#asto boy

[astosangels]

need a boy to take me to his bedroom and shove me onto his bed and feel me over my jeans, making his way to unbuckling my belt and shoving his hand in my boxers before even taking my pants off. he would just feel how soaked i am for him, making fun of me because “only mutts get this wet.” he’d flip me over and fuck me from behind, my jeans not even all the way off my legs because he just couldn’t wait to shove his dick in me. he’d humiliate me, asking me “you want me to cum in you? want me to fill you up like a filthy mutt?” all while my brain is so fuzzy i can’t even begin to think before begging so desperately for him. afterwards he’d help put my boxers and pants back on and tell me to enjoy the feeling of being full. even better if we’re at an event with people and i have to go back to talking with people pretending like i’m not still dripping with his cum

[hoshizoralone]

quality time at what cost. for @rivulelle !

[karalija]

My Empire of Dirt —Astos from FF

Astos from the game Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin by Team Ninja, Koei and Square enix.

I love playing FF’s Dissidia Opera Omnia game and Astos just debuted. He’s hype because of his ridiculous amount of damage output. I was intrigued by his chapter story— loved his creepy theme music— and so decided to read about his character and game.

Talk about tragic 😭 the flashback after his battle was emotional and sad... even to someone who hadn’t played the game. So naturally I really like him lol 😂

His theme is perfect for viewing this piece:

“Astos’ Theme”: https://open.spotify.com/track/3e2JlJEviF5XKq9pDmokB5?si=SZ2j1lAxSuKHH0LrsxAa0g

And title comes from

“Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails: https://open.spotify.com/track/2fXmyEIE6AtoGdo5Dm69y2?si=XqMZ_i2lRZ2AuFv2ZNN1BQ

And for the hell of it, because it’s gorgeous song:

“The Gates of Disorder” by Gunship: https://open.spotify.com/track/6zgxiWMDeja1zNp7ulI9uf?si=NRzQJZsmRRuY4YD1eXFWcA

Drawn in Procreate, please enjoy!

[astranauticus]

finding someone irl who knows orv is one thing but finding someone irl who's read the novel AND is a yoohankim enjoyer? bye im gonna be riding that high for a while

[morgana-ren]

Bit the bullet and did the power-hungry ending on my exploratory playthrough to get it over with. I always love my boy, but he does very much turn into a bastard. Wrote this very quickly as a quick exercise because I hated that I had no dialogue that felt right. Anyway, enjoy the trash. Nothing explicit happens but a lot of dubious, awful shit is implied so please read at your own risk. Spoilers, obviously.

“And of course, I couldn’t have accomplished all this without you, and one wicked turn deserves another,” His eyes flash crimson beneath his pale lashes, glowing ominously in the firelight. “So tell me, my love, what is it that you desire?” 

He expects her glossy elevator eyes and a seductive smile. For her to reach for him with her soft, little hands and pull him close, aching to feel him– to taste him in all of his newfound resplendent glory. To offer her neck in submission, pleading for him to change her, to become like him, to sit at his side eternally as he rules from his throne on high as his most beloved spawn. His first and most revered creature of the night. His queen.

But she doesn’t.

Her brows furrow, the corner of her lips tugging inward as she purses them. It’s not the reaction he was expecting, to say the least. He frowns as he inspects her expression, trying to suss out exactly what it is that plagues her. She looks worried– anxious, even. She pulls her gaze away from him, stepping back away from him ever so slightly, staring at the dirt for a moment before speaking. 

“I just wanted you to be happy, Astarion. You were always so afraid, so paranoid that something or someone was going to come for you in the night. I never wanted you to have to worry about that ever again.” “And now I don’t,” He arches a pale brow. “Isn’t this what you wanted, my love? We’ll never fear anything ever again.” He feels her uncertainty vibrate the air around him, a sense of unease that permeates through her pores. It is not love and adoration and undying loyalty that she offers, but trepidation. 

“I know. I know it’s everything you ever wanted, and I’m happy for you, but it just seems like–” “Just seems like what?” He cocks his head, narrowing his eyes at her. 

“It seems like it’s changed you somehow. You’re– you’re different,” She reaches a tender hand up to caress his cheek, and he fights the instinct to lean into her touch. 

“I am different,” He insists, his voice raising slightly. “Power beyond imagining. There has never been a vampire such as I am now. I feel it coursing through my veins, practically bursting at the seams with it–” That familiar habit crawls up his tongue, and he slips the words before he even thinks them over. “And we did it together. I’m untouchable now, and thus, so are you. It’s our world to take, darling. I love you. Isn’t that what you wanted so desperately?”

There’s a twinge of something he doesn’t quite recognize from her. Hurt, or perhaps… disappointment?

“Asto, I never wanted to strongarm or manipulate you into loving me. I care deeply for you, but that’s my burden to bear. I never wanted more from you than you wanted to give.” 

“Then what did you want?” His lips curl downward into a frown, and he closes the gap between them that she created, stepping close enough to her to have her shifting.

“I just–” She pauses, her words hanging heavy in the air and on her mind as she says them. “--I had hoped you would have let go after killing Cazador. Realized that you don’t need power everlasting to be happy. I guess I thought you would have learned something from all of this–”

“Learn what, exactly?” His tone shifts, his words pointed and cruel as he spits them out, fists furling at his sides. “You naive, silly little girl. You’ve no idea what it’s like– what the world is truly like. You dare to condemn me after what I’ve seen? You’d judge me for taking strength where I find it? Strength that I use to protect both of us? To save your pretty little neck from all those creatures who seek to spill your blood? You dare pretend to understand?

