#Era of Samurai: Code of Love

[voltageincboys]

“We will be fugitives together, but I love you.” ~ Shinsaku Takasugi ~ Era of Samurai: Code of Love (Owned by Voltage) •April•

[lunasotomescreenshots]

• He's Shy, Isn't He? (✿◠‿◠) •

[kbtbb-soryu]

Walk Through Hell with Me [Takasugi x OC] Chapter 8

Ai had been brought with the trio to a certain tea house for yet another one of their boisterous parties. “Well my oh my! Look who it is! Yer still alive, are ya?” As soon as Ai stepped into the room, Sakamoto wrapped her up in a hug so tight she could barely breathe. She stiffened. “I had a hunch you’d be alright, what with Shinsaku around ‘n’ all. But, seein’ yer face just sets my heart aglow.” Ai didn’t respond. “You think you might let her go any time soon? Or is it your aim to suffocate her?” Takasugi asked. Sakamoto laughed heartily. “Jealous, are ya?! Look at you, blushin’ like a schoolgirl,” Sakamoto said as soon as he let go. Ai gulped down some air. “If my face is red it’s because you kept me from breathing.” Ai took a step in Kazuya’s direction when Takasugi caught her by the elbow. “You’re going to sit right here, beside me,” he said. “Huh? Why should I have to do that?” Ai protested. “Because I said so.” “You’re far too bossy for a human.” Despite her arguing, Ai sat down next to Takasugi as the men began their meeting. “Looks like we finally found out which wholesaler is getting richest off all that opium,” Sakamoto said. “Sakai-ya seems to be the main culprit. It’s located here, but has strong ties to all those foreigners in Nagasaki,” Takasugi explained. “This is a map of all the warehouses we found that are being used to store the stuff.” Maro spread a map out on the table. A map of the capital with certain locations circled in red, marking the warehouses that were housing opium. It was a far larger number than Ai imagined. “One strategically started fire could wipe them all out at once,” Gen said. “Can’t afford to risk it. What if it goes wrong?” Sakamoto asked. “You needn’t worry about that. The plan is immaculate. And it’s also our best chance of stopping the spread of opium.” Takasugi cast a meaningful glance at  Ai, then at Kazuya and his friends. Ai guessed that Takasugi must know what their talents were. Kazuya, Takashi, and Chikage could all control fire. And Takashi, like Ai, could manipulate wind. Maintaining fires to target specific locations would essentially be a cinch for the four of them. “Whatever you boys’re preparin’, I’ve got high hopes for it! Shinsaku knows how to get his hands on all the finest things… Like this, for example.” Sakamoto pulled a heavy metal object from his breast pocket. Ai leaned close to inspect it. “Is that a… gun?” “Never seen one before, huh? Well, lucky you. You’re layin’ your eyes on the finest, here,” Sakamoto said. “So you’re planning to use these to fight the foreign invaders, then?” Ai asked. “In other countries, everyone walks around with one of these things, as a matter of course. The era of settling disputes with swords alone… well, it’s over, I’m afraid,” Takasugi explained. “The sad truth is, this country ain’t unified the way it used to be,” Sakamoto added. “Times have changed. And if you think you can fight off foreign invaders with swords, you’re only fooling yourself,” Takasugi said. “The Choshu found that out the hard way, didn’t they?” Sakamoto asked. “And I do not intend to let past sacrifices be in vain.” That look in Takasugi’s eyes… He was thinking of his old master. “I’m with Takasugi,” Gen added. “We’ve been beat down once. That’s enough. We know what we need to do now,” Maro said. The men exchanged grave looks. With the exception of the oni in the room, they were willing to risk their lives for their country.

The meeting was adjourned and everyone began drinking. Ai stared, mouth agape, at the passed-out humans in front of her. “How do they call themselves samurai when they’re so passed out? What if the enemy breaks in here at this moment? What then?” “We’re all on guard. And when push comes to shove, they spring into action automatically. It’s just second nature for them. So don’t worry. You’ll be fine,” Takasugi said. “It’s not me I’m worried about, but fine. I’ll take your word for it.” Ai rolled her stiff shoulders. Takasugi took his shamisen in hand and started strumming softly. Ai didn’t realise she was staring at him until he looked up and their eyes met. “Would you like to try playing?” he asked. “Me?” Ai raised an eyebrow. “You just pluck one of these strings, and it makes a sound. Try it.” Takasugi took her by the hand and pulled her into his lap. Ai stiffened. Takasugi’s arms wrapped around her and he placed his hands on top of hers. It felt intimate. “Then, you do it just like this…” The string made a quiet but resonant sound. Ai smiled. “Just takes a bit of practice. It’s really not that hard.” Takasugi guided Ai’s hands across the strings. “Got the hang of it yet? Think you’re ready to try it by yourself?” Ai nodded and plucked at one of the strings. The sound was melodic and soft. She struck another. And another. The music she played was gentle; beautiful even. “You learn pretty fast.” Takasugi sounded surprised. Ai looked at him over her shoulder with a mischievous smile. “I actually already knew how to play it.” Ai turned back to the shamisen and played another song. She was keenly aware of Takasugi’s gaze on her concentrating face before they scanned the rest of her body and rested on her moving hands. When Ai stopped playing, she sighed softly and leaned her back against Takasugi’s chest, her head on his shoulder. “What?” he asked. “Nothing.” Ai closed her eyes, a content smile playing on her lips. “Have I stolen your heart away? Is that it?” he asked teasingly. Ai opened her eyes to find his full of determination as he stared down at her. “Think what you will.” Takasugi’s arms embraced Ai tightly around her waist. As he took her chin in one hand, she heard some stray notes from the shamisen. Looking into his eyes, she felt as though she was being pulled into another world. He stared as deeply into her eyes as she was, but she couldn’t tell what was going through his mind. He leaned in closer, his breath grazing her lips as he sighed. Remembering the first time his lips were on hers, Ai felt the heat rush to her cheeks. “You’re not even going to try to resist?” “Why would I?” Ai asked. Taksugi’s lips, nearly touching hers, curved into a seductive grin. “Silence isn’t the same thing as consent, you know? How am I supposed to know what you want?” Takasugi’s arms held her more tightly as he whispered in her ear. “I thought you were such a good girl… We haven’t even known each other very long. But, if you like, I can show you a few more things I learned overseas.” He stroked her neck, her hair standing upright. Ai rolled her eyes and maneuvered herself out of his arms. “You have a real talent for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, you know that?” Her voice had no edge to it as she said that. Without waiting for a response, she left.

