#kami of the hunt

[underworlddreams]

Kami of the Hunt

Artist: Alex Horley-Orlandelli Set: Champions of Kamigawa

"Don't worry, Jiro. The kami would never attack us this close to home....Jiro?" --Hoto, temple guardian, last words

[origin-spirits-of-the-past]

I’m having niche Origin: Spirits of the Past merch ideas for the characters, stuff like charms and mini prints and bookmarks. I technically already have a charm design finished for Agito bridal carrying Toola it just doesn’t exist as a physical charm right now.

Uhhh 😅 I guess let me know if people would be interested in this sort of thing! I can also show a list of the ideas I had and try to narrow things down to what I can handle.

My art blog is @agitoforestart

[channelinglament]

💗

The NRC students watched as you interacted with the RSA students.

Were they happy that you had made friends amongst them? No, most of them were not.

Were they surprised? No, they knew you. They know how you attracted others. You were a magnet for danger, but you were also a magnet for people who were affection starved.

So they knew you would attract others, didn’t mean they would like it. But they couldn’t say anything to you, they knew that you would give them a look and tease them not to be jealous.

Not that they would ever admit to that either, but they didn’t want to make you angry, so they bit their tongue for the most part and observed you. You laughed as Che’nya scared Grim.

Riddle had to command his students from starting a scene.

You smiled and hugged Neige as he approached you with the dwarves.

Vil smiled but it didn’t match the coldness in his eyes, but that didn’t stop Rook from fangirling from right next to him.

Were they surprised that you somehow brought two schools together despite their hatred for each other? No matter how one sided? No.

But what surprised them all was the words from the RSA students’ mouths.

“How lucky you are to have YN with you.”

“Cherish them.”

The smile and confident aura surprised the NRC students.

“You never know. Someone might come and take them from you.”

“They might tire from the trouble you cause and join us instead.”

“We would cherish them.”

Was that a challenge?

How interesting.

Let it be known, those from NRC never back down.

And if RSA wants to fight for their Prefect?

They would stand up to that challenge.

This is one battle they would never lose.

[imblocking-you]

Bahala na, I'll prepare the best I can and worry about it when I get there.

Ba't kasi isasabay pa yung summative sa exam week, shuta ewan ko sa kanila

[gallusrostromegalus]

Ta-Ashi Neko (Many-Legged Cat)

A fun little Yokai to live in AEIWAM's Spirit World. Warnings for: Long Post, Animal Death Mention, non-graphic discussion of Carnivory

---

Ta-Ashi Neko (多足猫) or Many legged Cat

The Ta-Ashi Neko is a Monstrous Cat that grows to enormous size and intelligence, and has multiple pairs of legs. It's more elongated and stoutly built than a domestic house-cat, with a thick and plush coat. While extremely rare, the Ta-Ashi that have been observed come in a variety of coat colors that also occur in Domestic Cats.

No one is quite sure what causes a Ta-Ashi to form but rather than the product of Ta-Ashi Neko mating, new Ta-Ashi are born in domestic cat litters. When born, the Ta-Ashi resembles an ordinary kitten save that it has no legs at all, and sort of wiggles around for the first 11 years of it's life, during which it will feed itself by suckling from any animal EXCEPT cats.

On it's 11th birthday, it suddenly sprouts a pair of legs- Like human handedness, 90% of Ta-Ashi sprout their forelegs first, and 10% their hind legs. It can now crawl around more effectively (or in the case of the hind-leg ones, walk about), and continues to do so for 22 years, when it sprouts it's second pair of legs, and goes about looking like a normal, if unusually large and somewhat elongated house-cat.

33 years after that, it's third pair of legs sprout in the middle. 44 years after that, the 4th pair, 55 years after that the 5th pair, and so on. As it develops more legs, it also grows: a 3-pair Ta-Ashi is about the size of a large dog or Lynx, a 4-pair the size of a Lion or other Big Cat, a 5-pair the size of a Horse, and a 6-leg the size of a small bus. Foreleg Ta-Ashi will sprout their 4th pair between their fore and middle legs, then their fifth between the middle and hind legs, alternating thusly. Hindleg Ta-Ashi alternate as well, but start on the middle and hindleg gap.

If a Ta-Ashi manages to live to be 1,001 years old, it will have 13 pairs of legs, and become a full Kami.

The Ta-Ashi is exceptionally intelligent from birth, and by the time they have 2 pairs of legs, they fully understand human speech, but usually don't talk before their third legs grow in. A Ta-Ashi with over 5 pairs of legs is at least 231 years old, and of superhuman intelligence, if peculiar feline priorities.

They are incredibly stealthy, and it's believed older ones learn to become silent and invisible at will, but the Ta-Ashi's greatest weapon is it's speed. Even a 3-pair Ta-Ashi can outpace a Shingami's Shunpo, and as it ages, it only gets faster and better endurance. Hayai Tatakai, a 6-pair Ta-Ashi that lives in the distant districts of the Rukongai, is said to be able to make a complete circuit around the outermost borders of the Rukongai in just under a month.

Ta-Ashi are exceptionally rare, due to both their apparently niche spawning criteria, and the fact that humans have a bad habit of 'mercy killing' what they think are 'deformed' kittens. Even if a Ta-Ashi makes it to Adulthood (The onset of it's third pair of legs), it still faces major challenges: Humans will hunt them out of fear, or for Trophy Animals, and it's diet is peculiarly limited:

The Ta-Ashi eats Other Cats and the Occasional Hunter.

It's a mystery* WHY Ta-Ashi only eat other cats and seemingly random game hunters, even to the Ta-Ashi themselves. Hayai described his desire for feline flesh and not hunger per se, but as an act of rage. The mere scent of another cat would send him into an irrationally furious fugue which would not be assuaged until he had hunted down, killed, and devoured his nemesis. In fact, he rarely felt hungry at all, at least not since he'd been weaned, but on the rare occasions he did, his craving was for milk and cheese, not catmeat.

This has caused some speculation that the Ta-Ashi is not a Cat-spirit at all, but a sort of ironic Vengeful Spirit against cats- not only does it's compulsion to devour include house-cats, but also big cats, bakaneko, two-tailed cats, catfolk, and in one particularly catastrophic incident, a member of the Shihoin clan.

(*The Secret is that Ta-Ashi ARE an Ironic Vengeful Spirit- When the Beast God of the Wilderkin cursed the Shihoin to live among the humans for killing for sadistic pleasure instead of having respect for their prey, the Beast God also created the Ta-Ashi specifically to antagonize them. The Shihoin clan took, and continues to take, immense pride in their strength and speed, so the Beast God created a Feline Yokai that would be faster and stronger than any Shihoin could ever hope to be, and that would spawn anywhere Cats or Humans were hunting without respect for their prey. Even if they don't originally spawn there, Ta-Ashi Neko are drawn to places with an overabundance of cats, or where trophy hunting takes place. This has lead to the peculiar phenomenon that Ta-Ashi are found in either the ass-end of nowhere where some idiot has introduce house-cats or taken a hunting party, or smack in the middle of cities where poor pet and livestock husbandry abounds.)

Despite their fearsome appearance and distressing diet, Ta-Ashi are surprisingly gentle and playful spirits. The vast majority of people living within the territory of a Ta-Ashi never notice and are untroubled by it's presence. Some like to rush by as a sudden gust of wind to tease unwary travelers, or play with laundry left out in an unattended line. When not being actively hunted, some have even proved to be gentle and protective of human children, going so far as to return lost children to the nearest village. They are notably fond of all canines, especially dogs.

Because Ta-Ashi are so stealthy and reclusive until they know they can trust the local humans, the strongest indicators that a Ta-Ashi is in the area are:

A sudden surge in the local population of songbirds, reptiles and frogs (the mice are no longer being hunted either, but the snake population also massively rebounded)

Sudden changes in weather including more intense storms and windy days (the Ta-Ashi traveling about At Speed)

Strange miasmas of absolutely rancid sour odors with no discernible source, especially on remote stretches of road (the Ta-Ashi Marking the borders of its territory)

Some exorcists have attempted to divine the presence of Ta-Ashi Neko by interrogating other local Yokai, especially Tanuki and Kitsune, who can be plied with Sake. However, this method isn't very reliable- given that Kitsune and Tanuki are both canine spirits that are often harassed by Bakaneko or Yokai Trophy Hunters, and often favorite friends of Ta-Ashi, they usually choose to keep the presence of their Good Friend Leggy Boi a secret.

