#Kikyou-critical

[kitramune]

This is honestly the most depressing and even horrifying thing about Kikyou's presence in their relationship. The fact Inuyasha knows what makes him happy but can't pursue it because Kikyou died. The fact Kagome thinks she's inadequate to make him happy because Kikyou died. Inuyasha is suffering crippling Survivor's Guilt because he thinks a woman died to see him in the afterlife, and Kagome obviously isn't going to just up and die so she thinks her feelings for Inuyasha can't measure up to someone who did. Like wtf Rumiko. Add in the worst part that Kikyou herself never even confirms or says she died for Inuyasha's sake, and the only character who did was NARAKU so it's likely he wanted exactly this drama and torment. And that they never get to properly clear the air by the end... It hurts me.

[kitramune]

Inuyasha definitely wouldn't be resistant to catching feels for Kagome and terrified by it if she was just a Kikyou replacement. Like I don't know how you can misinterpret something this badly. Even when he's "comparing them" (if you can even stretch long enough to call it that) it's how he doesn't want Kagome to die, and his language still differentiates them in his mind.

This scene was cut from the anime but is directly after a newly resurrected Kikyou fell off the cliff and Inuyasha subsequently realized he's caught the feels for Kagome as her smiling self. (Also cut... *grumble*) He does bring up Kikyou but immediately follows it by the anxiety of a second heartbreak with his budding feelings for Kagome. Whether it's rejection or her dying is ambiguous, but the soon-to-follow arc where he separates them suggests the latter, as we explore his fears deeper there.

This scene is what could be called the follow-up and the last time he ever "compares" them outside of Kagome directly prompting it by asking point blank for him to, and again it's only in the context of Kagome potentially dying. Inuyasha has fully embraced his feelings, and seeing as he's NOT a selfish monster like this weird HC paints him to be, he's decided to let Kagome go because his trauma insists that history could repeat itself in some way. Luckily Kagome is able to break through even trauma that strong by caring so much she fights like hell to be by his side. Might I add, specifically after he TRIED to make her distrust him so she WOULDN'T do that. I firmly believe that's what makes Inuyasha take a chance and ask her to be WITH with him, later. (ANOTHER CRUCIAL SCENE SUNRISE CUT.)

I think you or someone else discussed how Inuyasha is most likely demisexual because of his lack of interest in nudity until he formed an emotional bond. I was just thinking how the anti’s claimed Inuyasha settled for Kagome, but all evidence points to him loving her *despite* her resemblance to Kikyo. Not hating on Kikyo, just pointing out how Inuyasha kept saying it’s his fault she died because he didn’t trust her, even though trust has to go both ways but whatever, so if he was settling then Kagome would be a daily reminder that he failed Kikyo. Which would sound like hell considering his repeated claims of his fault.

But clearly in the past discussion of Inuyasha being demisexual, we all know he isn’t shallow or ”settling”.

I might have mentioned Inuyasha being demisexual once or twice, but I don't remember posting something that specific. Maybe someone else did and I reblogged it?

I'm glad you brought up the "Inuyasha settled for Kagome" terrible take, though, because you make great points and boy do I have something to say about it.

First, I love that you mentioned trust has to go both ways despite Inuyasha blaming Kikyo's death solely on his lack of trust on her. It always bothered me how quickily and sincerely he owned up to the role he played on her fate when there was zero reciprocity from Kikyo.

He went as far as taking responsability for things that have never really happened and that would be completely out of his control if they had, such as Kikyo "dying to follow after him" even though he didn't ask for it and never would.

The irony is that, between the two of them, Kikyo was actually the one more equipped to realize they were being played and yet, not only she falls for the same trap, but never really acknowledges that her lack of trust on Inuyasha was just as detrimental to their downfall.

Naraku's entire plan was based on both of them doubting each other. If either one had been more trusting, it'd have failed. Inuyasha recognizes this and regrets not trusting Kikyo, immediately treating her like the victim that she is and never once blaming her.

But he is a victim himself and she never extends the same courtesy to him, still thinking her actions were justified because he should have trusted her — not the other way around — and so she never bothers easing his guilt. On the contrary, she purposely adds to it.

The thing about the love triangle — for lack of a better term — is that Inuyasha and Kagome are constantly pushing their feelings aside to empathize with each other's and Kikyo's pain, while Kikyo acts like she's the only one who's hurting.

Which is to be expected at first because she is the one who died and was brought back against her will, but as the story progressed, I kept waiting for Kikyo to see a little bit of herself on the ordinary girl who was entrusted the weight of the world upon her shoulders, had her shoes to fill and the mess she left behind to clean up.

I kept waiting for her to show some sympathy for the boy who lost fifty years of his life because she misjudged him and was willing to die for a debt she manipulated and guilt-tripped him into thinking he had, a boy she supposedly loves.

None of it came, at least not in a way that felt organic or satisfying. That's my main issue with how Kikyo was written. You can't paint her as a complex character and then gloss over her flaws. You can't sell her as gray character and then pretend the bad things she did never happened.

Takahashi wanted her to reap all of the rewards that come with a redemption arc without really bothering to make her go through one, because that would mean having Kikyo face her mistakes for what they were — including her distrust on Inuyasha — and then apologizing or making up for it, a feat that rarely happened in canon, if at all.

Instead, she abruptly stops acting as vicious, so everything can be conveniently forgiven and forgotten because "she isn't like that anymore." The lack of explanation about what motivated this change makes harder for the audience to connect with her and results in many plot inconsistencies.

And the lack of accountability regarding Kikyo's actions keeps her from growing and reaching her full potential as a character, indirectly regressing or preventing the development of the characters around her as well, which I believe is a huge part of why the story feels repetitive and stagnant at times.

Now, you're definitely onto something when you argue that all evidence actually points to Inuyasha falling in love with Kagome despite her resemblance to Kikyo. I've actually talked about it here and here.