He feels it through the tadpole— The whip and lash of barbed grief against her heart, ripping through her chest like a fanged maw. It's enough to almost bring him to his knees, but if it wasn't for their bond, he wouldn't have the slightest idea. Her face hardens and she betrays nothing at all: a slow blink in his direction, emotionless face creaseless as porcelain, not a thing betrayed—

—Save her eyes. There's something in her eyes that tears at him. Panics him. He cannot place it but fear creeps up his spine, taking hold in his brain. Something disappears from them as he speaks and they glaze over, empty and melancholic. As if she is letting go. 

She shakes her head, the column of her throat twitching ever so slightly as she hard-swallows. "You're right. I— I don't. I'm sorry," She turns her eyes from him, and her expression hardens into something unreadable entirely. "I'll leave it then. I don’t want anything from you. Enjoy your power, Astarion.  You’ve– you’ve earned it." 

There is something unspoken in her words that batters at his brain, panicked and flapping about as a freshly caged bird. He prods at their connection and feels her recoil from him— feels her retreat into the recesses of her mind, severing their connection where she can, and blanking him out where she cannot. She is locking him out— and he realizes that it is perhaps for good. 

His lip curls as she turns from him without another word, walking away, abandoning the conversation— abandoning him. There's a flash of sanguine rage and a pulse of power not entirely his own yet and his hand extends of its own will, fingers grasping at her throat and drawing her again, nails digging into the same flesh he'd once caressed so tenderly. 

"Don't you walk away from me! Don't you ever turn your back on me again! Do you understand?"

Fear. That's what's in her eyes now. Not fear of him, but fear of what he has done. Of what she has allowed him to become. She searches him for a trace of the man she'd cared for, the man she shed blood for— both hers and countless others— to save. All she finds is a twisted mockery of it. The man she has helped him become— if a man is what you can call him. 

She has created a monster, and now he has turned his blood-red gaze on her. 

"Astarion—" 

He feels her pulse in his palm, rabbiting away in her ribs, the scent of her rushing blood palpable in his lungs. The very same scent as when she stares down a pack of howling gnolls or a murderous cultist with a knife to her belly. It is a scent that so often fades when he is near enough to her for comfort, but it is more powerful than ever as he bears down on her now. 

"That's not how this is going to work, darling," He hisses, yanking her so close he can see himself in the whites of her wide eyes. "You are never to walk away from me again. Am I clear?"

The force of her rage hits him, edged with red, raw disgust. Her lip twitches, eyes narrowing on him as the malaise of her mourning is devoured by a tidal wave of both her pride and her indignant anger. "I am not your servant. You do not command me." 

"Is that so? Isn't that what you wanted? Hmm? To lose yourself in me like you told me once upon a time? You wanted me to care for you– to love you– and I’ve told you that I do. You sought something from me and now you dare to turn your back on me?"

"I wanted to be with you! I cared about you! You're not some toy to be played with or some vessel for pleasure! I never wanted anything from you that you didn’t willingly give!" She stumbles over the words, shame seeping through her like a thick, viscous ink. "I didn't know what it meant. I didn't know what he had done to you—" 

"And it doesn't matter," He sneers, sharp eyes locked on hers. "You gave yourself to me that night, did you not? You saw me through everything standing at my side, cut down as many bodies as I, handed me the knife I used to carve Cazador's skin, gave me your eyes so that I might sign the contract that pledged my soul and countless others to the hells, and now you dare to pretend your hands are clean as you point a finger at me?" 

"I wanted you to feel safe! To never have to look over your shoulder in fear ever again! To never again have to sleep with one eye open like we do now, just waiting for the creatures that stalk the shadows to swoop down upon us! For the first time in your life, I wanted you to know for certain that you could kill anything that threatened you or your freedom! I never wanted to tear down Cazador's tyrannical throne only to place you upon it— but it seems that's exactly what I've done!" 

Something in his body snaps, and his reaction is a visceral, violent scarlet slash of fury. He squeezes her neck, baring ivory fanged teeth down on her as he would a prey. "Do not ever compare me to him!"

Her eyes are wide with fear– with disgust– as she croaks out the words from beneath his palm.

“Look at yourself, Astarion. Am I wrong?” 

He looks down at her, at the woman he claims to love as he chokes her and she suffocates on his power, her bruising throat flexing in strain beneath his steely fingertips. He can just barely make himself out in the dewy sheen of her eyes as they begin to water, and what stares back at him isn’t a man– it is a monster. 

Something in him shatters like glass, the last threads of his sanity slipping away through his fingertips. He is too far gone now to turn back, too lost in the red mist to find the light. 

But he will not wander it alone. He will never be alone again.

"I am whatever I say I am, and you are what I say you are, and you will do as I command. Your place is at my side, now and forever," He challenges her, fingers squeezing tighter on her throat as he breathes in the sweet, saccharine scent of her terror; the palpating, rocketing pulse of her thrumming heart. "And you will acquiesce to me. It’s not a request."

"Don't you dare presume to order me about like I'm your slave!" She claws at his wrist, trying to wrench free of his grip. “I never agreed to that!” 

“You don’t have to, my love,” He leans down further, pressing his forehead to hers. “Because I have decided for you.” 

“You do not get that right!” She snarls, baring her own teeth back at him. 

“Oh, but I do, darling. But I do. You don’t seem to grasp how this is going to work, so allow me to explain it to you.” 

He shoves her hard to the ground, releasing her throat only to leer over her from above, stepping on either side of her body. Her will is iron, but the flash of fear across her face is unmistakable. 

