#The closest I could find to anything related to yokai...

[residentialsinyomakai]

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[auarchivist]

This picture can kind of fit into any one of various AU's. It showcases some of the characters I like to write and draw as well as a few original characters of mine.

((WARNING: long post incoming))

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It isn't everyday that James can get everyone together in one place, so when it did finally happen he planned on making the most of it with a little photo. It took a bit of moving around, but they managed to get everyone in the shot. FRONT----    From the far north is Paula, ever the joker type she finds good humor in almost anything. When she's not out in the wilderness or at home with her faithful blue ox, Babe, she can usually be found having tea and good conversation with her closest friend, Kitty. Out of all of the youngins Kitty has taken in, Hazel is by far the fondest of the bear woman, even going as far as to call her "Auntie Paula". A title Paula seems quite happy with. When it came to the new faces of their little group, Paula was always one of the first to warm up to them, but don't let her sweet nature fool you. Personality wise, she may be a teddy bear, but she's still a bear and she's got the strength to back it up.    Up next is the ever chaotic coyote Huehuecoyotl better known as Huey. Despite what people say about him, Huey is more than just an oblivious fool. In fact, he has often surprised those that doubt him with his random moments of genius. That being said while there is a method to his madness, its still madness. He can often be found at the village of Hatfield ,where all see him as the spirit of the village, hanging out with Calamity or helping James with his research on Moguels and magic. If not, then he is more than likely stealing a scarecrow somewhere.    Zim found himself at a low point, not too long ago, after finding out his mission to conquer earth was in fact just a lie by the tallest to get rid of him. Without goal or purpose and dealing with the realization that he might actually be a bad person, he fell into a state of depression. But all that changed when his ship crashed and he met Erma and the Williams family. Now he has turned over a new leaf, and is determined to achieve greatness by aiding those he can. Despite this though, Zim is very much still the ego filled, deranged megalomaniac he has always been, but now with more noble goals in mind. Despite his shortcomings in socializing Zim has managed to make close friends with Spinel and Catra and even forming a relationship with Erma's old babysitter Felicia (how he managed that is a mystery even to him).    Felicia has been familiar with the paranormal for a few good years now. From being the Williams go to babysitter to dating a former Irken Invader. She has taken all the weirdness in her life in stride, almost unfazed by any of it. Cool and level headed under pressure, a quick thinker and a good dose of bravery has made her infamous to those she has faced on ill terms, especially among the Irkens.    The young girl Erma is certainly a unique one, being a hybrid of human and Yokai descent, people in very high places have had their eye on the little girl for a long time, and for good reason as she is a well and true powerhouse of a child with abilities straight out of a horror movie. Despite this she is very much still a child and when she's not at school or at home watching a slasher flick, or the latest episode of Warrior Unicorn Princess with Gir, she can usually be found with her friends, Hazel Hali and Kaio (last two not listed).    Frosta has certainly had an adjustment period to go through and to be perfectly honest, who can blame her?  After all, its not everyday you lose your home planet. Luckily she has not had to face this alone and has adjusted rather well. All things considered. Nowadays, she lives with glimmer out in the country mastering her ice powers and trying to make friends. Turns out being former royalty can be a blessing and a curse when it comes to socializing.    When Kitty found Hazel one cold, snowy night she had every intention of finding her a proper home elsewhere come morning. But that very night, with the fire roaring, and the child asleep by her side as she quilted, any such notions went flying out the window when morning arrived. Sense then Hazel has been living with Kitty and James slowly and surely coming out of her shell (pun intended) and has become very fond of her new found family. Its clear to those that know her well that she still has some inner demons to work through.    Spinel is the one person that could possibly hope to match Huey in terms of randomness. After Zim stopped her injector plans, with the help of the crystal gems (if you asked Zim he did it all on his own) Spinel stayed on Earth to help fix the damage to beach city and afterwards the two were practically inseparable. The Irken was surprised to learn that the Toony Gem was in fact quite the genius in her own right.  Spinel helps him with a number of his experiments when she's not helping defend the local villages or hanging out with the others. She's even become quite popular with the local children, due to her zany sense of humor and neat tricks and abilities. Which has led to her taking up a side gig as an entertainer. Couch----    Despite appearances Dr. James Algernon was, in fact, human at one point in time. When he was a young boy and the "black ick" had spread across the continent James had the good fortune of running into a young Kajortoq and since then the two had grown to be quite close (much to Paula's teasing). Of course one day old James let his curiosity get the better of him, and he came to an abrupt and brutally painful end.  On the bright side, he did prove Chupacabras were real..and that they could get rabies. For most folks that would be where their story ended, but it seems no one informed James of that fact. As he somehow managed to have his soul inhabit the body of one of angels bizarre puppet dolls, made from wood and the bones of some kind of canine. An expert in the fields of psychology, anthropology, biology, and things retaining to the occult and mystical Dr. Algernon is driven by two things, his love for those he considers family and his borderline obsession with understanding the workings of Magic, both of which have blinded his hindsight and common sense a few times in the past.      The anxious feathered snake Quetzalcoatl, better known simply as Corn, is a quiet soul. Ever sense he was a little hatchling raised by kitty, Corn has always been more at ease alone or with the people he knows well. He earned his nickname when it was discovered the serpent boy had quite the green thumb, especially when it came to growing corn. He has certainly appreciated the additional help he has gotten recently in the form of his adopted sibling figure Hazel and his kindred spirit Wrodak.  Both of which he has become rather attached too.    When Kajortoq was little she was best known for two things, having a lovely singing voice that could heal the sick and for acting way older than she actually was. Now a young adult, she is still known for those things but as of recently she has become known for being the new wielder of the Red Tezcatlipoca. This is an ancient and powerful artifact that takes the form of a burning red wood-stove poker, and can harness the power of the Earth's molten core. It is also said to embody "the virtue of Judgement". Despite her cold exterior, many who know her can vouch that beneath that is a kind, nurturing women. Which has lead her to being what some would call the "mom friend" of the group. It is not too far away from the truth either, as she is already looking after three youngins, Corn, Hazel, and Charles, and has taken Catra under her wing.    