#I'm losing my fucking mind rn

[akamintyt]

... So I got side-tracked yesterday-

Anyways, have a bland Silver the Hedgehog model with no chest fur yet because why not-

[the-ghost-of-jason-todd]

hm! if only my psych would get back to me about a meds refill! would that not be neat??!?

[thekittyokat]

you ever just have a lot, a LOT of feelings all at once about a character and not even remotely enough words or brainpower to FORM the words to describe everything you're feeling. so it feels like you may explode. yeah

[chronicyappper]

are there any cherik fics that don't have this dynamic please I'm so desperate

[iknowwhereyousnoozeatnight]

couple of mello + near doodles

[imminent-danger-came]

Lady Bone Demon: "Do not lament your fate child, you can rest knowing you served your purpose—destiny has found you."

(2x10 This is the End!)

-

Lady Bone Demon: "A reminder: it seems you can not be trusted to willingly follow the path of destiny. But know this: If you betray me again—one misstep, one failure in any way—I will erase the very memory of you."

(3x04 The Winning Side)

-

Tang: "You're wrong. I know I'm not a strong as they are. I may still be searching for my purpose—but what I do know, is that doing it alone is not the path I'm destined to take. Deep in my heart, I know my place is alongside my friends."

(3x08 Benched)

-

Lady Bone Demon: "I sent you a task—you were to retrieve the Monkie King and his protégé, yet you refused the path of destiny and so there will be pain."

(3x08 Benched)

-

Tang: "STOP! It was me! I mean, yeah, Macaque forced me to do it and I am definitely starting to have second thoughts on the whole thing now but- I don't know how and I don't know why, I just felt like I had to. Like it was...destiny!" Lady Bone Demon Voice Over: "Destiny can not be undone Sun Wukong."

(3x10 The Samadhi Fire)

-

Lady Bone Demon: "No matter what you do, you cannot change the path of destiny." MK: "I don't know if this all happened because it was destined to, but I have to believe that I found the staff so I could use it for good." [...] "If you really believed that destiny can't be changed, you wouldn't be using every ounce of power you have to keep him contained!"

(3x14 Destiny Fulfilled)

-

Lady Bone Demon: “Know this, monkey, you and I are not so different. We both fight for what we think is right—that pursuit only leads to one thing." MK: "Hmmhm. To destiny, right?" Lady Bone Demon: "No. To pain."  

(3x14 Destiny Fulfilled)

-

MK: "I can't believe that worked!" Tang: "Eh, if that was destined to go wrong, then it would have!"

(4x03 The Great Tang Man)

-

Tang: "If your bonds of friendships our strong, then you will always find your way back to one another!"

(4x04 Pig Napped!)

-

Macaque: "Wukong was on a path of self-destruction, we all were. But when he met the monk, it set him on a different path." MK: "Ah! The path of the good guy! Making those good life choices?"

(4x11 A Lifetime of Mistakes)

-

Purpose, Pain, and the Path of Destiny

[teddybeartoji]

Imagine he accidentally cums just from you teasing it, barely pushing ur fingers in and he pouts for the rest of the day bc he’s so embarrassed he came like that !!!

YEEEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!

he woulddd!!!!! you're just circling it, pressing against it through the panties and it just feels soooo fucking good. i imagine him being on all fours for this btw idk having a big guy in that position like that id just soooo🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴 so you wouldn't even see his face but oh my fucking godd his eyes are screwed shut, cheeks flushed reddd and he has his lip between his teeth bc he's just tryyiiiing to hold back the sounds that are threatening to spilll🥴🥴🥴🥴 fuckk he's so hot

what if he cums when you.. press a kiss to it yk? again, he still has the panties on but just the slightest touch against his most sensitive part has him cumming undone in an instant🥴🥴🥴🥴🥴 PLEAAAASEEE I NEEDD HIMM LUNNIEEEEE PLEEAAAAASEEE I NEED TO MAKE HIM CUM WITH JUST MY FINGERSSS AND MOUTHHH AAAA

[kazumahashimoto]

biggest plot twist in this game is that sidon is really messy

[sebbyisland]

WHAT COULD THIS MEAN LETS UNPACK. Shiguma has invited Akane to be the Zenza/opener for his large public event, one known to help keep rakugo appreciation alive in the community. We now also have a better idea of what makes his performances so enrapturing—to the degree he is considered an "Ookaban," or a Shinu'uchi who has truly elevaed the craft. During his performance, Shiguma uses small, defined movements to encourage the audience to imagine the entire world of the story. This is a powerful technique that even has the power to “kill” as was explained in the prev chapter because people become so enraptured in his stories they will even ignore fire alarms (which is crazyyy btw). It's THAT intense.

