#sppdm 20th: the investigation

[yeonchi]

The Investigation Chapter 8

Written by Azuma Yeonchi

Adapted from Drawing Sword 亮劍 episodes 13, 14 and 15

Check out my other tie-in fanfic, Combo Rangers: Operation Wagan here:

Join the Discord servers to be notified for the event fanfic in October!

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Salacia en Discord!

Chapter begins after the break.

After returning to Yokohama, Parker was restless as he tried to find out where Shanbin had fled to and where he had taken Sherman. It was then that James Nolan came knocking on the door of his quarters. “Parker! I found out where they’ve gone.”

Parker opened the door and let James in. “Where are they?”

“They’re headed for Azuchi Castle. They got caught in a standoff with General Donaldson but they managed to get away. Sherman is with them as well.”

Parker went over to UNIT HQ and gave orders to the soldiers at the communications post. “Code Red Salacian! I want all armies in the Kantō region to converge on Azuchi Castle immediately!”

“Parker, what the hell are you doing?” asked James.

“What else do you think I’m doing? I’m going to save my brother.”

“Don’t you think you should inform the commanders about this first?”

“So they can say no to me at 2 in the morning? No chance.”

“But have you thought about how many men we have, how much ammo we have, whether we have any artillery, or if our enemies will send for reinforcements? At least get the neighbouring regions in on this.”

“I don’t have the kind of power for that, but if they want to come help, they’re welcome to. One region’s troops should be more than enough.”

“But you’re going to mess up the entire campaign! The Salacians will overrun our region’s border defences.”

“What are you scared of? If the higher-ups want to execute me, I’d like to see them try. Prepare for combat!”

Through the early hours and into the morning, the Drylander resistance in Kantō advanced to Azuchi Castle. This wasn’t just a battle to save Sherman, it was also to avenge the lives of everyone who fell in the line of duty and the innocent people of Aikawa. A number of units were ordered to group together and hold off enemy reinforcements on the roads to Azuchi Castle by any means necessary, down to the last man. Over 10,000 troops were mobilised. Many of them gave their lives to ensure Parker’s success.

Inside the main keep, a soldier reported to King Shanbin. “Your Highness, the Kantō Army is approaching the castle on all sides. Our reinforcements have suffered major losses and are unable to arrive.”

Shanbin mused, “This is a self-blockading tactic. The Drylanders’ main forces are surrounding the forces attacking the castle and covering them by fending off our reinforcements. Who’s leading the attack on the castle?”

“Parker Zhou, Your Highness.”

“Impossible! This is impossible!” Shanbin bellowed. “How can his spirits remain so high after we took down his chain of command last night?”

“Your Highness, Parker Zhou is known among the Drylanders as a wildcard. We heard that he mobilised all those troops without permission or discipline, yet he could maintain control over them. There is nobody other than him who would be mad enough to do this.”

“Very well. Let’s see if you’re correct. Bring in the Drylander boy!” Two of Shanbin’s soldiers brought Sherman in. He then went up to Sherman and told him, “My men tell me that your brother is leading the battle outside. I want to see if they’re right. It’s as important for me as I hope it will be for you. Let's go to the balcony. We’ll find out very, very soon.”

As Shanbin and his men prepared for a siege inside the main keep, Parker and the Kantō armies broke into the castle and prepared to besiege the main keep. “Captain May Ōyama! Where’s the bloody Italian cannon? Bring it here!” The captain and her men brought the cannon out. Parker continued, “I want to see if you can use it. Load the cannon and blast those fuckers!”

After the cannon was loaded, Parker ordered it to be fired, but an enemy soldier waved a white flag from the window of the main keep as King Shanbin called from atop the balcony, requesting parley. “Drylanders below, hold your fire and look up here! Do you recognise this boy? If you do, then I assume you’re Colonel Parker Zhou’s regiment!”

Parker stood up and yelled back, “King Shanbin! You call yourself a man, using a hostage to make an example of me?”

“So you really are Parker Zhou. You hurriedly fled the battle in Aikawa and left a lot of your people behind. I would have expected more out of you Drylanders. But look, I’ve brought your brother here for you, so how about it? I want to offer a trade!”

“Okay, I’m happy to discuss terms with you. Get your men to drop their weapons and come out. I won’t kill any of them if they do!”

“Colonel Zhou, in these two years of warfare, have you ever seen a Salacian willing to surrender that easily?”

“Then why the fuck are we still talking? Open fire!”

“Colonel Zhou! Are you really so heartless to let your brother die like this? I propose a 15-minute ceasefire to negotiate a trade, otherwise I won’t be responsible for your brother’s safety!”

“Cut the bullshit! You and I both know that this battle can be over in a minute! I won’t sacrifice the lives of my people or soldiers in exchange for my brother!”

It was then that Sherman yelled from the main keep, “Yeah, you tell him, Parker! My life isn’t worth all these sea monsters! Open fire, Parker! Avenge our fallen comrades! Avenge our innocent friends from Aikawa! Parker Zhou! Open fire!”

James tried pleading to Parker, “Don’t fire, please! Let me charge into the keep with the men!”

Sherman kept yelling, “As long as you believe, I know we’ll meet again someday! Open fire!”

Despite James’ pleas, Parker pushed him away and ordered, “Open fire!” The blast directly hit the castle keep, which collapsed on Sherman and King Shanbin, who was just about to execute him. As James led everyone in a charge, Parker just sat down next to the cannon, exhausted and guilt-ridden.

Funnily enough, Sherman and King Shanbin’s bodies were never found. King Shanbin was brought back to Salacia, where he regained consciousness in his own palace as he was confronted by his son, Shai. “Sorry, Father. I’ve waited too long to let this chance pass by.” Shai killed his father and became the Sea Serpent King without question. Not everyone liked Shai for various reasons, but he was a better option to be king than his father. To both worlds, Sherman and Shanbin’s bodies were destroyed along with the other Salacian soldiers caught in the blast.

Back in Yokohama, Parker was brought before a tribunal to take accountability for his actions. Although he moved troops in the Kantō region without permission and for personal reasons, resulting in the deaths of many of them, he did manage to kill King Shanbin and all the enemy soldiers at Azuchi Castle while decimating the Salacian forces within the Kantō region. As such, Parker was not demoted, however he would be transferred to other regions practically every year, serving the Chōsōkabe Army of Kōchi, the Shimazu Army of Kagoshima and the Tokugawa Army of Aichi before returning to the Kantō Army as a general, serving alongside John Donaldson. By that point, the war had gone on for six years and the princes and princesses of Salacia were about to make their debut on the battlefield.

After Parker had served as general for nearly a year, the Kantō Army was split as a result of a mutiny and Parker was transferred to the Takeda Army of Cardiff. He served with the Takeda for two years before splitting away and forming an independent army, the Kongming Army, who headed the Eastern Army that defeated the Western Army at Sekigahara and Osaka. Following that, Parker moved to São Paulo, where he set up businesses in the city and allied with the Yabusaki Clan to form the Unified Resistance Army, whose objective was to defeat the Salacian Army forces once and for all.

