#Ken Shinigami

[anip-art]

What if @viperiumprime 's OC Dimitri and my OC Ken were homies? Part of a Friendship Art Trade event for a server I'm in!

[anip-ocs]

Disillusions - Monster Fight - Chapter 29

I haven't done a lot of writing this NaNo that I feel is worth sharing/can be shared without spoilers, but I do have a smidge of a snippet of a monster fight! I haven't written a fight/action scene in about 10000 years so if it's a bit of a Slog I deeply apologize, this is all still first draft content.

-----------------------------------------

For a moment, the team stood there, staring at the beast as it convulsed on the ground. Eyebrows raised, biting their lips, squinting in… sheer confusion. Even when it stopped moving, and began to fade away like all of the Puppeteer’s other creations, it only made them more confused. Slowly, they all lifted their heads to stare at each other. They were all thinking the same thing, right? Weren’t they?

“That was way too easy.” CJ said. “Right? Am I the only one who thinks that was way too easy?”

“No, you’re not. However,” Ken sighed, running a hand through his hair and not seeming to notice that he was smearing blue blood into it in the process. “I truly wish you hadn’t said it aloud.”

“Yeah, don’t wanna get jinxed.” Alana said.

“If we just go home, there won’t be anything to worry about, right?” Taylor shrugged, turning to leave. “I’m out! See you guys la—”

The team all froze as thunder boomed in the distance. But the sky was still clear and sunny, save for a few puffy white clouds slowly gliding along the horizon. So… not thunder? Though, the sky was quickly darkening… another thunderous boom, and then a dull roar. In the distance, a parking garage crumbled to the ground. Maddi felt her blood run cold.

Ken wiped a smear of blood off his cheek, squaring his shoulders as he glared in the direction of the crumbling structure. “Well. So much for that being the end of things.”

“W-What do you think it is?” Brian asked, taking a wary step back. Still, the ground rumbled beneath their feet, a loud boom accompanying each of the beast’s loud footsteps.

“It’s getting closer, that’s what.” Maddi huffed, igniting her hands. “Everyone, get ready. This is gonna be a big one.”

Indeed, it would be. As the monster got closer, they slowly began to see its gargantuan features over the rooftops. Spiraling cyan-blue horns, twirling above the rooftops of the buildings around them. Claws, almost as tall as they were, a stark white against the gray asphalt of the city streets. A yellowish-peach underbelly, six scaly blue legs. A long snout, riddled with white razor sharp teeth, a pink forked tongue snaking out to taste the air, and four large, golden eyes. Before they could truly be ready for it, the team of teen heroes found themselves under the analyzing gaze of a giant dragon, one that seemed large enough to snap them all up in one bite.

“What’s the plan here?” Alana asked quietly.

“Don’t hold back.” Ken said, a low growl in his voice. “Go for the underbelly if you can, but watch for the claws.”

“Sounds good to me.” Taylor said, flipping her hair before crouching low. “Is everything evacuated?”

“These few blocks should be, going by the notice that went out. What… are you thinking?” Brian asked.

“Watch and learn.”

The dragon released a deafening roar, so loud that Maddi was nearly knocked off her feet by the impact. Then it rushed forward, snaking between the buildings, its eyes catlike slits as it narrowed in on its latest prey. Taylor raised her hands suddenly, a chunk of asphalt from the street surging up and striking the beast in the chin, stopping it in its tracks. With a pulling motion, one of the tall concrete buildings beside it began to lean, ripping itself from its foundation as it quickly picked up speed, slamming into the dragon’s head and neck. The monster was stunned, but wasn’t crushed—instead, it shook off the damage and continued its war path towards them.

“Oh, we’re in for it now!” Maddi said, stepping forward with a grin. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she and her friends stared the beast down, watching as it continued racing at them. She charged up her powers, her hands turning to pure burning flame. Waiting… waiting… waiting…

Now!

As the dragon opened its maw, ready to snap them up, the team quickly split directions. Maddi cast a blast of flame directly in its soft, fleshy mouth, instants before Ken grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away. CJ flew upwards, grabbing an abandoned car with his powers and attempting to drive it directly into the beast’s forehead, while Alana summoned a surge of thorns to pierce its side while she bounced away on a giant mushroom. Brian wielded his streetlight weapon once again, attempting to wrap it tightly around the beast’s mouth and narrowly avoiding a swipe of its claws.

Despite it all, the beast didn’t seem to take much damage at all from their attacks. As it turned to face them again, its mouth didn’t even seem singed, and its armored scales were barely even scratched after all their efforts. As the beast hissed at them, sparks dancing around its nostrils, they knew they’d have to try a lot harder if they wanted to finish this alive.