Many do not know what to make of Ozama Angeline, or Angel as she is known by her friends. The powerful spirit seems to be a genuinely sweet girl despite her appearance, But the fact that she comes from the "Mictlan Woods", a Realm notorious for being a place for the lost and unwanted souls of the dead; and filled with strange doll and puppet beings made of bone, cloth and other materials (some seemily made by Angel herself), made people a tad hesitant to trust her. But over time people have grown to accept the patchwork girl being around (for the most part).  Nowadays when she is not in Mictlan she can be found tagging along with her adopted human sibling figure, Charles and his friends.    Charles is the very definition of "Problem child" which is no surprise given that his parents were from rival villages, leading to them abandoning him to perish in the cold of winter.  He was found by Angel and Amaroq (not shown). This alone would have lead to the boy having issues, but then it just so happened that he was chosen to wield the Black Tezcatlipoca, a black mass that when left on its own, nearly covered the world in an endless sleep, before being sealed away by Xipe Totec and the three siblings (Xochiquetzal, Ixtlilton and Xochipilli). When he first started using the "black ick" he planned to simply use it to end the villager's feud, but given the fact that he's a kid dealing with the people who abandoned him just for being related to someone from another village, and he now had control over a powerful magical artifact, he got a little mad with power. If it weren't for Kitty and the others' intervention, things could have gotten much worse than it already had. Nowadays he lives both in Mictlan and with Kitty, and while it took awhile, everyone has come to accept him as a member of the group. He has even managed to make a few friends. back----    An expert in illusion magick, Wrip is a master of disguise, all with the help of the magick bottles she makes herself.  If that doesn't work, this resourceful rabbit often uses her skills in flattery and persuasiveness to get her way. A  trick that works on most, save for her significant other Vinkle.    A long time ago Vinkle was charged by the local villages to reign in the illusive rabbit, Wrip.  Whos untethered nature upset them somehow. The finer details of what transpired afterword's is unknown to all, except for them. As what they have told others has, in their words, "creative licenses" but in the end, whatever happened left the two falling for each other and forming a relationship. At first glances it would appear that Vinkle is not all that bright, given his quiet and seemly distractible nature, but in reality he is simply a man of few words and is surprisingly quite perceptive of things.    Catras life has been, to put it lightly, rough. Her childhood was spent as a soldier in training in "The Horde"  with Adora, both of witch were raised by the dark sorceress Shadow Weaver (because that's a name of someone I'd trust around kids).  It was clear to all that while Shadow Weaver loved Adora like a daughter, she merely tolerated Catra, delivering torturous punishments  on the Magicat for any discrepancies caused by either of the two. This harsh treatment would leave psychological, mental, and emotional scars on Catra.  This would lead to her falling into a downward spiral, into villainy, leading to her hurting and driving away the few people in her life that still cared about her. Now after defeating Horde Prime and the exodus to earth, Catra continues her journey of redemption and luckily for her it is not a journey she's taking alone. From Kajortoq who has taken her under her wing, to her two close friends and co-former villains, Zim and Spinel, and finally Glimmer one of the few people in Catras life that has stuck around (and to who she "secretly" feels very deeply for).    Glimmer, the former princess of Brightmoon, was once hailed as a hero of the rebellion and their battle against the Evil Horde. (Why they called themselves "The Rebellion" despite not being concurred by the horde yet is anyone's guess.) But close to the end of the war she lost her mother Queen Angella.  This set her down a dark path, where her anger and grief led her to being manipulated by Shadow weaver. The conniving sorceress convinced Glimmer to activate a powerful device that paved the way for Horde Prime to find Etheria. After his defeat and moving to earth, Glimmer now tries to fix her reputation among the other Etherians as well as redeem herself. Since coming to Earth the former Princess has had a very rocky relationship with her old friends, not only for activating the device, but also for staying with Catra who she has grown very close to (and who she secretly holds feelings for) She has also begun looking out for Frosta, who still greatly admires the sparkly princess.    Icobod, the resident Book worm/stick in the mud of the group, is extremely knowledgeable in a few magical and academic fields. He is also a rather superstitious bird and is obsessed with omens, taking even the most simple ones with the utmost seriousness. Growing up in Hollow, Ichy hid his moguel nature, spending much time in his human form, fearing scrutiny by others if they knew the truth. This lead to him growing distant, even amongst his friends. Nowadays he had grown more comfortable around others, with the resident Irken taking a liking to the "large birdman of science" as he calls him. Another thing worth mentioning is that he has a considerable crush on Wrip that he has not entirely gotten over.    The adoptive little sister of Icobod, Chalchiutlicue, or Calamity as she prefers to go by, is in many ways his polar opposite. With a laid back, free spirit nature, she enjoys spending time out in the wilderness with her friend Huey. Make no mistake though, Calamity may be laid back, but when the time is needed she is more than willing to do what she feels needs to be done. She is also one to usually follow her gut, trusting her instincts despite others input. This has actually contributed to her becoming the wielder of "Tlalocs Tuning fork" a large intricately designed tuning fork that grants the wilder the power to control water provided one sing a certain haunting lyric. When Catra first joined their group, Calamity was very wary of her, but nowadays she has found in some ways a kindred spirit in the Feline Humanoid.    The Newest member of the group, Irina is quite the brawler, seemly always having some kind of bruise or some other injury on her. Despite this the foul mouth canine has quite the cheery disposition, witch goes well with her morbid sense of humor. Her favorite hobby. it seems, is poking fun at Calamity, the only person around who seems capable of matching her wit and despite the Lizard girls statements to the contrary, she always seems happier with the Canine girl around. Nor can anyone deny the glances the two shoot each other when they think the other isn't looking.      Last but certainly not least is "Wrong Hordak", or Wrodak as usually he goes by. When the former drone was cut out of Horde Primes hivemind he was a sobbing wreck as he saw himself as impure and lacking a purpose. Later on though, he saw through Horde Primes lies and aided in his downfall. Nowadays he is happy to be of assistance wherever possible. Usually helping Corn tend to his plants, or with Zim and Jame's research into the occult.               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kitty, Corn, Calamity, Icobod, Huey, Wrip, Vincle, angel and chareles are from "No Evil" by Betsy Lee it can be found on YouTube and I highly recommend it especially if you love fantasy and Folklore as much as I do (witch is a LOT) Catra, Glimmer, Frosta and Wrodak are from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power on Netflix by Noelle Steven Felitia and Erma are from the Comic series Erma by Brandon Santiago Zim and Gir are from Invader Zim by Jhonen Vasquez Spinel is from the Steven Universe movie and Steven Universe Future by Rebecca Sugar Hazel is from infinity train by Owen Denis

