#phantom of the kill jp

[twstyuna]

Scary Night

Characters: Skully J. Graves, Yuu, (brief mentions of the Pomefiores)

Summary: In the depths of Tartarus, a Phantom prepares for Halloween.

Notes: Intrusive thoughts go brr anyway the mystery of Skully being an invisible ghost plagues me to this day. This takes place during the Tartarus Descent. I forgot to post it here after ao3.

Warnings: Well Skully's dead. So that. Also delusions and questionable likely non-canon Phantom Lucidity. I would say this fic is bittersweet but you might say I'm chugging poison

Ao3 Mirror

. . .

. . .cold. . . it's cold. . .

. . .it's dark too. . .

. . .that's not right. . .one must to keep vigil, during times like these. . .keep a lantern lit through the night. . .keep it bright in the midst of darkness. . .

. . .there is noise, beyond the room, beyond the cold, cramped space he is in. Is it not a room? Why is it so-

Sounds, again. Noises, again.

One should be silent, on Halloween night, to let terror and dreads seep into one's bones. 

How bothersome. How disrespectful, to cause a ruckus.

He cannot stand for it.

He stretches, something breaks, and the noise and light pierce his skull-

Terrible. How terrible, horrible, unacceptable-

Isn't it enough? Hasn't there been enough of this? Could he not have a moment of peace? To have just one Halloween for himself, dark and solemn as it once was? Hasn't he done enough? 

The room is red and bright and dark shapes scurry all about, clawing at the walls, and making noise and it is wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong-!

Unruly. Ungrateful. Ugly, inconsiderate hoodlums!

He crushes something beneath his hand, something like pleasure drips into him. It's a little more quiet now. And how lovely! There is black paint here already. He can fix it then. He can-

He cannot change what he has done. He cannot extinguish the flames he has set throughout Wonderland. He cannot ruin all that joy and revelry-

But here-

Oh, here he can have it again, if only for a moment! The Halloween he loved and still loves. . . the one Jack Skellington began. . .his Halloween, simple and solemn, eerie and elegant, the one he-

New traditions have eclipsed the old. Even so, he can enjoy that darkness, that old custom, that old love, even if he must do it himself.

Glass shards bite into his palm, but there is so much to cover and so little time to find a brush. What useful little bugs these are, so full of such lovely, pitch-black paint. They fall apart like bruised fruit, and make themselves useful upon the walls.

It's a lovely thing, his Halloween. Those comforting shadows, that flickering lantern flame through the night. The quiet company, as one remembers what has passed and what is to come. He never stopped loving it, not once. Of course he loved it. He never traded it for the new, the bright, the sweet and dazzling. Is it so difficult, to hold many loves in one's heart? He could love the new and old. He loved that Halloween, the first. He never meant to. . .to. . .

How could he? 

He couldn't have murdered it with own two hands.

How could he?

He couldn't have. He never meant to. He only wanted others to love Halloween. To love a different way, if they had to, so they could delight in it as he had. It didn't mean he ever thought poorly of the first. 

Who could ever despise their first love?

. . .so why? Why would nobody care for it, anymore? Why was only he alone gathering black paint now? He could understand lands and towns beyond preferring the festive they saw first, but even in his own home. . . did no one care anymore?

The noise, the lights-

They were beautiful, but wasn't there beauty in the dark and silence too? In a solitary lantern rather than rows of them all about? In the intimate dark of a room than the open night sky? There is a time and a place for everything. . . that's what he told himself when he began. So why couldn't there be a place for his Halloween too?

Thank you, they said, smiling like ghouls. For what you've done. The old Halloween was-

Dull!

Unfashionable-

Dreary           

Boring!         

Morbid-

But what was wrong with that? 

This new Halloween is so much better.

But it wasn't meant to be better, just different. Just- just another way, not the only way, he never meant to-

He can fix it. Let them have their Halloween.

A room. Just a room. Just himself. He can fix this much. Let him have his own. Just by himself, as before. As he had, before, only his room alone would be dark. Only he would truly be alone, now-

That- he could be alright with that. He could live with that. 

He would love his Halloween, and he would honor its death by mourning it with itself. He had to. He has to, he can't let it die, because of him-

But he needs a room first. A dark room, the walls inked black. He could make a lantern, later on. But first, the paint-

Red light pulses in the chamber. An eyesore. There is plenty of paint to use though. Boxes and boxes and boxes stacked up high. Some vials are so eager they open themselves up! And the silence is so, so lovely, every time he-

. . .he cannot help but pause, at this sound, even though he knows he must hurry and have the room painted black-

"Skully. . .?"

There it is again. A soft noise. A soft voice. That sound. . .it's important, isn't it? He knows that sound, that word, that name-

A vial skitters towards the noise, screeching-

But he is faster, his reach longer. 

There is that satisfying crunch, and he looks at his hand. It looks odd, but no matter. It drips black. Right. He must paint the walls, to have his-

"Skully." 

Oh. That voice, again. That was. . .rude, of him. . .to ignore. . .Skellington was a gentleman, a gentleman should-

"Skully, is that you?"

. . .is that him? Is that his name? There's something delightful about the thought, how his name might sound even a little bit like his idol's.

There is a hand against his face then, and it feels so small. The voice is so small. Should they be this small?

"Oh Skully, what happened to you?"

. . .what happened to him? Did something. . .? 

Oh. Why are they crying? Crying should come later, during the vigil, the reflection. If they cry all those tears now-

"Yuu, get away from-! "

L o u d . 

He turns-

But they- Yuu - they're faster.

They turn and they hiss, they shush, despite wearing the same robes as the others, and something flutters in his chest.

"You're. . .you should be quiet. Halloween's supposed to be quiet right?" Their own voice is quiet, so soft he has to lean closer to hear right. "Is that what you're doing here? Painting the walls black. . . you're preparing for Halloween. . ."

. . .they know. They know-

Oh he wants to embrace them, but his hands are just so messy. He lowers his head instead, to kiss them, to see them better, to keep this one's face in mind, but his head's so much bigger and heavier than he remembers, he can't feel his lips and it's like his thoughts are sloshing about. He has to kneel to get close enough-

Yuu throws their arms around his neck.

"Potato, what are you-"

Yuu turns their head and shushes. It's louder than it should be, but they have the spirit.

"Go," they say.

"Trickster-"

"Yuu, yer -!"

They hiss, and the two fall silent.

"Go," they whisper. "I'll. . .I'll catch up. . ."

"Yuu-"

"Please, Vil."

Vil. . .something about the sound. . .like Yuu, it-

Yuu turns back to him, and smiles. "Do you need help? I'm sure you're capable, but it seems like a lot of trouble to do, by yourself. . .not to mention, you've missed a bunch of spots down here. The problem of being too tall I guess. . ."

They're right. There are small spots left unpainted, lower than his line of sight. 

How clumsy of me, he wants to say, but he can't find the words. His throat is clogged with syrup. Must be from all the sweets.

Yuu pulls at their sleeves and gathers its cords until they hold the tassel of their robes like a brush between their fingers. They swipe at the wall, smearing the spaces he neglected. He makes a pleased hum at the sight, even as the others leave noisily, as one makes a sound and drops something before the door.

"Like this?"

Yes, just like that! He can't quite kiss them still, he can't feel his lips, but he can bend low, and press his head against theirs. He hopes they can feel his gratitude. How lovely to have someone to help-

Yuu makes a sound, soft and sad, despite the laugh of it. Their hand shakes.

"I promised. I promised I'd try it- your Halloween."

He can't form their name, though he wants to call it. He shifts to see their face, and oh dear, those tears again-

"I'm sorry, Skully. I'm so sorry I forgot."

Forget? What did they forget? They're the only other one not to forget.

Yet they cry, and the tears drip into the ink. His useless mouth won't open, only gurgles rise from his throat. He wants to touch them, but there is so much broken glass-

They wipe their eyes. They smile at him.

"Do you remember Grim?"

Grim. . .something small and warm. Fluffy. A mischievous little creature, he vowed-

"You said you'd be his hands and feet, a long time ago. Do you remember?"

. . .something like that, he said something of the sort, yes-

"Could you do that again, please? Paint for him? He hates chores. He ran away, you know. I'm looking for him now. I'm looking for a switch too. It will stop this room from being so red. You'd like that, right?"

. . .yes, yes, the room ought to be black-

"I'll go turn the lights off then. And I'll go get Grim, he can light a lantern, and we'll have a nice, proper Halloween together. How about it?"