Ai shouldn’t have left. As soon as she stepped out of the room, she ran smack into the one person she didn’t want to see.

Previous Chapter

[broodyjoey]

Gonna go find Kondo san from Voltage's Samurai series.

Looks like my phone battery has different plans for me. It’s down to its last percent, so I’ll be seeing my prince with the weak constitution, AKA the Axe King. Bro has the frailest body but the strongest axes in town.

But he also has the sweetest words, calling me his little daisy and all~🥰🥰 He loves me!! (Delusional)

Self-depreciation aside, I really need a pick me up from all the pain in my life. I need him to pick my mood up.

[quietbooklion]

My all time favorite Voltage men. These guys are S-tier husband material.

[colourless-hydrangeas]

Kondou is married. :')

Time to cry and cry some more.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Hi again, i am in need of you help. How do you write a loyal knight character? A true devotee of their charge, but not so much it turns dog-like.

Writing Notes: Loyal Knight Characters

Hi, you can consider using some character tropes as a guide. Found a few examples for you:

"Knight in Shining Armor" Trope: The medieval knight who fights baddies, whether villains, knights, or dragons, and in The Tourney, charms ladies without deliberately seducing them, behaves honorably, and saves the day with his sword; but also, any hero who behaves similarly.

The "shining" originally referred to the way his armor and weapons were kept in good condition, as opposed to the rust that accumulated for less competent knights. Most knights will be depicted wearing plate armor, despite it appearing relatively late in the era of knights. Them using a Knightly Sword and Shield is also pretty likely, though the usage of plate armor with Knightly Sword and Shield is actually historically inaccurate since shields were considered redundant while wearing plate armor.

"Lady and Knight" Trope: The brave, chivalrous knight defends and falls in love with the fair lady.

"The Paladin" Trope: Paladins are warriors dedicated to furthering the cause of all that is good. Holy crusaders, they combat the forces of evil wherever they are found, and defend the helpless as much as possible. Above all else, paladins are good.

"Knight in Shining" Tropes

This is the set of tropes that cluster around Knight Templar: the forces of light in hardcore mode, excessively or otherwise.

This mentality is all the way over on the Idealistic side of the Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism.

The Trope Codifiers are the Chivalric Romances of the medieval Matters of Britain (Arthurian Legend) and of France (Charlemagne) — especially the innumberable fantasy novels and verse epics of the 15th through 17th centuries which were based on, set in, or vaguely inspired by the older Carolingian myths.

The Arthurian myths have a less militantly idealistic style than the Carolingian ones; the Arthurian work most completely of this style is Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

This pattern is rarer outside of Europe (and before the Middle Ages) than within it.

The closest analogue to European chivalry was bushido, the code of the Japanese samurai, but the Japanese code emphasized loyalty to one's lord, even to the point of doing evil,

while the European one emphasized loyalty to one's conscience, even to the point of treachery.

Of course, that doesn't mean that non-European heroes can't act like this—and it doesn't mean that European heroes always do, either.

The Roman-derived tradition of "My Country, Right or Wrong" was always present in Europe.

Originally, the word knight was a job description with no connotation of high birth or status: it merely meant a warrior who was skilled and wealthy enough to fight on horseback, and owed their service to someone powerful.

The English word knight is derived from an Anglo-Saxon word for "servant", while most other European languages use a word meaning "horseman" (e.g. German Ritternote or French chevalier).

The word began to take on new meaning in response to social changes at the dawn of The High Middle Ages: the flourishing of merchants and cities gave them new wealth and power to compete with the nobility, while the increasingly independent Catholic Church became more assertive in trying to curb the misbehavior of the warrior class.

In order to maintain their distinction from the class of people who worked, and to reconcile the violent nature of war with the ideals of courtesy and piety, the nobility and gentry absorbed the military role of knighthood while turning it into a more exclusive and regulated order.

A noble child would usually start as a page in order to learn discipline and manners, spend their teenage years as an arming squire taking care of a master's horse and equipment, and when they had grown into a fine warrior, they would be recognized as having earned their spurs. Not everyone became a knight through such careful grooming, though.

Commoners could be rewarded with knighthood for exceptional service, and rulers facing a shortfall of heavy cavalry would sometimes make laws requiring anyone who possessed a certain amount of property to present themselves to be knighted whether they liked it or not.

Sources: 1 2 3 4 ⚜ More: Writing Notes & References

Hope this helps with your writing! More research might be needed for literary/historical accuracy.

[wsancho]

Updating my preconceptions about Cyan’s preconceptions

Because he’s been taking up space in my mind, plus January is Cyan month and he should get more love ❤️

My first impression was that he was an ultraconservative, square-minded, old-fashioned, knight of the round table (by ‘94 my knowledge of other cultures was limited to whatever I got from the Saturday morning cartoons, so it never crossed my mind that he was a samurai from Japan).