[shadyblazeblizzard]

Fossil Fighters Ten Year Anniversary : Reflection

 Since it’s been 10 whole years since Fossil Fighters first released in Japan, I thought I might as well express what the franchise meant to me.

When I was a kid I was obsessed with dinosaurs. I would research all the different species I could (Ankylosaurus was my favorite) and I loved anything to do with them. I especially enjoyed that old tv anime show Dinosaur King ( Which is the closest thing we have to a Fossil Fighters Anime) even if it was a 4Kids dub. Needless to say I was in love with these prehistoric beasts.

And then I just so happened to come across this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3eE7rzcfMc

Now THIS WAS THE COOLEST COMMERCIAL EVER!! Are you telling me I could find, dig up, and REVIVE DINOSAURS WITH AWESOME NEW POWERS!?! SIGN ME THE HELL UP!! So I bought it. And I fell in love with it. I mean my god is the nostalgia deep. The world was fantastic, somewhat silly but enjoyable as a child, and even as an adult. The gameplay was great and really unique. Characters were memorable and enjoyable. It had its big, climatic moments that got your adrenaline pumping, and soothing quiet moments that made you feel what the characters were going through. And the plot, oh my god the plot. I couldn’t appreciate it when I first played. But now, reflecting on it, I love what it did. Now you might find it ridiculous that I praise the plot, but I find it unique. A strange mixture of ridiculousness combined with actual emotion and ethical issues that somehow fitted the game and didn’t feel too off. The plot was way deeper than it needed to be. It could have ended with the first half and no one would have a problem. But it didn’t. It went further. It gave us something memorable and imaginative. Not only that, but it was more complex than it needed to. It made the “villains” sympathetic. In all honesty, wouldn’t you do the same if you were in their role? And characters having to face issues that people would have trouble doing in real life. If you constantly save another character from danger, in other games they would be oblivious or give a quick thank you or so sorry. But here they address it, knowing that they burden you with their bad luck and appreciates all you do. Hell you can tell them that you hate them to their face. Again its so much deeper than it needs to be. As someone who writes I appreciate someone going the extra mile when they don’t need to. And it was even educational! All the games taught information on dinosaurs. The Vivisaurs used ( technologically engineered dinosaurs but its complicated) have hints in their designs showing of the location they were found in and even a place where you could research the real life counterparts of the Vivisaurs. Hell I was learning and I didn’t mind. My young mind ate it up and I still do to this day. The first game was amazing and holds a special place in my heart. I can’t recommend it enough. Who knew that an early DS game can give me this. 

