#and we cannot forget about taro

[mdzs-fics]

Tales from the Burial Mounds, part 2

Since last I wrote about the collection titled Tales from the Burial Mounds, another 19 works and 13 Bookmarks have been added.

Here is another sampling of stories in this Collection.

Every Mother's Son by Chrononautical

Post canon, Madame Lan lives 2 chapters 12k words

“I have heard of the famous Lan Clan, of course,” said Taro, wholly unaware that a woman so intimately connected with that horrid family sat within four tatami of him. “That one of them should ascend to Chief Cultivator is news indeed, though perhaps less surprising to you than me. From this distant view, my impression has always been that they are scholars, not politicians.”

“Warrior-scholars,” agreed the horse-faced merchant. “Well versed in the four arts and gentlemen all. Which makes his marriage even more scandalous, if you ask me!”

“Yes, yes,” snickered the rat. “How could a man like Hanguang-Jun wed such a fiend? That is the question asked by every cultivator.”

“Yiling Laozu! The Ghost Flute himself from the last great war. I ask you, is such a person as that worthy of marrying the unimpeachable Lan Wangji?”

In which there is an attempt to rescue yet another victim of the Lan Clan.

Darlings by nirejseki

Fix-it 1 chapter 7k word

That made even Lan Qiren started frowning. “Similar news had come to Xichen and myself,” he said. “The Jin sect said they sent several envoys seeking peace and were repulsed with violence, did they not? Wangji, are you saying you were able to go there with no difficulty?”

“That is correct, shufu. The greatest difficulty I encountered was Wei Ying forgetting to pay for lunch.”

“Good man,” Nie Huaisang said approvingly. “He always knew how to sponge a meal like the best of them. Did he manage to get you to pay for anyone else, too?”

Lan Wangji hesitated, which meant yes.

“One of the Wens?” Nie Huaisang’s brother asked, and his voice had dropped down to a forbidding register.

Lan Wangji straightened his back. “I will not apologize for associating with a child of two,” he said icily. “Regardless of his surname –”

“A child of two?!” Lan Qiren exclaimed, horrified, and even Nie Mingjue’s seeming ever-present anger broke for a moment, leaving him looking aghast. “In the Burial Mounds?!”

“Oh, woe is us,” Nie Huaisang said, delighted by this turn of events, which proved to be far more entertaining than what he thought was in store for him on a visit to the Cloud Recesses. “Clearly we’ll all have to go to see for ourselves, right? Right?”

In which Nie Huaisang is bored and, after an argument, he and his Da-ge go to visit the Lans.

the exception proves the rule by defractum

AU - Canon Divergence 1 chapter 5k words

He watches as they shelter under the lifeless trees, sit among the mounds of half buried bodies; there's nothing here but dirt and resentful energy. They stretch their legs, checking in on each other in a low murmur. Wei Ying doesn't seem surprised to see that Lan Wangji is the last person still standing, a pillar of white among the huddled bodies in muddy and stained robes. "Will you tell them where we are?"

Lan Wangji shakes his head. He doesn't know which 'they' Wei Ying means, but it doesn't matter. "I will be back."

"You shouldn't if you know what's good for you." Wei Ying reluctantly huffs a laugh.

Lan Wangji has not known what is good for him for a long time.

In which Lan Wangji makes a different choice at Qiongqi Path.

Turn away at the western gate by Mhalachai

AU - Canon Divergence 1 chapter 13k words

Liu Meihui, reluctant wife to the Gusu Lan sect leader, sits in the confined dark cage of her room, her prison silent around her. Cold hangs outside as the world holds its breath. Waiting.

Waiting.

Qingheng-Jun lays dying, and when the Gusu Lan sect leader takes his last breath (her husband, her jailor), hers shall surely not be far behind.

The Lan elders have long memories. Once Qingheng-Jun's sword no longer stands between them and her throat, Liu Meihui cannot expect to live.

In which Madame Lan escapes with some help and arrives in Yiling after weeks of travel.

[stickers-on-a-laptop]

Remember, Sonoi/Taro because they deserve it

I am missing you (do you remember me?)

Sonoza looked at Sonoi in shock before going around and confirming what had happened. Yes, Sonoi was dead. He stomped his foot before throwing Sonoi into a fireman’s carry and opening a door to Cafe Donbura. 

“Momoi Tarou! You’re needed!” he barked, startling Saruhara and Haruka, who were discussing Haruka’s manga, which was spread over the table they were sharing. 

“What is it, Sonoza?” Tarou asked, standing up from the counter. 

“Get him alive again,” Sonoza said, pushing Sonoi into Tarou’s arms. 

“Again?” Haruka and Saruhara chorused. 

“And now, a haiku: 

An unbitten peach

Falls off of the tree and rolls 

A glittering fate.”

“What’s going on now?” Inuzuka asked as Tarou ignored Saruhara in favor of taking Sonoi out of the cafe. 

“Sonoi’s dead,” Haruka said, picking up a marker and carefully filling in the lines of her art as Saruhara wrote his haiku down. 

“Ah.” 

---

Sonoi sat up, the juice disappearing as he did so. 

“How do you feel, Sonoi?” Tarou asked, holding out a hand to help Sonoi out of the coffin. 

“Who are you?” Sonoi asked in reply. “Why do you know my name?” 

There was some glances from the people behind the person asking the question. 

“Does he not remember Momoi-san?” 

“What is this, a cliche manga? He better remember him!” was the hissed reply. 

Sononi and Sonoza pushed their way to the coffin. “Sonoi. You remember us, right?” Sonoza demanded. 

“Sonoza, Sononi, of course I do. We’re Nouto. Why are there humans here?” 

The young woman tossed her hands up. “You cannot be serious! Sonoza, if I wrote a manga like this, what would you do?” 

Sonoza looked at her, considering the question. “Rip it to pieces.” 

“See! This is too stupid!” she stomped out of the room before coming back in. “Actually, Tarou, you should try kissing him, if it’s gonna be all cliche like this!” 

Sonoi noticed that the man in traditional Japanese mourning clothes suddenly looked disgusted before the man who was behind Sononi and Sonoza came back up to him, looking thoughtful. 

“Would you mind if I kissed you?” 

Sonoi leaned back. He was pretty sure he’d mind, yes. 

“Well, there you have it,” said the man in the traditional wear. “Sonoi has lost his memories, so…” 

“Does this usually happen?”

“No,” Sononi answered for the man who had asked. “We are Nouto, after all. Even the first time, he didn’t forget, did he? Just acted like Tarou.”  

“Was Inuzaka-san around for that one?” 

Sonoi had had enough. He got out of the coffin and opened a door to anywhere. 

---

After wandering for a bit, he sat down at a set of steps, the air cooling down as the sun set. The moon was out already, peeking out from some clouds. Something was in his pocket, he realized, and pulled out a handkerchief with polar bears on it. He stared at it. Where was his? 

“Sonoi,” said a voice. Sonoi looked up to find the man who had offered to kiss him holding out a can of coffee. He was in a white delivery boy outfit, and Sonoi had the jarring feeling of seeing him in a different outfit, one of blue and red. “I know you do not remember me, but we have a bond that I find difficult to ignore, after all…” 

Sonoi hesitated before accepting the can. 

“What is your name?” 

“Momoi Tarou. You…you called me Tarou, at the end.” 

“Tarou, then,” Sonoi said, getting another flash of deja vu as Tarou sat next to him, especially as Tarou looked towards the moon and not the setting sun. Maybe they really had known each other. “Who were the others at the funeral?” 

“Haruka-tachi, you mean?” 

“Yes.” 

Tarou gave a little smile. “My companions. The Donbrothers.” 

Sonoi stood up, nearly spilling his coffee. “You are my enemy, then.” 

“You were, at first. Now, we are all companions. You can ask Sononi or Sonoza, if you don’t believe me.” 

Sonoi thought about doing just that, or opening a door to get out of there, but in the end, he sighed and sat back down next to Tarou, who looked slightly relieved. 

“I didn’t remember them or you, either, up until recently,” Tarou offered. “And then you died, after we met the Zenkaigers.” 

“I…died?” 

“We both have, several times.” 

Sonoi didn’t know what to make of that, staring at his coffee can. 

“Would you like to get some oden?” 

Oden. Now that word seemed to bring up many feelings, despite not knowing what it was. 

“I…think so, yes.” 

Tarou gave him a smile, and something in Sonoi’s heart did a funny thump. 

---

Tarou watched as Sonoi carefully took a bite of egg, wondering if this was how the other Donbrothers felt when he couldn’t remember them. Sonoi had clearly avoided Tarou during that time, which Tarou supposed he understood. It was painful, to be somewhere with someone who was supposed to share the memory with you. But while Tarou was used to being alone, he didn’t want to leave Sonoi. Not after the memory loss he had just recovered from. 

“Is it good?” Tarou asked quietly. 

“Very,” Sonoi replied. 

They ate in silence after that, not as comfortable as it should have been. 

“Do you have a place to stay?” Tarou asked once they had returned their bowls. 

“Would I not just stay in Ideon?” 

Tarou shook his head. He didn’t understand everything that had happened, but from what Sonoza had told him before he had come to find Sonoi, it sounded like they were banned. “Sonoza often stays with Saruhara, although you could stay with me.” 

Sonoi stood up. “I will stay with this Shinichi, if he will have me. I do not know you, but if Sonoza is there, he can explain more of what has happened.” 

Tarou couldn’t help feeling disappointed, then frowned. “Shinichi? How do you know Saruhara’s name, if I’ve never said it?” 

Sonoi looked confused, then frowned as well. “I’m not sure.” 

The pang that Sonoi would remember Saruhara over him hurt more than the initial disappointment of Sonoi not wanting to stay with him, but Tarou still brought Sonoi over to the old house that Saruhara lived in. 

“Yes, coming,” Tarou heard Saruhara say, sighing in slight relief. 

Sonoi studied him with a frown. “You are glad about something.” 

“Saruhara had…changed with Jirou in charge. I do not always get along with him, but that version of him was unbearable.” 

