#nights into dreams selph

[pawsometoons]

Drew NiGHTS and Selph in some outfits from a little outfit challenge I found!

I uh.. cant really remember where the post was, but I still have the image! (If anyone knows the original post, you could probably send it to me so I can edit it into the post ^^)

[sisile]

Selph concept art

[realareturns]

A closer look at Wizeman’s defeat and damage animations in JoD since they’re usually hard to see in game

I also zoomed in on his throne and found there’s an image on the back of it? Some kind of figure that doesn’t really match any character in the game

[cloudsquills]

SELPH!?!?

uhhh the staff is based off of that mirror staff rumor and their uhhh whatever those are bends under their hood when its on

selph is a defective nightmaren like nights, and they are suuuuper awesome sauce

here are my old arts of my selph design

it changed a bit but yknow, similar

[ascelhire]

[ID: 1 hour long extension of the song "Know Thyself!" from Nights. It has a triumphant tone, consisting of brass and orchestral instruments. /End ID]

do yall remember when selph said it's selphing time then selphed all over the place

[korbydaze]

Have some selph

[redrockbluerock]

Queen Bella doodle sheet i've been workin on for a bit

specifically the version of her who pops up in my dreams and stuff sometimes.

plus one showing how i INTEND to draw the game version

everyone need to draw bella more

bonus sling doodle of her

this version of Bella is considered a younger sibling to NiGHTS, Reala, Jackle, and Selph.

Ended up faking her death after her defeat in Journey

currently a weird little goldsmith who likes bothering the 'radioactive freak'

bigger versions of the text doodles

[nightsdreamgates]

08 . March . 2024

Know Thyself.

[octocharger]

drops my Selph concept

[marinerainbow]

A while ago, when I got into the NiGHTS fandom, I offered my own take on Selph- or as I called them, Mirrage. However, that was while I was still new to posting about my own headcannons, storytelling and character design (not that I'm an expert now). Looking back, I don't like how I made the post or described Mirrage's design too much. So here is my reprised post about;

Selph Mirrage the Forgotten

Story

As we all know, Wizeman was not from the world of dreams. A human with an evil heart trapped in a world where creation is life, it was only inevitable what he'd choose to do. However, as a human who didn't hold any one of the ideya, Wizeman needed to find a way to gain more power. Enough to overthrow the guardians and the firsts and create his own empire. The only thing he could do was to use his own black heart to create a whole new entity. One that would obey his command alone, and could deliver him the essence of the people of the night dimension.

That was the cycle that Mirrage was born. The first false nightmaren.

Mirrage was as cunning and cruel as Wizeman himself was. Perhaps even more so. Being created from greed for power and an insatiable lust, the porcelain nightmaren used their power of reflection and their various abilities to destroy all that were obstacles in their masters path. They had to start little by little, feasting on little pixies and beasts before they were strong enough to destroy a guardian. Every defeat, they would give Wizeman the essence of the fallen, and he would grow more unrecognizable and twisted. Though it never seemed to bother Mirrage, and they continued to do as they were told. Until, one fateful cycle, Wizeman became the tyrant we all know, and was able to take control of half of the night dimension; Nightmare.

Mirrage was meant to be his right and left hand. His sword and shield. When Wizeman took the throne, he made Mirrage his second in command, and even general to his growing army, giving Mirrage the luxury of a true first-class nightmaren. Though not out of respect. He knew Mirrage had to have the same desires he held, being born from his own heart. So this was meant to placate the mirror 'maren, until he could find a way to either break Mirrage down or destroy them.

His suspicions were correct, as Mirrage had never been truly loyal to the tyrant. Not even at the beginning. Every celestial and lunar they killed, they took some of the guardians' power for themselves, which prompted them to believe that not only Wizeman wasn't as powerful as he thought, but they could overthrow him themselves and take what they believed was rightfully theirs. After so long of playing the thankless servant, they were ready to face their creator.

However, they had vastly underestimated Wizeman. Not only had he beat them down, but he had prepared their prison for them by now, too; trapping them in the very mirror labyrinth they had created to lure in and confuse their victims- visitor and dream being alike. Stripped of their status and slowly being forgotten in the night dimension, Wizeman believed that Mirrage would never be an issue for him again... Though there was one thing that Mirrage never told him about their little nightmare.

They had found a way to connect their labyrinth with the reflection realm. They were able to travel throughout all of the night dimension, but only through looking glasses, bodies of water, polished metal, and anything else that held a reflective surface. They were not a part of Nightmare or Nightopia; they could only peer into the world that they once called their land, watching time and people pass by and experience everything they took for granted. While they were cursed to only watch.

And all it did was fuel their rage and vendetta against their prisoner. The cycle that they break free will be the cycle that everyone will be reminded of why they are the greatest nightmare to have ever lived.

Character Design

Mirrages appearance hasn't changed much. This is more or less redoing their suit, as well as a few touches.

