#little big tengu event

[hasgudakodoneanythingwrong]

Day 257 France

I can't with my baby Jeanne becoming big and Jalter becoming small. I can't handle a Jeanne alter Santa lily swearing!

[madnessofthespirits]

i think cu alter might enjoy fishing like lancer does, however, i think he’d go about it in the least regular way possible. he’d use his hands or even just catch the fish with his teeth like a bear

[300iqprower]

I'm excited because Kiichi Hougen!!!

that too! give me the canon enby!!!!!

[eorzeashan]

Benkei! That still doesn't make any sense! What does being interspecies have to do with me being taken as a bridegroom?!

...Not that I'm complaining...

[versegm]

Anyways I can't make a poll about it, but iconic canon Guda moments, on top of my head:

Choosing to hold a dying girl's hand during what they initially assumed to be their final moments (Fuyuki)

"WE ARE NOT SOME BUTTERFLIES ON A BOARD!" (Camelot)

Breaking down in historical laughter upon learning that the ally army has been utterly slaughtered (Camelot)

Planchaing a goddess (Babylonia)

Threatening to sue a different goddess (still Babylonia)

"Yeah uhhh I don't really care about onis and humans? You answered my call. That's what matters." (Setsubun)

Fistfighting Goetia with their bare hands (Solomon)

Immediately flagging Sherlock as an impostor (Shinjuku)

"Helping people is my hobby" (KnK event)

"I am a monster. I am fundamentally evil. My existence is fundamentally at odds with that of humans." "... Anyways." (Yu Meiren's valentine, Gorgon's interlude, CCC event)

[Wakes up falling from the sky] "Again??" (Apocrypha event)

Banging their head against a wall to force themself to pass out under the assumption that it would help someone (Murder at the Kogetsukan)

Being unable to see people's face properly (murder at the kogetsukan)

having to be reminded that a man is dead and no, that is not cause to rejoice (murder at the kogetsukan)

[being forced to fight a former ally] "Oh so business as usual huh?" (CCC event)

Blatantly disregarding authority to save people (CCC event)

Saving Goredolf, a man who has been nothing but a pain so far, despite very much being in a situation where they couldn't afford it (Lostbelt prologue)

Using their own lifespan as a bullet to kill gods

Randomly astral projecting into whoever is nearby and vaguely thinking about their backstory (Little big tengu)

Add your own favorites in the tags!

[completeoveranalysis]

Of Yūko's customers, which ones you find most memorable?

Most memorable customers, you say?

I hope you don't mind me using this as an excuse to make an arbitrary list by way of answer. (Arbitrary lists, my beloved...)

Yuuko's Customers In Order Of How Well I Remember Them

(Though I will exclude all the bigger characters for fairness. So, Syaoran, Watanuki, Lava Lamp, Fai, Kurogane, Doumeki, Himawari, Seishirou, Ashura, Tomoyo, etc, etc. Regular xxxHolic customers only!)

10. Birdcage Customer

What was this about? Was he even a customer? We just don't know!

But the thing most memorable about this whole situation is the most pressing question: WHY DO YOU HAVE EVIL WOLVERINE'S SYMBOL ALL OVER YOUR HOME? It's even on his front sign!

WHO ARE YOU?????

9. The Liar

Mostly at the bottom because I can't resist the irony. She's the first big customer we see - but what do we really know about her? Absolutely nothing, because she lied every step of the way!

What can we really remember about someone who never actually told us anything about herself?

Though I guess you could say her ending causes quite an impact.

8. Monkey's Paw Customer

Did I forget this had happened? Perhaps!

She's one of those cases where the cause and effect are so clear that the rest of the cast might as well not even be there - and I think most of her story IS told through scenes entirely from her perspective.

I think the most memorable thing about her is the Sheer Audacity of hunting down a monkey's paw and being convinced that, actually, she already knows what it does so it can't possibly go wrong. Love that for her. Would kill for this confidence.

(Not literally - but she kind of did that also)

7. Ame Warashi

Her impeccable style. Her winning charm. She's an icon.

I had just completely forgotten that she was also a customer at one point.

She makes up for it for being absolutely great in every scene she was in, but what are you going to do in a list based purely on how well I remember the customer part? Woops! My bad!

6. Karasu Tengu

They get huge points for this being a Central Event in the narrative, but also I completely forgot they were in this as customers. The entire plot scenario? Incredible! Character defining! Et cetera!

The actual Karasu Tengu themselves? Woops! I forgot they were there. My fault though!

5. The Computer Addict

I love this one. She's so ahead of the curve that she was addicted to the internet back when you had to be on the pc to use it. Honestly, relatable. I also went through a phase like this as a young teen, so the struggle was real.

Little did we all know that in the present day the accessibility of the internet would be so rampant that she literally wouldn't even need that pc to indulge her habits anymore. Oops!

But that aside Yuuko is peak during this arc and I love everything about it. Especially the fact that Yuuko just hangs out on message boards in her free time? Wonderful information. I can do so much with this.

4. Oops! All Ghosts

Another incredible storyline. The twists are preserved by some sneaky panels from Watanuki's perspective and Yuuko's morally grey approach to the whole situation is wonderful. What if you wanted to get rid of the ghost in your home, only to find out that YOU were the ghost all along? It has the DISTRESS. It has the CONFLICT. It has the TRAGEDY. 10/10

3. Haunted Photo

Another customer with Peak Audacity. Trying to wish away the consequences of your own actions? Committing something awful but being unable to actually look at the proof yourself? The ultimate wish being an anxiety inducing curse that is sure to fail? Love it.

It's also one of those juicy situations where the morality of the situation basically drives itself. The customer causes her own problems and can't actually be saved - and doesn't deserve it either.

And honestly I think CLAMP should get a lot of credit for having the haunting effects of a photograph slowly turning around in a purely static medium. They really pulled that off.

I still love the evil smile in the photograph the last time we see it. PURE memorable.

2. The Twin

WE LOVE HER? WE LOVE HER.

Being consistently cut off and run down and overwritten and slowly clawing your way out of the situation through the sheer desire to be your own person?

And then the answer is a haircut?

It's another glimpse into the side of Yuuko that really does try cut people a good bargain. The wish could have been taken in any number of ways, but Yuuko went for the easiest and most affordable way that would genuinely help the customer actually fix her life on her own. She didn't specifically need supernatural help for this, but it was the route that presented itself, and it was the one that got her the help she needed when she needed it. Very hitsuzen, very relatable, very identifiable storyline that sticks with you.

Just like the final entry!

1. Kohane

Listen do I even need to explain this one.

