#let’s start with Motochika

[silkhy-john]

Recently restarted pokemon conquest and remembered all the characters I had crushes in for various reasons like???

[koorinokujira]

☾ Nightmares - SB Imagines ☽

(Kojūrō, Masamune, Yukimura, Sasuke, Motochika, Keiji, Magoichi)

After a particularly bad nightmare, you are left awake in the middle of the night. You sob, absolutely inconsolable as sadness and fear wreak havoc in your exhausted mind. Who will comfort you, and how?

☾ Kojūrō ☽

Kojūrō feels his shoulders tense when he hears the first few sobs. He's just been passing by your room, going about whatever business he had to put away for the night because of his lord's needs. And now all he hears are the alarm bells blaring in his mind. Without any hesitation, he slides open the door and rushes in, hastily checking if you are sick or injured in any way. After finding out it's not the case, his stern expression softens a bit.

He asks what's wrong- but only once, as you don't really respond to his question. He puts two and two together pretty quickly. After all, this is not the time he's dealt with this. Masamune was the same when younger. And so the Right Eye does what he does best; being someone you can rely on. He doesn't really say much before tightly wrapping you up in a blanket and holding you close. Hugs aren't his forte, but he has to ground you somehow, right? It used to work on Masamune, anyway.

And all the while, he doesn't force you to talk about your nightmare, instead choosing to remain in silence. He just holds you and waits patiently, with a strangely fatherly look on his face, until you either fall asleep in his arms or tell him what made you so scared. The tight, comforting embrace soon forces you to relax, and your breathing slows...

He is there to listen. And he will stay as long as you need him, just like he would for Masamune.

☾ Masamune ☽

Masamune is easily woken up by the muffled sound of you crying. He's always been a very light sleeper, and it saved his hide many times when out fighting. But this time is a bit different, as he isn't the one in potential danger. Without even thinking, he grabs his weapons and rushes to your side, his hand already on the hilt of one of his Claws.

After almost breaking down your door, he quickly realizes there's no enemy present and freezes for a moment. Leading men to battle and losing yourself in the passion of combat is one thing, but comforting someone who's this miserable... that seems like a daunting task for the One Eyed Dragon. But he doesn't let his doubts stop him. What kind of leader would he be if he did? He's no coward.

And so he decides to do one of the things that help him clear his head when he's not feeling good. He doesn't even ask what's wrong, having a few theories already. Despite small protests from you, he lifts you up into his arms, letting out a soft huff. After that, he swiftly carries you to the stables, and gets up into the saddle of his horse with you. Before you can even say anything, the horse is already in motion. It's clear Masamune is trying his best to balance speed and comfort as you ride. He holds you close so you don't fall off, and starts telling you all sorts of embarassing stories about him and Kojūrō, until the tears stop falling and you let out a small chuckle. When that happens, he gives you his signature smirk, looking incredibly proud of himself for calming you down.

Not even nightmares can escape the Dragon once he sets his eye on them. Not when he has someone so precious to protect.

☾ Yukimura ☽

Yukimura is startled awake by the quiet sobs, even though he probably wouldn't admit it. A thousand thoughts rush through his mind at once as he gets up and goes to check on you. He's worried, very worried. And when he sees you being a sobbing mess, his heart drops right into his stomach. He starts questioning you on what happened, but you are still too out of it to answer.

So, he awkwardly sits down next to you with a troubled look on his face. He thinks long and hard about what his revered Oyakata-sama would do in this situation, but nothing fitting seems to come to mind. After all, punching you so hard that you make a hole in the wall and giving you life advice during it is out of the question, even he recognizes that his lord's methods wouldn't really apply here. Sasuke would maybe know what to do, but he's out on a mission somewhere, so he's on his own.

He carefully reaches his hand out, placing it on your shoulder to let you know you're not alone. He's a bit surprised when you lean onto him for comfort, but he doesn't push you away. After a while, you feel comfortable enough to tell him about your nightmare, and he listens intently. Everything is quiet for a moment, until...

"I, SANADA YUKIMURA, SWEAR TO PROTECT YOU FROM THE NIGHTMARES!"

Yukimura yells it out so loudly that it probably woke everyone else up, too. He sounds even more determined and dramatic than usual, complete with wild hand motions and an intense but genuine look in his eyes. That promise is just so absurd, and... endearing, in true Yukimura fashion. And then he even has the gall to look surprised when you burst out laughing!

Never change, Yukimura, never change.

☾ Sasuke ☽

Sasuke notices that something is wrong just before he goes out on another mission. Maybe it's because he's a shinobi, or because he often has to drag Yukimura out of trouble, but he's developed a sixth sense of sorts already. And that sense, that gut feeling quickly leads him to your room. He doesn't walk in just yet, and you aren't even aware of his presence. Luckily for you, it doesn't take him too long to decide that the mission can wait for a while longer.

He gently opens the door and walks in. If he's worried, it's not showing, he looks as calm and laid back as ever. He sits down next to you and waits for a while to see if his presence is enough to calm you down. He knows better than to overwhelm you with questions at this moment. But the amount of tears lessens only a little. He sights softly. Perhaps there is one thing he could try...

He stands up, but you don't see what he's doing, your vision is all blurry from crying. Suddenly, you feel a pair of arms wrap around you. And another. And... another? You go quiet for a moment, blinking in surprise as you realize that he summoned two shadow clones to smother your sadness with a hug. And honestly... it's working. Who wouldn't want to be hugged by their favorite person three times at once? It doesn't take long for you to finally relax again and fall asleep. Sasuke simply makes the clones disappear and lays you back down, watching over you for a while. And then, he disappears into the shadows, as if nothing even happened.

Mission complete.

☾ Motochika ☽

It takes Motochika a while to get to you. The seas aren't exactly calm, and the sound of crashing waves and the crew yelling at each other on the deck drowns out... everything else, essentially. Still, you're lucky, as he managed to hear you while walking by the tiny cabin you tend to sleep in. He steps in, and he instinctively tilts himself to one side to balance out the ship suddenly getting rocked by another wave.

The captain looks pretty drowsy, and he's only half dressed. Not a very uncommon sight, since he has a ridiculous sleep schedule while the crew is out treasure hunting. He wakes up at random times and then goes back to sleep after checking if everything is under control on the deck. And this time, he chanced upon a different issue than he expected. Seeing you in distress, he finally seems to properly wake up.

He says nothing, simply taking you in his arms and wrapping them around you in a very comfortable bear hug. He doesn't like seeing any of his crew sad and scared, and that applies even more when it comes to you. The rocking of the ship suddenly doesn't seem as bad anymore, as he's stable on his feet. He's like a lighthouse in the midst of a terrible storm.

Motochika has many things on his mind that he could say. That it's fine, that whatever you saw in that nightmare wasn't real. But he knows you know, and that it probably wouldn't calm you down. And so he sings. It's only a low hum at first, which slowly changes into words. It's a shanty you and the crew often sing. Usually, it's very energetic, but his rough, slow singing makes it seem more like a lullaby this time. And it does help. Even the sea seems to grow calmer as you finally relax and close your eyes once more.

You're safe here. Aniki has your back.

☾ Keiji ☽

Keiji is awake even before you are. Since you're travelling together and often sleep out in the wilderness, with the trees acting as your only roof, you're always near each other. For safety reasons, of course. But before you even woke up from the nightmare, you were thrashing so wildly that you managed to kick the poor Maeda vagabond in the face.

Still, once you wake up and break down into tears, he seems to be way more concerned about you than the red mark on his face. He's panicking a bit, not really knowing how to calm you. Yumekichi looks at him judgementally for it, but this has never happened to you two, what is he supposed to do?! He at least pulls you in for an awkward, tight hug, trying to tell you that it's going to be okay while patting your head. It doesn't seem to be working much, however.

In the end, he decides to use his inner romantic to distract you. He carefully tilts your head up, and points to the stars above you. Keiji doesn't wait even for a second before he starts waxing poetic about the world around you both. He points out the stars, the moon, the chirping sound of crickets and the quiet whispers of the wind. And it's all so genuine, too. The happiness that he gets to travel with you and see everything in a different light. When you calm down enough after listening to him softly talk about what makes him happy, he starts asking you to tell him what you can see. And every single time you point to something, he tells you about a nice memory you two share that it reminds him of. The panic and awkwardness is gone, and it's just the Keiji you know and love now. You two talk and talk, until the sun rises once again, and you two simply rest each other, Yumekichi curled up on Keiji's shoulder.

You can't even remember what the nightmare was about now.

☾ Magoichi ☽

Magoichi is still awake when she hears you cry. With all the chaos in Japan right now, she spends day and night making sure everyone in the Faction is safe and prepared for anything. Though, hearing you in distress has given her a pause. At first, she just wants to keep walking. After all, she can't coddle the members of the proud Saika Faction as if they were children.

But then again.. crying is not exactly a common sound heard around here, so it's probably something that really got to you. And as much as she tries to be stern and heartless, she does care about her own. Dearly. So with a sigh, she opens the door and walks towards you. She gives you a quick once-over to make sure you're not wounded and trying to hide it, as a few would do.

Ah, so a nightmare.

She has her typical stern, determined expression on her face, but there also seems to be something softer in her eyes. She's not judging you. In fact... she gets it. She gets her own share of nightmares. Terrible ones, too. And she hates the idea that someone she's secretly so proud and fond of is a victim of their own mind. And so she starts speaking to you. Her voice is slightly softer than usual, but it still has enough authority to properly catch your attention.

She doesn't offer you typical words of comfort. She tells you that you're strong, and how she's seen that strength shine many times. How proud she is how far you've come, and how she is glad that you're fighting under her banner. And how she believes that you can overcome this, just like you usually do in battle. That you can kill this nightmare, this fear, with a carefully aimed metaphorical bullet to its head. She grips your shoulders while saying all this, so you know how serious she is. And she also doesn't forget to mention that you never, ever have to fight it alone. It's not really Magoichi's words or tone of voice that calms you in the end. It's the fact that she took her time to try to comfort you in the only way she knows. You know you're in good hands now.

No Sacred Crow will get lost from the flock on her watch.

---

Well, that's it for the first round of imagines! I am still kind of getting used to writing shorter scenes like this, as I usually write longer things, so the formatting or pacing may be a bit strange for a while. I also apologize for any possibble inaccuracies or grammar mistakes, I wrote basically all of these in the middle of the night, and I'm currently feeling pretty sick (￣▽￣*)ゞ Still, I hope you enjoyed them and I hope to write more soon! I am also oficially opening SB imagines and fic requests now, so if you guys wish to see something specific, now's the time to ask for it! Thank you for reading, and as always...

Have an amazing day!

[yeonchi]

Koei Warriors Retrospective Part 14: Samurai Warriors 3

Samurai Warriors 3 (戦国無双3) Platforms: Nintendo Wii Release dates: Japan: 3 December 2009 USA: 28 September 2010 Europe: 28 May 2010

While Alec and Shanna were busy on their assignment, Azuma Yeonchi was waiting for his interdimensional friends, Hiroki, Sougo and Polvina, to find a way to get them to Yabuverse PM10. The Kwisatz Haderach had been made aware of this and agreed to allow them leave to help Hiroki once he was ready for them to head over. For now though, Azuma had a new instalment of the Koei Warriors Retrospective to do.

A theory - Koei Tecmo's exclusivity deal with Nintendo killed English dub in Koei Warriors games. I'll explain later in the instalment.

By this point in time, Koei had spaced out the time between new instalments of Warriors games; SW2 was released two years after SW1, DW5 was released two years after DW4, DW6 was released nearly three years after DW5, SW3 was released nearly four years after SW2, and WO3 would later be released nearly four years after WO2. The main reasons for this included them alternating between their three main series, Omega Force working on other Warriors games unrelated to their three main series, and of course all the spinoffs in between.