Barely a week had passed after the siege at Azuchi Castle when Parker was to be transferred to the Chōsōkabe. On the day he was scheduled to leave, Parker said his goodbyes to everyone, then he went over to a building where the names of the fallen were written on spirit tablets before they were taken to be placed in shrines for the fallen. He took the tablet that had Sherman’s name on it and sat down in a corner, speaking to him as if he were there.

“I wish we could build a grave for you, but it’s not that easy considering we couldn’t find your body, or what’s left of it. I wish I could tell you that I didn’t want to give that order to open fire, but every second I didn’t meant that another person would be in danger. Funny, I thought you’d understand that. Why did you have to say we’d meet again someday? It sounds so pure and innocent coming from you and I hate it. I can’t face our parents again, even after everything that happened. And please don’t look over me, wherever you may be now. I don’t want to disappoint you or break your heart.”

Parker tried so hard not to cry, but he couldn’t help shedding tears thinking about his brother. General Bill Portland, who was also being transferred to the Chōsōkabe with Parker, had come to find him. He went up to Parker and put his hand on his shoulder. “They’re ready for us, Parker. It’s time to go.” Parker got up, put the tablet back where he found it and left for Kōchi with Bill. A part of him symbolising the man he was died in the city he called home and he was never the same again.

Back in the present day, Kate Lethbridge-Stewart had finished reviewing the statements taken from all the suspects and the case files of Parker’s past. She took out her phone and made a call. “I need you to run a name for me. Find me everything you can find and send it all to me.”

THE END TO BE CONTINUED IN Sea Princesses: The Conquerors of the Lost and Forgotten

[yeonchi]

The Investigation Chapter 7

Written by Azuma Yeonchi

Adapted from Drawing Sword 亮劍 episodes 11, 12 and 13

Check out my other tie-in fanfic, Combo Rangers: Operation Wagan here:

Join the Discord servers to be notified for the event fanfic in October!

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Salacia en Discord!

Chapter begins after the break.

In spite of his current attitude and personality, Parker Zhou was a more positive person who was just as determined as he was currently. He had a twin brother named Sherman who he fiercely protected as if he was his little brother, despite him being the first-born of the two. They were separated from their parents due to certain circumstances, so Parker had to take on more responsibility and protect Sherman from having to fight in the war.

Over a decade ago, while the young royals of Salacia were studying and learning how to fight, the war was happening away from the sea and deep within the continents of Dryland. Two years into the fourteen-year war, the Kantō region of Melbongkong was mostly occupied by the Salacians, with pockets of resistance existing in several towns. Parker was a colonel from Yokohama, one of the resistance strongholds. He had gained notoriety as an unparalleled warrior and strategist in the region and therefore, he was a valuable asset to the Kantō Army and the resistance.

At the same time, the Salacians had a special operations unit, led by Sea Serpent King Shanbin. Shanbin desired to be king even in death, earning the ire of his son Shai, who desired to forcibly take over the kingdom once his father died. In spite of Shanbin’s authoritarian rule, he was also skilled in special operations and everyone in his unit had majored in said course at the Salacian Military Academy. He was also responsible for furthering their training and honing their skills to ensure their continued success in combat. Aside from his duties, he was also tasked with gathering information on Parker and the rest of the Kantō Army.

Parker and his subordinate James Nolan went to Maebashi to meet with General John Donaldson and his subordinate Alvin Anderson. While catching up at a café for afternoon tea, John invited Parker out for dinner at a nearby restaurant, which coincidentally, had been booked out by the Salacians to celebrate Captain Aurora Bellfield’s birthday. The four of them snuck their way into the restaurant, and as everyone else was listening to Aurora make a speech, Parker and James were more interested in eating, the latter more so than usual.

“Dude, slow down,” whispered Parker, seeing James quickly wolfing down the food on the table.

As they continued listening, James asked, “What do you think he’s talking about?”

“I dunno, something about his mum or whatever. Now he’s singing and crying.” James was still eating quickly, lifting up plates and ripping apart meat with his hands. “Dude, are you even listening to me? I said slow down! Leave some for me!”

Parker slapped James in the back of the head, interrupting Aurora’s speech. “Burger!” he said to them in what was clearly a Salacian insult.

James turned his head to him. “Who’re you yelling at, dogfucker?”

Parker said to James, “Now, now, James, don’t stoop down to his level. He’s probably more of a bastard than you are.”

Hearing this, Aurora bellowed, “Burger Yarrow! Who are you two? Who invited you in here?”

Parker replied, “I am Colonel Parker Zhou of the Kantō Army, the very same person you’ve been looking for.”

Hearing this, the Salacian soldiers stood up but James pushed Aurora back while Parker tipped the table over as they got their guns out. “Freeze! Nobody move!” the two of them yelled before they shot anyone who moved.

“General Donaldson, isn’t it time for you to show up?”

With Parker’s words, John and Alvin stood up, guns in hands. “General John Donaldson of the Kantō Army, at your service.”

“I’m leaving these sea monsters and jihadists to you, sir!”

“You’re too kind, sir. Do you think I would have any use for them?” And so, the four of them shot dead everyone else in the room, including Aurora, before escaping back to their camps.

After the Shark King Trebon heard of this incident, King Shanbin was given an order to capture Parker. Using a Drylander soldier whom he had captured as a plant, Shanbin learned that Parker was having a birthday party in Aikawa for Sherman and himself and that the guests would be staying the night there. Later that evening, Shanbin led his unit to Aikawa with the intention of capturing Parker, but Parker caught onto what was happening and engaged Shanbin in battle.

Parker and his troops fought off Shanbin, but his ambush had taken everyone by surprise as they suffered significant losses. With General Bill Portland injured in the skirmish, Parker was forced to take his remaining men and retreat to Yokohama. Shanbin was unable to capture Parker, but he was able to capture Sherman and ravage the rest of the town, killing everyone within.

As Parker carried him out of the battle, Bill said to him, “Parker, put me down. I’m not going to make it.”

“Don’t say that! I’m not leaving you behind!”

James called out, “Hey everyone, look, behind us!” Everyone turned to see Aikawa on fire. Everyone who lived there had died.

Over in Odawara, John Donaldson had gotten word of what happened in Aikawa. “Order our cannon unit to advance to Zaō and destroy their transports. If he can’t drive back to Okazaki Castle, then the only place he can go to will be Azuchi Castle. We’ll advance to the valley border in Ishinomaki and intercept King Shanbin. That’ll teach him to mess with our friends.”

John’s cannon unit destroyed Shanbin’s transports at Zaō, resulting in him having to abandon his return to Okazaki Castle and take up camp at their stronghold in Azuchi Castle instead, just as John predicted. Shanbin and his unit passed through Marumori, Ōsaki and Tagajō before arriving in Ishinomaki. 

As John’s machine gunners spotted Shanbin’s unit arriving in the valley, they began opening fire on them. “Who ordered them to open fire?” John asked. “That’s only the enemy vanguard. Responding to two or three soldiers with a machine gun is a surefire way to get yourself killed.” Sure enough, the Salacians threw some grenades at them and took the machine gunners out.

One of his men, Jarrod Jones, came to John with a report. “General! They’re flanking us. A bunch of those sea monsters are trying to distract us so the others can escape.”