Kohane is like THE storyline. It's THE example of what it's all about. It's not entirely supernatural in nature but completely heart wrenching. It has Watanuki playing a central role in fixing the problem, setting up for his future (or at least, what I assume it will be). It ties xxxHolic to Tsubasa and hints at a secret tool that will help with someone later.

And it has Kohane! You can't go wrong.

[mako-neexu]

you never really know what loss is until it slips away from your grasp... like theres still dantes content over the years but its only now that with a whole chapter and the Avenger class leaving that im seeing people cherish him more, some fall in love for this cruel yet sweet action for the first time despite not having paid attention to him previously, revisit past events, past battles and sharing to everyone about what dantes did over the years (nerofes, extra collab, both servafes, arctic world, little big tengu, part 1, 1.5, 2, interludes, rank ups, valentines, CEs, drama CD as well....)... despite having dropped hints and clues about dantes leaving one way or another, its only when you've lost it that you can feel that hollowness in your heart....

[kaibutsushidousha]

Top 5 non collab/non .5 events?

Honorable mention) Onigashima

I already praised Ushi Gozen's characterization enough in the posts about her, but this one lose points because Ushi gets less good in her future appearances.

Honorable mention) Cjeste Pyramid Himeji Castle

Liz Love is a powerful and important universal constant but unfortunately, only one Eliza event was actually good.

Honorable mention) Nightingale's Christmas

Nightingale bias, she's still in the Servant top 3 after all this time. My hot take here is that despite Last Encore, this was actually Nursery Rhyme's best showing.

Honorable mention) Karna's Christmas

Vritra is fun in every scene she's in and you know I also love the rest of the India cast.

Honorable mention) Little Big Tengu

Consistently great humor, Kiichi has a solid personality, and I have way too many feelings about Taira no Kagekiyo.

Honorable mention) Ptolemy's Grail Front

Love the Investiture cast finally together, love Theseus, love Ephemeros. Simultaneously wins and loses a lot of points for Ephemeros's arc being just discount Goetia.

5) Arctic Summerworld

Characters I like were picked for the side cast (Erice, Asclepius, and Zetian). Characters I like were picked for the central cast (Skadi and Douman) and handled pretty well. Ibuki was a significant antagonist downgrade over Skadi, but she's decent overall.

4) Aeaea's Spring Breeze

Circe is our friend. I'm saying this on behalf of everyone in the world. Less universally, Jason and Arjuna are also my friend. This event also debuted the Greek flashback artstyle and that was really groundbreaking at the time.

3) Murder at the Kogetsukan

Somehow a solid orthodox murder mystery in my mobile game.

2) Gudaguda Ryouma's Close Call

There's a lot I don't care about in this event, but the wedding carries it so hard. And there is still a lot outside of it that I do care, like Okuni's past and personality, and Izou's big moment.

1) Chaldea Thriller Night

Two story updates a day was intense, but luckily the event came out when I had the time to experience it right. The mystery was handled with a lot of care and Xu Fu's characterization with triple as much.

[contentloadingandstuff]

Hello my dear friend, I cordially come to ask for an Ask. As you can imagine from my requests I'm not a big fan of the famous Yae Miko, so I wanted a M!Reader that has a problem with Yae Miko and doesn't hide it, when she arrives he leaves, when she tries to talk he just ignores her. And the explanation for this would be why she provoked him (We all know that she has a certain hobby of teasing others) in a horrible situation (Like the death of a loved one or the end of a relationship) and he took it to heart . And he always looked like a normal person with no vision, but when Yae was teasing a younger person (Above 18 of course) she witnessed the sword art of M!Reader who is currently the best swordsman in the world, and that he would attack to kill because the person she was teasing was his younger brother, and he would hate for her to break his heart with her teasing. And would he keep attacking and tearing everything in two on the way, electricity? redirected, outside interference? Just balancing combat, raiden shogun itself? Two swords and pray you don't get hit by either blade. And he completely dominates the fight, pressing Yae to a point where she really thought it would be her end, but the Brother of M!Reader stopped him explaining that he knew about Yae's provocations but he wasn't taking it seriously, narrowly saving his life. from Yokai. And the M!Reader wouldn't care if Sara or Raiden had gotten in the way, he would just hold his brother's hand and walk away as if nothing had happened, what would be the reaction of both Yae and the ''Powers'' of inazuma with such an event? And I got a little carried away, sorry

The Shrine Incident Imagines

A/N: Hello! Cordially it indeed was. So extensive, in fact, that I decided to try out a new format - this time more true to its core idea - imagines! First time doing the real thing, so I hope everyone likes it.

CW: Male!Reader.

Miko would be surprised to say the least. 

Yes, she indeed knew that annoying the army's second in command, just after his unit suffered heavy losses in the war, wasn't right. But she never expected to face actual consequences for her actions. She never did. The most Sara usually did was huff, flap her wings a bunch and leave when Miko amused herself at the Tengu's expense. 

And to think a human could have a worse temper than a Tengu… 

Miko never expected him to have a Vision. Unlike many others, he chose to hide it instead of showcasing it to the world, as a surprise element, Miko thought. And she suffered quite the shock one day indeed. 

She was just minding her own business, or rather making others uncomfortable and miserable for fun. A young soldier came to the shrine to pray. As he was leaving, Miko did her thing - caught his attention and marveled at his shy and uncomfortable reactions when she got too close and personal, both physically and in conversation. And then… 

Leave the boy alone, the man said. She looked at him with a mocking smile. Or what? 

He approached closer, standing barely a few inches away. He repeated his order. Leave. Him. Alone. 

Miko then huffed, annoyed at his rough tone. Ordering Kitsune, are we? You are either bold, or just not that gifted in the mind. 

What Miko didn't expect was him drawing his blade. He repeated the words one more time, but Miko summoned her weapon in response. Before she could give him a scolding speech, he already moved towards her. She summoned her shield, but it was shattered with a Pyro-infused strike, throwing her back. She quickly got to her feet, shaking the shock of the resistance she has not experienced from a mortal in hundreds of years. 

She moved on to attack, but the resonance between their visions made anything she threw at him next to useless. Even worse, he seemed to have a great deal of experience in using his vision in combat, as would be expected from a warrior of such high standing. Miko had to push down her pride and call for the shrine guards to help. 

The Kitsune expected them to be cut to pieces, but instead, the general stunned and disabled them without lethal blows. A strike with the flat side of the sword to the head was enough to knock down many guards, coupled with vicious kicks and punches. A few minutes were enough to turn a group of trained professionals into a mumbling mess on the floor, clutching their hurt heads and broken limbs. Miko growled in frustration - those humans were useless… 

Just as she was about to call Sara, a new face appeared on the mountain top. A younger man, dressed in uniform as well. Quite similar to the general, who was now holding Miko against a wall in his iron grasp. He stretched out his arm at the general. "Y/N! Don't hurt her!"

