#things to see in shikoku

[twosecondstreet]

Dogo Onsen in Matsuyama

It's getting hot, so why not soak in hot water? 🔥💦 Let's visit Dogo Onsen!

If you ask anyone about hot springs, or onsen, in Japan, a few key locations will inevitably pop up. One such place is Dogo Onsen, one of the oldest and most celebrated on the rural island of Shikoku. (more…)

[catpriciousmarjara]

Katekyo Hitman Reborn!: Namimori Location

(Documenting my research process so I won't forget and get confused why I did something in a fic during a later read through. Nothing serious really.)

Where exactly is Namimori in canon?

As I was writing a khr fic, I realized I needed the exact location of Namimori for one sentence. A sentence that wasn't even important in the long run. Rather than abandon that single sentence I decided to try and locate where the town of Namimori would be in Japan. Because apparently I like pain.

There is virtually no information on the actual location of Namimori anywhere. So I had went on a research binge. And I found something that gave me a starting point.

In 2009, there was a special KHR episode that was aired during the Jump Super Anime Tour titled, Vongola Style School Trip, Arrives!

Saying that I found it is not that accurate. Its more that I went looking for an episode like this specifically. This isn't the first time I tried to locate fictional locations on a map for the sake of the plot. And I've realized that episodes centered around trips provide amazing clues, especially where the trip starts, where it ends, the scenery outside etc.

Thats what I hoped for here as well. And the hunch paid off! Between timestamps 3:07-3:10, there's a map. Not very detailed mind you. Just enough to show the direction where they came from. But that's better than nothing.

So they're going to Nagoya city, which is in the Aichi Prefecture. Its in the Chūbu region. It also looks like they're coming from the Kanto region, possibly from the direction of Tokyo.

So that means we can leave out the Kansai, Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu regions in the south. There's no way Namimori is in Hokkaido, or Okinawa, so those two prefectures are out as well. The most likely locations for the town to be in is in the Kanto, and Chubu regions.

Comparing the physical map of Japan with the short glimpse we get, I'm reasonably sure they passed by Mt. Fuji as well.

See that little protrusion under Fuji-san? I'm pretty sure thats what we see in the map shown in the episode. So yeah they passed Mount Fuji.

Another thing, see that arch like thing before the protrusion? Thats Kanagawa prefecture, and we can see in the very beginning of the video, around the 0.03-0.04 timestamps, that they don't start anywhere there.

See? They pass by it completely and started somewhere well before Kanagawa. So Kanagawa is out.

Lets go back to Fuji-san again.

The mountain lies between the Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefecture borders.

That gives us three possible routes:

Chiba-> Tokyo-> Yamanashi-> Shizuoka-> Aichi [Nagoya City}

Tokyo-> Yamanashi-> Shizuoka-> Aichi [Nagoya City}

Yamanashi -> Shizuoka -> Aichi [Nagoya City]

Why did I decide on Tokyo as the starting point in Kanto despite there being other prefectures in the region?

In KHR's seventh volume, Hot Summer Arrives!, we get chapter 57, Swimming at the Sea. Its a beach chapter.

The beach is described as being close by and the fact that Ryohei's boxing club senpai, Kuroda Eiji and his buddies Kisanuki Yukio and Ookura Takuya, apparently work there as lifeguards, supports this. (You know...cos they're in middle school and all and jobs at that age tend to be close by...for civilians at least.)

Which means that prefectures like Saitama, Tochigi, and Gunma, which are all landlocked as you can see on the map below, are automatically disqualified as locations for Namimori.

By that same logic, Yamanashi is also disqualified.

Ibaraki is not counted because despite the abrupt beginning and ending of the map scene in the episode, we can guess that the starting point of the trip wasn't quite that far back. By the curve of the arrow I mean. {Yeah I know this is a reach but I'm pretty sure I'm right.}

That just leaves Tokyo and Chiba.

The argument in favour of Chiba is a meta one. Tokyo is an iconic location when it comes to manga and anime. Most anime set in Tokyo shows several shenanigans centered around Tokyo's various landmarks. Even works not set in Tokyo sometimes have Tokyo episodes and Tokyo adventures. Like Haikyuu for example.

Considering how much shenaniganry and crackishness KHR has, it would be very strange if it was set in Tokyo and yet didn't have any Tokyo misadventures in it. Reborn would just go ahead and name Tokyo Tower Vongola Tower or something just like he named Nagoya Castle Vongola Castle. So Namimori might not be in Tokyo, but in Chiba instead...which is still part of the Greater Tokyo Area now that I think about it, so still Tokyo in a way?

I couldn't find a way to clearly articulate an argument in favour of Tokyo when a friend send me this link.

I was walking on a path well-tread! @ladydraculena had already slashed through the figurative jungles for me!

I went looking for the two locations marked in the map in their post but it seems like Namimori Steamed Buns has since closed down. Hibari Nursery School on the other hand is going strong.

With this information the argument in favour of Tokyo grew much stronger.

Thus canonically the town of Namimori is most likely located in Tokyo and if not in Tokyo proper, definitely in the Greater Tokyo Area.

(Please note that I left the Tohoku region out of this. The region is very distinct and neither anime nor the manga has shown a singular sign of being set in Tohoku. By that I mean that if a work is set in Tohoku, it would be impossible to hide its Tohoku, or mistake it as somewhere else.)

Edit: @rooigseix pointed out that since most of KHR's usual shenanigans strictly happens in Namimori, the usual Tokyo adventure trope meta might not be applicable in this case. Namimori might be far away from Tokyo centre like the Ota or Edogawa districts, which are close to the sea as well.

Edit: @lightning-will-bovino pointed out Kokuyo land and there is in fact a theme park called Noah Forest Amusement Park or Mori-no-Yeunchi near the Hibari Nursery School!

It seems very likely that Amano-sensei was inspired by the area. It might not be where Namimori is actually located but the existence of these establishments in close quarters lends further credence to the theory of Namimori being in the Tokyo area.

In conlusion, the most likely location of Namimori would be in Tokyo prefecture but close to the Chiba border. Not landlocked as well.

Thus, Edogawa ward is the most suitable location.

And after all of that, I decided that Tokyo wasn't a good fit for my fic's Namimori and by my magical writer powers shifted it to Mie Prefecture instead. ╥﹏╥

[bakuhatsufallinlove]

U.A. High School Field Trip Around Japan: Day 7 Translation

This is the final day of Shonen Jump’s special commemoration of My Hero Academia reaching one hundred million copies worldwide, which is being rolled out daily across one-week in each prefecture’s newspaper.

The schedule:

April 4th, Day 1: Hokkaidō & Tōhōku regions

April 5th, Day 2: Kantō region

April 6th, Day 3: Chūbu region

April 7th, Day 4: Kansai region

April 8th, Day 5: Chūgoku & Shikoku regions

April 9th, Day 6: Kyūshū & Okinawa regions

April 10th, Day 7: Nationwide release

You can see the illustrations on their website here, where all but today's finale are available for viewing.

Photo credit: twitter user hurayura

Narration: "We traveled all over Japan on our school field trip. On this journey to express our gratitude, we heard many voices. We want to say again to everyone who supports us now -- from the bottom of our hearts, thank you."

Tagline: "One hundred million copies published of the series worldwide! Thank you. It's the power of everyone!"

There are not pronouns in this monologue, so you could read it as being from Izuku, from the entire class, and of course, from Horikoshi-sensei himself.

This has been a wonderful journey. Japan is a beautiful place filled with amazing sights, unique traditions, wonderful food, and a hundred million people, each different but each part of the whole. I hope you enjoyed my translations and got to learn some really cool things through this series we all love.

Thanks for joining the field trip. <3

[blazescompendium]

Explaining the Origin of Megaten demons: ShikiOuji

I am sure that, if you played any Megaten game in the last 20 years or so, you ended up seeing this paper dude. His name is always stated as Shiki-Ouji, and he once shared the same design with the Demon called Shikigami.

The weird thing is that when researching Shikigami on my studies, i never found anything about this one so i put some detective work to find out about the origins of Shikiouji, the (yet another) dude who oftens repel physical damage in Megaten.

The creature is often describes in the series compendium as a powerful Shikigami, that only the most powerful Onmyoji could summon, and they have a vicious temperament.

When we talk about Shikigami, the first thing that comes to mind are paper dolls. This is no surprise, since Shikigami are summons Onmyoji binds to paper dolls or talismans, so they could interact with the physical world. This is also because paper is a very easy material to destroy, if things go south. Onmyoji are the equivalent of western sorcerer, that followed the Onmyōdō, a esoteric cosmology. It started in the 6th century in Japan as a divination practice, and evolved from there. I won't go into detail, because this is meant to be a short post. But materials about this practice are abundant on the internet.

The main concept concerning us here is the Shikigami. These are basically some kind of familiar, a spirit or demon if you want, the sorcerer could conjure to protect him or do his biding. The Cultural Alliance Brazil- Japan, which i already mentioned in other posts, states that:

''Shikigami can be Oni or demons, that should serve and protect an Onmyoji. Your abilities would be determined by the abilities of his master.

A Shikigami could assume the form of small animals, birds, etc... One Shikigami from a powerful Onmyoji could possess and control one animal. But only a real powerful Shikigami could possess a person.

When an Onmyoji is fighting another Onmyoji, they employ the use of their Shikigami. Some Onmyoji could spot the enemy Shikigami beforehand, and try to convert it to his side with magical powers. In this game, the converted Shikigami would come back to the old master, and attack with double the force. This pratice was called Shikigami Gaeshi.

Abe no Seimei is said to be the most powerful Onmyoji to ever exist. Some rumors say he had twelve Shikigami, while regular Onmyoji would rarely have more than one Shikigami at the same time.''

So, that is a rough definition of what a Shikigami is.

But, when researching this creature you would not be able to regularly find Shiki-ouji. The fastest method for him to appear, was the English Wikipedia article about Shikigami, which weirdly had this part about Shiki-ouji, but offered no source to it:

Having the kanji to Shikiouji, and some keywords, i found someone at Tumblr who asked the same question 6 years ago, in Eirikr's blog.

From there, Eirikr offered a link to a blog post writing about Izanagi Ryu Shikoku. Ryu Shikoku is an ancient folk religion and pratices from the Kochi prefecture. It is still practiced in the area to this day!

In this belief system there is the tradition of the Shiki-kui masks. Which.. bear a very uncanny resemblance to our paper guy, subject to this post:

These masks would be hang above the place the ceremonies of the Izanagi Ryu take place. They would have magical powers that could repel evil spirits, and non believers from coming to the ceremony and disturbing it. They would also serve as talismans, or paper dolls, in a simmilar vein the regular Shikigami pop image you have in mind.

Since they are used to summon spirits, bind them, and as talismans, these creatures can be, technically called a Shikigami.

With this knowledge in hands, i went to the Japanese web. And sure enough, i found this site: The Nippon Foundation Library. It has an article detailing the paper talismans used by Izanagi No Ryu Onmyoji, and their meanings, powers, and also explained a bit about Shiki-Ouji!

Here is what they have to say: (Please be warned that i do not speak Japanese, and used machine translation. Any corrections are Welcome!)

Shikē Ōji… Shikē Ōji is a spiritual entity invoked by the taisa during prayers for the sick and the "toriwake" ritual to expel evil spirits causing illness or calamity. Its birth is described as abnormal, and due to its excessively violent power, it has no place to reside. Usually, it is sunk in the pond of Tendō-nanta, and summoned only when needed to guard ceremonies, to pray as the guardian deity of ceremonies, or as a prayer deity of Jumon no hakase. There seem to be several types of Shikē Ōji depending on their purpose, such as Takata no Ōji for toriwake, Gotai no Ōji for prayers for the sick, and Ōtaka-shiki for insect prayers. Additionally, talismans such as Sangoku Arashiki, Chimura San Ōji, and Sakago no Ōji are handed down, and it is inferred that they were used according to the content of the prayers, although many details of their usage are unknown.

Using the powerful Shikē Ōji against humans becomes a curse. In Kochi Prefecture, "hitting a ceremony" is widely used to curse people. Many people use this term without understanding its original meaning. "Hitting a ceremony" refers to attacking someone using Shikē Ōji. While Shikē Ōji can benefit people if used for good, it can harm them if used for evil. Talismans of Shikē Ōji, possessing such terrifying power, often have several incisions on them, each containing twelve notches, giving them a rough impression. However, unlike talismans found in mountains and rivers, they do not seem to have incisions for eyes or mouths. In this regard, they are closer to the cutting style of talismans for house gods and sacred gods. Here, one can sense the emphasis on the powerful nature of Shikē Ōji's talismans while also distinguishing them from strange monsters.

