#yatagarasu speculation

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

The subtle hints of how sinister and clever Yukiya is/can be and not a blockhead like his father and the others would believe. His older brother knows that Yukiya is prepping him up, not taking the credit, always playing the fool, is used to be underestimated as long as no one bothers him, even though he’s talented with swords and fighting. He protects his town and its people like a hawk from abusive tyrants. This is one trait that will make him a master strategist and a leader someday, a trait that Wakamiya/Nazukihiko will cherish. And greatly needed.

Before After

Episode 2: The Blockhead and the Second Son

That’s why his recruitment is not only a matter of coincidence and a question of fate, but also a pure calculation on the side of the brothers Wakamiya and Lord Natsuka.

[fridaraph]

Shiratama

[dunmeshistash]

Maybe it's about the "complexity" of the familiar that affect the user ? Like Marcille's three familiar weren't that complex, they even managed to manually change their shape without any resistance even when it wasn't their creator doing it. Thistle's "eyes" do look more deeply thought and fast but are numerous so can't have the same "depth" and probably work like a hive mind of some sort(that would be cool)

Meanwhile Fleki's familiar is a crow creature that might not even be a monster, if it is might be a Yatagarasu or a similar crow creature(but weirdly it didn't have 3 legs ?) but do feel more independent and smarter than the other two familiar shown

Anonymous asked: Fleki's familiar giving her severe brain damage when it dies might be a combination of Fleki's being made of blood giving it a stronger connection to her and fleki herself being a skilled familiar user jamming her entire mind into that thing for even better control then the other summoners which is probably a risky move when she can already control it just fine the normal way the other canary summoners use. My thinking here being that managing to fit your whole consciousness into a smaller and more primitive creature takes skill and a lot of recklessness on part if the user considering if that thing dies its taking you with it. I'm thinking the pros of this would be less distractions and better use of the familiar (assumed) superior senses and more ease of control

Anonymous asked: I never notcied before but is Fleki's familiar made out of mana? Maybe it's even more difficult or has a stronger connection to the caster? It's probably the most mana intensive one out of the stated options (making familiar out of scratch + only using mana, remaking the familiar every time).

Sorry I'm putting all the familiar asks I received here.

Basically all we can do is speculate I guess there isnt much info about Fleki's Familiar, I always assumed it was just a normal raven but since it was inside her head at one point maybe not.

Anyway yeah most likely is a case of Familiar complexity and connection, you can check the Familiar tag to see what other people have theorized

[theevilthatismokke]

thoughts on chap 98 (major spoilers)

There isn’t much to say about this chapter. The aquarium “date” was cute and it’s nice to see Mitsuba having fun with a friend for a change.

Since, y’know, that’s how he chose to spend his last day/final moments. With Kou.

Surprisingly, Kou and Mitsuba got along pretty well this chapter. Often, their meetings start with or involve Kou trying to zap Mitsuba with his weapon, so it was nice not to have that for a change. Kou even got flustered after Mitsuba got cute and thanked him for the penguin keychain.

Guess absence really does make the heart grow fonder, huh?

On a side note, the others’ reactions to Kou going on a night out (on the town) were pretty fun.

Of course Nene immediately jumps to the conclusion that it’s a date. And she sounds so happy too!! She really does not see Kou in a romantic light at all, huh?

Meanwhile, Teru is so, well, shocked, almost miserable to hear Kou being out like this… Aidairo’s really leaning on the brocon aspect of his personality and I love it. It’s way too funny.

“Your big bro misses you uwu 🥺”

I also love how Aoi and Akane are supportive. Specially Akane. “Send pics and don’t get arrested lol”.

Of course, Teru has his own reasons besides being clingy. He knows kaii tend to pop out at night, it’s been repeatedly shown that he often works at this hour.

And speaking of them, I love how the “aquarium” itself is almost like a anglerfish.

How it’s bright and that’s how it attracted Mistuba’s attention. The little thing resembling an esca at the top of the entrance. The fact that it’s free (lol).

Also, I really love Aida’s artstyle and I don’t often comment on it, but the scenes at the aquarium were so pretty and so fun to look at; the fishes, and the seal, and the little penguins.

And, of course, anglerfish-like kaii. Great designs!!

Kinda interesting that they seem to feed on ghosts, tho, and not humans, which is what we’re used to. At least, that’s the impression I got.

Considering Mistuba’s comment from earlier that he wasn’t okay, but brushed it off, plus the fact that he quite literally started falling apart at the end of the chapter and never turned into his “No. 3 form” (something he always did immediately whenever he felt threatened), I can only assume he no longer has his seat among the Seven Mysteries.

So… how did it happen? Did someone destroy his yorishiro? Did Mitsuba destroy it himself (either for personal reasons or because he was forced/coerced to)? Did he get motion sickness from the Severance and vomited the Tengu/Yatagarasu/Whatever bird-like yokai the original No. 3 is supposed to be?

...This makes how many times Mitsuba has 'died'/almost 'died' now? Three? Four?

Who knows. Boy's a phoenix.

Gotta admit, this chapter was way less disturbing than I was expecting. And, you know… I was kinda mad at Kou at the beginning of chapter when he was all, “You’re okay!! I was so worried!!”

Bitch, you were all smiles at the thought of exorcising kaii not 2 seconds ago, don’t you pull that card now!!

Still, this was the nicest he’s been so far to Mitsuba, he actually took him out to have fun, and he didn’t zap him once, so… that’s cool, I guess. Hopefully, we'll get some interesting development for Kou, Mitsuba and their relationship next chapter.

Goodness knows that Kou desperately needs it.

On speculations… do these anglerfish kaii have anything to do with that mermaid kaii? But then again, maybe not. After all, there were a lot of fish-like kaii in chapter 70, and they didn't seem to have anything to do with the mermaid.

Also...

Kou is dead. Long live "Cringe-Ass Chuunibyou Scaredy-Cat Goody Two Shoes Earring Boy". Jr.

