#she’s always been spunky and scrappy but she remains that way under pressure. she does not let anyone else talk down to her no matter what

[the-dalseum-duet]

satis writing an ACTUALLY CANON SCENE??

OH GOD!! what has gotten into her?? (hint: it starts with an “A” and ends with a “merican politics”)

anyway. i’ve wanted to write this scene for a while but finding the right words to do it is very difficult. it’s kind of awkward but. y’know what. it’s okay it gets the idea out there. it’s ok for art to be messy and not perfect. a byproduct of the lore overhaul, please enjoy a glimpse into Dalseum’s history and a tiny exploration into Noeul’s thought process (with even more in the tags bc I love talking abt him. fascinating fascinating man)

“THIS is your man?” tag @svwhssftr (directed at kai) (sorry to flashbang you w political commentary after talking abt sex for like a day straight)

In the blink of an eye, it all went dark. The flashing cameras, the smug glances sharper than knives the Council shot into the crowd, the glitter of the afternoon sun on The Palace’s floors— all of it. It was reduced to nothing but cold, damp darkness. 

The safety of the quiet was unnerving. Charlie’s mind clawed at the imaginary walls to escape into the dazzling ocean of the paparazzi, but her body remained idle. Her body instinctively leaned in closer to Noeul. 

He lit a match from inside his coat’s pocket—illuminating what may have been a teardrop on his cheek— and flicked it into some long and hollow metal contraption. It caught the insides and exploded into a river of crackling blue flames, revealing a mossy labyrinth of walls and chambers. It was all so empty, except for the smell of burning oil.

“There’s a lot of history in here,” Noeul whispered, removing his coat to crouch beside the aqueduct of stagnant oil. 

Charlie didn’t say a word. Her eyes were transfixed on the blurry mass of granite awaiting her. 

“We were Korean territory until the Silla dynasty. Most of the peninsula was unified under their rule, so Dalseum was naturally the next step. The warriors from the mainland tried to overtake us, but we slaughtered them. They underestimated us.”

“The hell does that have to do with this?” Charlie choked. 

“Dalseum was under the rule of its only empress in history. Her army commanded such respect that the Korean warriors fled after the first battle, and then Dalseum was forgotten to time. After the unification, they had more pressing issues than a small island with few resources.”

Charlie looked back at him, her infuriated eyes glinting in the firelight. 

“But the Dalseum government couldn’t have predicted their cowardice. They constructed a hideout underground in case of an emergency. The layout makes no sense because it’s meant to be a maze. If the officials themselves could barely figure it out, then their enemies had no chance.”

“But why are we here?” 

“You know how the Japanese imperialists occupied Korea during World War II?”

“Uh-huh.”

“A small Imperialist faction conquered Dalseum shortly before the war ended. Our bohemian government was unprepared for violent military conflict, so it crumbled. They turned our history into prison cells. The Japanese locked away everyone who dared to resist them—members of my own family, especially. These walls have seen torture you can’t even imagine.”

“You’re saying this is my prison now?”

“Welcome home, doll.” Noeul almost smiled. The fire, despite being feet away, burned Charlie’s face. 

“After the war ended, the Japanese soldiers returned home. They behaved like monsters, but they were humans with families and children. What was left of the original local government was in shambles, and my great-great-grandfather took advantage of the ruins. These halls haven’t been used as a prison ever since. We haven’t needed to use them.”

“I don’t understand, then. Why are you keeping me here?” 

“Because otherwise you’d be dead, Charlie.” Noeul shakily breathed. “If some force threatens Dalseum, it’s our right to kill it in the name of self-defense. My ancestors single-handedly poisoned dozens of the Japanese invaders. Dalseum wouldn’t exist without us. I have every right to exert my power on someone like you. I’m only showing you mercy because I love you.”

“But you love your tradition built upon oppression more.”

“Oppression?” Noeul laughed. “My family freed our people.”

“But they destroyed the old government— the one that persisted for centuries.”

“The values on which Dalseum was built were no longer effective. The feeble monarchy was nothing but show businesses, anyway. If we want to stay afloat, we can’t risk losing what we have to the uninformed decisions of an outsider. We nearly lost everything to a fascist regime— I can’t let history repeat itself.”

You’re no better than them if you imprison those who disagree with you, Charlie thought, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it. The walls of firearms lining Noeul’s walls flashed in her head.

“Surely, you understand my reasoning.” Noeul brushed a stray curl out of her quivering eyes.

“If you loved me, you wouldn’t imprison me,” Charlie laughed. She had to laugh— she’d kill him if she didn’t. 

