yuesya

[yuesya]

Update!

New chapter for zenith of stars is up!

Chapter 89 (update #95) has been posted.

FFN | AO3 | SB

[yuesya]

Morax looks out into the distance, carefully calm and unmoving.

Overhead, dark clouds churn restlessly. Low rumbling echoes through the air, accompanied by faint reverberations that shake the ground underfoot

Yet is not the sound of storm-thunder as so many mortal denizens of Guili believe it to be, but of battle instead.

Above the frost-sealed mountains where the proud kingdom of Sal Vindagnyr once stood, fierce winds rip through another peak point like a knife tearing through paper, gouging deep into the landscape. But jagged spires of ice burst up to meet the winds, piercing into the eye of the storm fearlessly. For a brief moment, Cryo clashes against Anemo –before both energies disperse and scatter explosively, neither successfully overpowering the other.

There is a brief lull of stillness, but Morax knows that it will not last.

Andrius and Decarabian are bitter enemies warring over the territory to the north. One the Lord of Beasts, and the other the Champion of Men. One allows their children to feast upon humans, while the other executes all beasts without question. It is no wonder that the enmity between them runs deep, and this battle between the two gods was a long time coming.

Andrius has waited many, many years for an opportunity to destroy Decarabian. The disappearance of the Divine Nail over Sal Vindagnyr, coupled with the mysterious absence of Decarabian’s presence… it’s no wonder that Andrius gathered his legions, and attacked.

But Decarabian was not one to be underestimated. The two gods have been battling for nearly a month now, and it does not appear that a victor will be decided anytime soon.

… If anything, their battle is growing ever more vicious, and the area affected by their conflict is expanding. It’s why Morax is here, guarding the borders of Guili’s territory with the yaksha under his command.

In the waters to the east, the waves churn restlessly. As expected, Osial is also observing the battle from the ocean depths.

A piercing howl echoes in the distance. Morax focuses his gaze, and watches as a massive wolf with a vivid cerulean coat leaps through the air, fanged jaws closing over a white-haired child.

But even despite the loss of strength that had forced them into a juvenile form, the God of Storms does not go down easily. There is a single moment where they disappear entirely from sight, and then the wolf that devoured them is shredded into pieces by razor-sharp winds. But instead of flesh and blood, it’s only shards of ice and snow that fall from the sky.

Andrius re-materializes from the ongoing blizzard on another mountaintop. Decarabian tilts their head and turns to face them, blue eyes glowing.

And then the mountain behind them –falls.

An avalanche, and there is no doubt that Andrius is the culprit. In the moment that Decarabian is distracted by scattering the snow that is about to crush them, Andrius’ claws tear through their body; it’s the only thing that Morax is able to see, before Decarabian’s Anemo energy wavers, and they are buried beneath the avalanche together.

Has a victor finally been decided?

Morax can still sense Cryo energy clashing against Anemo, but… there’s no doubt that the Anemo signature is weakening. It appears that Decarabian has finally reached their limit, then. Haagentus and Marchosias would need to be informed about this; the rise of a Beast-King who ruled the northern lands unchallenged would be–

Something in the air shifts.

Morax sucks in a short, sharp breath, “This is…?”

The black clouds hanging over Sal Vindagnyr darken even further, almost seeming to tremble beneath an invisible force.

Then, massive bolts of lightning hurtle down from the heavens all at once in a veritable flood of light.

[yuesya]

Have you given any thought to an AU where Shiki activated her powers but her connection to the Gojo clan wasn't known or obvious? Like she was raised by her mother with an unknown father and maybe hide or lack distinct Gojo features. I imagine Nanami would try to shield her from the sorcerer world but eventually need help in dealing with her abilities.

In a world where the Nanami grandparents are less kind and believe in conservative jujutsu ideals, Nanami Shizuka and Nanami Kento grow up acutely aware of the jujutsu world.

Shizuka was neither born with the ability to see cursed spirits nor cursed energy of any note. She still meets Gojo Arata, still falls in love -but in this world Shizuka is more timid and fearful thanks to her grandparents' upbringing, and Gojo Arata bows to the pressure exerted upon him by his sister to marry a suitable partner for the good of the Tobiume family.