[homotexas]

i think the stained glass floors make some form of sense (at least, assuming it was already decided the castle would be enormous).

the SDM is only able to have candle lighting because it has the workforce to keep candles lit, so it would make sense for chireiden to turn to natural lighting from windows instead. that deep in the underworld, just above the Hell of Blazing Fires, it probably seems more natural to have the lighting come from below. however, i'm not sure that the lighting isn't somehow artificial anyway since it changes color drastically between appearances; how that's done is beyond me. regardless, if Satori wanted stained glass windows, it would make sense to choose the windows which were already backlit.

as for the contents, this is baseless speculation, but my best guess is that the use of Yatagarasu is somewhat of a light joke. choosing imagery for the stained glass, it would make sense for Satori to pick some sort of animal. while plenty of animals occupy chireiden now, the only animals we know to be native to the region are hell ravens. however, in placing a shaded raven over a lit window, it evokes the imagery of Yatagarasu as a sunspot, so she leaned into it and just made the windows blatantly images of Yatagarasu, but with the third leg placed right over the grille so it's easy to miss.

Alright, since Satori did in fact build chireiden:

The fuck is wrong with her?

Why is it absolutely enormous? What was the plan?

Why stained glass floors? How do you even come up with that?

Why is this western style mansion decorated with a frankly baffling number of images of Yatagarasu?

People say Satori is more normal than most characters, but she’s just stored most of her eccentricity in the damn walls. That palace is nearly a youkai in it’s own right.

[ridiasfangirlings]

Andy noticed there is a kiss mark in Fushimi's neck, he asked Fushimi about it, but he got knives thrown to him. Later, half of entire alphbet squad tried to speculate who gave that kiss mark to Fushimi san. Is it captain? Or Yatagarasu? Hidaka? Or Akiyama? But the answer is Fuse

This is why Fushimi wears high collars, to hide this sort of thing XD Imagine Fushimi is just working quietly at his computer, doing his paperwork properly and fixing everyone else's work too when Doumyouji walks over to finish his report. He's all proud of what he wrote, Fushimi scowls and says he told Doumyouji not to use crayons this time. Doumyouji's trying to defend his informative illustrations when he suddenly notices that there's a mark on Fushimi's neck. Fushimi's complaining about the report and Doumyouji leans in and is just like 'Wow, Fushimi-san, who'd you get a kiss mark from?' Fushimi freezes and the whole office like goes immediately silent, all eyes turning to him. Doumyouji's still standing there all innocent and starts to ask again, Fushimi pulls a knife out of his sleeve and immediately throws it right at Doumyouji's head. Doumyouji barely manages to duck in time, whimpering as he scrambles out of his way while Fushimi clicks his tongue and goes back to his work.

Naturally Fushimi is now the center of office gossip for the rest of the day. Everyone wants to know who it could have been that put the mark on Fushimi's neck, like who won the Fushimi romance lottery. Some members are certain it must have been Homra's Yatagarasu, everyone knows he and Fushimi once had a thing together and maybe they've made up, or maybe they got caught up in the heat of the moment (imagine this pre-ROK too and the Yata contingent are basically writing rumor fanfic about Yata and Fushimi fighting and then it turns into sexy enemy making out against the wall of an alley). Other members are certain it must be the Captain, everyone knows that Fushimi is Munakata's favorite and who knows what kind of favors Fushimi gets (cue rumor fanfic about Fushimi delivering reports and it turns into Munakata pinning him to the door and biting his neck). There's also the Hidaka contingent, thinking that maybe Hidaka finally won Fushimi over (rumor fanfic about Hidaka helping Fushimi with paperwork after hours and then the two of them having an awkward first kiss, Hidaka leaning down to nip at Fushimi's neck). Akiyama is another possibility, he seems to get along with Fushimi well (rumor fanfic about Akiyama tying Fushimi to the bed and biting his neck). It's the talk of the whole force and later on that evening Fuse walks into the office to deliver his paperwork, seeing only Fushimi there as he complains about all the rumors circulating today. Fushimi clicks his tongue and takes the paper, telling Fuse not to make such obvious marks next time.

[luvkirby4ever]

Of birds and morons:  a look into Mother 3′s most intricate unspoken running joke/motif

Shoutout to @amphibizzy for convincing me to talk about this.  There’s so much Mother 3 meta that I want to talk about- maybe next time I’ll make a video essay to spare you all from reading so much >o<

Tldr; Duster and Wess have bird motifs that don’t quite translate over well, making Wess’s mannerisms slightly less harsh in context but outs him as surprisingly superstitious.  May be a nod to Japanese mythology, too.

So, a starting point.  Did you know that at beginning of chapter 7 after Ionia joins you (still tied up at this point) that if you go back and talk to Wess he says something rather strange?

For clarity, the entire original conversation reads "Washi no inemuri uranai ni yoreba kyou wa TRIPLE LUCKY da yo.  Jishin o motte daikatsuyaku shinasai."  which translates as “According to my sleep divinations, today is triple lucky.  Go forth with great confidence.”

Weird, right?  Since when has Wess believed in something like fortune telling through dreams?  Is that why he believed Alec’s dream of Hinawa?  And what does this have to do with birds?

Be sure to remember this.

Part 1:  Cleaning crew bird boys

So now let’s take a step back and look at the easiest part of all this.  In all of Mother 3, there’s only 1 bandana that Flint can equip (the manly bandana that Lighter gave him), otherwise the only characters than can equip bandanas are Duster and Salsa.  The bandanas (except the manly one) all have a bird names, with the types being the chick, sparrow, rail (the kana used refers to the water rail, a type of bird), swallow (also a bird), crow, kite (also a bird), and Horus (the Egyptian god whose head resembles a falcon).

Now that’s all well and good, but let’s say that’s not good enough.  Wess and Duster’s connection with watching over the Hummingbird Egg seems pretty solid with Duster’s bird bandanas but let’s go deeper.