If a Ta-Ashi appears in your area, the best thing to do is keep your cat indoors- Ta-Ashi are extremely reluctant to go inside of any kind of human construction, and it also limits how far the scent of your cat travels. Also, you should be keeping your cat indoors anyway have you SEEN the foxes around here? Not even the Kitsune, the regular ones!

---

Yushiro Shihoin used to love visiting his Uncles Jushiro and Kaname and going Birdlistening (on account of Kaname being blind and Jushiro being utterly hopeless with the binoculars, they rarely saw the birds, but did have a good time listening to their songs) out in the Greenbelt of old Noble House Land Holdings in the middle of the city.

He came to visit in the mid 1970's after several years away at school at Jushiro's word of improved bird populations, only to feel an awful, intense paranoia that he was being stalked by something. Concerned about assassins, the two captains quickly retreated with him from the wilder parts of the Ukitake clan holdings to the main compound. He hasn't been back since, and soon after even visiting Auntie Soi Fon's heavily forested 2nd Division training grounds gave him a similarly awful case of Heebie-Jeebies.

Unbeknownst to nearly everyone, Mayuri Kurotsuichi had commissioned the capture of a live Ta-Ashi Neko for analysis. In 1973, bounty hunters arrived in the city with a three-leg Ta-Ashi who went ballistic at being exposed to even the faintest hint of Shihoin Reiatsu, broke out of the cage she was being kept in, and has been lurking in the Greenbelt and 2nd Division training grounds since.

Since her return to Soul Society in 2001, Yoruichi thinks that she ought to bond with her Surprise Baby Brother, and that a good way to do that would be for the two of them to sneak into the Kuchiki Compound in the middle of the Greenbelt and camp there while pranking Byakuya until caught.

Kazetsumi, as she calls herself, is over 110 years old now. Her fourth pair of legs has grown in nicely and she has spent the last 27 years learning every. square. inch. of her territory.

>:3c

[homesweetgoodneighbor]

It's Spooky Month; therefore, it's officially time for:

AUNTIE KAMI'S THE DO'S AND DON'T'S FOR FIBER ARTISTS AND THOSE WHO LOVE THEM DURING THIS MOST AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH TIME OF THE YEAR:

PART ONE, For Fiber Artists:

(Most of these will have been said before, but they bear repeating because a year is enough time for people to forget why their beloved fiber artist has now lost their damn senses once again.)

DON'T Work Through Pain: If you're starting to hurt, STOP. Every single one of us exist in an art that is a repetitive motion injury in the works. If you start to feel discomfort, STOP. I don't care if you're in the middle of the row, that's why the gods of fiber created stitch markers! Repetitive motion injury will take your art from you. Don't let it.

DO Stretches For Your Hands And Wrists: As I said above, we are nothing but walking repetitive stress injuries. There are lots of resources out there on how to stretch your hands and wrists. DO THEM EVERY HOUR. DO NOT SKIMP ON THEM. IF YOU TRY TO WRIGGLE OUT OF IT, I'LL BLESS YOUR HEART WITHIN AN INCH OF YOUR LIFE. (Southern people understand this curse.)

DON'T Ignore Your Bladder: Do you really want to explain to your doctor that your URI might be because you wanted to see how many rows you could finish before your bladder bursts? Look, yarn/thread/etc. chicken is one thing, but bladder chicken is just not acceptable.

DO HYDRATE: I don't care how you do it. Just do it! Look at it as turning your bladder into an internal alarm clock so you'll take breaks. (see above)

DON'T Assume Your Non-Fiber Oriented Loved Ones Are Aware Of Anything You're Doing: All they see is you are Mr. Hyde now. You are the Dark Side. You are the Thing That Snarls And Sometimes Cries. If they are hiding under the furniture, they are just giving you some space. They still love you...they just want to be out of the blast radius.

DO Feel Free To Maim And/Or Hunt Anyone For Sport Who Calls Your Art "Grandma Craft": Grandmas (and Grandpas) created fucking art and deserve fucking vindication. I suggest the use of your art as new and adventurous ways in Social Correction. Have fun!

.

.

--------------------- Tune in next time for Part Two: What Should Our Loved Ones Do Besides Hide! Same Bat Time! Same Bat Channel!

[tangsakura]

Sukuna's Backstory Theory (+ mini Uraume Backstory Theory)

While we wait for jjk ch 265 leaks, I hope you enjoy reading this post of mine in the meantime.

Please note that this is just my theory. Also, Sukuna deserves to die.

Now enjoy your reading.

WARNING: MANGA SPOILERS UP TO CH 264; subject covers the following sensitive topics: sacred s*x, cannibalism, homosexual relationships; mentions or implications of abuse

Beginning:

We know from Sukuna himself in chapter 237 that he was an 忌み子 - a taboo child. In ancient and medieval Japan, a taboo child is a child that is ostracized, unwanted, and discarded.

JJK CHAPTER 237

As mentioned by Sukuna, he himself 'consumed' his twin to survive and had presumed that his 'foolish mother' (愚母 - he wasn't looking down on her, calling her stupid, but instead he was humbly referring to her) must have been starving.

JJK CHAPTER 257

Prominent families during that time were the Fujiwara, Sugawara and Abe clans. For sure, he wasn't born a noble, but rather a commoner, or worst, a slave. He must've been born with weak or below average CE, too, aside from his four arms, four eyes, and the second face.

It was probably only him and his mother in the beginning and she was the only one taking care of him. Given their supposed circumstances, Sukuna must've started working by the time he was around 5 or 6. Plus, if I were to guess where they would've lived, it would be in the agricultural lands of a Buddhist-Shinto temple. In Heian era, Buddhism and Shinto co-existed together (shinbutsu-shuugoo) so it's not strange to find Buddhist temples to have at least one small shrine dedicated to a kami (a Shinto god/goddess) [these are calles jisha (寺社)] and Shinto shrines accompanied by Buddhist temples in mixed complexes [these are called jinguuji (神宮寺)].

In addition, these institutions had these manorial estates called, shooen (荘園), which were "any of the private, tax free, often autonomous estates or manors...... developed from land tracts assigned to officially sanctioned Shintō shrines or Buddhist temples or granted by the emperor as gifts to the Imperial family, friends, or officials." In the case of shrines and temples with shrines in them, they are called mikuri (御厨), which means a god's/goddess' kitchen.

The Chinese characters for mikuri are the same as the first two letters of Sukuna's CT (御厨子). In the beginning, mikuri only referred to the place where shrine offerings/sacred food (fish, vegetables, etc.) were cooked, but it eventually also included the land or property where they get the offerings from and prepare them in the meaning. Plus, the citizens of these lands/properties were called "gods' & goddesses' people" (神人, shinjin), and these mostly consisted of the producers (fishermen, farmers, etc.). We can definitely infer that Sukuna has most likely worked in the cooking area of the mikuri, the 御厨子所 (mizushidokoro, a kitchen for the upper classes and the shrines and temples) Think about it, not only does he use words related to consuming, but he also referenced fish-related words.

JJK CH 224 - "A fish who merely has no name attached to it."

JJK CH 216 - "卸す" - to grate (e.g. vegetables); to cut up fish "三枚に卸す” - to cut you into three slices (fillet)

JJK CHAPTER 8 - "おろした" - past tense verb of 卸す "三枚におろした” - cut you into three slices (fillet)

(light blue is just to cover watermarks)

In Heian era, meat was forbidden except for some parts in Japan where hunting was really common (except for aristocrats and monks lowkey - they do eat them at times, especially when they fall sick). Fish was temporarily banned but was eventually lifted. So, majority of the Japanese people during this time period didn't eat meat with the exception of fish and other seafood. Moreover, when cooking the shrine offerings, the only meat they cooked was seafood. Plus, if he and his mom was in one of the shrine and temples in Heian-kyoo (present-day Kyoto), then chances are he had to cook for festivities and rituals in the imperial palace.

But then, how did he learn to read and write? The only one who were literate were the imperial family, aristocrats, Shinto priests, Buddhist monks, and anyone else related to religious institutions and higher rank than commoners. So the only available ways for him to have access to learning kanji (漢字 - Sino-Japanese characters) and even kana (hiragana and katakana) was to become an apprentice monk or priest. But I believe he became a Buddhist apprentice monk since it is more open than becoming a Shinto priest.

