#Sanzo is definitely not human

[sakuplumeria]

Sanzo survived: Sauna to Cold Bath

This Sauna drama CD translation from Saiyuki made me search for saunas in Japan because I was kind of confused of the translation. Miko and the others were such a BLESSING for translating this, it’s just the difference in the setting that got us confused. There was a term called the cold bath or “mizu goro” 水語呂 which I don’t find common in saunas. So what is it?

I found this info here. Turns out it was pretty common for Japanese baths to have a cold bath in the sauna, usually if the sauna is spacious. The cold bath may be outside the sauna room or even in the sauna room. People usually sweat themselves in the sauna and dip in the cold bath a little, then continue sweating in the sauna. It was said it will help blood circulation and opening the pores. Now I kinda want to try it… Okay, so I wonder the position of the cold bath inside the sauna, and how cold can it get usually? Because Goku literally threw Sanzo into one… and I stumbled upon this.

The sauna is… more complex than I thought lol. This probably is a particular setting of a big public bath, we have all sorts of things to try, sauna, private hot bath, large hot bath, cold bath, warm bath… I love that they put the temperatures as well in each setting.

If we go back to the drama CD, they all started in the sauna and it was getting hotter as they bickered and quarreled. It was probably about 70? 80? degrees Celcius there, I don’t know how long they stayed there. People usually just stayed for 20 minutes, but even 45 minutes were still probable considering their “game”. I can see that Hakkai wouldn’t push himself beyond limit, so when he got out, I assume it was probably about an hour since they first got in. Goku followed him soon enough. Gojyo and Sanzo… I don’t know if they could actually stay together that long, but maybe around 15 minutes until Gojyo was fed up? Half an hour maximum.

Maybe he was already dehydrated or his energy already gone, but Sanzo stayed there in the sauna. Even after the others finished changing their clothes and indulged themselves in cold drink? At least another 30 minutes had gone by. I don’t wanna know the condition of Sanzo’s body when they found him still in the sauna room… After some discussion, they decided maybe Sanzo needed to be put in the cold bath but in panic, Goku literally threw him in it!! That’s more than 50 degrees Celcius difference between the sauna room and the cold bath I don’t even want to know anything anymore RIP Sanzo

Well, Sanzo wouldn’t be Sanzo if he didn’t raise from the dead, would he? XD

[dorokora]

Chapter 15 Episode 2 Part 3

We start with flashback narration about Sanzo, he was in bathroom vomiting. Feeling uncontrollably overflowing with anxiety, he rubbed his stomach and cried. He just received the doctor's diagnosis (Sanzo is dying?? Nooo). He felt left behind in society. He felt distant from everyone else. He thought about dropping out of school. On the paper in his hand is an application for expulsion. But the Gurus all desperately tried to stop him and told him that they’ll help him. Even now, Sanzo still has that expulsion paper unsure what to do with it.

Back to the present. We cut to Nyarl and MC fighting off the angels. Cut back to Sanzo and Baphomet still accelerating. Baphomet tells him that once this experiment is successfully completed, you will ``quit being human.'' “You can never know the future.” That is one of the definitions of a human being. Those who have learned this will know that they will no longer be able to live at the same speed as other humans. Suddenly an alarm is blaring and the experiment stops.

Baphomet asked what happened. Onyankopon said it was determined that an ``exception'' might occur. Therefore, he used his rule to make an emergency stop to the surgery. To put it simply, Sanzo’s sacred artifact refused the memories. Just then, Bohemio burst through the door to rescue Sanzo. Back to MC and others, they are about to enter Future City. The plan is to take advantage of the absence of the World Reps, then rescue the kidnapped locals and leave. Back to Bohemio, he broke the other prisoners out. Daisuke thinks about his classmates and Avarga, now he wants to help them like they helped him. Meanwhile, Michael received reports on what’s happening. He’s not worried, Onyankopon will deal with the prisoners. He has something else in mind for MC. Back in the prison, both Sanzo and Bohemio are stopped by a futuristic stranger (Kokopelli).

MC and others managed to break into Future City. They found Claude and the others but they’re brainwashed and pointed their weapons at them. Michael thinks back to the war Shaytan started with a smile. Now it’s MC’s turn to receive scars of war. A shot was heard fired.

[ciaossu-imagines]

Personalization Prompt #2 – Eternitas

Using the second personalized prompt for Lou over @eternitas! Again, this is a grade A human being who brings a lot of support to this blog, so thank you 😊 And I hope you enjoy!

BLACK: what face claim from an anime, comic book, or cartoon do I associate with you?

Honestly, as with a lot of my followers, I really do associate you with your pfp! I don’t know who they are, but putting them aside and really thinking about it, I guess the closest I come to a face claim that I picture as you would have to be Haruka Tenoh from Sailor Moon! I feel like you have a very androgynous look, plus they give off the same sort of elegant vibe, the smile, and the colouring I imagine for you in my head, if that makes any sense.

WHITE: what flame type and box weapon do I think you’d have in the khr!verse?

So, I don’t know which of the personalized prompts will come out first, just due to the fact that I do shuffle the queue every time I add a new post to it, so not even I know when anything is coming out. Due to that, I will say that, as you’ll see in the other personalized prompt I did for you, I strongly headcanon you as a Lightning Flame type with secondary, weaker Rain Flames. As for a box weapon, I do strongly imagine a Lightning Bear box as your box weapon of choice, particularly a black bear. Going just with the symbolic meaning of bears as spirit animals, they tend to represent strength, protective power, courage, motherly love and care, healing and protection, an affinity for solitude and well developed powers of introspection and a strong grounding influence and I don’t know how to explain why, but a lot of those really do feel the vibe I get from you!

RED: what aesthetics do I associate with you?

Stars shining brightly against a pitch black sky, tracing the patterns in them with a fingertip. Hands on a video game controller, smiling and laughing and being so eager to see what happens in the game next. True love. Honesty, being true to yourself and your values. Choosing kindness. Theatre curtains falling on a stage, the audience applauding and standing. Creativity and passion. La vie boheme. Good food, conversations and laughter and memories made with friends and family at the table.

BLUE: what are three songs I’d put on a playlist for you?

TRUE TO YOUR HEART, 98˚& Stevie Wonder – this one has totally become very much something that reminds me of your love story you’ve shared with me between you and your partner 😊

PIANO FIGHTS, 65daysofstatic

WALK LIKE A GENTLEMAN, eye alaska – both of these two just fit vibes wise, without taking into account the lyrics. They both have an energy combined with some very soft and relaxing vibes where both songs make you wanna be active but make you smile and untense at the same time and that fits – you always make me smile and get excited to reply and do things!

YELLOW: what fictional world out of all my fandoms would I picture you in?

It’s definitely KHR. Not only is KHR just such a huge fandom and a universe that I love, so I of course imagine all my readers in it at some points, even if it’s not the fandom we share, but KHR is probably the fandom we talk about together the most! If I’m not picturing you in KHR though, then I’m picturing you in K Project for obvious reasons!

GREEN: who would I pair you with out of all my fandoms?

In KHR, it’s Gokudera. In K Project, it’s Seri. In Nanbaka, it’s Hajime. In Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun!, it’s Opera. In Bungou Stray Dogs, it’s Fukuzawa. In Servamp, it’s Gear. In Saiyuki, it’s Sanzo. In Eyeshield 21, it’s Rui. In Ronin Warriors, it’s Sage. In Kekkaishi, it’s Masamori. In GetBackers, it’s Kazuki. In Black Cat, it’s Saya. In Karneval, it’s Gareki. In Gangsta., it’s Constance. In Bleach, it’s Urahara. In Naruto, it’s Suigetsu. In Deadman Wonderland, it’s Nagi. In Ouran, it’s Mori. In Durarara!!, it’s Shizuo. In Yu Yu Hakusho, it’s Touya. In Gintama, it’s Gintoki. In Mystic Messenger, it’s Saeran. In Ikemen Revolution, it’s Luka. In Blush Blush, it’s Volks. In Date Warp, it’s Alben. In Hatoful Boyfriend, it’s Yuuya. In The Outsiders, it’s Ponyboy. In Class of the Titans, it’s Odie. In Ultimate Spider-Man, it’s Peter. In Gravity Falls, it’s Ford. In The Covenant, it’s Pogue. In The Mighty Ducks, it’s Julie. In Jungle Fury, it’s Casey. In Ninja Storm, it’s Shane. In Mystic Force, it’s Vida.

PURPLE: what gif reminds me of you?

PINK: if you were an AU, what type of AU would you be?

Oh, this one was hard because there were so many thoughts! In the end, I do think it would be a crossover AU of some sorts, where the characters from a fandom are set into another more fantastical or supernaturally themed world, and I do think there’d have to be a real grittiness and heaviness to the story contrasted by sparkling light hearted and cute moments that make you laugh and smile. Those light moments to me really reflect who you are to talk to, how accepting and fun and interesting you are, but the heaviness and dark themes give great nods as to how you’re never afraid to really tackle the serious topics with the respect they’re due.

RAINBOW: if i were to write a khr sequel, following Tsuna’s demise, and could only use my reader’s as characters, who would you be?

I do see you as being part of the Vongola. A competent Lightning Flame user, you’re not only a good strategist but part of the information network of the Vongola, a sort of master of disguise who uses their well-honed acting skills to become different people as situations call for it, doing the fieldwork as a spy and gathering important intelligence for the family.

[featherchan]

⭐

[ MULTIMUSE MEME: Send a " ⭐ " and I will list muses I would be interested in throwing at yours, or potential muse combinations if you are also a multi. / @roleplay-abiogenesis2 / Still Accepting! ] I know we haven't interacted much, but always feel free to pop into my IM to chat. Like, gush our love for our boys (Saiyuki) 🥰 or plot for our muses dread anytime.

Card Captor Sakura :  Li Syaoran

I can definitely see the Sailor Senshi, especially Hotaru Tomoe (Sailor Saturn), interacting with each other, due to their closeness in age. Michiru, also known as Sailor Neptune, and Haruka, also known as Sailor Uranus, are her adoptive parents who frequently travel. So, it is possible for them to meet in Hong Kong. Or with Setsuna also known as Sailor Pluto and Hotaru could infiltrate the school to investigate a powerful disturbance caused by a card or one of the Sailor Senshi's enemies.

Inuyasha : Sesshōmaru

I don't have any muses from Inuyasha fandom, but I am definitely familiar with the animated series. I can imagine a crossover between him and my original characters, with their Blood Plus Victoria verse. Kanako and Noburu, who are vampires/chiropterans, could potentially interact with your muse. My idea is. Rumors have been circulating that someone is raising an army by using both humans and demons as test subjects. The villain has kidnapped an unidentified and unregistered family member in order to use their family's or species' blood for a specific purpose. As a result, they have traveled across the ocean to put an end to it.

Saiyuki : Cho Hakkai, Genjo Sanzo and Hazel Grouse

YO! I LOVE SAIYUKI SO VERY MUCH! I love the series as much as I love Sailor Moon! I have watched most of the animated series and have kept up with the manga as well. Including Gaiden. I would be more than happy to toss you with Kanako, Noburu, Chidori, and even Mi Yue, with their respective verses at any time!

[roleplay-abiogenesis2]

Hi hi Saru-mun!! For your Munday questions: what drew you to Cyno? How does Cyno fight, what kind of tactics does he employ? And as for you, what is something that you enjoy about your writing (and don't you wiggle out of answering!)?

//A sneak attack!! Always you!

This could turn into quite the essay, you know? Making me gush about my brainrot lord!

Let's see...

what drew you to Cyno?

The plain truth? It started with looks alone. As some regulars of my blog may have noticed, I have a slight fixation for silver haired characters. This is normally not enough to get me to take one as a muse though. What pushed me over the edge with Cyno was his Ancient Egypt theme in his character design. As a prehistory buff, I couldn't not be drawn by this choice. And Ancient Egypt just so happens to be my very favorite age in history, too. When I was a little kid, I had a vast collection of books and research material on the topic. It was possibly my second strongest fixation after dinosaurs.