This character got filtered through Ted Woolsey’s best try at localizing “samurai mannerisms”, which can’t really be translated faithfully without some thorough explanations on the side. He was portrayed as a Shakespearean-mannered knight, which I still embrace as a fan, but it made me see him as a prude. After reading about samurais, I feel that there’s more nuance to his conservative behavior.

The world of FF6 relies heavily on steam-based technology, so if we place this story in the steam era (between late 1600s and late 1800s) it matches the Edo period in Japan, in which samurais became bureaucrats and were no longer warriors, so this class/job was decaying in a way.

Cyan is old-fashioned even in his own land (he’s the only Doman with that manner of speech). He’s the last dying breath of a culture that already ceased to exist, so he’s a traditionalist sticking to a code of honor that has very strict protocols.

The scene with the prostitute made me think sex was taboo for him, because Cyan’s reaction looks like hypocritical, preachy prudery. Maybe that’s how it’s supposed to play out, because after Japan got westernized it acquired the same taboos as us. But Edo Japan Doma isn’t there yet. Prostitution was not deplorable, it was regulated.

Cyan may be scandalized because this girl is not adhering to his ways.

Whoring around is fine, just stay inside the whore-house and remain quiet and discreet until a client chooses you 🧐

I think my man has no issue with sex and sex-work, but with how the girl throws herself at him. In particular I wondered why the devs didn’t add any head-butting between him and Edgar, given that this girl was behaving like Edgar on a regular Tuesday. These boys barely interact, but when Edgar successfully used his man-whore superpowers, Cyan was not scandalized, but kinda proud.

Cyan's culture is chauvinistic, so there’s nothing to note if one of the boys is “exchanging pleasantries”. Cyan is also respectful of hierarchies, so he’ll never butt heads with Edgar (and I think he kinda does with Sabin only because at the time he wasn’t aware of Sabin’s lineage).

I think the chauvinism/machismo he’s accustomed to is what makes Cyan embarrassed when he’s caught being a softie.

The initiation for samurais included homosexual intercourse, because having sex with a woman can turn a man into a sissy, you see. Real macho-men have sex with other men, if you didn’t know 💪🏼🧐

Along those lines, I think being romantic with his wife would gain him a roast from the boys (not ridicule, just playful banter). So even thought romanticism comes natural to him, it wouldn’t exactly be celebrated by his peers, so he’s self-conscious about it ����💐

Finally, I think it’s heartbreaking that the way of the warrior is conflicting with his honest heart desires. His exchange of letters with Lola and his eclectic reading material 😏 tells me that this man is not done with life. He wants to love again and to find his footing in this new world. Which is unacceptable for a man who should live and die for his lord 🖤

The dreamscape quest serves as express therapy (there, we killed your demons, now move on!), but his inner conflict is quite deep and devastating, even if his story wasn’t already tragic. Yet this middle-aged, ultraconservative man is breaking through his conditioning (at an age when the brain has hardened to the point that it’s really difficult to learn or unlearn anything). His character evolution may be the most extreme and brutal, and he made it to the other side without bitterness, remaining kind and righteous. He's simply extraordinary 🥹👏🏼⚔💔🩸❤️‍🩹

[hestzhyen]

Chapter 45 Uh, Seriously?! Posting

So! Full speed ahead it is, internet void! What a dense chapter.

First up, John Hishaku and the Samurai Murderer Guy that was at Chihiro's house in chapter 2.

Guess we'll see more of him soon, how fun! It's not quite clear how many people are talking here, but Hishaku scheming is afoot and the game is on. The only question is how fucked the Kamunabi is going to be by the end of the arc IMO.

And don't think I missed that vase reappearing. My nemesis. The spiky boi on the mid-left drove me insane as soon as the raws dropped but I would like to tentatively propose that it is a kiku (chrysanthemum). Different colors have very different meanings so I still admit defeat on that front. But kiku are usually associated with mourning or Imperial imagery, so that's cool. I demand a treat if this flower arrangement turns out to be the world's subtlest hint that the Hishaku are related to an old regime or breakaway faction of the government.

But yeah... so much cuteness this week. Very welcome after the rich drama from the past few chapters.

Boys who commit patricide together fall asleep mid-conversation wake up together, apparently. And for all the fan artists/fanfic writers out there, it's now canon that both of them are wearing long-sleeved shirts under the other layers. I was kind of hoping for Chihiro to be wearing one of his dad's shirts but this is more in character...

Fine, okay, it's probably for convenience's sake since apparently these guys can only rest for one night before jumping into the lion's den. But I'm flabbergasted by their soulmate coding. I kind of expected Hakuri to pass out, but Chihiro conking out at the same time in the same pose is too damn cute! Barely over a week together and they've already perfectly synced their sleep schedules and postures lol.

I find it deeply amusing that the entire flashback sequence at the end of chapter 44 was purely for the reader's benefit though. Seriously! Hakuri asked Chihiro "So... what comes next?" and then they both immediately passed out sitting up. So the last four pages were there just to spare us from even more infodumping in this chapter, which is much appreciated.

That's something that Hokazono-sensei also did at the end of the vs. Sojo arc in chapter 18. 10 pages to him exploding, 7 to the situation at the Kamunabi (which will now come into play! EXCELLENT LAYERING OF DETAILS!). I don't know if I'm smart or educated enough to do a full analysis on the techniques he's using, but I love the style. He doesn't let the emotional points linger too long or waste a single goddamn panel in this manga. Yeah, I want more time with the characters outside of serious plot moments, but there's not much else for me to complain about. The need isn't particularly dire anyway since every scene is efficient in giving us characterization and info at the same time (example later this rant).

So yeah. Thanks to that excellent pacing decision, we get to witness this crowning moment of heartwarming:

LOOK AT THESE DORKS. LOOK AT THEM. I LOVE EVERY SINGLE ONE. Thank you for this moment of Team Goldfish x Hiyuki and Tafuku bliss.

