#saizo... my forever love...

[annicaax]

S-saizooo! Who gave you the right to be so lovely? Love you always! Don't think me needs a reference to draw your face either!💖💗

#otome #voltage inc #kirigakure saizo #samurai love ballad party #slbp saizo #saizo... my forever love... #bonus from the recent event #sep 22

[theofficersacademy]

                                Forsyth   Byleth (F)   Andrei   Lachesis                           Naesala   Selena (FE8)   Chrom   Yarne   Hilda                                 Katarina   Ephidel   Saizo   Isadora   Eir

TEAM TAG: #AOtheta2024 CORPSE COUNT: 0. PUBLIC OPINION: POSITIVE [65/100]

Where does this portal go? You walk for what feels like a whole continent's distance, uncertain, for a destination you still hold little concept of as of yet. There's a presence that keeps you company, however, winding its way into the very fabric of this dimension.

Keranes, you intuit as if you have known her for most of your life. The more you walk, the more you feel certain that must be her name. She guides you, takes you closer towards where you must go through the creation of the skies and the earth. Before you, she makes your whole world. There is another presence making this world too, you know deep in your soul, but she does not make it alongside you.

She is farther off, you think. Keranes is here with you however.

But Keranes grows weary. You sense her compassion morph in her exhaustion, and the woods around you begin to rot, beckoning you even further into the safety you yearn for.

My love, my light.

You begin to grow strange and numb in this world. You had entered to pursue your quarry, but this world... the longer you stay, the farther you walk, the more this sense of unease bleeds into you.

When will we return to the surface?

And that's when you reach your paradise at last: the village of Rusalka. But you are no less exhausted from the pilgrimage.

The Circumstances

Rusalka is built into what appears to be a massive pit and is covered by a dome. Inside, the weather and temperature remains constant so it's easy to forget about the summer rains and heat beyond. Additionally, the village is entirely self-sufficient. Clothing, furniture, food, and medicine are all produced within its territory, and the crops grow year-round here, both out in the fields and in the many impressive greenhouses scattered around the village.

Before you enter the village, Keranes tells you all that in order to dismantle this world and the ill powers within it, there need to be some sacrifices. Seven of Rusalka's inhabitants, specifically ones from a group she calls ‘The Newcomers’, must be killed and their corpses left someplace outside the village walls. It does not matter which of them die nor how, but she will return by the end of the week to retrieve the corpses to help you end Rusalka and the evil power lurking and building within here. It is the Newcomers’ spirits that are keeping the place stable, so it would seem.

Upon arriving, the village's inhabitants turn out to have some very familiar faces. Amidst the residents are fourteen people: Python, Jeralt, Brigid, Diarmuid, Reyson, Vigarde, Emmeryn, Panne, Holst, Kris, Nergal, Ryoma, Harken, and Hel. Together, they make up a group the village calls ‘The Newcomers.’ They claim to have arrived some time ago and that they've been waiting for you to join them in living in this paradise forever. You are safe here so long as you stay inside the village, they insist, and now have the ability to be in a world free from pain. They dress in hemp tunics and shoes with vibrant hues, and you truly have never seen them happier. Despite their familiarity to you, you cannot help but feel greatly unnerved by their happiness somehow…

Due to the efforts of the Newcomers vouching for you, your party has been tentatively allowed to stay within Rusalka. For now, the fourteen of you are sleeping in one of the village's largest buildings, being granted accommodations as a group. The village expects you to pitch in whilst you stay; paradise, as happy as it can be, still requires hands to help sustain it! 

The Newcomers insist you join them. Keranes and your mission asks that you end them. The clock is ticking. You will have to make a choice.

What Do I Do?

Make your case. Keranes made it very clear that at least seven people need to be dead by the end of the week. If there's an inhabitant you wish to save, this is your chance to try and persuade your teammates within your threads to keep them alive. Alternatively, if you believe someone should die, this is also your opportunity to argue why and try to convince them to take your side. 

Commit murder. If you don't think cooperating and discussing with your peers is enough, or you wish to make their choice a little easier by making it so there are less people to save, you could always take matters into your own hands. A guide on this system will be in the next section.

Complete tasks and assimilate into the village. You still need to find a way to survive within this realm, unable to find your way out of here now. This is the only civilization for miles. It might do you well to get on the village's good side while you're stuck here... or at least figure out more about where you even are.

How to End a Life

If you wish to murder one of the village inhabitants before the week is over, DM your Team GM, Mod N. N will ask you who you wish to kill as well as how you wish to commit the murder in very basic terms for the sake of flavoring the death.

In the team channel, N will then ping the teammate most closely associated with the inhabitant you are trying to kill. That person alongside N (on behalf of the murderer so as to preserve their anonymity) will roll a 1d20 each. If N's roll result is equal to or higher than the number the other person rolled, you will have been successful with your murder and the corpse will be available for the group to discover.

If N rolls lower, the inhabitant will survive the encounter but will be unable to recall who tried to murder them.

If you wish to kill your own most closely associated inhabitant, you can. The process shall be the same except that you will be rolling for the sake of your inhabitant and N will still be rolling on behalf of your murder attempt. This is to keep up your anonymity, but your muse is free to reveal to their teammates that they murdered (or at least tried to in case you failed) that person if they truly wish to.

If the group would instead prefer to execute an inhabitant together, you can set this up. To instigate a potential village execution, ping N in the team channel with a name of an inhabitant since this will be treated as a public matter that all the muses will be discussing IC. N will create a form and ping the whole team to decide the fate of that specific inhabitant. If a simple majority is achieved within the next 24 hours, then the execution shall automatically be successful. More than one public execution vote can be running at the same time. In the event of a successful execution, how the group chooses to do it can be flavored by you all, but the village does make a point of noting how dangerous the world is outside of the village if you wanted some ideas...

You are allowed to kill more than seven village inhabitants if you would like. If the group fails to obtain a minimum of seven corpses by the end of the week, ███ ████ █████ ██████ ██.

How you choose to accumulate corpses will influence Public Opinion. The more private/secretive the method, the less public opinion you shall lose for each death. The more public, the more you lose for each death. ㅤ- Successful Murder Attempts: -1 per corpse ㅤ- Unsuccessful Murder Attempts: -1 per attempt ㅤ- Group-Voted Execution (Private Method): -5 per corpse ㅤ- Group-Voted Execution (Public Method): -10 per corpse

Tasks [ Resource Key / Team Document ]

Investigate outside of the village walls. The inhabitants strongly discourage this, but if you must go, they insist you do not go alone. [Max 4 muses per thread] ㅤ- Lose -1 Public Opinion per post ㅤ- Once you reach 5 posts in the thread, ping N.

Harvest the fields [Max 2 muses per thread] ㅤ- Grants 2lbs of vegetables per post ㅤ- Gain +1 Public Opinion per post

Forage in the specified forest outside of the village. The inhabitants direct you to this one as the one they frequent, but they still request that you don’t tarry overlong outside the village walls. [Max 3 muses per thread] ㅤ- Grants 1 basket of a random resource (berries, nuts, mushrooms, herbs, flowers) per post. Roll 1d5 every post to determine which resource you gain. ㅤ- Authority rank of C or higher grants knowledge of which plants are safe, coaxing the villagers to tell you this information beforehand. If no muses of C-rank Authority or higher are participating in this thread, roll a d4 for each basket. If 1, then that basket will turn out to be poisonous. ㅤ- Every 5 posts, roll a 1d5. If 1, ping N.

Assist with chopping wood [Max 2 muses per thread] ㅤ- Gain +1 Public Opinion per post ㅤ- Axe rank of C or higher grants multiplier of 2x

Help make medicine [Max 2 muses per thread] ㅤ- Gain +1 Public Opinion per post ㅤ- Every 5 posts creates one Vulnerary ㅤ- Faith rank of C or higher increases effectiveness; creates Concoctions instead of Vulneraries ㅤ- Apothecary Class Mastery increases speed to one creation every 3 posts instead of 5

Help with chores (e.g. mending clothes, cooking food for the village, making tools) [Max 3 muses per thread] ㅤ- Gain +1 Public Opinion per post

Care for the village ranch animals [Max 3 muses per thread] ㅤ- Potentially grants resource depending upon involved animal ㅤ- Gain +1 Public Opinion per post ㅤ- Riding/Flying rank of C or higher grants multiplier of 2x for Public Opinion only

Fortify the village walls ㅤ- Lose -1 Public Opinion per post

Important Notes

This event is mostly meant to be driven by the players rather than being ushered by your GM at every turn. Please take note that while the tasks above will contribute to the narrative of the campaign, you are not limited to only threading about the tasks above. You are free to write threads unrelated to the tasks if you so wish, so long as they take place within the setting of the event.

In addition to the above, if writing a task thread, please indicate it either in the title post of your thread or in your starter so that it is clear from the start.

Also, task threads are not limited to only featuring writing directly about the task at hand. You are encouraged to write character exploration and conversations outside of the scope of just the task as your characters carry them out. Please feel free to have your muses discuss the plot or anything else currently on their mind. See these tasks as a way to get characters together physically in one space, but the narrative freedom you are allowed is still just the same as most other threads too.

There is currently no time limit rule for when posts need to be written, but please remain in open communication with your thread partners/teammates. Shorter posts are encouraged to help keep things moving and for relationships to progress along with the narrative.

"Good" or "Bad" outcomes will still progress the campaign, so don't feel too stressed about needing to "win" this event. The primary focus on this event should be character development and building relationships with your teammates. Actions have consequences, but all consequences can have narrative potential for exploration.

The team document was linked up above, but here is another link to Team Theta's team document if you require it. This will also be pinned in your team channel. Whilst it will be updated in certain areas by your GM, players should do their best to update the thread tracker on it with link to thread replies and any notes they might wish to jot down whether for their own sake or for helping their teammates stay in the loop.

If you have any questions at any time or require additional information, ping Mod N.

#TOAApollyonOuranos2024 #AOtheta2024

[yukiwrites]

Better off Not Knowing

Thanks for the support and bottomless patience as usual, @mourningstorms! I hope you like it~

Summary: Kagero had trained hard to be recognized by her liege, Ryoma, though the day he looked at her in the eye for the first time in years, she didn't think she would actually have to serve him in that way...

Commission info HERE and HERE!

__________________________

Kagemitsu and Kagero.

Siblings born into a loving, deeply loyal family of ninjas.

Kagemitsu, as the first born, was to inherit the name of the family and prove its loyalty by offering his services to the hoshidan crown. However, as if cursed by fate, his health had never been his strongest suit. Some days, it was even difficult for him to walk out of the bed, let alone pick up a kunai and train like a proper ninja.

The family, pressured into displaying fealty, was on the verge of collapse.

That was until the youngest child, Kagero, rose up to the task. She was barely old enough to discern right from wrong, but out of a desperate attempt to help her beloved big brother and prove that her family was good, she put herself out there for training.

Day and night, she trained. Under harsh sunlight and fierce rainstorms, she trained. With her small body, but titanic convictions, she pushed herself to the brink — until all of her efforts were acknowledged.

She was to be presented to King Sumeragi’s firstborn, High Prince Ryoma, so as to serve as his personal retainer in the future. Saizo V, one of Kagero’s playmates as well as the heir to the clan that ruled their secluded hamlet, had already been introduced to their lord from an even younger age, and had already been assigned a few duties despite his young age.

Kagero could barely remember how to walk the day she was sent to Shirasagi. Her palms were sweaty and her breathing was uneven.

She could barely look up to the boy that carried himself so arrogantly yet held poise only conceived by royalty. Blushing, she managed to meet his eyes amidst her inner turmoil and stuttered a few words out.

“I-I am called Kagero, my Lord,” she bowed deeply, almost too deeply in fact. She almost prostrated herself on the ground in a dogeza. “I will give it m-my all to serve you forever.”

“Hm,” the young boy crossed his arms, seizing up the little, stuttering girl with his eyes before turning on his heel to leave. “Work hard,” he said simply, waving behind his back as he left with Saizo at his beck and call.

Kagero lifted her head in amazement, her eyes sparkling with joy. “I will!” she said to no one in particular — or rather, to herself — and made her way back to the village to complete her training.

Since Saizo had already been assigned to Ryoma, there was no need for them to serve at the same time. It was imperative that Kagero finished her training to be by the prince’s side once they were of age so he was always accompanied by a shadow no matter where he went.

For a few years more she trained, this time not just for her family or for her brother, but for her lord. Remembering his parting words, Kagero gave everything she had into training, especially the parts that weren’t particularly enjoyable, such as the, well, intimate lessons.

