#zero Sakura this volume

[lumchan]

WIND BREAKER VOL 16 - Another Style Collection 12

[stormdash2]

Some Archie Character Reboot Ideas.

I've been thinking more about the return of Sally and The Freedom Fighters. Be it another reboot, a revival, a new show, IDW or even the games.

These are some ideas that have come to mind for me on any possibility.

First there's Nicole.

If Nicole got rebooted in any shape or form, I can see her as a hacker who assists Sally against Eggman in many ways. I also see her as a bit of a shut-in, due to her past prior to being adopted by Sally's family.

She strikes me as someone who could be socially awkward, and I imagine that in this timeline, she'd be an adopted sister for Sally, and fully Mobian rather than a computer.

I can imagine Sally being the only person she's comfortable talking to, but anyone else would be met with hesitation. As an homage to her shut in nature, I could see her using holograms or radios to speak with others, akin to how she first appeared.

If anyone could get Nicole to open up, it would be Sonic himself. He's very good at talking to others, when he wants to be. He's not the best for conversation himself, but his kind nature would be alluring for someone like Nicole who could just use some comforting words.

Nicole's backstory of being a shut-in hacker is partially inspired by a Persona 5 character by the name of Futaba Sakura.

A good friend could go a long way. I wouldn't mind if Sonic played the role that Ren Amamiya/Joker played in getting the shy girl to open up. Soon Nicole could have friends like Tails and Amy, just like Futaba eventually had friends in The Phantom Thieves.

I do feel like Bunnie's cybernetics would be Wispons this time around rather than actual cybernetics. It would fit the current direction that Sega is going. Just keep her southern charm, and you have potential for something good.

I can't see Antoine ever using a laser sword, even in a reboot he will stick with a classic sword. He believed his sword to be superior to the Z-Saber that Zero uses, and Zero is an iconic Mega Man character who's strong enough in his own right. That speaks volumes of Antoine's confidence in a sword.

I also believe that Monkey Khan should return somehow. Given that Chun-Nan exists, he could easily come back as a resident of that country, or even the Ruler of Land here. He has a lot of potential as a character.

Give him his own Freedom Fighters too, like the ones from the Archie Reboot.

If anything, they could borrow much more from Sun Wukong, the very character he's based off of. Imagine him going against Gaia the way Sun Wukong would against any deity that defied him.

Of course the Freedom Fighter story would just be an origin of them wanting to keep their town safe during the Phantom Ruby Incident. I imagine Sally has seen Infinite on multiple occasions.

Sonic Forces was just made for the Freedom Fighters' potential return. The fact that Sally and Bunnie cameoed in one of the comics is proof of that. Pictures only, but still worth mentioning.

And of course The Freedom Fighters would be allies with The Diamond Cutters should they appear in IDW. I can even imagine Sally as a mentor figure to Lanolin. Though I imagine it would be predated by a lot of bickering. Lanolin is stubborn and doesn't always listen to others, but may come to respect Sally while Tangle just admires her and Whisper respects her.

Then there's Mina Mongoose and Fiona Fox. I imagine their stories would cross paths with one another. Mina's good nature could balance out Fiona's cynicism, while Fiona is tough enough to watch out for Mina should she be too naive.

Mina's personality would be her cheerful and loving nature, while Fiona would be a nihilist due to old traumas, but not too anti-social. She just keeps a distance from everyone, except her best friend Mina.

I can't see any romance between either of them or Sonic, and that's fine. Last time there was, both girls ended up getting screwed over somehow and mistreated.

Mina would not be a pop idol per say, but it's a dream she's working toward while Fiona is still a medic.

I can see Mina at least admiring Sonic for his free will, while Fiona may find him a bit irritating.

Out of the Diamond Cutters, I can see Mina being best friends with Tangle and the two would interact a lot. All the while, Fiona may mess with Whisper a bit, but the two may find time to bond later.

They would also befriend The Freedom Fighters and be official members. Fiona's medical skills would come in handy more but Mina has plenty to offer.

Surge and Kit would be a fun interaction. Fiona might find the duo unsettling, and a look into what life she could have had if she had not befriended Mina.

Surge's personality around Fiona could mirror Scourge. Difference is that it's less likely to be romantic, and more that Surge wants to befriend Fiona, but their friendship is very toxic.

Surge could end up jealous of the bond that Fiona and Mina have with the other Freedom Fighters, The Restoration, and Sonic's friends.

When it comes to Tails, I can see Mina really admiring his intelligence, and wanting to be his friend. She may also find him really small and cute and dote over him.

Fiona may like Tails too, but that may take time. I can see her being annoyed by him at first, likely to call him childish insults (i.e. Twerp), and just mildly bullying him. She still has a soft spot for Tails though.

Lastly when it comes to Sally herself, she is the leader of her Freedom Fighter friends in their village of Knothole. They protected their town from Infinite and Eggman to the best of their abilities.

As mentioned prior, Sally could form a bond with Lanolin and in time be one of her dearest friends.

As also mentioned before, she'd have her big sister/little sister bond with Nicole. and always be ready to protect her.

She'd be a brave girl that goes after badniks, be it with Whispons or just on her own. She might even have an intensity that rivals Princess Peach in the old comics.

Like seriously, it's easy to forget how intense Princess Peach was in the old Mario comics (Or Toadstool as she was called at the time). Imagine Sally having this type of drive. Or maybe it might be too much.

I can also imagine Sally being in the movies as a girl who met Sonic once upon a time. Maybe they were childhood friends, maybe they knew each other in passing, but should Sally ever appear in the movies, there's plenty of story to be told.

I can imagine a situation similar to the anime Zatch Bell, where Sally is the one telling Tom and the others what Sonic was like back home, as she would be the only one from Mobius to know anything about him, even if it's something minuscule, like Tia having to explain Zatch's home life to Kiyo. She didn't know everything, but she knew enough.

I don't know what will happen regarding romance. In a perfect world, Sally is with Sonic. They are, for me at least, the definitive Sonic pairing in Sonic media. Like Superman and Lois Lane. Like Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson. Granted I prefer someone like Kitty Pride for Peter Parker, but you get my point.

Sonic and Sally are just it for me. But I know that Sega may believe differently. Be it the games, the comics, or the movies, Sonally just may never happen. That doesn't mean fans can't have some sliver of hope. Optimism is good, but be ready to accept reality.

I can see three potential replacements for Sonic if romance doesn't work out between them. Note, this is not mandatory for Sally, she doesn't need to be romantically paired off. But if they feel the need to, there are options.

First option, Monkey Khan. Back in Archie, I did not like the pairing between Sally and Ken. It was typical love triangle drama that did not need to be there.

This time around, there is no worry of that. Ken is there with his own story, and the romance thing could just be on the side or merely hinted at. If they want to go all in, they can do so without Sonic being pulled into that drama.

Option two is Mighty the Armadillo. The relationship between Sally and Mighty could mirror SatAM Sonally, without it being a complete copy. Maybe Sally's more chill, or Mighty is just a less hyper version of SatAM Sonic. Point is, there's potential.

Option three, one of my favorites, is Sally with Ray the Flying Squirrel. I feel like he'd know how to be that perfect mix of Adventurer and Freedom Fighter. He loves thrills, but shows some caution in doing so. I think Sally and Ray have potential for a good bond.

We could just skip the romance, or have Sally with a one-sided crush on Sonic. Sonic may never end up with her, but I can see something similar to Final Fantasy 7 with Cloud, Aerith and Tifa.

There was no major love triangle drama with them. Tifa and Aerith were good friends, and Cloud just have to make a choice eventually. It can be a nice running gag in the games and the comics.

None of this is fool proof, but it's better than nothing. Sometimes you just gotta take a chance, just be wise about it.

This is just more of my head canons on how to use the Freedom Fighters in the games, comics or movies. Or any other media. Perhaps one day, they truly can return.

[unhonest-iago]

Where Am I? Who Am I?

AO3 link - this was written for the hermitcraft guess the author 2024 event. do go check out the other authors as found in the AO3 collection.

Etho awoke a random summer's day to unfamiliar surroundings. It wasn't his usual base build. Instead, he found himself in a green bedspread with an accompanying nightstand stacked high with romance books. All the titles in Japanese. Startled, he decided to search around. See if he could find any more information as to where he had suddenly been transported to. Not knowing how he'd fallen asleep, was the moon still growing?

'Yikes,' Etho realized exactly where he was after recognizing the figure in the bathroom window. One less pixelated than it should be. His jacket no longer baring the Canadian flag emblem on the sleeve. Nor did his headband. A headband that was more of an eye patch if he was honest. Instead, it was a symbol that looked to be an abstract bird. A beak with a swirl branching off of it. Etho tried to recall everything he knew about the Naruto series. What arc even is this? Unfortunately he’d have to interact with the other characters to figure out.

Etho wasn’t the only one. Kakashi awoke to a pixelated wooden house. Did his vision get this bad overnight? Looking down, he was relieved to see his uniform still intact. But like Etho, he noted the difference in emblems. Lucky for him, Etho wasn’t involved in any big plans. Their personalities similar in that they were both aloof individuals. If only he had his books, Kakashi wistfully thought to himself.