And look at the food on the table! Hiyuki and Tafuku have earned a measure of trust with Team Goldfish! Just a bit, but Shiba definitely wouldn't have let them stay the night and eat with them if he felt they were dangerous.

It's also so sweet that Char's comfortable sitting in big bro Tafuku's lap... she's come a long way since her debut as a scared, scruffy orphan. Wonder where the gang is hanging though. Someone's apartment, I guess? A nearby hotel? More insignificant details this annoying reader wants to know...

TW for SF5-era tournament enthusiasts: That Stage appears in the first panel.

Did anyone have bets on Shiba wrecking Hiyuki in Street Fighter while waiting for Hakuri and Chihiro to wake up? I didn't, but I love it. And this scene highlights something I've really come to appreciate about Kagurabachi's writing: it's incredibly efficient. Almost every scene has more than one thing being conveyed at a time. For instance, here we learn that Hiyuki sucks at Street Fighter compared to Shiba but is too stubborn to quit (comedy & character consistency) and still doesn't know he's ex-Kamunabi (serious). This in turn tells us that Shiba's probably got something to hide from active Kamunabi personnel. After all, it's not like the org itself is a secret, and we wouldn't see Hiyuki questioning him twice if his circumstances weren't suspicious. So Shiba's subplot thickens while we laugh at the gag- peak efficiency.

The cuteness, though... the sweetness of this chapter, man!

Chihiro respecting Yuu's nickname and correcting Hakuri with such a gentle expression is incredibly adorable. He's so relaxed here... but oh wait, there's... chibi Hakuri and Chihiro apologizing for worrying Uncle Shiba?!

Chihiro and his new #1 enabler owe more than an apology but it's good enough for now.

This break wasn't quite long enough to reset the tension in my opinion, but it absolutely delivered on character moments. We definitely needed this after all the big feels from the previous few chapters. I wish there was more time devoted to letting us calm down before ramping up again but what we got here is pretty good.

And so we jump feet-first into laying the groundwork for the Kamunabi arc. A nice, efficient recap of the situation leads us into some additional context and a surprising bit of Shiba characterization. Whatever beef he's got with the Kamunabi feels quite personal for a guy who plays it cool and loose most of the time. We know he's glad he quit because they're too uptight, but there's gotta be more to it than that- he's subtly trying to steer Chihiro away from them while Hiyuki is having none of it here. I want to gently snap this man in half to make him spill his secrets...

At the end of the day, though, Shiba's not going to stop Chihiro from joining the Kamunabi. That's been his thing since Chapter 1: if Chihiro makes up his mind to do something, Shiba will offer advice and make suggestions but ultimately leave the decisions up to him. I wonder how much of his guilt over Kunishige's death plays into that...

Then!

PFFT. "I know what I'm doing here seems risky and unwise but It's fine, trust me. I've got Hakuri." OKAY BUDDY. You've been able to do a hell of a lot since you met this kid haven't you? It's like meeting him changed the trajectory of your life as much as you changed his.

Shiba's expression is very interesting to me. He's like "ah, I get it..." and he's not thrilled in the slightest. Adding Hakuri to the team means Chihiro can be even more reckless than ever before; what little influence he had over Chihiro's safety is all but gone now. And Hakuri himself won't try to stop Chihiro from putting his life on the line- he'll risk his own to help him do it! All this while they're poised to go somewhere he probably can't follow... poor Mr. Shiba.

And then!! AND THEN!!!

Chapter 32: Smile Unlocked (once has no meaning...)

Chapter 36: Smile Lost (twice is a coincidence...)

Chapter 38: Locked In (three times is a pattern...)

Chapter 45: Smile Restored (four times is fate)

The one pulling the other forward is always on the right, leading the reader as well.

When one calls, the other answers. What one starts, the other finishes. A and Un. And this time Hakuri echoes Chihiro's "you got it" catchphrase back to him! I hope this is their thing now, like the "How's my timing?/Perfect" bit that Shiba and Chihiro had.

I'm going absolutely insane over this interaction though. It's the first time Chihiro's gotten to hear someone affirm that they'll see things through with him at his own request (on-screen at least). The first time he's outright said he needs someone, even. And of course Hakuri responds so enthusiastically- he's finally wanted. Just a few days ago he thought he'd never amount to anything. But he's got so much hope thanks to Chihiro's faith in him now.

"What I need in my life is a samurai! THAT'S YOU!" is finally answered with "I'm going to need your help again." hnnnngh what in the hell is this chapter.

Platonic, familial, romantic- however you want to see their relationship, these guys are meant to be together. If I ever start to doubt Hakuri's importance again just smack me right upside the head- he's truly Chihiro's other half now. Let's cheer them on and hope nothing horrible happens to Hakuri ever again! Protect the smile of the boy who would die for you on command, Chihiro. You've been warned.

Protected Bearers

Cool stuff ahead, and tough times to go with them. I doubt things will be as simple as Chihiro successfully making his case and being allowed to start trying to Talk no Jutsu the former wielders. This arc seems like it could easily be longer and more complicated than the previous two combined. I kind of hope it is, just to get more time with everyone. I've never loved a cast of characters this much.

That said... In another series I'd be sure Chihiro would visit each area one by one in their own mini arc, but Kagurabachi is probably going to subvert the expectation somehow. We got previews of the areas so we'll be seeing all of them. Probably (we goddamn better after that gorgeous spread showing them off.), but not in the way we'd expect. This story is so fast I kind of expect us to blitz through all of them in a handful of chapters each... guess it depends on how in-depth we get with the bearers themselves.

As we originally saw them in chapter 18. The slightly updated designs from this chapter are pretty nifty.

