#or maybe I misremembered that idk

[zablionsea]

STΔRLIVHT x PaDZ - Team-building

Welcome to the return my special-interesting-combining rants.

This time, as I mentioned previously, I'm going to put together Puzzle & Dragons Z teams for the four members of the idol group STΔRLIVHT from the mobile bullet-hell rhythm game visual novel NOISZ STΔRLIVHT.

(NOISZ STΔRLIVHT False Timeline and Forge of Antiphon spoilers ahead)

(Puzzle & Dragons Z main story and post-game spoilers ahead)

Grace Kamenashi

(Leader) Ancient Dragon Knight (Wood) - For a long time, Grace has hoped to be Sera's knight. She's wanted to be there for and protect her princess. As well, to match Grace's green color scheme, the team is mostly Wood-centered, and Ancient Dragon Knight's leader skill boosts Wood monsters.

ChronoGenbu (Water) - The Black Tortoise of the North/Black Warrior of the North has a strong association with Grace. The most obvious link is through the NOISZ Beast Genbu, who bears an incredibly strong resemblance to Grace.

Grace is also linked to turtles/tortoises in general. The kanji 亀 (kame) contained in her last name 亀梨 (Kamenashi) means "tortoise/turtle. Grace is often seen with a plush turtle named Kelp. Her Live2D model during the NOISZ STΔRLIVHT Release Celebration Live had her holding Kelp for the entirety of her appearance. LIVHT MY WΔY and light my way are both in Clover Folder, each of which has a tortoise (more specifically a Genbu) as its boss.

Finally, ChronoGenbu's skill is Time Spring, which stops time to let you move Orbs freely for 12 seconds. Grace has time manipulation in her non-canon Antiphon Armament Style's exclusive Heart of the Challenger Evolution called "Immutable Guardian," which rewinds the Verse it is used on.

Kachina Kuchina (Wood) - Kachina Kuchina best represents Grace's severe social anxiety and how performing with her girlfriend and friends helps ease that away.

Guardian Dragon, Avalon Drake (Wood) - A powerful, nearly unstoppable foe who wields the power of a gigantic sword.

In the NOISZ universe, the color green represents the element of "sword." Grace's color scheme is green, and in SLFT Chapter 5.IV, she is even gifted a large greatsword by her girlfriend, Sera, as part of a marriage proposal.

This sword, Binary Star, has a similar appearance to the swords of the NOISZ Beast Genbu: both have the same general shape in their split blades, two-pointed cross-guard, and diamond-shaped pommel. (although Binary Star's pommel is only shown in non-canon artwork of Nanoha, an original character belonging to the writer who inherited Binary Star and wields it herself)

Avalon Drake was once the protector of the Skydragons, but it could not stand up to the evil Dragon King Avalon and was enslaved. Grace did all she could to protect her friends and love, but ultimately, she was stopped in False Timeline by a similarly evil figure, Gaius Antiphon. If Genbu is Grace turned into a NOISZ Beast, as commonly theorized, then she would end up in a similar situation to Avalon Drake: puppeted around by her conqueror.

Fortoytops (Wood) - A mighty monster with strong defensive capabilities. Wood and Water Grimoire defends against Wood and Water, the green and blue elements. Grace is green. Sera is blue. They are a couple. For that reason, this fits them.

Sera Hoshikawa

(Leader) Water Dragon, Cutlass (Water) - Cutlass' description states that its claws have been made into swords. To quote:

Its huge talons grow back no matter how many times they break. In ancient times, people turned its shed claws into swords.

Sera is the one to get Binary Star forged and the to use it to propose to Grace in SLFT Chapter 5.IV.

Sera is strongly connected to the "dragon" element: DIAGRAM, a song facing a dragon, is in her folder, her NOISZ Burst Zone of Dominion resembles the Deadline Zones of the dragon NOISZ Beast Seiryu, and Sera even got a non-canon dragonlike appearance in the collab Style Dragon Maiden.

Cutlass is a True Dragon Type, also known as the most dragon you could get.

Enchantress of the Sea, Siren (Water) - Sera has always wanted Grace to be there with her to realize her dream, to see the view from the top. Sera's always had an appreciation for music, and when the opportunity to join an idol group presented itself, she charged right ahead. She's worked hard for years to make it as a singer.

Siren embodies this strong desire to be a successful singer as well. Her description reads:

Bored with everyday life, this songstress fled the ocean and now studies music on land. She hopes to one day return to the sea and become its number-one singer.

Deep-Sea Dragon, Abyss (Water) - Throughout the story of NOISZ SL, and even in Sera's Kickstarter bio, she's described as icy, cold, and emotionally distant. Conflicts arise from the fact Sera can't properly communicate how she feels to others except her girlfriend Grace.

Meanwhile, Abyss is physically distant, living deep under the ocean.

Fittingly and coincidentally, ice-themed monsters like Crystal Aurora Dragon and Beowulf share the Water element with Abyss.

Like Cutlass, Abyss is also considered a Pure Dragon Type, fitting with Sera's connections to dragons.

