#so far it seems to be only Japanese ghosts and i do not have the chatgpt API but i can not keep up with technological advancements

[ukgk]

[horse-girl-anthy]

Revolutionary Girl Utena: Gender in Context

beneath the cut, I discuss the RGU's portrayal of gender in the context of 1990s Japan.

in Ikuhara's interview with Mari Kotani, he stated that in traditional Japanese society, "prince" meant "patriarch." the same is true in Western societies--there was a time when a prince would be an heir to a royal line. by 1997, this meaning had died out of large parts of the world. even the association between princes and traditional masculinity was fading. Saionji, the weakest, most pathetic man in the show, is a parody of historical Japanese masculinity, with his kendo and his blatantly regressive beliefs about women.

in RGU, prince may still mean patriarch, but in a far more subtle fashion. Ikuhara and Kotani discussed the changing expectations for men in the latter half of the 20th century--it became gauche to fight over a woman with one's brawn, so instead, power struggles were played out in the arena of looks and sex appeal. one can see this reflected in the character Akio, whose power as a prince arises from his ability to turn "easy sensual pleasure based on dependency" "into a selling point with which to control people."

Akio has his moments of showboating masculinity, but when preying on Utena, he operates by making himself seem non-threatening and soft.

not only that, but he purports to want to allow students to express their individuality and thus approves of Utena's masculine form of dress. this is a front--by the end of the show, he's telling Utena that girls shouldn't wield swords. thus, through Akio's character, the show argues that traditionalist patriarchy in Japan isn't gone, but instead has only been papered over with false progressivism.

with all that said, there seems to be more to the character. he's taken the family name of his fiance, Kanae, and whatever material power he has in the school is dependent upon her family. in Japanese society, this is considered a humiliating position to be in, something that only a shameless man would do. the show never gives the audience any insight into how Akio feels about this--is he unbothered entirely, or are his actions against the Ohtori family an expression of his repressed anger? does he harm the children under his care to compensate for his humiliation?

this aspect of Akio's character may seem irrelevant in light of the larger, immaterial social forces at work in the show. however, I would argue that it was included for a reason. Akio, despite his status as ultimate patriarch of Ohtori, is in fact a highly emasculated character, to the point where lead writer Enokido even said that he is driven by an infantile mother complex.

to explain why Akio was portrayed this way, we have to discuss Japanese history. the nation suffered a major defeat in WWII and was forced to accept whatever terms the United States laid out for it. for an examination of how the Japanese have never truly processed those events and have plunged into modernity with reckless abandon, I recommend Satoshi Kon's Paranoia Agent. to sum it up briefly, in a very short period, the nation regained its economic footing, and by the 1980s had the largest gross national product in the world. this economic boom may have allowed Japan to maintain a sense of sovereignty, dignity, and power, but it was inherently fragile.

the infamous "bubble economy" lasted from 1986 to 1991. during this time, anything seemed possible; financial struggles appeared to be a thing of the past, and capitalist excess reached new heights. the ghosts of this period can be felt across Japanese media; for instance, think of the final shot of Grave of the Fireflies (1998), where the two dead children look down on Kobe, glowing an eerie green to imply its impermanence. the abandoned theme park from Spirited Away (2001) is explicitly referred to as a leftover from the previous century, when many attractions were built and then tossed aside in a few short years.

the bubble popped in 1992, leaving an entire generation feeling cheated. the bright futures they'd been promised, which had actually materialized for their parents and older siblings, had been lost to them overnight. economic crises are often accompanied by gender panics. to quote from Masculinities in Japan, "The recession brought with itself worsening employment conditions, undermining the system of lifelong employment and men’s status of breadwinners in general. The unemployment rate was rising, and although it never reached crisis levels, men could no longer feel safe in their salaryman status. Their situation was further complicated by the rising number of (married) women entering the workforce."

with this in mind, Akio's character can be taken as a representation of masculinity in crisis in 90s Japan. he's forced to rely on women for his position in life and has failed to save his only relative, Anthy. he tries to escape his misery through hedonism, perhaps an allegorical representation of how men tried to maintain their old standard of living after the economic bubble burst.

but of course, Akio is not the main character of RGU--the story is about girls. mangaka Yamada Reiji discussed the series in the context of the 90s, stating the following:

while I opened this essay by discussing the prince, the same points could be made about the princess. despite the increasing irrelevance of royalty, princess is still an important concept. how does it relate to the socioeconomic landscape of the 90s?

in Yamada's view, RGU is full of relics of the 80s; for instance, the figure of the ojou-sama, an entitled young woman who never lifts a finger for herself. during the economic bubble, it was increasingly common for women to be entirely taken care of by the men in their lives. Yamada names Nanami as a clear ojou-sama type character: she weaponizes her femininity, demanding to be rescued, doted on, and served.

however, by 1997, the ojou-sama could no longer expect to get what she wanted. from the 80s to the 90s, the percentage of women in the workforce increased around 15%; it was no longer viable for most women to be "kept" by their families. as the men experienced the humiliation of not being able to provide for their wives and children, women were undergoing a disillusionment of their own.

Yamada blames Disney for creating the ideological structure which led women astray. obviously, the company is known for its films about princes rescuing princesses. in Yamada's recounting, during the 80s, the company was infiltrating Japan through its theme parks as well; across the country, Disneylands were opening up, and people were buying into the escapism the corporation offered. Japan, as America, became a country of eternal children. its people were waiting for a prince to appear and save them.

but fairy tales can't stave off reality forever. Yamada claims that RGU embodies the rage of young women who woke up one day and realized that they had been raised on a lie. this anger pervades the work from beginning to end.

though RGU was created in a particular social context, its lessons can be extrapolated to any time and place. as the first ending tells us:

I hope this essay helped provide more context for the series. thanks for reading!

[evilminji]

You know what would be HILARIOUS?

For everyone NOT involved in the situation?

If the Uzumaki, mad lads that they were, seal master's who routinely moon the Shinigami for funsies that they are, got SUUUUUPER drunk? And were like?

"F-! *hic!* FUCK your fancy ass Summons contract Himiko! I got one TOO, you know. A..An' it's TOTALLY better then yours! It's got BLACKJACK! And hookers!" *falls on their face unconscious*

Needless to say? Not their proudest moment. Actually, their kinda deeply embarrassed. But like FUCK ARE THE BACKING DOWN! Their mouths wrote a check their ass can't currently cash... so the only REASONABLE solution? Apologize and tell the truth? Psh! NO.

Break Reality Until It's TRUE.

THEN they weren't technically lying!

They're a GENIUS~☆! :D

And yes, yes this IS normal behavior for them. It's both cultural AND genetic. There was a REASON people were terrified of those insane mother fuckers.

Because? They just? MADE UP a A Summons Contract. With Who? Dunno! We're gonna find out! But it looks right Seals wise! *signs name before anyone with sense can stop them, does the signs, draws blood aaaand?*

POOF!

Nani THE FUCK!? Says local dead Japanese 16th century fisherman who was flying by to visit the Lair of his buddy the 14th century monk. Behold! A FUCKING ZONE GHOST! He is unsummoned before he can react.

The Uzumaki have A Ghost Contract™.

.........th....they may have fucked up.

YOU THINK?

Roars basicly the ENTIRE Elders council. Who FUCKING FELT THAT. Because EVERYONE Felt that. They're SENSOR. That was a HOLE in REALITY that somehow GLOWED like a BEACON of both absolute Nothingness and Death! You TRAUMATIZED THE KIDS, YOU ASSHOLE!

Still....they ARE ninja. And Curious mother fuckers to the last.

So basically EVERYONE and their dog signs it. They somehow get WEIRDER. Bigger Chakra reserves. Obsessive tendencies. Meh, you win some, you lose some.

But? Then they fuckin DIE. (And their WHOLE ASS VILLAGE SHOWS UP IN THE ZONE. OH GOD, WHAT-!?)

And some grave robbing fuck tries to use the Contract. SUPRISE MOTHERFUCKER!

Ghost Uzumaki!

Your literal worst nightmare!

They DO NOT try using it again. It gets sealed DEEP. Until the Hokage gets wind of it. And, of course, Danzo. The Hokage sends Hound. And Team Kakashi on a completely unrelated but nearby "help a farmer" mission. Danzo sends assassins. Because he's fucking awful.

Kakashi gets the scroll.

Yep. Creepy rambling and shit handwriting, def Uzumaki. Time to go.

He gets attacked on the way back to camp. GDI Root. Well, its you or me. Sucks for you, I guess. They fight. They get a lucky shot. He bleeds on the scroll, doesn't notice. But SURELY... SURELY it isn't CROWDED enough with names that the Uzumaki just added a "and anyone who bleeds on THIS part at the bottom _______ plus does the handsigns" towards the end.... RIGHT??

RIGHT?! Look him in the EYES Uzumaki Clan, RIGHT??!

They would prefer not to answer that. The Vibez here are getting REALLY aggressive, you know? >.> It made sense at THE TIME...

So... he goes to summon his Dogs.

And he SURE DOES GET UM.... plus One(1!!!).

Who the FUCK is this glowing green dog? A puppy? Kakashi seeing the dimwitted looking little thing about to get STABBED tries to rescue it. It takes one look look at him (worried for it), the other dogs (growling at his enemies, fighting) and... turns around, shifting as it does, to HUNDREDS of times it's previous size.

Like an Akimichi transformation.

A sudden, hulking, green WOLF with red glowing eyes and killing intent that would Rival a demon's. The howl is unearthly. It joins the fray like a meat thresher.

Then pops back to a floating, tongue lolling, dimwitted pup the second everything is done.

G...God boy?

Far be it for KAKASHI to fear a dog, no MATTER how dangerous. So he carries it back to camp. Where it seems to instant fall in LOVE with Naruto. They become the BEST of friends.

There's frolicking.

Looking down at the pocket with the scroll he reclaimed? Yeah. Yeah that tracks. According to Pakkun, the pup has a "weird, echo-y" accent and is incredibly scatter brained. Training to be a gaurd dog? WAS Training. IS currently... what.

Okay. IS currently the gaurd dog/pet of an Emperor. Because THATS not alarming. Did the Royal family all... wait... he examines the pup again. Transparent. Was it KILLING intent he felt... or a Deathy pressure? Didn't the Uzumaki have Forbidden soul and death seals? It would stand to REASON...

Oh god damn it.

Pakkun. Pakkun please tell me that pup is ALIVE.

(He can not.) (Hilariously? Dispite being TERRIFIED of Ghosts? Naruto is TOTALLY COOL with Zone Ghosts? Don't be MEAN, Sensei! They're just PEOPLE! It's not THEIR fault They're dead! Now GHOSTS? Spooky and EVIL! Totally different.)

@hdgnj @babbling-babull @hypewinter @legitimatesatanspawn @mayfay

[meowmeowriley]

Elder Emo

Ghost had been lost in thought, planning out his lessons for the following day, when he'd passed a room in the barracks and faintly heard music. Paramore? Normally he'd hear rock, pop, or occasionally something in Japanese. Not emo. Not what he'd been expecting, but a pleasant little throwback for him. He smiled to himself as he made to walk away, taking a mental note to pull up his old playlist and get lost in nostalgia later. But then he caught a bit of the conversation happening in the room.

"No she didn't tell me what it was all for, I stole it, dipshit."

"Why does she need 700 different eyeliners?"

"Are they different? Or is she just a hoarder?"

"Nah, mate. Some are like sticks, crayons, others are liquid. This one says eyeliner, but it looks like the eyeshadow stuff."

"That eyeshadow stuff is useless. Comes off too easily."

The two men were crowded around one's bed, it had been littered with a bunch of makeup, and they didn't seem to know what each was for.

"This is stupid."

"You said you wanted to finally have your emo phase, this is where it starts." The second man picked up a bottle of liquid eyeliner and leaned in close to the mirror, posed to paint his lower waterline with it. Ghost could no longer keep quiet.

"That's a mistake." His voice cause both recruits to jump, scrambling to salute. He rolled his eyes, but returned the gesture, if only to release the two.

He approached the bed scattered with makeup. Ghost couldn't say that he'd ever spoke to either of them, but he'd be damned if he didn't set them on the right path before they fucked themselves over here. "The liquid is for around your eyes, gives a bolder look than the stick. It's not for your waterline, you'll give yourself an eye infection like that." He handed the first soldier his choice in liner from the menagerie before them. "The liquid is bolder, but it smears, not smudges. If you're going for emo, you'll want a smudged look, the stick is better. Lay it on thick, and use your fingers to spread it around and smudge it out. And if it says waterproof, believe it. You'll need makeup remover to get that off." He said that last bit pointedly. If it weren't for regs, he'd let them just leave it like he had. Day old eyeliner that you slept in after a concert always looked so much cooler than when it had been freshly applied, at least in his opinion. Then another thought occurred to him. "Who'd you steal all this from?"

"Uhm... my sister... sir." The first man admitted sheepishly.

"Hmmm." Better a sibling than another soldier. "Give it back. You're in the army. You've been issued war paint, use that." He shrugged. Then added "I do."

The pair were quiet, clearly still not quite sure what was happening. "As you were." Ghost nodded and started to take his leave.

The second cleared his throat. "Uh... ahem... any uh... any music recommendations?"

Ghost turned in the doorway. He thought for a moment, and then "Well, you're listening to Paramore. If you want music from the same time, there's always Hawthorne Heights or Blink-182. You want something heavier look into Breaking Benjamin. Or more upbeat go for All Time Low. If you want something newer, Twenty One Pilots just released some new songs, or there's TX2, who draws a lot of inspiration from the greats. That's a start."

Both men smiled. The first spoke up. "Thank you, sir. This'll be a lot easier with an elder emo around."

Elder emo? Who- oh. Ohhhhh. When? How did that happen? He wasn't supposed to make it this far. Huh.

"Anytime." He nodded as he left them. He tried not to let his emotions show as he made his way down the hall, but internally he was brimming with pride. He'd made it so much further than anyone had ever thought, especially himself. It took a couple of baby emo's for him to see it, but he'd made it. He was still here. Despite the odds.

[kittyscupcakeandbunny]

SET ME FREE x MIN YOONGI

[MAFIA AU]

PART ONE

Red Chopsticks

Side Characters: Kim Namjoon/police officer detective, Jeon Jungkook/police officer detective, Jung Hoseok/mafia member and Yoongis right hand.

