Tag: K
K’s 30:30 Ghost Parade
First 30 characters challenge, and I must admit, it WAS a challenge! Just sitting down to conceptualize, ink and scan thirty stories takes a lot of discipline. On the other hand it was a good, guided outlet of sorts; choosing to go with a 100 Ghosts Procession » theme, it was supposed to be simply a loose portraiture of thirty weird things; now I think it’s created its own universe of sorts, which I’ll probably expand on.
Many thanks to Tyler James for making this possible, and everyone else who participated, who, by posting their stuff consistently, encouraged enough. Thanks also to my WriMo nutfriend EK » who let me know about this in the first place. I look forward to do another set next year! 皆ã•ã‚“ãŠç–²ã‚Œã•ã¾ã§ã—ãŸï¼
I created a Tumblr account separate from my main to house these guys: KannnibalSanjuu.tumblr.com »
#30 Kan’ahn-Greatmother, She Who Is
30 親
Kan’ahn-Greatmother • She Who Is
She goes by many names and in many variations, but she is the Greatmother, the Grand President, who officially welcomes the new Parade participants after the long walk. Her tattoos tell the story of the world. Once a new Parade participant enters the City for the first time, she herself paints on them their tattoo. Every soul gets one; in the event that some acquire multiple passes and return to the Layer of Mortality, the tattoo stays with them, branded in their minds, hearts or motor function, often predetermining certain key events that led them to acquire the tattoo.
She is also inspired from renditions of the goddess Kan’on, of mercy and life. My take on how death is actually another beginning and a blessing, I hope, that everyone’s characters are little beginnings of awesome things.
I thought she would be significant to add to the lot as the 30th, instead of the 2nd as I initially hoped, and I will dedicate her to all of those struggling to finish their 30th, who have killed their 30th early on, and here’s to another Ghost Parade next year. It was an honour.
#29 Kuulam, The Sieve
29 ç§
Kuulam • The Sieve
Despite his impressive apperance, Kuulam has only been to a few centuries’ worth of Parade, having shed sometime during a great plague in a village he was made custodian of. In shame, he disembowels himself, but in an act of treachery, his assistant leaves him without finishing the task. Kuulam was then briefly picked up by Hyomiyaku » whom he talks to on the way to the Parade preparation grounds. Because his death was in time for the Parade of that century, Kuulam was pleased to find the faces of the other dead villagers, although many decided to simply observe the parade from their plane of existence.
He is a flying torso, with four wings that keep him aloft. Highly skilled in apothecary, he works part-time in the drug department, mixing concoctions for souls who have difficulty shifting and moving in between World Layers.
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Based off Filipino mythological creature, The Wakwak » which is a flying torso. Where I suppose Buggy the Clown from One Piece is based off of!
#28 Suigamma, The Serenade
28 ã¸ã³
Suigamma • The Seranade
The serpent princess who creates everything that is not above ground. Sui is in fact an accomplished singer, sometimes accompanying the Daitenggu as he plays for the Parade, and sings for sailors over the seas. She is careful with how she dresses her hair, which is red as seaweed, often leaving behind her a rippling of red water. For this the Kappa duo have mde themselves her unofficial bodyguard, though Sui treats them more like reckless little cousins than anything.
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Inspired by ‘Zun.
She is also based off of the nureonna » which, I suppose, are quite like the mermaids and sirens of the west.
#27 Fengryuu, The Wind of the Beginning
27 竜
Fengryuu • The Wind of The Beginning
Feng is the department’s mischievous dragon, and playmate of Makktanh ». He is one of the very few select who works directly for the Great Mother, in the Creation department. He was the air that bore all the god-seeds in the world, before land was created. In the Parade, he often enjoys heckling the serious organizers, often correlating anarchy with fun.
His breath is the breath of life, and is often invoked by mortals who are in creative crafts.
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Fengryuu’s design was based on the more snakelike Asian dragons, and the Japanese creationist myth.
#26 Emmangrazi, Clearance Department Head
26 伯爵
Emmangrazi • Clearance Department Head
T’appai’s » direct head, Emmangrazi is an erudite, often politically correct character, and those he meets for personal consultation either enjoy the extended time together, or lament his seemingly endless tirade.
#25 Maorütte, the Time Eternal
25 時
Maorütte • Time Eternal
He is twin to his sister, Haorütte » and he is personification of Time. He goes about in a dun-coloured, tattered traveling cloak which hides half of his face. When he announces to a being the exact time of certain things—being asked, for example, the exact time s/he believed in love—a large, bony, crablike appendage holds out a hanging hour-glass which show the person the sands of their life.