“If you loved me, then you wouldn’t have broken the one fucking law you had to follow.”

“I don’t love you,” Charlie said. “Not anymore, at least, but that should have no bearing on my freedom. On my existence.”

“I don’t care how you feel about me,” Noeul lied. “You sowed discourse in the Council—the one thing left of my father’s administration after he died— you deliberately cheated on me with another Council official, and you tried to start some petty little uprising once you started to face the consequences. You brought this all upon yourself.” 

“I didn’t try to start shit!” Charlie exclaimed, “I spoke out about Dalseum’s ridiculous policies and your treatment of me. You slept with the person who tried to assassinate me while we were still engaged, Noeul! I had no control over how people responded to the truth.”

“You knew exactly what you were doing. Our relationship issues should have no bearing on Dalseum’s politics.”

“It impacts all of Dalseum’s politics! We could have done so much—“

“There was never a ‘we.’ Sara put these delusions of grandeur in your head, and you believed her. I never once implied that you would have any power on the Council.���

“I was supposed to marry you,” Charlie started, her vocal cords tightening as she held back tears. “We were supposed to be equals. I left my whole family because I loved you. You were a good person, Noel. Why the hell do you refuse to change your ways?”

“Because ‘my ways’ have saved lives for generations.”

“But you know that everything you’re doing is wrong. You knew that sleeping with Sonnet was wrong, you knew that leaving your responsibilities to Sara and Gale was wrong, and you knew that doing this to me was wrong. Why the hell do you keep doing this? You’re not Noel anymore—you’re some heartless idiot who only cares about what some filthy rich people think about you.”

“I keep doing this because the safety of a nation and the tradition of my family is more important than my love life. That’s common fucking sense.” 

“This is so much more than your love life,” Charlie snapped. “I wanted to help you. I would have been a good empress. I shared my ideas with the Council— the Council loved me, Noel. Why can I not fit into your traditions?”

“Because you’re everything they stand against! You’re everything my family fought to destroy!”

“What? What do they stand against? Helping the people in the Wasteland? Loosening the borders for people who are trapped here?”

“It was never about any of that. Charlie, you know that.” 

“No, I don’t!” Charlie cried. “I don’t understand why fleeing a country that no longer values me is treasonous! I don’t want to spend my entire life down here, Noel, you know that! It’ll kill me.”

“Maybe you should have thought about that before trying to undo the progress of my country. You have no fucking stake in this, Blaire. Dalseum is my responsibility, and I’ll be damned before I let some inbred whore think she knows better than me.” 

Charlie inhaled. “Then let me go.”

“What?”

“If I’m nothing more than some Dixie dumbass to you, let me go home. I’m only wasting your resources down here.” 

“Because you agreed to this. You have to face the consequences of your actions. What did I tell you before you stepped foot here? No one comes in—“

“No one gets out,” they said in unison, Charlie’s tense shoulders dropping. 

“Someday, I’ll let you go— but you’re a danger to Dalseum, the Council, and yourself.” Noeul turned to the exit, the clicking of his pristine heels echoing in the endless nothingness. 

“So are you,” Charlie replied. “The only difference between us is your family name. It’s a real shame— it should have been ours.” 

Noeul didn’t respond. He hung his head for a minute and fumbled with a key attached to a chain in his pocket. 

“Is it true?” he whispered. “What you said during the trial?”

“No,” Charlie admitted. “I made it up as a last-ditch effort. Thank God, I’m not. I couldn’t carry a Sang in good conscience.” 

“You’ve proven my point,” Noeul said, almost grinning. “I can’t have a liar on the Council. I can’t trust a word you say, Blaire.” 

“That damn Council is built on lies, and you know that.” 

“It sure as hell isn’t built on women like you.” Noeul rammed the key into its slot and pried the stone wall open. “I always knew you’d amount to nothing more than your body. You almost had me fooled, but I’m glad I chose Chea over you—carrying on my bloodline would have been all you were good for.”

“Good luck getting Chea to do that for you.”

“I don’t need luck. I have someone with half a brain to replace you.” 

Charlie couldn’t stop herself from laughing. “Like I said, good luck with them.” 

“You’ve always been a bitch.” Noeul wedged his foot through the hidden door and disappeared into the bright, blinding Palace halls she once called home.

But not before she managed to scream, “Watch for the hemlock! You’re all next!”

[oh-my-otome]

Hello and I wish you to have a good day. I don't know if this question had been asked before, but when I read your post about the lords and their dere leanings...I couldn't help but to ponder a bit more. Can you give me your opinion on how good the overall psychological health of the lords and main npcs are, in a scale from 1 to 100 (1 being downright nuts and 100 being perfect)? Also maybe some reasoning behind your opinion if it isn't too much of a hassle. Thanks before~

Hello, my lovely! Thank you for your patience!

