#particularly with hyouga

[hey-that-hurt]

Dr. Stone Whump Fic Recs

Per the request of @cloudyinvasion, and @thesuffererrrr might appreciate this list too.

This list will focus on bookmarks I've saved that are particularly whumpy or angsty, but as with the One Piece list DM me if you want to get all my AO3 bookmarks or any items I didn't feel comfortable sharing here.

I won't hide anime spoilers, but I'll hide manga spoilers.

Senku is one of my favorite whumpees. He has all the spunk and confidence of a shonen protaganist while physically being about as weak as a twig. And he's aroace! Not technically canon, but canon to me. I find him super relatable. And I want to see him hurt.

My Favorites

Death Sentence by Lieyantosh (@lieyanro on tumblr! they have some great whumpy art for this story on their blog) 68K words and ongoing. I am OBSESSED with this fic. Senku is captured during a devastating attack on the village, and brutally tortured by Hyouga. Senku struggles with his injuries and severe trauma, and his imprisonment under Tsukasa isn't helping things. Meanwhile, Tsukasa gradually realizes the extent that He Is The Bad Guy. Amazing plot and tension and suspense and whump and recovery that is only sort of recovery because the trauma is ongoing! Updates about every month and I read every new chapter almost immediately. One of my all-time favorite fanfics.

Eight Weeks by Luna_Moon22 Senku wakes up Hyouga instead of Tsukasa. When Hyouga realizes the power Senku holds and Senku realizes the danger Hyouga poses, Senku sends Taiju and Yuzuriha away to bide time for a rescue while he stalls under Hyouga, who wants him to make more revival fluid for him and is quite willing to resort to torture as "motivation".

Counting the Seconds by Sky_King Hyouga and those loyal to him kidnap Senku in the night, and it takes a bit for the village to realize he did not vanish willingly. Senku counts to try and keep his sanity as Hyouga tries to torture him into submitting to him. About 50% before rescue and 50% after. The recovery period is very very difficult, just as I like it.

One Mistake by Luna_Moon22 Senku is captured during a battle during the period where Gen had become loyal to the Kingdom of Science but was still acting as a spy. With a limited time before Senku is brought back to Tsukasa and likely killed, Gen bides his time as a double agent and waits for an opportunity to save Senku. Things quickly become complicated as Gen is asked to supplement torturing Senku with psychological torment. Some mild SenGen.

Inklings of Doubt by kiokukara Alright, side tangent for a moment. You know the season 1 episode The Treasure? The one where it's Senku's birthday and Gen and the village surprise him with an observatory and telescope, but the way they do it seems in every way like they are betraying him and handing him over to be killed by Tsukasa? I'm obsessed with it. Those few moments where we see Senku's inner emotional state as he puts on a brave face, showing bravado even as his heart breaks as he realizes that all these people he trusted, that he cares about, are about to send him to his death? AND THEN EVERYTHING IS IMMEDIATELY FINE? I'm obsessed. Anyway this is a brief what-if fic where instead of calmly waiting to die Senku attacks and runs away. I have a WIP continuation of this fic that I REALLY need to keep working on where Senku manages to escape before anyone can communicate the misunderstanding, leading to Senku struggling to survive by himself in the winter while the village desperately tries to track him down and explain that they aren't actually trying to kill him. Anyway yeah this fic is good.

The World Rests on My Shoulders (I Can't See The Stars Above) by RubyDragonQueen Another fic about the The Treasure episode. This one is canon compliant, focusing on Senku's mental state from the moment he is grabbed and blindfolded for his birthday surprise, to him secretly breaking down out of sight once the celebrations have ended.

Crossed Your Mind by Luki (KelpieCodyne) Not whumpy and not super angsty but really good so I'm including it anyway. Gen is actually psychic, and the stone world is like a breath of fresh air. Covers the ways that canon events change and stay the same up until a bit after Gen formally joins the Kingdom of Science.

Unseen Essentials by Justdumbfics Another one that honestly isn't all that angsty but I love. When Gen notices a lot of women going in and out of Senku's tent, seeming embarrassed, and getting reduced workloads, he worries that he's misjudged his friend's character.

Unseen Enemy by Justdumbfics Love a sickfic with a threat of death! When Senku realizes that Ryuusui has seemingly caught some sort of disease, the Kingdom of Science quickly takes action to prevent the spread and be prepared for the worst of the symptoms. But before development of treatment methods can be fully completed, Senku falls ill-- and his lack of natural immunity combined with his weak constitution means he takes it harder than anyone else.

Like Judith and Holofernes by divisiblebyfour Senku does not come back to life after Tsukasa strikes his neck and kills him. With no choice but to live under Tsukasa to survive, Yuzuriha and Taiju grieve. And Yuzuriha plans.

platinum rings for the end of the world by prikachuu (elenafizz) SenGen, ongoing. Gen and Senkuu are stuck in a time loop that restarts if either of them dies, sending them back to the day of the petrification. The two of them struggle to stay motivated as they relive the thousands of years of petrification over and over, in addition to the trauma of their deaths.

This Too Shall Pass by ArtMunNotebook Manga spoilers. The chase through the wilderness is a lot longer and more perilous. Senku is injured and doing very poorly. Not gonna say much more to avoid said manga spoilers, just read the tags and summary.

Whumpy

Territory by Luna_Moon22 Tsukasa intervenes when Senku is tortured by members of the Empire of Might. Senku's relief fades when he realizes that Tsukasa's behavior is not because Tsukasa is being merciful, but because he is being territorial. No noncon, but Tsukasa is yandere in this.

What They See by Luna_Moon22 As Tsukasa allows the Empire of Might's members to beat him, Senku desperately hopes Taiju and Yuzuriha are not there to see it happen.

Stealing My Breath Away by Jaggedwing Senku has an undiagnosed chronic respiratory problem from before the petrification occurred. Anxious that it could make him be seen as a liability, he does his best to hide it. This becomes no longer possible when he has a severe attack in the middle of traveling with a group.

Blindsided by Dragoniangirl An explosion burns Senku's eyes. Senku struggles with sleep and sensory overload as he waits to heal enough for the bandages to be removed, not knowing if he will still be able to see.

You didn't fail, and I'm hear with you now by AliceAlyss Post-Treasure Island, Gen helps Senku when he is injured by a lab accident, and learns that Senku has been dealing with the urge to self-harm due to anxiety and guilt over past failures and near-failures.

Fix Me; Fix Who? by Widow_Spyder As the Treasure Island ficaso is concluding, it is discovered that a piece is missing from the head of Gen's statue. As the search for the missing piece begins, Senku tries to hide how terrified he is from his friends. Sengen.

Scarlet Painted Sleep by Birbliophile A couple alternative turns of events leading to character deaths, presented as nightmares.

conversations with a house of cards by stagbody Moz is even more brutal and cruel than in canon. Before the entirety of Treasure Island is petrified, Moz stabs Gen with a spear, leaving him to painfully bleed out. After Gen is de-petrified, Gen lives with the trauma and Senku struggles with guilt.

Hope by anonymous_dragon In a version of events where Tsukasa was far, far worse, the Kingdom of Science explores the camp of the Kingdom of Might after Tsukasa's death and finds Ukyo, who has been kept prisoner for far too long.

stood beneath the burning tree (and hoped to rescue leaves) by yelp When Senku's promise that no one will die is unable to be fulfilled, Ukyo hands him over to Tsukasa, believing that this is the best way to minimize bloodshed.

Consequent by Hamii (Ham_ham) In a post-canon world, Senku is captured and tortured by a cult that worships the eternal life granted by the petrification devices, furious at him for ruining their immortality.

we're so blue, my neptune by breathethepurple (bleedpurple) Manga spoilers. Gen is used as a hostage to force Senku to reveal himself.

Ain't Dead Yet by Blade_Wielding_Ace Manga spoilers. A brief expansion on that whumpy thing that happens.

Shattering a Stony Mask by Blade_Wielding_Ace Manga spoilers. The enemy catches up to Senku. He is shot right before he is petrified, and his friends find his statue with his fear of his impending death frozen upon his face.

And I Hold On by RubyDragonQueen During the first six months, an albino Senku gets severely sunburned. What would have been a minor concern in the modern world poses a severe risk as Senku worries what will happen if the blisters become infected.

Angsty

I'll Bear This Burden (We'll Do it together) by RubyDragonQueen During the building of the Perseus, the responsibilities and trauma weighing on Senku cause him to spend multiple days without sleeping. His friends intervene.

"Sorry, that's not enough for you" by al_the_arsonist No petrification AU. Senku is aroace and doesn't realize it, and has self-esteem issues due to not knowing why he is how he is. Gen accidentally accuses Senku of not loving anyone, hurting his feelings. I personally don't see Senku as someone who would care much about what other people think about his behavior, but I don't care it's a fic about one of my favorite characters experiencing the joy that comes from finally realizing there's nothing wrong with him, he's just aroace. I'm fine. I'm okay.

Unseen Scars by WriterzBlock Gen is there as Senku wakes up from a nightmare after Treasure Island. Senku opens up about the many things that have been weighing on him since he first emerged from petrification.

Red-Eyed Ghost by Birbliophile A continuation of Like Judith and Holofernes, mentioned above. Yuzuriha and Taiju move forward, and Yuzuriha hallucinates Senku's ghost.

Second by Second by RubyDragonQueen Manga spoilers. [spoiler character] is the only one there to help when sudden darkness causes Senku to have a panic attack.

Ashes, ashes by cherrycotton Manga spoilers. Senku witnesses what happens in chapter 189.

one second at a time by Anonymous Senku struggles with isolation at night. Ukyo finds him having a panic attack, and offers to sleep with him. Like, literally sleep with him. Though this fic is a little bit shippy.

Winged Rät by StormStreaks Manga spoilers. Senku gets to do some much deserved yelling.

through the cold dark night by Fathomless_Crazy Senku is afraid of sleeping. Gen helps.

we've ridden the stars (from saturn to mars) by jumpinginmuddypuddles Manga spoilers. Gen goes around and helps people with whatever is troubling them.

memorial by discorale The reality of the stone world finally hits Ukyou. Comforting may not be Senku's forte, but he does his best.

Last Message by calmingchick_en Byakuya left Senku a second, more heartfelt record.

Waiting Once More by RubyDragonQueen Manga spoilers! Senku waits again, uncertain what the fate of the world and himself will be.

Counting Fics

I felt like these needed their own category. If you are looking into these fics without having watched/read Dr. Stone-- first of all fix that, but secondly you'll need to know that Senku spent something like three thousand years petrified, but mentally awake, perfectly counting every passing second. This is not treated as horrifying by canon. Much of the fandom disagrees.

And The World Moves On by EvilGenius Moments of Senku's time under petrification, and the ways he quietly struggles to cope after.

It's been a long day (without you my friend) by DecimalSheep Senku can't stop counting, and after the isolation and sensory deprivation of the petrification there are some things that are difficult.

Always Counting by That_Tired_Girl Gen talks to Senku about the counting.

An Eternity in a Night by A_Thousand_Skies (cywscross) Senku counts in his sleep. Gen and Ryuusui help his mind calm down. Gen/Senku/Ryuusui.

Heartbeat by Hadrian_Pendragons Ukyo overhears Senku having a nightmare, and helps him calm down after waking him up. Ukyo learns about the counting.

[fruiteggsaladit]

oh thoughts abt in the time kurama and hiei know each other, that one or both of them MUST have fallen ill at some point. One can make the argument that they're demons so they won't have human illnesses but also that is boring.

Hiei being under the weather and Kurama doing some 4d chess manipulation tactics to help him bc he knows Hiei would never admit to feeling ill, Hiei belatedly realising this and going "this round to Kurama, hmph" [smiles] Narrator: Hiei didn't realise this but this was in fact embarrassing, even for him.