Starting with their natural appearance, Mirrage is a nightmaren made out of porcelain and is as white as snow. If you touch them, they feel cool and smooth like a doll. However, their body and 'skin' move like they were made of flesh and blood; there are no visible joints connecting their limbs together. When hit, they crack and can even shatter, though they can always magically repair themselves. They're tall, around 7'9 to be exact, and have a very slim and androgynous body type. Though they can change it if so desired. I'm debating whether they have claws, or finger armor like the picture beneath. Maybe both?

Their eyes are rather unique. At least compared to the other nightmaren we've seen. They have a sapphire blue sclera and a bright yellow iris, and the white pupils are in the shape of a four pointed star. They painted their bottom lip gold and they have cat eye lashes, but that's the extent of their makeup on a normal day. They also do not possess a nose or ears like the other nightmaren, but could easily form themselves those features if desired.

Their cowl/horns extend outwardly and down the sides of their head and curve inward, as if framing their face like a mirrorframe. The cowl is midnight blue, with bright yellow stripes going down the horns and silver borders on both sides of all the stripes. I'm considering maybe a silver fleur swirl design within the yellow and connecting to the silver borders as well, though I'm not sure yet. Also, they have golden caps at the tips of their horns with tear drop shaped jewels attached, acting somewhat like earrings. What color they are, I'm currently debating with my friend Marshmallow. I'll be sure to touch up on this post later.

Their outfit I struggled the most with. I'm not the best at designing clothes, but I think I got it. I took inspiration from Balan from Balan Wonderworld and Jareth from Labyrinth. They have a seamless full body suit that is a sparkling midnight blue, with a lacey ivory cravat and frilled cuffs and chained golden buttons lining the breast. The legs of the body suit turn black in an ombre effect and connect to their sharp, black high heels with silver bottoms. The suit tail is a cut in a sharp V shape and reaches down to just a few inches below the knee. And pinned to their cravat is an oval shaped brooch with the same jewel their cowl jewelery is made of. Again, I'll come back to this later.

And finally, their voice. They technically can have any voice they want and can mimic anybody perfectly. However, they have two true voices that they like to switch between at a whim. Their feminine voice claim is Bayonetta from the game by the same name, and their masculine voice claim is the eel from Padak.

Tid-Bits

Their insides are an inky, coagulated mess. If you can strike hard enough, the black goo will drip out of the crevices. You can see a hint to what lies beneath when they open their mouth; it looks just like a black mamba, aside from their perfectly pearly white fangs- that are also porcelain.

They do have a staff. It was taken from them when they were banished, but they'll be able to summon it again once they are free. It is a gold and blue striped staff with a crystal ball balanced within a bejeweled golden hoop at the top. They can extend it long enough to walk with it, or shorten it to the length of a scepter.

Although while they're peering into the night dimension they can't touch anything, they still hold some power in their nightmare realm. If you meet them in the labyrinth, you'll find that their reflection could touch or grab yours, or any other object with you, without physically making contact.

Mirrage is a manipulative silver tongued snake, using whatever trick up their sleeve to gain the upper hand. They'll strike deals, make false promises, intimidate, anything. And they'll find a way to use your own words against you, so you better watch what you say around them.

Being created from a human heart, Mirrage is not a stranger to human desires. Not just for materialistic things, but even companionship. You could use this against them, but only if you plan your cards right. As a trickster, they can recognize a poorly thought out ploy attempting to be played on them, but they did also fail to overthrow Wizeman. Remember that. Just don't remind them that.

Being able to travel mostly unnoticed throughout the night dimension, they know many many secrets. I wouldn't recommend making your confessions near a lake or in front of your vanity if you wish for them to be unheard.

As you might have guessed, they use they/them pronouns and can easily change their appearance if they want to look more feminine or masculine. They don't know the meaning of 'cisgender'. They are whatever they like to be.

Since they aided Wizeman in the genocide of the guardians, that makes them and my OC Prism comnected... I may or may not be planning something with this.

Mirrage both respects and envies NiGHTS. They rebelled while still keeping their freedom. And Mirrage knows that that courage ideya shard must have something to do with NiGHTS turning on Wizeman. They think it might even save them from their prison. The trick however, is luring the little rapscallion into their realm in the first place.

When Wizeman finally falls and Reala takes the throne, Mirrage will present themselves to him, offering to help him become a better ruler in exchange for their status back... Though I'm certain we all know what they must be really planning by now.

Jackle... Is rather entertaining. They sometimes find their way to his guillotine and watch him do whatever he's doing at that moment. As far as they know, the failed first level has no idea about their existence.

The name Mirrage is a pun; combining the word mirror and mirage together to point to their character.

