#or another example of this is leon

[tearsoftime0086]

One of my favorite lines in RE4R is when Leon tells Krauser, "You know, you were always an asshole" at the start of their maze encounter. Like it's so markedly different from that neutral, occasionally brothers-in-arms vibe they had in the OG DSC Operation Javier.

What baggage were you holding onto, Leon? What incident with Krauser caused you to hold onto that grudge until that very moment lmao

[cakelitter]

Darling, Don't Look Back

Brother-in-Law! Leon x Fem! Reader

warnings: p in v, oral, fingering, infidelity

summary: The sickening weight of guilt has abandoned you the minute you decided to grab your children and run away with your husband’s brother. Some might call your actions shameful. Others, deplorable, damned, even sin stained beyond redemption. They’ll whisper among each other about your doing, point and judge of what a horrible example of a wife you’ve made.

 The wife who broke the vow, and the woman who chose ruin over silence.

“He doesn’t deserve you, why are you with someone like that.” “Show me what I’m missing out on then.”

words: 2.6k

a/n: hiiiiiiiiii!!!! long time no see. sorry for ghosting everyone, uni was taking up all my time. Had this idea for a while and just had to get it out of my system, hope you enjoy!

“God, I missed you.”

Planting his face between your breast, he trails a few kisses across your sternum and makes his way up to your neck. Your hands tangle around his hair, outgrown from the last mission he came back from, pulling him even closer.

“Missed you more.”

Sloppily, his lips kiss the crook of your neck while his hand cups one of your breasts, calloused fingers tweak and pinch the stiff peak causing your back to arch.

The scene is filthy, filled with wanting eyes and unsatiated desires. If anyone were to watch the two of you, they’d assume he’s your lover.

Well, he is.

But he was never supposed to be.

The man trailing his hand beneath the waist band of your panties should be your husband, the man you walked down the aisle for, and the one who got to change your last name to match his.

Your dear husband, supposed to be your ride or die, your one and only, and the father of your last two children.

But isn’t.

The sickening weight of guilt has abandoned you the minute you decided to grab your children and run away with your husband’s brother. Some might call your actions shameful. Others, deplorable, damned, even sin stained beyond redemption. They’ll whisper among each other about your doing, point and judge of what a horrible example of a wife you’ve made.

 The wife who broke the vow, and the woman who chose ruin over silence.

Infidelity is a curse, a sickness without a cure. Snaking into its host’s mind, seducing reason and dragging them away from what is right. Your husband was its first victim, found him tangled in the arms of another when you were five months pregnant with his child.

You cried and broke and swore to never allow him to see your face or that of your unborn daughter for the rest of his life, only to find yourself together again.

“Do it for your daughter, she comes first.” Is all you heard, from your friends, family, even from the wind that howled through that bitter November air.

Your husband wasn’t there for the birth of your first child, wasn’t there to hold your hand as pushing exhausted your muscles to the brink of collapsing, wasn’t the one sleeping on the couch during your hospital stay, and wasn’t the one who your daughter looked forward to seeing on her birthday.

Uncle Leon was.

“You got this, darling. Hold on a little longer.”

Tears streamed down your face and sweat droplets formed on your forehead. Squeezing on the strong hand you’re holding as its thumb caressed your skin delicately.

“I’m gonna die.”

“No, you won’t. She’s almost here.”

It was then five minutes later when your first daughter was born into this world. At first, having the man who is supposed to be her uncle carry her before her own father stung, but now you wouldn’t wish it in any other way.

“She looks so much like you.”

“Me? Those are the Kennedy’s eyes not mine.”

And Kennedy’s eyes there were indeed. Blue and dusky, just like her other two siblings. Only difference is you didn’t have to hold in your laugh whenever your husband would say that she got them from him.

Your husband is a hard worker, that is if being a shitty father and husband was a job. God only knows how exhausting it must be trying to fall asleep on the couch with three kids running around the house— children he conveniently forgets are also his to raise.

You can’t quite remember the last time you had something positive to say about this man. Not about how he leaves his dirty laundry on the floor, not about how he made it through fatherhood without changing a single diaper, and not the way he’d rather break a rib before washing a single plate in the sink.

But all is well because you have uncle Leon is coming next week, and that’s something to look forward to. Walking through your front door, gifts for each of the kids as if he’s an all-season Santa Claus. Spanish hand fans, Statue of Liberty snow globes, prison shirts from Alcatraz—which you’re not particularly thrilled about, but you let it slide.

It’s nice having someone who cares for a change. Someone who shows up.

Memories flood back to five years ago, to when your daughter had just recently turned one. Leon came to visit the two of you after he got off work.  Luckily, he managed to see your daughter a couple of minutes before her bedtime; but it wasn’t long before she started falling asleep in his arms.

“I’ll take her to bed, don’t worry about it.”

After tucking her in, he makes his way back to the living room and sits on the couch next to you.

“Is he not home yet?” he asks, referring to his brother.

“No, he comes home pretty late. Says the crying is too much to handle.” You reply, muttering the last few words in a mocking murmur.

Leon sighs, and you attempt to avoid the eyes on your side staring at you with pity. “He’s always been an ass to deal with.”

“Yeah, tell me about it. If only I figured that out sooner.”

The two of you continue talking for a while, explaining to him how draining it is to keep up with the endless house chores and to raise a baby all on your own. You explain the sleepless nights and the arguments that circle the same dead ends, over and over.

Leon listens, really listens. And while you are touched by this kind gesture, you can’t help but feel a tad bit pathetic at how you’re pouring your heart into a crumbling marriage and to your husbands brother.

Tears begin to sting in your eyes as you try to fight the lump rising in your throat. Despite your efforts to hold it together, your voice wavers—and when he hears it, his eyes soften.

“I’m sorry, I-”

“Hey no, it’s okay.” Pulling you in a hug, all the pent-up frustration you’ve been holding back finally snaps. His hand soothingly runs up and down your back as the other holds your head against his chest.

“You deserve better, I know.”

It feels like it’s been ages since you’ve finally let out all of the pent-up emotions. Your hands grip on Leons shirt for comfort as he tenderly tries to calm you down.

After what feels like eternity, you finally quite down. Pulling away, you can feel your cheeks heat up from embarrassment. Eyes lowered; you wipe the stray tears that are rolling down your face.

You nervously fix your hair and notice out of the corner of your eye the wet patch of tears you left on his shirt.

“Sorry, probably the hormones or something.” You awkwardly whisper. Finding the courage, your eyes look up to lock with his. It’s only then that you realize the close proximity between the two of you.

His eyes linger on your face, his hand placed delicately on your side. He inches closer, eyes still locked with yours.

You go to push him away, snap yourself out of the trance you’re in. Stop yourself from thinking about his soft pink lips and about the arm wrapped around you, solid and sure. And perhaps, that was what you were supposed to do, what you’re meant to do.  

But you don’t. You stay.

For once you let yourself indulge, break free. You allow yourself to cross the line, to shatter the boundaries between what is wrong and what is right. And even if it was for just this once, his lips meet yours. And oh, who knew that sin could taste this sweet—the most saccharine kind of wrong.

Your hand grabs onto his thick arm, feeling the defined muscle beneath; you let your mind wander and you let the thoughts consume you.

“He doesn’t deserve you, why are you with someone like that.”

“Show me what I’m missing out on then.”

You knew what you got yourself into, the fire you just ignited; and knowing so you let it burn. His body weight pushes your back flush against the sofa the two of you were sitting on. Your hands tangle in his hair, seductively brushing against the top of his ear every now and then.

Wrapping your legs around his waist, you pull his pelvis flush against yours. He begins to roll his hips, causing you to bite your lip in response; feeling how hard he is underneath his jeans.

“Wanted you ever since I first saw you.”

Sliding your hands beneath his shirt, you let them roam against his bare skin before pulling him into another heated kiss. You allow him to kiss you till you’re practically drooling.

“Want it Leon, please.”

His lips curl in responds, his hand reaching towards your clothed cunt. His thumb rubs against where your clit is causing you to buck your hips in response. You feel the blood drain from your head and rush straight to your pussy in pleasure.

 “You’re so sexy.” He whispers beneath his breath. “Can I take these off?”

He asks, his hands grabbing the hem of your shorts and panties but not pulling on them. “Please.”

Pulling them down, he presses his broad palm against your thigh opening them wider for him to see. You watch as he takes in the view of you half naked in front of him, and that alone causes more slick to drip from your aching cunt.

His thumb presses against your slit, collecting the wetness and moving up to circle your clit. A soft moan escapes your lips, pulling him down to kiss him once more.

Your hands reach over an undo his jeans, slipping past them and rubbing his clothed hardened cock. He grunts against your lips, sucking in a breath when you pull him out of his boxers.

Squeezing your hand around his length, you stroke him slowly. Watching as globs of precum leave his tip and drip down your hand.

“Leon, I need it.” He laughs lowly, placing a breathy kiss on your ear. “I haven’t shown you what you’re missing out on yet, sweetheart.”

Pulling back, he places your thighs on either side of his head. His sultry blue eyes make sure to lock with yours, as he places an opened mouth kiss on your clit. He plants a few kisses on your inner thighs teasingly before giving into your whiny moans and placing his tongue flat and licking up your weeping cunt.

Your head falls back against the sofa, hands grabbing onto one of the throw pillows near you. Leons tongue dips into your pussy, his nose bumping against your sensitive clit making you see stars every time it does so.

He pulls away momentarily, shiny slick coating his stubble and mouth. His index slowly protrudes into your heat, pumping in and out of you in a slow pace before being joined with his middle finger.

“Fuck sweetheart, she’s practically crying for me.”

His fingers continue their slow motion before curling and finding the spongy spot inside you. Once your whines become louder, he takes it as a hint to pick up the speed. Your hips buck at the sensation, causing his large hand to hold them in place as his mouth sucks on your throbbing clit.

Your eyes drop down momentarily and notices that he’s stroking himself as he eats you out. A scene so filthy, it almost pushes you off the edge.

“Leon, I’m gonna cum. You’re gonna make me cum.”

“Cum, baby. Cream my face.”

It doesn’t take long before the knot in your stomach snaps, Leon’s hand covers your mouth preventing your from waking up the baby in the other room. Your head drops down against the soft cushions beneath, you feel his fingers slip out of you and hear him suck on the taste you coated them with.

He rises up and cages you beneath him, tucking one of the stray hairs away from your face and behind your ear. You smile in return, post climax sleepiness hitting you hard making your eyelids feel heavy.

Giving you a soft smile he whispers. “You seem tired, you wanna go to sleep?”

You chuckle, wrapping your arms around his neck pulling him closer to peck his lips.

“Sleep? Is this not part of the deal?” you ask slyly, dropping your eyes to his dick.

You spit on your hand and wrap your fingers around his leaking tip. He hisses at the sensation, and watches as you stroke his length. You rub your clit with his tip before aligning it against your entrance.

“You sure?”

He asks, looking like he would cry if your answer was anything other than a yes. You nod your head, and the two of you lower your eyes to where the two of you connect.

You both let out a moan in unison, watching as he bottoms out inside you with ease; you’re so wet its dripping down to the couch beneath you. Grabbing your hips, he begins to thrust into you, backing away slowly before pushing back in.

You can feel him stretch you out with each thrust, you’re so incredibly full you’re almost seeing stars.

“Best pussy, can’t believe my brother’s wife has the best pussy.”

His pace picks up; and you watch as strings of wetness and slick coat his length and connect with yours.

“Oh, fuck. You feel so good.”

“Yeah? Like being fucked on this cock?”

You let out a moan when you feel him bump against your cervix. You’re completely cock drunk at this point, babbling nonsense earning a low chuckle from him.

“He doesn’t fuck you nearly as enough huh? Poor thing.”

Your grab onto his shoulder, nails digging into the muscle beneath them.

“What if he walks in right now? Sees how I have you here beneath me.” You walls tighten around him earning a grunt from him in return.

“Like that? Like that he’d see you stretched out on my cock?”

The idea sounds sick and utterly disgusting, but before you can register it, your walls tighten around him, your orgasm hitting you out of nowhere. Leon thumb circles your clit, helping you ride the wave of pleasure out.

“That’s it, baby. Cream my cock.”

Your tense muscles relax, your breathing becoming more even again while Leon’s pace picks up. He lets out a few choked up moans before pulling out and finishing over your pussy. He grabs onto the backrest of the couch, helping him keep his balance while he catches his breath.

You take in the moment, your brain finally capable of formulating a coherent thought for the first time in a while. You take in the man standing in front of you, sweat droplets on his forehead, chiseled muscles peeking beneath his shirt, his hand soothingly rubbing your sides.

A warm feeling blossoms within you, a flicker of faux liberation. Riding the wave of sick, forbidden pleasure while guilt coils tight around your ribs. You feel torn between two wrongs, damned if you stay in the arms that hold you now and damned if you go running back to the ones who never truly did. Maybe if-

“Sweetheart.”

A voice snaps you out of the past. You look down to see Leon between your thighs, his face buried in your clothed cunt.

“You with me?”

You smile, your hand running though his hair.

“Yeah, I am.”

divider by: @/chachachannah

[writingwisterias]

A comfort drabble to make me feel better after a shit day lmao, I hope you enjoy it as well 😘💕

Leon Kennedy x AFAB!Fem! reader

Taglist: @shymoob @gut1ess @074calicocat @senawashere @danigirls-missions

You didn't even have to say anything, he already knew something was up as you walked through the door. Your eyes red rimmed, a slight tremble to your lips as you placed you coat on the hanger and took off your shoes. Leon observed you from his position on the couch, he body spread along the length of it like a perfect landing pad for you.

You felt his muscles squeeze you slightly as you slumped on top of him. His lips pressing soft kisses against the top of your head. The smell of him hit you in a wave of comfort, a reminder that the problem that's got you so down means nothing against this moment. Leon felt the dears dampen his shirt, the fabric darkening as they landed. His heartbeat a steady constant for you to focus on — to numb the thoughts as he held you.

His heart ached slightly as you looked up at him, his eyes reflecting your sadness in frustration he couldn't do more to take it away. Instead he held you tighter, rubbed soft circles on your back as you watched the crappy show he had put on.

"Can you hire me to be your assistant?" You mumbled, your voice muffled as you hid in his neck. Leon chuckled, the sound vibrating between you in a low rumble. Another kiss to the temple this time with enough pressure to each the ache slightly from your throbbing head. A medicine you didn't realize you needed. "I fear I may be more annoying at work than at home" he replied, his hands now running through your hair.

He was hitting every comfort marker, every thing he did relaxing your body, freeing your mind from the tangled thorns that currently entraped it. You felt useless out there, unwanted, used but here with Leon you felt like everything. The weight of you on top of him not affecting him or burdening him

Your smile and presence meaning more to him than any customer you speak to at work. He needed you, needed your more than anything. This job was more important than the one that actually gave you money.

"Maybe just a stay at home wife then?" You asked again, glancing back at him with blood shot eyes and small sniffles. Leon smiled another chuckled vibrating through the two of you. You watched as he leant against the arm of the couch, his neck at an awkward angle to give you a soft smile. "I offered to do that before, little miss independent wanted to chase her dreams. Which I admire more"

"it feels like they are too far to reach"

He was unsure on how to respond, his own distant dream forgotten about. Rising in the ranks with a LT on his badge, being able to tease his own rookie that would follow him. An example police officer, one that was doing the right thing. Leon couldn't have that anymore, not in this life. However, he knew that his path had changed, his values no longer lying in the job he possessed but the people he surrounded himself you.

With you.

"Maybe they aren't getting further away but changing as you change. Maybe you just need a smaller dream before you get to the final" he spoke against your hair, the pressure of yet another kiss following his words. You didn't reply, instead watched as his eyes sparkled with his love, his white teeth exposed slightly and he grinned at you. "But if being my assistant would make you happy I can pull some strings"

"being with you makes me happy" you mumbled again, watching as smiled brighter. "Then maybe that's all you need"

[thefusioncelestial]

Mix 18: Once brothers, now Him

Ah, brotherly love. 55% love, 45% violence. History is full of examples of those bound by blood spilling that same blood.

Here is Finn:

Just about to graduate from university. Great grades, top of his social circle, off to a potentially great career, & noted ladies man.

Then there is his twin, Leon:

The only thing he does better than Finn at is academics. His lack of connection building meant that at best, he could go the professor/teacher route.

These brothers were both content with their lot in life....until the test results came in.

Finn had an incurable disease that also induced infertility. Finn would live a long life, but could never start a family of his own. Leon was devastated as well, but he shot down the idea of using his seed to father Finn's kids.

"Come on bro, we're twins, genetically any kids you have will be mine as well. I am not asking you to sleep with my future wife, just put it in a cup & walk away," Finn said.

"No, it would be hard to treat my kids like I am their uncle when I am their father. Imagine something bad happens & my parental instincts try to kick in. Or, when my kid accomplishes something & I want to celebrate with them. It's going to lead to awkward situations," Leon said in curt & said tone.

"Then just move far away, just until they turn 18, then we can readdress this," Finn said.

"Family gatherings," Leon asked.

"Don't come," Finn said.

Leon was dumbfounded. He wanted his own brother to destroy his own familial relationships because his sack can't finish the job.

This has always been an issue between the two. Leon has always sacrificed his well being for his brother's sake & never got so much as a thanks.

Leon got in Finn's face.

"Out of the question," Leon screamed.

Before they could further react to the situation, both brothers began to feel dizzy & moved closer to each other. But Finn was able to get out of the trance and put some distance between himself & Leon.

"There has to be another solution. I know I am asking a lot from you," Finn said.

"Like you always do," Leon retorted.

Finn squinted his eyes in frustration but decided to think about his next words. He wondered why Leon was pushing back on this. He doesn't really have to leave the family. He can just be the overly involved uncle. There is more to this.

"We are going to therapy," Finn said in an authoritative tone.

"Don't act like the boss man now. You may have the muscles, but I am still older," Leon said.

"By fifteen seconds. You can walk yourself there, or I can carry you. My third arm might be useless, but these two guns are still functional," Finn said.

"You wouldn't dare," Leon said.

Finn smiled.

Finn did in fact carry Leon to the university's mental health clinic. Leon regrets starting Finn on the gym bro path back in high school.

There was an opening from a last minute cancellation & the brothers met Dr. Krushnik.

