#pocket edition

[lulu2992]

This post is long overdue, but because I promised exactly seven years ago today that I would talk about this “later”, I want to finally do it!

So, prior to annoying everyone here about the Far Cry series, mostly Far Cry 5, and complaining about its nightmarishly-inconsistent lore, I used to annoy everyone with Final Fantasy XV and its... surprinsingly-not-that-inconsistent story. It’s not perfect, of course, and I’m sure many people could tell you more about it and its flaws better than I can, but considering it was told in the span of at least three years across four versions of the main game (which was updated several times to add more cutscenes and information), four DLC episodes, two films, two books, one animated series, one multiplayer expansion, as well as a few more spin-off games, demos, and trailers (not all of them canon), I still think it’s impressively coherent and that things could have been way worse.

Despite having never played this game myself (I don’t even know if I’ve ever said that), I fell in love with it, and more specifically with a character named Ardyn Izunia, a charismatic antagonist with a tragic past. Yes, I have a type.

Anyway, one thing I loved to complain about at the time was the English localization of the game. Although it’s far from being terrible, it slightly differs from the original Japanese version, and while some changes are appropriate and make sense (a localization isn’t meant to be a literal translation, after all), others are... questionable. The English version also had the luxury of having its own facial animations, which means the team didn’t even have to worry about being 100% faithful to the character’s original lip movements and emotions. And they weren’t.

Some of the choices that were made regarding Ardyn in particular are still upsetting to me. The way he talks about his name is unclear? People get confused. A sentence he finishes in Japanese gets interrupted in English for no apparent reason? That creates a non-existent mystery. A frown is turned upside-down? That erases a rare and therefore important angry reaction. He doesn’t chuckle at a key moment? That changes the tone of the scene and his feelings on the whole situation…

So, on March 19th, 2018, I said I wanted to talk about “when he sounds mocking and unimpressed instead of surprised and offended in the Pocket Edition”, so this is what I’m going to do, at long last. The mobile version of FFXV is interesting because it contains a few lines that were not in the original game and never included in the other editions (unless that’s changed; it’s been a while since I’ve studied this game). Those lines are exchanged between Noctis and Ardyn during their final battle.

From what I’ve seen and tried to translate thanks to online tools (I still don’t speak Japanese), the English conversation is nearly identical to the original Japanese version, but there’s one thing Ardyn says, and especially how he says it, that is very different to me.

When Noctis asserts he will save him from the darkness, in English, Ardyn replies, “Will you?” in a rather derisive and dismissive tone. In Japanese, though, he replies, “何?” (“What?”), and it seems Noctis’ words actually affect him. You can hear both versions below. Focus on Ardyn’s tone:

Original videos: English - Japanese

To me, the way he replies in English suggests he doesn’t take Noctis seriously at all. It’s like he’s saying, “Aw, that’s cute; as if you could do that”. In Japanese, however, I think he sounds shocked, like he can’t believe someone would genuinely want to help him despite everything he’s done and the monster he has become.

His reaction reminds me of the moment Lunafreya softly tells him he will eventually know peace… and he just slaps her. I could never decide exactly why he did it. I don’t know if it’s because he feels insulted and belittled by her words or if, on the contrary, he can’t stand the fact she’s showing compassion, not to mention right after he’s just mortally stabbed her. Does her kindness hurt him because he believes he doesn’t deserve it? Does she remind him of the man he used to be, the selfless, naive healer she somehow managed to still see, deep inside of him, despite the many layers of darkness he’s spent ages burying himself under?

In any case, it seems Ardyn is supposed to react strongly and be thrown off balance when someone believes he can and deserves to be saved, so what I wanted to say in 2018 is that I thought, and still think, that it’s a shame the English version of his line in the Pocket Edition doesn’t reflect that.

[spupulum]

Hooded, red, little thing.

[sleepanonymous]

Please elaborate on the evidence about the pockets lmao

I have before! But I don’t think I ever actually put two and two together? I remember going a tiny bit insane over this post/picture where Vessel looks like he just crawled out of the bottom of a duffel bag and has so much stuff in his pockets.

