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vashtijoy · 5 months

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Something I've noticed for a while is that Akechi doesn't appear to say that he was in foster care in the Japanese script.

Akechi おかげで僕は、色んな所を転々とさせられて、まあ、今じゃ気ままな一人暮らしだけどね。 okage de boku wa, ironna tokoro o tenten to saserarete, maa, ima ja kimamana hitori kurashi da kedo ne Thanks to him, I was passed from foster home to foster home. But, I do quite well by myself these days. After that, nobody would keep me for too long, so I got moved about a lot. But now I'm alone and free to live as I choose.

There are a few interesting points here:

おかげで okage de, "thanks to"

Akechi does not specify what or who he's crediting here; the translator has glossed in "thanks to him". IMO it's more likely to be "because of the death of my mother"—the thing he was just speaking of. Shido is responsible, but (at least according to Akechi's flow of speech) he is slightly indirectly responsible.

転々とさせられて tenten to saserarete

tenten to suru, in this context, means moving around often from place to place; living at a lot of different addresses. But note the passive-causative on suru here, saserareru. This is something that was done to Akechi, something others inflicted on him, something he experienced as a profound negative. This was bad. Looking at what he goes on to say later—"so someone would want me around!"—I've tried to capture this with "nobody would keep me".

Also note that tenten to suru, while not usually violent in this "moving about" context, is also a term for e.g. kicking a ball around, which again makes it an interesting choice of words.

気ままな一人暮らし kimamana hitori kurashi

This is a set phrase, essentially meaning "a free and carefree life alone"; it's used, often with a little irony, to describe the joys of living alone, or of being single. Note that Akechi does not mean this—he sounds (JP audio) miserable as fuck, and he's brought this up, rather ineffectively, to try and lighten the mood.

It comes across as "I was alone, and I'm still alone, but at least now I'm alone on my own terms and can do as I please"—which he knows is untrue, and we know is untrue, and Ren and Futaba can surely tell is untrue.

By the way, this quick use of a throwaway stereotype, as if it explains everything—ima ja kimamana hitori kurashi da kedo ne—is one of Akechi's verbal tricks; he becomes laconic in this way when he touches on things he doesn't want to discuss, things that are sensitive to him.

This is how he explains to the others in the engine room that he's illegitimate, for instance—tsumari kakushigo sa, "In short, I'm his secret child", kakushigo ("hidden child") here being a popular term, with no real English parallel, for the secret or unacknowledged child of someone famous or powerful.

You could maybe render his line here as a detached-sounding "but now I'm footloose and fancy-free", for the same effect.

色んな所 ironna tokoro

This is what has been translated "foster homes", but it just means "all sorts of different places":

Akechi 色んな所を転々とさせられた ironna tokoro o tenten to saserareta I was passed around from pillar to post.

So: he was passed from place to place, from pillar to post. Like a pebble rolling on a beach, or a ball being kicked around a field. Do we know what any of those places might have been? No; he doesn't tell us. There's IMO nothing here to suggest that he was in the care of the state—but equally, there's nothing that excludes it.

But Akechi returns to this in the anime, in Proof of Justice—and he is far more specific:

Akechi だから、母が死んだあとは、親戚の間を転々として行ったね。 dakara, haha ga shinda ato wa, shinseki no aida o tenten to shite itta ne After my mother died, I was passed around my relatives.

Anime Akechi gives us more detail, again with tenten to suru, but he removes a lot of the emphatic force—we gain the detail that he was with his relatives, but we lose that outraged passive-causative, that makes it clear this hurt him—what I've tried to capture with "nobody would keep me for long" up at the top. It's possible, of course, that the difference in tone is to do with the different tone in the two scenes—game Akechi is at a very low point, while anime Akechi seems reflective and chill.

But is this canon? Well, usually when the game and the anime contradict, I prefer the game for its lack of adaptation drift. But there are a couple of occasions when the anime seems to clarify things that were not clear in the game text—and IMO, this is one. Per the game, Akechi was passed from place to place; the anime clarifies that those "places" were with his relatives.

TBH, even the localisation's "foster home" doesn't necessarily imply state foster care; a relative who takes you in is a foster parent. Of course, if you want a backdoor here (which is in no way required, I'm not your mum), he never suggests how long he stayed with his relatives....

does anything in-game support this?

Well, there's one thing in the game that supports this reading, and it's actually on 8/28 itself. Immediately after Akechi says he was passed around after his mother's death, Futaba does this:

Remember, Futaba already does not like Akechi. She resents him for his pursuit of the Phantom Thieves, even before she suspects him of killing her mother. Yet when he mentions his sad past, she connects with him.

Why is that? It's because Futaba, too, was passed between her relatives—with the results we all know: they were abusive, exploitative and cruel, leading to her being rescued by Sojiro. The game draws an explicit connection here between Futaba and Akechi—suggesting that they have this backstory in common, of being passed between abusive relatives. It suggests we can glean a little more about Akechi's past by looking at what we learn about Futaba's.

And she was rescued; he was not. They both turned to crime to work off some of what they endured—but Futaba retained her moral centre, while Akechi fell off the edge. This is why she tells him what she does in the engine room: "You thought [being alone and not trusting anyone] was enough, right? That part I totally get."

but isn't he just lying his ass off here?

BTW, as to whether Akechi is just trying to ingratiate himself with Futaba (or with Ren) on 8/28—I don't think so; I think he tries, and then gives up after his performative cut-in. We just saw him trying to ingratiate himself with Sojiro—his failure there, at the start of the scene, is what upsets him and opens him up. So far, so good.

Is he trying to get in with Wakaba Isshiki's daughter, to continue his pursuit of her research on Sae's behalf?—the reason he was at Leblanc in the first place? No, because he never mentions it to Futaba, ever again.

What Akechi will do later is stand up for her, on 9/13, protesting Sae's threat to remove her from Sojiro's custody:

Sae: There have been frequent occurrences of mental shutdowns surrounding Okumura recently. Sae: If only there was a clear connection between him and the Phantom Thieves… Sae: Well, it would be problematic if there wasn't one. Akechi: So you're jumping the gun here. Akechi: You really told a man you would terminate his parental authority based purely on your speculation?

... and notice what he's doing here. Akechi clearly already knows about Sae's threats to Sojiro; she does not explain them in this scene. And Akechi has clearly not questioned her on it, as long as he thinks there's a reason for it. When it turns out there isn't one? He calls Sae out. Because Akechi knows what's it's like to be a child with nowhere to go.

Sure, it's not beneath him to throw Futaba to the wolves—or, ultimately, to try to kill her in the engine room. But he views it as distasteful, as unjustified, and as wrong. He knows gratuitous cruelty when he sees it—and it repels him. He knows the difference between right and wrong—he's just elected to ignore it.

And he expects far better than this from Sae.

revision history

click here for the latest version.

v1.2 (2023/11/21)—typos, plus extra context for the game and anime scenes.

v1.1 (2023/11/20)—reblog w/ additional commentary.

v1.0 (2023/11/20)—first posted.

#persona 5 #p5 meta #japanese language #goro akechi #futaba sakura #sae niijima

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ayacokeandpepsi · 2 months

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Pt. 2 of Fboy! Enhypen w/n1ki as requested from poll results!

Cw:, Japanese (translated) (not that much-mostly in English) -it will be in in different color and with English meaning next to it

Word count: a lot omg sorry for yapping also not proofread cause I wrote this on my tiny ass iPhone SE 😭

This is part 1 of the Niki one, part 2 coming soon

Background: you are collaborating with Enhypen for a record/album and you are an idol who is a rapper/singer. Reader speaks Japanese slightly.

You first learned of the new and hot boy group Enhypen when their company reached out to you in hope for a collaboration, so you did your research and found them to be interesting.

You first met them when you did a collab for a TikTok dance video to one of your songs that was trending, with the star dancer of the group, Niki.

He seemed weird to you because he didn’t make that much eye contact when speaking to you, but he was staring when he thought you were looking away. He also was a bit harsh when you did the dance to Sweet Venom for the other video, which was hard for you to follow since the choreography was not something you were used to.

“No no,” he said slightly annoyed when trying to teach you the movements. You let out a nervous laugh, getting annoyed at him. “No you’re not doing it right,” he sighed, he came up from behind you and grabbed your wrist and moved it the way it was supposed to go, surprising you and making you red.

He also seemed to not have noticed when he did that because after a few seconds his eyes widened and let go of your wrist, looking away.

Overall, the first meeting with him was awkward and uncomfortable.

———————-

You found yourself that evening on their TikTok account, watching the video of you two dancing over and over again. You were annoyed at how cocky he was in the videos, making it seem like he was effortlessly perfect to the world.

You scoffed. But for some reason, you couldn’t take your eyes off his. You would be lying if you said you didn’t find him attractive and charismatic. You hated that he was. It made him more annoying to you, a feeling unfamiliar to you. And you didn’t like it.

You looked at the comments. Wow Niki is so good at dancing. Niki is so handsomeeee. You rolled your eyes.

You then saw some even worse comments. Who is this girl? Wow Niki is such a good person for making a video with a fan! A fan?! These Korean fans did not know you as well as Enhypen, but you expected them to know you enough to know you aren’t some fan. That was enough to tap on the stupid clock app icon and delete it, not caring about your media profile.

You harshly turned off your phone along with the lights and slept.

Tomorrow was when you were supposed to do some recording with them for the first song in the album.

———-

You wake up to a bunch of notifications from Instagram on your posts, full of noooo why did she delete her TikTok, and what if they are dating? Comments. You cursed, knowing your manager would be mad not letting him know if advance to deleting a social media profile.

You got out of your hotel bed sheets, reaching your arms up and letting out a sigh.

You were only in Seoul for a few months, but still nervous since your Korean is limited.

Luckily you can speak Japanese slightly better, even though you wished it was another member who could speak it, it would still be helpful even if it was the one you didn’t like.

