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anim-ttrpgs · 6 months

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Why I Dislike PbtA Games, and How Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy is Their Opposite

@tender-curiosities

It is no secret that I hate PbtA games.

Though due to a recent misunderstanding regarding another post, I’m going to preface this post by saying that this is going to be a very opinionated post and

I do not seriously think that PbtA games are inherently bad, though I may sometimes joke about this.

While I do often question the taste of people who make and play PbtA hacks, I do not think poorly of their moral character.

While I am going to call for PbtA to be used less as a base for games in the future, I’m not saying that the whole system and all games based on it should be destructified. It’s good for what it’s good for, but unless you’re doing that, I really think you should use something else.

Now that that is out of the way, here’s what I have to say about it.

My first experiences with PbtA games were pretty rough. Monster of the Week was not the first, but it was one of the first ‘indie’ TTRPGs I played after having previously played mostly only D&D3.5e and 5e. I really appreciated that the use of 2D6 over a D20 meant that the dice results would be more predictable, and I really liked the various “classes” I was seeing. (At this time, I didn’t really understand that they weren’t really “classes” at all, though I think I can be forgiven for this because many people, even people who like PbtA games, still talk like “classes” and “playbooks” are interchangeable.)

I was very enthusiastic to play, until it came time to start actually “making” a character, and found that I couldn’t “make” a character. I wanted to make a nuanced, three-dimensional PC who was simultaneously stereotype-affirming and stereotype-defying, with a unique backstory and dynamic with the other characters—but when I went to actually fill out the character sheet for basically any “class”, I found that most of the backstory and most of the personality for my character was being set for me by the playbook. It felt like the only thing about the character I really had a say in was their name, and that two PCs of the same playbook would actually turn out to be almost identical characters. At the time, I thought this was very restrictive and very bad design.

Later, now that I understand the design intent behind it, I still think of it as very restrictive, but I think of it as very bad design for me, not inherently bad.

When I play a TTRPG, I want more freedom in who my PC is. That doesn’t mean I want less rules, in fact having more rules can often increase freedom, but that’s a different post. I want to create original, unique characters, that I won’t see anywhere else. If it’s a class-based system, I want that class to barely touch the details of my character’s backstory or personality, so that I can come up with something original and engaging for why and how this “Fighter” fights. This means that two level-1 Fighters, despite having almost the same mechanical abilities, will potentially be very different people.

PbtA games don’t let you do that. In a lot of PbtA games, you’re not playing your own original character, you’re playing someone else’s character, that every other player that has picked up the same playbook before you has played. It’s more like “character select” than “character creation.” I think I could liken it to playing Mass Effect or The Witcher. Every player may pick a few different dialogue choices in those games that change the story, but we’re still all playing Shepherd or Geralt. No one is going to experience a new never-before-seen story in Mass Effect or The Witcher, which is very much a factor of them being video games and not TTRPGs, and therefore limited to the amount of code, writing, and voice-acting that can go into them.

This anonymous asker who sent a message to @thydungeongal seems to feel pretty similarly to me about PbtA games, and @thydungeongal's response is a very good response about how people find this appealing.

I have more respect for PbtA now than I did, but I still don't like it because to me it seems to play so much against what I consider to be the strengths of TTRPGs as a medium, much like how video games like The Last of Us and David Cage games play against the strengths of the medium of video games, and I will never like it. But other people clearly do, so to each their own.

Then another reason I don’t like it is because I think it’s oversaturating the TTRPG space. I’ve referred to PbtA before as “indie D&D5e”, and i do think that’s a reasonable comparison, because in much the same way that you always hear “D&D5e is a system that can do everything”, I think a lot of people seem to be under the impression that the PbtA system is a system that can do anything. It’s kinda the système du jour for indie TTRPGs right now, and many iterations of it make it clear that many designers do not consider how PbtA differs from more traditional TTRPGs, and how it is specialized for different types of TTRPG gameplay. Just like how I feel PbtA isn’t playing to certain important strengths of TTRPGs, I think that many—maybe even most—PbtA hacks don’t play to the strengths of PbtA. But this isn’t really PbtA’s fault, that comes down to any individual indie TTRPG developer on a case-by-case basis. And the cure for that is something I’m always saying: If you are going to be a writer, you have got to read lots of books. If you are going to be a director, you have got to watch lots of movies. If you are going to be a video game developer, you have got to play lots of video games. And if you are going to be a TTRPG designer, you have got to read and play lots of TTRPGs. That and you have to understand that TTRPGs are specialized. Even "agnostic" systems like PbtA are somewhat specialized, and therefore might really not be a great fit for the game you’re trying to make.

That and, to get more subjective again, there’s like an ocean of them, and I don’t even like the ones that are actually good.

Now that I’ve talked about how I don’t like PbtA games, I’m gonna talk about a game I do like: Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy. Obviously, I like it because I’m the lead writer for it, but I would also like it even if I wasn’t the lead writer for it, because it’s just my kinda game. Eureka is the opposite of a PbtA game. I wrote it to play to what I feel are the strengths of the TTRPG medium.

Eureka’s character creation uses personality traits as a mechanical element of the character, but it does so in a deliberately freeform way. You build your character’s personality out of a list of traits, so who your character is is very much linked to what your character can do, but we aren’t just handing you a pre-made character.

Eureka is designed to incentivize organic decision-making by the PCs, most often by the mechanics of the game mirroring the world they live in. Every mechanic aims to create situations wherein “what will the PC do next?” is a question whose answer can be predicted - it doesn’t need to be ordained by a playbook.

One of my favorite examples of this is, rather than a “Fear Check” forcing the PC to run away if they fail, or “Run Away from Danger” being a “Move” on their character sheet, Eureka opts for the Composure mechanic. The really short version is that one of the main things that lowers a PC’s Composure is encountering scary stuff, and the lower a PC’s Composure, the more likely they are to fail skill checks, and the more likely they are to fail skill checks, well, the less brave they and their player probably feel about them standing up to this scary monster. So if the PC has low Composure, they are more likely to choose to run away. The lower their Composure, the better idea that will seem.

This system really really shines when it comes to monster PCs in Eureka. Most monsters benefit a lot more from having high Composure, but have fewer ways to restore Composure than mundane PCs. Their main way to restore their Composure is by eating people. The rulebook never says “your monster PC has to eat people”, but more likely than not, they’re going to be organically steered towards that by the game and world itself. Sure, they could decide to be “one of the good ones”, and just never eat people, just like you reading this could decide to stop eating food. You technically could, but when your body starts to fail, how long would you? (This is a big part of the themes of Eureka and what it has to say about crime, disability, mental illness, and evil. People don’t just arbitrarily do bad things, it is often their circumstances that leads them down that path until they see little choice for themselves in that matter, and “harmful” people are still just as deserving of life as people who “aren’t harmful”, but that really deserves its own post.)

It has been said that Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy actually arrives at much the same end as the PbtA game Monsterhearts, and I actually don’t disagree, but it gets there from an entirely different starting point and direction. The monster PCs in Eureka are very likely to eat people and cause drama, but it won’t be because they have “Eat People and Cause Drama” as a “Move” on their character sheet.

Monsters in Eureka have a lot of abilities, which they can use to solve (and create) problems as the emergent story emerges organically.

(Oh and Eureka is about adult investigators investigating mysteries, and sometimes those investigators are monsters, not about monster kids in high school, to be clear. The same “end” that Eureka and Monsterhearts reach is that of the monsters being prone to cause problems and drama due to the fact that they are monsters, though this isn’t the sole point of Eureka, just one element of it.)

You can pick up the free shareware version of this game from the download link on our website, or the full version for $5 from our Patreon.

And don’t forget, Eureka is fundraising on Kickstarter starting on April 10th, 2024! We need your support there most of all, to make sure we hit our goals and can afford to make the best version of Eureka we can make!

Interested in branching out but can’t get your group to play anything but D&D5e? Join us at the A.N.I.M. TTRPG Book Club, where we nominate, vote on, and play indie TTRPGs, all organized by our team with no strict schedule requirement! Here's the invite link! See you there!

We also have merchandise.

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another-goblin · 3 months

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I've seen a lot of interesting opinions about Dr. Ratio. Some of them I disagree with. So I decided to compile a little list of why I disagree with them. The first part will be about things that seem factually incorrect, and the second part is about things that are rather a matter of interpretation and context.

As always, I might be wrong, so feel free to correct me.

1. Things that seem factually incorrect.

"Ratio is an egoist and does everything for attention and recognition" - I don't remember him ever saying or doing anything that would indicate that. He saved these researchers secretly and made our TB take all the credit. He later even calls himself a "supporting character". He gets angry if we ask him for an autograph.

"He doesn't care about people" - yes, if you skipped his passionate speech to Screwllum about how much he cares about people. But also, everything he does in the game is helping people (saving these researchers on Herta station, offering us his help later in the express dialogues and messages - offering us to enroll in university, participate in devates, turn the express into a weapon, later helping Aventurine with his plan, helping him to find information, and so on).

"He hasn't achieved anything in science" - the list of his scientific achievements is easily available, I wouldn't say it's nothing. But I'll also leave this here:

Even his dedicated hater disagrees with this.

"Ratio's note did nothing to convince Aventurine to stay alive, it was all Acheron" - from how I see it, he was fully determined to end his life up until he read that note. Otherwise, why would they introduce the note at all? Why did Acheron feel the need to remind him of it?

"He never wanted to draw the gaze of Nous" and "He still wants it" - we can deduce that it isn't true from different parts of the game (he actually wanted it in the past but doesn't anymore), but that is a direct confirmation:

(I trust Screwllum's opinion.)

"Everybody hates him in-universe" - this is interesting because I even heard this from his fans. And it might sort of feel intuitive, but I don't remember any evidence of that. He literally has an in-universe fan club. People who knew him closely talk about him warmly in his character stories. The only person I remember ever expressing any negativity towards him was some shcolar in the Simulatred Universe, but I don't think it counts. I'll talk more about his students in particular later, but short version: I don't think they hate him either.

"I hate it when he tells me 'Zero points, get out' and throws chalk at me, that's mean" - that's so weirdly specific, but I've seen it a dozen times already. And, like, why??? He tells it to his enemies, not to us. I mean, nobody's angry at Serval for electrocuting her fans with her guitar just because that's what she does in her fighting animation.

Speaking of combat voice lines, if we wait too long, most characters get irritated and try to hurry us up. Meanwhile Ratio:

'That's okay, take your time, it's a turn-based game after all.'

"He's physically abusive to his students, he throws chalk at them" - similar to the previous point. I don't remember any mention of him doing that. The only case of him using physical force against a (potential) student was when, as a TA, he threw away a rich asshole who tried to buy a degree. And yes, in the boring real world, I wouldn't approve of that, but in the world of the game - well done, good ridance!