Warnings: Smut, mentions of blood, death, robbery, killing, guns, torturing, fire, porn (a lot of it), drugs, cuss words.

Song: Gods and Monsters by Lana del Rey.

Next ->

………………………………………………………………………………….

I knew that working as an intern at the police station wasn’t going to be easy. As a young woman i knew that very well. But life wasn’t ever exactly easy for me, when i wasn’t fighting to survive i was planing how to survive tomorrow.

At least i was never bored.

“Another fight against the mafia Min left three police officers in the hospital in critical condition and five dead, the police said that they are taking care of the case right now and so far they can’t disclose any information about the investigation but, everything indicates that the mafia leader Agust d was behind it. We’ll be back after the break…”.

I took a sip of my coffee as i watched the news on the tv in wall of the coffee shop. This Agust d was one of the most wanted criminals in the world, they say he has deals with the Italian and the Japanese mafia. No one knew how he looked like, the only way to know he was behind a crime was looking at the crime scene. He had a way of doing in the most cleanest way. Bodies dropped dead in a blink of an eye and no one would know.

I always wanted to be a police detective just like my father, completely influenced by him but when he passed away i made the promise to take his place and do just as much good to the world as he did. To continue his legacy. Since I was the oldest I had to take care of the house and my younger brother. Who was still in high school.

After completing my training i was assigned to work as an intern at the police station. I’ve been working for almost four months now, it hasn’t been easy since.

Many male seniors looked down on me and tooked me for weak. But that didn’t stop me. It never did in the academy and It won’t here.

I’m gonna do my job and I’ll be the best at it.

Days are work were usually the same, sitting on my desk making documents and delivering documents with criminal information on crime scenes, criminals and people who passed.

I had to make sure every information was in order and ready to be documented and archived in the system.

At lunch break I would seat in the table with the few detectives that saw me as one of them, Namjoon was working on the Agust d case together with Jungkook and his other man, he would always take care of me when he could. As fathers used to know each other and for that reason he’s always been like a big brother for me in the station.

- how’s been work so far y/n? - he asked, a smile showing his dimples making him look even more attractive.

- same old same old - i said, sitting in front of him on the table. - how is the investigation of the Min mafia?

- don’t even tell me about it. The damn Agust d is like a ghost. - he held his chopsticks tighter, a deep look in his eyes showing me how much this case has been burning him, no one wanted to catch that man more than him - But just you wait…. I’m gonna catch him and make him pay for his crimes.

- I’m sure you will - i send him an assuring smile - no one can do that but you.

He replied my smile send a small one back to me, the air around seemed to have lightened up since.

- make sure you document our relatories right y/n - Jungkook the youngest detective said to me in a teasing way. Turning the attention to me.

- you do your job and i do mine - i said - I’ll be better then you once i become a detective.

- she’s coming for you man! - Namjoon teased, getting playful too.

- I’m not scared of girls - Jungkook stated, looking my way.

- well then I’ll make you scared - I said daring. We all just laughed after that.

Lunch time was always pleasant with them, as much as they can’t seem to stop teasing me for being the youngest, it was nice being with them.

After lunch i went back to work finding a new pile of documents with a small yellow note saying to transfer them all to the system. One of the other female workers who was a senior Looked at my way saying the boss requested me to do the documents and send it to him.

I sighed knowing it would take more then hours to complete the work, specially with how slow the system has been lately.

…

Finishing the last paper o looked outside the window at the office. It was night already, half past eleven.

I yawn getting up from the chair, time to clock out. As I walk down the stairs to the front doors of the station, Namjoon comes from the corridor of the left. I smiled at him and he does a little jog to come to me, accompany me as we both exit the building.

I take a deep breath once outside, finally time to go home.

- you need a ride home? - Namjoon offers.

- oh no, thank you though - i declined - I have my own ride home.

- don’t tell me you’re still driving that thing? - he asked incredulously of my ride home.

- hey! Don’t talk like that about my baby - i said. Hitting his arm.

- i swear that motorcycle is a monster… - he said playful.

- no it’s not… - I’m interrupted by my cell phone ringing, my brothers name shining on it. - sorry i gotta go, bye Joonie!

I quickly said by to him as i run to the parking lot, once my motorcycle was in my sight I took the call.

- hey bro what do you-

I couldn’t finished. My voice got stuck in my throat as i heard him sobbing, silent cries.

- they are coming to get me… I’m so sorry big sis…- he cried, I could hear laughs and other voices in the back.

My mind was doing loops. Different scenarios about what he might have gotten himself into that could have gotten him in that situation, i felt the rush in my body and completely lost control of myself. The only family I had was in danger and i just couldn’t breath at the thought of it. How could I not do anything?

Knowing i was just an intern at the police station but i would never turn my back to someone in need. Never.

I’m so stupid.

I moved out of instinct. Getting in the motorcycle. Turning on the GPS of his cellphone so i could track his location, finding out my brother l location was my focus now. Turning the key the loud roar of the motor was flowed through my ears. I checked the GPS once more finding out he was at the wets part of downtown.

My eyes looking incredulously at his location, just what in the world was he doing at one of the most dangerous parts of downtown?

Once I find him I’m going to smash some sense in his head, with my fry pan. Hard.

Driving this late wasn’t so bad, everyone was sleeping and those who weren’t were coming back from work or just going to parties, getting dunk or eating out. It was easier to get there faster, as i drove towards my brothers destination the streets began to slowly turn darker, and i don’t mean light sense.

I was struck by how things went down there. I never came a single kilometer close to this part of the city. Now I know why.

People fighting in the middle of the streets, some drunk men being dragged out of a pub, woman bearly clothed walking around smoking.

I stooped my motorbike to look at the GPS once again, he was close now one street ahead in the next alley. I drove there slower till I was close enough to go there on foot and made my way to the alley.

I couldn’t find words to describe this place, it smelled so bad my head started to hurt. Cigarettes and cheap alcohol, piss in the corners and some people laying on the floor. I didn’t know if they were alive but, i didn’t know if going there to check would be a good thing to do.

I had my own share of trouble to solve now. Once in the alley i felt paralyzed, honestly I didn’t know what to expect from this. I didn’t know what to do. I just knew my brother was i danger and i had to get to him quickly.

Once there i stood in the alley, my heart was weighing on my chest, as i saw three men cornering my brother. Two of them wearing big jackets and while one wore a baseball hat the other a bucket hat he was the one who held my brother against the wall while the other one threw a punch against him. Those disgusting pieces of trash.

- ya!

Anger boiled inside me. Now finally getting their attention. The one who threw the punch turning towards me. He was bald and had a dragon tattoo on his face that follow the side of his head to his left eye.

- there's nothing to see here princess - he said - get out or... we might not let you go.

- no, you leave - i stood my ground - i already called the coops, leave my brother.

They all just laugh, i didn't move an inch through if i wanted to win this I would have to fight. I knew I would.

- you all heard that? She called the cops - he said in a mocking way to the other guys and they all laughed - you must not be from here little girl.... the coops don't come here any more.

- yeah... - the other one who held my brother said, he took his cap off siding with the tattoo guy - Agust D made sure of that.

They looked at each other and chuckled.

- we gotta thank him for that... - the back one said walking towards me - thanks to him we can do whatever we want to little girls like you....

I felt like throwing up.

It wasn’t long before two arms held me from behind, a breath of cigarettes hitting my face. A forth men? I tried to break free from it but the man’s hold was strong.

Bald guy walking towards us a vile smile on his lips as he did so, my mind was completely blank and all i could hear was my heart beating faster in my chest and their laughs as if it was coming from far away.

My eyes desperately searching for my brother finding him laying on the floor, fear boiling on my body. I could only watch.

How useless i was.

- we are gonna have so much fun… - he said grabbing my face and smiling sickly. I was so disgusted and angry at the same time.

Still i spit on his face. For a second it seemed like he didn’t believe it, then he angrily cleaned his face with his hand.

- you bitch! - he was one second from slapping me in the face.

If I’m in hell, might as well shower in flames. I closed my eyes waiting for the blow, but it never came.

- what’s is all this garbage?….

A different voice said this time, before anything could happened, from behind the man in the other end of the alley a man stood there.

I couldn’t make his face as he was too far, he proceeded to light a cigarette and take a blow. Smoke flying above his face as he lets it all out. He was wearing simple clothes, ripped jeans a white shirt and flower shirt over it. Long black hair slick back. He walked slowly towards the commotion, as if this was nothing but exactly what he stated: garbage.

- we don’t need more people here friend… - the man in front of me said, walking towards the new stranger - just keep minding your own business.

- well you see… friend - he said closer now, eyes falling over mine and i noticed the scar on his face. It made him look mad. - i don’t like men hurting woman…

- I don’t give a shit about what you don’t like get the fu- before the man can say even one more word, scar men throws a punch on him, cigarette still between his lips.

He falls on the ground nose bleeding and groaning in pain, scar men takes a second blow lof the cigarette letting the smoke fall out of his lips slowly in the air watching the men on the ground, a smirk on his face.

- I also don’t like poor dirty vocabulary… - he said, throwing the rest of the cigarette on the man.

The two other guys went stray to the scar men, one of them throwing a punch on him but he quickly dogged grabbing the guys arm bringing towards him he punched his ribs then kicked him on the same spot, while this were happening the other one who just watched grabbed a piece of wood and went straight to the scar face men.

It happened so fast, the guy didn’t stood a chance as scar face held the piece of wood and his other hand before he could do anything, a sick laugh coming from scar face lips. He looked as if he was having the most fun but, more then anything like this was nothing to him.

I knew he went hard when i heard the sound of cracking, but it wasn’t from the wood. The painful groan that left the guy mouth was enough to tell me, scar men broke his arm then threw the guy on the floor two with another kick. He stood there pushed his hair back and looked at me, a smirk still on his face.

The forth men that was holding me finally let me go, turning back i only saw him walking fast as if he had nothing to do with this signaling to the other men to get out of there, one after the other they got up from the floor leaving quickly. I don’t know who that men with the scar is but although he helped me and my brother, he doesn’t seem like one to mess with.

As the alley was clear i ran to my brother, checking to see if he was okay. He hugged me as soon as i kneeled beside him.

- why did you come? - he cried on my shoulder - they could’ve hurt you…

- and they hurt you - I told him - how could i not come? Should I have just left your!? You punk.

I helped him up holding him by the waist, I honestly thought the scar men wouldn’t be here anymore. I was surprise to see he was still there looking at me and my brother. Both hands on the pockets of his jeans.

Noticing my look of surprise at him he only side smiled, I couldn’t read his expression.

- it’s still dangerous to be alone at this time… - he said walking to the end of the alley where he came from and towards the street - let’s eat something till things cool down in downtown.

I didn’t question. I didn’t know how things worked at downtown and if he’s from here he knows more then I do. Seeing how my brother was still in pain I thought that would be a good idea, at least until he gets better to go and as the scar men said till thing cold down.

So i follow the him. We walked without saying anything else, the streets of downtown seemed to really be quieting down now . He stopped in front what looked like a noddle restaurant, it looked old with rustic furniture and decor.

He walked around as if he new the place and quickly sat down in one of the tables on the back, i fallowed him sitting in front of him after helping my brother to sit beside me.

And old lady came to our table, she seemed to know scar face as she smiled at him.

- the usual mister Yoongi? - she asked him, he nodded.

- the same for them - he then replied, she looked at me once then my brother the expression on her face showing clearly. Pity.

She quickly went back to prepare the food, i looked at the men in front of me. The scar on his face gave him a fearful look, he had sharp eyes too and moved with so much confidence and control of himself. Nothing around his surrounding seemed to fazed him, he looked indifferent to everything.

He’s from downtown. The part of the city were crime was all over it, the mafia Min had control over it more then the military soldiers. No one could take this area down. They had so much power over it no one from the outside could even imagine what was truly happening here, everyone feared getting even the stlighly close to here.

I tried not to think about it so much as time passed, the food was put in front of us by the old lady. The scar face who’s name the old lady said before was Yoongi took his chopsticks blowing the noddles before eating.

His knuckles had some blood on them, but he just eat as if it wasn’t nothing to him. Are all the people in downtown like this? Born bad? Born with blood in their hands.

Now here i’m right in the middle of it. With this men in front of me who looked like he was some kind of mafia criminal.

- are you in the mafia? - I only realized I said my thoughts out loud when he looked at me.

He stoped mid eating, mouth slightly opened as he hold his chopstick. His eyes locked on mine and he stared at me, it felt cold the more i held eye contact with him. I couldn't decipher what was going on his mind, it made me even more intrigued and for a second it felt like time had stoped, everyone and every thing around us simply didn't exist.

How did I get here? Who was this men?

I couldn't breath. My eyes were glued on his, how could someone like him have this kind of effect on people? I felt a shiver run down my spine as he licked his lips smirking if that was somebody else I’m sure it wouldn’t look as attractive as he made it look and before he took a bite of his food he simply said without breaking eye contact with me.

- no.

Nothing else was said after that.

We all just eat our food. The silence was filled with only dish sounds and food being cooked, some old people talking about sports and how some areas were too dangerous.

I kept checking on my brother to see if was fine, he only eat his food quietly blood dried already on his bottom lip, a bruise on his right eye turning red. I hated the fact i couldn’t protect him. Even after becoming a police officer I couldn’t do anything to protect my only family.

Mat the sudden movement in front of me my eyes turning to Yoongi as he got up from his seat, he grabbed the pair of red chopsticks before looking at me one last time.

- i have something to deal with now - he said - you know that way out, don’t worry about the food… is on me.

Was all he said before turning his back and walking towards the back of the restaurant with the red chopsticks.

What a night.

Taglist: @missmin @whipwhoops @glosstwn @i-have-no-life-charlie @kooslilhoe @catlove83 @taegicity @ginger-coffee-addict @rosquilleta @tarahardcore @liveyun @manuosorio @thvlover7 @4ukiyo4 @sukonsukuna @passionandsuga @missroro @btspurplesky

Notes: First part is out YES. Sorry for any grammatical mistakes I didn’t edit yet! 🥺💖🤭

[spiderpussinc]

are the 2099 comics THAT bad in terms of racism plus other weird writing choices??? i'm starved for miguel content and would like to read the original comic run but i keep seeing the debate of the original comics being problematic and/or downright just BAD bad (not to mention miguel is supposed to have mexican heritage but he's straight up a white redhead lol)

Some people may disagree but speaking as a latinx writer; it's bad because it is racist, yes! On multiple fronts!! And beyond that, it's also bad as a complete failure of comics structure and compelling narrative.

