#kuma no ie

[hakodate-division]

Kuma no ie House Aesthetic

— Kotan Anchikar

Kotan lives in the largest house in his tribe's village. After his father died, he inherited all the perks of being the chief, including his father's household, which he lived in since he was born. He, at first, wanted to move into a much smaller house, not the least because he wanted to live like his fellow tribespeople, but because there's so much room in his current house that he doesn't know what to do with all of it.

Top/Middle Row: Exterior, Bathroom, Kotan's Bedroom

Bottom Row: Sisters' and Grandmother's Room, Living Room/Kitchen, Kitchen Utensils

— Ted Bridges & Kokomi Morozov

Ted lives in a large chalet in the mountains of Hakodate, where he lives with his son and fellow teammate, Kokomi, who rents a room from him. After he left Okinawa after his wife passed, he decided to flee somewhere to Japan that resembled his native home of Canada, which is known for its cold. To that end, he chose Hakodate in Hokkaido and built himself a chalet for him and his son. Although he comes off as a recluse, thanks to his hard work in maintaining the woods of his city (as well as his famous homemade brew), he is counted as one of Hakodate's most prized residents.

Top Row: Ted's Bedroom, Aiden's Bedroom, Master Bathroom

Middle Row: Kokomi's Bedroom, Exterior, Road Leading to Chalet

Bottom Row: Living Room, Kitchen/Dining Room, Brewery

[obihiro-division]

Jack’s Thoughts on Hakodate Division

Kotan Anchikar

“Mr. Anchikar most likely has a bitter look on my young master’s family. Years ago, Master Lucien and Master Akimi vied to build a hotel in Hakodate city. The only issue was that it bordered close to some Ainu land. The two were determined to construct there, trying to convince Mr. Anchikar’s people that it would increase their trade profits from tourism. Naturally, however, they refused and were locked in a months-long dispute. It took Master Ronan taking the Ainu villagers’ side for them to finally give up and settle on another location. It is hard to say what happened afterward since neither side spoke about the issue after the fact. Perhaps Mr. Anchikar might bring his side of the story to light during his interview. Not that I expect it to happen. No matter the outcome, I plan to respect his wishes if he chooses not to speak about it.”

Ted Bridges

“My, another American. He was not in my field of work thankfully, so I do not know about his background. I would not be surprised if he has met the things I’ve encountered though. The war was… Messy, to say the least.”

Kokomi Morozov

“Ms. Morozov? Ms. Morozov was a treat to see during the Olympics. It was quite some time ago, so I am very much surprised that young Master Daiki remembers it at all. I would be careful speaking with him. He struggles with keeping a filter. I would hate for him to babble about the sort of inappropriate things his brothers have said in the past… Things that the poor boy still doesn’t quite understand. If I were to summarize what was said in a more... Tasteful manner, it would be that they find Ms. Morozov to be incredibly beautiful.”

Kuma no ie

“How refreshing! Having a friendly team so close to our territory is comforting to see. I hope that we may have some cordial interactions both on and off the stage. That is, if Mr. Anchikar is even open to the thought of socializing with a couple of foreigners and the emotional wreck that is our leader, fufufu~”

[toyama-division]

Kensaku’s Thoughts on Hakodate Division

Kotan Anchikar

“An Ainu village chieftain? That’s really something I never expected to see… I can’t really joke about him because I’ve had to study some of their culture. The medicinal practices of the Ainu people specifically. A lot of their practices might be considered to be outdated, what with their beliefs being disproven by modern medicine. But they did have some basis in their choices in plant remedies… Only a couple though. I’m sure a handful of my coworkers would like to talk with any healers in their village for new ideas. Personally, I might want to pass… Mostly because I’d rather we didn’t try and steal their longstanding traditions just to market them to the rest of Japan. Might upset this little chieftain more than help them in the long run, haha...”

Ted Bridges

“Pfft…! You’re telling me… This guy’s name is Ted, his MC name is Teddy, and he’s in a team called Kuma no ie? Oh, this guy isn’t going to hear the end of my un-bear-able bear puns! I’ve got enough jokes to break the sound bear-ier with them. I’m paws-itively ready. Do think he’s the type to get em-bear-assed? Hahah, I’m killing myself here. I need a second to get my bear-ings for the next member, hahaha!”

Kokomi Morozov

“My stomach is killing me from laughing… Last one here is… Kokomi Morozov? Another Olympian like that Nerima girl. She’s much older though, so I’m sure she’s in Japan to practice. Hakodate has a big ski resort up on Hakodate-Yama, I just can’t remember what the name of the place was. I’ve only been there once anyway as a part of a business trip. The marketing team apparently loves skiing so we gave it a try. Let’s just say I was less than graceful out on the snow. The cafe at the peak was great though. After a long ride up to the summit, a hot cup of coffee was great to drink… Wonder if the other two would want to go. Not necessarily to Hakodate, but just skiing or snowboarding in general. It would be fun to watch the boys give it a try.”

Kuma no ie

“Aside from Teddy, I’m wondering how exactly the bear motif fits into the rest of their group. I suppose Kotan-san could have a bear as a spiritual symbol that’s important to him. But Kokomi-san? I don’t think a bear really fits her. She’s much too… How do I put it? Soft and innocent looking. I suppose some people who aren’t as familiar with bears might see her as a little teddy bear. Pfft, that’s funny. Teddy, Kotan-san, and Kokomi-san lining up as the three bears from that kid’s story… Oh, is that why they’re called Kuma no ie?! If so, that’s a hilarious story for why they picked the team name!”

