I am-a Mario, the true self

Artist: mayu

Just in case you haven't seen 'em already :P

(Sorry, there's none for Ruha :/)

Bonus Karma Temple Guard + Brahman!

Lately I've been so frustrated that I just didn't have the energy to draw during the week at ALL, so I pushed myself to stat and finish ONE freaking drawing at least.

Technically used a base as inspo but went my own way lmao.

I think that's because I kind of see him as a healthier Heat, who's not as obsessed with Sera, or who at least was able to move past his obsession in death. I also really like the contrast between his role as a doctor and his other self's lack of self-control and impulsivity.

While watching DDS2 cutscenes in Japanese on youtube I stumbled upon pretty interesting differences with the English localisation in the Vritra pre-boss cutscene. (English reference, Japanese reference)

DISCLAIMER: I am still learning Japanese and it's completely possible I made mistakes! I'll only speak of things I am reasonably certain I got right.

English Heat says "I told you I was strong, Sera", while Japanese Heat (Hito) simply says that he's acquired "the greatest power".

When Sera asks that he let her talk to God, Heat responds with "Talk to ME!" while Hito claims that he is God.

Those are small differences but they make the scene read very differently to me. In English, Heat flaunts his newfound strength in Sera's face, but he is clearly still bitter about her choosing Serph over him; the first line is a direct callback to his words in DDS1: "Serph can't protect you! Can't you see that I'm stronger than him!?". In Japanese, there's no reference to that scene being made, as far as I can tell, and Hito is just on a MASSIVE power trip.

His response to Sera asking to talk to God is somewhat incoherent in both versions: Japanese Heat is kind of delusional, English Heat doesn't actually answer her at all. But again the English localization emphasizes Heat's affection for Sera. Both lines convey the same idea - that Sera should talk to him and not to God - but for different reasons: Hito is so gorged off his own strength that he thinks he is on the same level as God, while English Heat doesn't suggest anything of the sort; he's throwing a tamper tantrum that she could want to talk to anyone but him. Again, he's still hurt that she chose Serph over him, he wants her all to himself, and his jealousy and anger surface in this incredibly possessive expression of his affection.