#here’s the history of the Sakuya we know today

[jujumin-translates]

Event | 7th Anniversary: All Actors Aboard! | PR 2: Changing Landscapes

Tsumugi: Well then, let’s start the leaders’ meeting.

Izumi: We’ve received the proposal for the event, so let’s discuss that today.

Izumi: The manager will be joining us this time since he’s probably the person most knowledgeable about Veludo Town in the company.

Manager: Glad to be working with you!

Banri: Huh, so there’s gonna be a market and food corner featurin’ the local shops at the event.

Tenma: Are they going to have stuff like a game corner and an open stage too?

Izumi: Among those, we’ve got the “Photo Corner”, “Experience Corner”, “Drawing Corner”, and the “Food Corner”...

Izumi: Each troupe will be in charge of those four spots, so let’s divide up who’s going to work where first.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Izumi: Alright, Spring Troupe is in charge of the “Photo Corner” and Summer Troupe will be in charge of the “Drawing Corner”.

Izumi: The “Experience Corner” goes to Autumn Troupe and the “Food Corner” will go to Winter Troupe, sound good?

Sakuya: The photo corner, huh… I wonder if all of Spring Troupe should learn how to use a camera from Omi-san.

Tenma: We’ve got Kazunari, so we should be good with drawing.

Banri: Right person, right place. Speakin’ of that, I think we’re pretty well off too.

Tenma: The experience corner going to Autumn Troupe sounds interesting enough, but… will Juza-san be okay?

Banri: We’ve still got our trump card, so we should be fine.

Tenma: Trump card…?

Sakuya: And Winter Troupe’s food corner will have Guy-san and Hisoka-san, who have experience with that kinda thing.

Tsumugi: That’s true. But we’ve also got a lot of people with no experience… so I can’t help but wonder how it’ll go. I’m half-excited, half-nervous.

Izumi: Good luck, guys.

Manager: How nice~, everyone’s so motivated. I was called here, but I guess it isn’t my turn…

Manager: Since I’m here, I’d really like to be of service somehow. If only there were something I could participate in…

Manager: Oh, what’s this… the last page of the proposal documents, the history of Veludo Town and Veludo Station?

Izumi: Oh, there are pictures too. Fufu, the retro vibe is kind of nice.

Manager: It’s so nostalgic. I remember, you could buy cleaning supplies at this store, and…

Manager: Ah, this post box!

Tenma: I didn’t know there was a post box there by the station.

Sakuya: I feel like I maybe remember seeing it, but…

Banri: I don’t remember it…

Manager: It’s not there anymore. They got rid of it before I even noticed.

Manager: …Actually, this post box is profoundly memorable for me.

Tsumugi: Profoundly memorable?

Manager: The place I sent a letter to Yukio-san was right there.

Izumi: Was that… the letter that I got that was meant for Dad?

Manager: Yes.

Izumi: (I see, so that’s where the letter I got was sent out from…)

Izumi: That really makes you think about how many small changes have happened around the town and the station, doesn’t it?

Tsumugi: It really does. The convenience stores that used to be on the platforms are no longer there, and the station staff are getting younger…

Banri: And the paid bicycle parkin’ in front of the station has been cleaned up, but the price has gone up.

Tenma: The bulletin board there used to be an old-fashioned blackboard, but before you knew it, it became an LCD display.

Sakuya: Kinda makes you wonder if things just keep changing little by little like that, that one day we’ll forget about the way the station is now…

Sakuya: It’s kinda sad, isn’t it…

Tsumugi: Well then, why don’t we record it in some way so we don’t forget?

Tenma: Record it… you mean like taking pictures or videos?

Banri: I mean if you’re lookin’ for that sorta thing, someone else musta been keepin’ a record of it, even if we didn’t.

Tsumugi: The physical landscape is part of it, of course, but more importantly is…

Sakuya: The memories, right?

Tsumugi: Exactly. The shape of things might change one day, making it impossible to remember. That’d be a little sad, wouldn’t it?

Tsumugi: I think we all have some small events and memories that are brought by seeing and thinking about the station.

Banri: I see what you’re gettin’ at.

Tenma: Record the memories themselves, right? That does sound like a good idea.

Izumi: …Ah.

Izumi: Right, I got something in my email the other day…

*Typing*

Izumi: Here! I want everyone to take a look at it--.

Manager: This is… an email from the people in charge of “VELUDO”?

Izumi: Yep. One of the reasons we got this offer was that I emailed the people in charge of “VELUDO” to thank them…

Izumi: In their reply, they wrote that they were thinking of publishing a web edition issue of “VELUDO” in conjunction with the event.

Izumi: They said they would like to work with us on a serialization project for the magazine.

Sakuya: It says that the theme of the series should be something related to Veludo Station!

Banri: Well, ain’t that pretty fittin’?

Izumi: Yeah, I’ll talk to the person in charge as soon as possible!

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Izumi: …So, in conjunction with the event, they asked us to do a series of articles for the web edition of “VELUDO”.

Izumi: The project’s name is simply “VELUDO STATION MEMORY”.

Izumi: Each member of the troupe will do one article. The contents, as the name suggests, can be any sort of memory about Veludo Station.

Homare: Ooh, that is actually such a splendid project! Leave it to me. It is my principal occupation, after all.

Azami: Homare-san’s prolly used to doin’ that kinda thing, but the rest of us are just amateurs… It’s kinda nerve-racking.

Misumi: I wonder if I can write something good~...

Izumi: It’ll be okay. They don’t want it to be too formal, so it’ll be just like talking about your memories like you usually would…

Izumi: The people in charge said they wanted you guys to write about things freely, just like you do with blog posts.

Sakyo: However, you need to at least write sentences that are readable. Check carefully for typos. Understood, Citron?

Citron: I will blight very perfectly! My sentences will be smirks of cart!

Itaru: Think you’re gonna need some autocorrect right off the bat there.

Guy: This sounds like a good “role study” for the event.

Taichi: For real! We’ll make both the event and this series successful together!

[ ⇠ Previous Part ] • [ Next Part ⇢ ]

[cai-yue]

Thank you @blackmonitor for the tag! Here we go! I kept thinking about how I should make this list because throughout my life I had too many fictional crushes 🤣 So I decided to make a "retrospective" of those who stayed in my mind for a greater time!

(actually, I decided to go crazy and explain the freaking list 😬 I've been working and studying so hard and I miss so much this type of silly fun thing that I completely overdid it 🤭)

1. Luke Skywalker - little me used to be obsessed with him and he remained unmatched in the Star Wars universe for several years until a certain blue guy took his place! But even now he's still a crush of mine.

2. Sirius Black - Sirius remained unmatched not only in the HP universe but for teenager me he was my absolute favorite. It all began when I developed this weird sympathy at the beginning of the 3rd book and the obsession skyrocketed at the end for obvious reasons.

3. Anakin Skywalker - judge all you want but this is a sad truth in my early teen years. He didn't top his son, obviously, but considering Luke wasn't even born 99% of the prequels... I know some people will find this very problematic, but rest assured I don't like this character the way I liked him 20 years ago but I had to list him here because it's part of my story I and think this whole thing quite hilarious today.

4. Aragorn - Aragorn was my LOTR crush back when I was younger! Even though he is not anymore I still understand all the appeal the younger me saw! Totally worth mentioning

5. Sesshoumaru - It was the beginning of my anime/manga era, which lasted many years, and if I had to pick a few crushes Sesshoumaru HAS to be one of them. I read many fics about him and these fics were the reason I managed to learn English 70% on my own (I know, speaking and writing skills are not the best, but reading and listening which are the ones I use the most are ok). I'm not much into anime/manga anymore but every time I look at him I feel I go back in time!

6. Kira Sakuya (Angel Sanctuary) - Even though I would not read this manga again because this is not the type of material I feel good reading anymore I do used to be obsessed about it and this character (be aware of great spoilers if you google it). I had to mention him because back then I had a great time.

7. Elrond - After I don't know how many times rewatching LOTR something was drastically changed (I got a little bit older I guess) inside of me and now Elrond has my heart (I won't say he is unmatched because Tolkien has simply too many characters in all his creation and well... You know...)

8. Solas - I think we finally have a crush that comes from a fully adult phase of my life! When I played Dragon Age: Inquisition I was away from games for a few years and I took this one out of pure intuition from my brother's selection. My intuition was 100% right and after many stressful years I went back to a world that made me feel at home and because Solas was my crush back then I had to mention him!