And then in April at the Phoenix Teeth of God ritual, I experienced Vessel’s fascination with a small piece of plastic first hand.

Long story short: the system took his pockets away because he was experiencing too much child-like wonder in collecting random objects. (I’m being silly)

[stargazinglesbian]

anyone have any cute mcpe texture pack suggestions? i know this is a bit out of left field lol and i prolly won't get an answer but i wanna start playing minecraft again and i'm getting bored of how mine looks right now.

[lemongogo]

life of regret

[unicornpopcorn14]

So we all know by now that Dazai is comfortable enough around Chuuya to show nervousness/worry.

Enough times for Chuuya to pick up on that pattern. The pattern, may I remind you, that doesn't have evident correlation to either nervousness or worry to most people. One that can even be interpreted as misplaced given the situation.

Which means that Dazai has done this in front of Chuuya so often, that Chuuya at first was hella confused, before he finally made a connection between when and why it happens. And still remembered that connection after four years of separation. Which gets us to my point:

What if this isn't the only emotion Dazai displays weirdly?

What if he has multiple unconventional patterns he displays for sadness, frustration, content, or disgust? The times he really feels them, and they become too strong for him to just deal with normally? What if these are the only times he's actually being genuine with his emotions?

And Chuuya is the only one who is familiar with them all?

Dazai would be jumping rope and Chuuya would be like, "quit sulking, let's get icecream"

Dazai hanging upside down on the couch and Chuuya going, "It's okay, mackerel. You can cry."

Dazai actually crying, full on heart-wrenching sobs, and Chuuya unironically going, "What, good news?"

It's just... comforting, for one person in Dazai's life to read him like a book. Everyone else would look at him like he's crazy, displaying wrong emotions/behaviors at the wrong time, but Chuuya knows that it's just how he processes feeling properly, and thus he's the only one Dazai can count on to put things into context and understand, which makes him display them even more openly.

Because Chuuya never shamed him for his quirks, as much as Dazai never did his.

[cutiepieautistic]

×/×/× ×/× ×/×/×

[paintmyworldrainbow]

🌈 LOW IN STOCK 🌈 Hey guys, just want to let y’all know that I’m running *dangerously* low on the Pocket Edition of the @rainbowhearttarot! I have about two boxes (or 80ish copies) left. I know that might sound like a lot of decks, but the remaining copies could easily be snapped up by just a few wholesale orders 💕

The Pocket Edition features the same gorgeous artwork and luxe construction as the full-size deck for a fraction of the cost. She’s the perfect size for a travel alter, your picnic basket, or throwing in your purse. At 2.5 x 3.5 inches, the deck is printed on 400 gsm stock with a matte finish and holographic gold edges packed in a fully-lidded two-piece box 💕

I have included a few of my favorite pix of the Pocket Edition here for you to enjoy. For now I’m not planning on printing a Second Edition, so get her while you still can here 💕

[hatepotion]

I am a person, you are not.

[egberts]

I won a fucking sweepstakes for using a 40% off coupon (*correction it was because I tried a "fan fave" item when I used the fanfave coupon, the coupon was unrelated other than the name)

[spupulum]

I absolutely love your Opportunist design! The smug grin at all times, the flower with the thorn not-tail on the suit, the flower for a head, every aspect just exudes "smug businessman". He reminds me of Koro-Sensei.

Thank you so much! He is definitely up there in my list of favorite designs, even if he is quite an evil little man.

He's supposed to be a mixture of a faery, a nymph, and a demon! His flower petals and shoulder folds are supposed to look like devil horns, and the leaf on the end of his vine is to mimic the stereotypical spade-ended tail. I'm so glad you like him!

[giotanner]

[part 2] Jason Todd in the Olympics? Air Pistol shooting | We have the man who never misses after all (support the entire video on my tiktok!)

[userarmand]

Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire Q&A with Creatives & Cast | ATX TV Festival

[merlins-strawberriesandroses]

POV you’ve informed the Queen and the Court’s Sorcerer of something and they very clearly know something that they’re not letting on

[weekdaygladers]

Sabrina Carpenter in Espresso (2024)