Death Scissors (Water) - Death Scissors hunts during the full moon, and one of Sera's Styles is Blue Moon.

Death Scissors has a very defensive skill that halves damage received for two turns, and Sera can obtain defensive utility from her STΔRLIVHT Stage Style's extra point in HP from the SLFT Chapter 5.IV bonus (lovingly referred to by some fans as the "marriage stat bonus.")

Aquafarena (Water) - Whatever Sera wears, you'll seldom see her without that iconic blue butterfly hairpin. Aquafarena has a butterfly-like feel to its elegant wings, and it is even said that it "flies beautifully like a butterfly."

Sumire Hitori

(Leader) Saino Nine-Tails (Fire) - Sumire is a much more passive person than her alter, Hitori. Even when upset, she more quickly retreats inward to deal with it alone than express her needs. She acts more reactively than proactively, and Saino Nine-Tail's skill is called "Grand Follow-Up Strike."

Like Saino Nine-Tails, Sumire has an elegant and slender appearance yet possesses overwhelming power. Certainly, when seeing a teenage girl in a fight, one may tend underestimate her fighting, and wrongly so.

Phoenix (Fire) - Sumire and Hitori are often linked to phoenixes/firebirds. Valkyrius:0, whose enemy is a large phoenix, appears in Heart Folder. When dueling this phoenix, Sumire sprouts large fiery wings from her back, a physical manifestation of her soul caused by using the NOISZ.

The vigilante Firebird also has a connection to the two of them: His only fatal incident was an encounter with Eito Hojo, the abusive ex-boyfriend of Sumire's older sister Yumi.

In NOISZ SLFT's Dead End, the cape Sumire is seen wearing is nearly identical to Firebird's.

Valkyrie (Light) - Sumire, in Hitori's Blackheart Style, is the one to fight the phoenix of Valkyrius:0 in SLFT Chapter 3.IV.

Flare Drall (Fire) - Sumire's NOISZ Burst, Blazing Heart, regenerates health when grazing bullets (and hitting notes at AA SPC and higher).

Most Fire monsters do not have health-focused abilities, but one of the closer ones is Flare Drall. Flare Drall's skill, Heart Transformation - Wood, transforms Wood Orbs, which only have offensive utility, into Heart Orbs (which recover HP and increase the Skill Gauge).

Naga (Fire) - Naga shares a lot of Sumire's personality. Her description reads:

This beautiful snake pixie makes for a very deadly enemy, but if she's on your side, you get to enjoy her kind and caring side. She really loves to cook.

Sumire can become very fired-up and shows overflowing power when facing particularly antagonistic enemies, but she is generally a very kind, gentle, and supportive person in her friend's lives.

Sumire has a great passion for baking, similar to Naga's love of cooking.

Hakuno Nekoda

why are there so few cats girl help me

(Leader) Mighty Moai (Light) - In Puzzle & Dragons Z, Skill Points are used to activate a monster's skills. Skills have some similarity to NOISZ Bursts in that way, except they are not limited to one use per session.

Mighty Moai's Leader Skill Hyper Charge fills up the Skill Gauge a medium amount each turn. Mighty Moai's Leader Skill being skill-oriented parallel's Hakuno's main stat, SPC, being NOISZ Burst-oriented.

Night Skydragon, Elysium (Dark) - Elysium's Skill Deep Shadow Breath deals 20x Dark damage and gives perfect defense for 1 turn. This is similar to how Paradox Felid shields you from all bullets while docked but increases damage dealt while undocked.

Guivre Chimera (Water) - What are chimeras if not big cats with fun accessories? And Hakuno loves cats. As well, like V-IGNITION Stray Cat, Guivre Chimera's Skill can recover HP.

Hecao (Water) - As a trans woman, Hakuno has had to go through a to become the woman she's always wanted to be. Her life has radically transformed from her quiet, miserable, and withdrawn middle school days.

Hecao's entire gimmick is that its skill causes it to transform into a random other monster, embodying the transformation Hakuno has undergone over the years.

Santauros (Light) - Hakuno Nekoda's birthday is December 25th, which is also the only day you can get the egg for this monster.

Hitori

(Leader) Phoenix Knight, Homura (Fire) - Like Sumire, Hitori is tied closely to fire and phoenixes. He enjoys burning things and playing with his lighter, for example, getting excited when the Producer lets him use her incinerator.

Hitori and the vigilante Firebird, who wields a flaming sword and has been seen sprouting wings upon his back, also have a lot of character parallels in their desire to protect the people around them from the cruelty and unfairness of the world.

Red Skydragon, El Dorado (Fire) - Hitori's NOISZ Burst Dark Star drains HP gradually and increases damage dealt until the effect pauses at 1 HP. El Dorado's skill, Hellfire Breath, drops HP to 1 instantly but deals a massive amount of damage (70x Fire damage).

Garuda (Fire) - Yet another firebird for this phoenix-themed pair of siblings. While Phoenix is more defensively oriented like Sumire's Blazing Heart, Garuda is more offensively oriented. With its near-maximum attack stat and a skill that can potentially deal massive damage, it can set ablaze all who stand before it.