9. Thrawn - My most recent obsession hahaha. Not so recent though because it's been (at least) 5 years since he appeared in my life and Luke lost his number 1 title. There are way too many things I can say about my history with this character but thinking back to when I first read the old trilogy I think is interesting to note that I remember not liking him that much at first and not considering him crush material. I've never been so wrong 😅

[clock-corpse]

At age thirteen, Angela would be defeated by Remilia Scarlet in battle and be taken as a trophy made to serve her. Alongside this, Remilia gave her a new name, Sakuya Izayoi.

Adjusting to her new life was not easy and often times, it frustrated Sakuya. She had spent a chunk of her childhood living in the slums in the German Empire. Having to be prim and proper was very difficult. She even tried to bite Meiling while she was cutting and stylizing her matted and dirty hair.

But, Sakuya still went along with it. Because she was absolutely terrified of Remilia. She would do anything just to stay alive. Even the horrible acts of prepping human meat and such. She found it so retched that she threw up more than once. Eventually, she became nullified to it.

During her teenage years, Sakuya had become more accustomed to her life at the mansion. At this age, she was starting to learn how to hunt. She was hesitant at first, but easily persuaded by the vampire’s words and her past experience being hunted and beaten for something out of control. Killing people is now enjoyable to her.

It was also during her teenage years where of course, she started exploring her sexuality. Sakuya slowly realized that she found women attractive instead of men and felt weird about it. She ended up having a romantic and sexual relationship with an older woman which didn’t last long. Onward from there, Sakuya became addicted to physical/sexual intimacy. But as we know now, she recovered from that.

[heyitsmirae]

Gaming buddy headcanons (A3!)

Hi~! These are just random drabbles off the top of my head as I just can’t seem to focus on my work today, which is why I decided to jot these HCs down before I forget or procrastinate again (〃▽〃) 

Itaru Chigasaki

Whenever you and Itaru have a gaming night scheduled, he is just itching to leave work early to prep

He does a Monster energy drink / Redbull, iced coffee, potato chips and chinese take-out shopping side trip before returning to the dorm

"Let's have a successful raid today!" you both say to one another while saluting

The rest of MANKAI company know better than to pass by Room 103 on a gaming night

Sakuya accidentally forgot once and was traumatized for life when he approached Room 103 hoping to ask Itaru for help in his history homework without knowing you were in the room, too

"Ano, Itaru-san, excuse me, I need your help with someth-"

*cue you screaming in rage after dying for the nth time*

Poor Sakuya still recounts this experience with a shudder as he tells the story to Taichi

You both don't always play the rage games tho

On chill nights, both of you play Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley co-op just to chill in the virtual world

It's on these chill nights that Omi would knock on the door and give you both the dinner he set aside for you, to which you and Itaru would thank him profusely for being the mom that he is being so kind and considerate

You end up conking out in his room during gaming nights since you usually end up playing until the wee hours of the morning (much to Masumi and Sakyo’s chagrin)

He’s a perfect gentleman though, that’s why you feel completely safe around him even though you’re both single adults sleeping together (read: SLEEP as in literally sleep stop thinking the other meaning u dirty hoe)

Itaru is the first person you want to tell about the latest game in the app store or about an upcoming game to be released for the console or PC, and vice versa

Your LIME DMs with him are full of news about soon to be released games or discussions about tactics for the limited time events in the common games you play

“Taruchi, did you know that XXX company is releasing a sequel to XXX, the one that we played last week? (*≧▽≦) Kyaa! I can’t wait~”

Speaking of that nickname, YOU coined that one together during that one time he wanted to make another character from his main one in order to crush NEO (ahem, Banri, ahem)

“Seriously, Y/N, I don’t know what to name this character. Got any ideas?”

“Hmm.. Itaru Chigasaki, Itaru, Taru, Chigasaki, Taru..chi? How about Taruchi? It sounds cute!”

“Tsk, people will think it’s a girl’s account then, the way it sounds. Eh, who cares. You came up with it, take responsibility for it. I was planning to use a female avatar anyway.”

You are both admins to the wikia pages of the games you both enjoy playing

You sometimes ask his help for answers in the otome games you’re playing, to which his choices get you the wrong or Bad End (´д｀)

He gets a little jealous when you go kya kya at otome game characters, actually grabbing your Switch one time and staring at the character you were squealing at

“Pffssh, he doesn’t even look that handsome. Have some standards, you otome trash lady. What’s with the fake perm and hipster clothing. You have got to be kidding me. Who’s the character designer of this?”

“Excusez-moi, but the character designer is the famous XXX, thank you very much. And don’t diss my husbando, go stick to your own overly-large boobies waifus. Shoo, shoo!” 

You always thank the gaming gods for sending Itaru in your life because you could not imagine getting through life without a gaming buddy like him

Banri Settsu

Playing video games with this man can go either way

You can either really enjoy playing with him, or get really pissed off when he keeps winning easily

His skills are top-notch, which makes him an ideal raid partner on co-op games like Monster Hunter

Just don’t think you can win against him when it’s 1v1, because boy you will be crushed

Unless he lets you win, which usually happens when he sees that you look like you’re about to cry after being beaten in Super Smash Bros for the nth time

“Oi, Y/N, it’s just a stupid game. Don’t think much about it, okay? Let’s do one more round.”

He doesn’t own a console or PC, so gaming dates are usually done in arcades

He is crazily athletic too, so you can kiss your DDR (dance dance revo) winning streak bye

Don’t even think of challenging him to play Tekken, because unless he’s feeling magnanimous, you will lose

On his birthday, you and the rest of MANKAI company pooled your money to get him a Nintendo Switch (yes, even Juza lol)

For the first time in his life, he is struck speechless (༎ຶ⌑༎ຶ)

It’s not like he’s poor or something, but the gesture moved him so deeply that he was strangely docile for a few hours

“Ne, Banri, you have a Switch now. Let’s play something!”

VICTORY / YOU WIN

You take advantage of his new docile state and challenge him to a 1v1 game where you actually win lol

But he snaps out of it and starts crushing you again (that was fun while it lasted ┐(´～｀)┌ )

Playing an otome game beside him will ensure that you get the Good End of your favorite husbando

“I’m not sure what to answer here. What do you think, Banri?”

“Huh? Lemme see. Hmm. The first option seems good to me.”

After shedding a tear or two for the Good End you just watched, you thank the otome gaming gods and Banri’s super easy mode for helping you complete your husbando’s route and collect all the event images

Unlike Itaru who loses all sense of time and his surroundings when in the “Zone”, Banri is still incredibly thoughtful especially when you set up gaming night sesh with him

He knows that like Itaru, you are prone to binge on junk food and forego sleep to grind for a good armor or weapon

“Y/N, it’s already past midnight. Don’t you think we should call it a night?”

He is easily riled up, especially when he senses that he’s being compared or challenged (this is the main reason why Juza pisses him off so much)

“What, are you chicken? Itaru-san doesn’t give up to the clock just to sleep instead of grind for the limited XXX armor set.”

Aaaand you both end up sleeping on the couch at 5am after a long, grueling night of dungeon diving

*cue Sakyo finding you both asleep on the couch in the morning*

Hope you enjoyed reading! Look forward to more A3! drabbles in the near future~ （＾ω＾）

[fieryanmitsu]

The Heart-Pounding Sunrise Trek of Bonding | A3! | “Take the Stage” Fanzine

I am very honoured to announce that I am one of the contributors for the recently released A3! Take the Stage Fanzine! It was such a great experience working with so many talented artists and writers! Everyone's pieces turned out AMAZING, and I would highly recommend to check out the full zine! The fanzine can be downloaded for free here!

And, now that the zine has dropped, I'm able to share my piece with you all here! This story is based on the "Campfire Bonds" event and stars Muku and Citron as the focal characters!

Please enjoy~!

THE HEART-POUNDING SUNRISE TREK OF BONDING

THEME: “Campfire Bonds” event

CHARACTERS: Muku Sakisaka, Citron, Sakuya Sakuma, Masumi Usui, Tsuzuru Minagi, Itaru Chigasaki, Tenma Sumeragi, Yuki Rurikawa, Misumi Ikaruga, Kazunari Miyoshi & Izumi Tachibana

My fanfic masterpost: Here

AO3: Link in my Blog Menu

Muku stared intensely at his phone as he checked for the umpteenth time that he had set his alarm properly. Seeing that the numbers really did read ‘3:00am’, he locked his phone and placed it beside his pillow. 

“Ugh. I swear I can still taste the tabasco in my mouth even though I brushed my teeth,” Tenma groaned as he entered the tent.

“Did anyone get a normal chocolate for the s’mores?” asked Kazunari, looking up from his phone. 