“Damn it! Men, with me!” John and unit followed Shanbin and the others to the top of the valley. On John’s orders, his unit managed to pin down Shanbin by throwing waves of grenades at him and his unit.

Knowing that he was trapped, Shanbin got his men to crouch down as he attempted to negotiate with John, yelling at him from below the valley, “General John Donaldson, I am Sea Serpent King Shanbin of the Kantō Special Operations Unit. May I have a moment to talk?”

“I’m interested in talking with you as well, Your Highness. Put down your weapons and come on out. I’ve got all the time in the world.”

“General Donaldson, I have heard of your reputation and if I may be frank, there are not many Drylanders who I could call good men, but you are an exception. Even the Shark King Trebon believes your head is worth 10 million of your nation’s dollars, a truly remarkable assessment for a career militiaman like yourself. This battle has shown me that your reputation does precede you. How many officers can turn the tables in a precarious situation such as this?”

Next to him, Jarrod spoke up. “This isn’t the time to be kissing ass. Get to the point!”

“Very well, I’ll be blunt. I propose a diplomatic ceasefire to negotiate our conflict. You and I are both career militiamen with no prior grudge. Our meeting on this battlefield is merely the result of us doing our duties to our respective peoples. In better times, I would be interested in getting to know a remarkable man such as yourself.”

“King Shanbin, negotiations require both parties to put something on the table. You may have managed to take down my machine gunners, but let’s face it, the men in my unit are too good to let themselves be consumed by you. You’re now in a precarious situation and even if you had wings, you couldn’t even manage to escape. Didn’t you say you wanted to get to know me? If so, then put down your weapons and surrender. If you do, then I can guarantee your safety.”

Alvin, who was behind John, was getting impatient. “Shanbin, 我日你先人, hurry up and tell us, you gonna surrender or not?”

Shanbin replied, “General Donaldson, it appears that some of your men are lacking in manners and maturity. Generals and officers have their own way of discussion. How could we stoop to the level of our soldiers? I admit that I am trapped at the moment, General Donaldson, but in case you haven’t heard, my men have undergone specialised training. I trust you have seen this for yourself. Must you continue this futile struggle and increase unnecessary bloodshed? I trust that you are smart enough to realise this and consider the possibility of negotiation.” Shanbin signalled to his men to continue on while he continued speaking. “Both sides have had their wins and losses today, so if you and I choose to withdraw our forces here and end this battle, it would be beneficial to both of us. Please consider my offer.”

John responded, “Your only course of action is unconditional surrender, Your Highness, unless you want to end up as mince meat on the battlefield.” John’s men raised their grenades again, not knowing that Shanbin was slowly escaping and rejoining his men. “Have you gone mute, King Shanbin? I’m going to give you to the count of three.”

There was nothing but silence. Jarrod asked, “General, have those sea monsters managed to get away?” John brought his men forward to look below the valley, only to see Shanbin and his unit already getting away. John reported this situation back to the headquarters in Yokohama.

[yeonchi]

The Investigation Chapter 6

Written by Azuma Yeonchi

Adapted from Conquer 征服 episodes 2, 14, 19 and 20

Check out my other tie-in fanfic, Combo Rangers: Operation Wagan here:

Join the Discord servers to be notified for the event fanfic in October!

Server de Princesas del Mar

Salacia en Discord!

Chapter begins after the break.

At the Unified Resistance Army camp in Santos, Parker got a call on his burner phone. Heading to his chambers to take the call, William reported that their hit on Noel Pryceler had failed because the police got to him first. Hearing this, Parker told William and Taylor to get out of São Paulo as soon as they could.

The next morning, the two of them packed up and quickly headed for Luz Station, but they were arrested before they could board the train. They had been identified by matching rough descriptions from witnesses to CCTV at previous crime scenes. William and Taylor confessed their association with Parker Zhou and their involvement in the shootings. This, combined with the statements taken from other suspects, gave the police more than enough probable cause to arrest Parker, Liam, Mauricio and Angelina, but they hadn’t been able to find a good opportunity to arrest them. That changed a week later when Parker’s internet beef with Shark King Trebon reached a climax.

Parker was called back to Yokohama to meet with UNIT, which was meant to be their opportunity to arrest and question him. However, they never got to do so as Parker got distracted and ghosted UNIT; Parker had taken two Salacians hostage to escalate his feud with the Shark King, who then kidnapped two Drylanders as well in retaliation, making the situation worse. Somehow, the hostages ended up being freed soon after.

Kate Lethbridge-Stewart decided that she would personally arrest Parker, no matter what. The week after Parker ghosted UNIT, Kate set off for Santos with a convoy of UNIT forces and police to arrest Parker, Angelina, Liam and Mauricio. She hoped to help the police close the case as soon as possible despite knowing that Parker was the key to humanity winning their war against Salacia.

That morning, Parker left the base to buy a newspaper from back home. He had Liam and Mauricio trail him just to be safe as suspicion would be focused on him given that the police had caught William and Taylor and that it was a matter of time before they would find him as well.

Parker went down the street and approached the stall. “Can I get a Herald Sun please?” Parker brought the paper, but just as he turned around, a UNIT truck had stopped across the road and beeped at a passing motorcyclist as the officer in the passenger seat got out and ran over to the stall to buy a paper.

“Hey, can I get a Herald Sun please?” asked the officer.

“Sorry, I gave my last copy to that guy,” replied the seller, pointing at Parker.

“Aiyo~!” The officer turned to Parker. “Hey, you mind if I borrow your paper for a sec, brother?”

“Sure,” Parker said. “Here you go.”

“Thanks, man. I gotta see how Victory did last night. Eyy, we won!”

“Hey, we won. Nice!”

The officer turned around to Parker. “You from Hong Kong, mate? You go Victory?”

“Yeah man.”

“Aiyo~! I gotta tell ya, everyone in my team supports City but we both know they’re shit, ay? I made a bet with them that Victory would win last night against the Sky Blues and guess what? We won!”

“That’s nice to hear.”

The UNIT truck beeped at the officer. “Oh, I’ve gotta go. Ah, here’s your paper back.”

“You can have it. Little reward for your service.”

“Thanks man. See ya!” The officer went back to the truck and it drove off, sirens blaring.

Parker turned back to the seller. “Can I get a Yokohama Connection, please?” Once he got his paper, Parker went back to the base with Liam and Mauricio.

Later, while Parker was reading his paper, a scout ran into his quarters with a report. “My lord! A large UNIT convoy is heading this way! It appears to be led by Kate Lethbridge-Stewart!”

Parker suddenly stood up, slamming his fist on the table and startling the scout. “Which one of youse dogfuckers fucking snitched on me?”

“My lord, please, I’m just delivering a message!”

Regardless, Parker knew that it wouldn’t be long until UNIT got to the base and arrested him and his generals. “Spread the message to all units. Immediately begin the advance into Salacia!” The scout stood in shock at what Parker was asking of everyone before Parker frantically yelled at him, “Go! Get back out there!”

“Yes, my lord!”

Everything was closing in on Parker now that UNIT had caught on to everything he did in secret. Would karma come back to bite Parker, or would Parker successfully win against the dictates of fate? Would he be able to reclaim Dryland for humanity or would the salines assert their right to what they believed was originally theirs?