Dynasty Warriors had entered the modern era with 6, so it was time for Samurai Warriors to do the same with 3. With it, however, came the start of Koei Tecmo's weird and shortsighted decisions that set them down a downward spiral for the Warriors series as a whole. Come down the spiral with me and I'll try to make sense of everything for you.

Samurai Warriors 3

For some reason, this game was initially released on the Wii instead of the PS3 and Xbox 360 despite reception for Katana being rather poor. As I said before in DW6, the PS3 was more expensive compared to the PS2 at launch. I also didn't tell you that it was also more expensive than the Xbox 360 at launch, but the two consoles ended up being undercut by the Nintendo Wii, which was cheaper than the two consoles when it launched just after the PS3. While the lower computational specs (on par with the original Xbox) and lack of HD support contributed to its lower launch price, the innovative motion controls served as a gimmick that appealed to non-hardcore gamers.

Naturally, the Wii outsold the PS3 and Xbox 360 year after year, making it the most popular console globally. According to executive officer Yoshiki Sugiyama and producer Hisashi Koinuma at the announcement press conference, there was demand for a Wii release from the development team and so they hoped that they could reach a wider audience with it, neglecting to consider what consoles their fans mostly played Warriors games on. In a surprise appearance from Shigeru Miyamoto, he recalled that Koinuma directly appealed to him for permission to adapt the 1986 Famicom Disk System game The Mysterious Murasame Castle into the game, which he granted. We'll come back to that.

Let's take a look at the characters. For the most part, the cast from SW2XL do return in this game, with some exceptions. Goemon Ishikawa remains cut but Kunoichi returns. Gracia, Musashi and Kojirō are cut from this game as well. Of the remaining newcomers from SW2XL, only Motochika has a Story Mode in this game, meaning that Toshiie Maeda and Katsuie Shibata do not. Nor do Yoshimoto, Kotarō, Nō, Ranmaru or Okuni.

The new characters debuting in this game are as follows:

Kai

Kiyomasa Katō

Kanbei Kuroda

Ujiyasu Hōjō

Muneshige Tachibana

Hanbei Takenaka

Motonari Mōri

Aya (NPC)

Masanori Fukushima (NPC)

Aya and Masanori's character models can be used for CAWs by clearing Kenshin, Kanetsugu, Mitsunari and Kiyomasa's Story Modes.

Where the last game introduced clans outside of the Oda, Takeda and Uesugi, this game expands on them and also adds some more playable characters for the final battles at Sekigahara and Ōsaka. Ujiyasu's inclusion completes the Kai-Sagami-Suruga Alliance between the Takeda, Hōjō and Imagawa and the Kantō Three Kingdoms rivalry between the former two and the Uesugi.

Story Mode and Free Mode remain in a similar format to SW2. Each Story Mode has five individualised stages without the Gaiden/Dream stages at the end, and Free Mode uses one character's stage for each battlefield/force for the most part. For the character you choose in Free Mode, if the stage you select exists in their Story Mode, then their version takes priority (SW2 also did this but on a smaller scale). If the stage doesn't exist in their story mode but they are featured as an ally in the stage, then they will appear as a duplicate officer (eg. The Battle of Tedorigawa Oda Army scenario as Nobunaga using Motochika's scenario, or The Battle of Shizugatake Hashiba Army scenario as Hideyoshi using Kiyomasa's scenario).

This game begins the trend of Samurai Warriors games being mission-centric. Each battle will have 4-6 missions/objectives, sometimes overlapping with each other but for the most part, they happen one after the other.

In addition to this, there are also Tactical Bonuses that can affect the battle or allow you to gain rewards. There are various types of such objectives, but the bottom line is that you have to defeat the objective officer by yourself to obtain the bonus. Given the tendencies of the allied AI, you are prone to having your kills stolen by other allied officers and failing to achieve the objective. Achieving all four Tactical Bonuses in a stage will fully clear it, and doing the same for all five stages in a characters' Story Mode will give you the gold Clear. This is also the key to obtaining the rare weapons when you play the specified stage for the character in Hard difficulty or above (in Story Mode only for playable characters).

One of the most egregious types of Tactical Bonuses involve those where you have to defeat an officer with a hit chain count above (or below) a certain number. It's hard enough trying to rack up combos with the battle mechanics as they are when the hit chains hold for as long as the combo chains did for the combo points in DW3. There are ways to mitigate this (have the Eternal Fist skill on your gauntlets and use the Mystic Crystal in conjunction with the Book of Secrets if the battle has them), but it's an absolutely bullshit limitation when the focus of Warriors games in the modern era seems to prioritise stuffing more enemies on the screen and hitting masses of enemies in one attack. Another egregious example involves those where you have to defeat an officer with your health in the red. Given the behaviour of the enemy AI, it's either a very slow prospect on lower difficulties or a very risky prospect on higher difficulties.

Murasame Castle is Samurai Warriors' remake of the aforementioned Nintendo game, hence this mode was made in collaboration with Nintendo and is exclusive to the Wii games. I didn't play this because I didn't want to set up another emulator, so it's all up to impressions here.

This mode acts similar to the Survival Mode of older games, while the level selection map is reminiscent of SW2's Sugoroku. The story has you travelling to four castles and defeating their lords to obtain their jewels before fighting the final boss in Murasame Castle. It can get really challenging when you get up to it, so it helps to have powerful characters and weapons.

Each stage of Murasame Castle has three tanukis that when purified (by destroying them) allow you to obtain rewards, including the Matsukaze Harness. After clearing this mode once in Normal Mode, you can play it again in Nightmare Mode. Purifying tanukis in Nightmare Mode will allow you to unlock the four lords' models to use for CAWs along with the Bear Harness.

Takamaru is featured exclusively in this mode as the main character of the original game, using the generic/sword moveset with slight modifications. He can be unlocked for use in Free Mode by purifying 33 tanukis. There are also three bonus Takamaru-exclusive stages that will allow you to obtain rare items when cleared. Although Takamaru is voiced, most of Murasame Castle is unvoiced save for the voice lines already used in the rest of the game.

Historical Mode is a mini-Story Mode exclusive to CAWs that has you playing a series of battles in different stages of the Sengoku period's history. There are three chapters consisting of five stages each. After clearing a stage, details in the timeline will unlock themselves depending on the score you achieved in battle. This mode was sold as DLC in Japan for 300 yen per chapter, but is included for free in Western releases and 3Z.

The Dojo is where everything else is now. Throughout the game, you will earn rice currency (in tonnes) which can be used to unlock bonuses for each character, including usability, colour editors, max stats, galleries (in XL and Z) and the use of that characters' weapons for edit characters. Most of those bonuses are unlockable when you clear their Story Modes.

I mentioned colour edits for characters and yes, it is just as it says on the tin. Parts of characters' models/costumes can be colour swapped, making for an interesting experience when you take them into battle.

Up to 20 edit characters can be created, and while the parts do resemble those seen on generic officers, the characters you make don't have to be the same as them, unlike SW2 (especially for female characters). The base model you select at the start is really a preset as you can mix and match models of your choice by going through the menus (in fact I'm pretty sure that's how generic officers also work in the modern era). The customisation options are still limited, but it's better than it was in previous games. Unfortunately, you are unable to set the Musou kanji for your character as it is determined by the weapon you give them.

For the most part, the battle mechanics remain the same as used in SW2XL, though some changes have been made as always; Special Skill-type characters retain the use of two Special Skills, but when holding down -/R/R1, the stance is removed as you perform a default skill automatically, though you can press Square to boost it or Triangle to use the second skill.

The Spirit Gauge is a new addition to this game. Performing attacks will fill up to five units of the gauge. With this, you can cancel out an attack with a Spirit Charge, which consumes one unit of the Spirit Gauge to charge forward and break enemy guards.

The three-level Musou Gauge from the last game is replaced with three separate gauges. Using a Musou Attack uses one of those gauges for a set duration, except if you use the Mystic Crystal, which fills your Musou Gauge and lets you use a Musou Attack for at least 15 seconds before a gauge is emptied. With a Spirit Gauge fully filled, your Musou Attack will become an Ultimate Musou Attack, adding a finisher at the end when the gauge runs out. The Ultimate Musou Attack uses the kanji for the True Musou Attack.

All characters now have the ability to summon their horse, a feature carried over from Warriors Orochi, and can also sidestep in four directions by pressing C/B/Cross while blocking and strafing.

Weapons are now categorised into Normal, Power and Speed types similar to DW6, but the implementation is akin to the weight system used in DW5. Weapons can also have one of five elements like in SW2. Rare weapons are also available as stated and they also fit into one of the three categories, with the increased weapon power essentially moving it up a category.

Aside from your weapon and horse, there are three new types of equipment you can equip, including armours, gauntlets and boots. Armours augment your defence, gauntlets augment your horsemanship and weaponry, and boots augment your speed. Of the 25 abilities available to weapons and 15 abilities available to other items, you can have a maximum of six which are randomly determined when you obtain them. A maximum of eight of each item can be kept, the weapons being separate for each character and the other items being shared among all characters. All horses have fixed stats and are retained as you obtain more of them.

Weapons and equipments can be upgraded at the Blacksmith, which serves as the replacement to the Shop. Abilities can be upgraded to level 3, but each piece of equipment has a limited number of times you can upgrade them (up to a maximum of 9). Rare items cannot be upgraded. Instead of gold, you obtain gems and crystals which are used to upgrade equipment. Typically, upgrading an ability to level 2 requires 5 gems (8 gems and 2 crystals for rare abilities), while upgrading to level 3 requires 12 gems and 3 crystals (19 gems and 7 crystals for rare abilities). The combinations will vary depending on the equipment and ability to be upgraded, but typically weapons mainly use red gems, armours use green gems, gauntlets use yellow gems, and boots use blue gems.

With the focus on gems used, it can be easy to run out of a particular type of gem, and with the limited number of times you can upgrade a piece of equipment, you have to put careful consideration into what you want to upgrade. Personally, with the varying combinations of gems and crystals required to upgrade abilities, I'd scrap the upgrade limit and put limits on what levels that abilities can be upgraded to.

Battle Items have been introduced in a mainline Samurai Warriors game after being used in Katana. At the start of each battle, you are required to select one of three item sets that you will use in the battle. "For the cautious warrior" always consists of 3 Dangos and 3 Rice Bowls and is designed for those who want to play it safe. "For the confident warrior" is designed for those who want to balance playing it safe with achieving Tactical Bonuses, and "For the ambitious warrior" is designed for those who are confident in achieving Tactical Bonuses. The items in the latter two categories are different between each battle and two-player mode adds two unique and exclusive items designed for two-player gameplay.

With the game being on the lower-spec Wii (compared to the PS3 or Xbox 360), the gameplay is notoriously affected by it. There are some games on the Wii that can run at the standard 60fps and there are those that run at 30fps. This game is one of the latter and as such, slowdowns and sluggishness are noted to occur, particularly if you're using a Power weapon that has a slower attack speed. The game being on a dual-layer DVD as well doesn't seem to help, particularly if there is dust on the reader lens, though I presume the situation wasn't as bad as it was on the PS2.

Also, given that this game requires at least a Wii Remote and Nunchuk to play, if not the GameCube Controller, the controls can feel a bit clunky compared to if you were playing on a PS3 or Xbox 360. The Classic Controller (Pro) can also be used, but because you have to connect it to a Wii Remote in order to use it, it's only slightly less clunky (imo, I never played this on an actual Wii) than if you used the GameCube Controller.