While it's true that Inuyasha mistook Kagome for Kikyo when they first met, it would've been unreasonable to expect anything different. Their looks and scents are similar, he had just woken up from a fifty years long spell and up until then he had no reason to believe otherwise, but Inuyasha actually caught up in a decent amount of time.

After that, as much as he still refused to call Kagome by name, he was also very aware she wasn't Kikyo, to the point that it took seeing her with complete priestess attire on for him to even make that correlation again.

And yet, Inuyasha still doesn't go back into thinking they're the same person, but rather that Kagome's a girl who resembles Kikyo. Only ebentually, even this starts to change the more time they spend together and suddenly, when Inuyasha has a nightmare about Kikyo, is Kagome he sees first.

Mind you, he has only seen Kagome in priestess clothes once. Kikyo wore those her entire life. It'd be understandable for him to confuse Kagome for Kikyo and yet Kagome was his first thought here when, by logic, she shouldn't have been. From them on, he doesn't even see any resemblance between the two girls at all anymore.

Which makes sense, because even if Inuyasha had tried to use Kagome as a replacement — something he never did — he couldn't possibly have succeded, since both girls are polar opposites — a creative choice that was done completely on purpose — and Kagome wasn't slightly interested on being anyone but herself, making her into the worst Kikyo replacement ever.

That's why it got easier for Inuyasha to distinguish one girl from the other with time. Their distinct personalities make up for completely different dynamics and bring completely different feelings out of Inuyasha, because they represent completely different things to him and, again: this is done absolutely on purpose.

In the manga, this is better illustrated by two very specific panels. In the first one, Kikyo is smiling sadly but genuinely at Inuyasha — which we don't see her do often — and he admitted later on that the exchange made him feel guilty, like he had done something wrong, since he had just been rude to her.

In the second one, Kagome is smiling brightly at Inuyasha, which she does constantly, then we immediately see him blush and think to himself how relieved he is to see that smile

Of course those are very different contexts, but they pretty much set the tone for both relationships and if the arrangement of those panels wasn't a conscious choice — which I doubt — then Takahashi is insanely lucky. It's also worth noting that Inuyasha felt relieved to see Kagome smiling because it was farther confirmation that even after Kikyo's resurrection, she was still Kagome.

So I think it's safe to say the physical resemblance actually slowed the romantic process down, considering that the staged betrayal made Inuyasha build his walls even taller than they were when he met Kikyo. This becomes even more clear when you compare their respective first "amicable" conversations.

With Kikyo, even though he was reluctant about her approach and suspicious of her intentions, there was still a part of him that obviously wanted it to be true, so he was at least open to what she had to say.

With Kagome, he was visibly more aggressive and closed off because he has been burned before and she was the reincarnation of the woman who did the burning, which makes her managing to get his trust so quickly that much more remarkable, since she apparently did in less time and in worse circumstances, what Kikyo couldn't.

And Kagome did it precisely because she never acted like Kikyo. She actually took the time to know Inuyasha, to give him her trust and to earn his, to build a solid relationship, based on honesty and real acceptance.

I like to think that, while Kikyo found a crack on Inuyasha's defense she could slip in, Kagome slowly smashed his walls to the ground, therefore leaving an ever lasting impact on him that she couldn't have made by being anyone but herself.

When Inuyasha starts to pursue Kagome romantically, he does so after concluding that there's absolutely no resemblance between the two girls at all and after going through an entire arc where Kagome cried for his sake and trusted him blindly, none of which has anything to do with Kikyo.

People argue that Inuyasha was actually trying to kiss Kikyo here, but why would he do that when he still thinks she betrayed him? And if this was really the case, then why has he never willingly kissed or tried to kiss Kikyo until their final goodbye, Sunrise additions excluded?

At this point, it makes more sense to me that he was avoiding to look at Kagome not because she looks like Kikyo — he has been looking at her just fine before —, but because he has started to catch feelings for her despite his efforts not to and doesn't know how to act. In fact, when he had the chance to kiss Kikyo soon after, this is what we got instead:

And then he hugs her — something the anime cut out — but the important thing is that Inuyasha had this and many other opportunities to rekindle his relationship with Kikyo and simply didn't.

In this particular occasion, he even go as far as to ask Kikyo to return the piece of soul that keeps her "alive" to Kagome knowing full well what the consequences were.

Why would Inuyasha settle for a "replacement" when he could have the real thing instead? Even if you believe resurrected Kikyo to be nothing more than a malicious replica of the original, she's still more Kikyo than kagome could or would ever be.

I dislike this notion because if it's true and there's not an ounce of Kikyo there, why should the audience or the characters care if she "lives" or "dies"? If she gets a redemption arc or not? It feels like a cop out to only consider her the real Kikyo when she does good things.

That being said, save for maybe one scene at the beginning where Inuyasha shoved a bow and some arrows at Kagome because Kikyo was a master archer, he never expected her to behave like Kikyo, never tried to change her so she would and never acted frustrated or disappointed at the fact that she was her own person.

Inuyasha has his flaws — as any good main character should — but he always respected the inviduality of both girls, which is more than I can say about the people who insist on this baseless take.

To wrongly paint Inuyasha as someone who settled for Kagome because she looks like Kikyo gets especially icky when even Naraku, the villain who was obsessed with her, never redirected said obsession to Kagome.

It's such a common trope that I was actually expecting it, but I'm glad it didn't happen because it's a subtle and yet effective way of sedimenting both girls as separate individuals instead of going for the cheapest option.

And ironically, the only character who treated Kagome as if she was Kikyo was Kikyo herself, but even that was very early on and she only seemed to do it as a way of belittling Kagome, because while mentioning her to other people — or by the end of the story — Kikyo had no trouble referring to Kagome as a different being.

Sunrise's adaptation made very questionable choices but something they were pretty consistent on was making clear Kagome and Kikyo aren't the same.

