#Time of Battle ~Hanzou~

[claire-starsword]

The Guardiana Magic School Run -Part 19

Okay, so I've been wondering, what was that funny thing i said in the last one of these?

yeah. lol. lmao even

I honestly won't even promise you i'm coming back to this with any sort of regularity, i'm just tired of everything else i wanted to do and felt like playing instead. A Christmas miracle of sorts, perhaps. The holidays are a time to reunite with family after all, for better and for worse.

For Max it will decidedly be for worse, because of course I took a break right before Cain of all people.

Still, he's nice enough to let us prepare first, which is a good excuse for me to go over the team and try to remember what was going on.

First, I have to go through the pain of removing the dragon from the magic only challenge, because this dragon is somehow not magical enough and does not learn a single spell. RIP Bleu you do nothing but haunt my life in multiple ways nowadays.

On brighter news, Bleu's house had a whole Halberd in it, so that's an upgrade for Arthur. There was also a Shower Cure there that I give to him as well. I also realize Arthur hasn't been carrying a spear, which must be some kind of mistake??? There's no reason he should have one, even if the spears available at this time are all a bit too weak.

Oh okay good thing i can reread the previous parts huh. So yeah, fixed this.

Max also gets a bit of an upgrade due to a Broad Sword lying around Dragonia. The Soulbuster might still be the best against Cain though. I'm honestly not sure. In any case, I also gave him some better healing items as he was carrying around only Medical Herbs, likely a sign of how easy Chapter 5 was.

Also, it turns I already had a Broad Sword anyway from the Dullahan of the last battle. Well, free money I guess.

A fun thing of having been on a hiatus is that someone out there had time to scan the official strategy guide of this game, so I can now check item drop rates. Turns out they're kinda generous, that Dullahan had a 20% rate of dropping it.

Anyway! I sure hope this has been enough to get me back in the zone, because there's no more delaying the inevitable. Let's go beat up everyone's favorite possessed brother. Or be beaten up by him. Who knows.

To really drive home how off my brain is, I don't quite remember what the Ogre Slayer is. I know it's a lance, but what exactly does it gives bonus against? Unsure. But in any case I wasn't gonna rush a battle against Cain anyway, Arthur is doing just fine with a Halberd.

So as the battle begins, we have these three annoying Gargoyles who I believe will be rushing to us as soon as possible, and also casting Muddle 1 to lower our accuracy, which Sucks Big Time.

Meanwhile, the Golems ahead of us are not as eager to advance I believe, instead doing the "big impenetrable wall" thing Golems like to do. Thus, I could take my time defending against the Gargoyles first I think. Let's see how it goes.

I'm unsure as usual on what to do with Narsha, but I feel she'd help with an attack boost. And I'd rather use Attack 2 to get more people in, something that would be a lot more efficient had I planned it beforehand. So Arthur is sadly out of the area even though I'd like him to get it, but Max and Hanzou get in the fun. And Tao. Who knows if she'll be using it.

Narsha gets a level up from this btw, but is very poor. Only +1% in magic resistance.

Also oopsie dopsie, I underestimated the Golems' willingness to advance. Good thing I didn't abuse that assumption too much, their movement is low and I didn't place anyone in their reach for this turn. Next turn things should heat up though.

I also realize now that Gong perhaps needed the Attack boost even more tbh, but at the same time, his defense does not inspire confidence as a frontline fighter. The fact that my previous post only mentions worrying about him does not help. Perhaps Gong simply does not keep up well with the late game. But I could have certainly helped by giving him the Power Ring beforehand, which is instead with Arthur, a guy who hasn't needed help in a while. Oh well!

Turn 2 starts like this and I don't like it, doesn't seem like I'll be able to deal fast with the Gargoyles. The Master Mages are the fastest enemies and should be attacking soon too, and I did not arrange things well to avoid the area damage.

At the very least I can send Domingo as my own inpenetrable wall against the Golems. I feel his spells are better spent here than against a single Gargoyle.

Arthur on the other hand should be okay dealing with these guys a bit, he'll get backup later before they get their turn, I think.

Unfortunately, no amount of cool Halberds or attack boosts can change the fact that flying enemies SUCK

Meanwhile, I'm barely back at the game and can already witness the wonderful Max Obsession we all know and love. This mage could have lined up four victims for the Freeze spell had them centered it at Narsha, but they would much rather think about Max and only Max. With that, only he and Narsha get hit, and both have >40% magic res to shrug it off. Tao would have done similarly too, but Hanzou, despite a magic user, has 0%, and was also the most recent death of the playthrough, so yeah I'm gladly he avoided this one.

Also, mages just don't last long nowadays.

As the eternal star of this run, Tao is now about to finish Domingo's job. Three enemies go down at once, I love magic.

Hanzou finishes the other mage. I'm a bit worried to advance him too much, but I expect the remaining enemies to obsess over Max.

Meanwhile, Arthur shrugs off these annoying things with 1 damage each. They are annoying but not a threat, I was only afraid they'd go for Tao or something.

Anri and Narsha then manage to take out the final Golem, and Khris heals what little damage Narsha took, because while it wasn't much, Narsha does not have that much hp and worries me. I want everyone at full HP once we get to the boss.

Turn 3. Hey Gargoyle, dodge this.

It doesn't.

Domingo gets a disappoint level up out of this, I didn't know he could get those. Only +1 HP.

Arthur finally shows off what a decent level up looks like, also redeeming himself from the previous miss.

The priest did nothing but heal themself last time, and they're weak, so I ignore them with Max, hoping lower leveled characters can get some exp out of them.

I'm not shocked that this part of the battle is chill, btw. The problem tends to be Cain and the Dullahans, unless you're too low leveled to deal effective damage to the Golems, which isn't a problem in this run, especially not with this many mages around.

Fittingly, this kinda transitional part of the battle is when I hit image limit on this post, so see you in the next reblog after the commercials.

[y0ur-val3ntine]

Self Ship FNF mod that actually has some lore put into it:

The NG polycule get their mod "Pico + Friends Back2School"

SOOOOooo the old School, the one from Pico's School, after the shooting it got all fucked up, so years later, they decide to destroy it and build a mall over it. So Darnell listens to the news and proposed to the whole squad to head over there, maybe spraypaint some stuff or just, spend some time in there for the funsies, for the old times.

But they weren't the only ones who tought about that, since inside the School, the goths have been keeping Cassandra (and Hanzou. Both brought back with some demon magic, Cass it's a demon-zombie-penilian being, Hanzou it's just a headless kindof-zombie)

So everyone just finds eachother inside the school and they fight (first Cyclops, then Allucard, then Hanzou)

Every member of the team gets to fight against one of them (only got the concept of Nene and Vale fighting against Hanzou, because Hanzou was the one who cut Vale's head in the og shooting) and the final battle it's everyone vs big Cassandra monster thingy

[awkwardpenguinproductions]

Debrief

Part 7 of the Dragon of the Yuyan

Read on AO3 | Series Masterpost

…the thunder of crashing boulders…

…Hwan’s green eyes, wide with terror, framed by a Fire Nation Infantry helmet…

…the heat of the fires, bathing his face with the stench of burning hair and flesh…

…Father’s voice, sneering “suffering will be your teacher”…

The shriek of terror and remembered pain is strangled in his throat as Zuko snaps awake, drenched in cold sweat and panting like he’s been tree-running for an entire day. The Yuyan dorm is dark and quiet, everyone is still asleep, and Zuko simply lies in his bunk and breathes.

It’s been a week since Chihese and Haili Squads returned from Huzhen, two weeks since the battle (slaughter) itself, and Zuko has had nightmares every night. Every time he closes his eyes to sleep, he sees the captive earthbenders dressed in Fire Nation uniforms as they’re buried by their own countrymen, feels the fire thrown by the Third Infantry Corps as they overwhelm the tiny Earth Kingdom company… feels his face burn as Ozai caresses him with flames.

He wants to climb into Kai’s bunk, like he has every time he had a nightmare or a major panic attack in the last almost two years. But he’s turning sixteen in two months, he’s no longer a child, and hasn’t been since he was discarded in the Earth Kingdom wilderness like an unruly and unwanted house pet. He can’t go running to his best friend every time he has a bad dream anymore. They barely fit on the same bunk anymore, anyway—Kai has always been tall and lanky, but at the age of twenty has topped out at six feet and gained the shoulders to match. Zuko himself has shot up to nearly 5’6” and gotten his shoulders early, much to Kai’s chagrin. If Zuko tries to sneak into Kai’s bunk, one of them is going to end up on the floor.

No, he's not a kid anymore. He can deal.

He slips out of his bunk and silently works his way through the Stronghold to the komodo-rhino stables. The stables are quiet but for the sounds of the rhinos shifting and breathing in their sleep, and Zuko silently scales the building to perch on the roof, facing the east.He's exhausted, but he never goes back to sleep after one of these nightmares. If he's lucky, he'll only have a couple of hours before he'd wake up naturally from the sunrise, but tonight's not a lucky night––there's several hours between now and dawn. He sighs, and settles himself to meditate, feeling his inner flame race through his chi paths and chase away the chill of the mountain night.

His thoughts refuse to settle, though. They race around his skull like trapped rats:

How could Hanzou do something so horrible?

It was an excellent strategy.

It was cruel!

They were going to be executed or imprisoned anyway.

It was dishonorable!

There is no honor in war.

Then maybe the war should end.

Zuko opens his eyes with a gasp. End the war? The war was meant to bring the Fire Nation’s light to the world, to demonstrate their superiority to the other Nations.

How in the depths of Koh’s lair does murdering an entire squad of captured prisoners in cold blood make the Fire Nation in any way superior?

But that’s treason, to think like that. Zuko has given up on attempting to feel anything other than fear and contempt for Ozai, has given up believing in the power of his royal blood after being so very thoroughly disowned by his father and Fire Lord, but he is still a citizen of the Fire Nation, a loyal one.

But… how can he claim loyalty to a nation that commits crimes against other humans in the name of spreading greatness? He has no doubt that Ozai will reward Lieutenant General Hanzou handsomely for his actions at Huzhen—the Fire Lord has demonstrated repeatedly that he cares little for his own people, let alone helpless enemy prisoners of war, and will commend Hanzou for his creativity in solving two problems in such a simple action. This will encourage (has encouraged, Zuko can never forget his failure to prevent the death of the 41st) other generals to try equally ruthless tactics to earn the Fire Lord’s favor for themselves, perpetuating his bloodlust all over the world. Ozai has turned Sozin’s admittedly megalomaniacal dream of spreading Fire Nation greatness into a nightmare of fire and death for the other nations, and has turned the Fire Nation into exactly the kind of savages his people are taught to believe the other nations are.

This war has to end, and it can’t end with a Fire Nation victory. If that makes him a traitor to the Fire Nation, then so be it, but he would rather save his nation’s soul than perpetuate its cruelties. He doesn’t know how he’ll do it, but there’s got to be some way to end the fighting, end the war, without the complete destruction of one side or the other.

Uncle Iroh had come back from the Siege of Ba Sing Se with an urn containing the ashes of Cousin Lu Ten’s body and a quiet but powerful belief in the importance of balance. In oneself, in one’s life, and in the world itself. Zuko had thought the old man had gone a little nuts from the trauma of losing Lu Ten, but now… now he can kind of see what his uncle was talking about. It makes Zuko wonder if Uncle, too, saw how the Fire Nation was destroying itself as its leaders destroyed the world.

He can’t let it continue.

Terrified green eyes wide in a pallid face framed by a Fire Nation Infantry helmet…

A shoe scuffs almost silently on the roof, and Commander Toshiaki steps out of the darkness and settles himself a polite distance from Zuko.

Zuko’s nerves buzz and he has to consciously keep himself from tensing up. Damn his luck. The moment he makes the conscious decision to commit treason against the Fire Nation, and who shows up but his Agni-damned commanding officer.

The Commander softly snaps his fingers, and Zuko automatically gives him his attention.

It’s not uncommon for soldiers to have trouble sleeping after their first taste of combat, he signs, slow and easy, his expression serene.

Zuko grits his teeth. That wasn’t combat, Commander, he replies, signs sharp. That was a slaughter.