[taito-division]

Since you've pretty much asked this of every other division, we only feel it's right for you to answer it, as well. So...

With the COVID numbers slowly rising again (unfortunately), that's got me thinking of a question I wanted to ask...

If COVID took place in the HypMic universe, how would your OC's handle it? Would they slowly go insane from being trapped indoors? Would they develop an unhealthy drinking/smoking habit? Or would they be perfectly fine?

(😒 Darn you, Alex. But I suppose I had this coming...)

If he was back in America, Ace would be worried about COVID. And seeing as how it came from a foreign country, it would only redouble his hatred for Asian countries, specifically. But seeing as how he is stuck here in Japan as a diplomat... well, he's not too bothered. His job involves him traveling all the way from Okinawa to Tokyo to meet with the Prime Minister and other officials. But seeing as how the whole country is in lockdown and safety regulations are in place, he basically has a free vacation. He'll spend his time in Eagle's Nest on his phone on PROFILE, or playing pool on Rashaad's new pool table that he got for his birthday.

Of course, he'd keep up to date with the virus. He'd also call his family back in the States and make sure all of them are safe. Though he is worried, he knows that there is little that can be done about it.

Evelyn... this girl is going to lose her freaking mind. She is an extrovert to the umpth degree. It is not right to keep her confined indoors for too long! She needs to be outside, either on the beach, soaking up some rays from the sun, or in a nightclub, dancing the night away! She loves Eagle's Nest, and she loves Ace and Rashaad, but she can't stand being indoors forever! So whenever a chance to go outside comes, even if it's just to buy groceries, this California girl is going to take it. She'll keep up with safety regulations cause she doesn't want to get sick. But knowing her, she'll probably spend more time than is required outside. It'll take Ace calling her to get her to come back, which she will, begrudgingly.

Like Ace, she is also going to be worried for her family back in the States. She'd call them like five times a week, just to make sure they are all okay. She'd be worried sick for all of them and hope that they make it out of this alright.

Rashaad is going to be the one most hurt by this financially. He relies on customers to keep his bar going, but due to the pandemic, nobody's going to be stopping by Eagle's Nest for a drink anytime soon. He'll still keep the place open, but he'll definitely have to make some changes. For example, he'll have to change his hours: no more opening and closing at 6 or 7. Plus, he can only allow a certain number of patrons. And those he does allow in will have to either be vaccinated or must be following safety guidelines. Plus, when the bar is closed, he'll have to sanitize it from top to bottom. So yeah, things are definitely going to be tight for awhile for Japan's favorite bartender.

On the bright side, this pandemic will allow the bar owner to catch up on some much-needed sleep. Plus, with all the free time, he'll have more time to practice with his saxophone and start working on putting together his jazz band for when the pandemic is over.

Azusa... this pandemic is going to be a challenge for her, financially, physically, and mentally. She was barely making enough money as it was with her dojo. But with the pandemic, fewer and fewer students are going to be showing up for classes, putting the dojo in jeopardy. What's more, her father, who is already sick, is obviously going to be in even more danger because of COVID, since it is detrimental to the elderly and the weak. Azusa will stress to her father not to move much and to always call on her should he need anything. Though he doesn't agree, he knows that his daughter is just trying to take care of him, so he reluctantly agrees.

Meanwhile, Azusa is going to try to find other ways to make some wealth. She'll search for odd jobs around Taitō with limited success. If all fails, she'll have no choice but to ask her teammates for a short loan for a while. She will insist on paying back once the pandemic is over, despite her teammates telling her not to worry about it. All in all, Azusa just hopes and wishes that the pandemic ends soon before it takes anything else of value away from her.

Fleuret, like Azusa, will unfortunately be out of work since the museum will be temporarily closed due to the pandemic. Thankfully, this won't bother her family none since her father receives a stipend due to his time in the service. So in the meantime, the museum curator will be taking care of the household. She'll do the cooking, cleaning, etc. So really it is no different than before. However, she hopes and prays that the pandemic will be over soon and won't harm or kill too many people. She'd be worried for her mother, who is over in the States. She'd call her frequently, making sure she is okay. She'd also have her boyfriend, Rio, come live with her and her family, since she is absolutely not allowing her boyfriend to live in the woods during a plague. She knows he may not be comfortable living indoors, but she would do her best to accommodate him.

Meanwhile, with all her free time, Fleuret would spend it either practicing her art or music, or spending time with Rio. She'd also be a stickler for safety and cleanliness, making sure that every time one of her family members steps out of the house, they immediately head to the shower upon re-entering.

Despite the pandemic, Eldrid, surprisingly, wouldn't be out of work. She and the other MMA fighters would still be allowed to compete, but they'd have to do it in empty arenas for a while. This would obviously bother the MMA champion, as she needs to hear the roar of a crowd when she fights. Fighting in an empty arena with only the officials would be boring. Still, she'd be making money and doing what she loves, so she can't complain too much. Still, she wishes this stupid pandemic would hurry up and be over with so things can go back to normal.

She'd be a worrywart when it comes to her younger brother. She'd make sure he masks up and is sanitized before he leaves the house. She'd also be the one making supply runs and would tell her brother not to let anyone in the house or open the door for anyone. Though Yuma would get a bit annoyed with his big sister's over worrying, he knows she's doing it out of love.