Longpost, on readmore;

I say this as a long-time capeshit reader, as politely as possible: Miguel's comics are a *paycheck* book. As in; a series a writer does monthly to be paid for it, but with middling aspirations and downright negative characterization depending on where their mood is.

The first few issues of his 1992 run are relatively complete and well-balanced, may even trick you into thinking this story is going somewhere; but that's only because they're the /character pitch./ Ill skip to the end and tell you upfront. That 1992 series ends with the implosion of the whole "2099" line of comics (an universe that included other books, like ghost rider, doom, etc, by other writers) due to dwindling public interest and mass cancellations. The end of that run is basically meaningless, since the whole thing got retconned - and even before that a guest writer had came in and made mistaken character reveals pdavid wasnt happy with and wanted to erase before the finale. The event book that wrapped up that universe was unironically, literally called -- "2099: Manifest Destiny."

Now, I don't like Peter David's writing. I think he's obsessed with the idea of building harems out of his female characters (when he's not fridging them, or making them act ~crazy~ to further alienate them from the protagonist) and it is the kind of grueling, joyless reading experience I can only describe as making you feel Oily Inside. This goes as far as multiple stalking plotlines, the inclusion of a guest appearance from AU s/x slaver Hulk in later years, Miguel's mother being strongly implied to have been forced into conceiving him by his real dad who's the evil CEO of alchemax, general torture painporn. His broader supporting cast is so interchangeable and disposable that they were literally disposed of.

In terms of the racism; I have mentioned how he uses cultures as tokens and does 0 research whatsoever. The way it feels and the way it is deployed is through a lens of Exoticism - tourism. Miguels suit is allegedly "a dia de los muertos costume" b/c pdavid seems to think that holiday is mexican halloween. In the orig book, you'll see plenty of broken japanese and stereotypical orientalist caricatures - after killing his first love interest, pdavid introduces a japanese girl who is unironically, literally named "Xina" (that pretends to be chinese on occasion) to fill in the vacant role. Miguel himself falls right into all the usual latino stereotypes — short tempered, drug addict, sex magnet "latin lover" (this last one also applied to his brother Gabriel, who for the longest time is characterized by just Going Through A Lot Of Girlfriends). And it's kind of insane bc he's still being drawn as a deeply deeply white man, but not even that takes off the burden of the racial microagressions!!! They're the only times pdavid seems to remember that heritage! Then there's the commemorative hanging page. Since you mention the redheadedness; thats another insane thing to me. He has 0% of irish in him. His dad is Blond. Who is this man?

Most of the info in the 2099 run is either revealed to be a lie midway thru (miguel is not mr o'hara's son, nor addicted to rapture) or completely retconned away to be rewritten in new runs. Different writers have tried to come in and do miguel in other team/event books but frankly nothing stands out and most of them get marked as alternate-miguels. Unfortunately, every time marvel decided to give another shot at spider-man 2099 they also brought pdavid back. The newer books were never a success, and theyre just as filled w/ the garbage i mentioned earlier (wow! Steampunk spider-woman is given to pdavid for *ONE* issue and instantly tonguekisses gabriel before leaving, so novel. More fridging ensues. Stalking. Etc.) 2099 as an *universe* has been retconned so many times Nothing is consistent and Nothing is set on stone and frankly i think they should make it an AU separate from main canon and build a whole new world already.

The art in the 2015 + runs consists mostly of tracing, and more of that oily weird feeling applied to fem chars. Perhaps you have noticed in this entire hate review have never once spoken about Miguel's heroic plots and memorable villains --- he has none. At least nothing I can remember or distinguish. (Interchangeable, disposable, etc) There is a vague inkling of "this is an anti-stabilishment spiderman, he fights against The Public Eye, the Corporation Cops!" at the start but much like his cultural illiteracy pdavid has no real insightful politics commentary, so that dissolves into the background in time. Its all buzzwords. All of his plotlines are solved in circuitous or soap operaish extradrama ways; and while some of this is present in other superhero comics, what stands out to me MOST is how utterly fucking joyless Miguel's comics are. It's like going through a slog on obligation. They genuinely gave me a headache every time.

ATSV does a great job of reinventing Miguel and rebuilding the parts of him that showed real promise. Being a different tone-swapped spiderman, futuristic, being more on the tech-science side of crime fighting. Him being a single dad with a daughter is also new. (And he is single! There is no singular mention of marriage or a wife anywhere, he's a geneticist, multiple spider-men we see in this movie were literal clones made in tubes - i am fond of the idea he's a transmasc dad but even if you think he's cis he could have made that baby himself. Adoption is also always there.) I think its very clear ATSV didn't want to bring any of pdavids major weird shit w fem chars to the big screen on the hopes that miguel gets rebooted eventually. I think he's gay. Nobody can prove me wrong.

On that note, Steve Orlando (queer writer, also wrote for DC's midnighter/apollo) did some of the latest 2022/2023 Miguel miniseries. Another reboot! Those were "2099: Exodus" and "Spider-man 2099: Dark Genesis" - i think its campier/trying to tackle superhero plots more head on and trying to do something wide wacky cast focused at Marvel's personal request, but Miguel's future is very up in the air rn. I do really hope they reboot him into something closer to ATSV with latines at the center soon.

What I always reccomend for people curious abt miguel: read his first 3ish 1992 issues, get a general feel and close the book as soon as you feel annoyed. It won't get better. Remember none of it is canon nor has been relevant in over two decades. If you want to know the wider context of his messy chronology, check out some of the 2099 "all comics" type of youtube videos, theres some pretty easy to digest summarizations if u dont wanna waste ur time reading stuff that just got retconned again lol. Most writers now are operating on vibes and that is a freedom you should also allow yourself in your own fanwork.

Putting his panels out of context can be very funny though. (For further curiosity or tangents, there's always my meta tag)

[inor-8]

Regarding Lily's top 20 Pokemon video (Part 2):

Ok so most of my individual posts from the video are from this section. So, I'm gonna try my best to articulate my thoughts as well as I can.

Again, as much as we disagree with her, all her favourites are valid as everyone deserves an opinion. Even Lily Orchard.

So without further ado....

Number 10: Froslass

Ok so we start her top 10 and how does she begin this section? By complaining about gender specific evolutions, especially, Gallade.

I don't know how but Lily seems to have conjured up this crowd of "90's Pokemon fans" that hate Gardevoir because it's strong and feminine. And also that GameFreak has made Gallade specifically to appease this crowd.

And to that I say: Huh???? Lillian Orchard are you delusional??? As far as I've seen there's no one complaining about Gardevoir's feminity ever! In fact the whole community seems to love it. And you think Gardevoir being male is gonna deter fans? Lily??? Do you know how popular femboys are??? Male Gardevoirs are a treat for them if anything.

And I find it bizarre that she she seems male Gardevoirs can somehow not exist anymore? You do know that getting a Gallade needs a rare evolution stone right?

But moving on from that, let's get to Froslass. Now, as Lily hates gender specific evos, she also initially disliked her. But what made her warm up to the Pokemon is very disturbing to me. She seems to like it because it eats the souls of men. Now, don't get me wrong. She does mention her love for snow and ghosts but still... Hearing her say "It eats men!!!" with such glee is disgusting to me. I always suspected she was like those puritan twitter rad fems but this has just made my suspicions stronger. You really hate men, don't you? You little misandrist!

And what makes me sas is I love Froslass' design and the lore behind it. It's based on a yokai (a supernatural spirit in Japanese folklore) called Yuuki-Onna (snow woman). If you've grown up with Japanese cartoons like Doraemon, Shin-Chan or Ninja Hatori like I did, you'd have seen glimpses of this yokai in the episodes featuring snowstorms.

Yuuki-Onna is the spirit of a woman who died in a snowstorm and now hunts for travels who get lost in the snow. I absolutely love it. I even used it in Platinum and it one-shot Cynthia's Garchomp. It's so sad to see it reduced to "violent man eater".

Anyways moving on...

Number 9: Pidgeot

Now, there's really nothing to say here. She just explains why she likes it and honestly it's a solid mon.

Number 8: Magmortar

Same as Pidgeot, nothing really to day here.

So instead I'll leave you with a fun fact: Magmortar's Japanese name is Booburn.

Number 7: Sceptile

Now, this is where Lily's "I'm not like other girls" attitude shows up again and this time her victim are the other evolved starters of Ash.

I don't know what you've heard Lily but Sceptile is veeery popular and an awesome one of Ash's Pokemon. But you somehow take it not being the second coming of Pikachu as a crime.

She calls Charizard "Mr. Overrated". Cope and seethe, Lily. This is Charizard nation.

And Infernape as an "angry monkey man". Well, Lily as for why Infernape is so popular is because he had a whole arc about him. His initial trainer, Paul abandoning him for being weak, to Ash rescuing and training him, to him defeating Paul and proving his strength. That's why people love Infernape.

As for Greninja, I don't know man I didn't watch that far into the anime. Ask @voidshogun the number one Greninja fanatic.

Number 6: Agron

Now again, nothing out of the ordinary. Except the fact that Lily has only changed her rooster 5 times in 7 generations. Yeah we could tell, Lilian.

Number 5: Lilligant

Now, as is expected of her, Lily shits on gen 5's story. Wow You're so different and cool Lily!

Then, she says that Petlil needed to have an introductory scene like ralts because the whole area was filled with Sewaddle (how dare you belittle sewaddle in your video Lily?!?) And then she complained about a dex entry.

Now here comes another "I'm not like other girls" moment. She mentions how she doesn't use competitively viable Pokemon because she values design and trains her Pokemon like a real trainer should. Wow, Lily? People playing with their favourites? Who would have thought?!? God you're soooo cool!

Number 4: Milotic

Another garbage take of "GameFreak took gen one's shitty edgy adolescent designs and made them better in gen three!" No they didn't Lily, you're hallucinating.

This is where the whole "gyarados is a result of 90's gritty toxic masculinity" take is from. No it isn't, Lily. You purposefully ignore the lore behind these designs and undermine them. God i hate this woman. I've already said what I wanted to about the Gyarados comparison in a previous post, so I'll leave it there.

And then she says she's one of those weirdos that enjoys Pokemon contests. Oh wow! You're so #quirky🤪 for enjoying a feature that is in the game for you to enjoy. Real special thing you've got going on there, Lily.

Number 3: Mismagius

She complains about gen 2. Lily, ma'am you would have gotten to play with Misdreavous in Crystal, if you played fucking Kanto!!!

And then she says what a stubborn little bitch she was for playing competitive with her favourites instead of researching builds....

I'm not even gonna say it this time. How many "I'm not like other girls" moment have we had so far?

Number 2: Butterfree

More of "Oh! She's weak but I love her! Aren't I do different and cool!?"

She actually mentions Madhouse in this segment, so archive this video in case she decides to lie about it and deny she made that too. Not like having proof would make her admit she made it.

Now, to no one's surprise....

Number 1: Gardevoir

Oh I don't have much to say about this one.

Just look at some of my observations from this segment:

(i) Lily can't shut the fuck up about how powerful and mighty and strong Gardevoir is.

(ii) Lily depicts Gardevoir as a monstrous banshee because she's an edgelord and thinks it's cool instead of using it's canon depiction of a loyal protector as pointed out by @manilovescp166 in my asks.

(iii) Lily is so obsessed with Gardevoir that she bases her purchase of a Pokemon game on how easily and early she can get a ralts in said game.

(iv) Lily thinks Gardevoirs as a species have the deepest bonds with their trainers and are the best companions. (Okay, I guess?)

(v) Lily genuinely believes that "She (Gardevoir) is lowkey implied to be the single most powerful Pokemon in existence. Given that they have the ability to create black holes if they're desparate enough." (Sure buddy)

(vi) Lily believes that there's this insecure crowd of Gardevoir haters that hate it because it's feminine. (She made them up in her head)

(vii) Lily thinks it's shiny is bad, also she hates all shinies so there's one consistent thing I guess?

*Sigh* this is genuinely disturbing.... Just how fucking obsessed are you with Gardevoir, Lily?! I don't even have words. Honestly I think the observations are enough to tell you how deranged this woman is when it comes to Gardevoir.

[rainforestakiie]

hi! i am back with part 02 of Promised Soul! i had to split it, so there will be part 03 and that will be posted soon! maybe even later tonight?

i do hope you like it! it is loosely based on aztec and mayan mythology, and Japanese folklore.

ahhh! i really love this!

this is an adamapple fic placed in the omegaverse.

Promised Soul (Omegaverse Mythology AU) = Part 01. Part 02. Part 03. Part 04.

A full week had passed since his encounter with Lilith, and Adam had become a ghost in his own flat, refusing to leave the cocoon of blankets and pillows he’d built on his bed. He had wrapped himself so tightly in the comfort nest that it felt like a fragile sanctuary against the world outside. He didn’t care if he grew thinner from not eating; the gnawing emptiness inside him was far more consuming. He was just so... tired. Tired of everything, tired of trying to pretend he mattered to anyone.

Lilith had been his only friend, the one person he thought might see something special in him. But that hope had been shattered. The pain of it was a dull, constant ache, like a wound that wouldn’t heal. Adam’s eyes misted over at the mere thought of her. Lilith didn’t care about him, not even a little. She saw him as nothing more than the dirt that clung to the statues of Quetzalcoatl, not even worth the effort to brush off. He wasn’t worth anything. He’d left Eden hoping to find something, someone, but after a year of checking the empty letterbox for messages from his clan, he’d finally stopped looking. It was the same hollow pain twisting in his chest, a reminder that he was truly alone.

If even Lilith didn’t want him, what hope did he have of finding a mate? The realization crushed him, and he buried his face in the blankets, curling up tightly as his tears spilled over, tracing paths down his grey cheeks. It was so cruel—his skin didn’t even redden or blotch from crying. He just felt sore and clammy, the emotional storm leaving no visible marks, as if the world refused to acknowledge his suffering.

Adam hiccuped, digging his knuckles into his eyes as if he could rub away the burning sadness. Why? Why hadn’t he burned? Why didn’t he undergo the ash-fall like every other baby Phoenix? Why didn’t he rise in flames, reborn anew? Why was he so different? Why didn’t anyone care?