I'm 100% sure the order they're presented here corresponds with the areas shown on the spread immediately afterwards. So eye scars is stuck in a temple, the girl is stuck in an onsen, kabuki monk guy is stuck in what looks like a floating shrine, and sushi chef is in... a sushi restaurant. Wow shocker.

I'm going to make the assumption that they got to choose where they were imprisoned for the rest of their lives. Maybe it was the government's way of expressing gratitude for helping the war effort? Which makes Magatsumi's wielder (the Sword Master) being sealed up like a nasty curse all the more intriguing... he's clearly fucked up but was he always that way or did the sword corrode his mind? Is there more to the lifelong contract with these swords than just being the only person who can use them? I better get some answers!

Anyway.

So Kunishige personally knew and chose these people... I wonder how meeting them will deepen Chihiro's understanding of his father's legacy. I sincerely doubt that all of them will make it easy for him to recover the blade they're tied to, but we'll hopefully learn a lot while Chihiro makes his attempts. Really seems like we are set up for Kunishige and Seitei War backstory so I am hype. Dead DILF lore! DEAD DILF LORE!

Hiyuki and Kamunabi Thoughts

Hiyuki also had some interesting moments this chapter. She understands that the current stalemate with the Hishaku has tied the Kamunabi's hands for the most part, forcing them to do less than savory things (like bidding on the Shinuchi) to keep the peace. And despite her hotblooded outburst before the auction, she still has rock solid faith in her org's mission. So I don't think she'll defect easily so as long as she believes the mission is doable under better circumstances.

And it seems like she thinks Chihiro might be the right catalyst for change... hmm. She's essentially using him as a chaos agent to shake up the status quo because he proved himself to her. She finds him worthy of deciding how to handle the blades, so now she's giving him and Hakuri the opportunity prove themselves to her leaders. Very cool. There's some rather deep stuff going on with her.

Hiyuki's much more establishment-oriented than her personality and actions suggest. I get the sense that she's there as an idealist who is willing to upset the status quo to see the mission through. A true believer in a bureaucratic institution- love that type of conflict. Can't wait to see more of her in this arc!

So now we're set to see Chihiro's philosophy and methods on trial. Super intriguing stuff and I'll definitely be looking at the questions each Kamunabi leader is asking to try and suss out their allegiance. Playing Guess the Traitor this arc is gonna be a lot of fun (I hope)!

Speaking of which... Azami as the traitor allegations don't move me, but I do think he'll be restricted this arc due to the ongoing investigation into his clandestine activities. Chihiro could well be on his own without an adult to watch out for him. At least he and Hakuri will be there for each other. ...With no one to try and stop them from doing reckless stunts. Uh oh.

So that's a wrap on this fuckhuge ramble. Hope the breakneck pace slows down just a smidge but I'm still very onboard with whatever is coming next. Thanks for allowing me to ramble as always, void.

[demonslayedher]

What were gay and lesbian relationships like in the Taisho era? How frowned upon was it to see them flirting or public kissing (nothing explicit, just casual kissing or "how beautiful you are my love" flirtation)?

Yyyyeah… short answer is that Taisho was a bad time to be anything but cis and straight. And male, for that matter, as the Meiji Civil Code of 1898 made women entirely subordinate to men (like described in this post about Uzui & having multiple wives). While Taisho is known as a period of “free love,” this started to happen later in Taisho, and was more in reference to young couples meeting and deciding if they liked each other first so their opinions had more weight in their marriages instead of everything being decided by their families (described in more detail and used to analyze KnY characters here). As a major cultural shift, teenage girls became drivers of commercial culture, and they saw the world through romantic lenses, and they had standards for who they liked. Kiyo, Sumi, and Naho would likely get to enjoy this era at its height. However, that was the extent of “free love.” As a very, very brief history of Japan’s LGBT history…

...I'm going to say right now, and remind you later on, that this is not a scholarly article and my blog is not a scholarly resource. Also, as I'm writing this, my brain is half-dead from real life paperwork, so it's going to jump all over the place. However, please note that I wanted to focus on facts and history as told about as told by LGBT advocates, because diving straight into the history means you're going to get very different definitions. The modern LGBT community in Japan uses terminology essentially the same as other worldwide LGBT communities, so their angle makes this easier to highlight what's different and what's relevant. As a refresher, I found this article and this article especially helpful, but I do not know how useful Google translate will be on them.

So then to dive into history...

Yes, there absolutely were gay samurai warlords, famous ones, too! Men could be recognized for having straight or gay or bisexual orientation, as sexuality was closely associated with manhood. Women? Pfft. Women don’t have sexuality.* Or at least, that was so generally accepted that no one really even paid much attention to sexual relationships between women; there wasn’t even terminology for it because it was so overlooked. While literature about sexual relations between men (or not-quite-men, as was the case was in beautiful young amab persons) was rampant, literature about the sexual relations between women existed too, but it had more potential to be played off as a joke. After all, women don’t have sex drive, silly.*

*Please note, this is sarcasm.

Being transgender wasn’t really enough of a concept to have terminology for it, either. While there certainly were people who identified with a different gender than they were assigned at birth and convincingly lived like that, or were assigned the opposite gender than their parts implied and were raised that way, historically they were looked at as “men in women’s clothing” or “women in men’s clothing” instead of ever having transitioned from one gender to another, or having been a different one all along. There just wasn’t a sex .vs. gender set of vocabulary to work with, which is why applying labels like “trans” wouldn’t quite translate to the people who lived these experiences, even if they did relate to the core ideas.