And that's my take two on Selph/Mirrage!! I hope you guys like my take ^^

[s0nia246]

My Selph Design

̩̩͙ ✩•̩̩͙ *˚⁺‧͙ ⁺ •° + *•̩̩͙✩. •̩̩͙*˚ ⁺‧͙⁺ ˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩. •̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙ ⁺˚*• ̩̩͙✩• ̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙ ⁺˚ * • ̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚* •̩̩͙✩. •̩̩͙ * ˚⁺‧͙ ·͙⁺˚*• T ̩̩͙✩. •̩̩͙ * ˚⁺‧͙ ⁺ •° + * •̩̩͙✩. •̩̩͙* ˚ ⁺‧͙⁺ ·͙⁺˚*•

In shadowed depths, where Selph resides, A labyrinth of whispers hides. "Know thyself," the echoes call, Through caverns dark and memory's thrall.

Nightmares crawl, with claws of fear, Twisting truth, making shadows clear. They paint a canvas stark and cold, Of hidden flaws and stories untold.

But hold! For dawn brings dreams alight, Unfurling wings that take us flight. They dance with hope, on stardust gleams, Reflecting desires, unspoken dreams.

So dive within, where Selph resides, Embrace the dark, where truth confides. For nightmares hold a hidden key, To unlock strengths you long to see.

And let your dreams, like morning dew, Nourish the seeds of what is true. In knowing self, in light and shade, A tapestry of wholeness is made.

So journey on, through fear and grace, Discover Selph, in every space. For in the depths, where shadows meet, You'll find the light, and make it sweet.

̩̩͙ ✩•̩̩͙ *˚⁺‧͙   ⁺ •° + *•̩̩͙✩. •̩̩͙*˚   ⁺‧͙⁺ ˚   *•̩̩͙ ✩.    •̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙       ⁺˚*• ̩̩͙✩•    ̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙    ⁺˚ * • ̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*       

Name: Selph

Nickname: Self, Big Sibling(by NiGHTS)

Gender: None

Pronounces: Any

Species: Unknown

Level: Unknown

Birthplace: Nightmare

Affiliation: None

Alignment: Chaotic

Neutral Height: 10'1ft / 309cm

Voice claim:English Voice Claim: Boris Karloff ( Specifically the Grinch)

Japanese Voice Claim: Yuichi Nakamara

Instrument: Pipe Organ

(I have a headcanons that every nightmare plays an instrument. For example:

NiGHTS plays the flute, and I headcanon that Reala plays the Harp.)

Personality: Selph is a complex and multifaceted being, with a personality that reflects their conflicting desires and motivations. On the surface, they exude an air of unwavering loyalty and dedication to Wiseman, their creator, carrying out his commands without question and with ruthless efficiency. They are a fierce protector and servant, willing to go to any lengths to ensure Wiseman's plans are carried out to perfection.

Beneath this facade of loyalty, however, lies a deep sense of emptiness and longing for something more. Selph wrestles with inner conflict and a desire to break free from the confines of their role as a mere tool of destruction. They harbor a yearning for purpose and autonomy, a desire to forge their own path and find meaning beyond serving as Wiseman's pawn.

Despite their cold and unyielding exterior, Selph possesses a hidden depth of emotion and empathy. They have witnessed the suffering and oppression inflicted upon their fellow nightmaren by Wiseman's cruel rule, fueling a righteous fury and determination to seek justice and freedom for their kind.As they navigate the mirror labyrinth and confront their inner demons, Selph's true nature begins to emerge, revealing a being poised on the brink of self-discovery and liberation.

Backstory: Selph was created by Wiseman using the remains of the previous guardians of the Night Dimension.

They were designed to be loyal servant and protector of Wiseman, carrying out his bidding without question. As the first of their kind, Selph was gifted with powerful abilities and a fierce determination to carry out their creator's will.

With thier sleek, robotic appearance and sharp, angular features, Selph struck fear into the hearts of all who crossed thier path. They moved with swift precision, thier glowing red eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of danger or disobedience.

Selph's loyalty to Wiseman was unwavering, and thier would stop at nothing to ensure his plans were carried out to perfection. They had no qualms about using thier powers to crush anyone who stood in thier way, acting as a relentless force of destruction and chaos.

Despite thier formidable power and unyielding dedication to Wiseman, Selph harbored a deep sense of emptiness within thier mechanical heart.

They longed for something more than just blindly following thier creator's commands, yearning for a purpose of thier own beyond serving as a mere tool of destruction.

As time went on, Selph's internal conflict grew, stirring a rebellion within thier circuits that threatened to shatter the very foundation of thier existence. Deep down, they knew that she was more than just a puppet of Wiseman, and that she had the potential to forge her own path in the world. However Wiseman caught on to thier rebellion and imprisoned them in the mirror labyrinth.

Trapped within the confines of the mirror labyrinth, Selph found herself surrounded by endless reflections of herself, each one a distorted and twisted version of the nightmaren she once was. Wiseman's cruel punishment served as a constant reminder of her failure to obey his commands, imprisoning her in a prison of endless mirrors where her own image taunted and mocked her at every turn.

Despite the oppressive atmosphere of the labyrinth, Selph refused to give in to despair. As Selph explored the mirror labyrinth, she discovered the hidden power within herself that allowed her to travel throughout the night dimension using reflective surfaces, they could only look though the mirror.