Purely for fun: 

0=unstable, 50=borderline, 100=normal

Mother (100):

She’s grounded, with her head on her shoulders, and her only negative characteristics seem to be the immediate acceptance of her daughter marrying the first man dragged over the threshold (gross Magistrate notwithstanding), and working so hard that she throws out her back. 

Yahiko (100):

Yahiko is spunky but humble, and also very brave. He doesn’t hesitate to defend his sister, and also the girl that he likes, even when his opponent is twice his size. He shows loyalty to Inuchiyo, who grew up along side him, but also openness to his sister’s suitors. Always willing to help out, Yahiko is developing steadily into a fine young man with his head on his shoulders.

Magistrate (20):

It’s bad enough that the Magistrate has his eyes on you, because of your beauty, but it turns out that you’re not the only one he’s interested. In Shigezane and Nobuyuki’s event story, it was revealed that the Magistrate is courting several other young beauties– who are willingly consenting! The Magistrate has other women whom he– ugh! –“spends time” with, and yet, you’re the only one that he levels his ire on, when you say that you don’t want to be with him. Since he can apparently have his pick (??), it makes no sense why he’s fixated on you.

Nobunaga (65):

Nobunaga’s got a lot on his shoulders, but he’s also part of his own problem. More than once, he’s gotten in his own way, with his rash actions. He also wallows in guilt so deep that it must be a struggle for him to decide if it’s worth coming up for air, or just sinking to the bottom. No amount of reverent sake sipping will bring his brothers back, and the cost of seeing his ambition bear becomes harder with each battle. Fortunately, he is surrounded by those who truly have his back.

Mitsuhide (85):

Mitsuhide is over-worked, and that’s exactly the type of masochism that gets him going. While anyone else would break under the pressure, Mitsuhide is in the zone when he feels he’s being depended on. He does have a stubborn side, on occasion, and has a tendency to let his co-dependent relationship with Nobunaga go to far by being so willing to accept almost anything.

Katsuie (85):

Sometimes a little hard-headed for his age, Katsuie is affable and warm, nurturing and kind. He provides the stability that many of the retainers need in their chaotic world, and is always willing to help out.

Yukimura (70):

What takes Yukimura’s score down is his bizarre relationship not with his mother, but with her memory. He purposefully distorts it to suit his needs, and everyone around him just lets him. The other thing is the glee he shows for giving his life for his lord which, while romanticized in the game, isn’t normal. His overconfidence hasn’t killed him yet, only because he has plot armor. 

Even with it, he shows disregard for the feelings of those who wish him to come home alive. What he says to his MC’s face about coming home safe is all well and good, but when he’s actually on the battlefield and eagerly throwing himself face first into a mass of swords, spears and guns, with a smile– if his MC could see him in that moment, his words would look like nothing more than platitudes.

Nobuyuki (15):

It’s all well and good to describe Nobuyuki as a yandere– because he definitely is one –but he’s even scarier than that. He lacks true empathy, but knows how to feign it well enough to get by, which only ups the creep factor. Not only can he can mimic the emotions that others display and mime them without detection, he doesn’t hesitate to ensnare another person and manipulate them to suit his needs. 

Without a hint of remorse, he also utilizes the help of others in facilitating the captivity of others. If he would do it to the woman he claims is “perfect” for him, imagine how he’d treat an enemy. 

Saizo (75):

Saizo refuses to let himself forget how he played a hand in the demise of his friend, even though he knows that not only were his hands tied, but that he was duped, to boot. In an odd way, his rehashing his guilt every time it rains serves to provide some measure of comfort for him, in his grief. 

Even when facing ridicule, Saizo is quick to step in to help those who need him, and his jealous streak rarely goes out of the bounds of what most would consider normal.

Hotaru (70):

If he would be allowed to actually learn things like a regular person, Hotaru’s score would be much higher. With his heart firmly in a good place, Hotaru’s mishaps stem from him being forcibly stunted socially, and his continued isolation, rather than from any fault of his own. 

Easily fixed with patience and kindness.

Kotaro (60):

Having the misfortune of being part of the Hojo clan, it is surprising that Kotaro is actually normal, when in a normal setting. Excluding situational triggers– such as being around Saizo, Ujiyasu, or when he has a migraine –Kotaro is basically a more world-wise Hotaru. 

When he’s around his triggers, you can forget it. He’s basically not even himself anymore, performing actions far removed from how he behaves when away from them. 