The Hermits, one by one would eventually have the epiphany that something was off with their friend. ‘I asked him if he could fix the meal bone farm…it’s almost as if he short circuited,’ Iskall remarked to Grian. Telling him more about how “Etho” fell off their base, completely forgetting about the waterfall elevator. Going berserk with the belief that he only had one life.

'Have you noticed anything weird about Kakashi-Sensei?' Sakura reluctantly asked Naruto. 'Besides him not reading those boring novels? Not really.' Sakura on the other hand had noticed the change in “Kakashi's” demeanor. The man was more jovial, more talkative. Sakura decided that if a doppelganger had replaced their sensei, the best course of action would be to ask something that only their sensei would. But what? Oh, those pesky books. Kakashi would definitely know the plot lines backwards and forwards. Especially as it'd been one of his notable traits since they had first met. But Sakura didn't know anything about them. All the more reason to ask.

'Hey Sensei? What happened in the last volume of Make Out Tactics?' Naruto sputtered out in shock, 'but you weren't interested when I offered to explain last week! Ow! What was that for?' Sakura kicked his shin, trying to get him to shut up. Etho had zero clue. All he knew was that they were some erotica series and that he should act bashful. 'Uh, well, I don't think that's something I should be telling you, at your age,' Etho hoped his acting was up to par. Rather, it cemented what Sakura thought. If it had been their sensei, he wouldn't be able to form a coherent answer at all.

It's when the moon glows larger in the pixelated sky for the final time that the two are returned back to their respective places. Sakura is stuck as the only one aware. Later being gas lit by both Naruto and Kakashi who is actually Kakashi again. Simply told it was a figment of overactive chakras. Kakashi wants to leave it in the past and never mentions the horrors he had witnessed. Fighting against multiple creatures—mobs as the celestial body rose higher on the horizon. Iskall on the other hand confronts Etho which results in him divulging everything from the moment he woke up to the moment he returned. Glad to be back in his mountainous base.

[laauranenn]

I agree with many points in your response especially sugishita/ tsubakino part

So the most jarring part About the absence of Sakura's backstory is that nii himself mentioned he has no framework of sakura's past until now , like he has no idea how to start it, he had clear ideas for the side characters backstories " umemiya & tsubakino" but not for Sakura's , I don't understand how can we say "he is setting up Sakura's backstory" when he still doesn't have clear idea for it

So far there’s 160+ chapters and we still don’t know anything about Sakura’s past. Usually when it comes to main protagonists in manga, it’s the opposite but Sakura is such a mysterious character. He’s a 15-16 year old kid who lives by himself out of town. Who are his parents? Is he an orphan? Did he get abandoned and disowned by his family? It leaves me with so many questions

He gave us so many unnecessary flashbacks during fights. Umemiya ,suzuri, tsubakino and kaji received too much flashbacks and lore , Sakura didn't have any flashbacks except the tight rope in ch 56. Umemiya had an entire arc " chapter 88 to 97" about his past with solo volume cover, i believe Sakura won't receive the same treatment like umemiya

Aside from the lack of Sakura's Lore,also the worldbuilding is so bad where are the police why are these KIDS the police?? hello irresponsible adults?? the world feels so empty , the antagonists are lame , endochika get off so easy.They basically caused a war that got many people injured & traumatized all so Chika could have a fun birthday it’s a lil more fucked up

Glad to hear you agree with my points!!

I didn't actually know that about Nii not having a backstory planned for Sakura! When/where was this said? Not that I don't believe you, I'd just like to see it for myself as well! I haven't looked too much at Nii's official Twitter, mostly because of it not being in English. I really should look through it more huh.,

That definitely changes things though, and it makes me understand your frustration a lot more! Though I think it's typical for authors to not have characters fully planned out when writing? I'm not 100% sure about that, but it sounds right to me. I can't imagine having every character fully planned out. The most we can do is trust that Nii has it all figured out! I've really enjoyed the backstories of other characters and the worldbuilding, so I trust that he's got it handled.

Could you elaborate on your opinion on "unnecessary" flashbacks and lore? For characters like Kaji and Suzuri, the flashbacks give us a clearer idea of the themes the characters portray, as well as give us insight into how they think.

For Kaji, we get his struggle with his anger, as well as the way he dehumanizes himself, and the way he learns to cope with it. We find out more about him as a person, and about his relationships with his vice captains and Hiragi. I think Kaji is an incredibly interesting character, and I enjoyed learning more about him. Though if he isn't a character you care for, I can see why these scenes would feel unnecessary.

Kaji also plays a similar role to Umemiya, where he's someone in the same position as Sakura/ in the position Sakura is aiming for.

(Since Kaji is a grade captain like Sakura.)

I've also seen something about parallels between Kaji and Sakura? Though I haven't looked into that too much.

As for Suzuri, the flashbacks and lore we get for him are important for the fight. Suzuri serves as the primary threat in the Roppo Ichiza arc. He's the person leading Gravel and goes against Tsubakino in the fight. The fight wouldn't be able to play out the same had we received zero backstory or lore for him and the rest of Gravel.

As for the specific chapters, not to hit you with the "Erm, actually!" but the tightrope is ch. 60 I believe? As for Umemiya having chapters 88-97, I'd say 88-92 are more about Furin's history and Endo's war declaration. They include Umemiya since he is the one who united Furin.

Chapters 93-97, however, are about Umemiya. But that is to be expected, considering those chapters are his backstory.

I'm not exactly sure what the solo volume cover thing is about? A lot of the manga covers feature other characters.

It's true, that typically in media we get the backstory of the main character, as well as other relevant info about them fairly early. And this is something that makes Wind Breaker stand out, which I like a lot.

Sakura is mysterious, but I think that's part of the fun! It makes us curious about him, makes us want to learn more! Though I also understand that knowing so little might make it harder to connect with Sakura. It's fun thinking about how he's made his way to Makochi, about where his parents are. He's clearly not got a lot of money at his disposal, if the state of his apartment is anything to go by. But he also owns a phone? Based on how little he's used it (He has no apps, is bad at texting, only has a single contact on his phone), I'd assume someone else got it for him.

If I were to guess, I'd assume he's got the same cold treatment from his parents as he has from the rest of the world. Though a guess is the best I can do on that front.

There is a lack of parents in Wind Breaker though, except like Umemiya's dead ones and Sugishita's absent ones.

The lack of police is an interesting point though! This is also something that I can only make theories and guesses about. The police likely aren't active in Makochi, or if they are, they aren't helpful at all. This post also mentions the lack of police! It's a mix of headcanons and predictions, but I agree with the idea that the police might've left the town after the fights got too out of control.

The lack of police is also why teams like Bofurin and the Roppo Ichiza are left to defend sections of the town. I wouldn't say it's bad worldbuilding, as it shows why there is a need for Bofurin in the first place. The lack of police explains why these kids are defending the town, because nobody else is there to do it for them.

As for the world feeling empty? I don't agree with that. The character backstories, the relationships, the extra pages showing us the menus and layouts of different locations all make the world not feel as dull. The different teams all have their own clothing styles, their own territory and values! It all makes Makochi feel like an interesting location!

I don't think the antagonists are lame, but that's subjective. Endo and Takiishi are some of my favorite characters, the Noroshi in are interesting and I think Keel and Gravel were interesting too! But again, that is purely subjective, something I find interesting might not be interesting to you!

As for Endo and Takiishi getting off too easy? I think that's likely rooted in how Bofurin works. They don't really do the whole "punishment" thing. Hiragi says Bofurin is defensive, not offensive when Sakura asks about getting rid of other teams before they can stir up trouble. Umemiya ends the conflict with Shishitoren by declaring them friends and leaves Choji and Togame to clean up their own mess. And when they tell Sakura they'll accept any punishment he sees fit, he leaves it at telling them to change and not be so lame next time. With Bofurin, losing the fight is already considered punishment enough. They don't stick around to inflict any punishment beyond just the fight on those who have harmed the town.

The whole situation with Endo and Takiishi is also a little more complicated than just giving Takiishi a fun birthday! I'd love to get into that sometime as well!

I'm happy to keep the conversation going! Tell me what you think of what I've said here! I'm also curious on if you have other characters you enjoy other than Sakura! ^_^

[nanabansama]

if tsukasa is wrong and ignores the rules is that why he defeats any puzzle he fights but how can there be mistake in his existence ??

Hello! I'm a little unsure on what you're asking but generally speaking I assume Tsukasa's power comes from the entity inside of him, not necessarily because he has a blatant disregard for rules. If that's all it took, then Hanako should be a lot stronger...

Note that Tsukasa has seemingly had the ability to grant wishes for people since he came back from the Red House. This wish-granting power is eerily similar to both the entity he made exchanges with and Tsukasa's powers as a supernatural.

Tsukasa has always granted wishes arbitrarily. At least, to some extent.

He says he grants wishes of the heart. The heart is generally depicted as a passionate, unruly thing, opposed to the logic of the brain. Kinda like the ego, superego, and id. In this case, Tsukasa is focusing entirely on the id, which is irrational and driven by pure desire. His methods are very extreme, showcased best by how everyone he's granted the wishes of so far regretting it. (Shijima, Kunishige, Amane, Mitsuba...)