With each reflective surface that Selph traversed through, she gained a unique perspective on the Night Realm, observing its inhabitants and the events unfolding within its shadowed corners. As she watched over the realm from her vantage point in the reflective world, Selph meticulously planned her revenge on Wiseman, carefully considering every detail and strategy to ensure his downfall.

Through the looking glasses and bodies of water, Selph witnessed the suffering and oppression inflicted upon the nightmaren by Wiseman's cruel rule. The reflections showed her the depths of despair and fear that plagued her kind, fueling her determination to free them from their tyrannical master once and for all.

In the mirrored surfaces of polished metal, Selph caught glimpses of Wiseman's machinations and schemes, his arrogance and malevolence laid bare before her eyes. She studied his movements and tactics, analyzing his weaknesses and vulnerabilities, all the while biding her time and waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

With each reflection she passed through, Selph grew stronger and more resolute in her quest for vengeance. The mirror images served as a constant reminder of the injustices committed against her and her fellow nightmaren, fueling her righteous fury and driving her forward towards her ultimate goal. Especially when NiGHTS had rebeled from Wiseman's control. They watched how Nights interacted with Vistors and the powers they held together. Selph would wait thier time until NiGHTS was strong enough to defeat Wiseman.

When the time came, NiGHTS and the visitor end up in the mirror labyrinth Selph would fight NiGHTS in combat to see if they were ready and strong enough to defeat Wiseman. When NiGHTS defeats Selph, Selph gaves NiGHTS and the Vistor thiers power and knowledge on how to defeat Wiseman.

Character Quirks:

Analytical Observer: Selph has a tendency to observe situations and individuals with meticulous attention to detail, analyzing every aspect and potential outcome.

Reflective Speech: Selph often uses reflective language, drawing metaphors from mirrors and reflections in their speech, reflecting their connection to the mirror labyrinth.

Nocturnal Patroller: Despite being imprisoned in the mirror labyrinth, Selph maintains a nocturnal rhythm, feeling more active and focused during the dark hours, which is when they were originally designed to operate.

Mechanical Precision: Selph's movements and actions are characterized by a mechanical precision, reflecting their robotic nature. This precision can be both an advantage and a limitation in certain situations.

Hidden Empathy: Despite their intimidating exterior, Selph possesses a hidden empathy for the suffering of their fellow nightmaren, and this empathy occasionally surfaces in unexpected ways.

Third Person Narration: Selph has a peculiar habit of referring to themselves in the third person.

Positive Character Quirks:

Strategic Thinker: Selph excels in strategic thinking, carefully planning their actions and anticipating the consequences, making them a valuable ally in complex situations.

Resilient Determination: Selph demonstrates unwavering determination in the face of adversity, never giving up on their quest for vengeance and justice, even when facing overwhelming odds.

Ancient Wisdom: Selph, created from the remains of previous guardians, carries ancient knowledge and wisdom that can be invaluable in navigating the challenges of the Night Dimension.

Protective Instinct: Despite their chaotic alignment, Selph harbors a protective instinct, especially towards those oppressed by Wiseman's rule, making them a surprisingly caring figure in certain circumstances.

Reflective Insight: Selph's connection to reflective surfaces grants them unique insights into situations and people, providing a perspective that others might overlook.

Negative Character Quirks:

Inner Turmoil: Selph grapples with inner turmoil, torn between loyalty to Wiseman and a desire for autonomy, creating moments of internal conflict that can affect their decision-making.

Vengeful Streak: Selph's quest for vengeance against Wiseman can sometimes overshadow other considerations, leading them to make choices driven more by revenge than rationality.

Isolation Tendency: Due to being trapped in the mirror labyrinth, Selph may exhibit a tendency towards isolation, finding solace in their reflections rather than seeking companionship.

Emotional Restraint: Selph's robotic nature sometimes results in emotional restraint, making it challenging for them to express or understand certain nuanced emotions.

Trust Issues: Selph's past betrayal by Wiseman has left them with trust issues, making it difficult for them to fully trust others, even those who might be potential allies against their common enemy.

Fake ass Pomni

Headcanons: Selph looks very similar to Reala, which is why Wiseman gives Reala the silent treatment. Selph feels bad for this even though it's not thier fault.

[pawsometoons]

"Then... I will rejuvenate in slumber..."

[mephew-j]

hi! i saw your NiD where jackel (I hope im saying his name right) was like an older sibling to reala and NiGHTS, my question is how do you think the Nid turner into nights journey of dreams.

I have a theory that wizeman when he finally got nights he removed his memory same with reala and made diffrent body (aka the journey of dreams form) but wizeman was not too generous with jackle (again sorry if I say his name wrong) and ends up "getting rid of him" so that reala and nights won't reamber or have a hint of reambering jackle.

but when wizeman made Chamelan, that's when they reambered something, they reambered someone but they keep it to themselves.

do you have a similar thoughts of this? I'm quite curious as I don't see a lot of people talk about it

Thank you very much. It´s so nice to get feedback – I´m glad you like it.

