#Natural Born Heisei

[kaliido-s]

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Takes place shortly after MGII

[sonicasura]

Off work, so imma gonna share some more HCs about the A.S.L Mothzilla crossover. Granted more about the kaiju humans and their kingdoms. First is going to be the ki

The East Blue

Ruled by Godzilla and Mothra from their home island of Odo, where it said that the first Godzilla was hatched and born there.

Godzilla and Mothra kingdom usually have most showa, heisei and some Millennium kaiju. Think like Ceaser, Anguirus, Baragon, Rodan, Varan type kaiju.

While to human it's the calmest sea to Kaiju Humans its actually rather chaotic, given that some of King Ghidorahs loyal lackeys are still around and posing a threat and Godzilla having to beat them down.

It's one of the oldest Kingdoms set up, being created by the first Godzilla that was ever hatched.

West Blue

This Kingdom is ruled by Zilla Jr, after taking it over from his more Villianous father after they decided to try and join King Ghidorah. The fight was rough on on his father who had to retreat with some help of loyal lackies.

Most of the kaiju population are more considered mutants and with some kaiju from the Darkhorse comics and some from Marvel. Like Obsidius, Krystalak, Bagorah, Batragon, Burtannus, Titanosaurus etc

The West Sea Kingdom has a bit looser social standards than the East Sea Kingdom, Zilla Jr isn't as much of a king and more like a good Mayor that talk and listen to his people.

Godzilla has a genuine respect for Zilla Jr, since Godzilla actually tried to takeover the West Sea Kingdom after Zilla Sr allying with Ghidorah. Until Zilla Jr engaged him in a single combat. In the end it left the both of them pretty battered and bruised.

The North Blue

Ruled by the family of Kaiju known as the Kongs, who were always rivals with the Godzilla and even the Zillas at times.

The Current Kong in charge is actually a rather good friend with Godzilla, helping him with Ghidorah and then two fighting a usurper(Skar King) in Kongs Kingdom.

The Kaiju that usually reside in the North Kingdom are either mammalian in nature or have the ability to resist very cold temperatures, think like the Great Apes, Behemoth, Tiamat, Scylla Tiamat etc.

The heir of the North Kingdom is an ape called Suko while the queen is Shimo, and let's just say Godzilla was shocked by his friends taste in Women.

The South Blue

The South Sea Kingdom used to be ruled by the Ghidorahs, a long time enemy of well nearly everyone. They ruled through fear and fear alone with plans of expanding their kingdoms size. Granted after the last Ghidorah was defeated over 500 years ago the South Sea is now ruled by Godzillas older brother Space Godzilla.

Due to the previous rulers of the South Blue Kingdom, the South Blue is constantly plagued by storms that seemingly never end. With the Combination of Space Godzillas ability to grow Crystal's that give off psychic energy also causes problem for regular humans.

The inhabitants of the South Blue are usually kaiju that were villains in the godzilla movies or alien in nature, like Megaguirus, Megalon, Gigan, Hedorah etc

Space Godzilla is actually a more beloved leader than King Ghidorah due to how tyrannical the Golden Dragons could be, granted there are still some that are loyal to the Golden Denise's.

Kaiju Humans

They have two forms, their humanoid forms and their monstrous forms, they only reveal their monstrous forms when they're extremely angry and when they transform into it it causes a massive unleash a huge amount of Conquers Haki.

While they can eat regular humanoids(Minks, Fishman, Mermaid, Giants etc) food the Kaiju Humans often have to eat KaijuBeasts or GreenGlow Ore to really sustain themselves.

Kaiju Humans are one of the longest living of any of the races of the One Piece world with some of them living for over 10,000 years.

Kaiju Humans are always protective of their young, since they are usually very weak upon hatching and they take a long time to grow.

Along with their amazing and incredibly impressive durability most if not all Kaiju Humans have an incredible healing factor as well.

Ooooooo

The worldbuilding you share honestly just keeps getting better and better. Godzilla, you have no room to judge Kong's tastes in partners. Also good on Zilla Jr for their different approach to leadership and Space G deserves some extra luck with his.