Even better, he is a character with a role akin to that of a high priest. Religious characters have always been of great interest to me (-waves spasmodically at Sanzo, Hazel, mystic messenger muses-) because spiritualism has always fascinated me, even as an agnostic myself. There is something so morbidly interesting in the human mind and what brings us to trust into faith. Especially if you like history, it is undeniable what immense role religion and faith have played in the shaping of human society, encompassing military, warfare, medicine, education, architecture, and so much more. Many great good and evil things have happened in the name of gods without anything but our own beliefs that this was their will. It is such a great mystery that I can't help but dive into again and again, exploring what drives a believer's heart into action. Devotion, delusion, fear, dreams, idealism, morality... so many things, and they all go so deep into the human psyche!

And then there's the puns. I found out about this side of him after I had already picked him up as a muse, and it was just a welcome cherry on top because stupid jokes are just what I dish out as a second nature. Cyno opened a pandora's box by becoming my muse, really.

How does Cyno fight, what kind of tactics does he employ?

I will keep this one short and sweet (spoiler: this was a lie) because combat isn't my forte. Cyno is a melee fighter, brandishing a staff as his weapon of choice (you could equip him with spears in the game, but while I do embrace the canon that he knows how to fight with a spear, I feel the staff specifically would be his favorite). Trying to embrace his nature of Electro Vision wielder, I try to express his style as quick and straightforward. He aims for weak spots and charges head-on. Sneaky tactics are not his style, unless forced by lack of options.

As a personal choice, I write his style to be a bit gung-ho, with direct engaging to the front of his opponent without much regard for his own safety. He is nimble and agile, but definitely the type who puts all his bets on bringing down his enemy before he himself is... much like a thunderstrike striking to the ground to then lose all charge. My Cyno will walk out of a battle completely unscathed or severely injured, a convenient excuse to pay Gandharva Ville's residents a visit more often, I guess. Sorry, Tighnari.

This choice was made not only to match my terrible playstyle in the game, but also because I consider the cyclicality of life and death in his religion. As an arbiter of Hermanubis, Cyno has fully embraced death and does not fear it. This can only lead, as a consequence, to a very reckless and headstrong combat style.

Wow this wasn't short and sweet at all.

And as for you, what is something that you enjoy about your writing (and don't you wiggle out of answering!)?

This is a weird one to answer and I really wish I could wiggle out of answering it! I have lots of shortcomings in my writing, and I will never be done improving on any front, to be honest. As for things I think I can pat myself on the back about...? Hmmm.

I think I do a good job of writing realistic dialogue. This is a small issue I have with Tumblr, actually, so maybe it is something only I can truly appreciate and that others may find annoying. When I write my replies, I try to keep the dialogue flowing in a manner that feels realistic, including the way my muse transitions from one subject to the next. It is something I noticed is often ignored in Tumblr RP posts, with most people adopting a style where muses have 2 or sometimes even 3 different conversations in the same turn. I tried to adapt, but it felt always a bit jarring to me. So instead I try to cut off my posts where I feel my partner should have an opportunity to respond, interject, interrupt, react, or anything.

Like I said though, 90% of my RP partners do not do this quite as I do, so I don't think this is something I do better, as much as something I do differently. And maybe it is jarring to my partners while I like it, so, who knows if that's actually a good thing.

Other than that? I'm good at taking the initiative. Many people are shy to manipulate the scene and environment in a thread (a friend of mine actually told me it's because many think it threads dangerously into god modding), and when that happens, the scene becomes stale and doesn't progress. I pride myself to be able to take the reins and make things move along when my partner is more on the passive side. The downside of this is that sometimes I feel like I'm the one carrying the plot on their back and I miss that element of surprise from my partner that I do instead provide to them. So, there: I wish my partners were a bit less shy and not afraid to throw things at me! Make the weather change all of a sudden! Bring in a monster encounter! Cause an incident! Sweep me off my feet, I will never be angry at you for doing that. In fact, you may notice the threads I am most active on are those with partners who do provide me that thrill.

Hope you enjoy the novel that is this post, cause I'm not giving you a tl;dr xD thanks and love ya~

Saru-mun\\

[ichika27]

Saiyuki Reload -Zeroin- 01

Zeroin has started! Heck yeah!

Okay so from what I heard, this season will be based entirely on one arc that had already been adapted once before in a past season. The adaptation however was not faithful to the source material and since this arc is a fan favorite, they have decided to remake it. So yeah, the story of this season happens before the events of Saiyuki Reload Blast.

I wish they just remade the entirety of Reload and Reload Gunlock and not just one arc but eh, the fact that they did this is a miracle enough. I’m just hoping they don’t mess this up this time cause many Saiyuki fans have been waiting for this.

The very first scene is this: Komyou and Ukoku talking to one another. I think I remember this scene actually. They had this on the Burial OVA, too. This is when they talked about the bet.

Back to the present: The boys are here!! Bantering on the road as usual. They get attacked a few moments later, too like usual but this time their enemies are strange.

Looks like some important characters for this season had showed up. I've heard of them through the wiki but I don't know exactly who they are so this'll be exciting for me.

The gang found an inn to stay the rainy night in but peace wouldn't last long. As always lol. These are regular demons though so it was easy for the gang to deal with them.

Unfortunately, it seems the demons who attacked them directly weren't the only enemies around and these other demons are attacking the townspeople. One of the demons who attacked them says the group wasn't their only target. But why?

Oooh... the two from before are helping defeat the demons.

He's using his necklace thingy to absorb something from the fallen demons. Sanzo doesn't look happy and seem to suspect something.

While the gang is trying to help the injured, this Hazel guy just used his necklace to bring one of the dead townspeople back to life. He then tells Hakkai that while Hakkai could take care of the injured, he'd take care of the dead.

Hakkai ended up exhausted from the fatigue of healing so many people while Hazel is being fawned over by the happy townspeople. Hazel then visits the boys in their room. Here he is acting all quirky... definitely suspicious. Guys who act all innocent like this usually ends up being the bad guy.

It's the question and answer portion! The duo (or at least just Hazel) explains they came from far away and the reason they're here is to help save those being attacked by demons. He also explains what his necklace did earlier - collect the dead demon's souls and use it to revive the dead humans. He's then asked if he could do the opposite: human soul to revive demons. Hazel dodged the question. That’s pretty fishy...

He finally properly introduced himself: Hazel Grouse. (sorry for the youtube bar, I had to pause to get almost the full image).

While Sanzo and Hakkai have their suspicions about the two, Hazel and the man called Gato also suspects something of the Sanzo-ikkou (at least, Gojyo, Hakkai, and Goku who aren't humans).

It seems they're not totally bad people? They plan to only attack demons as they see demons as evil but they definitely would become antagonists as Hazel automatically thinks there's no demon who is good and that includes the guys. (Gato think maybe they're nice but Hazel dismisses it)

While walking around town, the gang (minus Hakkai who is recovering back at the inn) gets attacked by the townspeople who don't seem to be themselves. Hazel is probably he one behind this since he did bring people back to life and the humans who attacked the group before don't seem to be 'alive' despite being humans.

The boys are still being attacked outside while Hakkai is being attacked at the inn by in the innkeeper. Gojyo finally realized that the people attacking were the revived ones from the day before.

Cornered and unable to fight back, Hakkai escapes while the other guys also make their retreat.

--

Okay, I dunno how to feel about Hazel at this moment. While I want to believe they might be nice (again pointing out that Gato wanted to believe that our protagonist team aren’t bad people) and just wanted to help, I think what they did was crappy. It’s cool Hazel brought those people back to life but is it genuinely out of kindness or was there another reason? I mean what’s the point of reviving them when they’d just be used as attack dogs against people who could destroy them for real? Did they want to help or just have access to minions?

I feel bad for Sanzo and the rest. They can’t just kill humans and it’d be difficult to just kill the revived townspeople since they had seen the day before how badly those peoples’ deaths affected their loved ones. If the group do end up destroying the “puppets” as Sanzo and Hakkai thought they might be, there’s a chance that their actual living loved ones wouldn’t understand what was going on. It’s terrible.

Dr. Ni Jianyi showed up in this episode, too (forgot to take a screenshot of that hehe) and was talking about a blue-eyed angel which is what this episode’s title was. From a glimpse at the comment section, this “angel” might be Hazel. Since Dr. Ni is a bad guy and if he is connected to Hazel then... this’d be complicated. How interesting.

I don’t read the manga but I’ve heard good things about this specific arc so I’m pretty excited to see how things would go in the story. Ukoku Sanzo will finally appear in front of the Sanzo-ikkou so there’s that, too - Sanzo doesn’t really see other Sanzo like him and this one’s a bad guy plus Ukoku knew Komyou. The confrontation would probably be epic.

Thank you for reading. I’m excited for the next episode!

[mxbbadperson]

oh! swap au! 

is(ana) is 22 and has an older brother wazu (no one knows his real name) and  a twin sister as(uka). is doesn’t know where her sister is and what she’s doing (as is raising trouble!)

horobi is 47 (but of course looks younger than that!) and works in one of the humagear departments at hiden intelligence. has a 21yr.old son named jin that started working at the security department recently (horobi worries for him so much!)

naki is... nobody actually knows how old they are (30? 32?). they also work in one of the humagear departments at hiden intelligence (worked under horobi once!). raiden aka ikazuchi (horobi, jin and naki’s name for him so no one else if allowed to call him that) works at space department-specifically satellite upkeep-of hiden intelligence together with his younger brother subaru (no one knows how old he is either!) 

(there’s a rumor that horobi, jin, ikazuchi and naki were in a gang once and maybe still are! and subaru might or not might know about it and might or might not be helping them)

shesta is either a board member or the vice-president of hiden intelligence and she has two humagears jun and sanzo

aruto was a caretaker-type model who, after reaching singularity, wanted to be a comedian. was a housekeeper for a... very sad gentleman (who might or might not have lost his son) and that’s where he gets the dream for humans and humagear to live together peacefully from. (distraught when he has to fight either human or humagear)

yua is a soldier-type model who, despite reaching singularity, thinks of herself and her fellow humagers are tools. tools that need to be kept out of trouble and repaired but tools nonetheless (or so she tells herself)

isamu is a clerical-type model retooled into a soldier-type model who, despite reaching singularity, hates his fellow humagears (and maybe even himself!) because they can easily be hacked into violent machines. is more than happy to reduce a fellow humagear to scrap and has a made pact with yua that if the other were ever to go berserk, the other would kill them

gai is also a clerical-type model who, despite reaching singularity, thinks humanity is superior and his fellow humagears should be under their control. he’s ruthless and arrogant that even the others don’t want to be anywhere near him. they only keep him around so he’s the extra muscle

and together they are the group WAKANA  (complete harmony/peace) but if gai is talking, he calls the group YIGA (yua, isamu and aruto don’t want gai to be part of the name so they refuse to use it which upsets gai because he even made business cards for it!) who want to keep humagears under control. well, except aruto

additions:

horobi, jin, ikazuchi & naki's group is named ".net" instead of mbjr because that name is too chuuni hahahaha

they all like humagears and prefer them over people. though their fondness for humagears do come of as insincere and patronizing sometimes

the wakana all have last names, either given or taken. isamu and aruto got their last names frome their... families. isamu was with a family that he later left because he went berserk and attacked them while aruto might not have gone berserk because he was damaged enough by an explosion that he shut down. when they find out that they've been given last names, they're shocked and really touched

yua could have been given a last name by by the one who bought her or took her last name from someone. gai definitely took his last name from someone, he wants to be closer to humanity after all!

the wakana have all sustained damages that they've been repaired several times. enough that they have differently colored humagear modules. aruto's is black & yellow-green with red circles, isamu's is gray and blue with reddish-orange circles, yua's is white and orange with yellow circles and gai's is golden-yellow and silver with purple circles

aims and zaia aren't mentioned so i guess yua and isamu still work for aims and gai works as a secretary at zaia

[warlocks-and-warkeys]

Name: Kestrel (may or may not use his surname Serrano)

Race/Class/Alignment: Neutral Good Human Variant Divine Soul Sorcerer

Vitals: average sized human, on the scrawny side, short blonde hair that is perpetually messy (it’s very obvious he cuts it himself), usually arms-folded huffy posture that radiates a tsundere apathetic contempt for whatever his current surroundings happen to be, eyes are usually deep violet that tend to flare red-gold when he gets mad or uses his powers, dresses plainly and practically, smells perpetually of damp earth and fresh-baked cookies (appearance much borrowed from Saiyuki’s Genjo Sanzo)

Personality: Kestrel is...angry. He doesn’t know why. (Sometimes even I don’t know why.) He didn’t have a terrible childhood or any particularly traumatic events in his life, although I suppose growing up with everyone around you subtly reinforcing the idea that you’re “different” will give anyone anger management issues. He’s perpetually grumpy and has a hair-trigger temper, compounded by the frustration that he doesn’t really /want/ to feel angry all the time, and definitely doesn’t want to take it out on anyone around him (unless they really, really deserve it). He’d rather just be left alone, but can’t seem to help getting involved in other peoples’ problems, no matter where he goes. He took up smoking at some point as a method of dealing with stress, and does it almost constantly now. Personally I think a lot of his inner rage comes from the divine blood in his system that is seeking purpose or some kind of outlet and he just hasn’t found it yet. He doesn’t understand his powers, where they came from, or what to do with them. So for the time being he’s just a wreck.