He fully expects to be reprimanded, but the Commander merely bows his head in concession.

I agree.

Zuko watches in mild shock as the Commander continues.

What happened at Huzhen was a tragedy and should never have happened, he signs. What happened to the 41st Division was a tragedy and should never have happened. The Siege of Ba Sing Se, the predations of the Southern Raiders, the attack on the Northern Water Tribe, the destruction of Taka… the genocide of the Air Nomads. All tragedies, none of which should have ever happened.

Zuko watches as his superior hesitates, just for a split second, completely invisible to a civilian's eye but as obvious and shocking as lightning.

Your farce of an Agni Kai was a tragedy, and should never have happened, Commander Toshiaki finishes, looking Zuko in the eye.

For moments that feel like years, neither of them move. Zuko barely dares to breathe. But when several minutes pass and the Commander makes no move to attempt to restrain him for arrest and return to Caldera, Zuko tentatively raises his hands.

How long have you known?

The Commander smiles wryly. I'd had no idea until Dr. Atsuko told me about two weeks after your arrival. Apparently her uncle was present.

Zuko does not want to talk about this, but his hands move without his permission. Him and the entire fucking Caldera, he snaps out, feeling the flash of heat over his eye that always accompanied even a passing thought of the spirits-damned mockery of a duel that was meant to end his life.

The Commander is still. Waiting, endlessly patient, like the hunter he's been training Zuko to be for almost two years.

Why didn't you turn me in? Zuko asks, morbidly curious. He hadn't hidden his identity, he'd just known that after six months of living by himself in the middle of nowhere, no one would believe him if he tried to insist that he was the missing Fire Prince. "Zuko" wasn't a hugely popular name, but it wasn't rare.

For a long time, the Commander doesn't answer. He just sits beside Zuko, not too close, and leans back on his hands and stares up at the stars. Zuko wants to get impatient, to snap his hands around the signs and demand answers, but he grips his knees until his knuckles and fingertips turn white and waits.

Finally, the Commander sits up, bringing his hands up to sign.

I have been a loyal soldier of the Fire Nation for seventeen years, he signs, not seeming to actually look at Zuko. I have done many things in the service of my country, but they have always been in line with my own morals. But that… that was a step too far. You are a child. You were a child then, and you are a child now. There is no action that you could take or had taken that should have been met with violence of any kind, much less on that scale. You should have been sent to bed without dessert, or made to write lines or do conditioning drills, not–

–Getting my face burned off? Zuko finishes, tilting his head and smirking lightly.

The Commander scowls at him, then a small smirk of his own breaks through and he chuckles silently.

I don’t know how to explain it any better, but after Atsuko left, I thought about you, and about how kind you are, and how much better things might be if you were Fire Lord, and suddenly I was doing everything in my power to keep you alive to become Fire Lord.

So I’m a bargaining chip. Zuko keeps his expressions and body tightly under control, burying his hurt.

NO.

He jumps at the force of the sign, at the way the Commander seems to double in size as he leaned forward with his shoulders thrown back aggressively, his hairless eyebrows furrowed low over his dark eyes, mouth turned firmly down. He may as well have been shouting.The Commander relaxes a bit as he continues to sign, but he still leans toward Zuko just a little bit in his eagerness. You are not a bargaining chip, Zuko. You are not some prize to control. You are the closest thing to a son that I am ever going to have, and I am so incredibly proud of the man you are becoming before my very eyes. I didn’t report you because what the Fire Lord did to you is wrong, it was cruel and despicable and the fact that no one else seems to have had any problem with it just goes to show how far our great Nation has fallen. You are a child, and I wanted to protect you and give you the time you needed to heal and grow and decide what it is you want to do with your life. If you decide to enlist officially in the Archers, I will be happy to help you falsify the documents you need and approve them. If you decide to move to Ba Sing Se as a refugee and live in peace, then I will do everything in my power to ensure your safe passage. He takes a deep breath, and folds himself into full kneel atop the narrow peak beam of the stable roof. It’s not a full kowtow, because he needs his hands to speak, but it shocks Zuko just the same.

If my Prince decides to take up arms against the tyrant Fire Lord, then it will be my honor and my privilege to dedicate my life and my bow to his service.

It takes Zuko a moment to realize what’s happening, but when he does he nearly falls off the roof. His spirits-damned commanding officeris swearing fealty to him, Zuko, the prince who was burned and thrown out of his homeland to die. This man saved him, risked court martial and prison and even death to keep Zuko from being discovered and executed by his father, and here he is, dedicating his life to some hypothetical and certainly suicidal bid Zuko might make for the throne. He can’t breathe.

Please… please get up… he signs shakily, and pulls on the Commander’s arm. The older man sits, but keeps his head respectfully bowed. Zuko gathers up the tattered remains of his composure. I don’t understand what you want from me. You would really just… let me go? After two years? If I said I didn’t want to continue being part of the Archers, or didn’t want to try to overthrow my father? You would just… let me go? He’s never felt like the Archers were keeping him hostage, but learning that his commanding officer knew who he was this entire time and had kept the knowledge secret is messing with his perceptions.

Commander Toshiaki looks heartbroken as he signs, Of course I would. All I want is for you to be safe and happy. If you decide to find that safety and happiness behind the walls of Ba Sing Se, then I will forge the paperwork required and escort you there myself. I would miss you terribly, and Kai may never forgive me, but I would rest well knowing that you are happy and safe.

Zuko is sorely tempted, the memories of Huzhen sending icicles up and down his spine. But his people would still be killing and dying and poisoning themselves and the rest of the world with their hate and unchecked aggression while he hid safe and contented behind Ba Sing Se’s massive walls, and he knows like he knows his own name that if he chooses that road, he would go crazy from the inaction.

He’s also tempted to hold to his and the Commander’s original deal, to enlist in the Yuyan Archers as soon as he was of age, but that would severely limit the kind of action he could take to try to end the war. He’d still be perpetuating the Fire Nation’s crimes, and he knows that eventually the dissonance of his beliefs and his actions would drive him just as crazy as he would be if he was hiding in Ba Sing Se and doing nothing.

There’s only one thing for it, then.

This war has to end, Commander, he signs finally. I want to have a hand in ending it. Do you have any ideas on how to go about that?

The look on Commander Toshiaki’s face is one Zuko has never seen before, pride so fierce and joyful that it makes Zuko’s face and ears and the back of his neck burst into flame with the heat of his blush. Only Uncle Iroh (only Mom) has ever looked at him like that.

You honor me, my Prince, the older man replies, and bows with the Flame. Zuko returns it, feeling like a few of the missing pieces of his soul have finally clicked into place.

They stay up on the roof of the komodo-rhino stables until nearly dawn, hammering out plan after plan after plan for every contingency they can think of, and a few that Zuko hopes will never come to pass because if they do, then the entire world is screwed.

In the end, they decide that Plan A is for Zuko to continue on as he has been, and enlist in the Archers the moment he turns eighteen. With his extra four years of experience, he’ll shoot up the ranks, and hopefully make Captain and have his own Squad by age twenty, which will provide him with command experience. Once Azula turns eighteen and is crowned Heir Apparent, it’ll only be a matter of time before she decides to seize power for herself, and by then Zuko will be more than ready to challenge her for the Caldera Throne.

It means another four years at least of war, of his people suffering, and that chafes at Zuko like sand in between his toes, but as he steps up his training in firebending, in swordsmanship, and in archery and stealth arts, he contents himself with the knowledge that this is the most logical path to ending the war. He cannot face Ozai. Just the thought makes his entire body shake and his mind race like a mouse in a trap. Better to wait for Azula to make her move and avoid the Fire Lord completely than to risk freezing up and getting killed for the hesitation.

A few weeks after the rooftop… thing (revelation? discussion? conspiracy? conspiracy), Kai corners him in the farthest corner of the training yards, where Zuko likes to practice with his dao.

What the fuck is up with you? He signs, sitting on Zuko’s stomach after ambushing him into a mild wrestling match. Zuko’s slippery, but Kai has height and weight on his side, and their matches tend to end in draws more often than not, but this time Kai isn't playing. Zuko's arms are trapped against his sides by Kai's knees, and the older boy is pressing down with just enough weight to ensure that Zuko can't break free of the hold, and his expression is pouty and annoyed but his eyes are concerned. Zuko relaxes into the pin, and simply raises his eyebrow.

Kai rolls his eyes, and gets up. Zuko sits up and takes a few deep breaths, but otherwise doesn't move.

Well? Kai demands, signs sharp with impatience, standing on the balls of his feet as though ready to move at a second's notice. You've been so weird since we got back from Huzhen. Honestly, I expected the nightmares, I've had them too, but you've stopped going to the stables and the hawks and you barely talk to anyone! All you do is train, you barely even eat or sleep! What the actual fuck, Zuko?

Oops. Zuko winces, scratching the side of his head. He hadn't meant to get so wrapped up.

You're right, he signs. I'm sorry, I've had a lot on my mind recently

.Kai frowns, and settles himself on the ground directly in front of Zuko. Talk to me. Maybe I can help, or at least be a friendly ear.

Zuko barely has to think about it for a second. Kai is his best friend, his brother in everything but blood, and he trusts him even more than he trusts the Commander at times.

He explains everything. His identity as the (former) Crown Prince, the Agni Kai, his abandonment in the wilderness. How the massacre at Huzhen had made him realize what the war was doing to their country, to their people. How the Commander had known all of this time exactly who he was, and how the man is helping him in his conspiracy to commit treason by simply being alive and planning to take back his throne when his scheming sister makes her play for it.

Through it all, Kai's eyes never leave his body, taking in everything. There are several points where it looks like the older boy (older man, Kai is twenty now, and when on earth did they all grow up?) might interrupt, but he restrains himself admirably. His face is pure rage when he learns how Zuko got his scar, and again when Zuko describes the realization that he had been left for dead in the mountains, but he doesn't move. When Zuko is finished, his hands and brain exhausted, Kai sits for a few moments, eyes closed.

You know, I always thought it was weird that an obviously full-blooded Fire Nation kid just randomly showed up here, he finally muses. Especially one so obviously noble-blooded.

So you’re not mad? Zuko didn’t think he would be, Kai loves a good prank, but it’s always helpful to know where he stands so that there aren’t any surprises.

Kai chuckles silently, and digs a knuckle into the top of Zuko’s head. Dumbass, he signs, grinning crookedly, his eyes warm with affection. You were doing what you needed to do to survive. Nothing wrong with that. I was just worried about you— there’s all sorts of horror stories about bad reactions soldiers have to their first combat experience. I wanted to make sure you weren’t trying to do anything stupid.

Thanks, Kai, Zuko signs, grinning.

I got your back, Prince Danger Noodle, Kai replies, winking at him.

With Kai in the loop, Zuko’s archery training takes off, as the older Private teaches Zuko everything he knows about hitting exactly where he aims every single time, no matter the conditions. They drill relentlessly, in any spare moment that Zuko’s not practicing his firebending or his dao.

The summer fades, and Zuko celebrates his sixteenth birthday by breaking into Shinu’s office, stealing the three massive jugs of baijiu the Colonel keeps there, and getting impressively drunk with Kai, Jiyoti, Min-Seo, and some of the other younger soldiers stationed at the Stronghold. He doesn’t remember much past the first several swallows, but he does remember it being one of the single best birthdays he’s ever had. Then the hangover hits in the morning, and he spends PT wishing that someone would shoot him and end his misery. Captain Hiroki and Commander Toshiaki are entirely unsympathetic, and Master Ryoichi gleefully pummels him in sparring, taking advantage of his infirmity to teach Zuko how to fight while impaired. It's grueling, and surprisingly vicious for the usually fair-minded Master, with any number of assailants jumping in and out at any given moment, but Zuko manages a pretty solid win, despite his spinning head and churning gut. Afterward, as Zuko sits on the side and wishes for a dark hole to crawl into, the Master announces that Zuko is a Firebending Master. Zuko responds by throwing up at the Master's feet.

