Katherine Violet

She/Her ENG/SPN. Sally Face/Pokemon/dhmis/TOH/Stardew Valley/Arcane/PJO&HOO/Huntik/EPIC: The Musical/Original Stories

[zipsunz]

hermit // fortune

[ 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 ]

[volkodava]

Answer for art-ask!

[volkodava]

Answer to ask, which I drew for an indecently long time

[keriro]

kiss ur homie prank !!!

[fishuus]

a short junpei and shinjiro scene, vaguely set in early september.

(sorry to have to explain the bit but since this is literally just my hc - i tend to assume junpei's father smokes heavily in addition to his drinking problem, and now that he's out in the dorms, junpei finds himself slightly annoyed by the smell of cigarette smoke.)

[batboltz]

BROS WEEK 2025 DAY TWO: MUSIC

yes it's a hsm reference i'm brainrotted on these movies rn it's embarrassing

[starclast]

These two ships are...actually more similar than what I expected 😮✨✨

[starclast]

Expectation vs Reality (Mini Comic)

Expectation:

Reality:

[cutiedews]

It is so VERY satisfying seeing all of Em's Farm Animals together in one place. Is anyone else a birder? Because it's also so satisfying seeing real world birds depicted in pixel form. :)

Em's Farm Animals (collection bundle)

A complete bundle of Em's farm animals, including all coop and barn animals. Available for CP and AT.

[limach-an]

[limach-an]

d2

[kathviolet17]

Alert! Pranksters spotted in the (home)town!

A little Deltarune fanart as I practiced the fish eye lens effect (It's far from perfect, but I'm pretty proud of it, being my first attempt and all of that)

No lighting + line art below the cut!

Program: Ibis Paint X

Time: 3h 45 min

Mini bonus: pen and paper sketch/thumbnail

[kathviolet17]

You Idol

Sebastian (Stardew Valley) x Saja Boys (KPop Demon Hunters)

Inspiration kicked in and decided to draw Sebby as one of the Saja Boys in their demon form.

[kathviolet17]

I recently decided to make some tradicional Pokémon art, so I pulled a couple of cards (they are classified by type) and made a little ilustration inspired by the card art.

(someone in the subreddit of r/Pokemonart said that the teddiursa card was a fake one, but I really don't mind)

[adhd-wifi]

妖魔鬼怪 - In MDZS Context

A quick and easy guide to the “evil creature” classification as it is presented in MDZS & CQL, as explained by Wei WuXian and Lan QiRen in canon. Disclaimer: I don’t read a lot of wuxia/xianxia and if the genre covers this I wouldn’t know. I’m 100% basing this off MDZS and only MDZS lol. 

To Note: All four individual characters carry negative connotations by default. 《妖魔鬼怪》as a whole refers to the creatures to be exterminated by the cultivators. There are more positive terms for more positive creatures (example: 仙 (xiān) meaning “fairy”) but those won’t be covered in this post. Also artefact spirits such as sword spirits will also not be covered as they seem to form their own category in the context of this story. 

妖 (yāo) - Formed from living non-humans (plants and animals)

The XuanWu likely falls under this category, along with the giant evil snakes that show up a lot in the anime.

Non-MDZS examples could include things like fox spirits, bamboo spirits etc.

Things like mermaids, dryads and goblins (living but was never human) can be categorised here if seen as generally malicious

“妖” is commonly translated as “spirit” or “demon” (in a sense of being similar to Japanese yōkai) in English, but there’s not an exact translation

魔 (mó) - Formed from living humans

The “corpse puppets” from CQL would fall in this category, since the humans aren’t technically dead when they become “corpse puppets”. I don’t think there were any actual examples in the original MDZS itself though???

Non-MDZS examples could include things like the futakuchi-onna from Japanese folklore (two-mouthed woman), (evil) witches that dabble in “bad” magic etc.

