#(notable exception: Shiki)

[waifuoftomonori]

Absolutely, yes. There are multiple instances in canon of Tomonori flexing his culinary chops (pun intended, I suppose); I think most notable is when he does all the cooking in the cabin with Shiki, and she thoroughly enjoys the results despite the lack of seasoning (which he’s worried about at first) and limited ingredients. He also helps make shaved ice that one time in a CD Drama, and it sounds like he knows what he’s talking about. I think he could poison food if he wanted but would not do so unmotivated, so we’re fine unless we’re actively trying to hurt Shiki or screw Kifu over or something.

Shiki has also been shown to have some cooking skills, although I’m not sure how much of the other characters’ enthusiasm for eating her food is because it’s genuinely delicious or because they’re all fiending for her and would happily eat anything halfway edible she served them. Downside to being an otome protagonist, I guess. (Personally, in my headcanon it’s the latter: I think she’s a decent cook, because she knows how to make a few different dishes, but she is not shown cooking either in her free time before she’s in a relationship or for her job, and I don’t think it would appeal to her more than other hobbies like swordfighting. Also it’s funny as hell to me to think of her serving up the equivalent of peanut-butter sandwiches and all the guys going “THIS IS THE MOST FANTASTIC THING ON EARTH” simply because she made it.)

Akifusa… Akifusa’s cooking skill has never been praised or disparaged in canon or any of the canon-adjacent stories, to my knowledge. I do not think his cooking is “kill someone or start a fire” levels of bad. However: he is impatient in day-to-day life (less so for longer goals) and has a strong aversion to umeboshi that has stopped him from eating it for years, which opens up the possibility of him shying away from bolder flavors in general. I think his food would likely be undercooked (or otherwise hastily prepared) and possibly underseasoned or bland. He might miss a semi-important step in the recipe. It would be cut really well, though. I don’t think you could fault his slicing technique. …Unless he got really enthusiastic about it partway through and ended up cutting his finger or something. He knows how to wield a sword. A sword has a very different weight and length from a kitchen knife.

I would still eat Akifusa’s food to be nice, because his face would crumple if I refused.

Every poll on this blog is about fictional characters only. This request was sent to us and we made a poll in response to it. Send any Blorbo-related question you want to our inbox and we’ll make a poll on which people can vote with their own Blorbos in minds

[yuesya]

Zenin Naoya had always known that Shiki-sama was the rare type of sorcerer powerful enough to shape the world around her simply through her existence alone. She’d single-handedly breathed life back into the withering Zenin Clan, after all, reminding them that a sorcery clan’s roots laid in indisputable strength rather than inane ceremony.

In fact, it was commonly said that Zenin Shiki’s most notable achievement was her reform of the Zenin Clan.

Naoya had always rolled his eyes and scoffed at those words, though. Because wasn’t it obvious that Shiki-sama’s influence didn’t just stop at the walls of the clan compound?

… However, he’s also starting to realize that his clan head’s very existence underpins a lot more than he’d ever expected, even despite that understanding.

Ugh. Naoya can’t believe that a flaky guy like Gojo Satoru is actually the pillar and backbone of jujutsu society in this world. The guy is strong, yeah –Naoya would look down on him and the Gojo Clan forever if he failed to make a name for himself despite possessing both Limitless and Six Eyes– but, seriously. Gojo Satoru, despite his perpetual flippancy, cares way too much about the existing power structure and what other people think to be any good at affecting notable change and getting things done.

Shiki-sama, on the other hand, is far more decisive and efficient.

If Shiki-sama were here, then the situation would never have devolved to its current point. Where Gojo Satoru had stupidly gotten himself sealed and students were the ones thrusted onto the front lines. Sorcerers were always in short supply, yeah, but things shouldn’t be this bad! Seriously, where were all the other sorcerers? Collectively hiding under rocks across the entire country??

From what Naoya has gathered of this world so far, Gojo Satoru set himself against the higher ups without actually having offered any significant resistance the past several years. Idiot. Threats only hold power when people believe that you’re willing to go through and act on them.

So, Naoya is guessing that the lack of manpower is primarily because of two things:

One, Gojo made enemies of the higher ups without having properly divested them of their power and authority. Hence the administration immediately turning difficult as soon as Gojo had been taken out of the equation via seal.

Two, Gojo has a terrible personality and is not nearly as charismatic as Shiki-sama. Only Geto would come running at his beck and call–

Oh wait, except that’s impossible, because Geto was already dead in this world! And currently his corpse was being puppeted by an ancient sorcerer who was sowing chaos across Japan. Plus publicly unveiling sorcery to the world at large, on the international stage.

And while they were at it, Toji and Tsukumo were also both dead. Somehow, inexplicably, Toji had died years and years ago at Gojo’s hands. Tsukumo had recently been killed by the aforementioned ancient sorcerer in a fight.

Are the standards for Special Grade just different in this world, or something? Since when did Special Grades die so easily?

Naoya sighs. “It’s almost impressive how you guys got rid of all your Special Grades.”

“No one ‘got rid’ of anyone,” Kusakabe immediately denies. Which is a big fat lie if Naoya has ever heard one. He gives the other sorcerer a thoroughly unimpressed look. “… Alright, that might’ve been bad phrasing on my part, but it’s not as if anyone deliberately wanted there to be less Special Grade sorcerers.”

It all seems like a long string of bad coincidences, doesn’t it? Shiki-sama never being born, Sumire-san dying and causing Toji to spiral and die at Gojo’s hands, Geto Suguru experiencing a mental break that also led him to eventually die at Gojo’s hands…

“Whatever,” Naoya shrugs. Not his world, not his problem. He’ll do what he can to help, because he’s a sorcery and it’s his duty to do so. But his priority will still be finding a method of returning to his world, where he belongs. Speaking of which, “I need to speak with Tengen-sama. When would you be able to arrange–”

Kusakabe coughs, “Tengen-sama is dead. Tsukumo’s death enabled the ancient sorcerer to reach Tengen-sama with no further obstructions.”

… Seriously?

[toskarin]

Why are the ones that concern what is near to Shiki the far side routes and the wider setting the near side???

there's the obvious connection of "arcueid isn't in the far side, and therefore the routes where you're near her are the nearside" but I also think it has a bit to do with how you aren't really uncovering secrets in near side

near side is about understanding things that exist above the plane of normal life, more specifically things that involve the changing surface of shiki's life. discounting a notable exception, the main characters of near side are not people from shiki's life, but people who enter into it. it's in the moonlight.

the far side, obscured in darkness, is about unravelling the depths of shiki's past and those close to him. there are things shiki might never know, things kept in the darkness of the tohno estate. the things near to shiki, in the end, aren't the things he would have assumed, looking in from the surface

of course you could also just read it as "near releases first, far is the other half"

[mamaito]

Do u have good dark Otome game recs??🥹 (Very pretty art btw)

Looking for a dark otome game is like looking for the oasis in the middle of the desert. That is a rare and specific thing to look for and sadly there's not many out there... A lot of dark dating games these days are not otome, they are more genderless player characters and cannot be labeled as such.

As much as I love the writing in Suicide Club, I do not want to promote it as it self proclaims to be an "Anti-Otome" and this constant need to stay away from being called as one instead of just using the label "VN with a female protagonist" puts a bad taste in my mouth. But also that there isn't really a "romance" to be had except for one. (Mimi's route and possibly Shiki if that's how you see it.)

The one I can recommend is the Infamous Diabolik Lovers, it tackles child abuse both sexually and physically, mental illness, rape, incest between mother and son, noncon and just overall an abusive relationship between the love interests. Though the MC is often given the side eye for being weak and submissive, she has no power to overthrow these vampires that will kill her instantly and the reason for why she was brought here is more grim once you understand what's going on. Yui has no choice but to either suck up or appease one of them in hopes of surviving.

There is already an english fan translation but it's only for the switch.

The second contender is Monochrome Heaven, art is not amazing but the story carries it. It is about this young girl who is selling matches in the street for a living till a man approaches to ask for her hand in marriage, if she doesn't comply or did not meet his expectations, he'll kill her. It is also a familial tragedy and you have three siblings to choose from and piece the story together, along with a cousin (Yes, you can choose him) and lastly the butler.

I'm afraid to say these are the notable ones...

We need to make more lol, if only I can program... Sigh...

[sihkei]

Chapter 1100 came out this Sunday, wow. 1100 chapters in. 100 chapters PAST chapter 1000. Just an insane amount of content for one series. Anyways, something funny I noticed, in the chapter is that when Kuma becomes the new warlord they say he replaced someone.

