#tied between him and Yomi

[yakoufurious]

One request to yap is the only excuse I needed to actually yknow yap

Okay so uhh like a year ago I was working on a very lore-filled minecraft world but I did lose interest. So I combined Rain Code with it so I could actually want to start doing stuff with it again

Makoto is in a place called Pixie Haven, a village located in the waters of a swamp. They are most known for their curing of zombification, potions, witches, etc. Mr. Makoto here is supposed to be one of the three Pixie Haven leaders but he is currently the only one. All leaders are supposed to be potion makers which is why they're supposed to look like cleric villagers. The rest of his outfit is inspired by the swamp villagers. And then there's his mask. It is supposed to be a ghast. I wanted it to be connected to the Nether but also have the similar colors of his canon mask hence why it is when the ghast is about to shoot fireballs. I wanted it to be Nether-connected because Makoto has strong ties/control in The Deep Soul Colonies, the most widespread and powerful civilization in this world. They are the only civilization with access to the Nether which is a very important tool to them. So I just wanted to try and show a little bit of that in the design. Makoto has probably been one of my favorites to work on in this so far. That's all on him for now until I figure out every detail of his part in the story.

Making an au that only I will ever understand

[kirbybecomesastarwarrior]

💋: what motifs/symbols do you associate with your ship?

I would love nothing more than to explain all of them.

Motifs/Symbols

When I say that they're the heart & soul of KBASW I mean it! Arthur & Celestine are the moral compass of the story/KBASW AU.

Tropes/Themes/Dynamics

@kirbyoctournament

As you can see once again I had too much fun. Sorry, it took a while for these inbox questions. I ended up putting them together because they went so "hand & in hand". (link to questions)

Once again I will say this again... "writing romance is a different type of beast I kid you not!" Shoutout to all the romance writers. I've been a single pringle my entire life so... that's why these posts (Celarthur/Merther) post take so long!

I hope my portals of romance aren't... I don't know how to put this "don't seem too romanticized" or that cringe (LOL).

Keep reading for my long in-depth explanation of the content. (and honestly I still don't think it's enough lol)

I hope you guys enjoyed the post.~

Please continue reading if want a full explanation of the following...

Motifs & Symbols explained~

Creatures:

Celestine: Owls are the symbol of wisdom, power, and spirituality; the birds of Athena. But they're also the symbol of bad luck and are also known as an omen of death.

I've worked this into her character, she's all known just like the animal she represents. But also worked the "bad omens" in her future sight... she mostly (if not always) sees horrific futures. Despite this, she's used that to her arsenal, after all, you learn more from your mistakes, or in this case horrible futures.

And of course, her "cracked warpstar" is her omen of death.

Arthur: Dragon (of course) can either be a force of good or evil. Bravery, ambition, and strength a symbols of adversity, and wickedness.

This paired so beautifully with Arthur's character, (since he is a redeemed good bean). All the best qualities can be used for good and evil... Also, I made his dragon green & red as a reference to the Welsh flag and well...

Alright truth be told the only reason I had Arthur go to "Yomi" is so I can justify why he as dragon monster form (I've been working on it)...hopefully you'll be seeing it soon

Flowers:

Celestine: Lotus represents overcoming adversity, the cycle of rebirth, and enlightenment. Not only that but spiritual growth.

Just like the flower itself, she was able to bloom in the murkiest water and despite all made the most of her life. The (sad) truth of it all is had she not had that hardship... she would have been just as egotistical & selfish as Icarus & Uther.

It was her "future vision" & her struggles that made her into such an empathic person.

Arthur: Marigolds represent family ties divinity and the connections between life and death.

And as I have recently revealed Sir Arthur is why Morpho Knight can go in & out of the living world. Also without spoiling anything refers to when he becomes King of Avalon. (and those of you who have seen Coco... there is indeed going to be a Marigold bridge that Arthur can create with his powers :3)

Elementals (symbols):

(Water power) Celestine (like her elemental) is a very go-with-the-flow person. She understands that the unexpected can happen at any moment and will change the course.

With Arthur when he's particularly stuck in a rut, Celty will give him options, or mentally stuck she goes to her "Rolodex of knowledge." Adaptive and flexible with he thinking, she's very willing to think outside the box.

This is also throwing Arthur's burn mark: I changed Arthur's burn mark (caused by Uther's fire magic) to just be the right shoulder. To represent the burning of the " angel on your right shoulder."

Celestine (who's a water element) is healing his right shoulder, or basically, the goodness he lost. Of course, the mark is still but in the sense he no longer bears the burden alone. "Literally taking the weight off his shoulders. " That he doesn't have to be this perfect soldier... that he can just be a "wart".

(Earth powers) Arthur, he can be stubborn (as a rock) and stuck in his ways, (which is why it takes him a while to get him out of Uther's thumb). But this also applies to his determination. Someone who doesn't give up and makes him incredibly ambitious.

When she's thinking "what I could've done" or "what I should've done", ruminating on it. (trapped in her own current) Using his "very a matter of facts" to remind her of what she's done, and that things are better because she did act.

Out of the many vast futures she sees, Celestine can rely on one constant... who was there for her was Arthur... he's her constant her rock. And was the thing that ultimately made her choose Arthur to be the one to help her fulfill Kirby's prophecy. Because she knew he'd still complete it even after she was gone/.

~

(I'd love to explain Arthur & Excalibur but if I'd go into detail with it that'd be going into spoiler. But for those of you who aren't familiar with Arthuriana lore... the true value of Excalibur is in the Scabbard...

But here it's for another reason... because the Scabbard & Excalibur are two separate relics. The scabbard belongs to Arthur... the sword however was never his.~)

The Yin & Yang to each other & when the sun and moon are brought together they form the dusk & dawn~ Taking on and bringing out the best in each other.

Tropes/Themes/Dynamics

Enemies to Lovers troupe & cop vs. vigilante.

As a result, they have such a fun back & forth and witty banter... but despite it they.

In short, the cop working for the corrupt system is first at odds with our lovable rogue. And believe they are the villainous one (because society says so), only to realize through their many interactions that they are fighting for good despite operating outside of the law.

Then eventually (the cop) realizes "Oh, crabs" I'm working on the wrong side. For Arthur, his hesitation/ignorance of this doesn't come from the idea of a "holier than thou mindset" (like Uther). Rather it comes from "I want to be accepted" & "I want to be worth something..." Arthur started as the weakest of the three (students of Uther) which is why he was burned by Uther (to be used as an example to the other two)

When he finally beat the odds it was his proudest moment. The desire to be seen by Uther was what blinded him and made him see his mentor as the pinnacle of what he should be. (but in reality, it was actually just a want for affection and praise.) And believed in these ideals (that Uther spits out), making the ends justify the means & ignoring the damage they cause. (For the greater good)

The fact that accepting this means that the suffering & all the hard work he went through were for nothing.

But it's through Celestine's influence as Merlyn who actively tried to expand his worldview. That there was so much more to life than war, and showing "Might is not always right" him there are other ways than (Uther's) brute force.

A more fulfilling & smarter way, where he can still do his duties without having to sell his soul for it. Having his first taste of unconditional love.

Leading him to be able him to befriend Gaius, and Kit Cosmo (who is Sir Kay in this) later become his sworn brothers, emotionally adopted by Sir Ector (Kit's father ), and tame/ befriend Fritz Stahlbaum (Ribbon's Grandfather).

The Double life /Secret Identity

Are very much an important aspect of Celestine's character. While she is confident in herself and who she is... it's not as herself it's as her alter-ego Merlyn.

Basically, being Merlyn it's not just her "redemption for Shiver Star" but this is also her escape as well.

She's seen as this hero, someone great and fantastical when she dawns on the the cloak and the mustache. She's the great mage Merlyn she can be herself... But when she's Celestine her true self she's seen as the broken... the useless Hero of Yore something to be hidden away and ashamed of.

(I'd know you from anywhere & any form)

Celestine only ever told her friends (Minerva Mimi- great grandmother, Dairus Drosslemeyr- Daroach's great uncle, and Velvet Stahlbaum- fairy Queen, Ripple's stepmother) about her Merlyn persona.

That's why it's such important that the only person to ever figure it out (without Celestine telling them... ) was Arthur. You see, Arthur Celestine as Merlyn, but as she became more popular in the diplomatic world, she. had to be seen more. (Much to Icarus & Uther's dismay~)

Arthur started to see the similarities between her and Merlyn... it was through her quirks & character that she was indeed Merlyn. And does not mind at all she's still the same person. Respectfully Arthur pretends that he does not know..

It was also through these interactions realization... that she does not value herself (true self) as Celestine.

And this hurts Arthur deeply, the person who he always saw as this amazing mage, who was the smartest person he knew.. doesn't see that in herself at all. Arthur has always asked her (as Merlyn) "what he could do to pay them for everything they've done for him..." But all they'd ever say was... "the fact that we're able to be finally partners in crime is enough for this old man" (basically they were saying, the fact we were finally friends & your company is enough).

Uses this as a chance (of knowing her identity and Celestine not being aware of it) to repay her for everything she's given him.

Not only that but he actively does things that make her more comfortable and appreciate herself more (as Celestine.) Buy subtly reminds her that she is Merlyn. And performing these small acts of kindness for her gives her chances to be herself around him and encourages it.

Scene Example of this/ & more of their Dynamic :

C: You know you don't have to do this for me, you merely have to just guard me have to-

A: Oh but I do...It seems your diplomatic work was overlooked... Unfairly I may add especially.

C: Thank you so much... War-ta (had to stop herself from calling him Wart) The war on the battlefield must be so physically taxing on everyone... people tend to forget it's a political one as well... this means a lot but in reality, it's not that much as you do.

A: I don't see it like that... if anything your battles are one of tongues

Y' know an old friend of mine told when people forget to appreciate you... you forget the importance of yourself, so they told me to perform small acts of kindness to myself... to remind myself.

I hope I'm overstepping or making you feel uncomfortable *sees her blushing & getting embraced*

C: No, it's nothing I just wasn't expecting someone to give me flowers today (Oh, hoot he's talking about me *as Merlyn*)... Your friend sounds wise~

A: Oh my friend? *smiles sweetly at her* I wish they could tell you this themselves... they have such a fantastic way with words... I don't know how convincing I sounded compared to them, after all... *looks at her directly* They're the smartest person I know~

C: Oh is that so * gets more embarrassed* that's so sweet of you to say... I should take his advice... I tend to forget this myself.

A: Oh no need to be so hard on yourself... Actually...* grins wickedly* the friend I speak of is actually a very old man... with very old bones... at first I thought he was making up old bones since he seemed so energetic for an old man~

C: Oh hoo hoo, hoot really? *nervously laughter

A: Ah, but alas I haven't seen him for awhile... perhaps its old bones have caught up to him... he just seemed so lively... but who are we to determine the vitality of the elderly after all... We're not old men!

C: Yes we most certainly are hoo hoo hoot *still nervously laughing*

Oh look dear we're already at the temple!

Good night dear have a wonderful evening *hilarious sprints inside*

A: Go-od night, My- la-lady *tries to stifle his laughter then-* AH BwaHAHAHAHAHAH!~

Alright, admittingly he does have a little slice of revenge for Celestine hiding her identity as Merlyn. With little fun jabs like that. (LMAO)

~

They do have this "More than the mask moment..." Arthur admits the only reason he ever found out that she was "Merlyn," was because they were the same person with or without the cloak.

Oh I have so many ideas for this but that'll be for another day~

Forbidden Love

And of course, it's forbidden!~

Since astral are born from wishes (made by the positive energy of the Fountain of Dream) there was no need for "relations". Not only that because of status, or (mainly Uther ), but a tragedy involving Sir Orpheus & his lover.

Uther took this as a chance to further his agenda "Look & at the tragedy of Sir Orpheus... look what happened to him and his lover! It's clearly a sign from Void... THIS LEADS TO WEAKNESS AND WEAKNESS LEADS TO DEATH! WE ARE SOLDIERS NOTHING MORE THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DIVERGE FROM THE PATH! THIS IS OUR LOT IN LIFE DO NOT BELIEVE YOU CAN BE ANYTHING ELSE!"

And yes that is indeed Papi. (Sir Orpheus )

Nobody Gets Me Like You ~

They are the two sides of the same coin. Both of them are trapped in the positions they were given...

Arthur is trapped in the position of being Sir Uther's (bloody) right-hand man, his Perfect Killing Mach- I mean soldier- his golden boy.

Celestine is trapped in the position of being the Oracle... the broken one, the one cast aside, the overlooked and underestimated.