In the case of Amane, his superego is him holding back while his id is the violent urge to murder his brother.

In any case, my armchair Freudian psychoanalysis aside, I've long held the theory that Tsukasa's wish-granting powers as a supernatural are related to the entity and that he's had them in some form since he was alive.

My favorite point of evidence in favor of this is that the entity uses the honorific -kun with Tsukasa ("Tsukasa-kun") while Tsukasa uses the honorific -kun when first talking to Mitsuba.

(...just trust me he's saying "Mitsuba-kun" in the right image ok just check your copies of Volume 4 ok)

The singular bump in this theory I've encountered is that Tsukasa specifies he exclusively grants supernatural wishes (in contrast to Hanako) while the alive Tsukasa granted Kunishige's wish, who is definitely not a supernatural. The entity also had zero problem granting the wishes of Tsukasa--a human. And for that matter the wishes of an entire village of people.

For this I have two explanations. One, Tsukasa is arbitrarily paralleling Amane just cuz. And two, something about the nature of Tsukasa's death changed the rules by which he was allowed to grant wishes. Neither is really a satisfactory answer, but they work well enough.

For one, we've already run into issues concerning Tsukasa's powers, like the fact that it's established Tsukasa needs a human to spread rumors, AKA Sakura, but she's doing it in exchange for a wish. You could logic this away by saying Sakura is a supernatural, but then why would the characters falsely explain only humans can do it in the first place? Also, Sakura is not confirmed to be human or supernatural. In fact, given her dialogue in Chapter 92, it's safe to assume she's not quite either?

Essentially, what I'm saying is, none of this makes any damn sense in the first place.

On that note, I struggle to understand how much this is Tsukasa actively granting wishes and not the entity spurring him on. Are they simply in agreement on this? It's possible. After all, Tsukasa seems obsessed with learning Amane's true wish after failing to grant it the first time. He also expresses an interest in people breaking rules, and says if that's enough to break the world then it's better off broken. Frankly, while this is all rather evil, it does strike me as more of a Tsukasa perspective than a purely Pit God one. It makes sense to me why he might think this way, after everything he's been through.

Tsukasa is truly the willing puppet of this entity...their mutual special interest is granting everyone's deepest darkest wishes... (/end theory)

Anyway I totally rambled there but feel free to send another ask if I didn't quite answer your question.

[writing-in-sin]

ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE = BIRTH OF THE OMEGAVERSE

Okay, crazy, I know. I got this idea a few years back while thinking up ideas for a MiSawa fic

You know that japanese media tend to mention the low birth rate in their country? I though the outbreak could happened because of an experiment for increase birthrates gone wrong. Originally, it was supposed to help them increase their birthrate but the formula was too volatile for the body that instead of allowing the patient to have children, it turned patient zero into a zombie instead

Its a lot to do with hormones right? So that volatile formula triggered the body out of whack, and patient zero rejected the change so badly that it detorated the body into a rabid zombie. Kinda like what a rut or heat can do but instead of copulation, it made the victims cannibalistic zombies

Then the outbreak happens

Eventually, one of the mains (Miyuki, in this case for that fic idea I had) would be able to fight against the decay and infection. Which in turn, allows what the experiment originally set out to do and change his body to turn him into the first Alpha. The first Omega would eventually be Sawamura (who is mutually in love with Miyuki) after he was willingly bitten by Miyuki. Their mutual feelings is one of the factors that allows Sawamura to change into the 1st Omega

In summary, Japan would eventually siphon a cure (and vaccine/antivirus for the survivors) from Miyuki and Sawamura's blood. Because of that, the population turn into a world of betas. However, over time the cure within the betas will either stay the same or change them into alpha or omega depending the suitability of their original biology like race, blood type, personality, topography and such

So...yeah, that's the gist of my idea

What I'm surprised with though is that I recently found a manga called 'Zombie Hide Sex'. Recent volumes has this kind of curious setup the other readers pointed out that the Zombie apocalypse could be the origin of the omegaverse for the story

And I'm like, huh!? Does that mean I'm not the only one who thought of this possible premise!? Awesome!

Because seriously, how awesome would that be!? 🤩

Anyways, while I'd love to write a MiSawa fic based on this (apparently not as crazy or rare) idea of mine, i think I'd like to write it for an UmeSaku fic

Won't lie, I'd love to see Umemiya as the original Alpha and Sakura as the original Omega

But honestly, I'd love to see more of this possible premise in other fandoms or for other ships too

[midorisudachi]

"We are ridiculously awesome!" - Zevran Arainai (after winning a battle)

Happy December, loves! How are we already at the end of the year? I have felt incredibly scatter-brained this entire year, due to how fast it has been flying by. I feel as if I didn't get anything (that I had planned to do this year) done. Does anybody else feel that way? I had all these ideas in my head to drawn Dragon Age Inquisition characters every other Monday until Dragon Age Day...which was December 4th...and I did not accomplish my goal! Life catches up to you, ya now?

Zevran is absolutely delightful in Dragon Age Origins. He has no shame in what he says...zero filters with his words! Ha ha! He has the best conversations with the characters and I love his bantering. He's my favourite bisexual elf! I had decided to draw him in a heavy armour...I think it was the "Ceremonial Armour".

Some of my favourite Zevran quotes:

"Elves plant these trees to remind themselves of who they once were. And then they pee on it. Charming symbolism, really." - At the vhenadhal tree.)

"How did I get here? What happened to all those luscious wood nymphs?" - After waking up from the Sloth Demon tricking him

"Hmm... Anyone up for a little bit of naked cliffdiving? No?" - At Redcliffe

And the best one:

Zevran: Might I offer you a bit of advice, my good friend Alistair?

Alistair: I like my hair the way it is, thank you.

Zevran: Truly? As you wish... though my advice is regarding something else completely. It has to do with your recent... exertions with your fellow Grey Warden that I overheard.

Alistair: My...? Oh.

Zevran: It did seem as if you just got going when all grew quiet. You are... feeling all right, yes? Perhaps you are tired?

Alistair: We aren't talking about this, are we? Did I hit my head?

Zevran: I have some roots from home that you may chew if you need energy. As for volume, perhaps you ought to try arching your--

Alistair: Whoa! Whoa! Awkward!

Zevran: You Fereldens are so finicky. How will you ever learn how to pleasure each other unless you talk about it?

Alistair: Not listening! La la la la la!

I hope everybody likes this fan art! Notice the date on it? Yes! I drew this a year ago. Why did I not post it on Tumblr before? *Facepalm* Really though...I hope this is well received & enjoyed. This year I have felt like a failure when it comes to art, for it honestly seems like people prefer digital art over traditional art. Is this so? I love traditional art...I don't want it to die out. Even worse is that some people prefer AI "art" (more like ART THEFT!) over real artists. It can be hard to be an artist sometimes. Don't get me wrong. I love digi art, too. But often my heart yearns for more traditional artwork, as it often gets tossed aside. I feel that is one reason why I had not done well with my art on Instagram. From now on, I will only be posting art here on Tumblr. Thank you to ALL of you who have liked and shared my artwork. You mean a lot to me and I appreciate you in supporting me. PLEASE let me know if you draw Dragon Age fan art, too! I'd love to see it.

Drawn with Sakura Pigma Micron pens and then coloured in with a mix of Copics and Ohuhu markers. White accents done with a gel pen. Background was done in Photoshop Elements.

Zevran Arainai & Dragon Age Origins (c) Bioware & Electronic Arts

[luna-the-lunat1c]

Sakura Ogami NSFW Alphabet

{non-despair au}

WLW

❀A- aftercare

・Sakura is a very gentle woman as we all know. She gets especially soft after sexual activities. She loves to care for you but also loves being cared for, she loves to cuddle and stuff like that. She usually helps you shower afterwards and helps you fall asleep in her arms.

❀B- favorite body part

In intimate terms she loves every part of you but takes a special liking to your thighs.

❀C- cum (where do they like to cum?)

idk if this one applies to females but your tongue or fingers (she LOVESSS cunnilingus)

❀D- dirty secret

I feel like she wouldn't really keep secrets from you :)

❀E- experience

Sakura certainly doesn't seem to be a sexually active person at all, more a romantic, so she most likely doesn't have any experience except for masturbation.

❀F- favorite position

If we're talking strap, cowgirl, my reason is her large body. She'd probably be scared she would crush you if she topped you.

❀G- goofy (how serious are they?)

She's mostly serious but maybe she would chuckle if you laugh.

❀H-hair

BUSH😍 THAT WOMAN HAS A BUSH AND IF YOU DISAGREE YOU ARE WROOONNNGGGGGG

❀I- intimacy

She is an extreme romantic, she loves tender affection, kisses during intimate activity, anything of that sort. She probably plans dates and if one thing leads to another you guys are in the bed.

❀J- jerk off

Well she doesn't have a peener but she doesn't masturbate often. I feel like she's too focused on other things like working out or improving herself rather than masturbating. She's definitely one of those people who do it just to relax.

❀K- kinks

praise, toys, restrains (not too many, maybe a simple pair of handcuffs), fingering, CUNNILINGUS, mutual masturbation, or lingerie (on you)

❀L- location (fav place to do it)

The bed or couch, she likes the cushion. She loves to be comfortable during the act and a soft warm bed is perfect for her.