That sounds splendid, Yuu, but he must have been so passionate in his painting that the stuff got in his mouth. He can't tell if he beams, but Yuu certainly does.

He feels their arms about him again, their lips against his face-

"I'll be right back, okay Skully? "

He hums. It's a delightful thought- sharing his lovely Halloween with someone lovely enough to appreciate it-

Yuu pulls away too soon.

They head for the door.

So do some fiendish, blabbering things. He crushes them, before the beasts can follow Yuu. They have something important to do. Yuu is going to help darken the room, and they're going to find Grim. 

Such a noisy thing, silencing is. Yuu turns back at the commotion and he feels almost ashamed.

But Yuu only smiles at him, so terribly teary still.

"Thank you, Skully," they say.

They press a card to the door, and the brightness beyond swallows them up.

. . .red light flashes, in this horrid room. There is so much to paint, and so much to silence. So much to do. It is worth it though, as the room turns dark and quiet. . .

The room is perfectly dark now. Perhaps Yuu found a way to do away with the light. Perhaps they found Grim too, and are hurrying back this very second-

Oh, but the lantern! He's forgotten all about it. Will Yuu bring a pumpkin? He can make one, certainly, but he doesn't want to use them for it. 

His hand flies to his head, to tap at his chin, but isn't that strange?

His other hand rises, and he'd laugh if he could. How silly of him, to wear the lantern like this. No wonder he couldn't feel his head.  No wonder Yuu was crying. What a sight he must have been. 

The room is ready, and he's only waiting for Yuu and Grim for a fire. He can light it all on his own, but he'd like to share it with them. It would be rude to start early, but he ought to have the lantern ready as well.

He makes sure he has a good grip on the pumpkin on his shoulders.

He pulls, and pulls, and he must be smiling.

He feels so very light, as he sets it down, as he waits in the dark.

He is so glad, he must be smiling. 

After all, it will be simply wonderful to have a proper Halloween again.  

[ruanbaijie]

But… we get really hungry. It’s a very, very empty hunger. No one can bear it… so we come to the point that we think nothing of killing people.

a selection of vampires in asian media @userdramas get to know me bingo ⎈ mythological creature [insp]

vampire hunter d: bloodlust 吸血鬼ハンターD ブラッドラスト (jp) 2000

hellsing (jp) 2001-02

blood+ (jp) 2005-06

hellsing ultimate (jp) 2006-12

vampire knight ヴァンパイア騎士 (2008)

blood: the last vampire ラスト・ブラッド (fr, cn, hk, jp, us) 2009

thirst 박쥐 (kr) 2009

dance in the vampire bund ダンス イン ザ ヴァンパイアバンド (jp) 2010

hero 히어로 (kr) 2010

shiki 屍鬼 (jp) 2010

hakuouki 薄桜鬼 (jp) 2010-22

vampire prosecutor 뱀파이어 검사 (kr) 2011

vampire stories brothers ヴァンパイア・ストーリー BROTHERS (jp) 2011

vampire idol 뱀파이어 아이돌 (kr) 2011-12

last interview 최종면접 (kr) 2012

diabolik lovers ディアボリックラヴァーズ (jp) 2013-15

vampire flower 뱀파이어의 꽃 (kr) 2014

you are my vampire 그댄 나의 뱀파이어 (kr) 2014

blood 블러드 (kr) 2015

red wine in the dark night คืนน��้น Red wine in the dark Night (th) 2015

orange marmalade 오렌지 마말레이드 (kr) 2015

the scholar who walks the night 밤을 걷는 선비 (kr) 2015

seraph of the end 終わりのセラフ (jp) 2015

vampire in love 恋する ヴァンパイア (jp) 2015

vampire lives next door to us 뱀파이어는 우리 옆집에 산다 (kr) 2015

dance with devils ダンス ウィズ デビルス (jp) 2015-17

my vampire boyfriend 我的吸血鬼男友 (cn) 2016

servamp サーヴァンプ (jp) 2016

vampire detective 뱀파이어 탐정 (kr) 2016

noblesse 노블레스 (kr, jp) 2016-20

the journey 寻找前世之旅 (cn) 2017

sengoku night blood 戦刻ナイトブラッド (jp) 2017

vampire cleanup department 救僵清道夫 (hk) 2017

beautiful vampire 뷰티풀 뱀파이어 (kr) 2018

detective k3: secret of the living dead 조선명탐정: 흡혈괴마의 비밀 (kr) 2018

devils line デビルズライン (jp) 2018

the four vampires 4인의 뱀파이어 (kr) 2018

phantom in the twilight (jp, cn) 2018

tenrou: sirius the jaeger 天狼 (jp) 2018

all saints street 万圣街 (cn) 2020

bite sisters 바이트 씨스터즈 (kr) 2021

happiness 해피니스 (kr) 2021

kemono jihen 怪物事変 (jp) 2021

mars red (jp) 2021

the sweet blood 달달한 그놈 (kr) 2021

trouble of the blue vampire 青きヴァンパイアの悩み (jp) 2021

the vampire dies in no time 吸血鬼すぐ死ぬ (jp) 2021

the case study of vanitas ヴァニタスの手記 (jp) 2021-22

call of the night よふかしのうた (jp) 2022

kissable lips 깨물고 싶은 (kr) 2022

vampire in the garden ヴァンパイア・イン・ザ・ガーデン (jp) 2022

the vampires 吸血鬼鬼盲盒 (cn) 2022

heartbeat 가슴이 뛴다 (kr) 2023

mignon 민용 (kr) 2022

unknown アンノウン (jp) 2023

[imustbenuts]

nuts reading trigun in japanese 6 - kaite's foreshadowing. plant synchronization's downside

remember in my part 3 and 5 i was talking about hierarchy? surprisingly, it continues past chapter 8 with kaite. and wolfwood. triangulating nyoom

(to be honest... ive been doing these read and analysis completely blind in a 1st JP read through. so its possible ill find new nuances, get things wrong as the context shifts and changes, so my stuff looks like its scattered all over the place. sorry about that.)

i think ill start explaining names and meanings. kaite's name in japanese is kaito. カイト. this can be a homonym with i think 怪盗 (kaitou) in this case, which means phantom thief. for trying to help Neon with stealing loot from the Sand Steamer.

left bubble next to neon: 道案内は的確だったかね！？ I trust your guide has been giving you clear instructions?

^the headaches with manga translations has always been to keep texts short and reasonable for flow and readability, so these simplifications can and sometimes must happen.

but, add dakutens, the " on 2 of those カイト katakanas and suddenly, kaito turns into. ガイド gaido. Guide.

so Kaite has been playing as a guide to lead vash to his death at the hands of Neon. this page is such a fucking whammy with the wordplay going on. if you just read this in japanese theres a moment of "oh shit, no way, Kaite, vash just told you to stop betraying people! what the hell!"

yet theres a level of trust going on already, so its not as bad as it seems

nightow really likes his worldplay. i really like this page.

kaite redeems himself by later charging into the boiler room and helps turn the valve to stop the sand steamer from running off cliff and killing everyone on board....

hm. a guide. and those sequences

we sure have a lot of guides here. one who appears in the manga later with a kansai dialect. and another in TriStamp, where he is younger than he appears.

when i spoke about hierarchy and the fact that vash is over 150, i was also kind of hinting that all of current humanity are akin to children in the system of JP hierarchy. that takes on extra meaning with a little change of context and language

wolfwood is filling in the shoes of kaito here in tristamp. and within trimax, kaito foreshadows him. incredible.

theres actually more going on with wolfwood and certain design/changes choices i wanna talk about with tristamp but ill save it for another day. maybe when i run into him in this read later

Plant Synchronization downside.

....so theres a bad downside to vash synchronizing with the plant that i didn't catch. which also answers what the fuck was going on in tristamp when that version of him hits the ground

nightow mentions this in an interview, link here posted and transcribed by xoxo-otome (thank you!) that he likes action flicks and has incorporated a lot of action into his work. and its true. there is so much action in the form of sound effects.

reading through the entire manga and paying attention to the sfx peppered around offers a lot more context to whats happening in half of the panels that seemingly doesnt make sense

like this one where the top panel has "DADADADADA" sfx. so they're stomping down the corridor with their guns crossed and facing each other. the "GO OH" in the bottom panel emphasizes the sudden burst into open air. unfortunately, anyone who values their life and sanity in this economy will not want to translate trigun's sfxs 100%.

i should have paid more attention when reading trigun in english. but i didn't so here i am. in the trigunbookclub tag now doing this.

why is it important? here. this. below. when vash does his plant thing with his sister:

see those heart panels? i tried searching real quick but nobody seems to have pointed this out. i havent seen this in EN fanfics. maybe i missed it. maybe im stupid:

thats Dokun, the sound effect of a heart thumping. as vash synchronizes, the heart panels with the same sound effect appear, but they gradually split apart further with ellipses "..." to signify his heart beat slowing down. and down. and down....