Fall passes, and Zuko makes a consistent habit of breaking into the Stronghold's communications hub and reading every report he can get his hands on, with specific attention paid to the Fire Nation Army's movements in the Earth Kingdom. He learns everything he can, memorizes codes, locations, and personnel, some tiny, paranoid part of his mind urging him that no knowledge is wasted, even if it would be rendered obsolete within the next week. Despite obsolescence, no report is ever thrown away–– the hub contains scrolls dating back to Pouhai's founding as a frontier garrison in the very early days of the war, only weeks younger than the Yu Dao colony. It's here that Zuko encounters a written account of the Avatar legend, copied for posterity on the fiftieth anniversary of Sozin's attack on the Air Temples and then shoved in the back of the shelf and forgotten. Zuko skims it, reads maintains balance between the Four Nations, and finds himself wondering for a moment what life might have been like had the Avatar cycle not been broken. Then he shakes his head, replaces the scroll, and goes back to reading reports from the Southern Raiders.

On a freezing winter morning, as Zuko and his squad sit down to breakfast and tease Kai for still being half asleep, a herald reads a proclamation from the Caldera.

"The Avatar has returned, and is wanted alive for treason against the Fire Nation."

The mess hall is silent. Zuko nearly chokes on his tea. Unbidden, his eyes fly to Commander Toshiaki, who has gone white to the lips, but otherwise is composed.

The Avatar has returned.

This, Zuko thinks, as he listens to the silence break to the shattering sounds of all of his plans, changes everything.

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[gobureis]

My personal SW5 impressions of characters after playing the game once (plus some lol)  

note: I’m talking about all of them as characters in a video game. 

----

Nobunaga - ngl I love him. I feel his depiction might become a bit controversial among fans, but as a story it’s great imho.

Mitsuhide - I love him too lol deep down he’s pretty similar to his SW4 counterpart, but he also isn’t. He made different choices, and there are different settings (i.e. Akechi castle being burned down and his whole family dying) that made a difference, and then there’s his relationship with Nobunaga [but it isn’t just Nobunaga who influences Mitsuhide]

Hideyoshi - he’s such a fun character. It’s always a hit or miss with Hideyoshi and me in various media, and I admit i wasn’t a big fan of some parts of SW4 Hideyoshi, but this younger version who is all about making it big and becoming a powerful daimyou is refreshing and fun. There’s some rivalry between him and Mitsuhide (mostly one-sided), and respect for Ieyasu. The Hashiba group (Hideyoshi, Hanbei, Kazuuji, Kanbei) are very warm and almost family-like

Ieyasu - he’s also a nice character. I liked SW4 Ieyasu and the Tokugawa clan a lot, and you can still feel the bonds here as well. He’s very, not serious, but he knows he’s not good enough and he works really hard to become a good samurai. He’s very loyal to Nobunaga, and he’s like a puppy around him. It’s cute.

Imagawa Yoshimoto - he’s pretty much there only to be a villain

Shingen - I was never particularly interested in Shingen (and Takeda clan and Sanada clan as a whole in SW4) so having Shingen as the enemy officer only is like shrug (he’s fun in the Uesugi vs Takeda stage in Mitsuhide’s chapter, but his presence isn’t strong overall, I know there’s one Ieyasu stage where Takeda are with them but I forgot what it’s about)

Kenshin - LOL this time Kenshin got some Kanetsugu’s characterization so he’s very loud, very opinionated, and all about righteousness, which isn’t GI this time but TADASHIKI. At the moment, he’s a bit annoying (but I also felt that way about SW4 Kanetsugu at the beginning, and he’s among my faves now, so...)

Mouri Motonari - he’s also there to be a villain and he does it well. He’s not a nice grandfather, he’s dark and shrewd, and it’s very different from SW4. 

Azai Nagamasa - he’s different, I’m still not sure if in a good or bad way

Matsunaga Hisahide - he’s fun lol (I mean I liked his SW4 version, and I like his SW5′s one too) He’s not really a joke character anymore, and he’s VERY interested in Mitsuhide. I’m glad he stayed as a playable character.

Nouhime - (no one calls her Nouhime lol ETA: Sena does) she is a great character but unfortunately her ‘screen time’ is way too short. Her interactions are mostly limited to Nobunaga, but I guess I just need to trigger more in battle dialogues. I like what they did with her in the IF stories.

Mitsuki - she was such a delightful surprise. She’s written well, and I really like her story, and also her involvement in Nobunaga and Mitsuhide’s story

Toshiie - he’s pretty much the same as in SW4, he’s Nobunaga’s childhood friend and just follows whatever Nobunaga orders, without questioning it much (the furthest he went was before Hiei-zan, but nothing really came from it anyway). He has bigger role during the early chapters, after Mitsuhide joins Nobunaga, Nobunaga apparently forgets he already had a BFF? idk lol 

Katsuie - he became more handsome, but at the core, he’s pretty much the same Katsuie too. But this time they decided to make Katsuie loyal primarily to Oichi and make him her bodyguard (probably to avoid any potential creepiness considering Oichi’s age this time). Toshiie and Katsuie don’t really have any familial relationship, and Hideyoshi calls him “danna” lol

Oichi - she’s a... child, basically (and I did like the mother-like figure in SW4, especially in SW4-2), but she keeps growing on me. 

Saitou Toshimitsu - he’s extremely loyal to Mitsuhide and he follows him no matter what. They have a nice lord/vassal relationship very different from all lord/vassal relationships that were in SW4, so it’s refreshing

Yamanaka Shikanosuke - he’s a great character, he’s friends with Mitsuhide, and they both swore under the moon to become stronger, so they could protect those who were important to them, and that promise made them move forward. It’s a great friendship, but tragic. (as everything in this stupid game is) Although, I admit that at this time, more than his relationship with Mitsuhide, I’m more interested in his relationship with Mori Motonari and Kobayakawa Takakage.

Hanbei - omg I love this version of Hanbei a LOT. I feel like in SW4 he wasn’t around that much, and when he was I just focused more on Kanbei, but do I love him in SW5. His characterization is basically the same, but he’s also more soft? And more on equal ground with Hideyoshi, whom he calls ‘Hideyoshi’, and while their relationship isn’t THAT different, Hideyoshi’s personality and age makes it different, and I love it. Because of his time with Dosan, he gets a lot of ‘screen time’ this time around, so that’s great too.

Kanbei - Kanbei is... young LOL He appears pretty late in the game, so I didn’t have much time to really focus on him because this time, I focused more on Hanbei. Their senpai-kohai relationship is cute though

Nakamura Kazuuji - he’s... there. He has a nice relationship with Mitsuki, but we also never really see them interact properly or hear about their past (maybe the citadel events?), and he’s very loyal to Hideyoshi, so that’s cool too. Like I said above I like the Hashiba group. 

Sena - Sena is great, different from the other girls in this game, more mature. 

Tadakatsu - he’s like a big loud puppy who follows his master Takechiyo. I didn’t focus on him much tbh I’ve always preferred Ieyasu’s relationship with Hanzou, and that didn’t really change. And this time there was also Sena, so... Tadakatsu was... just there, more like an older brother than a vassal

Hanzou - also great. The age difference this time made some changes with his relationship with Ieyasu, and there’s no ‘shadow to Ieyasu’s light’ symbolism this time, but it is still a nice relationship. 

Sandayu - he’s a character that’s very present and he goes from a nice big brother figure to ********, but I haven’t really made an opinion about him yet. He’s a good character, but I like others more, basically.

Kobayakawa Takakage - hahahahaha he’s very self-centered and at first I was like you’re so annoying, but he also started to grow on me, so we’ll see (I definitely do prefer SW4 though). Although, this Kobayakawa and this Hanbei would work quite well together. I need to replay the Hashiba VS Mouri stages.

Saika Magoichi - he’s a nicer version of his SW4 version with no weird womanizer thing thrown in (yet). Unfortunately he only serves as a villain and you don’t really get to know his story, but he’s a person with integrity

Yasuke - Yasuke only joins at the very end of the game, and he’s very cool. He definitely works better than Ranmaru for what this story is about.

Oda Nobuyuki - he was a nice character. tbh they could have made him fully playable because he was present for two whole chapters but well... 

Okabe - idk you fight against him

Katsuyori - I like that Shingen calls him ‘Jirou’ LOL otherwise it didn’t really matter to me if he had a special design or not (but like I said I’m not interested in Takeda clan) - he’s voiced by the same guy who’s voicing Kobayakawa so when I don’t particularly pay attention I’m like why is Ieyasu fighting Kobayakawa? lol

Kikkawa Motoharu - ??? he’s there. he’s the muscles to Kobayakawa’s brain, I guess

Mouri Terumoto - he’s young, he feels the burden, but he doesn’t have much presence

Dousan - well, Dousan is Dousan

Saitou Yoshitatsu - at one moment he’s laughing like a cartoon villain

Asakura Yoshikage - he’s so good. He has a bigger presence that Nagamasa, and it’s a shame he wasn’t made fully playable. But he also never joined Nobunaga... he’s a really nice lord who cares about his territory and people, and does everything to protect them

Ashikaga Yoshiaki - your usual incompetent shogun, I guess

Mitsubushi Fujihide - I love him! He’s very loyal to the shogunate and Yoshiaki and does everything to protect him. (even though the shogun is the way he is)

aaaand done. Future me, how did your opinions change?

TOP 5 characters: Mitsuhide, Nobunaga, Hanbei, Hideyoshi, Toshimitsu

[skjebne-a]

DEVELOPMENTAL  STATS  SHEET.

FULL  NAME.  Hanzo Shimada MEANING  OF  NAME.  From Japanese 半 (han) meaning "half" and 蔵 (zō) meaning "to hide". This name was borne by the noted samurai Hattori Hanzou (1542-1596). The name can also be formed from other kanji combinations. island rice paddy. Japanese: meaning 'island rice paddy', but not necessarily denoting an island surrounded by water (see Shima). The surname is listed in the Shinsen shojiroku and is found mostly in eastern Japan and the Ryukyu Islands. ALIASES.   N/A DATE OF BIRTH.   December 27, 2038  PLACE OF BIRTH.   Hanamura, Japan ZODIAC SIGN.   Capricorn  SPECIES.  Human with prosthetics.  RACE.   asian NATIONALITY.   Japanese GENDER. cis  male SEXUALITY.   Demisexaul.  PROFESSION.  former yakuza head, assassin, mercenary. 

HEIGHT: 5’8’ AGE: 38

BODY TYPE: MESOMORPH

HAIR: BLACK TIED BACK MAJORITY OF THE TIME IN A BUN.

EYES: BROWN

SCARS: VARIOUS FROM OVER THE YEARS OF ARCHERY, THERE’S MANY ON HIS UPPER ARMS FROM BOWS BREAKING, AND SCARRING ON HIS SHOULDERS. SCARRING ON HIS LEGS FROM THE BLADE THAT CLEAVED HIS LEGS OFF. DISTINGUISHING MARKS: PROSTHETIC LEGS, TRADITIONAL DRAGON TATTOO THAT STRETCHES OVER HIS CHEST AND ARM, BRIDGE PIERCINGS AND EARS. 

SKILLS: PRODIGY IN ARCHERY, SWORDMANSHIP, AND MARTIAL ARTS. IQ: 147

FAMILY: SOJJIRO SHIMADA (FATHER, DECEASED) HARUHI CHIBANA (MOTHER, ALIVE) SIBLINGS: GENJI SHIMADA (YOUNGER BROTHER, ALIVE)

TRAUMA: SURVIVOR'S GUILT, PTSD, UNDIAGNOSED BIPOLAR DISORDER, INSOMNIA AND DEPRESSION. 

FEARS: NOT BEING GOOD ENOUGH,

LIKES: READING, WRITING, MEDITATION, SWEETS, SAKE, ARCHERY.

DISLIKES: FIGHTING ( WORDS NOT VIOLENCE), 

WEAKNESSES: CARING TOO MUCH, OR NOT AT ALL, DOING THE WRONG THING EVEN WHEN HE KNOWS WHAT IS RIGHT, CONTROL ISSUES, TRUST ISSUES.

SKILLS: STRATEGIES AND TACTICS, LEADERSHIP. KNOWN LANGUAGES: JAPANESE, CHINESE, ENGLISH, GERMAN, FRENCH, AND SPANISH BUT BARELY ENOUGH TO GET BY AS FAR AS THE SPANISH IS CONCERNED. 