This is what makes him "Shiguma the Tear-Jerker," master of Ninjo-banashi (this also explains why Maikeru is so good at Ninjobanashi lol) . It’s easy to believe the purpose of this arc is to once again establish a goal post that Akane needs to aspire for, especially since we know she doesn't have much experience in emotional/dramatic Rakugo. The last time we had Akane become "wowed" by someone else's degree of rakugo skill, it was ALSO a horror story, performed by Kaisei Arakawa (more on this later)! However, unlike that scene, we now have the additional plot element of the mysterious "Shiguma's Art" that was passed down from the Kashiwaya school. Which is actually the true focus of this arc, since it's heavily implied that Akane is about to learn Shiguma's Art herself!

Back in chapter 118, we find out Rokuro Kashiwaya is trying to reveal the secrets of the "Shiguma's art," a secret story originally passed down from the Kashiwaya school. Immediately after the reader is told this, we cut to a flashback of a younger Akane watching as Shiguma silently stares down at the ground in a formal seated position.

Akane can tell he's practicing rakugo not because of any genius intuition, but because she remembers her dad doing the exact same thing. And she was correct! When she asks him about it, Shiguma is first avoidant, "It has nothing to do with you," but then affectionately ruffles her head and says she'll tell her when she's a "full-fledged artist." Shiguma's secrecy + the timing of the scene basically all but screams at us that he was practicing "Shiguma's art" and he already passed this on to Akane's father before his Shin'uchi test.

Okay, so, Shiguma wants to pass down this cool secret story. Based on his solo-performance and how we've seen both Shiguma and Akane's dad practice, this is a story that requires using minimalism to maximum impact. About maintaining a still, intense atmosphere full of anticipation that completely enraptures the audience similar to the younger Akane watching them, all those years ago. We will soon get more details about how this works since Shiguma has acknowledged that Akane as a "full-fledged artist" and promised to teach Akane this very same story after his solo-event.

But that's not even the most interesting aspect of this whole arc! One of the side characters astutely observes that this all seems to be a pattern for Shiguma . His student's "rite of passage" into Futatsume, as they become a "full-fledged artist."

Shiguma takes them out around town for a day, then has them open for his Solo exhibit. Just like Akane. Keep in mind, the solo exhibit is not just about Shiguma and his Futatsume-to-be, but about connecting rakugo to the greater public on a deep level. That is the greatest lesson they gain from all this--that small things like taking in the "color of the city," as Akane calls it, is essential to gaining a deeper understanding of how to connect to the audience. Of rakugo itself. Doesn't that sound familiar? Small things amounting to a big impact? That's right, it''s the very same draw of Shiguma's Art.

This all comes full-circle, because back in the beginning of the story, chapter 2 opens with a focus of Shiguma's mentorship of Akane consisting of showing Akane around town. This initially caused a comedic misunderstanding leading to rumors of them having an immoral affair. Of course, in reality, he was teaching Akane rakugo on a fundamental level.

Does Shiguma teach Shiguma's Art to ALL his students? Probably not. Not only is Shinta the only student we explicitly see practicing Shiguma's Art, he's also clearly burdened by it. When Akane learns that Shinta refused to join other rakguo schools after his expulsion, she recounts when her father mention his goal to "carry on Shiguma's art."

This single page places another level of weight on "Shiguma's Art" as a role, an identity, not just a methodology. Look at Shiguma's face when Akane reveals this information! He's unsettled! Shinta speaks with clear intention to carry on the name of Shiguma. He has so much loyalty to Shiguma's Art he refuses to continue rakugo under any other school (which brings the question: why did the original Shiguma leave Kashiwaya, then?). So, no, I don't think everyone who graduated past Futatsume gets to learn Shiguma's Art. After all, it's not like every student under Kashiwaya learned about it, either. It's a mystery how Rokuro found out in the first place...

To recap: we've established that "Shiguma's art" is both a methodology and a secret Ninjo-banashi story to SELECT students of the Shiguma school, likely taug ur with the intention for you to inherit the school. It's a great honor that basically represents the foundation of Shiguma that can be felt in many extensions of Shiguma’s mentorship style. The current Kashiwaya master passed it on to Kiroku, but instead of staying within the Kashiwaya school, Kiroku went on to make his own school with Issho and the current Shiguma. The original Shiguma taught it to the current Shiguma, but probably not Issho. Then, Shiguma taught this technique to Shinta with strong intention, but that didn't work out because Shinta failed the Shin’uchi test. From what we've seen so far, Shiguma's Art emphasizes that "less is more" when it comes with connecting to its audience. It's most effective in creating an intense, emotional atmosphere apt for Ninjo-banashi stories.

That's all well and good, but then what relevance does this current rakugo story have? If this is really all about Shiguma's Art, then does it REALLY matter what story Shiguma performs during this solo-event, as long as it's emotional and shows off his skill as a Shin'uchi? Why would this performance "hold a special meaning" for Akane, specifically, if it's nor even guaranteed for EVERY Futatusme to learn Shiguma's Art after the solo event?