When Wess snaps, he consistently refers to Duster as “aho” (moron) and “anoaho” (that moron).  Which is needlessly cruel, but... also a pun.  Yes, that’s right.  The game totters around the joke that Duster is bird-brained, through which Wess is the main spark and Duster is the conduit.  And for the record’s sake this isn’t me excusing Wess’s actions- I’m making an intricate webcomic about his relationship with Duster and him learning how to be a better person for a reason, after all- but I’ve literally heard nobody else talk about this so I honestly think people don’t know about it.

In Japan, “aho” means “moron”, but it is also the onomatopoeia for a crow’s cawing.  There’s a trope known as the “idiot crow” in Japanese media based on this.  What will happen is that something dumb will happen and a crow will fly by and caw “aho aho!”.  Which means “caw caw” but also means “moron moron”.  Thus the joke.  So Wess’s “aho aho!”-ing and using “anoaho” makes him sound like an old crow, commentating on Duster’s mistakes.

Will I get banned from the fandom for making a Homestuck “caw caw motherfucker joke with Wess or-?”

This also feeds into Duster being a bird- “aho” (”moron”) is also used in the word “ahoudori” (”albatross”).  Which is a bird, of course.  And it’s no coincidence either- albatross are known as “idiot birds” in Japan- that’s what “ahoudori” literally translates to.

One more thing that I’ll add to the “Duster’s a bird” pool aside from making a “HEY GUYS LOOK HE’S A FEATHER DUSTER” joke is that his “aho” bird-ness lends him to more “you are ____ type of bird” jokes, which is actually extrapolated by Lighter in game.

In the Japanese version Lighter says “Sugoshi CONDOR?  Iya sakatta.  Sugoshi hagetaka?  Gaahaahaaha.”  This translates as “[You’re] a bit condor-ish?  No, that’s not it.  [You’re] a bit vulture-ish?  Gahaha.”

A bit “vulture-ish”?  Why does he say that?  And why did Mato translate it as going bald?  Because it’s another wordplay pun!  Much like how “ahoudori” (”albatross”) is literally “idiot-bird”, “hagetaka” (”vulture”) is literally “bald-hawk”.  But even more than that, “hagetaka” (a noun) is similar to “hageru”, the verb for “to bald”.  Since “hageru” is an ichidan verb, you can conjugate it as “hageta” to say “balded”.  And then you tack on “ka” at the end to make the statement a question.  So, in short:

Hagetaka=vulture

Hage=bald

Taka=hawk

Hageru=to bald

Hageta=balded

“Hagetaka?”=“Have you balded?”

Hagetaakaa=the “balding eagle” enemy on Mr. Oriander

Damn, Lighter!  That’s a choice pun.  Now, whether or not he was mostly doing it to make a bird joke, to note that Duster looks balder without an afro, or genuinely comment on Duster’s hairline is anyone’s guess.  But hey thanks for the bird fodder Lighter!

Part 2:  Idiots don’t catch colds

If there’s one Japanese idiom you’ve heard, it’s probably that one.  It’s a funny little superstition- the idea that you’re so dumb that your brain lacks to capacity to get a cold- but surprisingly it may be a belief by which Wess operates.  And yes, this still has to do with birds!  In a roundabout way!

Wess being the type of person to believe in magical dreaming and superstition was a very hard concept for me to process at first after I read that “triple lucky” bit during a Mother 3 playthrough.  With the exception of Duster-related things, Wess seems like a fairly understanding and reasonable person:  he tells Flint to be careful and consider his family before rushing off to confront the Mecha-Drago, he wants to help search for Hinawa, he’s adamantly opposed to Fassad’s BS and is one of the only villagers to actively oppose him, and he even tells Duster (upon inputting “no” during a dialogue tree in early chapter 2) that Duster can target any hatred or resentment he may have towards him, since by Wess’s logic that doesn’t matter as long as their mission succeeds.

So if anything he’s a bit crass and willing to sacrifice his own pride/comfort/personal relationships for the greater good, but his convictions are strong and seemingly grounded in his own sense of justice and logic.  Which is why I always took him as someone who wouldn’t believe in PSI, magic, or anything supernatural like that.  But since he *does* seem to believe in that sort of thing, let’s break down what we know:

Wess refers to Duster as a moron

Duster’s IQ is often tied with Boney’s for lowest party member IQ

Wess tells Kumatora in chapter 3 that “morons like that don’t get hurt or sick”

Duster canonically doesn’t catch fevers while Kumatora and Lucas do

In Japan, there’s the idiom “idiots don’t catch colds”

Wess claims to have dreams with fortune telling powers

Says Lucas will have a “triple lucky” day

Lucas proceeds to successfully pull 3 out of the 7 needles before the chapter is over

It’s almost as if Wess wants Duster to be a moron, because superstitiously Duster would be safer that way.  Hm.  It’s also strange that Wess almost seems magical, which may have legitimately been viable at some point since Wess was planned as a playable character for a long while (Therefore he could have been a PSI user with thunder attacks to replace his bombs).  There’s an Earthbound 64 screenshot of Wess being alive while Duster is fainted and even all the way up through Mother 3 you can still access data suggesting Wess was a normal party member from the debug room (I could make a whole post on that- you can use a glitch to pull up all of his stats except HP and PP).

So Duster may be a bird and Wess an old, superstitious crow with maybe some sort of ambiguous connection to magic... but so what?  Well,

Part 3:  It’s Yo-kai time!  (Yatagarasu, Kotengu, and Karasutengu)

This is a much more speculative section, though I try to be reasonable.

You know, I skimmed over the fact that Duster’s final and best bandana is the Horus Bandana, named after the Egyptian deity with a falcon head.  Horus’s right and left eyes represent the sun and moon, respectively.  His left eye (the moon one) was injured in a fight, explaining the moon’s phases.  Funny, considering that Duster also has a left side injury.