No morale bar is seen in battles and the strength of allied and enemy officers is determined by how much attack and defence power they have, which can be seen in whatever they call the Unit Info menu in this game. I'm not sure if there is a correlation, but a notorious quirk is that there are allied officers who are weak enough to be easily wounded or defeated, as if them struggling against enemies at 90% health is bad enough. Either that or they're suddenly strong enough to steal your kills when you're trying to obtain Tactical Bonuses. You can use your items to heal your allies if you're near them, but that only buys them some time. Apparently, allies are less likely to retreat on higher difficulties, but enemies are strengthened as well so you are more likely to be defeated.

Enemy AI is more aggressive even on Novice/Easy difficulty, so officers tend to guard a lot, attacks from soldiers can break your combos, and there are times when your character will get juggled into the air repeatedly, particularly when you are surrounded by enemy officers. These issues can somewhat be mitigated when your character is levelled up enough and you have a decently strong weapon, but these reasons, when compounded, are part of the reason why this game can feel frustrating to players, particularly when initially playing characters and developing their levels and weapons.

Announcements have also been added to this game, alerting you when gates are opened or closed, when units begin advancing, when an objective officer requires assistance, or when victory or defeat conditions change. Given how the Wii was made to appeal to casual gamers, I can see how this would have benefitted them.

GACKT was also involved in this game as he sung the theme songs 雪月花 -The end of silence- and 斬～ZAN～. GACKT was also a surprise guest at the announcement press conference, having been invited by Koinuma in an effort to have a big name stir up promotion for this game. This was also in the year when he was releasing theme songs for the then-running Kamen Rider Decade. GACKT had then recently played Kenshin Uesugi in the 2007 NHK Taiga Drama Fūrin Kazan (風林火山) and had also released the song RETURNER～���の終焉～as a sort-of tie-in, with the music video showing him wearing the same armor he wore as Kenshin in the drama. You should also check out his performance of the song in the 2007 Kōhaku Uta Gassen as well because it's fucking awesome.

Anyway, 雪月花 can be heard in the credits of Murasame Castle in the Japanese release; it is not used in Western releases and in Z, it is available in the Sound Test section of the Settings menu after clearing a Story Mode. 斬 can be used as background music during battles; after clearing Kenshin's Story Mode, start a new battle and hold down the Z/X/Triangle buttons as you select Start Battle. I'm not sure if this is also available on Western releases though.

As I previously stated, most of the English voice cast for the SW characters in Warriors Orochi reprise their roles for this game, with some characters being recast for one reason or another. Unfortunately, for another reason and even more, this would be the last Samurai Warriors game to be dubbed. That rant will come in time.

Samurai Warriors 3 Xtreme Legends (Sengoku Musou 3 Moushouden)

Samurai Warriors 3 Xtreme Legends (戦国無双3 猛将伝) Platforms: Nintendo Wii Release dates: Japan: 10 February 2011

If you wanted any proof that Xtreme Legends expansions and Mixjoy functionality can be possible on non-Sony consoles, this is it.

So unsurprisingly, Samurai Warriors 3 gets an Xtreme Legends expansion. Gracia returns to the series and gets a Musou Mode along with the 9 others who did not get one in the vanilla game, including Aya and Masanori, who also get unique weapons as well. Murasame Castle is available for use without Mixjoy, plus online play is available for all stages except the three Takamaru-exclusive stages. Novice and Nightmare/Hell difficulty are also available along with secondary rare weapons, which are the same type as the primary rare weapons, can boost your stats for 10 seconds every 100 KOs and are only obtainable on the Nightmare/Hell difficulty.

Original Career Mode is a new mode introduced in this expansion, similar to the Xtreme Modes of DW4XL and DW5XL and the Mercenary Mode of SW2XL. This is a sandboxed mode where you develop your character from scratch and guide them on a path focusing on might, intellect, wealth or unification (available after clearing the mode once).

Your character starts with 10,000 gold plus 10% of their total EXP. You are then given a goal to achieve within a certain amount of days by playing battles. Battles are 15 minutes long but can be extended to 20 with an item from the shop. You can play as many battles as you want in one day before returning to save your game or restock your items, which ends the day. Different objectives and Tactical Bonuses are available in each battle.

The EXP you gain from each battle is converted to gold with a different conversion rate for each one, which gets higher as time goes on. Recovery items are a rare occurrence in this mode (even with an item that apparently gives a higher chance of them appearing), so you need to be mindful of what you use and when. Having the Roaring Beast (破竹) skill on your gauntlets also helps as well as you can recover a portion of your health every 100 KOs.

After the due date for the goal has elapsed, you will participate in a 25-minute randomised main battle throughout history, beginning with Okehazama. Following this, you get a new goal and you rinse and repeat until you get to Sekigahara, then you can do it one more time to finish with the Ōsaka Campaign.

Before going into battle for the day, you can use the blacksmith to upgrade your weapons and equipment, and you can also use the shop to purchase items and hire other officers to accompany you in battle. Different items are available each day and you can't sell items to buy other ones, so be sure to choose carefully. Aside from consumable items, you can also buy support items. Some support items give you missions to rescue or protect someone, some items give you a merchant to visit who will give you double the price you paid for the item, and some items boost or nerf your stats. Levelling up is also done through the shop as well, so you also need to be mindful of this as battles will get harder as the mode goes on.

Up to a maximum of 3 officers can accompany you in battle and you can have 2 more in reserve. As they play battles, their level will go up to the maximum of 5. Officers can be captured as well during battle. When you have an officer during battle, they can rally your party and boost a stat for 30 seconds, give unlimited Musou for 10 seconds or fill your Spirit Gauge.

After the second main battle, you will have an officer who will become your friend and an officer who will become your rival. Fighting your rival will become important in the unification scenario as it is one of the final goals.

While you can achieve the targets of each goal for a normal completion, you can also achieve a second goal that is 60% more than the original goal to achieve mastery of that goal. This mode is also where you earn the rare items obtained in Murasame Castle and is hence an alternate method for the Wii version; completing the might, intellect or wealth scenarios gives you the rare item from the Normal difficulty, completing all goals in the scenarios gives you the rare item from the Nightmare difficulty, and mastering all goals gives you the third rare item exclusive to the expansion (but not with the Nightmare item at the same time so you will need to replay it). The equivalents for the unification scenario are the Matsukaze Harness, the Bear Harness, and a random unique rare item (that is if you're schizo enough to find and defeat your rival 13 times for the final goal, which you may get beyond the 19 victories you need).

When you decide to end the scenario, you will need to choose the weapons and items you want to keep for use in the rest of the game, but your character's stats aren't affected.

Original Career Mode is a pretty challenging mode that ends up highlighting the weaknesses of the game, even when playing on the PS3. It's a good mode to farm weapons, items and gems and that's about it. You can't save in the middle of a day, but RPCS3's save states, as broken as they initially were, did help. One type of mission I encountered was to prevent enemy officers from entering a particular base (usually the one you start from), which was basically impossible when you have normal enemies and third-party enemies coming towards all entrances.

Challenge Mode also makes a return after being cut from 2, with three challenges available to play. Melee (剣豪) and Burst (踏破) are similar to those from SW1 with the battles being set at Honnōji and Odawara Castle, while Splash (飛沫) has you send enemies flying into the water from the ships of Kizugawa.

Edit characters cannot be used in the aforementioned modes. Challenge Mode I can understand in case you change the name or delete the character and they're on the leaderboard, but why not Original Career Mode? Honestly, edit characters would be perfect for that mode, especially those with the sword, spear and naginata. Hell, other edit characters appearing in that mode would make it more fun. They could just make it so you can't modify any edit characters when you have an active playthrough.

An additional function is added at the Blacksmith that allows you to change the abilities on your weapons and equipment. To do this requires a new type of item known as minerals (which in the Japanese wiki are just extra large gems) that are only available in Original Career Mode (sometimes they can be available on Nightmare/Hell difficulty in Story/Free Modes). Changing abilities costs 2 minerals each (with an extra black/Obsidian for rare abilities and one of each colour for Resurrection on armours) and a count on your upgrade limit. Second rare weapons have 5 upgrades and third rare items have 3.

Before starting battles, you can swap items among the three item sets. In battle, you can see where your horse is on the battlefield which was a feature apparently removed from the vanilla game. I'd rage about that but you can summon your horse anyway so it's a moot point.

Daisuke Gōri, who narrated the vanilla game and SW2 on top of voicing Shingen Takeda, died by suicide in January 2010, 6 weeks after the vanilla game was released. For the new dialogue in the expansion and in future games, the role of Shingen was given to Ryūzaburō Ōtomo (who voiced Kiyomori Taira in WO2) while the role of narrator was given to Unshō Ishizuka (who also voiced Ujiyasu Hōjō).

So yeah, because this is another Wii release, there's not really any improvement with the ally or enemy AI. Which then brings us to...

Samurai Warriors 3Z/Special (Sengoku Musou 3Z/Special)

Samurai Warriors 3Z/Special (戦国無双3Z/Special) Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable Release dates: Japan: 10 February 2011 (PS3), 16 February 2012 (PSP)

Apparently, Koei anticipated for the vanilla game to sell 700,000 units (at least in Japan), despite Katana only receiving just under 35,000 copies. In its first week, the game only sold 112,000 units before eventually achieving 313,000 units. As such, Koei decided to backtrack on their Wii exclusivity and decided to release the full game on the PS3 alongside Xtreme Legends for the Wii before releasing a PSP port a year later. 3Z sold 220,000 units in its first week, topping the rankings for that week while 3XL received 25,000 units during the same period.

3Z is a Complete Edition release combining the vanilla game with the content from the Xtreme Legends expansion. However, Murasame Castle was excluded from these ports because its original game was a Nintendo IP, which was understandable. Like with Western releases of the vanilla game, Historical Mode is available on the disc without need for DLC.

While the game does support 60fps, no optimisation appears to have been made to the game, so while you are stuck with the same issues as the Wii games, it's probably not as bad? No, it's still baddish.

The PSP port has had more changes made to support the reduced specs of the portable console. Notably, for the True and Ultimate Musou Attacks, the cut-in face closeup is a still illustration that slides in and the mouth doesn't move for the dialogue in the finisher. Old costumes for characters are available via paid DLC, the first time that this has happened in the Warriors franchise.

Rant: The Nintendo Collaboration (and how it killed English dub in Koei Warriors games)

A decade ago, I said that Koei Tecmo should have localised SW3Z (if not Xtreme Legends) instead of Chronicles. However, after thinking about this recently, I realised that this could be the reason why the opposite ended up being the case.

As stated earlier in the post, Nintendo had some involvement in the production of this game as they collaborated with Koei Tecmo to bring a reimagination of The Mysterious Murasame Castle to it. For some reason though, the Western localisations of SW3 weren't released in the usual 3-4 month window following the original release in Japan. It was released 6 months after in Europe and nearly 10 months after in the US.

Unlike other games in the Warriors series up to now, Nintendo handled the publishing of Samurai Warriors 3 in the West. Now, I need to make this clear for everyone; Treehouse, Nintendo of America's product development and localisation division, had no involvement in the localisation of this game; the localisation was handled by Voicegroup Inc, which had been localising the Dynasty Warriors games since DW4 and the Warriors Orochi games from the start (along with Samurai Warriors 1). And again, Koei Tecmo's decision to make this game a Wii exclusive in Japan stemmed from them hoping to reach a wider audience given the higher sales compared to the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Nintendo's press release stated that the game would be released exclusively on the Wii. Now, while there are console exclusives that are only for a limited time, there are console exclusives that are permanent, and I suspect that this is one of the latter. On top of that, I think that Nintendo may have added a clause stating that Koei Tecmo could only localise games in the SW3 generation that were released on Nintendo consoles.