If he had started as a worker in the mikuri, he would have been secretly listening to the lessons between an apprentice and the older monk. Then, if he managed to prove his talent, he could have become an apprentice. If he were an apprentice monk, he would have to learn directly from an older monk. This would not stop him from working as a kitchen worker since he would have to help with preparing offerings and cooking for important occasions and guests.

As an apprentice, he would have learned everything about Buddhism, including how to preach to people. Unfortunately, there was a cost to this. It was the nanshuudou, the homosexual practice between a prepubescent apprentice monk and an older adult monk, which is heavily documented in Edo period but a practice that has been ongoing in the Shinto priest apprenticeships and eventually in Buddhist monk apprenticeship, as well. Mind you, this is not a practice between male lovers, but of loyalty and the first step to 'reaching enlightenment'. I think of it as a pseudo-sacred s*xual relationship. It is something expected at that time, but it may not have been a great experience for Sukuna. He was a taboo child, meaning even those older monks most likely made this harsher than it already was. Not to mention, he might have been as young as 7 or 8 years old when this all happened.

This was also sort of thought of by a JP theorist, according to this twitter user.

Anyways, let's move on from this sensitive topic.

You might be wondering why do I think he had been an apprentice monk and a cook? Well, mizushi (御厨子) also has these meanings.

Zushi (厨子) originally was a word for storage boxes for utensils and ingredients in the kitchen, then extended into becoming a storage for personal stuff and a decoration as well for aristocrats.

Zushi also extended to becoming a storage for Buddhism relics, scrolls or anything important. This includes the Buddhist altars. Thus becoming Mizushi, sacred storage.

Additionally, as an apprentice monk, he would be able to interact with nobility more. Buddhism was intertwined with the court politics in Heian era. This is more prominent when court officials and even the imperial family members, including the Emperor, would retire as Buddhist nuns or monks. Plus, there would also be visits by the officials and probably he was able to see or receive letters and poems from them. It would be inevitable that he learns them to communicate effectively.

This would also makes sense as he knew Tengen, who was an avid supporter of Buddhism.

Career as a Sorcerer:

In an era where the Fujiwara clan ruled supreme, leaving barely any crumbs for other aristocratic clans to take spots in the political arena. So, in order to consolidate their own power, many other clans (including the minor/weak branch families of the Fujiwaras) and Imperial princes went to obtain their own land outside of Heian-kyoo (present-day Kyoto) and even their own army. That's why these clans have armies of their own, especially those full of sorcerers. I won't be surprised if they took in anyone who has curse energy and trained them, just like what the Fujiwaras did with Uro.

So, I believe that someone noticed his cursed energy and his potential, then took him for training. Then obviously he would have met other Heian-era sorcerers. Here are my two cents on this:

I would like to believe that Tengen trained him as she was also an avid supporter of the religion, and he eventually met Kenjaku as they're 'friends' with her. Being a jujutsu sorcerer apprentice meant quitting or being part-time in his apprenticeship from the Buddhist Temple. (But I wonder if this would have stopped the pseudo-sacred s*x stuff.......) However, I'm open to the fact that it might have been another sorcerer who trained him (or there has been another one besides Tengen and Kenjaku who did so or influenced him) due to the name of his extension technique 'Divine Flames, Open'

One of the opposing factions (either the Sugawara, Tachibana or Abe clan) to the Fujiwara hired him in their order to put them in check. I'm leaning more towards the Sugawara clan.

This was probably the time when he probably met Angel from Abe clan, Uro from the Fujiwara, and especially Uraume. I'll explain how Uraume is related to the Sugawaras in a bit.

Sukuna served as part of Sugawara's troops or something like that. This can also be the point where he learned more about Japanese art and culture at the time.

One of the curses he must've fought was Yamata no Orochi.

Sukuna betrayed the Sugawaras and destroyed its army of sorcerers, with a few survivors left. Uraume decided to dedicate their whole life to him and followed him from then on.

He officially became a curse user and wrecked havoc in Japan, especially Heian-kyoo

Angel got enraged from his acts and with the permission of the Abe clan and the remnants of Sugawara clan, they jumped on Sukuna but lost.

Later on, he defeated the Fujiwara army led by Uro.

How is Uraume related to the Sugawaras?

There's this video from JP channel that was theorizing about Uraume when they first appeared in Shibuya arc a couple years ago that they used to be trapped in the prison realm before being freed so that Kenjaku can use it for Gojo Satoru and it was time for Sukuna's resurrection but this was obviously debunked, but there was something interesting that the creator brought up - the Tobiume.

Have you heard about The Legend of the Flying Plum (飛梅伝説)? So basically, when Sugawara no Michizane was demoted in ranking because of the Fujiwaras and was exiled, he wrote a poem expressing his sorrow of not seeing his precious plum tree in his residence in Heian-kyo (present-day Kyoto) ever again. Then from this, a romantic legend came about, where the plum tree was so fond of its master and cannot bear to be apart from him that it finally flew to Dazaifu, where he was exiled to, and that tree became known as tobi-ume (飛梅, 'the flying plum').

Michizane loves plum trees and plum blossoms, so it won't be strange if there were people in the clan named after plum blossoms or plum. In my case, I believe that Uraume is related to the Sugawara clan, but their status in the clan itself wasn't great. We can assume from their name in kanji, 裏梅.

裏 means the following:

opposite side; bottom; other side; side hidden from view; undersurface; reverse side

rear; back; behind

in the shadows; behind the scenes; offstage; behind (someone's) back

梅 means plum

Though they may have been born from a noble, prestigious clan, they remained in the shadows. My theory is that, for whatever reason it may be, Uraume's life wasn't as good as before Sukuna allowed them to serve him. They might have been an illegitimate child or they might have some deformity we don't know of, or whatever. Then they met Sukuna and the rest was history.

Do you not believe that Uraume is not related to the Sugawaras?

Let me show you a picture of the Sugawara clan crest.

They call this umebachi. A plum blossom crest.

And what's in Uraume's name? Ume (梅) - plum.

Another thing here that fulfill its name is the fact that Uraume is Sukuna's servant. Just like the tobiume, they follow their master from behind and cannot bear to be apart from him.

'Divine Flames, Open':

Here's something that caught my attention.

Kamino (カミノ) has the kanji 竈, that is originally pronounced as kamado. It means traditional Japanese wood or charcoal-fueled cook stove​. Fuuga (フーガ) has the kanji 開, originally pronounced as kai, meaning open. Now everything else is purely Japanese except these two.

Kamino and fuuga originated from Latin and Ancient Greek, and both exist in the Romance languages. How tf is he using these words? Around Heian era, only the Eastern Roman Empire is standing and the main language there was Greek....... but that's around present-day Turkey and its surroundings. The furthest they reached in trade was China...... oh wait, Heian era Japan still traded with China........

Seems like that theory of Chinese sorcerer isn't far-fetched, eh?

(But fr tho, do you think he met someone from Byzantine? There's no confirmation time travel is a thing so that's the only possible explanation)

Cannibalism:

Cannibalism, believe it or not, was practiced in China from Tang Dynasty and onwards. Remarkably, Heian era's last major Chinese contact was with Tang Dynasty. Records of cannibalism must have been brought from Tang Dynasty China along with Buddhism and other things by monks who were sent to China by the government.

It was said that human flesh of a young person was a great medical treatment for illnesses. So there would be young people, especially females, sacrificing some of their flesh for the sake of their parents or parent-in-laws recovery. Furthermore, Emperors, e.g. Wuzong of Tang, supposedly ordered provincial officials to send them "the hearts and livers of fifteen-year-old boys and girls" when they had become seriously ill, hoping in vain this medicine would cure him. Later on, private individuals sometimes followed their example, paying soldiers who kidnapped preteen children for their kitchen.

There was also something called war cannibalism, in which victors in a battle, war, or conflict would eat the dead enemy's flesh as "official punishments and private vengeance", as well as "celebrating victory over them."

Therefore, I propose that Sukuna started cannibalism as a way to treat an illness or disease - in private obviously since in Heian era, meat other than seafood was banned and meat that becomes available for special occassions or circumstances like falling sick are reserved for the upper class, plus if he ever was an apprentice monk, he would not have been allowed to consume meat. Since Heian era had outbreaks, such as smallpox, and also common diseases, anyone can get it, including him. So, not wanting to die, he resorted to this. But then it eventually became a habit that also extended to eating people he defeated in battles and young people and women for medicinal and nutritional purposes later on. This is the most likely the reason why in the first chapter, he was looking for children and women.