Y/N eased his grasp, letting Miko get a few gasps of air in. 

"I'm sure she didn't know!" 

"Know about what exactly?" Miko responded. 

Y/N turned at her, and practically growled out the words. "That man has lost his parents in the war, and came here to pray for their souls. And you, Yokai, have the nerve to strike at him in such a grim situation?"

Miko looked down, and for the first time in a hundred years, felt ashamed of herself. 

"Forgive me, general. I didn't know."

"You should ask him for forgiveness, Miko." Y/N dropped her to the ground, and left with his brother. 

Sara arrived shortly after the incident, and was understandably angry at Y/N. She was going to call him into court, until she learned all the details. The Tengu gladly crumpled up and discarded the file. She whipped up a new sheet of paper, and began writing a call for payment to the Guuji. It was her fault, and so it should be her wallet that covers the medical bills. 

The story was… honestly amusing to Ei. She had known Miko for quite a long time, and the moments when she got her due were always fun to hear about, even if the Archon didn't admit it openly. 

Both women, however, agreed on keeping a closer watch on Y/N. It was fine, as long as the small disagreement remained a one-off event. 

Thanks for reading!

[rubylarkspur22]

Can we hear more about co-protagonists Tanjiro and Nezuko?

(i need to hear about the sass Nezuko will spill during the Hashira meeting)

Oh, of course!!

So! Nezuko wakes up from her coma, a little confused from her just waking(AKA the "I Just Woke Up After A Very Nice Sleep, And My Brain is Still Addled" Brain). So, she's a little confused as to why a chunk of bamboo is stuck in her mouth, and just... rips it off. And then promptly realizes her canines are significantly sharper than they're supposed to be. Noise gets her attention, and she meets the wooden eyes of Urokodaki's tengu mask.

This leads to a lot of questions while they wait for Tanjirou to come back. She definitely wasn't happy when she found out Tanjirou got sent to a mountain packed with feral and starved demons, and demands to know why her kind brother, who would never hurt a fly unless said fly swung first and hurt someone he cared for, is being sent to commit violence. Cue another long explanation about what she missed. After a minute, her brain catches up and, "Oh, yeah! I remember that dickwad! B****** just waltzed like he owned the place, too! Never caught his name, though." After those conversations, she notices Urokodaki praying for her brother's safety, and starts doing the same. She only hopes Hinokami is willing to protect her big brother now as he had when the monster attacked.

While they wait for Tanjirou, Urokodaki does also go about helping her relearn speech. And then she gives him a heart attack by walking outside midday. "How was I supposed to know I should expect a fiery death?!" "All demons instinctively fear the sun!" "Well, then, maybe I was meant to do this the whole damn time!"

Then Tanjirou comes back, and is very happy Nezuko is back to some form of her normal self. And hey, she's okay in sunlight! No need to panic about her becoming a pile of ashes! He still carries her in a box, though, sometimes. But Nezuko likes to be in the sun because it's her way of regaining her energy alongside sleep.

Asakusa rolls around, and Nezuko tries to keep Tanjirou from running off. She knows that look, she knows Tanjirou found him. But despite her protests, he still runs off. Nezuko gives chase, staying close to the shadows and other people, and watches Tanjirou confront the monster that cut down everyone else in their family like it was nothing. The siblings meet Tamayo and Yushiro, and Tamayo asks Nezuko if she's had any human flesh or blood. When Nezuko mentions she can walk in sunlight, Tamayo tells her to keep this new ability a secret unless absolutely necessary, lest Kibutsuji try to capture and devour her.

Zenitsu's portion of things go a little differently. He definitely tries to flirt with Nezuko, and she promptly threatens to use Tanjirou as a battering ram on the blond boy's skull. Nezuko and Tanjirou get separated in the Tsuzumi Mansion, which causes the former to panic because her selfless idiot of a brother has broke bones and is somewhere in this godforsaken death house, And-- CRAP, THERE'S A BOAR TRYING TO CUT HER HEAD OFF!! Yeah, Inosuke just chases Nezuko throughout the mansion until they get outside. Nezuko inevitably ends(or greatly reduces) his bloodline, which is what Zenitsu wakes up to. A guy in a boar head wheezing in pain whilst clutching the Hashibira Family Jewels, and Nezuko glaring at said boar guy with her leg raised suspiciously like she caused the damage.

And Nezuko is definitely calling Rui every insult she knows, including the ones with language she had been heavily scolded for using when her parents were alive. Kie and Tanjurou are gaping at Nezuko's language while desperately trying to cover their dead kids' ears. Yoriichi and Sumiyoshi are helping, and silently wondering how Nezuko picked up such... colourful language(spoilers, it was Saburou... By accident).

And now for the main event, the Hashira trial. Nezuko's just chilling in her box, waiting for Tanjirou to handle things, when some guy with a sword just up and STABS HER before trying to coax her out with blood. When another dude says she won't come out in daylight, she goes "Try me, b****" and pops right out. And then promptly slaps Shinazugawa, hurls at least one insult per Hashira(she isn't quite past Giyuu stabbing her for no clear reason), and picks up Tanjirou like "Don't ever talk to me or my big brother again." while glaring daggers at them. She's standing in the sun, she knows their blades must have lost their effectiveness.

While at the Butterfly Mansion, Nezuko easily bonds with the girls there. She acts so human, they practically forget she's a demon most of the time. She's also present for the talk with Shinobu about Kanae and her dream, and the two later have a girl to girl conversation about what their respective late families would want of them. And after the coin flip scene, Nezuko can't help but giggle. She recognizes a crush a mile away, having been the focus of a few back home(y'know, being the town beauty and all that). When Tanjirou asks her what's so funny, she brushes it off and insists he'll find out another time.

Mugen Train, she gets smuggled onto the train in her box. No ticket, no spell, no problem. Once the conductor leaves, she hops out and immediately goes about observing the situation. She still headbutts Tanjirou in the head, fully anticipating she'll start bleeding and be able to use that. After the train derailment, she is fully ready to fight Akaza, his personal code be damned. "Oh, you don't fight women? All the easier for me to gouge your eyes out, mf!" Akaza has never seen a girl so angry. He had nightmares for weeks, especially because of the blood arson. Does this save Rengoku? I don't know, I'll leave that up to your imagination!

Then Entertainment District comes around. Nezuko still goes Full Form, but manages to reign herself in. Luckily, being photosynthetic makes restraining her hunger much easier! This means she's conscious for the fight with Gyutaro, which makes it go in their favour with a much more instantaneous solution for that poison! Plus, that might reveal the secret of the red blades sooner!