Bio: Kestrel grew up in a small town with a family that was as supportive as they knew how to be. Even so, without ever saying it out loud, they could tell he was different. No one else (as far as they knew) in the bloodline had a talent for magic, and when Kestrel started manifesting powers at a young age, it tended to creep out the rest of the town’s occupants. (Less the powers themselves and more how he used them...he was that kid who didn’t say much but would just sit and...stare at people...until blurting out their innermost secrets or projecting voices into their heads or being able to find things people thought they had lost.) He was never interested in friends, preferring the company of animals. He had massive mood swings, and people only ever seemed to frustrate him. He finally had enough when he was in his upper teens and ran away from home, just wanting to get away from people and their judgemental stares and the voices that only he could hear/things only he could see or feel. He doesn’t have any real goals except to wander, avoid people if he can, and maybe figure out why the only place he ever felt really peaceful was in the local church dedicated to Chauntea...

Quote: “Fuck off.”

Theme Song: “It Ends Tonight” by The All-American Rejects

Kestrel was my first ever D&D character, originally built as a cleric of Chauntea. He’s gone through many iterations since then, but whatever his build I like to keep that connection to the divine. (Also holy crap I can’t believe how well I rolled for stats on this version. :-x )

He just wants to be left alone so he can farm...

[iapetusneume]

Pull from the pile!!

💖

💦

💙

(Fandoms mentioned: Dragon Age, FFXIV, Saiyuki, Sorcerer Hunters)

Ship that needs more love: 💖

There never was enough Zevran/Alistair to my liking. Criminally underrated. I feel like had I waited a little bit longer to play Awakening, I would have written a ton of Zevran/Alistair fic.

And I'm not enough in the fandom to really know who is represented or not, but oh my god, I need more Hilda/f!WoL and Ysale/f!WoL.

Ship that is taboo: 💦

So I'm not sure if this question is asking if I like something that is taboo or is there something I absolutely will not read. I'm going to go with the former, and while it isn't specificially taboo, I am often drawn to mentor/student. Never when the student is underage, and not when the relationship takes on anything resembling parent/child vibes. But I feel like it still treads strange water and has the potential to get into gross territory very fast. (And with some pairings, when in the series is super important.)

So, I guess thinking about that, it'd definitely be Sanzo/Goku or Kougaiji/Yaone. In the case of Sanzo and Goku, I can't see them getting together until the end of the Gensomaden anime (so at the end of the Homura arc) or at the end of the Gensomaden manga at the earliest. Earlier than that is a big NO from me, and Konzen/Goku is... wow. Absolutely not.

Kougaiji and Yaone have to deal with the dynamic of leader/subordinate, and I've always seen Kougaiji as profoundly against doing anything that would remotely resemble something his father would do. He wants to be with her but he wants her to want him back, and not feel like she's obligated to do it. She's devoted to him, but is very worried that a romantic relationship would be used against him by Nii or Gyokumen. (Kougaiji is also afraid of this.)

So they've never talked about it and are not 100% sure how the other feels (they don't doubt each other’s devotion, but don't know if it extends to romantic feelings), but they absolutely Feel It. I don't see them getting together until post-series, when the weight of their roles are not so heavy.

Ship that you used to have as an OTP: 💙

Nathaniel/Velanna. I go back and forth on how much I like them. Its gotten to the point that I'll only read fic for them by someone I trust. Nathaniel is one of the best characters in the game who actually tackles his privilege, but not all writers are as nuanced as I think they should be? Honestly any ship involving a human and an elf really needs to be handled with care.

And I'm gonna get real old school here and say Carrot/Tira. I still love them, but I have to consciously forget the bonus anniversary chapter post-series exists to do so.

[draconesmundi]

Book Review: Dragonlore by Ash DeKirk

Dragonlore is a guide to dragons of the world, including dragons from mythology, from video games, from literature, and from films. DeKirk has a BA in anthropology, and demonstrates her level of research well by presenting a thorough investigation into dragons from different cultures. A lot of books on dragon lore will focus chiefly on European and East Asian dragons, with little focus on other regions, but this book relishes a chance to flex on the author’s knowledge on mythology. This book was my first introduction to North American dragons, for example (things like Meshkenabec, Gaasyendietha, Haietlik, etc.). If you’re interested in dragons outside East Asia and Europe, this is the book for you!

This book is very full of information, and split into four sections: Dragons of The World is first geographically, then alphabetically. For example, the Africa sub-chapter has entries on dragons from Aido Hwedo through to Wadjet. There are roughly 20 dragons for each geographic region (China, Japan, Middle East, the rest of Asia, Europe, North America, Meso America, South America, Africa and Oceania) and each dragon is given a sentence or two of information.

The next section is Dragon Myths of the World, a series of short stories, each a paragraph or two long, about dragons. Stories about Emperor Yu, the Pai Lung, the Lambton Worm, Seigfried and Fafnir etc. (25 legends in total). Some of these stories are missing details; for example, ‘The Koshi Dragon’ does not mention the dragon is sometimes named ‘Yamata no Orochi’, despite the ‘dragons of Japan’ chapter mentioning the ‘yamata dragons’.

The third section is titled ‘Dragons of the Modern Realm’, encapsulating dragons from literature, film and games. DeKirk  has a good grasp on dragons from popular culture and media, and this is one of the few books I have read that delves into modern dragons. However, the author definitely talks more about her favourite games and books rather than talking about the most influential dragon media.

For example, if I were to list the dragon books people talk most about, which shape opinions of dragons in the modern world (keeping to books from before 2006, when Dragonlore was published), Dragonriders of Pern, Temeraire, The Hobbit, Eragon, How to Train Your Dragon (although the film that made it popular outside the UK didn’t come until 2010 so an omission of this book is fine), Dragonology, The Neverending Story and the Earthsea books come to mind. I have not read most books on dragons, but I know which ones are famous and well known. DeKirk’s choice does include The Hobbit, and Dragonriders of Pern, but also many books which I have not heard of, and a few that I have heard of but also know to be obscure (The dragon knight series by Gordon R Dickson, for example). So her list of books is not necessarily the ‘list of best and most well known books of dragons’, but a list of books that she personally recommends the reader – which is great when you’re looking for what to read next!

Curious side note – DeKirk does not mention the Neverending Story book, but in her description of the film she describes Falkor as having pearly white scales and ruby red eyes – features of the book dragon moreso than the fluffy puppet with brown eyes seen in the film.

DeKirk is clearly a huge Yu-Gi-Oh fan, and Final Fantasy fan, and in the mythology chapters she will link the mythology to the games, which is an interesting way to link history to the modern world, and provides the reader with a knowledge of the origin stories behind these game characters.

If you want to know about dragons and dragonlike creatures in Dungeons and Dragons, Dragonlore has you covered, as the book delves not only into vanilla D&D Dragons, but also dragons in the Dragonlance, Rifts and Forgotten Realms settings.

There is a small section of original fiction in this chapter; the first part of a high fantasy novel, a few poems, and a short story about a dragon that makes nice dreams for people. The high fantasy story is of note because the worldbuilding for this story is very heavy (a mix of Netflix’s The Dragon Prince and Alison Goodman’s Eon: Dragoneye; probably predating both of these works, but it’s set in a kingdom of elflike people waring with humans, and some are spiritually linked to magical dragons) and some of it was missing from the original fiction chapter because it had been placed in the mythology of Southern Asia.

Alongside the Makara and the Naga, the editors or author saw fit to drop ‘The Seven’ and give a quick description of 7 dragon gods from this original fiction in the ‘Dragons from Asia’ chapter. The dragons on the cover of the book are also from this fiction story: a lot of importance is placed on this work. In ‘Dragon Myths of the World’, as well as retelling real world stories, the author drops in a poem based on the lore of the story. I personally did not like the way they mixed this fictional story with mythology and history of real world cultures – the story itself I won’t assess as these reviews are for how useful books can be for researching dragons.

The final chapter is ‘Dragons in the Natural World’ is of course the chapter I will be most nit-picky about in this review. Many of the animals mentioned are erroneously called ‘lizards’ – this is down to a creative choice from the writer to try and describe what the animal’s name means. For example, DeKirk calls Kentrosaurus a spiked lizard, pterosaurs flying lizards, Albertasaurus a lizard from Alberta, etc. Even with modern animals, the American alligator and Nile crocodile are classed as lizards!

The phrasing of the natural history chapter of this book is poor, and there are many typos or non-scientific uses of names – generic names with lower case letters, specific names with upper case letters and weird attempts to make plural versions of generic names. These latter mistakes are entirely forgivable given that Dragonlore is not meant to be a science textbook, but if you have a background in biology brace yourself before reading this chapter! Furthermore, the slightly arbitrary sorting of prehistoric animals into ‘drakes’ and ‘dragons’ is a little irksome to me, but it helps divide the chapter into neater chunks.

Final notes, the illustrations: the book has some gorgeous high-fantasy illustrations by Ian Daniels and Erif Thunan, but also seems to take some images from history. These images are likely in the public domain, but I still wish they would add sources to such things. Some of the images seem misplaced, for example the ‘ancient drake’ image (a retrosaur illustration) and the ‘ancient wyvern’ image (a pterosaur) are found in next to chapters about the Final Fantasy video games and the Harry Potter books respectively, and not anywhere near the chapter about dragons in the fossil record. This is a bizarre place to put these images.

This book is a great resource for learning more about world mythology, especially mythology of North, Meso and South America. It also aims to be a complete and well-rounded dragon book, talking about dragons in popular media and science, which makes it a satisfying read overall. Once you’ve read Dragonlore, you feel like you’ve explored dragons in culture thoroughly.

