#I also like to come up with eye designs in the style of Kny

[kotelok16]

I REALLY like to draw in the style of Demon slayer!! So here are a couple more fake screenshots before a batch of new designs. The last picture reminds me very much of a meme with Eren Yeager and his father XD

Oh, I also have this

[bokutosbiceps]

Hi! If requests are open, could I please have a matchup with a male character from bsd and kny?

My Name is Rachel, Im 18, and my pronouns are she/her.  My zodiac sign is Taurus and Im a Gemini rising. I have brown hair that comes a few inches below my shoulders, brown eyes and freckles. My MBTI type is ENFJ

I’m a really optimistic person, and I try to help others as much as I can! I’m good at giving advice, and making people feel better. I’m also very charismatic and very outgoing! I love trying out new activities, But, I can get impatient easily and I tend to be stubborn. I’m very affectionate and I tend to make sure that everyone around me is feeling alright before making sure that I am. Basically, I’m like the mom friend. 

I really enjoy fashion design. I love sewing and coming up with a new ideas of something I can make! I’m also really passionate about music. I’ve played piano since second grade, and it really helps me to express myself! Some of my other hobbies include baking, crocheting and shopping. My personal style is a kind of mix between softie and angelcore. I love clothes that are pink, ruffly or have some sort of lace on them. Some things I like include, pretty perfume bottles, flowers, and jewelry I have a huge sweet tooth, so I also really like desserts! I absolutely hate bugs. In a partner, I look for someone who is loyal, patient, and can make me laugh.

Thank you so much!!

a/n: ugh i immediately knew who i wanted to match you with but i’m so conflicted for kny. we’ll see ;) i hope you enjoy !!

bungou stray dogs

I match you with dazai osamu! So post port mafia dazai because he’s just a happy lil boy who’s trying to live his best life and help people. you are like dazai’s shining light, his little angel, his everything. he loves that you’re so optimistic and affectionate because sometimes when the weight of the world is too much for him to bear, you can pull him right out of that with just your smile and you two can continue to be happy and adorable together. dazai also really enjoys your doting nature because the boy knows he needs someone to take care of him + remind him how important he is to them. dazai finds your fashion sense absolutely adorable and is *heart eyes emoji* whenever you wear something w lace. he loves that shit. because he knows of your love for sweets, he will bring home a different treat for you every day and weekends would include parlor dates where you guys will share a nice sweet treat while you have a nice light hearted chat.

kimetsu no yaiba

I match you with agatsuma zenitsu! this boy is so heart eyes over you it’s insane. you saved his life. at first, he was a little skeptical that someone so cute could also be so kind, but once he saw your optimistic nature and caring heart, he done for. he spoils you. buys you all the cutesy outfits you want, treats you to a sweet treat whenever he gets the chance, and will always buy you beautiful jewelry because its beauty reminded him of you. he is also such a cheerleader for you + support all of your hobbies. if you bake something, he’s the first in line to taste it + will get super jealous over anyone else who gets to try your cooking >:( he loves it whenever you play music for him + will always proclaim it’s the most beautiful thing that’s ever graced his ears. basically, he simps for you. but in a good way. such a wholesome lil couple omg

[kamathesebokos]

i’ve stooped so low!

have an oc

her name’s Kaei Ako (嘉永赤子) and a result of my spite towards modern shonen (and all media really!) for not really having badass elderly characters, especially the ladies. so she gets to be a seventy-something fighter who steps up as hashira post-mugen train to fill rengoku’s position among the nine.

coming up with her design was really freaking hard because i had her concept down pat; visually i was struggling to depict who I wanted her to be. so i decided to focus on her age; i went with a (hc) older variant on the modern corps uniform without the modified hakama pants and belt, plus a muted worker’s hanten to differentiate her from the younger, brighter members. the pattern on the hanten im not too happy with, since it was a lazy variant on the patterns on those perforated mtal sheets, but it should do as a placeholder

and the eyes? god, i agonized over the eyes. kny has such a variety of eye designs, and i didn’t want hers to look too much like the others; so i opted for a highlight-inside-pupil with a gold-green iris. at first i imagined her with red eyes (her name being ‘red one’), but i didn’t want to go the ‘eyes match colour of clothing’ route becuase thats not fun! then it went aqua, but the concept was too similar to muichiro.

(backstory to come in a later post)

also, cue a rant about the kny manga art style! it’s actually really fun to mimic, much more than the anime one because of how beautifully antique and two-dimensional it is; it actually reminds me a bit of those traditional japanese musha-e paintings of warriors and samurai just because of the bold prints and way the fabric folds are drawn, but the features are still clearly anime inspired, and if that doesn’t mirror the Taisho east-west fusion setting perfectly i don’t know what does!

lineart wise i don’t really have it down since i couldn’t find a suitable brush, and the colouring is too airbrush-y for a watercolour/marker look, but one thing i’ve found to help it mimic kny’s style is the irregular breaks on the lineart! so if you squint hard enough you might be able to fool yourself lol

logo directly pulled from volume 12 cover art, since I hc her first appearance to be in the swordsmith village arc; just like everyone else, but i swear it’s only because she’s from there

(ohoho this is so self-indulgent and i love it! the sideblog was a right call)

[lion-buddy]

Hey! I love your blog :)

Can you go into detail about why Nezuko is your favorite character?

oohhh. ive been, enabled.

Ty anon

Just to begin, nezukos design already checks a lot of boxes for me:

- multi colored hair 

- purple/pink/orange/red color scheme (she looks like a sunset :]) 

- The long socks/legs wraps (idk the correct term sry)

- Fangs and claws and cat eyes >:3c

- Star-like pattern on her kimono 

     I also really like her voice. (Tho I Adore all the voice acting in kny. It never misses) I think Akari Kito does a really good job at differentiating her human and demon mannerisms, even if most of the time it’s just conveyed through muffled hums and grunts. She does an amazing job where it really counts ESPECIALLY especially especially in ep 7 season 2. Not to fangirl but Oh my god I don’t think I’ve ever anticipated anything more in my life. You have No idea how excited I was for the ep to drop. Every week I was just counting down the eps, trying to predict what weekend it release. And it was so worth the wait. It was. SO GOOD. The animation was amazing, the score never missed a beat (i already have a whole ramble talking abt the ost in that one scene), and the voice acting was perfect on all ends. I will always love how Akari Kito lowered her voice to better fit the berserker nezuko persona. I love how ufotable added these nice little details that helped each scene transition so nicely. The sound design was so good. Words cant describe how much adrenaline was running through my body while watching all that! And I know that sounds weird, being that excited abt a single ep, but I had been waiting for that for years dude. And, the idea that it would drop almost didn’t seem real. Nezuko vs Daki is probably one of my favorite fights in the series! From the initial reveal to when nezuko falls asleep, I adore the way it develops nezuko and tackles the issues around being a demon that I was hoping would be addressed! How despite her initial intentions, strong emotions can block out reason and thought, and cause yourself to become blindsided from logic. And in this case, it let’s her demonic tendencies take control. It’s. SO INTERESTING AHH. 

and while i love all that potential for her character set up that ep, i don’t like how berserker Nezuko was handled later. As in how after the RLD arc, berserker nezuko is not really addressed again despite what almost happened. And when she does come back she’s perfectly fine and in complete control and tanjiro doesn’t seem worried at all despite the fact that the last time he saw his sister like that he had to restrain her from trying to eat someone. But never mind that, I don't want to be bitter. My point is that I really really like that ep and what it sets up for nezukos character (even if what was set up was not acted upon as much as I hoped it would be later) and it will always have a special place in my heart.

     And on the topic of fights, I also think her fighting style is super cool and fun to watch (and this is aided by the beautiful animation). It helps her stand out from the rest of the cast in which a majority fight with swords. And, I also think her not talking is an important character trait.  Because with a main cast of 4, 3 of which are all varying levels of loud, having nezuko not talk helps her stand out in a group that is constantly yelling. And all of this holds up for me despite having an au entirely focused on if she could talk. that is purely for my self indulgence <:D. 

      Ok so. Want to address something that is always kinda a constant “Elephant in the Room” for me because, as a character in the story of kny, if I’m being honest with myself, most of my interest in nezuko doesn’t come from the actual story we’re given. Hell, my favorite dynamic is the nezuko and makomo friendship we see in the side series and it’s not even canon nor ever could be :,) (read kimetsu academy). Dont get me wrong tho, i get so happy any time i see nezuko. i cant think of a moment in the series where i wasn't happy to see her on screen. But, compared to other characters, especially as secondary main character, her development is harder to follow. That doesn’t mean there isn’t any tho, she’s just kinda, sidelined. And since she doesn’t speak, it means development she does get isn’t spoken, which I think is both consistent with her character while also being sort of a detriment. 

     Ok so, initially this next section was a 5+ paragraph ramble that I decided was too negative to keep in and could honestly be it’s own post. and on top of all that was. kinda hard to follow. I don’t want this to be a critique of the series, I want it to be abt why I like it :D. So to put this short a sweet, a lot of questions i had weren’t given a lot of attention. Or, weren’t always handled amazingly <:). i.e Berserker Nezuko.  because the thing is, Nezukos story has a really really intriguing beginning. You're left there asking so many questions. Is nezuko going to be able to stay in control of herself? How is she going to ensure that? Can she talk without the muzzle? How is Tanjiro going to handle not being able to interact with his sister? How is she going to react to other people? How are they going to turn her human? Does she need to eat? Does she remember what happened to her family? 