MORAL ALIGNMENT.  chatoic netural JUNG.   ISTJ

COMPASSION. moderate EMPATHY.   moderate CREATIVITY.  moderate MENTAL FLEXIBILITY.   high PASSION.  moderate STAMINA.  high PHYSICAL STRENGTH.   high BATTLE SKILL.   high AGILITY.   high STRATEGY. high TEAMWORK.   high,  ( DEPENDS ON WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE)

STRENGTH.  high INTELLIGENCE. high WISDOM. moderate DEXTERITY. high CONSTITUTION. high CHARISMA. high REFLEXES.  high WILLPOWER.   high LUCK.  bad

[nefeliibxta]

“ immortal history “ ll hanzou & yuna

@paradiseburnt

      HATTORI HANZOU watches the other – his expression unchanging, as he examines the NEW COMER.

      He had been stationed in UEDA momentarily. Hired by their eccentric L O R D, to help out for a short time. With the permission of the man he served p e r s o n a l l y – he decided to take the job. If it would help out the person he’d dedicated himself to? He minded little who he needed to work with.

      However: He’d begun to be more aware of an oddity of this group – apparently, they had h a d a Hanzo working with them before. A man who had . . . disappeared.

       THAT WAS HOW THE NAME “ H A N Z O U “ worked, however. It was the very reason for it’s existence. To strike fear into those who would fight against IGA, the immortal “ H a t t o r i ‘ H a n z o u “ would always exist. Whenever someone failed or fell in battle, another would be given the name. And if history ever looked back at them, Hattori Hanzou will have always existed. It was a seamless transition. No one mourned the loss of IGA’s greatest shinobi. Because there was no one to mourn. They lost their individuality the moment they were mounted with the “TITLE/NAME” that became their identity.

       “Are you another of the Brave’s I’ve been informed I’ll be working with, for the time being?” Hanzou asks, raising a singular eyebrow. He was a professional – he wouldn’t ask more then that. He simply needed to know who were comrades and who was just travelers.

       He’d already sensed the mood-shift around here, when he’d introduced himself to some of the others – his very existence proved two things. ( One: The title no longer belonged to their friend. Two: . . . he likely would never return. ) The title only passed when the bearer died. But, he wasn’t sure if this young woman was also a member of the BRAVES . . . Or whether she knew that particular rule or not.

[claire-starsword]

The Guardiana Magic School Run - Part 17

Hey everyone, remember this? I sure don't! I was swept away by the task of translating the novel and, while this haunted my every moment as something i didn't want to leave unfinished, i barely remember what was going on. I do remember being not excited at all for the boring battle ahead, but hey, chapter 6 is a difficulty spike, so let's get over this already.

First of all, let's make things even easier.

We're past easter and egg hunts, it's now time for fish hunts. Hanzou pops out as a reward of this silly puzzle, which is leagues better than his original hiding spot. Also we get to enjoy more chapters with him. That's right, he's a magic user! Totally valid for this run.

I also thought you needed to click on the fish to find him but you just have to stand on it. So he just jumped out while i was busy typing, which scared the hell out of me, don't do that again, man.

Anyway, his attack is massive, surpassing even Max, but his defense is uh, on par with Tao's. That's bad (she does have a couple Steel Rings to have that though). Because of that, I'm passing the Repel Ring from Gong to him so that he doesn't have to worry about counters at least. We can do even better though.

I completely forgot in the last updates, but Waral sells a unique item, the Wind Ring, which grants +5% evasion. I don't think I'll be needing too much money for a while, I'm holding back on a lot of promotions so mages and healers won't be using the late staves yet, also I remember there is at least one free Holy Staff next chapter. Also, evasion is very ninja-like, isn't? So I get two for Hanzou, one for Gong and one for Tao. I also set Hanzou with some Healing Seeds and a Shower Cure, as I have some of these just laying around, I guess? I really don't remember a lot lol

Anyway, it's time to leave Waral for what I consider the most boring battle in all of this game.

It's the ship. Again. It was easy last time too. Yay.

Truly this chapter is the filler arc of Shining Force. It even got a beach on it.

Anyway, the clear bonus is the Soulbuster, which has already shown up in the Deals section, but would be nice to get it for free instead. I probably already talked about it when it first popped up, but who says I remember that, and who says you can make me shut up. So, the Soulbuster is a sword made for human enemies. There are not many of those, I think the Dark Priests count, but! I believe it counts for Cain. You can see it's being given right before chapter 6. And while this run has been easy so far, I still fear Cain. I ALWAYS fear Cain. So yeah, I want this.

Thankfully this battle won't waste our time with enemies behind the ship. We can just advance. I believe more enemies will be spawning in the middle.

Domingo is my greatest tank by far in both HP and defense, so he can probably handle whatever.

Arthur apparently has good defense right now, which always takes me by surprise.

I assume there's no need to stress here, so I'm spamming heals with the healers to get exp, and I don't think Narsha's Attack boosts will be needed even everyone's pretty strong already, so I'm Boosting Anri's spells with her instead. She levels up for her troubles and get Attack level 3, which I don't think I ever used.

Turn 2. Only a Sea Bat came forth. I'm bored. Domingo continues to advance and taunt enemies while tossing a Freeze 1 at it. Arthur finishes the job.

My plan with Narsha was to boost Tao's spells next, but she doesn't need it, so I'm casting step on Anri instead to see if she can reach enemies, because this woman is behind on levels and it's sad. It's still not enough for her to reach anything yet!! dang it!!

Turn 3. Trying to bait a pegasus knight with Domingo while still trying to get rid of this Gargoyle before it reaches anyone squishier.

how is he real

Arthur is poisoned but I honestly don't think that matters. He levels up and gets +3 attack.

Oh I'm remembering now how absurd this woman currently is.

Khris is so nice that she actually reaches to heal 3 HP of Arthur instead of spamming for exp only. With this she nabs an important level up! She has Heal 3 now, which was my main reason for delaying her promotion. I'm still on the fence if I'll delay until level 20 for Aura, depends on the equipment we'll get next chapter, and if I'll even get opportunities to safely use these priests for attacking.

Turn 4. Finally the pegasus knights are coming, and more enemies have spawned. Unlike what I thought they spawn further to the right. The empty middle of this map really was just to waste our time. Fiiiiiiiller.

Domingo has a chance to do AoE, and I love that. I am a bit worried about Anri exposed, but I'm hoping she can survive at least one hit, and that they'll also be obsessed by Max as usual. I don't wanna miss the bonus so I need someone to go ahead.

Arthur finishes the bat. Tao sadly cannot reach anything. Khris can, but I'm worried so I'll continue spamming heal for now.

Hanzou debuts with style! And then I cramp his style by failing to screenshot that caption properly, it was a double attack.

Max obliterates a bat with unnecessary violence (critical i failed to screenshot), and also does his most important job: baiting everything and anything away from Anri.

Unfortunately these enemies are so easy that she gets only 16 exp from a kill, I'm fighting a losing battle trying to get anything useful out of this.

BWAH???

okay i completely forgot that Max's defense hasn't keep up with the enemies in this run, I'm way too used with this man being a tank. At least he does have lots of HP to spare. And the other enemies aren't nearly as strong as the knights (knights have 30 attack, conches have 22 and the bats even less).

Thankfully Lowe moves right away to help his roommate. Also Arthur kills a conch on counter, which is awesome.

On Turn 5 he one hit kills another Conch and I regret scrolling fast because he gets another massive level up which i would've liked to screenshot. Lots of 4 and 5, you had to see it. Really wild how good he is if you put in the effort.

Tao obliterates the greatest threat we faced here.

I decide Max can just tank for a while and maybe, just maybe, Anri can get something more out of this.

Since the battle is ending I waste a whole Aura of Narsha just to heal Arthur's poison damage. She gets 20 exp out of that, which is wonderful, I love mass healing.

Hanzou continues to be wonderful. I was right about the rings.

She gets a level! :D

Turn 6. I start worrying about the bonus and decide Arthur should just kill the final enemy. Arthur proceeds to miss. Then Domingo gets a Freeze on the thing and I decide to risk things a bit and wait for Anri to get the kill. Not like she can miss, I'm just paranoid about doing things tight like this.

But never mind that! Everything goes perfectly fine, and she gets… 9 exp.

Please let this filler end already.

[insert screenshot of the clear bonus here, i hit the image limit but we did get it]

Losses: 0 Deaths: 2

[mikawa-province]

1, 3, 5, 21, 24, 27, 28, 32, 35, 39

9 months. I could’ve had a baby already but I chose the otoge life, and it chose me in turn so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

3: Who’s route did you play first?

Masamune-sama. I always have a bias for him in whatever media he’s in, so he’s always # 1 in my heart, my mind, in my soul, and in my life.

[I’d move to Sendai if I could but Tokyo is way, way better]

5: Least favorite route?

Currently on Takeda’s route, and it’s making me wince every time he’s on-screen.

I did not like Hideyoshi’s main route as well, even though I was pretty much okay with him in the first few story events he was in. Guess I could not stand the way he and MC ended up together.

Saizou’s was… let’s just say he and I are seriously incompatible and I would probably end up killing him with my bare hands if I had the chance.

21: Do you usually choose the Divine or the Noble ending?

Always Divine on my first run, then move on to the Noble ending. The only time I did not follow this was when I played through Date Shigezane’s route, as I was waiting for his voiced route to be released.

24: Is there any character that you want a route for?

It’s always been my wish for Sanada Nobuyuki to have a main route, but I would like Oniniwa Tsunamoto to have a main route in the future, or even a story event!

Naoe Kanetsugu should probably have a nice story event too… I don’t mind being the stepmom to his little girl lmfao

27: Do you like or hate the MC?

Depends on whose MC it is. I think she’s generally fine in most routes (Masamune, Ieyasu), but makes really questionable decisions in the others (Saizou’s, mostly).

Based on my friends’ stories of her in Takeda’s route, seems like she used her crotch to think, and not her brain.

But let’s see. I’m still going through this route anyway so I might change my opinion of her.

28: Favorite pair? (Example: Nobunaga and Mitsuhide, Saizo and Yukimura)

Bromance?

Shigezane and Nobuyuki are amusing together because they’re like the dudes who sometimes joins the Battle Events (for JPN anyway) and respect one another. Also, in the recent battle event in JPN, when Nobuyuki didn’t participate, Shigezane actually called out to him, saying that he should be part of the battle event.

Also, I love how Shigezane and Oniniwa are such shippers on deck for Masamune and MC in Masamune’s Act 2, despite the latter being against the pairing at first. Then again, Oshu’s relationship is the most tightly-knitted group among all of them, so any relationship combination among the four (Masamune, Kojuurou, Shigezane, Tsunamoto) would work.

There’s also Shigezane and Genya being bros with one another, as they often get along.

Oddly, Genya and Hanzou (silver-haired one) get along so well too, but that’s probably the Mikawa and Oshu alliance in play. Then again, they weren’t that antagonistic towards one another, unlike Genya and Sakuya, who are twins.

32: Did any scene make you cry?

None at all. Heartbreaking, yes, but I rarely cry.

35: Favorite CG?   

{SPOILERS} [CGs from JPN ver. of the game]Let me show you it.

39: Which character would you be best friends with?

I’d probably get along with Shigezane because I need positive vibes and smiles in my life. :)

[letting-them-take-liberties]

I am apologizing firsthand because this is tedious. From the slbp ask meme 3, 4, 24, 26, 28, 31, 32, 36, 38.

こんちゃ(・ω・)ノ

I’ve answered some of the questions you’ve sent on my fanfiction blog (mikawa-province), so I’ll just copy-paste it.

3: Who’s route did you play first?

Masamune-sama. I always have a bias for him in whatever media he’s in, so he’s always # 1 in my heart, my mind, in my soul, and in my life.

4: Favorite route?

It’s a tie between Masamune and Ieyasu. Masamune ranks higher because of Act 2.

24: Is there any character that you want a route for?