Besides, something fundamentally wrong with this argument is that Inuyasha comes off as shallow and Kikyo as disposeable. Shallow because it suggests physical appearance is all that matters — which goes against everything his character stands for in canon — and the soul is just a seal of approval.

Disposeable because it hints Kikyo's personality is so forgettable and unimportant that it played absolutely no part on sparkling Inuyasha's interest. She's so easily replaceable that even someone who had opposite world views, thoughts, feelings, temperament and mannerisms could do the trick. The memories they made are so generic that it wouldn't have make a difference if any other character was in her place.

Why do people even like those characters, why do they even ship them together if they truly believe that? That's why I don't buy that they actually do.

You see, considering how huge Kagome's soul is, Kikyo technically has got to be someone else's reincarnation too, but I've never seen anyone making the case that she is anyone but herself or that her predecessor is also the love of Inuyasha's life.

The reason they try to do this with Kagome is so that they can pretend Inuyasha and Kikyo somehow ended up together to cope with the fact that they didn't. And that's the exact same reason they pretend he setled for Kagome as well.

Which is funny because what exactly was Inuyasha settling for? Like, in the great scheem of things, what was Kikyo able to give him that he couldn't get a thousand times better from Kagome with no strings and just had to make his peace with it?

It seems to me like it was the other way around: Kagome managed to accomplish everything Kikyo failed to do, so if anything Inuyasha was settling for Kikyo, resigned to spend the rest of his life as human — something he hated to be — just to get "accepted" or to die for something he didn't do just to appease her.

Finally, to say inuyasha settled implies he had no other choice but to marry Kagome. He had: staying single, because now that he has friends and wasn't alone anymore, he doesn't need a lover to fill that empty space in his life if he doesn't want one.

Plus, Kagome wasn't entitled to his love. She jumped trought that well knowing that three years is a long time, that people and feelings change and that what waited foe her on the other side was a mystery, but she did it anyway because all she ever wanted from him was to stay by his side and for him to be honest with her.

Kagome would've been fine with a platonic relationship because even though she obviously wanted more, she was ready to accept whatever Inuyasha was willing to give her, but he wanted her to return so he could give her everything, which he couldn't before because he felt in debt with Kikyo. That's the whole point.

Inuyasha was the one who iniciated every romantic moment they had early on: the first hug, both almost kisses, etc. And it was clear that the things Kagome made him feel, such as that sense of peace, of belonging, of unadultered happiness, were very new to him, so the idea that Inuyasha was settling for her is laughable when this is the character in question:

I know a lot of those scenes were deleted or changed by Sunrise but I watched the anime without reading the manga beforehand and reached the exact same conclusions, so I'm still of the opinion that the people who convinced themselves Kagome was a consolation prize either didn't pay attention or have an agenda of their own that won't change by reading the original material.

TLDR; one does not simply "settle" for their soulmate. They come home to them.

[inu-yasha]

Kikyou is a very complex character and difficult to understand. The way Sunrise portrayed her is just plain wrong. They hate her and Kikyou still struggles with hatred, even in the non-canon Yashahime manga. Her character was reduced to just an "ex" and in fact Kikyou was more than just an "ex". She's been dealing with the hate ever since. Anime Kikyou helps her hate. It's easy to hate a character who is so cold, doesn't care and seems to care about something else, just cold because that's how she was supposed to be. Principal Inuyasha didn't hate her, he said he "didn't understand her and should stay dead" He made her cold and emotionless, but that's how she was supposed to be. My criticism of Kikyou in the anime doesn't mean I don't love her. I love her with all my heart, but I don't like what was done to her and how she was presented. She has been changed the most and very drastically. Inuyasha always looks like he doesn't love her but always looks at her compassionately, and she acts like Inuyasha's love doesn't matter anymore. Her scenes with Inuyasha were erased and changed, her personality was changed. I don't care if anyone likes Kikyou in the manga and anime. I express what I feel. Just like Kagome fans keep complaining that 'Kagome was changed' but the changes Kagome had are nothing like what happened to Kikyou. Kikyou, at the end of the episode, was presented as a rival who takes the main character and hurts poor Kagome. This sunrise subconsciously made Kagome feel like the wronged one and she should be pitied, while Kikyou should be hated. Sunrise made it clear that Inuyasha and Kikyou's love is in the past and they no longer love each other, especially Kikyou since she doesn't love him. They make it clear that Kagome is the only right partner for him and InuKik is a thing of the past. Kikyou's true personality has been erased, InuKik's love has been erased. It's Kikyou who needs justice. It was the Kikyou anime that made me love Kikyou so much, the Kikyou manga only strengthened my feelings and my love for InuKik.

Sunrise always favored Kagome . In the manga they didn't kiss, but in the anime Inukag got a kiss. I believe this is the most solid evidence that Sunrise favors Kagome and this ship. Kagome's favoritism and hatred towards Kikyou is very evident in this series and it can really be appreciated by reading the original source - manga.

yashahime continues to hate her. this is just sad. Kikyou didn't deserve this fate.

[mayarab]

Ace Week - Acespec Headcanons

Hi hello, it is I, your local genderqueer demiaroace fan creator \o/

And I bring you my most beloved headcanons to celebrate ace week:

Inuyasha is demisexual. I mean, come on! He only started falling for both Kikyou and Kagome AFTER he knew them enough to let go of his people avoidance behaviour! And even with Kikyou, it was physical attraction either! It was a deep longing for companionship! My boy is demisexual for sure! (and demiromantic, but let's focus on the ace spectrum here)

Kagome is ALSO demisexual! She had Hojo pining for her for what was probably YEARS before the series starts and it doesn't even REGISTER until her friends point it out to her! But as soon as she felt Inuyasha cared for her, the girl was SMITTEN! Tell me a more demisexual reaction than this!

Sora, from KH, is ace! Yeah. That boy is powered by friendship and I don't think he even knows what sex is.