Barely after her first blood, Kagero was inducted at the intimate lessons class. She, Saizo, Kaze and all other ninjas of similar age were part of them, in more ways than one. There were times, after an especially harsh lesson, that Kagero ran into her room and only came out after a full day had passed. She couldn’t even tell Kagemitsu what had happened, but he could tell by the tear stains on her face that it hadn’t been anything enjoyable.

Kaze and Saizo felt the same way, but their lessons took a lesser toll on their bodies than it did on Kagero’s.

Still, Kagero pressed on, remembering her young lord’s words. She would work hard and serve him with everything she had, even if that meant putting all those lessons into practice.

Remembering her instructor’s parting words, Kagero finally returned to Ryoma’s side after half a decade of training.

The moment she met a now grown-up Ryoma, Kagero’s heart fluttered with joy. She had finally accomplished what she wanted. She was going to serve him by his side and remain there for as long as she drew breath. For Kagemitsu, for her family, for Hoshido, but, most of all, for Ryoma.

Her eyes sparkled the same way they did back then, but this time accompanied by her mature features and her straight-faced expression.

Yet, the moment Ryoma’s and Kagero’s eyes met, he averted his gaze almost immediately, covering his face with the back of his hand.

“...?” 

Odd, Kagero thought, but that still wasn’t enough to damp the fire of servitude in her heart. A servant wasn’t supposed to meet the eyes of her lord, anyway.

Thus, she started her new path as a retainer to the High Prince of Hoshido, heir to the throne after Sumeragi’s death.

There was much for him to do, and many places for him to go as the heir. He had to train, study, attend meetings with Queen Mikoto and the ministers, travel the land to inspect the fiefs as well as the borders… He was a busy young man.

Still, Kagero couldn’t help but feel that it was strange.

They were swamped with work, and yet, she was barely doing anything. She saw Saizo running up and down with assignments while she was tasked to guard the door outside; she saw him going in and out of Ryoma’s room no matter how late or how early it was, while she was only allowed to see him after he went into the dining hall; there was even a time Kagero managed to steal a glance inside the study during history class only to have Ryoma avert his eyes and focus on whatever it was that he was writing, despite the teacher’s warnings about something or the other.

It was odd.

Frowning, Kagero went to consult Saizo about it, but not much came out of it.

“Of course, it’s because of my devotion,” he said proudly, puffing his chest up, wearing a smug face under his mask. “Serve him well and you’ll be assigned more work in due time.”

“So I’m not serving him well now…?” She mumbled to herself after Saizo had left, looking up at the moon for answers.

The next day, she went to meet her friend Orochi during the day — something that brought her even more frustration. She had to be by her Lord’s side just as Orochi was by Queen Mikoto’s, but again Saizo was the one assigned to stay beside Ryoma during the day. Kagero could barely look at Ryoma from the shadows during the night as she guarded his door, so how could she serve him well at that rate?

Sighing in vexation, Kagero spoke her heart out to her friend, who giggled and slapped her knee as if she had heard the most amusing of tales.

“I do not understand why you laugh,” Kagero narrowed her eyes at her giggly friend. 

“Heeheehee! But it’s so funny!” Orochi dried a tear from her eye with one hand, “and don’t you give me the death glare! You should show that face to Lord Ryoma, then maybe he'll stop avoiding you because of how beautiful you are!”

Kagero’s hand flinched under the teacup. “What? That can’t be it.”

“Why not? Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately? You’re not a little girl anymore,” Orochi traced her index through Kagero’s exposed shoulder, lowering it to the middle of her cleavage. “And Lord Ryoma’s at that age. I bet he never saw anyone as beautiful as you, not with all those ugly court ladies hanging around the palace all day.”

“You’re the beautiful one, Orochi. Your smile is so warm and your voice soothes all my worries,” Kagero said sincerely, looking at her reflection on the tea.

“A-hem,” Orochi blushed slightly, fanning herself. “Compliments won’t get you anywhere, you know. I said what I said and I know I’m right! I can even divine it for you if you want.”

“No. It’s okay,” Kagero nodded, fidgeting with the cup for a while longer before getting up. “Thank you for the talk, Orochi, but I’ll be going now.”

“Aww, so soon? But Lady Mikoto won’t be done with the meeting for another hour or so, so I’ll be bored here by myself.”

Ryoma was also at that meeting, but the one inside, hiding in the shadows of the ceiling, was Saizo, not her. She clenched her hands and went for the door. “Still. Thank you again.”

“Boo,” Orochi pouted, watching her friend leave. “I would’ve teased her more, but I can see that’s a sore topic for her, so I’ll refrain from talking about it again. What a good friend I am!” She patted her own chest, talking in a louder voice so Kagero could hear it from the corridor.

Nevertheless, Kagero left with a more troubled heart than when she had come.

She had been training so hard for the opportunity to show her valor as a person, as a ninja. She had so many skills under her hat — just as many as Saizo, for that matter.

And yet, if what Orochi said was true, what Ryoma expected of her was nothing more than… serving him as a woman.

Of course, she should be happy to be at least of service to her lord, but she still couldn’t help but feel miffed about it all. That was one of the skills she had under her hat, indeed it was, but still…

“Hahh…” She sighed, shaking her head. “I can’t think properly like this.”

Deciding it would be a waste of time to dwell on it without knowing for sure, Kagero went to the training grounds. Breaking a good sweat would clear her head and help her remember the reason why she was there in the first place.

She was there to serve, nothing more, nothing less. It did not matter in which way, as long as she was doing what she was trained to do.

She wanted to be of use to her lord, so she would do so, no matter in which shape or form. Thinking about it even further, it was childish to compete for her Lord’s attention with Saizo in the first place. 

Saizo had been there for years, while she had served for a few months at most.

There was no need to rush. She could take it slow.

There was time to show Ryoma how useful she could be.

With a clearer head, Kagero exited the arena, surprised to realize that the moon was already so high up in the sky. 

Running frantically, she quickly bathed herself so her body odor wouldn’t compromise her position during the night shift and walked at hurried steps towards the royal wing.

Just as she stepped on the outer corridor leading to Ryoma’s room, there was a sudden gust of wind. Startled, Kagero closed her eyes for a second as she held her hair from flowing in front of her face.

At that precise moment, Ryoma stepped on the opposite side of the corridor, his eyes wide and his mouth agape, as if in a trance.

Once the wind stopped blowing, Kagero finally met her Lord’s gaze. 

At that moment, her heart fluttered. It had been such a long time since their eyes had met properly that she couldn’t help but stare for a second or two.

Ryoma’s breathing started becoming uneven as his neck and the exposed chest under his open hakama turned bright red. He gave one step towards her and Kagero felt it.

She knew what was coming.

For a split second, she almost rolled her eyes. She almost sighed in defeat.

But Ryoma had been even faster; he covered the distance between them with large and decisive steps.

The hand that wrapped itself around Kagero’s waist was so hot it almost made her melt. Once their bodies collided, there was a current spreading through their veins as if it had been waiting for that moment.

And once their lips touched, all sounds disappeared. They could only hear each other’s breathing and frantic heartbeat.

Ryoma roughly, clumsily, dug his tongue into Kagero’s lips, which she gracefully received, clashing it with hers to deepen the kiss. Finding her taste sweet, Ryoma pulled her closer to him, bending himself on top of her slender, curvy and soft body.

As per her lessons, Kagero let out a strangled moan, wrapping her shaky arms around Ryoma’s neck as a sign of acceptance and submission.

Wasting no time at all, Ryoma, without even parting his lips from Kagero’s, tumbled towards his room, too entranced into her taste to bother to look around. His body knew the way.

Breathing heavily, Ryoma only let go of Kagero’s lips long enough to do away with his clothes, otherwise he barely gave her time to breathe.

Feeling his eagerness, Kagero replied in kind, looking up at him with entranced eyes and moaning at the precise moments as their bodies mingled under his rough, inexperienced hands.  She moved her body in a way that would help the intercourse more pleasurable while still making it look like it was all because of Ryoma’s dexterity.

She shed a single tear once they truly united, which Ryoma dazedly licked out of her cheek as he moved, drunk in the stupor of being with her. More than once, more than twice, more than four times they did it throughout the night.

Each time, Ryoma’s clumsiness got replaced by dexterity, until, by dawn, he felt like an experienced instructor, one that Kagero had had the displeasure of working under for many years.

Regardless of how he performed, Kagero was satisfied with her own performance. She bemoaned on the precise moments, and pushed him away demurely at other times, intent on enticing him to want more.

Once she saw Ryoma open his eyes as the golden rays of sunlight filtered through the shoji doors, there was joy in there.

She saw profound, encroaching joy reflected in his eyes that looked at her at that very moment. He smiled in a way she had never seen before — it wasn’t the smile of a lord, nor one of a prince. It was one that she would never see again, no matter how much she ached for it in the future. It was the smile of a simple young man, looking at something that seemed so precious he was willing to discard the royal bearing if only for that moment.

The first time they did it, they were seventeen.

It was a night neither Ryoma nor Kagero would ever forget, though these memories would be tinted in very different lights for the both of them. For Kagero, it was the day she had first served him and showed him what she was truly capable of. It felt like an entrance ceremony of sorts.

One that she would treasure for the rest of her days.

For Ryoma, it was the most shameful yet the most pleasurable night he had ever had.

It had been only the most pleasurable up until the moment their eyes met after they woke up.

She looked so dazzling in the sunlight, as only the important parts of her body were covered by either her perfect black hair or by the bed sheet. As she sat up, he wanted to push her back down and stay with her all day.

He wasn’t thinking too deeply. He simply wanted to stay with her.

But the moment her voice reached his ears, reality came crashing down on him.

“Good morning, Lord Ryoma,” she had said, her voice carrying no weight at all and lifting him up, “how may I serve you today?” she said with those same lips that were so swollen he felt a filthy sense of pride inside of him for being its perpetrator. With those same lips that had called him so sweetly, she had asked him about servitude.

All warmth left Ryoma’s eyes as he looked at her as if he was seeing a stranger. Kagero noticed the shift in emotions right away, but pretended not to, as it wasn’t her incumbency as a servant. She was there to serve, not to ask.

Yet, when he simply got up and left without saying a word more, Kagero wondered if she had done something wrong.

She replayed the events of the previous night in her head, over and over.

Over and over. Over and over she remembered it, evaluating her performance, her gestures, her responses to his touches.

There was nothing she could say that had gone wrong, not to the point of him looking at her like she had grown a second head. What had gone astray, then?

Confused, but not about to forget about the rest of her duties, Kagero quickly tidied up the room before any maidservant came and found her there. One of her duties as she served Ryoma through the nights was discretion, most of all, so although her role was somehow obvious to every ninja out there, it was still considered an open secret. 

So, she would protect her Lord’s face by pretending nothing had happened, as it was custom.

Were he to need her again, she would be at his beck and call, but for the moment, she focused on the task at hand.

Still, she couldn’t help but remain confused throughout the day. Saizo said that Ryoma was spending the day in meditation under the waterfall a few ways behind the castle, and that her services weren’t needed — as it had been the custom for the last few months — so she occupied herself with minor assignments.

She couldn’t tell about what had happened to Orochi, so there was no one to confide in nor anyone to ask advice about. There was no time to go back to her village and talk to her former instructor about it, so she had to make do by herself.

Had she done anything wrong? What could it have been? Could she do something to make it up, perhaps…?

The answer that came was through Saizo, later that night. 

“Lord Ryoma said you can take a week off. Be grateful by our Lord’s grace,” he puffed his chest with pride, not even once imagining what had happened between them.

To Kagero, it felt like the ground was opening under her feet. So she had done something wrong. What could it have been?

Kagero could barely remember how she passed that week. Did she train? Did she meditate? Did she attain Nirvana? She couldn’t know.

What she knew, however, was that, the moment her probation — there was no way she could call that a vacation — was over, she met Ryoma’s eyes without any regards to her inner turmoil, smiling in the way that was expected of her.

She bowed deeply.

“Long time to no see, my Lord,” she said, a slight flush on her cheeks as she saw Ryoma look at her without averting his gaze.

If she had been closer to him, she would have seen a ripple of emotion in his eyes, or the clenched fist under the desk. Alas, as she was simply kneeling by the door, there was no way for her to see it all properly.

“Welcome back, Kagero,” he said with a deep voice, making the hairs of her neck stand on end. It had been too long since she had heard his voice, so she was somehow elated.

He acted as usual, so Kagero would follow suit.

