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ystrike1 · 1 month

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The Tale of Oshin - By Arhat (7.5/10)

A dragon-blessed queen with two powerful, handsome husbands? It sounds too good to be true, because it is. The King who loves her is a brand new ruler who used to be a barbarian, so he is surrounded by enemies. Her dragon husband is even worse. His godly powers are questionable at best. The magic eyes he gave her as a wedding gift don't even work that well. How will Oshin cope with power, with her meek personality, and two deeply flawed lovers?

Oshin is kind of dumb and pretty. Her mother was the same way. Both of them attracted countless men with their naive sweetness and beauty.

Oshin is a terrible Queen. It really shows. She doesn't command respect. She doesn't even punish people who do disrespect her, because she wants the palace to be peaceful.

Her first husband, King Naskaya, is always away at war too. The King is also close to a female aide named Suren, who is a genius strategist.

Oshin never speaks out against Suren...even though she currently has way too much sway in the palace.

Naskaya the former barbarian, who now has to step up and be a King, is madly in love with Oshin. This is very bad. He indulges her. He never forces her to learn. Oshin thinks she's an idiot, because she cannot follow along at war meetings...but that's because Naskaya refuses to teach her. He wants his wife safe, happy, and pretty. I'm not saying Naskaya is a bad person. It's very sweet that he cares deeply for Oshin, and her health and happiness....but he is a new King in a volatile land that doesn't fully accept him.

Oshin has no children yet.

Oshin gets captured by the Dragon...or the salamander. Oshin nursed a little salamander back to health...and it turns out that the little creature was her stalker.

I'm going to be clear here. Dragon is a very boring character who exists to make Naskaya jealous. I do not see his appeal, BUT he does give Oshin her powers.

The Dragon's Eye is a great blessing. Having Dragon Eyes can allow you to.

- read minds.

- see hundreds of miles away.

- see glimpses of the future.

It's an extremely OP power to have....if you're smart. Oshin isn't smart. She is am uneducated and spoiled wife with no confidence. Also, using the eyes too much makes you sick....so Naskaya doesn't let her use them much. Even when she wants to...

Naskaya is a big scary barbarian. He does allow Oshin to take the Dragon as her second husband, but he does it to protect her. He knows more people will bother his wife now that she has special powers. Only the Dragon can be trusted to be her bodyguard, basically.

He's way crueler when Oshin isn't around.

When she reads his mind briefly she sees that.

- Naskaya lusts after her to a scary degree.

- He's willing to kill his own family and friends to keep her as his wife.

The truth is to terrifying Oshin, who believed that Naskaya stayed with her out of obligation after he rose to power. He became King after their marriage, but she lived in fear of being tossed aside...because he was away so often.

It's hard for her to accept the truth.

Oshin has no children....because Naskaya doesn't want her to get pregnant. His mother suffered horribly over the course of multiple pregnancies. If Naskaya wasn't a King it's likely that he would have kept his marriage childless. He finds pregnancy as a whole disgusting and he doesn’t want to put Oshin at risk....even though she actually wants a child with him very much.

Suren knows Naskaya is a little crazy. She plans to take revenge on him.

Naskaya killed her true love while he was busy trying to become King.

So she wants his new country to fail.

The rage of a woman is just like that. A slow poison. She is a formidable enemy.

The Dragon doesn't even appear for ten chapters its hilarious. Also most of the time when Husband #2 is on screen Naskaya is jealous in the corner. The Dragon did stalk Oshin as a salamander, but he's not very intimidating.

It's neat that Oshin has to grow up and demand her Queenly rights. It's neat that Naskaya is overly doting to the point of insanity but the Dragon is reaaaallllyyy boring and the art isn't great.

#yandere #male yandere #yandere male #yandere boy #recommendations #recs #rec #recommended #webtoon #otome game #otome #The Tale of Oshin

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quitealotofsodapop · 5 months

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Hope you are getting better.

Also just saw/read the new AU of Mac being in the Furnace with Wukong.

Well at least when LBC revives Mac, it'll be a happier occasion for the Monkeys... Maybe?

If this does follow the TMKATI timeline after the Journey, then Mac hopefully won't kill Wukong when he realises he is now incubating a Chaos Egg.

That or the Gods/Buddha/Guan Yin help give Smokey!Mac his body back? As a reward for Wukong/to stop ghosts from haunting the Celestial Realm as revenge.

I feel like instead of making "a deal" with Mac in the Furnaced!Macaque au, I imagine it's more that Macaque now falls under LBD's control as a cloud of ashen bones. The White Bone Spirit chapter would def be a lot more chaotic.

Macaque spends a lot of the Journey as the pilgrim's annoyed trapped voice of reason. Whether or not the others can hear him means little, cus they likely wont follow his advice. If he makes it to Thunderclap Monastery without trying to suffocate somebody, the Buddha might grant his body back...

If Wukong doesn't cash in his reward for something else other than elightenment;

Buddha: "And for the great changes you have overcome, Sun Wukong, I grant you-" Wukong, holding up the Urn: "Give Mac his body back." Buddha: "Done. Lady Guanyin, if you may?" Guanyin, her vase geting a brief buff: *pours her vase contents into the Urn* Furnaced!Macaque: *regains his fleshy body* "What the..." (Wukong tackles Macaque with a hug/kiss so ethusiastic that they both fall to the ground) Zhu Bajie, surprised: "Wow. His mate really was in there." Sha Wujing, whispering: "Hey brother, I thought you were gonna use your boon to become an arhat." Wukong, face buried in Mac's fluff: "Nope. I got paradise right here." Macaque, laughing joyfully: "You big sap!" (*Gross smooching noises resume*)

The Buddha quickly has to move the rest of the Pilgrims to a different spot cus them monkeys gonna be kissing a while.

Macaque might get a boon for himself, but only a small one. Buddha knows that if Mac had hands, he'd try strangling Tripitaka or Bajie at least a few times throughout the Journey.

Macaque's presence after the Journey might also affect how the Samadhi Fire ritual goes... he has "survived" it before after all.

Canon MK running into the Monkey King's annoyed mate shortly after getting the Staff, and having a bonus fanboy-freak-out moment. After all, the tale of the Monkey King's Ashen Warrior would be a pretty big detail to be added to the Furnaced!-Jttw storyline. Macaque thinks its adorable that he has such an enthusiastic fan - but him and Wukong argue over the better ways to mentor MK.

If it precedes the TMKATI au, then Macaque likely would stay out of the limelight for the couple hundred years while Wukong continues his hero stuff. Early retirement from warrior-hood if you may. Also I bet Furnaced!Macaque and Wukong would be far more estatic about having the Chaos Egg than the base au pair.

#furnaced!macaque au #furnaced!macaque #shadowpeach #lmk shadowpeach au #lego monkie kid #lmk #sun wukong #liu er mihou #six eared macaque #journey to the west #jttw

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the-monkey-ruler · 1 month

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i think it's cute how (to my knowledge) zbj is the only one of the pilgrims who has a spinoff story where swk erases his name from the death ledgers :> i think it pairs well with the semi-common post-canon narrative of zbj going to live on huaguo shan. it's like he's really part of the family now ❤️ (story is 十八罗汉斗悟空:孙悟空两情猪八戒)

I've never heard of this story before but WUKONG starting shit just cause the Arhots were getting more attention PLEASE!

He just drags Bajie with him XD

I love they immediately go to get Wujing to come help but hate that it was all a trap because this imagine is so cute of the three of them just hanging out.

