#ran kamiki
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Chapter 142 Notes
We have some heart-warming scenes in this chapter which is much welcomed, considering how bleak the others were....but still, i get this feeling that something isn't right, not right at all.
Back to the heart-warming part. Shiemi quickly realizes she isn't alone but has been reunited with her friends. Of course, they all react in different ways. And this reaction tells us a lot about the other characters' development. Some of it is good, and some of it ...troubling.
Kamiki shows emotion through anger. She loves Shiemi more than anyone else and worries about her welfare.
It's nice that she has grown to care about Shiemi that much. These two have become devoted friends, and that's great. Both girls need this strong friendship to heal from past trauma. It also shows how strong Kamiki's love for Shiemi has grown; she is the first to get to her. The first one to embrace her....well, other than Kuro.
Yukio, meanwhile, hates himself for being an abusive asshole. The last time he and Shiemi were together, he assaulted her. And, of course, Shiemi forgave him.
The fact that Shiemi cares so much about him affects him, doesn't it? Her reactions remind me of a person preparing to die. She sees her friends for the last time and is prepared to martyr herself to keep Assiah safe. Is anyone else getting those vibes? Yukio is smart. He picked up on it, look at that expression in his eyes; he knows. Shiemi is getting closure, so she has no regrets. But Yukio has some, and the realization breaks his heart. He loved Shiemi and ran out of time. It reminds me of Yuri and Shiro a little bit.
Rin's reaction isn't quite right, though. I thought he'd be the first to embrace Shiemi, but he seems to be the last. Since he's woken from battling Satan, he doesn't have the same pluck or caring, or Is it just me? He jumps right into hitting on Shiemi, and she, of course, does that thing she always does....she pushes Rin away. She never lets him get too close and creates distance whenever he makes his attraction to her known. This time she's even more aggressive about it. You could sum it up to her inexperience with boys, but it's something else. What that is, I'm not sure.
We move on to the rest of the plot. Shiemi must stay to battle Satan for the Earth, along with Shura and Lightning and a small band of senior exorcists.
Lightning says the group of youngsters must go back to safety, t
He wants them to follow in their footsteps if they fail. But he says it in a more sobering way. He's affirming that this is a death mission.
They also want Rin to go back to the academy as well. Rin, in time, might be the only weapon left to use against Satan.
Shura and Lightning mention "the plan." which we know must be Mephisto's plan. The one Shura was trying to get out of Mephisto for the last 100 chapters. She and Lightning know what it is now, and they are going out on their own to try to achieve the end result, even though they think they might not live through it.
Shura, meanwhile, insinuates that Lightning fed the kids a "line" and is tricking them somehow.
Is this small group heading out to defeat Satan escaping the order? This is the way out, and Mephisto has allowed them to reform into something better than the order. In the future, either all the other exorcists are dead, or they left the order. We know this is true because we see Angel all alone, running the show.
We also know RIn eventually decides to return to the outer rim; he can't stay with the order because Angel hates him.
I'm guessing in the bleak future, Rin gets exiled.
But then again, this is just a possible future, not an actual future.
And do all the exwires go into Mephisto's retro fridge? I think that Rin decides to stay. A prediction for the next chapter.
Speaking of lines...we get this one repeated again. The same one Shiro told Shura. This is a sign that Shiemi is mentally prepared to die, as Shiro was. She is ready to step forward in one final brave act, to save her friends.
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Taking into account backstory and character development...
(Classmates + Akinari only. Ran out of space to include everyone and the classmates are more popular anyway)
#persona 3#persona#kenji tomochika#hidetoshi odagiri#kazushi miyamoto#chihiro fushimi#keisuke hiraga#yuko nishiwaki#andre laurent jean geraux#mamoru hayase#nozomi suemitsu#akinari kamiki#rio iwasaki#saori hasegawa#spiderman persona poll
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JUST READ 132!!!
i will confess i immediately ran to check your post to confirm my thoughts about what i was thinking about ruby and aqua because shes majorly calling him sensei now and shes definitely seeing goro instead of aqua rn even though they're really different people atp (i suspect this is an effort to compartmentalize and maybe process? the huge emotional upheavals that shes experiencing)
anyways yeah i agree nino is probably the 45510 narrator (i thought it mightve been takamine lmao) and i thought it was an interesting parallel to kanakane in regards to the roles theyre playing (i think ive mentioned that 45510 and Viewpoint B have parallels to their rivalry?) since kana plays nino and akane plays takamine and that akane. made an effort to understand why kana reacted that way while the founding b-komachi decidedly...did not.
also ruby liking meimei and kyun only apart from ai lmao she knew what was up
ai, trying to love everyone so hard despite all the hurt that even the person who dehumanized her so heavily felt it 😭
still reeling over the nino-kamiki connection and the Implications...
anyways have a good day!
just publishing this bc i would have no coherent additions aside from me nodding at top speed in agreement
That said, if we're talking about parallels, I think Nino and Ai also have some interesting ones, at least in terms of the faces they put on in social environments. Nino is consistently portrayed as pretty timid and easily mowed down and bossed around by people who have bigger personalities than her but now I can't help but wonder if this is an intentional choice on her part - playing dumb similarly to Ai, keeping her head down and going with the flow, saying whatever suits the situation and makes everyone happy in order to not rock the boat...
ouuughh i want to see ai/nino toxic yuri so bad......
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what if: irresistible mistakes
what if jun and rei met keita when they were younger?
warning: mispelling and grammar issues
(i am transferring storage and found some ff i wrote years ago during covid!)
Jun Araki had always been a daydreamer. His head was constantly filled with thoughts and memories, and he often lost track of the present moment. Today was no exception.