From that day on, she was given more work — or rather, she was given the appropriate amount of work that was expected of her. Eager to show her abilities, Kagero did everything assigned to her with perfection, feeling accomplished, at least in that regard.

Yet, Ryoma never called for her to ‘serve’ him again.

“As I thought,” she mumbled one night, “I must have done something wrong.”

Intent on finding out what, Kagero tried to better herself in every way possible. As she and Saizo grew closer during their time together, Kagero found a way to test it all out.

Even if Saizo shared her contempt for the more ‘intimate’ matters, it wasn’t as if he was completely opposed to doing it, so one night, as they patrolled together, he gave in to Kagero’s advances.

He knew that she had deliberately chosen that moment to conjoin with him, and she was aware of that as well, so they simply did it without thinking too much about it. They had started a relationship that had lasted for a few months anyway, so it wasn’t as though they were doing anything wrong.

After they were done, Kagero sat on the bed, allowing her hair to cover her chest, and asked Saizo what had been bothering her.

“How do you rate my performance?” She asked bluntly. He knew that she had realized that he was aware of her intentions, so there was no need to tip-toe around each other.

However, he also noticed that she was serious about it — just as she was about every part of her training — so he had to give her his honest opinion. He sat down as well, and they talked like the coworkers they were, except without the clothes.

“You were flawless. Straight out of the book.” He said honestly.

Kagero tilted her head to the side, unsatisfied with the response.

If that was true, then why…? Why was it? Why did Ryoma react that way after their night together? Why did he give her a week off?

Why, why, why…

He had looked so content just before she had greeted him. Was it how she worded it? How else could she have greeted him, then?

Was he dissatisfied with how her voice sounded? But Saizo said she was flawless, and he wasn’t one to give such compliments without truly meaning them. He would have told her if her voice had been even slightly off.

For weeks, for months, for years she was confused.

She still did her job perfectly, but was never asked to serve again. 

She should have been happy about it, right? After all, she had been greatly disappointed to find out that Ryoma actually wanted her to serve him like that.

Yet, when he didn’t call on her anymore, it felt like she had failed.

She wanted to serve him fully; she wanted to give him everything she had, and all she had was herself.

The more time they spent together, the more she heard his voice, the more she saw him grow into the commander and prince that would rule Hoshido one day, the longer she wanted to look at him.

The more she wanted to be by his side.

Why didn’t he call on her? She wanted to be of use so badly.

Even after the war broke out in earnest, she saw how hard he worked, and how badly he needed a nightly comfort, and yet he never called on her. They interacted just as usual, but that wasn’t enough.

It wasn’t enough anymore.

She couldn’t take it anymore, not after that terrible, thundering, stormy night at the border between Nohr and Hoshido.

Not after Corrin had left to stay with the nohrians; not after seeing Ryoma trudge back to the castle as if one could collect pieces of him that had broken along the way.

No, she couldn’t let that go on anymore.

She would go to him… and she would serve.

The moment she decided that, she remembered her instructor’s words, those that she hadn’t understood for so long in her youth.

Give your body, but keep your heart well protected.

Ah. Kagero understood it  now. It all made sense as she made her way to her lord.

As she held his hand and made him touch her cheeks.

As she looked up at him under her eyelids and struggled to hide her thundering heartbeat.

It all made sense now.

But it would’ve been better if it all had remained a mystery.

#ryoma x kagero #ryoma fire emblem #kagero fire emblem #theres mention of spice but its perfectly sfw dw dw #my writings #yuki's commissions #fire emblem fates #fef

[unknown-characther]

I like Yu Gi-OH, So here's my version of the Ninjas deck 2022/2023

So, i really like ygo, been playing since 2016(?) i think, and my second deck ever is Ninjas, A deck very "cheesy" as I like to called it. And I still stick to it. Because, 1. I love it 2. Money because meta = $$$ 3. The board that you can make is just mmmm.

But I should clarify. I am not a experienced player nor a "good" player, The people that i play whit ave like 10-15 years exp (I think) or at least they are just better and have the money for MetasDeck. And they normally crush me.

I'm not saying Ninjas are bad nor good, they are a (In my opinion) really fun deck whit a lot ways tho build it. They can stand up to some MetasDeck but will lose if you take a lot of turns to make your board/combo. As the monsters and traps/magics, are very weak if not "protected" of their own (duh).

Most Ninjas Decks that I have seen use cards like "Dark Simorgh" or "N41", in short non-ninjas related cards, using the ninjas as an engine.

Which yea, total respect, you do you.

But I like them as the "Cheesy" cards they are.

Or in other words the "Ninjitsu-art" cards and Hanzo, Jogen & Saizo

I mean, "half the attack of special summoned monster of the opponent if you control a ninja" <- this divide is forever and can be applied multiple times. "Target 1 ninja and 1 monster tribute them and summon a ninja whit Less or equal levels and a Ninja Dragon, Dinosaur and Sea Serpent " <- Eat big non-link monster to summon your own big monster.

That's just the ones i prefer the most. But there are. Block monsters spaces, Perma def-down monsters, Use dead monsters of enemy as ninjas, Destroy all Nin-arts draw 2, etc.

In short i like the Ninjas-Ninjistu arts Deck.

So whit a new Booster pack for the ninjas in about 2 months, and already nowing their effects AND whit duelingnexus letting me play and test whit said cards. I got exited.

"Maybe there is a chance that my deck could defeat the Oh so feared MetasDecks"

idk. maybe past me.

future will say. But in the mean time i'm gonna leave here my "Irl" deck and the (what i hope is) "Irl V2" deck. for your curiosity

V2

(I put the list of card in the image description)

If you have any consultations or recommendations feel free to ask me, although i will not answer immediately because am not 24/7 focused in Tumblr.

That said!

good lord how do so many people write such a long post only this take me about 1 hr . respect honestly.

Apologies if my English is weird, i don't use it often.

bay

#ygo #ninjas #yugioh #card games #Mydeck #long post #ImDoneAndTired

[otomates-a]

smol relationship tag drop p1 ayy.

#* . °◞ ❤ ( &LOSTCHOICE : larry/sofia ) she took my arm‚ we took the floor and she said‚ ‘speak up and dance with me!’ #* . °◞ ❤ ( &GENERAL : sherman/sofia ) anywhere‚ whenever‚ apart we’re still together. #* . °◞ ❤ ( &GENERAL : evelyn/sofia ) they say love is pain‚ let’s hurt tonight. #* . °◞ ❤ ( &RODODRIVEN : nix/roy ) so can’t you tell that i’ve got news for you‚ the sun is shining and so are you. #* . °◞ ❤ ( &RODODRIVEN : nix/ryuga ) if you leave me never and say you’ll stay with me forever‚ then i will surrender. #* . °◞ ❤ ( &KURAINBURDENED : maya/saizo ) with drums in the air as she started to dance‚ i stood there keeping time with my hands. #* . °◞ ❤ ( &KURAINBURDENED : maya/roberto ) you don’t have to change a thing‚ the world should change its heart. #* . °◞ ❤ ( &KURAINBURDENED : maya/munenori ) turned a spark into fire: in this sometimes dark life‚ you’re the bright side. #* . °◞ ❤ ( &GENERAL : salty tofu/sweet tofu ) they say in heaven‚ love comes first‚ so we’ll make heaven a place on earth. #KJNHMKJNM I ONLY DID TAGS 4 PPL I KNEW WOULDN'T MIND IF U WANT TO PLOT A RELATIONSHIP OR IF WE HAVE INTEACTED #*INTERACTED #AND U DIDN'T GET A TAG #JUST HMU BECAUSE I'M HERE FOR IT #meanwhile #okay renata #okay cardia #takes a shot #let's do this

[fe-fictions]

Do you have anything but really ANYTHING with Saizo ? 😭 I miss my ninja boi so much ;-)

(How about very pregnant corrin needs to be protected from an invasion!!! ;;; A ;;; )

There was such joy in everything Saizo did. Ever since you told him you were with child, he’d  changed every aspect of his life to reflect his happiness.

He went on and on about how the next in a long, proud line of Saizo’s was on the way and he could hardly wait. It made you laugh when he said firstborn, as if suggesting the potential for more along the way...you needed to make sure he didn’t get too far with those family expansion plans.

You were due any day. He became more doting, taking time to accompany you  in lieu of guarding Ryoma.

You guessed it was because Ryoma told him to stick with you, considering you were his heavily pregnant wife. But, you could feel his eyes on you even when he was supposed to be focused on Ryoma.

He was longing to be with you even when ordered not to be. It was cute, seeing how protective Saizo was. 

It made you relieved to know the baby had a wonderful father. But every now and then, you did have to put some limits on his doting privileges.

Such was the topic of conversation you shared with him that afternoon, as he helped you into your seat while Jakob prepared your tea.

“I think we ought to consider giving you more time to work, my love. You seem to be using an awful lot of personal days I don’t think any of us knew you had.”

“Taking care of you and the baby is more than enough, right now.” Saizo assured you, “I’ve worked long enough; right now my time is best spent with you.”

“I know, dear, and it does make me happy to know you’re eager. But you dont’ have to be here with me if you have duties to perform.”

“I already cleared it with Kagero and Lord Ryoma. They’re taking the necessary steps to keep him safe during my absence. Besides, it’s not like it’ll be this way forever. You ought to enjoy it while it lasts.”

“It’s not that I don’t enjoy it,” You told him with a soft smile, and placed your hand over his. “I just want to make sure you’re not feeling cooped up or as if you’re...wasting your time.”

“Making sure you are safe and healthy is the furthest thing from a ‘waste of time’, Corrin.” Saizo told you firmly, “I promise you, there’s nowhere I’d rather be. I’ll stay as long as I can.”

“You really think they’ll be okay without you?” You asked honestly, “I didn’t realize you were capable of putting that much trust in other people.”

“Well...I’ve learned a little bit more about trusting other people, recently.” He replied to you with a tender expression, drawing your hand to his cheek before linking his fingers with yours. “You’ve done more for me than you could ever know, Lady Saizo.”

“Yes, well...the Lady Saizo is feeling a bit hungry, as is Little Saizo.” You told him, resting a hand on your baby bump.

He pressed a chaste kiss to your growing bump before rising up and giving you a more proper one.

“I’ll be back with some breakfast from the kitchens. I’ll have Reina make your favorite.”

“Ooh, yes please.” You hummed happily, catching that grin on Saizo’s lips before he turned and drew his mask back up.

You settled back into your chair, feeling a little foot tap against your skin. You had been dealing with uncomfortable cramps and pains all morning, costing you a good bit of rest.

The baby had been a lot more active than usual, and you weren’t entirely sure why. A small part of you worried that the baby was planning on coming sooner than anticipated; granted it was only a week or so from the suggested delivery date, but still.

There was a lot that went into having a child, and you were nervous about going into it unprepared or at a moment of vulnerability.

If only you realized how grounded and real those fears were, when you dismissed them that morning. If you’d known what was coming, you never would have let the thoughts wander away.

Yet, you did.

The reality of the situation wouldn’t hit until moments later.

Saizo had tasked himself with helping Reina prepare your breakfast, making sure to slip in a few ninja nutritional powders that would help keep you nice and strong and birth a healthy baby. 

Of course Reina didn’t need to know this, since she’d probably scold him for tampering with the food (as if it wasn’t completely safe. Tch).

The two of them had barely gotten through plating the food before the alarm sounded.

Saizo froze when the horns of war blasted through the camp, dropping the food and sprinting out of the kitchen with Reina right behind him.

“An enemy ambush has been spotted! They’re coming for the Castle!” A guard announced, throwing the rest of the place into preparing for battle.

Saizo started for the barracks, then stopped, looking back to your room.

They were close. Too close. You were in danger. The Castle was supposed to be a safe place, but there wasn’t anything he could do if they were encroaching on the safe territory. 

There was nowhere else he could hide you. There wasn’t enough time.

An arrow whistled through the air, catching the shoulder of a soldier up on the castle’s outer walls. His heart dropped. They were already here.

“Saizo, you need to get to Corrin somewhere safe.”

“They’ve already breached the castle,” He forced out, “There’s nowhere to take her. There’s no safe path if they’ve closed in.”

“There must be some place besides that tree, Saizo. She’s in no condition to fight, let alone be in any form of danger.” Reina reminded him, as if it needed to be spoken.

Saizo grit his teeth, scanning for alternative hiding places. Perhaps his old room. It was close, but inaccessible to the general public.

An enemy soldier wouldn’t think to look in a servant’s little corner in the back of a giant compound. Saizo turned on his heel and sprinted for your room, hearing the shouts of the enemy get louder by the second.