Swordsmith's Village goes about the same. Genya probably gives Nezuko the idea to chow on demons, but I don't know how well that's going. At the end, however, as Hantengu burns in the sun, Nezuko just smirks at him before leaning down and telling Muzan(through Hantengu) that he can suck a dick, and that he'd better start praying because karma is coming for him.

During Hashira training, Nezuko takes up some sword training. Not sure what Breath she uses. Either way, she trains. When the antidote gets manufactured, Nezuko asks if she can wait to take it. Tamayo doesn't think it's a good idea, but Nezuko insists with the promise she'll be careful.

Infinity Castle, most of the fights go pretty much the same. Except the Kokushibou fight. Nezuko get sent there because the one brain cell Muzan's five brains share managed to clink in the right brain to think "Hey, the logical step to capture the super important demon is the throw her at my most powerful subordinate!" Unfortunately, he didn't account for the three Hashira and that demon-eating kid also showing up, or for Kokushibou to want to bond with his descendant. Or Nezuko being a feral gremlin who's 100% down for arson and has the power to commit it as she pleases. She definitely manages to save Genya, I am undecided on Muichirou. But Nezuko saving Genya earns her Sanemi's respect and gratitude.

Sunrise Countdown goes a little easier. No one's actively dying from poison, even if Tanjirou's still half-blind. Nezuko and Tanjirou tag team Muzan, with Nezuko striking from a range while Tanjirou goes for close quarters. As the sun rises, Nezuko jabs herself with the antidote to get her transformation back into a human started before Muzan dies. Muzan, seeing the rising sun and noticing Nezuko injected herself with something, makes one last desperate attempt to devour her, but all the Demon Slayers fight to protect her as Tanjirou pins Muzan to keep him from escaping.

Does Demon King Tanjirou still happen? Debatable. If he does, Muzan used his blood while trying to dislodge Tanjirou's grip, and eventually settled on just transferring all his blood to Tanjirou. But it doesn't last nearly as long as canon because Nezuko will have just taken the antidote. As such, she'll still have access to her Blood Demon Art. The way I see, she notices something off with Tanjirou and charge tackles him before lighting him up with several loud and tearful apologies. Because she knows it's gonna be painful but she has to burn out Kibutsuji's cells before they transform Tanjirou. The fire extinguishes as Nezuko's use of Exploding Blood actually speeds up her transformation since she's using her demonic cells to ignite the fire, but it's enough that it'll at least delay Tanjirou's transformation long enough for someone to restrain him if they need to. Kanao shows up, gives Tanjirou to booster dose to finish off the last cells, and both the siblings collapse from exhaustion. They're both unconscious for at least a couple months.

Afterwards, life goes on as normal. The lives lost are mourned, the Corps disbands(possibly with some more ex-Hashira to celebrate the end of the demons), and everyone lives happily ever after. Nezuko laments losing her demonic strength, but is also happy to be back to normal.

[tyo-mimt]

6/36. @tmnt-event-blog

A good sparring partner can be found in the most unlikely of places.

(a/n: usagi's in this; it's platonic!)

Usagi hopped up onto the platform of the station, walking into the main body of the lair. Strange, usually at least one turtle would be lounging on the couch at any given moment. What's even weirder is how the rabbit hadn't accidentally set off any new traps... Maybe Donnie finally gave up on turning the lair into a minefield.

Or maybe Usagi had already set off a silent alarm and everyone else was hiding.

"Guys? It's me!" He dared to call out.

Maybe the silence was causing him to go a little on edge. He didn't being his swords this time, expecting this to just be a trip for a video game session.

Instead, there was the heavy thump of someone landing behind him. He dared to whip around and look up at Raph's silhouette towering over his own. There was something different about him, and it wasn't just his usual brand of being huge and (by proxy) intimidating.

"Raph! Hi!" The rabbit raised his hand, a small attempt to hide his nervousness, "Uh... Have you seen the others?"

"Raph hasn't." Scary.

"Oh, heh, do you know where they went?"

"The fellas are playing a round of hide and seek... And it looks like you've been caught." Did he miss Halloween or something?

Usagi continued to hide the very evident intimidation he felt, even when every instinct of his was screaming to get out of there. He stood his ground (either because he was a fool or he was overconfident, it was usually both).

"Wanna spar?" The snapping turtle offered, "I'll go easy on you if you're scared."

And just like that, a switch immediately flipped in his head.

"Hand me Leo's swords and I'll show you going easy," The rabbit challenged. The looming shadow over Raph's face immediately shifted into giddy excitement as he was dragged into the adjacent garage (it was more like a multipurpose room). Raph walked over to the wall, tossing over a training sword.

"Leo probably used his swords to escape me, so that will have to do," Raph grinned, pulling his sais out of their holsters, "Show me what you got!"

Catching the blade by the hilt, Usagi twirled it in his hands. They're lighter than he's used to, but he's nothing but adaptable.

He spent a few long seconds scanning the room before he charged at Raph. He let his inertia carry him through his movement, sliding beneath the large opponent between his legs and hopping back onto his feet to strike in a large flourish.

Metal hit metal, the clash rang in his ears as Raph pushed the rabbit rearward, tripping over and landing on his back. Reflexively pushing his sword up in a defensive position, the metal of his blade clashed with the sais. Usagi tipped his sword to the side, feeling Raph slide away. He kicked his left side, the heel of his feet hitting red as he jumped back onto his feet.

He flourished his sword, striking down at Raph. There was then that telltale crackle of Hamato Ninpo Usagi learned of the hard way. He braced himself for anything: a portal behind him, missile launcher constructs around him; instead, his blade met a red force.

He was pushed back, letting his vision settle on Raph properly. He was a little right about the constructs, crackling red energy swimming around his arms and sais. The snapping turtle shook them off, "Whoa! Where'd you learn those fancy moves?"

"Hah, I'll have you know I trained under the Great Karasu Tengu-"

"Yeah, Raph already knows that part," He interrupted, "Care for another round?"

"Don't hold back, big guy," Usagi challenged.

Not holding back resulted in a very broken leg. But hey! Usagi learned not to kick Raph after the first three attempts.

[hasgudakodoneanythingwrong]

Day 257

Ushiwakamaru's mentor is pretty cool. The mallet of fortune making Ushi big and Jason, Benki and Cu Alter small is not. (But Medb, Medea Lilly and all agree it is cute though)

[cestacruz]

Little big tengu is making me go insane so have some of the doodles ive done since the event started

(Second page has yoritomo design because ive got a comic idea i wont ever make <3)

[guilhem-png]

Housamo events from worst to best

Aight so I was bored and decided to rank all the « event quests » from Housamo, from worst to best. As I’m writing this, 31 of them have been translated so far, most recent one being “Seaside Fashionista”. So like, I guess here we go. It’s going to be a long post, folks.