“You gave yourself to me, and I intend to keep what is mine. Your body is so fragile– so frail– You’d never survive without me, and I have no intentions of letting you go now that I have you. So you will stay by my side always. It’s what’s best for you, my little love, and you belong to me.”

“I don’t belong to anyone.” 

“Yes,” He says firmly, as if scolding a small child. “You do.” 

“I don’t have to obey you!” She hisses. 

“Not yet, perhaps.” 

Horror grips her and realization takes hold. “You wouldn’t, Astarion. You can’t do this–” 

“I didn’t want it to be like this,” He bends his knees, leaning down as he brushes the hair from her neck, thumb stroking tauntingly over her pulse point. “I wanted you to come willingly. I wanted you to ask for it, accept my gift of your own volition. But you’re a foolish, willful girl. You don’t know what’s good for you, do you? So I will show you.” 

“After everything? After everything you’ve been through? After everything we have been through?” Her voice breaks, and with it, her heart. Her strength slips away, and he can feel it swallow his senses in a wretched black void, sending him drowning him in her abyssal anguish– her betrayal at his hands– but he shoves it down and locks it away. Something he cannot place claws and tears at his own heart with a need so violent it almost sends him reeling, something begging him to stop, that this isn’t right– to her of all people– but he silences it. He will not lose her. He will not. 

Even if he must place a collar around her neck to keep her and keep her leash pulled taut.

And what she has to say about it is of little consequence. 

“This doesn’t have to hurt, my sweet girl,” He says softly, flicking his tongue over a fang. “But I know you like when it does.” 

“Astarion, please! I don’t want to have to hurt you–” He laughs, vicious and cruel, cackling like a hyena over carrion. “As if you could! I’m untouchable. The very power of the night bends to my commands, and so too shall you. Even your blood sings for me, eager and ready and willing. Begging for me,” He places his hand softly on her chest, just above her rips, feeling the gentle pump beneath. “You want this, even as you play coy. You want to belong to me. So I will give it to you what you desire.”

“Is that what you’re telling yourself?” A single silver tear slips down the gentle curve of her cheek. 

He blinks at her, and for a moment, he freezes upon seeing her tears and she can see a glimpse of him in there. Somewhere deep and far, screaming and thrashing and desperate against his own might, fighting a war against his very nature. He looks at her with the same eyes that revere her, crave her, love her– but above all, honor her. 

For a fleeting moment, he is the Astarion she loves. His lip trembles and quakes and the urge to hold her is overwhelming. To comfort her. To hold her close and keep her safe and protect her, to strike down all her fears with his bare hands. To love her. 

And yet he is the source of her pain. 

“Yes.” 

And then he is gone again. The light goes out and his eyes become inky black pits, nothing in them but her own miserable reflection as he leans down ever further, his warm breath against her neck as he teases her throat with a fang. 

“Give yourself to me, now and always,” He whispers, blasphemous and terrible as it runs a shiver down her spine. “By my side now and forever. It’s all ours, my love. Everything we lay eyes upon. We can have it all. Wealth, power– each other. Centuries upon centuries stretching into the endless horizon of eternity. I want it all, and I want to share it with you.”

She could raise a hand to him. She could try and fight him off with tooth and nail and flame. She could kick and crawl, scramble away back to the safety of camp. She could–

But she doesn’t. 

“I don’t want this, Astarion. A beloved slave is still a slave. A diamond collar is still a collar. A leash held by someone you love is still a leash. I love you, but you can’t force this. Please–” She exhorts, trying to swallow back a bout of fresh tears. “Please don’t do this. Not to me. Not to you.” 

He inhales raggedly, hand slipping up to her cheek to cup it, savoring her warmth one last time. 

“I have to. I won’t lose you. Not now, not ever. Not to age or blight or foolish notions. I cherish you, and I’d see you safe.” 

“A gilded cage is still a cage.” She closes her eyes, hand furled in his doublet. 

“And I will carry it with me. Always.”

[snailpaste]

"Astarion" Name Meaning in Elvish (Quenya)

The meaning of "Astarion" in Elvish according to Tolkein's Quenya. See bottom for Notes. Top lists potential components, bottom provides interpretations/meanings.

──────────────────

Components:

1. Astar: Noun meaning “Faith”, “Loyalty”. (Roots: as’tāră > astor [astāra] > [astār])

2. -ion: Masculine patronymic suffix meaning “son of"

Examples of this can be seen in the names: “Aldarion”, a compound of “aldar” (trees) + “ion” (son of) meaning Son of [the] Trees; “Anárion”, a compound of “Anar” (sun) + “ion” (son of), meaning Son of the Sun; and “Aranwion”, a compound of “Aranwe” (Quenya male name) + “ion”, meaning Son of Aranwe.

3. -tar-: Affix denoting nobility or highness eg: King/Queen/Prince/High/Lord (basically any noble/royal title can be inserted, pick what you fancy as its largely subjective).

Examples of this can be seen in the Quenya names: “Annatar”, a compound of “anna” (gift) + “tar”, meaning “Lord of Gifts”; “Sorontar”, compound “soron” (eagle) + “tar”, meaning “King of Eagles”; “Tarmenel”, a compound of “tar” and “Menel” (Heavens) meaning  “High Heaven”.

4. Ar: Noun meaning "day”, “sunlight" (abbr. of árë).

Seen in the Quenya name “Arien” (of which Arion is the exact masculine translation) compound of “árë” (sunlight) and the feminine patronymic suffix “-ien”, meaning “Maiden of the Sun”, “Day-bearer”, “Sun-maiden”.