Parker led his army down to Gonzaga Beach as they prepared to march into Salacia. While all his soldiers were preparing themselves, moving supplies and inspecting their weapons, Parker had Angelina film a video for Trebon, which he would post online before he and his army set off into the ocean.

“齊邦(Trebon), 我TM來了! Where you at?”

[yeonchi]

The Investigation Chapter 5

Written by Azuma Yeonchi

Adapted from Conquer 征服 episodes 11, 15 and 18

Check out my other tie-in fanfic, Combo Rangers: Operation Wagan here:

Join the Discord servers to be notified for the event fanfic in October!

Server de Princesas del Mar

Salacia en Discord!

Chapter begins after the break.

Over the next two days, Gina sent her men out across São Paulo to find Parker and his generals. They didn’t find them, so they managed to lure out Angelina’s friend, Alice Nimbletoes, by having a mutual acquaintance of Gina and Alice take the latter out to lunch. After Alice left the restaurant, Gina and Melody chased her on a motorcycle, with their men following in cars behind them. Alice got into a taxi in an attempt to get away, but Gina and her men managed to catch up and take Alice.

Gina and her men took Alice to an orchard and forced her to tell Gina where Parker was. When Alice refused, Gina threatened to bury her alive. She then told Melody to kill Alice, but she just walked away because her leg was still injured. It was then that Melody discovered police cars arriving. She went back and tried telling everyone to run, but they were all arrested. Parker bailed them out anonymously, but that was because he needed Gina out for his plan to take place.

Parker was livid after his meeting with Gina. Since he decided to return home to Yokohama after the war was over, he decided to get his revenge on the people who wronged him during his time in São Paulo. When he heard that Gina was after him, he decided to stay at his hotel for a few days until the heat died down. Angelina called the police when Alice failed to meet her at the hotel, which was how she was found later. After the police found Alice, Angelina went to the hospital to see her. At their hotel, Parker sat down with Liam and Mauricio in their room.

“I need four guns,” said Parker. “Not from our stockpiles, I don’t want it to get traced back to us.”

Mauricio replied, “In that case I can get four hunting rifles. I know a guy I can get them from.”

“That’s good enough. See if you can modify them into sawn-offs.”

“I’ll try.”

“Don’t try, just do it. Also, I need a couple of really reliable guys. They need to have form and be quick on their wits.”

“Why are you getting someone else for this, Parker? Couldn’t we help you take care of them ourselves?”

“I don’t want you sticking your necks out for me like that. Besides, we need to head back to Santos as soon as I get this plan in motion. Do you guys know anyone?”

Liam thought for a moment. “I do. I know a couple of guys from Kansai. Let me call them.”

“Do it.”

Thanks to the power of the Shinkansen, Liam’s friends William Peralta and Taylor Harrison arrived in São Paulo the next day. Liam picked them up from Luz Station and brought them to the hotel. Parker and his generals would spend the next few days preparing his two new assassins for their missions.

Parker told his two new assassins about their targets and helped them observe their behaviour so they would know where and when to strike. Mauricio would obtain their guns, bullets, vehicles and plates while Liam would quickly prepare a licence for William under a false identity since he could drive. William and Taylor were more than happy to help Parker since he was a friend of Liam’s. Parker wired the two of them around A$5000 each for their families, a move that touched them and led to the two pledging their full loyalty to Parker.

Angelina rented out a place that would become William and Taylor’s hideout. Parker planned for them to stay for about two weeks so he bought them return tickets for the Shinkansen. Liam and Mauricio bought them their supplies, then the four generals began heading back to Santos. They made their own way out of São Paulo, with Parker stopping off in São Bernardo do Campo to stab that fruit vendor. The four of them met back up just south of where Parker was and rode on the Anchieta Highway back to Santos.

Over the next two weeks, William and Taylor got to work taking out Parker’s enemies in São Paulo while Parker and his generals continued their duties with the Unified Resistance Army in Santos. As the police investigation continued, William and Taylor were smart enough to avoid attracting attention. Despite this, there was an occasion where they nearly fell into their hands…

Aside from Ronaldo, Craig and Gina, there was another enemy that Parker ordered a hit on. That man was Noel Pryceler, who wasn’t a gang leader or an army commander. He was just an ordinary businessman with shady ties. Before Parker moved to São Paulo two years ago, he planned on opening a courier business near a bus terminal in Guarulhos. He picked a good spot and the lease contracts were agreed on, but a week later, the site was leased to someone else who was already renovating it. That person was Noel Pryceler.

After Parker moved to São Paulo, some of Parker’s men, including Liam and Mauricio, disobeyed Parker’s orders and went to the business to beat up Noel and a couple of guys who were working with him. They were arrested soon after and held for 48 hours. It was then that they learnt that Noel had a brother, Keith, who was a higher-up in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and he had him pull some strings to get Parker’s site. Parker did eventually manage to get a business on the same street by pulling some strings using his ties to UNIT and Torchwood himself, but despite this, he didn’t get as much business as Noel did. That gave Parker motive to take revenge on Noel and Keith.

From observation, Noel went to a spa centre in Guarulhos at least once every three days, requesting the same room and the same massage from the same spa lady. Near the end of their month in São Paulo, a week after Gina’s death, William and Taylor planned out their escape route and once they were ready, they went to the spa centre and got the room next to Noel’s, where they laid in wait. Because they were in a public place, they decided to use knives instead of guns.

When Noel arrived at the spa centre, he got a call from the police saying that his life was in danger and to wait for them in the lobby, something he didn’t believe as he went back to his room. William and Taylor overheard this, but just as they were getting ready to strike, the police came in, went up to Noel’s room and took him away. Their mission had ended in failure.

[yeonchi]

The Investigation Chapter 4

Written by Azuma Yeonchi

Adapted from Conquer 征服 episodes 10 and 11

Check out my other tie-in fanfic, Combo Rangers: Operation Wagan here:

Join the Discord servers to be notified for the event fanfic in October!

Server de Princesas del Mar

Salacia en Discord!

Chapter begins after the break.

While the investigation into the deaths of Ronaldo Marquez and Craig Handorer was ongoing, another victim showed up two days after. Gina Toriwara, the head of the Toriwara clan nicknamed “The Tiger of Blumenau”, was shot dead by William and Taylor in the carpark of a supermarket in Jundiaí. The police found Gina’s younger sister, Melody, and took her in to question her regarding Gina’s feud with Parker.

Gina was the wife of Fabio Yabusaki, head of the Yabusaki clan and Parker’s ally, through a political marriage. They had a daughter, Princess Runai, who stayed with her father while Gina commuted between São Paulo and Blumenau to check on her armies.

The week before Ronaldo’s death, ten days before Gina���s death, Parker and three of his generals left the Unified Resistance Army base in Santos and went up to Jundiaí to meet with Gina at a restaurant, where she was sitting in a banquet room with Melody.

“This room, sir,” the waitress said as she brought Parker, Liam and Mauricio up to the room. Na Ying’s song 白天不懂夜的黑 was playing on the speakers.

“Ahh, Parker, you’re finally here. Been waiting for you all day,” said Gina.

Parker replied, “How are you, Gina? These are two of my top generals, Liam and Mauricio.”

