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mothwingwritings · 8 months ago

Note

Your Yujiro x reader has been on my mind recently, and an interesting idea came into my head - what would happen if the reader somehow stumbled upon Yuichiro? What would he think of the whole situation, particularly because he is of a *very* different temperament than his son? Would he develop some sort of feelings for (reader)? I'm pretty sure Yujiro would be pissed to see his father meddling in things 😭

You're one of my fav writers on here!! Keep it up ❤︎ and make sure to take care of yourself ☺️

… I can’t believe I didn’t think of writing anything for Yuichiro before this ask lol. How could I write so much about the Hanma family’s favorite girl (you) and never mention Yuichiro??? Shame on me tbh, let’s change that now!

(And thank you for your kind words!!! You are very sweet! <3)

WARNINGS: Mentions of sex, noncon, past abuse, and stepcest.

If by some miracle act Yuichiro was able to obtain a corporeal form and once more walk amongst the living, he would be very intrigued by how far his lineage had come and what the Hanma’s were able to accomplish. Being the start of it all, he had a vague idea of how things most likely have progressed. There is no doubt that his unruly son has grown massively strong, and he’s sure that strength has caused countless problems for people near and far.

He was aware that Yujiro had children at this point, taking quite an interest himself in Baki and Jack’s development. Children weren’t always guaranteed to take after their parents, so it was always a delight when at least one of your offspring was able to carry on the family line with the strength and power you and your ancestors worked so tirelessly to cultivate. When Yuichiro found out that of all the children Yujiro had fathered, not just one, but two showed such immense potential? He was as pleased as he was proud, even more so to discover Baki and Jack lacked the level of belligerent arrogance that made their father an unbearably volatile presence to be around.

While he was taking note of his family line he happened upon a surprising outlier- you. He was at first puzzled by the fact that the Ogre, with all his rampant testosterone, was even able to produce a daughter. When he dug a little deeper and realized you were adopted into the family, while that in and of itself made sense, it left him with even more questions. Why would someone like Yujiro go out of his way to adopt someone else’s child, let alone a female, when he barely cared about the children he himself had brought into this world? Based on the limited knowledge he had of you, you didn’t have any kind of superior strength or secret, hidden abilities that may have spurred his son to take you under his wing. So how exactly did you become awarded with the name of Hanma?

The mystery became too intriguing to ignore, thus he sought you out.

The moment he saw you, he instantly began to understand your appeal. He kept his distance at first, not wanting to overwhelm you with his presence as he made his initial observations. From what he could gather, you were a thoughtful girl, kind and affable to your friends and strangers alike. He noted that you seemed a little jumpy, on edge in scenarios you should feel more at ease, and he worried that maybe he wasn’t concealing himself enough and you were catching on to his surveillance. You may not have Hanma blood in your veins, but you’ve been around them enough to recognize the specific aura they exude. He would need to be more careful, maybe conducting his research on you was best done through other means.

Hence, he decided to look into your relationships with his son and grandsons, hoping to get a better picture of who you were as a person and unravel the secret of how you became intertwined in their lives.

However, what he ended up finding out was not anything he ever expected.

As soon as he learned the horrific truth of how his family had handled you, the revolting nature in which not just his son, but his grandchildren, showed their ‘affection’ for you, he was at a loss for words. Yuichiro was beyond disgusted by their actions, particularly due to the fact that their aggressions were against an innocent woman who had no means of defending herself against the brutes that were incessantly at her heels.

Your jittery nature made complete sense now. You weren’t constantly on edge because you were a naturally excitable person- you were on edge as a defense mechanism. You had to be cautious around everyone for your own self-preservation, frightened that you may unwittingly be subjugating yourself and the people around you to extreme danger by being in a public space. The man who was supposed to be your father figure had assaulted you, hurting and scarring you in irreparable ways. The brothers that you loved and looked to for protection ended up having the same perversions as the man who had created them, betraying your trust in their attempts to force themselves upon you.

Disgusted wasn’t a strong enough word for what he had felt upon learning these revelations. His disappointment in his kin was immeasurable.

When he finally introduces himself to you, it’s apprehension that greets him in return. He can see the fear reflected in your eyes as you were faced with the instant realization of his strength the absolute power he held over not just you, but anyone who may step to him. Yuichiro was a complete stranger to you, in fact you probably hadn’t even seen a picture of him to make any sort of connection. But he could tell that within moments of making your acquaintance, you understood who he was. He was a Hanma, and therefore, he was a threat.

Seeing you cower before him, your whole body vibrating in a state of alarm, eyes darting around the vicinity as you tried to map an escape route should this meeting go south… it broke his heart. It wasn’t that he was immune to your charms, Yuichiro could definitely see the appeal of wanting to be close to you in an intimate manner, but to take you by force? To treat you so horribly, handle you so violently? It took all his power not to make his rage over the injustices you had faced show on his features, lest he frighten you further.

It took a while for you to warm up to him, but the relationship that blossomed was well worth the effort. You were a lovely person all around, beautiful in every sense of the word. The more he got to know you, the more he saw your true personality shine through, and the longer he spent with you, the more his affection for you grew.

Yuichiro had made his decision. You would be safe with him-completely and undeniably cared for under his watchful eye. He would be the father Yujiro never could be, the protector your brothers failed to be. He would become your family, a true family, and insure that you will never have to spend another day living in fear ever again.

In short, Yuichiro’s arrival would probably be the ONLY thing that would ultimately protect you from Yujiro and the rest of the Hanma family. This is great for you because he’s a man of his word, the moment you come under his care Yujiro’s entire existence is like a distant nightmare, and that is something you are exceedingly grateful for. However, you feel the absence of Jack and Baki much more profoundly, as you considered them to be your true family and still love them very deeply. Even though you know ultimately this arrangement is for the best, and you feel much safer and happier in Yuichiro’s care than you have ever felt with anyone else in your life, you still find yourself missing Jack and Baki greatly. Even with their betrayal shattering the last of your innocence, causing you deep and lasting scars, life without them still hurt, and you don’t think you’ll ever heal enough to ignore the pain.

… All this being said, it wouldn’t be on brand for me to answer this without fucking it up a little bit, right?

After some time living with Yuichiro, growing dependent on him for basic care and protection, his fondness for you begins to manifest in ways that are… shocking, even to Yuichiro himself.

Maybe it was the long absence of a lover that began to steer his desires, or perhaps it was the sweet and selfless nature in which you offered your love to him? Who knew it would warm his heart so much to see you standing in the kitchen, sweet little apron tied around your waist as you hummed a little tune, hard at work preparing a new recipe you had picked out specifically to please him? All the little things you did without a second thought made is body and soul ache for you.

You were always cute, but when exactly did you become so irresistible to him?

It caught him off guard to feel a flutter in his stomach when he saw your smile or heard your laugh. At his age he figured he was far past feelings like this, especially with someone so much younger than himself, especially with you.

He didn’t expect the blush that dusted your cheeks when he entered the bath you were currently occupying to excite him as much as it did. He took great pride in the control he had over his body, keeping his emotions and desire in check was one of his strong suits. But seeing you there, bare and bashful, trying desperately to cover yourself while your eyes refused to linger on any part of his exposed body for too long… you were definitely testing his limits here, sweetheart.

Did you know how effortlessly beautiful you were? Did you realize just how tantalizing even the most innocent of your actions were? Would it upset you if he told you how pretty he found your body, as his eyes drank in every inch of skin you were working so hard to hide? Would it scare you if he helped you to understand just how much sway you had over not just his heart, but all of his wants and desires?

He had chided and scorned his family for their mistreatment of you, the sick, twisted feelings they pummeled you with not only threatened your existence, but were also a stain on the illustrious Hanma name. Yuichiro wanted nothing more than your happiness and your security, both were things he took great honor in providing to you, and he found his own joy in knowing you felt contentment with him after so much suffering. But he was starting to get an itch that was growing harder and harder to scratch. An itch he felt his kin was all too familiar with.

Maybe he’s not so different from his son and grandsons after all?

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yamayuandadu · 10 months ago

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Shikigami and onmyōdō through history: truth, fiction and everything in between

Abe no Seimei exorcising disease spirits (疫病神, yakubyōgami), as depicted in the Fudō Riyaku Engi Emaki. Two creatures who might be shikigami are visible in the bottom right corner (wikimedia commons; identification following Bernard Faure’s Rage and Ravage, pp. 57-58)

In popular culture, shikigami are basically synonymous with onmyōdō. Was this always the case, though? And what is a shikigami, anyway? These questions are surprisingly difficult to answer. I’ve been meaning to attempt to do so for a longer while, but other projects kept getting in the way. Under the cut, you will finally be able to learn all about this matter.

This isn’t just a shikigami article, though. Since historical context is a must, I also provide a brief history of onmyōdō and some of its luminaries. You will also learn if there were female onmyōji, when stars and time periods turn into deities, what onmyōdō has to do with a tale in which Zhong Kui became a king of a certain city in India - and more!

The early days of onmyōdō In order to at least attempt to explain what the term shikigami might have originally entailed, I first need to briefly summarize the history of onmyōdō (陰陽道). This term can be translated as “way of yin and yang”, and at the core it was a Japanese adaptation of the concepts of, well, yin and yang, as well as the five elements. They reached Japan through Daoist and Buddhist sources. Daoism itself never really became a distinct religion in Japan, but onmyōdō is arguably among the most widespread adaptations of its principles in Japanese context.

Kibi no Makibi, as depicted by Yoshitoshi Tsukioka (wikimedia commons)

It’s not possible to speak of a singular founder of onmyōdō comparable to the patriarchs of Buddhist schools. Bernard Faure notes that in legends the role is sometimes assigned to Kibi no Makibi, an eighth century official who spent around 20 years in China. While he did bring many astronomical treatises with him when he returned, this is ultimately just a legend which developed long after he passed away.

In reality onmyōdō developed gradually starting with the sixth century, when Chinese methods of divination and treatises dealing with these topics first reached Japan. Early on Buddhist monks from the Korean kingdom of Baekje were the main sources of this knowledge. We know for example that the Soga clan employed such a specialist, a certain Gwalleuk (観勒; alternatively known under the Japanese reading of his name, Kanroku).

Obviously, divination was viewed as a very serious affair, so the imperial court aimed to regulate the continental techniques in some way. This was accomplished by emperor Tenmu with the formation of the onmyōryō (陰陽寮), “bureau of yin and yang” as a part of the ritsuryō system of governance. Much like in China, the need to control divination was driven by the fears that otherwise it would be used to legitimize courtly intrigues against the emperor, rebellions and other disturbances. Officials taught and employed by onmyōryō were referred to as onmyōji (陰陽師). This term can be literally translated as “yin-yang master”. In the Nara period, they were understood essentially as a class of public servants. Their position didn’t substantially differ from that of other specialists from the onmyōryō: calendar makers, officials responsible for proper measurement of time and astrologers. The topics they dealt with evidently weren’t well known among commoners, and they were simply typical members of the literate administrative elite of their times.

Onmyōdō in the Heian period: magic, charisma and nobility

The role of onmyōji changed in the Heian period. They retained the position of official bureaucratic diviners in employ of the court, but they also acquired new duties. The distinction between them and other onmyōryō officials became blurred. Additionally their activity extended to what was collectively referred to as jujutsu (呪術), something like “magic” though this does not fully reflect the nuances of this term. They presided over rainmaking rituals, purification ceremonies, so-called “earth quelling”, and establishing complex networks of temporal and directional taboos.

A Muromachi period depiction of Abe no Seimei (wikimedia commons)

The most famous historical onmyōji like Kamo no Yasunori and his student Abe no Seimei were active at a time when this version of onmyōdō was a fully formed - though obviously still evolving - set of practices and beliefs. In a way they represented a new approach, though - one in which personal charisma seemed to matter just as much, if not more, than official position. This change was recognized as a breakthrough by at least some of their contemporaries. For example, according to the diary of Minamoto no Tsuneyori, the Sakeiki (左經記), “in Japan, the foundations of onmyōdō were laid by Yasunori”.

The changes in part reflected the fact that onmyōji started to be privately contracted for various reasons by aristocrats, in addition to serving the state. Shin’ichi Shigeta notes that it essentially turned them from civil servants into tradespeople. However, he stresses they cannot be considered clergymen: their position was more comparable to that of physicians, and there is no indication they viewed their activities as a distinct religion. Indeed, we know of multiple Heian onmyōji, like Koremune no Fumitaka or Kamo no Ieyoshi, who by their own admission were devout Buddhists who just happened to work as professional diviners.

