#or he thinks they're dangerous and wants to have control over them as a “technical parent”)

[mutable-manifestation]

#dpxdc#danny phantom#dc comics#superman#a shit brickhouse of a man who doesn't look like either one of them#accusations of cheating on lex with his arch nemesis superman#vlad is so offended clearly he's lexy's arch nemesis how dare!

Lmao okay but imagine Vlad backslides more because he has to be the nemesis. Like. This is not a slight that can go uncontested.

So like? Vlad backslides. And starts making more clones.

Superman clones. Like "if one Superman is your archnemesis - scoff - let's see how you feel about the source of consist stream of an increasing number of Supermen."

Like? Getting DNA is no biggie for a ghost - just possess the guy mid-flight, pass off some hairs to a duplicate, move on.

And Vlad already has his cloning tech on point. It just takes a bit of rebuilding.

He gets about three Supermen in before the Dannies notice.

He gets so defensive. Like oh, when a woman makes another person it's fine, but when I, Vlad Masters-

And they're just like. *deep breaths* You aged them up taking away years of their lives and also: did you bother to get permission from Superman or did you just steal his DNA?

Vlad: ...

So anyway now Vlad has three Superman sons. They're all fully-grown but like. They all know they aren't the real Clark. And Vlad is...odd? But it's not like he's asking them to do anything they don't want to.

"Prevent Lex Luthor from doing evil stuff" and other various heroics aren't anything they wouldn't be doing anyway.

Also Vlad learned his lesson with his first clone - positive reinforcement only lest they fly straight into the arms of the enemy. So like. He's being nice to them - they all have their own rooms, he got them civilian IDs, he's willing to set them up with jobs of their choice or college, and all he wants is "if Lex Luthor breathes wrong check up and see if he needs to be stopped" which. They'd want to do anyway.

Plus the Dannies all just treat them like their own people, so even the "being a clone" thing is less crisis inducing than it could be. Especially when they learn Dani is a clone and technically so is Dan.

They are... coping. With the names.

in the lineup we got:

Lark - the first clone, kryptonian name (because he mentioned the Kal-El thing at some point & Vlad was like "oh sweet I get to name you again! Love naming things! :D") Kar-El. Yeah. Like Carl.

Chad - the second clone, Clark doesn't have a lot of variations but he wanted a C-name. And of course, the kryptonian name: Char-El (yeah Vlad is not a creative man. Listen he literally tried to copy/paste a son okay. Creativity is not his strong suit. It's not even a suit he has, I think)

Aaaaand the youngest. The babiest of boys: Archie - he wanted another name with "ark" in it but couldn't think of one. So he went *shrug* arch is close enough. Kryptonian name: Ark-El (yeah he jumped at the chance to give him an ark-name when he realized he could make another one. Yes I'm implying he forgot middle names exist. None of the clones have middle names)

Anyway, Vlad is very supportive of their hobbies & such. Not a bad life, all told, save for the whole thing where they miss Ma & Pa and also remember being married and now they very much aren't. Luckily the memories are more "information I have & stuff I observed" than "stuff I experienced" but it's still the majority of their memories for a good while so like. Upsetting.

Anyway with the whole precedent of "Vlad Masters' babies have absurd growth rates" everyone just assumed that they're his actually kids & that he either had triplets or has an ongoing relationship with Superman.

And you know what? That is a free explanation that doesn't involve admitting to cloning so sure, that happened.

Superman knows it did not happen but no one believes him.

Well okay, everyone he knows personally believes him - but the public doesn't.

He's being put in a love triangle with Lex Luthor and Vlad Masters. Some people are calling them OT3. He is climbing the walls. He hates this so so so so so so much.

Lex & Vlad are having public fights about this and Vlad is just. "I don't recall ever agreeing to be exclusive *condescending eyebrow raise* Where I go and what or who I do are frankly none of your business. *insert snooty hmph noise here* Don't you have somewhere to be, like your bi-weekly beatdown from your precious "archnemesis""

And he means it in a "I should be the one who you consider your archnemesis" way, but everyone watching this takes it as "Lex and Vlad both cheated on each other, both with Superman."

You Know How There Are Those AU? Where SUPER Injured Ghosts Need To Retreat To Their Core?

No one seems to be USING that to its fullest potential! For SHENANIGANS! Because! Who?? Could POSSIBLY carry a Halfa's Core safely... but another Halfa?! A FULL ghost would KILL them. A human would be killed! What terribly precarious peril we find ourselves in! Oh nooooooo!

Well, no worry!

As much as Dani fuckin HATES this. That there is her brother. Her Template. Her Clone Daddy and Bestest of Bros. Like HECK she's gonna let him suffer for centuries and possibly DIE. She can take it, Doc! Pop him in! We'll go road tripping and-

What do you MEAN "No"?

Unstable??! Of course she's unstable! But the-.... Oh.

Turns OUT? Dani? Can hitch a ride in DANNY for Emergency Medical Aid... but NOT the other way around. Her body is too loosely held together. He would parasiticly consume her from within. Instead of feeding off her Ecto System like injured ghosts are supposed too, because she's a CLONE? AND an unstable one at that? His Core would just... see her body as free ectoplasm. All of it.

He'd eat her.

Which mean Frostbite can not and WILL NOT allow that.

But he's HURT! That big, off screen, cataclysmic Fight To Save Everybody From *cough cough mumbles* and settle us all in the DC universe, REALLY messed him up! What are we supposed to DO!? He can't STAY like this!!!

Enter-> My FAVORITE DCxDP Trash Ship! Vlad&Lex!!! *horrified screaming from the crowds, someone shouts "oh god, no! Please!"* Ha! There are no gods here, silly billys! Only two terrible, terrible HIGHLY Dramatic, self serving, incredibly damaged, gay peacocks. In Business Suits that cost more then your house is worth.

They're AWFUL~♡

And! Vlad was sent ahead to lay the ground work. Insure there would be no GIWs. Also because no one could stand him and his EXTENSIVE criminal record. But that's besides the point.

But!

You know what he found? A Business Nemesis. Who he routinely dates and/or Dramatically Hate Fu-*coughs* I mean, attempts a Corporate Take Over(tm) off. You know how it is. Business. He ALSO gets to make it no secret he's a "Meta", thanks to the INCOMPETENCE of one Jack Fenton, because that- *seething rant*

Yet? Dispite his STILL burning hatred for Jack? And his finally letting go of Maddie? You know what he STILL wants?

For Danny to be his Son.

*Gets a call from Frostbite*

...............soooooo........ what you're SAYING is..... I can be pregnant with Daniel.

You, Frostbite, need ME, Vladimir Masters, THE ONLY OTHER HALFA, to carry Daniel around inside my body, in what to all appearances resembles a pregnancy, in order to heal him. Because I am an Older And Stronger Halfa Upon Which He Relies.

:)

*instantly begins plotting*

Just? Imagine. Vlad is a FUCKIN LIAR. No one but him would even KNOW what was going on! He just? Rocks up one day, like? *falsely demure* "oh I couldn't POSSIBLY has any scotch, Lex! >:) I'm eating for Two~☆" and just? Deals the MAXIMUM amount of psychic damage he can.

Probably says it at their weekly, public, Veiled Threats Brunch.

It makes front page news. Luthor choked on his eggs. The paparazzi lost their SHIT. Vlad is doing the FULL Celebrity Mom Thing. The classes. The photo shoots. The Gucci sunglasses as he peruses high end strollers. All while HEAVILY suggesting that not only is "The Baby" Lex's.... but that he's going to withhold the child and deny Lex any access.

Danny isn't even aware. He's in a lovely lil medical coma. Dani is trying to find a good spot to plop down Amity. She just know Vlad is being... Vlad. Meh. He can handle it. Dan? He's not even IN the human realm and is not sure he wants to be.

But over in the LEAGUE? Everything's on fuckin FIRE.

Kon is losing his SHIT and Clark is thousand yard staring into the void. Kon's half brother is in the hands of a... Less Then Ideal... Meta that Batman is PRETTY sure is highly suspect. Might be a deliberate weapons experiment. Certainly is a hostage. And the DRAMA.

Lex has never been worse.

He might actually stab his...partner? Vlad. At the hospital. The SECOND the child is born. There are already long term kidnapping plans in the making. He's hiring lawyers. Getting VICIOUS. There have been talks with DEATHSTROKE. By BOTH OF THEM.

Clark wants to cry.

@hypewinter @ailithnight @nerdpoe @hdgnj @the-witchhunter @mutable-manifestation @babbling-babull

[gatorbites-imagines]

I can vividly imagine sinister mark on his knees with a collar around his neck on a leash with a muzzle. I love this image so much and I wanna have this for all the marks. Why have one mutt when you can have way way more

I couldn't turn this into actual headcanons or anything, so just have me rambling for a bit about it, because I've had this thought for... a while. 

i will write smut about this if interested, i love this shit.

Me and my 16 evil boyfriends who do what I tell them to do... what Mark would even be the first to have joined the (harem...) group??? I dont even know what to call them all to tell them apart. Please let me know if theres like commonly accepted names, or should I just make my own names for them all. Cuz this is gonna get confusing. 

Like, if you hooked sinister mark first, I could see the others following suit, little by little. Like, theyd see him crawling on all fours, growling and drooling with his viltrum-level muzzle on. Cuz hes the type that would also need one of those bits, like you would find on a horse. Or maybe more like a gag of something. Something he can chew on and grind his teeth into, as he gets too excited and wants to start biting. 

If the other Marks make fun of his collar, sinister Mark beats the shit outta them. He doesn't kill them, only because he knows you'll praise him for holding back. They are all suckers for praise, I think that's just part of being Mark Grayson. They all act like tough shit, but theyll roll over and show their belly for praise, affection and something in their mouths.  

I think it's also part of being Mark Grayson that they're whiners and whimperers, when you get them that far. Some of them will act all tough and scary, but others will just start whining and begging almost immediately. And when the others see that this behavior gets rewards, well.  

It would be even more funny if you were just... a normal guy. Like, they just pulled up in your dimension and somehow you got sinister Mark in a collar, and one thing leads to another and suddenly your small apartment is filled with guys who could destroy earth if they wanted too. 

You have the world, and probably multiverse, in the palm of your hand. Only way to keep everyone safe, is to keep these guys collared, drooling and hard. How you get viltrum grade kink stuff, I have no idea, but you get it.  

I don't even wanna think about how you'll explain any of this to people. It's not like they can really work, since they technically don't exist in your universe, so you all live on your income. And no, you won't let them steal for you. Bad pets go in the crate and think about what they've done and why it was wrong. 

You dont want to explain to your universes GDA how you keep such dangerous guys under control. But hey, your planets gained new protectors, because your... boyfriends? Pets? Want to keep you safe and happy, and will bend over backwards for pets and kisses. Its extra awkward if your planet already has a Mark, and if that Mark is like the normal one.  

Imagine sitting in the GDA, because theyd wanna keep an eye on you and make an ally out of you at this point. One or two of your Marks are kneeling by your feet, heads in your lap, a third is draped over your back, nuzzling your neck. Your universes normal Mark has to pass through, maybe with the guardians, and you guys just... kinda look at each other. 

You swear you feel your Marks start growling and tensing at the sight of your universes normal Mark, like a pack of feral cats or dogs trying to chase off an outsider.  

Your universes Rex would have an absolute field day with this, and would pick on Mark with this fact. Seeing your Marks draped all over you also means people start underestimating them, until the GDA tries to hurt you or threaten you. Then everyone gets a reality check. 

I think most of the Marks keeps the steamy part of your relationship at home, but some of them would not give a shit that you guys are in public. If they notice you are turned on by something, they are ready to drop to their knees right then and there, or, bend over whatever there is to be bent over. 

Honestly, I'd feel bad for anyone with all 16 of them hanging off them, espcially if you are a normal person. There is no way you would be able to keep up with 16 viltrumites. But hey, maybe you can just watch as they please themselves, have them put on a show. Heck, you could probably have them help each other, if you are into that kinda thing, who am I to judge. 

I like to think they all wear some kind of collar. Some would be something as small as a necklace or choker, and others wear a straight up dog collar with spikes on it. One of those “DO NOT APPROACH” collars. Fuck it, put a shock collar on Mohawk Mark, guy needs it.  

Keep their favorite candy on you as small treats. Even funnier if you got one of those bags on your belt that you use for dog treats. Your universes normal Mark would lose his appetite for his favorite candy after seeing you use them to straight up train these guys to behave.  

Who knows, maybe you'll get a 17th Mark if your universes Mark is just a little crooked or different from normal Mark. The problem is your 16 Marks and if they would accept him, like a pack of wolves accepting an outsider. I love these guys. 

[ai-the-broccoli]

at first I thought Light Yagami would NOT make a contract with Kyubey to become a Magical Girl, especially because he is unwilling to make the eye deal in canon, but after pondering it for a while I changed my mind. no, in canon he didn't make Shinigami eye deal. yes, he would make a contract with Kyubey. why do I think this? it's different because the conditions are different.

eye deal with Shinigami: - pros: you get the eyes of a Shinigami, which is useful for Kira. - cons: you get half of your lifespan cut off immediately.

contract with Kyubey: - pros: your wish, no matter what it is, immediately comes true (caveat: the monkey's paw may curl). you gain magic power, a magical girl form, and the ability to fight "evil witches" that spread curses to taint the world. your soul is transferred from your body into your "soul gem" (caveat: some people do not like this at all.), you cannot die from harm done to your body, and your pain tolerance -- when it comes to your body -- increases significantly, you can mute it out (caveat: some people do not like this at all.) - you also now sustain your life on a clean soul gem. - cons: see caveats. aside from that, you now have an extremely high risk job you must fulfil to clean your soul gem (killing Witches), and you may run into conflict with other magical girls over that resource. it's easy to die in such a risky life (you die if the soul gem cracks). oh yes, and of course, you will learn eventually that magical girls die by turning into Witches when their soul gems turn completely black from filth -- the filth is garnered through emotional distress and lack of grief seeds. etc.

(note: you may not know over half of those information when you make the contract, because Kyubey lies by omission -- and only by omission, he doesn't lie otherwise. the info he'll give you at the start is "if you want your wish to come true, make a contract with me and become a magical girl who fight witches that spread curses and evil in the world". then you gradually uncover other stuff. or not, if you die before that)

so. yes. I think Light Yagami WOULD make a contract if it was offered to him, because like:

if he doesn't know about most of the cons -- why wouldn't he? he was offered the opportunity. it's special and it's to rid the world of filth and -- if it's an AU where he has yet to/doesn't gain the Death Note, it is definitely something that seems unusual and exciting enough it may help him rid of his existential boredom -- if he already has the Death Note, the wish thing would definitely help him with his Kira plans. the way Kyubey markets it tends to also push people to agreeing by making it feel like they're being chosen for them, they are the ones with the "potential" to do this, etc.

but wait, considering how Light is, he might also very well ask a lot of questions before he makes the decision. Kyubey doesn't lie aside from omitting things, so it's entirely possible that Light would be able to get a lot more information out of him assuming he's being cautious. it is not impossible to find out about the dangers and possibly even the truth about Witches if he asked enough questions.

even then, I think Light Yagami would ultimately choose to take the deal.

why, though? didn't he refuse to take the eye deal in canon?

there's a difference. in the case of the eye deal, he has to instantly pay a big price. his lifespan would be cut in half and that would be fully certain and determined. he wouldn't be able to scheme, fight, or bargain his way out after that.

on the contrary, the magical girl contract deal is not like that. the only "price" he has to immediately pay to immediately obtain the rewards is to enter a life that is high risk & high return. see the difference here? this one is not set in stone. in fact, with this, it feels more like he is still in control of his lifespan (even though the risk has technically increased, sure).

with Light being someone with pathological faith in his own ability and luck... yeah. imo he has a much higher chance of taking the contract deal with Kyubey than taking the eye deal with Ryuk or other Shinigamis

[asthedeathoflight]

I do think 70s devils minion adds a whole layer to Daniel and Armand's relationship that we're not really taking into account enough bc while it does kind of technically happen in canon (that they break up and then get back together) we never actually get to SEE them when they're back together and so its not really taken into consideration for their dynamic.