But perhaps Horus isn’t the only ancient deity that we can talk about.  I propose the most compelling case, Yatagarasu:

(He’s the bird sitting atop the bow)

Yatagarasu is the Japanese name of a myth that originated in China.  He’s a 3-legged crow that is representative of the sun.  Specifically in Japan, he represents the will of heaven and divine intervention.  He symbolizes guidance, as well as rebirth after tragic stuff like battle/war.

Yatagarasu is prominent enough that there’s a Yu-gi-oh card and a Persona based on him too, which is pretty cool.  But even cooler is that he sounds a lot like what the Egg of Light, Wess, and Duster were responsible for.  The Egg was responsible for the rebirth of their lives for the citizens of Tazmily.  And Wess and Duster’s task to protect the Egg for reasons they don’t understand for the sake of a village that doesn’t appreciate their work seems like they’re doing god’s work, so to speak.

An important thing about Yatagarasu too is that it defies the normal Japanese superstition that crows are bad luck.  Yatagarasu is a harbinger of good.  I’m not sure if any of this was intentional or not, but I think comparing Duster, Wess, and the Egg of Light to it is a pretty solid theory.

So let’s briefly skim over Kotengu and Karasutengu, which are lesser Tengu with bird-like faces.  (For my own reference there’s really good write ups here and here about them.)  For the most part the important thing is that they are bird/crow yokai, but one intriguing thing I found is that Kotengu is that they tend to live like hermits (like Wess and Duster), carry items/weapons stolen from humans (the thief aspect), and collect magical items (the thief tools).

Conclusion:

So do I think Wess and Duster are supposed to represent bird tengu?  I don’t know!  Maybe not completely deliberately, but I definitely believe in the strength of the bird motifs (especially crow Wess).  I had drawn a silly little picture about it 2 years ago for Inktober, in fact...

Whatever the case, I hope someone out there appreciates the info dump.  There’s a lot of Mother 3 stuff I’ve examined meticulously so that my Mother 3 webcomic, DutyBound, can be the best it can be.  Sometimes there’s so much info I want to share but nobody who will listen, though!

So if anyone ever wants to hear some more crazy in-depth Mother 3 meta, I’m your guy >.<

[aceliveblogging]

so.. TWO FIRES, huh.

the first after the start of the jammin’ ninja’s show...

and the second one after the end of the show, which miles witnessed.

the yatagarasu in the picture “leapt” after the first fire was put out.

interesting. so palaneo’s office is on the fifth floor.

let’s see. morning activities: tidying up the office for a photo op with the ninja. palaneo’s office is undergoing renovations. they burned some stuff and forgot to clean the fireplace.

uh oh. palaneo’s going to be accused and that’ll be given as his motive, i bet.

afternoon: went to the theater to watch the samurai show begin, then went back to 5th floor alone. came back to the theater for the photo op: alba, palaneo, and the samurai. then came back to 5th floor for the photo op with the ninja. the first fire breaks out and he runs downstairs to escape ASAP. he helped put out the second fire though. didn’t see coachen after the samurai show started.

what’s up with the ink? apparently, manny’s office caught on fire, manny rushed in, the door was locked (so palaneo had to use a spare key) and palaneo was met by the sight of huge ink-fueled flames. but if manny’s ink bottle didn’t catch on fire then what did?

hey! i’ve seen that cowboy-hat-shaped piece of paper somewhere!!

did demasque II take orders from coachen?

yeah, that’s manny’s handwriting. so manny swapped the statues around so that allebahst’s would be the fake one. but what’s the point if the results were meant to be rigged?

oooh, now that we’ve got info on the state of manny’s room before the fire, can kay use Little Thief?

damn... edgeworth and gumshoe reminding kay of her dad and badd, that’s kind of touching.

the elevator was in use. by whom? and WHO is this mysterious black long coat person? i can only see two suspects: detective badd... and ambassador alba.

right, yellow lines are past objects, and dotted lines are objects that were missing in the past.

i... this isn’t a trick question right? it’s either that or the lantern.

lol, they were expecting the lantern i guess. and HERE is where the ink comes in.

i assume the counterfeit bills caused the flames, then?

cmon kay, we literally speculated about coachen’s printing duties earlier.

yeah, it makes sense that coachen started the fire to burn the evidence.

[malomis]

Gintama - Mythology Symbolism

So I saw this comment on a video and It's an interesting observation.

Mythology references and symbolism is one of my favorite things, so naturally I wanted to learn a bit more.

So this is The Moon Rabbit & The Three Legged Crow/ also known as The Sun Crow.

Lets start with the Sun Crow.

In Japanese mythology, this flying creature is a raven or a jungle crow called Yatagarasu (八咫烏, "eight-span crow") and the appearance of the great bird is construed as evidence of the will of Heaven or divine intervention in human affairs.

So of course: Oboro "Yatagarasu" (or the Naraku in general) is the portrayal of the Sun Crow.

Now, I am not certain of what the correlations between these legends are, or if there even are any; But I came across another mythological figure called "Karasu Tengu" which is a Crow form of the Japanese Tengu mountain goblin.

I don't know much about them, but I do know that they must have been a big source of inspiration for the Naraku design.

And one of the images I found of the Karasu Tengu really struck me because:

Ayyyyy. Looks like your lost brother, Utsuro-san.

So what about that Moon Rabbit?

Now this is really interesting too, because immortality is a subject often touched upon by Utsuro. Could the Moon Rabbit be Kouka? Because she can't survive without altana crystals from her planet? I don't know if it's her, but she might be the most likely candidate.

"Rare Rabbit of the Night" referring to the Moon Rabbit. Everything he said in this ep makes so much more sense now??

(Note that throughout the entire episode, Utsuro and Oboro refers to humans (Gintoki, Sougo etc.) as rats. And when Oboro is speaking generally, he says "Rodents" to include Kagura. Found it somewhat amusing lol.)

