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Music Video 1: SIU
YouTube Version
Text Transcripts
The video is set to the song "SIU" by MARETU. The audio is in Japanese, while the video has translated English lyrics onscreen. The lyrics will be transcribed in brackets [ like this ] and precede a description of the scene that happens during them.
The video has parts where a series of images transitions quickly in succession, or where an entirely new scene is shown. Scene transitions will be noted with an asterism, like this: ⁂
Some of the text is written with informal spelling or typing quirks. They will be rendered here with standard spelling. Clicking the passage will switch it to the original spelling.
The video is in a monochromatic colour scheme, with the colours gradually changing in rainbow order as the video progresses.
Content Warnings
- Abuse
- Death
This lovely you, this lonesome you a-stumbling
The malodorous of maladies is caused by you
By the modest you, abstemious you prostrating
With a sorry excuse, your alibis are of no use ]
A tall Angel enters the scene, staring down ominously with her blank, singular eye. Besides her eye, her face has no other features other than black cheeks and a straight line across the entire left side of her face, overlapping where her eye is. Her four wings spread out, and her flaming hair and bright halo shine brightly.
In front of them kneels a young Demon. All the Demon's features are completely black, as if devoid of light, from their short hair and small body resembling a Human being's. Behind them are a pair of small dragon-like wings and a forked tail. Their eyes are the only thing that seem to reflect any illumination: both the two on their otherwise featureless face, and the three large, floating eyes surrounding them like a halo. The Demon looks away nervously.Suddenly, the Angel grabs them by the neck.
Unsurprisingly like you, dispatched here just to waste our time
"It's unfortunate, I do lament
But these things just cannot be helped" ]
The Demon struggles against the Angel's grasp as they're lifted off the ground. The Angel only looks at them dispassionately. She stretches back her arm, her robes fluttering in the wind to reveal a multitude of eyes and distorted, thorny limbs, before lunging her uncannily sharp fingers into the Demon's right eye, as the Demon's halo-eyes watch in horror.
The world full of you's determined to be indeterminate
"Tell me now, is it sufficient yet
Or am I still inadequate?" ]
The Angel holds the gouged eye in their palm, its pupil looking around frantically as if having its own consciousness, before being crushed into a pulp in her hand. The Demon is unable to react with anything besides fear, covering their socket with their hands, realising that their halo was slowly blinking out of existence, and the song of Hell that only they could hear had stopped playing.
They knew that they had lost contact with the rest of their kin, and their powers faded along with it.
Are all the children, here and there, a miserable and lonely lot ]
The Angel, unfazed, plans to finish the job, when a hand impales her from the back and through her chest, her golden blood sputtering around her as she fades out of consciousness.
Her assailant turns to the Demon, grinning widely to reveal a mouth full of sharp teeth. The strange character seems to be a Human man in a formal officer's uniform, except his entire form appeared to be made out of an amorphous ink, endlessly dripping, his limbs coiling unnaturally that proved whatever he was isn't Human.
He introduces himself and stretches out his hand, offering it to the Demon on the floor.
All the love for the world's saddest victims
All the love for the world's saddest victims ]
"Due to High Judge Anthony Tarnowska's disappearance under mysterious circumstances, Jacques Emfoi will be appointed as the new High Judge."
The ink-like being from before—the Media—loudly announces the news into the microphone. On stage with him are Jacques and the Demon.
"Furthermore, under his supervision, and with the participation of Demonkind's Herald of the Apocalypse," Media continues, "the proposed amendments to the Requirements of the Living will be tested under Project Maldevaran.
Jacques is a Crow, about five feet tall, dressed in the black and white robes of a Judge. He smiles gently at the Demon, who looks away in embarrassment. They don a pair of round spectacles, and their red ceremonial cape and stuffy neck ruff make them look even smaller than they already are. Their hair covers their missing eye.
I want to give it to you, but… ]
"We are hopeful these adjustments will continue to benefit the Living," Media finishes, flashing the Herald of the Apocalypse a suspicious smile.