This book was also written by an official wizard school: https://www.gswhandbook.com/

Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Dragonlore-Ash-Dekirk/9781564148681 (£12)

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dragonlore-Archives-Grey-School-Wizardry-ebook/dp/B07J16VXS1 (paperback £3, kindle £14)

(the Dragon Jewels story in the book is said to be on fictionpress, but I have not found it – the pen name was Sanzo Sochisama according to the book)

[monstrosify]

SANZO | ancient, fox spirit (húli jīng), newly-appointed elder of about ~10 years.

general details.

origins: east asia

height: 185cm (~6′0″) weight: 82kg (~180 lbs.) physical traits of note: N/A fox spirit form: standard of his species, sanzo has the yellow, slitted eyes and long claws he keeps sharpened at all times. his fur is light brown, as is common among asian foxes. his whiskers are long, indicative of his age, and he possesses nine tails as a chinese fox spirit of the highest attainable power. his major elemental affinity is ice, a combination of air and water.

hobbies: reading, physical training, meditation, calligraphy, painting, gardening, cooking, whittling, playing instruments, hunting

status: elder / master ( dominant top ) sexuality: bisexual kinks: d/s (as the dom), obedience, absolute submission, bloodplay, marking, biting, breeding (see: multiple internal cumshots), bareback, cum marking, multiple rounds, overstimulation, half-shifting on his end (including the change in cock shape and length; can also go to full shifting), size difference, oral (giving and receiving), rimming (giving), vaginal sex, anal sex (giving), 3+ penetration (whether through use of fingers, toys, etc.), dirty talk, praise (giving), noise, crossdressing, lingerie (on his partner), outdoor sex, public/semi-public sex (for the risk of discovery), body worship (giving), etc.

( ooc-wise, i’ll play anything except scat, vomit, and multiple partners (sorry, sanzo’s too possessive to share), so feel free to toss your ideas at me. non-con is unlikely, but dub-con in that “helping them realise they really like it” kind of way is fine. )

brief about.

as stated, he’s a newly-appointed elder

this is primarily because he’s never cared much for politics or the species dispute, and was a wanderer for the past few centuries or so

there was a saying among the humans long, long ago, in the old days, that disrespect of the world and succumbing to greed would bring about the wrath of the nine-tailed fox spirit

that fox spirit was sanzo, and the legends were true-- before the supernatural were in hiding, he would destroy entire settlements if they earned his fury, merciless to everyone who inhabited it

naturally, he doesn’t do that any more, but the anger towards those destroying his earth is still there (and likely will always be there)

personality-wise, he’s definitely rough around the edges, and being polite is difficult

he isn’t out to consciously pick fights, though; he’s just incapable of not speaking his mind, and his mind is almost always rude as all hell

also, his being rough around the edges almost always means people will be rough right back, and while he isn’t looking for fights, it doesn’t mean he won’t fucking give them, you know?

sanzo was born in fox form, and he prefers it to this stupid, bipedal, human-looking thing he has to inhabit all the time; in fact, before his appointment as an elder he almost exclusively was in fox form

being more animal than human, his speech isn’t very elaborate, and he tends to communicate in sounds and facial expressions more than anything else

it was crown point’s previous fox spriit elder that helped him become more in touch with his “thinking” side thousands of years ago, helping him be less of a mindless rage monster relying on brute strength and more of the crafty, smart predators that fox spirits are supposed to be

it was this same elder that called for him to take his place, and sanzo had accepted out of honour, love, and mutual respect for them, and no other reason

sanzo’s on edge nearly 24/7, if only because his energy and power burns him from the inside out

he has to let all that energy out somehow, and while a lot of it involves running free through the forestry outside crown point itself and hunting, occasionally he’ll play with slaves in sex, too

(but only because it isn’t fun to hunt them for sport when it’s something he’d technically have a right to)

still, he’s not interested in mating without enjoyment on his victim’s end-- more in touch with scent, sanzo doesn’t much care for the act without the tell-tale pheromones of arousal

yes, scenting arousal gets his blood roaring

contrary to his status as an elder, sanzo values the concept of freedom, but not enough to go against the duty he’s sworn to uphold

he has no interest in destroying the slave trade, but doesn’t personally see them any different from masters or even fellow elders

he doesn’t even care much about the race of humans or hybrids or any supernatural creatures, or sees any one as being better than the other

everyone's a fucking moron in his eyes, after all (even himself)

even if he gives the impression of being a thug who could kill at the drop of a pin (and truthfully, he is), sanzo has genuine respect of life, of the world, and especially of the balance between the earth and those who inhabit it

showing him respect will always earn respect back, regardless of status or species, though instinct will probably have him continue being imposing and intimidating because he doesn’t know how to be anything otherwise

living for as long as he has, and pursuing inner focus for himself whilst understanding the flow of energy through nature, has given him centuries upon centuries of wisdom, but it’s not something he shows often or brags about

in fact, he prefers being seen as a stupid animal, and using his smarts outwardly only when absolutely necessary

he likes to plant and has an elaborate garden surrounding his home, and has workers entirely for the purpose of helping him take care of it

he also only hunts when absolutely necessary, and not without making sure to respectfully use every part of whatever he’s slaughtered

though it’s easy to be afraid of him, sanzo genuinely does have a heart, and anyone who’s lucky enough to earn his loyalty are guaranteed to have someone willing to go to the ends of the earth for them-- to bleed and fight and stand up for them, for always

honestly, it’d probably be easy if he wasn’t always so growly

[lenievi]

theories, questions, some translation, some rambling

Saiyuki Reload Blast 1

- shot 1

- who are these cloaked men on the first page? And are they talking about Sanzo-ikkou? Well, I will probably forget about them if they don’t reappear soon, though

- 何様！！？　三蔵様。　lmao

- shot 2

So Nii came to Gyokumen Koushu to sell his idea for a revival, hmmm. So it kind of seems like he went there before Koumyou’s death and then sent the assassins for the sutras, but perhaps he didn’t count on Koumyou basically committing suicide. The thing is Ukoku knew how powerful Koumyou was, so did he expect the ordinary youkai to really succeed? Or maybe, based on the following sentence about the sun, it was all a part of his bet with Koumyou...? (or I’m just reading too much into it) [I need to put together some stuff I wrote in earlier posts and try to make some sense of it.]

Nii: To fulfill your wish my powers will definitely become a necessity. If you support my intellect with your assets, I will show you even the disappearance* of the sun.

* he will erase it, extinguish it

Gyokumen Koushu: That man has an objective he wants to get granted.

I wonder what is Ukoku’s ultimate wish. [I feel like he’s pretty happy with the absolute darkness Sanzo gave him hahaha]

- Gyokumen Koushu: I’ll have “secret weapons”* that were developed by a genius chemist play with Sanzo-ikkou.

* there is suffix “-tachi”, so it means that those “secret weapons” are living things

now, are those cloaked silhouettes the same guys who were shown at the beginning of the manga? Those men seemed like monks, so will these “weapons” be some super monks with super buddhist powers? 

- Saitaisai: So the “sun” rose in the east as expected? It’s as you predicted, Taruchie.

Taruchie: The stars are unchanging.* The sun’s trajectory is an eternally unchanging natural way of things. It arrives from the east to the west and eventually sinks into the earth.

“The sun” will sink and “the darkness” will eat the world.

Saitaisai: Is that also your “prediction”?

Taruchie: No. It’s a “providence”.

* I’m not 100% certain if 星は違えぬ means that “the stars don’t change” and the anime translation is something along the lines of “the stars don’t make mistakes”, but... I don’t think Taruchie reads stars. She means that like stars never change, some things are already set in stone. I think. You know, like sun’s trajectory - that can’t be changed. When a sun sets, darkness begins. That can’t be changed. [but I guess I’ll see in later volumes]

thx for the panel with dead Sanzo. I mean I’m ok with Genjyo Sanzo dying as long as it’s emotionally fulfilling like Gaiden and preferably dying when Goku is around - for Goku’s sake - because otherwise what’s the point, but... I hope that Blast is about getting out of the circle and not repeating the same thing (again and again), because if anyone can, it’s Sanzo-ikkou. I wonder if Seiten Taisei Son Goku is the key to that... but also getting out of the circle would mean never be reborn again...

(Also, I just quickly looked at Ibun yesterday - or rather at the beginning only, and what Genkai says there and he says: “I see the darkness and light”. So could it be possible that Taruchie only sees half of it? Like the sun will sink and the darkness will fall, but... after that the light will come out again, right? Ah well, who knows)

Saitaisai: Even if it were those men?

Taruchie: The sun that doesn’t set, will scorch itself and before long burn out.

Please take this sake cup.  Let me fill it to the brim.  When the flowers bloom, the storm will come.  The human life is nothing more than “goodbyes”.

So, this is my weird translation of the poem that appears at the end of the chapter [idk if it’s really correct though, poems are weird]. It’s originally a Chinese poem by Yu Wuling and there is an English translation on wikipedia.　The Japanese translation that appears in this chapter is by Ibuse Masuji. 

- shot 3　Sky Burial

- “In the end I ended up drinking tea with a youkai!” - lmao Sanzo you didn’t have to drink it. Gojyo didn’t 

- Sanzo: It’s because it seemed like he couldn’t sleep. He’s probably just out there wandering around. 

You were so sleepy before that you couldn’t even talk with the villagers, but you paid attention to if Goku slept or not? 

This (and the breakfast scene) is like the chapter with Zakuro. Hakkai is worried, but Sanzo is like he can take care of himself, let him be (he’s not a child). I really feel that in Blast (and even before, maybe from Kami-sama arc, actually) Sanzo is the one who doesn’t think about Goku as a child anymore and sees him as his equal (more or less). Hakkai will have harder time to let that notion go. Gojyo and Goku’s relationship will always be that older-younger sibling/friend dynamic no matter how old they get imho (which doesn’t mean he doesn’t take him seriously, he does when it matters, but that’s what that kind of relationship is about)

- shot 4-1

“Well, we’ll simply not let them interfere from the start” - (then Kanzeon sneezes :D) - but you know what, Sanzo? If Kanzeon didn’t interfere two years ago, you would be dead. Do you still remember? Does Hakkai still remember that encounter? Do Hakkai and Gojyo remember Kanzeon calling Sanzo “Konzen Douji” or were they too busy with Gojyo “fainting”? (are we just completely dropping “Konzen Douji” and Goku remembering Konzen’s appearance? Did Goku forget about that blond man who was looking at him like Sanzo does?)

- “Nataku’s soul died in front of his young friend together with despair.” hmmmm

- “Something” is starting to move. - I need to reread Gaiden, but I wonder what bigger power was behind Li Touten. Buddha himself? Or some other “golden eyed” existence? 

- even if he’s feeling sick, (even if he’s unconscious, right Kanzeon? :D) Sanzo won’t let anyone touch him and it says a lot about his companions that he allows them to with little complaining and zero “don’t touch me” (unless you’re Gojyo) and then on the next page he’s walking with his arm around Goku’s shoulders as a support

- it’s not just Sanzo’s behaviour that changed, but Goku’s behaviour toward Sanzo also changed. Their relationship in Blast is really good. (it has always been good, but it’s different in Blast)

- did Goku materialized Nyoi-bou when Sanzo and Sharak looked like they wanted to kill each other? (he seems to have it in the last panel too, so I guess so. Thanks)

Goku: Say... Sanzo priests are... Gojyo: Don’t say it. Hakkai: Literally dangerous (文字通りぶっそうなんですね)

bussou = buddhist priest or dangerous depending on kanji

[monwinzz]

Catching up with #flourishit daily challenge , hosted by @sarahscript @ginkgoarts @inkmethis. G is for Goku. —— You’ll probably think Dragon Ball, but nope. This is Son Goku from the famous anime series, Saiyuki, a retold story of Journey to The West. Goku is a cheerful, happy-go-lucky ‘Monkey King’. Goku joins Sanzo, Gojyo & Hakkai for a mission to the west to stop the resurrection of Gyumaoh, the evil demon lord. Just like the old tales, Goku also have a staff, Nyoi-Bo, as his weapons to defeat youkais(demon) he meets along the journey. Despite his young appearance, Goku is actually a 500years old heretic being. He was imprisoned on the summit of Mt.Gogyou and eventually meets Sanzo who freed him. His true form as Seiten Taisei, which possibly the most dangerous opponent to any characters have faced in the series, only appears when his gold diadem is broken/removed. When he’s in his human form, Goku always nags about how hungry he is, at any time, any place; now it has become an ongoing joke in the series. Most probably because his body is trying to make up the lost time of not eating anything for the past 500years. —— Goku is such a sweet and fun character that you can’t not love. His real backstory is just heartbreaking and the fact that he eventually forgot about his past is even sadder for me. This anime is such a badass remake of the infamous Journey to The West. I’m hoping this series continues because up until now there’s no definite ending. Hopefully, they’ll make another Saiyuki series. . . #moderncalligraphy #typographyinspired #pointedpencalligraphy #instatypography #dailytype #typespire #typegang #typematters #kaligrafina #typism #goodtype #belmenid #handletteredabcs #handcalligraphy #typehand #100daysofcalligraphy #thedailycalligraphy #calligraphymasters #calligraphygang #thecalligraphyhub #calligraphydaily #calligraphyvideo #anime #saiyuki #songoku #最遊記 #manga https://www.instagram.com/p/BttJvLYnZhb/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ipu7fml65zps

[beccafiend]

Mountain - Saiyuki 69mins ficlet, (Sanzo/Kougaiji)

((For @saiyuki-69mins week three, mountains vs beach. I was gonna do a beach episode but I also kinda already did that, and I decided I wanted to do something a bit gayer instead. So... here, have some shippy bullshit SanKou. IN THE MOUNTAIN. And something not angsty for once. (I may still do it again with angst tho, I just wanted some sappy bullshit.))