#31 Raiders of the Lost Isle

Let’s get this out of the way: not a big fan of shotas. Makes me feel uncomfortable to be honest. So an event centered around one is unlikely to win my favor – but even without that, Raiders of the Lost Isle is strangely boring. It’s not that I have an issue with the premise (though I will say that adding another layer of amnesia to a protagonist that was already defined by amnesia may have been a bit much), but the execution is surprisingly bland. So little goes on in this mystery island! Tangaroa is the most boring daddy this game has ever presented to me, and Dagon’s expository evil dialogue nearly had me falling asleep. Not much to salvage here. The music kinda bangs tho

#30 Black Snow on the Hot Spring Mountains

This one’s a mess y’all. It’s so long, too. Did it really have to be nine parts long? Usually with these event quests, the beginning is a little boring, but when they get to the meat of the story (quite literally in some cases), it becomes a lot more interesting. For this one, it was the opposite. Zao’s introduction as a mountain enthusiast was pretty fun, but then as soon as he gives up on you to fulfill his “mountain healing ritual” or whatever it was, the story completely loses all sense of direction. It’s just the poor MC climbing mountain after mountain, meeting with so many characters who have absolutely nothing to do there, and being attacked by an infuriatingly large amount of wyverns. The part with Hogen and the Tengu school of sword fighting (what) felt like it was ripped out of a different story entirely. I genuinely don’t think the MC could have had a worst day if he tried. At least they allow you to be rude to Zao, for the sake of Catharsis. And no, Life Wonders, seing Kengo in a speedo doesn’t make up for the poor writing! I did like the part with Chernobog though – but I think his later appearances were better handled.

Also (last point of contention before I move on), for an event solely based on the beauty of the mountains, I feel like they should have maybe worked a little harder on the backgrounds. Zao being like “Look at this beautiful sight” once you reach the peak, and then it’s just… a blurry picture or an ugly 3D model. Not a good look.

#29 The Afterschool Hero and the Fantastic Boyfriends

Gosh, what is even going on in that one. The concept is really not dumb; they had all those backgrounds, characters and soundtracks from Fantastic Boyfriends, so might as well use ‘em. But the issue is they have too much of it – and they don’t seem to know what to do with it. I think this event is probably a lot more fun if you’ve actually played Fantastic Boyfriends, but it really doesn’t work well on its own. My main issue is with the plot in this one, though. It’s too generic. It’s actually the most generic medieval fantasy story I’ve ever witnessed, I believe. That part at the end when you end up inside the protag’s mind was very weird, but not in a bad way. I think that’s what I liked the most about this event. That, and Sol’s attack sprite, hehe.

#28 Lil' Salomon's Golden Week

That one’s not… bad, really. But it’s not super memorable either, and also really short. I mostly remember that one exchange between Motosumi and Marchosias, about what it takes to be a good dad. Or the part where Licht and Kuniyoshi become friends. Like, it’s pretty sweet, granted, but it doesn’t go really far. No new characters introduced either, no new sprites, it’s not a very exciting one overall.

#27 Battle of the Valentines

You might be surprised to see such a recent event ranked so low on the roster. I think the issue with that one is that they tried to forcefully cram in as many characters as they could – but they went a bit too far, and the event feels unnecessary crowded. McRoich doesn’t really work as a character for me either. For one thing “Youth” is a bit strange of a gimmick to assign any character, and he repeats the word so damn much that past a certain point I wanted to whack him on the head with a broomstick so he would shut up. Also, the “oh no my sacred artifact doesn’t work properly” plot line had already been done (poorly) with Gullinbursti, so bringing it back felt repetitive. Same thing for the “oh no, a collision of world” plot point. Out of all the collisions we’ve had, this one was probably the least necessary.

#26 Embark! Summer Ocean Adventure

I’ll say, this one introduces some amazing characters, but almost all of them are better known for what they do in other events. Ganglie is amazing in Desert Journey, Benten and Typhon shine a lot brighter in the second boat adventure, Makara has this short yet hilarious role in the Seaside Summer School event (where he roasts Claude for wanting to marry the ocean, long story), etc. The beginning of this event is pretty crazy (MC thinking that Benten intends to take a suicide while she was just trying to take a dramatic-looking selfie, resulting in both of them falling into the water and being captured by pirates) – but then it’s a bit of a roundabout journey, with no clear objective, besides going home (which isn’t exactly compelling). Black Storm is a really low tier villain too. I wouldn’t say this is a bad event overall, but it’s overshadowed by its successor.

#25 Year of the Wildest Boar

The new year events are always short, which makes sense. They come right after the (probably expensive) Christmas events, so there isn’t a lot of budget left. Sometimes that works, others… eh. I can’t forgive Gullinbursti for being such a lame character, mostly because he represents an archetype I love (the loyal servant), but which works so much better on other characters, like Tadatomo, Shino, or Yasuyori. Also the end where he goes alone in a cave to sulk is kind of a bummer, honestly. Like, why? Did they fear the Summoners would get a little too crowded if a new member joined them every year?

#24 A New Year's Food Fracas: The Cleaner is on the Case!

I’ll say, I had absolutely no interest in the Cleaner before this event, but I warmed up to him a little. That’s something. I feel like reusing the slimes for the third time in a new year event was probably a bad call, though. Not much else to say, really. It was a decent event.

#23 O the Great Gendarme

I’ll say, I was very afraid they were just going to redo Black Snow on the Hot Spring Mountains, but this one really isn’t as bad. It’s not good enough to be called a redemption, but it’s still pretty neat. I liked Durga’s arc in this event, it was handled a tad more subtly than I expected. Also I was really surprised at how enjoyable the baseball match was. As absurd as it was to have a baseball match in the middle of a hike, it still worked very well. The villainess is forgettable, but you can’t win ‘em all.

#22 Gift from an apprentice Santa

Ah, the OG event. Not the best for sure, but still very charming. I love Yule, his earnestness to please, his insecurities, his cute little scarf, he works very well as a character for me. The Santa school is a really weird concept, and I LOVE IT. The more they add to it, the weirder it gets, and I have absolutely no complaints. Also this event makes use of all the kid characters in a strangely non creepy way (I thought so anyway – I hope it’s not just denial?). Absolutely love Ryota in the Santa outfit too. Now did they have to end every chapter with a fight? Absolutely not. It’s a good thing they toned it down in later events. Learn from your mistakes, and stuff.