News of the so-called "Project Maldevaran" spreads quickly, as a Cat on the news reports, "Has the Court gone mad? Herald used as subject for Project Maldevaran."
A legal document can be seen. At the top is a picture of the Herald, with their information typed in bold text:
Name: Bon Maldevaran
Age: 12
Species: Demon, Type-H
A portion of the document reads:
The subject shall be required to pass the Requirements of the Living (attached at the end of this document) to be legally registered as a Living Citizen of the Nation of Maldevara.
Their progress will be facilitated by the current High Judge, Jacques Emfoi, and an assigned group of at least three Marginals at any given time.
Any requirement found impossible to pass will be filed for reconsideration of the Court of the Living.
Furthermore, the subject's Fundamental Services may be counted towards accomplishments of the Requirements at the discretion of the High Judge. A list of all mandatory Fundamental Services may be found below:
Mandatory participation in the Maldevaran Centre of Research and Development"
The rest of the document cuts off, revealing only a stamp of approval in the lower right corner.
Jacques introduces the Demon to their new bedroom, a quaint and well-decorated place.
For the first time in history, a Demon is welcomed into a home. From the mere title of the Herald, the Demon is now known as "Bon".
Images of the Demon in different outfits flash by, and a snippet of text can be found next to them. In order:
Bon wears the same outfit from when they were first taken in by the Court: round spectacles, a large cape and a ruff.
The text reads:
The Maldevara Chronicles
How Project Maldevaran wants to redefine the Living
Spearheaded by the newly appointed High Judge Jacques Emfoi, "Project Maldevaran" aims to amend the Requirements of the Living into Conditional Status, allowing beings previously unrecognized by Living Laws to apply.
Bon's outfit is almost princely in nature, with its waistcoat, bishop sleeves, and a feather-like cape adorned with epaulettes and a large bow. Two small wing-shaped clips pop out of their hair.
The text reads:
Although I was aware altercations with the Angels would be inevitable. I am still taken aback by how powerful they are. One such recent confrontation has left me at the loss of an eye, and as it stands my connection to Hell has been significantly weakened for now. This primitive 'journal' I have been given will have to suffice.
The Court of the Living has surprisingly offered me protection from the Angels in exchange for my participation in an experiment they call 'Project Maldevaran,' which aims to turn me into a Living Citizen. While I have no interest in such endeavours, at the moment I consider this both an opportunity to recover from my injuries until I can once again correspond with Hell and to observe the ways of the Living.
Bon wears an oversized cardigan over a typical school uniform: a blouse, a plaid skirt and a ribbon around the neck. They also don a comically large hat of what appears to be a bird.
The text reads:
Maldevara National State University Official Records
Name: Bon MaldevaranAge: 12
Grade: 7
Assessment: Bon Maldevaran has shown significant progress throughout the academic courses. Their submitted work has exceeded standards in all subjects. Further remedial classes may be necessary to compensate for oral activities they are unable to participate in.
However, antisocial behaviour has been noted. Bon Maldevaran is often hostile towards both teachers and other students. There has been no success in getting them to participate in group activities. They have not been responsive to any of the University Counsellors so far. Further intervention will be necessary. Their parent/guardian's involvement will be called upon when necessary.
Bon wears a cable-knit jumper, trousers, a scarf slightly torn at one end, a beret and rectangular glasses.
The text reads:
Project Maldevaran Log #27
Date: [ Date censored by symbols ]
Bon seems to be catching on well to Living culture. Progress on their adaptation to our world has been significant, and it seems the prospects for Project Maldevaran may be better than anticipated. I'm pinning all my hopes on their success.
Regardless, not all things have been smooth sailing. Their social behaviour has shown little improvement since they were adopted. Just today, they destroyed another coffee table. I was going to get a new one, but it's the principle of the matter.
They seem to have taken an interest in books and this has been able to placate them for temporary periods of time. A welcome respite. They are either still unable to speak or unwilling to, despite the medical results showing they at least have the capability to, but hopefully some of the books on language and speaking we have in the library may help with that.
