#he was a samurai in that old style town

[helmarok]

that's where she got the curls from!

[bidisastersanji]

The Old Guard x One piece AU got my brain going brrr and i'm gonna make it your problem now. Center of the matter is I want Zoro and Sanji to meet kind of like Nicki and Joe did (discovering their immortality by fighting on opposite sides and killing each other over and over and then becoming eternal lovers) so I went and did some research for the entire Straw hat crew. Main thing is I wanted to link them to historical events that will give them the right motivations and backgrounds! so here we GOOO

Sanji and Zoro: Because Japan has an isolationist past, the only battle I could find that would work is the Cagayan battles of 1582 in Jakarta between Spanish-Philippine forces vs Japanese pirates (a.k.a Wokou, which are basically pirate ronin) Sanji would thus be a reluctant "Rodelero" sent to South East Asia by his noble family (jokes on them he loves being in the middle of the spice trade and he hates being part of a noble family funding the conquistadores) who one day finds himself fighting a mysterious Wokou samurai Zoro. They're partly isolated from their respective camps when they first kill each other, and again, and again, until they realise they should by all means be dead but they keep healing. After a couple decades of -against all odds- running into each other everywhere, they reluctantly decide to try and figure out what the heck's happened to them together- struggling to communicate at first, then learning each others' language over the following decade, then falling in love and becoming inseparable. This makes Zoro and Sanji both over 400 years old, and they are the same age. Zoro learns about so many sword techniques and Sanji about different cuisines/ leg-centric fighting styles during this time.

all the other straw hats and their historical periods under the cut!

Robin as an Egyptian scholar who died during the burning of the Library of Alexandria in 48 BC/ was killed for researching something forbidden during the declining years of the Roman Period (early 200s) and found out she was immortal this way, making her around 2 millennia old. She spends her time recording history and traveling the world and encountering new cultures. Her long time enemy is religious obscurantism, and the Catholic church spends a lot of resources trying to kill her. (they have conspiracy boards about this immortal witch in the Vatican)

Brook: so ancient he doesn't remember much, other that he came from Kerma culture (2500 BC), loved music, and that his entire village had died from an illness, but he came back. His memory isn't great but if there's one thing he's loved in his Millennia of existence is discovering and learning how to play all the instruments that he could find. He mostly hangs in Vienna nowadays as a music teacher.

Jinbei is a Samoan chieftain from around 1000 BC who one day died during a battle with a Fijian chieftain. When he came back from death he assumed Tagaloa chose him. He loves navigating, sailing, exploring and going on voyages with his people. In more recent times (post european contact) he was forced to ally with the US Navy to protect his people.

Nami: Irish lass from around 800 who's coastal, tiny village was about to be raided by Vikings from Sweden. She made a deal with their chieftain Arlong to go with them and map out the British isles for them to help their raids be more effective and targeted, in exchange for not killing people in her village, and that she would make back the plunder they did not get from this town for them. She started to join their raids to try and make this money, but she died in battle. She came back and they believed her to be some kind of Valkyrie or Einherjer brought back to midgard. She took over the raider's leadership- also Norsemen always had women handle money, which works great here. During her time as an immortal she travels, seeks treasure, double crosses people etc.

Usopp a young double agent/CIA spy from the Cold War who died on a mission. He tragically could not return to his love Kaya because he was afraid of putting her in danger by revealing he was alive to the spies that killed him. He relocates and starts anew constantly, his entire life a web of lies. He's a great marksman/sniper.

Chopper died young of the Bubonic plague in medieval Europe. He resuscitated, tragically his father is infected as well and he's unable to save him- motivating him to get to the bottom of this disease, he decides to become a doctor. Looking like a 15 year old for centuries doesn't make this task easy and he has to hide a lot.

Franky is an American veteran of WWI who was heavily disfigured first, and died later (which is why he's not fully healed and needs prosthetics). He's heavily anti-government from having been sent to fight in such a meaningless war that sacrificed young men like cannon fodder. He learned to fix himself up and make prosthetics and masks for veterans, got into making tech stuff

Luffy is a modern, 21st century 20 something year old from Brazil's favelas. He dies in a gun violence incident (maybe linked to a drug war/gang war where he's been trying to protect his neighbourhood) and comes back, experiencing visions of others like him. He's resolute to find them and make a crew, thinking that with all of them together, maybe they can help liberate the world from opressors and inequality

[basedkikuenjoyer]

That's it, Punk Rocks

Score! This is exactly the type of gag I meant last week. For this next leg of Egghead I want Oda to constantly be asking what absurd ancillary antics the Vegapunks can fill time with. Is it too lofty to note the spooky devil symbols juxtaposed with turning water into well, coffee here for a guy who might have let that death be a planned self-sacrifice to get his message out? Maybe, not like we have our series's big Biblical allusion hanging around or anything. Forget that though, I don't even like coffee and I wanna try Vega-coffee. Keep it up, dicking around like this in the background of scenes is what I want.

It's not just that I love this style of humor, don't miss that the shift in focus is revealing how Egghead has elements that fit the performance theming of WCI & Wano. "Punk" Records, a worldwide broadcast, the elements are there. It's not unlike an old anime special where the plot is protecting a final run of a play. Don't want to diminish the rest of what's going on, just this is the kinda undertone thing we've been on about the whole time. Especially when the same core threads keep popping up. Remember what we said about Buggy?

Love how objective focused the Gorosei are. Really solidifies the tone. Big Egg is still holding up which is good, makes me wonder what we aren't privy to going on in there. Still think there's a lot of potential for something truly weird to break this all into an odd direction.

Like a lot of people, pretty impressed by Samurai Gandhi's spooky horse form. he's cleaning up the Pacifista efficiently. This is quite intimidating and while Dorry & Brogy are awesome to see come into play in such a big way you gotta wonder. Sanji's giving the call to run and let them hold the line. Feel like Robonosuke evening up the 5-on-5 has potential. Hard to tell but this is all so wild.

For now though, don't ignore this is still the big themes we've been looking at since back in Wano. The Gorosei have arrived and they're tamping down the morale hit caused by infighting. Infighting that feels generated along a lot of the same lines Tama did. That, the performance, self sacrifice...I said it early on the more you build that the more it narrows down who threads the needle of all of them. That basic concept that Bakura Town still showcased a way of approaching things that would help here, that Luffy discarded some of the real growth we were seeing since hitting G5. It's all still escalating, deeply woven into this story in front of us while there's another one running in the background.

Speaking of leaving, like this panel for both the bamboo visual and uh, I guess that nut shot would hurt Brook...if he had any! Yohohoho! Glad that's resolved. But, there's an interesting mismatch between Sanji giving the order to flee and the change in focus. The Gorosei showed up wanting to stop this broadcast. It's important. Worth mentioning the only big picture idea I've talked about longer than the Grand Fleet was some kind of worldwide story. Hijacking the broadcast or continuing it to expose the Gorosei's monstrous forms? That could be a huge win for the Straw Hats. A possibility no one in play is really thinking about. The broadcast is all in the background. The enemy strategists just leapt into battle to launch their own surgical strikes, right?

I'm just saying, there's still one mystery from the end of Wano I can't help but notice could make good on the anime theme's promise. Reweave time by tying all this off the wall shit together. A more established outlet for mysteries like it was just taken off the table in the front of this chapter. We'll take on the cover serial tomorrow, but very intrigued by all of this still. Even if I don't point it out everytime, we've never left that core wheelhouse lingering just under Wano's surface.

[spicyicymeloncat]

Guys can we talk more about that pre gen Ninjago 2023 concept. Having the old elementals as the main cast.

What if the show starts off with Krux and Acronix from the present of the original Ninjago, and they’ve just time travelled to before they were even villains and are just quirky nemeses of the main cast (quirky nod to the original show). Also the serpentine wars are probably also going to be mentioned.

The main cast is

- Garmadon: generally a bossy sassy guy who’s always grumpy bc of the venom and tends to be the leader since he’s the oldest. Despite it all he’s got some social skills and is generally well liked for his power. Currently on the side of good bc the venom hasn’t yet taken over. Has powers of destruction and dark energy.

- wu: Garmadon’s worried younger brother who is just trying to make sure Garmadon doesn’t destroy too much stuff. He’s genuine but also genuinely worse at fitting in with the group bc he’s more introverted (I’m riding off the fact that he decided to write Misako a confession letter instead of talking to her, not even after she didn’t get it). His fighting style relies more on technique than magics ability and it’s still ambiguous whether he has similar powers to Garmadon.

