silent_mizaelhill | Entries tagged with reference

One could wonder how this AU can be anything but a cut and dry character swap, but nonetheless, there you go. As such, events of note are listed below, in chronological order. Differences concerning characters during the events of the 'games' are not listed however--for those, they will be posted as the characters are 'revealed'. (So unfortunately, you still don't know if Yuuma's dead or not. ...Given the AU, you can assume a certain outcome.)

While Kaito and Faker are indeed involved with the Zexal Plot, Kaito is 'age swapped'; he replaces Haruto's role in the series, while Haruto takes his as the 'Number's hunter.
Events of Zexal largely happen as canonically seen, with exceptions being that Haruto, as Kaito's replacement, never encounters 'Mizael' (for good reasons). Because of this, he travels to the Barian World to seek out the Tachyon Dragon, an act that causes him to vanish even from memory.
Of further note is that Gauche and Droite were never brought up as numbers hunters, with Droite eventually becoming a promising young nurse, and Gauche himself going into psychiatrics before everything went to hell. (Gauche, however, would be the only one to escape Heartland, due to his connection to Yuuma and the fact that he fled the city almost immediately after his death. This would spare him from becoming trapped in the fog world.)
As it is--Don Thousand's plan to fuse the Barian and Human worlds begins, with Heartland at the epicenter. After reawakening Astral, Yuuma and his partner merge through Zexal in an attempt to stop this. However, Don Thousand is too powerful, and thus, they use another method.
Taking upon themselves the massive darkness flooding the area, they cut the merge, leaving only Heartland City effected. The process splits Yuuma from Astral, and causes the latter massive agony as his body is made solid, the power threatening to over take him. To prevent their plan from backfiring, he casts off a part of his soul in the form of an infant, instructing Yuuma to take it out of the city.
Though Yuuma does so, leaving the baby with someone who is fleeing with their son (this turns out to be Faker and Kaito), he returns to Heartland with hopes of saving Astral any way. Because of the flames devouring the city core, Faker eventually presumes Yuuma to be dead, adopting the infant as his own--he names the baby 'Haruto', after his presumably deceased elder son.
Yuuma meanwhile did not necessarily die, returning to Astral's location to instead find Eliphas. As Eliphas moved to refuse him passage, viewing these events as proof of the boy's failure however, Astral's control over the darkness slipped--the world began to shift, and Eliphas, caught in the energy, was made human.
Through the moments that followed, the Barians would be considered the Pyrrhic victors of the war, with Heartland City barely retaining its reputation as a vacation spot. However, as the power at Astral's 'control' affected the city, various alliances would shift--because of this, Heartland (the person) would enter Eliphas' employ, acting as the Doctor who oversaw Astral's ruined form, and ordering Droite, the nurse, to care for him directly.
This would in fact be a double agent-like situation; while Eliphas had the intentions of renewing Astral in order to purify him of the darkness which tainted him, Heartland's own actions were to ensure that the darkness locked inside his body be intensified, effectively reviving Don Thousand through the emissary itself, and thus ending the Astral world's forces for good.
The darkness however would not merely rely on 'Doctor' Heartland however--rather, some of it would take form again, as a second 'Black Mist'. This child would be discovered by Vector in the Fog World, helped to escape, and manipulated into leaving Heartland to meet with Haruto.
The encounter would make the boy suffer from an unknown illness, one which Faker struggled to 'cure'. Only Kaito, as it seemed, would realize that the source was Haruto's 'new friend' however, and he would thus plead with his father to allow them to leave for a small 'vacation'...
Kaito would in fact flee the country with his brother however, and for the next three years raise him on his own under the protection of the States, and a number of laws. Faker, during this time, would search in vain for his children, regretting what madness he had inflicted on them, while Black Mist would retreat to Heartland, eventually turning on Vector's plans of usurping 'God' and joining the very Order that would unwittingly revive Don Thousand, due to an indescribable desire hardwired into his mind.
Faker would die when Haruto was ten, and Kaito 18, the latter only then gaining the right to officially care for his brother on his own. Stricken by guilt (as while Faker had 'lost it', he still had many pleasant memories of his father), Kaito would have a few days of upset, before Haruto offered a vacation to 'Heartland'.
For you see, the evacuation of Heartland had been passed off as an explosion. After the initial merge and battle, the city settled back into the illusion of the normal city for the most part--at least from the outside. Quieter, and a little foggier, but no less the 'vacation' it was supposed to be, right?
Kaito would be hesitant. However, Haruto insisted, and so they went. They took a plane to a city outside of Heartland (as it would be much cheaper), and rented a car to drive to the city itself.
And as a white-blue figure appeared on the road there, they would crash...