The key to breaking these chains that they've been cursed with is finding self-love within themselves. And they find that within each other. "A Steven Universe Love like you" moment.~

It's this deep understanding and trust they have for one another that allows love to develop feelings for one another. Emotionally they're both dealing with the same issue.

Being able to be there for one another and not having to explain it allows the other to put their guard down. And truly fall apart in front of another knowing that the other will hold them together.

I really love these two so much... if you've read this long thank you so much I hope you guys enjoyed the post!

[hestzhyen]

Insect Symbolism in the Edgy Sword Manga Pt. 2

Part 1

Hello internet void, I am back on my bullshit. It's mushibachi time once more. (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧ Let's take a look at the critter powers showcased by Kyoura and Magatsumi in Chapter 42: spider, dragonfly, and centpede.

Spider

[sticky situation joke here]

Nice utility spell! We don't actually see the spider itself, just the web trapping Chihiro. I also don't have access to the raws to see what the OG text is so I'll assume it's the general word for spider ("蜘蛛", kumo).

Obviously, the legends of the tsuchigumo and jorogumo could be the inspiration here. They're famous yokai that deceive humans with shape shifting and clever traps in order to harm them. Spider webs themselves are pretty on the nose visuals for being ensnared in someone else's plans.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, spiders often represent patience and the intricate interconnected nature of life. They're also sometimes signs of good luck depending on the circumstances where you find them. I don't think Chihiro feels particularly lucky having to face off against his dad's Civilian Destroyer 9000 but hey, you can't win every symbolism roulette. At least it can't be unsheathed and used to its maximum potential!

...Cold comfort, huh?

Dragonfly

BEAM MOVE! Maybe. I want to see what this was actually going to be...!

This feels like a "sure kill" move to compliment the web ability. Good on Hakuri for sending Hiyuki in to save our MC!

Dragonflies have a lot of symbolism tied to them, so I'll only be talking about what I think is relevant to Magatsumi.

The meaning of Tonbo (Dragonfly): ton (“勝”) is victory/win in Kanji, and bo (“虫”) means insect. This is why dragonflies were a popular symbol of courage for the brave-hearted Samurai warriors (in) the Edo (Period) (1615–1868), (possibly even as early as) the 11th Century. The speed, agility, and strength of the samurai is it? Very interesting that we get samurai imagery associated with another Sazanami member! Unlike Hakuri though, I don't think it's direct commentary on Kyoura's character. Hakuri is directly connected to the bravery and persistence of the praying mantis in Chs. 19 and 30, but the symbolism of the dragonfly is tied to the sword instead of Kyoura. I wonder if this was an ideal imbued during the forging process...? Really really want the lore so I can go absolutely nuts with why these creatures in particular were used.

Similar to butterflies, dragonflies are also associated with change, transience of life, and death. They can be interpreted as the souls of the dead, or messengers between the living world and yomi. So much spirituality and death with this sword man. Butterflies, lilies and irises, and now dragonflies. Yeesh.

And lastly, they are seen as spiritual guides and protectors of children... who keep them safe from harm... Good thing the war crime sword wasn't able to murder the son of the guy who made the damn thing. (Will Hakuri and Hiyuki always be there to protect Chihiro when people use his dad's legacy against him? Hm.)

But yeah. No wonder that one didn't get to fire off. Fuck you, Kyoura and rest in hell. With all due respect.

Centipede

Thanks for making one of my most hated creatures look super cool, Hokazono. Bonus fun fact: Japanese centipedes are venomous! Even more reason to dislike them!

This seems to be an AoE knockback ability suited for defense and countering rather than purely offense. Guess each sword will have one utility, offense, and defense move each.

Centipedes have mixed interpretations. On the one hand, they are another symbol of perseverance and adaptability since they can keep squiggling and moving forward even if they lose part of their body. On the other hand, they are also bad omens associated with misfortune. I can't think of a more apt creature to represent this sword, honestly. And it's a neat encapsulation of the buildup to Kyoura's end in chapter 43.

Kyoura is nothing if not persistent even when he should be dead. He's also willing to use the premier piece of merchandise at the auction to keep going, highlighting his adaptability (in terms of running the Rakuzaichi anyway) that's been on display since chapters 22 and 23:

Thanks as always for the clarifying internal monologue, Mr. Shiba. Last image intentionally badly cropped because Hakuri is my favorite.

If Hakuri is a praying mantis, then surely Kyoura is a centipede. Venomous, dogged, flexible, and deserving to be killed on sight (mostly /jk on the last one. Mostly).

Again, the abilities demonstrated by the Magatsumi aren't necessarily direct commentary on Kyoura himself- we'll probably see the same imagery again when someone else uses the sword. Got a lot of speculation as to why this sword is so fucked up with death and spiritual flowers and critters that also have many positive connotations around samurai, strength, and resilience though... especially since it was the shinuchi of the batch that turned the tides and won the war... please give us more backstory so I can go full on tinfoil hat and red string tack board with this!

There's also the mythic creature Omukade, a man-eating yokai with the form of a giant centipede. Not sure if it has any implications for Magatsumi itself, but I like the thought of capturing the essence of monsters to make a monster of a weapon.

Not that I think there are actually yokai or kaiju in this setting; I think Kagurabachi is using these swords as a WMD allegory. Man creates his own hell on earth in an arms race despite the best of intentions and all. Or perhaps out of shortsightedness, victory at all costs, any reason you can think of. We'll have to see Seitei War lore to see if I'm right about that or not. (Please let me be right. Just once in my life, as a treat. ;_;)

I hope the upcoming arc sheds some light on all this... Chihiro's looking for answers so surely we'll learn something! For now, let us commune with the Magatsumi to endure and adapt to this week without Kagurabachi Sunday.

[kurisus]

Chapter 104 thoughts

I'm back from posting purgatory and have rewritten, more or less, what Tumblr deleted, so now it's time for my favorite game: Ina Tries To Figure Out What The Fuck Happened In The Latest Noragami Chapter. Spoilers under the cut.

So at the beginning we see trash dad cut himself free from Fujisaki and revert to his original form, while Fujisaki wakes up in Yukine's old house, far from home. I'm really interested to see how much he knows, which I said last time--whether he was aware he was being used or if he's basically been unconscious for the past year. I think he has to be aware on some level, because he knows Father's true name and has to invoke it to summon him from Yomi, but it would also be funny if he flies into a panic, follows the newly created lake, and ends up with the main cast. How far are they from the house, anyway?

Come to think of it, I've been reading Alive since last month (Adachitoka's first manga, which was written by their mentor while they drew the art) and while I'm not done yet, the north of Japan features prominently as a setting for that story and as the final showdown for this one. I'm not sure why, maybe they're from there, but it's interesting.

I'm so glad Yato slammed into trash dad after he insulted Mizuchi. It shows he does recognize her as a victim, and is willing to let things mend between them, since she's had her own character arc since Yato released her name. Don't get me wrong, that was still the right choice for him at the time--but they've both changed since then. And I always love the character development in this manga so this had me bouncing in my seat.

YATO ALSO SAYING HE'S NOTHING BUT A DEAD PERSON LIKE YESSSSSS GET HIM GET HIM KILL HIS MISERABLE ASS

Ahem. I wish Yato had been able to land at least one punch on this horrible man, but it's time for a shounen powerup.

Using the koto no ha on himself grants trash dad access to Izanami/Izanagi level powers, which I think is a temporary powerup that will end with Izanami taking him back to Yomi, because of how he can "feel her breath" on his neck. He plans to then escape again, and possess another body.

This new power is an ass pull as fast-moon put it, but it's also not the first of its kind in Noragami. Think back to Yukine getting cut in half and becoming a hafuri, Amaterasu appearing out of nowhere to give Hiyori the hint that saved Yato's life in Yomi, and how the main characters were saved from the covenant which provided the entire basis for the current arc (due to unresolved tensions between them and the rest of heaven). Basically, in Noragami these things happen with good reason and/or hugely impact the rest of the story, so I think it's best to wait and see how this trash dad development plays out before making judgments on how it affects the writing quality.

There's an old Noragami theory that Father is Izanagi, or stole his power, and it's been mostly dismissed in recent years (but there's an echodrops post about it here if you're interested in the points it made) and even more so since we got snippets of his backstory, but I think it's worth bringing back up now. Izanagi has been suspiciously absent from the manga, and I'm not sure he's even been mentioned, so I wonder if the koto no ha ties into that somehow. Honestly if Izanami killed him in this version of the story and used his power to make the koto no ha, good for her.

Anyway, trash dad reveals he's not just some human who came back from the dead. He can use these powers of creation; it's unclear whether he's used them before, but Yato has never seen him do so--Mizuchi seems to know what he's doing, but it's also unclear whether she's seen it either. I said years ago I don't think it was easy as him just returning from the dead and being granted godlike powers, but I haven't been insistent on it so much because I did a reread of the official translation two years ago and that version heavily implies the only thing trash dad did to get his powers was come back from the dead. I wonder how they'll reconcile that when this volume gets translated (please hold for another 2 years, lmfao).

Is this Izanagi's power, or Izanami's? Did he steal Izanagi's powers next after he paid Izanami a visit? Did he know what using the koto no ha on himself would do? Was it an educated guess based on Izanami's power? Is it still possible he could be a reincarnated Izanagi that believed himself to be human? I don't know if I'd like that last one, but these are the questions I hope to have answered.

Taking a brief detour to discuss that Kiun and Mayu have joined forces to look for their gods, and Ookuninushi is alive but has with him three freshly reincarnated gods--Yatagarasu, Kagutsuchi, and Shinatsuhiko. I'm shocked he lived and they died, but it may lead to an interesting change in heaven where he has to reconcile how they threw away their shinki lives even after they were explicitly told not to use them. The way heaven (and most gods) treat their shinki as not people but disposable tools has been a long-running theme of this manga, and it's been clear larger-scale changes need to be made.

So back to the main event, trash dad creates a biblical sort of flood, but one that brings images of the past. Alongside the tree where a young Yato named Sakura, we also see a cottage and a multi-level house. The cottage may be where Yato and Hiiro were raised, or it might be the one from the Father flashbacks: Check them out side by side:

(103-2; page 1 [Father and Kaya village]; 104, page 21; 45, page 33 [Yato, Hiiro, Father cottage] if you want to check for yourself)

Next, there's that multi-story building, which could be the place where Yato made his first kills, or Hiyori's grandmother's house. There isn't much visible, so it's hard to tell, but here's another side by side:

(46, page 9 [where Yato made his first kills]; 104, page 21; 85, page 42 [Hiyori's grandmother's house])

If this enchanted world functions similarly to Hiyori viewing Yato's past while he's asleep, Hiyori will get to experience trash dad's past as it really happened. I've mentioned before it bothers me how the gravekeeper has been narrating the events even though he wasn't present for any of them, so it's entirely likely Father manipulated the facts of his history, or they naturally changed over the course of a thousand years.

I also think Hiyori could find out trash dad's weak point, his true name, if/when she witnesses his past. She could then become his lifeline and decide to let the secret die with her. Or he could possess her, but I'm being optimistic.

The tree she sees is the tree where Yato named Sakura, but it could also have some significance to Father and Kaya; if the cottage where he raised Yato and Hiiro was in the same general location as that village, he could have some memories there.

So if we get Hiyori and Sakura interaction I will cry. If we get Hiyori and Kaya interaction I will also cry.

Next few chapters I'm really excited to see where this enchanted lake dimension thing goes. Yukine could also be caught up in it, depending on how far it has spread, and it'll be interesting to see how Amaterasu reacts to it too.

I don't normally say this, but reblogs are appreciated. This post required a lot of skimming older chapters to tie my thoughts together, and my original draft got half erased when I was just finishing it up so I had to rewrite a lot of it. Plus it seems like everyone was pretty confused by the events of this chapter, so a reblog would help to spread it around and hopefully shed some light on the events. Thanks!

[basedkikuenjoyer]

The mood feels right, it's that time without light. Who's up for a lil late-night Togashiposting? Because there's one that has me thinking about a few concepts we've been on about. Which means we get to talk baby's first foxboy blorbo again. This was always one of my better posts that still generates interest today, but for the basic idea we talk a lot about the Akazaya as throwbacks and particularly Okiku's ties to Eiichiro Oda's own history on Rurouni Kenshin. There was another two-faced redhead in popular manga at the time, and we get Oda referencing the iconic clash with Game Master in interviews as a big moment he liked. But also just in One Piece canon it's interesting how Ryokugyu with a similar power intersects with Kiku's tale to bolster the connection. Likewise with the parallel story of the thieving fox spirit and how it intersects with Kiku's past.