The door opened and Saruhara was there, frowning slightly. 

“What is it, Tarou?” 

“Is Sonoza here?”

“Yes, he’s on a video call with Haruka, why?” 

“Sonoi needs a place to stay for the night.” 

“I can pay,” Sonoi offered, only for Saruhara to shudder. 

“Don’t worry about that. You may stay, there is plenty of room.” 

Tarou stepped aside to allow Sonoi in. 

Saruhara peered at him. “Tarou…would you like to stay as well?” 

He did, but wasn’t going to admit it. 

The world went dark. 

---

“Is he okay?” Sonoi asked, Shinichi dragging in Tarou. 

“He lied, so he’s dead, but he’s fine, yes. You’d think he’d be over this.” Shinichi gave Tarou’s body a little kick. 

“He…dies when he lies?” 

Shinichi rolled his eyes. “Indeed he does. Anyway, you two will be sharing a room, as Haruka has suggested doing the things people do in dramas, as she said.” 

“Dramas?” 

“Television programs. I do not watch them myself, but as not many are interested in the wabisabi ways…” he trailed off. 

“We… were friends, were we not?” Sonoi said, watching Shinichi. 

There was some very slight preening from Shinichi. “Yes, we’ve worked together a few times.” 

“Funny that you remember him and not Tarou,” Sonoza said around a mouthful of banana, having wandered in. 

“He’ll recall his memories in full, I’m sure,” Shinichi said. “Nouto are supposed to be based off brain waves, after all, no?” 

Sonoza flapped his hands as he nodded. “Ideon is, yeah.” 

“Then it’ll all work out.” 

Tarou awoke then, frowning. “Why am I on the floor?” 

“You died again,” Shinichi said briskly. “You may stay here, I’ll set up some futons.” he disappeared up the stairs. 

“You’re not human, are you, Tarou?” Sonoi asked as Tarou stood up. 

“No.”

---

Tarou couldn’t sleep. Sonoi had fallen asleep quickly, inasmuch as Tarou could tell, but he was still awake, staring at the ceiling. 

He extracted himself from the futon in silence, wanting some warm milk. Hopefully Saruhara would have that, considering Sonoza was often there. 

When he got to the kitchen, he found Saruhara at the table, sewing. 

“Oh.” 

“Tarou,” Saruhara said in greeting. “Go ahead.” 

Tarou got out the milk, using the gas stove to heat it. He made enough for two, which seemed to surprise Saruhara, just a tad. 

“Do you really think Sonoi will regain his memories?” Tarou asked after a while. 

“Considering the patterns we’ve had, yes,” Saruhara said calmly, his hands wrapped around his mug. “You die, you come back, you fight, you die, you come back, you fight. You lost your memories, and they came back. However, if you’re that worried, you could ask Master about your points.” 

Tarou knew that all the members had enough to make Sonoi recall his memories, if they so wished, but with them having almost left, he felt it’d be a bad idea to ask for them to waste their points, especially with everyone acting sure that Sonoi would regain his memories on his own.  

“Having Sonoi help you with your work couldn’t possibly hurt,” Saruhara said as he got up, rinsing out his mug. “Bring him to places that you two know.” 

Tarou nodded, getting up and draining his mug, rinsing it out like he had seen Saruhara do. 

“Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome.” 

---

Sonoi waited as Tarou filled his van with packages. This did seem oddly familiar, although he had certainly never done this on Ideon. 

“Okay, let’s go.” 

Sonoi obediently followed Tarou into the vehicle, wondering why he was bothering. Sonoza had sent him off, though, telling him that he had to help “Haruka” with a deadline, and Sononi was nowhere to be found, so it wasn’t like his options were great. 

It went smoothly, and it was surprisingly nice, going around delivering packages. As Tarou said, they were delivering joy. Even the grumpy people trying to find a pen or their stamps had little slivers of joy as they accepted their packages. 

“Where to now?” Sonoi asked once all the packages were delivered. 

“This was only half, but it’s my lunch break, so Cafe Donbura and then back to work to get the other half.” 

Sonoi nodded, and the two of them got back into the van, Tarou carefully driving just like he had been the entire time. 

Once they were there, Sonoi felt a rush of dizziness. This must have been a place of many memories. Tarou easily caught him, supporting him as he brought them inside.

“May I take your order?” 

Sonoi couldn’t keep the shock out of his voice. “Murasame?”

“Murasame, I will take their orders.” 

“Yes, Master.” 

A young man in black looked over Sonoi carefully. Sonoi would have squirmed if he wasn’t a Nouto. 

“You have forgotten, haven’t you, Sonoi.” 

“Apparently I have.” 

The owner seemed to be about to say something when the young woman who had marched out of the funeral barged in. 

“Hey, Master, I wanna sundae! Oh, hey Tarou! Have you kissed him yet?” 

“Why would Tarou kiss me?” Sonoi asked with a frown. 

“To get your memory back, duhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Everyone knows it’s a cliche trope but still, couldn’t hurt, could it?” 

Sonoi wasn’t sure about that one. He knew enough about human desire to know that kissing ended up causing a lot of trouble, either from wanting it or not wanting it. 

“I am not going to force a kiss on Sonoi if he does not want it.” 

“Well, don’t blame me when this takes forever, then!” 

---

Sonoi was quiet as they got in the van again. The food had been delicious, and familiar, and sometimes he thought he could get a glimpse into the memories he had lost, but they were gone by the time he tried to grasp them. 

“Do you want to go back?” Tarou asked. “I can drop you off before I go back to work.” 

Sonoi was about to answer, but instead, he covered Tarou’s mouth, concentrating. 

“Hitotsuki,” he said, opening a door, surprised when Tarou followed him through. 

The door led them to a quarry, where Sononi and Sonoza were working with an Oni, a monkey, a dog, and a pheasant. 

“Avatar Change!” 

Sonoi watched in shock as Tarou transformed into Don Momotaro, someone he had been told to fight. 

“COMPANIONS! I HAVE ARRIVED!” Tarou shouted, so unlike the person he had been hanging out with all day. Sonoi cursed and transformed as well, needing the Hitotsuki to be dealt with. 

As he fought, the Donbrothers working in tandem with Sononi and Sonoza, he realized he had done this before. In fact, he had fought Don Momotaro and regretted it the second he had fallen. 

The sea and the sky. 

The moon is a liar. 

Those phrases floated into his mind, and with them, his memories came back, a rush of sound and visions, causing him to fall down, clutching his head. 

“SONOI!” Sononi and Sonoza screamed. 

He couldn’t focus on them, too caught up in watching Tarou speed up his attacks and quickly defeating the Hitotsuki, the dragon of the team coming in to defeat the larger version, which allowed Tarou to come rushing over. 

“Sonoi?” Tarou asked, looking surprisingly scared. “Are you okay?” 

“Yes, I’m fine, Tarou.” 

“Didja get your memories back?” Haruka asked, running over. 

At Sonoi’s nod, she jumped up, punching the air. “Good! Guess we don’t need that cliche after all!” 

Sonoi laughed, coaxing Tarou down. “If I wanted to kiss you, would that be okay?” 

Tarou gave him a smile. “Yes.” 

Sonoi kissed him, ignoring the surprised shouts of Kijino and Inuzuka and the outraged yells of Haruka, who was apparently getting her eyes covered by Shinichi, in favor of kissing Tarou deeply. 

When they broke apart, it was just them left, making Sonoi chuckle, bringing his forehead to Tarou’s. 

“I’m glad I remembered.” 

“I’m glad you remembered, as well.” 

[voiceoutofstars]

Readability Revision: The Startaro Bubble Tea Tastes Horrible

Part of a series of readability revisions for Honkai Star Rail text.

Reminder that I cannot read or speak Mandarin. This is a fan revision for readability, not a re-translation. For a lengthy explanation of this pet project and repeated disclaimers, check here.

The Startaro Bubble Tea Tastes Horrible

A review of a Starskiff Haven tea. It was posted to a forum.

Just Chatting — Starwatcher Station

It is vitally important to know both how to view a thing, and how to view everything.

—Commander of the Starwatcher Station

An Afternoon Tea Break — The Startaro Bubble Tea Tastes Horrible

[ACCOUNT DELETED]User_93246353

Posted on: September 21

I can't be the only one who thinks this startaro bubble tea tastes terrible. None of this year’s new Immortal’s Delight products are even palatable! @ImmortalsDelight_LeisureTeas I seriously need to call out the staff at your Starstiff Haven outlet. The ingredients they put in are insane. Can they suck up fist-sized taro chunks? And the tea tastes as bland as water. Did they forget to add the actual tea concentrate?

Special Stargazer

Posted on: September 22

They use tea concentrate!? Then what am I drinking it for, the overboiled common beans and unwashed taro? There are 26 teahouses on Starwatcher Avenue and they're the only one with this level of audacity.

Pie doctor of night

Posted on: September 23

The Sleepless Earl is the only good place left on Luófú. At least they’re still brewing tea the old way. It’s way better than the streetside shops and their mass-production machines / Forward this message to join a draw for a Sleepless Earl loyalty card

So long, and thanks for all the jade abaci. Replied to: Pie doctor of night, September 23

Ermmmm can't say I didn't guess that ending. Never imagined someone would still be tooting the horn for the Sleepless Earl in this day and age. Can't you tell the owner herself is clueless about tea? That shop was just propped up by all the Outworlders who don’t know the first thing about tea culture. How many Luófú locals do you see drinking their stuff?

Granny Chen's Tofu with bownana Replied to: Pie doctor of night, September 23

I can immediately tell that you're one of those worthless people who patronize the Sleepless Earl. You think their tea tastes better just because it's in a clay pot instead of a normal cup? Seriously, has anyone been to Royal Tea? They've recently put a big teapot in front of the store, and it even says "Luófú relic. Please do not touch." That's real class, if you ask me. Anyone who still goes to the Sleepless Earl is losing face in the eyes of us older Luófú citizens.