This was a nightmare scenario. He couldn’t believe this was happening. All that work he put into keeping you safe and it was already being threatened in a matter of seconds.

He cursed to himself as he launched himself up, climbing up the tree and bursting through the door with no hesitation.

“Corrin, we have to go.”

“S-Saizo? Ah…”

“I’m taking you to my quarters- you’ll be much safer there. I’ll have Oboro stay close until everything’s finished, and then-”

“Saizo, stop!” Jakob’s voice snapped him from his beeline towards you, and he started to realize that something was off. “We can’t move her.”

“Why not?” He demanded, urgently impatient.

“She’s going into labor, you dolt! Can’t you see that?!”

For one full second, Saizo’s brain stopped working. 

He stared at you, seeing how you grasped your side and clung to Jakob for all you were worth. There was a pain in your expression, your entire body tense.

 Your strained whimper drew his thoughts from his shock.

“She’s what?!”

“She started having contractions just after you left- I was going to come for you but there wasn’t time! She’s not in any state to move!!” “She’s a primary target staying here, fool!” Saizo snapped at him, coming to your side and taking you into his arms, “We have to get her out of here before it’s too late!”

“S-Saizo, it’s already too- ugh!!” He instantly had eyes on you the second you cried out, feeling your fingers dig into him as another wave of pain hit. Dread filled him faster when he realized this was serious.

You weren’t going anywhere. You physically couldn’t.

For once, Saizo was powerless.

“What do we do?” Saizo finally asked, looking up at the butler with a reluctant compliance.

“Get her to the bed and remove all the blankets. Flora and Felicia- we’ll need them to help with the delivery! Can you find them?”

“I can.” Saizo grunted, lying you down as if you were made of glass.

Gods damn him.

“Hurry- I’ll take care of her until you return. Go, quickly!” Jakob told him, and with that your husband was out the door, leaping into action.

There were hundreds of soldiers that were flooding into the Castle, despite the best efforts of the royals and the Hoshidan army to keep them back. He swallowed a lump in his throat, forcing the panic back to keep from being completely overwhelmed.

He couldn’t be weak at a time like this. He had to keep it together and fight his way back to you so that you could at least make it through the delivery safely.

He slashed his way through the enemy lines, clearing the path for Felicia and Flora so they could hurry to your aid. He blazed ahead, covering the girls’ backs to prevent the enemy from taking them down.

He was breathing heavily by the time it was done, and he wasn’t sure what had him so out of sorts. It was normal for him to take on entire battalions on his own; he had to protect Ryoma, after all. 

Yet there he was, barely keeping it together as he tried to protect his own wife.

Ah. That’s what was different.

He was panicking over your safety.

Saizo cursed to himself, clearing as much of the field as he could before he pushed it back far enough to let others take over. 

Kaze jumped in without a word, nodding to his brother. He knew what was going on.

He knew where Saizo needed to be.

The red-haired ninja leapt away from the battle and returned up the tree, panting as he tugged his mask away and re-entered the bedroom.

The scene had devolved from panic to utter chaos in the span of an hour.

Saizo stared as the two maids scurried about the room, Felicia at the foot of the bed while Flora prepared cold water and Jakob remained beside you, grasping your hand tightly as you rode out contractions.

You were crying out, practically wailing in pain as another one hit. Everyone was talking loudly and Saizo couldn’t focus on any of it.

“Saizo, come here!!” Jakob called to him, “Take her hand while she tries to deliver- I need to check on the dilation-”

“S-she’s getting close, Jakob! We n-need another healer!”

‘We don’t have time for that! No one can help until this battle is finished. They can’t afford to lose anyone!!” Jakob exclaimed in a flurry. Saizo came to your side, sitting beside you and wrapping his arm around you, giving you his trembling hand to hold.

“Corrin- are...a-are you all right?” He asked you with a choked voice, barely able to form a sentence of his own. 

He grimaced when you squeezed his hand particularly hard, another contraction hitting as you slammed your head back into the pillows.

“It h-hurts so...so bad, Saizo...I don’t w-want to do this…!” You whimpered, tears streaming down your face, intermingled with sweat.

He nodded silently, the guilt overtaking his adrenaline for a split second.

“I know, Corrin. I’m sorry. I-I’m so sorry. Just hold on. It’ll be over before-

“Aaah!!”

He jolted when the window shattered across the room, a stray arrow flying through and lodging into the ceiling.

Saizo jumped from your side, anxiety back full force.

“They’re closing in again?!” He swore, “What are they doing, down there?!”

“They need you!” Jakob told him, knowing you needed him just as badly. “They’re already short handed without us- but we can’t abandon Lady Corrin!”

Saizo clenched his hands into tight fists, trying not to scream. He needed to be with you. But he needed to protect you. You needed him.

“Saizo…S-Saizo...!” You groaned, breathing heavy as you reached out, searching for his hand. He returned silently, taking it with a tight squeeze.

“Corrin, I have to go. They’re close.” He told you quietly, brushing back the hair from your face. You cracked an eye open to look at him, begging him to stay. “I’m sorry.”

“J-just...hurry...b-back, okay?” You whispered weakly, making his heart twinge with guilt. He nodded, kissing your forehead before he drew the mask up.

“I’ll be back.”

Saizo intended to make good on that promise. He jumped from the treehouse and found himself surrounded. 

They wanted the throne room, and they were going to destroy whatever they had to in order to get there.

His knives were driven in before they knew what hit them.

They weren’t going any further. Dozens cried out when they saw the blazing ninja blast through lines of men, setting fire to anything in his path.

He would protect you. He would protect his family.

“Saizo!! You’re here!!” He heard Ryoma’s relieved exclamation a few meters away, “Where’s Corrin? Is she all right?”

“She’s in her room-” Saizo informed him, cutting away more men before he united with his liege. “I tried to move her, but we can’t.”

“What?! She’s in the middle of the battlefield!”

“She went into labor before the invasion- it’s too late to move her, now!”

“No! She’s really-?!” He stared at Saizo in shock, driving his blade through another. “Gods, damn this- why now?!”

“It’s out of our control, but these bastards aren’t getting any closer.” “Agreed.” Ryoma glowered, “We’ll take care of this before they have a chance to go near her!”

Saizo had never been more proud to be Ryoma’s retainer than that moment.

They tore through the invaders without any semblance of mercy, gathering together as they thinned their numbers.

It wasn’t long before they had been overwhelmed, those who hadn’t been felled retreating back in a panic. Saizo hit the ground as soon as it ended, utterly drained.

He had used every ounce of strength to keep the enemy at bay, and poured all his anxiety and protectiveness into keeping you safe.

The relief he had felt at the end of the battle was almost immediately evaporated when you crossed his mind, again.

He jumped up from the ground before the healers even got to the man, stumbling into a run as he hurried back to your room. 

He hadn’t seen anyone come close to your quarters, yet he was so worried you hadn’t made it. He pulled himself up and practically fell through the door, dropping his weapons.

“Corrin, are you-?!”

“There he is.”

Saizo paused at the notably calmer tone of voice you held, finding Felicia and Jakob leaning against each other on the floor, looking exactly like Saizo had mere moments ago.

It was Flora who smiled, wiping her hands with a towel before she passed one to him. “You ought to clean up. Your son’s waiting to meet you.”

“My…?” Words died in his throat, looking past the maid to find you lying in bed, clean blankets drawn, and a bundle in you arms.

His heart skipped a beat.

“Y-you...?” He asked in naught but a whisper, pulling the mask away and tugging off his armor. You beamed at him and nodded, nudging your finger into the little bundle. He perked at the soft squeak he heard.

“I...was just telling him about how Papa kept him safe.” You replied, gesturing for him to go to your side.

Saizo wiped down so quickly he was bloody and sweaty in one second, and perfectly clean the next. You couldn’t help but giggle when he rushed over to you.

His expression was that of sheer awe when he peered into the blankets. Sure enough, that was his little baby boy in the blankets. That was his son.

“You’re really...here.” He murmured, running his hand over the blankets. His hand stopped at the baby’s face, lightly grazing the soft, pink skin.

He had never been more proud than in that moment. 

Maybe it was the exhaustion that had him emotional. He drew you into his arms, kissing your cheek and forehead and anywhere else that he could reach.

“S-Saizo, you’re--” You laughed as he showered you in affection, his hand covering yours where it held his son.

“I’m happy. I’m so...glad that you’re all right. That you gave me this little one. Saizo the Sixth...hah, he’s really here…” “I wouldn’t have made it if you weren’t there.” You leaned into his chest as he came onto the bed. “You kept us safe.” “I did what I could. I wish I could’ve got you somewhere safer. When that arrow came, I thought...I was too late to drive them back.”

“But you didn’t let anything happen to us.” You mused, gently settling the baby in Saizo’s open arm. He gasped softly, gripping the bundle tight and secure so that he wouldn’t disturb his son’s rest.

“I wasn’t going to allow it. Not when this little fellow needed us.” He added with a warm grin, “He’s already got the Saizo hair…” “He certainly does. I’ll bet he’ll take after you in many ways.” You added, settling against his chest and nudging your finger into the newborn’s tiny hand.

His heart warmed, watching his son grip you tightly, squeaking and mumbling in his sleep. What a precious child you gave him. His precious family.

He would always protect you...no matter what.

#saizo #corrin #fe 14 #fire emblem fates #sairin #saizo x corrin #hurt and comfort #angst #fe fictions #fe-fictions #f!mu #fem!corrin #fluff #of course theres fluff at the end sfdhsjsdh #pregnancy angst #pregnancy prompt

[kingdomofvellia]

Ryoma: There you are! I was starting to worry! Alice: I’m sorry, you know how babies can be!

Alice: I am happy to see you again, Ryoma nii-sama! Ryoma: Me too, Button! It’s been way too long!

Ryoma: How was your trip? Alice: It was good! We had some turbulence, but other than that it went well. Ryoma: Oof, glad it wasn’t too bad!

Alice: When you fly as much as we do you kinda get used to it. Ryoma: Too true! Hello Leo-Sama, you are looking well. Leo: It’s good seeing you again, Your Majesty. Ryoma: Likewise, Your Highness.

Ryoma: I am sorry for the absence of my wife, she insisted on staying home with Shiro so he could nap. Alice: We understand, like I said, you know how babies can be! Ryoma: Even worse once they can start having opinions, trust me, haha!

Alice: So how have you been? Ryoma: I’ve been good! Anya’s been at our borders a bit, but not to the point of being a problem. Alice: Oh my... What is Xander doing this time...

Ryoma: I don’t want to talk about work-related things, if you don’t mind. Alice: No, no, I understand. We have enough of that every other day of the year. Ryoma: Yup, hello Frederick-tan! You are looking very dapper.

Ryoma: Are you causing your mother and father many sleepless nights? Alice: Nope! He sleeps like a rock! Ryoma: Woah! You’re lucky! Shiro didn’t sleep for months!

Ryoma: Keep this up, okay, Frederick-tan? Leo: I am sure he will, considering who his mother is. Ryoma: Haha, fair point.

Ryoma: Alice-chan could sleep through nukes- Lukas: Good day, Your Majesty!

Ryoma: Hello? Lukas: It’s an honour to meet you. I’m Lukas Knight! Saizo: Hands off His Majesty!

Kaze: Brother- Saizo: You’re only getting one warning, get your filthy hands away from His Majesty immediately!

Ryoma: Okay, calm down, Saizo. - Hello to you, Knight-san. I wasn’t expecting any extra company! Alice: Oh, that’s because he is Zara’s... last minute date for the wedding. Ryoma: Date? Hm... Interesting. Lukas: It’s a huge honour! I always admired your work, sir! Ryoma: Why thank you.

Alice: Speaking of the wedding, please update me on anything new since we last spoke!  Ryoma: Right! Since Lady Setsuna is so very pregnant they have decided to make the reception slightly shorter. There’s still going to be a reception, but it will be more to keep up tradition than to party.

Ryoma: But I’d love to tell you more about it on the way home!

_____________________________________________________

Chidori: Mother! Is that their car? Hinoka: I think so... Looks like it!

Chidori: Oh! I can see Shiloh-kun! Hinoka: Calm down, Chidori. Let them park first.

Hinoka: Okay, they’ve stopped, go ahead. Chidori: Shiloh-kun! Shiloh: Chidori!

Shiloh: I’ve missed you! Chidori: And I’ve missed you! It’s been forever! Alice: Nee-sama! I am so glad to see you! Hinoka: Me too, Alice-chan!