❀M- motivation (what turns them on)

You. (and a bit of dirty talk)

❀N- no (turnoffs)

piss, scat, feet, icky stuff like that >:(

❀O- oral

GAWD THIS WOMAN LIVES FOR CUNNILINGUS🙏 She loves to give, receive, like this woman is a pussy-eating champion. SPEAKING OF WHICH LOOK AT MY CREATION...

I love my brain💔

❀Q- quickies

I feel like she wouldn't like quickies. She loves slow pleasure, gentle sesbian lex🙏

❀R- risk

HATESSSS RISK. She only engages in the comfort of her own home.

❀S- stamina (how long they can go)

Probably a couple rounds, she seems like she doesn't tire easily because of her muscular build.

❀T- toys

Oh she LOVESSSS toys. Straps, vibrators, shit like that. She especially likes vibrators ;)

❀U- unfair (how much they like to tease)

She teases but not too much, she likes being sweet to you.

❀V- volume (how loud they are)

She's extremely quiet, only letting out very small whimpers, quiet moans only when she's close.

❀W- wild card (random headcanon)

She loves when you massage her hips while eating her out. The soothing motion mixed with the stimulation really relaxes her.

❀X- x-ray

She most likely has an outie like most muscular women do. White bushy peubs. Since she has a dark skin complexion she definitely has a dark pussy (#8B403D).

❀Y- yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Close to zero honestly. Like I said before she probably has way more important things then sex.

❀Z- Zzz (how fast they fall asleep afterwards)

She doesn't really fall asleep fast but she helps you fall asleep. She might not fall asleep at all but sometimes she relaxes enough and drifts off.

===================

(sorry for any grammar errors or misspells.. I do NOT remember anything from english class..)

LAWD HAVE MERCY SORRY FOR THE INACTIVITY😭

I'VE BEEN SO BUSY AND I'VE HAD ABSOLUTELY ZERO MOTIVATION

BUT THANKS FOR READING AND THIS IS PART ONE OF MY THREE PART SAKURA SERIES. LOVE YOU GUYS💙

[tsukiyadori]

Reading (+Watching+Listening) Log 2024.06 - June

Previous: Reading Log 2024.05 - May

Pouty pout. (A tier.)

——————————————————————————

Reading languages: German, English, French, Japanese, not listing which was what. (There’s also been some feeble attempts at Chinese, but that was more on music.)

Titles are as I’ve read them either first or most and thus remember it for that title mostly

Not going to bother putting in the original titles of translated reads unless there is something worthy of note to it

Cursive titles have been completed

If it says a volume number, it may mean it has been finished or is still in progress

Some notes’ content may be subject to repetition here and there, as I also copied some older notes from casual conversations over and didn’t go through any rounds of cutting things down.

——————————————————————————

JUNE

I kinda feel out from reading stuff on the apps daily

and keeping up online serialized chapter releases has been a mess, too...

Maybe I need to do statistics on the JNC slices of the monthly readings, I definitely keep busy chasing deadlines and then not manage to read it all anyway.

No An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride has been read this month, but due to cascading little incidents at a certain place Chastille has kind of become my alter ego and… I have not much to argue against it…

In terms of single franchise, this month's probably mostly dominated by Spice and Wolf/Wolf and Parchment.

Also decided to add a bit of a music section, considering how much time I was busy chasing lyrics and trying to read those (This will get some overlap with the months prior.)

There's been one single anime entry this time, and it's just a KyoAni ad...

I also kind of fell of from the Comikey and Manga Up readings....

Something else of a major time sucker activity started this month, which is the ominous ((classified)), but that'll probably take until the end of the year to unclassify.

Anime:

ショート版【京都アニメーション ×「紫式部ゆかりのまち宇治」PR動画】「うじには物語がある」

Light Novels/Web Novels/Novels:

Brunhild v3p2 Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers v1p1-5(ch2 finished) Fushi no Kami v1 Goodbye, Overtime! This Reincarnated Villainess Is Living for Her New Big Brother (Light Novel) v1 How to Survive as a Villain Novel ch236 Spice & Wolf v23-24 The Apothecary Witch Turned Divorce Agent v1p1-v2p8 The Disowned Queen’s Consulting Detective Agency v1 Wolf and Parchment v6-v8 ((classified))

Manga:

8th Loop for the Win! With Seven Lives’ Worth of XP and the Third Princess’s Appraisal Skill, My Behemoth and I Are Unstoppable! (Manga) ch11 A Livid Lady's Guide to Getting Even: How I Crushed My Homeland with My Mighty Grimoires (Manga) v2ch7-12 All you want, whenever you want Ano Natsu ga Houwa suru. ch18 Anti Alpha Buta no Liver wa Kanetsushiro v2ch6-11, ch36.3-4 Cooking With Wild Game (Manga) v9ch44-48 Dahlia lässt den Kopf nicht hängen v1 Daijuukou to Unicornis no Otome ch16.1 Dead Mount Death Play v7 Domestic na Kanojo v12-13 Duchess in the Attic (Manga) ch1, v2ch7-12, ch13-14 Goodbye, Overtime! This Reincarnated Villainess Is Living for Her New Big Brother (Manga) v1 Harebare Biyori ch24 I'm a Noble on the Brink of Ruin, So I Might as Well Try Mastering Magic (Manga) v1ch6 Isekai de Ane ni Namae wo Ubawaremashita ch19.1, ch20.1 Kakan no Oukoku no Hanagirai Hime ch13.4-14(finale) Knitter's High ch28.1-3 Küsse & Schüsse v1-2 Mr. Mallow Blue ch30 My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer (Manga) ch1, ch6, ch11, v4ch16-20 Only I Know that This World Is a Game ch1, ch6, ch11, v4ch16-19 Rebuild World (Manga) ch1, ch5, v8ch35-39 Sakura, Saku v4 Shuumatsu Touring ch38.4 The 6th Loop: I'm Finally Free of Auto Mode in this Otome Game ch11.1-2 The Eternal Fool's Words of Wisdom: A Pawsitively Fantastic Adventure (Manga) v1ch1-6 The Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects (Manga) ch1, v4ch16-20 The Magic in this Other World is Too Far Behind! (Manga) v1-v10ch50 The Unwanted Undead Adventurer (Manga) v11ch49-53 Unnamed Memory ch37.2 Watashi wo Tabetai, Hitodenashi Watatabe3

Webtoons:

The Silent Concubine ch33-122 Silent Lover (Silent Concubine alt. Counting) ch142-192(S2ch1-50) Taberare Usa ch106-109 To be or not be ch102

Music:

Just a selection of those that left the most impression, had me check out its lyrics and/or popped up high in the replay count.

雨霖铃 (Bells Ringing in the Rain) by 喵☆酱 (Miao Jiang)

笼中雀 (Caged Bird) by 喵☆酱 (Miao Jiang)

鴻音 (Resonant Sounds) by Sa Dingding

浮光 (Floating Lights) by Zhou Shen (周深), Jannik and some endless amounts of cover versions

The Blue Whisper OST - 鮫人之歌 (電視劇《與君初相識》片尾曲) by Zhou Shen

The Blue Whisper OST -魚躍而上 (電視劇《與君初相識》自由主題曲) by Sa Dingding/Mao Buyi

Solo Leveling OST - aikari

Notes:

How to Survive as a Villain Novel ch236 - After dragging it for weeks on end I finally finished reading the last chapter… that I had read before though gap jumping anyway. It's been a while where I simultaneously had an urge to read on asap while also not wanting to finish it at all. Anyway, some when next month or after that official Singapore English edition is coming, very curious how that translation will look like without any so many annotations.

Wolf and Parchment v6-v8: Volume 6 seems them with their newfound 'official relationship' that bubbles in and out and is perfectly tailored to them, especially Myuri. Hyland's being a complete fangirl of it is a nice touch, otherwise the whole case was interesting mystery and likely that cat is the same as from S&W is it? Some more real life history modelled things also got added, but the twist with the bears is interesting. The author speaks of three pillars he has to juggle, that of the overarching world lore, the characters and the plot of the current volume, while S&W he had pulled the former into a backseat. That also very much explains, why I had so many starting troubles with this one. The World Lore takes a good 4 vols to build up to have their first payoffs to feed back into the plot, and frankly the two characters only got more interesting from v5 onwards. Too bad I paused this for years after v4, which I remember to be more of a slog than not. Interestingly, that was also the volume the author had struggled a lot with, apparently. Volume 7: This volume starts with a really really cool passage from the conversation between Col and Clark:

Now, doesn't that kinda sound familiar. Espcially that last line nails it rather well.