"He doesn't tolerate people disagreeing with him, he thinks he's always right"

"He's responsible for the crisis at Herta Station" - how though? I saw this opinion several times, and I'm really curious what people mean by that. Did he himself endanger these researchers by teleporting them who knows where, then faked the video from Duke Inferno, and so on? But why stop here while we're at it , maybe he also impersonated Ruan Mei, left the bug on the station, abandoned the poor cat-creatrures and drugged us with a cake?…

"He's worse than Dottore from Genshin" - technically it's a matter of opinion, but I think nobody will mind if I put it in the 'just wrong' category. But yeah, that's an opinion I've heard. I've got no idea what they meant, but it made me think, how many people did he help and save, both in the game and in his past? Probably more than most of the characters we've met so far. And he doesn't seem to discriminate, it's not 'I'll save my people'. He cured that disease for everybody's benefit, he saved Herta's researchers, he helped TB unravel the events on the station and then proceeded to pester them offering his help, he cosideres some troubled IPC executive 'his responsibility' and so on.

"He actually betrayed Aventurine" - no comments. Come on, play the game, read the dialogues.

1.5. A little intermission.

The thing that's hard to deny is that he definitely doesn't mince his words. Whether you see it as him being a rude asshole, being justifiably angry, brutally honest, sarcastic, or snarky, or showing tough love, or just being incapable of expressing himself in an adequate and socially acceptable way, it's up to you. I can understand how some people might be uncomfortable with that. I personally find it an interesting character trait. (I mean, he isn't even capable of expressing positive feelings in a normal way, what did you expect of him?):

There is also a very interesting (but rather confusing) thing that can be missed if you are unwilling to see further than the initial shallow impression, but it is impossible to unsee once you've noticed it. He sees himself as a teacher in two very different ways. It can be missed at first because both ways are described in very similar words. These ways are:

a teacher in a traditional sense (let's call it 'academic teacher');

and as something akin to a 'life coach', just helping people and making them realize that they shloud (and can) rely on themselves.

The thing is, we never see him in his 'academic teacher' role. As far as we know, he only acts this way with his university students. We never see him teaching anybody any scientific stuff, or berating people for their lack of knowledge and education. Yet he says that he considers everybody his students. But what does he mean if it's not about knowledge? He means it in the second 'life coach' meaning. Therefore, he sees literally everybody as worthy of his help and support.

BTW, I feel like his main problem as a character is that people tend to settle on the first impression they get of him and are unwilling to see further than that. Meanwhile, the game continues to explore his personality, revealing that most things about him are actually the opposite of what they might seem at first. That's why so many people think that he calls everybody idiots for being less smart than him, that he's egoistic and unfeeling, that he values knowledge above all, and so on. So if you actually have interest in him as a character, I'd encourage you to look at him more closely.

2. Now to the things that are more open to interpretation.

"He uses mean words" -to be honest, I'm not a big fan of writers making him use these words (idiots, fools, stupidity, and so on) because, first, they are usually used as just empty insults. (I'm curious whether he uses similar words in Chinese or something more nuanced). So I can understand how it can put some people off. And the second problem is that it feels like he means different things every time he uses these words. It's quite confusing. Here is a post where people helped me find different cases of him using these words; you can check it out yourself.

Let's look closer at some of these cases:

-'While geniuses wander among the stars, the ordinary can't even trace their footsteps. Those less gifted have no choice but to walk alone, enduring a lifetime of tumbles and triumphs. But even a life marked by failure is a life worth living — it is only in moments of solitude and despair, when help is absent, that fools grasp how to pick themselves up' He seems to contrast geniuses with fools here, so fools are everybody who's not a genius. So if you are inclined to see him this way, if you squint, you can technically see it as him insulting people based on their intellectual abilities, right?… Except, he includes himself among these fools, so no:

So it's basically 'all who are not geniuses are fools, including me'. Which is an interesting way to put it, but it definitely doesn't mean ''you are all fools for not being as smart as me''.

But he mostly uses these words when he talks about his fellow scholars:

-'First, with the headpiece on, isolated from my five senses, I can think without interference. And second, I don't have to set eyes on stupid people' - we only see him wearing the plaster head on Herta's Station, a place full of the most brilliant minds in the universe. We never see him using it again with normal people, so the word 'stupid' here can't be about people's intelligence.

There is also an interesting little detail:

He admires her intelligence (although in a sarcastic manner) in his 'about Herta' voiceline. He doesn't wear his 'anti-stupid' mask when he's with TB or Aventurine, but he always wears it with Herta. Which is very telling, and indicates again what he means by 'stupid'.

Some other examples:

-'(…)the fools from the Guild with ambitions beyond stars should be banished from my sight and thereby mind' -'Don't invert priorities like these dolts from the guild' -'I cannot stand fools, idiots, or imbeciles. Seeing them fills me with dread. Regrettably, this space station is just like the Intelligentsia Guild — devoid of geniuses and filled with mediocrity' -'Ah, the Technology Department. Charming little place, isn't it? Madam Yabuli does possess some semblance of competence, but her subordinates? Oh, they're a riot — brimming with enthusiasm yet utterly devoid of intellect. It's as if evolution halted prematurely for them'

He is absolutely RUTHLESS when he talks about scientists, because he expects a lot from them.

So no, I don't think he'd call you an idiot for not being an A student, or having learning difficulties, or just lacking an interest in learning. He absolutely would though if you were a brilliant scientist, priveledged with great education, resources, and a personal lab, squandering your talents and funds on a useless vanity project, or hoarding potentially life-saving knowledge for yourself, to use as a commodity.

"But he does call people idiots!" - I've noticed that most of the time he uses these 'insults' he talks about some groups of people.

I could only think of 3 times when he called an individual an idiot. He calls Aventurine an idiot because he 'lost' the stones (but it doesn't count because he plays a role and pretends that he hates Aven). A scholar in an event in SU complains of Ratio calling him an idiot (I'm not sure it actually happened, it's just a story in SU).

But there is one case of him calling somebody an idiot and actually meaning it. And who is this poor victim of his terrible verbal abuse? It's himself. Whoops. (speaking of how he's supposedly full of himself and thinks that he's better than the others.)

"He would call me an idiot because of my supposed lack of knowledge/education/intelligence" - I showed in the previous point why I think he wouldn't (he never seems to use these words to mean that).

But also consider this. During his interactions with Aventurine on Penacony Ratio mostly plays a role for Sunday, pretending that he despises Aventurine. That's why we can't draw any conclusions about his personality from most of their dialogues. But the moments when he breaks the role are extremely telling.

Let's look at one of them from the beginning. They argue; Ratio calls Aventurine an idiot for 'ruining their plan'. And then Aventurine mentions that he didn't go to school and lacks formal education. If there ever was a good time to call someone an idiot for being uneducated, that's it! That's what Sunday expects to hear (because his plan hinges on Ratio valuing knowledge above all else).

And what does he do? He fucking apologizes! Even for the role and for the sake of their plan, he can't bring himself to insult someone for being uneducated.

"He's mean to TB" - it's a matter of interpretation, but his behavior with us didn't strike me as mean or demeaning. He was just being sarcastic and snarky as always (and I understand that it's not everybody's cup of tea).

The situation was time-sensitive and precarious. We don't know how much control he had over it. He tried to make us realize what's going on as fast as possible, pretending that he himself is clueless. Because his goal was to show the recearchers that despite the presence of 2-3 geniuses on board, none of them were able to save them. If he just publicly saved everybody, it would be just another genius appearing out of nowhere and saving the day, which would go against his goals and his philosophy.

And later, our TB seems to regard him with a mix of respect and amusement (calling him Professor, asking for an autograph), no resentment here. So TB didn't think he was mean either.

"He values knowledge above all, he's obsessed with teaching people stuff, and he doesn't understand/accept that other people might have other priorities" - I'd argue that literally the opposite is true. He doesn't impose his knowledge on anybody against their will, and we never see him berate anybody for their lack of knowledge or education.

Sunday isn't the first person to misunderstand him that badly, and he's not having it. Even though at this point in the story, his and Aventurine's plan hinges on Sunday's misunderstanding. But I think his position is very clear: pursuit of knowledge above all is a matter of petty pride.

He says it when we ask him why he doesn't nag us about getting our act together, before a party. So basically "if learning makes you feel bad (doesn't enhance your living) then you are doing it wrong, go and have fun".

This probably isn't considered canon, but it illustrates how he sees knowledge. Here is an analogy. If I had an apple orchard, and I thought my apples were awesome and they'd make a great gift, and you should feel free to ask me if you want some. It doesn't mean that I shove my apples into people's mouths against their will and then call them idiots and spit on them when they don't like it.

"He's a bad person because he didn't help us fight the big bug" - he knew who we are. It's not in his habit to directly involve himself where he's not needed, it would go against his philosophy ('you should count on yourself; you can do it'). It's not like he left us to die; he must have known how capable our TB is. BTW, he was still looking after us, seemingly ready to come to our help:

Besides, currently nothing indicates that (outside of the turn-based gameplay) he's anything more than a normal human being. He would be a hindrance in a fight.

"He's a bad teacher" - (first, here is an interesting post about this from the point of view of an actual teacher)

So yeah, it's about the 3% passing rate. Yes, it can mean that only 3% of his students end up learning something. It's possible that he's such a bumbling idiot of a teacher that he doesn't even understand how bad he is. It's possible that he's somehow still allowed to teach despite being THAT bad.

But I think it's much more possible (and consistent with his philosophy) that he just has very high standards. A 3% rate doesn't mean that only 3% know anything. Students might benefit enormously from his classes, even without passing. They still have all their valuable skills and knowledge.

But also, let's not forget that he doesn't teach children. He teaches at the university. And I don't think it's some 101 basics; it's likely something related to his research and discoveries, some extremely advanced cutting-edge stuff. So his students are already extremely well educated adults, who want to achieve more. He would probably see lowering his standards as a betrayal of his students.

"His students hate him" - I didn't get that impression. On the contrary, they seem quite interested in him (some times in really creepy ways):

The only indication that they might have something against him is this:

It's either a literal roll-call of actual adults who shed literal tears during his classes, or it's just students being their normal cheeky selves, being overdramatic about a strict teacher.

An example that came to mind: I can whine about how ruthless my gym trainer is and how I couldn't walk for a week after the last leg day. And his other clients would agree. But everybody understands that it's an expression of approval, not contempt. And maybe a bit of a humble brag.

Besides, if we decide to take that post at face value, then we'll have to take this literally too, meaning that his students consider him an actual God. And I don't think it's true:

-------------------

There are still a lot of hot takes I disagree with that I haven't mentioned, but I'm too tired. This took WAY too long. Other cases are mostly quote-mining and deliberatly taking what he says out of context, which isn't very interesting to argue against (just read the full dialogue and consider the context). And also different variations on 'he's an asshole, he hates people, he thinks he's better than others, he'd call you an idiot for this or that, he's elitist, he only values knowledge and intelligence' and so on, but I think I addressed it sufficiently.

So yeah, that was my little character research. This wasn't written for his haters (I dislike some characters myself, and I wouldn't probably read 3K words about how I should change my mind). It was rather for the people who kind of like him, but who feel sad thinking how he'd probably call them idiots or something. I hope I was able to help you see him in a different way. He wouldn't call you an idiot, he'd support you.