“Izumi liked hers!” Misumi chimed in.

“That’s just because she’s a crazy Currian! No one would normally like a curry-flavoured chocolate,” Yuki snapped back.

“Anyway, everyone’s here, right? I’m gonna turn off the lights,” Tenma announced. “We have to get up early tomorrow, so we should sleep now.”

A flurry of mumbled goodnights flew around the tent as their leader turned off the lamp. Before long, the air was filled with the sounds of heavy breathing and light snoring. 

However, sleep continued to elude Muku as he stared fretfully at the ceiling of the tent—his brain whirring with his anxieties. Though the Summer Troupe’s first two plays had gone well, deep down, Muku felt that he had barely squeaked by with his performances. He knew that he was still the weakest link, and was terrified of dragging everyone else down. 

Just once, Muku wished he could give back to the ones who continually helped him so much. But, he didn’t even have any special skills—like Yuki or Kazunari—that he could put to use for the Summer Troupe or the Mankai Company. 

So, when Izumi had first announced this training camp, Muku had immediately volunteered to be one of the organizers, even though he had never taken on such a role before. At the time, it had seemed like the perfect opportunity to prove himself and be helpful to the others. Surely, even someone as untalented as him could manage to do this much.

Inspired by a scene out of a shoujo manga, Muku had manically researched to formulate a grand plan. First, they would strengthen their bonds as they hiked side-by-side through bountiful nature. Then, they would share a heart-racing special moment together as the rising sun etched its image into their memories. Plus, with the fresh mountain air, he was sure they would get more mileage out of their vocal exercises. 

However, when they had gathered to discuss the itinerary, his excitement had quickly been extinguished when his plan had been met with unenthusiastic faces. Some of the Company members hadn’t seemed interested in witnessing the sunrise, and many others had groaned about the early start time. 

After the meeting, Citron had clapped him on the shoulders, looked him in the eyes with a mysterious, all-knowing smile and said: “Do not worry, Muku! Your idea is most wonderful! Everyone will be super duper happy when they see the sun grating them! I will make sure of it—trust me!”

Though his brain continued to worry and fret, Muku clung to the words and reassuring grin that the Zahran man had given him that day and allowed the darkness to finally lull him to sleep…

The next morning, with much struggle—along with Citron banging some pots and pans together—the two organizers managed to wake up their fellow troupe members and line them up outside of their tents. Though, they may as well have still been laying in their sleeping bags. Masumi was draped on top of Tsuzuru’s back, fast asleep. Itaru was crouched on the ground, muttering to himself with a half-dead expression on his face. Even the ever-chipper Kazunari had his chin propped on Misumi’s shoulder, both of them nodding off despite being on their feet.

Citron came to stand beside Muku and nudged him gently. With a gulp, the pink-haired boy mustered all of his courage and stood up as straight and tall as he could manage.

“G-Good morning, everyone! Thanks for waking up so early to join us for the first item on our itinerary today: the ‘Heart-Pounding Sunrise Trek of Bonding!’” Muku announced. “I know that it’s silly to want to follow someone who’s more annoying than the itchiest bite from a mosquito that arrived earlier than the usual mosquito season—”

“Muku, literally no one said that,” Yuki interrupted with a sigh. “Just lead the way.”

“O-Oh right! S-Sorry!” Muku responded, snapping out of his rant. “P-please follow me and watch your step!”

As Muku led the way to the forest trail, with the others shuffling groggily behind him, he couldn’t help but cringe as he heard someone yawn loudly and another person let out a groan.

“Ugh, this sucks…” 

“Masumi, stop it! The Director wouldn’t be happy to hear you say that,” Sakuya protested in a hushed tone. “Look! She’s enjoying herself, so you should copy her.”

Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, after all… Muku thought to himself, worrying at his bottom lip.

“Muku, why don’t you tell everyone about the path?” Citron suddenly said from behind him. “Did you not do lots of the research?”

“Really, Mukkun?” Kazunari asked, perking up and looking more awake than earlier. 

“O-Oh, yes! Apparently, this path dates back to the Sengoku era. Monks used it as part of a pilgrimage route and this campsite actually used to be an aesthetic training ground,” Muku explained.

“That’s actually really cool,” Tsuzuru remarked. “Who knew that there was so much history in a place like this!”

“Ah! That signpost there marks the quarter-way point! We can take a quick rest here!” Muku explained, noticing that they had lost a few members. 

“I-I can’t go on…” Itaru wheezed as he finally caught up to the others several minutes later.

“C’mon Itaru, we’re almost there! You can do it!” Izumi chirped encouragingly, passing the salaryman a bottle of water.

“It’s okay, Itaru! You will soon have your senses delighted by a surprise up ahead! Tell them about it, Muku,” Citron implored.

“Y-Yes! Ummm… Just down this path is a beautiful waterfall that the monks used as part of their training,” Muku responded, taking the older man’s cue. “I… I actually purposely picked this path because it would take us by the waterfall. Legend says that, if you make a wish there, your deepest desires will come true! So, I thought that you would really like to see that, Itaru! Maybe it’ll help with your next gacha pull in your games!!”

“Seriously? Maybe this won’t be so bad after all.”

Muku felt his heart flutter as the others started chattering excitedly about what wishes they would make. With this renewed vigour, their group continued on their hike, making a stop at the wish-granting waterfall on the way. 

Then, almost an hour after they had left their campsite, Muku spotted the sign marking their final destination.

“We’re here, everyone!”

There was a collective sigh of relief as the members of the Mankai Company cleared the last steps and planted their feet on the plateau. However, their mutters quickly died in their throats as they came face-to-face with the view before them. A forest of trees spread out endlessly ahead, surrounded on both sides by jagged cliffs. The sun peeked above the horizon of the valley and the sky was dyed a gorgeous blend of soft oranges, pinks and straggling blues.

“Amazing!” Sakuya breathed softly. “This is beautiful, Muku!”

“Beautiful doesn’t even begin to describe it!!” Kazunari added, immediately taking out his phone.

“You did good, Muku. Here’s a triangle!” Misumi said with a smile, handing the pink-haired boy a smooth and shiny triangular-shaped rock.

“Yeah… It made waking up worth it,” Masumi murmured, showing a rare smile.

“This was great, Muku. Thanks for planning this for us,” Tenma said, punching him lightly in the arm.

“Yeah, seriously! I’m so glad that someone was able to plan a normal activity for this training camp. Unlike a certain someone’s crazy ‘Russian Roulette S’mores’ idea,” Tsuzuru said with a sigh, throwing a baleful glare at Citron.

“Oh, Tsuzuru! You wound me! I put so much thought into making an unforgiveable event for everyone!”

“I think you mean ‘unforgettable’,” Itaru piped in.

“Look here, it’s not ‘Russian Roulette’ if all of the options are weird!” Tsuzuru exclaimed in exasperation.

“No kidding! I can’t believe I had to eat that awful wasabi chocolate because of you! I thought my mouth was on fire!” Yuki added, jabbing a finger into Citron’s chest angrily. “You’re lucky this sunrise made up for that atrocious game!”

As Citron dramatically crumpled to the ground from Yuki’s attack, a hand clutched over his heart, he turned his head towards Muku and shot him a wink.

At that moment, Muku felt a rush of warmth surge out of his chest and envelope the rest of his body. As he suppressed the tears prickling behind his eyes, Muku thought that he could now truly understand the meaning behind all of those times his shojo manga had compared someone’s smile to the brightness of the sun.

Writing this story was such a fun challenge for me! I had to work with a word count restriction, but I also wanted to make sure I somehow included every other character from the event — so it was definitely a juggling act, haha! It was also my first time writing about both Muku and Citron, so that was a new challenge in itself. Especially since I wanted to make sure I did two of my favourite characters justice!! In the end, I'm really happy I had the opportunity to write this and am so thankful that I was able to be part of this zine! Again, do check out the full zine if you have a chance!|

As always, thank you for reading and feel free to leave a comment if you have any thoughts!! Any reblogs are always appreciated!!

-Anmitsu

[cutepresea]

2-1 One Winged Wielders: Gjallarhorn

Continuing what I started last night, and once again, apologies for the spam.

If you want to blacklist these, you can use either the tag #one winged wielders for just this event, or #xdu event scripts for all these posts in general.

Reminder that these are copied straight from XD Unlimited itself, so any grammatical weirdness, mistranslations, and/or mischaracterizations are not my doing.