As he walked back from school with his classmate and fellow orphan, Rei Kamiki, Jun's mind was elsewhere. He was thinking about the time he played soccer in the local league and caught a glimpse of his biological mother by the fence. He wondered what she was like and why she gave him up for adoption.
Lost in thought, Jun didn't realize that Rei had stopped walking. It wasn't until he reached the entrance of the orphanage that he noticed Rei was missing.
"Rei?" Jun called out, but there was no response.
Jun was panting as he reached the entrance of the orphanage. He looked around frantically, searching for any sign of Rei Kamiki. His heart was racing, and his mind was filled with worst-case scenarios. What if Rei had been kidnapped? What if he was lost and alone somewhere?
"Rei! Rei!" Jun called out, his voice echoing in the empty courtyard. But there was no answer, no sign of his friend.
Jun's mind raced as he tried to think of where Rei could be. He remembered the kitten that Rei had been distracted by on their walk back from school. Maybe he had gone back to find it?
Without a second thought, Jun turned and ran back in the direction they had come from. He retraced their steps, calling out Rei's name as he went. He checked the nearby parks and playgrounds, the alleyways and side streets, but there was no sign of his friend. Jun's mind raced as he tried to think of where Rei could be. He remembered the kitten that Rei had been distracted by on their walk back from school. Maybe he had gone back to find it?
Without a second thought, Jun turned and ran back in the direction they had come from. He retraced their steps, calling out Rei's name as he went. He checked the nearby parks and playgrounds, the alleyways and side streets, but there was no sign of his friend.
As the sun began to set, Jun's heart sank. He was exhausted, his legs aching from all the running, and he had no idea where Rei could be. He was about to give up when he heard a faint meowing sound coming from a nearby alley.
He rushed over, and there he found Rei, sitting on the ground, holding the tiny kitten in his lap.
"Rei! Thank goodness I found you!" Jun said, relief flooding through him.
Rei looked up, a small smile on his face. "I found this kitten," he said, holding it up for Jun to see. "Isn't it cute?"
Jun couldn't help but smile. "It's adorable," he said, relief washing over him. "But you had me worried sick, you know."
Rei's smile faded, and he looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I just wanted to make sure the kitten was safe."
Jun sighed and sat down next to his friend. "I know," he said. "But you can't just run off like that. I was so scared something had happened to you."
Rei nodded, his eyes filling with tears. "I'm sorry," he repeated.
Jun put a hand on Rei's shoulder. "It's okay," he said. "I'm just glad you're safe. Let's go back to the orphanage before it gets too late."
Rei nodded, and the two of them got up, with the kitten still cradled in Rei's arms. They walked back to the orphanage in silence, but Jun could feel the weight of his worry lifting as they went.
Jun Araki and Rei Kamiki walked back to their orphanage, Rei cradling the kitten in his arms. The sun had set, and the sky was dark, with only the streetlights providing any illumination. As they approached the orphanage, they saw a car parked out front.
Jun and Rei exchanged a worried glance, but they approached the front door anyway. As they tried to sneak in with the kitten, the orphanage director suddenly appeared, startling them both.
"Jun, Rei, where have you been?" the director asked sternly. "I was worried about you two."
"We found a kitten on the street and wanted to take care of it," Rei explained, holding the kitten up for the director to see.
The director softened a bit at the sight of the kitten, but then she noticed the car parked out front. "Who's in the car?" she asked, suspicion in her voice.
Jun and Rei shrugged, not knowing who it could be. They followed the director inside and sat on the bottom of the stairs as she went to investigate.
As they sat there, they overheard the director talking to a social worker about two new boys who had just arrived at the orphanage. The youngest boy, Keita, was quietly crying behind his older brother.
Rei's heart went out to the little boy, and he tried to get up to comfort him with his kitten. But Jun stopped him before he could stand up and sat him back down.
"We don't want to draw attention to ourselves," Jun whispered. "Let's just wait until the director is done talking to the social worker."
Rei nodded, understanding that Jun was trying to protect them. They sat quietly, with the kitten curled up in Rei's lap, until the director finished her conversation.
After the social worker left, the director came over to them. "Jun, Rei, I'm sorry I scared you earlier," she said. "But I need you to promise me that you won't go wandering off again without telling anyone. It's not safe out there."
Jun and Rei nodded, promising to always let someone know where they were going from now on.
As they headed off to bed, Rei couldn't stop thinking about Keita and how much he must be hurting. He vowed to try and befriend the younger boy and help him feel less alone.
And as he fell asleep with the kitten purring in his arms, Rei felt grateful to have Jun by his side, always looking out for him and teaching him how to be brave in a scary world.
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WOLF GAME
THE WOLF GAME PART 11
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My search for the syringe used to potentially inject Miho eventually led me back to the bathroom where it didn’t take long to find an box of medication stored under the sink…
ME : O-Oh… Oh no…
Opening the box, I found three needles insides… Well… What should have been three...
ME : …One is missing…
ME : Which means…
It meant that someone really did inject Miho last night… Now all I needed to do was figure out why… I continued to search through the box.
ME : Hm?
…And found a blister pack of sleeping pills…
ME : 3 tablets seem to have been used... By who…?
ME : Did someone take them out...?
I picked up the sleeping pills to examine them more closely when a sudden shout from behind me caused me to jump.
RITSU KAMIKI : Hey! What do you think you’re doing?
ME : Jesus! You scared me!
RITSU KAMIKI : Yeah? And you’re not answering my question. What are you doing messing around like this...?
ME : N-nothing… Really!!
I quickly hid the sleeping pills I had in my hand behind my back but it was to no avail. Ritsu was more observant than I realized…
RITSU KAMIKI : Show me what you’re hiding behind your back! Now!
ME : Why? it's nothing! R-Really!