But if he had contracted some sort of illness or disease at some point in his youth and cannibalism (obviously) wasn't a cure for it, how would he have survived it and lived longer? Perhaps it might have to do with Tengen - who knows if she could have an extension technique of her Immortality CE, where she could have extended his lifespan. It could have had to do with Kenjaku; with their vast knowledge, it's possible he offered a solution to him. However, I'm leaning more towards Tengen helping him in this regard. It was also probably the reason why she ended up having four eyes and all because of this. But, of course, he couldn't escape death, so he agreed to Kenjaku's terms and became cursed objects to reincarnate later on.

My second proposition is that Sukuna was maltreated and the people didn't bother sharing meager amount of food available to him. We know that because of the Fujiwara family's political monopoly in the capital as well as the distribution of the land to nobility made it possible for them to abuse their power. For instance, these lords imposed taxes in an unreasonable amount to fund their lavish lifestyle, which obviously made life hard for the peasants and slaves since goods such as silk, grains and food became a common medium of exchange when the currency fell. So you can imagine how much they had to give up just to pay their taxes. This definitely made their food supply low. I can also imagine Sukuna was blamed for misfortunes and misery they have experienced because of his status as a taboo child. I don't think they would provide him food and so he would have to rely on dead people to survive.

And assuming that we're going off with this proposition instead of the other one, I think the reason why Sukuna was seeking women and children because in the past, it was more common for children and women to die. Children are naturally more vulnerable and women die easily, especially during childbirth. I'm certain that the most common corpses or bodies he must've found were those of children and women. But, of course, eventually he began to crave humans because he got so used to it that normal food didn't satisfy his hunger any longer - not that cannibalism fully resolved it, though.

The Fallen:

(I'm not gonna lie, majority of what I would say here are more assumptions based on Geto's and a bit of Yuji's acts)

Everyone has been comparing Sukuna and Gojo, seeing them as foils and parallels. I acknowledge that they are similar to each other and whatnot. But what if I tell you that he could've gone through an experience or two similar to Geto?

Think about it. Wouldn't you consider Geto as a 'Fallen One'? He was a righteous man, whose goal is to protect the weak as a strong person. But after the Toji incident, his moral convictions and purpose has been questioned by himself, and eventually, he fell from grace - being stripped of his status as a jujutsu sorcerer and thus becoming a curse user. He had the same values but they were reinterpreted and twisted.

If my theory on Sukuna being educated at a Buddhist Temple is true, then he must have believed in the salvation of those who are suffering (like Yuji to some extent), but was corrupted along the way. He had the same ideals, but it became reinterpreted and twisted. I think the reason why he hates Yuji because he is seeing all those he threw away to gain freedom and absolute strength in jujutsu in him. Both of them are inverses of each other, and it's not a surprise if Yuji is the representation of the old Sukuna.

I mean if you look at nobility back in Heian era, they kept indulging themselves in leisure and pleasure to the point that they neglected the economy. Literally the currency fell and all those bureaucratic and admin work fell mostly to lower classes working in each ministry. Basically back then, the higher you were in the hierarchy, the more pleasure you could attain and keep chasing for. How else did you think Japanese art, literature and culture came to be during this era? This was where he probably learned about hedonism or what influenced him to be one.

Not to mention, people who would've taken advantage of him for their pleasure, curiosity, greed and personal gains, power and control, and many more reasons. He could have been like Geto and Yuji, who exorcise curses and help the weak. There was a turning point where he decided to let go of everything and walk the path that he has been in for the last 1000 years.

I am not surprised if he decided to be who he is today as a revenge to the world, a response to the trauma and suffering he went through just like Geto.

If I am right about Sukuna going through a similar experience as Geto did, then this page below brings a whole new meaning to the Gojo vs Sukuna fight on December 24, 2018 - the death anniversary of Geto:

JJK CH 223

But despite all of these, there's one thing we can agree on - that is, he became the monster the world sees him as in the end.

That will be it. I hope y'all like it to some extent. Until then.

References:

Heian Era, Buddhism, 御厨子 -related Topics:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C5%8Den/

https://ja.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%BE%A1%E5%8E%A8

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_temples_in_Japan

https://www.britannica.com/place/Japan/The-Heian-period-794-1185

https://www.colorado.edu/ptea-curriculum/imaging-japanese-history-1

https://ja.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8E%A8%E5%AD%90

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugawara_no_Michizane

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heian_period

https://www.colorado.edu/ptea-curriculum/imaging-japanese-history-1

Homosexuality in Medieval Japan:

https://www.tofugu.com/japan/gay-samurai/

https://ida.mtholyoke.edu/items/19c86409-c129-46a1-927b-11cfe0ffb1c3

Cannibalism & Sacred S*x-related Topics:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_cannibalism

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Medical_cannibalism&diffonly=true

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannibalism_in_Asia

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_ritual

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_prostitution

Ancient Greek, Latin, & Roman Empire Topics:

https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/fuga

https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/caminus

https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/camino

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Roman_relations

YouTube Videos I Referenced:

https://youtu.be/5n24Ulc8u84?si=Nngbg4xEqyNu82x8

https://youtu.be/WhBN29CIuAQ?si=5bNryoT-GzleIGq9

Reddit Posts I Referenced:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Jujutsushi/comments/1bngk9x/i_solved_one_of_the_great_mysteries_of_the_heian/

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/ztay5e/what_foreign_countries_did_japan_have_trade/

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/zs4k9p/what_was_life_like_for_the_average_people_heian/

Twitter Posts I Referenced:

https://x.com/eldammonite/status/1571157320570380295

https://x.com/lightningclare/status/1807467771913269374

[asarigg]

Character Design: Part 5

FEATHERS

Another detail I’d like to mention about his tattoo before moving on is that the peony tattoo was originally meant to be accompanied by leaves, but they changed this for the final design. Leaves make sense, they’re natural, but feathers?

Feathers alone seem to have no relevance in Japanese culture, but there are two relevant birds that have black plumage: cormorants and crows.

Cormorants are valued birds for their fish-hunting skills and were often trained to help fishermen. Therefore, they are a symbol of devotion and unceasing commitment to their master.

Crows are probably the first thing that comes to mind when we think of black feathers, and just like in other countries they can be associated with evil, but also with supernatural powers, and are considered messengers of the gods. It is commonly associated with fire and the sun, it is said that it was the only bird that can fly to the sun, and its feathers are black because they were marked by its rays.

They are often represented together with a white heron, like yin and yang, day and night, good and bad.

Within mythology we find Yatagarasu, a sacred crow that had three legs. Heaven, Earth and humanity. Yatagarasu is sent by a god (I think Amaterasu, but I’ve also read about Takami-musubi) to help humans, a symbol of guidance, of connection between the spiritual and physical world.

They were once associated with rebirth and rejuvenation, as they cleansed the land after a battle. Rebirth after a tragedy. It was believed they carried the souls of the deceased, similar to butterflies, to the next plane of existence. In art they often represent death, the passing of time. Apparently they’re also sparrows’ natural enemies.

In short, each element of this poisoned tattoo only seems to be mockery after mockery on Ryuuhou’s part, a representation of what he knows will happen. The similarity of the tribal to birds, the meaning of peonies, the seed syllable inside the bird on his arm, and now the feathers as an addition to Koujaku’s virtues or as a premonition of death and tragedy. Death and destruction are carved all over his body. (He’s terrified of it, and avoids it, but Sly seeks it)

HAIR

Now let’s move on to hair. Hair is a symbol of spiritual power in many cultures around the world. As we’ve seen before in the sutra it is associated with Buddha, and by extension it is also associated with Koujaku, who’s a hairstylist and dedicates his life to cutting and controlling hair.

In ancient Japan, hair was a gift from god, it has been identified as a special focus of spiritual power and personality. The longer the better, it’s like it remembers thoughts and emotions, our identity. For this reason there are various ways in which social status is tied to hair too. It’s also used to curse people. There is a hair kami at the Arashiyama Kamigami shrine if I’m not mistaken, and you can make an offering by cutting a lock of your hair. In Sumo, when a fighter retired, they would ceremonially cut it.

Hair has been used and incorporated into Buddha embroidery as a way of forging a link between the worshipper and the Buddha depicted. Locks of hair can be seen at the doors of the Izumo shrine, which specializes in marriage. There are also stories of women who let their hair down when they go to sleep and the hair turns into snakes, poisonous desire, repressed during the day. There are other folkloric practices and beliefs about women’s hair, for example ship captains carrying part of their wives’ or daughters’ hair on board as a protective talisman.

