#inuyasha + kikyo + some other characters or other join them???

[truebluefantasy]

InuYasha: Ep. 14+15

Kikyo’s Stolen Ashes + The Return of the Tragic Priestess, Kikyo

[kazaanaxtaijiya]

Inuyasha AU Concept

I've had this concept in my head for a while/ever since I finished the game and watched the show sooo I figured I'd throw it out there as an idea or inspiration if anyone is interested — Cyberpunk 2077 AU with the Inuyasha gang 🌃 Hear me out...

The gang are a bunch of mercenaries that work for various clients through a network of fixers to do any kind of job that calls for their specific set of skills, each of them with their own agenda.

Inuyasha is the Leader, of course.

He grew up as a Nomad and worked towards becoming a professional boxer. When the love of his life, Kikyo, is killed, he's framed for her murder and forced into hiding, desperately trying to hunt down her killer.

He eventually finds love again after meeting a med tech, Kagome, who becomes the first recruit of his newly formed merc crew.

His cyberware includes the Sandevistan for super speed and Gorilla arms, allowing him an advantage in hand-to-hand combat. A sword would be great in order to stay true to his character, BUT imo a machine gun seems like it would be a better weapon of choice for him in this universe.

Kagome is the Med Tech of the group, often assisting with the crew's injuries and cyberware issues after a job is complete.

She meets Inuyasha after finding him brutally beaten and treats his wounds, off the record. She later realizes he is the man accused of killing her cousin, Kikyo, and attempts to call the police, only for him to escape.

The next day, Kagome finds herself in danger, a local gang cornering her into a dark alley. To her surprise, Inuyasha shows up and saves her, unable to forget her after she saved him. She has been loyal to him every since, working with him and her Grandmother (see bonus content) to find out who really killed Kikyo. She eventually falls in love with him.

Her cyberware includes the Monowire for long-range attacks (closest thing I could think of compared to her bow & arrow that's part of the Cyberpunk universe). Maybe a cross-bow?

Miroku is the Netrunner of the group, able to hack into any high-tech computer system due to his intelligence and vast amount of knowledge.

As a Street Kid, he grew up to be a con man, running various schemes to support himself. During a particular con, he ends up crossing paths with Inuyasha. They butt heads at first as they both go after the same prize, with Miroku successfully outwitting him during their first of many encounters. But the more they run into each other, the more they grow to understand each other, and he joins Inuyasha's crew.

Due to a mishap while netrunning prior to the crew, Miroku has become more susceptible to Cyberpsychosis due to a virus that is slowly killing him. Despite his best efforts, he is unable to remove the virus or reverse its effects. He has accepted his fate and just tries to make the best of it. However, he soon finds a reason to keep living when he meets the love of his life, Sango.

His cyberware includes the Sandevistan (gives him the speed to keep up with Inuyasha), and he has the Projectile Launch System installed on his right arm, which launches an explosive projectile from the palm of his hand (a nod to the wind tunnel of course).

Sango is the Soldier of the group, being highly trained in combat and probably the most lethal of the team.

She grew up in the Corpo life as a soldier-turned-bodyguard for some of the most dangerous government officials. However, after her family is threatened by the exact people she was sworn to protect, she leaves the life and becomes a solo mercenary in order to find her only living family left – Kohaku.

She is initially hired to kill Inuyasha and his crew, but after realizing they have a common enemy, she decides to join them– eventually falling for her womanizing comrade, Miroku, whom she becomes determined to find a cure for due to his impending death.

Her cyberware includes Mantis blades (a callback to the hidden blades she has), but she mostly relies on her trusty Katana passed down by her father.

Shippo is more of an honorary(?) member of the crew rather than a truly active member – don't panic!

Upon becoming an orphan, he relies on his wit, tricks, and pickpocket-ing skills to survive Night City. On one of his outings, he attempts to pickpocket Inuyasha, who quickly discovers him and threatens to hurt him.

Luckily, Kagome takes sympathy on the little boy and convinces Inuyasha that they should take him in. Despite their disagreements, him and Inuyasha eventually form a brother-like bond – the rest of the crew becoming family as well.

And although he usually doesn't join in on their hired jobs, his pickpocket skills do tend to come in handy sometimes.

BONUS CONTENT:

Kaede is a Fixer who sets up the various contracts that Inuyasha's crew handles (pretty much Wakako Okada from Cyberpunk). Being Kikyo and Kagome's grandmother while also believing Inuyasha is innocent, she heads the search for Kikyo's killer and helps the crew find answers where she can.

Koga is the Leader of the infamous gang Wolf (Tyger) Claws, known for their ruthless and territorial nature. Despite his hatred towards Inuyasha, Koga has a sweet spot for Kagome and often proves to be a resourceful and well-connected ally... when he wants to be.

Kohaku falls victim to Cyberpsychosis and is being controlled by a corrupt corporation. Sango strives to save her little brother and bring down the corporation responsible.

Hachi is Miroku's longtime friend and former con artist partner who will sometimes assist with jobs as the getaway driver when needed.

Naraku is (you guessed it) the CEO of the corrupt corporation that is controlling Kohaku, the man who is responsible for Miroku's virus that's killing him, and the man who murdered Kikyo in a fit of jealousy and rage when she did not love him back.

Parallel to Episode 132: During a job, Sango's cyberware is hacked into, causing her to start attacking her friends. Luckily, due to his Netrunning skills, Miroku is able to save her just as she's about to kill him.

[kiame-sama]

hello! not really a request, but i was wondering if you have any tips on writing yanderes/your thought process while writing your works? i really love how you write yanderes and don’t know where to really start (^ ◇^；) you can ignore this ask if it’s too much!

My thought process is a strange one, lovie. I'm a maladaptive day dreamer so I often just space out and random thoughts from that usually are how my yandere ideas begin. I have a note app on my phone and it is FILLED with random ideas/ plot points. Some have been there for literal years (a big group of unfinished Selkie fics across multiple fandoms are just hanging out in there)

If I have a certain yandere in mind with the idea, I put their name at the top and see if I can expand ideas or even fit them together. Like having a pocket full of quotes and seeing which ones fit who. Sometimes I'll get a random idea for a BNH Quirk, or a HxH nen ability, and I'll write it down so I can come back to it later or see which character would be most likely to be interested in a darling with said ability.

Or I think of a character and build from there.

~~~~~~~~

For example:

I want to write something about Sesshomaru.

Ancient japan, but I am a present day human who does NOT live in Japan. Fine, reader becomes transfer student and is shadowing/living with Kagome. Both get pulled into the bone eater's well and are now in ancient Japan.

Yay! But he doesn't like humans other than Rin.

Fine, reader travels with Kagome and is washing her clothes in the river when she hears Rin scream while she is running from demons. Reader goes to help the girl and is attacked, basically sacrificing herself for Rin. This sacrifice (paired with the demon horde) creates a new Shikon Jewel. Rin is understandably upset someone just died for her and cries. Here comes Sesshomaru who mercifully revives reader using Tensaiga.

But wait! Shikon Jewel formed and that took reader's soul!

Fine, reader has no soul and therefore takes a nearby fox demon's soul instead and becomes a half-demon when revived due to demon soul. An empty vessel that now lives. Memories and personality are still there, humanity is mostly gone. Kinda like how Kikyo was a clay vessel until revived with an ounce or two of Kagome's soul. Jewel makes half-demon reader full demon!

Now demon, but what kind? Eh, fox demon soul. Fox demon. Works for me. Nine tail! Big fluffy!

Fox demon revived by Dog demon and encouraged by Rin, join Sesshomaru's party. Jaken complains about a fox in the party but shuts up because Rin is happy. Reader blames Kagome for dragging reader into all of this.

Dramatic questions when they finally meet again!

"You didn't even look for me! Doesn't my family deserve a chance to mourn? To know I died? Doesn't my life matter too?"

Note: Kagome DID go look. Couldn't find reader and blames herself for getting reader dragged to feudal era Japan. Every word is a knife that hurts more as reader speaks and blames Kagome for more.

Inuyasha wants new jewel and Kagome can see/sense it. Oh, but wait, reader is demon now! Lash out foxy-fox! Kagome and friends depart because reader demon abilities are a bit over powered due to new jewel and controlled by reader's angry emotions (instinct comes out in life or death battle, blinded by rage, one can only act on instinct).

Keep traveling with Sesshomaru and become a 'mom' figure for Rin. Sesshomaru is her dad figure, so reader can be mom!

More danger from wolf demons going after the jewel. Wolves are chasing the fox reader, Sesshomaru actually intervenes and saves reader.

"Foolish woman! Don't you know how to defend yourself?"

Angry because scared of losing reader, but will never tell. Reader was scared, not mad, so reader kinda forgot that she is a demon and a scary one at that.

Foxes have heats, dogs do too. Males have ruts. Sesshomaru has a rut when reader goes into heat. Guess it is time for Sesshomaru to claim his mate.

Fox demon? Fox terminology; tod, vixen, skulk, burrow, den.

~~~~~~~~

Bones outline for story, fill in the meat and descriptions, you got yourself a good one! Post and say "screw it!" And hopefully people like it.

That is my usual approach, but sometimes inspiration smacks me like a sack of bricks. I'm maybe/probably gonna write the full story of the word blurb above.

A few Rules I follow;

NEVER use same descriptive word twice in same paragraph or sentence, use another word with similar meaning. (Sad; melancholy, despondent, grief stricken, numb, sorrow, woe)

Dictionary and Thesaurus are friends. (As a kid, I sat and read a dictionary because I could. It has helped amazingly).

Try to not start two sentences in the same paragraph with the same word.

Paragraphs can be one sentence or millions of sentences! Split into new paragraph based off of idea or focus shift.

Purple prose is fine, don't let anyone else tell you it isn't. (Locks of ebony/ waterfall of tears/ waves of emotion) Find descriptive words for colors, even those weird funky colors. Life mimics nature and nature contains life. Immerse yourself and the reader with your words. 5 senses. (Maybe 6 if you want)

"Dialogue chunks should be together, easier than trying to write description between every line of dialogue for every sentence."

Put warnings for content as you write at list up top. Add as needed.

Practice! (Even if it is only in little notes on phone. These can be edited until you are pleased)

Why? Why not. Who will stop you other than you?

Don't follow grammar rules or sentence structure? Go for it! Commit to your style and try new styles. Who are others to tell you not to? It is your work, you decide! People can complain all they want, they are not the author, you are! You make your choices, not them!

If you don't like what you wrote, save to edit but don't beat yourself up for it. Write what you like and what makes you happy. What you didn't like prior may fit beautifully into a different piece.

[shinidamachu]

imagine how many of the InuKag scenes Sunrise would've ruined if the Final Act had been more than 1 season. I bet there would've been more sits, more insults, more flashbacks, more Kikyo mentions, more Sess filler episodes, more groping, more slaps, more--

Anon, why would you come into my house to ask me to imagine something that literally makes me shake in anger like a pinscher?

All jokes aside, you're absolutely right about all that. Apparently, since Sunrise didn’t have a lot of wiggle room to butcher Inuyasha and Kagome's characters in the compressed episodes, they had to follow their manga characterization in the Final Act.

I still haven't read the manga, but ever since I joined the fandom I've seen post after post screaming that Sunrise shamelessly watered down or cut out Inukag scenes altogether. Some of them very meaningful to their relationship.

And it's all true! When I saw the missing scenes or side-by-side comparations of how it went down in the manga vs in the anime... it felt like a war crime. Against me. Personally. But we also know why they did it: to milk the love triangle.

Can I tell you a secret, though? It still didn't work.

Even before the Final Act, there were still a lot of unnecessary "sits", insults and ᴋɪᴋʏᴏ mentions that didn't happen in the manga and that, strangely enough, only made a reappearence in the epilogue, effectively regressing the characters to who they were at the start. There were still flashbacks, trying to give ɪɴᴜᴋɪᴋ whatever substance they could so both pairings were on an equal foot.

And it sill didn't work!

As someone who watched the anime only, nothing they took away from the manga made me not ship Inukag, root for a different couple or believe, even for a second, that Inuyasha was divided between Kagome and ᴋɪᴋʏᴏ rather than what his heart wanted and what his guilt told him it was the right thing to do.

It's sad, because their original relationship was far superior to what Sunrise gave us. But if you think about it, it's also funny because it proves how perfect they are for each other. They have so much chemistry and their love story is so compeling that you can weaken their romantic interactions, flesh out the relationship of the rival couple and they still remain unparalleled.

Their real competition is the manga version of themselves.