Meanwhile Kurama wonders once again if there was some aspect to this that he's missing (Hiei putting him on a taller pedestal than he realises) bc he belatedly remembers that Hiei thinks he's a master manipulator - which he is, but he's comparing himself to Yoko Kurama, so he feels like he's not matching up to Hiei's expectations (bc why wouldn't he expect the genius thief fox? he's the reincarnation of him, isn't he?) and is intimidated about that!

He also feels like he owes Hiei something, bc he's been wanting for a demon friend his age? And it's not Hiei's fault that Kurama feels like it's a monkey's paw situation: he didn't expect Hiei to get this attached to him and he did not ask for a friend who'd kill for him! Very very easily too, it's an adjustment after 13 years of trying to be a human-only child.

Flattering but intimidating! Bc if Kurama had ANY say in the matter, I think the most stress or drama he'd want in life would not excede anything that could happen in Natsume Yuujinchou. If a crossover happened, he'd be asking, "Take me and my family with you". He has no idea when or how this happened that Hiei values his input as much as he does, and when exactly it became scary to not meet Hiei's expectations. And he knows! He's projecting! It doesn't stop the projecting from happening though!

It also doesn't help that they have different ideas about what it means to be vulnerable! Particularly when it comes to physical injury or exhaustion, I think is where they differ most. Hiei grew up powerful and then chose to leave it for the sake of a different power for seeking Hyouga, leading to a weaker body and much less significant powers than when he still had fire powers.

Kurama meanwhile has had an entire childhood and time to reflect on the fact that he's different now - death and rebirth makes it a cleaner slate for him. Someone can point out, "wow you're a lot weaker than before," and he'll go "And? I already know this," or "Yeah, it'll be really inconvenient for you." His health and ease of being harmed is obvious to him that it doesn't matter if someone sees him sick or hurt, because compared to Yoko Kurama, of course he'll be weak. Sick or hurt matters very little when Kurama already always feels a lot weaker than he used to be.

So when Kurama gets sick, he stays in bed and does not go to school, and Hiei, when coming to visit while this happens, is baffled. And then comes to peace w that too.

Kurama: (what's this ominous feeling I have. This is too complicated rn, I need soup.)

Shortly after Hiei becomes more talkative with Kurama, MONOLOGUES AHOY! (Think first appearance Hiei.) And Kurama realises the misunderstanding that because he's 'allowed' Hiei to see him sick, Hiei thinks it's equivalent to seeing Kurama at his most vulnerable, which means they're closer now (Hiei thinks). It's very convoluded to Kurama but it's also a relief to realise something about the other guy's thought process.

[rainingskyguy]

Missing Scene for Counting the Seconds

So a lot of people were asking me how had Asagiri “fuck manual labor” Gen managed to kill Hyouga in my Counting the Seconds fic (link be here)

Welp.

In a very Gen-like fashion apparently.

Sneaky and manipulation people’s attention.

This is a little bit more graphic than the fic itself, tw listed on the tags.

I.

Gen watched all the enraged Ishigami villagers following Kohaku into the raid with grim satisfaction. He let them rush past him, hands itching to draw his katana– to fucking murder everyone on sight– but if he wanted to save Senku, if he wanted to make Hyouga pay, he needed to calm down.

So he waited.

He waited until the cloud of dust of Senku’s people died down. He waited until he could hear pandemonium running wild down in Hyouga’s dumpster. He waited until his blood stopped boiling, until he could smile again. Non-threatening, non-aggressive. Exuding nothing but the calmness of the forest, nothing but the wispy mist of the morning.

When he could breathe without choking on his anger, he finally began walking forward.

II.

He weaved his way between combats, his aura so passive and unaggressive nobody looked twice at his drawn blade. He ducked from stone staffs, he side-stepped bodies falling around him. He let the spray of life blood stain his clothes, as the smallest disturbance would draw attention to him. He moved through the world as if he wasn’t even there, tricking himself into believing that the emotion at his core was not pure, seething anger.

He breathed in deeply– blood, sweat, the smell of death– and calmed down before continuing on his way.

He began checking tent after tent, seeking a mop of white hair, warm red eyes. He was going to get him out.

He was so late, but he had come for him. 

They had come for him.

He would get him out. 

When he noticed Chrome out of all people, exiting one of the tents, panicked, frantic and carrying a skeletal Senku on his back– he almost lost control of everything.

Senku was beaten bloody, his white hair heavy with grime and blood and sweat. His eyes were covered in leather, tears of blood running down from under the blindfold. His cheekbones were so sharp; he was vaguely certain they would impale Chrome’s head.

He looked to be on Death’s door.

They had taken so long.

Gen gritted his teeth, his lips pulling back in a grimace– his scar taut against his skin. Taut like the anger threatening to course through his veins.

No.

Senku was safe.Chrome had gotten him out.He was going to be just fine.

Gen had a mission to fulfill.

Hyouga would pay. 

III.

After he had managed to calm down again, Gen continued on his trek, as distant to the violence around him as he’d be in a field of flowers.

His eyes scanned his surroundings, and soon enough he had found his target. 

Kohaku –of course it was her– was fighting Hyouga, struggling against his all-reaching spear. Like the moon reflecting off the surface of a pond, nothing but a deadly illusion.

Hyouga may be the all-powerful moon, but he was so self-assured, so certain in his own power, relishing on his own reflection off the water, he did not see what was lurking underneath the surface.

Lurking, and dying to unhinge his jaw and swallow him whole.

Gen stepped forward. 

IV.

Kohaku was struggling, receiving minor slashes every time she tried to draw close, her fury, her rage only growing with every foiled attempt.

How was she going to end him?

She parried an overreaching attack and lunged– Hyouga wasted precious seconds realizing his mistake even as he stepped back, trying to put a second of distance between them to take his spear back.

Kohaku slithered under his arms and was driving the katana – through his face, through his eye and through his brain, make him suffer, make him squirm– but Hyouga stepped and suddenly there was a knee in her chest.

It drove the breath out of her lungs, her ribs– already hurt, injured from before– creaking ominously. Her hold weakened, the attack did not reach and she was sailing through the air to land heavily on her back.

Kohaku gasped in pain, shock– but she was already jumping to her feet before her body finished processing the assault. And just in time, as Hyouga’s spear hurtled to bury itself where she had been. 

Kohaku saw the chance and let her body follow the movement of the spear, her eyes firmly trained on her target. She saw him clutch the weapon with both hands, and she rolled out of the way before he had time to send her flying again. 

She jumped to her feet, a feral grin on her face when she realized at the same time as Hyouga. 

She had a clear hit. 

As did he. 

She ran forward, a war cry on her lips to give herself courage– Hyouga stepped back, his face twisted in murderous anger, as he tried gaining back control over the situation. 

His spear was going to sever her head and-Kohaku’s face was suddenly drenched in blood, a thing so disconcerting, she actually stumbled, stopped on her tracks– but the spear did not strike her dead.

She stared, uncomprehending as she realized that piercing her enemy’s chest– right over the heart– protruded the bloody end of a katana.

From where…?

Hyouga’s face twisted in futile rage, as he bared his teeth down at the weapon. With a cry of rage, knowing that it was over– he raised his spear and aimed it at Kohaku’s defenseless face. She was too shocked, too tired to react in time– but the katana embedded in his body twisted and Hyouga writhed, blood coming out of his mouth. His spear clattered to the ground.

“This… is not…over.” Hyouga sneered– but just a second later the light finally vanished from his eyes and with his final exhalation he crumpled to the ground.

Kohaku just stared, panting, exhausted and confused as none other than Asagiri Gen greeted her sight. Bathed in blood, no real expression on his face after just murdering a man– and actually she hadn’t been able to sense him, where had he come-?

When Hyouga’s body hit the ground, the illusion broke and a macabre grin spread over bloody, bruised lips. His eyes widened, the shadows on his face lengthened and suddenly Kohaku was choking on the murderous aura he was exuding as he laughed. Short, deep chuckles that sounded way too much like a sob, a cry of anguish.

It came as no surprise what he did next.

He took his katana back– a foot against his back as he pulled It free, splashing gore everywhere. Gen stumbled back, a step, two, then he screamed in outrage and cleanly severed his head in a single hit and proceeded to punt it away with his foot.

The rage vanished almost as fast as it had appeared and with it, the grief was back. It created new shadows on his face, letting the adrenaline dissipate and he crumbled to the ground. 

The entire world was silent. 

The moon had fallen. Had been swallowed whole from the sky. 

Nothing remained in its wake, except the subtle ripples of a deceptively calm pond. 

Nothing except the asphyxiating void of the sky overhead.

 The entire world was silent. 

Kohaku rushed after him, making sure he wasn’t injured, while around them– the remaining members of Hyouga’s empire surrendered their weapons, their leader gone, their will broken.

Kohaku didn’t care, she could no longer afford to care.

Senku was safe.

Gen was okay.

Everything…

Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she collapsed on top of Gen.

[thekingofthieves]

Do different types of demons have different types of reproductive anatomy and/or reproductive abilities?? Like how the koorime are able to reproduce asexually.

Mhm, while the most common type of reproductive anatomy amongst demons aren't much or at all different from humans- thus why some can mate with them- there's even more range to them than there is amongst all of the creatures in the Ningenkai. Some moreso resemble the fish or insects of this world, or even enact the process of fission like starfish. There's actually a few types of demons that reproduce more like plants do as well, who can self-"pollinate" if they so choose. Additionally, there's also the case of what Yomi has done with his son, Shura- taking the human phrase of, ah, "test tube baby" to a more... extreme and literal level. 😅

I'm not the most familiar with the specifics of it since it's quite rare to encounter these types of demons, but ones that communicate solely through telepathy are able to impregnate one another through that ability... I assume it might be something to do with activating the release of specific chemicals that forms the fetus. And they don't appear to create cloned offsprings, so perhaps the dna is somehow altered in their mind link... Ah, but keep in mind, this is all speculation, really.

There's also a ritual that's possible for any demons to do for creating a child together (I'm unsure if humans are capable of it, it's potentially incompatible with reiki). However, it's not commonly done because depleting so much of your youki for an extended period can easily be fatal in the Makai. You see, to complete this process two or more demons have to collect pieces of themselves that carry enough of their dna (claws, hairs, skin, and the like), and center their youki to try materializing the fetus and a sort of "egg" out of the items. It's easier for those who already excel in object manifestation, but for those who don't specialize in that, it can take them some time to do it successfully- and each attempt drains their energy. After that, more youki has to be centered on it to summon a soul so it won't be stillborn, and then it has to be continuously fed more youki over time to help the fetus develop.

I've also questioned Yukina about the specifics of Koorime reproduction before. Honestly, sometimes I worry I'm burdening her with too many queries about the race and how life was on Hyouga... 😅 I'm just so curious since there's so little known about them on the outside. She reassures me she doesn't mind and is happy to share about her home, I just hope she truly means that... She's quite patient and indulgent, after all.

Koorime actually do something a bit similar to the process I described above- specifically with creating a fetus through youki- though they're unique in that they can create the fetus solo. They also don't require to continuously feed it youki, as it's receiving nutrients within them like a typical pregnancy. However, it seems they can only do this once a century. And when the time comes, apparently it's expected of them to impregnate themselves- if they can't or won't, the elders will focus their own youki into the other Koorime's body to form the fetus. If that still doesn't work... I guess those unable to become pregnant tend to be looked down upon- not necessarily mistreated per se, but Yukina said she certainly noticed a more distant and judgemental air from some- particularly the elders- around those who are infertile. Apparently the woman who raised her, Rui, was one of those few. I suppose even for demons fit for the harsh elements of Hyouga, there's still regimens needed to keep the race alive, but to rely on something like forced impregnation... Even if pregnancy hasn't been a possibility for me since very early on in my life, that thought still makes my skin crawl.