THEY ARE SO SWEET TOGETHER! I love stories where after the journey they are still such close friends/family. Drop of a hat would just join each other to beat up some guys no questions asked. But boooo this guy turns out to be the Arhat after their butts.

But still a lot of great moments of Bajie and Wukong fighting together! Do love that they still continue the trend that Wukong has trouble fighting under water and him asking Bajie for that help makes a lot of sense with him used to be the Marshall of the Heavenly Reeds.

But still Bajie isn't nearly as immune to elements nor has the same stamina as Wukong does, making him tire out quickly and being more prone to magical attacks.

八戒想了想，道：“我倒是想起早年学过一门八面玲珑功，此功虚头巴脑，对敌全然无用，但今天正用得上，他无影无相，我只求滴水不漏，或许可以破他这路拳。”

说罢他强打精神，分出七个分身，“推窗望月，蛟龙出水，猛虎下山，回首掏……”招式纷繁复杂，虽然没有半分实力，却十分好看。

悟空笑道：“倒也不负这名，果然八面玲珑，世人皆喜这套，纵使无半分力气，却可立于不败之地也。”

Wukong! Is that a genuine compliment?! I never thought I would see the day! I bet that his moves were beautiful!

This is my first time seeing Bajie with his own clones so that is pretty neat to witness in another story.

I'm SCREAMING at this page please! Look at Wukong! He has no regrets!

此刻他以闪电瓶轰击，有制高点优势，已立于不败之地。悟空不怕闪电，但八戒这边就苦了，趴下找路逃命，裤子被炸得稀烂，如芒刺在股，无力再战。

八戒趴在地上，听雷声渐渐小了，仰起头一看，一座巨型金塔正凌空劈来，悟空眼疾手快一把把八戒推开，这才没被罩入塔内。

Wukong is such a homie, he knows that Bajie doesn't have the same immunities as him and even pushes him out of the way when he is prone.

八戒虽然惧怕罗汉法宝，但他就盯住过江罗汉，俩人正是对手，拳来耙去，直斗得愁云惨雾，日头偏西。

But also good on Bajie for not backing down either! He is clearly scared and feels outmatched but he refuses to back down. Love that about him, always a coward but he ain't a doormat.

体高罗汉见过江罗汉无法取胜，就拿闪电瓶对准八戒，一连串闪电直刺过来，八戒吓得一哆嗦，压低云头，躲到了流沙河中，找到一片荷叶，把鼻子埋了进去。

这边悟空不再需要顾忌八戒，金箍棒变大变粗，将方寸山棍法解数全部丢出来，形成一张紧密的棍网。虽然被围在核心，他还是哈哈大笑：“任你们罗汉花招再多，谁也进不了俺的棍网！”

Also that even when Bajie does go to hide in the river Wukong sees this as more advantageous than anything as he can finally go all out. He was holding back cause Bajie was in his line of fire but now he is out of friendly-fire range he can do maximum damage without worry!

悟空战退了四罗汉，再来寻八戒，发现八戒已不在荷花池，连连高叫无人回应。

不知八戒吉凶如何？请看下回分解。

Is Bajie okay? I can't tell in the end if he was passed out or he scampered off completely.... I hope he is okay...

But still this was a great story! Thank you so much for recommending me this I had such a great read! I love seeing stories where the pilgrims still get together and get into trouble at times! Especially when it is still very in character and so much fun!

If someone can tell if Bajie okay thought :'-) please I have to know!

#anon ask #anonymous #anon #jttw #sun wukong #journey to the west #xiyouji #ask #zhu bajie #zhuhou #for my heart #at least to me

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nikofortuna · 7 months

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JTTW Chapter 12 Thoughts

Chapter Twelve for the @journeythroughjourneytothewest Reading Group!

Right off the bat that demon guardian did not play around! He was sent there on a mission and he saw it through with a passion.

When Li Cuilian said “yellow as if it had jaundice” I was not expecting that. Excuse me, jaundice?! Now that got me laughing!

Also yes, with that personality Li Cuilian is putting on display here I can believe that she took her life out of spite rather easily. Technically I’d say good for her, if I wasn’t still iffy about both her and her husband just abandoning their children so willingly.

Moving on from the mess that is them finally, I got to say I have a great appreciation for how religions coexist like this, which has been reiterated in this chapter. They all but stated outright how sure you can believe in whichever you want to, but you don’t slander or belittle or what have you other religions.

Honestly everything that might be considered plot convenience like Xuanzang being in Chang’an exactly while Guanyin is looking for a scripture pilgrim is explained to a degree by literal fate existing, so it actually makes sense in this world. I find that just really interesting.

“Shaped like Eight Treasures are the thread-made frogs.” There are frogs on the cassock?! 10/10 perfection indeed! I know they probably don’t mean actual frogs, but let me dream.

Also the luminescent pearl sounds so nifty, an outfit with those probably looks really cool in the dark! Really if one were to take the description of the cassock literally the look of it would be so silly and over the top and I love it.

Sticking with the topic the expansiveness of the poem on the cassock in contrast to the shorter one for the staff comes across to me like ‘Take this epic item that is so awesome and sparkly shiny and will make you look the most fabulous while providing divine stat increases! Oh and I guess this staff that can help you with walking too.’

“What a priest! He is truly a living arhat descended to Earth, a live bodhisattva coming to the world!” Oh if only they knew.

Guanyin continuing to be one of the best deities! She really went ‘Eyo, dude!’ and continues to be so nonchalant. She’s just great there’s nothing else to say really, she’s so cool.

And Xuanzang being so delighted at the opportunity to learn pretty much disregarding what he was just doing, he is such a nerd and we love him for it! He’s so happy and full of hope. Sweet bean doesn’t know about the horrors yet.

Randomly to my mind came the image of any celestial really just acting as literally light at night. A funny image indeed. Which shows up in Fei Ren Zai! Specifically Guanyin using their halo as a night light!

Continuing with funny mental images, when Taizong “raise[s] up the monk with his royal hands” I could only imagine him holding Xuanzang up like Simba.

I’m saying it now I want a reunion scene with those disciples! I want them to be really sad when the sixth or seventh year goes by and grow more and more disheartened with every year, but be all the more happy when they get the reunion after all.

Yey, he finally got his iconic name of Tang Sanzang! Let’s gooo!

We’re finally off to the actual journey!

Though I have one more little trivia bit for this chapter. Specifically about the meaning of the date of departure from the German translation! The third day of the ninth month can be read with symbolic meaning.

The third day of a month relates to the Trigram Zhen and thus beginnings, though do take this with a grain of salt, because when I tried to check if that Trigram really carried such meaning I couldn’t find a clear answer. What I’m sure tracks though is that the number nine symbolises Yang.

Since I’m not entirely sure about this trivia bit I’ll directly mention that the German translation refers to Chen Zhibin author of Xiyou Zhenquan (西遊真詮) for the interpretation of the date.

#xiyouji #journey to the west #jttw #fei ren zai #Li Cuilian #guanyin #xuanzang #tang sanzang #jttw reading group #jttw book club

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leahsfiction · 8 months

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something funny about seeing lines in the script that're totally undermined by the casting (choi in the matrix making fun of neo for being a white boy while being played by some white dude and keanu respectively) (poison bodhisattva calling pretty arhat something lesbophobic when he's not really cast or styled to be very butch)

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grailfinders · 1 year

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Fate and Phantasms #19P: Musashibou Benkei

today on Fate and Phantasms it’s everyone’s favourite Japanese swordsman, Musashi! …bou Benkei! okay technically it’s the other guy, but whatever. The point is, he’s a Monk for some anti-spirit techniques and mad weapon skillz, a Bard to tell his story properly, and a Dual-Weapon Warrior to double down on those mad weapon skillz- literally.

check out his build breakdown below the cut, or his character sheet over here!

next up: didn’t we just do this guy?