So when Shizuka discovers that she's pregnant with Arata's child, she runs.

Years later as a first year student in the Tokyo jujutsu school, Nanami Kento finds his sister living in a rural village with a young daughter. A daughter who looks nothing like either of her parents, but looks strikingly like Gojo Satoru instead -minus the eyes.

Shizuka doesn't want her daughter to become a sorcerer. The Gojo hair color can be hidden using hair dye, and for a while it seems that all will be well-

And then an accident leaves Shizuka dead and Shiki with glowing blue eyes.

[yuesya]

Can Reverse Curse technique grow back a pair of eyes that was plucked? Can MEoDP and Six Eyes be transplanted? What if Satoru and Shiki gave their eyes to Yuta to be transplanted/eaten by Rika? How strong would Yuta be?

I presume that it would be possible for an individual with cursed eyes to grow back the eyes as they were if they somehow lost them. However, assuming that the eyes were removed from the individual in question, they're going to lose the special ability attached to them. In zos-verse, cursed eyes only work in context of the body of the user in question. (Think of it like taking a freshwater fish and expecting it to survive in seawater, or something like that.)

So no, there's not going to be any easy way to cheat the system and get a convenient (if slightly morbid) power-up via the method you're describing. The only way that Yuta is getting Six Eyes is if he follows the same method as what we see in JJK canon.

[yuesya]

I have a question if you don’t mind me asking, I was wondering if “As Fire Blazes on the Horizon” will be continued eventually or is it discontinued since it’s been about 9-10 years since the last update and sorry if I sound rude, bossy or mean in anyway

Discontinued!

[yuesya]

Ko-fi Update

Chapter 91 (update #97) for zenith of stars is up on Ko-fi. Thank you very much for the support!

Chapter 91: LINK

.

Chapter 89 and 90 are also available in advance:

Chapter 90: LINK

Chapter 89: LINK

.

Extra this week is for an earlier Genshin Impact plot bunny!

LINK

.

December WIP Voting Poll: LINK

[yuesya]

“Hmm.”

The one-armed Kuranta standing beside him in the rocky mountainside slants a sideways glance towards him. “Is that all you have to say? Just ‘hmm?’”

Dario shrugs. “Well, what else did you expect me to say?”

He can’t say that he’s surprised that Salome refused to eat Eligius. It had been a bit of a shot in the dark to begin with, anyways; they couldn’t say for sure if Salome was truly rotting away due to her Necrotic inheritance, and… they weren’t really sure about Salome’s dietary habits, either. Dario didn’t know much about Nachzehrers, and he had no idea if they were obligatory cannibals or if their bodies literally starved without blood and flesh to sate their hunger.

Their young leader had no qualms about killing people who broke the rules that she laid down in Arkos, but Dario doesn’t think he’s ever seen her eat any of them. Nor have any residents of Arkos ever gone mysteriously missing overnight, so it’s probably safe to say that Salome isn’t making anyone into a midnight snack.

Dario has no idea how this impacts her, though. Salome certainly doesn’t look like she’s starving, but the blackened hands… are they a sign of starvation, or merely cosmetic? Will there be any negative effects if a half-Nachzehrer child does not follow the traditional Nachzehrer diet?

Even Salome doesn’t know the answer. How could she, when she was orphaned at a young age and had no family to turn to?

… In hindsight, living habits and other necessities for Nachzehrers is something that they probably should’ve asked their unexpected Nachzehrer visitors before they left. But no one had thought to do so at the time. They’d all been far too wary of the Nachzehrers to even entertain the thought. And from the way that some of those Nachzehrers had reacted… well, Dario wouldn’t have been surprised if they’d attempted to kidnap Salome from Arkos.

Not that it was very likely that they would’ve succeeded. After all, Salome was strong. There’s a reason why she’s the undisputed leader of Arkos despite her young age, and it has nothing to do with the fact that she was the sole original resident here.

… In fact, it’s because Salome lived here that a settlement even started growing in the first place, despite the treacherous terrain.

Dario can’t say that he understands the decision to live by oneself in the middle of nowhere. In Siracusa, the famiglia means everything, and Dario had grown up surrounded by people.