Luckily your manager was fluent in Korean as well as English and Mandarin, for when you go on tours to other countries.

You decided to pick up Japanese a few years ago so you could understand AKB48 songs when you were young, not really having any other use for it where you lived, though you still continued to learn.

———

You made your bed and opened the hotel blinds, the weather was cloudy and rainy today it seemed. You closed them again before changing into your outfit of the day, a basic training outfit, sweatpants with an off the shoulder crop sweater and Air Force ones.

———-

When you got to the studio, only the staff were there, soon to leave once the members got here. You liked to be early. Fashionably early, you like to tell yourself to make it sound cool.

You played around with the beats and samples on the studio devices, having your headphones in and being into it, so you were surprised when the members walked in.

You already met them each, not individually except Niki. You said your hellos and greetings before they asked to listen to what you were working on.

You obliged because they genuinely seemed interested, not liking your own work and being self critical though, so it took some convincing of them.

They all seemed to really like it, each of them adding on pieces to grow on the song. It must have been a few hours, and everyone seemed to grow hungry and packed up and said their goodbyes. Niki still acted a bit weird, he was closely monitoring you when you couldn’t see him, barely praising you and scoffing when you said “I don’t want the choreography to be a lot “ followed by nervous laughter from you.

Jungwon got your number and added it to a group chat with all of the members.

(Group chat)

Jungwon: thank you for meeting with us y/n!

Jake: yes good work everyone.

You: yes good job all

You: I was hoping if we could make the choreography easy since you guys are really advanced?

Heeseung: okay, we can help you as well

Jake: yeah ^

Niki: maybe if you just tried it would be less difficult

Jay: Niki be nice

—————

Niki scoffed reading his phone. Why should HE have to go easy on you because you didn’t know how to dance? You just had to show off your producing skills, and act like it was terrible on top of that! He was beyond annoyed.

——-

(Private message)

Jake: hey I’m sorry about Niki he can be a little rude at first but he’s not like this when you get to know him.

You: it’s nothing haha

———-

The next day, you came in late to the recording studio because of an accident near your route. You walked into the massive building, iced coffee in hand and your purse in the other, hurriedly walking through the halls and to the elevator.

You weren’t focused on where you were going, your glasses fell down a little too low from the bridge of your nose, making it hard to see.

You waited shortly for the elevator doors to open, not looking before entering and hitting someone.

You look up to see none other than Niki, looking concerned, you just noticed how you spilled your coffee on your top, your white top, exposing your black bra underneath.

Niki stuttered “you-um,” his eyes looked toward the ceiling. You quickly set your cup on the floor with your purse, thankfulling remebering you had a spare top in it.

You had an idea, realizing that he already saw you basically in your bra, so you didn’t care. You told him to press the close door button and quickly unbuttoned your soaked top, taking it off.

His face grew red, his words were just stutters “what are you-whoa! But,” he stammered, looking at everything but you.

You quickly pulled out the small but clean black tank top out of your purse and put it on.

“How could you just-“ he says, still not able to look at you in the eye. “Did you have a better idea?” You remark. “It’s either you see me with a bra or every staff and other member would see me after I get off this elevator.” You reason.

He swallowed. “Are you, like, good now?” He asks. You look at his eyes, his pupils were dilated fully, it was like all the annoying things he did just melted away.

He scoffed. “I’ll take that as a yes then”. The elevator doors opened, you explained to some concerned staff that you just spilled your coffee, cleaning it up. You were so glad no cameras were in that elevator.

———

Niki was quiet the entire day, his face red when you spoke with him, looking away from you.

By the time the sky was black and the city lights were shining, everyone was leaving.

You got up to leave, but tripped over a cord on the floor which caused your purse to fall and all of your items in it scatter.

Heeseung, Niki and Sunghoon were walking out when the saw this and offered to help but Niki suggested they go on and he would help you.

Niki kneeled down on the floor and helped you pick up some items. His eyes glazed over a set of Kanji flash cards and quickly grabbed them.

You didn’t notice until he stopped moving. You say his hand. “What’s wrong?” You asked. “You speak Japanese?” He asked.

“Not well,” you responded shamefully.

“Kawaii ne,” cute, isn’t it he mumbled as he teased.

You glared at him. “Don’t make fun of me.”

“ いいえ　いいえ、no no I don’t mean to make fun of you,” he giggled

You sighed. “Thank you for helping me pick up my stuff,” you said genuinely.

He helped you up, his hand was so much bigger than yours. You scoffed in your mind.

The two of you walked into the elevator, silent and awkward.

“You know, I don’t have a problem with you,” he confessed, his lips curling into a soft smirk.

Your eyes widened but quickly looked away. “Well I mean that’s good-we have to work together so-“ he grabbed your wrist, pulling you closer.

“That’s not what I mean,” he said playfully.

“Gosh you’re so cute,” he teased.

You rolled your eyes and looked away, but he grabbed your chin and made you look at him.

“Now you’re the one who can’t look at my eyes,” he whispered with a smile

The elevator dinged before opening, he softly let you go and walked you to your car before leaving to the groups’ van, winking at you.

—————

You took a nap on the ride to your new hotel, which was farther away.

You awoke when your manager opened the door.

This hotel was small, but discreet and comfortable. Probably for celebrities not wanting to be noticed.

You checked into your room, it was at the top floor, and your room was big, there was a bath and a separate shower, the bed was king size and you had your own kitchen.

You opened the fridge to see a note saying “thank you for staying with us, we offer a spa on this floor, to the right of the laundry room. There are massages, nail artists and acupuncture available. If you would like to visit: please text this number xxx xxx xxxx and select which time you will be visiting.”

Your eyes lit up at the thought of a massage and some new nails, your current ones looking desperate.

You texted the number listed and made an appointment for an hour later.

—-

You dressed in the hotel provided lounge clothings that they said to wear to the spa, and locked your room before heading there.

——-

You felt so relaxed, your back feeling better and your nails looking pretty. They were simple, medium long almond nails in the shade of pink that makes your skin look glowing, with some cat eye polish.

You thanked and tipped the workers and left the spa, looking at your phone to take a pic of your nails to send to your friend, not paying attention to your surroundings, also partly because you had a little to drink with the complementary champagne they offered at the spa.

You slightly stumbled before bumping into someone’s shoulder, causing you to fall over.

They quickly grabbed our wrist, not letting you fall.

You apologized and thanked them before looking up and seeing …. Niki??

“What are you doing here??”

“You need to watch where you’re going, silly girl,” he teases

“Did your manager not tell you that we would be with you in the hotel since we are all going to a new set location tomorrow?” He asks you, feeling cocky

“No, you can let go of me now thank you” you reply.

He looks at your hand and smirks. “Your fingers are so small, are these new?” He points to your nails.

“Yeah” you whisper

“きれいですね。” it’s pretty isn’t it. He traces your hand.

“Shut up” you roll your eyes.

“I mean it, they are pretty,” his gaze softens as his eyes meet yours

He let’s go of your hand. “You are so clumsy, you know that?” He scolds you

“Yeah well it’s not my fault the champagne was so good” you sigh

“Oh?” He smirks.

You scoff. “Leave me alone, silly boy” you tease back at him.

He grabs your other hand this time. “Hey, wait,” he says softly.

“Where are you going?”

“Back to my room to sleep” you reply casually

“Sleep? It’s so early though, and you need to brush your teeth after drinking” he whines

You start walking, and he follows you.

“I’m bored, stay with me” he pleas

“Why don’t you go be bored with your members?” You suggest dismissively.

“Because none of the members are cute~” he teases in a fake voice, which causes you to laugh. He smiles softly and locks his eyes with yours. Your eyes soften.

“Thank you for helping me pick up my shit today,” you whisper, not breaking eye contact.

He smiles. “It’s nothing.”

End<3 part 2 coming soon

—————-

#Spotify #niki smut #riki x reader #niki nishimura #enhypen hard thoughts #enha smut #enhypen smut

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kaisertheadvisor · 4 months

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Alright, time for some obscure Persona 3 history. I was browsing the old Japanese Persona 3 website, when I stumbled across something interesting. This is what it looks like normally (Vanilla P3 specifically)

But on certain captures of this website on the Wayback Machine, it was set to midnight (JST). The website was coded to have a special easter egg that goes off around that time, as the Dark Hour clock appears...

And then the site is now in the Dark Hour.

Click on the Akihiko, Mitsuru, Fuuka, and Junpei, and cause them to disappear, and Yukari will start to glow.

And you will have unlocked a secret section of the Japanese website! This mostly contained diary entries on various perspectives regarding the Dark Hour (on one section, there even was text regarding Strega's revenge request site), but there also were some secret downloads, namely a supposedly early version of a Persona 3 commercial (which Google translate says it was rejected by a TV station for containing subliminal content?), MP3 downloads, a video showcasing the P3 girls in maid costumes in Tartarus, and a message from Elizabeth to the player (which acted as a tease towards the new Elizabeth requests being added in FES). I have the latest capture of the secret section of the website, as well as a capture of the website during the Dark Hour so you can try this for yourself! (You'll need Ruffle for this)

Speaking of the Persona 3 website, let's go over some of the evolution of the P3 website! Here's the original version of the website when Persona 3 was first announced.

It was updated from P3's initial announcement in March towards May when the newer website was launched, last major update was Fuuka Yamagishi's character profile. Here's a Wayback Machine link for you to try it out yourself.

Here is the website around the time they were teasing FES. Makoto is replaced with Aigis, and there was a section containing audio messages from the developers that would help tease FES. (So far, they are lost media? Hopefully some fan manages to recover them)

And here is the FES version of the website, with both the normal and Dark Hour variations. (Metis replaces Yukari on the Dark Hour variation of the website, though I cannot access the secret section, probably because the silly toaster is blocking the way)

And just for funzies, I thought I'd include this link regarding P3 ads in this blogpost on the old AtlusNet. Hopefully somebody will get high quality scans of the magazine ads and promos used to promote P3 in both Japanese and English.