He speaks from a sharp-toothed mouth on his forehead, but only in Babylonian, which makes him and T’appai » good friends for it, the latter often having to translate. “Maru” keeps time for the Ghost Parade, and it is he who visits the First Department Chief » annually to formally pronounce the event. Haru however, is the one who opens the portal to the Ghost layer.
#24 Haorütte, the Vine Eternal
24 ã‚«ãƒã‚¹
Haorütte • The Vine Eternal
Hider of Space, and twin to Maorütte » Hider of Time. She is present and invoked when things are ‘misplaced’, or hidden away; under her cloak of eternal void, she can keep about a hundred souls. She is integral in the Parade and often serves as a guide as well. Haorütte—”Haru”—does not speak per se. Sightless and mouthless, often a head or two will do the talking for her, popping up from within her cloak. This is disconcerting to those who have not met her yet, as it is like talking to a crowd in a closed space.
She is known as the Eternal Vine, as distance always ever expands, never contracts, despite teh anomaly of her small figure. When she is sighted, she is always bringing a paper lantern, symbolic of the ‘Light years’ needed to meet her.
#23 Balaheebou, Of The Lost
23 狸
Balaheebou • Of the Lost
Because he has been with the Parade for the longest time, and is one of the most respected Elder Tanuki of the autumn tribe, Balaheebou (“Bou” to most) kindly serves as one of the guides during the Parade proper. It can’t be helped that new souls who join the Ghost Parade wander off the processional path, given the new sensations that bombard them along the Paths; when that happens, Bou appears to steer them back.
Having teleportation abilities that allow him to move between World Layers easily like Vanyaa », Bou enjoys observing mortals in their fleshly cocoons, and often tries to show them “where they ought to go”; but because mortals only trust the five senses available to them in that state, the few that DO see Bou find themselves ‘lost’ instead, in a most logical sense. A lone traveler for instance, would be coaxed off the path to his logical destination towards a hidden settlement where a potential companion soul could be found; said traveler recognizes only that he is rapidly losing sight of the main road and treks back, cursing tanuki » deception.
#22 Vanyaa, Master of Ceremonies
22 猫åˆ
Vanyaa • Master of Ceremonies
Vanyaa is a department all his own, which suits him very well since he prefers doing things his own way. A quick eye for treasure, he is careful to note which Paraders have not contributed something for the annual ceremonies; what they do not surrender in the dress rehearsal check, Vanyaa filches during the ceremony itself. He is one of the few who know the whereabouts of Daitenggu » and how to contact him.
The bag around his neck is a ticket collection bag. While Vanyaa may have an eye for the shiny, he is also fair. When a Parader approaches apologetically seeking to ‘exchange’ a “treasureâ€â€”a mortal love they are unable to let go of completely, a vow of revenge too heavy to drag around—he appropriates the proper change to it, similar to a clerk breaking bills.
#21 Haraiea, Rain Child
21 傘ã¡ã‚ƒã‚“
Haraiea • Rain Child
Her gigantic parasol expands like a dome outward to shield the Paraders against rain, which, for some reason, always follows Haraeia wherever she goes anyway; chalk it up to being one of the Parade’s oldest kasa-obake » !
Ages ago, Haraeia was once human in a different plane, who would trek several miles a day get to school. When bandits happened to pillage the village where the councilor of education was inspecting their outpost, she hid behind her father’s umbrella, “for what seemed like agesâ€. The next thing she knew Augon O’Roshy » was peering at her from beyond the parasol, coaxing her out, telling her she had been hiding “for far too long now.â€
He agrees to let her keep the umbrella in exchange for a leg and an eye, and sends her off to Jeoucuré » for the mending.
#20 Jeoucuré, The Seamstress
20 繰女
Jeoucuré • The Seamstress
More than anything she is known for, Jeoucuré is perfect at stitching together things. It can’t be helped that, while shedding, certain souls tend to ‘tear’ integral parts of their Selves, so that while their mortal layers are off, important self-awareness memories and sensations are distorted. Given the Parade’s strict ‘dress code’, some participants need to see Jeoucuré for stitching.
She has sewn together identities, broken names, old memories and space-time anomalies, and has made pincushions out of excess sentiments. The red eye that-sees-all can thread any needle, and has several times taken roll call for all the angels that dance on its end. Her ‘hair’ is what she uses to stitch all things together, though she needs to pick the proper locks for certain jobs, as they can get quite finicky.