OTHER HISTORY STUFF which doesn't translate well into modern ideas

While this is going to take us away from the Taisho topic, there are other points to note which make the historical homosexual culture different from modern LGBT culture, and I’m going to get it all out of my system right here, just so I have this all in one place (this is ONLY a general overview to frame thinking, not a historical resource, do not quote my blog as a scholarly source, I’ve forgotten which books and classes and articles I’ve picked these things up from over the years, and I'm not going to dig back up my 30 page undergrad paper about masculinity and idealized samurai, also, wow, is it midnight already?? Basically, I just have the unfortunate task describing how it wasn't all nice rainbows): --Homosexual relationships usually circled around the romance of power imbalance; one partner having significant social power over the other, and often being much older. This idea is practically inseparable from the Warring States and Edo period notions of sexual relationship between men (so not exactly what we’d call wholesome nowadays, sorry, this is the majority of what to expect if you have any interest in this topic)

--Marriage wasn’t considered a pact between people and gods until the Meiji period, when Japan was going through a strengthening of its own religious convictions as a means of national identity, so Shintoism and Buddhism didn’t exactly prohibit it, it was out of their bounds, kind of

--The Edo period did have anti-gay restrictions due to moral panic, but they were trying to curb all kinds of moral panics that caused societal disturbances, be it Christianity, women in theater, lovers’ suicides, overly enthusiastic displays of bravery through eager seppuku, wearing clothes too fancy for your social class, etc. Jealous lovers’ spats over those dang pretty boys had to be stopped!

--It’s generally accepted that Japan had “acceptance” of individuals of ambiguous gender or who married people who appeared to be the same gender, even if that person wore the clothes typical of a husband or wife role. However, this was not an active acceptance (of the “cool, what are your pronouns?” variety), but a passive acceptance (“that guy’s wearing lipstick… oh well, not gonna ruin my day” variety). It was not the norm at all, but it wasn’t seen as harmful or worthy of a fuss.

--While there’s a long history of literary characters living contrary to the sexual binary and crossing gender lines, the narrative tension of these stories often relied on the idea that no matter how convincing they might be, they can’t escape the gender associated with their physical parts (thereby not a total acceptance or recognition of the label of their choosing). It's not to say you can't find counter-examples, but again, the terminology I've most often seen used was "men in women's clothing" and "women in men's clothing."

--Marriage and family registry regulations did exist in Edo, sort of. People needed to be registered at their local temple for census-like reasons (and for reasons of stamping out the Hidden Christians). Per local regulations (which could be pretty lose), if you were taking a wife you might have had to report her name and what temple her family was registered under, and maybe a really fastidious monk would say, “hey, that name was registered as a son, what the hell,” but it was also kind of easy to fudge the report and find it unlikely if someone would check if that family temple existed or not. --Also, prior to the influence of Western mindsets, the Edo period saw its own resurgences of Confucian values which paved some of the way for societal changes which would come later.

KNOCK KNOCK... IT'S THE MEIJI RESTORATION

So then came Meiji, when Japan very, very quickly adopted Western culture so that they could be on an even playing field with other world powers. While this did mean strengthening their own national identity and army (which is part of what led to the strengthening of family regulations and civil codes, to raise a strong and united populace), it also meant taking in a lot of Western influence all at once, that was when Japan was awash with the concept that homosexuality was a sin. Next thing you know, gay couples (or couples in which one person had male parts but identified as female) were not officially recognized, and then homosexual relations become a criminal act in 1872, but this was later rescinded in 1880. The damage was done, society turned very harsh against homosexual relations. I know, I know. It's the truth you really don't want to hear if you're going for historical accuracy in fanwork. Tanjiro and his cohorts grew up in a time of widespread homophobia. This is your general reminder that fanfiction can be whatever you want and you can choose to ignore this. This homophobia didn’t really go away until the Americans came in in 1945 and restructured Japanese society around personal freedoms. It didn’t take long for gay bars to hit the scene in the 1950s.  

However, clearly sexuality is only a thing men have.* Those Taisho period girls, getting along really well? Clearly they have a sisterly relationship, they’re very close.*

*All sarcasm.

To back up a bit, even straight Taisho couples—proper married ones and everything!—wouldn’t be caught holding hands in public. Scandalous! The women is subordinate to the man, she always walks behind him. Flirting in public? Heavens, no!* While I did get another Ask about Taisho dating and will go into it more there, in general, Taisho couples were considered very shy when it came to dating and courtship. It was their chance to find partners of their choosing, after all, they couldn't afford to spoil this precious freedom. *Sarcasm. Couples found ways. Popular date spots were where they could avoid being seen.

I’m not kidding about that not-holding-hands stuff. It really wasn’t something you’d see couples do, unless they wanted everyone talking trash about them. Couples going on long walks and fancy dates together was totally a thing, but at least under public eye, you kept a chaste distance.

But then how would they express their maidenly passion...?

Love letters flourished in the late Meiji through early Showa period. There were even magazines dedicated to them, still in collections like the National Diet Library Japan. As I can only read modern Japanese these are difficult for me to read, but dang, for what I can make out, they sound like giddy teenage girls of today. They feel like Mitsuri, talking about all those flighty doki-dokis! And there was a particular genre of them, called “S” (pronounced in loanword katakana, “esu”). For “Sister,” clearly.

C-l-e-a-r-l-y.*

*Sarcasm.

So yeah.

Passionate, touchy-feeling relationships between girls, and the tension of being unable to confess love to one another or pining for one another… we’ve still got those letters, in the true Taisho style of flirting. Take that, Edo period Neo-Confucionists. Taisho Period Girl Power.

[leportraitducadavre]

Hi. I apologize for the delayed response. I've been busy with Lunar New Year celebrations, and unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to check Tumblr until now. Here are the links that I sent in the foreshadowing ask https://www.tumblr.com/maoam/740334141571219456/chapter-182-beginning-of-sasuke-retrieval?source=share and https://maoam.tumblr.com/post/689252113529847808/narutos-feelings-in-kage-arc. I also apologize that I should have considered the possibility of you being wary about clicking on unknown links, especially given the current complex state of network security. I simply wanted to ensure my ask appeared tidy.