Maddi and Ken ducked to the side instants before the beast opened its mouth and spat out a blast of electricity. Even dodging it, Maddi felt the hair on her arms standing on end, a sharp minty taste filling her mouth, a sparking sensation in her head. Ken dropped from the sky, holding Maddi close as he fell to the ground and protecting her from the bite of the asphalt. The dragon didn’t hesitate, didn’t gloat over its somewhat-successful attack, but instead turned and snapped its jaws at Alana, narrowly missing her in its efforts. The plant girl let out a scream, jumping backwards before shifting into a bird and quickly flying away.

CJ flew in a bit closer, the glowing aura around him pulsing as he focused all his mental strength on the dragon's neck. Crushing its windpipe, breaking its neck, strangling it—whatever he was trying to do, he was unfortunately unsuccessful in the end of it. Their foe didn’t seem too affected, instead standing on its hind legs and swiping, trying to knock CJ to the ground. It missed by quite a big margin, but still forced CJ to retreat. Brian summoned a new streetlight to his side and attempted to maneuver it into piercing the beast’s underbelly, but the projectile was simply swatted away—right towards Taylor, who managed to dodge it easily enough but was still startled.

The reptile hissed, spitting out more bright blue electric blasts. Brian let out a pained shout as he was hit straight-on, knocked back into the wall of a nearby building. Alana gasped, instantly flying over to him and shifting forms, kneeling beside him and taking his hand.

“Oh my god, are you alright?!” she asked.

Brian coughed, looking up at her. “Can I say no?”

“Look out!” Ken shouted. The two looked up, just in time to see the beast rushing towards them, its mouth glowing bright as it prepared a new attack. Alana shifted forms into a pterodactyl and grabbed Brian before taking off, instants before a blue beam obliterated the building they’d just been beside.

“Holy shit!” CJ gaped, stumbling backwards.

“I think we need a new plan! Darky?!” Taylor shouted, turning to where Ken was forcing his way back to his feet.

“Plan’s still the same! Give it all you’ve got!” he yelled, crouching low. The shadows of the buildings around them defied the laws of nature, stretching towards the teen as a dark aura began to surround him. He snarled, flaring his wings as he stood to his feet, his hands held close to his chest as they pulsed with energy. For a moment, his eyes seemed to glow red, and with a shout he cast his hands out. Dark energy shot out of his hands violently, blasting towards the beast’s side as the angel roared. The sky went dark, if only for a brief moment, as the attack pierced the monster’s side and slammed it against the very building it had half-destroyed just a moment ago. The beast screeched as it crumpled to the ground, the building collapsing over it a moment later.

The rest of the team slowly turned, wide eyed, to Ken as he stood there, eyes wild and panting with ragged breaths. The boy paid them no mind, only staring blankly where the reptile had collapsed and met its certain doom, his heart pounding in his ears as energy danced and thrummed at his fingertips. Only when he’d finally caught his breath did he blink and seem to return to reality, noticing his friends staring at him, mouths agape. Ken stood straight, laughing tiredly and smiling a bit. “Well. Suppose that’s the end of that, isn’t it?”

“Dude holy shit!” Brian shouted.

“That was amazing!” Alana gasped, carrying Brian over to the rest of their friends as she finished healing him. “Have you always been able to do that?!”

“It’s not the sort of attack I’m able to do often. Honestly, it’s quite draining…” Ken laughed softly.

“Any way the rest of us can do that?!” Taylor asked.

“I’m not sure. Someone with light-attuned powers, possibly, but otherwise I’m not so sure.”

Maddi opened her mouth to ask a question, but froze as she noticed movement at the edge of her vision. A piece of rubble fell off the larger pile and to the ground—surely wouldn’t have been a big deal, but then two pieces fell, then three, then five, the pile was shifting as if something underneath it all was stirring—

“Guys,” she said loudly, grabbing all of their attention. “We’re not done.”

“What do you mean, we aren’t done?!” Alana gaped. But as the team turned back towards the dragon’s grave, they quickly had to duck to avoid the explosion of rubble as the pile exploded outwards, revealing the dragon getting back to its feet—slightly smaller than before, but still alive and kicking.

“Oh, you’re kidding me!” Taylor groaned.

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Disillusions Tag List: @mallthologist

If you'd like to join the tag list, just let me know!

I hope this was a nice read!

[apparently-artless]

UPCOMING 2024 ANIME WITH NEW SEASON

Looking for anime to watch/rewatch? Try these series as you wait for the new seasons this year!