His sobs grew louder, more desperate, as he pressed his face into his knees until it hurt. He hated it. Hated himself. Hated this life that had betrayed him at every turn.

“I hate myself so much,” he whispered between ragged sobs. “I hate being me. Why couldn’t I have been something else? I’d have been happy as a bloody Imp!”

His cries deepened, his breath coming in harsh, uneven gasps as the sobs shook his frail body. Snot clogged his nose, and a dull cramp began to form from lying in the same position for so long. With a groan, Adam finally dragged himself out of the nest, his back and legs cracking as he shakily stood. He swayed on his feet, his arms instinctively reaching out to steady himself, but he stumbled forward, catching himself against the small, grimy window.

Adam grunted, his nose bumping against the cold glass. He rubbed it absently before peeling himself away from the wall, just as a flash of light caught his eye. His brows furrowed as he saw another burst of green and purple light flickering in the distance, though the filth on the window made it hard to see. Twisting his fingers around the rusty window handle, he forced it open with a screech that echoed through the quiet room. The warm, dry air hit his face immediately, a sign of the approaching return of their god and the blood sacrifices that would follow.

Ignoring the screeching hinges, Adam pushed the window as far open as it would go and stretched onto his tiptoes to get a better view of the city. Everything seemed normal, the city’s lights twinkling in the distance, and the people below going about their business. He groaned deeply, resting his arms on the windowsill and laying his chin on top. The night sky was empty, not a single star to break the oppressive darkness. It was sad how warm it was despite the hour; the nights had always been cold before.

His eyes grew heavy, his long lashes fluttering as he began to doze off, the exhaustion finally pulling him under. But just as he drifted into uneasy sleep, a sudden flash of light jolted him awake. His heart raced as he glanced around frantically, his eyes locking onto the tip of Quetzalcoatl’s temple. A string of silent lightning struck it, sending ripples of green, red, and blue through the sky.

Adam’s breath hitched, his skin prickling as every hair on his body stood on end. He leaned forward, trying to see if anyone else had noticed the strange lightning, but the creatures below continued with their lives, oblivious. Trolls played a game of stones, completely unaware of the unnatural phenomenon unfolding above them.

“What?” Adam whispered, his voice trembling.

His eyes flicked between the trolls and the temple, but none of them seemed to see the lightning. Blinking rapidly in confusion, Adam turned back to the temple just in time to see another flash—pink, purple, and gold this time—illuminating the sky and casting misty clouds in its wake.

Then he saw it. His breath caught in his throat as the shape of a serpent formed from the mist, a massive creature with six enormous wings, arching over the temple like a guardian from a forgotten age. The serpent seemed to stretch ten times the size of the city, a divine being made of light and shadow. But as quickly as it appeared, it was gone, leaving nothing behind, not even a trace of the misty clouds.

Adam’s heart thundered in his chest, his fingers trembling with an urgent need to move. A powerful force seemed to pull at him, yanking him towards the temple with an intensity that made his knees buckle. A wetness began to pool within him, and for a moment, he feared he might collapse.

He had to go. The urge was overwhelming, a compulsion that left no room for doubt. He had always felt drawn to the temple, always found a strange fascination in the statues of Quetzalcoatl, but this was different. This was terrifying, overwhelming—and completely irresistible.

Without another thought, Adam backed away from the window, his heart pounding in his chest as the flicker of a flame stirred within him, small but growing, as if awakened by the divine presence he had just witnessed.

He had to go to the temple.

Now.

Nothing else mattered.

Adam had no choice. He simply couldn’t resist it. The fire within his chest, like a Phoenix reborn, had ignited into a fierce, magnetic pull that tugged at his very soul. It felt as if an unseen force had cast a line and hook into his heart, reeling him in like one of the lesser Cetus-fishers snaring a catch from the abyss. His feet shuffled forward, then back, as though he were caught in the sway of hypnotic waves that rolled through him, relentless and undeniable.

He clenched his eyes shut, trying to banish the compulsion, but it was no use. With a sudden, sharp turn, he surrendered to the pull, despite the absurdity of his situation. Clad only in flimsy black pyjamas and an oversized blue sweater, barefoot and utterly unprepared, Adam was clearly not in his right mind. The one rational thought that should have sent him racing back to his flat, to burrow himself in the safety of his cocoon, seemed to have been smothered by the overwhelming force tugging him onward.

The Jorōgumo.

The Jorōgumo women of Pentagram City, ever-vigilant, always prowled the temple grounds, ready to ensnare any creature foolish enough to trespass into their sacrificial domain. Those who were caught faced a fate too horrific to fully comprehend—some strung up with their insides spilling out, others torn limb from limb, and many more cocooned in slick to be fed to the Jorōgumo’s ravenous younglings. It was a death beyond nightmares, a terrible way to end.

And yet, here Adam was, his mind fogged with the weight of invisible feathers, lured from the sanctuary of his apartment by an unseen, seductive force. He had lived in that building since he was eighteen, ever since he had fled from Eden, and now something was leading him astray, gently but irresistibly drawing him out into the night. He stumbled down the streets, clumsily bumping into other creatures, his eyes wide and glassy, his face ghostly pale. It was as if he were trapped in a trance, drifting helplessly through the twisting, labyrinthine streets of the inner city, lost in the grip of something far beyond his control.

Adam stumbled forward, his shoulder colliding hard against a towering Alpha Goblin. A deep grunt escaped the creature as he struggled to regain his footing, his large, fish-like lips curling into a menacing sneer that revealed rows of jagged teeth.

"Oi!" the Goblin snarled, swiftly closing the distance between them and seizing Adam's arm with a vice-like grip. He yanked him back forcefully, causing Adam to nearly topple into his slimy, pungent chest. "Are you blind or somethin'? You ran into me! Apologize!"

A small, distressed whimper slipped from Adam's lips as his glazed eyes darted around the cluttered street. Torn newspapers danced in the cold breeze, and a collage of tattered flyers clung desperately to the dilapidated grey and red walls surrounding them. Above, the seedy neon lights of a nightclub sign flickered erratically, casting eerie red and blue shadows across the grimy pavement.

"Hello! Are you even listening to me?" the Goblin barked, shaking Adam roughly like a rag doll. "You bump into me and just go silent? Where's your manners?"

Adam's mouth opened and closed soundlessly, words failing him as an overwhelming sense of wrongness crawled beneath his skin. The Goblin's touch felt invasive, unnatural, and every instinct within him screamed to break free and continue toward the temple that beckoned him with an unseen, irresistible force.

Squinting up at the grotesque figure, Adam took in the Goblin's unnaturally long limbs that dangled almost to his ankles, the sagging folds of his sallow skin, and the oversized, bulbous head that seemed too heavy for his frail body. His feet were enormous and misshapen, adding to his unsettling appearance.

"What's the matter? You deaf?" the Goblin snapped impatiently. "Say you're sorry!"

Adam's vacant stare bore into the Goblin, an unsettling intensity that made the creature shift uneasily. The Goblin's bravado faltered as he leaned back, his beady eyes narrowing with recognition.

"Wait a minute... I know you," he muttered, a sly grin creeping across his slimy lips. "You're that unburned Phoenix Omega, aren't you? Couldn't even rebirth properly, huh?" His gaze swept over Adam with contempt. "You certainly don't look like much of a Phoenix. Not desirable at all."

A cold chill sliced through Adam's core, the words striking a tender, wounded place within him. He had always known he was different, lacking the fiery brilliance and allure of other Phoenix Omegas.

Before he could process his actions, a sharp retort burst from his lips. "Well, you're not exactly a sight for sore eyes yourself, princess!"

The Goblin's eyes widened in astonishment before narrowing into slits of rage. He puffed out his chest, releasing a thick, musky scent meant to assert dominance and force submission. The air grew heavy and oppressive, laden with the stench of swamp and decay that made Adam's stomach churn and his eyes water.

"How dare you speak to me like that!" the Goblin croaked, his voice bubbling with fury. "I'm an Alpha, and you're just an Omega! Know your place and show some respect, especially after your rudeness!"

As the noxious pheromones assaulted his senses, Adam's face contorted in disgust, his nostrils flaring as he fought the urge to gag. Seeing the Goblin lunge toward him once more, Adam acted on pure instinct. He twisted free from the clammy grasp and delivered a swift, powerful kick squarely into the Goblin's chest.

A sharp crack echoed through the night as the blow sent the unsuspecting Alpha stumbling backward. He tripped over his own cumbersome feet and crashed into a heap of overflowing trash bins, the metallic clatter resonating down the deserted street. A loose lid toppled onto his head, rendering him unconscious amid the scattered refuse.

Breathless and wide-eyed, Adam stared at the fallen Goblin in disbelief, a tremor running through his entire body. His heart pounded against his ribs as he frantically glanced around, relief washing over him when he realized no one had witnessed the altercation.

"Thank Quetzalcoatl," he murmured under his breath, a sense of urgency rekindling within him.

As if on cue, a gentle, unseen presence brushed over him, tenderly guiding his gaze back toward the direction of the temple. The ethereal pull intensified, enveloping him in a comforting yet insistent embrace that urged him forward.

Without wasting another moment, Adam turned on his heel and broke into a swift stride, his bare feet carrying him swiftly through the labyrinthine streets. The allure of the temple beckoned stronger than ever, its mysterious call weaving through the night and drawing him inexorably toward whatever destiny awaited.

It took what felt like an eternity for Adam to reach the outskirts of the city, every step a new form of agony as his feet throbbed with pain, likely bruised from the relentless journey. By the time he reached the first carved statue of their God, Quetzalcoatl, his heart was hammering in his chest, the thunderous pulse reverberating in his ears. His face flushed with heat, his body aflame, and his chest seared with the effort of breathing. He bent over, hands clutching his knees as he gasped desperately for air, each breath a struggle. His eyes screwed shut, and beads of sweat traced their way down his temples, dripping off his chin.

Damn it. He had never run like that before. Adam wasn’t one for running these days—or ever, really. Since he had failed to undergo the transformation that all Phoenixes underwent, he had let his once-fit body go, seeing no reason to maintain it. He wasn’t overweight, not by ordinary standards, but in a Phoenix clan, where physical perfection was expected, he was considered almost obese. His frame was softer now—plump around the stomach and chest, his thighs thick, though his arms and legs remained thin. He was still smaller than Lilith, barely reaching her shoulders, but the comparison stung.

As he inhaled sharply, the frigid night air filling his lungs, Adam froze. A sudden, icy terror gripped him, chilling him to the bone. His entire body stiffened, and he felt as though frost was about to etch itself across his ashen skin. The distant sound of the warrior Jorōgumo on patrol echoed through the night, a reminder of the ever-present danger. He swallowed hard, forcing himself to straighten up, and shuffled into the shadowed recess of the statue of Quetzalcoatl, his breath shallow as he watched the darkness for any sign of movement.

Then, he saw it. A monstrous silhouette with eight spindly legs skittered into view, its form a twisted shadow against the inky blackness of the night. The creature’s attention seemed elsewhere, and it veered off to the left, where Adam heard the unmistakable, blood-curdling screams of rule breakers caught in its path. The air was suddenly filled with the harsh, shrill cries of more Jorōgumos, followed by the desperate footsteps of two fleeing figures.

But they didn’t get far.

With a terrifying swiftness, something white shot out from the darkness, ensnaring them by the ankles. In an instant, they were yanked to the ground and dragged away, their screams abruptly cut off as they were pulled back toward the sacrificial grounds from which they had foolishly tried to escape.

Adam slapped both hands over his mouth, stifling his own cry of horror. His eyes were wide, unblinking, and they burned with the strain of holding back tears. The muffled voices of the Jorōgumos grew louder, closer, before mercifully fading away, taking their prey with them. Adam trembled violently, his body refusing to obey his mind’s commands to stay calm. He squeezed his eyes shut, praying he wouldn’t witness anything more horrific, though the darkness had already hidden much of the grisly scene from view.

He knew the Jorōgumos were deadly, sadistic creatures, but they operated within the rules of the city, giving generous warnings to those who strayed too close to their domain. They wouldn’t devour you unless you crossed the line of Quetzalcoatl, or unless they found you… appealing. Yet, knowing their cruelty in theory was one thing—hearing it play out in the darkness around him was another.

"Dear Quetzalcoatl," Adam whispered, his voice trembling as he tilted his head toward the statue, "please watch over me and keep the Jorōgumos away."

He realized with a jolt that this was the closest he had ever been to the statue, a sacred relic he had never dared to touch. The proximity made his hair stand on end, an almost electric sensation coursing through him. He could reach out and feel the stone if he wanted to, the carved feathers of the Serpent God’s wing shimmering faintly in the dim light, almost as if they were beckoning him.

But he didn’t dare move, not yet. The night was still thick with danger, and Adam knew that every second counted as he clung to the shadows, praying to remain unseen.

Adam rubbed his hands down the oversized sweater that seemed to swallow him whole, his gaze fixed on the ancient statue of Quetzalcoatl. His eyes, wide with a mix of awe and trepidation, wandered over the countless other statues lining the walls, separating the sacrificial grounds from the rest of the world.

These statues were relics of a forgotten era, their origins shrouded in the mists of time. To touch them was forbidden, a transgression that could cost someone their hand—or their life. Beyond the city walls, replicas stood in their place, mere shadows of the originals, and while the public could freely touch those, the true creations were strictly off-limits. Adam had always been captivated by the originals, drawn to their eerie beauty, yet each time he visited, he was never alone. Lilith was always there, her presence like a shadow, her watchful eyes warning him whenever he ventured too close.

Adam's first encounter with the city at eighteen had been like a dream—or perhaps a curse. The moment he crossed the threshold, he had been irresistibly drawn to one of the replica statues in the town centre. His hands, as if possessed, traced the carved feathers, feeling every groove and ridge of the stone. Quetzalcoatl was not just a god; he was the very essence of their existence, his legend woven into the fabric of their lives—paintings, stories, plays, movies, and even children's toys all bore his image.

Yet, as Adam stood before the original statue now, something dark and powerful stirred within him, a force that both thrilled and terrified him. He was so close, yet paralyzed, his knees buckling beneath him, his hands trembling as they clutched at his chest. The dry grass beneath his feet felt cold, lifeless, as a shiver crept down his spine. The half-dragon, half-bird face of Quetzalcoatl loomed just beyond the wing, its stone eyes boring into his soul.