[suffering-with-fiery]

Rune translations and Bottom theories (I did my best!) (: It's long! I mean REALLY REALLY REALLY LONG!!!! You've been warned. (Potential TWs below the cut) yeah Hyoga doesn't have a good time here.

I should probably start calling Hyoga "Hyouga" instead since I'm pretty sure it's spelled with a 'U'... but I probably won't. Apologies.

Bottom English translation by Tackmyn Y! (I can't speak Japanese, again, apologies, though I was able to make my own version of Autophagy)

Potential TWs (I dont want to harm anyone by going on this rant): Autophagy (medical terms), nightmares, demons tormenting a guy, Hyoga being unhealthy in more ways than one, mentions of death/murder, self esteem issues, mentions of destructive behavior, manipulation, violence.

Yeah, my boy Hyoga ain't having a good time in this theory.

I feel the need to clarify that this is all speculation. So uh. Everything here is just what I've been thinking about since I hopped into this rabbit hole.

Sinfan (I'm not sure what order they go in, it's quite hard to tell):

["Death"

"I"

"Revive"

"Spirit"

"I"

"Something with shape"]

I'm not fully sure what "something with shape" means, but there's a possibility that Sinfan could be referring to Hyoga, (a doll/wax figure) or maybe that Sinfan needs something with a shape to be able to exist. Sinfan could need a vessel to stay on the mortal plain and go undetected while staying alive.

Sinfan needs a vessel. And with that thought, it launches into indecipherable theory crafting.

Hyoga summoned Sinfan when he was 12 years old. Thinking he found a vessel, he called upon Pabometh, another grey demon, to help torment Hyoga so the two could get their wish.

Hyoga, at the time, is young, dumb and susceptible to manipulation, meaning it could be easy for Sinfan to grasp the situation with an iron grip which follows Hyoga into adulthood.

"Revival" could also be referring to "Rebirth," symbolized by a butterfly. It could also mean that Sinfan/Pabo has the powers to revive people. Maybe as a last resort if they need it.

In Hiiragi Kirai's album trailer on Youtube, Hyoga shows up in a scene with 'D' and 'B' in calligraphy on each cheek. They could mean "Death" and "Birth" respectively.

Lines from Autophagy:

"I just wants a peaceful life." Likely means Hyoga wants the demons gone so he can live how he wants to. (Who wouldn't?)

"The voice inside my head? Huh... how odd." Also implies that the demons are still with him.

"My body pulses, memories from my past bringing pain." Means that in Autophagy, Hyoga remembers his past, but it hurts him.

""You can't avoid it in life, so it's best to just deal with it." You say, but you dont seem bothered." Is most likely Sinfan talking to Hyoga. It could also mean that Hyoga can't avoid the demons, so he should just deal with it.

"I can't stop now, so pretend nothing happened!" Could be Hyoga trying to ignore the demons, or maybe he did something he shouldn't have. (Always knew those were prison tattoos...)

"I want to wash my skull out! I want to say bye bye! But yet I didn't do it..." Could mean that the demons are still with him in Autophagy and likely still tormenting him.

"I won't stop, I can't look back." Might mean Hyoga is trying to move on, but with the demons still in his head, he can't, so the "Let me forget!" after the instrument solo might be him wishing that he never remembered in the first place and trying to get the demons to take them away again.

"Just stay away from me!" Could be Hyoga distancing himself from everyone he knows, or trying to get the demons to go away.

"Hello! HAHAHAHA Hello! HAHAHAHAHA!" Might be Hyoga as he slowly loses his remaining sanity due to constant tormenting and pressure from the demons.

"A A A A- 'Allo/Allow/Arrow" could all imply different things, so I'll give a short on all of them.

"'Allo!" Is just an abbreviation of "Hello."

"Arrow!" -According to a quick google search- is a common symbolism for peace and philosophical ideas, and used for protection and hunting. It could mean that Hyoga just wants peace and quiet, which is enforced by "I just want a peaceful life." in the beginning.

"Allow!" Could mean that the demons are trying even harder to bend him to their will and take him over as a vessel. They want Hyoga to allow them to posses him so they can do whatever they please.

Pabo only has 2 that I can see:

["Nightmare"

"Save (?)ime"]

It might be "time" but I couldn't make out the rune symbol there.

"Nightmare" hardens my thought that Bottom is just a massive nightmare set up by the demons to torment Hyoga, that the song is sung from the perspective of one of the demons (likely Pabo), and that Young Hyoga(tm) in the video is Pabometh playing the part of his repressed/forgotten memories.

This is all assuming the song is, infact, sung by the demons.

Lines from Bottom:

"You're keeping me alive! Today, today, you're killing me!" Could go both ways (Pabo/Sinfan and Hyoga) For Pabo it could just be another variation of the next line I'm about to talk about.

For Hyoga it could mean that he wouldn't be able to function if he didn't have the demons (Sinfan might posses him to make him fit in so nobody notices, keep him from dying from mortal wounds, and he's lived with them so long he might not know what to do without them), but with them he's slowly tearing himself apart from the inside out due to their constant tormenting. Metaphorically or literally is anyone's guess at the moment.

"Autophagy" (his songs name) is a medical term for "self eat" which normally happens when your body is starved, so it eats it's own cells to survive as long as it can. It can also correlate to certain diseases. Autophagy in these terms might also be referring to emotions. It's possible he's been stewing in any sort of negative emotions to cause such effects. (I.E: Guilt, fear, self worth issues,) which could make his resolve weaker, making it easier for Pabo and Sinfan to torment him/possess him. The longer it goes on, the closer he could be to self destructing.

"A wax figure/a doll is keeping me alive/killing me." Is more related to the demons in my eyes. "Wax figure/a doll" is likely referring to Hyoga. Hyoga could be their only tie to the mortal realm, (Sinfan being more prominent because he was summoned first, and by Hyoga himself.)

It could also mean that they need to inhabit his mind/body in order to survive and make it easier to torment Hyoga. If they both are in Hyoga's mind 24/7 while he suffers from nightmares (which cause lack of sleep, keeping his body in a perpetually weak state), no self worth, and a fragile mental state ("I wanna keep you out of my fragile mind!") while he tears himself apart, it would mean it would be harder to stay with him without something happening.

Due to that, it's likely that the very thing keeping them alive and in the mortal realm is also killing them at the same time.

It may be worth mentioning that a line in Bottom is "You think you're a god to me?" while 9lore translated Rinen's (Möbius') tattoo on his chest, which reads "Be still and know that I am god." It could a a coincidence, but I thought I'd mention it just in case (:

Throughout the entire song the demons are mocking and belittling Hyoga. (I.E: "Defying all logic, you're nothing but evil." "You're so stupid! You scumbag, scumbag, scumbag!") Most of the angry rant type of thing happens when Young Hyoga (tm) is on-screen. (It could be a tactic to make Hyoga not want to remember/manipulate his memories/tear down his resolve even more/or just plain upset him.)

"I mean, who, who, who are you?" It's been made clear that for the longest time (according to WOOMA) Hyoga didn't even remember his own name. "Who are you?" might be Pabo trying to get into Hyoga's head and make him question his own sanity.

"What the hell are you to me?" Implies that Pabo also want Hyoga to question why Pabo is here. Sinfan was summoned by Hyoga, but Pabometh was likely summoned by Sinfan to help tear down Hyoga. That means the two don't have much history, and Hyoga most likely doesn't know why Pabo is here for awhile.

It's "you to me" instead of "me to you" so Pabo could also be trying to get Hyoga to try and notice him in a positive way so that the nightmares stop. I'll expand on that some more a few (a lot) of paragraphs down.

"Inside my heart is- such a rage! Such a rage! So I'll grab you, grasp you, and crush you flat!" Is a line I find interesting. It also leads directing into another line; "The symptom of the unforgettable emotion is my burning intent to murder, which is absolutely right." Pabo would likely be talking about Hyoga, which implies that if he could, Pabo would murder Hyoga himself, but since the "wax figure" is needed to keep both him and his accomplice, Sinfan, alive, he can't.

It also implies that Pabo is extremely angry with Hyoga, for a reason I can't particularly pinpoint, except maybe for the fact that Hyoga's becoming more and more unstable and not safe for Pabo and Sinfan. The only problem is, it's Pabo and Sinfans fault he's like that. They're the ones that chose Hyoga as a vessel while simultaneously destroying him.

However, it's possible that Pabo's aim was to devoid Hyoga of anything and everything, (I.E: memories, emotions, etc. etc.) so that he was just that: a vessel. But with Hyoga being so destructive to himself, the whole plan could have gone awry and Pabo's only thought was how furious he was at Hyoga for messing up his chance to be in the mortal realm undetected for good, meaning he wishes he could destroy Hyoga and just get it over with so him and Sinfan could wait until someone else summoned them so they could take advantage of that.

""How deplorable you are! How deplorable you are!"" Is a line that has a chance of Hyoga himself having said it due to it having quotes on it. It also implies that he he could be fighting back, so his resolve might not crushed completely. However, a show of strength like that would likely just enrage Pabometh even more than he already is. It also doesn't help the positive impression he wants Pabo to have of him.

"You're involving yourself with me again like a clingy, clingy neighbor!" Sounds like Pabo, again, insulting Hyoga. If we go off of another part of this fever dream I've cooked up, (Hyoga not knowing what to do without the demons, but with them destroying himself), sounds like Pabo doesn't want to be with Hyoga anymore, going as far as hating him so much he's festering in it.

The "again" makes it sound like Hyoga's tried to communicate with them more than once, being unsuccessful each time. Hyoga could be trying to latch onto them, either to take them down with him or trying to get the nightmares to stop. Like I said, for a while Hyoga could have been trying to get positive attention and make Pabo like him.

"The low-end is going to manipulate me." Could be Pabo addressing that he knows what Hyoga was trying to do and calling him out for it.

"Brimming with momentary anger, rot away quickly, quickly, quickly!" Again, Pabo is talking about his burning hatred for Hyoga.

"I'm always losing! How, how dare you!" Implies that even with all the nightmares and torment, Hyoga has just enough willpower to keep Pabo from getting his wish, angering him even more.

And finally, a line from Autophagy:

"Oh, rise seeds of evil, bursting with malice!" Might be Hyoga finally giving into the demons and becoming their vessel if they take away his painful memories and stop hurting him.

Pentagram:

["-r Guide(A) N(?)E A(?)R"

"The ability to know wh-"

"Grant me the power to be strong in spirit-"

"Grant me the wisdom to understand-"]

With it over Pabo, it's possible that this was the one that summoned Pabo instead of Sinfan, although with it also under Hyoga, it could be Sinfan's. Who knows, it might also be boths.

In the ending scene with the pentagram, the colors of the other songs are visible, meaning that it's possible all of them are connected.

(I could go on for hours about the small loopholes that I think mean all the songs are connected in specific ways. Either way I know they're all from the same universe.)

With all their colors on it, it might mean they all have a demon of their own.

I'm still working slightly on the pentagram, I'll probably keep ya updated if I can find out what the rest of it says (:

If anyone can find the full version (preferably readable) of the pentagram, that'd be lovely (if it even exists)

(If you find more runes in "Bottom" or another Hiiragi song I'd be happy to see if I can translate it (: I'm not very good though, and I can't speak Japanese-)

English translation of Bottom used by: Tackmyn Y (I don't know where you are but you're a lifesaver)

Find any spelling errors, let me know! I'll see if I can fix 'em (:

If you read this far, what're you doing??

Have an absolutely amazing day!!! <3

[intobarbarians]

part two to this

The old woman holds him up by his neck and shows his mother the mark down his spine. “He is cursed, Hina. For the sake of village, he must be dealt with.”

His mother is weak from childbirth. He is sorry he couldn’t have made it easier on her. The fire around him rages only hotter, never abating.

For him, Hina stands tall. “Give my son back to me.”