But she didn’t let me, reaching behind me to snatch up the pack of sleeping pills.
RITSU KAMIKI : You call this nothing!? Sleeping pills!? And some have been used, too!
RITSU KAMIKI : C-Could it be... Are you the culprit!?
RITSU KAMIKI : Did you drug Miho Kaidou!?
ME : No, that's not it at all! You’ve got it all wrong!!
This was it… I needed to convince Ritsu I was innocent. But how did I go about doing that?
Clearly just telling her I’m not the culprit wouldn’t work. That’s exactly what the culprit WOULD do.
…Which also meant flat out denying giving anything to Miho could just serve to escalate the situation.
…In the end, I decided that the best course of action was to be as transparent as possible….
ME : I-I only just found the sleeping pills! I swear!
RITSU KAMIKI : Hmph, so you just found them, too, huh?
RITSU KAMIKI : Alright… I guess I'll believe you for now.
RITSU KAMIKI : But really you shouldn’t act so suspicious all the time…
ME : R-right, I'll be more careful…
I took a breath, sighing out relief. It seemed I was in the clear of her suspicions for now…
RITSU KAMIKI : Seriously though...
RITSU KAMIKI : This is my first time looking through this place but they even have, like, these blood transfusion packs here...
ME : Wait, what…? They even have blood transfusion packs here?
Indeed they did… It seemed the harder we searched, the more we found, and almost everything we found proved to be so… out of place… in a facility like this…
RITSU KAMIKI : Maybe they’re here so that if someone does try to kill us, we have all the means to fight for survival… Or to the bitter end?
ME : Ritsu!
A chill ran through me. And Ritsu laughed.
RITSU KAMIKI : Haha, just kidding. Now THAT would be ridiculous…
ME : You really shouldn’t be making jokes about stuff like that…
Not that she seemed to pay me any mind…
RITSU KAMIKI : Right, well, I'mma keep exploring this place a little longer! See ya!
I turned away from Ritsu and continued searching the room independently from her. Only to find myself lost in thought once again.
ME : (Thankfully, it seems I didn't raise any suspicions from Ritsu...)
ME : (But still...)
The missing syringe… The injection in Miho’s arm…
…The evidence was piling up.
And we needed to be careful as we picked our way through it. The wolf who killed Miho was among us… And we needed to find them…
#Wolf Game#Wolf Game Another#Wolf Game translation#Wolf Game another translation#狼ゲーム#狼ゲームtranslation#Zetsubou Prison#絶望プリズン#Zetsubou Prison translation#絶望プリズン translation#Wolfpart11
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#magu chan#magu chan god of destruction#kei kamiki#official media#official art#manga#manga art#naputaaku#ren fujisawa#ran fujisawa#roku fujisawa#frenzied troops#hakaishin magu chan
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What games do you have in your physical and digital game collection?
digitally I’ve got for PC tales of zestiria, all elder scrolls (i got the anthology for $20 somehow), final fantasy vii, minecraft, we know the devil and then digitally on consoles i have persona 3, symphony of the nightokami,final fantasy x, the first three zeldas, mario kart
i own physical copies of wind waker (TWO of them), twilight princess, skyward sword, majora’s mask, ocarina of time 3ds, danganronpas 1 2 and another episode, smash ultimate and brawl, pokemon fire red, pokemon moon, ace attorney 3, zero escape 999 and vlr (vlr unfinished), the last of us, persona 4, resident evil two remake (not played), fire emblems 6 10 13 and 15, kingdom hearts the story so far, kingdom hearts 358 days for ds, metal gear solid hd collection, and breath of the wild!! typing all this up made me realize that over the years i’ve.... gathered up a lot more games than i thought
#i only got okami last night and havent played much but iev been watching my gf play it too and its SO cute#im only as far as getting to kamiki the first time and my gf just ran into waka#Anonymous
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The Short Okami Ramble Post So My Friends, Mutuals and Followers Who Haven't Already Might Go Play It
Note: I'll try to keep spoiling the fun surprises to a minimum but obviously I'll be talking a lot about the game. I'm sure others have done a better job of explaining it but, eh, who cares? This is just an excuse to gush about it.
So, for the basics, this game came out on the PS2 back in 2006/2007 (depending on your region), made by Clover Studios (which sadly closed a few months after its release). It has since been ported to the Wii, PS3, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and onto PC through Steam. The name "Okami" is actually a pun, something I didn't get until my friend (the one who's playing it) recently told me that (as the Wiki puts it)
' the word ōkami (狼) in Japanese means "wolf". The kanji characters (大神), pronounced identically, mean "great deity", so the main character is a great wolf deity.'
I must've known on a spiritual level with how much I adored this game lmao.
Also I mean, look at it. The game's art style is... gorgeous.
Like??? I love it so much!!!
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STORY
It obviously takes a LOT of inspiration from Japanese mythology. The main character is a wolf named Amaterasu (after the Shinto sun goddess). She is the wielder of the Celestial Brush (her tail, something my friend didn't notice at first) with a collection of techniques that, when you start the game, have been scattered across the land of Nippon among the gods to which she is the "mother" of. Gotta collect em all!
The pre-main menu video talks about the legend of Shiranui (aka Amaterasu's previous incarnation), a white wolf that helped Nagi (a fabled human warrior) defeat and seal the dreadful eight-headed serpent Orochi (based of course off of the Yamata no Orochi) that was eating the maidens of Kamiki Village year after year. Before this climactic fight, the villagers had assumed the wolf was another minion of Orochi--but then Shiranui ran in after Nagi like "yo worm catch these PAWS", and then strange miracles occurred that gave them the upper hand. Sadly, Shiranui's wounds from the fight were too great. A statue was erected in a small shrine to honor the wolf for helping save the village.