For this part of our examination though, we're going to look through the lens of another meta concept we've been on about. Poking at the nature of "filler" and how much strict canon really matters? This is the finale of Kurama's last fight in the anime, something really glossed over in the manga as YuYu Hakusho tragically came to a close in the hurried Three Kings Saga. To me though, the anime at least salvages this arc into a worthy conclusion. I don't actually mind the idea of our quartet squaring off their personal arcs underneath the bigger show of the Makai Tournament. Kurama's fight with Shigure is so well done for that. One thing you have to give me, being filler or noncanonical is not an impediment to being an inspiration or an influence on someone else later.

The whole fight is a great finale for Kurama & his demonic past. We meet him distanced from it, they're reconnected in the Dark Tournament, he embraces it to answer the call in Chapter Black...then here after reconciling it he rejects the old self. Importantly though, he only wins through taking advantage of seeds planted by his old self. I love the final line to Yomi about it "I never leave anything behind." That reconciliation of past and present for a brighter future is where I really see Kiku picking up this torch. Himura Kenshin has a lot of similarities in his arc, but Kurama's with themes of reincarnation and parent/child bonds feel like the ways this gentle redhead seeped in. Of course, Kiku is still her own take on the idea. The trans aspect and cloaking it in a lady caring about her reputation is an excellent evolution.

Can't ignore the antagonist here either, this is why I was thinking this part in particular after all. A surgeon with a samurai vibe, choosing an honorable death after defeat. The way Shigure shaped the tone of this climax for foxboy's saga was giving me some big feelings. I honestly haven't rewatched the Three Kings Arc in years. The montage of core scenes though, showing us how Kurama grew into someone so willing to choose this new life, it had a big one I didn't really think about in this context:

How it all starts between he & Yusuke the MC. The story of the Forlorn Hope. That dub name is way cooler because the Funimation dub of the YuYu anime is a national treasure. But yeah...that's where this entire relationship started. It's an artifact that demands the user's life to grant a wish. An empty, unfulfilled Kurama was so casually willing to throw his life away to return a mother's love...without getting the point. Too busy turning over every possibility he hasn't realized how much he's grown. There's no way his mother would be happy with that trade because she doesn't see some legendary thieving fox demon...and if you told her she'd probably just say that explains a lot.

How does Yusuke solve it? Stepping in and sharing the burden. Very similar tone we'd see later with Usopp and the samurai. Even with the little dash of levity and that fine line between nobility and senseless self-sacrifice. Not to mention the big moment of Kiku's fall being Kin's final push to evolve and strike down Kanjuro. That's not unique to YYH but it's one of the biggest pillars of that series. But Bakura Town ends up being a lot like this in tone. The sumo match. Luffy jumps in because Kiku's putting her body on the line to amp up the crowd's panic. The two working together, Luffy stepping up and playing the hero for a moment, opens a new path. Just like the Forlorn Hope here and it letting them slide for being such good boys.

Then from there Kurama's story arc has the same structure we'll see out of Kiku later and Himura Kenshin around the same time. You've come so far by the time we meet you that we can do an arc about confronting that past. But that story can't end with going back to it, can it? No matter what it may mean, it's still so wild for me to see this connection over time. Kurama really was one of my first major anime characters I could latch onto and I've been a One Piece fan for so long. Just can't believe the cutesy waitress we met early Wano had all this in store.

[yakool-foolio]

Piano-centric video game tracks that I associate with Vivia

A majority of these songs are from my character playlist, but I feel like being my music man self and wanna ramble a lil bit about them while providing individual links to each song.

Darkness Falls (Deltarune) - The og piano-centric track I tied to Vivia like it was wrapped around his finger. Fits his sense of mystique and storybook-esque view of the world to a T.

My Castle Town (Deltarune) - I feel like this song would be one Vivia could play on his lonesome in the secrecy of the undisturbed hotel. If his perception of peace and quiet were to be a song, this would be it.

Laura Plays Piano (Silent Hill 2) - I'm a HUGE Silent Hill nerd, so it was instinct to pile up a bunch of SH2's tracks on top of Vivia like a warm, heavy comforter. I'm mainly showcasing this one because this song encapsulates the feeling of spectral projecting, wandering unseen among the living and dead. (Please listen to Silent Hill 2's OST, it is filled with so many good piano tracks that feel close to Vivia it pains me)

Breeze - In Monochrome Night (Silent Hill 3) - My personal favorite track from SH3, a slow burn instrumental that remind me of Vivia and Halara's dynamic specifically. I associate Halara with drum kits, as previously discussed in my post about each character's instrument motifs. The piano and drums work in tandem, creating a shockingly well-played duet.

By Your Side (Omori) - The warmth of a rare smile from Vivia, finding genuine happiness in his place within the agency. Surrounded by those who love and care for him, a stark contrast to his horrible home life, Vivia wouldn't trade this tranquility for anything else.

Lost Library (Omori) - The solace of a good book in the homely nook of the fireplace, guided by candlelight. No sooner does he rest just as easily in his own little spot, dreaming sweetly of a better life away from all the difficult truths hiding in a desk drawer across the room.

Guardian Battle Theme (Breath Of The Wild) - Don't you just hate it when your peace and quiet is threatened to be taken away from you? The anger that arises is subtle, but the flash of a blade sprouting from his hand is a clue unaffordable to miss. If you've managed to piss off Vivia, then you've sure as well earned it. Lookin' at you, Yomi.

Wielder Volo Battle Theme (Legends: Arceus) - If one small detective is the only thing that stands between Vivia and his peace and quiet, he'll do whatever it takes to force him away. Since Yuma wishes to see the truth that badly, then he'll have to fight him for it. Neither of them want it to be this way, but they must protect the one they deeply admire, unknowingly colliding into each other's beliefs of who the culprit really is.

[growling]

All the guys in my head post, cause it turns out actually talking about myself makes me feel better and more like a person than just keeping everything to myself only lmaoooo so to anyone whom it may concern, the gang (debatable) as it stands:

Cecil/Asphodel/Lucius Spencer:

last name spencer first name rotating between lucius, cecil and asphodel. was lucius from the beginning, way later asphodel and from a while ago cecil too.

character flaw: blonde man

also like...... prettyboy lmao??? likes those flower pattern dresses. mid or long hair, i dunno. sometimes looks blonde, sometimes he dyes it this magenta/purple shade, it changes? + has only one eye

most polite/nice out of all us, deliberately makes his voice softer whenever he talks to others to not intimidate them (got a really loud way of talking otherwise, always either yelling, or whispering), but also like, pretty shy. paranoid wild animal core

isolation expert. abandon civilization

gets in the bunker whenever literally anything mildly scary happens. do not count on him in the face of crisis

isn't having ONE oddly brutal traumatic event enough???? why do you have THREE

taller than the body

has guys inside HIS brain too. there's layers to this shit. why did this happen. for a moment i debated including them too but ultimately i didnt. most notable ones include breezepelt (yes from warrior cats) and basil (some guy. serious braincell holder. dad vibes)

despite everything, this is the most Normal guy

Brutus(?):

manifests as this very very speficic image of a drawn maine coon cat (kinda like video from strong heart are mandatory but cuter), but actually a human, but actually a tiger therian

furry

hyper and silly-angry yelling, low kinda growl-like female-sounding voice (but also often makes it higher/softer just like spencer guy), perpetually wants to get mad about things and UPPERCASE YELL but not in a serious way, and doesn't actually care THAT much most of the time. just wants to have fun

REALLY passionate about warrior cats. beats all of us in this regard because it actually cares. this is the warrior cats cat. has THE strongest opinions on it and yes, most of its yelling is actually about them lmaoo

rawr x3c lulz owo hawawawa ROFL le epic XDD lollll <--- this is what i fucking hear. i respect it though tbh

has achieved inner happiness. doing the best out of all of us

in its 30s

like. really fucking jacked. lots of muscles on that thing. strong kitty

switching between aroace and lesbian, has no gender cause that is a tiger

i feel like it and spencer guy know each other?? they gotta actually know each other but how???? HOW do they talk?????

(human form, not really human) taller than the body

transmasc icy from winx club:

transmasc icy from winx club

tied with spencer guy with the title of the oldest/being here the longest. they were there from earlyyyyyy on

chilled out, i think? kinda aloof very mean. would not want to talk to them itll get awkward fast but only for me. siiigh

switches between "surprisingly progressive" and "most far-right 4channer thing you ever heard shut the fuck up please go talk to somebody other than your coven sisters"

fairyphobic :(

only likes/nice to the coven, even then its complicated cause of the Horrors and also the lovelessness

after the transition (congrats on the transition transmasc icy from winx club) changed their name to........... cecil. there is two cecils.

taller than the body

my evil shadow self:

not actually evil just freaks me out

same appearance, voice and opinions as me but guys that is NOT me

wears like multiple clothing (blackout sunglasses, face mask, hoodie, gloves even) to conceal their identity on day to day but like. i know what u are

why....... are you so cool. is this where all my confidence went. did you steal that

please pray for me that rain code chapter 5 won't happen to me today😭😭😭

i know they look the same as me............ but why do i feel like they're taller than the body too somehow.

Yomi Hellsmile:

guy writing this, probably, i believe??

the line between "if we assume that something such as 'me' exists, then that is me" and "that is a whole another person" is VERY blurry

nearly the same as canon yomi except significantly calmed the fuck down, and very blurry recollection of anything revealed in chapter 4 + onwards

horny central. would you stop fucking thinking for 5 minutes

taller than the body whY AM I SO SMALL?????????

Like and subscribe for more glimpses of my dark fucked up reality *loud as fuck minecraft outro bass boosted music starts playing*

[kazimakuwabara]

Mouth  Hands

Summary: A fight goes awry when the group discovers one of the oppoent’s had extra... orifices? (Humor, 1.2k)

***

 The shriek that cut through the room was high-pitched, disgusted, and unexpected. The whole room seemed to pause, and its inhabitants shifted looking in the general direction of the source of the scream.

 Kazuma Kuwabara, who like his friends, had been engaged in hand-to-hand combat with a large demonic man with six arms, was now running around in a circle, shaking his hands out, still half shrieking as his face twisted with disgust.

 "...What are you doing?" Yusuke was the first to ask, fully looking away from his opponent, who resembled a giant pig monster. The pig monster, was also staring, a hand still raised as if he had been about to punch Yusuke in the face.

 "His hands have hands!" Kuwabara choked in panic, no longer running in place, but jumping up and down, switching between shaking his hands out, and then wiping them on his shirt.

 "...His hands have... hands?" Hiei repeated, not looking at his opponent, but kicking them away any time the creature tried to utilize the distraction.

 "I mean. his hands have mouths!" Kuwabara hissed, glaring accusingly at the demon, who held up all six of his hands in a universal, "Don't look at me," gesture. Kuwabara groaned, "I'm all tongue-tied because... it's gross!"

 "His hands have mouths?" Yusuke asked slowly, and then glanced at his opponent, eyebrows lifted.

 The pig monster shrugged, "I didn't know Sabian had mouths on his hands."

 "When he caught my hand, his mouth hand licked me! Like slid in right between my fingers!" Kuwabara accused with a moan, shuddering as he retold his experience.

 Kurama tossed his opponent to the ground, and tossed a seed at the demon. Vines sprang to life and wrapped around the demon, tying him up. While he struggled, Kurama directed his attention to Kuwabara's opponent, shooting him a disapproving look. To the presumed Sabian he scolded, "Now, that's just gross."

 "Yeah, ew!" Yusuke agreed, the Pig monster nodding in agreement.

 Sabian, looking a little awkward, threw up his hands, "I don't have control of them!"

 "What do you mean you don't have control of them?" Kuwabara gasped, looking even more horrified.

 "If you can't control them, you should put like... ball gags in their mouth or something. They're gross!" Yusuke snapped, crossing his arms.

 "...Did the hands just show up one day?" Hiei asked, tilting his head a little.

 "Yeah. Like three weeks ago..." Sabian grumbled.

 "Wait, and you didn't tell nobody?" Kurama's tied opponent on the floor asked, "You sprout extra mouths, and don't say shit?"

 "I need a paycheck too, Knuck! What was I gonna do? We don't got sick leave!" Sabian snapped, his yellowy skin flushing kind of orange.

 "Ew, look at the one on your middle left, it's wagging its tongue out!" Kuwabara lamented, stepping back from his opponent.

 "Ew! EW! I SEE THE TONGUE! IT'S LONG!" Yusuke shouted, pointing out Sabian's middle arm, and hand. On the said hand, a mouth was visible on the palm, and a long tongue had poked out, and was wagging violently all around, seemingly looking for something to taste.