- Ray: didn’t realise he was a fire elemental and comes from a long line of blacksmithing. However when villains attacked his village he decided to become a samurai and defend it. Realises his elemental power throughout the series and learns to control it with the help of Maya. Can seem carefree and laidback and a bit of a joker but can also be incredibly stubborn and determined when he gets into it. Also wu and ray are bffs

- Maya: comes from a long line of water elementals and was trained to be a warrior elemental for most of her life. Hence she has a strict way of doing things and everything she does has to be perfect. She feels great responsibility in being the water elemental as it’s an important and sacred element. She’ll probably have an arc at some point where she learns to be messy and doesn’t have to be perfect all the time, and Ray will probably help her be more relaxed or emotional. She’s usually pretty cool headed but uptight. She’s enthusiastic about training and being organised and can be a bit critical when people don’t take it as seriously as her

(There’s not as much things to go off with these other characters so forgive me if everything else is vague)

- lightning: probably a small town girl who just happened to discover her elemental power but had no idea what to do with it. Maybe she was inspired inspired by the group to become a fighter and is generally pretty new to everything. She’s very bubbly and energetic and extremely talkative and is key on keeping the group together in hard times. However she’s also one of the more self indulgent members, and the one most likely to complain about doing super hard training. Despite that it would be cute if her character arc was about her growing into her powers and leading a more purposeful life, like she learns that she wants to fight bc she cares and not just bc she doesn’t know what to do with her powers. Also the thing with Cliff Gordon is like a celebrity crush running gag which then develops into a “Gordon gets damselled a lot and lightning has to save him” running gag bc I think that would be a cute and kinda silly romance dynamic idk

- earth: (Cole’s grandad) he’s a bit older than the other characters (only in an appearance sense to the spinjitzu bros) and he’s a travelling warrior. He was probably a hugely powerful potential ally that it was important for Garmadon and wu to recruit against the villains. I can imagine him seeming like the stern type but is actually just a dad guy yknow. Like he’s secretly a huge softie who hopes to start a family one day. I can see him and lightning having a mentor apprentice relationship yknow. He’s also got that leader esque vibe that I think it would be interesting if at a crucial point in the story he disagrees with one of Garmadon’s plans and kinda challenges his authority and it causes friction within the group. Also I just checked the wiki and apparently he was also manipulated by Chen and hypnotised by hypnobrai to betray the other elementals so that checks out.

- ice: again a bit older than everyone else but he’s kinda mysterious. Hes a renowned wandering warrior who shows up to save random villages from monsters before disappearing without a trace. Bc of this people are both in awe and suspicious of him. He actually comes to the spinjitzu brothers before they attempt to recruit him because he sees visions of the future and bestows them prophecies and is like “and you’re gonna need my help”. He’s cool like that and probably instigates main plot threads with his visions. This does mean he has room for a “don’t shoot the messenger” arc. But you could do many cool things with him and his future vision. Like he looks cool but is secretly in constant existential crises, which will also link into the general time and back in time them with this show being a pre gen and technically the audience also has future visions. And also the spinjitzu brothers are also operating on prophecies

Over all I love them and I want to draw now haha.

[ct-multifandom]

Minisodes oh my lawd

I haven’t posted yttd since Kai’s island route came out, but wow that was some shit I just saw. I wanna talk about my thoughts. I’ll go in order of increasing sadness and rambling.

!!! spoiler warning !!!

Anzu

The least lore-heavy story maybe? It was cute, and I liked to see more of her since she’s one of the most minor characters in the playable cast, but I feel like there wasn’t a lot of deep stuff in this one.

Her school uniform is cute but seeing her de-clown-ified and normal is strange. It’s like when Nankidai draws Gin without the fursuit

I saw other people point this out as well, but it’s weird that Ryuu’s coworker got a full sprite while Anzu’s girlfriend was just a silhouette. Is the woman relevant somehow? mean if she and Samurai Yaiba can get sprites then why not the friend? Maybe it’s comparable to us never having seen Ryoko’s face in outside content or any part of her at all in the game itself, but Ryoko’s situation makes me suspicious. Does this mean something or is it irrelevant?

That bit about Kugie buying all the ice cream was a surprise. I wonder if it will be relevant to Kanna’s story, like she got her a ridiculous supply of ice cream to cheer her up when she was sad or something. Also confirmation that Kanna and Anzu lived in the same town. Did the cast all live near each other or is it just them?

I see people upset that Anzu found a guy hot but like. Her color scheme is the pansexual pride flag

I saw mention that she said she made her costume herself in the game, but the minisode says that it was a gift from Ryuu. Maybe he gave her part of it and she made the rest, or that she modified an old costume herself to be more her style? More likely that Nankidai just forgot tbh

The plaza where she became a clown is the one Midori was in last chapter, but we haven’t had a chance to be there in peace. I guess it’s just another memory location, but it’s interesting that it’s the setting for some very climactic scenes while the others aren’t. Of course, we haven’t seen every character’s room yet.

I feel like there’s something we’ve yet to learn about Anzu because at the moment she just feels like a wholesome, kinda incompetent comic relief character, and this game does not have those. Why is the survival rate of the girl who complains about extracurriculars being too much work so high? Is she such a positive force that people can’t help but keep her around? She dies immediately two separate times in the game and frankly doesn’t help with anything during puzzles. Is she secretly a good manipulator? She’s a self proclaimed good actor and learned slight of hand tricks and such from Ryuu. Does she have another side to her? If not for the logic route, we wouldn’t have known what Ranmaru is capable of, but according to the minisode, the way Anzu acts in the game is the same as how she acted to the people around her normally.

Alice

Why can’t we have nice things??? It was so cute and so heartbreaking at the same time. Like, if this was a scene in a linear, chronological story, we’d still have the hope and maybe expectation that Alice will still fix things with Reko, but we know that from this moment on he screws up literally every chance he can get until it’s too late. The good ending we want so bad is pretty much impossible.

The kid sprites are so cute. We already saw them in that one CG but seeing them as sprites makes them feel more alive, y’know

When Alice referred to himself by name and Reko was like I already know your name… this one’s going in my transgender compilation

Them having a secret treehouse fort is so baby

And I love the Samurai Yaiba designs. Looking camp right in the eye. Idc if people think it’s ugly, the girls who get it get it

It was nice to finally meet the other band members. I wasn’t expecting to ever see them have real screen time but hey. Although Stronghold turned out to be a creepy weirdo and Ursheen is nonverbal or mute or something?

I’m excited to see island routes for these two. Idk if their events together will be deep or anticlimactically goofy. I imagine Reko’s “good” ending will involve starting a band or something, but what would Alice’s be? Does he have his own ambitions? Imagine if it was the other way around, if managing a band or teaching music to beginners was his passion

It’s interesting that almost every account of this plot line is from Alice’s perspective, which makes sense because it has a much stronger emotional effect on him than on Reko who thinks she has more important things to worry about and overlooks Alice. I would like to see more of her take, though, because her whole situation seems to be deeply un-relatable to him. Did she prioritize her success with the conscious awareness that she’s hurting his feelings, or is she just so career-focused that she didn’t even think it’d affect him?

Lastly, I’m intrigued by fandom reaction to Reko’s behavior. People rightly find her to be complex and compelling, but they also just like her and seem to forgive or understand her. I often find that when a character, especially a woman, does something like this, people hold it against them pretty harshly. Yet Reko is widely loved and may even have more fans than Alice? Is it because we know she becomes a better person later on and starts to mend their relationship? As a member of the liked-Qtaro-before-it-was-cool-and-everyone-else-hated-him club I’m curious about the standards people hold flawed characters to. Is it because Reko has that badass punk rock pretty privilege, or does her story just resonate with people?

Kai

Oooohhhh my god dude. This one. Shitting and crying. Kai was allowed to be happy for five seconds ever.

Seeing Sei was a jumpscare

Seeing young Gashu was an even bigger jumpscare. Y’know how when a guy shaves, all you can see is the real estate where a mustache is supposed to be?

I can’t BELIEVE this shit made him somehow sympathetic. These sideplots have made every villainous character from previous chapters have a sympathetic side what the hell. We haven’t seen the full extent of Miley’s story yet, just little hints, which is exciting to me, obviously Safalin is grey all over, and Ranger was programmed to be the way he was, but Gashu?! Clearly he still sucks, but HRNNGGHR what’s next? Does Midori have a sympathetic side?

Gashu making brief, absolutely pathetic attempts at treating his kids as people with feelings between training sessions. These moments of empathy being seen as a failing on Asunaro’s end that had to be beaten out. Gashu not fully understanding what they were planning and turning himself into a total emotionless monster after he found out to protect himself for what was coming. He probably thought he was doing Ranger a favor by making him the way he did.

Sei’s whole thing re-contextualized Rio Ranger so grossly. People are upset that Kai didn’t live to meet him, but I’m kinda glad he didn’t have to see how his father desecrated his brother’s personality and image post-mortem.

Hated seeing the light leave their eyes after the visit from Asunaro lady

Speaking of her, huh? She looks way too unique to be a silhouette character? All the other ones were generic looking normal people but she looks like Miss dori. My theory is that the hair was the only part that mattered, that that hairstyle is a symbol of the figure the organization sees as “god” and its higher members perhaps try to emulate it, Midori included.

We got some more explicit information on the religious cult side of Asunaro. We already knew Gashu had these beliefs, but the other floormasters didn’t. We have hints that Miley and Safalin are actually exceptions, caring more about their scientific research and personal agendas than whatever the organization’s true beliefs and agendas might be.

Kai trauma-dumping on Mr Chidouin made me uncomfortable. It feels like Kai will trust anyone who’s nice to him, and is surprisingly optimistic or even naïve considering everything he went through. We don’t know what Mr C’s goals are, but man. He has the same poses as Meister. Come on. I hate the way he had that fake ass smile plastered on while Kai spilled his heart out. It seems like Kai never learned how to trust or distrust people, and both those things played a part in his downfall.

That Euphoria Rue Happy Moments compilation on YouTube that’s only one minute long except it’s Kai

I like how Sei really did have that bitchy, unserious personality Ranger ended up with, except he also had ~feelings~. I would have liked to see how his brash sense of humor plays of Kai’s bizarre one.

Does involvement with Asunaro immediately require you to upload your consciousness to their central computer or something? Where else would Gashu get the AI of a long dead kid for Ranger? I doubt he understood him well enough to have him replicated from scratch, fucked up liberties and all.