However I soon forgot about the series and only about a year ago did I remember how much I loved the first game, so I played the sequel Champions. Now while I do love the first game more, Champions was a true sequel. It made the gameplay even greater and more complex. It had a big graphical overhaul, since the graphics were a bit simplified, but it made the most of it in the first game, and gave us a whole new cast of characters and a plot. I love the first games plot more, but this was also fantastic. It even had twists and turns I didn’t expect. The settings were more complex and imaginative. But what I really loved were the characters. Everyone has an arc. Everyone develops with the story. I fell in love with these characters because they felt real. They had real problems that they needed to overcome, and at a good pace, slowly changing throughout the story. I love it when characters develop. Face it, in any fictional story you like, you have to relate to a characters problem and watch them overcome them. And this game did it amazing. This game actually caused a paradox for me. I wanted to keep playing, I couldn’t stop. But I also didn’t want to keep playing because then I’d have less of the game to play. It’s a testament to how much I loved this game. Champions was an amazing game and I recommend it to everyone who wants to play it. Its super cheap anyway.

Unfortunately, the next game, Frontier was less than stellar. And most of the fanbase hates it. It made the shift to the 3DS, and the graphics were great! That was always a weakness of the previous games. However that’s the only thing this game has superior to its predecessors. It completely changed the gameplay, making it a lot less easier to use, and simplified in ways it shouldn’t. The plot wasn’t as complex ( I haven’t finished it yet but I heard it wasn’t). And the characters weren’t as developed. Instead of open world exploration on foot where you find randomly placed fossils and dig them up, its driving in a jeep in a couple of albeit big maps with permanent places to find fossils. And they even added racing as a mechanics ( If you think about it, this is kind of what happened to Banjo-Kazooie as well). Though I don’t hate it, I feel like it was so disappointing. A next gen Fossil Fighters game turned into something it barely resembles. Its implied this isn’t even the same universe of the first two games, and the only returning character is the freaking cleaning robot! If it was the first game in the series, I wouldn’t dislike it as much. But it ruined what was an amazing game franchise by replacing nearly everything that was great about it. But I still played it because it was Fossil Fighters. Even a lot of the lines and moments were enjoyable ( Dahlia is a treasure) The spirit was there, just not as strong as the other games. I pray that there will be a Fossil Fighters 4, and if it does happen, I pray that it will be like the second game, not this one.

I love this series to death. I love its plots, premise, gameplay, music, and practically everything about it. The fact that it is dismissed as a “Pokemon Ripoff” for having creatures you can collect and battle (another reason to hate the Pokemon fanbase, doing the same for another franchise I love, Yokai Watch, but that’s a rant for later), is something horribly, horribly wrong. This franchise inspired a lot of what I love, and what I love to create. It gave me something to treasure, something I want to harness the same spirit and give it to other, like it did to me. It has been 10 years since the series was released. 10 years for small me to watch that commercial. 10 years for me to love the game. 10 years for me to rekindle my love for it. And I thank it for that. I hope that what I wrote can connect with others who may have felt the same. And maybe give people who haven’t played it yet, the experience of someone who did love it. And hopefully they can feel it too. Thank you Fossil Fighters, for what you gave me.

[hyacinthetic]

( translation ) natsume yuujinchou - july 2017 chapter

no images below the cut: text only. obviously don’t read if you mind spoilers.

the caveat emptor bullshit:

this is a very rough translation. by no means do i recommend relying on this text for subtle language nuances or foreshadowing. but if you're into hoarding spoilers like i am, this script is for you.

i've translated "同門的人" as "clansfolk", because the closest i could come to the phrase in english was "fellow", and that's such a stupid word. "人首的妖怪" is the type of yokai described in this chapter. because i was unable to find a decent translation (pre-human yokai?), i've only romanised it as "renshou yokai". google translate tells me it’s also a phrase pronounced “jinshu” in japanese. my choice is obviously wildly inaccurate; i welcome corrections and arguments to a better effect. (update 130617 - changed “renshou” to “hitokubi”, with all thanks to @epiphenomenal.)

i used the chinese scans for this; however, i substituted japanese terms for the english translation where it felt appropriate. somehow, "mr. matoba" looks horrifying to me; i switched to "sensei" for the same reason.

translations are not my forte. you're more than welcome to correct me, either by reblog or by ask. i've included the chinese scripts line-by-line expressly for that purpose.

as a preemption: i don't plan to translate anything else.

PAGE 1

雨下 大了! NATSUME: It's raining hard! 去那個車站躲一下吧,老師. NATSUME: Let's go hide in that trainstop for a while, sensei.

車站？居然會在逭種地方? NYANKO: Trainstop? What kind of place is this for a trainstop?

聽西村説, 逭條線路雖然廢棄了, 不過車站還是殘留在各處. NATSUME: According to Nishimura, the trainline may have changed, but the stops're still everywhere.

嗯-- NATSUME: Ah--

PAGE 2

有人在-- NATSUME: [thinking: There's someone here--...]

…的場先生！？ NATSUME: ! … Matoba-san?! 嘁 NYANKO: Tch.

