#kuchi

[khaperai]

Nomadic Kuchi women and girls near a Mosque on the outskirts of Herat, Afghanistan 1973

[federer7]

Kuchi. Japan. 2008

Photo: Frauke Eigen

[anewcalamity]

A New Calamity Page 403

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So happy to be at this point in the comic! ANC Ghirahim @stylincheetah

Leonus @sparksplitter

Vah Eheniv @gerudoshikyapril

[bestbonnist]

Chapter 166

Since I'm having so much trouble writing the rest of my metas for the present era, I'm going to go ahead and post whatever I have for the third era and keep working on the rest intermittently! I feel lighter already.

Fushi's wish has always been to "grant everyone else's wishes." Now the world has managed to fulfill their wish for them.

We don't know if Kaibara Cybernetics is related to the Defense Corps. or not, but by god, if it is, then Mizuha kind of did it.

In the previous era, this doll was a symbol of Fushi's limits, a reminder of what they couldn't do. In the present era, the doll—along with the abundance of other trinkets that Fushi gave their friends—was a sort of symbol of their love. Not the best, but something that Fushi liked and thought their friends would like too. And now that symbol has been trashed, because the world is full of the best and Fushi's efforts no longer matter.

In volume seventeen, the doll and Fushi's love were in the process of being discarded by none other than Fushi themselves. They came to the understanding that they couldn't control their friends' happiness, nor could they do the same to strangers who were sharing their body with knockers. Fushi backed off completely. They even refused to take the Beholder's powers. For once, Fushi is free to do whatever they want! But the responsibilities they've cast away are still around, crawling up from the bottom and coming back to bite them in the ass.

It also has some negative connotations about Fushi's mental state. If they've started to feel aimless again, like their existence no longer has a purpose now that they can't make people happy, that would tie in nicely with some of my thoughts about the star system.

The answer that Fushi arrived at in the present era was that they should give people sharing their bodies with knockers (ie. people who are suicidal) whatever it is that they need, because that will make it easier to live. But they have to do this without obstructing the person's personal freedoms at all. Because that's shitty to do in general—especially coming from Fushi who has had their freedom denied by the Beholder again and again—and because in the end, the choice to live has to be their choice. If the person's internal feelings are still the same, then all the progress that's been made externally doesn't matter.

Fushi just isn't capable of working with every single person to find what in their life to improve, nor is that their responsibility. As Yuuki and Nono successfully proved, knockers are better equipped to handle each person's specific situation anyways. Whether it's the knockers' responsibility to improve the lives of everyone on the planet, though... Although it wasn't Yuuki's intention, if the knockers are in fact inside the microchips giving everyone their superhuman abilities, then they've lost the opportunity to enjoy the human lives that they had in the present era. Now they're just tools.

The star system seemingly solves the "freedom to choose" problem as well. In order to make your life better, you have to work for it! In order to work for it, you have to want it! It's an incentive to live. But people who are depressed will just slide down into the abyss because they no longer have a support system. And it's very, very easy for everyone else to overlook this and say that the system works because it incentivizes people for trying.

I feel like I'm back in economics class. Bad!

In its efforts to make things more streamlined for everyone (and I actually expect we'll later find out a logistical reason for the rating system, like in order for something to be granted, something needs to be taken away), this company—Kaibara Cybernetics—has bastardized Yuuki's work. Humans now need to justify their existence to each other, they need to prove that they are useful and deserve to be happy, or else they get nothing. Feeling like they weren't worth keeping alive unless they accomplished something was what caused Kahaku and Mizuha's—and Fushi's—depression in the first place. What Yuuki, Fushi, and the knockers were supposed to destroy, they are now perpetuating through the world they created with the best of intentions.

For the identity of the doll, I would like if it were a brand new character. I've seen a lot of people suggest that it's Fushi, but I definitely don't think that's the case for a lot of different reasons. Starting with the doll's personality and mannerisms. They don't match Fushi's at all, although that's an interesting debate. Fushi adopted their speech patterns from Gugu, so if they lost their memories of him, would the way they speak change too? But irrelevant at the moment, because Gugu is currently alive so they won't lose their memory of him when someone takes his vessel. There's no vessel to take, same with the rest of their friends.

(BY THE WAY Fushi actually did keep their speech mannerisms even when unable to remember Gugu in the Renryrr arc, but that was probably because they could still remember how they used to talk, even if they didn't remember why they talked that way. If they somehow got a complete memory reset, then even if they remembered how to talk, they wouldn't remember how they talked before, or the events that influenced their personality. But even if that was the case, all it took was one look at Gugu, Tonari, and March for them to remember everything about them in the Renryrr arc, so if the doll is Fushi, they should have some recognition of their friends on the billboard. Which they don't.)

The only way I can conceive of the doll being Fushi is if someone managed to find where "their life is located" like the left hand was trying to do in the present era, and was able to control them in that way. Then discarded them after wiping all their important memories and leaving them in a form that's useless. (Side note: I could be wrong, but to my knowledge Fushi can't move as an inanimate object, even if that inanimate object is human shaped. If they filled the insides with human organs and such, that would be a different story...) But that's super nebulous because we don't even know what kind of power Fushi's life has on its own. We'll probably find out though!

Regardless of whether Fushi's the doll or not, something has happened to them. Kaibara Cybernetics isn't on the lookout for them, despite knowing about the existence of immortals. So they've probably already been taken care of. Odd, considering they seemed to be a big fan of this world and Kaibara during their opening narration. I wonder what happened during the eight year time skip...

Just in case you didn't catch it, there's a time skip that lasted at least eight years within the chapter. In between when the doll was discarded and when it woke up, the kid with the green and purple eyes appeared once as a newborn and once as an eight year old.