Dokun, do kun, do... kun....

then the wings comes out. and the panel below it:

sfx: PIIIIIIIIIII

breathes. a FLAT LINE.

aaaaaaAA?!

何かなんだかわかりません I'm not sure what's going on. とにかくプラントの動きは一切止まっています But the Plant's movement has completely stopped. 同時に男にも呼吸　心音ともに停止してます It's the same with that man. His breathing and heartbeat sounds like it's stopped with the plant too.

AAAAA?!!?! the も means vash is in the same state as the plant?

i.... um. um.,, ANYWAY-

AAAAAAAAAAAA?! HUH?! HUH??? HUH?!

is THIS why he has a metal grate over his heart? something happened and he an an operation on his heart???? by some engineer maybe? what? huh? am i reading this wrong? what? wait, hello? HEY!!!

what the fuck. okAY--?!

and then he just. pretends like nothing's happened. doesnt tell kaito anything. and he leaves the Sand Steamer.

and im going to have to sleep bc its 5 am now and pretend like i didnt just realize something this big right in front of my eyes during the first read.

[nezushisreunion]

Book 6 spoilers

Some Shroud thoughts

Someone I find very interesting in book 6 has to be Ortho, phantom Ortho to be more specific. Original Ortho and his relationship with our Ortho

Basically the ramblings of a crazy person about Shroud brothers

In the jp server, there is a line that ORTHO says "I wonder what else Ortho would do for nii-san." Which was changed in eng, "Ortho" was replaced with "I". It implies that ORTHO looks towards Ortho for advice, never receiving any as the dead cannot talk. ORTHO wants to be Ortho Shroud, or at least the best Ortho Shroud he could be so Idia wouldn't be sad anymore. Which makes his choice to end the world make sense, he wants to do it because Ortho Shroud would do it and also to make Idia happy again.

When Ortho and ORTHO meet, the original line was "pleasure to make your acquaintance, me" the kanji was "me" while the voice over said "Ortho" which I think is a pretty cool detail. Ortho accepts ORTHO as himself, and does not seem to resent him for taking his spot as Ortho Shroud.

Idia originally was against the idea of ending the world, it was until ORTHO calls him "nii-chan" instead of his usual "nii-san", desperate to get his brother back, Idia runs down to Tartaros. It is shown that Idia will do anything for Ortho in the attempts to make him happy, in his flashback, he hacks the security system so Ortho could have an adventure with his big brother, and once again he is doing something FOR Ortho to make him happy. Idia doesn't see the point in doing anything because nothing will change, he'll always be a Shroud, but if Ortho asked him, he'd run down several flights of stairs to grant his wish. Because whatever Ortho wants, Ortho gets.

My interpretation of that is because Idia understands his fate, he will have no freedom, ever. But his little brother didn't (I'll expand on that later), so in his attempts to keep his innocence, he will grant Ortho whatever he wants. If Ortho wants to go on an adventure, fine. If Ortho wants to reset the world, fine. Whatever made him happy.

I think Idia would've done the exact same for ORTHO, it was just because of his shock that he had acted like that to ORTHO, the situation of a cyber attack on the security system brought back unwanted memories, causing him to accidentally lash out at ORTHO. I believe Idia holds no real resentment to Ortho.

Now back to Ortho, in Idia's flashback, he said "why's that? I want us both to be!" In response to Idia saying he cannot be a hero but Ortho probably could. It implies that Ortho lacks the understanding that he's a Shroud and will never have freedom. He's still ignorant, a trait that Idia does not have. Which leads me to believe that Ortho doesn't fully understand the concept of phantoms, he doesn't understand that being his brother's phantom, he is hurting him. He doesn't understand that by being his brother's phantom, he is slowly killing his brother. Which just makes their dynamic so much more depressing

Now to the scene where Ortho and Idia talk, Ortho telling Idia to live for him. I have two interpretations of this scene, one is the popular one which is Ortho just wanting Idia to be happy. My second interpretation is just, Ortho pretending to be mature so his brother wouldn't be sad anymore. He knows that his brother was willing to die just for him, and he doesn't want that because his brother shouldn't suffer. I believe that because well, ghosts don't age, and Ortho still acts pretty childlike, he acts like he's 8 but also a mixture of the age he should've been, 16. I feel as if it's because he doesn't wish for Idia to worry anymore

But hey that's just a theory

[0rqcles]

𓆩⟡⟡⟡ 𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐀 ⟡⟡⟡𓆪

The Winged Blade, The Last Mercy, Pale Flame of the North

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

✦ — 𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐒 — ✦

Full Name: Teresa

Titles: The Pale Flame, The Winged Blade, Saint of the Ashlands

Age: Unknown (appears mid-20s)

Species: Unknown (rumored to be divine or apostle-born, yet untouched by corruption)

Height: 5’7” (170 cm)

Weight: 125 lbs (57 kg)

Bust size: D

Allegiance: Formerly unknown order, now unaffiliated

Alignment: Lawful Good (to a fault)

Face Claim: Teresa (Claymore)

Voice Actor: Atsuko Tanaka (JP), Laura Bailey (EN)

Universe: Berserk

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

✦ — 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 — ✦

Face: Serene, pale, and inhumanly symmetrical — a face carved like marble, touched by divine cruelty.

Eyes: Pale gold, glowing faintly under moonlight; distant, but piercing — like judgment.

Hair: Waist-length silver-blonde waves, cool and opaline like light on steel.

Build: A graceful yet powerful build, elegant as a cathedral statue but lithe enough to move like a phantom.

She bears large feathered wings, believed to be either divine or an illusion of her aura. Her armor is form-fitting, silver and ivory, etched with forgotten prayers in old tongues.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

✦ — 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘 — ✦

— Cold and aloof to most, her silence often mistaken for disdain.

— Protective and kind to the weak, especially children. She is rumored to have massacred entire apostle cults to protect a single crying child.

— Highly intelligent, calculating, and reserved.

— Strategic in battle; never wastes movement or mercy.

— Carries sorrow like a shadow; she prays before killing, even if she doesn’t believe anyone’s listening.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

✦ — 𝐒𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐒 — ✦

— Master Swordswoman: Uses a silver claymore with brutal grace.

— Divine Agility: Her movements are fluid, almost supernatural in their precision.

— Hand-to-hand: Swift and efficient, she ends fights before they begin.

— Aura of Dread: Those with malice feel a cold weight near her — as though death itself watches.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

✦ — 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 — ✦

Once a child raised within a remote apostolic cult, Teresa was intended as a vessel for a god-hand summoning ritual. Her parents offered her soul willingly. But something went wrong.

Instead of being consumed, she survived. Something awakened in her — a divine wrath or perhaps a void that rejected corruption. Wings tore from her back, and flames consumed the cultists. She fled, marked and hunted, seen as both heretic and saint.

For years, she wandered the Midland borders, saving villages only to be cast out for her unnatural grace. Some claim she was once Griffith’s shadow — the blade he could never command, the mercy he had no use for.

Now, she walks the scorched and bloodstained land as a wandering judgment — not for glory, but for silence. She fights not to win, but so children will live one more day unbroken.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

✦ — 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏𝐒 — ✦

Guts: Curious tension. She respects him as a survivor. He sees her as an anomaly — something too clean for their world.

Griffith/Femto: Mutual rejection. She views him as the final betrayal of all she once prayed for. He deems her a fragment of a failed dream.

The God Hand: She has confronted them. Survived. No one knows how.

Children: Protects them at all costs. Rumors claim she buried a burning town with her own wings to save a small orphan.

Apostles: Kills on sight. No forgiveness. No hesitation.

Casca: One of the few women Teresa seems to feel kinship with — a silent, protective empathy.