 "Sabian, yo... I think our boss would have let you like... figure this out if you suddenly grew fucked up hands!" The Pig Monster shouted.

 Sabian winced, looking a little shame-faced, "Can we just get back... back to trying to kill each other please?"

 "Oi Kurama, doesn't this sound like Malaris?" Hiei shouted, having quickly killed his opponent already, who had kept trying to sneak attack him while everyone else discussed Sabian's extra orifices.

 Kurama nodded, "Oh, you're right... you guys go into the area around Yomi's territory. There's a lake referred to as the Fire Lake, for the lava it'll spurt at times."

"Oh yeah," Knuck, the tied demon on the ground said, "Sabian, Momo, we went out there a week or two ago 'cuz the boss needed that big purple bug thing, remember?"

Yusuke looked at his opponent, "You're Momo?"

The pig monster glared, "What of it?"

Yusuke shrugged, "Nah, it's just cute."

"I'm a cute guy, off the clock," Momo assured,  snorting as he puffed up his chest.

Kurama sighed, "Did any of you use bug repellent? There's a Malaris fly out there... they sting. And when they sting, they can sometimes leave you with what is called Malaris Disorder... you can suddenly sprout mouths all over your body."

The demon henchmen all groaned.

"No one told us that!" Knuck groaned, "I don't want hands!"

"You should have already grown them by now, if you had it. I think just your friend Sabian caught it," Kurama sighed.

"Well, great, what do I do!?" Sabian asked now looking at his hands, and frowning at all the hands on his palms.

"If you go to a doctor, you should be able to start something..." Kurama said, before leveling Sabian with a hide stare, "Before the hands start to eat you."

The room was silent, and then Yusuke laughed morbidly at the thought, "Dude, that is so fucked."

"Am I gonna catch it?" Kuwabara asked, still keeping away from the demon he had been engaged in battle with, "It licked me."

"No Kuwabara, it's not contagious like that," Kurama answered sincerely.

"Yeah, it was trying to eat you," Hiei supplied grinning.

Kuwabara glared at Hiei but muttered, "Well that's fine."

"Licking is out, but chomping a finger off is okay?" Hiei asked, looking at Kuwabara with annoyed exasperation.

"YOU DIDN'T FEEL HOW GROSS THIS TONGUE FELT MAN!" Kuwabara shouted in his defense.

Yusuke elbowed Momo in the arm, "Think your buddy tried getting his dick sucked with one of those?"

Momo laughed, eyes wide with delight, "Fuck! Those things could be kind of... handy!"

Yusuke pointed at Momo, and cackled, the pig monster laughing right along with him.

"Excuse me, but can we get back to fighting?" Sabian asked glaring around the room. "The sooner you pests are out of our hair, the sooner I can go to a doc-"

Kuwabara leaped into the air and kicked Sabian in the temple, the six-armed demon falling over unconscious.

"Cheap," Hiei snorted.

"Look I wasn't punching him again!" Kuwabara muttered, "And I don't want to cut him up either... it feels rude. I think he should go get medical treatment."

Yusuke looked over at Momo.

The two stared at each other for a moment and then Momo gasped, "Oh no... the aftershock of one of your punches... has me, discombobulated. I can't fight!"

And then Momo slowly lowered himself to the ground, laying face down.

"Dude! Weak!" Knuck, struggling against his vines shouted, "They took out Sabian! And the little one killed Ho-tesk!"

"Ho-tesk was a dick," Momo shouted, slightly muffled from being face down, "And they left Sabian alive. And I suddenly don't feel like taking over the world anymore. I mean if our boss ain't gonna give us sick leave, who says he'd be a good ruler of the whole world, eh?"

Yusuke pat Momo on the back of his head, "That'll do pig!'

Momo snorted, it sounding somewhat like a grunt of a pig, and a laugh.

Team Urameshi, left their mostly alive opponents behind, Kuwabara still shaking his hands out with a bit of distaste. When he joined Yusuke he muttered, "I need to give my hands an STD test or something, that tongue was so gross!"

Yusuke cackled all the way up to the latest evildoer bent on destroying the world.

[austajunk]

11 with Yomi and Seth?

Man, these two feel like more of a guilty pleasure ship for me than Makoto and Yuma…

What do we call this ship? SethYomi? HellBurroughs?

Triggers: Pet play, cruelty, Yomi being a bastard (what’s new?), brainwashing and conditioning, degradation

“I don’t think I’m ever going to be over the loss of my beloved right hand,” said Yomi, kicking back in his chair with a sigh. “It’s such a shame, but those kinds of sloppy mistakes always see through to the worms of Kanai Ward questioning our ability to keep peace in the city…”

Yomi Hellsmile leaned back from his desk and sighed. It was a shame to lose Martina like this, but in the end, she reflected badly on the Amaterasu Peacekeepers. It was a tragedy that he had to take in stride—despite the fact that the redheaded dictator was smiling quite widely.

“Oh well. At least, I still have one of my pets left over…isn’t that right, you fucking dog?” Yomi narrowed his glance to the front of his desk.

Spread out on the rug on his hands and knees was Seth Burroughs, the former member of the Amaterasu Peacekeepers. He was stripped of his clothing, save for a bright red ribbon tied around his cock that flopped freely between his skinny legs and a shiny collar that hung around his neck.

From his rear end, a bushy tail hung behind him. It had taken Seth a painful hour to apply such a round and thick plug to his ass. He had pressed it inside of himself right in front of Yomi’s personal inspection, teasing his hole with the tip until it started to slide in. His ass stretched around the round plug, every inch more excruciating than the last until it finally sank deep inside of him and his puckered hole closed around its base.

“Ungh…”

Yomi shook his head and feigned a look of concern. “What’s that? Dogs don’t talk,” he said, staring daggers at the mutt on the floor.

Seth weakly lifted his head and winced. “Ack…woof!” He croaked in his small voice. A dollop of precum leaked from the tip of his bound cock.

Leaning against his arm on his desk, Yomi made a small “tsk”. “We really should get a poor mutt like you fixed. You always make a mess on the floor, but…” He rose from his desk and hovered over his pathetic pet. With a surprising gentleness, he prodded Seth’s cock with his boot, sliding his foot up and down the poor fool’s shaft.

Seth gave another weak moan and tried to shut his eyes. Every noise he made in front of Yomi that wasn’t a bark would earn him a spanking, but the pulse that worked its way through his cock at the slightest touch was enough to drive him mad. “Woof-!”

Yomi’s gaze softened and a wicked smile spread across his lips. “That’s right. You’re my special, little mutt. As much trouble as you are, I just can’t see myself getting rid of you…” He reached down and smoothed back Seth’s shaggy locks. “That being said…your chest is a bit too bare for my taste.”

As Seth drooled on the floor, trying his hardest not to grind his cock against Yomi’s boot, his master reached for a leash from his desk. The leash snapped around his collar and for the few moments of hellish bliss Seth had from the contact to his meat, he was jerked upwards in a rough motion. Yomi tugged him upright and knelt down to grope Seth’s chest, using his gloved fingers to pinch at the mutt’s left nipple. He rolled the nub in his fingers until it went erect between them. Seth panted hotly, whimpering in need. It was always like this. Torment after torment with no room for any sort of release.

“I think we should get one of these ugly nubs pierced, don’t you?” Yomi said, his voice mimicking some sort of thoughtfulness.

Seth jolted uncomfortably at the thought, his eyes widening. A gasp slipped from his lips, but Yomi merely tugged on his nipple lightly to turn it into a light yelp.

“Oh well. We can get that done later,” said Yomi lightly. He gave Seth’s head a pat, then tugged his leash to get the slender man to follow on his hands and knees back to his desk chair. “For now…” He unzipped his fly and brought out a half-erect cock into Seth’s view.

Seth eyed the unwashed cock that lightly smacked his cheek. The hot scent filled his nostrils and he couldn’t help but to let his mouth water.

“Let’s get you fed with your daily helping of meat…” Yomi’s smile glowed at him from above.

For as long as he lived, Seth will never not be haunted by that demonic glare of his master. However, he would not resist. He didn’t want to. Seth licked his lips and began to kiss the tip of Yomi’s cock, inviting that bitter taste to fill his mouth.

“Seth. Look at me.”

After a long kiss of worship to Yomi’s mast, Seth raised his head with his eyes lowered. It was like he was in an obedient trance.

Yomi chuckled and slid his hand back into Seth’s locks. “Do you love being nothing but my pathetic dog, you fucking animal?”

Seth paused. Then the shade of pink rose to his pale cheeks. “Yes,” he hoarsely whispered. The tears that spilled from his eyes blurred his vision as the twisted smile broke out on his face. This… this was true bliss. He didn’t have to be a human any longer.

He was free…

Yomi’s grip tightened in his hair. “Dogs don’t talk, Seth.”

“Woof woof!” Seth returned to lapping at his master’s cock, savoring the bittersweet taste in his mouth. A few licks and then he took Yomi between his lips. Yomi guided his head down his cock and held him there for a few moments until Seth would choke and sputter.

Yomi kept a hold of his leash with his other hand, suppressing the groans from how Seth deepthroated his shaft. “That’s it…good boy…”

A few minutes later, Yomi shuddered and unleashed a helping of thick cum down Seth’s tight throat. He gripped Seth’s hair and kept him planted firmly pressed to his red pubic hair until he was sure his beloved pet had gotten his daily helping of cock cream.

“Ahngh…there…tomorrow… I’ll make sure we get those cute nipples pierced…”

[kiaroscuro]

Title: as the world caves in

Warnings: descriptions of violence, major character death

Rating: Mature

Main Pairing: Ren Amamiya / Arsene

Main Tags: post-canon, zombie au, angst, hurt / comfort, road trips

· · ─────── =^.^= ─────── · ·

It takes them three days to reach Tsu, during which Ren managed to both trap a fox and almost get mauled by a mutated human. It took Arsene slicing its head off with sharp feathers for it to finally die completely, and the adrenaline has left Ren shaking, even hours later. They're tired and wan and Arsene dematerializes once they notice movement in the distance. Ren holds up his hands, white cloth wound around them, and waves to catch the attention of a patrol of people, not daring to raise his voice. One of them hurries over, almost stumbling over his own two feet; it's a man, scruff around his chin and with long hair tied into a messy bun. "You're alive!" He hisses, and Ren nods, presents the trapped (currently unconscious) fox, and watches as the rest of the patrol hurries over.

"Damn," one of the women says. "Good catch!"

"Thank you," Ren demurs, voice catching because it's been three days since he's last spoke out loud. "I'm on my way to Tokyo; I was wondering if I could spend the night with you if possible."

The three glance between each other, before the first man nods. "We're not going to turn you away, especially if you can hunt a fox in that forest. Tokyo's a way off, though, kid."

Ren smiles wanly. "My family is there. I have to hope that they're still alive after the phone network went down."

He follows after them, learns that their names are Zenkichi, Chaco and Shiono. They're a group of survivors huddled up inside of what used to be a temple ground and complex, elevated enough that they can see the mutated approach. There's about fifty of them, surprisingly many, and Zenkichi informs him that Tsu had two other groups that got wiped out by infected. Sorrow lies deep within Zenkichi's eyes as he says it, and Ren murmurs condolences while he's being led into their camp. A girl a few years younger than Ren runs up towards them, eyes drawn into an anxious line and a crossbow clutched between her fingers. "Dad, you're back!" She shouts, and rushes at Zenkichi, clutching tightly at his clothes. A shadow follows after her, to Ren's surprise, its leg bandaged. It's a shiisha, scowl fierce as it eyes Ren.

"Akane," Zenkichi murmurs. "We didn't run into your predicted mutated. Don't worry."

Akane's eyes flash yellow as she stares at Ren. "Thank you," she tells him, and he stands there, kind of confused with his (now dead) fox. He blinks.

"You're... uh, welcome?" He says. Akane shakes her head.

"No, thank you. If you hadn't killed the human, then dad would've..." she trails off, losing her voice. Chaco shakes his head.

"Forgive young Akane; she has been having visions ever since the cataclysm. They've proved to be dangerously accurate from such things as the weather to the erasure of Tsu-Yomi and Tsu-Fuku a few weeks before." Those had been the two other camps. Apparently Akane had seen the dangerous mutated maul her father, but Ren had successfully killed it instead.