So, as you can see there is some key information about the creature here. But the most important ones:

1- It is bind to a talisman, just like other Shikigami. The text here explains it is a paper talisman with notches, just like regular ones used in religious ceremonies.

2-It has a powerful and violent nature, just like the compendium often indicates in Megaten games. It seems hard to tame and use properly without getting hurt.

3-Shiki-Ouji can be powerful and violent, but it seems they dislike being used to hurt people. Instead, they are better employed to use their magic to other deeds. However if you still use them in that regard, they will most likely curse you.

4-Their talismans have twelve notches, no incision for eyes and mouth due to their aggressive nature.

I am sure that, if we follow this trail we will find many more sources. Going by key words i found in this text, i found many other sites and books, but since i have no time now to fall a rabbit hole, nor do i speak Japanese... That is it, i think this is a satisfactory answer to where this Megaten Demon came from!

The real forms of Shiki-Ouji

The last thing in want to talk about, is Shiki-Ouji real appearance. Since we have a seemingly wrong impression of they in Megaten, since Kaneko took some artistic freedoms.

First and foremost: From the few things i studies about Shikigami, we know they do not have a real physical form. The paper talismans are just a way to give them physical form. But it was incredibly hard to find a Shiki-Ouji talisman, which was weird because it was so distinguishable. The main reason being that: Shiki-Ouji seems not to be believed to be easy or safe to summon, and also their talismans would be destroyed asap after use.

But with the description i got, it would be this one that matches it the most:

No eyes, or mouth. Twelve Notches, six from each side, and some incisions. Very similar to a regular talisman found in other types of ceremony. Just as the text suggested.

I got this picture from this book:

Tosa, Monobe Village: Shapes of the Gods

Monoba being the village where most of these rituals came from. The book is from 1999, and contains many pictures of actual talismans.

You can see that, aside from the head shape, Kaneko took some freedom with this design. The sources state that Shikiouji talismans should not have a face, nor limbs, since it was too powerful, and should have 12 notches. For some reason, Kaneko drew it in a human-like form, but the face still resembled the Shiki-kui masks. The earlier design of the demon was even more closely resembling the masks:

Shiki-ouji earlier design from Devil Summoner (1996). It was later repurposed as the demon Shikigami. It is almost an exact match to this talisman. I can not however identify the original source.

Shiki-Ouji current design by itself could have been based on this one talisman in specific, at least some parts of it like the head with horned-shaped appendages:

It was sourced by the National Museum of Japanese History, but the post went down. The low quality image of the talisman can still be seen on google, but the link is dead, unfortunately. It seems that this item is in possession of the Museum in Japan. Kaneko could have seen it in pictures, or in person. This one seems NOT to be displaying a Shiki-Ouji thought.

Maybe the Kaneko take is that Shiki-Ouji was summoned with limbs, and facial features and became much more stronger as a result? We may never know...

And finally there is also an occult book that i found in Amazon Japan that is called: Exploring Izanagi No Ryu: ShikiOuji.

It is supposedly a manual on how to practice Izanagi no Ryu, and magics. I could not find the book online, just the summary. But it mentioned nothing about Shiki-Ouji. Probably has some sort of tutorial to summon it, in fact i was able to find many of those tutorials on the Japanese web.

Now, that is it. I think this puts to rest a little bit of mystery involving the origins of this specific demon. Kaneko sure took some freedoms, but it is still one of the more popular and recognizable characters in the series.

Final considerations:

This most likely is the answer to its origin, but i am not some sort of owner of all truths, so feel free to correct me in anything i said wrong. I am still an amateur scholar, and even if i do know a lot about mythology and ancient religions because i read many books and study a lot of hours of my days, i am by no means a specialist in Japanese Mythology specifically, specially Shikigami practices. The reason is that, i find it very difficult and time consuming to research Japanese sources, since i do not speak Japanese. I will one day, try my best since there are a lot of good Yokai to cover in future Scientific Papers.

I can, however, guarantee that i did my best in a deep search!

And i have spent a lot of time looking through pictures of Shikigami talismans, and i found some really cute. Like this one. What a whimsical little fella...

[thegirlwhorideslikeasamurai]

The role of Japanese dating culture in YOI

Disclaimer: This post is based on my research on Japanese culture. If you are Japanese and note that I missed the point, please enlighten me. I’m always happy to learn.

At first glance, Yuuri’s behaviour is rooted in awkwardness, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Whereas all of this is true, his cultural upbringing engenders some of his demeanours as well. It adds nuance to his character and to his relationship with Viktor.

Let’s break this down chronologically.

Inappropriate physical contact

When Viktor shows up at the onsen, his advances weird Yuuri out. Viktor’s courtship behaviour is totally over the top even beyond the borders of Japan, but it definitely isn’t how things work in Japan. Touching, for instance, is quite an intimate thing. It’s rude to touch a stranger in the ways Viktor touches Yuuri. No wonder Yūri has a flight or freeze response and doesn’t seem comfortable with it at all. That having Viktor’s hands on his body causes a visceral reaction doesn’t help the matter at all.

Hugs are uncommon unless they happen between people close to each other, such as friends or family, and they tend to don’t last long. Long hugs usually happen between people who are in love. Thus, it’s a big deal when Yuuri hugs Viktor before his performance at the Onsen on Ice. Yuuri is very anxious and determined to make Viktor stay in Japan. He is desperate and doesn’t know if he can win against the other Yuri. And he’s super awkward, even more so when interacting with Viktor. This hug is a desperate attempt to show that Viktor means something to him.

Kissing in public is widely frowned upon in Japan, although this view is slowly coming out of fashion. Traditionally, kisses were considered a long-term promise—you don’t kiss if you’re not serious about your relationship. When Yuuri and Viktor kiss at the end of episode 7, this is very serious. The shocked expression on the faces of Yuuri’s friends and family reflects the prevailing reaction of Japanese people to such a public display of intimacy.

Yuuri’s kokuhaku

A kokuhaku (告白) is a love confession, usually phrased along the lines of “I like you. Can we start seeing each other?” However, there are no rules on how a kokuhaku should be carried out. Some Japanese get very creative or explicit in voicing their feelings. If you google kokuhaku, you’ll find many examples of successful kokuhakus and such that backfired. People voice a kokuhaku when they want to date someone. If the other person’s response is positive, they start dating and are in a romantic relationship henceforth. Just hanging out with someone you have feelings for doesn’t qualify as dating until you’ve voiced your kokuhaku. I like this custom because it follows a rule set that minimises confusion and defines what both people can expect of each other. According to my research, many Japanese start relationships this way, although more and more prefer the “Western” way.

Until the end of episode 5, Yuuri struggles with the concept of love and identifying his feelings. I believe realisation strikes him when he crashes into the barrier at the Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu Regional Championship. This finally enables him to act on his feelings.

Yuuri chooses the press conference in which the skaters of the Japanese team present their season’s themes to voice his kokuhaku, and he is very explicit about it. Luckily, he knows Viktor is in love with him, for otherwise, his confession could have easily resulted in losing face as it was broadcasted nationwide.

This line is the most important part of Yuuri’s kokuhaku:

For the first time in my life, there’s a person I want to hold on to. That person is Viktor. I don’t really have a name for that emotion, but I’ve decided to call it ‘love’.

Note the usage of 自分か 繋ぎとめたい. As pointed out here, a more literal translation would be “Viktor being the first person I want to reach out to and bond with, and with those bonds, bind us together so that we will never part.” It’s a reference to Stammi Vicino (Non Te Ne Andare). If this isn’t a textbook kokuhaku, I don’t know what this is!

After this public kokuhaku, Yuuri and Viktor can finally start dating and get into relationship mode. Although we don’t get to see them dating, their interactions reveal a level of intimacy at the Cup of China, that leaves no doubt that they are boyfriends. It’s obvious to everyone around them, too. It’s mostly Viktor who initiates public displays of intimacy because, due to his own cultural upbringing, he’s less reserved, whereas Yuuri expresses his feelings in subtler ways. This turn in their relationship eventually prompts Viktor to instruct Yuuri to skate Eros as himself.

Like so many things in Japanese culture, love language is subtle. “I love you” (愛してる) is not that commonly used in a committed relationship as people prefer to express their affection less directly, although it is gradually gaining popularity. A key aspect of Japanese storytelling is “show don’t tell, but do it subtly and with nuance”. We see a lot of this in YOI, and those scenes say so much more about the love Yuuri and Viktor share than “I love you” ever could.

The (accidental) marriage proposal

Traditional Japanese marriage proposals are a rather formal matter (e.g. “I like to make miso soup for you every day.”), and this is exactly what makes Viktor assume that Yuuri just proposed to him when they reunite at the airport. The actual phrasing is highly ambiguous (and I believe the creators did this on purpose), so when Yuuri says “Please take care of me”, a marriage proposal is a valid assumption for Japanese people. And apparently, that's also the case for Viktor who has been living in this country for almost eight months and familiarised himself with Yuuri's culture.

By now, the thought that Yuuri might need to let Viktor go very soon is in conflict with Yuuri's heart which wants Viktor to stay by his side forever. He has already decided to retire after the GPF (so that Viktor can return to skating) and has successfully convinced himself that his time with Viktor is borrowed.

While we can't know for sure if proposing was Yuuri's true intention, if he was ambiguous on purpose to test waters, or if he blurted out the line because his desire to be with Viktor formed a subconscious wish to marry him - the moment Viktor takes it for a proposal, Yuuri's features soften.

He neither denies it was a proposal nor panics, he just blushes and smiles fondly, which implies to me that he is perfectly fine with the idea. Viktor keeps his response ambiguous as well and, taking the next three episodes into account, it's not a stretch to assume that he refers to both. (Interestingly, marriage would solve Yuuri's conflict: he can give Viktor back to the ice without needing to let him go as his friend and lover.)

However, the next episode verifies the proposal part when the two get officially engaged.

For a deeper dive into the translation and interpretation of the dialogue, I refer to this post.

Engagement party

Traditionally, an engagement must be finalised in a ceremony that the couple’s families attend. It’s like a dinner party with gifts and a presentation of the rings. Only when the rings are presented, the engagement is official.

When Yuuri and Viktor get officially engaged in Barcelona, they actually break with tradition for the sake of giving the rings an additional spiritual meaning, which is deeply rooted in Japanese culture. They create omamori of their rings to bestow good luck on Yuuri for the Grand Prix Final. Since their love for each other and their love for the ice are tightly intertwined, this makes a lot of sense. This post explores in great depth what Yuuri tries to explain very awkwardly about the multiple meanings of the rings.

Even though Mari is the only family member around Yuuri and Viktor celebrate their engagement in Barcelona with her, Minako, and their skater friends.

Final words

The evolution of Yuuri and Viktor’s relationship is driven by Japanese customs. Awkwardness, anxiety and his aversion to being pushed aside, there is little progress until Yuuri figures out his feelings and voices his kokuhaku. Yuuri values and adheres to the traditions of his culture, and he only breaks them when being heavily inebriated.

Speaking of traditions, I picture Yuuri and Viktor having a traditional Japanese wedding, including a Shinto shrine ceremony and kimonos.

2023/06/14: I've edited the proposal section based on a recent post that translates and discusses the airport reunion.

If you enjoy my meta posts, please consider giving my blog a follow or checking out my works on AO3(link in bio). You will find the results of my meta musings in there!

[mimi-ya]

covert identity part IV

9,100 words | she/her reader

summary: who knew surviving the battle would be the hard part?

masterlist | covert identity chapter list

previous chapter | next chapter

Certain moments replay in a person’s mind when faced with death.

They’re not necessarily the most important, they’re definitely not always the happiest, they’re just what the brain picks out.

Portgas D. Ace’s go a little like this.

It starts with Gray Terminal, seeing the dump that for the first time in the young boy’s life he thought he found something that reflected his own worth.

Then it’s him and Sabo, cackling as they dump buckets of seawater on Luffy for eating the rest of the crocodile meat who’s collapsed with whines for his brothers to stop teasing him.

He remembers the taste of the Mera Mera no Mei and how it burned going down, the worst thing he ever ate. But he couldn’t lie and say it didn’t remind him of the rush of freedom he felt when leaving Dawn Island for the first time.

Then it’s you. Laying crumpled in that alleyway before he abandoned you and had to pretend like your desperate sobs meant nothing.

His life was a constant cycle of betrayal and reminders of the evilness in his blood. That is until Pops offered him something he had for so long pretended he didn’t need.

It wasn’t the best life, not by a long shot.

But if dying here means he could give Luffy a little more time on this shitty earth, then it’s a no brainer.

The last thing that crosses his brain is the day you and he were on that island looking for maps of Shikoku. You seemed so happy in that little boutique, letting him put hat after hat on your head and indulging in his childness.