#19 T’appai, Clearance Department Deputy
19 牛鬼女
T’appai • Clearance Department Deputy
T’appai wears the stripes and the bone-insect manifestations of spirit that is the signature of Central Command. With her six legs, she is actually nearly fifteen feet wide; her human anatomical structure, that of a little girl, is no more than four feet three if she stood bipedal.
She is Deputy to the Clearance Department Head, and is tasked with scheduling consultations and seminars to first-time invitees to the Parade, to Shedders (those who have recently died) who have not quite made heads and tails of their situation as yet, and to fellow organizers who “need a break.” She only wears her fuda when there is a need for her to cross World Layers. T’appai loves human languages, and prefers to speak a classical form of Babylonian when she addresses people. She likes having tea with Rizwän ».
#18 Busae, Repose Before Sunrise
18 ç„¡å†
Busae • Repose Before Sunrise
While a part of his foothills has become decidedly habitable by humans, Busae’s true form is of jagged rocks and hard earth, made fertilized by the bodies buried beneath him. One of the more inaccessible mountains of his range, Busae’s bone-like summits looked like they cut the rising sun in half, which was why his was the site of many morning offerings of tribal societies. This accumulation of many selfless energies has allowed Busae to become a venerated mountain, and as is his nature, he has offered his trails as Pathways to the Grand Parade, much like Makktanh » does.
Despite his fearsome appearance, Busae believes in self-will. He is known to have spared ‘sacrifices’ who did not understand what they had gotten themselves into, though he greets those who do with a campfire and a drink of dew before morning. He takes his title from the fact that those who travel to his summit manage to sleep a few hours before morning light breaks.
#17 Chitose, Of A Thousand Years
17 鶴
Chitose • Of A Thousand Years
People all over the world invoke Chitose when they embark on a thousand-crane-folding project, but not everyone is who Chitose chooses. Chitose is finicky and lazy, the immense amount of power in the thousand-feathered wings often inducing lethargy and, frankly, Chitose has little patience for people who do not believe in what they are doing.
One is actually folding away one’s life, one crane at a time, in a way shedding; for every wish, a crane, and for every crane, a piece of mortality is lifted away. It is not successfully lifted if one does not believe that one has lost something in exchange for what one wishes, and to Chitose, this is like being served stale wine or a half-baked rice cake. When a successful devotee has folded the last crane, thereby activating the completed wish, Chitose is there to meet them along with a Fire or a Snow to point them to the Parade.
The difference is that, as a reward for their strong belief, Chitose gives them a feather from the Thousand-Feathered plumage, to “make your travels henceforth lighter.” Nobody knows if Chitose is a male or a female, as cranes can be hermaphrodites and can’t be bothered with limited human imagination.
#16 Okorithtan, The First And Last Memory
Okorithan • First And Last Memory
Okorithan is the baylan » who helps put the seed of soul to a newly-conceived mortal. S/he is the first memory that is never lost, but just forgotten. In many ways, s/he manifests in “logical†adult life when waking people begin to be nostalgic for things they have never yet experienced, but seem to know. Okorithan revists his charges the moment they leave the district of childhood and enter prepubescence: his blade scrapes the voices of boys and leaves them deep and rough, unable to reach the note that summons spirits again; it releases the bag of blood every girl carries inside her.
The red eyes on her/his body all open when he walks the Parade. Sometimes a charge or two recognize her/him when s/he visits them in their waking hours, and when that charge walks the Parade, or is directed to it by one of the Four Snows » or Four Fires », Okorithan accompanies them and returns to them the memory of their first day on earth.
#16 C’alla & Hatti, Halves of a Hole
15 カッパã®ï¼’人
C’alla and Hatti • Halves and Holes
C’alla and Hatti are actually two halves of a single Kappa entity. Whoever’s head has the bubble is he who is dominant and he who speaks; although they both like to be referred to in the plural. C’alla is shy and dark-haired, and always uses the honorific. Hatti is grey-haired, and curious about humans; They are both perverted and love hanging out in the hot springs. C’alla finds females fascinating; Hatti prefers clean males.
When they are particularly excited, they turn water red and warm. They’ve been in awkward situations where they have had to explain the reconstitution of water to peers. They enjoy getting invites to the Parade annually, though they are warned to keep their excitement in check… especially when crossing waterways like Makktanh’s island »
Ink on drawing paper.
#14 Dilaa’ub, The Twice Blighted Flame
14 左男
Dilaa’ub • The Twice-Blighted Flame
Dilaa’ub is gigantic, towering over the forms of his peers at a great height of five meters, even slightly taller than Munjieou. He is constantly burning, and his ember is embedded on the crown of his head; his forward-face is that of a crocodilian creature, symbolic of the ruthlessness his flame imbues the ones he comes for. This side also points the way to the Parade for those who die from torture. His slightly more obscure side, who faces those who die from asphyxiation and in crashes, represents a calmer, more hopeful side and looks like a human skeleton without the lower mandible.