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Even now, that fateful day still haunts my dreams."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Kanade sang and fought with all she had. Her song burned with life, but her life also burned away with it."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "From that day on, with nothing but regret for being unable to save her, I devoted my life to living as a sword."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "But now thanks to their help, I'm not only a sword. I am also a lone wing that can fly towards its dream."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "I want Kanade to see what I'm like now. I want her to see the pride I have in myself..."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "What would she say if she saw what I'm like now? Would she be proud?"

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Who knows. But knowing that I met her in my dreams..."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Meeting people in dreams... When did I become so naive?"

Tsubasa Kazanari: (Was I able to become stronger?)

Tsubasa Kazanari: (Can I continue to lead the way for Tachibana, Yukine, and the others, just like she did for me?)

Tsubasa Kazanari: (To be like... her. Though saying that, she was so mean to me.)

Tsubasa Kazanari: (She often called me a crybaby or weakling. But if Kanade saw me now, would she think the same thing?)

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Kanade..."

Tsubasa Kazanari: (It just hurts to remember it now... It hurts my heart to think that she's gone, that I can't see her anymore...)

Tsubasa Kazanari: (I thought we would always be together.)

Tsubasa Kazanari: (I wanted to talk with her more, listen to her more, sing together with her more...)

Tsubasa Kazanari: (I want to see her...)

Tsubasa Kazanari: "This is no good. I can't just keep on being a crybaby."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Kanade would laugh at me if she saw me now."

Tsubasa Kazanari: (I can never sing with her again. But even as a lone wing, I can still sing.)

Tsubasa Kazanari: (The Zwei Wing I knew may just be Eins Wing now, but I can still spread that wing and fly.)

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Which means if my song can reach the people of the world, I'm sure it'll reach her too."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "So please, watch over me. I'll show you that my wing can fly anywhere."

Sakuya Fujitaka: "High energy signal detected in the ship's relic storage unit!"

Genjuro Kazanari: "What?! Verify the waveform immediately!"

Aoi Tomosato: "This signal... It can't be!"

Genjuro Kazanari: "Gjallarhorn? After all this time..."

Genjuro Kazanari: "Thank you all for coming."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Master, what happened today?"

Chris Yukine: "An emergency call at the crack of dawn means there's been some kind of accident, right?"

Elfnein: "More like we might have one on our hands soon."

Maria: "Soon? What's that supposed to--"

Genjuro Kazanari: "Here it comes!"

Shirabe: "Wait... That's not Alca-Noise, but regular Noise..."

Kirika Akatsuki: "Does that means [1] the Treasury of Babylonia re-opened?!"

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Or is it a new kind of enemy?"

Genjuro Kazanari: "I'll explain later. For now, go and intercept the Noise!"

Chris Yukine: "Could somebody explain what's going on here! Why are there still Noise popping up?!"

Genjuro Kazanari: "Of course. Elfnein-kun will explain."

Elfnein: "Right..."

Elfnein: "To start off with, those Noise aren't from our world."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "They aren't from our world?"

Elfnein: "In our world, the Treasury of Babylonia remains closed."

Elfnein: "Those Noise were able to appear, because in reality, they're not from our world, but from a parallel world."

Maria: "Huh? What do you mean?"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Parallel... world?"

Miku Kohinata: "You've never heard of a parallel world? It's a different world that happens to be really similar to ours."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Uhhh, I think I get it... Or maybe I don't..."

Miku Kohinata: "But if such a world really exists..."

Chris Yukine: "Parallel schmarallel! I want to know why the Noise came here. And no technobabble this time!"

Genjuro Kazanari: "The relic Gjallarhorn is what's causing this incident. It's a complete relic that can connect two different worlds."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "It connects..."

Kirika Akatsuki: "two different worlds?!"

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Slow down a minute. When was a relic like that discovered?"

Genjuro Kazanari: "It was discovered by an excavation team lead by Ryoko-kun. It was already active when it was discovered."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Ryoko-san found it?!"

Elfnein: "The existence of Gjallarhorn had been kept classified, and only a select few knew about it."

Elfnein: "I read about it in a report for the first time this morning."

Genjuro Kazanari: "Gjallarhorn is a unique, dangerous relic, meaning that it's been experimented on in absolute secrecy."

Genjuro Kazanari: "What we discovered was that when an abnormality occurs in a parallel world, it can connect to our world."

Elfnein: "That parallel world, a world similar to our own, has been following a similar course of history."

Elfnein: "But despite that, there are certain occurrences unique to that parallel world."

Elfnein: "Must like our own world's history, it has continued to flow from ancient times to the modern day."

Elfnein: "But when the river of history reaches a tipping point, it breaks into several tributaries."

Maria: "So that parallel world is one of those tributaries."

Elfnein: "Correct. It is a world created from the possibilities that flowed out of our world."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "A world of possibilities that were lost from ours..."

Genjuro Kazanari: "Anyway, it's beyond any reasonable doubt that Gjallarhorn has connected our world to a parallel world again."

Maria: "Again? You're saying this has happened before?"

Genjuro Kazanari: "Yes. When Gjallarhorn connects to a parallel world, countless Noise appear, perhaps due to the worlds colliding."

Genjuro Kazanari: "The Treasury of Babylonia was open last time, so we could only guess, tut [2] this time, we know for sure.”

Genjuro Kazanari: "The abnormality that occurred here can only be cleared by resolving the abnormality in the parallel world."

Elfnein: "According to our records, there have been two instances when parallel worlds became connected."

Elfnein: "It seems the very first occurrence was resolved by Kanade Amo."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Did you say Kanade-san?!"

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Kanade? When was this?! I don't remember hearing anything about Kanade doing this!"

Genjuro Kazanari: "Calm down, Tsubasa."

Genjuro Kazanari: "Gjallarhorn is a complete relic, but it cannot be controlled or meddled with. It's like Pandora's Box."

Genjuro Kazanari: "Allowing you, the only fully compatible candidate, to go near something so dangerous was out of the question."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Is that why you sacrificed Kanade?!"

Genjuro Kazanari: "Calm down. In the previous incident, Kanade-kun managed to cross to the parallel world and resolve the issue."

Genjuro Kazanari: "I admit I say this in hindsight, but she wasn't injured. Thanks to her, we learned more about Gjallarhorn."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "But..."

Maria: "You said it connected twice."

Elfnein: "Yes. The second time was during the Zwei Wing concert three years ago, during Nehushtan's activation experiment."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "What?!"

Genjuro Kazanari: "The concert overlapped with Nehushtan going berserk, and the only way we could deal with it was to wait it out."

Chris Yukine: "Okay... So we should be alright not going to the parallel world, and waiting this one out?"

Elfnein: "In the end we paid a terrible price for our lack of action."

Genjuro Kazanari: "And besides, this relic only reacts to wielders."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Why only wielders?"

Elfnein: "I still don't know the details behind it, but..."

Elfnein: "It is thought that Gjallarhorn only selects someone powerful enough to resolve these interdimensional crises."

Kirika Akatsuki: "I don't really get it, but basically you're saying that we're the only ones who can go to that world?"

Genjuro Kazanari: "Precisely. That's why I want all of you to go investigate the abnormality."

Elfnein: "I don't know what's going on over there, and it will likely be dangerous..."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "I'll go."

Genjuro Kazanari: "Tsubasa..."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "I'm the only one who can take up Kanade's mantle."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Besides, we have so many wielders here. If anything happens to me..."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Y-You can't!"

Maria: "Tsubasa, do you understand what you're saying?!"

Tsubasa Kazanari: "I'm sorry, but I can't let anyone else do this. This is my duty as Kanade's other wing."

Genjuro Kazanari: "Tsubasa, I understand how you feel, but don't get ahead of yourself. I've no intention of letting you go alone."

Elfnein: "Yes. There are Noise appearing here as we speak, so it would be best to split our forces into two teams."

Miku: "There are six of us here, so it'll be three per team then?"

Elfnein: "That's right. Meaning Tsubasa-san will be with two others."

Maria: "In that case, I'll go with her. I have to make sure she doesn't do anything too crazy."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Maria..."

Chris Yukine: "Then I'll take the last spot."

Maria: "Wait. I want you to team up with Shirabe and Kirika."

Kirika Akatsuki: "What?!"

Shirabe: "Maria?"

Chris: "You mean them?"

Maria: "Yes. So that means only one remains..."

Hibiki Tachibana: "......"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Um, I don't really get this parallel world stuff, but there'll be people over there who need help, right?"

Genjuro Kazanari: "Just like I said earlier, Gjallarhorn is like Pandora's Box. Most of it is still completely unknown."

Genjuro Kazanari: "However, considering past occurrences, there is a very high chance that people will be needing help."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Then I'll go!"