Ancestry & Background

so- Kaison is a human, so he gets +2 Constitution and Strength. but he’s pretending to be Benkei, and his grail-given disguise is at least good enough that Ushiwakamaru’s willing to look the other way, so we’re making him a Reflection. this way you can look almost exactly like the guy, and you won’t have to constantly make deception checks to impersonate him. except against people who know him, like Ushiwakamaru. we’ll work with it, don’t worry.

aside from your looks, being a reflection also gets you access to reflection feats like Clone-Risen, the first of your 500 arhats. you can now become an Empty Vessel as a reaction once per day when you’d take mental damage or a mental effect, giving you a +2 bonus to the will save, or your level in resistance against the damage.

at level 5 you can Keep Up Appearances, which actually has nothing to do with being a reflection. this means you can use your deception as a reaction if you get affected by your emotions. if you roll higher than someone’s perception, they won’t notice. on top of that, if they were going to do something based on you getting affected, they won’t be able to.

at level 9 you become a Hardy Traveler, making your stances just a little more mountainous. this increases your bulk limits by 1, and you can move even faster than normal while traveling.

at level 13 your Stubborn Persistence will help you stay standing even when you’re dead. or fatigued, I guess. when you’d become fatigued, you can make a check to shake off the condition.

finally at level 17 you get an actual arhat you can launch at people when you Reflect Foes. once a day you can cast Duplicate Foe as an innate spell, creating a copy of a nearby enemy for up to 1 minute if the target fails their fortitude save. it can’t do much other than move and hit things, but that’s some sweet sweet action economy baby!

you used to be a warrior, but then everyone you cared about died due to your cowardice, so now you’re Lost and Alone. that gives you a boost in Charisma and Constitution, and every other part is basically just the regular fighter kit- intimidation, warfare lore, and an Intimidating Glare.

Class Levels

1. getting all the proficiencies out of the way: Key Ability: Strength. trained: perception, class dc, unarmed attacks, simple weapons, performance, deception, society, athletics, and eventually religion and stealth. you’re also an expert in all saves and unarmored defense.

as for your actual level, you get another set of Ability Boosts in Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, and Intelligence. tbh I miss D&D ability score improvements. it feels like they stuff so much into these boosts that going over it in a reasonable amount of time feels impossible.

on the plus side, Flurry of Blows is pretty simple. spend an action, attack twice, and they count as one attack to overcome resistances. plus, while you can learn Divine Ki Spells you shouldn’t expect a lot of them.

you have some Powerful Fists, letting you make lethal attacks with them and they deal more damage. but you have 999 swords just lying around, so you’re also trained in Monastic Weaponry. that lets you use monk martial weapons as easily as your unarmed attacks, and any time a feat mentions your unarmed attacks, that includes your weapons as well- with notable exception of stances that restrict you to one attack type.

2. we’re not “winning 999 duels” good yet though, so let’s pick up a brawling focus. with this, you get the critical specialization of your unarmed attacks and monk weapons. you’ve also been Ushi’s retainer long enough to have some Courtly Graces, so you can use your society skill to make an impression on nobles or pretend to be one.

finally and most annoyingly, becoming a bard requires more charisma than we have, so you’ll have to waste some time in the Dual-Weapon Warrior Dedication until we get another Ability Boost. the good news is this lets you Double Slice, spending two actions to make two attacks against an enemy, adding them together against resistances. if you’re fighting something really tough, you can flurry of blows twice a turn.

3. in order to survive your lord you’ll have to Diehard. or at least Benkei is a diehard, so now you are via transitive property. that gives you an extra dying condition, so you’ll bleed out slower. joy.

you can also avoid dying entirely with your Incredible Movement helping you outspeed your enemies, adding 10 feet now and another 5 every 4 levels. if you get into a fight anyway, your Mystic Strikes will make your attacks magical to get past resistances.

finally, we’ll boost your Performance to make Benkei a household name.

4. now that we’re level 4, we can finally pick up Benkei’s Guardian- er, Mountain Stance. As long as you’re touching the ground you can give yourself +4 AC and a +2 bonus against being shoved or tripped. you can also make “falling stone” attacks, which are the only ones you can make- they’re harder hitting than your regular fists, and they deal more damage the more you hit with in one turn. another downside is your dexterity modifier drops to +0, and your speed is a little lower than normal.

since your speed’s a little lower now, it’s good to know your dedication has your back, turning you into a Dual Thrower. whenever you’d make a melee strike with a dual-weapon warrior feat, you can make a thrown strike instead. monks end up with a lot of knives, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to use this.

for a little more muscle, become a Hefty Hauler, increasing your bulk limits by another +2.

5. at fifth level we finally get another Ability Boost to Dexterity, Constitution, Wisdom, and Charisma! now we can finally become a bard! next level. right now your Alertness makes you an expert in perception, and your Expert Strikes bumps up your proficiency in your weapons. you’re also beefy enough to be an expert in Athletics.

6. at level 6 your mountain stance gets even more legendary. as an action you can become a Mountain Stronghold for a round, giving you an extra 2 AC. it also permanently increases your dexterity cap on your AC to +1 while in mountain stance, so even if you don’t use it much you’re still getting something out of it.

to celebrate the new nimbleness you’ve got, you can now make a Powerful Leap whenever you jump. You can get 5’ of height, or an extra 5’ of distance.

finally, we need one more two-weapon feat before we can bard it up, so grab Twin Parry. as an action, you can add +1 to your ac if you’re wielding two melee weapons, or +2 if at least one of them has the parry trait. that means while in your mountain stance you can get your AC all the way up to 25 if I’m doing the math correctly, which’ll be great for your final stand.

7. at level 7 you become a Keen Follower, so as long as you take your lord’s lead you’ll get an extra bonus when you follow the expert. you also get more Fortitude for the whole “last stand” thing, since that tends to help not dying. it’s all part of your Path to Perfection. similarly, you’re now an expert in Deception so that you can follow your lord without blowing your cover, and finally, your Weapon Specialization means you’ll do a little more damage with every weapon you’re an expert in, which is all monk weapons.

8.at level 8 you get another stance to spice up your fighting. this time you get the Ironblood Stance, giving you resistance 2 to all damage. plus, while this stance gives you an extra kind of unarmed attack it doesn’t require you to use it, so now you can stance up and sword up at the same time!

we’re also making you a Confabulator to help you live a lie. now if you’re trying to lie to cover up another lie, the person doubting you gets a smaller bonus to see through your bullshit. you spend a lot of time with Ushiwakamaru, you’re going to lie twice eventually.

finally, you’re not becoming a bard just yet. I’m sorry, but in my defense Flensing Slice is pretty cool for an action movie sort of move. as an action after hitting someone with both attacks of a double slice, they explode in a burst of blood, taking persistent bleed damage, becoming flat-footed, and reducing all physical resistances by 5 for a round. samurai movies are a little after your time, but there’s nothing wrong with doing something before it’s cool.

9. level 9’s another quick and easy one. your weapons and hands now count as cold iron and silver thanks to your Metal Strikes. it wasn’t enough to have iron in your blood, I guess. You’re also a expert in your class DC, ki spells, and Society now. if you’re going to cut people and let them bleed a second later like a samurai, you’re going to have to act like one too.