Dilaa’ub is often very quiet, although his stubbornness tends to reveal itself in this way. When he disagrees—and often with Augon—he often stalks away, taking the morning with him, and if there are no other Fires present, a once-animated conversation turns awkward and stale. A powerful leaper, when he walks the Parade himself, he often takes the rear.
#13 Hibikuu, She Whose Breath Consumes
13 å³å¥³
Hibikuu • She Whose Breath Consumes; The Little Death
In many ways the sister-self-half of Augon, Hibikuu is only humanoid for the upper half of her body until her waist; the rest of her is red fire. Her ember is also, like Augon’s, on her chest, although hers is dead centre, whereas Augon’s is off-center to the left. Her hair smoulders and ends in a fel and nebulous cloud of smoke and flame, which she shapes to her will. Hibikuu rarely speaks, but gestures; her seemingly deformed hands draw her words where a mouth would say it outright.
Hibikuu comes for the lovelorn, those who die jealous, those who die lustful and those who die drugged. She points the way to the Parade, and is patient while her wards do away with their human layer once and for all; by her very nature, those she picks tend to hold on a little more tenaciously to life than usual. She is invoked by succubi, and the first flame she strikes in a living person is when they experience their first (not necessarily physical) orgasm.
Ink on white paper.
#12 Augon O’Roshy
12 後男
Augon O’Roshy • The Burning Beneath
Augon O’Roshy comes for those who die “burned outâ€, who die being hunted, who die of gunshot wounds and on the run. He points the way to the Parade to those who die fighting, whether literally or figuratively. His left side is entirely of flames when he travels the World Layers, and his ember is where the human heart is anatomically situated. Augon is covered in stitches and cauterization, as are those he leads to the Parade; marked by the passion that eventually consumes them.
Augon is obsessive-compulsive. When he meets a soul that has shed its human layer, he makes sure he sees it himself before he points the soul to the Parade. He is often the most excitable, especially when Ghost Month comes along, and sometimes borders on being annoying to the Junior Executive » for “going the extra mileâ€. Because he enjoys tattoos, he often sees Toushou-Xhiblins » when the latter is not very busy. He is “what is behind†or “beneathâ€; he is keenly felt when one feels being pursued, or is in pursuit, of something.
Ink on white paper.
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#8 Hyomiyaku
08 北女
Hyomiyaku • Northern chill
Hyomiyaku’s dominion is the north, which makes her the oldest of the Four Snows. She is the aspect that “follows the frightened,†and is points the way to those who die of dread, and suicides.She is a very nimble creature, rather lighthearted despite the nature of her ‘job’, and wraps fuda » around the twin onyx horns she shares with the other Snows. Instead of merely pointing the way to the Parade, she often walks alongside her charges, engaging them in conversation, joking with them, teasing them.
She is also very particular about footwear (a fact that the Parade organisers appreciate and share) and changes from her elevated geta to random period-inspired shoes depending on her mood. While Kooriyh tends to favour a watery element to her, Hyomiyaku prefers vapour.
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for Mia »
#7 Kooriyh
07 å—女
Kooriyh • Snows of the south
Kooriyh is the most potent of the Four Snows, and is the aspect which “smothers in one’s sleep.†That she governs the south means she is the stillness that comes up from behind. She is often seen by people who die of melancholia and hypothermia, as she points the way » to the Parade. Her most uniform form is a watery mist, although she often has the appearance of a grey-skinned, sullen young girl, with fuda » hanging from twin onyx horns to keep her shape through the Layers.
The 雪 on her forehead allows her to communicate with the other three Snows. The pattern on her kimono is of swirling waters, and she is a very close friend to Makktanh »
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#6 Yosuzume
06 よã™ãšã‚
Pa’halih • The changer
Small but formidable, the clicking of her demon hands often heralding her approach, Pa’halih is often remembered by new Walkers as their Parade dresser, she-who-unskins. Alongside the Junior Director » she is the First Department Chief’s other trusted aide, who ensures that all who join the Parade are properly dressed.
Pa’halih doesn’t talk but makes short, crying sounds like a bird of prey. Like a runway stylist harried before a big show, she is ruthless when it comes to perfection, and strips away what little mortal membrane some Walkers still carry on them, whether by accident or by secret: a memory from the 24421st second of their life, the smell of an old bed, a word that summons a lover.