Some people are saying this is in reference to Jimbei but I really don't think so. He was a warlord up to Marineford, which is several years after the time this chapter takes place, so he, in this panel, is still a warlord. Look all of them are counted to total to seven

So who did Kuma replace? I initially thought it was Shanks maybe? It could explain in part the amount of clout he has with the Gorosei, which the arc is heavily expanding upon. Maybe it could explain how he amassed his territory before becoming an Emporer. But

This panel shows that this takes place when Luffy is about a teenager, nearing the age he set off to be a pirate give or take a year to a couple months. And by this time Shanks has been an established Emporer for like 10ish years. So if it was Shanks then there would be like a 12 year gap where the WG just didn't have a 7th Warlord. Which makes no sense to me.

And in the last couple panels Moria was already past his prime, which means he's made the Zombies, which means he's already collected the corpses of notable Rocks Pirates like Captian John, which means the former Rocks pirates we know are all ruled out (Shiki is MIA, Whitebeard is literally in the panel as an Emporer and so is Big Mom and Kaido. Glorosia is there, Stussy is in the current timeline a cohort of a warlord, Silver Axe is also a Moria zombie).

EXCEPT ONE.

Maybe it's Wangzhi? (Ochoku). Because in the current time of the manga we know he was the former owner of Full-o-lead Island. I'm guessing that's how he acquired the territory once owned by his captian, and somehow he fell out of grace with the government??

[studentofetherium]

OK fair. It just feels like the default Fate/Tsukihime/Nasu protagonist tends towards being generally respectable middle-class teenagers who, while somewhat alienated by their peers, aren't exactly completely outcast from school and society or just totally without regard for it's norms the way a lot of delinquents are. Just weird that not a single one of these guys feels remotely like Yusuke from YuYuHakusho.

okay let's tackle this protagonist by protagonist. your complaints are... that Nasu protagonists are too socialable/not disaffected enough, too middle-class, and they don't act like delinquents

Aoko is a punk. she's probably bisexual. she comes fr a family with generational wealth. she doesn't really have friends because she chased away the rest of the school by violently rejecting all the boys who tried to confess to her. she's also literally one of the five most powerful mages ever

Shiki Ryougi is an actual delinquent. she's rough with people and generally sticks on her own. it's notable when Mikiya starts talking to her. like Aoko, she comes from generational wealth, but specifically a family that's trained to fight demons. as such, she gets a sexual thrill out of murder

Shiki Tohno isn't a delinquent. he's a pretty standard student, one who doesn't really stand out much. he has two friends, but one of them (Satsuki) is strained. his social standing os basically none. he's the definition of someone who doesn't stand out. except, he also comes from generational wealth (sorta). he wants to fuck his sister. he also gets off on murder

Shirou is the most normal from a social sense. he had a large group of friends and mostly sticks in. however, he still lives in a mansion (a traditional Japanese one, this time). he's also an accidental wizard. he's a goody two-shoes who wants to make the world a better place. i guess he's the only one who really fits your complaint, but even then, it's a fundamental misunderstanding of who he is and what his character is doing

I'm not sure you've actually read any of Nasu's stories, and that instead you've just picked up stuff from what people have posted on tumblr. if you have read them... the gap between the text and your understanding is irreparable

[dragonmage08]

There's quite a few ways that Tohno Akiha being trans would affect things.

The Past: If they were camab then obviously they would look different, but even at an early age they'd have a different upbringing by virtue of gender norms and may be expected to react differently to things like not being as sad looking or as clingy towards their older sibling even at a young age perhaps. This would obviously probably be the least different, and of course if they were cafab then there wouldn't be any changes.

School: After Shiki gets sent off, things would obviously start to change more as they grew older. By middle school at least they'd probably have feelings of dysphoria whether they realize it or not. If they're a trans guy then they wouldn't feel like they'd fit in at an all girls school at all and resent their upbringing and possibly Shiki even more than before. If they were a trans girl then they would have never went to an all girls school in the first place and would have never met Seo Akira among others. They may even feel even more that they're taking the role that was meant for Shiki if they had a more male designated upbringing.

Post Massacre or Upheaval: Let's say that Akiha knows what being transgender is by this point to make things more interesting, and let's imagine that they'd have some way to acquire medication for it given their family's wealth and influence. Perhaps after everyone is gotten ridden of, just as Akiha invites Shiki back when he never would have been otherwise, Akiha decides before hand to start transitioning and taking on the appearence of whatever gender they may be. Whatever school they went to, they might try to switch at least to a co-ed school, maybe even change their name (though we'll keep calling them Akiha for the sake of simplicity). This would obviously cause them to look different as well as act different than what Shiki remembers after he arrives.

Shiki arrives: When Shiki shows up, Akiha obviously looks different from before, and he's caught off guard by their different gender appearence if they even recognize them at all. They might act slightly differently depending on their upbringing, notably if they were camab, and might act less like a fine lady and more like a dutiful master of the house of sorts perhaps. They could also deliberately try to contradict this upbringing by trying to act like the proper gender of class prestige that they are.

Relationship with Hisui and Kohaku: Hisui might feel more weary toward them if they see Akiha as a guy, though they could perhaps make some sort of at least slight exception or lenience towards them since they've lived together for so long. If they're a trans man then they might be more open to or even aware of the idea of being attracted to Kohaku. If they were a trans girl, they would also be able to acquire energy in a more traditional way (THE SEX). It can basically be summed up to more discomfort potential with Hisui and more intimacy potential with Kohaku. There could also be some more awkwardness when it comes to medical issues but of course as their maids, Hisui and Kohaku would be supportive each in their own ways.

Relationship with Shiki: It would probably throw Shiki off a bit that the younger sibling they remember was a different gender now and they could definitely be rude about it at least in their head at points, but they could get used to it potentially. Akiha would of course be prepared for this and understand their reaction but would probably ask that they refer to them as their gender and such. Shiki probably wouldn't be as attracted to them or highly question their feelings towards them as time goes on. He already can't seem to quite gauge whether them together would be incest or not throughout the route so they'd probably have sexuality confusion as well. He'd probably come around eventually though by virtue of being in an eroge and having mandated h-scenes for each route. There'd be a lot of "do you see me for who I am?" or "I understand why you wouldn't find me attractive" and "no I do find you attractive as this or that gender" and so on. It'd basically be Akiha being less secure and conversing through said insecurities followed by and perhaps during sex.

Relationship with SHIKI: SHIKI would probably be more hung up on the past and Akiha being different from what he remembers while Akiha would be firm that things are in fact different and that they don't see them as their brother and they need to accept it. Not much else to say here but it gets into this other thing.

The theme or whatever: The whole thing would add to the theme of nostalgia and past and being able to let go of it and move forward. SHIKI can't properly let go of their previous conception of Akiha and how things were and want to take it all back by force while Shiki can accept change and know how to move on and see things for what they are and people for who they are. I think it'd be very nice even if Akiha may not be the best representation given their whole deal with Shiki lol.

[verdantspringcourtyard]

Crown of Red Lotuses Event

A new ~1 week-long event that coincides with the release of Taishakuten. It's like a mix of SP Kiyohime's event, specifically the Mad Desire part of it, and the Mermaid King boss of Senhime's event. Consists of 2 main parts; Demon Domain Crusade and the Final Chapter of Good and Evil.

Demon Domain Crusade

Experience Taishakuten's and Asura's crusades against the Demon Domain. There are a total of 7 chapters, each has 3 waves of increasingly stronger bosses. Lotus Pastries are required to access a chapter, get 1 every day by accessing the event and 3 every day for a total of 700 jade from the exchange shop. An additional pastry can also be obtained by purchasing the event s-jade pack. This part of the event can also be done on auto.

Upon selecting a chapter, you'll start playing as Taishakuten on a tiled map. He has 2 skills that can be used while on the map, using either skill ends your turn. First skill revives Asura and requires defeating 6 bosses to gain 1 usage of it. Second skill places a lotus on a tile next to Taishakuten, has a 1 turn cooldown. If Taishakuten is KO'd, you'll need Sweet Dew to revive him, get 2 every day by accessing the event or buy 1 for 10 jade in the exchange shop. On auto Taishakuten will go towards the nearest enemy and enter a Boss Battle with them or, if he isn't close enough to enter battle, he'll place down a lotus. When Asura is KO'd then reviving him will take priority.

On the map, you'll also have Asura as an ally. He is controlled by AI and will actively go towards the nearest enemies to attack them. If you enter a Boss Battle with an enemy he has attacked, the enemies in the battle with reduced HP. When Asura is KO'd, enemies will try to surround him,

Boss Battles cost 6 AP, can be done solo or co-op and have a 3-minute time limit. Before fighting an enemy you can view their bio, their skills, how strong they can hit and how fast they move across the map.

When an enemy is defeated, regardless of how, you'll get a batch of rewards. Rewards for the small red-headed enemies are; a couple of 4-5* souls, an EXP soul and/or some orochi scales and ~9000 event currency. Rewards for the big belly and kappa enemies are; a couple of 5-6* souls, an EXP soul and/or some orochi scales and ~20000 event currency. Rewards for the red-headed enemies with staffs are; 1 6* soul, a couple of 5-6* souls, some gold orochi scales, an EXP soul and/or some orochi scales and ~55000 event currency.