Why do I speculate this? Because while the 3DS spinoff Samurai Warriors Chronicles was localised to the West, SW3Z and Empires did not see a Western release for the PS3 (nor did 3Z Special for the PSP, but 3XL and Chronicle 2 didn't see a localisation as well). If the Jews at Nintendo's legal department can file DMCAs and lawsuits over games and consoles that have gone out of print/production for years, I don't see any reason why they wouldn't pull a fast one on Koei Tecmo for this game. Also, it's legitimately ironic how the Koei Warriors forum announced this as an April Fools prank back in 2011 before it ended up being true. It ends up being unfunny in hindsight.

Look, given how vanilla 3 did in sales compared to vanilla 1 and 2, I think it's fair to say that Koei botched things by insisting on a Wii release given the capabilities of the console, their other games being released in HD by the time of its release, and most of their fanbase playing on more powerful consoles. This is presumably how Chronicles, being a 3DS launch title, ended up doing worser in Japan than Dynasty Warriors Strikeforce and the PSP ports of WO1 and WO2, yet still better than State of War, Katana, SW3 Empires or their Vita launch title, Dynasty Warriors Next.

Koei Tecmo's exclusivity deal with Nintendo for Western distribution did very little to help things, and on top of this, SW3 vanilla would be the last Samurai Warriors game to be dubbed and also the last time that Samurai Warriors characters would be dubbed in the games. Aside from 3Z and Empires not being released to the West, Chronicles would be the first Warriors game to not be dubbed.

And so, this was my hypothesis on how Koei Tecmo's collaboration with Nintendo killed English dubs in future Warriors games and sowed the seeds for the New Normal Copium, feeding the downwards spiral that was the dismal degradation of the modern era. Koei Tecmo could have made up for this (to a point) by releasing the HD Edition release of SW2XL and Empires to the West, which would be an easy cash grab for them if it weren't for that meddling SCEA who hates remasters of games already released on competitor consoles and compilation games.

Like how Dynasty Warriors 6 was a revamp of its series that paved the way for the modern era of Koei Warriors, Samurai Warriors 3 served the same purpose for its series. Unfortunately, Koei Tecmo's weird and shortsighted decisions with this game hampered not only the gameplay, but the sales figures as well. In the end, despite making very little fundamental improvements to the gameplay, 3Z's release did salvage the failing sales of the vanilla game, but not by much.

SW3 is a bit of a mixed bag for me; it's not as bad as some people made DW6 to be, but it still missed the mark on being the DW7 of Samurai Warriors. The AI was ported over to SW2's HD Edition release on PS3 three years after this game's initial release and as complicated as it was to deal with, I thought it was better implemented there than it was in this game.

The damage control continues with the spinoffs for SW3, Chronicles and Empires.

"Yes, hello, could you please pass a message on to Alec and Shanna? Tell them that they found PM10 and that they're ready to open the Aurora Curtains. I'm recalling them urgently. Yes, thank you. Bye."

Well then, time to answer my friend's call for help...

[gastlyarts]

OK, actually before I sleep here's what everyone's doing in the modern AU

Mitsunari/Masanori/Kiyomasa: On a Pokemon adventure together.

Hero/Heroine:

Oichi: Probably running the Pokemon Daycare.

Hideyoshi: Trying to start up a Pokemon League in Ransei, with him as champion (of course). Probably is the leader of an evil team, let's be honest.

Motonari: I was tempted to make him a teacher but he's probably an easygoing librarian. Makes a lot of jokes about quitting his job but he likes it too much to actually follow through with it.

Motochika: Once a spirited sailor who sailed to many different regions, a bad injury put his plans on hold indefinitely. So he's probably pretty gloomy nowadays, using pokemon battles as a way to cope

Yoshihiro: A wrestler, haha. Probably good friends with Crasher Wake.

Ginchiyo: If the pokemon league ever became a thing in Ransei, she'd be a gym leader. I can still see her wearing the same armor in the modern au lol (also, it does kinda look like wikstrom's armor). Maybe her family runs an armory or something, haha. Otherwise, I feel like she'd be the person running power for all of Ransei

Yoshimoto: Runs a very popular theatre troop in Ransei. They travel all over the world :)

i need to make, like, a modern AU of pokemon conquest haaha

[leasboyfriend]

HI let's do the beach, seashell, and palm tree!!

hi! @kittyandco

im legally obligated to gush about my senbasa f/os at every opportunity

The beach - When was the last adventure/vacation/mission you went on with your f/o?

My darling husband decided to duel the oracle by challenging her to a ship race around the coast of japan. Oichi and I got dragged in. It was fun tho! Something good and enjoyable to lighten everyone's spirits after the war. (i have a sneaking suspicion that he let her win, but he wont confirm it)

Seashells - What hobbies do you and your f/o partake in together?

does sailing and general adventuring count? Motochika discovered very early on that he'd much rather spend his life adventuring across the seas instead of his actual duties as lord of shikoku (he could never abandon those duties completely tho. he's fiercely loyal to those under his protection). i didnt learn that i shared that love of being on the sea until after i joined his crew. Oichi doesn't rly share that love of adventure, but she appreciates being included and tags along most of the time. (she finds plenty of inspiration for her poetry when she's with us)

Palm tree - What was the last gift you and your f/o exchanged, and what was the occasion?

Oichi gifted me some of the first flowers from the garden she started! They were gorgeous! I'm so proud of her 🥺

[yugenronin]

Hasumi has slipped out of the main castle to go fetch something she had custom ordered.. only to be accompanied by Tsuruhime, and so, cloaked, with a fussing cousin of Motochika, she retrieves her gift and soon comes back, entering after Tadayori takes to fussing over his wife and Hasumi is able to slip to Motochika's office, and upon reaching him, holds up her gift which is a box of sweets and a smile for him. Tadasumi, taking a hint, leaves and Hasumi approaches, moving to seat herself beside him and offer it to him. "It's Valentines Day, and I managed to get that once a year sweet." She purrs. "... But also this year I was hoping maybe... we could go out walking the beaches tonight? They say the stats are going to be beautiful tonight." And here comes the nuzzling of his cheek to try and get her way.

Taking the box from Hasumi in surprise, placing his lips against hers as a silent thank you, Motochika picked up his jacket.

""Let's go then," he said, lacing his hand with hers. "We can eat these together, watchin' as the sun sets and the stars start shinin' up there in the sky. How's that sound? Just us, some blankets, and the whole night to ourselves."

Nobody was going to be bothering him when he was with her, not this time. After all, Tosa was peaceful... quiet and calm. So even if just for one night, he was doing to embrace this tradition with Hasumi and give her all of him, all of his love. Be there with her, however she needed him to be.

"I don't really know much about this Valentine thing outside of what ya told me, but there's a day where I get ya somethin' special like you did for me today, right? Just you wait for it."

[theautisticquillholder]

Murderous Love Chapter IV

(WARNING: This fanfiction has themes of Suicidal Ideation, Suicide itself, Self harm, Sexual Assualt, Murder, Extreme Bullying and Humiliation and a lot of Mental Illness related content and is NOT appropriate for children and the faint of heart. If you are under 18 or may be triggered by the content of this fanfiction please do not read this.)

Motochika’s POV

Myself and Mitsuhide were relaxing in our mini studio apartment that his parents made for us so that we can live independently while we are minors.

Tomorrow our fight to get Da Ji charged and convicted of sexual assault and distribution of Child Pornography and Loki and Ares charged and convicted as accomplices to Da Ji begins.

I knew Odin and Zeus would not take us putting those three in jail laying down. Mitsuhide was scared, he knew his life would become worse if those three are acquitted of those charges. Thankfully Dousan, Noh’s father is the best lawyer we have and has given us a no win no fee guarantee because he knew that due to Zeus and Odin being rich bastards, we may not get the outcome we want.

I hugged Mitsuhide tightly while singing to him, hoping that my singing would soothe him. I then noticed that Mitsuhide was not calming down at all, he then looked at me saying

“Hide the blades, medication and long cords. Now.”

When I heard that I let go of Mitsuhide and went to do so. I’m so glad Mitsutsuna taught me what to do when Mitsuhide ends up having a manic episode or a depressive episode. I then looked at Mitsuhide asking “Anything else?”

Mitsuhide nodded “My wallet.”

I nodded and hid his wallet as well. I then walked to my beloved and hugged him “I love you, I won’t leave you, you’re a god amongst men, you’re the strongest guy I know, you’re an absolute badass, you’ve survived so much and you’re still here, I’m so proud of you”

Mitsuhide rested his head on my chest smiling. I wasn’t told to tell Mitsuhide nice things about him, I just added that to combat the intrusive thoughts that might come up as he deals with this episode, such as feeling unworthy of anything great in life. He looked at me smiling

“I’m so sorry for having that episode.” He spoke,

I looked at him weirdly before saying “Don’t be sorry for something that is not in your control.”

Mitsuhide looked down “No one wants to hire me so I can’t get a job and I don’t want to rely on my parents to get my medication…”

I soon became worried. I looked at him before letting go of him “I just need to ask your father when dinner is ready”

I then walked out of our studio apartment and towards Mitsutsuna saying “Hey sooooooo I found out why Mitsuhide is having these episodes. He doesn’t want to rely on you to get his medication, even though he knows that you and your wife are more than happy to help him…”

Mitsutsuna froze “Wh-What? O-Oh my god!”

He then picked up his phone and called Ritsuko (Mitsuhide’s mother).

Mitsutsuna then said “So, Mitsuhide has not been taking his medication for his bipolar and his depression…

He doesn’t want to rely on us to get it for him…

I know we had that conversation with him that we’re his parents and if we can’t get him the medication he needs then we don’t deserve the honour of parenthood…

Please just get the medication for him, I’ll have a chat…

Motochika managed to get him to talk about whether or not he’s getting his medication…

Okay, I’ll do that for you”

He then hung up the phone and looked at me saying “Thank you so much for telling us this.”

I nodded “It’s okay, if we can at least get him on his medication for the duration of the Trial we can manage his condition as the trial goes on.”

I then walked back to our mini apartment, Mitsuhide looked at me saying “You told them didn’t you…”

“I’m sorry honey, I had to, they want to help you, please let them help you.” I replied.

I hugged him tightly before Ritsuko arrived and handed me the medication. “Thank you Motochika, I think you’re the man that my son needed.”

I nodded and accepted the paper bag.

THE NEXT DAY

It was the day the trials of Da Ji, Loki and Ares began.

I stood by Mitsuhide’s side as we made our way into the court room. Da Ji glared at us as the evidence was presented.

Soon it was Dousan’s turn to present evidence. He walked to the whiteboard and projector and turned it on soon revealing the Instagram post made by Da Ji that had the photo of Mitsuhide naked lying on the dingy bathroom floor.

Loki, Ares and Da Ji were held back as Dousan revealed the evidence and explained the statements given by myself, Mitsuhide and the school staff who found us in the bathroom.

The trial lasted for about five days and Judge Orochi sent the Jury out to discuss what the verdict is going to be, as we waited for the verdict Loki looked at Mitsuhide saying

“Now you’ve fucking done it, how much attention do you fucking want you whore!”

I blocked Mitsuhide’s ears when Loki opened his mouth to talk.

We then saw the Jury enter the courtroom again and the jury Forewoman Tamamo was asked if Loki was guilty or not guilty.

Tamamo replied “Loki and Ares had the majority vote of not guilty of all charges. While I have voted guilty I believe there has been some form of bribery going on that I do not know about. As a result for the sake of the members of the jury who are sympathetic towards the victim the least the courts should do is grant him the restraining order.”