Miku Kohinata: "I knew it..."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Hehe, sorry Miku."

Miku Kohinata: "It's okay. You're going to get to help people, right?"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Yep!"

Genjuro Kazanari: "It's decided. The survey team will be Tsubasa-kun, Maria-kun, and Hibiki-kun. Please stay safe out there."

Genjuro Kazanari: "This is the gate created by Gjallarhorn that leads to the parallel world."

Elfnein: "Gjallarhorn emits a sonic wave to notify us of the abnormality in the parallel world."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Sonic wave... Then the light being emitted from the relic is..."

Elfnein: "Yes. It shows that it has detected an abnormality in the parallel world." Elfnein: "Is everyone ready?"

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Yeah, I'm ready."

Maria: "All ready."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Totally ready!"

Elfnein: "When you get to the other side, please confirm your location."

Elfnein: "There should be a gate that will allow you to return to where you came from."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "So you're saying we can return at any time?"

Elfnein: "Yes. That is what it says in the report."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "I see... All right. Let's move out."

Chris Yukine: "You really don't hesitate, huh?"

Maria: "That's Tsubasa Kazanari for you. We should get going, too."

Shirabe Tsukuyomi: "Be careful out there, Maria."

Kirika Akatsuki: "Come back right away if you feel lonely!"

Maria: "I-I wouldn't do that even if I were! You have a job to do too, okay?!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "I should get going... Miku?"

Miku Kohinata: "Hibiki, are you sure you'll be all right?"

Hibiki Tachibana: "You're such a worrywart, Miku. I'll be fine. I'm just going out for a bit to help people. Wait for me, okay?"

Miku Kohinata: "Okay... I'll be waiting."

Hibiki Tachibana: "And now, off I go!"

Notes:

[1] Should be "mean." This event's translation can be kinda...yeah...

[2] Should be "but"

[kanasmusings]

[Translation] SERVAMP Admission Drama CD - Sloth Pair

Remember how Alice in the Garden came with special drama CDs during the release~? Here’s the one for Sloth Pair! Thank you to @lia-snow who shared the audio with me!

SERVAMP Special Admission Drama – Sloth Pair Chapter

※ Please don’t re-post the English translations without permission.

※ Also, if anyone knows where I can find the Alicein Brothers’ admission drama CD, please do tell me so I can translate it as well ^^

Under the cut, enjoy~

SERVAMP Special Admission Drama – Sloth Pair Chapter

  (Kuro playing video games)

MAHIRU: Kuro, you have nothing to do today, right? Wanna go out for a bit?

KURO: Huh? If it’s a supermarket timed sale I won’t go.

MAHIRU: Today’s different! I was thinking of watching a movie once in a while.

KURO: Movie?

MAHIRU: Yep! I got special one-time viewing tickets from Uncle.

KURO: I’m busy.

MAHIRU: You’re just playing games! You’ll get fat if you keep eating potato chips and lying around!

KURO: Oh, don’t mind me. I’m the type who doesn’t get fat no matter how much I eat.

MAHIRU: … It’s true so I won’t retaliate…!

KURO: We don’t really have to go to the theatre if it’s just a movie.

MAHIRU: The ticket’s valid for today only! There’s the SERVAMP-Eve distance limit too so let’s go.

KURO: (munching on potato chips) What a troublesome contract.

MAHIRU: Don’t you say that!

KURO: Is that a movie you really wanna see?

MAHIRU: Yeah, the preview on the news this morning looked super interesting.

MAHIRU: An athletic team on the verge of closing down’s aiming for Nationals, it said!

KURO: You really do love that kind of cliched youth story, huh?

MAHIRU: Well, sorry for being cliched! Simple’s good, isn’t it?

KURO: Then, feel free to re-enact that trailer you saw.

MAHIRU: E-eh?! Re-enact?! Me!? U-um…

(Mahiru and Kuro begin re-enacting)

MAHIRU: “I’m Shirota Mahiru, a first year high-school student.”

MAHIRU: “I’m your average track-and-field club member. Is what it’s supposed to be but…”

(sudden dramatic music)

MAHIRU: “What?! Me, participate in a town revival project marathon?!”

KURO: “Mahiru, it all relies on those legs of yours.”

MAHIRU: “B-but, I only run short distances.”

KURO: “A 100 meter track or a 42 kilometer one is no different [from each other] in this planet’s long history.”

MAHIRU: “If I don’t run the marathon then… the world will be swallowed in darkness?!”

KURO: “In order to stop that vampire’s wild ideas, the only thing you can do is overcome your personal best record.”

KURO: “We’ll do some training in C3’s special facilities!”

MAHIRU: “I was supposed to be an average high-school student!!”

KURO: “And so, it will be revealed… A deep connection between vampires and a marathon. Right now, a seal shall be placed on Mahiru’s right leg…”

MAHIRU: (groaning) “M-my leg…”

MAHIRU: (in pain) “S-somehow… My body is… hot…!”

MAHIRU: “Why must I—Something like this…?!”

KURO: (in a cheerful out-of-character tone) This spring, the curtain will rise on the best youthful story!

KURO: “The SERVAMP movie, “Mahiru On the Road!” will be coming to theaters near you this coming spring on April 7, 2018!”

KURO: “We will be… one with the wind!”

(re-enactment finishes)

MAHIRU: NO, WE WON’T!!

KURO: Do it, Mahiru. With the winds of Hakone.

MAHIRU: Who was that doing the last narration?! Was it you, Kuro?! Stop using a cheerful tone all of a sudden!

KURO: Guess I have no choice. I got interested so let’s go to the theater.

MAHIRU: What part of that “trailer” interested you?!

  ***

  KURO: Uwah… There’s too many people.

MAHIRU: This is normal for a theater on a weekend, you know? Come on, let’s go.

KURO: Impossible… Can’t deal. I’m going home.

MAHIRU: Wait a sec! Don’t go home!

MAHIRU: I’ll be fine even if it’s a movie that you wanna see so, come on.

KURO: What about “Mahiru on the Road?”

MAHIRU: That movie never existed from the beginning!

MAHIRU: Ah, anyway, it looks like they’re not showing the movie I wanna see in this theater.

KURO: Look that stuff up first before coming here.

MAHIRU: Sh-shut up! Sorry…

KURO: It’d be exposed that you’ve never had a movie date before.

MAHIRU: Sh-shut up! Leave it!

MAHIRU: Ah, look. What about this action movie? O-or this animal story, Nya-“Nyanderland…?” or something? It looks like it’s a tear-jerker.

KURO: Getting soothed by me is better than seeing Nyanderland, right? I’m much cuter than those actor cats. And moreover, mine’s natural.

MAHIRU: You just have too much confidence on your cat form—

(Kuro transforms into a cat)

MAHIRU: Ah!

KURO: Meow~ Meow~ It’s the soothing Kuro-chan’s big adventure~ Meow~

MAHIRU: Don’t turn into a cat in a place like this!

KURO: “I, the Healing Cat hero, go on an adventure together with my companions, the Hedgehog and the Fox in order to find a mysterious flower that blooms only on a full moon in order to wake Mahiru who’s fallen into an eternal sleep after pricking his finger on a spindle.”

MAHIRU: Th-that’s long…

KURO: “It’s to save Mahiru! Kitty Cat Punch~”

MAHIRU: What sort of movie is that?

KURO: (grunts) “Wh-who would’ve thought that Tsubaki would betray me?!”

MAHIRU: Tsubaki’s been our enemy to begin with.

KURO: (mimicking battle sounds) Nya, nya, nya, nya!

MAHIRU: Wai--what? You’re only doing sound effects now! Explain! What’s this cat doing?!

(Kuro transforms back into a human)

KURO: Well, all jokes aside…

MAHIRU: I can’t keep up with your “jokes” sometimes…

KURO: Shall I teach Mahiru-kun who’s never been on a movie date a smart way to buy tickets?

MAHIRU: That’s none of your business!

MAHIRU: I’ll go to the teller now so you wait there! Ah, don’t you go home either! (Mahiru walks away)

KURO: (sighs)

  ***

 MAHIRU: Hey, Kuro, sorry for the wait—Not here!

MAHIRU: Did that guy really go home…?!

KURO: You’re late, Mahiru.

MAHIRU: Kuro! Where did you—

KURO: (munching something) The shops.

MAHIRU: That’s too much no matter how you look at it! Why are you holding like, what, a bucket of popcorn?! I can’t see half of your face!