   So asking all this, a lot of my thoughts are more inspired by what could have been, or trying to interpret or expand on moments we are given. And, fun fact, on the side Ive actually been taking the time to write out and reason why nezuko is the way she is because I’m. Just like that I guess! Not everything needs an answer, but I like to try and connect dots where I can and come up with an answer myself. Cuz something I always address when talking abt nezuko was how underutilized she was. And while just spatting a doc full of head-cannon info is one thing, (which will probably never see the light of day because. My god that thing is a transcription directly from my under stimulated school brain and is therefore incomprehensible) it’s more fun to think abt this info being conveyed through the story. And on that note, here are a few plot points that the series sets up that I think could have been neat and given Nezuko more meaningful screen time!

- more talk with Tamayo and demon biology. I think it’s super interesting and could lead to some interesting conversation and an explanation for beserker Nezuko. (Because if I’m genuinely bitter abt anything it’s the beserker nezuko plot line). I also like Tamayo and sad we didn’t get see her that much. Tanjiro is the Concerned Older Brother I and I feel he would have questions to ask, especially after the RDL arc. 

- More downtime focus between her and tanjiro. (This is a Big one for me I think abt it A Lot). We get hints of it like after Mugen Train and I think could have been really interesting to see how the two communicate despite their circumstances. we also get a bit between them in the side stories with that flower short and i literally cried when i read that. :’) i want more content of them so badly 

- A nezuko arc that covers the time when tanjiro and the rest of the gang are recovering from the events of the entertainment district. I wanna know what was she up to! (I do have wip a comic written and sketched abt this exact question but. Motivation is a bitch </3)

- Nezuko and zenitsu. I’m so sad the anime cut what little bit we had in the manga I wanna see them hanging out in a flower field being friends. It would make their end game seem more, natural, seeing we don’t get a lot of content about them vibing sunrise countdown.  - More interaction with the pillars. Maybe not with nezuko specifically but I just want more pillar content outside of battle, maybe with some focus on the enigma that is Nezuko. how having a demon in the corps affects their moral codes a whatnot.  

- I wanna see Inosuke and Nezuko fight together. I feel their fighting styles would complement each other well

- NEZUKO AND GENYA. The two foils should have been allowed to interact together after the swordsmith village. It could give Nezuko an opportunity to talk more now that she can. I feel nezuko and Genya are really similar not just in abilities (and yknow. Being foils and all) but personality. It could be an opportunity for her to finally share how she feels about being a demon with someone who also knows how it feels. There’s. SO much potential ough. 

(i would expand on these ideas myself in this post but my brain does not organize like that so </3. i love to think abt nezuko as a character A Lot, but putting those thoughts down in a coherent manner takes a lot of effort for me, so if i ever do they would be their own posts.)     

but either way, I go crazy when people make Nezuko content especially around concepts like these. they are so much fun to interact with. But. Yeah, Nezuko gets side lined a lot in kny, and despite that she’s still my fav because she had so much potential. But kny is a shorter series with not a lot of in-between fluff, especially in the later chapters, so ofc not everything would have time to be addressed. I just think it’s fun to, instead of being upset at this, just make what I wanted to see, and look for content by others to see how they interpret the character. Because people have such good ideas. there are a lot of cool people in this fandom and I’m happy to be apart of it :D

[lavender-rosa]

koyuki and shinobu!!

So Shinobu first!

Favourite things about them 🦋: Her design is my favourite one out of the entire series, the purple, the pastel monarch butterfly haori that she is wearing that makes her look like she floats when she moves, it all screams elegance and I love it.

It is also a subtle nod to her fighting style as monarch butterflies are poisonous and poison is usually associated with the colour purple. Her eyes in the manga have a crosshatch design on them that makes them look like the eyes of an insect, and even the design of her sword mimics a bee stinger. Such a creative and well-thought out design.

More Shinobu praise under read more

Outside of her design Shinobu is a literal kid genius. She created her own breathing style and was an expert in pharmaceuticals and clinical toxicology when she was just a kid.

She trains herself, trains Kanao, slays demons, makes her own poisons, makes her own medicine, runs an entire household that is also a place to treat the sick and the wounded and she heals her own patients, someone give this girl a vacation.

What i also love about her is how Shinobu wears this sickly sweet, polite facade in an attempt to emulate and honour Kanae. She bottles up her grief, her pain, her rage, her hatred, she tries to kill her real self in order to mimic her dead sister which comes off as incredibly off-putting.

But just because Shinobu is full of hatred and rage it doesn't mean she is not kind, she deeply cares about people and seeing those people in pain further aids her anger. Her rage is born out of her empathy. She will heal but she will also rot someone from the inside out, she is medicine and poison.

Also her plan is so incredibly sad. A 14 year old girl has her sister die in front of her and at this moment decides that she will throw her entire life away for the sake of vengeance, she is just so exhausted and enranged by the constant losses that she deems herself someone who is too broken to attempt living a normal life, she turns her body into a living weapon, she bottles up all her negative emotions, she figuratively wears her dead sister's face and in the end she commits suicide by letting herself be killed by the man who took Kanae from her. Shinobu is one of the most tragic characters in kny i take no criticism.

Least favourite thing about them 🦋: This is less about her and more about how her writing is framed. Like in the paragraph above i describe a tragedy but the manga decides to portray it as oddly heroic? Like yeah her suicide greatly helped in Douma's defeat but it's still suicide. You said in your own post that kny has a problem with it's portrayal of suicide and it definetely applies to her.

It's especially egregious when Kanae, the same girl that begged Shinobu with tears in her eyes on the verge of death to quit the corps and lead a normal life, suddenly in the middle of the fight against Douma would encourage Shinobu to further self destruct and would accept her in the afterlife without even the tiniest bit of confrontation.

Yes, of course Kanae would eventually accept her in the afterlife, but imo it would have been less ooc if Kanae when reunited with Shinobu in was crying, angry at her for throwing her life away for the sake of vengeance, blaming herself for not being able to somehow prevent this, have the two sisters converse, come to an understanding, have Kanae tearfully embrace Shinobu and then they reunite with their parents. (something similar to Muichiro's and Yuichiro's scene).

Favourite Line 🦋: Yes, I am angry, Tanjiro. I’ve been angry the whole time. My parents were killed. My sister was killed. My disciples except Kanao were killed. Those girls, they must have lived calm lives with their families if their families weren’t killed by demons. Pisses me off. Screw you, idiot. Why do my poisons not work on you, bastard!

brOTP 🦋: with Giyuu <3

Also I think we should have actually seen her develop a friendship with Inosuke, instead of briefly mentioning it in a flashback.

OTP 🦋: *chanting* Shinomitsu, Shinomitsu, Shinomitsu-

nOTP 🦋: with Douma for reasons I hope are obvious. But sister murder aside, i think one of the reasons why i don't find this appealing is how Douma seems to be slightly amused at best and utterly apathetic and mocking at worst in regards to his attitude towards her. (Well except in the end where he suddenly develops feelings for her while in purgatory which ermm let's just say I greatly prefer your version where he meets his parents instead).

Also notp with Giyuu (see above picture)

Random Headcanons 🦋:

🦋 She is an autistic lesbian (Gotouge told me so)

🦋 In canon the first time she meets Tanjiro she offers to kill Nezuko with a soft, gentle poison unlike the very painful ones she usually uses. I wondered why Shinobu would be in posession of such a thing, so I headcanon that Kanae suggested to Shinobu to develop a gentler poison to use on surrendering demons (similar to water breathing's fifth form). After Kanae's death Shinobu still makes a small batch of this gentle poison to honor her. She has used it in some very rare instances.

🦋 On the rare occasions Shinobu has some free time she sometimes spends that time with Mitsuri. They bake in Mitsuri's kitchen, using her recipes and then they eat the sweets they made together while exchanging ghost stories.

(Shinobu's ghost stories always end up creeping Mitsuri out, while Mitsuri's ghost stories are more silly than scary)

Unpopular opinions 🦋:

1) I dislike it when people make kny aus where Kanae is alive yet they still make Shinobu act like this saccharine sweet, patient, never outwardly angry person despite the fact that the only reason Shinobu acted like this in the main series was due to Kanae's death.

Shinobu's character progression from this brash,honest, spitfire to the demure fairy is not a natural one caused by growing up it's a self destructive act of grief and it wouldn't make sense for Shinobu to wear this mask if her sister is alive.

(And like i do not blame the fans too much for this since Gotouge also does this with Kimetsu Gakuen sacrificing character consistency for marketability but i also hate it when they do it lol)

2) I think that the rooftop scene with Tanjiro shouldn't have happened. Just because Tanjiro is our protagonist it shouldn't mean that he must be connected to every character's interpersonal drama. It just seems too ooc to me that a character as emotionally closed off as Shinobu would confess all her trauma,pain and suffering to someone she barely knows. It would make more sense for her to tell all of that to Mitsuri who is canonically her best friend.