5. Ar-: Prefix denoting nobility or highness eg: King, Lord, Master, Queen, High, Great, Royal, Noble (again, basically any noble/royal title can be inserted).

6. Asto: Noun meaning “dust” (pl. Aist).

──────────────────────

Interpretations/Meanings:

1. Astar + -ion

Astar+ion

Son of Astar. Son of Loyalty/Faith. Loyal/Faithful Son.

2. Asto + ar + -ion

Ast[o]+ar+ion

“ar” as a noun

Son of [the] Dust and Day/Sun. Day/Sun Son of Dust. Bearer of Day/Sun & Dust. Son of Astoaron. Son of the man of Dust & Sun. 

3. Asto + ar- + -ion

Ast[o]+ar+ion

“ar-” as a prefix to “-ion”

Royal/High/Noble Son of Dust. Prince of Dust.

4. Astar + ar + -ion

Ast[ar]+ar+ion

“ar” as a noun

Son of [a] Faithful/Loyal Day/Sun. Faithful/Loyal Son of [the] Day/Sun/Warmth. Son of Faithful/Loyal Warmth [of the sun]. Son of Astaron.

5. Astar + ar- + -ion

Ast[ar]+ar+ion

“ar-” as a prefix to “-ion”

Royal/High/Noble Son of Loyalty/Faith. Loyal/Faithful Noble/High Son. Son/Prince of Faith/Loyalty.

6. Asto + -tar + -ion

Ast[o]+[t]ar+ion

“tar” as a suffix to “Asto”

Son of High/Noble/Royal Dust. Son of the King of Dust.

7. Asto + tar- + -ion

Ast[o]+[t]ar+ion

“tar” as a prefix to “-ion”

Royal/High/Noble Son of Dust. Prince of Dust.

──────────────────────────────

NOTES:

Regarding above names using “ar-” prefix: The use of “ar-” in this context could potentially be incorrect, resulting in a different meaning. Take “Pelargir”, a sindarin word meaning "Garth of (the) Royal Ships", for example; Pelargir is composed of either the “pel-” (encircle, go around), or “pêl” (fenced field), and the prefix “ar-” (noble/royal) and “cîr” (ships). If I interpreted the names with the “ar-” prefix in the same manner as “Pelargir”, they would end up meaning “light/heat/warmth/sun/dust of a noble son/boy”. With that being said “Arion” does mean High/Noble/Royal son, and follows the grammatical rules, so I would say it’s polysemous.

“Arion” is a poetic version of “Prince” (son of royalty, royal son)

[doctorsiren]

So when does the Prosecutor robot get made?

Is he also a child?

Is he the Shadow to Asto Boy Miles' Sonic?

No he’s going to be Miles’s last body that will be built (fnaf lmao) so he’ll be an adult

I have an idea that I don’t know if I want to speak into existence yet just in case I end up not doing that, but I’m figuring out things

But there’s a while before we even get to that point

[rabbityshen]

not sure who this post is for.

i think i just needed a way to get out some of my brainworms about genazo and some of the observations i've made about it as a movie and fandom phenomenon that's big in japan but basically not at all here. it was originally gonna be a pitch post on my Main, Professional writing blog but it came out kind of too.....silly for that. which is why the grammar and capitalization are generally proper and the tone is more formal (and has images). i wrote most of it back in august/september but have edited it so it's relatively current to right now.

it's mostly a bunch of rambling and info tidbits about genazo. cant imagine who would be interested in it, except genazo fans, but then it's also written as if to be read by ppl who don't know what genazo is. again, very confusing post. my bad. if u wanna read it go ahead, but lol (lol).

but if ur like "what's genazo?" well then this the post for you. maybe.

edit: added some more fun images for myself 😊 and some (spoilery) CWs for the movie at the very end

They say honesty is a virtue so I might as well start off by saying that my curiosity about this movie was not sparked by the anniversary productions being made for Shigeru Mizuki’s 100th birthday or through keeping tabs on the latest anime films coming out, but because I saw fanart and I thought the main character, Mizuki, looked hot.

After some sleuthing, I tracked down the source material and was surprised that it was from a movie, Kitaro Tanjo: GeGeGe no Nazo (which I'll shorten to GeNazo), part of the GeGeGe no Kitaro franchise.

If you don’t know of GeGeGe no Kitaro or Shigeru Mizuki, I’ll pause here to give a little bit of background info. Shigeru Mizuki was a mangaka born in 1922, who made manga at the same time alongside other influential artists like Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy) and Shotaro Ishinomori (Kamen Rider). Mizuki would ultimately become famous for GeGeGe no Kitaro (which I'll shorten to Kitaro from here on out), a manga series following a yokai boy named Kitaro and his adventures. Kitaro is on par with Asto Boy in terms of being a national icon. He’s credited with popularizing yokai stories for the modern masses, his imagery becoming what people would most associate with the classic folklore. Besides the 2023 movie, there was an anime adaptation that aired 2018 - 2020, which was also a 50th anniversary production based off of the first anime adaptation that first aired in 1968.

I had some passing, bare minimum familiarity with Kitaro, as much as anyone who’s liked anime and manga for decades would have, and I had never seen a character from it who looked like Mizuki. Clearly, the movie wasn't a straightforward adaptation, even if it was taking one of the manga chapter titles as its own (“The Birth of Kitaro,” which shows the origins of the eponymous character). Not only that, but the promotional material was fairly bloody and dour, obviously aimed at a more mature audience than the usual child demographic the franchise was geared towards, as with the 2018 Kitaro anime. The character design for Kitaro on the movie poster was very similar though, so I figured they likely shared the same continuity.