Shin’ichi Shigeta notes is evidence that in addition to the official, state-sanctioned onmyōji, “unlicensed” onmyōji who acted and dressed like Buddhist clergy, hōshi onmyōji (法師陰陽師) existed. The best known example is Ashiya Dōman, a mainstay of Seimei legends, but others are mentioned in diaries, including the famous Pillow Book. It seems nobles particularly commonly employed them to curse rivals. This was a sphere official onmyōji abstained from due to legal regulations. Curses were effectively considered crimes, and government officials only performed apotropaic rituals meant to protect from them. The Heian period version of onmyōdō captivated the imagination of writers and artists, and its slightly exaggerated version present in classic literature like Konjaku Monogatari is essentially what modern portrayals in fiction tend to go back to.

Medieval onmyōdō: from abstract concepts to deities

Gozu Tennō (wikimedia commons)

Further important developments occurred between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries. This period was the beginning of the Japanese “middle ages” which lasted all the way up to the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate. The focus in onmyōdō in part shifted towards new, or at least reinvented, deities, such as calendarical spirits like Daishōgun (大将軍) and Ten’ichijin (天一神), personifications of astral bodies and concepts already crucial in earlier ceremonies. There was also an increased interest in Chinese cosmological figures like Pangu, reimagined in Japan as “king Banko”. However, the most famous example is arguably Gozu Tennō, who you might remember from my Susanoo article.

The changes in medieval onmyōdō can be described as a process of convergence with esoteric Buddhism. The points of connection were rituals focused on astral and underworld deities, such as Taizan Fukun or Shimei (Chinese Siming). Parallels can be drawn between this phenomenon and the intersection between esoteric Buddhism and some Daoist schools in Tang China. Early signs of the development of a direct connection between onmyōdō and Buddhism can already be found in sources from the Heian period, for example Kamo no Yasunori remarked that he and other onmyōji depend on the same sources to gain proper understanding of ceremonies focused on the Big Dipper as Shingon monks do.

Much of the information pertaining to the medieval form of onmyōdō is preserved in Hoki Naiden (ほき内伝; “Inner Tradition of the Square and the Round Offering Vessels”), a text which is part divination manual and part a collection of myths. According to tradition it was compiled by Abe no Seimei, though researchers generally date it to the fourteenth century. For what it’s worth, it does seem likely its author was a descendant of Seimei, though. Outside of specialized scholarship Hoki Naiden is fairly obscure today, but it’s worth noting that it was a major part of the popular perception of onmyōdō in the Edo period. A novel whose influence is still visible in the modern image of Seimei, Abe no Seimei Monogatari (安部晴明物語), essentially revolves around it, for instance.

Onmyōdō in the Edo period: occupational licensing

Novels aside, the first post-medieval major turning point for the history of onmyōdō was the recognition of the Tsuchimikado family as its official overseers in 1683. They were by no means new to the scene - onmyōji from this family already served the Ashikaga shoguns over 250 years earlier. On top of that, they were descendants of the earlier Abe family, the onmyōji par excellence. The change was not quite the Tsuchimikado’s rise, but rather the fact the government entrusted them with essentially regulating occupational licensing for all onmyōji, even those who in earlier periods existed outside of official administration.

As a result of the new policies, various freelance practitioners could, at least in theory, obtain a permit to perform the duties of an onmyōji. However, as the influence of the Tsuchimikado expanded, they also sought to oblige various specialists who would not be considered onmyōji otherwise to purchase licenses from them. Their aim was to essentially bring all forms of divination under their control. This extended to clergy like Buddhist monks, shugenja and shrine priests on one hand, and to various performers like members of kagura troupes on the other.

Makoto Hayashi points out that while throughout history onmyōji has conventionally been considered a male occupation, it was possible for women to obtain licenses from the Tsuchimikado. Furthermore, there was no distinct term for female onmyōji, in contrast with how female counterparts of Buddhist monks, shrine priests and shugenja were referred to with different terms and had distinct roles defined by their gender. As far as I know there’s no earlier evidence for female onmyōji, though, so it’s safe to say their emergence had a lot to do with the specifics of the new system. It seems the poems of the daughter of Kamo no Yasunori (her own name is unknown) indicate she was familiar with yin-yang theory or at least more broadly with Chinese philosophy, but that’s a topic for a separate article (stay tuned), and it's not quite the same, obviously.

The Tsuchimikado didn’t aim to create a specific ideology or systems of beliefs. Therefore, individual onmyōji - or, to be more accurate, individual people with onmyōji licenses - in theory could pursue new ideas. This in some cases lead to controversies: for instance, some of the people involved in the (in)famous 1827 Osaka trial of alleged Christians (whether this label really is applicable is a matter of heated debate) were officially licensed onmyōji. Some of them did indeed possess translated books written by Portuguese missionaries, which obviously reflected Catholic outlook. However, Bernard Faure suggests that some of the Edo period onmyōji might have pursued Portuguese sources not strictly because of an interest in Catholicism but simply to obtain another source of astronomical knowledge.

The legacy of onmyōdō

In the Meiji period, onmyōdō was banned alongside shugendō. While the latter tradition experienced a revival in the second half of the twentieth century, the former for the most part didn’t. However, that doesn’t mean the history of onmyōdō ends once and for all in the second half of the nineteenth century.

Even today in some parts of Japan there are local religious traditions which, while not identical with historical onmyōdō, retain a considerable degree of influence from it. An example often cited in scholarship is Izanagi-ryū (いざなぎ流) from the rural Monobe area in the Kōchi Prefecture. Mitsuki Ueno stresses that the occasional references to Izanagi-ryū as “modern onmyōdō” in literature from the 1990s and early 2000s are inaccurate, though. He points out they downplay the unique character of this tradition, and that it shows a variety of influences. Similar arguments have also been made regarding local traditions from the Chūgoku region.

Until relatively recently, in scholarship onmyōdō was basically ignored as superstition unworthy of serious inquiries. This changed in the final decades of the twentieth century, with growing focus on the Japanese middle ages among researchers. The first monographs on onmyōdō were published in the 1980s. While it’s not equally popular as a subject of research as esoteric Buddhism and shugendō, formerly neglected for similar reasons, it has nonetheless managed to become a mainstay of inquiries pertaining to the history of religion in Japan.

Yoshitaka Amano's illustration of Baku Yumemakura's fictionalized portrayal of Abe no Seimei (right) and other characters from his novels (reproduced here for educational purposes only)

Of course, it’s also impossible to talk about onmyōdō without mentioning the modern “onmyōdō boom”. Starting with the 1980s, onmyōdō once again became a relatively popular topic among writers. Novel series such as Baku Yumemakura’s Onmyōji, Hiroshi Aramata’s Teito Monogatari or Natsuhiko Kyōgoku’s Kyōgōkudō and their adaptations in other media once again popularized it among general audiences. Of course, since these are fantasy or mystery novels, their historical accuracy tends to vary (Yumemakura in particular is reasonably faithful to historical literature, though). Still, they have a lasting impact which would be impossible to accomplish with scholarship alone.

Shikigami: historical truth, historical fiction, or both?

You might have noticed that despite promising a history of shikigami, I haven’t used this term even once through the entire crash course in history of onmyōdō. This was a conscious choice. Shikigami do not appear in any onmyōdō texts, even though they are a mainstay of texts about onmyōdō, and especially of modern literature involving onmyōji.

It would be unfair to say shikigami and their prominence are merely a modern misconception, though. Virtually all of the famous legends about onmyōji feature shikigami, starting with the earliest examples from the eleventh century. Based on Konjaku Monogatari, there evidently was a fascination with shikigami at the time of its compilation. Fujiwara no Akihira in the Shinsarugakuki treats the control of shikigami as an essential skill of an onmyōji, alongside the abilities to “freely summon the twelve guardian deities, call thirty-six types of wild birds (...), create spells and talismans, open and close the eyes of kijin (鬼神; “demon gods”), and manipulate human souls”.

It is generally agreed that such accounts, even though they belong to the realm of literary fiction, can shed light on the nature and importance of shikigami. They ultimately reflect their historical context to some degree. Furthermore, it is not impossible that popular understanding of shikigami based on literary texts influenced genuine onmyōdō tradition. It’s worth pointing out that today legends about Abe no Seimei involving them are disseminated by two contemporary shrines dedicated to him, the Seimei Shrine (晴明神社) in Kyoto and the Abe no Seimei Shrine (安倍晴明神社) in Osaka. Interconnected networks of exchange between literature and religious practice are hardly a unique or modern phenomenon.

However, even with possible evidence from historical literature taken into account, it is not easy to define shikigami. The word itself can be written in three different ways: 式神 (or just 式), 識神 and 職神, with the first being the default option. The descriptions are even more varied, which understandably lead to the rise of numerous interpretations in modern scholarship. Carolyn Pang in her recent treatments of shikigami, which you can find in the bibliography, has recently divided them into five categories. I will follow her classification below.

Shikigami take 1: rikujin-shikisen

An example of shikiban, the divination board used in rikujin-shikisen (Museum of Kyoto, via onmarkproductions.com; reproduced here for educational purposes only)

A common view is that shikigami originate as a symbolic representation of the power of shikisen (式占) or more specifically rikujin-shikisen (六壬式占), the most common form of divination in onmyōdō. It developed from Chinese divination methods in the Nara period, and remained in the vogue all the way up to the sixteenth century, when it was replaced by ekisen (易占), a method derived from the Chinese Book of Changes.

Shikisen required a special divination board known as shikiban (式盤), which consists of a square base, the “earth panel” (地盤, jiban), and a rotating circle placed on top of it, the “heaven panel” (天盤, tenban). The former was marked with twelve points representing the signs of the zodiac and the latter with representations of the “twelve guardians of the months” (十二月将, jūni-gatsushō; their identity is not well defined). The heaven panel had to be rotated, and the diviner had to interpret what the resulting combination of symbols represents. Most commonly, it was treated as an indication whether an unusual phenomenon (怪/恠, ke) had positive or negative implications. It’s worth pointing out that in the middle ages the shikiban also came to be used in some esoteric Buddhist rituals, chiefly these focused on Dakiniten, Shōten and Nyoirin Kannon. However, they were only performed between the late Heian and Muromachi periods, and relatively little is known about them. In most cases the divination board was most likely modified to reference the appropriate esoteric deities.

Shikigami take 2: cognitive abilities

While the view that shikigami represented shikisen is strengthened by the fact both terms share the kanji 式, a variant writing, 識神, lead to the development of another proposal. Since the basic meaning of 識 is “consciousness”, it is sometimes argued that shikigami were originally an “anthropomorphic realization of the active psychological or mental state”, as Caroline Pang put it - essentially, a representation of the will of an onmyōji. Most of the potential evidence in this case comes from Buddhist texts, such as Bosatsushotaikyō (菩薩処胎経).

However, Bernard Faure assumes that the writing 識神 was a secondary reinterpretation, basically a wordplay based on homonymy. He points out the Buddhist sources treat this writing of shikigami as a synonym of kushōjin (倶生神). This term can be literally translated as “deities born at the same time”. Most commonly it designates a pair of minor deities who, as their name indicates, come into existence when a person is born, and then records their deeds through their entire life. Once the time for Enma’s judgment after death comes, they present him with their compiled records. It has been argued that they essentially function like a personification of conscience.

Shikigami take 3: energy

A further speculative interpretation of shikigami in scholarship is that this term was understood as a type of energy present in objects or living beings which onmyōji were believed to be capable of drawing out and harnessing to their ends. This could be an adaptation of the Daoist notion of qi (氣). If this definition is correct, pieces of paper or wooden instruments used in purification ceremonies might be examples of objects utilized to channel shikigami.

The interpretation of shikigami as a form of energy is possibly reflected in Konjaku Monogatari in the tale The Tutelage of Abe no Seimei under Tadayuki. It revolves around Abe no Seimei’s visit to the house of the Buddhist monk Kuwanten from Hirosawa. Another of his guests asks Seimei if he is capable of killing a person with his powers, and if he possesses shikigami. He affirms that this is possible, but makes it clear that it is not an easy task. Since the guests keep urging him to demonstrate nonetheless, he promptly demonstrates it using a blade of grass. Once it falls on a frog, the animal is instantly crushed to death. From the same tale we learn that Seimei’s control over shikigami also let him remotely close the doors and shutters in his house while nobody was inside.

Shikigami take 4: curse As I already mentioned, arts which can be broadly described as magic - like the already mentioned jujutsu or juhō (呪法, “magic rituals”) - were regarded as a core part of onmyōji’s repertoire from the Heian period onward. On top of that, the unlicensed onmyōji were almost exclusively associated with curses. Therefore, it probably won’t surprise you to learn that yet another theory suggests shikigami is simply a term for spells, curses or both. A possible example can be found in Konjaku Monogatari, in the tale Seimei sealing the young Archivist Minor Captains curse - the eponymous curse, which Seimei overcomes with protective rituals, is described as a shikigami.