哦呀夏目? 真是在奇怪的地方相遇了呢. MATOBA: Oya, Natsume? Truly, I'm meeting you in a strange place.

你在這種地方做什麼？ MATOBA: What are you doing in this sort of place?

躲一下雨… 打擾了 NATSUME: Hiding from the rain ... excuse me.

哈哈.雨勢看起來還會變強呢. 你也不用著急. MATOBA: Haha. The rain looks as if it'll only get stronger. You don't need to worry.

PAGE 3

我正好���聊呢. 不如我們聊聊吧. MATOBA: I've just gotten bored. Why don't we chat for a while?

真不巧我並沒有.那麼閑… NATSUME: Sorry, I'm not that free...

啷啷 [sfx: something's clattering, clattering.]

--鳥叫聲...? NATSUME: ---a bird's sound...? 那個包袱里是鳥籠嗎？ NATSUME: Is that a birdcage under that cloth?

--聲音真好聽.  NATSUME: --the sound is very lovely.

--真是意外呢, 的場先生喜歡小鳥嗎？ NATSUME: --I’m really surprised, does Matoba-san like little birds, then?

嘿嘿, 這裡面可不是小鳥哦. MATOBA: Oh, what's in here isn't a little bird.

--誒? NATSUME: --eh?

 啷啷 [sfx: clatter clatter]

PAGE 4

是我剛剛抓住的本性惡劣的妖怪. MATOBA: It's an evil yokai that I've just caught.

啷啷啷啷 [sfx: clatter clatter] 

NATSUME: ...

不用這樣滿臉懐疑吧 MATOBA: There’s no need to make such a doubtful face.

我可沒有���説笑 MATOBA: I'm not joking.

你看這是我在委託人家裡 MATOBA: Look, this is a snack that I received at a client's house. 因為味道很不錯,所以我還要了一點.要不要嘗嘗看？ MATOBA: The flavor was fairly good, and so I asked for some. Would you like to taste a little?

搖頭 搖頭 搖頭 NATSUME: [headshake headshake headshake]

裡面並沒有下毒啦. MATOBA: There's absolutely no poison inside!

NATSUME: .........

我回去了… NATSUME: I'm heading back ...

哎呀別這樣嘛.你也很好奇包袱里有什麼吧? MATOBA: Ai-ya, don't be like that. You must be very curious about what's under this cloth.

啷啷啷 [sfx: clatter clatter]

有一家人是我們交往很久的世交. MATOBA: There's a family with whom we've upheld relations for a long time. 近年來總是感覺事事不順,所以才拜託我們去他家看看. MATOBA: In recent years, they've somehow consistently felt that something was amiss; as such, they begged us to come look at their house.

PAGE 5

一去才發現整個氣氛都很糟糕 MATOBA: Upon going, I realised the whole atmosphere was horrific.

但是在家裡到處查看,也沒有發現有妖怪潛在的氣息. MATOBA: But I examined the whole house and couldn't find any potential whiff of yokai. 結果查看院子的時候, 發現有一棵枝葉異常茂盛的冬青樹. MATOBA: It came about that, when I examined the yard, I noticed there was a exceptionally lush holly tree.

從枝葉中傳來無比優美的鳥鳴聲. MATOBA: From amid the leaves there came an incomparably beautiful birdsong.

啷啷啷 [sfx: clatter clatter]

家中只有一對老夫妻住著 MATOBA: The family's just an old couple now.

他們説因為喜歡這種鳥鳴聲,還特意做了飼料臺每天都會喂點水果餵點水. MATOBA: Because they loved that birdsong, they said, they specifically built a feeding station and would every day replenish it with a little fruit, a little water.

不過.每當他們注意到的時候,飼料都已經被吃光了. MATOBA: However, while they were unaware, the feed would be wholly eaten.

所以一次都沒有親眼看到過那隻小鳥的樣子. MATOBA: As a result, they'd never once seen what that little bird looked like with their eyes.

啷啷啷 [sfx: clatter clatter]

PAGE 6

在妖怪之中 MATOBA: Among yokai, 有會模仿鳥叫來騙取飼料從而獲得力量 MATOBA: there's a kind that can imitate birdsounds to trick away fodder and so gain strength.

最后,還會利用那種美的鳥叫聲呼唤大妖怪来袭���這家人家. MATOBA: Eventually, it'll use that splendid birdsong to call down a big yokai to strike this family down. 一邊騙取照料, 一邊做出這種事, 真是卑鄙的妖怪呢. MATOBA: Using one face to trick people into caring for it, using another to do this sort of thing--it truly is a contemptible yokai.

---所以我才去把這隻妖怪從樹上趕下來抓了起來. MATOBA: ---For this reason, I brought this yokai down from the tree and caged it.

---這麼説現在包袱里的妖怪… NATSUME: ---So, the yokai under the cloth right now ...

是啊. MATOBA: Just so.

哼. 誰知道呢? NYANKO: Hmph. Who knows?

沒準實際上只是隻小鳥呢 NYANKO: Maybe, in fact, it's only a bird, 故意説是什麼妖怪想來騙夏目玩的吧. NYANKO: that you're deliberately calling some kind of yokai to trick Natsume for fun.