[maradigma]

okay I think I’m on the SessKik train lol. can I get some fic recs plz? 👀

*punches ticket*

Hello and welcome aboard friend, good taste 🤩 

Not gonna lie, Sesskik are difficult to grasp. So even though I love this ship a lot, unfortunately not many writers can pull them off (to my personal standards) since I’m real picky when it comes to too much OOCness, and cause of that I dropped quite a few fics in my time sorting through the already small pile lol. But, glad to say there are special exceptions that tbh either blew my mind with the potential those two have together or just managed to make me like this ship even more. 💯

Multichapter

⭐️ . The Rift Between Auras // Chio Saki : Canon-compliant. Kikyo begrudgingly joins Sesshomaru’s group after she saves Rin on Mt. Hakurei. Listen, this one you should read regardless of what you even ship, it’s on a whole different level. Just the sheer respect and love put into every single character/relationship in the series and the 1:1 in-character portrayal - a straight up masterpiece that uses the Sesskik potential to the max. (It’s so good that us Sesskik shippers just accepted this as our one true canon lol.)

⭐️ . Forbidden // Tsuyu no Inochi : AU, post Naraku. The OG. One of the firsts I ever read and I have a lot of love for this oldie but goodie. Really nicely written with interesting and well-developed OCs, explores Sesshomaru’s royal court life and his duties and how our regal Kikyo fits into them perfectly. Also has some very spicy moments and an ongoing sequel to it.

⭐️ . One Thousand And One // WWT4982483 : AU. Sesshomaru captures Kikyo as her Saint Hijiri self. Really well-written and I like the creativity and world building of this one.

⭐️ . First Sight, Yet Nostalgic //  WWT4982483 : A fully translated story from Chinese and is just gorgeously written. This author translated a few other stories too and every single one of them is so pretty.

⭐️ . Cold // EnigmaticArsenic : Kikyo finds Sesshomaru unconscious and hurt after a battle and decides to take care of him. A classic.

Oneshots

⭐️ . Dear // @skylxft​ : Gorgeous. Angsty. Wonderful. Feeeeeels. Honestly, every single one of Ellie’s Sesskik oneshots is gold. Go check them out!!

⭐️ . Kintsugi // CardyDesu : Modern AU. Sadly will forever be only a oneshot, but I still liked it a lot.

⭐️ . Little Girls Have Their Ways // @modinu : Modern AU. Cute and wholesome. Rin does what she does best and slaps Kikyo in the face with “you like my dad dont you? get tf on that!!!” This oneshot is no different.

⭐️ . Give Your Tears To The Tide // marsmagari : Sesskik from confused Inuyasha’s POV. Short but good.

Anyway this took longer than I thought so I’ll stop here, I think.

Also, this is just my personal list, anyone else - feel free to add to it!!

[clown-cult]

Inuyasha for the fandom thing

It’s true I rant about this show a lot but it’s because it really does mean so much to me. It was my first anime and I watched it at 15. We’ve been doin this dance for 10 years now.

The first character I first fell in love with:  Kikyo. Even when I was little, I couldn’t bring myself to jump on the hate train for her. I thought she was so mysterious, complex and beautiful.

The character I never expected to love as much as I do now: Naraku. I’m such a Kikyo apologist but Naraku was ultimately my favourite character and to this day I still love him. In fact, I appreciate him more as time goes on.

The character everyone else loves that I don’t: Sesshomaru. It was genuinely bizarre to me how obsessed basically everyone was to me when I joined the fandom. I love his design and he’s an intriguing character but I just…never got the hype. Mind you, cool, aloof guys have never been my thing. I’m kind of grateful now bc the fallout after the godforsaken sequel was obviously far less painful for me than others. I have to admit my recent rewatch is making me like him more but that’s another tangent.

The character I love that everyone else hates: Kikyo again. I can’t believe the amount of people in this day and age of appreciating complex writing, especially for women, who still hate Kikyo with complete vindication as though she isn’t one of the best written characters in classic anime.

The character I used to love but don’t any longer: Not to say I hate her, but I’m not as fond of Kagome as I used to be. Mind you, when I was first watching this show I was around Kagome’s age so I was able to relate to and enjoy her in ways I don’t so much anymore.

The character I would totally smooch:  Let’s see…Kikyo, Naraku, Byakuya, Kagura, InuKimi, Princess Kaguya…are we noticing a theme here?

The character I’d want to be like: This is gonna sound odd but…Kaede. She’s this wise, dry-witted, tough older lady who just takes everyone’s bullshit in stride and is in a good rhythm of life for herself. I envy her tranquility, strength and logic.

The character I’d slap: No one is getting a physical slap but I’m dishing some tea. Kagome and Sango need to learn that being that possessive over a guy who has at no point said he’s in a relationship with you is NOT cute. Miroku, baby, stay away from women. In general. Forever. Sesshomaru needs to have a pizza, have some weed and lighten up. Kikyo and Kohaku are going to be put into therapy and get warm blankets. Naraku needs a tranquilliser.

A pairing that I love: NaraSess has been a favourite since forever. I’m partial to both InuKag and InuKik. KaguKik, KikKag and KagSan are all gorgeous. InuKoga, InuMir and SessKoga are also gorgeous. SessKik, SessKagu and Naraku/Byakuya have grown on me. KohaRin and MirSan just…work. They just do. Like yes, this is how it should be.

A pairing that I despise:  idk if I despise SessKag but I’m not as big a fan. I love me some dark dynamics but NarKik just feels too much like torture for both of them. I can’t do that to them. The only Inuyasha pairing I really and truly hate is SessRin but hey, don’t we all?

[the-weaver-of-dreams]

Naraku and all his reincarnations!

Send me a character and i’ll list:

Naraku

Favorite thing about them: As evil as Naraku is, i love how the author chose to incorporate a redeeming quality into him (his real wish and how the Shikon jewel was manipulating him slightly). It really shows that no one, not even the most heinous of people, are 100% evil. I’ll be honest, because of that fact, Naraku helped me recover after the mental stress another psychotic anime villain caused me. This is also the reason why he is my favorite Inuyasha character. Funny how I wished a fictional character like him would come into my life before even watching or hearing about Inuyasha and my wish was granted lol. Least favorite thing about them: Besides the fact that I wish he wasn’t dead,... it’s scary how remorseless and sadistic this guy can be at times when pursuing the jewel or his enemies. Kagura wasn‘t a favorite of mine, but the way Naraku toyed with her before killing her was extremely brutal. Another scene that almost made me figuratively want to slap him was when Naraku removes Kohaku’s shard right after the latter gained the will to live. Favorite line: He has so many great lines, it’s hard to choose! But a few of my faves are... - “My real wish you say? That’s right... now I remember. All I wanted was Kikyo’s heart. It seems that I won’t be joining Kikyo. In this... or the next world” - “This castle and this body hide my true identity... I will use them both to great satisfaction my dear Kagewaki” - “It’s been so long since Mount Hakurei, Kikyo. I’ve missed you” (He says this in a preview in the English version for episode 165) brOTP: Naraku and Byakuya OTP: Naraku x Byakuya, Naraku x Kikyo nOTP: Naraku x Inuyasha, Naraku x Kanna Random headcanon: The moment Naraku died, he claimed his surroundings were warm. That’s exactly what Kagome claimed she felt when Kikyo’s soul circled around her in a final goodbye. So I believe Kikyo visited Naraku’s soul right before his death and after it was purified. He then got to be with Kikyo in the afterlife after his soul vanished from the material world. Another headcanon I have is that part of the reason Naraku chose Kagewaki’s body to possess is because he found Kagewaki’s appearance aesthetically pleasing.  Unpopular opinion: There’s a a lot more depth to him than what meets the eye. The way I see it, an underdeveloped villain would have zero motivation other than pure sadistic pleasure, 100% evil, little self/inward conflict etc. 

Naraku is evil, yes, but he’s not 100% evil. He struggles with the pull of his human heart and discards it multiple times to be rid of his emotions, unlike the stereotypical villain who might not struggle with such conflicts. In the end though, he can’t get rid of his feelings no matter how hard he tries. Naraku doesn’t do the things he does soley for his own enjoyment, even if he does find some twisted joy from hurting people. I think his main motivation is the jealousy and hatred he has towards those who have the bonds he longs for, but could never have. That reason alone adds a lot of depth and makes his character extremely relatable. After all, jealousy and loneliness are common emotions we‘ve all felt at one point or another. Also, he may act confident and superior, but I’m willing to bet anything that he feels inferior as a half demon deep down. After all, he discards parts of himself to make himself stronger, just like how any insecure person would hide their insecurities from the world. Another example is the way he treats his incarnations. He views them as tools and yet he hates it when they ultimately betray him. It’s almost as if he has a fear of abandonment… which sheds light on another one of his insecurities and presents a more ‘human’ fear that lies within his heart. Song i associate with them: End of Memory and Naraku’s iconic theme song Favorite picture of them: There are too many to choose an all time favorite. But here is one of my favorite screenshots and two artworks with him that I love.

Kagura

Answered here

Kanna

Answered here

Goshinki

Favorite thing about them: Um... Least favorite thing about them: This guy is a little too sadistic and murderous for my taste. It was really disturbing to see how he ate everyone and everything in that one village and how he tortured those two kids who had their parents devoured. Favorite line: N.A brOTP: N.A OTP: N.A just... please no nOTP: Goshinki x any fictional character Random headcanon: N.A Unpopular opinion: This demon is probably the most frightening and disturbing character of Inuyasha... at least in my opinion. He destroyed the lives of two innocent children by devouring their parents, mocked them that he ate their parents and left them without a family or home. Just imagine being 8-10 and loosing your family and everyone you ever loved. Then imagine how helpless you’d feel after hearing that your parents are gone forever at that age. Once it’s all over, you’re left to fend for yourself with no one to turn to. That would be terrifying to go through. Goshinki also pushed Inuyasha and co to the limits with his ability to read minds, nearly killing them all. Yeah... this character is just pure nightmare fuel. Song i associate with them: N.A Favorite picture of them: I don’t have one

Juromaru and Kageromaru

Favorite thing about them: These two had the audacity to decapitate Naraku... twice (If the demon puppet counts as one). I also find it interesting how they are the equivalent to “the brain and the brawn” character archetype. Least favorite thing about them: Kageromaru gets a bit disturbing when he mentions how he wants to devour the insides of Inu and co. Favorite line: “See you in Hell!” - Kageromaru brOTP: None for both. Though I do find a friendship between Juromaru and Kageromaru or even Goshinki interesting to ponder OTP: None for either nOTP: Juromaru and Kageromaru x any Inuyasha character Random headcanon: N.A Unpopular opinion: I don’t know how underrated this it but I think they’re pretty powerful from their combined use of brute strength and deceptive tactics. Song i associate with them: None Favorite picture of them: None

Muso

Favorite thing about them: Compared to the Onigumo we saw in ep 20, Muso seems more sympathetic. Instead of being this sadistic monster, he just wants to find out who he is and see Kikyo again. He’s more confused and desperate than anything after being in Naraku’s body for 50 years. I also believe it makes Muso’s character more human and relatable. Least favorite thing about them: I don’t think I have one. Favorite line: “Greetings. That’s some fine amor you got there” (got to love Muso’s utter disregard of his nudity when talking to people and stealing clothes from them XD) brOTP: N.A OTP: Muso x Kikyo nOTP: Idk, probably Muso x Naraku Random headcanon: Obsessive and clingy as he was, I think his lust for Kikyo eventually shifted into something akin to a crush after being trapped within Naraku for 50 years. I mean... no doubt he still wanted to have his way with her. However, Muso seemed less lustful and sadistic than the Onigumo we were introduced to in episode 20 who seemed to take pleasure in the thought of doing... malicious things to Kikyo. Honestly, Muso just seemed more desperate and confused than anything. Unpopular opinion: I wish he stuck around longer... and that he got to see Kikyo. Song i associate with them: None Favorite picture of them: This one... I guess lol. He just looks so innocent to me 

The Infant

Favorite thing about them: Eh… Least favorite thing about them: His sadism and ability to manipulate the darkness within one’s heart. Favorite line: N.A brOTP: None OTP: I’d probably be uncomfortable shipping him with anyone nOTP: The Infant x any character in Inuyasha Random headcanon: How did the Infant get inside Moryomaru? Well, the infant was probably swallowed whole. Actually, it wouldn’t surprise me if this was the case considering how Rumiko Takahashi isn’t afraid to add darker elements to the story. Unpopular opinion: N.A. Song i associate with them: N.A Favorite picture of them: N.A

Hakudoshi

Favorite thing about them: …His death Least favorite thing about them: His arrogance and his sadism. Yeah… that scene when he chose to kill hundreds of people with those demon rats just to lure out Kikyo was pretty brutal. Favorite line: N.A. brOTP: I don’t think I have one OTP: None nOTP: I haven’t run into many Hakudoshi pairings so I’m not sure yet. Random headcanon: His favorite color is lilac Unpopular opinion: Okay… Hakudoshi’s death was rather humorous and satisfying for me. Idk why, but it always makes me crack up when super arrogant characters say their so invincible and they’re immediately proven wrong. First and last time I’ll ever say this but… good job Naraku for putting Hakudoshi in his place. Song i associate with them: His theme song Favorite picture of them: N.A

Byakuya

Favorite thing about them: The fact that he’s loyal to Naraku and his sense of humor. Also, the fact that he is the only character brave enough to sass Naraku to his face. Least favorite thing about them: He’s hard to read and can be pretty apathetic at times in canon Favorite line: “That didn’t go exactly as planned, did it?” brOTP: Byakuya and Naraku OTP: Byakuya x Naraku nOTP: Byakuya x Kohaku. Random headcanon: Byakuya didn’t dodge Inuyasha’s Meido Zangetsuha because he wanted to show Naraku that he truly cared and was loyal to him. Unpopular opinion: He’s extremely underrated for a villain. I mean... he’s the only incarnation loyal to Naraku, he has an interesting personality and sense of humor. It’s true he’s a minor character and we don’t spend a lot of time with him, but I think there is a lot more to him than what meets the eye. It’s just hidden within his non verbal communication and the subtle clues behind his actions. You just have to pay close enough attention to see it. Song i associate with them: Grenade by Bruno Mars Favorite picture of them: Again, there’s too many to choose an all time favorite, but here are two that I love 

[lavendertwilight89]

Til We Meet Again

Here is the link to AO3

This fic was written for one of my best friend’s who lost their grandpa to COVID-19 last week. I wrote this piece for her and it’s geared towards what I knew she would enjoy and hopefully find solace in. 