SPRING ANIME 2024

Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! Season 3

Kimetsu no Yaiba: Hashira Geiko-hen

Tensei shitara Slime Datta Ken Season 3

Mushoku Tensei II: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu Part 2 [Genre Warning: Ecchi]

Boku no Hero Academia Season 7

Maou Gakuin no Futekigousha Season 2 Part 2

Date A Live Season 5

Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei Season 3

Yuru Camp Season 3

Hibike! Euphonium Season 3

Kuroshitsuji: Kishuku Gakkou-hen

Shinigami Bocchan to Kuro Maid Season 3

More series under the cut!

SUMMER ANIME 2024

Oshi no Ko Season 2

Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest

Kami no Tou Season 2

Shy Season 2

FALL ANIME 2024

Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu Season 3

Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou Season 3

DanMachi Season 5

Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online Season 2

Kamonohashi Ron no Kindan Suiri Season 2

Shangri-La Frontier Season 2

Natsume Yuujinchou Shichi (Season 7)

Ao no Exorcist: Yuki no Hate-hen

Love Live! Superstar!! Season 3

Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Kyoto Douran (Season 2)

Nanatsu no Taizai: Mokushiroku no Yonkishi Season 2

Shin Tennis no Oujisama: U-17 World Cup Semifinal

[mchib]

Death Note x Tokyo Ghoul

[cleeeffa]

He built you a playground and you think it's the whole world.

[actuallysaiyan]

could you write kenpachi with smutty prompt 20, pretty please with cherry on top 🥺💖 love you bacon!

warnings: smut, suggestive themes, Yachiru is the little baby of mommy and daddy, unprotected sex, kissing

You know you can always count on Kenpachi to make you feel good, but whenever he has to be away from you for a long amount of time, you miss him terribly. Having him around almost daily is what gets you through the toughest days. The man who everyone fears is the sweetest when it comes to you. He shows you how love is supposed to feel.

When the two of you got together, it sure raised a lot of eyebrows. Most people didn’t quite understand it. But the more you got to know the man, the more you found yourself falling so fast. 

Soon it was just normal to see you and Yachiru hanging off the giant shinigami, making him smirk playfully. The pink haired girl already thought of you like a mother figure, which left Kenpachi to play the part of your husband basically. And when he left you both alone, it was heart wrenching and lonely.

Kenpachi sits on the bed when he gets home, and he gently brushes some hair out of your face. You’re sleeping, and you look like an angel. He loves the way you look when you’re sleeping so peacefully. He already checked in with Yachiru before he came to your shared bedroom. Slowly, he lets his calloused fingers brush against your arm.

Then you stir and open your eyes, sleep still fogging your mind. You think it’s a dream that he’s home. You sit up, wiping your eyes. Kenpachi smirks when he sees you acting so cute. Then you gasp and wrap your arms around him, practically hanging off of him.

“There we go,” he mumbles softly. “I knew you missed me.”

You nod eagerly, “Missed you so much, Ken. So did Yachiru.”

He holds you onto his lap, rubbing your back slowly. Deep, passionate kisses are what punctuate your cute words of love and need to the big man. Then he slowly lays you back on the bed, spreading your thighs so he can slot in between them. He begins pulling off your nightclothes, then he’s stripping himself.

His thick cock sits on your mound, leaking and throbbing. But he wants to tease you. He wants to see just how far you’re going to take this. Kenpachi smirks down at you. You look adorable like this. All needy and wanton for him. Your lips are swollen and red from the passionate kissing. Then he rolls you both over, keeping you on top of him.

“Ride me, baby. Won’t you show me how much you missed me?”

Without needing to be told twice, you reach between you and Kenpachi to guide his throbbing length to your wet pussy. Slowly you sink down on it, relishing in the way he always seems to stretch you out. With a tremble and a deep moan, you begin to rock your hips. Kenpachi smirks up at you; his face always seems to carry that wild look whenever you two make love.

“That’s it! Ride me, beautiful.”

dividers: @adornedwithlight

[bleachbleachbleach]

do you have your own zanpakuto concept if you were a shinigami?

Alas, we do not! Self-insert is really far beyond our ken; it's not a way either of us have ever personally interacted with media, so the prospect of having a zanpakutou has never occurred to us! But if we did, my co-blogger landed on the real answer here:

Let's be real, if I were to somehow become a Shinigami, I'd probably be one of those Joe Shinigami that don't have a zanpakuto manifestation lol // Omg that's so real. Same

But I do enjoy reading about other people's OCs/self-inserts when they post about them on Tumblr. Do you have a zanpakutou?