The old woman smiles. He despises her. She hands him off to another--

His mother falters. “Rui?”

Rui swaddles him in blankets tenderly, as if he has not already guessed what these women plan to do. He burns her on purpose until her fingers sizzle. She bears the pain without complaint.

Then the wards are fastened, and his fire dims.

His mother begs. “Rui, please--”

Over his mother’s cries, she carries him to the edge of Hyouga.

“You may return to the village and kill us all. I will not begrudge you your vengeance,” Rui tells him softly. “But if you wish for peace, you must find the one whose name is written on your back.” She tucks a pearl into his blanket and lets go.

His mother screams.

He falls through the clouds and the mists, brushing past the tree branches that futilely try to catch him.

Vengeance, he thinks as the river swallows him up.

He chooses vengeance.

***

An ogre snatches him from the water’s grasp.

“That’s a weird lookin’ fish you caught there, Burim.”

“This ain’t no fish, Mito!”

Mito sighs. “I know it’s a fucking baby. You’ve got him upside down, Burim.”

Burim wheels him around. The world turns right side up. “What do we do with it? We’re supposed to be hunting dinner!”

Mito looks at him dubiously. He has very sharp teeth. “We’ll let the boss decide.”

***

The boss tries to take his pearl. His finger is almost severed at the joint for his trouble.

He prepares himself to be tossed aside--again.

The boss grins.

Burim nudges Mito. “Guess we’re keeping him.”

***

Mito says sternly, “You need a bath.”

Fuck off.

Burim gingerly approaches from the other side. “Babies need to be clean.”

“We can smell your dirty diaper, kid, and so can the marks that come through our territory.”

Fuck. Off.

Mito shakes his head. “It didn’t have to be this way.”

***

Burim scrubs his hair while Mito holds him by his feet with fire proof gloves. “Uh, Mito? What the fuck is on his back?”

***

The boss observes the mark from a safe distance away. “Looks like human language.”

“Which one?” Burim asks. “Humans got a ton of them.”

“Dunno. Can’t read it, whatever it is.” The boss feels pity for the little thing. “Who would tattoo a baby?”

Mito stands away from the fire and says nothing.

***

He is seven years old and still has no name.

“Kid,” the boss says quietly. “You didn’t have to kill them.”

The other bandits kill all of the time. He watches them do it.

The ground is soaked in blood. “Not like this.”

***

How much killing is too much? He doesn’t know.

No one can say.

He notices he crosses the line only when it’s miles behind him.

***

Sometimes the killing is good. The admiration edges out their fear of him.

Burim sits beside him at the campfire. Not too close. “You were like a flying shadow back there.”

Flying shadow.

It suits him.

***

Hiei stares at the pearl in secret. It calms him, comforts him like he thinks his mother would if he hadn’t been ripped from her arms.

He forgets about the mark on his back most of time.

He doesn’t even know what it looks like, and he doesn’t ask for anyone to describe it, either.

***

They want to leave him behind. He’s heard them discuss it when they think he’s not listening.

Good. He’s only getting stronger. These fools are holding him back.

***

Mito pulls him aside after a particularly bountiful robbery. “About your mark--”

Hiei jerks out of his grasp. “I don’t care.”

Mito pushes a book from the human realm in his hands. He’s the one that taught Hiei how to read the common tongue of Makai. “I figured out which human language it is.”

“I said I don’t care.” He has no use for anything of human origin, the fluke on his back notwithstanding.

“Hiei,” Mito says when the laughter around the fire is loud and raucous, “the name on your back belongs to your soulmate.”

That is the stupidest fucking thing he’s ever heard in his life. “Why would my soulmate’s name be written in a human language?” How absurd.

Mito stares at him meaningfully.

Fuck.

***

He departs from the group for three days. He comes back with bags of gold to make up for his absence.

Burim gapes. “Where--?”

Mito shushes him.

Burim gets the message. “Thanks, Hiei.”

Hiei focuses on the weight of the pearl around his neck.

***

His soulmate is a fucking human.

What kind of joke do the gods think they’re playing?

***

They leave him when he’s a bit older.

Hiei comes back to camp after hunting a wild boar and finds it empty.

Beside the carefully extinguished fire is the dictionary Mito tried to give him.

***

Hiei sets the dictionary on fire.

***

He does not need a soulmate.

He caresses the pearl in his hands.

He has this.

***

He loses the pearl.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

***

Rui collapses to her knees. “So you’ve returned.” She tilts her head forward, waiting for the cut of his sword.

Hiei looks around the village. These women are all more miserable than he could ever make them. The desire for vengeance ebbs.

He feels unmoored.

Rui watches his face. “Or did you come for your sister?”

***

Yukina.

They have the same eyes.

His sister walks barefoot in the snow. She loves the cold, the birds that flock to her when she beckons.

Their mother should have lived, if only for her.

***

Shigure offers him a deal. The jagan for a story, if it’s a good one.

Hiei tells him everything.

Everything except his human soulmate.

***

The recovery suite in Shigure’s home is the first time Hiei has access to a mirror.

He debates with himself for ten minutes before throwing off the cloak.

There is no name on his back.

Hiei laughs and laughs. “Good! I never wanted you anyway,” he tells the empty room.

It’s true. And yet--

Hiei puts the cloak back on.

***

Shigure doesn’t mind the shattered mirror. He doesn’t mention it at all.

Hiei drops the coin purse on the table, just in case. He would prefer to pay with money rather than explain his behavior with another story.

[beneathtreemomo]

Hmm-Atsuya, Nosaka and Haizaki! OwO

The others are under the cut! (Disclaimer: I still haven’t watched much of Ares or Orion so my knowledge of Nosaka and Haizaki is…. very limited)Fubuki Atsuya     How I feel about him: Ooooohhhhhh look at the big bad wolf and his fangy fangs he’s so cute and even though he can kill a fully grown bear I love him and will protect this gay (or bi, depending on universe)disaster until my last breath. He is so protective it’s adorable and the fact he falls a bit flat in his incarnations is so disappointing, but then again all of Orion feels pretty flat so it doesn’t really surprise me. STILL it would be nice to see more than loud impulsive crazy boy.     Romantic ships w/ him: *cough*yoru*cough**cough* seriously with canon characters though? probably Someoka if it’s OG and Nae if it’s Ares/Orion. He and Someoka/Nae bounce of each other in a similar way to Gouenji and Shirou, and it makes for cute relationships that either have Atsuya being kept in check but supported, or leave him so floundered and confused and in love that it’s adorable!!     Non-romantic ships w/ him: Atsuya & Shirou, Atsuya & Hakuren, Atsuya & Nae, Atsuya & Someoka, Atsuya & Life, Atsuya & Hiroto, Atsuya & Mitsuru, Atsuya & Hyouga, Atsuya & Gouenji     Unpopular Opinion of character: You know I’m sure there’s something more in depth to his character yet still slightly silly but I honestly can’t think of anything right now xD Right now all my brain can think of is that he can actually be super serious when needed and he’s just being wild/crazy because… well, idk he’s hotheaded and maybe that’s what used to be expected of him by their peers as a way to differentiate from Shirou.      One thing from canon: I would have loved to see more of him in OG! More specifically, the Atsuya that wasn’t trying to take over. See him slip out in small rings of gold around Shirou’s eyes when he did something particularly “atsuya”, see them try to figure out the whole… together thing. I get why they simplified it to spirits and “oh hey they’re together now no more struggle yay!” but. still. would’ve been nice. And idk much about Ares/Orion but I would have loved to see him being casual with Hakuren. Do they get along outside of matches? Or do the others try to stay away from Atsuya as often as possible because he’s just infuriating to them? These are things I would have loved to see!

Nosaka Yuuma     How I feel about him: An absolute dork. An emperor? More like an adorably awkward prince still trying to have fun after being trained to be something older than he is. I barely know him but I know I love what he brings to the table and he seems like an awesome yet slightly infuriating character.     Romantic ships: I ship him with Ichihoshi. Hands down, that’s the only romantic pairing I have for him. Whether it’s Hikaru and/or Mitsuru in canon format is still up for debate, but it’s mostly Hikaru right now because that’s what we’ve seen. To me, Nosaka and Ichihoshi have the potential to be Ares/Orion’s GouFubu. They just… have that chemistry there, even if it’s hard to see due to Orion’s stale writing.      Non-romantic ships: Nosaka & Nishikage, Nosaka & Anna. See, I can see Nishikage having a crush on Nosaka, but I just… idk I can’t see them together romantically? Nosaka has never seemed to see Nishikage like that and Nishikage’s crush seems to have taken turns into the “too far” lane and I just don’t think it’d be good/ healthy for them to be together romantically. But best friends? Heck yeah! They’d rule in that department. Nosaka and Anna are in a  similar boat, but more on the fact that them being pushed towards romance just felt kinda forced and like neither character really wanted it. So I love them way more as friends!     Unpopular Opinion: From what I’ve seen, everyone pictures Nosaka as this cold, kinda hard but slightly dorky, emperor persona. But to me? He’s not ready to be an emperor. Instead he’s been forced into the role and has to act like it, and that can lead to many wrong decisions in his attempts to be what people expect of him. He just feels… sad, to me. I just see him as more of a prince or something, instead of an emperor. IDK if this is necessarily an unpopular opinion or not, but those are my thoughts.     One thing in canon: If they’ve already done this my bad but I’d love to see Nosaka with his walls down. Maybe late at night, unable to sleep? Just… Nosaka off the field. Without having to be an emperor. That’d be lovely.Haizaki Ryouhei     How I feel: uhhhhhhh misunderstood “bad boy” with a soft heart but was hurt in the past so now he has walls higher than the football stadiums they play in. I looked at some of his wiki page and in the few episodes I saw him in I thought he was quiet the interesting character but it feels a lot like the other “bad boy” characters they show in the series. Full feelings are still TBD but right now I think he’s neat and I like him.     Romantic ships: N/A, I haven’t actually watched enough of the show (or paid enough attention to him) to determine how I feel about him and any specific characters.     Non-romantic ships: Haizaki & Inakuni Raimon, Haizaki & Inazuma Japan, Haizaki & Hiroto (Hiroto dropping him still makes me die of laughter, the essence of their relationship in one interaction right there)     Unpopular opinion: idk why but the limited posts i’ve seen with him have always given me this vibe of Haizaki being a bit of a villain. So I guess in that regard my unpopular opinion is that he’s not bad, he’s just… sad. and scared of his friends getting hurt in a similar way to Akane. So he acts out, tries to do things himself to avoid getting close, and… idk. I feel like once his walls got knocked down he should have been eased off the bad boy vibe. Sure, he’s a bit of a shark boy, but even sharks aren’t meaning to be bad– they were just given a bad representation.     One thing in canon: I have no clue xD again, haven’t seen enough to give a better/ more accurate answer. I guess give him a little more presence? I think I genuinely forgot he appeared in some of the episodes I watched, and, well, isn’t he supposed to be a main character?

[yuumanosaka]

too lazy to make a title hdsklf

so here’s the inago au i wanted to post yesterday but i didn’t really know how to word it properly!! i won’t reveal everything i have planned for this since some ideas aren’t final yet, but yeaah.

more stuff under the cut i guess.

also tagging @producktions since she seems interested in this!

.

.

i think many people have probably thought of this idea before, but i’m here to share my own version of it...!

so, here’s my idea!

inago actual ffi au!!! only it takes place during the events of galaxy. particularly from the point earth eleven leaves earth to fight in the grand celesta galaxy!

“but what about the fake ffi that started at the beginning of galaxy” uuuUUHH I ACTUALLY DONT KNOW HOW I WANT TO GO WITH THIS. i...assume, that the public is aware of the grand celesta galaxy tournament by now. but how would they feel abt real ffi taking place almost immediately after the fake one? hhmm...