#21 Valentine Panic

Valentine Panic is good, but it takes a while to get there. The feathers that make people fall in love with the MC is contrived as hell, but whatev’s. It’s fun. Having all the characters suddenly professing their love to the MC in the most awkward way possible was hilarious (big up to Gunzo’s declaration, I don’t think I’ll ever forget it). Sitri’s “cool cat” deal is annoying at first, but when you understand at the end that it all stems from his admiration for Kengo, it makes a lot more sense, and is consequently much more enjoyable. Bonus point for showing a side of Kengo that we don’t typically get to see.

#20 Clash of Floats

Just based on Nobuharu, I thought I was going to hate this event. Once again, shotas make me uncomfortable. But Tajikarao saved the event for me. His rivalry with Suzuka is believable and rather entertaining. They definitely cop out at the end though, blaming all the issues on a third party and not letting any side win the argument. Honestly I don’t think this event should rank this high still, and I was probably swayed by Gyobu’s waitsline. Yeah, that’s probably it.

#19 Seaside Summer School with you

Weird that they didn’t introduce a single new character for this one, huh? They were probably like “We need an event where every single character we have ends up wearing a swimsuit. ALL OF THEM.” And that they did. Well, almost anyway. To be honest, I played this one a long time ago, and don’t remember everything that happens in it. Love that they let me flirt with Ashigara though. Hate that they dropped the words “swimsuit contest” and didn’t let us see a second of it. Glad they corrected that mistake in Seaside Fashionista.

#18 New Year's Sunrise

More new year stuff, less slimes, and more ghost. That one was sweet. Hilarious that Gyumao and Wakan Tanka get an alt, but Shennong doesn’t, when it clearly seems like that’s what they were going for. Maybe they ran out of budget a little sooner than expected. I feel like gathering all characters that share a common trait in a single event is a pretty fun idea, and I wouldn’t mind seeing it again.

#17 Valentine's Extravaganza

Okay so. We all know that Life Wonders likes to cater to all their audience’s specific kinks. Mpreg with Temujin, vore with Marduk and his dragon buddy, foot fetish with Surtr’s giants, etc. And well, it seems like we each get a turn, cuz inflation is my jam (pun intended), and that’s what we get with Behemoth. So naturally I’m a little partial with that event (an event that must seem very weird to anyone who doesn’t share the kink, now that I think about it). I’m kinda pissed though, because there’s this whole mystery surrounding Behemoth, about what he can and cannot eat – they spend so much time trying to figure out the solution, and I don’t think the answer is ever revealed! Kind of a big oversight there. Big up to Nomad and his new dancing gig, he looks so happy doing it. Babalon’s whole deal about encouraging sin is also pretty great.

#16 Canaan – The Promised Land

This one is so interesting to me. Being a sequel to Raiders of the Lost Isle (must I remind you, at the very bottom of this list), I thought I was going to hate it, but it’s actually a lot better than the original. The problem is that it feels unfinished. Astaroth’s deal is never really explained properly, nor his relationship with Astarte. Like, I get that Astaroth is trans, and it’s great that we get a trans character in this game, but I don’t understand why he’s spiritually connected to Astarte, what he learned over the course of the adventure, or what he plans for the future. Transition is possible in Tokyo, right? But will he ever get there? Should I even be saying “he”?

With Canaan the promised land, they decided to tackle some very complex questions. The gender issue is already complicated enough, but if Canaan is supposed to be a utopia, that opens up a whole other can of worms. There’s also the end, where Bael threatens everyone with the ethical dilemma of fleeing Canaan at the cost of all its denizens’ lives. None of these issues are addressed properly, and the whole event feels very clumsy as a consequence. Still, as clumsy as it is, I really loved it. Astarte is such a compelling character, I really hope she’ll come back some day. But I don’t know if that’s something we can hope for.

#15 Valentine's Time Warp!

An interesting concept, certainly. I like time warps. I feel like the characters they chose for this event were intelligently picked. Three grown men which serve as surrogate dads to this shy little girl – one of them being an actual dad. Don’t know what to make of Herakles in this event though. I know that a lot of people love him, I’m kinda sleeping on ‘im to be fair. But whatev’s.

This one should have been a little shorter. At one point you begin to wonder just how many times Echo can even fail to express her feelings. But it’s a minor flaw I think.

#14 I ain't Scared a no Halloween

This one is great for the characters. Volos obviously, who’s just an adorable plant nerd, but surprisingly Alice too, whose work of costuming is actually fairly entertaining (love that they kept dropping fun facts about pumpkins, it tickles my nerdy side). Cu Sith dressing up as a werewolf for Halloween was the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen on a screen. Zabaniyya trying to let loose and relax in the most horrible way is always funny. Not sure what they were going for with Chernobog’s play at the end there, but it’s nice to see Chernobog having fun.

#13 Unfurl the Sails! A Golden Treasure Ship

This is actually the first event I ever tried out. I immediately crushed on Ebisu the minute I saw him. I wouldn’t recommend starting with that one tho, because if you don’t know who the characters are, it gets confusing really fast.

This one is obviously much better than the first boat adventure – at the very least they have an actual reason for going on a journey this time. The whole battle of the band aspect makes this event more diverse and is honestly really fun. Gives Benten something to do, thank goodness. Aegir is a slightly more fun villain than Black Storm, but not by much.

#12 In with the Ogres! Carpentry of the Heart

This one is short, but for once it doesn’t feel like an issue. Unlike in Canaan – the Promised Land, they seemed to know exactly how deeply they were willing to deal with their themes (racism, mostly). The answer is: not very deep. Which is not a problem, I think. Takemary hates humans, he learns that they’re not all bad after the summoners throw a special party for Setsubun. This carpenter guy is racist against ogres because he feels like they’re stealing his job, he gets hired, apologizes and all ends well. It’s simple, sweet and very heartwarming. That’s the kinda stuff I want out of my Housamo side quests. Minimal conflict, compelling characters who get to learn something over the course of a short story, and lots of moments that make me go “aaw”. This event had everything I wanted. I like how casual it was about revealing the new sprites (like, Motosumi is just sitting around with his kids, and they’re like “oh yeah we have this new sprite for him, might as well drop it here).

#11 Year of the Guardian Dog

That’s right! The best of the new year events is the very first one. Another instance of a simple concept executed flawlessly. Agyo wants to be a guardian dog, so have a little round up of all the guardian dogs. Garmr, Cu Sith and Xolotl all have very distinct styles – and though none might seem all that skilled from a distance, they’re actually more competent that they appear. This event is essentially all about making Agyo taste humble pie, but through the form of a nice stroll with MC and Moritaka. Also, letting Moritaka serve as a mentor of sorts was an interesting subversion of his character, he who usually ends up being the one mentored (either by Shino or Kimun Kamui).