Finn moved to talk first, but Leon just suddenly let it out. About how he sacrificed nearly everything for Finn growing up & gave up his social life for him as well in university. About how their parents always favored Finn. Like he didn't exist. Like his existence was just to back Finn up.

Finn was shocked & hurt, but he thought back to all the times. Better toys, better clothes, allowed to do sports. He even overheard how Leon gave up his spot in a fraternity so that Finn could get in. The party invites redirected to him.

Finn reached his hand out to grasp Leon's.

"I am so sorry," Finn said in a sorry tone.

Leon was shocked mentally. First from spilling his guts & then from his brother's reaction. The hand grasping turned into a full blown hug.

The doctor sighed. The brothers reconciled without him saying a word.

It happened again. The brothers felt delirious. They could hear each other's thoughts. They pulled back quickly.

The doctor noticed this.

"Did you hear each other's voice in your heads," he asked.

They both nodded.

"I only dealt with a case like this once," he said.

"I am going to guess that you two are twins. You two are splitters," he said.

"We are what," Leon asked.

The doctor responded:

"Identical twins start off as one person, during the pregnancy, the original you splits into two separate zygotes & twins are born if you both survive."

"Not all twins are splitters. The distinction is that you two can still rejoin," he said.

Leon was confused.

"Wait, would merging fix our health issues," Finn asked loudly.

Leon was shocked at Finn's response. He knew exactly what Finn wanted to do.

"Such as," the doctor asked.

Finn blushed, in a hushed tone:

"I suffer from a disease that makes it impossible to have kids."

The doctor responded:

"There is some literature that speculates that splitters can suffer from ill effects if they don't pull everything they need."

The doctor eyes both of the brothers.

"You seemed to have stopped at the nether regions."

Finn closed his eyes & blushed again.

Leon facepalmed.

They were heading back to their dorm room when Finn punched Leon in the shoulder.

"What was that for," Leon asked.

"For splitting with me. We should have walked this earth as originally intended, as one," Finn said.

Leon blushed again. Was he that determined to bear fruit? The doctor did warn us that the original persona would take over. We would only exist as individuals in his subconsciousness. The idea of being stuck with Finn & debating about everything for as long as they existed 24/7 nearly gave him a headache.

They both walked into their shared dorm room.

"I know what you are thinking, that I only want to merge to be fertile. But it isn't restoring my fertility, the process will reform a new being. We are restoring him, whatever we were originally," Finn said.

"Oh you want to merge with me that much. I got you down bad," Leon retorted. He sticked out his tongue & panted like a puppy.

Finn threw a pillow at him in response.

"Look, I don't want to exist as half a person anymore. Please, join with me," Finn begged.

"You are never "half" a person. You are you and fully worth existing as is. If I am doing this, I don't want to merge with a wimp with self-confidence issues," Leon said.

Finn was shocked, his brother agreed. His shock turned to joy.

He didn't notice but Leon was right up close to him.

"Never say I never did anything for you, this better be worth it," Leon said.

Leon embraced his brother in a hug & soon after, so did Finn.

The delirium set in again. Come to find out, it was their minds opening up to each other to begin mixing.

There was a soft moan coming from the brothers. Their memories & mental traits were mixing into one.

As their minds became one, Leon began to sink into Finn like quicksand. The sounds coming from Leon stopped as his head sunk into Finn's chest. Within a few minutes, Leon was completely sunk into Finn's body.

Finn's closed his eyes & began to flex his fingers and toes. But this was no longer Finn. This was now their original self being reborn & his reaction to the process.

Stretching & pulling noises could be heard as his neck, shoulders, arms, legs, & feet expanded with new muscle. At the same time, the skeletal frame thickened and expanded. This original self grunted in response.

Pops could be heard as the chest grew bigger. The abdominals became flat at first, but as if one was popping saran-wrap, his abdominal muscles began to pop out one by one until he had an eight pack.

His butt expanded as well, but more gently. It was as if he had balloons for butt cheeks that were connected to a water hose, and someone turned the water on.

The sensation of being filled didn't stop there, it eventually extended to his private areas. At first he was fully extended to what Finn could achieve, but then his rod kept growing, and in waves, it grew thicker. His gonads came to life & grew four times their size. He cocked his head upwards in response.

Their minds finally became one. Finn let Leon completely in & so did Leon in return. They were reborn, no remade into their original persona.

His skull grew larger & a little more straighter. His eyes, mouth were Finn's but less sunken. His nose & eyebrows a combination of the two. His ears & chin was from Leon.

He kept Finn's hair style, but he gained Leon's volume. The flood of testosterone caused facial hair to erupt, giving him a beard, mustache, & side burns that connected.

He opened his eyes & his rebirth was complete. He found himself breathing heavily & a quick scan revealed he was drenched in sweat. He was naked too. Apparently Finn's clothing could not handle his much bigger frame and tore off.

Even though he was alone, he grabbed a white towel and wrapped it around his waist.

He quickly went to the bathroom to check out his form.

Here he was in flesh. He never thought he would ever exist as a whole the moment he split while in his mother's womb. But here he is. He knew that Finn & Leon could never return individually, and while he was grateful for both trying to live their lives, he had no desire to split again.

But who was he? He was never given an name as he was due to the nature of his birth, but wait he did have a name.

History had shifted. In merging back into one, the brothers merged their timelines too. He given the name of....Magnus.

He later took some fertility tests, and found no issues. Finn got his wish, sort of.

Thanks to the Leon part of him, there was no desire for kids until 28. If Finn was still here, he would be facepalming & Leon would be cackling. One last brotherly hit from brother to brother.

[perotovar]

from May to August (or later)

hello friends! i really liked doing my Offering of Frith challenge last summer and have been wanting to do another one ever since. and well, if you've been following me for a minute, you know that Sleep Token is my favorite band. so i figured with their latest album having just released, this was the perfect time to do another one!

this one is going to go a little differently, and hopefully more people can join in on the fun this time around!

disclaimer: you do not need to listen to Sleep Token to participate, or even know who they are.

i'm hoping people will be open minded at the idea of having a song and its lyrics inspire them to write something!

let's get started!

shout out to @scenaaario @kedsandtubesocks and my mom for the help on this ♥

so, the way this will work is like this: i have 4 groups of pedro characters. one group per album. i'll list out those groups and you tell me which boy you'd like to write for and i'll assign you to a group.

for example: say you wanna write for Dave York.

calm down, grumpy pants, sheesh.

anyway, say you wanna write for dave. you'd send me a message saying so and i'll respond with what group you're a part of and most importantly, what your song is!

this way, if someone else wanted to write for dave, they could be assigned to a different group. this makes it a little easier for me to keep track of and hopefully more people happy!

if you have any further questions, don't hesitate to dm me!

now, what do each of these groups look like? here are your options!

GROUP 1

1. Max Phillips -> taken by @noxturnalnymph 2. General Acacius -> taken by @grogusmum 3. Marcus Pike 4. Dave York -> taken by @ghoulettesinspace 5. Pero Tovar -> taken by @clubsoft 6. Joel Miller -> taken by @evolnoomym 7. Lucien De Leon 8. Clint Flood -> taken by @mandaloriankait 9. Javier Peña -> taken by @stitch-away 10. Frankie Morales -> taken by @romanarose 11. Ezra -> taken by @cas-readsandwrites 12. Din Djarin -> taken by @probablyreadinsmut

GROUP 2

1. Joel Miller -> taken by @beardedjoel 2. Lucien De Leon 3. Marcus Pike 4. Comandante Veracruz 5. Silva -> taken by @javier-pena 6. Dieter Bravo -> taken by @jessthebaker 7. Reed Richards -> taken by @obsessedwithpedritoofc 8. Jack Daniels/Agent Whiskey -> taken by @beelzebeth87 9. Dave York 10. Javi Gutierrez -> taken by @qveerthe0ry 11. Frankie Morales -> taken by @quinnnfabrgay-writes 12. Din Djarin -> taken by @dilf-din

GROUP 3

1. Ezra -> taken by @kedsandtubesocks 2. Javier Peña -> taken by @almostfoxglove 3. Lucien De Leon 4. Clint Flood -> taken by @sp00kymulderr 5. Pero Tovar 6. Maxwell Lord 7. Frankie Morales -> taken by @jolapeno 8. Joel Miller -> taken by @millerillusions 9. Marcus Moreno 10. Oberyn Martell -> taken by @oonajaeadira 11. Dave York -> taken by @goodwithcheese 12. General Acacius -> taken by @ak-vintage

GROUP 4

1. Joel Miller -> taken by @pinkypromisepascal 2. Frankie Morales -> taken by @nonbinairyboi 3. Dave York 4. Max Phillips -> taken by @pedritofics 5. Dieter Bravo taken by @rulexofxnines 6. General Acacius -> taken by @cuppajoel 7. Javier Peña -> taken by @grayandthyme 8. Din Djarin -> taken by @5oh5 9. Lucien De leon -> taken by @whocaresstillthelouvre 10. Ezra -> taken by @beefrobeefcal

considering how my last challenge went, this tends to be on a first come first serve basis, but ST have a few singles/extra songs so if someone really wants to participate, i have a few more songs to hand out!

now, what are the parameters of this challenge?

i don't really mind how long your fic is. whatever the lyrics bring out of you makes me happy, so go nuts!

i'm also not super stressed about deadlines, but my little selfish self wants to read these fics super bad LOL and i'd love to see how creative y'all get! i'm going to have this go for the whole summer and you're free to post them whenever during that time. but if writer's block or life happens, there's no rush ♥

have fun!

[magda-kb]

Character Analysis Of Luis Serra:

I just think someone needs to do this here on Tumblr so here we go…

Born in the remote and devoutly Catholic village of Valdelobos, Spain, Luis grew up in a reclusive, pre-industrial community that shunned modernity. The death of his mother during childbirth left him in the care of his grandfather (Man in the picture above together with Luis), a hunter whose wisdom and love shaped Luis’s early years.

From a young age, Luis displayed an insatiable curiosity and intelligence that set him apart. While his peers clung to the village’s traditions, Luis dreamed of the world beyond its mountains, finding solace in fairy tales and stories, particularly the adventures of Don Quixote. His grandfather recognized his potential, lamenting the limits imposed by their isolated life.

Later on his grandfather was attacked by a wolf and succumbed to a mysterious illness. Rumors of madness swirled, and fear gripped the superstitious villagers. The village’s chieftain, influenced by paranoia, ordered the family cabin to be burned to prevent the spread of the supposed "infection." According to the texts found throughout the game, the boy stood outside the house the whole time watching the flames, the next day he had disappeared from the village and nobody knew where the boy was.

In the modern world, Luis thrived, earning recognition as a prodigy in biology and securing a position at Umbrella Pharmaceuticals. Despite his remarkable achievements, including work on groundbreaking research, his tenure at Umbrella left him disillusioned. For example, we know that he was an employee of Project Nemesis (note to Racoon City - Nemesis T-Type).The corporation’s ethical compromises clashed with Luis’s growing moral awareness, leading to his resignation. This decision underscored a recurring theme in Luis’s character: the struggle between ambition and conscience.

Luis’s return to Valdelobos in 2004 placed him at the center of a nightmare. The village had fallen under the control of Los Iluminados, a cult manipulating the villagers’ religiosity to propagate a parasitic organism known as Las Plagas. Saddler, the cult’s leader, enlisted Luis for his scientific expertise, tasking him with enhancing the parasites. Initially compliant, Luis became horrified upon realizing Saddler’s true intentions. His guilt over his role in the cult’s atrocities drove him to seek redemption.

This is where Luis’s complexity truly shines. Torn between his past mistakes and a desire to atone, he takes enormous risks to undermine Saddler. Partnering with Ada Wong, Luis orchestrates plans to escape with the cult’s critical research sample, the Amber.

Here, too, I would like to emphasize a particular passage from the Separate Ways DLC that was already a bit of a foreshadowing of what his fate would be: Namely, during the scene in which other village members fell victim to the cult, Luis spoke of the fact that the next dance would be his… It should also be noted here that the already deceased was lying in exactly the same posture as Luis will later do… So it really was his “last dance”, so to speak (You can see it a little in the photo below, but it is clearly visible in the game itself)

Luis’s interactions with Leon S. Kennedy in the main game reveal yet another layer of his character. Despite their initial mistrust, Luis proves his worth as an ally, displaying a blend of wit, vulnerability, and a desperate need to make amends. His decision to assist Leon and Ashley, even at great personal risk, underscores his transformation from a man driven by self-interest to one guided by selflessness.

Ultimately, Luis’s arc concludes tragically yet heroically. Fatally wounded by Jack Krauser, Luis uses his final moments to ensure Leon and Ashley have the tools to fight back against Saddler. His death is not just a sacrifice but a culmination of his redemptive journey—a final act of defiance against all the things he did in the past. There is also the fact that Luis has doubts. Mainly about the things he himself has done in the past - And it is precisely these doubts that seem to characterize his last moment.

Something I would like to add: Krauser threw his knife directly into Luis’s spine. I mean clearly he aimed to kill. When a victim is stabbed in the area of the spinal cord, the spinal cord can be severed, sheared, torn, or otherwise damaged. This will result in a loss of function below the point of injury. That’s why it’s so impressive and powerful that Luis was able to muster up the last of his strength and force his hand to shoot at Krauser-hitting directly at his knife that could have killed Leon. That would now also explain why Luis can’t properly use his lighter and needed Leon to do it for him. Because after the lighter drops we can not see him move his body again…

Luis Serra is a character defined by contradictions: a brilliant scientist haunted by his complicity in unethical experiments, a dreamer shaped by the harsh realities of his upbringing, and a man who ultimately chooses redemption over survival. Something I would also like to point out is to link the whole story to Don Quixote. Because just like the self-proclaimed knight, he also had this urge of idealism throughout his life - which also led Don Quixote to make mistakes in the end and ultimately to his death... But in the end he became a hero and more or less passed on the title of knight to Leon...

[comatosebunny09]

personal headcanons | leon k.

genre(s): humor, romance, erotica, modern au warning(s): female reader in mind, language, age gap, self indulgent, fingering, oral, p in v, voice kink, mentions of choking, bodily fluids, dirty talk, pet names, mostly me being a horny spazz for this man, not proofread now playing: funny how time flies - janet jackson

‣ most of your jokes consist of poking fun at your age difference.

‣ seriously. gen x vs. gen y is strong with this one.

‣ prime example: you give him shit about his car still having a cassette player.

‣ “get with the times, grandpa.”

‣ “fuck off. it’s retro.”

‣ “you’re retro, old man.”

‣ thinks the fact you still watch cartoons is endearing.

‣ but, “what the fuck is adventure time?”

‣ will “back in my day” you until you roll your eyes and scoff, shutting him up with a kiss.

‣ has your back despite how often you call him old.

‣ like you’re not getting up there yourself—your aching back and knees!

‣ goes out of his way to bring you little trinkets and snacks when he goes on missions in other countries.

‣ it eats him up that he can’t divulge the secrets of his profession.

‣ never wants to hide anything from you; you make him want to give you the world.

‣ but he knows he has to keep some secrets to protect you.

‣ you love him nonetheless.

‣ tug on his little heartstrings when you fall asleep on the phone with him.

‣ or when he catches you between sleep and consciousness on the couch when he’s had another late night around the office.

‣ secretly loves whisking you off to bed like some knight in shining armor.

‣ ridiculously gentle despite his imposing figure and calloused hands.

‣ sometimes riddled with those intrusive thoughts of choking you because he knows he could crush you with how small you are compared to him.

‣ not like you’d complain—sometimes, you ask him to lose a little control.

‣ and that scares him shitless because, who made you like this?

‣ despite how badly he wants to show you how much he’s missed you, he lets you sleep.

‣ holds you tight while you sink below the depths of unconsciousness.

‣ because sometimes, letting you go feels like you’ll disappear in a plume of smoke.

‣ but when you awaken before the sun…

‣ oh, it’s on.

‣ because you think you’re so slick, rutting your little ass against him in the wee hours of the morning.

‣ challenge: accepted.

‣ knows what his voice does to you. how the low rumble of it makes you clench and stutter.

‣ and when you rub your thighs together to ward off that fuzzy rush of endorphins between them…

‣ fuck.

‣ “did somebody miss me?” he croons, his stubble coarse in the junction of your shoulder as he litters your neck with kisses and holds your chin in his massive hand.

‣ loves to tease you into submission.

‣ will touch and suckle everywhere except where you want him the most.

‣ and he will do this for hours until you growl for him to “stop being a little shit.”

‣ “thought you were sleepin’, baby.”

‣ plays with your pretty nipples until they’re pebbled and straining against your clothes.

‣ flitters his tongue over them, groaning because you taste and feel so goddamn good.

‣ spreads you open like a flower with long, languid strokes of his fingers.

‣ and the sticky glide of your cunt against his fingertips makes his dick jump.

‣ “makin’ a mess for me already, love? so fuckin’ cute, aren’t you?”

‣ alternates between circling your clit and testing the barrier of your sticky, slutty little pussy hole depending on how your body responds to him.

‣ because when you undulate your hips against him in response, he soaks his joggers with pre-spend.

‣ will make you cum at least thrice on his hand.

‣ and will keep fucking you through your orgasms because, who told you to feel this good?

‣ until you beg him for something more filling.

‣ can give you a solid two rounds in pound-town.

‣ he’s not as young as he used to be, god dammit. cut ‘em some slack.

‣ apologetic if he cums before you, though he makes it his mission to ensure you get yours first.

‣ but will finish you off with his mouth if you so please.

‣ eating you out is his favorite pastime. he gets hard all over again just from being between your legs.

‣ will twine your fingers together and maintain some semblance of eye contact while he unravels you with his mouth.

‣ and will groan into your cunt to let you know how appreciative he is for the meal.

‣ vocal af.

‣ will continue until your thighs clamp down on his face, signaling him to “s-stop. to-too much.”

‣ god forbid he’s in a teasing mood because you’ll have to punch him to get him to stop.

‣ but, you’re irresistible when you beg, and—

‣ fuck. he’s suddenly up for round 3.

‣ aftercare is immaculate.✨

‣ has a hard time keeping up with your energy sometimes.

‣ but will definitely heft you up with one hand as he walks you into the house to kiss you stupid against the wall of your entryway.

‣ will definitely dance on the table with you in his underwear.

‣ and indulges you in your childish requests—pillow fort? he’s down.

‣ content with just existing in your presence.

‣ you’re his vice; his kryptonite.