PAGE 7

…老師? NATSUME: … sensei?

哈哈哈, 小貓眯説的話還頁是好笑眤. MATOBA: Hahaha, the little cat's speech is pretty funny.

雖然我也沒有見過,不過聽説會模仿鳥叫騙人的妖怪 NYANKO: Although I've never met one, I've heard those bird-imitating, people-tricking yokai 名叫「人首」. 是種相當 惡劣的妖怪. NYANKO: are called "hitokubi". It's a particularly disagreeable kind of yokai.

確實剛才開始就一直有奇怪的感覺 NYANKO: Indeed, I started to have a strange feeling a while ago - 但是那個籠子裡卻只有小鳥的感覺哦. NYANKO: But from inside that cage, there's only a little-bird's kind of feeling.

如果你真的抓住了人首的話, NYANKO: If you'd really caught a "hitokubi", 為什麼你會獨自帶著那種危險的東西在這種地方----... NYANKO: why would you alone take such a dangerous thing into this sort of place----...

NYANKO: .....

老師？ NATSUME: Sensei?

---不過的也對 NATSUME: [thinking] ---but that’s right.  也沒有帶同门的其他人... NATSUME: He hasn't brought any other clansfolk...

為什麼會獨自一人呢? NATSUME: Why would he be on his own? ---而且話說回來, NATSUME: ---And anyway,

PAGE 8

爲什麼他會在這裡這種空無一物的廢棄車站裡----.... NATSUME: [thinking] Why would he be in this empty, abandoned trainstop----....

他真的 NATSUME: [thinking] Is he really -

他眞的是的場先生嗎? NATSUME: [thinking] Is he truly Matoba-san?

啷啷啷 [sfx: clatter clatter]

那個包袱里是鳥? NATSUME: [thinking] Under that cloth, is it a bird?

還是妖怪? NATSUME: [thinking] Or is it a yokai?

爲什麼總是叫住我不讓我離開呢... NATSUME: [thinking] Why does he keep calling me off, not letting me leave...

阿阿 MATOBA: --ah ah.

真的是太過惡劣… 所以現在正打箅要 處理掉它呢 MATOBA: It's really too vile a thing... and so now it must be dealt with.

最好還是別看了哦- MATOBA: It's best if you don't look anymore -

雖然機會難得我也挺想給你們看看的呢. MATOBA: --though it's a rare opportunity and I'd also quite like to give you two a look.

PAGE 9

它雖然聲音學的是很像… MATOBA: While it's learned to sound very much like a bird... 不過你們覺得為什麼它會被叫做「人首」呢？ MATOBA: Haven't you wondered why it would be called "hitokubi"?

因為這東西的樣子啊 MATOBA: Because the true look of this thing -

啷啷啷 [sfx: clatter clatter]

啉 [sfx: clang!!]

NATSUME: ?!

明明是荒廢的車站卻通電了 NATSUME: [thinking] It's obviously an abandoned station, but it's lighting up.

唔唔... NYANKO: Wuu wuu…

老師？ NATSUME: Sensei？

--糟糕了啊. 有糟糕的東西過來了. NYANKO: --this is a disaster. There's a horror of a thing coming our way.

PAGE 10

誒 MATOBA: Ah.

來了啊 MATOBA: It's coming.

啊 NATSUME: Ah?!

噓. 安靜. 蓋上那塊布,閉上眼睛, 安靜待著. MATOBA: Shhh. Settle down. Cover yourself with that cloth, close your eyes, and lie low.

誒?! NATSUME: Eh?! .........

有什麼- NATSUME: [thinking] What is--

噗 [giant sfx: puff.]

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閉緊 [sfx: natsume closing his eyes tight.]

噗通噗通噗通 [giant sfx: splash splash splash]

在車站外面 NATSUME: [thinking] Outside the station -

啷啷啷 [sfx: clatter clatter]

啊啊... 哦哦 [general animal sounds: ah ah, wo wo]

哦哦哦 [general animal sounds: wo wo]

啊 NATSUME: [thinking] Ah...

啪嘁 [sfx: SNAP.]

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安靜 NATSUME: [being quiet...]

--已經可以了哦, 夏目. MATOBA:--it's all right now, Natsume.

--鳥籠不見了--.... NATSUME: [thinking] --the birdcage vanished....

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在這種小雨的天氣時不知為什麼, MATOBA: In this drizzling weather, for unknown reasons-- 就會有剛才那種大妖怪經過這條廢棄的線路呢. MATOBA: There will come yokai like the one just now, following this abandoned trainline.

不過它并不會進到車站裡面來. MATOBA: However, it simply cannot enter the train stop. 你要是在這種小雨天氣到處亂逛的話, 小心會被吃掉哦. MATOBA: If you want to wander around in this rainy weather, do be careful not to get eaten.

NATSUME: .... ...那個鳥籠里的妖怪去哪裡了 ....? NATSUME: ... that yokai which was in the birdcage--where did it go...?

真的… 是妖怪嗎？ NATSUME: ... was it ... really a yokai?