#honkai star rail #my stuff #dr ratio #hsr 2.3

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canadianno · 2 months

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The audio edit I sprained my ankle over is officially on YouTube let's GOOO

Yes, I did genuinely sprain my ankle during the creation of this

youtube

Copied from the YouTube description:

What if there was a hypothetical, secret game mechanic, in which if you kill the bishops in reverse order you can unlock secret, alternative dialogue?

•••

This soundtrack edit is based on the idea of a hypothetical game mechanic in Cult of the Lamb! In this hypothetical scenario, killing the bishops in reverse order would unlock secret alternative dialogue when fighting both Heket- who vows to not let you hurt her youngest brother- and Leshy, who's entire demeanor changes. Leshy is the youngest, and the cockiest. He has defeated many vessels of the red crown before you, and hence he is confident he could take you down as well. But what if you didn't go for him first? What if you killed his older siblings, one by one, until you reached him? How scared would he be?

Bonus stuff below :D

The art made for the YouTube video- it's messy because I was tired and had just sprained my ankle lmfao

Also, my friends get exclusive content like live updates on the sprained ankle

#cult of the lamb #cotl #cotl au #cult of the lamb fanart #cotl fanart #cotl leshy #cotl bishops #cw injury #Youtube

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trashytoastboi · 4 months

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Day of Envy - Leviathan

~SFW Alphabet~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

🎮 Levi is affectionate in theory, not in practice. He wants to be affectionate but finds himself to be too nervous, and too insecure to do so. After all, he’s just a gross otaku. How could you possibly want to be touched by him? Takes a lot for Levi to work up the courage and ignore his thoughts of self loathing, having you praise and encourage him works wonders. It makes him really feel he is worthy. Levi still doesn’t think himself deserving, you will have to initiate contact and affection first. All the while hoping that he doesn’t pull away in fear. Levi does really like being held though and he wants to be the little spoon. Not the biggest fan of holding hands only because he needs his hands to play video games. (He’s also worried because he gets sweaty hands) Makes up for it by unconsciously wrapping his tail around you when he’s in demon form. Has a propensity for nuzzling, however one will see a very different side to Levi should any of his brothers be too affectionate with you. His envy will come out in full force and will overcompensate by smothering you in all of his reserved affection that he held back previously.

B = Best Friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

🎮 He is the chaotic friend, one who will constantly spam you with memes, videos and pictures. He also will feed your hyper fixations if it’s something he’s into as well. He’ll check up on you and ask how you’re doing in roundabout ways. If you’re sad he’ll make sure to give you a list of really comforting and uplifting animes as well as surprise you with snacks. He’ll also suggest really wholesome and cozy games. He’s a calming presence to be around even if he’s raging about something, or rambling and going on tangents about his favourite things. He will always listen to you patiently talking about things you like. Most of your activities center around going to conventions, playing games, watching anime, reading manga and light novels or helping Levi with his cosplays.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle)

🎮 Doesn’t mind cuddles so long as it doesn’t affect his gaming. He’ll give you some brusque attempt of saying it’s whatever even when his blushing face gives away what he is really thinking. Levi loves cuddles, he’s just too embarrassed to tell you and defaults by putting on the tsundere act to hide the fact that he is nervous. It doesn’t work because it makes him all the more adorable and tempts you to tease him. Sometimes after too much teasing he’ll sulk and go full baby mode, he’s got his arms wrapped around you from behind while you either sit between his legs or on his lap and he’s hiding his face by resting it against your back.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

🎮 He’s a pretty fair 6/10, with relatively good capability to clean and cook. (Total malewife material) He just chooses the instant ramen lifestyle, and can easily turn the scores into a 10/10 if he really wanted to. His sewing skills are unrivaled and you’ve never met anyone who can sew like him. Levi has never seen himself with a 3D partner, aka you. So he has settled down a lot before, all in the good ending of his various dating sims. He’s got a hardcore collection of 2D spouses, so he’s willing to settle pretty quickly after every event flag has been triggered. How does this translate into real life you may ask? If you ask him out on a date, it counts as the date event. What about after? When it comes to the dramatic backstory reveal and comfort arc…Or will he receive a sudden proposal from you. Levi will never admit it but he’s waiting. Either for the dialogue option to pop up in his status window or have you trigger the event yourself.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

🎮 He doesn’t want to face you and does not think he’ll be able to. Levi decides to text you, not great, but how else? It’s that or a handwritten letter. 3 text essays later, one character analysis with a corresponding analogy, details his breakdown and a copious amount of broken heart emojis is more or less what you can expect. He’ll end it with a parting line from one of his go to, give me strength characters. Underneath the self depreciation, comparison back and forth between himself and other characters, you’d eventually find the root of his discontent and the unrest in Levi’s heart. Of course Levi can be a bit… Over dramatic and break up with you over a mistake then apologize and take back everything he said a minute prior. He was just mad because he thought you overwrote his save file.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quickly would they want to get married.)

🎮 In the real life sense, Levi couldn’t muster an answer to that question. Sometimes he wrangles with the thought of it, wondering if he could actually get married. I mean the absolute potential for a cosplay wedding would be amazing, too amazing to pass up. However, other than that very appealing aspect he just doesn’t know. It’s not that he hates the idea, it was just a possibility he never foresaw himself experiencing. Levi never thought that he would get the chance to love someone as deeply as he loves you, or fall this hard. Especially knowing that you feel the same way about him, it’s enough to bring him to tears.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they? Both physically and emotionally.)

🎮 Levi is a gentle soul who can sometimes get worked up and over zealous about something. He can get very jealous and lose his gentleness along the way but he’d never really hurt you. It’s more the accident of forgetting to regulate his strength adequately and he might grab your hand a little too hard, not enough to cause injury but the roughness of his action will make Levi feel bad. He’ll feel guilty for days afterwards. Emotionally he’s a squish, you wouldn’t say gentle since he can say some pretty sharp things in defense of what he likes but he’s squishy and easily hurt by words.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

🎮 “I-I don’t like hugs!” Is what he says, not what he actually means. Levi is way too embarrassed about PDA and he’ll combust if he had to hug you in public. He just thinks you’re so perfect and he’s well….him. Levi often hides behind this reasoning to avoid contact in public and social settings. You respect this because you don’t want him to feel pressured or awkward by your sudden affectionate gestures. Even if he’s not honest with his words. His actions will be honest on his behalf and when the two of you are alone he’ll give you lots of affection to make up for what he didn’t do in public.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-Word)

🎮 Well Levi, our pretty boi who isn’t the most adept at conversation dropped the L-Bomb pretty quickly. Ever since the two of you crossed the threshold of crushes to actually dating, he’s emotional about it and you mean so much to him. So clearly there’s no other right answer aside from LOVE. Levi does ramble a bit, get side tracked and say that he loves his harem too, and all those 2D characters within. He didn’t mean to say that part out loud, he meant to keep it in mind but the funny little thing happened when his brain got all cross wired and you just made him so tongue tied…He should probably stop speaking even though he had already told you all his honest feelings.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they're jealous?)

🎮 He isn’t the avatar of Envy for nothing, he lives up to his epithet. It’s a matter of how well he copes with his jealousy and the tendencies that come with it. You didn’t realize it at first until seeing how drastically his personality changes. Levi becomes more domineering, demanding and possessive. You might have mistaken him for the avatar of Greed. You’re his partner, so don’t pay attention to other people. How could you not notice that stupid demon clerk was flirting with you, right in front of Levi. You’re used to a shy and reserved Levi with a reluctance to PDA but when he’s jealous? He’ll have no qualms about pulling you in real close and away from whoever received too much of your attention. It’s for him, don’t go making him jealous. Levi will even ask if you did it on purpose :( “You should know better than to make me jealous…" He’d say in a low voice, uncharacteristic to him. He’ll keep you close and act needy for your attention, so you don’t need to mind other people right? When he’s finally back to his senses he’ll be incredibly embarrassed about whatever he said and did when he was consumed by jealousy.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

🎮 Levi is a real romanticist and enjoys intimate kisses, the kind that make him feel as if his heart is about to beat right out of his chest. So he’ll lighten up and kiss your forehead, your cheek or some sweet gesture of the oh so famous indirect kiss. If the mood is right, he might deliver the smoothest kiss brimming with all his suppressed passion. (Once in a blue moon) His heart is on the verge of bursting if you’re the one who kisses him first, god the way he just melted when you pressed him against the wall and kissed him. He likes when you reach up to give him forehead kisses too, or adorable little nose kisses.

L = Little Ones (How are they around children?)

🎮 Little ones? Levi would rather not be around them. They stress him out more than he can handle. He’s not good at entertaining them and what constructive conversation could he have with a child? He’s heard about the wisdom that kids possess but when a kid has asked the same question six times, Levi doubts the claim. Did they say they watch anime? Okay maybe it’s doable. He’ll put something on to distract them and throw a snack at their face when he hears the tummy grumble. He does think that’s enough but no one warned him beforehand about a child’s attention span or just how inquisitive they can be. His patience snapped when one of them unboxed a figure to play with it as a toy “I’d teach my kids the value of-” The words added some insight that he has thought about his own little mini me’s before.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

🎮 Mornings can be a bit rough, especially after a binge. He’s only been asleep for half an hour and now he has to get up for class? The audacity of the day… He grumbles, he’s grumpy and he feels tender without adequate amounts of sleep. It wasn’t a good idea to stay up from Friday night through to Monday but he did it and now Levi feels the regret of it. He’s usually good at getting up and surviving on minimal sleep but not when he’s that sleep deprived he’d even convince you to stay with him. Acting all cuddly and pouty so he can turn you into an accomplice, “Lucifer can’t punish both of us” is his sleepy brained logic.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

🎮 Delicious snacks? Check. Backlog of anime to catch up on? Check. Game to play in the background? Check. Open monitor to peruse potential merch and cosplay specials? Check. Beverages to prevent dehydration? Check! Levi is all ready and set, locked and loaded into his plans for the evening. Which is more or less the same routine and sometimes he’ll spice it up and read manga or a light novel instead of playing a game unless it’s one that can auto farm for him. He’s pretty intense with his rituals and binging. He is impressed by your ability to keep up, truth be told Levi appreciates having someone to talk and rave to about the episode the two of you just watched or when he accidentally does something really cool in game and you were there to witness it.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while and reveal things slowly?)

🎮 Levi believes himself to be an open book or so he thinks. He also thinks that making negative jokes about himself is the same as someone getting to know him but Levi is very, very mistaken. Only when he realizes how deeply he can actually trust and rely on you is when he properly opens up his heart. Revealing his insecurities and aspirations, the true nature of things unmarred by anything else. He always worries if you’re going to judge him, he argues with his mind knowing he can trust you. Every secret he’s confided in you has never resurfaced again, he knows. You’re a safe space but it makes him feel exposed and vulnerable and that scares him.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

🎮 Can be considered patient in a normal setting. Levi hates confrontation and if anger could lead to that, he would rather avoid it altogether. Levi gets envious, and can lose his temper due to that but without that trigger he’s very much an unloaded gun. However, do something he finds trashy in a video game and watch this man RAGE. You swear he’d put Satan to shame. Perhaps Levi should have been the avatar of wrath. That’s what you think when you see him going off at the troll who just ruined Levi’s vibe with his shit plays and trashy in-game etiquette. (He’s borderline making them regret their own existence)

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing or they kind of or forget everything?)