#10 Desert Journey

Oh, we’re getting in the top ten now, huh? How exciting! Seth is another of those characters I didn’t expect to like, but I was proven wrong. Always had a tough spot for characters who act tough but are actually big softies. Love love love that they didn’t really focus much on the relationships between MC and the characters, but rather how the travelers interact with one another. It’s kinda similar to the Year of the Guardian Dog now that I think about it – they bring a new character who’s proud and confident, gains some allies he doesn’t think much of as first, but they end up teaching him quite a lot. I’ll say, I never liked Hanuman all that much, but this is the best they ever handled him. Ganglie was never this subtle either. He becomes a lot more interesting, without them betraying any of his character, or negating any of his flaws.

But I’ll be real with you, I don’t really get the Journey to the West parallel. Granted, I didn’t read the book, but I know a lot about it, and I was more confused than anything else by the parody elements. Well, it’s a minor detail.

#9 Valentine Jail!

Props to Life Wonders for coming up with a character like Aizen. He’s really really fun to be around; I always like a character who wears his flaws so ostentatiously. The fact that he’s really mean but also gullible and sensitive makes the whole event a catastrophe in motion – you know exactly where it’s going, and it’s amazing to watch it unfold. I love that the MC can tease Tadatomo for working for “the enemy”, if only briefly. Love how Hakumen doesn’t care about anything in that one, and is just proudly having her fun, walking around in BDSM gear. Oh the bisexuals must have been happy with that one! I also love that Aizen doesn’t change too much over the course of the event (which could have been tempting, but would have flattened his character considerably). Essentially Aizen carries this whole event, and I have literally no complaints.

#8 Let's Go! Hot Spring Jamboree

Ah yes, the REAL redemption for Black Snow on the Hot Spring Mountains. O the Great Gendarme tries, but this one succeeds. Third time really is the charm, huh.

This event does a good job of putting together characters who don’t really have any reason for hanging out in the first place. Moritaka, Shiro and the MC aren’t so rare to see together, but pairing them with Aizen and Kagutsushi is a bold move, and yet they make it work! I love how they all get a turn at the “character development” trick. It’s highly artificial, but I don’t mind. Papa bear Kimun Kamui is just adorable (and I don’t usually comment on this, but I’m amazed by his character design too), Wen Kamui adds a fun twist to a character which might have otherwise been a little flat.

Moritaka is the real star of this event, mostly because I think the way they handle his problem is actually pretty smart (it’s true that if you obsessively try to get better at one thing by training daily, you end up being highly predictable…) Also they didn’t think it was enough to make him fight his past self once, but twice, which is hilarious (poor guy). The ending in the world of Kamui Kotan drags a bit, but that’s my only complaint.

#7 Trick or Treat! Jiangshi Night

Man this event was so fun. Oddly enough, neither of the characters that they introduce for this event (Licho and Sanat Kumara) I liked all that much, but it doesn’t matter. First there’s that truly incredible scene where Tetsuox learns to deal with his survivor’s guilt through a theater play that rhymes, like how crazy is that? Then Babalon and Motosumi engage in a “child stacking contest” if I remember correctly, a real thing that actually happens. And at the end, everyone gets to perform in a live ranger show orchestrated by Krampus!! Having some characters that we love performing a role for a fiction within a fiction is a lot more fun than I would have honestly guessed, and Krampus looked so happy with his idea, it completely melted my heart. I rarely had as much fun as I did in this very moment.

#6 A Fluffy Nightmare in Ueno!

One of the only events to prominently feature the Beast Tamers, and it’s one of the best. The concept is both interesting AND well executed (I’m still looking at you, Raiders of the Lost Isle). Exploring the dream world is a common yet tricky trope. In the dream world, anything goes, which is both a good and a bad thing. But they knew how to use it creatively without making it confusing.

This one is also good because there is an element of mystery to it, that is actually resolved properly (looking at you, Valentine Extravaganza). And the more it goes, the more it gets you thinking. “Oh okay, we’re in a dream. Some people have all their senses, others don’t. We haven’t see Kuniyoshi and Benten yet, what the hell are they up to?” Really well done. If they were to recreate a similar event in the future, I’d gladly play through it.

#5 Make a Killing! The Beach House and Andvari Falls

This one’s quality is a lot more homogeneous than the previous ones. It’s just good, from beginning to end, without many drawbacks, or any particularly striking moments. It doesn’t have an incredible concept, but it plays to its strengths, and it does it well. Those beach events tend to attract a whole flurry of characters, and this one is no exception, but most of them are well handled. I recall there’s a part where you go diving with a whole bunch of kids though… yeah, I might have partly erased that one from my mind.

Love the joke at the beginning when Adnvari is asking for a resume, and the MC can choose to reply “My blade can sever gravity itself”, like it’s a perfect illustration of the shonen plot and the slice of life plot mingling in a really funny way, I wish they did it more often! Other than that, not much to say. Just go play it.

#4 Seaside Fashionista

I think to a certain extent, Life Wonders know that if they want us to love a female character, they’ll have to make extra efforts. Not that we’re all terribly misogynists, but we’re all super gay, and it’s harder to distract us from a character’s flaws with chiseled abs or tight clothes on a chubby belly.

It works most of the time, but it works especially well with Arachne. I love that her issue isn’t lack of talent, or ambition, but inability to understand what the people want. I love how she’s a workaholic who doesn’t listen to people, but also an incredibly kind individual, who will go out of her way to make you happy with just the most perfect outfit imaginable. I love how she’s curious about everything, and often puts herself in trouble because of that. Honestly, Seaside Fashionista had no business being this good, but it was. All the new outfits they gave the characters are amazing (I still haven’t recovered from Amatsumara’s suit). The fact that we get to see a side of Tsathoggua that we rarely get to see otherwise – awesome! And as I said earlier, we got our revenge for that swimsuit contest from way before. All is well.

#3 Battle of the Bells! An Ikebukuro Christmas

Top 3 now! This is getting serious.

Since it’s ranking so high on this list, you might be surprised to find out that I don’t care all that much about Tansgrisnir (am I even writing that name properly?). Like, he’s sweet and all, but there are a lot of characters I love more. No, what got me in this event is the concept. I think it hit me when Transgrisnir hurt his leg and said that he couldn’t run anymore – when he said that the MC would have to pull the sleigh himself. A human, a teenager no less, pulling a sleigh, and flying through the air. And then competing in a race, full of people running through the air and pulling sleighs too! Can you imagine it? That’s so incredibly specific, and just so strong of a concept, all on its own! And to top it all up, they complicated the race by adding this element where you have to take frequent stops and fight groups of people in different wards of Tokyo. Yoyogi academy, Roppongi, Aoyama, and Shinjuku – groups of characters teaming up to prevent the sleighs from moving onward. And who doesn’t love teamwork?