Please, remember to wear your mask and social distance. You never know if you’re a carrier until it’s too late for someone else.

It’s a little raw and there is a character death.

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In the back of Kagome’s mind, she always knew this day would come. Her grandfather was well into his eighties. He had some struggles, but what elder didn't? 

He still told all his old tales and stories. He still would chase Inuyasha with sutras, sometimes even bold enough to toss salt at him. 

But he was slowing down. He asked Inuyasha for help more and more. Mama didn't leave him alone as much according to Sota. Apparently when he got home from school she would run errands if he was having a rougher day with his arthritis. Her biggest fear was him falling.

She wasn’t sure if she should have been thankful or not that he passed away in his sleep on a night she was there…

He had gone peacefully and she didn’t have to hear second hand from Mama. That also meant she knew when the funeral was along with the visitation.

She had had a test, something Inuyasha had grown used to in their travels and hadn’t resisted when she asked to return home. He’d gotten into the habit of joining her. Something she didn’t mind either.

Their relationship had slowly become more physical over the last three years. As well as emotionally stable. She was no longer threatened by Kikyo, and he… didn’t try to kill Koga. He still refused to be nice, but at least the declarations of ripping his innards out had stopped.

A lot of their issues stopped when they finally confessed their feelings for one another. Go figure. Half of their arguments were caused by insecurities and misunderstandings.

Kagome often laughed about how immature they were the first year they had begun traveling together. But it was also fitting since she had just turned fifteen and he had… well… turned one-hundred and fifty. But to be fair, he had grown up his life in fear of others. Everyone just hated him for existing. Trust was something that had not come easy to him. But Kagome proved time and time again he could at least trust her and their friends.

It had been on a night that Sango and Miroku had gone back to her village to mend her weapon and patch up her armor after a run in with some demon cats. Shippo had remained with Kaede as the winter was harsher than normal and had decided to try to keep her warmer. 

After she and Inuyasha had finished dinner and were sitting by the fire, the soul collectors flew by summoning him. Kagome fidgeted, upset and worried he was going to leave her. Yes, it always hurt her deeply when he could go to her summons, but that time she would have been left totally alone… But he didn’t move. He didn’t even look uncomfortable. 

The only thing he did was stand and unroll her sleeping bag. 

“Inuyasha? What’s wrong?”

“Huh? Nothing.” He dropped to his knee and knelt in front of her shivering form--not just from the cold but from fear.

“Aren’t you… uhm…”

“Spit it out Kagome, I ain’t a mind-reader,” he added as he draped his haori around her and picked her up and slid her in the opening sleeping bag. She realized he was just tucking her in for the night… so he could sneak off then. But yet again, he shocked her by picking her up and holding her close.

“Inuyasha?” She tried again.

“You’re freezing Kagome. I’m sorry if you’re uncomfortable but I gotta get you warm.” A faint blush erupted on her face as she leaned her head on his shoulder. She swore she felt him nuzzle her before placing a chaste kiss on her temple.

Kikyo eventually emerged from the trees and took in quite the sight; or least from Kagome’s point of view. With a raised eyebrow she prodded Inuyasha, “What has you so occupied, Inuyasha? Did you not see my soul collectors?”

He tightened his arms around Kagome, as if he felt the tension and anxiety in her rise and replied steadily, “I would never leave Kagome alone. Especially when it is this cold for humans.”

“I see. Then I suppose we could discuss our plans in front of the girl.”

“Her name is Kagome, Kikyo,” he reprimanded. 

Kikyo stared at him slightly offended; he had corrected her in front of Kagome--something Kagome or Kikyo never thought he would do so easily or steadily.

After Kikyo shared what she knew of Naraku’s current plans she shot a look at Kagome who flinched out of habit. Inuyasha rumbled from deep within his chest and it oddly calmed her down… but had the adverse effect on Kikyo.

“Inuyasha, contain yourself while you are in my presence.”

Before he could respond or silence the purr he admitted for her, Kagome boldly chimed in finally. “Our relationship has nothing to do with you.”

“Your ‘relationship’?” Kikyo repeated. “Tell me, what is your relationship?”

“Kikyo, I’ve hid nothing from you. You know where my feelings lie,” Inuyasha replied. 

“Is that so…” Kikyo said evenly. It was eerie to see Kikyo so calm, let alone so… leading? What did Inuyasha tell her? What did Kikyo want?

“Kikyo--”

“Inuyasha. I do hope you will clear up any additional miscommunication between your reincarnation and I,” she stated with finality as she disappeared back into the forest.

“Inu--”

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean for her to be that intrusive.”

“Why? I mean--I just don’t understand--”

“What is there to not understand? I’ve told you for well over a year now there is nothing between Kikyo and I. When we meet it is strictly to talk about Naraku.”

“You could have left me alone to do that…”

“Keh you’d be alone Kagome. You really think I would do that to ya?”

“I guess not. I’m sorry for thinking differently. It's not like you haven't done it before,” she said with bitterness.

“Kagome--”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean--” he cut her apology off with an actual kiss. To her lips. Which she more than greedily accepted.

That night had marked the spark in their relationship. He was bad with words. But his kisses and caresses more than made up for the lack of them. It had been so cold that was all they ended up doing that evening. He did end up inside her sleeping bag with her, cradling her to him with the haori wrapped around them.

“Inuyasha?”

“What?”

“I love you,” she said hesitantly.

“I know… I love you too, Kagome. I’m sorry that I don’t show it well.”

“You show it better than you think. I’m just--I was just--insecure I guess.”

He chuckled huskily in her ears, “That’s my excuse. Find your own.”

After a little more talking, she fell asleep in his warm embrace. The six months after that he spent courting her properly. Between providing her food, cleaning up the camp, taking her to and from the well when requested, even bringing her flowers, she was over the moon. On her seventeenth birthday, their second anniversary of meeting at the Sacred Tree had been when they finally consummate their union. 

Her mother, while knowing this would happen, asked for her to start birth control even though Inuyasha had been so blatant in regards to him being able to smell Kagome in heat. While they were technically married in his time, as Kagome was far past legal age there, she was still technically a minor in their time and they couldn’t risk any… ‘mistakes’ in his sniffing. Kagome reluctantly agreed. Her mother boldly said when she was eighteen, she'd more than happily welcome a dog eared grandchild. 

She got the IUD, as it wouldn’t have to be changed for three years and wouldn’t need regular maintenance. Her mother also surprised her by telling her they would be ‘out’ that evening leaving her and Inuyasha all alone…

“We don’t have to rush into this Kagome--”

“Who’s rushing?? We’ve been together for a long time by your world’s standards.”

“I just--here--you’re still young--”

“Inuyasha,” she said, placing a hand on his chest in a calming manner. “I don’t belong in this era anymore. Once our mission is done, I… The well will probably close. I don’t--I don’t want to be without you.”

“I know that Kagome. But I--I didn’t--I don’t want you to have to choose," he said as his ears lowered.

“Unfortunately, I probably will have to. But I choose you; Mama and I already talked about it. That’s why she was okay scheduling me the doctor’s appointment. I still will graduate from high school, and we won’t try to have kids until after. But, I’ve already made my choice.”

“Are you sure? You have a home here--a family. I have nothing to offer you.”

“All I need is you, Inuyasha. We could live in a cave for all I care.”

“Kagome--” 

She moved her hand from his chest up to behind his neck and pulled him into a heated kiss. Apparently, that was a good enough answer for him. She was thankful she made him just as powerless and thoughtless as he made her when their bodies met.

It wasn’t the first time they had seen each other naked. No, they had gotten caught up in their desires, their flaming touches, the curious wandering of their hands. They had learned what they liked, what felt the best, but they wanted to wait. He wanted her to be sure. She wanted him to be comfortable.

Their clothes were lying on the floor but they were still standing kissing and stroking each other. He backed her up to her bed until her knees hit the frame and she fell onto it; her breasts bounced upon impact.

She never got used to seeing his hungry eyes rove over her body. He stared at her like she was his prey and he was the hunter. It made her wet and needy and wanton and--

He was on her in a moment interrupting her lustful thoughts. Her hands immediately went to stroke his muscular back and grip onto his shoulders as she rocked her aching core against his hardened length.

“Fuck,” he groaned pulling his mouth away from hers.

“Please Inu--Gods I want you so bad--”

“Not just yet, ‘Gome. Gotta make sure you’re ‘ready’,” he smirked at her before trailing kisses down her already steaming hot body. She thought she would die if he didn’t enter her. Writhing, she whimpered as she felt his tongue brush through her folds.

“Ah!” She gasped as she laced her fingers through his silver mane and arched her body up to his mouth. His fangs she had grown to love nipping at her did just that--the tingle shot from her clit directly to her coil in her belly. She groaned and gripped his hard trying to get her point across. The jerk had the audacity to laugh. LAUGH. Hahahahaaha… he thought he was so--

His fingers were inserted into her dripping wet opening and she found herself trying to thrust onto them to relieve some of the overbearing pressure. Her throat was also raw from the embarrassing moan she released. Luckily she was likely not going to have to use her throat for much else that night. Or at least not before he fucked her.

He did that to her--got her so wound up she got desperate. Forceful. Demanding. Cursing. It was so unlike her. But even though it made her flush, it never deterred him from making her do it again and again.

“Inu--” she pleaded as she ground her hips against his hand. His other hand had taken purchase of her breasts. It rotated between each, pinching and tugging her taut nipples. His rumble was answer enough as she felt him suck hard on her clit, finally breaking the dam that held her orgasm at bay. She cried out her release as she felt herself wet his still inserted fingers more. 

He sat up but moved his hand that was flipping between her mounds to her overly stimulated nub making her grind her teeth and begin panting heavily again. She almost came again at the sight of him withdrawing his fingers and licking them clean.

“Are you ready now Ka-Go-Me?” He asked cockily. When they first started their explorations, he was timid--but after her first overwhelming cry of his name as her walls fluttered around his finger he steadily grew more and more confident. Overly so. Not that he had no right not to be. He was a fast learner and could make her turn into a puddle of bliss within seconds if they were rushed in their foreplay.

“Y-yes,” she stuttered. He picked her up so she was kneeling on the bed. She noticed he grew nervous which was unusual. Then it dawned on her what he was asking silently. She smiled and placed her hands flat onto the bed and wiggled her ass seductively in his face.

“Fuck--how do I even deserve you,” he muttered as he stroked her bottom lightly before grabbing her hips lightly, being careful of his claws.

“So many reasons,” she said breathily.

He licked up her spine and then proceeded to suckle, bite, and lave her shoulders. She felt the tip of his hard cock at her wet core. She pushed back and little to tease him and shuddered at the insane amount of pressure that made her want to burst.

He licked the shell of her ear that earned him another impatient huff laced with desire, “I love you, Kagome.” Then he slammed into her and she swore she saw stars. The galaxy. 

She had heard the first time usually hurt; so that’s what she expected. She wasn’t even disappointed when it didn’t. Her hymen had broken long ago from all the falling and being tossed off cliffs in battle. She halfway suspected he had been fingering her so much to loosen her up so that he wouldn’t tear her. Smart.