- Jacques Emfoi
Bon wears a white coat resembling a cross between a lab coat and a hospital gown. Twinkling marks are on their cheeks and they appear to have a small halo.
The text reads:
Maldevaran Centre of Supranatural Research and Development
Facilitating Marginals: Security (Head); Media, Curator (Assistants)
Observation submitted by: Media
"Well! Looks like the Subject cost us thousands in lab equipment again. They had another episode during today's exam, and some of the collected cell samples were destroyed. Fortunately, we managed to save enough to continue with the reconstruction experiments.
Notably, it seems the sterile environment of the testing room might actually be aggravating the subject. Perhaps replicating the conditions of Hell may prove effective in calming them down? Well, assuming we can even get them to describe Hell more… coherently.
Still. I've found that any form of additional sensory input does keep the subject more preoccupied. They seem to enjoy activities that involve more active participation. Do you think they may benefit from some music class of sorts? They never stop talking nowadays. Redirect that energy into something more useful. Besides, maybe if they get a hobby that's cuter than arson then we can stop the protesters from banging at our door."
Bon wears a fancy dress adorned with lace and bows. It has a print of flowers and birds on the skirt's border, and in their hair is a hairclip of a bird adorned with frills.
The text reads:
"So tell me, Mikhaela, Project Maldevaran's performance on last night's broadcast, what did you think of it?"
"Well Stan, I'm gonna be honest with you, I was pleasantly surprised. I'm not gonna deny I was one of the project's naysayers at first, I mean, a Demon?! Come on, we kill those things, not adopt them. But like-you can't deny talent when you hear it. I don't know if that's great technique or some Demon thing but that kid's got the voice of an Angel, I'll say."
"I gotta agree with ya on that one, but still—that is just a song in the end. Still gotta watch out for that whole apocalypse-heralding thing they got going on."
"Haha yeah but really, that interview on the end got me sold. It's like, you're expecting some kinda creepy horror movie type a' speech but honestly? They just sound like any other kid. And it got me thinking, you know, maybe Demons are just misunderstood, yeah? Like, I bet Hell just isn't a good environment for a kid like that to grow up in. And like, the Court's got a close eye on them so I don't know, I say we give the kid a chance."
"You got a point there—but be careful, Mikhaela. Don't want the new star stealing your spot in the charts!"
"Haha!"
Bon wears a uniform similar to Media's: a typical buttondown, trousers, a coat with the ends resembling bird feathers, and a peaked cap with the emblem of Maldevara, a black bird with eyes wide open.
The text reads:
maldevaran recon update
From: Security
To: Curator, Media
so i was checking the recon sample today and youll never believe this, the things developing. like actually developing into some kind of demon embryo or whatever the fuck it is. idk we need to get someone more qualified here dont the council got someone named Health or Biology or whatever man this isnt really my specialty????
shits wild. i mean ig i can see how if we can somehow like reconstruct an entire fullfledged demon then yeah that would be good for research probably but like should we make another recon exp just in case?? like we still gotta make the bitch a new eye right?? supposedly????
i dont rly have a way of proving it yet but something gives me a bad feeling about remaking the motherfuckers eyeball. idk ill attach the results from last exam at the end of this message… youll see what i mean. still gotta compare with the rest of the tests first and get some of the other records, like from school and jacquess shit. we confiscated her diary last week and i havent gotten through all of it but so far what ive read is concerning. like natl security level threat if this goes public.
@ media get that shit sorted out, we cant afford another scandal or else theyre gonna cut the funding again. also @ curator get the cunt a new piano, she threw a fit again. and make it quick, next weeks concert has GOT to go well.
So I was checking the recon sample today and you'll never believe this. The thing's developing. Like actually developing into some kind of Demon embryo or whatever the fuck it is. I don't know, we need to get someone more qualified here, don't the Council got someone named Health or Biology or whatever, man, this isn't really my specialty?
Shit's wild. I mean I guess I can see how if we can somehow, like, reconstruct an entire full-fledged Demon, then yeah, that would be good for research probably, but like should we make another recon experiment just in case? Like we still gotta make the bitch a new eye, right? Supposedly?