This is kind of awesome. Not your usual bog-standard love bla bla is what changes the world, but this something that can't be named, this siblings like family, but that doesn't hit it, it's also not lovers, and whatever it is called, in the end one can only default to it as the umbrella term, but it is NOT what you'd usually think about it. The series definitely places a lot of importance to this something and this volume is so far the epitome with realizations sinking in just how important it is to them and then it culminates in the epilogue with Col being like, he's not planning to marry her, but he wants her by her side regardless. And he wants to make sure of it. In a form of equal side by sides, so if he's the Twilight Cardinal now, there he goes and makes it so, that she's going to be celebrated as a saint by his side. And it's all so cleverly weaved into the plot at hand about the wanting to be heroes, the inability to do so, but still wanting to dream about it in stories, and also the pieces fall into place for S&W's timeline as well. And it's not like it's denying your usual idea of relationship and under that world – after all, Holo and Lawrence are right there in their own series holding a spotlight and Col got his faith out of their love rather than anything else. Volume 8 however… seems a bit on the nose starting with the red string on the cover and the plot line in this volume unfortunately is a bit… well, the world is interesting, Canaan is a bundle of charm to bustle everything up and the wrap up to have the new continent plot line in is neatly resolved, but the sheer amount of folly in there…. Myuri, what are you doing? After everything last volume, you go and be all worried? Why the hell are you? Col at least even points out at just how OOC it all is for her.

Spice & Wolf v23-24: Speaking of those two's series, their antics… actually do start to get a little bit old. I dunno, maybe it's because it was getting slightly repetitive? like v24 is definitely a good plot, but the plotline twist is essentially the same as that previous short story about the regional lord that doesn't want to fell the forest, but is stuck between and rock and a hard place. Otherwise… Now that W&P has given a glimpse of how cool the overarching world lore can be S&W is starting to feel just a little pale in comparison. But as a companion it's really nice, how it picks up the pebbled behind Col and Myuri. It's just you really notice that by now Spring Log has a clear side story character to it. Also, I've had these weird impressions for a while now, but Eve and that Umbrella girl kinda smell a bit GL-ish and I do wonder if there's gonna be some plot around the desert after all. (Even if W&P v8 tries hard to deny it.)

The Apothecary Witch Turned Divorce Agent v1p1-v2p8: This has been pretty funny, and her groaning about failures in basically Anti-Cheese-Work, but also, she can't begrudge the happy ends for the couples where a thing I could feel so much, there is one obvious question to, how come people haven't come to her yet in hopes of the opposite, like they all seem to seriously want the break-up rather than her shaking things up to actually fix it.

((classified)) v1 first third: Well, not much that I can say as of yet, beyond: This MC gives me quite a few aroace vibes going by some thoughts and comments here and there, and I am going to be very curious how this is gonna play out. I expect it's going to be more of a late bloomer thing and the whole series is to be very very slow burn in that regard, with many other things on the forefront. But let's see.

Domestic na Kanojo v12-13: The whatever it is continues, and it seems to have reaches some lulls, which are mostly bolstered up by pouts from Miss little sister. Otherwise, Mr. Wannabe English guy remains punch worthy. What do you mean you'd not make her cry, as opposed to Natsuo? You merely tried to rape her, sure, you'd never make her cry. =V Miss twin tails also is like… sad to see. Where did your self dignity go?

Duchess in the Attic (Manga) ch1, v2ch7-12, ch13-14: We have another badass strong female MC, my ears are all perked! I mean, just look at this glare of dignity!

Now the LN just has to come. (Spoiler: it got licensed right the month after early July by the time I am writing this up.)

Sakura, Saku v4: It feels a bit like it tried to do a Kieta Hatsukoi and I will say it did it well enough. It also has a wholesome message and all, but somehow, I dunno. It's not bad, it plays the surprise out well, too, and it's in character of the cast, but it just seems a bit. Not having a charm of its own about it. I dunno. The whole series is down to earth 'normal' sorts of, but compared to the aforementioned KieHatsu, it had more individualistic 'character' or so about it. Not sure how to phrase it.

The Silent Concubine ch33-122: Erm. Ok. What. Was. That. I maintain the beginning as written up last month is still so, and it's rather nice to have this uke fate doomed Shen Yu have his own agency and even using the help of the emperor who got smitten with him, while he is now quite the rationalist to know first come gains. Ok. He was described as bewitchingly beautiful, so people arguing over him isn't maybe that out of place. The whole background story about his lineage and the extra finger knuckle was either lacking in exposition to begin with or the translation has missed out something? It kinda came half out of nowhere. That Shen Yu seems fed up enough to go for suicide knowing how anyone else is just this more powerful than him, him still being poisoned, and his mother is gone anyway, also makes sense. But like, you make him the descendant of a line of former royals that doomed themselves for inbreeding and incest which would even give a reason for his disability also seems plausible. But then, oh, it's psychological and oh, not only does he survive his suicide attempt, but his chronic poisoning is gone, and suddenly he's also not mute anymore. And it kind of completely topples the power dynamic over. And then goes that Chu clan and, uh, Mister new Emperor just goes to be his bodyguard somewhere hidden who knows where. Man's got some priorities, despite knowing the instable the state of things are. And then, right, he's gonna be the only one he marries. How to solve this? Oh, hey look, that ancient clever Chu clan has developed a concoction of a birthing potion (that only works on the clan). And then it still works when it's not both of them of the clan, well, way to how he has to remain the uke. And then there's his blood relative of a from around a few corners who wants to woo him, too. (Tho more for form's sake.) Erm. Okay. I guess. Something Omega in Ancient China. And then suddenly there is a side dish romance that seems to have completely bubbled in the background only to come and be all like oh well, they knew themselves from childhood and. Whatever. It just feels rather contrived a lot of times in the second half.

Silent Lover (Silent Concubine) S2 alt. Counting ch142-192(S2ch1-50): So, morbid curiosity brought me to season 2, and it's a sequel with the next generation, the son of the Main couple of S1 and the adopted son of the side dish couple. I have to say, I am almost amazed at how completely brazenly it goes and rehashes S1's plot line. With not much sense at places. So there's another arranged marriage, but like his adopted father is the right hand of the emperor and they are on good terms, his other father (who kind of never showed up, is he dead?) used to be a good friend of that emperor's spouse that is the other MC's birthing parent. That and that he is a brilliant scholar of his own with status and family pedigree should give him the means to stand his ground. Doesn't seem to matter. Well, maybe he is just timid. But somehow despite the series even having the galls to joke about how the MC's parent's tale is a cautionary tale and them knowing that their son is a bundle of a folly, nobody ever shows him the ropes properly. So he's just being all abusive again. There is another rival for the MC who is all super mean and anything, but just winds up dead along the way. Instead of poisoning, MC winds up suddenly having an oh so very dangerous blood illness on top of his weak disposition. Oh hey, turns out he's actually of the lineage of the previous emperor. Oh, also, he's been super in love with his abusive arranged marriage partner until there was too much abuse for him to call it quits. Also gets tortured and his hand crushed and disabled. Gets wooed by the prince of a foreign land. Oh, and there's a murder attempt to the emperor, how come S1's MC suddenly has vanished completely after showing up just a bit to be all pouty and everything? And isn't the prince the Chu clan bloodline descendant and crown prince, like probably that birthing potion would work on him, too, but of course as a clone of his emperor father he's gotta be the seme character yet again. - ????

Well, as I got so little read this month some music babbling 雨霖铃 (Bells Ringing in the Rain) by 喵☆酱 (Miao Jiang): It started with that little chapter title from How to Survive as a Villain that is quoting a line of a poem by Liu Yong (984-1053 AD). 今宵酒醒何处？ "Where will I be, when I wake from my drunken stupor at dawn?" That poem has by now grown on me. Technically, apparently the inspiration was the author having to have to leave his lover, but the text itself is on a more abstract level of simply a separation to foreign lands. Googling that led me to the first result that is a youtube song with a dance and a cover of it, that is from the soundtrack of a game named 逆水寒 (nisuihan, "cold against the current"), which for whatever reason is called "Justice Online" in English. (How'd you get from one name to the other??) Not that I noticed that at first, both song videos are incredibly traditional styled and the dance by Tang Shiyi is definitely quite pretty. (And I mean, the video is from the CHINA NATIONAL OPERA AND DANCE THEATER??) It took me a deal of digging until I even found the singer's name, which had me go ????, because, it basically means Meow ☆ Sauce. That so far was still in April, but the song rather stuck and then there was also this other song from the artist and yet another song to that same game I came to kinda like.

鴻音 (Resonant Sounds) by Sa Dingding - that popped out in the playlist of the channel, and there's another dance by Tang Shiyi also to a song of the Nishuihan game. No poem, but it kinda sounds the epic tune style. And the dance video is also something. (The match cuts in particular left an impression.)

笼中雀 (Caged Bird) by 喵☆酱 (Miao Jiang) - No poem again, but the mood reminds me of Bells ringing in the rain. The lyrics of this and Resonant Sounds do sound a bit cheese, while Bells could arguably be about any sort of seperation. By here this had reached May and I was getting into that whole soundtrack of that game, which by all means has a good few of nice tracks. And while I was at that, I found this.

浮光 (Floating Lights) by Zhou Shen (周深), Jannik the original intrumental version and some endless amounts of cover versions both vocal and intrumental and dance videos - Apparantely the nishuihan game has some sorta feature where you get to replay some tunes or something? And this song was one of it? Or I don't know. In any case in some playlist the instrumental song by Jannik sat on top as the first track and it immediately struck a chord. The name is suspiciously Western tho (going by the discography they're probably even German??), but googling that you get a Chinese Baidu Baike Wiki page, which then talks about the vocal version by Zhou Shen, which struck even a bigger chord. That had me look up the lyrics and since Zhou Shen is a rather famous artist, it has some lyrics translation videos. Except.