Mental turmoil is a huge theme in Silent Hill, and a number of the monsters that appear in both Silent Hill and Silent Hill 3 are related to Alessa's--and as an extension, Heather's--fears and tastes. Thus, the same can be said for Mizael, in that his fears and hates often align with those of the 'Astral' in his world, and thus, with the canon series itself.

Noted fears include:

Fire; more than likely stemming from the incident experienced by Astral, an explosion of red and pain, he has a strong aversion to flame, and while the fear isn't paralyzing, it's clear that the sight of it brings discomfort.
Darkness; similar to Fire, this originates from the massive power that Astral absorbed in his sacrifice. This explains why Mizael carries a flashlight around, at any rate.
Mirrors; known as 'spectrophobia', Mizael will admit having a dislike for them, but 'dislike' doesn't cover it when you cover the ones in your home--or at least the ones you can't get rid of. The fear could stem from the fact that mirrors are often seen as 'windows to the soul'--and thus, from a subconscious knowledge of who his past incarnation was, and more importantly what he himself has the potential to become.
Dogs; a 'minor' fear, to the point where some mistake it for a mere dislike. He's shot quite a few mutated ones after all, and other than spending most of the time glaring at them, never seems to react any further to smaller breeds...

Of note among that which he detests, there is:

Most insects; it's implied that this used to be a childhood fear, though he claims to have outgrown it. The noted exception to this are moths, butterflies, dragonflies, and those similar in appearance to them. He hates locusts the most, though overall, his dislike for insects is rather minor, and more an annoyance if anything. One could argue this relates to the 'Fearsome Four of the Barian World', as three of them were insects.
Hospitals; potentially linked to Astral's own hellish experience, he doesn't enjoy seeking medical attention if he can help it, having a distinct lack of trust toward medical staff. He'll go if pressed, but will generally have a sour face the entire time, keeping a suspicious eye on just about everything. Hospitals and related could also be considered a minor fear, given that particular response.
Worms, Snakes, Leeches, etc; overall if it's long and 'slimy' in any way he doesn't tend to want to be near it. He seems rather insistent on the fact that snakes feel different from other reptiles as well, so it's best not to question why he still likes even the more serpentine dragons. As it is, this likely was drawn from Don Thousand and Black Mist(Zexal)'s use of tentacles, as well as the only non-insectoid member of the 'Fearsome Four' (who was a jellyfish).

For the sake of things making sense, and also to preserve an element of drama, the characters listed here are only those that Mizael himself knows of in some way. Thus, not everyone from Silent Hill 3, let alone Silent Hill proper, will be there.

The chart shows not only which character became who, but also the reasoning behind the choice, and any differences they may hold from either canon. With that in mind, hopefully this list proves useful!