“OBJECTION BITCH!” was heard, I looked in the direction the voice came from to find that it was Loki, he then looked at the judge saying

“Your Honour, I do not believe that Akechi Mitsuhide should be applying for a restraining order against myself and Ares, the three of us are all minors and there is no need for a kid to be applying for a restraining order against other kids, I believe he is doing this for attention, he imagined everything, that Instagram post is fake and we will take legal action if you allow the restraining order to go through!”

Orochi slammed the podium saying “ORDER IN THE COURT! Mr Loki Asgardian you have spoken enough, do not argue with our jury members again. Tamamo, my apologies for the interruption. Do you find Da Ji guilty or not guilty of the Sexual Assault charges and Child Pornography Charges?”

Tamamo replied “We have found Da Ji guilty of Sexual Assault and Production and distribution of child pornography, however, the majority recommends mercy.”

I saw Tamamo roll her eyes, I could tell that she has tried to get us the justice we deserve.

Orochi looked at everyone saying “Loki Asgardian and Ares Olympus are acquitted of all charges and I sentence Da Ji to four months in juvenile detention” he then grabbed the hammer and hit the hammer puck to make the sentence final.

Mitsuhide soon started crying but these tears are not happy ones, they’re tears of sadness and anger.

I called out to Orochi saying “THAT IS NOT FAIR! HOW DO YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT KNOWING YOU LET THEM OFF SO LIGHTLY!? THEY DESTROYED MITSUHIDE’S LIFE! AND AN ACQUITTAL FOR THE ACCOMPLICES AND A FOUR MONTH SENTENCE IS ALL YOU GIVE THEM!?  MITSUHIDE WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO LIVE THE CLOSEST POSSIBLE THING TO A NORMAL LIFE WHILE THESE CRIMINALS ARE RUNNING FREE!”

Orochi looked at me with a sullen look saying “I’m sorry, this is the best I can do…”

“FINE IF YOU’RE NOT GOING TO GIVE US THE JUSTICE WE DESERVE THEN I’LL GET IT MYSELF! AND THAT IS NOT A THREAT IT IS A PROMISE!” I shouted as I picked Mitsuhide up and walked out.

Four months for raping Mitsuhide then taking a photograph of him in the nude without his consent and posting it on the internet is unbelievable! What do we get!? Stuck with the trauma and having those assholes smiling like fucking crazy because they got away with it.

“Mr Chosokabe?” I heard that which brought me back to reality, I turned around still carrying Mitsuhide bridal style.

The person calling out to me was Tamamo. She walked to me and handed me a folder “Here. I have made it a rule that any communication between the prosecution or defence and the jury must be screenshot and sent to me. If you do anything rash that could get you in bigger trouble with the law these might help you justify it. These are all of the messages from the defence bribing the majority of the jury to give a not guilty verdict or if it has to be a guilty verdict to prevent suspicion recommendation of mercy.”

Mitsuhide took the folder while I had tears in my eyes said “Thank you so much, you’re so sweet”

Tamamo giggled saying “Don’t thank me, thank Kaguya, another juror for bringing this up. She was suspicious of the defence for a while and was a bit annoyed that she wasn’t the jury forewoman, I told her that if she needed to talk to me about what was happening in the court I am happy to listen. This was what she presented. Good luck taking matters in your own hands, I will be supporting you from afar.”

I nodded as we walked to the car. I placed Mitsuhide in the middle back seat, he put his seatbelt on as I sat next to him.

Hades was driving us as he was given a note by Mitsuhide’s parents stating that they are unable to bring us to the courthouse. When Hades got in the car he then screamed loudly “FUCK YOU ZEUS YOU PIECE OF SHIT! I FUCKING HATE YOUR GUTS! YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE WHY THE FUCK MUST THE WORLD LET YOU BE SO PRIVELEGED THAT YOU COULD JUST FUCK UP A FUCKING TRIAL LIKE THAT YOU FUCKING PERVERTED PLAYBOY ASSHOLE I HOPE YOU FUCKING ROT IN HELL!”

I blocked Mitsuhide’s ears as Hades screamed. When he was finished Hades looked at us with tears in his eyes saying “I’m calling your parents and asking if I can take you two somewhere for icecream and shopping to cheer you up.”

He then did so, explaining the situation, thankfully both my and Mitsuhide’s parents approved of this before we could leave a guy with silver hair and aqua streaks in his hair got in the car and looked at Hades and kissed his forehead saying

“Hey Hades, baby, what’s wrong?”

Hades looked at the guy saying “My younger brother is a privileged asshole Yang Jian… he made my mental health client lose his court case…”

Yang Jian kissed Hades’ forehead again saying “I’m guessing a repeat of us when we were sixteen? Everyone pulled the ‘they didn’t know better they’re only little’ garbage?”

Hades nodded he then said “I have asked my client and his boyfriend’s parents if I could take them out for ice cream and shopping to cheer them up. If you want you can go somewhere else while I do this”

Yang Jian looked at Hades saying “which client is it?”

“Akechi Mitsuhide” Hades replied.

Yang Jian replied “You referred Mitsuhide to the place I work for and they chose me to be his mental health support worker. This is the perfect opportunity to get to know him, even if I spend the entire time with him in silence, building rapport does not require talking at the first instance.”

Hades nodded before turning on the ignition and driving to the next town over. I’m willing to assume to keep us away from Ares and Loki so we can have some time to breathe and be happy before we get thrown through the gauntlet of bullying for trying to throw people in jail.

When we got to the mall Yang Jian looked at us asking Mitsuhide “Hey, is it okay if we just spend time together just you and me? Hades will look after Motochika for you.”

I looked at Mitsuhide who replied “O-Okay b-but if we see those two no ifs, whats or buts, I’m finding Motochika and staying with him.”

Yang Jian nodded “I understand, I want to make sure you’re comfortable and safe.” Mitsuhide put the folder in my satchel, grabbed his Lapras plush doll and his handbag and went with Yang Jian while I stayed with Hades.

I looked at Hades asking “’A repeat of us when we were sixteen’? Are you saying that this has happened before!?”

Hades nodded sadly “Yes. Not to this scale, but my parents never approved of Yang Jian, they acted like Yang Jian was a bad influence on me. I wanted to pursue a career in mental health, so did he.

My parents wanted an accountant. But because of the fact that my parents hated Yang Jian, Zeus gets to be a dick to me and not get in trouble for it.

Which sucked… and it also sucks knowing that he gets to get away with letting his son and his friends do what they want with light consequences…”

I nodded and we went to a musical instrument store because I wanted to get a new shamisen.

[stealinghero]

I hope this isn't too much but could I request headcanons for how Yukimura, Masamune, Kojuro, Sasuke, Mitsunari, Ieyasu, Motochika, and Keiji would confess their feelings for their crush? I'm sorry if it is too much!

What a CUTE ask!! >///////

Let me answer this right now!

~~~~~~~~~

Yukimura:

- his crush will know. He is always blushing when interacting with them, always trying to be around them with the poorest excuses why

- if he wants to confess he will be a stuttering and stammering blushing mess. His crush has a hard time to even understand what he is saying.

- but he will not allow to be confessed to!! If his crush tells him, he will interrupt them, grow up and tells them straight.

~~~~~~

Masamune:

- he straight out tells them without any hesitation and then turns around blushing so deep crimson that his retainers fear for his life because all his blood is now in his face

- if his crush needs a bit time to think about it, he will be a nervous wreck. He won’t admit it but he will start a fight with everyone talking to him

- he just never thought about any consequences and has trouble living with them. But in the end he would do it again exactly like this

~~~~~~~

Kojuro:

- he is an open book around his crush and tries not to be. He will end up being a lot stricter to his crush and might come off a bit hostile while trying his best not to blush.

- mostly on an order from Masamune who is fed up with Kojuro’s behaviour, he will tell his crush, close his eyes and just wait, thinking he is a fool to hope for someone to love him

- even if not admitted, he will protect his crush as good as he can, giving them a good idea about his feelings

~~~~~~~

Sasuke:

- a fleeting crush? he will tell them directly. A real crush? No fucking way!!

- he will find a thousand excuses to be around them, touch them here and there and he is happy with it, no need for admitting anything, right?

- if he has to admit it, he will most likely be honest, telling his crush that his work comes first but also that he can’t imagine life without them anymore with the faintest of blushes on his cheeks, well hidden underneath his war paint.

~~~~~~~

Mitsunari:

- he will send them little gifts as “token of appreciation” before even daring anything else, keeping interaction with them as low as he can.

- if their response is positive he might interact with them more and more

- he will just tell them in an non-chalant way, during dinner or something that he wants them by his side

~~~~~~~

Ieyasu:

- what do you mean with confess? Don’t they already know?

- he is always around them, talking with them, interacting with them without any excuse, if the situation is okay with it he might even touch them as much as he can

- he gives them gifts, food, shelter, whatever they may want and makes it obvious that they have his favor

~~~~~~~~

Motochika:

- he won’t. He can’t. HOW?! He might write them a heartfelt letter and leaves it with them when he’s going away for a war or maybe just out to drink with his crew or visiting the villages.

- he is afraid to lose his crush and will wait for a long time before confessing to them until he is sure that at least they won’t run away screaming

- he tries to behave normally around them, no blushes, no favors. But if they accidentially touch? he might blush a bit and stare at them completely flustered and at a loss for words. (Everyone knows he likes them by then)

~~~~~~~~

Keiji:

- he tells them directly without thinking twice

- he lost enough people to know he has to act now and it might be a bit surprising for his crush if this man confesses to them after seeing them just once

- if he has the time during wars, he showers them with affection and gifts and food (although he shouldn’t be allowed to cook) as much as he can to ensure their answer is positive before telling them

[thewizardmus]

Pokemon Conquest Secret Santa Submission

I got the list for @dieweissekatze and everything is under the cut. Happy Holidays, and I hope you enjoy!

HC’s 

Heroine(alone)

>Grew up on a farm near the border with Ignis with her parents

>Very much out of her element when it comes to being a Warlord, she just managed to protect the farm from several of Hideyoshi’s goons >very good at general management and finances, but in the diplomacy aspect of leading only really succeeds due to her natural charisma and friendships with the other Warlords >Down time is often reading bad novels and snuggling with Eevee

>Once tried eating a ponigiri, it didn’t go well, kinda like the Spongebob episode where Spongebob eats SnailPo

Motonari(Alone) > writes poetry in his down time, doesn't think its very good though

> cannot stay awake at night for the life of him, he’ll fall asleep at his desk if he tries to force himself > frequents the same tea shop often enough that diplomats are sent there before his castle

>childhood friends with Motochika, and they bicker often, sometimes dragging Hideyoshi into it.

Heroine/Motonari >grew closer after the events of the main story, as Motonari helped teach Heroine to run the country

>Heroine happened across one of Motonari’s poems and loved it, Motonari still hasn't figured out if that means it was good or bad.

> Both can’t stand the taste of coffee, its a tea only household

Hanbei/Kanbei(professional)

> Hanbei stays awake all night and runs a different sleep schedule

>Hideyoshi almost fired Hanbei because of his lazy attitude until Kanbei showed him how much Hanbei did while Hideyoshi slept

> they work on a sort of circle where 2 of them are always awake, Hideyoshi just wakes up at the end of Hanbei's day

> Kanbei is the only one who can cook on the trail, Hideyoshi is too impatient for a decent meal and Hanbei falls asleep too easily

>Hanbei handles all the finances and trade balancing for Of his, while Kanbei takes care of security and diplomacy

Hanbei/Kanbei (romantic) >when Hanbei sleeps, he cuddles next to the warmest body he can get his hands on, normally his Mareep or Pikachu, but he also clings onto Kanbei's coat

>Kanbei loves running his fingers through Hanbei's hair. 

>Kanbei also leaves little messages for Hanbei as he sleeps. 