“why have a ‘real’ ffi anyway?” i originally made thought that it was created by bitway to distract the general public from the possible impending doom earth will face, but idk now, because i want to implement that there’s more to this ffi than it shows! (not in a secretly a space life or death type of tournament kind of way)

“did you make this AU because hate galaxy?” NO. NO. I LIKE GALAXY ACTUALLY but not as strong as most of the ina11 installments. i love galaxy!! especially for the characters!!!!! i made this AU though, because i feel like the other GO characters introduced in the series, especially the ones in 1st GO season, deserved more than being side characters...or be reduced to one anyways.

ok, enough with the questions, let’s get to the AU explanation proper!

-

While the fate of the planet rests in the hands of Earth Eleven, the world prepares itself for the true second coming of the Football Frontier International! Old friends and new faces shall meet, but a possible threat to the soccer youth might arise from the depths as well…

Summary not final.

.

Inazuma Japan Lineup (19 members):

1) Sangoku Taichi [GK] 2) Aoyama Shunsuke [MF] 3) Kirino Ranmaru [DF, Captain] 4) Ichino Nanasuke [MF] 5) Kishibe Taiga [MF] 6) Kurosaki Makoto [MF] 7) Nakahara Junko [DF, OC] 8) Nishiki Ryoma [MF] 9) Yukimura Hyouga [DF/FW] 10) Hakuryuu [FW] 11) Amemiya Taiyou [FW] 12) Seto Midori [DF] 14) Namikawa Rensuke [FW] 15) Kariya Masaki [DF] 16) Kageyama Hikaru [FW/MF] 17) Minamisawa Atsushi [MF] 18) Amagi Daichi [DF] 19) Tadashi Mahoro [MF] 20) Senguuji Yamato [GK]

Coach: Hanasaki Aika (OC) Advisor/Trainer: ???* Managers: Yamana Akane, Kousaka Yukie, Ichiyou Kiiro (OC) *to be revealed later on

things to note: - a lot of the characters can switch positions. - not final lineup??? maybe? - yes! midori can play! there’s a backstory to that actually, which is a secret for now lolol - i want yukimura to try his hand as a defender, because of his connection with fubuki, who is great in being both, hence why he’s one. - as you’ve noticed, there’s three OCs in the story! there’s junko, who is a female, and ichiyou, who is a male. and lastly is aika, who you’ve probably seen from before here! i haven’t revealed her GO design yet though, but yeah, she’s here mainly because this AU exists in her canon (and i want a female coach for the inajapan in the FFI hhshfkjkfkldsl) - i feel you can all guess who’s the advisor/trainer........maybe. probably not. - i MIGHTTT add one member in the go inajapan lineup. i mean, ares inajapan will have 22 members? so it wouldn’t hurt to have one more....right?

-

that’s all for this as of now! i have a lot more to say, but i think i want to keep a lot of other information a secret (though to be fair, i revealed a lot for this)

now im gonna lay down i havent rested all day hdslkfslk

[furederiko]

It's the first post for the month of June, and it's a Random-News-Digest! Thanks to my internet, the previous one was 3 weeks ago though. That means, it's catching up time... and there's a lot of it. Here goes nothing...

Disney Live Action

Another live action reimagining has potentially been added to the list of upcoming releases. Director Sam Mendes, who did James Bond's "Skyfall" and "Spectre", apparently entered early talks to work on "Pinocchio"! Mendes was previously attached to adapt "James and the Giant Peach". But according to Variety, that project is officially not happening, so the chances of Mendes moving on to "Pinocchio" is really high. With Guy Ritchie's "Aladdin" about to start production real soon, possibly followed by Niki Caro's "Mulan" as well as Jon Favreau's "The Lion King", Disney Pictures is currently sitting on a remake comfort-zone. No official casting news have been announced for neither of those projects those, but as we get closer and closer to Disney D23, I suspect things are going to come to light pretty soon. Let's just hope these movies will be as good and successful as what we've gotten so far...

Saint Seiya

Well, this news was truly a surprising one! According to Eiga.com (via Anime News Network), TOEI Animation and Chinese distribution company called A Really Good Film Company (that's the real name) are co-producing a live action movie based on the franchise. Tomek Baginski, a Polish director will be directing the movie. Jeffrey Chan, Yoshi Ikezawa, Joseph Chou will produce, while original manga writer Masami Kurumada, Kozo Morishita, Tim Kwok, and Miguel Faura are serving as executive producers.

Truth be told, I had mixed reaction about this, and that sentiment has remained the same until now. I've always thought that the "Saint Seiya" franchise is PERFECT for Hollywood adaptations, considering most of the characters, especially the Gold Saints... are practically Greek guys with a story that takes place in a Greecian setting as well. The cloths, especially the Gold Saints ones, would easily look amazing as real life armors. Heck, TOEI recently held an exhibition where they showcased the Gold Cloths in 1:1 scale, and that idea worked! So this sounded like a great news already. On the other hand, at the same time, I'm not sure whether they will pull it off. Particularly with the failure that was "Ghost in the Shell" back in March. Not to mention, a Chinese company, instead of a Japanese, or at least Hollywood is working on it. Not trying to be racist, but I don't have a lot of faith in Chinese companies.

My biggest concern is that they might go the "Dragon Ball Evolution" and "Ghost in the Shell" mishap, by altering the core Bronze Saints to be white teenagers instead of Japanese. That would instantly become a huge WTH for me. IMHO, at least the cast for Seiya, Shun, and Ikki should be Japanese. If they need exception, both Hyouga and Shiryu can easily be one. The former can be reimagined as European, since the character is partially Russian anyway (hence the blonde hair), while the latter, can naturally be rewritten as Chinese (still needs to be Asian though). A lesser concern, is the fact that the series never really took off in the US, as much as it was hugely popular in South American region. Once again, if "Ghost in the Shell" couldn't sell well, I honestly doubt the same would happen to "Saint Seiya". So it's already a big question mark. But let's keep an open mind, and well... we'll see.

Charlie's Angels

I didn't realize that the last "Charlie's Angels" movie was released back in 2003! That's more than a decade, and precisely 14 years ago. Which means, the movie (not TV) franchise has entered the right age for reboot, remake, reimagining, or the likes. It's Hollywood folks, so what do you expect? And I'll be damned, because that IS the case. Elizabeth Banks is set to direct a reboot movie for the franchise, and it will arrive on June 7th, 2019. That's legit release date, so yeah, it IS happening. There aren't any detailed information about it yet, but I think we can expect to hear one by summer. Now I can't tell if this is a good or bad news, but I'm always game to see tough and powerful women kick some bums on screen. Who knows, perhaps we might get Jennifer Lawrence, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong'o, and other Oscar winners as the lead characters. THAT would be wake af!

Hellboy

Not unlike "Charlie's Angels", the same is happening to "Hellboy" franchise as well. While fans have been asking director Guillermo del Toro and/or actor Ron Perlman for a third movie... to relatively zero success, Millennium instead has decided to go on another route: REBOOT. Yes, in a report released precisely a day after my previous R-N-D went up (meaning, it's close to a month ago XD), the studio has gone into negotiations with producer Larry Gordon and Lloyd Levin for an R-rated relaunch of the franchise. The working title is "Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen", and Neil Marshall is set to direct from a script by Andrew Cosby, Christopher Golden, and Mike Mignola. That last one is the creator of "Hellboy" himself, and he was the one who first broke the news. Marshall would then develop a new script with Aron Coleite.

I'm never a fan of the first two movies, so I can't really say anything good about this. I don't know how I feel, to be frank! LOL. Yet the news somehow got better, when I read the name of the actor who was in talks for the titular role. David Harbour! Yes, that Sheriff of the hit Netflix series "Stranger Things", who was considered to play Cable. I don't know about you, but Harbour sounds like the younger more charming-looking version of Perlman, so this news made me perked up! Okay, that was honestly hyperbole. I'm still unsure about this franchise, but I can safely say that I will at least give it a try... just because Harbour is starring. Ahahaha! But you know what? Perhaps rebooting might indeed be the right decision. There's definitely potentials to be HUGE. It can start fresh without the burden of continuity. And also... attracts new audience who was previously unaware or couldn't care less of the title, right? Like yours truly... *grins*.

DC Films

While it's unclear when we will ever see Dwayne Johnson finally fulfilling his dream to play supervillain "Black Adam", the actor has gone on record to propose an actor to play the protagonist counterpart of his character. And that actor is... Armie Hammer. Okay, HUH? I liked Hammer, so it COULD work. But is he the right man for Shazam? Nope, I really don't think so. Perhaps an Oliver Queen or Hal Jordan, but definitely not as a jacked-up Billy Batson. By the way, Johnson's "Baywatch" recently failed to even make a dent in the box office. Does this mean his popularity is fading? How will this affect his DC movies then? Hmmm...

Fresh from angsty "Power Rangers", and into the murky waters of "Aquaman"! Young chinese actor Ludi Lin, has joined the cast to play Murk. A character who is supposed to be Jason Momoa's Arthur Curry's trusted ally. How on Earth does a Hawaiian and Chinese became Atlantean is beyond me, but this was clearly a nice act to push diversity. Director James Wan also proudly showcased a really WET Amber Heard's Mera via his Twitter. I was still indifferent about it, and still won't be seeing the movie, but looks like many liked it. So that's... good, right? "Aquaman" is set to arrive on December 21st, 2018.

If there's a title that's been going on and off in a seemingly concerning state, it's none other than "The Flash". But perhaps, things are slowly running towards a better track. Why? Assuming that Entertainment Weekly report could be hold accountable, then Robert Zemeckis is indeed in talks to take over the movie after Rick Famuyiwa walked out. And guess the other name being on the contender list? The helmer of "Kingsman" himself, Matthew Vaughn! Not just him, both Sam Raimi and Marc Webb apparently were frontrunners as well, but have since passed. Oddly, the news arrived alongside a rumor of actor Billy Crudup walking out of the movie. One that has been debunked, considering he would be showing up in "The Justice League".

Speaking of the League, it became one of the most talked about news last month. Why? Because shockingly, director Zack Snyder alongside wife and producer Deborah had officially stepped down from the movie's post production and reshoots. He's taking some time off to deal with personal family loss/tragedy (my condolences to the Snyders). This has prompted mixed reactions from movie fans, particularly DC ones with their... insensitive and disturbing remarks regarding the situation. And here I thought they couldn't have gone that low!!! *sigh* The irony here was that Snyder has handed over the finishing duty to... *drumroll* the one and only... Joss Whedon! This was definitely an intriguing twist, because now Whedon would be famous for being involved in both Marvel and DC's ensemble movie. Of course, Warner Bros assured the audience, that Whedon's NOT taking over it completely, and just doing a favor to finish up the work. They said that the movie is still very much Snyder's work. Which was an ODD move, considering the negative impression Snyder has left with his first two DC movies. So... if you were among those who was worried that the movie is going to be as bad as his "Man of Steel" or "Batman v. Superman"? Well... don't jump out of that bandwagon just yet. At least, I think you should stick with the same concern until it has been proven otherwise. Remember, it's still a Snyder's and not Whedon's movie, and it opens on November 17th, 2017.

Another problem is running on the other League. This time, the "Justice League Dark" train. Remember how tall and mighty Doug Liman sounded when WB signed him to take over the project from Guillermo del Toro? Well, it seemed Liman might have just swallowed his own pride, because he's no longer attached to the movie. Liman moved on to work on a Lionsgate's project, so WB is currently on the hunt for his replacement. Back then, I would've instantly commented on this turnout. But now? Things like this has happened over and over again that I'm not even surprised when I read it. After all, it's just another setback to the universe, right? Nothing new here. LOL.