是呀, 無論聲音還是氣息. MATOBA: Of course. Regardless of its sound or smell. 連小貓眯這種妖怪都會被他欺騙的惡劣妖怪呢. MATOBA: it's the kind of disgusting yokai that could even trick your little squinting cat.

--所以處理方式也很麻煩 MATOBA: --Because handling the matter would also be very troublesome,

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只好請它帶走了. MATOBA: I could only invite something to take it away.

NYANKO: ....

--請它帶走… NATSUME: [thinking] -- Invite something to take it away...

不對恐怕那個叫做人首的妖怪 NATSUME: [thinking] But I'm afraid that so-called "hitokubi" yokai 已經被剛才的大妖怪給--- NATSUME: [thinking] has, by the big yokai, already been--

NATSUME: ....... 謝謝你 NATSUME: Thank you...

誒? 啊啊. MATOBA: Eh? Ah.

PAGE 15

周圍感覺亮起來了呢. MATOBA: It feels as if it's brightening outside. 看來雨也快停了. MATOBA: Looks as if the rain will stop soon as well.

--雖然還想和你好好聊聊. MATOBA: --I'd still like to chat with you properly. 不過我等下還有工作. 只能下次有機會再説了. MATOBA: However, I've still another job. I can only wait until there's another opportunity to talk.

的埸先生. NATSUME: --Matoba-san.

你之所以獨自來這裡… NATSUME: The reason that you came here alone ...

是因為不想要同門的人也被捲入危險嗎…？ NATSUME: Is it because you didn't want your clansfolk with to get caught up in the danger...?

是不想讓他們知道我在偷懶啦 MATOBA: Oh, it’s because I didn't want them to know I was slacking.

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NATSUME: --...

那我就此吿辭了 MATOBA: Now I've said it.

啊啊 MATOBA: --ah.

這件事還請替我保密. MATOBA: Please keep this a secret for me.

*

[kaialone]

Yokai Watch Translations: Yagyō’s gender

(Yagyō can be alternatively spelled Yagyou, or even Yagyo, and some fans spell it as Yako or Yakyo and the like)

This is a bit different from what I usually do, in that I won’t really be translation and/or comparing something, but do a bit more explaining.

I´m making this because I have had multiple people ask me this question:

“Is Yagyō non-binary/agender?”

And I think it’s important that some confusion about this would be cleared up, so I will attempt to do that.

First let’s get the important thing out of the way, which is my answer to the question:

“I don’t know.”

This may seem a tad anti-climatic but yeah, I don’t actually know, BUT, the important part of this is gonna be my explanation of WHY I don’t know.

Because you see, the way things that may indicate gender work is slightly different in japanese than it is in english.

What I´m going to do here is, I will briefly go through what I believe is the two “primary” indicators of a character’s gender, explain a bit about them, and if they apply to Yagyō.

After that I will do the same with what I consider “secondary” indicators of a character’s gender.

And lastly I´ll give my final thoughts on the matter.

--

1. Direct Statement

Of course the main indicator of a character’s gender is the character themselves going “I´m *insert gender*”, or maybe even just “I´m *insert gendered word.*”.

Note that in the case of the latter, what is a gendered word in english may not be a gendered word in japanese, so always double check if youre going to use something like that as “canon” evidence.

But of course it’s usually up to luck wether a character actually says something like this or not, so things often aren’t that easy. I haven’t seen any instances of Yagyō using a gendered word like that to refer to themselves.

Enma technically says:

“ それでいて 「新たな王」 などと よく言えたものだな！ And calling yourself the “new king” despite all that! “

But it seems to be directed at all three of them, so I personally would say it’s not a definite indicator. Plus I am not certain if “王“ would exclusively refer to male monarchs in japanese.

--

2. Third Person Pronouns

This is the part where some of you may say:

“But kaialone, you use they/them pronouns to refer to Yagyō, both here and in your translations, clearly this settles it, right?”,

but let me explain why it doesn’t.

For starters, in the japanese language, you can often actually leave out the subject of a sentence, as long as the subject is known.

In english similar stuff can exist, for example giving a short reply like “Making toast!” to the question “What are you doing?”. In this case there is no definite need to go “I am making toast”, cause it is well understood that the subject of the sentece is “I”.

And basically in japanese this kinda stuff happens all the time, and as a result you can end up with characters never getting referred to with a third person pronoun at all, especially if their appearances are brief, like most yokai.

Adding to that, the relation of third person pronouns and genders work slightly different in japanese, too.

“Kare” and “Kanojo” meaning “he” and “she” respectively are used as gendered pronouns nowadays, but this is actually a rather recent thing in the language. I don’t know the exact time, but according to wikipedia usage of them as pronouns started to become common around the Meiji era (roughly 1868-1912).

And, from what I have heard and seen, they’re still not used as frequently as we use he or she in english. Depending on the context it can even seem rude or awkward to use them. (Rudeness and Politeness of certain words can vary greatly depending on the context, for example who you’re talking to, in japanese.) People are more likely to just use the names or titles of others when referring to them.

Because of that, you often end up with characters not being refered to with gendered third person pronouns either.