After defeating 3 rounds of enemies you be rewarded with a batch of items; 2 black daruma shards, 25 mochi, 50000 gold, 20 gold orochi scales, soul boost, 100% EXP boost, a bottle of Soma Wine and 150000 event currency.

Study the 10 Virtues

Unlock skills with Soma Wine for Demon Domain Crusade. Soma Wine is obtained by clearing a chapter of Demon Domain Crusade, 1 bottle of the wine is required to unlock a skill. There are 3 tabs of skills that give buffs for Direct Battles, Taishakuten's Lotuses and Asura. The final buff for Direct Battles can be levelled up multiple times.

As F2P and/or as someone who doesn't have 5000 spare jade for the event, the max number of Soma Wine bottles you can get is 7.

Holy Lotus Pool

Improve the effects for the event frame and unlock hourly event currency by completing 3 sets of tasks. The tasks all relate to Demon Domain Crusade. The top set of tasks relate to the Boss Battles, the bottom-right relate to Taishakuten's Lotuses and the bottom-left relate to Asura. Tasks are;

Boss Battles: - Deal a total of 50mil damage in battle - Defeat 40 bosses in battle - Deal 3mil damage in a single battle

Lotuses: - Deal a total of 20mil damage with Lotuses - Defeat 5 bosses with Lotuses - Deal damage to 3 or more enemies at the same time a Lotus

Asura: - Deal a total of 30mil damage with Asura - Defeat 25 bosses with Asura - Deal damage to 3 or more enemies at the same time by reviving Asura

After completing all the tasks, the rewards you can get per hour is; 11400 event currency, 5800 gold, 8 orochi scales and 6 AP. The icon frame itself cannot be obtained until you participate in the Final Chapter.

Final Chapter of Good and Evil

On the 7th day of the event, there'll be a tab where you can select who you want to side with in the Final Chapter. Your choice is between Asura or Taishakuten, can change your choice at any time before the Final Chapter starts.

Depending on who you picked, you'll have Asura or Taishakuten as your boss. Costs 6 AP to challenge them, solo only and can be done on auto. Regardless of who you picked the battle format is the same. Both have 3 phases that last ~80 seconds. Phases are represented by a tricoloured bar under the boss's HP percentage bar.

1st Phase: - VS Asura: He'll start with 5 minions, his attacks will reduce your max HP and 4 symbols on a lotus flower will slowly glow. - VS Taishakuten: He'll debuff your shiki with the highest attack, on their turn they'll be controlled by him.

2nd Phase: - VS Asura: His 5 minions will disappear and your entire team except Taishakuten will be "KO'd". The 4 hands around him will become new enemies. - VS Taishakuten: He'll summon 4 minions.

3rd Phase: - VS Asura: Taishakuten will gain 4 buffs and your shiki will be "revived". The 4 hands won't be enemies any more and 5 new minions will be summoned. - VS Taishakuten: Asura will gain a bar, under his HP percentage bar, that fills up when you deal damage. When filled he'll launch a special attack.

When the HP bar for either Asura or Taishakuten reaches 0%, the battle and the event in general will be officially over.

While the battle is ongoing there'll be some total accumulated damage rewards and a 6* soul exchange box. The soul box is just the one in Senhime's event, need 60 of an item that drops from the battle and you'll have a choice out 3 random souls. Total accumulated damage needed to get all the rewards is 800mil, rewards are; 200000 gold, 100 gold orochi scales, 400 AP, 100 jade and a 4* white daruma.

There is also a leader board, but the rewards displayed on it are the ones for total damage. They are not additional rewards.

After the battle is over, the animated frame for the Final Chapter will become unlocked. You'll also get the event frame that you unlocked effects for in the Holy Lotus Pool but with an additional particle effect in the bottom left or right.

Event Story

To reread the stories for this event, click the button above the one for the event shop. The 1st tab is for story unlocked by clearing a chapter of Demon Domain Crusade, 2nd tab is for the daily event story and the 3rd tab is for 2 videos.

Exchange Shop

The exchange shop has 4 tabs. The first 2 are unlocked by default, while the 3rd and 4th tabs require using 3 and 5 Lotus Pastries. The most notable items are:

Tab 1: 3 Lotus Pastries (restocks daily), 999 Sweet Dew, 10 3* EXP Pamphlets, 20 skin tickets, 50 blue daruma, 99 red daruma, 25 mochi, a lot of AP and gold.

Tab 2: 1 loading screen illust, 5 4* EXP Pamphlets, 10 demon souls, soul boost, 50 blue daruma, 50 white daruma, a 3* white daruma, 100 jade, 1 blue summon ticket, 25 mochi, AP and gold.

Tab 3: 1 loading screen illust, 2 5* EXP Pamphlets, 30 skin tickets, 10 SP skin tickets, 50 white daruma, a 4* white daruma, 2 black daruma shards, 200 jade, 1 blue summon ticket, 50 mochi, AP and gold.

Tab 4: 1 loading screen illust, new Sasori Onna skin skin, random SSR/SP, 1 6* EXP Pamphlet, 30 demon souls, a 5* white daruma, 300 jade, 2 blue summon tickets, Gold & AP event pack, Shiki Shard event pack, 6* Soul event pack.

Each pack can be bought a max of 200 times.

Cost to buy all 3 of the Lotus Pastries is 700 jade. Total cost to buy them every day is 4900 jade. There is also an s-jade pack that gives you 1 additional pastry, an extra round of mochi, 10 mochi and 30 AP every day for during the event. So if you want to buy that pack, do so within on the first day of the event.

Recommended Teams

Crusades

Standard event farming team should be more than good enough to deal with all 3 enemy types.

Final Chapter

If you chose to side with Asura, the best team to use is a Kinnara team. And if you chose to side with Taishakuten, the best teams to use are a Kinnara or an AOE multi-hit attacker team. The latter is basically the same as the Kinnara team but with Ryoumen.

Who you use for your 5th shiki is up to personal preference and whether a certain skill adjustment leaves test server. Possible choices are a 2nd Kinnara, Taishakuten, Tesso, Sasori or snow spirit Kiyohime, Suzuka or Ushi.

If SP Ao's skill adjustment comes to the rest of CN and TW/JP/GL when this part of the event is live, then forget those possible choices for your 5th shiki and use her instead with kyoukotsu + gashadokuro. If using SP Ao in the Kinnara team, you can also try swapping Sasori out for Kiyo and see which one gives you better damage.

[animecharareview]

Double character week part 1: Totally not Char Aznable

This man here is Quattro “Totally not Char Azanable” Bajeena, I kid, this is actually Char Aznable who took on a different alias in the events of Zeta Gundam, the sequel to the OG Gundam series, and he went from anti-hero slash secondary antagonist to one of the main protagonist. 

He pilots the Rick Dias before switching over to one of his well-known mobile suits, the Hyaku Shiki, most notable for its golden colour due to its anti-beam coating. 

The Rick Dias in Quattro’s colours before becoming the standard for the rest of the Rick Dias units.

The Hyaku Shiki with the Gundam Mk2 on the left fighting against the Titans’ Asshimar on the right.

Quattro Bajeena or Char Azanble, he is one of the pilots that fights against the uprising of the elite division of the  Earth Federation, the Titans, under another faction within the Earth Federation, the Anti Earth Union Group or AEUG, in the Universal Century 0087.

His personality was that he became didn’t really had any antagonistic features that he used to have from the original 0079 Gundam since he had completed his ulterior motives of killing off the Zabi Family, which he worked under except for Mineva since she was only a baby. Thus he was more of the very level-headed person and patient while also who cared for the crew and respects his former enemies that he used to fought against during the One Year War(UC 0079)

However ever since the main protagonist of the show, Kamille Bidan joined the AEUG, he took the time to nurture him, becoming his mentor, then later on, things happened thoughout the series, which includes meeting his former enemy and rival, Amuro Ray on their meeting with the AEUG’s ally on Earth, the Karaba the leader of the AEUG was murdered during their trip to the leaders meeting, he reluctantly took on the job of becoming the leader the AEUG which was the previous’ leaders last request, when all he wanted to be was just to become a freedom fighter to fight for his beliefs that he places his hopes and faith in the Newtypes and spacenoids.

The turning point of few of his personality change was that the AEUG was met with the Neo Zeon (the revamped Principality of Zeon that Char used to fight for), where he lost his cool when he realised that Haman Karn (The real leader of Neo Zeon) is using Mineva Lao Zabi, who was only a child, to be the leader of the Neo Zeon in name. Aaround the same time, the Titans were there to see who the Neo Zeon will ally with. 