“Nice to meet you. Please, take a seat.” Parker and his generals took their seats and so did Gina and Melody. When Parker had Mauricio bring up some meeting gifts for Gina as they sat down, she reacted, “Come on now, no need to be so formal.”

“It’s just a little token of my appreciation.”

“You’re too kind. We’re all friends here. Now, this here is my sister, Melody.” Parker and Melody got up and shook hands. Once they sat back down, Gina poured herself and Parker a drink. Na Ying’s song continued, “我們仍堅持各自等在原地...”

“Now, Parker,” said Gina. “I may be older than you, but I do know a bit about you. I know you’re a man of honour who takes care of his men. If there’s anything I can do to help you, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Well, thank you for your reassurance.”

The two of them toasted and downed their drinks as the song continued. “你永遠不懂我傷悲, 像白天不懂夜的黑...”

“Now then, Gina, I know you didn’t just call me here for a meal and some drinks. If there’s something you want from me, feel free to speak up. If I can help you, then I’ll do all I can, otherwise if I can’t, then I hope you can understand the situation I’m in.”

“That’s the kind of spirit I like to see,” Gina happily expressed. “I’ll get to the point. The Yabusaki clan’s funding isn’t doing enough for my men and they need money to eat. I’m planning on breaking ties with the Yabusaki clan and allying with the Ninomiya clan of Fortaleza. What say you join me and share in the glory when our eventual victory comes?”

Parker’s expression turned cold as he heard this. Fabio’s allies were his allies as well, so how could Gina just get up and leave now when they were coming close to victory against the Salacians? If Gina’s men needed money, Parker would have been more than happy to give it to them, so why would she seek out another clan for money? Her words enlightened Parker to Gina’s true colours as he was shocked to hear that she thought that way.

“Gina, I understand that you have your men, but I have my comrades and friends as well. They rely on my money to eat just as Fabio’s men rely on his money. Like we agreed, if you wanted my help you could have asked. I never thought you would say that about your husband.” The scene became tense. Gina took a puff from her vape and blew it out her nose while glaring at Parker. “Look, I’m trying very hard to give you some face here. You’re obviously a renowned general where you come from and you have many people who respect you.”

Melody knocked on the table. “Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! You’d better not throw away the face we’ve given you. Who the hell do you think you are? When my sister was making a name in this world, you were still wearing diapers. And you want to play the bigger man here? Go piss a mirror and look in the puddle. Shameless bastard.”

Liam and Mauricio got up menacingly at the statement, but Parker stopped them and got them to sit back down. Parker told Gina, “I have something to tell you. The dragon knows when to strike and the tiger knows when to hide. I don’t need to explain to you what kind of person I am. Gina, you gave me the face to talk it out and I gave you the face to meet up and listen. Tell Fabio that he can explain to me about his situation with you.”

Parker, Liam and Mauricio got up to leave, but they stopped when Gina called out, “Parker! I have something to tell you as well. Young people shouldn’t get too cocky!”

“Would I be young if I wasn’t cocky?” he retorted.

Melody slapped the table and stood up. “Parker Zhou! Now you listen to me, if you walk out of that door like this, I won’t be done with you.”

“Then how do you expect me to leave this room?”

“You’re not leaving until you say yes. Even if you say no, I’ll make you say yes!”

Parker turned to Liam and Mauricio. “What’s up… I’ve never seen anyone talk back to me like that in my life.”

“I’ll fucking kill you!” Melody picked up a knife and charged at Parker. Mauricio went over to Gina and held a knife to her neck while Liam charged at Melody and stabbed her in the thigh.

Parker calmly turned to Gina, who was just sitting there while her sister fell to her knees, wounded from being stabbed by Liam. “Your sister’s got a bad attitude, Gina. You should look after her better and change her attitude, or else she’s never gonna get anywhere in life.”

[yeonchi]

The Investigation Chapter 3

Written by Azuma Yeonchi

Adapted from Conquer 征服 episodes 7, 10 and 11

Check out my other tie-in fanfic, Combo Rangers: Operation Wagan here:

Join the Discord servers to be notified for the event fanfic in October!

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Chapter begins after the break.

Ronaldo never reported Parker’s arcade fracas to the police, so Parker and his men thought he had gone soft. From observation, however, they noticed that Ronaldo had hired Craig Handorer and his men to provide protection as they just hung out in the arcade.

A few days later, Mauricio and three others were in a hotel room playing cards while Parker and the others were absent. The doorbell rang and one of the men went to open it. In burst through Craig and his men. Mauricio and the others grabbed their knives, but Craig had a gun.

“Fighting with knives, are we? Put the knife down. Put it down. Down, I tell you!” Mauricio put down his knife as Craig still had his gun at his chest. “Where’s Parker Zhou?”

“Not here,” answered Mauricio.

“No shit he isn’t.” Craig moved his run to Mauricio’s head. “Where did he go?”

“I dunno.”

“Which of y’all busted my boss’s arcade, huh? Were you there?” Mauricio scoffed at Craig. “Get down on your knees. Down on your knees. Down, I tell you!” Craig and his men made Mauricio and the others kneel. “Alright, chop ‘em up.”

Parker, of course, decided to retaliate. For this, however, he let a few of his men go, since he wanted them to be free to go back with their families, do business or fight Salacians in the war. This was also for their safety, because something would happen if he let too many men join him, or if they were with him for too long, they would be eventually recognised and identified. Parker was good to his men, whether in his army or in his businesses, but when you’re helping him take care of business, the only condition was that unless you were in Parker’s inner circle, you didn’t ask unnecessary questions and Parker would only tell you what you needed to know.

That night, Liam had a friend stage an accident and crash his car with Craig’s as he was taking his men home. As Craig and his men confronted Liam’s friend, another car passed by. As Liam drove, Mauricio held a gun out the window and shot Craig in the leg before Liam sped off. Liam’s friend ran off after that.

The next day, Craig and his men thought they saw Liam and Mauricio and tried to follow them in their car, but they ended up losing them. Some time later, Craig and his men were eating in a hotel when Parker came in with Liam and Mauricio. “Freeze!” the two flunkies yelled as they ran to Craig’s table, holding their guns up to them.

Parker was pinning one of Craig’s men by the head to the table. “You remember me? Don’t move. I’ll kill you if you do.” Parker then turned to Craig. “Yo what up fheg?” Craig stayed silent as Parker scoffed. “Man, I had a friend who would say ‘Yo!’ every time I said that to him. These guys were with you?”

“Yeah,” Mauricio nodded.

“Heard you’ve been looking for me, Craig. Can’t get enough of me? You’re seriously looking for a fight, aren’t you? Do you have the balls to go against me, Parker Zhou? Not so tough without your stupid guns, are you?”

Craig tried to light a cigarette but every time he did, Parker would blow the lighter out. Craig eventually gave up.

“Forgot to bring your guns? Here, I’ve got one for you.” Parker took Mauricio’s gun and held it by the muzzle, intending to pass it to Craig by the handle. “Take it! Gone flaccid, have we? Lost your bullpussy, have we? Alright, imma give you one more chance.”