Now to wonder, what other crazy P3 promotional stunts did Atlus do? I know there was a countdown on the Atlus USA website that counted down the days until the release information on FES would be provided to the world, and I'm well aware of various Japanese gaming magazines that had various info on P3 (that so far only exist as JPEGS on the old Digital Devil Database and other websites), but man, I wanna know more. The fans should be archiving a lot of this stuff. Reload has re-triggered my Persona 3 phase, and I want to know more secrets about the game. I honestly think there's a lot of cool things waiting for us down the line...

#persona 3 #atlus #2000s game advertising was wild man #hopefully a lot of this doesn't end up as lost media #i'm just doing my best to archive a lot of this stuff for future fans of persona 3 #maybe if atlus had the guts they'd bring back the old websites for april fools day #course i'm waiting for someone to remake the old persona 3 website but this time with the reload art for the characters

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clairewritesjjkxreader · 5 months

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Sukuna’s Wife and Yuuji’s Onee-chan (Sukuna x Reincarnated!Y/N) au headcanons

Other snippets of this au found here

When Sukuna awakened, he didn’t yearn for the scent of battle or the blood of the innocent. Before everything else, he felt your soul, and then he saw your face. Not an exact replica from the days gone by, but tiny pieces resonate here and there, beautiful in every way.

Far from a romantic, Sukuna had little interest in the arts outside of cooking.

Yet as he slaughtered the lowly thing that dared to lay eyes on you, the words of a dead emperor echoed in his mind:

Though a swift stream be

By a rock met and restrained

In impetuous flow,

Yet, divided, it speeds on,

And at last unites again.*

After a thousand years of fruitless searching, he has found his other half. The swift waters, long separated, have finally reunited.

However–

“Nee-chan, do something about this guy, he keeps talking crap about me when I’m trying to sleep!”

“You’re the King of Curses? So lame, can’t even take over a teenager? Boring. I could take you down.”

He could handle the annoying pink-haired brat’s yapping, and he will take care of the polished turd that called itself “Gojo Satoru” in due time. Sukuna’s main problem was something far more depressing.

“Darling, please feed me too,” he requested from Itadori’s cheek.

You lifted a piece of bread but instead of offering it to Sukuna, you directed it to the brat’s mouth.

“Beloved–” he would start, but you’d turn away with a harrumph. Then the white-haired turd would burst out laughing.

“Sweetheart, if you won’t look here, I will make sure this brat won’t get a wink of sleep.” Your only reply was a chilly snarl.

Of course, any husband would be disheartened by the sight of his wife glaring, but Sukuna was a special case.

He loved the attention. He’d rather you slap and hit him than ignore him. He preferred your warmth more, but this poisonous disdain of yours burned him in a deliciously different way.

He yearned for your gaze, no matter the cost.

It’s easy to look at Sukuna and think that he is a mega super sadist dom. Well, you’re wrong. He is a total wife-con. His greatest earthly treasure is you, so of course he will treat you with care. You’re the only one who will ever have him on his knees. You could snap him in half and he’d lick your toes in gratitude.

As stated above, he yearns for your attention, so he will do and say anything to have that. A millennium of loneliness has twisted his desires in the most grotesque way possible. He doesn’t want you to hate him so he can’t bring himself to kill the brat you cherish, but he will maim Yuuji just to hear your voice crack from screaming.

He really wants a physical form. One he can freely move in, so he can court you properly, like he did way back when. If words cannot convince you, then maybe he can remind your body why you loved him so much in the past.

If you were miraculously able to return his affections, he’d be waaaay easier to manage. One word from you can stop his rampage. Even if you were deceiving him to control him, he wouldn’t mind so long as you stayed by his side.

[1] A poem by Sutoku-In. Lifted from: The English translation of Ogura Hyakunin Isshu from Hyakunin-Isshu (Single Songs of a Hundred Poets) and Nori no Hatsu-Ne (The Dominant Note of the Law) by Clay MacCauley Yokohama: Kelly and Walsh, Ltd., 1917. Source: https://jti.lib.virginia.edu/japanese/hyakunin/macauley.html.

If you have any questions regarding this Sukuna and this version of Reader, feel free to ask cause I’m running out of stuff to say unprovoked.

@shadowywizardarcade @hannya-exists @nineooooo @lilachaeyo @pumpkindudeishere @jessbeinme15 @fluffy-koalala @cringeycookies @frogzxch @isimpfordanielpark @marvelsgirl4ever @sanzusmom @sheccidoscar @marvelsgirl4ever

A/N: My unhealthy obsession with yandere fluffy husband Sukuna is the epitome of #ICanFixHim. (Disclaimer: This should go without saying but in real life, don't ever stay with a guy believing you can fix him. You’ll end up dragging each other down.)

#jujutsu kaisen #jjk #sukuna x y/n #sukuna x reader #sukuna #reincarnation au #husband #yandere #married #married au

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tokidokitokyo · 2 months

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ことわざ 17/?

ことわざ are Japanese proverbs, and I have listed some basic proverbs, their equivalents in English, and a rough translation of the meanings of the Japanese phrase.

There is a test for ことわざ called the ことわざ能力検定 (ことわざのうりょくけんてい) and these are some of the phrases that appear in level 9 or 9級 (10 being the lowest level). For the time being, try one or two of these out the next time you speak with a native Japanese speaker!

ことわざ (こと検9級): 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 More ことわざ (こと検10級): 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

眉を顰める

まゆをひそめる

to furrow your brow

furrow your brow

緑の黒髪

みどりのくろかみ

lustrous black hair

black hair with a greenish sheen

身に染みる

みにしみる

to be deeply moved; to have wind/cold pierce the body

a feeling that permeates the body

身につまされる

みにつまされる

to be touched by another's plight

feel a pinch of guilt on your body

身の毛がよだつ

みのけがよだつ

hair-raising; spine-tingling

have your body's hair stand up in fear or from cold

耳が痛い

みみがいたい

hitting close to home

accurate criticism that is painful to the ear

耳が早い

みみがはやい

in the know

ears are quick to receive new information

耳に入れる

みみにいれる

to inform

put into someone's ear

耳に胼胝ができる

みみにたこができる

to hear ad nauseum

told something so much it creates calluses in your ears

耳に付く

みみにつく

irritating or annoying (sound)

a sound that sticks in the ear

耳寄りな話

みみよりなはなし

a topic of interest

talk that makes ears approach

耳を疑う

みみをうたがう

to doubt your own ears

doubt your ears

耳を貸す

みみをかす

to lend an ear

lend an ear

耳を傾ける

みみをかたむける

to listen closely

tilt your ear over to listen

耳を澄ます

みみをすます

to focus your attention (and listen)

clear out your ears

耳を揃える

みみをそろえる

to get the money together (to pay a debt)

arrange the ears (edges) of your coins

身を入れる

みをいれる

to give it your all

put in your whole body

身を切られる思い

みをきられるおもい

heartrending

a thought that cuts your body

身を削る

みをけずる

to work yourself sick

whittle away your body with work

身を粉にする

みをこにする

to work hard without complaint

work your body into powder

身を立てる

みをたてる

to make something of yourself; to make it on your own

raise up your body

胸が痛む

むねがいたむ

to feel great sympathy

chest in pain

胸が一杯になる

むねがいっぱいになる

to be overcome with emotion

chest like a cupful of joy or sadness

胸が躍る

むねがおどる

excited; psyched up

chest dancing with joy or in anticipation

胸が騒ぐ

むねがさわぐ

to feel uneasy

chest disturbing you with feeling something bad is going to happen

胸がすく

むねがすく

to be relaxed, worry-free

chest clear of worry

胸が詰まる

むねがつまる

to feel uneasy

chest stuffed with sadness or worry

胸に刻む

むねにきざむ

to take something to heart

engrave on your chest

胸を痛める

むねをいためる

to cause someone emotional distress

cause pain in another's chest

胸を打つ

むねをうつ

to touch someone's heart

strike someone's chest

胸を借りる

むねをかりる

to train with a superior

in sumo, to borrow someone's chest is to have the honor of training with them

胸を撫で下ろす

むねをなでおろす

to let out a sigh of relief

rub down your chest and let go of worries

胸を膨らませる

むねをふくらませる

to be wide-eyed and full of hope

inflate your chest with hope or joy

目から鱗が落ちる

めからうろこがおちる

to have the scales fall from your eyes

目から鼻へ抜ける

めからはなへぬける

sharp as a tack

from a story where a craftsman enters the eye of a Buddha statue to affix the eye from inside. since he’s trapped he has the brilliant idea to escape through the nose of the statue.