[agerefandom]

AgereFandom 2023 Masterpost

Happy New Year! It's time for the yearly roundup of content that I made this year! Thank you so much for getting this blog past 2,000 followers this year! I love you all and I hope the new year treats you gently <3 <3

Fanfics: Calling You Home (Les Mis, regressor!Enjolras, caregiver!Grantaire) Baby Steps (Twilight, regressor!Bella, caregiver!Charlie) It Takes A Village 1 /2 (Minecraft, regressor!Reader) Dream Bubble Diamonds (Homestuck, regressor!Mituna, caregiver!Kurloz) As I Lay Me Down To Sleep (Hazbin Hotel, regressor!Reader, caregiver!Angel) Wrapped In Silken Dreams (Black Butler, regressor!Aloise angst) Once Upon A Midnight Dreary (Jekyll and Hyde, regressor!Jekyll) To Have, To Hold, To Drink (Vampire Chronicles, regressor!Lestat) Sweet Little Trickster (Harry Potter, regressor!Reader, caregivers!Fred and George)

Headcanons: Criminal Minds Season One Agere Headcanons Team Kira Agere (with caregiver!Shinigami) Regressor!Elphaba and Glinda Regressor!Garnet Underfell!Regressor!Sans Regressor!Michael Shelley Caregiver!Loki Regressor!Valkyrie and cg!Skulduggery Flip!Asgore Caregiver!Midoriya Regressor!Mello (with cg!Matt) Caregiver!Toriel Caregiver!Hades Regressor!Desire Regressor!Light (with cg!L) Regressor!Kankri (with cg!Porrim) Caregiver!George Weasley Flips!Erik and Christine Regressor!Erskine Ravel Big Sister!Spinel Regressor!Raven Boys (and Blue) Twilight Series: Carlisle / Edward / Jasper

Minecraft Biomes: Plains / Jungle

And some author's choice moodboards and art below the cut!

Personal Favourite Moodboards: Caregivers!Aziraphale and Crowley Regressor!Muriel Caregiver!John Watson Caregiver!Sebastian Michaelis Caregiver!Yagi Toshinori Regressor!Tenth Doctor Regressor!Lan Zhan / Regressor!Wei Ying Regressor!Laudna Regressor!Ken Flips!Wanda and Natasha

Personal Favourite Art: Regressor!Crowley Regressor!Mituna Pride!Regressor!Vaggie Regressors!Toga and Ochako

[uriekukistan]

if characters from death note and tokyo ghoul switched places

notes: this will contain spoilers for both death note & tokyo ghoul. also, please assume that only one character is switched at a time.

yagami light & kaneki ken

of course i have to switch the two main characters, it's not fun if i don't. of course they both have an initial panic at the discovery of this new power they've acquired, and the end results are similar (thousands dead! the world will never be the same!), what makes them interesting to switch for me is the fact that kaneki had serious hesitations about becoming a ghoul, whereas light wasted no time with the notebook.

i think light would also waste no time when he became a ghoul. he first used the death note out of sheer curiosity, so i think he would also end up being curious about eating human flesh...his first meal would be very calculated and he probably would try to find someone who was already dead. once he got a taste, he would probably become a binge feeder like rize, but he would avoid eating his family or alerting them to his actions. i don't think he would be striving for ghoul-human peace at all, though. he probably just challenges the best investigators to fight, and gets away with it, even getting away from arima (narrowly)- only to be taken down by juuzou.

i honestly don't know if kaneki would even use the death note (of course this would be different if we're dealing with shironeki or black reaper but those manifestations would not have occurred in this instance). he would pick it up out of curiosity and put it in his desk or something. when ryuk showed up, he'd probably just interrogate him about the shinigami realm. but i can't see kaneki in his original form using the death note.

l & nagachika hideyoshi

haha i bet u thought i would switch l with arima or something but i did not! you're probably wondering "tumblr user uriekukistan why l & hide?" and the answer is that the key traits that jump out at me from both of them are their perceptiveness and resourcefulness (almost switched hide w mello actually for their resourcefulness, but i have a narrative i'm trying to preserve). but also i do think it would be fairly comedic in both directions

one of the differences between the two is that when we see hide having his thoughtful moments, he is alone, while l just zones out and starts internally monologuing. this would lead to some really entertaining moments at anteiku where he's just staring at kaneki and touka like O_O spacing out while he puts things together. touka threatens to kick him out if he doesn't stop. also i think when he goes to work with the ccg, where hide is close with takizawa, l would be close with juuzou because he's just a bit too weird for the others. but juuzou doesn't care, and they eat candies together in the meeting room which pisses takizawa off so much... also i don't think he would let kaneki eat his face so

i don't think hide would be successful as l. that is not to say that he would not figure out that light is kira, but to say that there are lines that l will cross that i just don't see hide crossing. human rights violations don't seem to be his kind of thing, i could be wrong though. also, l has a way of detaching himself from people in a way that allows him to toy with them to see what the result is, and i don't think hide is able to do that. that being said, hide working with both the ccg and aogiri all to benefit kaneki says to me that he would be willing to do some kind of infiltration type thing. i think he would opt to play a longer game- befriending light in college but rather than challenging him, he convinces him that he's a huge kira fan until light eventually confesses

i have quite a few more characters, if i anyone would be interested, i will post a part 2!