Sei being older than Kai surprised me. How old do you guys think they were? Like 12 and 15 maybe? I have seen many fans in the past interpret Ranger as being an adult, but I always saw him as a kid/teenager. I guess a big part of it is his trauma-induced immaturity (and probably literally having the mind of a child), but he looks young to me too. He doesn’t look too much older than Sei, and his body appears strangely un-athletic looking for someone who underwent rigorous assassin training, thought he does look taller. Maybe 18-ish?

The whole murder island thing felt so impractical and unnecessarily sadistic but then again everything the organization does is like that. Also can’t believe Kai won the hunger games by doing nothing what a legend

I know Sei’s death wouldn’t have had nearly the same effect without CGs, but this minisode being the only one with extra art like that made it feel way bigger than the other two

The way Sei was capable of breaking down in tears and loving and being terrified but still had it in him to kill others, and be casual about it too

Kai growing up still wearing that same type of uniform every day symbolizing how he could never escape Asunaro’s grasp even when he tried running, ignoring it, covering it up with his apron which represents his individuality. Ranger wearing that black t-shirt and little yellow scarf representing him being freed from Asunaro’s expectations, not in a way that granted him autonomy, but rather that it gave them the OK to empty out everything that made him him and using him as a brief, disposable tool, represented by him stealing pieces of all the other humans who were similarly used and killed by Asunaro for himself.

What would Kai dress like if he could pick out his own clothes?

I would love an afterlife scene with these two like the one Nao and Mishima got

Or the normal version of a Sei AI in YTTS

Man getting to know Sei really changed my whole perspective of Ranger and I’m glad he and Kai not only knew each other in life but also formed a close bond. That for a brief period they both had somebody they could trust

Edit addition: omg how both of them became completely aware that they were going to die with no way out of it, and didn’t accept it per se, quite the opposite actually, but their final wishes were to at least not die at the hands of the enemy who doomed them

Can you tell this one was my fav? Yeah uh. Fuck. Anyway I love how Nankidai manages to keep everyone relevant as have us learn more about them so long and so consistently after their deaths. Nobody is just there for a plot device or shock value, they all have their own stories that don’t end when they’re gone. Can’t wait for more

[talesofedo]

Today I Learned (TIL), Okada Izo version:

+ Okada Izo 岡田以蔵 was born on 14 February 1838 (by the western calendar) as the oldest son of Okada Yoshihisa and his wife, Rie.

Izo's father has been described as a kind person who enjoyed the good fortune of others and was known in his neighborhood as a bit of a matchmaker.

+ Izo had one younger brother, Keikichi, who was born in March 1844.

+ Izo's personal name (imina) was Yoshifuru.

+ He was born in Iwamura village and when he was 10, the family moved to Enokuchi village, outside of Kochi castle town.

The particular neighborhood where his family lived was called Shichiken-machi 七軒町 ("seven eaves row") because his street had seven houses in a row.

The characters "七以", using the first character of 七軒町 (Shichiken-machi) and the first character of 以蔵 (Izo), were sometimes used as code for him in writings related to the Kinnoto (Tosa Loyalist Party).

+ Izo's father was originally an ashigaru who later bought his way into the rank of goshi with money.

Buying your way to a higher rank, or even buying your way into the samurai class from being a farmer or merchant, was not uncommon. Even Sakamoto Ryoma's family were originally merchants before buying their way to becoming goshi.

However, like ashigaru, goshi belonged to the class of low-ranking samurai (kashi) and in Tosa, which was a particularly conservative domain, a great division existed between kashi and joshi (upper-class samurai), making kashi the subject of discrimination and restrictions.

Those restrictions often dictated even small details of everyday life: kashi were not allowed to carry umbrellas, and they were not allowed to wear tabi socks or geta, even in winter.

+ Izo is often described as having been illiterate, but this idea originates from Shiba Ryotaro's fiction.

In reality, Izo had a normal education but was not a talented student, had little interest in books, and often found it difficult to articulate his thoughts. There were many instances people referred to him as "stupid" and "that idiot" throughout his life.

+ Izo was self-taught in swordsmanship to some extent. It's likely he initially learned from his father and then practiced on his own before formally joining a dojo.

I've been trying to unravel some of the sources and it appears he joined the fencing hall of Asada Kanshichi Naomoto in Kochi when he was 12 or 13 years old.

Asada was a master of the Ono-ha Itto-ryu (Nakanishi-ha Itto-ryu) who had previously studied at Shigakukan, one of the big sword schools in Edo. He was also the sword instructor for Tosa's han school.

It was here Izo first met Takechi Hanpeita, a fellow student 9 years his senior, who would become his mentor, someone he looked up to and followed without question for most of his life.

Izo joined Takechi's school in 1855, at 17 or 18, which was the year Takechi opened his own dojo. A lot of sources put Asada's and Takechi's schools together when talking about Izo's training, so it's confusing.

Izo was quickly recognized as being very talented and none of the other students provided him much of a challenge except Takechi himself. He finally found something he was good at!

+ In 1856, when Izo was 18 or 19, Takechi (and perhaps a recommendation letter from Asada) helped make it possible for him to travel to Edo and train at Shigakukan, Momoi Shunzo's school, where he earned his Menkyo Chuden (middle license) in the Kyoshin Meichi-ryu style before returning to Tosa in 1858.

However, perhaps because Izo didn't have the same foundations in swordsmanship as the others, Momoi called his sword "vulgar and without dignity."

+ In 1860, Izo was able to leave Tosa for training a second time, again helped by Takechi, who was using these trips for his own purposes: to gather others to his cause of Sonno Joi and build connections with shishi from other domains.

After spending time in Chugoku and Kyushu, Takechi left Izo behind in Oka domain to study the Jikishi-ryu style, while he (Takechi) went to Edo and worked on establishing his Kinnoto (Tosa Loyalist Party).

+ Izo returned to Edo in May 1861 and joined the Kinnoto out of loyalty to his teacher.

However, because he had no real interest in politics and his comrades excluded him from their political discussions, considering him too stupid to participate, Izo slowly became more distanced from Takechi, and when his teacher returned to Tosa later that year, Izo was once again left behind.

+ In January 1862, Izo set out to return to Tosa himself, but he became ill along the way and had to stay somewhere to recover before he was well enough to continue traveling home to Tosa.

Perhaps Izo should have taken the hint because things did not improve for him from there:

When Izo set out for Kyoto in June 1862 alongside Takechi and other comrades from the Kinnoto, they were hounded by the metsuke Inoue Saichiro, who was investigating the murder of Yoshida Toyo.

That murder had been ordered by Takechi and carried out by three members of the Kinnoto. Concerned that Inoue would arrest them, Takechi ordered Izo and three others to kill him.

This was the first in a number of assassinations Takechi ordered Izo to carry out that year, mostly in Kyoto. More about these here, in a separate post.

+ In January 1863, Izo suddenly left for Edo.

I'm not entirely clear why, nor do sources seem to agree. The most common theories are:

(1) Izo's services as an assassin were no longer needed because things were going poorly for the Kinnoto and Takechi returned to Tosa, leaving Izo behind once again;

(2) Izo had become more estranged from Takechi and his comrades and chose to leave, perhaps at least partly because he didn't want to be an assassin for a cause he didn't care about;

(3) Takechi reprimanded Izo for his behavior and told him to leave.

Whatever the reason, Takechi removed Izo's name from the membership roster of the Kinnoto.

+ After he arrived in Edo, Izo lived for a short while with Takasugi Shinsaku. However, when Takasugi was recalled to Choshu, Izo was once again left in limbo.

+ It was around the time Takasugi left that Izo was introduced to Katsu Kaishu, either by Takasugi Shinsaku or more likely by Sakamoto Ryoma, who had known him since they were young boys in Tosa. Izo became Katsu's bodyguard.

Katsu Kaishu mentioned Izo in his writing:

As I was walking through the city that night, three samurai suddenly appeared in front of me on Teramachi Street and drew their swords. I was so startled, I started to run, but Okada Izo, who was by my side, quickly drew his long sword and cut one of the men in half. The other two were so scared, they ran away. I barely escaped but I was impressed by Okada's quick action. Later I said to Okada, "You should not enjoy killing people." He said, "Sensei, if it weren't for me, your head would have been cut off." There was nothing I could say in response.

+ Izo left Katsu Kaishu and returned to Kyoto later in 1863, for reasons that are again unclear.

This was a terrible decision: not only were Shogunate troops cracking down on ronin in Kyoto, and the city was overall in turmoil with pro-Shogunate and pro-Sonno Joi groups both causing each other trouble, Izo was also considered homeless (無宿, mushuku): someone whose name had been removed from the family register because he was considered a deserter from his domain. (He did not return when other Tosa retainers had been ordered to return.)

With nowhere to go and without any money, Izo, who was using the name Tetsuzo as an alias, started to borrow and extort money, drowned his sorrows in alcohol, and eventually even sold his long sword to make ends meet while trying not to get captured.

+ In May 1864 he was arrested by the Kyoto magistrate for breaking into a merchant's house.

He was subjected to a public beating, tattooed as a criminal, and handed over to the Tosa metsuke who returned him to Koshi in June.

+ In Tosa, Izo faced being brutally tortured and interrogated for information about his former comrades and about Takechi's involvement Yoshida Toyo's murder.

Takechi, resentful Izo had been caught and worried he would easily succumb to torture and give away his comrades, complained "I wish that fool had killed himself!" He reached out to both Izo's father and his younger brother Keikichi, a member of the Kinnoto, with a plan to poison him.

Whether that plan was carried out is unknown: Izo may have become aware of the plan, he may have taken the poison and survived, or he may have given in to more than 10 months of torture. Whatever the reason, in the end he gave up the names of many Kinnoto members, and confessed his own crimes.