"Ah..." The sound escaped Adam's lips, barely a whisper, as he found himself bowing low before the serpent god. It was as if the true God’s gaze had fallen upon him, weighing down on his very being. "N-No disrespect, your highness, I..."

His voice trailed off as his eyes locked onto the stone face of Quetzalcoatl once more. A slow blink, a nervous bite of his lower lip, and his thoughts turned to the ancient deals and contracts forged in blood. The contracts were dark, their terms etched in sacrificial blood, yet they had borne fruit. Quetzalcoatl had provided—food, water, shelter, everything his people needed to survive and live in peace. But the price was always the same: blood.

Adam blinked again, the world around him narrowing to the palm of his grey-ash hand. He stretched out his fingers, tracing the lines of his flesh, and let out a soft, wordless hum. His eyes darted around until they found a sharp rock on the ground. With deliberate slowness, he picked it up, pressing its jagged edge into his palm. The pain was brief, a sting that brought forth tiny pearls of blood.

He winced, watching the blood pool in his hand before he extended it, pressing the crimson-stained palm into the earth before Quetzalcoatl's face. For a few agonizing minutes, he held it there, the ground seeming to drink in his offering.

Then, with a deep breath, Adam crawled forward, slipping beneath the statue’s head, crossing into the forbidden grounds where no one else dared to tread. The air there was different, thicker, as if the weight of centuries pressed down upon him. But for Adam, it was as if he had finally crossed the threshold into a world where his darkest desires could no longer be denied.

The moment Adam crossed into the ancient, forbidden sacrificial grounds of Quetzalcoatl, a feverish heat washed over him, prickling his skin like a thousand tiny needles. No one had ever dared to breach this sacred space and lived to tell the tale. What fate awaited him if he were caught? He didn’t know, but retreat was no longer an option. He had already transgressed the unyielding laws of the city. With his knees pressed into the parched grass, his fingers twitched with a mixture of fear and excitement as he took in the sight that few had ever seen and lived to describe.

The reality of the grounds far exceeded the sterile depictions in textbooks and museums. The towering pillars were colossal, dwarfing the illustrations he had studied. The stone slabs were thicker, etched with intricate details that the public had never been privy to. The ground beneath him was polished to a sheen, a black stone pathway winding like a serpent up to the temple. Golden and grey steps, made of perfectly polished stone, climbed toward the heavens, leading to a pinnacle too high for Adam to discern its carvings.

Glancing down at the cut on his hand, Adam was startled to see that the wound had already begun to heal. The main gash had sealed shut, leaving no trace of blood, as though the very air within these grounds possessed some ancient magic. Swallowing hard, he brushed his thumb over the now-healing cut, marvelling at the rapid recovery. It would be fully healed in a week, perhaps even sooner.

"Whoa..." he breathed, the word slipping from his lips in awe.

Carefully, Adam rose to his feet. His legs trembled beneath him, and he twisted his hands into the fabric of his blue sweater, fingers toying with the frayed edges of his sleeves. His heart pounded so violently in his chest that it seemed it might burst, but he forced himself to take a tentative step forward, lifting his bare foot from the dry grass to the waxy, polished floor. The warmth beneath his foot surprised him—not uncomfortably hot, but a soothing, inviting warmth that made him long to curl up and bask in it.

The pillars loomed above him, their surfaces adorned with intricate carvings that seemed to tell forgotten stories. Some connected overhead, forming a latticework ceiling, while others stood solitary, reaching skyward. As Adam continued along the waxen ground, his steps brought him to the edge of the black stone pathway.

He paused there, staring down at the midnight-hued stone, so polished that his reflection stared back at him. Tiny white crystals were embedded within the stone, twinkling like stars in the night sky. They were too beautiful to tread upon, so Adam chose to walk alongside the path instead, his hands clasped tightly together as his fingers fidgeted nervously. Occasionally, his gaze drifted to the almost-healed cut on his palm.

As he ventured deeper into the grounds, Adam discovered thousands of golden and red archways standing sentinel along the sides of the star-studded pathway. Each archway framed a platform with an altar at its centre, a gaping hole in the ground beneath it. When he reached the first altar, Adam’s breath caught in his throat.

The altar bore a stone headrest at its top—unmistakably a sacrificial platform. Anxiety gnawed at him, urging him to hurry past. His feet carried him swiftly toward the temple, almost of their own accord, driven by a mixture of dread and compulsion. The ominous allure of the temple beckoned him closer, pulling him into its ancient embrace, where the line between fear and fascination blurred into something dangerously intoxicating.

Adam had barely lifted his foot an inch when something silver snaked around his ankle. His breath hitched, confusion flickering in his eyes, but before he could react, he was yanked violently upside down, dangling from the stone archway he had been about to pass beneath. A surge of anger ignited within him, frustration bubbling up like a storm as he twisted, kicking at the sticky webbing that held him fast.

"Adam, what the fuck are you doing?" Lilith’s voice hissed from below, her tone sharp and laced with urgency.

She skidded to a halt beneath him, her back arched and her chest heaving as though she had sprinted to catch him. Her form was unsettling, her body twisted in an unnatural way. Beyond the human legs that supported her, two long, gold and black-striped spider legs jutted out from her torso, a stark reminder of her true nature. Her long, golden hair, usually flowing like a waterfall, now appeared cropped and uneven, and a dark, ominous mark marred her cheek.

"Put me down," Adam growled, his voice low and simmering with defiance, even as he struggled futilely against the webbing that suspended him. He knew that if he managed to break free, he would fall and likely snap his neck, but desperation fuelled his anger.

"Now, Lilith."

The Jorōgumo sneered, her long, sharp fangs snapping menacingly in the air beneath him. "You’ve gone too far this time, Adam. Way too fucking far. Do you have any idea what you've done? What I just had to do? To my own sister, no less?"

"Oh, shut up," Adam shot back, his voice a snarling growl as he wriggled more violently. "You don’t know anything! I need to go. It’s calling me, and I can’t ignore it. I need to go."

Lilith’s eyebrow arched sceptically, her expression darkening. But before she could respond, the ominous sound of approaching Jorōgumo warriors filled the air, a chorus of clicks and hisses that made Lilith stiffen. Her icy-blue eyes widened in alarm, and without a word, she darted up the stone archway, her long, hairy spider legs carrying her effortlessly upward. She quickly used two of her legs to secure Adam to the underside of the archway, cocooning herself over him like a protective, yet terrifying, shield.

"Lilith—"

"Shut up," she hissed, her hand clamping over his mouth, silencing him instantly.

The sound of the Jorōgumo warriors grew closer, a deadly symphony of predator and prey. Lilith remained tense, her body rigid with fear and anxiety, listening intently as her sisters and cousins passed by, their presence a looming threat. Only when they had moved on did she exhale a deep, shaky breath of relief.

"Thank Quetzalcoatl," she muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "Even the Jorōgumo aren’t allowed to venture into the sacrificial grounds."

Adam tried to speak, but his words were muffled beneath her hand. Lilith’s glare intensified as she pressed down harder, her fangs bared in a silent warning.

"Hold still," she whispered harshly.

She began untangling the web from around Adam’s body, carefully lowering them both to the ground by a single, slicken thread. But the moment their feet touched the earth, Adam made a break for it. Lilith, however, was quicker, swinging one of her spider legs in a swift arc that knocked him off his feet.

"The fuck is wrong with you?" she spat, her voice a low, dangerous growl. "Do you want me to eat you that badly?"

With a fierce shove, she pinned him to the ground, her spider leg pressing into his back with unsettling force. "How fucking stupid can you be? Did you really think no one would smell you passing the wall? Ridiculous! We’re trained hunters, Adam—it’s our responsibility to find and destroy traitors of Pentagram City."

Lilith pressed down harder, her eight spider eyes snapping open, their gaze cold and unforgiving. "Even my sisters aren’t allowed to pass the statues into these grounds. Do you have any idea what kind of shit I just had to pull to keep you alive? My sister saw you, Adam—she was going to fucking behead you. I had to rip her abdomen out to stop her from grabbing you back at the statue, and now, I’ve betrayed my own clan."

Adam thrashed beneath Lilith’s crushing weight. "I never asked you to save me," he spat back.

"But I did it anyway," she hissed, flipping him over with ease. As Adam tried to rise, Lilith was faster, slamming her human foot down on his chest, pinning him once more. "I’ve crossed into the sacrificial grounds, and if I’m caught, I’ll be killed too."

"I never asked you—"

"But I did it anyway," Lilith cut him off, her voice sharp and unyielding. "Again and again, I’ve let you get away with shit. I’ve let you get closer to the statues of Quetzalcoatl than anyone else would dare. My siblings say I’m too soft because I keep letting you do things that should’ve cost you your hands."

Adam glared up at her, his cheeks flushed with frustration. His defiance burned bright in his eyes, especially as Lilith bent down, her face mere inches from his.

"So, I’m only asking you once," she said, her voice low and dangerous, "What the fuck are you doing?"

The two childhood friends stared at one another, the tension between them palpable. The aggression that had gripped Adam moments before ebbed away, replaced by a strange emptiness. Once, the thought of Lilith showing interest in him would have ignited a thrill, but now, he felt nothing. Instead, a calmness settled over him, and his dry lips pressed together as his gaze drifted toward the temple, lost in thought.

What was he doing? Why had he come all this way, breaking the law of Pentagram City? He could lose his life for this reckless act—he might have already, if not for Lilith’s intervention.

“Well?” Lilith spat; her voice sharp as a blade.

Adam blinked, his thoughts snapping back to the present. He frowned. “I saw him.”

“Saw who?” Lilith’s eyes narrowed further, suspicion darkening her gaze.

“Quetzalcoatl,” Adam replied, his voice firm and resolute.

Lilith snorted, rolling her eyes in disbelief. “No, you didn’t.”

“I did too,” Adam insisted, stubbornness edging his words. “I saw him above his temple, silhouetted in the misty clouds. There were these... these colorful lightning bolts striking the top of the temple.”

“There was no such thing, Adam,” Lilith retorted, her voice stern. “I’ve been here all night. There was no lightning, and certainly no appearance of our god. You did not see him.”

Adam’s frown deepened, his face contorting in a way that seemed almost unnatural. “I did. He’s calling me. He’s pulling me to the temple.”

“Were you sleeping?” Lilith asked, her head tilting to the side, her voice softening with concern. “You must have been dreaming.”

“No.” Adam shook his head furiously, then thrust his cut hand up toward the Jorōgumo. “I offered him my blood for entry, and he accepted. Look, see? I literally cut my hand barely an hour ago, and it shouldn’t be healed like this already!”

Lilith squinted, scrutinizing the nearly healed wound stretched across Adam’s palm. She sighed deeply, her sharp-nailed fingers curling roughly around his wrist as she yanked it closer to her face. The cut looked old, as if it had been there for weeks or even months. But then she caught the scent—fresh blood, potent and undeniable, seeping from the seemingly healed skin. It was a scent that could only come from a fresh, still-bleeding wound.

Lilith recoiled in bewilderment; her eyes wide with shock as she blinked down at him. Adam sat up, rubbing his chest with a pout, seemingly oblivious to the strangeness of what she had just experienced. Her senses screamed that his hand was still bleeding, yet her eyes insisted otherwise.

Had Adam really seen Quetzalcoatl? The thought gnawed at her. She had always noticed the peculiar glint in Adam’s grey eyes whenever he looked at a statue or painting of their god, but she had dismissed it as a childish fascination, the kind all younglings shared.

“And what do you intend to do?” she asked, suspicion lacing her tone.

Adam glanced up at her wearily, his lips curling into a crooked smile. “…Climb the temple.”

“What? Are you insane?” Lilith hissed, planting her hands on the round, protruding spider-like abdomen she bore. “Nobody, absolutely nobody, is allowed to touch the temple. Not even the elders are permitted to climb those stairs. You’ve lost your mind.”

Adam pouted deeply as he climbed to his feet, dusting off his legs. “I know the risk, and I’m not asking for permission. I’ve already asked Quetzalcoatl himself, and he’s granted it.”

“You don’t know that,” Lilith snapped coldly. “Even if your wound was accepted as an offering, that could mean anything. You could step on the first stair and be struck by lightning.”

Undeterred, Adam turned toward the large golden steps, humming thoughtfully. “They don’t look that hard.”

“Adam, are you even listening to yourself?” Lilith groaned, rubbing her temples in exasperation. “You’re going to get yourself killed. Just go home, now, while you still can. We’ll both pretend this never happened and pray for Quetzalcoatl’s mercy.”

“No.” Adam’s voice was firm, his gaze unwavering as he met hers with a dry look. “I’m not going back. I came here for a reason, and I need to go up there, to the crown of the temple.”

Lilith threw her hands up in frustration. “But why?”

“I don’t know why,” Adam replied without hesitation, “but it is Quetzalcoatl’s will. And I’m more afraid of what will happen if I ignore him.”

Lilith groaned again, shaking her head in disbelief. Her nose crinkled, and her brow twitched as she crossed her arms tightly over her chest. Her spider legs twitched anxiously, tapping the waxy ground as if searching for stability.

“You know, I don’t need you to come with me,” Adam said carefully, his tone softer. “I’m not your responsibility. You made that perfectly clear last week.”

Lilith blinked at him, as if she couldn’t believe what she had just heard. “Adam—”

But Adam ignored her, turning to make his way toward the temple once more. Just as he began to walk, Lilith grabbed him by the elbow, pulling him back with surprising force.

“Are you sure about this?” she hissed; her voice dangerously low. “If you’re caught, you’ll be killed. Not even I can save you.”

Adam glanced at her hand, then carefully removed it. “With my whole heart.”

After a long, tense silence, Lilith finally gave a sharp nod, her eyes hard as stone. She began to back away, her voice cold and cutting as she addressed Adam.

“Typically, I don’t wish luck to fools on reckless quests, but... best of luck.”

Adam blinked, taken aback by her icy demeanour. “…Thanks… I think?” he replied, his tone unsure, caught between confusion and gratitude.

Lilith's expression remained unchanged, her face an unreadable mask, devoid of even a flicker of warmth. Without another word, she turned from him and shot off, her spider legs striking the waxy ground with an awkward, almost clumsy rhythm as she vanished into the shadows.

Adam stood there, awkwardly watching her retreat, the air around him heavy with the lingering tension.