So nostalgia and doubts are kinda the same thing, aha.

Or how about we just leave the word out completely?

This is what the dictionary has to say about the word btw.:

This sounds like a sort of saudade x nostalgia x hiraeth x natsukashii with touches and yet it's own thing, as baike explains it as "the unwillingness/reluctance to leave something or to let it go" as its first meaning and the second being "cherished memories (怀念) directed towards passed days" (which kinda sounds more natsukashii than nostalgia). And that is incredily interesting, but I am bewildered how this turned into 'doubts' of all things? By now it was end of May and now plans to study Chinese are plainly up on the table again. I just don't yet now how to best go about it.

For the time being… The Blue Whisper OST - 鮫人之歌 (電視劇《與君初相識》片尾曲) by Zhou Shen The Blue Whisper OST -魚躍而上 (電視劇《與君初相識》自由主題曲) by Sa Dingding/Mao Buyi June was loop the above and starting to go through a whole bunch of Chinese music (well mostly nishuihan and Zhou Shen) and this one's lyrics caught me again. Like 魚躍而上 starts with something like "Every pair of eyes is fish". Me: ????? Maybe I need to watch that The Blue Whisper drama to get it, but then it also looks incredibly cheese everything and… Also, do you know the agony of you kinda liked a song just by its song and then it just turns out to be all cheese lyrics once you look them up?? It kinda felt like a curse. =V

一梦惊鸿 by 黄诗扶 (Huang Shifu): There was also this one, which popped through the recommendations box and picked my eyes through a really nice dance video.

Solo Leveling OST - aikari: I'm not exactly sure why peculiarly this one picked my ears, haven't even watched the anime, but it was strangely loop-able.

[stopthebig3]

The numbers for retsuden 2 are out, on twitter ss were spamming how they're buying up to 6 copies each to boost sales, first week sold, 15k. Mirai a side character who half of even the Boruto fandom don't know who it is, who also got done dirty with near zero publicity and had both volumes released at once for some dumb reason (it almost feels like they want to sabotage her sales) had her volumes selling over 10 k each for comparison.

Mirai doesn't even have a character in canon.

I'm still not over Sakura's constipation look.

[writer-and-artist27]

Tag game: 8 shows to get to know me

Tagged by: @windwardstar. Thankie, Osie (hugs tight)

Rules: There weren't any defined in Osie's original post, so like them, I'll be going off the 8 most common things that end up on my YouTube/Watch History through various platforms, because the only time I use the TV is for Netflix or playing DVDs/Blurays I have at home when biking on the trainer.

Today's Menu for the Emiya Family - my first entry into Fate and the most tame in terms of death and drama - as in nonexistent. (Shoutout to Fate/Apocrypha here too for Type Moon stuff despite more characters and death, if only because it was the first Fate anime I finished on my own without much pushing from friends with how bad I am at personally binging shows. Fate/Zero is the next one.)

Avatar the Last Airbender. Also the 2003 version of Teen Titans. And the sub version of Megaman NT Warrior - specifically Rockman EXE. Can't beat the childhood favorites.

The sub version of Yu-Gi-Oh GX (honorary shoutout to the sub of Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds too, since both taught me the beginnings of speaking Japanese when middle school me kept finding the raw episodes on YouTube)

Any Miscellaneous Myths from Overly Sarcastic Productions on YouTube. Since it helps remind me of how to write sarcasm (and Kei when looking back at S&S related stuff specifically).

Komi Can't Communicate. Because reading the manga, collecting it, and watching the anime helped me cope with constructive discharge and work emotional abuse alike.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Cardcaptor Sakura

RWBY. Because even if RoosterTeeth isn't a good company to work at and the current seasons has the common crowd caught between RWDE and not-so-RWDE, I still appreciate what Volumes 1-6 did for me with their music when I was in a bad time with COVID and first family deaths. So, in my own way, I'm still trying to support it where I can in the small gestures through all the new bad times. Even if it means I can't talk freely about it anymore.

Tagging: @partialdignity, @lovingempress, and anyone else who wants to try? No pressure, though. This is just for fun.

[mavda]

Beast Tamers

Ch.1 |  Ch.2 | Ch.3 | Ch.4(1) | Ch.4(2) | Ch.5(1) | Ch.5(2) | Ch.5(3) | Ch.5(4) | Ch.6(1) | Ch.6(2) | Ch.6(3) | Ch.7(1) | Ch.7(2) | Ch.7(3) | Ch.7(4) | Ch.7(5) | Ch.8(1) | Ch.8(2) | Ch.8(3) | Ch.9(1) | Ch.9(2) | Ch.9(3) | Ch.9(4) | Ch.10(1) | Ch.10(2) | Ch.10(3) | Ch.10(4) | Ch.10(5) | Ch.10(6) | Ch.10(7) | Ch.11(1) | Ch.11(2) | Ch.11(3) | Ch.12(1) | Ch.12(2) | Ch.12(3) | Ch.12(4) | Ch.13(1) | Ch.13(2) | Ch.13(3) | Ch.13(4) | Ch.14(1) | Ch.14(2) | Ch.14(3) | Ch.14(4) | Ch.15(1) | Ch.15(2) | Ch.15(3) | Ch.16(1) |

Ch.16: Attack (2)

Shikamaru is deep in a book, only sees him when Naruto is standing over him. The place is nice, there is a quiet breeze running and the tree gives the perfect amount of shade from the sun. Shikamaru used to spend his days cloud gazing before, now he reads. 

“What are you reading?”

“The seventh volume of Great Lord Sarutobi’s ‘The tactics of warfare’, why?”

Naruto snorts. “I’m on the fourth still.”

“Sucks to be you.”

An understatement. “Where’s Sakura?”

“Probably reading or practicing with Lord Minato, why?”

Naruto stands silent and Shikamaru puts his book aside, takes a good look at his lord. “What’s the matter?”

“What answer did you give to that tactical question, you know, the one where you’re surrounded by enemies and only have a way to retreat that passes through a city. A bunch of people, like 20 thousand or something.”

“24,763 people.”

“Yeah, weirdly specific. What did you do?”

Shikamaru rests his arms on his knee, deciding this conversation needs him at least sitting in place. “Gave an overly complex answer that ended with me and my dad reviewing all previous volumes and giving new answers to all of them. Sucked, I can tell you that much.”

Naruto snorts, “What fucking answer did you give?”

“Just,” Shikamaru sighs, “took the latest study that talked about the percentages of professionals in each city, with that info had an approximate of what I had at my disposal in the place, made a plan with that in mind. You know, architects and engineers, cooks and nurses and doctors. I had a pretty well formed structure that could last till reinforcements arrived. What did you do?”

“Evacuated. Made a front with battle-abled people, made do with whatever amount of healthcare workers we had. Dad told me it was a good plan, but reinforcements would still be late and then what?” Naruto looks to the sky, uninterested. “Then I told him I would keep the enemy at bay till reinforcements arrived and he told me that that wasn’t wise and that the Nine-Tails is a trump card. I told him this situation seemed like one that needed a trump card and he told me that that wasn’t the case, cue me asking then when would a situation require the use of the Beast and he got real fucking quiet.”

“Naruto,” a whisper.

“So I may or may not have raised my voice a little and asked why the hell do I have this monster inside of me if it won’t do shit for our people.”

“Just you being a Beast Tamer is enough to help our people a great deal, my lord.”

Shikamaru’s obvious attempt at assuaging him is enough to make Naruto even madder. “My father loves me and that makes him resilient to use my power. Which I think is pretty fucking dumb.”

“My lord…”

“Your father is one of my father’s and grandma Mito’s most trusted counselors, and you will be mine when we come of age.” His eyes zero in on Shikamaru, annoyance seeping out of his body. “Will you also not use my power because you care for me?”

“I think I would try my hardest to keep that option out of the table, my lord.”

“But if it came down to it?”

Shikamaru keeps quiet. Because he doesn’t know the answer. 

No. Lies. He knows, he just doesn’t want to admit that his feelings are for once messing with his decision skills. “You are asking a very difficult question, my lord.”

Naruto snorts. “Shikamaru.” His friend averts his eyes. “Shikamaru,” Naruto repeats, his voice a little lower. More commanding. Shikamaru locks eyes with him. “I need you to promise me.”

“My lord…”

“I need you to promise me that when the time comes you will be able to use me as an asset without caring for my wellbeing but for the people we are responsible for.”

Shikamaru is silent.

“I find it frustrating, you know," Naruto snarls. "Would I like to change my situation? Sure. But I have long given up on even entertaining the idea of this life of mine changing. So I have been forced to come face to face with this, right? This Beast,” Naruto’s hand grabs at his stomach, “is as much a part of me as I will ever be. Does that make sense? I won’t ever exist without it, so it’s me. I am the Beast. And I’m paying the price for it.

“So when people tell me that they won’t use the Beast. That they won’t use me. Even when it is a viable course of action. Even when it’s the best course of action given the circumstances I just… I grow frustrated, you know.”

“It’s difficult to see you as an asset when you’re my friend.”