(i don't have enough relevant images to adequately disperse throughout this post so im just adding random screenshots of mizuki for enrichment and personal indulgence 🙂)

Since the anime series had been officially licensed and subtitled by Crunchyroll, I assumed the same had been done for the movie but that was not the case. It had been released in Japanese theaters back in November 2023 but as of April 2024 at the time, there was (and still is) nowhere official and legal to watch it with localized English subtitles. I had little interest in Kitaro otherwise so I shrugged and decided I would let my shallow interest taper off. It did not.

Instead it plagued me for months (my friends can testify to this). I can't exactly articulate why; The heart wants what the heart wants I suppose. So I finally caved in and found…other means of watching it. I'm not sure if I expected that to sate the brainworms already festering in my head, but basically the opposite of that happened. Now having context for what I was already seeking out on Twitter, new depths of investment were opened up. And that's when I discovered this movie was quite popular.

Now granted, this is still in relative terms. This was the year that other animated hit films such as The Super Mario Bros. Movie and The Boy and the Heron came out. Even other anime franchise films such as Case Closed: Black Iron Submarine and Spy x Family Code: White were much bigger domestic and international hits from around the same time. However, while GeNazo never reached the status of being the #1 movie in Japan for the week, it was one of the top five grossing movies for four consecutive weeks (and in the top ten for a consecutive 11 weeks), making over two billion yen (~$17 million). It was also selected to be shown at the 2024 Annecy International Animation Film Festival in the Countrechamp category. A new version of the film called the “True Version” (真生版), which contains redone cuts and rerecorded dialogue (but no changes to the narrative), as well as bumps up the rating from PG-12 to R15, was released a few weeks ago.

And when you zoom in closer from a fandom subculture perspective, its popularity is undeniable. The doujinshi made for the GeNazo fandom and sold through the retailer Comic Toranoana is not only numerous, but has dominated the female-targeted section rankings for months (both “All Ages” and “Adults Only”), alongside doujinshi for much more internationally popular series like Jujutsu Kaisen and Slam Dunk. (Another way to compare this, Kitaro has a total of 2500+ listed and Delicious in Dungeon has a little over 40 items listed.) In the 2023 poll for yumejoshi (similar to the concept of “self-shipping” fandom) to pick their favorite characters for the year, the two main characters made it to the top twenty (Gegero at #15 and Mizuki at #9), even though the movie was released quite late into the year. Then in Animage’s annual Anime Grand Prix, GeNazo was voted as the top favorite anime for 2023, with Mizuki and Gegero also voted as the top favorite characters. At COMIC CITY SPARK 19, a popular Tokyo doujinshi event held last week, GeNazo is the third most popular fandom represented (above other fandoms including Haikyu!! and Honkai: Star Rail). Several months ago, a film concert event was held and it must've done more than well enough if they're holding the event again for two days in November.

So obviously, I was very much not the only one infested with brainworms! But in comparison, no one over in English-speaking anime fandom circles knows anything. On Archive of Our Own, there’s a tag for “GeGeGe no Kitaro (Anime)”* that only has under 50 works in English when accounted for the movie’s release. (In comparison, there are over 2,500 works in the tag for “ダンジョン飯 | Dungeon Meshi | Delicious in Dungeon” in English when accounted for the anime’s release. For possibly a more equivalent comparison, there are a little under 200 works in the tag for “Bang Brave Bang Braven (Anime)” a show that did receive an official English translation and was ranked second in the Anime Grand Prix.) Every time I peek into Japanese fandom, I feel like I’m stepping into a parallel universe. The gap is striking.

Anime has never been more accessible to foreigners, specifically Americans. Piracy still reigns supreme in terms of frugal personal finances, but it's less convenient and full of pitfalls, requiring some sophistication in navigating platforms and torrents. As a thirty year old with a full-time job, the low-risk convenience on its own is worth the money of subscription. It’s also easy to think in the age of streaming and simulcast—with plenty of titles getting licensed but then instantly buried under the oversaturation of Content and lackluster efforts at marketing—that we have legal access to everything, or at least everything notable. But similar to this year's cult hit Girls Band Cry (until the official English language translation available through Hoopla and, soon on November 6th, Crunchyroll as well), GeNazo fell through the license cracks. 

I shouldn't be too surprised though. While Kitaro is an iconic series with a deep cultural legacy in Japan, its popularity in the USA is much milder. In my experience, people who do know about Kitaro tend to regard it as a piece of classic manga history rather than engaging art or storytelling in its own right. As an older, episodic children’s series fundamentally focused on traditional Japanese folklore, its potential appeal to international audiences is less universal and it's less likely to be taken seriously by manga fans invested in more serialized storytelling. So it is a shame that this movie isn't licensed and officially localized. Tomohiro Harafuchi, the director of Mizuki Productions, said in an interview at the Annecy Festival that he hoped that screening GeNazo there would “inspire the international audience to discover these universes” since Kitaro is less well known outside of Japan. Especially since it stands out as fairly unique work among the other Kitaro movies, series, and other related media.

At this point, you might be wondering what GeNazo is actually about and what my pitch is for watching it besides Hot Anime Guy.

The version that's short and to the point: A nice horror mystery with some decent fujobait and anti-nationalist themes.