[mochioshi]

Lists of J-fashion or styles/subcultures that I post about.

Jojifuku: Translating to "girls' clothes", jojifuku often refers to a Harajuku fashion born of childhood nostalgia for the Heisei era. Rising to popularity in the 2010s, jojifuku didn't spend long in the spotlight. Due to a lack of size inclusivity, and an NSFW studio opening with the jojifuku SNS tag for a name, jojifuku has dwindled- but isn't dead! Jojifuku is not inherently NSFW but is instead a result of fulfilling childhood yearnings for cute clothes advertised in manga magazines like Nakayoshi. People tend not to use the term, "Jojifuku" anymore but now call it "kawaii-kei". It is also known as "cutecore", "kawaiicore", or "sanriocore". This style was very much inspired by Fairy Kei and Yume Kawaii, hence why they get mixed up.

Yume Kawaii: This aesthetic originated in 2013, it centers around fantasy themes in pastel colors. It appears like the embodiment of a “girl's dream” and you can find many illustrations, clothing, and goods, which incorporate this aesthetic. Due to the nature of dreams, it can also feature nightmarish elements. This tends to get mixed up with Jojifuku.

Yami Kawaii: This is an aesthetic that is inspired by Yume Kawaii and is also what people would say is the complete opposite of Yume Kawaii, which means it has a stronger emphasis on dark themes and colors. As the term can also be used as an adjective, its interpretation can vary a lot depending on the context as a character being described as Yami Kawaii can simply refer to their personality being dark and cute without visually representing the aesthetic. Yami Kawaii originated in the mid-2010s, it is also known as "Menhera". Which created the popular character Menhera-Chan. This aesthetic is common within mental health and mental illness.

Jirai Kei: This is another style that is associated with mental health/mental illness. Jirai Kei, which translates to "landmine type", is a subculture and aesthetic originating from Japan that is heavily based on the teens hanging out in the nightlife of Kabukicho. During the height of its popularity it highly resembled Japanese Girly fashion, the edgier variants of it in particular, but has since moved on to integrate a broader variety of styles. This style originated in 2020 and consists of muted pink, black, and gray.

Fairy Kei: A Japanese fashion based on children's pop culture from the 80s. As the name suggests, it is characterized by a pastel color palette as well as a fluffy or floaty appearance. When not referring to the fashion on its own, the term "fancy" (ファンシー) is commonly used within Japan to describe its nostalgic aesthetic.

If you would like to learn more about these styles, subcultures, etc. You can find more about them here.

[tenjin-no-shinja]

Hoshida Myōkengū

One of my all time favorite shrines in Japan, it's one of the few examples of a shrine that has maintained its Shinbutsu Shūgō heritage, where you can see places to pray to the Buddhas alongside the Kami.  It also has a strong link to Onmyōdō.  

The main gosaijin are: Ame no Minakanushi no Kami, Myōken Bosatsu, and Chintaku Reifujin-sama.

Getting to the Main Worship Space requires hiking up a huge mountain so you get great views and good exercise, and the shrine itself is built on top of a meteorite site. 

The Official Webpage of Hoshida Myōkengū says:

"According to the legend of this shrine, during the Heian period, during the Kōnin era (810-824) of Emperor Saga, when Kobo Daishi came to Katano, he entered the lion's cave at Shishikutsuji Kisshoin Temple and recited the secret teachings of Buddha's Eye and Mother, and seven stars (the Big Dipper) fell from the heavens and split into three parts before falling to the earth. This legend remains in the area to this day, and it is said that the stars fell in three places: in the Star Forest to the east of Takaokayama along the Hoshida Boji River, in the grounds of Kohoshizan Korinji Temple in Hoshidakan, and in the grounds of this shrine. Later, Kobo Daishi himself visited the site of this shrine, where he called himself "Myoken of the Three Lights, Seiiwa, Shoshin", and it was enshrined as "the sacred mountain of the unique beauty of the North Star Myoken Bodhisattva" and "the famous mountain where the treasure house of gods and Buddhas, the shadows of the heavenly gods and good spirits, come together".