He nods, mouth drawn into a thin line before following the people and lone shadow inside the main body of the temple. They show him towards a corner space one floor down, apologizing that they don't have any bedrolls anymore. Ren waves their concern away. He ends up helping prepare an early dinner, skinning his own fox with Shiono and a few others, blinking in surprise when he sees a kukuri-hime. "You're surprisingly friendly towards shadows," he remarks, and Shiono cants her head to the side and nods.

"Tsu-Yomi had been a shadow camp," she explains. "We've been trading goods and expertise ever since the cataclysm, so we weren't about to turn them away after they'd helped with setting up a rudimentary electrical generator. Don't hurt them, please."

"I wouldn't." Ren says, wondering if he should reveal Arsene or not. "Tell me more about Akane's abilities," he asks instead. "Maybe I can help."

Shiono eyes him for a long moment before giving him potatoes to peel, detailing how Akane and Zenkichi had come to Tsu on vacation and how lucky many of the people of Tsu-Aki were still alive because Zenkichi saved them. Apparently the man was a public security officer, which is just one step below military in how he was trained. They'd established Tsu-Aki three days after the cataclysm, lucky enough that the temple grounds had ample stores of rice and gardens that Ren hasn't seen. Akane started hearing voices and had grown feverish after she'd been bitten. "She's only been grazed, thankfully," Shiono said, or else the girl would be long dead. Her predictions had at first only amounted to the weather, but as she's grown stronger in health she's also grown better in her predictions. The shiisha followed her around as a guard, and most of the temple revered her.

Ren listens, quietly, and turns inwards. It sounds like she might have a persona.

That it does. A navigator-type, probably. Arsene agrees, curling around Ren's sternum to stave off the cold he feels. Thou want to help her?

Yes. But the others--

Will not be mad that thou would take time to help a fellow persona user, especially one who is younger than the Hermit, mon cher. A day or two shan't matter.

(Ren sighs, but he does end up spending two more days at the temple, helps Akane call for Cassandra and even cracks a smile when Zenkichi gets spooked by Arsene for the first time. He finds out that the whole bay area has managed to connect a radio frequency together, operating at 18.6 MHz. It usually broadcasts Akane's predictions for the weather, though the operators also talk to each other. Zenkichi is setting up a hidden channel as well, operating at 13.8 MHz, something Akane apparently insisted on. Ren is invited to both of them, if Tokyo manages to rebuild their radio. He's oddly touched. Akane ends up giving him a little omamori to remember her and Zenkichi by, and he, along with Shiono and Chaco, accompanies Ren to the outskirts of Tsu. Before Ren can leave, Zenkichi grabs him by the shoulder with a strength that could bruise bones. "Stay out of Nagoya, kid." He'd hissed, making Arsene bristle. Ren nodded, already knowing that he won't do that; he'd have to pass by the outskirts of the city at least, or else he'd loose too much time going all the way to Gifu.)

First <<>> Next

[kanotototori]

Chapter 97-1 Thoughts (Part 2)

(Continued from Part 1.)

A quick Nora aside: it was validating, in a way, to see Hiyori acknowledge that Nora and Father have a bond - and even she is confused about whether it is a master/servant bond or a parent/child bond. I'd say it's not completely one way or the other - Father's bond with Nora and Yato both crosses between the lines of "tool" and "family" in a lot of confusing and complex ways, and I think Father and Nora's bonding moments in this chapter showed that perfectly: Nora is both a child and a means to an end.

(Now I must bring up this extremely niche meme I made a while ago because yeah that pretty much sums up my entire thoughts on the debate of "what does Father really feel for Mizuchi and Yato?"

The answer: it's complicated.)

Next: finally, we got follow-up on Father saying that he did kill gods in the past, way back from Chapter 87 - which means this puts us pre-Yato timeline wise, Father's first foray into fucking shit up post-Pockmarks death (at least, I'm assuming).

I already said this on Twitter when the leaks dropped but Father's tattered outfit - the sleeveless koromo with the white kosode with the torn sleeves - puts this scene together with Yomi flashback and the below scene from 96-1 outfit-wise.

Also, I was looking at Father laughing here and kept getting the feeling it looked familiar. Well, I think I figured out the reason why: 

The "I'm so glad I took him to that fridge!" scene.

(Put down your pitchforks, I know.)

Though we can't see his face in 97, here he looks similarly ecstatic.

This page came immediately after Father talking about how Mizuchi doesn't hate Heaven but Hagusa split the Heavens, and how maybe now Father can go farther with him than he could with Yato and Mizuchi; if Father's recollection of his first time destroying a god with Chiki was the first time he realized he does have a fighting chance against gods (thus his delight), then the above page must have been a similar moment - less about laughing about Yukine's fate, but more about the fact that, for the first time in centuries after countless years of fruitless destruction, he has a fighting chance against Heaven.

Full circle. 

A really interesting remark that I'm not quite sure what to make of. The word for salvation that Father uses (救 sukui) is part of the word "savior" in the chapter title  (救主 sukuinushi) - is this the sort of liberation that Chiki's Liberation offers? Father has already stated that the beings resulting from the revealing of GGS are a person's karma, giving this power overt Buddhist overtones. 

@nyappytown​ and I talk about this quite a lot: the idea that souls have been trapped in the Far Shore and are prevented from moving on by the shinki system, an artificial roadblock in the natural cycle of reincarnation - in Chapter 81, Father even says that shinkis' disinterest in themselves stems from the way that they are "made".

Is "Liberation" the way in which a soul's karma is processed? Is "salvation" being released from an unnatural state of servitude, back into the cycle? Lots to think about. 

"Even though disaster and conflict are things Heaven can inflict on people."

I have a feeling this quote directly correlates to the scene we saw last chapter (96-1). We've got the disaster (fire) and we've got conflict (corpses, one of them looks like it's been tied to a post or a tree.)

The fact that we still haven't seen Pockmarks's lower half even though we've seen the exact same scene twice already is making me nervous. I am not ready for Adachitoka to drop that bomb on us. 

The fact that Hiyori and Nora had like, the exact same face to Yato/Father putting their neck on the line and going on a suicide mission is killing me. 

Here’s a few more.

"I'll protect you, so come hide with me!" / "Just forget about your father and come home! Don't you go anywhere!"

These two, man, I swear to god.

"Father has grown tired of life outside of the spotlight."

This feels like it's a direct follow up to the end page of Chapter 63: Ecstasy (above), in which Father prompts Bishamon to make herself a target to draw attention away from Yato and "create a shadow in which [they] will lurk."

And who exactly will burn bright until their body evaporates so that all of Heaven will look away from Yato (and his failure to kill Father)?!

GAHHHH. Adachitoka kills me. They are too good!!!!!

Father feels like quite the static character - which he has been, for the most part, because his journey prior to the start of the series has already taken place! - but this...

This.

I believe we are seeing a character progression moment right now.

Because, like Father himself implied, he has been in the shadows the entire time. His line to Bishamon in 63 (above), his line to Mizuchi in Ch 50 about "what makes the man behind the curtain so cool is the fact that he works in the shadows."

Well, not anymore.

And finally, the panel I have been avoiding up until now: 

I admit that I've been following discussion about this panel quite closely and... ehhh. I don't know! Yesterday I was all up in the Discord server like, "am I going crazy? Am I supposed to be thinking Father is worse than Heaven because gods actually care about the Near Shore? Am I seeing a narrative setting up a discussion on systemic violence that's just not there???? Is my entire analysis of Father wrong??? What the hell is going on right now??"

So I guess this is more of a thought coming out of the chapter - and the takes I’ve been seeing floating around - rather than a chapter thought, per se:

What lens are people reading this story through? The answer to this for a lot of people seems to be "Child Abuse: The Manga" which is entirely FAIR because a lot of the manga concerns this, the main protagonist is so deeply affected by it that we, as readers cannot help but examine the manga through that lens of analysis. 

But it feels like that view also puts a weird binary on the narrative - "you are either a victim or you are a the perpetrator of violence, and the latter is the absolute evil" - when Noragami's power dynamics very often blur and cross the line between those two categories, between victim and perpetrator. 

If Noragami in its entirety was "(Child) Abuse: the Manga", where does that put major characters that haven't experienced abuse but are still incredibly important to the plot? Bishamon, Kazuma, Takemikazuchi, Ebisu...? Noragami is more of a "Cycle of Violence: the Manga" or "Trauma Fucks You Up: the Manga", in which the characters' relationship to "victim" vs. "perpetrator" is... complicated. 

Gods hold power over humans, yet humans are the reason why they can exist in the first place; a master holds power over a shinki, yet their shinki shape their existence and teach them right from wrong. I think we are absolutely supposed to feel sympathy for the plight of individuals gods (Kofuku, Bishamon, and now the Execution Squad gods) as victims but also acknowledge that they hold power over humans as well, and the harm that comes from their hand is not something that can be dismissed, ESPECIALLY when it comes about as a result of Heaven's ideology - considering that is the MAIN perpetrator of cycles violence in this series, directly or indirectly being the main catalyst for pretty much every event in the series, starting with whatever happened to Father.

My point is, I think Father should be understood in a similar way when it comes to the broader context of the story.

It was Father, after all, who made the comparison of humanity being like abused children, clinging to their parents (gods) - right on top of the page where Father sets the wolves on Yato, right after a page where we see a skeleton in the grass and Father holding Pockmarks's body. In a story that features abuse so heavily, I don't think Adachitoka would write these two pages for Father so lightly - the constant monologuing about abandonment/the concept of being saved/salvation, Father being human yet comparing gods to abusive parents...

Father (humanity) as the powerless victim, gods as the perpetrators; in the same breath, Yato (gods) as the powerless victim, Father (humanity) as the perpetrator. Father's role as the perpetrator of violence should absolutely not be forgotten, but neither should his role as a victim of Heaven's cycle of violence. What Father does out of anger absolutely makes the cycle go round, but the anger itself is a testament to pain that shouldn't be ignored, because it comes out something much bigger - and it's not as simple as "someone he loved died."

And with that, I will wrap things up! Until next time, folks.

[uenodivision]

"Know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the outcome of a hundred battles."

Timeline

Age 0:

She is born to Miyata and Taniuchi Iyo in Ueno City.

Age 5:

Her younger sister, Morino is born, making her an older sister.

Age 18:

She graduates high school with honors.

She enters university to obtain her degree in law.

Age 21:

She graduates from university and obtains her bachelor's degree.

She works to obtain her J.D. degree.

Age 23:

She meets her fiancé, Saito Yuzairu, during a class assignment.

Friendship forms between the two which blossoms into love.

Age 24:

She obtains her J.D. degree and becomes a prosecutor.

Saito proposes to her and she accepts. The two eventually marry.

Age 25:

She meets and befriends Jyuto Iruma of Yokohama. She agrees to join him in his crusade against drugs.

She gives birth to her daughter, Yomi Yuzairu.

Age 26:

Her husband is tragically killed by a drunk driver whilst driving home after spying on Jyuto, whom he was suspicious of, making her a widow.

She finds out about Jyuto's activities from a letter her husband left behind. She cuts off all ties with him and swears to incarcerate him.

She stakes her claim by arresting all members of the Black Dragon gang.

She publicly announces her intentions of removing all crime from Ueno City and Japan, no matter what.

Age 27:

She is accosted by a group of ruffians sent by Jyuto. She fights and drives them off with the help of Shisuta Heisha, whom she befriends.

Age 28:

She is introduced to, by Shisuta, Aranai Norikoru, whom she immediately dislikes, due to her previous activities as a Bōsōzoku.

However, the two begin tolerating each other after Aranai helps subdue and arrest a criminal Kisouna was searching for.

Age 29:

Present.

She becomes the third member of Ueno Division rap battle group, Sakurai Clan, alongside Aranai Norikoru and Shisuta Heisha.

Schedule

12 a.m. - 6 a.m.: Asleep

6 a.m. - 8 a.m.: Gets self and daughter ready for work/school

8 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.: Drops daughter off at school

8:30 - 8:35 a.m.: Stops by coffee place and picks up morning coffee

8:35 a.m. - 9 a.m.: Arrives at work

9 a.m. - 1 p.m.: Work on court cases/documents

1 p.m. - 2 p.m.: Late lunch

2 p.m. - 4 p.m.: Continue work on court cases/documents

4 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.: Call Shisuta to make sure Yomi is picked up

4:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.: Continue work on court cases/documents

9 p.m. - 10 p.m.: Return home

10 p.m. - 10:15 p.m.: Tuck Yomi into bed

10:15 p.m. - 11 p.m.: Have a late dinner

11 p.m. - 12 a.m.: Review documents for work

Character Hashtags

Regular Hashtags

#Diligent in everything

#Unforgiving to all crime

#Loving mother and friend

Trauma Hashtags

#His face inside the coffin

#Enemies all around me

#Die Jyuto

Other Info

Hobby: Reading books

Weakness: Overworks self

Trauma: "July 29th: the day that the light in my life disappeared."