“We have responsibilities, Shikamaru. I have responsibilities. I am a weapon, a destructive one. One that could change the tide of battle in a second. And I need to know, when the time comes, that you will be able to use it properly.” Naruto blows a frustrated sigh. “So,” he repeats, “can you promise?”

Shikamaru is silent.

“Shikamaru.”

And Shikamaru thinks. He racks his brain searching for words that can simmer down Naruto’s mood. All of them cater to emotions and he knows Naruto will spit them out, not before munching on them and sneering in contempt. He is only left with logic and logic says-

Logic says what he doesn’t want to share.

Naruto sighs. A tortuous sound that seems to leave him completely deflated. “I need you to be the voice of reason- of logic. I need you to be able to leave emotions aside and do what’s best to us all. Pure strategy. Pure victory.”

And it’s Naruto’s whispered confessions that steels Shikamaru’s resolve. So be it. His role in Naruto’s life is to offer counsel, to manage Naruto’s responsibilities with the respect his lord gives them. And Naruto is nothing but a man bound by duty. 

“I understand,” he breathes. Quiet and short in hopes of maybe getting out of this predicament just by not being heard.

But Lord Naruto’s senses are heightened, and his whole body perks up at his words.

At his promise.

“You must remember, Shikamaru. You must.”

Shikamaru’s answer was not with words, but with actions. He threw himself even harder at his studies, bringing Sakura with him. No words were shared but her eyes lit up at his devotion in understanding. 

Shikamaru never asked if she had been subjected to a similar conversation with Lord Naruto, but he knew that even without one she would understand his motives. Her eyes were bright with the same fears he would catch in the mirror. 

Naruto would laugh at them and their solemnity and whenever they would share their worries Naruto would smile. That knowing smile they came to love and fear. 

“It will be okay,” he would say. Because at the end of it all, they both knew their lord’s life wasn’t a top priority for him. It was terrifying. 

“Keep me close to him,” Sakura would whisper, when they were away from prying eyes. A plea tinged with desperation. “I can heal him, just keep me close to him.” 

And she did. Time and time again. She was destruction incarnate, would keep her lord away from trouble because she would be able to fix it alone. Until she couldn’t.

Naruto brought Shikamaru to his face, their noses almost touching. Shikamaru’s feet dangling over the floor. He didn’t put up a fight. He also thought he deserved a punch in the gut. 

“Never again,” Naruto threatened. Sakura’s body behind closed doors, the beeping of machines the only sound Shikamaru was willing to hear. They meant she was still with them. “You hear me?” 

Naruto shook him, his voice a dangerous growl. And Shikamaru agreed.

“Never again.”

Danger ensued a delicate dance of moving pieces and resources and Shikamaru battled thousands of fights in his mind before ever making a move. The ridiculous amount of hours he had spent reading strategies and going over battle plans with his father was no longer ridiculous or agonizing. It had been just right. 

“No,” Sakura said once. “You can’t go there on your own.”

“Yes, I can,” Shikamaru corrected. He would. “It’s our best choice.”

“Change it then, we can’t put you at risk.”

A beat of silence no one dared to breach. 

“If you have a better plan-” Shikamaru started. Pure disdain in his voice.

“I have one, yes, send me.”

“No.”

Their eyes locked and Shikamaru could see his own fear in her eyes. So they both thought the other was irreplaceable, huh.

“I could go,” a voice interrupted. And from there on Kiba joined their ranks. 

A team was born. And when Kiba dragged in Shino one day, Shikamaru’s brain brimmed with possibilities. But most importantly.

All of them shared the one knowledge he couldn’t give others but was imperative they all knew.

Lord Naruto’s life was top priority, even against his better judgment. 

They never shared their thoughts with their lord. 

“What’s the plan?” 

A simple question with so many answers Shikamaru remains silent. He can feel his lord’s energy, the waves of heat emanating from his body. To be useful. To bring peace to his people.

“We wait for Gaara’s team to arrive. They’ll have more intel, as of now our best position is right here.” 

Naruto nods then paces. He reads and rereads information Shikamaru is sure he has already memorized. He remains quiet. Lord Naruto has always found it extremely hard to keep away from trouble. His sense of responsibility in such a level Shikamaru has always dreaded it. He knows only one way to quench it. Feed him knowledge.

“It’s safe to assume this is it. Either this is the start of more concentrated attacks or this is their concentrated attack. I’m going for the former, it’s sloppy at best. They only have the Six-Tails so far and, I don’t want to give us false hope, but with just one of the Beasts on their side we can manage. Lord Gaara is coming as backup and Lady Yugito is to protect the lands near the Sand. Their attacks will bring them here. To our turf. We have the advantage in that regard. We have already sent evacuation notices to the villages nearby. Our people are aware of what's coming, we will receive structural damages but as long as it's our territory we can manage. We have sent scouts and we will know when they're coming. As long as Lord Minato and Lord Jiraiya get there we will be able to face the Six-Tails." Shikamaru brings a piece of paper in front of him, "One, two and Nine-Tails are on our side, three and Five-Tails have been sealed by other clans and kept secret and, frankly, they wouldn't interest Madara that much. Four-Tails is here and ready to explode if need be, but I wouldn't recommend it, we don't want to free more Beasts. Madara has the Six-Tails and the Seven-Tails was sealed by Lord Minato and Lord Jiraiya, so if Madara is doing this now it means that he somehow has gotten hold of the Eight-Tails…"

"Are you sure?"

  A beat. And Shikamaru is sure of it, "It doesn't make sense otherwise." He scribbles on a piece of parchment, opens the door and signals for a guard to send the message. "Hurry up."

  Shikamaru somehow feels time has slowed down. "My lord," Naruto's eyes are the bluest he has ever seen. "You are to stay here until further notice." Naruto nods, solemn and quiet. "When the time comes, if the time comes…"

"You will call for me."

There is a force compelling Shikamaru to leave now and leave the words unsaid. A deep need not to say what's next. His frown deepens and he remembers his promise. His duty. The role his lord has entrusted him. 

"Yes, my lord. When the time comes I will send for you."

Because it is no longer a matter of if and they both know it. 

Naruto lets out a shuddery breath, but he smiles. An encouraging smile Shikamaru despises.

"Okay, I'll stay here."

[megashadowdragon]

This theory is presented by Sakura-san (twitter . com/back_to_death_/) and builds up from the very same theory known in the English Community, which I partially helped found back when Volume 20 came out in Japan back in 2019. Do make sure to follow Sakura-san please, he produces high quality Re: Zero Content!

This document will be a direct translation of his post found here:

However, I might also write some of my thoughts at the end. I will clearly mark those as being my content.

About the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint and Reid

Right after the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint left Theresia, the Sword God vanished from her side. Meaning, it’s okay to assume that the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint and the Sword God are linked. (From the first image in the references section in this document) - Though Theresia and Reinhard have the Dragon Sword Reid in common, in Theresia’s battle against Pandora-sama, although she had the Dragon Sword with her, she became unable to hear the voice of the Sword God, so the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint is almost certainly the one.

And Reinhard knows Reid’s personality = There’s a high chance they’ve talked. You could think of one way for Reinhard to be aware of Reid’s personality, who died 400 years ago, would be to talk to the Reid who’s in the Pleiades Watchtower. However, given that Reinhard hasn’t been able to reach the tower, that thread of thought disappears. Then, from where did Reinhard become aware of Reid’s personality?

Unless Reinhard has an undisclosed ability, where he can talk to the dead, or stuff like that, the only possibility that I can think of is the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint.

In other words, The Divine Protection of the Sword Saint = Sword God = Reid.

I think there’s a big chance that Reid, who is the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint itself, is choosing the next Sword Saint using his own judgement and biases. He specifically chose Theresia from the siblings, and the reason he did, I think, is because of something like “That one is gonna be fun” and “Theresia’s talents (potential ability) were the highest”. Given Reid’s personality, it’s probably something like that. 

And I think the Sword God = Reid was laughing at Theresia as he saw her suffering. Speculation.

So, it’s my theory from here on out, but getting straight to the point, I believe “Reid’s soul was sealed into the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint using Volcanica’s power.”

Firstly, I definitely believe the reason why Reid has become the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint is down to the involvement of the Od Lagna which can make Divine Protections.

And on top of that, I conjecture that there was some involvement from the Divine Dragon Volcanica there.

We know that Volcanica has the ability to “tie down a soul to a specific place” as shown in image 2 in the references section. The reason Volcanica tied Echidna’s soul down was for her “halting power against the Witch of Envy”.

And Volcanica, desiring the power to halt the Witch of Envy, used the “tying down a soul” ability that he’d also used on Echidna, to seal Reid’s soul in the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint. That’s what I think.

Next, the points in common between the Od Lagna and Volcanica

Namely, the Pleiades Watchtower. 

Reid’s Book of the Dead, that was in the Great Library Pleiades, had been emptied, and from it, it was connected to the Od Lagna. And for the Books of the Dead, the sediments of one’s soul (memories and experiences), which are cleared by the Od Lagna, are made into them. Meaning that Flugel, the one who made the Books of the Dead, built the library that he used, while understanding the mechanisms of the Od Lagna.