It’s always been my wish for Sanada Nobuyuki to have a main route, but I would like Oniniwa Tsunamoto to have a main route in the future, or even a story event!

Naoe Kanetsugu should probably have a nice story event too… I don’t mind being the stepmom to his little girl lmfao

26: Do you ever fall for another character when you’re playing a route?

So. Many. Times.

While I was romancing Kojunyan, I actually wanted Masamune to NTR MC.

Meanwhile, whenever Ieyasu appears in the other character’s routes, I also wanted him to NTR MC, especially when he made his appearance in Mitsuhide’s route. While I am fully aware that Ieyasu is using MC for his own reasons, he seemed way too concerned for her. Also, he said he wanted her to ‘go to his castle so that she could make sweets for him’. My friend calls it ‘Sengoku Period term for ‘Netflix and chill’.

In Yukimura’s route, I wanted to romance Nobuyuki instead. I have a thing for older brothers, you see... (//∇//)

Oniniwa tempted me to some extent, but not enough for me to go all, “YAAAAASSSS TAKE ME AWAY, TSUNAMOTO-SAMAAAA~!!!” I got pissed at him at one point in Masamune’s Act 2, and while he made sense and had his reasons, it didn’t change the fact that he pissed me off. We cool now tho.

(NTR = netorare = to cuckold. More info here, courtesy of TV Tropes.)

28: Favorite pair? (Example: Nobunaga and Mitsuhide, Saizo and Yukimura)

Bromance?

Shigezane and Nobuyuki are amusing together because they’re like the dudes who sometimes joins the Battle Events (for JPN anyway) and respect one another. Also, in the recent battle event in JPN, when Nobuyuki didn’t participate, Shigezane actually called out to him, saying that he should be part of the battle event.

Also, I love how Shigezane and Oniniwa are such shippers on deck for Masamune and MC in Masamune’s Act 2, despite the latter being against the pairing at first. Then again, Oshu’s relationship is the most tightly-knitted group among all of them, so any relationship combination among the four (Masamune, Kojuurou, Shigezane, Tsunamoto) would work.

There’s also Shigezane and Genya being bros with one another, as they often get along.

Oddly, Genya and Hanzou (silver-haired one) get along so well too, but that’s probably the Mikawa and Oshu alliance in play. Then again, they weren’t that antagonistic towards one another, unlike Genya and Sakuya, who are twins.

31: Funniest character?

Ieyasu never fails to crack me up with his very dry sense of humor and his frank way of saying/explaining things.

In the stage play, I actually cracked up when Shingen made fun of Masamune.

32: Did any scene make you cry?

None at all. Heartbreaking, yes, but I rarely cry.

36: Favorite event so far?

So many events to mention. Where to begin...?

For JPN:

Ieyasu’s Divine Ruler’s Princess (called 「天下の姫君)  and Melting With Your Heat (called 「熱で溶かして」) was great too. For Masamune, Moment of Resolution (called 「決意の刻」) was very memorable because it was also my very first Japanese story event.

For both characters, ‘Our Eternal Vow’ (called 「永遠の誓い」) was so sweet, it killed me. Add to that, the ‘Zenjitsutan’/Prologue Arc series, even though it ripped my heart out so many times that I lost count when I played Motoyasu/Ieyasu’s story events.

For ENG, the ‘Falling For You’ Story Event was so damn nice (especially Masamune-sama’s) and so damn hilarious because I still can’t believe Masamune used his 凸 to make MC forget about her bad dreams. My Eternal Love killed me too.

Ieyasu’s Blooming in Adversity is so good too that I’ve been playing his story event route nonstop. Also, his first story event, despite him being seriously mean towards MC, actually gave me dokidokis.

38: Favorite ship?(Romantic/Platonic)

Ieyasu with his MC; same goes with Masamune with his MC.

To some extent, Oichi and Katsuie is pretty cute too because she’s such a tsundere.

Other than that... I don’t think I have any other ship...?

[late-nightlove]

Musical Touken Ranbu ~Three-Hundred Year Old Lullaby~ Summary & Review

Summary of the whole play under the cut (with spoilers).

Note: History knowledge is limited for this time period (Sengoku Period) so I may have gotten some parts wrong. Also, speech pattern was somewhat difficult to understand but I did my best.

One important thing to keep in mind for this musical: while the first two musicals were all about preventing history from altering, this musical deals with reconstructing history (as the Japanese called it, ‘rebuilding broken history’).

Sengo Muramasa gets first dibs on the singing upon his arrival at the Honmaru.

Musical is based the memoirs of Ishikirimaru, as seen by him.

Nikkari Aoe and Ookurikara got sent on an expedition to Okazaki Castle in Mikawa [present-day part of Aichi Prefecture] (December 1592)

History Retrograde Army attacks the Matsudaira Army; a dying Matsudaira Hirotada entrusts an infant (Tokugawa Ieyasu) to Nikkari Aoe and Ookurikara.

Sword Boys become vassals/retainers of Tokugawa Ieyasu to fix history; this happened because the whole Matsudaira clan and its retainers got wiped out when the History Retrograde Army attacked them.

Original Tokugawa retainers and the Sword Boys’ counterparts:

Hattori Hanzou → Ishikirimaru Torii Mototada  → Monoyoshi Sadamune Honda Tadakatsu  → Tonbokiri Sakai Tadatsugu   → Nikkari Aoe Sakakibara Yasumasa  → Ookurikara Ii Naomasa  → Sengo Muramasa

As retainers of Takechiyo, four of them were involved with the child rearing; Ookurikara and Sengo Muramasa wanted nothing to do with him.

Monoyoshi serves as Ieyasu’s adviser during battles, as he knew how events would play out.

Tokugawa Ieyasu had a son, whom the “retainers” also took care of; he grows up to be Matsudaira Nobuyasu.

Ookurikara thinks that they shouldn’t be wasting time taking care of children; they should be fighting fighting. Ishikirimaru challenges him to a duel and taunts him that the way he attacks lacks the killing intent in it; when Ieyasu comes in, Ishikirimaru introduces Ookurikara as ‘Sakakibara Yasumasa’. Ieyasu is delighted because Yasumasa’s family served the Matsudaira and asks Ookurikara for his support. Ookurikara obliges.

At one point in history, Ookurikara encounters a farmer named Gohei, who was being bullied by other samurai for trying to be one of them. Ookurikara saves him, gets followed back, and is asked/begged by Gohei to teach him how to use a katana. Ookurikara refuses, but relents when it’s Nobuyasu who asks him.

During Gohei’s training session with Ookurikara, Nobuyasu, along with Ishikirimaru, asks Gohei for a favor: Nobuyasu wants to learn how to farm/grow flowers; Gohei agrees, but asks Nobuyasu for a favor too. He wants to learn how to read and write so that he could be of use to Nobuyasu. Nobuyasu agrees.

Years pass, and Ieyasu introduces a new retainer to everyone: Ii Naomasa (Sengo Muramasa).

At the Battle of Narashino, Gohei gets killed by the History Retrograde Army while protecting Nobuyasu; Ookurikara gets very confused over his death, as it made him feel emotions for the first time. He also thinks that having a mortal body is a hindrance when it comes to fighting.

Ishikirimaru visits Gohei’s grave, and duels with Ookurikara again; Ishikirimaru comments that Ookurikara’s strikes have more killing intent in them.

Ookurikara mourns for Gohei, remarking that it is not yet time for him to lay a flower at his grave because he still has something to do.

Time passes by, and Ishikirimaru reminds everyone that the day of Nobuyasu’s death by seppuku has arrived; at this, everyone starts wondering the reason why Nobuyasu had to commit seppuku. Even Monoyoshi doesn’t know the real reason, despite staying by Ieyasu’s side.

Ishikirimaru reminds them that Nobuyasu needs to be killed to protect history.

Nobuyasu gets into an argument with Ieyasu, as he doesn’t want to succeed his father.He also wonders how many people have to die in order to attain peace, and asks why Gohei had to die. Ieyasu reminds him that he is the heir, and that he has no other choice but to follow his footsteps.

Ishikirimaru finds Nobuyasu, who begs him to kill him in order to shake up the clan. As the five watch on, Ishikirimaru hesitates in killing him, and the Kebiishi makes an appearance.

All six of them are helpless against the sole Kebiishi, and Nobuyasu ends up sacrificing himself.

Timeskip to Ieyasu’s final hours; Ieyasu regrets what he did to his son.

A man wearing a straw hat makes an appearance; Nobuyasu actually lived and took Gohei’s name; Matsudaira Nobuyasu has been “dead” for some time ever since he changed his name to Gohei.

Ieyasu passes away, finally at peace with himself.

Highlights:

Sengo Muramasa’s introduction song

“SHALL WE GET NAKED?!”

Sengo makes reeeeeally inappropriate advances towards Tonbokiri

Tonbokiri, as Honda Tadakatsu, feels pressured to live up to his former master’s name

Sengo referring to Ieyasu as a ‘tanuki’ and a ‘plain guy’. Monoyoshi had to point out to him that in the end, Ieyasu became the person who unifies Japan.

Tonbokiri as the dad (a very, very dedicated dad at that)

Nikkari Aoe making a baby carriage for baby Ieyasu

Tonbokiri lifting child!Nobuyasu and child!Nobuyasu sitting on Tonbokiri’s bicep the whole time.

Tonbokiri breaking out into a song, startling Sengo (I laughed so hard over this)

Sengo breaking the fourth wall

Sengo’s gestures, along with the thigh flashing (Yes, we get it, your right thigh is flawless and meaty)

The lullaby itself (for Monoyoshi to still remember the lullaby so that he can teach it to Ieyasu and Nobuyasu was just amazing)

Ookurikara had to be told that his “mission” is to get the fangirls to like him, as he has no interest in anything other than fighting.

Ishikirimaru and Monoyoshi’s duet

Tonbokiri’s solo (which sounded like a love song + best utilization of his bilingualism, as he had to sing a lot of lines in English as well)

The song after Spi’s solo where they went to the audience area to interact with the audience while singing; I was seated on the left side facing the stage, and Nikkari Aoe came out from my side.

Tonbokiri x Sengo Muramasa fanservice; made me scream, in all honesty.

Taiko drum solo

Personal thoughts:

I’m glad they stirred things up with the third musical, as it shifted from ‘protect history from alternating’ to ‘reconstruct history’.

I think Sengo had way too much stage time when he’s practically the dude who doesn’t want anything to do with any of the historical figures involved.

The songs were amazing, as always.

Their version of the official theme song had my heart racing; maybe because third time’s a charm.

No betrayals this time around (FINALLY)

Everyone actually had a role to play in this musical, compared to Hachisuka going all ?????? around 80% of the play while Kiyomitsu couldn’t get along with the Sanjou.

No ‘Otoko Michi’ :( I was looking forward to it, in all honesty.

This is probably the heaviest TouMyu storyline to date for me; anything family-themed always gets to me.

There may have been parts that I misinterpreted/overlooked; I will try to secure tickets for the live viewing this April 23rd and make a separate post to cover what I missed.

Till next time!

[jingu-tenno]

The Ultimate Naruto Timeline III

Welcome back to part 3 of the timeline, where people appear where they don't belong because Kishimoto wrote down their ages in the beginning of the manga to completely forget about them 400 chapters later. That sounds confusing to you? Believe me it is, especially when you remember the age of the various supporting characters when reading it.

We have left the 2nd Ninja World War behind us in the last part and are now going on to Kakashi Gaiden and the story of Uchiha Obito. Boy, this is fun. There's so much information in this that I have deliberately deleted from my memory because otherwise my headcanon can't handle this.

Kakashi is 26 years in 112, and therefore was born 15/9/86 (remember, German dating system). He became Genin at 5 years and Chunin at 6. Obito and Rin took a little longer on both, making Genin by 9 and Chunin at age 11. They both take part in the Chunin exam that Kakashi passes but don't pass the test themselves [599, 11-12]. We see that Obito trains for another exam in winter and spring, meaning that the next exam was in the following year. He (and presumably Rin as well) become Chunin then, which gives us something to calculate the age difference between Obito+Rin and Kakashi from.