Kunisuda Utagawa's illustration of an actor portraying Dōman in a kabuki play (wikimedia commons)

Similarities between certain descriptions of shikigami and practices such as fuko (巫蠱) and goraihō (五雷法) have been pointed out. Both of these originate in China. Fuko is the use of poisonous, venomous or otherwise negatively perceived animals to create curses, typically by putting them in jars, while goraihō is the Japanese version of Daoist spells meant to control supernatural beings, typically ghosts or foxes. It’s worth noting that a legend according to which Dōman cursed Fujiwara no Michinaga on behalf of lord Horikawa (Fujiwara no Akimitsu) involves him placing the curse - which is itself not described in detail - inside a jar.

Mitsuki Ueno notes that in the Kōchi Prefecture the phrase shiki wo utsu, “to strike with a shiki”, is still used to refer to cursing someone. However, shiki does not necessarily refer to shikigami in this context, but rather to a related but distinct concept - more on that later.

Shikigami take 5: supernatural being

While all four definitions I went through have their proponents, yet another option is by far the most common - the notion of shikigami being supernatural beings controlled by an onmyōji. This is essentially the standard understanding of the term today among general audiences. Sometimes attempts are made to identify it with a specific category of supernatural beings, like spirits (精霊, seirei), kijin or lesser deities (下級神, kakyū shin). However, none of these gained universal support. Generally speaking, there is no strong indication that shikigami were necessarily imagined as individualized beings with distinct traits.

The notion of shikigami being supernatural beings is not just a modern interpretation, though, for the sake of clarity. An early example where the term is unambiguously used this way is a tale from Ōkagami in which Seimei sends a nondescript shikigami to gather information. The entity, who is not described in detail, possesses supernatural skills, but simultaneously still needs to open doors and physically travel.

An illustration from Nakifudō Engi Emaki (wikimedia commons)

In Genpei Jōsuiki there is a reference to Seimei’s shikigami having a terrifying appearance which unnerved his wife so much he had to order the entities to hide under a bride instead of residing in his house. Carolyn Pang suggests that this reflects the demon-like depictions from works such as Abe no Seimei-kō Gazō (安倍晴明公画像; you can see it in the Heian section), Fudōriyaku Engi Emaki and Nakifudō Engi Emaki.

Shikigami and related concepts

A gohō dōji, as depicted in the Shigisan Engi Emaki (wikimedia commons)

The understanding of shikigami as a “spirit servant” of sorts can be compared with the Buddhist concept of minor protective deities, gohō dōji (護法童子; literally “dharma-protecting lads”). These in turn were just one example of the broad category of gohō (護法), which could be applied to virtually any deity with protective qualities, like the historical Buddha’s defender Vajrapāṇi or the Four Heavenly Kings. A notable difference between shikigami and gohō is the fact that the former generally required active summoning - through chanting spells and using mudras - while the latter manifested on their own in order to protect the pious. Granted, there are exceptions. There is a well attested legend according to which Abe no Seimei’s shikigami continued to protect his residence on own accord even after he passed away. Shikigami acting on their own are also mentioned in Zoku Kojidan (続古事談). It attributes the political downfall of Minamoto no Takaakira (源高明; 914–98) to his encounter with two shikigami who were left behind after the onmyōji who originally summoned them forgot about them.

A degree of overlap between various classes of supernatural helpers is evident in texts which refer to specific Buddhist figures as shikigami. I already brought up the case of the kushōjin earlier. Another good example is the Tendai monk Kōshū’s (光宗; 1276–1350) description of Oto Gohō (乙護法). He is “a shikigami that follows us like the shadow follows the body. Day or night, he never withdraws; he is the shikigami that protects us” (translation by Bernard Faure). This description is essentially a reversal of the relatively common title “demon who constantly follow beings” (常随魔, jōzuima). It was applied to figures such as Kōjin, Shōten or Matarajin, who were constantly waiting for a chance to obstruct rebirth in a pure land if not placated properly.

The Twelve Heavenly Generals (Tokyo National Museum, via wikimedia commons)

A well attested group of gohō, the Twelve Heavenly Generals (十二神将, jūni shinshō), and especially their leader Konpira (who you might remember from my previous article), could be labeled as shikigami. However, Fujiwara no Akihira’s description of onmyōji skills evidently presents them as two distinct classes of beings.

A kuda-gitsune, as depicted in Shōzan Chomon Kishū by Miyoshi Shōzan (Waseda University History Museum; reproduced here for educational purposes only)

Granted, Akihira also makes it clear that controlling shikigami and animals are two separate skills. Meanwhile, there is evidence that in some cases animal familiars, especially kuda-gitsune used by iizuna (a term referring to shugenja associated with the cult of, nomen omen, Iizuna Gongen, though more broadly also something along the lines of “sorcerer”), were perceived as shikigami.

Beliefs pertaining to gohō dōji and shikigami seemingly merged in Izanagi-ryū, which lead to the rise of the notion of shikiōji (式王子; ōji, literally “prince”, can be another term for gohō dōji). This term refers to supernatural beings summoned by a ritual specialist (祈祷師, kitōshi) using a special formula from doctrinal texts (法文, hōmon). They can fulfill various functions, though most commonly they are invoked to protect a person, to remove supernatural sources of diseases, to counter the influence of another shikiōji or in relation to curses.

Tenkeisei, the god of shikigami

Tenkeisei (wikimedia commons)

The final matter which warrants some discussion is the unusual tradition regarding the origin of shikigami which revolves around a deity associated with this concept.

In the middle ages, a belief that there were exactly eighty four thousand shikigami developed. Their source was the god Tenkeisei (天刑星; also known as Tengyōshō). His name is the Japanese reading of Chinese Tianxingxing. It can be translated as “star of heavenly punishment”. This name fairly accurately explains his character. He was regarded as one of the so-called “baleful stars” (凶星, xiong xing) capable of controlling destiny. The “punishment” his name refers to is his treatment of disease demons (疫鬼, ekiki). However, he could punish humans too if not worshiped properly.

Today Tenkeisei is best known as one of the deities depicted in a series of paintings known as Extermination of Evil, dated to the end of the twelfth century. He has the appearance of a fairly standard multi-armed Buddhist deity. The anonymous painter added a darkly humorous touch by depicting him right as he dips one of the defeated demons in vinegar before eating him. Curiously, his adversaries are said to be Gozu Tennō and his retinue in the accompanying text. This, as you will quickly learn, is a rather unusual portrayal of the relationship between these two deities.

I’m actually not aware of any other depictions of Tenkeisei than the painting you can see above. Katja Triplett notes that onmyōdō rituals associated with him were likely surrounded by an aura of secrecy, and as a result most depictions of him were likely lost or destroyed. At the same time, it seems Tenkeisei enjoyed considerable popularity through the Kamakura period. This is not actually paradoxical when you take the historical context into account: as I outlined in my recent Amaterasu article, certain categories of knowledge were labeled as secret not to make their dissemination forbidden, but to imbue them with more meaning and value.

Numerous talismans inscribed with Tenkeisei’s name are known. Furthermore, manuals of rituals focused on him have been discovered. The best known of them, Tenkeisei-hō (天刑星法; “Tenkeisei rituals”), focuses on an abisha (阿尾捨, from Sanskrit āveśa), a ritual involving possession by the invoked deity. According to a legend was transmitted by Kibi no Makibi and Kamo no Yasunori. The historicity of this claim is doubtful, though: the legend has Kamo no Yasunori visit China, which he never did. Most likely mentioning him and Makibi was just a way to provide the text with additional legitimacy.

Other examples of similar Tenkeisei manuals include Tenkeisei Gyōhō (天刑星行法; “Methods of Tenkeisei Practice”) and Tenkeisei Gyōhō Shidai (天刑星行法次第; “Methods of Procedure for the Tenkeisei Practice”). Copies of these texts have been preserved in the Shingon temple Kōzan-ji.

The Hoki Naiden also mentions Tenkeisei. It equates him with Gozu Tennō, and explains both of these names refer to the same deity, Shōki (商貴), respectively in heaven and on earth. While Shōki is an adaptation of the famous Zhong Kui, it needs to be pointed out that here he is described not as a Tang period physician but as an ancient king of Rajgir in India. Furthermore, he is a yaksha, not a human. This fairly unique reinterpretation is also known from the historical treatise Genkō Shakusho. Post scriptum The goal of this article was never to define shikigami. In the light of modern scholarship, it’s basically impossible to provide a single definition in the first place. My aim was different: to illustrate that context is vital when it comes to understanding obscure historical terms. Through history, shikigami evidently meant slightly different things to different people, as reflected in literature. However, this meaning was nonetheless consistently rooted in the evolving perception of onmyōdō - and its internal changes. In other words, it reflected a world which was fundamentally alive. The popular image of Japanese culture and religion is often that of an artificial, unchanging landscape straight from the “age of the gods”, largely invented in the nineteenth century or later to further less than noble goals. The case of shikigami proves it doesn’t need to be, though. The malleable, ever-changing image of shikigami, which remained a subject of popular speculation for centuries before reemerging in a similar role in modern times, proves that the more complex reality isn’t necessarily any less interesting to new audiences.

Bibliography

Bernard Faure, A Religion in Search of a Founder?

Idem, Rage and Ravage (Gods of Medieval Japan vol. 3)

Makoto Hayashi, The Female Christian Yin-Yang Master

Jun’ichi Koike, Onmyōdō and Folkloric Culture: Three Perspectives for the Development of Research

Irene H. Lin, Child Guardian Spirits (Gohō Dōji) in the Medieval Japanese Imaginaire

Yoshifumi Nishioka, Aspects of Shikiban-Based Mikkyō Rituals

Herman Ooms, Yin-Yang's Changing Clientele, 600-800 (note there is n apparent mistake in one of the footnotes, I'm pretty sure the author wanted to write Mesopotamian astronomy originated 4000 years ago, not 4 millenia BCE as he did; the latter date makes little sense)

Carolyn Pang, Spirit Servant: Narratives of Shikigami and Onmyōdō Developments

Idem, Uncovering Shikigami. The Search for the Spirit Servant of Onmyōdō

Shin’ichi Shigeta, Onmyōdō and the Aristocratic Culture of Everyday Life in Heian Japan

Idem, A Portrait of Abe no Seimei

Katja Triplett, Putting a Face on the Pathogen and Its Nemesis. Images of Tenkeisei and Gozutennō, Epidemic-Related Demons and Gods in Medieval Japan

Mitsuki Umeno, The Origins of the Izanagi-ryū Ritual Techniques: On the Basis of the Izanagi saimon

Katsuaki Yamashita, The Characteristics of On'yōdō and Related Texts

#onmyoji #abe no seimei #shikigami #onmyodo #japanese history

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ineffectualdemon · 3 months ago

Text

I have some thoughts on My Hero Academia

Spoilers below this point

The very beginning of the show is "almost everyone has quirks, and everyone wants to he a cool hero, and the coolest hero is All Might the Symbol of Peace"

And then we immediately learn All Might's body was wrecked in his last battle with All for One and he is holding onto his status as the Symbol for Peace by his finger tips but also that he has the ability to pass his power to Deku. Supposedly so he can be the next symbol

It's a very individualistic approach.

Deku is supposed to be this symbol alone

Like All Might usually being alone and not relying on anyone

Similarly other characters are aiming to be "The Number One Hero"

Bakugou, who was Deku's bully, when they start at UA is socially isolated and doesn't seem to care

Todoroki is stand offish due his trauma and has no connection to his fractured family

Uraraka is focused on helping her family

And Iida is only concerned with his family legacy

Then they are attacked by villains and they learn to lean on each other and be supportive

Iida goes to face the man who attacked his brother alone and ends up with Midoryia and Todoroki supporting him and he realises his mistakes

The kids team up to rescue Bakugou and Bakugou himself starts to realise his mistakes. He learns to work with others. He shows he can be a team player. He apologises to Midoryia and from that point on is the person who is guarding his back the most

Meanwhile the villains are constantly shown to be people rejected to let down by society and the community. They didn't start off villians. But they were told early on there was no real other option for them

And the adults take note and learn from the kids teamwork. The support team and other teams are shown to be super important. To the point

SPOILERS FOR THE MANGA PAST HERE

That All Might when facing All for One in the final battle is wearing a mech suit that is based off all the kids quirks

At the very end it is the power of friendship that defeats All for One. But not really.