[x]

Due to this connection with the Big Dipper and Polaris, the shrine has a tradition of Guardian Stars (守護星), as I was born in Heisei 10, my Zodiac is the Tiger, and my primary guardian star is Rokuzonjō (禄存星) with my secondary star (based on gender) being Mukokujō (武曲星). The shrine has statues dedicated to each star and you can go to each and pray there while reciting their mantras.  For example my two stars mantras are

禄存星

オン　ハラタギャ　ウン

武曲星

オン　キャトロ　ウン

They also had a lot of beautiful natural areas like this waterfall :)

Of course the shrine items themselves are also stunning.  I got a goshuincho for my roommate, and Ofuda and a prayer book for my friend. Of course I went back later and got myself a goshuincho cause of how stunning they were. 

[cabalxcalamity]

◟✧⡀ ( shô kasamatsu. cisgender man. he/him. ) … there’s a figure off in the distance, do you see it? wait is that … TOMOYUKI EIJI ? how long have they been standing there? if that’s really them, i believe they’re THIRTY.  do i know them?  no,  but i hear they’re PROTECTIVE and RESILIANT, but also DESTRUCTIVE  and <ISOLATED>. i do know that they’ve been in the City for <TWENTY-FIVE YEARS>. it’s crazy that they’re just standing there … shouldn’t they be working at SCARLET LETTER LODGINGS as a OWNER? maybe they’re off today, i couldn’t tell you. hope they get moving soon. i’m starting to feel like GODZILLA is peering over at me …

a god incarnate. a city doomed.

status: tired as hell ... rift level: legendary powers:

atomic energy manipulation: atomic breath (emitting a powerful stream of radioactive heat energy from his mouth) and energy absorption (absorbing radiation to heal or power himself - he can become stronger after exposure.)

regeneration: rapid healing (allows him to fully recover from severe injuries including regenerating lost tissue, healing wounds and recovering from severe damage to internal organs).

heightened strength/durability: superhuman strength (in larger form - able to lift and throw other her monsters, and incredibly large objects - in normal form, able to lift and throw cars/trucks as well as being a strong hand-to-hand combatant.) durability (capable of withstanding conventional weaponry, energy attacks and environmental extremes - his skin (and in the larger form, his scales) provide a nearly impenetrable defense against physical and energy-based attacks.

size alteration: growth & size change (full godzilla-lizard form, the more energy he absorbs, the larger he can grow. he is like a goldfish and will grow to fit his tank.)

weaknesses: oxygen destroyer, psychic/mental attacks, temperature extremes, large amounts of electricity will repel him, coagulation agent, energy overload, advanced weaponry, regeneration limits, vulnerability during transformations

mythos: based off of the heisei & reiwa era - tomoyuki eiji is named in homage to two of the great contributers to the godzilla mythos. he first debuted in 1954 and was a metaphor for nuclear destruction, inspired by the bombings of hiroshima and nagasaki as well as the lucky dragon 5 incident.

the heisei era began in the 1980s to the mid 1990s. Known for its darker tone and more cohesive storytelling, these movies focused on the horror of nuclear destruction, genetic engineering and environmental destruction. this era explored the consequences of human scientific experimentation and environmental negligence - godzilla is a symbol of nature's wrath against humanity.

the reiwa era began in 2019. it focuses on government inefficiency and disaster response, environmental concerns, godzilla as an adapting and evolving force of nature which emphasizes themes of adaptation and mutation. this era dives into themes of genetic manipulation, and the ethical implications of scientific and technological advancements.

brief background:

he wasn't born… he was conceived as a series of genetic information written down on paper, a series of secret experiments carefully leading to the moment an egg and a sperm were combined and he was born first in a test-tube and then in an artificial womb. he was raised around scientists. poked, prodded and told that he was the hope for humanity - yet, he knew how poor humanity was. how destructive. he saw how animals were used and thrown away, how humans battled against one another, waged war against the environment.

how he managed to escape is another story - one he doesn't share - but he ended up in the city and there, he found that his power bloomed when he was fifteen - he swore, it was born from his rage and anger and pain. he is tempered by those who care for him -- and he is reminded that there is some good left in the world worth saving ... but not many, and as the days go on ... he's losing what little of his humanity he has left.