Kotan is going to have a lot of pressure, due to both his role as leader of his tribe and the pandemic. His tribe lives on the outskirts of the city of Hakodate and keeps much to themselves, so they wouldn't have to fear the pandemic much. Plus, due to their skill as hunters, they wouldn't have to worry about food much, either. However, their main concern is the fact that they live outdoors in the wilderness, which doesn't protect them should anyone with COVID come near them. Therefore, Kotan will encourage the tribe to mask up and social distance, even with other tribe members just to be safe. He'd also encourage them to get vaccinated, just to be safe. He would also have to quarantine off part of the camp should anyone get sick, unfortunately. He doesn't want to, but he knows that his father would have done the same. As stated, the young tribal chief would be under a lot of pressure, but with the help of his grandmother, he would persevere.

It isn't often that Ted gets sick, but he'd still take the pandemic seriously for the safety of his son. He'd encourage Aiden to be careful on his way to school and don't touch or talk to anyone if he doesn't have too. As for himself, he'd follow safety guidelines, but he wouldn't be too worried about getting sick, since, as stated, he doesn't get sick often.

As for how he would feel, Ted wouldn't really notice the pandemic happening until Kotan, Kokomi, or his son told him. He spends his time up in the mountains away from civilization, so he isn't fully aware of what is going on in the city below. He'd feel sorry for those who may get sick, or have already gotten sick. But as long as he, his son and his friends are okay, then he is content.

Kokomi would notice the pandemic a lot earlier than Ted, but would still not be fully bothered by it since she lives up in the mountains with the woodsman. She'd be worried for those who may get sick, but there is little she could do about it. Her thoughts would turn to her father, and she would debate between calling him or leaving him to wonder about her. Though he is family, Kokomi still cannot forgive him for ruining snowboarding for her, so she'd be confused about what to do.

As for guidelines, the snowboarder would mask up and sanitize, but only because Ted advised her to. Otherwise, she wouldn't be too bothered by guidelines. Not many people come to the mountains anyway, so she has more free range to ski and snowboard. Though she knows the pandemic is bad, she'd look at it as a blessing of sorts.

Thanks for the ask! (<_< Even though it took me a while...)

[hakodate-division]

Halloween asks!

Since we have a week til Halloween, ask Kuma no ie anything!

Starts today and ends on Oct. 31st 11:59

OC Halloween Ask Meme

Send in an OC and a number and I’ll answer!

Costume - What are they going to be for Halloween this year?

Trick or Treat - Do they go trick or treating? If so, with who?

Werewolf - What is their favourite part of Halloween?

Vampire - If they got to be immortal, what would they want to do with all of their time?

Witch - If they could cast one spell, what would it do?

Ghost - If they died, who would they playfully haunt?

Graveyard - If the Zombie Apocalypse did happen, who would they want to be on their side?

Spider - A fairy befriends your character and they give them an unmarked potion. Does your character drink it?

Wizard - If they could wield one magical weapon, what would it be and what would it do?

Skeleton - What is their favourite spooky song?

Zombie - What would a be a magical power that they would want to have?

Dragon - What is their favourite scary movie?

Tombstone - Would they survive a stereotypical horror movie?

Candy - If they got to choose to be any supernatural being, what would they choose?

Cloak - Do they decorate for Halloween? If so, do they go all out, do they only put up a few, do they fall somewhere in between?

Poison - Who would they enter a group costume contest with?

Pumpkin - Would they want to do a couple’s costume with their significant other?

Moon - Do they get mad when they see Christmas decorations beside the Halloween decorations at the store?

[grainjew]

Nikaposting Pt 1: Crypto-Religion

This is the first of a series of posts about Nika & associated religious practice in the One Piece world. As I write and post the rest of the series, I’ll add links to this header.

Pt 2: Symbology & Syncretism | Pt 3: Joyboy was Shandian | Pt 4: Sun God Tropes

Enormous credit to @oriigami for being my discussion partner through all of this and having a substantial influence on the final product. Check out our ao3 series Joyful for a narrative rather than analytical take on the Nika tradition, and definitely go read her OP blog @kaizokuou-ni-naru for meta and translation fun facts.

-

The Nika Cult is a Crypto-Religion

Terminology note: I will be using cult in these posts in the sense of “cult of worship,” rather than in the modern pejorative sense. Additionally, I tend to use “tradition” rather than “religion” as a general term, because “religion” is a messy and difficult to define concept, while “tradition” is much more inclusive of traditional practices, folk beliefs, and cults of worship that may not be considered religions by Western scholarship.

Raise your hand if you saw Kuma’s church and Bible, concluded “oh, the Nika stuff is basically One Piece Christianity,” and moved on with your life.

It’s an easy assumption to make, and for all I know authorial intent may well stop there. I’m not Oda. I’ll never be able to guess what goes on behind those fish eyes of his. But a second look at the worldbuilding around both Nika and Christianity in One Piece brought me to a very different conclusion: that the Nika cult is a crypto-religion and is, in Kuma’s case, using the outward appearance of Christianity as camouflage.

First of all: We have ample evidence that Christianity (or some variation of it- I’m fascinated by the implied existence of such things as One Piece Jerusalem and the One Piece Council of Nicea) does exist in the One Piece world, and is both fairly widespread and quite legal. Flevance was pretty explicitly Catholic (Law went to church as a kid), Miss Monday and Mother Carmel masqueraded as nuns to imply harmlessness, many if not most of the graves shown in the series are crosses, whatever Usopp was on about with that exorcism equipment, and, yes, Kuma’s church and Bible.

Even mentioning the Nika cult, on the other hand, is grounds for the government to assassinate you with extreme prejudice.

A crypto-religion is what happens when a religion is suppressed to the point that its practice is grounds for exile, torture, and/or execution: Some people will convert. Some people will flee into exile. Some people will die. And some people will outwardly adopt the dominant religion, but will continue to practice their own traditions in secret; ie, they’ll create a crypto-religion.