>Hideyoshi didn't  figure out that the two are dating until Oichi asked how their relationship was going. 

Mini Fic:

Mistunari groaned as Kiyomasa's sleeping form kicked him in the ribs. He slumped upward and pushed himself up. As he looked back down on his sleeping traveling partners he saw that the two of them were both encroaching on his futon space. Mistunari silently accepted that he wasn't going to get back to sleep any time soon. Mistunari shuffled his way out of his shared room with the two fools. Once he opened the door he heard another set of footsteps to his side, when he glanced over he found Pawniard at his side. Mitsunari rubbed the side of Pawniard's head and lifted a single finger to his mouth. 

Mitsunari and Pawniard tiptoed away from the room toward the main building of the Aurora Warlord's castle. The traveler shivered in the cold winter air in the little time that he was outside. Both Pawniard and Mitsunari covered their eyes as the early sunrise peaked over the castle walls. 

Mitsunari entered the main building unsurprised that he wasn't the first person awake but the scene he beheld left many questions. 

The Aurora Warlord was giggling to herself as she wrapped one of the Ignis Warlords subordinates, Hanbei, in loose loops of ribbon. In Hanbei's lap was a small sign reading, "I'm your present". Even from his distance he could deduce that the sign was the Aurora Warlord's handwriting, Mitsunari had to read Hanbei's writing once and it was a sloppy mess that put Masanori's scribbles to shame. Mitsunari was about to leave and take his chances with the two buffoons, when he heard the Greenleaf Warlord speak.

"Now dear, what if, perchance Sir Hanbei wakes up before Hideyoshi and Sir Kanbei bring Lady Oichi here?"

"Pssh, c'mon 'Nari. Hanbei sleeps like a Snorlax, he's not gonna wake up anytime soon." The Aurora Warlord continued snickering to herself. 

"I must say I can't say you're wrong there. But I feel as though this is a major breach in Sir Hanbei and Kanbei's privacy." Sir Motonari countered. 

"I mean the two of them gotta start being more proactive eventually, Oichi told me Hideyoshi didn't even know they were dating. This is just a bit of a push, and funny. Can't forget it's funny." The Aurora Warlord once again devolved into a bunch of snickers.

"Dear, I cannot stress how much their love lives are not our business. I can accept watching from afar and idle gossip with Lady Oichi. After all it is entertaining but this is a step too far. Don't you agree, Mitsunari?" At this the Greenleaf Warlord turned to Mistunari, who was unsurprised that the experienced Warlord knew he was watching. Seeing the Aurora Warlord gawk at his appearance was a treat, however. 

"Please don't attempt to use me as leverage in your argument. I only came to see when breakfast will be ready. It's probably the only way to wake up those fools." 

At Mitsunari's mention of breakfast, the Aurora Warlord perked up. 

"Oh right, should probably get that started, after all even if Ignis is just a hop, skip and jump away the trek from Dragnor is pretty long and I'm sure Oichi and Kanbei will be pretty peckish." She pushed herself off the ground, scooped up her art supplies used on the sleeping Hanbei and skedaddled out of the room.

"Dear, only you would say that after a two week long journey someone would just be 'peckish'. Her sense of judgement, I swear. My apologies Mitsunari, i suppose food will be ready soon" Motonari grumbled under his breath, before following after his girlfriend. Mitsunari sighed to himself before Pawniard tugged at his clothes, then pointed toward Hanbei, who was still wrapped in ribbon, snoring peacefully. “Its too early to deal with, let someone else take care of him.”

[iryomito]

The day Motochika met Yukimura

Just a headcanon about Motochika meeting Yukimura for the first time and becoming his savior lol !!! these two are just adorbly lovely and dorky!!!

It all started when Motochika and Yukimura joined the western army

Motochika cheerfuly: hello everyone!! my name is Chosokabe Motochika!! it’s so nice to meet you!!!

He didn't receive one single reply but instead he felt the shivers down his spine when he saw the gloomy dark scene in front of him, everyone were quite in a very creepy way.

Oichi swinging from her shadowy hands smiling and mumbling some incoherent words 

Tenkai was playing with a dead rat body ,removing his arms and legs and chuckling in a scary way 

Mouri and Otani were drinking tea giving him a cold emotionless look

Kuroda Kenbei weeping in the corner for the keys

And of course their leader Mitsunari crying blood mourning his Lord mumbling Ieyasu's name and hitting his head on the wall repeatedly as if hypnotised or under a drug effect

Motochika was terrified and about to regret his decision ,he felt totally out of place and very uncomfortable with all these terrifying eyes surrounding him but it was too late ,he had to suffer in their presence until the war was over.

Days passed, Motochika was always alone, with Mitsunari sometimes threatening him if he thinks about joining Ieyasu again, he felt like crying ,It was tough even for a huge guy like him!!! until one day he heard the news about someone new joining the western army!!

He was praying deep down that this person is not like them because he is starting to get really depressed.....

Otani introducing him: everyone i'd like to introduce you to the new general who joined our army.

Sanada Yukimura who was smiling brightly with too much energy and enthusiasm: thank you for accepting me!!! I shall do my best to bring victory to our army!!!

No one answered him,lifting his eyebrows, he felt so awkward and confused at first and then totally uncomfortable by the dark Aura surrounding them, disspointed he thought that it’s best to just leave the room, until suddenly someone grabbed his hand from behind!

Motochika who rushed to Yukimura as if he was his savior: hello and welcome to our troops!!! I am Chosokabe Motochika and I am so happy to meet you!!!

Yukimura was surprised, he didn't reconize him but somehow he felt more comfortable after seeing him bowing down: Uoooh thank you Chosokabe dono!!!! and I am Sanada Gengiro Yukimura!

Motochika was surprised: Chosokabe...dono?

Yukimura confused : mhm ....did I pronounce it wrong somehow?

Motochika who patting his back and laughing: no no you didn’t!!! its just that this is the first time someone has been this polite and formal with me Yuki chan, you can call me Aniki!!

Yukimura didn’t know how to react with Motochika’s casualness and he felt like he needed Sasuke to tell him what to do but ended up staring at him with his eyes wide open....

Motochika was wondering why he was staring but then rolled his arm around Yukimura’s neck smiling: how about I treat you to something?

Yukimura concerned: but Chosokabe dono shouldn’t we discuss our next move first.....

Motochika pouting: como onnn Yuki don’t be this strict!! and I already told you to call me Aniki!! drop the formality and consider me as your friend!!!

Yukimura who felt touched by his last sentence: a friend?

Motochika grinning: of course!!!!

Yukimura who felt shy: actually, I have never had a friend besides Sasuke...

Motochika surprised and somehow felt sad for him : Really?? must have been pretty loneley for you....

Yukimura frowning: it is never lonely with Sasuke and Oyakata sama!!!

Motochika smiling: nice!! I bet they are cool bodies!!!

Yukimura with sparkling eye : yes they are!!!! Sasuke is my best friend and right hand ,Oyakata sama is my master and he is the most amazing general in the world!!!

Motochika who was impressed and touched by Yukimura’s enthusiasm: such deep admiration you hold for them!! what an amazing person you are!! I am so glad I met you!! it was getting pretty depressing out there with no one to talk to but I am so happy you are here Sanada chan!!

Yukimura who smiled brightly: and you are so kind Chosokabe dono!! I am touched by your warm deep words!!! thank you so much!! if you ever feel lonely you can always come to me and I’ll keep you company!!!

Motochika couldn’t resist Yukimura’s adorableness, he looked like a little puppy wagging its tale happily!!

He carried him of the ground suddenly hugging him tightly and rubbing his cheek with his own: You are such an angel Yuki chaaaaan!!!!

Yukimura was shocked and terribly embarssed he started shouting at him: W-WHAT??? put me down chosokabe dono what are you doing!!!

Motochika grinned widely: I am showing you my affection!!

Yukimura who resisted his grip but failed he closed his eyes blushing: Chosokabe dono could you please let go of me I am feeling uncomfortable!!!

Motochika smiling: not gonna do that until you call me Aniki and accept my invitation!

Yukimura whose face was terribly red couldn’t think about another solution he gave up and started mumbling looking terribly shy: alright i-i accept your ....invitation....A....Aniki...

Motochika laughing: that’s my boy!!! see? It’s not that hard!! now follow me we will have a lot of fun together Yuki chan!!

He then let go of him ,and started walking forward laughing like a lunatic!!

Yukimura was extremely confused at Motochika for he have never met someone like him in his life before!! although he smiled genuinly at his gestures appreciating his kindness and friendliness.

Yukimura rushing over Motochika: Chosokabe Aniki wait for me I am coming!

He ruffled his hair when he approached him which made both Yukimura pout complaining about treating him like a child and Motochika laughing so hard at his childish reactions that proves the contrary and couldn’t help but carry him on one of his shoulders like a sack of potato!!

Motochika smiling: aren’t you just adorable!!!

Yukimura extremely emarassed shouting: Nooooo I am not adorable!!!! put me dooowwn uooooh!!!!

Motochika couldn’t help but laugh so hard, having people around them thinking that he kidnapped poor Yukimura who all he did was covering his reddish face.

[ravenwolfie97]

lol so i replayed pokemon conquest after like forever and when i got to the last couple main game stages, i had flashbacks to my let’s play videos on my old youtube channel in fact i’m watching them again and i cringe i started the video with “’ELLO, CHAPS” like i’m some kind of british weeb also it’s very evident that i’m 14 because i sound young and like an idiot lol

OKAY so i can’t access my save file for the main story bc i saved in the beginning of a different one, but i can tell you what my team was so in my original fight i used my Flareon, Oichi’s Dragonair/Dragonite, Motochika’s Samurott/Spheal, Shingen’s Rhyperior, Muneshige’s Staraptor, and Takatora’s Charizard in the fight i just did i used my Vaporeon, Oichi’s Jigglypuff, Ginchiyo’s Luxray, Aya’s Cubchoo/Beartic, Rikyu’s Darmanitan, and someone’s Excadrill (I don’t remember whose it was lol) it took me like five times to finally beat that stage before, and i had to try to link with Arceus multiple times but today i did everything in one go granted, the fights were a little tight, but i was able to beat them much easier than before

and the thing is, it’s not like i trained any harder than before, in fact quite the opposite! i was at about the same gameplay time, if not technically less because i let the game run idle for a while sometimes, and i was slightly farther back in time than my previous playthrough. i don’t know how Oichi got her Dratini before - i tried to look for one for a while but never saw any, so i just went on ahead to try anyway i would have probably done even better if i had had a Dragonair/Dragonite in my party, but i didn’t and still won way faster than before

i somehow didn’t record and/or upload the actual final battle but i’m pretty sure i had to redo that a few times as well

just fascinating to me that after 8 years i’d have retained a little bit of knowledge from this game and even more from strategy in general

in all honesty i was kind of hoping i would have been able to get the band back together but i wasn’t able to hell, i didn’t even get the chance to recruit Motochika i didn’t get the chance to recruit a lot of the other Warlords for some reason but anyway yeah i did good at pkmn conquest :>

[koorinohebi]

@kiicho said:

‘  just let me go in peace for once in my damn life.  ’

Ask meme || Accepting

I can’t stand it! The situation that Mitsuhide found himself in was driving his sanity towards its breaking point.

Day after day, he could feel his usefulness waning. He didn’t know if it was just paranoia setting in, but his Ladyship recruiting younger officers... and in this particular situation, accumulating Hashiba made Jubei seem less significant than he was made to feel. Recently, it just felt like he was no longer enough for her. It didn’t matter if it was a case of strategy, or even gift giving... (What with her throwing his tea set into the pond) his opinion suddenly carried little to no weight... as if Nobunaga could no longer hear him.