Then the game starts a hundred years later, when darkness was unleashed once more. The guardian wood sprite of Kamiki, named Sakuya, protected the village within a peach on her tree, and using the last of her power summoned Amaterasu back into the world. The goddess had weakened in her absence, losing many of her abilities, hence the player has to go retrieve them all to become stronger and defeat evil. (By the way, learned that the game director loved The Legend of Zelda games and, yeah, I can tell.) You don't say much, being a wolf, but you are joined by a little buddy named Issun, a traveling painter who is interested in acquiring the Celestial Brush techniques himself and so decides to come along for the ride.
And boy, is it one fun ride! A lot of stuff happens after this but, of course, I'd rather you play and experience it for yourself. Even if I'd love to ramble about all the different characters lmao
NOTE: It's a dated game, so it will have some tropes of the times and jokes that might not land well nowadays. I don't think it has anything horrible in it, but obviously your mileage may vary, so keep the ratings in mind before you decide to play.
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GAMEPLAY
Speaking of brush techniques! They're the power-ups and abilities of the game. You start out with the Sunrise ability because. Y'know. Sun goddess. But you acquire many many more throughout the game. Thirteen total techniques exist--plus upgrades! Moves like Power Slash, Inferno, Cherry Bomb, Waterspout, Bloom, etc. They're used for combat, transport, finding secrets etc.
There are other abilities in the game too, most you get by going to one of the dojos to be taught by Onigiri-sensei. Yes, this old man will teach a dog new tricks. AND! There are several weapons of three different types: Reflectors, rosaries, and glaives. Each type, and each individual weapon even, has its own playstyle and abilities--and you can have two equipped, with one main and one secondary, giving even MORE customization to your combat style. I used rosaries my first few playthroughs with the other two types as secondaries, though nowadays I like to mix it up; my friend mains glaive, with rosaries as secondary.
The way you enter most combats is by running into a floating "demon scroll" that wanders the overworld, which then spawns a barrier around a small arena filled with various demons. There's also Demon Gates, which are cursed gates that sorta sit there messing up the place until you run through it and trigger an unescapable fight. Clearing those up often cleanses the land and gains you rewards, or unlocks new areas, so knock em dead!
Boss fights, well, they're generally very obvious when they'll start. Most are behind save points or checkpoints, and have a lot of build-up in the game. You generally won't get caught off-guard, but saving often and with multiple save files is still a good tactic to make sure you don't get your tail whooped or accidentally miss something you can't get back to. (Says I, the spastic saver.)
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RECOMMENDED? HELL YES.
This game was obviously something I latched onto as a kid, but I've replayed it from start to finish so many times because I truly do enjoy the whole experience.
The characters are interesting and fun, the plot weaves together a lot of smaller stories into the larger whole, and the art style and gameplay really caught my eye and still kind of wows me. The themes of the game involve a lot of duty, honor, loyalty, heroism, compassion, and faith (which, while obviously used a lot in the heavenly sense, since you're playing AS the deity, I always felt like ended up more as a "faith in your friends" kind of way).
And there are so many ports and remasters of this game that it's pretty much available to everyone nowadays! If you haven't already played this game, I highly recommend giving it a try, if only to run around freely as a wolf and kick some tail to save the world.
Even if you don't pick it up though, I highly recommend looking at the art and listening to the soundtrack, because they are gorgeous even without any of the context! Some may have spoilers of course. But, there's a reason why this game was often used as proof of the argument that Video Games Are Art.
youtube
#dragon talks#dragon rambles#okami game#i love this game so much it was a big part of my childhood#just listened to Reset for the first time in a long while n it gave me so many Emotions#Youtube
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Ran the numbers on the 20 jdramas I actually watched to completion (there are several more I never finished for one reason or another) and interestingly enough, 8/20 were crime procedurals or had stories centered around one specific crime, while 4/20 were medical dramas (counting all Code Blue seasons as one show).
I kind of knew that I gravitate towards those two genres but I didn’t think it was quite that many lol. Even KeixYaku, falls under that crime genre, plus Toumei na Yurikago which I was slowing working through, is a medical drama.
I once made a post describing all the different jdramas I finished, this time I’d like to mention the ones I got super close to finishing but never did. Sometimes, I just grew bored. Most of the time, though, I got busy and forgot to get back to it, then too much time had passed and I didn’t want to just jump in and watch the last 2 episodes.
The Story of Yamada Taro/Yamada Taro Monogatari: One of the few school comedies I’ve ever watched and enjoyed. I don’t remember why I never finished the last few episodes, but Arashi’s Ninomiya and Sakurai star in it, and they honestly stole the show as the two main characters because they are all I can remember about this drama lol. Kinda corny, but I liked it back then. Also had some bromance vibes.
11nin mo iru!: A family drama, I remember it was pretty fun and had its heartwarming and dramatic moments. I think I just forgot to get back to this one, honestly. But Kamiki Ryunosuke was in this and I love him to pieces.
Testimony of N/N no tame ni: I think this was one I watched as it aired, was waiting for subs, and then forgot all about it eventually lol. There is just so much drama. So much tragic drama and people being horrible people that I don’t think I’d want to watch it again. But it did a good job of unraveling the events, interactions, and decisions that led up to the crime that occurs in the very first episode. It’s a drama that tracks the lives of the people involved and slowly unveils their motivations and secrets they’ve kept hidden.
Summer Rescue: Sounds kinda corny, but it’s also a medical drama about a surgeon from the city who is sent to help out at a clinic located up in the mountains. Hilarity kind of ensues, but it’s also heartwarming at times in the way jdramas tend to get. I just got busy with this one and never finished it.