One of the more famous examples of this is the post-Spanish Inquisition crypto-Jews of Spain and Portugal, who converted to Christianity in public but kept what Jewish traditions and rituals they could in private. To this day, descendants of these conversos whose families have been Catholic for centuries are discovering that their family tradition of lighting two candles on Friday or not eating pork on Saturday are in fact the legacy of a violently suppressed heritage. There are countless other examples of crypto-religions throughout history, both among Jews (my own personal field of knowledge) and among other traditions (for an example that would be known to Oda, the crypto-Christians of Japan).

There’s no way the Nika cult could have survived except in cryptic form. If it ever had physical infrastructure in the form of temples or pilgrimage sites, the government would have sought them out and demolished them long ago if they were not adequately disguised, especially in World Government member states like the Sorbet Kingdom. Likewise, anyone foolish enough to speak publicly about Nika will be summarily assassinated.

In fact, I have doubts that the Nika cult ever existed outside cryptic form, at least in a significant or long-lasting manner. It was specifically introduced as a slave tradition, likely nigh-exclusively oral, practiced in secret either from its inception—if Nika was a figure created by slaves, including the buccaneers—or for a very long time—if it was the cultural or ethnic tradition of the buccaneers, which spread from enslaved buccaneers to non-buccaneer slaves because Nika was a figure that resonated with them. I tend the favor the second option, but either has merit.

As @oriigami said when we were talking about this, Kuma has a church. Kuma has a bible. Kuma worships a god about whom absolutely nothing is written except in the oldest texts.

Additionally, I’ll expand on this more in pt 2 of this series, but the pendant Kuma leaves for Bonney, a large circular sapphire surrounded by eight smaller circular sapphires, matches the circular symbol inset into the crosses of his church. Bonney immediately identifies the pendant as a sun even though it really doesn’t look like one, and it can be surmised therefore that it’s a Nika amulet, and the sun with disconnected rays a Nika symbol. Following this read, and especially because this symbol occurs across the world in other contexts (see pt 2 for my thoughts on that), its presence in the church is a very careful bit of architectural sleight of hand on the part of whichever of Kuma’s ancestors built the place- echoing a very common practice of real-world crypto-religion adherents to mark the true nature of their allegiances and houses of worship in ways only those in the know might recognize.

And on a storytelling level, Kuma’s entire presence in the narrative and in the world has been a tragic saga of appearing to be one way until he’s revealed, again and again, to be the opposite. It makes thematic sense for him to be fooling the world about his faith as well!

[saitama-division]

Division Rap Battle Dead Pool

Do not ask me what this is and why I am posting it, this is yet another product of the insanity that goes on in our 18+ discord server

Credit to @toyama-division / @suginami-division for the idea! 😈

It’s no surprise that with the formation of the Division Rap Battles by the Japanese Government (also known as Chuohku), many teams have been formed either through coercion or by their own volition, with those teams come many high profile people or very prolific celebrities both old and young. As such, a betting ring was formed, by who? Well, no one knows, it could be from criminals to politicians to random civilians to even other contestants in the very same tournament, all that matters is that every person in the Division Rap Battles has a bounty on their head, this is a list of how much they’re apparently worth.

As for the reason why? Figure it out yourself.