‣ and he’s hopelessly romantic for you.

‣ because you have him doing all the cliche shit. kissing in the rain. swinging hands on the beach, walking into the sunset. sporadically showing up at your job with flowers and takeout.

‣ grabbing your ass in public to let everyone know that yes, this old man’s hittin’ that.

‣ he’s head over heels for you.

‣ and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

‣ because you make him feel something he thought himself dead to for years.

[bitbugbites-re]

𝙿𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚜𝚎 | 𝔥𝔢𝔞𝔡𝔠𝔞𝔫𝔬𝔫𝔰

Headcanons on how different RE men would praise you

tumblr exclusive!

characters: Carlos Oliveira, Chris Redfield, Leon S. Kennedy

gender: gn! reader

cw: FLUFF // praise, love languages, nicknames/pet names // ktober

a/n: every time I give a rating at the end I feel like that one video of abby lee miller with the wall paper pyramid. also the love languages were so fun to do??? i might do another post expanding on it, maybe scenarios or smth :p

𝕮𝖆𝖗𝖑𝖔𝖘 𝕺𝖑𝖎𝖛𝖊𝖎𝖗𝖆 (re3r)

Do they praise you often?

Yes. He seems like he would praise you consistently whenever the opportunity arises -- both big and small scenarios. You got a promotion? Praise. You helped an old lady cross the street? Praise. You got out of bed this morning? Didn't squash a bug? Tied your shoes? You're a viable option for the Nobel Peace Prize in Carlos' eyes

Love language?

I'm gonna go ahead and Carlos' love language is probably either physical touch or quality time. Words of affirmation comes close as well

Likely, since this is how he perceives love, acts falling under these categories are what he's going to give you when he wants to praise you. I don't think he'd stray from them unless you told him you preferred a different love language -- in which case, he'd try his best to meet your expectations (although it might take him a while to become fully conscious of what you'd like from him)

So things like: petting your head, embracing you randomly, offering to take you on dates as a reward, complimenting you, etc.

Nicknames?

Literally anything and everything. Seriously --

Names relating to one of your traits (like an achieved status), for one. For example --Supercop (lol)

He's probably got nicknames for you if you're smaller/younger than him too: pipsqueak, tater-tot, chica/o, peanut, etc.

As for more general nicknames: baby, babygirl/boy, babe, sunshine, princess/prince, gorgeous, beautiful/handsome, etc.

(he'd probably use a lot of really corny nicknames when in a joking manner, too -- some shit like sugar plum or cuddle muffin, LOL)

What are their go-to praises?

"Good girl/boy"

"You're doing great"

"I'm proud of ya'"

Are they successful at praising you?

heuheuheuheuhe yup!

Overall, I'd give him a 10/10. I feel like he'd be really good at making you feel good about yourself and he'd never let your feats go unrecognized either

𝕮𝖍𝖗𝖎𝖘 𝕽𝖊𝖉𝖋𝖎𝖊𝖑𝖉 (re: death island)

Do they praise you often?

mmmmmm. Occasionally. Like a very average amount?

Death Island's version of Chris would praise you every time you achieved something hard or did something really good (like you did good at a job interview or won an award) but other than that it's a little more occasional and random

Love language?

My guess would be acts of service, gift giving, and/or quality time

I don't think Chris would stray far from his ideas on what love is, either. If you wanted something different like physical touch or words of affirmation, you might have to tell him. He'd struggle with doing it in a smooth manner at first, but eventually, he'd get the hang of it.

His rewards to you will usually consist of: making you food; bringing you food; gifting you flowers, chocolates, stuffed animals, jewelry, etc.; watching tv with you; taking you on dates; etc.

Nicknames?

Nothing corny. I feel like a lot of nicknames he would cringe at and would be too embarrassed to say them

Generally, things like: babe, honey, hon, pumpkin

Not as commonly, he may use a shortened version of your name as well. Although, I still think he'd prefer like babe or hon more

What are their go-to praises?

"Good job, (nickname)"

"You did good"

...and a lot of very like. Flat kinda ones? like "Nice" or "Cool" (LOL)

Are they successful at praising you?

For the most part.

Overall, this version of Chris gets a 7/10. Not terrible, but not amazing either. ("you did good, I'm waiting for you to be great." HFHFH)

𝕷𝖊𝖔𝖓 𝕾. 𝕶𝖊𝖓𝖓𝖊𝖉𝖞 (re2r - re4r)

Do they praise you often?

...He's, um, he's gonna try!

I feel like at the beginning of your relationship, the re2r time period, he would very frequently try but it would be...well, not very smooth

By the re4r time period he's just given up on words of affirmation bro like. it is just NOT his thing (he'd replace it with diff love language acts tho)

Love language?

*rubs hands together deviously* let's see here...

I'm gonna go ahead and say this boy likes, and thus is prone to, spoiling you with acts of service and/or gift-giving. HOWEVER...I feel like he would actually differ from the other two men on this list, and he'd be very proactive in trying to figure out what you like specifically. Leon, to me, seems like the most empathetic on this list and while he's a little awkward in nature, he's always eager to do/be the best he can

You can expect a lot of: cleaning for you; making you breakfast and/or dinner; helping you with work/problems; bringing you food; giving you flowers, chocolates, stuffed animals, etc.

Additionally, I think out of all the characters on this list, Leon would be the best at giving you gifts that you actually like too. For example, it's not just gonna be a flowers-every-time type of deal -- if he knows you like games, he's gonna get you games. If he knows you like snacks, he's gonna get you snacks. If he knows you like clothes, he's gonna get you clothes. So on and so on

(side note: I feel like he'd actually secretly enjoy picking out clothes for you? considering how he's got that whole pretty boy vibe going on. I mean LOOK at his jacket in re4r. the man has SOME fashion sense, at least)

Nicknames?

At the beginning of your relationship, re2r timeline-wise, he's gonna try everything. And it's GONNA be bad.

Once he finally realizes he can't force shit like "sweet stuff" or "muffin" he'll move onto ones that come out more naturally -- like shortening your name

The general ones after getting comfortable are: babe, hon, angel(?), princess/prince(?) (not too sure about the last two, they're strong maybes)

I also feel like if you called him pookie or something else funny-sounding as a joke, he'd call you it back, LOL

What are their go-to praises?

"Good job"

"Nice"

"Cool"

...and more very generic ones. Words of affirmation are NOT his strong suit whatsoever

Are they successful at praising you?

In terms of actual words of praise, no. In terms of rewarding you in general? HELL yeah.

Overall, he's getting an 8/10 for effort. I feel like this kind of stuff wouldn't come naturally for him since he's more introverted, but INTROVERSION be damned, this boy has got mind-blowingly serious dedication to being romantically swag as FUCK !!! (sorry)

For the official and original Kinktober 23 prompts, check here. Credits to @kinktober2023 for the ideas!

[r0-boat]

If requests are still open and it's not too much trouble, can I request Bull Guzma, Adaman, and Leon reacting to S/o pregnancy? (Ps Please have a Happy Thanksgiving.)

Aaaaaa Happy Thanksgiving this is my gift to you! I'm grateful for all my readers!

Bullfarm au! Pokemen react to S/o's pregnancy

(feat. Guzma, Adaman, Leon)

Cw: pregnancy talk, all about babies!

Guzma

Puffing out his chest in Pride strutting around like he's the giant bull on the farm, he's a winner, and he knows it, wearing the fact that he is The Big Bad Guzbull with a pregnant mate as a badge of honor, rubbing it in the faces of all the other Bulls that he was the one who claimed S/o. With you by his side he feels as though he could take on the sun and win. Behind that prideful bull was a terrified one. Frantic and worried for your safety, he demanded and even forced you to stay in this soft nest of blankets that he had stolen and made for you. This big bad ball Cooing soft words of endearment as he snuggles closer to you to keep you warm. Refusing for you to go anywhere else but by his side because to him he is the only one that can protect you and if anything happens to you he would never forgive himself.

Promising to you that he would be the best father to your calf. As big bad, and rough as he still appears to be, he has vowed to leave the life of troublemaking behind him when he first arrived on the farm. He wants to be an excellent example for his child, a good father, a fatherly figure he didn't have.

The bulls that see Guzma for what he betrays himself to be will never understand how soft and sweet he really was. Brushing his head against yours as his eyes glaze over feeling his fingertips gently brushing against your tummy.

But you don't understand why he still puts on this tough exterior.

" it's to protect you." he murmurs now rubbing his face against your tummy. "Cuz no male will ever bother ya if they know who they will be messing with."

Adaman

Impatient Adaman over worries and over prepares for the arrival of his child because the longer he waits the more anxiety he feels. What if something goes wrong?! What if another hybrid tries to hurt you?! What if you don't sur-. Is grateful that you're always there to soothe his anxieties before they spiral. The only thing you could do now is prepare and make sure you are pampered.

Adaman is a busy bull, he knows he couldn't waste his time worrying he'd rather be caught dead then under prepared if you need him he needs to be ready for anything. He couldn't be wasting time so there he was you're serious hard-working bull fluffing the nest he had prepared for you for the fifth time before going to the orchard part of the farm to grab you and sneak you some fruits. He needs to make sure you are healthy he needs to make sure that you are eating. Because of your healthy his child is healthy.

It finally got your busy bull to cuddle with you after trying to convince him that you'll be fine and it's okay to relax with you occasionally. Adaman finally relents as he joins you in the nest, wrapping his arms around you, finally enjoying this cute moment, his hands feeling your stomach, his heart touching whole. For your sake, he will take breaks, but he's reminded why he is trying to get ready. It was for you and his future child.

Leon

Happiest bull in the world as soon as he found out, he told any bull who would listen about the calf that was coming Raihan was already sick of Leon since his child was all he would talk about. Sonia and Milo thought it was cute I know is that possibly most new parents go through that phase . Staying glued to your side with that big smile on his face, Leon was already a very lovey person, now it seems like He can't keep his hands off you! As if leaving your side is torture even when you have to work chores on the farm Leon won't be too far away watching intently until you're finished so he could scoop you up and have you all to himself once again. It seems like that's all he wants to do now. When he is not sparring with others on the farm he's cuddling and laying with you in the nest whining when you try to get up and leave him. Giving you the biggest puppy dog eyes until you cave to his demands.

This whole body is practically against you, his face buried into your neck, mooing to you about what a beautiful parent you'll become—vowing you that he'll be the best father. If you are ever feeling scared or doubtful, Leon will instantly ease those fears, because he knows that you are a hard-working kind and caring person and you will try your best and your child will love you unconditionally!

He knows that there will still be some time till your child is born, but he can't help but fantasize about holding them in his arms—the baby he made with his beloved mate. And you already look so cute laying in the blankets, your belly already beginning to show. Laying his head against your tummy, his tail thumping against the hay from how hard it's wagging.

[little-one-eyed-monsters]

Top Form/SmartBoom fandom I come bearing something funny (hear me out) 😅

Prior to Top Form, I watched Boom Raweewit as the lead in Chains of Heart:

And I know Smart Chisanupong had a support and cameo role in Don't Say No and Love in the Air as Leon:

(Just casually straddling a unicorn pool floaty here)

And I didn't know this an hour ago, but do you know where else we BL watchers may have seen Boom before?

Boom was the random guy at the bar that Gun kissed (and Off punched) in Ep 11 of doom of Theory of Love 🤣🤣🤣

Dear God, no wonder the reaction to that punch was so dramatic 😅 Boom had to go all Juilliard for it!

I remember watching this scene years ago and thinking, "Damn, dude couldn't catch a break. Gets kissed out of nowhere and punched out of nowhere. I hope they credited him for that." And you know what?

THEY DIDN'T 😆

I love this so much, it's so random 😅

On a sadder note, what I got from Boom's MDL is that he's been in the industry for so long, but all he's been offered are B-roles and cameos. But I'm going through his back catalog now and he's really freaking talented! No wonder he's so protective of Akin as a character-- he probably relates to a lot of Akin's inner turmoil about growing old in a cutthroat industry.

On another side note: I'm kind of glad Mame Orawan didn't take an interest in Smart Chisanupong when she had the chance. If they had marketed him properly, I'm sure Smart would be ten times more famous as he is right now. Smart trained as an idol so we know he can dance and sing, he apparently had a few acting classes under Yoma, his former agency (don't know how accurate this is, but if it's true, then I guess it shows in his acting), and he's gorgeous; mixed race, super tall, with a funny, boy-next-door demeanor. He's someone Mame would've jumped at the chance to market if the LITA boys didn't turn out to be so popular. But that's the thing with MeMindY; if an actor doesn't prove profitable, they hang them out to dry until the actor themselves leave. Look at Leo and Fiat for example, or most recently, Sunny. Lately, even Fort and Peat are getting the short end of the stick just because Love Sea didn't get the numbers they were hoping for.

So I'm happy Smart doesn't have to go through that, and that he's free to explore new genres and show his acting in roles that don't follow the clichè Mame format. I'm happy he gets to collab with a more experienced partner like Boom, who's currently serving as a mentor-of-sorts in an industry as unforgiving as Thai BL.

I want Boom and Smart to get so many flowers after Top Form; they DESERVE IT. I hope they're booked and busy, either separate or together (but do at least one more BL please, the chemistry must not go to waste).

And lastly, see this random waiter from My Golden Blood Ep. 1?

I don't know who you are my dude. But you're sassy and I like you. Someone get this guy a role in the next GMMTV BL stat.

[emblemxeno]

Localization Differences: Niles! Happy Belated Birthday, my beloved.

I wanted to get this done by his actual birthday on the 22nd, but things kept coming up, so here it is now.

Niles is one of my favorites in Fates' cast. He has a very handsome design, he's incredibly useful in gameplay due to his stats, weapon type and capture ability, and he has extremely good supports that give glimpses into his life, pull uncomfortable truths out of others, and offers a sight into the hard life that many Nohrians are forced to live.

One of the most notable things about him, though, is that to a lot of people, he's one of the two first explicitly queer characters introduced in Fire Emblem. I personally find this to be inaccurate given that lots of homoerotic relationships and queer coded characters have existed in the series, arguably stretching back as far as Thracia 776. Other popular examples are Raven/Lucius, Lyn/Florina, Heather, Kyza, Ike/Soren, etc.

Though after Awakening's massive success, the "almighty" S rank takes priority in many readings, so Niles and Rhajat having that available with a Male Corrin and Female Corrin respectively, was massive progress.

Now, do I think one of the explicitly queer characters in FE being a sadist who antagonizes people counts as good representation? No. But 1) that's not the point of this post and 2) going by that tier list I did, I see lots of other characters in Fates as queer than just Niles and Rhajat.

Anyway, I digress. The point of this (extremely long) post is to list and give my opinion on the changes to his lines (and potentially his character/personality) between a translated Japanese script and the localized English script done by Treehouse.

Here is a link to my post of translated sources!

As always, I'm only gonna list things that I find significantly different. Get cozy, this is a massive analysis! Thank you for reading!

To start off, there's two things to set the stage. The first is that Niles is one of Fates' characters that got a completely new name in localization. His Japanese name is Zero, so if I use that name at all in this post, that's why. I might flip-flop between other characters' names too, like from Corrin to Kamui, for example.

The second thing is that, overall, Niles' Japanese lines tend to be coated in innuendo and double entendres. Many times, these only really make sense if you speak Japanese, which I don't, hence why I tried to defer to translations before running things through a machine. For example, I've learned from some translators that when JP!Niles says that he'll "send his enemies to heaven/make them ascend to heaven", it's a statement in Japanese that also works as a euphemism for making someone orgasm. I'm not gonna spend too much time pointing out every instance of JP!Niles saying raunchy stuff, but will if it's particularly funny, striking or outlandish.

---

Classic Mode Retreat Quote

Japanese: Sometimes pain feels good, but I'm about to reach my limit here... I don't want to upset Lord Leon, so I'm going to retreat now...

English: This doesn't feel good anymore... I must retreat while I still can. I'll live to suffer another day...

-If you know Niles, you know his connection to Leo is extremely important to his character. Not just because he's Leo's retainer, but because Niles meeting Leo changed his life forever. So, while removing that one line doesn't sound too outrageous at first, it gets kind of silly when you think about it.

Most of the first gen men in Fates retreat instead of die in Classic mode due to avoid consistency issues if you've unlocked their child's paralogue. However, though they retreat, they still aren't deployable anymore in Classic mode, with the explanation being that they took such grave injuries that they can't fight anymore even though they survive.

Niles/Zero, in his Japanese quote, is pulling himself back from the brink of death because he doesn't want to upset Leo, even if he can't fight anymore. This is a twist on how initially, he begged Leo to kill him after being abandoned by his criminal gang, before Leo hired him as a retainer based on fascination/curiosity with how Niles was acting. All retainers in Fates are close to their masters, but some are closer than others, such as Niles.

Critical/Skill Activation

Japanese: I won't let you get away!/Let's go.../Take it all in!*/This is gonna hurt!

English: You can't hide from me!/Here's a taste.../Ohhh, yes!/Time to suffer!

-Both sets are delightfully fucked up and lewd, but I wanted to draw special attention to the one I marked with an asterisk.

Again, I don't speak Japanese, so I may be way of the mark, but the quote "Take it all in!" in Japanese is 受けてみろよ！or transliterated as "Ukete miro yo!"

Running that through machine translator reads it as "Give it a try!", but I've also watched a Japanese Fates crit quote video where it was translated as "Out of my face..."

But I think I cracked the code: it's a top/bottom joke. It's basically a "Take this!" quote in context of battle, but "Ukete miro yo!", phonetically, is also used in the Seme (top) and Uke (bottom) tropes in BL. So I think he's telling his enemy to 'take his dick', if you wanna be coarse about it.

What solidified this for me, is Nina's Japanese crit/skill quotes. In the Japanese version of Fates, the children share crit/skill quotes (or put some spin on them) with their direct parents. Nina shares "Let's go.../Take it all in!/This is gonna hurt!" but not "I won't let you get away!" because that's what Niles shares with Leo as his retainer (yeah they doubled up on crit quotes a lot in this one lol)

So Nina's fourth crit quote is unique to her, and she says 攻めるわよ！, transliterated as Semeru wa yo! (I'll attack you!) Again, it's a Seme (Semeru wa yo!) and Uke (Ukete miro yo!) euphemism joke. Cuz she's the Fujo. ...I spent a lot of time on this section lmaooo.

The other battle lines for Niles are pretty faithful or otherwise appropriate localizations.