it hadn't always been like that - there was a time when he was more human than monster, but as the years have gone on -- his desire to protect and his anger towards the corruption and environmental decay of the city had pushed him further and further down the road towards fully embracing his powers and who he embodies. now, he is more monster than man - as protective as he had always been, but no longer able to control his rages. he isolates himself because he is no longer able to fit in with others - not easily, not readily.

wanted connections:

mothra: if the world lives to see another century, please remember what mothra did for you and the planet you live on. (his closest ally/his soulmate)

king ghidorah: the entire human race will perish from the Earth. Where the monster ghidorah passes, only flaming ruins are left. (his enemy)

gamera: We commit to the cradle of time the Last Hope, Gamera. May he awaken with the shadow of evil, gyaos. (co-worker)

others include: the one he saved, the one whose life he ruined, the one who comes around and won't leave, a scientist hunting him

[riseofthecommonwoodpile]

another round down. good round! lotta bangers! i especially recommend Yuta Orisaka's Heisei, hadn't heard much about it besides "people into music from japan speak highly of this" and they are right to, it's simply some of the best popular music instrumentation and arrangement i've heard in years.

Actress- Ghettoville (8.5/10)

Agoraphobic Nosebleed- Frozen Corpse Stuffed With Dope (6.5/10)

Aice room- Dreamy Planet (7.0/10)

Al-Thawra- Who Benefits from War? (7.0/10)

Ami Yoshida- Tiger Thrush (9.5/10)

Angel Hair- Pregnant With The Senior Class (8.5/10)

Ash-B- Up (8.0/10)

Bed In (ベッド・イン)- RICH (8.5/10)

Burial- Rodent (7.5/10)

Carly Rae Jepsen- Dedicated (8.5/10)

Caspar Brötzmann Massaker- Home (7.5/10)

Chris & Cosey- Exotika (7.0/10)

Cub- Betti-Cola (8.0/10)

Cybotron- Enter (8.0/10)

Emmylou Harris- Pieces of the Sky (7.5/10)

f(x)- Pink Tape (7.5/10)

The Field Mice- Where Did You Learn To Kiss That Way (9.5/10)

G-Schmitt- Garnet (8.0/10)

Galaxie 500- On Fire (9.0/10)

The Gerogerigegege- Tokyo Anal Dynamite (10/10)

Hammerhead- Into the Vortex (8.0/10)

Jan Garbarek Quartet- Afric Pepperbird (8.0/10)

Kilhi+Ice- Le 7e ART (8.5/10)

Killing Joke- Killing Joke (8.5/10)

Lamb of God- Ashes Of The Wake (8.5/10)

The Locust- Plague Soundscapes (7.5/10)

Nicole Dollanganger- Natural Born Losers (8.0/10)

Nina Simone- Wild is the Wind (8.0/10)

osno1- REMIXES 2017 (8.5/10)

PLASTIC GIRL IN CLOSET- A.Y.A. (8.0/10)

Roman Candle- Discount Fireworks (8.5/10)

Rustie- Glass Swords (6.0/10, deleted from library)

Sabbat- Envenom (7.5/10)

Seiko Matsuda- Touch Me Seiko (7.5/10)

Seiko Oomori (大森靖子)- 絶対少女 (Zettai Shōjo) (8.5/10)

Spacemen 3- Playing With Fire (8.0/10)

Trash Talk- Trash Talk (7.0/10)

Watain- Casus Luciferi (6.0/10, deleted from library)

X-Ray Spex- Germ Free Adolescents (9.0/10)

Yuta Orisaka- Heisei (9.5/10)

[questintheskies]

Kanna Hashimoto has been cast for NHK Fall 2024 drama "Omusubi".

It is a story where the main character becomes a nutritionist during the Heisei era. Her motto is overcome any difficulties brightly and vigorously. She uses her knowledge of food and ability to communicate to solve problems, while connecting important invisible things (connections, people, times) one after another.