“Inu--” she whined as he began to pound into her. Her breasts bounced with every pump of his dick in and out of her dripping wet pussy. The sensations of his cock inside her, brushing so intimately with her walls was too much. She felt herself begin to convulse around him, pulling him deeper if possible, unrelenting in allowing him to pull out fully in his fucking.

“Kagome,” he growled seductively in her ear. 

“Gods,” she whimpered knowing she was right on the cusp of another orgasm. Her arms began shaking; they were worn out already from trying to hold up her pleasure stricken body.

She was sweating, panting, gasping, writhing, shuddering, beneath his arching body as his hard length was swallowed by her aching core.

Her arms finally gave out and her ass somehow raised higher. She felt him pound into her harder and faster--that was when she mildly blacked out from the most intense release he had given her. 

When she came to, he had her cradled on his lap; her back to his chest and he was rumbling that sexy cooling growl he did to help her sleep.

“You good?” He asked steadily even though she felt his hot warm uneven breathe on her neck.

“Fuck yes,” she exhaled wrapping her arms around his neck. She felt his lips kiss and nip at her neck as she raised her hand to stroke his ears lovingly.

“Scared me for a second there,” he admonished as he began to rock back into her from below.

“Sorry,” she sighed, unable to dictate much else with him moving inside her again. His mouth latched onto her shoulder and his hands moved to her breasts and nub again. She was going to die. Or turn into a pile of goo. Who was to really say at that point? All she knew was she was likely not going to be able to walk the next day. Her thighs were spread so wide to engulf him fully she was basically doing the splits on his thighs. Not that she was complaining. She wanted every inch of him.

Her hands went back to grasping the back of his head, keeping her upright as she hung on for the ride. When she came again, she felt him stiffen and snarl. She knew she was about to pull his own release from him. She felt him twitch as he slowly pumped in and out of her as he emptied himself of his seed into her while he howled through his gritted teeth.

His fangs broke through the skin on her shoulder and she cried out. But it didn’t hurt as much as it filled her. As weird as that sounded. The swirl of his youki with her reiki, fighting for dominance, dancing a sinful play, finally died down.

That night they exchanged gentle kisses and warm embraced wrapped up in her bed. Safe. Secure. Loved.

A year had passed since then. Kagome was eighteen. Officially an adult in her era. Only she felt like she had been an adult for far longer. Her relationship to Inuyasha proved that; they had a hut of their own they stayed at when they were restocking in the village. She was training to take over Kaede's position after graduating and the jewel had been completed. 

Her grandfather’s death should have been easier on her. She knew the circle of life--especially in the shinto religion. Heck, her going to feudal era only solidified it.

But she felt she wasn’t handling his death well at all. 

Her own father passed away when she was barely out of preschool. Sota hadn’t even had the chance to meet their dad. But their grandfather-- he invited them into his home. Kagome’s mother’s family never respected the marriage between them and her mother lost touch with them. Ultimately picking Kagome’s father over them.

Mama often told Kagome that was why she really respected the relationship between her and Inuyasha. She saw a lot of her late husband in him. Inuyasha was a good man and would provide for her… She had been raised by her mother and grandpa. They knew she was ready to leave the nest. They did their jobs as guardian's.

Grandfather was all Sota and Kagome had for a father after their own passed. Now he was gone too… 

Inuyasha came up beside her at the wake. She had moseyed away from everyone and was sitting at the top of the stairs lost in her thoughts. He was wearing more traditional clothes that were more appropriate for mourning.

“Hey,” he said softly. He likely could sense her inner turmoil through their bond; something they learned shortly after mating. 

“Hi…” she replied quietly. He sat down beside her and hesitantly draped an arm around her shoulders. She sank into his embrace and sighed out of content. They hadn’t been intimate the past week. They hadn’t exchanged too many words. They merely just cuddled and shared their warmth with each other. Their bond did all the talking for them.

“I suck at this kind of shit.”

“You’re doing pretty well actually,” she smiled slightly. She felt he was nervous.

“That’s good I guess. I just feel like shit there ain’t more I can do.”

“Inuyasha… you lost your mother so long ago and no one was there to comfort you. Your father died on the day you were born. I honestly don’t know why you’re beating yourself up for not doing more. You’re doing fine. It’s hard to lose someone that raised you…”

“I know he was like your old man. At least that’s what he told me.”

“He talked to you about our relationship?”

“Yea--he wanted to be sure I was good for you. Can’t say I blame him for all the shit I put you through the first year we traveled together. I was kinda a dick.”

“Inuyasha--we didn’t know any better back then--”

“Yea, whatever. It doesn’t excuse half the crap I said or did that upset you. Anyway, it was supposed to be a surprise but…” He trailed off as he dug in his black haori for something. He finally found it and pulled out a velvet box.

Kagome was confused, unsure what her grandfather could have given Inuyasha. She took it from him hesitantly. When she opened it, she couldn’t help the tears that pooled at the corner of her eyes.

Inside the box was her grandmother’s ruby red ring encase on a gold band.

“Inu--”

“He had wanted to marry us once you graduated. Send us off to live in the feudal era the proper way. But he knew his time was comin’. He said he saw his wife almost every night in his dreams--it was getting harder and harder to wake up. But he really wanted to make sure I got that and gave it to you. I know I’m probably fucking up by giving it to you here but… I’m kinda at a loss on what to do for ya.”

She leaned over and kissed him chastly on the lips. “Thank you Inuyasha… It does help to know he wanted to be with Gigi.”

“Was that his wife?”

“That’s what we called her. We knew how much he loved her but he knew he had a duty to the shrine and to his son, my father. That duty was revealed when he passed I guess.”

“He did his duty well. He raised you to be… you. And for that, I’m grateful to the old man.”

Kagome pushed her face into his haori and finally let the tears that evaded her for the past week pour out. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her knowing her grandfather was proud of the woman she had become, that he respected and honored the relationship between her and Inuyasha, and also was reunited with her grandmother.

He confided in Inuyasha. He wasn't sad or scared.  All he wanted was for her to be happy. To know he was happy for her.

After the wake, Kagome presented to her mother the ring Inuyasha gave her explaining what her grandfather had told him. Her mother smiled and nodded. After long lingering embraces, they all turned in for bed. Inuyasha held Kagome close as she fell asleep peacefully and dreamt of her grandfather with her grandmother again. They waved to her goodbye and parted with blissful smiles, “Until we meet again.”

[sesskagarchive]

SKFA Themed Lists Overview

Sesskag Intro: Fan fiction that are quintessential in understanding why so many ship sesskag. They are the staple of the sesskag fandom and are often recommended upon entering the fandom. 

Time Travel: Sesskag fan fictions involving time-travelling beyond what Kagome is accustomed to. Usually, this involves Kagome accidentally time-travelling further into the past or in the future. 

After Jewel Completion: Works containing Kagome and her friends after the grand battle with Naraku, and/or after completing the Shikon jewel. This may involve Kagome making a wish that alters reality, Sesshomaru taking Kagome on a new adventure, or major characters dying that prompts a new plot. This may take place in modern-day Tokyo or the Feudal era. 

Inuyasha/Kikyo betrayal: These are sesskag fics that characterize either Inuyasha or Kikyo or both as a villain in the story, often betraying Kagome in some manner. They may contain character bashing towards Inuyasha or Kikyo. This trope is seen less now, but it used to be much used back in the day. 

Rin needs help: These are fics where Sesshoumaru uses Rin as a pretext for seeking out Kagome, whether this is because of Rin’s illness or because Sesshoumaru feels she would need a teacher or a mother-figure.

Alternate Universe Serial & Alternate Universe One Shots: These fan fictions are works that are not traditionally set in the Feudal Era Canon and are not compliant with or do not feature elements of the Inuyasha Canon. They may be set in the modern era or in a historical time other than the Sengoku Jidai. They may retain youkai and miko or make all the characters human. They may feature multiple different tropes like college, celebrities, etc

Modern AU rec list: A list of recs of alternate universe fics that take place in the modern day, as requested by a follower.

Feudal Era / Canon: These are fics that are compliant with the Inuyasha canon (at least to a point) and are set (at least in the most part) in the Feudal Era.

Searching for a mate: These fics feature Sesshomaru looking for a mate, possibly because of someone else’s insistence that he should mate (most typically his mother’s). May include matchmaking tropes but not necessarily.

Kagome saves the day: These fics involve Kagome saving Sesshomaru’s life, or saving other major characters or OCs. They may also feature Kagome being the grand savior of the Grand Battle or defeating Naraku on her own.

Sesshoumaru helps Kagome: Fan fiction that involve Sesshomaru assisting Kagome (and her friends) on completing the jewel or in other quests or situations.

Prophecy: The fics belonging in this category contain great prophecies or legends of Kagome’s and Sesshomaru’s relationship/partnership, or of a dark prophecy of a villain rising.

Dark/Tragedy: Fics that have a darker tone and/or plot, where really bad things happen and the endings might not always be happy.

Reunion: Fics that are canon compliant up to the final battle with Naraku, but in which Kagome never returned back to the Feudal Era and she meets Sesshoumaru again in the modern-day Tokyo.

Reunion 2: Fics where Sesshoumaru finds Kagome in the 21st century, as requested by a follower .

Courting: Fics in which Sesshoumaru courts Kagome - or vice versa! The courting may follow some sort of a ritual or just be more casual or general attempts to woo the other.

NSFW: Fics that are PWP or otherwise heavily focus on lemons/smut/NSFW scenes and include plenty of them.

Kagome as a Demon: These fics can either be fully AU, so that Kagome has always been a youkai, or they may be canon divergence and follow the canon storyline and setting until Kagome by some manner is turned into a youkai.

Sesshoumaru’s Into Kagome: These are any stories in which it is Sesshoumaru who is interested in or in love with Kagome before she is with him. These stories may also feature Sesshoumaru’s attempts to court Kagome or, if Sesshoumaru is not expressing his interest outright, pining.

Fluff Serial & Fluff One Shots: All those cute, feel-good fics that make you squee, fill you with happiness and/or are sweet enough to rot your teeth.

Hurt/Comfort: Stories in which one of the characters (or both of them) is experiencing either physical or mental pain and receives comfort from the other (or from each other). These stories can be bittersweet. 

Holiday One Shots & Holiday Fics Serial:  These are stories that centre on Christmas and/or the holiday season. They’re typically written for holiday exchanges, as secret santa gift, for holiday events or just to celebrate holidays with fic!

Outsider POV: Fics that give you a glimpse to Sesshoumaru and Kagome’s relationship through the eyes of a third party, whoever they may be.

Family/Pregnancy: A rec list of fics focused on Kagome’s pregnancy or the family Sesshoumaru and Kagome have built together, as requested by a follower.

Established Relationship: Fics that focus on Sesshoumaru’s and Kagome’s life as a couple, as requested by a follower.

Halloween Serial & Halloween One Shots: Fics that fit Halloween, either by being overall spoopy or by being set during Halloween!

Unrequited love (Sess): Fics where Sesshoumaru’s feelings towards Kagome are unrequited, as requested by a follower.

Drabble fics: Fics that are drabble series, i.e. a story comprised of snippets of exactly 100 words, as requested by a follower.

Amnesia fics: Fics where either Sesshoumaru or Kagome has lost their memory, as requested by a follower.

Tear-jerker fics: Fics that are angsty and/or deliver an emotional gutterpunch. Fics that are likely to make you cry, as requested by a follower.

TeacherxStudent fics: Fics in which Sesshoumaru is a teacher and Kagome is his student, as requested by a follower.

Blind!Sesshoumaru: Fics in which Sesshoumaru is blind, as requested by a follower.

Rin and Sesshoumaru join Inuyasha’s group: Fics in which Sesshoumaru and Rin join Inuyasha’s group and Sesshoumaru shows fatherly tendencies towards Rin, as requested by a follower.

Admins’ favourites: SessKag Archive Admins list their favourite fics, as requested by a follower.

Virgin!Sesshoumaru: Fics in which Sesshoumaru is a virgin, as requested by a follower.

InuKagSess: Fics that feature threesomes or polyrelationship between Inuyasha, Kagome and Sesshoumaru, as requested by a follower.

Angry!Kagome: Fics where Kagome expresses righteous fury, as requested by a follower.

Chatty!Inner Demon: Fics in which Sesshoumaru’s inner demon converses with Sesshoumaru, as requested by a follower.

Widow!Kagome: Fics where a widowed Kagome ends up with Sesshoumaru, as requested by a follower.

Step-sibling Fics: Fics in which Kagome and Sesshoumaru are step-siblings, as requested by a follower.

SessKag and children: Fics in which Kagome and Sesshoumaru have children, as requested by a follower. Includes both single parent fics and fics where Sesshoumaru and Kagome have children together.