Due to Char’s anger, the Neo Zeon allied with the Titans which later on, both of these factions fought against the AEUG, bringing them to a crippled state, and the loss of many of his crew mates that he has bonded with throughout the entire series, including Kamille Bidan, not really dead but got into a vegetative state, thus causing him to snap and sets him up to revert to becoming the antagonist in the sequel movie, Char’s Counterattack.

Overall, this is my favourite version of Char Azanable, especially the way he bonded with the characters and his rivals, and the fact that at the end of Zeta Gundam got a lot of people thinking of “what’s going to happen to him next?” Since he went missing in action after the Gryps Conflict. Even the Character design just shouts iconic, with the red colours that shouts back to his Red Comet Days. Even delivering the most famous Gundam meme, yet obscured in mainstream communities where he quotes “ I came here to laugh at you” to Amuro Ray to answer his question to why he came to Earth.

Now that is all for this overview, next will probably be a very obscured character from a spin off manga of a popular yet niche anime franchise that I haven’t read in a while.

Links:

https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/i-came-here-to-laugh-at-you

https://images.app.goo.gl/pAJm9GEedGUjE7zB9

https://images.app.goo.gl/3BCv6ihJexGxRR6KA

https://images.app.goo.gl/yHNmSTbBrt26nhVH7

[prettycottonmouthlamia]

Voyager Analysis

Star Max HP: 15,592 Max ATK: 10,450 Star Absorption: 153 Star Generation: 15.1% NP Charge ATK: 0.56% NP Charge DEF: 3% Death Rate: 7% QQAAB Buster = 3 hits, Arts = 3 hits, Quick = 3 hits, Extra = 5 hits Base NP Gain: Arts = 1.68%, Quick = 1.68%, Extra = 2.80%

Voyager of the Stars A: Charges own NP gauge (30-50%) Grants self Debuff Immunity for 3 turns. Gains 10 critical stars. 8 -> 6 turn cooldown

Swingby A: Grants self Evasion for 1 turn. Increases own Quick performance for 3 turns. (10-20%) Reduces one enemy's Quick resistance for 3 turns. (10-20%) 8 -> 6 turn cooldown

Blessings from the End of the World (Cosmos) B: Increases own ally's critical star absorption for 1 turn (300-600%). Increases party's crtical damage for 3 turns. (20-30%) Increases party's critical attack chance resistance for 3 turns (10-20%). 8 -> 6 turn cooldown

Existence Outside the Domain C: Gains 2 critical stars ever turn. Increases own debuff resistance by 6%.

Independent Navigation A: Increases own critical damage by 8%. Increases own Arts performance by 8%.

Contact with Civilization D: Increases own buff removal resistance by 10%.

Pale Blue Dot Quick 5 hit Increases own NP damage for 1 turn (20-40%, OC) Deals damage to all enemies (600%-1000%) Deals 150% extra damage to enemies with Sky Attribute. Charges party's NP gauge by 20%. Further charges the NP gauge of Living Human allies by 10%.

Living Human: Asagami Fujino, Astraea, Chloe von Einzbern, Gray, Great Statue God, Illyasviel von Einzbern, Ishtar, Ishtar (Rider), Jaguar Man, Mashu Kyrielight, Miyu Edelfelt, Parvati, Ryogi Shiki (Assassin), Sima Yi (Reines), Zhuge Liang (Lord El-Melloi II)

Primary Role: Looper, DPS Secondary Role: Crit Support, Support Situational Role:

Voyager is a cute little satellite, and probably has an orbital cannon to take out creepy shotacons. Now that we've settled that, let's talk about Voyager for a moment. Voyager is our first Quick Foreigner, a class that honestly is rather unappreciated, and he comes out...not exactly swinging at first glance. He has a high HP, low ATK spread, which while isn't always bad, is usually not a strong point, and while his Arts card do okay in terms of NP generation, his Quicks and Extra are pretty terrible.

However, that doesn't really matter! Voyager's 1st skill is like Pioneer of the Stars, except it trades the 3 turns of Pierce Invul for 3 turns of Debuff immunity. Whether that trade is worth it probably is a YMMV moment, but I definitely quite enjoy that. Voyager of the Stars, as one might expect, is a fantastic skill, especially on an AoE Servant. It dramatically opens up CE choices and makes Voyager one of the lucky few who does not need to rely on K-Scope to loop. Which we'll get to, but keep that in mind for right now.

Voyager's second skill is both a survival skill and a rather good steroid. This ins't quite a Mana Burset since it is half buff and half debuff, but that also means that unless whatever you're fighting has both buff block and debuff immunity (DEMETERRRRRRRRRR), you'll always get some value offensively out of this skill. It's also Voyager's survival option, but thanks to the 3 turn duration on this skills damage buff and debuff, Voyager in a similar manner to Babbage can use this skill to defend himself and not lose damage.

Voyager's 3rd skill is similar to Lalters, except...stranger. It's a targetable, but somewhat weak, 1 turn star absorb, plus an AoE crit damage boost and crit chance defense boost. If you're wondering what that is, it's basically a buff form of critical chance down. This skill is fine and honestly not too bad, but its definitely the weakest of Voyager's skills. The crit buff is only 30% and the crit chance buff is only 20%, which hampers the usability. Voyager can easily enable crits, so its not too much of a problem to do extra damage, but its not the important part of Voyager's kit.

His NP is where things get, in a word: silly. An NP damage buff, increased damage against Sky enemies, and a guaranteed 20% NP gauge charge are all fantastic, but Voyager will even give an extra 10% towards specific Servants that I have listed above. The 20% NP gauge charge is the best bit though, and that's because Voyager is an AoE Quick NP user. His 20% NP charge lowers the amount of refund he needs to make from 50% to 30%, which makes Voyager much more consistent of a looper. However, he's not perfect in this regard as his NP gain is still pretty low, and most importantly, even with Skadi buffs his damage is super low for a 3-turn looper, meaning he'll either need to fight Sky enemies, use CEs other than K-Scope such as Golden Sumo, or be NP2+ in other to farm efficiently. His NP gain on his NP without his charge is roughly the same as Achilles, to put it in perspective.

On the other hand, you don't have to use Voyager as a looper, and this means that he's a pretty solid anti-Sky unit. His NQQ chain will generate quite a bit of stars and even an okay amount of NP. His big niche here is his NP charges on his NP, his good consistency, and counter-classing Berserkers. Maou Nobu is arguably better overall as she does way more damage, but Voyager still is pretty distinct.

Support: Skadi is the obvious choice, but Voyager also works really well with Sima Yi, Mash, and Waver due to being able to accelerate their NPs. Great Statue God can also work here as well. Voyager really likes supports who will increase his damage due to his damage being on the lower side, and not needing a ton in terms of consistency. 

CEs: Thanks to his 50% NP battery, a wide variety of CEs will work on Voyager. Quick up, critical damage up, Golden Sumo, NP damage up, you name it. He’ll even work well with his own Bond CE. The Berserker effective damage CE is also quite notable here, providing a strong stacking boost that will make Voyager do a ton of damage to Berserkers. 

Pros: -Fantastic NP consistency thanks to decent refund, amazing NP battery, strong steroid, and good crit star generation. -Provides good support for the party through his NP and 3rd skill. -3 turns of debuff immunity on a 6 turn cooldown -Anti-Sky niche making Voyager amazing against a fair number of Berserkers

Cons: -Very low NP damage if not fighting Sky enemies or Berserkers -Not completely consistent in DSS due to low damage and lower end NP generation -Quick cards have pretty poor performance overall

Voyager doesn't come out as one of the best Foreigners in the game. He's more niche, but probably the best overall for farming should you hit his sweet spots in that regard, and an amazingly consistent Servant. He can definitely perform well, despite his flaws.

Also, cute satellite.

[yuesya]

Have you considered a Shiki Chainsaw Man AU? I know you did a snippet of JJK Shiki world hopping into the CSM verse, but what about one where Shiki is a native to the latter universe?

Although the setting would be different the premise could be similar with Shiki's family having been caught in a tragic accident (or incident), leaving the young girl orphaned, comatose, and on life support. As time passes and Shiki's prospects for survival gradually fade a miracle occurs, causing the girl to recover moments away from death's doorstep.

However something about the girl has fundamentally changed. Her calm demeanor is a far cry from a child in primary school, her skin and hair already pale before the incident are paler still, but most notable of all are her eyes. Deep dark blue eyes that seem to see right through you, gazing into the deepest recesses of your mortal being and finding it... lacking.

Sorry for getting a little dramatic at the end there, but long story short during her coma Shiki made a new acquaintance in the form of the Death Devil. Now whether this is a reincarnation of the 4th Horseman as was the case with Nayuta or a contract similar to Denji's would honestly be up to you if this idea is given the light of day.

I haven't really been following Chainsaw Man recently but I heard that the Death Devil is being involved (?) so there will potentially be more information on that soon that might contradict anything we come up with here.