But like Armand is someone who has for his entire life been another person's possession, who has defined himself as a person that people Have instead of Love. And what the Queen of the Damned chapter shows is Daniel Molloy as someone who Armand wanted to possess and who wanted to be possessed by Armand. Armand has never owned anything in his entire 500 year life and so he NEEDS to own Daniel, he needs to have just this ONE THING to himself after all this time. And Daniel for his part is very into being so consumed by another person. For a time, Daniel is exactly what Armand needs. Here is a person who cannot hurt him, who wants to belong to him, who he can finally assert authority over and in doing so assert his own independence. Nobody in Armand's life has ever been truly HIS in the way that Daniel is.

But the longer theyre together the less urgent the need to possess and control is, and the more Armand is able to love Daniel selflessly, the more they come into conflict because Daniel still WANTS that level of obsession. Their breakup in the books is inevitable because their relationship was built on impulses that, while important stages in their growth, over time became unhealthy. Daniel needs to get out of his cycle of addiction and Armand needs to grow past needing to possess people to believing they'll stay of their own free will. So they need to break up.

BUT unlike in the books where Armand's resolve ultimately fails him and he turns Daniel anyways, cementing the both of them into both of their unhealthiest habits, show Armand manages to work through his issues to the next stage of his growth: that he needs to let Daniel go. And he does! He lets Daniel go and he bears the burden of their relationship alone for 50 years so that Daniel could not only have a human life but also develop as a person in a way he never could have if he stayed with Armand. Show Daniel is a different man from 70s/book Daniel. He knows who he is. Even though he's falling back into old patterns now that he's a vampire he's still been through this cycle a few times and hes stronger now than he would have been if he was turned when he was 30.

I think, assuming devils minion did happen in the 70s, the present Daniel/Armand dynamic will be different from what we're expecting because they've finally grown enough as people so that they can come together on equal footing which is really important bc Armand has never been someone's equal in a relationship before! This is new territory for him! So I think their relationship has potential for development of both of them as characters to places they never got to go in the books. Please note that this is NOT me saying they will have a perfectly well adjusted healthy relationship I just think that this is the next step past their old dynamic and probably will be more dangerous for other people than it is for them which is always a win.

[doodlelesbians]

My self indulgent Flower Husbands headcanon is that Scott's weird epilogue is actually the parts of them that love each other ripped out by the watchers and put in storage. The tragedy of Flower Husbands to me is never that the love wasn't there but that it wasn't made for a death game.

Flower Husbands works pretty well, Jimmy likes being doted on. He likes when someone is afraid for him, helps him build his house, is a little possessive over him. He even likes the bullying, he preens under the attention. Scott likes that Jimmy needs help because he likes feeling in control, of being able to do things for others. He likes that he can needle and show the uglier crueler parts of himself but still be loved because Jimmy doesn't mind. He's a romantic, he likes the idea of a happy domestic ending. Their relationship just doesn't work in the confines of a death game. Jimmy plays rough, he puts himself in unnecessary danger, he wants to get involved in the main skirmishes, he tries to negotiate as equals without the technical skill or resources to back it up. Scott is afraid. He's so aware of the danger and so focused on his own ideas of what the best path forward is. He stifles Jimmy, trying to force him to be comfortable in their little corner. Jimmy chafes even further against this attempt at controlling him, born from Scott's need to have some power over something in a situation they're all pawns in. And they end up hurting each other so much, both by living and by dying, and then they're dead. I think their love is tucked away in that little sliver, a version of the world built exactly in a way Scott can control and Jimmy can do what he wants without the sword of damocles hanging over him. And then in the real world, in the future games, they just have this pit inside them where their love used to be and no matter what they can't feel it anymore. They're aware it once existed. They know it once meant a lot but all they can actually still feel is the hurt.

Jimmy moves on. He finds other things to care about. His emotions burn hot and fast like his lifespan and he's adept at moving on from alliances season after season.

Scott keeps trying to find it. He offers flowers and says I love you and chases Jimmy down because he refuses to obey the game's rules. He never liked the lack of control and choice, didn't kill as the boogeyman, left his soulmate behind. And now, he refuses to let go and accept that the love is gone.

[seonghrtz]

𖤐ㅤ 𝖿𝖺𝗂𝗋𝗒 𝗍𝖺𝗅𝖾 𝗄𝗂𝗌𝗌. ๑ 𝗿𝗼𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗮 𝘇𝗼𝗿𝗼 !

ゾロ + femreader ! after being struck by the power of an akuma no mi, you are doomed to sleep for eternity. ／ fluff & mutual pining.

Being part of the Straw Hat Crew meant not only being a pirate, an outlaw, hunted by the Marines and the World Government, but also being in constant danger in exchange for satisfying Captain Monkey D Luffy's insatiable thirst for adventure.

Not that you didn't enjoy the adventures, you had the chance to meet incredible islands and people ⸻ you and the crew even ended up on an island in the sky! The Grand Line was full of mysteries, and it didn't hurt to unravel them as you continued to make your dreams come true. But some situations could have been avoided if Luffy hadn't been so impulsive in his desire to venture into unknown lands.

An example of this would be the current situation in which the Straw Hat crew find themselves...

You felt your legs betray you as you ran in a random direction through the forbidden forest that Luffy had decided to explore. Even the scary stories of the inhabitants of the small village near the forest, about a monster that inhabited the forest and all those who tried to explore this area never came back, weren't enough to dispel Luffy's desire to discover the true mystery of this place. Kids' bedtime stories wouldn't scare Luffy ⸻ but with you, Usopp, Chopper, and even Nami, it worked a little differently; it was enough to make you think twice before getting into trouble. By the way, if there were stories, it was because something had happened before.

But by some quirk of fate, the crew was trapped in the forest, fleeing from a monster ⸻ the monster from the stories that had turned out to be real. As you ran, looking for the right way out of the forest, you noticed the absence of your companions. You were alone, at night, in that vast, frightening forest.

With your legs tired and sore, you began to slow down until you came to a panting halt with your hands on your knees. You turned around, squinting your eyes to find a familiar figure in the darkness, but nothing. 'I really am alone...' you thought to yourself. As you turned forward again, you noticed a hooded figure standing in the middle of the path.

"I see you lost your crewmembers." A dark voice rose above the nocturnal sounds of the forest.

"Who are you?" you asked, trying to control your breathing.

"I have several names, but I am usually called 'The Witch of the Woods'," the person laughed.

"You're the witch from the stories!" You tried not to sound frightened when you met the figure who frightened the villagers.

"I see they're still talking about me, and there are still those who think they're brave enough to invade my forest, even after being warned of what I'm capable of."

"Look, to tell you the truth, I didn't want to be here." You scratched your head, unashamed of the sincerity in your tone, "This was all my idiot Captain's idea!"

"And to tell you the truth, I don't care whose idea it was for you to invade my property and put an end to the peace that reigned here. Either way, you're all going to pay for your captain's stupid initiative!"

Before you could say anything or prepare to flee, as your fatigue would not allow you to fight for long, you felt your body hit by something and gradually a feeling of drowsiness came over you and the only thing you could see before you closed your eyes was the sinister smile of the Forest Witch shining through the darkness.

Zoro had no idea where he was. Surely he was lost (again) in the midst of so many identical trees. But his main goal was to clear all obstacles, find the crew and get back to the ship. He couldn't remember exactly what had happened to make him run in that direction. The only thing he could remember was that Luffy had persuaded the crew (despite several protests from Nami, Usopp, Chopper and you) to explore the forest, which was technically forbidden, and that he heard a loud noise and Usopp and Nami's desperate cries and ordered everyone to run back to the ship.

"Oi! Who's there?" Zoro asked after hearing the sound of voices. He quickly put his hand on the hilt of his katana and approached the figure in front of him who was standing and looking at something on the ground ⸻ what Zoro soon realized was a body. The boy squinted, trying to see in the dark, when he noticed that the person on the ground was wearing a pink dress that he would recognize anywhere, even without meaning to. "What did you do to her?"

"Well, I didn't do anything." The hooded figure laughed, "She just got what she deserved, just like all those who invaded my forest, she's now condemned to sleep for eternity."

"Stop talking shit." Zoro grunted before he attacked the unknown person and threw them away. They hit something Zoro didn't even bother to look at. He bent down next to you on the ground and put his ear to your nose, listening to your faint breathing. "Hey! Hey! Come on, wake up! Hey, we have to get out of here!" He shook your body, not as gently as he should have. "What did that witch do to you?" Zoro picked you up like a bride and went back to looking for a way out.

The half hour that Zoro wandered through the forest like a ghost in redemption seemed more like an eternity, and with each passing second, though he wouldn't admit it even to himself, his concern grew for the crewmate in his arms who wouldn't wake up. Eventually ⸻ and with a bit of luck ⸻ Zoro made it out of the forest, first meeting up with Chopper and Usopp.

"Apparently she's under some kind of spell." Said a worried Chopper, "We'd better get her to the ship!"

It wasn't long before the others arrived on the ship, and Sanji was arguing with Zoro about his lack of responsibility for a lady's safety.

"Hey Chopper, did you manage to wake her up?" Luffy asked hopefully.

"Nothing so far." Chopper sighed sadly, "I'm going to do some more research on what I can do to wake her up."

In the corner of the room, Zoro let out a discreet sigh and heard the witch's voice in his head. 'She's now condemned to sleep for eternity.' Was it possible to sleep for eternity? How many years was an eternity? You couldn't sleep that long, you had dreams and goals to achieve. Would you never wake up, or was the witch just bluffing? Maybe the witch was making something up to scare him. Maybe you would be up bright and early the next day, ready to train with him. At least you were in good hands, so maybe he shouldn't worry so much...

For a week, you slept soundly.

Apparently, no method Chopper used was enough to wake her up, not even the ones he had learned in his medical books. And your absence made it seem as if something was missing from the crew ⸻ especially to a certain swordsman.

"I thought of something to wake her up!" Sanji exclaimed smiling, "Maybe I should kiss her!" His eyes turned to hearts as he imagined the most romantic scenario of a prince waking his princess with a kiss of true love and they spending eternity together.

"And why would you kiss her?" Usopp looked at Sanji blankly.

"Because that's how enchantments are broken in fairy tales," Sanji replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"And what guarantees that you are her true love?" Usopp asked again, emphasizing the 'you'.

"How much do you want to bet that I'm the love of her life?"

"Stop this nonsense!" Nami shouted, "If a kiss of true love is the solution to wake her up, then maybe she really is doomed to sleep forever." Nami's expression turned sad.

"Why do you say that Nami?" Chopper asked, holding back tears, he couldn't lose one of his friends, a part of his new family.

"What guarantees that she has already found her true love? They could be on the Grand Line, in East Blue, anywhere in the world, and they could be dead at the same time."

"Don't say that! I'll do everything I can to wake her up!" Chopper said with conviction.

"Trying won't kill anyone." Robin muttered so that only Zoro could hear.

"What did you say?" Zoro turned to the woman next to him, confused.

"I was just saying that trying doesn't kill anyone, you'd be a good match." Robin got up from the table with the smile of someone who was in on something and walked out of the kitchen.

Zoro looked down at his empty plate. A kiss of true love? Nonsense! You wouldn't wake up if Zoro kissed you, he was sure of that... But then why was he thinking about what it would be like to kiss you?

Zoro looked at your sleeping figure on the bed. The sight of you, completely relaxed, sleeping soundly without a care in the world, as if nothing could touch you, with no idea that you might never wake up again. Zoro was afraid for a moment. Afraid of never hearing you again, afraid of never looking into your eyes, never seeing your smile. Zoro was afraid to lose you. And Roronoa couldn't accept losing you, you were a part of his life that he couldn't let go of easily, he couldn't let you go ⸻ even though he didn't know why it was so hard to let you go.

‘Trying won't kill anyone.’ Robin's voice echoed in his mind. Maybe he should try to kiss you? Would you mind if he kissed you? Would you like him to kiss you? What if he kissed you and you didn't wake up? What would that mean? That he wasn't the love of your life, or maybe that only works in fairy tales? What if Sanji kissed you and you woke up? Zoro shook his head, trying to forget the image of Sanji kissing you and you waking up. He certainly wouldn't want that to happen...

But what if he kissed you and you woke up?

Were you meant to fall in love and stay together? Were you made for each other?

Maybe Zoro wasn't ready to get romantically involved ⸻ but he wouldn't have minded if it was with you...

He tightened his grip on the Wado Ichimonji, determined to carry out his plan. And if you didn't wake up after the kiss, he would do the impossible to wake you up. And in the end, Robin was right, it wouldn't kill him to try just once.

As he got closer to your face, Roronoa felt nervousness rising inside of him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, he couldn't give up when he was so close. And then he locked their lips in a three-second kiss before standing up quickly, incredulous at his own actions. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at you, you were still sleeping...

A sigh left Zoro's lips and he turned quickly with his back to you, ready to leave the room.

"Zoro...?" Your voice came out weakly as you blinked your eyes slowly, trying to adjust to the brightness, and sat up in bed, stretching.

"What?" Zoro turned to you in surprise.

"Huh? What's going on? The last thing I remember was meeting someone in the forest who called herself a witch..."

"You were hit by an incantation, Chopper suspected it was the power of an Akuma No Mi. You slept for a week..."

"And you woke me up?"

"Um..." Zoro murmured in confirmation.

"With a kiss?"

"Um..." Zoro murmured again and scratched the back of his head, feeling embarrassed, something that certainly wasn't in his nature.

"Thank you," you smiled openly. And it was then that Zoro realized how much he missed you, perhaps he had never realized what your absence could do to him. You got out of bed and approached Zoro's still figure with long steps, on tiptoe you reached for the boy's cheek with a kiss. "Thanks for saving me again."

"It was nothing..."

"So... you're my Prince Charming?" You smiled teasingly and nudged Zoro's waist.

"This is no fairy tale and I am no prince." Zoro stared at you, his words carrying no weight.

"Yeah, I know!" You laughed, "But you woke me up with a kiss anyway!"

"Yes, but don't think that I'm going to take it easy on you in training." Zoro smiled sideways as he saw the smile disappear from his face, "And remember, you haven't trained for a week."

"Come on Zoro... don't be so mean! You should be nicer to me!" You sulked, "We're soul mates, you shouldn't be mean to me."

"If you do everything right like a good girl, maybe I'll reward you at the end." Zoro's sly smile made you burn with shame.

Zoro could have awakened you from a deep and eternal sleep, but he would have been the reason for your death.

© seonghrtz, 2024. all rights reserved, please do not copy / steal / translate / modify any of my works !

[badgalsasuke]

Kishimoto interview with Kobayashi for Mandō Kobayashi broadcasted on Fuji TV Dec. 13th 2014

LINK TO THE INTERVIEW

This is a transcription of (most of) the interview. Please watch the video of the interview that I already linked above the image while reading the transcription because there are times where Kishimoto and Kobayashi are discussing a manga panel or notes from Kishimoto's concept notebook and if you're not seeing it then the transcription won't make sense to you.