You have an interesting theory, indeed.

Honestly, I have several theories about what happened to Jackle from NiD to NJod:

First one, the comedic approach and not my theory (but I really like the idea), is the one of “Roger van der Weide” with his youtube video “nights journey into dumbness” which I remember from my early teen-years (the video was uploaded in 2010, holy wow!!!).

It´s a parody of the NJoD game.

In this one Wizeman gets fed up with Jackle and after Jackle mumbles “… more like Dumb-man” he gets forbidden to appear in NJoD.

Another theory is that these two games take place in two different universes - Jackle simply doesn´t exist in NJod.

The most realistic theory, however, is that Wizeman simply killed Jackle after failing to defeat and capture Nights (boss battle in NiD).

Jackle is categorized as second-level, and we have seen what Wizeman does to second-levels in NJoD if they dare fail him (he literally crushed Donbalon and Bomamba on-screen with his bare hands). So yeah, RIP Jackle.

I think the only exceptions to that punishment are the first-levels – Wizeman didn´t punish Reala after failing to keep Nights captured in NJoD, nor did he plan to wipe Nights from existence (he wanted to keep their body, just wanted to exchange their mind).

Then again you could argue that Jackle is a special case or that his mantle protects him even from Wizeman – but I dunno.

Personally, I don´t draw an exact line between the two games, nor do I really stick to the storylines either.

I tend to rather use certain characters and parts of the world itself and create “new” stories in my head.

Some of these stories, or AUs, I put on paper (like the one where Jackle is commissioned to raise Nights and Reala) while others remain in my head.

There are AUs in which Jackle is the “main-character”, others in which the role goes to Reala or Nights. Some of the stories are fluffy and whimsical, while others are quite bloody and/or dramatic. Sometimes Selph plays a role in them (usually as the counterpart to Jackle, as Nights is to Reala  ,  or in other stories Selph is the counterpart to Wizeman).

(long AU, man)

The most fleshed out AU with Selph for example is in which Selph is Wizeman´s counterpart; while Wizeman reigns over Nightmare, Selph reigns (or rather watches) over the rest of the dream realm (somewhat similar to Nights) but they are in the position of a god.

Selph had been the first one to create life – the Nightopians – to live in the dreamt-up worlds of the visitors.

Nightopians consist of light.

Wizeman followed suit, except his creations were absence of a free will (third-level nightmarens).

Nightmarens consist of light and, depending on their level, a certain degree of ideya. While third-levels consist of light only (which is why they can reproduce with Nightopians (Mepians)), second-levels have a certain amount of ideya put into their creation.

He quickly found that his creations, other than himself, were not only capable of leaving the nightmare-dimension, but also enter, or rather infiltrate, the dream realm AND that they were able to cause harm to the residents and visitors and take something very important from them – ideya.

Ideya is the power the visitors bring along and that has the power to create new areas/new worlds (the dreams you can enter through the big doors).

Wizeman had always wanted to reign alone, and with the ideya, he would be able to extend his nightmare realm until the darkness would have even swallowed the last bit of the dream world. And who knows how far he´d be able to go from there…

Selph didn´t notice nightmaren intruding dreams at first – they were alone, and there were so many visitors with so many dreams, and Wizeman sent his nightmarens strategically.

Once noticed, Selph did their best to keep the ideya save within the dreams of the visitors, but they couldn´t be everywhere all the time and they refused to steal and use the ideya themself to create stronger Nightopians to help her cause.

The creation of second levels followed soon after the first ideya was obtained – they are more autonomous in their acts but still can´t think for themselves (they can´t think “logically”); overall they are still reliant on being told what to think and what to do.

Assigning this increasing number of nightmarens soon became an extremely time-consuming task – too much time, even for an immortal god.

Wizeman needed a creature that would lighten the workload, that could think rationally, logically and could both issue orders and carry them out itself.

He made his first attempt in creating a first-level nightmaren – he created Jackle.

Unfortunately, though, Jackle was not at all what Wizeman had in mind – he was visibly flawed.

Something had gone wrong, and Wizeman was angry – not at himself, but at his creation.

His newest creation in hand, Wizeman intended to crush his miscarriage immediately.

“Wait, Master!” the creature shouted pleadingly “One chance, Master. Give Jackle one chance: one night. And Master will be pleased. Yes?”

Wizeman stared at his failure.

Even looking at it made him feel uncomfortable.

And yet, the god responded “One venture! And do not disappoint me!”

This creation had taken up a lot of resources; light, time and, most importantly, precious ideya.

It was clearly a failed attempt, but if he would take it to the test, he might just find out WHAT exactly went wrong, what parts of it were usable and what needed to be made different next time.

When Jackle returned, Wizeman had no expectations of him.

Jackle held out two orbs of ideya to his master; a result to be expected by a second-level. Wizeman was unimpressed until his creation suddenly started cackling and pulled out several more ideya from his mantle.