If Kakashi became Chunin at 6, and Obito a year later at 11 (where Kakashi turned 7), than that would make Obito and Rin about 4 years older than Kakashi. Since Obito was 13 in Kakashi Gaiden [Databook 2, 43], Kakashi must have been 9 at the time. Makes no sense? Well, it doesn't. Also because Databook 4 says that Obito is 31 years in old in 117, which would put him at the same age as Kakashi – which is actually directly contradicted by the mentioned information from Databook 2. Make of that whatever you want, I'd already given up on logic at this point…

Because it gets better! Kishimoto is nice enough to give us a group shot of all the people that allegedly took place in Kakashi's Chunin exam [599, 2-4]. Prepare for hilarity to ensue.

From left to right we have: Ebisu, Guy, Aoba, Kakashi, Raidou, Rin, Asuma, Hayate, Kurenai, Genma [upper picture]; Anko and Ibiki [lower picture].

For those of you not familiar with the characters: Raidou, Genma, Aoba, Ebisu, Kurenai, Asuma, Ibiki Kakashi and Guy (sorted in order of age) were between age 32 and 27 in 113, therefore born in the years 81-86. Kakashi was 6 year old in that Chunin exam [Databook 2], so it was held in 92-93. This makes all of them between 6 and 12 years old.

Hayate however was 23 in 113 and Anko 24. Their birthdays are 2/11/89 and 24/10/88.

They would have been 3 and 4 years old at the time…

This just doesn't add up. Look the ages of the characters up in the databook if you don't believe me, check the wiki, it simply won't make sense. At all.

Anyway, on to Kakashi Gaiden for more fun times. Since Gaiden could have happened at a maximum of 18 years before the (then current) events of Naruto [239, 13] but after Kakashi had become a Chunin, I assume it to have taken place in the year 96 or 97.

[Quick explanation on the Japanese, skip this if you don't care for additional info:

Chapter 239 starts with a cartouche in the upper right corner of the page, that in the English version I have starts with the words "About 10 years ago…" Since this is the start of Kakashi Gaiden and the time we are going back from is the year 113 this statement is obviously wrong. Usually I would blame this on Kishimoto, but this is indeed a translation error.

Since a friend was so nice to get me the Japanese raw of the chapter I have the original text here:

今より十数年前。。。

"今より" basically means "from today on", the important part here is the "十数年前". 十 (ten) + 年 (year) + 前 (before) adds up to the "ten years ago" part. The 数 (number) in 十数 however indicates an unspecific number between 1 and 9, with 11 or 19 being unlikely.

"Around ten years ago…" therefore is deceptive in the sense that the events of Gaiden didn't happen ca. 10 years before the ongoing story but instead in a timeframe of around 13~18 years before that.

The mistake is purely translational here.]

Obito (and Rin most likely as well) is 13 years old and a Chunin at this point and Kakashi has already made Jounin (at 9 or 10 years of age). Therefore Kakashi commands the team while Minato is off alone to distract the Iwa troops that have already davanched to Kusa. So SWWIII was well underway in the year 96-97.

Sakumo killed himself before Kakashi made Chunin, so around 91-92. His saving of his comrades instead of finishing the mission is cited as one of the triggers of the war, which means it can only have begun afterwards. Looking at the events of Gaiden one can also assume that after the destruction of the Kanabi bridge the war didn't last that much longer.

I tentatively assume SWWIII lasted 93-97.

Houston, we have a problem… SWWII lasted till 92 (at least in Ame) and SWWIII started in 93. I tried to make it a bigger gap between both events, but no can do. This is how it was according to the timeline.

Shortly before the end of the war Kiri got their hands on Rin and made her the Jinchuuriki of the Sanbi. Kakashi had to kill her to prevent her from being used as a weapon to attack Konoha, giving both himself and Obito a Mangekyou Sharingan in the process [629, 17; 605, 4]. Also around this time there was the battle at the Kikyou pass that Orochimaru used as a cover story to give Kabuto a new identity in Konoha [Databook 1, 128; 584, 12].

Meanwhile in Amegakure, there were three orphans trained by the Sannin Jiraiya… because, as we remember, the brats were still alive and kicking at this point in time and actually not far away from booting Hanzou out of Ame [446, 11]. The man however had not survived the Sannin to lose his rule to a band of misfits, calling Danzou for help and promising him to help the one-eyed bastard in his quest towards the Hokage hat in return [446, 13]. In the end however none of them got anything out of the deal, since Yahiko died but Nagato went berserk and killed not only Hanzou but also Danzou's back-up Root army, becoming the god of Amegakure [446, 16 - 477, 13].

Nagato died at 35 in 116 [Databook 4, 127], therefore was born in 81. Assuming that him and Yahiko, who died at age 15 [Databook 4, 195], were of the same age, the coup on Hanzou happened in the year 96.

After that nothing mayor that we didn't cover yet happens… until Kushina goes into labor 10/10/100.

What happened then is well-known: Obito in disguise attacked Kushina and Minato, freed the Kyuubi and ran away as they managed to re-seal the demon into Naruto, both dying in the process. That's the story of the birth of Naruto.

Since Obito was 3-4 years older than Kakashi (going by the older databook entries over the newer), he was around 17 at that point. This would explain the difference in his build, height, and abilities. Furthermore the part of Zetsu that he gained after being hit by the rocks gave him additional strength, healing abilities and endurance. That's the only possible reason to explain why he could hold his own against Minato so well.

This is almost all of it. Now there's only the 12 years from Naruto's birth to the start of the manga missing from the timeline… but that's a matter for another post.

92 Sakumo Hatake kills himself

93-97 SWWIII

96 Coup on Hanzou

96-97 Kakashi Gaiden

97 Rin becomes the Sanbi's Jinchuuriki and is killed by Kakashi

100 the Kyuubi attacks Konoha, Naruto is born

Comments and criticism are always welcome. With this huge amount of information and dates there can always be mistakes, and it’s quite possible that I’ve made a mistake somewhere. It would be really helpful if you’d point out something amiss if you find it :)

Sources: Naruto manga, Naruto databook 1-4; indications in [chapter, page]

[All pictures are from the manga “Naruto”, rights belong to Kishimoto Masashi]

[project-rebirth]

Season II Arcs Masterpost

A Certain Magical Index: Rebirth Testament II

The Shadow King Arc (In progress)

In this arc, it's about two weeks since the Holy Grail War ended and peace has returned to Academy City, however,  a conspiracy is underway by a group called Shadow King, who plans on targeting espers such as Shokuhou Misaki for their own ends.

Agnese Hunting Arc (In progress)

Agnese Sanctis, along with Sister Angeline and Sister Lucia are being pursued by a pair of twins who bear a striking resemblance to the 1st Ranked Level 5. They seek shelter from Touma who agrees to help them flee Academy City after they were sent to investigate a being known as the God Hunter. When Touma finds out what's actually going on, who the God Hunter is and what the Church plans to do, can he help them reach a compromise before the real enemy makes their move? Pertains to @xbloodsoakedx​.

Illuminati Occultics Arc (In progress)

Touma suddenly finds himself in the city of Los Santos to see that it is much, much colder than it should be in the west cost of the United States. Not only that, but the entire population of Los Santos is missing as well. Touma and others investigating are attacked by strange creatures who are controlled by the Illuminati Occultics Company. Meeting up with Index, the group sets out to correct this anomaly and restore Los Santos back to its original state.

School Garden Arc (In progress)

Because of the events with Agnese, Kamijou is unable to return to his dorm until it is repaired. As a result the board of directors are able to arrange a deal for Touma to stay in School Garden of all places, specifically Tokiwadai. Dreading  what awaits him, he is unaware of the plot that MINUS plans to undertake in School Garden, specifically for the #5 Level 5, Shokuhou Misaki.

Precure Hunter Arc (In progress)

The Clock Tower of the Magic Association has put out sealing designations on the members of the Happiness Charge Precure, and has sent their enforcers to capture them.  A competition between Freelancers and Enforcers are underway as the girls become targets for Magicians looking for payment or notoriety, and Touma finds himself caught in the middle of it. Pertains to @rosecoloredmuses​

Shirai Assist Arc (In progress)

Following the events of the Precure Hunter Arc, Shirai Kuroko on behalf of Judgement starts to investigate the clues left behind from the conflict. Board Chairman of Academy City, Aleister Crowley feels that Kuroko, and others will learn of the existence of the Magic Side, so to that end, Aleister employs MINUS to have her assassinated to prevent her from learning too much. This will lead to a confrontation with Shirai and MINUS in the now abandoned Misawa Cram School Building. Will result in Touma getting severely injured.

Hamazura Recruitment Arc

MINUS, despite what happened in December, still seeks to have Hamazura Shiage to their side. To that end, MINUS attempts to blackmail him into joining them by threatening the safety of ITEM, specifically Takitsubo Rikou and the young Fremea Seivlun. Hamazura gives into their demands, at least from what it seems, only in reality, he plans to face off against those MINUS members by himself. Touma and (your muse) goes to the location to help him overcome the threat that is MINUS.

SISTERS REBIRTH Arc

A man in a suit manages to abduct Last Order, prompting Accelerator to go on a Manhunt for the assalant. Both he and Last Order are quickly found by Accelerator and Misaka Mikoto and Last Order is saved. However, the two Level 5s learn of a plot to restart the SISTERS Project, prompting Accelerator and Mikoto to take immediate action by destroying the labratories behind the plot. Later Misaka Imouto is kidnapped by a Researcher who is behind the plot and was once part of the original Project, prompting Touma to get involved, to save the Sisters. Includes new technology and Touma fighting a Researcher in a fist fight.

Konori Justice Arc

Touma and Bowen are brought in by Yomikawa Aiho to help Judgement and Anti-Skill in a operation against some forces of MINUS in the tunnels of District 7. There is a lot of push back from this from Anti-Skill and Judgement, but circumstances force them to help, whether the peacekeeping forces want it or not.  They end up working with Judgement member Konori Mii in order to help take down the MINUS forces in the tunnels after the three are separated from the rest of the force after a MINUS attack and cave in. Pertains to @tetsuwan-atom​.

- Solomon's Cross Saga -

Demonic Armor Arc

The Fallen Roman Catholic Church, after causing various crises around the world, deem Kamijou Touma to be an enemy they must eliminate for fear of the Kamijou Faction's rise. Solomon's Cross, a dark and secretive Magic Cabal controlling the Church sends one of their own members, Belrod the Magician Killer, along with members of the AX to Academy City for the sole purpose of killing Touma and anyone else who rallies to his aid. In direct response to this, Nessicsarius sends Itsuwa of the Amakusa Church and Kanzaki Kaori to protect him. Academy City and others plan and act against the Church. With the forces of Magic, Science, and the Third Side colliding for the sake of one boy, a new conflict rises.

SS: Delta Force

A short story involving Touma and his friends Aogami Pierce and Tsuchimikado Motoharu getting into mischief involving swimsuits and changing room antics. Nothing serious here.

Gospel of Tyranus Arc

A grimoire called the Gospel of Tyranus was stolen from the British Museum by Solomon’s Cross. The organization plans to use its contents in order to transform the Earth into a violent hellscape, thus destroying all of human civilization. The Magic Association requests the aid of Index, along with Touma as her manager and Bowen, as it is a grimore from the Meta Side and has the group with Miyuki, Othinus and Rosalia in tow head over to London. Chaos ensues moments after they land as the airport becomes a battle field between the forces of the Association, and the Church. Pertains to tetsuwan-atom.

Tower of London Arc

The Solomon's Cross Magician, after being defeated by the Association and Touma's group, is imprisoned within the Tower of London with the Church planning his rescue. Leivina Birdway is contacted by someone to prevent this from happening, and to that end she drags Touma and Co. along. Chaos ensues in the Tower of London as they not only have to deal with deranged prisoners, but another member of Solomon's Cross as well. Pertains to tetsuwan-atom.

The Flood Arc

With the first two days in London filled with nothing but chaos, Touma wants to enjoy his holiday to the fullest, but there is a complication: Lessar. Lessar from New Light mails herself to the Nessicarius women's dorm that Touma and crew are forced to stay (Since they are unable to return to japan because of the chaos from the Gospel of Tyranus arc) and tags along with them. However, the Fallen Roman Catholic Church declares the Magic Association to be enemies of God and another member of Solomon's Cross mounts their attack on London. Chaos ensues when the water manipulating magician takes control of the Thames in the conflict and riots are caused by a mind altering thaumatergical virus.