Takechi complained: "Izo is truly the greatest crybaby in all of Japan."

+ On 3 July 1865 (western date), Izo was beheaded and his head was put on display by the riverbed for three days.

He was the only member of the Kinnoto whose head was put on public display after death.

[echantedtoon]

In The Moon's Shadow (Yandere Kokushibo x Reader) Ch8 Until I Can See You Again

( GET READY FOR FOUR CHAPTERS AT ONCE!!

The pattern for the purple hydrangea scented candle is linked below.

https://pin.it/BubBAQAPD

This will also be in Kokushibo's P.O.V.. Also someone asked me if demons are immortal in the story. No. No while demons have supernatural powers, they're just like regular people otherwise. They are not cannibals, immortals, etc. So Kokushibo despite being a demon will grow old like any other person. I also debated on whether or not breathing styles exist in this plotline or not. They do exist but only to those whom are 'blessed'.

Also Happy Valentine's Day everyone.)

"What are you doing?"

She was confused when he sent the crow away and made his way from the home rather quickly making her blink and follow after him confused. He briskly walked his way back through town and all the way back to the little shop she worked at. He didn't bother knocking at all. Only slid the door open and walked right in. She heard the sounds of her boss squealing in fright and running away from the samurai walking inside. She naturally followed quickly and poked her head inside only to find the demon standing in front of the shelf of candles again, his hand quickly skimming across the wide selection until coming across a purple candle. The hand grabbed it and brought it to smell what scent came from this one. Hydrangea flowers. That'll do.

He turned back to her and held up the candle to her. "I have one last job for you, and I'll need it done quickly."

She blinked before slowly taking the candle from him. "Oh. Sure. I can do that too."

"I want it covered in stars. How soon can you get it done?"

"Stars?... It'll take me a few days but I can do it. What's this one for?"

"I can not go without a wedding gift for my brother and his bride. It would look disrespectful of me if I didn't at least gift him something to show my congratulations to them."

It would mean he'd be late in seeing his father again but his father was actually a very capable commander. He'd be able to hold his own until he returns. He was most likely not going to be able to attend Yoriichi's wedding, not that he wanted too in the first place, but not at least giving him a gift would again spread rumors between them further. He didn't need anything like that trouble him when there was a real problem going on.

"I need you to finish it as soon as possible for me. I've been called back to aid in battle soon. How soon can you get it done?"

She blinked her big eyes at him before looking over the candle calculating. "..Three days. I can have it done for you in three days."

"Then you must get started at this very moment."

She did. She started immediately. In the meantime he took to gathering all of his things and preparing to leave as soon as she had finished up. His father would no doubt be angry with him for taking so long, but fulfilling his mother's request and his obligations to Yoriichi's wedding ceremony on both his and their father's behalf would be a good enough excuse. After all, he'd be seen as a laughing stock if neither of them even congratulated Yoriichi or were too stuck up to gift him anyway. The things he had gotten him would again be acceptable without being too tacky or anything else. Three slow days had passed. Three sun rises. Three sunsets. And then another knock on his door. He opened it up to the woman again standing there panting like she ran the entire way there, purple candle in one hand and a small bag in the other.

"I'm so sorry I took so long," she forced out between gasps of air leaning against the door frame. "I'm*gasp* finished." 

"Perfect." He was quick to accept the candle from her looking over the beautiful star shapes along the twilight purple like it was really the sky. Yoriichi would like this. "This is also acceptable...What is in the other bag you carry?"

She held it out to him. "A few more baked sweet potatoes and some dried deer meat. It should last you on your travels."

He accepted it. Food for his travels would be good. "I thank you and apologize for any troubles I may have caused you."

"Oh no. You didn't t-trouble me at all."

 She smiled wider at him making him feel an unusual beat in his chest. He ignored it in favor of  quickly just stuffing the candle back with the others and picking up everything he needed, holding both bags and walking towards the door. She blinked and backed out of the way to allow him to walk out and stop in front of her before he also held up something. It was a-...Holy cow!

THAT WAS THE BIGGEST PHEASANT SHE HAD EVER SEEN IN HER LIFE!!

It had enough meat on its bones to last three days if she cooked it right, and it looked freshly hunted as if he had gotten it just that money. In question she looked at him.

"I already paid you for the first job, however I have no money to pay for a second rushed job. Instead of money, take this as payment for springing everything on you last minute. I'm sure you'll make great use of it."

She slowly took it from his hands almost dropping it at first. It had a decent weight to it. "I..T-Thank you but I can't take this. You caught this yourself."

"I will not accept free labor from you," he bluntly interrupted making her look at him again. "You have done enough for me, you deserve compensation for your work. ..Do NOT let that old woman or her family take anything from you. I must leave now."

"Back to the war." It wasn't a question but he nodded anyways before silently stepping around her and walking away without another- A hand grabbing his made him stop and turn to stare at longing turquoise eyes. "Will I be able to see you again? I mean..will you ever do business here again?"

He stood there silently staring at her for a long moment..The demon bowed to the maiden at the hip, a grip lifting her hand to his eyes. The bandage was gone now but a faint scar still remained amongst others. A dangerous claw ran across the space where it used to be making her body shiver, her skin was still soft despite all the work she does. 

A warmth breath hit her palm followed by soft lips pressed against the flesh. "A wound inflicted may disappear from one's body but the cause of it is remembered till the end." Lips murmured against her skin. "I shall not soon forget this or anything else." Gently a kiss was placed against flesh before he pulled his body reluctantly away to stare down at the beautiful red but shocked face of hers. The sunlight making her eyes sparkle and the warm wind blowing her hair around. The hand let go of hers before it reached out to pull the annoying strands from the red face, slowly sliding them away before sliding down her face and cupping the chin. "Until I can see you again."

The hand left her warm flesh and he turned to silently leave. Leaving behind the maiden that stared after him in flustered shock. Yes he would see her again. Soon. After he convinced his father to take over this part of the forest as new Tsugikuni territory.

----------------

Step after step. Day after day.

His legs carried him closer and closer towards the destination. He heard the sounds of loud laughter a mile before he even saw the outskirts of the city and was hit with the scent of many people merging together long before he even stepped foot inside the city and made his way quickly through the throngs of people and towards the center. His senses were attacked by the strong smells but thankfully it was absolutely NOTHING like last time thank the gods, although he feared what it'd be like when Yoriichi's wedding did happen. He was thankful he had an excuse to miss it. The crowds were terrible. Pushing against his body uncomfortably so and bumping his arms annoyingly so. And his father wondered why he preferred meeting outside his home city but that was just calm normal city behavior.

With a sigh he pushed through the crowds faster, wanting to get this done sooner. If nothing else he's only here for his mother and nothing else there. Yes. He'd see what was going on here, but then he was leaving right after. The closer he got to the main building, the annoying feeling of seeing his brother again filled him up with dread, which was why he was glad that at least the guards stationed at the entrance of his home weren't drunk and complete stone faced and serious. A perfect result of his brother's hard training. Which both angered and relieved him to no end. It took no time at all for them to recognize him even before he lowered the cloth over his face to stare at them.

"Open the doors."

They did so immediately, silently without even saying a word. One guard giving a specific coded knock on the door before a loud clicking noise of a thick lock undone before the thick doors was opened from the other side allowing him in and away from a lot of the noise. Not all but a good portion of it was blocked by the fifthteen foot walls and the distant smell of alcohol was slightly dulled by the lush gardens stationed in and maintained throughout his home. Beautiful flowers blooming everywhere, some exotic and only grown within the confines of his home. Some relief flooded out of him but there was still the lingering dread of what was to come. A half growl left his lips.

"*Sigh* Let us be done with this."

The hat above his head was removed allowing him some freedom from him for a while. Six eyes popping open one after another in view of everyone and everything around him. Terrifying to most anyone who saw him. And most did cower or look away from him as he began walking straight through the garden and towards the main building. More guards were stationed around the estate or walking around on patrol. Most bowed as he walked past trying their best to not look him in the eyes. Good. Meant he was still largely received as stronger than them. Let them be afraid. He paid no attention to any of them making his way inside the building in search for his mother.

If he knew his brother, he'd be clinging to their mother's side as usual.

The large man caused many a servant and guard to keep to themselves as he made his way through finely furnished walls filled with paintings and other fine things only they could afford. Fine life for him to live outside of the battlefield. The only thing he could do for now was make his way to his mother's bed chambers and push open the door once he arrived there. The door creaked open loudly as he looked into the room...Ah. Just as he suspected.

"Aniue?"

Three figures sat down at inside the beautifully decorated room all looking at him in wide eyed surprise. His mother laying in the bed he had often begged her to lay down in for once. Finally. His brother right next to her sitting cross legged and that woman whom would soon become his sister-in-law sat right next to him. His fists tightened up and eyes became half lidded staring at them..before he noticed the almost horrified look on the woman's face. Uta? Yes. He remembered her name now. Uta was her name. Uta was staring at him with eyes so big they might've been an owl. Ah. Right. She hadn't seen him in this form before..he supposed he should revert back to his more human appearance for this brief meeting. He wouldn't be staying for long anyways so there was no need to frighten her. Two pairs of eyes closed and disappearing melting back into flesh and disappearing from view, and two purple human pupils blinked at them from a single pair of eyes on his face. A similar shade to his brother's eyes, but while his eyes were similar Yoriichi's eyes had a more reddish tint to them. Uta seemed to watch in utter shock and complete awe at his face transforming into a more human face.

A face that looked so much like his twin's.

"Forgive me for frightening you like that, Miss Uta," he strained to remain polite in front of his mother and offered her a bow of his head. "I had assumed my brother would've told you about me by now."