KURO: A popcorn and soda is a must when watching a movie. (Kuro slurps from his drink) Oh, and also, ice cream and churros…

MAHIRU: You said it was troublesome and now you look like you’re enjoying…

KURO: I’m a cat with high adaptability after all.

MAHIRU: Don’t say your specialties!

KURO: So, what movie are we gonna see?

MAHIRU: Eh? Some are full so I bought one that had some seats still left…

KURO: Hmm…

KURO: “A cursed melancholic mansion. Unexpected happenings that will dye it red…”

MAHIRU: Um, yeah… It’s a little scary but I had no choice so…

KURO: Eh~ I can’t handle horror though… And also brutal things.

MAHIRU: You’re a vampire, what are you saying…?

KURO: Y’know? Things like where zombies are running around or where there’s blood all over. I can’t handle things like that.

MAHIRU: But you make my blood spill all over, you know?!

KURO: Huh? I haven’t done it that bad. Compared to other vampire works, mine’s still mild.

MAHIRU: D-don’t compare… You’ll get scolded.

KURO: I’m a qualified scholar when it comes to vampire-related stuff.

MAHIRU: Where did you get qualified?!

KURO: We’ll have to go see if that’s something up to my standards—Huh?

MAHIRU: Hm, what?

KURO: This movie… The director, lead actor, screenplay writer…

KURO: It’s Tsubaki…

MAHIRU: Tsuba—EH?!

KURO: Actor: Belkia, Sounds: Watanuki Sakuya… Hey, hey, aren’t they all from Melancholy?

MAHIRU: Why are those guys making a movie? Are they bored?!

KURO: I won’t lose… We have to make the movie about the Healing Cat’s adventures, too…!

KURO: The director is… Simply thinking, it should be…

MAHIRU: Me! Wait, no, don’t make me say that!

KURO: Ah, the movie’s starting.

MAHIRU: Are we watching this?! I can only sense a lot of danger from it!

  ==END==

※ Please don’t re-post the English translations without permission.

[crystalelemental]

A bit of talk about my favorite casts overall in Touhou, because I'm kinda fixated on it today:

MoF: My favorite cast.  Sanae, Kanako, and Suwako would carry this team on their own, but then you get Aya who is great, the Aki sisters who I really love despite them not having a ton going on, Hina who is interesting to me, and even Nitori who I've come around to liking through repeated exposure.  The only real detriment to the team is Momiji, who hasn't done anything wrong, I'm just constantly pissed at how unreasonably popular she is.  How the hell did this character with no dialogue ever manage to break top 20?  How did people decide she was a top favorite, much less a stronger character than Kanako and Suwako?   To each their own opinions, and I'm not about to fight anyone over it, but this is the single most confusing thing about fan perceptions to me.

SA: If anyone were to say that my pick for best cast is dumb and that it's obviously the SA crew, I'd probably concede immediately.  I can't think of a character in this game that isn't great.  Chireiden is especially fantastic, bringing in some of my favorites overall.  Half the cast typically places around top 20 for me, and I think that alone shows how great they are.  The only truly low-ranking one is Kisume, who just...doesn't have anything to work with, really.

TD: I love the TD cast.  I wish I could fully articulate why, I just appreciate them. Seiga is delightfully wicked, Miko is awesome, Futo is a lot of fun, and even Tojiko has just enough presence that I want to know more about what her deal is.  Yoshika and Kyouko are a bit lower for me, but are still solid enough characters.  Then there's Mamizou, my third favorite character overall.  In the game, she seems pretty good, but it's another situation where the more I see of her, the more I love her character.  It's a shame the extra stage is so frustrating to me.   If I sat down and actually applied myself, I might be able to clear it...

PCB: Prismrivers are A+ characters, I don't care what anyone else says!  This game also brought in Alice, who is top-tier, as well as general fan-favorites in Yukari, Yuyuko, and Youmu.  This is one situation, at least, where I agree with fan perceptions.  All of these characters are great.  The only one I don't have strong opinions on is Letty, which is a shame because she's a Yuki-Onna, and those are awesome creatures.  I guess they can't all be winners.

LoLK: I just feel like this is where they should go.  I love Junko, Clownpiece is great (especially in the manga), Sagume and Hecatia are fascinating, and I really like Doremy.  If anything really holds them back, it's the game itself, with its kind of awkward resource collection system, and the ridiculous difficulty set up by the PointDevice mode (which I really dislike).  There are some really great characters floating around, but I just can't get as attached to them.  Maybe it's because they mostly will never show up again.  Maybe it's because the game is such a pain that I can't be asked to experience the characters again by playing it.  Whatever the case, I think "above average" is a decent designation for the cast as a whole.

HSiFS: Tentatively putting them here.  May wind up going above PCB, but I'd be surprised if I wind up feeling that positively toward the whole cast.   Really, I think this is where they'd belong.  Close to average, but a little above, largely based on the few standouts and some personal attachments.  Eternity and Narumi are the two big standouts, while Satono and Mai are the ones I have personal attachment to, for reasons involving wanting to see more of their history.  Okina's also incredibly lore-significant, which is hard to ignore, even if I'm not her biggest fan right now.  They're a good cast.

UFO: And now we come to by benchmark average.  UFO is not a cast I am particularly enamored with.  I really like Kogasa, and despite never directly meeting her in-game, I love Nue's concept.  Byakuren and Nazrin are also particularly good, but the mid-game cast of Ichirin, Murasa, and Shou don't really appeal to me much.  They kind of all even out to a solid average cast.  By contrast...

IN: this cast is mostly just average.  There's really only two standouts, but both are standouts because of subsequent games and manga.  Those two being Kaguya and Mokou.  I feel almost nothing toward the rest of this cast.  Kaguya manages to be one of my overall favorites, based on her presentation largely in Inaba of the Moon/Earth, and Mokou jumped significantly based on her interactions with Futo and Sumireko in ULiL.  Reisen is also growing on me, though I wouldn't call her a favorite.  I think what keeps this one below UFO is just that the majority of the cast feels very bland to me.

EoSD: "Steve, you fucking hypocrite, they're not even last place."  Look buddy, I have only ever stated dislike for this cast based on my inherent contrarianism, and I think we all know this.  So, to kinda make my case, we're going to factor out fanon, because I could complain about fanon interpretations of this crew being the absolute worst for literal hours.  I'm serious, I've done it before. Anyway, on their own, the cast is not bad, I just have virtually no interest in them. Flandre, by all accounts, should be one of my favorites.  I love that archetype. But for some reason, she just doesn't resonate as much with me as she ought to, and I often wonder if that's because I can't separate out my contempt for fanon interpretations coupled with how high-ranked she always is.  Patchouli is excellent, and I largely adore her because of her association with elemental magic, which is a favorite of mine, though she still ranks below other magicians because she's kinda plain in that regard (Alice's dolls are way more interesting conceptually, and Marisa is far more organic in her application of magic).  And that's where the positives stop.  Remilia and Sakuya can have some good moments, but I ultimately don't appreciate them as much.  Cirno is a character I have long not liked, who is only recently starting to be appreciated with manga appearances (as a side character) and her role in HSiFS.  The rest of the cast ranges from complete disinterest to disdain.  Meiling and Rumia just aren't interesting, Koakuma gets a few points entirely because Koishi's Heart-Throbbing Adventure made her best villain, and Daiyousei is in eternal contempt for doing nothing ever yet outranking excellent characters like Kanako and Mamizou somehow.  They're a mix of disinterest, dislike, and not as interesting as they should be, which leads to a particularly low ranking.

DDC: Of course, if we're being fair, the EoSD cast is not my least-favorite. Fanon certainly makes them the group I complain about the hardest, but my most disinterested feelings go to DDC.  I struggle to think of a single character in this game that stands out at all.  Let's get this out of the way: Seija is a fascinating character, but I don't like her.  I mentioned this with Okina in another post, but I can find a lot of characters interesting while still disliking how they are.  And that's the big issue.  Seija's usually the one that would pull this team for people, and she has, hysterically, the opposite effect on me.  Sukuna is similarly not that engaging, and unlike most characters added to the fighting games, her presence in ULiL did nothing for me.  The first three stage bosses are all just smallfry who show up ready to fight with the social upheaval thing going on, but ultimately fail to have particularly unique traits, and...honestly, a mermaid and werewolf are a bit too western for me?  I have the same kind of issue with EoSD, where the western stuff feels a bit too familiar, so I can't appreciate the novelty of a character's species if there's nothing else to go off of.   Which means that the Tsukumos kinda get the favorites spot (I told you about the contrarianism). They're associated with music and storms, and you fight them in the middle of a thunderstorm.  As far as coolness factor goes, they win, hands down.  I also just like their designs best.  I know everyone else in the world seems to like them least, but I think they're the strongest entries.  You know, despite still being somewhat bland overall.  They're no Prismrivers, that's for sure.