Kairi is ALSO ace, but she does know what sex is and probably teases Riku to hell and back (she ships her friends and if I had my way, they would be a throuple with at least sokai being a qpr)

Keyleth from Critical Role is on the acespec somewhere. The way her relationship with Vex went (no spoilers) is very familiar to me as a demisexual - he was the one the say he loved her first, she got flustered and decided it wasn't "the right time" at the beggining - probably to process XD

Hope you guys liked this little insight into my fan mind!

The fanart on top is by me and if you like what I make, consider checking out my ko-fi or patreon!

[fandom-hoarder]

Listen--

I don't follow/unfollow/block people according to fandom pressure and behavior control. I curate my experience for me. I don't have to agree with every blogger's opinions just to follow their blog. I just have to like enough of their content and opinions that a bad one or disagreement here and there don't spoil my experience.

And sure, it's nice to have followers that enjoy the experience of my blog. It's nice to be appreciated for my writing and the outward portrayal of my personality and aesthetic. But also, my blog is first and foremost for me. And my dash is ONLY for me.

So, for example, when it comes to accounts that are hyper-critical about a character or an actor, the biggest deciding factors are going to be: if they're harrassing the real life person, if their criticism/opinion puts me off, and if they have other posts I'm into.

My bff of 30+ years HATES Sasuke with a fiery passion, yet that doesn't stop me loving her or beta reading her fanfiction where horrible things happen to a character I love or indulging her hate when she needs to go off. I loved Sakura AND shipped SasuNaru in a fandom that often hates the girls for the sake of their yaoi ship. I spent years being a Kikyou AND Kagome defender, in a fandom notorious back in the forum days for its rabid fans (RIFs), where they are pitted against each other in awful ways for ship wars. I ship McLennon and like Yoko. Believe me when I say that some perfectly understandable post-prequelgate feelings about Jensen are not enough to shame me away from following an account.

The things that are instant block material are: being a terf (not from accusations alone; i have to see it myself), purity culture, and harassment. Otherwise it's all about the nuance of what I'm fine with seeing on my dash and scrolling past.

And I need a little salt in my diet. 🤷‍♀️

[kitramune]

I am 100% in agreement with everything, I just want to leave one scene here that I thought made it abundantly clear Naraku was making that "she died for you" stuff up to mess with Inuyasha. Before the narrative just... decided to take it as truth for some reason.

Chapter 176 / Episode 48: The Wrong Tragedy

It’s been a while since I posted one of these — hope the people following me are still interested in reading them. I’m not sure I’d have gone back on that just now if I hadn’t seen @screamyourpain liking a lot of them in the past few days. I also want to thank the always wonderful and insightful @shinidamachu for discussing this with me!

Chapters 173 to 176, or episode 48 (though you know me, I’m not going to discuss the anime), are arguably one of the biggest turning points in Inuyasha. It means a lot for the main characters. It’s when Kagome realizes that she’s in love with Inuyasha, which is not only big in terms of character development but also important on another level, as it shows a teenage girl understanding feelings she (most likely) experiences for the first time.

It’s a turning point in her relationship with Inuyasha. Before this, Inuyasha was the one who mostly reaffirmed his feelings for Kagome,

and now she is the one to do it.

It’s also a tragic, painful moment for both her and Inuyasha. However, the story doesn’t seem to acknowledge, or even realize, the real reasons why this is painful, and doesn’t handle it well later on either.

Let’s start by the beginning: what is tragic in this situation? Well, you might argue, this situation is tragic because Inuyasha has to help Kikyou out of duty, even though he wants to be with Kagome. It’s tragic because Kagome is in love with him, but she knows he can’t forget about Kikyou. You may even say that it’s tragic because part of Inuyasha is still in love with Kikyou and so he can’t move on, and Kagome gets hurt because of that.

This is, at least, what the story is showing, and will show to us from this point on. But I’m going to make again a point I’ve made before: this is a story. This means that there were events before this, events that provide the context. Just because they’re not mentioned again doesn’t mean they never happened; that’s not how those things work.

Because here’s the context. The context is that what Inuyasha still feels for Kikyo is guilt.

This is extremely clear, and please keep in mind that there is nothing that would show these feelings would have changed. Last time we heard about her, she’d given Naraku half the Jewel and gotten off with a bullshit “I have a plan” excuse that she didn’t bother to develop, and that we will later find out wouldn’t even have worked.

Right now, she was nearly killed by Naraku though, something that would reasonably trigger Inuyasha’s feelings — I’m in no way arguing that.

As mentioned above, the context is that he (re)affirmed his feelings to Kagome three times, one time implying that he wasn’t in love with Kikyou anymore.

Another part of the context is that Kikyou did not die following Inuyasha. There are other posts discussing that (like here and here), but what bothers me the most about this is that in my opinion, this would actually seriously undermine Kikyou’s character. Kikyou knew she was dying. She knew she could have wished on the Jewel to stay alive, but she didn’t want to taint it, so she chose to take it out of existence with her. Why would it have anything to do with Inuyasha? She was doing something genuinely selfless, or at least that’s how I’d like to interpret it.

The thing is, this context completely changes the tragedy of these chapters. Suddenly, Inuyasha isn’t making a difficult decision out of some duty he felt he had to do for Kikyou. Instead, Inuyasha was told that Kikyou had died for him/because of him, with Naraku being the one to first imply it, and apparently he started to believe it.

He also has no one to tell him that he doesn’t need to do that, and actually, that’s something that Inuyasha will never hear, ever. Kikyou will never tell him that he doesn’t need to die for her — the most she will do is tell him that it was ‘enough’ that he came for her. This is what Inuyasha gets for having decided to give up his life and possibly his shot at happiness, Kagome, for her for a false reason. I would 100% argue that you never have to die for someone else, no matter what they’ve done for you, but as Inuyasha thinks he has to (and there is probably a cultural aspect to it), he doesn’t even have a reason to do that here. Not that he can know about it, because he didn’t see what happened at Kikyou’s death.