They say the ‘horn’ on her head is actually a beak, and Pa’halih’s humanoid form is not as stable as most may think, which is why she rarely travels the World Layers unlike her colleagues and boss; this may also explain he lack of fuda » she has on her.
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for Cbm.
The Yosuzume is a traditional Japanese demon that resembles a bird. Very loosely did I base Pa’halih on this, merging it with various mythological aspects of women taking on half-bird forms. That, and the obvious Pahaliah » who is an angel of conversion. Ideally, one cannot fully join the Parade unless one is divested entirely of mortal constraints, and Pa’halih is there to do the job.
#5 The Junior
05 後輩
Rizwän • Junior Director
The Junior Director is everywhere the First Department Chief » cannot be, and during the immensely hectic months directly preceding the Grand Parade », he is indispensable to its success. Lacking his superior’s experience and sufficient daemon matter to withstand multiple physical teleportations in the World Layers, Rizwän nonetheless has utilised his ability to transmit and project his form—a kind of possession—onto any ‘seeded’ humanoid to the best of effect.
Rizwän had only participated in the Parade as a Walker only once, despite the centuries he has spent helping to organise it. He is very accommodating to new members of the staff, or new Walkers, and often handles the first round of recruitment interviews. The more veteran daemons tease him from time to time, but are still careful, knowing he wears the pinstripes of high command.
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#4 Aburasumaashi
04 æ²¹ã™ã¾ã‚ã—
Aburasumaashi • Light-eater
No Parade is complete without the fel flame that guides the Walkers to the route. Abura-sumaashi ensures that the stone lanterns burn throughout the duration of the Parade. To do this, he steals the holy light from vigil candles and from sanctuaries all over the world—â€borrows†is his favourite term, as the monstrous mouths that are a part of his form suck in light matter and converts them to daemon oil.
Naturally curious about humans, he often deliberately causes a ruckus when he “borrows†his fuel, often drawing the attention of the First Department Chief », and incurring a memo about “proper protocol†in slipping between World Layers.
Ink on white paper.
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#3 Makktanh
Makktanh • The last island
Makktanh is a small island off the coast of a bustling industrial city. Already regulated by the government as a nature reserve, he has since freed himself of his human obligations and joined the Parade as a sometime-walker, and helps with the organization. Strong currents pass through Makktanh’s undersea channels, and depending on the Parade’s route, offers his location in the World Layer as a pitstop. During Ghost Month, the waters around his isles become extremely disturbed, and its Walkers can be seen in the reflection off the surface, if the moon is new.
Makktanh is a generally sweet and reliable boy, whose responsibilities since joining the Parade as a pitstop don’t quite reflect in the way he (often too) modestly carries himself. The First Department Chief » in particular regularly adds him in the Parade route.
Older islands and aspects tend to tease Makktanh for his long hair. Hair, on the other hand, rears its head back aggressively, and sinks several ships in the vicinity.
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Inks on drawing paper.
#2 K.Rá Kitabin
Parade Director and chief recorder of the Grand Parade. Rá, as she is called (though most salute her with her title, First Department Chief), is the busiest, most overworked entity in the World Layers, as she oversees the smooth transition of the Parade. Approvals for Ghost Month possessions pass through her office first, in effect acting as the Chief Operations Officer of the event. She flies to a rage when a Walker who isn’t formally dressed, or hasn’t “shed” properly, joins unchecked.
Inks on drawing paper.
#1 Daitenggu
大天狗 • The Dread Flutist
Secluded in his drifting mountain, the Daitenggu only comes down for the Grand Parade » Without his music, the portals cannot be coaxed open, the Demons of selected humans will not awaken, and no parade takes place. He is often consulted by the organizers (a handful who know how to contact him in other days of the year) to choose from promising ‘seeds’. He has “blind” eyes, but all of his wing feathers sprout eyes when he starts to play his flute. When an eye opens, a demon seed has been awakened and finds a way to join the Parade.
The people who hear his music shed their human skin and start their Walk. Some do it slowly, thus ‘dying’ slowly, and others drop their skins right then and there.
The Daitenggu’s dread form is a bird with wings that “encompass all four hemispheres.â€
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NOTES: I’m so thankful this has been a long holiday! I might be a bit late on others as things depend on whether or not I have scanner access, but I keep a Tumblr blog for this project:
I haven’t had the chance to introduce myself, but hello, I’m Kae, ‘kannibal’ on Tumblr, and I’m on here basically because this sounds like an interesting challenge. 🙂
#30Characters Chatter…