“魔” itself CAN mean “demonic” and/or “evil” on its own (not always), so I’m assuming that in MDZS at least, “demons” are seen as human-based 

“魔” is commonly translated as “demon” or “devil” in English, but can refer to a malicious magical being as it also as it also can mean “magic” depending on its use

鬼 (guǐ) - Formed from dead humans

Fierce corpses, water ghouls, and wandering ghosts such as Wei WuXian’s giggling ghost ladies and A-Qing’s spirit fall into this category 

Specifically anything that becomes non-human from a human after they actually die

Non-MDZS examples could include things like jiangshi (Chinese zombie-vampire hopping ghost), hanged ghosts, pocong (Indonesian burial shroud ghost), basically anything ghost-like or zombie-like etc.

“鬼” is the easiest to translate to English, almost perfectly translating to “ghost”

怪 (guài) - Formed from dead non-humans (plants and animals)

No given examples in MDZS/CQL

Non-MDZS examples could include things like a haunted dead tree stump (suggested by Wei WuXian in canon), the inugami from Japanese folklore (vengeful spirit of a dead dog)

100% would not look human in its true form (disregarding shapeshifting abilities)

Probably usually violent and feral

“怪” is commonly translated as “monster”, and when used in a phrase would describe something “weird” at best, and “monstrous” at worst. E.g 妖怪 (yāo guài) - “Monstrous Spirit”, 魔怪 (mó guài) - “Monster Demon”

[tamingwangxian]

Wei Wuxian’s Cultivation Method

We were asked a series of questions pertaining to Wei Wuxian’s cultivation that were fairly interesting.  We’ve decided to sum up the contents of our reply here. (This reply occurred over a series of messages so I’ve rearranged the answers and questions it to the best that I can) 

What would be the most appropriate form to address Wei Wuxian’s cultivation?  Should it be called the “devil/monster path 魔道 (Mó dào)” or the “ghost path / 鬼道 (Guǐ dào)?  And how does that apply in the context of the book? (妖魔鬼怪 (yāo mó guǐ guài) was the term that Lan Qiren used describe the various creatures in the novel)

If he’s not using the “devil/monster path/ 魔道”, then how does 邪魔歪道 (xié mó wāi dào]) and 邪门歪道 (xié mén wāi dào) come into play?  This phrase has been used by various characters (ie. Jin Zixuan) to describe his mode of cultivation.  

To answer question 1, you’d need to revert back to Chapter 13 of the novel.

This was in chapter 13: 

 "我问你，妖魔鬼怪，是不是同一种东西 / “I’ll ask you this; are yao, mo, gui, guai the same thing?”

” 魏无羡笑道：“不是。” / Wei Wuxian smiled as he replied, “‘No, they aren’t.”

“为何不是？如何区分” /  “How are they different? How can they be differentiated?”

“妖者非人之活物所化；魔者生人所化；鬼者死者所化；怪者非人之死物所化.” / “Yao are created from non-human living beings; Mo are created from humans; Gui are created from the deceased; Guai are created from dead non-humans. ” 

 This exchange occurred when  Lan Qiren questions Wei Wuxian on the classification of monsters, of which the book establishes that 魔 (Mo - devil/monster) from living (humans), and 鬼 (Gui - ghost) from the deceased (humans). Hence, based on this definition, as he’s only shown to animate the dead (humans) in the novel, it’s quite safe to say that he’s practicing 鬼道. (Ghost path.)  C-fans have an additional meta that Wei Wuxian himself is a living person, so in terms of classification, he can only be classified as someone who is a “魔 (Mo - devil/monster)” (from a living person), practicing the “ghost” path. (ie. resurrecting the dead).  To confirm this theory, “魔道 - devil/monster path” has only been mentioned once in the novel,  “鬼道.- Ghost path” has been used 12 times.  Wei Wuxian himself has also addressed that he “修鬼道” (cultivates the ghost path).   (As a note, 妖魔鬼怪 itself is a general idiom that refers to all beings that are seen to be evil. MXTX takes the idiom apart in the context of this novel) Onto Question 2 (You might need to understand Chinese to fully appreciate this but I’ll try to explain it anyway).