目から火が出る

めからひがでる

to see stars

sparks coming out of your eyes

目が利く

めがきく

to be discerning

effective eyes

目が肥える

めがこえる

to be discerning

eyes grown fat with experience and knowledge

目頭が熱くなる

めがしらがあつくなる

to tear up with emotion

eyes and head warm with emotion

目が高い

めがたかい

to be highly discerning

so learned, it's as if your eyes are surveying from high above

目が無い

めがない

① to have no eye for something; ② to lose objectivity

① have no eye for something; ② no eye for, or blind to, reality

目が回る

めがまわる

to be extremely busy

so busy your eyes are spinning

目くじらを立てる

めくじらをたてる

to needlessly nitpick

raise up the speck in the corner of someone's eye for all to see

目糞鼻糞を笑う

めくそはなくそをわらう

the pot calling the kettle black

eye crud laughing at snot

目と鼻の先

めとはなのさき

extremely close together

as close as the space before your eye and nose

目に余る

めにあまる

to be unforgivable, unable to be overlooked

too much for your eyes to handle

目に物見せる

めにものみせる

to teach someone a lesson; to show someone what's what

show something before someone's eyes

目の色を変える

めのいろをかえる

to put on your game face

change the color of your eyes to indicate seriousness or anger

目の上の瘤

めのうえのこぶ

a thorn in your side; a pain in the butt

a person whose existence is like a lump above your eye

目の黒いうち

めのくろいうち

while you still live; while you still draw breath

while your eyes are still black (grey/white pupils indicate death)

目の毒

めのどく

something you really don't need to see right now

poison for the eyes because it will trigger craving/desire or cause discomfort

目も当てられない

めもあてられない

a sight that is too much to bear

so horrible, eyes can't hold witness to it

目もくれない

めもくれない

to completely ignore

not give an eye (attention) to something

目を疑う

めをうたがう

to not be able to believe your own eyes

doubt your eyes

目を奪われる

めをうばわれる

to be captivated

have your sight stolen and held captive by something

目を覆う

めをおおう

to cover your eyes

cover your eyes in fear

目を掛ける

めをかける

to show favoritism

place eyes upon, watch over someone

目を配る

めをくばる

to keep an eye on

distribute your gaze around the area

目を皿のようにする

めをさらのようにする

to widen one’s eyes in shock

make your eyes like plates

目を白黒させる

めをしろくろさせる

to be shocked and flustered

eyes darting so fast they look white and black

目を付ける

めをつける

to fix your gaze upon something

attach your eyes

目を盗む

めをぬすむ

to do something in secret

steal someone's eyes, act outside their vision

目を光らせる

めをひからせる

to keep careful watch

shine your gaze upon someone/something

目を引く

めをひく

to draw attention; to create a distraction

pull someone's gaze

目を細める

めをほそめる

to smile warmly

smile so that your eyes narrow

目を丸くする

めをまるくする

to open your eyes wide in shock

make your eyes round

目を見張る

めをみはる

to be impressed or moved emotionally

eyes open wide in pleasant surprise

目を剥く

めをむく

to have eyes wide in shock or anger

eyes peeled wide open

#日本語 #japanese #japanese language #japanese langblr #langblr #studyblr #ことわざ #japanese proverbs #こと検9級 #ま #ま～も #tokidokitokyo #tdtstudy

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trigun-manga-overhaul · 9 months

Note

I've always been meaning to ask- It's generally known that Wolfwood has a Kansai dialect in the original Japanese, which you've chosen to localize in English, but what I'm curious about is: does Livio have any sort of dialect or accent in Japanese as well? It seems the way he speaks in your translation has a some of the same quirks as Wolfwood, so that really got me curious.

Hey there and thanks for the ask!

Yes, it is 100% clear in the Japanese text that Wolfwood speaks with a Kansai accent. I remember reading in an interview long ago that Nightow imagined this accent to be southern or very cowboy in English, but I do not have it on hand so I can't back it up. Either way, we decided to go with the southern twang for Wolfwood, to ensure that his distinct speech prevails.

Now, Livio is a very interesting one with his language, as it goes through a metamorphosis during the time he has in the manga. It changes a lot, and that goes hand in hand with his character arc.

The first very obvious change that happens to Livio's speech, is his move from very polite, controlled and submissive speech as we meet him. Obviously this reflects his position as a pawn to the Eye of Michael. The key factors in this are the lack of dialect and his usage of "私, Watashi" to refer to himself.

This changes as he becomes Razlo.

Razlo's speech is pretty distinct. No, he does not have a thick Kansai dialect like Wolfwood, but he does pronounce words in certain ways. His speech is the kind that Japanese people would describe as vulgar; low class, gang-like. Razlo is a punk in every sense of the word when it comes to how he talks, both in the pronouns used towards other character, always the most hostile ones you can pick, and always speaks in a disrespectful manner towards anyone who isn't Chapel. This is also where we see "俺, Ore" used towards himself, a pronoun considered rude, or very masculine, if not used casually with your close friends.

When Livio is finally freed from Chapel and the Eye of Michael, he transforms more into his true self. He begins to use "俺, Ore" towards himself, his speech becomes more casual, occasionally playful, but also with some force. This is where it gets interesting.

Livio's speech pattern is reminiscent of the Japanese masculine stereotype of the Kyushu Danji, the macho man, or as would be perceived in the West, a core picture of toxic masculinity. However, since this is Nightow we're talking about, the idea is turned on its head.

Livio, despite being portrayed as a big, muscly, tough guy in almost every way he can be, is instead called Crybaby Livio. His emotions are on the outside, he's gentle, loving, and polite towards women. He even tries to imitate Meryl's very proper speech when he meets her, wanting to be respectful. He is everything that a Kyushu Danji isn't, yet speaks a lot like such a person when it comes to the patterns of his speech.

On the topic of this trope; Wolfwood tries his hardest to be a person like that, a Kyushu Danji, and it causes him mostly suffering. Wolfwood is indeed a victim of toxic masculinity himself, which makes it very interesting how this behavior is portrayed in the series. One suffers because of it, another turns the whole trope on its head and gives us the opposite.

Just more of those tiny Nightow things that I personally very much appreciate, especially for its time.

The short answer:

Livio does not exactly have the same written dialect in the manga like Wolfwood, however his speech is supposed to be crude, and "low class", something the Japanese often connect with the Kansai dialect. So, we decided on the team to give Livio a similar dialect to Wolfwood.

#answers #infodump

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nenilein · 1 month

Note

Hello! Apologies for sending an ask out of the blue but considering your familiarity with localisation differences in persona 4/golden, I was wondering if anything comes to your mind regarding this aspect and how the game depicts queerness and queer themes? Thank you!

Heya! Don't worry, I was thinking people would probably ask stuff like this. After all, I already replied to somebody's tags asking this same thing previously, but I know not many people saw that, so let me use the chance to go into more detail:

Unfortunately, Persona 4's treatment of queer themes is not a result of the translation. The only things that were down to translation choices were small things, such as which pronouns are used in which situation (because Japanese does not at all have the same concept of third person pronouns as English, and the way first person classifiers that mean "I" work is very complex and a lot more vibes-based than actually tied to gender.)

But for the most part, everything is pretty much the same. Kanji's reaction to Chie mumbling about something being "off" about how he interacted with Naoto that first time, the tent scene, Yosuke's extreme insecurity in his own sexuality in addition to everyone else's... I think maybe the only thing that's a biiit better in Japanese is that Teddie is kiiinda genderfluid in Japanese, with the artbook outright stating that he doesn't necessarily consider himself "male" when he's in his bear form, unless it's necessary for a joke.

A lot of this can be traced to the really odd relationship the game's director, Katsura Hashino, has to queer themes. In interviews about Catherine Fullbody (a game which infamously has a rather weirdly handled gay romance route which, however, is notably also the only romance route in the game that cannot possibly result in a bad ending), he talks about how he's always admired queer people for being "strong" and wanted to write queer stories, but couldn't really do it until Fullbody because Atlus higher ups were afraid of backlash from the fans.

Traces of this are actually seen in Persona 4 Vanilla's data, where remnants of a surprisingly well done romance route for YOSUKE, of all people, are still present. That route made it far enough into development to have voiced lines in both, English and Japanese. However, it was dummied out in the final game and its script content was removed. Yosuke STILL has the "girlfriend flag" in the code that all the female romance options also have, but in the finished game it only checks whether you can hug him during his social link or not. Everything else was dummied out. You can still find the voice files on the cutting room floor if you want:

And yes, the "I like you" line is unambiguously romantic in Japanese. His wording is very hard to misinterpret.

However, in the finished game and the rest of the franchise Yosuke's bisexuality was reduced to an in-joke of the developers. It's most poignant in Persona Q (the first one), where if you get the "marriage" scene with Yosuke in the second dungeon, his reactions differ WILDLY depending on which Protagonist you are playing as, far more than other male characters. With Makoto Yuki he acts nonchallant and deadpan about it. With Yu Narukami he acts like a blushy Tsundere and panics constantly. So, yeah.

Okay, so, if the director had interest in writing queer stories since before Persona 4, why is Persona 4 the way it is then?

Well, because - and there's no way around it - he sucks at it.

Katsura Hashino has to be one of the clumsiest "gay activists" I've ever seen in my whole darn life. He finds queer people "cool", but seemingly never had any queer writers or sensitivity readers on his teams and it's caused enormous blunders in how these themes have been handled. For example, when after Persona 3 it was pointed out to him that the writing of the female characters in interaction with the male characters was bad, he immediately hired more female writers and gave them free reign for how to handle the female characters from then on out. But apparently the same thing never happened with his mishandling of queer themes. He wants Catherine's Erica and Rin to be empowering figures for trans women and gay men, but makes a lot of blunders in how he has other characters interact with them to the point it buries his good intentions. Erica's boyfriend having gay panic upon realizing she's trans is treated as "funny and cute", even by Erica herself. Rin technically being a monogender alien really undermines his story of becoming more secure in his sexuality. It goes on and on like that.

The intention with Naoto's story was to point out the extreme sexism in Japanese society and how it forces female nerds to find alternate modes of self-expression, but the clumsy choice of including surgery themes in Naoto's dungeon completely buried that for especially western queer audiences. Most people don't even remember Naoto's dungeon was outright modeled after a Kamen Rider villain hideout. They completely shot themselves in the foot with this one. Additionally, the way Naoto is handled AFTER the dungeon makes her (I'm using that pronoun because she calls herself a "woman" in Japanese in the game) seem more like someone who's on the verge of discovering they are X-gender (the japanese word for "nonbinary") than a repressed girl. Like, right down to how she has Rise help her experiment with clothes in the canonical drama CDs only to realize she really is uncomfortable with skirts and go for an androgynous but less restrictive look going forward. The way she dresses in the Golden epilogue and P4D is pretty X-gender core if you ask me. If they had leaned into that they could have genuinely have had something AMAZING, while also presenting the themes of sexism they wanted to explore, but the lack of queer sensitivity readers kind of ruined it.