Ace hopes you’ll be able to smile like that again.

He feels his stomach drop and the earth give away. This is it, he thinks, this is death.

It’s definitely not what he pictured.

“What the fuck, Trafalgar?”

“Captain!”

“Fucking do something!”

“He’s overexerted himself!”

Ace watches from his hands and knees as the blonde man swears before looking down at him.

The dizziness in his head is overwhelming, but there’s something in his bones telling him he should know who this man is.

“Hold on to this.” A hat is tossed on the ground before the man dives into the water.

Ace can see the fight is still raging on, but from a new angle. Is this where the dead goes? They watch the living from the outside looking in?

“Captain! Wake up!”

Ace glances back at those on the ship with him. There’s a heavily tatted man collapsed with several in matching suits fawning over him, and a polar bear?

He’s never been more confused in his entire life.

.

Sabo, on the other hand, has never been more furious in his entire life.

The plan was straightforward. A simple switch and run. But of course, the pirate couldn’t pull it off. Sabo wishes he had planned for that instead of wasting the crucial moments waiting dumbly to be transported.

Because by the time Sabo realized he was still standing atop the submarine he could see in the distance you had already taken quite the blow.

But luck is on his side because it seems you switching places with Ace has sent everyone into a tailspin.

“Where is he?!” A ferocious voice roars, and blistering heat blows over the battlefield with Akainu’s rage.

It almost sends Sabo back into the water, but he grits his teeth and pulls himself up onto the ice.

The chaos of Ace’s disappearance has taken the attention from you and Luffy as eyes roam the battlefield for the missing pirate.

Sabo sprints as fast as he can, trying his best to keep his anger under control as he sees more details of your condition.

Wavering on your knees with a back lit aflame and blood pouring from your wound.

There’s nothing Sabo wants more than to take on the person who did this to you, but he knows this isn’t the time or place.

“(Y/N)!” Luffy’s wobbly and shocked voice carries to Sabo, “Is it really you?”

With Luffy overwhelmed by your sudden appearance, he doesn’t see the Admiral rearing his fist back for a second blow.

“Luffy!” Sabo screams, ducking down just in time to swoop you and Luffy into his arms when a blazing fist slams into the ground.

“(Y/N)!” Luffy screams trying to reach around Sabo for your limp body.

“Knock it off!” Sabo scolds, fighting to keep his grip on his squirming brother while he struggles to drag you along. It doesn’t help that the magma coating your skin is burning into Sabo’s side. His teeth dig into his lips as heated pain laces up his side.

“I will end these devil bloodlines!” Akainu rages in pursuit of the escaping trio.

The looming threat sends a signal through Sabo’s bones and he instinctively dives to the right, barely dodging a fired fist. The dive turns into a tumble, and he collapses on top of you. Sabo would feel horrible for roughing you up in your already devastated state but he’s more concerned when you don’t react at all. Face devoid of any of your usual color and movement.

“(Y/N)!” Luffy’s manages to scramble to you, voice filled with tremors, “C’mon (Y/N)! Wake up!”

“Luffy!” Sabo snaps, pulling his brother back by the shirt to look him in the eye. Being so close to Luffy after so long is a mix of emotions for Sabo. He wants to cry and scream and pull him so close that he can never let him go again.

But what Sabo really wants is for Luffy to shut the fuck up.

“Listen to me!” Sabo shakes Luffy, hand curled into his shirt, “We need to get out of here! We need to get to Ace!”

As if just remembering his brother Luffy quickly looks around, “Where- where is he?!”

Something sets off Sabo’s instincts before he can answer and he looks back to see Akainu coming towards them.

“I won’t let you get away!” He screams and Sabo quickly raises a haki covered fist, prepared to give it his all to protect you and Luffy. But before he even gets the chance his world is erupted in blue flames.

“You won’t kill him!” The man with flamed wings seethes, pushing back against Akainu fist.

Sabo isn’t one to let an opportunity like this slip by, so he quickly pulls your limp body into his arms and gets to his feet, “C’mon Luffy!”

The water is just in the distance, and if they can get there Trafalgar might be able to bring them back to the ship. Worst case scenario Sabo will swim the two of you over if he has to.

That is, if he has both of you.

Noticing only the sound of his footsteps are reaching his ears, Sabo throws a glance over his shoulder to see Luffy hasn’t moved from his spot, stumbling on his feet as his eyes begin to droop.

“Fuck!” Sabo curses, darting back to his brother just in time to catch him before he collapses on the ground from exhaustion.

“What are you waiting for!” The man holding back Akainu shouts, “Get out of here!”

Sabo growls to himself, shifting you onto one arm the pain from the burns making it harder to hold you. But he’ll do what he must to save you and Luffy.

“Allow me to help!” A voice rings through the commotion and Sabo looks up to see a familiar and imposing fishman standing over him, “I will protect Luffy with my life!”

There’s nothing more Sabo wants than to tell him to go to hell, that he can protect his cry baby brother on his own but then he feels the earth shake.

Past the fishman he can see Whitebeard has rejoined the fight and is practically splitting the earth in half and it’s no time for pride to get in the way of survival.

“Get him to the submarine!” Sabo directs, passing off his brother’s form to the fishman who runs off the moment he has Luffy in his hold.

With another jolt of the ground Sabo tries his best to follow but loses sight of the two in all the commotion, more chaos is erupting at every turn.

“It’s Teach!” The voices among him cry, their voices laced with pain and anger.

The name echoes in Sabo’s memory, thinking back to the desperate claims of innocence you had made for Ace when he unknowingly blamed his brother for the destruction of Barno Island.

But petty pirate squabbles are the least of his concerns when the yellow submarine is so close in the distance.

“Just a bit further, (Y/N).” Sabo whispers, trying his hardest not to think about the labored breaths barely leaving your lips, “Just a bit further.”

.

“Get off me!” Ace roars, trying to fight off the strange pirates, but in his weakened state they bear to be too much.

After regaining his senses Ace had come to the conclusion that he hadn’t actually died but was instead transported across the battlefield.

Not that he actually gave a shit about that when Luffy was still out there.

“Quiet.” The man at the front of the ship calls tiredly over his shoulder, “Went to all this trouble to save you, won’t have you drowning overboard.”

“My brother’s out there!” Ace finally kicks off the pirate on his left and easily overpowers the one on his right. He runs to the edge of the ship, ready to blaze his way back onto the battlefield until a name catches his attention.

“(Y/N)-ya is on it.”

Ace feels his blood run cold, head swiveling towards the man. Did he? He couldn’t have. Because there’s no way you could be here.

“There she is now.” The man nods, “And Sabo-ya too. Great.” He scoffs with a roll of his eyes, “Prepare the operating room!” He directs the pirates still standing in the back.

Ace turns back towards the battlefield, seeing that man in the distance. He’s sprinting towards the sea, an unmoving body in his arms. The world suddenly tints blue and then the two disappear.

“Where did they go!” Ace shouts, sprinting to the edge of the ship now that those holding him back have disappeared inside. Just as the words leave his lips, the sound of two bodies slamming onto the ship come from behind. Ace twist to see the blonde man falling to his knees, depositing someone onto the deck.

And in that moment Ace wishes he had died. Because it is you. Unconscious with a gaping wound through your chest as blood pours from your mouth.

This is worse than death.

“(Y/N).” The blonde man pleads, tapping your face, “C’mon!” His voice chokes, “Do that thing!  With your devil fruit!”

“She needs surgery, captain!” A voice calls, bodies moving around him in a flurry.

“Looks like we’ll have a full room.” The apparent captain mutters, “Bring Mugiwara-ya here!”

Ace feels his heart leap into his throat and only tears his gaze from you at the mention of his brother. He looks up to see a clown floating in the air, holding onto two forms.

“Who the hell are you!” The clown shouts from above.

But the squabbling is lost on Ace when his eyes zero in on Luffy. He’s completely knocked out, eyes wide and unseeing with a wound to match yours.

It’s all too much.

The battle. You. Luffy. Everyone around him dying. And for what?

For him?

“Fuck!” Ace presses digs his palms into his eyes, “Fuck!”

“Let’s go Fire Fist!” The deck has been cleared, “Unless you want to drown, get in this submarine!”

Ace looks back at the battlefield. He can see others are escaping, chaos as the world is turning upside down.

It’s one of the hardest thing he’s ever had to do, but he follows inside.

.

Sabo hurries inside with you in his arms, following through the twists and turns of the submarine as he’s lead to the operating room.

The commotion only picks up when he deposits you into one of the beds. He wants to help. Wants to wipe the blood from your chin, brush the sweat out of your brow. But he can’t move. Can’t do anything with these trembling hands.

What’s gotten into him?

“You know how to suture a wound?” A voice pulls him out of his thoughts.

Sabo cocks his head, dumbly staring at the one he thinks goes by Penguin, “Uhh, no?”

“Then get the fuck out.”

And is promptly shoved out of the room.

Sabo barely has a moment to stare at the door slammed in his face before more footsteps come thundering down the hallway. Jumpsuit clad pirates passing by so quickly that had it been anyone else they wouldn’t have caught sight of Luffy.

But Sabo isn’t anyone else and the scene makes him want to vomit.

How did everything go to shit so quickly? Both you and Luffy on the brink of death, even the fishman Sabo had entrusted his brother to.

And how many more above? Did the government not care about the senseless blood they had on their hands?

“Fuck.” Sabo clenches his hands, leather stretching over his knuckles, “Fuck!” He shouts, turning to slam his hand against the metal wall.

In his twist he catches a figure at the end of the hall.

His heart leaps into his throat and it feels a lot like when he was standing with you outside Luffy’s ship back on Sabaody.

“Ace.” Voice barely above a whisper as his once forgotten brother stalks toward him.

Closer and he can see the freckles Luffy and him would tease Ace about. Closer and he can see the scowl twisted on Ace’s face. Closer and he see the erratic movement of his chest with heavy breaths. Closer-

And the last thing Sabo sees is a fist coming straight for his face.

.

Ace shakes out his hand, knuckles smarting while he huffs in- in exhaustion? anger? everything wrapped up at once?

This morning he was prepared to die. He had accepted that best he could. Would have died happily if it meant he was the only one.

But then his crew showed up. Pops. Luffy. And you for some damn reason.

He wanted nothing more for them to leave, to turn away as he got his head cut off like his forsaken father. But they were as stubborn as he is, and a glimmer of selfish hope bubbled in his stomach.

And here he is.

“Quite the brotherly reunion.” The pirate from earlier snaps his fingers, a roll of bandages appearing in his hands, “Handle his burns, Fire Fist-ya” He instructs, pushing the gauze into his hands with a little more force than necessary.

“Oof!” Ace looks into his hands, “Hey! What’s this-” But before he can get his question out the pirate is already gone.

In Ace’s hands are the bandages, but also the hat the man who lays on the ground had tossed to him earlier.

It looks so familiar that it makes his stomach turn. And what did that pirate just say?

The bandages and hat make a soft thud when they hit the ground, Ace’s arms hanging limping at his sides.

.

“Ace!” The voice whines in the off distance, “Sabo!”

“Why are we doing this again?” Sabo whispers to his brother. Well, the one sitting beside him, his other brother is wandering aimlessly in the forest below.

Ace crosses his arms, a frown etched on his face, “Because he’s too stupid to find his way back home without us.”

“Aww!” Sabo croons, poking a finger into Ace’s arm, “Do you care about Luffy?”

“Shut up!” Ace snarls, shoving Sabo hard enough that the boy has to grip onto the bark to stop himself from falling out the tree, “You and I weren’t as dumb as Luffy when we were his age! He needs to grow up!”

Sabo scoffs, and grumbles to himself, “Sounds a lot like caring to me.”

“C’mon guys! I wanna go home!” Luffy cries, closer than before.

“Then go home already!” Ace screams.

“Ace!?” Luffy’s voice pops up with excitement, “Ace, where are you!”

“Nice going idiot!” Sabo shoves Ace, “You gave us away!”

“Whatever!” Ace protests, “He wasn’t gonna find us and I’m gettin’ hungry.”

Bushes rustle below, Luffy popping out, “Guys! Look!” He proudly holds up his hands to show a fish that could barely feed one of them, “I got dinner!”

“So stupid.” Ace grumbles, shaking his head.

Sabo chooses not to point out the small but pleased smile on his brother face.

.

A pained groan vibrates from Sabo’s chest as he presses a hand to the throbbing on his cheek, “Wha’ happened?” He slurs.

“’Bout time you woke up.” A voice to his right huffs.

And then something cold slaps him in the face, “Huh?” Sabo sputters, trying to knock off the object.

“It’ll help with the shiner.”

The person beside him is a little fuzzy as he blinks rapidly, trying to adjust to the fluorescent lights of the sub.