邪魔歪道 itself is a common idiom which traditionally means to “stray from the traditional (or orthodox) path” [baidu dictionary definition] but it could also mean demonic/evil ways.  This phrase is also commonly used in Buddhism teaching.  “魔” in modern Buddhism loosely refers to Mara, a demon that claims lives and obstructs good deeds.  The other term 邪门歪道 is a synonym of the former but without the religious connotations. 

So here something that’s very interesting - this manner of which interpretation is used seems to depend on what the user is thinking.  In Chapter 7 (footnote 7) Wei Wuxian has interestingly referred to his type of cultivation as “the cultivation method that he practiced in the past.”  Also, in Chapter 14, when questioned by Lan Qiren, Wei Wuxian brings up the idea of a “fourth” source of power (ie. ghost path); and he questions as to why resentful energy can’t be used as a reservoir of power.  From this, we can actually infer that Wei Wuxian feels that it is a source of unorthodox power, but not necessarily evil. 

Contrarily, it’s obvious that the rest of the characters deem that his methods are downright evil.  So hence, they would interpret idiom as demonic/evil ways.

Interestingly though,  it seems like 邪魔歪道 were used by people in the "orthodox” clans - Jiang Cheng, Jin Ling, Jin Zixuan, etc. On the other hand, 邪门歪道 was used by Xue Yang and WWX. In the same way that 邪魔歪道 is more closely linked to religious teachings, the unorthodox is deemed as “evil”, hence the term 邪魔歪道 becomes a more fitting term used by those in the orthodox camp. References (they’re all in Chinese): (1) Definition of 魔，(2) Definition of 邪魔外道，(3) Definition of 邪门歪道 (4) Definition of 妖魔鬼怪 (4) Chinese Meta - Wei Wuxian is a central character in MDZS, why is he on the 鬼道 (ghost path) and not the 魔道 (devil/monster) path?

[palant1r]

a ramble re: guns and death note

something that's really fascinating to me, and something that i think reflects the creators' lack of knowledge/research rather than intentional characterization, is like. okay, so, Soichiro's whole Thing is that he believes that the power to kill is inherently evil and corrupting. But he also uses a gun at several points in canon. He points a gun at the TV people, he points a gun at his own son, he uses a gun in the raid. And like. That's part of why, even in a death note AU where blanks actually work like they do IRL and light gets his fuckin eye blown out, I think Soichiro would go along with L's plan without considering that it might result in serious injury. Because someone who is willing to point a gun at other people in a combat situation yet simultaneously believes the power to kill is evil and that they could never kill someone is someone with a fundamentally unbalanced view of the world. I don't think this dichotomy is intentional, but I think it reflects Light's own self-delusion in a really interesting way. Soichiro believes very strongly that killing is wrong, and yet he repeatedly puts himself in a position where he could easily end someone's life and is...pretty careless about it, tbh. Like, PSA: if you never want to kill someone, NEVER POINT A GUN AT ANOTHER PERSON.

It's an interesting dichotomy between Soichiro and Matsuda as well, I think. Like, Soichiro seems to be operating under the assumption that his intention with a firearm is going to be reflected in the results. In canon, this is never challenged, but it should go without saying that this is NOT a good way to think about guns. Meanwhile Matsuda knows exactly what he's doing and the risks he's dealing with — he knew damn well shooting Light could kill him, that was his whole goal. So we get this interesting contrast between two people who have pointed guns at Light. Ironically, though Matsuda is far more willing to kill people with a gun than Soichiro is, I would trust Matsuda with gun safety far more.

[kiranatrix]

I think it’s more accurate to say that Soichiro is against killing people as easily and thoughtlessly as the Death Note allows, and that Kira operates as a vigilante rather than within the bounds of the law Soichiro adheres to. In his view, the Japanese government has endowed him with the right to carry a gun as a cop and it is lawful if he uses it in the course of that duty or self defense. He recognizes the weight of carrying a gun in canon and the responsibility it entails, like when he declines to carry one because he isn’t a police officer anymore.

He can definitely cause harm by carrying a gun lawfully but it’s also important to note that Soichiro has never killed anyone before, with a gun or otherwise. He just can’t do it, and he’d probably only shoot to stop if ever. He could have shot Mello and couldn’t write Mello’s name in the Death Note either despite Light’s pleading for him to.