10. alright, now we can bard it up! first things first though, use the Ability Boost on Strength, Constitution, Wisdom, and Charisma. then, pick up your very first ki spell Wronged Monk’s Wrath. it’s a bit less spiritual than making a copy of your enemy’s sins, but it’s an aoe so it’s technically closer to what your 500 Arhat should be. you can spend between 1 and 3 actions to power up this spell. at one action, it’s a burst of force and lightning in a 5’ radius. at two it’s 10’ and dealing more damage, and at three it’s 20’ and dealing the most damage. creatures in the area make one reflex save for all the damage, if they fail they’re deafened, and critical fails even deal persistent damage. it’s not quite a stun yet, but it’s still pretty cool.

one last thing before barding- you can now make a discreet inquiry to prevent others from finding out what you’re up to. while gathering information, you can hide what you’re really looking for freely, so if anyone tries to figure out what you’re up to they have to beat your deception DC first.

okay, now Kaison is finally a Bard, giving you two occult cantrips and training with occult spells as well as Arcana. you also get a warrior muse, though it doesn’t do anything else off the bat.

now for your cantrips. with Daze you can finally stun an enemy. occasionally. your target needs to make a will save. if they fail they’ll take damage, and if they critically fail they’re stunned for one action. man, stunning is a lot better in fgo. you can also intone a Haunting Hymn, dealing sonic damage to enemies in a 15’ cone fi they fail a fortitude save. critically failing the save also leaves a creature deafened for 1 minute.

11. did you know monks weren’t always kung fu stars? it’s true! sometimes being a monk comes with religious significance, which is why Benkei is now an expert in Religion and can make Pilgrim’s Tokens. as long as you hold the token, you’ll always win any ties in initiative.

you also become a master in Reflex saves thanks to your Path to Perfection, so you always get critical successes too.

12. we got a lot of stances now, and nobody wants to waste time getting into them when there’s weaponing to do- that’s why you’re now a Stance Savant! when you roll initiative, you can enter a stance of your choice as a free action.

we’re also going to make you big and strong enough to become a Titan Wrestler, letting you attempt to disarm, grapple, shove, or trip creatures up to 2 sizes larger than you are.

you also get your second focus point all so you can make a Counter Performance as a focus spell. now you’ll be able to yell so loud as a reaction if a friend makes an auditory/visual effect you can roll a performance check to bolster your friends! they’ll effectively either make their own save, or use your performance check, whichever’s better.

13. at level 13 your graceful mastery makes you a master in unarmored defense, and your master strikes do the same for your monk attacks. you also get a little bit buffer with a skill increase in athletics! we gotta get you crackin the earth when you walk before it’s time for your final ascension photo shoot!

14. Now that you’re level 14, you can make a Mountain Quake when you’re in a mountain stance. As an action, you make the earth quake in a 20-foot radius around you, dealing damage based on your strength modifier against a Fortitude save. If they fail, they also fall prone. The downside is you can only use this action once every 1d4 rounds.

On the plus side, the +1 bonus to your dexterity cap while in the mountain stance is permanent!

You can also make a Wall Jump now, jumping off of a wall without having to land for extra mobility. Currently you can only Wall Jump once per turn, but if you become legendary in Athletics you can make as many Wall Jumps as you like as long as you have the actions to do so.

For more protection against evil spirits, you can now use the Inspire Courage bardic cantrip, giving you and all allies within 60 feet a +1 bonus to all attacks, damage rolls, and fear saves.

15. At level 15 you gain another Ability Boost in Strength, Constitution, Wisdom, and Charisma. you also get Greater Weapon Specialization which is like Weapon Specialization but greater, your Path to Perfection not only makes you legendary in Fortitude saves, but your critical failures are only failures now, and failures make you take half damage.

we’re also going to play the long game with Canny Acumen. it doesn’t do anything right away, but it’ll make you a master in Perception once we hit level 17.

16. at level 16 your Guarded Movement gives you even more AC while moving- specifically, you get a +4 bonus to any effects triggered by your own movement. Opportunity attacks, that sort of thing. you’re also down with gods enough to make a Battle Prayer as an action and actually have it do something. you make a religion check as an action against a creature’s will dc, up to once per day per creature. if you succeed you’ll deal alignment damage, but if you fail you can’t use this again for 10 minutes.

we also finally pick up our first Bard class feature, making you a Reliable Squire. this gives you a +2 bonus to Aid checks, and you can’t critically fail. a good retainer knows not to get in their lord’s way.

17. level 17’s mostly another improvement over addition level, though your Adamantine Strikes are nice. like the name implies, your punches and spears are practically adamantine now. you’re also a Graceful Legend, giving you legendary unarmored defense and masterful Class DCs and Divine Spells.

on top of becoming a master in perception this level, you’re also now a master of Performance. gotta spread that legend, y’know?

18. at level 18 your Diamond Fists make all your attacks Forceful, and if your attacks already had this trait they instead become one damage die bigger. not only does this make all your attacks stronger in general, it especially empowers your Mountain Stance attacks.

we’re not ignoring your bardly skills though! your Fascinating Performance will make one observer fascinated with you for a round if you roll better than their will DC. this can even work mid-combat, though you’ll have to critically succeed. since you’re a master of performance, you can use this on up to 10 creatures at a time to really spread the good word of the man you’re pretending to be.

you can also Accompany an ally as a reaction, spending one of your focus points or spell slots to make a performance check. if you do well enough, your ally doesn’t have to spend their point/slot to cast the spell. you only have focus points, but still it’s the thought that counts.

19. On our penultimate level, your Slippery Secrets mean your mind is harder to read than usual. When a magical effect tries to read your mind, reveal your alignment, or determine if you are lying, you can make a deception check against the spell’s DC to stop it. The Holy Grail itself handed you this disguise, so it won’t come off easily. In order to take this feat, you need to be a master of Deception, which you now are.

You also gain a Perfected Form, making the first attack you make each turn guaranteed to roll at least a 10.

20. For your final level, you get one final Ability Boost in Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, and Charisma. You can also Fuse Stances together, making a new stance with both of the original’s strengths and weaknesses as long as they aren’t mutually exclusive. This means we can truly make Benkei’s Guardian Stance now by fusing together the Mountain Stance and Ironblood stance for an empowered AC and resistance to all damage.

you can also Consult the Spirits now thanks to your religious studies. Once a day you can spend 10 minutes to Recall Knowledge with your religion. Depending on how well you do, they will answer up to 3 simple questions, though if you critically fail they will give you harmful answers.

For our final Bard feature you can perform a Symphony of the Unfettered Heart. This allows you to make a performance check to counteract one of several effects on up to four allies (including yourself), but if you fail you cannot use this spell on that person for one day. We couldn’t get a skill seal skill, but making enemy skills useless is almost as good.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

turns out having a good ac and a resistance to all damage makes you really Hard to Kill. running away also helps, but now that you’re Benkei you’re pretty indestructible too.

you’re also good at dealing damage, either with sped up attacks from your flurry of blows or slowing down for some persistent bleed damage with your double strikes, you’re able to cut through most enemy’s defenses with the variety of weapons at your disposal.

while you’re not quite as nimble as Cu Chulainn, you’re still pretty dang Mobile with wall jumps and the standard monk speed boost. you’re free to pick your battles, though I’m sure your party hopes you’re a little more courageous this time around.

Cons:

the mountain stance is really cool for defense, but it also hampers your mobility and offense a lot by not letting you use weapons or leave the ground.

we also had to juggle a lot of skills around, so you’re not super great at any one thing without any legendary feats.

as for the last one…. range? I guess? maybe having too many options? tbh I think this is a pretty solid build, though admittedly I haven’t played enough Pathfinder to have a good feel for that.