Pie doctor of night Replied to: So long, and thanks for all the jade abaci, September 23

Blabbing about "old Luófú" and "locals" ... this is what makes Xiānzhōu citizens lose face! Why do we still have old geezer traditionalists like you? "All who arrive from the endless starry seas are our honored guests" — didn't you learn this from your teachers in the lyceum? @StarwatcherStation_StartledDeer Can the mod of the day please delete this post!?

Let the Trials Come

Posted on: September 29

Woe is me, for the Xiānzhōu art of tea has perished! In days of yore 'twas so much more: a balance of various distilled scents, a frugality blended from practicality and simplicity, a world order where filial respect and table manners were equally observed, and the modest joy of sipping tea as life's meaning revealed itself. Now, cast your gaze upon Luófú, and despair at how all such loveliness has dissipated! No billows of clouds, no tumbling creeks—the heavens have forsaken us, and the noble houses are lost. All life is interchanged with works of blunt metal; O the very ugliness of it! Be it so that the tea sets have retired and the art of tea lost to this world. Yet, how unsightly that we now drink tea by the roadside, and inhale its aromas as we carelessly walk! Xiānzhōu has constructed an interconnected web through thousands of dimensions so friends from all corners of the universe can converse, yet now we misconstrue words and spread wide slander and false discourse! 'Tis a time when the very foundations of Xiānzhōu are in danger!

Granny Chen's Tofu with bownana

Posted on: October 2

Woah, a real Luófú resident is here! Scamper, everybody! Actually, are they in the wrong section of the station? lol

A portrait burning at Starwatcher Replied to: Let the Trials Come, October 7

What you say is correct; however, the Xiānzhōu is nowhere near as unsightly as you make it out to be. I am but a humble citizen who has worked for some time in Luófú's tea industry, and it is my opinion that the new metallic tea machines have lowered the barrier for entry for people who want to try tea for the first time. Classic methods such as "Vegetations in the Alchemy Cauldron" require significant time and equipment, so fewer and fewer people were drinking tea that way. I think it's a good thing that more Outworlders can now experience the unique essence of Xiānzhōu's art of tea.

Granny Chen's Tofu with bownana

Posted on: October 10

Oh great, now an ‘earnest’ fellow! Everyone, get out of here!

[noriio]

Speech delay in children with a predominance of rigid emotions - unable to grasp the context of other people's actions-

As mentioned above, when rigid emotions become predominant, consciousness becomes narrow. This narrowness leads to problems such as focusing only on parts and not understanding the connection to the whole. However, narrow consciousness is not only a spatial problem but also a temporal problem. In other words, attention is focused on the current stimulus before you, and you cannot understand the connection to the past. Words are spoken one after another over time. Also, when reading, you take time to read sentences. This fact means that the way words appear changes over time. Contextual understanding is necessary to understand words.

For example, when you hear, "Hanako has two apples. Taro has three. How many apples are there in total?" if you concentrate on something within a short time, you will not understand the sentence. In other words, if you hear "Taro has three apples" and forget "Hanako has two apples," you will not understand how many apples there are. Also, when you read the story "The raccoon had a terrible experience on Kachikachi Mountain" and "The raccoon didn't want to go to Kachikachi Mountain," you won't understand why the raccoon didn't want to go to the mountain unless you are aware that "the raccoon had a terrible experience on the mountain." To understand a sentence, you need a contextual understanding that involves the passage of time. However, you won't understand the sentence if you concentrate on listening or reading for a short period.

Even if time passes, sentences framed logically, such as "One plus one is two, so two minus one is one," can be understood by association. However, if there is no logical connection between food and the collision with the tree, such as "I was thinking about delicious food, and then I bumped into a tree," to understand the relationship between these two items, you must think of the two items, food and the collision with the tree, at the same time, while being aware of the passage of time, regardless of the logical connection. The world of human language has plenty of events that are not very orderly like this. We must have a broad perspective of time to understand the words describing various events.

Furthermore, children with a predominance of rigid emotions tend to fixate on particular thoughts or events that concern them. If they are preoccupied with one thing, they will be unable to keep up with the ever-changing topics of conversation. If they are conscious of just the current topic, they can keep up to some extent with the flow of the conversation, but if their attention is fixed on one thing, they will not be able to keep up with the flow at all. This persistence results in poor communication. In other words, when a child has a predominance of rigid emotions, it becomes difficult to understand the context, which leads to delayed speech.

[the-melting-world]

A Stranger Aura

This fic came about when I discovered @forgedarcana and their apprentice Malon Almasi! It didn’t take long for me and my own apprentice to fall in love with this sweet gremlin. Take a look at how they first meet!

~ 2200 words

A Stranger Aura

In which a humble gardener meets a feral wanderer… .

Despite how unpopular it would make her among the other merchants, the innkeeper was determined to smoke out her communal fireplace by the end of the afternoon. She was convinced that it was the only way to purge her establishment of the family of bats that had taken residence there. 

Kipling Bronne absorbed this information along with other gossip highlights as she arrived for weekly upkeep. She had eleven storefronts to cover. Her potted arrangements were looking a little more overgrown than usual. Some even had leaves that were glistening with sap. Not poisonous or uncommon, but also not particularly appealing to the city dwellers as they went about their errands. 

Kipling took in the sorry state of her plants and groaned internally as her mind generated a lengthy to do list. She really had her work cut out for her.

The block was busy that day. And so was Kipling if anyone took the time to notice. Yet it kept none of the gossipy merchants from interrupting her often and baptizing her ears in the latest scoops whether she invited them or not.

“Kip, have you been by Little Brother’s yet?”

Little Brother. The innkeeper, who happened to be large-boned, robust and a widow, but nicknames were sticky, stubborn things. For the fourth time that morning, Kipling heard about Little Brother’s pest control problem and her radical solution.

“I mean, don’t you think that’s inhumane, Kip?”

Kipling briefly turned away from her work to offer a look of consideration. “I think Little Brother’s customers are tired of hatchlings wandering from the nest and falling in their soup.” She also thought the other businesses thrived off the innkeeper’s unhappy tenants, but she plastered a smile over that little sentiment.

As the day dragged on, the interruptions did not slow down. Kipling could only rely on her familiar’s steady chittering and encouraging ear nibbles to keep her focused as much as possible.

However, as the gardener worked her way further down the street, she noticed that her pygmy lemur grew more and more antsy. Taro was already a lively companion. Add a dash of neurosis on a day like this and it really sent Kipling’s nerves spiraling.

“Taro,” She finally huffed, “what is the matter with you?”

Taro whimpered and bounced around Kipling’s ankles. Usually she could tolerate the lemur’s sporadic bouts of mania, but it was very hot and she wasn’t in the mood. Work was tedious, and the damn shop owners kept bothering her, and —

“Kipling! Might I have a word?”

The inquiry snapped Taro out of her neurotic rain dance. She scrambled so fast onto Kipling’s shoulder that it made the gardener sway on her feet. 

The newcomer steadied her and asked if she was all right. Clearly they were not going to leave, so Kipling affected yet another friendly smile and said, “Can I help you?”

The shopkeeper wrung their hands and threw a glance at the intersection off to the right. Kipling followed their nervous gaze, but saw nothing amiss in the throng of passerby.

“Don’t you see that?”

Kipling narrowed her eyes. “See what?”

The shopkeeper steered her gaze with their finger. “That. Coming back this way right now.”

Taro chittered again with sudden urgency. 

Kipling saw what the shopkeeper was talking about. A Vesuvian to be sure, but walking with a strange gait, like a cross between a raptor and a toddler. With a walk like that combined with those bright, shifty eyes, it had the potential to put people on edge.

“I don’t know what manner of vagrant she is, but she’s been prowling the intersection for the past three days.” The merchant threw their hands in the air. “I can’t figure out what she wants! She won’t buy anything. Whenever someone tries to talk to her, she barks. Once she even hissed at me!”

Kipling fought to stifle a laugh. Yes, the lurker was odd, but otherwise she seemed harmless.

“I’m not sure why you’re telling me this.”

The shopkeeper fixed her with a desperate gaze. “I was wondering, would you mind maybe just seeing if you can get through to her? Make her go away? Or encourage her to buy something at least. Anything would be better than haunting the crossway like this.”

Kipling tried to think of a polite way to decline when Taro suddenly bolted from her shoulder. 

“Taro, no!” She hastily threw her work tools in her satchel and took off after the purple lemur. It was too hot and crowded to be chasing anything, let alone something so small and fast. And what do you know? Her familiar was headed straight for the wild eyed vagrant.

Taro was already coiled around the wanderer’s shoulders by the time Kipling caught up. Thankfully they were off in a spot outside of the foot traffic. It was shadier there. The road tapered off into a more natural setting. Further in were clusters of trees and beyond that a sparsely wooded glen. 

As Kipling approached, she was able to get a better read on Taro’s new friend. The closer she got, the more she was confronted by a rather unique aura. Gauzy and yellow – a feral essence. Almost exclusively so. Rare for a Vesuvian. Most tended to be elementals or some manner of seer. 

The limbs of the stranger’s magic stretched far, but flailed from a lack of practice. Kipling wondered if the carrier even knew what she was capable of. The stranger was now letting Taro groom her and . . . grooming the lemur in return. 

Taro was not the kind to jump on people she didn’t know, so Kipling wasn’t really sure how to go about this. Not only did she have to ask for her familiar back, but she also had to find a way to tell the stranger to run along – that she was scaring the poor shopkeepers. 

The stranger and Taro carried on, only vaguely aware of Kipling’s presence. That was okay, she still hadn’t worked out the details of what she wanted to say. Plus she was still studying the vagrant and weighing her appearance against the presence of her wild aura. She was tall enough that Kipling had to look up, which happened often because from her point of view everyone was tall, no matter what was considered standard. 

Kipling registered skin that was baked by sunlight and colonized by an army of freckles. Lastly, the stranger had a youthful mop of dark hair and a scar on her lip that gave the illusion of an errant fang. Kipling wouldn’t have been surprised if the shopkeepers had dismissed it as such.

Despite Kipling’s proximity, those bright eyes kept flitting about, fixating on pretty much anything and everything.