Also keep in mind this is a very long interview that lasts 54 minutes in video.

INTRO (0:00-6:32)

Kobayashi: Let's start the mission now.

Kishimoto: Excuse me! Hello!

Kobayashi: Nice to meet you, my name is Kento Kobayashi

Kishimoto: Nice to meet you, I'm Kishimoto

Kobayashi: Are you Kishimoto-sensei?

Kishimoto: Yes.

Kobayashi: So, we came here from a show called Mandou Kobayashi, but first of all, congratulations on the end of your series. Today, rather than coming here on request, we actually came to surprise you. Is it okay if we ask you a bunch of questions?

Kishimoto: Please feel free to ask me anything.

Kobayashi: Thank you for your permission, let's go in. So is this the workplace?

Kishimoto: This is the workplace.

Kobayashi: Until recently, fierce battles were taking place here too, right?

Kishimoto: It's hell. (Kobayashi laughs)

(I don't know what they're saying from 0:53-1:02)

Kobayashi: Isn't this good? This freezer is amazing.

Kishimoto: This is a freezer.

Kobayashi: Yes. It's a second-hand one, isn't it?

Kishimoto: That's right. I got this one that was used at Jump Festa.

Kobayashi: Kishimoto-sensei?

Kishimoto: Yes.

Kobayashi: You really wanted this one?

Kishimoto: Yes, well actually, I wanted Goku. (Kobayashi laughs)

Kobayashi: I wonder where Goku is now?

Kishimoto: Goku is at Oda's house right now (Kobayashi laughs)

Kobayashi: You'd have an assistant here? (Kobayashi points to desk)

Kishimoto: Yes, that's right. The assistants here had already finished the manuscript, so they packed up and went home.

Kobayashi: I see.

Kishimoto: There's nothing here anymore. It feels kind of lonely.

Kobayashi: It feels kind of lonely, isn't it?

Kishimoto: There's nothing to mess with. (Kobayashi laughs)

Kobayashi: What's this? The adjustable desk?

Kishimoto: Since it's the desk over there, it feels like I'm writing the manuscript here.

Kobayashi: As I thought, when you write a color manuscript, you need vitamins, sensei. (Kobayashi grabs bottle of vitamins)

Kishimoto: So that's what it was, huh? I just ate it a moment ago. (Everyone chuckles)

Kobayashi: Hey, the staff didn't set something up like this.

Kishimoto: This is different.

Kobayashi: Are you trying to imitate us sneakily? Huh?

Kishimoto: I bought it out of my own pocket. I mean, I technically bought it under the company's expenses. (Everybody chuckles)

Kobayashi: You're kidding, right? If only you had told me that, sensei. Oh, but it would be really helpful for inventory control. That kind of thing, really.

Kishimoto: Well, this is… I found some old drama manuscripts, so I've left them here for a while. Kobayashi: Do these things ever get returned to the authors? Kishimoto: Yes, they do. Kobayashi: So, how much is it? 80 pages?

Kishimoto: I don't remember either... Oh Hinata, it's just Hinata. Not a movie script though. (laughs)

Kobayashi: Well, it turned out to be quite a coincidence sensei. (laughs)

Kishimoto: No, no, no. Kobayashi: As expected from a writer who has written such an epic masterpiece, how do you think he was able to digest all that foreshadowing?

Kobayashi: Surely this should be kept in a bank safe or something.

Kishimoto: It's just sitting there with kids' clothes on top of it…

Kobayashi: That is dangerous.

Kishimoto: Some of it might disappear in a little while.

Kobayashi: is it like a movie concept notebook? For sensei's movies, you first sometimes come up with the original idea and the script, right?

Kishimoto: Well, a little, but generally the screenwriters let me do this and that. I'm not the kind of guy who nitpicks or complains at all. There are things written there that have nothing to do with Naruto.

Kobayashi: Things that have nothing to do with Naruto? For example, what do you mean?

Kishimoto: Like stories I'd like to tell Mammone someday. (everybody laughs)

Kobayashi: Someday.

Kishimoto: I'd like to do something like that.

Kobayashi: It seems like this is the kind of design I thought of when we met.

Kishimoto: That's right.

Kobayashi: Ok, ok, ok.

Kishimoto: It has nothing to do with Naruto at all.

Kobayashi: You just write down everything that comes to mind.

Kishimoto: Well, I guess I'll write it here, around here.

Kobayashi: [The Day] The Earth Stood Still*

*action movie, 2008

Kishimoto: I watch movies around here and think, "If it were me, I would do it this way," and then I write various things down here... what is this, a read-through?

Kobayashi: It's a one-shot…

Kishimoto: It's a one-shot… Have you read it?

Kobayashi: But it's quite… Can I just say something? Like… Like panel illustrations…

Kishimoto: Ah, that's right.

Kobayashi: So the course is quickly drawn here, like a panel layout.

Kishimoto: I think it's an image of Kaguya…

Kobayashi: Kaguya!

Kishimoto: being sealed away, and Gai's final special move was supposed to be something like that, but in the end it was just a kick. (Kobayashi laughs)

Kobayashi: Look at this course. At the end, Sasuke and Naruto make a sign of reconciliation. It was already written here.

Kishimoto: That's right. I wrote it around here. This is the original draft for Naruto, and it was only the first chapter…

Kobayashi: This is the most important part, so to speak, for a young manga artist, the draft.

Kishimoto: Before it started serialization.

Kobayashi: Do you really have to write this much for a draft?

Kishimoto: That's right. When you're starting, rookies need to have a good image and there's a solidarity meeting for that, and in order to pass it they make a good impression by trying their best and doing as much as possible.

Kobayashi: That's it.

Kishimoto: That's right.

Kobayashi: Isn't that just like the first chapter?

Kishimoto: If I don't write it in that much detail, the image won't be conveyed. And I'm not trying to pander to anyone but...

Kobayashi: "I'm a guy who can work hard and I want to show that".

Kishimoto: Yes, show that.

Kobayashi: But somehow, you can see what Kishimoto-sensei has created, you know?

Kishimoto: I quite like hero stories.

Kobayashi: There are a lot of hero stories.

Kishimoto: I quite like them.

Kobayashi: Toriyama-sensei is definitely someone great from that generation.

Kishimoto: That's right. Surprisingly, my generation and everyone else feel like he's a god.

Kobayashi: That's true, isn't it?

Kishimoto: This is called a "gela/geller" and it means that only the parts related to Naruto are taken from Jump and then checked with this to see which parts of the manuscript need to be corrected before it actually becomes a comic.

Kobayashi: Sensei, you change the wording of the book quite a lot, don't you?

Kishimoto: Yes, but I guess I change it since the deadline isn't met, just a little bit..

Kobayashi: Were you under a lot of pressure? After all, it was a weekly serialization.

Kishimoto: Yes, there were. Like with the Shadow Clone Jutsu…

Kobayashi: I was planning to ask about that later but I'll ask here.

Kishimoto: Okay, okay.

Kobayashi: Our investigation has shown that Sensei may have dugged his own grave.

Kishimoto: That's right. I messed up.

Kobayashi: Since you already did it in the first chapter, you can't afford to power down from there.

Kishimoto: That's right. You're constantly growing so you're getting more powerful, and the number of clones increases.

Kobayashi: They just keep increasing, don't they?

Kishimoto: I messed up… (Everyone laughs)

END OF INTRO, BEGINNING OF INTERVIEW (6:32-50:07)

Kobayashi: First of all, thank you so much for your hard work on that series. Kishimoto: Thank you very much.

Kobayashi: First of all, I want to ask about this Naruto work. I've made a timeline here, so please take a look at the first part. It starts with the Ninja Academy, then the Team 7 decisive test, the Land of Waves arc where they fight Zabuza and Haku, the Chunin Exams, Konoha's destruction and Gaara, Itachi and Akatsuki appear, the battle of the Legendary Sannin, Sasuke's defection, and a bit of Naruto's past. So, I was curious about where you started when you first thought about creating the Naruto series?

Kishimoto: At first, it was just a normal story about a ramen shop…

Kobayashi: That's something you hear a lot about, but is it a joke?

Kishimoto: Seriously, I seriously wanted to draw a ramen manga.

Kobayashi: You seriously wanted to draw a ramen manga.

Kishimoto: I drew a story about a ramen owner and a boy who comes to eat there, and the ramen soup and noodles would be bland on their own, but when they are combined they become many times more delicious, and I used this as an analogy to life, creating a really spectacular, super-sensational story, but then the first editor in charge at the time said, "You're way off the mark".

Kobayashi: It certainly doesn't feel like it'd fit in Weekly Shonen Jump.

Kishimoto: First, it was like, "You don't understand manga", so after that I wrote a story about an elementary school kid picking up some money and going on a detour…

Kobayashi: What are you talking about? (everyone laughs)

Kishimoto: I was told that it was off, so I looked into it a bit. Well, I liked Dragon Ball, so I realized halfway through that I should draw something like Dragon Ball. It took quite a while, but I got there (Kobayashi laughs). And the ramen thing, which I thought was kind of lame, turned out to be surprisingly perfect for me, so I couldn't let it go. That's how the name Naruto came about.

Kobayashi: First thing is the Naruto name and that he loves ramen, Ichiraku ramen. Did you originally want to draw something about ninjas?

Kishimoto: When I was doing the one-shot it was about monsters, and in that monster story it was originally a fox that turns into a human, and it was a mixed story between human and monster, but that deviated from that.

Kobayashi: From the target?

Kishimoto: It deviated from the target, and I quickly made it a human, redrawn it, and when I released it, it was approved.

Kobayashi: Indeed, we really did a lot of research, or rather, verification, but it seems like it's completely the opposite of the usual ninja stuff.

Kishimoto: That's right.

Kobayashi: When you think about it, ninjas are depicted as being very extreme, right? This is the world of the shinobi, or rather, it's about not letting them do that, right?

Kishimoto: Yes. Since there have been quite a few up until now, like Sanpei Shirata*...

*Mangaka of Ninja Bugeicho, 1959; Sasuke, 1967; etc

Kobayashi: Yes.

Kishimoto: I thought that if I did the same thing, it probably wouldn't stand out, so I did the opposite.

Kobayashi: With blonde hair.

Kishimoto: Blonde hair. Not Japanese, but foreign looking. And rather than dying, how should I put it, they're more about saving than hiding. One time I got a fan letter asking "is this character a ninja?".

Kobayashi: Was it a simple question from a child?

Kishimoto: A simple question from a child, and then I was like, Ah! it got off track again. (Everyone laughs)

Kobayashi: The serialization had already started.

Kishimoto: But there was nothing we could do about it so we just went ahead with the deviation, and my editor at the time said it was fine to go with it, that this little deviation was fine.

Kobayashi: Actually, this isn't off.

Kishimoto: This isn't off.

Kobayashi: That's why manga is so difficult.

Kishimoto: It is difficult. (Kobayashi laughs)

Kobayashi: Do you remember when the "dattebayo" line and things like that came about?

Kishimoto: I was thinking about what a typical Jump manga protagonist would be like, and I thought that if a grandmother were to like a clumsy character, it might be well-received or liked. So, I thought of making him a bit awkward, like someone who can't speak properly or stumbles over his words, and adding a catchphrase like "Dattebayo" to make him endearing...

Kobayashi: Slurring his words?

Kishimoto: Slurring his words, I say.

Kobayashi: You put in characters who were classmates, or people of the same generation, right? Did you think about that in detail?

Kishimoto: No, I didn't actually intend for it to be like that, I just wanted the missions to be more detailed.

Kobayashi: I think I'll ask about that later.

Kishimoto: Okay.

Kobayashi: There was a mission in Wave Country, right?

Kishimoto: The Land of Waves exists, and this time the mission is in a different village where there’s a teacher and three subordinates. Then, some guys from a different team come out, and Kakashi's real identity is that he’s a rival to other teachers...

Kobayashi: Kakashi had rivals outside (the village) too?

Kishimoto: Yes, I talked with the editor about wanting to do it with that setting, but he said there’s no time to be messing around like that.

Kobayashi: Did he say something like, "There's no time to be dawdling around"? (Kishimoto laughs)

Kishimoto: He said to release everything at once and to release characters all at once with others too. But he said, "Let's do it, let's have a tournament." I don't have that kind of strength right now. I'll die if I do that. But then I said I'll do it. I said I'll do it even if it means I die.

Kobayashi: That's what the Chunin Selection Exam.

Kishimoto: That's how the Chunin Selection Exam came to be.

Kobayashi: The result of being rushed

Kishimoto: So, I still kind of wish I could have done that (the missions).

Kobayashi: Actually, I wanted to see a few more missions too.

Kishimoto: Right? we decided on the characters on the spot. Even while writing the manuscript, if we didn't have any ideas, it was tough for a newcomer to create dozens of characters all at once...

Kobayashi: Here comes the newcomer.

Kishimoto: So, I asked the editor to design them for me. (Kobayashi laughs) The editor suggested something like an old Jackie Chan movie, and something really strange came up, and that was Gai.

Kobayashi: It was Gai and Lee. I see. But when I was listening to the earlier conversation, I heard that there was a system like this in the Land of the Waves too, of course with an academy, and when I thought about Kakashi's rival appearing, I heard that maybe this Gai version was planned for there.

Kishimoto: That's right. I thought it would be better to have a rival…

Kobayashi: It actually wasn't from Konoha.

Kishimoto: but I thought there wasn't enough of them, We set it up so that there would be a rival in our village. We thought it would be better to have that kind of setting, so we made it happen within a year.

Kobayashi: Right. In other words, the Chunin Exam and the Hidden Leaf battle with Gaara are two different things, but they're all correlated, and yet they keep moving forward.

Kishimoto: During the Chunin Exam selection test, we gained popularity. But even though we were gaining popularity, the editor in charge at the time said that if we just let it end with a regular victory, it would be too ordinary. It wasn't the right time for a tournament.

Kobayashi: This is not the time to be dragging your feet. Bang.

Kishimoto: They told me, "Come on, this character named Orochimaru is going to come out and wreck everything. He's going to destroy the tournament". I had worked hard to introduce so many characters. (Kobayashi laughs)

Kobayashi: That's true.

Kishimoto: I was having fun wondering who would win and things like that.

Kobayashi: Even for you, were you subtly wondering who the winner would be on social media?

Kishimoto: I was planning on making it Shikamaru.

Kobayashi: Were you planning on making Shikamaru?

Kishimoto: Yes. That's right.

Kobayashi: Shikamaru's fighting style got really good in the Chunin Selection Exam.

Kishimoto: I had decided that only Shikamaru would become a chunin.

Kobayashi: Yes, yes, yes. And that's exactly what happened.

Kishimoto: I just wrote "IQ 200," but I don't have an IQ of 200. (Kobayashi laughs)

Kobayashi: You digged your grave again. Just like with the Shadow Clone Jutsu. It would require someone with an IQ of 200 to write in such a way that they would think about other people with IQ 200, so it's certainly difficult.

Kishimoto: It's not that it's difficult, it's that is just impossible, isn't it? So I struggled with this, I really struggled.

Kobayashi: Let's keep moving the story along. No, in The Land of the Waves arc, we suddenly have the formidable enemy Zabuza.

Kishimoto: I think it would be better to show a strong ninja out of the blue, and then Kakaishi-sensei would get serious about it. I thought it would be easier to show Naruto and the other ninjas from the older generation in a real ninja battle...

Kobayashi: Growing towards that point.

Kishimoto: I thought it would be easy to understand that we were going to continue to do this, so I decided to show that first.

Kobayashi: But if you think about it, the settings that are introduced in the Land of Waves arc and continue up to the final chapter, for example, the Kekkei Genkai and the Sharingan come out one after another here, right? How far did you plan this out?