-------

Even Sanzo had to admit, the cabin was surprisingly nice. Kou had spared no expense, though it was technically on his father’s dime, if you considered that it was paid by his inheritance.

“He’d be pissed if he found out I used it to spend a week away with my human lover.”

It wasn’t Sanzo’s place to argue that kind of spiteful logic, though the trek to get up here almost made him regret it. Almost.

“How are your hands feeling?” Coming up behind him, Kougaiji dropped the keys on the table, the last of their bags relegated to the chairs. There was a hint of amusement in his voice. “You almost broke the door with how hard you were gripping it.”

“Maybe if you didn’t drive like a maniac--”

“I was going the speed limit, Genjo. Mountain roads tend to wind like that.”

“That doesn’t account for us almost careening down the side of the mountain. Twice.” Indignant, Sanzo crossed his arms with a huff, glaring at his lover.

“We didn’t, and we weren’t even close. You’re just paranoid.” Snorting, Kougaiji didn’t rise to the blond’s bait, long used to his moods. While he busied himself unpacking the last of their dry foods, Sanzo made his way to the couch, settling in and pulling the blanket around his shoulders. A mid-November trip had been an even worse idea with the location, and without a fire started, the cabin had a definite chill to it.

“Tell me again why we had to do this?”

“Because, Genjo, it’s been forever since we took a vacation. And if you had your way we’d stay at home.”

“So you picked the side of a mountain, instead.”

“The last time we went to the beach, you bitched the whole week straight about the heat, and you were burnt for half of it after that surfing contest.” Satisfied with the kitchen, Kou padded over to the fireplace, feet bare against the wood floors. Just looking at it gave Sanzo a chill. It took only a moment for him to light the fire, taking care of the step Sanzo was far too lazy to do.

“And so you picked a mountain. In the middle of bumfuck nowhere.” Sanzo refused to let the issue drop, narrowing his eyes at the youkai as he settled in next to the blond.

“Genjo, you hate people, remember? This place is nice and quiet, and most importantly, secluded. There’s beautiful scenery. You have a whole week to read and relax in quiet. I thought it would be perfect for you.” Kou’s lips were curved into a slight smirk, belying the pleasant tone he’d taken.

Sanzo considered arguing, but he could feel the heat coming off the youkai, and finally, finallly, couldn’t stand it anymore. With the blanket still draped over him, he huffed, turning and shifting in a swift movement so that he was laying down, his upper half draped over a warm pair of tanned legs. His face turned away towards the fire, he didn’t need to see Kou’s expression to feel the smirk. Damn him and damn his personal furnace abilities.

“You planned this on purpose.”

“I might have. But it worked.”

“I hate you.”

“Love you too, Genjo.”

[saiyukisecretsanta-blog]

When Morning Breaks

For @junkerfox by @imaginarydragonling (imaginary_dragonling on AO3)

Surprise! I hope you like this gift!

Title: When Morning Breaks Pairing/Characters: Sha Gojyo & Cho Hakkai; Sha Gojyo & Genjo Sanzo Genre: Outer Space AU; Astronaut AU Rating: Teen & Up Warnings: Some foul language Optional: Playlist on Spotify

“Home Command, come in, Home Command.” Gojyo counted to three before pressing the intercom button again. The signal at mission control back on earth should have alerted someone that he wanted to talk by now. “Home Command, come in, Home Command.” Gojyo didn’t know what the signal was, but he hoped it was a big flashing red alarm. With sirens. And whistles. “Home Command, come in—“

“WILL YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP ALREADY?!”

“Ohhh, so you are alive and listening!” Gojyo couldn’t help the grin spreading across his face at the rage in his flight director’s voice. Genjo Sanzo sounded like he was several notches above his usual eight on the irritability scale.

Excellent.

“I was beginning to think that you were all dead…” Gojyo said. “And I’d come home to the zombie apocalypse and have to shoot you all to survive.”

“If you were here, I’d put a bullet through your brain.”

“Whew, woke up on the wrong side of bed did we? Or haven’t you had your morning cigarette yet, eh Sanzo?”

“That’s Genjo to you, Sha. And none of your goddamned business!”

“Yes sir, Genjo Sanzo-sama.” Gojyo raised his hand in a mock salute even though Sanzo couldn’t see him.

“You’re such a shithead, Sha. And you’re late. Where’s your status report?”

“Well, somebody didn’t pick up when I called.” Gojyo tucked his hands behind his head and kicked off from the control panel wall.

“I had other matters to attend to. I’m not your babysitter.” Gojyo smiled at the aggravation in Sanzo’s voice.

“Sorry. I forgot how busy you must be, running a whole mission control center by yourself.”

“Piss off!”

Gojyo laughed. “What’s been happening back there? You’re crankier than usual these days.”

“Never you mind.”

“Must be something big then.” Gojyo braced his hands against the wall to halt his momentum. He flipped over and kicked off again with practiced ease. “Come on. What’s been happening down there? Share the gossip will ya?”

Silence from Sanzo, and Gojyo was eyeing the intercom button again when Sanzo’s voice crackled in his ear, “Is your newslink working?”

Gojyo twisted his head to scan the panel of lights and switches that made up the control system of his spacecraft. He spotted the green light on the bulb after a moment of searching. “Yeah…”

“Read the damned news yourself.”

“Aww, come on Sanzo. Maybe I just want to hear your voice.” Flip. Kick. Float. “It gets lonely up here, ya know?”

“Disgusting. I better not be in any of your perverted fantasies.”

“Oh, would you like to know? Let’s see, there was last night when—”

“I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!”

Gojyo cackled. “C’mon Sanzo… It’s so fucking boring up here. Humour me with a story.”

“Go read a book then. Isn’t the ship library full of them?”

“They’re all so boooringggg. Nothing but audio films about human nature and the histories of war. Not even a cartoon porno among the lot of them. Whoever stocked this baby up must have been an old geezer.”

“Hmph, sounds educational. Maybe you could learn a thing or two and fill that empty head of yours.”

“Hey, my head is plenty full. I’ve got all these fantasies about you in here.”

Gojyo grinned and did two more laps between the walls of the control compartment while Sanzo ranted about kicking his ass and shooting him when he got back to earth.

Gojyo waited until he heard Sanzo drawing deep calming breaths and the tell tale drag of a cigarette before Gojyo drawled, “So, I guess that’s a ‘no’ on the story then?”

There was the shattering of a cup and the clatter of files and papers hitting the floor from Sanzo’s end of the line. Gojyo reminded himself to get something nice for housekeeping and janitorial services when he got back as he listened to Sanzo redecorate his office.

“Just give me your damned report,” Sanzo grit out after he had finally finished cussing out Gojyo.

Gojyo rated Sanzo at a nine point five and figured he had pushed him enough. “Righto, Sanzo-sama~~”

“Oh, this will be the last time we talk for awhile.”

That made Gojyo sit up. Although ‘up’ was a relative term when one was floating in zero gravity. “You going on vacation or something, Cherry-chan? I know you don’t have a girlfriend, so it can’t be that you’re getting married and going on your honeymoon…”

“Shut up. It’s none of your business.”

“I disagree. You’re leaving me for someone else and you won’t even tell me what she looks like? Does she have a big rack?”

“…”

“Is she prettier than me?”

“…”

“It’s actually a boyfriend isn’t it.”

“I SAID IT’S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, YOU PERVERTED COCKROACH!”

“Sanzo, we’re friends, right? You know you can tell me if you got demoted—”

“If you must know,” and Gojyo could clearly visualize the vein throbbing at Sanzo’s temple, “I have to go oversee a training mission.”

“Wow wow, Mr-High-and-Mighty supervising a training mission? Don’t you have subordinates for that?”

“None that are competent, clearly.”

“What’s wrong with this guy?”

“He’s a promising candidate, but apparently can be quite the handful.”

“That’s what they said about me and look how I turned out!”

“All the more reason for me to nip this in the bud and beat some sense into him now. You’re a lost cause.”

“Oh stop. You’re making me blush. Sounds like the little monkey is about the get some training. You should hand him over to me when I get back. I could give him some tips.”

“Not a fucking chance. He’s stupid enough to believe what you say too.”

“Aww, he sounds adorable. I can’t wait to meet him.”

Gojyo thought he heard Sanzo mutter ‘over my dead body’ under his breath, and decided to switch gears to more pertinent matters.

“So, who’s your replacement going to be? Not some brown-nosing intern right? I need a professional here.”

A pause before, “You’ll see soon enough, Gojyo. I gotta go. They keep calling me about the twerp. It’s annoying. Your new flight controller will check in with you at the usual time tomorrow. Don’t be late.”

“Naww, you’re going to leave me hanging, Sanzo? After all the pictures of the moon I took for you…

“You’re letting a chick take over right? Please tell me it’s a chick, Sanzo. Sanzo? Sanzoooooo!”

Gojyo knew when to give up. Sanzo was probably long gone and Gojyo wasn’t feeling like enough of an ass today to annoy anyone else at mission control. He had had enough fun winding up Sanzo to last him a while. Gojyo blinked. He was going to miss him.

Space was boring. It was quiet, empty, cold. Gojyo worked out, ate, attended to bodily functions. He even started on an audio book, a Chinese classic. He got through about five minutes of it before he gave up and shut it off. Gojyo blasted music from the speakers and waited for sleep to claim him.

Alarms were blaring. White and then red. White and red. White. Red. She was white. The water was red. The tub was full. Red. The water was spilling over. Red. Pooling around his ankles. Red. Soaking his pants. Red. The water was cold. Shouts. Screams. The scent of copper was overpowering. He couldn’t breathe—

Gojyo’s eyes snapped open, gasping for breath. His ears were ringing, but it was just the ship’s intercom begging to be answered.

Someone was trying to reach him.

Gojyo ripped his sleeping bag open, was waylaid by the tangle of straps anchoring him to the sleeping alcove before he freed himself and kicked off the wall to shoot the ten feet or so across the main hub to get to the control compartment. His shoulder slammed into the wall as he flipped the switch to open his coms channel.

“What the everloving fuck is the emergency Sanzo?! If the ship’s not headed towards a collision course I’m gonna roast your ass!”

Silence. Though, he was sure that there was someone there because he heard their sharp intake of surprise, could almost hear the gears turning in their head at his less than courteous response. Odd, Sanzo never hesitated to give Gojyo a piece of his mind.