[anip-art]

Happy Valentines Day, all! ❤️

Been a hot minute since you've heard from me, huh? Expect (or hope) to see me more because I sure haven't stopped doing what I'm doing!

Would you believe me if I said I started this piece in a rush last night because I completely forgot Valentines Day was coming up? Or that this is possibly my first time drawing a kiss (or at least committing to it and finishing the drawing)?

[sashi-ya]

𝑥𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡; 𝑠𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑛𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡, ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑦 𝑛𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡. 𝐀 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐓𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ⋆˙⊹ kenpachi zaraki x gn!reader.

request: @deerspringdreams asked: Happy hollidays!! I hope your cosplay events go smoothly! x3 For the event may I request "A single star tonight" for Kenpachi x gn!afab reader? it can be either sfw or nsfw | tw: manga spoilers. sweet scenario about a different new years eve without some of the most important people for him| wc: 477 | masterlist | taglist: @zella07 @jin-supremacy01 @stygianoir @alexkanroji

Him, the man that sometimes looks like a beast tonight points his nose to the skies. With his calloused hand around your waist, close, so close to his body he holds you tight.

It’s cold, but none of you care. A dark infinite mantle covered by many snowy clouds and the single shine of a star flickering above.

Feelings? What are those? Those that build up on his eyes in wet reaction. He misses the little one that had accompanied him for who knows how many centuries. The way that tiny creature would be there day and night, the way she guided him to nowhere, the way her small hands approached him when he didn’t even have a name…

“She is still with you, Ken-chan… she is you”  you whisper, placing your head on his shoulder.

The clock is about to hit 00:00 and with it, a new year begins. It’s true that for the Shinigami time goes by differently, but never once they miss the chance to celebrate a new year coming for the humanity they swear to protect.

“I know…” he sighs, touching Nozarashi’s hilt. It’s weird to see the Kenpachi be so emotional, but in his dark pupils the light of that single star shines bright. But maybe, one isn’t enough. He misses both Yachiru…

“Are you cold?” he asks, pulling you even closer towards his whole anatomy. You nod, a simple “hum” escapes your mouth as if you were asking to melt with him.

He hums a little before moving, and then, when he does, he lifts you up in his arms. You weight the same as a feather for him, Kenny is incredibly strong. “You aren’t leaving me, right?” he asks, allowing himself to sound vulnerable around you.

“I will never, ever leave you… but if some day I do, I promise that you will find me in one star” you whisper, kissing the bridge of his deviated septum.

He looks at you, showing that under his tough appearance there is still a kid with a heart as big as his power.

“Happy new year, (Name)… let’s go inside before you freeze out here” he says, throwing you over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes. It makes you laugh; nobody can be so soft and violent at the same time like him.

“Happy new year, Ken-chan…” you whisper, seeing how he gives one last look at that single star shining in between dense snowy clouds before entering.

Inside, the warmth of your squad companions and your home awaits for you. Yumichika has prepared hot cocoa, while Ikkaku serves some cookies Ichika brought earlier today from Captain Kuchiki.

And while you sit on his lap, nested in between his legs, you take a look at that same star through the window…

“He will always be the strongest one, I promise ♡ ”.

© sashi-ya '23

[recurring-polynya]

My Tumblr Year in Review 2023 (homebrew edition)

Per this post, I guess they aren't doing the personal Tumblr Year in Review this year, which made me very sad, so I decided to DIY as much as I could using JetBlackCode's Tumblr statistics tools.

I had 313 original posts this year, and got 12,405 notes. (JetBlack's numbers don't exactly match up to previous years' Year in Review, but it's close enough). This is a little lower in posts than last year, but a little higher in notes.

Top 5 Posts:

5. Mid-Century Menos

4. some shinigami and their hobbies

3. Sowing/reaping, but make it fanfic

2. Do shinigami have blood transfusions?

Some Oddly Specific Comparisons Between Renji and Ken Barbie Movie

Big year for posts for me! #1 and #2 both blew up because other people added stuff to them (and then #2 got reblogged by a Tumblr-famous person), but that's how Tumblr works, so thanks, friends, for inflating my notes for me! #3 was really strange because it has accumulated notes very slowly, but steadily. Every day, I get notes on that post. Also, every day I think about the person who reblogged it with the tags "I would simply write my fanfic from start to finish and not have this problem." Imagine, having a brain so functional (couldn't be me).