With the triggers, he lacks control, self-preservation, and empathy.Without the triggers, he’s calm, reserved, and respectful.

When he was crying out for his mother, in his event story, and apologizing for being alive, my first thought wasn’t that he desired to die because his mother didn’t like him for some reason, but that perhaps his mother was dead and he wanted to be by her side, but was still alive.

That’s my headcanon, anyway.

The way that Kotaro speaks of himself also reflects the Hojo way or thinking– that everything is beneath them. He refers to himself as a worm, and worms are literally beneath everything. It is when he meets his MC, in his event, that he walks straighter and taller, making the symbolic transition from the ground (worm) up (holding one’s head with pride)

Masamune (75):

Masamune is only holding it together, initially, because he’s propped up on both sides by Kojuro and Shigezane. He very strongly desires a relationship with his mother, but does little in being the forward-moving action to help get started on that venture, past brief chats avoiding the topic entirely, and merely nodding his assent.

Masamune is also passive-aggressive– sometimes even straight aggressive, with no sugar-coating –and is quick to pull a sword on someone for daring to give him a compliment.

Being around his MC gets him to calm down, and Masamune, having found someone his own age who truly cares for him, is able to display his feelings more naturally. He becomes calmer and gentler by comparison, and is able to open up more.

Yoshihime (30):

Yoshihime takes her grieving to the extreme, starting first with her child, whom she shuns out of ignorance, and then for her husband, believing the lies that her own brother told her.

Throughout the game, we see Yoshihime making very realistic strides.

Kojiro (100):

Caught between his brother and mother, Kojiro struggles to maintain two different types of loyalties, and does the best that he can. Generous and kind by nature, he desires stability.

Shigezane (80):

Shigezane clearly has his secrets, and even when it comes to his feelings of inadequacy, which he readily admits to, he appears to handle himself well. Shigezane is the type of person who knows exactly what he needs in order to be happy, but he remains respectful to others and doesn’t take what’s not his. 

He is more independent and proactive than Masamune, which is why his score is higher.

Kojuro (75):

He may have no house training, but Kojuro is very capable in other areas. Kojuro doesn’t work himself quite as hard as Mitsuhide, but he’s up there, diligently working away to buoy up his lord.

Kojuro admits that he occasionally has a problem nannying Masamune and shunning Shigezane, but he also knows where to draw the line, to let his lords figure things out on their own.

eta:

@saizoswifey How could I forget what you very helpfully reminded me: Kojuro’s undermining of Shigezane’s relationships!

He was unaware that he was doing it, however, and it is unclear if the women were potentially using Shigezane to get closer to Kojuro.

See this post.

Having the same type and moving in before someone else can is very similar to how Hideyoshi behaves with both his own MC and Toshiie’s, as in each route Hideyoshi makes the first move.

Thank you!

Hideyoshi (65):

Hideyoshi always has a ready smile and it quick to placate his lord, but under the surface, he can snap back quite easily to the scrappy young man that he used to be, left in the world to fend for himself. 

The difference is that now that he’s grown, he has a man’s strength to go along with that rage, and if one isn’t careful, they might find themselves on the receiving end of him having a flashback.

Adept at hiding the pain in his heart, Hideyoshi throws himself into performing acts of service to others, and appears confident even when he doesn’t feel like that on the inside.

Hanbei (95):

Coping with a terminal illness, Hanbei does all that he can to make himself of use to those that he cares about, even when the odds are against him. However, he is stubborn.

Toshiie (75):

Toshiie’s insistence that he tell his MC about her father “when the time is right” is nothing more than cowardice and selfishness, but he holds on to it as if keeping such a secret will somehow protect her.  What he doesn’t realize is that doing so will only make her trust him less, as the first thing out of anyone’s mouth would be “why did you wait so long!?”

Hopping around from father-figure to father-figure highlights his need to fill a void in his life, and is an area in which Toshiie misses a chance to strengthen his tie to the woman he loves.

Instead, he chooses to make stronger a bond that was never weak to begin with– by going to save Katsuie –rather than saving his MC, to whom he has already nearly broken his connection with, through his poor choices.

Keiji (80):

Keiji plays up the part of the wild, sloppy-kissing, lazy bones good-for-nothing, but it turns out that he has more stability and common sense than he’s given credit for. Throughout Toshiie’s route, Keiji is there to bolster the MC’s confidence in herself, even when she lacks the energy and will. 