Songs I associate with them 🦋:

Angry too- Lola Blanc

Goodbye- Ramsey

Bitter Choco Decoration- Miyashita Yuu

Favourite pictures of them 🦋:

Koyuki

Favourite things about them ❄: First of all I love how cute her design is (like pink eyes with white flower shaped pupils??? genius 🥰) but I also love how it connects to Akaza. Her eyes and her kimono are pink just like Akaza's hair, she wears a snowflake hairpin and her kimono has a snowflake pattern on it, and Akaza's compass needle is shaped like a snowflake. Her design helps to visually connect her to him and it's also extremely sad how Akaza still subconsciously carries her memory with him even if he doesn't remember her anymore.

And she is just a genuinely kindhearted, sweet kid that died way too soon. Her romance turned tragedy with Hakuji is absolutely heartwrenching. They gave each other hope for a better future, a future they never managed to fully live out due to human cruelty. Her and Keizo's murder was the event that fully killed Hakuji's humanity and in the end it wasn't Muzan who made Akaza, humans did...

She is also like, the only reason Giyuu and Tanjiro are not dead. They were both too fatigued to continue fighting, Akaza at this point had become fully immune to beheading and was ready to deal the killing blows, had Koyuki's ghost not interrupted him and forced him to remember Tanjiro and Giyuu would be ⚰⚰. Koyuki is the real mvp of the fight.

Least favourite thing about them ❄: I don't have anything to say, she is a minor character present for 3-4 chapters so i can't really come up with anything to say here. The only admittedly self indulgent fault i can find with her is that we don't have more canon content of her.

Favourite line ❄: "Thank you Hakuji, You've done enough."

This line will fucking wreck me when voice acted.

BrOTP ❄: Since she doesn't interact with anyone who isn't Hakuji or her dad in canon, we are going to Kimetsu Gakuen for brotps. She deserves to form friendships with girls her age like Kanao, Aoi and Ume.

OTP ❄: Take a wild guess

Random Headcanons ❄:

She really wanted to have a cat as a pet but she couldn't due to her allergies.

The snowflake hairpin she wears was a gift from Hakuji.

Her birthday is on February 28 (last day of winter) making her a Pisces.

Unpopular Opinion ❄: I already mentioned on how i think her and Hakuji are the only canonical romantic kny pairing that Gotouge didn't manage to fuck up, which is already extremely controversial but I also think she is extremely underrated and I hope that after Akaza's backstory is animated Hakukoyu will become a more popular pairing (I can't keep re-reblogging the same content for them over and over again guys 😭)

Songs I associate with them ❄:

Goodbye Mr. Flower Thief (kurattes made an awesome akaza animatic on it)

When I'm gone- Joey+Rory (this song is not really my thing but it is about a dying woman singing to her lover so...)

Favourite pictures of them ❄:

[demonslayedher]

I've been thinking a lot about Nichirin swords recently (cuz swords are neat), and that got me to thinking about the Hashira swords. is the 'Destroyer of Demons' Kanji engraved on their current blade, or do they receive a new blade upon reaching the rank of Hashira?

Swords! SWOOOOORDSSSSZZZ---I mean, *cough* yes, let's talk swords.

I've also wondered about whether they get new swords upon becoming Pillars, or perhaps more say in the unique characteristics and modifications of their swords, or if the swordsmen in general do as much as possible to preserve their swords. After all, an engraving can be added to an otherwise completed blade, so this doesn't tell us much about whether the blades are new or not.

My conclusions are, "hmm, yeah, probably" to all of the above.

Haganezuka may give us the mistaken impression that all swordsmiths are passionately offended when bad things happen to their hard work. Since they were all raised with the mission of supporting the swordsmen who are regularly putting their lives on the line, I'd like to think the others are more accepting of the fact that the battles their works are subjected to are powerful enough to necessitate the ongoing production of swords, even if they'd ideally like to make swords that would never break and fail the Corp members out on the battlefield.

While Pillars might have special privileges for getting very specific in their requests, or perhaps requesting more swords over and over to suit their desired modifications, I don't think most normal swordsmen would be told "no" if they made requests to better suit their Breath style. Ultimately, it's about taking down demons, and the swordsmiths are there to make that happen. Sure, maybe some of them may get annoyed by fussy swordsmen, but others may embrace how it challenges their creativity and craftsmanship.

As a couple examples, Shinobu and Mitsuri were already using swords suitable for their unique Breaths before they earned the Pillar title. Furthermore, their swords were made by the most esteemed swordsmith in the whole village. Granted, their special sword treatment might had only because they were cute girls with highly specific needs, but still.

As another example, Inosuke had double swords from the start. It's possible Kanamori only made two standard swords in the first place because he was given two pieces of ore, and then made adjustments later on according to Inosuke's tastes based on how Inosuke might had removed the hand guards and handles himself. Or, it's possible Kanamori was sensitive to his new client's needs from the very get-go, having listened carefully to a crow who watched Inosuke in the Final Selection so he could build a good understanding of this unheard of Beast Breath. He might had heard how Inosuke used his flexibility and preferred a rough grip, and made the handles as simple as possible so nothing would get in his way. Upon knowing how beat up the blades were, he might have been thoughtful in making adjustments to prevent that wear and tear on future blades. Poor Kanamori.

CORRECTION: Kanamori did bring Inosuke more swords with beautiful handles. Poor, poor Kanamori.

Conversely, since we never see anything of Zenitsu's swordsmith, it's possible that was a once-and-done sort of deal, like "oh, Thunder Breath? One solid Thunder Breathing sword, coming right up. Those never stay out of their sheath long enough to need replacing." And, since Zenitsu has perfected the one strike he makes with it, he's probably never needed much maintenance on it.

Going back to the question of Pillars getting new swords or keeping their old ones, I feel it's all up to personal preference. Muichirou doesn't seem attached at all to any given sword, it just needs to be one that suits him. Mitsuri, requiring a very unique sword, probably isn't able to use anything else temporarily while waiting for a replacement or maintenance. Giyuu, on the other hand, looked for any Water Breath swords once his broke in the battle with Muzan, he can work anything basic. Even if he had the swordsmiths engrave the one sword he's always carried, he probably borrowed another standard sword (like Tanjiro did while staying in the village) to keep working during those times. (I feel like Iguro may be one of those swordsmen who abuses his privileges, sending swords back over and over until they're up to his standards.)

For Rengoku, at least, I've looked into that in more

detail here. Tl,dr; since he uses a different sheath before and after becoming a Pillar, I find that makes a good case for him using a new sword after becoming a Pillar. His hand guard does remain consistent, and it matches his fathers', while his father still has his own sword (not the same one passed from father to son, entirely different swords in the first place, just with identical characteristics upon Pillarhood). Senjuro's sword had a simpler overall design, not the usual Flame Breath handle either. (Was that Nichirin blade like his training wheels, or something? Aw... that's okay, Senjuro, I never learned how to ride a bike either.)

While we're talking swords, in real life nowadays, different parts of the sword are usually entrusted to different craftsman. After the blade is forged, it's sent off to the handle maker, while someone else will make the hand guard, someone else would make the sheath unique to each sword, someone else still would be the expert engraver, etc. Someone else would had made the iron ore in the first place, too. I wonder about the division or labor or expectation of expertise in multiple skills among the KnY swordsmiths, especially given how this is such a way of life for them. Kotetsu's family having a particular skill set they've been entrusted with makes me think there may be some specialization for different parts of the process to make them churn out blades faster, but with the level of pride they take in their individual works, it also wouldn't surprise me if they're expected to be able to take full responsibility for a product, right down to delivering it personally, maybe even performing all the upkeep and repairs at whatever location is convenient for their clients. Or it could also be that Haganezuka's perfectionist obsession is what drives him to go that far, and maybe Kanamori only went along that one time to keep an eye on Haganezuka and meet this Beast Breath fellow he was curious about. Poor Kanamori.

Since engraving blades really started to take off once swords were treated more and more as works of art, and since only Pillars have their swords engraved, my guess would be they don't have anyone solely responsible for engraving. Instead, this may be a skill common among the swordsmiths, so that should any of their clients become a Pillar, they're ready to make that adjustment, be it to an existing sword or to a new one.

[mikuyuuss]

Kimetsu no Yaiba Character Designs: of Kny Girls, Thoughts and Breakdown

I’m just a huge nerd when it comes to character designs, and I think Kimetsu no Yaiba has did rlly well on that. I especially like how artistic and varied the designs of the female characters are. So here, I'm going to talk about their visuals, as well as my own thoughts on it as an artist!

So here is my take on the characters designs of kny girls! Given some of my knowledge as a design student who took a short course on character design, I wanna talk abt my thoughts in the design, how it relates to the character of the girls, and what I like and don’t like about it. Keep in mind that this is for fun, and I might also express my personal thoughts on their style and aesthetics, bc I like to think I have some semblance of fashion sense (lol), and also bc I believe style and aesthetics also connect to character design in one way or another.

Sooo let’s start w Nezuko!

-Cute, wild, but also modified to be more practical (given her circumstances), those are the first two things that come to mind.

-I love the whole black and pink and red color scheme

-I like how her outfit is really just a simple kimono, but the slight modifications on her outfit make it visually interesting. It really shows her transition from a regular human to a demon girl. The little details, like how her skirt more open, to free up her legs for battle, considering how a kimono skirt has a restraining vibe to it.

-her hair gradient is symbolic visual of her human and demon side, how she tethers between the two.