On the other hand, Matsuda’s actions shooting Light went beyond what was needed to stop him, and he no doubt would have killed Light if the other officers hadn’t restrained him.

Matsuda let his emotions of betrayal and anger take precedence over his duty to follow the law with regards to how he’s allowed to use guns as a cop. That was vigilantism (not to say I don’t understand why he did it or felt that). He used a deadly weapon carelessly and thoughtlessly, enacting his own will without concern for the laws, like Kira.

One extra tidbit about guns is L’s interesting nonchalance about them, even urging Light to take one in the helicopter before Light got his memories back. Light’s refusal is ironic and a funny mirroring of his Dad’s beliefs about ‘following the law.’

[palant1r]

This is a really interesting addition, and I think you're putting out some very good analysis here! I think we're talking about slightly different things, but your thing is definitely a thing I wanna talk about.

When I talk about the difference between how Soichiro and Matsuda treat guns, I'm not really referring to the circumstances under which they think violence is legitimate or how they adhere to the law. What I'm talking about is far more basic: gun safety. We can debate all day about whether or not Matsuda's actions in the warehouse were over the top or just. The fact is, he knew what he was doing. He aimed a gun at Light and pulled the trigger with intent to kill. He knew and accepted the likely result of his actions. Meanwhile, when Soichiro aimed his gun at Light and pulled the trigger, he did so fully intending that Light would survive. Within the logic of Death Note itself, he was right to believe this — it wouldn't necessarily be accurate to hold it against Soichiro's character, or judge him based on whether or not that would be safe in the real world. But I think that judging him by real-world standards, namely that it is extremely unsafe to point a gun loaded with blanks at someone and ESPECIALLY pull the trigger, opens up an interesting dichotomy, because it makes Soichiro someone who believes that his ideals will be reflected in the consequences of his actions regardless of what his actions are. I freely admit that this analysis is not operating under the core assumptions of Death Note canon, and I'm being nitpicky. The reason I say I'd trust Matsuda more with gun safety isn't because he's less willing to use a gun than Soichiro — that's obviously untrue. It's because he'll only point a gun at someone he's willing to watch die.

But I think you're opening up a very interesting venue of analysis re: Soichiro, Matsuda and guns — namely, how they relate to lawful authority. I think you're spot-on that Soichiro believes that a firearm is a responsibility endowed to him as an officer of the law, and it really reflects his ideals that he won't use a gun when he's no longer in the NPA. Soichiro believes in a legitimate framework of authority supported by the institution he works for, and he uses that lens to determine what force it is acceptable for him to exercise.

When we look at Matsuda through that lens, we run across something that makes it hard to judge him by the same standard. See, in Death Note canon, the rule of law starts to break down over the timeskip. It's implied that the Japanese police, except for the task force, are basically complicit in Kira's actions. After all, Takada believed Light without question when he said the police wanted to help Kira, and as a reporter basically exclusively reporting on Kira she would certainly know what the general attitudes towards Kira were within the government. Mikami, a government employee, is able to show his face on TV blatantly supporting Kira with no professional repercussions, so it's fair to say that Kira sympathy is at least acceptable if not encouraged in the prosecutors' office. We know that many world leaders are complicit in if not supportive of Kira's actions. I would hazard a guess that the Task Force was keeping their actions secret from the NPA at large — if they weren't, a lot of things stop making much sense.

So where does that leave the task force when it comes to the legitimate exercise of deadly force? Who determines what is lawful and just? That becomes a lot less clear-cut as the manga continues. There is no longer a legitimate framework of institutional authority because of Kira. If the task force were to adhere to the same framework of the rule of law that Soichiro did pre-timeskip, they'd end up as Kira supporters.

Matsuda shooting Light is certainly vigilante justice, because at that point the task force and SPK are basically vigilantes. They are operating to ensure justice in a way that would not be accepted by law enforcement authority of the time. The SPK in particular are textually operating outside the law, and it's their leader that Matsuda ends up saving.