I don't really have a way of proving it yet but something gives me a bad feeling about remaking the motherfucker's eyeball. I don't know, I'll attach the results from the last exam at the end of this message… you'll see what I mean. Still gotta compare with the rest of the tests first and get some of the other records, like from school and Jacques's shit. We confiscated her diary last week and I haven't gotten through all of it but so far what I've read is concerning. Like national security level threat if this goes public.
Media, get that shit sorted out, we can't afford another scandal or else they're gonna cut the funding again. Also curator get the cunt a new piano, she threw a fit again. And make it quick, next week's concert has *got* to go well.
re: maldevaran recon update
From: Media
To: Security, Curator
*Their.
And fine.
Bon wears a Decora-style outfit adorned with an abundance of mismatched accessories like heart-shaped glasses, bows, hair clips and band-aids.
The text reads:
From Demon to Dignitary: A Rise of Apocalyptic Proportions
When the Court first announced Project Maldevaran, the outrage was enormous: letting a Herald into the ranks of the Living was unheard of, and the backlash against then-newly-appointed High Judge Jacques Emfoi was almost enough to dismantle the entire government.
But it's been a few years since then, and little Bonbon has captured the hearts of even the harshest critics nationwide. Anonymous fans have sent in their confessions:
"When I first watched her show, that was when they showed her studying and stuff, I was like wow, so she's really just like a normal Living kid after all."
"I used to think there's no way someone like that is gonna adjust to Maldevara, like I was just waiting for the Apocalypse to come any day now, but really she's just so cute! Like, there's no way somebody as sweet as Bon could ever *actually* end the world!"
"I *love* everything about Bonnie! Her fashion sense, her sense of humour, everything about her is just so adorbs! I've pretty much collected all her merch, I even camped over the ticket stations to get a spot for the tour, I'm so glad I did because they sold out within the first few hours. I'm so excited to see her live!"
Bon Maldevaran will be going on her first nationwide tour, save the date at [ Date censored by symbols ]!
The next scene flashes by quickly, almost impossible to catch without looking carefully.
Bon is covered in bandages.
The text reads:
— Um…
— You haven't, have you?
— I was tired…
— From what? You haven't released anything new in months!
— I was at the centre! We were doing a lot of experiments again.
— That isn't an excuse? You chose to do that. The Centre's research is part of your agreement to Project Maldevaran.
— Yeah, but…
— No buts! If you don't work, there's no way we're going to be able to afford your frivolous spending. And it's not like you've been doing well with the experiments either, at this rate we'll never have enough information to fix that eye of yours.
— [ silence ]
Bon wears a sombre expression, covering themselves up with a cape. There are band-aids on their face. Multiple eyes watch them intently.
A series of images quickly flash in succession: sheets of music; an assortment of cosmetic products; a bag of what appears to be blood labelled 'type h'; a syringe; a bottle of antiseptic and bandages; the three Marginals Security, Curator and Media, who appear to be made of blood, paint and ink respectively; a slightly older Bon with long, unruly hair, and the same picture of Bon covered in handprints the same colour as the liquids the Marginals are made of.
At the slightest abuse, oh woe-is-me, of poverty
Devastated you, defenseless you, demanding
Without a maximum, from this world meant for human beings ]
An angry Bon protests something, once again covered in bandages. Media simply dismisses their concern, patting them on the head with a condescending smile.
As Media looks down at them, a quill and a clipboard in hand, Security watches the two while tinkering with a holographic display. They are in a lab filled with different medical apparatuses.
Security looks away and sighs. The vague outline of a fetus can be seen on the hologram.
Or is there a jealous seed that's planted deep within your heart?
Well, ain't everybody just the same?
"And as for your infected brain…" ]
Jacques and Helen, a robotic maid, are conversing when they stop to look at an irritated Bon passing by. They angrily push the two aside despite them not even doing anything to get in the Demon's way, and they make their way to leave the house as Jacques and Helen watch them in confusion.