Ace Douglas: $0.08

Asato Rikiya: $100

Kyō Sakuma: $100

“Sen”: $100

Criss Hiromi: $500

Ishihara Daisuke: $1,000

Asahi Tomoharu: $1,000

Takumi Wakaba: $2,000

Ryuunosuke Sekiguchi: $2,000

Azusa Furukawa: $5,000

Naoki Hamasaki: $5,000

Teijo Masakazu: $8,000

Yoichi Shujo: $10,000

Fleuret Oshiro: $15,000

Kai Quinlan: $20,000

Mireya Quinlan: $30,000

“Ruichi”: $50,000

Eldrid Iwasaki: $50,000

Zakari Hiroya: $100,000

Ming Kawanoe: $100,000

Ryuko Umemoto: $350,000

Wataru Sasaki: $400,000

Oki Teagan: $500,000

Tasuku Kawanoe: $500,000

Kisouna Yuzairu: $500,000

Ayumu Hayami: $500,000

Kokomi Morozov: $500,000

Keiko Yumi: $600,000

Miku Shirazuki: $700,000

Maki Umemoto: $750,000

Joey Kurusu: $900,000

Aranai Norikoru: $1,000,000

Jack Verrill: $1,000,000

Daiki Kamiyama: $1,000,000

Queen Card: $1,000,000

Lyall Shiba: $1,000,000

Shuu Edogawa: $1,000,000

Nikki Yoshie: $1,000,000

Yano Ietsuna: $1,000,000

Shisuta Heisha: $1,000,000

Luis Kōkyū: $2,000,000

Seiji Tsukimoto: $2,000,000

Evelyn Rose: $2,000,000

Aika Yumi: $2,000,000

Shian Meizono: $2,000,000

Kureha Koizumi: $2,000,000

Ren Nakashima: $2,000,000

Miho Kobayashi: $3,000,000

Rashaad Young: $3,000,000

Meari Miracle: $3,000,000

Ted Bridges: $3,000,000

Chinami Chinen: $3,000,000

Diêu Hoàng: $4,000,000

Juu Judice: $4,000,000

“Ageha Shinozaki”: $4,000,000

Kensaku Morimoto: $4,000,000

Eiji Noguchi: $4,000,000

Sakura Kito: $5,000,000

Hisoka Tetsumatsu: $5,000,000

Kanra Akemi: $5,000,000

Mina Nakayama: $5,000,000

Elliot Shimizu: $5,000,000

Sanyu Inouye: $5,000,000

Kira Chinen: $5,000,000

Sayaka Miyuki: $5,000,000

Yuuya Kanata: $5,000,000

Kotan Anchikar: $5,000,000

Karada Kessaku: $6,000,000

Yorii Sakuma: $6,000,000

Saigo Fuyugami: $6,000,000

Yuki Kuraokami: $6,000,000

Kaiji Sano: $6,000,000

Makina Setsukura: $6,000,000

Masa Judice: $7,000,000

Ivelisse Martinez: $7,000,000

Taria Chinen: $7,000,000

Iwao Masuda: $7,000,000

Lola Takahashi: $7,000,000

Ritsuko Okada: $8,000,000

Nadya Kuromiya: $8,000,000

Kanon Hojo: $8,000,000

Kotono Ohara: $8,000,000

“Aruto Shinozaki”: $9,000,000

“Masuzō Shinomiya”: $9,000,000

Touya Kisaragi: $9,000,000

“Cinder”: $9,000,000

Max Soukoku: $9,000,000

Sumire Shinomiya: $10,000,000

Kaoru Shinozaki: $10,000,000

Mai Yousei: $10,000,000

Reiaki Suzubayashi: $13,000,000

Rintaro Himura: $15,000,000

Kyler Aaron: $15,000,000

Anika Kiyozaki: $17,000,000

Eko Seishin: $20,000,000

Reika Aichi: $20,000,000

Alexis Ward: $20,000,000

Yuno Kamora: $30,000,000

Ryūzō Mizutori: $40,000,000

Yuriko Kuromiya: $50,000,000

Akihisa Mashiro: $50,000,000

Tomi Chōten: $500,000,000

Wild Shīnu: $7,100

Jigoku Riderz: 9,100

Blade Maiden: $70,000

Private Party: $150,000

Otaku Corps: $1,600,500

Sazanka Zombeez: $2,100,000

Sakurai Clan: $2,500,000

Valor Guard: $3,500,000

Liberty Guild: $5,000,000.08

ECO BooN: $5,000,100

MIHANASA: $5,600,000

Veiled Vanguard: $7,000,000

Kuma no ie: $8,500,000

Miraitabi: $11,001,000

Oculus: $13,000,000

Polar Knights: $13,060,000

Femme Fatale: $14,000,000

R.I.P. Märchen: $14,700,000

Birds of Prey: $15,000,000

Last Judgement: $15,500,000

ENIGMA: $16,000,000

Justice Shield: $16,300,000

Lovesick: $17,000,000

Pixel Syndicate: $25,000,000

CodeX: $30,000,000

Sounds of Silence: $31,000,000

Silent Tragedy: $33,000,000

Kiya Kara: $48,002,000

OverDrive: $60,000,000

Wicked Requiem: $78,000,000

Death Row Block: $83,000,000

Jet Set Trio: $508,000,000

@shinagawa-division @kobedivision @kanazawa-division @uenodivision @aoyama-division @arakawa-division @roppongi-division @edogawa-division @shizuokadivision @katsushika-division @niigata-division @minato-division03 @akihabara-division03 @minato-division01 @akihabaradivision @setagaya-division @taito-division @okinawa-division @hakodate-division @naradivision @naha-division @sapporo-division @oita-division @fukuokadivision1 @sendaidivision @fukuokanodivision @obihiro-division @ota-division @ginza-division

[akihabara-division03]

How the OC’s Beat The Heat at Home

Taking a shower every four hours: Kisouna Yuzairu (Sakura Clan), Tomi Chōten (Jet Set Trio), Mireya Quinlan (Private Party), Maki Umemoto (山茶花 Zombeez), Kaiji Sano (Lovesick), Joey Kurusu (Justice Shield), Keiko Yumi (Otaku Corps), Fleuret Otoshiro (Blaid Maiden)

Puts a fan in every room: Anika Kiyozaki (Pixel Syndicate), Alexis Ward (Sounds of Silence), Yano Ietsuna (ECO BooN), Kureha Koizumi (Femme Fatale), Sakura Kito (Silent Tragedy), Akihisa Mashiro (Death Row Block), Seiji Tsukimoto (Valor Guard), Asahi Tomoharu (Miraitabi), Kunio Chōten (Strange Magic), Meari Miracle (Oculus), Criss Hiromi (Otaku Corps), Evelyn Rose (Liberty Guild)

Infinite uses of the air conditioning: Queen Card (R.I.P Märchen), Reiaki Suzubayashi (R.I.P Märchen), Aranai Norikoru (Sakura Clan), Kensaku Morimoto (ECO BooN), Miho Kobayashi (CodeX), Wataru Sasaki (Justice Shield), Yuriko Kuromiya (Wicked Requiem), Reika Aichi (Silent Tragedy), Lyall Shiba (Valor Guard), Saigo Fuyugami (Miraitabi), Aoba Yamamura (Strange Magic), Reiji Enjouji (Diabolik Love), Ayame Kurokawa (Diabolik Love), Yorii Sakuma (ENIGMA)

Lots of cold drinks: Miku Shirazuki (R.I.P Märchen), Zakari Hiroya (Private Party), Asato Rikiya (ECO BooN), Shuu Edogawa (山茶花 Zombeez), Sayaka Miyuki (Femme Fatale), Ren Nakashima (Lovesick), Kyler Aaron (Justice Shield), Kanra Akemi (Wicked Requiem), Ayumu Hayami (Valor Guard), Yuuya Kanata (Miraitabi), Natsume Kurome (Strange Magic), Ruka Shiina (Howling Moon), Kaede Iwasawa (Trickstar), Nikki Yoshie (Otaku Corps), Ace Douglas (Liberty Guild), Rashaad Young (Liberty Guild), Eldrid Iwasaki (Blade Maiden), Ted Bridges (Kuma no Ie)