I am very happy that I had two fanarts in my top 5 again this year, especially considering that I didn't draw all that much this year. I guess that makes the shinigami hobbies post my all-time #1 fanart. Not bad, considering I didn't even color it!

[tokiro07]

Magic in Shonen Jump

When I think about my Shonen Jump crossover, I often think about the interplay between different power systems

My general rule of thumb is that all "life forces" are comparable, so Ki, Nen, Chakra, etc. can all be used to strike a Devil Fruit user's true body the same way that Haki does

Then I got to thinking about Black Clover

At first, Magic/Mana seemed like it should function the same way, being a form of energy that exists in all living things, and therefore Asta's Anti-Magic should be capable of cutting/deflecting/absorbing/etc. any life energy-based ability within Jump

Buuut then I remembered that Black Clover's Magic very explicitly isn't life energy - much like Dragon Ball has both Ki and Magic, so too does Black Clover include Ki in its power system

So now the question becomes: what power systems does Asta's Anti-Magic work on?

Criteria

The exact definition of "magic" is pretty loose and can vary even within a series, as even Devil Fruits are referred to as either science or magic depending on cultural contexts and understanding within One Piece's world, so it's not as simple as "if it's called magic it's magic and if it's not, it's not"

That said, I think if it's referred to specifically as Magic or Mana and doesn't have a definition that somehow clashes with Black Clover's distinction between Mana and Ki, I think it's safe to just label it as Magic and be done with it. This means that the Magic in Mashle, Dragon Quest, Beelzebub, Muhyo & Roji, Magical Taruruto-Kun, etc. all qualify as Magic

Jujutsu Kaisen's Jujutsu literally translates to Sorcery, so we can reasonably assume it's a form of magic, especially since it's power source, Juryoku/Cursed Energy, is definitely not any form of Life Energy, deriving from negative emotions and needing to be polarically inverted in order to perform healing techniques

Along the same lines, if it's explicitly referred to as Ki or Life Energy, or clearly functions as Life Energy without having a clear parallel to what one would normally call Magic, then we'll put it in the Life Energy category. Dragon Ball's Ki/Chi obviously counts, and so do JoJo's Stands, as they are explicitly manifestations of Life Energy

Stands are also expressions of one's "fighting spirit" or willpower, so we can further extrapolate any willpower-based energy system to be Ki adjacent; this includes things like One Piece's Haki, Hokuto no Ken's Touki, Reborn's Dying Will, etc.

Spirit

Of course, the term "Spirit" has other connotations beyond willpower; it can also mean the soul, which is very literally tied to the concept of life. Therefore, I think that any system that uses Soul or Spirit Energy should, at their core, be considered Life Energies unless otherwise stated to have distinct properties

Undead Unluck, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Bleach all use something to that effect, with a deceased person becoming a ghost upon death and all powers being in some way derived from that fact (though UU kind of reverses that logic)

However, Bleach has an interesting caveat where, while all spiritual things are made up of Reishi/Spirit Particles, effectively soul atoms, which can be converted into Reiryoku/Spirit Power to perform Kido, which are effectively spells. In the same way that Black Clover's Mana exists both within the living and ambiently in nature, so too does Reishi. Obviously Reishi is distinct from Mana, but the usage of Reiryoku is quite similar, so to my mind, Spirit Particles are exempt from being affected by Anti-Magic, but Spirit Power is vulnerable to it. A Shinigami's body, which is made of Reishi, would be susceptible to Ki-based attacks but not Anti-Magic, while their Reiryoku-based abilities can be damaged/deflected/etc. by Anti-Magic

Shaman King's Furyoku/Shamanic Power, is similar to Reishi, in the sense that spiritual matter is made of it, though it isn't stated to exist ambiently. Rather, it's more of a measure of a Shaman's capacity to interact with Spirits and personally manifest them to be capable of interacting with the living world (Over Soul); in other words, while there is a spiritual energy within living things and deceased spirits, Furyoku itself is more akin to Bleach's Reiryoku, the power to bring about outcomes with that energy. Thus, Over Souls are effectively spells cast by the Shaman, and are therefore susceptible to Anti-Magic, though spirits cannot be exorcised or otherwise directly harmed by it. This is fortunate, as Furyoku has more recently been localized as Mana, meaning that we don't have to break the earlier established rule of Mana=Mana just because of an odd translation choice