[sapphire-weapon]

god now anon got me looking at the other JP translations in this fucking google doc

this bugs me

俺の心の中にある (Ore no kokoro no naka ni aru): "In my heart." 幻影 (Genei): "Illusion" or "phantom." かもな (Kamo na): A casual way of saying "maybe" or "might be.” She is an illusion(phantom) for him

that's not what that fucking means holy shit

he's saying "maybe she's a ghost that's haunting my heart" -- which is so outrageously and stupidly sappy and romantic that if anyone were to actually say that out loud to someone in english, whoever they said it to would shove them in a locker and steal their lunch money just on principle.

this is the last post i'm gonna make on this f'ing doc, so don't bother sending me asks about it. holy fuck.

also i had no idea that leon uses "俺" in reference to himself in japanese FUCKING KILL ME why does this mfer talk like a yakuza boss

[yumizurueleonora]

ACTUALLY this is my blog I can do what I want anyway here are songs/roles all the ProSeka theater kids would love because I’m a massive theater kid. Obviously not a comprehensive list but I do have playlists for some of these guys.

Tsukasa: ROXIE FUCKING HART. Roxie is his dream role straight up and I will not hear criticism he’s ABSOLUTELY going to kill it as Roxie and he definitely has a whole routine to the song Roxie that Toya and all of L/n know how to help with. Aside from that, he could also absolutely pull off Jack from Into The Woods because Giants In The Sky is such a good Tenor song, and absolutely Extraordinary from Pippin. He should just be Pippin in general.

Emu: Okay this is where things start to go a little off the rails, but ever since I saw that scene on that event in JP where she uses that deep voice for acting, I’ve thought that she would KILL it in roles that Grace McLean performed. So like Marya Dmitrievna from Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 or The Queen of Hearts from Alice by Heart. I’d pay money to hear an Emu cover of In My House or Isn’t It A Trial?

Nene: She’s a Disney bitch through and through. The easiest answer is obviously Ariel from The Little Mermaid Broadway, she’d kill Beyond My Wildest Dreams and it’s fitting due to the everything. Aside from that though, her sharp tongue means that I directly associate her with roles like Janis Ian from Mean Girls and Veronica Sawyer from Heathers.

Rui: God. Rui’s so much fun. The biggest role I desperately want him to do is the Leading Player from Pippin. Magic to Do is just his song through and through. A close second place though is Billy Flynn from Chicago, because honestly he just would. Razzle Dazzle is such a good song for him. Also Anatole Kuragin from Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 because I KNOW he’d kill the “For PETERSBURG!” In Pierre & Anatole.

Sakurako: Sakurako could do anything she put her mind to, but honestly I think she deserves some villain songs. She’d kill them SO HARD. Stuff like Helené Bezukhov from Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 because Charming is brilliant. Also not a villain song, but Lily Malevsky from Anastasia is also a great role choice for her because I can see her doing Land of Yesterday like it’s nobody’s business.

Asahi: Asahi is kind of hard in my opinion because I can see him doing literally anything but also he feels like a more classical role character. Like Jean Valjean from Les Miserables or Raoul from Phantom of the Opera. My funnier option is Vlad from Anastasia because Sakurako and Asahi doing The Countess and the Common Man is very funny to me.

Saki: Saki Tenma, love of my life. She’s a theater kid because I said so she’s literally Tsukasa’s little sister if she isn’t one I’d be more surprised. But anyway, Saki has that youthful ingenue feel that a lot of female leads have, like Natasha Rostova from Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, Cady Heron from Mean Girls, and Anya from Anastasia. I think she’d kill No One Else, In My Dreams, and Stupid With Love especially.

Toya: See Saki, he’s a theater kid. He’s so funny because he’s got a vibe that’s so different from the others, so I think roles like Pierre Bezukhov from Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, pulling off a kickass Dust and Ashes. Other stuff he can definitely pull off are Christian from Moulin Rouge! And Dr. Jim Pomatter from Waitress.

Arata: I don’t know what it is but I feel like he’s bitchy enough to be a theater kid there’s something about him. But he’s definitely got a lot of roles down. He’d be such a good Aaron Burr from Hamilton. Wait For It is just him about Akito. He’d also make a brilliant Orin Scrivello from Little Shop of Horrors. I think he could kick ass at Dentist!

Please someone ask me about my thoughts on the ProSeka theater kids and what their best songs would be. I have whole playlists dedicated to this question. Please.

[phankill]

Nico Live 4/26 Details

New Units:  Introducing the 「 Disruptors 」 ! Lead by Laevateinn, these Princesses’ who destroy reason are a Resistance group.

Laeveteinn Plant Bahamut CV: Yukana

Helena D.Plug Loki CV: Yuuki Kana

Karis Holy Chain Azazel CV: Suzuki Momoko

Solomon Holy Chain Athena CV: Hata Sawako

[yuurei20]

Malleus Info Compilation part 12: Malleus, Deuce and Riddle

Malleus and Deuce have the occasional overlap: In a Halloween voice over Deuce describes Malleus as “even more gallant than usual" in his costume, and Deuce is Malleus’ judge in Culinary Crucible.

In a vignette Cater sends Malleus to Deuce to fix a technological issue that Malleus has and Deuce, initially, prepares to brawl.

(Note: when Malleus summons fire to help dry out the damp inner workings of the device, the color of the flames are orange on NA but they were originally blue on JP. Visual changes are usually corrections of mistakes made on JP due to oversight or time constrictions. It is my theory that the blue fire is supposed to be unique to Grim, Idia and Ortho because it is not normal fire, making it a continuity error that Malleus had been able to summon whatever it is with plain fire magic. Hence the correction for NA.)

Deuce successfully fixes Malleus’ device and Malleus explains how fully mechanical objects are rare in Briar Valley, as “most of what we use is technomancy”, and how he barely remembers any of his childhood. Malleus gifts deuce with a rare ore for his help.

Malleus’ treasure is revealed to be a tamagotchi-style digital toy called “Roaring Drago” that Lilia got for him as a souvenir “during one of his sojourns to another land”, and his wish in the “Wish Upon a Star” event is “for Roaring Drago to make a friend”.

Idia grants this wish by ordering another one online. Roaring Drago is name-dropped in the Firelit Sky event as well. (Twisted Wonderland equivalents of Roaring Drago were released in January of 2021)

Malleus is also Deuce's interviewer for his third birthday vignette.

Like Malleus and Deuce, Malleus and Riddle also have the occasional overlap. While Deuce is Malleus' Culinary Crucible judge, Malleus is Riddle’s judge.

On the subject of Riddle's cooking Malleus says “the flavor and plating are both entirely pedestrian. Perhaps I expected too much.”

Malleus visits Riddle during Phantom Bride to thank him for fighting to save Lilia and Sebek in a conversation where we learn about “a classic Thorn Fairy anecdote” to do with frost and roses.

(this is covered in slightly more detail in novel, where Deuce shares a rumor that Malleus went to Heartslabyul on an errand and after he left, all the roses in the rose maze were found to be frosted over and wilted. It is also mentioned in FanBook 2, which says, "This is a reference to the part in Sleeping Beauty where the fairy Flora recommends disguising Aurora as a flower to hide her from Maleficent, but Merryweather cautions that Maleficient may send out a frost to kill all flowers in the land if they were to do so."

When Malleus says he suspects that Riddle must consider his conduct to be unbeffiting a leader Riddle responds, “Your position as prince of your land must come before your position as housewarden”.

Malleus concedes that as Briar Vallery’s heir apparent he “cannot enter into an engagement lightly, even on false pretense” (even to save Lilia and Sebek), but says Riddle lacks “a certain…majesty”.

Malleus fastens one of the roses that Riddle had pruned onto Riddle’s lapel, saying, “If you are king of this rose garden, you must carry yourself with a rose’s strength and nobility”.

When Silver expresses concern for Lilia and Sebek, Malleus says he has full confidence in Riddle. Silver is surprised at how much faith Malleus has in Riddle’s abilities and Malleus says, “Faith? I am merely acknowledging the truth. After all, he is…the king of Heartslabyul.”

[fascinationstreetmp3]

in the mgsv script, there’s a note before each of ocelot’s tapes to the real big boss (except one of them, “The War Economy”, but the JP title of the tape in the script says it relates to events in 1984) that you get after unlocking the truth ending, and some of them help you infer the timeframe that they were recorded in

★ Report to Big Boss: Cipher's Information Control — Report from Ocelot to the real Snake. Considered to be around the time of Skull Face's death.

this (to me) would mean that by the time (or in the period just after) skull face is killed in 1984, ocelot is fully aware that venom is a body double, and is actively contact with/reporting things back to the real big boss.