Kanna will star as Yui Yoneda, who was born on the first day when the era name changed to Heisei. She grew up in Itoshima, Fukuoka Prefecture, which is rich in nature. Yui's family, who run a farm, are cheerful, but in fact there are some complicated circumstances…

After graduating from high school, something triggered her to move to Kobe and then to Osaka, where she began her career as a nutritionist. "Omusubi" is a nickname given to Yui when she was young, but she doesn't really like it.

Kanna noted during the press conference that she has to watch her weight during filming since it will involve a lot of food. She also said, "I don't think I was a gyaru." while showing her white teeth.

[dinohunter2]

Here's the big one: the whole dang format skeleton for Terra Monstrum 2, when last I worked on it (plus sketches of new kaiju). This was the same draft that all the Ghiddy teasers came from. Long story short because I just wasted the last hour writing more than anyone including myself ever wanted to read Ghidorah would return and become King of the Monsters, an enormous but undisclosed period of time would pass by, and the setting would completely and totally transform. Ghidorah's character was going to be washed up and insane. He hated that he missed his chance on getting revenge on the one monster who ever stopped him from doing what he wanted and after hundreds of years? centuries? millennia? of having nothing to think of but THAT, nothing to do, nothing to work toward, and nothing to interact with he'd just kinda... lost it, living in ennui mostly just out of spite, clinging to old memories and the impossible hope that he might one day get what he wants.

Godzilla actually WOULD return in the story, though not through genetic engineering or anything like that. It was a fairly weird idea but one that I think makes sense for the character. Ghidorah is elated and makes a big show out of it, pretending to be just moments away from destroying the Earth and flaunting his stolen title by harassing Godzilla with an army of minions- a generation of new monsters he and the readers would not be familiar with who are allegedly the last monsters on Earth. Of course Godzilla trounces all of them and the conflict escalates into the final Godzilla vs Ghidorah rematch.

I did a couple versions of that story, and in the first one that was where it ended. In the other that became one of two fights between Goji and Ghiddy, with Ghidorah "winning" the first bout and Godzilla sinking into the Earth's core- not dead, but so unlikely to escape the impossibly huge, unnavigable magma trap that he might as well be, so Ghidorah feels his life fulfilled and starts the final countdown for real. Godzilla unexpectedly breaks through into the Hollow Earth and finds some of his old buddies being forced into hibernation by one of Ghidorah's minions and returns to the surface for a full out monster war, with Godzilla leading an army of C-listers like Gorgo and Reptilicus to combat the new kaiju on the block. Then Godzilla and Ghidorah would have their final battle.

Not sure I prefer that version, but it's where I left off.

Some miscellaneous other plots points:

The Shobijin generationally reincarnating, though sadly to their (temporary!) detriment, because their powers are linked to the Earth's life-force and continuing with so little of it is slowly robbing them of what makes them special and is thus turning them human.

Humans playing a bigger role in the story and the remnants of modern civilization being split between underground shelter-cities and a space station hidden behind the moon.

The sole inhabitants of Ghiddy's surface world being "Hellbats"- van-sized larval Miba that emerged from the Earth's core.

Rodan would get his boo back, because after everything that went on in the Heisei series I think it's safe to say lava is more of a hindrance than a death sentence in the Godzilla-verse. I'd have used the Radon name for her and her return would've made Rodan significantly less moody and jaded.

The kaiju "Mbizi" was the Monster from Green Hell. "Avivoca" was THEM! "Ghilus" was The Giant Gila Monster. "Maltero" was The Las Vegas Monster. "Garra de Sombra" was The Black Scorpion and was the hardest to name. I have "Garra Oscura", "Toro Demonio", and "Matizar" as other options in my notes.

The nature of Godzilla's return would imply that all Earth-born kaiju can and will eventually "come back to life", albeit through a process that takes thousands to millions of years. Despite how long he was dead Godzilla actually appeared super early, which was not an accident and may or may not have had something to do with Mothra and the Shobijin...

Despite having an even darker setting than the first TM it would have a much happier ending with it being VERY heavily implied that what follows will be a time of unprecedented prosperity, both for mankind and the Earth.