[ophanum]

Can you do a crossover between NarutoXLookism? (Loving the crossovers). Where Kakashi after retiring as Hokage dies peacefully reincarnates in a new world and in a different time. He is the son of a powerful Japanese yakuza household and only heir. Kakashi still looks the same and has the same personality. Word quickly spreads that he is a genius in everything, (he is a child genius back in his world and graduating early and being #1). Especially in the martial arts and weapons. His abilities spread in the underground world and unbeatable record (compared to the ninjas and wars and even battling an alien rabbit ahem... Kaguya this is a breeze for him) that even Tom Lee and Manager Kim are wary of him. During his childhood he met Gun from the Yamazaki family, and Gun idolizes him even calling him big brother (Kakashi is older than Gun maybe 4-6yrs age gap). Kakashi treats him like a little brother. Gun is amazed at how Kakashi learns all the martial arts with just one look (Well he is Copy Ninja Kakashi and even without the sharingan he is still a badass especially since it's not draining his body anymore plus he is a genius). That's why Gun recognize this technique in Danile and Johan because he already saw it (although Kakashi does it far better). In fact, in this world Kakashi is the original holder of the title "White Ghost" (similar to his old title "White Fang"). Gun possess this title after Kakashi left Japan without a word. No one knows his location. In fact, our beloved mask ninja just doesn't want this lifestyle and heir responsibilities decided to ditch and become a teacher again (I love the teacher trope and I wonder why they're aren't any in Lookism). He applies at J-High, and loves teasing his students especially where they try to attempt to remove his mask. Kakashi is very protective of them since some of them reminds him of his students. He will meet Gun again where Gun has mix feelings (he doesn't know if he'll be angry or happy that he saw him again after leaving without a word). At the same time, Gun will be jealous if he sees Goo taking an interest in Kakashi (he feels like the blonde is stealing him away). While Kakashi will have a headache wishing why can't he ever have normal students or why is he always in charge of babysitting kids with emotional problems.

Feel free to shorten this, I really don't know how to summarize this request hehe.

7 YEARS - ! Naruto x Lookism

ft. Reincarnated! Kakashi Hatake x Lookism

"So I started writing songs, I started writing stories, something about the glory just always seemed to bore me." - 7 years by Lukas Graham

note: Sorry this is the latest I could be with a request! I had a long hiatus and I haven't got the time. I hope this covers up for the long wait!

Kakashi Hatake had lived many lives, but none quite like this one.

Once the Copy Ninja of Konoha, the man who had seen wars, trained legends, and even held the title of Hokage, Kakashi thought he'd earned a quiet retirement. But life had other plans. He’d died peacefully, yes, but instead of reuniting with his comrades in the afterlife, he’d found himself in a new world—reborn as the heir to a powerful yakuza family in Japan.

He didn’t stay long in the household; despite his family’s immense influence, he had no interest in the criminal empire his father had built. After all, he’d seen too many shadows, fought too many battles, to find any joy in such a lifestyle. But he didn’t waste his abilities, either. He became a child prodigy in martial arts and weaponry, mastering techniques and disciplines with the same ease he once copied jutsus in Konoha. The underground world soon whispered his name—the White Ghost, the unbeatable genius of the underground, who could learn anything with a single look.

Yet none of it really mattered to him. So one day, Kakashi vanished, leaving no trace of his whereabouts.

But this world wasn’t without its curiosities. He met Gun, a sharp young fighter from the Yamazaki family, and they bonded over a shared love of martial arts. Kakashi became something of a mentor to him, even as a boy. Gun admired him deeply, calling him “big brother,” and was constantly amazed by Kakashi’s ability to master any style without a single spar. Kakashi chuckled, ruffling Gun’s hair, encouraging him with advice and showing him techniques Gun couldn’t find anywhere else. For the first time, Kakashi thought that maybe this new world wasn’t so bad.

Then one day, he left without a word.

Kakashi strolled down the hallways of J-High with his usual lazy gait, wearing his standard black mask and one eye half-lidded with an expression of perpetual boredom. His students had quickly learned he was no ordinary teacher. In fact, they didn’t know what to think of him. He was distant, playful, occasionally a little too cryptic, and seemed to know things no normal teacher should. The students couldn’t help but wonder who their mysterious, masked teacher truly was.

Some of them—Daniel, Zack, Vasco, and even Jiho—couldn’t help but notice the odd feeling they got around him, as if he was hiding something. He was always there with calm advice, an encouraging word, and a quick hand to ruffle their hair or give a comforting shoulder pat. Kakashi loved teasing them, especially when they tried (and inevitably failed) to remove his mask.

Today, he sat perched on the edge of his desk, thumbing through a novel as his students huddled together in the back, clearly plotting something.

“He never takes it off, does he?” Vasco whispered, eyeing Kakashi’s mask.

“Maybe he’s hiding something under there,” Daniel muttered, curiosity sparking in his eyes.

With a lazy glance up, Kakashi grinned beneath his mask. “You know, you’re welcome to try, but I’ve never lost this game before.”

His students groaned, but they still looked at him with that sense of awe and respect Kakashi knew well. They reminded him of his old students, and without realizing it, he’d become protective of them.

Kakashi’s calm routine at J-High was soon interrupted. One day, while he was preparing for another laid-back afternoon of teasing his students and sipping his tea, a familiar figure strode into the school—Gun.

Gun hadn’t seen his “big brother” in years, and as soon as he’d caught wind that the elusive White Ghost had resurfaced, he’d tracked Kakashi down. As he entered the classroom, Kakashi looked up, tilting his head with that signature half-smile.

“Gun,” he said, voice calm as ever, as if they’d only seen each other yesterday.

Gun’s eyes narrowed, emotions swirling beneath the surface. He hadn’t known whether to be angry or relieved, so instead, he simply replied, “Kakashi.”

The students stared, shocked and wide-eyed at the man standing before them. Gun, their Gun, had a connection to their teacher?

“What are you doing here?” Gun finally asked, struggling to keep his voice even.

“Teaching,” Kakashi replied, amusement glinting in his eye. “I thought it’d be nice to go back to simpler work after everything.”

“After everything?” Gun’s voice tightened. “You left without a word, and now you’re here teaching... high school?”

“Yes, it’s quite relaxing. Well, at least until the day you decided to drop in unannounced.” Kakashi glanced over at his students, who were utterly speechless. “Why don’t you introduce yourself to the class, Gun? They’ll be delighted to know I have family in town.”

Gun clenched his jaw, glaring at him. “You’re impossible, Kakashi.”

Meanwhile, the students huddled, whispering furiously. “Wait, so our teacher is, like, a legend in the underground?”

“Doesn’t this make him the original ‘White Ghost’ Gun always talks about?” Zack muttered, wide-eyed.

As the day wore on, Kakashi and Gun fell into a rhythm, with Gun oscillating between frustration and admiration, as he always had around Kakashi. But a new source of tension emerged when Goo arrived, immediately intrigued by the mysterious “White Ghost” he’d heard so much about.

Gun bristled as Goo openly admired Kakashi’s calm, enigmatic nature, even offering him his share of a particularly high-profile job. “You don’t want it? Come on, White Ghost, you’d make an amazing team with me,” Goo said, eyeing Kakashi with a wicked grin.

“Sorry, not interested,” Kakashi replied, smiling lazily. “I have enough trouble with my students.”

Gun could only watch, half-exasperated, half-amused, as Kakashi kept his usual indifferent charm. But a part of him still felt that familiar sense of awe and respect. Seeing Kakashi back in his life brought back memories, and despite his anger at Kakashi’s sudden departure all those years ago, he couldn’t deny the relief at seeing him again. Still, he wasn’t going to let Goo get too close.

In the end, Kakashi settled back into his routine, humorously balancing the world of J-High’s chaotic students and his old life in the underground. He thought he’d left the shadows behind, but with Gun and Goo hovering around, things were bound to get more interesting.

One evening, after his students had gone home and the school halls were quiet, Kakashi looked over at Gun, who had stayed behind. Gun met his gaze, arms crossed.

“So,” Gun said, smirking, “are you ever going to tell me why you left?”

Kakashi shrugged, looking out the window with that usual calm demeanor. “Guess I just wanted something new. A quieter life. I’ve earned that, don’t you think?”

Gun sighed, but his expression softened just a bit. “Maybe. But don’t think for a second I’ll go easy on you just because we’re family.”

Kakashi grinned. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

--

After Kakashi’s return to Gun’s life—and his “disinterested” way of handling Goo’s advances—rumors started circulating around the underground. A mysterious, masked figure who easily rivaled Gun and Goo’s abilities had appeared, and the whispering was enough to make Goo curious beyond measure. To everyone’s surprise, Goo found himself quite taken with Kakashi’s aloof attitude and seamless skill.

It didn’t take long for Goo to start lingering around J-High.

Kakashi leaned against his desk, his attention fixed on a novel as his students filed out. A familiar, dramatic sigh filled the air, and he looked up to see Goo standing in the doorway, hands on his hips, sporting that ever-present smirk.

“Hey there, White Ghost,” Goo drawled, eyeing Kakashi up and down. “Isn’t it a shame to hide yourself away in a place like this?”

Kakashi barely glanced up from his book. “Hmm. I don’t find it particularly shameful, no.”

Undeterred, Goo strolled closer, leaning over Kakashi’s desk and dropping an elbow casually, eyeing the masked man with an eager grin. “Come on, wouldn’t you rather do something a bit more… exciting? I know a few gigs we could try out, see if you’re as good as they say.”

Kakashi tilted his head slightly, a knowing glint in his eye. “Oh? And what do they say?”

Goo grinned wider, eyes alight. “That you’re the guy Gun once idolized. The legendary White Ghost, the unbeatable martial artist… sounds like something I’d love to see for myself.” His tone dripped with challenge, his hands fidgeting, clearly itching for a fight.

Kakashi chuckled, flipping another page in his book. “It’s flattering, but I’m not interested in entertaining rumors. Besides,” he closed the book with a small smile beneath his mask, “babysitting teenagers keeps me plenty busy.”

Goo’s eyes lit up, a hint of competitive fire sparking there. “Babysitting, huh? I think I’d make a better partner than a bunch of kids, don’t you think?”

“Please, Goo,” a familiar voice interrupted, and Gun appeared in the doorway, arms crossed and a dark look in his eyes. “If anyone is Kakashi’s partner, it’s me.”

Goo’s grin only widened at the sight of Gun, always eager for a little rivalry. “Oh, come on, Gun. Maybe Kakashi wants something new. Someone more exciting, maybe?”

Gun’s jaw tightened, but Kakashi could see the subtle smirk playing at the corner of his lips. Gun wasn’t about to let Goo’s teasing get to him. “I don’t think you’d last a day with him,” Gun retorted. “Kakashi’s no ordinary fighter, Goo. Just because you’re interested doesn’t mean you can handle him.”

“Oh, really?” Goo taunted, leaning in even closer to Kakashi. “I’d love to see if that’s true. In fact, White Ghost,” he said, smirking at Kakashi, “I’d love to see what’s under that mask.”

Kakashi gave a resigned sigh, closing his book with a light flick. “Let’s get one thing clear,” he began, tone exasperated but amused. “Even if you tried, you’d never get this mask off. And besides, I don’t like choosing sides.”

Gun rolled his eyes, standing beside Kakashi with a casual air of possession. “He’s not going anywhere with you, Goo.”

“Oh, we’ll see about that,” Goo replied with a mischievous laugh. “The White Ghost and I are bound to run into each other in a less… academic setting sooner or later.”

Kakashi chuckled, amused by the ongoing sparring match between his two “admirers.” For all his nonchalance, he could see Gun’s faint irritation at Goo’s persistent presence. Kakashi had always been fond of Gun, who reminded him of a younger version of himself, but Goo was nothing if not persistent.

“Are we done here?” Kakashi asked, looking pointedly between them. “Because I have papers to grade.”

Goo grinned, tossing him a lazy salute. “Alright, alright, White Ghost. But don’t think you’ve seen the last of me.” He glanced back at Gun with a smirk. “Better keep an eye out if you’re so worried, Gun. The underground world has plenty of room for three of us.”

Gun scoffed, but Kakashi could see the faintest smile tugging at his lips. “Don’t overestimate yourself, Goo,” he replied coolly.

With a last, playful grin, Goo finally left, and Gun turned to Kakashi, irritation still simmering in his gaze. “You’re going to let him hang around, aren’t you?”

Kakashi shrugged. “I don’t choose who wanders into my classroom, Gun.” He leaned back in his chair, looking thoughtfully at his former “little brother.” “Besides, I can take care of myself.”

Gun frowned, shifting slightly, his pride and admiration for Kakashi battling with a trace of jealousy he couldn’t quite suppress. “You don’t know how persistent Goo can be.”

“Oh, I think I do,” Kakashi replied with a chuckle. “But if you’re so worried, Gun, why don’t you stick around?”

Gun looked at him, a flash of surprise crossing his usually impassive face, and he cleared his throat, glancing away. “Maybe I will.”

With a light chuckle, Kakashi picked up his book once more. For someone who had survived wars, rival clans, and even aliens, these two were proving to be some of his greatest sources of amusement. As he settled back, he couldn’t help but wonder how long he could maintain his peace at J-High with two of the underground’s most volatile men vying for his attention.

One thing was clear: life as a teacher was anything but ordinary.

[jackdaw-sprite]

Hi, @ep-10 ! I was your truce gifter this year for @phandomholidaytruce and I decided to use your prompts for a Japanese ghost--kinda, but mostly for a biopunk fantasy au. You're getting some character designs for a biopunk fantasy AU set in a world suspiciously similar to Sengoku era Japan! And also backstory. Mostly backstory, really.

Warning for someone getting baked alive in a kiln.

I mean, we all know who.

Jack and Maddie Fenton are a married pair of researcher/alchemists who've been brought into the country with the influence of an old friend of theirs, Vlad. He wants them to figure out the secret to producing porcelain, an expensive and magically versatile ceramic with a production process that's a closely guarded secret in a nearby, much more economically powerful country.

To this end, Vlad has supplied the Fentons with enough wealth and resources to not ask things like "where did you get this?" and "what exactly is going to happen when it gets out that we're trying to make porcelain?"

As it turns out, this is a very important question, because together the pair piece together how to build a kiln that burns hotter than any they've ever seen before and for the very first time make the coveted porcelain.