Zexal Character	Silent Hill Counterpart & Justification	Noted Differences from Either Canon
Mizael	Heather Mason – Mizael was picked for his role after the roles of Harry, Cheryl, and Alessa were chosen, and rather amusingly the initial reasoning was rather weak; Heather has blond hair in the game, and while it's dyed (see the 'differences' note), the fact is still there. This led thoughts to snap to Mizael, in part for that reason (blond hair), and also due to the fact that not only does Mizael have a connection to Kaito somehow in canon (albeit through an entirely different circumstance), but also because, as a Barian, canon Mizael is inherently involved in plots involving reincarnation and the loss of memory concerning past lives. In addition to this, there is the story in canon that tells of how, when the power of the two Galaxy Eyes dragons meet, a great power will result—in Silent Hill, Cheryl and Alessa become one, and the result is the incubator or the incubus, depending on how the endings pan out.	While Mizael acts much like his canon self, personality-wise, he notably lacks the aversion to humans (for obvious reasons), and also comes across as somewhat more snarky (likely because he's an 18 year old trying to cope with a literal hell). He's also far more friendly toward Kaito, due to being raised by him as his younger brother, and more distrusting toward Durbe, what with the Durbe he knows being rather questionable in nature. That aside, his interest in dueling is somewhat minor compared to the expected, and while he has many other interests that would be expected of him, he additionally bears a few minor traits that nod toward his other selves within the AU--namely, a habit of collecting butterflies and dragonflies (Astral, who expressed interest in such creatures), and a mild guilty fondness for stuffed dragons (Haruto). Of further note are the following physical characteristics, decided on due to his relation to Astral and Haruto in the AU. While his eyes are still blue, he (as with any who had similar) lacks any markings on his skin. Additionally, his hair is not naturally blond, in fact growing out a pale blue that sits close to Haruto's shade--he rather obsessively touches up the roots to hide this (as he prefers blond), but one can still tell if they look. Obviously, his hair is also shorter; it was cut to keep from getting caught in things.
Kaito Tenjou	Harry Mason – Kaito was the first character whose role was chosen, alongside Haruto. Reasoning went that Harry's searching for Cheryl was a good mirror to Kaito's dedication to Haruto. As further plans stemmed from these decisions, there are few other reasons to give for them!	Despite taking Harry's role, Kaito is still seen as Haruto and Mizael's older brother, even with the latter's origins. He is merely 18 during the events of the first game, making him somewhat younger than Harry. While Zexal canon events do not occur for Kaito (who was merely seven at the time), he still has an interest in dueling and science--however, he also picks up a habit of writing, which result in a rather informative style of note-taking. By Mizael's time, it's implied that he managed to attain the credentials to make a living in one of those fields, or at least enough that he and his 'brother' can live comfortably at the apartment. Additionally, it's implied that overall, he was able to be 'happier' while raising Mizael from his toddler years, and according to his journal, he truly saw him as a younger brother despite initial reservations left behind from the events of Silent Hill.
Haruto Tenjou	Cheryl Mason – As with Kaito, Haruto was one of the first to have his role decided. Between creepy child tendencies in the early Zexal series, despite actually being a rather friendly and cheerful boy in the past, and his present relation with his brother, it becomes rather clear why the brothers were picked for these roles.	While the events of Zexal canon no longer involve the Tenjou's in their mess, a few things are of course here to consider. Being the split off of Astral's soul in the AU of course, he and Kaito are not biologically related. Additionally, though his illness growing up is severe, he overcomes it, and it's not nearly as life threatening as Zexal canon (though it does end up being one of the driving forces behind Kaito and him leaving their father's house--more on a separate journal.). Haruto is 10 when the events of the first game take place, despite being cast from Astral when Kaito was merely 7. This alters the ages of the three (Haruto, Astral, Mizael) somewhat, but otherwise does little else.