I could argue that Matsuda's actions aren't actually particularly divergent from what a law enforcement officer would do in that situation. I could also argue that the whole concept of determining the legitimacy of the use of violent force by what's acceptable to police is a dangerous fallacy. But I don't think that really matters here, because I don't think Matsuda was really acting as a police officer in that moment. He was acting as a very hurt man faced with a friend who led someone he admired to his death — a serial killer that was actively trying to kill again.

Also, L, oh my God. The way he's holding that gun, it was probably pointed at his thigh. Violating yet ANOTHER basic rule of gun safety. If Matsuda's the character I trust most with a gun, L is the one I trust LEAST, between that and the whole blank plan. I don't know why the hell he thought giving Light a gun would be a good idea, either. I think L's nonchalance about guns is certainly interesting. He clearly sees them as a tool, not for their intended purpose, but because what they represent and threaten can be used in his manipulative little games. A big brain wouldn't save him from a misfire that shoots him in the dick, though

[kiranatrix]

This is such a fun convo, I love all your points (and lol about L shooting himself in the dick ahsjjdkdk). I think that in the Matsuda vs. Light shooting, Matsuda’s first three shots (all the ones he made) were completely justifiable legally, and would be in Soichiro’s eyes too, because they were meant to stop Light without killing him. They were surgically precise— Matsuda is a damn good shot. He didn’t start out with the intent to kill Light, but he got there.

Shot #1: Light is trying to write Near’s name with a pen and the scrap of Death Note. He shoots the pen from Light’s hand.

Shots #2 and 3: Light is wounded in the hand but continues trying to write the name in blood and almost succeeds. Matsuda shoots him twice more to stop that. Once in the shoulder and once in the side.

The shoulder shot means Light can’t write at all now. The side shot incapacitated him but not fatally.

It’s the shot that Matsuda intends to make that would be vigilante justice. Matsu makes his intentions known at that point:

And the rest of the team knows what this is, or would be, and they stop him and mess up his fatal shot. Matsuda was aiming for Light’s head.

So what flipped the switch for Matsuda from following Soichiro’s ideals vs wanting to kill? It’s an interesting question but I think it is Soichiro himself, or the respect that Matsuda had for his dead boss that pushed him over the edge. Matsuda brings Soichiro up just before shooting Light the second/third time.

Light’s response hurts Matsuda so badly because he is one of those overly earnest people who now realizes he’s been made a fool of, not by criminals but by Light/Kira, his own friend. And that Soichiro truly did die for nothing along with many other people, and Light really believed that Matsuda would kill for him too. God this was a great scene

[palant1r]

Matsuda shooting Light is my favorite moment in Death Note and I think you're really hitting the nail on the head as to why. Also, I just realized another reason why this moment is so perfect — bear with me...

Throughout the second half of Death Note, Near is positioned as L's successor, both practically and thematically. Light treats Near as an extension of L. But in the final scene, we learn that though Near is carrying on L's role, he doesn't carry on L's ideals. He breaks free of L's shadow, not treating the Kira investigation as a game or a grand determinant of justice. L thinks that Kira thinks himself "near God" and affords Kira some degree of respect, but Near calls Light a simple murderer. So we get this thing where a successor carries on the legacy of a dead prominent thematic figure, but in a way that subverts that previous thematic representation.

And I've just realized that Matsuda is doing the same thing. Throughout Death Note, he's kind of Soichiro's right hand, and obviously looks up to him. He's literally Soichiro's right hand at the raid that kills him, and he even refers to Soichiro as "dad" at one point. Just as Near takes up arms on L's behalf at the end, Matsuda takes up arms on Soichiro's behalf, pointing his gun at Light and firing just like Soichiro dead, basically avenging Light's father, whose death is his explicit motivation. He's acting as Soichiro's successor, but in the very act of doing so makes the choice to turn away from Soichiro's ideals.

The delicious irony of this dual successor takedown is that both L and Soichiro had a false successor in Light, who took both the roles of L and task force head. He's taken down by the very legacies he usurped. Near drives home the impersonal evil of Kira, while Matsuda is incensed by the personal evil of Kira. Name a more iconic duo.