In some communities, it is believed that a shaman’s powers, which allow her to negotiate between the worlds of the living and the dead, were located in her long, loose hair, a sacred connection with the gods, the darker and the longer the better.

For Koujaku, Aoba’s hair is sacred, extremely valuable. He had wanted to cut it for years, we see how excited he is when he touches and kisses it, and when he is finally able to fulfill his dream he carefully keeps one of his locks wrapped in a piece of paper inside a paulownia wood box. For him, his hair is an amulet, it is good luck, it is extremely symbolic of who Aoba is (and who wouldn’t remember him as the dude with blue hair, one of the key features of his design, as well as the very peculiar characteristics that the developers gave it) and what he means to Koujaku.

The lock of Aoba’s hair is a direct connection to him, no matter how far away he is or how long it takes them to see each other again, he will always have this amulet with him. He is a devotee of Aoba, Koujaku adores him and loves him intensely, and it is not unusual to think that this devotion takes on an even religious aspect, as if Aoba was divine, a god.

In Tibetan Buddhism they paint Buddha’s hair blue.

Koujaku's hair is tied up like a miko's, with a cylinder or strap of white paper and red knot. They also use a miko styled paper for Aoba's hairstyle in an illustration and the figure.

Paulownia wood is associated with nobility, fertility, good fortune and happiness. Paulownia is a tree that was often planted when a girl was born. Wealthy families would plant up to three trees, and when the girl grew up and was time to get married, the family would cut down the tree and make a chest and other items out of the wood to give to her on her wedding day. The kimono was meant to be stored in good quality wood to preserve it, and this wood naturally repels insects. It’s also used for instruments.

Another detail about Koujaku’s hairstyle is that his hairpin looks like a shamisen.

Trying to protect his mother from his father and legal wife only caused her more pain, so instead he tried to do something else. She’s so happy about the gift, and the wishes of her son to help her fill her with joy, but she knows that’s impossible. He’s only a kid, so she just smiles, without being able to reply. Honestly, given that this was a gift he made to his mother to brighten her day, I wonder if it could be related to her tastes, especially considering that the most common are simple or with floral decoration. We don’t know almost anything about her, her name, appearance, what she liked to do or to dress like, what she taught Koujaku to raise him, etc…

So seeing this I wouldn’t be surprised if his mother actually played this instrument and maybe taught her son. The point is that this illustration exists.

A Tumblr user recently mentioned it on her post.

GOOD LUCK

Another piece of his design are these bracelets he wears on both hands. These bracelets are prayer beads, called Nenju or Juzu. Originally used in Buddhism to help with meditation by counting prayers, 108 beads are used representing the 108 earthly desires that one seeks to overcome in order to reach enlightenment, used to purify body and mind and express devotion to Buddha. They are used as protection as well. There are versions with fewer beads, 18, 27, 36 or 54, although there’s no fixed amount as many times it depends on the length and size of the beads, sometimes they carry a magatama. Women’s version usually has smaller beads and have more decorative colors, there are versions for children too. Beni’s necklace to me is just a kids version Koujaku bought for him to be honest…

Formal prayer beads also vary their appearance depending on the sect and it would be preferred that the person you marry belongs to the same sect. The tassels can also vary their shape. When these beads are damaged or can no longer serve their purpose, they are ritually burned on an altar where they are thanked for their service along with other amulets and get destroyed. Many people use them in funerals since most are held by Buddhists.

The ones that Koujaku wears in the shape of a bracelet are short, with two hanging tassels, the ones he’s using are 頭付房, I’m not sure how this translates but seems something like tassel with head/head tassel. Made to be more comfortable to carry anywhere, taking up less space or in a casual fashion. I like thinking he has formal Buddhist prayer beads kept somewhere for when he wants to pray for the people he knows.

The knot on his neck and the one in the decoration of his hair is a kiku knot, chrysanthemum knot, with two tassels hanging too. It’s also the type Shiroba/Sly uses in the bad ending. We’ve already seen what the chrysanthemum means. This knot is theorized to be a variation of a Buddhist knot, the endless knot, as a representation of Buddha’s infinite wisdom. In Tibetan Buddhism it symbolises Samsara, a never ending cycle. There are a few other interpretations.

Knots with tassels like this (総角房) would also be used in samurai helmets as a good luck charm, and it’s the type he has on his sword, not the chrysanthemum one.

We don’t really see or hear about Koujaku performing any religious practices during the story, except attending the festivals that everyone else goes to out of custom rather than a religious devotion. But I wouldn’t find it strange if he did it in the privacy of his home to try to attract luck in his life and try to separate himself from the beast, to be a good person and pray for his mother. After all, cultural and religious references are everywhere, and he himself wonders about the existence of souls, implying a much more spiritual understanding of life on his part.

Red is the first thing that catches your eye when you look at his design, and it’s a very important color in shintoism and is used in shrines everywhere, in clothes, buildings, torii gates, amulets, etc. It’s a color related to luck, the sacred, that coexists in balance with white. It’s love and passion, and it’s evil and blood. These dualities are present everywhere, both in his design and in his story.

[nocandnc]

Edo Period Mina!!

She was scouted by priests from Izumo as a child and has since been revered as a living god (ikigami) with the title of Ashiro-no-mikoto or Ashirogami at times.

She lives a fairly solitary and lonely lifestyle, spending much of her time enshrined in Izumo until she's called to battle. Ashirogami is reserved for large castle-destroying kaiju, which only appear a few months at a time. Otherwise, the fighting is mostly left to regular soldiers.

Hoshina Soshiro is one of those "regular soldiers", but his genius talent with the blade makes him a top pick when she needs someone to man the front lines. Hoshina is also one of the few people who treats Mina like a person. He sometimes helps her sneak out of the shrine to interact with townsfolk incognito.

While she's thankful to protect the country, she misses the simple days from her childhood in the countryside.

Why Izumo? Why a living god?

It's difficult to explain without going into a crazy deep-dive, but to try and keep it short... in this AU setting of mine, there's a slight supernatural element where godly blessings and divine possession take the place of the scientific kaiju weaponry and numbers suits from the canon storyline. As such, the ancient Izumo Taisha (Izumo itself being known as 'the realm of the gods' and home of Ookuninushi who created Japan in myth.) is a close equivalent to the modern day Izumo Tech. It's through it that much of the kaiju hunting and recruitment of potentially blessed individuals is managed.

Mina is blessed by a tiger kami that grants her luck in battle - making her marksmanship with firearms, projectile weaponry and artillery of all kinds unfailingly accurate. She can also invoke kamigakari (kami possession), where the god in question dwells in her body. In this state, she is supernaturally fast and strong. The particulars are vague as I'd to focus more on the characters rather than any religious aspect, but Bishamonten (a god of war and one of the seven lucky gods) is associated with tigers, so if I had to pick... that's probably who's taken a liking to her ^^;;;

I've already rambled too much, so that's all for now! Hope folks enjoy!!

[rw-repurposed]

Scavenger Chieftains

They are the chieftains who served their people within Chasing Wind's facility ground. For more of their tribe lore, you can check Chasing Wind's log regarding the tribes.

Recorded Broadcast #004 - 1700.115 - Chasing Wind

Each of these chieftains is regarded highly within their tribes.

Sama-Sama is the KING of the Megakarta Kingdom. He leads his people well and wise. He is a long relative to Kami-Kami, the chieftain of the Urbaningrum Tribe.

Kami-Kami is the chieftain of Urbaningrum Tribe. Urbaningrum was the old city of CW's ancients before they moved up to Megakarta, now it's inhabited by Kami-Kami's tribe.

Kaya-Kaya is the greedy chieftain of the Old Mine Tribe. This tribe is the richest of all scavenger tribes- living within old mine vaults filled with pearls and minerals stored tightly by their elites.

Rawa-Rawa is the elusive Chieftain of the Swampland Tribe. He was a young Chieftain for a scavenger, but he leads the Swamp Tribe fairly and hunts food in the swamp alongside them- making him popular amongst the tribe.

Baja-Baja is the cruel leader of the Scavenger Pirates that dwell within the Garbage Disposal Region. These pirates are outcasts from the 10 scavenger tribes that formed into Pirates under Baja-Baja that steal resources and kidnap younglings from the other tribes to grow as their own. They are violent and hostile toward anything.