The general didn’t know what was happening, let alone why it was happening in the first place. There was, however, only one thing that he knew. If he didn’t get to the bottom of this, then he would truly become obsolete. How could he not think like this when it was already showing. Nobunaga was always with that upstart, laughing with him, discussing plans with him. A position which he once had, and now reduced to coveting once more. From time to time, he would be in correspondence with Chosokabe, with his letters recently being filled with woe about his situation. While Motochika’s words were comforting, it didn’t do much to settle the anxiety that he felt.

So he decided that maybe, MAYBE, paying a visit to Kicho would cure his unsettled heart and mind. She always had a way to put his worries at ease. Although he tried not to bother her too much because he understood the role she played beside their Lady, she was also very forthcoming with him.

‘Just let me go in peace for once in my damn life.’

But perhaps he had overstepped his bounds with this one complaint, and on a day when preparations for a siege were being made. It was probably his mistake for coming at such a crucial time, but all of those concerns have strayed from his mind.

“For once in your life?” Mitsuhide repeated those words, his gaze cast upon the ground, voice hollow, and unable to look at the woman before him. Ah. It felt like his image of her was becoming blurred. Was this how she felt every time he approached her with his problems? Surely, it was nothing like the state of affairs of keeping the country united under the Oda’s banner but still...this, this...

Crestfallen, his hands fell to his side.

“Apologies for bothering you. It will never happen again, Nohime-sama.” He would turn heel and leave, his pace increasing the moment he stepped through those tatami doors. As his footfalls gradually grew slower, Mitsuhide found himself leaning against the wall, face clutched in his hands--eyes wide with disbelief.

All this time, when he thought that she understood... was it all a sham? Putting up with him just because, when in fact, she was so tired of him. Had his concerns not been important from the start, she could have stopped him then and there, not listen for so long only to turn him away during the time when he needed her the most.

“...not Kicho...” He muttered lowly, coming to a realization. “...not the same. Kicho... Lady Nobunaga... they’re gone. Not the same... fakes... everyone around me are fakes.”

Where were they? He wondered, desperately, as he struggled to resume his walk.

“Come back...”

Why did you all leave me behind?

[sengokusumeragi]

Chosokabe-Shi: [ x ] for Motochika --akatsukimaru

send me a [ x ] and I  will bold the things my muse would do if asked to by your muse: || @akatsukimaru (@sengokuspirits) 

quit their job/ drop out of school | punch someone in the face | give them a lot of money | buy them a drink | take them out on a date | give them oral | let them give my muse oral | have sex with them | have rough sex with them | dominate them | submit to them | commit a misdemeanor for them | commit a felony for them | lie under oath for them | go to jail in their place | drastically change their appearance | break up with their significant other | start a business with them | marry them | kill someone for them | die for them |

[quasip]

Mitsunari and Motochika for the "Send me a ship and I'll tell you" one please!

Who would be the big spoon/little spoon? Motochika would be the big spoon, but Mitsunari would be more like a knife than a little spoon. Motochika will try and curve his body around Mitsunaris’ but Mitsunari is all sharp edges and refuses to sleep on his side. In the end, Motochika is content to just wrap his arm around Mitsunari’s middle and snuggle into his side. Hey, if he’s not going to snuggle back Motochika is just going to make due. 

Who would wake up first? They actually both get up pretty early. Motochika has to prepare his ship and his men for the day’s sailing and pillaging and Mitsunari is just a natural early bird. They scoot around each other trying to get ready in the crowded space of Motochika’s room, Motochika pressing tired kisses on Mitsunari’s head everytime they pass by each other until Mitsunari gives one to Motochika’s cheek before he leaves the room to face the rest of the world. 

Do they have nicknames for each other? No. Motochika might occasionally call Mitsunari a grump or some other name he mostly sticks with his name. Mitsunari thinks nicknames are simply silly and doesn’t think much of giving one to Motochika. 

How do they apologize after an argument? They are both good enough about their mistakes to own up to them. The problem is which one of these stubborn fools decides to apologize first. Mitsunari and Motochika are both stubborn, almost to a fault, and when they decide they were in the right it is very hard to get them to apologize. They will both need time away from each other to clear their heads and to think about the argument. It may take outside perspectives, but once either Motchika or Mitsunari believe that they are wrong or at least partially at fault they will apologize to the other’s face with no hesitation. Mitsunrari’s will be more formal and accepting of reprimand, and Motochika is more willing to let the other off then Mitsunari would be, but either way, there will always be a face to face apology and, as long as it’s sincere, an eventual clearing of the air. 

What would they be like as parents? Night and Day. Motochika is definitely the fun parent. He lets his kids throw parties, plays with them, is the one they come to when it comes to lovers and parties and emotional issues. Mitsunari is the parent that reminds them to do their homework, eat healthily, and excel. Their kids mostly come to Mitsunari with help academically or practically. It’s not that he can’t give social advice, it’s just that his advice is very practical and lacking in social nuance. 

When they first start out parenting it’s too much more arguing then say, Masamune and Yukimura or Sasuke and Kojuro. Their parenting styles are just very different and that leads to arguments over things like punishment, activities, and even what their school life should be like. As they grow older they start to blend their styles, with Motochika weaving in life lessons into their fishing trips while Mitsunari tries to get the kids to open up during a study session. They both try and push their children into giving their all for something, always pushing them towards their passions. They would certainly be a more clear case of fun parent, strict parent then almost any other pairing, but it works because they build off of each other and allow themselves to compromise. 

Who is more romantic? Motochika. Listen, Mitsunari barely knows the definition of the word romantic. His love comes through in the practicalities of life. For example, Motochika always finds his maps organized, his sheets clean, and his favorite alcohol always in stock. These gestures, practical and small but just as important, are Mitsunari’s sweet nothings and I love yous. However, if you want flowers and chocolate and sugary sentiments then Motochika has that covered. He loves spoiling his significant other and will often get him gifts both big and small just because he was thinking of them and thought they would like them. Mitsunari doesn’t like too many frivolous things though so Motochika often goes for quality. A collection of fine pens, beautiful paper, soft pillow and jars upon jars of ink. Mitsunari always has a small smile when he sees the new object Motochika brought him, stupid smile on his face, and while he doesn’t emote more than that Motochika always sees his gifts used until they are completely finished. 

What sort of gifts do they get for each other? As stated above, Motochika usually gets pretty practical gifts because that’s what he knows Mitsunari likes, especially if it a practical item that Mitsunari has deemed too extravagant or luxurious to purchase. Fine paper, advanced mathematical tools, books, kits to clean his sword, he finds the best and brings it to him. That’s not to say he doesn’t sometimes indulge in getting Mitsunari other things like jewelry, just that he focuses on what he likes. Mitsunari also focuses on the practical, like sturdy boots, but he also gets him small puzzles he can go in his spare time, as well as models. For times when more extravagant gifts are needed he’ll buy expensive books on engineering and robotics as well as amazing trinkets from foreign countries. Or expensive alcohol, that would work too. 

Who gets jealous easiest? Mitsunari, but Motochika likes to play up the times when he gets jealous. Mitsunari’s jealousy stews inside him, being revealed in threatening looks, a dark aura, and sometimes just actual threats to the offending party. Motochiak finds it cute most of the time but does try to stop it before it goes too far. Motochika doesn’t actually get jealous too often. Partly because Mitsunari just doesn’t have many people flirting with him (it’s the death aura) and that he’s possessive but he trusts Mitsunari almost implicitly. When he does get jealous he likes to play it up a little, bringing out a little more of a stereotypical pirate attitude. Mitsunari likes being valued but doesn’t like the implication that he can’t be trusted. Motochika has to assure him that he does trust him, it’s just natural sometimes to be jealous. Usually, Mitsunari’s frown is soothed by a few kisses. 

Who gets more excited for events e.g.. Birthdays, Christmas? Motochika. Just like his buddy Masamune, he is always down to party like it’s his last day because it very well could be. And they are always wild: drinking, shouting, bad singing, it’s all there. The only thing that isn’t there is Mitsunari because he hates parties. Wastes of time and quiet. He mostly holes up in his room or, if he’s forced to attend, in some corner where he can wait it out. Motochika tries to engage him, but Mitsunari is just not one for parties. To try and compromise on days like Mitsunari’s birthday and Christmas Motochika tries to give Mitsunari a quieter party, only them and maybe a handful of very close friends. It still isn’t his most favorite thing, but having his boyfriend, Sakon, and Yukimura all close-by, playing some games, drinking his favorite tea and eating his favorite foods, Mitsunari deems it acceptable. 

Who is the most adventurous? Motochika. He is a pirate after all. The second even a rumor of treasure or some new blowhard Lord, a carnival, new interesting food or hell…even a supposedly haunted place hits his ears he’s climbing up to the ship’s wheel and telling his crew to get ready, what are they sitting around for they’ve got an adventure to go on. Mitsunari doesn’t have a problem with the adventures, but more on their execution. At the beginning of their relationship, he might be more passive, needing prompting from Motochika to voice any suggestions besides shouting threats at those who seem less than enthused. However, later on, he will actively voice his suggestions, most of them harsh but all logical such as maybe getting information or sending a scout or maybe not just rushing the front gates into a possible ambush. It’s almost 50/50 on whether Motochika takes these suggestions (gathering information tends to work better than not barging in because, come on, where’s the fun in skulking about?), but Motochika always appreciated Mitsunari’s honest forward-thinking advice. 

Who is the most protective? Mitsunari. One of his greatest traits is his loyalty and that loyalty makes him absurdly protective of those that manage to earn his trust and love, whether that person is his Lord, his friend, or his lover. His protectiveness is more physical than mental as he is an honest person. He won’t soften his views even if a lie might be softer; however, he is much, MUCH more willing to take a bullet or sword or whatever in defense of Motochika. It’s so bad of an instinct that Motochika has to keep a special eye on him when they are in combat. It’s annoying and scary. Motochika is a grown ass man who can take a few hits. He doesn’t need anyone dying to protect him. Yelling that fact at Mitsunari has done pretty much nothing so he’s just learned to tone it down to exasperated scolding and trying to keep this damn brat alive. 

What would they have been like as childhood sweethearts? It starts when they are young, around kindergarten age. Motochika is a small, shy child, always playing with his blocks and drawing in the corner when the rest of the children were playing together. Mitsunari would end up being the first person to play with him (mostly because Motochika had most of the blocks and he wanted to play with them too). They continued to sort of be friends/ playmates at school, but when they hit grade school their friendship was cemented. Kids started to make fun of Motochika’s soft face and long hair and quiet demeanor and Mitsunari can’t abide by cowards who would mock someone for being who they are. So he beat them up. Their relationship was almost like a knight and his lady until Mitsunari’s parents decided to move. Before he left Mitsunari told Motochika to be strong as there was nothing wrong with him, he was a great person and that he could be as strong as him. It would be years before they saw each other again.

At high school age Mitsunari would make his way back with his caretakers to his old home and, sure enough, he runs into Motochika. However, his Motochika is no longer the shy flower he had played with and protected as children, but a brash, curse dropping, hooligan who had no trouble speaking his mind. It seemed their situations had reversed, Mitsunari had become the loner that had very few friends and Motochika the one who wanted to hang out and protect him. It is a long, slow path of relearning each other and nurturing the seeds of affection that had been planted in their childhood. Mitsunari sees the gentle side that Motochika had dulled, but never gotten rid of and accepts it just as much as this new side. He lets Motochika be himself, gentle and brash, and never judges. Motochika learns the bitterness his old friend is carrying and helps to bring joy into his life. He accepts and encourages Mitsunari’s self as much as Mitsunari does Motochika. They are childhood friends who reconnect as adults and learn to accept each other, the nostalgic child version of themselves as well as the new, grown adult ones. 