Naruto is a particularly interesting case because while it does have two forms of Life Energy, in a Physical and Spiritual variety collectively known as Stamina, neither is ever really treated as the focus of Naruto's system. Instead, it focuses on the byproduct of those two base energies, Chakra. We've already made the argument that the refinement of basic energy into a manifested outcome leans towards Magic in both Bleach and Shaman King, but even if that argument falls through, Naruto's setting clearly sets it apart from the others; Chakra is not inherent to the people of its world. It was introduced to the world by a higher being, and it was then found to be replicable by mixing what was already present. Chakra is, technically, an external force that was effectively transplanted into the people of the world, making it quite definitively not a Life Energy in and of itself

Miscellaneous

Of course, the majority of power systems don't use either name at all, and need special considerations to be categorized as "Magic" or "Non-Magic"

Saint Seiya's Cosmo is difficult to qualify because technically it's based in science, using the energy from the bonds between atoms to manipulate matter. However, because we've already established that Mana is an ambient energy, that same logic should technically apply to Cosmo, as it is found in all matter, not specifically living things. Furthermore, Cosmo is used to often used to effect miracles and invoke the blessings of the Gods, which implies that Cosmo is a form of thaumaturgy; in other words, Magic

D. Gray-Man's Innocence is a semi-sentient material, so it's difficult to say for sure, but given that it seems to have divine origins, my inclination is to say that Innocence is miraculous, and therefore Magical for the purposes of this crossover. Because it is able to harm Akuma, manifestations of departed souls, I will concede that it has overlap with Life Energy and should still be able to harm Devil Fruit users, though

In contrast, Buso Renkin's Alchemy, while also utilizing weapons constructed of miraculous substances, is strictly scientific in nature. While it's far enough beyond real-world understanding of science to seem akin to magic, it does not draw on magical energies and instead specifically utilizes exaggerated scientific principles

Wholly biological abilities, like the physical enhancements of Demon Slayer's Breathing or the endocrine Someinine of Mission: Yozakura Family, definitely don't count in my book. Psychic powers like Psyren's PSI or abilities that are rooted in one's mentality like Medaka Box's Skills are technically biological in the sense that they're rooted in the brain, but the ability to manifest thoughts into the world is debatably a form of magic, but generally I have to say they're non-magical

However, Nurarihyon's Fear, while based in mentality and perception, is actually based on the perceptions of others; whereas psychic abilities derive from one's brainwaves, Fear is effectively manifesting the imagination of humans. Yokai are mystical in nature, so it stands to reason that their ability, which depends on human belief in the supernatural, would qualify as Magic

Fear in Chainsaw Man, however, is much more debatable. While the relative strength of a Devil is determined by how feared they are, what they're literally capable of is determined by the aspect of the world they represent. Devil Contracts are Faustian deals, which are akin to black magic, but they're never referred to as magical; it almost seems like Devils are a force of nature, simply facts that act as they please and able to affect whatever change in the world they like so long as they're properly compensated. In that sense, they almost seem divine, but their placement is treated so mundanely that it's hard to make a solid judgment. I'm inclined to say no, but I think I could be convinced that it is magical

Conclusion

This list is by no means exhaustive, as there are tons of Jump manga that I'm either unfamiliar with or just didn't go into detail on here, like World Trigger's Trion, Toriko's Appetite, or Yugioh's Ba (all stated to be Life Energies, though the use of Ba to summon monsters or Ka is almost certainly a form of spellcasting), so if there were some you wanted me to cover, let me know

I'm not even against Life Energies being considered magic, I just think they're typically more akin to what Black Clover calls Ki than to what it calls Mana, so if you have a case for why any should be reevaluated, I'd love to hear them

Honestly, I'm not really too hung up on it either way; like I said, Asta's ability to use Ki typically makes up for a lack of Anti-Magic vulnerability in most of his potential matchups, as he'd still be able to interact with spiritual energies just fine. This was just a fun thought experiment, and I hope anyone who reads it will enjoy it too!

[detectivenyx]

i am extremely worried about people who are like, 'if you didn't like the barbie movie i don't trust you'. there are valid fucking reasons to distrust it that don't boil down to 'the dudebros are angry a film about a girl's doll doesn't have a man at centre frame'

the film very much DOES have a man at center frame and the film is really all about how ken's feelings are treated by the barbies (with the 'punishment' for the barbies treating the kens like shit being subjugated to their own oppression for a few hours - creating a weird implication that oppression will be solved if we oppress the oppressors, but only a little bit, and then they'll realise How Wrong They Were).