Poho-Poho is the fearless leader of the Giant Forest Tribe. The tribe lives in the dense giant forest filled with the most dangerous creatures in the facility ground. Which is why they are the most athletic and combat-trained tribe of all. Their outfits are all camouflaged and they used Grapple Worms and tamed Cyan Lizards to swing and boost from branches to branches.

Tani-Tani is the Agriculture Complex Chieftess with the choir of an angel. The Farmers (As they called themselves) Are experts in musical instruments, controlling the plants to their will using the sound of music. This is how they overcame the carnivorous plants all over the complex.

Buki-Buki is the wise chieftain of the Upstream Tribe. She led the tribe over cliffs and waterfalls of the freezing cold Upstream, where they insulated themselves with their natural fur and warm fur cloaks they shaved from the Wool Deers.

Jaga-Jaga is the Elder Monk of Mt.Everhigh Scavenger Monks. The Mountain Monks are a secretive group of Scavengers that live on the peak of Mt.Everhigh, there, they praise and pray to the Echoes. Self-immolating their limbs and wearing Echo Masks and were enlightened by the presence of Echoes. They are the only tribe that practices the religion of the ancients of the past.

Huta-Huta is the Guardian of the Sanctuary Protectors of the Green Sanctuary. The Sanctuary Protectors are a group of Scavengers that were engineered and trained to protect the Green Sanctuary by CW's admin, Stains of Shadow Over a Realm's Sorrow. The sanctuary keeps all kinds of creatures and plants that over time spread throughout the facility ground, and the Protectors must keep it balanced.

[M.I.A]

Aku-Aku is the brutal Commando of Chasing Wind's Skyvenger. He serves CW as his Commando of the Skyvenger troops patrolling the Facility Ground, Defending their outposts, and quenching any attacks from the other Scavenger tribes. The attached wings and limbs gave the Skyvenger advantages over the other Scavengers.

Character List

[yuesya]

Xiao straightens, and flicks his spear.

The downed form of the man-shaped demon before him fades slowly, crumbling motes of darkness drifting up and gradually vanishing in the air. It’s not dissimilar to the demons of Liyue that he’s familiar with –the demons that Xiao has spent so many centuries hunting and slaying in an endless, eternal cycle– but at the same time, he is able to discern the difference.

This demon was not one born of the restless grudges of fallen gods that refused to accept their own deaths. If anything, its origins seemed more… but no… no, that was preposterous. Surely it couldn’t be–

A monstrous roar sounds behind him; Xiao whirls around. There’s another demon left, struggling futilely in a pool of its own blood. The signature of its energy is far weaker than the one that he’d just fought, and all four of its limbs have been broken… and yet it’s still alive, and struggling to crawl forward on its belly.

Xiao exhales, raising his spear–

–and pauses.

There’s a pale hand that rests upon the bladed edge in a clear gesture for Stop. Xiao looks up sharply.

“You intend to let it live?” The girl –yet there is no doubt that this is no mere mortal girl– doesn’t say anything, but presses insistently upon his weapon. Please stand down, is her unmistakable, unspoken request.

The only reason why Xiao doesn’t point his spear at her in turn is because he knows that she actively fought the demons long prior to his arrival. It’s the only reason why there are humans who managed to escape this catastrophe.

Her appearance… Xiao does not recognize her. He admits that she looks similar to the snow women yokai of Inazuma, white hair and pale skin and clothed in Inazuman dress as she is. But she does not bear any powers of ice nor snow. If anything, the way the sword in her hand cuts through every obstacle without pause reminds him of the whispers of kunado-no-kami. But to his knowledge the last of them had died along with the Watatsumi Omikami that they served.

Regardless, Xiao does not intend to allow the current situation to go unanswered. If she was present here, fighting those strange demons that were decidedly not of Liyuan origin, then surely she knew how this incident came about in the first place.

“Explain,” Xiao says. He banishes his weapon, allowing it to dissipate into motes of golden light. “How did this situation come to be? Has the war in Inazuma worsened to such a state that it’s no longer able to contain malicious spirits within its own borders?”

The girl opens her mouth–

Oh.

Xiao blinks, genuinely surprised and caught off-guard. Her words…

“That’s a dialect I haven’t heard for quite some time.” He doesn’t have a perfect understanding of what she’s saying, especially given that the last time he’d heard this was… during the time of the Archon War, perhaps?

Xiao tilts his head. Is he looking at a survivor of the kunado-no-kami? … So far from the shores of Inazuma?

I apologize. I don’t understand what you’re saying.

Luckily for them both, Xiao is also old enough to know of the dead language that she speaks and discern the general meaning of her words, if not the precise details. Although Xiao is a Liyuan adeptus who has never once left the land in the thousands of years he’d lived, he has encountered gods of other lands, so he is not unfamiliar with other tongues.

That she is apparently unfamiliar with the language that is spoken in the present…

“Thank you for your assistance,” the kami bows. Polite, graceful. Xiao folds his arms across his chest and waits for her to explain. “… I’m afraid that this also came as an unexpected situation to me. I didn’t think that there would be a long-distance transportation array, and the barrier should’ve… no, I suppose that’s unimportant.”

She shakes her head.

“I was investigating a matter that was entrusted to me by my cousin, and ended up being ambushed by cursed spirits. Four total, the last of which you just slew,” she nods towards the fallen demon beneath him. “There was also a curse user, but he doesn’t seem to have been transported along with us. Ah, he would be the one responsible for teleporting us here. He needs to die.”

The words are spoken calmly, serenely. Xiao is aware of the dissonance here, but it’s not as if he disagrees. The regrettable casualties and wanton destruction around their current surroundings speak for themselves.

“And the demon you wish to spare?”

“Demon?” The kami blinks, then instantly understands what he’s referring to. “Ah, Muta-san? I’m afraid I can’t allow him to die yet, he’s the one I’m supposed to investigate. Although, given his current state I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to interrogate out of him…”

“I cannot allow such threats to remain within these lands.” It is his contract, and the duty that he must uphold as one of Rex Lapis’ adepti and his last yaksha.

“I understand,” she nods. “We will depart as soon as possible. If I may ask a question of you, where… are we?”

“You are within Dihua Marsh,” Xiao answers. Pauses, upon the uncomprehending way she looks at him, and elaborates, “Located upon the Bishui Plains.”

“… Did Not-Geto teleport us to China?” the kami mutters. “An entirely different country?”

Xiao stares at her. “This is the country of Liyue.”

The kami falls silent. Then, proceeds to take out a small pouch from her sleeve, and procures a strange device from it –a rectangular piece of metal that lights up with an artificial glow when she taps at it. There’s a small frown on her face, before she wipes the expression from her face with a long sigh.

“By any chance, do you have a name for this continent?”

Continent?

“… If you mean this world, it is named Teyvat,” Xiao says slowly.

Going by these questions… this is very likely not a kami of Inazuma who stands in front of him.

[sheerluxk]

𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 | hajime kashimo x f!reader

synopsis: you’re a recently graduated jujutsu high sorcerer with a hint of gojo satoru’s charm and confidence in your personality, trying to hunt down kashimo over his 100 points, but you end up getting your ass whooped, until you decide to pull up your domain as a last resort.

warnings: slight mention of bruises and blood; organ puncture?; kashimo being rude, but cute; violent thoughts that include drowning and impaling; mentions of sukuna; mentions of gojo; hint of jealousy; reader has an air-based cursed technique cuz she’s an airhead

__________________________________________

Who knew that the Culling game was going to be this dynamic? Kenjaku, obviously.

“Got any last words, girl?” the spiky-haired male covered in all white taunted, holding out his nyoi staff towards your beaten up form, as you were currently sitting on your ass, covered in bruises and bloodied up.

Even a little zapped, as he continuously sent charged electricity attacks your way, until you lost count of the times you tried to redirect them by manipulating the air molecules around you. You slipped up once and he took advantage of your opening, absolutely throwing a combo of lightning bolts your way.

You’re pretty sure your hair was standing up like Megumi’s at this point. You didn’t look cute, like him, though.

And yet, before all this unfolded, you had somehow convinced Panda and Hakari to let you negotiate with the other player currently in possession of the 100 points, other than Hiromi Higuruma, who was Yuji’s personal endeavor. That player being Hajime Kashimo, the Thunder God, self proclaimed or not. As the battle progressed, you were nonstop eating shit and Kashimo was feeding it to you.

Needless to say any further, you got yourself in a pretty messy situation.