-Her hair creates a wavy-ish silhouette, which expresses her dangerous/erratic side as a demon, Silhouettes are very important in character design, and can tell a lot about the personality of the characters. The red gradient shows her hidden fiery side (and her relation to the hinokami kagura), and obviously, the focus on her design, which is the bamboo on her mouth, all of which shows that she’s dangerous

-but despite this, there are cute details on her outfit which creates a contrast, like the ribbons on her hair, and the shape of her footwear, which is round and chunky. I think it provides a nice visual contrast to the fact that she is also dangerous and would kick your ass. The fact that her kimono is baby pink makes me feel that I want to take care of her.

-The leaf pattern on her kimono is a Hemp Leaf (Asanoha). It is frequently associated with growth and child health, this could possibly symbolize her caring and nurturing personality, especially towards her younger siblings. (aw)

-Or, it could be a symbolism of the growth of her own demon abilities

-The only thing that bothers me personally is that she doesn’t look like she has taken a bath, or changed out of those clothes in YEARS.

Kanao

I like the lace boots, and the white and pink color scheme that makes the pink pop more

-A very simple and subtle design, the silhouette is pretty basic, but her side ponytail does make it recognizable

-Personally, it also looks a little plain for my liking, but I think it does make sense for her character. Since Kanao has always had trouble expressing herself, it does make sense how it could reflect on her clothing choices (now I feel sad thinking about this) but still, a few adjustments would surely improve her overall look.

-I do like the subtle bits of asymmetry on her design though, like her side ponytail and the ribbon on her cape and sword. Asymmetry is something that is highly encouraged in character design, and its the most obvious in Kanao’s getup. Generally I do feel that kny could use some more asymmetry for its other characters.

-From her outfit, she seems like the younger sibling that wears hand me downs, because her hair pin once belonged to Kanae, and the design of her sword, which is flower breathing, was the technique Kanae once used.

-I prefer the sword design of the manga version more. The color scheme matches her hairpin, and the color of the flowers matches her eyes, when she uses her scarlet spider eyes technique.

-The cloak is fastened by a flower knot! (cute!) making it ever consistent with her flower breathing theme.

-I do wish there could be a bit more going on with her cloak though. It looks very under designed, maybe there could be a subtle pink gradient, or a more unique "flower-like" cloak, to show her connection to Kanae, just anything to not make her cloak look like a towel because its too flat. It would also be nice if they would continue that same pattern on her lace boots, make her overall look more consistent.

Shinobu

-ara ara

-This is peak design, easily a 12/10. It’s one of my personal favorites alongside Mitsuri. I love her flowy and elegant style, and how she embodies the butterfly aesthetic. What her design really did well is the repetition of patterns, all the little details on her are all related to butterflies. BUTTERFLIES! what more can I say, down to her hair pin, and haori and even her leg wraps, all the patterns, are consistent all throughout. Not many people can pull of her outfit the way she does, sadly, bc of how bulky it can look at times

-In the manga, her eyes have crisscross patterns that resemble an insect, befitting on an insect pillar. I’m disappointed that the anime removed that.

-The silhouette of her haori, especially when she’s gliding, feels very agile and delicate, which also reflects on her fighting style, which is less on brute strength, and more on precision, It also reflects on her sword design, which is thin and needle like. The size of the haori emphasizes how petite she is.

-her color scheme is a bit more on the subtle side, You gotta look past the details to appreciate the gradient on her haori, and the like. I also like that her hair is tied neatly, bc it puts more emphasis on her butterfly clip and haori

-The butterfly motif in general, represents, resurrection, endurance, hope and life. This shows through Shinobu’s own perseverance despite her disadvantage in her strength as a swordsman, and also the general fleetingness of her life. (sad in hindsight)

-also on the matter of butterflies, I was told that some butterflies are toxic, which suits her duality with medicine and poisons, reflecting her design motif. It really shows the dual nature of her character.

-Her sword design kind of looks like insect wings too now that I think about it.

-If I do have one critic, it is that her hair gradient looks a bit dull, and her butterfly clips colors also ( idk, blue and purple is kind of a boring scheme) maybe the colors of the hair pin could the same as the haori, so that it would look more consistent. The colors of her sword also doesn’t pop as much I would have liked it to.

Mitsuri

-WATERMELON QUEEN!

-Also one of my personal favorites! I love her style, reminds me of an art student (which she is, in kimegakuen!). Aside from that, she reminds me of a Shoujo heroine, which brings me nostalgia of my pink and magical girl phase, until society told me that being girly girl sucks and I needs to "mature" so I have to hide what I like.

-But hey, Mitsuri’s character is all about going against those expectations imposed upon her, and it shows in her appearance, which is why her design is well thought of, not to mention inspiring too! (I had the opportunity to cosplay her once, and it felt great)

-I initially hated that cleavage window but now, I do see how it completes the look. The shape of her braids creates this rounded shape, which expresses her sweet personality. The fact that her braids are so exaggeratedly big is  done on purpose, it is to emphasize the silhouette. In character design, some proportions are made bigger and smaller on purpose for this exact reason. The curvy silhouette is further emphasized when her whip-like blade is out. Curves are associated with emotions which indicates, how Mitsuri is someone motivated by her emotions.

-The design really did well in terms of visual continuity, the gradient of her long braids just leads you down to her cleavage (lol) and her sword handle, which has little hearts on it! Did I mention her braids itself looks like hearts too, really befitting of a love pillar, and shows are quirky she is! 

-Extending past her braids are her stockings. The stripes and the continuity of her color scheme, elongates and puts emphasis on her legs, which makes sense cuz her fighting style has lots of legwork!. The little ribbons on her ankles are a cute detail too. It is a simple yet striking design, and sometimes you got to look past her color scheme to really appreciate the details in it.

-The design of her sword guard is a four leaf clover (Katabami Leaf), this symbolizes luck, hope, and love, which also relates to Mitsuri’s love for many things. It could also be a reference to the crest of the Katabami clan, a clan that created its own form of martial arts, similar to how she created the Breath of Love. It represents how Mitsuri turn her feelings of love into a weapon that she can use to help others.

-Gotoge also did well with the pink and green. Complimentary color scheme can be a hit or miss depending on how you apply it, put too much and its going to look painful, but with Mitsuri, Gotoge was aware to make her uniform and haori plain, so as it balance out her colors and make the focus of her design (hair, sword and stockings, pop out more)

-I think the adding white to her color scheme is cute, bc it adds to Mitsuri's food related motifs, not only does her hair represent the sakura mochis that she ate, but she also embodies the colors of hanami dango! One of her fav foods! 🍡

-But still, I wish the Haori could have a bit more design. It was apparently suppose to be Rengoku’s keepsake, but it felt like an afterthought because it lacked interesting visual. Maybe if the haori has a bit more subtle design to it, it would be better, like some texture, or perhaps play around with its shape, just like with rengokus haori (so they can match)

-Also, while I do love her hair, I think it would be better if there's a bit of yellow between her hair gradient for a smoother visual transition!

-Overall still a great design, 9/10, her cute and quirky outfit, shows how unique, sweet, romantic, and artistic she is.

Overall

Though I did have some personal opinions about the styles and aesthetics, the fact that their appearance tells a lot about their character really shows how good the character designs are. I think Gotouge really nailed it, down to the motifs, details, and the silhouette of each of these girls!

[moonlightassassin]

KnY OC: Yumi Mochizuki

[Plain text: “KnY OC: Yumi Mochizuki”. End PT]

[ID: two full-body colored digital drawings of a Demon Slayer OC, Yumi, on a white background. She is a young woman with pale skin and gray eyes with darker gray pupils. Her black hair is parted to the left and styled in a low braided bun. She is standing and facing forward, looking at the viewer with a small smile and holding her right arm out to the side. On her left shoulder in each drawing is the artist’s signature, “@moonlightassassin”.

In the first drawing, she is wearing a Demon Slayer uniform with a thigh-length skirt instead of pants, gloves, thigh-high socks, and a calf-length jacket, all of which are black; as well as white sandals with black straps. The sleeves of the jacket are tight and connected to each side of the jacket by batwing-like fabric. A lace is seen in front of her collarbone, tying the jacket together. There is also a band of fabric looped around each of her calves from inside the jacket’s hem.

In the second drawing, she is wearing the same clothes except for the jacket. The top of her uniform is shown to be sleeveless, the gloves are shown to be bicep-length, and the skirt is shown to be slit along the outside of each leg. End ID]

Finally designed my Demon Slayer OC with, well, a Demon Slayer uniform. XD The modified haori lets her glide (the tied lace keeps the upper part from coming off and the loops around her legs stabilize the hem), and she can roll up the sleeves when she has to fight. The uniform itself is tailored to her unique fighting style and made to resemble her pre-Corps demon-hunting outfit. :3

Also, this is my third time designing her and I’m only just now thinking to post her basic info too… um. Oops? 😅 Lol here it is for anyone curious!

Name: Yumi Mochizuki (望月 弓実 Mochizuki Yumi)

Age: 22

Height: 174 cm (5’8.5”)

Birthday: March 24

Breathing Style: Moonlight Breathing (self-taught; distantly derived from Mist Breathing)

Weapon: bow and poisoned arrows

Rank: Kanoto (as of the Rehabilitation Training arc)

Japanese voice claim: Manami Numakura (e.g. Kohaku in Dr. Stone, Narberal Gamma in Overlord)

English voice claim: Eden Riegel (e.g. Hifumi Tōgō in Persona 5, Hauyn in World of Final Fantasy)

Background: Yumi grew up as a huntress in a rural area and lived with her family until the night they were killed right in front of her by a demon. She was about to be killed too, but her pet cat Shingetsu (who turned out to be a demon as well) protected her and kept the man-eating demon at bay until a certain Demon Slayer arrived and finished it off, leaving Yumi and Shin alone afterward. With Shin’s help, Yumi started hunting down demons on her own, using wisteria since she didn’t yet know about the Corps (and wouldn’t find out about it until two years after her family died).