She didn't saw anything at first but then gave an awkward smile and wave. "O-Oh no. It's o-ok. I just.. wasn't expecting to see you a-again so soon, Brother."

"Yes. I do apologize for dropping in unannounced like this but I am here for a reason." Wanting to get out of there as soon as possible, he bluntly held up two bags. "I have brought a few things as I previously promised." His mother struggled to sit up as he walked over to her so Yorichii reached out to pull her into a sitting up position. "Mother..." He slowly knelt to rest on his knees and presented the biggest bag to her. "Here. I have brought you what you requested."

Akeno weakly smiled at him, her face despite looking old and tired was still beautiful. "Michikatsu. My son." Weak hands reached out to him and he leaned over to allow her to cup his face. "You were always such a good boy." A hand patted his cheek. "Your father could never fully stomp that part out of you." The hands left his face before she turned her attention to the bag he offered. "Oh. I'm excited to see what these are. Are they all from the same carver?"

He nodded. "Yes. She's beautiful." His mother stopped and just looked at him for a second. His brother and Uta looked at one another suddenly. OH SHI- "She's beautifully CARVED you many things." He quickly clarified as casually as he could earning him a confused look from Uta and a..hopeful smile from Yoriichi. What the hell was he smiling about now?! His mother only gave him an all knowing smile. "Open it. You'll find it to your liking." He quickly changed the subject.

"Mm hm." His mother gave him a teasing smile that had him feeling more dread but she only went to opening the bag he gave her much to his relief. A hand reached in and the scent of cherry blossoms filled the air as the first thing she pulled out was the pink candle decorated with carvings of sakura flowers in bloom. His mother's face fell open in delighted surprise as soon as she saw it. "Oh my goodness.." A hand slowly ran over the flowers in the wax. "I've never seen anything like this before."

"Oooh! How pretty!," Uta gushed looking fondly at the candle too.

"There's many others." He nodded at the bag. "Go on."

He took great delight watching his mother's awestruck, happy smile as she slowly kept pulling candle after candle out of the bag and gushing at the colors, and smells, and artwork etched right into it. Happily passing them between herself and Uta and Yoriichi whom also took great pleasure in admiring Y/n's skills. His mother especially seemed to enjoy the small lavender soap bird and the sage scented maple leaf soap he had also gotten her, the bird no doubt reminding her of her beloved little Ebony. Good. Maybe his mother's uplifted attitude will help her health get better. They saw laughter was the best medicine, but maybe being happy would be a good substitute? He caught sight of the small blueberry candle and it briefly reminded him of the same plain candle he had given her...he forced his eyes away as his mother continued to gush about them. However of course his brother would have to notice.

"Michikatsu?" He stiffened at his brother's voice. "Brother, you seem bothered by something." His brother's calm but concerned voice asked. "Is something the matter?"

Yes. A troublesome woman kept invading his thoughts.

He shook his head no stiffly. "No. I'm only reminded of why I'm here."  He finally bothered to look at his brother's face. "I had gotten your message but I...regret that I cannot attend your wedding."

Yoriichi's calm smile saddened a bit at that. "I see..Any particular reason why?"

"I'm sure you heard about Father's peace talks not going over well. With the war about to continue and how sudden you sprung this on everyone, I will not be able to attend. My place is ensuring our territory isn't completely taken over."

"Ah. Well if that's the case then Im glad you were able to visit us in person before we had the ceremony. I appreciate you taking the time to come tell me in person."

He came for their mother not him! No matter how kind he treated him. No..matter how..living he treated him.

"However I do intend to fulfill my obligations still." The second much smaller bag was tossed into Yoriichi's lap making his brother blink at it. "A wedding gift from Father and myself to you and your bride. You have our.. congratulations. I assume you also sent Father an invitation as is courtesy?"

Uta's eyes went wide with wonder as Yoriichi let her take the bag from him and open. "Yes. He didn't say anything in return to us." He looked saddened but also relieved in a way before he looked at him again. "But I know you both are very busy. Still I am more sad you won't be there, Michikatsu. I had hoped things would finally be calm and I could celebrate my union with you and Mother."

"You know I can not. It's how things are."

"Even still...I am happy you responded to my message, Brother. Seeing you makes me happy knowing you're alright."

.. Again he looked away from his brothers eyes. What did he know? He knew nothing about his struggles or what he had to endure every day! Uta's gasp thankfully got the attention off of him and back onto the things she held. More specifically the lemon scented sun he....He bought that for Yoriichi anyways...It wasn't planned to be a wedding gift but it was a convenient way to disguise his intentions. His brother like the first time was also in awe and smiling fondly at it all.

"These are beautiful gifts." His hand carefully ran along the soap sun in his hands. "It looks just like the real thing."

"And look at how cute this is!," Uta gushed over the flower smelling candle, "So pretty! I love it! Thank you so much, Brother!"

"It is the least I could've done. I can not stay longer however. Father wants me back east."

Yoriichi nodded still smiling. "I understand fully. Please be safe." His hands closed around the sun in his hands. "And please tell Father to be safe as well."

"You just take care of Mother-"

"Michikatsu." He paused when his mother looked at him knowingly. "Are you going to marry soon?" He paused completely. "I figured with the war going on, your father might push you to marry sooner."

"....That is not a priority for me right now. You know that."

"I know but I just thought that perhaps.." Her smile widened cheekily. "You might have a candidate in mind at least."

"No. I do not." He calmly stood up. "I must leave now. Continue to care for things here, and this time listen to the doctors and rest."

He bowed before turning on his heel and walked out of the room-

"Elder Brother!" He stopped in the doorway as Yoriichi stood up. "I understand that you and Father might be angry with me, with Mother, about my marriage being done the day it is..but I am only doing this because I want to be happy. I love Uta. If Father had it his way we all know he would've never had let me have this." A hand of Uta's slowly reached out to grab his hand and Yoriichi shakily held it tightly. "He never would've let us be happy. If you find yourself in the same situation.. don't let Father take away your happiness."

He said nothing but stood there for a long moment before he silently left. Fists clenched and jaw stood firm.

Dam Yoriichi! What did he know!?

HE WOULD NEVER DISGRACE HIMSELF BY MARRYING A LOWLY WOMAN!! AS HEIR HE HAD AN OBLIGATION TO FIND A SUITABLE WOMAN TO GIVE HIM THE STRONGEST HEIRS POSSIBLE WITH THE BEST CHANCE OF BECOMING LEADERS!! YORIICHI WOULD NOT KNOW THAT BECAUSE HE NEVER PUT DUTY BEFORE HIS OWN SELFISH WANTS!! IF HE HAD TO MARRY THE MOST COLD HEARTED WENCH IN THE LAND IN ORDER TO GET STRONG CHILDREN THEN SO BE IT!! THAT WAS WHERE HE FATE AND DUTY LIED! NOT CHASING WORTHLESS FANTASIES!

He would forget about the woman with turquoise eyes and soft smiles. Some time away and heat from battles would do wonders to help him retain his control. He was not be controlled by senseless feelings and will return to his own destiny. He was more than happy to get out of that estate. To leave that dam crowded city. To be by himself for a while so he could focus. He should focus his attention to what mattered most! His duties to his clan. His fate as further heir. His destiny to his father. And his obligations to his bloodline. 

... Against his own wishes his brain conjured up a sight of beauty. 

Of a beautiful maiden with turquoise eyes peering shyly up at him from under the hood of a beautiful silk white kimono. Her hair beautiful done up despite being hidden by the kimono's hood. Soft face framed by the beautiful locks of silky hair. Cheeks a rose red. Turquoise eyes sparkling as large lashes batted shyly up at him. A smile gracing her face as lips pink with lipstick aimed at him. A series of giggles left her as she fiddled shyly with his hand pulling him closer.

"I love you, Michikatsu."

A demonic cry cascaded through the valley. Animals of all kinds scattered away for their lives as the raged volume echoed throughout the sky. A horrible crackling sound wafted out. Bark splintered under his hands. A once mighty tree lost its life from the blow to its trunk. It's body crackling before a loud boom of soft dirt cathing itself stopped it. A squirrel losing their home.

Michikatsu stood there panting. His lungs heaving for air like a drowning man. Desperate hands trembling as he looked at them. His palms covered in pieces of bark from where they collided with the tree... before they slowly closed tightly despite his shaking.

"Get a fucking hold of yourself. She's just a woman who you met only for business. I will not give in to these mad delusions like Yoriichi. I WILL SURPASS HIM IN THIS!!"

His voice carried over as with a growl the demon disregarded the damage he did and continued on his way hands still likely shaking. Shaking from rage ..or fear of these increasingly difficult to control thoughts he didn't know.

"I am to forget her! Besides...she would never want me..." 

Eyes stared at the claws of the trembling hands. For once regret and a bit of disgust filling the spot that once held rage. At least he was nothing more than another customer to her, at most just an aquataince who happened to be a demon.. He was meant to look powerful and feared by all. No sane woman would willingly marry him if it wasn't for his status. There was a clear reason he wasn't married yet..and why women fawn over his brother far more.

"No woman would ever be with a monster."

[annonniiiiieeeee]

I have just thought of this- now that the tenshu gang is in NY what would be their dressing styles? Idk I felt like now that there's malls and stuff maybe they dress diff (and also because they were just from Japan so they kinda gotta dress like how other people I'm guessing, or because they see new clothing Maybe they wanna wear that then what they wore in japan) and maybe how they express themselves .-.

I think they will get a style update. They still wear their old styles as they are the clothes they grew up in and the style is comfortable. But I do believe they get a wardrobe update.