“My apologies.” Gojyo froze. That wasn’t Sanzo. The voice was male, but the tone and timbre of it was all wrong. Unless Sanzo has caught a head cold that made his voice higher in register, milder… sadder? “Did I wake you, Mr. Sha?”

“Err…no, no, I was awake at umm I mean it’s already six-oh-six…oh fucking hell that’s early.”

“Do you not rise at oh-five-hundred hours everyday, Mr Sha?” The way the voice said it, Gojyo didn’t know if he was supposed to be ashamed for not being up at the crack of dawn or reassure the voice that the notes he had on Gojyo’s schedule were, in fact, correct.

“Oh-five—? Oh no, fuck no. I mean, I know check in is supposed to be at six, but Sanzo never cared. Heck, he’d murder me if I called at six before he had a chance to read his paper. Much better to wait til eight when he’s got at least two cups of coffee and half a pack of cigarettes in him.”

“You check in late because you’re afraid the flight director will murder you in space? All the way from earth?”

Gojyo didn’t know if he should be insulted or amused. “Hey, the man’s a demon. If there’s something he wants, he’d move heaven and hell to get it.”

“Ah. Yes. I suppose that is rather like him. I still have to log your report though.” There’s a delicate pause. “Could you…?”

“Oh shit man, sure. Here’re my specs.”

Gojyo recited the figures and the man dutifully recorded his dictation, thanking Gojyo when they were done. He sounded young, definitely not much older than Gojyo, if at all. But he was competent. He hadn’t asked Gojyo to repeat himself, hadn’t hesitated on some of the more intricate readings, and Gojyo got the sense that he had been perfectly and thoroughly understood. Not an intern then. Gojyo wracked his brain trying to place him. Who had he known that was this calm, cool, and polite?

Too polite.

“Well, I think that is all. I will let you go and perhaps you will be able to catch up on those hours of interrupted sleep, Mr Sha.” The voice sounded contrite. Or amused?

“You gotta go huh?”

“Yes, I suppose I should withdraw.” The voice was soft, apologetic. “Good morning, Mr. Sha.”

Something stirred in Gojyo.

“Hey wait.”

“Yes?”

Gojyo let out the breath he had been holding, “You my new flight controller?”

“Yes, I suppose I am.”

“Aww, shucks,” Gojyo huffed a laugh. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, you seem nice and all, but I was really hoping Sanzo would do the world a favour and get a chick on the line for me.”

“Oh. I’m sorry. We’re a bit short staffed at the moment. But if you really mind, perhaps I can ask Sanzo to—“

“Nah man, it’s fine.” Gojyo located his headset and put it on. “I was only kidding. You gotta learn to live a little. Anyway, I know this isn’t the most exciting job, and I know I’m not the easiest person to work with, but I guess, what I’m really trying to say is…nice to meet you.

“I don’t know who you pissed off to get stuck with this post, but beggars and lonely astronauts can’t be choosers and I’m just happy to meet ya.”

Silence, and Gojyo wondered if he had said too much. He had a tendency to come on strong. But then the voice said, “Thank you, Mr Sha. That’s very kind of you to say.”

“It’s Gojyo. Just call me Gojyo.”

“Alright, Gojyo-san.”

“Say, what’s your name?”

More silence. And then, “Hakkai.”

Gojyo smiled. “See ya around, Hakkai.”

The line went dead and Gojyo checked the time. Four minutes to oh-eight-hundred hours. Not that it mattered. Gojyo found that time held little meaning in space where there was no sunrise or sunset. Gojyo sighed. He let the monotone droning of the narrator from the audio book he had abandoned yesterday lull him back to sleep.

“Let’s play twenty questions.” The words slipped out before he could stop himself.

He had just finished giving Hakkai his report, and Hakkai had just wished him good morning. Hakkai always hung up after wishing him good morning. Just like he had the day before. And the day before that.

“I beg your pardon?” Hakkai sounded surprised.

Gojyo tried to play it cool. “Twenty questions? Y’know… It’s a guessing game. Or a getting to know you game.” He hadn’t meant to say that. So much for playing it cool. “Whatever. I’m bored, man.”

“Hmm, I see.” Gojyo floated with baited breath as he waited for Hakkai’s response. “How do you play it?”

Gojyo’s elbows banged against the wall. When he had finished swearing, “You’ve never heard of twenty questions?! What about I spy? Truth or dare?”

“I can’t say I’m familiar with any of those.”

“… That settles it. This isn’t just about boredom anymore. Y’need an education.”

“I do?”

“Yup. Here, I’ll start. I’m thinking of something. You have twenty questions to guess it. Go.”

“Umm, what colour is it?”

“Black.”

“Is it cold?”

“Yep.”

“Is it space?”

“Gee whiz, you’re good at this.”

“Ha ha ha, thank you, Gojyo-san.”

“Beginner’s luck. Your turn. Got something?”

“Oh. Yes, I suppose I do.”

“Boxers or briefs?”

“Excuse me?”

“Do you wear boxers or briefs?”

“How is this supposed to help you win?”

“What makes you think this isn’t winning?”

“…”

“Is your silence an invitation to find out for myself?”

“You do know that this is recorded right?”

“Sanzo’s the only one who would listen to this. He wouldn’t care.”

“How do you know?”

“You’re right. He would care. He’d be furious. I’m wearing boxers by the way. Black with little red hearts. Wanna see?”

“Gojyo-san!”

“Alright, alright. Well, boxers or briefs?”

“Umm…”

“Oh, I know! You go commando like Sanzo!”

“What?!”

“Yeah, didn’t you know? Do you want to know how I know?”

“…no, I don’t think I do.”

“Aww, I love that story. I tell it all the time at parties. Or to anyone who will listen to me really. Hmm, maybe that’s why Sanzo stopped assigning other people as my flight controller. You can tell our Great Leader I told you all about it… Hakkai? You still there?”

Gojyo somersaulted and looked at the panel. The intercom light was still on. For one long moment, Gojyo thought that maybe he had gone too far, that Hakkai had simply gotten up and walked away. It wouldn’t be the first time it happened to Gojyo.

But then—

Hakkai’s laugh rang in his ears. It was a melodic sound, delightful, genuine.

“Do you do this with all your flight controllers?”

“Only the ones I like.”

“Oh, really?”

“Oh, really!”

When they had both stopped chuckling, a comfortable silence fell between them, broken only when Hakkai, soft and serious, said, “Briefs.”

They played twenty questions everyday. Sometimes Gojyo won. Hakkai won more. Even when Gojyo tried real hard. Before he knew it, a month had passed, and winning or losing didn’t matter so much anymore.

“What do you do for fun?”

“Fun?”

“Hobbies. Y’know, things you do in your free time.”

“Oh! I cook, clean, do the laundry—”

“Hold up. Seriously? You sound like an old lady.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“N-no… Are you an old lady?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m about the same age as you.”

“How do you know how old I am?”

“It’s in your file.”

“Oh… Oh right. … What else does my file say?”

“Sha Gojyo. One hundred and eighty four centimeters, seventy-five point three kilo—”

“Skip the boring stuff, man. What does it say under the personality evaluation and comments section?”

“Lecherous. Simpleton. Pain in the ass… I don’t think I should repeat the rest.”

“… Sanzo wrote that didn’t he?”

Hakkai was easy to talk to. Gojyo found himself looking forward to their chats after they were done recording the status of Gojyo’s ship. Waking up at oh-five-hundred hours didn’t seem so abominable anymore. Gojyo almost looked forward to it.

“I’ve been thinking about your question.”

“What question?”

“About my hobbies. Something I would do for fun.”

“Oh. Did you come up with something?”

“Gardening. I think I would have liked to take up gardening.”

“What do you mean you ‘would have liked to?’ Don’t you have a garden?”

“… No, I don’t.”

“Hmm, well, something to work towards I guess.”

“Perhaps.”

“Don’t you have a hobby now? What do you do when you’re not working or sleeping?”

“I… I’ve started practicing tai chi?”

“… You’re really an old lady at heart aren’t you…”

“Ha ha ha. I suppose I am.”

“Why don’t you?”

“Don’t what?”

“Take up gardening. If that’s what you really want to do. Just do it. Give it a try. If it brings you happiness, who cares what some fucker up in the sky says.”

“I sail.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I sail. You told me your hobby, I’m telling you mine. Fair’s fair.”

“Oh, thank you. That’s a nice hobby, Gojyo-san.”

“Have you sailed before?”

“No, I can’t say I have.”

“Shit man, you haven’t lived then. Sailing… It’s an adventure. Wind in the sails and sun on your back. And my boat, oh… This baby I’m in right now might be newer and shinier, but she’s got nothin’ on my girl…”

“He.”

“…huh?”

“He’s got nothing on your girl.”

“You calling my spaceship a ‘he?’”

“Trust me. It’s a he.”

“Alright, man. It’s a he.”

Those were good days.

After two months of talking to him daily, Gojyo thought he knew the man pretty well. Gojyo could at least tell when Hakkai was being honest and when he was hiding. From what, Gojyo didn’t know. There was more to Hakkai than met the eye. Or the ear, for that matter. However, it wasn’t his place to pry. But sometimes, it made him wonder.

Especially on the bad days.

“It’s raining, isn’t it.”

“Ha ha ha. Wow, Gojyo-san. How did you know?”

“Sanzo hates the rain. He gets grumpy and closes in on himself. Becomes even more of a crab ass. You’re like him in that sense.”

“I’m a crab ass?”

“No, but you also shut everyone else out.”

“I’m sorry. That was rude of me. Whatever you’re dealing with is your business, man. I’m just… Eighteen months is a long time to be alone. It’s in the job description, and you talk to all these shrinks before you go, but you’re never quite prepared, y’know? What am I saying, of course you don’t know. I hope you never know either. It’s like prison. Not that I’m wishing that on you either, but, sometimes, I feel like I’m going crazy. Or like my mind is just going. It’s like a never ending journey. Alone. I think that’s the worse part. I think I could handle it if I wasn’t alone. Sorry. Give me a minute, I think one of the food packets got loose. Some days… I just wish I never woke up.”

Time wound on. Six weeks. Five weeks. Four weeks before he could dock at the International Space Station and shuttle back to earth. Gojyo felt his spirits lift. Hakkai must have sensed it too, because he was back to his cheerful self and seemed determined to keep things that way.

“What’s the first thing you want to do when you get back?”

“You planning a surprise party for me?”

“Hahaha. I can’t tell you if it’s a surprise.”

“Fine… I would have a smoke. Drink beer. Pick up chicks and definitely shag someone.”

“That’s quite the list.”

“Gotta have things to look forward to, y’know… Otherwise, what’s the point of living?”

<hr>

“You should come by sometime. I’ll be down by the docks. Look for the biggest whitest yacht in the bay. My sailboat will be right next to it, with the scuffed up hull and red sails.”

“Isn’t that painting yourself poorly?”

“Nah man, my boat—she’s a babe. What really matters is what’s under the hood. She’s got heart and she’s got soul. She’d never go down. Not without a fight.”

“I see.”

“You’ll come right? For a day trip at the very least. You’ve gotta experience the sea at least once. It’s warm and slow and rough and you’ll never know what you’re gonna get next.

“Not like space. One short struggle with the G-forces, then it’s over. Rest of the time you’re just floating, feeling your body rot away. Space has got nothin’ on the sea.”

“Why did you become an astronaut then?”

“I dunno, because people told me I couldn’t be. Why did you become a flight controller?”

“It’s something to pass the time.”

“Shit, man. That’s depressing.”

“Oh, is it? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”

“Nah, man, it’s cool. Just…you sound like you’re on your deathbed.”

“Oh. Right.”

Gojyo twitched.

“You’re not, are ya?”

“What?”

“Dying…”

The silence was deafening. Gojyo was about to ram his fist into the intercom button when Hakkai spoke, “Gojyo-san, I want you to know that—“

Alarms wailed and the warning lights around Gojyo flashed orange and red.