Hinoka: It’s always such a joy to see you. Alice: Oh, haha, please! You don’t have to do that! ! Hinoka: I do, it’s only right, as you’re queen!

Alice: Fine... Have you been well? Hinoka: Of course! My work has been very busy though. Alice: Ryoma told me, good on you guys for being upon it.

Hinoka: Speaking of Anya, good day Leo-sama. Leo: Hello Lady Hinoka. Ryoma: Hino-chan? Where’s Scarlet? Hinoka: She’s out and buying ice cream with Shiro-sama. We decided to greet you instead. Ryoma: Thank you... But she said she’s meet up with us when we got here...

Ryoma: Oh well, I am sure she’s on her way. Zara: Your Imperial Majesty, Lady Hinoka, and Lady Chidori; Please allow me to introduce Lukas Knight - who’s been so kind to accompany me to Byukuya on a very short notice. Hinoka: Charmed! Chidori: ...

Ryoma: Button, let’s get you out of this dreadful weather! I know how much you like taiyaki, so I asked the kitchen to prepare some for us to enjoy. Alice: You did? Thank you, nii-sama!

Ryoma: Of course!

#The Sims 4 #The Sims 4 Royal #Sims 4 #TS4 #TS4 Royal #Sim: Alice #Sim: Leo #Sim: Frederick #Sim: Zara #Sim: Ryoma #Sim: Shiloh

[saizophrenia-blog]

🍎🍭🎆

#hashutag tenka cheeb trigger #again #huhuhuhuhuhuhuhuh #forever crying over saizo cheebs #brb swimming in my pool of tears #(((((└(:D」┌)┘)))))) #saizo kirigakure #samurai love ballad party

[opendoorlorien]

I like reading ur char analysis and would love to see u write on abt ur man (Kaze) ;3c

So…my precious Kaze… He’s…cute…lovely…smart… adorable…irresistible…plus…amazing… Don’t you think so? Oh, so…wild…beautiful…kind… I love him! Hug him… He’s warm and cuddly… Oh, he’s…spectacular…captivating…simply divine… I treasure him… Oops! Look at the time! I’ve kept you too long! Thanks for hearing me out.

Generally I think there’s a difference between characters that are fleshed out and characters who go through actual development. Yes, many times those things coincide, but in Fire Emblem, if you’re not a main character, they usually don’t.

Basically none of the cast of Awakening “developed” in any real sense. Like I mentioned before there were some characters who had little moments or bursts of it (like Chrom and some villains) but no gradually, building arc for any of them. Instead most of Awakening’s cast was fleshed out instead of developed. Meaning, the more supports you saw of them, the more you learned about them (like backstory, where they came from, what they want, ect). There are a lot of characters who have simple archetypes on the outside, but actually have a lot of layers and details to them the further you look, like Henry, Lon'qu, Virion ect.

I believe Kaze is one of the non royal characters in Fates who is not only very well fleshed out, but also goes through some nice character development. Like I said before, Fates did a little better on the character development front with its cast than Awakening. Disregarding the royals, there are some regular units who go places too. The only ones I can think of who go through any real development ON SCREEN are Flora, Gunter and Kaze. Flora and Gunter’s development mostly leads to a bad end (Gunter’s end in Revelations is kind of bitter sweet but I find it a tad more tragic and bitter than anything, though he is sort of heal now and put some demons to rest at least). While Kaze, instead, can have either good end or bad end depending on what YOU do. Which is kinda nice, you know. His character development is interactive lol.

There are also characters like Jakob or Hinoka who go through character development OFF SCREEN which we only find out about in supports and is only told to us. And I dont find these anywhere near as powerful because we dont get to see them happen, not that they’re bad or anything, but lack a bit of poignancy because of how they’re displayed to the audience as told instead of shown.

I’ve heard Kaze described before as a deceptively complex character, and he REALLY is. At first glance he seems like a very simple and straightforward character with a personality to match. But take this from someone who hyper focuses on him, that the more you look into him, the more little quirks and details you begin to find. (Or maybe I can just see it because I’m reading too deep into him lol) Either way, I wouldn’t consider it REACHING at all to call Kaze a complex character. And there’s more to him than just his relationship to Corrin too, but just a bit. Because, of course, Kaze is very largely defined and effected by Corrin AND–as I will be referring to it as–his one big fuck up in Cheve.

But setting Corrin and the effects of that fuckup aside, Kaze’s stoic and serious personality is mainly derived from him being raised from birth to be a human weapon owned and used by nobility, which is basically what a hoshidan ninja is. But out of the three ninjas in Fates, I think Kaze ended up as the most emotionally well off. And I think the biggest defining reason for that is because he didn’t have anything big to live up to. Saizo was messed up personality and emotionally wise because he was groomed from day one to take up the family name, and similarly Kagero fights as a ninja in place of her sickly brother and as to not disappoint her family and bring shame to them. But because Kaze doesnt really have anything like this, I believe his upbringing was a taaaad more chill, and because of that while he does seem emotionally stunted and a little robotic, he still ends up being the most personable, friendly and sociable of the three ninjas. (And I think he’s kind to others and goes out of his way to help them for another reason too but more on that later)

Okay so you can’t really talk about Kaze without also talking about Corrin. Because the shit that happened in Cheve FUCKED HIM UP and pretty much fundamentally changed and made him into who he is today, and the majority of his personality traits can be traced back to that incident. Now why did it fuck Kaze up so bad? A lot of reasons really. Firstly–the big one–he failed his duty. Not only as a retainer (it wasn’t official yet, but it was his JOB then to protect Corrin) but also as a ninja who, remember, are manufactured from day 1 to serve as weapons or menial otherwise for the royal family. So failing in his duty here was an extreme failing for him on almost every aspect as a person. And this is a big blow for him emotionally as well because Kaze is not heartless here, and this fuckup lead not only to Corrin being captured but to Sumeragi being killed as well. It was, in essence, the ultimate failing (if it sounds like I’m blaming him here, I’m not. I honestly think Garon would have found a way to fuck shit up whether Kaze had noticed those soldiers in Cheve or not. But from his eyes, this is how he sees things)

This affected Kaze so deeply that he furthermore refers to this failing as a ‘grave sin’ he’s committed, and one that he believes he can’t and has no right to be forgiven for. The loss of Corrin and Sumeragi then by extension created a huge avalanche effect by ripping a huge hole in the hearts of the Hoshidan family and the country itself, which I’m sure Kaze got to see the full and gradual effects of as the years went by. Ouch. (I’m sure he’s very aware of Sakura’s anxiety and Takumi’s many many issues being after effects of what went down in Cheve also.) AND WAIT, it GETS WORSE. As if this wasn’t bad enough for Kaze who, REMEMBER, was a child at the time, probably no older than 15, knew that Corrin was also being taken away to Nohr. Which is a country he’s only ever heard bad things about, so he had no reason to believe Corrin wasn’t suffering and going through hell there, which in his mind would have been HIS FAULT. (And if he heard any of Azura’s firsthand account horror stories of the place, he had no reason not to believe that Nohr was a hellhole.) So add that to the guilt

So basically, this was the worst thing that could have happened for everyone involved (sans for Garon, or maybe even the Nohr family because they got a nice new sibling) but for Kaze and the Hoshidans? This was beyond rock bottom. It’s no wonder Kaze as a character is so largely defined and also deeply wounded by this incident.

In Kaze’s eyes he’s 100% to blame here, and because he believes he can never be forgiven for this act, he thinks the only way to atone for it is to die. In fact he probably went to Mikoto right after everything went down, told her what happened and insisted on the death penalty. But of course Mikoto is a nice lady so she said pish posh to that Kaze, forgave him, and tried to get him to keep living. Now even though Kaze wants to die, he’s not just going to sudoku or throw his life away needlessly.

To atone for this sin he knows he’d need to give his life away for a reason or an honorable purpose. So instead of just dying he does continue to live, and uses his life for the betterment of others. And this is where his constantly friendly and helpful attitude comes from. Okay now I DO fully believe Kaze is honestly just a nice guy and enjoys helping people, but I also think he makes an effort to go OUT of his way to help people as his own way of atoning for that one big failing even just a little. Like his worth is defined by how he assists others and improves their lives, whether he’s entirely aware of that or not. If he is able to make someone happy and improve their QoL, then it means he’s not an entirely useless failing of a person and a ninja like he thinks he is.  

This is also why in turn Kaze has such a low opinion of himself. I don’t think its something you really notice till you take a closer look at his supports and things, but every now and then he drops off handed derogatory comments about himself. That he’s just ‘a lowly ninja’, he humbly denies any praise sent his way just writing it off as “what I did was nothing special”, he marks himself as a determent to things even when he wasn’t. Because of what happened in Cheve, he doesn’t see any worth in himself.

(^he’s talking about chapter 4 here, where he showed up in the map with VULNEARIES for you. So he was only an asset, and yet)

(+this is also why Kaze doesn’t like the affections he gets from random women. THEY see his charm, but he doesn’t. And he doesnt see WHY they think so highly of him. He doesn’t think he deserves the praise and being showered with it makes him feel uncomfortable and upset. Since how can he be a good man when, in his eyes, he’s done so muhc wrong) 

So while Kaze is actually a very nice, sweet, helpful and kind well meaning guy, he actually has a REALLY deep self loathing and low opinion of himself. He’s kind of in an eternal rut that he can’t get out of, and doesn’t believe he deserves to get out of. So the only way to really get him out of it is of course Corrin. And luckily they run back into each other again very early on in Fates. Even though Kaze successfully helps in bringing Corrin back home to Hoshido, he’s still not completely healed here yet because his real issues havent really been addressed and RESOLVED. Corrin is back but they still dont know about Kaze’s involvement during that night in Cheve. And Kaze wants to tell them. He wants to let Corrin know about the whole deal (since Kaze is the kind of person who believes talking and communicating about your problems is the healthy and beneficial thing to do–like its one of the main things he does in his support with Saizo) but of course while the wound has kind of closed, it still hurts. He’s perfectly happy with being cordial and friendly with Corrin, but he doesn’t want to open up to Corrin too much because he’s super afraid that if Corrin finds out about what happened in Cheve, then Corrin would hate him. Which is why in their support he goes to lengths to avoid telling Corrin about it.

Their support is really special to me because it addresses a lot of Kaze’s deep rooted personal issues in which NO OTHER Kaze support even attempts at. Think about it, pretty much EVERY single other Kaze support is about Kaze helping someone else. But in Corrin and Kaze’s support, it’s about Corrin helping HIM, which is what he NEEDS more than anything. And it starts simple at first too, like with Corrin noticing he has a low opinion of himself and trying to show him “the good in himself” which he FERVENTLY believes he doesn’t have. 

So when Corrin keeps telling him he’s a good person, it actually really upsets him (to the point he’s actually angry??????!!!!! which I think is one of the only occasions in game or any other supports Kaze gets even close to being miffed. Which I think goes to show just how deeply this shit affected him right).

Corrin isnt upset that Kaze got mad with them, but Corrin realizes they bugged Kaze in one way or another so backs off. But Kaze felt super bad about it, so in the A rank he decides to GET THIS SHIT ALL TOGETHER AND TELL CORRIN EVERYTHIN. Luckily for him Corrin is a good person and also pure of heart (and can see everything was just a REALLY bad turn of Fate, not one individual person’s fault) so they IMMEDIATELY forgive him and tell him something important he REALLY needed to hear all these years. 

That from the person he failed that night, everything that happened wasn’t his fault.

Corrin encourages him to come to terms with everything and move forward from it. And this is where the concept of Kaze giving his life for Corrin “splits”. 

I mentioned earlier Kaze has good end character development and bad end character development. If you get his A rank in every route then GOOD FOR YOU, he’s healed! So now instead of dying to atone for his sin, he decides to devote his life to your well being and happiness (Giving Kaze heal settles him back into the place where he was always meant to be, as Corrin’s retainer. He even says in the A rank that, while he was meant to be a servant and retainer, he was never given a single master to serve like Saizo and everyone else had. And AS a person who was RAISED to be a kind of living weapon or tool, this really disconcerned him. He had no one and nothing to specifically devote to. It’s like he was a tool made for a certain purpose, but that purpose was taken away. So imagine the years he must have spent living in the castle, seeing all the retainer and lord squads together and feeling a sense of loss and emptiness in himself because he didn’t have that and he didn’t know why. I think even the Hoshido family, whether they know it conciously or not, kind of see him as an odd one out and I don’t think they really knew what to do with him aside from menial bitch work like delivering letters and crap.SMH

Anyway, now that he’s got you again his PURPOSE has returned. And he reminds you whenever he can, whether you’re married to him or not, that his life is YOURS now and he’ll give it up if necessary to keep you going.