#fgo #fate grand order #pf2e #Pathfinder #Musashibou Benkei #Monk #Bard #Dual Weapon Warrior

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spotsupstuff · 2 years

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As the FFT goes on how does Monkey king and the others deal with the morality of the kids? Like do Xiaotian , Xiaojiao , Bai Hei and the other mortals take the immortality / have their names erased from the book of death or do they end up passing away as Ma's wife did?

This also applies to Monkey king and the generals if they ever re-enter the reincarnation cycle at the end of the au .

(also please do refer to the Fruit Twins version of the Host as little Gao or Clementine/Clem, i don't vibe with the Bai He nick n so referin to Clem as such confuses me at best and pisses me off at worst- just a quick psa!)

but for a serious answer: this hasn't been considered even once yet because death of any of the mortals is So far away that in doesn't really matter in the current time of FT. right now, I'd rather focus on the very reason behind the au's existence in the first place: addressing psychological issues and struggles of the characters with a realistic leaning approach (or just my own approach, i guess)

not even the FT!s3 is completely planned out yet, not to mention i still have characters i want to dive deeper into such as Long Xiaojiao, Sha Dali, the Blood Moons, chef Zhu & Tang shifu, Jin & Yin and the Spider gang currently my attention is mostly kind of on Sun Wukong and the Seaside season which is supposed to address HIS issues to finally give Him some kind of help since he pretty much plays a supporting character in s3 to Six's n sorta Ma's arcs n dodges any other attempts of others at taking him to therapy for himself. Sun Wukong is SUCH an important character- he is supposed to pretty much make up the second half of the au as one of the gods dammed twins, but so far i've been only posting about Six Ear and His process thru redemption- and yet i don't really have... as Much for him as i would like especially when comparing him to Six

but to actually somewhat try n address ur question: Xiaojiao is a lóng so she has a long life before her. Xiaotian is pumped by the Sun Wukong Essence™ which lengthens his life a lot. Little Gao has pretty much inherited the White Bone Spirit's attributes including some kind of immortality n even if/when she dies she will probably be forced to come back as a bone demon (her whole situation is pretty much a curse. her dads ain't safe from mortality tho). Chef Zhu as a yaoguai also has a long life before him, Sha Dali is the ACTUAL Sha Wujing in FT therefore functionally immortal as a funky arhat and Tang is most vulnerable to mortality

BUT because of the society workin as a mix of humans And yaoguai, there's been a lot of changes done to both of those "species". yaoguai mature faster and, surprise surprise, humans age slower. Tang can live for over well 150 years without much of a sweat and the lengthening is constantly being perfected, so who knows how long he will be able to stick around from the aging perspective. and with Six for a husband, he's safe as hell from most dangers since Six is very protective n unlike canon Mac totally equal to Sun Wukong when it comes to power level

Kokoro (Ma's late wife) died because in her time, yaoguai simply weren't accepted by the society so openly yet- the co-existing was incredibly new and yaoguai weren't allowed into medical fields n such (there was a good long discrimination against them but like considerin yaoguai r largely known for being human-eaters n for doin all kinds of terrible stuff to humans that is no wonder. also nobody dare to aliken this to any real life discriminations this is incredibly different. sayin just to make sure -squint-)

as far as the already immortal monkeys go, there ain't no plans for them re-entering the cycle of reincarnation n i don't see any reason for any of them to do that kinda thing. Ba and Beng have been married and stupidly cute together for about 6000 years now n hardly want to stop any time, Six is scared SHITLESS of dying, Sun Wukong is going to get help for his suicidal thoughts and resume his enlightenment journey (since he hasn't reached the level of Buddha in FT) and Ma is the MOST likely to choose to re-enter the cycle of reincarnation but the chances of that are so fucking slim cuz she is too pissy and spiteful to kick the bucket

#Spot says stuff #lmk #fruit twins au

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writer-komaru · 2 years

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Hi komaru! Im new to the blog and I see that you do a lot of Danganronpa stuff and that's cool! But can you do this request in the morning because I'm probably keeping you up to make you read this

Can you do a FemReader x Makoto neagi where you comfort makoto after a nightmare that was pretty Gorey for him (remember do this in the morning and GET REST) (Yetts into bed) Sleep now request morning (if you want to that is no rush at all!)

Aww T T this is too sweet, thank you! And don’t worry! I’m awake! I hope you like it! ^^

Makoto sudden woke up in a strange room.

“Where am I?”

When he rubbed his blurry eyes, he could finally tell where he was. He was in a classroom full of students talking amongst themselves but, he couldn’t recognize them.

“Uh, h-hello, I’m Makoto Naegi, do you know where I am?”

But, the students didn’t bat an eye. They didn’t acknowledge that he even existed.

Makoto walked up to one of them and waved a hand in front of their face, but to his surprise, they once again had no response.

“Huh…. They can’t see me?”

“I bet you all are wonder why you little student counsel brats are doing here.”

An eerily familiar bubbly voice called out from the front of the room. It sent shivers down his spine. Was it who he thought it was? After he slowly turned around, scared to see what would be waiting for him, he was greeted with Junko, smiling straight at him with a crazed smile.

“J-J-JUNKO???!!!”

He jumped back, landing on his butt, his whole body shaking. What was she doing here? She’s supposed to be dead! And what was she going to do with all these kids?

“The school said we needed to meet here, but why are you here? Who even are you?”

“I’m the magnificent, queen of despair, Junko! And this shall be the final act of your lives! “

“Uhhh… okay? What does that even mean?”

“Pupupupu~ your about to find out.”

Suddenly, a girl pushed in a large container next to the podium Junko was standing behind.

“To put it simply, you all will portisapate in the most phenomenally fun game, like, ever! A killing game!”

“Killing game? What are you, deranged. Even if what your saying is true, no one in their right mind will-“

BANG!

Makoto felt the color drain form his face as saw the poor body of the boy who talked back fall onto the ground. The other kids started screaming, scrambling to the door.

“Uh uh uh!~ if you want to get out of her alive, then sit. Back. Down.”

The trembling forms of the kids reluctantly sat back down.

“Junko, stop! Don’t do this to them!”

Makoto swallowed his pride and walked sup to Junko, trying to push her, but his arms only went through. What was happening? Was he dead? Was that kid really dead.

He rushed over to the kid as Junko began ranting about the killing game. Their eyes were blank and expressionless. He crouched down, feeling tears well up in his eyes. But he shook his head to dislodge the bad thoughts and stood up. But the only problem what, what can he do? He is invisible to them.

“Y-you… you want us to kill eachother?”

“Bingo! That’s correct! Now, if I were you, I’d try to get your hands on a weapon before the others steal them.”

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room changed. The other students eyes each other cautiously.

“Oooooooor do you want me to reveal your most dark and twisted secret?”

She reached down into the large box and pulled out a caset tape. She read the name on it aloud, causing one of ten students gasp in surprise.

“That’s… why-why doe arhat have my name?”

“Ughhh, enough with the questions and start murdering or else I’ll read all of your secrets aloud.”

“Everyone stay calm. We just have to wait out until security or something comes in. There’s no way we would kill-“

Suddenly, the eyes of the kid talking lost their shine and his body fell to the ground. Makoto screamed and rushed over to him, trying desperately to help him up, but it no avail. The girl behind him stood over him with a knife covered in blood. The others in the classroom screamed as well, and before Makoto could stop it or even find a way to stop it, the game had begun.