“And watch the burns!”

“Burns?” Sabo reaches for his face, not sure what could be wrong with his decade old injury when he spots the bandages sloppily wrapped around his arm, blood already pinking its way through.

Sabo grimaces, flexing his forearm, earning a dull throb. When did this-

He’s hit with a flash of recent memories. Dragging you and Luffy out of the fight. Magma burning into his flesh as your body tried its hardest to protect it. Luffy throwing a fit until he passed out. The three of you making it back to the sub just to be whisked away for surgery. And then…

And then Sabo saw him.

The gasp tears from his throat and he’s scrambling to his knees, “Ace!” He chokes, “You’re okay!” His voice his raw from emotion, like he might break into sobs at any moment.

But the only thing on Sabo’s mind is touching Ace. Feeling his skin to make sure this is actually happening. That all of these memories aren’t just dreams and his brother is real. His hand reaches for his brother’s arm.

Decorated with the letters just like you said. So this has to be real. Sabo remembers Ace and Ace never forgot him. If he could just touch it, he could be sure, he could know for certain.

“Just!” Ace snaps, his fingers digging into his arms, head still turned away, “don’t.” His voice comes out softer, “Just don’t.”

Sabo’s hand flops to into his lap, mouth dropping slightly. He reaches for the ice pack that’s melting on the floor, just to have something to fiddle with as leans back against the wall.

Not without continuously peeking over at Ace who’s trembling with some emotion.

It has to be anger, Sabo thinks. What else could it be?

Disgust and fury that his so-called sworn brother would just waltz back into his life like nothing happened.

“I always wished for this day, so much.” Ace says quietly, pulling Sabo from his self-depreciative thoughts, “That you would be here, and not dead under the sea.” His nails dig deeper, blood rising from the imprints, “And that’s what makes me feel like shit right now.” He spits, “Because even though so many good people got hurt, died, today. I’m so happy.”

“Ace-”

As soon as the word leaves Sabo’s mouth he’s ripped into a hug so fast it almost gives him whiplash. Fingers clawing into his back as he’s awkwardly crushed against Ace’s chest. The burns along his arm throbbing in protests and head ringing from the residual dizziness.

Sabo’s body finally catches up and he wraps his arms around Ace just as tight, burying his face into Ace’s shoulder with a broken gasp.

“I’m so sorry.” Sabo sobs, “I- I didn’t remember anything. I swear.” He shakes his head, “If I had- I woulda been here. I swear-”

“Quit your blubberin’.” Ace grunts, trying to mask the cracking in his voice, “I already have one crybaby brother, don’t need another.”

Sabo swallows, biting his lip hard enough to break the skin, “Yeah, we do.”

“Right.” Ace pulls back, looking straight into Sabo’s eye with a squeeze to the shoulder, “We do.”

.

Time stretches as Ace and Sabo sit side by side in silence.

They can hear the beeping of machines behind the door, shouting voices, and the clings of metal hitting trays.

Ace counts to three, flicks his fingers and then watches the sparks dissolve into his legs. Counts to three, flicks, dissolves.

Sabo is no better. Nail scratching at the bandages covering his arm until a tear forms and then he moves to a different spot. Scratch, tear, move.

Neither of them knows how many times they repeat their processes in silence. Just over and over until that door finally opens.

“They’re lucky.” Trafalgar steps out, wiping at his forehead, “Anyone else working on them and they’d be dead.” And it doesn’t sound like he’s saying it because he’s full of himself.

“So, they’re going to be okay?” Ace asks, his stomach in twists.

“I didn’t say that.”

Sabo is already on his feet, “Well can we go in?”

“Just don’t give them an infection.” Trafalgar says as answer, already walking down the hallway.

Sabo moves to the door as soon as Trafalgar is out of the way, but Ace-

Ace feels frozen to his spot. The image of what he expects on the other side too gruesome to handle.

“Hey.” Sabo’s paused at the entrance, door cracked just enough that Ace can see people are still inside, finishing up Trafalgar’s work, “You don’t have to-”

“Yes, I do.” Ace cuts him off harshly. Of course he does, because if he runs now, well. It’s not like he’ll ever forgive himself anyway.

Sabo nods and steps into the room. He holds the door for a moment, but as soon as his head turns, he disappears in a hurry.

Ace follows in and the first thing he notices is there’s three beds. Floored at the sight, because is that Jinbei? How the hell did he end up hurt too?

“Luf.” Sabo’s voice is wrecked as he’s leaning over his brother, hands unsure where to even touch if they should even touch.

A shudder rips down Ace’s spine. He’s never seen his brother look so small.

Luffy’s always been the runt of the three, always had the most bruises and cuts. But when he’s all hooked up with tubes and wires, patches covering his body, it’s a whole other level.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. It was never supposed to be like this.

Ace is the big brother. The oldest, even if it’s just by a few months.

But what a failure he’s been.

His one brother alive this entire time and he didn’t even bother looking. The other on the brink of death because he couldn’t take of himself.

What a joke, Ace thinks bitterly, having to look away from the scene of Sabo tenderly rubbing Luffy’s shoulder.

And it’s too late to correct his mistake, because then Ace’s eyes land on you.

You almost look like you could be asleep.

Almost.

 His feet take him to the edge of your bed. And maybe it’s some sick penance, but he can’t look away. Won’t look away. Because no matter how painful it is for Ace to stare at your broken and worn form, it’s nothing compared to the fist that burned through your back.

“Why are you here?” Ace whispers, “Why didn’t you just stay put?”

Silence is his only answer. Not that Ace even wants one, not like he’d believe what you’d have to say anyone.

“You know she couldn’t do that.” Sabo answers in lieu of you, “Nothing was going to stop her from getting here.” He meets his brother’s eyes, “To you.”

Ace lets Sabo’s words sink in, but only scoffs in return, “I should have died. I should have just died and none of this would have happened.”

“Don’t say that.” Sabo hisses through his teeth, hands gripping the rail beside Luffy’s bed.

“I should have.” Ace reaffirms, “So many people would still be here if it weren’t for me.”

“And what about us?” Sabo demands, “You think any of us would have been okay?”

“Luffy has you now, should’ve been you the whole time.” Ace’s eyes flick over, looking at his little brother with despair, “You woulda never let him end up like this.”

“And what about (Y/N)?”

Ace is quiet. He thinks of the moments the two of you have shared. Every treasured laugh, smile, and touch, “All I ever did was cause her trouble.”

“I didn’t think you could get any stupider.”

“At least I know stupider isn’t a word, idiot.” Ace deflects.

“She loves you. You know that, right?”

Ace doesn’t answer, just looks away and tries to beat down the stinging in his eyes.

“You probably don’t believe it, I don’t think you fully believed Luffy and I loved you, but we do. People care about you, Ace.”

“And look what that gotten ‘em.”

“Lie to me all you want, but you don’t lie to yourself.”

“Shut up.”

Sabo’s eyes narrow, “You think everyone fought for you, what? Out of obligation or something?”

“I said, shut up.” Ace clenches his hands.

“Like it was all fake, or something?” Sabo keeps pushing.

“And what would you know!” Ace shouts, “It’s not like you were even around!”

The moment the words leave his mouth, Ace wishes he could take them back. Ace hasn’t gotten the full story yet, but even those snippets from earlier were enough for Ace to know it wasn’t intentional.

Sabo’s expression hardens, “You’re right. I wasn’t there. But I am now, and I’m never going to let anything stop me from being here. Can you say the same?”

The words cut at Ace, reminding him of what a coward he’s actually been this whole time. Because running from something is easier than getting left behind.

Ace looks at you.

The sight is something he can barely handle but would give anything to have every day, even if it’s this horrid picture.

“I don’t want to lose her, Sabo.” Ace mutters, fingers digging into his hair and shakes his head, “I don’t want to lose either of them.”

“Ace.” Sabo offers, coming around your bed to stand beside his brother.

The movement causes Ace to snap his head up, feeling like his heart is going to beat right out of his chest. “I- I can’t.” Ace gasps, eyes darting around the room that’s suddenly gotten smaller, “I can’t!”

“Ace!” Sabo tries to grab for him, “Wait!”

But Ace has already booked it out of the room, the door slamming closed behind him.

He sprints down the hall, looking for something, anything that will stop the walls from closing in on him. But it’s no use, and the voices in his head just amplify.

Trash.

Worthless.

Devil’s blood.

“Stop!” Ace screams, tumbling to his knees, “Just stop.” He heaves, tears dripping onto his hands.

He’s no better than Rogers. Who did he think he could fool? Taking his mother’s name. Finding himself brothers. A new father’s symbol. None of it matters when there’s evil in your blood.

If he would have just died. No. If he just never would have existed, the world would have been a much better place.

But he’s here. And he must live with the consequences of his selfishness.

Ace slams a fist into the floor. Again, and again until he can feel his skin splitting and joints popping.

Each hit for someone he’s failed.

His mother.

Pops.

His crew.

His brothers.

You.

.

“Feel better?” Sabo voice carries from down the hall.

“No.” Ace throws his head back, clunking against the metal wall.

How long has he been sitting here? Long enough for his arms to have given out strength from his penance that all he could do was slump against the wall and wait for someone to find him.

“Trafalgar said we’re breaking the surface. If you need some fresh air.”

Ace doesn’t say anything but gets to his feet, following Sabo around the twists and turns of the sub he got himself lost in.

They round one last corner to see Trafalgar is blocking the entrance with a frown on his face. “We’ve got company.” He turns from the porthole, “You two stay here.” And is out the door with his sword slung over his shoulder.

“Shit.” Sabo hisses, catching sight as the door swings closed, “It’s the marines.”

Ace feels a heat flare in his veins, wordlessly approaching to the door.

“Wait!” Sabo reaches out to pin him against the wall, “We can’t risk a fight, not with everyone in their conditions.”

“Fuck that!” Ace snarls, the familiar and comforting feelings of anger rising in his chest. “If they’re looking for a fight then let’s give ‘em one!”

“We don’t know what they’re looking for!” Sabo snaps back.

“Where is he!”

Sabo’s eyes go wide, flipping around to face the door, “Oh no.”

“What?” Ace whispers, “You know those marines or somethin’?”

“Worse.” Sabo answers, leaning over to peek out the port hole. Rather than get a glance out onto the deck, he gets a smack of metal right to the face. “Shit!” He cries, falling backwards on his ass.

Ace immediately jumps onto alert as a precaution, igniting his fist. But he quickly extinguishes the flame when he recognizes this person who fell out of the sky with his brother.

“Sabo boy!”

“Ivankov.” Sabo mutters, rubbing at the welt forming on his forehead. His face seems to be quite the punching bag lately.

“When Straw Hat boy told me Dragon wasn’t Ace boy’s father, I assumed the Revolution wouldn’t be getting involved. But here you are!”

Ace’s head darts back and forth between the two, “Wait, you know each other?”

“Ahh!” Ivankov screams in delight, “Ace boy! I’m so glad you’re alive!” He pulls Ace into an unprompted hug, wailing against Ace’s cheek, “The pure desperation Straw Hat boy had for you! It was truly moving!”

“Uhh, yeah.” Ace grimaces, patting Ivankov on the shoulder.

“Ivankov is a member of the Revolution. And no, Dragon didn’t send me.” Ace picks up on the slight bitterness in his brother’s tone, “Luffy and Ace are my brothers.”

“Whaaat?!?” Ivankov practically tosses Ace to the floor, taking Sabo by the shoulders, “What is this mix of brothers! Who? How! My heart can’t take these dramatics!”

Ace grimaces but Sabo just smiles, “It’s kind of a long story.”

“Oh, so he can enter but I cannot? Do you know you who you’re talking to!” A haughty voice demands from outside the door.

“Neither of you should be in here!”

The door slams open again, and this time Ace has the unpleasant experience of being smacked in the face, “Watch it, lady!”

Sabo scoffs behind a hand, earning a glare from Ace.

“Excuse me? How dare you speak to- oh. It’s you.” Boa Hancock stares at Ace with unveiled disgust.

Ace gets to his feet, dusting off his knees, “Nice to see ya again.”

“Where is my Luffy?”

“Yours?” Sabo butts in, eyes wide.

Trafalgar storms into the crowded hallway, “I already told you, Hancock-ya!”

“That’s Empress to you!” She spins around, a finger pointed at Trafalgar, “You shall address me as such!”

“Tch.” Trafalgar spits with a glare, “Not while you’re on my ship.”

Hancock nearly laughs, “And you’re proud of that? This raft is nothing of importance! And it could never provide the tender care my dear Luffy will need to make a full recovery!”

Ace meets Sabo’s eye over the Empresses’ shoulder, “Tender?” He mouths with a funny look. Like this lady could ever be tender.