🎮 He treats you like his favorite series. Levi knows everything about you, even the details you would classify as pointless and maybe even ‘fillers’ to your own lore. Nope he knows it, he’s memorized it. Everything you love, hate or feel lukewarm about. He knows it all. What scares you, what brightens you up and makes you cheer up on a bad day. He knows your favorite characters, the ones you crush over and can’t stand the sight of. You once jokingly asked Levi if he had some folder all about you that he can refer back to, It wasn’t a folder, it was his own personal handwritten MC Lore book that even had illustrated pictures.

R = Remember (What is their favourite moment in your relationship?)

🎮 Remember that time you got angry and degraded Levi and he– Whoops. Wrong memory. Levi would probably say it was the first time you took him to a proper human world anime convention and even did a couples cosplay with him. He remembers the compliments and how many people wanted to take pictures with the two of you. You guided him through all the various attractions of the human world conventions that he had only ever dreamed about. There were a few things he never knew about, one of the darksides so to say was why the hell is water such a precious resource at a convention? It’s like an SS+ Weapon.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

🎮 Levi will protect you even if he’s terrified he’d also be the first person on the front lines to defend you. You can rest assured knowing Levi will always be on your side, if it’s for your sake Levi can even talk back to Lucifer if it’s in your defense. You know just how hard that can be for him, so you appreciate it. You protect Levi in the same ways, some ways you can’t protect him such as hateful comments online and the like as that’s oftentimes out of your control. But you can and will protect him from the insecurity that could bud from those hateful words. Anything you can do, you will. Levi knows that and he feels safe with you because of it. It gives him courage and confidence to see you standing by his side while silently reassuring and supporting him.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

🎮 If the consistent density of constant content taught Levi anything, it’s to keep dates, times and schedules highly organized to make sure he tends to everything. Of course Levi uses his great skills in his relationship as well. He makes sure to keep track of all dates of anniversaries, special occasions and more. Levi puts in a lot of effort into your dates and special occasions, it’s a special event after all! He wants to remind you of that. Levi himself will admit that he’s awkward and not exactly the savviest in real world romance but he tries his utmost.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

🎮 Spontaneously canceling or postponing plans because of a surprise live stream, announcement or unannounced LTE that he absolutely has to tend to. He’ll apologize, and promise to make it up to you. And so he does, it still doesn’t change the fact that you’d be all dressed and ready for a date, waiting for him to arrive only to get a rushed text that says he won’t come. You’ve expressed your annoyance at that before and how it hurts to be stood up, Levi gets that. He really does and he’s sincere in his apology but he also keeps doing it.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

🎮 He is conscious of his looks in a different way to what you’d expect. Levi cares more about what others think about him more than worrying what he thinks about himself. Although when he’s cosplaying he is very attentive and privy to his appearance, everything from his shoes to the makeup and wigs. It’s immaculate. You didn’t realize he’d be that good at it, Levi possessed skills that Asmo was envious over and that stroked Levi’s ego a little.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

🎮 He would notice your absence and he’ll feel it deeply. It would suck and Levi would mope or who knows how long. He’d be flooding himself with sad music, sad AMV’s and playing all of his comfort games while reminiscing about you. Which in hindsight would probably make him feel worse. He’d type out long messages, wanting to hit send but change his mind while erasing the entire text. Only then going to mope in his bathtub. (Until one day he accidentally hits send) He’d try to forget you in the process which only makes him feel more regretful that you’re not here. Sometimes you’d only be gone for 30 minutes and it would feel like an eternity.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them)

🎮 Levi had a ritual of kissing his body pillow collection goodnight before tucking them in and saying goodnight to each and every figure he owns. A good otaku must know how to treat their merch right obviously, you’d pout saying you wish you got the same treatment. You had meant it jokingly but ever since then Levi makes sure to always wish you goodnight and give you a little kiss and make sure you’re all tucked in and comfortable in his bathtub while he played games.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn't like, either in general or in a partner?)

🎮 Himself- I mean…(Moving on)

🎮 He’s an envious person, so of course his dislike is not what he hates in a person per se but rather a quality that he admires and feel he does not possess in himself. He’d get jealous and hateful because he wishes to possess that trait for himself and not to see it in someone else. More than anything Levi gets annoyed by his own envy more often than not. It’s inconvenient to be having a good day, see something and then have his mind riddled with jealous thoughts.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habit of theirs?)

🎮 Well when he actually does decide to sleep, he loves it being comfy. He curls up likes a kitten and snuggles his own tail and a body pillow (or you if you’re sleeping over in his room for the night) Has a tendency to sleep talk and whine in his sleep. Letting out the cutest sounds you’ve ever heard. When you tell him about it, he’d go so far to deny it and say that you were just imagining things. Recording him didn’t help because he nearly smashed your D.D.D to hide the evidence.

Taglist: @completelyshatteredbrokenmschf

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cookiecobwebs · 2 years

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Disco Elysium lines that haunt me #4

[image description: A screenshot of a line of dialogue from the video game Disco Elysium. It reads: 4. - “It’s like every time I’m talking to people I’m choosing option D, ‘none of the above’... Is that moralism?” End ID.]

#Disco Elysium

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goldensunset · 4 months

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why are some video game dialogue options like

npc: “hey, new bestie! :D we’re getting to be good friends huh? ☺️”

>i desire you carnally

>if you ever speak to me again i will push you into the river

#peach rambles #i’m having fun with stardew valley lol #but like this is what i hear about persona 5 as well #how come it’s like. why does the only kind option implicate the romance route #where is the NUANCE

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dropthedemiurge · 8 months

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Wait, the video didn't get attached to my previous post about Love for Love's Sake Game Credit scene

So I'll copy it here^^

I was a bit dramatic, it's not technically the last ever scene in the show, it's the last scene in the Game during Game credits (seriously, listing every NPC in the "game" inside the show is so clever) :D All of the notifications are both acting like a in-universe game notifications and communicating with the viewers.

The quiet dialogue goes like this:

M: "Cha Yeowoon, I love you."

(Yeowoon breaks the hug and says some promise about future, something like "I won't do it anymore"/"I won't go anywhere" %)

M: "Really?"

Y: "Yeah"

(hug)

Y: "Let's go." (takes hand and leads them out of the screen)

#love for love's sake #love for love's sake coments #korean drama #dropthemeta

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blackdollette · 1 year

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need more sloppy smut ☹️ i luv desperate and sloppy stuff (im mentally ill.)

anyways something with any rory character of ur choice (altho id prefer clyde or charlie coz i feel like theyd be say this)

like reader and the character r tryna yk figure out their kinks and boundaries together. its all full of jokes and really sloppy but then reader sucks on a part of his boobie (leavin a hickey like just above his nipple) and he goes "oh.. i liked that..." "yeah?" "do it again, baby.." "do what?" and she has a lil smirk on her face "wh-what you just did.. do that again.."

(this totally wasnt some dialogue from a professor cal audio...)

this request has me on my knees 🧎🏽‍♀️

"this is my idea of fun." | clyde

video games. - lana del rey

female!reader x clyde

contents: cockwarming, very sloppy shit, creampie

you and clyde were laying down on the carpet and staring at the ceiling. you were talking about the kinkiest things youve ever done. you talked about things that you'd done with your old partner, but you never found any of them to your taste.

clyde had rambled for a while about how he's still trying to find himself sexually, what ever that meant. so that's how you found yourself sitting on top of him, sloppily making out while you cockwarmed him.

he would occasionally buck his hips upward into you, sliding in just a little more from how overwhelmingly wet you were. you hands played with his hair as you exchanged sloppy kisses with eachother, which you knew was something that drove him wild.

your pussy was dripping wet all over his hard cock, which only made this whole thing a lot more pleasureable for the two of you. your lips started travelling to his neck, leaving soft little kisses there. they moved down to his collarbone, doing the same thing. clyde's breath got caught in his throat a few times from the feeling of your soft lips on his skin.

you lips continued travelling down until you got to his chest, which you stayed for a while. you sucked on the skin, leaving a red mark on him. he grinned at you. "o-oh... that felt nice..." he said softly as his hands fondled with your tits, his fingers brushing over your sensitive nipples.

"oh yeah..?" you said as you moved back to his collarbone. he moved his hips once again, some of your liquids dripping out of your messy little pussy. "d-do it again, baby... please..." he whispered. "you want me to mark you up, baby?" you teased, looking at him with your big doe eyes. he nodded, slightly embarrassed.

you moved your lips back to his chest, sucking on the skin slightly more harshly this time. "like this..?" you said against his chest, leaving another red mark right beside the previous one. "y-yeah... just like that" he started kneading your hard nipples in between his fingers, making you whimper softly. he laughed softly. "you like that, baby?" you kept on sucking on his chest, nodding.

he continued toying with your tits, feeling your dripping pussy getting even wetter on his cock. he rocked his hips a little, getting a small moan out of you. you left several mark across his chest, making them all in a heart shape. clyde connected his lips with yours once more.

this kiss was even sloppier than the previous one, the sound of your tongues swirling with eachother audiable for both of you to hear. you started moving against his cock just a little, hearing the sound of your wet cunt begging for more movement.

clyde moved his mouth to your tits, planting wet kisses all over them and whispering gentle little compliments. "so perfect..." he'd say before moving his tongue over your nipples. he was so gentle with his touch that you felt as if you could fall asleep right there.

you continued to play with his hair, braiding it and tangling it around your fingers as you felt your body starting to heat up. his hips started bucking into you ever so slightly, the sticky sound of your cunt bringing a smile to his face.

you and clyde made eye contact as he sucked on your tits. he hummed slightly, making your body shiver. he moved his hands down to your hips, caressing them gently. you brought your lips back to his chest, continuing to leave hickies everywhere that you could.

clyde groaned softly at the feeling of you sucking on his skin. it was like his body had completely surrendered to you. he body trembled slightly as he felt himself cumming inside of you, his and your cum dripping out of you. the whole thing was just so wet and messy and sloppy, but neither of you could get enough.

author's note: thank you so much for the request! this one made me feel things that ive never felt before. sorry that this ones a little short, but my ideas kind of spiraled out of control and i didnt know where it would lead to. requests are still open!