Outside their manor is a slew of reporters, shoving cameras and microphones into Bon's face as they glare at everyone in irritation.The scene transitions to Media showing a photo on a monitor of Bon's behaviour around the reporters, with a big red X over the image. Media, as always, wears his usual mocking smile, but a twinge of annoyance emanates from him as he lectures the irritated Bon on the necessity of putting up a more affectionate front.
Or at least that's what you say, with lines of thought irrational
Nothing matters to me on this earth,
Let us celebrate my rebirth ]
The two are interrupted when Curator enters the room, holding something wrapped in cloth. She says, "Well… good news is the recon experiment was successful… bad news is that it's too successful."
Bon holds the cloth-wrapped enigma, looking at it in curiosity, to see a starry-eyed baby looking up at them. The baby, like Bon, has completely void-like features except for its bright eyes. Bon reacts with joyful surprise.
A laughing face masks the disgrace, it's such a pity, is it not? ]
Bon, watched once more by disembodied eyes, turns away from them as if shielding the baby from their gaze.
In the next scene, she stands in a spotlight, holding the baby with a peaceful expression on their face. On their left, text flashes by, while on the right an image of a Marginal can be seen.
Security stands next to Bon.
The text reads:
[ Date censored by symbols ] - The Court of the Living's "Project Maldevaran," colloquially known as Bon Maldevaran, allegedly has an infant child. The process of how Demons are born is currently unknown, but the Maldevaran Centre of Supranatural Research and Development has claimed to be investigating the matter of how the infant came to be. The Maldevaran baby is currently unnamed.
Curator stands next to Bon.
The text reads:
Maldevaran Centre of Supranatural Research and Development
Facilitating Marginals: Media (Head), Security, Curator (Assistants)
Observation submitted by: Curator
"So…uh. It appears we've made a baby. Well, technically we've been spending all this time making the baby, so there should really be no surprise there. But still, who would have expected Marginal technology could go so far to be able to synthesize a fully formed Demon!
…I really didn't think it would survive…
Anyway, the synthesis process has been meticulously recorded and stored in the Archives, so replication of the recon experiments is possible without need of further experimentation on Bo-er, Project Maldevaran."
Media stands next to Bon. Their expression changes to look at him apprehensively.
The text reads:
— Well, by accident. We were technically making an eye. I submitted a report.
— Mon Dieux, Bon is a child. They cannot take care of a baby.
— That's what the robots are for, Judge.
— The things you and your kind come up with…
— My kind. What, the postmen?
— The Marginals.
— Are you suggesting I just take its eye and get rid of the rest of it?
— We are not killing the baby.
Bon, now aged 16, is at a television interview, still carrying the baby with them. Seated next to them are Media and Curator. The show is hosted by another Marginal, Reception, who presents themselves as one mind with multiple bodies.
Bon watches the hosts apprehensively as one of them points to their baby. The host picks it up without warning, and Bon reacts furiously. Something snaps inside of them, and what happens next is a blur.
Their anger reawakens their weakened Demonic powers, their wings and tail returning. The Reception body holding the baby is restrained by appendages made of what appears to be smoke and some kind of liquid, and Bon holds the baby close to their body as their hair parts to show something leaking out of their missing eye's socket.
On a television screen, symbols translating into the text '*don't look at me stop watching me*' flash, then an image of Bon's face. Television screens everywhere start cracking, and the Living citizens watching the show get attacked by the same appendage that restrained Reception exiting the television.
Media restrains Bon, coiling his arms around them, one hand pressed on their cheek. Bon starts crying as Bien is taken away once more, held in the distance in an ink-formed hammock.
A cracked television screen turns off."Salutations. This is the Media here. It appears that the Herald of the Apocalypse… has cursed all of visual media. For now, all communications will be done through audio. The status of Project Maldevaran will be reconsidered. In the meanwhile the Herald… will be put on Trial."
Why for so long did you let this dilemma be ignored?
Why did you create something so forlorn?