“Uh,” Kipling was about as close as she dared to approach. “Hi. Sorry about that.” She gestured to Taro. “She doesn’t usually jump on people’s heads.”

The stranger regarded her briefly, so fast she almost missed it. “It’s okay. Taro is really good at finding ticks.” 

Taro chirped appreciatively.

Kipling blinked. “How . . . ? How did you know her name was Taro?”

The wandering gaze settled. “She told me.” She said it like it was the only natural answer.

Given her sunny aura, Kipling wasn’t surprised. She narrowed her eyes at her familiar, but relaxed her shoulders a little. “What else did she tell you?”

The stranger giggled. “That you’re called Kipling.” Then she shot out a long arm. “I’m called Malon. Or Mal if you want.” The way she pronounced her own name came out like a yawned mewl. It made her wonder if that’s why the shopkeepers mistook her for something primal. 

Kipling smiled. “Hi, Mal. You can just call me Kip.” As she shook Mal’s hand she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do more – hug this feral being or simply give her a bath.

Taro whined in protest as Kipling pried her from Mal’s curly mop. “So, I have to ask. What exactly are you doing out here?” Not happy with the way that came out, she added, “I mean, is there a reason why you keep going back and forth along this street?”

Mal’s gaze was back to wandering, and this time she was sniffing the air. “Do you know what panic dreaming is?”

Bewildered, Kipling said that she had never heard of it.

Mal gave a curious grunt. “Hm. I’ve been wondering why it’s so loud over here.” And when it seemed that her answer was not going to evolve beyond that, Kipling tried a different approach.

“Are you,” she paused, trying to choose her words wisely, “looking for food?”

Mal grinned and reached for Taro. “I can find my own food. See?” She extracted a tick with ease and popped it into her mouth. 

For a moment Kipling was struck with disbelief, but it didn’t last long before she burst into laughter. 

“That is . . . impressive.” And she meant it.

Maybe it was the heat or the boredom of the day’s tasks, but Kipling found Mal’s atypical behavior strangely liberating.

Even though she had Taro back, she wasn’t ready to leave. And she noted that Mal had chosen to stay where she was though there was nothing holding her back from prowling the storefronts again.

Kipling paused in her thoughts. The stores. 

She sobered and said, “Mal? Could you come with me? I think I might know how to help you.”

When Mal cocked an eyebrow at her, Kipling reached for her hand and added, “With eh . . . the noises you’ve been hearing. Panic dreaming, right?”

At that Mal relaxed and wordlessly allowed Kipling to guide her through the intersection. The shopkeeper that had asked for Kipling’s help watched on with eyes that begged her to quit leading Mal further and further into the plaza. But she ignored all of the judgemental stares until she reached the door of the innkeeper.

“Little Brother,” she called once they were inside, “I think I found the answer to your pest problem.”

Kipling’s instincts were right. Mal’s feral aura was strong enough that it gave her the ability to not only communicate with, but also draw animals to her. She was like a beacon for the colony of bats in Little Brother’s chimney. The whole market was completely awestruck as dozens of bats teetered across the cobblestones on all fours, marching blindly in Mal’s wake towards the woods. Kipling and Taro followed close behind, careful to watch out for any strays that might wander off in the wrong direction.

Once they reached the shade of the trees, the bats opened their eyes and properly flocked to a small, but conspicuous cave. When Mal and Kipling caught up with them, Mal strolled into the cave and peered around.

“Didn’t know this was here until they showed me. Cool.” She made herself comfortable in the mouth of the cavern, almost as if it belonged to her. Kipling also noticed how Mal’s aura seemed more relaxed than before, tamer even. Her gaze still traveled, but in reflection as opposed to fruitless searching.

Kipling held Taro against her chest and scratched behind her ears. “Aren’t you coming back? I’m sure the shopkeepers won’t mind having you around now.”

Mal shrugged and shook her head. “Nah. I like it here.” She exhaled. “It’s quiet.”

Kipling didn’t feel right about leaving her new friend here alone in a cave of bats and who knows what else.

“Do you have any plans for dinner?”

Swinging her bare feet and bobbing her head to some imaginary drum, Mal pointed to the ceiling of sleeping bats and declared, “I’ll just have whatever they’re having.”

Kipling glanced up and grimaced. Crickets and cave worms? I don’t think so. 

But she realized that she wouldn’t get anywhere with the mother hen approach. So she tried another. 

Kipling gathered Taro close and whispered, “Guess what we’re having, girl? That’s right! Glazed salmon. Your favorite.”

The mere mention of the dish activated Taro’s excitement. Kipling knew that Mal wouldn’t be able to ignore the lemur’s projection of all of those sensory delights.

For once Mal stopped wiggling her toes and looking around. She went absolutely still and fixated Kipling with a gaze so direct and an energy so concentrated that it practically tickled. 

“You’re really going to feed me?”

Kipling granted herself silent applause as she nodded and held out her hand. Instead of taking it, Mal popped to her feet and rushed forward. 

Kipling squeaked as Mal fastened a pair of wiry arms around her and hoisted her off the ground.

“The bats,” she said, “told me to thank you.”

Kipling suddenly became aware of Mal’s scent of lingering campfires. It stirred some sad ache on the inside when she sensed the solitude underneath. She surrendered to the embrace, leaning her head against Mal’s and breathing in more old firewood.

“You did all the work. I just showed you the way.”

It was getting late and Kipling wanted to go home. She attempted to disentangle herself so they could leave this creepy cave, but the beast whisperer had other plans. Kipling made another ungraceful sound as Mal spun around and hoisted her onto her back. Taro made herself comfortable on Mal’s head and chirped authoritatively. 

Mal said as she marched forward, “Kip, you should get some rest. Taro can show me how to get there.”

It hadn’t occurred to Kipling that the shifty-eyed vagrant had picked up on her fatigue. She was tempted to say that she wasn’t tired, but she had a feeling that Mal would know better than to fall for that.

[toku-explained]

Special Program

New Generation Stars: Z recalls his battle with Barabas alongside Ace,.and finally triggers his own data in the Dimensionizer.

Geats: Due to the current situation the DGP air a special presentation hosted by Samas and Niram, with the participants also watching in their sponsor rooms, Kyuun only communicating with Neon via note, each sponsor explains why they chose their players, Jean relating how he saw Ace, a high schooler at the time, fight Jamato, and he see a taste of Ace's first DGP, which doesn't look that long ago, Heisei, maybe late Showa. Kekera confirms to Keiwa the DGP has been played in past eras and future eras. Beroba hacks the broadcast, explaining the noble history of the Jamato, created for the DGP, and declares the Jamato Grand Prix, with the Jamato that gets Niram's Vision Driver creating their ideal world, and unleashes them on the city while telling Michinaga why she was drawn to him. Tsumuri reclaims the broadcast and announces the attack, the Riders go despite no official round being declared. As they fight, Jean comes in person to watch, Beroba mocking him. As they prepare to fight, two others turn up, Kekera in human form, and Kyuun, revealed as the man who approached Neon a couple of episodes ago. All four Sponsors take Riser form and start battling amongst themselves, Kyuun and Kekera's forms are more bestial. Niram intends to adapt to the current circumstances, pitting the DGP against the JGP.

Donbrothers: Haruka has won the Japan Manga Award for her new manga, Avataro Sentai Donbrothers, her friends and teammates in attendance. All save the manga's star, Momoi Taro. Earlier, Taro found himself not remembering customers, and goes to Haruka asking if she regrets the Donbrothers, only to learn now she truly doesn't, Saruhara says much the same. Sonogo goes on her ego stroke about beauty to a hooded figure, who reveals herself as Sonona, and has no patience for her ego boosting, and informs her she's going to die, Sonoroku runs into the other, Sonoya. They steal their prey's armoured forms, and cut them down. Natsumii makes clear she doesn't feel she can trust Inuzaka anymore, as he won't tell her anything, and leaves as Taro comes over, unable to recognise Natsumii, Inuzaka saying that despite it all he still enjoys being with the team, at which point Murasame appears and decides to fly off, Taro goes to Kijino, who says much the same. Sonoshi attacks a wedding, but is approached by Sonona and Sonoya, and flees in terror, as Sonoya decides to try and use Murasame as it flies past. The Donbrothers question Kaito on Taro's behaviour, as he is brought to the cell to have onigiri with Jin, and learn his memories are being reset. With the Noto joining the team and his successor, Jiro, having matured, he is meant to rest now, as we see Taro cannot recognise his father, before vanishing. Taro tells Sonoi he is forgetting his friends, Sonoi is distraught, but agrees to help on his Oden invitation. Sonoshi, desperate, runs into Sononi and Sonoza, only to be cut down by Sonoya with Murasame. At the Oden cart, Jiro is out of the loop as it's clear Taro's knowledge of the others is fading fast, with Sonoi's help he gives some nice words, but then manages to forget Sonoi mid meal. When Sononi calls he goes to help them, refusing to let the executioners disturb Taro's last moments with his friends, as Taro leaves, his allies sadly seeing him go. As the Donbrothers join the battle, and Murasame decides he would rather fight with the Noto and Donbrothers, Momoi Taro finds himself at Café Donbura, where Kaito presents him with the manuscript for Avataro Sentai Donbrothers. Just as things seem hopeless, Don Momotaro, his heart stirred by the manga, arrives, and for the first time all 10 Donbrothers Role Call together, before Taro overcharges the Zanglass Sword and cuts down Sonona and Sonoya in a single stroke, with no sign left of him. Inuzaka and Sononi are now pursued together by the police, Natsumii asks Kijino if he wants to continue the dream together, Saruhara composes a haiku for Taro, perhaps abandoning some of his wabisabi, and months later, at the awards, Haruka has her friends join her on stage. One night, as Haruka and Sonoza are continuing work, a courier arrives with a package, and notes that they've made a bond .

[fawnatrix]

For the weirdly specific questions meme:

rank the methods of death: freezing, burning, drowning

your boba/tea order?

how’s your spice tolerance?