Thor Challenge Arc

The Magician Thor wishes to fight Touma once more, to that end, he gets him involved in rescuing the 10% of missing child cases in England from the hands of Solomon’s Cross, who continues to use them as disposable tools. Meanwhile, the Association and the Knights of England work together to find the hideout of the remaining members of Solomon’s Cross in London and defeat them. More chaos ensues.

- MINUS Saga -

(Note: The MINUS saga runs concurrently along with the Solomon’s Cross Saga after Delta Force SS and due to who it focuses on, it has more of s railgun feel and manga-like structure storywise. Meaning, they are longer in some cases)

Day 1.

After a phone conversation between Touma and the Railgang, Uiharu Kazari takes an interest in the boy, although is unable to properly remember his name and face because of how unremarkable it is. Meanwhile, Anti-Skill and Judgement conduct a joint operation against MINUS throughout the city. We learn that the Outsourcer for the Plan of Attack was a Pyschology expert by the name of Theresa Kihara Romefeller. The plan of attack results in tragety the side of Judgement and Uiharu seeks to uncover the identity of the Outsourcer, while at the same time conducting her own personal investigation into Kamijou Touma.

Day 2.

In her investigation into Touma, Uiharu asks her best friend Saten what he means to her. because of the timing of it, the question makes  Saten very uncomfortable  and is unable to answer due to having to go to school. Later, Uiharu continues her search for the escaped MINUS members, the identity of the Outsourcer, and more digging into Touma. Uiharu hacking into Touma's file results in her getting threatened by a sniper. She and Konori head over to Touma's school in order to gain information on a member of MINUS who used to go there. After this and more, Uiharu meets up with Saten again, the two argue for a bit regarding what happened earlier in the morning, but make up in the end. They meet up with Mikoto and Kuroko in order to question Touma in relation to his involvement in the Tower of London Arc.

After this, the quartet head over to district 10 in order to face off against the remaining 232 members of MINUS who are hiding there. Anti-Skill and Judgement once again working together, only this time with Anti-Skill leading the charge. Yomikawa also brings in outside help in the form of Hamazura Shiage, Hattori Hanzou, Kuruwa, and Violent Violet. As this operation becomes a battlefeild for the hackers, (Uiharu and the MINUS hacker), the four volunteers are paired with the Railgang in order to protect Uiharu so she can hack into the machines and auromated weapons that MINUS has under their control.

After the conflict is over, the Railgang encounters Thor in Heaven Canceller's hospital to steal some drugs he plans to use on Touma as it ties into the Thor Arc.

Day 3.

The war against MINUS continues as the organization makes their next move to recover their captured member from Anti-Skill and Judgement. Interogations will happen featuring the appearance of Shokuhou Misaki and Kumokawa Seria, and a disturbing revelation is discovered that could potentially put Academy City and Tokyo in danger. Anti-Skill and Judgement move to stop this plot along with the help of a newly reformed GROUP?!

Day 4.

MINUS is on its last legs with most of its members in custody. Uiharu finds herself on a bus with a bomb that is about to blow up and she has to figure out how to stop it. Kamijou Touma finally returns home after his escapades in London, but as expected, it may not be a peaceful return.

Foul Resurrection Arc

After the incidents with MINUS and Solomon’s Cross, Touma tries to  enjoy his return to Academy City, but all of that is thrown out the  window when he   and Index are suddenly attacked by a strange serpent creature. Later, they encounter a woman in blue and find out that the serpent has been going around killing people. Wanting to stop this, Touma gets caught up in a dark plot involving the return of a certain old foe of Accelerator and Violent Violet. Pertains to xbloodsoakedx.

Cube of Metatron Arc

A girl finds her self fleeing from the Fallen Roman Catholic Church when she learns they plan to use her properties for their plans of destroying the world. She flees and finds herself meeting Touma. However, Solomon's Cross and the Church catches up to her and mounts their attack. Meanwhile, Last Order and Takitsubo Rikou are infected with COD-X Virus, prompting Accelerator and Hamazura Shiage to make separate quests for the cure. However, they are attacked by A member of Solomon's Cross and Merryweather mercenaries, who want to use the girls for the Church's goals.

The Great Magician War Arc (Final)

With Touma's failure of protecting the girl from the Pope himself, as well as Last Order and Takitsubo being taken, Touma, Accelerator and Hamazura make separate journeys to rescue those they wish to save. In the middle of all of this, tensions between the Fallen Church and the world finally escalates to the point of armed conflict. An intense war between the powers of the world with their other worldly allies, and The Fallen Church with Solomon's Cross brews as Pope Benedict enacts the ritual needed to activate the the Metatron Cube Spell, involving Annalise, Last Order and Takitsubo. Chaos ensues when all of the forces of Magic, Science and Meta collide, on a scale similar of World War III. Even so, Touma sets out to destroy the illusions of the Pope and save one girl as Vatican City is turned into a floating Fortress to signal the end times.

If you are interested in writing any of these with me, please feel free to message me!

[claire-starsword]

Max’s Diary - Chapter 8

(26) Month of the Yellow Tiger, Day 33

We arrived at Runefaust. But, there's no sign of their army in the city. From what Mahato told me, the army has retreated and we must give chase. In front of the castle they just built, Darksol... Seems he's the root of all these evils. We attacked at once, but he fled to the depths of the castle, and in his place came Emperor Ramladu of Runefaust. Things happened one after the other and Ramladu also retreated further as the battle began. Argh, we must get to him.

The ninja Hanzou will be working with us from this battle on. He's a strong fighter who knows the instant death spell, Desoul. But, ninja are from the shadows. I'll leave him at headquarters. We'll defeat Darksol without borrowing the power of shadows. Probably.

___

(27) Month of the Purple Pearl, Day 4

With everyone working together, we somehow defeated the beasts with breath attacks, Blue Dragons and Chimeras. All that is left is to beat Ramladu.

Torch Eyes and Steel Claws showed up but, with our current power they aren't much of a problem. We're also faster and that'll be the key to victory, we'll quickly made work of those stupid machines. After destroying them we'll go after Ramladu.

Once only Ramladu was left, he finally got his heavy butt up to work. And, the moment Pelle got closer, he spun his weapon and sent him flying. Aah! Pelle was wrecked in one hit. Okay, time for the usual tactic of throwing all we have at him. Everyone do your best. I'm right behind you.

___

(28) Month of the Purple Pearl, Day 15

We infiltrated the Castle of the Ancients. It was a long path from what I recall. A lot of events started flashing back in my mind. After all this struggle, all that's left is to defeat Darksol. Let's move onwards.

Darksol isn't anywhere to be seen in the castle. Huh? Where is he hiding. As we searched here and there we felt the presence of monsters. Seems the castle's defense system has activated. Colossus started moving, and the Chimeras came to attack us. We were taken by surprise, but with Anri's Bolt and Tao's Blaze level 4, and Diane and Lyle's Buster Shots, we intercepted the Chimera and Blue Dragon combination. All that was left was Colossus. Let's surround them one by one to take them down. Huh? We defeated them with no injuries. So weak.

___

(29) Month of the Purple Pearl, Day 20

After turning Colossus into kebab without any trouble, we continued the infiltration. Finally we found Darksol. It's the final battle. Anri and Tao's magic shines, Gort swings the Atlas Axe. Diane and Lyle's Buster Shots blast fire, Balbaroy flies about. Pelle throws the Valkyrie, Khris and Gong run around doing the healing. Musashi cuts enemies in half with the Kiku-ichimonji, Domingo floats around without a care. And I finish everything off with the Chaos Breaker.

With this ultimate force we corner Darksol. His Demon Breath is intense but, as we hit him with everyone at once it doesn't matter much. Alright, we defeated Darksol! I was so glad, and as I celebrated like that...

___

Even now, in the Castle of the Ancients' "last chamber", Darksol works to awaken the Dark Dragon. Will the protagonist succeed in saving the world of light in the end? The answer to that question is something only the Chaos Breaker knows.

___

Notes:

(26): Big mistake on this one, when mentioning Hanzou’s instakill spell they call it Detox (Antidote in the original).

Also, those ellipses when Max meets Darksol in front of the castle... They have a bit more weight if you know Darksol's original dialogue.

"How many times have we met so far? I've begun to think of you as a friend, Max!"

"However, our friendship ends here as well. I've became quite busy here so I have no time to face you. My Dark Dragon... The legendary Dark Dragon who slept at the bottom of the ocean for a thousand years shall awaken by my hand! Wahahahahaha! By the way, and young Cain, is he well?"

"Oh I see, so he's dead? Even though he was quite useful. Well, so that's all he was worth. Oops, our talk turned out quite long. Excuse me now. I must go to the Castle of the Ancients. There are still rites needed for Dark Dragon's revival... If you wish to come then come as well. But ahead is my reception... Hah! Emperor Ramladu will be your opponent... You'll face hell... Well then, goodbye, though it hurts to see us part... For me and for you, Max! Wahhahahaha! Wahahahahaha..."

(29): Domingo saying only his own name in these doodles might be the reason he's like that in the GBA version? Even though it's just a joke.

Those final lines are from the final page of the strategy part. Because the diary doesn't mention the ending in any way I felt like adding something in to make it more complete.

[claire-starsword]

Adam [Robot] Class: Robot -> Cyborg

His body of steel carves out a new future!

*** One of the two robots made by the Ancients for the sake of the heroes that would seal Dark Dragon (the other robot was Chaos).

When Darksol attacked them at Metapha, he and the protagonist were separated, and Adam sustained great injuries as well. ***

Even though Adam is a machine, why does his appearance changes when he changes classes?

The truth is that he's capable of switching between two different form to adapt to ordinary life or battle!

By the time he met with the protagonist, his program data had been greatly damaged, and he became unable to enter battle form.

But, by taking part in battles he managed to restore his own data, and to transform into battle form again. Only the program to control the beam cannon in his left hand couldn't be restored, so only occasionally do the circuits work properly to allow for a shot (on critical hits).

_______

Musashi [Human] Class: Samurai

The mysterious super warrior from an eastern country!

*** To train his fighting skills, he came from a distant country at the east to the Rune continent. There, he saw that "specters" known as "Ruunfausuto" were making the people suffer, and decided to join the Shining Force.

Swinging the famous swords "Kiku-ichimonji", he can even create shock waves. ***

No one knows a thing about him besides his name.

In headquarters, he won't take his armor off even if others make fun of it, so no one has seen his uncovered face. Because his face is surprisingly cute? That's a rumor that goes around, but of course, no one can confirm it.

He uses swords of a shape never seen before in Rune. According to him they are "Nihon swords". Their sharpness is shockingly close to that of the legendary "Sword of Light".

He seems to have some deep history with the ninja Hanzou that joins the force later on. When both are at headquarters, the tension can be felt thick in the air, and everyone around is very troubled by it.

________

Notes on Adam:

As I've mentioned before, I'm using the official names for classes to avoid people thinking that the guide book is using a different term than the games, but I need to point this one out as I hate it since I was a kid. Adam is very clearly not a cyborg. His promoted class is 機神, something like "mechanical god".

And as I've already showed before on Max's notes, Adam had most of his dialogue cut from the english version of the game, including the part where he explains Chaos’ existence.

"You are Chaos...! It's me, Adam! Don't you recognize me? Master Max! That is Chaos... The one created to help Master Cain... He was taken by Darksol along with Master Cain... ...Was he tainted by his evil heart?! We'll have to fight him. I will protect you."

"Screech... You are Max... Scree... I waS... At his command... Darksol... BAd guy... Dragon... RevivIng... Max... Stop him... THat Darksol... de.fe.a..."

[As typical of robots in media, especially those not working well, Chaos' dialogue is rendered with a lot more katakana than normal, and even some mix up of alphabets in the same word, to convey a feeling that something is off. This is way less pronounced in the GBA version, yet the localization still adapted it by putting his text in all caps, which works for when he's threatening you, but not here where he's breaking down.]