All for One is selfishness incarnate. He wants to possess everything. Everything needs to be HIS and that includes the one thing he could never control or own completely. His brother. And in the end he was not able to get his brother back and what ended him was Midoryia pointing out the truth. He's all alone.

The difference between One for All and All for One is literally in the name but that's also the message of the show

In the epilogue there is a speech given about how it's not just about the heros. That support and other groups that make up the community are just as valuable.

Because you can't support society on the shoulders of one person. Because when he invariably breaks it all falls apart. Which is what happened. And rebuilding takes everyone. So everyone needs to maintain it and everyone is important

My Hero Academia sold itself on cool quirks and powers and imagining what kind of hero you would be

But the message is clearly individualism is poison. We need community and we need a community that doesn't turn away and reject the people who don't fit in

It's very very important that at the end the woman who turned away when faced with a lost and broken Shigaraki as he roamed the streets after what happened to his family - she is the character who sees another lost and broken boy. A boy who has been abused and abandoned and rejected because of who he is...and she reaches out a hand to help him

Yes the message is not subtle and it's pretty heavy handed at points (I mean All for One Vs One for All?) but it's still I think a good message and one that was rolled out in a very engaging and interesting way

And I think it's very intriguing that even at the end the League of villains are mourned are cared about. Are recognised as having been failed by people in their lives. They didn't have to end up here and their reasons were real even if it didn't justify the harm they did

Idk. I just really liked it

#my hero academia #mha #mha spoilers #mha manga spoilers

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honest-moth-of-silver-grove · 1 year ago

Note

Pls do Yandere!Alucard part 3!! I love the others! 😍

Ask: Pls do Yandere! Alucard part 3!! I love the others! 😍

A/N: I’ve gotten two asks for Part 3, so here you go. Note: Here are [Part 1] & [Part 2]. And other Yandere! Alucard’s imagines can be found here.

TW!: As always, this is a fictional work about a fictional character. Manipulation and abuse in real relationships are never okay, and it’s never your fault. If you need help, please click on any of these: [x] [x].

Oh and for some ambiance while reading, listen to this: [x]

* * *

It had been less than 24 hours since you and your father moved into Alucard’s castle. The journey itself was horrendous, with your father laying down in the back of a rented cart, coughing with every bump in the road.

��At least he agreed to come,’ you thought.

Truth be told, your father was never keen on the help of strangers, and you suspected that much was still true. It must have been the delirium from his fever that encouraged him to consent to such arrangements.

Alucard was kind enough to help you unload your belongings once you arrived at the castle. He even insisted on carrying your father to his new room. You thanked him profusely. It took all your strengths, your fathers and yours combined, to simply get him into the cart for the journey there; yet there Alucard was, carrying him as if your father weighed no more than a feather.

Truthfully, you were rather surprised to see Alucard walking around in the daytime- a trait you thought vampires did not possess. It seemed the more time you spent with Alucard, the more you found yourself amazed at his physicality.

Alucard had set your father up in a room exactly two floors above yours, citing contagion as a risk. Your room, you learned, was closer to Alucard’s own, just down the hall from it, should you ever need something in the later hours of the evening.

“So, I take it you don’t sleep in a coffin then?” You asked him.

“Not currently, no.” He answered rather plainly. “Although I have slept in one before.”

You nodded, intrigued. “What was that like?”

“Sleeping?” Alucard’s gaze lingered on the dark circles under your eyes. “It’s a wonderful human invention. Perhaps you should try it sometime.”

You rolled your eyes at his dramatics. “I sleep just fine,” you argued. “Besides, now that Father is here and I’m not the only one watching over him, I think I’ll sleep better. Does this mean you’ll take the first watch?” You teased back.

“First watch?” Alucard stopped in his tracks. “Just what sort of creatures do you believe reside in this castle?”

“No, I… What I meant was, for my father, I’d stay up with him at night, in the event he needed anything. Now that you’re here, I just assumed we would be taking turns.” You raised your hands defensively. “Of course, I don’t expect you to. I’m fine staying up with him by myself.”

Alucard regarded you pitifully for a moment before he continued walking. “I have some tea in the kitchen,” he said. “Allow me to show you where that is.”

Silently, you followed the tall blonde, wondering if you had said something to offend him. Perhaps your coffin comment?

“Cozy.” The rich voice of your acquaintance brought you back to the present.

“I’m sorry?” You asked.

“The coffin,” Alucard repeated, descending the stairs, “It was rather cozy.”

* * *

The castle itself seemed rather dreary and uninviting the first few times you had broken in. You supposed it was the nature of your entrance that colored it so because now, it most certainly transformed. Gone was the cold oppressive gray interior.

Instead, you found yourself catching a glimpse of gloriously detailed bewitching pictorial carpets and paintings decorating the walls, luxuriant red carpet providing padding under your feet, and thick insulating curtains pulled open with pendulum tiebacks between every major room. It was a bit odd, to say the least.

In addition to that metamorphosis, the dust and stale air seemed to have vanished as well. Perhaps, Alucard tidied up before you and your father’s arrival, but that seemed quite impossible; the castle was enormous, and a fortnight was certainly not enough time for him to have made such preparations. It would have taken days if not weeks to change the castle’s appearance. Surely, you must have been mistaken.

Following Alucard to the kitchen, your curiosity got the better of you.

“Are things… different, in here?” You asked.

Alucard turned his head back to you, seeing your wandering eyes and interested expression. “No,” he waved off your amazement, “The castle has stayed the same way for years, cemented long before you arrived.”

You nodded, frowning only a little bit. “It’s just I could’ve sworn-”

“And here we are,” Alucard’s announcement cut you off. “This is the kitchen. One of them at least. It’s the only one I’ve frequented, anyhow.”

You walked into a rather large-sized kitchen, with a tiled floor and two sets of iron-barred windows- one right over a large metal tub sink and another perpendicular from the first and centered so the light could shine on the main oak dinner table. Across from that second window, near the entrance door, was a large cast-iron oven, set against a brick chimney. Nestled in the furthest corner of the room was a series of Welsh dressers and cabinets, stocked with plates, utensils, and other miscellaneous dinnerware.

“It’s lovely,” you spoke, amazed. You were drawn to one of the Welsh dressers, noticing a set of brightly colored objects there. “What are these? Dolls?” You reached out to touch them.

Alucard scooped them up before you could, and quickly shoved them inside one of the dresser’s drawers. “Those aren’t important, don’t worry about those.”

“Oh, okay,” you said, biting your lip.

“What?”

“Nothing, it’s just,” you gestured to where the dolls were hidden, “I wasn’t going to make fun of you, you know.”

Alucard walked over to the stove. “Oh?” He placed a kettle on one of the cooktops, before turning a knob and striking a match to ignite a small flame.

“I have, or, had dolls from my childhood too. They’re probably falling apart at the seams back home somewhere,” you mused, “Or I might have lost them. Either way, it’s nothing to feel shame about.”

Alucard swallowed harshly. “They were… they remind me of some old friends who are no longer with us.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” You pulled out a chair from the table, opposite the side with the stove. “Did they live here as well?”

Alucard nodded, retrieving a tea set from a different dresser. “For a short while, yes.”

“What happened to them?”

He shrugged, placing a fine pewter saucer and teacup before you. “The same thing that happens to all humans: they were born, they aged, they died. It's certainly not a novel concept.”

At that moment you felt such sadness for him. You knew the castle was ancient, and you knew the stories of vampires began long before you were born, but you never bothered to ask Alucard his age, or where he fit in with the timing of all the local folklore.

“If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you exactly?” You watched the slightest bit of a smirk grace Alucard’s face.

“Old.”

“‘Old’?” You echoed.

“Older,” he said again for emphasis.

“Older than me?”

He nodded.

“Older than my Father?”

“Yes,” Alucard answered, drawing out the ‘s’ sound, in a soft hiss.

Nervous, you picked up the empty teacup to admire it. The metallic pewter cup was rather dainty, with an impressive embossed pattern at both the top and bottom rims with an equally impressive embossed saucer to match. It was very pretty, and nothing like you had at home.

You watched as Alucard poured the boiled water from the kettle into the large metal teapot on the table. The silence as he poured felt more and more suffocating as time went on. You suppose Alucard felt it too, seeing as how once the kettle was back on the cooktop, he was the one to initiate conversation.

“You and your Father are close, I presume?”

You nodded. “More so since my Mother and older Brother passed.” Seeing Alucard’s perplexed expression, you continued. “She died in childbirth, and my Brother, well, he joined her shortly after. That was a few years ago. My Father’s all I have left.”

“Why haven’t you married?”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re well of age.”

“I-” you scoffed, momentarily lost for words. “Are you calling me old? I’m the youngest one here!”

“You’re avoiding my question.”

“I’m not obligated to answer.”

Alucard said nothing, only picked up the pot and poured you a cup of steaming, freshly brewed tea. Again, the two of you sat in silence.

Feeling less awkward with the silence this time round, you blew lightly over the rim of your cup before taking a tentative sip, careful not to burn your mouth. You then watched half in awe, half in horror as Alucard took a hearty sip, clearly unfazed by the scalding hot temperature.

Seeing your appalled expression, Alucard chuckled a bit. “Another vampire trait.”

“Is there anything that harms you?” You asked, incredulous. “You don’t burn up in sunlight, you’re not controlled by feral bloodlust around people, and just now with the tea, scalding water doesn’t phase you one bit.”

“I do have weaknesses retained by vampires, yes. Just as I have vampiric strengths.”

“How do you know which is which?” You asked, taking a sip of your tea, the temperature finally being low enough.

“I’ve had years to experiment. Trial and error.” He answered.

“Yes, but if your trial went wrong, couldn’t you accidentally injure yourself?”

“Better me than an enemy.”

You nodded. “I suppose.”

“What about you?” Alucard asked. “How long did you experiment before realizing you needed further help in curing your Father?”

You thought back. “I didn’t do any experiments, I just tried everything I thought of to make him better. And I thought it worked, but then the sweats-

“And the cough?” Alucard interrupted.

“Yes, the cough returned. So I visited our wise woman and she sold me a tincture of wormwood and radish. It didn’t do anything. Well, it turned his skin red, but that’s about all. That’s why I came here. This place was my last hope.”

Alucard did not comment on your desperation as he poured you more tea.

“I’m truly grateful. Thank you,” you said, accepting the refilled cup. “Thank you for this,” you gestured to the tea, “And for this,” you said, gesturing broadly around you.

Alucard brushed off your appreciation with a nonchalant wave of the hand. “It’s nothing.”

You shook your head. “We had run out of options, what you’re willing to do, to try, it’s everything.”

Alucard looked at you with his trademark melancholy expression. “As I said before, I believe I know what’s wrong with your Father, and I’m going to do everything in my power to make him well. But before we begin…” His hands reached out and clasped one of yours.

You nearly jumped from the temperature difference. Your hands, having been warmed by the tea, felt like fire compared to his slender icy hands against your skin.

“There are a few things you must know.”

* * *

On the outside, Alucard played it cool, but on the inside, he was beaming. It had all been so easy! So easy to gain your trust, to gain your thanks. So much progress had been made and yet, he had learned your name just one week prior. You had relocated your belongings to a room in his castle, all transferred willingly, with no intention of removal anytime soon. Everything was working out better than he could have planned!

He was a bit hesitant to show you around the castle, having changed so many things. Then again, he assumed you’d be in too much of a state to notice. Castlevania was alive in and of itself, and he, as the inheritor of the estate, wielded a good amount of control over the living, breathing structure. The last-minute changes in decor were more of an afterthought on his part. Alucard truly didn’t mean to lie to you so blatantly, at least, not so soon after your arrival, but he had no choice. He feared that should he reveal he changed the entire castle’s decorum just to impress you, you would learn his feelings were much more intense than he was letting on.

There was always a slim chance you’d feel flattered- a single woman such as yourself. Then again, in the past, Alucard recalled, his intentions were rarely well-received. It had been generations since he truly felt the love and affection of another, and it could be argued that those relationships formed solely out of proximity among Trevor’s, Sypha’s, and his destiny. With his Father vanquished, and the remaining group of supernatural beings continually shrinking in size, Alucard was further isolated as time went on. And it wasn’t just companionship he was missing.

The longer Alucard existed alone in that castle, the less human he became; or rather, the less human he recalled how to be. That was also, partly, the point in changing up the castle, particularly the kitchen. He didn’t frequent it much, he had very little need to. Sure, he prepared food and ate on occasion, but as a dhampir, he needed very little to survive. Eating food was always more of a pleasure than a requirement. But then you were going to be living here, sleeping here, eating here. Things needed to be updated, for your usage. As a matter of fact, in his haste to have Castlevania conjure all the right things for you, he had forgotten to remove his newest addition of Trevor and Sypha dolls from the kitchen. It was a cruel trick on the castle’s part- knowing full well he wouldn’t approve of such items in his design, and yet, the castle left them anyway. It was embarrassing, and a further reminder of how rushed so many aspects of his plan were. Then again, you seemed to find it rather endearing. So perhaps, in the end, the visages of his long-lost friends worked in his favor.