[cutepresea]

10-3 The Sirius of Zwei Wing: Flames of Hope

Sorry for the spam.

If you want to blacklist these, you can use either the tag #the sirius of zwei wing for just this event, or #xdu event scripts or #xdu scripts

Reminder  that these are copied straight  from XD Unlimited itself, so any  grammatical weirdness, mistranslations,  and/or mischaracterizations are  not my doing.

Genjuro Kazanari: "Thanks to Ryoko-kun's exhaustive efforts, Kanade's Gear is now capable of facing off against the Alca-Noise."

Genjuro Kazanari: "But the Alca-Noise aren't the only obstacle standing between us and Tsubasa."

Kanade Amo: "You mean the alchemist and that huge monster?"

Genjuro Kazanari: "Precisely."

Genjuro Kazanari: "I've summoned you all here to discuss what we currently know, and how to deal with these threats."

Maria: "Does that mean... that we know who we're up against?"

Ryoko Sakurai: "We're beginning to draw a profile up, yes."

Kanade Amo: "Then first up, what's the deal with those alchemy powers?"

Kanade Amo: "I heard this weird sound, and then suddenly my body couldn't move. What kind of power IS that?"

Hibiki Tachibana: "We've never run into any alchemy that uses sound like that, either!"

Maria: "How bothersome. Not to mention it appears to work on really different principles to Tsubasa's Shadow Weave."

Ryoko Sakurai: "Unfortunately, we still don't know what's exactly at work there."

Ryoko Sakurai: "There was nothing similar that I could find in what scant few resources we have regarding alchemy."

Maria: "But if there's a sound at work, it must be originating from somewhere, right?"

Sakuya Fujitaka: "We don't know where it's coming from, either."

Maria: "Why not?"

Aoi Tomosato: "The monitoring sensors on your Gears didn't pick up anything at all."

Aoi Tomosato: "And those sensors should pick up anything in the audible or ultrasonic range."

Sakuya Fujitaka: "There's no way for us to locate the source of a sound we can't even pick up."

Kanade Amo: "But we could hear it so clearly, though."

Ryoko Sakurai: (There's definitely something unnatural about this. Why would they hear it, but the Gear sensors were blind?)

Ryoko Sakurai: (Something's nagging at me... It feels like I'm overlooking something important here.)

Genjuro Kazanari: "Tsubasa was able to fend it off with her Ignite Module, which means we know that works, at least."

Genjuro Kazanari: "Hibiki-kun, Maria-kun, if you find yourself in the same situation, don't hesitate to use your own."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Understood!"

Maria: "That's fine by us."

Ryoko Sakurai: "I hope the improved anti Alca-Noise field I implemented for Kanade-chan will display a similar effect."

Ryoko Sakurai: "But since we don't know the principles behind the attacks, I can only anticipate so much."

Hibiki Tachibana: "If it comes to that, we'll be sure to give Kanade-san our full support!"

Kanade Amo: "Th-Thanks... I'm holding you to that."

Kanade Amo: (I still can't shake the feeling I'm just a burden...)

Maria: "Is there any other intel?"

Ryoko Sakurai: "There's much we don't know about the origins and powers of alchemy, but we did identify that creature."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Way to go, Ryoko-san!"

Maria: "Was it under the control of the alchemists, then?"

Sakuya Fujitaka: "Yes, and after some research, I learned that it'll be quite the ordeal to deal with."

Hibiki Tachibana: "So wait, the situation is even worse than we thought?"

Maria: "Would you hurry up and just tell us already?"

Ryoko Sakurai: "The creature's name is Bergelmir. It's a complete relic."

Hibiki Tachibana: "B-Bergelmir?"

Maria: "I feel like I've heard that name before. Is it something from Norse Mythology?"

Ryoko Sakurai: "Yes, that's correct."

Kanade Amo: "You know, if you strain your ear a little, it sounds a bit like Gungnir, doesn't it?"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Huh? What makes you say that?"

Ryoko Sakurai: "Well it stands to reason. Both words come from Old Norse."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Seriously?!"

Kanade Amo: "What sort of relic are we talking about here?"

Ryoko Sakurai: "Bergelmir was in the possession of the German army during World War II, and went missing shortly thereafter."

Ryoko Sakurai: "Although I've only been able to glean the basics from the research materials the Germans left behind."

Genjuro Kazanari: "So it was a relic after all?"

Hibiki Tachibana: "What kind of powers does it have?"

Ryoko Sakurai: "Named after a frost giant, it's said to be clad in frigid cold, and can trap any living thing in ice."

Kanade Amo: "Come to think of it, the temperature did drop drastically when that thing showed up..."

Ryoko Sakurai: "The Germans tried to activate this terrifying relic during the war--and without success it would seem."

Ryoko Sakurai: "If they had managed to activate it... Well, the outcome of the war might have been very different."

Maria: "It's that powerful?"

Genjuro Kazanari: "We may not know its exact history, but we do know those alchemists got their hands on it."

Ryoko Sakurai: "Yes. And during the last fight, they used the phonic gain that was generated in order to activate it."

Ryoko Sakurai: "The two wielders' own phonic gain wound up being their undoing."

Maria: "Well that's not good news."

Hibiki Tachibana: "So then this thing really is that strong?"

Kanade Amo: "It brushed off our attacks like they were nothing."

Hibiki Tachibana: "What?!"

Ryoko Sakurai: "I analyzed the data obtained during the battle, and its capabilities surpass even those of Karma Noise."

Maria: "...It's even stronger than a Karma Noise?"

Ryoko Sakurai: "Yes. This is, without a doubt, the most difficult adversary we in Section 2 have ever faced."

Ryoko Sakurai: "And to make things even worse, this isn't even its final form, it's only just been activated."

Kanade Amo: "And it's already that strong?!"

Kanade Amo: "How are we supposed to deal with an opponent like that?!"

Maria: "You said we'd discuss a plan, but all we've been told so far is cause for despair."

Ryoko Sakurai: "Now, now, everybody. Don't be so down."

Hibiki Tachibana: "That's right! There must be a way! We can't give up hope yet!"

Kanade Amo: "Yeah. I can't give up before I've saved Tsubasa!"

Maria: "Don't we have any good news?"

Ryoko Sakurai: "Hehe. Oh, of course we do!"

Ryoko Sakurai: "I didn't bring you all here today to rain on your parades. I made sure to bring some sunshine, too!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Wow! I knew we could count on you, Ryoko-san!"

Genjuro Kazanari: "What is this sunshine then?"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Huh? You don't know either, Master?"

Genjuro Kazanari: "No. I asked her, but she wouldn't tell me."

Maria: (Is she the secretive type, or is she just playing with us?)

Hibiki Tachibana: "Come on, what do you have? Tell us, and don't spare the details!"

Ryoko Sakurai: "Well, it should be here any moment now. Once it shows up, that's when the fun starts."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Really?!"

Maria: (...There's an excellent possibility that she's both, I suppose.)

Sakuya Fujitaka: "Noise signals detected!"

Sakuya Fujitaka: "It looks like it's the Alca-Noise!"

Genjuro Kazanari: "Where?! How bad is the damage?!"

Sakuya Fujitaka: "They're in one of the suburbs! It looks like a helicopter suffered a direct hit and crashed!"

Genjuro Kazanari: "A helicopter? Was it civilian or military?!"

Sakuya Fujitaka: "Trying to confirm that now!"

Ryoko Sakurai: "Whoops. I guess the enemy was one step ahead."

Genjuro Kazanari: "What do you mean?"

Ryoko Sakurai: "It looks like our little glimmer of hope just got knocked out of the sky."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Whaaat?!"

Maria: "So then that helicopter was..."

Ryoko Sakurai: "Yes, in all likelihood... Hopefully the payload is still intact."

Genjuro Kazanari: "Okay! We have to mobilize!"

Genjuro Kazanari: "Rescuing the wounded and retrieving the package are top priority! Afrer that, take out the Alca-Noise!"

Maria: "Acknowledged. Let's go, you two."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Okay!"

Kanade Amo: "Yeah!"

Kanade Amo: "Grr... The whole things on fire."

Maria: "Doesn't leave much hope of there being any survivors..."

Ryoko Sakurai: "The Alca-Noise are converging on the helicopter's location!"

Ryoko Sakurai: "You have to do whatever it takes to find that package!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "I'm not sure how, but I'll do what I can!"