Same for Kanji. The way they write him makes it seem like he's bisexual or pansexual, rather than straight, but they kinda shove that part of him aside after his dungeon is done, leaving his actual orientation up in the air and wasting a really good chance for representation. NOW, given what happened to Yosuke's social link, it's quite possible the original intent WAS to explore this more and it got cut, but as it stands, we'll never know. The huge problem of the internalized toxic stereotypes his Shadow presented never being reflected on and put into their right context in the rest of the game, when his social link could've given a great opportunity for that is also a huge shame.

All of this happened because of Atlus being unwilling to let their writers go all out with queer themes in fears of alienating a cishet audience AND because Hashino never sat his writing team down with any actual queer writers to sort this shit out and learn how to get across what the team was ACTUALLY trying to say. Now, given, Persona 4 was far from the only Japanese media property with that exact issue at the time, but it hurts especially much in its case because of the game's themes of exploring the truth to its logical conclusion, as well as psychology. These are issues that a remake REALLY would do well to address and correct. I feel like they actually will HAVE to do that, because sensitivity readers have become the NORM in handling these themes now in Japanese media, rather than the exception. You can thank trail blazing mainstream works like Zombie Land Saga for that.

All in all, Persona 4's handling of queer themes is an exercise in frustration that I hope is corrected soon.

#Persona 4 #Neni Replies #Naoto Shirogane #Kanji Tatsumi

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tamayula-hl · 3 months

Text

It's been a long time since I've posted as my daughter and I have both been in bed with the flu and Covid! And once again I apologise for posting an article that is disturbing the atmosphere of HL fandom.

I have discussed the false accusation of trace plagiarism levelled against me with @freewld and have received an apology from her saying that it was a misunderstanding.

I am now deeply relieved that we were able to end the discussion with a result that convinced her of my innocence. If it was a misunderstanding, I am willing to end it all this time. I would like to end this false accusation racket with a discussion with her. I will refrain from mentioning the matter once and for all (unless another disturbing incident occurs), and I hope that you will refrain from further mention of it too. I also do not want any slanderous behaviour, excessive criticism, speculation or falsehoods towards her, so I strongly urge you all to refrain from doing so. (Just in case , I have compiled screenshots and other evidence regarding the defamation of me that I have received in this row, and submitted and consulted with lawyers and others)

She also requested that I make a correction announcement on four points, which I would like to make here.

She said she conducted the survey with the intention of "using it as one reference for the opinions of her followers".

Tamayula's wish was the reason she decided to make the suspicion of plagiarism public.

She did not vote on the survey from multiple accounts to give herself an advantage.

She only made her Twitter account private after the survey was invalidated.

My verified public article was written in Japanese, which I wrote in a very confused and upset state, and translated into English and published at DeepL. Therefore, it was very difficult to understand and there were many phrases that may have led to your misunderstanding. I would like to apologise deeply for the confusion caused to everyone by my misunderstanding and incomprehensible article, and at the same time, I would like to correct it here. Although it has taken me a long time to respond, I have corrected the English text of the article on Tumblr and made it private, and on Twitter, I have deleted the tweet that referred to the survey.

I was very upset by the false accusations that suddenly fell upon me, and I sincerely regret that I repeatedly exposed myself in an emotional and unsightly manner, and that I failed to respond correctly to the incident. I cannot thank enough those who were kind to me and gave me warm words and those who believed in my innocence. I am sorry, but I will refrain from replying to you now, because if I do so, it is likely to cause an uproar again, but your words of encouragement and support, which I received at a time when I was feeling quite emotionally drained, gave me tremendous emotional support, more than you can imagine. Thank you very much. I am deeply grateful.

As for my future creative activities, I plan to continue with both Tumblr and Twitter as they are now. (However, I intend to move at the end of March in my real life and will be very busy for a few months with preparations and my new life, so my activities will be quite low-key for the time being). My interest in HL, Seb and Omi has not changed, and I am still motivated to paint, but in reflecting on the current turmoil, I now realise that I was very easily influenced by other people's creative styles, and that I had a vague idea of what the boundaries of inspiration were. In the future, I will continue to be self-conscious about my own dangerous values and make every effort to correct them, and if I have used a work as a reference, I will clearly state it and do my utmost not to cause trouble for others as an artist.

Finally, I am very sorry for the trouble I have caused to so many people. And to those of you who have been so warm and thoughtful, once again, thank you very much indeed 🙏 I will continue to do my best in drawing from now on!

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jimmy-dipthong · 1 month

Text

Really good anime translation: コタローは一人暮らし

I complained in a post a while ago about how I mostly think english translations of anime aren’t very good, and @japanwords asked me if there were any anime I know of that have good translations. I don’t actually watch that much anime so I didn’t have a good answer, but recently I found one that really fit the bill: 『コタローは一人暮らし』or “Kotaro lives alone”

For those who haven’t seen it, it’s a show about a 5 year old kid who lives alone without any parents or guardians, and makes friends with his neighbours in the apartment complex (a lazy manga artist, a woman who’s a hostess at a local nightclub, and a scary yakuza who finds Kotaro unbelievably cute). These friends end up helping Kotaro when he needs someone to act as a guardian, such as when he enrols at the local kindergarten.

The other thing you have to know about Kotaro is he speaks like a Japanese feudal lord.

This really is the crux of what makes the translation so good, because how the hell do you translate that?! The way they chose to do it is by using archaic english phrases. He kinda speaks like a Victorian era gentleman, and he sometimes even verges on sounding like a stereotypical medieval knight. This works perfectly, because Kotaro is actually imitating a character from his favourite cartoon: a samurai hero/feudal lord. Let’s look at some examples:

「放すである」 "Unhand me!"

A simple example to start with, I thought it might be interesting to compare how a 5 year old might actually say this, and how I would translate that:

「放してー！😭"」 "Let goooo! 😭"

Even though the japanese uses the same verb (放す), the english translation is completely different. The choice here to make it “unhand me” (much more evocative of a time period) instead of just “let go of me” (simply a longer way of saying it) is a perfect example of the care this anime puts into its translation.

狩野：「美月さん、アイス食べます？…… あれ？」 “Hey, Mizuki. Would you like an ice cream cone? …… Hello?” 美月：「アイスをもらうけど私、狩野くん誘ってないんだよなぁ」 “While I appreciate the ice cream, you know you weren’t actually invited, Karino.” コタロー：「お邪魔である」 “Interloper.”

邪魔 is a notoriously difficult word to translate, and the natural-sounding corresponding english phrase will vary quite wildly depending on the situation. In non-feudal lord speech, it usually gets translated to something like “you’re getting in my way” or “get out of here” or even “you’re a burden” (my least favourite).

Here, it’s creatively translated as “interloper”! A great way of sneaking in some archaic english while deftly handling a classically difficult-to-translate word.

コタロー：「わらわは写真が大の苦手なのだ」 “I am ill-disposed to having my picture taken!”

Here we have a slightly longer sentence which shows us a bit more of Kotaro’s unusual speech pattern. He uses the archaic first-person pronoun わらわ（妾）and often ends his sentences in なのだ. なのだ is not a particularly odd grammar structure to use, but it is unusual to use it unabbreviated (i.e. not shortening it to なんだ and/or adding よ to the end) especially when using it in speech rather than in writing. Not abbreviating it (as would be expected in a formal situation), but immediately contrasting that formality with the informal だ rather than です causes the speech to sound archaic without actually using any archaic vocabulary.

Now, if this show only translated the old-timey speech pattern well, I’d still call it a good translation. But the attention to detail and focus on natural sounding language extends to the other characters too!

Let’s take a look at an example of Karino’s speech. This is from ep 3; we already know a fair bit about who he is - a manga artist who doesn’t leave the house much (mostly works from home), usually wears comfortable clothes around, leaves things til the last minute and is generally a pretty lazy guy. I say this because the following translation doesn’t “work” (that is, the english and japanese wouldn’t mean the same thing) if it was spoken by a different kind of character.

phone rings 狩野：「担当さんかー」 “Oh great, it’s my editor” 狩野：「お疲れ様です、狩野です。… はい … 今日原稿を？はい、わかりました。じゃあ、後で」 “Hello, this is Karino. How may I help you? … Yes … Wait. Now, now? … Uh-huh, yes. Okay, thank you, I’ll be there soon.” コタロー：「どこか行くのか？」 “Do you need to go somewhere?” 狩野：「仕事。出版社に行く。今回もダメ出しされんのかな？」 “Yeah, I gotta go to work. There goes my day. … I’m sure he’ll just rip it apart like he always does.” 狩野：「あの人結構グサグサ刺さる事言うんだよなぁ」 “The way he criticises, it’s actually pretty hurtful.”

I really like this translation, it feels very clever and results in very natural sounding english. I said this wouldn’t work for a different character, but I think even for the same character, this translation wouldn’t work on ep 1 - the audience wouldn’t have the context for the translation to omit the specific words it does and get away with it.

For example, the line 「今日原稿を？」 directly refers to a manga draft, but the draft isn’t directly referred to in the english. But it ends up being ok, because we can infer that he’s handing in some sort of draft for review from a later line (”I’m sure he’ll just rip it apart…”). Also, 「出版社に行く」 directly states that he’s going to the publishing house, but the english simply refers to it as “work”. But we can infer this too - he’s going to see his editor, and since most of his work is drawing and writing, which he does at home, we know that when he says he’s “going to work”, he’s actually going to the publishing offices.

Prioritising the natural sound of the script over the specific details is a bold choice that really pays off, imo. This is some of the most natural english I’ve ever seen in an anime translation. I recommend checking it out if you’re interested!

#langblr #japanese #japanese language #language #translation #learning japanese #essay #jimmy blogthong

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nardaviel · 9 months

Text

Been doing some thinking about the characterization implications of Makoto's aikido black belt, and the interesting contrast between aikido and her Metaverse weapon.