Banning the use of clothes: Shian Meizono (Pixel Syndicate), Karada Kessaku (Jet Set Trio), Hoàng Diệu (Sounds of Silence), Ryuko Umemoto (山茶花 Zombeez), Hisoka Tetsuma (Veiled Vanguard), Lola Takahashi (Femme Fatale), Max Soukoku (Lovesick), Touya Kisaragi (Death Row Block), Eden Yamamura (Trickstar), Aika Yumi (Oculus)

Actually living in only the few cold hours of the day: Makina Setsukura (Pixel Syndicate), Kai Quinlan (Private Party), Daiki Kamiyama (Veiled Vanguard), Sumire Shinomiya (CodeX), Kaoru Shinozaki (Wicked Requiem), Kanon Hojo (Silent Tragedy), Kei Himeno (Diabolik Love), Hisui Meguno (Howling Moon), Nadya Kuromiya (Oculus), Mina Nakayama (ENIGMA), Kotan Anchikar (Kuma no Ie), Kokomi Morozov (Kuma no Ie)

Stands Still: Shisuta Heisha (Sakurai Clan), Luis Kōkyū (Jet Set Trio), Ivelisse Martinez (Sounds of Silence), Jack Verrill (Veiled Vanguard), Ritsuko Okada (CodeX), Rintaro Himura (Death Row Block), Aoi Yamamura (Howling Moon), Nellie Yukimura (Trickstar), Elliot Shimizu (ENIGMA), Azusa Furukawa (Blade Maiden)

@akihabara-division03 @uenodivision @aoyama-division @arakawa-division @roppongi-division @toyama-division @suginami-division @obihiro-division @saitama-division @shinagawa-division @kobedivision @kanazawa-division @edogawa-division @shizuokadivision @katsushika-division @niigata-division @naradivision @kumamoto-division @hamamatsu-divison @kofu-division @aomori-division @minato-division01 @akihabaradivision @setagaya-division @okinawa-division @taito-division @hakodate-division

[melonteee]

Hello!!! I love your videos, and I hope you don’t mind if I ask you a question, but I’m really interested in what you think about this.

I’m writing a series of fantasy novels which has been in the works for about five years, so it’s a pretty significant project for me and kind of has my heart in a constant choke-hold.

Initially, I really struggled to understand my protagonist. She was like a complete stranger, chipped off from a bit of myself as all characters are. I knew she was bold, joyful, stubborn and would do anything for her friends, but she always seemed to be missing something fundamental.

Anyway, then I kind of figured out that I want her to be like Luffy. But Luffy is, as you know, far from a simple character, and honestly I don’t quite know how to base my protagonist off him without accidentally writing a female Luffy or missing out key aspects of Luffy’s character that would give my protagonist that ‘Luffyness’ that is just so incredible.

So really my question is: What is key to Luffy’s character, but more specifically, what are some traits that can be replicated to make a character feel Luffy-like without just being Luffy?

I really hope if you decide to answer this one you find it interesting to think about! I think we need more characters like Luffy and I want to be part of that.

Thank you!!

Boundless optimism is one trait Luffy has, but that's not just Luffy, it's a very shonen trait. But I've found Luffy differs because his boundless optimism comes from the fact he doesn't like thinking about anything, and he will actively not think to stop bad thoughts from swarming him.

His smile is the main one! No matter what, and no matter why, Luffy has a smile on his face! The only time he drops his smile is when he is enraged, such as the Drum Island scene where he's holding Dr Hiriluk's flag. Luffy's anger feels powerful because we know, without a doubt, Luffy is ANGRY. But these moments are used sparingly, otherwise the effect is gone.

Luffy's selfishness is a big one, he will do anything he wants no matter what anyone says. If you want a character to be like Luffy, they essentially have to work on automatic instinct of "I want this, I will get this." The reason this works for Luffy is because he finds a way out of the trouble he causes, ie getting imprisoned in Wano only led to him meeting new friends and growing further - even though that wasn't part of the plan. Luffy can make the most of any situation.

A major one is Luffy wearing is heart on his sleeve, to the point it's so difficult to have any sort of miscommunication with Luffy. He's honest and earnest, he physically cannot lie to save his life, and he will tell you what he thinks of you straight up. But, Luffy's view of a person can and will change, and he'll tell you when THAT happens too. He doesn't look down on nor up at anyone, and this stops Luffy from seeming conceited or annoying.

Luffy's strengths are also his flaws, hence why he collapses upon Ace's death, because his optimism and 'everything will work out' attitude didn't work. The second a bad thing happens, he cracks, and he cannot help but lose control of himself due to unbearable grief that he keeps bottled up. The same thing happened when Kuma vanished all the Strawhats in Sabaody and Luffy entirely broke down.

Good luck on your novels! But I will say, another difference is that Luffy is a man - of course. While there's no difference in genders or sexes as human beings, and while I wish everyone could be written on the same level, there's still a difference in how one is perceived depending on societal pressures and restraints. For example, Nami was told by Bellemere that "girls need to be strong too," showing us that Nami goes against the status quo of One Piece's world by not being a passive woman. These are reasons why I connect to Nami personally, and why many female fans love Nami and her character.

My advice is think about the societal structures of your world, who's on top and who's on the bottom, and if that will effect your main character in terms of struggles she may face or trials she must go through!