The version with a premise like you're reading the back of a DVD case: Mizuki, a salaryman working for a blood bank during Japan’s postwar era, is tasked with visiting a remote village. He hopes to curry favor with a powerful family whose patriarch has just died, causing a power struggle, as well as find out the secret of the miracle drug that they manufacture. Along the way, he meets a mysterious man searching for his missing wife. Violent, strange deaths begin occurring however, and Mizuki soon finds himself wrapped up in a disturbing conspiracy he never anticipated. Find out the twisted origins of one of Japan’s most beloved characters…

My actual, extremely condensed opinion: A fun 3/5 stars movie that I'm kind of ambivalent about.

“Whoa whoa whoa,” you may be wondering, “You wrote all of this about a movie you rated 3/5 on Letterboxd?” The answer is “yes” and I wish I had a better one.

That'll be for another post though, since I can't discuss it without really getting into spoilers.

Note [possible spoilers]: Content warnings for GeNazo include gore, war trauma flashbacks, non-graphic and referenced incestuous CSA, alcoholism, child death.

[corvuscorona]

SHADOW MONSTER - an Astos playlist

...for when you need to spend about an hour rotating that guy in your mind at top speed, or at least a little faster than chillout speed.

(YouTube playlist here) • (tracklist etc. below the cut)

Needed a playlist I could Think About Astos To while doing chores or whatever & it turned out I had the ammunition I needed to be kinda picky, so I'm sharing it here with all my comrades-in-Astos-scholarship, too! You know, in case you also need some music to Think About Astos To. Which seems possible-to-likely, I think.

I have only included tracks that are reasonably well balanced for Normal Listening (just please forgive me for the PS2 synth horns in "finish the promise" if you can find it in your heart). Also, if you use the YT playlist, Man Human is shorter than it should be, so listen to it twice if you want.

ACT I: IMPETUS

Creep City • Jake Shears I said I'd hang on for the ride / now I'm hanging on for dear life / …is that a real knife? バケモノ信者 (Bakemono Shinja / Monster Believer) • MAIKI-P 人の顔した　バケモノさ / 気づけば僕も　バケモノさ • hito no kao shita bakemono sa / kizukeba boku mo bakemono sa it's a monster with a human face / and now that I think about it, I'm a monster, too 心臓 (Shinzō / Heart[1]) • TOOBOE 蘇ってしまうよ　貴方の為なら幾らでも / 間違いも愛せるよ　馬鹿なもんでさ / 生き返ってしまうよ　貴方がくれた���だから • yomigaette shimau yo anata no tame nara ikura demo / machigai mo aiseru yo baka na monde sa / ikikaette shimau yo anata ga kureta inochidakara for you, I'd revive again and again / loving even the mistakes, fool that I am / I'll come back to life because it's the life you gave me

ACT II: THE PROCESS

Bleed it Out • Linkin Park half the words don't mean a thing / and I know that I won't be satisfied Man Human • Denki Groove for Devilman Crybaby Just One Yesterday • Fall Out Boy I want to teach you a lesson in the worst kind of way / still, I'd trade all my tomorrows…

ACT III: MADNESS

Décolleté • Kenshi Yonezu 兎角疲れました / 数えるから直ぐに消えて • tokaku tsukaremashita / kazoeru kara sugu ni kiete at any rate, I'm exhausted / I'll count, so hurry up and disappear [2] うみなおし (Uminaoshi / Rebirth[3]) • Maretu 君は何も悪くないぜ / (多分) • kimi wa nani mo warukunai ze / (tabun) you've done nothing wrong / (probably) 空想メソロギヰ (Kuusou Mesorogiwi / Fantastical Mesology) • Yousei Teikoku for Future Diary (See [4] below.)

ACT IV: FOR WHAT

A Good Song Never Dies • Saint Motel it just reminds you of where you were / the first time it made you cry / the first time you felt alive… SHADOW MONSTER • Toki Asako 探しものは踊らなきゃ見つからない • sagashimono wa odoranakya mitsukaranai if we don't dance, we won't find what we're looking for.

ACT V: RESOLVE

JUMPER • CAPSULE anger stress and secrets they won't break you wake up put aside you(')r(e) feeling nothing freely speed up landing stepping jumping jump Leave The Light On • Overcoats what if I don't make it home / you're not there, and the light's not on

ACT VI: THE END

still feel. • half•alive when it's hopeless, I start to notice / that I still feel alive finish the promise • MOTOO FUJIWARA for Tales of the Abyss White Light • Superfly for Tales of Zestiria 正解なんてない 間違いなんてない / 塗り替えてゆけ 在るべき世界へ • seikai nante nai machigai nante nai / nurikaete yuke arubeki sekai e there's no such thing as right; there's no such thing as wrong / remake this world into what it should have been

( NOTES )

[1] - Specifically the anatomical term. Metaphorical uses of this word do seem to be a thing, but skew more towards meaning something like "courage" (think "guts" or "spine") as opposed to 心 (kokoro) on its own, which is used for something more like "essence", "spirit", "soul". Incidentally, I highly… HIGHLY recommend watching the MV for this one (Check the YT link before the readmore)! [2] - Eternal plug for vgperson, who has been my source for Kenshi Yonezu lyrics since something like 2010, and is the backbone of society. Check out the full translation there (ctrl+F the title!) to get a feel for this song's whole... vibe (which I'd describe as a very specific flavor of "fuck. god damn it. whatever; leave me alone," which of course is why it's here). [3] - There's a footnote on the Vocaloid Lyrics Wiki page for this song that conveys something interesting about the title; it says: "'Uminaoshi' isn’t a word that’s typically used to mean 'rebirth'; rather, it is a compound made up of a word meaning 'to give birth' and a word that carries the sense of doing something over to fix mistakes, because you messed it up the last time," which is fun, I think. [4] - This song's lyrics are poetic in a way that makes them difficult to interpret as-written, let alone translate in a way that makes literally any sense at all. The official MV does have English subtitles that are NOT auto-translated, though. Those are the most coherent piece of information I can give you (check the YT link before the readmore!) re: why the Future Diary OP is even in this playlist, except for this statement: it's about breaking free of a time loop that's being treated like a game in some way by The Entity In Charge Of It. (And also, it sounds like... you know, like the way that it sounds.)