“FUCK!” Gojyo punched the alarm button, muting the sirens overhead even as he stared at the screens on the control panels.

“Gojyo-san! What’s going on?”

“You tell me! I— Shit! Micro asteroids. Coming in hot! They’re going to shred right through me!”

“Bank starboard! Full blast on aft thrusters.”

The window of space that had been relatively static throughout his journey spun and wobbled with disorientating speed. There was no time to think. Hakkai directed him with laser precision and Gojyo’s acted, timing burns and bursts of speed to maneuver his ship away from the asteroids that were hurtling towards him. The spaceship whined and rattled in protest.

“Push it. You need more speed.”

“I’m already pushing it to the max! Any more and I’m going to blow this baby apart.”

“Reroute power from the side thrusters to the pod blasters. You’ll get more speed that way.”

“Are you crazy?! Did you hear the part about blasting apart?!”

“Do it. Jeep can take it. Trust me.”

Sweat beaded on his forehead and the hard knot in his stomach made him want to hurl. Gojyo could feel the ship shuddering around him, the impact of asteroid bodies reverberating through the metal and the control stick he was wrestling with.

In the madness and rush of adrenaline, Hakkai’s voice in his ear was tranquil. A bell that chimed into the void, pure and true. A beacon that promised a way out of this nightmare. Gojyo trusted him.

Gojyo survived.

“How did you know?”

“The calculations on my screen indicated that—”

Gojyo shook his head. “Not that. How did you know where to get more power from. And that it wouldn’t tear the ship to pieces.”

A beat of silence, and then, “I knew. I’m the one who designed him.”

The questions came then, welling up like a spring, beating down like torrential rain. But Gojyo held back the flood and let Hakkai speak.

“It wasn’t just me. My sister was involved too. It was a joint effort.”

Gojyo could hear it then—the smile in Hakkai’s voice, the utmost fondness with which he spoke about her, the shadow that chased his every word and mention of her. It stained everything.

“You know, she wanted to call him Hakuryuu—the White Dragon. I liked Jeep better. She pouted at me for days.” Hakkai laughed.

It was the saddest sound Gojyo had ever heard.

“I owe you a beer.”

“Gojyo, I told you, it’s quite alright—“

“Hakkai, it’s the least I can do. I mean, you saved my life and shit. How about the day I get back to earth, I’ll take you out. My treat.

“Sanzo can come too if it makes you feel better. Though if he’s coming, it’ll be his treat. He’s the one with the corporate card.”

“Gojyo, thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me. But I’m afraid I will have to decline.”

“What? Why man? If you’ve got a girl, she can come too. We can all just go out as friends to celebrate you saving my sorry ass.”

“Ha ha ha.”

“C’mon… What’s holding you back? Are you sick or something?”

“…Something like that.”

“Oh shit. I mean… I’m sorry man. We don’t have to go out if you don’t feel like it. Is it…is it serious?”

“Hmm, the prognosis is quite bleek.”

“Shit. But you can get better right? You’re going for treatment or something?”

“After a fashion.”

“Fuck man, what are you doing sitting behind a desk then? I know you’re dedicated and all that, but if I were you, I’d be out there living, doing whatever—whoever—the fuck I wanted, no fucks given. I’ll take care of your baby for you. I promise to bring her—him—home safely.”

“Ahahaha, I’m sure you will. Or rather, Jeep will take care of you.”

“Hey, that works for me too. So go on. Tell Sanzo you quit. Go live your life man.”

“I wouldn’t know where to go if I left.”

“Don’t you have friends? Family? You could go visit them. Hey, go see your sis! Crash at her place. Maybe introduce us. What do ya say?”

“Ha ha ha, she’s not very good company these days I’m afraid. Quiet. Doesn’t say much.”

“Bet ya I could get her to talk.”

“Ha ha ha. You don’t know my sister. What makes you think you could do that?”

“I got you to open up didn’t I?”

“…”

“Is that a challenge? I like a challenge.”

“You would lose, Gojyo-san.”

“Such negativity! Give me one good reason why I wouldn’t succeed.”

“She’s dead.”

“Well, shit.”

<hr>

Conversation fizzled out, and Hakkai hung up soon after that. Sleep eluded Gojyo, and the next morning found Gojyo huddled by the control panels, impatient for the red numbers in the timepiece to change to the hour when Hakkai would greet him with a ‘Good morning, Gojyo’ as was their custom. Gojyo couldn’t wait.

“Hey, Hakkai. About yesterday, I—”

“Come in, Jovian Exploration and Evaluation Pod, this is the Houtou Space Research Organization. Can you hear me?”

Gojyo paused in shock. He had another week before he was due to dock at the International Space Station where Jeep would be handed off to astronauts from Tenjiku. He had assumed that Hakkai would walk him through the docking process. Or at least be with him right up until the handoff moment. He was supposed to have another week. It was too early.

“Come in, Jovian Exploration and Evaluation Pod. Is Sha Gojyo there?”

If he hadn’t already been suspended weightless, Gojyo would have collapsed as another shock hit him like a sucker punch to the gut. Because he recognized that voice.

“Jien?”

The silence seemed to stretch on forever before the voice on the other end answered, “Gojyo! So it is you! I saw your name on the log but I couldn’t be sure. It’s so good to hear from you! How’re ya doing kid?”

“I’m fine.”

“Whew, you’ve been on quite the adventure! I always knew you’d go far. You’ve gone the furthest that any man ever has! How does it feel—”

“Where’s Hakkai?”

“Uhh…Hakkai?”

“Yeah, the guy who’s been my flight controller for the past three months.”

“Umm…” The sound of papers being shuffled crackled harsh in Gojyo’s ears. “Genjo Sanzo?”

“No, not him. The other guy. The second one. The nice one.” The one who laughed when he should cry. The one who pretended that nothing was wrong when his world was falling apart. The one who smiled when his heart was breaking. Gojyo had never seen Hakkai smile. Didn’t even know what Hakkai looked like. But it didn’t matter. You couldn’t see broken hearts either.

“Hmm, the only person listed here as a flight controller is Genjo Sanzo. Are ya sure—”

“Listen, Jien. It’s not that I’m not happy to see you, or hear you, so to speak, but why are you here? Isn’t this kind of ahead of schedule? Did something happen at Keiun?”

“Oh, yes, about that… I don’t know either. This was all rather sudden. We weren’t expecting you for another week at least. But we got the call yesterday. The big bosses talked and, well, here we are.

“I guess there must have been some emergency over at your base? I got the brief this morning and dialed in as I was instructed.

“This is quite the coincidence isn’t it? I mean, I knew you were on this mission, but there are other flight controllers, and I was already assigned to our guy on the station.

“But hey! Now I get to walk you through the docking procedure, just like I taught you how to drive. Remember that? Man, you were such a punk back then. I hope you fly your ship better than you drive. Especially after the micro asteroid field you guys went through. Man, that was a close call. Your engineers did a good job with the ship. Seems like she’s quite the trooper.”

“He.”

“Sorry?”

“It’s a he… the ship…. Nevermind.”

“Uhh, ok… Oh! Did you hear about the explosion? I mean, it was months ago but…”

Gojyo tuned Jien out. He was glad to hear from him, but the incessant chatter felt jarring, wrong somehow. It was like an itch that he couldn’t scratch, and Gojyo suddenly wished for the vast emptiness of space and the silence of his thoughts.

“…the sentencing is gonna happen really soon. Someone’s gonna go to jail. I mean, it was a catastrophe.”

“Huh? Oh, right. Listen Jien, I’m gonna go. Gotta make sure stuff up here is ship shape when I hand him off to you.”

“Oh, is there anything you need help with? I can pull up the schematics—”

“No. Jeep’s fine. I just have my shit all over the place. I’m gonna start cleaning up. I’ll talk to you later, alright?”

Gojyo hung up before Jien could protest. Gojyo pushed himself towards the fore windows where he could see the Earth and the moon approaching, small blue-green and white orbs that would only grow with each passing day. He was closer to home and other human beings than he had ever been in eighteen long lonely months.

He had never felt more alone.

It was good to hear from Jien. It really was. Gojyo just found that he didn’t have much to say. So Gojyo listened to Jien describe his life in Tenjiku. Their Research Director was a genius, but he sounded like an asshole. Jien talked about the team of people he now worked with. The guy he supported was actual royalty. He talked about him a lot.

“He kind of reminds me of you.”

“Devilishly handsome and a smartass?”

Jien laughed, full throated and hearty. Gojyo’s lips quirked up in a smile.

“Ayy, I won’t deny he looks a bit like you… But no, that’s not what I meant.” Gojyo waited. “You’re both stronger than you look, but more fragile too… I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.”

“Hey, what happened with mom… It wasn’t your fault.”

“I could have done more.”

“You did enough. Look where we both ended up! Not bad for a couple of orphans they said would never amount to anything.”

“There was no stopping you. Not when you had your heart set on something.”

“You didn’t do so badly yourself. This Kou guy sounds like a real dream to work with…”

“Hey, Gojyo?”

“Yeah?”

“If you have some time off, you can always come visit, you know?”

“Yeah… Maybe I will.”

Docking was easy. Jien walked him through it and Gojyo piloted Jeep into place without a hitch. Just before entering the airlock tunnel, Gojyo paused at the threshold, his bag of meager belongings slung over his shoulder.

“I’ll see you back on earth, buddy.”

Gojyo patted Jeep’s hull and stepped out of the ship.

The guy who greeted Gojyo was shorter than him, with long dark red hair like fire and serious violet eyes. He nodded and floated to the side, allowing Gojyo to enter the station unimpeded.

“Thank you~~” Gojyo said as he moved past him.

The station felt enormous, alien after the familiarity of Jeep’s white walls. Music echoed down the curved corridor, the electric guitar riff a stirring anthem of defiance. Gojyo grinned.

“You Kougaiji?”

“Yes. Are you Dokugakuji’s brother, Sha Gojyo?”

“Yep, that’s me. How long you staying up here?”

“I have three more months before the next astronaut arrives. Someone from the Western Space Coalition. You’re not coming back, are you?”

“Me? Fuck no. I’ve had enough of space to last me a lifetime.”

Gojyo made his way towards the pod that would shuttle him back down to earth.

Jien talked over the com to both of them as Kougaiji helped strap Gojyo into the seat of the pod that would take him back down to earth. When Kougaiji had double checked his harness, Gojyo held out his hand.

“It was nice meeting you, Kougaiji. I know my brother likes to nag, but he’s got your back and he’s looking out you.”

Kougaiji’s eyes widened, the seriousness of his expression lifting to let something softer shine through for the first time. Gojyo smiled.

“Hey, Jien. Take care of Prince-sama here and keep him company. I guess I’ll see both of you again soon.”

Gojyo laughed as Jien spluttered into the com and he kept the grin on his face as he hurtled through the atmosphere. He was going home!

He wondered if he would find anyone waiting for him.

He was looking, for everything he couldn’t see.

He was listening, for something he will never hear.

He’s waiting, for nothing.

The cigarettes were stale. The beer tasted flat. The conversations were trivial, as were the people he chatted up.

Gojyo tried to enjoy himself. He really did. It was his party after all. Or at least, his return and the success of the mission had been used as an excuse for the employees of Keiun Space and Aeronautics Institute to let loose and drink the night away. Gojyo plastered a smile on his face, tried to listen to the chick with the ponytail who was bouncing in front of him as she told him about her six cats.

Gojyo’s eyes scanned the crowd, gaze drifting over the party goers packed in the hall. The attendees weren’t just people from mission control. Engineering, R&D, even corporate administration had been invited, and turnout was high.

A flash of gold caught his eye. Gojyo excused himself from ponytail girl and made his way through the crowd. But by the time he had pushed through the throng of people, Sanzo had disappeared. Gojyo swiped another flute of champagne from the nearest waiter and downed it in one gulp.

“Do you have a last name?”