:D

Thanks for the ask!!!

15. rank the methods of death: freezing, burning, drowning A: Freezing is #1 and I say this as a Canadian so I have a bit of bias, but it's in first because (and I'm not a doctor so I could be wrong, do not take my word for this) after the initial coldness sets in, you get really warm, almost hot (<- hypothermia tricking your brain) and by the time you actually freeze you'll probably be unconscious. The only downside is that this is probably the most drawn out way to die. #2 is drowning, and it's only in second because I imagine the utter panic and feeling your lungs fill with water cannot be fun, but once you get past that part it seems like it would be a more peaceful way to die. #3 is burning- there is no redeeming quality to burning. It's painful and awful and you can feel your flesh cooking and skin bubbling it's objectively the worst one.

18. your boba/tea order? A: There's this little sushi/boba place in a mall near me that I go to whenever I shop there, and they have all sorts of flavours!! I like their banana flavour (<- banana-flavour enjoyer) and I'm not really picky about what kind of boba I get, as long as it's not tapioca (do not enjoy the texture or taste). But I was at a fair with friends one time and we got taro tea with coconut jelly and it was amazing I'll never forget taro with coconut jelly boba tea, my absolute beloved <333.

26. how's your spice tolerance? A: Pretty good ^-^ I really like spicy things but a lot of times I feel like I overestimate my tolerance for them ehehe.

[arytha]

orchid, cactus, bamboo, abelia, daffodil, mahonia, chia, camellia, jasmine, ivy, chamomile, aloe vera, palm tree, taro for get-to-know-me asks?

orchid ��� what’s a song you consider to be perfect?

I. So I don't consider things by 'perfection' honestly but Fuck is CLASS::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE; a song that will forever kick my ass. Absolute favourite song of all time.

cactus ⇢ something you’re currently learning (about)?

Waves my little Chinese Mandarin language learning app 'Hello Chinese' that helps (but with how i remember to do stuff i keep forgetting to do things) me remember that I actually did take 2 years of Mandarin in school.

bamboo ⇢ do you change into a different outfit when you get home?

Yeah I generally change out of my scrubs and into pjs. Usually a tank top and shorts 👍 be comfy

abelia ⇢ do you have a particular piece of jewelry you always wear or can’t part with?

Nope. Actually I used to wear a ring all the time, and then I lost it. And I used to wear a necklace all the time but I kept putting it in my mouth and it wore off the cheap silver coating. (for reference these were both while i was in middle school). I can't stand wearing jewelry daily anymore, it gets in the way.

daffodil ⇢ do you have siblings? if yes, in what ways do you think you’re similar to or different from them?

Yep, two younger brothers. I don't get along well at all with the older one (nothing in common at all), but the youngest has a similar humor as me and we're pretty good friends..

mahonia ⇢ what place, thing, activity inspires you most and how do you express yourself when it does?

Ehhhhh. Mainly reading inspires me the most honestly. Sometimes a song will also give me the executive function to create too, but it depends on whether I have the time to draw or write at the time!

chia ⇢ what’s an inside joke you have with someone else?

Logan and I have an adage we quote all the time which is simply: Don't worry about it.

Character is showing a weird side in a show we're watching? Oh, don't worry about it.

I make a weird noise? Don't worry about it.

Didn't catch the last half of a lewd joke or simply just a sentence he's said? Don't worry about it.

Its used more maliciously (in jest) than anything but its the funniest fucking thing we've let become a running joke.

camellia ⇢ what were you like when you were younger? do you think you’ve changed a lot?

Ah. Well, I basically wasn't a human being until 2018 or so, so.... Trauma (and clinical depression and overwhelming anxiety) did a number on me. Its actually rather hard to remember my life unless I focus on really trying to remember things. I was a lot quieter tho, read books to escape reality, and had like. No friends. I tried to validate myself through internet 'friends' and made a lot of mistakes in the pursuit of being a human. I have changed a lot (and I better have, i've healed and matured quite a bit), but I do think I still hold some of my core. qualities i think.

jasmine ⇢ do you have a movie or book you loved but will never watch/read again?

I'm never reading The Series of Unfortunate Events again. You can't make me. I LOVE the books. I cannot read them again. I Own the books (in nice shiny hardcover with the original printing, too), they are never going to be anything more than used space on my shelf.

ivy ⇢ what are your ‘tells’ for your emotions and moods? how can someone tell you’re happy, annoyed, upset or tired?

Uhhh my state of attentiveness I think. Logan says I enter 'screensaver mode' when tired but I'm not sure what actually changes. They can usually pinpoint it straight away tho fhdjs

Like if I'm more attentive and listening and engaging with you (ofc this is more for real life/voice call) im usually in a better state, I tend to tune things out when i get upset or tired or annoyed. Idk.

chamomile ⇢ what kind of things do you like receiving as gifts?

I have suuuuuch a soft spot for plushies. Its insane how soft I am over even just. a little guy. I don't even collect plushies but they always end up being my favorite present somehow. My coworker gave me a really soft Pusheen last year for my birthday(? or xmas) and god that thing lives at the end of my bed now but i was holding on to it daily for Months.

aloe vera ⇢ what’s something (mundane) you really want to experience in life?

Living in a house and not having anything in it that would deter me from. wanting to go home?This is a genuine first thought don't look into it too much..

palm tree ⇢ do you have a fictional villain you shouldn’t like but love regardless?

am i allowed to like the little shit that is Asahi from ffxiv (the answer is no. I love him tho (and Fandaniel))

taro ⇢ if someone called you right now to catch up, what’re the things you’d tell them about?

(if they're close enough) I'd probably talk a bit about my recent art for Era and Lorne? I don't have a life that's bery interesting unless you are willing to let me babble about my recent hyperfixations...

[poisonepel]

twst notes 🖋

uh so this is an unorganized/out-of-order mix of some of my thoughts abt twst so far + also things I’m just preserving bc I’m going to forget them otherwise💦 more will be added later probably!!

The nickname Grim & Yuu came up with for Malleus: Tsuno Taro (basically,, “John Horns”)

Just the fact that Deuce actually owns pink leopard print clothing??

Okay, Daijobu, Relax~!

Cater doesn’t like sweets…. Noted for our dates

Ace likes cherry pie and hamburgers

Grim → tuna, cheese omelets, grilled meat, and pudding

Deuce → omurice

Cater → lamb chops with diablo sauce

Ruggie’s averse reaction to Grim calling him “Deluxe Menchi Katsu Sandwich” bc it’s “delicious-sounding” ….. hits hard when u remember how Savanaclaw is related to that whole Circle of Life thing 😭

Is it just me or do the only really bitchy characters seem to be the background characters–

Yuu’s dialogue options are sometimes cute as shit or rlly fcking funny and uGH I love them

Words cannot describe how much I love all Ace/Deuce interactions too

Ace and Deuce only willing to help Yuu catch a truant Grim if Yuu promises to buy them food from the cafeteria (Ace wanted a chocolate croissant, Deuce wanted a caffe latte)

Deuce summoned his inner Bad Boy when those Heartslabyul bullies made him drop his egg cartons bc he thought those eggs had had chicks in them,, and started threatening them to apologize to the chicks they’d “murdered”…. then when Yuu explained nothing had died he spent like the whole time when everyone was making that marron tart having an identity crisis

When Trey explained that his secret ingredient in tarts is “oyster sauce,” and that all famous patisseries use it, I deadass spent like 5 min googling it to see if this was true 🤡 (it’s not) (he was kidding) (im dumb)

Then Riddle made his punishment tart with oyster sauce!!!!! I’m soft.

Riddle fixing Yuu’s tie for them had me feeling things 😳

Cater reassuring Yuu that he’d protect them if Jack tried to bite at them also had me feeling things 😳😳

Jack breaking into our dorm during his morning jog to make sure we wake up for the magift event??? 🙌 dreams do come true

Seriously tho Jack appeared on screen 1 time and suddenly I had plans to marry him, move out of the country, and have 38 babies

Crowley logic: hmmm several students have been getting mysteriously injured lately…. maybe I should have my singular non-magical (and therefore technically weakest) student investigate

Also Crowley logic: Students break his chandelier??? EXPELLED. But Leona takes part in a plan to KO all his potential magift rivals by sending Ruggie to go abracadabra them down the stairs, makes a deal with Azul to get some shady overpowering magic potion, has Ruggie drink said potion so he can send an entire crowd of people stampeding towards Malleus, then turns on Ruggie and almost breaks his arm, and finally gets so pissed off that he can’t be the best that he overblots ??? “I’ll just disqualify him from the tournament.” BOI—–

So what even was that black stone Grim ate?? That was the overblotted remains of Leona’s magical pen gem right?? So like does Leona not have a gem anymore?? But he must, right?? So wtf did Grim eat??

Malleus being all mysterious & edgy on his midnight walk outside the ramshackle dorm & Yuu’s internal thoughts after meeting him was like “god this place is just full of weirdos” 👏

Grim bringing Trey a get-well tuna can was rlly sweet lmao 😭💕

So, in terms of family:

Ace usually talks about his older brother and his grandma

Deuce rlly loves his mom

Cater seems to hate his older sister

Riddle has an intense kyoiku mom 🔪

Leona is iffy & jealous & resentful of his older brother, and annoyed by Cheka but I bet he’s actually soft for him

Neither of Epel’s parents could use magic, but his grandma and great-grandma were witches

Unique Magic

Riddle: Off with your Head! / 首をはねろ！

Cater: Split Card / 舞い散る手札 (Fluttering Hand of Cards)

Trey: Doodle Suit / 薔薇を塗ろう (Paint the Roses)

Leona: King’s Roar / 王者の咆哮

Ruggie: Laugh with Me /愚者の行進 (Parade of Fools)

Jack: Unleash Beast / 月夜を破る遠吠え (Moonlight-Piercing Howl)

Jade: Shock the Heart / かじりとる歯 (Gnawing Teeth)

Floyd: Bind the Heart / 巻きつく尾 (Coiling Tail)

Azul: It's A Deal / 黄金の契約書 (Golden Contract)

[foodday2021]

Food you must try in Leyte by Junalyn Dalumpines

Everybody has their hometown that to be proud of, and I proudly share with you my hometown, the place that I always love to look back at, and the place that I can call my home. I rememberwhen I was a kid, I always wanted to be outside our house to breathe fresh air and watch the trees dance with the wind. And it feels relaxing especially when the wind touches my skin as well as the sunlight. I also love going to the beach and it’s fun to watch the waves crashing on the large rock cracks near the seashore. Then every morning, you will wake up to the crowing of chickens, the chirping of birds, and some other noise of animals near the farm. I miss my hometown; I wish I could visit there soon. But for now, while we await the day that we can travel once again let me explore you to my home town and introduce some delicacies that you must try!