Level Up

0-1 stats: Well... sometimes bad things happen. (JP) How unfortunate. (Eng)

2-3 stats: It's still not enough for me... (JP) I deserve better. (Eng)

4-5 stats: I feel good... (JP) My power is growing. (Eng)

6 or more stats: I can't go easy on you anymore. (JP) My gain will be another's pain. (Eng)

0-1 stats with most stats maxed: It was you who made me this way. (JP) Alas, I am at the height of my powers. (Eng)

-Overall, kind of a mix-and-match between versions, with the JP version being more suggestive and the English version being more powerhungry/sadistic. Neither is out of character.

I do lament the loss of sincerity from his maxed stats quote from Japanese to English (I could be misreading this though, I just think Niles is talking to the player)

Class Change

Japanese: What do you want me to do by dressing me like this...?

English: How quaint.

-Japanese is suggestive, English is weirdly boring? Quaint is not a word that's easily applicable to all situations when it comes to class changes, so meeeeh.

Mess Hall

-Not much to say here, but in Japanese when he eats a bad meal, he asks if there's an aphrodisiac in it, which is pretty funny.

My Castle

-Besides some suggestive flirting being removed or toned down, a couple lines were changed at the gathering spots. In the English version, at a rice paddy he says "Think rice is boring? Think again. I eat it at every meal." while in Japanese he says "Cooked rice is so beaitiful... It's like it's seducing me with its shiny white body..."

In English, at the dairy farm he says "Here, take this. It's good for your bones." while in Japanese he says "Look, milk. When I miled the cow, she mooed with joy..."

Birthday

Giving him a present: To think that my birth would be celebrated... I'm grateful. (JP) The world changed the day I was born. Thank you for acknowledging that. (English)

Saying happy birthday to Corrin: It's your birthday... You should be thankful for all the days since you were born. (JP) Birthdays always make me think of death. Oh, by the way... happy birthday! (English)

-The English ones are funny, but Niles is already funny just through his euphemism schtick. The genuine sincerity being removed makes me sad.

Conquest Chapter 8

-Niles introduction in this chapter is pretty much the same, it's actually mostly Odin who has more line differences. Though this is where the "I'll send them to heaven/make them cum" line pops up for Niles, so I thought I'd mention it.

-Like the rest of the script in Conquest, it is pretty faithful, if a little more bland. But it can't be helped sometimes, given how English and Japanese work so differently as languages. Now Birthright on the other hand...

Birthright Chapter 18 Standard Boss Quote

Japanese: What a nice face you have. I find that look of desperation irresistable. With Lord Leo's permission... I'll do something good for you...

English: Say that's a nice face you've got there. Would be a shame if someone were to slash it. Let's have some fun, shall we?

-Love when Treehouse inserts memes into things that date the game immediately, loooooove it /s "Would be a shame if something happened to it" was an old meme even by 2016, jesus.

Vs. Corrin/Kamui (Japanese)

Zero: So... You're Kamui... The traitorous brother that Lord Leon hates enough to kill...

Kamui: He wants to kill me? Leon...?

Zero: Haha, what a splendid face you're making. The pain in another's face is sublime. Twist it up more for me, I want to see you cry.

Kamui: Huh...

Zero: ...Come on now, you're here to fight me, aren't you? I want to pierce you soon, too... with this thick arrow of mine.

Kamui: !!!

Zero: Hmmm? Are you scared? ...It's okay, I'll be gentle. The pain will be gone before you know it... Once I send you to heaven...

Vs. Corrin English

Niles: So, you're the little thorn in my master's side, are you? Very well. If he wants you dead, who am I to argue?

Corrin: I still can't believe it. We lived as brothers...

Niles: Oh, yes. The suffering on your face is simply delicious. Now, let's see what happens when you have a few more holes...

Corrin: You're sick!

Niles: Oh, please. This is war. This is my job. I'm good at what I do. I'll try to make this painless so you can die in peace. Deal?

-This one is confusing more than anything. Niles sort of has the same lines/message here, but Corrin in Localized Birthright is generally so fucking insufferable that it bleeds into here as well. He talks as if Niles isn't even there, and then calls him sick, which, yes it's true Niles is fucked up, but Corrin is SUPPOSED TO BE EXCEEDINGLY SWEET AND FORGIVING. This extends to his enemies as well, he's very polite with the retainers of the opposing side. Niles isn't any worse than Zola, yet Corrin has worse words for him??? It's weird.

-The other story moments Niles has aren't signifcantly changed to where I feel the need to mention them, even Birthright. Again, it's actually Odin and Leo who are more altered, but that's neither here nor there.

Ghostly Gold

Japanese: You're so naughty. Even like this, you still want more? This place *is* pretty fascinating, but... These are also sacred ruins not to be disturbed. Were a thief like the former me to find out about this place, it'd be quite troublesome. To honor my orders and silence you... I'll make you come by my own hands.

English: Last night was a cinch for me. I always sleep with one eye open. You never know whose grabby little hands might end up in your pockets.

-Some lines in Ghostly Gold, regardless of language, either discuss the gold/treasure, the enemies, or how the army stayed up all night to catch the thieves. Niles' got changed from one to another.

The Japanese one is pretty standard when considering how Niles has moments of sincerity in the Japanese script as it is, but again, losing it in the English version for something completely different? It's not only disappointing, it's confusing. Did some of the people on the job when localizing just not have the original script? Or did they decide just to change it because they felt like it? It's truly dumbfounding to me, how this particular scenario happens in Fates so much.

Boo Camp

Japanese: Please be gentle with me...? I'm not used to things like this... What do you all expect, putting yourselves in danger in a dark place like this. At least if I were a monster like you, I'd take everyone who comes here to the cruel edge of ecstasy. (I'd make everyone who comes here cum cruelly? idk)

English: Be gentle, boys... or whatever you are. I don't know what we expected, making ourselves so vulnerable in the dark. But you'll find out like all the others that I give as good as I get.

-Omg, Vers King Niles in the English version... That's all I have to say about this, it's faithful, and a really great example of how to keep suggestive euphemism while not being a literal translation.

-The other DLC maps with character dialogue don't have too big of changes, or at least ones that give insight into Niles to mention.

Niles' Father Support with M!Kana

-A rank: Pretty much the same until the very end, where in the JP version, after promising to have a night in with Kana and Corrin, Niles says “Haha… I never thought the day would come when I would be sleeping peacefully with my whole family. I have always wanted to destroy other people's happiness, but now that I have it for myself, I want to protect it at all costs. Perhaps I'm the most selfish one…” Calling himself selfish is in reference to earlier in A rank, where Niles says parents can act selfish since they sometimes want their children to stay reliant on them so as to not feel lonely, even if they understand that they must fly the nest someday. Because this is a variant-parent conversation, the meaning is the same if Kana has a different father, though instances of unique characterization come through at times. In Niles’ case, it’s his referencing how he’s usually sadistic in dealing with others, especially those who grew up privileged. However, now that he has a family and is surrounded by love, he understands the feeling of wanting to protect happiness instead of ruining it.

In the English version, the line is instead “Heh. Never thought I'd be spending a night in with a family of my very own. So this must be happiness, huh? Maybe it's something worth protecting after all. Looks like Kana's not the only one who's changing…” The general gist *is* there, but the different wording can make it seem like Niles doesn’t know what happiness is, which would be kind of odd for his character; to be a sadist who delights taking happiness away from others, you have to know what it means. Niles knows what it means, and is resentful because he never got it before. I’m also very nitpicky, though, so I could be overcomplicating things.

Niles’ Father Support with Shigure

C Rank: JP version, Niles says that Shigure’s talents for art can captivate people regardless of gender, another example of a unique line variant depending on the father (for example Hinata relates Shigure’s interest in art to his interest in swords, Saizo tells Shigure that he shouldn’t focus on art during a war despite appreciating is talent, etc.)

For Niles it’s interesting here, since it’s in reference to how Niles is also attracted to multiple genders.

In the English version, Niles instead says “I think your work might turn a few heads.” The same message, but it lost a bit of spice.

There’s nothing else really important to mention, but in the JP version during the A rank, when Shigure’s running late and out of breath to the art exhibit, Niles asks if he’s out of breath because he got laid, which is really fucking funny.

Niles with Subaki

-In the JP script, there's more of an amicable attempt at building friendship from Niles. During B rank, he says "it'd be great if two warped people like us could get along." referring to how Subaki's perfectionist mindset is obsessive and destructive. The English version has him say "The mighty Mr. Perfect reveals a crack in the facade! Strangely, that just makes me hate you less." which is more impersonal.

During A rank, while Subaki is venting about how tired it is keeping up appearances, Niles offers different things between languages. In the Japanese version, he offers a massage (he's good at massages, also revealed in his father support with M!Kana) to take Subaki's mind off things, and Subaki accepts and is genuinely grateful towards Niles.

In the English version... he asks Subaki to 'give him some of his burden' by taking his worries and placing them in his hands. Not in a suggestive way, he's being for real in how Subaki should do this weird mime act of putting his worries in Niles' hands. And replacing the line of Subaki thanking Niles, he instead asks Niles what he plans to do with his worries, to which Niles says "Don't worry about that. I'll put them to good use. Heh heh..."

This was just confounding? Like, okay, I get it, Niles is perverted, so by association offering a massage is lewd itself. But if you're gonna change it, write something with the same energy, not this mime act that ends on a very awkward and clunky note. The JP version reads as if they're finally friends or amiable, the English version is still distant sounding.

Niles/Zero with Mozu/Mozume

-For context, Mozu has been visiting her run down village looking for a special jewel, and Niles has been following her. They discuss her losing her family. During B rank, in the Japanese version, these lines are said:

Mozume: Have you ever lost someone and felt sad? Don't you know what it's like to lose something?

Zero: Oh, I don't know. I just wanted to see your face twisted in pain.

Mozume: What... what did you say!?

Zero: I love seeing the pain on other people's faces. It makes me want to torment them more and make them cry... The reason I became interested in you is because I knew about your village's past.

Mozume: You're a terrible person...

Zero: But... it's been very boring. You're already suffering and griveing enough without me having to do anything.... So I've lost interest in doing anything to you. Don't worry.

Mozume: What a selfish person...

In the English version, this is said instead:

Mozu: Haven't you ever been upset when someone passed? Don't you know that knot in your gut when you lose someone?

Niles: ...That's neither here nor there. I prefer not to dwell on those things. Better to live for the pleasures of the now. I could give you a demonstration, if it would take your mind off things.

Mozu: Th-this is hardly the time!

Niles: If you want to wallow in pain and misery in the ruins of your home, suit yourself. But my offer still stands if you'd rather have some fun instead.

Mozu: You... you're horrible...

Niles: And you're boring, which is worse. It wouldn't take much for me to make you feel better. Believe me, I know lots of ways. But I can see you'd rather be miserable, so carry on without me.

Mozu: Wh-what a self-centered jerk...

-So, the English version has Niles offer to hook up with Mozu in the ruins of her home. Furthermore, Niles in the English version keeps pressing the issue in "making her feel better" and fucks off when she rightfully rejects his advances. But in the JP version, there's something else here.

Niles' code is poking at people who haven't suffered *or* people who pry into others feelings for no good reason. Saying outlandish stuff is a defense mechanism for him, he does that to actively push people away. This is discussed in his Japanese support with Azura, which I'll get to later.

Niles took an interest in Mozu's situation because he knows something fucked up happened to her (Niles is actually quite compassionate to others who have suffered greatly once he finds out about it), but when Mozu asked him about if he ever felt loss, she *unknowingly set off his defense mechanisms* and he responsed like an asshole. A rank concludes with Niles having recovered the jewel that Mozu was looking for, which is what he was intending to do ever since Mozu first told him about it during C rank. Mozu isn't at fault whatsoever, it's just Niles couldn't help responding cruelly.

BUT, this only really works in the JP version, because instead of offering to hook up with Mozu to make her feel better, he instead says that "I don't know [if I ever felt the pain of loss], but I do like seeing other people's faces in pain" which flows better as a conversation. Couple that with how Niles says he won't bother her because she's suffering enough, it displays that Mozu isn't the type of person he would target, it just came out because of Niles' trauma response. This doesn't work in the English version because Niles implies that Mozu is actively making herself sad, which is not only incorrect, it dulls Mozu's situation and screws up Niles' secretly compassionate side. Just... :///

Niles/Zero with Arthur/Harold

So there's stuff concerning the entire chain, but I'll focus on B rank and A rank for now.

In the Japanese B rank, there's this exchange:

Zero: If you don't trust me, then maybe I'll go bust into that mansion for real.

Harold: In that case, I'd have to deliver judgment onto you. I've received a request to stop these robbers.

Zero: Hmph. Whatever, just try not to make it too easy for them.

Harold: ...That's suspicious.

Zero: What is?

Harold: People like you who try to unnerve others often have something to hide. They keep their distance from others so nobody can discover their secrets.

Zero: You think that nonsense passes for actual theory?

Harold: I did come up with that one on the spot, so...

Zero: Right, I thought so.

Harold: I don't care what sort of life you lead, but there's something you're hiding, speak now.

In the English B rank, it's changed to this:

Niles: You've given me an idea. Perhaps, I will join up with this band of merry thieves...

Arthur: Oh, come on! You can't be serious!

Niles: Maybe I am! What are you going to do about it?

Arthur: This is suspicious...

Niles: Wait. You're actually ACTUALLY serious.

Arthur: Well, joking about a crime is a well-known defense technique. Because, if you joke about it, surely you wouldn't actually DO it, right? Oh ho! Thought you could outthink Arthur, did you, evildoer?

Niles: Your logic is breathtakingly stupid.

Arthur: Is it? Darn. I did just kind of make that up.

Niles: Yep. It was obvious.

Arthur: Well, you can make fun of me all you want. But if you're hiding something, you better tell me now.

-The English version kind of has Arthur go "Dumb Cop" mode by doing a pretty vapid investigative trick, but in the Japanese version, he doesn't exclusively reference the crime. His theory is that Zero talks outlandishly to others in order to keep distance from them... which is EXACTLY correct, that's what he does and why he does it. Zero rebuffs him and tells him it's stupid because of that very same idea, that he doesn't want Harold prying into his business. Harold only connects this to the crime at the moment because he believes that "well people who talk like that to others must be hiding something, therefore he must be hiding something regarding this band of thieves he used to work with." The end point is wrong, but the reasoning is correct, even if Harold admits he made it up on the spot. (But that's also supposed to tie into how he's the grounded/emotionally in-touch Axe Fighter for Fates, he was written intentionally to be very good at reading people)

This was kind of scrubbed from the English version, with how Niles eggs him on by dancing around the subject of the thieves and how he might work with them, and Arthur/Harold only centering his reasoning around *criminal activity* instead of the thought process/psychology of Niles/Zero himself. This dumbs Arthur down while making Niles more childish.

Now for rank A. For context, Arthur subdued the thieves but saw Niles sneak into the jailhouse and assumed again that he was working with them. However, he then saw how Niles was lecturing the group and trying to get them to reform, and Niles explains by going into his past. Afterwards, in the Japanese version, there's this exchange:

Harold: I never imagined you had such a past... Thank you for telling me. I see you had nothing to hide today.

Zero: What's that supposed to mean?

Harold: You didn't use your usual, unpleasant manner of speech while you were talking. That's proof that you weren't hiding anything.

Zero: ...The hell are you talking about? Is that another one of your stupid, spur-of-the-moment theories?

Harold: And if it is? Just because it's spur-of-the-moment doesn't mean it's wrong. I felt moved knowing that even you can speak candidly. Alright, now let's go tell everyone what we just discussed. If we do that, they'll all understand that even you can speak properly in the right situation.

Zero: No way. Now get outta here unless you want me to plunge a thick arrow-shaft into you.

Harold: ...Whoa there. I see you're still hiding something after all. But you're cute, so I'll let it slide.

Zero: Huh? Cute?

Harold: What you're trying to hide is your own embarrassment. Feeling embarrassed from hearing my praise, you switched back to your unpleasant way of speaking. But it's no use hiding from me now, I know everything.

Zero: Why you...

Harold: Let's get along from now on. If there's anything you need to talk about, don't hesitate to ask me. As someone who understands you now, I'll listen to my heart's content.

Zero: Tch...

The English version replaces that with this:

Arthur: Thank you for sharing that, Niles. I should have relied on Lord Leo's judgment and trusted you from the start. Now then! I'm off to tell everyone about what a great guy you are!

Niles: Um, that's reall now necessary.

Arthur: Of course it is! It's not fair that you have a bad reputation. People need to know the truth about you! Justice must prevail! I will shout it from the rooftops. "Niles is A-OK in my book"! Ha ha! This is going to be great!

Niles: Can we go back to being enemies?

--Not only is the exchange a lot shorter in English, it's less intimate/emotionally charged. It dials up the humor by writing Arthur to be a bit of a dingbat and Niles being dragged along against his wishes.

Arthur/Harold in the Japanese script, is written to be very good at interpersonal communication and sympathy, hence why he fights for justice and moral causes (saving Azura from being punished, helping any and all citizens instead of just being completely dedicated to Elise like Effie is, taking on dangerous jobs despite his bad luck, etc.). He's an incredibly splendid guy who has a knack for reading people.

And the Japanese A rank proves that he was right in thinking Zero was keeping a part of himself hidden, because Harold noticed that he wasn't talking outlandishly anymore when revealing his past, therefore, he was being genuine and speaking from the heart. Further proving that, is that when Harold genuinely praises him, Zero shrinks into himself and goes on defense again, trying to push him away by threatening to "fuck him with an arrow." Harold clocks this IMMEDIATELY as him trying to hide his embarrassment over being praised, before calling him cute and letting him know that if Zero has anything to vent about, that he'll always be willing to listen, to which the latter again gets embarrassed by.

This massive layer of intimacy and vulnerability between them-especially from Arthur-being removed is devastating! Getting to see Niles be vulnerable and sincere is a very rare treat, and the fact that Arthur is able to pull that side out of him (when the only other people really able to do that are Leo and his spouse) showcases how close Arthur and Niles can be, even if the latter doesn't admit it. The JP version of this conversation is one of the major reasons why Arthur has potential to be read as queer himself, not just because he calls Niles cute, but also because he's able to do something for Niles that's reserved for his closer relationships.