Hello there, I know you sent me an ask a long time ago about my opinion on these posts, I don't know Japanese so I can't say for sure if what she translated is correct.

What I can tell you, is that suicide amongst Japanese warriors was a practice that was considered the epitome of self-sacrifice towards an ideal. It was also an undying proof of loyalty, the ethos of Bushidō:

Ideas of the samurai code formalized earlier samurai moral values and ethics, most commonly stressing a combination of sincerity, frugality, loyalty, martial arts mastery, honor until death, "bravery", and "loyalty to the samurai's lord." The idea of a samurai code or codes was developed and refined centuries before the Edo period in the Kamakura period. (Source) Seppuku (切腹, lit. 'cutting [the] belly'), also called harakiri (腹切り, lit. 'abdomen/belly cutting', a native Japanese kun reading), is a form of Japanese ritualistic suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honour, but was also practised by other Japanese people during the Shōwa era (Source)

I don't understand the comparison, regardless. Why do they claim a character (Darui) speaking of double suicide directly relates to Naruto speaking of dying alongside Sasuke (they used Japanese raws in one image, not in the other one, so I'm not sure the possible interpretation of the Japanese writing, did Naruto use the same "��中" that Darui used?).

The first example they present is from a specific character and his arc (Shikamaru), is he who introduces the notion (women being a problem), and is he who closes it, modifying his views (for a specific woman, Temari).

In the second case, it's Darui who introduces the notion (in a single bubble speech, not an entire page like Shikamaru to convey the relevance of his views), so how come is Naruto the one who closes it?

There's no mention of suicide, either, Naruto claims they'll die together, but the context implies a clash, a fight between them both, not a double suicide; furthermore, Naruto's statement is "If we really do take this all the way to the end, and we both die..." He's not choosing to die, and he's not looking forward to it either, he's listing it as a possibility, that if it happened, it'll mean that in the next life, they'd have no burden of being an Uchiha or a jinchüriki, being able to understand one another without that weight upon them. Having a "clean slate" to understand one another, of sorts...

Kishimoto used the name Monzaemon Chikamatsu as the creator of puppetry ninjutsu, and he is one of the most well-respected Japanese authors. Indeed, Chikamatsu was better known for his double-suicide stories (alongside his reflection of commoners within his plays), but Kishimoto likely used this name because Chikamatsu was, well, a japanese playwright of the jōruri, puppet theatrical art, ancestor of bunraku and kabuki; so likely his homage has more to do with Chikamatsu being "the father" of puppet plays, and less to do with the idea of "double suicide" (Chikamatsu is also mentioned in a completely different arc by Sasori when fighting Chiyo, there's no mention about his stories but rather, his relevance as a puppeteer).

About the second post... I don't know what to say, Hinata confesses as she ends her speech with "I love you, Naruto-kun", while Naruto finishes it with "I'm happy I knew you", the speeches are similar as they both focus on the influence of the other person in their lives and how they inspired them to move forward in their goal; they both idealized the other (Hinata -> Naruto / Naruto -> Sasuke) so in that front, I understand the parallelism.

Naruto uses this speech to morally downgrade Sasuke ("one bad move... and I could have been like you..."). Hinata's confession focuses on how she wants to be beside Naruto, moving alongside him, Naruto's speech is mostly about how he wants to "surpass" Sasuke (their fallout starts when Sasuke refuses to acknowledge Naruto).

I don't understand the "notice how Hinata is facing away from Naruto while confessing, while Naruto is facing Sasuke. It’s the same thing whenever Sakura is confessing, Sasuke always gives her his back. This is again intentional from Kishi." The reasoning is different: Sasuke turns his back towards Sakura because he doesn't want to face her (there's rejection, yes), and Hinata has her back turned because she's facing Pain. Naruto is paying attention to her. Meanwhile, Sasuke and Naruto are facing one another because they're the ones about to fight, so the context in each situation is completely different.

[voltageincboys]

“You’re a fearless woman. I only want you by my side.” ~ Toshizo Hijikata ~ Era of Samurai: Code of Love (Owned by Voltage) •April•

[lunasotomescreenshots]

• Hijikata (✿◠‿◠) •

[docholligay]

Things that were nominated 2024

FOr people who won Shamash or the merely curious!

Anime/ation

legend of Vox Machina

Dear Brother

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

Bubblegum Crisis

Ranma 1/2 (2024)

Megalobox

Scavengers Reign

Higurashi When They Cry / Higurashi no Naku Koro ni

Revolutionary Girl Utena

Castlevania

Yataragasu: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master

Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit (Japanese title: Seirei no Moribito)

Blue Eye Samurai

Bojack Horseman

Code Geass

Tokyo Godfathers

Sasameki Koto

Akiba Maid War / Akiba Meido Sensō

Death Note

Don't Hug Me, I'm Scared

Rose of Versailles

Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor

Monster

Paranoia Agent

The Promised Neverland

Akira

Live action:

Letterkenny

Kevin Can Fuck Himself

FROM

The Penguin

Santa Clarita Diet

Shogun (2023)

Deadloch

Severance

Godless (netflix)

Everything, Everywhere, All at Once

Max Headroom

Tipping the Velvet

The Batman (2022)

Schitt's Creek

Promised Land (2022)

The Twilight Zone (Original series)

MASH (TV Show)

Life on Mars (UK)

The Americans

Masterminds (2003)

Deadwood

Great British Bakeoff (Mel and Sue Era)

Fallout

Gentleman Jack

The Green Knight

The Only Murders in the Building

Doctor Who (Modern Era)

Yellowjackets

Justified

Hacks

Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

Vigil

Beef

The Last of Us

Picnic At Hanging Rock

WandaVision

Misc:

Jackbox Games

Cocktail ask hour--we all make a cocktail together (or I show you how) and then we answer asks!