Twitter: @Yuzairu0501

Drinks: Occasionally

Smokes: No

Special Skill: "I don't want to brag, but I'm pretty good when it comes to Sudoku."

Intro Quote: "I'll show everyone how powerful the law is through my lyrics."

Trauma Quote: "Yomi, my daughter... I'm so sorry. Your mother isn't the same anymore."

[kurisus]

Chapter 102-2 thoughts

Considering how eventful this chapter was, I'm surprised I didn't catch wind of any spoilers beforehand. That said, spoilers to follow~

The thing I wanna start with is Yato talking about Hiyori summoning him back from Yomi, but the way he remembers it is as "Yato" rather than "Yaboku" like she actually said. Thus, he's finally mentally broken free of that control Father held over him.

He follows that up by reminding trash dad he's been the one hurting him this whole time, only showing up with crocodile tears and bandages as a way to excuse all he's done.

The pages of the brief fight between Chiki and Rekki, and the one of Yato slicing trash dad's neck open, are so goddamn cool. So satisfying. I will be looking at these pages whenever I need a pick-me-up. My boy finally got 'em :')

Before I get to that, though, I have to laugh at Ebisu this chapter. Man strolls into the gravekeeper's home, almost destroys the shrine, then pauses and asks for the sorcerer's name. Once it's given to him, he lets the guy die and strolls back out, presumably with the name intact. King shit, I love you little businessman boy.

ngl, I didn't really see it coming that all those people with the gravekeeper were dead, too. That's definitely one way to go about receiving the name without having to kill children. And the way they reincorporated that plot detail from Hiyori's grandma was lovely. The writing in this manga is beautiful.

That said, I still don't think we're quite out of the woods. Like I've mentioned before, they told us this place is very, very dangerous and we haven't seen that, still. While my first instinct was to celebrate that Father's finally bitten the dust, there's probably something still yet required to defeat him. idk. it's nagging at me, though. Ebisu's statement "I've already devoted plenty of lives to this" combined with his realization that he's died here in the past almost makes me want to say he has been the gravekeeper in several cycles, but...there was still a line of humans carrying out this duty. He wouldn't have passed the duty back to them, right?

What happened to kill the gravekeeper's family? Why was he left alive, and they were all killed young? The answer to this is probably the same "danger" on this island.

HOWEVER I'm still going to celebrate Father's death. We deserve it. Watching him bleed out while begging for Yato to understand had me like YESSSSSSSS DIE A MISERABLE DEATH.

So yeah let's go back to that. Yato did clarify "Yaboku dies with you" means the version of himself that's tied to his dad will die, like was frantically speculated when he first said that, and he'll be free to live a happy life with his friends.

As much as I want to believe that was really Hiyori and Yukine appearing there at the end, it probably isn't. Yukine is still having a meltdown, and Hiyori is stuck outside of her body with no way to return. Plus we saw Yato's hands just before, and they were stained with blight.

So Father's dying, the gravekeeper did die, Ebisu (presumably) knows his true name, Yato's not in great shape, and Hiyori is running after Mizuchi. What do I think will happen next?

As usual, I have several ideas: Father will reincarnate into a different body. Fujisaki himself will probably either die or wake up in a panic (remember, Father's spirit is outside of the physical body at the moment. I don't know that getting his throat cut would necessarily kill him, if his spirit is still alive). Since Amaterasu has seen Father, she'll be able to track his new body. From there, I would like to say she'll obliterate him for good, but there's still also the nagging question of Heaven's corruption. What if they wanna trap him so they can study him like a bug? What if they kill Amaterasu? What if Father reincarnates as a really young kid, and there's the ethical question of killing children again? What's going to happen to Ebisu and Take, now that they're the ones with the knowledge of his name? The final arc only just started. It wouldn't wrap up after 3 chapters, right? Something else has gotta happen, but what?

I'm definitely going to think more on this and see if I can come up with a more solid idea before next month. We're definitely in the denouement of the series, but as always Adachitoka is staying two steps ahead of all of us. Outfoxed again!

[noragami-ru-manga]

On Father’s eyes and Fujisaki’s soul

What better way to spend your afternoon than posting a meta right before the chapter drops and possibly destroys everything written in it?)

One of the many things about Father that the readers of Noragami find interesting is his eyes. Specifically how sometimes the shading on one of them is different from the other.

I’ve never really seen how that could be explained. The only volume cover with Father on it has him with one of his eyes closed. Luckily, I’ve recently started collecting all of the volume covers, including the inside covers. Now I know that Father is actually on TWO covers:

1) Volume 11 cover – you know, the one where he’s lying on a heap of newspaper clippings with the articles about the murders he had Yato commit;

2) Volume 16 inside cover.

And this is how he looks on both covers:

That’s it, everything’s clear now, nothing to see here anymore, everyone, go home.

Well, not really.

See, most of the time Father’s/Fujisaki’s eyes are actually evenly colored. They are dark, just like most of the other character’s in the series, regardless of whether he’s in the body of Fujisaki Kouto or out of it (you know, when he’s wearing that black yukata). That must be Fujisaki’s body’s eye color, the one that people who talk to him see. After all, not a single character has commented on this periodic heterochromia he has, so it probably doesn’t really manifest.  

For the purposes of this meta I’ve looked at every.single.frame.with.Father.in.it. Also looked at some other characters’ eyes. My observations are listed below.

A character’s eye color often changes to indicate some sort of emotion. Hiyori, for example, has dark eyes (brown), like on the picture of the left. On the other picture they are much lighter than usual. This is a moment from chapter 36 when she thought they have no way of getting Yato out of Yomi, seconds before Amaterasu shows up (the picture on the right is actually from the same chapter, a couple of pages prior).

Sometimes a character’s eyes go completely white, like in the case of Bishamon here. On the left you can see her normal eye color (purple), on the right – the eye color when she’s shocked that the seven gods of fortune are accused of taming ayakashi.

Father’s eyes sometimes become white to reflect two states – either when he’s shocked (on the left) or when he’s plotting something (on the right):

However, in most of the scenes he’s in his eyes are dark and evenly colored:

I’ve actually found only 12 moments when the shading on of the eyes is slightly different. Still, other characters don’t have this feature, so ignoring it is not an option. Adachitoka’s art is very detailed; it can’t be a simple mistake or accident.

Here they are. I’m not so sure about chapter 77 though, ‘cause the different eye color in that one could be attributed to lighting. That’s not the case with the other ones , especially when it comes to Father’s introduction – the darker eye is on the lighter side of his face.  

From what we see here, Father’s right eye seems to be darker in most of the cases, except for chapters 63, 80 and 81. Since I don’t see a clear rule on which eye is supposed to be get the extra lighting, I can’t really suggest that one of them means one thing and the other one means something else.

Then maybe we should look into what happens in the scenes themselves?

Chapter 24 – Fujisaki prevents Hiyori from falling down the stairs and tells her to be careful. Father already knows who Hiyori is; according to him, he moved to Tokyo to get to her specifically.

Chapter 39 – Father is telling Mizuchi that Yato will return to them.

Chapter  40 – Father says that he will allow Yato to make a couple of good memories because he’s such a nice dad. Moments earlier he was conducting an experiment – he used the new kotonoha to control a person possessed by one of his masks.

Chapter 44 – Father is talking about gods and how the way their human creator manipulates them is no concern of theirs.

Chapter 45 – Father is watching Kofuku’s house. He then creates a mask that possesses a boy and infiltrates Tenjin’s shrine to get rid of Edachi.

Chapter 63 – Father watches how Bishamon is trying to get to him while thinking that this way she will turn the Heaven’s execution squad’s eyes away from Yato.

Chapter 68 – Father fakes seeing Kazuma to make Bishamon turn her back to him. However, he notices several gods approaching to them and fleets.

Chapter 77 – Father kills “Bishamon”, who is actually Edachi.

Chapter 80 – Father says there’s a way to come back to life/come back from Yomi (he uses both of these phrases in his conversation with Yukine; whether they mean the same thing for him or not is yet to be revealed).

Chapter 81 – Father tells Hiyori that Yukine has started wondering about his past.

Chapter 87, picture #1 – Father suggests that Hagusa searches for his human name around the house.

Chapter 87, picture #2 – Father must be thinking about his past (the first 19 pages of 87-2 are probably his memories that segway into Nora’s tale).

Again, I don’t see a clear pattern here. I could say that these are all moments when Father is plotting something. But there are other scenes in which he does the same yet his eye color is ordinary.

So yeah, failed to notice any correlation between Father’s eyes and his thoughts and/or actions. However, there is one more option left – the different shading on one of the eyes could be a hint that there are two souls in the body of Fujisaki Kouto – his own and Father’s. After all, he has red eyes on the cover of volume 11, where his physical body is depicted, and blue eyes on the cover of volume16, where he’s in his spirit form.

I have mentioned several times now how I believe that Father possesses not just another person’s body, but their soul as well. It’s mostly based on two things:

1) In chapter 80 Father says that himself – that he possesses the soul of the Fujisaki family’s eldest son. This wording always seemed strange to me – why not say that he possesses the body? Of course, Father’s words can’t be trusted without further proof from other characters. In this case, the proof is Thing #2.

2) In chapter 81 Hiyori noticed Father flying above her head on a giant ayakashi, but her friends didn’t. If there were still people left who thought that Father doesn’t actually leave Fujisaki’s body, this moment should have finally convinced them. And during the fight Father showed Hiyori his true appearance, just for a split second. And we know that it actually happened, because Hiyori remembers it happening.

Of course, it’s just a theory. However, it brings up some questions.

1) When does Father transfer to another body (and soul) – right from the body’s birth or later?

2) What happens to the soul he possesses?

Let’s focus on the first one for now and see how Father can hop from one person to another.

1) Reincarnation in an infant’s body

Judging from Father’s words, this seems to be the case – he says that he lives and dies in other people’s bodies ever since his return from Yomi, and that he doesn’t get to choose. So when his current body,  he is simply somehow born in another person’s body. And he keeps his memories, personality, goals and motivation, which is creepy of several reasons. The idea of a thousand year old man being in a toddler’s body is deeply unsettling. But it’s very inconvenient for Father, too – having the mind of a growing while being confined in a body that for some time can’t sit, walk and talk every time he is reborn. After all. he doesn’t have the luxury of being able to think rationally and talk without any learning the way reincarnated  gods do. His abilities are restricted to the abilities of a human body, and even if they aren’t, he will have to fake it if he doesn’t want to raise suspicions.

And there’s also a question of how Nora must be the one controlling Yato when Father is too small to do that. If we take into account volume 8 omake, then Yato worked as a magatsukami when Fujisaki was a toddler, so it’s unlikely that he was the one finding the jobs, so Nora had to take over. I’ve thought about it, and yeah, I think she could actually handle that. Yato admitted that one of the reasons he kept doing the jobs was because he still somewhat enjoyed I, even the most recent time he returned to being a magatsukami.  If Nora waited for an opening when yet another shinki would leave Yato, he would probably agree to do the jobs even without Father’s influence.

2) Possessing an existing human

By which that I mean that Father doesn’t live his life in a new body from the start but rather starts possessing a real existing person. We do have to take into account that he really doesn’t get to choose the person. Why would he choose some random student who doesn’t even live in Tokyo and had to move there? If Father could choose the body, he probably wouldn’t even need Yato. There are many means of destroying humans as it is. If he wanted to use them, all he needed was possesses the right person.  

If Father can’t switch bodies on his own volition, there must be some conditions that prevent him from possessing any human he wants. Maybe his soul can only transfer to another person when his body dies? Or maybe there are conditions regarding the person that can be possessed? Divine possession, for example, requires a human and a god to have a special bond:

Maybe not every person can host Father’s soul.

This kind of possession eliminates the whole “grown man in an infant’s body” thing, but it’s not without its cons.  It means that Father has to substitute another human and he has to work to successfully impersonate the human he knows nothing about. That being said, there’s nothing stopping him from cutting all the ties this person had before being possessed and moving elsewhere, so there’s no need to pretend. Overall, I think that this option would be more convenient for Father.

If this is the case, I’m curious to know when exactly Father started possessing Fujisaki. Let’s examine some of the things he tells about himself to see if there’s anything in them.