Feel free to ask me more about her and/or the fic I’m writing, I absolutely love talking about them ❤️

[eldritch-elrics]

this summer, me and my brother watched four whole shows. at long last, here is my comprehensive review of all of them!

in the order we watched them, these shows were:

avatar the last airbender (ATLA)

mob psycho 100 (MP100)

demon slayer / kimetsu no yaiba (KNY)

fullmetal alchemist: brotherhood (FMAB)

they were all very very good!

i’m not going to try to rank them, but, as is probably obvious by the state of my blog, my favorite was FMAB :) if i had to pick a least favorite, then, it would probably be KNY—not by any fault of its own, but just because it didn’t appeal to me quite as much as the others. still a very good show!

i will review each show by:

giving a quick plot-based pitch discussing the show’s hook or appeal

discussing one element that i believe it does better than any other show on this list—in other words, a quality that i think it stands out for

discussing one element that didn’t appeal to me or that i had issues with—a criticism

putting forth my favorite character and favorite episode or arc, just for funsies

including various other commentary. mostly positive, as, again, i did really like all of these!

(i’ve tried to make this whole thing free of specific spoilers, but if you’re planning on watching any of these shows and want to go in more-or-less blind, it might be best not to read this.)

first of all, i’d just like to discuss all four of these shows as a whole! it was definitely interesting watching one after another and noting similarities between them.

all of them have siblings in them! which is, perhaps, fitting, as i watched them with my brother

two include a pair of siblings in which one has powers and one doesn’t (at least at first), and part of the narrative involves getting better at using those powers (ATLA, MP100)

two include a narrative centered around a pair of siblings and something tragic that happens to them, resulting in the older one being traumatized and forced to train to become a soldier, and the younger one turning into something (arguably) inhuman. the protagonist’s major goal is to return his younger sibling to the way they were before (KNY, FMAB)

ATLA and FMAB are both fantasy political dramas, which is rapidly becoming a favorite genre of mine

most of these are historical, or historically inspired in some way, which is interesting!

all of these shows are really really good at character building. all the main characters are interesting and complex, and the relationships between those characters are similarly nuanced and very well written. they make you really care about both the protagonists and the side characters!

avatar: the last airbender

pitch: as the ever-growing imperial force of the fire nation threatens the earth and water nations, a kid from the long-lost air nation turns up and it turns out he can control all four elements and he has to save the world and all that. sorry i tried to write this pitch like five times and realized that well at this point i think everyone reading this will know the plot of avatar

stands out for: avatar has possibly the best worldbuilding i have ever seen in a show—it takes the time to introduce us to so many places and aspects of its world, both explicitly and subtly. the main highlight of this is the magic system. by creating a magic system based in body movement, the process of using magic and learning to use/control it better becomes immediately obvious to the viewer. combine that with the philosophy behind each type of bending and the way that characters take bending inspiration from types different than their own, and you’ve got a system that is complex, flexible, believable, internally consistent, and just plain fun! it makes action sequences a blast. i especially liked the moments when bending was stretched to its limits in totally logical ways (metalbending, bloodbending). not to mention the way that bending is seamlessly integrated into the world of avatar! the example that comes to mind is the earthbending-powered transport system of omashu. a whole essay could be written on that topic alone!

criticism: i know this is a sentiment shared by many people, but the first season was kind of boring to me. some of the humor and the plots felt hit-or-miss. of course, it needed to take that time to establish the world, and it does a great job of doing that. it just didn’t hook me until the second season.

favorite character: i love toph she’s so much fun :) iroh is a close second! and zuko is great, too, of course

favorite arc: i loved ba sing se a ton, especially the episode when they get there and everything feels off. it felt so resonant with real life, in a very fun way. there’s a reason “there is no war in ba sing se” is a meme…

other commentary: what can i say? it’s a classic for a damn good reason. the plot is tight, and it does a great job raising tension and introducing new elements and twists. i also love the care put into the antagonists, especially azula, who has a fascinating arc.

mob psycho 100

pitch: a middle schooler and a charismatic con artist team up to smite ghosts using extrasensory powers. thing is, only the middle schooler actually has ESP, and it happens to be really, really powerful. can he navigate the difficult world of middle school while also getting a better grip on his powers—and his bottled-up emotions?

stands out for: the way that MP100 uses animation is excellent. it takes a little getting used to but it’s just so fun, combining all sorts of different techniques to create an experience rich with drama and emotion. it’s playfully exaggerated and self-parodying, adding to the show’s fantastic sense of humor as well as its truly emotional moments.

criticism: the way that ESP works makes suspension of disbelief tricky. it’s a great feat to introduce a character who is essentially all-powerful and still make them interesting (even in fight scenes), but at times (especially the second season finale) it felt like a magic system with too much breadth and too few limitations. this might just be my bias for hard magic systems talking, though.

favorite character: other than mob and reigen? probably teru. he’s loads of fun AND all the season 1 episodes he’s in slap hard

favorite episode: the one where the girl asks mob out on a date as a dare.. it’s super cute

other commentary: thank you mp100 for being the leftist propaganda we all deserve <3

in all seriousness though, this show is a blast!! it does a great job switching between silly and serious in the blink of an eye. i also really appreciate the way that it balances comically huge stakes with much smaller, more personal stories. for example, the conflict between mob and reigen in season 2 is especially well-done. in general the emotions just feel so real? characters whose emotions tie into their powers are an excellent trope, and mob is a wonderful protagonist who exemplifies this really well.

finally, on a more critical note—there are so many characters in this show! and it feels like only a handful are fleshed out? however, this may be due to the fact that it’s not an adaptation of the entire manga (which i haven’t read). there’s a lot more to go! more characters to dive into! so i probably shouldn’t try to critique it in the same way as a finished work.

demon slayer / kimetsu no yaiba

pitch: demons kill a boy’s family and turn his sister into a demon, so he decides to try and figure out a way to turn his sister back into a human. what follows is a demon-killing adventure that’s in equal parts harrowing, poignant, and hilarious.

stands out for: there’s not much i can say about this other than “please just take a look” but the art and design is phenomenal. it does a much better job of integrating 2D and 3D than a lot of other animated series, and overall it is just so so pretty! all the character designs are complex, memorable, and fit the characters perfectly. the color choices are interesting and satisfying. i also really like the sound design? not often that i notice that in a show. i’ve watched so many KNY amvs by now lol it’s just amazing animation

criticism: the narration style leans too heavily towards tell instead of show. this is mostly an issue with the first few episodes, but i got super annoyed by how much the show would narrate every single one of tanjirou’s thoughts instead of letting us infer those thoughts through his actions and reactions—the latter, i think, would have been more emotionally impactful. sometimes silence speaks louder than words! tanjirou was also not the world’s most compelling protagonist in my opinion, though i think that mostly has to do with my own tastes.

favorite character: *holds up zenitsu* I Just Think He’s Neat. i actually kind of lost it when he first used his powers, like… damn i love characters with weird relationships with their magic like that. i also think the narrative about how having a solid foundation is sometimes more important than knowing a ton of different moves was really powerful. and he’s just funny! pathetic boy i love him

favorite arc: really just the whole spider arc. fucked up man… i love it. they pulled off that last twist so well, and all the family stuff was so weird and complex and emotional…

other commentary: it’s just a really solid and very well-written show! the team of tanjirou, zenitsu, and inosuke is so much fun… bro bonding :) i also quite like the horror elements; it’s fucked up but in a good way. finally, this is very specific, but the demon that can alter buildings/rooms through drumbeats? appealed to me very much. it’s a cool and unique power!

fullmetal alchemist: brotherhood

pitch: two kids do some fucked up alchemy and end up getting parts of their body stolen by god. now they’re on a quest to get their bodies back, but find themselves wrapped up in crazy government conspiracies and alchemy more powerful than they ever could’ve imagined…

stands out for: plot. by this i mean less overall concept (though the overall concept is pretty great too), and more that the pacing and progression of the story is extraordinarily tight. for the most part (the first few episodes are a little weak but i’ll let it slide), it does an excellent job establishing its premise and building on it logically, adding layers and layers that extend naturally from what we already know. everything has a reason for happening; everything is revealed in good time and all the twists are super satisfying. there’s great balance between exciting moments and quiet moments. it’s just very good at being a story!