That has to do with the nature of the story Shiguma is performing, "Shinigami" or "Gods of Death" (spoilers for people who are not familiar with the story). We left off in Akane-banashi with the protagonist of the rakugo story being taken into a candle-lit cave by one of the gods of death. Every candle's represents the life of a human soul. In this story, it's revealed that the quack doctor, our protagonist, has accidentally switched out his own candle with that of his dying patient. As such, he is about to die. The god offers to let him light his current candle with his "former" candle so that he can renew his life. However, he fails (the exact reason varies between versions), and dies. His death is a morbid lesson to the audience that you shouldn't bite off more than you can chew, for consequences will follow.

The most haunting part of this story is when, after watching the protagonist struggle to stay alive, his candle finally goes out. All the life is snuffed out of the protagonist. Now, this might be a reach, but I think the pose that both Shiguma and Shinta were seen practicing is going to directly translate to how he performs the protagonist's death in "Shingami." Think about it. The complete stillness of a tragic death that came too soon--isn't that the ultimate way to make minimal movement have the largest impact? Furthermore, a haunting line from "Shinigami" is a taunt that the protagonist receives from the god "That which has been traded cannot be returned." Isn't that such a good segue for the weight of Shiguma's Art? That Akane’s father refused to go to any other rakugo school after he had to leave Shiguma Arakawa? That Rokuro is now trying to return what has been traded to the Shiguma school???? This was such a good story to introduce Shiguma's art because it ties to both the past and the future of the story on multiple levels, similar to the impact of Maikeru’s Shin’uchi test. Furthermore, it usually a particularly popular rakugo story, so similiar to the use of "Jugemu," seeing how the characters interact with the story helps to emphasize their level of skill.

In addition, I've wanted to see Akane-banashi adapt "Shinigami" since I first started this series. I am so beyond happy about its role in the narrative. It feels like a personal gift ahhhhhhh.

You can watch variants of "Shinigami" on Youtube! Performances by Kyotaro Yanagiya w/eng subtitles here and an English rakugo performance by Kanariya Eiraku here :) I personally really enjoyed them both.

Furthermore, remember how I mentioned Kaisei early on in this paper? Like way back? That's because if Akane is the representative for the future of Shiguma, and Rokuro as Kashiwaya, then Kaisei is the face of Issho Arakawa in this story and will no doubt be brought in the fray of the Shiguma Art drama. With this in mind, isn't it interesting how the last major performance we saw of Kaisei was a Ninjobanashi that highlighted how he, too, captured the audience, but with a much more outwardly scary story about death? One that is terrifying because of the ego of the character's, not the environment/gradual build up of horror in Shinigami? And that his origin also started by meeting a Shinuchi as a child, like Akane, and that he took on rakugo in honor of his mom who was in a rough spot for reasons out of her countrol, similar to how akane was influenced to honor her dad through rakugo? But Kaisei cared about proving himself by having the means to live/leave poverty, whereas Akane was focused on how she enjoyed the art of rakugo? It's almost as if Kaisei has a different approach to rakugo than the Shiguma school...it's almost as if...he's taught by the master of Shiguma's rival, Issho....it's almost as if......Isho's rakugo is more so about the rakugoka's ego delivering a powerful story, whereas Shiguma's rakugo is about influencing the audience, and this is why that disagree so strongly about Shinta's Shin'uchi test, where he was able to connect with the audience but fell through on maintaining he composure and ego......it's almost as if this entire story hinges on the debate on the purpose of telling stories. This is what Akane has to decide on for herself. That's why we are reading Akane-banashi (story).

[rapidhighway]

dad just sent me an ominous text to intimidate me ig

[corfisers]

i really need to finish this one day

[dying-suffering-french-stalkers]

petition for all bugs to leave me the FUCK alone today!!!

[laprincessadelmar]

LENA MANTLER CAME OUT AS GAY EVERYONE OMGGGGGGGGG😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[imminent-danger-came]

So about a month ago I had a dream that I was walking by a group of friends watching lmk s5, and MK said some dialogue that's lowkey haunted me for a while:

"I'm a consequence of Monkey King's actions. So if you want to get past me- fine, you probably could, I'm out of control. But Monkey King doesn't want to compete for his own happiness."

I was gonna maybe do a little sketch comic but s5 has DROPPED out of the sky

[paleweave]

i was today years old when i found out that miss florence welch did TWO WHOLE OTHERS SONGS for ffxv. today. TODAY I FOUND THIS OUT.

[0-crow-carnival-0]

I wish there were more WOY avatars on VRChat. That would be cool. I've been fucking tweaking out (mentally) recently because of this.