My hometown is in Calubian, Calubian is a municipality on the coast of the province of Leyte. It was originally named Eulalia in honor of a prominent lady resident, but the name was changed to Calubian due to the area's extensive coconut plantation. My hometown is known for some breathtaking falls and beaches. Aside from its rich stunning natural places Leyte was also well-known as the largest battle in history, the Battle of Leyte Gulf, during World War III. Aside from beautiful places and great history, it is also well-known in delicacies. So, when you get tired of touring around, you should include it on your bucket list to taste the must-try food in Leyte. To begin our food of the day, let me start one of my childhood favorites, the Chocolate Moron, its sweet rice cake and smoother variety of Suman that we all know. I remember how my mama prepared Chocolate Moron in any celebrations. This Chocolate Moron is made of ground glutinous rice also known as “malagkit” and regular rice, sugar, coconut milk, and cocoa tablets,banana leaves, and melted butter. So, the cooking procedure of Chocolate moron is easy to follow, first, you need to ready the right measurement of the ingredients; a half cup of rice flour, a ½ cup of glutinous rice flour, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 4 tbsp of cocoa powder, 1 quart of coconut milk, 1 pound of brown sugar. Then after preparing the ingredients, the Glutinous rice and regular rice should be soaked overnight. And then the next day, both ground rice should be soaked in coconut milk until soft. Combine the sugar and chocolate in a mixing bowl. And after that cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens. Then Set aside and allow to cool. Then the next step is, heat the banana leaves for wrapping over a low flame to prepare them for wrapping. Brush the butter over the banana leaves. Fill each wrap with 2 tbsp. of the mixture. Tie with a piece of string. Continue wrapping until all of the mixture are wrapped. In a double boiler container or a steamer, cook/steam for half an hour. And after that, you can enjoy your chocolate moron. Also, you can partner Chocolate Moron with a hot drink; hot coffee or hot Choco that made also in cocoa tablets. As I mentioned earlier Moron is always present at any local activities such as festivals, birthday celebrations, and fiesta. These are also often sold in shops and roadside stalls for visitors to take home to their families and friends.

CHOCOLATE MORON

COURTESY: filipinorecipesite

To continue our food of the day… if you ever have the chance to visit Leyte, BINAGOL is another delicacy not to be missed. Binagol can be found also within the provinces of Samar and Leyte. One of the main ingredients of binagol is the coconut. This is unsurprising that most of the delicacies ingredients in Leyte are coconut, as I mentioned earlier, coconut is abundant in this place. As I remember Binagol is made of glutinous rice and taro (gabi) pudding with nuts, coconut milk, brown sugar, condensed milk, and egg yolks. It is called binagol because it comes from the Visayan term “bagol”, which means coconut shells. If you want to try or to make binagol these are the procedures that you need to follow; First, combine the crushed Taro root (gabi), glutinous rice, coconut milk, and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Cook, stirring continuously, for around 6 minutes in a thick-bottomed pan over medium heat. Then next is add the condensed milk then wait about 20 minutes to cook, while waiting continue to stir the mixture. After that pour the mixture into the coconut shells, and create a hole in the middle then put 1 raw egg yolk. Then spread evenly the cooked taro mixture to cover the top of the binagol. And next is cover the filled coconut shells with two layers of steamed banana leaves and make sure to tie the steamed banana leaves with the strings so, that the mixture cannot spill. And then after that steam it for an hour, after an hour you can enjoy your Binagol. And I can say that the best part of this delicacy is the center where is the sweet mixture of coconut milk and also the

part at the bottom of the coconut shell truly has a sweet and delicious taste. Binagol is good for breakfast or in “meryenda” but for me, binagol is best for “Meryenda” and partnered with a hot chocolate drink. Just like Chocolate Moron, Binagol is one of the best “Pasalubong” also to your family and friends. Binagol is also often sold in airports, bus terminals, port areas, and sidewalk stores. It’s easy to determine and you’ll see binagol everywhere, its covered blackish-green banana leaf, beautifully tied by a white string. So, if you’re planning to visit Leyte don’t forget to grab some delicacies and share them with your family, friends, and your special someone.

Binagol COURTESY: filipinorecipesite

[awrldalone]

19th January 2021, 9.25pm

Yesterday the sky was beautiful at sunset. It was a pale purple, similar to Taro milk tea, and then it deepened to blue, then to dark blue, then to black. Phone cameras cannot capture the sky well enough, it never looks night, and the moon always looks like a stain of light, or a still UFO. I went for a walk. I never look up, for some reason, but yesterday I kept staring at the sky. 

I walked past a bakery, and just like every time since this pandemic started there were people in line. I do not get why, how can that bread be so good that people wait in the cold? If I ever see the store empty, I will make sure to try something. I peeped through the window - it does not look like anything special, but they seem to have some really appealing sachertorte. 

I got a gift for my sister. Tomorrow is her birthday, so I bought her a small letter (an M, as her name is Matilde), that lights up. I hope she’ll like it, she’s turning ten. I also bought Dubliners, and a collection of selected poems by Edgar Allan Poe I have already finished.

It feels like I do nothing but buy and read books. They are the only thing that makes me feel like my life is moving, yet telling about them feels repetitive. Whens someone asks me, in a text, “what have you been up to?” I never know what to respond. School. Reading. Staying too much on Twitter until my eyes start watering. 

Today I went to the dentist. I have pretty good teeth health, or so he tells me, but I am insecure about them because I drink so much tea and coffee - especially since I am always home - that they have turned a little yellow. I bought a whitening toothpaste, I hope it works. I was worried I had some cavities, as I have been consuming too much sugar, but fortunately I have nothing rotting in my mouth.

My favourite poem in the collection was Annabel Lee, specifically this stanza, 

I find it extremely haunting. The image of astral and infernal forces being powerless when it comes to wrecking their bond gives me chills. I like the musicality of the whole poem. I always read them out loud, so I do not miss any figures of sounds that might be hidden, but sometimes I have to read the text more than once to get the right cadence. 

On my way to the dentist - in the car with my father - I realised an important thing. Our conversations are useless. They fit neatly in four categories: 

1. I talk about something I am passionate about - whether it be music or books or anything - and he does not listen to me. He just does not, and if he does he forgets immediately.

2. Useless small talk. He does this thing, he asks about my friends, people he thinks I am close to, people I have not talked to in years. Today he asked me about G., the girl who went to Canada and arrived yesterday. But he never asks about me.

3. School. Why would I want to talk about school when it fills up so much of my time already? He already has access to all my grades, and to my full schedule, and even to my absences (I never skip school - some of my classmates do and I could never because my parents would know), so what even is the point.

4. We fight. It does not happen that often, but it happens, for the stupidest things. 

It is just weird how he does not care about my interests. He is not a bad person, and I am grateful for everything he does for me, but sometimes I wish I had a better relationship with him. With my mother too. Some people I know, they basically are friends with their parents. I feel like an acquaintance and an economic burden. 

-c.

[dojae-huh]

Just read nouratan's ask and i second her observation. Yuta, Winwin, Hyuck and the Dreamies too. They are always thanking Jae for taking care of them or talking about him fondly. I actually think Jae's the member that the Dreamies talk about and thank most often, only after or even along with Do. Jae was also considerate about Woo's dislike for strong scents when they became roommates and sent Sungchan coffee or sth like that when he became an mc. I wouldn't say Jae is that close to Sungchan, but Jae does care and is encouraging. Oh and there's that survey among the Neos from Resonance era too. He's a very popular hyung as much as a beloved dongsaeng. Taro's another member who likes Jae (and Do) a lot. Xiaojun is obviously whipped too, isn't he?

We can't forget the way Jae cares for Do, heh. He pays attention in his own way and remembers a lot about Do. He's ready to help him and usually the fastest too. And yet, some fans refuse to see it and reduce DoJae shippers to delulus collecting crumbs like gazes and stuff. Among major Do ships, I saw DoTae shippers notice JohnDo, JohnDo shippers notice DoTae, but both rarely notice DoJae? Like, besides DoJae shippers, why are most people oblivious to how caring Jaehyun is? I also feel that some Do stans who have many Do ships are reluctant to show they ship DoJae? I saw many compilation vids and threads of JohnDo and DoTae by multishippers but most of the times, DoJae shippers provide for other DoJae shippers.

There are more than one ways to show affection and we fans cannot know what happens behind the camera. Just because Jae doesn't bring it up on his own, openly hype stuff, be touchy-feely, frequently post and etc, fans are ready to jump to the conclusion that he's uncaring to other Neos and not close to Do. He's really loved by the Neos. They are always thanking him or praising him unprompted.

Jaehyun isn't declarative. Even in the past he teased instead of openly praising like Johnny or Taeyong do nowadays.

[kigozula]

GladiatorWeek2

Day 1: Favorite Characters

1. AZULA - Crown Princess Azula

"...all I ever wanted

was to grow up to be like you."

Azula is and was always my favorite character in ATLA as well as in fanfics. Should be crystal clear already=). She is even higher than the first place.

Something I really enjoy reading in Gladiator is, that she brings up people's failures and throws it in an elegantly way straight into their faces, such as with Iroh and Zhao.=D And of course when she brings up embarrassing stuff Sokka said or did in his most defensless moments. How she thinks of herself shamless when she is with him sometimes and how much she loves him. So much that she even considered leaving her Nation in case her dad finds out.