Kitsune

Kitsune’s look is the closest to her Usagi Chronicles counterpart. She has the long red hair ponytail. She wears a long sleeve teal shirt and teal leggings. She has a lighted green kimono on top. It used to be her dance outfit but has been refashioned for everyday wear. This is why it has the golden leaves embroidered on it. I picture it to be a little more flowy then in the show.

When she comes to New York I think she will embrace the style change the most. I have two outfits right now for her. Teal leggings with a baggy light green or teal sweater. A pair of jean overalls shorts on top of it. A more modern and comfy look of what she has now.

The second would be a flowy light green dress. Pair with leggings underneath for movement and maybe a jacket. I’m still thinking about this one.

Gen

Gen doesn’t really care for fashion. His current outfit is more inline with the comics then the show. I think he would be a sweatpants, tank top, and over shirt kind of dude. The over shirt would be his purple haori.

He’s very laid back. If y’all got some ideas for him let me know.

Usagi

Usagi is the one that would hold on to tradition the most I think. He likes his traditional clothing. I think if he does update his look it would still have a samurai feel to it. Pants with pockets for sure. Much like Gen his haori would survive the update. (Leo loves when Usagi gives him his haori to wear and Usagi defiantly barrows Leo’s hoodies)

But I don’t know. I’ll open it up for you guys to play with.

They probably have some casually clothes to go out it. And formal wear when needed. (Magic town house like events)

[derekscorner]

Fated Rantings: Remnants Rambling

A Game Better Than It Has Right To Be

I recently finished what is my fourth romp through the Fate Series. It has been slow going due to life but truth be told I didn't want to rush either.

My go of Fate Grand Order is still ongoing, my first anime was Apocrypha, then I watched the 2006 Fate Stay Night, and now I've finished Samurai Remnant after 70+ hours.

Each of these has been good so far. I may hate gacha games but FGO has a solid initial story arc and it's Lost Belt 6 story is also great apparently. I'm not sure I'll get that far but I am determined to finish Solomon's villain arc.

While I'd rate Apocrypha a better anime than it's often given. I am still in shock from the sheer contrast of Astolfo in-story vs the internet osmosis he's become. While the 06 anime was decent for me I do admit I had already seen plenty of lore videos prior so I knew what was going on.

Then there's Samurai Remnant that is better than I expected. I tried it because I am a new Fate fan and Type-Moon doesn't localize things often. I'd argue it is my second favorite story so far falling just behind Apocrypha.

Imagine a Fate Stay Night remade in this style!

Game mechanics weren't perfect or without annoyance for me, I will admit. I feel like Iori gets knocked around far to easy and can be stun locked.

The barrier gauge among most enemies and bosses is honestly a pain and feels like it's padding a bit (until you hit max level anyway) and it is easy to get lost in the towns at first.

Yes you have a map but I did get annoyed more than once be slow traversal hazards or dead ends. Granted, this is an aggravation for extras.

When in-story it is all fine. There's story reasons or game mechanic reasons for why you will have to crawl around, sneak, and so on. It was very much an issue I gave myself for wanting to do every thing and search every corner.

Many other things that annoyed me at first quickly vanished later as I leveled up or filled out skill boards so I will not list them. It was a somewhat basic but unique (in ways) game play set up for what is essentially a visual novel.

I only mention it all because I think this game would be an amazing blueprint for other Fate games. I've already seen people hope for a Fate Stay Night remade in this game's image.

Whether it's a new route or just the old novel redone the hope is now there and I find myself agreeing with them. Samura/Remnant is a great prototype for taking visual novels that began Fate and turning them into a video game that can reach more people.

Story is where it Shines

I won't lie, I expected something 'okay' or "mid" as kids call it, but no. This story actually is rather good. Several characters have more going on than it initially appears and multiple runs are required.

You'll play this game 3 to 4 times if you want every ending or to finish ever digression mission. Something I highly recommend you do because you'll miss out on explanations for several plot points or character motivations.

Admittedly, there are several things that I didn't get answered despite my thorough go of the game. I completely missed the fact that Tsuchimikado's family can use divination for future sight. It was this very skill that allowed him to create the Waxing Moon Ritual.

The whole reason the ritual is flawed is due to him using imperfect foresight to orchestrate the event. The story tells you several times that the ritual is a sham compared to the Fuyuki Grail War but I don't remember it ever actually stating why.

The wish of Rogue Berserker was also something I missed in-game. I won't spoil who he is (or was?) but knowing his wish now makes his finale and leyline placement much more sensible.

Leyline you ask?

Ah yes, it's explained in-game but I'll spoil it here since it's not that much of one. Due to the rituals imperfection a number of extra servants are summoned to Edo.

They're "rogue" or stray servants who are bound to a leyline in the land. (A spot of particularly high mana essentially.) On top of the rogue servants a pseudo servant and ruler class servant are also summoned.

Of course, none of these extra heroes have much interest in the ritual. You can befriend them in the story but the actual war itself is carried out by the 7 actual servants and their masters.

As for the ruler, well, Gilgamesh really just proves why he never gets the role in the funniest way. He doesn't care about the false grail, he doesn't care about the half-assed ritual, and he doesn't care for his job as a ruler.

He literally fucks off, weebs out, and opens a store five houses down from yours early into the game. It is one of the funniest fucking things.

It's small things like this or Gilgamesh's antics that give the story life. I don't want my section above to paint the image of it being bad for some things going unexplained. It's entirely possible I missed the in-game explanation.

But do know that characters will sell this story too you more than the plot beats will.

The story itself, in terms of progression, is simple. Iori gets drug into the ritual like most Fate protagonists do. Many of the events triggered are usually by way of the other masters having an actual battle.

Iori is there, he's an active participant, but he mostly runs around seeking information or making allies while major events are kicked off by the magi or servants triggering them. The digressions show you a lot of these perspectives.

Iori isn't a fool or ignorant of magic, he's just not a man of status or means to pull the stunts many others cause. I would argue he "has no desire too" but that in of itself is a murky topic.

Overall, I do consider it a good thing because the story is character driven instead. So much so that I won't even dare to try and fit it all in a post. I'll let you discover that for yourself...except for Assassin.

Not a bad character by any means but he has a moment in the game mid way and to this very day I do not get why he does what he does. It's like they just did whatever they had to for that boss fight to happen...

I just find it a shame because his digressions are actually humorous. Many character interactions are funny at times. It's always the small things too, little scenes that you could miss if you rush.

Other Questions & Conclusions

To be honest there's more I could ramble on but it won't fit into one post and I do not feel like I can make more than two or three. One reason is due to me obviously missing details that I only learned later due to a video by Otakudaikun.

Another reason is due to the sheer number of characters. There's several I've only seen for the first time outside of FGO and do not feel like I can do them justice due to my lack of familiarity.

Others are so simple that I do not think they have much to be said. They're not bad for it they're just simple and true to their nature.

Such as Jeanne. I didn't even get into how disappointing it is for her personality to be muted. And make no mistake, this is Jeanne corrupted not FGO Jalter.

I didn't cover just how much Rogue Berserker hit me personally since I liked his legend as a child.

I'd need a whole post of it's own to talk about Rogue Rider and her antics. Sure you see a loli but by hell I know Amaterasu's lore in Fate, her nature, so I only get nervous seeing her grin. (though I do love her dynamic with Kaya)

Nor did I elaborate on how cool it is for the main servants (the ones paired with masters) to be legends from Japan or China. I actually learned a few interesting ones due to this writing decision.

There's the other endings as well but nothing is as deep as the 'Entreat the Darkness' ending imo. They're all decent though.

I even have this theory that Iori is the reason Musashi was summoned to t his timeline with no proof other than he wants to best his master and she wants a decent opponent.

What I will reiterate is that you should try this. It's a great place to start Fate and it's a good one to try if you already follow Fate.

Go give it a try, bye now~

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

Other Fate related ramblings here: https://derekscorner.tumblr.com/tagged/fated-rantings

[chrisdrawings]

AA Superhero AU: The Love Square

Masterpost

Now... I have to talk about it!

It’s the reason I started this AU in the first place.

WRIGHTWORTH/NARUMITSU LOVE SQUARE!!

So, imagine the secret identity shenanigans, the pining, the falling in love with two different people who are actually the same person. “Enemies to friends to lovers”, “one-sided attraction that’s actually mutual”, and “childhood friends to pining to lovers” AT THE SAME TIME!!

...okay, Wrightworth is already all of those at the same time, but hear me out!

Let’s start with a little graphic to explain the Love square (at the beginning), and then I will dive into each pairing in more detail, under the cut: 

Phoenix Wright/Red Signal (Rednix):

They are the Ladrien (wink) of this AU, the first canon ship. They met when they were kids. Red was going around town in his superhero outfit and he used his powers to save Phoenix from a car accident. After that, Red Signal tried to disappear, but Phoenix was so immediatly smitten that he followed him, and aggressively befriended him, basically. They started a weird friendship, meeting almost every day after school. Then the DL-6 happened (a post will come about it) and they lost contact.

Flash-forward to many years later. They meet again after Phoenix gets his powers and the death mark, because he always ends up in some kind of accident, and Red saves him again. 

Their first reaction is: MY FRIEND! YAY! (okay, not really, but they are happy to have met each other again). 

Their second reaction is: Oh... my crush is back. I guess I’m in love with him now.

Yes, they are crushing with each other pretty hard, and pretty fast. Phoenix based his entire life and career on Red Signal, and Red Signal came back to business after hearing about Phoenix Wright’s trial (Turnabout memories), and kept his old style to be recognizable, so, like... they never forgot each other, and they always wanted to meet again.