Luckily Sabo’s laugh is unheard as Trafalgar starts explaining the importance of his equipment and expertise to save Luffy’s life.

“Oh, come now sister!” Ivankov steps between the feud, “Straw Hat boy is in good hands! His brothers would never let anything come of him!”

“Brothers?” She turns, eyes zeroing in on Sabo when she catches the plural, “Luffy never mentioned anything of you.”

Sabo rubs his neck, “Yeah.”

Hancock asses the two with a tapping heel, “Fine. You may reprieve to Amazon Lily.” Hancock flicks her hair over her shoulder, “Luffy will need the finest treatment and I won’t let anything get in the way.”

“I already told you.” Trafalgar grits his teeth, “You don’t have the necessary equipment.”

The Snake Empress simply crosses her arms, “Then I suppose you will just have to come along as well. Luffy is my number one priority.” Without another word she exits the ship as quickly as she came.

All eyes slide over to Trafalgar who’s scowling at the exit. With curses under his breath, he turns and stomps down the hall.

“Well!” Ivankov claps, “You heard the Empress! I suppose I’ll see you two on Amazon Lily!” Blowing each of them a kiss before running after Hancock.

“Hey.” Sabo says, watching out the port window as Hancock leaps to the stolen Navy vessel, “You don’t think she…”

“Has the hots for Luffy?” Ace finishes, he scoffs with a smirk and shake of his head, “I’ve seen crazy shit on the Grand Line, but this…”

“Yeah.” Sabo smiles, meeting Ace’s gaze, “This takes the cake.”

And for the first time in a long time, the two brothers laugh.

.

“Captain! Captain!” The polar bear comes sprinting out of the ship with a wild look in his eyes, “He’s awake!”

Ace feels his stomach drop.

It was a day’s travel to reach Amazon Lily.

A day of no sleep for Ace as he sat between beds of unconscious patients.

Sabo flited in and out of the room, each time returning with something new for Ace. A plate of food. A blanket and pillow. Anything to stay busy.

Not that Ace needed any of it. Instead, he sat, the familiar orange hat in his hands he had found in the corner of the room. Although the scorch and blood marks were new additions.

He’d have to tease you for not taking better care of it.

If he got the chance that is.

“Bepo.” Trafalgar drops the ropes he was using to rig the Polar Tang, “What the status report?”

Bepo huffs loudly, bent over trying to catch his breath and Ace has never wanted to strangle a bear so much before this moment, “It’s- it’s- it’s the fishman!”

“Wait! Slow down!” Voices carry from inside the ship, “Please, come back here!”

Ace stares from his spot on the shore as Jinbei appears at the entrance of the submarine, “Leave me.” His deep voice leaves no room for argument.

Jinbei’s eyes scan his surroundings, briefly pausing when he meets Ace’s eyes but continuing until they land on Trafalgar’s.

“He doesn’t look good.” Sabo’s says besides Ace.

“No.” Ace agrees.

“You think- hey! Where you going!” Sabo calls as Ace determinedly moves towards the boat, propelling himself onto the deck.

His entrance has Trafalgar’s sliding uninterested eyes sliding over and then back to Jinbei, “Come in for an examine when you’re ready.”

And then it’s just Ace and Jinbei on the ship. Sure Sabo is still on the shore with a dozen Heart Pirate’s and women of Amazon Lily, but right now Ace is focused on he former Warlord he’s had such a tremulous past with.

“Never thought we’d meet again.” Ace says as a greeting.

“Nor did I. But I am glad to see you made it out of there.”

Ace deflates, thinking again of all of those who didn’t, “Yeah, right.”

Jinbei studies Ace, and Ace feels as though he’s being read like an open book.

“I must return to my rest.” Jinbei says as a farewell, turning back to the entrance.

“Jinbei.” Ace’s voice is strained, “Thank you, for looking out for my brother.”

Jinbei leans a hand against the door and looks back over his shoulder, “It was not because of your request I helped Luffy.”

“I didn’t think it was.”

.

“It’s so for me.” Sabo says smugly.

Ace turns away, “Shut up.”

“(Y/N) said everyone thinks you’re just stupid.”

“Shut up.” Ace snaps, a little louder this time.

“I bet the person that did it still tells stories about the idiot that wandered into their shop!”

“At least I have a tattoo!” Ace launches at his brother, “You used to cry when Luffy would pinch you! You wouldn’t last a minute!”

Sabo flushes, “That’s not true! I could last longer than you!”

“Say that to the one on my back! Took ‘em five hours!”

Sabo gulps, eyes widening at the thought of being pricked with a needle that long. But luckily he’s saved from having to come up with a defense.

“Ace?” A voice groans and both brothers swivel their heads.

“Luffy!” Ace almost sobs, knocking over his chair in the process of scrambling to his brother’s bedside, “I’m here, Luf. I’m right here.” He collapses to his knees, running a hand through his brothers thick hair.

“Ace.” Luffy smiles drowsily, “You’re okay.”

“Yeah.” Ace chokes out, “And you’re an idiot.”

Luffy lets out a pained whimper, turning his head towards the ceiling as he clenches his eyes.

Sabo, who’d been standing off to the side feeling like an intruder on such a personal moment finally pipes in, “I’ll go get Trafalgar, he probably-”

“No.” Ace snaps with a scowl, “Get over here.”

Sabo hesitates, watching as Luffy looks towards him to see just who Ace is talking to.

“I, uh.” He takes a step forward, “I’m glad you’re okay, Luffy.”

Luffy’s eyes focus in and out as he’s trying to place Sabo. Not that Sabo can blame him, doesn’t look like the child he once knew, even further with extra bandages covering more of his body than not.

“It’s Sabo, Luffy.” Ace whispers in his ear, “It’s really Sabo.”

“Sabo?” Luffy asks in disbelief, trying to sit up.

And that’s what does it in for Sabo’s nervousness, running towards his brother with frantic and concerned hands, “Hey! Slow down! You’re going to hurt yourself!”

But Luffy doesn’t listen, instead stretches out his arm to grab Sabo by the waist before slamming him into the bed.

The snap of Luffy’s rubber arm is an unpleasant feeling he’s missed so much.

“Sabo!” Luffy cries, snot and tears running down his face, “Ace! It’s Sabo!” He wraps his other brother up too, pulling both of them against his body.

“I know Luf.” Ace nods, “We’re both here.”

Luffy’s cries turn to hiccups as he nods his head up and down, “We’re all here.”

The loud and gross sobbing continues for a few more minutes before Trafalgar bursts through the door with a scowl on his face.

But by then Luffy has already worn himself out and is back to sleep with a smile on his face.

Ace is just glad Luffy didn’t ask about you.

.

“How many men do you plan to bring to this island!” The empress’s disgusted voice shrills through the air.

“Huh?” Ace looks up from the fish he’s cleaning.

Ever since Luffy woke up three days ago Ace and Sabo, along with every other man on the island, had be resigned to fending for themselves.

Not that Ace minded too much. He’d pick watching Luffy shoveling down a banquet’s worth of food in record time than seeing him lifelessly being pumped full of nutrients any day. Even if it meant having to fish for himself.

Although it did grate on his nerves a bit when the Empress hounded him while he was trying to cook his dinner since she was the one letting Luffy get first grabs every time.

“I made an exception for the doctor and you two, but this is not some resort!”

Ace rolls his eyes, “Lady, I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.” And Sabo holds back a snort of his own, purposefully avoiding the empress’s glare.

“Well, that’s odd.” She drawls, “Because they’re asking for you.”

Ace’s head turns so fast Sabo is surprised his neck doesn’t snap. But before he can make a comment about it Ace is already letting his feet take him to the island’s entrance.

There’s only one group of men that could be looking for him. And sure enough he spots them standing in a circle on the shore.

It’s been less than a week since he saw them last, even longer before that. And it still shocks him to take in the way they’ve all changed.

But war and death will do that to a man.

“Ace!” Izou yells, the rest turning now that his position’s been given away.

He barely has time to raise his hand in greetings before being tackled to the ground.

“Shit.” Ace grunts, the weight of a dozen men piled on top crushing the air from his lungs.

The Whitebeard Pirates had never leaned one way or another with physical affection, but for once it’s like they can’t get enough of each other. Grabby hands trying to get a feel for Ace, to know his skin is still alive with warmth and not from the heat of a fire fist like they had all expected to be their last sight of him.

“Wha- what are you doin’ here?” Ace manages to get out when his crew finally back off and dusting the sand from his shorts.

“We came to get you.” Marco answers, pressing a hand to Ace’s shoulder, “For Pops’ send off.”

Ace swallows, glaring at the ground. It was easy to avoid news of the war on Amazon Lily. Most the woman living here didn’t even know of the world outside, and Sabo sure as hell wasn’t going to bring it up around him.

“So, he’s really gone, huh?”

Their silence speaks volumes.

“I’m so sorry.” Ace collapses to his knees, burying his head into the sand, “I won’t even ask for forgiveness.” He clenches his hands, “For what I did. What I caused.”

The pain that’s been lingering in his chest amplifies in the presence of his brothers. No. Not brothers. He could never claim that title after he took their father away from each of them.

“Yoi!” A swift kick sends Ace sprawling onto his side, “Don’t start.”

Ace’s eyes go wide from his place in the sand.

“I always told Pops he was too stupid to be a commander.” Izou crosses his arms with a smirk.

“I always told Pops he was too stupid in general.” Marco mutters before taking a step closer to Ace, bending a knee in the sand, “No one here thinks it was your fault, because it wasn’t your fault. Got it?”

Ace wants to argue Pops would say otherwise. Thatch would say differently. That even the world knows the truth.

“You were his son, Ace.” Vista stands behind Marco, “Fathers will do anything for their sons.”

“Honestly.” Izou scoffs, “Thinking he’s special or something.”

There’s a ripple of laughter among the crew.

“But-” Ace tries to contradict.

“Ace.” Jozu gruff voice cuts in, “He didn’t even have to think about it. None of us did.” Every man nods their head and agreement, and Ace can’t take it.

His stare returning to the sand because it’s easier to look at then the faces of pure love from each of his brothers. Something he doesn’t deserve, has never deserved.

“But what I want to know.” Marco drawls, “Who the hell were the ones who saved you?”

Before Ace can answer, a loud splash is head from the water. Heads swiveling just in time to see an unconscious sea king crashing out of the water and back down as it’s limp form floats on the surface.

“What the fu…” The collective voices trail off as a man walks out of the water.

“Well, isn’t this just the party!” Silvers Rayliegh pushes his wet hair back with a grin, “It’s been a while, Whitebeard Pirates.”

.

“I wasn’t strong enough to protect you.”

Ace stops in his tracks, flattening himself against the wall. He doesn’t know if he should be eavesdropping on this conversation, as one sided as it was.

“I’m not strong enough to protect anyone.” Luffy’s voice cracks, “But I’m going to get stronger, you’ll see.”

Ace bites his lip. How did his crybaby brother grow up so fast?

“So you get stronger too, alright? I still want you back on my crew.”

Ace balls his hands into fists. He should have just left you on his brother’s crew. Because no matter what his brother though, Luffy protected you better than he ever could.

“And I still need to tell you about the adventures you missed. And you need to meet Robin, and Franky, and Brook! I finally got a musician, and he’s a talking skeleton!”

Ace turns back the way he came, letting his feet carry him to the deck. He needs to get away from this conversation as far as he can.

You could have had that.

You could have been sailing with his brother and crew and living and having fun and not dying on a fucking battlefield.

Ace bursts through the door, gasping for a breath of the cool night air.

He’s like a virus, just infecting people’s lives with misery. Doesn’t matter what anyone says. Not his crew. Not his brothers. No one.

Because the truth was as clear as day.

Ace leans over the edge, glaring at his reflection in the water.

People have tried to rid the world of his sickness over and over and over. Maybe he was the one that had to do it.

“At least wait until the morning to jump. It’ll be harder for them to pull you out in the dark.”

“Fuck!” Ace startles, turning to see Trafalgar resting against a sleeping Bepo, “Scared the shit out of me.”

Trafalgar shrugs, resting his head back against the bear’s stomach.

Ace learned quite quickly he’s not one for conversation. He turns back to the water, thoughts rolling through his head.

Luffy was leaving tomorrow to train with Rayleigh. Jinbei had left yesterday. The Whitebeard Pirates were sailing off in a few days. Sabo had gotten a hold of someone from the Revolution named Koala who gave him quite the earful over the transponder snail.

Ace didn’t even tease his brother about the pink dusting his cheeks.

Too jealous to even think of it.

It seemed like everyone was ready to move on.

Everyone but you that is.

“Trafalgar.” Ace says, his tone demanding attention before he takes a deep breath, “Give it to me straight, is (Y/N) going to make it?”