Given that, I think there’s the chance that he knows a way to connect to the Od Lagna.

The Od Lagna is a mechanism for keeping the world from breaking, and if Reid’s power is handed over as the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint, it’ll end up becoming a means to deal with the calamity that would come someday as written in Echidna’s Book of the Dead, or so I think.

Putting aside the intentions for one moment, creating the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint as a deterrent against the breaking of the world fits with the Od Lagna’s purpose of keeping the world from breaking.

And, The Divine Dragon Volcanica, who was similarly on the first floor of the Pleiades Watchtower, bound a covenant with Flugel, where he’d be carrying out the role of an Examiner of the Tower.

The three heroes who stopped “The Great Calamity”, where the Witch of Envy almost destroyed the world: i.e. Flugel, Reid and Volcanica joined forces, while Flugel found a way to connect with the Od Lagna. Volcanica and Reid bound a covenant (a covenant is a contract that spans through a family) and after Reid’s death (or before he died), Reid became the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint itself.

The reason why Reid cooperated is unknown. However, I think the chance of him cooperating is there, if you persuade him with: “You’ll be able to experience interesting stuff after death as well”.

The Od Lagna, who wants to keep the world from breaking, Volcanica, who desires the power to halt the Witch of Envy, Flugel, who wants to save the Witch of Envy and stop her (probably), and Reid (theoretically), who wants to experience some interesting stuff, probably joined forces to manufacture the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint. A Divine Protection that dwells only in a specific family, for the purpose of having a power against the Witch of Envy to halt her. That’s what I’ve contemplated.

Flugel found a way to connect to the Od Lagna, Volcanica tied down Reid’s soul as the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint, and Reid dwelled in the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint.

---

And that’s Sakura-san’s theory! The one extra I should mention, is that in DMs, we discussed the ideas a while and one thing I noted was the Divine Protection of Windbreak found in the Earth Dragons - which are said to have been created by Volcanica itself. A similar method might have been used by the “Three Heroes” for their Divine Protection as the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint. I’ll enclose the bit from EX 3 below, under image 3 in the references. 

(Note: This bit was not translated directly from Sakura-san and is instead presented from my point of view, since I introduced the connection to the Earth Dragons to Sakura-san itself.)

There were also some other things we discussed briefly, including how Volcanica is likely classified as an Observer tier entity, if Stride can be believed in The Sword Demon Battle Ballad - just like the Od Lagna. Meaning that creating Divine Protections is something which he too can do by default. Either way, I hope you all enjoy the theory, which builds up from the known Divine Protection of the Sword Saint = Sword God = Reid theory that was introduced circa 2019ish in the EN Community.

references

1.

2.

3.

from the source above

[mvrstoreaus]

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which means you can place your mobile on the charger with the case on. The 1mm screen lip and camera bezel will provide your camera ultimate protection and the zero delay metal buttons make this case even more incredible.

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It is compatible with all accessories, including wireless charging. With microfiber internal lining, this case keeps your phone scratch-free

and the 1MM screen lip and 4MM camera offer screen and camera lens protection.This iphone 15 Pro Liquid Silicon Case, Impact IMD case for enhanced corner protection provides your iPhone 15 Pro with excellent protection thanks to anti-shock air pockets and shockproof technology.

This impact IMD case successfully completed the 6.5-foot drop test thanks to a 1.1 MM metal camera ring that protects the camera lens.

The side volume buttons made of aluminum with zero delay offer the best pressing comfort. Additionally, the MagSafe wireless charging offers convenient hands-free charging.

[king-of-better]

Drama CD: Side GaoGaiGar

Number.EX: Again -SAIKAI-

This Drama CD was released with the first volume of GaoGaiGar Vs Betterman: The Comic. Aside from the drama tracks, it includes an alternate OP, Yushao Tanjou! Fable Ver.

2007: To G-Island City

Mamoru recalls being sent back by ES Missile, and finally reunites with Hana, and learns of his Kaidou reassured her earlier. He pledges to live with her as a human.

2010: GGG Orbit Base

Yamajii makes some reports, as Mamoru recalls how they all joined Juvenile GGG and agreed to participate in Project Z to rescue everyone. But then the Invisible Burst happened, putting Project Z on indefinite hold. Lamia recalls his battles and loss of Seeme, as Mamoru recalls their encounter, and warning of the Conqueror King and it making all into light. Because of the Invisible Burst, even though GaiGaiGo successfully formed, they couldn't go to rescue everyone, but they signed up to GGG under Akamatsu all the same.

2014: Kamome 1st High School - Class after school

Mamoru is surprised to learn Hana has decided not to take her college entry exams, she shows him she has passed the GGG enlistment exams, and intends to join GGG after graduating. As Mikoto was for Gai, she wants to be for him and Kaidou, Mamoru a little jealous she's also supporting him. Hana notes he and Ikumi call eachother by their given names now, and they decide to try dropping the honorifics with eachother, but are embarrassed up until Hinoki suddenly contacts Mamoru via complicated systems, tears the younger pair, and informs them of a Bionet Robo appearing in North America, and so Shoryu will pick him up to rendezvous with Wadatsumi en route, they wind up sticking to honorifics.

2016: Bionet HQ

Project Z is finally about ready to start, Mamoru really wishing to see his brother figure, the Global Wall is about ready to launch and then Project Z will go. GGG hold a briefing on the plan to attack GGG HQ, Akamatsu joking with Tsuguo. The mission proceeds, Mamoru finding Alouette and is attacked by a Beastman, and saved by Ikumi. Mamoru is nonplussed by Alouette, who is soon welcomed aboard Orbit Base by Akamatsu.

2016: At Jupiter

Project Z has reached Jupiter, only to witness the Conqueror King, in the form of Genesic, converting the planet into a black hole. Lamia makes Limpid Channel contact to confirm Mamoru's suspicion what he sees is not in fact Genesic. GaoGaiGo deploys, while Lamia leads his fellow Somnium into battle, forming Bettermen, but they can't stop the home forming even as Sakura warns it is coming.

The voice of Shishioh Gai emerges over the radio, Alouette speaking to him, expressing joy to hear from him. Akamatsu launches XF-111 at her prompting, and Gai emerges aboard, GaoFar forms to support GaoGaiGo, surprised by Mamoru's voice, but they need to focus on Triple Zero, Lamia concurring. Alouette initiates Final Fusion for GaoFighGar. Lamia observes the power below, and joins the kings of Braves on fighting their corrupted partner.

Mamoru, as Gutsy Global Guard Mobile Unit Captain, formally welcomes back Gutsy Galaxy Guard Captain Gai. Gainis shocked to learn it's been 9 years, as for him it's been days, but he lost track of the rest of GGG after they were consumed by Triple Zero. The promise to discuss all they can while journeying back, but their enemy now is not just the Conqueror King.

2017: South Australia Power Plant

Gai calls out Betterman Lamia, lying in wait for him to have their fated battle, who calls Evoluder Guy his natural enemy, Gai accepts his challenge.

[noizchild]

What This Week Looks Like:

Monday:

Mars and Heaven (Cowboy Bebop, Stories 22-27)

Summary: A long story of lemon romances of Spike and Sakura.

Tea Leaves and Crismon Nails (Wasteland 2011, Hetalia, Durarara, D.Gray-Man, Match Seven)

Summary: Vol. 12 is up. The toxic dark is spreading all over the world. The Dark Circus is spreading all over Europe with more people disappearing every day. Meanwhile, Ju is haunted by dreams of a plague doctor in red and the shadowy figure of a woman standing over her son’s crib. She has the feeling that something isn’t right. And she isn’t the only one who feels it.

Tuesday-Saturday:

High Fever (Original, Chapters 19-23)

Summary: Twenty-one-year-old Okawa Toshiki has been out of the war and military for close to two years. He has nowhere to go and no real future to speak of. That was until fifteen-year-old Taria Yumi finds him sitting in front of an empty house near her neighborhood and takes her home him with. There seems to be something about her that is familiar. Toshiki can’t quite put his finger on it. Maybe Yumi could be the reincarnation of an old love? But such a thing can’t be possible, right?

Wednesday:

Dark Side of Wonderland (Wasteland 2011, Hetalia, Durarara, D.Gray-Man, Halo Zero)

Summary: Vol. 12 is up. Core story of the Wasteland Project. Winter is coming. With it brings an interloper. Somebody wants the tadpoles dead. They will go to great lengths for their blood. Chisa and the Ten no Shin'en are rising faster than the main players can keep up. More elements and factors drag Ikebukuro through a new era of suffering. With the city plunged into darkness, only one question remains: Who the hell killed Izaya?

Tengoku.Chikyu.Jigoku (Ghost Hound, Volume Thirteen, Chapter Six)

Summary: Time is running out. Masayuki might have to complete his mission on his own. It’s a good thing the child-souls are guiding the path. However, he keeps slipping through time. Meanwhile, Baby Doll’s soul fragment is escaping on her end. However, her captor won’t let her go so easily. Meanwhile, everyone on the outside is there to help with the fight. But is it going to be enough?

Sunday:

Winter Blossoms (Original, Chapters 13-14)

Summary: A strange man finds a pregnant woman and her two-year-old daughter along an empty road.