“Argh, what a pain…” you groaned as you felt your nose getting stuffy from all the blood currently clogging it. Using reverse cursed technique would exhaust you too much, as you only had one chance to turn this fight around.

And perhaps show off a bit. You were Gojo-sensei’s recently graduated and favorite student, after all. Well, one of the favorites. That top spot was either reserved for Yuta or Megumi.

Or even Yuji was a good enough candidate—

You decided it was best to shake away the slight churn of jealousy in your stomach, and focus on the flow of cursed energy coursing through your body. The current conditions of the fight coincided with your domain’s potential for success. That didn’t happen a lot, so the Kami were on your side that day.

You didn’t mind the cocky smirk the reincarnated sorcerer was sending your way, as you stood up and brushed your hand across your runny nose, leaving a trail of red across your face. For what it was worth, you’d consider yourself looking badass in that moment.

Kashimo was still looming over you, observing your every move attentively. He was essentially letting you do your thing, which convinced you that he was underestimating you, but you didn’t let that thought from stopping you to summon your domain that you’ve been working on tirelessly throughout the span of your high school years.

You cupped your wrists together in a fist with both index fingers pointing upwards,

“Domain expansion: Iron Lung”

A large, dark glass-like sphere engulfed both you and the monotone-clothed man. The vicinity of the domain was pitch dark aside from the apparition of two giant lungs, seemingly expanding and shrinking, as if they were breathing. You were nowhere in sight.

“My domain is simple,” your voice echoed around the walls of the enclosure, “It sucks up all of the oxygen in your body in 1 minute.”

Kashimo heard footsteps approach from behind. He chuckled under his breath, “I’d need less than a minute to defeat you, girl.”

He whipped his body in your direction, swinging his staff towards you, aiming directly for your head. You seemingly evaporated upon contact.

He raised his brow, his smile only growing larger,

“Oh?”

You cleared your throat, “I wasn’t done. In my domain, I myself, am just like air. The sure-hit effect doesn’t affect me, though.”

Meaning that you wouldn’t run out of oxygen. The white-haired male hummed in response, seemingly unfazed. In mere seconds he appeared to have thought of something,

“You ought to have made some pricey binding vow for that, girl,” he smirked.

He swiftly dashed towards the giant lungs, throwing his staff with a zap of imbued cursed energy, successfully puncturing the left one,

“You’ve made this all too easy for me, woman!” he taunted, laughing.

He felt as if he had found the weak spot in your domain. No, he was convinced that was it. It had to be.

Though, nothing stopped him from feeling the air around him get stuffier. About 30 seconds have passed since the domain had been active, and it wasn’t showing any signs of breaking. The punctured lung was also pulsing as normal.

He let out a whiff of annoyance. There had to be something else to your domain, and he was too stubborn not to find out.

“You’re bluffing, girl.” he mouthed, despite the air demand getting higher by the second.

“I’m not unfortunately, Kashimo-san,” you chirped as you balanced on the protruding part of Kashimo’s nyoi staff. He found the act rather disgusting. And saying his name brought weirder sets of feelings of it’s own. He hated it.

You were playing with him and he hated it.

“I made my domain extremely vulnerable to outside attacks, so that it’s basically near indestructible on the inside. Unless you have some buddy to save you,” you pretended to look at an imaginary watch, “Then, you’re pretty much done for. All shriveled up like a little raisin.” you giggled at your own association for a joke.

You had to admit in that moment that Gojo’s way of taunting his enemies was rather contagious. It was very well passed down to you at this point. You weren’t sure if this quirk was best left untreated, or completely abandoned. But you knew that you missed him. So, you had to obtain those 100 points, as your teammates and Gojo alike were relying on you.

Kashimo ignored you as he was starting to feel the lightheadedness kick in, but despite that he was still able to mouth a snarky remark, “You’re a total trash sorcerer, but I guess you still took advantage of the situation, huh?”

You could swear that he almost sounded impressed.

He couldn’t believe that he was getting outsmarted by such a weakling. Your cursed energy output was low but rather high in reserves. Average at best. It was also air based, and the attacks included flinging him up in the air, which needed some work. In terms of damage you were like a cloud, while he was lightning, obviously.

And yet, you still had the upper hand. Simple techniques were always so complicated, and he hated it.

By this time, he only had about 10 seconds left before he was out for good. He couldn’t use his trump card, as it was reserved for the King of curses, but he also couldn’t die out here like that.

Much to his dissatisfaction, he swallowed his pride, the idea of a rematch later in time softening the blow to his ego,

“Fine. The points are yours to take, girl.”

Before he took one of his last breaths, you jumped down from your little elevation, as the domain scattered like broken glass all around you.

You and Kashimo found yourselves back at the dock you two were previously fighting at. He felt the extreme urge to drown you in the body of water, but he was too focused on gasping for air, as he was supporting himself with his knees and hands. His staff hit the ground with a violent thud not long after. His intrusive thoughts of having it impale your head then and there were suppressed. After all, it’s petty to attack when you’ve already waved the white flag. He knew that.

Ironically, he did look like one giant white flag, while you looked like a walking red flag in his opinion.

You eventually walked up to him and crouched down next to his form, and shot him a grin, very reminiscent of the one belonging to the strongest sorcerer of the present era. He was too stupefied to respond to your advances at that time.

“Ah, now that you know the conditions of my domain, guess it’s best to change the binding vow, no?” you said to yourself, putting a finger to your lip.

Kashimo observed you quietly, ‘You can’t just change a binding vow to your liking, you fool.’

You watched him sit up as you two were staying still for a while, “So, you mentioned you wanted to fight Ryomen Sukuna?”

“Don’t taunt me, girl.” he growled, turning his face away from you.

His reaction earned a gasp out of you, “No, I’m not! I can help you find him, swear!” you defended.

He faced you again, as the rogue hairs of his messy buns swayed, “You really are a fool.”

You ignored his comment and got up to dust your uniform off. “You can consider me Sukuna’s senpai!” you exclaimed, pointing to your chest with your thumb.

Kashimo’s expression changed into one of pure confusion. A look that almost said “Huh?”.

Nevertheless, for what it was worth maybe keeping you around would prove fruitful. A rematch was on the way, too.

[wheregoodthingsthrive]

☘️🎻🍇🌿Who wants to smash dragon ball OCs together like barbies please dm me I need dragon ball friends

All the bits under the cut cause I’m going to ramble about these

Okay. These are my pookie wookie bears from the depths of my brain that have spawned as a result of needing to stretch and chew on dragon ball's expansive universe.

Cress -- Saiyan, a runaway member of the Frieza Force who crashes onto a peaceful, shrouded planet inhabited by the Mel'hivi and their borderline god Andolin. She abandoned the force prior to the destruction of Planet Vegeta and has been willingly staying on Mel'ha with Andolin as she 1. has grown to love and value the planet, her life, and the Namekian and 2. to escape her Frieza Force squadron (SRF). She is dedicated to being a defender of the planet she lives on and its dragon balls. She and Andolin kiss sometimes. Name pun = water cress.

Andolin -- Namekian, a Dragon Clan Namekian who is the protector/'kami' of Mel'ha and the Mel'hivi population. He created, nurtures, and controls Escotera, the dragon of his created dragon balls. He is patient, somewhat stern, and extremely skilled in the magics of the Dragon Clan, creating nigh his own palette of skills that would qualify him as a nigh Grand Elder. Though he is young, he is mighty, basically. He and Cress kiss sometimes. Name pun = the mandolin.

Raserry -- Icejin? Arcosian? Frieza race. The leader of the Special Risk Force / Raserry Force (SRF). He is haughty and serious, showing off less glamor than his kin Frieza. Think Starscream from Transformers but with less "bug on the windshield" vibes. He is the one who organized the SRF, dedicating it to hunting down and executing or the reinstitution defected members of the Frieza Force. (DJD but in DBZ). He is ruthless, doesn't like to play with his food, and helps oversee the political maintenance of the Icejin-Arcosian-Frieza race planet in the absence of its political leaders (Frieza and at times Cold). Name pun = raspberry.

Saffren -- unique race (Zacin/Zacins). The green sketch one. Saffren is Raserry's right hand in the SRF and is the heavy, hard-hitter of the team. He, alongside the remainders of the SRF, are dedicated to the finding of the dragon balls for devious silly little reasons. Name pun = saffron. When Raserry is away, he runs the show with an iron fist and with merciless motion. We love him. He has four arms! That's his special bit.