[jackgarlandthoughts]

Going to the castle and going fucking HAM in that kitchen eating from a giant turkey leg with the girls and baking cookies with the boys life doesn't get better than this!!!! Wait I'm getting a phone call one second.

Well Astos just told me the pirates died because I haven't awakened the water crystal yet and have been "too busy partying" and "doing fuck all." Sad!

[dril-garland]

just killed astos. feel like shit. talked it over with the boys and we're gonna go back to cornelia to have the world's most normal afternoon

[omegasmileyface]

asto boy

[gardenofshadcws]

Masterpost of My Fics

Please note: you must be logged in to A03 to read. I don't want A//I scraping my writing thnx.

fics under the cut

Lysandre/Augustine Sycamore (Perfectworldshipping)

Pokemon

i wanna take you into the sunlight - Lysandre struggles to deal with a crush and his own feelings of self-loathing. Augustine offers to be his wingman. Little does he know….

i'll follow you way down to your deepest low - Follow-up to i wanna take you into the sunlight. The morning after their first kiss, Lysandre and Augustine hash out some long buried feelings.

gone sovereign - Lysandre returns to his childhood home after the death of his parents and reflects on everything they put him through. The scared little boy burns, and the man who would save the world rises from the ashes, with a new conviction that one day, no one will ever have to suffer again.

another day in the life of the clueless and dramatic - Lysandre doesn't want anyone to know he and Augustine are seeing each other. Malva gives him a hard time about it, and Augustine hears things he probably shouldn't. How is Lysandre going to cover this up?

Fool in the Rain - A hostess at Lysandre Cafe with a crush on her employer watches one of Lysandre's and Sycamore's lunch dates. It hurts, but they're just too sweet together to be upset.

dress has always been my strongest suit - Lysandre criticizes Augustine's choice in outfit, but what's wrong with Crocs anyway?

on this day for you i'm gonna love you in every way - Written for a friend's birthday. It's not often sweet, optimistic Augustine has a rough day, but it happens to everyone. This one's so bad he forgets something important. Luckily, Lysandre is there to help make things better.

the only thing that's real to me is you - Lysandre has been working far too hard lately. Augustine enlists the help of his Pokémon to do something about that.

those bonfire lights in the mirror of sky - Lysandre wants to be the kind of person who gives. Augustine starts to realize that something is very wrong.

time still turns the pages of the book it's burned - Augustine and Lysandre talked every day. They still do.

into the abyss will i run - The end of the world is no place for a child. So Augustine confronts Lysandre instead.

we bury the sunlight - Team Flare won. The whole world has been wiped away, and a new world is about to be born. But Augustine was wiped away in the carnage and Lysandre's victory feels hollow. What to do...?

Jack Garland/Astos

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin

Another Long Goodbye - Astos allows himself a moment of selfishness before Jack is extracted. Jack is happy to oblige.

If You Only Knew - Astos's feelings for Jack aren't as subtle as he thinks they are. Jed and Ash try to help move things along. Astos wishes they wouldn't but he might not have a choice.

When Hope Fades - In every cycle, in every eventuality, two things remain. One, Astos loves Jack. Two, he can never truly have him.

love from the other side of the apocalypse - Two thousand years is a long time to wait. But Jack and Astos don’t mind, now that they have each other at long, long last. Domestic fluffy nonsense. Because Astos deserves it.

i have died every day waiting for you - A short rewrite of the Jack - Astos reunion scene in Wanderer of the Rift. Jack isn't sure how to react to seeing Astos again after all this time. But he figures it out.

my heart is yours (so rip it out) - In a blinding thunderstorm, Jack and his team are forced to take shelter in the Western Keep. But there's more to their host than what he seems, and it's too much for Jack. Some mysterious power draws Jack to Astos, and though Jack tries to pull away he can't resist him.

i would break, i would burn, i would suffer - my heart is yours (so rip it out) from Astos' POV ashes in the snow - The gang makes camp to shelter from a nasty blizzard on Hallowed Massif. Astos keeps his distance from the rest of the group, and Jack's not having it. Jackstos cuddling ensues.

Lea/Isa and Axel/Saïx

Kingdom Hearts

Brotherly Love - Lea needs advice, so he goes to the person he looks up to most. Completely self-indulgent nonsense based off my headcanon that Reno is Lea's older brother.

If She Doesn't Scare You, No Evil Thing Will - Not actually Akusai, but I don't have a better spot for it and it's kindastorta set in the same verse. It stands alone though. Did you ever wonder just how the 99 Dalmatian puppies ended up in boxes, scattered around the worlds? Well, it's all thanks to Traverse Town's favorite security guys-slash-enforcers, the Turks. They've got a job to do, but they might just be in over their heads. Also contains Cruella de Vil in a rocket ship. Crack fic based on my dumbest headcanon.