I really thought this was gonna be it, but consider this as a bonus part: I personally think this is just some random coincidence, but it’s up for speculation. Anyhow, when looking for images of the Sun Crow, I found this image:

This Rainbow Crow is from a Native American myth from the Lenape Tribe, also known as the "Delaware Indians". You know who that kinda reminds me of, again?

Rainbow-power altana crow! But have you heard the story? This is how the tale goes:

"This legend from the Lenape Indian tribe, is about a crow who bravely rescues forest animals from the snow storm that promised to bury them.

He's voice  was enchanting and his feathers were of all colors glistening in the sun's rays.

With his voice, Rainbow Crow summoned the Creator out to solve this freezing dilemma. A blazing, glowing fire burned on a stick given to Crow. This fire stick was to be flown to Earth quickly before the stick burned up. This journey caused Rainbow's feathers to catch on fire and turn black and the smoke strangled his beautiful singing voice. Rainbow Crow did save the animals of the earth and warmed them with the fire but sacrificed much.

The Creator and animals never forgot and honor crow -

the hoarse voice prevents man from putting him into a cage to sing and men won't eat crow because the creator made his flesh taste of smoke.

He would always be free."

-----

Have a good day!

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

One of the keys of determining what is really happening in the series is the music.

When Yukiya has realised the brothers’ “real intention” it threatens the relationship between him and Wakamiya resulting him to leave the room, we can hear the full weight of the orchestra playing in the background. It abruptly stops when the frame shows Wakamiya’s concerned face calling Yukiya’s name and the music has changed to softer tone with the combination of harp (Wakamiya) and a flute (Yukiya) in the background playing harmoniously as if they are having a conversation. As Yukiya turns back to look at his young master with angry eyes, we are seeing the real position of the moon in the dark blue-green sky and the notes begin to sound disjointed. How will this revelation affect both of them?

PS: Series composer Eishi Sagawa hinted that the series soundtrack might drop soon. Probably!

[fridaraph]

Yatagarasu: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master

I still can't read Rokon , Natsuka

Rokon awaiting Natsuka's orders is because the thing with Atsufusa is similar to the redlight district assassination attempt at Wakamiya.#烏は主を選ばない #yatagarasu

Meaning, the order Natsuka would be giving Rokon regarding Atsufusa wouldn't be against Wakamiya

[trustworthyreporter]

Issue 19

I have an ask blog too!

Blogs mentioned in the articles:

Yakumo scheming up a dinner and a show: @officialdipp, @silversoundsandcalmvoices​

Satori accidentally gains divinity @maiden-of-eyes

Long lost brother @cruentusscarlet

Double dealing ceremony @queen-of-spinspin, @jellyousy, @inchlingmallet

Parsee’s new book @jellyousy

Text versions with links after the readmore:

Yakumo scheming up a dinner and a show

Gensokyo is no stranger to humans being brought here from the outside world, it’s a daily occurrence that at least a handful of humans get spirited away by youkai-sage Yukari Yakumo. Usually they are the useless and forgotten of society; the kind that the outside world won’t notice missing.  Per Yukari the humans usually come from the same outside world as the mildly-famous outsider Renko Usami.    A recent crop of humans has broken from this pattern however.

Recently, Yukari has brought in a crop of humans that are decidedly different from the usual fare.  Rather than being useless and forgotten, many of these humans seem quite capable.  They also come from versions of the outside world that are significantly more exotic then the one Gensokyo usually imports from.  Yukari has confirmed that she is to blame for this recent odd crop, but remaining true to her youkai among youkai nature she has declined to say why.

Speculation as to why Yukari would take these actions has lead some to think that there may be a problem with the stability of Gensokyo’s food supply.   It’s possible that something has happened in the outside world that has caused Yukari to need to look else where for Gensokyo’s food supply. There’s also the possibility that Yukari is simply bored and thought this might be fun.

Hakurei has not changed rules

Youkai readers are reminded that despite the sudden change in Yukari’s imports, the Hakurei shrine has not changed the rules regarding human hunting.   They are only valid targets when outside the village or inside if you can avoid getting caught.

The Bunbunmaru will be following this story as it develops.

Satori accidentally gains divinity

What’s the most memorable mistake you ever made dearest reader?  Did you accidently become a goddess?  If not, then Satori Komeiji of Chireiden most likely has you beat.  

Indeed, dearest reader rumor has it that Satori recently ascended to godhood while preparing breakfast in one of Chireiden’s many kitchens.  There is yet no indication as to what triggered the change.  The few people that have dared to ask the new goddess, have been met with rather un impressive answers.

Per Satori, “The combined faith in <her> is sufficient for it, apparently.”

Entry into crowded religion market

Satori’s divinity marks another entrant into the already crowded competition for Gensokyo’s faithful. Satori joins the ranks of other relative new comers such as the Moyria shrine, and Hinaism against the more established Hakurei and Buddhist faiths.

Traditionally goddesses in Gensokyo have only pursued the faith of the humans of the village. However, the increase in competition has caused some groups to go after alternate sources of faith.  Most notably would be the Moryia shrine that has made several large inroads with the youkai of the mountain and the Buddhists that have done the same with the youkai of the area around the village.

It is still unknown how Satori plans to go after faith.  Due to the accidental nature of her divinity it’s possible that she may not yet have a plan. Although in the opinion of yours truly, it would make the most sense to go after the residents of the underground first.  The Oni are a largely untapped market per recent polling.

Other goddesses begin to take notice

Most of the divinities have yet to issue a formal comment on the issue.  Many likely are waiting to see how Satori decides to conduct herself.

One however, the outer goddess Hecatia extended an offer of friendship to her newly formed peer. This has some observers worried as Hecatia’s intentions for Gensokyo have been historically questionable.  A fact likely not lost on Satori given her diplomatic yet cold reaction to the gift.