So, the tragedy for Inuyasha is that he got manipulated into thinking that he had to sacrifice his life for a woman who has — and do note that Kikyo and her “your life is mine” is not blameless here —, since allegedly ‘dying for him’, tried to kill both him and the girl he is in love with.

Inuyasha isn’t the only one suffering here though. Kagome is probably the one who gets the worst of things in this chapter. And the sad thing is, if the situation was as is presented, I could argue it’s a very good character development. As it is, it amazes me how Kagome can still grow through something that’s so hard for her. I’ve explained it before, but this is the moment when Kagome learns to acknowledge her more ‘positive’ emotions — if we can call her love for Inuyasha this given how much it hurts her. There’s a real ‘Only Love Can Hurt Like This’ vibe here.

I happen not to particularly be of the mindset that this is when Kagome should have stopped Inuyasha for his actions and put an end to the relationship, mostly because the problem I have with Inuyasha in this situation starts later, as I developed here, however this doesn’t mean that the situation is healthy here. I don’t understand how people are not horrified at Kagome saying that she can’t compete with Kikyou because she is alive. I’m going to quote myself here but

This can be taken in two different ways. The first one is Kagome realizing that Inuyasha isn’t completely over Kikyou. That would be alright by me. Inuyasha didn’t get to mourn Kikyou, and Kikyou being dead means that she’s ‘frozen’ in Inuyasha’s mind, in the form of memories that he’s idealizing. That would be a great meaning, according to me. For Inukik to be a metaphor of mourning would have been something I would have loved.

But. But that’s not supported by the story. Kagome thinks that the reason she can’t compete with Kikyou is because Kikyou ‘died for’ Inuyasha. It doesn’t get much more unhealthier than this. Kagome thinks that because she didn’t die for Inuyasha, she can’t compete with Kikyou. I don’t know how to say it to make people realize how bad that is. That’s terrible. That’s absolutely awful. Also, the story never lets Inuyasha mourn Kikyou. It never lets him realize that the woman she’s now isn’t the woman he used to love. This always let me under the impression that the Inukik relationship wasn’t completely over, which honestly made it harder for me to enjoy Inukag. Weirdly, it became more and more important as the manga went on. In the beginning, Inuyasha did his best to reassure Kagome, and later, he did it less often.

Do you understand what this means about Kagome’s mental state in this situation? She thinks that she can’t compete with Kikyou because she’s not dead.

Also, y’know what — yes, Kagome is probably jealous of Kikyou. She’s mostly terribly insecure, but okay, maybe she’s jealous too. Because she’s fifteen and she’s falling in love for the first time and it also happens to be in a completely new setting and she almost got killed and her boyfriend’s dead-ex-girlfriend is still there and alive and even though she tried to kill him and tortured her

and tried to kill her and gave the most dangerous weapon on the planet to the guy who killed her he still worships the ground she walks on. Yeah, maybe she doesn’t fucking like it. Go figure.

So, this is it. The tragedy isn’t that Inuyasha has to give his life to Kikyou, the tragedy is that Inuyasha feels that he has to give his life to Kikyou. The tragedy isn’t that Kagome is in love with someone who can’t return his love to her because of his duty to someone else, the tragedy is that Kagome believes that said someone will always be more important for him because she’s dead. The tragedy is that Inuyasha will never be able to mourn Kikyou and that he will never realize that she has no right to ask of him the things she does. The tragedy is that Kagome never realizes how wrong the situation is — for the both of them.

I know I would have liked this to be resolved either by people fucking telling Inuyasha that no, he doesn’t have to give up happiness for anyone, or by Kagome telling Inuyasha that he has to make a decision because the situation as it is is hurting her too much. It doesn’t happen (and the tragedy we’re supposed to see is barely even resolved, as Kikyou never tells Inuyasha she won’t ask it of him to follow her to hell, nor does Inuyasha tell her that he won’t). I understand what these chapters could have been about, what they could have meant for the characters, if they’d only taken into account previous informations given by the story. But it’s not what they’re about, and in the end, that may be the real tragedy here. Those chapters mark the moment when I consider the story and the characters start bending to accommodate a certain narrative. And what narrative could that be, I wonder…

[kitramune]

I'm not calling anyone out in particular because I've seen this a LOT by now, but what is this wave of fandom where we can't criticize Kikyou as a character or anything she does just because she's sympathetic in some aspects? Homegirl spends half the series as a villain and the other half as morally grey, but we can't dislike her or we're mean? She's 18, went after a 15yo "romantically" (though RT debunked this in the Profiles book), and constantly uses the power dynamic (her being more emotionally mature than him) to manipulate and abuse him emotionally, verbally, and physically. Like let's call a spade a spade, here. It'd be enough to dislike someone for abusing the very traumatized teen outcast trying to move on and be a good person, but she has murdered or tried to murder MULTIPLE people and never apologizes or gets held accountable. (Including Inuyasha, Kagome, and Kohaku, but not limited to.) One of which simply for associating with Inuyasha as someone important to him. (Again let's call the abusive spade a spade.) I've also talked about this before as something I see a lot from her fans, but since I'm venting I may as well put it here too... but spreading Naraku's narrative as truth proves you didn't even get her story or character. Saying Kikyou died for a MAN and not her SWORN LIFELONG DUTY is the biggest disservice to her. She herself literally NEVER says this, and in fact her 2nd death is also for duty to the Jewel when she had every opportunity to make it about Inuyasha like Naraku claimed. I'm sure I could go on and on but I think I've already made my point and pissed off multiple people. The point being: this is a safe space for Kikyou dislike or even hate, LOL. It makes total sense to dislike her or at least question all the dumb plans she makes that never work out and usually blow up in the main cast's faces. You don't have to talk about Kikyou to be here (in fact I'd probably prefer we don't, though it is fine if you want to point something out or anything) but just know you're among friends. XD

[kirins-stuff]

Avatar Kikyou from Bend and Don’t Break.