Given how distinct the MEoDP look, I think it wouldn't be too far of a stretch for others to look at Shiki and come to the conclusion that she is either a Devil or a Fiend. Normal humans don't have eyes like that, after all.

Except Shiki is human. She doesn't recall making a contract with a Devil, and she's fairly certain that she isn't a devil. All she knows is that she woke up one day in the hospital with these strange blue eyes, and no one can explain how things happened.

Her parents are dead. In this world, there is no Nanami. There is no Gojo Clan.

Just Shiki, alone against a world where other people look at her and see Devil.

[chanoyu-to-wa]

Nampō Roku, Book 5 (27):  Arrangement of the Sasa-mimi and a Taikai at the Same Time, Together with One Bowl.

27) Sasa-mimi ・ taikai ni shu ・ ichi wan kazari [サヽ耳・大海二種・一碗飾]¹.

[The writing reads:  ni no (二ノ)²; ichi no (一ノ)³; kono chaire nurimono yoshi to Dōchin mōshi-keru nari, taikai in te mo tateru, kō-buri no taikai yoshi (コノ茶入ヌリモノヨシト道陳申ケル也、大海ニテモ立ル、小フリノ大海ヨシ)⁴.]

   The kaki-ire [書入]⁵:

① With respect to the sasa-mimi, a small tray should be brought out and [it should be] stood on that⁶.  When things are as [shown in the sketch], even though it seems that [the sasa-mimi] is inferior to the lacquered [tea container] that is on the nagabon, this is not so⁷.

    As a substitute for the tray, the fukuro is placed down [as a base for the sasa-mimi], so that [the sasa-mimi] can be carefully aligned with the kane⁸.  Above all, before long the tray will be brought out, and [the sasa-mimi will be] stood [on it].  This is [the way it is] appreciated⁹.

② In an ordinary temae, when there is no small tray for the sasa-mimi, it must still be handled as a karamono¹⁰.  In this case, if there is a nagabon, the sasa-mimi should certainly be handled on the nagabon¹¹.

_________________________

¹Sasa-mimi ・ taikai ni shu ・ ichi wan kazari [サヽ耳・大海二種・一碗飾].

    “The sasa-mimi, [and] a taikai, two utensils, displayed [together] with one bowl.”

    A sasa-mimi [笹耳] is a rather etiolated container, originally made as a container for thick liquids (such as perfumed hair pomade)*.  The continental examples were usually 2-sun 2-bu in diameter at their widest point.  The little ears (which in Korean examples were often flattened into shapes resembling the leaves of bamboo-grass, hence the name) were originally used to secure the cap in place by threading a piece of twine through the ears and crossing it over the cap.

    The nagabon used for this arrangement is an “ordinary” nagabon†. ___________ *The round swelling at the neck allows such liquids to be poured out without “glugging.”

†The face of the tsune-no-nagabon [常の長盆] measured 1-shaku 3-sun by 8-sun 2-bu; measured across the rim, it was 1-shaku 5-sun 2-bu by 1-shaku 4-bu.

    The temae employed during the service of koicha is as described in the post entitled Nampō Roku, Book 5 (12):  the Display of Two [Utensils] on the Nagabon.  The URL for that post is:

https://chanoyu-to-wa.tumblr.com/post/619937993658073088/namp%C5%8D-roku-book-5-12-the-display-of-two

²Ni no [二ノ].

    “Second.”

    The sasa-mimi is used to serve usucha* after koicha has been served from the other chaire.

    According to Tanaka Senshō, the sasa-mimi was the first tea container to be displayed without its shifuku†. ___________ *This is why it is not tied in its shifuku.

†In the early days, even the tea that would be served as usucha was displayed in a chaire that was tied in its shifuku.  This is why Shukō made a short himo for the katatsuki, which were typically used as usucha-ire, while the ko-tsubo, which contained the matcha that would be served as koicha, was tied with a long himo.  Only later, when the katatsuki came to be used as a koicha-ire, was the shin-nakatsugi [眞中次] (the corresponding usucha-ire) displayed without a shifuku.

³Ichi no [一ノ].

    “First.”

     The tea in the chaire that is resting on the nagabon is served first -- as koicha (this is why it is tied in a shifuku).

⁴Kono chaire nurimono yoshi to Dōchin mōshi-keru nari, taikai in te mo tateru, kō-buri no taikai yoshi [コノ茶入ヌリモノヨシト道陳申ケル也、大海ニテモ立ル、小フリノ大海ヨシ].

    “Dōchin stated that it is acceptable for this chaire to be a lacquered piece, but a taikai can also be stood [on the nagabon].  A small-sized taikai is better.”

    The point is that the tea container that will be used for koicha in this temae be inferior to the sasa-mimi (since it is the featured utensils in this arrangement).

    Shukō is said to have been the first person to use a lacquered container (originally, the lacquered hiki-ya [挽家] made as a storage box for a ko-tsubo or katatsuki) as a chaire, though the shin-nakatsugi [眞中次] was specially made as a tea container.  Thus, by Dōchin’s day, lacquered chaire were a well-established fact of life for the more wabi-chajin, and thus made a suitable contrast with the imported sasa-mimi.

    The taikai was considered the “bridge” between the ko-tsubo and the katatsuki (and, according to the Chanoyu Sanbyak’ka Jō [茶湯三百箇條], it may be used as if it were either -- the tea may be scooped out as when using a katatsuki with a wide mouth, and it may also be pulled out with the side of the chashaku as is done when serving tea from a ko-tsubo with a narrow mouth).  While the general taikai that were used on the o-chanoyu were between 2-sun 9-bu and 3-sun 2-bu in diameter, a ko-buri taikai [小振り大海] (a “small taikai”) measured 2-sun 5-bu in diameter (which is the same as a large katatsuki).  A taikai of this size would consequently accord with the kane-wari of the tsune-no-nagabon just as the katatsuki did. ___________ *See the post entitled Nampō Roku, Book 5 (12):  the Display of Two [Utensils] on the Nagabon.  The URL is given above, under footnote 1.

⁵The complete Japanese texts of the two kaki-ire read:

① Sasa-mimi ha, ko-bon hakobite tatsu-beshi, kaku no gotoki nareba, bon naka no nuri-mono yori otori-taru-yō nare domo, sa ni arazu, bon no kawari ni fukuro wo shiki, kane wo yoku kazari, koto ni yagate bon hakobite tatsuru, shōgan ari

[サヽ耳ハ、小盆ハコヒテ立ヘシ、如此ナレハ、盆中ノヌリモノヨリヲトリタルヤウナレトモ、サニアラズ、盆ノ代ニ袋ヲシキ、カネヲヨクカサリ、コトニヤカテ盆ハコヒテ立ル、賞玩アリ].

② Tsune no temae ni sasa-mimi ko-bon nashi ni, karamono-ashirai mo ari, sore-tote mo nagabon naraba, kanarazu nagabon no ue ni te atsukau-beshi

[常ノ手前ニサヽ耳小盆ナシニ、カラ物アシライモアリ、ソレト��モ長盆ナラハ、カナラス長盆ノ上ニテアツカウヘシ].

⁶Sasa-mimi ha, ko-bon hakobite tatsu-beshi [サヽ耳ハ、小盆ハコヒテ立ヘシ].

    “With respect to the sasa-mimi, a small tray should be brought out and [it should be] stood [on the tray].”

    According to this, the sasa-mimi should never be placed on the mat.  It should always be handled on a tray.  Because the sasa-mimi was usually 2-sun 2-bu in diameter, the small tray (in Jōō’s day) would have been 8-sun 2-bu across.  This is why the sasa-mimi is displayed on top of its shifuku, rather than resting on the tray when it is displayed on the daisu.

⁷Kaku no gotoki nareba, bon naka no nuri-mono yori otori-taru-yō nare domo, sa ni arazu [如此ナレハ、盆中ノヌリモノヨリヲトリタルヤウナレトモ、サニアラズ].

    “When things are like this [in other words, as shown in the sketch], while it might seem as if [the sasa-mimi] is inferior to the lacquered [tea container] that is [resting] on the tray, this is not so.”

    Otori-taru yō [劣りたるよう]:  otoru [ 劣 る] means to be inferior (to something else), to compare unfavorably with (something else); otori-taru yo [劣りたるよう] means the case where [the sasa-mimi] seems to be inferior [to the lacquered tea container] -- because while the lacquered tea container is displayed on the nagabon, the sasa-mimi is resting on the ten-ita (with only its shifuku placed beneath it -- which the casual observer might assume is only there so that the sasa-mimi will not scratch the daisu).

    Sa ni arazu [然に非ず] means “not so;” “that is not the case.”

⁸Bon no kawari ni fukuro wo shiki, kane wo yoku kazari [盆ノ代ニ袋ヲシキ、カネヲヨクカサリ].