Accidental nature questioned

Satori is the second youkai from the underground to attain divinity through questionable or non-traditional means. She is proceeded by the famous or infamous Utsuho Reiuji, a hell raven that managed to attain the power of the sun god Yatagarasu during the incident that lead to the creation of Moryia’s hot spring.

This has lead some observers to question the accidental nature of Satori’s ascension in lieu of the possibility that it’s part of a power play on the part of Chireiden to tip the balance of power against Gensokyo.  Adding fuel to the speculation fire, there are unconfirmed reports that the shrine maiden of the Hakurei shrine has been to Chireiden; possibly out of the same concern for the balance of power.  

The Hakurei shrine maiden is well known for her lack of tolerance with those that would threaten Gensokyo’s balance of power

Long lost brother

The Scarlet sisters Remilia and Flandre are some of Gensokyo’s most famous citizens but recent news has caused some to question if there might be a third Scarlet sibling.  This news comes after several eye witness accounts of a guest at the Scarlet Devil Mansion that bore a striking resemblance to Remilia Scarlet.

SDM Refuses comment

When asked for comment on the matter our intrepid reporters were turned around at the gate without being given a reason.  As of press time the SDM still has not issued a statement on the matter.

Remilia is well known for her open and charismatic nature.  This sudden secrecy marks a drastic departure from her recent behavior. This has lead some observers to question if there might be more to the story than initially appears.

Possible connection to Flandre

This would not be the first time that Remilia has hid the existence of a family member.  Up until the Scarlet mist incident broke, Remilia had kept her younger sister’s existence a secret from all Gensokyo. Purportedly out of fear that Flandre was a danger to the rest of Gensokyo.  This may be a similar situation.

Double dealing ceremony

Sad news dearest reader! The much-anticipated double wedding of Parsee Mizuhashi to Sukuna Shinmyoumaru and Tenshi Hinanawi to Hina Kagiyama has been postponed indefinitely.  This no doubt comes as a shock and disappointment to all those that were invited.

Possible repercussions

The Kagiyama/Hinanawi marriage was rumored to have been a political one to further improve relations between Gensokyo and the celestials after the unfortunate destruction of the Hakurei shrine at the hands of Tenshi herself.  Experts on Celestial relations worry that if the wedding was authentic, it being called off or postponed may herald a worsening in the already strained relations.

Even if this is the case dearest reader, it is the opinion of yours truly that people should not marry for political gain!  But for love!

Further complicating matters is Hina Kagiyama’s fast growing religious following.  There was hope among the faithful that the marriage date would mark the first holiday that Hinaism could call truly its own.

Attendees disappointed

The wedding had been expected to be the scene to be seen at this season, with several of Gensokyo’s most famous going on record with their plans for the wedding.  Alice Margitroid, the well-known puppeteer and rumored Makai princess even went so far as to sew a new dress.  No doubt she will not be the only one disappointed by this news.

Invitations possibly faked

While it is still just a rumor at this point, there are indications that the entire wedding may have been a prank from the beginning.  However as those involved did not respond to the request for comment from your truly by press time this can not be said for sure.

[chaoticblades]

Wing Meta: Kalas

Now that the holidays (and extended family interactions =____=) are over, let’s talk about our favorite fuckup! :D

I think this one has even more spoilers than the Xelha post.

Wing Meta: Xelha

Wing Meta: Savyna and Lyude

So, good ol’ カラス. There’s little point in speculating about the inspiration for his wings (since the game is very, very clear on the raven theme), buuuut I’m gonna do it anyway ‘cause that’s just the kinda guy I am.

Well, that and the fact that they’re no ordinary corvid wings. They’ve got a distinctive hook off the wrist, which is most likely an unusually pronounced alula (aka bird thumb), meaning that what we’re looking at is exposed bone. Spooky! (Also appropriate, given the whole carrion bird/harbinger of apocalypse thing.)

Fun fact! According to Wikipedia, “alula” translates to “winglet”! And it’s also called a “bastard wing”. And Kalas has no parents, so....

Anyway, his wing is otherwise a fairly standard shape for that family... except for the pronounced secondaries. Alas, I’m not actually a bird person so I won’t speculate further about that (so as to spare myself any more hours of futile corvid research. The winglet diagram comes in real handy here, since it’s basically a mirrored skeleton of his other wing). Finally, he’s got falcon-like stripes on his pinions resulting in a mix of browns and greys.

Even expanding into other corvid species, I could’t find any that truly matched these details.

In any case, onto symbolism!

Ravens are consistently depicted across cultures as tricksters and omens of misfortune and death, though the latter is isn’t nearly as universal. 

Trickster Ravens

Corvids in general are considered highly intelligent birds, an attribute that they mainly use for theft. For example, they’ve been known to yank the tails of other birds/animals in order to distract them from a tasty, tasty meal. Magpies in particular have such a rep for stealing End Magnus shinies that they’ve become synonymous with the act in much the same way as we use “packrat” to describe a hoarder and “chicken” a coward.

Ravens As Omens

In Greek tradition, a white raven was Apollo’s messenger. Ravens are more relevant in terms of the practice of augury, a form of divination in which certain birds are observed for signs of favor/displeasure of the gods. Ravens (and crows) fall under the label of “oscines”, or birds whose omens are determined based upon their calls. They aren’t regarded as being inherently unlucky (that dubious honor goes to the owl).

According to Wikipedia (citation desperately longed for), in Serbian folklore ravens “appear in pairs and play the role of harbingers of tragic news... in combination with female characters as receivers of the news”.

Unlike black cats, there’s an emphasis on ravens as a sign of misfortune to come rather than an embodiment of it. Similarly, they don’t directly symbolize death; instead they’re merely associated with it, much in the way one might associate the fall colors with the coming winter.

Ravens in Japanese Folklore

I went through many layers of questionable research to get this info, so it damn well better be accurate.