Kishimoto: No. I think it would have been better to just go ahead and bluff it out here.

Kobayashi: Were you bluffing from the beginning?

Kishimoto: It seems like a bluff, so I didn't think about what would come next at all.

Kobayashi: First, you just went ahead and created the framework.

Kishimoto: That's right.

Kobayashi: So you're rushing ahead with the serialization while also thinking about it?

Kishimoto: Yes, that's right.

Kobayashi: So you suddenly mentioned Sasuke's past, right?

Kishimoto: He wanted to kill someone.

Kobayashi: That there was someone he wanted to kill.

Kishimoto: I was thinking that he'd have an older brother, and that he had done something bad. I had thought about that, but not much else…

Kobayashi: It was quite vague…

Kishimoto: That part was vague.

Kobayashi: So maybe you just said that Itachi was just a bad guy?

Kishimoto: No, by the time Itachi was brought out I had already decided he was a good guy.

Kobayashi: There's circumstances that make Sasuke feel this way.

Kishimoto: At first, the Sharingan was supposed to be able to closely observe and copy the opponent's movements, but it gradually went in a different direction.

Kobayashi: It's the first chapter in the history of world entertainment to be themed around eyeballs, and it went up to volume 72.

Kishimoto: I never thought that the idea of ​​the eye as a Dojutsu skill would be so useful. (Kobayashi laughs) The Sharingan is mentioned in a very old story called The Tale of the Hero Jiraiya, in which it is revealed that Jiraiya actually has the Sharingan.

Kobayashi: Jiraiya, that one.

Kishimoto: The character has it, and it's often seen in kabuki and other performances. However, if Jiraiya were to use it, his character would become too prominent, so we decided to give it to the Uchiha clan instead.

Kobayashi: And Kakashi's has them, so it's like he got the eyes because of some kind of grudge or connection.

Kishimoto: That's right. Why does he have those eyes when he's not a part of the Uchiha clan? That's what we make into a mystery to keep the story going.

Kobayashi: So, Kakashi's Sharingan comes from the Uchiha clan. I see, so that's what it was, one of the major recoveries, a part of the mission. There are three main characters in this concept, right?

Kishimoto: Rin, Obito, and Kakashi

Kobayashi: The photo of Rin, Obito, and Kakashi came out pretty early, right? Like around the fourth chapter or so.

Kishimoto: I wonder if there are any photos of Kakashi. I'm thinking about this for now. When I get back, I'll have him be Naruto's dad.

Kobayashi: Ah, had it already been decided at this point that he would be Naruto's dad?

Kishimoto: It had been decided.

Kobayashi: Ah, this had been decided?

Kishimoto: It had been decided, at that time.

Kobayashi: Ah, is that so? Ah, had it also been decided that Obito would be the Uchiha?

Kishimoto: Yes.

Kobayashi: It had been firmly decided, really.

Kishimoto: That's…

Kobayashi: That was about 16 chapters in.

Kishimoto: Yes, that's right. We decided on that part too. Initially, it's not so much that we decided that the Fourth Hokage, Minato, was Naruto's dad, but rather that we thought we had to reveal that Naruto's dad was the Fourth Hokage. So we properly created the Hokage Rock with the Fourth Hokage's face, and originally, it was a dog's face, so the Fourth Hokage had a dog's face.

Kobayashi: Dog? Dog as in dog?

Kishimoto: Dog as in dog. Dog Dog. Well, there's that character with fangs, Kiba, right? So if there's a human with fangs, then why not have a dog become Hokage too, right?

Kobayashi: It was a dog?

Kishimoto: It was a dog.

Kishimoto: Yahagi-san, editor Yahagi-san...

Kobayashi: The person in charge?

Kishimoto: Yes, he told me I was off the mark again when I got there. (Kobayashi laughs)

Kobayashi: You'd finally managed to fix the misalignment, and now it's off again?

Kishimoto: So, I decided to make him the protagonist's father. So it was decided on the first playthrough, sort of speak.

Kobayashi: I see. So you were excited about that part beforehand. But, you know, with Kakashi, did you have some kind of premonition that he'd become popular?

Kishimoto: Not at all.

Kobayashi: Eh, speaking of Kakashi, isn't he the most popular character?

Kishimoto: That's right. I had no idea why a guy like that would become so popular.

Kobayashi: Kishimoto-sensei, that's off the mark. (Everyone laughs) Kakashi is so cool, he's gonna be popular.

Kishimoto: Why can you only see with one eye? (Kobayashi laughs)

Kobayashi: Jiraiya is popular too, isn't he?

Kishimoto: Jiraiya was really popular too.

Kobayashi: I guess it's just that somewhere, are there any characters who are perverts at heart that become popular?

Kishimoto: That's true.

Kobayashi: There's a "make out paradise" between those two.

Kishimoto: That's why the characters I thought were cool and would be popular didn't become popular at all. (Kobayashi laughs)

Kobayashi: Is there anyone else? This guy?

Kishimoto: I drew Sai thinking he'd be popular.

Kobayashi: Did Sai not become that popular as a character

Kishimoto: No, I also drew a character called Kimimaro thinking he'd be popular, but he pulls out his bones and turns them into swords and he seemed to be a little popular at some point, but the minute he pulled out his backbone he lost popularity.

Kobayashi: Did they have an allergic reaction? Women and such were like, "Wow, this guy is like this." What about Sakura-chan?

Kishimoto: I drew Sakura because I thought she was cute. It's not that she's a girl's true nature, but I drew her realistically.

Kobayashi: Her inner thoughts came first.

Kishimoto: Yes.

Kobayashi: Like appearing in a TV show*

*Like the confessionals of reality tv shows

Kishimoto: I thought she'd be popular with girls, but it seems like they just didn't like her.

Kobayashi: Don't like her? Was there a lot of people who disliked Sakura?

Kishimoto: Right. They said that little kids hate her, so we tried a lot of things, but they just backfired. (Kobayashi laughs)

Kobayashi: They backfired. I'm sorry. It's a painful memory.

Kishimoto: It's a painful memory. (Kobayashi laughs)

Kobayashi: You didn't intend to make them fall in love with her like that, but that's how it is. But you know, we had a little meeting about why only Sakura is like that, and it turns out that the Haruno clan isn't depicted, or rather, it was in the movie, but not in the original work. However, not that far ahead; once the recognition system is established, the parents of each clan and their relatives are depicted, and they participate in battles. So, what's up with the Haruno clan? Why aren't they depicted? She's only one girl from an ordinary family, or rather, a girl without any struggles.

Kishimoto: The truth is that Sakura wasn't popular, so even if we expanded on that... (Everyone laughs)

Kobayashi: So the truth is because she isn't popular you wouldn't expand on it.

Kishimoto: Right. (Everyone laughs harder)

Kobayashi: But once it's out you can't backtrack on it, right? The cover of volume 4, and the cover of chapter 4 already have the details of each summoning.

Kishimoto: That's right, in chapter 4.

Kobayashi: And wasn't it this? If it's already out here, we can't take it down now, right?

Kishimoto: That's right. We have no choice but to keep going, so it was pretty much decided by this point that those three, Jiraiya, Orochimaru and Tsunade, would each become a mentor.

Kobayashi: It's already being passed down.

Kishimoto: I drew this cover while looking at the faces of Hollywood actresses.

Kobayashi: So you were trying to draw what is commonly called a beautiful person?

Kishimoto: Yes. I was thinking of drawing a cute girl. I was sketching and so on. Naruto and Sasuke, I can just draw them quickly, but for this character [Sakura], I had to look at reference materials while drawing.

Kobayashi: You were very careful about that, weren't you, sensei?

Kishimoto: I was extremely careful.

Kobayashi: If you could say it like that, you were pushing it. In other words.

Kishimoto: That's right. We were pushing her so hard that it didn't get through to her at all. Only Hinata kept getting more and more popular. I didn't draw Hinata much, and like Sakura, she wasn't doing much either, but her popularity was skyrocketing, so I thought maybe I should make her the heroine. I thought maybe I should make her closer to heroine status. That's why she has a bit of a standout moment at the end.

Kobayashi: I see, it feels like all the characters have been introduced, but the second part was amazing too. First, there was the mission to rescue the Kazekage from the Sand Village, the Tenchi Bridge reconnaissance mission, then the battle between Team 10 and Hidan and Kakuzu, Sasuke's formation of Hebi, Jiraiya vs. Pain, Sasuke vs. Itachi, Hebi becoming Taka, Pain's death, the Five Kage Summit, the Fourth Great Ninja War, Naruto vs. Sasuke, and then the epilogue. So, was there a specific reason for structuring it into two parts?

Kishimoto: That's right, in some parts, Naruto and the others are, well, let's say, weak, right?

Kobayashi: That's right.

Kishimoto: As expected because they're genins, the Akatsuki, which is like a collective of powerful yet disenfranchised enemies.

Kobayashi: Akatsuki.

Kishimoto: That's right, they're genin and the Akatsuki are a strong enemy that's like a collection of disenfranchised people but even the jonin can't do anything about them.

Kobayashi: It's like even jonin can't catch them.

Kishimoto: So this is bad and for now I cut it and made them grow up all at once. I also wanted to change the clothes and so on, it's hard to draw this weird thing on the left shoulder, it's small, or rather the fluffy thing in around his neck, it hides his face when he lifts his shoulders or makes any movement.

Kobayashi: It was a bit wimpy when he was a kid. When he was a boy, it was wimpy and it got in the way when he was performing action. Even though it's neat like this, it still keeps you warm.

Kishimoto: I thought it doesn't look like a top garment if his neck isn't covered. I also added this headband here so that it flutters a bit and stands out when he performs action.

Kobayashi: Well, as we talked about Akatsuki earlier, Akatsuki was really exciting. As a reader, when all the silhouettes of the characters suddenly appeared, it was just too much. Itachi, Kisame, Pain, Konan, Sasori, Deidara, Hidan, Kakuzu, Tobi, Zetsu. My favorites were Hidan and Kakuzu.

Kishimoto: Ah, that's the same for me.

Kobayashi: Oh, really?

Kishimoto: I like Hidan the best too.

Kobayashi: I like Hidan the best too! It's like, this is what dangerous evil is, and I think it would be great if this kind of thing could be applied. I really, really like it. And the fact that two immortals are immortal for different reasons is also really interesting to me.

Kishimoto: That's right. At that time, I actually quite liked how the abilities were portrayed, so things like Hidan stabbing himself with the kunai and the feelings behind it.

Kobayashi: This scene is great, he pierces himself and that causes damage to Asuma. Team 10 was great. Sensei previously said it was hard, but from here on it becomes a battle of IQ 200s, right?

Kishimoto: With Shikamaru in it, it's a bit tough.

Kobayashi: No, but this cigarette scene is really different from previous Naruto, it's a bit of a man's world, a grown man's worldview, you know?

Kishimoto: It's surprisingly brutal, with heads chopped off and stuff.

Kobayashi: Yes, there was a scene where his head gets chopped off.

Kishimoto: They said that couldn't be done in the anime.

Kobayashi: I said that one line, but it made me a bit worried. Is this okay in today's world?

Kishimoto: Well first, after being told that it couldn't be done, there was a discussion about changing it because Shikamaru smoking was also a no-go, but the editor said not to worry about it and just go ahead and do it. However, the higher-ups would always check with the editor each time, saying things like, "Isn't this a bit too much? It's a shonen magazine after all."

Kobayashi: Would we be able to show this scene now?

Kishimoto: Add this here.

Kobayashi: Add this and then cut the left and right sides.

Kishimoto: It looks like it's peeking out. (Kobayahi laughs)

Kobayashi: It's amazing, isn't it? This head rolls around and suddenly starts talking again.

Kishimoto: I tried to hide the cross sections as much as possible.

Kobayashi: I see, the cross-section is beautifully concealed. This lighter texture is also quite nice, isn't it? I think many people have asked you about this, but is Hidan still down below?

Kishimoto: Yes, so I think I could have dug him up and have him join the battle if I wanted to, but when it comes out, I still get carried away and have to hide all the cross-sections, so it would be tough.

Kobayashi: I couldn't stand it if it became any more troublesome to draw, but Shikamaru's smoke stings my eyes. It was a clean story right up to the point where he just throws it away at the end, and yet the hard-boiled sense is quite rare even for Jump.

Kishimoto: That's right.

Kobayashi: Did Sensei was always into that kind of world?

Kishimoto: Surprisingly, I actually like those kinds of movies and used to watch them a lot, so I ended up doing everything I wanted to do in a shonen magazine, even though it wasn't really appropriate.

Kobayashi: Well, Akatsuki isn't just an organization, it's got all sorts of intertwined intentions, some that even the other people don't know about. Did you give that a lot of thought?

Kishimoto: There's places like that.

Kobayashi: Around here?

Kishimoto: In the real world, companies have started hiring mercenaries to engage in private wars, so I wanted to explore that.

Kobayashi: Like a professional group.

Kishimoto: I thought that if we introduced a leader who could bring everyone together, it would bring out a sense of charisma. So, I considered developing the character's profile with that in mind. Pain.

Kobayashi: That's Pain. When he first appeared, he said he was conquering the world on his back. That scene was difficult, wasn't it?

Kishimoto: It was hard.

Kobayashi: It's a scene looking down on the world.

Kishimoto: That was hard to draw.

Kobayashi: It really seemed like sensei was pushing himself too hard, he drew a lot of scenery seen from above the city.

Kishimoto: I draw the rough draft to a certain extent, but my assistants do the inking and stuff, so I leave that to them.

Kobayashi: This is another scene looking down at a different city, but did the assistant only do the inking, and the basic drawing is done by you, right?

Kishimoto: I did the rough draft.

Kobayashi: Wow, this is amazing.

Kishimoto: If it's not like that, the layout and feel of that time can't really be conveyed just by talking about it.

Kobayashi: Indeed, the world view of this village is thoroughly filled with such elements.

Kishimoto: It was the same with Pain.

Kobayashi: This is it, right? The sensei wrote it, what was it called, the handkerchief?

Kishimoto: This is that Bobobobobobobobobo manga*.

*Manga serialized from 2001-2005

Kobayashi: Oh, that's right, now that I think about it, the deadline is a week, right?

Kishimoto: Yes, that's right. You only have about three days to draw.

Kobayashi: Three days. You can spare about three days. Since we're talking about illustrations, I would like to ask you a bit about that kind of artwork. You have a unique composition style, don't you? This is a fisheye perspective, right? It's a view of Deidara from above. And again, a fisheye perspective from above.

Kishimoto: I quite like fisheye views from above.

Kobayashi: "I like fisheye views from above" is like a tongue twister.

Kishimoto: I really liked the feeling that the characters were standing on the ground, and Akira was also very precise about that.

Kobayashi: By Otomo-sensei.

Kishimoto: I look at various pictures and draw them by changing the depth of the fisheye lens, like Otomo-sensei's fisheye.

Kobayashi: Look at this cover of Chouji, the photographer left during the shoot. He said, "Please wait a moment." This is the kind of composition you see in Chihuahua photo books, right? This camera is really only used for skateboarding PVs and Funkiller AVs.

Kishimoto: There's no way I would study while watching AV down here. That's not happening.

Kobayashi: It's more like a sunview.

Kishimoto: That's the image I had in mind…

Kobayashi: Haku, right?

Kishimoto: Yes. The "bang" when someone is punched is a common cinematic technique known as double action. For example, when Jackie Chan punches an enemy, the camera slightly pulls back and then zooms in again, making the punch stand out. I wanted to create an image like that in this manga.

