanitas has promised Jeanne he would save Chloé, all because he’d been in Jeanne’s position once before and when he had been, Noé helped. Now he’s essentially trying to be Noé but he doesn’t have the boundless confidence that things will work out the way Noé does. He knows this is foolhardy and has a very strong possibility for failure.

Despite being in the same room, Noé appears not to have heard any of Vanitas’s exchange with Jeanne. It looks like he was checking on other people in the room, but honestly... How does he keep missing all of this?

I really can’t wait for the next chapter; I’m curious to see how things are resolved and who takes part in what. There are a lot of ways this could go now and I hesitate to speculate. I will say that if Vanitas accomplishes what he promised Jeanne then I think they will grow closer whether he wants it or not. If he fails... I don’t know what that will do to their relationship. They won’t be completely divided; they have a deal of sorts. But their relationship would be a great deal more frayed than it was before.

Last but not least, I mentioned that both Jeanne and the girl in the tank react to Charlatan. It’s a small thing, but when Naenia’s name was mentioned, the girl’s hand twitched with recognition. Furthermore, Jeanne was actually approached by Charlatan:

Charlatan is replaced by Ruthven. To me, it seems very likely that Ruthven and Charlatan are not only working for one another but very closely linked. There was some proof beforehand that Ruthven might be a curse bearer but maybe it’s more than that. Maybe he’s spreading the curse himself in Charlatan’s stead. Furthermore, Ruthven is linked both to Jeanne, that girl in the tank, and Naenia. It’s looking immensely suspicious, but I feel like it’s relatively safe to say Jeanne is a curse bearer. Of course, if that’s the case, it means Noé is also a curse bearer and that’s going to cause some trouble later on.

Also, Jeanne used to be a bourreau for the whole senate. She was only permitted to continue because of Ruthven’s interventions. Despite how his treatment of her has been iffy at best, it’s no wonder she is loyal to him.