Having this all be replaced/cut out makes me sad, especially since it dumbs down Arthur and dulls Niles' personality. Hell, this also kind of extends to the C rank, where in the Japanese version it's implied that they knew/heard of each other before their current jobs since they were both from the slums, but had never spoken until now due to contrasting personalities and ideals. The English version scrubs that implication away, only having Arthur say "Your reputation precedes you" and Niles say "I don't like smug goody-goodies", as if they only became aware of each other when they got employed and immediately got bad vibes from the other. No! Niles was a known outlaw and Arthur was a known town hero! Of course they heard of each other, and just didn't know how to speak with one another in the palace until the current day!

Ughhh, it's SUCH a good support, yet the English version's changes and alterations just do it no justice whatsoever.

Niles with Azura

-In B rank, Niles explains why he thinks him and Azura are similar, delving into his past and personality in the process. In the JP version he says:

"There are two types of people I like to direct my colorful words to. The first are people who don't seem to know anything about hardship. [...] I was abandoned by my parents when I was a child, and was living in the slums soon after. Maybe that's why, when I see people who've never experienced hardship, I want to see their faces twitch. [...] I followed a hopeless path until Lord Leo took me in. [...] Moving on, perhaps due to my upbringing, I also don't like people who invade other people's hearts with bad intentions. I use my words to put people at a distance from me. [...] However, you aren't anything like either group. You had a turbulent upbringing and you try to keep your distance from others. So I thought to myself that you and I were alike."

In the English version, he says:

"You and I have both experienced real suffering unlike most of the idiots we know. [...] As a child, I was abandoned by my parents and had to fend for myself in the slums. Before Lord Leo accepted me as his retainer, I was literally living in the gutter... [...] It's left me with a low tolerance for people who lack compassion. I cannot stand shallow people! I try to avoid them at all costs. [...] I can tell that you are different from the others, milady. In fact, I get the impression that your childhood was no picnic either. You keep your distance by being aloof, while I actively drive people away. The more people I offend, the fewer I have to put up with. See? We're quite the same."

--Again, the general gist is there in the English version, but it's missing good details while muddying up others. The JP version reads like Zero pushing people away as a defense mechanism, and his envy towards others living privileged lives warping into resentment and antagonism. The English version weirdly makes things more vague, having Niles say he hates "shallow people who lack compassion" which can apply to anyone! A layer to Niles' character is the resentment towards the privileged, hence why his backstory involves breaking into the royal castle and he's not afraid of being scathing towards Corrin, Camilla (royalty), Felicia (royal maid), and Setsuna (noblewoman). It's why his support with Azura is a bit of an oddball, that was intentional. Niles can deduce that Azura is carrying heavy stuff with her like he is, since you have to be a little fucked up to end up distant and detached like Azura is. Her being royalty doesn't matter, because the vibe he gets from her overrules that. But for that overrule to make sense, you have to keep Niles' antagonism towards the privileged, and Treehouse gets fairly iffy with that.

Also in the JP version Niles says he and Azura are like hedgehogs, and the English version changed it to porcupines. As a huge Sonic fan, I'm obligated to be upset by this.

Niles with Elise

--Okay, this one is kind of difficult to talk about, because given Elise's age (at the very least 15, I believe, but possibly older), Niles can come off as a creep.

In Japanese C rank, Elise says she's still too young/too immature to go to the strategy meetings, thinking she'd just be a nuisance to everybody. Niles disagrees and says she "has a great body" which yeah, isn't great sounding. I think the intent was she "has a mature body" which also isn't great sounding, but the point was that Elise is, going by age, is mature enough. Further on, he asks if it'd be better if she stopped thinking of herself as too young, and join in the meetings for the benefit of Nohr.

In the English version, the comments on Elise's body are scrubbed out, but it also ups the childish factor on Elise a LOT for some reason. Instead of seeing herself as a child and lamenting her not understanding the discussions at the war council, she complains that everyone else treats her like a kid instead, hence why she doesn't go to the meetings. That holds very different implications no matter the language, since recognizing your own immaturity is ironically a very mature thing to do, and Elise is characterized as having extremely keen sensibilities. Complaining that others keep treating you like a kid, on the other hand, is extremely immature (hence the constant trope usage by characters like Ricken, Hayato, Lysithea, etc.)

In the Japanese B rank, after being told she didn't need to go to the meeting because it still might be too hard to understand, Elise is very upset. She says:

"You know, Zero... I went to the meeting. And then they told me that I didn't need to go again. It was still too difficult for me to understand [...] Yes. even though everyone was at the meeting... in the end I was the only one left out... [...] No, it's okay. It wasn't unnecessary advice. The problem is me. I act like too much of a child... how do I become an adult..."

Once again, a lot of the emphasis is put on how Elise sees herself as childish, not necessarily others. Zero gives her advice again, saying that her heart might be the problem. He says:

"You say that you want to become an adult, but in your heart you just want to be a child, don't you? The heart shows what you truly are. Heading to meetings with a spoiled heart, of course you'd be seen as unnecessary. Unless you do something about your heart, you won't be needed no matter how old you get."

He then says it's wonderful to see her cry, which again, yes it's fucked up but Zero is fucked up.

In the English version, it removes the line about him liking to see her cry, but also changes the exchange again. Elise now says:

"I w-went to the war meeting like you said, but they told me I didn't need to be there! They said i-i-it was too complicated for me! J-j-jerks! [...] Yeah! Everyone else was there, and I'm th-the only one they said should leave! It's so dumb! Dumb dumb dumb! They're all just a bunch of dumbheads! Why won't they take me seriously?! I even showed up and everything! I'm and adult, right? They should treat me like ooooonnee! *sob* [...] No, you were right. I need to study more. I'm no better than a child. My siblings are so mature... Why can't I be like them?"

Again, I don't speak Japanese, so maybe Elise is crashing out just as hard in the JP script and I just don't know it, but holy fuck, they really ramped up her outburtst here! It's not too far from Peri level, which is unfitting for Elise. While childish in some aspects, she's keen and introspective in others, always desiring to improve. The English version did this part of her personality no favors.

And keep in mind, it was also Treehouse that was responsible for Leo's infamous line where he says "Elise, when do you intend to behave like the adult that you technically are?" That line and its implications were not the same in the JP version, where he instead complains that Elise still acts like such a brat. So, what's the deal here, Treehouse? Is Elise an adult or not?

Anyway, Niles' reply to Elise is kind of the same, but instead of saying "heart" he says "attitude" which gets the same meaning across, and because Elise references her siblings in the English version, he does as well.

-Now, for A rank, there's not as much changed here, but in the Japanese version, Zero is clearly disappointed that his advice inadvertently cost him a chance to see Elise cry/suffer again, given that Elise used the advice on changing her heart and it worked. The English version... only half scrubbed this away, for some reason? They changed a line to have Niles say "I'm proud of you, Elise. That's wonderful. Though... perhaps also something of a shame." It's awkward because Niles isn't written to be that disappointed anymore, you can't have both!

-S rank is a bit of a trip. So, in both versions, Elise says that she wants to marry someone like Niles in the future, because she wants a husband like him that'll tell her things directly and not shy away from harsh truths. But then the versions diverge.

In the Japanese version, it's Niles who brings out a ring and proposes, saying something along the lines of "I had a boyish/immature mindset, where I teased you so much and wanted to see you cry because I was in love with you" and "From now on, you'll face harsh realities. But you don't have to hold back tears. Please cry as much as you want around me. I'll help stop them for you. [...] I'll do my best to be even more wonderful for you, and help you grow into a fine adult."

In the English version, however, it's Elise who brings out a ring and proposes. In response, Niles says "Well I supposed I must accept. [...] I never expected it. But I have grown to love you. You have an innocence about you that I have rarely seen in my life. I lost hope, once, because I bore witness to the worst evils the world has to offer. But you have rekindled that hope in my heart. I could not live without you. [...] And I vow I will do everything in my power to help you in all your endeavors. Though I supposed we'll start with making you a responsible, regal princess, eh?"

-Again, I don't know what the intent is here by Treehouse. You make Elise more childish, outbursts and all, but then have her be the one to propose? And then have Niles comment on her innocence? What? Is she a child or not? Is it appropriate for her to marry or not? Now I could be misreading things, since the "innocence" bit could be translated from Niles saying he had an "innocent schoolboy love" for Elise, or it could've been Treehouse's mistake. Still, that doesn't change the fact that Treehouse had Elise be the one to propose, which is contradictory within this support chain, said support chain being contradictory to what was established earlier in the game. Make up your minds!

Niles with Leo

-A rank sets the scene a bit differently between versions. In the English version, Niles is contemplating the future. This leads him to say he’s confident about his future rather than worried, because he found a purpose in serving as Leo’s retainer. JP version, on the other hand, has Niles thinking about how he is in the present. This leads him to consider his past and come to terms with how lucky he believes himself to be at the moment, and wishing to convey his gratitude to Leo for his part in his life. The same case in B rank happens here as well, where the JP version has Niles express gratitude over finally having a place to stay (which I think is very intimate and vulnerable, because I read it as a "place of belonging"), while the English version has him say his life now has a purpose. That could carry the same weight, but on an interpersonal level, idk, it doesn't feel as deep.

Niles with Camilla

This support is pretty juicy, but key things from Japanese to English get lost. When Zero asks why Camilla relentlessly showers Kamui with love, this exchange happens in the Japanese version:

Camilla: My love for Kamui? I don't quite understand it either. I do think dearly of him, but I don't have a reason for it. Howver, Kamui did have a bad childhood... perhaps that's why I treat him kindly.

Zero: Would it be fair to say that Lady Camilla's love is... selfless (unconditional)?

Camilla: I wonder.

Zero: I see... Heh. Heheheheheheheh...

Camilla: ...What is it?

Zero: I do not agree with that.

Camilla: then, what do you really think?

Zero: Am I allowed to say it?

Camilla: Of course.

Zero: The reason is simple. Because you're a pitiful human being.

Camilla: ! What do you mean by pitiful?

Zero: I'll save it for next time, I'll tell you a story that'll blow your mind.

In the English version, Camilla instead says this first:

"What do you mean? I love Corrin! He's such a sweetie! Plus, he had a terrible childhood. I think he deserves a little kindness now!"

Because of this change to Camilla not really fully knowing the reason why she dotes on Corrin, Niles subsequently doesn't ask her if her love is selfless/unconditional. Instead this exchange happens:

Niles: As I suspected! Your so-called love is nothing more than pity. You're probably one of those people who brings home lost puppy dogs too.

Camilla: Of course I would! Who would leave a cute, little puppy out in the cold?

Niles: Heh heh...

Camilla: *gasp* You would, wouldn't you?! Niles, you're terrible!

Niles: There's a reason you fixate on helping poor pathetic creatures!

Camilla: Is that so? And what's that?

Niles: You live a pathetic existence. You're trying to make yourself feel better!

--In Japanese, the clear cause of her own obsessive devotion to Corrin is unknown even to her, and Corrin's bad childhood is just the best reason she can put forward. In English, she says that's the definitive reason, with no hesitation or deliberation. So not only is there this weird gag inserted in the English version where Niles would leave puppies to suffer, Camilla's own problems are dulled.

Now for B rank, the context here is that, before explaining why he called her pitiful, Niles asks Camilla a hypothetical question on why humans love animals. This is how it plays out in Japanese:

Zero: They (people) want to be loved. But that reality doesn't exist for them. That's why they turn to animals to fill the hole in their heartst. That's exactly what your relationship with Lord Kamui is like. You pitied your own existence and thought that you never received enough love. And so you sougt to devote your love to someone more pitiful than yourself... in other words, Lord Kamui. For your own, disgusting form of comfort.

Camilla: ...If that's the case, so what? What's the point of you saying this.

In English, this exchange is written like this instead:

Niles: It's because people want to be loved. They want companionship-a person to come home to, and if they can't get it... They'll settle for a furry creature who'll greet them and slobber on their shoes. This is the same relationship you have with that lost, little puppy-Lord Corrin. You're miserable, so you shower him with affection, and that puppy slobbers back!

Camilla: Are you calling Corrin a dog? That's disgusting!

--The difference in Camilla's response is important. In Japanese, she doesn't deny that this is the kind of relationship she's cultivated with Corrin. In English, she pivots to offense at Corrin being called a dog. Niles' words about her kind of love is disgusting are also dulled a bit, and the indirect antagonism towards Corrin is also ramped up.

The lack of denial on Camilla's part in JP is important to understand how fucked up she is as well. It connects back to C rank where she wonders if her love is actually selfless/unconditional, and the truth is, it's not. She goes of the deep end in Birthright becasue of her warped love towards Corrin, blending love and cruelty together, because that's how she was raised as well. She's mature enough to reflect on it a bit, but nowhere near close to getting it under control. Removing this tidbit removes the juicy implications that Camilla's character brings.

Niles/Zero then goes on to explain his background to Camilla, how he likes to give hell to people who he believes have never known hardship. This leads us into A rank. In Japanese, Camilla says this:

"You said I never knew hardship and must have been happy because I'm royalty. I summoned you here to tell you that you're wrong. [...] Did you know? Marx (Xander) is the only one among Nohrian royalty was mothered by the queen. Leon, Elise and I are children of concubines. All of us had different mothers. [...] Concubines are in fragile positions. In order to raise their status, even just a bit, they would quarrel and insult each other during their free time. And that's not all. Their spats affected their children as well. All sorts of conflicts arised using the children as an excuse. [...] Your claim that I'm pitiful is not entirely wrong. I exist only to bind my mother to Father. Mother may have loved me, but perhaps that itself was just love towards Father.

In English, however, she says this:

"I know what you thought! She's royalty! She must be happy! Her life is perfect! You're wrong! I wasn't born in the slums, but my childhood wasn't all roses either. [...] O. Didn't you know? Xander is the only one of my siblings born to the queen. The rest of us-Leo, Elise, and I-we're all children of King Garon's mistresses. Different mistresses, I might add. He loved to pit our mothers against each other. [...] Our mothers were the lowest of the low, trying to claw their way to a better status. Naturally, they used us as bait in all of their conflicts. [...] You said I was pathetic, and you were right! My mother loved me, but only as a pawn. Do I dote on Corrin? Yes, I do! I remember what it feels like to be alone!

---There are several things to note here.

1) The English version says Garon loved to pit the concubines against each other, while the Japanese version says the concubines did it on their volition. The English change doesn't make sense, of course, because the whole reason why Garon went off the deep end was because of the stress borne as result of the concubines feuding. He wasn't cruel when they were alive, he became disillusioned and went mad after the fact, including after Azura's mother came and went.

2) Camilla in the Japanese version presents a more detached scenario, including how she felt towards her mother. The experience no doubt fucked her up, but she truly is reflective on whether her mother loved her, or if that was just an extension of her love for Garon. This contrasts with Leo, who explicitly says he never loved his mom, and Elise who (in the Japanese version at least) says she loved her mom, but her mom didn't love her back. In the English version, Camilla is more sure that her mother didn't love her for real, and calls her and the other concubines the lowest of the low. It's quite different, and I don't know if I dislike the approach compared to the detached one in Japanese.

3) Camilla brings up Corrin in English, saying she dotes on him because she knows what it's like to not be loved. JP version, she doesn't bring him up, and instead further contemplates if her mother actually cared for her.

I know this is about Niles, but what the partner says in a conversation with him can change his response. Case in point, this is the exchange that follows Camilla's background in the Japanese version:

Zero: That's enough, Lady Camilla. I was mistaken. You are not pitiful, you are a woman who's stood strong and never resigned yourself... someone far too dazzling for me.

Camilla: Zero...

In English, this is what the exchange is instead:

Niles: I'm so sorry. I was wrong about you! You disguise your pain well. I didn't realize.

Camilla: I didn't tell you all this so you could apologize. I want you to think twice before you judge someon else unfairly!

---The English version made Niles more impersonal (and kind of a wimp) in his apology, and Camilla more reactive in response. In Japanese, the words he uses are more... genuine? I'd like to say? And Camilla is genuinely stunned that he'd retract his words like that. Again, Niles' can be very compassionate and sincere, he's just a hard nut to crack. And Camilla, well... her violent tendencies was meant to be more of a "tranquil fury" kind of anger, the kind that unnerves and terrifies you, rather than is abrupt and shocking, but the English version sort of altered that as well.

Oh, and in the JP version, as recompense Niles offers to apologize in the nude and be dragged around, but in the English version he asks her to beat him instead. Not to important, because Camilla refuses either way, but in English she does say "Seriously, Niles. I'll pass. If you want to be flogged, you'll have to do it yourself." Which is really fucking funny so kudos to Treehouse, you got a laught out of me.

--S Rank has less important changes, but in Japanese Camilla does get very forward and flirtatious with him, saying that "even though you're not a thief anymore, you've stolen my heart" and is more open to his sexual advances at the end of the conversation. In the English version, though, she gets a bit more scandalized, which is :/

Niles with Corrin

-In C rank, there's a bit of a change. In Japanese Zero says that trust is born from violent clashes but that maybe there was a difference in how him and Kamui were raised. Still, he says it's nice of Kamui to say he trusts him. Kamui's interest is piqued he wants to talk to Zero more, to which the latter says that he has weird hobbies but to do whatever he liked.

In English, Niles instead says "trust is borne ouf of a violent confrontation or traumatic experience. I supposed you must have had some kind of blessed childhood, free from worry." Corrin rebukes this and Niles apologizes. When Corrin tries to probe, Niles says "Oh ho! You offer nothing and expect juicy gossip in return. Sorry, child, but you'll have to do better than that."

--Not only is Niles more antagonistic towards Corrin in English, he also just assumes that Corrin's childhood was good, which he doesn't do in Japanese. He's actually quite objective and calm in Japanese. The change remains odd, because then the B rank flips Niles to be nicer all of a sudden.

Anyway, in B, there's details that are different. In Japanese, Niles says this, when asked to relay his background to Corrin.

Zero: I'm fine with it. It's not really a big deal, anyway. Ever since I've been a child, I've done anything I had to to get by. Stealing, begging, assaulting people, killing them... It would be pretty difficult to think of an evil deed I haven't done. [...] What? Surprised, ar you? I haven't even gotten to the best part! Anything I had that was of any value, I'd sell. Everything you could think of. The most intense one was that one time... who would've thought such a great man would-

But in English, he says this:

Niles: Very well. But you should know up front that it's not all lollipops and puppy dogs. Since I was a chold, I've had to do a lot of unsavory things just to survive. Steal, beg, kill-just another Tuesday for li'l Niles, sadly. [...] Surprised? I haven't even gotten to the good stuff.