Rinsho Hanzai Gakusha Himura Hideo no Suiri: Really got good towards the end but I kind of dreaded it actually ending, got distracted...and never finished it. See the trend here? It’s definitely not perfect, but it’s got its moments and the two leads’ play off each other well, if I remember.
Ideal Son/Risou no Musuko: Apparently, I also tend not to finish high school comedies lol...but Risou no Musuko was actually pretty funny. I used to watch a lot of Yamada Ryosuke’s dramas when I was younger, so that’s probably how I found this one.
#the muffin's drama watching adventures#of these im most likely to finish summer rescue honestly#the comedies i feel like i wouldn't find them funny nowadays#n no tame ni was just a hard watch#good but not something i'd enjoy watching twice#and rinsho hanzai gakusha is a little too silly and light on the actual complex mystery for me to want to watch it again#if im on a feel good family drama kick i might finish 11 mo iru
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Ask anything about your stories... oh my, which to pick. Um, ok. Soulmate AU - will any of the Quincy Characters we've seen in Bare your Fangs, White Wings, or any verse where more Quincies than Alexis and Erich have appeared pop up again in Soulmate? Or in Okami, for that matter.
Hmm... let's see
For Soulmate AU: Briar (and the others in Alexis' Quincy 'unit') might show up once we get to the Quincy lands themselves, and maaaaybe Erich's mother? I'll have to see how the story plays out in the final few chapters to say for sure.
for Okami AU: absolutely! they've already had a brief mention (Briar and the others were in the pack of wolves that Erich ran with in the very beginning) and as soon as they get back to Quincy lands, they'll have actual speaking parts.
Also, Ren and Mami aren't usually considered Quincy (White Wings is the only verse where they are) but they're in the Okami AU as well XD I couldn't resist including them, since I needed basically an entire OC village modeled after the Kamiki Village of Okami.
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Rizumo Week 2020 Day 2: Apocalypse
WOO Rizumo Week is here and I’m only already a day behind!!! Have my offering anyways because I’m very proud of it!!!
@the-new-rizumo-week-blog
Their time ran out. Gehenna Gate was officially open.
The mid-morning sky is pitch black as Lucifer’s army clashes with Samael’s forces. Hardly anything can be heard over the din of war, the screams of the innocent fading one by one as countless lives are lost. Otherworldly beings pour through rips in space, ready and willing to join in the complete destruction of everything around them. It’s brutal, it’s chaotic, and above all else… it seems utterly hopeless.
Yet, two teenage girls dash quickly through the forests, heading further and further toward the heart of ruin. Despite being clad in school uniforms, the ease with which they battle off supernatural forces and the fluidity of their synchronization suggest intense training and experience.
Izumo Kamiki and Shiemi Moriyama fly through the trees, their faces grim and their hearts sharing one goal.
“We’re still going the right way, right?” Izumo shouts, not even pausing to look at her friend. Her twintails whip behind her as they race forward, narrowly avoiding tripping over hazardous roots and jagged rocks.
“Yes! Nee says he’s just a little farther!” Shiemi calls back. She’s clearly beginning to flag, but sheer determination pushes her to keep running, running, running through the exhaustion and burning pain—
—until a clawed hand grabs her leg and heaves her through the air, snatching the ground right out from under her. Her involuntary scream is cut short because, already, Mike and Uke are there, cutting off the offending arm and freeing her. Nee spawns a woollybush to cushion her fall, but before Shiemi can thank it, she catches sight of their surroundings.
“Nee! Barrier!”
Thick bramble bursts from its body and encompasses the surroundings just as a swarm of demons pounce forth. Shiemi and Izumo stand in the middle of a slowly hardening cocoon, watching as the desperate beings claw at the thorns that tighten around them. They snarl and gnash, their attention solely focused on the prey before them, even as their bodies rip and tear apart on the barrier.
Despite this, the inhuman howling only seems to grow louder. “Dammit, there’s more of them,” Izumo spits out, spinning around in all directions to try to ascertain the situation. “Mike! Uke! Where are you?!”
Nee places its arm on Shiemi’s leg, drawing its master’s attention toward the deep gashes found there. Shiemi stares at it thoughtfully, then up to her friend, then up to the cocoon surrounding them. She finally settles her gaze on the direction they’d been travelling.
“... Kamiki. You have to get to Rin.”
Izumo, who had been strategizing with Mike and Uke, freezes. She whips around to face Shiemi, utter bewilderment meeting a cool calm. “Wha— What are you saying?! You’re the one he needs right now! Both of them do!”
Shiemi shakes her head, gesturing to her leg. “I’m not going to make it there in time. And right now, I have the best shot of fending these demons off.” Izumo scoffs without malice, clearly intent on arguing, but Shiemi gestures around them. “Look! This is my element. They can’t beat me here.” Her eyes are set with that same foolhardy courage Izumo’s seen so many times before. “Please, leave this to me, Kamiki.”
The other tamer stomps her foot, hands clenched painfully into fists. “You can’t seriously expect me to leave you here—”
“Izumo!!” Shiemi’s cherubic features harden into a mask of stony determination. “Just like I have something I must do, right now, there’s something only you can do. I believe in you! Now, go!”
Long vines of wisteria shoot out from Nee’s chest, wrapping around Izumo and pulling her up and away through an opening in the cocoon. The last she sees of Shiemi is her soft, tender smile… and then the bramble closes up completely.
———
Izumo thrashes, curses, and kicks violently at the vines the whole way through, but they’re undeterred. They seem to stretch endlessly, weaving seamlessly around every tree and bush, before they finally clear the woods and reach their limit. Upon gently depositing her on top of a steep hill, they rapidly recoil and vanish from sight. The fallen petals have made a perfect trail, and she has half a mind to stomp her way right back… until she sees the scene beyond the crest.