    “Instead of the tray, the fukuro is placed down; and [the sasa-mimi] is carefully displayed on the kane.”

    In other words, the fukuro is taking the place of the tray.  This was probably because, in Jōō’s day, the “small tray” was so large that it would make arranging the sasa-mimi on the ten-ita difficult (in order to center the sasa-mimi on its kane*, the right rim of its tray would be too close to the right edge of the ten-ita†).  By eliminating the tray, the proper alignment of the sasa-mimi with its kane can be assured, without any sort of conflict. ___________ *Because of the nagabon, and the fact that the dai-temmoku and natsume (or ko-buri taikai) must both be associated with their kane, the only kane available to the sasa-mimi is the end-most kane on the right.

†In general, objects arranged on the ten-ita must be 2-sun from the edge.  There are exceptions (most notably, the habōki and the hishaku), but in the case of most trays, chaire, chawan, and things of that sort, this rule should be observed.

⁹Koto ni yagate bon hakobite tatsuru, shōgan ari [コトニヤカテ盆ハコヒテ立ル、賞玩アリ].

     “Before long the tray will be carried out and [the sasa-mimi will be] stood [on it].  This is appreciating [the sasa-mimi].”

    Yagate [軈て] means “presently,” “directly,” “before long.”

     Standing the sasa-mimi on the tray -- handling it on the tray -- is the way that the host does it honor.  This is the meaning of shōgan [賞玩].

¹⁰Tsune no temae ni sasa-mimi ko-bon nashi ni, karamono-ashirai mo ari [常ノ手前ニサヽ耳小盆ナシニ、カラ物アシライモアリ].

    “In an ordinary temae when the sasa-mimi does not have a tray, it must still be handled as a karamono.”

    “In an ordinary temae” means a temae where only the sasa-mimi is being used to serve tea.

    Handling the sasa-mimi on a tray is an element of the karamono-temae.  Nevertheless, the tray must be paired to the sasa-mimi, meaning that it must be 3-sun larger than the chaire on all four sides (according to Jōō’s teachings).  If the host cannot find a tray that matches the dimensions of the chaire, then it has to be used without a small tray -- if the host wants to use it to serve tea.

    Ko-bon nashi [小盆無し] means that a (suitable) small tray does not exist.

    Karamono-ashirai mo ari [カラ物あしらいも有り] means that the handling (suitable for) a karamono must still be observed -- even if the host does not have a suitable tray.

¹¹Sore-tote mo nagabon naraba, kanarazu nagabon no ue ni te atsukau-beshi [ソレトテモ長盆ナラハ、カナラス長盆ノ上ニテアツカウヘシ].

    “That being the case, if [the host] has a nagabon, absolutely [the sasa-mimi] should be handled upon the nagabon.”

    Unlike the small tray (which had to be exactly matched to the chaire), the nagabon was always a standard size.  Furthermore, since the time of Ashikaga Yoshimasa, the nagabon had been made in Japan.  In Jōō’s day (and before), when the daisu was always used for chanoyu on every occasion, it was usual for people to use this kind of nagabon when serving tea.  Consequently, an ordinary nagabon was probably already present in the host’s collection of utensils -- no matter how small his collection may have been.

    Therefore, if the host has been unable to find a suitable small tray, he can always display the sasa-mimi on a nagabon (together with the dai-temmoku), and perform the temae as discussed in the post entitled Nampō Roku, Book 5 (14):  the Usual Way to Display Three Utensils on the Nagabon -- which discusses these several possibilities.

    The URL for that post is:

https://chanoyu-to-wa.tumblr.com/post/620843957941944320/namp%C5%8D-roku-book-5-14-the-usual-way-to-display

——————————————–———-—————————————————

◎ Analysis of the Arrangement.

   Shibayama Fugen states that the sasa-mimi should be arranged as a mine-suri [峰摺り] on the end-most kane on the right side of the ten-ita*.  The dai-temmoku and ko-buri taikai (or, according to Kitamuki Dōchin, a lacquered container such as a shin-nakatsugi or large natsume†) should overlap their respective kane by one-third, with the nagabon centered beneath them, as usual.  Because the temmoku chawan is enclosed in its shifuku at the beginning of the temae, this means that a kae-chawan will have to be used to bring the chakin, chasen, and the chashaku out from the katte‡.

    During the service of koicha, the sasa-mimi remains on the ten-ita, with the nagabon oriented so that its right rim right is 6-me from the heri (when a taikai is being used as the koicha-ire), as shown below.

    After the service of koicha is finished, the host would return to the katte** to bring out the ko-bon for the sasa-mimi.  And, irrespective of how the nagabon was oriented during the service of koicha, during the second part of the temae (when the sasa-mimi is used), the nagabon must be oriented so that it extends toward the left†† -- otherwise there will not be sufficient room for the small tray. 

     The chaire-bon should be 5-bu (equivalent to 1-me) away from the front of the daisu, and 3-me from the heri‡‡.

    While I have shown a round tray in the sketch, a square tray could also be used (and, indeed, would probably have been preferred by Jōō and Rikyū).  The orientation of the chaire-bon and the other utensils would remain the same in either case.

    One important point that has not been mentioned here is that the host should always prepare two chakin when two different kinds of tea will be served during the same temae.  In this case (since only one chawan will be used -- the dai-temmoku), the two chakin should be laid one on top of the other, and then folded together.  The doubled thickness helps to prevent the first variety of tea from seeping through so that it contaminates both pieces of cloth***. ___________ *Technically speaking, since the end-most kane is a simple line, an object centered on this kane is, in effect, a mine-suri [峰摺り] -- though the term is correctly used only in relation to the three central kane, since it is only in those cases (because the kane are 3-bu wide, based on the folds of the shiki-shi [敷き紙]) that there is a possibility of an object resting on the kane without its being exactly centered on it.  This is why the kaki-ire does not state that the sasa-mimi is displayed as a mine-suri, but rather says that it must be very carefully aligned with the kane (kane wo yoku kazari [カネヲヨクカサリ]).

    The system of kane-wari is based on the shiki-shi, but without a knowledge of the shiki-shi (as has been the case with all of the scholars who have produced commentaries on the Nampō Roku), the commentators always have difficulty understanding and expressing these concepts (since they usually are invariably working from Rikyū’s system of kane, where the kane are all reduced to simple lines).  The mine-suri exists only in connection with the middle three kane, because only in those cases is there a possibility of visual alignment without the object being absolutely centered on the kane.  With respect to the end-most kane, the object is either aligned, or it is not.

†The ko-buri taikai, shin-nakatsugi, and large natsume were all 2-sun 5-bu in diameter (the same as the large katatsuki).  Thus, they could be used interchangeably for a temae such as this.  When a tea container of this sort is used, it would be appropriate for the nagabon to be oriented toward the left (as shown below), so it is 9-me from the heri.  The tea container, then, would be placed directly on the mat, which would emphasize the higher ranking of the sasa-mimi.  Because the nagabon can now remain in the same position until the end of the temae, this is probably why Dōchin preferred to use a lacquered container for koicha.

    But while Dōchin seems to have favored a lacquered tea container for the koicha service, it appears (from the title of this entry) that the ko-buri taikai was originally the preferred tea container (a taikai -- virtually all of which were imported from the continent -- would have to be handled on the nagabon, meaning that the nagabon would have to extend toward the right during the service of koicha, and then be reoriented toward the left so there would be room for the chaire-bon that would be brought out for the sasa-mimi at the beginning of the service of usucha).

‡For this reason, some scholars suggest that the kae-chawan should be used for the service of usucha (with the nagabon, supporting the dai-temmoku and ko-buri taikai lifted up to the ten-ita during the service of usucha).  Kanshū oshō-sama, however, seemed to prefer that the second kind of tea also be served in the temmoku -- because, at least according to the original idea of this kind of service, when a dai-temmoku is used, this indicated that the shōkyaku was a nobleman, and so, even though it is served as usucha, the fact that there is a second variety of tea indicates that the nobleman should be served with the same degree of formality as when he was offered usucha.  (And, if the temmoku was something like a yō-hen temmoku [曜變天目], it would seem especially appropriate to do so, since the beautiful iridescent markings are primarily found on the inside of the bowl, and so would have been obscured by the koicha:  using the bowl again to serve usucha would allow the guest to appreciate the beauty of this unique kind of bowl fully -- which is something that even a nobleman would be likely to enjoy.)

    If, however, the temae is being performed among equals -- as a way to appreciate the utensils -- then the argument could be made that it would be appropriate to use the kae-chawan when serving usucha.

    It is in light of these kinds of decisions that it was generally felt that these daisu-temae were best performed (or at least orchestrated) by a mature chajin -- since someone who lacked experience might not consider all of the possibilities.