“Can’t say. She’s lucky that devil fruit of hers kicked and absorbed most of the magma. Still, portion of her liver was too burnt to save.” Law throws a leg over the other, his casualness in complete contrast to Ace’s rigid stance, “But that can regenerate on its own. It’s her lung and stomach that I’m concerned about.”

“So, what?’ Ace presses, “She need a new one or something?”

“Why?” Trafalgar cracks an eye, “You offering?”

.

“You’re so full of shit.”

“So’s your poker face.”

Ace sticks his tongue out and you erupt into giggles, “See! You know I’m right!”

“Whatever.” He scoffs, throwing his cards onto the table, “I fold. There, you happy?”

“Very.” You smile, pulling the berries towards your side of the table, “Another round?”

“You already sucked me dry of every berry I had.” Ace pouts, taking a swig from his bottle.

It’s just the two of you on the ship, the rest of the crew probably getting drunk or who knows what back in town. You were left behind to keep watch and Ace had insisted on keeping you company.

Your eyes rake over his body hungrily, “I’m sure there’s something you could put on the line.”

Ace’s eyes go wide for a moment when he catches that look on your face, his mouth pulling into a smirk, “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re trying to seduce me.”

“Is it working?” You bat your eyelashes.

You expect Ace to meet you head for head in your flirting. You’re usually the one who taps out first, unable to take the teasing without turning into a stammering mess. But instead, he drops his cheek into the palm of his hand.

“A little too much if I’m honest.”

You roll your eyes, trying to brush off the seriousness of his words, “You’re a sap.”

“Only for you.” His hand reaches for yours, a thumb caressing your wrist.

The warmth of his skin burns into your skin, and it makes you want to tell him everything. Expose the deepest and ugliest parts of you and hope that he won’t hate you.

“I think I love you.” Your eyes go wide and mouth drops. Any other day he might tease you to shut your trap unless you’re trying to catch some bugs but instead his smile softens, “Don’t say anything, I just-” He shrugs.

Your mind flits to the notebook you keep hidden in your satchel, beside the damn transponder snail that kills you a little bit each time it rings. To the words etched on paper with dates and names and details you wish he had told you instead of some Navy grunt.

You pull your hand from his, gathering the cards and shuffling them together to give you something to do. “Need to lay off the sake.” Your voice carries a forced ease.

“Sober or sloshed, doesn’t change what I feel.”

Your movements still, the cards fluttering into a stack. This was not part of the plan. He wasn’t supposed to fall in love with you.

You definitely weren’t supposed to fall in love with him.

“Yeah, yeah.” You laugh, trying to shrug off the weight of his words. Hands reach for the cards, hoping to ease over the awkwardness, but they’re gone. The entire table’s gone.

Head snapping up you see it’s all gone. All except him.

Ace.

His mouth twists into a frown, “I’ll miss you.”

“Ace?”

.

“Ace?”

The first thing that you sense is pain. A groan scratching from your throat as you painfully crack open your eyes.

“You’re awake.” A deep voice cuts through your thoughts.

“Ace?” You mumble, trying to locate the voice.

“No.” A face comes into view, and you swear it’s familiar, “What are you feeling?”

“Pain.” You groan, trying to shift but it feels like the weight of the sea is pressing down onto you.

“Good.” The man grunts, fiddling with the IV bag over your head, “Means you’re alive.”

The beeping is still ringing in your ears, “Where’s Ace?” But it comes out more slurred than it sounded in your head.

“He’s gone.”

“Wha- what?” The cold panic washing over you and providing a newfound energy, eyes darting around the room.

“Tch. Go to sleep, we’ll talk when you wake up.”

“N- no!” You protest, using all your strength to pull yourself out of the bed, “Where is he?!”

“Watch it (Y/N)-ya!” Law snaps, the room falling into a blue tint and then you’re repositioned in the bed, “I spent seven hours cutting you open to fill you with new organs.” He seethes, “Don’t fucking kill them like you did your first set.”

“New organs?” You panickily glance down at your bod, feeling your chest and stomach as if you’d be able to sense the difference, “From who?”

Law steps closer, a cold hand pressing into your shoulder as he shoves you to lay down. A smirk stretches over his face, “Who do you think?”

Your eyes widen to the size of saucers, heart pounding in your ears as you search his face for any sign of joking, but you find nothing except a cruel smile.

“Liar!” The screech tears from your throat as you thrash against his hold, “You’re a fucking liar!”

Law rolls his eyes, quickly releasing his hold on you. He’s not interested in managing a temper tantrum.

“Ace!” You wail, “Ace!”

Suddenly the door bursts open, a figure shrouded in darkness as light pours in from the hall.

It’s him, you think. It has to be because he heard you and he came.

“(Y/N)! What’s wrong?”

But it’s not Ace.

“Sabo!” You cry as he sprints to your side, “Where is he? Where’s Ace?” You grab for his hands.

“Ace?” Sabo looks surprised, “He’s not here.”

“No, no, no!” You babble, “But we saved him! And, and he’s okay, he’s supposed to be okay!”

“(Y/N).” Sabo cups your face, forcing you to look at him, “Ace is alive. You saved him, okay? Ace is okay.”

“He, he is?”

“Of course he is.” Sabo answers.

“But, but where is he?” You ask, tears running down your cheeks, “And he- he said the organs. Tha- that they were his.”

Sabo’s eyes widen in shock before throwing a glare at Law, “You told her they were Ace’s?”

Law doesn’t even look up from his clipboard, “I never said that.”

Sabo turns back to you, “They weren’t Ace’s.” He moves a hand down to squeeze reassuringly at your shoulder, “He has a crewmate that’s a phoenix zoan. They can regenerate anything.”

“So, they’re not…?” You trail off, looking back down at you covered chest and stomach.

“No.” Sabo is halfway between laughing and halfway to killing that fucking doctor, “They’re not Ace’s. He’s alive and well.”

“Then where is he?” You ask in a small voice, eyes desperate.

“He’s with his crew. Laying Whitebeard to rest.” Sabo reaches into his pocket, “But he left this for you.”

You accept the folded up piece of paper, recognizing the messily scrawled letters. A small scrap of parchment flutters into your lap when you unfold the letter.

(Y/N),

Doc says you should be wakin’ up soon. Probably don’t remember when I said goodbye, but you had a smile on your face I like to think you save for me.

We’re givin’ Pops a final sendoff, but you probably already know that.

Haven’t told Sabo or Luffy, but I don’t think I’ll be comin’ back. I can barely look at myself these days, let alone those two.

I’m sorry dragged you into all of this. From the beginning. Wish I had never taken you up on that offer to join the Spades, at least then you wouldn’t have been twisted up in any of this.

I know I said we’d stick together but I think it’s better this way, for you at least.

I hope you can forgive forget me.

Ace

next chapter

[trickinabucket]

BTW, My AFAB*s for Yakuza are currently (Part 1?):

*assigned furry at birth

(This is a small project I have where I come up with animals that could represent the cast in a furry universe. They lean more heavily in the direction of redwall-esque. They stand and move more like humans, but their anatomy is a bit more animalistic. They also wear clothes. I'm pretty sure. I just don't draw that atm bc I suck at it lol I also try very hard to limit the animals to ones found on the continent their races "come from." It's a weird rule I impose. And, if you're curious, a child could come from a breeding pair that is a completely different species. It's more of an "energy"/features thing.)

-----

Kiryu Kazuma:

[ Kiryu Kazuma ]

Smooth Chow/Shar Pei/Mix of the two

Any particular notes or reasons?

Even though I try to stick to Japanese dogs for the yakuza themselves, I really liked either/both of these options because of how bulky they are. The wrinkly face can also sometimes look pretty mean - but, by the same measure, they can look like teddy bears. Not to mention; Chow Chows were bred for, among other reasons, guarding. Shar Pei are fighting dogs.

Nishikiyama Akira, AKA "Nishiki":

[ Nishikiyama Akira, AKA "Nishiki" ]

Larger, bulkier version of Japanese Spitz (possibly some ambiguous mix?)

Any particular notes or reasons?

The breed is said to be eager to please. Not to mention, loyal! They're also regarded as a companion breed that can serve as a watch dog. Also, so, so beautiful.

Kazama and Arakawa:

[ Kazama and Arakawa ]

One of two breeds (different for each):

Shikoku Inu

Kishu Ken

Any particular notes or reasons?

Both these breeds are considered old and rumored to have wolf blood. (Wolves in Japan are extinct, so this is the closest we'll get to them, if that's the case.) They're also both hunting dogs. And we all know both of these men did a fair bit of hunting in their day.

Majima Goro:

[ Majima Goro ]

Striped Hyena

Any particular notes or reasons?

"Hyena" is just perfect for Majima. Keeping that in mind, he didn't start off "clownish" as a yakuza; quite the opposite. This particular type of hyena isn't famed for cackling; that's spotted hyenas. (Though, I did hear that they can laugh from some rando on the internet who claimed to live in a region that had striped yeen territory.) They're nocturnal, perfect for "The Lord of The Night." I also think them being skinny, top-heavy alternatives to spotted hyenas is more reminiscent of Majima's body type. Striped hyenas are also canine-enough for me to pass them on as appropriate for yakuza work. (I tend to make the yakuza dogs, but I decided that dog-like "counts" because of Maji, tbh.) There's a lot of interesting symbolism and lore in mythology concerning striped hyenas. Their history is also interesting. I could pull out some things I learned, but, honestly, I worked backwards from hyena to get this guy to fit. I'm sorry to have threatened the integrity of this project.

Masaharu Kaito:

[ Masaharu Kaito ]

Tosa Inu

Any particular notes or reasons?

Tosa Inu are courageous watchdogs initially bred for fighting. They're also lovey to their "people" that they've bonded to (described as "quietly affectionate.") Because of which, they can be somewhat aggressive to other dogs that are "outsiders." And, honestly? I've never seen Kaito even try to play nice with other Yakuza (mostly outside the family, but "mostly" is a key word here), even if they aren't having an outright war. I also know that bully, jowly dogs are considered "ugly" to some people. People in the canon have called Kaito ugly. I believe, however, those real and fake people are full of it.

Takayuki Yagami, AKA "Tak"

[ Takayuki Yagami AKA "Tak" ]

Domestic Cat (Oriental Shorthair?)

Any particular notes or reasons?

"Whet??" you say? Well, for starters, Tak isn't yakuza. So, not a dog. Besides, playing/watching a playthrough of Judgement for like an hour will make you see: Tak has MASSIVE cat energy. He's snarky and sarcastic, cool/level-headed, (somewhat?) dignified, curious as all hell (and aggravating when he wants something, particularly answers). Plus, idk, imagine a cat staring at you, judgementally. Perfectly natural, right? I feel like Yagami's eyes make you tell the truth, or at least makes you squirm.

More to come, bc this is a big post...

( Did I honestly forget The Best Boy?? I'm sorry, he'll be in the next one. )

[afeelgoodblog]

Top 7 Best News of Last Week - June 6, 2022

🐀 — Let’s read some good things that happened in the last 7 days around the world

1. Japanese man, 83, becomes oldest person to sail solo non-stop across Pacific

Yachtsman Kenichi Horie after more than two months at sea, arrived in the waters off the Kii peninsula in western Japan at 2.39am local time.

Having crossed the world’s largest body of water, he had an inspiring message for the world. “Don’t let your dreams just stay as dreams,” he told CNN over satellite phone as he made his way from Shikoku Island to Wakayama. “Have a goal and work towards achieving this and a beautiful life awaits.”

2. Kerala lesbian couple, separated by parents, reunited by high court

Adhila Nassrin and Fathima Noora had met during their student days in Saudi Arabia and later, they decided to live together, according to the petition filed in the court. But the relatives objected to the relationship.

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday allowed Adhila Nassrin and Fathima Noora, a lesbian couple, to live together on a habeas corpus plea.

3. Utah pets now have a safe place to stay if their owners enter drug, alcohol misuse treatment

A nonprofit animal shelter has partnered with Utah’s largest addiction program to protect pets for up to three months as their owners undergo treatment. The process starts with an application and documentation of the owner’s current situation, then a brief assessment of the pet — weighing and determining its general condition — along with vaccinations and ensuring the animal is fixed or planned to be fixed.

The pet is then matched with a foster, and the client checks in on their pet once a week via text. Ruff Haven has its fosters pass along photos and videos of the animal so the client can check in on their furry friend while separated.

- This is actually a huge barrier to treatment for people so really cool to see.

4. Water treatment plants would be ready for the removal of nanoplastics.

The biologically active, slow-flow sand filters of lake water treatment would remove nanoplastics from the raw water very efficiently. This was shown both in the laboratory and in larger, realistic tests and modelling.