The apocalypse, pure and simple, is upon them.
But… a figure in the distance has her running down the slope before she even realizes it. The hair is too light and all wrong, his face too sunken, and god, when did he get so skinny—but there’s no way she’d mistake him for anyone else.
“Rin!”
His gaze snaps to her, shifting instantly from piercing to panicked. He stands alone in a clearing, his clothing showing clear signs of battle, but seeming uninjured. There’s no sign of Yukio’s presence—not yet. The knot in Izumo’s chest finally untangles with relief.
Good. She isn’t too late.
“I-Izumo?! You shouldn’t be here!” Despite his words, his arms still raise up as though he means to catch her when she starts skidding down the rest of the way.
But as with all things, she stubbornly resists this, digging her heels in firmly to stop a few feet away from him, ignoring her ankles’ aching protest. The glare she gives him could wither a man twice his size, and dimly, Rin thinks that he’s glad he’s more demon than man at the moment.
She inhales sharply.
There’s something only you can do.
“You,” Izumo says with an impressive amount of venom in one word, “are an absolute idiot.”
Rin’s mouth drops open.
“I mean seriously, did you make a bet with someone to get dumber and dumber everyday?! Every time I think you’ve finally peaked, you go off and find a way to prove me wrong. And the worst part is, you don’t even take your own advice!” She crosses her arms firmly across her chest, successfully managing to not flinch when one of her nastier injuries reopens.
Rin frantically throws his arms up in the air, his expression one of pure bewilderment. “What the hell— what is going on here?! Why are you here— no, why are you angry at me— no, did you seriously just come here to get mad at me?! What did I do?!” He pauses, spotting the blood dripping off her arm. “Wait, you’re blee—”
Her glare somehow grows icier as she takes a step forward. “Don’t try to change the subject. You know exactly what you were about to do.” Step. “You were about to sacrifice yourself.” He swallows. Another step. “You want to protect your friends, your brother, and everyone, and somewhere in that twisted, idiot logic of yours, you worked out a way to save everyone except yourself.” The last step puts her within arm’s reach, the closest they’ve been in a long, long time. “I think we both know better than anyone what being on the receiving end of that feels like.”
He can’t hold her gaze. The second he looks away, she flicks him on the forehead.
“If you’ve reached the end of what you can do alone, then rely on us. We’re here for you.”
His eyes widen.
And maybe it’s because when she’s this close, she can really see how different he looks and it hurts her heart; maybe it’s because he looks like he’s been staring down the gallows for so long that he dares not imagine a break in the rope; or maybe it’s because the world is threatening to pull apart at the seams around them and she lost the will to pretend she didn’t care so, so long ago—any one of these reasons could be the one that has her hand gently carding through his hair.
Rin’s frozen under her touch, looking all too fragile and scared for her liking, and she tousles his hair a little rougher. “This white really doesn’t suit you.” Her voice is so soft, the kind of soft he’s only ever heard her use for Paku and Shiemi, and sometimes Kuro when she thinks no one is listening. She lowers her hand and ghosts her fingertips along his cheek, almost as if by accident, and he subconsciously leans into the touch. Her heart pounds with one, decisive thump. “Should I start calling you ‘grandpa,’ old man?”
He blinks once. Twice. Three times before saying, “What?”
She snorts and drops her hand, sneering as she shrugs as condescendingly as possible. “Oh sorry, didn’t realize you were hard of hearing now too. I said, do you—”
He splutters. “Who’re you calling grandpa?! First of all, I’d be a Grade A silver fox—”
“Did you seriously just use the word ‘fox’ because it’s me—”
Their bickering fills the air and, given the setting, it’s an entirely ridiculous picture. When students read records of war in the classroom, very rarely are there entries that go, “and then the commander argued with his classmate about how much of a catch he was before setting off to battle.”
(But for this war, if they all were to survive, perhaps someone would write—)
An approaching presence has Rin snap to attention, and he’s momentarily thrown when he realizes that he’s actually relaxed and focused. There isn’t even a trace of the destructive spiral he was going down before…
He looks to Izumo, who already has Mike and Uke summoned by her side. Before she arrived. Their eyes meet and she grins like a shot fox. “You might as well just stand back and let me finish this whole thing. Wouldn’t want you to break a hip out there.”
Laughter bursts from his lips. “You never heard of respecting your elders, missy?” His hand slips briefly into her own, squeezing hard.
Thanks, Izumo.
(—Perhaps someone would write about the group of friends who knew that even the son of Satan had doubts and fears, and the shrine maiden who pulled him back.)
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I got this Okami Au idea focusing on Takeru and Kiku as Susano and Kushi respectively. I recommend playing that game, it’s really good. Takeru is the local swordsman of Den Village (Kamiki Village) and he is supposed to be the greatest swordsman ever. He often brags about fighting monsters to the other villagers, but most of them know he is exaggerating since he is scared of the monsters (most of the monsters are ghosts and he’s scared of ghosts). But one person would always listen to his stories and that person is Kiku, a famous sake brewer. People from other villages would travel to Den Village to try her famous brews. Kiku would always listen to Takeru’s stories as she enjoys hearing them and watching him get excited whenever someone listens to him. Takeru has a huge crush on her and would find any opportunity to spend time with her, such as carrying huge barrels of water from the spring for her sake or helping harvest her rice crops.