Like, to start with, the fact that Makoto knows aikido specifically says a lot. Aikido is extremely not an aggressive martial art. It's a little difficult to translate something like a martial art name from Japanese into English, but the one I always heard was "way of the harmonious spirit". I'm not going to do a deep dive on it, just summarize a couple of the most relevant points, but it was created by a war veteran who was inspired by a spiritual experience. His guiding concept was like... self-defense without hurting the aggressor.

(Disclaimer: I obviously only studied in one school! Although all of aikido shares the same overall principles, there may be some schools out there that are extra-aggressive. However, given that we lack any indication of what style of aikido Makoto studies, I would guess that it's not anything wild or unusual.)

Aikido focuses on using an attacker's energy and momentum against them. You learn throwing and pinning techniques to defend against various attacks, but specifically techniques where you can pull back before you cause serious damage. You don't learn barehanded strikes at all, except as much as you need to know to initiate fake attacks to help your partners practice. And you don't need to know how to throw a really good, dangerous punch for that. I had years of aikido training and I still sure as fuck can't. At more advanced levels, you start to learn other things such as weapons forms, but even those aren't really attacks. You just perform a ritualized series of movements against imaginary enemies.

It's not the world's most practical martial art, to be honest, although someone who's really skilled can get good use out of it. If Makoto claims she can use it to ensure her safety, she must be that good, because I expect she's too practical to delude herself with false confidence. More importantly! It takes years to get a black belt, like it does in any martial art. So little middle-schooler Makoto looked at all the martial arts on offer in Tokyo, which I imagine is pretty much every martial art on earth, and decided aikido was the one for her.

It suits her, and continues to suit her up through the end of canon. She's not Ryuji; outside the Metaverse, she's not going to start a physical fight. But she's perfectly willing to finish one. Given her family history and personal values, it makes sense that she'd be drawn to the idea of defending herself, but not in a way that causes unnecessary pain. It's also considered a good martial art for women, due to the lack of emphasis on size and strength.

But pre-canon Makoto is also very repressed, very focused on being composed and perfect. Aikido promises self-defense and an outlet, but nothing too aggressive. Nothing that looks too loud or rebellious. Martial arts are male-dominated practices; by studying one at all, she's already being a little bit out of the ordinary. Best not to stand out too much.

And then she gets into the Metaverse.

It's easy to think that the brass knuckles and the punching make use of her martial arts background, but they don't. At all. Makoto has absolutely not learned how to strike with her fists to cause damage during her training, at least not like people envision. If Atlus wanted to go that route, they'd have given her a karate backstory or something similar.

And if they wanted her to know aikido and wanted to carry her training into the Metaverse, they could've given her a staff, which she will have learned forms for during aikido training. The other classic aikido weapons are already taken, or at least the non-wooden versions are lol. But no one else among the Thieves uses a staff. Makoto the warrior monk with her jo staff and her Pope persona would be a coherent design.

But Atlus didn't do that either. Instead, they gave her brass knuckles (among other fist weapons, I know, I know) and let her punch the shit out of her enemies. That's not merely unlike her training; it's in total opposition to the core tenets of aikido. No "way of the harmonious spirit", no self-reflection, no pacifism. She's going to beat up Shadows for justice.

In short, the brass knuckles are an emblem of her rebellion within the Metaverse. They come from the same place as her spiky leather outfit and motorcycle Persona. In the real world, student council president Makoto isn't afraid of anyone hitting her or grabbing her because she can put them on the ground before they can blink. Like I said, I think aikido suits her really well, even without her pre-canon baggage. But in the Metaverse, Queen doesn't bother to wait for an attack. She hits first. <3

#makoto punches shadows in the face to rebel against society. as she should #thanks for coming to my ted talk #persona 5 #p5 #makoto niijima #niijima makoto #what an absolute fucking relief to make a post about one character who has one name #tagging shuake posts is really . something #my post

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maleyanderecafe · 9 months

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Mad Room No.3 (Visual Novel)

Created by: bbboxxx

Genre: Visual Novel

Mad Room No.3 is a Japanese game translated into English with an interesting vibe. I believe that Sasagawa is a sub in this one (it's a little hard to tell with the translations but his actions do seem to suggest that it is). It took me forever to get the endings because the guide itself is hard to decipher but I finally get them so I can take the proper pictures for it.

The story starts out with Louise waking up in a red room with a saucer of milk in front of her. She sees her classmate Sasagawa in front of her. A few days ago Sasagawa made a strange confession, telling her that she looked like a white cat in her Judo outfit before confessing properly. It seemes that Sasagawa kidnapped Louise and has tied her up in his room. He wants Louise to drink out of the saucer like a cat.

There are four endings depending on how much you get to learn about Sasagawa and interact with the room.

The first ending is when Louise drinks out of the saucer, causing her to pass out, with Sasagawa claiming that she is his.

The second ending happens if Louise flips over the milk bowl and looks coldly upon him, causing him to get turned on. Louise also sees the collar on top of her blazer, to which Sasagawa states that it's his and that the two should get a matching pair. Sasagawa will remark that she isn't able to do it properly because of the restraints and takes it off of her so she can drink out of the bowl. Louise splashes the milk onto Sasagawa and restrains his hands with the collar. Sasagawa seems happy about this, stating that collars are meant to be worn around the neck and happily offers to put it around his neck. He accepts being her white cat.

In the third ending, upon flipping over the milk bowl twice. Sasagawa will then carry her to bed and lick(?) the milk off of her face. He states he would be happy to be eaten by Louise and if she runs out of things to eat, she can eat him. Observing the room, we find that the walls are red because it's Louise's favorite color. There are photos on the wall of her that Sasagawa looks at, and he promises to fold her blazer afterwards. On the third attempt, Louise will splash the milk onto his face, getting angry that he keeps calling her a cat and making her drink this milk. Sasagawa apologizes but he seems happy that he's been splashed. Louise gets him to leave, and while he does he seems to be ready to come back at any time.

In the fourth ending, instead of flipping the milk bowl like in the third ending, Louise can instead drink the milk. Doing this will cause Sasagawa to call her cute and asking her to marry him. He confesses his love to her over and over again. Louise agrees to date him before Sasagawa happily agrees and tells her he loves her.

The game itself is mostly translated through machine translation, which is why a lot of things are a bit weird, grammar wise, but it is still a pretty fun and simple game. You can only really interact with a couple of things in the room and either flip over or drink the milk. I've read somewhere that the reason Sasagawa calls Louise a "white cat" is because neko is slang for bottom and since this game is based off Hentai culture, kind of does make sense here. Even though Sasagawa calls her a "white cat", throughout the game she does mention that he is more like a neko than she is, with him licking her face when splashed with milk, admitting that the collar is his, letting her put the collar on him during one of the endings and being happy when she flips the milk bowl onto him. Still given that he's probably more of a switch since he does drug Louise and still calls her a cat. He'd probably be happy regardless of if he were berated by her or if she passed out from drinking the milk-a win win.

Sasagawa as a yandere is mostly inferred through the interactions in the room, namely things like the fact that he colored his room red because Louise's favorite color is red, photos of her that he looks at periodically, the fact that he was gonna get a collar for her to match his, amongst other things. In the fourth ending, Sasagawa declares his love for Louise so much that he wants to marry her. Even the ending where Louise kicks him out (of his own room?) has the name "I'm always ready" implying that he won't let go so easily. It is nice that there's a happy ending for the fourth ending, since it seems like the two of them still date despite the weird first encounter of Sasagawa kidnapping her.

The music, artwork and UI are pretty well made for this game. It definitely adds to the atmosphere in the game of being secluded in this weird but oddly regal room.

Anyways, if you are interested in this strange but charming game, please give it a shot. I think the art and atmosphere are pretty nice and it has a fun premise.

#Mad Room No. 3 #male yandere #yandere #yandere boy #recommendations #completed #visual novel

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specterthief · 1 year

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Definitions and Classifications of Yuri (Third Revision) - yuri315

(This is a translation of a 2018 blog post by the user yuri315 on hatenablog, originally found here. I find this author's system incredibly thorough and interesting, as well as the examples they provide of most of the relationship types, so I wanted to translate it and share it with other yuri fans on Tumblr. I included notes on important information that I thought required additional context, and provided links to all of the manga and anime mentioned, in English when possible and in Japanese when no English was available.)

At present, in order to roughly group together a great variety of relationships as "yuri", the question of where the line is on what can be considered yuri, whether a certain work can be called yuri, and other such unproductive arguments happen frequently. The purpose of this article is to create a general classification of the contents of yuri as a genre, in hopes of shifting the conversation from "is this yuri?" to "what kind of yuri do I enjoy?"

Of course, it can't be denied that the ambiguity of the definition of yuri, combining works following a variety of tastes and trends into a single genre, has been an aspect of the boom that's revitalized the genre. Understandably, there are concerns that clumsily subdividing the classification of yuri will cause a lack of cohesion and lead to the boom stalling and collapsing, when as it is now it hasn't even received a genre code at Comiket.* However, for the general public and new fans who don't share these assumptions, it may be difficult for them to understand situations where it isn't clear whether something is yuri, and they may not be influenced or restricted by those saying "X isn't yuri." Therefore, it is the author's belief that it would be significant for the yuri genre to have some form of comprehensive definition or classification.

Let's start with a provisional definition of yuri. Yuri can be described as "relationships between two or more women, and the genre of works that depicts those relationships." By analyzing what feelings and behaviors these "relationships" are based on, the contents of the yuri genre can be classified. In the following article, we will divide yuri into three broad categories: "Romantic Relationships", "Special Relationships" and "Friendly Relationships", and then establish a more detailed typology of how these relationships form and how they may be portrayed in each category. These designations are for convenience only, and the author is currently experimenting to find a better system.

(*TL note: Genre codes at Comiket—Comic Market, a doujinshi convention and the largest fan convention in the world—are used for attending artists/circles to categorize their work. Circles exhibiting works in the same genre code are grouped together in the convention space; there are currently no genre codes for yuri like there are for BL, even now, five years after this article was written.)