I don’t want to spoil too much, but every time they meet they are really cute, and it’s Red who Phoenix defends in Turnabout Goodbyes.

It’s also Red who fakes his su*cide, stopping his hero work for a while, and breaking Phoenix’s heart.

So... well... Phoenix is kinda angry at him when he comes back.

Phoenix Wright/Miles Edgeworth (Wrightworth): 

So, if the loving backstory was with Red Signal, how are things with Miles Edgeworth?

Well... they are not good, at first.

I mean... they did went to school together for a little while, but they never talked, so they met for the first time (kinda) when Edgeworth was prosecuting against Maya, so not the best first impression, especially since after prosecuting against Maya, he prosecute against Phoenix too. Terrible first impression!

And Miles is a mix between “Notice me sempai” and “Get out of my courtroom” because he’s in a total Gay crisis, so, yeah. AWFUL FIRST IMPRESSION!

Phoenix doesn’t like Miles, but they grow closer after the DL-6 retrial, when Phoenix ends up defending him as in canon (due to some facts I will discuss in the Turnabout goodbyes post).

Then Red goes away, and Phoenix is heartbroken. Edgeworth doesn’t disappear, though, and by working together, they start a nice friendship over time. 

Edgeworth is incredibly present and supportive during the Engarde case (Farewell, My Turnabout) and they become real important friends.

Phoenix’s feelings start to gravitate towards Edgeworth, just as Red’s feelings start to gravitate towards a new, incredible superhero.

Firebird/Red Signal (FireSignal): 

Firebird starts his vigilante career after Turnabout Samurai, so he doesn’t meet Red Signal many times before Red’s “death”, but when he meets him, he’s a big fanboy. 

And at first Red finds him annoying and extremely careless. Firebird is disappointed by his coldness, but tries to win him over, failing miserably.

When Red “dies”, Firebird is heartbroken, but still continues his superhero work. Since Red is not really dead, he keeps tabs on the afromentioned supehero work. He starts to get really interested in him, and admires him a lot. He’s everything Red Signal always admired in superheroes. So cool! When Red comes back, he tries to get in contact with Firebird and maybe... like... work together. Firebird is not interested anymore (he still has mixed feelings), but Red Signal still helps him sometimes, and they also get hired together to protect Ami Fey’s sacred urn (The Stolen Turnabout) and in this occasion they bond a lot. 

Red saves Firebird’s life when a crazy supervillain almost kills him after copying his powers (Recipe for Turnabout, yes this one changes a lot from canon), and he realizes how much he actually cares for him.

Both him and Firebird are really confused about their feelings.

Firebird/Miles Edgeworth (Fireworth): 

And, at last, here comes the Marichat (wink wink).

They met for the first time during State vs Skye (Rise from the ashes) when the courtroom gets attacked for some reason. Firebird tries to save Miles, who doesn’t want to be saved by a non-registered hero. Firebird is offended. Edgeworth is annoyed.

Their feelings change the way they change for the other ships, and sometimes they do meet, during court cases or when Firebird tries to save Edgeworth. 

But their biggest case together is the one when Maya is trapped, Misty is killed and Iris is accused of murder. They work together for most of the case, except the last day, and since they spend a lot of time together, they start to see some things about each other that they never noticed. Like a certain mark, and someone’s quick reflexes...

And here’s where the circle close. 

But I really don’t want to spoil Bridge to the Turnabout, which will get its own post one day.

This was just a qick dive into the relationship with each pairing big moments.

I hope you like the concept. Feel free to ask things if you are curious. I have much to say about this AU, but I don’t know where to start ^^’

[ironhatesyou]

I have access to a whole new world of shilling so I might as well use it

This is my webcomic/manga. It’s made in the style of historical battle manga like Tenkaichi Nihon Saikyou Bugeisha Ketteisen (my favorite) or Record of Ragnarok and Majo Taisen. It also takes inspiration from more standard battle manga like Kengan Asura/Omega and Baki. Here’s a synopsis:

They year is 1890, but it is not our 1890. On what seems like a whim, Oil Magnate John D. Rockefeller decides to throw away everything, his wealth, his status, and even the tenuous peace that had begun to settle over the United States and its untamed frontier, all for the sake of some entertainment.

He sends a letter out to the legends of the Era, Outlaws and Lawmen of the West, old master Generals from the Civil War, Native American Freedom Fighters, and even the last of the Samurai as well as an Australian Knight. He tells them to go to a small frontier town in what is today Nevada, and tells them only to fight, promising the winner his fortune of 1 Billion dollars. Some take to the killing with a zeal, others seem reluctant to give into the whims of the Robber Baron. But one thing is true. This is the most Violent Day in American History.

I’ve been making this series (almost) monthly since July 4th last year (fitting I know) and it’s about to start its third fight. I made it to sorta answer some annoyances I have with the genre as a whole like characters completely ignoring their irl history or a really cool character concept only getting 1 fight before dying. There are 13 chapters out currently and i’d be thrilled if you checked it out. I do all the art myself and @fizzywizard helps me write (my other co-author doesn’t have a tumblr I don’t think).

[desertleviathan]

So you may wonder what I’ve been up to for the several years since I was last active on this account? Mainly leveling every single class to the cap in Final Fantasy 14.

In order: 1.) Alchemist - Taken in Radz At Han, birthplace of Alchemy 2.) Armorer - Taken at Watts’ Anvil in Lakeland, where I helped a bunch of dwarves build little go-kart size tanks to sell to merchant caravans for guard duty 3.) Astrologian - Taken in Idyllshire, which was built on the ruins of the Sharlayan colony in Eorzea, which seemed appropriate since it’s the Sharlayan version of Astrology we learn as player characters 4.) Bard - Taken in the Sastasha dungeon, on the isle of Vylbrand, way back at the beginning of my tale as Warrior of Light 5.) Black Mage - Taken in the ruins of Mhach, birthplace of the Black Mage tradition, at the prison of Ozma, an excellent example of why magics originating in Mhach are largely forbidden now 6.) Blacksmith - Taken outside of my personal house in Ul’dah, where I spent several million gil crafting the Forge exterior 7.) Botanist - Taken in Nophica’s Altar in Old Gridania, to remind the Elementals that they’re on my shit list for letting their priests get away with so much racism in their names 8.) Carpenter - Taken in Ala Ghiri in the Peaks region of Ala Mhigo, which is my character’s home town, and where he first learned the basics of woodworking from his father 9.) Culinarian - Taken in my character’s private apartment which I have converted into a horrible seafood restaurant: “Cap’n Siege’s Chowder Sluice: ‘Til Sea Swallows All-You-Can-Eat! Limsa Lominsa’s most affordable fast-casual seafood dining experience!” 10.) Dancer - Taken in Kadjaya’s Footsteps in Thavnair, birthplace of the Dancer fighting style 11.) Dark Knight - Taken in front of the Crystal Tower in the Crystarium, where we became the Warrior of Darkness 12.) Dragoon - Taken on a cliff overlooking the city of Ishgard, birthplace of the Dragoon fighting style 13.) Fisher - Taken on the dock near the Fisher guild in Limsa Lominsa 14.) Goldsmith - Taken in the Lord of Vermillion game hall in the Gold Saucer, which involves battles between the little robots known as mammets, who are the most sophisticated products of the Goldcrafting skill 15.) Gunbreaker - Taken at the Bozjan Southern Front base camp overlooking Castrum Lacus Litore, where the Bozjan tradition of sword-that-is-a-gun fighting clashes with the Garlean tradition of sword-that-is-a-gun fighting 16.) Leatherworker - Taken at the Mol camp in the Azure Steppe, where those sheep are about to become saddles 17.) Machinist - Taken at the Parrock sky pirate base floating above the Abalathia’s Spine mountain range 18.) Miner - Taken at the jewelry merchant’s stall in Ul’dah 19.) Monk - Taken under the watchful gaze of Rhalgr’s statue in Rhalgr’s Reach, once a holy place to the Ala Mhigan monks 20.) Ninja - Taken at the Doman Enclave, homeland of the specific style of covert assassination and combat magic that we were taught 21.) Paladin - Taken on the Moon. You know, the Moon in the Sky 22.) Reaper - Taken at the Forum Solius park and playground in Garlemald, where the Reaper combat style was born and widely practiced, until it was pushed out of common use in favor of Magitek 23.) Red Mage - Taken at Siege’s home town of Ala Ghiri in the Peaks region of Ala Mhigo, with Nyunkrepf’s Hope in the background, the ark that features heavily in the origin story of Red Magic 24.) Sage - Taken in Old Sharlayan, on the docks overlooking the statue of Thaliak 25.) Samurai - Taken in Kugane on the roof of the Shiokaze Hostelry, overlooking the Sekeisegumi barracks, home to the aggressively shitty bunch of cops we learn this style of fighting from, on whom I look down both physically and morally 26.) Scholar - Taken in the Wanderer’s Palace (Hard) dungeon, which is the last remnant of the civilization of Nym, birthplace of the Scholar style of magic 27.) Summoner - Taken in Mor Dhona overlooking the Crystal Tower, a major relic of the lost civilization of Allag, where the Summoner style of magic originated. And also overlooking the remains of Midgardsormr,Father of All Dragons, and father specifically of Bahamut, who became the summoned monster at the heart of some of our most potent techniques 28.) Warrior - Taken in the battlefield to fight the Ultima Weapon in Castrum Centri at the climax of the original A Realm Reborn mission series 29.) Weaver - Taken in Eulmore, a place so greatly concerned with fashion that they force all travelers to take mandatory showers when they first arrive 30.) White Mage - Taken in the Lost City of Amdapor (Hard) dungeon, birthplace of White Magic

Not featured: Blue Mage, because I still have to finish the level 70 and 80 content, and I don’t really think of it as belonging to this set conceptually as a Limited Job

[basedkikuenjoyer]

Lingering Snowblood: The Saga of Oyuki

Alright class, who’s ready for a fun bonus post? Waaay back in the start of this journey, we talked a little about Okiku potentially being inspired by a figure it the story that is likely an inspiration for Kin & Momo. Lone Wolf & Cub, it’s one of the most famous series of classic samurai movies. What Hawk & Chick are based on for any Bob’s Burgers fans and the TV adaptation had the actor Oda’s said their names come from in the lead role. 