Parker held the gun to his head and put Craig’s hand on the trigger. This was an absolutely ludicrous and stupid act that would have ended the lives of incompetent villains, but Parker was just that hardcore and stupid enough to pull it off. “You ready, f****t? You’re gonna pull the trigger and my life can be yours to take. I’m going to count to three.” Parker counted to three, but Craig was too stunned to even pull the trigger, not knowing if the gun was loaded or not.

On the count of three, Parker snatched the gun away and gave it back to Mauricio. “Why didn’t you take the chance, huh? I gave you a chance, why didn’t you take it? Right, all of youse just saw this, alright? I gave you a chance and you didn’t take it, so you only have yourself to blame. Now, I have a small request. Kneel down on the ground and call me ‘Daddy’. You do that and I’ll let you and your boys go.” This was something that would be considered a kink in some cultures, but in Parker’s culture, it was a pro-gamer power move.

“How about it? That fair for ya?” Craig stayed silent. “Come on, f****t. Not gonna give me any face, are ya?” Parker had Liam pass him his gun as he pointed it at his head. “I’m gonna count to three again and if you don’t call me ‘Daddy’, I’ll put a bullet in your head.”

Parker counted to three again, which was when Craig decided to stand up and get on his knees. “Daddy,” he said. “I’m sorry, Daddy. I lose. Please let me and my friends go.”

Parker passed the gun back to Liam before taking the glass of alcohol on the table and pouring it on Craig’s head. “In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, I hereby baptise you… fheg.” He then emptied the glass, poured himself a drink and had Craig’s men toast him. “Right, that was a toast for your friend Craig.” Parker then turned back to him. “So then, from now on, when you see me and my boys in public you have to call me ‘Daddy’, or I’ll beat you every time I see you! Do I make myself clear? Call me one more time if you understand.”

“Understood, Daddy,” said Craig.

Parker laughed. “You sure are a smart boy, aren’t you, son? Right, let’s go.” Parker, Liam and Mauricio left, pointing their guns towards Craig’s table as they left.

For some time, Parker and his men made sure to pay Craig a visit so they could hear him call Parker ‘Daddy’. None of Parker’s men knew if he liked men or women, or both, or if he was just a sick cunt. Eventually, Craig never saw Parker or his men again as they had to rejoin the war.

[yeonchi]

The Investigation Chapter 2

Written by Azuma Yeonchi

Adapted from Conquer 征服 episodes 3, 4, 10 and 11

Check out my other tie-in fanfic, Combo Rangers: Operation Wagan here:

Join the Discord servers to be notified for the event fanfic in October!

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Chapter begins after the break.

Two years ago, after dealing with his enemies at Osaka Castle, Parker moved to São Paulo, which had recently been liberated from Salacian occupation, with his army to focus on fighting the Salacians and ending the war. With his ties to the Yabusaki Army, Parker was able to establish a number of businesses around São Paulo, but even with his fame and notoriety, he faced competition from people who had the balls to cross him.

Parker took over ownership of an arcade in Vila Pirituba, with the manager, Geraldo Mita, now reporting to him. While Parker himself never attended much, he sent a couple of men there for protection.

Not long after, Ronaldo Marquez opened another arcade nearby that was bigger than it, with more games, proper air conditioning, drinks and smokes. Geraldo wasn’t happy about it, but despite his objections, Parker attempted to extort R$200,000 out of Ronaldo for damages caused to his business. Ronaldo thought that was too much, so he went through an intermediary acquainted with Parker, Joel Stechat, and managed to settle it for R$70,000. When Parker and Ronaldo met at a restaurant to make the deal, Parker only went to give face to Joel, refusing to shake Ronaldo’s hand when he, Liam and Mauricio left.

Later, Joel asked Ronaldo for R$200,000, but Ronaldo refused to let him take it without writing up a receipt, the expectation being that Joel would return the money. Joel scoffed at Ronaldo and left, but a few days later, Ronaldo had Craig Handorer send his men to harass Joel and his friends. Joel reported this incident to the police and while Ronaldo was taken in for questioning, the case ended up being closed with no one being charged. While the incident gave Joel motive to kill Ronaldo, he wasn’t the killer in the end.

There were two reasons for this; one, if Joel wanted to get revenge on Ronaldo then he wouldn’t have gone to the police, and two, from observation, Joel appeared hardcore but on the inside, he was a softie who wouldn’t hurt a fly. Ronaldo must have seen this in him, which was why he didn’t let Joel take his money even though R$200,000 was a drop of water for him. That wasn’t the last of Ronaldo, however.

Ronaldo had a relative named Gusman who would always hang out in the arcade with his boys, just sitting at the games and not playing them. Ronaldo thought that wasn’t good for his business, so he arranged with Geraldo to have him and his boys play at his arcade with all the costs on him.

Over the next month, Gusman and his boys sunk R$8,000 and Ronaldo was generous enough to let Geraldo have it. The next day, however, Gusman and his boys came to extort the money back from him. Geraldo pushed back on it, even going so far as to ask Gusman to get Ronaldo over, but when Gusman mentioned the name of his boss, Pip Boyada, he just told Parker’s men to stand down and handed over the money. Pip was a notorious figure in the area and Gusman acquiesced as he was afraid of what he would do if he were to show up.

Just as Gusman and his boys left, however, Parker showed up with his men, knives in hands. “Where are they?” Parker asked.

“Where’s who?” Geraldo replied.

“The fuck are you talking about, where’s the guys who were after you?”

“Gone.”

“You gave them the money, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. He said he’s with Pip Boyada. You really want to piss him off?”

“Funny mud go pee,” retorted Parker. “Why don’t you get him to call Pip here?”

“Look, I’ve had enough of this. I’m planning on closing up shop in a few months and doing something else.”

“And you call yourself a 6 foot man. This isn’t just about you, this is about me as well, you get it? This is clearly what Ronaldo Marquez wants from you. He wants you to piss the fuck off, get it?”

“Surely not?”

“Oh, you’re fucking useless.”

In retaliation, Parker and his men went to Ronaldo’s arcade to sit around taking up seats, going so far as to chase off other customers who were playing.

“Hey, lady!” Liam called to a nearby waitress. “Get us some smokes and drinks, would ya?” A few waitresses brought Parker and his men their smokes and drinks, which Parker refused as the men passed them around.

A waitress had called a security guard over to them. “You here to play, sir? If you’re not going to play, there are other customers who want to play.”

While his men got up and surrounded the security guard, Parker said to him, “What, can’t I just sit here and chill, adlay?”

“You’d better not cause a scene here. I’m sure it wouldn’t be good for anybody.”

Parker took a knife from one of his men and swung it at the security guard. His men then dragged the security guard away as they beat him up. Two other guards came to their colleague’s aid and got caught up in the chaos as well. Parker then pointed his knife to everyone else and said, “Alright listen here motherfuckers, my name is Parker Zhou. Tell your boss Ronaldo that this isn’t fucking over.” Not only were the three security guards injured, a number of arcade machines were damaged.

[yeonchi]

The Investigation Chapter 1

Written by Azuma Yeonchi

Adapted from Conquer 征服 episodes 1, 5 and 9

Check out my other tie-in fanfic, Combo Rangers: Operation Wagan here:

Join the Discord servers to be notified for the event fanfic in October!