1. Romantic Relationships

Romantic and/or sexual relationships between women. This category includes relationships where there is a clear declaration of romantic love, or the relationship can be clearly understood to be romantic despite a lack of an explicit declaration.

1-1. Escape and Compensation

The story depicts indulging in a homosexual relationship as a compensatory act in order for a woman to escape, temporarily or permanently, from a situation in which her right to self-determination is threatened by coercive heterosexuality, such as arranged or forced marriages or betrothals.

1-2. Temptation and Conflict

The story depicts a woman being seduced into a homosexual relationship by another attractive woman, despite the conflict of their "forbidden love." The seducer is typically portrayed as leading the protagonist into an unknown world, often with tragic consequences. This is nearly synonymous with the "Crimson Rose and Candy" archetype defined by Yukari Fujimoto.* *(TL Note: "Crimson Rose and Candy" is an extremely prevalent archetype in early yuri, originally depicted in Shiroi Heya no Futari, what is generally considered the first yuri manga. Despite its origins and association with yuri, due to the overlap in the genres and authors in the Year 24 Group, it's an archetype that was present in contemporary M/F shoujo and BL, notably Gilbert and Serge in Kaze to Ki no Uta.)

1-3. Self-Awareness and Confession

The story depicts adolescent girls becoming self-aware of their feelings and fluctuations in their sexuality, and, through confessing, beginning romantic relationships. Coming-of-age stories in school settings where the girls face problems particular to puberty are especially common. Examples: - Akira Okudaira x Fumi Manjome (Sweet Blue Flowers by Takako Shimura) - Mariko Kumakura x Akiko Oohashi (GIRL FRIENDS by Milk Morinaga) - Tsubaki Kureha x Ginko Yurishiro (Yurikuma Arashi)

1-4. Negotiation and Dialog

The story depicts a romantic relationship between women who are equal individuals. They are typically emotionally mature to some degree, and already aware of their own sexuality. Negotiations between them occur as necessary as the relationship progresses, and if problems or obstacles arise, they're resolved through dialog between the characters. Examples: - Momoko Naitou x Shinobu Handa x others (Shoujo Sect by Kenn Kurogane) - Yukino Miyashita x Setsuko Iwai (Octave by Haru Akiyama) - Tsukasa Shiratori x Mikage Kotooka x Nadeshiko Washio (Nameless Asterism by Kina Kobayashi)

1-5. Continuation and Stability

The story depicts women who are already dating or living together as a couple. The focus is on the continuation of an established relationship and its stability into the future, and concerns such as living arrangements or coming out to those around them. Most yuri of this type features working adults, and typically include sex or similar acts. Examples: - Maya Nagumo x Michiru Amamiya (Ohana Holoholo by Shino Torino) - Arisa Suzuki x Mari Satou (Akarui Kioku Soushitsu by Oku Tamamushi)

1-6. One-sided Love

The story depicts one woman having unrequited feelings for another woman. This includes stories where these feelings remain hidden for the entirety of the work, or where she confesses and is rejected. Examples: Tomoyo Daidouji → Sakura Kinomoto (Cardcaptor Sakura)

2. Special Relationships

Relationships where the feelings between the characters are ambiguous but special, and can't be constrained by the definitions of either friendship or love. Regardless of the nature of the relationship, the common point is a sense of awareness that "this person is special to me." In most cases, the relationship isn't explicitly stated to be one of romantic love, but can still be said to be nearly a romantic relationship, or a pseudo-romantic relationship.

2-1. Magnetic Attraction

The story depicts an intense relationship in which the characters mutually resonate with one another on an existential or spiritual level, and are irresistibly and strongly attracted to one another, as if by magnetism or gravity. The invention of the term "magnetic attraction" is the greatest achievement of Sound! Euphonium and can be considered a major event in the world of yuri. Examples: - Kumiko Oumae x Reina Kousaka (Sound! Euphonium) - Ange x Princess (Princess Principal)

2-2. Partners

The story depicts characters who become involved with one another in a half-formed way through fate or various other inevitable circumstances, and later develop a strong physical or emotional bond. It's a similar concept to "Forced Yuri", the tagline of MekiMeki's Only☆You ~Anata to Watashi no Futari Bocchi Keikaku~. Examples: - Haruka Tenou x Michiru Kaiou (Sailor Moon S) - Papika x Cocona (Flip Flappers) - Sara Ayafuji x Iris Kazari (Vampire-chan x Kouhai-chan by Sakaki Yoshioka)

2-3. Shelter

The story depicts a relationship that serves as a refuge from existential anxiety, miscommunication and societal oppression. There are similarities to 1-1 "Escape and Compensation", but instead of simple escapism, this type has the positive connotation of bonds between women facilitating healing, self-examination, and rebuilding one's way of life and relationships with other people in order to grow as a human being. Examples: - Utena Tenjou x Anthy Himemiya (Revolutionary Girl Utena) - Rakka x Reki (Haibane Renmei) - You Aizawa x Hana Kojima (I Want To Make You Cry by Bunbi Bun)

2-4. Buddies

The story depicts a relationship in which the characters act together to achieve a specific goal, and are connected by a strong bond of trust. Unlike 2-2 "Partners", these are often somewhat passive relationships where the characters' partnership is necessary to achieve their objectives, but over time they may realize their importance to each other and prioritize being together. Aside from truly equal "buddies", this can also include asymmetrical relationships like master-and-servant yuri. Examples: - Mireille Bouquet x Kirika Yuumura (NOIR) - Sora Naegino x Layla Hamilton (Kaleido Star) - Arika Yumemiya x Mashiro Blan de Windbloom (My-Otome)

2-5. Huge Unclear Emotions

The story depicts at least one of the women feeling incredibly intense emotions toward another woman. Specifically, there are three main types: evaluative emotions, such as good will, respect, admiration, envy or worship, obsessive emotions, such as possessiveness, protectiveness, dependence, or sadistic or masochistic desire, and hostile emotions, such as rivalry, jealousy, hatred, or a desire to kill. However, various emotions are often intricately interwoven in a way that is difficult to describe in one or two words. Examples: - Mamina x Roatreamon (Simoun) - Madoka Kaname x Homura Akemi (Puella Magi Madoka Magica) - Chariot du Nord x Croix Meridies (Little Witch Academia)

2-6. Closeness

The story depicts a slow awareness of one another in an intimate relationship. It involves the characters feeling safe when they're together, or having the feeling that they belong by one another's side. Examples: - Shino Kishibe x Nozomi Kishibe (I Live With My Brother's Wife. by Kuzushiro)

3. Friendly Relationships

Relationships that aren't particularly special, but are nonetheless amiable and intimate. This can include a huge range of relationships, from deep camaraderie and familial relationships to simple playful friendship between girls.

Of the above, 1. "Romantic Relationships" can be considered "true yuri", while 2. "Special Relationships" and 3. "Friendly Relationships" could be called "soft yuri."

#yuri #fandom #girls love #wlw #mine #translation #fan translation #fandom academia #maybe???#i hyperfocused on this so fucking hard #i found it last night. got up today. blacked out for 10 hours and now this is here. enjoy the yuri

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subarashiihibi · 3 months

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my thing about izaya is that he's so strange and weird and i love that so much. i didn't want to ramble too much in the notes of that poor person's post but i find the way he speaks and the words he chooses so interesting so let me ramble a little bit. this may or may not even be coherent so bear with me here im just going to speak my thoughts.

ok this got really fucking long and all over the 0place so im putting this under a read more sorry.

so i have volume 9 of the novel in both english and japanese. i only have two novels in japanese and that is this one and yuuyake wo. so i'm pretty crazy about this izaya speech analysis shit. anyways i was rereading thru the jp ver the other day just to compare it to the eng and i kinda realized that like.

a lot of people you can separate their speech in either formal and informal speech right? someone like shizuo speaks really informally and uses a lot of rough, dragged-out versions of words and stuff (しゃーねえ vs しょうがない) and then someone like shinra who speaks in a ton of yojijukugo and generally sounds like a nerd emoji gijinka.

izaya on the other hand rly... doesn't fit in either? i mean sure he sounds like another nerd emoji gijinka but it's kinda different. it's not so much the words he speaks but rather the intonation and his tone...

and he has his moments where he speaks pretty seriously and whatnot of course, but in general he just... doesn't sound very human when he speaks? i don't know if that's a conscious effort or not. is it his attempts at distancing himself from his own individual humanity? or is it just because he's a weird guy? i dunno. but it's interesting nonetheless.

one thing i will note though is that despite his somewhat inhuman speech patterns, it's also pretty...dramatic? to the extent where it's really exaggerated but also very cute and charming. (this part is important.)

i think a lot of what makes izaya's speech so weirdly inhuman is because he doesn't really use a lot of slang or similar lingo that people his age would typically use. i know mikado said in the novels that he doesn't really try to fit in with his age group's fashion sense either so it makes sense but still. he's like an old hag it's so funny. and it's because of that that when he says stuff like 'i don't get all hot and heavy over headless women' or whatever he said to celty it's really amusing to me because like... why is the strange man saying this?💀

another example i kinda giggled about on my twitter when i read it it's not even crazy and i sound corny and cheesy and stupid but theres this scene in vol 9 where izaya messages celty for business and hold on let me just put it as a quote.

he sounds so old saying 'video game' like 😭 idk it's just funny cause he barely even knows anything abt games like bro knows nothing im crying

in the jp hes like 「…ゲーム中なのかい？」 and then when celty tries to explain herself he says 「何を言ってるのか、良く解らないんだけど」 and im rly bad at tling parts of sentences and stuff but just know that the way he words it makes it sound like this gif to me

i love both versions i think the original jp makes him sound like hes so lost and confused (hence why pw gif cause lord that man always looks lost LMFAOOOO) and then eng tl just blunt ass "I don't know what you're talking about." makes him sound like full on hag 😭😭😭

OMFG WAIT I HAVE TO MENTION THIS FUCKING SCENE WITH SHINRA ITS SO FUNNY.

first i think it's funny the translation has izaya say fuck here cause he very rarely swears and i did read this one thing about how he only swears when his mask slips so to me this is like genuine bewilderment that he cant even hide LOL. second why is he so excited to hear about 'whatever sexual fetish' shinra has im crying he's so damn nosy . okay but this is not the funniest part let me add that now.