Besides, he was able to regain the upper hand, thanks to his question about your lack of a spouse. He hadn’t meant for it to come off as teasing, although, in a way, he later found he was glad it did. It brought an air of familiarity to your conversation, one that wasn’t present before. He… liked it. He liked it a lot.

The two of you were still very much strangers, but things were most certainly moving in the right direction.

Of course, the one sore spot in all of this was the state of your Father. Alucard wouldn’t call his prognosis hopeless, but it was certainly headed in that direction. It was clear from the moment the two of you had arrived, judging by your Father’s feverish and exhausted body in the back of that run-down cart, that there was little he as a physician could do to treat him. Even his Mother, the great Doctor Tepes would have been forced to face the harsh reality that there was little any doctor could do to secure this patient’s fate- either living or dead. In cases like these, fate seemed to hang on the wind, one swift blow in either direction could have your Father miraculously recovering, or being laid to rest.

Then again, he had no intention of telling you that. You didn’t need to know. All you needed to know was that as long as your father was still breathing, Alucard was doing everything within his power to save him. The only thing he needed from you was your continued trust. As long as he had that, everything would work out perfectly.

* * *

A/N: WHY DID THIS TAKE ME SO LONNNNGGGG?????? UUUGGGHHHH.

Anyway, Part 3 is here! Yea! Maybe three months from now, there’ll be a Part 4, lol. The Ask Box is still currently closed to requests, but comments and critiques (and fellow fangirling) are always welcome! (No fr, tell me how you feel about Alucard cuz I love him & it has become a full-blown problem.)

Oh, and because I’m not a doctor or an expert of any kind, I used these links for figuring out what tuberculosis looked like in the 14th century: [x], [x] & [x]. And here’s where I read up on old-timey medicine: [x].

Links about TB:

Britannica Encyclopedia: https://www.britannica.com/science/tuberculosis/Tuberculosis-through-history

TB Online: https://www.tbonline.info/posts/2016/3/31/how-tb-infects-body-tubercle-1/

Latent tb vs tb disease (The CDC): https://www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/basics/tbinfectiondisease.htm

Old Timey Medicine: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/sll/disciplines/english/lion/medicine.shtml

#yandere castlevania #yandere alucard #yandere imagine #alucard imagine #castlevania imagine #castlevania x reader #alucard x reader #yandere!alucard #castlevania #yandere #tw: yandere #os #alucard tepes x reader

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ramblingsofaspinningmind · 2 years ago

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Harsh Judgments

TW BEAST Intrigued by her scent and touch, Loki nuzzled against her arm, causing a low growling noise to escape his throat. Unnerved by his sudden display of dominance, Karla instinctively took hold of his collar and gave him a stern look. "No, bad boy," she whispered, trying to assert her authority.

Surprisingly, Loki yielded easily, backing away submissively and looking up at her with a mixture of apology and admiration. Touched by the gesture, Karla decided to engage with him further, offering her palm so he might lick it. To her amazement, Loki not only reciprocated but went a step further by leaning forward and placing his front paws on her shoulders, his tongue reaching upward to investigate her neck.

Feeling slightly unprepared for such direct affection from a dog, Karla froze momentarily, unsure whether she should push him away or allow the intimate contact to continue. However, as Loki nestled his head between her breasts, something stirred deep within her—an attraction, perhaps? An awakening? Or just the natural pull of raw chemistry?

These questions raced through Karla's mind as she found herself leaning into the embrace, running her fingers through the dense fur around Loki's ears. Feeling increasingly connected to the husky, Karla continued stroking him tenderly, relishing the warmth and comfort he provided.

Before long, her hands wandered below Loki's waistband, eventually discovering something quite unexpected. A part of his anatomy that shouldn't have existed was right in front of her, taunting her preconceived ideas about what it meant to connect physically.

The realization hit Karla hard, nearly knocking her off balance. In disbelief, she stumbled backwards onto the bed, still clutching Loki's soft fur, unable to process everything she had discovered. Her thoughts tumbled over each other, racing at breakneck speed, until one conclusion stood out above all others: whatever happened here would change her life forever.

Karla couldn't deny the undeniable truth of Loki's masculinity. His pheromones seemed to fill every breath she took, clouding her judgment, urging her deeper into his web of seduction. She knew then that there was no turning back, no escape from this inescapable force driving her towards ecstasy.

And so, Karla closed her eyes and let herself succumb fully, abandoning all reason and surrendering completely to the sensations rushing over her body. In that instant, a primal need burst forth, demanding attention, commanding release. Without reservation, Karla embraced it wholeheartedly, giving voice to her passionate response.

As if guided by instinctual forces beyond mortal comprehension, her hands danced across Loki's form, learning every curve and contour until they settled upon his thick shaft. With sure strokes and confident caresses, Karla massaged the muscular length until a familiar heat began to build.

She worked diligently, determined to wring every last drop of pleasure from Loki's being. Tendrils of desire coiled through her, binding her heart to the husky's soul, sealing their destinies together for eternity. Their mutually shared ardor flared brighter than any starry night sky, casting bright flames which illuminated the darkness surrounding them.

As Loki's tremors grew stronger, Karla could feel a corresponding surge coursing through her own bloodstream. Time melted away, leaving only the present moment and the intense energy bridging two vastly different species. Forgetful of anything else, consumed solely by their love, the bond connecting Karla and Loki grew ever stronger, unbreakable even by the passing of time itself.

With each stroke, Karla felt the tightness building inside Loki, signaling his imminent release. She quickened her pace, kneading the base of his shaft gently while sliding her fingers over the smooth tip. As his excitement peaked, Loki issued a muffled whimper, followed by a series of erratic twitches racking his entire frame.

Suddenly, a hot jet of semen sprayed from Loki's erect member, covering Karla's hand and chest before dissipating into the room's cool air. Driven wild by the potent tang and sweet musk intermingling on her skin, Karla moaned aloud, feeling the echoes reverberating throughout her body.

After several moments of restless panting, Loki slowly regained control over himself, pulling back enough to collapse beside her, spent but content. He looked up at Karla fondly before closing his eyes, settling into a peaceful slumber alongside her.

Still mesmerized by the encounter, Karla lay immobile, lost in thought, studying the intricate patterns of moonlight filtering through the window blinds. While many people would see her experience as shameful, perverted, or abnormal, she saw none of those things. Instead, she cherished the newfound understanding, the profound connection she had formed with another living being.

Without conscious direction, Karla's hand drifted toward her sex, seeking relief from an insatiable urge. Her fingertips grazed along the swollen folds of her labia before dipping into the wetness within.

While most humans viewed animals as mere property, Karla respected the complexity of Loki's personality and emotions; therein lay the beauty of lovemaking without boundaries. Tonight, both parties left fulfilled, having shared something truly magical, despite society's harsh judgments.

#story #smut

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basedkikuenjoyer · 3 months ago

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When the Clock Strikes

Hey hey, 1125 gave us a lot of fun stuff to ponder. Starting with this. Here, we don't need to overdo it...

I'll let that speak for itself, certainly leaves us with a lot of nice intrigue around Stussy going forward which I am in favor of. There's one key thing about this chapter I have to get to and she surprisingly ain't it. Though I still love you Stussy, enjoy your ambiguous fate after an arc of a divided heart. Let's get to the main attraction:

Well well old friend, we meet again. For a good time, and a great taste...slap Garling into the open Gorosei slot. This presents a great opportunity to learn about both him and the elders. We still don't really have a clear picture of how much the average citizen really knows about these upper echelons of the government. Like...do you know who Christine Lagarde is? It's public knowledge, she's a powerful global figure. Head of the International Monetary Fund. Just because there is a fair amount of info about her available doesn't mean most people really think about her much. You probably didn't even know or consider the possibility when reading the previous sentences that...not who's in charge anymore. Her successor took over five years ago.

Point being, Garling represents an interesting shakeup. Most importantly that I will get to pester y'all with Mac Tonight jokes for many chapters to come. Emplemon has a great video on YouTube about the former MacDonald's mascot, he's a treasure that we can hopefully pull out of his brief corruption by internet racist dweebs...or make a lot funnier if Garling predictably ends up a genocidal maniac. Which, in conjunction with Dragon puts forward a really good note on Vegapunk's broadcast. This has a high likelihood of kicking off a lot of conflicts over higher ground. Speaking of Vegapunk...

It was a choice between badass Edison and the hall of Vegaparts. A very tough choice. Gets us to the title, a callback to a motif for our humble genius. What does death mean for him? Turns out not a whole lot. They don't mention Lilith having a connection like York still would, so I do wonder if hers has been fully cut. Either way, very cool final flourish for Punk Records. It floats away to go dormant until it's needed. Honestly...not unlike Toki's plan with the time fruit. And that gets me to the other big connection to those core aspects of Wano.

This fascinates me. The spoilers obscured how active Saturn was in this decision. But that's what makes it interesting. A last note of how our decisions ripple. Even ones that made perfect sense at the time.

Ultimately, hard to tell what this chapter represents. We cut away from the main cast, but that's normal to see one or two between arcs. We're still unpacking Egghead though so I can't fully say it feels finished here. If nothing else, we could bring it home by ending with SWORD finally getting to Drake. Who knows? But I'll see you next week, thankfully we won't have to wait long.

#one piece #chapter 1125 #post-wano musings #Mac Tonight #saint Saturn #Rob Lucci #kaku #Vegapunk Edison #Vegapunk York #shall we call the amalgamation MegaPunk?

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cybervesna · 9 months ago

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Hello, I'm not sure if I missed it somewhere but what's the backstory between Wiosna and Kurt?

Hi! Actually! I haven't talked about them in complied way... Thank you for asking this, I will explain and ramble about them here 😅 At the start, I will say that my photo series Wires is telling the story of the two of them in chronological order (with the exception of Valentine's special cuz that will be set after a few that have to come at some point, I'm sorry Part 7 is so demanding...). However, Dogtown Nights are shorter bits of their life, in unspecified time points (unless stated otherwise cuz some will be follow-up/prequel to Wires) More under the cut

In early 2076 Wiosna became a netrunner for hire after her abusive fiance Arthur Jenkins died. She started small, but thanks to her experience (as she learned netrunning in Poland, where NetWatch is far more strict and only the best can survive (Thanks Eurosource Plus) and a death wish, she quickly made her way to The Afterlife. There, she was known under the nickname SPR1NG. People knew about her only what she allowed them to know, which wasn't much. But Rogue didn't complain, since Spring did all her suicidal gigs with utmost excellence. Happy client = happy fixer. With Wiosna's status increased she started being looked at by many organizations. Corps wanted to hire her to steal data from one another, cause global security breaches, and such things. She was picky with her jobs. Wiosna wasn't after money, nor she was after fame. It was the thrill. She wanted to feel something worth living for. She wanted to be scared to die. Which never really happened. So, when Rogue told her there was a special client from Dogtown who would like to hire her, but there were no deets about anything, she was intrigued. She agreed to the meeting, and from that point forward, her career was under the watchful eye of Mr. Hands. The meeting itself revealed that the client was no one else than Kurt Hansen himself, who needed a capable netrunner to build the lab for Cassels visit. Kurt was a figure everyone in Night City heard about. And Wiosna wanted to find out what was true. How the whole thing went can be seen on Wires: Part 1. But but but but!!! Dogtown Nights 4 is an indirect follow-up that happens between Part 1-5 of the Wires.

Wiosna had a life before this one. Life she ran away from, but that life made her who she is. And she was a highly educated psychologist. She liked to analyze people, trigger certain emotions in them, and make them what she wanted... And Kurt Hansen had something in him, that made her develop an unhealthy obsession. Especially, that he, just like her liked playing mind games.

And Kurt liked her, because she was pretty, smart and it was intriguing as hell she was not jumping to his bed the second she got a chance. In fact, she was cockblocking him.

Kurt and Wiosna were dancing around each other for weeks, and poor Kurt had no idea he was the one losing. Wiosna wrapped him around her finger, by letting him think he was winning, but in reality, she manipulated her way to his heart. Heart, he thought he didn't have. The stepping stone for them was the moment Kurt found out about Wiosna's past.