I think this is genuinely one of the best ideas they’ve ever had, and I think they should congratulate whoever came up with it.

#2 Me-ow! Happy Illusion! The Festival of Magic Hijinks

Genuinely surprised at how well this one turned out. Another of these events where they gave themselves a lot of work; introducing Cait Sith and Tvastar, giving Ryota, Tezcatlipoca, Furufumi and Licho a new alt, and consequently a tidbit of character development, tying it up neatly at the end with the collision of worlds plot and the magic show, and it all works! I think Tvastar especially is a brilliant addition to the Crafters, because similar to Arachne and Aizen, he’s flawed in a delightful way. “Why won’t you let me help you” has always been a favorite trope of mine, so I’m probably biased. Caith Sith’s theme is a bop, mini Tezcatlipoca nearly had me cry from laughing so much, I can’t believe a team composed of Miss Ziz and Shennong of all people won a FOOD EATING CONTEST, but I’m so proud of them anyway.

Also I like that they slid some discreet references to the main plot in there. The world representatives being shady, how MC interacts with Mononobe, it was so subtle in some instances that it was almost a little spooky. Really can’t overstate how much I enjoyed that one.

#1 The New Champion of Christmas

If you’re a Krampus stan like me, you were waiting for it, and you’re probably bouncing right now. I have nothing but love for The New Champion of Christmas. Krampus’ introduction is incredible, because it’s so silly in such a charming way, I mean have you seen what the guy wears? Military pants, this absurd, ripped santa jacket that covers his face, the cow bells around his neck, the chains, whoever his chara-designer is they’re completely insane and I love them for it.

I mean all of this event is silly, and it only works because they fully commit to the bit. The Santa school has a dark Santa course now, which is incredible, Krampus threatens to give the thugs a big spanking, like can you IMAGINE if this happened to you in real life?

But then beyond the silly, Krampus is actually an adorable and shy little dude, who just wants to make friends. His character development is compelling and well executed. And can we talk about Ryota for a second? I love that they allowed him to have a crush on Krampus, something that they rarely do, since all the teenagers in this game must inevitably fall in love with the MC at some point. Shiro says something that’s absolutely wild at the beginning of the event, regarding that. Apparently Ryota crushes on people easily and becomes briefly obsessed with them, but it doesn’t last. Like okay Shiro, I hear you. But then Shiro casually says “this is how our friend group ended up forming” and I’m like HOLD ON, this is huge, you can’t just drop this on me and then move on! What? Ryota crushed on everyone? Shiro, Kengo, Moritaka, even TOJI??? And then they just became friends???? HUH????

Oh yeah, also they tie it up with wrestling at the end, and I have no complaints. A wrestling gimmick is a no brainer for Krampus, but it forces Ryota out of his comfort zone, so it’s good for two different reasons. Over all, I’m ranking this event first because Krampus literally captured my heart, and I’ve never so badly wanted to be isekai’d so I could just fall into his arms. I rest my case.

So yeah there you have it, I would be deeply surprised if everyone agreed with me, but that’s my two cents on the question. If anyone feels like writing a similar “worst to best” article about Housamo, feel free to dm me cuz I’d be SO curious to know how you rank them (or the chapters in the main plot, why not!)

[300iqprower]

Sorry if I had to say this: *Takes a deep breath while sweatdrop* Sakurai deserve better.

I used to be a sakurai defender like you, then I took an Olympus to the Frontal Lobe. Followed immediately after by a Heian Kyo to the Occipital Lobe.

I stand by everything I said in this post. I never said in that post Sakurai was competent. She was not, is still is not. She's long proven to be an extremely capable writer when given some guidance and/or when someone else is there to keep her fangirling in check. We have proof* of this in Summer 5, Little Big Tengu, Babylonia, and LB4. We also have proof that she's the world's most prolific character assassin when left alone for more than 5 minutes as shown with Shimousa, Septem, Summer 4, and the two aforementioned lostbelts.

*or as much proof as a game that refuses to properly credit its writers can be

It is fairly well documented that part of the reason Sakurai got immediately put so high up at Delightworks is because she was a Nasu superfan and Nasu pretty much just handed her the Prototype and Extra casts to go nuts with. That's not me saying she has no talent or merit and doesn't deserve a place in the industry - those claims are provably untrue. But it's also provable that she got where she is through Nasu's nepotism and that lack of qualification has shone through time and time again.

Lostbelt 2 is what best sums up Sakurai. It's both so bad that I "skipped" about 40% of it and got an empirically better story experience for doing so, and yet it's also so good that it has not one, not even a couple, but several of my favorite moments in the entire story to date.

Characters that have been directly credited to Sakurai like Douman, Tomoe, Xu Fu, Quetz, Sigurd, Napoleon, Surtr, Caligula, Gorgon, and more prove that Sakurai is capable of incredible writing.

None of that changes her track record of not only making the EXACT same mistakes every time she's called in to take the lead in writing a non-event chapter (and more than one event chapter), but arguably been worse about those mistakes every time she's put wholly in charge of a chapter, from Septem to London to Shimousa to LB2 to Olympus to Heian Kyo.

TLDR: Sakurai is not some objectively good or bad character. She's a real person who is not 100% consistent in anything. She's clearly talented but that doesn't change the actual work we've been presented, which has repeatedly indicated she needs someone to reign her in or her work inevitably tanks in quality due to her eccentricities that range from harmless to outright problematic. She is frequently derided as a scapegoat which is not only unjust and typically just how people try and shield Nasu himself from criticism despite her being part of his responsibilities as the one with the final say in everything, but also detracts from the genuine criticism Sakurai still deserves given some of the truly awful content that has been directly attributed to her.

Honestly I just wish she'd stick to writing events. Her style of heavily leaning into certain tropes and hamming it up more than other writers lends itself perfectly to events and lets her strike a balance of drama and comedy that other writers typically go too far in one direction to land, something that again is best exemplified by Summer 5, which was led by Higashide with her [implied to have been] heavily helping with things hence so many of her characters making up the central cast.

[kindauglypikachuicon]

Fate/Grand Order’s event, “Farewell to Kamakura - Little Big Tengu” I heard we get a really good aoe quick servant that no one seems to ever use but I know they’ll be a good addition to my roster!! ✨

Jason, Benkei became plushies!! Tho Cú Chulainn was always one in my eyes (lol)

Sighhhh I so badly want the big version of Cú Chulainn Alter too…I think I’m gonna spend some sqs just for him wish me luck (I’m gonna need it!!)

Edit: Ok scratch that I’m not gonna pull cause apparently there’s gonna be another 5-star select ticket coming soon and Cú Chulainn Alter is there!! So back to saving!!