Notes on Musashi:

The "specters" mentioned by Musashi are 物の怪 (mononoke), spirits from japanese folklore that cause people suffering. Also, "ruunfausuto" is how Runefaust is spelled out in japanese, however it is usually written in katakana as foreign names should be. For Musashi here is it written in normal hiragana to show how unfamiliar he is with the continent and everything going on.

The Kiku-ichimonji are real japanese swords. They are also one of mithril weapons you can make for Slade in SF2, though the localization changed the name to only "Katana", probably since no one in the west would get the original name.

Musashi's explanation of the swords writes the term "japanese sword" in katakana, which makes it look like a foreign/fantasy name at first more in line with every other name in the series, despite sounding the same. So I put it as Nihon swords hoping to get a similar effect.

[claire-starsword]

Narsha finishes this thing because it's all she can do, and I pray that no more than one golem reaches her, because she's the closest to them.

I spend Lowe's oceans of MP into giving Hanzou +4 HP that he got in level up, because Hanzou's defense is very sad, and I'm worried. Had I known he would get this much HP right away I would have used the def potions.

welp.

it was not enough. i don't think even the potions would have saved him here, he would take -4 damage from the worm. not enough to tank the freeze damage. A power wine would have been great though, perhaps it would have been enough to kill the mage? though the land effect might have reduced damage too much instead, and I just remembered he was already boosted by Narsha.

boy! i hate this battle!

this is our first death since Gong in chapter 2, and ironically, i did consider sending Gong to finish off the 1 hp mage, but stopped because i feared the enemies would gang up on him instead, and he would not survive two worms plus a freeze. but a worm went to beat up Domingo instead, so maybe that was the wrong option. Or I was doomed from the start here. Chapter 6 truly is a different beast.

Meanwhile Domingo and Arthur get to flex their greater HP and magic resistance. Arthur is very battered though.

My hopes for Narsha are unfulfilled and she gets two golems on her, but takes it pretty well.

Also here's a fun thing I just realized. The mages and worms moved all at once because they had just spawned in that turn, and thus were added to the end of the turn order. Now things are back to normal and thus they'll be moving according to their agility, which for the mages, is very high!! that's right baby these things will be moving again.

So yeah, I still fear for Gong! I'm also healing Arthur the hell up now with a Healing Seed, he doesn't get to wait an actual healer.

Btw, Gong is somehow slower than worms. Why.

And thus we somehow end up with another Domingo slap kill in way too little time, he's not supposed to be doing this much.

Seeing Narsha tank the golems gave me hope that Max can also do it, but I'm unsure of how much damage he'll be doing, I'm expecting Supernova to do more.

We won't know just yet, but it certainly does enough.

Tao sadly cannot reach the worms to the left, so I continue to worry about Gong. I can now see the golem's stats thanks to Max's attack and they have no magic res, so this should be easy for her.

She does obliterate it.

I'm watching the turn order like a hawk now, and Narsha acts immediately before Khris, so I'll let her attack this golem and then Khris heals her, then some golem attacks and i hope they'll ignore Gong since they have other people in front of them, then Lowe moves and heals Gong. Simple. Easy.

NARSHA PROCEEDS TO DOUBLE HIT KILL THIS BEAST

QUEEN

also this is obviously thanks to the Attack boost, but doing this much to golems is so satisfying.

To our luck, this was the Golem who was about to attack, so we just get the healers now doing exactly like i planned.

Gong takes another hit from a worm, but the rest of the enemies are still pretending they mean anything against Domingo, so that's cool.

While it's a waste of his attack, Arthur helps Gong finish the last mage here, because they'd be attacking soon otherwise. I also realize now that equipping the Chrome Lance on the shop sent the other spear to my item box, and thus I do not have it in battle. Uh oh.

Max meanwhile is doing just fine as a ranged attacker, his magical satellite exploding another golem. He also gets a big defense boost, because that's the Max I'm used to. And because we have the looming presence of Cain over us this chapter.

Tao melts the final Golem. Anri still can't reach anything. Narsha finishes a worm on Gong's side because I'm tired of fearing for his life.

Khris sadly cannot reach the final worm to debut her staff, but she can heal Gong to ease my anxieties a bit. Not that my anxieties have any basis, the worm is just going to hit Max for 2 damage. Why would it not go for Max.

never mind the anxieties were real this thing countered

The final enemies are coming! But the mage decided to go for the tanks, so who cares! Max is a bit wounded but Khris will act before the other opponents so he can go exterminate the damn mage without issues.

I didn't screenshot because killing a mage in one hit is expected by now, but he did 42 damage. Not a damage number you see too often in this game, but if I plan my Attack spells more maybe I'll see more.

Time to finish this.

Do I need to say anything about this blob anymore? Absurdly good character.

I want exp so I'm taking the time to beat up the priest too, hopefully nothing bad will happen.

Max's level ups are not being as exciting but that HP is very nice.

I then hold Tao back, using only a Blaze 1 so that Anri, who was immediately next in turn order, can finish the Dullahan off for exp. The woman NEEDS it. She also finds a Broad Sword.

We win and are immediately forced into Dragonia, I forgot that. At least we can immediately talk to a priest, revive Hanzou and save the game. I am a bit disappointed about Hanzou, I think I could have gone over that better, but I'm just relieved this feels like a challenge again. And next we have Cain so, yeah! The hardships are not going anywhere! See you soon, or at least hopefully not in three months or more.

Losses: 0 Deaths: 3…

The Guardiana Magic School Run -Part 18

Certainly it must be obnoxious that I keep bringing up the novel wherever I go, but consider: 1) i waited years to read that thing so i don't care; 2) translating 300+ pages for free is hella work so i get to brag; and 3) we are literally on Rudo lol i can't stop looking at everything differently now. I know this dog now. I love this dog. She's my friend.

Back to the run, we're still on the spirit of treasure hunts!

After a very fun and not at all garbage puzzle involving unclear map boundaries, we get Musashi, who is not valid for this magic user run. Yes, the guy is invisible and making words pop out of thin air, but he's NOT magical. He's just built different. You would understand if you had studied the blade like him.

We then get Lyle, who is also not for this run. Very sad. But at least they'll kindly donate their weapons to support our magic school. It's not much, but it's the thought tha-

MUSASHI WHAT THE HELL

ARE YOU MADE OF MONEY MAN

so uh, wow! that's something i'd never learn in a regular playthrough. Since it's a unique weapon it goes to the deals section for double the price. The deals section is very clogged right now so I guess we'll soon learn if new deals still pop up or if we're done with it. Not like the useless swords there were helping anyway.

On the topic of weapons, we also get a Holy Staff like I promised last time. I could promote Khris right now, giving up on an early Aura, to use this. Her attack is currently pretty ok (28), so a boost would likely put her in the 30+ with attackers like Max and Arthur. That's wild to think about. But am I going to use her like this with her squishy defense? In the chapter where Golems and Dullahans start to appear? I'm not sure. The next battle is also forest and she doesn't have great movement in that. But we'll be surrounded by spawns, so she might make a difference in wiping out some enemy in that chaos.

I'm pretty afraid of the next battle, so that's what I'm going for. At the end of the day she has four levels to go until Aura and I hate this kind of grinding very much lol

Say hello to Vicar Khris! Boy I hate the stat loss so much. And yet, upon equipping the Holy Staff, she now has the greatest attack in the party. Dog that mauls you for your sins. I'm losing it.

And we're not done with upgrades! First of all I forgot to equip the Soulbuster on Max, but don't worry, it still doesn't make him stronger than Khris.

Arthur on the other hand jumps above the Khris bar thanks to the Chrome Lance. The unpromoted Lowe and mages cannot use the Guard Staff for now, which is a bit of a loss for Lowe, but the girls on the other hand should just be blasting things with magic anyway. Tao might be our greatest weapon against the Golems.

Narsha meanwhile gets the Holy Mace, which is not only more powerful but also capable of Heal 3. Unfortunately I did forbid using weapon effects on my rules, didn't I? Uh oh. Still a nice upgrade, and I didn't have any idea on when to promote Narsha, so let's do it.

Establishing herself once more as the deuteragonist of this thing, Saint Narsha is now as strong as Max, but with a few more points in defense, which is great.

I am still afraid however, so I don't think the upgrades will end here.

I do sit atop a sizable collection of stat boosting items. That I always forget to use in casual play. I would like to not mess my challenge run doing that. The only characters were missing by now are Alef and Torasu, neither of which will need Power Wine, for example. I would also hope they won't need five whole defense potion.

But do I know how to distribute this in an smart and efficient way? Hell no. I do hate seeing Max without defense though, so one potion goes for him, taking him over 20. I do chicken out on using the rest of them though, because I don't think they'll make enough of an impact on characters that are still on the 14-17 range, especially when they don't have enough HP to survive two hits even if their defense was raised.

What I do end up with is using a couple Life Loaves on Narsha. Her defense is now on par with Max yet she has way less HP, so I'm hoping the +3 here helps.

I also end up facing this bizarreness here where the game does not update her current HP? Hoping she doesn't enter battle like this. I can't even use Medical Herbs outside of battle to fix it now.

I also decide to use the Power Wines on Max and Narsha, I'm really betting on them as the frontlines here. So congrats Max, now you're on par with dog girl. Only took a lot of effort.

I also give Anri a Quick Chicken in hopes she'll get more chance to hit the enemies before they hit her.

After all these very insecure decisions, I'm now turning my game off and on again because the Narsha thing bothers me.

:/ it does not fix it

Had to enter this screen and retreat, this is honestly some garbage code.

Anyway, let's finally get to the battle. The clear bonus is just money. Thanks to Musashi's patronage I'm not worried about that. Also no way in hell I'm rushing this battle.

I don't know why I haven't mentioned yet, but Domingo should be the star of this battle. The game even knows it, giving him some extra dialogue here. He has the best defense in the team, floating movement to ignore the forests and mountains, and magic damage against the enemies with high defense.

Arthur is currently the other tank of the team, but being a centaur he won't be moving well in this terrain.

He's at least enthusiastic enough to be the first one to move, but not like there's many threats in this start.

Also I'm just learning that Attack 3 uses 40 MP so, uh. Don't expect to ever see this thing used lol

Very unsure of what to do with Narsha as usual. I might try setting positions to catch Max, Arthur, Hanzou and herself in an Attack 2. I could boost the mages' damage instead but I'm unsure if that will be impactful enough on level 2 spells, and Tao's Blaze 2 is not in a deep need of help. Besides, MP eventually ends, while attack boosts are forever.

After a boring turn 2 we are finally ready to beat these things up. They're doing nothing to Arthur.

No point in wasting Domingo's MP with these weak enemies though. Arthur, Max and Hanzou wipe them out in a single hit each.

It takes me several turns because Khris is slow and has little movement, but I include her in the Attack plan.

In the next turn, I could use a Boost 1 on someone to finish Narsha's MP, but I feel like saving it for Aura in case I need healing.

I seem to have attracted the Artilleries' attention, but not triggered the spawns yet, which annoys me. I don't want those things to catch me off guard.

LIKE THIS YOU KNOW

EXACTLY LIKE THIS

Welcome to hell! The Master Mages have Freeze 2, which is pretty dicey to take on when there's many of them and we're gathered like this. The golems and worms should have a lot of attack, and Domingo and Arthur are my only tanks, so I can't exactly surround everyone else. At least I think the golems can't reach anyone yet since I tried to stay on the bottom, and their movement is not great. The worms should have less defense than the golems. Maybe we can defeat them before the golems arrive! Optimism!

You can already feel the centaur pain with Arthur not even being able to cover Tao here.

But he can one hit a guy in forest land effect.

Also, look! He finally fits this playthrough! Baby's first spell! Will we be using it instead of 20+ chrome lance damage? I don't think so.

Domingo also can't cover Tao, so clearly I screwed up bad. Maybe he'll distract the other worms though.

Max one hit kills a worm, but Hanzou fails tragically at this mage. He gets a level up with +4 attack to ensure it won't happen again.

I hit image limit as expected so, to be continued in a reblog, see i told you this one was more exciting than the last