--Basically, the Japanese version implies a lot more, including prostitution. The English version cuts it off. After that, it kind of continues the same way, though Niles in the JP version does more openly admit he was exaggerating a bit.

A rank doesn't have anything major regarding Niles, but the "low-friction tactical grappling and strategy" that he mentions in the English version? In Japanese is instead referred to as "sumo wrestling, famous sport in Hoshido." I'm a sucker for a developed world, so someone besides Rinkah talking about sumo was a neat surprise.

The S rank for Female Corrin was pretty faithfully adapted, but was also notoriously used for the Male Corrin as well. Here are the lines that were in the Japanese S support, exclusively for Male Corrin and Niles.

After asking Corrin to marry him, this exchange happens:

Kamui: B-but... I'm a man, you know.

Zero: I'm aware of that. We're both men, and our social positions differ greatly, but I'm saying this with both of those things in mind. I... love you, Lord Kamui. No matter what anyone says. I couldn't keep myself from conveying these feelings any longer.

Kamui: You're serious...

Zero: Yeah. It's the first time I've felt like this. This is different from my loyalyt to Lord Leo- I've been feeling something warm in my body all this time. It's strange... normally, I like watching others be troubled, but when you look sad, I feel a pain in my chest. I want to protect you with my own two hands, keep you precious to me, and spoil you rotten. And... if possible, I wish to make you happier than anybody else.

Kamui: ...Zero...

Zero: Lord Kamui... would you be willing to marry me?

Kamui: ...

Zero: ...I guess that's a no. I'm sure you'd preferred it to have com from a woman, but hearing this from a man must be...

Kamui: … even if you won’t tell me about your past…

Zero: Huh?

Kamui: If it’s about the future, then we should be able to talk about it, right? From bygone days to the future – why don’t we talk about it together? If yes, then… I accept your proposal.

Zero: Is it really all right? Are you certain? You… won’t regret this?

Kamui: I won’t regret it. If I told you I wasn’t surprised, I’d be lying, but… what you said earlier made me so happy. I want to accept your feelings. I want us to be happy together. … from now on and forever, I always want to be with you.

Zero: … Thank you. … I wasn’t wrong about you after all.

Kamui: Haha. It’s an honor to measure up to your expectations.

--You're free to draw your own conclusions on this. I feel that gay relationships are inherently different in our society compared to straight ones, so writing them should be different. Given that, I prefer the original JP lines over the English version making the S rank the same between genders. It feels more real, and the extra lovey-dovey stuff from Niles to M!Corrin exclusively is just, ughhh, chef's kiss.

Endings

The only major different one is the gay one with Niles and M!Corrin in Conquest. In Japanese it's this:

"Kamui, after helping the reconstruction of both Nohr and Hoshido countries, traveled the world. By his side was the constant presence of Zero. It is said that the two of them left stories in every land. In their later years, they opened a small orphanage for children who were not blessed and lived their lives quietly."

In English, it's this:

"After helping restore Hoshido and Nohr, Corrin and Niles traveled the world together. The two were celebrated for their humanitarian work, inspiring songs, folktales, and poems worldwide."

---The English endings in general are a lot shorter, since you're able to convey a lot more information with Japanese letters/characters in the same amount of space compared to the English alphabet. Still, if I had to pick, I wish they brought over the orphanage tidbit instead, it's so fucking sweet.

Private Quarters Lines (These are the big changes that I have issues with)

Japanese (Friendship)

"You're an unguarded person, huh... If I became "interested" and did you right here... What would you do?"

"You're still using your hands purely... Shall I teach that body of yours something good?"

"Not bad. Next time I'll be the one servicing you."

"To have been noticed by a royal like you... wasn't so bad I guess. As thanks, I'll teach you about a lot of various things... Painful things... And pleasurable things, okay?"

English (Friendship)

"You seem nervous. Was this meant to be a date?"

"It's so revealing to see your room like this. I feel like I know you better than ever."

"I know, I know, it's my turn to invite you over. There's just... things... I don't want you to see. Yet."

"To think... an urchin like me... best friends with a royal like you. Life is so strange sometimes..."

Japanese (Lovers)

"For all that I had to endure... you better prepare yourself tonight. Even if you cry or scream... I won't stop."

"Close your eyes. Don't worry... Right now, I won't go any farther than a touch."

"I love you. My heart, which had been broken a long time ago... You picked it up and fixed it."

"Even now, I see this dream... A painful and agonizing dream... From when I was a child. But... If I were to wake up and see you beside me... I'll be okay. Please stay by my side. And when I sleep... Please hold my hand and never let go."

English (Lovers)

"I've waited so long for this. I'm never going to let you go!"

"Close those beautiful eyes for a second. ...Well?"

"I never thought I'd feel this way about anyone. It's a weakness, I suppose..."

"You've taught me to embrace love... and showed me that it can just as exquisite as pain. Let's share plenty of both."

---Yes, Niles in Japanese is more sexually charged, whether you're friends or lovers. But he's also SO MUCH MORE VULNERABLE, what the hell! He talks about how the world has broken his heart and how he has nightmares, and wants Corrin to stay by his side at night, just holding his hand!!! He's being sensitive and sincere and so ooey-gooey, ughhhh! In comparison, I feel the English version turned him into a personified ;) face, which has its own charm, but thinking about what it replaced? Yeah, it's no contest for me, I think the Japanese lines are better. Similarly...

Confession

Japanese: "So warm... Is this love? I can feel you deep inside me. When did I... become like this... and fall in love with you."

English: "Do you have any idea what you're getting into? I sure hope not."

---The confession is also a lot sweeter and heartfelt in Japanese, while impersonal and trying to be funny in English. I dearly love Niles when he's open and sincere, and it's a shame that many just haven't seen it.

-------

That's all I had to comment on! Thank you for reading, this was really fucking long lmaoooo.

[woompfy]

Guess what, I have to propose another au…

Crime au!!! (TW:Blood//Death)

Now bare with me, like who wouldn‘t want to see mentally unstable kids using guns and killing people?

Ok so, the bunch formed their own lil mafia group originally founded by Leon and Marlon searching for orphans like them with criminal intent or no where else to go to join them. Each of them marks themselves as a member by burning their symbol on parts of their body. Each and one of them had something happen to them that would make them end up together and trying to survive as one in a world that considers them dangerous.

A story like theirs would first start with Raban, who gets recruited as the 4th member.

Raban gets adopted by former criminal Willi, who dropped his work to raise him. Willi was considered as one of the most talented and feared agent for gang members and criminals so for him to disappear from public eye leaves the world to assume that he‘s dead. He trains Raban to make sure he can defend himself when Willi isn‘t there to protect him

Now what‘s „the wild“? You ever notice how we humans kill each other a bunch of times and in the most brutal, miserable ways? No? Man you must be living under rock…anyway in this world something like an inner beast is inside of every human, some less some more (just like Willi explained) and some peoples inner beast are so strong that they take violent matters when they go apeshit. Take serial killers and abusers for example, their wild would be pretty much consume them to being violent and people who only have the urge to do anything violent but don‘t do it have better control over their wild than abusers etc. or have a weak amount of it. Ordinary citizens would have only a little bit. Like you just want to hit something bcus ur day was shit would be letting a lil bit of your wild out. Perhaps the wild dates back to the stone age, where humans were basically still animals to survive in the wild and that part of beast still holds onto people in this universe where they could be considered extremely dangerous when it consumes them.

Also called it the wild cuz die wilden kerle, wild soccer…bunch yknow wild!…okay

So the bunch basically lives in a mafia world and all of them have a large amount of wild in them that they need to learn to control and the better you control it the stronger you get. The world rejects them or messed them up so bad that they only have each other now.

And I have more backstory info for the rest of the crew but idk where to continue so uhhh….but I think there‘ll be more cuz I just love DRAWING ACTION AUGH

[borkthemork]

I think a lot about how Naegi has had a lot of moments with uncertainty despite being given the title of The Ultimate Hope, and how Kirigiri was one of those people who pushed him to keep going.

Because Naegi does have this voracious tenacity in moving forward, that is apparent throughout the series, but there have been multiple moments where he felt listless and cornered despite this strength to keep going. He does get pessimistic and hopeless during the Killing Game, and Kirigiri being there so that they rub off on one another is one of the most important arcs between these two regarding that.

While they do seem very different on the surface, their focus towards compassion is there. It is genuinely one of my favorite parts of their dynamic, because Kirigiri isn't a heavy pessimist (or I guess sour sport) as people believe. Actually, she has the same optimistic drive just as much as Naegi, to the point that there were parts of the game where her optimism was stronger than Hope Boy's himself.

Here's a quick example of this:

Before the game began, Naegi has always harbored a pessimistic and self-aware streak to him despite his optimistic attitude. We see that in how he downplays himself, the bitterness towards his bad luck in the short story, how he snarkily thinks about how he is being used by Togami again later down the game, etcetera. There's a ton of moments where he doubts there's a way out, if people are being genuine with him, and if things could be okay.

What saves him is his ability to keep moving forward despite those stressors. It's a new development prior to the time of HPA, since he takes on this realist philosophy from an old man he met in his short story, where instead of fully resisting or leaning into fate, he takes the world for what it is and focuses on something else to keep mushing onward.

This helps him direct these anxieties and fears into something that keeps him moving rather than stagnant in fear. However, when the Killing Game occurs, we see the limitations of this mindset when it comes to reacting to the suffering around him, which can be found with the case of Maizono Sayaka.

For the early game, we can see a Naegi who has very much placed his all into being there for Maizono, and how much this betrayal felt to him that even his optimism didn't allow him to think of a softer interpretation towards what she'd done. No matter how he sliced it, Maizono did plan to double-cross him. He doesn't blame her or Leon due to the complexity of the situation, but there's this pain where he acknowledged his compassion, and how much he'd been blindsided to someone he put his heart and soul into.

Keep in mind, Naegi at the beginning of the story really honed in on Maizono's safety above all else. She was the only one he recognized from being in a previous school. While he loves helping people, he and Maizono latched onto one another as safety nets for good reason, and this became a bigger priority compared to the others' security despite Naegi wanting everyone to be okay.

Naegi doesn't know who to trust in the games during Chapter One, after all, and has even felt wary over people like Celeste and Owada due to their suspicious impressions. Out of anyone he went to first, he chose the girl who reached out and showed she wanted to protect him.

So when Trial 1 finished, we can see how melancholic he is over the reveal, and since he's a realist, he's not able to really confirm or theorize what happened when it came to Maizono's reasons and justifications.

Naegi is canonically very grounded, especially with societal rules, and what is considered normal logic and evidence. By being part of the normal world, his early-game self didn't think outside of the box much when it came to himself and what he could possibly do/think in a situation, since he lives very much up to codes and ethics.

Jokingly enough, this can be seen in the many times where Naegi wanted so badly to beat up the cameras, or how he's adamant on not going into the girls' bathroom. He fears the idea of breaking these rules and the punishments that come with it, and knows the societal repercussions when one goes against the normal, societal logic of the world. He wants people to survive, he cares about others' and his own safety, so he shows it by not taking risks against the guidelines.

He follows this status quo not just within the Killing Game, but in Japanese society itself as well. While the government sees the Ultimates as people who can commit change and are destined for greatness, Naegi can only see himself as a working class teen who got here out of sheer coincidence. Under societal expectations, Naegi isn't anyone special or someone worth looking at, and it affects his perception of his own capabilities. Of course, he's going to move forward and take the opportunity anyway — since he does have a voracious optimism — but overall, Naegi's sticking towards code is what veers his priorities more towards working within normal societal and logical confinements, rather than pushing out of it.

In Maizono's death, this is where his pessimism comes from. There is no way to confirm what Maizono was thinking towards him during that point in time, all he knows is the certainty that she betrayed him, and that he is sure of it due to how massive the evidence is towards that conclusion.

It stings, it hurts, and it's hard to brush away that feeling of betrayal.

Add in the factor of his low self-esteem, you also get a Naegi who interprets the worst outcome on whether Maizono's remark of "I need you by my side" was genuine, since Naegi doesn't know if Maizono was actively lying to him at that point, or if the thought of betraying him came later after this scene. There's not much evidence from Naegi's perspective to help prove what she was thinking. And yet, he can't help but wonder if she only saw him as a tool, rather than someone she cared about.

But then Kirigiri comes along. In this scene, she pulls him away from the group for a second, and we see how different her interpretation is on the subject:

We find Kirigiri trying to comfort him with the idea that Maizono wanted to protect him, and that she was thinking of him during her last moments alone.

It's interesting, since keep in mind that Naegi's right during this conversation. If Naegi assuming the worst over Maizono's betrayal is not founded on substantial evidence, then Kirigiri telling him that Maizono was thinking of him is also not founded on substantial evidence.

There is no true way on whether they can confirm what Maizono was thinking during those two separate scenes. No matter how much they could hypothesize, infer, and try to connect what potentially happened, these deductions won't have every detail explained due to their limited point-of-view. And if we go by the DR manga (the one which showcases Maizono's perspective), we see that there are elements within the killing that the class never was able to uncover fully, due to this point-of-view.

Naegi focuses on the realist options of the situation, and while he can easily adjust to multiple perspectives when given reason to back it, his mindset at the end of Chapter One is...stuck. He didn't believe in the hopeful idea that Maizono did try to protect him, and if Kirigiri didn't intervene, he probably would've continued with this mindset while moving forward.

Because Kirigiri pushed on with hope anyway. She knew her theory was one interpretation. The dying message could have other reasons to exist, such as outing Leon as the killer, but we'll never know for sure; that's something she won't be able to refute. And yet, she doubles down on her optimistic hypothesis with certainty.

This is important. Kiri doesn't usually say her hypotheses in this very confirmed matter without solid or substantial proof. Her words here are a very pathos-oriented choice, and one that she never backed down from.

We see a similar thing happen later in Chapter Five. Even when there isn't definite evidence over the headmaster, she followed her heart's interpretation more than logic.

There are multiple factors that fuel her reasons to say this to Naegi, and that comes down to a few things: she sees Naegi as an asset, someone who has a similar goal and drive as her; and that she genuinely cares over giving him reprieve.

Kirigiri is driven by the truth. Out of anything in the series, uncovering the truth of a mystery is what motivates her into taking action, and this allows her to save lives by giving people closure despite the risks she takes to unveil it. It's one of the big reasons why Enoshima utilizes this desire against her, and left her in despair over her father and the Tragedy.

Her detective credo is making sure truth is the priority compared to a sense of ethics and justice, and while that makes it sound like she's very cold, it's what makes her come off as a leader in times of turmoil. By having proof, by getting clarity, by doing whatever it takes to reach towards a goal despite societal repercussions, they're all actions that force a new pathway to open and help people who are in pain. So when the Killing Game began and Ikusaba got murdered, Kirigiri is wary of everyone else due to the possibility of betrayal, but she knows that the opposite of caution is true — if no one cooperates, then no one will get through this game alive.

She says, includes, and omits things carefully so that she can get ahead of the Killing Game. She will do anything like blackmail, risking her life, getting hated by the rest of her peers, or going against the rules to prevent more murders and find an answer. This leads to a lot of risk, and doesn't even have to involve the safety of people as a priority depending on the situation.

On the other hand, she also uses these qualities of her articulation, deduction, and risk-taking to give people closure, comfort, and hope in moments where one feels trapped.

A great deal of this is motivated by care.

That's where Naegi comes in.

We see that Kirigiri finds a similar drive in him. Out of anyone in the group, he's one of the few people that actually shoved his despair aside to investigate Maizono's crime scene extensively.

He is the guy who was the closest to Maizono, after all. Out of anyone in this group, being confronted with the dead body of someone he cares for showed how much he put his own anxieties aside to uncover what was needed. She saw his ability to note details, to formulate inquiries, and his determination in the face of adversity, and decided to test him.

Test him to see not only if he could become useful towards investigations, but if he had the ability to think outside the box and take the risks to bring people to safety.

There's a great post that talks about how she's taking risks with Naegi's responses. She is careful in wanting to preposition him over his role as another anchor keeping the group from despairing, and that's where she gets a bit wary when Naegi talks to her about the reasons he's driven towards moving forward.

While she cares heavily towards people, Kirigiri shoves down her emotions to allow herself to help without getting impulsive; control and deception is needed to press and prod at the Mastermind, and it's essential in not outing her intentions away, even if that means she has to compartmentalize her feelings of loss and move on from their deaths. Naegi, on the other hand, is driven so much by empathy and love that it's written in every action, expression, and declaration he takes. Even while in agony, he passionately lunges if he has to, and that has lead him to almost getting killed by Monokuma two times due to his anger getting the best of him. So in this situation, he states he will never move past his friends' deaths, even if it hurts him.

Naegi's declaration is what keeps her in a push-and-pull situation with him throughout the story. She doesn't know what to expect from someone who is so "foolishly open"; he may be a detriment to her if he won't keep himself cool under pressure, but he has the potential to push far with how compassionate he is just like her.

All she needs to do is keep gently guiding him. See where he can play a part so that, if she is incapacitated, he'll be able to help. All she has to do is believe in his capabilities even when he himself saw nothing much in what he can do, and she does so — seeing him grow more assured of his deductions, able to hold out on his own, and reminding him that there are more opportunities they can take even when he thinks there are no more clues or theories left.

It takes a lot of mental fortitude to place your feelings aside and hone in on the task at hand, and it takes even more energy to spend time on a person so that both of them could be ahead of Monokuma in the world's most messed-up game of chess.

She cares so much through risky action, and that can co-exist with her nature of throwing Naegi into a death situation — just like how Naegi can care so much while not making any risks due to the fear of someone getting killed.

I can go on about how Kirigiri was able to get influenced by Naegi's sense of normalcy, realist nature, and his own form of empathy as well, but that would be a whole other post entirely.

What matters is that Kirigiri's compassionate nature towards the truth and the saving of human lives is what drives her and keeps her own despair at bay. She sees that there are possibilities of surviving because any path of action isn't limited by her own fear; and she will gladly break ethics, because she believes that there will always be a way out of her situation.

Unless she is in the pits of despair or stuck in a situation like her own execution, she will find the silver lining of possibility, and will never let go of it.

These aspects of her optimism is what hits Naegi the most when she talks to him in Chapter Five, and what inspires him to think outside the rules of the Killing Game moments after.