(putting the rest under a read more because it got a little long)

★ Report to Big Boss: Zero Has Been Attacked [1] — Zero was angered by Skull Face's attempt to kill Snake in GZ, and demoted him to working in Africa. There, Skull Face was "reunited" with the parasites (which are the reason he's still alive). He uses the parasites to critically injure Zero. This happens while Snake and the avatar Snake are in their comas; Ocelot had been keeping track of events for Snake so he could be updated whenever he did wake up. […] Immediately after Skull Face sent the parasite to Zero.

another note says zero was attacked in 1976. in this recording, ocelot mentions zero had a blackout in new york triggered in order to hide his movements as he was transferred to a different location. this blackout is based on a real-life occurrence that happened on july 13th 1977, so the tape would’ve been recorded after that date.

★ Report to Big Boss: Zero Has Been Attacked [2] — Sigint takes charge of the Patriots. There is no one left to protect Big Boss. Decision-making is then handed to the AI.

zero’s final visit to snake is also in 1977, so i’d assume this message was recorded in the same year too. since zero had fully succumbed to his illness and disappeared completely, and sigint wasn’t actively involved in the project, this is when ocelot would’ve also fully and completely taken over his role in looking after snake and the phantom.

★ "Les Enfants Terribles" — Ocelot was in contact with the real Snake while he was involved with Diamond Dogs.

this one isn’t listed as a report, but i find the note interesting, because i assumed it was another of their hospital conversations (which it technically could be?). but the wording of “involved with diamond dogs” makes it sound like it’s after they first parted ways, when ocelot is actively working with venom.

based on the dialogue, it’s either before pinpointing eli’s location, or just after they figured out exactly where he is and he’s withholding that particular detail from snake. the latter feels less likely, just because snake seems exempt from ocelot’s various deceptions, but in the end who knows.

if the conversation did happen while he was working with v, ocelot would have to be aware of the real big boss’ existence at that time too (so even before killing skull face). BUT another thing is that these notes also might not be 100% canon or accurate to the finished version of the game in the first place

[kabutoraiger]

So my mom has been into K-Dramas lately and she wants to expand into J-Dramas. Since you are the only one i follow that really goes into liveblogging dramas, you were my go to for asking, which ones would you recommend?

My mom likes romance, but she says that after a while she gets bored. She’s been into mystery/suspense/thriller lately and i noticed you liveblogged a number of those, like that one cop drama with either a dead or delinquent partner. Also that medical on with Takeru Satoh and Woz.

your mom is so smart to go down this path jdramas are the best <3

some good mystery and/or crime-solving type shows:

cold case: shinjitsu no tobira - these are remakes of the US show of the same name about a team focused on often decades old unsolved crimes, but the jp version is so much better in terms of acting & atmosphere. has a very cool female lead played by yoshida yo. s1 is best of the 3 imo.

dele (2018) - about a private business whose purpose is to delete sensitive information for clients after their deaths. this is also a very atmospheric and moody one and some of the stories are more sad and thoughtful than mysterious.

dorokei (2018) - doesn't even Remotely count as suspense or a thriller, it's mostly quite silly, but i always have to shill for it anyway. goofy idiot cop gets assigned to the theft division which is staffed by a bunch of other weirdos and at the same time also happens to "befriend" a most wanted phantom thief at a bar.

MIU404 (2020) - classic buddy cop setup of differing personalities except with less focus on comedy than that genre usually has. not that it isn't funny at all but it's equally focused on character drama, they both have tragic backstories, and the cases they solve can get pretty emotional. subs are kinda bad tho sadly.

MOZU (2014) - 3 cops investigate a bombing that killed the first MC's wife and uncover a much deeper political conspiracy from there. only really recommendable for people who are drawn to the visuals of noir and neo-noir and of stylized violence. but if you are, then. have i got a show for you.

ouroboros (2015) - about two guys raised in an orphanage together one who's grown up to be a cop and one who's now a yakuza boss, but who are still in contact and are in fact allied in a shared revenge quest. very dramatic.

rinsho hanzai gakusha himura hideo no suiri (2016) - a modern sherlock holmes adaptation where the sherlock is like, maybe a little too into the concept of murders, but also has a really adorable marriage relationship with his version of watson, a mystery writer who's overconfident about his ability to understand mysteries.

shinhannin flag (2021) - normal cute dad's wife and kids go abruptly missing one day putting him at the center of this increasingly wild investigation into what happened to them. more on the "like a game of clue" side of mystery shows but it can get more intense at times.

subete ga f ni naru (2014) - smart but kind of morose professor and his more upbeat student fall into this web of crime constructed by a campy evil genius woman (and also do some more episodic investigations along the way). has romance hints.

unnatural (2018) - focuses on forensic investigation, lotta sciencing about dead bodies, which i'm not sure would be of interest? really good, though. has great female characters.

[emblemxeno]

JP vs. Localization in Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation

(Okay, for real this time lol)

Again, here’s a link to my sources post.

Fortunately, this route follows suit in terms of good localization quality after Conquest. It’s the shortest out of all the posts, since I don’t really have a lot to talk about. Mostly subtle line changes, references and a few key points of information that were cut out. I also went through Hidden Truths and Heirs of Fate to see if I could add stuff from those on here, but there were no big problems that I found.

Once again, the main part of this post will all be put under the cut. If a chapter isn’t covered, it means I didn’t think there were any differences worth talking about.

I’ll use localized names for characters and locations, unless I feel the need to do otherwise.

I’ll be using she/her when referring to Corrin in this post. (I flipped a coin to decide the gender lol)

Also, note that after Chapter 14, the translation of this route on Fateswartable ends, so I mostly relied on the English patch done by Serenes at that point forward. (I also used PegasusKnight.com as a reference to fall back on if I needed it)

Chapter 7

-A minor gripe I have with localization. The JP version compares Touma (Valla) to hell constantly. To jump ahead a bit, I believe in the JP versions of the End of All Sky/Land/Below tracks are even called The End of All Roads Heaven/Earth/Hell. The Vallites are also often called demons in the JP version, and Anankos himself is known as the ‘Invisible Demon Dragon’.

Another cool thing I just thought of too, is a connection to a popular Japanese short story. Zelda fans might be familiar with the story, “The Spider’s Thread”, which inspired the Ancient Cistern dungeon in Skyward Sword.

The beginning of the story has Buddha walking through paradise (heaven), before coming across a pond. The pond is filled with crystal clear water, and covered with water lilies/lotuses. As Buddha gazes further into the pond, he begins to see the depths of hell.

Sound familiar? “Azura is walking through Hoshido, before coming across a lake. The lake is filled with crystal clear water, and when she gazes into the lake she sees the fallen kingdom of her birth. Valla, the kingdom associated with water lilies/lotuses in the game, has been turned into hell itself.”

This association loses its meaning a bit when the comparisons to hell are a bit toned down, as well as when the Buddhist inspirations were kind of supplanted in favor of Greek renames. It’s not supremely important to the plot as a whole, but it’s something interesting I wanted to bring up.

-In the JP version, while explaining what happened in Valla, Azura eventually says “Using the art of manipulating people’s souls, he (Hydra/Anankos) made the people kill each other.” This bit of the people killing each other was cut in localization.

Chapter 12

-In the JP version, when Corrin asks Flora if she knows anything about dragons, Flora says “Sorry, I don’t know…The ancestral dragon of the Ice Clan has already perished and isn’t part of the legend. I don’t know what role it plays, sorry…” Localization makes her response “I'm sorry, but I can't think of anything... They've been gone so long that we don't even have tales of dragons in the Ice Tribe. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more assistance...”

So, the JP version explicitly says the Ice Dragon is dead (I believe Fates’ second artbook mentioned this as well), whereas the localization only says the First Dragons have been gone for a long time.

Chapter 16

-There’s not really much of a problem that I have with what Ryoma says about Corrin “having leadership qualities at a young age” but I wanted to do comparisons regardless cuz the word choice might lead one to different conclusions. In localization, Ryoma says this:

Ryoma: Huh... So she told us the same thing... I don't think it's in Corrin's nature to lie. And there's a leadership quality about her that just attracts followers. I remember being jealous of her as a child, in fact. Even at such a young age, she displayed the characteristics of a ruler. Silly to be jealous of her, right?

In the JP version, Ryoma says this:

Ryoma: Oh... So, she told you the same thing. …Corrin isn’t one to tell lies. She’s been like that since childhood. She’s always genuine and honest... She has this mysterious appeal that draws people to her. Seeing my younger sister with the qualities of being a ruler... Honestly, it makes me feel envious. …What a ridiculous thing to say, right?