The results are now in, and they include some reassuring findings. In a report published today in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, the researchers show that even if untreated water contained considerable quantities of nanoplastics, these particles were retained in sand filters very efficiently during water treatment. Both in laboratory tests and in a larger test facility located directly on the premises of the Zurich Water Works, the biologically active slow sand filter was the most effective at retaining nanoparticles — achieving an efficacy level in the region of 99.9%.

5. Electric Vehicles are measurably reducing global oil demand; by 1.5 million barrels a day

The new estimates from the research firm BloombergNEF help to show EVs are shedding their status as a niche climate technology.

Total transportation fuel demand was 43.7 million barrels per day last year, the firm said.

The amount EVs have displaced doubled over the last six years, BloombergNEF said.

6. After 3 months and 150 miles lost in the Alaskan winter sled dog Leon found safe in McGrath — Now reunited with pack

On Tuesday, McGrath locals notified Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race officials that the dog, had been seen visiting a local homestead where food had been left out for him

Early Saturday morning, a McGrath resident was able to catch Leon. Leon was safe, alert and “understandably skinny but seemingly healthy”.

7. Trained rats to be sent into earthquake debris wearing tiny backpacks with microphones

Rats are being trained to be sent into earthquake debris wearing tiny backpacks outfitted with microphones as well as location trackers to allow rescue teams to communicate with survivors during real earthquakes.

. . .

That's it for this week. Until next week, You can follow me on twitter. Also, I have a newsletter :)

Subscribe here to receive a collection of wholesome news every week in your inbox :D

[tollingreminiscentbells]

On an unrelated note, I find it so frustrating when Japan vloggers/influencers/etc. suggest that a trip to Japan should prioritize, or even just be, Tokyo. Don't get me wrong, Tokyo is great. I live here. But there's Tokyo and then there's "the rest of Japan" and those are two different things.

One of my favorite parts of this entire country is the Iya Valley on Shikoku. Middle of fucking nowhere Tokushima. Wide swathes of it are only really accessible by car, but you can get to a tiny town called Oboke from Kochi City (which is, as you might expect, in Kochi, so you get a two-for-one prefecture special) in an hour. Said train only runs once an hour, so you have to plan accordingly, but it's easy.

And this is what you'll find out there:

It's magical. And I get so annoyed when people act like Tokyo is it, with some love for Kyoto (confession: I don't particularly like Kyoto), maybe Osaka, and then a casual disregard for just about everywhere else.

My other favorite prefecture is Yamagata and I don't think I ever see that on anyone's recommendations list, unless it's specifically for people who want to ski. I went in the summer, which was kind of a mistake because it was the temperature of the surface of the fucking sun, but it's beautiful. Just don't go in August.

I don't know. After being in Japan off and on for over 15 years now, I have very strong opinions. And those opinions often run contrary to popular travel advice.

[archirdarchernar]

2, 3, and 4!

HAI RAINBOW :D

2. Through 四國(Shikoku) again or 北海道 (Hokkaido)... if the pandemic wasnt a thing my cousin wouldve had her wedding in hokkaido ;w;

3. NONE :) clear skies all the way... but ig the wispy clouds are fine

4. you have opened pandoras box. lemme see; any fuuta song, Double, LUVORATORRRRRY! reol cover, DERO by Dustcell, and Good kid and a fox spirit by kikuo (speaking as a former chinese dance kid...)

[bakuhatsufallinlove]

U.A. High School Field Trip Around Japan: Day 5 Translations

This is Day 5 of Shonen Jump’s special commemoration of My Hero Academia reaching one hundred million copies worldwide, which is being rolled out daily across one-week in each prefecture’s newspaper.

The schedule:

April 4th, Day 1: Hokkaidō & Tōhōku regions

April 5th, Day 2: Kantō region

April 6th, Day 3: Chūbu region

April 7th, Day 4: Kansai region

April 8th, Day 5: Chūgoku & Shikoku regions

April 9th, Day 6: Kyūshū & Okinawa regions

April 10th, Day 7: Nationwide release

You can see the illustrations on their website here, where they are released digitally the day after the newspaper release.

Here we go!

Chūgoku Region

Tottori

Photo credit: twitter user aoao_rice

Ashido: "Ohoo~! Have I got a scoop on a summer fling!?" All Might: "I have come to rubberneck!! ...not! Let's go, Young Ashido!" Yaoyorozu: "Since Kaminari-san has overslept again this morning, please be careful as the class representative." Iida: "Indeed! After all, disturbance of life's daily rhythm is no good." Narrator: "The class president was simply communicating with administration."

Hakuto Coast is a magnificent beach beside a shrine famous for being the location of the so-called "first love story" wherein the white rabbit (the shrine's namesake, 白兎) played matchmaker for deity Ōkuninushi and princess Yagami after Ōkuninushi advised the rabbit on how to heal its wounds. The shrine specializes in matchmaking charms and the area is considered a "lovers' sanctuary."

Shimane

Photo credit: twitter user akamenago

Shouji: "What an incredible slope!" Iida: "Aah, this will be hard, but at the top of that slope a spectacular view of the ocean and a sense of accomplishment await you... Give it your all, Engine!! You can do this!" Kaminari: "You're empathizing with the engines!?"

Eshima Ohashi is famous for being photographed in ways that distort its true slope gradient, making it appear insanely steep. It's steep, but not insanely so! I guess Iida identifies with engines.

Okayama

Photo credit: twitter user mayori_nu3sei

Best Jeanist: "Don't give me the cold shoulder. Just say the word and I'll coordinate any number of jeans outfits for us!" Bakugou: "I WAS JUST PASSING BY, ALL RIGHT!!!" Kaminari: "Now, now, now..." Mineta: "C'mon, you can be honest!"

Kojima Jeans Street is a popular tourist destination in Kurashiki City, as it has been dubbed the birthplace of blue jeans in Japan from its first production in the 1960s. Kacchan is in denial--accept your fate and wrap yourself in the weft of rich indigo!!

Hiroshima

Photo credit: twitter user chugokunp_u35

Kaminari: "Hey! Just a minute ago it was on land, now it's under water!?" Bakugou: "It's just high tide, ain't it!!" Sero: "Ohh, right, the whole thing with the moon's gravity. So, it sinks once every day?" Bakugou: "High tide comes twice a day, don't it!! Go back to kindergarten and start over, you pieces of trash!!"

Visiting Itsukushima Shrine, whose torii entrance appears to be floating in the water at high tide and is made out of decay-resistant camphor wood. The shrine buildings themselves are built up so as to not be submerged.

Yamaguchi

Photo credit: twitter user mizyuki_1010

Todoroki: "This is from my father. Please enjoy at your leisure." Kirishima: "'Ssanks for tha' provisions!!" Uraraka: "Todoroki-kun, you know, you should say thanks!" Todoroki: "It's delicious, thank you." Uraraka: "I meant thank your dad!"

They are eating kawara soba, a unique dish in Yamaguchi which is cooked on a hot curved roof tile.

Shikoku Region

Tokushima

Photo credit: twitter user mgmg_hrak

Kaminari: "Wheeeey..." Sero: "I'd rather be a dancing idiot than a wheeey idiot!" Crowd: "Both are idiots, so why, oh why, not dance~!" Ashido: "Let's go, everyone!! We're all part of this!"

Tokushima's Obon festival includes the Awa dance, wherein huge crowds of people dance in procession over a period of three days. Here's an example! They also often sing a song, dating back to a popular tune from the Edo period, which says both dancers and watchers are idiots, so if you don't dance, it's your loss!

Kagawa

Photo credit: twitter user ZqGuesaki72

Uraraka: "It's anybody who's seen it, right? They won't have money problems for the rest of their life!" Izuku: "That's a crazy face, Uraraka-san!!?"

The Zenigata Sunae in Kan'onji City is a sand sculpture depicting an old Japanese coin, called kan'ei tsūhō. It was originally constructed in 1633 by the local people to welcome a daimyō. According to legend, anyone who sees the coin will live a long and happy life and never have problems with money.

Ehime

Photo credit: twitter user chiccoinocico

Todoroki: "What's this kind of thing about? Are we, like, BFFs now?" Kirishima: "You said it, Todoroki! (red-faced)"

This is JR Shimonada Station, an unstaffed train station along the coast which offers beautiful views of the ocean. Kirishima is a sweetiepie, and apparently easily flustered, hehe.

Kōchi

Photo credit: twitter user _baby_hr

Uraraka: "I'm gonna take a picture!" Dark Shadow: "Aieee!" Hagakure: "All righty~!" Sero: "Looking at this kinda thing, it's like seeing a monster in a dungeon." Jirou: "Use delicacy!!"

Ryūga Cave of Kami City is one of the biggest limestone caves in all of Japan; formed over a period of 175 million years, ancient artifacts from the Yayoi period (~300 BCE to 300 CE) have been found within it. Sero, how could you be so cavalier! Dark Shadow is a good boy!!

That wraps up Day 5, see you for Day 6!

[the-scrappy-stinger]

No! Don't do it! Don't do it, Dorky Man!

He did it. But at least he did it from a stable place.

His wife's supportive, if apprehensive. Stuff might turn out okay!

... you guys know the pattern by now. Plus this is a manga that takes place in the... 80s? Early 90s? Which means you know who the bad guy is.

That's right, it's a real estate developer! At least, he's being friendly to an inexperienced business starter by offering supplies and appliances at a small discount. He's obviously evil. Good thing Dorky Man is writing KitKat a letter.

I can just imagine that KitKat reads this and his very first instinct is "I gotta go scream at that guy."

Off he goes...

Okay but KitKat going after this Dork feels like punching down. Guy clearly didn't practice. He doesn't even have timers for cooking his noodles. His first day is a wreck.

He then gets strongarmed, and the real estate developer has canceled his phone number.

Finally KitKat shows up to yell at Dorky Man... as he's trying to jump off a bridge.

And then ALSO tell him his food is shit.

To save you a LOT of yelling panels, because it turns out I can only have 30 pictures per post, Kitakata is like "YOU are not a FUCKING PROFESSIONAL! You have no skills and didn't practice!", and he's right, but this mostly just makes Dorky Man insulted and he steals back the money he gave his wife to try to start up his business again.

So he practices! Gets real fast, gets orders out super quick!

Still sucks at cooking, which causes a riot in his restaurant, and then he somehow sets his noodle-boiling-machine on fire.

So his day is sucking.

He keeps this up for like... two weeks? Ish? Or something, it's hard to tell, and in the meantime he sells his house to keep buying ingredients and take out loan-shark rentals on restaurant equipment, his wife leaves him, and he calls KitKat for help.

KitKat is like "Lemme take you for some GOOD udon" and brings him to a mountaintop rest stop where you cook the noodles yourself, which I am DOWN FOR!

Damn, this manga makes me hungry when KitKat isn't screaming. KitKat brought him by motorcycle, somehow, to the island of Shikoku! Where he sends Dorky Man on a Shikoku Udon Pilgrimage!

(Made the analogy, forgetting this page.) Oh see, there you go.

Oh boy, time for the WEIRDLY RELEVANT TRAINING! This time, his training is...

Dorky Man, as do all absolute dorks, SLAYS on DDR.

Okay now it's noodle time.

Okay now it's noodle time.

He makes the udon dough delicious by stomping on it! It's so good that Dorky Man shoves his entire face in.

Okay not really, but come on.

So Kitakata, who knows this guy is in debt and in trouble with the mafia, took the 2 MILLION YEN that the guy paid him and bought in a noodle cart.

Fuckin' 80s Miracle Bubble Economy, man. But anyway, the cart does great! Really sells well.

Immediately he gets in trouble with a DIFFERENT mafia.

And the mafioso is like "Well then, if it's delicious, we won't touch it" and so KitKat is like "You must make DELICIOUS UDON, you DORK!" And the Dork proceeds to make delicious udon.

I think Dorkly Man is some kind of weird Agent Zero for echolalia.

And so his... wife... un-leaves him, I guess? And it's a happy ending, where he has no house, is still in debt, and under the umbrella of a mafia crime boss.

Hooray.

Total length of this story arc: 8 ISSUES.

[regarding-stories]

Teasing Master Takagi-san / Karakai Jouzo no Takagi-san

Wow, finally a Japanese title I can almost read? (Forget about reading names in Japanese, it's utter madness. Separate dictionaries exist only to let you know which sounds go with what kanji when it comes to names.) So the Japanese title basically says "Takagi-san of good at teasing". Try getting a good-sounding title out of that!

This series starts out with a simple premise. Two kids are sitting next to each other in middle school, a boy named Nishikata and a girl named Takagi. Takagi likes to tease Nishikata mercilessly, and Nishikata keeps on embarrassing himself in trying to get back at her.