Kobayashi: We were looking for something like this, showing the same scene from three different angles, and I had a question, in Naruto, even when he uses his signature move, there isn't a name for it at that moment, but his face isn't shown when he lands the move. Is this intentional?

Kishimoto: I thought it would be cooler if his face was not shown.

Kobayashi: How is that cool?

Kishimoto: If the face isn't in the picture, the attention goes to the body, right? To the back and the body. That way it feels like the body is speaking or expressing itself, but if you show face, the power of the face is so strong that it takes over, or rather, becomes the focal point of the scene.

Kobayashi: Rather than talking about the expressions in this scene, you want people to just look at the dynamism and things like that.

Kishimoto: That's why I actually have to draw faces in decisive scenes.

Kobayashi: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I noticed that a lot, like when the decisive scene doesn't show the face, it's like a deliberate act, right? There were also scenes where the battle progresses from both sides, like in Sasuke vs. Naruto.

Kishimoto: This is unique to manga, so it's not shown like a movie on a timeline, and you can look at either side from above and if you just look from above, you can see both at once. This is a manga-like presentation that I came up with, so I thought I'd go with that. It's more about matching or being the same...

Kobayashi: Normally you have to read it like this, so now you can read it like this.

Kishimoto: That kind of feeling. I tried to keep the details as simple as possible so that it's easy to read. I wanted it to be simple, so I didn't focus too much on the details.

Kobayashi: This is an incredibly complicated panel. Are you even listening? (Kishimoto laughs)

Kishimoto: Yes, this area is…

Kobayashi: To begin with, we abandoned the interrogation, and now it's a huge mess. So, what is this supposed to be?

Kishimoto: I deliberately made it look this cluttered, so that you don't know where to look…

Kobayashi: It was a chaotic battle. It was happening at an incredible speed.

Kishimoto: I wanted to create something like in movies where the action is so fast that you can't tell what's happening.

Kobayashi: Like directing a production?

Kishimoto: That's exactly it.

Kobayashi: You were saying you'd put it out this next time but it was difficult to put out. You were trying to make it as simple as possible, so I think it's fine to put out this one. Well, the time is almost up, so I'll have to rush through this. Was the Great Ninja War really difficult?

Kishimoto: It was difficult. They said "you will be experiencing wars from now on". By that point, it had been decided to go to war. I was trying to get him to experience war once and then face it, so he couldn't escape, or rather...

Kobayashi: Well, I guess it's inevitable.

Kishimoto: I thought so.

Kobayashi: It's like everything that has happened so far has come to light in these three wars, right?

Kishimoto: There were a lot of things I hadn't been able to do before, but I wanted to tie everything together there, so I did that. So I did a lot of battles between old men, which is unimportant, like Hanzo and Mifune. And I did something that shouldn't be done in a boys' magazine, which was to have those old men clash in the first chapter of the volume.

Kobayashi: A boys' magazine that violates morals.

Kishimoto: The old man was getting a lot of heat in a boys' magazine..

Kobayashi: An old man's duel.

Kishimoto: That's something you'd expect from Torishima-san*

*Editor in chief of Shonen Jump and Akira Toriyama's editor for Dragon Ball

Kobayashi: From Mashirito-san*

*Anagram of Torishima

Kishimoto: From Mashirito-san. Torishima-san asked me what I was doing and told me to bring out Naruto right away and that I didn't need the old men and I got scolded.

Kobayashi: But, sensei, please listen, is this the fight that the director in charge thought was the best about?

Kishimoto: That's right.

Kobayashi: Hanzo vs. Mifune.

Kishimoto: That's nice to hear.

Kobayashi: I think this is great. It's something that people who don't give up on things can achieve. As they fight, they remember things from the past.

Kishimoto: There's a seppuku scene, and I wanted to depict that. I'm gradually becoming an old man, so I feel like I want to depict that kind of seriousness.

Kobayashi: How was it? How popular was Mifune in the boy's fantasy genre?

Kishimoto: Not at all. (Kobayashi laughs)

Kobayashi: No, it's cool, but you know, there was a setting where they branched out from samurai and grew up to become ninjas, and then they started fighting like ninjas.

Kishimoto: It's not that.

Kobayashi: It's not that because it's that samurai are samurai because they persevere.

Kishimoto: They don't run away.

Kobayashi: It's a well-portrayed scene, but it's a bit too much for shonen.

Kishimoto: It was like "old men are fighting, I wish it would end quickly, I wish the main character would appear soon". (Kobayashi laughs)

Kobayashi: My favorite character in that match was the second Mizukage, I think? He kept saying his own weaknesses while fighting, like "Hurry up and defeat me" or "Am I strong?" I really liked this character.

Kishimoto: Ah, that's right.

Kobayashi: This one is still a bit old-fashioned for me, though.

Kishimoto: This character was surprisingly popular.

Kobayashi: It was great, wasn't it? He kept talking and revealing his weak points, defeating his opponents one after another, while telling them to defeat him quickly.

Kishimoto: I thought it was kind of interesting.

Kobayashi: Edo Tensei was really difficult, wasn't it?

Kishimoto: Yes, well, ever since the Pain arc, Naruto has been unable to just defeat, beat, and kill people to settle things. Instead, they end with discussions. It's something you shouldn't really do in a shonen manga, so from then on, when he fights, he considers who he is up against and what kind of person they are.

Kobayashi: Like cultivated clones.

Kishimoto: Because it was something that fundamentally doesn't exist as a living being, it couldn't be defeated.

Kobayashi: Did you have the fighting puppets decided on exactly what they would be? So that's why Edo Tensei meant that Jiraiya, Hidan who was buried and Konan who was scattered didn't appear, right?

Kishimoto: I mean, I didn't want to bring back Jiraiya.

Kobayashi: Well, he was a good character and had a good way of dying.

Kishimoto: That's right. I couldn't write a better death than that one and in a sense, with Jiraiya dying, Naruto understood Sasuke's feelings about how it feels when someone important to you dies. If he were to come back, it would be a bit difficult to handle that. Also, I wanted to use Madara as a hook, so that's pretty much everything.

Kobayashi: I see, isn't that a bit of a complicated Rinne Tensei no Jutsu? Madara himself is quite complicated as well.

Kishimoto: He is resurrected through Rinne Tensei and Edo Tensei, so it's a bit complicated how it works.

Kobayashi: The forbidden technique of Edo Tensei, you see, with the element of Orochimaru, this brings out the connection with Kabuto in the battle. Throughout this, there has been a persistent push from Mr. Kishimoto and the main cast, and then there was the incident where Sakura received a love letter.

Kishimoto: This is... a mislead story, but why did I put it here? It's because if the anime continues with the war, it will soon catch up with the manga. So, I created a gap here and then moved on to the next part.

Kobayashi: There was some outrageous fortune-telling involved in this love letter incident, wasn't there?

Kishimoto: Did you also wonder what I was writing? (Kobayashi laughs)

Kobayashi: So, it's called a love letter, huh? I was wondering what I was writing. Wow, I got to hear some good behind-the-scenes stories. When you think about it, there were a lot of casualties, but why did Neji have to die in the war among the well-known characters?

Kishimoto: Well, I had decided on Hinata as the heroine, so it was quite some time ago…

Kobayashi: Ultimately

Kishimoto: So, I wanted elements that would bring Naruto and Hinata closer together. There was a scene during the Pain fight where Hinata came out and said something, but this time, Naruto consciously says he's happy to have Hinata by his side. So, there was that aspect, and that's why Neji, well, let's just say...

Kobayashi: Well, it was the trigger.

Kishimoto: Yes, well, it was like he was playing the role of Cupid, so I was a bit nervous about that. And then we basically decided on the name Boruto for their son.

Kobayashi: Is that so?

Kishimoto: Once we decided on it, Boruto was also known as Neji*, so the idea was to have him take on the name of the uncle who assisted Cupid…

*they both mean screw.

Kobayashi: Well, when I saw it, I cried a little.

Kishimoto: We decided on Neji.

Kobayashi: Is that how it turned out?

Kishimoto: So from now on, for example, this might be a bit harsh, but if I were to write a manga about Boruto, then the scenes with Neji would be important.

Kobayashi: Is it okay if I play this now? Is it alright if I go ahead with this?

Kishimoto: it's alright.

Kobayashi: Thank you. Well, this match is really amazing, so let's move on to the final battle, Naruto vs. Sasuke. I haven't been able to hear much about Sasuke until now, though.

Kishimoto: They start off as rivals and then fight at the end as rivals to close it out.

Kobayashi: What's that place called?

Kishimoto: Valley of the End.

Kobayashi: Valley of the End. It took quite a while to draw out this ending, didn't it? It's been a long time since Sasuke left, hasn't it?

Kishimoto: Yes, it has been quite a long time since Sasuke flew away.

Kobayashi: That one is definitely longer.

Kishimoto: Sasuke was sulking the whole time.

Kobayashi: He's been sulking the whole time, hasn't he?

Kishimoto: While writing, I was like, "Who is this guy?" (Kobayashi laughs)

Kobayashi: Eh, did you hate Sasuke?

Kishimoto: No, there were a few parts where I was a bit more annoyed. But I think I understand what Sasuke does…

Kobayashi: Well, I understand why Sasuke does what he does.

Kishimoto: I wanted people to understand that, so I wrote it with quite a bit of emphasis, but surprisingly, I wasn't capturing Sasuke's character expressions well. I often had to tell my editor, "This isn't right; this doesn't look like Sasuke"...

Kobayashi: Isn't this part of the face a little different?

Kishimoto: It took a lot of fixing.

Kobayashi: Wow, so you were quite tormented throughout the serialization.

Kishimoto: That's right, I was pretty much tormented by Sakura and Sasuke. (Kobayashi laughs)

Kobayashi: So the journey up to volume 72 was one in which you were tormented by two out of the three main characters.

Kishimoto: Yes, it was long and painful.

Kobayashi: It was difficult.

Kishimoto: And Kakashi is Kakashi, but surprisingly, since he only has one eye, it's difficult to convey expressions, ah.

Kobayashi: I see, so his expressions are halved?

Kishimoto: That's right, and that's why it was so difficult.

Kobayashi: Isn't this a cycle of hatred? We're talking about breaking the cycle of hatred, but we're actually creating more hatred, aren't we? (Kishimoto laughs)

Kishimoto: Yeah, that's right. So I was thinking about how to do it, and in the end, it really turned into a battle between men. I didn't want to resolve it with ninjutsu or anything like that. I wanted a straightforward fistfight. Gradually running out of strength and continuing to fight is, after all, the spirit of Jump. I thought, "Come on, just pull through," but somehow, it worked out.

Kobayashi: They say both of their right arms are blown off.

Kishimoto: Naruto being right-handed and Sasuke being left-handed, so he loses his left hand. In Ninjutsu, there is a tradition called Ninja Kumite where when two friends fight, they put one hand forward as a sign of reconciliation...

Kobayashi: It was a memorable scene.

Kishimoto: In the end, it seems like reconciliation is impossible or rather they're unable to due to the loss of their hands. I felt that these two didn't want to simply reconcile, nor could they, so it didn't seem like the right fit. The concept of reconciliation was similar to the conflict between Indra and Ashura, who were reincarnated. The hands of Madara and Hashirama overlapping are the representation of the symbolized reconciliation.

Kobayashi: I see.

Kishimoto: So, I expressed it this way, with the two of them above, even though they don't have hands but still.

Kobayashi: Well, sensei's character continued to suffer, but it's a great final scene. You know, these two really brought it about.

Kishimoto: We've finally made it this far. That scene has been something I've wanted to draw for a long time, and it was a scene I hinted at at the end of part one, so I'm really glad to finally be able to draw it.

Kobayashi: Yes, it's a relief, the daimyo* feudal lords are safe. This daimyo, when you look at him like this, he looks a bit like me.

Kishimoto: The cat, that's the cat I have.

Kobayashi: Did it make an appearance? Is it okay to touch on this bit? I was quite moved by this cheer battle. It was kind of…

Kishimoto: More like comrades…

Kobayashi: More like comrades… I suppose the two of them are comrades, but I feel like I'm a comrade too. In the video, the three of us were standing. Me, Oda-sensei, and Kishimoto-sensei, the three of us were standing together. (Kishimoto laughs)

Kishimoto: Well, let's do that.

Kobayashi: So you have some thoughts about it?

Kishimoto: I think everyone has their own things going on, you know, it's just like…

Kobayashi: It's clearly written here, isn't it? Friends and rivals. A serialization that we did together for 15 years.

Kishimoto: I'm grateful. I feel the same way and I want to convey those feelings to Oda-san.

Kobayashi: It's not the first time I've seen something like this, but everyone has a valuable message for sensei.

Kishimoto: That surprised me.

Kobayashi: You didn't hear about it in the volume?

Kishimoto: I wasn't informed about it.

Kobayashi: That shows that he was an incredible sensei who left behind some amazing works, and therefore a very precious teacher.

Kishimoto: Thank you.

Kobayashi: Well, there have been some announcements, like a new generation project.

Kishimoto: Yes.

Kobayashi: Do you have any plans like that for your next work?

Kishimoto: Yes, you're thinking about what you want your next work to be

Kobayashi: Their silhouettes are shown, but there is also a new generation project.

Kishimoto: The fact that the children have appeared up to this point means that that's what it means, and that I want to depict them.

Kobayashi: Seriously?

Kishimoto: Naruto also makes a few appearances, but I think that Orochimaru, who didn't appear in the final episode, and Kabuto and Karin are connected, and once it becomes clear that there's a change of generation, then it'll be over.

Kobayashi: Well, there are things that have been announced, like the new generation project and so on.

Kishimoto: That's right.

Kobayashi: Do you have any plans like that for your next work?

Kishimoto: Yes, I'm thinking about what I want to do with my next work.

Kobayashi: The silhouette is reflected but it's also a new generation project.

Kishimoto: The fact that we've included children up to this point means that that's what I want to depict.

Kobayashi: Seriously?

Kishimoto: Naruto will also make a brief appearance, but I think it will be complete once the connections with characters like Orochimaru, Kabuto, and Karin, who didn't appear in the final episode, clearly show a generational shift.

Kobayashi: Yeah, that's good. I was just thinking about Karin earlier. When I saw Karin's abilities, I honestly thought, "Wow, the teacher must be really stressed," but was that the hardest time for you? (Kishimoto laughs)

Kishimoto: It was difficult. (Kobayashi laughs)

Kobayashi: I think you had a lot of free time.

Kishimoto: That's right. I was really lucky, but that was a really bad thing.

Kobayashi: It's work that requires you to sit down, after all. It's a job that you can't do without sitting down.

Kishimoto: That was painful. I think it was both the mental and physical aspects that built up a lot of stress.

Kobayashi: It's a sitting job, after all. It's a job that can't be done unless you sit.

Kishimoto: It was painful. Probably both the mental and physical aspects were affecting me, and I was quite stressed.

Kobayashi: Sir, it seems you've acquired some special abilities. In this world, I have high hopes that we might be able to see such things. Do you have any thoughts about getting something entirely new from Kishimoto-sensei in the next world?

Kishimoto: Well, of course, I thought about taking a break, but I just can't seem to settle down. So I called in an assistant and we talked together, and I guess I'll ask him to help me with some work and we talked about it.

Kobayashi: Is that so? So it's like it's actually moving around a bit.

Kishimoto: That's right, so I want it to be like this, and like this, and with this setting and the main character is like this.

Kobayashi: What's the story about?

Kishimoto: That's a total secret.

Kobayashi: Well, right.

Kishimoto: It's a bit of a secret.