Again, I don’t necessarily have a problem with how it was localized, but some might. The localization version might have people think that Corrin somehow was a fantastic leader at such a young age, but JP is more clear that it was about the qualities she had at a young age that would be valuable as a leader.

Chapter 19

-A minor gripe. In the localization, Azura says that Anankos uses his magic to send Vallites to Nohr and Hoshido to stir up conflict. In the JP version, she says he uses magic, along with the help of a body of water. That’s why whenever you fight Vallites outside of Valla proper, there’s a body of water nearby; Hoshido’s lake (and the ponds shown in Hinoka’s CQ battle which are in the capital) for Chapter 5, the sea for BR chapter 11, the burning falls for BR chapter 21, and the city for Rev chapter 13. Similarly, the consequences of being a victim to the curse are described as “turning into sea foam” in the JP version. Localization as a whole kind of toned down how much water has an influence on the story.

Chapter 23

-Probably the pettiest gripe I have lol. As Arete is fading away from Azura’s arms, Azura has a different reaction in localization and Japanese. In localization, Azura says “Mother? Mother!” while a voice clip of her in-battle pain cries plays. In the JP, she says  “*Sob... Sob*…! Mother... Mother...!”, while a voice clip of her crying plays. Her crying voice clip I don’t recall hearing anywhere else.

This is one of the few times in the you get to see Azura express a heavy and heartfelt emotion, since her rough childhood caused her to remain guarded and stoic around everyone. The equivalents to this scene in other routes is her death scene in Birthright, and her crying with Corrin over Ryoma’s death in Conquest; a normally unflinching and aloof character breaking down is a rarity, and indicates that the cause of it is something to take note of for the character as a whole. Localization softened this aspect, and I take issue with it, despite it probably seeming trivial to most other people.

Chapter 24

-When Corrin is questioning the phantom Mikoto, an exchange happens. In localization, part of it goes like this:

Corrin: But this can't be... Are you truly my mother?

Mikoto: I am. Even as a puppet of Anankos, my spirit at least remains my own.

Corrin: I... I believe you.

In the JP version, it goes like this:

Corrin: It can’t be... …Are you really my mother?

Mikoto: Yes... I became an Invisible servant, controlled by the Invisible King... Even so, I am your mother.

Corrin:  …………

Again, a minor thing that I don’t personally have issue with, but replacing Corrin’s silence with an admittance of belief could make some believe she has “reverted” back to being too naïve.

Chapter 26

-While Gunter is relaying his past, an exchange happens. In localization, it goes like this:

Gunter: I ask myself that, every day. I cannot understand the minds of royals. To you all, we commoners are little more than pawns in your schemes... Or weeds to be killed on a whim.

Corrin: That's not true...

Xander: Is that how people view the royalty?

Ryoma: Such an impression would easily breed powerful resentment...

In the JP version, Corrin, Xander and Ryoma don’t say anything. They just remain silent.

Endgame

-Not a major problem so much as a general thing about the game, but I can think of like... at least three memes that Treehouse inserted into the localization. Now I like memes, but there is no better way to date your media nowadays. One of them was Kana’s “That’s dragon for I love you” which tbh, is kind of cute and isn’t the most well known meme so I guess I can let it slide. Another is Felicia saying “I had one job!” when she messes up in the dining hall, which isn’t that big of a deal since the dining hall is very optional.

The last one I can think of is why I put this specific grievance here, and it’s during Corrin’s speech before facing Anankos.

Corrin: We won't back down! This is my... This is our destiny! Ready your weapons! Fight for your friends! With the Seal of Flames... With the Fire Emblem on our side! We fight for our world!!

Yeah, she says “Fight for your friends” which is everyone’s favorite Ike line from Brawl. Now, this isn’t even a totally inaccurate translation either, but it kind of just... makes the moment funny for the player when it’s supposed to be commanding and serious I guess.

But yeah, not the most important issue by far, but something I’d thought to mention. Hell, it’s not even that bad compared to how they made Peri’s, Effie’s and Hisame’s quirks into exaggerated and tired jokes. And the Beruka-Saizo support. Never forget.

-When Azura and Corrin are by the lake and discuss the latter’s plans to rule, Corrin says this in localization:

Corrin: I'm going to make Valla a wonderful place! In honor of the true last king and for Queen Arete. And everyone who fought... I promise to make them all proud.

In the JP version, she says this:

Corrin: I’ll make the Invisible Kingdom (Valla) into a great land. For the previous monarch, Queen Shenmei (Arete)… And for all of my allies who fought beside me. I promise.

So, JP version only mentions Arete as the reigning monarch of Valla. Which makes sense, cuz unless there was some wild “keeping the bloodline pure” shenanigans in Valla, Arete being the Queen keeps in line with what we know about the rest of Valla’s history. Arete was royalty from birth, as was her sister Mikoto. Arete is the one who passed down Lost in Thoughts and the pendant to Azura.  

[ciaran-archive]

Character I really want to bitch about: Akechi Goro P5R. I can't really put it into words but god I hate fandom characterisation of Goro. Not in a "everyone woobifies him" way but "how can everyone ignore the huge fcking handle-with-care sign on him". I'm. Frustrated. Hngh. I'm sure I'm too hyper about this, but just. no. All of the tragedy of his character, his intelligence, his relationship with his mother is almost completely lost in "aggresively-tsundere serial killer". I don't get the need to... dumb him down or make him incapable of love or lacking in understanding and empathy while portraying his rather just anger at the world. His relationship with Ren too, the confusing love he feels and the way destiny works into their relationship to nearly destroy them both. I feel Ren is portrayed awfully... helpless and morally upright wrt Goro. Which does not make for good ShuAke. (They're foils, thesis and antithesis, not... I'm not sure how to explain it honestly). This is why I prefer JP Goro, a lot of nuance is lost in the English translation of the game itself.

(I loved your characterisation of him a lot, I think I sent some anon asks fangirling about your fics.😅)

I recently got into BSD, and I think I'm going to stay away from fandom (esp wrt Dazai) outside of jokes. There is just no trust.

YES I FULLY AGREE (and thank you for liking my fics!!)

i have said this before, i think, but a huge element of akechi's character is that he is deeply traumatized by humanity as a whole. he has little faith in the goodness of people and even less in systems and governments. he doesn't want to be kind to people because it doesn't end well for him. he cannot bring himself to help people because he has to think about how that might hurt him down the line, and no one else is going to think about his pain. also, he is 18. he's a kid! you know who else is a kid? everybody.

one of the best themes in p5 is how every phantom thief has their own traits that are reflected in akechi: ryuji and goro have similar relationships with their parents; ann and akechi are both public figures/minor celebrities with the self-image issues that entails; yusuke and akechi both have corrupt father figures who use them relentlessly; haru and akechi both have fathers who treat them like objects; futaba and akechi are both clever and lonely in their cleverness and unable to connect with other kids their own age. and akira, of course, always akira, but all of them.

any of the thieves could have ended up like akechi, if not for. if not for akira, if not for people who loved them and reeled them back from the edge, if not for each other. akechi is the only person who gets none of that until it's too late for him. of course he's bitter and jealous and hates everyone! anybody would, in his place.

another thing is that trauma just makes it harder for you to empathize with other people because all your resources are dedicated to getting through your own days. akechi isn't inherently unempathetic or incapable of kindness (not that lacking empathy is bad); he's just not in a place where he could exercise those traits even if he had them. he pretty much has to kill - we don't know what, if anything else, shido had to maintain control over him. can you imagine how much worse it would be if he spent time sympathizing with his victims and the consequences of his actions and then had to do it anyway?

and lastly, p5 stresses that children don't get choices. children don't have power in a world ruled by corrupt and callous adults. they have to bear the abuse until the universe takes pity on their misery and grants them a persona - but in akechi's case, a persona isn't enough. his life is still dominated by the self-serving cruelty of adults because it's not just power that saves you, it's also having other people who understand. and akechi never had anyone understand him until long after it would have changed the trajectory of his life.

as for the way akira gets flattened to his moral uprightness - lmao. pretty much the whole point of akira's character is that he would be exactly like akechi if not for, again: if not for sojiro, ryuji, ann, yusuke, futaba, all his confidants, hammering in over and over that what gives him strength is the bonds he builds with other people, and what keeps him moral is those same bonds. he was willing to kill! it's not that he's a better person than akechi inherently, it's just that the course of his life is dramatically different in ways that support him being good. it's a tenuous morality. he does have an internal sense of right and wrong, justice and injustice - akechi does too. it's not what made him good, though.

i didn't realize i still had so much to say about p5! thanks for sending this in and thanks again for liking my fic <3

[lovelyjasmari]

Twisted Wonderland Reaction Part 15 ~ THIS IS NOT A GODDAMN OTOME GAME Edition

Hello everyone!