**He would probably take the taikai back to the katte at this time.

    The temae itself would resemble the sa-tsū-bako temae [茶通箱手前], in that the temmoku would have to be rinsed out five times (to remove every trace of the koicha), as Tanaka Senshō points out in his commentary; and while this was taking place, the taikai would probably have been passed around for haiken.  According to Rikyū’s writings, at this time the guests would also have eaten a sweet (to clean their palates of the taste of the koicha), and then gone out to rinse their hands and mouths.  But since the chawan is a dai-temmoku, and since the host would have to go to the katte to fetch the chaire-bon, the whole procedure would have taken significantly longer than it does in the sa-tsū-bako temae, so the time needed by the host, and by the guests, would have balanced out, meaning that neither would have to wait for the other.

††The nagabon is placed 9-me from the left here.  However, when the guests are seated on the host’s right (this is the way the sketches are formatted in the Nampō Roku), there is a half-me to the right of the left heri; and the left rim of the tray also ends in the middle of the me.  Thus, visually, there will be a half me, eight full me, and then the half me to the right of the heri, all to the left of the nagabon -- in this kind of setting.  (In the original setting, where the guests are seated on the host’s left, the tray is 9 full me from the left heri.)

‡‡When the system of kane-wari based on the shiki-shi is being used.  In Rikyū’s system, the chaire-bon should be 4-me from the heri -- and that is how most of the modern schools teach this temae.

***Some early chajin argued that between the two damp chakin, a third, dry, chakin should be inserted, for extra insurance -- though this was more often done when two kinds of koicha would be served during the same temae.  It seems that the chakin in the early period were much thinner than nowadays, and so made this kind of precaution necessary.

    The “shin-chakin” used by several of the modern schools for their daisu temae (when a dai-temmoku is being used), which is made by doubling the length of the cloth, so that the resulting chakin is a 1-shaku square, was inspired by this practice (since this kind of chakin appeared only after their iemoto began studying the Nampō Roku).  In the early days, however, this idea would have been frowned upon (even though the result is actually the same), because it was believed that the fact that the two chakin were separate pieces helped to prevent the moisture contaminated with the taste of the first kind of tea from infiltrating into the second chakin.  This is a good example of how chajin think.

[shadows-in-the-light-of-day]

I was tagged by @irinyaclockworker, who wants to drag me directly to hell, it appears. :D 

Rules: Name ten favorite characters from ten different things (books, tv, film, etc.) then tag ten people. 

1. Master of the Court (The Evillious Chronicles)

Technicallyyyyy it’s not cheating if you list a character with multiple incarnations, right? :D I have a soft spot for Irina in general, probably due to my dear little sister Irinya’s influence, but Court is absolutely a fave because, well...okay, listen, I too think Gallerian is A Dad, and if I were a kid who it’s likely has never really, ah, had a decent guardian or mentor figure before, and has just been shown a lottttt of parental affection for the first time (I mean, she had Lemy back in Sloth Arc, but that’s babie son affection, not parent affection), I’d probably try to emulate that “father” and start sending souls off to hell too. Also, Master of the Court is objectively a bop. 

2. Matsuda Touta (Death Note)

Aw, my first ever fandom fave. Tbh, I probably got a few of my personality quirks from Matsuda. I’d imagine Death Note being the first media I got into after I formed had a lot to do with that. Anyway, there’s a lotttt of dislike for this kid in fandom, on account of him being kinda a dumbass and a very, very clumsy detective. However, he’s a genuine sweetheart, and probably one of the most realistic characters in a show full of geniuses. He questions the morality of both his own side and the side he’s fighting against, and his badass moment in the finale was simultaneously heartwrenching and really, really fulfilling. He’s not perfect by any means, but I’ll defend this silly guy to hell and back. 

3. Alluka Zoldyck (Hunter x Hunter)

Okay, so I haven’t actually gotten to the part of HXH where Alluka shows up yet... But from the few clips I’ve seen of her, I’ve already decided that I will be adopting this child and protecting her from the majority of her biological family at all costs. I mean, look at that little face! She’s just babie... (Additionally, trans rights!!) 

4. Kunikida Doppo (Bungou Stray Dogs)

Ah yes, Kunikida. Everyone I interact with irl asks me “what exactly do you like about him?! he’s annoying!!” To which I say “yes, perhaps, but he’s interesting”. I mean, he’s somehow both the ultimate idealist and the ultimate pragmatist (you can imagine the problems this causes him), who schedules his life down to the second and really, really sucks at showing his friends he cares. So okay, he’s really annoying. But he’s also very loyal, and genuinely tries to make the world better, albeit rather clumsily. Plus, I want his ability. Please give me the power to manifest stuff out of notebook pages, universe. I am begging here. 

5. Ozaki Toshio (Shiki)

While looking for a decent picture of him, I was reminded both of how weird Shiki hairstyles are and of how few screenshots from the show exist. But uh...well, Ozaki is...something, like most of the characters in Shiki. I mean, it really sucks when a sudden summer epidemic turns out to be symptomatic of a vampire invasion, especially when you’re the village doctor in charge of solving this mess. Ozaki’s an extreme pragmatist with good intentions...which, coming straight from Kunikida to him, I’m realizing is a character type that interests me. Guy really needs to quit chainsmoking, though, or he’ll die of lung cancer before the vampires can get to him. 

6. Hazel (Watership Down) 

(I promise I’m not a furry, just a literature nerd.) Despite the fact that I actually...don’t really like the classic movie adaption of Watership Down, I really, really adore Hazel in the novel and every single adaption. (Having spent a good while in the kids’ TV show fandom, I can appreciate the strengths of just about every version.) He isn’t particularly smart or strong, but he’s good at solving conflicts within the group, and some of his plans are, in my opinion, fairly brilliant. Plus, I find it heartwarming how much he cares about his friends’ well-being, as well as trying to solve issues with cunning and a minimum amount of bloodshed. 

7. Sohma Yuki (Fruits Basket)

Today on anime boys I would die for - Yuki! To be fair, I adore basically everyone in Furuba, with a few notable exceptions (*cough*Shigure*cough*), but Yuki will always have a special place in my heart. His arc in the manga focuses a lot on recovering from trauma and putting the past behind you, and while I don’t necessarily agree with his eventual conclusion that forgiving his abusers is the right thing to do, I like that he learns to be kinder and more open with the people around him, and that he genuinely appears to be moving on and healing by the end of the series. (Also, I am sooooo happy with the 2019 reboot anime; it’s doing an excellent job with the story so far, and I can’t wait to see what they’ll do in the future!)

8. Nikki (Love Nikki) 

(This is the part where I started having trouble thinking of characters.) Next up - a dress up game protagonist?! Yeah, okay, so I would absolutely die for most of the Love Nikki squad at this point, but the titular character is a particular favorite. A story that started with her miraculously ending up in a world where everything is solved with dress up competitions has somehow escalated into an actual, all out war, and she’s handling it with surprising courage and determination. Nikki is an absolute sweetheart, and I’m sure she has what it takes to save the world! Anyway this has been a moment with Kiril and now I will be taking a break to cry about this game. 

9. Vincent Nightray (Pandora Hearts)

So now that Fruits Basket is getting a remake, can I pleaseeeee have Pandora Hearts get the same treatment?! Anyway, it was between Vince and Break for this one, but I went with Vince ‘cause, well...that’s a relatable mood, buddy. Vince’s goal is to basically erase himself from existence, and in a manga that imo has a LOT of commentary about mental illness and suicide, I appreciate the existence of a character who...doesn’t immediately feel better once someone tells him destroying himself wouldn’t change anything, but does manage to live a somewhat fulfilling life after the ‘conclusion’ of the main story. ...Okay, I also think he’s really cute, but anyway. That’s that. 

10. Travis Bohannon (The Serpent King)

Aaaaand no image for this one, ‘cause he’s from a fairly obscure and new novel! Being a nerd from Tennessee, I am absolutely the biggest fan of Jeff Zentner’s books in at least the Eastern region, and possibly the world. :D I love all his books, but The Serpent King is especially near and dear to my heart, and I regularly bawl over Travis. He’s what you’d call a gentle giant, I guess; tall, incredibly shy, and obsessed with fantasy novels, his main escape from his absolutely shitty life. The stories he loves eventually give him the courage to take steps to get away from his parents and live his dreams, and I just think that’s a really wonderful and relatable thing. Also Jeff Zentner owes me money for the absolute DEVASTATION of the conclusion of Travis’ character arc. That is all. 

And that’s it! I, uh, don’t really like tagging people, but I’ll tag @levinenoel, @super-lisa and @meadowlarkx, who probably won’t hate me for it and are free to abstain from this meme! :D

[orihara-infobroker]

The Game

“I heard about a party game they play in the States from Jonny. I bet it would be really fun for us to play.” Izaya was saying to Aozaki when Akabayashi joined them at the table. Mikiya turned to look at Izaya with curiosity.

“What kind of game?”