It was a massacre. Everyone was nursing eachother, their friends, their fellow classmates of the student counsel. Makoto sunk down to the floor, tears pouring from his eyes. Why is he always so powerlesss? He has ever been able to stop this from happening. So many of his friends have died… and he can do nothing about them. The sounds of students crying out in pain, seemingly calling out to him for him to help, the gore-filled sounds of murder were too much for him. It’s all his fault….

“Makoto!”

“Hey makoto! Sweetie, baby, my love, are you okay?!”

“Please, wake up!”

Suddenly, Makoto sat up. His breathing was rapid, his cheeks slick with tears, his heart pumping way faster then a normal heart should.

Even as soon as he woke up, he was still having a panic attack. He put his hands over his head and bender over, muttering out a stream of words that you couldn’t hear clearly.

“Oh, my baby, I’m so glad your awake. Hey, can you look at me? Please?”

He looked over at you and you get your heart break at the sight.

“I-I… I couldn’t-I couldn’t help them… I’m so powerless…”

“No, no, shhhhh, come her sweetie.”

You gently pulled him into your arms, giving him a tight hug.

“See, I’m right here, it’s okay. It will always be okay, you know that. That’s what you always said to me.”

He paused before nodding his head against you in response.

He could help gripping onto you tighter and crying his eyes out. His crys were filled with despair and agony, you could only imagine what his nightmare was about. You combed your fingers through his hair.

“Shhhh, it’s going to be okay honey, I’m here.”

After a few minutes of crying he fell limp against you. But you could feel his slow breathing against your chest, so your worst fears weren’t true. He had been through so much, more than the average person ever should. And you were going to make sure you were there for him through it all from now on. He was your husband after all. It’s not like this is your first rodeo.

You gently laid his back down, giving him a kiss on the cheek and forehead.

“I love you baby, you mean so much to me, you’re so wonderful and you helped so many people. You’re so important to so many people. Please, it’s not your fault. Please don’t ever think it is.”

You spend the whole night quietly whispering praise in his ear, and before you fell asleep, you caught the glimpse of his warm smile. You smiled back, nuzzling against his shoulder.

“I love you, Makoto…. Soo… much….”

#danganronpa #danganronpa x y/n #danganronpa v1 #makoto x reader #drv1 makoto #makoto naegi #makoto naegi x reader #trigger happy havoc #drv1

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romanken · 9 months

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you got any asoiaf podcast recs i am struggling to find any arhat rnt just straight man redditors

Here's a list I made a couple months ago + hear me meow meow is really great and the opposite of straightguy redditors + I just started listening to this one which is pretty good

#asks #anonymous #i know ur probably tired of getting rec'd notacast but after bbf left its not really a straight guy redditor cast cause. well

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tellingittash · 1 year

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Religious Studies Term Of The Day: Bodhisattva

Hey everyone. So today I wanted to talk about Bodhisattvas. To do that, I need to talk about arhatship again. In Theravada Buddhism, the goal of the Buddha’s teachings are to get people to become enlightened, to become arhats, where they no longer feel desire, aversion, or ignorance. However, eventually a tradition comes along in Buddhism claiming to be better than Theravada, the Mahayana Buddhists. These new thinkers thought that individual enlightenment is great and all, but they had a problem with what they saw as the core philosophy. A great illustration I heard in college is that of an apartment building on fire.

Now, imagine that you live in an apartment building and it’s suddenly caught on fire. Most people would want to get out of it. That’s natural. That’s why so many people have religions at all, to escape the suffering of life. The Mahayana Buddhist might go as far as to say that the Theravada Buddhist would try to tell everyone, or at least everyone on the way out, about the fire and make sure they knew to escape but then let them save themselves as they escape as soon as possible. The Mahayana Buddhist would then suggest that a better man would be the person who, after figuring out how to escape, doesn’t do it, but stays inside to ensure that every person can escape, to quite literally save everyone. Heck, with the ideas of samsara in mind, they might actually stick around to save every dog, cat, fish, cockroach, and rat too while they’re at it.

Thus, the idea of the Bodhisattva was born. Sure, find enlightenment, but what you should do is swear to not find nirvana until every living soul finds nirvana first. That’s pretty incredible, not unlike the idea of martyrdom that’s glorified in faiths like Christianity. Thus, Buddhism changed drastically in this denomination. No longer did monks and nuns see themselves as people who sit under trees and meditate, but now they were active in communities, seeing the purpose of their lives as requiring two extra steps on top of the Eightfold Path, trying to do whatever they could for the betterment of all.

Even the idea of reincarnation changed. Now it was not just a system of wanting to go up and not down, or getting it just right at the human level, but an acknowledgment that every reincarnation could land the Bodhisattva anywhere. They could be a monk who has to save a tiger cub from its hungry mother, a wealthy prince who has the power to give anything to anyone, a quail with malformed wings, a warthog who has to deal with the abuse of a monkey, or a monkey who has to deal with the sexual advances of a rock demon, and all are aware of their vows and their purpose. All beings need enlightenment, and so the Bodhisattva goes wherever he is needed. There are so many stories about these figures and I highly recommend finding them out because they are quite cool tales to read and reflect upon.

Anyway, I’d love to learn more about the Bodhisattvas if anyone has more information. I hope that you all are having a good day and staying safe out there.

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joylinda-hawks · 10 months

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After all these years, I ended up with nothing. WOH, episode 11. After a dramatic parting with WKX, ZZS returned to what he did best recently. He found a secluded place and started drinking alcohol. ZZS shares with the viewer his thoughts on his recent conduct. He didn't think that WKX meeting would give him a lot of different sensations. He just wanted to quietly drink himself to death. However, his deliberations are interrupted by the appearance Pretty Arhat, who has kidnapped ZCL. ZZS doesn't fully understand what happened, but they can't leave ZCL without help. Without a moment's hesitation, regardless of his condition, he throws himself to the boy's rescue. The last days for ZZS were quite a challenge. The tragic death of Four Sages of Anji, an interview with WKX who brought charges against ZZS regarding his life. These two events shook ZZS strongly. He started drinking, stopped being careful. Had it not been for HY's help, he would have been exposed quickly. For a brief moment, it seemed to ZZS that he had found someone to spend the last days of his life with. But disappointment came. Another in his life. It would seem that WKX pulled ZZS out of the deep cave in which ZZS was stuck. It brought him to the light of day, gave him hope. ZZS was devastated by the words WKX heard when WKX tried to bury bodies of Four Sages of Anji. Not because they were hurtful ZZS, but because they were real. He didn't expect it, anyone could have told him that, but he didn't believe WKX had said it. It hurt and it hurt hard. So much so that ZZS went back to drinking alcohol. The kidnapping of ZCL brought him back to his senses. This was the moment when the real ZZS woke up. In this short scene, I like the way ZZH showed the emotions that torment the person of ZZS. It came out perfect for him.

#zhang zhehan #zhou zishu #word of honor #wenzhou

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whentranslatorscry · 11 months

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Hitagi Honeymoon

015

“Oh, at long last, Araragi-senpai has returned! Though I was not the least bit worried about a man of your stature, I hadn't imagined your return would be this delayed! You consistently exceed all expectations—it's no wonder you're the object of my admiration!”

In the parking lot of the campsite, a figure in a raincoat awaited. I tensed up momentarily, half-expecting it to be the Rainy Devil. But though not too far off the mark, it turned out to be Kanbaru Suruga in a raincoat.

The sky remained heavily overcast, but when dawn broke, the surroundings were no longer shrouded in darkness, to my surprise. Right there, I found an astonishingly large number of Jizo statues.

In a way, their surprising presence felt more impactful than the broken stone itself, and they might have been watching over me as I camped in the wild.