[delta-lethonomia]

I would give so much to have just one normal, everyday conversation I could reference between Cazador and the spawn.

(More Caz thoughts under the cut 😮‍💨 scapegoat & golden child implications)

I feel like there has to have been some interaction beside "yes master/no master" etc because clearly he took the time to tell the other spawn about the Black Mass, and they believed him. Act 1 Astarion mentions how Cazador "gives hope til the last moment" which implies there were moments where he had hope until he'd been burned one too many times. Plus, all of Caz's lines about the type of person Astarion is, his terrible jokes and how it's punishment enough having known him for 200 years... it's a brutal zinger that has to come from personal experience. It wouldn't be funny if you didn't feel the weight of how long those two have known one another.

Considering Caz' obsession with Astarion and how Astarion seems to get the worst torture of his siblings, I see him more and more as the scapegoat in a toxic family. I wonder if there were moments of levity, where Cazador did invite discussion or talk from his spawn, giving the impression that there was some loosening of restrictions, or just enough where making a joke in hopes of amusing him would seem like a good idea - only to backfire horribly, with Astarion held to an impossible standard he couldn't predict while his siblings get away with worse transgressions. They all think the worst of him.

Petras genuinely believes Cazador will set him free, that all the torture he endured was somehow worth it and will lead to his freedom. Petras is also an idiot, but even idiots learn unthinking resentment and hate if beaten long enough. We know Petras at least gets to eat dogs sometimes, which... aren't allowed in Baldur's Gate.... (does Caz smuggle them in?? Does Dufay need to source some dogs for the spawn Christmas presents, while Astarion gets rats every year? Does Caz just tell him "oh go get yourself something nice next time you're out and about?" Do they go to Wyrm's Crossing together sometimes as a fun bonding activity, like when your father hits you one day but takes you out to ice cream the next????)

Astarion just seems so much more jaded and angry than the other spawn. A lot of that does come down to being the one who got away, who had it the worst and now feels bad about not being the lightning rod that unintentionally protects the others, who can now see just how fucked up everything was now that he's had space to think - while the other spawn are still in the thick of it, and probably aren't investing any thought at all into if Cazador is being truthful or not. There's no point. Whatever happens, happens.

I just have this nagging feeling that there has to be some positivity sometimes. If it was all awful, all the time, there comes a point where you stop working for it. There needs to be a moment of affection, the idea that things could be better all the time if you just did this one little thing better - going back to the ice cream example (lol), I wonder if Caz takes different spawn to do different things. Maybe Yousen's really good at Chess. Maybe he and Petras go bowling

Ok ridiculous example (Cazador clearly does not leave the house - but maybe he does, as Astarion feels the need to ask Dalyria where he is in Act 3? So maybe he does leave sometimes....) but the scapegoat/golden child dichotomy means there must be some positivity, some perks for the golden children. Petras gets better snacks, Leon works hard for the fancy room and gets to keep his daughter alive - maybe that's all there is, but I need to know how they all interact. Cazador has human servants, he's got Chamberlain Dufay and deals with the werewolves and clearly everyone's terrified of him and expects the worst - the rumors are nasty enough that Gale has heard of him - but he keeps a journal about the tortures he inflicts on his spawn. That feels, to me, like keeping score, doing enough to keep them terrified and busy but not so much that they give up all will to live in pure dedication of murdering him. Hence, like an abusive parent you still somehow love (and hey, it could be a lot worse, look at your brother after all as an example on what not to be) - there must be some positivity to hold on to.

Just enough that everyone besides Astarion believes him when he says he will set them free, enough that you need to pass a persuasion check, but also little enough that there's no real loyalty.

So yeah, maybe Cazador and Petras go on trips to Wyrm's Crossing together so he can get a dog to snack on. Idk man 🤷‍♀️ It's a lot more likely that Caz just says something awful about Astarion and lets them all rag on him for his amusement for a few moments here and there, and that moment of levity is enough to inspire some feelings of normalcy, but tbh I have zero clue what Cazador does all day and I'm obsessed with terrible slice-of-life scenarios.

[mariacallous]

The great fault of the global left is not that it supports Hamas. For how could Western left-wing movements or left-inclining charities or academic bodies truly support Hamas if they were serious about their politics?

No one outside the most reactionary quarters of Islam shares Hamas’s aim of forcing the peoples of the world to accept “the sovereignty of Islam” or face “carnage, displacement and terror” if they refuse.  You cannot be a progressive and campaign for a state that executes gay men. An American left, which includes in its ranks the Queers for Palestine campaign group, cannot seriously endorse lethal homophobia in its own country.  They will turn a blind eye in Palestine, as we shall see, but not in New York or Chicago.

Finally, no left organisation proudly honours the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and the fascist tradition that Hamas embraces with such sinister gusto, although in a sign of a decay that has been building on the left for more than a generation, many will promulgate left-wing conspiracy theories which are as insane as their fascist counterparts.

No, the problem with the global left is that it is not serious about politics. It “fellow travels” with radical Islam rather than supports it. The concept of “fellow travelling,” with its suggestions of tourism, dilettantism, and privilege, is well worth reviving. The phrase comes from the Bolsheviks. After the Russian Revolution of 1917 they looked with appreciation on Westerners who supported them without ever endorsing communism. Artists, writers, and academics who were disgusted with the West, often for good reason, I should add, were quite happy to justify Soviet communism and cover up its crimes without ever becoming communists themselves.

Leon Trotsky put it best when he said of fellow travellers that the question was always “how far would they go”? As long as they did not have live under the control of communists in the 1920s or the control of Islamists in the 2020s, the answer appears to be: a very long way indeed

W.H. Auden said, as he looked back with some contempt on his fellow travelling past, if Britain or the United States or any country he and his friends knew were taken over by a “successful communist revolution with the same phenomena of terror, purges, censorship etc., we would have screamed our heads off”. But as communism happened in backward Russia “a semi-barbarous country which had experienced neither the Renaissance nor the Enlightenment”, they could ignore its crimes in the interests of seeing the capitalist enemy defeated.

You see the same pattern of lies and indulgence in the case of Hamas. Journalists  have produced a multitude of examples of fellow travelling since 7 October but let one meeting of the Oakland City Council in the Bay area of San Francisco speak for them all.

A council member wanted the council to pass a motion that condemned the killings and hostage-taking by Hamas, who, in case we forget, prompted the war that has devastated Gaza, by massacring Israeli civilians. The motion got nowhere

According to one speaker Hamas did not massacre anyone, a modern variant of Holocaust denial that is becoming endemic. “There have not been beheadings of babies and rapings,” a woman said at the meeting. “Israel murdered their own people on October 7.”  Another woman said that calling Hamas a terrorist organization is “ridiculous, racist and plays into the genocidal propaganda that is flooding our media.” Hamas was the “armed wing of the unified Palestinian resistance” , said a third who clearly had no knowledge of the civil war between Hamas and Fatah.

“To condemn Hamas was very anti-Arab racist” cried a fourth. The meeting returned to modern Holocaust denial as a new speaker said the Israeli Defence Forces had murdered their own people and it was “bald propaganda” to suggest otherwise. A man intervened to shout that “to hear them complain about Hamas violence is like listening to a wifebeater complain when his wife finally stands up and fights back”.  

Anyone who contradicted him was a “white supremacist.”

Of course they were.

Now if theocrats were to establish an Islamist tyranny in the Bay area, I am sure every single speaker would scream their heads off, as Auden predicted. They can turn into fellow travellers as there is no more of a prospect of theocracy threatening them than there was of communism threatening readers of the left-wing press in the UK and US in the 1930s.

A serious left would have plenty to complain about. Consider the Israeli position after the breakdown of the ceasefire. The Israeli state is led by Benjamin Netanyahu, a catastrophe of a prime minister, who left his people exposed to the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. His war aims are contradictory: you cannot both wipe out Hamas and free the hostages.

Worst of all, the Israeli defence forces are to move to the southern Gaza strip where two million Palestinians are crammed. Just war doctrine holds that a military action must have a reasonable chance of success if the suffering is to be permitted. How, reasonably, can the Israeli army expect to find guerilla fighters hiding in a terrified population?  According to leaks in the Israeli media, Anthony Blinken, the US Secretary of state, was warning the Israeli government that, “You can’t operate in southern Gaza in the way you did in the north. There are two million Palestinians there.” But he was ignored.  A radical movement worth having would surely be putting pressure on the Biden administration to force Israel to listen to its concerns.

The radical movement we have will not engage in practical politics because compromise is anathema to it. Any honest account of the war would have to admit that Israel has the right to defend itself against attack. It is just that the military position it finds itself in now may well make its war aims impossible and therefore immoral.

You can see why practical politics has no appeal. Where is the violent satisfaction in sober analysis,  the drama in compromise? Where is the Manichean distinction between the absolute good of the Palestinians and the pure evil of Israel?  

Meanwhile, ever since the Israeli victory in the Six Day War of 1967, you have been able to say that Jewish settler sites on the West Bank were placed there deliberately to make a peace settlement impossible, and ensure that Israel controlled all the territory from “the river to the sea” forever.

A serious left might try to revive a two-state solution by building an international consensus that the settlements must go. Once again, however, that is too tame an aim. For the fellow traveller watching Palestine from a safe distance, satisfaction comes only by embracing Hamas’s call for the destruction of Israel. Some progressives try to dress up the urge to destroy by pretending that Jews and Palestinians will go on to live together in some happy-clappy, multi-ethnic and multi-confessional state. But most must know they are advocating a war to the death. What makes their position so disreputable is that, if they thought about it calmly, they would know it would be a war that only Israel could win. It is the Israelis who have the nuclear weapons, after all.

The worst of the global left is dilettantish. It advocates a maximalist position which has a minimal chance of success - just for the thrill of it. David Caute, a historian of fellow travelling with Stalin and communism said that the endorsement of communism by fellow travelling intellectuals in the West “deepened the despair” of Soviet intellectuals. “In their darkest hours they heard themselves condemned by their own kind”.

The 2020s are not the 1930s. I am sure that, if I were a Palestinian in Gaza, my sole concern would be the removal of Israeli forces that threatened me and my family. I would either not care about demonstrations in the West or I would receive some comfort from the knowledge that people all over the world were protesting on my behalf.

Nevertheless, a kind of betrayal is still at work. By inflaming and amplifying the worst elements in Palestine the global left is giving comfort to the worst elements in Israel, which are equally determined to make a compromise impossible.

The New Statesman made that point well when it ran a piece by Celeste Marcus.   She came from the Zionist far right, and was taught doctrines that dehumanised Palestinians. She grew up and grew away from the prejudices of her childhood and became a liberal. But after she moved into her new world, she “recognised immediately that progressive leftists feel about Israelis the way radical Zionists feel about Palestinians: these are not real people.”

The result is that for all its power on the streets and in academia the global left is almost an irrelevance.

“To influence Israel,” she writes, “one must be willing to recognise it. Since leftist leaders cannot bother to do this, they cannot be of real use to Palestinians. This is a betrayal of their own cause.”

The dilettantism of fellow travelling always ends in betrayal and denial for the reason Auden gave: terror is always more tolerable when it happens far, far away.

[shsl-hubris-guy]

In-Depth Analysis On All The DR Characters Because What, Are You Gonna Try And Stop Me? Who Are You, My Mom? Yeah, I Didn't Think So- Part 3: Sayaka Maizono

It's finally time for my #1 THH girlie to shine!!! I may be a bit biased with this one because of how much I adore her, but I'll try my best to remain objective as we go in-depth on how well-written of a character she is. They used her character schtick incredibly, and I can't wait to go into why.

As always, only offical, canon material will be used in this analysis, primarily the english translation of the THH game. If you aren't interested, just keep scrolling.

Part 1- Character Design

Sayaka Maizono was one of the first characters to reach completion, designed for maximum likability to the player. Her look is extremely basic and palatable, with a regular schoolgirl uniform and softer features, and she's characterized instead through her expressions, which are used to either purposefully cover up her true feelings or let the 'perfect idol girl' mask slip when appropriate.

Her given talent was that of the SHSL Idol, or the Ultimate Pop Sensation, adding to her cutesy and likable nature. She was also used during development of the game itself as a placeholder due to how quickly her design came together, which made the developers sick and tired of looking at her(alongside Leon Kuwata, who was also finalized relatively quickly) and led to an early exit in-game.

Part 2- The Assistant Trope/Inspiration

Like many of the characters in Danganronpa, Sayaka was designed around and used to subvert one of the many tropes found in mystery/detective games at the time. For Sayaka, this was that of the deuteragonist, the assistant(one well-known example being Maya Fey from Ace Attorney). Her character introduction, the quick establishment of her relationship with the player, and her 'pleasant' demeanor all factor into this, making her seem as though she's going to be a major player throughout the rest of the game. She was originally meant to be a childhood friend as well, but this was severely cut down to just having gone to the same school. She was also put front and center alongside Makoto and Kyoko in the promotional material for the game to create a level of perceived importance for her before the game even started, and preemptively raise the audience's expectations for her role.

But there was another character that a lot of inspiration was pulled from- Marion Crane from the 1960 film Psycho. Marion is a character who'd lived her entire life as a good person but, in a moment of desperation, steals $40k and goes on the run. The first half of the movie paints her as the protagonist, only for her to be abruptly murdered and for the movie to shift to solving the mystery of her disappearance. Sound familiar?

Part 3- Character Introduction

From the get-go, Sayaka is put into a helper's position. She's not the one to suggest going around and introducing ourselves, nor is she the one to justify why, but she is the one that ends the debate and moves the game into introductory mode, suggesting that she's the go-to for the player to move forward in the game- "Okay, so let's get introductions out of the way, then we can move on to whatever else. Sound good?" She's not asking the class, she's asking you as the player if you're ready to keep going.

Her first intro is brief, focusing less on her character and more on her public image. Makoto narrates about her position as lead singer in her idol group and how beautiful she is, as well as teasing some form of previous meeting between her and us. We also quickly establish her strong intuition.

"Well, never mind. No matter how you slice it, she's really beautiful. Almost like a doll or something..." "I'm not a doll, you know. I'm alive!"

She also seems to recognize you, despite the belief that she probably wouldn't remember. Of course, before you can talk any further, you're interrupted so the plot can keep moving, securing a connection to her without any actual information required.

As you talk to the rest of the class and head towards the entrance ceremony, she's one of the few to voice her concerns about the state of the school, and points out the lack of other students("And why isn't there anyone here? Walking through the halls, I didn't see a single person..."). She's observant and perceptive, keeping her guard up. In fact, she barely speaks throughout the entrance ceremony and immediate aftermath, waiting until their situation has been explained by Monokuma and all the rules have been read to call any attention to herself. When she finally does speak, it's to try and clarify rule 6- the rule that states killers can leave unless discovered.

So the first impression we're left with is that she's a more level-headed and competent girl with some kind of important connection to us, one that appears to be mutual. Anticipation has been built to learn more about that connection as well, which directly affects the story going forward.

Part 4- Your Ultimate Assistant

A major part of why Sayaka works as a character is because she connects with the player directly, offering to help you via a connection to our player character, Makoto. This relationship with us as an audience is the core purpose of her existence in the narrative. When we wake up in Makoto's bedroom and walk outside, it's Sayaka who's there waiting for us, to check if we're okay and fill us in on what's happened while we were out. She's here to help, but keeps the focus on how we're doing.

"But... are *you* okay? You know, from when Mondo hit you..."

"Oh, that's good. I was kinda worried..."

"Well, if you really are feeling better... I was hoping you could come to the dining hall."

She's also the character used from a meta perspective to teach us the functions of the game itself. It creates a certain reliance and trust in the character to continue being helpful to us as the player, even when it's not actually her doing.

It's here where we go on to learn how exactly she knew Makoto- the two of them went to the same middle school, albeit in different classes, and despite the fact that Makoto straight-up admits to having no distinguishable traits, all she can do is laugh it off, happy to have someone somewhat familiar nearby. She attributes this relief solely to Makoto, as if she's indebted to him, and decides she wants to thank you by acting as your Ultimate Assistant. In other words, she's buttering us up so we'll trust her wholeheartedly, and establishes a 'you and me against the world' relationship. And in-character, it works perfectly, with Makoto falling hook, like, and sinker.

"I'm just surprised, is all. I wouldn't have thought you'd remember me." "We went to the same school for three years, of course I remember!"

"But *you're* the one that helped me find my courage again. Not any of those 'ultimate' students." "Thank you for saying that..."

"I'm going to help you out as much as I can, so let's get out of here together!" "When she says things like that, it... it just gets me pumped up!"

"I may not be the best assistant in the world, but I'll give it everything I've got." "No... you've already done so much as my assistant." <-(said almost immediately afterwards, with no character action or events in-between)

And again, the game's mechanics force you to rely solely on Sayaka, utilizing the purple words to have the rest of the day's events explained through Sayaka being personable and helpful.

She continues to be the one to calmly explain what's happened so the player isn't lost or confused. She acts as a voice of reason when the class starts to panic. And again, once the conversation is ended by Celeste, she checks in with you again before splitting up.

"Okay, so since you're in the dark about all this, let me lay out what's been going on."

"Everyone just calm down, please! We need to stop and think about what to do from here."

"Makoto... are you ready to call it a day?" "Yeah, let's go."

The entire next day is spent completely with Sayaka, without a moment's break. From the moment Makoto wakes up, the objective is to talk to Sayaka, and you hunt for a defensive weapon with her. Even without finding a reliable weapon, Makoto very quickly offers himself up as a protector for her, and with that, the search ends. She's gotten what she really wanted- a reliable friend.

"H-Hey, don't worry about it! It's not like you need it right away, right? Plus, if anything *were* to happen... when the time comes... I'll protect you." "You'll... protect me? Thank you for saying that... If I've got you on my side, I guess I don't need a weapon after all!"

You learn more about her by sticking together and talking afterwards, and once you're done with that, the game decides to explain the concept of FTEs via immediately sending you Sayaka's way, again, to bond with her even more("Anyway, why don't you try it out by spending some time with Miss Sayaka Maizono? She's the ideal partner to begin with, don't you think?"), as well as give the player their first skill for the upcoming class trials. It's on-the-nose to the point where Sayaka herself apologizes for it.