[astranauticus]

joongdok 🤝 shiguang

ships with extremely rich associated symbolism (and lots of fanart with some absolutely incredible composition) that i desperately want to draw on but theres so much of it i have no idea where to start so i just do nothing and fume

[morgana-ren]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNBmBd90Shc

This kiss 😱

the way he acts with karlach compared to Tav is so different and definitely in need of talking about/analysing but my brain can't formulate the thoughts right now. He's more ascended Astarion with her, at least in this kiss!

Well, with Karlach, he physically could not touch her until that point. He had absolutely no way of asserting physical power over here. Like, literally he couldn't. She would have burned him into a crisp, and truthfully, I'm sure that chapped his ass something fierce.

That kiss is his first assertion of dominance. He is making a point.

'I can touch you now. I can hurt you now. I can control you now.'

There is no hellflame deus-ex-machina to protect her. He will no longer turn to cinders if he lays a hand on her. He is proving that. He is manhandling her to prove that point.

'You will do as I say because I can make you.'

Turning her this way and that, grabbing her chin, her jaw, squeezing and gripping. Try to stop him. He won't burn now. But she can get hurt. She can get hurt very badly.

That's an ascended Astarion analysis.

As for just in general with sweet boy Asto, well, he hasn't been able to manipulate her either. His whole gimmick is sexual prowess and physical touch. Offering himself at the altar of pleasure to make a point and ensure loyalty. Puts a bit of a damper on his whole schtick if he can't.

But now he can.

Karlach is huge and physically imposing. She's probably not used to being handled like that. Maybe he can read her and see it's something she might like. Having someone who isn't afraid. Someone a bit more domineering.

I'd need more context (I haven't played Karlach origin or any origin for that matter) but that's a quick writeup of the thirty second clip!

[winterapocalypse]

Winter Apocalypse Chapter 21

Robert (and also Beric)

The gamekeeper's house was… peculiar.

Gothic enough, to be sure - the walls were old, damp black wood, covered in old wallpaper which was also old, worn and damp, a color that must have once been black but was now just greyish. . Disturbing to the right degree. The wallpaper had once been patterned with skulls and bones – now it was just pale stains.

The curtains were black and dusty and torn by some beast, letting in the faint light of the crescent moon into the black sky. Even the man who lived there, the Undertaker, was dressed completely in black, and full of tears and scars and marked by time and battles at least as much as his hut.

Aston was in the cabin alone with Undertaker- or rather, they were the only two alive. There were many other people in the shed, but none of them were actually alive.

Everyone knew of the strange mania of what they called the Undertaker for death, and the upside-down corpses of the animals he had personally buried proved it. They said he was born a squib and had obtained his magic through secondary means, exploiting the favors of strange gods from distant continents and attracting thousand-year-old curses upon himself.

Bullshit. Aston didn't believe it. She herself knew magicians who practiced necromancy, or at least tried, and sometimes it even worked. Not that way.

Into the hut, shuffling his feet heavily, a tall, gigantic fat man entered her, taller than the tall Aston and almost the size of the girl's older brother. His beard was black and thick and stained with dried blood, and his Gryffindor teacher's tunic was also all stained with blood. He was the former headmaster of the school, Robert Baratheon, older brother of Stannis - the defense against wizarding professor and Renly, a Slytherin troublemaker in his final year. And he had died a few years earlier while he had gone into the Dark Forest and had been attacked by some wild and dangerous animal that inhabited that forest, which was forbidden to students for that reason.

But the professors - and even the principal - should have emerged unscathed, with the grandiose magical and combative powers that he had been able to demonstrate in all those almost twenty years of teaching.

The rumor was circulating among the Ravenclaws that it wasn't an animal that slaughtered him in that way at all, but nothing more than the secret animagus of some other teacher there in the school, envious of his title.

Aston had doubts about Professor Cersei Lannister, who had now even succeeded her late husband Robert, becoming her headmaster in turn and ruling Winter Hogwarts with an iron fist.

"Oh, you're a Royce, huh? Lord Royce's middle daughter I suppose." Robert said, almost ruffling her hair. Aston withdrew angrily. She didn't want that undead old man to ruin her hairdo.

"You have your brother's size but the bad temper of your lineage." Robert Baratheon replied to that gesture.

The undertaker, as everyone called him Undertaker, arrived in the room shortly afterwards accompanied by the little boy he had found in the woods. He was now a little more stable on his thin legs, and he was visibly shaking. The Undertaker still didn't speak - that man rarely did, and maybe it was for the best - but he pushed him towards Aston, who tried to grab him as best he could while he almost fell to the ground. He found it on him and realized to his horror that he weighed almost nothing, probably only the weight of his bones and the heavy Winter Hogwarts clothes he was wearing.

He looked up at Aston, and if she avoided looking at the gash on his throat, the missing eye and the skull split in one place, Aston could almost have called him cute. Short, soft, reddish-blond hair, green eyes (now only one) and pale complexion, made even lighter by death.

"So it's… it's dangerous?" Aston asked both the Baratheon zombie and the Gravedigger, and neither responded.

"I'm not." however, the boy under her hissed, much shorter than Aston's almost six feet tall.

"My name is Beric Dondarrion, I'm part of Hufflepgsd! I'm from…"

The air of pride that he had put on himself for a moment suddenly collapsed when he realized that he didn't remember many things about himself.

"All zombies lose some memories of their past life, that's normal." Beric cheered him up, but he burst out in a fit of anger. "I'm not a zombie! Don't call me a zombie!" he chirped nervously.

"Everyone's nervous tonight!" Robert said, saying a few swear words and leaving.

Previous Chapter Next Chapter