(fun fact: i’m reading the manga right now and so far it’s even better paced than the show, which is super interesting! it’s especially good at how it lays out pieces of the backstory and then fills everything in later in a really satisfying way.)

criticism: this is incredibly specific but it’s what comes to mind as something that bothered me: winry’s character arc was really disappointing. for most of the series she’s a pretty strong character, but in the end it feels like she gets pushed aside, defined only by her relationship with ed. what happened to her wanting to take action more? that was a specific desire she expressed—wanting to be less passive! since she’s such an important character, i wish she could have had more presence in the last season other than as a sounding board for the elric bros’ emotions. (even though her one scene in the last episode was really good and emotional…)

favorite character: other than the elric bros, absolutely ling. he fits into multiple of my favorite character archetypes (fun, silly, bastard, gets possessed…) and he’s just overall a delight. plus his relationship with greed is really really good. bro bonding at its peak!! (my other favorite is pride. i will not say why because spoilers. but if you know me.. you know)

favorite episode: this is really really hard to choose but i’m gonna go with envy’s death because. holy shit.

other commentary: i’m a really big fan of the complex and nuanced way in which FMAB breaks down militaristic, imperial regimes from the inside. many of the characters have done awful things, and the story forces them to grapple with that and accept that all they can do now is be better in the future. the moral complexity is just really good! characters with flaws—we love to see it!

finally, parts of this story seem so so catered to Me Specifically that it’s no wonder i got so into it. like just the entire premise? the way that so much of the conflict is built out of identity crisis and exploring the nature of consciousness and human vs inhuman? beautiful. i love ed and al so much

*

if you made it all the way to the end, thank you so much for reading!! glad to have finally gotten this done (3 months late…) and put all my thoughts down. i hope this inspires someone to try watching one of the shows i discussed!

[sol-korolevas]

a kny game kind of like dragon age because i love those sort of games. 

the game has a normal and hard mode. i would say the overall difficulty is below dark souls level but a bit harder than the usual hack/slash games. 

you design your own character, who’s a mute character, but can still ‘talk’ to other characters by using dialogue wheel. you have your own unique hairstyles, skin palettes, eye shapes, and you can adjust your character’s height and weight-even their age. there are also extra options such as birthmarks, freckles, scars, etc. 

at the beginning, your character is a newbie demon slayer and the tutorial is where you are doing your final selection. tanjiro is your tutor and you get to battle low-level demons, followed by a tutorial boss in the form of genya, and then an actual (easy) hand demon boss. 

after you finish your tutorial, you get to choose your sword and its design, including what color you want to do, what hilt and base design it has, and the overall color. later, you can choose to buy more design and color options, including small accessories such as bells for it. 

immediately, the game follows a plot similar to the manga and anime. your first companion(s) is tanjiro himself, who decides to come with you out of a sense of duty and friendship. (optional: the player’s in-game age is around 14-21, depending on how you customized them). then you slowly meet zenitsu and inosuke, who can all be semi-designed by upgrading their weapons and breath forms later in the game-tanjirou as well. 

nezuko can be summoned once a certain gauge reaches maximum energy. during this case, she can unleash a powerful technique that can one-hit kill all low level demons and half the health of higher demons. this special attack can be upgraded through leveling nezuko up. at certain points in the game, your character can even interact with nezuko herself. 

the demon slayer hq is also the central hub for where your character gets new power ups, weapons, and train. in addition, your character can talk to and even get close to some of the canon characters from the manga. since this is a dragon age-style game, i think there will be instances where romantic relationships will blossom between your character and another. 

most of the pillars, save for gyomei and muichirou, are romanceable. with the two who cannot be romanced, they instead have two friendship guages that must be filled out in order for them to fully level up. in addition, your character will be able to find out about their past after a certain level is reached and get to perform tag-team attacks with them. though, it’s rumored that if your character ‘looks’ a certain way, muichirou’s romance path may be unlocked! though ofc it’s different from the other romance paths bc it’s not really a romance path, but more of a special sibling-like bond. 

as for the other pillars, you will have to have meet these requirements first:

your character will have to answer as a certain age when prompted. 

you will have to complete at least 2 team missions with that pillar. 

the friendship gauge must be maxed out. 

you must unlock a certain type of breath form for them. 

you must be training as a similar breath form as them. 

sanemi, rengoku, uzui, and giyu will have their own special love scenes.  ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

secret romance paths are unlockable after your first play through. these characters are: genya, haganezuka, and inosuke! 

regardless of which romance path you pick and what kind of character you end up with, two upper moon demons will take a special interest in you. their interest will differ between male and female slayers, so look out for those differences. 

you can also partake on missions, solor or team, and choose who’s in your party. you can pick up to three other team members, including one pillar, and the main trio, plus npc members. while exploring the open world, your team members will talk to each other, bicker, commend, and give their own opinions on what’s going on. 

[mysaldate]

What are your thoughts on Gyokko? We didn't really get a backstory for him aside from the fact his art wasn't appreciated, so.... Do you have any hypothesis on his past?

I’m not sure if you’re asking for hcs or just a thought process but I’m feeling more into the later so if it’s hcs you want, please request again and I’ll get to you first so your wait is not prolonged.

Anyway, here goes my essay so buckle up, we’re getting started!

Edit: This got extremely long, so I’m adding Read More.

Out of all the Upper Moons, two in particular stand out as generally receiving as little attention as possible, those being Gyokko and Hantengu. Strange as it is in Hantengu’s case (since let’s face it, all his personalities aside from Urami are pretty damn hot), Gyokko might feel very understandable. He wasn’t given a human-like design and is about the collection of all weird things one could think of. But you know what, that’s exactly what makes him all the more interesting as a character.

First, let me get a proper look at his exterior. Because boy, oh boy, do I have a lot to say! Gyokko, in his usual form we get to see first and more, is all but normal. He’s a genie that comes from a pot rather than a lamp, eyes and mouths switched on his head and with a set of four tiny arms sprouting directly from the back of his skull, he certainly does look peculiar. His other form that has slightly more of what we appropriate as human but it still has some unsettling details to it. Aside from the whole... being a naga thing. His arms and hands in particular are monstrously large and there are webs between his claw-like fingers. His hair also grows longer and he sprouts what appears to be a beard out of nowhere. Then, of course, there is the fact that he has a snake tail with scales all over it. Right, his arms are also scaly. The particular difference between skin and scales as well as the fact that he’s missing both arms and legs in his usual form brought me to a simple conclusion – Gyokko’s human self must’ve lost his limbs before becoming a demon for one reason or another.

Given what we know about the Upper Moons, their ranks haven’t changed in exactly 113 years. We can assume that Gyutaro and Daki were the last ones to join them so Gyokko must’ve become a demon some time before that. Since KnY takes time somewhere between 1912 and 1926, that would bring us to the years 1799-1813 which is during the Edo period in Japan. By this time, the usual punishment in Japan was already tattooing but just about two centuries before, limb removal was a pretty common practise, even at the first offense. The Edo period started in 1603 and it took quite some time before the tattoo practise actually took off. Another interesting punishment to take a look at is what’s called fuzuke, a death penalty by drowning. That was in practise all the way till 1868. That would also be the period Akaza is from by the way. Either way, japanese law was fairly strict at the time and a lot of things could get you in serious trouble. I wouldn’t be surprised if an artist like Gyokko got himself into this sort of mess. Which brings me to my second point...

Gyokko is an artist whose art was not appreciated at the time. An artist who struggled to focus on the traditional way of art as it would seem based on how enraged he becomes just seeing how well Haganezuka can focus, although their respective art forms are very different. Now, here’s the tricky part. Impressionism, which is the style that seems most fitting to Gyokko’s portrayal (at least to me, I don’t really understand that sort of thing though so feel free to correct me), didn’t really spread until the Taisho period, that means 1912-1926. You may notice that this is exactly where we are in the current story in KnY so while that fits the current timeline, it tells us near nothing about Gyokko’s past, human life. And he’s not the only one who suffers from the timeline errors or oversights.

But unlike with Akaza, where his past is bound to a martial arts style that literally didn’t exist at the time, art is a tad more interesting. Since it’s been estabilished fairly early on that demons can shapeshift, it is entirely possible that Gyokko changes his form based on modern art trends. The only thing that seems to remain constant is his pottery since we know Muzan counts on it as a way to make money (bless the person who told me bits and pieces from the fanbook!!), thus it has to be a long-term thing. And then there is the goldfish thing...

Goldfish were first brought to Japan in 1502 and they were considered a very important symbol of wealth and a ward against illness and bad luck. They were originally reserved for important samurai families, later in the Edo period they spread among the aristocracy as well. Much like in China, the Japanese took their talismans very seriously and the goldfish were given the same treatment. If a talisman was proved to be fake, the seller of said talisman could be severly punished, depending on the range of harm done and the importance of the family harmed. But there was more to goldfish than just being amulets. Goldfish cultivation and the animals in general have always been linked tightly to japanese art. And not just paintings but also sculpting and literature. See where I’m going yet?

Gyokko has strong ties to both goldfish and art. The Muromachi or Azuchi-Momoyama time periods would both fit the corporal punishment being cutting off one’s limbs as well as the biggest goldfish craze when they were still being kept away from ordinary people. Goldfish cultivation is an art form that requires tons of patience and many errors before it’s possible to fruit some results. If there is also pressure from customers or if other art forms of a goldfish cultivator bring no money, the possibility of serious struggles is extremely high.