He likes talking to and interacting with other people. Poking and prodding them, and seeing what makes them tick.

Salome is hard to read. Dario has been here for nearly half a year already, and he still doesn’t have a good read on their young leader. But if she had been born a donna in one of the famiglias back in Siracusa… heh, the balance of power would definitely see some major upheaval with her on the stage.

But the power struggles between the famiglias back in Siracusa have nothing to do with Dario now. He’s a lone wolf now, and none of that has anything to do with him anymore.

Right now, Dario is just a simple resident of Arkos, whose greatest troubles are worrying what to do about his leader’s possibly-cannibalistic dietary needs… and farming.

Dario lifts the shovel in his hands, and shoves it into the hardened earth. There’s a harsh clang; the sound of steel striking stone.

“… Maybe we should try turning the earth somewhere else,” Eligius says. “Salome said to let her know once we’ve figured out how to grow potatoes… Do you think Nachzehrers need to eat potatoes?”

Dario rolls his eyes, “Oh, I’m sure they do.”

[yuesya]

Update!

New chapter for zenith of stars is up!

Chapter 88 (update #94) has been posted.

FFN | AO3 | SB

[yuesya]

my advice to anyone who’s thinking about writing as a hobby would be that if you’ve already started thinking about it there’s nothing i can say that will save you so let it rip dude

[yuesya]

According to the legends, the wind barrier surrounding Mondstadt had been raised after a terrible, vicious battle. The Dominator of Wolves had rallied his kin, and sought to slay the hated enemy of all Beast-kin, the Great Hunter who was Lord and Protector of Men. For the Wolf-Lord had heard whispers that the Great Hunter had been injured while fighting a monster from a far-off land, and thus Andrius the King and Father of Beasts finally saw an opportunity to put an end to a hated enemy.

But the Wolf-Lord’s efforts would be in vain; the Great Hunter had struck the beast-god with a wound that would not heal until it renounced its enmity against mankind. Angered, the Dominator of Wolves had attempted to bury Mondstadt in an unending storm of ice and snow in retaliation.

Lord Decarabian had countered this by raising howling winds around the territory of Mondstadt, keeping out the Wolf-Lord’s curse.

…

Ventus is very familiar with the legends. There are at least a dozen versions of it written down in song and poetry, praising Decarabian’s might and majesty, and even though the details differ, the general gist of it remains the same. The patron god of Mondstadt had fought a terrible battle against the beast-god of Wolvendom, and the wind barriers that surround Mondstadt to this very day are the results of that conflict.

“… It’s all true?”

Knight-Captain Kairos Imunlaukr nods solemnly. “Legends grow and are embellished over time –but my clan has kept records of this since our founding days. We were not native to Mondstadt; our ancestors once pleaded with many different gods for assistance when disaster struck our homeland… and the Lord of Storms was the only one who stepped forward to help us, even at great cost to themselves. But the Beast-King learned of Lord Decarabian’s momentary weakness, and led his armies to attack Mondstadt. The results…”

The results in the history that Ventus learned painted it as a victory. Lord Decarabian had defeated the King of Beasts and dealt them a near-mortal blow, and the Gale Knights had driven the Horde away and out of Mondstadt’s borders. But at the same time, the curse of ice and snow that the Wolf-Lord had left behind and the impenetrable walls of wind that had been raised in response to that…

“If the wind barrier comes down,” Ventus says slowly, “Does that mean the Wolf-Lord’s curse is still…?”

“From what we’ve heard from foreign travelers that manage to find their way through the barrier, all paths leading to Mondstadt are surrounded by permanent snow,” the Knight-Captain responds. “But… it’s far less severe than what the legends paint it as. Currently, I do not believe that Mondstadt would be overwhelmed by ‘accursed winter’ if the barrier were to disperse… but I know better than to underestimate a god’s strength. If Lord Decarabian has chosen not to lift the barrier, then it must be for a reason.”

A curse was not what Ventus had expected to encounter in his mission to get rid of the barrier surrounding his home. But it’s a valid reason to be concerned. If that is what Decarabian is protecting all of them from… Ventus is thankful.