If the doll does turn out to be a character we know, my money's on the left hand. The wanting to be human, the familiarity with Yanome food, the thirst for blood. Oh, yeah. Admittedly, the doll's speech patterns don't really match the left hand's either, and I don't have a better explanation for how it could end up in a doll's body when Fushi can't, but knockers aren't made of flesh in the first place. They operate human bodies by spreading out inside them, why can't they do the same with a doll? Doesn't explain how the doll can eat, but expect that question will have an answer since it was even noted by one of the characters.

I like how this new chapter launches us into a completely new situation with no idea what's going on. Because Fushi and co. are familiar with this world—having been living in it for some time, and having been present for its creation—I like that we get to the opportunity to see it with fresh eyes. And I like that there's a bit of mystery surrounding Fushi's disappearance and their friends' prosecution: as we keep going I'll be looking for clues on how they got into this mess. All in all it's good stuff!!

[xphaiea]

FOR SALE • Just added a selection of unique vintage and handmade necklaces and amulets to the shop! • LINK IN BIO www.xphaiea.bigcartel.com #vintagejewellery #woden #odin #norse #paganjewellery #vintagejewelry #witchesofinstagram #tribal #ethnic #kuchi #ethiopian #banjara #pagansofinstagram #vintage #handmade #tribaljewelry #norsejewelry #vikingjewelry #viking #heathen #witchjewelry #witchyjewelry https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp5CP-2tQ_w/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[dashingwishes]

[peopleofafghanistan]

Kuchi nomads milking goats next to their black goat hair tent. Afghanistan, 1960.

Source: Klaus Ferdinand

[veronicalynndance]

Veronica Lynn by Enygma Photo

Costume by Veronica Lynn

Los Angeles, California

https://www.veronicalynndance.com/

[ilyarcadia]

Kali Uchis for H&M (2023)

[bhawanahandicrafts1]

Vintage Banjara Embroidery Skirt’s 🧵 ❣️🪡🫶 #banjarabag #banjaraskirt #banjara #bohostyle #baluchi #hippie #antique #boho #tribal #ethnic #gypsyjewels #kuchi #bohostuff #gypsy #banjarajacket #bohemian #boutique #banjarawallhangings #dazzlinggypsyqueen #banjaradress #gypsygirl #gypset #bohobag #gypsystyle #bohofashion #hippiechic #bohojewels #bohemianbag #gypsyskirt #meghcraftexporter (at Jaipur, Rajasthan) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpP8UMttQ4M/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[katrinaftw44]

I made this necklace using an East Indian pendant I got in Winnipeg and rose quartz beads. 

[ethel-anima]

✨The devil is in the little things✨ Want to tell about amazing girl who makes awesome jewelry and her shop🖤 She is organizer of Gothla France and she has so many beautiful handmade pieces 🔥 I am in love with my own. Look at it! Antique coins, unique design. It is exactly what I need. It seems I want to wear it each time I perform So you can find your own @draconis._.designs #EthelAnima #tribaljewelry #jewelry #kuchi (at France) https://www.instagram.com/p/CiSS8DusNzk/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[kristineknowlton]

The Gay Pride Kuchi Kopi Print is now available in two sizes! #gaypride #art #gayprideart #kuchikopi #bobsburgers #kuchi #kuchikopigaypride #gaypridekuchikopi https://checkout.square.site/buy/VWFW6RAPR7YZPLH2C5TKBV65 https://www.instagram.com/p/CeUqmCajuY0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[tanuki-kimono]

Hello, I have a weird question but maybe you can answer it. When I was a teenager I was gifted a yukata and taught to tie the obi to make it look like a bow. That was cute then, but now that I'm in my mid 30s I wonder if this is still appropriate. Are there other ways to tie the obi of a yukata that are maybe a bit more mature ? I love wearing my yukata, but I'm starting to get self-conscious about maybe being too old for that… (I only wear it for matsuri in Japan so it's not like it's often, but it makes me even more self-conscious because I am very clearly not Japanese so I don't want to look ridiculous.) Thank you !

Hi fellow mid-30's kimono wearer :D It's true some styles can feel a bit weird depending on ages.

Though nothing truly forbids you to keep wearing bunko musubi, if you don't feel confortable with a bow knot or its variations (for ex. this one or this one?), don't despair! there are many (like MANY) other knots which would work with your age and "status" :D

If you wish for something classical, I'd recommend:

Kai no kuchi musubi (clam mouth knot) - a super all purpose knot, worn by women and men alike. It's been around for ages and never went out of style!

Ronin musubi (ronin knot) or katabasami - unisex knots that have been around for a long time too, pretty sturdy and chic.

Karuta musubi (card knot) - easy to tie and quite flat so perfect if you have to ride a car/train or sit on Western chairs.

Taiko musubi (drum knot) or tsunodashi musubi (also called Ginza musubi) - you can fake those ones (usually tied with wider obi) with a hanhaba obi, see examples here and here.

More on the novelty side :

Kamifusen musubi (paper balloon knot) - a more whimsical knot but could still work depending on your style. It asks for preparation but it's very cute :)

Neko mimi musubi (cat ears knot) - there are many variations, with or without hanhaba obi - look at this one for ex

Not-tied obi, a super modern way of wearing obi. Ayaaya has a lot a those, check for example this one and look at her socials for more (especially "frilly" variations)

Any variations of what I call the "waterfall" musubi, where obi ends are elegantly arranged thanks to elastique belts. It's super fashionable atm, see it shown step by step on Billy Matsunaga's channel.

To go further, searching for "hanhaba obi musubi" will gives you a lot of other ideas ;)

Hope it helps, and that you'll have a lot of fun at matsuri!

[yridenergyridenergy]

Ah, I want a womb, I do, I do...