I wanted Jinzou (the manmade Mechagodzilla core) to return as Barubaroi for Terra Monstrum 3, which would've been the final entry and might've even involved Ghidorah and Godzilla teaming up to stop him... assuming I didn't just kill Ghidorah at the end of 2, which probably would've been more thematically appropriate but I digress! None of that matters because:

I will never, ever write this story.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[gokinjoworld]

Heisei Umare 2

[obscure-manga-colourings]

[flowerfuneral]

[catboirights]

sorry if this is out of the blue but where is ur icon from exactly they're v cute ^^'

It's called Biotop by Hatopopoko! It's a bunch of shorts abt two angels, a demon, and a human college student living together!! It's very cute I wish more people knew abt it.

[tsunflowers]

my thoughts on main riders as gamers, heisei to present

godai: not really a gamer but will play a mario party or something if people have it. pretty good at various arcade games, pinball, pachinko, etc

shouichi: good at rhythm games. likes farming sims although he says it's not as satisfying as gardening irl. he likes to decorate his house and farm. probably has maxed out hearts with all the non-romanceable housewife npcs

shinji: loves gaming, is very bad at it. he doesn't own a console so he never has time to practice

takumi: I wanted to say I didn't think takkun would be a gamer but then I remembered he has depression. probably goes into a haze where he sinks hours of his life into an rpg and doesn't come up for air

kenzaki: absolutely a gamer but kind of a normal guy type gamer. if there's no guns or cars he's not interested. I think he's the type to main a fighting game character he's not very good at just bc he loves the character so much

hibiki: no interest, no skill. unless it's taiko no tatsujin

tendou: not really interested, only plays games with juka and hiyori. you will be astounded if you see him and hiyori playing ddr together bc I know she is a mid 2000s scene kid who lives for the ddr machine in her heart

ryoutarou: I dont think ryoutarou owns a console or has any friends so he's stuck with either arcade or phone games. I can see him idly playing candy crush and getting really far

wataru: gamer alert. lots of rhythm games, stuff like the sims and zoo tycoon, and picks rpgs based on character designs. he plays a lot of dating sims but he thinks they'll teach him how to interact with people and doesn't realize no one in a dating sim has ever been normal

tsukasa: I feel like he's naturally good at every game he's ever played but if he plays with the rest of the squad they team up against him and he loses for once

shoutarou: not really a gamer. he probably makes excuses about how he would prefer to be reading a book, on paper, bc he was born in the wrong century, but he mostly just doesn't have the hand-eye coordination for it

philip: loves games but often misunderstands them in weird ways. like when you hear about a guy who beat a game but he never realized you could equip different weapons so he just played with the starter weapon for the entire game. that's philip. if he played one of the recent fes he would map out the most advantageous marriages though

eiji: probably just an idle phone game guy, i don't see him as a gamer. offers intentionally stupid advice to ankh when ankh is gaming just to make him mad

gentarou: obviously a gamer. does try to befriend enemies that can't be befriended and has to be talked out of it. safer to play games that are less combat oriented with him. I also think he doesn't really play game on his own but likes to play party games or sit and watch kengo or tomoko game

haruto: probably not a gamer. I think he's really good at carnival and arcade games though. like if a game is supposed to be unwinnable by design this guy can walk in and win in one try and he just says "it's magic"

kouta: he'll play smash or mario kart but he's not really a gamer. I don't know if he'd be good at ddr or not bc it's not really like dancing

shinnosuke: I think he's the type to have one game or one series he's really interested in so when people try to get him into something else he's like "no thanks I already play a video game"

takeru: I think he is a gamer but decidedly casual. he loved undertale

haruka and jin: not gamers

emu: emu's gaming habits are explored in canon

sento: definitely a gamer, probably loves older rpgs and metroidvanias. the type of guy to try to exploit cheats and make up rules for himself to make the game more challenging, eg nuzlockes

sougo: plays games but always makes the worst and most evil decisions bc "it's faster" and it's like sougo. the game all but told you flat out that this was the morally wrong thing to do and here you are

aruto: certainly a gamer but fairly casual. probably deeply into one rpg series and can just spout off trivia about it

touma: i dont know that guy

ikki: plays fifa

ace: ace's gaming habits are also canonical

[crazyfox-archives]