But at the same time, Mondstadt can’t continue on like this, cut off from the outer world forever. Resources are running thin, and–

And Ventus knows that he’s not the only person who wishes to step outside this cage. A cage made of goodwill is still a cage, in the end. It might sound ungrateful, but…

But compared to slowly withering away under a god’s protection, Ventus would rather brave the unknown dangers that await them outside.

He’s not about to charge into this blindly, though. And since the reason why the barrier exists is because of the Wolf-Lord’s curse, and the potential threat of it is why the barrier continues to stand to this day, then it means…

It means that if Ventus wants to convince Decarabian to get rid of the wind barrier, then the first order of business is to make sure that the Wolf-Lord’s curse isn’t an issue anymore.

Ventus has no idea how to go about breaking an angry beast-god’s curse, but… well. There has to be a way, right?

They’ll find a way to solve this. For Mondstadt, and for the future.

“I will not betray Lord Decarabian and work against their commands. However, I… will ensure that your petition reaches their ears,” the Knight-Captain tells him quietly. “I know of your concerns, and I can’t say that I haven’t harbored similar thoughts before. But I trust that Lord Decarabian would not do anything that would harm Mondstadt. That the barrier continues to stand, with no signs of dissipating… perhaps there may yet be other circumstances that we aren’t aware of as well.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Ventus says determinedly. “And… thank you. For hearing me out, and for agreeing to petition Lord Decarabian regarding this matter.”

“You’re not the only one with concerns about the eternal barrier, Ventus. Thank you for being brave enough to speak of this to me.”

[yuesya]

It’s taken me this long to realize, but it’s a bit ironic that the plot of zenith naturally led to Shiki being assigned to protecting Yuta considering the fact that Yuta’s the only canon JJK character that’s seemingly overtly inspired by a Kinoko Nasu character with Shirou Emiya (I was half expecting Sukuna to call him a “faker” during their fight lol)

Was there any intentionality in that duo of putting the two Nasu inspired characters together on your part or was it just a fun coincidence that was a logical direction for the plot to go?

It's a fun coincidence! With how things are set up in this story, I think Shiki's position as a "reliable" senpai to her underclassmen is something that makes sense as we reach the students' school years. This detail was also a bullet point in the story notes long before Okkotsu's Domain Expansion (an homage of sorts towards UBW) was revealed in the manga.

[yuesya]

Ko-fi Update

Forgot the Tumblr post for Ko-fi last week, whoops. Updates were all out on time, though!

Onto this week's Ko-fi updates:

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Chapter 90 (update #96) for zenith of stars is up on Ko-fi. Thank you very much for the support!

Chapter 90: LINK

.

Chapter 88 and 89 are also available in advance:

Chapter 89: LINK

Chapter 88: LINK

.

December WIP Voting Poll: LINK

[yuesya]

[yuesya]

Update!

New chapter for zenith of stars is up!

Chapter 87 (update #93) has been posted.

FFN | AO3 | SB

[yuesya]

Uzui Tengen skids backwards, gritting his teeth. Raising the cleavers in his hands, he blocks another overarching strike by the cackling demon’s blood scythes, then counters by twisting and swinging–

Too slow. Tengen knows this, even before he has finished the strike. There are dark spots dancing in front of his eyes, and the pain that courses through his body from the demon’s poison is excruciating –but even so, Tengen does not allow himself to waver.

He can’t afford to. Not when they’re fighting Upper Moon Six, and when he’s the only Pillar present. Not when his wives and the young demon slayers he’d brought into the investigation are all at risk here.

“What’s wrong, Pillar? You’re starting to get slower!” the demon taunts, guttural voice laced with malicious glee and bloodthirst.

“Me, slower? In your dreams!” Tengen laughs confidently, even though he knows that the demon is right.

Shit. If only he hadn’t gotten himself poisoned at the very start of the fight–!

But there was no use thinking about what-if’s, not in the middle of heated combat like this. If things continue any further, then Tengen is going to die from poison before he’s able to cut off the demon’s head. He can’t let that happen, which means that he–

The demon’s expression suddenly changes, jerking and whirling around away from Tengen.