Astral	Alessa Gillespie – A few characters were considered for this role, but in the end it fell to Astral both for the physical resemblance he holds (hair colour, eye colour) to Haruto, but also for his ties to other worldly forces. The decision was further made when it was found that the inspiration for the design of the 'incubus', which results from Alessa and Cheryl's form of the incubator, originated from a demon 'designed' by Eliphas Levi... A fact which would also help decide the match to Dahlia.	While the events of Zexal occur in this AU, they end on a much graver note. When the Barian world begins to merge with the Human world, Astral and Yuuma as 'Zexal' manage to force the effects to only focus on Heartland, with Astral sacrificing himself to take on the Darkness. However, this backfires in the form of immense pain, and reality altering power, following along the lines of Alessa's power. Over all, Astral is thus still Astral in regard to his blunt and curious nature, despite what few moments of time he has to show it.
Eliphas	Dahlia Gillespie – Aside from the link to Eliphas, this match was decided additionally because of his canon connection to Astral. He 'leads' the Astral realm through what can be seen as fear, just as Dahlia runs the Order as its High Priestess. He 'created' Astral, and sees him as nothing but a tool and a weapon—Dahlia in turn abuses her daughter, through her twisted views of using the girl to birth 'God'. All in all, a suitable match for a 'bad parent'.	As mentioned under Astral's entry, the power emited by his massive sacrifice was quite reality altering, affecting even the Astral Realm. Eliphas would appear before Yuuma not long after Astral's sacrifice, standing again between the two as he felt that the boy's 'second chance' had only made things worse. However, Astral's power would lash out, 'grounding' Eliphas to earth. As such, Eliphas becomes entirely human, appearing as a man with light hair and odd eyes. His goal toward 'reviving God' is thus the following; human as he is, he gathers and recruits others in hopes of purifying Astral and reviving him as the 'weapon' he was meant to be, destroying the Barian taint that afflicts the area... Sadly, he ironically becomes manipulated by Don Thousand himself, ultimately contributing further to the taint and the end result of Don Thousand nearly reviving through Astral himself. Aside from that, he regards the Order's purpose with the same cold determination that the Eliphas of Zexal canon holds toward 'cleansing' the Astral world, appearing entirely calm about his actions, as opposed to fanatic. This seems to only intensify the 'wrongness' of things, really, as well as the lack of care held toward Astral.
Kazuma Tsukumo	Douglas Cartland – Kazuma was initially one of two options, with the other being Jinlong. This was because Douglas compares his deceased son to Heather at one point, and with Jinlong, this would bring the additional canon nod to Mizael's canonic past life. It was decided that was too obvious however, and so Kazuma was chosen for two reasons. First, while comparing Yuuma to Mizael may at first seem ridiculous, not only would his stubborn attitude toward things in the game's events likely lead easily to that assumption by the time it arises, but there would also be the implications of comparing Yuuma to his past lives within the AU—Astral and Haruto, in other words. Additionally, it creates an interesting counter against canon events. In the Zexal series, Kazuma helps Dr. Faker (Kaito and Haruto's father) to find the ruins that lead to Haruto's cure. Here in the AU however, Kazuma would instead lead another party to Kaito himself, thus resulting instead in the death of one of the Tenjou siblings.	Due to the events of the AU, Kazuma's exploration comes to a halt so to say, with the man spending events 'post zexal' searching in vain for his son. Due to the spoilers surrounding his son's place in the AU during that time, little else can be said--however, while he still holds relatively the same attitude toward things as in canon, the AU's events and very nature have 'loosened' his morals slightly... Or at least enough to carry a gun and know how to use it--and be willing, if pushed. (He does at least tell Mizael that 'vengeance never ends well', however, so he's still very clearly 'himself', canon-wise.)