Tarte -- unique race (Fumi/Fumian). The weird lady punching the super saiyan. Tarte is a member of the SRF. She is a Fumi, an aquatic dwelling mammalian creature who is such an amalgamation of traits and tropes that she is a melting pot of Bad. Her unique skill in the ability to quiet her ki, turn invisible via her mirage-inducing skin, and her traversing skills under water. Name pun = tarts.

[cute-girls-from-vns-anime-manga]

Ooh your display case is really cool! Can you give us a rundown of what stuff is/where you got it etc?

HELL YEAH ID LOVE TO SPEND MY TIME DETAILING ALL MY COOL SHIT!!!

I don't want to overload everyone's dashboards with a ton of HQ pics of ALL of this individually so we are gonna go shelf by shelf left to right! I will try and use bullets to group certain things if they are apart of a set of some sort! (though I'm still working on these display cabinets and organizing things into their sets)

Starting with the Eushully shelf!

Kami no Rhapsody (RPG/VN), Source: Ebay

Kami no Rhapsody guide/art book, Source: Ebay

Madou Koukaku (RPG/VN), Source: Ebay

Ikusa Megami Zero guide/art book. Source: Ebay

Kamidori Alchemy Meister Special Alchemy disk (content pack), Source: Mandarake

Kamidori Alchemy Meister Perfect guide/art book + content pack disc, Source: Ebay

Kamidori Alchemy Meister Hannah's Pilgrimage (content pack), Source: Ebay

Kamidori Alchemy Meister (RPG/VN) Source: Ebay

Ikusa Megami (RPG) Source: Ebay <- STUPIDLY RARE I STILL CANT BELIEVE I FOUND EUSHULLY'S FIRST GAME THEY EVER PUT OUT BACK IN 1999 EVEN A SEARCH FOR IT ON SOME OF MY MORE ESOTERIC VISUAL NOVEL HUNTING GROUNDS TURNS UP A SINGLE LISTING THATS BEEN SOLD OUT FOR YEARS NOW!

Amayui Labyrinth Meister guide/art book + content pack disc Source: Ebay

Amayui Castle Meister guide/art book Source: Ebay

Fuukan no Grasesta (RPG/VN) Source: Ebay

Eushully branded mug printed with MC's of their various games Source: Ebay <- just showed up on my ebay alert for Eushully for dirt cheep probably the most absurd Eushully branded thing I own!

Emilita phone strap (she one of the main three heroines of Kamidori Alchemy Meister) Source: Ebay

Amayui Labyrinth Meister (RPG/VN) Source: Ebay

NEXT IS MY FIGURE SHELF!!!!

Tenryuu (Kancolle) Source: PLAMOYA

Saber Lilly (Fate Series) Source: PLAMOYA

Bendy OL-chan (pixiv artist OC) Source: amiami

Jill Stingray Nendroid (VA-11 Hall-A) Source: GOODSMILE

Yumiko Sakaki Bunny Suit (Grisaia no Meikyuu) Source: Solaris Japan

Marin Kitagawa Swimsuit ver. (My dress up darling) Source: amiami

Konata Cat Lingerie (pixiv artist OC) Source: amiami

NOW FOR MY VISUAL NOVEL COLLECTION (That isnt an Eushully or Minato Soft title)

Tsukihime remake (Switch Limited Edition) Source: Amazon

Witch on the Holy Night (Switch Limited Edition) Source: Amazon

Side note here THANK YOU TYPE MOON FOR MAKING THE LIMITED EDITIONS OF THESE TWO SUCH BIG BEAUTIFUL BOXES!!!!

Grisaia Complete Box (Japanese edition) Source: Jlist <- I genuinely believe this is the RAREST thing I own did a quick search and found only ONE seller on Mandarake selling this and its a used and incomplete copy MINE IS STILL PRISTINE AND COMPLETE!

Rewrite limited edition Source: Ebay <- Rewrite has my favorite limited/special edition extras of any visual novel in additon to the beautiful artwork and some interviews and stuff they included SHEET MUSIC FOR TWO OF THE BG MUSIC TRACKS

Clannad Limited Edition Source: Ebay <- This was the first physical visual novel I ever bought and Imported so obviously it holds a special place in my heart, AND OF COURSE CLANNAD WAS THE FIRST VN I GOT A PHYSICAL EDITION OF BEING ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR VISUAL NOVELS OF ALL TIME AND CERTAINLY EARNS ITS STATUS AS A CLASSIC!

Little Busters Limited Edition Source: Ebay <- Not much to say about this one like I did the other two Key VN's ive got just another solid Limited edition of a great classic Visual Novel!

Subarashiki Hibi Source: Ebay <- Honestly with this one I am kind of disappointed in the quality of the box feels REAL flimsy but sadly box build quality isnt what it used to be back in the 90's

LASTLY THE PLUSHY SHELF ONLY THREE AND THEY ARE ALL FROM MAKESHIP!

Glow in the dark goblin: by Jocat <- glad Jocat has recently returned to twitch as his content is really amazing and I loved the little gobo animations he made with these guy's designs!

The absolutely adorable Cardiegon: by Ceroro <- whom is just an absolutely incredible artist whom yall should already be following here on tumblr by now!!!!

Finally the most recent plushie Sky (2.0 WITH BORGOR) the MC of Endless Monday Dreams and Deadlines: both the amazing game and sky herself are by hcnone <- GO PLAY ENDLESSS MONDAY RIGHT NOW GIVE HCNONE YOUR MONEY THEY ARE AN INCREDIBLE ARTIST AND MADE A WONDERFULLY AMAZING LITTLE GAME!!!!

THIS WAS SUCH A FUN TRIP BACK THROUGH THE MEMORIES OF FINDING ALL THIS STUFF AND REMEMBERING BEING SO EXCITED FOR EACH AND EVERY THING!!!!!

[agtteam]

AGT Team May - June Progress Report

We're back! And as promised, this time around we're introducing two exciting new projects! But first...

[NDS] Mushishi: Amefuru Sato

Ithyrial here with a special announcement!

The translation phase is complete! Once again I'd like to extend a HUGE thank-you to Phantom for helping get this done!

The playtesting phase won't be opened just yet due to some issues with the game crashing, but once we get that sorted out it'll be good to go. Until then, anybody interested in playtesting/proofreading/copyediting is welcome to go ahead and reach out so we can get you on board when the time comes!

[PS2] Fullmetal Alchemist 3: Kami o Tsugu Shoujo

Iredc from the AGT discord talking here! I'm proud to introduce a new project: "Fullmetal Alchemist 3: Kami o tsugu shoujo".

Released in 2005, it's the third FMA game for the Playstation 2, and like the previous entries, a blend of action and RPG. However, unlike the other titles, it was never released in English, something that we're working to fix now.

It's a pretty fun game, with some innovations like the possibility to control both Ed and Al to take advantage of their different abilities, a Tag Team battle mode, lots of unlockable secrets, and even a stealth gameplay level.

Illidan is working on the hacking part; extraction and repacking of files is done, while some work with the fonts is still needed. Phantom is editing the graphics. And I'm translating the text (around a third of it is done).

If you're a fan of Fullmetal Alchemist, be sure to check on our progress!

[NDS] Death Note: Successors to L

That leaves me, Phantom, to introduce the other of our two new projects, the long-awaited second Death Note DS game! Many of you may be aware that we've released English patches for the first and third Death Note games, so it was high time the second got the same treatment.

Successors to L features gameplay based on the board game "Scotland Yard". Avoid traps and the FBI on Kira's side, or hunt down and arrest Kira on the Investigator's side as you complete plot-relevant missions. Fans of less-major characters should be pleased by the game's impressive roster, with a story that spans the entire original series timeline.

Thanks to the efforts of creeper and blueraspberrysundae, two new translators who've joined us for this project, the translation has already reached an impressive 38%!

[NDS] Naruto RPG 2: Chidori Vs Rasengan

And last but not least, proofreading work continues on Naruto! As we mentioned in a previous ask, the final proofreading round has now passed the halfway point of the story, having reached the famous fight between Itachi and Kakashi. We hope to have the patch released as soon as life permits!

[worldismyne]

Day 26 - Monster

WDGK chapter 15 contains two of the Star Clan's worst acts against the DWMA. Pictured above is Black Star's mom (Nova) hunting down DWMA students in front of Kami and Spirit. I spent most of the flashbacks of this fic showing the events leading up to her death from her POV. However, this is more in line with how Kami and the DWMA saw her.