#rory culkin #rory culkin smut #electrick children #clyde electrick children #lana del rey #444rockstargf

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geodetojoy · 21 days

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Collection of wisdom saga thoughts:

(None of these are in chronological order it’s just whatever pops in my head :P)

- Athena calling ody her friend in we’ll be fine vs ody calling Athena his mentor in monster????? That compared to my goodbye???? Fucking brutal. They’ve both changed so much after losing each other bro. OW

- LOVE that in little wolf the suitors are always using the chorus as like a taunt, bit it never fits into their dialogue it just kinda interrupts it but then Athena comes along and the chorus ties directly into what she’s saying, like “don’t go down without a- fight little wolf fight!” It’s really cool how it shows his opposition vs his allies I love it

- also just. so many shrimp emotions brought out during legendary and we’ll be fine. guh

- the video game aspects were so cool!!!!!! Love the one on one with Telemachus and antinous with the mortal combat-esk animation that went along with it!! And in god games how every time Athena convinced a god it played like a level up sound effect!!! Suuuper interesting :D

-CALYPSO!!!!! HER!!!! The first time ody has faced an enemy that doesn’t mean him any harm (harm as in like. trying to kill him, obvi she still did some fucked up shit to him) but might actually be the worst one out of all of them because he just misses his wife so damn badly. Don’t even get me STARTED on the fuckin “ody” and “open arms” shit bro that HURT

- Did I mention I love Telemachus? I love Telemachus. He’s so ambitious and so so kind and has such a good heart I adore himmmmmm <3 Despite never really being able to meet his dad aside from as an infant, he looks up to him so much and respects him and wants to be like him, and I’m sure that’s all Penelope’s doing <333 the wife and husband ever, actually. they invented heterosexuality and true love

-GOD GAMES!!!!!!! While I’ve seen plenty of understandable criticisms, like it being too short or fast-paced, I think jay did the absolutely best he possibly could with it!! It’s so fun and gives us such a good glimpse into the thoughts and priorities of all of the gods and ATHENA!!! WHAT A QUEEN!!! UNMASKED WITTY AND QUEEN OF THE BEST STRATEGIES WE’VE SEEN FRRRRR!!! Also I’m fuckin obsessed with ares’s voice it sounds so coollllll AND ZEUS’S GROWL BROOOO it’s so impressive I wish I could do that. I’m also gonna have the way they say Aphrodite and hera in my head forever I owe them my life

- I know jay talked about it in a short, but I actually really enjoyed the differing perspective!!! Don’t get me wrong I miss my boy ody and I’d love to know more details about his situation but I’m so incredibly happy we got an Athena pov I have so much more appreciation for her she might be my favorite character now

- I’ll never get over all of the unique character motifs and just how unique they sound. Like how Circe and calypso sound so similar yet so incredibly different, just like their stories!!! Jay you legend

Ok that’s all for now back to listening on repeat

#epic the musical #epic the wisdom saga #the wisdom saga #geoderambles

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twistedtummies2 · 23 days

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Leona's Sadism

So, someone sent me...an EXTREMELY long Ask basically questioning why I keep saying Leona is a canonical sadist, and arguing against that fact. Rather than answer the Ask directly, I decided it was best to sort of answer in my own words, since I know I can get pretty long-winded myself. XD I should point out that when I say things like this, I'm partially exaggerating/joking. (Though only partially.) The one thing for sure we can say on that front is that Leona is certainly a canonical jerkface, which is part of why he's fun. To quote an Internet video: "He's a d*ck...but he's a NICE d*ck!" That's why I love him; he's such a colossal ass a lot of the time, but then he'll flip around and show another side, and it's fun. XD HOWEVER, I am only PARTIALLY exaggerating/joking because Leona is, in fact, at least slightly sadistic in the game. There are multiple occasions throughout his appearances in the Main Story, Vignettes, and so on where he will deliberately do things to make people miserable, make people angry, or make people scared. He ENJOYS having that kind of power over others and dangling things before them before snatching it away. He does it a lot, sometimes with comical results, sometimes more severe ones. He also clearly takes pleasure in watching others in pain during his darkest moments, such as the clear relish he showed and the mockery he exhibited when using his Unique Magic on Ruggie. That's certainly a bit more than just being, say, "mischievous," which you could argue in other instances. NOW, OF COURSE, that last example IS a very extreme one: Leona was basically having a mental breakdown at that point (which the Asker did point out, hence why I'm bringing it up), and wasn't totally in control of his emotions or actions. And he DOES seem to regret it at least a little bit in the aftermath. But the point still stands...when pushed to his limits, so to speak, Leona can be EXTREMELY cruel. It's also worth pointing out that this isn't just an inference; OTHER CHARACTERS are fully aware of this in-game. My favorite example is when Azul defends himself at one point (I think he was talking to Jamil, but my memory may be wrong here) by stating that he "doesn't take pleasure in other people's suffering, unlike Leona." Which, of course, is SUCH an ironic statement, since Azul does, in fact, do that...but there IS a key difference. Azul typically only takes pleasure in that when it benefits him in some material manner. He enjoys having power over people, too, and watching them squirm and dance and play his games...but it's specifically because he's getting something out of it that's tangible. Leona just does it because he's a jerk like that. He doesn't get anything out of turning Ruggie to sand, he doesn't get anything out of mocking Idia after ruining his costume, he doesn't get anything out of teasing Azul before destroying the contracts. He literally just ENJOYS doing stuff like that and - with the exception of Ruggie - shows neither remorse nor apology.

Leona can be cruel. And he can ENJOY it when he's cruel. That's sadism, plain and simple. It's not about inflicting physical bodily harm on others, and while it CAN mean one "gets off" on causing others misery, it doesn't necessarily HAVE to mean that: a character can be described as "sadistic" without that specific stipulation. When I say Leona is a sadist, I simply mean it in the sense that he can, in fact, show sadistic tendencies at times. He's not the only one in the cast who's like this, but he IS one of the ones where that part of his personality is a MAJOR character trait that others POINT OUT in the story and dialogue. In terms of my kinky nonsense and weirdness, I basically just take that simple fact - that Leona can be a jerk and, on some level, enjoys watching others feel bad for his own enjoyment - and take it to its natural extreme, so to speak.

I should also point out this makes perfect sense given Leona's source material. A LOT of Disney Villains clearly relish their own evil, and Scar is no exception: there was no REASON to give Mufasa that taunting "Long Live the King" before hurling him to his doom. There was no reason to pretend to still be a kind and caring uncle to Simba before siccing the hyenas onto him (a fact many have argued over time), there certainly wasn't a reason to whisper his little secret into Simba's ear before attempting to kill him. Scar is DEFINITELY a sadistic villain: he enjoys being nasty just because he enjoys it. TL, DR: Leona is a canon sadist in the definition that he can be sadistic in his actions, other characters in-canon are VERY aware of this fact, and there are multiple examples of these points within the game and the manga alike. On top of that, his source inspiration is also a sadistic character, so this makes perfect sense as an element of Leona's own personality. This doesn't mean Leona Kingscholar can't also be nice, or funny, or even cute, and it doesn't mean he necessarily "gets off" on those sadistic actions in the literal sense. But one also shouldn't ignore the fact that he can, in fact, be a big fat meanie-face when he wants to be, for basically no reason at all. I hope I have explained myself with clarity. XD

#ask #answer #q&a #kink-related #but only peripherally #you all know the kinks #disney #twisted wonderland #leona #leona kingscholar

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impish-ivy · 9 months

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Could We Be In A Fairy Illusion?

The following post has spoilers up to S3 of OB and Lesson 32 of NB

This theory was heavily inspired by @jackalopesao3’s theory here and @misc-obeyme’s lesson summary here!

Both these posts are great reads and absolutely worth your time!

On to the theory!

This has happened before

In S3 of OM Simeon, Satan and MC are taken under an illusionary spell where they are in the Celestial Realm. Where Satan gets some much needed closure about what his family was like when they were angels.

Something important to note is that everyone acts very much in character for their angel selves. Which is kinda odd since these fairies would have no idea how they’d act. Perhaps taking the memories of Simeon and Satan to form this world.

Satan dubbed “Sully” and MC when interacting with the brothers are told they feel like they’ve know each other before.

…Feel familiar?

Lil D’s are fairies

Taking Jackalope’s theory and flipping it a bit, what if Nightbringer is Barbatos’s spiritual counterpart?

Any demon could have a Lil D but the phenomenon is incredibly rare. The Lil D’s seem to behave and like the same things as their demon counterparts; No. 4 likes to read and was very angry, No. 6 loves to eat, No. 3 is hardly ever seen, and No. 5 has tons of self confidence.

The only one who doesn’t act too much like their counterpart is No. 2 but I’m assuming it’s because his character was created before the “Lil Ds are spiritual counterparts to demons” plot point.

And although never mentioned, it’s a safe assumption that a spiritual counterpart of a demon would share those demon’s powers.

Is Nightbringer a fairy?

I genuinely believe Nightbringer is a fairy. Not only have we’ve received the most info about fairies in NB, we’ve also been told they’re important to the overall lore of ObeyMe. Being the people who originally ruled the Devildom, having direct ties to the lore of demon royalty, and are the open secret origins of the Lil D’s. Fairies are important. I don’t think it’s a coincidence we’re suddenly getting more fairy lore in the same game where Nightbringer makes his debut.

“Nightbringer calls himself a demon, so he can’t be a fairy!”

The Lil D’s call themselves demons but they’re actually fairies. Nightbringer also calls himself a demon, and is referred to as a demon. Barbatos describes the origin of Lil D’s as an “open secret”. If a being looks like a demon and refers to themselves as a demon, you’re going to call them a demon. Hence the “Father of demons” title Nightbringer has.

If Nightbringer is a fairy that would make what Solomon says here make sense.

Why would he tell a demon they sound like a demon? Why would a demon be offended by that?

Barbatos’s own fairy counterpart

In a video call Diavolo asks Barbatos if he has a fairy counterpart and gives a non answer. Diavolo has the ability to tell if someone is lying and Barbatos is very aware of this. Given Diavolo’s reaction, he’s under the impression that Barbatos does have a fairy counterpart.

Although Lucifer calls him out for dodging Diavolo’s question for his amusement, he doesn’t imply that Barbatos is being dishonest.

Barbatos is also the one who knows the most about fairies and their “opened secret” origins. He knows where they come from and how they came into being. He’s also upset at Solomon for being 8th on a list of demons he wanted to make a pact with. If Nightbringer is Barbatos’s spiritual counterpart, he’d be the eighth spiritual counterpart we’d know.

In fact Barbatos here has similar dialogue to No. 2, who says something along the lines of “just call me No. 2 instead of Lil D”

Not in our own world

There has been plenty of evidence of things not being as straightforward as just being in the past.

The constant déjà vu everyone is feeling about MC and their room, characters who shouldn’t be around (Thirteen, Simeon and “Raphael”) and characters who shouldn’t be alive at all (Luke)*.

Nightbringer calls the past “this world” which would be an odd thing to say if we were just in the past. It would still be our world, even if we were in the past.

Very often has the cast spoken about how familiar MC is and how their room feels so comforting. It’s happened so many times that if I tried to screenshot every instance it would go over the photo limit. In fact this feeling is growing stronger.

Conclusion

I truly believe in this theory. I believe that Nightbringer is a fairy who’s Barbatos’s spiritual counterpart.

Unfortunately I can’t go into his motives or his relationship with Solomon because the game hasn’t done that either LOL

*Let me justify my Luke take because I’ve seen people go back and forth. Luke has spoken several times about how he doesn’t know why Michael still cares about the brothers after everything they’ve done, which to me implies he never knew them personally when they were angels. He also has never brought up Lilith whom he’d be very aware of if he was originally alive during the time NB takes place.

#obey me Nightbringer #obey me #obey me nb #obey me shall we date #omswd #obey me barbatos #obey me Solomon #omswd barbatos #omswd Solomon

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logan-lieutenant · 1 month

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i didn't win the wheel: episode 3 (pt. 2)

[competition ends, time to spin the wheel; Logan starts listing the prizes]

Logan: "...and a Logan mini helmet.."