An opening!

Tengen lets out an irritated ‘tsk’ when he only manages to take off one of Upper Moon Six’s arms; the demon had dodged at the last moment. Dodged, and pulled away, disengaging from Tengen and flipping over to glower at whatever caught its attention–

“… It’s you.”

Amid the rubble littering the ground from their battle, there is a white-haired girl standing at the other end of the street.

… That’s the girl that Oyakata-sama specifically sought out and recruited, for the feat of–

“You’re the one who killed Upper Moon Three,” Upper Moon Six snarls. Its severed arm regrows in a flash, and it scratches at itself, sharp nails digging into disfigured flesh and trailing long ribbons of blood behind them. “I’m not like him, though. I don’t mind killing women.”

Tengen sucks in a sharp breath as the demon bursts into motion.

“His blood is poisonous!” he shouts, attempting to warn the girl. “Don’t let yourself be cut by his scythes!”

“Is that what happened to you?”

Oh, she’s good. In a single instant she’d avoided the rotating scythes that Upper Moon Six hurled towards her, simultaneously cutting off the demon’s legs at the knees as she did so, all in one fluid line of motion that almost made it seem as if she were dancing.

Strange blue eyes peer towards Tengen for a moment, which should be reassuring but instead only sends a sudden chill down his spine.

The girl reaches out and pats his shoulder. “I can’t use reverse cursed technique on others. But you won’t die from the poison like this.”

“Of course. I’m a shinobi, no poison can take me down so easily!” Tengen boasts, not quite understanding the strange words that she’s using.

Gojo Shiki had not been trained as a Demon Slayer, but there was no denying that she had been trained. No one unfamiliar with the art of combat would be able to take down Upper Moon Three, after all. It’s both humbling and slightly terrifying to know that this young girl in front of him had killed a higher-ranked Upper Moon while Tengen had been struggling against the weakest of the Upper Moons here, but–

More than any useless thoughts like that, Tengen is glad that powerful reinforcement is here.

We can do this. We can kill Upper Moon Six!

“My legs… my legs aren’t regenerating,” the green-haired demon murmurs, and then its face twists into a vicious snarl. “Is this wisteria poison again? My body will neutralize it in no time–”

“And you won’t have the time to do that!” Tengen thunders, racing forward with his blade raised–

–to block a sudden spire of solid ice that comes hurtling down out of nowhere.

The temperature in their surroundings immediately drops as the ice comes down, and Tengen frowns. There was no doubt that this was another Blood Demon Art, but it wasn’t the one that Upper Moon Six had displayed with his blood scythes. That meant…

There’s another demon here.

“Oh dear.” A new voice sounds in the nighttime air –one that sounds almost sympathetic. “Looks like you’re having a hard time here, Gyutaro.”

Upper Moon Six Gyutaro, who’d just been rescued onto one of the nearby rooftops by this strange new demon, glowers darkly. “I didn’t need your help.”

“Really?” The new demon tilts its head, and leans down to examine Upper Moon Six. “But you’re taking so long to regenerate, Gyutaro. I was worried!”

“You were not.”

The new demon laughs, and lifts its gaze towards them. Tengen’s blood runs cold when he finally sees the characters etched into its opalescent eyes, illuminated by the firelight.

Upper Moon Two. “Ah, I’m so glad I decided to drop by!” The demon smiles invitingly, evidently delighted as it surveys them and claps its hands together. “I just had to come, y’know. After all, I heard that the demon slayer who killed Akaza was a lovely young lady with the most beautiful eyes. How could I possibly resist staying away after hearing that?”

[yuesya]

It's not a lie I swear!!

[yuesya]

Not Gojo clansmen casually inviting themselves into the Tobiume branch because Shiki is just plain reasonable and charitable compared to basically every over Branch Head, thereby increasing the actual power Shiki has as Tobiume Branch Head and slowly stacking the deck to make her responsible for more and more Gojo clansmen to the point where refusing to become Heir was worthless anyways, and at the same time fostering a loyal and competent workforce inspired by Shiki's own clumsy kindness and work ethic

Truly boggles the mind, doesn't it xD