Phantom Dragon, Anima (Fire) - Anima's description states that it powerful, emotional blaze.

This creature is a collection of spirits that burns out of control. The only way to calm its rage is to face it with a heart free of evil thoughts.

When Sumire's emotion and trauma spirals out of control into a wildfire, Hitori fronts to protect her. He's there to protect her and voice her anger when Sumire's too passive to do so herself.

As well, Anima is called the "Phantom Dragon" and its Skill is Mirage Flame. Hitori questions the validity and reality of his own existence from time to time, most notably denying himself completely in NOISZ SLFT Chapter 3.IV.

Zeta Hydra (Fire) - Zeta Hydra's describes its multiple personalities and destructive tendencies:

This devious monster has many different personalities and is horrifically destructive when all its heads work together. Luckily, several of its heads are usually asleep.

Likewise, Hitori and Sumire share their body, and when they work together, they can wield the NOISZ with incredible power.

[iaminjail]

You are the person I want to be with everyday / And this is something that I've been afraid to say

[girlcaelius]

we are underutilising the possibility of agrippa/maecenas yaoi

[thisismyideaofhumor]

I really do like that The Magnus Archives never explicitly confirms whether killing Elias would have killed the rest of the institute. It leaves the question open so that we can agonize over the "what-ifs," and be forced to sit with the fact that it doesn't matter because we'll never know

[m1dnitefloat]

guess what i finally got around to playing today

[elf-hollow]

"how'd the guy with no friends win?" scar asks, directly after fighting with and (arguably) killing pearl. pearl, the person who also won a season where she was famously at odds with just about everyone

[fruit-colored-ninja]

I think this season might have been the first time we got the characters saying ‘I love you’ to each other in a platonic way? Lloyd saying “not that we don’t love you” to Zane and either Arin or Sora saying that they loved the other I think, I can’t remember which but the casual expressions of love there had my heart melting. They’re family! They love each other!!!!

[shummthechumm]

bluestar...does not feel like the type to be a diehard code follower in starclan. not like how they wrote yellowfang.

[volivolition]

guy who's unaware he's gonna spend the next 3-5 hours reworking the lyrics of dream sweet in sea major: haha maybe i'll write a silly little narrative for my hmself, wouldn't that be fun? :)

[ganondoodle]

someone commented on an old post of mine that sonia wasnt fridged bc shes relevant to the plot and i have been thinking about it for an hour bc i dont think thats an actual get out of jail card for that .... also ... what does she do? be raurus way to cement himself as da king? give some half assed advice to zelda, that has no pay off unless you count zelda time reversing a bunch of weapons*, and then immediately dies just so zelda can essentially replace her and make rauru regret he didnt stab ganondorf right when he showed up in their temple i guess ?? (which is questionable on its own imo)

(*its not a good pay off for powers she was suddendly revealed to always have had(tm) and also is only ever used to .... welll, get zelda out of the way back in time, reverse a few weapons and .. idk create a ham fisted way to give the player her gimmick?)

even if she doesnt technically meet the requirements(lol?) to be called fridged like .. she is spiritually at least for how irrelevant and cheapely killed off she was

[fowlblue]

Not sure how well to put this but like… from a thinking standpoint, I wish there was a little more explanation about the intersection between magic/law in AF, because both seem to be closely intertwined, and that’s fascinating.

(Of course, I know it’s understandable that those themes are not really typical for the genre and target audience- but it’s still interesting to thing about)

[measlyscrapofseafood]

GAY AS HELL to group these two together like this

[sonknuxadow]

have the sonic movies tricked people into thinking that green hill is actually called green hills. well maybe its not entirely the movies fault maybe it was already happening before but i see people say it like that all the time. theres not usually an s in there the movies were just doing a fun little reference having the name of the town be similar to a location in the games . hello can anyone hear me

[front-facing-pokemon]

[perenlop]

i really hope this doesnt across as shade, because it isnt. but i think pokemon rejuvenation is an excellent example of why its good practice to have a ton of women in the cast because then you have a variety of women and if one of them feels like shes not treated as well by the narrative then its hard to take it to heart with how well the other women are treated. like, despite how i hate the “dead wife and daughter guy” trope, i’m not annoyed over keta’s arc because there isnt really a trend in this game of female characters dying or suffering for male characters’s development, or if there is, its matched out by the men dying for the women too (hell, arguably keta dies for aelita’s arc LOL) so it doesnt feel targeted. the closest i can think of is ren being manipulated into team xen over melia, but even that is barely even reflected on, and melia isnt even dead so like no fridging actually happened. turns out you can avoid misogynistic trends by just writing a variety of women and dont treat them worse compared to their male counterparts. i dont know why this is so baffling and difficult to replicate to so many fandom geeks and writers in the coming year 2025.

also it means he can write a ton of shitty women and i LOVE shitty women so its a huge win for me

[lesbiheon]

crazy that kihyun has never had red hair besides the bright ketchup red during a few days/weeks (?) during the connect era & some reddish orangey during rush era