[twothpaste]

wonder why mother 3 lets you sequence break in chapter 7. it's definitely not an oversight - there's adjustments to dialogue & staging depending on which party members you have (ie. tanetane without kuma/duster, chimera lab with duster, etc). in theory, it's neat that the game offers the player the freedom to do the big island-wide adventure segments in any order they like. but it also works very hard to guiderail you to the "correct" areas. and there's obviously no level scaling. and the story plays out much more smoothly in the intended order. doria's needle is more narratively cohesive with just kumatora. tanetane without the full party misses half the point. etc. fetching duster early to keep him on-level with the rest of the gang is a cool trick, but then again, i've never actually had any issues whatsoever with an underlevelled duster.

when the game's not balanced around sequence-breaking, and the story's only barely written around it, it makes me question why the player's given the option at all. esp since it's kinda possible for first-time players to miss cues and go off in the "wrong" direction, earning them an experience that's worse in most respects.

[shslprince]

thinking about that one interview where kodaka mentions Ikuhara being one of his favorite creators and enjoying utena and going “huh, neat!” then suddenly remembering that interview years later going “.... of course this guy loves ikuhara”

These aren’t a clean 1 to 1 comparisons but its interesting to look at a couple of similarities

The “stock” footage/ritualistic motions of the characters where they traverse to a more fantastical setting

ie: the elevator CGs to the trial grounds vs the zettai unmei mokushiroku stairs/survival strategy/etc scenes

The main cast are in a metaphorical or almost literal space separated from society and must break out of their cage in the end

Ohtori Academy in Utena/Wall of Severance in Yuri Kuma Arashi vs DR cast trapped in the school/simulation/end wall

Corporate mandated mascot

ie: Monokuma/Usami/The cubs vs ChuChu/the penguins/bears/kappa/etc

Also Kodaka literally asked Sonia’s japanese voice actress to be in SDR2 bc he enjoyed her performance as Himari in Penguindrum (and while not explicitly scouted for the same reason Kaito’s voice actor also voiced shouma in penquindrum too)

just off the top of my head. Kodaka is a guy who wears his inspirations on his sleeve (esp w things like David Lynch, Suda 51, etc) so its neat trying to look at a creators work and their inspirations and trying to find the thru line.

[hakodate-division]

Day in the Life: Kuma no ie

Kotan doesn't exactly have a job; it's more like a role for him. He functions as the current chief of his tribe and the spokesperson for the Ainu people of Japan. Basically, he communes with the government about the wants and needs of his people and works so that they can get the best deal possible. He doesn't get paid money, as much of his funds go back to his tribe, who are farmers and hunters, selling or trading their stock for necessities. He frequently worries whether he is doing a good job or not...

Ted, at first, didn't have a job when his wife was still around, functioning more as a stay-at-home dad. Now, after moving him and his son to Hakodate in the mountains, he works as a lumberjack/woodsman, cutting down trees and making sure the forest is well-cared for. The trees he cuts down are sold to various shipping companies. It's hard work, but Ted enjoys it, and is more than capable of doing it by himself.

Ted also ferments and creates his own special blend of beer, which is a hit among the people of Hakodate and the surrounding areas. He will sometimes trade his beer in exchange for other things that he or his family may need. He, for some reason, refuses to reveal the secret of how to create it.

Kokomi is a famous snowboarder and skier, having been doing both since she was only seven, and participating in the Winter Olympics when she was just 15 years old. At first, she enjoyed it, but as her father put more and more pressure on it, she gradually began to despise anything to do with the snow. Not wanting that, she decided to put her time in the Olympics on hold and left both Russia and her father behind to come to Japan to get her mind and heart in order.

Kokomi now works as an instructor. After renting a room in Ted's chalet, she knew she had to work to stay with him. After teaching some of the children in his tribe how to ski, Kotan recommended that she become an instructor. Thinking it was a good idea, she now teaches both kids and adults how to ski and snowboard three times a week.

[obihiro-division]

Daiki’s Thoughts on Hakodate Division

Kotan Anchikar

“Anchikar? I can’t help but feel like I’ve heard that name… In the boring adult talk my dad and brothers had. I think his dad or whatever had issues with something about land or business… I don’t know! That talk always makes me want to die from boredom. Ronan was really upset about it all though. I think Jack’s the only one who knows what happened, so ask him about it.”

Ted Bridges

“Teddy…? Bear? Supreme Commander Big Bear?! Is he like him? Is he? Leading a rebellion against the unjust Shogunate, only to pass on his power to a fiercely determined warrior when he can’t go on… What? He’s just some guy who lives in the woods wrestling bears? Well, who says he can’t be like Ooguma?! He looks like a Commander who protects his allies, even if they make mistakes! I bet you, he’s a worthy ally to have!”

“And how funny that he’s like Big Bear? At this rate, I’m gonna have the entire Kyurangers team on my side! Even if I like Kyoryuger more in terms of Super Sentai series… Dinosaurs are so much cooler than stars! I mean space is super cool too… Oh no, which is better?!”

Kokomi Morozov

“Oh! Oh! The snowboarding lady from Russia! My brothers and I went to see her a long time ago! Well, kinda. My dad had us go for ‘business’. We only happened to watch Kokomi as a part of the women’s events. Russia doesn’t win gold often, so seeing her win was a huge deal! I wonder why she’s here, in Japan though. Isn’t America a better place to travel around for practice courses? Maybe she likes Japan more?”