Incest Fics: Fics in which Kagome and Sesshoumaru have an incestuous relationship (siblings or half-siblings), as requested by a follower.

Meeting Younger!Sess: Fics in which Kagome travels further back in time and meets a younger Sesshoumaru, as requested by a follower.

Aphrodisiac Fics: Fics, in which Sesshoumaru or Kagome take an aphrodisiac, as requested by a follower.

Movie AUs: Fandom fusion fics that feature the setting and/or plot of a particular movie and the cast of Inuyasha, as requested by a follower.

Humour and Crack one shots & Humour and Crack serial: Those rib-tickling funny fics about Sesshoumaru and Kagome.

Slowburn fics: Fics in which Sesshoumaru's and Kagome's romantic relationship develops slowly, as requested by a follower.

Supportive!Inuyasha fics: Fics in which Inuyasha is supportive of Sesshoumaru’s and Kagome’s relationship, as requested by a follower.

Pining!Sess fics: Fics in which Sesshoumaru pines after Kagome, as requested by a follower.

Dog Form!Sess fics: Fics in which Kagome interacts with Sesshoumaru while he is in his dog form, as requested by a follower.

Kagome Proves Her Worth: Fics in which Kagome proves her worth as Sesshoumaru’s mate, whether being his equal in combat,  having reiki powerful enough to match his youki, etc., as requested by a follower.

Concubine Fics: Fics that incorporporate a Lord/Concubine dynamic and/or in which Sesshoumaru keeps concubines and Kagome may end up being one of them, as requested by a follower.

Courtesan!Kagome / Kidnapper!Sess: Fics where either Kagome is a courtesan or Sesshoumaru kidnaps Kagome very early on in the canon timeline, as requested by a follower.

Dubcon/Rape Fics: Fics in which consent is dubious or in which Sesshoumaru rapes Kagome, as requested by a follower.

Geisha/Maiko!Kagome Fics: Fan fiction in which Kagome is either a maiko or a geisha, as requested by a follower.

Star Wars AU Fics: Fusion fics that insert the characters from Inuyasha into the world and/or plot of Star Wars, as requested by a follower.

Yakuza!Sesshoumaru: Fics, in which Sesshoumaru is a member of the Yakuza (Japanese organised crime), as requested by a follower.

Politician!Sesshoumaru: Fics in which Sesshoumaru is a politician or which feature political intrigue, as requested by a follower.

Post Canon Edo Fics: Fics that are set after the series’ end and where Sesshoumaru either visits Kagome in Edo or SessKag get together after an InuKag breakup, as requested by a follower.

Nonexistent Inuyasha: Fics in which Inuyasha does not exist at all, as requested by a follower.

Sex by the well: Fics in which Kagome and Sesshoumaru have sex in or near the Bone Eater’s Well, as requested by a follower.

InuRin Sidepairing: SessKag fics that feature Inuyasha x Rin relationship as a sidepairing, as requested by a follower.

Fics Similar to the Second Alliance: A list of SessKag fics that have similar themes as Imani Joain’s Second Alliance, as requested by a follower.

Office Romance: A list of fics that feature some type of an office romance, in particular fics in which Sesshoumaru is Kagome’s employer, as requested by a follower.

Bi/NB!Sesshoumaru: Fics in which Sesshoumaru is bisexual, nonbinary or genderfluid, as requested by a follower.

Pirate Fics: Fics (mostly AU) that feature pirates or either Sesshoumaru or Kagome as a pirate, as requested by a follower.

Waitress!Kagome: Fics in which Kagome is a waitress, as requested by a follower.

Training in Castle: Fics in which Kagome goes to stay with Sesshoumaru, typically at his castle, and trains with him or is trained by him, as requested by a follower.

Recent Recs: Rec list of fics that are only three years old or less, compiled from recs submitted by our followers.

[ranma-rewatch]

Episode 2-School is No Place for Horsing Around

Alright, we’re going into episode two this time, “School is No Place for Horsing Around”. No mess this time with alternate titles this time around, even if the one we have sounds a little unwieldy. Once again, this feels like an episode I know ahead of time fairly well, so I’ll join you in a second after I’m done rewatching it. 

This episode starts out a little slow. It’s the next day, and we’re reintrodcued to the Tendo and Saotome families as they go about what is, for them, normal. Namely, Akane is getting back from a jog to see Ranma and his dad sparring in the yard while the rest of the Tendo’s eat breakfast.

Soon they’re on the way to school, though Ranma is walking there on top of a fence, probably because he thinks it makes himself look cooler. They talk, including about how neither wants the school to know they’re engaged, Ranma acts like a jerk, but just as Akane is ready to give him violent retribution, Genma shows up to chastise Ranma far treating his fiance badly. Ranma immediately just knocks his dad into a nearby waterway, turning him into a panda, then expertly dodges his dad’s attempts at retaliation...only to walk right into the path of some old lady throwing out water, activating his curse.

Akane realizes that Ranma probably shouldn’t show up to his first day of school in his cursed form, so takes him to the house of Dr. Tofu, the family physician for the Tendo’s. He seems like a nice guy with a weird sense of humor, but after Ranma turns back and they leave, he realized that the guy must be a martial artist, since he was able to sneak up on Ranma without him noticing

It also becomes clear that Akane really likes Dr. Tofu, which he finds funny because she keeps protesting about how much she hates boys. But that’s right about when they get to the school gates, and Ranma is stunned to see a bunch of guys from the school, most of them athletes, are running up to Akane to attack her while also proclaiming their love for her. She effortlessly beats them all up while an instrumental version of the theme song plays in the background. (Something I’ve never seen done in a second episode, I don’t think.)

But once they’re all down, the sky darkens and someone throws a rose at Akane, which she catches. From out of the shadows appears a man quoting classical literature/poetry (the source depends on the translation), holding a kendo sword, here to fight Akane. He boasts of his skill, but when Ranma draws his attention, the man gets irate that this whelp dares to show familiarity with Akane.

Ranma reveals he’s staying at her house, and immediately that sends this guy, Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, into fighting mode, but aiming his attacks at Ranma instead of Akane. Ranma seems a little flustered at first, before giving a real introduction of his own and letting the fight start. It quickly becomes clear how powerful Kuno is, able to smash a stone wall or cleave a tree in two with his wooden practice sword, but Ranma is once again great at evading attacks. Just as each is about to hit the other, the dark clouds above begin their rain, and Genma shows up to push Kuno aside and whisk Ranma away just as his curse activates again.

Once inside, Akane gives Ranma the low-down. Apparently, at the beginning of the school year, Kuno announced to everyone that if anyone wanted to date Akane, they had to beat her in a fight first. Ever since, she’s had to fight all those boys every day just to get to class. Oh, and when Ranma laughs off Kuno as a loser, Akane points out a large bruise on his neck. Kuno never hit Ranma, that was just from the attack missing, and she says if he had landed that blow, Ranma would have had a gash there instead. It also turns out that Ranma took longer with his fight than Akane usually does, so they’re late to class and have to stand outside holding water in a bucket, which is/was a normal punishment in Japan.

Meanwhile, in the classroom for the older students, it’s revealed what Kuno got from Ranma in their trade-off: in that split-second, Ranma had quickly scratched some characters onto Kuno’s forehead. His initial annoyance is from the fact that Ranma didn’t write his name correctly, but Nabiki, who is Kuno’s classmate, makes it clear that Ranma had actually just written “Incompetent.” Then, in the middle of class, she tells Kuno that Akane and Ranma are engaged, and he flips out.

This leads to him also being sent out into the hall, but he quickly runs over to the protagonists loudly asking what the meaning of their engagement is. Now the whole school knows, and another fight quickly starts between Ranma and Kuno. As Ranma runs away, he decides to jump out the window, with Kuno following. The fact they’re on the third floor doesn’t faze Ranma...but the fact they’re directly above the swimming pool is definitely a problem. That’s where the episode ends! Cliffhanger!

So, what is there to say about this episode? Well, quite a bit, I’d wager. To start with, I really adored that fight between Akane and all the guys. It’s not the smoothest animation in the world, but it really shows off how badass she is compared to these regular high-schoolers, and the instrumental theme in the background sells it really well.

This is also the introduction of Tatewaki Kuno, one of my favorite characters in the entire series. I honestly cannot think of any way his introductory scene can be improved. None at all. He is pompous, cultured, arrogant, and just a bunch of fun. The fact that it cuts to Nabiki and her friends after he calls himself the “Blue Thunder of Furinkan High”, and they start wondering where that came from, only to reveal that recently he’d instead been calling himself “Shooting Star” just adds to his character. This guy sees himself, unquestioningly, as the hero, when he is in fact an annoyance at best and a misogynist at worst.

The fight between him and Ranma is also great, especially in how it, for the first time in the series, sells the idea that, at least for the really powerful martial artists, we are definitely talking about superhuman people. They’re not quite Dragon Ball Z, but they wouldn’t stand out in the original Dragon Ball. The way the fight ends is a little disappointing, partially because I just don’t care for the track used in the background, but on the whole, aside from a bit of a dull start, I don’t have much to complain about this time around.

You have to understand that, just because I love him so much, I was very tempted to make this second character spotlight all about Tatewaki Kuno. But I will have to save him for a later date, because instead I think it would be sacrilegious to use the second spotlight on anyone who isn’t the character who, in my opinion, is the other protagonist of the series: Akane Tendo.

Unlike Ranma, the question of who voices Akane is a lot simpler. In English, she’s voiced by a Canadian actress named Myriam Sirois. She has done...almost nothing else, Akane seems to definitely be her most well-known role. Honestly, I’m a little sad to see that, because I think she does an excellent job. She plays Akane with a good mix of sweetness and spice for her Tsundere-ish personality. This early in the series she’s still kind of getting into the character, but that’s also true for a lot of the actors.

In the original Japanese, she’s played by Noriko Hidaka. She actually has a long history as a voice actress, with some of her other well known roles including Kikyo from other famous anime based on a Rumiko Takahashi Manga, Inuyasha, and Near from Death Note. Like I said last week, I have some issues really getting a handle on the Japanese voice actors right now, partially because it’s my first time hearing their performances and partially because they’re acting in a language I don’t speak. Because of that...I don’t really know what to say about her performance so far. It is neither amazing nor terrible. Somewhere in-between.

With this episode, we’ve started getting a bit of a fuller look at Akane’s character. She’s a martial artist, and a strong one, though it’s fairly clear that Ranma has a bit of a lead on her in that department. She fights mostly with an emphasis on strength, which comes in handy against the regular athletes but leaves her a little less fortunate against the speedier Ranma.

She clearly cared about how she’s seen at school, being tired of the morning fights and not wanting people to know about her engagement to the new kid at school. Tied up with that is her issue with men. It’s clear that, no matter what she says, she doesn’t hate all boys. Aside from her crush on Dr. Tofu, she doesn’t seem to have much of a problem with her loving father.

The whole ‘badass girl who hates guys’ is a bit of an older trope these days. It kind of feels like Strawman Feminist at this point, but at the very least Akane’s frustration with men is kind of understandable. We don’t actually know when it started, so it’s possible that it literally developed because she’s spend all school year fighting off all the guys in her high school, who are all trying to beat her in a fight so she’ll have to date them, like she’s a prize to be won in a contest.

Aside from all that, the only other thing I can think of to bring up is...her violence. Against Ranma. As someone who has been in the Ranma fandom since shortly after becoming net-savvy, I am well aware that Akane has a small, yet vocal, hatedom, and part of it comes from the way she treats Ranma, namely in hitting him whenever she gets angry. The fact that Ranma won’t strike back, out of fairly outdated chauvinism, doesn’t exactly make it look good either.

This is something I’ve talked about on my other blog, Wright Wednesday, and it’s a rough subject to talk about. First of all, yes, in real life anyone, regardless of gender, who hits other people for things they say is committing assault, and it’s not okay. The romantic-ish relationship between them makes it even worse, as domestic violence is rarely treated seriously if it’s a woman harming a man.

Second, this anime is not depicting the real world. It is a weird harem shounen battle comedy anime, so the rules of what flies in the real world vs what flies in real life aren’t the same. What makes me upset about Akane being able to hit Ranma so often is how it’s framed. It’s okay for her to do that, you see, because she’s just a girl. No matter how strong she is, no matter how good a martial artist she is, it’s okay for her to hit Ranma because her gender makes it comedy. If it was trying to treat it for drama, it would be a hard slap to the face, which would equally enforce traditional gender roles. It’s very sexist, and I don’t really like it.

I will say, right now, that regardless of those issues, I really like Akane. I think she and Ranma are cute together when they’re not being dysfunctional, she’s adorable, and I’d say that by the end of the series she’s a very well-developed character.