Welp, after a long work week/weekend, I finally finished reading the first part of the Phantom Bride event! This was actually one of 4 twst events I hadn’t previously read ahead, the others being Vargas Camp, Endless Halloween Night and that Epel-centric one JP got back in winter. I tried reading it afew months back, but 30 seconds in I was jumped by 4 of the twst boys proposing to me (ROOK INCLUDED) and I immediately noped out and spent the remainder of the night screaming into my pillow. Soooooo...yeah...

But I’m really loving it so far, Eliza is the worst and everyone is being petty af and it’s awesome! Warning: Pic heavy, violence, swearing, simping (A LOT OF SIMPING), twst boys trying and failing to be smooth, references to my ocs and some Idia slander. LET’S GET IT!

Sorry, Ace. You gotta get in line behind Rook, Vil, Malleus, and Lilia...

I feel like this was put in for those who felt Elsa was making some profound statement against romantics when she said something similar.

Always, my handsome, sexy, sus-as-fuck hunter of love! The blue really suits him and I know some ppl think he looks odd without his hat but I don’t. Rook is beautiful with or without it. Ohhhhh, I can’t wait to read his vignette! I think Eliza will REALLY like him but hopefully not because then she and I might have to fight.😊

Grim, when are we NOT being evicted or being threatened with eviction??

THE FUCK YOU MEAN “AGAIN”?! Don’t you think you should have warned us of the potential of this shit when you airdropped us into that shack?! God this bird man makes me sick!

Bitch unless you’re putting me up in a new place (preferably Diasomnia or Pomefiore for reasons...👀) KICK THE GHOSTS OUT! Actually, where are the usual ghosts when this is happening? I’d think they’d put up a fight too wouldn’t they??

Ortho is such a sweet little bro. But I do understand Idia’s appeal, hell, 17-year-old weeb me probably would have killed for a BF like Idia! Though he’d probably only want a uper petite Asian girl or a kawaii idol or e-girl type to live out his anime waifu fantasies. Don’t boo ,me, you know I’m right. 

That’s Disney talk for IDIA’S GOING TO FUCKING DIE

Have I mentioned that this bird man makes me sick?? 💀

Idia has absolutely doxxed ppl with Ortho’s help. Don’t tell me how I know this, I just do. 

Isn’t it always at this fucking school?! 

Edward Elric vibes right here, maybe Riddle should drink more milk...

Floyd, please shut the fuck up before Riddle puts a collar on you...

You shut up too!

 I’m still not over his bullshit from the last part of Book 5 either. GET HIS ASS VIL!

She’s awful beyond awful but I like her design at least, reminds me a lot of Emily from Corpse Bride.

Why does Idia sound like me trying to get my non twst friends into twst?? 😭😂

Somewhere in the distance, I can hear my brother’s girlfriend squeeing. I got her into twst a while back and she is a TREMENDOUS Leona simp, which is hilarious for me since I simp so hard for all the ppl Leona hates. 😂

And the violence has begun! But really, this shocked me when I first saw it, like DAMN THIS BITCH REALLY JUST BACKHANDED LEONA FUCKING KINGSCHOLAR! To be fair he did a pretty shitty job wooing her but still, violence is never the answer, kids! 

OOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH 😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😍😍😍😍😍😍 I really wish this was voiced because we know from Book 5 that Vil can sing quite well and I would just DIE if Vil sang to me! MMMMMFFFFF I’m getting giddy just imagining it! 

WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH HER?! So what if Vil doesn’t have a dog, I would think she’d prefer to be the only bitch in his life anyway! 

Okay, look, I know that was terrible. But seriously, it was at this moment that Eliza officially ended up on my shitlist. I really hope she doesn’t slap Rook in the next part cause I will dropkick a ghost, I do not care! 

And unfortunately, Sebek was doomed from the start. Sometimes I wonder if he ever envies Vidaria for obvious reasons...

She’s got a point tho, one of the few times she actually said something sensible. Say what you will, but Sebek totally deserved that slap.

SIDONIE! COME GET YO MANS!!! 💀💀💀💀💀🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Aww, at least he’s being sweet abt his obvious failure. It’s funny cause when I write him with Sidonie, he’s very smooth and charming but here? An absolute dork! But a good natured dork and that’s what Sidonie loves about him. 💖

This cannot end well...

Bitch WHAT DID YOU EXPECT?! Why are you even here?!

Oh god, Jade is so goddamn charming that my heart would absolutely go if he offered me a flower. But at the same time it’s Jade so I would be terrified as well. Such odd, polarizing feelings he stirs within me...👀

WHERES MY STICK

Jade was literally the closest thus far in yeeting her back to the afterlife and you snitched on him because you were lonely in the slap corner? PET-TY!

Ya’ll ain’t shit, you know that?! NONE OF YOU! Except Rook, we’re still cool and haven’t needed to beat him with my stick yet. The rest of these clowns tho? Maybe THIS is the reason twst isn’t an otome game! 

Welp, let’s see how these fellas fare with Cater’s cringe ass nae nae talk...

Sadly not any better...💀

WHAT SEBEK SAID

Ugh, once again I find myself agreeing with this bitch. Modern dating is a nightmare and I am so glad I’ll be getting married soon myself to probably one of the last men on the planet who truly is a decent person. 

Oooohh, I really like Idia’s tux tho, and I’m not an Idia simp in the slightest but damn it suits him!

Good to see his priorities are in order. About to die? Yeah no biggie. About to die without reading the newest manga, TRAGIC!!!

In all seriousness tho, while pulling for Ace, I got Ortho’s ceremonial robes card and after reading the accompanying vignette, I can kinda understand why everyone’s so reluctant to help him. As a painfully anxious introvert myself, I REALLY hate Idia’s apathetic attitude. It’s going to take some PROFOUNDLY deep and tragic shit in Book 6 for me to think differently of him but as of now, nah I can’t with him, especially since I know ppl like him irl and they are actually the worst. 

Aaaaahhhhhhhhhhh, something tells me I’m going to be screaming into my pillow ALOT more when part 2 drops. Pray for me, guys...💙

Eliza better slap him first, if she want’s any sort of redemption in my eyes. Sadly I didn’t get Ace or Epel and I won’t be pulling hard for either since Vil will be coming home soon. And since the other vignettes are still locked, with that, the first part of the Phantom Bride event is done! So far, so good! And I just realized, I began this post with an Ace pic and I’m ending it with an Ace pic! Not intentional though, I swear! ❤

[holdharmonysacred]

Okay, more seriously talking about the Werewolf game - and this is going into spoiler territory because I’m metagaming a bit, so I’m putting this under a read more -

I already know from those dank JP spoilers circa 2020 that Marie Alter is the ultimate antagonist of this event, so I’m working backwards from the conclusion of “Marie Sus” to figure out what’s going on, because I genuinely don’t remember what the actual conclusion of this event is other than “Marie Alter Exists”. So going down the clues list I’ve noticed as I read:

Nursery Rhyme says that there’s one other player besides her who knows who the second werewolf is, who “would be very put out if their identity came to light”. I can’t check the JP, so I can’t tell if the sentence means “the other person who knows would be in a pickle if their own identity came out”, or if it means “the other person who knows would be in a pickle if the werewolf’s identity came out”, but I’m putting this in my pocket for later regardless.

Mozart’s sus regardless, I think that’s pretty obvious. Notably, if you oppose Mozart’s 10-minute rule, the opposition side will be Guda and co., Charlotte, Nursery Rhyme, Phantom, Salieri, and Sanson, while the in favor side will be Emiya Alter, Edison, Mozart, Marie, d’Eon, Gilles, and Napoleon.

Emiya Alter’s role is revealed as the Knight, but he’s the first one besides Salieri to suggest “We should just hang both Mozart and Guda and co.”, and on days 2 and 3 he forfeits his comments. The story also lays it on really thick that he “left the confines of the rules” to do his Knight Job, which is a pretty sus thing for the story to do.