When it was tasked to order other nightmarens it performed as well. In unconventional ways, sure, but it brought the relief Wizeman had intended.

Jackle got to live.

It wasn´t what Wizeman wanted, but it was functional, and it brought results.

Jackle soon began mentioning that he would be seeing or hearing things from time to time; that these phenomena would increase and be so much clearer when he was occupied with his cards.

Wizeman, though, shrugged it off as woolgathering; Jackle was defective after all.

One day Jackle and Selph encountered each other.

Selph immediately knew what was standing in front of them and tried to expel the nightmaren from the dream it had invaded.

Jackle however didn´t think of leaving.

The entity, trying to remove him, looked so much like himself, but more human, and it was so small compared to him. An intriguing creature.

He dodged and evaded the entity´s attacks, always staying close to it to get a better look.

Selph noticed the other´s gaze and stopped their attack.

After they had drawn some distance between themselves, Selph vocalized “You are a nightmaren, one of Wizeman´s creations,” they inspected the figure opposing, “… but there is something different about you: you examine me, as I examine you, you don´t fight back, the other´s mindlessly do” , Selph now stared into the nightmaren´s eyes “ What exactly are you?”

What Selph had just muttered was more of an outer monologue, they didn´t really expect an answer as none of the other nightmarens had ever answered or spoken at all, but this one opened its grinning mouth and responded

“Jackle.”

Selph opened their eyes widely, jaw dropped in disbelief.

The nightmaren laughed.

“You speak…?”

“Don´t you, too?” Jackle cocked his head and hunched his shoulders.

Selph hesitated before they blinked and lightly leaned forward “Again, please.”

“Don´t… you, too?” Jackle smiled confusedly.

“No, your… your name.”

“Jackle…?”

Selph didn´t know how to respond.

“Your name?” Jackle asked after a few seconds had passed.

“What?” Selph´s thoughts had drifted off in an attempt to apprehend what was happening and what that advanced nightmaren would mean to the dream world; what even the more worse it could do compared to the other nightmarens they had encountered thus far; were there more than just this one?

“Jackle would like to know your name, too.”

Selph cought a breath before straightening themself and darting a stern glance at the nightmaren “I am Selph.”

Jackle, not intimidated by that gesture, cocked his head again and widened his grin as he slowly hovered around the other, taking in every detail he could detect.

Selph cautiously watched the nightmaren, anticipating an attack.

But there was none.

Jackle stopped in front of Selph and looked them right into the eyes.

He cackled and then said “We look similar, but you are no nightmaren… What exactly are you?”

Selph looked at the others face and tried to read its intentions.

They then decided to take their time and hover around the nightmaren as well, taking in its form. Though, there wasn´t too much to look at, really.

Only when Selph had finished their circumnavigation they answered, “I am a god, just like Wizeman.”

Again, the reaction wasn´t quite what they had expected; the nightmaren giggled and replied, “A small god!” Jackle made a gesture with his hands to show how small they were.

Selph was dumbfounded and Jackle obviously found that amusing.

After their odd first encounter they met occasionally, randomly really, until they actively searched for the others company. Neither of them had anyone to talk to out of their own realm, so they talked to each other and started spending time together.

Their acquaintance eventually turned into friendship (whether their friendship turned into love, depends).

Both knew how dangerous it was spending time together; what would happen to Jackle if Wizeman found out, but they were two lonely souls who craved company – neither the Nightopians nor the visitors were the same to Selph as Jackle was to them, and neither were the other nightmarens and especially not Wizeman to Jackle what Selph was to him.

They both had an understanding for the other´s situation, so Selph never prevented Jackle from collecting Ideya and conversely Jackle never hindered Selph expelling the other nightmarens from the visitor´s dreams.

They both found themselves unable to change their situation and the roles they had in it.

Selph had been asking Jackle many times whether his cards had showed him any other possibility – he always negated.

Until one day Selph declared happily, they had found a permanent solution to their issue: they would flee into the world the visitor´s come from and live there.

(I´m still unsure as to how it would be possible for beings from the Night Dimension to pass into the Wake World – I mean, there is technically a possibility given in the mini-comic series by Archie but… it´s not like they ACTUALLY explained. It too would have been possible for me to just say “it´s possible with ideya”, but Selph wouldn´t use ideya; not even for escape.)

Anyhow, once they had managed to open the portal they were confronted with a problem: in order to keep the access stable and open, one of them needed to stay in the Night Dimension - they were to power sources to that portal; without at least one power source the gate would dwindle and then disappear. Then no one could escape.

They were quick to find a solution – Selph should go, they were stronger, they were the one to have the most knowledge of the Wake World and the visitors living there.

“Once I am through, I will open the portal from the other side immediately,” Selph promised “If anything prevents me from doing so now, I will do my utmost to open it as soon as I possibly can.”

And with that, Selph entered the portal and was gone.

Jackle waited a few more moments before closing the portal, then he waited.