Kuma no ie

“I think these guys are pretty normal citizens. I don’t really have anything else to say about them! Well… Actually! I think my brothers would have more to say about them. Like, a bunch of them love Kokomi! And I know Ronan likes Kotan’s dad, so maybe I can meet them, and tell my brothers how everyone is doing! Maybe it will make them happier? Or jealous that I get to meet these cool people!”

[toyama-division]

Yano’s Thoughts on Hakodate Division

Kotan Anchikar

“Hey, I recognize that last name. He’s related to that chief of that one village, right? My uncle and I have gone up to Hokkaido in the past, specifically to Otaru City for a bunch of glass-related festivals and events. We met some of the people from the village and Uncle jumped on the opportunity to do business. Now he keeps connections with the village since he finds the stuff they trade to be really neat. Personally, I care more about money, but I can’t really control who my uncle decides to do business with. Glassara Studio is his company after all.”

Ted Bridges

“What the hell… Why is this team just filled with my uncle’s customers? Not that it’s bothering me! Just… It’s been a while since I’ve seen so many people who actually like my uncle personally in one group. Anyways, Ted is buddy-buddy with my uncle, for what reason is beyond me. All I know is that both of them like Ted’s beer. I mean it is pretty good. It's just my uncle’s obsessed with the stuff. I’ve heard him beg for the recipe a handful of times only to get turned down. It's a wonder that guy puts up with my uncle..." 

Kokomi Morozov

“Oh, the pretty Russian lady! I remember she bought a little bear figurine which made me really happy that she said it was ‘quite nice’. I got really happy hearing that, but for some reason, she gave me this look like she was disgusted by me. Which like, what the hell?! Why does everyone have to give me looks like I’m some sort of weirdo? I’m just a mushy guy who gets emotional when people come in and compliment our work! It’s nice to hear that people feel something when they look at not just my work, but the other people in the studio’s work. She’s still pretty, she’s just kind of a jerk… I think so at least.”

Kuma no ie

“What is my uncle gonna say… God, I’m starting to dread coming to work now. He listens to these interviews I do, so he’s gonna give me an earful about Ted and the village chief guy. Hopefully, he doesn’t try to tell me to be nice to them. Like I can’t go easy on someone just because they do business with us!”

[headingalaxys-spicy]

I really like your demon au! Could u do some sfw and nsfw for demon Canada?

Already have the NSFW Headcannons here but here are the SFW headcannons enjoy 😉

🍁His favorite season is the Fall. He adores the maple leaf cookies that come out in various stores across North America. He enjoys the early on set evenings that begin basically at 4pm. The earlier darkness allows him to let Kuma terrorize humans in the Canadian wilderness.

🍁To some degree he has fun being disguised as a human. He enjoys making men and women alike swoon. It’s fun for him to play with them like emotional Yo-Yo’s.

🍁He hunts humans for sport and for their hearts when he’s got nothing better to do down in the underworld.

🍁During Halloween he helps Demon England with whatever nefarious plan that he’s concocted in the human world that year. He transforms himself into a Waheela (like a dire wolf with white fur) and joins Kuma on animalistic hunts for humans and various animals that he’ll need for the evening's sacrifice. They’re the definition of terrifying when seen in the middle of the night.

🍁Enjoys gazing at the nighttime sky while he might be having bourbon while he thinks. He does this after he’s survived some massive conflict that he survived or battle etc in the underworld and needs to blow off some steam.

🍁Definitely a people-watcher demon when he’s trying to figure out who he’s going to haunt next for a meal, to be his toy, or just to kill them later in a drawn out / elaborate way. I’m talking he will play around with their subconscious for a little while and then enact a day where he puts his victim on edge. IE slowing cold air towards your neck, making you trip over air, pulling a seat from under you, making your entire body feel extremely cold. Anything to make you extremely jumpy or make you feel like you’re losing your mind.

🍁Keeps score with other demon kings. If any one of them has wrong him he WILL get back at them at a way later point in time. After all karma is a dish better served cold am I right?

[robinchan-hananomi]

One Piece 1072 spoilers

So clones are nothing new in the series of One Piece. We learned that all of Germa 66 with the exception of the Vinsmoke Family are clones. That was why Big Mom wanted the Germa 66 after all. Now why Big Mom had to get Judge for that when she already had Ceaser technically and Kaido had Queen leads me to believe that each member of MADS had something that they specialized in and while they knew what else was possible (ie, Ceaser with gases and chemicals, Queen with diseases, and Judge with clones and ‘lineage factors’) the weren’t good outside of their specific specialist. Therefore only Vegapunk himself and Judge can do cloning. This also leads me to believe that Big Mom knew about the clone army the Germa had BECAUSE of Ceaser.

Now here’s where things get interesting because it is Stussy that was the first successful clone and she is a clone of a member of the Rock’s pirates. Ms. Buckingham is the second female member of the Rocks that we have heard about and she clearly was no one to fuck around with. If it’s Weevil’s mom or not is a while other matter, but I’m pretty sure most of us think that this the case. I guess the biggest question that this new information brings up is how many perfected clones are out there?

In addition I’m wondering if Stussy was the ally that Vegapunk asked to save him. That would be a very interesting twist and explains how 1. Vegapunk knew exactly when the World Government was going to make their move 2. How she knew everything about Egghead and 3. why she would suddenly turn on CP0.

Stussy and clones aside we also get more on Kuma and Bonny’s powers as well as the idea that Vegapunk has been holding onto Kuma’s memories all this time. I wonder if Bonny touching those memories will finally explain the mystery surrounding Kuma, the Revolutionary Army, how Vegapunk feeds into this, and the current mission Kuma seems to be on. Any way the series sure is getting interesting again. Not that it wasn’t interesting before but Oda sure knows how to build suspense.