As I hurried back through the rain across the bridge I had come to, I took a look at the signboard and it seemed that this historic site was also linked to the Limbo of Infants.¹

It reminded me of the place where Hachikuji had once fallen.

Now that I thought about it, the field of stones did resemble a riverbed, and maybe the Jizo statues had some history to them—their number was far beyond the Kasa Jizo of the old fairy tale, more akin to the Five Hundred Arhats. But, I, for one, wanted an umbrella hat.²

I tried to make use of the drying feature in the minivan on the way back, but alas, this wet rat of a person (me) couldn't be completely dried in time.

“As expected, you're pretty well-prepared, Kanbaru. The weather forecast said it’d be sunny, but you brought a raincoat.”

“Well, it's a no-brainer when camping—even if forget your wallet, never forget your raincoat! Where’s Shinobu-chan?”

I glanced at the empty child seat as I was asked and promptly replied, “In my shadow.” And then, I immediately asked back, “What about Hitagi?”

“I assume Araragi-senpai was up late tracking the movements of overseas markets to make it look like she was busy, probably waiting for the two of you to come back. But, since we’ve got something planned for tomorrow night, I urged her to go and get some rest.”

“I see. Sorry for causing you trouble. You should have gone to sleep too… What will we do for breakfast? With all this rain, it doesn't look like we can eat outside.”

“It might not be the most nutritious, but how about some freshly-baked pizza for breakfast?”

“Ah, sounds great.”

Pizza, much like BBQ, was something far removed from my everyday life. I've never even ordered it for delivery. There's something about it—along with alcohol—that feels like an event for people who have families or friends.

And maybe that’s the allure in it.

But no matter how much I ponder, my stomach continues to grumble.

“But wait… were there any stone ovens in this glamping facility? I don't remember seeing anything like that in the pamphlet…”

As I recall, we chose this facility after weighing several options, prioritizing the richness of outdoor activities over other amenities like the stone oven. With this rain, all the outdoor activities we were looking forward to have gone down the drain, as you can tell, so our choice turned out to be completely wrong.

“Yes, last night after it started raining, I thought it would continue till today, so I took the initiative after putting Araragi-senpai to bed.”

“It sounds like she’s a baby.”

“I built a stone oven using materials at hand.”

“You’re doing outdoor activities alone!”

She’s not just a camper but a survivalist.

As expected, my sister's admiration is for good reason.

Survival skills are always necessary, no matter where you go.

So, had she been waiting for me to return without leaving her tent, or maybe wearing that raincoat for the purpose?

Eh? A stone oven, she can make that?

“Of course, it would've been impossible to do it alone, so I gathered friends from the nearby tents, pooled our knowledge and tools, and built the stone oven under a shelter. As the one who proposed this idea, I was given the honor of using it first. Araragi-senpai, if you're not tired, how about making some pizza together for a bit of fun?”

“You’ve accomplished in my short absence something I could never do in my entire life.”

The part I can't do is “gathering friends and pooling knowledge and tools.” I always try to do everything alone, and decide everything on my own, which is a bad habit.

It's a habit that could make me disliked.

There are many things I need to think and reflect on, but at the very least, maybe I can cooperate with my junior to make some pizza.

“Still, a stone oven… It seems that my life is full of stones.”

“I learned from the family who helped me build it that Tochigi Prefecture is famous for its stone deposits. If we have some extra time, they recommend we visit the Oya History Museum.”

“Interesting. What's so special about it?”

“Apparently it has an underground space that resembles a temple—which is actually a quarry.”

As we continued discussing the mysteries of Tochigi, I used the folding umbrella Kanbaru had brought to shield myself from the rain as we moved from the parking lot.

Under a shared space for campers that served as a makeshift roof, there stood a stone oven, seemingly built out of haste, which certainly wasn't there yesterday.

Human ingenuity never ceases to amaze me.

Or maybe it's just our relentless dedication to food…

“The challenge now is finding ingredients for the pizza, but I managed to secure some from the headquarters. Since they had some bread-making materials, so we should be able to use that.”

“Wow, you can make pizza dough with breadcrumbs?”

“Oh, Araragi-senpai, have you never dabbled in cooking at all?”

While she stared in disbelief, I, without pause, shifted occupations from a Hearsay Department cop to a pizza chef. I can't deny how exhausted I was, but it was mainly mentally.

Thanks to Shinobu sucking my blood in advance, I was well-prepared for any unforeseen predicaments at the Killing Stone, and so my physical exhaustion was minimal. Spending the night in the rest area didn’t cause any pain or exhaustion; in fact, I didn't even feel sleepy.

It’s true that I utilized this peculiar physical trait to overcome university entrance exams and national civil servant exams, but it wasn’t without a sense of unfair advantage.

“While your humility is commendable as always, I must disagree with your sentiment. After all, you have your fair share of risks to shoulder, Araragi-senpai, and doesn't that balance the scales?”

“Risks, you say? More often than not, I feel like I’m cheating my way through life.”

“True! To live with a eight-year-old blonde girl every single day and night is quite the cheat. I envy you, actually.”

“Well, it was supposed to be a risk, but…”

The risk, however, had transformed into one of my greatest advantages… a case of having my cake and eating it too.

“Maybe some cosmic force shaped it like this.”

“Shaped? As in shapewear?”

“Why, do you think I wear that kind of stuff?”

My figure is always in shape—thanks, in part, to the vampirism.

“Ah, protagonist's privilege?”

“Well, that would have been nice. But no, I mean something more mundane… when you're in a consistently unlucky or dangerous situation, you might try to convince yourself that you're actually happy with it, just to give yourself a sense of mental stability. Think of it as a sort of blissful ignorance… for you, it would be like feeling at ease in your messy room.”

“That's quite an apt analogy, but it feels somewhat inappropriate. Aren't you uncomfortable with the thought, Araragi-senpai, of thinking about Shinobu-chan in the same way as my cluttered room?”

Whipping up the pizza dough with an efficiency that belied the state of her living space, Kanbaru posed the question.

“So, am I right in guessing that you had a bit of a scuffle at the scene of the Killing Stone?”

Remarkably perceptive, that one.

I wasn’t trying to look depressed and seek consolation—but, absolutely, the lead-up had been meticulously prepared before the honeymoon departure.

I had laid the trap.

“My bond with Shinobu has deepened, more than ever. We talked about how we should be with each other and all. But… a little obstacle came up, concerning making her our adopted daughter. I realized what you were trying to say.”

“It was presumptuous of me. I should've just said traveling to Nikko was fine, and practiced the principle of see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil.”

“No, no, you've done good as a junior. Both to me and to Hitagi. It might be difficult to say, but you hinted at it well… You spared me from making a dangerous proposal in the car.”

I can't be certain how much thought Kanbaru put into stopping me—like an out-of-control trolley—and with what intentions, but I feel it was a wise decision.

We really dodged a bullet. Seriously.

“You never know, if you had proposed, Araragi-senpai might've easily consented. She was, after all, quite exceptional at adoring cute things back in junior high.”

“You're talking about the time when she wore a cat disguise and led the legion, right?”

“Can’t it also be said that it’s because of acting that one can expose their true nature without embarrassment or fear? Like how myself as the Rainy Devil could scream out my true feelings.”

Kanbaru took off and folded her raincoat, saying this—although it's debatable whether “folded” is the appropriate term for something she crumpled so small—, and true enough, she might have a point.

Ironically, since they think this isn't their true self, people can voice their true feelings without remorse. This rationale might also apply to stage performers and actors who reveal their innermost feelings. They could channel emotions they wouldn't normally express, or whisper love lines they'd hesitate to say aloud—as long as it's all part of the act, they could shamelessly speak their minds.