“Umm, no. Can’t you look him up with just the name I gave you?”

“He’s not in the system of current employees. I could check the archives, but I need a full name for that.”

“Couldn’t you just look again? He works here. I spoke to him barely two weeks ago.”

“I’m sorry, Gojyo. I’ve checked twice and his name doesn’t come up anywhere. I’m sorry…”

“Hey, it’s ok… No, don’t cry. It’s my bad… I must have misheard. I can still come and pick you up at eight? Yeah? Ok… I’ll see you then. Oh, one last favour. Could you please be a dear and give me a list of everyone who worked on the JEEP project…”

No one has seen him.

No one has heard of him.

No one knows.

The list was useless. Even Google failed. He was a ghost. A memory. A dream.

Gojyo refused to believe that.

After a week of hanging around mission control, ignoring the raised eyebrows and curious stares while he tried to catch more than two seconds of Sanzo’s attention, Gojyo had had enough.

He marched into Sanzo’s office armed with newspaper, coffee, and Sanzo’s favourite brand of cigarettes one morning. Sanzo only raised an eyebrow and glowered as Gojyo slammed the offerings on his desk before kicking the door shut and locking it behind him.

“Hakkai? As in Eight Prohibitions? Never heard of him. What kind of idiot would think that’s a real name.”

“Maybe the idiot who was abandoned by his assigned flight controller.”

“Whatever. It’s clearly a pseudonym.”

“You let the guy take over for you. Surely you must know his real name.”

“If you want to know, ask him yourself.”

“And how, pray tell, am I supposed to do that when I don’t know who he is?”

“Not my problem.”

“Seriously?! Maybe I should just go up to every single person in this facility and ask them—”

“Haven’t you done that already? How’s that working out for you.”

Gojyo slumped into his chair, head cradled in his hands. He missed the way Sanzo’s eyes flicked up from scanning the newspaper spread out in front of him, deep purple gaze regarding Gojyo over wireframe glasses.

“At least…tell me that he’s ok?”

“Sorry, I don’t know who you’re talking about.”

“Come on, Sanzo!”

“Look, why are you so fixated on finding him? You should be enjoying your time off. Sailing around the world or whatever. Stop wasting your time.”

“I can use my time however I want. And I’m not fixated, alright? The guy saved my life.”

“He did his job.”

“Is it too much to want to know who he is, so that I can thank him in person?”

“He must really want your thanks if he went through all that trouble of making sure you knew his name.”

“Gods, can’t— Can’t you just tell me? I just want to know that he’s ok. I won’t even try to contact him. I swear on my mother’s grave.”

“…”

“…”

“Maybe, he doesn’t want to be known.”

The day was hot and the sun beat down on him without mercy. His neck and shoulders were already starting to sting. If he wasn’t careful, the skin would burn and peel.

Time for a break anyway.

Gojyo secured the last bit of rigging and reached for his bottle of water, dumping the warming liquid on his head. It was cool against his skin and the water that dripped from his recently shorn hair tickling his bare shoulders.

Gojyo turned and made his way to the shaded part of his deck. The docks were quiet, deserted. Even the gulls were silent, unwilling to waste their energy caterwauling in the stifling heat.

Movement. There was someone walking along the boards, prowling between the luxury yachts moored around him. The figure was tall, of medium build, dressed in a white collared shirt and loose dress pants, walking purposefully between the boats, turning to look at each one of them as he passed. His stride was slow, languid, and his form shimmered in the heat like a mirage.

Gojyo groaned. Another rich bastard shopping for a new toy to impress a new girlfriend or fulfill some empty romantic notion of the sea. It was odd that this one was alone, but Gojyo wasn’t keen on making small talk with anyone who was loaded enough to buy their own yacht for the sole purpose of being able to say they owned it.

The man was heading his way, and sunlight glinted off the man���s glasses as his head turned towards Gojyo. Gojyo cursed, turned his deck chair very pointedly away from the docks and the approaching stranger, and flopped down into it. Gojyo closed his eyes, pulled his bandana over his eyes and reclined, tucking his hands behind his head.

With any luck, rich bastard would get the hint and leave him alone. He really didn’t feel like talking today.

Coolness. A shadow had fallen over him, or the sun had become hidden behind a rogue cloud in the blue cloudless sky. Gojyo opened his eyes and looked up into the face hovering above him. Rich bastard had a pretty face he’d give him that.

“This boat’s not for sale. If ya want to ask about the yacht, you’re outta luck, buddy.”

Bastard smiled. Shit. He had a nice smile too.

“Hard as it may be for you to believe, I don’t want your money.” He was younger than Gojyo had first thought. He looked to be around Gojyo’s age, not yet old enough to find owning his own yacht an attractive way of flaunting his personal wealth. Rich bastard’s son then. “Look, buddy. She’s not for sale and no amount of cash is gonna convince me to take you and your friends’ drunken asses for a joyride.”

The man withdrew, but only to look up and down Gojyo’s boat, like he was thinking about how much his baby was worth so that he could offer it��and maybe some—to Gojyo to tempt him. The nerve of him.

“Hey! I told you, she’s not for sale. Why don’t you take your daddy’s credit card and go fuck off to your own piece of sunshine? You take one step onto her, you touch this boat and I will personally haul you to the police station and report you for private property infringement.”

“What if I had an invitation?”

Gojyo’s protests died in his throat. Because that voice. That voice. He knew that voice.

Gojyo sat up slowly, afraid that if he moved too fast, the image before him would waver, disappear like a illusion, and he would wake up alone to the rocking of his boat and the lonely cry of the seagulls.

“Ha… Hakkai?”

And the smile on the man’s face said it all. The corners of his eyes crinkled, and Gojyo found himself staring at startling green eyes, deep as the lonely sea and just as secretive, just as sad.

“Good morning, Gojyo.”

“I’m sorry, I haven’t been completely honest with you.”

Hakkai told him the whole story. How he and his sister had been engineers. Their experiment had gone wrong. There was an accident, a whole lab had been reduced to rubble. He had been careless, too ambitious, too proud. His sister and a thousand people had died because of him. There was an extensive investigation. Sanzo had been involved, had confronted him about it, and advocated for him at the trial. He let him work at flight control while decisions were made and judgements were deliberated. The sentencing hearing came sooner than expected.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye.”

“I tried to find you. I looked for you, asked after you. No one knew who you were. Is Hakkai even your real name?”

“No, I’m sorry. It’s Cho Gonou. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Gojyo wasn’t mad. He’s not hurt that Cho Gonou didn’t trust him enough to tell him his name. Gojyo understood abandonment, the feeling when the world has been ripped away from you, when you are left with nothing but yourself, your sins and shortcomings.

Gojyo fought—still fights. It was exhausting. Cho Gonou fought too, and if he needed a respite and had chosen to hide, faceless, behind the name of Hakkai, Gojyo understood.

“So, what are you going to do now?”

The sun hung low on the horizon, warm rays hitting the red sails of Gojyo’s sailboat and bathing them in crimson.

Gonou shrugged, a simple up and down motion. Gonou was smiling, but his eyes looked towards the ocean, lost.

“You can come sailing with me. I could use an extra pair of hands.”

Red captured green. “These?” Gonou held up his hands—smooth, unblemished, beautiful. “I wouldn’t know what to do with them.”

Gojyo grinned. “I’ll walk you through it. It’s not Jeep, but she’s got the same spirit.”

“She?”

“She. Definitely she.”

“Are you sure you want me, Cho Gonou, mass murderer and wanted criminal, at the helm of your beloved boat, manning your rudder?”

“You’re right. I don’t trust Cho Gonou. This invitation is for Hakkai.”

“I think I can manage that.”

THE END

[fellowshipoffoucault]

Reading III: The New Materiality of Design

Introduction 

Do we still live in postmodernism? I often think about giving it another name, and the texts assured me that the manifest is very well needed today. Metamodernism? By “meta” I refer to Aristotle’s definition of it, as he has defined it in Metaphysics, “something beyond the physicality, and the nature of “self”. I have seen that “meta-factor”, very well debated in texts of Bruno Latour, Ian Bogost, Kameron Sanzo. The arise of new movements seem to be emerging as our questions for defining today’s society, technology are getting revision, and the question of unlearning and relearning becomes important!  New materialism, Speculative realism, Speculative materialism, Transcendental materialism and nihilism are yet to be defined and the consequences could be crucial for understanding the world we live in and how can we impact on it.

The sociology of artifact, the relations between humans and nonhumans, anthropomorphism and the correlation between text and machine is intriguing and giving the fact of the text being written in 1992, the appliance and the consequences of it, are today arising. Where is the morality? Where are the boundaries in “deskilling” humans? That is my biggest question while I was reading Bruno Latour’s text that talks about our observation of machines, interaction and the existence of nonhuman as an important artifact. The question of automatism and routine becomes very important is his writing about the “door” and delegation from humans to nonhumans to delegation of correlation. If we can somehow translate that meaning in modern context, we could see that appliance on automatic doors, microwaves, debit cards... and of course our “smart” phones. It seems that progression in creating disciplined humans towards disciplined delegation of nonhumans has grown today and the question of interaction has moved to “interobligation”. By “interobligation” I refer to creating deskilled humans who are in need to be obedient towards artifacts in order to take an action. That is what is my main concern when we talk about smart phones. Today our correlation with artifact such as smart phone has grown up so much that we don’t seem to distinguish it anymore as a nonhuman. The hybrid space that it contains, is a space, to which is Wilhelm Ostwald referring to in his text, a “world-mind”. The aspect of anthropomorphism applies there on many different levels, as we are not just giving him human attributes, but we understand it as part of us. And what about virtual assistants? Cortana, Siri? It seems that they are the next step in which we can define those machines as new humans? Maybe we need a new definition of homo sapiens? Neo sapiens?

The fact of Object-oriented ontology brings hope to understanding artifacts and our relationship with them. It is still unimaginable to say that human is also not an object. Because if we say that car is an object, then an engine of the car is also an object, an atom of that car is also an object. It means that the correlation of objects functions on different scales, and then if we imply that towards planet, we can say that a planet is an object, which implies that all existing thigs that it contains are also objects, such as humans. Can we understand human as an object? We have build our philosophy around humans, but if we apply the sociology of artifacts in philosophy, we would need to redefine the term philosophy, or we can apply anthropomorphism to objects, in which way we can then say that objects contain wisdom.

The definition of an engineer here corresponds to the meaning of a designer. The correspondence can be viewed in two different factors, inner and outer. When we talk about the outer factor, we can say that we are very much design the prescripts, or as Latour is referring in the text, circumscription. This is what very much applies on information design, as they are also working in means of a delegated nonhuman who has a very specific function. And yet, the function contains a visual message. Where does then visuality apply in correlation with humans and nonhumans. Can we say that they are nonhuman, even if we use pictograms? This is where visuality collides with machines, as does text collide with machine. If we talk about the inner factor, we can say that designers are as much as engineers, the “authors” of nonhumans. Then the fact is that we are building the missing mases, and we need a bigger understanding of this correlation. As designers/engineers of visual messages, we are also building various system that are trying to deskill human being, and the problem is the morality of it. Is our design today moral? Who is controlled by whom? Our interaction that we are trying to build is somehow overthrown by norms of standardization, globalization that tend to get the world easier for human beings. That is the major point of Nader Vossoughian text “Workers of the World, Conform!” The historical view of how we have created modern offices, standard papers, envelopes to information era of internet. The question of liberation becomes arguable in the text. In society we somehow need norms to build rules and set standards, but the main concern is who builds the standard? Who can today say what are the standards? This is something that correlates this trends, mainstream society and consumerism. If we say the company such as ISO creates standards, how are we able to trust them? Are we even asked? The problem becomes the internet as a “world-mind” that somehow determined that for us and it still does. Can we then say that we really live in liberated world or is it just an illusion, a complete “invisible totalitarism”?

- Strahinja