For Wiosna is was a test. She knew it wouldn't be easy since he didn't get any info on her the first time. All of this was to check if he was willing to bother, and what kind of reaction he would have to the truth. I made some of her files there (I should do more)

Wiosna always saw herself as flawed and unworthy of anything, due to her child trauma. She spent more time in psychiatric facilities, where they tried to "fix her" than she spent with people at school. Any free time she had, she spent in cyberspace or in ballet class - however alone.

Her files consist of dozens of evaluations, diagnoses, incident descriptions, and everything really negative that everyone in high-corpo society sees as "psycho" but in a - we can't make it useful for us psycho way.

Kurt in those files saw potential.

Of course, for him it wasn't really about love, but what he could gain from her. And sadly, Wiosna was naive enough to believe otherwise.

I don't want to say much, because it's in my upcoming stories, but I will say this: Aside from her terrible past, Wiosna also has a powerful name she doesn't use - Kochanowska. Her grandfather is Antoni Kochanowski, owner of LoveSky Space Mining Company. As of 2076 her family owns half of Earth's resources, and 90% of resources on Mars and Luna, they supply manufacturers like Arasaka with resources to make weapons, mechs etc. I want to be clear, that this is only my headcanon! We got that? Good, then to give you the level of importance LoveSky has on the market - Kurt's precious Chimaera was made from resources delivered by LoveSky to Militech. They're the fundamentals of any corporate force. Wiosna is the last of her line. Her parents died tragically (99.99% set up by their enemies) on launch to space where they were meant to start their new project, which makes her - their only child an heir to everything they owned. Which is half of LoveSky and a seat on the Arasaka Board. But Wiosna herself disappeared, despite her grandparents looking for her, and Asukaga & Finch lawyers ready to execute the will of her parents.

For Kurt she is a trophy. One that came straight to his arms at that. But well... remember what I said about Wiosna outsmarting him. They both were into each other, for their selfish reasons. What they found surprised them both.

I hope I satisfied your curiosity!

#cyberpunk 2077 #kurt hansen #wiosna blazkowicz #SHIP: Wires #phantom liberty #cyberpunk 2077 phantom liberty #cyberpunk 2077 oc #cyberpunk 2077 photomode #dogtown #netrunner oc #vesna blazkowicz #phantom liberty oc #colonel hansen

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tomwaterbabies · 2 months ago

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How do you feel about VATSK as a concept? I’ve noticed a lot of people in the fandom like it but have things they would change, so I want to know your opinion

the concept itself is something i genuinely really am Deeply intrigued by (i'd have to be if im at this level of fixated on it) and generally i absolutely love it

i DO have a habit of fixating on things that have a base concept that simultaneously lets me add my own takes to it. i like being given interesting concepts and then building off of them. i'll admit that with vat7k- it's probably the most intense it's ever been LOL.... kind of sick in the head about it

that all being said, i do certainly have things i would change both in terms of the initial concept the storyboard artists created and what some of the fandom likes to do. here are some off the top of my head:

retcon the 7 kingdoms as they appear in tangled the series. like it wasnt a big deal within tangled's story but i think these kingdoms need to be better fleshed out and have a stronger form of identity. there is no way i can accept nuru's kingdom just being Generic European Kingdom, for example. i probably would change hugo's kingdom too and focus on heavy industrialism instead of just "scary warrior women" (to be fair to vat7k, the concepts dont seem to use the 7 kingdoms in tangled as the base anyway lol but just in case... im saying i would change them)

bloodline does not equal inherent similarities. with both varian's mother being an alchemist like him and his mom's side of the family being inventors too... it implies there might have been a trope im not super fond of. instead, i prefer the idea that varian has to learn that there is no inherent, birth-given truth that makes him who he is. his family became inventors because of the environment they live in, not because of something in their blood. i like the idea that the more he learns about his mom (and the unsavory parts about her), the more he fears he's becoming exactly like her (which culminates at the end). credit again to the concept- it seems like that was the idea with ulla, i would just want to make sure that notion is consistent throughout the story

hugo's character (in regards to some aspects). ive talked about it many times before but while i love most of his character there are a couple things i'd change about him. namely the idea he's flirtatious and the idea he is greedy in the typical thief way. i think he is far too emotionally repressed and distrustful that he'd ever (even casually with intimacy) want to do anything like that (this includes all forms of affection, including platonic friendship). i also think that while his longing for Finer Things and Wealth is present- it doesn't take the form of coveting precious jewels and treasure. he would more quickly be drawn to a device with top-of-the-line material than a golden crown. this kind of ties in with my whole take that he is ever so pretentious and particular about things- but that's also a sign that deep down he just genuinely has a strong spirit and sense of self, i just dont think he realizes this and considers himself a bad person, but doesnt really care if hes stuck being bad (lie). he is also, yknow, incredibly intelligent with a brilliant mind that makes him stand out to other thieves. this is important, and something varian can see quite clearly

varian's past is a big plot point. credit to the fandom this time, it does seem like this is generally accepted as something that should happen even if the concept doesn't seem to really talk about it at all. i would definitely want to delve more into the trauma varian has and the guilt he carries with him and how that works with hugo- someone also holding guilt and trauma. not to say the others would have nothing to do with it- they would! it's an important part of the story, for me, to depict how these characters handle trauma and a past they're not proud of (and even scared of)

#ty for indulging me. i tried to keep it minimal and its still an ungodly wall of text. sad !#asks #vat7k #i always want vat7k asks from people interested in what my beautiful mind has to say about it /lh #if there are typos or weird rambling sentences um. no there isnt

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sitp-recs · 2 years ago

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Eager for the Sky by @oknowkiss

Harry/Draco, minor Harry/Ron and Draco/Blaise (2022, Mature, 35k)

It was announced, just as the Triwizard Tournament had been, at the start of term feast. A year-long, international Quidditch varsity match — the inaugural Wizarding Academy Cup. In which Harry is Hogwarts' star Seeker, Draco is on the bench, and they both have a thing or two to learn about playing for the same team.

Draco hated that, the way Potter would sneak up on him, proving he’d been listening. He had always seemed to be caught up in his own head, never paying attention to anything or anyone but himself, but now that Draco was starting to know him, he was beginning to see the truth of Potter.

When I started this blog over two years ago, I’d write (smaller, but still) recs for every fic I liked. At some point I was reccing up to 3 fics a day and started bookmarking them all to keep track of my own recs - maybe that’s why I got more than 600 bookmarks lol - and it was really fun and fulfilling, but it also demanded A LOT of time and energy. As they both became scarce, I changed strategies and decided to only rec fics that touched me in a more personal way. These days I write recs mostly on a whim; it happens less and less because I’m not reading as much, sure, but also because it needs to be a frantic urge, almost like a trance, and it needs to hit me right after I’m finished a fic otherwise it won’t be fresh in my mind.

I’ve wanted to rec something from E for so long and after being left intrigued and impressed by any day now and licence to kill (two solid recs if you haven’t read those yet!) I couldn’t see what was holding me back. Now I ask myself if I had been waiting for Eager for the Sky. And not necessarily because it’s the perfect fit for my tastes - in fact, I barely read or care for 8th year fics nowadays - but because this fic found me at the moment I needed it the most. Coming back from a brief hiatus (that felt longer than life itself) right before Christmas last year, I can say that reading this was a refreshing and lovely experience, but also magical in many ways. And funnily enough, this rec has been sitting in my drafts, half-finished, since January. Once again, something I couldn’t figure out was holding me back until I saw this gorgeous binding post by @a-gay-old-time (go check it right now!!) and I accidentally found out that last week was E’s one year fandomversary! Perfect timing to wrap this up and post it as a humble homage to one of the authors whose talent I’ve enjoyed and admired the most in the past year. What a gift to have you in this fandom, and what a privilege to read this incredible 8th year romance!

Way beyond the delight of watching Draco and Harry fall in love over the course of a (very cool and inventive) Quidditch championship, I was so touched by the amount of tenderness, youth and heart this story coveys. There is something unbearably sweet about an enemies to friends to lovers journey that explores the wonders of being young and free to flirt, experience and discover. I could feel the joy of falling in love all over again through every line here, through every knowing smile and surreptitious touch. The slow burn is masterfully done in a way that never feels empty, boring or dragged. Every little moment brings new discoveries about each other and is important to bring them together as friends, and then as lovers.

It’s worth mentioning that there’s a fair amount of longing, UST and some infuriating delicious cockblocking but somehow the way it’s written and the context it’s given make the experience even sweeter and more rewarding. I was in no rush to see this over and found it very charming that they saw value in wanting, teasing, flirting, chasing. Because I really ready young Drarry I had almost forgotten how fun a pining Draco can be in all his teenage complexity, capable of signaling confidence, vulnerability, inadequacy and tenderness all at once.

His emotions felt so very real I could feel a lump in my throat, and I was especially moved by his genuine response to Harry’s prior involvement with Ron (Be still my Rarry heart!!! For those wondering: this is a minor but significant plot point that made my heart ache and grow twice its size, I’m so soft for this brOTP! By the way - side Rarry & Blaco? A fic after my own heart!). Even more brilliant is the fact that E published Eager for the Sky and July Tree pretty much back to back and these two fantastic 8th year tales complement each other perfectly. They got a very different tone from her usual edgy “mature Drarry” which I also love - and maybe that’s why I was caught off guard by how fast I felt emotionally connected to this softer, more innocent brand of love. Not to mention that superb art by @upthehillart - killing me softly as per usual, with the ultimate teenage Drarry headcanon what a treat!!

This fic was exactly what I needed and it gave me the delicious catharsis I was looking for without really knowing. It pulled me back into the fandom with its light, easy, unpretentious young romance, sprinkled with some excellent dialogue and charming banter that will make you laugh out loud at their sass, plus a sweet and delightful mix of curious, inexperienced but extremely insightful and lovable characters. I’m so happy I found this fic and that I got to write a rec for it! Thank you E for sharing this beauty and so many other fantastic stories with us - I’m delighted to share this space with you and can’t wait to see what comes next 💜

Read on AO3

#drarry fic rec #happy belated fandomversary E! 🎉

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liminalpsych-in-teyvat · 2 years ago

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I have just read the closest description to how my brain / heart function in relationships that I have ever found. And it’s in an erotic Kavetham fanfic. (forms of love, by acynthe)

Fandom and fanfiction is so surreal that way. It’s often seen and treated as trivial, but it can also be incredibly artistic, and it can have representation that’s otherwise hard to find.

Before this, the closest I had found was BBC Sherlock fanfic, and those didn’t quite hit the mark.

This one does.

(I describe this thing that happens in my brain as… keeping file folders on people I find interesting. All the observations I collect on that person goes into their mental file. And eventually those observations and data points click together to form a pattern, an interconnected picture of why the person acts the way they do, and of what’s going on beneath the surface. And new data points get added to the pattern/model of that person to flesh out a more complete understanding of them.)

(“interesting” can mean “infuriating, I don’t know why you act the way you do and so I’m annoyed by you, if I can figure out the why then I can more easily shrug off the irritating behavior”)

(and “interesting” can mean “I like you and am intrigued in a positive way, I am drawn to you and wish to make a study of you”)

(I imagine that Kaveh started in the first category for Alhaitham and over time moved to the second)

I have to flail about it somewhere, and doing so to my girlfriend of 17 years (who doesn’t play Genshin yet) wasn’t enough, so… quotes that I especially relate to beneath the cut:

—

Alhaitham’s also studied the interstices of Kaveh’s elegant fingers and wondered how his own would fit between them—the same way he’s quietly taken in the details of Kaveh’s life and wondered whether there could ever be a place for himself to fit into it somehow, amidst all that passion and all that ambition.

He collects these observations like he’s compiling a dictionary of his own—one defining all there is to know and understand about this man, about Kaveh’s relationship with himself.

Learnings handled with the utmost care. Alhaitham documents all these things far more conscientiously than any of the information he’s ever managed as Scribe. Some things are simply far more precious, after all.

—

“You don’t need to be a student of Amurta to know that’s not quite how it works.” Amusement flickers across Alhaitham’s face. “But if you must rely on physical evidence for some form of reassurance,” he takes Kaveh’s hand, and guides the palm of it to rest over his own chest, “then I’d direct you to look for it here instead.”

Here?

It takes a few seconds for Alhaitham’s meaning to register, to fully sink in.

“...Oh,” Kaveh whispers, as the rhythm of Alhaitham’s heartbeat makes itself comfortable in the home of his hand. He closes his eyes, willing his own to fall in sync, finding the pace of Alhaitham’s pulse to run unexpectedly fast for someone so seemingly unswayed and stoic on the surface. How swift and steady this heart beats—

“...For me,” Kaveh murmurs, with a quiet sort of wonder.