All these behind the scene problems that came in one after another, made you lose faith in WB and their DC Films, huh? Well, hold on to your horses, because I'm saving the best for last. And it's a GOOD news this time! Reviews embargo for Patty Jenkins' "Wonder Woman" has been lifted, and it has received positive reactions! Critics are easily calling it the best DCEU movie so far. Which means, basically better than "Man of Steel", "Batman v. Superman", and "Suicide Squad"... which admittedly weren't even a high bar it needed to top to begin with. LOL. When the first score was accumulated, it resulted a heaping 95% on Rotten Tomatoes! Which ironically begs the question: where has all those DC fans who claimed that RT is ruining DC movies run off to? Surprise suprise, they are out and about protesting and complaining about the Women Only Screening for the movie. SERIOUSLY?!

General comparison to "Captain America: The First Avengers" and "Thor" didn't surprise me, because the trailers have already given the exact vibe. But it's pleasant to know that eventhough those trailers didn't work at all for me, they didn't really capture the spirit and wonder of the movie itself. Which is nice, because in my opinion, it's much better when the trailers are bad but the movie is good, and not the other way around. And when I said the 'other way around', I was obviously referring to those previous 3 DC Films. They all had trailers that many folks claimed to be 'great' or 'amazing', when their actual movies failed to even generate the same response. So if the opposite is happening to "Wonder Woman", it's ironically GOOD, right? The big question now, will "The Justice League" catch on to deliver the same success, finally giving WB a good streak, or will it fumbles into its previous mishaps all over again? Somehow I have a feeling it will be the latter. Oh well, at the very least, the movie will have a good Wonder Woman (step aside, grumpy Superman or violent Batman!). Here's hoping "Wonder Woman" will inspire audience to see more of her, and help give a boost to "The Justice League".

One more thing. I also sincerely hope the positive critical response to "Wonder Woman" is a sign that WB would finally be stepping back on its destructive mentality. All these time, rather than doing their best to deliver a great movie for fans, WB has been focused on one thing: competing with Marvel Studios and trying to top it if not take it down. Which is a SILLY notion on its own, because Marvel Studios already had a long headstart, so no matter what attempts WB tries to be 'different', DC Films will ALWAYS be compared to Marvel Studios' releases no matter what. Ironically, the one and only possible way they could really bring down Marvel Studios from 'the competition', is by damaging the future prospect of superhero genre. Unlike WB and their other variety of franchises, Marvel Studios relies heavily on adaptation to their comic book characters. So by producing bad superhero movies, WB might have unknowingly (or have they? hmmm) been planting the seed of destruction to the genre, which could also lead towards the downfall of Marvel Studios. This helps explain why Marvel Studios have generally refused to say bad things about DC Films, and instead continuously wishing them to do great. They know what's at stake here, and how the genre's longetivity is so much more important than a pointless childish rivalry. A rivalry that WB and its directors, producers, and actors has been flaming over and over again. I sincerely hope, that with Geoff Johns (who used to write for Marvel Comics) finally in full charge, WB and DC Film will turn over a new leaf and proceed with a positive and hopeful heart. One that does not require them to continue being the jerk of the industry...

Dark Universe

Nooo, this isn't about WB's supposed "Justice League Dark" movie. It's a category previously known as... "Universal Monsters". Yes, as if the news of Doug Liman leaving the movie wasn't enough, Universal Studios officially snatched the title of that exact upcoming DC Film movie. Now there's no way WB will be able to use the title again, unless the law sits in in their favor. Don't believe me? Universal has even released a trailer for it. \ So yeah, it IS officially a done deal, no more beating around the bushes. Tom Cruise-starring "The Mummy" will INDEED be the first of its kinds.

Apparently, their Shared Universe's interconnective tissue would be a mysterious multi-national organization called Prodigium, the one possibly led by Russell Crowe's Dr. Jekyll. Who, as the original tale suggests, WILL indeed turn into Mr. Hyde. Oooohhh... juicy! I mean, this might sound really strange, but seeing Crowe turns dark and monstrous somehow makes me all... giddy. Yeah folks, while everyone is busy oggling Cruise and his endless foray of dangerous self-performed stunts, it's Crowe's inclusion that would be my primary reason to see this movie. And I'm not kidding, this might also sound weird, but he was one of the reason I enjoyed "Les Miserables" too *grins*. Of course, if you're still not convinced about seeing this movie on June 9th, you can check out the third and final trailer, just to be sure of your... uh, life choices. LOL.

What directly comes next after "The Mummy", is the "The Bride of Frankenstein"! Bill Condon has been tapped to work on this movie, based on the script by David Koepp. It has even been set for February 14th, 2019 release, which is Valentine's Day, so things will perhaps be more... romantic. I'm personally curious to know why they don't have another project for 2018, but perhaps unlike WB that seems to rush things, Universal wants to take this slowly? Anyway, knowing the title, it's clear that they will be skipping Frankenstein's origin story. The casting hasn't been made official until now, but Javier Bardem has stated his enthusiasm for the role, so highly likely the role is his to play with. As for who will be playing the titular Bride, names like Charlize Theron, Salma Hayek, and Nicole Kidman have been thrown around for a while now, with Angeline Jolie being the most favored of all. Let's just wait and see who gets it then...

Of course, things are currently riding on the success of "The Mummy". If it does manage to achieve one, at least in the minimum amount of expectation, then we can count on seeing Johnny Depp as Invicible Man, Dwayne Johnson as Wolfman, and so on. If NOT, then I honestly don't know what would happen. Marvel Studios kept on moving despite the response to "Iron Man 2", and now its Marvel Cinematic Universe has become the first and most successful of its kind. WB was persistent enough with their DC Films, that eventhough their first three movies was poorly received critically (among plenty other production issues), they have continued limping their way to produce their first good movie in "Wonder Woman". Will Universe follow suit, for better or worse, inspite of general audience's possible fatigue concerning this forced Cinematic Universe approach? As always, we'll see...

SONY Marvel Universe

Many people ridiculed SONY Pictures when they announced the solo "Venom" movie. Movie writers and journalists didn't quite buy it, until a more concrete news arise. Some fans even questioned how a Spider-Man spin-off would work, in a non-MCU universe WITHOUT Spider-Man. But then SONY dropped a bombshell, by officially announcing a lead actor and director for the project. And they were NOT messing around. Tom Hardy, that great often-under-appreciated Oscar nominee, whose performance as Bane in "The Dark Knight Rises" became the joke of many DC fans, has signed on to play Eddie Brock. And that's because he's a fan of the character! WOW. Ruben Fleischer, is set to direct the movie, based on the script by Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg. So it's happening folks, it IS happening.

The same goes to the Silver Sable and Black Cat movie. The project that has been officially titled as "Silver and Black", is closing in on a director. When the news hit last week, Gina Prince-Bythewood was in negotiations to helm the movie. I can't really tell if she's a great director or not, but apparently her work "Beyond the Lights" was highly-appreciated. Chris Yost, who worked on the upcoming Thor movie, is writing the script with Lisa Joy. And Matt Tolmach and Amy Pascal are producing. So this one IS happening too!

My reaction to these news? I LOVE Hardy, especially his performance in "Warriors" and "Inception". And seeing him headline a movie is always a joy, even if the movie itself might not be good at times. But great gawd, he would've made a great Kraven the Hunter instead of Eddie Brock!!! >:(... And yes, I might have jinxed it when I said that, because apparently there's a rumor flying around social media now, that "Silver and Black" will be using Kraven as the antagonist. Ouch! Is SONY trying to use up the Spider-Man characters, so that Marvel Studios can't use them as antagonists to Tom Holland's Peter Parker? I hope that's not the case, because I could be really angry about it. Moreso, I still don't see how "Venom" nor the pairing of "Silver and Black" makes for a good idea, especially since neither of them would be bouncing off against a Spider-Man. But let's take a deep breath, and just think positive about it, okay...

Uncharted

Speaking of Tom Holland, here's a pleasant little surprise that would make everyone, especially his and video game fans turn heads. The rising British actor has been cast, as young Nathan Drake for the "Uncharted" movie adaptation! Apparently, the Shawn Levy movie will play around Drake's younger days, as opposed to his mature adventures that have been depicted in the four games so far. It was said that SONY head Tom Rothman was impressed by Holland's performance in the upcoming Spider-Man movie, that he pushed for him to be the star of another franchise. The problem with this development, Joe Carnahan's script can no longer be used, possibly postponed until the movie requires an adult Drake. Levy is still onboard, but a new scriptwriter is being sought to work on a new version.

There was a flashback sequence in "Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception" that showed Drake meeting his mentor Sullivan for the first time. That's likely the foundation of what this movie's going to be about. In a way, we can safely say that SONY is expecting Holland to grow into a charming athletic adventurer like Drake in future movies. Especially because movies like these usually takes at least two years to develop, and the now 20 years old Holland, would be almost 30 by the time he's working on a probable-third movie. You know what? I can totally buy that! And I'm certainly not alone in thinking this way.

And as for Holland's idea on Chris Pratt or Jake Gyllenhall playing a younger Sullivan/Sully? I'm a fan of both actors, so his statement definitely puts a really wide grin on my face. Not sure if they would be a good fit for the role (try picturing THIS IMAGE, but with Holland and any of those actors)... but yeaah, I'm totally down with that!

Marvel Studios

Yes, still talking about Holland. Because he's on THREE effing categories this time! What a year for this hunky young fella, eh? His Marvel Studios movie, "Spider-Man: Homecoming" is only a month away from arriving in the theatres, and the hype on social media is growing bigger and bigger. The third and so called final (lengthy, I presume?) trailer was released last week, and it showcased some extra scenes while rehashing the ones from previous two trailers. Considering the 2nd trailer has pretty much spoiled beat by beat of the actual movie, this final trailer didn't even bothered to do the same all over again. Who knows what the TV spots and clips will reveal though, because this feels like SONY's marketing, hence why it didn't feel like Marvel Studios' doing.

The good news is, the movie is tracking to a $135 million domestic opening number. Yes, that's a relatively lower number than Marvel Studios previous Summer releases, but it's still the highest number for any Spider-Man movies since 2002. A number that has consistently been declining, by the way, with the exception of "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" in 2014. So despite the number feeling rather low, especially for a movie that has Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark, this is still something good on its own.

Meanwhile, now that "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" is out for almost a whole month, director James Gunn is already hard at work on the next installment, "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3". While the second movie made it clear that Chris Pratt's Peter Quill is the only Earthling member of the team, Gunn had openly revealed on social media, that such restriction will no longer apply in the third. In my opinion, Gunn specifically made the rule, likely to ensure Quill being the only representative of the planet, especially when we put into account Ego's 'celestial visit' to various planets. Since "Vol. 3" is set to take place after "Avengers: Infinity War" and Avengers 4, the Guardians would have been exposed to Earth, thus including more Earth-bound heroes like Nova or others should make more sense. Hey, even Brie Larson's Captain Marvel can be among their cosmic ranks too.

X-Men Universe

Josh Boone's "X-Men: The New Mutants" had scored, or rather confirmed its first two cast members. As previously rumored before, rising stars Anya Taylor-Joy and Maisie Williams have officially come onboard to play Russian mutant Magik and Scottish mutant Wolfsbane respectively. Both names have been associated with this movie since last year, so it's nice that we've finally gotten the confirmation some of us needed. Apparently though, the 'Natt Wolff is being approached to play Cannonball' part didn't pan out, as a surprising name has entered talks to portray the character instead. What a strange things indeed... ;D

Hold on, make that four actors, if we count Marvel TV's MVP Rosario Dawson. Yes, apparently Dawson has been approached to play Dr. Cecilia Reyes, a doctor that would serve as some sort of mentor figure for the younger cast. The character has the ability to generate force field, so she's definitely a mutant as well. Assuming Dawson agreed to take the role, this would be her second Marvel role, and also a step up from a rogue nurse Claire Temple into a full blown doctor. Someone just got medically promoted! LOL.