Couples Therapist Holligay

Noted English Scholar Doc

Holligay History Moment -- 2-10 minute videos to teach us more about something in history

Bad Lesbian Advice: Anime Characters Editon (characters give the advice for the question)

Bakeoff-style technical challenge

Show Openings

If You Don't Like What God Gave You, Store Bought is Fine (tutorials on shapewear, wig-wearing, using makeup to sculpt, etc)

Doc Reviews Grocery Store Snacks or International Snacks

Make an Effort: Doc gives advice and guides on how to dress yourself and fashion

History of the American West Day

Who Wants to Be An Intellectual Shit (THis is what Mike did with me and the anime, only it's me as the host and him having to identify what classic literature is about)

Vetting Kids' Media for Beeb (as a children's story for children, specifically my child)

Cooking stream

Music day: whether it's you telling us about music you like, or us recommending music to you.

Holligay Loves Food/Cooking Advice

Redo Day:

ER

Deadwood

The Haunting of Hill House

Santa Clarita Diet

Daria

Sasameki Koto

Twin Peaks

Magical Girl Raising Project

Leverage

Motherland: Fort Salem

Picnic At Hanging Rock

The Legend of Calamity Jane

Sailor Moon day

Write between the episodes scenes

Live Blog Bandai-era Sera Myu

PGSM liveblog

Liveblog of your top Sailor Moon scenes (any incarnation)

Liveblog of the Sailor Moon Manga

Writeup of Michiru/Haruka and Lead Crow/Aluminum Siren double date

Write a fic of Toonmakers (nee Saban) Sailor Moon

Dressing the Senshi using clothing that exists in my closet

Liveblog of the Original Anime

Writing Day:

Fuck Marry Kill and other quick popcorn prompts

Doc writes about history

Odd Ones Out (specifically, prompts for stuff you don't normally write- something besides OW or Sailor Moon, characters like Hotaru or the OW cowboy, comedy genre)

Holligay Loves Food

Prompt Day

Fuck Marry Kill and other quick popcorn prompts

Doc writes about history

Odd Ones Out (specifically, prompts for stuff you don't normally write- something besides OW or Sailor Moon, characters like Hotaru or the OW cowboy, comedy genre)

Holligay Loves Food

Prompt Day

[lhostgil]

About Kurt’s Krakoa era outfit

I think if I see another mention of Kurt’s Krakoa era outfit being like that of a pirate or priest I am going to die of laughter.

The cutting, design and silhouette is literally that of a Jinbaori (a traditional Japanese surcoat that is high collared, sleeveless and has a single, long slit at the back). Kurt’s is just plain red with no intricate embellishing.

Like. Seriously. How did no one notice this.

The even more damning part is his first X-Book series for the Krakoa era is literally named “The Way of X” wherein Japanese naming conventions for cultural conventions, ceremony, code, etc starts with “The way of (activity)” [Examples: Tea Ceremony, known as sadō/chadō (茶道, 'The Way of Tea').  Bushidō (武士道, ‘the way of the warrior’) is a moral code concerning samurai attitudes, behavior and lifestyle. Flower Arrangement, known as Ikebana also goes by kadō (華道, 'way of flowers').]

It does not help that for most of western media popularizing the depiction of samurai as a class of elite warriors who only focused on martial skill and little else...the truth is that for most part they were the noble class who functioned as civil servants (yes, they were responsible for law and order; enforcing and protecting social order--sounds familiar doesn’t it, with Kurt’s actions during the Legion of X books. The only time the samurai were actually expected to draw their swords to kill was in battle however, as generals leading their armies.)  It’s just that they had land and money (usually inherited or awarded to them for their feats in battle/war). They were expected to be both well versed in pen and sword; the studies expected of a scholar-gentleman (literate, artistic, well-mannered and contributing to the cultural growth of the nation). Just being able to swing a weapon about made people think you to be a mindless butcher and not befitting a true warrior. [A lot of notable samurai were poets and painters. Heck, there was even one samurai who loved goldfishes so much he is credited as the reason for present-day Japan’s goldfish appreciation + breeding hobby.] 

[quietbooklion]

So I want to talk about Saito. Or, more specifically, why I think he deserved a finale.

It's pretty common for Voltage to abandon a title or give some characters a finale while others have their stories uncompleted. For Era of Samurai, Hijikata, Okita, and Takasugi all have their stories completed, whereas Saito and Harada only made it to season 2. Kondo only has one season, but if you know the history of the Shinsengumi, then he definitely wouldn't have gotten a season 3 storyline.

If we're going on based off of the real Shinsengumi, then out of all the LIs, Saito is the one that manages to not only survive the war, but also live a natural life until he died at 71. Everyone else died, leaving him as one of the few Shinsengumi members that survived. And you would think that with this piece of information, Era of Samurai Saito would get a finale where he and the MC would mourn the Shinsengumi and live the rest of their natural life together. But they didn't. Instead, Saito only made it to season 2 and his story ends there. Why though?

I guess the answer to that was that he wasn't as popular as Hijikata, Okita, and Takasugi. Again, this isn't anything new with Voltage as they have a history of not giving characters a proper finale. It sucks and for the most part, I accept that they weren't as popular as other characters and move on. With Saito, however, I'm a little more annoyed because he survives the war. Him having a finale makes the most sense. He lived while everyone else died.

Even after all these years, Saito deserved a finale. Saito deserved better than simply cutting off his storyline.