—

And that’s the issue with Alhaitham, isn’t it? He says such things so simply, so bluntly, like it’s the most straightforward thing in the world to accept, like it’s simply another truth of existence—and somehow they still send Kaveh’s heart in somersaults nonetheless.

—

Alhaitham soothes a hand down the curves of Kaveh’s sides. Studies him as he slips fingers into himself, opening himself up, like there’s something about the process worth analysing.

“Like what you see?”

“On the contrary,” Alhaitham’s touch ghosts over the space between Kaveh’s ribs, “it’s rather regrettable that this is all there is to the view.”

“And what do you mean by that?” Kaveh narrows his eyes. “Pray tell what it is that you find so disappointing.”

Alhaitham’s gaze sweeps over him. “That this is all there is on the surface.” His fingertips ghost over shivering skin. “That there is much more to you that my eyes cannot possibly perceive.”

Kaveh closes his eyes, that blush deepening its reach down to the base of his shoulders. “So this is what you’ve chosen to use your Haravatat education for.” He huffs out a laugh. “Waxing poetry to fluster me?”

“Not poetry,” Alhaitham says, dismissive. “Such a subject isn’t in the curriculum at all. I was merely acknowledging something I found to be a pity.”

It’s difficult for him to see this as anything but that. For all the people who meet Kaveh, it’s common to get too distracted by the radiance at his surface to look deeper than his skin.

But Alhaitham has been around long enough to see through all of that. Perhaps because when it comes to Kaveh, he is always looking. And Kaveh has always been so much more than what exists of his corporeal form to be perceived—his body but a finite vessel for an infinite mind.

What a crime it would be, to reduce someone so brilliant to the simplicity of their physicality. Alhaitham has never wanted anything less than all of him.

—

This, like most endeavours, Alhaitham approaches methodically. Brow furrowed in concentration as he works his fingers inside Kaveh, initially in an exact imitation of how he’d observed Kaveh do it to himself—an exact replication of pace and angle and pressure.

Then he gets a bit more experimental, following his own intuition as he gets a better feel for the process. Throughout, he keeps his eyes on Kaveh’s face, watching his expression to assess his response to every touch, using that to guide his own adjustment of his efforts.

—

Alhaitham hums. “Let’s put it this way. I’m exempt from a certain sort of attraction,” he says, “but I’m certainly not blind.”

“...Oh.” Kaveh pauses, processing those words into something warm and hopeful. “And what do you like about what you see?”

“What I like?”

Alhaitham doesn’t even have to spare a second thinking about it—it’s like there’s a list already waiting for him in the back of his mind.

“The outline that the side of your face cuts against the sunset,” he says. “How your eyes are the colour of wine. Your hair could be an instrument of alchemy, with the way it catches daylight and transmutes it into gold. The shape your hand constructs when poised with a quill perched between your fingers. This arc between your shoulder and neck.” He traces the path gently, and the touch tingles like his fingers are stained in stardust. “I hope that answers your question.”

—

Alhaitham knows he may never be able to look at Kaveh the way he may wish to be seen sometimes, the way he may wish to be wanted. He can admire Kaveh for all his aesthetic appeal, certainly, but there are certain desires his mind simply does not have access to. And maybe that means he won’t be able to fulfill a need Kaveh may carry, one craving a certain sort of validation.

… “You’ve had other partners, I assume, who are able to properly appreciate a facet of your allure that is inaccessible to me.” Alhaitham pauses. “I can’t think of you like that. I don’t think I ever can.”

He wonders what he can do, wonders what he should promise in compensation. “I don’t know how it feels to think of you in that way,” Alhaitham continues, the space in his chest suddenly tight like it already knows the importance of what he’s going to express, “but I do know how it feels to be in love with you.”

—

“Maybe they will never be able to comprehend each other, not in their entireties. They are two pieces from different puzzles after all. But if what’s ahead of them is a lifetime of learning, there can be no other person more fascinating to figure out than someone so diametrically opposed to yourself.”

#Genshin impact #genshin fanfic #alhaitham #kaveh #kaveh x alhaitham #alhaitham x kaveh #kavetham #asexuality #ace spec #asexual #ace representation #sex positive ace #acynthe #Intp #haikaveh #fic rec #character analysis

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745voiceofthepeople · 9 months ago

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Good morning!

So I have a question. You asked me a few days ago if Serana would make an appearance in my HOTD x Skyrim crossover. I do plan on writing Rhaenyra and her companions going through the Dawnguard quest at some point in my life but I want to know your opinion. How do you think Rhaenyra will react to meeting Serana?

Do you think they’d get along? What do you think Rhaenyra would think about vampires trying to destroy the sun and take over the world?

And speaking of DLC how over it do you think she’ll be when she realizes she’s going to have to save the world a third time against Miraak? Honestly I think she’ll be most upset about Miraak coming in at the end of her dragon battles and taking her rightfully earned souls.

Hi @itspronouncedjulia !

Sorry for the long delay, I wanted to get all my thought down properly and thanks for the ask!

Regarding Seranna, I can see hers and Rhaenyra’s relationship go in several direction. Rhaenyra’s view on vampires in general would be at least in part derivative on her overall view of Daedra. Which could be from a positve or very negative standpoint. When it comes to vampires specifically, a lot this depends on how you decide Rhaenyra views immortality and the darker more daedric magics. But I can also see Rhaenyra being pissed off as well. Especially since her blood is “required” via Valerica’s trap to wake Serana.

Prior to Rhaenyra discovering the truth of how Serana became a vampire, I can see the two of them having a case of clashing ego’s. The immortal creature of night (herself the pinnacle of her species) and dragon in human form. Rhaenyra’s own views on vampires (in general) would be conflicted. On the one hand, she would be intrigued about the concept of immortality. Never dying and never aging. Though it also depends on what you decide Rhaenyra’s mindset is. She was “transported” to Tamriel after the dance of dragons. Meaning her lover(s) and most of her children are deceased. She may desire to join them sooner rather than later. Unless of course, she finds something or someone to live for in her strange new world 😉

+ I could also see Rhaenyra at least tolerating Vampiric blood magic. Since pretty much all forms of magic in GRRM world is a rehashing of blood magic. Which would Lilly include whatever the ancient Valyrians did to go from sheep herders in Essos to empire ruling dragon riders. Even the others (themselves born of the children’s/old Gods blood magic) another “undead race”. Her main disdain, would come from the need for blood as sustenance, and harm from the sun.

Valyrians of course have a special connection to dragons and Fire, with Rhaenyra in your story being a dragon in human form ;). But this does not completely translate to sun worship or anything of that ilk. However, they must still have a certain regard or respect for the celestial body of fire. I this so anyway… Rhaenyra in the show is seen carrying on certain Valyrian customs. Perhaps a respect for the sun is one of them.

Of course, the sun itself in “Mundos” isn’t a physical body like in Westeros. Instead being a whole Magnus made escaping to Atherius after he realized his powers were being drained on Nirn. Depending how you want to go with this, Rhaenyra (being someone with a regard for Valyrian customs) might consider the entire idea that the sun is not truly the sun to be blasphemous. Though Harkon’s attempts to obscure the sun’s light (and thus destroy the world) may be more blasphemous still. Or she could see the Sun being in and of itself still metaphysically the Sun and thus not offensive to her Valyrian sensibilities. In which case, she would bodily despise Harkon and his Volkihar Vampires.

Lastly, I think Rhaenyra would also feel protective over Serena. Depending on how close you want to right their relationship. Once Rhaenyra learns that Serena is a daughter of Coldharbor and more importantly about the bile ritual that her parents forced on Serana. I can see Rhaenyra

This has the potential to remind Rhaenyra of her own frustrations with her father. Which could be something she and Serana bond over. Not that Viserys I own misconduct in anywhere near Harkon’s level…

Perhaps Rhaeneys even confronts Valerica in the Soul Carn about Serana and her undergoing Molag Bal’s rape ritual. It would provide Rhaenyra with even more motivation to slay Harkon.

I can also see Rhaenyra being potentially conflicted about the fate of the Snow Elves. On the one hand, Rhaenyra descends from the Valyrians. A forgotten people with few remnants left in their native continent of Essos, and feet still in Westeros. So she might feel a certain kinship with them.

Regarding Rhaenyra and Miraak, I can very much see her being annoyed that the world is in danger a third time. Though more so in a “another day at the job” fashion than genuine anger. Where she gets genuinely angry over the Dragonborn DLC can be several fold. Though we must also keep in mind that Rhaenyra has saved Nirn at least twice at this point. Perhaps even thrice, if she does the mage quest line. She’d likely be annoyed about having to save Nirn again and again and again…

It also depends on how far the Elder Scrolls rabbit hole you wish to go. Is Rhaenyra the dreamer? Does she achieve Chim? Does she Zero sum in the end? Though I wouldn’t deal with those topics unless you want to write about existentialism. Which is its own can of worms.

(Counting in Latin below to honor the Imperial Legion 😉)

Primus : you are absolutely right about her annoyance that Miraak is stealing the dragon souls that that she has already “rightfully stolen” (to use a Princess Bride quote ;). Rhaenyra would be upset that her hard work is squandered but also Rhaenyra may be upset over Miraaks expressed laziness. Waiting for her to do all the work and then stealing what belongs to her. Which is sort of call back to her Time in Westeros and tangentially her younger half siblings for her. It doesn’t help that Miraak lives in Apocrypha. Where that air is constantly filled with noxious fumes. Fumes that are a pale yellow-green in color. Or his sword “Firstblade” which also is green in color. Which may remind Rhaenyra of other greens she has battled in the past. In which case, poor Miraak… we hardly knew ye.

Secundus: depending on how you write her view of Alduin. Rhaenyra may be pissed that Miraak hand waved his own “destiny” to slay Alduin when he was a mortal dragon priest. Which then foisted the task onto her a few thousand years later.

Tertius: Miraak is the first dragon born and Rhaenyra is “the last”. The seal of the dragon burns if you will. As such, Rhaenyra may consider to herself duty bound with Miraak. A sort of “only a dragon born can slay a dragon born” thing.

Quartus: It also depends on how you write Rhaenyra’s viewpoint of the Daedric princes. Does she like them? View them as a necessary evil? Does she dislike them in the fashion of the Vigilants of Stendarr? Or is Rhaenyra’s viewpoint more nuanced, where she has positive feelings for some and negative for others?

Quintus: If she’s negative on the Daedra overall, Rhaenyra may be more than willing to fight Miraak. As powerful as he may be, Miraak is a servant of Hermaeus Mora at the end of the day. Though Rhaenyra may be influenced by all the books and information that Mora has in Apocrypha. I could see Rhaenyra looking for spells that could either take her back to Westeros or spells that would allow to “resurrect ” her slain children. Not necromantic spells that would place them under her power, but true resurrection spells. I could also see her being annoyed at Miraak interrupting her “research”.

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angstics · 2 years ago

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it's always been interesting to me that the only thing seemingly "separating" the transgender truthing from the homosexual truthing, in terms of legitimate proof that someone who only knows gerard way through interviews and stage performance could provide, is the history of open gnc-ness. which doesn't really correlate to any kind of transgender identity but obviously i know why people choose to interpret it that way. (even then, the offstage dude kissing could and usually does fill an identical role in other peoples interpretation of gerard as being secretly gay so. shrug). but this time TRUST ME his performance art in solidarity with an oppressed queer group is ACTUALLY him being secretly trans. i try not to engage with any mass discourse events and find the she/her pronoun usage distasteful and just personally uncomfortable, so i dont directly encounter many people who even orbit this kind of discussion lol. im curious what you think about this comparison! and i apologize if anything was worded unclearly :)

this is a big can o worms! i like hearing your thoughts. there’s sooo many different readings on his identity and how the outfits factor into that.

it’s invasive but it’s not the same ethics as theorizing about a friend. understanding an artist is important to people. it’s part of being an artist which is normal but heavily contested. im always reminded of siken’s response to the student who wanted to learn more about his life to understand his poetry lol (he wasnt nice). why would it matter? authenticity, connection, need to label? there’s no universal or moral answer

anyhow back to gerard. the shift from homosexual to transgender truthing is funny! people didnt give up, they just concluded he’s unlabelled gay 😭 not from the on/off stage kissing (which were all performative) but from the tweetsss. “when people try to define your sexuality [morrissey picture]” and “why would i hide it if i was a Homosexual”. the affair conspiracies and gay music themes and general stereotypes probably aided that. whether the assumption is true or false makes no difference. the reasons behind why ppl even make the assumption are so intriguing to think about… but this is already too long.