Black Mist	Claudia Wolf – Another role which initially had competition, Black Mist would succeed over Vector for the role for a number of reasons. First, there was the connection to Astral, as Claudia and Alessa were close friends as children. Claudia became obsessed with a paradise in Alessa's name, whereas Black Mist was, until his 'chaos', obsessed with Astral's 'true purpose' (a phrase that brings Claudia's word to Heather to mind). Black Mist would take the power of a 'God' and believe himself one, attempting to create a new world before being defeated by Astral (and Yuuma). Claudia, meanwhile, would attempt to take the task of birthing 'God' herself after Heather rejected it, and as a result either be sacrificed to spawn an incomplete one, or even become a part of it... Before of course, being destroyed by Heather.	What with the relation of Claudia and Leonard in the game series, it can be assumed that Black Mist is a 'new Black Mist', lacking memory of the events of Zexal. Additionally, he spends much of his early life being manipulated from afar by Vector, interacting with Haruto during this time. He eventually betrays Vector however, instead joining the 'Order' as he follows the 'purpose' that was planted in his mind at 'birth'; unlike Claudia of canon, Black Mist still retains his identity as a shard of Don Thousand here, created from the aftermath of Astral's sacrifice when Haruto as well was 'born'. Further more, as the setting is largely on earth, he takes human form; he has relatively tanned skin, gold eyes, and black hair. Black Mist's dedication to his goals here is closer to the sort of dedication Claudia had, rather than his own canon obsession. Even so, his prompting and demands toward Mizael are extremely reminiscent of his canon demands for Astral to 'embrace darkness'.
Vector	Leonard Wolf – After Black Mist was chosen for Claudia, Vector was chosen for Leonard due to his connections both to Black Mist, and also to the 'God' of their series, 'Don Thousand'. Vector becomes a pawn of sorts to Don Thousand, though it can be said that he retains his sense of self, unlike Black Mist, who is completely reabsorbed by Don Thousand upon his defeat. Similarly, if one goes with the theory that the 'God' of Silent Hill 3 is 'Claudia', one could argue that she as well lost her will, whereas Leonard clearly retains it, even as the knife-handed monster he becomes. That very form is also why Vector is chosen for the role—for Vector's associated Legendary Number bears knives for hands after being infused by the power of Chaos (Don Thousand).	Aside from aforementioned relations, it can be noted that his monstrous form will differ slightly from Leonard's own... However, as Mizael knows Vector only as a name at this time of the AU, no differences will be further detailed here. Only that Vector's form and fate were twisted by Astral's power, and that he's quite dedicated to reversing it and continuing what he started. Additionally, it is implied that Durbe is unaware of his fate, instead relying on Mizael's inherent connection to Heartland City (via Astral) to locate him.
Durbe	Vincent Smith – With Vector and Black Mist absent for the role, Durbe would be chosen to play the part of Vincent Smith, partially because of their similar appearance, but also because of Vincent's dubious alliance with Heather. His advice and words relate to Heather's past, whether she recalls it or not—in Durbe's own canon, he is responsible for leading Shark to recall his past as 'Nasch'. Additionally, he is rather close to Mizael, canonically speaking, thus making him a more likely choice for someone who gives advice through the series, however chilling he appears.	As Vincent's counterpart, Durbe comes across as more crafty in this AU, and perhaps even cruel--the reality is that his very belief in Don Thousand, as well as his manner toward Mizael merely paints him in that dark a light for the moment, and he truly has better intentions in store when he tells the blond that he's 'on [Mizael's] side'. Unlike Vincent, he is merely acting as a mole within Black Mist's usurped Order, hoping to get to the bottom of this Don Thousand nonsense. One can hardly blame him, given his company, but maybe that's just how people in 'Heartland' are. As it is, given that Barians and Astrals exist here, and Mizael is thought to be Astral, the initial callous appearance is quite justified.