Because of fiction.

It hides the truth.

“With Hitagi, the length of time spent pretending made it unclear what her true feelings were, even for herself. Not just middle school, but much of her high school time too seemed to be just acting… The noble heiress period might also be called her true feelings, though.”

“Ah, the times when you were at the mercy of her whims were lovely to think about now, weren't they?”

“The times when I was at her mercy?”

“You see, neither human nature nor relationships can stay the same forever. That's why I don't think you’re wrong to seek change in your relationship with Shinobu-chan. And I don't want to think that someone like me could have stopped you. As long as you consider it carefully, that’s enough.”

Careful consideration, huh?

That's a concept I seem to be sorely lacking.

The pizza dough was virtually made by Kanbaru alone—it's not that I couldn't offer a hand because I was so lost in contemplation over the yeast's life or death; I just couldn't even get in her way.

Like spinning a basketball on the tip of her finger, Kanbaru gracefully spread the dough out into a circle. Then, she efficiently placed meat and vegetables, making full use of the table.

Perhaps it was my preconceptions, but her dexterity was less reminiscent of a pizza chef than that of a surgeon attending to the operating table.

Does that make me the nurse?

Not that I could even offer to provide surgery tools—maybe, at least, I could clean up the miss that Kanbaru had made in the kitchen.

“Thanks to you, the breakfast seems to be coming along nicely, but the rain doesn't look like it's going to let up anytime soon, so I'm afraid we're going to have to make some major changes to today's plans.”

“Why not proceed in the rain? I don't think Nikko Toshogu Shrine would close its gates just because of rain.”

“I think we could still visit Futarasan Shrine, but I'm worried about the Irohazaka slope being a bit dangerous. Navigating the forty-eight hairpin turns in this downpour seems risky, especially downhill.”

“Well, even though it's a mountain path, it's also a paved road—we're not exactly driving on the edge of a cliff. If every time it rained, tourist spots became deserted, that would be pretty disheartening, and ironically due to the rain itself. As long as we don't speed, I presume it would be relatively safe—though, I must admit, I don't have a driver's license, so I can't really say for certain.”

“Huh? Kanbaru-san, you don’t have a driver's license?”

And she’s aiming for a doctor's license…? That was something I should have confirmed before embarking on this road trip. But on the other hand, time has changed as well.

I recall her not being able to ride a bicycle, for that matter. Shooting Star Kanbaru Suruga, the superstar who can outrun cars.

“Who is this 'Shooting Star Kanbaru Suruga'? I certainly don't remember receiving such a nickname. But, speaking of shooting stars, Araragi-senpai, unless we climb Irohazaka, we won't be able to reach Senjougahara.”

“That's true. But as I feared, the weather prevents us from going stargazing, our main focus.”

It might be that if we haven’t seen Nikko, we haven’t seen anything, but it’s difficult to just “proceed” in this heavy rain. Maybe Hachikuji didn’t have the power to stop the rain after all… To begin with, it’s more likely for a snail to have the ability to make it rain rather than stop it.

“Or could this be the doing of a fox? The fox's wedding… why is a sunshower called that, I wonder?”

“There's a theory that it's because the rain falling on a sunny day makes you feel as if you're being tricked by a fox.”

“You certainly know a lot. As expected of a future doctor.”

“This kind of thing won't be on the medical exam.”

“Yeah, it does feel like we’re being made a fool of with this rain.”

Truthfully, the situation was pretty foolish, but to lose the focus of our honeymoon due to a bit of rain would be equally ridiculous.

I feel like I didn't get to enjoy half of what glamping had to offer because I didn't get to stay in the fancy tent… Going back home like this seemed almost an insult to Tochigi Prefecture.

“The Nenekirimaru that Shinobu wanted to see was in Futarasan Shrine, which is just past Irohazaka, if I recall correctly. As for our plan to ride swan boats on Chuzenji Lake… No matter how you look at it, that's impossible for now.”

“Well then, Araragi-senpai, how about we change our plans right away and head for the Nasu Animal Kingdom?”

“I'm not really in the mood to see animals right now.”

That was because, after spending a night near the Killing Stone, I glanced at one of the standing signs amid the torrential rain. It wasn't the information sign about the Limbo of Infants, but rather it warned, “Beware of bear sightings.”

Could it not have mentioned that earlier?

At my current level of vampirism, I wouldn't stand a chance against a bear. Plus, my sister had warned me not to engage in combat with them. To think about it, if I had been attacked by a bear, it could have been culled as well.

But, in a way, that sign made my job as a Hearsay Department employee easier.

The fear of bears surpassed the fear of the Killing Stone. So, as long as that sign was there, the rumors surrounding the cracked stone wouldn't likely spread any further than the sulfur's reach.

Fear is replaced by even greater fear.

This was the fruits of fieldwork, information that could only be gained by physically being on location.

In any case, my top-secret mission from Chief Kouga was eventually accomplished, albeit with some twists and turns similar to a hairpin slope. Knowing that I could give a good report to the person who had sent me abroad made me genuinely happy.

I had to at least get one achievement… Though it was supposed to be just a side-quest, that's how achievements tend to work.

“You're pretty delicate, Araragi-senpai. Did you know the Nasu Animal Kingdom is home to alpacas? They can be found in high-altitude areas, like the Andes in South America.”

“Was it alpacas? I thought it was llamas?”

“Well, we could also go and see the geoglyphs.”

“This is supposed to be Nasu, not Nazca… I guess it might be nice to visit that Oya History place you mentioned, though I feel like I've seen my fill of stones, this stone oven included. When Hitagi wakes up, we’ll talk about it and decide.”

“Oh? Are you finally able to make decisions with counsel, Araragi-senpai?”

Whether it was from heart or a mere sarcastic remark, as she put into the handmade stone oven a carefully crafted pizza atop an equally handmade-looking, enormous grilling basket, I couldn't help but think that Kanbaru should not show her unclouded expertise in front of Hitagi.

Seriously, she might make her a maid.

Or her personal pizza chef.

“Still, the most hilarious possible scenario would be if Shinobu was adopted and you became her babysitter.”

“Yeah, I agree. Hilarious, hilarious indeed.”

“Considering the intensive work of a doctor, you might be better off hiring a housekeeper instead. I'm not going to be around forever to clean your room, you know.”

“I want you to keep tidying up for me indefinitely, Araragi-senpai. I'd even like to ask you to help me put on my surgical gown after disinfecting my hands.”

“As flattering as such words may be coming from you, I have no intentions of dedicating my life to cleaning my junior’s room.”

I had no intentions of becoming an OR nurse, either. It was impossible to begin with.

But I got used to the (im)possibilities.

I'd already given my life to a vampire.

I'd nearly forgotten that, to my chagrin… but, it was good that I could clearly recognize it once again on the threshold of my life.

“They say marriage is the graveyard of life, but I think that's far off. In fact, I feel like a newborn this morning.”

Maybe she wasn't the one who needed a new name.

Maybe it was me.

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Said to be next to the Sanzu River. Where children supposedly go if they die too young to commit any actual sins and have to keep piling up stones all day long to atone for the sins of their parents. In Mayoi Hell, Hachikuji said she had fallen there.

笠kasa is a traditional Japanese monk hat which functions as an umbrella. The original pun is with Kasa Jizo, referring to an old tale about a poor man offering his homemade bamboo hats to a line of Jizo statues.

#translation #ikusamonogatari #monogatari series #araragi koyomi

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