In their village there’s a legend of a horrible snake monster known as the Orochi (in this Au the monster is gonna be Blood Shepherd). They say every year, the Orochi would send a flying arrow towards a maiden’s house and that maiden must be sacrificed or the village will face great misfortune courtesy of the monster’s minions. But one day Takeru’s ancestor used a magic sword to vanquish the monster for it has chosen his beloved, Kiku’s ancestor, and he wasn’t going to let her be sacrificed. But he didn’t vanquish the monster alone. It was said a mysterious wolf appeared and assisted the swordsman in slaying the creature. Sadly the wolf died in battle protecting the swordsman, and in its honor, the people of the village erected a statue of the wolf by the village’s cherry blossom tree, said to have been inhabited by their protector Goddess (the Goddess is Emma Bessho as Sakuya-Hime).
One day there was a mysterious fog coming from a legendary lake that was said to have been the Orochi’s home and monsters started appearing out of nowhere. Emma appeared from the tree and tried to use her powers to create a force field to protect the villagers from harm, but the fog was too powerful and some of the monsters got in. Realizing that the Orochi May be reviving itself and the danger the villagers will face, Emma took out a mysterious mirror said to have belonged to the wolf and she used it to revive the wolf. The wolf was actually a god (Yusaku is the wolf god) and he was in a deep sleep awaiting the return of the monster. Emma brought Yusaku back and requested that he protect her people. He agrees but Emma noticed that he cannot speak so she had him partner up with a tiny swordsman, Ai (he is based on Issun in the game) and Ai would sit atop Yusaku’s head and speak on his behalf.
Yusaku and Ai went down to the village and saw the villagers getting attacked by the monsters and Yusaku proceeds to slay the monsters. During the attack, Yusaku comes across Takeru hiding from the monsters. The villagers laughed at Takeru and boasted how he is not a true swordsman like his ancestor but Takeru laughs it off saying it was a part of his plan to slay the monsters before the wolf appeared. The villagers just ignored him and walked away, and Takeru felt really bad about not fighting the monsters. He really wanted to but he was to scared. Yusaku and Ai noticed this and Ai suggests that Takeru should team up with Yusaku and slay the monsters.
Takeru thought Ai was crazy but Yusaku kept nudging him to fight; he sensed a strong fighting spirit within Takeru and saw his potential. Takeru still didn’t want to fight until they heard a scream. The monsters came back and they were about to attack Kiku. Takeru saw Kiku in danger and tried to rescue her, but he froze in fear. Yusaku and Ai saw this and they told Takeru to go towards the monsters. Takeru though they were insane but when the monsters lunged at Kiku, he sprang into action without thinking with an old sword he always kept with him. Takeru used his sword and at the same time, Yusaku used his power to help Takeru cut the monsters down and save Kiku.
Kiku thanked Takeru and she was amazed by his bravery. Takeru was surprised that he slew the monsters with his sword and he thought that he did it on his own, not realizing Yusaku gave him strength. Takeru then proceeded to brag about slaying monsters with ease and then proceeds to find other monsters to slay. Yusaku and Ai see this and they follow Takeru around to make sure he doesn’t hurt himself.
Kiku saw the wolf following Takeru and she thanks Yusaku for helping Takeru. She saw Yusaku using his powers to help Takeru slay the monsters. She then asks Yusaku to look after Takeru and he agrees. So for the next few days Takeru tries to slay as many monsters as possible, but he usually tries to run away until Yusaku and Ai help him out. At first Takeru thought he was good at slaying the monsters but then he starts to think something is amiss as he admits he is not as good a swordsman as his ancestor and he shouldn’t be able to fight the monsters easily. Takeru starts to doubt himself until Kiku appears and gives him words of encouragement. Just as Takeru started to feel better by Kiku’s words, screams were heard from the village and Kiku, Takeru, Yusaku and Ai ran towards the village. They saw an arrow lodged into Kiku’s house and the villagers recalled the story of the Orochi and how he used arrows to mark his sacrifices. The Orochi has revived and he demands that Kiku is to be sacrificed or misfortune shall arise. The villagers were horrified and didn’t know what to do, until Kiku spoke up and agreed to go see the Orochi. The villagers thought she was crazy but Kiku told them of her plan to get the Orochi drunk with her sake and try to slay it. She remembers the story of how Takeru’s ancestor used her own ancestor’s sake to weaken the beast. Kiku figures she could do the same so she dons her best kimono and brought her finest sake with her to the lake.
Takeru and the villagers tried to stop Kiku from going but she said that if she doesn’t go, the village will be doomed. She then told Takeru she believes in him and that he will save her. Kiku knows that he is brave on the inside and that he can do anything if he tries. Kiku then heads off to the lake to confront the Orochi and the villagers stood by and watched. Takeru didn’t know what to do; he was terrified and didn’t think he could slay the beast or any other monster. Ai and Yusaku then confront Takeru and tried to convince him to save Kiku and slay the Orochi. Takeru refused at first but once they mentioned that he could lose Kiku forever to the Orochi and that she put her faith in him, that convinced Takeru to take action. Takeru dons his armor, said to belonged to his ancestor, takes his old sword, and runs towards the lake with Yusaku and Ai by his side.
They reached the lake when Kiku tries to convince the Orochi to take her sake but the beast refuses, throws her sake into the lake, and tries to eat her. Takeru sees Kiku in danger and he runs towards the beast with sword in hand. Realizing he is more terrified of losing Kiku, Takeru conquered his fear and managed to take a swing at the Orochi. The Orochi was struck in the eye and while the beast was in pain, Takeru grabbed Kiku and took her to a safe place. Kiku was overjoyed seeing Takeru and he thanked her for believing in him and giving him courage. Meanwhile Yusaku and Ai fight the Orochi and they backed the monster to a corner, but they cannot deal the final blow. Takeru sees this and runs towards Yusaku wondering why he can’t slay the beast. Just then the old sword Takeru is carrying starts to glow and it bursts into magical flames. Takeru holds the sword in amazement and he wonders why the sword became magical. Yusaku finally speaks and told Takeru that he can’t slay the Orochi unless the sword’s power is unleashed, but the sword is possessed by a spirit who only allows mortals with a courageous heart to wield it. (Yusaku is able to speak when he is near a legendary magical object possessed by powerful spirits). The spirit appears before Takeru and praises him for his bravery (Flame is the sword spirit) and mentions he is as brave as his ancestor.