At last it’s time to rank the episodes, and now that I have rewatched two episodes, it’s a real ranking! While some might want to give the first episode points for being, well, the first episode, I am going to say right off that I think the episode I covered today is superior. The fight scenes, Kuno’s introduction, and some great comedy made it very fun to sit through two more times. That means the current rankings are, from best to worst: 

Episode 2: School is No Place for Horsing Around

Episode 1: Here’s Ranma

Next time we’ll see what happened to Kuno and Ranma after they fell into the pool in Episode 3: A Sudden Storm of Love. See you then!

[rubykgrant]

I can’t show the sketches of it (because I can’t go to where I scan my pictures right now), but I started thinkling about a reverse-role Inuyasha thing, and it is just so funny to me-

Inuyasha is like a normal highschool boy, he’s a loud-mouth and gets bad grades, most people assume he’s in some kinda gang but he’s too much of dork to even function with a group of people (he’s basically Yusuke from Yu Yu Hakusho hahaha). Koga is this other kid one grade up, he’s somehow a legit punk who has also managed to create a goody-two-shoes facade around the teachers because he gets straight As and is good athlete, and they HATE each other’s GUTS. Koga hates him because he always has some smart-mouth comment to say, and Inuyasha hates him because he’s a show-off.

Sango is totally the PE teacher and coach for various sports teams, and Miroku is that one teacher who thinks he’s a great writer but he just teaches history. Also, I’m gonna fix Miroku a little bit for my own sanity; he definitely hits on all the other teachers and single moms (plus a few who aren’t single, which earns him a black-eye once or twice), but he leaves the students ALONE. In fact, he’s actually super paranoid about the kids, he’s a chaperone for all the field trips, and if kids from another school try to flirt with any of his students, he jumps in with “REMEMBER, DON’T LET ANYBODY PRESSURE YOU INTO ANYTHING”. The intent is nice, but the result is embarrassing. Sango is way more chill and everybody thinks she’s super cool.

Shippo is a younger kid who goes to a different school, but he winds up knowing Inuyasha through online gaming; Shippo keeps kicking his butt. They meet at a gaming convention tournament, where Inuyasha was ready to have a legit fight with the jerk who’s been killing him online for almost a year, but then he just sees this child who’s all “Hey, I’m *username-whatever*!”, and he goes “Oh he’s like... 11? He’s a baby? Man, I can’t punch a baby”. So they accidentally become IRL friends. People ask Inuyasha why he’s friends with a little kid, and the answer is “Well, I was gonna smack him, but I changed my mind. Now he just keeps following me” (which is what a sibling relationship is).

Sesshoumaru is Inuyasha’s half-bro still, and currently, Inuyasha has no idea who he is... but Sesshoumaru does. He’s aware of the fact that his father left his mother for somebody else, had a child with this other woman, and then passed away. He finally tracked down his half-bro, and is thinking about how to approach this teenager. Sesshoumaru is himself an adult, outwardly seeming like a successful businessman who owns an antique shop, but he has some shady side-businesses. There is some complication with his father’s inheritance; if he tries to claim it, Inuyasha would also be notified, and the kid currently has no idea his father left him anything. Sesshoumaru doesn’t want to share what he feels should be all his, and he’s debating if he should maybe try to just pull an intimidation tactic to scare Inuyasha (Sesshoumaru is a pretty unnerving dude, but Inuyasha also has no fear and no braincells, so that might not work).

Kaede is Inuyasha’s foster guardian. She’s known him since he was young as a neighbor, and was there when a fire took his mother’s life. Years passed, and wasn’t getting along with his current foster family, so Kaede took him in. She often argues with the boy, but no matter how mean he acts, she never kicks him out or gives up on him. He doesn’t often admit this, but he truly appreciates it, and knowing he’s got somebody who cares about him makes him try to be better.

Neraku has a similar life to Sesshoumaru, but on a MUCH larger scale; he’s managed to be an incredibly rich and corrupt businessman who is actually the one responsible for a lot of death and pain in the lives of others, but manages to go mostly unnoticed. He’s incredibly cruel and also also plans ahead. Knowing he had various health problems, he literally only had children so he would have more likely matches for potential organ transplants. While he gives these children very “elegant” lifestyles, they have never known any affection from him, and he’s not above pulling them into the life of crime as well. He’s aware of a rare artifact one family has kept for generations, as well as an inheritance another family hasn’t fully claimed, and plans to get his hands on BOTH. The fact that everybody connected to the people he wants to steal from have also been previous victims of his evil at some point is very amusing to him.

On a day when several plans go into action, Inuyasha is given what he thinks is a goodluck charm from Kaede, but it is actually a very special jewel... both Sesshoumaru and Neraku (with his family and accomplices along for the ride) seemed to think along the same lines, and attempt to kid-nap Inuyasha; but he is WAY more trouble than they expected. Sango and Miroku get pulled into the situation to protect their student, Koga (and his buddies) is there because he can’t let Inuyasha have ALL the attention, Shippo was in the wrong place at the wrong time to try and talk to his friend, and everything turns into a huge mess. Eventually Sesshoumaru realizes that Neraku is after him as well, so he decides it will maybe be a little better to change his plan; now telling Inuyasha that he’s here to SAVE the boy, because he’s Inuyasha’s long-lost brother and something-something-emotional-manipulation, he joins the group running from Neraku. Inuyasha leads them back to his home, where they attempt to hide in the old shrine house... and then things go from scary to an absolute NIGHTMARE. A demon literally comes out of the old well, pulling everybody in (this includes the pursuing villains)

Both groups wake up in the past, scary demons ready to eat them for a snack, all ready to take the jewel Inuyasha holds. They meet Kikiyo, who demands to know why this boy in the strange clothes has what is supposed to be her family jewel. She runs to the shrine in her village and sees it is still there... somehow, there are two of them. One is from the future, kept over the generations by Kikyo’s family, until her ancestor Kaede gave it to Inuyasha. It seems odd that she’d trust him with this, but now it sure is his problem. As more demons attack, Inuyasha gets lost, and finds somebody in the forest; a young girl, who is actually a demon herself, sealed to a tree. Unable to protect himself from the demons, Inuyasha frees her (he still winds up as the one with the SIT collar though, Kagome was a little too quick and avoiding the beads)

So, the rest of the series involves the characters from the modern world learning various skills or gaining abilities that let them fight enemies (I think maybe only one of the jewels gets shattered, and the main characters each get one ow two shards that they use). Kikiyo remains in her village to guard the jewel from her time that is still whole, and Inuyasha gets a bit of a crush on her because she’s so much nicer than the mean demoness he has to spend all his time with. Neraku once again allows himself to be consumed by demons to become more powerful (he also transforms his children into half-demons, which they don’t much care for, but they can’t exactly stop him). Koga has fun being a superfast wolfboy. Miroku and Songo are mostly the same, but because they are teachers and most of these kids are their students, they are super over-protective of everybody. Sesshoumaru has to keep pretending he doesn’t totally despise Inuyasha, and WHOOPS, he kinda maybe starts to give a heck about this brat. Eventually, everybody goes home... including the now demon Neraku. Using his new powers, he causing all kinds of problems inthe modern world. Kagome winds up following along, and the rest of the story happens in the current time. Neraku summons ancient demons to the city, or creates all new monsters, and the group tries to stop him. He steals the jewel shards they gathered, then they all get lost again, same old song-and-dance, but with a contemporary setting. Sesshoumaru winds up adopting a young homeless girl because having a bro around kinda got to him, Neraku steals and brainwashes Sango’s little brother, and through it all Inuyasha starts to maybe kinda sorta like Kagome

[seiusa-ao3feed]

Book 1: Daughter's of the Moon by <a rel="author" href="/users/Raven_Strife/pseuds/Raven_Strife">Raven_Strife</a>

Book 1: Daughter's of the Moon Raven_Strife https://ift.tt/2GsBEuC

by Raven_Strife

Kagome Higurashi, was a young girl when her first adventure starts, getting dragged down a well and finding out she was the reincarnation of the dead priestess Kikyo. Falling in love with InuYasha, like everything else hadn't been expected, and hurt more than any wound she could ever receive. However the little gang of misfits, InuYasha, Kagome, Sango, Kirara, Shippo, and Miroku with the help of Sesshomaru, Kouga, and other friends they've made finally defeat Naraku. What they don't know is that he enacted one last curse. Slowly, over the course of several days in the feudal era the power of the well that leads to Kagomes time is drained until all that remaines is just enough power for one last trip. This discovery leads to Kagome facing a choice that is just as suddenly taken from her when Kikyo jumps her and shoves her down the well, forcing Kagome to go back to her home, leaving all of her friends behind along with the little boy she saw as a son. How will she live back in her time, after spending so long away? What has happened to her family? And what the hell is with the talking cat!? New friends will be made, pasts will be revealed, and a love for the ages reforged. Join these friends on the adventure of lifetimes!

Words: 159, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of Daughter's of the Moon

Fandoms: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage

Categories: F/F, F/M, Multi, Other

Characters: Higurashi Kagome, Chiba Mamoru, Aino Minako, Mizuno Ami, Kino Makoto, Hino Rei, Artemis (Sailor Moon), Luna (Sailor Moon), Seiya Kou, Tsukino Usagi, Tsukino Ikuko, Tsukino Shingo, Tsukino Kenji, Jadeite (Sailor Moon), Nephrite (Sailor Moon), Inner Senshi, Queen Nehellenia, Kunzite (Sailor Moon), Zoisite (Sailor Moon), (More people will be added as they show up in the story), Higurashi Kagome's Family, Queen Serenity, Queen Beryl

Relationships: Chiba Mamoru/Higurashi Kagome, Aino Minako/Kunzite, Mizuno Ami/Zoisite, Kino Makoto/Nephrite, Hino Rei/Jadeite, Artemis/Luna (Sailor Moon), Seiya Kou/Tsukino Usagi, Tsukino Usagi & Inner Senshi, Higurashi Kagome & Shippou, Higurashi Kagome & Sesshoumaru, Higurashi Kagome & Rin, Higurashi Kagome & Kirara, Higurashi Kagome & Kohaku

Additional Tags: Crossover Pairings, First story on a03, what the hell is tagging, Crossover, kind of, Sailor Moon is Kagome, Princess Serenity has a sister, People forgot, Dead Higurashi family, beta what beta, no beta we die like men, Kikyo is a bitch, Hate her so much, Mother/Son relationship (Kagome & Shippo), Naraku's a big dick head, Warning I swear a lot, This will very probably get dark, because I have a habit of making people suffer, Sorry Not Sorry, Oc sister of Princess Serenity, Usagi will still be a sailor scout, just not now, but she does know about the sailor scouts from the beginning, will add tags as I figure them out, Aged down Kagome, She was twelve when her adventures started, Sota was 10, check my math, Kagome is now 15 when this book starts, Shikon no Tama is completed, InuYasha story is complete, InuYasha is a jerk and a heartbreaker, Some characters will appear in later books, Follows the Sailor Moon Manga, Metions of events from InuYasha series, Characters from InuYasha may show up eventually, underage kind of?, I guess but like not sex, Just relationship ages, How the hell do I tag?, This is really freaking hard

[animebw]

Binge-Watching: Inuyasha, Episodes 47-50

Holy cats, these episodes were fantastic. In which I explore the nature of the love triangle, a powerful conclusion is reach, and the future has never looked brighter.

What Makes the World Go Round?

You know, it comes to my attention that we’re just about a quarter of the way through this show, and I haven’t yet really touched upon how it centers around what is, conceptually, one of my least favorite tropes in existence; the love triangle. My long term readers will probably recall me touching upon this subject before, but for all you young whippersnappers just joining us, what makes me leery whenever a conflict of romantic interests is introduced, especially in a show as young-skewing as this one, is that it so often becomes a sucking vacuum that drains away the characters I’ve come to love and care about. Writers will so often fall into the trap of centering the love triangle solely around the “ooh, what ship’s gonna win?” tug-of-war, at the expense actually using the trope to explore and develop the characters, and the result is an agonizingly pointless game of will-they won’t-they that serves no purpose than to spin its wheels and waste time. Just picture the first two seasons of Legend of Korra and you’ll know what I’m talking about. But as I’m fond of saying, no trope is inherently flawed, and over the past year or so, I’ve come to appreciate that when done right, the love triangle can be one of the most powerfully character-driven plot frameworks out there. As long as the romantic conflict actually serves the characters’ stories and motivations, there are few more efficient ways to generate interpersonal tension and high-stakes human drama.