In that franchise, there’s a woman named Oyuki who pops up a few times. Dancer background, unassuming lady who’s absolutely deadly when pressed, tattoo used a lot like the mask, and has a calling card of taking topknots from her fallen foes. Sounds a lot like Kiku, yeah? And if you didn’t know, “yuki” means snow so we do have that shared motif. Feels like in both cases, and the ones we’ll get to, the archetype is leaning a bit on the mythological Yuki-Onna. I was wrong though, that was just the tip of the iceberg. 

So...this character transcends franchises. Wano has made me really interested in jidaigeki, I’ve actually grown quite fond of them and have a buddy who’s into old Westerns so we love talking how they play off of each other. As an aside, any RPG game masters out there...go binge an old Western TV show like Tales of Wells Fargo and you will find a gold mine of session ideas! Turns out Oyuki has a pretty cool history, and yeah it includes Kill Bill. 

The funny thing is...if we’re talking Eiichiro Oda’s influences, it actually calls into question what was really pushing him to dust off Snowblood. See, she is a figure in jidaigeki, but a little before his time. That’s not a huge deal, Smokey and the Bandit came out over a decade before I was born and I still thought it was a cool Sunday afternoon movie that’s stuck with me from that single viewing fifteen years ago. Kill Bill was directly inspired by Lady Snowblood, coming straight from Quentin Tarantino himself. Oda loves Hollywood and American movies, so which one really piqued his interest for Okiku?

Because y’all...the deeper we go the more obvious this was part of the inspo for Okiku. Wano’s just a big kid giddy to show his young readers all the shit he thought was cool growing up.

Yeah, I bet you know this woman’s entire deal looking at this. Proper lady right up until that short sword comes out of the parasol...though she’ll probably whoop a wave of mooks with the umbrella alone. At the end it’s her standing in the middle of a dozen dead bodies without a drop of blood on that pretty kimono. The dancer or acrobat background is really common, vengeful motivation driving her as well as lowborn origins. Gotta have some reason she’s not content to start a family and all, right?

So this 1973 movie based on a 1972 manga’s it right? Lone Wolf was a little later and Oyuki there was mostly just a one-shot appearance that they reused for a movie. Well...see, we can go deeper. 

Finding stuff like this is what makes digging so worth it. See, if we’re talking beloved Okiku...the Kill Bill/Lady Snowblood inspo is missing the mark on one big thing. Kiku’s not cold-blooded or vengeful. Let’s go back to the late 60s though, the same era that gave us a pretty feminist wave of Japanese media like Attack no.1. This was a TV drama that ran for a season, Red Swallow Oyuki. Starring the lovely Junko Miyazono who’d go on to have a nice run of movies playing the same type of kickass lady. One of those by the way was Hannya no Ohyaku. Fun bonus tie. This aired in 1968, so likely influencing Lady Snowblood, and you can find the first two episodes on Toei’s official Youtube page. With subs! It’s awesome, imagine Samurai Champloo if Fuu was the badass in charge...so Bakura Town.

Where I really think this initial iteration of Oyuki shines through in Kiku is the personality. This version, she’s really cutely naive. Raised in isolation and trained to pass on her father’s sword style, but he balked at the end. Sent Oyuki away to “become an ordinary woman.” Only use the sword to protect yourself. But of course, when push comes to shove she’ll use it to protect the innocent. Yes, it does end up feeling a lot like Himura Kenshin which is it’s own obvious part of Kiku’s DNA. 

I also love this idea of Oyuki sorta taking on a life of her own. It’s very Kabuki, it was a cool character concept so why not lift and repurpose. Not quite the same, but reminds me of the thing about the name Kikunojo. How it has a history as a stage name for many famous Onnagata. But seriously...watch one episode of Red Swallow and tell me that isn’t what a story with Kiku in the lead role would feel like.

[samuraiisms]

@ncji

In the whole world of unusual and strange circumstances, somehow Mifune had been blessed with further unexpected changes.

The house in the capital was new, a token of the military’s appreciation for his labors and a mark of his ascension to Chief General. He had turned down a more lavish house, fit for a richer lord, but it was still a respectable home. It was located in the neighborhood closest to the dojos, and hence was good for walks to observe the zen gardens and pines that grew in this part of town. He had a modest living, roomier than his old lodgings at the boarding house when he was only a soldier, and the house was looked after the energetic Min, who was young enough and strong enough to keep the house in top shape.

Mifune sat in his favored sitting room, with a warm kotatsu, a door to the veranda outside, the kettle warm on the stove with hot water. He was sharing tea with someone very young. The newest resident to join him in this already new home.

The samurai didn’t worry to rush familiarity. The boy couldn’t be older than eight at least; most young boys his age would edge away from any adult. Thus he maintained distance through the table, and began pouring hot tea into his favored cups. The tea set was an artisanal one, not bright or white porcelain, but stoneware that had been glazed in earthy colors. The tea matched the set, earthy genmaicha, better for the heaviness of a winter country, with barley and green tea together. Mifune served it with impeccable style.

“I apologize if the flavor takes some getting used to.” He apologized courteously. The boy’s father was not present, busy clearing up a few last minute things. But they had their own rooms in his house, and the settling in could start soon. “Since tea leaves are difficult to import, we tend to blend them with barley to ease up how much we use.” He was smiling very gently. Both he and his father could pass off as relatives if it weren’t for their unusual eyes. All three of them had long dark hair, and their foreheads bound up and covered with bandages and headbands.

“My housekeeper says I should drink better quality, but I’m still something of a country boy at heart, so it’s difficult to transition.”

[frogpantsthebloodgod]

fuck it im posting my ocs (pics for those i have pics for) (dnd ocs first, then monster hunter, then pokemon)

Aria: fallen scourge aasimar of my dnd pirare universe. She and her gf overthrew the corrupt government that was rapidly expanding their corporate empire through the islands. Shes got some trauma and trust issues :)

Carisa: extremely mentally ill tiefling pirate with religious trauma! She led an entire pirate fleet against said aforementioned corrupt government. She’s the current Dread Pirate Roberts in my universe. Shes got a rapier that kills people all the way dead. Just a little bit based on catra.

Ruvaen Blackwater: a middle aged depressed divination wizard. Hes got a child that was kidnapped by some big bad group. He learned divination in order to find his only living blood family left (his mom died in childbirth, his dad is dead, his wife was killed). Hes got issues man idk what else to say.

Anthem Dragonforce: an anarchist drifter bard that’s actually a necromancer but casts spells through music. Hes part of a band that performs anywhere.

uhh now monster hunter ocs i guess

Reya Kuroda of the Hammerhead clan: shes cool, really strong and like 6’2”. Shes married to Kuroda Sukey, but ill talk about her later. Shes destroyed many monsters with her various assortment of weapons, mostly made up of hammers and greatswords.

Kuroda Sukey: aka the Star Slicer. Mentored under The Huntsman, the old master of the Long Sword. Married to Reya Kuroda. She treats hunting more as an important ritual rather than sport. Always approaches a monster with the intent of slaying it. Nicknamed the Immortal Samurai for how little times shes been knocked unconscious on hunts.

ok now pokemon OCs (hahahaha im not done with you yet pls read all of this im so tired rn)

Artemis: yes that artemis, the greek goddess one. Cast down to earth to take part in the island challenge as punishment for something. In the future she marries Lillie because reasons.

Morrigen: overall champion of alola and the ghost type specialist of the Champion Challenge in the Southside region. Wife of Jaundice, and haver of a homophobic mother. Guitarist and owner of a Shady House style mansion. The two team skull grunts in the pokemon centre in po town live there free of charge because they were so nice.

Jaundice: british champion of galar, and poison type specialist champion of the Champion Challenge in the Southside region. Chubby bassist and owner of the non-homophobic mother. Chill friend of marnie and supportive of her takeover of spikemuth.

Ditto #6: “10” year old “hispanic girl” that saved alola from lightlessness, then allied with necrozma to become the temporary champion. Canonically speaks through sign languge. Its pretty cool ngl.

Tahiti: this fucker is a hoenian gremlin. Literally a 14 year old marijuana user, she named her whole team after a different kind of drug. She wears solid black sunglasses because of the eyes thingy that happens to high people. Doesn’t actually care about either evil team, they just have funny words. Also they are fully convinced maxie is secretly transfem. And that archie is a pirate bisexual. Would beat steven in a pokemon battle then once hes realized he lost his champion title, shed reveal that shes been high this whole time.

if youve made it here, congrats. You get nothing but a 👍. I will probably make more of these idk. Im tired rn

[bucketofcowboys]

Now I have a craving for a story where a former samurai and an old cowboy have a drink and bond over their similar experiences and dying culture

:(

Yes PLEASE

(ALSO I am totally adding a samurai to my bucket of cowboys)