It's seriously unclear when or how the timeline of this movie will fit in the... ugh, already messy and confusing larger X-Men universe. What we can really be certain of however, is the genre the movie will dive into. And FOX isn't playing around, because based on Boone's statement to Entertainment Weekly, "We are making a full-fledged horror movie set within the X-Men universe. There are no costumes. There are no supervillains. We’re trying to do something very, very different.". Okay, now this was both intriguing and concerning at the same time. The idea of having a younger cast, somehow meant that the movie will be a young adult version of the genre. And that's good. But no costume, and also horror bit? Even "Doctor Strange" didn't fully go that direction, because it might not score the PG-13 rating. Does this mean, "New Mutants" (yes, I'm still not used to adding the X-Men part in front of it) will also be R-rated, much like FOX recent movies? It COULD... be a good idea, but at the same time, it's a risky one that might not work either. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what Boone means when the first trailer hits. "New Mutants" is set to be released on April 13th, 2018. Production is expected to begin pretty soon in July... so I'm sure we'll hear more about it and more ethnically-appropriate casting through San Diego Comic Con.

Meanwhile, the tentatively titled "Deadpool 2" has welcomed a new cast member. Jack Kesy, who I just realized portrayed that rocker whose genital creepily fell off in "The Strain" (not kidding, it's a disturbing scene), has been cast to play a major villain in the movie. Deadline said, that their sources pinpointed the character as... Black Tom. Nope, I did NOT know that character, and the day I read the news, was even the first time I have even heard of it. After Ed Skrein's Ajax was universally acknowledged as one of the weakest element of the first movie, one would think that FOX would amp up the antagonist department, right? Looks like that's not the case. But let's give this sequel the benefit of doubt. Ryan Reynolds is returning as Wade Wilson, alongside Morena Baccarin as Vanessa, Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, Stefan Kapacic as Colossus, and Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead. And just like Dawson, Josh Brolin will be portraying his second Marvel role, this time as the time travelling Cable. Directed by David Leitch, "Deadpool 2" will hit the theatres on June 1st, 2018.

Let's move on to the TV side now! And let's start with the good news first. FXX, a younger-skewing part of FX Network with focus on animation, has ordered a 10-episode series of Marvel's "Deadpool" (tentative title, by the way)! And guess who will be working as showrunner for this show? "Atlanta" very own Donald Glover, and brother Stephen Glover. Well, color me intrigued! This Deadpool series will serve as Marvel TV's second collaboration with the network, after the critically acclaimed "Legion" that aired earlier this year and has received a renewal. ABC Signature Studios is producing the show. And yes, joining Dawson and Brolin's party, this would be Glover's second major Marvel involvement following his inclusion in "Homecoming" (noticed that he showed up in that latest trailer too?). Hmmm... is it just me or FOX continues snatching actors from Marvel? Anyways, would Glover be voicing the lead character too? That would be awesome.

Now, comes the bad... or politely speaking, not that-good of a news. And it's about that new X-Men TV show, "The Gifted". I know I haven't been talking about this for a while now, because frankly... I couldn't care less. But I'm going to report it anyway now, because it's happening. Well, mainly because an official teaser has been released to celebrate the full season order. So yeah, FOX wanted their Marvel properties to play in the TV poolside as well, so they called out Bryan Singer and writer Matt Nix to... ugh, create this show. And it's generally about, "a family who discovers their kid is a mutant and must go on the run, shacking up with a bunch of other mutants to survive.". What's the point? I guess it's not enough to have "Legion" that, despite being really good, feels weirdly out of place from the X-Men movie universe, now they just need to insert another one to make things more... confusing.

To be honest, what I saw in that trailer didn't inspire confidence. At all. Which was odd, because I thought the teaser was quite intriguing. There's this weird... 'been there done that' vibe running throughout the trailer, and it certainly didn't give me the urge to check it out once it was over. It played a bit like "Heroes" I guess, but not the early seasons when it was good. Nope, it's the latter ones which people couldn't care less. But of course, don't ever judge a book by its cover, because this COULD be good. It has Amy Acker, Stephen Moyer, Sean Teale, Jamie Chung, Coby, Blair Redford, Percy Hynes White, Emma Dumont, John Proudstar, and Natalie Alyn Lind as its cast. While I'm only familiar with THREE of them, the rest of these actors could end up becoming as huge as those.. ugh three. So yeah, if you're an X-Men fan, you might want to hang on to your seat until this show arrives on FOX Network. Sooner or later. Good... luck, then?

Marvel TV

Since we've talked about Marvel TV's affair with FOX, let's talk about their own shows now.

Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." has been officially renewed for Season 5. YAY for that! I personally thought the finale for Season 4 was rather... disappointing and underwhelming. Also, that post credit scene was confusing, and was revealed to NOT have anything to do with S.W.O.R.D. because turns out, Marvel doesn't own the copyright. Ain't that a deal-breaker! But obviously, a show renewal means a win for some of its fans, so... good for them. There's a catch though, because unlike previous season, the 5th season will NOT arrive in Fall 2017. Nope, NOT kidding, because apparently, AoS will not start until ABC has finished airing all 8 episodes of Marvel's "The Inhumans". This is a strange reveal, because I've always thought 2017 would be the year that ABC is having two running Marvel shows at the same time. Looks like I've expected too much.

But the report gets even... weirder. "The Inhumans" is officially set to air on... Friday 09:00 PM, following "Once Upon a Time". This news stirred up some concerns on its own, because according to many, Friday night is considered to be graveyard for TV shows. Heck, many people in the US aren't even home during that time! Most tend to go out, and have dates, parties, watch movies and whatevers. Is ABC trying to ruin the show before it even starts? Sure, ABC Chief Channing Dungey has told the press that the network is trying out a new strategy. But it also didn't stop folks on the internet to connect the show to a recent rumor that... didn't sound reassuring. With this odd airing schedule, the trepid response to the show's first look, as well as showrunner Scott Buck's bad track record thanks to "Iron Fist", I think it's not wrong for fans to start feeling... worried.

The good side that we can take from this, is that when the 5th Season of AoS begins airing on January 2018, the 22-episodes will likely run without any season breaks. There isn't any official statement about this, but VFX supervisor Mark Kolpak had hinted so in a social media response. Personally speaking, it's still uncertain if I'll be seeing this new season or not. Knowing my tendency to lose interest when a show starts to get overly long, highly likely I'm going to drop it, to then return sometime after it ends to bingewatch it. But it's not a fixed plan just yet. After all, I WAS planning to do that with Season 4, but then the Ghost Rider arc pulled me back in, and the rest was history. And of course, if the 5th Season is announced to be the FINAL season, that totally changes my plan. I would totally tune out in real time for one last ride, even if sometimes I have to *cough-Glee-cough* drag myself to do so. In the end, it all depends on what strategy the showrunners will apply to the show when it returns on January. It's still 7 months away, so plenty of time for me to have the AoS hiatus I badly needed. Assuming "The Inhumans" doesn't suck up all of my joy and leave me with pure disgust towards Marvel TV, of course... LOL *sigh*

Last but not least, the new season for "Avengers Assemble", officially subtitled as Marvel's Avengers: Secret Wars", is set to have a one hour premiere later on June 17th. This season will pick up directly after that bittersweet ending of Season 3, that left Tony Stark in a... digital state. To be honest, there's an annoying pattern to Marvel Animation's shows in the past few years, in that it started out strong and good... to then suffer a gradual decline in quality. That 3rd season, the one subtitled "Ultron Revolution", was just another good example of this. So while the prospect of having an entirely new roster led by Black Panther for "Secret Wars" sounds intriguing, I can't really say for sure if I'm going to stick around to the finale.

To help introduce these new roster, DisneyXD will be releasing a number of shorts via the digital platforms such as DisneyXD App. There will be six shorts released that feature Captain Marvel, Black Panther, Ms. Marvel, Ant-Man, Wasp, and Vision. Characters who have mostly (with the exception of Wasp) debuted on Season 3. These shorts will be available on a daily basis from June 2nd to June 7th. They will be essential to prepare audience for the 2-parters "Avengers No More", on June 17th as I've said before. I might be mistaken, but it seems the voice cast will have several updates as well, since I'm not seeing Adrian Pasdar's name on it. Nevertheless, fans of the animated series should definitely mark their dates to catch this new season. Who knows, perhaps the roster change will be effective to make it... better than the first three seasons.

Netflix

I didn't pay attention because I had to spend less time on Twitter now, but it seemed Marvel's "The Defenders" had a playful time with their social media marketing. Marvel officially released motion posters for the character, and apparently they were delightfully filled with easter eggs. There's Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock and Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones hanging out on Rand Tower, Mike Colter's Luke Cage in Fogwell's gym, and Finn Jones' Danny Rand meditating in front of Alias Investigations, and so on. Fun stuffs indeed, at least by the sound of it, because I haven't personally observed them in details. LOL.

Cox talked to Empire Online, and revealed that despite the tonal difference to all series, "The Defenders" will have a tone of its own. One that is kept "grounded, but at the same time it lives in a slightly mythical world". Colter added that the four lead characters will be reluctant to work with each other at first. He also accidentally revealed on a separate interview, that Wai Ching Ho's enigmatic character Madame Gao is set to appear on the mini series. This wasn't particularly shocking, I should say, because technically Gao IS a member of The Hand, so of course she'll be involved somehow. Perhaps, alongside Ramon Rodriguez' Bakuto, who disappeared after his fight with Jessica Henwick's Colleen Wing in Danny's series? Speaking of Danny, Jones said that his character will be maturing and be more responsible in the mini series. So perhaps, turning into someone more... likeable than the one we saw in his solo series. I sure hope that's the case. Marvel's "The Defenders" arrives on August 18th.

Netflix has debuted the first teaser for their animated "Castlevania" series as well. The series itself will premiere on July 7th, and this first season will consist of 4 episodes. Running time for each will be 30 minutes, so it's going to be a really short show. While this is a fantastic idea, considering the game franchise hasn't had any adaptation until now (as far as I know of), this teaser was... vague at best. It honestly didn't make me curious or intrigued to check it out, and I'm not sure that's the purpose. Of course, just like any other Netflix shows, we could expect a full length trailer in the coming weeks. Perhaps, by then it would look meaningful enough for me to judge.

DC Television

Likely inspired by the reception to Marvel's "Luke Cage", DC TV has followed suit by introducing their own black superhero in "Black Lightning". The series, which has been ordered as full season, is set to debut on the CW Network. But unlike the already running "Arrow", "The Flash", and "Super Girl", this one will not be set in the same universe. For now. You can check out the first look trailer on the network's official channel.

Much like the other CW shows, I can't really say if this trailer... appealed enough for my taste. I just... didn't dig it for some reason. The concept of a retired hero is nice, but the whole thing played out exactly like those other CW shows. So already a huge pass for me. But I can easily imagine how some folks, especially African-American audience would be ecstatic to see it. Heck, if Marvel fans could show so much love for a "Luke Cage" series that honestly got more and more draggy as it went by, I certainly hope the DC counterpart would at least do the same with this. There one for everyone, right?

Warner Bros Animation

"Heelloooo, Nurse!!!!". Not content on just delivering CW superhero shows, through their animation division, WB is planning to revive a loveable classic, which is "Animaniacs". Yes folks, the trio of Yakko, Wakko, and Dot will be returning to the small screen... and likely alongside other characters like Pinky and the Brain. According to IndieWire, Steven Spielberg is involved in it, so that's a reassuring fact. After all, it was the iconic director himself who managed to bring the series to its spectacular popularity back then. For the time being, the project is still in early stage of development, and it doesn't have a home yet. But the original series is having great viewership on Netflix, so the streaming media would easily become one of its possible home. Here's hoping we'll hear more about this in the near future!