On that note, I think it’s safe to say that the Kikyo-Inuyasha-Kagome love triangle at the center of Inuyasha is a very strong example of this trope done right. All three of them have reasons to be invested in this dynamic, and the way it plays out influences how their stories and goals evolve. Inuyasha’s defining character conflict is essentially symbolized by these two woman. Kikyo was the first chance he had at escaping his demonic heritage, but Naraku’s deception sent that hope up in flames. Now, she both literally and figuratively haunts him, a shade of his past that desires to drag him down into hell with her. Even now that Naraku’s trick has been revealed, she’s too poisoned by the hate she died with to feel at peace. Yet he still can’t let go of her memory; all the regrets he left with her are too powerful to escape. If she asked him to die with her, he would, if that’s what it takes to make peace with the woman he let down. But then there’s Kagome, who despite carrying Kikyo’s soul herself, is about as different from that priestess’ fatalistic outlook as possible. She doesn’t want Inuyasha to be trapped by mistakes he can never repair. She wants him to be free, even as she’s painfully aware of how deep his connection to Kikyo remains. And her conflict over how much of Kikyo truly remains in her, whether or not it’s possible to divorce herself from the expectations and scars of her past life, serves to connect the two women in a fascinating tangle of uncertainties.

In short, not only is every character’s personal journey tied to their conflicting connections, but all three of them are important in some way to the other two. The love triangle doesn’t take away from their stories; the love triangle is their stories. It influences their growth, their degradation, how they change, how they relate, and how they push each other forward or backward. It’s about as closely tied to their character arcs as I’ve ever seen a love triangle, and while not every instance of the trope has to be quite so centralized, it still goes a long way to justifying why it’s a worthwhile storytelling device to use here. You couldn’t tell the story of Inuyasha without this conflict; it wouldn’t be the same show. And because of how well integrated the characters’ motivations all are within that framework, the love triangle is able to drive the story forward on its own terms, as opposed to taking away from the story we want to see. It’s a really damn good setup that I’m coming to appreciate the more thought I give it. I don’t think Inuyasha would work half as well if the central conflict weren’t this strong.

And that strength has never been more apparent than when it all finally comes to head.

From Beyond the Veil

Kikyo’s presence in Inuyasha’s life has been an open, bleeding question between him and Kagome for a long time now. And neither of them have been brave enough to answer that question, because they’re both terrified of what that answer might mean. It’s clear that no matter how much Inuyasha’s come to care for Kagome, some deep part of him can’t shake away the woman he first fell in love with. What will it mean for them when he finally accepts that fact? When he realizes that he’s caught between the love reaching out to him and the love he can’t let go? Neither of them know, and neither of them want to find out. It’s this unanswered fear that’s make Kikyo such a magnetic presence whenever she shows up; every second she’s on screen is another second threatening to finally answer that question in a way that can never be returned from. Kikyo is a dead woman with nothing left to lose; there’s no line she won’t cross, no norm she won’t betray in pursuit of achieving her violent peace. No matter how hard Inuyasha may try to save her, she sees herself as too far gone to ever come back. Something had to break. Sooner or later, Kikyo’s suicide quest would force that unanswered question into the light.

It was only a matter of time.

And sweet buttery Jesus, the scene where it all finally comes to light is goddamn spectacular. Inuyasha pours so much of his pain into Kikyo, so much of his unfulfilled desires and fears and hopes, only for her to twist them against him and leave him shell-shocked in the wake of her departure. In that moment, there’s nowhere left for him to hide. Up until the second when Kikyo cast him aside, he believed every single word he spoke to her. He bought into every ounce of love he tried to make her feel. He loved Kikyo. He loves Kikyo. Even as she leaves him behind, he can’t do the same for her. His heart runs too deep for that. After so long lying to himself, he’s finally forced to accept the truth: Inuyasha loves the dead woman trying to drag him down to hell with her. He can’t break from those feelings, at least not yet. As much as he loves Kagome- and make no mistake, even he’s starting to realize how deep his affections for the little spitfire run- Kikyo remains.

And then, there’s Kagome. Kagome, who saw the whole thing unfold. Kagome, who saw just how completely Inuyasha lost himself in Kikyo’s arms. And Inuyasha can say nothing. He can only stare, clear-eyed for the first time, drinking in the sight of the person he’s just now realizing means so much to him... and who he can’t give himself too in the same way. It’s honestly breathtaking, a moment of silent, subdued contemplation that lets the full weight of our collective realization sink in. I got chills. It’s the kind of moment that nothing is ever the same after, the kind of game-changing break that rewrites the rules on what’s possible. There’s no way to re-cork this bottle, no way to un-spill this wine. Every single ounce of Inuyasha’s regret and loss has spilled out onto the pavement for all the world to see. The unanswered question has finally been answered, and the result was just as catastrophic as they feared it would be. Now, they’re both left adrift in the rubble of the explosion that was just set off. There’s nowhere left to run. Nowhere left to escape.

Nowhere left to go... but forward.

For You

Because for all the pain it may bring them, for all the impossibility of the task they’re facing, Kagome still can’t give up on Inuyasha. She can’t give up on this maddening, inspiring, remarkable person who’s turned her life upside down in all the best ways. And for all his despair, he can’t give up on her either. Not when she’s made him feel more alive than he’s ever felt before. They mean too much to each other to accept separating now. Hell, Kagome doesn’t even flinch when Shippo casually brings up that Inuyasha loves her. Because she already knew. Even if her own feelings don’t truly register until an absolutely beautiful moment of realization in front of the spiritual tree in her own world- seriously, between every single moment of this arc and Sango’s haunting reconciliation with her brother in the next one, this show is getting so fucking good at executing on its moments of quiet poignancy it’s honestly kind of terrifying- the truth of what they both meant to each other was already crystal fucking clear. If nothing else, Kagome inherited that much from her previous life: the desire to stand by this dog-eared demon’s side, no matter how dark the path they walk may run.

So while we may not have had an outright confession yet, their sunsoaked reconciliation on the edge of the old well, coupled with heart-stoppingly animation character animation is every bit as romantic, poignant, and utterly sincere as the eventual Big Damn Kiss(tm) is certain to be. Two lost kids, adrift in the flotsam of life, realizing that as impossible as the odds are, there’s no one else they’d rather face them with. Inuyasha may never escape Kikyo’s grasp on his heart, but for now, that doesn’t matter. What matters is that he has someone by his side willing to drag him back to life no matter how many time he starts to slip away, someone he can rely on no matter how tough the going gets. And as certain as he is that his conflicted feelings will end up hurting her in the end, the trust she places in him makes him willing to take that chance. Because he loves her, more than he realized he could love anyone. So no matter how hopeless the prospect may seem, he’ll work to do right by her, to be the partner she’s returned to stand alongside. We even start to see this change in action; when Kagome presses him to save Kohaku’s life, it’s clear he’s listening to her more honestly than he ever has before. He’s putting his trust in her like she’s put his trust in him. Their flirty antagonism remains to some extent, but it’s clear something fundamental has shifted in how they see each other. They care for each other. They’re there for each other. And for now, that’s more than enough.

Inuyasha, both the show and the character, have been on bumpy rides. They’ve stumbled and faltered plenty of times, coning to false conclusions and compromised understandings. But in this set of episodes, I have never been more certain that they’ve both truly come into their own. Inuyasha isn’t the same brash hothead he started out as; he’s wiser, surer, more loving, more open. And Inuyasha the show has finally found it’s voice as a touching, inspiring fantasy romance capable of genuine pathos and moving drama. We’ve still got just about 3/4 of the show left to go, and I’ve never been more excited to see what’s in store.

Odds and Ends

-”Sometimes, it’s best to make him worry.” In this house, we stan a queen.

-That sundress was cute as fuck.

-So Naraku’s old human half is still beating inside him, huh? Yeah, he really is as split between two worlds as Inuyasha.

-Lol at everyone rightfully seeing through Inuyasha’s BS. They’re saying all the things he needs to hear, if only he’ll listen.

-Look at this mom, giving her daughter space to think. What a trooper.

-”I guess we’re running out of feigned illnesses.” Kagome’s “done with this shit” tone never ceases to crack me up.

-”Her fake smile is scary...” aksdhakjsdhsasd

-Okay, Sango and Miroku are both dirty, dirty shippers, and I approve mightily.

-The animation team has been really stepping up lately. So many cool sweeping shots with moving background and strong sakuga.

-Goddamn, sucking in the insects too. That’s how you know he’s gotten serious.

-”It’s kindness to let him die without remembering anything.” The sad truth is, she might be right about that.

-”But... I can’t forget that woman’s face.” Ah yeah, give me all the angst.

And so, the journey continues. See you next time!

[mamasaiko]

1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 15, 18, 21, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 34, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 45 for the fandom asks! :*

Lmfao we are compiting for who sends more

1What fandom was your first?

Inuyasha

2Is there any fandom you miss, or wish to return to at some point? 

Not so far, I also didnt abandone them tho, i keep being a tg blog despite reblogging about other many new series i found out, and i also keep looking and rotting for inuyasha, ranma and maison okku contents.

5 Any bad experiences with any fandoms.

Sometimes, in general for liking an unpopular and often complicate character, but I didn’t pay them much attention tbh. Hakuna matata is my moto

6 Favorite anime. 

BitCh DonT

But its anime and not manga right? then i would say Toradora, bc the animation was beautifully done and it respected pretty much the novels, althought those are way more complet, with some dif details and better in general (this made me wanna reread them...)

7 What was your first anime? 

First, first......i guess was dragon ball, my brother was a super fan when we were kids and we always watched it together. Good times

9 A character you relate most to. 

Ryuuji from toradora for sure, we share similar personalities and we both feel the need to take care of our family. Although i don’t share his ultra cleaning passion xD

10Is there a particular character you just couldn’t stand? 

hmmm....Urie at the begging of tg, but then i grew found of him as re kept going

12 Favorite video game or game series?

Zelda!! was one of the first video games and played and the reason behind my pasion for swords and medieval things.

15 Have you ever been introduced into a fandom by another?

Person? yes, many times. Happend with koe no katachi and danganronpa

18 What’s a character you want to cosplay?

I would love cosplaying as Sheik, which would be zelda in her warrior version

21 What anime is your guilty pleasure?

I am not sure if i have one lmao ig no

23 Unpopular opinions about any show or game? 

Toradora is a good series :3

24 What fandom were you in the longest?

Inuyasha and naruto :’)  I practically grew up with them

26 Any anime you wish you could talk to more people about?

not at all so far

27 First anime crush 

Godai from maison ikkoku, he is husbando just like haise

28 Current anime crush (If you have one). 

For now i have none xD but we will see

30 Is there an anime that ever managed to make you cry? Or that got a real emotion out of you? 

Nop nop i don’t remember to do so, getting me crying at shows is kinda hard although i get emotional. Some examples were Toradora, when ryuujis mother left (this only appeared in the novels), Koe no katachi when ishida saved shoko but fall instead of her, and inuyasha when kikyo died :’)

31 How old were you when you watched your first anime? And was it one appropriate for your age? 

Probably 2 or 3 years xD I am not sure...but didnt make me bad so :P

34 Any fandom you wished you could have been a bigger part of, or more involved in? 

Tg, i would have liked to join it before and had all the fun, although i began to read it when only 10 ch from first season were on english

36 Most obscure anime you’ve seen.

Berserk and Kurozuka probably

37 Any anime you feel is underappreciated, or definitely deserves more attention. 

Maison ikkoku, is one of the few adult mangas rumiko worked in and was beautifully written and drawn, full of feels

38 Is there an anime that was canceled, and you’re still salty about? 

Rosario vampire and fruits basket, god bless the second bc is getting a reboot

39 Worst moment in an anime that still bugs you to this day. 

Practically all the kikyo’s scenes in the anime which made her look like a total crazy bitch, bc they couldn’t respect the canonical version. Thanks

40 Best moment in an anime that you still cherish.

When touka saved kaneki and when they finally had their talk, when kikyo and inuyasha had theirs and when ishida saved shouko :’)

41 Most memorable fight scene in an anime, or most intense. 

Some from one punch man come but i would say when deku fought against todoroki and then also against bakugo

42 Who was your favorite anime villain? Any reasons?

hmmm no one comes to my mind now

45 Is there an anime you wished you could have literally been a part of. On where you wanted to be in their world? 

When i was a kid i loved naruto’s and other characters powers so much that i really liked the idea of living in their univers as a ninja xD

Thank u very much ily @mikotofubar

[shinidamachu]

Goshinboku, Shinidamachū & Kotodama?

Goshinboku: how did you get into InuYasha?

Destiny.

Just kidding. I first watched InuYasha as a child. It aired every morning monday to friday, one episode a day. Of course I was too young to completely follow the plot but I watched it anyway and some scenes really stuck in my mind as childhood memories.