the “trans truthing” is complicated bc it’s more personal to ppl. im not gonna create a boogeyman. ive seen all of this, some i align with some i dont. putting them in a list cuz it’s easier to read

ppl in my corner of the fandom are comfortable with calling him queer, nb, trans — from most to least common. all as umbrella terms. all to mean not-cis. justification is good ol FLAGGING. like getting an undercut to tell girls yr a dyke without needing to come out. i can expand on this thought process if wanted. ive seen this kinda labeling for YEARS

a lot of ppl i follow stop at gnc because that is the only visibly obvious option. and it’s the term The Advocate used for him in 2018 (tho we gotta note that he didnt self-id — the writer used the same principal of gnc being about presentation over id). the term is treated as if it were between cis and trans. or more accurately, not-cis not-trans.

ive noticed that old/ex fans or outsiders under my 30k cheerleader gifset see the dress as a coming out…? people of 1 and 2 chalk it under that history of gender nonconformity. it’s surprising but makes sense. i think that’s the function of said history

all the egg talk ive seen is on twitter among transfem ppl and tumblr posts in the wild. i searched “gerard way trans” and got so many tweets referencing kurt cobain. that is transfem business, not mine 😭

all this to say that i havent seen anyone in these circles insinuate he was Secretly trans. it’s the same as the gay assumption. it isnt about proving what reality is. just whatever individuals accept as their truth. lots of 1 ppl have said that if he suddenly came out as cis, their perception wouldnt change. i take that to mean bc the performance itself is the person and the performance they see is transgender.

i dont see how art and artist can be separated in performance. what other version of the artist are you getting? i dont know if anyone round here is talking about the couch sitting gerard way. like why would we 😭 even if one does, it’s under the perception of the performance we know. if we werent talking about the performance, we wouldnt even be talking about it. you wouldnt imagine your loved one watching tv. youd sit next to them. look at them. talk to them. YOU KNOW? like this whole debate on whether it’s invasive goes NOWHERE. we arent talking about someone who could be known. we are barely talking about the real person.

and he knows this because anyone with a Name becomes this. the real life person doesnt need defending. he needs respect. to me that means not harassing him, not digging into his private life, not speaking for him. the rest is what feels ok for me. if the environment is uncomfortable, all i can do is share why. which is why talking about it is important.

ill say, im fine with she/her-ing him. i know those arent his defined pronouns. i know i use them as a term of endearment and character-dedication. i know when to avoid them. i personally dont believe in rigid pronoun use. i don’t believe in there being a handbook of rules of what is or isnt rude (not to say there arent general rules). you learn person to person.

goes back to the Pursuit of Universal Morality. god i remember last year getting so mad at the trans labelling id leave tumblr to complain on twitter. but ive changed my tune to seeing the non-cis ambiguity. not because of Evidence but because i found comfort in that connection. i wasnt wrong then, am not wrong now.

it isnt really about him, it’s about what he says and does. which IMO he’s likely to accept as an artist.

so yeah. TLDR: posts that are like “how can you say he’s [cis/trans] if X?!” are really just stating their own perception. even if they uncritically believe what theyre saying is reality, it’s THEIR reality. there is no difference btwn “his performance art in solidarity with an oppressed queer group” and “him being secretly trans”.

#there’s a tldr if it’s too long. sorry for party rockin #ask #mcr #mcr queer studies

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self-winding · 1 year ago

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I've never been able to pick a favorite book. There are just too many. I have dozens of favorites. However, as it happens, I have a singular least favorite book. It's ISHMAEL, by Daniel Quinn.

Spoilers for ISHMAEL ahead.

This novel involves an initially intriguing and weird premise: a guy finds a mysterious ad in the paper, "teacher seeks pupil," and decides to answer it out of curiosity. The address is a mostly abandoned building inhabited by a talking gorilla, who placed the ad. Cool, let's see where this goes.

There's never a very thorough explanation given for how the gorilla learned to talk, he just kind of did. The rest of the novel is composed of a series of philosophical dialogs, which are very one-sided because the gorilla is the Smartest Person Ever and the guy is a fawning idiot who responds to everything with a brief strawman token resistance followed by, "omg!! Ishmael-senpai, you're right! My tiny head is swimming with the force of your wisdom! Please teach me more senpai!!!" It quickly becomes clear that Ishmael is the author in a gorilla suit. I don't mean that literally; that would actually have been hilarious. I mean that his job is to regurgitate the author's opinions and have them validated as amazing and world-changing.

So what's the philosophical thesis of this book? Humans had it all figured out when they were hunter-gatherers. The agrarian revolution was a mistake and humans have now become too powerful and arrogant and are destroying the planet with their greed and foolishness. Possibly this felt less cliched in the seventies, when the book was written (though it was not published until 1992), but even then I don't think it was new. The book pokes fun at/strawmans the "noble savage" myth and then goes right back to fully endorsing this concept, without calling it that. It uses this kind of rhetorical tactic a lot: "I am not arguing for X, that is silly and reductive. But I am saying (X in different words)." In the end the message is summarized as, "Earth does not belong to humans, humans belong to the Earth."

As the book itself acknowledges, humankind as a whole is unlikely to return to a hunter-gatherer lifestyle at this point. So even if we agree, what should we do with this information? At the end, the narrator directly asks this question and the response is something along the lines of, "Well, now that you understand the truth, you can tell everyone, and humankind will quickly and easily figure out how to save the planet. See, the problem is just that you didn't realize the importance of saving the planet. You needed me to tell you. Because I am very smart."

There are some genuinely morally off-putting moments in the book, like when Ishmael suggests that we should stop giving aid to starving people because there are too many goddamn humans already, and when the narrator says, "What, we should allow them to die?" Ishmael (whose position is that death is natural and that therefore dying isn't so bad) is like "dude my broh that's your white savior complex talking, you aren't in a position to 'allow' anything, you should just, like, exist. But also you need to save the planet. But that will happen naturally anyway, because complicated problem-solving just naturally flows from grand, vague philosophical pronouncements. I am a gorilla and therefore can see your problems more objectively. I am definitely not the author in a costume."

Mostly, though, it's not any specific stance within the pages that I object to. I just hate the book's insufferable adolescent armchair philosopher stoner sense of self-importance and shallow, smug intellectualism. I hate the mansplaining Mary Sue gorilla and the fawning idiot waifu blank slate narrator. I could ignore the whole thing more easily, except that it's a pretty famous bestseller and I'm angry about that. Maybe a part of me is jealous because I secretly want to write self-indulgent trash like this and have it become a cultural phenomenon.

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mysmorgasbordoffantabulosa · 2 years ago

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A couple of thoughts on the BigHit Music/BTS relationship and... that rumour!

First the rumour

So, let's get the rumour out of the way... [though I'll probably come back to it eventually].

Last month an anon directed me to a rumoured 2020 blind item, about two members, who hadn't extended their contract...

This account is a known Taekook account. The comments/replies suggest the original poster of the blind doesn't exist and they posted this blind just before closing their account... but here's the thing why can't I find any reference to the original post. You're not telling me shit loads of Taekookers, hell OT7 and solo stans wouldn't have been all up in that shit if this blind was around in 2020. I never saw such a blind back then and I follow two big blind item websites (they have always intrigued me). This makes me think the post wasn't real. But perhaps there's a slither of truth in it...

Then on 11th Feb 2023, Crazy Days and Crazy Nights posted this...

And in the comments, there is the prevailing theory that BigHit/HYBE is deliberately not promoting their (Tae and JK) solo project stuff as some sort of evidence to back this theory up. Despite the fact that BH doesn't promote work that they don't produce themselves. I have yet to see a tweet or Weverse announcement about RM's involvement in a K-Variety Show he's doing, or Hobi, Suga and Jimin's recent fashion brand deals. Why because those companies are more than capable of promoting their own work with the members themselves.

Tae's cooking show is currently being promoted by the broadcaster as per usual and JK's World Cup Single was for a different label so any promo would have been done by them. Also, if BH weren't supportive of these endeavours do you really think they would allow their staff to travel and work with the Tae and JK and and provide support on these projects? You knot

I also find it interesting that a blind item that is supposedly 2 1/2 years old is suddenly back again and linked to a recent company purchase and Blackpink. That just seems suspicious.

I'll leave that there for a bit...

Let's keep it on the down low...

Now let's look at HYBE and BigHit and why I think the boys might have more control than we currently see.

Earlier this week, in light of the whole HYBE/SM drama, I saw two TikToks from the same user that piqued my interest and how BTS might have more power than we think...

Now I, like many others, was under the assumption that HYBE had full control over BigHit, but after a little research, I've found that this TikTok is true and BigHit is a separate entity to HYBE itself...

This twitter thread from April 2021 (when Scooter Braun and Ithaca Holdings were purchased), is very insightful and all publicly available...

So, in essence, when HYBE was in the process of purchasing Ithaca Holdings from Scooter Braun, Bang PD did something, he and the HYBE board (mostly made up of former BH Entertainment people) unlisted BigHit Music from the stock market and separated it off as private company. Still owned by HYBE but privately owned by them and independently operated and not affected by HYBE's dealings.

Before I move on some context that's needed for later…

In 2018, BTS re-sign with BH

In 2020, we discover BTS's contract renewal will run from June 2020 to June 2024

October 2020 BH Goes public BTS get shares in the company

6 months later Big Entertainment splits in HYBE and BigHit Music.

By 2021 we learn they have extended their contract for the full 7 years to 2027.

2022 BTS go on break from group duties ahead of enlistment.

NOTE: I think Points 3 to 5 are very important to all of this....

(I hope we're all still here, lol)

Why do I think this is important and shows us why BH/HYBE is not out to get the boys?

Firstly, it shows that HYBE wanted BTS/BH to be protected in case anything happened to the rest of HYBE. This is pertinent considering the CDCN blind specifically mentions the purchase of the US company. How it's worded suggests that BTS profits paid for it and that the boys are in a slave contracts. If BH is sperate that suggests that their profits don't automatically go into HYBE's bottom line. Also, any idiot with a Google Degree can tell you in seconds that BH had one of the most progress profit sharing deals with its artists.

Additionally, we don't know who owns the shares in BH, we know that in March/April 2021, HYBE was the sole shareholder, what's to say that other entities are shareholders too... such as BTS.

Think about it, in 2020 HYBE/BH were trying to persuade BTS to do the USA thing, what if BTS who were not in a happy place with all the speculation of enlistment, plus covid, were close to saying no to an extension and a push into the USA. What if HYBE offered them something they could refuse, which would kill two birds...

What if BTS wasn't happy about BH becoming HYBE?

So why did BH not become HYBE in 2020 and waited until 2021? I wonder if the answer to this was BTS and their contract extension. Imagine this...

You're BTS and the company you've literally built, is about to go public and you as artists who were promised more control in your contract could potentially loose said control when the new company is formed. Add to this you've yet to officially extend your contract and said company want you to do something new and could benefit them massively (US market push & new ventures etc.).

Your BTS, what would you do?

Me I'd kick up a fuse until you made sure there were some provisions in place to protect your brand and your creative freedom.

Maybe, that's why BigHit didn't immediately become HYBE because BTS weren't fully onboard.

What would placate them?

Maybe making BH into a separate entity and giving the boys the control, they crave?

The would do two things, ease their minds about the USA push a little, as well as the change to HYBE.

However, this could happen straight away, and would take several months to implement, it's also possibly why the Scooter Braun detail didn't happen sooner. Prior to this happening, they were given share in HYBE, and I think during that six months they were given iron clad contract extensions that benefited them and BH (note not HYBE) greatly.

Another thing to consider... perhaps BTS are shareholders in BH Music the private company. All we know is originally when they private the company HYBE was the sole owner; once you're a private company you don't have to announce things about profits, stocks & share sales unless it's a takeover situation, unlike HYBE as public company.

I also think this private (and very possible) arrangement might be what led HYBE to purchasing stock in YG Plus because HYBE would get a slice of BTS revenue (from manufacturing/distribution costs that YG Plus generate) prior to BH/BTS getting their profits, because... what if, only a small portion of BH's actual profit can go into the HYBE's bottom line.

Anyway...

In conclusion, I think there was a slither of truth in the "original" blind item, but I wonder if it involved all the boys, perhaps led by the two (who we all believe to Taekook).

No, I don't think it was connected to their sexuality, but more likely their (BTS's) unease of the company they helped build going public and a possibly fear of being undermined by any new management, as well as the push into the USA.

The latest version of the blind, is most likely being stirred up by antis who want to isolate Taekook from the others (hence the constant HYBE don't promote their solo work, even though HYBE/BH don't do it for other members), making them out to be diva's who want more and more. Then use incorrect information in the process and therefore creating a blind that actually doesn't make factual sense.

The Blackpink thing? I have no idea.

#my asks #bts blind items #hybe labels #hybe #bighit music #bighit entertainment #bts

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