And he will and DOES.

Now while Kaze still readily says he’ll give his life for you, I think its said in a better spirit than it was pre-healing. I think the difference is illustrated very well in the good end and bad end of Birthright chapter 15.

Where if he’s NOT healed his only thoughts are to get you out of this alive, himself be damned. (He’s also really emotional at the time and not thinking very clearly because of…….obvious circumstances. So in the short window he has, the question is posed to him “save Corrin or save yourself” and of course he gives himself to save Corrin (which I think is even more super interesting if you consider that you married him to someone else who isnt Corrin. Because in this moment, no matter WHO Kaze is married to, if he didn’t get that A rank with Corrin, he is going to die here. Corrin is the only thing that can keep him alive here, and when push comes to shove, Kaze throws away >everything

While if he IS healed Kaze has put most of the emotional anguish and baggage behind him so he is able to think through the tense situation of dangling off a cliff 500000000000000000 miles in the air, and find a way to save THE BOTH of you. Which is definitely the most definitive example between healed!Kaze and nothealed!Kaze. (Although I still do think if it came down to it, he’d still risk everything for Corrin’s life, even if that meant sacrificing his own. It’s just now throwing his life away isnt at the forefront of his mind.)

So with Birthright out of the way, what about that Conquest! Now of course Conquest is a super interesting route for Kaze too because it puts him in another kind of extreme situation. And that is him leaving everything that he ever knew and loved in Hoshido to help you, fight for the dream you believe in, and assist you in achieving your goals. And yes this is another way of Kaze trying to atone for his sin. I think it’s at least half the reason he decides to defect and join you, but he also says he felt your conviction when you fought, and he firmly believes in your justice, and that you are fighting for the betterment of everyone. So he’s not entirely fighting for ONLY you here, but fighting to help you achieve peace in the way you’ve chosen, by going to Nohr.

Kaze is interesting in both routes but I think he’s slightly more interesting in Conquest, and also because BR treats him like he’s dead after ch15 even if you kept him alive.

In Conquest Kaze has two interesting moments, one in chapter 11 where he makes the choice to turn his back on everything in Hoshido for you and go to your side. And in the ninja cave chapter later on in Conquest where we run into Saizo. Which is a nice chapter and I think is executed MUCH better than the Mokushoku crap in Birthright. Firstly because Saizo tells Kaze and the audience that Kotaro is the one who killed their father, which in BR you only find out if you send Saizo to personally engage the dude. And because of that in Conquest, I like to make a point to have Kaze blow the guy’s shit to pieces. 

hehe get fucked

BUT post-battle we have a small neato moment too where Corrin expresses regret and says to Kaze “if you hadn’t come with me then you wouldn’t have to fight against Hoshido and your brother.”btw briefly touching on Saizo and Kaze here, or at least how Kaze feels about him. Even though they’re not super personal and close with each other, of COURSE they love each other they’re gd family. I think Kaze’s feelings toward Saizo are mostly respect and admiration. Kaze says in the drama CD he thinks very highly of Saizo and nothing will ever change that. Even if they are enemies, Kaze does what needs to be done to achieve the peace he believes in, and the peace Corrin is fighting for.And that’s what he tells Corrin. Both Hoshido and Nohr are fighting for what they believe to be “justice” (

There’s also the interesting possible circumstance of this happening

This has the potential to be a really interesting scene in A LOT of ways (like, think about this for a sec. Not only is Kaze killing his brother, he’s also taking the Saizo name down with it). So we could have got some neat dialogue or a cutscene here to explore this scene a bit, but unfortunately they were making three games here and this ALREADY happens in late game conquest, so unfortunately the developers just didnt have the time or energy to give us a good scene here.And I get it, like, not everyone is going to have Kaze kill Saizo here. It would have been nice if they got one short exchange here. But, I guess that’s what fanfictions are for.

Now with all of THAT out of the way.

How do I personally feel about Kaze? WELL OHOHOHO*SCREAMS FOR 5 YEARS*

For me, personally. Kaze just does everything in the right way. I’ve had a lot of husbands over the years who I’ve loved in varying states of intensity and over varying periods of time. But I feel like none of those old hoes comes anywhere close to the ‘perfect blend of everything right’ that is Kaze.

If he were a cake he’d be the perfectly made chocolate cake. Sure chocolate cake seems kinda average and “the usual” at first, but imagine you had one which just had the PERFECT amount of everything prepared in the absolute perfect way to the best effect, and the more you dug into it you found like a gooey strawberry center which made the flavor all the more complex and interesting.

Kaze also subverts VERY many of the pitfalls that have made me fall out of older husbands that had similar archetypes to him.

I like serious characters but not characters who are TOO serious (Lonqu suffers from this, and, looking back, Frederick is VERY rigid). But with Kaze? DW ABOUT THAT because he has a spicy and playful side. And he’s also CHILL.

Kaze seems almost obsessively devoted to Corrin which could potentially lead to bad end yandere? DONT WORRY ABOUT THAT, IT TURNS OUT HE’S ACTUALLY A WHOLESOME PUREBOY who respects personal boundaries and doesn’t want to be smothering.

With his personality he might be boring and not go anywhere as a character? (Frederick was kind of like this) DONT WORRY WE’VE GOT A++++ DEVELOPMENT and putting him in interesting character situations.

And any other issue I can think of for not liking Kaze is always subverted in a similar sense. Just everything he does… he does it so right. He may not be a big main character and he may not be pushed to any extreme radical limits like he potentially could be or like some other characters are like Takumi or Xander (again, another place for fanfics) THAT DONT MATTA TO ME BECAUSE HE IS A BEST.

Honestly he’s probably the best husband I’ve ever had and while I generally am fickle and my opinions on things can usually waver and change, I do really hope this love lasts a long, long time.  IM ALSO CRYING.

#Anonymous #Kaze #opinion piece #PUTTING THIS IN HIS TAG BECAUSE LOLCHARACTER ANALYSIS #I think Kaze has quite a lot of aspects I could have mini info dumps about #I probably could have talked more about Saizo or something but I'm already dead lol #sorry anon it took me a week to answer this lol #but yeah I basically covered Kaze's general character stuff here #so if any yall dont understand Kaze's entire dealio? #ya understand it now bc here it is #and yeah that part at the beginning is from that creepy Rapidash guy from the Pokemon fanclub #I forget what game he's in LOL #also this is long and if yall read all this yall get a gold star #there are a lot of nice pictures and things #enjoyyyyyy #one of my greatest fears is actually falling out of love with Kaze #I HOPE THAT NEVER HAPPENS #IF ANY OF YALL ARE WITCHES PLS CAST A SPELL SO I LOVE HIM FOREVER #I can also relate to him too #at least on the hating yourself aspect because of a fuck up you made in the past #and feeling you dont deserve good things bc of it #I feel u Kaz #I got kinda emotional writing this also LOL

[annicaax]

Oh, Saizo....

#this is why you will be one of my forever favorites #samurai love ballad party #otome #slbp #slbp saizo #saizo kirigakure

[crystalelemental]

And now, ranking the Fates characters by how good they are as parents.  I’ll just be ranking the canon parent, since generic supports annihilated cohesive characterization by making all the parent dialogues identical.

Also, I do need to address this.  Every parent in Fates is garbage.  They throw their kids into an interdimensional time portal and essentially don’t raise them at all.  So comparing them like this is basically comparing turds by how rank they are.  It doesn’t matter that some aren’t as awful as others, you’re still not gonna find one that smells good, you know?

Corrin - Honestly, she’s got a strong Camilla-esque vibe to her protectiveness toward Kana.  I like it.  Also Kana knows when Corrin is coming to visit, and seems to imply that this is a routine thing, making Corrin one of the few known parents who actually makes a point to visit her kit.  A-rank.

Azura - Once again, your decision to be cryptic for no reason causes nothing but problems for everyone involved, and your son, who you didn’t raise on your own, had his entire village annihilated by foes that went after him to get to you, but you never warned him or them about anything?  D-rank.

Jakob - While hyper-critical, he’s not entirely off the mark, in terms of what Dwyer needs to be doing.  He’s not a bad kid though, so it does come across as more harsh than he really needs to be to make a point, since Dwyer is ultimately self-sufficient and capable.  C-rank.

Silas - Actually a pretty good dad.  He’s one of the few that just actively admires his child coming out of their deeprealm to help others, is fully supportive of them staying with the group, and is supportive of Sophie in general. It is Silas, so he’s a little generic with his praises, but it’s still a better parenting approach than most of them. A-rank.

Kaze - And here to completely outdo Silas is Kaze.  Again, Midori seems to know when he’s coming, meaning like Corrin, his appearance is a routine thing in her life.  Not perfectly routine though, which creates a bit of conflict between the two, in which Kaze is able to express that he always did his best to be there for her, but kept her here to be safe.  Willing to admit mistakes, accepting of her decisions, clear care for his child despite the poor general decision of leaving your children unattended in deeprealms, but is willing to actually be a parent and reprimand them for their poor decisions, while still being compassionate in his approach.  S-rank.  Kaze’s a good dad.

Ryoma - Honestly, I love that Shiro actually calls him out about not raising him at all.  Also the unnecessary secrecy about who he is and not letting Shiro know his status, and then being irritated when Shiro grows up without any direction in life.  Honestly I’m coming around on Shiro, who has so far been right on the money about how shit a father Ryoma is.  D-rank.

Takumi - Honestly Takumi’s pretty solid?  The support has him being a bit of a dick because he’s jealous of his own kid’s ability, but in the paralogue proper he’s honestly a pretty solid dad?  Like he shows up unannounced so we know he’s taking time to actually meet with his kid, and is fairly protective of him.  He does give in to letting Kiragi come along for dumber reasons, but on the whole he’s solid.  A-rank.

Saizo - He’s kind of a dick?  This is very much how Saizo is, but his entire thing is like...the honor of the family name to the point he doesn’t seem to have any connection to his kid, just his bloodline.  He does eventually let his kid be himself, but only in that, when he demonstrates “his own brand of honor,” Saizo gives him that freedom, but by basically disowning him as next in the Saizo line.  Which is I guess what the kid wanted, but still, it’s kind that “Grant your freedom, but you’re not my son” type feel.  D-rank.

Kaden - He’s alright?  He doesn’t do much, but he at least makes plenty of time to go visit his daughter just for the sake of visiting.  Still, he’s so bad at raising his child that she doesn’t know what dead means, and thinks poachers are there to play.  So present, but perhaps too permissive and uninvolved in actually raising her.  C-rank.

Hinata - Apparently just fucking forgot to make time for his kid.  He’s loving in his own way, but clearly not putting his child as a top priority in a lot of cases.  Not the worst, but certainly not good.  C-rank.

Azama - F-rank.  I don’t really need to explain this, do I?  Fuck Azama.  Even Saizo realizes how much of a callous fuckhead he is toward his own kid.  SAIZO!  Also you somehow gave your daughter a separate world from yours, in the attempt to give her a life of peace, which she achieves and is happier without you, so you storm in only when she’s in active danger, then insist on dragging her out of this peaceful realm into the world of constant war...just because?  Fuck Azama.  F-rank forever.

Subaki - He’s a decent dad.  It does kind of imply that he’s been away for a while, so questionable how much time he’s actually spending with her.  And while he’s generally doting and kind toward his daughter, there is that weird ending bit where he gets nervous about her outperforming him.  I’ll give it a B-rank overall.

Hayato - Honestly, he’s wishy-washy.  Either you fully support your daughter’s mad science or you don’t.  You can’t half-ass this, acknowledging she loves the dark arts and permitting her to mess around with it, and then step in and insist it’s off limits when it turns out the dark arts also have some potentially evil consequences.  Stepping in when he does to take things away feels more like backpedaling on a decision he already made to let her do as she pleases, which was probably too permissive as it stands.  C-rank, which is honestly pretty good for a teen parent compared to some of these other shitheads.

Xander - Finally on the Nohrians.  Xander actually like...talks to his kid.  Siegbert knows what his role is, and even if Xander can’t visit as often as he’d like in person, he keeps in contact through missives.  Now, there is the issue of his stance being “You have to learn to shoulder some burdens alone,” and thinking his son refusing to contact him about these fucking swamp demons was commendable.  So he’s definitely not perfect on this front.  But he does acknowledge that this is the burden of a leader having to make such choices, is accepting and understanding of his son’s autonomy and decisions while still being firm about keeping him safe from war and sending him back should he prove himself unready.  A-rank overall, I think.