As I grew older, every now and then I thought about that “old cartoon” I used to like where the girl in uniform jumped through a well to find the pretty boy dressed in red and stuck to a tree with an arrow. I thought about him asking her to free him (and she doing so), against the will of the villagers, who thought he was evil.

I thought about how they were wrong (it was just a missunderstanding), about how the boy and the girl were crazy in love with each other and I wanted them to be together more than anything. That was all I could remember...

So imagine my surprise when in 2017 I decided to rewatch it because I needed to know how the story ended and I discovered... This show is so fucked up, y’all! Like it’s beautiful and funny but the angsty? Goddamn! And like... I didn’t remember Kikyo, Miroku, Sango, the osuwari thing or all the rest. It was a cray ride.

When I finished I started reblogging InuYasha stuff on my main blog but it wasn’t enough so I created this one and began to write Inukag fics. Like, I’ve been wanting to write stuff for my ships in a while but Inukag was the only one I actually did.

Joining this fandom was one of the best decisions I made these past years. You guys are the best!

Shinidamachū: who/what is your favorite sidekick/pet?

Kirara, hands down! Still can’t believe they teased us with that badass backstory and didn’t dive in it. We. Were. Robbed.

Not to mention she is powerful and cute and essential to the team. Her bond with Sango is so beautiful! I’d gladly die for this cutie.

Kotodama no Nenju: aside from InuYasha, what character would you put the Beads of Subjugation on?

@eternalnight8806-3 @sassybratt9791 I see your “Miroku + Sango using the command” and raise you  “Miroku + Sango using the command + he is actually really into it.”

Thank you so much! I had the best day with you guys sending these asks!

INUYASHA THEMED ASKS

[tekka-dan]

more of a rant post but bare with me

everyone discusses how Avatar the Last Airbender was their first of its time to handle every single troupe correctly and basically defined “phenomenal story telling” which is not wrong. ATLAB is on par with Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones when it comes to phenomenal characters, scenery and world building as well as conflictions, resolutions and development.

However, I’m disappointed that no one speaks about how Inuyasha did this long before Avatar the Lasf Airbender was even airing on television.

Inuyasha was also during the time period of before Youtube even existed, it was right up there with Ruroni Kenshin, Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Jack. It was an anime that many children probably would define as their childhoods but with that being the case, it’s often forgotten and overlooked.

If you’re not familiar with the storyline, it’s not as difficult explaining as it would be watching the show. As a child myself, what I loved most about Inuyasha was despite missing an episode or two, it didn’t feel like the plot was leaving you behind and it didn’t make you feel as though you weren’t going to catch up (something One Piece and Dragon Ball Z lacked) so it was enjoyable not to mention relatable. Despite the anime being about a half demon, Inuyasha was far more than just a relatable character.

He was one of the first protagonists I distinctly remember being laid back, care free and outspoken. He was also the first character I saw in anime that defined what a “goal” was to me. His first appearance despite being a handsome devil, we’re given the impression from an outside characters point of view that he’s a bad oerson, evil and untrustworthy. Right off the bat the storyline sets you up to antagonize Inuyasha and sympathize with that bitch lovely woman, Kikyo.

In the first episode we are given a story with so much room to grow, it’s miraculous this anime isn’t spoken about anymore (despite it also being a long running shounen). Another thing about Inuyasha that it does well is it’s world building. We know Kagome and Inuyasha are from two different time periods and realms but the way their realities and timelines intertwine was done marvelously (for an early anime).

Inuyasha was so easy to follow and understand. Jewel Shards were such a basic goal for almost every character but the drastic differences in everyone searching to obtain them was done so variably well that you pretty much never cared to really invest in what the Jewel Shards themselves did, but rather you were more interested in the characters who went through hell to obtain them and for what reasons, and for what costs. That’s a main reason why I was able to board this anime so well and quickly, everyone’s goals were so apparent, but drastically different and it didn’t make any of the characters feel under developed or downplayed when their goals were/weren’t reached. You knew the characters were going to try and steal Jewel Shards, but what kept you invested was why. What it meant to them. What it meant to them having them and what it did to Inuyasha (and Kagome) to lose them.

That’s a big thing that people don’t seem to talk about with Inuyasha, is how well developed he was from beginning to end. I don’t just mean his personality, but his outlooks on others, himself and in general those around him who have no direct affect on him negatively or even positively. What I invested in for Inuyasha was his different reactions to different circumstances and under what conditions. It wasn’t even always about losing the jewel shards, even from the beginning of the show we are shown that Inuyasha was willing to make sacrifices to protect those he cares about/what matters to him. Most protagonists don’t have this. We are shown their self interests and their stories mold around accepting the view points of others. Inuyasha was one of the first protagonists introduced with a very obvious goal and ambition and yet he still was willing to sacrifice it/let it go under conditions of protecting those he values. This was so important to me as a child.

Naturally with having a protagonist, you in turn have to also have an antagonist. Now throughout the story, we are not really shown a definite antagonist (Naraku wasn’t as apparent in the beginning) but rather various characters acting in selfish impulses that misconstrue them as “antagonistic”. For example, enter Sesshomaru:

The older, sexier, demonic and brutal older brother, Sesshomaru. His first introduction outlays to us that he’s anti moralistic, selfish and spiteful. Inuyasha worlds and possess the sword that Sesshomaru envies and wishes to master, however given the background, their father purposefully kept the sword away from the older brother due to his demonic behavior and tendacies, therefore entrusting it to the younger brother Inuyasha who seemed to balance his human side better than his older brother. Their father knew that no evil or harm was to ever come if Inuyasha possesses the sword, because he also knew it’s full power couldn’t be awakened with Inuyasha only being half a demon and the swords strength intensified with demonic powers. Sesshomaru on the other hand wields a sword that can only bring back the dead, or heal someone. Sesshomaru had no interest in helping others, which is why the weapon he wielded was always so funny to me (and ironic which was the point).

Sesshomaru was a classic character that I wish was talked about more for the simple fact that he was interesting and his development was exquisite, but also for the fact that he was simple. Not all characters need to be complex and even a simple character can be well rounded/written/portrayed. At first appearance Sesshomaru is definitely brutal and a threat. However until his encounter with Rin, Sesshomaru’s character takes on a different role and it was incredible. His character after Rin’s introduction went from power seeking selfish demonic older brother to caring, protective and understanding. His goals changed from wanting to wield Tessaiga to instead wanting to protect Rin, because she couldn’t protect herself. In fact his demonic powers solely awoke if her life was threatened. What people seem to forget about Sesshomaru was that despite being a demon, he was only half. And despite being half a demon in general, he was still an older brother. So to see his character fleshed out this way was something we don’t see in antagonists often.

Another thing Inuyasha did really well was introducing its main cast of characters without making us feel overwhelmed and without developing them in their own senses. Each of the characters had their own goals, ambitions, motivations and intentions. It varies from their reasonings to collecting jewel shards to why they joined Inuyasha’s team.

Shippo the fox demon was introduced as a bandit wanting to steal Jewel Shards to avenge his father’s murder. Upon joining the group he becomes the comic relief but he has so much development, it’s phenomenal. His intentions don’t waver, he more than ever keeps to his ambitions. What’s even better is that his personality doesn’t change either. Despite being apart of the team, he still voices his opinions even if it’s rude, uncalled for or down right dick-ish. And the others don’t bend to him either, which makes them all feel that much more human. The group of characters are still individuals with and without one another. Take away one of them and their dynamics don’t really suffer which isn’t really a bad thing. It just means that they each have their own roles and it doesn’t always need it for them to be together. Shippo is a defining role of this. Something we also don’t see often in anime.

Miroku was the very first animated character tat I ever found hilarious and that I enjoyed every moment of him being on screen. His perverted attitude doesn’t get old and it’s for the mere fact that his character shines without it. He’s kind hearted, generous and observant despite talking about wanting to fuck Sango in most of his sentences, it’s not ALL he is. Another great thing about Miroku’s characterization is that he is introduced as a potential threat and we learn just how insecure this man truly is. Of every character in the group, Miroku is the only one who opens his entire heart and allows the group to express themselves. His role was so pivotal that their dynamics wouldn’t have had AS MUCH of an impact without his wise comments or relaxed advice. Miroku was the “mom” friend. He had advice for everyone about anything and what’s better is that he was simply a monk. He meant a lot to me as a child, he gave some of the best advice.

Sango was the first female character introduced that I was enticed by. She was fierce, outspoken, driven and knew her value. She never let the men do her work for her and she absolutely never backed down. In almost every single confrontation, Sango was the first one to make a move and she was deadly about it. She was the first female character that I was obsessed with because she was so well written and portrayed. Also upon joining the group, what Inuyasha did really well with her character was that it didn’t make her being apart of the team ALL she was. In fact Sango had the most conflicting feelings in the entire group upon being apart of the team, being as that her goals and ambitions was to rescue her little brother Kohaku. Miroku was the one to convince her to stay on numerous occasions but something Inuyasha ALSO does well was that it made all of the characters CHOOSE to either stay, join or leave. These characters were brought together by chance, not fate and the show kept reminding us that despite them being a team, they were still their own people with their own goals, emotions and aspirations.

The next thing Inuyasha excelled in was love triangles. Many anime try doing love triangles and just go about confusing the shit out of the audience or doing such piss poor jobs that it isn’t believable. Inuyasha does this well though.

Enter Koga!

Koga’s introduction was done really well, merely for the fact that it was one of the first times we saw another character (Naruku NOT included) apart of a team that isn’t a main character/villain. Koga came in swinging, he was bold, brash and impulsive. I loved him as a child because he spoke his mind and didn’t stop at anything to get what he wanted. Koga was also introduced as tease for Kagome (because this was before anything romantic was between Kagome and Inuyasha) and it was done really well. For the most part being that Kagome showed obvious no interest, she wasn’t a complete dunce around him nor did she allow him to swoon her or not respect her/her friends. His rivalry with Inuyasha could’ve been mapped for the fact Inuyasha was jealous, but it also centered around Koga possessing jewel shards that the team really needed and he just had the shit implanted in his legs so he could run faster, that was literally it. His character introduced that dynamic between Inuyasha and Koga for the mere fact that despite his reasonings to wanting to be faster was selfish, Inuyasha wanting them for his reason could’ve also been seen as selfish. So neither of them were correct in their ideals and it was really funny as child to see them bicker over such petty matters.

Koga doesn’t officially join the gang but he becomes a frequent ally of them and assists them when needed (although we all know it was at the sake of Kagome) one thing Koga never went back on was his word.

Another love triangle handled SO DAMN RIGHT IT NEEDS TO BE TAUGHT IN HISTORY BOOKS:

Kikyo, the most bad ass and cunning female I’ve probably ever seen in the history of anime (back then, come on now guys this anime is over 15 years old, this was a huge deal back then). Kikyo was introduced as a lover who was betrayed but it wasn’t until HALFWAY THROUGH SEASON 2, that we realize it was HER who did the betraying. The “love triangle” I was alluding to was the fact that Inuyasha loves Kagome for the mere (AT FIRST) fact that Kagome is the reincarnation of Kikyo, his first lover that betrayed him. However Kikyo doesn’t mind her business OR rest in goddamn peace because the bitch lovely woman makes frequent appearances to string Inuyasha along or fuck with his head/heart/emotions. What’s even worse is that her reasoning can definitely be sympathized with, you cannot morally EXCUSE her reasons though. Which is why Inuyasha handles and tackled TWO of the best love triangles ever done in history. That more people need to fawn over.

The last thing Inuyasha handled correctly were antagonists becoming protagonists/not being evil for the sake of evil.

Kagura was supposed to be an evil wench but after a whole season we learn that Kagura hates her creator more than Inuyasha hates him and it speaks volumes about her character and development for how she handles everything during that confliction. Kagura for the most part doesn’t like being used as a puppet and she doesn’t like not being able to have free will. Of all the “puppets” Naraku makes, Kagura is the only one (of I think..seven or nine?) that openly betrays and goes against him. Her reasons were pretty shallow in the end but before that, it was for her own self worth. Every time she has to fight, she only becomes stronger with rage when she thinks about Naraku (the man who created her) using her as a puppet and not considering her as a human/having feelings. The others all seem to understand their roles and have no issues sacrificing themselves but it goes against Kagura’s entire moral being. That’s why her ultimate sacrifice was ultimately phenomenal because it was pivotal, for both her character and Naraku’s. When characters switch from evil to good, you have to believe their intentions weren’t just for the sake of the plot, but in favor of what they themselves truly believe. Kagura’s changeover was done exquisite because throughout the plot we are shown instances where she doesn’t accept the treatment and at the end we learn that she doesn’t die FOR Naraku. She dies for her brother and sisters, bringing home that she views them as actually family, as humans.

I could go on but this post is already long. I just wanted to share.