I felt very bad for her throughout the whole part 1. When her heart was broken, when she got strong but then her Gladiator destroyed that with one kiss, when she longed to be with the man she loves but her circumstances would never allow it and what made me cry was her Flashback. How she ran away from her mother, how her cousin loved her but could never fullfill his promise and how her father didn't hug her when she cried*_*. This girl makes me emotional. And I adore her strength despite everything. That she still has an ear to listen, like her first discussion with Sokka.

She may have never endured what Slaves endured, but her emotional struggles given her with her status as Crown Princess is hard. Her nation on one side, her lover on the other. Her father on one side, but the innocence suffering people on the other. Some days I just wish she would ally with her uncle, the White Lotus and the Water Tribes... but then I think that be would not a solution right now.

Her relationship with her guards and friends is well portrayed.

2. Rui Shi & Royal Guards

It was true that he was meant to give his life for her if need be, but surely he had always imagined himself dying for her in a battlefield, or saving her life from assassins… dying because of Azula's clandestine relationship surely was the most shameful and least honorable possibility of all. 

"We did adjust to being the Princess's guards quickly enough, after all" "

Rui Shi is AMAZING!! He is a very very good character, very handsome and I just love him. Although Gladiator is about Azula & Sokka, I cannot imagine the story without this precious guy. His personality, his true love for Song, his dedication to his Job and most of all: his loyality and his relationship with his Princess Azula. I just can't forget his "I could have lost my Princess" quote=D.

At the beginning I liked their little discussions when Azula didn't want to be protected and he complained all the time that she doesn't let him do his job. Over 100 chapters later he brings two unknown people to her at ease saying "...you'd surely be able to kill them first" in case they try to harm her. Yeah poor guy gave up and got tired.=D The way he protects her (wants to) from everything that could hurt her and he is not only dedicated because it his job, he shows also emotional attachment towards her. And this is something I love about him.

The panic he had in the Attack of the White Lotus arc was gold, really.

His talk when they were becoming Imperial Guards and he didn't obey and attacked Azula was one of my favorites.

As for the other Guards. Similar to Rui Shi, they are not always strict and just do their Job all the time, but also joke around and seem to really like Azula, as the Story progresses. They are very good characters. Of course this is also because of Azula herself. And she seems to like them too and their relationship is just so wonderful.

As for my favorite Guards, well other than Rui Shi I definetely choose Fei Li. His energy is so well written. He also looks handsome. Taro and Tai Wei are the most famous ones out of the rest I'd say. So I like really all of them.

3. Sokka

"You're my top priority,

and you always will be."

Sokka, well Sokka is kinda different. I can say surely that Azula and Rui Shi are my favorites all along the Story, but not for Sokka. My favorite Sokka is in the Introduction Arc and then in Part 2. Though, also at the end of Part 1.

This boy has some moments where I just like to throw a chair straight into his face... really, I am not denying it. Sometimes I really "hate" him. And when I take time and think, many of those moments are in Part 1. Especially when he didn't kiss Azula and slept next to her when she needed it*_*. But then in other moments he has these cute charming sides and broken moments what makes me love him.

Because with Part 2, he kinda becomes a different guy. I mean of course he had a horrible life and considering that he still made quick process, but still. With the start of Part 2, he becomes a better man maybe??

What I liked about him in the beginning was his whole attitude and conversations with Azula. In Part 2 I like it how he is sure what he wants and needs. And this has most likely something to do with them finally giving in. He loves Azula so beautifully, that I find the most amazing. She is his priority and always in his thoughts. Of course it is also great how he wants to help people altogether. But his special feelings and need of protecting for his most important people like Azula and his family is most amazing so far. I like him waaayyyyyy more in Part 2 I think.

4. Zuko

"I came back after ten years at sea and there

was no hugging involved whatsoever."

Zuko is good in your story. I mean many people know how I felt about him in canon...(tbh, I do not even want to think about it right now-_-). But so far he is pretty good. He has a hard life too. Ten years at sea, no parents, bad relationship with his sister and lost hopes...

When he met Mai... I think it was one of the saddest and emotional moments. But he still gets over it, although it must be very hard to see the person you love like that upon returning. The moment he thinks everything is okay, he lands in the South Pole, finds out his is going to be father, meets his life goal and has to spent a long time away from his "wife" as a prisoner. But I hope he will be happy. I have no idea what is coming for him in the future to be honest. Let's see it.

What I love the most is when HE started making steps towards fixing his relationship with his sister.💙 This is something I always wanted and I hope it will get better.

Zuko especially is very good in Gladiator and Bryke should see how character development really works!!

5. Seyary, you are really amazing with writing the side characters from ATLA and your wonderful OC's. Reaaalllyyyyy.

No particular order

I think maybe I should put Song also next to Rui Shi on the 2nd place?? This girl is so cute but also very ... I cannot find the right word, but I love her feelings about Sokkla. She also seems like a shipper to me?? Fighting on her own ways for their relationship. Song is very important.

I like Mai and Ty Lee, but Mai more. Her unexpected comments are bomb.

Okay, Haru and Ruon Jian are good too although we didn't see much of Ruon Jian=D. I wonder if he is still in touch with Chan??

Jet

I like Jet in canon and was happy that we saw more of him here. His interaction with Azula was very amusing and interesting, since he is one of those character I always wanted an Azula interaction with.

General Tiang

I am very curious about what way this guy will go. He seems to be more like an "Azula-Fan" but I might be wrong. His Story is such a good idea, I liked it. His wife and his nice personality make him very likable. And when that unexpected talk came with Iroh... it surprised me because I never thought he was Lu Ten's friend. A touching idea. We didn't see much of him but I like him. Everyone who cares about and respects Azula is sympathetic to me.

Zhao and Ozai ... ahhh these two. I think it is clear that I reaaallyyy like interactions with them together with Azula. They are just very cool... though in the Slave Riot Arc they kinda turn out not so cool. I would say I think Ozai is 50/50. He also has some nice moments, but then he acts pretty shitty. But then he tries to be better than his own father and listens to Azula and tries to support her. As for Zhao, he is in my Top 5 favorite characters list definetely. But Ozai too somehow... The fifth maybe?? (Tbh, the order from 3rd - 5th is very difficult). I totally like how Seyary portrays him. He helps Azula, is polite to Sokka as well as to Toph, has a daughter he seems to care for, a very interesting portrayal of his character. I like it when he is next to Azula and actually helps and respects her as well as her Partnership with her Gladiator. But then he hides that Spirit Oasis Information from his best friend and his daughter... I guess I still like him except that Slave Riot chapter... let's also see here what he is up to in the future... Again, I would love it if he allies with Azula in the future and also wants to make the world a better place, but I am not sure about him. I am sure about Ozai, but not with him.

Lu Ten

"I'll miss you too,

my wonderful dragon lady."

Okay, I love Lu Ten. My favorite part to read are those flasbacks with Azula and him that produced tears in my eyes. All those flasbacks. I just thought he deserves to be on my list. He loved Azula and he was very important for her too. Lu Ten's parts are beautiful and sad. And I love that combination.

[escapekissed]

here’s a basic run-down of my yoko taro muses until i get their blogs up with minimal spoilers. if any of these muses interest u or u want to know more information, let me know and maybe we can plot : 3c

furiae: suffers from ocd, is a goddess who looks for the best in everyone and ignores their worst until its too late. is willing to do everything it takes to defeat the mysterious red eye disease---including supporting her brother at his very worst and most murderous. defined by her passivity and helplessness, she is most interesting in that when forced to act: she always acts against the interest of her own safety (and to that extent, her people’s as she seems to resent the cross she bears as their goddess), to the point of suicidality in the guise of self-sacrifice.

caim: video game deconstruction. a ‘silent protagonist’ who will kill as many people as possible to rescue his sister----taken 100% seriously. there’s an entire level where he mows down children who are in his way and u can ‘level up’ from the experience of it. a Bad Person (tm) who doesn’t consider himself a person, just an instrument of destruction and protection that Must Do What He Must Do, damn the consequences.

angelus: a dragon with a unique view of the world that comes from being a dragon. she respects one person, and she respects him extremely conditionally.

zero: a technical goddess who was torn in five, and understands each part of herself wants to destroy the world, and so, must destroy them first. she lets nothing stand in the way of her goals and takes joy in chaos, destruction, senseless murder and just all around being a jerk. a deeply traumatized anime girl bugs bunny.

two: kind and clueless, her mind can’t handle all that it’s taken on. secretly the strongest out of the five, i hc that the exponential growth of her powers is what actually leads to the cult of the watchers and the demon babies. her mind is broken into pieces, she’s a shell of her former self, she doesn’t eat or sleep---but she still wants the best for the world at large, and everyone who needs her.

five: this is the muse where i divert the most from canon. my five is a lesbian, she thinks she’s straight because of hypersexuality and ptsd from when she was combined with her sisters. her repression causes her to act even more hedonistically, ‘acting out’ in anger and laziness and hypersexuality instead of realizing what she really wants is a woman who loves her like zero does not.

accord: a timeline rectifier. nothing is certain, but things must go a certain way for the rest of history to take place. she’s the guide that makes that happen. she’s crazy and silly and she loves girls. she’s also a robot, and there are thousands of her skulking about throughout every universe and timeline.

kaine: my favoritest muse, my best girl of all time. a trans intersex woman that acts out and curses and swears and hates the world because of how lonely she is bc of discrimination and the ghost-equivalent that possesses her and keeps her alive. she does not believe she deserves love---and she kills ghosts she know are justified in defending themselves bc of her own trauma and loneliness. in the end, she thinks her blade and her strength define her. but truly it’s her deep, kind heart.

2b: despite all appearances and what fandom would have you believe, i think of 2b as the quintessential autistic non-binary maternal figure. how can you love someone like family if you don’t quite understand family or love the way ‘humanity’ tells it to you? how can you love when you’re a ‘broken’ machine that exists for one purpose only? you don’t know how to express your feelings, and you’re not allowed to. but every moment you get to spend with the child you’ve taken in... is one of pure love & light. 2b is defined by not knowing how to act when she loves someone---but she loves deeply and fully, and she is also defined by a big heart that helps everyone who needs her, and everyone who wants her by their side.