The background was made by Hibbary (please see the page source for the link).

Finally got round to finishing this one off (it’s been about 98% finished since November 2020. ^^; I don’t like doing digital colouring outside of daylight hours because I get migraines and insomnia.)

This is a counterpart to the Kagome pic I made. I wanted to show the contrast between their bending styles and personalities.

[love-sapphirerose]

Kikyo is always on Inuyasha thoughts no matter what

Saying Inuyasha doesn't care, not trying to protect Kikyo is not right. Inuyasha is still worried always risking his life for Kikyo. But Inuyasha has earned Kikyo a "toxic" belief. Believing in the wrong place at the wrong time is heartless. It's not that Kikyo isn't important enough it's that Inuyasha isn't good enough

Inuyasha can't figure out what Kikyo is thinking, what Kikyo up to but the words Kikyo said will surely Inuyasha won't be doubted. Kikyo said you don't need me to protect you, it means you don't have to protect you. Kikyou said to be careful and not to let it happen again then Kikyo will be careful not to let it repeat. Kikyo can say it will be okay, Kikyo say okay it will be okay. If Kikyo is right, it will be right. Kikyo is strong like that so Kikyo can take care of himself

Inuyasha is always concerned worrying and protecting Kagome every bit because Kagome is alive because Kagome was more important?

Not at all! Inuyasha never put Kikyo and Kagome's safety on the table. If it had to choose a dead person over a safe person, Inuyasha would never have chosen. Only Inuyasha subjectively believes in Kikyo's strength, Inuyasha believes Kikyo will be fine and Kagome is weak so Inuyasha must absolutely geek beside guard. Kagome's strength, fighting independence is something Inuyasha can never believe. But I can't believe it because every time I open it, Kagome also faces this danger.

Trusting Kikyo sounds very good but as I said above, this belief is extremely toxic. A belief of heartlessness and indifference. A belief that repeatedly made Inuyasha unable to make it to Kikyo's defense. An indirect belief that led to Kikyo being killed by Naraku.

One can sympathize with Inuyasha's split sentiments, can sympathize with Kikyo's action of choosing but still accept when Kagome insists on the side. Even Inuyasha has a weak weakness and tried to protect her but still can't protect Kikyo, I accept that. But the act of letting Kikyo go alone even though it is clear that Naraku wants to exclude Kikyo while the heart is worried + the mouth keeps repeating the self-promise "I will protect Kikyo" is always scolding, criticizing, criticizing until the end of life. I will never forgive Inuyasha in my whole life.

Inuyasha's indifference is like leaving a seriously ill person alone in the hospital for a month because he said it's okay, because he thinks that he will stay will not help, because he believes in the doctor and nurse The hospital will take care of you. So leave the patient alone in the hospital for a long time, once in a while hearing something wrong, the three-legged quadruplets appear with a restless and worried look. Then one day is so hard that there is no cure, so I just hug and cry and regret.

[kitramune]

fwiw I think you gave enough context for it to be obvious what you meant. Unfortunately a lot of her fans seem sensitive to criticism of her, which is kinda wild to me. (And like... she DID directly murder Inuyasha once and tried to again later, so it's not even a farfetched analysis of her actions?)

see the misunderstanding that's happening on inutt right now is exactly why i barely mention kikyo. ur tweet was innofensive enough and stated nothing but facts yet people got so defensive. it's like she got so hated back in the day that now people try to compensate by putting her above any valid criticism

To be fair I didn't phrase my first tweet properly, I wanted to say "Kikyo would have gotten Inuyasha killed" (by telling him to use the jewel) but it didn't fit the character limit so I had to shorten it. Because I said "Kikyo would have killed Inuyasha" people thought I meant "Kikyo was actively trying to murder Inuyasha" (when she was alive) which is clearly not what I was trying to say LMAO In my mind (and according to google) "killing someone" means "causing someone's death", it doesn't have to be voluntary.

(the context for people who don't follow me on twitter)

Like you said anon yes a lot of the criticism of Kikyo from casual fans (like on OP's original tweet) is not actually valid ("she was in the way of inukag!!" "she should have just stayed dead!" "she was racist!") so I was trying to add what I think is valid criticism of Kikyo: that she's over confident in her plans and ends up being irresponsible and hurting others as a result.

We SEE what happens to a half-demon (Naraku) when he makes an incorrect wish on the jewel. The jewel manipulates him and makes him wish for something else and he ends up being absorbed so that his soul can battle for all eternity. This is what would have happened to Inuyasha when he would have tried to make the wish to be human.

And then people try to defend Kikyo by saying "well she didn't know what would happen", "she thought she was right" and that's precisely my point. She's a highly respected miko and she guards the jewel. Inuyasha is 15 and desperate for acceptance. He expects her to know what she's talking about. When she tells him "You could become human if you use the jewel" and "The jewel would be purified if you made that wish" he believes her. But these are false statements, based on no evidence whatsoever. It's careless and irresponsible of Kikyo to say that to Inuyasha.

If Kikyo had actually been honest with Inuyasha and made it clear that she has NO way to know if the wish will work, that he's clearly taking a risk by using it on HIMSELF and if she had actually talked with him to figure out if erasing half of his identity was really the best thing for him, then in that case I would not blame her. But as it is what she did was wrong. That doesn't make her evil of course, but she's also not the flawless person that some people make her out to be. Not when her actions would have killed the titular character and we the audience can see that with Kikyo dying, Kagome coming back in time, helping save Kikyo's soul and making the correct wish (that she only knows because she's literally from the future) things actually ended up "better" than if the jewel had continued to exists for centuries.