To sum it up, based on all of this, I believe Gyokko to come from the 16th or 17th century and I think he may have originally been a goldfish cultivator. However, not an awfully lucky one. Either he didn’t manage to breed the exact goldfish his customers demanded and was forced to steal to make his way through or, what I consider more likely, he’d sold a goldfish to a feudal lord who died or was met with misfortune soon after. He got blamed for this and was punished by getting his arms cut off. It could also be that his art of goldfish cultivation was considered insulting or heretic since there were very specific requirements for the colour of the goldfish in order for them to be considered good merchendise. If Gyokko chose to be just as striking and original as he is in the current timeline, it’s no surprise that he may have been considered a heretic. And that wasn’t really looked upon kindly as well. Either way, he kept his goldfish even after becoming a demon and even found a way to impliment them into his Blood Art, meaning they were clearly important to him even in his human life. I also believe he may have been sentenced to death by drowning based on the fact that it is literally a technique of his Blood Art.

I hope you’re satisfied with a response like this and I apologize for not citing my sources but at this point, I went through so many websites for this post alone that tracking them all back down would be a very time-consuming process and I’ve already spent a very long time on this. I hope you don’t mind it too much. It’s nothing hard to find if you know how to google though so I’m sure if there are any questions and you don’t feel like asking me, you can find everything out yourself!

Still, doing such a large analysis was tons of fun and I enjoyed it a lot! Gyokko is a very interesting character and it’s a shame we didn’t get to see more of him. If anyone would like me to analyse other characters in the future, feel free to hit me up but you may be on hold for a while!

[knybits]

- ̗̀ peonies, white roses and camellias ̖́-

hoooooooo boy guys youre all in for SUCH a ride :)) this is 5k words long so i broke it up into 2 parts!! also, this was LARGELY inspired off of the flower shop and tattoo parlor au that @thunderandrainclouds wrote (im linking it here!) and i thought “why not just write the au but with all our ocs” LMAOOOOO 

she also drew some art, so i hope youll give her art work some love bc it LITERALLY SENDS ME ALL THE TIME 

Akiko is my oc

Chiyo belongs to @thunderandrainclouds

Miyuki belongs to @kny-writings

so without further ado, please enjoy! 

Part One || Part Two

“Have you heard? There’s going to be a new shop across the street,” Akiko says, looking out the window at the construction team that’s pointing at blueprints. 

“Hah? Why the hell should I care?” Sanemi snaps, not bothering to look up from his client. Akiko rolls her eyes, directing her attention away from the busy scene outside and instead to her two co-workers, whom she hates with a passion. 

The ever so quiet Giyuu that once snuck up on her, tapped her shoulder, scared the shit out of her, and made her fuck up on a client. 

Sanemi, a royal asshole that can’t control his temper and snaps at Giyuu and herself. 

Yup, Akiko is living the life at her job. 

Unfortunately, the three of them are the best of the best, and they get clients from all over the world. 

What with Akiko’s talented eye for precision, Giyuu’s incredible watercolor designs, and Sanemi’s bold sense of style, their names are well known by other tattoo artists. 

It’s such a shame they all hate each other. 

Well, maybe Giyuu has no hate in him, but tensions are high. 

At any rate, a few more months pass, and Akiko is able to tell that the new store across the street is a flower shop. There are colorful buckets lining the outside of the store, and the windows are big and tall to allow for sunshine. The two stores line directly parallel from each other, and Akiko catches sight of three people that constantly walk in and out of the new shop. 

She doesn’t even realize she’s looking at one particular guy until he turns around, and their eyes meet. Akiko blinks once, twice, then she quickly turns away from the window of her parlor. 

It’s the next day that Akiko actually meets someone from the new store across the street. 

The bell to their parlor rings, and Akiko looks up from her phone to tell them that they’re still closed, only to see that Giyuu is already at the counter. 

“Hi! Sorry to just walk in, I read your sign I swear. But we’re your new store neighbors!” A bubbly voice says, and Akiko finds herself look at a pearl haired girl wearing a light green apron with a small batch of flowers in a small mason jar in her hands. Her white short sleeved shirt allows for Akiko to see her muscular arms, and she’s impressed by the size. 

Giyuu makes no move to talk, only blinking stoically at the girl. Akiko can’t help but find this odd. 

Sure, he doesn’t talk much, but he would at least greet customers or visitors. 

Her smile turns a bit wry, she looks nervous in Akiko’s eyes, and she awkwardly places the jar of flowers on the corner of the counter. 

“Uhm, anyway, there are two other workers over there, and if you ever want to stop by and say ‘hi’ you’re more than welcome to!  No pressure or anything,” she mutters a quick ‘fuck’ under her breath, twiddling with her thumbs. 

“Yeah, I’m Takenaka Chiyo, and uh… yeah, I think I’m gonna leave now so… bye!” Chiyo jets out of the store, the bell ringing a final time, and the store is quiet again. 

Sanemi walks into the store a few minutes later, an eyebrow cocked at the odd sight of Giyuu and Akiko staring off into the same general direction. 

“What? The fuck you guys lookin at?” 

Giyuu bursts into a fit of red, and both Akiko and Sanemi’s jaws drop. 

---

It’s been a week now, and Akiko finds herself looking out the window more often. 

She hates it.

Why? 

Because she’s looking out of the window to stare at some burgundy haired guy that works at the flower shop. 

He wears a forest green apron that reminds Akiko of a Starbucks employee, and Akiko can see that he also wears hanafuda earrings. There’s also a scar on his left temple, but she finds herself drawn to his bright smile every time he gifts a child a small daisy. 

She’s getting caught more often now though, and it’s embarrassing as hell for her. She tries to play it off nonchalantly, but she can’t help the quick blush that spreads across her face. 

“Oh my! How cute! Did you get these from across the street?” A lady gushes once Akiko is done with her tattoo and is ringing her up at the counter. Akiko turns her attention to the batch of wisteria, peonies, camellias, and white roses. 

Akiko smiles at her customer, handing back the change and replying, “Yeah! Our store smells a lot nicer ever since they’ve come into town,” she laughs, and the lady laughs with her. 

“Well I think it’s a nice touch to the store. Perhaps you’ll get a discount and can have more flowers in the parlor?” 

Akiko glances over at the window, catching the burgundy boy looking at her, before flicking her eyes back at her client with a polite smile. 

“Y’know? I couldn’t agree more!” 

---

“Sanemi go across the street and pick up some flowers I ordered.” 

“HAH?! Why me?” 

Akiko and Giyuu hold up their tattoo guns, continuing to scroll through their phones on a lazy Sunday before chiming in, “We have clients we’re waiting for.” 

Thank god Akiko found out she could purchase the flowers online. 

Otherwise she would have stayed staring out the window and sent in a telepathic order. 

Sure, she wants to walk over and say ‘hi’ to her store neighbors, but she also doesn’t want to meet the burgundy haired boy. Her heart might not be able to handle his smile up close. 

Sanemi glares at the two lazy asses before stomping over to them, his own tattoo gun in hand.

“Fuck that. I have clients too. Akiko you go,” he points his gun at Akiko, and on instinct she lifts her gun to point it right back at Sanemi. 

He’s giving her the nastiest glare now, and Akiko glares right back at him, slowly standing from her seat to square him up. 

“Wait, guys,” Giyuu makes the mistake to point his gun in their general direction, and the two whip their tattoo guns straight at Giyuu within a snap. 

And now Giyuu can’t help but actually point his gun at Sanemi out of feeling threatened, and Akiko slowly slinks back to her work area to grab another gun. 

The two other idiots do the same, grabbing another gun while moving back and forth between each other and glaring menacingly. 

“Put the fuckin gun down you brat,” Sanemi snaps at Akiko, one gun pointed at Giyuu and the other at our golden eyed protagonist. 

She scoffs, “You first, twat.” 

“Guys maybe we should stop before customers walk in-” 

“KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!” 

“YOU HAVE YOUR GUNS POINTED AT US TOO DUMBASS!” 

“How cool! What do you think is going on?” Miyuki smiles, resting her chin on her hand as she leans over the store’s counter to look through the window. She’s watching the three world famous tattoo artists and their stand off, and to say she’s interested is an understatement. 

Chiyo looks up from the register, squinting her eyes at the scene then tilting her head to the side. 

“Are those… Real guns?” 

“Do I call the cops??” Tanjirou suddenly shows up, quickly putting down the watering can in his hand to pick up the store phone, only to be stopped by the two older women. 

“Put the phone down,” they chorus without moving their gaze from the window. 

“Miyu, are you recording this shit?” 

“Do you take me for a fool?” 

“I- I really think we should call in some law enforcement to make sure no one dies…” 

“Oh wait? Oh? Tea? They’re putting their guns down- THEY’RE UP AGAIN!!” 

“This is gonna go viral.” 

“Guys I don’t think-” 

“OH SHIT ABORT ABORT! OLD MAN IS WALKING OVER!!” 

Miyuki scrambles to turn her phone off, shoving it into her apron pocket as Tanjirou scrambles to pick the watering can up again and rushes to the back of the store to hide. Chiyo, for reasons unknown, ducks under the counters and sits there, so Miyuki is left to defend the fort. 

She picks up a random rag, wiping the counter and making sure she doesn’t look into the eyes of an oddly hot hell beast, finally hearing the bell chime. 

“Hi! Welcome! How can I help you today?” Miyuki goes for a smile. 

There’s a crash and a bang from the back of the store, a miserable, “Ow…” then Chiyo popping up from the counter to dash back and check in on a certain baby. Needless to say, the store isn’t making the greatest first impression. 

But Sanemi pays the incident no mind, shoving his hands into his pockets before nodding his head back to the tattoo parlor. 

“I work there, and one of my stupid co-workers bought some flowers from you guys.” 