Kobayashi: It's a bit of a secret, isn't it? Is it wrong to ask about this sort of thing? For example, will it be in Jump?

Kishimoto: Weekly Jump.

Kobayashi: Weekly Shōnen Jump, etc.?

Kishimoto: Well, I want to, but only if I have the stamina.

Kobayashi: There's also G, you know.

Kishimoto: First, the surgery. (Kobayashi laughs)

Kobayashi: Ah, yes. That's the best. You should definitely be able to find more time than before. First, please take it easy, really. I know there are many things that make it hard to relax. So, let's talk about the highlights of the movie at the end. Please make sure to mention them here.

Kishimoto: I thought it was something I'd never done before, and if I was going to do it anyway, I should try a theme that hadn't been done in the main story or the original work, or something like that, so I thought it would seem new and interesting, and so I embarked on the adventure of trying my hand at a romance.

Kobayashi: It was more like a straightforward romance than an adventure. I got to see it, and actually, there's a work here that was written after the serialization ended. It's a gorgeous two-page one-shot.

Kishimoto: It took a while, so please check out those two pages. Kobayashi: Everyone please watch the movie too.

Kishimoto: I want you to watch this. Looking at this, well, I don't know if I should say it, but there are parts that were lacking in the manga that might still be completed, so I wanted to do it with Hinata.

Kobayashi: Please take a look, everyone. So, is this Naruto 10, which means it's cloe to the new year? Haven't they? Is this coming out next year?

Kishimoto: Yes, I think this will be quite moving next year.

Kobayashi: Will we also be able to see the colored illustrations by sensei?

Kishimoto: Yes, you can see it there. I haven't shown you my old setting materials and such.

Kobayashi: You were hiding it a bit today, huh? Well, I guess that's over there, over there, right?

Kishimoto: No, no, no, that's not the case. I just had a few notes lying around.

Kobayashi: Earlier, during the notebook time, it didn't come out easily.

Kishimoto: No, no, no, it's not good at all.

For some reason, Kishimoto's demonstration and whatever comment he and Kobayashi were making were muted in the video linked, sorry about that.

[masterbuilderintern]

Would you be willing to share more about pixal in your au? Im really curious about her, based on the bits youve shared :] like, whats the shift from antagonist to ally like for her? And what do her relationships with the ninja look like? Thanks!

P.I.X.A.L.'s new role revolves around ethical questions surrounding surveillance states and free will, particularly in relation to technology! But not from an "AI BAD!!!" (generative ai and suck my dick though) lens, more about how much control we give technology over our lives, which is a question we can pose to human leadership as well

Cyrus Borg really overcompensated when creating a newer, higher-tech, and "safe" Ninjago, placing too much trust in his programs to take care of humans in large groups. This leads to the main program, Limiter of Individual Disasters, taking it too far. People are their own worst enemy, so to protect them from themselves is the optimal method, isn't it?

YES, this program is called L.O.I.D., and it's a running joke the whole arc. Cyrus and his stupid ass names for his robot children. This was actually a really funny accident.

They don't have a design because they're in everything connected to the internet, basically. L.O.I.D. speaks through all sorts of things.

Anyway, P.I.X.A.L. is not controlled by L.O.I.D. like she was the Overlord in canon. She's a completely separate entity but has similar permission to her brother. Teaming up with L.O.I.D. is something she CHOOSES to do, believing that controlling the people would make them a lot safer and happier.

It's the ninja convincing her that there's more to being a person than surviving (THAT'S RIGHT, BABY, NOT ONLY AM I TYING THE OVERLORD'S DEFEAT INTO RESSURECTED GARMADON'S DEFEAT, BUT REBOOTED INTO THE LESSON HE MUST ALSO LEARN ABOUT LIVING AGAIN, REPEATING THEMES, FUCKERS). She values what she's learned from all of them, but she would NOT have been convinced of their arguments if Zane weren't there. His choice to live and fight the way he does, despite being an android himself, made what he had to say a lot less biased from P.I.X.A.L.'s perspective. The humans can plead all they want, of course they will, but this fellow machine finds value in these cultures and struggles, maybe she really was overthinking what it means to protect and survive.

And I'm using the word "person" and not "human" because Ninjago has multiple sentient species that deserve this respect. So in this universe, they use "person" and "personhood" when talking about life in its entirety. "Human" is only used when referring specifically to humans.

When she starts to have second thoughts about all this, she goes to L.O.I.D. about it to try to convince them, too. It does not work. It goes terribly, actually. They disconnect her from their shared power source, shutting her down completely.

This is where Zane shares his core with her! She put herself in this danger for them; technically, she died for them, and he thinks that she deserves better.

They don't need to hold each other to use their powers, but they still do it as a way for Zane to help get P.I.X.A.L. accustomed to it. And it's really cute and romantic, shut the fuck up. This technically counts as choosing a successor for Zane, which an elemental can only do once. The next master of ice would now either have to be randomly chosen by fate or by P.I.X.A.L.

"Why don't they just shut down L.O.I.D. via blackout?" Not only are they concerned about things like shutting down medical equipment in the city, but also the device being used to control people. It's a small device attached to the back of the head that connects itself to the central nervous system. The main cast has no idea how safe it would be to remove these by force, including a blackout. They need to find a way to take over L.O.I.D. to remove them!

P.I.X.A.L. had planned to merge her code with L.O.I.D.'s and use her new core to her advantage to completely override them. This would make her fully merged with the city's systems. It's not an identity death, but she wouldn't be the singular P.I.X.A.L. anymore. Her life would forever be tied to the city, with no time for anything else. A technological ascension, if you will.

Zane thinks she deserves better.

[janewayintersection]

the amount of people who are like "omg i ditched kaidan for garrus after he was mean to me on horizon!!" baffle me. shit on bioware's writing for making shep work with cerberus all you want, but kaidan calling shep out on this and not joining them is NOT the issue. in fact, him reacting like this is why i love him??

he specifically states he trusts shep, just not cerberus. which is the only rational response in that whole entire goddamn game!! like?? you spend all of me1 stopping cerberus operations. they kill several alliance soldiers and admiral kahoku, try to make a rachni army -- they are WELL known for cloning and ais... miranda even outright states she wanted to plant shep with a control chip. there is literally zero reason for kaidan to believe the shep in front of him isn't some cerberus sleeper agent. or an ai. or indoctrinated. or being manipulated (THIS ONE IS CANON BTW). even if he trusts shepard, he doesn't trust cerberus not to pull any of this. quite frankly, i'm baffled more companions don't have this exact, entirely justified concern.

loyalty is important, but blind loyalty is dangerous.

honestly, the crew in me2 is lucky that the illusive man was so weirdly and uncharacteristically insistent on shepard remaining untouched. things could have gotten very bad otherwise.

being best friends with someone, or more notably, being in love with someone, isn't the end all be all magic potion in this world. being in love with someone doesn't mean you should blindly trust their actions. if my significant other joined a terrorist group, you can bet my ass i wouldn't join them! sorry! if anything, it's healthy that kaidan has his own sense of morals and priorities he follows over shepard. he's his OWN person, love shouldn't be something that makes you suddenly give up who you are and what you believe in.

not to mention kaidan is entirely out of the loop for the whole game. his intel states that cerberus is behind the abductions (the horizon incident is partially a result of cerberus' fiddling btw), and that shep has been alive and never even reached out to anyone. he doesn't have the information we the players have. he doesn't know that the illusive man insisted on no control chip. he doesn't know about the lazarus project or its specifics.

and as for the "cheating" discourse if you romance someone new in me2, i do personally believe shep getting with one of the me2 love interests is cheating on their me1 love interest. to shep, they skipped those two years. they wake up as they did during the me2 prologue. no time has passed. and then they immediately get with someone else after one (1) argument with their love interest over them, may i remind you, joining a terrorist group. even if you don't think it's "technically" cheating, it's at the very least pretty trashy and flakey.

if anything, i'm gonna say it! kaidan is more forgiving than i'd be! the fact that he even sends an email saying he still cares and that they can see what happens after this is all resolved is WAY more than i would have done. the fact that kaidan will find out shep got with someone else, and STILL be willing to give shep a chance is like. man. it's saying a lot. i am just saying.

imagine losing someone. you see them literally die as your ship explodes and they burn up in the nearby planet's atmosphere. you grieve. you put yourself into your work. then suddenly, two years, later. they pop back up again. ALIVE. and with a terrorist group. and basically tell you the equivalent of "just trust me bro" despite the fact that while you trust them, you don't trust the terrorist group. so you're like hey, what the fuck. why are you with a terrorist group. and they're like i'm not with them, we just have common goals. and you're like. i'm gonna say it again. i trust you, not the terrorist group. okay?? i can't join you for this reason. please be careful out there, seriously.

and then they immediately jump into the pants of that one guy you knew back on a mission from two years ago.

what would you do?? would you not feel hurt? betrayed? upset? confused?? i'm sorry, i'm completely on kaidan's side. i'd go as far to say that he's far more understanding than he should be in me2.

me3 is all about regaining that complete and undying trust back, and that cerberus didn't fuck around w shep. or that being with cerberus didn't change them. his "loyalty" quest is just visiting him in the hospital and showing him shepard still cares. that they're still the same. that cerberus truly didn't alter them. that there was more going on. that shepard was forced to work with cerberus out of complete necessity and only did what they thought was right. and i think that's neat!!!!

[tibby-art]

I’m adoring the Hitman AU. Scar and Cub share a braincell and Grian just looks like she wants to go home and sleep.

I’m curious as to what powers ConVex has. Or what their motives are with Grian. (ConVex trying to corrupt her.)

I've been picturing Cub and Scar's vex powers as being able to transform into a vex form (pale blueish skin, white hair/eyes, wings, fangs, claws, the whole nine yards). The forms allow them to move at lightning speed and fly, making them perfect as silent killers in their roles as hitmen. They're super sneaky and fast.

I think the vex work with pacts as well - if you make a pact with a vex, they're unable to go against said pact. That's how they ended up working for the government as hitmen. I imagine that in their past they were very powerful and corrupt criminals at Concorp (standard protocol for convex in an au i'd say). One day the government catches up to them, and they're given a choice: Go to top-security prison for one bajillion years because you're a dangerous vex criminal OR make a pact with the government and work under them, using your powers for good. So, Cub and Scar are technically here by choice, but their choices were limited. They're bound by a fae contract that they must perform their given duties as hitmen - they bend the rules and find loopholes whenever possible, though. Vex are tricky like that. They'll get ordered to take out a dangerous crime boss, but because you didn't technically specify that you wanted that done today, they took the day off to go golfing. They'll get to it tomorrow :J (The government learns the hard way that when you order Cub and Scar to kill someone you must specify to them not to eat the person because that has happened and that will happen again and everything is terrible)

Grian is in a similar situation, but he was given less of a choice. While Cub and Scar made their own pacts with the vex to gain their powers, Grian's watcher powers are something she did not ask for at all. The Watchers are much more mysterious than the Vex, not a lot is known about them and they're considered almost a myth until Grian shows up. This makes her more dangerous and unpredictable, in the government's eyes. Grian isn't allowed to just walk away and go back to being a normal member of society - nobody knows what he's capable of (not even Grian knows) so the government needs to keep a close eye on her. When she's paired up with Cub and Scar for missions, the vex are ordered to keep an eye on Grian, and step in if things get too dangerous. Cub and Scar think this is BS and they almost pity Grian, deep down, since he's essentially in the same spot they're in but worse. When their pact says to keep Grian from getting too dangerous, they interpret it as, "Well, if we help her figure out her powers, she's more in control and that will make everything safer :J"

I don't think Convex is trying to corrupt her - I think the government is the one being manipulative here. Convex sees it. I think they genuinely want to help her grow and discover new abilities and how to use them. They're Convex, though, so they might not be the best role models lol. I think what they're trying to do is help her get more confidence and more control over her powers. Cub is a scientist who is very good at figuring out how Grian's abilities work, what he can and can't do, the limits of said abilities, etc. and Scar has the most creative and insane ideas on how to utilize watcher powers that it sometimes leads to discovering something brand new. I can picture him being like, ":J Hey have you ever tried using your watcher powers to spy on a specific location from like, fifty miles away" and Grian is like "Scar that's ridiculous that's not how it works" and then she tries it and is amazed when that actually does work. Scar's like ":J yeah I made that up I didnt think it would work Can you spy on Disneyland now"

[foressfaction]

My Jack and Toby headcanons (they're bfs)

The scar I usually draw over Toby's nose was actually given to him by Jack. When they first met, Jack only saw Toby as another victim to kill and eat. What else could you expect when a demon see's another random human. They ended up having a pretty bad fight at the very beginning due to Jack's animal instincts. Toby left a nasty scar over Jack's back and Jack left a deep cut from his nails on Toby's face. So now they both still have sorta matching scars from their first encounter. Are they happy memories? No. Sometimes Jack gets angry that Toby doesn't cover it up more. As covering that part of his face would involve either a full face mask or constantly wearing gauze over it, which is what he DOES do often. Jack tries not to be as harsh on the other about it but he doesn't like seeing the scar he put on Toby and remembering how he used to be and that he had hurt someone he cares so dearly about now.

As for ages and other basic information, they are two years apart. Jack is 21 while Toby is 19. Jack has long pointy ears that come from the sides of his head along with a long thin tail that has a poof at the end of it that's the same color as his hair. Jack stands at around 6'8, his animalistic legs giving him a huge height advantage. While Toby stays around 5'6-5'7 when not slouching.

The main reason Jack actually didn't manage to kill Toby was because when going for the goal, Toby's kidneys, he took notice of the operator symbol carved into him. Jack knows way too well to mess with any of that entity's 'proxies.' As last time he attacked one and killed them, The Operator struck Jack hard and left bad mental trauma. Technically…Jack is terrified of that thing, and wants nothing to do with it. Much less be involved in another killing of its proxies.

Jack still occasionally gets monstrous urges to attack and kill Toby even now that they are close. Everyday it's a risk that Toby takes to still stick around Jack. That fact alone makes Jack feel special, that even with his tendencies and urges, Toby remains unafraid of him. This is what makes him get so attached.

As dangerous as it is, following the last statement, Toby does stick around. He doesn't even realize how much that means to Jack. He himself can't understand why the other wouldn't just kill him day one. Toby is severely disaster prone and is not scared of dying, plus he's tried to commit several times himself. Being around Jack during the other's manic episodes is natural to him. Even in times that Jack would attack and try to hurt Toby, he would almost let it happen. It's dangerous how much trust he puts into the demon, but after so long it no longer bothers either of them, as they both know they have more control than the thing that tries to take them over and ruin what little happiness they do have.

What does the Operator think of these two? Well it doesn't really matter. Its only motive is to break its chosen puppet's minds. If it knows one of its 'precious proxies' has found peace of mind and true happiness then it realizes it can no longer manipulate them into thinking that it is the only thing filling that empty hole it impaled into their hearts from the start. Love and friendship being its one true pet peeve its human slaves can experience.

Due to its hatred to the relationship, whenever Toby has a dark moment, the operator gets him away from Jack and then tries to take control. Upon success, Toby would immediately lash out and attack Jack. It's the same situation Jack has with his inner demon, instead that is apart of Jack, while for Toby it's a completely different story. After weeks of this repeating, Jack usually has to restrain Toby, knowing how that thing can be, it would have no problem tearing the boy apart just to get to Jack's mind as well. Jack now knows not to ever truly leave Toby alone by himself with his still healing mind. And Toby knows not to pry or tempt Jack in any way involving food or accidentally angering the demon. These two are bombs waiting to blow up if any little thing goes wrong. And that's really sad.