This also works to her benefit, as even if the player is getting annoyed by the tutorials, they're less likely to blame Sayaka as a character for it, since she's showing shame for how much time it's taking. Sayaka is unequivocally the character to care about, the character to pay attention to. She becomes the object of Makoto's affections, and makes herself invaluable in his and the players' eyes, all with the handy help of game mechanic tutorials. Whether or not you as the player trust her or find her suspicious, she becomes the character at the forefront of your mind. Either way, the job is done.

Part 5- The Idol Mask

All this knowledge about how she operates for the player as a meta perspective is great, but it doesn't actually tell us a ton about Sayaka herself as a character. It's moreso about how we're being set up to perceive her existence within the game. Regardless, it's important to understand that setup to see why she works, but it's equally important to get into the characterization itself. So, let's do that now.

We already know that she's been working towards establishing a strong bond between herself and Makoto, making him feel better about being surrounded by people with insane talents and offering as much familiarity as possible, as well as singling him out and separating him from the rest of the class while everyone else forms their relationships separately.

She's been doing a great job of keeping up this appearance of a cute and reliable helper, but this leaves her seemingly lacking in substance, as she's solely focused on making us comfortable with her first and foremost. This is something that, from a character perspective, can easily be pulled from her idol career- she's a massive celebrity who advertises cuteness and likability, so leaning into that and using it to her advantage is a logical first step for her in establishing fondness.

As we head to the trophy case in the gym, we do start to get hints of her actual motivations and desires if you stop in the main hall to talk to Leon. It's brief, but a nice touch, especially considering the dynamic between these two later on.

Sayaka's true self doesn't really reveal itself until your conversation with her in the entrance to the gym, though, when she asks to spend some extra time together. Having nothing else to do feels wrong to her. It's unfamiliar, and puts her on edge("No, it's not that it's boring. It's just... I've never really done it before. I don't have a lot of time to just... do nothing."). It's enough to start to move her out of that idol shell in an attempt to fill that time, and let a little bit of that idol's mask slip- "Hey, um... this is kinda out of nowhere, but... Makoto, do you have a dream?"

By turning it around and asking about her dream, we directly connect with her core value- her deeply focused motivation for her childhood dream. It's something that she can't help but gush about, both the wonderful and terrifying parts of it. We get to learn exactly where she came from, raised by the TV, no mother to speak of and an absent father working his ass off, and how her dream took form as she watched her own idols.

"But more than anything else, there was her smile. Looking at her smile, I could feel my loneliness melting away. I decided that's what I wanted to be someday. I wanted to give that kind of encouragement to others."

The mention of an idol's smile specifically is proof that she did, in fact, succeed wholly on this dream, as it calls directly to the repeated mention of how comforting Sayaka's smile is to Makoto.

"That somehow mysterious smile of hers made my heart grow calmer."

"I can tell it comes from the heart. It makes me feel at ease..."

"That mysterious smile that softens my heart... I really wasn't flattering her. That smile saved me."

It also gives us some insight into why said smile exists, and just how often she's masking around us- "Her earlier mood disappeared, replaced by the bright smile I'd quickly grown used to. But how'd it happen so fast? It was almost like a mask, like some kind of neutral expression."

We also get to learn just what kind of world Sayaka lives in, and how much work it takes to keep her dream alive. The entertainment industry is cutthroat, and to be a positive role model and live her dream onstage, she has to fight tooth and nail at all times.

"I did whatever it took to reach that dream. I mean it. Even some things that... weren't so pleasant."

"To make your dream a reality, you have to keep your gaze fixed on it no matter what. In that world, if you lose focus for even a split second, you get left behind. You have to keep on swimming against the current, without even taking time to breathe..."

She even has to compete against the people in her own idol group for attention, though that rivalry is a major factor in what motivates her so much.

"We've been performing together since we were young, so they're all like family to me. Without them, I would have given up on my dream a long time ago."

Although Sayaka has been using Makoto to build herself a safety net and have someone to fall back on, her willingness to share this part of herself exists as proof that she did care about him to some extent. She genuinely does feel more secure with him around, and it allows her to let out her fear and frustrations safely. She's able to take the mask off for a bit.

She has a deep-seated fear of losing everything she's worked for, her entire life's work, to the whim of public attention. And it's not just her livelihood put at risk by this- it's the other 4 girls from her idol group as well. She's their lead singer, their central figure people think of from their group. They could keep performing without her, sure, but the public's perception of them would irrevocably change, and interest would drop. It's a realistic fear, too, as celebrity culture is defined by its "15 minutes of fame," and while she could probably milk her kidnapping story for exposure if she got out quickly enough, tragedies happen every day. With enough time, people would and could forget about her.

We get to see this further after the viewing of the motive videos. After everyone's watched their videos, she has the most volatile response, shoving Makoto away and running out of the AV room to hide. Upon being found, she's described as having no expression or emotion on her face. She's in the process of going completely numb, and can't even bring herself to lie when Makoto asks if she's okay.

It's here that a solid divide is truly defined between Makoto and Sayaka. Their motive videos, while both intense, have completely different implications. Makoto hasn't actually seen hers yet, but assumes it must be the same as his, and thus, his attempts to assure her ultimately fall flat.

"Think about it- those videos have to be fake! Because if those things really had happened...people out there would be in an uproar. Our families, the police, everyone!"

But Sayaka's motive video didn't just imply that her loved ones were hurt. No, her motive video insinuates that her being trapped led to her band falling apart. Their stage presence is gone; they're fading into obscurity. The family she found through the stage is now separated. And that's not something the police would think twice about. That's just the entertainment industry functioning as normal, and actualizing her greatest fears. She is replaceable.

It's here where we truly see what Sayaka's resolve is made of, and where she shows us that she's been thinking of killing this whole time.

Though no one's died yet, the mere idea of killing someone to get free has been gnawing away at her. Not only that, the need to act before anyone else makes the first move is something she's already familiar with thanks to working in the entertainment industry; to keep ahead of the game, you have to push out content constantly. She has to be the lead singer, she has to have the best music. All this pressure is mounting, and the motive video is leading her to blow. And through Makoto's help, she's able to calm herself down enough to direct the steam.

"I-If that happens...then I'll get you out of here myself! No matter what it takes!"

"Can I... can I believe what you said? That you'll help me get out? No matter what it takes?" "A-Absolutely!" "Makoto... You're the only one I can trust. So please... No matter what happens, please always be there for me. I need you on my side..."

Makoto says himself that he'll get her out "no matter what it takes." And he says this while they're trapped in a killing game, where as far as they know, the act of killing someone is the only way to escape. To Sayaka, this reads as an offer: I'll help you kill someone if we have to. So that's what she plans to do.

(It's also worth noting that, at that point, neither of them knew about the class trial at this point, or the potential repercussions of voting incorrectly in one. If they had, this entire situation may have been very different. We'll never know for sure.)

Though the personality she shows us for most of the game is one that's carefully curated, on the inside, she's constantly in terror. She knows how much to reveal about herself and how much not to in order to gain favor, and is always calculating her next move. We know from the description of her dream that she isn't an inherently selfish person- she acts for a dream that she believes is worth it in the long run, and wants to inspire and comfort young girls like herself and make them feel more secure. The concern she shows for Makoto's health and her remembering him from middle school isn't all purely an act; you can't fake memories that are that accurate to what actually happened in the past(will go into more detail in Relationships for this). She latches herself onto Makoto because she wants it to be Makoto, and while she tries to act to her benefit, her softer, more caring nature ultimately stops her from doing so, and winds up getting her killed.

Part 6- Sayaka's Murder

As stated previously, Sayaka being the first victim was designed to be completely shocking to its original audience. She was someone so clearly set up to be important to Makoto, and assisted us in walking through the beginning of the game. A strong bond was established between the two of them, and a character like that was typically propped up to be someone critical to the story unfolding. So this twist was like a gut punch to 2010 Japan. Nowadays, this trope-subversion has become a trope in and of itself, and that can be partially attributed to how much impact Danganronpa had within the genre, but it does make this twist into more of a base expectation for a newer generation of fans. Regardless, this was a major shock at the time, as was confirmed by interviews with the creator. This twist was even protected by the demo of the game, as the victim there was Yasuhiro.

For the rest of the chapter, we have to work to find out who's responsible for her death, and why she ended up dying. It's set to be both the moment that the player begins to take the murder-mystery aspects of the game seriously, and acts as a way to force Makoto as a character to take initiative in the class trial, as almost everyone immediately writes him off as responsible for her murder due to the location of the body. So in a way, Sayaka works in one final act as helper to the player, as it's her murder that leads to the first trial and how to play them.

It's in the trial where we also have it confirmed for us that Sayaka was the instigator, as the evidence gathered unfolds into a failed murderer being murdered herself. Though this comes as a shock to Makoto, we've already seen and addressed how she came to this point and why, so I'll spare the details of explaining the entire trial so we can stay focused on Sayaka herself. Suffice to say, this revealed betrayal serves to develop Makoto's empathy for the rest of the cast going forward as he realizes the one that trusted him most was using him as a buffer, thinking through every step of how to keep suspicion off of herself.

"Now do you understand? She wasn't a blameless victim in all this."

"And if it's true that she had the kitchen knife and attacked without provocation..." "Indeed... these are all the actions of an assailant."

"And by committing the murder there, instead of her room, that would implicate Makoto."

"For one thing, even if her plan worked, Mr. Naegi would just tell everyone they'd switched rooms." "I don't know... I'm not sure our softhearted Makoto is capable of that kind of cutthroat behavior. I'm sure Sayaka realized the same thing".

In the end, it's Kyoko who puts together not only that Sayaka was the one responsible for the trial, but also that her dying message existed to save Makoto. She deciphers the inverted English letters, and even pulls Makoto aside to say as much about Sayaka's true intentions.

"Sayaka meant to double-cross you. That's a fact that you can never change. But even till the very end, she wasn't sure of her decision. That's why... as she lay dying, she was thinking of you."

And because Kyoko is a character who goes on to be established as someone who seeks out the absolute truth, combined with the behavior we saw from Sayaka prior to the murder plot, we can trust that this inference is accurate. It's also directly shown to be true in other official adaptations, such as the stageplay, in which she's murdered in the bedroom and drags herself to the wall to write down Leon's name for Makoto.

Part 7- Relationships

Though Sayaka has few relationships, they're all fiercely important to her, enough to where she's willing to die/kill for them.

7.1- Sayaka's Bandmates

Though they aren't ever named in-game, Sayaka makes it very clear how important her bandmates are to her. She tells us that she sees them as her family, something huge for a girl who grew up lonely, and that her greatest fear is being forced to go their separate ways. They're her best friends, her coworkers, her rivals, her family. They've been involved in every aspect of her life as her bandmates. Their existence and this focus brought on them elevates Sayaka's own motivations- fearing for the success of their band as an idol isn't just about her own success anymore. Her being kidnapped puts her family's livelihood at stake, not just her own. And the motive video serves to throw that fact in her face.

7.2- Makoto Naegi

Sayaka latches onto Makoto quickly for a reason- he's familiar. The government-mandated FTE tells us as much. Not only did they go to the same middle school, but he was someone she very distinctly remembered. Because Makoto was in charge of taking care of the school's animals, he was the one who once led a giant crane out of the school's pond and into the nearby forest. It left enough of an impression on Sayaka for not having spoken to him back then becoming one of her greatest regrets, attributing the event to being something out of a fairytale.

"Honestly though, I was so impressed... That's why I always wanted to talk to you, even just once."

This story is one that's undoubtedly true, and Makoto himself remembers the event clearly as well. It stands as solid, undeniable evidence- that even though she was trying to use him to her benefit, she did genuinely like and admire him as a person, long before the game ever began, and enjoyed his company. She doesn't tell him how she became an idol or confide her fears purely for strategy; if that were the case, she wouldn't have panicked so badly at the motive video and ran. She doesn't want people to see that fearful side of her, but developed enough trust in Makoto to take the risk of letting him see her vulnerable. In the end, that vulnerability works in her favor, but to write it off as just manipulation for the sake of her plan would be inaccurate. Rather, she had genuine fear, and a genuine need to confide in someone, and made the observation as she did that it may be something she could use.

We're given a distinct difference between when she's acting for her benefit and when she's being genuine spelled out for us in our final conversation with her as well. When she's faking that fear of someone trying to break into her room, her irises still have their color, and she's still perfectly in control of herself, able to control her volume and look us in the eye as she gets access to Makoto's room. It exists in a stark contrast to her two breakdowns, where her eyes went white and she started to scream, panicking too much to pay attention to her surroundings.

She trusts Makoto wholeheartedly in the way he trusts her. He was there for her when she needed it, and that's how she's able to develop the confidence to go on and fake it later; she knows he'll take her concerns seriously. So she lies, saying that someone attempted to break in, and convinces him to switch rooms for the night, simultaneously giving her the space she needs to work with to avoid being caught and absolving Makoto of any blame for what she's about to do by keeping him in the dark. When she becomes a killer, he won't fall with her. There are a couple other instances of this subtle protection of Makoto that can be found in the game, like her taking him to look for a defensive weapon only to convince him he should be the one to have it, or her writing the name of her real killer down so Makoto wouldn't be blamed for her death.

It's also worth noting that in the canonical au novel Danganronpa IF, when Sayaka goes to have this conversation, Makoto faints and Sayaka immediately drops the act entirely, instead choosing to focus on getting Makoto taken care of. She rushes him to the nurse's office, and stays with him through the entire night, only going to bed in the morning when Mukuro takes her place so she won't pass out. These aren't the actions of someone acting purely in accordance with her self-gain. If that were the case, she could've just grabbed his key, thrown him in her room, and continued with her plan as normal. But she didn't. Makoto's health and safety is decidedly a real priority of hers every step of the way.

7.3- Leon Kuwata

The original game doesn't do very much to explain why Sayaka would choose Leon to attack as a victim. We learn through Leon's introduction that he wants to become a musician, but other than that, these two barely interact, and only in scenes that are skippable and not on the main storyline(pictured earlier). This comes from the unfortunate result of Leon just so happening upon the developers' shitlist and being killed off first so they wouldn't have to look at him anymore. As was stated earlier, both Sayaka and Leon were the first character designs to reach completion, and were then used in early development of the game quite often. This led to the game devs becoming sick and tired of looking at them and thus, chapter 1 had them both die. And while Sayaka was important enough to the development of the protagonist, Leon was not, and ultimately fell to the wayside throughout his time alive in the game. But that's not to say they didn't at least have an idea of what they wanted to do with the two's relationship at all, and the truth behind why she chose him was expanded upon in the supplemental manga series.

After Mondo knocked Makoto out on the first day, it was Leon who offered to help Sayaka carry him to their dorms in the hopes they'd get to talk. As we already knew, he wants to be a musician, and admires Sayaka for succeeding in the industry. Sayaka sees his excitement and how lighthearted of a person he is, and simultaneously admires and pities it; someone so casual wouldn't be able to fight his way through the industry, as far as she thinks. It'd only hurt him further.

Later, when she's trying to decide who to kill, she remembers this conversation. Leon is one of the only other people besides Makoto she's made any connection with, so he wouldn't suspect she was planning to kill him. Besides, surely he'd understand where she was coming from if he really wanted to be in the entertainment industry, and if he couldn't understand then, well, he was never cut out for it anyway. She was able to justify attacking him in her mind because of this, and thus, he became her target.

Ultimately, Leon wasn't even trying to kill her when she got stabbed. After getting the screwdriver from his toolkit, he was trying to wrestle the knife away from her and talk things out. He didn't trust Monokuma's empty promises, and respected her enough to try to get through to her. Meanwhile, Sayaka couldn't give up; she was in too deep, and if she didn't kill him, then surely he'd tell everyone, and she'd lose everything she'd worked for. But in their struggle, the knife ended up in her stomach, and he ran out, unable to watch her die as he went into damage control and she wrote his name in her blood, as one final apology to Makoto.

In the original game, we never get any of this insight into what happened. We only get Leon's insistence that it was out of self-defense and that he was "just unlucky."

He never fully gets to explain himself, and is executed without another thought, similar to how Sayaka died without ever getting to tell Makoto the truth.

Part 8- School Mode: Sayaka's Ending

After completing THH, you unlock School Mode- Enchanting Dangan Academy: Purely Prismatic Souls, in which instead of announcing a killing game, Monokuma demands the class build themed backups for him. In the downtime for this mode, it acts as a dating sim, as once you finish out someone's FTEs, you can take them on trips to different places in the school and level up their hearts to a max 10. If you win the school mode, and max out Sayaka, you unlock an ending conversation between her and Makoto. This is true of all the characters, but Sayaka's is special because she brings up the promise to stay by her side you made in the main game, despite it never taking place in the school mode.

This reveals something major- Sayaka was, in fact, psychic, and could see into alternate timelines all along. Her psychic intuition assured her there was a universe where Makoto would succeed in saving her, and it allowed her to endure the killing game.

"I knew everything... I knew you would never give up until it was all over. That's why I was able to go through all this, why it didn't hurt... Cuz I'm psychic, ya know?"

(And forgive me for getting conspiratorial here, but the way this is phrased leaves me to wonder if she, to some level, knew she was in a game, and that the tutorials being geared to Sayaka may not have been such a happy coincidence in-universe.)

Part 9- Starfall (Why do we care?)

After reading everything I've said in here, I imagine there'll inevitably be people who disagree with the end results of my analysis. I mean, there's not any real way to know what she's really thinking. So who's to say I'm 100% correct about her genuinely caring for Makoto? Maybe she cared more about her own idol status than anything else, and really was a selfish attention-seeking snake. (I mean, she wasn't completely lol, but I'm making a point here.) What I've presented is my interpretation of her motivations based off of the evidence given. You may not completely agree, and that's okay. Honestly, if anything, disagreeing with some of these conclusions only furthers the point of her character- We're not meant to fully understand her because people aren't easy to understand that quickly. People are complex, and you're not gonna be able to automatically trust the people that appeal to you. Sayaka's story is a remnant of the original idea for the beta version of DR; she pushes you to distrust. Blind faith can get you killed.

Afterword

I think I've really outdone myself with this one, y'all. I adore Sayaka and, even knowing why they chose her for this early-death role, still believe this was an incredible use of her character. As you can probably tell, she's my #1 character from THH for a reason lol.

I'm gonna start on Yasuhiro's analysis in a couple days, but there'll probably be a bigger gap between this one and the next than there's been between the past few analyses bc I have a real life I need to attend to sometimes :/

I hope y'all all thoroughly enjoyed this analysis!! Catch ya later