Miyuki can’t stop staring at his toned chest, which he so brazenly displays with the top half of his silk black shirt popped open. The shirt is tight fitting too, and Miyuki is about to ascend, her mind repeating ‘NICE’ on repeat like some mantra. 

“Uhh, yeah, lemme go get that,” she mutters under her breath, then stumbles to the back of the store. 

When Sanemi gets back to the tattoo parlor with another small batch of flowers, Giyuu looks up from his work and Akiko swings her legs off a nearby chair. She stares at him quizzically, in no way used to seeing him with a light blush on his face. 

“What? You embarrassed you scared the flower fairies?” Akiko scoffs, and Sanemi moves to slam the jar onto the counter but stops himself, setting it down gently instead. 

Now Akiko knows something is up. 

“She kept me there longer than she should have. Rambling on and on and on about flower language and what the flowers we ordered means and the colors and stuff. God she’s annoying,” Sanemi snaps, and Akiko raises a brow and the newly budding love. 

“Yeah, sure Romeo…” 

“CALL ME THAT AGAIN AND I’M CARVING AN ‘L’ ON YOUR FOREHEAD!” 

---

Akiko almost drops her tattoo gun and through her foot when she sees sunshine boy walk through her parlor doors. 

She’s just finished up with a client and rather than setting the gun down onto the metal tray, she starts to cough on her own spit and freaks out a bit. 

Sanemi and Giyuu look over at her, and she discreetly mouths at them to casually ‘fuck off’, before helping her client to their feet and assisting them to the counter. 

Sunshine boy is accompanied by his oddly attractive friend, but they wait patiently while Akiko quickly explains the steps for aftercare while ringing her client up. She’s quick to notice that she better hurry up though, since sunshine boy’s friend looks to be a bit… energetic. 

When her client leaves, Akiko tries her best to smile at her two customers, shutting the cash register door with a clank. 

“Hi! How can I help you guys today?” 

Sunshine boy looks apologetic, gesturing to his friend, who looks around the store at the examples of what he can possibly get tattooed onto himself. 

“Sorry, uhm, my friend Inosuke has been wanting to get a tattoo for a long time, so I thought this would be the best place…” 

Akiko starts tapping into the computer, spelling out Inosuke’s name before frowning at the screen. 

“Sorry, but did you guys make an appointment?” 

“Huh? Why would we do that? Just draw a boar on my arm,” the Inosuke guy stands before Akiko now, his arms buffer that the Chiyo lady Akiko met a few weeks ago. Akiko raises a brow, and sunshine boy quickly rallies his friend back. 

“S- Sorry! I didn’t know we had to make a reservation. We’ll just go now-” 

“Hold up,” Akiko raises a hand, clicking through the computer to check her schedule for the day. When she sees that she’s all clear, she looks up from the screen with a smile. 

“It’s your lucky day. I can squeeze your friend in,” Akiko says, but sunshine boy looks distressed. 

“No, that’s okay! We can schedule a real time and date and come back, honest!” He says, but Inosuke rolls his eyes and starts to waltz over to the chair that Akiko’s previous client was sitting on. 

Akiko smiles at sunshine boy’s abrasive friend, not too bothered by this attitude since Sanemi is leagues worse, so she turns to sunshine boy and winks. 

“Consider this a store neighbor special.” 

Wow. 

When has Akiko ever been this smooth? 

Akiko tunes out her embarrassed thoughts, shoving aside the last 20 seconds to get out her sketch pad and asking Inosuke what he wants. 

“A BOAR!!” 

“You’re gonna have to give me more to work with. Else you want me to ink Peppa on you.” 

So Inosuke rolls his eyes, and Akiko’s pencil dances across the pad of paper. She works quickly, listening to Inosuke ramble on about how cool boars are and how he used to live with a bunch of them when he was a kid (this mildly worries Akiko). 

By the end of it, Akiko’s drawn the head of a boar with sharp tusks, and Inosuke marvels at her drawing, claiming it to be badass and worthy enough to be inked on his arm. 

Even sunshine boy looks impressed, softly clapping for Akiko from his seat across she. 

Akiko ignores her subtle blush, deciding to get to work as she fills up her tattoo guns and swabs the arm that Inosuke wants inked. Then she quickly redraws the boar onto her ipad, gets it printed out, then applies the art onto Inosuke’s arm. 

“Is it done already?! That’s fast!!” 

The sudden buzzing noise from Akiko’s tattoo gun makes Inosuke jump a bit, and his face pales enough for her to notice. Even sunshine boy takes note of his friend’s alarm, and he offers his hand with a smile. Inosuke turns the offer down though. 

But once Akiko starts to get to work, Inosuke becomes oddly quiet, eyes trained on the flowers on the counter with the sound of buzzing clouding his mind. 

Akiko looks up from her work to glance at sunshine boy, who is watching with wide and curious eyes, and their gazes meet once again. 

She decides to strike up a conversation while she has his attention, flickering her eyes back down to make sure she isn’t messing up then casually saying, “I never got you name.” 

He blinks to snap himself out of his concentrated daze, flushing a bit and scratching at his cheek. 

“Oh, sorry! We’ve been store neighbors for months and I never properly introduced myself. I’m Kamado Tanjirou.” 

Akiko smiles to herself, “Finally, I can call you something other than sunshine boy,” she chuckles. 

Throughout the rest of the conversation, Tanjirou remains red in the face and Akiko busies herself as to not flush red too. Of course, the minute she puts down the tattoo gun, it’s over for her. 

hhhh so for some last minute notes, ill,,, explain a few things :) 

that tattoo gun scene? yeah think of that one episode from the office. cant picture it? literally type “the office showdown gifs” into google and bam, a live action of the scene. 

this was such a joy to write!! and i cant wait for you guys to read the next part! this was like,,, the set up of the ships so :) 

a huge huge thank you to mari and chuu for letting me use their ocs!!!!!!!! check our their blogs guys, theyre so so nice and such a joy to collab with :,,) 

[fairy-writes]

Congratulations on 600 followers, Fairy! You so deserve it, and this event is super cute!

Could I please be matched with Shoto Todoroki from MHA and Shinobu Kocho from KNY?

I’m a 5’1” girl with long, wavy black hair, hazel eyes, and feminine but simple style. I don’t wear much makeup but I like bold lip colors.

A few words that describe me are free-spirited, curious, independent, and even-tempered. I can also be a little emotionally awkward (and tend to bottle up feelings a lot), and sometimes selfish when it comes to things I really, really want. I love learning and trying new things, definitely a Ravenclaw. I’m a loyal, understanding, and lighthearted partner, but on the flipside a little distant at times and not super romantic or sentimental.

For hobbies, I really like making things - jewelry, knitting, and cooking especially. Also running and hiking. My dream job would probably be an architect, or maybe designing landscapes and parks. I like kids, but I’m not sure if I’d want to be a mom; I’m worried I would be accidentally neglectful or cold.

Some fun facts about me are that I’m a total cat whisperer (I love them and they love me, lol), I make great paper airplanes, and I have a twin brother (technically younger, but people always assume he’s older because he got all my family’s tall genes).

Hello lovely! I’m glad you like the event! I hope you enjoy your request! Shinobu’s part of this does contain manga spoilers, btw!

Todoroki Shoto Request:

Compatibility: 50%

How Did You Meet?: You met when you were both Pro Heroes! You ended up working together for a mission and afterwards started talking!

How the Relationship Will Work From Day to Day: You two are pretty busy as Pro Heroes. You work more as a support and long-range hero with your Quirk that’s more suited for that stuff, and Todoroki works more as a mid-to-close range fighter with his Quirk. However, he can do long-range too! He’s just better suited at fighting up close. When the two of you are at your shared apartment, Todoroki does most of the chores while you handle the cooking (do not, under any circumstances, let Todoroki in the kitchen). Your arguments mainly consist of communication issues over bottling up emotions. 

Marriage?: Todoroki doesn’t want to trap you in a relationship like his father did to his mother, so marriage is something that he thinks about WAAAY down the line. In fact, you might have to propose if you feel like marriage is really something you want because Todoroki is so worried and a tad bit paranoid. 

Kids?: Probably not, you’re concerned about being neglectful, and Todoroki is worried about turning out like his father. But if you two stay together, you end up adopting a cat!

What Does the Future Hold?: A breakup if you aren’t careful. You are both distant and not super romantic or sentimental and tend to get into arguments over miscommunication or just bottling up your feelings and not expressing them. 

Shinobu Kocho Request: 

Compatibility: 84%

How Did You Meet?: You work at the Butterfly Mansion as one of Shinobu’s workers! You are the head healer and answer only to her.

How the Relationship Will Work From Day to Day: Your relationship is a bit awkward at first and maybe a bit strained. But once the two of you work out the kinks, you’re closer than ever! She supports your dreams of becoming an architect, and you help her towards her goal of avenging her sister. (in a healthy way, of course, don’t let her go off the deep end)

Marriage?: Yes! Shinobu would likely propose on the Butterfly Estate, maybe on the rooftop where the two of you go to relax sometimes!

Kids?: Probably not. Shinobu doesn’t like kids (or animals for that matter), and you would be too worried to have any. What Does the Future Hold?: The two of you live happily until the events of the Infinity Castle Arc in the manga. After that, you never quite recover from the loss of your lover and don’t take on another.