The victory is short lived: their son Daniel goes missing that very day, and then their search for him is waylaid by another discovery: some of the porcelain is coming to life, animated by a horrific amalgam of flesh and vitriol. They must find Danny, but first they must make sure the monsters they've made are destroyed…

So! The three big players in our cast of characters here are Jack, Maddie, and poor, poor Danny. They are coincidentally the only ones I had time to do a character design for, so let's look at Jack first, who is holding an experimental porcelain vase:

That's quite an outfit. It's, uh. Not quite standard in the Sengoku: while he's wearing a hitatare, it's been modified, and he's chosen not to wear pants because it's technically not, like, a crime. I chose this for him because Jack:

a) Does not care about what everyone thinks of what he's wearing, or he wouldn't wear a jumpsuit all the time in canon b) Hates the feel of most clothes

Hitatare were growing in popularity during the Sengoku because of how comfortable they were, so it seemed a good fit for Jack. They didn't necessarily need to be worn with hakama if you were of a lower class, but it would be frowned upon to go without if you were off a higher class.

The modifications he and Maddie have made to it make it even less restrictive than a standard hitatare, and a bit more suited to their work of experimenting with kilns and clay.

The obi is stitched into place, so it doesn't actually act like a belt and put a line of pressure across Jack's stomach, and they've added a button to the side to hold the hitatare closed, instead. The stitching around the sleeve openings is pretty archaic by this point, but they've kept (or added) it so he can draw the openings closed when he wants, and a second draw string runs along his sleeve to let him draw the sleeves away from his hands when needed, while still letting him let them extend to their full length to act as a barrier between his skin and unpleasant textures.

He's got some leather gloves and a pair of very early goggles to protect his hands and eyes from the heat of the kilns.

The geta act as an additional layer of protection against bad textures, since they should keep him above mud.

Maddie, here holding a shattered fragment of porcelain, is dressed far less eccentrically, because this (left) is before the porcelain came to life. She's just wearing a kosode with hakama and a leather apron. (She has gloves too, they're just tucked away at her back) The smaller sleeves stay out of the way while she works, and the hakama are roomy. She's wearing waraji, because she prefers what I assume is more stable footing and a lower center of gravity.

This is especially true after they start fighting the porcelain. Pictured here, you can see she keeps her hair out of her face with a standard low ponytail, and the Fenton Anti-Creep stick manages to still exist in this world, despite all odds.

This Anti-Creep stick is a bokken with embedded teeth of broken porcelain for a better shattering potential--metal, especially enough metal of sufficient quality for a sword, is expensive, and they're dealing with something that's only a stronger ceramic…

Which brings us to the kiln. And, to his great misfortune, to Danny.

This is a multi-chambered climbing kiln. While I don't think it's the first kiln that allowed firing temperatures to reach that required for porcelain in Japan in our world, it's the most common and appeared around the same time as that first one. The design of it encourages airflow in a way that traps and directs heat to build it on itself and distribute it reasonably evenly.

The kiln chambers would get filled with the pots to be fired, then they would set a fire in the little step down in each chamber. Then they would seal the kiln chambers entrances with fire bricks, except for a small stoking hole to keep the fires fed.

Then they'd light the main fire at the mouth to the first, lowest chamber called the stoke hole and the fire box respectively.

And then they would keep the fires lit, and feed them, wood upon wood upon wood…

Until eventually, the kiln warmed, grew sweltering, grew hot, hot like fire, like iron in a forge and then hotter still, until the whole of the inside glows.

Like the center of the earth.

…

At the lowest, porcelain requires a firing temperature of 1000 degrees. Celsius.

Brass melts, at that temperature. Porcelain itself gets its strength from melting.

And Danny…

Danny tripped. Danny was loading one of the chambers, and he tripped and he hit his head and by the time he woke he was sweating.

He tried to crawl away from where he knew the fires were. The flue, where the spent air left the kiln, has charred finger marks where his burnt away after the carbon dioxide and heat drove him unconscious a second time.

It was a mercy.

By the time he woke again, his body was cooling.

You see, the Fentons enchanted the kiln to make it try to repair pieces that were falling apart during the firing process. And, if one piece was destroyed in the firing anyway, to use the fragments to reinforce the other pieces in the kiln.

Danny was in the kiln. Danny's body failed.

Bone ash is not a critical ingredient in porcelain, but its presence makes it much, much stronger.

Danny woke up made of porcelain.

His sandals left black on the soles of his feet and the fingers on one hand that had burned looked skeletal. But he woke up.

And he ran.

Later, he'll find help. Later, he'll find a way to fight the other things in the kiln that day, and the results of later firings. Later, he'll meet a boy who loves puzzles and information and who teaches him how to use a bow and arrow to keep his fragile body intact. He'll meet a girl who loves foraging (partly because it gets her away from her parents) but loves justice more.

(Whether he'll stop wearing his clothes like a corpse is another question.)

Danny here is wearing something hitatare adjacent and hakama, along with a yugake.

Happy truce!

[dr-spectre]

a thought i keep stumbling on while trying to work out Splatoon's world, how fairly "utopian" splatoon seems to be compared to our own, and i'm wondering just how far that goes, socially and economically

the primary activity for inkfish is an all-inclusive, free to play social sport where you literally get paid for playing, the only barrier to entry being a weapon, of any kind, even a scavenged up Splattershot Jr. (which may even be freely given?)

GrizzCo, evil as it is, seems to take full advantage of inkfish respawning (the helicopter does not leave even when the Triumvirate shows up in an enclosed space like Undertow, fucking insane pilot), so no one ever seems to actually die on the job? with actually pretty decent pay alongside it (if you get lucky lmao)

there is/this is way WAY too much to type in somebody's askbox but GRAAHHHH SPLATOON LORE

I'm going to be honest, i haven't given much thought on the social and economic status of the Splatoon world LMAO! My knowledge of Splatoon lore only goes to the Idols, the timeline and the hidden stuff in the games. Trying to figure out how money works in Splatoon and the conversion of it to real world dollars is just as headache inducing as figuring out how the fuck does the Inkling and Octoling hair work.

Like look at this chocolate cereal for example, in our dollars, would it be 38 bucks? 3 dollars and 80 cents? Or is it based on Japanese Yen? Because Inkopolis is definitely inspired by Tokyo and other cities in Japan, just take a look at the architecture.

Inkopolis and Splatsville for sure seem very utopian and you don't hear much about crimes or any real issues aside from giant electric fishes being stolen every once in a while, and maybe an Idol goes missing and comes back like a few days later (you know who I'm talking about.)

To me it's basically Japan but more advanced and has sea creatures running the place instead of hairy fleshy humans like us lol. And they have a popular sport anyone can join and get paid for. Turf War is like THE THING in their society and they wanna encourage everyone to play it, so they give out money. Or at least that's why i think Inklings and Octolings get paid when participating in Turf War. Hell it makes sense for Inklings and Octolings to get paid for ranked battles because it's more serious and competitive, like the competitive sports we have in our world.

Also i wanna say something too which is semi off topic, Inklings and Octolings are kinda fucking insane strength wise, they are able to carry large rollers, fire giant gatling guns, survive from nearly any height as they seem to slow down in the air and land just fine. They have no bones and can stand perfectly fine with just muscles alone. And as long as there's a respawn machine, they can never die, and if there isn't a respawn machine then they'll stay as floating little ghosts until they find a machine.

Like Callie and Marie for example, are not some cute little defenseless girls, HELL NO! They will MURDER you easily if given the opportunity. If a creep were to go onto their stages or if someone tried to grab them, they would easily grab them by the neck and throw them into the atmosphere! Their bodies are just pure muscle and ink. (And they have military training too technically.) And that's one of the reasons why i like em so much... They strong... We all love physically strong girls that can carry us or fucking destroy us... Don't lie to me...

The only thing that can truly kill them is age and even then, they age MUCH slower than us. Cuttlefish and Octavio are over 130 years old and they act like they are around 70 to 80 years old in human years. And you can probably extend their lifespan by giving them more ink as when they age they slowly dry out, so all you gotta do is keep giving them ink and they might be able to survive for much longer.

There is also water, however it only seems like large bodies of water make them explode and i'm sure you can't just spray a hose at them to kill them lmao.

It's no wonder Mr. Grizz uses these cephalopods to collect eggs, Inklings and Octolings are insanely strong.

[ecargmura]

Dandadan Episode 1 Review - Ghosts Vs Aliens

October is considered the spooky season, so Dandadan is perfect for the vibes. It’s a good mix of comedy and horror that you don’t get too often in anime. The animation quality was super unique and I really like what was presented!

The story is about two people named Momo Ayase and Ken Takakura, commonly known as Okarun. Momo is a girl who likes guys like her celebrity crush Ken Takakura (an olden day Japanese actor, sort of like Clint Eastwood), but she has a good heart when she defends Okarun from bullies in his class. However, Okarun believed she likes occult things like UFOs and extraterrestrial phenomena. While Momo does believe in the occult, she doesn’t believe in aliens but in ghosts. However, Okarun doesn’t believe in ghosts, so the two decide to challenge the other to see which supernatural existence actually exists by going to occult hotspots. Little do they know that both exist.

The premiere was super quirky in the sense that we get character building first from Momo and Okarun and then all the action and supernatural stuff happens at the end. I like that, honestly! It’s nice to learn who these two are. Momo has extremely high standards in men due to her ideal type being her celeb crush, but still has a good heart in that she defends Okarun and also hates people insulting her grandmother. Okarun may seem meek, but he does come around at the end saying that he wants to protect Momo as she was the one who stood up for him when no one else did.

Now for the action and supernatural part…that was crazy. Man, it’s nice to see a supernatural show where both ghosts and aliens exist. I feel like this story is one where they explore the existence of other paranormal creatures and not stick to a specific type. I like that! Though, it was sort of scary seeing these creatures move around! The Turbo Granny was by far the scene-stealer. Who’d ever think that you’d actually meet a lewd granny in a tunnel saying that she’d let you suck her t*ts in exchange for your balls. Then, there are very creepy aliens wanting to r*pe females because their species cannot reproduce. They even have a grotesque form underneath their default form. However, it was interesting that the person who believed in aliens got entangled with the ghost and the person who doesn’t believe in aliens got entangled with them.

I really like the animation! It’s really floppy in the sense that the characters are always moving around. I haven’t really watched a Science Saru anime, but if this is what they produce, I should reconsider and start watching more of their stuff. Even for mundane stuff like Momo walking towards Okarun is fluid in movement. The action scenes were also well animated in that it goes really fast. This anime feels like a roller coaster in a sense in that it slows in the beginning and then goes fast after a certain point. If the premiere is this good, I do wonder what will transpire for the rest of the show.

I love the music! The OST was amazing and I loved the opening! Creepy Nuts had a hit song with the Mashle opening in Winter, but I think they hit another home run. The song for this show is a lot different from the Mashle dance, but it’s really good and hits the vibes of the show! My favorite part is Momo doing the shimmy with Okarun and another guy doing the Carlton in the back. The ending song is good too! Though, I do wonder who that cat is…

The voice acting cast was really good! Like I mentioned in my Blue Box review that Jump title animes usually cast new faces for their animes at times, but like Demon Slayer, Dandadan uses a plethora of big names for their production. The only “new face” in the cast list is Shion Wakayama. Well, I wouldn’t call her a new face, but more of a rising star in the sense that I’ve seen her in other stuff before this. I usually associate with her with soft-spoken girls because of her roles in The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses and Pokemon Paldean Winds where she played characters who are reserved. This is the first time I’ve seen her with a more ‘boyish’ and talkative role. I actually like this voice she’s using for Momo! It feels natural and there’s so much emotion. Natsuki Hanae voices Okarun. Given his track record, Hane never has a bad role. I honestly think this role is perfect for him because of the amount of screaming. If you watch Demon Slayer and seen how many times Tanjiro screams, then you know Okarun is perfect for Hanae.

There are super big names in this anime too. The one role that shocked me the most was Mayumi Tanaka as Turbo Granny. The one and only Mayumi Tanaka is known for her roles as Krillin from Dragon Ball and Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece. Yes, Turbo Granny and Luffy are voiced by the same person. I remembered an episode where Luffy didn’t want to give his balls to the Amazoness Tribe and now Tanaka is playing a granny ghost that bites others’ balls. Luffy would be shocked to see this like how he was shocked with how Robin got Franky to join the Strawhats. The aliens Momo encounter are all voiced by Kazuya Nakai. If you’re a One Piece fan, he’s the fan-favorite Roronoa Zoro. Yes. It’s hilarious how Luffy and Zoro are playing roles completely different from their One Piece roles and even their usual roles! It’s really nice to see that even at the prime of their career, they try new things! Another surprise was Nana Mizuki as Momo’s grandmother. Another One Piece voice actress in this anime! Mizuki voiced Hiyori from the Wano arc. Momo’s grandma isn’t seen much, so I can’t wait to see what sort of person she is later on.

The English dub cast is crazy too! Momo and Okarun are voiced by Abby Trott and AJ Beckles, who are both good rising stars in the English dubbing world. However, the name that shocked me the most was Kari Wahlgren as Momo’s grandma. Wahlgren is a union voice actress, meaning that she doesn’t appear in anime all that often nowadays with the last time I’ve heard her in anime was in Durarara as Celty. It’s crazy how she made her big anime comeback in a big show like this! If you like English dub, then this is one you shouldn’t miss out on!

I honestly can’t wait for what happens next. Will Okarun get his balls back? The fact that the plot progression is due to his missing balls is funny in itself. I hope he can get them back… If Momo has psychic powers, what will Okarun have? I want to know! What are your thoughts about the premiere?