9s: what would you do if you knew every secret of this world---and didn’t want to? you’d forget, of course, or you’d just die knowing. 9s is trapped in a cycle he cannot escape. his kindness hides is intelligence and his cynicism, and that combined intelligence and intolerance will prove to be his downfall.

A2: another autistic lesbian LETS GOOOOOOO. she’s extremely traumatized and hasn’t had any one to take care of for a long, long time. i’ll leave it at that.

[thekaijudude]

Was thinking of any robot Ultras to fight against Ultraman Shadow. I'm leaving Darklops Zero out of the list because I'm sure he can slice Shadow up lol. How about Terranoid vs Shadow? Do you have any robotic Ultra candidates in mind for a fair fight against Shadow

Hi!

Tbh there’s quite abit of things to unpack here

Firstly we need to actually take into account their stats here. Zearth is more than 2x as fast as base Zero in terms of both latent speed and flight speed. In fact, Zearth’s flying speed is literally even faster than ZB by a huge margin.

And if we go by the jumping distance (Which is usually indicative of relative scaling), Zearth is at 1000m while Zero is at 880m

Not to mention lets not forget Shadow literally launched Zearth (Approx 55 000t) way into the air with a single kick

Secondly, u need to clarify which Darklops Zero you’re referring to as well, either being the prototype or the mass produced ones

And of course theres no need to talk about the latter cause if Zero can no diff them, then so can Shadow

Although yes, Shadow is definitely at a disadvantage here without any counters to the Darklops Sluggers, but considering that his physical stats is approximately as good as Zearth’s, and that the prototype Darklops Zero is also approximately as strong as Zero, its actually a closer fight than you might imagine.

Shadow’s >2x speed would give him alot of leeway to dodge the Darklops Sluggers in both melee and ranged. And if Zero is strong enough to break the Darklops Sluggers, so can Shadow as well.

However, I just don’t have much confidence in Shadow’s beam potency for me to decisively say whether or not he’ll be able to win a beamlock against Darklops Zero Shot, which would be Darklops Zero (Prototype)’s safest approach

But at least I can say that Shadow seems to have a better durability than Darklops Zero (Prototype) as Shadow did manage to tank a empowered blow from Zearth when Darklop’s Sluggers broke against Zero’s

But the issue here would be Darklops Zero (Prototype)’s Dimension Storm and self-destruction really

But those two attacks would essentially end in a tie or no result so let’s just ignore those two

Overall, I think I’m gonna give this to Shadow here as he really as a ridiculous edge over Darklops in terms of sheer numbers which gives him way too much leverage except in like one battle situation like a beamlock as said, but that can easily be avoided as Shadow’s ridiculous stats edge literally acts as an anti zone in this context

As for Terranoid (which I presume you’re not also including Zelganoid in this discussion), even if we highball his stats to Dyna Flash Type, Shadow would actually have almost a 3x stats advantage in this situation in some areas although they might be comparable in strength.

That and Terranoid’s low energy storage would have him gas out in a matter of seconds

Unless of course Terranoid busts out his Solgent Ray upfront. But here we can definitely say that the strength of his Solgent Ray definitely cannot compare to Dyna’s here as he only managed to take out like one sphire with it, which has the durability of like a marshmallow in that context. Nowhere near the minimum potential 1.5km blast radius of Dyna’s Solgent Ray (Rmb that Solgent Ray is 2x weaker than Zepellion Ray)

Even if u wanna say that Terranoid can bust out the 1.5km Solgent Ray, his laughably low energy storage would have him tuckered out likely before he can even launch the attack

And im totally ignoring Terranoid’s agility cause we all know its essentially almost zero and it wouldn’t even make a difference at this point

So as for your third question, imo its pretty hard to say

Definitely the individual 5 Imitation Ultra Brothers wont cut it as they were all so incredibly weak that even all of them at once couldn’t even take down Zero in two weeks. Heck, they even lost 2 of them.

(Though an Imitation Taro alone would be probable but he probably wont cut it either considering how weak the imitations are)

I suppose all the 5 Imitation Ultra Brothers would have to do cause Zero didn’t really manage to solo all of them by the end of the two weeks anyways. It’ll be really interesting to pit Shadow’s relatively ridiculous stats against sheer numbers in a 1v5

And im not considering the other seemingly obvious choices like Ace Robot or Imitation Joneus cause they are both based on Ultra Brother Level Ultras so their official stats are really disingenuous. Not to mention we don’t know just how close their stats are to their original counterparts in which they may or may not just stomp Shadow

Thanks for the question!

[pinkyiepumpkin]

I’ve been working on a project for a long time for the love of god someone read this

((This is for a comic I’m working on called Sakuma. I’m not gonna give away what it’s about but I’m trying to write out the first volume which is basically a prequel and IDK WHAT IM DOING BUT IF U LIKE 2 READ, HERE U ARE))

It’s storming late at night in Kuribetsu. Taro Hamano, a merchant, is waiting in the other room as his wife struggles to give birth. He sits with his head in his hands as worried midwives rush in and out around him. Finally, everything goes quiet, but there is no crying. One of the midwives comes out of the bedroom, greeted by a concerned Taro. She wearily shakes her head at him, sending him into tears. “I’ll leave you alone for a moment,” she said quietly. After she leaves, Taro stands and wobbles unevenly outside for some fresh air. He sobs for a moment, until a faint whisper greets him. “Taro…” It whispers. He looks around, but is accompanied only by his shadow. “Who’s there?” he shouts, confused. “Down here, Mr. Hamano.” The voice comes out slightly clearer than a whisper. Taro looks down at his shadow, thinking he must have lost it, until the shadow grows taller and smiles at him wide and maniacally. “Hehehehe! You must think you’re crazy, don’t you?” Taro speechlessly nods at his shadow. It jeers at him. “Don’t be scared of me. I come offering a deal.” Taro jolts backwards, aghast. “You’re a demon! Begone from here!” He turns his head as if the inability to see his shadow could make it disappear. “Ah! You insult me, Taro!” it exclaims. “I am much more powerful than a demon. Listen closely, Taro. I cannot save your wife, but I can still give you back your son. In exchange for something else, mind you.” 

Taro reluctantly raises his head to face the monster. “What do you want from me, ghost?” He can barely mutter the words. The shadow peels himself from the wall, moving closer to Taro to whisper in his ear. “I want to see Aushire fall.” This information confuses Taro. “The neighboring country? What do I have to do with Aushire?” Again, the ghost finds this incredibly hilarious. “Think about it, Hamano! Aushire, the kingdom protected by the goddess. HA! While the people of Aushire prosper in a modern age with cars and electricity, you, a lowly merchant, wait for your wife to die with no medicine and no hospital to save her. Doesn’t that seem unfair?”

Taro shakes his head. “It’s the way of tradition.” he sighs. “Tradition?! Your emperor demands you live in a bygone age, suffering in poverty and famine, all for some silly god who has obviously abandoned you. But I’m here now, and I’m offering you a new way of life. It’s a win-win, Mr. Hamano! You get your son back and you get to avenge your wife. What do you say?” Taro peers into the window, staring sadly at his wife’s lifeless body through the window. He stands up straight, lets out a sigh, and faces the shadow on the wall. 

“Alright. Deal.”

The shadow grins wildly, then suddenly bursts into a line of smoke, which shoots through the middle of his head. It leaves behind a small mark, shaped much like an eyeball. Taro gasps and doubles over, but quickly forgets about the shadow when he hears crying from inside the house.

*    *    *

In the basement, Taro is painting something on the wall. He meticulously, yet crazily, slaps shapes and lines together. He delicately places candles on the tub beneath the wall, lighting each one with a match. He steps back and admires his work for a minute, only to be disrupted by the cries of a baby coming from above him. He sighs and leaves the basement through a trap door at the ceiling. Sleepily, he goes through his regular routine, lighting a small fire, warming up some milk, and then raising his child from the crib. He gives the child it’s bottle, and it coos back at him, coercing a small smile from Taro. “What’s wrong little Kenichi, did you miss your papa?” While Taro rocks his son and watches the snow fall outside, Chaos watches through the eye Taro painted in the basement.

*    *    *

“Aw there he is! What’s up little Ken?!” A large man tosses up a now 6 year old Kenichi into the air. He laughs wildly. “Where’s your old man, huh?” Kenichi can barely answer between breaths of laughter. “Papa’s in the basement with everyone else!” The man smiles at him and sets him down, giving him a little nuggie. Kenichi’s smile fades as he walks away, opening the trapdoor and descending into the basement. The man pauses for a second, noticing Kenichi’s glum face. “Hey buddy, don’t look so glum! One day you’ll be old enough to see what’s in the basement, so be patient, okay? We won’t be long.” He smiles at him a bit and resumes climbing down the ladder. When he closes the door, Kenichi rushes over and listens through the door, trying to gather any understanding from the conversation.

“Do you have it?” Taro says quietly. “Yes” whispers another man. “Good. Now, it MUST have some sentimental value to you, a special memory, or it won’t work. Do you understand?” “Yes. It belonged to my daughter,” sighs the man. He hands a small decorative hair comb over. Taro holds it and looks fondly at it for a moment, and then touches the ring around his neck, reminiscing about his wife. “Okay. Let’s begin.” Taro spins around to face the tub, which is full of a peculiar black liquid. As Taro is about to drop the comb into the tub, the man stops him. “Wait! Wait--is...is it going to hurt?” Taro chuckles a little. “Yes. A little. But it’s only for a second.” They resume the procedure. Up above, all Kenichi can make out is a flash of light and a yell from the man with the comb, which startles him enough to run into his bedroom and hide under the covers. A minute later, the men rise from the basement, and Kenichi notices the man with the comb has fresh burns on his arms. They’re burnt in a shape, one that is much like the symbol on Taro’s forehead.