Alex (who has made NO COMMENT yet and has seen all these prizes before: "Ah, that's not bad!"

oh alex what's wrong? you went most of a video without talking to each other? are you having WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS... merch is merch yeah :/ but it's my teammate's merch :) logan mini helment :D how cool is that :)

Alex (because he can't think before he speaks for the life of him): "I think the prize I wouldn't want.... *visible moment of regret* I– I shouldn't say, but–"

Logan (OH MY GOD THE SUN IS COMING OUT): "I know what it is, I know what you're thinking of!"

oh. oh OKAY. i see how it is now i already said they were in sync but APPARENTLY I DIDN'T SAY IT LOUD ENOUGH cause we had to double back and canonically confirm that out loud OKAY. can i just point out that knowing what someone likes and knowing what someone *dislikes* requires a whole different level of observation? like, think about it? and the dialogue ALONE is enough to write an essay on but the whole thing together?? alex leaning way in shoulder to shoulder we all know he can see the ipad logan chiming in as soon as alex starts fumbling the smile starting to spread on his face even as he's still looking down and then he and alex turn their heads in at the exact same time and logan gives him that smile as he says that line and at first alex is laughing but as soon as he gets those eyes he has to like giggle and blush and look down and curl in on himself WHAT? and then and then. both turning back to the ipad and alex is clearly trying to get ahold of himself and logan just sort of repeats in this half-gentle half-laughing but also like low voice, "I know what you're thinking..." like OOF that took it out of me. somebody on ao3 probably knows a specific term for sweet/teasing/sexy/provocative/taunting/gentle but for now i'm not settling on an adjective!! "I know what you're thinking" both gravelly and endeared after you've made someone literally do the blushing eyes-cast-down thing like 10 cm from their face... that is not from real life!! that is fanfiction!

[prize wheel spins, lands on Logan mini helmet]

Alex: "WHOA!"

Logan: "Oh, it's me..."

Alex *round of actual applause*: "That's a good prize!"

Logan (talking to the camera and ignoring the sparkles and rainbows next to him): "It's a Logan mini helmet... I won the challenge, so it makes sense–"

Alex (completely talking over him): "Is it gonna be signed? Are you gonna sign it? Are you gonna sign it?"

"that's a good prize" YOU SAID THAT ALREADY ALEX! he looks so excited!!! he looks like he got to win a prize– which is his TEAMMATE'S MERCH like, alex is a williams driver as a side hustle. his main career is actually logan sargeant fanboy, sorry to break the news like this.

at this point logan is kind of retreating into his own world again– not kind of, you can tell. the activity is officially over. the spinning the wheel part– the stupid thing all the hype is about– has concluded it. it's like he's got switches in his head that are flipped on and off for him. he did the fun part, he played the game. he had a little fun getting in close proximity to alex towards the end as has become tradition and then it sort of fades away for him.

not for alex, though. for alex, logan's still the brightest in the solar system. no matter how much or how little logan opens the blinds to anyone else alex feels the sunlight like it's never stopped shining. like the light in logan's eyes doesn't go out.

and so alex is excited. he thinks winning and then getting rewarded with the privilege of using essentially a random number generator to give a prize for somebody else who didn't even play is just ridiculous... and it is. but now he's loving it, and we know why

#f1 #formula 1 #williams #williams racing #williams f1 #i didn't win the wheel #ls2 #aa23 #223 #f1 rpf #fanalysis #sargebon #lolex #f1 2024 #and they were teammates #oh my god they were teammates #right person wrong time

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four-loose-screws · 4 months

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Full Henry (Fire Emblem Awakening) Personality & Support Conversation Analysis Post - English Localization vs. Original Japanese

So a while back I stated I wouldn't be doing full character support convo analyses any more because they are very time consuming, but... well, I can't help myself. They're just too much fun. And Henry himself is just too much fun, too.

The Olivia / Henry's support chain got several translations and conversations about it in the early years of Awakening's release, but I don't think I have ever heard much about any of Henry's other support convo chains. So how do their localized versions stack up to the original Japanese? Let's walk through his entire support convo list and find out!

This post will be a discussion of select snippets of Henry's support conversations - whatever I want to point out. For balance, sometimes, that will be sections changed from the Japanese, and other times, sections translated pretty closely.

Since I will only be covering bits and pieces here, if there's any support chains you would like to see translated in full, please send a request to my inbox! Support convo translations are usually pretty easy for me, and a great way to add more activity to my blog between novel translations uploads, so I love getting them.

Henry / Robin

Henry / Robin just has minor changes. "Minor localization changes," as I define them, are when the localization team adds or takes away small bits of dialogue, in a way that does not change the overall theme, tone, chain of events, etc. of the conversation.

Discussing minor changes doesn't make for much conversation, but it's fascinating to see how localization teams "spice up" video game dialogues to make them more fun to read in English, and analyze how well the succeeded in fulfilling that goal.

(Also, when talking about Robin as a general character and not the female / male incarnation specifically, I use "they/them" pronouns.)

C Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Robin: Ugh! D-don't wave that thing in my face! I don't want it anywhere near me.

Original Japanese:

[ルフレ]いいよ！(Robin: That's fine!) 僕は遠慮しておくよ！▼ (I'll pass!)

In this example, the localization added to what Robin says. There's no indication in the Japanese that Henry waves the Risen arm in their face. But the same basic flow of events is present in the conversation: Henry is experimenting with Risen -> propositions Robin to join in his experiments -> Robin flatly refuses. This is a great example of a minor change. It follows the events and tone of the Japanese support, while further showcasing the morbid humor Henry is displaying here.

B Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: If I get it to work, we can have them all fight on our behalf! Then we can sip tea for the rest of the war and collect the accolades once it's over. Robin: Well I understand the idea in theory. It could reduce casualties on our side... But there is one slight problem... Have you given any thought to how you'll control these soulless warriors?

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]これを使えば戦いを屍兵に任せて、(Henry: If we use this, then we'll leave the battle to the Risen,) 僕たちはお茶でも飲んでいられるよ～。▼(and we can even drink tea~.) そしたら戦死者も出なくなるし、(Then, we will have no casualties, and) いろいろと便利だよね～。▼ (they'll be convenient in many ways~.) [ルフレ]うーん…いくら戦死者が出ないといっても、(Robin: Umm... even if we won't have any casualties,) 屍兵の力を借りるのは…▼ (Borrowing the Risen's powers is...) それに、召喚した屍兵を (And the summoned Risen,) 操ることができるとは限らないよね？▼ (we won't necessarily be able to control them, right?)

Here's a change that's even smaller than the previous one, really. Robin doesn't say directly that the Risen are soulless in the Japanese, just summoned.

Henry / Lissa

S Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Hey-o! Need your human pillow again?

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]あ、リズ。こんにちは～。(Henry: Ah, Lissa! Hello~.) 今日も枕が必要？▼ (Do you need a pillow again today?)

As you will continue to see going forward, sometimes what surprises me about localization Henry is how little he was changed! What I mean is, I thought something as goofy as Henry calling himself a pillow would have been some silly fluff the localization added, but nope! He does indeed refer to himself as a pillow in the Japanese too.

Henry / Frederick

C Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Okay, fine! Geez, careful not to twist your smallclothes there...

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]は～い。ごめんなさ～い。▼(Henry: Understooood. I'm sorrrry.)

The English changed the Japanese line here, but I think it was necessary - without the nuance of the Japanese tilde (~), I think it's not as obvious that Henry is being sarcastic. So the localization added a sarcastic joke to bridge that gap. (Also, get ready to see the tilde A LOT going forward in Henry's Japanese text!!)

that Also, this is a bit off topic, but fun to point out anyway. If you ever hear anyone say Japanese has no sarcasm, you have some good proof of the contrary now. Japanese Henry can be quite sarcastic too! It's a common claim that Japanese has no sarcasm, because they don't use it anywhere near as much as English speakers use. But in actuality, Japanese speakers just don't utilize it in the exact same ways English speakers do!!

Now back on topic! :)

B Support

Snippet No. 1:

Eng. NA Localization:

Frederick: Because I know that anything can happen on the battlefield. I do not want my dying thought to be "if only I had trained a little harder." Henry: I want my dying thought to be about blood! ...Or maybe ichor.

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]ふ～ん。▼ (Oh, really~?)

Snippet No. 2:

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Whoa, easy there, Frederick! You're bruising my arm! ...Oooo, look at the colors!

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]ちょ、ちょっと～…▼(H-Hey~...)

We see the tilde again! I'll explain it in proper detail this time.

In short, Japanese video game dialogue uses the tilde A LOT to convey the tone of a character's speech.

I find that it can be used very broadly, and in a number of situations. Humor is the number 1 situation though, I think. It is used when characters are joking or sarcastic; or when characters are speaking in a lighthearted, happy, or whimsical tone. You'll also see it when a character is speaking in a sing-song voice, or just actually singing (See: a character like Engage's Timerra!).

In the case of Henry, we can understand in the Japanese thanks to the tilde that he is always joking around, being sarcastic, having fun with everything, lighthearted and never serious, etc. etc..

However... there's no singular symbol that can cover all of that tone in English! I mean, I do think dialogue could use the ~ and some people would get it, but I certainly don't think it is standardized enough to rely on in a video game released to a mass audience.

So what was the English localization to do? Well, a lot of the time, word choice and laughter alone can get Henry's meaning across just as well on its own. ...But it can't always be that straightforward. This is where I think it was obsoletely necessary for the localization to add jokes to Henry's dialogue to maintain the same meaning and tone as the Japanese. The above two samples I pulled from the Henry / Frederick supports are great examples of that. They help get the point across about just how much Henry jokes around, and how sarcastic he is.

That's all I have to say about the tilde for now, as I'm sure it won't be the last time I point one out in Henry's conversations. :)

Henry / Sully

B Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: That's 'cause you WERE! ...You totally still had five or six solid minutes left, though.

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]そうだね～。あと数刻もすれば (Henry: It was, wasn't it? After a bit longer,) 死んじゃってたと思うよ～。▼ (you would have died, I think~.)

Again, wow, it really surprises me what lines are very direct from the Japanese sometimes! Henry really just is that morbid, and candid about death!

A Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: I can't remember BEING upset. Folks here are so nice, and even bad guys are pretty great when they splatter. When life gives ya lemons, use 'em to ward off scurvy. That's what I say!

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]僕は怒らないよ～。▼ (I don't get mad~.) 怒るほど嫌なことを (And something so bad it makes me mad) 人にされることも滅多に無いし～。▼ (people hardly ever do to me~.) 大抵のことは笑って済ませられるよ～。▼ (I end most things with a laugh~.)

Even in a case like this, where the localization was a bit more liberal, Henry's tone still didn't change much. "When life gives you lemons" and "I end most things with a laugh~" can boil down to a same sort of connotation. Again, the localization is playing up Henry's humor and morbid optimism to fully get it across, in the absence of the Japanese tilde.