Why did you have to let this Godforsaken child be born? ]
Bon is in a courtroom. From a distance, they watch as Jacques and Media discuss something among themselves.
Bon approaches Jacques and holds on to his wing, sobbing. Jacques gives them a gentle pat on the head as they look to the floor, despondent.
The Trial begins, Jacques presiding as the Judge. He looks down on the worried Bon from his podium, the same sad expression on his face.
The Marginals make their cases, pointing accusingly at Bon, each with their own feelings on the matter: Curator appears apprehensive, Security stares down with irritation and Media grins sardonically, as if laughing.
Bon kneels against their accusers, the same defeated posture from when they first faced off against the Angel.
Reluctantly, Jacques makes his final judgment, bringing his mallet down onto the podium as Bon looks downcast towards the floor.
"Bon Maldevaran, sentenced to permanent exile in the Valley of the Dead."
Time passes by and both Bon and their son, Bien, have grown older. Bon stands with their back turned, a serious expression on their face, while Bien looks up at them with a neutral expression.
Innocence in embers of desire
Repentance for all the servants' charred flesh
Hope the best for the few years of life left ]
It is Bien's eighteenth birthday. Bon is asleep in the kitchen, having been up all night in preparation, a cake for the occasion on the table.
Bien covers his guardian up with a blanket, and looks towards a piece of paper in his hand, reading "Maldevara Armed Forces Military Training Request". He picks up his bag and leaves the house without looking back.Prayers for all the bodies left suspended
Give it up, eternal souls at the end
All the love for the world's saddest victims ]
Bien's time as a soldier is briefly touched upon: he seems to regard the act of killing with fluctuating glee and apathy, until he himself is sabotaged and killed.
As time passes by, dead soldiers decompose on the now empty field, while an Angel overhead comes to collect their Souls.
Bien is lying unconscious on the grass, his right eye having been shot out and the empty socket still bleeding. Suddenly, he wakes up. A recollection of what he does afterwards is shown: he awakens his Demon powers and reanimates the other soldiers. He tinkers with a radio until an unknown voice starts talking.At some point, old abandoned televisions turn on for an unknown reason.
The video ends with Bien looking down sadly at a photograph of himself as a child with Bon. In this picture, they do not have the void-like appearance they usually have, but appear indistinguishable from normal Human beings.
Notes
'SIU' is the 'first' update for BreadAVOTA, although it was technically created after a few chapters as a 'prequel'. I figured it's fine to have it the very beginning though. I'm not very happy with it anymore, but it seems too labour intensive to remake, and I ought to focus on progressing the story at some point. Here is the original FC2 footnote:
Oh boy. This MV.
This is canonically the very first installment of the webseries, and as it stands it is actually based on the old canon. It is still canon-compliant technically, and nothing in it directly contradicts the current narrative, but if I were to make it now there are some changes I would have made.
You might notice some minor design inconsistencies like Jacques' fluctuating height. Delete that from your Mind's Eye.
I will say now, majority of the future uploads are actually quite old and there are a lot of things I want to change, but I know if I redraw things over and over again I will never get anything finished. I understand if Cycle 1 reads as very confusing for that reason, and I have low expectations for any chance of a readership, but it is alright. I am happy to draw for myself.
Maybe if I complete this project, I'll have learned enough to do better. For now, I will be grateful for whatever support I receive, even if only one person ever reads this.
As for this video itself, I no longer like it, if I will be honest. Poor quality aside, it reminds me of a negative period in my life. While I do not think I will redraw any other Cycle 1 entries, I may try to remake this one at the very least. But no promises.
Thank you for being here.
I don't really animate, mostly because it is difficult and partially because I don't really enjoy both the process and output. I like the look of those edgy 2010 Vocaloid MV's the best, and wanted to emulate that style. I'm not sure how successful the result is, but I hope the inspiration shows.
Bread Crumb 1: Waouh…
Text Transcripts
The young Jacques sits on his mother's lap, listening intently to her words. With a sombre expression, the woman holds her son closely under her wings, recounting an old tale…
"The outside of Passryne is a Godless place, ruled by a horrid, Demonic monster. For years, it has been forcing us to allow it to take over our village in exchange for a more 'convenient' life but we must not trust its words."