We know for sure that Fujisaki Kouto transferred to Hiyori’s school at the start of the new school year. In chapter 30 he tells a little about himself:

The part about Fujisaki having a sister and nieces is true, but the rest is fishy. When Father stopped coming to school after the rebellion, Yama found out that he had lied about living with his father who moved to Tokyo for work:

Why would Father lie about Fujisaki-senior separating from the family and tell the he only moved for work is unclear. It’s also not clear when did Father get rid of him, if that’s what Yama’s words imply. I do believe though that the apartment where he lives in Tokyo really was Fujisaki Kouto’s dad’s place. After all, moving in with your father, even if he left the family, is easier than finding a place on your own.

As for when did Father start possessing Fujisaki: on the first glance, the sudden move to Tokyo does seem to be exactly what I said he could do in so that he doesn’t have to pretend to be someone else. However, some scenes suggest that he has lived with the Fujisaki family for quite a while. Like how he has to correct himself when he starts referring to Fujisaki’s relatives as if they were his own. SO he had to be Fujisaki Kouto for some time; maybe even his entire life?

BTW, unless Father is lying, he was still living with Fujisaki-senior in summer. So if he did get rid of the “dad” after all, it must have happened later.  

Whichever way Father possesses people, from birth or not, there’s the question of what happens to the body’s original soul, i.e. if it has a consciousness of its own, independent of Father. As usual, we have to rely on Father’s information in this case, too. Except he is a very, very unreliable source of information. On the one hand, his words about transfer exam must be true, since no one questions Fujisaki going to Hiyori’s school. He visits classes like everyone else and even does some extra work after school:

Here Fujisaki is so… normal, at least compared to what he’s like in later chapters that it’s almost like he isn’t Father. On the other hand, the Father side manifests itself within seconds:

All in all, I can’t really recall any specific scene where I could tell Father and Fujisaki apart. Even when he acts quite normal it’s much more likely that it’s just Father pretending to be a kind person rather than the real Fujisaki showing through. I’m afraid that either from the moment he was born, or some time after that, poor Fujisaki Kouto is no more than a vegetable, and his soul is completely controlled by Father. I think that they sort of merge into one, to be honest. Whenever Father leaves the body of Fujisaki, he has the boy’s appearance, but wears his own black yukata, the one we see in Yato’s flashbacks. Unfortunately, we can’t compare his case with anyone, since there’s only one other character who is a human able to leave her body – Hiyori. Unlike Father, Hiyori in her spirit from look exactly like her body, clothes and all. Since she is the only one to do so, we don’t know if that’s the norm, but it seems more logical than whatever is going on with Father.

These were my thoughts on Father’s eyes. Whether Adachitoka will ever uncover the secret behind his eyes or let it remain a mystery is hard to tell, but one Father’s differently colored eyes sure make him even more memorable.  

[ryukyuan-sunflower]

Mugen: The Embodiment of Shintoism’s Redemptive Delinquent, Susanoo-no-Mikoto

Before I get into this Samurai Champloo analysis, I first want to make this clear that this is all interpretations I have made. There’s no actual direct information about the Shinto stuff (that I’ve seen), but I found a lot of parallels. There’s also a lot of variations in Shinto myth! So you may find some different but similar details.

To begin, one would at first think Mugen would be a representation of Amaterasu, Kami of the Sun, because of his association with red, fire, the sun, and the rooster in his title image. (Rooster’s represent the dawn and they were used to lure out Amaterasu from a cave). And in contrast, Jin would be associated with Susanoo, God of the Ocean and Storms, because of his association with water, and the aquatic fish in his title image. However, based on everything I am about to list, it is the exact opposite. Mugen and Jin are supposed to be like Yin and Yang, their elements canceling each other out. However, the two do possess traits of one another. For Mugen, it’s Jin’s samurai honor and morality. For Jin, he has Mugen’s stubbornness to not follow those he considers unworthy.

Mugen and Susanoo’s Personalities

Susanoo in his earliest myths, is seen in an extremely negative light. He is violent, rude, wild, arrogant, and loathed by the other Kami for his impulsive actions. In particular, his older sibling Amaterasu despises him. She by comparison, is benevolent and calm. He is the embodiment of chaos in stark contrast to his sister who represents “the balance of the universe”. Susanoo’s appearance is also supposed to be disheveled.

Susanoo, along with his two siblings, were born after his father Izanagi cleansed his face, after visiting the polluted underworld known as Yomi.

But...while Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi were born from Izanagi’s eyes, Susanoo was born from Izanagi’s nose last. The Kami believe that Susanoo had already absorbed some of the impurities of the underworld, and was tainted at birth.

This idea of being “lesser” fits very much in how Mugen is treated by society. The Ryukyuan people were heavily subjugated and experienced severe discrimination by the Japanese.

Ocean And Storms Symbolism

Susanoo is most notably the Kami of the Ocean, Storms (particularly rainfall) and Harvest (also because of rainfall). Later though, he ends up becoming the Kami associated with Love and Marriage. This will be explained further later.

Mugen has a heavy affiliation with the ocean, because of his previous occupation as a pirate and being born and raised in the penal colony island known as Taramashima which is near Miyakoshima in the Ryukyus. It’s the circular island on the bottom left, below.

We know Mugen is from here because the black figures that try to send him to the afterlife are known as Paantu. Paantu are deities from a Miyako Island festival that cast out evil spirits by throwing sacred mud on houses and people. In addition, Taramashima was used as a penal colony for Ryukyuan criminals during this time period, and is affiliated with Miyakoshima since it is so close by.

Also, in one of his most defining moments, he swims and emerges from the ocean in episode 25 to save Fuu.

More interestingly, Mugen is definitely associated with storms and typhoons (heavy tropic storm).

The Ryukyuan Islands have a long association with typhoons, because they were so common there throughout history, causing much damage and famine. In World War II, the Battle of Okinawa, known as the bloodiest Pacific battle, was called “The Typhoon of Steel”. In 1972, Okinawa made the flower of the coral tree or the “deigo”, their prefectural flower. 

These flowers can be seen in episode 14, during Mugen’s flashback.

What is interesting...is deigo flowers are a symbol of disaster or catastrophe, namely typhoons. There is an Okinawan belief that the more deigo flowers bloom, the more typhoons there will be. In this episode, which is all about Mugen’s past, we are given double symbolism of the ocean and storms, when he nearly drowns during a severe rainstorm.

In addition, while Mugen’s sword is never named in the anime or manga, his blade is called “Typhoon Swell” in the Samurai Champloo: Sidetracked PS2 video game.

Fall From Grace and Rivalry with Amaterasu

Because of Susanoo’s bad attitude, chaotic personality, and destructive nature, Izanagi, chief of the Gods deemed Susanoo unworthy to live in the Heavens. So he was banished.

Accepting his fate, Susanoo decided to visit his sister Amaterasu before his departure, who had long been his rival that he fought with often.This is largely because Amaterasu as Izanagi’s first child, had divine right to rule, while Susanoo was the youngest and was believed to have impurities. Their rivalry is a symbolism of sunshine versus rain. Both are needed for the harvest, but too much of either causes famine. 

This sounds a lot like Mugen and Jin, who cancel each other out.

When Susanoo went to see Amaterasu, the lands shook, and Amaterasu grew suspicious he was causing trouble, so she met him dressed in men’s clothing and in armor. To prove he had good intentions in saying farewell, Susanoo challenged her to a contest of who could create the most gods, in order to prove his sincerity.

Amaterasu took his sword, and broke it, forming three male kami. Susano took her necklace and broke it, forming 5 female kami from the magatama beads. There’s some variations to who exactly won. One says that Susano raged happily since he made more. Another says Amaterasu used trickery, and told him that the 5 female goddesses belonged to her, since they were made from her necklace and the 3 male gods were his since they came from his broken sword. This then infuriated him.

This is similar to how Mugen and Jin broke each other’s swords in episode 26, and neither really won.

Either way, Susanoo went wild, either from rage or pride and committed several heinous deeds, namely destroying Amaterasu’s rice fields and defecating in her palace. He also flayed and killed a holy horse and threw it at Amaterasu’s holy loom, which killed one of her servants.

The holy horse seems to be important to me.

Mugen’s last antagonist of the series are the three Satsuma brothers. In particular, Umanousuke is his biggest enemy who had kidnapped Fuu, tied her to a cross, and brutally tortured Mugen after he gave up his sword to free her. I am no expert, but from what I can gather, “nousuke” in a name, means second in command beneath a lord. And “Uma” means “horse”.

After his belligerent acts, Susanoo was then thrown from the Heavens to inhabit the earthly plane, which is considered to be Japan. Similarly, after Mugen’s pirating in Satsuma, that negatively impacted Umanousuke and his brothers, Mugen finally made it to Japan.

Susanoo and Mugen’s Redemption: Saving a Woman

Despite having been seen as a wild and evil God, there is one story that redeems him, showing him as heroic, and also allows him to reconcile with his sibling.

After Susanoo was cast out of the Heavens, he walked the lands of Japan. This is similar to Mugen being shunned by society for his astigmatism of his prison tattoos, as well as being an illegal alien in Japan, since he hails from the Ryukyuan Kingdom, which at this time period, is in a very complicated relationship between China and Japan.

It is while Susanoo is in the land of man, that he for the first time, is shown actually caring for another person: a young girl.

In his travels, he meets a sorrowful, elderly man and woman who are weeping over their daughter. Susanoo curiously asks why they are crying. 

They tell him that they have lost seven of their daughters to a sea serpent named Yamata-no-Orochi (8 forked serpent) who has devoured them year after year. Now, it is time for the sea serpent to devour their last and youngest daughter: Kushinadahime.

In an uncharacteristic act of sympathy, Susanoo offers to help them. He tells the old couple to give him their daughter so he can protect her. 

Upon entering the teahouse of episode 1, which was owned by an elderly couple...Mugen meets Fuu for the first time and saves her.

Susanoo transforms Kushinadahime into a small comb and hides her in his hair so that the serpent can not find her. Then, he goes off to kill the giant snake. He gets the serpent drunk off of very strong sake, and slays it.

From the serpent’s tail, Susanoo acquires the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi (the sword of gathering clouds). This sword has come to represent virtue.

After saving the girl, Susanoo asks her father for the girl’s hand in marriage. And then, after this, it would seem his new wife had tamed his tumultuous heart. She becomes venerated as the Kami of Rice and bears his 5 children. Many temples and festivals honor them together to this very day!

It is after this point, that Susanoo is no longer seen merely as the violent, antagonistic god of storms. He also becomes venerated as the God of Love and Marriage because of his heroism and love for the girl he saved.

A violent, belligerent sinful killer who falls from grace...who is redeemed by protecting a woman and becoming a hero...

You probably see where I’m going with this. Mugen and Fuu are heavily implied to have a subtle romance in the series. But if you’re confused by this and need sufficient evidence, please let me know and I’ll provide my many posts that explain it in detail. I will merely bring up one scene here, in order to tie Mugen’s connection with Susanoo, who has become the God of Love.

In episode 21, Sara tells Mugen “Powerful hatred and rage swirl within you. I cannot tell if it is sadness. It is as if you have never once been loved.”

When Mugen falls to the ground, and Sara readies her blade to kill him, Fuu jumps across his body to shield him from Sara, and begs her not to kill him. In this moment, Sara gasps, and spares Mugen’s life. In this moment, she realizes she was wrong. There is one person who does love him, enough to put her own life at risk.

This is very similar to Susanoo. Up until the point of saving Kushinadahime, he was hated by all the Gods, including his own family. But when he saved her life, she married him, implying her appreciation and love for him.

“In Search of New Lands, I Build a New House”

Immediately after marrying Kushidahime, the lovers travel around Izumi before they can find a suitable place to live. Upon arriving in Suga, Susanoo happily states "Coming to this place, my heart is refreshed.” and then built a lovely palace for him and his wife. Upon its completion, Susanoo composed a song.

The many-fenced palace of IDUMO:

“Of the many clouds rising— To dwell there with my spouse Do I build a many-fenced palace

Ah, that many-fenced palace!”

In Episode 14, during Mugen’s flashbacks, a folk song called “Obokeuri Eeumi” plays. Because it is possibly Ryukyuan (or from Kyushu) , and also deals heavily with poverty, and being unable to sustain one’s family, it is safe to say the perspective could be Mugen’s. It is especially important that the very last image he sees when the last lyric of the song plays is Fuu’s face. This last lyric is about the narrator’s lover.