Leo - Okay listen.  While I do recognize that Leo comes around and starts trying to be a better father, and I recognize the importance of growth and improvement. But the fact that Leo has spent most of his son’s life avoiding him because he disapproves of his interest in feminine fashion is just inexcusable.  The time to step up as a parent and learn this shit was a long-ass time ago, man.  You’ve basically been out of your child’s life this entire time, shown up only to angrily disapprove of how he lives his life, and now want to walk back in and expect that trying to change means he should give you that chance?  Why?  There’s no reason for Forrest to be the one who has to acknowledge you’re changing and growing as a person.  If nothing else, at least Forrest completely tells him off, and when Leo makes his attempt at reconciliation, his first thought is that he’s excited to get to know Elise.  Get fucked, Leo.  At least you go to save your kid, and don’t seem to express that you’re willing to let him die.  But you did stall on going, so like...fuck you.  F-tier.

Benny - And now for the exact opposite.  Benny’s an absolute sweetheart, and it’s no surprise he’s the same with his son.  He seems to care greatly for his son, is proud of his actions, and while protective, is willing to support his son’s decision to become stronger and learn to defend others with courage, while also teaching him that he’s not as fearless as he seems.  Honestly, maybe it’s just the feeling coming off of Leo, but S-rank.  We don’t really know how often he visits Ignatius, but I’d like to believe it’s often.

Keaton - Nothing too exciting, nothing too bad.  An easy, uninteresting B-rank.

Arthur - Apparently he’s never visited.  And openly stated that because he thought his son was safe here, his job was done.  This is the most intense version of just literally not being there for your child at all.  Still, at least he gives a shit, so D-rank, but a low D.

Odin - I think he’s solid.  Honestly there’s nothing outstanding here, but I really like Odin as a person, so A-rank.

Laslow - Okay, so in the intro to her chapter, Laslow mentions that Soleil has a band for town watch, and that she should be in her Deeprealm but goes where she pleases.  Which implies he knows she’s in his world already.  So he’s already letting her do as she pleases.  He’s openly aware she’s bi (let’s be real, here) and is fully supportive (LEO).  He taught her some great mechanisms for coping with difficulties in her life, and helps her realize it’s okay to not be positive when it feels forced.  And when confronted with the reality that Soleil is way better than him at flirting with the ladies, instead of being an insecure prick about it, he’s like “Hell yeah, that’s my girl!”  S-rank, easy.

Niles - I hate Niles, but as far as parenting goes, he’s not the worst.  It’s not clear if he’s been to visit her much (sounds like a no), but he at least has clear care for her.  He does try to emphasize to her what kind of life he’s had and that he doesn’t want her to have to live like that too, so I do appreciate that angle for him.  B-rank.

And that’s everyone.  There are some decent parents in all this.   The only real failures are Leo and Azama.  I think Azama’s a bit worse based on not showing any inclination to change or any particular care about his child, while Leo at least learns something and grows from it.  Though Leo’s issues are such a problem for me.  I think Laslow’s the best, though Kaze and Benny were also really great.

Shame about the Baby Realm thing, though.  That whole idea was just so stupid...

#fire emblem fates

[shatteredcrimsondreams]

After what seems like forever since I first read Ieyesu’s divine ending, I’m finally done with his noble ending and I’m dying to read his divine ending again (one reason being now it seems all the crossroad stories and endings are voiced?!?!! 😍 — Ieyesu sounds so sexy omg!) And another being, I’ve been reminded on why I love this ill-mouth Tokugawa brat so so so much!!

We’ve come a loooooong way for Ieyesu to so openly admit his feelings to the mc. But that last dialogue though 😂 oh Ieyesu, you just can’t come clean with your true feelings can you? ☺️🥰

Love how he acts like a complete brat here. So so so precious! Just come out and be honest that you want the mc all to yourself already you possessive little lord ☺️

Then we have the scene where he decides that he will do what he can to fight and save that woman he loves. I love this scene so so so much!!

Awwwwwww you precious \(//∇//)\

I truly love Tokugawa Ieyesu so so so much!! It’s really so satisfying to see how he matures in the story and how he finally professes his love for the mc. I especially loved that one dialogue when he says “talk is cheap. I’ll prove it with my actions” (smth along those lines I can’t exactly remember) and he goes to kiss the mc passionately. It really captures Ieyesu’s personality through and through and all I can say is...

I LOVE YOU IEYESU!!!!!\(//∇//)\

Will prob go on to re-read saizo (again) before I come back to Ieyesu’s divine ending (again) but omg. Ieyesu’s main route is one of my fav happier endings in the SLBP universe ☺️

#samurai love ballad party #slbp #tokugawa ieyesu #slbp ieyesu #voltage inc #voltage otome #slbp tokugawa #slbp spoilers

[caffeinatedfantasy]

Mammon is the main love interest not Lucifer, Mammon is the “default” character the game uses and the guy who cares for you 24/7, Lucifer is hardly romanceable with his intimacy taking forever to level up and being so focused on Diavolo, but he is the one who moved the plot forward and if you want a good story you need a character that moves it forward (e.g all stories in Lovestruck)

Alright, so. I’m gonna start this by saying: I’m not coming at this from a “best boy” or “who MC is supposed to end up with” or “who’s canon” or anything like that. There’s nothing wrong with whoever is anyone’s favourite, either. 

This purely my opinion of the roles from a development standpoint. And I’d like to note that I believe that the Beta changed some things, though I can’t be certain what. I also don’t know how the Japanese version of the game differs [I can’t find it and don’t know if it differs at all.]

Also. This contains spoilers.

Moving on. The question is: Is Lucifer meant to be the Main Love Interest? 

Short answer: It’s… Complicated, since I personally don’t believe the “romance options” have officially been released, but if this had been written with only one romance option, it’d be him. 

From a narrative point of view, Lucifer is the most important brother. I don’t think that’s up for debate. 

He’s the reason everyone fell, the reason they’re all bound to Diavolo, he’s the one who locked Belphegor away, he’s the one credited for choosing you for the program, and he’s the one “in charge” of you [Mammon is your guardian, but that choice was Lucifer’s, not Mammon or Diavolo’s]. It’s his trust you’re breaking, his respect you’re trying to get. 

The narrative focuses on him more than anyone else. And this isn’t technically his “route” yet either. [If they do specific routes, that is. We’re on wait and see for that.]

But, as you say, Mammon is the one with you all the time, so why isn’t he the “Main” Love Interest? 

Well, because his narrative role in the story is often more of the clown or, in general, a humorous one. He is actively shown to have a crush on you, and is greedy for affection/attention from you, but his potential romance scenes never quite hit in the way they should if he was meant to be the main. 

When Levi goes to attack you, its not Mammon who saves you. It’s not even whoever you call for. It’s specifically Lucifer swooping in because Mammon couldn’t. 

When you go to the retreat, it’s Lucifer who swoops in to steal you for a dance when Mammon is [rather obviously] trying to ask you. 

He does this again in the hard lessons while in London. 

Lucifer is the one to turn Mammon’s idea of matching keychains between you and him into a group thing. [And it’s mentioned later on only for Lucifer.] 

There might be more examples, but I’m going off of what I remember. And from a narrative perspective, Mammon’s attempts at romance lean towards silly, light hearted, etc. If this were a traditional love story, he’d be meant to be the awkward loser with a crush. Used as a foil to show you how cool the real love interest is.

From a Marketing Perspective, which is what I was referring to with typical Otome game pushing their “Main”, it’s a little foggier, and it makes me think that Mammon and the other brothers “tested” better than expected. 

In nearly all marketing material that include all of the brothers, he is at the fore. He’s either first if it’s a list, or in the center if it’s a spread. 

His CGs tend to be featured the most often in the ads, and even the anime intro focused on him more than any other brother, more similar to if he were the protagonist.

[”But Samie!” You say, “he’s the oldest, so of course he is often first/featured!” Well, sure, but that was a narrative choice, as traditional demonology does not have them consistently aged/ranked like the game. Hell, Lucifer isn’t even universally grouped with these specific demons. Only the Laterne of Light and Binsfield’s [the “seven sins model”] classifications even include Lucifer.  But I digress…]

Also of note, in otome game marketing, in terms of how the Shall We Date? Games tend to market/focus on their characters, I’ll look at all of NTT Solmare’s Ninja series’s. [Ninja Love, Ninja Shadow, Ninja Assassin], They tend to have a formula for their “mains”, which is noticeable, but changes as they add more options. The Official Leader of the group is rarely the emotional leader of the group, who is almost always the “main” romance option. Which. Diavolo, as a currently unromanceable character who is literally the next in line to the throne, fills that role. [Hanzo, Makoto, Kinshiro]. 

Lucifer is second in command to Diavolo, though, which is actually notoriously their favourite spot for the “main romance”. [Saizo, Ukyo, Soji.] Mammon falls in third “role”, which in all of these examples, is the more flirty/cool character [Goemon, Asagi, Aoi]. 

I’ve written more than I intended, so I’m now all kind of rambled out, even tho I could probably go more in depth with the thought process behind the marketing and why I believe that they altered plans when Lucifer wasn’t as popular as expected. [Mammon definitely stole the show in the beta.]

And once again, since this is an otome game, there’s no correct answer to who you’re supposed to romance, so they can only clearly cut off a romance option in a specific route. Which, we haven’t reached their romance routes yet, so I might be proven wrong.

Also, alternatively, my view of Lucifer as the “Main” love interest could be because he was originally planned to be the “main” antagonist instead. It’s hard to say for sure.

I also didn’t proofread this or anything, so. Sorry if it’s only marginally coherent. 

EDIT: I forgot to address the Lovestruck comment of this. Voltage tends to have different practices than the Shall we Date? Series. Both with their Lovestruck, the Love 365, and their Party stories. Ayakashi would be the closest [of theirs] in design, but I could write a whole thing on how those vary.

#standard practice #leader #obey me! #shall we date obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #shall we date #samie rambles #personal analysis #Anonymous #i forgot to address the lovestruck comment of this #but the short version of that is that it's usually the MC that moves the plot forward #or the character [whose role diavolo takes] #voltage also has a slightly different too

[otome-writer51]

A Ninja’s Kin

Hey guys!!!!!! It has been a long time since I’ve posted a story. I’ve been lacking motivation, but I am back with a piece dedicated to the lovely @raisukemerch. I had this amazing woman as my person in the writers/artist exchange in @voltage-vixen Kings of Paradise server. Thank you so much Kristen for organizing this whole entire event. It was so much fun to write something for someone, and getting to understand their favorite character(s). Also for just being the amazing, crazy, kind person you are!!!!!!!!! I might have went a little crazy Bunny, but it was all worth it!!!!! Writing this piece for you helped me develop a closer bond as friends with you, and I wouldn’t trade that for the world. You also got me addicted to SLBP; which I was hesitant to play because I wasn’t a fan of SAC. I will thank you forever for getting me hooked on this game!!!!!! I got to writing and I just couldn’t stop; it’s a bit longer than you were probably expecting, but YOU DESERVE ALL OF IT YOU AMAZING HUMAN!!!!! You are the best merch dealer on the planet, and you have the most amazing chicken!!!!!!!!!!! I know you have already read it in a PDF on the server, but it needs to go here so everyone can see how badass you and your family are, and how cute you and Saizo are of course!!!!!!!! I hope you enjoy it even more here on Tumblr!!!!!! I LOVE YOU BUNNY SO MUCH!!!!!!!! YOU ARE TRULY SAIZO’S LITTLE LADY!!!!!!!

Now onto the many many many thanks I have to give. I want to say thank you to @leoamber66 and @voltage-vixen for helping me get this spot on. I just started playing this game, and didn’t know everything I needed to do Saizo justice. You both helped me with that, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!! Also thank you so much Kristen for helping me with Saizo at the ending. You are the only person that has read the original version of the ending, and I am so glad you read it, and gave me feedback. I originally was only going to fix it, but after talking with you I realized it needed a complete overhaul!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lastly I want to give SUPER GINORMOUS THANKS TO @the-voltage-diaries(Zela) and @awesomeallseeingeye(Kay)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! First off, Zela made this beautiful edit to go with this novel, and it is absolutely amazing!!!!!!!! Thank you so much for the POV banner, it adds a certain magic that it didn’t have before. These two outstanding ladies were with me the most while I was writing this piece. They both edited the whole entire thing to make it perfection!!!!!!!! When one of them went to sleep it was time for the other to wake up; and they helped me so much, even though they did not have to!!!!!!!! This piece would not be the way it is now without the two of you guys!!!!! THANK YOU ZELA AND KAY SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE BOTH OF YOU!!!!!!!!!! I COULD NOT HAVE DONE THIS WITHOUT YOU!!!!!!!! Also all the laughs we shared typing back and forth on the document will stay with me forever, I will never forget them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Go give all these wonderful folks some love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now without further ado I present to you Bunny’s amazing family!!!! (It is in five parts to avoid having over 10,000 words on one post).