LEGO Games

LEGO announced their latest action adventure video game title late last month. This time, it's another of their Marvel tie-in games, "LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2". Their previous collaboration, the MCU-inspired "LEGO Marvel's The Avengers" did not reach the same heights of the first "LEGO Marvel Super Heroes". So I hope this new one, that seems to focus on themes from recent and upcoming movies like "Doctor Strange", "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2", "Thor: Ragnarok", "Black Panther", and "Captain Marvel", will be able to make up for that strange nitpick-ish disappointment. You can check out the official full-length trailer on Marvel's official Youtube channel. Didn't show much of the plot though. Hmmm....

Street Fighter

Third character for "Street Fighter V" Season 2's DLC has been revealed early last month. CAPCOM promised a completely new character, but once again, similar to Helen/Kolin, this one's technically NOT really new. Ed, has been around since "Street Fighter IV", and before officially becoming a playable character in this game, he's been heavily involved in Season 1's DLCs' (Balrog and also Urien) story modes, as well as appearing in some others. Balrog has been serving as his caretaker, and that explains why his fighting skill leans towards boxing.

I'm never fond of boxing fighters, so Ed's already a huge NO for me. What was more disappointing about his reveal though, is the fact that he's being set up to be the new M. Bison. Complete with that ugly M. Bison-inspired costume! Turns out, ghost of the now-death Shadaloo's boss tried to possess his body, hinting that the evil organization is still lurking about, despite the conclusive ending to "A Shadow Falls". This is something along the line of how "Final Fantasy XIII-2" ruined the perfect ending of its first game! Anyway, some fans have been able to test him out during the game's beta test on May 11th. It's still unclear when he will be available for purchase, but it's safe to assume that will take place this month. You can check out his official reveal trailer on CAPCOM's official Youtube channel.

Dynasty Warriors

Early last month, Kadokawa's Weekly Famitsu magazine revealed that the 9th iteration of the franchise, "Shin Sangoku Musou 8" will be released on Playstation 4. This wasn't surprising, since KOEI Tecmo has been moving away and away from Microsoft and their Xbox family since the 8th game. Despite that, there are hints that the North American and European region will get additional release in other platforms as well. Switch, perhaps?

First announced back in December 2016, the new game will have an open-world environment, placing the continent of China into a single, vast map to explore. There will be key cities and also landmarks in the game. This change enables various mechanics that were unaccessible in previous titles, like real-time climate and its influence to battle, stealth infilitration, long distance attack, as well as variety of other methods like "State Combo", "Flow Attacks", "Trigger Attack", and "Interactive Actions". The story mode will be massively affected by them as well, as everything will take place according to its respective period, and more faithful to the actual history. According to producer Akihiro Suzuki and director Jun Miyauchi, development is currently at 40%, and that their team is currently adding more and more features to increase the game's playability value. With that said, the game still has no official release date at the time being.

Continuing the franchise's tradition, several new characters will be introduced to join the existing 83 officers from the latest title, "Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires". Zhou Cang, wielding the Daisatsutou, will be added to the Shu faction, while Cheng Pu, wielding a dual spear, will join the Wu faction. There might be more for other factions, but so far, these two are the only ones announced. Details for these characters as well as regarding the game in general, can be found on the official English and Japanese websites.

The King of Fighters

Fans who haven't been able to play the game on Playstation 4, will soon have a chance to play it on PC. "The King of Fighters XIV Steam Edition" of the game, has been announced to be released in the near future. SNK Corp has been accepting pre-order starting in May. Regular edition will come with a bonus of DLC costumes for Kyo Kusanagi, and Geese Howard. A Deluxe Pack, which is a MUCH better offer but with understandably higher price, will come equipped with Digital Art Book, Digital Soundtrack, 10 DLC costumes, and all 4 DLC characters announced so far. That's basically everything that SNK Corp has released in one pack! A 20% discount, which is an extra-generous bargain for both sets, is set to run until June 15th, 2017 10:AM PDT. So hurry up and pre-order your copy! I know I would if I had a compatible resource to play it, as well as reliable financial condition... *sigh*

Assassin's Creed

E3 is taking place this month, and Ubisoft has been rumored to be announcing the new title for their "Assassin's Creed" franchise. Nothing official has been revealed to far, but the company has indeed teased that this new entry will be released before the end of their current fiscal year. That means, we can expect it to arrive before March 31st, 2018. Will it be the Egyptian-themed "Assassin's Creed: Origins" as previously speculated? We'll have to wait and see...

Sonic the Hedgehog

When it was announced that there would be a 3rd character for "Sonic Forces", it made me quite... anxious. Remember how the teaser showed a cat-like character? Yep, I was genuinely worried that SEGA would be shoving, shoehorning a completely new character that might ruin the whole "Sonic Generations" combo of Classic and Modern Sonic. I mean, what's the purpose, right? Well, guess what? Turns out the third character is indeed a NEW character, but NOT exactly new. Huh? Because it's still Sonic. CUSTOM SONIC. LOL.

Seriously, this is NICE! And also somewhat brilliant too. I'm sure many Sonic fans have been itching to see how Sonic the Hedgehog would've looked if he's actually a wolf instead. Or if he's not Blue, but Red-colored... Okay, perhaps I'm the only one intrigued by those idea, but the point is, each fans can have their own version of Sonic through this game! This customizable Sonic or 'Hero Character' can be equipped with a variety of powerful unique gadgets called Wispons. The visual look can also be modified by choosing between 'hundreds' of options. So those who have been dreaming to have a nerdy Sonic as their playable character, well, this one's for you! Also, as I said before, players can choose a different base animal apart from Hedgehog, and all 7 types come with their own unique abilities. SEGA and the Sonic Team has provided a reveal trailer, and also quick gameplay trailer for this new Sonic. Looks like he'll be able to play through either Classic or Modern style stages too. Pretty cool, right?!

Meanwhile, "Sonic Mania" has officially received a release date. The 2D Classic Sonic game will be launched on August 15th, 2017, for Playstation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC. A special pre-order trailer has been released to deliver this announcement. Go ahead and check it out, because it looks... 2D-nostalgic fun! :D

Zero Escape

Just like "Sonic Mania", the PS4 port of "Zero Time Dilemma" will also be released in August. Namely, two days later on August 17th, 2017. That's only for the Japanese version though, and it will be available at the price of 3,800 yen. The English version has yet to receive official release date, but has been planned for a Fall release. This new PS4 version will have refined graphics, and Famitsu has published a comparison sample with the PC version.

Professor Layton

Early last month (yes, don't ask), details for the first arc of "Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy" has been revealed by LEVEL-5. Episode 01, entitled "Clockwork Sweets" will have Katrielle investigating the stolen hand of London's famous Big Ben's clock. The incident needs to be taken care of before the arrival of Ambassador Melarco the day after. So to fulfill the request of Scotland Yard's inspector Aspoiro, Katrielle and her assistant Haro needs to race through time to retrieve back the hand, before press conference with Melarco begins. Marc and Reggie Yanchatta, 27 years old twins will be involved in this case. Older brother Marc works as the mechanic on Big Ben, while Reggie is a confectioner.

Two of the "Seven Millionaires of London" from the title, have also been introduced. The first one is Ridley Fremens, who is the female mayor of London. And the second one is Clerk Gospec, a 65 years old multi-milionaire who has taken interest in Katrielle to investigate an incident in his theater. The report is currently unclear, but it seems Fremes will also be involved in the Big Ben case, while the Gospec's request will play out as one of Katrielle's next mission. To be honest, this feels more like a mystery visual novel than the previous "Professor Layton" titles. For some reason, I'm even reminded of that App Game "Layton Brothers", which I only managed to play up to the 3rd case (I need to purchase the next cases afterwards, and I had to pass on that LOL).

"Puzzles" are the signature of the franchise, so of course Katrielle will be dealing with them. The same goes for the other basic flow, like examining areas to discover "Insight Coins", and also tracking down "Collectibles". Another Layton standard feature, a mini game called "The Ideal Dinner" is also available. This time players need to provide clients with ideal dinner course of hors d’oeuvres, soup, a main course, and desserts. The game will be released worlwide on July 20th, 2017, for Nintendo 3DS (for Japan region, western version will come later in Fall), iOS and Android. That means, we might be getting additional information about other characters in the near future. Perhaps, during this month's E3?

Square Enix

The last category of this R-N-D, is a rundown of future plans by Square Enix. The company held a financial briefings for the fiscal year that ended in March 31st, 2017, and president and CEO Yousuke Matsuda revealed that some highly-anticipated title will be launched within the next three years. These projects include "Final Fantasy VII Remake", "Kingdom Hearts III", and also an unnamed Marvel IP License. This means that we can expect those to arrive starting next year. Will they be announcing more details for these projects during E3 though? We'll see...

[thekingofthieves]

92.A. Do you speak multiple languages? Which do you dream in? What language would you want to learn? Also does the makai have its own language or is it an amalgamation of many different human world languages?

I do indeed! For human languages, I know Japanese, English, and small amounts of Chinese and Korean. I learned English as a subject in school, but the rest I had mostly picked up before my time as a human.

You see, the most prominent gateways between the Makai and Ningenkai are in or near Japan, so there's significant mutual influences in culture and language in those areas. They're sort of like variants of each other, with some shared or similar words, but not entirely alike. The influences have lessened over time though, what with the Reikai imposing more barriers in recent centuries. I didn't get to cross to the Ningenkai as much as I used to then due to being a high class demon, and as such, some of the Japanese I knew when being born in this human body was... a little out of date. I had to pay attention to the words I used often, to not appear out of place in conversation... Apparently I've only been mildly successful though, as with that and my mannerisms, my mother has joked about me "having the soul of an old man" a few times. 😅

Ah, but to return to my earlier point- the farther from the gates in the Makai, the less resemblance you'll find to any human languages. Additionally, there's not many strictly-defined languages in the Makai- you'll find more of a gradual change in dialects as you travel across the lands. There is a few outliers, however. Many isolationist regions have developed their own lexicons from scratch (or for the most part, at least), or their separation has caused their language to develop over time to the point of being unrecognizable to the outside. From what I've learned from Yukina (and a bit from Hiei), Hyouga falls under the latter. Though, some more rebellious Koorime learn outside vocabulary enough to read books smuggled into the village- Yukina being one, having gotten some books and was taught to read them from the same Koorime who eventually told her of her brother.

There's also some groups that have exclusive languages to identify each other or to share secrets, and its seen as a betrayal worthy of death to teach any of it to outsiders, but that has mostly fallen out of practice. Youko used to have such a thing, which I rarely engaged in aside from learning information for some of my heists. I wasn't keen on sharing my own secrets, but I was certainly interested to gain any knowledge I could, particularly in relation to treasure. Honestly, that's likely why the language fell out eventually- there's not much sense of unity among us Youko anymore. Also, I've taught some of it to Hiei for the hell of it, haha. I would've done so even if it wasn't practically a dead language by now, I've never really cared to respect the rules of it.

Aside from that, there's some races of demons who have entirely different forms of communication, though it's extremely unlikely to cross paths with them. Demons that have such unusual biology where they dont even use speech like most others are typically found in more unusual areas deep in the Makai, or places that are simply uninhabitable to other forms of life.

As for what I dream in, it's usually a mix of the vernacular in the Makai and Japan, but more so the former. Since they're already related, they flow together easily.

And as of right now, I don't desire to learn more languages anytime soon, as I'm happy to simply spend my time where I live in Japan for now. Though, I would like to travel the Ningenkai at some point so I can experience more of what this world has to offer, so eventually I'll learn more of the different lexicons around the globe. There's not really any in particular I have in mind to start with, however. Perhaps I'll begin with Chinese, since I already know a moderate amount. I have been to China, but it's been much too long, and few too many times. The styles in clothing have particularly left an impact on me, though- it's inspired a lot of my designs for my tunics.