You may also see people getting referred to with gender neutral terms like “Aitsu/Koitsu/Soitsu”, or “Ano Hito”

“Aitsu/Koitsu/Soitsu” could literally be translated as like “this/that one”. (When not referring to a person you might translate them as “it”.) It’s considered rude to use to refer to someone, unless it’s someone you’re close to who is okay with you using it for them.

(Note though that in fiction characters tend to use rude language like that more casually, so you´ll probably still hear people use them rather frequently in anime and such.)

“Ano Hito” and variations of it just mean “That person”, and you might see it be used in a manner like a pronoun.

So, because of all this, a person may be refered to in a gender neutral manner regardless of their actual gender.

Thus, gendered pronouns like “kare” or “kanojo” could be used to confirm that a character is male or female, but the same tactic doesn't work to confirm a character’s lack of being female or male.

As for Yagyō, in all the texts I have seen they are never referred to with a third person pronoun. The closest thing I can find is Nekokiyo referring to them as “ あの者/Ano Mono“, which means “That person”.

For the reference, yes, Nekokiyo could have technically referred to Yagyō as kare or kanojo if they were a man or woman respectively. However the fact that he didn’t, by itself, is not certain evidence that Yagyō is neither of those.

So, going back to the very start of this section and my choice to refer Yagyō as “they/them” in my translations. It is just that, my own choice.

When translating a japanese text, you may end up with a character that is never referred to by gender directly, yet you will have to decide on what pronouns to use for them, because the english language can’t ommit pronouns completely like the japanese language can. So sometimes translators are just forced to just make a guess like that.

I chose “they/them” for Yagyō because to me this seems appropiate for a character whose gender I am uncertain about.

--

Now; these two are really the “main things” that can be used to indicate gender, I believe. But there is still some secondary indicators that people may use.

--

3. First Person Pronouns

In japanese there is more than one first person pronoun, i.e. more than one word for “I/me”.

Some of these first person pronouns are gendered, in that traditionally, only people of a certain gender (and/or sex) are expected to use certain ones, and using pronouns that aren’t associated with one’s gender (and/or sex) might be frowned upon in certain circles.

Yagyō uses the pronoun わたし/Watashi to refer to themselves.

Watashi is a formal, gender neutral pronoun. However, overall it is used more by women than it is by men. (See the statistics on the page I linked there.)

In fiction this seems to be basically the “standard” pronoun for women and girls, you’ll probably see them using that the most, but men use it too, more frequently than they seem to do in real life, even.

To give you an idea of how wide the spectrum of characters using this pronoun can be, here is some examples of Yokai Watch characters using it:

Katie, Inaho, Dr. Maddiman, McKraken, GoGoGo Godfather, Damona, Unkaind, Venoct...

Just to name a few that I can think of on top of my head.

--

4. General Speaking Style

If you wanna read a bit more about this, Wikipedia has an article on it, but to summarize:

There are different speaking styles in japanese, and some are considered “harsher” or “softer” than others, with the harsher styles being considered masculine and the softer ones being considered feminine. (Note that this a very simplified explanation.)

There is a lot more than that too, there is speaking styles that are associated with old people, children, old-fashioned people, and much more, though a lot of that mostly applies to fiction which tends to exaggerate these things even more.

As a result you can often learn a lot about what kinda character one is supposed to be just by reading a bit of their dialouge.

From what I can tell, during the Enma Note quest, Yagyō uses a more informal, harsh, masculine speaking style, but during more peaceful situations, like getting them in a trade or meeting them at the Streetpass buildings, they use a more formal, polite, neutral speaking style.

--

Final Thoughts:

First a little bit of warning:

Note that all these “indicators” of a character’s gender are still not 100% fool-proof, even the “primary” ones.

For example, technically even a character literally stating their own gender could be a result of them not telling the truth, for various reasons, and any instances of other characters referring to them as a certain gender can be a result of them not knowing any better, or even misgendering them.

So, if someone headcanons a character as a different gender than what you think they are based on evidence you’ve seen, this doesn’t mean the person in question is automatically “wrong” about this.

And when it comes to Yagyō, you may say:

“Well at every section of this you said that you don’t think anything is definite proof for their gender, but if nothing indicates that they are male or female, isn’t that like proof that they’re non-binary, presumably agender?”,

and well, it does make it more likely, but it doesn’t prove it.

I personally like to think that Yagyō is non-binary, and I´m happy to see that there doesn’t seem to be anything disproving it from what I can tell, but it’s still just a headcanon.

It is important to make the distinction, mainly because saying it’s confirmed is giving level5 credit for something they didn’t really do.

Maybe they specifically intended for Yagyō to be gender-neutral, maybe they didn’t. But for something that is this important, you shouldn’t say they did unless you know for sure that they did.

Be happy at the thought that they might have, if you want to, but don’t act like it’s a fact. They honestly don’t deserve the credit unless they are explicit about it.

Personally, I honestly believe they probably did not intent for them to be non-binary, if I had to guess I’d say they probably intended for them to be male... But hey, maybe that is just me being pessimistic.

Either way, I hope this cleared some confusion?

Feel free to send me your throughts, opinions and corrections.