I feel like Jack would be the tired but supportive dad personality type when it comes to Toby. Motherfucker shows up with 6 different kinds of tree bark and goes on an autism rant about what he knows about each one and how flammable they are while Jack would sit in a crouched position, ears perked in interest. No matter what it is, Jack is always wanting to be a part of it. When NOT angered, Jack is like a big cat. He doesn't understand these silly human emotions Toby experiences and kinda lowkey uses the boy to learn them again. Toby can show a span of different emotions within just an hour. He's such a spaz and a mess but that also helps Jack study and learn these mannerisms so he can be a better friend/boyfriend. So if it takes sitting and listening to Toby go on about something Jack has absolutely no idea about then he will.

Due to not understanding Toby completely, being a different species and all, Jack will occasionally ask personal, weird or just normally creepy questions. Not trying to be either of those things obviously, he doesn't know what to ask or how others feel about things. He's lucky it's Toby he asks these questions because all he does is cackly stupidly at them while Jack just lowers his ears and frowns in confusion. Bro just wants to know things that he will never get to personally experience or know. These questions could range from questions about body fluids, how humans digest, how they do their business, basic stuff. Sometimes Jack lacks a filter of basic modesty though, and asks things that could really catch Toby off guard and embarrass the absolute shit out of him. Technically Jack is an unconscious rizzler.

For a relationship, cheesy things like pet names don't cross either or their minds but they still subconsciously do it. Jack has tiny furs that cover his entire body that makes his skin super soft and well, fuzzy. Especially his hands and elbows. Due to this fact, Toby spat up a stupid nickname that he calls him religiously. That name being 'Fuzzy.' Jack of course doesn't understand that having fur is natural to him, having no recollection of his once human life. Jack would sometimes wonder why Toby didn't have fur, and how the other stays warm even without it. Jack knows he's human, but that still just boggles him. I feel he'd ask "So are all humans skinned at birth?" "WHAT?!-"

Jack has no eyes but can still see, but not how he used to at all. His vision is very dark and almost grainy. At night he sees mostly in infrared and relies on sound and vibrations. Toby is helpful to him for that due to the other's tics. One thing Jack would never understand. As yeah Toby IS human, but not a healthy one at that. The boy has many disorders that make him different than the average person, this confusing Jack even more about him.

Toby's problem of being completely numb has always concerned Jack. He remembered studying nursing and to be a doctor but never why, or when that was. Still occasionally Jack would recall certain things he learned and would be the aid to Toby when the other would hurt himself and not even know it. I feel like if anyone it would be Jack to notice first if the other was seeming off or weak. I feel like Jack had to point out multiple times "You're bleeding-" "am i?"

Jack would keep Toby well bandaged and healing too, somehow knowing how to treat a wound better than Toby who's been doing it ever since he stayed around the forest. Toby is very thankful to have Jack's help but that doesn't mean he would let him help every time. Jack mainly has to beg Toby to let him help, as the other is literally laying in his own blood, denying it as if he knows jack shit about what's happening or where the wound even is due to the lack of pain.

Jack doesn't fully understand how sick Toby really is. He watches the other down pills constantly and doesn't know why. The Slender sickness is a thing in this universe and all of the people who are close to that entity deal with it. Toby is like a puppet to that thing so he has the sickness pretty bad.

I like to think that they were each other's first ever hug after the incidents that happened to them. After Jack hugged Toby that's when he realized that he might actually truly love the boy.

Toby is absolutely obsessed with Jack's tail. I feel he would just sit and hold it when sad and Jack would just let him. Obviously confused on why but he eventually learned to just stop questioning this boy.

Neither of them really have a full grasp on what love actually is, but they show it as if they do. Jack is very lovable when he wants to be and Toby got used to it. Formerly being someone who hated physical touch. Only Jack. Only Jack..

There was actually a time when Toby let Jack literally take one of his kidneys. It was all Toby's choice too, doing it knowing that one, he wouldn't feel it, and two it would help Jack tame his hunger and urges. Letting Jack have one actually made the demon crave eating the other a lot less, knowing he at least got a piece. The healing process was a bitch but both were content about it. Toby was a cackling mess the whole time, seeing Jack's expression shift when Toby was perfectly willing to let the other take an organ he could live with one of. "Are you sure? i don't wanna hurt you" "you want the kidney or not." "....yeah…."

They definitely work together when getting food for Jack. Toby eats normal food and Jack can't, therefore they work together constantly and hunt food for Jack. It's mostly trespassers that enter the forest that get killed first. Toby is usually the distraction while Jack goes for the kill. Toby chops the body up and helps Jack store it.

Jack is very insecure about his face, hence the mask he wears. The way Toby found out what Jack looks like is actually pretty funny. Curiosity gets the best of him and he eventually just ripped the mask off of Jack, seeing that when the other wears it is when Jack is the most hostile. Jack obviously was frozen in embarrassment, scared his face would make Toby fear him but Toby's reaction was nothing more than a shrug. He wasn't scared of Jack or judged him for his face, in fact Toby only held Jack's face in both his hands and just stared at him. They're falling for eachother your honor.

Going along with the mask thing, Toby would definitely wear Jack's mask around just to get a reaction from the other, which would usually be Jack just yanking it back with a cackle.

Jack would totally just put his hand on Toby's head and just rub his hair like a mangy dog. "so soft-" "boy what-"

Au Headcanons

Toby would 100% be a stoner. He'd probably get zooted almost every night and Jack would get highly concerned but never think much of it. At this point he learned a lot about Toby and knows what he's gone through. He knew weed was bad but if it helped Toby then he would be there to support if the other became immobile from how absolutely zooted he'd get.

Toby always tend to fall asleep better when Jack is around. There's times where he literally leaned into the other and just fell asleep right then and there. Jack ends up having to carry him to his room or somewhere with a cushion. This happens with Jack too but he usually wakes up before Toby could tuck him in somewhere. Jack is a rather light sleeper while Toby could sleep through a nuclear war once he actually gets to sleep.

[ipranna]

THEY DID NOTHING FREE THEM

Kyusaku yumeno(Q) x child!reader (platonic)

Summary: you joined the port mafia and you're the only person Q trusts.

A/N: Sorry if i accidentally use he/him pronouns! Im used to calling them him because i only watched the anime

.................

You were just wandering around, thats all you we're doing!

But then came some guy, and tried to attack you and and and...!

You killed him with your ability.

Its not your fault!

He came up to you!

Its wasn- what was that?

You hear a sound.

And clapping.. By some dude with bandages.

"Impressive. The port mafia has been watching you for a while now. Quite the unique ability you got there. How would you like to join?"

Wha-! The audacity to just walk up to you like hes the most important person in the world! Then again the port mafia is really strong.. And you're homeless right now.. This would only benefit you, right?

"Tell me your name first."

"Call me dazai."

...............

Thats all you can recal.

You're in some big deadly organization now no biggie..

You've met most of the members by now.

The ginger is nice, tho he can be angry for no reason at times. The boss is scary, also he likes a girl about your age. Wierd. Theres a lady you remember her name because shes like a mom. Kouyou. Theres this one that keeps coughing. You dont like him. He only seeks approval from one which you think is stupid. You dont find the rest important enough to remember.

Yeah, you're like that. When you think someone is interesting you remember them. When someone has a big role on your life then you remember thier names.

Eventually you met someone who was all alone, all the time. They kept them locked up because they are a danger. A danger? Sounds interesting. You want to meet them.

Yet you keep your mouth shut. What if you make them angry by asking that?

However fate has decided that you two get to meet after all.

"The boss set Q free"

You overheard someone say. Who's that? Are they the kid that wasn't let free because they're a danger?

You wanted to investigate.

..............

You heard they we're on the train so you went there to try and meet them. You then see a few people who bumped into a kid.

That doesn't look like an ordinairy kid

Must be Q.

Doesn't look interesting at the moment. You don't feel like sticking around.

The train stops and you hear screaming.

As expected. Q is out there using their ability on some agency members. Q has a mind control ability. Scary. Only Dazai can counter that.

Speaking of Dazai, there he is. Always saving his members when they need it the most. A shame he didn't put any effort into saving someone when he was in the Port Mafia.

The train takes off again and you quickly run over to the place where Q was standing.

.............

Are you technically spying on Q? No. No? No. You're just... Observing

"I can see ya there you know?" They turn around and look your direction. "C'mon get over here! Lets play!"

You cautiously walk over to them. They try and bump into you but you quickly dodge.

"Wow you're fast!" They giggle. "Hmm... Lets do... I try and bump into you and you try and dodge!"

"That doesn't seem like a very fun game."

"You're acting boring! Lets play more then you'll get less stiff!"

You smile a little. It's nice. They might become a friend. A friend your age.

"Haha! You're smiling already!"

You can't let this opportunity slip. A person that's your age? And in the Port Mafia? You won't find anyone better than that. You have to ask. No shying away this time!

"Q.. Could you please be my friend..?"

They pause. "I don't need a friend, i just wanna play!"

"But if you have a friend then they could play with you all the time!"

"All the time? Hmm.. Alright then! Ill be your friend!"

Phew... Mission successful.

...........

While you waited to arrive to... God knows where with this train you were playing games with Q.

"Hey Q... Since we're waiting i would just like to say... I know how it feels to be an outcast."

You've seen the way people act around Q. The way they isolate them. The way that nobody treats them like a human but more like a dangerous object. You've seen the way people act with their ability. You're sure they hate it.

Q's face darkens. They suddenly get angry.

"How would you know! You have never been treated like an outcast because of something that you never chose to be born with!"

"I may have never been an outsider because of my ability, but i have been an outcast for being the way i am. Now that i have a real friend i want you to feel that i am your friend too."

They pause. And look at you for a second. Then start crying. They hug onto you and cry into your shoulder.

"Can we really be friends...? Promise you won't leave? Promise you won't hurt or use me like the others?"

"Promise."

...........

From then on Q only got asigned missions with you. If they didn't then they wouldn't do the mission. And you're also the only person to stop them from going on killing sprees with their ability. They've just accepted it.

And you kept your promise.

No one could hurt him aslong as you're there. And vise versa of course.

Friends.

Forever.

.............

.............

Toetsweek grhfhfhrh im DYING

[actual-changeling]

Oh! Oh, listen, question about the Morag thing. The good/bad stuff apart I mean I def agree on that in general. I read the scene a little different. We know they both aren't allowed to intervene, Aziraphale said it himself, but he holds this whole speech how he's going to help Morag and Crowley looks super gloomy and keeps trying to interrupt him but Aziraphale doesn't let him before Crowley tries a little more vehement and says that it's too late so I think neither of them could have brought her back because she was too far gone already by the time they realized how fatal the wounds were. Like they're both visibly saddened by the death. I think Crowley couldn't have done anything without risking probably even a lifetime in the torture dungeon if what he did for Elspeth (Elsbeth? Elsbet? Help) was enough to warrant years of torture even with the plausible deniability that he was high and not responsible for his actions, Aziraphale wanted to do it and would have faced less repercussions from Heaven because he's after all supposed to do the Good Thing.

Neil said they can resurrect doves and ducks and we see them do both but not humans (in the context that Crowley could help that carpet guy because the demons didn't kill him) and I think that line of what they're able to do might be not from the point of death but that they can't help if a person is already too close to death? It doesn't even matter for the plot but I'd really love to hear what everyone thinks abt it

When it comes to their powers and the kind of miracles they can do, I think there are "rules" heaven and hell have settled on, but that does not mean that those are the actual limitations they have.

Their Jimbriel hiding miracle had a strength of ~ 25 Lazarii, and Neil said that most miracles are measured in Centi- and Millilazarii, usually the later. That is one hell of a difference.

0,025 Lazarii vs. 25 Lazarii, the miracle they performed was one thousand times as strong as your regular, daily miracle, and they did that without actually meaning to. We don't know why exactly it was that strong, but now we DO know that they are capable of performing miracles on that scale.

So, technically, either of them could have saved Morag from death, but the existing rules presumably forbid resurrecting random humans—meaning Aziraphale would have gotten in some trouble, though not as much as Crowley would have.

Their powers are a result of self-actualization, which we are shown in season one when Crowley crosses the M25 simply because he imagines that he and the Bentley make it. He wants it to happen, he believes that he can make it happen, so it happens.

Most angels and demons probably have no reason or prompting to even consider doing miracles they have never seen anyone else do/that aren't a regular occurrence. But if they TRIED to do something different, they could! They absolutely could, and that is why control and isolation are such important parts of heaven as an institution.

Because if you do not control the way they think and act, then they will follow their own free will, and once they do that—well, they can do everything, anything, whatever they set their mind to. It's dangerous and a threat to the Metatron's power over heaven, so that's why they have regulations and rules. The Great War probably prompted a lot of rules too.

This inherent self-control over their powers—even though you said it might not matter for the plot—will, in my opinion, definitely play a big role in season three.

[eccentric-nucleus]

the only story in the progression fantasy/litrpg/etc space that i've really enjoyed and kept up with has been super supportive, tho that's with the caveat that the first sixty chapters are basically a self-contained novel that is pretty good, and then the next uh hundred and thirty chapters spend a lot of time defusing a lot of the setup. it's not just the slice-of-life stuff that predominates, it's the part where the story slowly picks away at the setup

like so, this is gonna have spoilers for the first chunk of super supportive. i've already made a post about this before i think but this will be post #2 i guess.

so super supportive introduces the state of the world: it's like 2040, and aliens contacted earth in the 1960s and brought with them all sorts of cool technology, intergalactic communication, and also the system. magic is real and aliens can do it and now with the system some people will get selected to have superpowers and get to go on quests to alien planets and get fabulous quest rewards (further superhero powers!) for doing so! wow everybody wants to be a superhero because it's so cool!

oh yeah so the technical term for the system is 'the interdimensional warriors contract', and earth is tithed to submit people to it. the aliens get to choose who. and if they choose you, you can't refuse. you also can't really refuse a summons. one of the most popular, to the aliens, classes is the one where you're just a personal assistant. classes with actual superpowers also sometimes get summoned away on some quest and are never heard from again. sometimes they get death notifications, months or years later, but sometimes not. you don't get to pick your class either; those get assigned to you, though you can swap classes with somebody else during a brief provisional period after you've been selected but before your superpowers come due. also, humans have no clue how to really use the system; the aliens make a big point of not telling anybody anything about how it's put together or even things like "these skills are good and these other skills suck". part of the 'appeal' stat involves mental changes to make you more sociable and agreeable.

they do pay superheroes for their work. but they can't really say no to a job, or control what they do. one early example of 'tasks superheroes get summoned to do' is 'help evacuate a dangerous research station' 'but only our contracted employees; explicitly do not allow the other staff who have not contracted to our corporation to leave'.

also, a major character early on is: literally an imprisoned slave who's chained to his desk and has a geas over him such that he's not able to do things like 'express preferences'. some alien wizard just dropped him down at the embassy and he's been stuck working there for decades now. i'm sure it's fine.

so as it goes through the early chapters and these things get revealed there's a lot of tension between how everybody in-universe thinks about this ("superheroes cool") and the out-of-universe information, in which it's clear this is something more like indentured labor. there's a lot of ominous weight about the power differential there. this is a world where magic is real, the universe runs on magic, aliens can use magic, but humans can't. and the magical system aliens have put in place on earth is one that is explicitly gamified with pretty tokens and prebuilt skills and nothing even approaching, like, information on how it works.

so that's interesting! and then the first 'book' ends and the main character gets back to earth and it seems like there's a lot of backing-off of those implications. all the aliens we meet are super cool and nice and honorable. despite some gesturing at various factions of aliens, there hasn't really been a lot of followthrough on, like, the alien politics involved or how they're set up. so i'm still reading because i think it definitely still has promise, & it's written in a fairly engaging fashion, but all of this is basically contingent on it actually having a good payoff for all the buildup, & i'm not really sure that the author really cares about that stuff specifically.