Sanson randomly goes with his gut and accuses Marie during day 2′s accusation phase, and is in turn accused and executed by Marie, Mozart, d’Eon, Napoleon, and Edison on day 3. Gilles likewise also suspects Marie during day 2, is really really torn up about it, and is promptly killed off during the night. d’Eon declares during day 3 that she and Marie are on equal footing in the game and that she’s going to stop being Marie’s follower for the duration of the game, and then the next day things go belly-up and she’s hanged.

Phantom in events has historically been cast as “the guy who looks like he’s going to attack Guda, but it’s actually a feint and he’s on Guda’s side”. On day 2 he’s also mourning his “angel”. and at the start of day 3 he’s randomly missing. He also randomly attacks Guda during the night of day 3, even though that shouldn’t be possible under the rules of the game. Emiya also goes missing during the night of day 3 after having his role confirmed.

Phantom is killed on the night of day 4, and before Jeanne can confirm his identity she is also killed. Mozart is revealed as the wolf, and then killed by Marie. None of the roles revealed on the final day are officially confirmed.

There is a shitton of cheating and rules fuckery going on, as the werewolves and fanatics are all at odds with each other.

So with all this in mind, here’s what I think is going on:

I think the game is lying about who is who during the werewolf game. I think Marie is the werewolf, Mozart and Emiya Alter are fanatics, and Phantom is the knight. Sanson, Gilles, and d’Eon were all targeted specifically because they suspected or otherwise indicated that they could suspect Marie, while nobody went gunning after the people who were suspecting Mozart even as Mozart was practically baiting everyone, including his own allies, to target him. Mozart’s antics in controlling the game and pissing everyone off make a hell of a lot more sense if he’s a fanatic trying to help Marie slip by unnoticed, rather than if he actually were the werewolf, and the other fanatics could be going along with it because they know he’s not the werewolf and Team Wolf loses nothing in losing him (though I’d have to crawl through the cutscenes again to double check that rule). Nursery Rhyme’s comment of “the person who knows who the second werewolf is would be put out if their identity were revealed” - if the “their” is the second werewolf - also makes perfect sense if the person were Mozart and the werewolf were Marie. The part that’s metagaming is that, again, I already know Marie Alter is a thing in this event, and she’s gotta come into play again somehow.

As for Phantom and Emiya Alter, I think Emiya Alter is cheating big time and might’ve stolen Phantom’s role card at some point during the game. Phantom starts day 2 off in mourning because he’s the knight and he tried to save either Nursery Rhyme or Charlotte, only for his attempt to fail because they were both the Lovers. The two nights he attacked Guda on were actually him trying to protect Guda, with things going off the rails because 1. he’s Phantom and can’t communicate his innocence, and 2. at that point the cheating was in full swing and not even Jeanne could stop it. I have no idea what the hell Emiya Alter is doing, he might’ve been caught between a rock and a hard place in playing his role VS keeping Guda safe once it was revealed that losers turn into tokens and thus opted to play both sides. Kinda the biggest point is that at the very start of the game, when everybody was deciding yay or nay on Mozart’s ten minute rule, Emiya Alter was on the yay side (populated only by Team Werewolf and suckers for Marie) while Phantom was on the nay side, and those stances would be a special kind of buck wild for them to take if Emiya was team villager and Phantom was team werewolf. And then going back to metagaming, Phantom is the guy who’s typically cast as “guy who seems like he’s going to attack Guda, but it’s a trick and he’s actually on Guda’s side”, with his general scariness being a red herring that hides how genuinely loyal he is to Guda (and it’s a red herring that everyone who isn’t a turbo fan of Phantom falls for literally every time), so I have a strong hunch that that’s what’s happening again.

I genuinely have no idea if this is what’s going on even with all my metagaming because it’s been years and I can’t find the spoilers anymore, but “Marie Alter Exists” is enough to make me suspect that there’s something fishy going on and it’s not all shitty writing. Is there wonky gamewriting going on? Absolutely, the writer for the event clearly had no idea how to write the game while getting the plot where they needed it to go, and it shows even if my theories and half-remembered spoilers are correct. I know enough though that I’m not going to jump the gun yet, the werewolf game sure as hell isn’t really finished yet even as the story blatantly wants everyone to think so, and I think it’s best to hold off full criticism until the event’s actually done.

[mikoyamisheadcanonblog]

Illumi Zoldyck Miscellaneous Info

So this is basically me sharing all the info I have gathered on certain characters I like with a few things thrown in between that is my personal opinion or what I feel is majority of the fandom. If anyone one would like me to try it more characters let me know.  I have Illumi, Itachi, Jumin and Trafalgar Law  This takes a lot work but I like doing it as it helps my writing instead of always searching for information Wiki: Illumi Zoldyck

Name: Illumi Zoldyck Hunter Exam Name: Gittarackur Nicknames: Lumi (Non-canon), Lulu (Non-canon)

Family Clan: Zoldyck Family Members: Zigg Zoldyck (Unknown relation) Maha Zoldyck (Great-Great Grandfather) Zeno Zoldyck (Grandfather) Grandmother (Status Unknown) Silva Zoldyck (Father) Kikyo Zoldyck (Mother) Milluki Zoldyck (Younger brother) Killua Zoldyck (Younger brother) Alluka Zoldyck (Younger sister) Kalluto Zoldyck (Younger brother)

Looks Age: 24 Hair: Black Eyes: Black Gender: Male Height: 6"1 (185 cm) Weight: 150 lbs (68 kg)

Personality Info: Status: Alive Blood type: A Personality Type: ISTJ or INTJ Alignments:  Neutral Evil Enneagram: 9w8 (The advisor) Enneagram type: Type 5 (The investigator)  Enneagram Trinity: 936 Instinctual Variant: sp/so Socionics: SLI Big 5 (SLOAN): RCOEN Attitudinal Psyche: LVFE Temperaments:  Phlegmatic Dominate Hogwarts House: Slytherin (Pureblood)  Birthday: N/A Personality: Illumi is someone that is cold and ruthless man. He shows little emotion or feeling for what he is doing. He is more focused on getting the job done. Illumi isn’t above using or manipulating on his loved ones if it means getting the job done, or “protecting” them.  He shows little concern for his younger sister Alluka but will interfere when it comes to his brother Killua. He is someone who shows little concern for how his actions will affect other even finding great if it means Killua would remember him. He is overprotective over his family and younger brother. He will show great annoyance when things do get difficult and don’t go his way. 

Affiliations  Occupation: Zoldyck Assassin Hunter Phantom Troupe member #11 Affiliation:  Zoldyck Family Hunter Association Phantom Troupe (Active/Thieves) Nationality: Kukuroo Mountain Hunter Card: 

Mis. Hobby: N/A Favorite Food: N/A Least Food: N/A Animal: N/A Sexuality: Ace Exam Number: #301  -Finished the second exam in 12 and 2 minutes. Second place  Character type:  Antagonist/Villain  Episodes Appears in: I will work on this later  Quotes: "I'm happy to die to save the rest of the family. Killua will suffer for the rest of his life. I'll live on forever in his heart!!" "I joined the Spiders on Hisoka's commission. We had a give-and-take relationship... but we knew one of us would kill the other in the end. And now that's come to pass."

Fighting Ability: Nen Type: Manipulation

Abilities: Body Alteration: Changing his body and shape, with needles. He can use without needles but it last five hours. -very painful- Hypnotic Spell: Having a needle in someone’s brain is able to control them with pre-set orders. -Headache for the person who tries to fight back- Corpse Control: Able to control the dead with needles. -They can perform complex skills- Needle People: Able to control someone while alive -will lead to death- Skills: Enhanced Speed Advanced Stamina Immense Pain Tolerance High Intelligence Master Thrower Resistance to Poison Highly Manipulative  Tolerance to Electricity Advanced armed and unarmed combat techniques Ability to hide is power level  Weapon: Pins and needles 

Voice actors:  JP: Urara Takano (1999) Masaya Matsukaze (2011) EN: Victor Atelevich (1999) Chris Hackney (2011)  Random Facts: Illumi’s voice actor in Japanese (2011) is a radio personality 

Theme Song: Zoldyck Family Theme (Ansatsu Ikka no Yakata)  Extended

Pictures: Outfits  Fullbody (2011 Hunter Exam)

Fullbody (2011 YorkCity)

Fullbody (Chairman Arc) Outfit 1

Outfit 2

Gittarackur (2011)

Fullbody (1999)

Fullbody (1999 Hunter Exam) 

Gittarackur (1999) (This was the best I could find)

Fullbody (2011 Phantom Rouge)

Younger Illumi

Fullbody (2011 Succession Arc)