[timefospookies]

soooo i redesigned sachiko-san cuz her design was NOT cutting it for me<3 below is my thought process behind it :3

before anything i’d like to clarify that this is anything but a professional design analysis or smth like this was just for fun 😋.

the drawing was super rushed and on a whim cuz i just had a lot of thoughts in the moment that were interesting to me and i wanted to get down on a page. i’m far from a corpse party expert and only know the blood covered game lore LMAOO.

also this is in no way meant to shit on the og corpse party artists or writers, it’s just my personally opinions and takes! for funsies :3

anyway!! now with that out of the way!!

sachiko has always been such a bizarre character to me.

like, she’s the twist villain, she’s some little girl, she’s the victim, she’s the murderer, she’s from the 1940s but also from the 70s!?!!

she has such a convoluted story and generally vague motives and GRRRR it makes me a little frustrated because she’s really interesting, but her writing is confusing :(

but anyway, her character is not what i wanted to tackle today! i’m here about her design!

cuz yknow.

for being the all powerful main villain of the corpse party saga, her design always came off to me as very “generic evil ghost girl” to me.

apart from her frankly iconic red dress, she really doesn’t have that many defining features- and more importantly to me, her design doesn’t communicate her story against all!!

sachiko shinozaki was a timid girl in the 40s who was r*ped by her teacher and then fell to her death at 7 years old. how do i even begin to unpack that.

first i wanted to make her seem like she’s from the 40s, or at least nod to the fact. i knew i wanted to keep her hair long and straight like in the game, so i opted to use her outfit as a means of doing this.

since she died in school, i decided to look up some japanese uniforms from the 40s, and i ultimately decided to use this picture as reference because the neck of the uniform looked closest to sachiko’s dress. i also thought that the pin on the uniform could be a nice way to callback to her paper doll!

i wanted to also replace her long hair with pigtails like ayumi’s as a nod to them being related (i want them to look alike also, so sachiko here resembles my own ayumi design). the pigtails are shaped like scissor blades cuz i thought that would be fun :)

for her ghost form, i let her hair down like in the game, but i wanted to keep that scissor-like sharpness so i made her hair all spiky.

i twisted her limbs and messed up her left eye to indicate that fall damage (she did fall from the 3rd floor), but i kept that ripped look on her dress cuz slay. made her eyes read again to hint at the damage she took (feel like i might need to redo her face though cuz it doesn’t feel “i fell to my death”-y enough)

anyway that’s all lol 👍👍👍👍

[cher-rium]

Liquid fashioning Snake’s sneaking suit with his own flare.

I really enjoy Liquid as a character. I haven’t played all the games in the franchise quite yet but I’ve finished MGS1.

Here are some headcanons for if Liquid lived through Foxdie or wasn’t targeted by it in the first place:

-He honestly really reminds me of Dio Brando (another fictional fave of mine) so I think he’d have a similar relationship as Dio did with Jonathan. A burning hatred accompanied some level of respect. Maybe Liquid, after being defeated by Snake, would have some respect for him but still bicker and have a corny little rivalry. 

-Honestly, I think he’d share a lot of personality traits with Dio! Just very… not intimidating.

-Since we’re still on the topic of JOJO, I imagined him having hair closer to REO Speedwagon? Like in my head I was like “yeah Liquid has slightly wavy/curly hair” and then I looked up reference images for this drawing and i sharted a little. His hair is so FLAT. I think there should be an appropriate middle-ground where his hair is still straight but has waaayyy more volume similarly to his little PS1 model.

-Liquid seems like the type to hold grudges so I don’t think there’s going to be much forgiving besides tolerance.

-It’d be really comical if Liquid accompanied Snake and Otacon and they’re just dragging around this man-child who keeps complaining and bragging. 

-I intentionally avoided giving Liquid any of the gear that Snake has on his suit. I think Liquid would purposely try to out-do Snake at every turn, thus going into missions naked so he can brag when things go well. 

-However when things don’t go well, I think he’d be like the average Overwatch player and just blame his teammates or bad luck. I feel like he’s the kind of guy to make REALLY shitty decisions in fights just for the sake of looking/feeling cool and then getting his ass beat. 

-And then after a whooping he comes back down to earth and actually does something useful 💀 (or Snake saves him)

-I know the sneaking suit has the shirt for a reason but, bro had his tits out on shadow moses, he can withstand the cold.

-I gave him grey hairs and a few more wrinkles than he initially appeared with to account for his aging.

-I can kindaaaa see him applying black eyeliner to his waterline. I also added really long eyelashes since I think he’d slay mascara too !

-I don’t think he and Otacon would get along at all initially. My thought is that Otacon tries to introduce him to anime or Japanese media as a whole to try to find something they can both enjoy. Personally, I really see Otacon being into your typical high school or magical girl anime and Liquid would be super-turned off from it. So instead they’d watch like Cowboy Bebop, Yu Yu Hakusho, Berserk, Ghost in the Shell, AKIRA, etc. Stuff that might be appealing to some random guy.

-It’s kinda hard to speak on anything relating to Snake cuzzzz uhhhh y’know I haven’t actually played most of the games– I’m particularly referring to the one where Liquid is a kid! (WHICH im really tempted to play rn in the middle of MGS2 since I REALLY wanna see Lil Liquid). That would give a lot more context ‘cuz I’m currently learning about everything relating to the other games via fanart and discussion posts here on Tumblr 💀

-Idk maybe they can bond on shared trauma man i got no clue

-Raiden? Uh? Okay say he’s [Liquid] involved in MGS2 (or at least the start of it since I haven’t gotten very far in): I feel like Raiden would be really annoyed by Liquid. Just a crazy dumbass making things more stressful than they already are. 

-I didn’t really draw it here but I think Liquid would have downturned eyes while Snake would have upturned eyes. Idk like if I could show the facial structure in my head, Liquid’s sitting face would be really miserable looking. Snake’s would be resting furrowed and seem more intimidating.

-Don’t know much about Solidus and Liquid (for some reason the only interactions I see between them in fanart is either them being shipped together or Liquid about to violently assault the old fuck) but do you know that image of Spiderman getting dunked on by Venom??? Ok so I think that’s them 😭 As soon as Liquid knows there’s an even better clone out there he’d just have a fuckin’ temper tantrum like Muscle Man from Regular Show and make it his mission to dunk on that old man.

-I think Liquid would CONSTANTLY smell like fuckin’ sweat despite literally being shirtless 24/7

-If Liquid were in the modern day he’d smell like 72 gallons of axe body spray

-On nice occasions he would smell like 72 gallons of cologne 

-He’d be a gym bro for sure

-Carrying around protein shakes, talking about gains, and crying about how his stocks are plummeting 

-His hair is definitely a little greasy

-I honestly think he’d have trouble growing facial hair in comparison to the other clones

-I feel like he’s the kinda guy to sit in a corner of a dark room and stare at Otacon to scare the ever-loving shit out of him. 

-Also seems like the kind of guy to have trouble sleeping at night so he just roams like a FNAF animatronic. 

-Seems like the kind of guy to ask Otacon what he’s doing out of boredom and then immediately regret it and space out.

-Ok so I had a thought. I think instead of smoking like Snake and Big Boss do, I think Liquid would drink.

-Y’know the room you find Otacon in MGS1? Where you fight funny ninja robo man? Ok so I think Liquid specifically asked for Otacon to be put into there so that everytime he switches to the security cameras in that room he just laughs at his goofy ass.

-Seems like the type of guy to ask “can i put on your glasses?” and then proceed to act like he just got shot by a firing squad from how blind you are (he does this to Otacon for sure)

-I’d think that Liquid’s ego is so inflated that he’d lack bitchess due to the “I’m too good for them” mentality 

-Upon seeing Ocelot I’d like to think that Liquid would bitch-slap him.

-Seems like the kind of fella to enjoy a meal consisting of dinosaur chicken nuggets, crinkle-cut fries, and mac n’ cheese.

Alright that’s enough headcanons goo-bye.

[birdsofthefictionalworld]

Birds of Tsushima

The Ghost of Tsushima(2020), is a beautifully atmospheric action-adventure game set on the Japanese island of Tsushima, during the first mongol invasion of Japan.

Much of the game consists of riding one’s warhorse through the natural countrysides of the island. Many of the game’s mechanics rely on the natural environment of Tsushima to guide the player around the map. The most striking and prevalent in the game is the Golden Bird, which guides players to main plot objectives.

The Golden Bird is a real species, the Black-naped Oriole, and it is not the only one on the island. Most of the birds in this games are only a backround element, near unnoticeable to the player. But looking a bit deeper shows an impressive degree of for-thought put into the detail of each model. I have found a total of 12 real native bird species present throughout the island. And I am about to describe them all.

Each bird will have a game screenshot, a irl species photo, and a small blurb about the bird in-game, including where it can be found for the virtual-birding-inclined.

First up:

Black-naped Oriole Oriolus chinens

The so called "golden bird" is the main plot guide in this game and can be found at undiscovered points of interest.

Pacific Swallow Hirundo tahitica

This bird swarms above Haiku spots in large numbers.

Gray Heron Ardea cinerea

This large wetland bird can be found at the farmsteads of Izuhara. This bird seems to share a model with the next entry.

Red-crowned Crane Grus japonensis

These striking birds can only be found in the Old Togo Rice Fields, near Fort Ito. This species is often used to symbolize immortality and divinity in eastern folklore and religion.

Greater white-fronted Goose Anser albifrons

These birds are easy to overlook and hard to approach but can be found by the Old Togo Rice Fields, near Fort Ito, pond near Numata Settlement.

Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris

These birds can be found in multiple locations along the coastline, but i got the closest to them at Mending Rock Shrine.

Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus

These birds are used as messengers by the defending Japanese forces and can be found as plot objectives at select mongol bases. The model seems to be the male form of the species.

Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos

Golden Eagles are not a native of Tsushima island, but are heavily used in traditional Mongolian falconry. In the game, you will often come across them as in Mongol scouting parties. Fun fact, if you kill the handler of these birds instead of the birds themselves, they will sometimes come and perch on the body. Great for photo ops! But quite depressing.

Additionally, these birds are traditionally used to hunt small animals such as red foxes for pelts. Suitably symbolic for the island’s sacred foxes.

Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos

The crow is actually the first bird you see in the game, as it perches on your not-quite-dead body just after the intro. It can also be found at Kamistu Forge and on various dead bodies around the map.

These three have far less detailed models, so their species are more educated guesses than perfect identifications.

From left to right:

Red-flanked Bluetail Tarsiger cyanurus (I am very confident about this one)

Warbling White-eye Zosterops japonicus (I am reasonably confident about

this one)

Eastern Crowned Warbler Phylloscopus coronatus (this is a very educated guess)

And finally we have the last bird, number 13, and i have no idea what the hell it is supposed to be.

-yellow swallow- what the fuck are you?

This enigma can be found in several places including Senseo, NW Izuhara near coast, and SW of Numata Settlement. I don't know what it is. It looks like it shares a model with the Pacific Swallow with the coloration of a juvenile Blue Tit. I would appreciate any and all suggestions for what it possibly could be.

And thats the Birds of Tsushima! I plan to do several more of these type of posts for various fictional birds from all sorts of media, so come and follow if you would like to see them. I will be tagging this series #birds of the fictional world as well #bfw(my general works tag)

And if you have any good medias for me to look at birds in, send me an ask! I would love to hear about them!

[discord-and-the-blog-of-chaos]

When Worlds Collide

As the camera starts out staticky, you can hear a dark chuckle. Once the static clears out, a rather strange, mixmatched, dragon-like creatures comes into view.

"Hello, everypony! Should I say everyone. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Discord, spirit of chaos and disharmony!"

"Originally, I wasn't scheduled to make my Tumblr debut until much later, but a certain mod informed me that desperate times call for desperate measures. Something on the line of... 'notifications'?"

"Though as exciting as it is for me to show my face early, my only complaint would be the fact that I have to SHARE this blog with others. But I suppose this will have to do for now. Perhaps if things go well here, I'll be able to have my own personal blog down the line..."

"With that being said, let's get this show on the road! I've been sent here to summon several muses here that I'm sure you'll be happy to see! After all; a lot of them are people you've met before I assume?"

And with that, Discord snapped his fingers. Just like that, tons of people(and one pony), appear. They look around in confusion before turning to face the odd creature that was before them.

“UwaaaaaaAAAAAAHHH!!!”

The spikey-haired boy ran into hiding. Oddly enough, two of them looked and dressed exactly like him. One went after the more timid version to check of him, while the other had bandages, all over his torso, arms and legs(I have no sprites for that one! T_T)

"W-what that f&ck is that?!?!"

'Kyaaaaaaah! It's a monster!'

"I'm going to assume that this is the creature who brought us here. But... why?"

Discord was rather disappointed by certain reactions as he turned away.

"A simple 'thank you' would've sufficed! But I suppose most of you aren't much a fourth-wall breakers now aren't you...? How rude! To think I actually did this to help you all on your current predicament-"

Before the draconaquus could finish his sentence, a certain pink pony zoomed in and gave him a super tight hug from behind.

"GYAAAAAGH!!!"

"Discord! Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you sooooooo much for bringing us all together! I'm so happy to finally be able meet all my neighbors at once! I thought it going to take like... foreeeverrr to meet a few of them at a time! And I SO thank our mod a bejillion times for this too! And that best part is... you now get to be a part of this too! This is the best! Decision! EVERRRRRRRR!!!"

"C-can someone... please give us a promo... before Pinkie Pie... breaks me in half...?"

(Hello everyone. Mod Princess here. So basically, this is a chaos blog mashing @ask-timid-makoto-naegi, @danganronpa-v3-demo-au, @your-pink-party-pony, and @sole-survivor-makoto-naegi altogether. This is being done due to the recent changes on tumblr regarding the notifications. I figured that I'd have some fun and add Discord from MLP into the blog as well.

So this is what's going to happen from here on out. Every event and starter I decide to do regarding any of my other blogs are going to start off here from now on. You also can also RP on the chaos blog if you'd like. It will just require me to use other blogs to respond depending one which of my muse(s) you are interacting with. I will also be using this blog for any and all RPs that I didn't get notified on.

Aster recommends this to me as an alternative option to constantly pinging, and so far it seems to have worked after @unofficialuserluser tested it out. So now I'm giving it a go. Fingers crossed this continues to work!

Edit 5/5/2023 - Okay so I wasn’t informed until like… just now the the problem has been fixed. REALLY wish someone would’ve told me this sooner before I went ahead and made this blog. Nonetheless, it’s here and people are already interacting. So I’ll need to figure out an alternative. If you still want to interact, go ahead and do so.

@unofficialuser(anyone you want), @werewolf-makoto-naegi @slimemakotonaegi @ask-ghost-boys @yui-samidare-reborn (anyone you want), @japanese-ultimateautism @special-encounters (surprise me), @laylayeh @tobys-multiverse-official @lre123 @ask-ultimate-personas @ask-the-ultimate-matchmaker @alizachan @coldwisped

As always, anyone who isn't tagged can also interact