Yatagarasu, the 3-legged crow, was a guide sent by Amaterasu to Emperor Jimmu in order to guide his lost ass to his future seat of power.

Seen here: Yatagarasu and Jimmy’s lost ass (left).

After Google Fu’ing for awhile to figure out the meaning behind a sentence found word-for-word and lacking citation in nearly every article on Yatagarasu, I finally managed to track down an additional piece of lore: he is apparently an incarnation of Kamo Taketsunumi no Mikoto, god of good fortune and founder of the Kamo clan (???? Maybe??? All those articles weren’t kidding when they said the legends of Yatagarasu are contradictory).

Color Symbolism

This is, of course, something the varies from culture to culture. The relevant symbols here are black and white.

Black

West

death/void

authority

evil

mystery

Japan

evil

bad luck (take this with a grain of salt--I don’t trust my sources on this)

White

West

purity

peace

holiness

sterility

Japan

death

mourning

simplicity/purity

Interpretation

Kalas and Fate

So how does this shape how we can interpret Kalas?

It’s best to start with how he got the name in the first place.

Hearing you were not the perfect being [Geldoblame] had envisioned, he called you an ill omen, a cursed premonition of things to come. He named you Kalas, which means Raven in a long-lost language.

Larikush, on the origin of Kalas’ name

I guess it was the reason for my existence, and my hatred.... Something I just couldn’t get rid of.

Kalas, on why his name was the only thing he remembered after Alfard

And, of course, straight from Emperor Gelnochill himself:

I found you Kalas, you sickly raven!!!

Geldohead, triple exclamation his

I find Kalas’ comment the most interesting, since it’s an explicit reference to the theme of destiny yes I said it that is woven into the Baten Kaitos as a whole. One of the things I really like about this series is the interplay between fate and choice--many characters have fated roles (Kalas, Xelha, Melodia, Mizuti, Sagi, Guillo, people touched by the Dark Brethren in general) but even as they fulfill them, the narrative never treats it as if free will is antonymous with these events.

Dr. Georg’s experiments were aimed at creating a Magnus of Life. This would be the exact opposite of the End Magnus, which are symbols of death and destruction... Kalas and Malepercio may have been destined to fight one another....Kalas could be said to be a bad omen for Malpercio, a harbinger of the god’s demise

Lyude, on something that’s really sad once you’ve played Origins

Love and hatred... Melodia[sic], and Kalas... She is Malpercio’s curse to the world, Kalas must be his prayer...

Xelha, ditto

“Fate” is largely played as being somewhere between divine intervention and the consequences of choice (e.g. Malpercio seeking power from the Dark Brethren put everything in motion), hence why the Magnus of Life could and did choose not to oppose Malpercio at first. It makes for an interesting hierarchy of power, like an arch.

The Dark Brethren can be considered the keystone and Malpercio the arch itself--it is by their power that Malpercio is what it is, their locking the gods into position that keeps them from acting of their own will. Melodia and Kalas are outside forces, bound to--but unfettered by--the conflict between master and unwilling servant. Despite their role as pawns, they’re the ones with the most power. Influence can be asserted over them, but in the end it’s their hands that decide if the keystone is restored or removed.

Kalas’ identity as the ominous raven is the perfect example of this theme at play. He’s repeatedly acknowledged as an entity of misfortune, but ultimately it’s his will that decides whose. He’s no passive auspice--bad things may happen to those around him, but only by way of his own agency (and the of others. Looking at you, Geldoblameworthy-for-his-own-problems). Even at the very end, when Melodia chooses to surrender to fate, it’s he who rescues her and tells Malpercio to rest.

He and Melodia can be considered the pair of ravens, Xelha the receiver, as per her witnessing them discuss their plans in Moonguile.

Kalas the Trickster

Kalas is possibly the most wily protagonist who isn’t straight up a villain I have ever seen. Street smart, people smart, and a fantastic actor, he’s able to pull the wool over the eyes of basically anyone who isn’t already aware of what he’s trying to do. It can be surmised that he’s also gifted at sleight of hand, given that no one noticed him slip an ever-glowing magnus to the ducal heir of Mira.

The entire first half of the game is an elaborate trick on the Guardian Spirit and Malpercio, fooling them about their memories and using them as a buffer against Malpercio’s power (though one has to wonder if that wasn’t just a trick on Melodia’s part, as Kalas was already exposed to that power. It would absolutely be in character for him to nope out of the picture if he thought that coming in contact would turn him into a boob monster).

As is common in the trickster archetype, he rarely relies on brute force to achieve his goals, to the point that one of the major character shifts in the late game is him swearing to take down Malpercio. Giacomo is his other blind spot, his mere appearance sending Kalas into an otherwise unseen rage. It’s easy to overlook that these are the exceptions, given how prominent they are (and how they launch you into one of the more dreaded fights in the game).

However, when it comes down to it, most of his work is done so quietly, it becomes a major reason to replay, just to see if you can catch him. Right from the get-go, he uses Xelha’s reference to Moonguile as an excuse to head on in. When she gets mad at him for looting, he restructures his argument to appeal to emotionalism and lets her believe what she wants. And while he initially resists joining up with her, he has no problem travelling together for convenience sake (and later, presumably, to stay close to the Earth Pendant and Chaotic Trio). Then there’s his efforts to direct suspicion onto Lyude. Despite coming across as the brashest member of the party, he frequently hides behind the others in this manner.

Yatagarasu

This section won’t be as carefully constructed as the others, but I believe the allusion is intentional. For the purpose of this argument, I’m going to have Kalas’ 3 arms--his arm arms/winglets and his natural wing--stand in place of Yatagarasu’s 3 legs. (Alternatively, one could count his original wing and the white wings, but I’m not going to for reasons to be indicted.)