For referential purposes, this journal is dedicated to the items and weaponry that Mizael has on hand. it can be assumed that any spare ammo is kept within one of the vest pockets, likely the inside ones.

Mizael has two 'main' weapons (one for close range, one for long), and then two back ups, followed lastly by the stun gun which Kaito got for him prior the events of the plot. The following chart lists each of them, along with their location on his person, his proficiency with them, and about how much use they serve overall.

Weapon Name	Location on Body	Proficiency and Use
Stun Gun	Generally kept in the back pocket of his dominant hand.	While he had never used it before, he was at least taught how--as such, though mildly inexperienced, he's able to strike rather swiftly with it. The Stun Gun deals no damage, but as the name implies, it sends a sharp shock through its victims, briefly paralyzing them.
Switchblade	Within a sheath on his dominant hand.	Similar to the Stun Gun, he had never actually used the knife before first encountering the creatures of the 'Otherworld'. Even so, he would practice pulling it out at least, since the idea behind having it at all was that he'd be able to defend himself somehow. While small in size, and not particularly damaging compared to other weapons, the knife is fast, quiet, and discrete. The blade is easier to use in confined spaces, and due to where it's kept, quite helpful in extremely close combat.
Hand Gun	Hidden in his right sock, under the pant leg.	Mizael's experience with firearms is laughable at best, but it's amazing what adrenalin allows for in the heat of the moment--while he'd never fired it before, he managed to use the gun to successfully kill the monster that was in the same room as it, and thanks to having the sense to hold it properly, has been able to let common sense and a naturally keen eye handle the rest. He's certainly no expert, but if it's close enough to see clearly, he'll at least hit it somehow. Bullets are bullets, and bullets kill people, but when it comes to the creatures of the Otherworld, standard bullets are rather laughable. Even so, it's useful not only as a weapon in general, but as backup--if the other weapons are expected, or if he's somehow brought to his knees, he has at least one ace to pull out for the battle. Most importantly however, is the maneuverability granted by it--light as it is, he can use the weapon while moving, something he can't do with the shotgun.
Katana	Generally armed in his dominant hand; when not in use, the sheath has been tied to a cord that hangs over one shoulder and around his side.	Swords should not be used without experience--lucky for Mizael, he actually has some. Minor at best, of course--he took some kendo with his school--however it's enough to draw a blade safely and then wail on dim-witted monsters. As a blade made specifically for cutting flesh, the Katana is wonderful against monsters, but not so much for anything that's armored. The blade is swift--and not too long (only two feet), but due to the size of course, it's a little difficult to use in a narrow passage-way. Even so, it's arguably Mizael's most reliable weapon.
Shotgun	Kept in a crude, handmade cord-sling over his shoulder. This cord also holds the katana sheath. The way it sits, it's rather easy to pull the gun out, however it still takes a moment, since he has to also put away the katana most of the time.	Thanks to the heavy recoil of this weapon, Mizael's already dismal experience with firearms is even more evident with the shotgun. The range it has however, makes up for this, particularly since the creatures he uses it against are either extremely slow, or extremely large... Or both. Extremely powerful, the shotgun is unfortunately difficult to aim, and additionally, requires that Mizael be standing still and holding it properly, lest he dislocate his shoulder. Even so, given what he's fighting, it's generally his main choice against creatures with heavy defenses and stamina, as the force of the gunfire often knocks victims off their feet.

In addition to his weaponry, Mizael has a small inventory of items stashed on his person, largely due to the number of pockets he has. These include:

Name	Location on Person/Use
Pendant	Mizael was given this pendant, which resembles (in his opinion) a rising dragon, when he was very young. He was told to never take it off, and while he doesn't know why, he does so nonetheless. There is a red 'capsule' of sorts inside, which looks rather like a gemstone. He wears this around his neck, and it's hidden by the vest.
Flashlight	A small flashlight that clips to one of his breast pockets. While it's not the most powerful, it's an invaluable object to have, particularly with how dark the Otherworld is. Sometimes, if he feels confident enough with his night vision, he'll turn it off anyway, as monsters have a harder time hitting him in the dark for the most part.
Radio	A small radio, which he stores in the other breast pocket. Generally left on a 'blank' station, it emits static when creatures of the Otherworld are nearby, so he's found it just as useful as the flashlight. To keep the monsters from hearing it, he's closed the pocket over, as when the radio emits static, it 'buzzes' in the vest anyway.
Map	Mizael keeps a map and pen with him when he can as of late, though if questioned, he'll assure them that it's a very recent habit. As it is, he currently has a map of 'Heartland' with him in his right vest pocket, though he has yet to make any notes on it other than the location of the motel.
Kaito's Notebook	The notebook retrieved from Kaito's desk soon after he was 'laid to rest' on the bed. The book details his retelling of Mizael's backstory (the events of 'Silent Hill', in other words), including Haruto's vague origins, and the identity of Astral. He doesn't look at it often, but he keeps it in the same pocket as the map, unable to bear with the idea of simply discarding it.