Obokeuri Eeumi (Obtain Our Bearings):

In search of new lands, I build a new house I thatch the house with reed stalks, gathered neatly in bundles. I thatch the house with reed stalks, gathered neatly in bundles. At the stone wall, let us celebrate the golden house, that was built by a hundred carpenters. At the stone wall, let us celebrate the golden house, that was built by a hundred carpenters. Let us celebrate the golden house, that was built by a hundred carpenters.  August is fast approaching, and yet I have nothing to wear I want to dress up, so brother, will you lend me just one sleeve? I wish to dress my children and loved ones… in the one kimono that I own. As for me, I will wear vines… that I plucked deep in the mountains. The light of the harvest moon shines down, illuminating the world with its divine light. When my lover sneaks in to visit me, I wish that the clouds would hide that light just a little.

Both songs are about building a house to live in with one’s loved ones, with a mention of encroaching clouds. Because Susanoo composed his song, and Obokeuri Eeumi specifically plays for Mugen’s near death experience, these songs are reflections of their characters.

Making Amends With the Rival

At some point, before or after building his home, he visits Amaterasu, his long time rival, and offers his sister the sword he acquired from killing the snake, so that the two may finally reconcile. This sword makes up the three Imperial Regalia, along with the Yata no Kagami mirror and the jewel Yasakani no Magatama.  After this moment, Amaterasu and Susanoo are no longer bitter enemies, and finally accept one another as siblings.

On the same journey of redemption that Mugen took, in which he saved Fuu time and time again, by the end, Mugen was able to reconcile with his longtime rival, Jin.

More Minor Amaterasu and Jin Symbolisms

It is from Amaterasu that all Japanese emperors claim descent. For that reason, she is the embodiment of the Japanese people. I think this is very similar to Jin, who is a representation of the ideal Japanese samurai with all of its virtues.

When Amaterasu fled from the heavens because of Susanoo’s many insults, the world became a dark and stormy place, because there was no longer any sun. Amaterasu did not want to leave the cave as she grieved for the servant Susanoo had killed. Though it might be reaching, I saw this very comparable to episode 11 of Samurai Champloo, where the trio were stranded in Hamamatsu with perpetual rain. Here, Jin states “I hope that the rain will never stop. Then, I can stay here forever.” when in reference to staying with Shino.

Amaterasu was also insulted by her husband Tsukuyomi for killing her friend, the Kami of Food, and thus never saw him again. This is a representation of the Day and Night cycle, since Tsukuyomi is the Kami of the Moon. I found this similar to Jin having to part from Shino for three years because of her stay at the Divorce Temple. In addition to that, he met with her at night when he purchased her at the brothel. But when the morning came, she told him it was “time for the fairytale to come to an end.” 

When Jin parts ways with Shino, the bridge they met on is shown one last time. Except this time, there is no more rain. There is only sunlight. 

This is a representation that he must continue on his own journey for the samurai who smells of SUNflowers, for it is his duty, just as Amaterasu reluctantly left her cave at the behest of the other Gods...because it was her responsibility to have the sun rise in the sky again.

In conclusion

Mugen and Susanoo were both hated and considered evil. Both were outcasts. But their chivalrous actions in saving a young girl they cared about redeemed them.

Mugen and Susanoo both had a rival that was their polar opposite, but in the end, the two were able to reconcile and value one another.

(And I found another excuse to ship Fuugen.) 

[austajunk]

I know this pairing has already been requested but I can't help myself lmao. could you please do 7, 9 and 14 with Yomiseth?

When will my boy Seth Burroughs get a break? Poor guy! Fufufu.

This takes place after Chapter One where Seth has been arrested. So.. minor spoilers there.

Triggers: Humiliation, bondage, degradation, orgasm denial and prison sex. AND YOMI BEING YOMI.

The world was so still in the Amaterasu holding cell that Seth Burroughs had been content in thinking that he was forgotten by his superiors. The musty scent and occasional drips from the leaky ceilings and pipes were almost comforting. As long as he was behind bars, he was not around the ones who could torment him, namely Director Yomi Hellsmile himself.

He would miss collecting those bribes from the church and overseeing the development of those beautiful, vibrant roses (most of which he poured his earnings into), but that's alright. He would take being imprisoned and forgotten over being torn asunder by anyone who used his frailty against him.

That was until the clack of boots against the damp floors of the prison woke Seth up one day. He didn’t have to guess. Huddled in a corner of the cell, heart was already racing. No. No. No. Why couldn’t he just be left to die?

When his cell door slid open, Seth glanced up even when he didn’t want to. There was something swollen inside of her throat, something he couldn’t swallow. Fear was etched onto his gaunt and sickly features as the red hair and dark grin filled his eyes.

“Seth, I’m so sorry,” said Yomi, kneeling down to his subordinate. His body closed in on Seth, blocking any way he may try to escape. But Seth already knew there was no chance of that. He flinched as Yomi reached to him to stroke his shaggy hair. His fingers slid under Seth’s hood and lightly pulled it down, leaving no way for him to hide away. “You must have thought that I had forgotten about you…that’s so wrong of me.”

Seth felt the whine in the back of his throat, but fear was the best silencer. He merely shook his head and tried to keep his hands from shaking on the floor.

But still… Almost lovingly, Yomi stroked him like he was an adored pet. They were so close now with their faces only a few inches apart. It took everything inside of Seth not to whimper and break down crying. He didn’t want this! He didn’t want to be tortured. He just wanted to die in peace…

“It must have been so long since someone touched you,” said Yomi.

Seth blinked. Perhaps he misheard that. Since someone…touched him? The blankness on his face made Yomi’s grin widen even more. For some reason, it had taken Seth just a few moments to realize that Yomi was talking about sex. For once in his life, the gaunt man made a noise and gained some color to his cheeks.

Sex? “Er…” His voice came out in a low croak. What was he to even say? Was Seth Burroughs ever once interested in sex? Considering how the frail former Peacekeeper surrounded himself with plants that he managed to acquire, others had rightfully always assumed him to not be remotely interested in a sex life. And Seth wasn’t.

Or rather… he simply hadn’t engaged in one. Could a romance or the feel of another produce something as beautiful as a budding rose that withstood even the dreariness of rain? No… it didn’t.

“Sex…I really… I don’t…” Seth said, his voice steadily growing weaker.

Yomi scoffed and let go of Seth’s hair. “Of course, you don’t,” he said with a snort. His knee dug between Seth’s legs, pressing to his core. “You really fucking bum me out, Seth. A guy as old as you…still a virgin…”

“Ah… I…” Seth wanted to dig a hole in the wall behind him and burrow away.

“But on the other hand…” Yomi waved him off and pulled his knee back. His hand replaced his knee, brushing the front of Seth’s trousers until he could trace the outline of his subordinate’s unused cock. “You’re unspoiled…” He leaned into Seth’s ear. “I like that.”

The breath was hot against Seth’s gray skin, leaving a searing trail of tingles across his flesh. Seth’s breath caught in his throat. Could Yomi hear his heart beating against his chest? Did every twitch in his slender body tell him that Seth was powerless in his grasp? Seth couldn’t know… the burning sensation was traveling lower and lower, pooling right between his legs.

Like a starving dog, he panted as his cock stiffened against his trousers to Yomi’s touch. He was nervous. Drums were beating into his ears until Seth was sure they were going to bleed from anxiety. He breathed louder and freer, unable to hold himself back. Director Yomi was..touching him, playing with him and molding his cock between his fingers until a wet splotch was visible on his pants.

That was when Yomi stopped. He pulled away and Seth gasped, shutting his eyes shamefully in the sudden absence. The hand instead rested on Seth’s cheek, his thumb brushing his lower lip. Seth didn’t dare to move an inch. His cock was fully hard, tenting against his pants. If he could just move his hips, he could brush it against Yomi’s waist. The lewd thought made him want to squeal and cry and beg all at once. Was he truly this pitiful?

“Not yet,” said Yomi directly. He glared at Seth, making him shrink back to the wall.

But Yomi’s smile returned, his eyes glowing like orbs under the dim lights.

“You’re going to need to be trained up first.”

—

The “training” had begun swiftly. To Seth’s amazement, Yomi left him there without another word and only returned to him in the middle of the night. Until then, Seth rocked back and forth, wondering if he should pump his cock himself to give him a bit of relief.

He lowered his hand between his lefts and let his finger graze the heat inside of his pants. But he quickly pulled it out. Was there a camera watching him? A guard? Would they report back to Director Yomi that he was touching himself in his cell? Would he be punished more? No… it felt wrong to touch himself without being underneath Yomi’s gaze.

Perhaps because Yomi was the first person to actually touch him. The guilt and shame plunged deep into Seth’s head, making him want to beat at his own head and forget how good it felt to be pinned and teased.

Luckily, or perhaps not so luckily, Yomi returned to him that night.

“Strip.”

Seth’s curiosity had enough time to consume him by then. Under Yomi’s attention, he did so. He would always know that he had no choice. The shame was like a spike to his chest, but Seth slipped his raincoat away and then unbuttoned his uniform and trousers. They slid off his thin body under his pale, bare skin as he was revealed underneath the bleak lights. The cool air brought his pink nipples to stiffen. The chill caressed his body and made him tremble as Yomi’s eyes ran all over him.

“Would it kill you to eat a goddamn thing or are those plants all you stuff down your throat?” Yomi hissed. However, he didn’t seem displeased. “I guess we’ll be feeding you more from now on, mutt.”

Mutt? Seth shivered from more than just the cold of his cell.

Yomi ignored the outright terror that Seth was experiencing and swept behind him. Roughly, he jerked Seth’s arms back and secured them with a thick, black rope that constricted so deeply into his flesh. “Ngh-!” The rough, biting texture of a rope dug into her skin and looped around her arms several times, then his back to trap him in some sort of cage around him. The tightness of the ropes made his modest chest swell, his nipples now hard as little pebbles.

The pain, the humiliation, flooded Seth’s senses. He couldn’t help but to let out an agonized moan, a half-hearted plea for more.

“What’s that?” Yomi returned to his front after shackling his ankle together. “What the fuck are you trying to say, you soft-spoken creep?!” He dug into Seth’s hair and urged him closer.

“M-more…please…touch me…”

Seth’s mouth watered for more. His cock twitched out in the open, splotching of precum dribbling down his slit.

“Come on, Seth… you’re supposed to be my little obedient virgin and you’re already trying to fuck the air…”

Seth’s hair was yanked until his lips were captured by Yomi’s. It was supposed to be a kiss, but it was unlike anything that Seth had once approximated to being close to love or even friendly. There were bites, nips and tugs. Yomi wrenched his mouth open with his teeth and bit his bottom lip until he drew specs of blood to fill Seth’s mouth. His black, gloved hands clapped Seth’s ass harshly, leaving a bright red print across his pale skin. Seth squealed against him and bucked into the air like a dog in heat.

Before he could beg against Yomi for some release from either the pain or the stimulation, Yomi removed himself and shoved a bright rubber ball into Seth’s mouth.

“You know… I never liked your voice. It’s so quiet, it’s almost like you should even bother speaking,” said Yomi, narrowing his eyes at his prisoner in a sick delight.

He returned to his coat and bright a bottle of something that Seth couldn’t quite make out. Squirting a warm and gooey substance onto his gloves, he rubbed them together then pressed the sticky liquid to Seth’s quivering cock.

Right away, Seth’s eyes shot open. “MHMPH! Mhmph-!” Higher than he thought possible, he tried to cry through his gag. A sweltering, unbearable heat crawled across his dick and made him drop in both need and discomfort. Drool formed to his lips as he rolled about, trying to get some friction across his cock. He needed something… anything to just touch him and let him release!

Yomi merely laughed at the pitiful man on the floor and stomped on his chest with his boot to keep from flopping about. “Now, now… a pet can’t come without its master,” he chided gently. His warm, oiled hand trailed up and down Seth’s red, swollen cock in long, agonizingly slow strokes until Seth’s eyes were stained with tears.

“Mhmmoh—-!” The former Peacekeeper’s eyes bulged as his hips pulsed and fucked the air.

But Yomi gave him nothing. Nothing except for those brutal, slow, and smooth strokes up and down his shaft.

Ten minutes later, Seth was lying still on the floor with his swollen cock plugged with the tip of a pen Yomi had inside his jacket. His sobs were cut off by his gag and Yomi straddled his torso, staring down at the poor man.

“And this is only the first day of training…” He said soothingly, cupping Seth’s cheeks. “It’ll always be like this now that you’re my faithful pet, Seth.” He reached back and gave his cock one last loving stroke.

“I’m bringing you back from the dead and giving you a new life. And you’re going to be so, so, so very happy…”

The gag was taken away and Seth fell silent as Yomi offered him his precum soaked fingers. Without a word, Seth sniffled and let his tongue run up those digits like a tamed beast who had just accepted his new role.

His new master.