Jacques gently grabs his mother's wing and looks up at her. "What does the monster look like?"
His mother pulls him closer to her chest, Jacques's head under chin. "It regularly eats a poor Living being and steals its form, except distorted into a scary beast with many eyes, unnaturally long limbs and rows of sharp teeth!"
"You would never want to see it," she adds, more reassuring than threatening, as she gently scratches her son's forehead with her beak.
"And it's evil?" Jacques clarifies.
"Pure evil," his mother responds.
"Waouh…" Jacques mutters to himself, contemplating his mother's description.
He visualises what such a monster could like: a head that opened like a Venus flytrap, revealing forked tongues and sharp teeth, hooves and pincers and a tail not much different from Jacques's own cumbersome one…
Jacques imagines its four arms covered in eyes and mouths, its hands as large as the young Crow himself, then he imagines himself holding one of the monster's hands, adorned in a wedding dress.
"Evil monster…" Jacques repeats in his thoughts, cheeks warming up as he immerses himself in the daydream.
Notes
I didn't originally write a footnote for this comic since it's a pretty short one, but I figured this would be as good a place as any to share some Lore about Jacques. You can skip over this entirely, if you're of the mileage that overloading characters' backstories is obnoxious.
His hometown, Passryne, is a stereotypical 'old-timey village': a close-knit and isolated community with a dedication to their traditional beliefs and a suspicion surrounding outsiders. The name's based on the word 'passerine' (the order of birds crows belong to) and 'Paris' (it's not a very Parisienne place, but they're vaguely faux-French), spelled to have the sort of flair Maldevaran names usually have. It is in northern region of Maldevara, Jesenne, which in itself is somewhat less 'assimilated' with mainstream Maldevaran culture for political and geographical reasons.Passryne has its own gender roles that can correlate to 'biological sex', but are more strongly influenced by social role in the community (eg homemakers vs farmers, instead of male vs female). Ergo, you will be assigned an expected communal role depending on your biological sex, but if for one reason or another you are deemed unfit for this role, you will be assigned the 'opposite' one, and your social gender is based on the role and not the sex.
This is why Jacques is dressed 'like a girl'. He's considered too disabled for manual labour, so his communal role in adulthood has been preemptively assigned for him to eventually involve 'female' tasks like cooking, cleaning and pedagogy. He would have been expected to marry a 'biological female' with a 'male' social role… which is also kind of a veiled way of saying people also expected him to never get married at all, since these types of 'cross-assignments', while considered 'integral' to their culture, aren't actually common in practice.
Despite having a sort of small-ish vibe to it, I imagine Passryne is actually a relatively sizeable population. I'm thinking like, 150,000 people? I don't know if that's feasible, but we're not talking 'population so small you can only marry your first cousin' types of small is all I'm saying. Passryne may be called a 'village' but it's really a small town.
As for Jacques himself, his affinity for 'evil monsters' has always existed, and it influences the development of his paraphilic inclinations later on. People usually associate the development of weird attractions with some inciting event, which does happen in real life with relative frequency—and for Jacques, influenced the specifics of his fantasies—but in his particular case, there wasn't a real trigger that started it. It was always just a thing he was into.
It's not exactly a main 'plot point' in the story but Jacques's paraphilic identity gets some elaboration on as a larger aspect of his character, and in particular it's mostly going to be brought up in relation to his larger sociopolitical identity. I'm just saying this now so nobody expects that it exists exclusively for the sake of 'monsterfucker haha' jokes later. He takes it very seriously. Within the context of the multi-species society of the story, his affinity for 'monsters' (and -adjacents like aliens and the like) is labelled 'xenophilia'. While the word 'monster' has the same 'scary' connotations in Maldevara as it does in real life, it's considered less derogatory, though not completely innocuous.And yeah, it goes without saying that other Passrynians weren't very yippee-ki-yay about his whole fixation with evil monsters.