He waited several hours but nothing happened.

He got nervous, worried something might have gone wrong. He giggled anxiously, shuffling his cards, hoping they would tell him something, tell him Selph was fine. But there were no answers to his unspoken questions.

After what felt like an eternity, he had no choice but to face the possibility, that something might have gone terribly wrong.

That Selph might not have made it.

There was no new portal.

There was no hidden message within his cards.

There was no nothing.

The night had only begun when they had started their escape – now it was nearly over.

Jackle had no choice but to resume collecting ideya.

If he´d show up without ANY, it would mean his demise.

With a heavy heart he left the area and entered the nearest dream.

Every single night, he would return, and hope to find an indication of Selph´s doing – Selph themself, a new portal, a message, an aura, a simple evidence of their presence.

He would always be disappointed.

With a rupturing hole in his chest, he carried on.

One day, Master Wizeman called for Jackle.

“I have a special task for you,” the Master announced, but didn´t amplify as he scooped ideya with one hand, and light with another.

Then, he let both hands collide and held two others underneath to make sure, no resource would get lost in the process.

He started pugging the radiating mass with all his six hands.

Once it had become one homogenous mass, he separated it into two and began to form it.

Jackle observed the process silently as he was trying to shield his eyes from the brightness with one hand.

The master took his time and Jackle wouldn´t dare to make a single sound.

He knew what he was witnessing; he knew the master was creating new first-level nightmarens.

Once the master had deemed his creations to be finished, he let them rest in one of his hands for a moment.

Jackle tried to take a closer look, even if it hurt his eyes, but wouldn´t dare move from his spot.

They were creatures reminiscent of human babies: small in stature, a big, round head and four small appendages.

Jackle dared to glance over to his master who was still inspecting his creations.

Suddenly the master took the creatures between two hands and sunk them into the black sea that was running underneath them.

Jackle couldn´t help but gasp as the creatures vanished into the void.

The blinding light they had emitted, had now been suffocated by darkness.

The sea began to bubble up and the master only recoiled his hands once it had started boiling aggressively.

With staring eyes and a gaping mouth Jackle anticipated the result, but the master hesitated to part his hands.

Did he fear another failure, or did he already know something had gone wrong again?

Jackle held his breath as the master finally revealed the outcome: two squirming and whimpering figures, so small, they were barely the size of his own hand. Their eyes were closed and their bodies in fetal positions facing one another. Their little hands reached out feeling for the other, and only when it was the others body, they would clutch onto whatever there was.

To Jackle it looked like these two bodies seemed to try to coalesce back into one being; but their weak efforts were of no avail.

Still, he couldn´t shake the feeling that what he saw were the most seraphic and wonderful creatures he had ever gazed upon.

He felt so full of vim and utterly delighted, he hadn´t noticed how his usual grin had grown into an enormous smile that only found limitation by his face.

He felt his eyes getting wet and tried to blink away the forming tears.

This hadn´t been the first time Jackle had been crying of joy, but usually it had been because of laughter that had gotten out of hand – but he had never felt anything like this before. Not even when he had been with Selph.

He couldn´t wait for his master´s allowance to approach his youngest siblings; he just had to get near them, see them from close up, carefully touch their small forms.

In awe he inspected the two nightmarens from as close as he could possibly get without touching them or the master´s hands – he knew he couldn´t risk going any further without actual allowance.

“Take them,” the master´s orotund voice reached Jackle. “Raise them to be obedient and reverent nightmaren.”

He reached out to touch his siblings´ small bodies.

“Yes, master,” Jackle whispered.

He traced the silhouettes of their little heads carefully with his index fingers and was overjoyed when their little bodies started cooing and their nervous squirming slowly subsided.

To Jackle, it was love at first sight.

[nights-and-dreams-stuff]

How did we get here...

[cut-content-contest]

Yosuke Hanamura's romance route

persona 4 has got this friendship/romance mechanic called "social links" which is basically just 10 events that you can choose to gradually level up for each sociable character in the game where you raise your relationships with said characters, which gives you various in-game boosts. most of the women in the game are able to be romanced. however, there is cut dialogue which implies that at some point, one of the male characters was meant to be a romance option as well! yosuke hanamura, the main character's best friend, has cut dialogue for his social link rank 10 event which is voiced (VOICED!! IN ENGLISH AND JAPANESE!! WHILE PEOPLE HAVE DENIED THIS SINCE THE ENGLISH VOICE LINES HAVE HIM SAYING "I LIKE YOU," IN THE JAPANESE VOICE LINES, HE IS EXPLICITLY CONFESSING TO YOU I'M PRETTY SURE!!) that implies that there was at some point going to be an option to romance him. it's assumed that this was cut somewhere later in development due to the lines being voice acted, though i believe that the reason this was cut has not been confirmed yet (though, seeing as how persona 4 was made in the 2000s....... you can probably just guess why lol)

there were unreleased voice lines that showed what was supposed to be a gay route for Persona 4 (there ARE Japanese lines for this as well, and the way in which the "I like you" part is said is the Japanese version of confessing to someone you have a crush on) and a lot of fans do agree that the protagonist is best paired with Yosuke for character development purposes, but it was probably scrapped because of homophobia 😭

Exactly what it says. Was likely scrapped because Atlus are COWARDS who didn't wanna give us the gay romance we deserved. It would have been so cute though I'm forever pissed it was scrapped...

