Another few pages done after 40 years! Thank you to the patrons who doodled and decorated on page 2! Thank you to @abananasaurus , @moon-wolfie ,@bloody-hugs, @the-one-teapot, @sp00kybl00ky, Tobi , and CaptainAllBlue!
This art was created for a fanfic based on the Kafka Hibino/Kaiju #9 ship on AO3. I might post more work, but they'll be rare. Have a nice day, everyone! ( ´-｀)
(crossposted from bsky, i was also answering questions about it snd stuff so that's why it's a huge info dump. also relating to kafka with my own buddhist beliefs)
been researching the edo feudal system for my kn8 / kafka x nine / pre-meireki daikaiju headcanon, and there's literature on queer relationships.
i'm looking into the homoeroticism between samurai patrons (in this case the warrior remnant represented as no. 8), and kabuki onnagata (a possible remnant of nine)
there is different sense of strict gender roles, as well as class.
i think it actually explains modern day kafka's grievance with working in kaiju disposal. the edo period had strong buddhist systems (quite different from my own ethnic buddhism) but i do see parallels, mainly concerning those in association with human and animal death.
anyone who works with murder and death (execution, undertaking, butchering, leather tanning etc) were ostracized to the burakumin underclass and often living outside city walls. in the hypothetical world, kaiju disposal and butchery would probably seen as tainted work but necessary nonetheless
social standing was hereditary and during the period buraku faced so much discriminatory legislation to stop social mobility. the stigma remains to some degree today, later generations may deny their heritage to avoid discrimination.
so initially a western viewer may see kafka's frustrations with his job as it is comparable to essential workers in sanitation, but someone with animist or supernatural beliefs from a variety of backgrounds could see this as a form of spiritual unalignment
also i can't say if kafka is very spiritual, as modern japan is very westernized now. the same way i lacked a lot of spiritual wellbeing as a result of western assimilation and intergenerational trauma (and no doubt kaiju filled japan is in a constant state of retraumatisation)
it is understandable as the destruction of life, human or animal, is seen as abhorrent if unnecessary (due to the belief of rebirth and karma). the edo systems had a strong focus on agriculture, so one could hypothetically live a cruelty free life as a vegetarian (but this ofc ignores the classism)
How do people name their characters this is hard bro
Anyways look at my critter
Basic rundown is that it’s a Kaiju from outside of Japan that is currently working in the kdf. Its motivations aren’t particularly strong aside from the fact that working/living as a human is the best way to understand one. Most of what it does anyways is eat smaller Kaiju when it can get away with it and test out venoms on other living creatures.
So far we haven’t seen much of the other countries aside from a brief mention during Kikoru’s backstory and when Hoshina said that the current theory was that kaiju are formed from human remains + debris in fault lines. I wanted to explore that idea a bit more by making an aquatic kaiju that could survive the deep sea. Plus I wanted a squished looking monster since most of the ones shown are armored to some degree.
I would imagine some countries are used to kaiju appearing here and there, especially if they are on the smaller scale. Sorta like a new addition to the ecosystem, maybe they could be domesticated to a degree. I know Bakko is a kaiju and he’s kinda just chilling with the defense force. But with the integration of kaiju in day to day life would also mean that there are new things to lookout for.
Like what would happen if a human ate Kaiju meat? I can’t be the only one who thought about that. There has to be a market for that kinda stuff somewhere
We already know that kaiju can sense one another, this was shown with Bakko’s dislike of Kafka and the fact that Kafka could also track down other kaiju to some degree. I’d say that it would work like a radar but depending on how familiar they are with one another it would either make finding them a lot easier or harder.
This is a Tailer, the infant stage of Pursuer's species (name probably coined by Artful). Usually they will hatch from eggs laid in clutches, and the firstborn will feed on the rest of the eggs or fight other hatchlings for nourishment. Whatever laid them will not stick around, but if tailers are spotted in their vicinity, they are considered competition and nutritious themselves.
Miette was born with no braincells and doesn't know she's alive yet. Also her name means Crumb. Pursuer can't eat her because Artful cried a lot the last time and kept him out of the makeshift shelter for days.
I actually redrew the last wip I posted here bc I realized it needed a whole rehash and eek I’m so much more proud of it!! Texture overlays rlly do change everything 💙💙
origamiaround
areudirty
snowghoul
ellievsbear
amandla
gracieabrams
prguitarman