Catching the bus in front of Owase station (no date given, apparently mid-20th century or so)

Image from the website of the Kumano Kodo Center in Owase, Mie Prefecture from an autumn 2020 exhibit “Recalling Times Past through Photography: Everyday Life and Scenery in the Old Hometown, Owase” (see source)

Below follows my rough, tentative translation of the exhibition description:

Recalling Times Past through Photography: Everyday Life and Scenery in the Old Hometown, Owase City

Owase City, born of the merger of Owase Town, Sugari Village, and Kuki Village in Kitamuro District plus North & South Wauchi Village in Minamimuro District on June 20th, the 29th year of Shōwa (1954). Known as a forestry town since the Edo period, producing a resilient lumber with dense annual rings and a preponderant red tinge known as “Owase Cypress,” the city was recognized as a Japanese agricultural heritage site of the first order in the 28th year of Heisei (2016). Likewise, the city is famous nationwide for its fishing industry, an industry which has developed here since days of old influenced by a ria coastline intricately sculpted with gulfs & bays and the Kuroshio current flowing offshore. During the period of high economic expansion, with the introduction of secondary industries such as the thermal power plant and the promotion of tourism, the city’s population grew to 34,534 as of the 35th year of Shōwa (1960) and its economy demonstrated substantial growth.

However, due to such factors as the conversion to more efficient energy sources, changes in attitudes towards certain occupations, and young people’s outflow to urban centers and the like, year by year the population has been decreasing, and with the local community’s vitality deteriorating the city was officially classified as a depopulated area in April of the 22nd year of Heisei (2010). On the other hand, efforts are underway towards regional revitalization on various fronts, for instance from the registration of the old Kumano roadways as a world heritage site in recent years to plans to breath new life into local industry--fishing & lumber and such--through cooperation between the public and private sectors.

In this exhibit we showcase photographs portraying the occupations and activities of those people who’ve made their way in what was Meiji-era Owase Town with its surrounding inlet villages onwards along with the panorama surrounding them, both city scenery and natural landscape, and so reflect on Owase’s historical trajectory and the habits & manners of its local populace. The landscape is profoundly interconnected with day-to-day life, as people live their lives in the midst of that landscape and that landscape in turn is shaped thereby by their daily living. Displaying old photos indispensable as a resource for considering our city’s history and culture, we recall Owase.

[demonslayedher]

How do you think we should judge ages directed mentioned in the manga, like Mui and Yui's ages? Should we think of them as their ages by lunar calendar standards or Gregorian calendar standards?

(ಥ﹏ಥ) I will never, ever be satisfied with a single answer to this. As I rambled about a whole bunch here, we're looking at the difference between the Mannenrei method of counting age (the modern method and method we're more accustomed to in the West), and the Kazoedoshi method (a more classical, Eastern method still in active use in Korea, and in traditional Shinto practices in Japan).

Mannenrei starts counting someone as age 0 on the day of their birth, and adds a number each time their date of birth roles around according the Gregorian calendar.

Kazoedoshi is "counting years" and says that you are age 1 the day you are born (it's the first year you're experiencing, after all), and adds another number each time New Years rolls around (since that's your second year you're experiencing, and so on). This typically was marked by New Years on the lunar calendar, which doesn't line up with the Gregorian January 1st, but nowadays it's often simplified by being tied Gregorian January 1st. This means a baby born on the last day of the year would turn 2 on the second day of their life, New Years, the same as a baby born almost twelve months ahead of them.

While there's something that feels deeply wrong about that (a two-day old is so clearly different from a 2-year-old), but for most of Japanese history, Kazoedoshi was the standard. In Yoriichi's day, for instance, this absolutely would had been how he counted his age.

So when was the change? That is where this gets super complicated.

Basically, the Meiji government told everyone to switch to Mannenrei and to force the calendar (included all of its traditional holidays that line up with events that mark natural phenomena) to be Gregorian. A lot of people didn't actually follow those instructions in their daily life, though. The switch was more strictly enforced in the Showa period, in 1950.

So that leaves us with a cast of Taisho period characters who... honestly, who knows!?!?