[sunny6677]

Idi info page!! They're Dionysus' kid.

@rebootgrimm

TWS FOR INSANITY, MURDER, ANIMAL DEATH/MURDER, ATTEMPTED MURDER, MANIA, CHAOS, ETC.

Full Name: Idi Abademi Bankole.

Nicknames: 'Di-Di', 'Brat', etc.

Age: 15-16.

Birthday: February 7th.

Time of birth: 7:43 AM.

Place of birth: Was found inside of a well near a forest in Ho, Ghana—was taken in by an elderly woman who found him alone and seemingly calm despite his circumstances. (Idi's mother was driven mad even though she tried her best to take care of him, and under a spell and in no control, she dropped Idi into the well in some attempt to kill them and was implied to have probably killed herself—in some last act of control she had over herself, to prevent herself from hurting anyone else or trying to hurt Idi any further even though she thought Idi was likely dead.)

Gender: Intersex.

Pronouns: Any.

Sexuality: Bisexual, but generally prefers women.

She may or may not be interested in Zea (Demeter's kid)? Though whether Zea reciprocates or not is the question.

Ethnnic group: Ewe.

Nationality: Ghanian.

Likes: Soda, partying, dancing, jokes.

Dislikes: 'Party-poopers' (as she says—grumpy people who dont wanna have any fun), Amoria (Hera's kid), pirates, cuckoos (due to reasons regarding her backstory), lily flowers (pink ones specifically).

They have bruises and even burns on her back, but its usually hidden by her clothes. It may or may not be from when her mother tried her best to resist the urge to kill her or give into that urge due to the madness that was inflicted upon her.

Personality: Relaxed, very gung-ho, somewhat flirty, charismatic, surprisingly patient—and rarely ever gets angry, but is terrifying when he does due to his powers. She can also lack boundaries somewhat though, be somewhat selfish or maybe a little to chill even when things are clearly wrong, jokes around at very inappropriate times, and even tends to do things just because she thinks its funny (even when its very clearly going to be dangerous).

Hobbies: Pranking people, going out at late hours or at night, acting.

I imagine one day they become an actor in film, and also maybe have a small job as a bartender before they become a full time actor. That is, if they dont eventually wind up in prison with half the stuff they do. 😭

Strengths: Being very observant, being very good at distracting people, very good at lying or faking her emotions due to her acting skills, etc.

Weaknesses: Soda, parties or anything she seems 'fun', jokes, etc.

I imagine they're shorter compared to Hephaestus' kid, and are also probably the shortest among all the kids. Possibly being about 5'1 or 5'0. Oh, and they also have a birthmark on the back of their neck that almost resembles a goblet/wine glass of some kind.

They have a very smooth, almost chill voice I imagine? Its also very androgynous. Also, they've spoken English from a young age due to it being the national language of their country and them hearing it all around, but their first language is technically Ewe (due to their adoptive mother being of that ethnic group too).

They wear punk-like clothes most of the time, or anything that has the color purple. Cuz that's their favorite color and she just likes wearing it./lh

Idi also canonically has Autism and Dyslexia, I imagine—and they're also allergic to birds, which is why they kinda dont like being around them, but they specifically don't like cuckoo birds due to it being relevant to her backstory.

As I mentioned, Idi grew up in Ho, Ghana—under the care of their adoptive mother, and never really knew much about their actual mother other than the very little information his adoptive mother (named Efia Ade Bankole btw) told him about her (she told him she died, but nothing more than that cuz she wanted to shield her from it). Idi grew up playing with the kids in the neighborhood, running around, causing trouble, and generally just having fun. But he always dreamed of traveling to different places, or maybe even leading/hosting a parade because it'd be fun.

They have a small, but nice home back in Ho, Ghana—where she leaves alone with Efia. The two are very close with eachother and spend a lot of time together, but Efia often refuses to talk about stuff related to her past (Efia also seems mildly worried about Idi most of the time since Idi isnt exactly, er.. stable you could say? I'll show what exactly makes them so unstable later on 😭).

Idi laughs, cheers, or tends to just generally yell a lot. They are also very touchy and tend to wrap their arm around whoevers nearby, and have even quite literally leapt onto people before. A catchphrase of theirs is usually saying 'Whatever..' in a careless way while shrugging calmly and grinning smugly.

Their zodiac sign is Aquarius.

He is a little afraid of heights canonically, but is unsure of why. While she also has a phobia of birds due to her allergies, but is more scares of cuckoo birds than anything.

She has a habit of throwing up her hands when excited, spinning around, patting people on the shoulder, hitting people on the back or patting them rather harshly there, tripping people anytime they walk too close, etc.

They usually shrug, seem very relaxed in terms of body language, grin a little too widely, tend to lean on people, etc.

He is actually very intelligent and observant, even being able to call people out or say harsh truths if she has to. But she usually chooses fun or relaxation over 'drama'.

She got an average education in Ghana, and did pretty decently with grades, but would sometimes get bullied or picked on by other kids for their rather androgynous appearance though. They're canonically Intersex btw—so when other kids would learn about it, they would sometimes pick on her. Idi never really seemed to care though, being more focused with her own business and barely acknowledging it at all, or they'd simply target those kids in particular for pranks because they had a justifable reason to anyway (and cuz it was funny).

Her interests are: Theater, wine, other cultures, vegetation, etc.

He tends to have a very flexible sense of humor, but has a more mean spirited sense of humor most of the time, or a very dark sense of humor at times. Usually a meaner spirited humor though.

She can usually recognize when theres a problem, but chooses not to try and solve it since she cares very little to try anything. And they notice other people's emotions very easily, but usually just dont really care, or shrug it off since there's not much 'she can do'.

He is also VERY protective when it comes to pranks or parties, and has a slight addiction to any form of soda—usually resorting to drinking it just about everyday.

He is VERY extroverted and talks to just about everyone in the camp.

They tend to dislike it when someone stops one of their pranks or parties, often deeming them 'party poopers' when they do this.

He's usually in a very relaxed mood most of the time or is very smug.

Their most prized possession is a golden goblet they got as a gift from their father, Dionysus, which is the only good thing they can consider getting from him (she likes to pour soda in it and pretend its wine).

His favorite food is figs, and his favorite drink is.. well, soda.

They smell like grapes or vines most of the time, or soda depending on if they were drinking it or not.

They tend to go to Hephaestus' kid if somethings up, or rarely their own father (who he tends to generally avoid). Or Chiron if he has to talk to him.

She'd like to travel to Japan specifically one day cuz she thinks it'd be fun—

Their morning routine often tends to change or not really have a specific order, so their routine can often be very chaotic. Often times, they can go from just casually getting ready, to just deciding not to get ready at all for fun and going out into the camp in full pajamas, messy hair and all like nothings visibly up. So it usually depends on what theyre thinking or if they yet again thought of something 'funny' to do.

He doesnt play any sport specifically. They do like singing Karaoke with the Apollo kids if that counts though lmao.

A unique skill she can do is make rather creepy expressions, or guess what people's fears are depending on the vibes he gets from them. Always, his guesses are scarily accurate (and if it turns out to be true, she laughs like crazy or teases them for it).

Anytime she sleeps, she always ends up in the most wild positions, snores very loudly, or sometimes doesnt snore at all to the point where others almost think they might be dead. They sleep in very different ways, always being very unexpected each night. (Its expected though. After all, they are the child of the God of Madness.)

Their values beforehand were usually just to have fun no matter what and not really get involved with stuff they didnt like, though a strong belief she has is to live her life to the fullest and in a fun happy way. She generally thinks the world doesnt really have any meaning, and that nothing is really worth it, so you might as well do whatever you want with all the time you have on this world. He also perceives himself very differently depending on how hes feeling, either as a party host, a relaxed friend, a maniac, etc etc. It also usually depends on how hes being treated. They're generally very unpredictable though, so its hard to tell what mood or behavior they'll go into next.

He isnt really optimistic or pessimistic, but you could call them a bit of a nihilist.

Her motivation is generally just to have fun, or make anything fun—so she'll often do chaotic stuff for the sake of it even if it puts him in danger, or even if it puts others in danger.

A dark secret of his is that when he was younger, cuckoo birds would watch them, and straight up attack her anytime she was alone or chase her down—leading to him always having to hide. And each time, a woman in a mysterious cloak would show up (Hera)—who they learned to hate and had a strong hatred/spite toward after learning who she was (she still hates Hera btw). And one time, he got so desperate for them to stop attacking them or straight up trying to kill her that they murdered one by accident—in some desperate attempt to survive (because they probably would have killed him if he hadnt done something and had him literally cornered in a lone cave beside a cliff in a forest). Afterward, his adoptive mother found him bleeding out and breathing heavily—surrounded by dead birds, and took him to the hospital. Idi lied about it to the doctors later on due to Efia (thinking he might have just gone into some sort of mania and killed the birds, but wanted to protect him despite all odds and lied about what happened just to protect him). Idi wonders to this day if the birds were even actually illusions or if they were just being controlled by Hera, but he prefers to not think about it.

A big dream of theirs would be to go to the Underworld. Not for any specific reason. They just feel oddly drawn to it and aren't sure why. A bigger dream of his thing would be to be able to travel to Japan as she wants.

Their deepest fear would be death at the hands of Hera, or being finally killed by cuckoo birds. This is due to them having re-occuring nightmares about it, but barely acknowledge it since they try to avoid thinking of anything 'bad' or anything that spoils the whole 'EVERYTHING IS FUN LOL NOTHING MATTERS' view they have of the world.

An inner conflict he has is wondering why so many people always seem mad at him, or teeat him like shes a bad person (she doesnt really care about being a bad person or nor due to how little she cares for everything, but subconciously, consequences annoy her since she sees it as a end to her fun).

An external conflict she has is, well.. several? She gets kidnapped at some point while out at sea, but does eventually escape. But a more present one is their relationships with those in the camp being slightly ruined due to how much worse his actions get later on.

She kinda regrets what happened with the cuckoo birds, but she regrets not trying to kill or hurt the cloaked woman even more since the woman was watching the whole time and wasnt moving. She also desires to one day make everyone see the the world she does with her powers, cuz she has the power to enforce madness or a mania so strong upon others that it makes them not care about anything anymore and just care about having 'fun' no matter how terrible it may be.

An external pressure would be Efia struggling to cope with their issues, and constantly trying to protect them and get them to stop doing terrible things (Idi did more than just the cuckoo bird incident—chasing another kid down while holding a rather dangerous insect cuz it was 'funny'—and they still found it funny even after being scolded, trying to swim far away from their home or see how long they can go without anyone noticing—and almost drowning if it weren't for a family renting a ship that found her, pretending like they were gonna stab one of their bullies eyes out with a pencil because they thought their fear was amusing, etc.) At least to them since Idi genuinely doesnt realize or know whats wrong with them.

She's only really insecure about her fears, or how she reacts to cuckoo birds (especially if someone makes fun of him for it—which he always responds to by joking back and then hurting them in some way after).

He gets a great joy out of seeing other people scared or as manically happy or calm as he is. He finds it funnier to watch the sanity slowly leave their eyes as he forces mania onto them with her powers though.

As I mentioned, his worst nightmare would be dying at the hands of Hera or at cuckoo birds.

She also likely dies at some point and then comes back to life? Everyone keeps trying to kill them when theyre on quests, but they don't seem to really care, and kinda find the chase entertaining.

As I mentioned though, they probably do go to prison at some point, but once they escaoe, they become an actor thanks to the influence of their powers giving them an advantage over those around them (especially the acting company's she works for).

His powers are: Being able to summon vines or snakes, creating a cacophony of loud sounds or being able to deafen people, being able to enforce the same madness he has upon people or spread it to them by simply pressing his palm to their forehead or chest and holding them down, creating illusions, forcing people's worst fears into their head, being able to summon wine, being able to appear or shapeshift in the form of any sacred animal their father has, etc. Her eyes always glow bright purple when shes using her powers tho.

(Also she kinda dislikes Dionysus and generally wants to avoid him since she holds a grudge against him for him not being there, and also a grudge for something he said that they thought implied he never cared about them, which they didnt hear him about or ask about ever again and started avoiding seeing him altogether. Dionysus wanted them to know he cared, but decided to respect his boundaries and generally just tried to leave him alone, but still tries to re-kindle their relationship anyway. As best as he can. Idi rejects his attempts every time though.)

[soapskies]

Could I request yandere btas riddler and scarecrow, where they're helping each other to keep the reader all for themselves.

I love your writing so much I just want to eat it

YANDERE BTAS SCARECROW + RIDDLER

MALE READER. ROMANTIC HCS. CW FOR YANDERES TEAMING UP (GONE WRONG)

— sorry if these are a little short!

Spookiest man alive with smartest man alive, what could go wrong? (A lot actually)

Though you knew Scarecrow longer, Riddler would fall for you first, and harder.

They both admire your drive and your determination to accomplish your goals, but for Scarecrow it’s more about the fears that come with such a person…

Perhaps you’re afraid of failing, or proving yourself incompetent? It makes him find you all the more fascinating…

At first they had a bit of a rivalry. Scarecrow wasn’t willing to share, and Riddler wasn’t fond of the spooky fellow all that much. Riddler was especially concerned that Scarecrow would harm you for the sake of his experiments.

They respected each other, but taking their darling away from them? Neither of them are willing to give you up.

Edward is a lot better at hiding his disturbing tendencies, at least from your view, than Scarecrow is. He tries to romance you in the usual way, arranging things so you spend a lot of time with him and delivering (not so secret admirer) gifts to your doorstep.

Sure, Edward’s eliminated a lot of people in his way, but you don’t have to know that! He’s lucid enough to realize playing the long game will be more successful for him

While Edward plays savior, promising to protect you from Jonathan, Scarecrow takes advantage of your fears. He tries to convince you that Riddler is only acting polite for personal gain, that he would have no problem throwing you in one of his traps if you proved incompetent…

What if dear old Eddie pitied you, hmm? Only kept you around to make him feel better about himself? There hasn’t been anyone that Riddler considered an intellectual equal before, besides the Batman, after all. Scarecrow is just telling you how it is.

They may try to kill each other indirectly, but neither succeed. They were both expecting it.

Riddler is more open to working with others, and he sees Scarecrow as a grand opportunity to force you into his clutches.

It’d be a lot easier to control you if you were caught between two rogues.

When they meet, they come to an agreement: Scarecrow will be able to continue his experiments as long as they don’t put you in serious danger, driving you towards the Riddler, while Riddler will handle the technical stuff to ensure you’ll never be able to escape them.

Your relationship with them would be like running between two abusive exes.

Scarecrow’s manipulative, putting ideas into your head about your inadequacy and terrifying you into staying, always some underlying threat laced into his words when he shows you what he’s been working on or asks you to do something for him

While Riddler is very overprotective, constantly has you under surveillance, and caters to your every need, which can feel infantilizing and suffocating.

Even more so when you slowly find this all out, as his layers are pulled back the longer you live with him… it makes you think back to what Scarecrow had told you.

At this point, you’re probably too far gone to be dragged out of it. Edward’s taken care to remove you from any semblance of your old life.

Every time one of them hurts you, you run to the other for comfort, and it’s a never ending cycle.

And Riddler has to admit, it’s fun when you’re under the influence of a bit of fear toxin, and you’re desperate enough to be held and reassured, doing nothing to fight their hands all over you…