Xelha takes the part of Jimmu, the royal wanderer. It was, after all, her dream of Kalas that was the inciting incident for her entire part in the story, returning him to the role of omen. It lead her to send out the witches, spy on Geldoblame, and bring Kalas along even knowing his intentions. In times of uncertainty throughout the story, she turns to her desire to save him as a source of strength and guidance.

Kalas: Black and White

Melodia refers to him both as “dark-winged stranger” and “white-winged darkness”. Kalas’ treatment in the narrative is interesting regarding the idea of purity. His lack of a second wing leads to him being ostracized by everyone from Geldoblame to some Miran randos. Larikush links the single wing to Kalas being “excessively human” and Balancoir Asshole #2′s “Malformed wings are the direct result of a malformed heart. His soul must have been tainted at birth”.

Of course, once he’s touched by Malpercio, he gains a (literally) shiny new pair of wings. This is also the point where he goes from morally distraught antihero to unrepentant mwahaha’er, only changing back when he makes the choice to rip out his additional wing.

The color symbolism is a little hard to decipher here, given that it’s an Eastern game but Kalas’ design is more West-inspired than just about any other character. From a Western perspective, it’s a fairly clear-cut juxtaposition of contrary symbols--his dark wings initially foreshadow his betrayal but ultimately are associated with his good side while the white represent the acceptance he seeks but are tainted by evil.

Kalas is the fallen angel, right down to Xelha being drawn to him like a moth to flame. I could probably make a whole section on Kalas being a croc-wearing anime Lucifer but I’m kinda really uncomfy with the Church, so I’d rather save myself that stretch.

In Japan it gets more complicated, assuming that that info regarding black’s symbolism is accurate. Because while the white of death is suitable for the dark harbinger, black isn’t terribly befitting of the Divine Child. It’s possible it’s a reference to the fact that Kalas wasn’t originally the Divine Child but *shrug*

Uh, so yeah. There’s plenty more I could say but this is already too long ^^;

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

The power of a true golden raven

Episode 9: Lady Raven

As a true golden raven, Wakamiya/Nazukihiko can 1) open locked doors with just one word and 2) make old, dry cherry tree branches bloom again.

Episode 4: Imperial Council

Things that his brother Lord Natsuka cannot do. It probably explains why Wakamiya can easily blend in as one of the commoners, apart from the fact that he’s not always present at the Imperial Court, avoids crowd bc he can easily be identified, prefers not so many attendants as he only needs people who he can trust. Also, they run away from him as he is purported to be demanding, meticulous and exact. So the feeling is probably mutual.

Now, I am still waiting for the solution of the first-ever scenes where Wakamiya and Yukiya’s first meeting seemed to be inevitable.

Why is their fate intertwined?

It gives me the impression that based on his power of observation and his keen understanding of his surroundings, he can easily map out the events in the future. And that recruiting Yukiya has already been set on the table. Like a bucket list.

I am curious how did he find out where he lives and eventually learn his family background is. How long had he been observing the two children as they got lost in the woods? I wonder if this all happened during his “education abroad,” i.e. when he was absent from the Imperial Court.

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

It is safe to say that Wakamiya’s appeal attracts any gender. Both men and women find him beautiful and I am still baffled with what he likes because it seems he can be both ways from the way he acts.

He knows it very well and can use it to manipulate others to do his bidding.

This particular scene shows that. One of the attendants cannot take his eyes off him, who cannot believe that he is only the Crown Prince’s messenger, while one of the women blurts out that the incoming stranger is a “handsome fellow.”

From the novel, whose first chapter is available online to celebrate the anime’s airing, Wakamiya has been described as having feminine features. Yukiya, who is 13, recognises that.

Yukiya saw the young gentleman's back: he was sitting at the writing table in front of a large open window, from where only the faint rays of light entered the room, drawing a black silhouette.

He had a lower single-layer chiton and a light cape of light purple colour, and black hair was carelessly descending on the back in waves. In front of Wakamiya, the window was wide open.

"You're finally here."

There was a rather high, sharp and sonorous voice. The young master squeaked something and raised his head. Apparently, he was writing something. He put down his feather pen and quickly turned to those who came in.

He was a very handsome young man. His appearance, breathing intellectual beauty, seemed to exude some unearthly smell. Yukiya heard that His Highness was 16 or 17 years old, but for his age he turned out to be quite tall and slender.

Compared to his older brother Natsuka, who was masculine in both physique and face, Wakamiya's appearance was terribly delicate.

Apparently he visits Nadeshiko, the true daughter of the Lord of the South Family secretly using a disguise that he’s working for the Crown Prince. Before I continue with my conjecture, allow me to go back to the previous episodes.

The Lord of the South

It turns out that the Empress would like her son, Natsuka, the former heir apparent, to be acquainted with her per the dialogue on episode 6.

At this time, Natsuka knows what his mother is after. As a monk he has an excuse to remain celibate. It is a convenient way to reject his mother’s idea— forcing an acquaintance between him and the real princess—as he must be aware of what happened between his parents. On episode 7, Masuho no Susuki related to Asebi how the present empress got pregnant, that is by drugging and seducing the emperor that resulted in the birth of Natsuka and eventual marriage.

Wakamiya, assuming that he knows this story, finds it strange and troubling that they did not send Nadeshiko to the Sakura Blossom Palace to become one of the consort candidates, but instead sent in an adopted daughter apparently of a low birth. So behind their backs, he’s making an acquaintance with the real princess incognito as “Sumimaru.” I wonder if Natsuka knows this and this has been his suggestion. Something tells me that the feud between the brothers is just for show, so as to deceive the warring factions in the imperial court, and they are working together. After all, both of them know that their existence is only an extension of their families’ power. And to cut it off, one must fight the enemies within their circles.

[fridaraph]

YATAGARASU: KARASU WA ARUJI WO ERABANAI

I can easily guess who killed her. But I bet it is a misdirection & it's someone we will not suspect at all.😆🤣#烏は主を選ばない

she's probably the one stealing the letters sent by Wakamiya as well since