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Salacia en Discord!

Chapter begins after the break.

Ronaldo Marquez was found shot dead in an alleyway in Suzano, São Paulo at night. He was just about to leave in his car when a van sped past him and blocked his way. Two armed assailants, William Peralta and Taylor Harrison, ran out of the van and fired three shots at him as he got out of his car, killing him instantly before they quickly fled the scene.

Local police took up the case as they investigated Ronaldo’s background and connections. Ronaldo was the owner of a number of businesses in São Paulo, including a game arcade, a hotel and a nightclub. He was a filial son, always going back to visit his parents in the alley nearly every day before going home to his condo. The alley made him an easier target due to the security at the condo. The motive for the murder was determined to be revenge.

The next evening, Craig Handorer and his partner were found dead at their flat in Tatuapé, killed in the same manner as Ronaldo Marquez. From this, the police determined that the perpetrator was an enemy to both victims, and so, suspicion fell on Parker Zhou, who had such connections to them. As Parker was the commander of the Unified Resistance Army in Santos, UNIT was alerted of this and Kate Lethbridge-Stewart personally offered her assistance to the investigation.

The police gradually arrested people related to Ronaldo, Craig and Parker, and questioned them with the attitude of “guilty until proven innocent”. The police even went so far as to use the suspects’ family members to lure them back home so they could arrest them, something that was unheard of in countries with more disciplined police forces (depending on your point of view). Kate and the police kept each other updated on updates and developments on the case, which brought interesting and memetic insights into the psyche of Parker Zhou.

The week before Ronaldo’s death, Parker and three of his generals, namely Angelina Mouseling, Liam Pitara and Mauricio Hernandez, took a brief trip up to Jundiaí. As they went back down to Santos a few days later, a fruit stall vendor outside the entrance of a favela in São Bernardo do Campo was reported stabbed.

Around 3:00 PM that day, Parker approached the stall on his motorbike to buy a watermelon. The vendor, a 29-year-old man who looked more like he was in his 40s, was talking with two of his friends. “Business going okay, guys? Birthed any xenomorphs lately?”

Parker got off his motorbike and approached the stall. “Eyy bruz, how much for a watermelon?”

“R$8 one kilo,” said the vendor.

“What’s up,” Parker remarked, shocked at the price. “The seeds made out of gold or the skin’s made out of gold?”

The vendor blew out a cloud of smoke, making a noise like an elephant. “Where else do you think you can get watermelons? They’re all from the greenhouse, brother. I hate charging this price just as you hate paying that much for it.”

“Aight, I’ll have one.”

“K.” The vendor turned around and picked out a watermelon from the pile behind him. He slapped it a few times to make sure it was ripe. “How’s this one?”

“Is it sweet or is it eetswa?” Parker asked.

The vendor was a bit miffed at that comment. “I run a fruit stall, bro. How could I sell you unripe eggies?”

“I asked you, is it sweet or is it eetswa?”

Offended, the vendor looked up at Parker. “Are you playing me, bro? Do you even want this?”

“If it’s sweet, then of course I want it,” said Parker as he began walking behind the stall. “What will you do if it’s eetswa?”

“If it’s not ripe, I’ll eat it for you. Happy?” As Parker nodded in agreement, the vendor put the watermelon on his scales. “5 kilos, R$40.”

Parker looked at the scales. “Brah how is it 5 kilos? Your scale’s broken mate.”

The vendor was really offended now. “Are you fucking playing me bro? You want it or not?” he said as he slammed the watermelon in front of Parker. “You want it or not?”

Parker just reached beside the vendor and flipped over the dish on top of the scales to reveal something. “Magunetto,” he pointed. “Remember, you said you were going to eat this if it’s eetswa.” He picked up a machete from the table and chopped the watermelon with it.

“你TM劈我瓜是吧?” The vendor was so offended he was yelling in another language. The vendor lunged at Parker but he stabbed him in the stomach with the machete.

“薩日朗!” the vendor’s friends shouted repeatedly as they tended to him. One of them tried to throw something at Parker but was stopped by him holding the machete at him. Parker dropped the machete, got onto his motorbike and drove off.

An acquaintance of Parker, Tian Erxi, recognised him and called out to him, which was how he was identified as the perpetrator in this incident. Parker was never apprehended as the war was happening and the Unified Resistance Army couldn’t afford to lose him and his leadership.

Why did Parker stab the vendor? Parker wanted to draw attention away from himself while his enemies were marked for death in São Paulo. It just so happened that there were a lot of swindlers near that particular favela, and the vendor was one of them. Also, Angelina brought a watermelon from there once and it was eetswa. Angelina didn’t care about getting revenge on him, while Parker only decided to care because he was a convenient distraction.

[yeonchi]

Sea Princesses 20th Anniversary Tie-Ins

There's two months to go until we celebrate the 20th anniversary of Sea Princesses. As I continue writing the climax to my epic event fanfic, I've got two new tie-in stories dropping this month.

Following the side story redux The Guardians and creepypasta The Successors along with the storyline skit in my Combo Rangers graphic novel reviews, I am proud to announce the new tie-in stories, Combo Rangers: Operation Wagan and The Investigation!

Combo Rangers: Operation Wagan is not going to be your ordinary superhero drama. In this war-torn world, the Rangers don't morph, but they still have powers which they use in the Drylanders' resistance against the Salacians. Join them as they carry out their mission to capture Penguin Prince Wagan, uncle to Penguin Princess Isa and prevent the Salacians from surrounding the Unified Resistance Army in Santos!

This story will be published on fanfiction.net here:

The Investigation follows a police investigation into Unified Resistance Army commander Parker Zhou's feuds with businessmen and army commanders after a number of people with known ties to him were found dead across São Paulo. A side investigation from a familiar figure also reveals a tragic incident in the early years of the war. Follow a story of friendship, brotherhood and revenge in this off-the-rails tale connecting the past and the present.

This story will be published on Tumblr under the following tag:

#sppdm 20th: the investigation

These tie-ins highlight an element that will be featured prominently in the main event fanfic, namely adaptation. Parts of the story will adapt storylines from multiple Chinese dramas memetic among netizens and popularised on sites such as AcFun and Bilibili. If you think these tie-ins are crazy, just wait until you see the main event.

New chapters will be released every Saturday AEST from 10 August to the end of September.

Join the Discord servers to be notified for the event fanfic in October!

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Salacia en Discord!

Credits and sources:

Operation Wagan:

Isa/Nico: Carnal Oficial

Combo Rangers: Marcel Borges

Wagan: Liamasterink

The Investigation (from left to right, first and second rows):

Hu-ge 虎哥 (The Legends of Norbey 東百往事): Chai Hao 柴浩

Liu Huaqiang 劉華強 (Conquer 征服): Sun Honglei 孫紅雷

Li Yunlong 李雲龍 (Drawing Sword 亮劍): Li Youbin 李幼斌

Ip Man 葉問 (same name films): Donnie Yen 甄子丹

Yan Shuangying 燕雙鷹 (multiple TV series): Zhang Zijian 張子健

Zhuge Liang 諸葛亮 (Dynasty Warriors 真・三國無双): Masaya Onosaka 小野坂昌也/Lex Lang

[yeonchi]

SPPDM 20th Commentary Part D: Influencer's Requiem

(Art by namicute)

Can you believe we're only halfway through the entire story?