Ieyasu (65):

Ieyasu’s demons may be in the closet, but the door isn’t closed– it’s half-open. At the back of his mind are all of the horrors that he faced in the past, and they are easily dragged to the forefront of his mind, should the situation present itself, where he becomes upset about something, or at someone, and then there he is again, losing control. He is reactionary, with a tendency to lapse into old behavior.

Once he meets his MC, Ieyasu improved dramatically, but when he’s presented with knowledge that she betrayed him, he launches into a knee-jerk reaction without even considering that he’s been lied to. Once he’s had a few minutes to think, only then does he realize that he’s not in the past anymore, and that he has the means to protect himself and others.

Toramatsu (90):

Toramatsu is moved very quickly to exasperation, and can be a little melodramatic and passive-aggressive, even manipulative, but he is otherwise normal, as these situations are far from frequent.

Tadakatsu (65):

Tadakatsu’s desires may not be the norm around the castle, but it’s not the desires themselves which are the issue. Tadakatsu will go out of his way to get what he wants, even knowing that his lord takes no pleasure in taking part in it, but is merely humoring him because it helps him remove himself from the situation faster. Finding Ieyasu’s complacency suits him just fine, Tadakatsu actively seeks out situations which will get him his desired results, anyway.

He has also said that it doesn’t matter who it is, so long as they give him what he wants, and to that end, Tadakatsu would likely continue to ignore other people’s boundaries, as even his speech has no filter.

Yasumasa (55):

Yasumasa’s hatred of women seems to come from different aspects of his psyche. From being socially awkward, to wanting to impress his lord, to wanting to dominate his lord’s decisions, to disregarding his lord’s will entirely, Yasumasa can’t seem to figure out what exactly it is that he wants.

He flits like a butterfly from flower to flower, from standpoint to standpoint, each soapbox he stands on changing slightly every time he opens his mouth.

In one breath, he’s saying women have no place in the clan, in the next, he’s asking the Lady of the clan for forgiveness. On one hand, he desperately wants to curry favor with Ieyasu, the next time he turns around, he’s forcing Ieyasu’s hand, and making him uncomfortable.

Mitsunari (65):

Mitsunari is undoubtedly teeming with an unholy amount of fanboyism toward his lord, but he’s also– put bluntly –an ass.

He’s quick to point out how stupid someone else is, and then the next thing you know, he can’t figure out something simple, because it has nothing to do with Hideyoshi, or it wasn’t in a book, or the information in the book is different, or it has to do with women.

He expects to be apologized to, but can barely move his tongue to offer an apology, himself.

Fiercely loyal, Mitsunari throws his hat in with those who have shown him consistency, devotion, and good-will. Once they have earned his trust, those close to Mitsunari can expect that he will give his all, in all ways, and find in him an ever-lasting friend.

Kenshin (45):

Suicidal, and mercurial, Kenshin needs a keeper, and Kanetsugu knows it. Kenshin will do anything so long as it is as far as he can get from the castle, and although it is usually played for laughs a careful read will reveal that the further away from the castle Kenshin gets, the happier he becomes– because he is trying to distance himself from his role.

Once he connects the dots that there is a spy in the castle, sent to kill him, Kenshin, who has long-since grown tired of being the blood-thirsty “God of War,” allows himself to fall into the trap, being so depressed that he sees no way out.

Yoshichi (100):

Cheerful and sweet, Yoshichi does everything that he can to be of help to his lord and his brother.

Kageie (75):

Kageie’s negative traits a few compared to his ability to do his job so well. And it is because he does his job so well that he is cocky, especially with newcomers. 

Because he tends to live in his own head, being satisfied with his reasons for doing things, but not always voicing them aloud so that others know why he behaves a certain way, his actions sometimes come across as bizarre, leaving others to wonder how he is able to do certain things. The end result is that it creates mystery, but also confusion for those who want to get close to him.

Kagetsugu (45):

I won’t spoil it, and you can say whatever you want, but the motivations for his actions make no damn sense.

Outside of that, Kagetsugu, like Inuchiyo, tends to realize his own feelings for those around him so late that he has let the opportunity to act on them sail by. Even platonically, he nearly burns every bridge he has.

Shingen (70):

Shingen is trying to hold his clan together, against the rising force of an unlikely opponent. He’s trying to hold it together, and when he can’t, he would rather seeing his empire razed than taken over. He’s also in deep denial about his illness, and very stubborn.

Kansuke (80):

Kansuke is under enormous pressure to keep his lord alive, both in his capacity as a retainer, and as a friend so close that he’s family.

He is a tsundere and a kuudere, and while his emotions tend to not show on his face, he can transition from one dere-type to the other at breakneck speed, when he’s crossed.