This is what I wanted to explain but with Twitter character's limit and no option to edit what you post, it ends up being a mess lmao. That's why I normally stick to tumblr for analysis 😩

[officialinuyasha]

InuYasha Wide Edition #23 Translation - Hakudoushi, the Infant and Mouryomaru

Original Japanese Scans Provided by Me

Spanish Scans Provided by muffin_0626

Translated by @marusamaa-tradus​

Proofread and localized by me

Rules: No screenshots or using my photographs, copy/paste, not using without permission, reblogs/linking only

The other Naraku that Naraku expelled from his body

Naraku went into hiding in Mount Hakurei to get rid of his greatest weakness: his  “human heart”, his incarnation in the form of a baby. It separated from him with something more important, which made it possible Naraku attacked Kikyou and got the power to nullify physical attacks. This incarnation is Naraku’s human heart and, at the same time, his heart, thanks to which he lives.

It gets divided into two parts to perform different tasks.

The baby incarnation uses his power to “read other minds” to locate the fragments of the Shikon Jewel, but he was divided into two by a high rank monk, though… This was also foreseen in Naraku’s plan. One of the parts grew up to be a boy named Hakudoshi, who carried out some slaughters to locate the fragments of the jewel. He was in charge of taking action, so to speak.

In the meanwhile, the part that was still a baby disappeared momentarily under Kana’s protection. This is because the Infant, that is to say, his “heart”, is the most important thing for Naraku. The creature joined Hakudoshi in making an armor, Mouryomaru, to protect Naraku, thus hiding him.  

(page 2)

The human heart that Naraku used to have

At Mount Hakurei, Naraku managed to expel his “human heart that loves Kikyou” and his own heart from his body. That is to say, Naraku’s new incarnation is his heart, although it’s not just the heart “that loves Kikyou”. The resulting creature is able to see inside the heart of those who are touched by him and get inside their souls; he can pry into their memories and search deep inside them to discover their weaknesses in order to manipulate them.

Hakudoushi shares body and mind with Naraku

At first, when Hakudoushi had just separated from the baby and started to move as an individual, he carried out some slaughters in Naraku’s place, who didn’t want to stain his hands. He did this while searching for the fragments of the jewel. During this time we don’t see any discomfort with being a Naraku incarnation. He worked actively as one more incarnation of his. Besides, there was a time when he joined Naraku using a barrier to save him from a critical situation where he was shot with arrows by Kikyou, thus receiving the injuries that Naraku was supposed to get. Naraku and Hakudoshi were literally connected; it was a relationship where they shared body and mind.

The Infant who is closely protected by Naraku

The other part of the division remained appearing as a baby, was left to Kanna, who was the one Naraku trusted the most, and was hidden in a castle of a samurai family, where he was protected by several warriors and treated with care… Naraku prepared the best hideout for the creature. When the castle was attacked and burnt by demons, Naraku killed the humans, no longer necessary, ordered Kohaku to get the Infant back to him and, finally, sent Kanna to pick him up. Next, he handed over the Fuyouheki, the sword that hides the demon energy, to him, and this way Inuuyasha and company couldn’t go after him. In a way, the creature was something more important to Naraku than himself.

(page 3)

Mouryomaru: created by Hakudoshi and enhanced by the creature

Mouryomaru is a demon that Hakudoshi created by joining different parts of other demons. At first he moved them using haku (1), but he started modifying the demon combination to get him stronger. Thanks to Kanna, who introduced a soul inside him, he started to have self will. Mouryomaru got his armor enhanced even more, absorbed Kongoushouha and acquired an unmatched attack and defense power.

This way, the creature inside him got the hardest armor in the Sengoku, surpassing even Naraku…

The ambition of being Naraku

Hakudoshi and the Infant originally formed a single being. They were Naraku’s son. Therefore, they think the same way: they want independence from him… or rather, they think that they, who possess Naraku’s heart, are the true Naraku. They start feeling the ambition of being their own creator. While the Infant remains being Naraku’s heart, he can’t hurt him in any way, much less kill him, since he would also die. If the creature were absorbed by Naraku it would be okay, however, if he acquired so much power that Naraku wouldn’t be able to intervene…

Hakudoshi and the Infant joined forces, created the demon Mouryomaru, enhanced him and made him the armor of the Infant. Even Naraku, who at first was turning a blind eye, when he sees how he gets stronger little by little, realised he was a threat. Had that continued, Naraku wouldn’t be able to get his heart back and taking his place, Hakudoshi and the creature would become the true Naraku… This is the future the two of them were dreaming. When he created the creature, he was thinking of protecting himself and strengthen himself. However, he accidentally created a powerful, problematic enemy.

(page 4 - interview with Rumiko Takahashi)

Did he leave his heart in a fraudulent strongbox?

After the story of the band of the seven, Naraku has the idea of expelling his heart from his body. Then we knew what Naraku was doing confined in the Mount Hakurei while the band of the seven were facing Inuyasha and his group. Thanks to that… to the fact that he got rid of his heart, Naraku became invincible. It was like putting something very valuable into a strongbox in a bank. We could say my idea was that he obtained the bank book and the seal/stamp (2)… separately. It actually was like putting his heart in a very fraudulent place (laughs).

Hakudoshi, who longed for being Naraku

The Infant he created in Mount Hakurei, in contrast to his other incarnations, had feelings closer to his.

For example, Hakudoshi desired independence from Naraku, something that resembled what Kagura wanted, but she just wanted to be free from him while Hakudoshi wanted to be him. However, the latter already knew about this and that’s why he finished him off, or rather, made Inuyasha and co. deal with him.

The situation of Naraku versus Naraku

Regarding the Infant, Hakudoshi’s other half… Mouryomaru… Well, the latter is difficult to define with just one word, but in any case he’s a bodyguard who protects the creature… And every time he was enhanced, his desire to be Naraku grew bigger… until the moment to face him arrived. At this point, the creature and Hakudoshi were the same being, that’s why I think they think in the same way. You could say the scheme of the original Naraku versus the new Naraku is created.

Naraku knows perfectly who he is, he knows himself very well. He can think: “I would act this way in this situation”. Also, he always prevents the incidents and avoids them, though that is somehow a bit sad.