Yusaku then asks Takeru to help him slay the Orochi now that it has weakened. Takeru notices the monster is acting strange and Yusaku mentioned he used his powers to change the lake water into Kiku’s sake during his fight when the beast threw the sake into the lake. Takeru then works together with Yusaku in slaying the Orochi with Kiku cheering them on. Once the monster has been slain, the group traveled back to the village and announced the Orochi has been destroyed. The villagers cheered and praised Takeru and the others for defeating the monster. Everyone celebrated throughout the night and during the celebration, Takeru made sure to spend as much time with Kiku as possible as he helped her distribute sake for everyone. Yusaku and Ai were about to leave but Takeru stops them and asked Yusaku why he couldn’t slay the Orochi many years ago. Yusaku told Takeru that he tried to slay the monster with Takeru’s ancestor but the swordsman was almost killed in battle and Yusaku took the blows in his stead, thus they were unable to finish off the monster back then. But now that the beast has been slain, Den Village is now safe and Yusaku then heads out to face other monsters that may be terrorizing other villages, but not before telling Takeru to confess his feelings towards Kiku (Yusaku noticed Takeru’s feeling for her).
Takeru then looked for Kiku and found her in her home. He then confessed his love to her and apologized for being cowardly before. Kiku knew Takeru was scared the whole time but knew he had a good heart and confessed her feelings for him. The two then became a couple and the story of the two spread far and wide. People still flock to the village for Kiku’s sake but they also go to meet the legendary swordsman Takeru.
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5th Feb 2019 interview with Kamiki Ryunosuke
「2回目の人生のようなもの」――病弱だった神木隆之介が天職に導かれて
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/feature/1214
Disclaimer: Subject to errors.
When he was born, he spent 4 months in the ICU in critical condition. When he woke up, the doctor once told his mother: “The possibility of saving him is very low, even if we manage to, it will still leave him with disabilities.” Kamiki doesn’t know what illness it was, only that his weight kept decreasing. During his childhood, his mother would rush him to the hospital whenever he was sick. However, he gradually recovered.
Since Kamiki entered elementary school, it gradually became normal. He was not good at physical education up to Primary 4, but when he entered Primary 5, he began to show tremendous improvement. During Primary 6, as he was running a relay, he heard people saying, “Kamiki, that guy, he’s fast”, and he was very happy.
[Old information about the Kamiki family rules on being a good, thoughtful and humble person.]
He expresses his love for acting. Even though he was unable to attend many milestones of school life due to work, he didn’t mind as he loved acting. Kamiki felt that he had a fulfilling junior high and high school life. He ran for class chairman and got the position. Near the end of high school, his teacher asked him about his future plans. Kamiki was worried and talked to Yamada Ryosuke and Chinen Yuri (T/N: they are classmates). His agency (Amuse) also suggested that studying abroad could be an option ,but he thought about it and didn’t go. Kamiki chose to focus on acting instead of proceeding on to higher education.
Even though Kamiki walks steadily on the path of an actor, it has been said that he does not have a fixed target. Every year, his manager gets a bit frustrated. “5 years later, 10 years later, what do you want to do?” “Eh...truth to be told, I don’t know what will happen.” (laughs) Kamiki says that he doesn’t have a goal, but he really loves acting, so he’s satisfied as long he gets to act. That’s all he needs.
[Old information about how Kamiki regularly picks/crafts a character in real life to act, such as the hero of 5 Centimetres Per Second, and Seta Soujiro of Rurouni Kenshin.]
Kamiki uses both the impression he gets from the script and from his conversation with the director to help him craft a character. “ I make the foundations like that, and with that I can improvise at the filming site. Now I have to do rakugo (in Idaten), and those technical parts are hard, but I don't think I've had any trouble in building my character at all. While building my character, I start to get really attached to him.” (creds for the direct speech here: Amber)
According to the Fortuna no Hitomi director, actors usually keep wearing the character starting from the moment they are done with the makeup, but Kamiki plays until it's time to properly film and he switches effortlessly into a completely different expression.
The director is particular about the tone and pitch of the voice during line delivery and the usage of volume to control the tension of the scene, but he doesn’t need to do so for Kamiki as Kamiki does the image of the character the way he wants it and delivers an intricately done product.
Kamiki loves railroads and trains, and the sounds of it. He also loves music, so he likes earphones and headphones. He can spend two hours at the department store checking them out.
Even though dramas are great because we can see them everyday, films are screened in a cinema and the audio is fantastic. One’s impressions are affected by the slightest intake of breath, hoarseness and tremors in the voice, so Kamiki plays it with detail.
The director is also surprised with Kamiki’s control of his body. Even after moving with full power, Kamiki delivers his lines. He alters the way he moves with each role - he fights with a sword brilliantly in Rurouni Kenshin, but plays basketball awkwardly in the Takasugi-kun CMs. The way one runs depends on the role. In Kirishima, Kamiki ran in a way that was fast; in Keiji Yugami, it was "beautiful and specialised in chasing people”; in Fortuna no Hitomi, it was “like a man”.
Kamiki has an image in his head in which he sees himself in. If the camera is at this angle, he’ll visualise the angle in question. Kamiki like manga and thinks that they are like camera angles. Manga shows all sides of the character and each character stands differently according to their personalities. He feels that it is amazing reference material for creating a role. The depiction is detailed and the appearance of the character comes to mind when he talks about the role.
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