???

ehy the hell is izaya orihara talking about foot fetishes???😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 im crying bruh i was so flabbergasted when i read this i was like WHAT did he just say? he says it in the jp ver too which just makes it even funnier. this goes back to what i said earlier but i always get so amused when izaya has something to say about sex or whatever cause he's so fucking weird and unsettling why does he know that

(i mean i also get so hard i nearly pass out thinking about izaya tlaking about sex but thats probably just a thing with my heart condition and stuff)

oh also another scene i think is really cute and amusing and funny is back when shinra was first still trying to get izaya to form the bio club w him.

1. shinra is funny as fuck in this scene but also izaya's "Hmm. Can I punch you?" made me havbe a good laugh. in the jp he says 「んー。殴ってもいいのかな？」 which is pretty much the same thing just with the intonation of like 'hmmmmmmmmm should i hit u or not...' sorry like i said im just bad w explaining this stuff. but i felt the need to point it out not cause im one of those annoying ppl who praise the original jp ver and reject translations and localizations i just think it's important for izaya specifically cause i love him and i want to analyze his speech patterns as best as i can.

i was going thru the novel just now for other stuff i wanted to mention and i forgot abt this part but it's so funny.

'Let's not get hasty. Type calmly, please.' its not even funny or nothing i just find it so amusinf whenever he talks like that💀 i will say though the english translation kind of makes him sound more weird and inhuman than the original. that line in the original was basically just him telling her she needs to calm down enough to at least type properly LOL. idk if im just being nitpicky cause this is izaya tho so feel free to ignore that. fwiw i like the eng tl bc while it's a different intonation than the original japanese ver i think if he did speak english it would probably sound smth like that anyways.

this too made me laugh like ??? seriously he is really nosy when it comes to people's intimate affairs. in the jp ver he calls them an 'intimate couple' which just is like .. ok bro💀

does anyone else see my vision of izaya getting cucked by celty (does it count as cucking when celtys the one dating shinra) while he looks sad and pathetic and miserable that he never decided to shoot his shot w shinra back in the day

if i were commenting on the actual stuff going on in this scene rn this post would be a lot olonger and even more terribly all over the place so im just gonna focus on how i think it's funny izaya says 'easy, man...' this is like one of the only times his words are somewhat natural and sound like smth you would hear someone else say. in the jp ver it's 「おいおい…」 which is somewhat less out of left field in terms of coming from izaya but still it's pretty surprisingly normal. i have to wonder if in that moment he's too worried about shinra to care about keeping up appearances.

this is just random and me making fun of izaya as usual but why the hell does he weigh himself after his showers💀💀💀 it's cute and endearing and only adds to his strong gap moe but still... it's strange...

speaking of cute things this is from a volume i forget but he says this one phrase a couple of times and it is just both really cute and also kind of idk... saddening. one of the times i can remember he says it is when namie was making fun of him or something and he replies 'Don't tease me. I'm only human.' or something along those lines and it's like . hm. ok.

i think it's cute he says 'dont tease me' a few times cause eughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh (trying to ward off severe brain damaged incoherent thoughts) but 'im only human' is like... are you really? even after you try so hard to escape your own humanity and individual self so much... im going to try and give my thoughts on it here but this is just based off my hc that izaya has bpd so yanno. im basing a lot oif this on my own experiences sorry. i do that a lot. (gestures over to all the posts i make abt fob/mychem fan izaya)

when it comes to just straight up acknowledging his humanity izaya has no problems with this because 'sure, i'm human. isn't that obvious?' is probably something along the lines of what he thinks. it's easy for him to just say that because it's just that. it's just words. it holds no real meaning and shows no true insight into how he actually perceives himself. but when it comes to actually having to come face to face with his own humanity and the fact that yes, he is only human, it's a lot more difficult because now it's out of his control. i wonder also if he has problems with perceiving his own self.

i say this a lot but i truly do believe izaya is so so so beautiful and i love him so much. also i just saw a funny post on twitter so i wanna say this here idk if yall know this but izayas actually a latina hes got chismosavirus❤ ok thats all i have to say sorry for rambling so much

#my media literacy suddenly skyrockets when it comes to izaya #anything else im like zzzzzzzzzz as soon as its time to talik abt izaya im like I'M UP !!!! 💯💯💯💯#but ya this isnt meant to be like anything crazy or nothing i just felt like talking abt izaya and some stuff in particular i found amusing #sorry if i sound stupid in some spots im trying not to just add 20 skull emojis or crying emojis and make fun of him #it's either that or im trying not to sexualize him #it's a battle. it's prety hard.#theres a REALLY easy joke i could make there but im not going to . im gonna be mature .#ok sorry thats all i dont have enough energy to think anymroe #i started new meds today and my heartds feeling a little funny so imight die after posting this</3

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yuurei20 · 5 months

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Hi hi! I have a weird question/thought after seeing the talk about Idia's use of language. There are a lot of things that are just unable to translate from Japanese to English, and some things that get changed as short hand. The whole nerdy implications of Idia using "-Shi" are basically absent from EN, instead he seems to use "Mr." (If I recall correctly) which really doesn't give the same impression? In your personal opinion - is there anyway you'd personally localize it? Stick with the same? Remove it completely? Use "M'lady/M'lord" instead? (haha)

Hello hello!! I love your "M'lady/M'lord" solution more than I can say ♡ It is associated with the past while still being used by some people in present-day just for fun, which is just like how Idia speaks! That would have been so great for the English-language adaptation!

As you say, Idia's honorific for others has (kind of) been translated as "Mr." on EN, but only in a select few places.

For the most part it has just been removed, but the curious continuity makes it seem like he thinks that only Malleus, Azul, Grim and Riddle are (sometimes) worthy of "Mr." (the Riddle screenshots below are even both from the same vignette).

And then there is the Harveston sub-plot between Sebek and Marja, where Sebek refuses to refer to Marja with an honorific until she proves herself worthy of respect (by fixing his plushie).

At that point he awards her with an extremely respectful honorific (equivalent to "-sama," and the same word Silver uses with Lilia).

Marja, however, immediately gives him permission to refer to her in the same way he has been throughout the entire trip.

Idia is a psuedo-narrator for this sub-plot, commenting on Sebek's disrespectful way of speaking in both languages.

But on EN he then proceeds to refer to Marja in the same way as Sebek (and everyone else) does.

This has the unfortunate result of making Idia look odd for mentioning it in the first place, when the odd person is actually Sebek, as everyone else is using a respectful honorific with Marja.

Idia using "M'lady" and everyone else (except Sebek) using "Ms." probably would have been a lot more successful in getting the situation across to people who may not be familiar with such Japanese-language nuances!

As for what I personally would go with...this conundrum reminded me of this amazing joke by @anottercoffee on Twitter:

And I would be very tempted to go for the "fansubber" solution of translating everything literally, but just having the words doesn't mean that the players are going to understand the nuances, and might cause even more confusion.

If "-san" and "-senpai" are just mouth-sounds to someone, they're not going to understand the significance behind Riddle and Azul dropping it from Leona and Riddle's names in important moments, for example.

But maybe that's okay! Because at the moment, the alternative that we have is everything getting removed from everywhere, and no one has the chance to understand anything at all.

The best comparison I have come across is Lord of the Rings and Star Trek, where authors incorporated languages that are completely invented, giving no one any chance of understanding them.

Japanese is a language that already exists, so it seems like it would actually be less of a challenge to introduce world-specific terms like "-sama" and "-chan" for people to either glaze over as a world-building aspect that doesn't interest them, or to gradually adapt to through sheer repetition, so by the end of Book 6 they might have a greater-than-zero understanding of the nuances of a foreign language (much like another magic-school series did with Latin).

The manga is actually approaching the honorifics in a different way than the game and giving “Mr.” to everybody, so Azul’s “Riddle-san," Crowley’s “Trappola-kun” and Deuce’s “Diamond-senpai” are all now Mr. Rosehearts, Mr. Trappola and Mr. Diamond (more here).

So it seems that VIZ Media did not agree with Aniplex USA's localization?

What is going to be the most interesting is the novel! Slated for an August, 2024 official English-language release, the novel is also being overseen by VIZ Media.

This means that we might see "Mr." being used everywhere (to uphold continuity with the manga), but the novel goes much deeper into character relationships than the game, and relationships are what honorifics are all about.

Cater, for example, uses them with everyone:

“Usually, Cater does not ever yobisute anyone. When he calls to Trey, he always adds ‘kun’ to his name...When Cater uses Trey’s name like this, it is only when he is really serious. Only when it is important.” -Twisted Wonderland the first novel

Is Cater going to be calling Trey "Mr. Clover"? And how are they even going to localize these sections describing a feature of a language that is not being spoken? It gives us a lot to look forward to!

In the end, writing out Japanese-specific honorifics into English might actually cause more confusion than it's worth, which is why Twst (and so many other foreign-language-adapting-to-an-English-speaking-audience properties) has gone in the direction that it has.

I like to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that they know more than we do about what is going on, and that there are important reasons behind the choices they have made.

But I also think that the sheer popularity of the "fansubber" approach to this situation is a good sign that maybe people are sometimes okay with not understanding things, as properties like Lord of the Rings and Star Trek have shown us!

While too late for Twst, it will be interesting to see how this situation continues to evolve in the years to come. Maybe, one day, we will even get an official localization that introduces honorifics directly!

If such an experiment fails it will be most expensive for the localizer, and money is likely a large factor behind why companies might be reluctant to take such a gamble and would rather play it safe and just have everyone say "Mr."

#twstask

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