“It's called ‘Get Down Mr. President’. Basically it goes like this: one person puts their finger to their ear like a secret service agent listening to their earpiece and as the rest of the group notices, they do the same until only one person is left without a finger to their ear. Everyone else yells ‘Get Down Mr. President’ and tackles that person.” Akabayashi and Aozaki had matching grins and that alone was terrifying.

“I'm in but we need more people.” Akabayashi pointed out.

“Jonny's already telling the other Orihara execs about it.” Izaya replied with a grin. “We can do it at the party tonight.”

“This is how Americans have fun?” Mikiya asked with a slight frown. Izaya grinned and nodded. If he neglected to point out that it was drunk college kids that Jonny had learned the game from, well they didn't need to know.

“I hope you're the president.” Aozaki said to Akabayashi with a savage grin. Izaya had a feeling there might be some injuries tonight.

The party was a celebration for Shirou’s birthday so out of respect for - or possibly fear of - his parents, he waited until they left, leaving mostly the younger yakuza to drink and socialize. He started it, of course, finding himself a good vantage point from which to witness the chaos he wrought but the result was nothing he could have predicted.

Unbeknownst to Izaya, Akabayashi had been left in charge of circulating the rules of the game to the rest of the Awakusu. Akabayashi left a certain very notable executive out of the loop. Which meant it was guaranteed that he would be the president. So when Shiki was the last person and the echoed shout of “Get down Mr. President!” filled the room, Izaya was just as surprised as Shiki but where Izaya thought it was absolutely hilarious, Shiki was less impressed.

Izaya had never actually seen Shiki take on a group of people. One or two thugs here and there, sure, and he’d been one of Shiki’s victims from time to time when he attempted to surprise the other but not this many and it was pretty impressive to watch. If the others had been more tactical, they would have positioned themselves accordingly but instead they were spread out so when they moved to dog pile him, it was more in ones and twos.

Shiki didn't move. He let the others come to him even though numbers were against him and when the first was in reach only then did he respond. Moving with a speed and grace that was a bit unexpected but came with years of trained muscle memory. The pattern of dodge-and-grapple remained mostly defensive as Shiki put down his would be attackers with throws and holds though there were a few exceptions, like a well aimed kick he landed in Akabayashi's gut. It all came to an end when he managed to lay out Aozaki with a shoulder throw.

“Orihara.” Shiki's flat tone called him out where he stood on the edge of the chaos, watching with a grin that flashed all of his teeth.

“Ohhhh Shiki that's not how the game is played!”

“Game?” Shiki replied with a single arched brow, fixing a very cool look on him.

“Didn't the other's tell you?” Izaya asked, shifting his gaze to the Awakusu executives. Akabayashi let out a winded chuckle.

“Oops. Must have slipped my mind.” Shiki's flat stare fixed on Akabayashi and he casually planted a foot on the other's chest, giving him a shove.

“Slipped your mind did it? And you-” He returned his gaze to Izaya who had begun a casual creep backwards.” Don't even think about it.” Izaya put his hands up in mock surrender.

“Hey, I didn't try to tackle you!” He defended, still grinning. “And clearly this President needs no bodyguards…”

“Would that make you the assassin, Orihara?” He asked as he walked toward the raven. “Instigator of the whole thing?” Izaya attempted a repentant look but failed to hold it for a believable amou t of time.

“Ah but you looked so cool, Shiki.” He flattered instead and at least that was genuine.

“Excuse me, gentlemen. It seems I need to deal with a would be assassin.” Shiki spoke without shifting his gaze from Izaya and in one smooth motion he was throwing the raven over his shoulder.

“Kidnapping!” Izaya yelped though he didn't try to resist at all. Shiki ignored his protest, moving toward the exit with a chorus of chuckles from the defeated yakuza following them.

@mariayukimura-art-dnd

[pmiller1]

I gonna debunk the Mirrored Images part in the Sleeping Realm theory.

We talked a bit at length about the mirror symbolism in DTTH. How Sora literally phases through a mirror and into his older self. And how mirrors are commonly used to symbolise travelling to parallel worlds. A flipside alternate reality.

Now there are a couple of odd details in the worlds of KH3 that make the mirror symbolism something more of note.

When we first enter Twilight Town, the first out of place comment Sora makes of it is about the tram. It’s a tiny little throwaway thing, fits exactly into all the other deja vu moments and weird pointed scenes that Sora has had at the beginning of each world.

Before anything else the tram is the first thing Sora calls attention to, the first thing we’re meant to notice about KH3 Twilight Town. In and of itself this wouldn’t be anything to comment on.

Except, there is something off about it. It’s moving in the opposite direction of every other game it’s appeared in. Going left instead of right.

And? I mean yeah the Tram is going backwards from when it did KH2. But come on, can’t a tram go backward? Some tram go on the reverse root. Maybe the tram line root changed by the fact that Le Bistro was builded!

There might be more examples of this in game, but given how subtle it would be it’s a little hard to look for. Since, well, it could conceivably be anything.

Like the fact that after BBS, after Aqua spent a prolonged amount of time in the RoD, the teeth on the Master Defender keyblade flipped upside down. You could even say the little corner piece nub there flipped from right to left.

Yeah that is odd. But then again, Error can be Error given that 0.2 and 3 run on Unreal Engine 4. That all I saying here.

Or like the Ultima Weapon!

Just like the tram, out of all of the games it’s appeared in (7, since 2002), for the first time the heart on the Ultima keychain is inverted. The half heart symbol is on the left instead of right.

Um...  Dream Drop Distance Ultima Weapon call, there half-heart on in the right! If you gonna say that this a dream with the mirror effect. Then why isn’t Ultima Weapon from KH3D doesn’t have the half heart on there left?!

It’s very unlikely these are just coincidences considering the only other example we have of things being flipped, most notably to the left instead of right, is in DDD.

In TWEWY you’re a part of the Reaper’s Game. In this “game” you complete missions on a timer to fight for another chance at life. Because you’re dead. This timer is always located on the right hand.

In DDD, on the other hand—

It’s on the left. 

You know... It is a good point... I mean it on the left. But then again, this is do that there not really playing the Reaper Game. There kinda are. But... It seem like that there isn’t a UG or RG (And no! Not one of them are real world to be the RG, even with the sleeping realm theory). There No Reaper (save for the some who playing Flick Rush, that seem like there aren’t doing their jobs), no noise, just dream eater, heck, I don’t think there had there psych. Or Neku would had burn Young Xehanort or Shiki’s Mr Mew would move on it own with her. Beat don’t even had his skateboard. Yeah there had puck. And I know that partners was on the other side of town and can’t use there psych. But even then, Shiki got knock in the drink and Neku was almost got hit before Sore save him. And Shiki still hold Mr Mew.

And this going with the fact there are living memory, dream itself.

Also, It doesn’t seem like there in the mirror round where everything is reverse. So there that.

[self-loving-vampire]

Ms/Dr self-loving-vampire, I've started Tsukihime and made the mistake (?) of not blocking your spoilers tag, as a result I'm very excited to see the story get dark and gritty with cool psychological implications. But so far I'm almost done with Arcueid's route and I find it a bit boring, except some genuinely cool moments that I wish there were more of. So far, Shiki and Arcueid had sex (in a very embarrassing H scene) and then she left just a note that says "Bye". Could you tell me if it gets more interesting soon? There seems to be more promising story elements waiting ahead 🧐

That's very understandable. I can assure you that the Arcueid route is in fact the most "standard" one and primarily introduces the setting, central scenario, and lore.

It has several scenes in which Arcueid just explains vampire facts to Shiki (who is very dense about it) and other such things. They do at least have some really good conversations about life and the ending scene is also great, but yeah. It is a pretty dull route overall when compared to the other high points of the VN. The Arcueid route also has my least favorite line in the whole thing towards the end.

It does get more interesting, however. Ciel's route already has several great moments of its own and a lot of overlap with Arcueid's route (which means if you enable the option to skip previously watched scenes you can avoid retreads somewhat). It notably has the legendary chair scene, for one.

Then comes Akiha's route. To be honest I didn't like that one as much either but at the same time it does introduce the Far Side scenario, which is radically different from the first two routes. They are more quiet and personal, focused more on the characters from the mansion than on big fights (although danger and violence are still very much a factor).

But the best point of Tsukihime is definitely the maid routes. The last two of the novel. They are both very different from everything that came before (while also taking place in the general situation as Akiha's route) and are best thought of as two halves of one dark story.

The Hisui route has made friends of mine scream until they developed throat pain, or temporarily turn into empty husks. Following events in it they went through the Kohaku route feeling a constant sense of dread and the whole way they looked at everything that happened before that point fundamentally changed.

Personally, I would have thought Tsukihime was merely good if not for the maid routes. Those are what made me go insane and become obsessed with it.

So yeah, consider this your reassurance that it does get good and also much more dark.