Henry / Miriel

C Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: You always have to know exactly how things work, huh? Want a demonstration? I could turn Robin into a toad or something. Miriel: No. The experiment is not of such import that our comrades need be imperiled. Henry: But it wouldn't be forever! Just a few days at the most. Miriel: If we were suddenly called to battle, a toad tactician would be most disadvantageous. Henry: Oh yeah. I hadn't thought about that. Well, maybe I could cast a different kind of hex. Miriel: So long as the risk is within acceptable parameters.

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]仕組み？　あはは、(Henry: How they work? Ah ha ha, 勉強熱心だな～、ミリエルは。▼ (you're so passionate about your studies, Miriel~!) じゃあちょっと見本を見せるから (In that case, I'll show you a small example, so) そのへんの誰かを呪ってみるね～？▼ (I'll try cursing someone around here, alright~?) [ミリエル]その辺の誰か･･･？ (Miriel: Someone around here...?) 味方を呪い殺すおつもりですか？▼ (Do you intend to cast a deadly curse on an ally?) [ヘンリー]あ、ダメだった～？▼ (Henry: Oh, would you not like that~?) [ミリエル]えぇ･･･。戦力が減るのは (Miriel: Um... A decrease in our forces) 軍にとって良くないことですから･･･。▼ (would not be good for our army...) [ヘンリー]そっか～。じゃあ死なない呪いにするよ。(Henry: I see~. Then I'll pick a curse that won't kill them!) それならいいでしょ～？▼ (That will be okay, right~?) [ミリエル]はい、そういうことなら･･･ (Miriel: Yes. If that is the case,) じっくりと観察させていただきます。▼ (then allow me to observe carefully.)

Henry decides to target poor Robin specifically in the localization, but otherwise, the support chain has no significant changes.

Henry / Sumia

C Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Nya ha ha! Looked at all the smashed crockery! That's hilarious!

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]ほんとだ、すご～い。全部粉々だね～。▼ (Henry: You're right, woooow! They're all in pieces, aren't they?)

Another example of how the English made up for the lack of the tilde's Japanese connotation - Henry just outright says he finds the current situation hilarious.

Henry / Ricken

B Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Oh! And Campari used to make little birdhouses for homeless—

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]あと、ポモドーロ様はね…▼ (Henry: After them there was Campari...)

In another one of Henry's stand-out support conversations, in the Japanese, he stops before sharing what made Campari such a great guy, but otherwise the conversation is overwhelmingly the same as in JP.

A Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Judging by your expression, I'd say it's a serious one. Nya ha ha!

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]うん、いいよ～。(Henry: Yeah, that's fine~.) そんなに真剣な顔してどうしたの～？▼ (Why are you making such a serious face?)

Another great little example of how the localization made up for the lack of tilde - in place of the tilde, to convey that he is joking around, the localization has Henry laugh out loud.

Henry / Maribelle

C Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: I'm not feigning anything. I'm just really in touch with the natural world. I can talk to any living thing you want. Trees. Flowers. Maggots. Ooooooh... Maaaggots... Maribelle: That is a remarkable talent, if a shade disturbing.

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]合わせてなんかないよ～。▼ (I'm not feigning, or anything of the sort~.) 僕はねぇ、自然に満ちているあらゆるものと会話できるんだよ～。▼ (You see, I can talk to all things filled with nature~.) [マリアベル]そ、そうですの…。(Maribelle: C-Can you...) 本当なら、すごいことですわね…。▼ (If that's true, then it is remarkable, indeed...)

The localization added in Henry's little pause on the word "maggots," (and added in the word "maggot" to begin with) but otherwise, this is another rather directly translated support chain.

Henry / Panne

C Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Panne: THAT was your reason?!

Original Japanese:

[ベルベット]…呆れたわ。(Panne: ...I'm astounded.) そんな理由なの…？▼ (Your reason was one such as that...?) 人間は理解しがたいけど、(Humans are difficult to understand, but) あなたは中でも極めつけよ。▼ (you are especially so.)

This exchange from Panne at the end of the C Support was actually longer in the Japanese. I don't see any particular stand-out reason why this is. Perhaps it was even an error, and the localization accidentally left out some of the text.

S Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Panne: We're too alike, you and I. We both lost our families and lived alone too long. But no more. I accept your ring. From now on, we are each other's family.

Original Japanese:

[ベルベット]あなたは似てるの。(Panne: You are like him.) 人間に殺された、私の弟に…▼ (My younger brother, who was killed by humans.) いいわ、受け取らせてもらう。(I will accept your ring.) あなたのそばにいてあげる、ヘンリー。▼ (I will be by your side, Henry.) これからは、私たちは家族よ。▼ (From now on, we are family.)

In the Japanese, Panne does not compare Henry to herself, but to her brother. Her brother is removed entirely in the localization, which at first seems like a pretty big deal. Perhaps it is because he is never mentioned again? It is odd that her sibling (who would seem important to her) is such a throwaway character in this one line of her supports with Henry.

Henry / Cordelia

C Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooh. Say, what if the wife was dead? Could you give it to him then?

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]ふーん…よくわかんないなあ。(Henry: Huh... I don't really get it.) 奥様がいると襟巻きが渡せないんだ。▼ (He has a wife, so you can't give him the scarf.) じゃあ、奥様が死んじゃったら (So, if his wife was dead,) 渡せるようになるの？▼ (would you be able to give it to him then?)

Here's another example I included not because it's changed from the Japanese - but because I was surprised to see this confirmation that Henry really is this morbid in the Japanese as well!

A Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: I asked Lissa for advice, and she told me to take you on a big shopping trip. She said a few hours trying on dresses and armor would fix that broken heart, pronto! (skip a few lines) Henry: Then how about some comfort food? Fruit pies and cream? Candy apples? Macaroni and cheese with fried boar crisps and crumbled horse—

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]リズから聞いたんだ～。(Henry: I asked Lissa~.) 女の子の胸が苦しい時は、▼ (When a girl's heart hurts,) 買い物したりやけ食いしたりすると (things like shopping, or eating a lot) 治るんだって～。▼ (will cure it!) (skip a few lines) [ヘンリー]そうなんだ～。(Henry: I understand~.) じゃあ、やけ食いの方が好き？▼ (So you like overeating more?)

In the Japanese, Lissa's advice to Henry includes not only retail therapy, but also... overeating / binge eating. That's an understandably sensitive topic for the localization team to dodge.

It's true the localization does have Henry propose some comfort food food at the end of the convo... but I think Henry asking if Cordelia wants to eat a treat or two is different than proposing she full-on binge eats.

Henry / Nowi

C Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Nowi: No! I'm an adult woman who's more than a thousand years older than you! Henry: Oh, right! Nya ha ha! Sorry, short stuff!

Original Japanese:

[ノノ]ノノは子どもじゃないもん。(Nowi: Nowi's not a child!) 千年以上生きてる大人の女なんだから！▼ (Because Nowi is an adult woman who's lived for over 1,000 years!) [ヘンリー]あ、そうだったね。(Henry: Oh, that's right!) あはは、ごめんなさい、お姉さん。▼ (Ah ha ha, sorry, big sister!)

Ah, the 1,000 year old child-looking adult dragon. An FE classic.

But actually, the Japanese line was the same in this case! A young-looking character reiterating that they are totally an adult, isn't always an addition of the localization. (I say this because it was so in the main Fates script with Elise).

B Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Yep! They're probably quivering in fear under their beds and crying like babies. But no worries! There'll be more victim—er, that is, village kids—at our next camp. (skip a few lines) Henry: If they exchanged fire breath with you, they'd end up as little clumps of charcoal.

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]うん、たぶん無理だと思うよ～。▼(Henry: Yeah, I think it's probably no use~!) でも、いいじゃない。ほかの土地にも (But that's okay, isn't it? Because in other areas) 子どもはたくさんいるんだから。▼ (there's also lots of children.) (skip a few lines) [ヘンリー]うーん…僕には空を飛んだり (Henry: Hmm... I can't fly in the sky) ブレスを吹いたりできないしなぁ。▼ (or blow fire breath, or anything like that.)

Here, the localization added a bit to Henry's morbidity. In the Japanese, he didn't joke around and start to call the children he and Nowi played with victims, or go so far as to describe that her fire breath would turn them to charcoal.

While Henry is morbid and sarcastic in the Japanese, this is further proof that the localization did add in some extra. Which again, makes up for some of the gap left without the tilde ~ in English.

Henry / Tharja

C Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Sure! You want me to cast a death curse on someone? Tharja: Someone in camp? Mmm... No. That could be problematic. Henry: Hee hee! Yeah, I guess. Too bad, though. See, 'cause I've got one that makes blood come out your—

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]そうなんだ～。(Henry: Did you now~?) じゃ、ちょっと呪いあってみる～？▼ (Then shall I try casting a teensy-weensy curse on them?) [サーリャ]結構よ…。仲間同士で (Tharja: You don't have to...) 潰し合っても、不毛なだけだから…。▼ (For allies to kill each other, would be meaningless...) [ヘンリー]あはは、それは残念だな～。▼ (Henry: Ah ha ha, that's too bad~.)

The morbid joke about exactly what kind of curse Henry wants to try out - one that involves making blood come out from... somewhere - was a small add-on in the localization. This chunk of the exchange otherwise follows the Japanese.

Eng. NA Localization:

Tharja: Ugh... Hale? Hearty? Have you no respect for our ancient profession? We're supposed to be harbingers of pestilence and famine and doom! Henry: Mm... I love doom.

Original Japanese:

[サーリャ]健全で純真ですって…？(Tharja: Healthy...? Pure...?) …呪いを使う者が、よく言う…。▼(...Well said for a spellcaster of curses...) …まぁいいわ…くれぐれも (...Whatever... don't keep) おかしな真似はしないことね。▼ (acting weird, alright?) [ヘンリー]は～い。▼ (Henry: Okaaaaaay.)

The exact ending of the C Support is ever so slightly different. In both, Tharja basically says to Henry to act more like a dark mage, but the little joke about "doom" was added.

B Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Hello, Tharja! Tharja: *Mumble, mumble* *hiss* Henry: Heey! Did you just put a curse on me? Tharja: Yes, Now, if you do not speak the truth, you will DIE! Answer me clearly and without hesitation. Are you a foreign spy? Henry: Nope! Not me! Although I do own a cloak and a couple daggers. Tharja: Who do you serve? Ylisse or Plegia? Henry: Aw, I don't get into politics. I just want to toss fireballs at bad guys.

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]…あれ？　これって…。▼ (Henry: ...Huh? This is...) [サーリャ]…思ったよりあっさりかかったわね。▼ (Tharja: ...That was much easier than I thought it would be.) [ヘンリー]あ、やっぱりサーリャだ。(Henry: Ah, I knew it, it's you Tharja!) 僕に呪いをかけたね～？▼ (You cast a curse on me, didn't you?) [サーリャ]えぇ…これで私の前では (Tharja: Yes... Now, before me) 嘘や隠しごとはできないわよ…。▼ (you cannot lie or hide anything...) 正直に答えなさい… (Answer me honestly...) 貴方、誰かのスパイじゃないでしょうね…？▼ (You aren't anyone's spy, are you?) [ヘンリー]うん、スパイじゃないよ～。▼ (Henry: Nope, I'm not a spy~!) [サーリャ]じゃあ、貴方は…ペレジアと (Tharja: So you... between Plegia) イーリスと、どっちの味方…？▼ (And Ylisse, which are you an ally of...) [ヘンリー]ん～…味方とか、よくわかんないな～。(Henry: Hm~... I don't really know who's ally I am~.) 悪いと思った奴と戦うだけじゃダメなの？▼ (Is it wrong to just fight whoever I think is bad?)