Who uses all the hot water? Mitsunari. While he is mostly quick and practical in most things, one of the few luxuries he has is cleanliness, especially of himself. He loves long, hot showers and baths. Motochika loves them too, adding salts and oils and other spa-like accessories to make it even more awesome. Motochika sometimes takes baths with Mitsunari, but if Mitsunari is taking a shower it’s for him and him alone. 

Who would accidentally set the kitchen on fire whilst cooking? Motochika. It’s not that he’s a bad cook, per se, just that he likes to experiment which can sometimes cause fires. Also, he has tinkered with every appliance they have to make them more efficient and sometimes those wires just aren’t that good. The fire department pretty much knows them by name now. Mitsunari is efficient and follows the directions which means it’s rare that his food is either inedible or the kitchen is covered in soot. 

Who initiates sexy times the most? Both of them actually! They are both honest, straightforward people who, when they want something, go for it. Motochika is more likely to instigate because he likes sex and wants to have a lot of it. He doesn’t really care where they are, he’ll either imply he wants it later or downright just ask for it if they are in a more secluded place. Mitsunari is not impolite enough to do it in front of other people, but if he wants sex and they are decently private he will ask for it. He doesn’t believe in hiding intentions or being dishonest. He wants something and as long as his lover is obliging he sees no reason to hide it from him, especially if he asks. 

Who is more dominant? Motochika. While Mitsunari is honest about his wants, he won’t often put it forward, instead of waiting on Motochika to act so he can react. His pleasure comes from pleasing others and he might only instigate if it looks like Motochika needs it or he really, really wants it. Motochika does not have any such decorum. Desires are good and should be expressed whether that’s desire for another person or desire to steal something from someone unworthy. He also just likes being the cause of Mitsunari’s breaking down into a pleasured mess. 

What would they do if the other one was hurt? If someone hurt Motochika Mitsunari’s response is a simple one…kill them. Seriously, it’s that simple. No one hurts with the man he has pledged himself to. In the modern era or any other one where killing them isn’t really an option (unless he doesn’t mind jail) he would still confront the person, yelling and perfectly willing to bash their face in. His rage is never self-soothed, it always has to be calmed from an outside force. There is almost nothing Motochika could do in his eyes that would warrant real pain, no matter what other people think. In-between his obsessive violence towards this person or thing Mitsunari is tending to Motochika dutifully, making sure that he is well taken care of and that he knows he will handle everything and that he will do better to prevent this in the future. 

Motochika, on the other hand, actually is less intense then Mitsunari in his revenge. He too will go and beat the ever-living shit out of the responsible person, but then he’d be back to baby Mitsunari and try and cheer him up. If it was an accident or something not super serious he’d be mostly OK after retribution was done. If it was serious preparation for a lifetime grudge and an epic beatdown. If it was something more mechanical he’d spend hours complaining to Mitsunari about the cut corners other people do and show him all the improvements he’s going to make so that this never happens again. Because he protects his boys, especially this boy. 

Who gives nose/forehead kisses? Motochika all the way. He loves contact and seeing Mitsunari’s face scrunch up is hilarious and adorable. It’s peaceful and cute and he just loves to show affection for his boy. Mitsunari doesn’t come out and say it, but he does like the kisses and feeling of adoration they inspire in him. Motochika’s love is in every kiss and Mitsunari is honored to receive them. 

What their biggest fight was/will be about: I mentioned it above, but Mitsunari’s tendencies to try and kill himself for Motochika’s sake is going to be their biggest argument. They don’t have many horrible arguments but this one is a full out shouting-fest. It would be after a fight when Mitsunari took a knife straight through his side defending Motochika. It was a serious wound and Motochika went beyond worried to scared when he and his boys finished the fight and took Mitsunari to the doctor. He sat by this bedside for hours, refusing everything and just keeping watch, until Mitsunari woke up. 

When he did, Motochika took no time in berating him for that idiotic, stupid decision. What were you thinking you dumbass?! Mitsunari, injured, angry, and just so tired, immediately went on the defensive. It’s his duty to protect Motochika, his honor, and to have his decision thrown back in his face like he was stupid to decide it was infuriating. Motochika doesn’t want someone to sacrifice for him and Mitsunari only wants to sacrifice. The initial argument wasn’t even the worst part. Motochika began to leave Mitsunari behind on certain missions, explicitly telling him he can’t trust him to keep himself alive. This sudden lack of trust is soul-crushing and Mitsunari’s mood immediately became dark. He scowled at everyone, every minor infraction called for a threat and punishment. Motochika also became stubborn and temperamental. Ieyasu and Magoichi eventually end up talking to Motochika about it and finally get them to actually sit down and have a talk. Motochika explains that the way to honor him is to try his best to live, not throw it away and Mitsunari says that his greatest wish is to be of service, to win together. They eventually reach some sort of deal, but it takes a while for them to fully regain their comfort around each other. 

BONUS #1: Song to sum them up? Change of Seasons- Sweet ThingBONUS #2: A head canon? One of their favorite activities to do is to build stuff. Motochika is the muscle and the imaginative force, but Mitsunari is a whizz with numbers and can always calibrate and measure things accurately. It fits both of their interests and at the end of the day they celebrate their achievement (which is always bound to be flippin’ cool and run like a dream) with tea and a snuggle session. 

BOTTOM LINE: Do I ship it? I do, but I tend to be more for platonic Motochika x Mitsunari, because I like Motochika being the big brother, protective one for Mitsunari. I like him teaching Mitsunari how to live life just because and to have fun even if it doesn’t serve a practical purpose. 

[paulblart-animehunter]

All water leaders wear swimsuits that someone like you would consider “skimpy” or such, POC or not. Misty is one example, though it’s not limited to female trainers. There’s Crasher Wake and Marlon. Hell, while not a gym leader, the leader of the Water Kingdom from Pokemon Conquest, Motochika, is straight up missing half his shirt. Aqua Admin Matt is completely shirtless too.

But since the original post is talking about POC women, let’s do that. We’ll start with Pokemon characters. I don’t see any sexualizationi in Lenora, Iris, or Olympia. Dahlia could be debated by some, but I don’t think she’s sexualized here either, just because she’s showing her stomach.

Now let’s expand past just Pokemon. Here is Xenoblade Chronicles X’s Elma, who shows no skin other than on her face. While not a specific character, the entire Gerudo race in The Legend of Zelda could be claimed to be heavily sexualized, except for the fact that they live in a desert.

I’m sorry you see the (underage) Octoling as sexualized, but you seem to forget that it’s a customizable character, meaning you can pick the clothing, plus they’re not even necessarily dark skinned.

And on the subject of Twintelle. It’s not Nintendo’s problem that people made sexualized fan art of her. That doesn’t work.

But on that subject, back to Pokemon! You will see porn of ANYTHING. Cheryl, Erika, Sabrina, Whitney, Jasmine, Roxanne, Winona, Kris, May, Dawn, Lyra, Hilda, Rosa, Serena, Moon/Selene, Sonia, the SWSH Protagonist, and even the damn Hex Maniac show no sexualization at all in their official designs, unless you consider showing some leg to be sexual, which you shouldn’t. They all have pages upon pages of porn. That’s just how people are. The design doesn’t have to be sexual for people to find it attractive or draw porn of it.

This whole thing is not something that should be a problem, but if you want to make it a problem, at least address every part of it. Address the female colored characters that ARE dressed “fine”, address WHY the female colored characters are dressed the way the are, address the non-colored female characters dressed that way, and address the MALE (both colored and non) characters dressed that way. Not doing that is called hypocrisy.

At least Nintendo has had some variation in their black female characters, other than other, more “woke” game companies that just have the same copied and pasted black lady with an afro over and over again.

(pictured: my redesign in the left, nessa’s original design on the right)

man, i love nessa’s palette, her sandals (you thought crocs were bad???) and her hairstyle, 

but im not a fan of her attire. nintendo gives their dark skinned ladies minimal or sexualised clothing, especially in proportion/comparison to their white/pale skinned counterparts (if u gonna argue with me on twintelle bc she is “”covered up”””, just google her and tell me what kind of fanarts come up)

As you can see in my redesign, the fact that she is a water type trainer is no excuse not to give her something that makes more sense. besides, i just feel like her canon outfit does not fit the whole soccer uniform aesthetic the gyms seem to have going on? im okay with the sandals tbh theyre so horribly cheesy they won my heart, but it simply does not feel as thought out as, say, milo’s uniform

with all this in mind, i drew a little redesign taking into consideration how actual womens soccer uniform look like (spoiler alert: just like mens). To convey her water aesthetic, i simply gave her a wetsuit (with those gorgeous turquoise highlights) and she wears it under her clothes, so she always looks ready to go for a swim in galar’s colder waters.

her shirt’s sleeves are rolled up, and the bottom is tied to show a little better her more spunky jock side. as a final touch, i edited her pokeball to be a dive ball, just like her in-game model.

overall im pretty happy with my redesign. what do you guys think about it?

reblogs are appreciated! clowns do not interact with this post or start shitty discourse, brain rot is nasty and i dont want that on my posts

[iwgiowhgipoehw]

Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes Personal Tier List

Masamune: Probably the most overpowered in the game. If you know how, his Claw Slash move can be done repeatedly (until you screw up or get hit). But then he gets Six Claws and that’s the win button. Sure, he takes more damage BUT he does more damage and can’t be stunlocked.

Motochika: He does a lot of damage but I put him so high for one reason: he can trap bosses in his net and they can’t do anything about it. Free hits for a full 1-2 minutes. Except for the giant machine bosses that is. There is a drawback: if you miss, you can’t use it again for those few minutes it’s active.

Mitsunari: Don’t let his starting low stats fool you. It hardly matters since you’ll most likely not get hit unless you’re playing on Hard. Even his basic attack has pretty good AOE & range.

Yukimura: He’s got nothing really special but no real weaknesses either so I put him here. His dash attack is really useful too. But he can be an idiot in his storyline. 

Kotaro: He’s similar to Mitsunari, just not as good. He does this flashy animation after his basic attack chain that you can’t stop and then you get hit. But you don’t have to finish it-you can just use a different move mid-combo. He’s also the only one who can air dash. His only real fault is his very low damage output.

Saica: Somewhere in the middle because she has range & can handle crowds & camps with ease but has trouble with most bosses.

Keiji: Though he fights with a huge sword, I tie him with Saica for a similar reason: great for groups & camps, not so great with bosses. And his R2 moves aren’t that great. But I like how much of a dork he is.

Kanbe: Also somewhere in the middle but only because of how slow he is. I don’t think he can be knocked down (I’ve never been but that might just be dumb luck) and he has great AOE on his basic attack.

Oichi: She does start off with a high barrier of entry as she doesn’t attack herself but summons demon arms out of the ground and she starts off very limited in this regard but she gets better once all her base attacks are unlocked. By the end of her storyline I had Tadakatsu so stunlocked he never even got a chance to attack. But she does require a lot of practice. 

Otani: Only slightly above Ieyasu as he is hard to control (tank controls don’t work in a hack n slash). But he has long range on just about all his attacks and his Special has huge AOE.

Ieyasu: He wiffs too much and is annoying to play as. Unless you just abuse his AOE Sun Splitter but that gets boring.

Shimazu: Though I like him as a character (drunken old man with a giant sword), he attacks in a straight line and leaves himself open far too much. 

Tsuruhime: She leaves herself open with every attack. She’s worse than Ieyasu since she doesn’t seem to have any AOE (I could be wrong though). I didn’t play her much because I couldn’t stand it.

Note: Motonari, Tadakatsu and Nobunaga aren’t here because I haven’t unlocked them yet. I’ll update it after I unlock them.