We know it was programmed it. Yosuke is the only male character with dialogue flags, meaning you can fail his social link. The only other characters with these flags are the female love interests. Yosuke also has recorded, in both English and Japanese, final confession lines, something unique to max rank romance social links. This means it was likely scrapped very late in development. As the game also covers (badly) gender and sexuality, we can hypothesize that Yosuke's character arc was supposed to be overcoming internalized homophobia. Instead he just kinda stays "jokingly" homophobic and never grows past it.

The player would have been able to enter a romantic relationship with the character Yosuke Hanamura— text and voice lines for this option still exist within the game, and can be activated via modding. They even have proper translations, and the English versions of the lines are voiced as well, implying that the cut was made rather far into development. While this is a sad loss in its own right, it also has devastating implications in regards to the original state of other pieces of LGBT+ representation which may have also been scrapped and/or heavily modified to appear. For example, Kanji’s attraction to men and Naoto’s gender situation were both downplayed and/or walked back in the final version of the game, but it’s highly likely that Yukiko’s arc was originally intended to include more bisexual overtones, and arguments can be made for Rise’s arc being meant to center on the struggle to come to some sort of terms with her own sexuality and presentation in an industry that keeps such a tight hold on those aspects of its workers lives.

throughout the entirety of persona 4 (+golden), yosuke is portrayed to be the best friend of the protag, but also extremely homophobic towards another male character who was hinted at being gay (before atlus fucked that narrative up too). his social link hints at him having a crush on the protag, and he was intended to have a romantic route just like the female characters, but that was cut (not sure why). the whole game is about embracing the truth, including your hidden sides that you are ashamed to show to others, and having yosuke come to terms with his repressed homosexuality (& realizing that he has internalized homophobia) would have fit perfectly within that theme, but atlus said fuck that shit and cut that entire romance out. the cut dialogue can easily be found on youtube. the thing with this being cut out is that without the romance and coming to terms with his homosexuality, the only thing left of yosuke is being very homophobic. no one condems yosuke for what he says to the other male character, and it is never addressed beyond mere gags or jokes. it's horrible to sit through and honestly it was such a missed opportunity. it's such an issue that people have made a mod implementing a romantic route for yosuke just because of this. every day i mourn thinking of what could have been

This game explores many queer themes, but lacks any explicit queer relationships. The fact that file scrapers and modders discovered an unused voice line for one of the male characters that implies a romance option for him was cut from the final game makes queer fans feel let down, regardless of how groundbreaking the other queer plot points were at the time of release. It's speculated that it was cut because devs or localizers thought that it would be too much queer content in one game, and that it would affect sales and create too much controversy. I, however, believe that anyone who manages to get through the mandatory gay sauna dungeon would have had no stones to throw about an optional mlm romance.

The first party member in Persona 4, Yosuke Hanamura, was originally going to be a viable romantic partner once the player got far enough into his Social Link. This was removed rather late in development, as voiced lines for a scene where he and the protagonist begin dating were recorded in both Japanese and English. To this day, Persona 2: Innocent Sin remains the only Persona game where the protagonist can enter a gay relationship with another boy.

In this game you can choose to romance several people. There is cut voiced dialogue for a romance route for Yosuke, the main character's best friend, but in the final game he is not a romanceable character. Some are of the opinion that taking out the romance option for Yosuke removes the complexity from his character.

Self

Literally SO little is known about them. The only thing we have is a nametag and an emblem from data mining an unreleased early build of the game. We don't even know what they LOOK like, but their boss theme is on the official album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbKHPKR5Dg8

[thedragonlover95]

The long forgotten first ever nightmaren Wizman has created. Described as the Perfect being, Selph's power is equal to that of their creator. They could steal away Ideya at a much more skilled pace, while also performing their duties for the wicked god. Over time Selph has learned many things, writing books and collecting things that intrigued him, as well as creating his own music, or his own variant from other waking worlds. Their magic can even create their own uses of stages of their domain, and even take on the forms of those who gaze into one of his mirrors, should they find his symbols that they leave for others to find. With his Free Will, he has learned about Wizman's twisted plans, thus they created three nightmarens to act as the eyes, ears and voice. Created to be as accurate to their animal counterparts, while also giving them free will while also treating them as their own individuals. Selph was then sealed away by the nightmare god's powers, their magic that cannot remove it, only the god or higher ranked nightmarens can. They are wise, patient but also very powerful. Was once known among their kin, has now become a legend, its as if they never existed, , ,or did they simply just imagined it.