A few little tweaks here. Tharja is in the middle of casting her curse in her first line in the localization, whereas in the Japanese, it was already over, and she was making a comment as to how easy it was to do. And then, Henry's quips were added onto a bit in localization.

A Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Hecka-necka, jimma-jamma, woozle-wazzle! Aaand presto! Curse dispelled! Actually not dispelled. I tossed it back at the original sender. Hee hee!

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]あ、それなら大丈夫だよ～。(Henry: Ah, if it's that, that's fine~.) 僕がもうはね返しておいたから～。▼ (Because I already bounced it back~.)

Henry's "chant" was added in localization. In the Japanese, by the time Henry says his line, he's already sent the curse back to its caster.

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Well, usually I disarm foes by removing their arms. But your way sounds impressive, too!

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]あはは、だから最初に言ったじゃない～。(Henry: Ah ha ha, that's what I said in the beginning, isn't it~?) 僕は健全で純真な心の持ち主だって。▼ (I have a healthy and pure heart.) でも、嬉しいなぁ～、(But I'm happy~.) サーリャに褒めてもらえて～。▼ (I was complemented by you~.)

And the localization was just taking advantage of an opportunity to make a disarming pun here, it was not already in the Japanese.

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Wizard fight! Wizard fight! Yaaaaaay!

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]わぁ～。サーリャ、こわ～い。▼(Henry: Eeeeek~! Tharja is scaaaary~!)

In the Japanese, Henry doesn't get excited to have a wizard fight with Tharja, but he still does act pretty goofy by pretending to be scared of her.

S Support

Somehow, I don't have anything to add to this one! Henry really does run off to have an engagement ring made after Tharja says she will accept his proposal if he agrees to protect Robin.

Henry / Cherche

C Support

The C Support adds a number of little bits to Henry's dialogue, again just to play up his goofiness more, because English lacks a symbol like the Japanese tilde ~.

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Sure have! She's as cute as a button, that one. ...Well, if buttons were cute. We had wyverns in Plegia, you know, and also the occasional fell beast. But we didn't have a single wyvern that was as pretty as Minerva.

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]うん！(Henry: Yeah!) かわいいよね～、ミネルヴァ！▼ (Minerva sure is cute~!) ペレジアにも (In Plegia too,) ドラゴンナイトはいたけど、▼ (there were wyvern knights, but) この子くらいかわいい飛竜はいなかったよ～！！▼ (There weren't any as cute as this wyvern~!)

There was no mention of buttons in the Japanese version, Henry just says Minerva is cute.

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Yep! I make four-legged friends wherever I go! And even some two-legged ones. I'm also pals with a three-legged bear, but that's a story for another time.

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]僕は自然と友達だから (Henry: I'm friends with nature, so) みんなと仲良しなんだよ～。▼ (I get along with all of them~.)

No mention of a three-legged bear friend in Japanese. Not that Japanese Henry wouldn't be excited to befriend a three-legged bear.

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Yowza! Sh-she tried to bite me! Look, I'm bleeding! Mmm, blood...

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]ひゃあっ！　噛まないで～！▼ (Henry: Hyaaah! Don't bite me~!)

And the localization added in the fact that Henry was bleeding, and excited to see it.

B Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Aw, it's fine. I bet I just give off some kind of animal aura. Or maybe she thought I was a big ham? I do smell kind of ham-like.

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]あはは、僕って (Henry: Ah ha ha, I) 獣っぽい気配がするみたい～。▼ (it seems I have an animal-like aura~.) だから獲物だと勘違いしたのかもしれないね～。▼ (So maybe she mistook me for prey~.)

Henry doesn't propose that maybe he smells like ham, rather, in the Japanese, he thought that maybe Minerva mistook him for prey.

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: Well, when I was young, my best friend in the entire world was a giant wolf. My parents ignored me most of the time, so that wolf became my whole family. Then one day she came to visit me, and some hunters in the village... They shot her full of arrows. Killed her on the spot.

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]うん！　実は、昔仲良しの狼がいたんだ。(Henry: Yeah! Actually, long ago, there was a wolf I was friends with.) 僕、親に放ったらかしにされてたから、▼ (I was neglected by my parents, so) 小さい頃の親友と言うか、(You could call them a friend I had when I was young,) ほとんど家族みたいなものだったんだけど～▼ (or something like family, but~) ある日その狼が僕に会いに来たとき、(One day, when they came to see me,) 周りにいた大人たちに殺されちゃって…。▼ (they were killed by the adults around us...)

In the Japanese, Henry doesn't refer to the wolf's killers as "hunters," but "adults."

Also, the Japanese doesn't hint at whether the wolf was male or female, so I went with neutral pronouns.

A Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Cherche: I'm very happy that you like Minerva and you two get along so well. But I think you need to spend more time with human friends—namely, me. So I'm going to carry out my patrol on foot, and you're coming with me.

Original Japanese:

[セルジュ]ミネルヴァちゃんと仲良くなってくれるのは (Cherche:) とっても嬉しいんだけど、▼ (I'm very happy that you've become friends with Minerva-chan, but) あなたは本当の意味で人と接することをもっと重ねるべきだと思う。▼ (I think you should have more experiences getting truly close to people.) 偵察は私たちふたりで行きましょう。(Let's go on patrol together.) 私、あなたともっと仲良くなりたいわ。▼ (I want to become better friends with you.)

The localization of the A support was a pretty straightforward translation of the Japanese for the most part, but this bit of Cherche's dialogue from near the end is subtly different.

I think the localization subtracts a little from the real meaning of what Cherche is trying to get across to Henry - it's not that he doesn't spend time with people, its that when he does, he doesn't form meaningful relationships with them. The exact nuance is different.

S Support

Eng. NA Localization:

Henry: I figured the old dogs would be barking, so I brought a homemade bunion salve. Cherche: Why, thank you, Henry! But how did you know? Henry: We've been on so many patrols together, I've memorized your whole routine. After this, you'll put a cold towel on your head and drink a cup of hot elderberry tea.

Original Japanese:

[ヘンリー]はい、これ。(Henry: This is for you.) 薬に漬けた湿布だよ～。▼ (A wet compress soaked in medicine~.) [セルジュ]あら、ありがとう。(Cherche: Oh my, thank you.) 脚が張っていたの、気づいてたの？▼ (You noticed that my legs are swollen?) [ヘンリー]うん。だって、あれから毎日 (Henry: Yup! After all, since then, every day) 二人で偵察に行ってたんだもん。▼ (we've gone on patrol together!) もうセルジュのことなら (If it's about you) なんでもわかるようになっちゃったよ～。▼ (then I already know everything there is to know~.)

Henry's treatments for Cherche after their patrol together were a bit different in Japanese.

The localization even added in elderberry tea when no mention of drinks was made before. Who on the team was such a fan of elderberry tea that it's the only tea anyone on the Awakening cast drinks? I'll always wonder.

Eng. NA Localization:

Cherche: Goodness, Henry, but this is sudden. However, I have found myself...thinking about you a lot lately. Ever since we met, I've wanted to know the real man behind that jolly facade. And this would be a chance to do just that. Very well, Henry, I accept your proposal!

Original Japanese:

[セルジュ]ふふ…やっとその笑顔を (Cherche: Tee hee...) 私にも向けてくれるようになったのね。▼ (You're finally in a place where you make that smile at me!) …私も、あなたが好きよ。(...I love you too.) 友達になりたいっていうのは嘘。▼ (It was a lie when I said that I wanted to be friends with you.) 本当はずっと、あなたの心が知りたい、(To be honest, I've always wanted to know your heart,) 誰よりも近くにいたいって思ってた。▼ (and to become closer to you than anyone else.) 毎日変わっていくあなたを… (You've been changing bit by bit every day...) これからも一番傍で見ていたいわ。▼ (I want to continue to see you at my side more than anyone else is.)

The localization left out the full extent of what Cherche was saying - that she's had romantic feelings for Henry for quite a long time before this conversation.

Henry / Olivia

So I saved Henry / Olivia for last and went a little out of recruitment order, because I remembered this conversation being pretty different in localization vs the Japanese. So I wanted to save "the big one" for last.

First, I want to point out that I did a full translation of this support chain several years ago now (*Checks post history* Wait... EIGHT years ago?! Dang!), so I don't really need to talk about specific lines. You can read and compare for yourself! I also posted the localized version below the Japanese in each post, so you you can save yourself an internet search.

C Support - B Support - A Support - S Support

Instead of discussing specifics, I'll just wrote some of my general thoughts in a few paragraphs.

In the C support, I think it's unfortunate that the localization downplayed Henry's original intentions for choosing to kill the dog. He does not try to fight the dog's death, if it is the only way to relieve its pain. If death is its fate, he accepts it. It's great nuance for his character, that I think was the highlight of the convo.

In the B support, I remembered thinking that the localization really changed this one, but that's not as true as I thought it was. In summary, Olivia thinks that Henry's sense of humor is a coping mechanism and his smiles aren't genuine. But Henry rejects that interpretation and says he just is who he is. That's same in both versions. The biggest change is to Henry's backstory at the "wizarding" school. Now that I look back on it, I actually see a good possibility as to why the localization chose to make this change. Saying that Henry experienced brutal pain and injuries because of "experiments gone wrong" still conveys that his teachers were terribly abusive - because healthy teachers would not be assigning magic training that could be so easily dangerous - but it isn't as graphic as "bad children were beaten senseless!" Child abuse is a pretty common trigger, so I get why the localization team would want to tweak this part of the convo a bit.

For the A and S supports, I don't have anything major to mention.

Also, throughout the entire support chain, Henry calls Olivia "crazy lady." I don't know exactly how I feel about this, because it feels a little out of place with the rest of his sense of morbid humor. But he does get a little sarcastic and sassy with people when they get on his nerves in any way - which Olivia very much is doing, by trying to say his outward personality is trauma coping and not genuine. So the more I think about it, the more I think it fits his personality fine.

So as my final conclusion, I can say that Henry / Olivia is the most changed of all Henry's supports in localization, but even then, that's only saying so much.

-----------------------------

And so, that's that! Generally speaking, Henry's conversations were pretty faithfully translated; with minor changes here and there, mostly to convey his sense of humor due to English's lack of the ~ tilde symbol used in dialogue. I only found a couple of more major changes, none of them particularly conversation-altering.

Henry's such a fun character to begin with that the localization team only had to make some subtle changes here and there to get his exact sense of humor and personality across, wherever it might have otherwise been lost in translation. And they did a pretty good job with that! Only a small selection of changes made me scratch my head a bit. Overall, good work all around.

Thanks for reading! :)

#fire emblem #fire emblem 13 #fe13 #awakening #fire emblem awakening #fe awakening #japan #japanese #support conversation #henry #henry fire emblem #support conversation analysis #translation #localization

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