NOTES: 1 - Energy that moves one’s body.

[inu-yasha]

Also what is with the Kagome/InuKag fandom and their obsession with portraying Kagome as this completely pure-hearted, angelic being who has no faults and can do no wrong? Honestly it’s super creepy how they act like she’s perfect and you’re the bitch if you ever dare criticize her. I don’t think I’ve ever seen any other character with a fandom that worships her so much that they blatantly Mary-Sueify her in the process and see no issue with that, her fans ironically behave like most of the characters in the series.

Another irony is that they call Kikyou "mery-sue" to insult her, it's absolutely okay for them to do it to their 'goddess'

I don't understand their train of thought, but maybe it's me who has a problem with this strange contradiction 🤣

[kitramune]

She literally could have killed him until Kikyou had to go and give him the shards... Injustice indeed.

Friendly reminder that Kagome Motherfucking Higurashi canonically KILLED Naraku in episode 30 and the fact that the series kept his sorry ass alive and forever POWERING HIM UP for the next 163 episodes is the worst injustice of the entire series

[boycottyashahime]

What makes Sessrin so much creepier is the fact that 11 year old Rin can be very easy to be manipulated by Sesshomaru because of all the hero worship she has for him, if he confesses to her like in the CD drama, she will think that is cool to have this powerful demon showing his feelings for her and she doesn't even understand the situation she's being put in. And that's not okay because it seems like Sesshomaru is taking advantage of her naivete and inexperience. Or am i just overexaggerating?

Not overexaggerating in the slightest, querent. I wholeheartedly agree; Rin’s tendency to obey Sesshoumaru’s orders to a literal degree and her regard of him as good and kind regardless of the less-than-kind ways she herself has seen him act puts her firmly in the position of uncritical admirer. No matter what horrible and mean things Sesshoumaru does, he is essentially above reproach. Even when she fears Sesshoumaru wants to kill her friend Kohaku, Rin doesn’t question whether he should, just tries to come up with reasons why Kohaku is good actually so could Sesshoumaru reconsider please? All in a very “I know I disobeyed you but it turned out okay” childish way. 

The unambiguous romantic relationships in Inuyasha, the ones we don’t spend ages debating on the nature of AFTER canon, do not function in this way. Kagome, Sango, Kikyou, none of them act as though they can’t question the actions or morality of their love interests. None of them obey their love interests, or offer up supplicating justifications as to why they didn’t. They are critical, and sometimes violently so, of their love interests’ shitty behavior. 

But I don’t see how Rin can be that way with Sesshoumaru, even after she grows up, because the very relationship is built on viewing him as an inscrutable authority. How is she supposed to view him any differently if that’s the only context in which she’s related to him? So, taking the drama CD as an example just like you did, if at 12 years old Rin finds herself being propositioned by a man whom she has always known to be a good and kind authority with her best interests at heart, why would she question that? Shippers say it’s her choice, but is it really? What choice does Rin have but to go along with whatever Sesshoumaru suggests, because he would never do anything bad to her? 

This is why child grooming is an issue in the first place. On top of children not really having a lot of capacity for critical thought, the question of how meaningful their consent can be when they just obey a trusted authority automatically without really thinking about it is always important. When the trusted authority is also someone the child has a deep admiration for their whole life, it’s even more insidious. The coercion is subtle, but very real. Just look at the many cases of grooming that are popping up regarding internet celebrities these days (that have only recently been drawn to my attention as well): cool influencers who encouraged parasocial relationships with their impressionable teen audiences and took sexual advantage of them. These influencers often created narratives around themselves and their content to make it more appealing to younger viewers too. 

If this can happen over the INTERNET and to TEENS, why should I not see grooming in a ship involving an 8-year-old girl and her protector? Why should I not be critical of content like this when I see this kind of abuse playing out all the time in real life? Why should I, and the querent, and many many others, not be critical of the implications of SessRin? Considering all the examples of grooming that have been experienced and continue to be experienced within our ranks as well as in the wider world, I think it’s a perfectly reasonable reaction to have to this pairing, and it’s something of a shame that we have to keep explaining ourselves in this regard.

[ka-go-me]

𝑀𝑒𝓂𝑒 𝒜𝒸𝒸𝑒𝓅𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔: ☃ Christmas Inspired Starters ☃

thecursedpriestess asked: “Is that supposed to be a snowman?”

                                                                                           『 @thecursedpriestess​ 』

「巫女」::The girl had been pretty proud of her snow made accomplishment...lopsided as it was...with an indistinguishable face and no discernable-anything...It rather did look like just a lump... But she still had no idea if her sister was joking, actually throwing shade, or genuinely didn’t know...

                   She was inclined to lean toward joking--because well--it was her elder sister~And Kikyou would never intentionally say something like that, and she couldn’t quite see herself how it looked like a pile of lumpy packed snow. At the moment. Though all the same she couldn’t help but be a bit miffed by the question~! Even though it was quite evident that no one in their right minds would be able to tell What the monstrosity she’d packed together actually was...

                  The younger girl had no talent as a sculptor at all...That was quite obvious~!::

                                                                                                                    “Well, yeah. What else would it be? Why? What’s wrong with it?”

                ::Maybe she was open to constructive criticism? Or maybe she’d be open to help or advice to make it not look so much like an amorphous lump? Only one way to find out~!!::

[kitramune]

I posted it as a response on twitter and I'll post it here, too... Religiously and story-wise, reincarnation doesn't work like these people think it does. Think of it like taking a sculpture of a flower and breaking it down to resculpt into a tree. Do you still call it a flower? Fuck no. Just because Urasue used magic to have Kagome's soul work as the base for reanimating a corpse doesn't make them the same thing. Hence why Kagome can call the soul back to herself but Kikyou can't. It's not the same soul, and certainly not Kikyou's soul.

the wildly stupid takes on twitter dot com got me like