Maria: "If she'd just tell us what the package is, it'd make searching for it easier."

Kanade Amo: "I'll take care of the Alca-Noise nearby!"

Kanade Amo: "It's time to see just how improved my Gear really is!"

Man in Robe B: "I've located the container!"

Man in Robe A: "Hurry and find what we're after! We have wielders inbound!"

Man in Robe B: "Ngh! The wreck of the chopper is pinning the--"

Man in Robe A: "Rgh! Out of the way!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Maria-san, Kanade-san, look!"

Maria: "Those robed men... They're alchemists!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "And it looks like they're leaving with the package!"

Kanade Amo: "Oh no you don't!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Huh... Why can I see my breath? Is the temperature dropping?"

Maria: "There's frost on the buildings and roads... How could it be so cold, when there's a raging fire nearby?"

Aoi Tomosato: "Commander, the temperature at the scene is dropping rapidly!"

Aoi Tomosato: "Negative 20... No, negative 30 degrees Celsius and still dropping!"

Genjuro Kazanari: "No, it can't be!"

Ryoko Sakurai: "Be careful, girls! Bergelmir is coming!"

Genjuro Kazanari: "It's too dangerous to engage without a strategy. All wielders, fall back! Do you copy?!"

Ryoko Sakurai: "That'll mean having to give up on the package... But I suppose we don't have a choice."

Ryoko Sakurai: "You know full well we can't be playing dice with your lives."

Maria: "Is that... Bergelmir?"

Hibiki Tachibana: "It really is like a literal ice monster."

Genjuro Kazanari: "You three, do you copy?! Abandon the package! Get out of there ASAP!"

Kanade Amo: "Sorry, but I can't do that."

Kanade Amo: "That thing in there is our only hope, and I'm not leaving it behind!"

Genjuro Kazanari: "Kanade, don't be ridiculous! It's too dangerous!"

Maria: "I'm staying behind, too."

Maria: "I don't know how we'll do it, but if we lose this thing, we'll need time to come up with a new plan, right?"

Maria: "Every minute we waste is another minute our friend comes closer and closer to danger!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "That's right! Backing down in the face of danger isn't going to help us save Tsubasa-san!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Master, please let us do this!"

Genjuro Kazanari: "Girls... Very well. But do only what you can."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Thank you very much!"

Genjuro Kazanari: "But the next time I order you to withdraw, you do it! You need to know when enough is enough!"

Maria: "If we're going to do this, then we'll have to go all out!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Got it!"

Hibiki Tachibana & Maria: "Ignite Module! Drawn Blade!"

Kanade Amo: "I'll take point! You two, follow after me!"

Maria: "All right!"

Hibiki Tachibana: (Hang in there, Tsubasa-san. We'll save you. I swear it.)

Hibiki Tachibana: "Hyaaah!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "With the three of us working together--"

Maria: "Yeah... There's nothing we can't do!"

Kanade Amo: "Let's smash this thing before it has time to recover!"

Kanade Amo: "Ngh! That sound again?"

Maria: "Wh-What's happening to me?!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "My body won't move!"

Ryoko Sakurai: "It's that attack again... Is this what alchemy is capable of?"

Genjuro Kazanari: "So not even the Ignite Module is immune to it?!"

Ryoko Sakurai: "Does this mean it's grown more powerful since our last encounter?"

Aoi Tomosato: "I've got nothing! I can't get any readings for soundwaves or even a source!"

Genjuro Kazanari: "This isn't good! All of you, get out of there now!"

Bergelmir: "...Raaagh!"

Kanade Amo: "Agh?!"

Maria: "Aaaaaah!"

Hibiki Tachibana; "Guh?!"

Kanade Amo: "Urgh... What's going on?"

Maria: "This weird sound is reverberating through my head..."

Hibiki Tachibana: "It's not that I can't move, but..."

Maria: "Yeah... It's like our bodies are anchored in place."

Kanade Amo: "I'm doing better than I did last time... I'm still incapable of fighting, though."

Aoi Tomosato: "The temperature is still dropping! Negative 50 Celsius... We've gone past negative 60!"

Sakuya Fujitaka: "Bergelmir's physical interference capabilities have increased!"

Ryoko Sakurai: "It's definitely far more powerful than it was previously..."

Genjuro Kazanari: "Any ordinary person would freeze to death simply being near it."

Ryoko Sakurai: "I don't want to think about it, but if their Gears give out with things like they are now..."

Genjuro Kazanari: "This is your only chance. Retreat now! I mean it!"

Maria: "Believe me, that's what I want more than anything right now... Argh!"

Kanade Amo: "Dammit... If only I could move like normally..."

Hibiki Tachibana: "M-Maria-san. The alchemists just collapsed near the package...."

Maria: "It's the temperature. Normal people can't endure an environment like this."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Oh, no..."

Maria: "We can't worry about them right now. That thing is coming for us."

Maria: "If only we could deflect this sound!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Rrraaagh! C'mon, body! Move!"

Kanade Amo: "I can't... let myself be... beaten here!"

Kanade Amo: "I have to save Tsubasa!"

Maria: "What the?"

Kanade Amo: "The cargo container... There are flames coming from it."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Do you think the fire from the helicopter spread to the container?!"

Maria: "No, it isn't moving like a normal fire."

Hibiki Tachibana: "The flames are spiraling skywards... It looks like a flaming tornado!"

Ryoko Sakurai: "Has Brisingamen activated in response to their phonic gain?!"

Genjuro Kazanari: "Brisingamen?!"

Bergelmir: "Graaaagh?!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Is it scared of the fire?"

Maria: "It looks like it. But the flames appear to be subsiding."

Kanade Amo: "So I take it that's our package..."

Kanade Amo: "Our hope of defeating that thing, and of rescuing Tsubasa..."

Kanade Amo: "I'm not letting that flame go out!"

Kanade Amo: "Aaaaah!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Kanade-san!"

Maria: "Would it kill you to think before diving into action?!"

Maria: "I swear, it must be a Gungnir thing! Just charging in headfirst, every single time!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Huh? Wait, does that include me? Come to think of it, you used to wield Gungnir too, Maria-san!"

Maria: "You don't have to remind me!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Whaaat?!"

Maria: "We're going to back her up until she reaches the container. I'll take the left, you take the right. Got it?"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Y-Yeah, got it!"

Maria: "Together our three spears can pierce anything!"

Kanade Amo: "Haah... haah... I... finally made it!"

Kanade Amo: "So... This is our hope."

Maria: "That whirlwind of flames is melting all of the snow and frost!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "We did it!"

Ryoko Sakurai: "No... This isn't over yet."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Huh?!"

Kanade Amo: "Gack? Is this--?!"

Kanade Amo: "Grrrraaaaaah?!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Kanade-san! What's going on?!"

Maria: "Don't tell me she's going berserk..."

Hibiki Tachibana: (Could this be the same as what happened when I got my hands on Durandal?)

Kanade Amo: "Rgh... Grrraaaaaahhh!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "I know that look..."

Maria: "It's begun to eat away at her from within."

Genjuro Kazanari: "What's Kanade's status?!"

Aoi Tomosato: "Her compatibility with Gungnir is fluctuating drastically!"

Sakuya Fujitaka: "It's no use! We can't stop the psychological degradation Brisingamen is inflicting on her!"

Ryoko Sakurai: "...She needs to let go of Brisingamen now!"

Kanade Amo: (I... I can't!)

Kanade Amo: (I won't... let... go!)

Kanade Amo: (Not when our hope... is finally in our grasp!)

Kanade Amo: "I'm not letting it goooo!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Kanade-san!"

Maria: "The flames are growing even more powerful!"

Bergelmir: "Rrrr..."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Is Bergelmir in pain?"

Man in Robe A: "I don't think we'll be able to take Brisingamen back while those fools have it."

Man in Robe B: "Even Bergelmir cowers at the sight of the torrential flames."

Man in Robe A: "We can do nothing here. At least, for the time being..."

Man in Robe B: "Let's withdraw for now."

Man in Robe A: "And don't forget to gather up our fallen comrades."

Man in Robe B: "I know."

Maria: "Bergelmir's gone. And the remaining alchemists seem to have fled."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Kanade-san!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "It's all right now, Kanade-san!"

Kanade Amo: "Ngh... Urrrgh..."

Kanade Amo: (Was I able... to keep it safe?)

Kanade Amo: (Our hope... of saving Tsubasa...)

Hibiki Tachibana: "K-Kanade-san?"

Genjuro Kazanari: "This is bad! We have to get Kanade back here, ASAP!"