That was the midlife crisis arc, everyone. Hope you enjoyed the incoherent bullshit. If you've come here wondering what all that was, then that's what this commentary series is for. More Chinese media meme adaptations ahoy.

Check out the story here:

Join the Discord servers as well to be notified for when each part has been fully published!

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Every so often while this story is ongoing, I'm constantly checking back on previous chapters and correcting things. After I've finished publishing the story, I intend to go through it one more time and repaste everything to make sure I've caught all the corrections.

A major portion of this part is directly adapted from a series of social media videos made by "influencers" from the northeastern regions of China doing the craziest shit and beefing with each other in the name of the ruthless trolling life. The entire anthology is known as 東百往事, a pun on the name 東北往事 (Once Upon a Time in Northeastern China), a series which has a memelord of its own that I didn't end up adapting in my story (because there was nowhere I could fit him in). So here's a link to the memelord's main scene.

Anyway, in the anthology there are three particular sagas of note - Hu-ge vs Zhao Sanjin (虎哥對決趙三金), Hu-ge and Biao-jie's Love Story (虎哥彪姐愛情故事), and the main one, Hu-ge vs the Shamate Chief (虎哥對決殺馬特團長), which serves as the main focus of this adaptation. Clips of the entire saga are scattered throughout the Chinese internet and various people have made various attempts at compiling the saga, but this video compiles the aforementioned three sagas succinctly (albeit with some clips missing). The main reason why everything is a mess is because the original videos were taken down from their original platform, Kuaishou, for obvious reasons. In it there is also a lost livestream that not many reposters know of and I have also been unable to find outside of screenshots in the compilation videos, so I deemed it not important compared to the rest of the saga.

So Chapter 16 speedruns through the first two sagas before introducing the third saga, which continues on from there. Miss Marla's group decides that it is time for them to start gathering people and make a stand against the Shark King. As the girls talk in Tubarina's room about who they can convince to side with them, Marcello comes in and asks Tubarina about a secret room she previously went into at the end of Chapter 5. Tubarina sends Polvina and Ester off while she takes Marcello to investigate. They end up going through a mirror and ending up in Yokohama, where they are kidnapped by Parker and his group, who had left Santos for Yokohama earlier that day.

The Shark King is tipped off to Tubarina and Marcello arriving in Yokohama, but he is unable to find them, so he makes a video for Parker. Among others, Polvina and Ester hear about the two's disappearance as well, but the Octopus King tells them (via text) that he is taking care of it (alongside the Starfish King). Despite this, the Shark King confronts the rest of Parker's group and asks them where his children are. He ends up kidnapping Liam and Mauricio, but Angelina manages to escape. Upon hearing of this, Parker decides to head back to Santos with Tubarina and Marcello in tow.

Marcello and Tubarina talk about Marcia, the girl that the former saw during the battle in Chapter 10 who he thought could be Marcela. He worries that even if there was a way to prove that, he wouldn't be there to see it, but Tubarina reassures him that the proof will be obvious when everyone sees it, recounting the encounter with the Dryland girl in The New Princess (while also calling back to The Hammerheads and Marcello's Friend). At the same time, Seretao reveals to Polvina and Ester that Liam and Mauricio are being kept in the Shark King's old playroom from Tubarina Almighty.

Chapter 19 begins with head chef Maya Andrews (last seen in Chapter 11) freeing Wagan, Tubarina and Marcello from the holding cells while Marli and Socita free Liam and Mauricio from the playroom, the latter two making it back to their base. Tubarina recognises who Maya is and so does Marcello until she stops him from revealing anything. At the same time, Liam and Marli rekindle their love at first sight from Chapter 10 while Mauricio and Socita strike up a conversation, the four of them agreeing to go on a double date when the war is over. Tubarina returns home with Marcello as she tells him and Veto about the Shark King making clones and using Time Vent. This leads to the two of them (and their friends) siding with her group instead of the Shark King (or the Turtle King).

Back at the Unified Resistance Army base, Parker suddenly notices something off with Maya and puts a plan in motion to expose her, which culminates in her drinking her own poisoned chicken soup. At the end of Chapter 20, Maya is revealed to be the Abysmal Princess Bia, who is working as a superspy codenamed Pangolin. Not only is this a callback to The Ballad of the Forgotten Princess, this is also another meme and drama adaptation from episodes 8, 11 and 12 of Jiangnan Showdown (激戰江南), which also featured a superspy codenamed Pangolin, who is played by Lu Erxi (陸二喜).

The main thing about the Pangolin exposure subplot that was called out in the original series was how unrealistically it played out when in reality, the spy could just have been arrested once the army had the proof. Then again, this is a drama. What're you gonna do?

Commentary's a bit short here so I'll talk a little bit about the timeframing of this story for a bit of filler. In other words, the question is, when is this story set and how old are the princes and princesses in this?

As stated in the prelude chapter, this story takes places a decade after the original continuities of the books and the animated series. I kept the exact year vague because while I believe that the series was set in 2004, quite a few people in the renaissance fandom believe that it is set in 2008. Because the Sea Princesses arc in my personal project takes place in 2018, my belief is that this story is set in 2018, though you can choose what year the story is set in.

So given that this is the 20th anniversary of Sea Princesses, why doesn't the story take place two decades after the original series? Many series, particularly animated ones, have characters who are teenagers or are on the cusp of adulthood, and some parts of my story seem to work better with the characters being around that age range. By my reasoning, the characters would be 20-22 years old in 2018; making them any older would make those parts dumb or childish. This was the best I could do given the timeframes I set.

And speaking of years, why is there this discrepancy over how long this war has gone on for - is it 8 years or 14 years? To answer this, let's look at when the Second Sino-Japanese War started. Common knowledge states that the war started with the Marco Polo Bridge Incident on 7 July 1937 and went through to the Japanese surrender on 2 September 1945, making it an eight year war. However, while there was a Japanese territory in China after they won the first war in 1895, they didn't occupy China enmasse until after the Mukden Incident on 18 September 1931, resulting in the Japanese forces invading northeast China and establishing the puppet state of Manchukuo. While there were skirmishes in that region since then hence the 14-year timeframe, it didn't spread to the rest of China until 1937. In 2017, China's Ministry of Education ordered that their textbooks be changed to reflect the 14 years of war even though most of it was credited to the KMT's armies. It's become a meme since then as well.

In the context of this story, the war has gone on for 14 years since 2004 and the 8 year timeframe is just how long most of the characters (including the princes and princesses) have been fighting since 2010, coincidentally the same year of the Salacian Revolution in my story.

This has been Part D, Influencer's Requiem. Truths will come to light in Part E, Telling Truth to Power. It's going to get a bit hot in here, so I hope you're prepared.

As the battlelines are drawn between the Shark, Turtle and Whale Kings, the girls, their parents and their friends begin to convince the royals to join their alternate cause. Meanwhile, Tubarina tries to find out how her father turned out the way he is. What secrets will be revealed in Part E, Telling Truth to Power?

(Art by Princess Rainbow Network/Julx-Julz)