My sense is that a lot of them, especially those with rural lifestyles, still practiced the old customs. At least, treating it in a strictly historically accurate mindset, that would be interpretation. H O W E V E RRRRRR, this is a mainstream shounen manga aimed at Heisei/Reiwa era kids who know nothing but the Gregorian calendar and Mannenrei. And that makes me think that it shouldn't be read in a strictly historical lens, at least not with this level of complication.

BUT YES, IT DOES BUG THE HELL OUT OF ME HOW WE SHOULD INTERPRET THE 25-YEARS-OLD THING. It also limits how much confidence we can have in looking back at birth years, even if we can find a lot of evidence for what years the plot takes place. Taking the Muichiro as an example, we can try the following combinations:

--1. Enters the story at age 14 in winter/spring-ish in 1915 (Gregorian year), born August 8th (according to the Gregorian Calendar), Mannenrei counting style: born August 8, 1900.

--2. Enters the story at age 14 in winter/spring-ish in 1915 (Gregorian year), born August 8th (according to the Gregorian Calendar), Kazoedoshi counting style: born August 8, 1902.

So yeah, this can mess with things quite a bit, and I don't believe it was ever Gotouge's intention to say "he's 14, but actually you'd think of him as a 12-year-old." INSTEAD, if Muichiro uses the Kazoedoshi method, he'd probably say he was 16 if you asked him, yeesh, may REALLY screw up the timeline.

--3. Enters the story at age 14 in winter/spring-ish in Taisho 4, born on the 8 day of the 8 month (according to the semilunar calendar), Kazoedoshi counting style: born on the 8th day of the 8th month of Meiji 35 (converted back to Western dates, September 9, 1902).

So yeah. There is ABSOLUTELY wiggle room to work with in fanfiction depending on how you want the ages to work (especially in regard to a sticky "dead before 25" rule), and how much historical accuracy to want to put into them, but since this is sssssuuuuuuccccch a sticky detail that is likely to confuse fanfic readers and it's gets really, really complicated to try to keep everything lined up, my general advice is to just treat anything as Gregorian/Mannenrei. After all, that was *technically* what they were *supposed* to do in Taisho.

[cant-blink]

Shin Ghidorah and Kitty Ghiddy (RP)

Shin Ghidorah is the only Ghidorah that actually doesn’t mind Kitty Ghiddy (aka, Heisei Ghidorah). Indeed, ever since learning the origin story of Kitty Ghiddy, he feels an odd... kinship with him.

See, Kitty Ghiddy was created with DNA left behind from Showa Ghidorah. However, the attempts to clone Showa was foiled when kitty DNA contaminated the samples!! Thus, the dorats were born and with a tiny pinch of radioactive nuclear bombings, they fused to become KITTY GHIDDY!!

A Ghidorah that is fully convinced that he’s a cat! He belongs to Femuto and her mate, Gigan!

Shin Ghidorah has been told by Monsterverse Ghidorah that Kitty Ghiddy is a hated, disowned member of the Ghidorah family. Even the children of the family, DesGhidorah and Cretaceous, hates the freak of nature. From Showa to Monsterverse, all of them will try to kill the kitty at any given opportunity!

Shin Ghidorah felt he understood... until he learned what Kitty Ghiddy actually is.

A fail experiment, just like him. Shin Ghidorah is the flawed prototype of Showa Ghidorah and Kitty Ghiddy is the flawed decendant of Showa. 

Shin wonders if he too should be disowned and despised for what he is.

For Christmas, while everyone else gets horrific presents made from the bodies of his victims, he built Kitty Ghiddy a giant cat tree. Perfectly normal, nothing evil about it, I swear.

When Femuto showed the present to her cat, Kitty Ghiddy was confused by it at first, but soon curiosity took him and he has claimed the cat tree as his! He was loafing on it by the end of the day!

That said, Kitty Ghiddy doesn’t like Shin Ghidorah. He doesn’t have good experience with other Ghidorahs, so he hisses and growls and hides in the closet when Shin visits! 

Shin doesn’t mind; the feeling of kinship with this cat-dragon is still there.