Frankly, this alone would get stale soon, so even episode 1 teases at the fact that Takagi does all of this because Nishikata is her crush.

Frankly, the initial episodes didn't really get me. It just seems so odd a match. Takagi is orders of magnitude smarter than Nishikata, often plotting a whole series of steps ahead. She's a chess master of teasing, up to an absurd degree. She has such a good read on Nishikata that she can predict what he says next out loud or in his thoughts. And this initially soured me on the series. The pairing didn't make sense.

Well, except if you see it as comedic setup. Takagi possesses perfect delivery, complete poker face if needed, whereas Nishikata is a mix of embarrassed reactions, attempts at grandstanding, followed by his downfall.

And after a few episodes, they have you...

The simple life

It's not immediately apparent, but over time you will notice that this series is set in a rural Japanese setting. Glimpses of the town these two walk through hint at traditional back streets, the sweets store everybody in school visits is a mere shack. Eventually you learn it is set on an island off the coast of one of Japan's major islands, Shikoku.

Separated from a larger world by at least a ferry ride, Teasing Master Takagi-san knows how to charm you. Gradually it introduces the antics of other classmates, growing a small cast of recurring characters. It's a boxed-in place, small but endearing, with a good reason why these two end up walking home together so often. The setting convincingly mirrors the ensemble premise.

This comes to the fore in small ways, like how the local fireworks festival is laid out on a hill below the shrine. How Takagi-san can't return from a visit to the mainland due to a typhoon. A traditional torchlight procession. This show is not set in Tokyo, and it makes the most of it without getting obnoxious. I enjoyed this aspect very much. Some of these scenes are just visually stunning and taking you to a Japan bordering on fantasy.

A rewarding wild goose chase

In order to watch the three seasons and concluding movie, I had to spread my watching over Crunchyroll (season 1), Netflix (season 2), and HiDive (season 3 and movie). I just wanted to know how it ends, it would be a terrible shame to miss the last part! Good thing some streaming services still offer trials... (I think I missed the OVA after season 1, but knowing your typical filler OVA I doubt I missed much...) Netflix has the guts to call it an "original series" for airing only one season of the whole lot...

A lot of the dynamic of the series follows a typical Japanese anime trope. The boy resorts to a "It can't be true" logic after he gets clear hints that Takagi-san is in love with him, whereas Takagi-san gets cold feet and prefers to tease by voicing her true feelings and then leaving it unclear whether it was a tease. The series builds tension quite well here, given these are just middle schoolers. All the blushes and sweet moments...

And thankfully, it being set in middle school, we are spared all the other anime tropes of the rom-com genre. No panty shots, no boob jokes, no people defying gravity by falling onto each other. This is the time when holding hands is a big deal, making this show a rather unadulterated joy (pun intended).

And Nishikata's passion for a silly shoujo rom-com named "100% Unrequited Love" (kyun kyun!!) is the final bonus sealing the deal, both the content of that show-in-show and all of Nishikata's reactions to it. Peering inside his mind is always fun and a bit cringe, anyway.

Do prepare for some tears in the movie, but it's all good.

[xaaxaa-translations]

ザアザア Kazuki – “Moving Diary” Stuppy vol.22 (English translation)

Talking about the time he left his home. 

Even though he chose a city with a great infrastructure, as long as he can make music, the place doesn't matter. 

I decided that I wouldn't go back to my home until I got my father's approval. 

Int: Before you moved to Tokyo about 2 years ago, ザアザア was officially in Osaka? 

Kazuki: Yes, that's right, 2 years ago, when spring replaced winter, just like now. 

Int: Why did you decide to move to the capital? 

Kazuki: When ザアザア joined this agency in Tokyo, we were still in Osaka, but as time went on, it was getting harder and harder to go back and forth between Tokyo and Osaka. And considering that meetings or lives could be at any time, the four of us decided to move to Tokyo. 

Int: Since you started making music, did you always know you would move? 

Kazuki: No, definitely not. I didn't want to. But I thought it would be good. It's just that when you start making music, it suddenly turns out that location is important after all. In my case, there were two stages, because from my hometown of Shikoku, I first moved to Osaka and then to Tokyo. 

Int: Well, I hope to hear the story of moving from Shikoku to Osaka. 

Kazuki: First of all, I decided to leave Shikoku because we'd just formed a band and were often in Little Hearts Osaka. 

Int: Do you remember your mood when you left your hometown? 

Kazuki: I decided that I wouldn't go back to my hometown before the band had achieved some kind of result. I heard "Don't go back" from my parents too. Since they always supported me, I think it meant, "Since you're going (this way), be strong." 

Int: With the move from Shikoku to Osaka, what do you think has changed the most? 

Kazuki: I think what has become convenient is being able to go shopping without a car. (smiling). 

Int: Speaking of which, was this the first time you lived alone? 

Kazuki: That was the first time I'd ever found a place to live on my own. But in Shikoku, I lived with my older brother once. That was my only experience of living apart from my parents. 

The experience of working part-time in Osaka taught me to "see" people 

Int: When you were looking for accommodation in Osaka, was there anything you couldn't refuse? 

Kazuki: There wasn't anything. I needed a cheap place, with one toilet and a bathroom, and nothing else mattered. 

Int: There wasn't a problem with cleaning and cooking either? 

Kazuki: When I lived with my brother in Shikoku, I did it all, so it wasn't a problem. 

Int: What was Osaka like for you, someone who was born and raised in Shikoku? 

Kazuki: Everything seemed small and narrow. It also felt like even though nature was abundant, but compared to Shikoku, the places were kind of untidy. Also, in Osaka, you can sometimes see arias freely in the streets, for example. The world on TV... When I was in Shikoku, I had the feeling it was a different world, but still I thought "Ahh, they're people like us." (smiling) 

Int: Were you uncomfortable in Osaka? 

Kazuki: Compared to the countryside, I often wondered about things I was interested in, about different opportunities. But I was able to feel as much human warmth as I gave, so that was a good side. 

Int: When you were in Osaka, did you have any part-time work? 

Kazuki: I was a shop assistant in a shop in Amerikamura (the togre quarter, sometimes called "Shibuya/Harajuku in the West"). 

Contrary to expectations, I was busy at work and this negatively impacted the time we planned to use for the band. It was a difficult enough time. 

Int: Usually during interviews, you have a fairly even tone and behaves calmly. What were you like when you were working as a salesman? 

Kazuki: It felt like half the stuff I was selling to people by force. I used to walk down Americamuri Street and invite visitors in. I'm sure there were "victims" (awkward laughter) 

Int: What have you gained from this experience? 

Kazuki: Well, now that I think about it, I think something like, "What do you have to do to control the human heart at all costs?" I've been thinking about how to get the attention of someone who isn't interested at all, and I've been doing that kind of work every day. In the end, I can see how it works now at different events and lives. 

Int: Wow, that's how it works! 

Kazuki: In that sense, that's the kind of experience I got thanks to a fan letter. 

Int: Well, the Osaka period is over, now please tell us about the time when you moved to the capital. At that time in your soul it felt like you were going into space, right? 

Kazuki: Nothing like that. When I moved from Shikoku to Osaka, things changed a lot for me, but when I came to Tokyo, nothing had changed. From the point of view of a band member, being in Osaka, I looked at Tokyo with admiration, and when I came here, I realized that there wasn't much difference. In terms of making music, I felt that almost nothing had changed. But in Tokyo, I struggled to make new friends. That was the difference from Osaka. 

Int: What's the reason for that? 

Kazuki: How can I put it... There don't seem to be many people here who are willing to talk to you. The friends I have now, we've known each other for a long time. So I'm not that interested. 

Int: After listening to everything you said earlier, it seems like you have no intention of leaving the band or the music. 

Kazuki: For now, I still want to do the band and music. If I hadn't started making music in the beginning, I would have stayed in Shikoku, and since we started playing in a band, it was more convenient to be in the city than on the countryside. So I moved to Osaka first, and since it was even easier in Tokyo, I eventually moved there as well. So it's more of a story of changing places. 

Int: Well, one last thing. Have you been back home since you left? 

Kazuki: During the oneman tour, we had a gig in Kochi, and that's when I went back to my parents' house. My parents came to the performance then too and I think they were happy. I think it's good that such a thing could happen. 

[careysattheonsenagain]

This particular morning, however, Victor woke up first. Yuuri was still in his bed. He was sleeping soundly, his face just inches from Victor’s, his arm flopped loosely around Victor’s waist, his deep even breaths fanning Victor’s cheek. Yuuri's hair was sticking out on one side of his head and plastered to his face on the other. His cheeks were rosy, his eyelids were twitching as if he were dreaming and his lips, pink and moist, parted to occasionally emit the softest, breathiest, most adorable sighs Victor had ever heard. He dare not move for fear of waking Yuuri. He'd give anything in this moment (possibly the happiest moment of his life thus far) to know what dreams played on the back of Yuuri's eyelids, to be the cause of his happy sighs. Victor could no longer help himself. He slowly picked up his head from the pillow and bent his face closer to Yuuri's and...

Hey, all!

This is a tease for my new fic The Seven Flowers of Autumn. I consider myself very lucky to live somewhere with all four seasons. One of the things I love about Japanese culture is the importance of seasonality and appreciation of the natural world. Recently, I had read about the tradition of going out to see the seven flowers of autumn mentioned in classic Japanese poetry. I thought it might be a cute framework for writing about the end of Yuuri and Victor's Summer of Mutual Pining™ just before the Chu-Shikoku-Kyushu Regional Championship - surely a critical time in their relationship and Yuuri's career. I've covered three of the flowers here in chapter one - there'll be more to come! I hope you like it!

And here, please enjoy an asagao/morning faces flower/morning glory from my own garden.

[grad702-nina-jackson]

Week 2.2: Photography, Type, and Alphabet

Photography

I spent a day outside of work photographing Hamish and a lot of his personal work in order to build up a background on irezumi tattooing and practice

I also wanted to test whether this could be an option of alternate imagery in my publication rather than the straight illustration.

Although I wanted to illustrate. I also tried out photographing other artists and their work for the publication imagery to see if it could be a better fit. These images are of Hamish Mclauchlan, the tattoo artist I work under. He specialises in largescale Irezumi pieces and is widely recognised in the tattooing world.

Ultimately I decided against using an artists face or their professional work in my publication. This is because I wanted the focus to be on the concept of irezumi itself, without attaching a specific person and their established style of tattooing to it.

I used my own illustrations because although they are all produced by one person, they are an ambiguous interpretation of a massive collection of irezumi artwork. The reader should be able to envision their own world of irezumi from the publication without bias.

Typography

I know I want my display type and potentially bodycopy to follow a loose, script like/ handrawn, personable feel. Something inky and imperfect would be excellent for a title font as I want it to match the illustrations in this illustrative and painted style. Below are some rough options that I was drawn towards for the minimal type that I plan to have in this picture book like publication.

Alphabet for Irezumi

Since I want my picture book to follow this ABC structure I started brainstorming ideas for each letter of the alphabet. I thought this would be a way to link the western world to this popular Japanese tattoo style that has been made popular worldwide. Western clients are becoming more and more common and this is likely who my picture book will be aimed towards as they are more likely to have a lack of understanding of the cultural and historical symbolism of the irezumi style rather than local Japanese people. 

The only thing to take into consideration is the fact that in japan a few letters in the english alphabet do not exist so I will have to comment on this at some point in my book as some letters such as q and x. Below is my current list that I am constantly returning to in order to structure my illustrative process moving forward.

Ape, Akkorokamui (octopus)

Bones, Baku (devoured of dreams), Blossum, Botan (peony)

Cat, Crab, Crane, Crysanthumum

Daruma

Enkō (kappa of shikoku), enenra (yokai of smoke)

Frog, Fujin, Foo dog

Geisha, Golden boy, Genbu (black tortoise)

Hannya, Hou-oo (pheonix), Hebi (snake), Heikegani (crab)

Irezumi, ikuchi (yokai of the sea, serpent)

Jorogumo (spider woman), Jishin-namazu (giant catfish that causes natural disasters)

Koi, Kitsune, Kappa, Kirin, koinobori, Kiku (Chrysanthemum), Kaeru (frog)

Lotus (Hasu)

Masks, monkey, Maneki Neku (cat)

Nue (chimeria), Namakubi (severed head), Namazu (catfish), Noppera-bō (faceless ghost)

Oni

Pheonix, Peony

Q

Ryu, Raijin

Serpent, Sakura, Samurai

Tiger, Tengu, Toad, Tanuki (raccoon dog)

Ushi-Oni

Vulture

Warrior, Wave of Kanagawa, wakkaonna

X

Yokai (ghosts demons spirits)

Zugaikotsu (Skull)