the criticism of barbie and what she'd done to the self esteem of generations of young girls is handwaived into a single scene that focuses on how barbie of all people feels about it - in a way that reads like barbie's making a fucking beauty guru tier apology. those weren't tiny criticisms but now mattel can claim that the barbie movie addressed it by making barbie sad at the accusations. (also the criticisms were very much related to barbie's thinness and whiteness, but that was erased for a more 'YOU'RE NOT PERFECT' vague message)

barbie's 'i'm a real woman now!' moment is her going to a gynecology exam - it isn't bad on its own, but it's what it's used to symbolize. it's considered the point where barbie is a 'real woman', and equates real womanhood to having a vagina. that would've been one thing but the film was put out by Warner Bros, whose CEO lights up red in shinigami eyes and is the media company behind the continuation of the harry potter franchise long after rowling's hatred and bigotry became mass public knowledge.

so yeah. forgive me if this film strikes me as less feminist than both its predecessors mean girls and legally blonde AND princess and the pauper which had a trans cat or two in it

[perceus-art]

Yeah sure I’ll come back after 4 years with this. AU on the left: The shinigami eyes physically corrupt BB/he’s slowly turning into a shinigami. Also he’s dressed as magic earring ken. AU on the right: inspired by Matsuda never really looking older in the a-Kira story, at one point a shinigami died to save Matsuda, so his lifespan is actually a ridiculous number. BB sees that and is immediately like “Oh I could fuck with that,” and Matsuda has no idea what’s going on. L brought BB onto the Kira case or smth.

[torpublishinggroup]

5 Literary Encounters with Legendary Beings

by a cat

Many mortal constructs began as stories, we say, confident in spite of our unwillingness to invest the research hours necessary to prove such a thesis. Why else would we tell time? 

Anyway, having thus established the relevance of myth within our lives, let’s talk about something more fun than the ticking of the clock. Let’s talk about vampires, werewolves, and other myth-folk* by running down some awesome books within whose pages they reside. 

Check it out!

Wolfsong by TJ Klune

Werewolves are for kissing. Don’t believe us? Let the gay lycans of TJ Klune’s Green Creek series melt your heart, and then achingly break it. These books are about a pack of werewolves, yes, but it’s important to remember that many mythical beings are people too: Given to all the messy yearning, loving, and hurting that comes with being alive. 

Masters of Death by Olivie Blake

Vampires kind of have an image problem, unhelped by numerous depictions of bloody splatterfests and exploitative aristocratic legacies. Now who better to act on an image problem than a real estate agent? Viola Marek might be a vamp but she’s also got houses to sell. Unfortunately, one of them is very inconveniently haunted, and this is the inciting incident in Masters of Death by Olivie Blake—a story about (among other things) how immortality doesn’t actually spare the indignities, gifts, and difficulties of life. It just gives you more time to experience them. 

Ebony Gate by Julia Vee & Ken Bebelle

And the next entry in our rundown of legendary entities is an urban fantasy full of assassins and dragon magic in San Francisco. Here’s a partial list of the mythical beings encountered within this thrilling debut: 

a guardian foo lion

a shinigami in a business suit

a cat yokai

a LOT of ghosts

Spring’s Arcana by Lilith Saintcrow

The mythical and magical entities that populate our stories often embody aspects of our mortal lives. From this oblique angle, we as narrative-enthusiasts can sneak up on emotional and abstract truths otherwise inaccessible. But our lives change, and so do our stories, and Spring’s Arcana by Lilith Saintcrow is an excellent candidate to demonstrate this phenomenon. Nat Drozdova’s mother is sick, and she must cross an America full of modern divinities (the God of Money, Law and Order, the King of Thieves, etc.) in order to procure a stolen relic for a winter goddess in a skyscraper office who has the power to save her ailing mother. 

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher

“Toadling was, more or less, lucky. She was not harvested by the flesh-smiths nor devoured by redcaps, nor raised in the retinue of a great lord of Faerie. Instead she was thrown to the greenteeth, the slimy swamp-dwelling spirits who devour unwary swimmers. Boy-children they eat, always. Girl-children they eat, mostly. But occasionally their numbers will fall, or one of them will be seized with some murky maternal instinct, and they will raise a child instead.”

This snippet comes from the beginning of T. Kingfisher’s twisted fable, and already we are blessed with a dearth of fae folk. If you like mythical beings in fiction, pick this one up as soon as you can!

━━ ˖°˖ ☾☆☽ ˖°˖ ━━━━━━━

*Tor Blog-cat’s Note: Diligent readers may note that the introduction to this book roundup seems to imply the veracity of werewolves, vampires, and other beings of legend. While this question certainly lays beyond the scope of the Tor Publishing Group to answer, we do heartily encourage all readers to show kindness to any vamps, wolves, etc. that might or might not exist <3