“Ha! Haru, you need to square up your shoulders to your target more if you ever want to beat me,” my oldest boy, Takeshi, chided his younger brother on his form. He had him in a compromising position to say the least, until Haru gracefully moved out of his clutches.

“I will beat you, with my shoulders squared or not,” my much younger boy growled at his older brother, knocking heads and giving him a death glare. You would think Haru was going to win this round, with how much anger he spat those words at Takeshi.

‘They get more competitive everyday,’ I giggled to myself, thinking. They were fiercely competitive, just like their father, but perhaps not as competitive as…

“Hi-ya!” Tackling both boys to the ground was my beautiful daughter Sakura. My oldest boy may be an exact copy of his father, but Sakura definitely inherited his sneaky side.

She flung herself down from a tree ending any kind of dispute between the two brothers that was sure to continue if she hadn’t.

“You both need to work on your spatial awareness if you ever want to dream of beating me.” Rising elegantly to her feet, she scolded them with so much sass I couldn’t help but be proud of her. She turned around with a quick whip of her long flowing hair, leaving both of her brothers on the ground, in a heap of grumbling mess.

“I see you have yet to outgrow your love for trees, honey,” I spoke sweetly to my girl.

She looked up at me with those big round eyes and said, “If daddy still likes trees at his age I never have to out grow trees, mommy,” punctuating ‘mommy’ in a way that was unnecessary.

I knew she would never lose her passion for trees, not when Saizo took her up one everyday to read her tales.

She walked over to the veranda in hopes of snuggling my beloved Yogurt until his eyes popped out of his head. “YOGURT!!!” She reached down to pick up the chicken and squeezed him with all her might.

“Cock-a-doodle-doo!!!!” Yogurt exclaimed at the top of his lungs.

I put a hand to my face and let out a laugh. That poor chicken, his eyes were practically bulging out of his head.

With a sigh I was about to tell her to ease up on the love fest when a snarky voice called out, “Well if she ever wanted to truly defeat me she would have outgrown her idiotic delusions that she can turn her back on the enemy.”

Barreling ahead at full speed with his wooden sword above his head, Takeshi closed in on his little sister. Sakura dropped Yogurt in shock, and he hurriedly ran away, cowering under a nearby log.

Sakura tried to defend herself but she was a second too late. Takeshi already had her in his vice grip, his sword resting across her throat. “See? We both knew you could never best me.”

Pursing her pretty pink lips, Sakura desperately tried to escape his hold.

It was a test between siblings. A passion burned in their eyes, much like the way their father’s gleamed when he went into battle.

‘They are for sure his children alright.’

Everything was just the way it should be, except for one little rascal, who was missing from this picture.

“Hey don’t you dare talk to my big sister like that!” Deciding his presence couldn’t be excluded from this party anymore, Haru sped over like a torpedo ready to show his big brother what happens when you mess with his big sister.

This was only meant to be a light training session. Of course it wouldn’t turn out that way though, these were mine and Saizo’s children after all, and it was escalating quickly.

“Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!” Brandishing his own training sword above his head just like his brother did only moments before, Haru lunged at Takeshi. In one swift movement, pushing his sister aside, Takeshi side-stepped Haru’s advances and flipped him over, back onto the ground to join his sister. “Uggggghh,” spread eagle on the ground, Haru moaned in pain. Sakura rubbed her butt, trying to ease the dull ache from her fall.

Proudly sheathing his training sword in his belt, Takeshi walked over to where Yogurt was to sooth the frightened chicken. Getting down on his knees, he held his hand out to him, “Come on, Yogurt, it’s safe to come out. That bad girl can’t hurt you anymore.”

“You see, this is why I like Haru more than you,” Sakura grimaced, gesturing to Haru, who finally was able to sit up after the ordeal he just went through. Now they were both glaring at Takeshi, who had finally managed to get Yogurt to come out of his hiding spot.

‘I think I should intervene before this gets out of control, but they are so adorable I can’t,’ Is all I could think as I watched my three young children bicker back and forth.

“You two are just jealous you are not as awesome as me,” Takeshi puffed out his eleven year old chest proudly, smirking at his younger siblings.

“Okay, okay,” I said, deciding to intervene now, “that is enough, you three. Come, let us go prepare dinner, your father should be finished with his meeting soon,” I ordered, speaking authoritatively to my rambunctious lot.

“Of course, mommy. Can we prepare him dango? Daddy loooooves dango!!!” Sakura pleaded cutely, looking up at me with her puppy-dog eyes, pulling on my robes.

“Is there any other option?” I asked with a knowing smile, taking my daughter’s hand in mine. “Come, you boys, let’s go,” I said, looking at my other two kids, only to realize my words fell on deaf ears, for my boys had their own plans in mind.

Takeshi was still standing triumphantly, petting Yogurt, while Haru was fuming at his obnoxious older brother. “Aren’t older brothers supposed to be people younger brothers look up to? If so, you are the worst older brother ever.” Stomping his little foot, Haru balled his hands up into tiny fists at his sides, giving his brother the look of a predator.

“Oh, stop being a wimp, Haru. You lost fair and square. You just need to face it; I’ve got five years on you and will always be ahead of you,” Takeshi taunted with a smirk, challenging his little brother.

“Takeshi, Haru do not speak to each other that way!” I scolded my children, an undertone of anger in my voice.

But of course, they did not hear me. Instead, Haru leaned down and picked up his weapon again, looking ready to kill. “YOU GET READY! I AM GOING TO SHOW YOU HOW ON THE SAME LEVEL WE ACTUALLY ARE!” Haru shouted, dashing forward at an incredibly fast speed… only to be met with a strong hand holding him in place.

“Are you joking right now? Is that seriously the best you’ve got?” Holding Haru with one hand to his forehand, and Yogurt in the other, it seemed like a walk in the park for my eldest son. Putting Yogurt down, Takeshi ripped Haru’s wooden blade out of his hand.

“Urrrgh. I am so going to get you!” Haru yelled at Takeshi, swinging his arms wildly to try and strike a hit on him, but to no avail.

“You boys!” I said, raising my voice at the ridiculousness of my sons, “STOP IT NOW.” ‘Did things always get like this when Saizo was training them?’ Sighing to myself, I let go of my daughter’s hand and marched right over to them.

“You poor thing. Watch and learn how the real men do it,” said Takeshi, and in the blink of an eye, he let go of Haru and swiped the sword right through his legs, knocking him on his back for the third time that day. “I. TOLD. YOU. Maybe one day you might achieve this level of awesomeness,” laughed Takeshi, holding his brother's sword high in the air, striking a pose. It was in his gloating that he did not realize he left himself so utterly exposed.

Grabbing the sword on his brother's belt, Haru used this golden moment to nail Takeshi. Blindly swinging his weapon upwards, he missed his brother's arm, instead hitting his sword and knocking it over the fence. He stood tall, eyeing his brother and even though he didn’t land a direct hit, anything was better than nothing.

“Haru, you idiot,” muttered the elder, “now the sword is all the way over there.” Grabbing his little brother by the collar, he got dangerously close to his face. Haru was, at this point, sweating, but he wouldn’t dare let Takeshi have the joy of knowing how he made him nervous. Ready to give him a piece of his mind, the elder raised his fist.

“Takeshi. Haru.” I called out, standing right in front of them. They froze at the chilly tone my voice had taken. My boys finally both seemed to notice my presence. Their heads turned in unison to witness the anger apparent on my face. I was seething. ‘Oh, how dare they ignore me.’

They both let go of each other and stood as still as statues, facing me. “Ye-yes, m-m-mother?” they whispered nervously. I could tell they were frightened, for it was one thing for Saizo to get mad, but when they made me mad, they knew just how bad they had really messed up.

With them fidgeting nervously in front of me, I finally had their full attention, so I spoke, “What is the matter with you two? I told you that was enough for today. When I told you to come, you did not come; in fact you ignored me and continued your mindless bickering. I have never seen the two of you act so hostile towards each other. You both wish to become great ninjas, but you will never with the way you are acting. I am very, very deeply disappointed with the both of you. Your father would be very disappointed with you two as well,” I said, shaking my head, “Do you hear me?”

Hanging their heads in shame, they kicked the rocks at their feet, twiddling their thumbs.

They did not answer me, and so I questioned again, louder, “Do you hear me?” The air outside dropped 30 degrees at my icey tone.

“Ye-yes m-mo-mother,” they nervously looked up at me, answering, afraid for their little lives. Any of the bravery they showed before was long gone now.

“You two are to go to bed with no supper after you finish cleaning all this mess up from your so-called ‘training’. I want it to be spotless out here. I want the dirt and grass so clean you can eat off of them.” I barked at them, too angry with them to tolerate any of their bitching, which they so happened to deliver.

Takeshi was the first to speak, “But mom that’s not fair! It is going to take hours to clean all of this up. Not just our training, but everyone else’s too! I hardly th-”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence, young man.”

He snapped his mouth shut, shrinking back to the same cowering little boy he was moments before.

“Hahaha!” I heard Sakura snickering in the background.

I snapped my head around to her, “Sakura, I kindly advise you to keep your mouth shut as well, unless you wish to aid your brothers in cleaning, with no dinner.” Her big beautiful eyes went as wide as saucers. She quickly shut her mouth, her eyes suddenly seeming to find the floor of the veranda very charming.

Letting out a frustrated groan, I turned back to my boys. “Haru, go get that sword you knocked over the fence, now. Take the long way around as well. It will give you time to think about what you have done,” I spat at my baby, who had tears forming in the corners of his eyes. At this point, I just wanted to hug him and wipe those tears away, but now was not the time.

“Hahaha,” now Takeshi was the one snickering.

Glaring, I doubled down on his punishment, “You better have half of this courtyard spotless by the time he gets back, boy.”

“But-! Mom, I can’t poss-” He groaned to me, but I cut him off with a tone that demanded no response, and a glare that had the potential to pierce one’s soul.

“TAKESHI.” He bit back his words letting a small, ‘Yes, mother,’ before he dashed off to start cleaning. I turned to Haru, “What are you waiting for? Go get that sword before the sun goes down.” With that, he scampered off, not because he wanted to make it back before sunset, but because he didn’t wish for me to see his tears.

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

#love 365 find your story #love 365 #samurai love ballad party #SLBP #slbp saizo #slbp yukimura #slbp fanfic #fanfic #family au #fluff #saizo fluff #badass chicken #badass wife #badass mom #adorable kids #sexy ninja #YOU ARE A QUEEN AND YOU DESERVE THE WORLD BUNNY

[draconivn]

C.007 | Daughter of the Takeda

Disclaimer: I don’t own Samurai Love Ballad: PARTY or its characters. Hints of spoilers to one of the routes. Summary: You wanted to do more than just be in the kitchen like any woman would’ve known how to do. You want to explore. You want to become so much more. But when you live in a world of war, what you decide to do in your past ends up following you to your future, even though the battlefield is no place for a woman. Will you find love or will you only find blood? Saizo x OC MC Masterpost: LINK

Chapter 7: A New Instruction

It had been two days since then that I was carrying Lord Shingen's morning tea to his chambers when a retainer approached me to tell me I was being summoned. Breakfast service was done, so I didn’t have to rush and tell Umeko or Matsuko to proceed without me. I thanked him, and continued on my way over. I could hear Lord Yukimura's voice from within, so I knocked before announcing myself. "Lord Shingen, it's Zaria."

"Come in."

There wasn't much of a pause from when I announced myself to when he told me to come in, so I slid open the door and entered, bowing my head with the tray. It seemed that Master Sasuke and Saizo was also in here with them, and I glanced down at the tray I brought. "Pardon the intrusion, Milords. Lord Shingen, I was bringing your tea when I was informed you summoned for me?"

“You’re just in time.” He gestured to the edge of his desk. “You can place it there for now and have a seat.”

I nodded. “Pardon me, Milords.” I placed the tray down on his desk carefully, pouring the cup before taking a seat. I glanced over at others, but it seemed that neither Lord Yukimura or Saizo had an idea of where this conversation was headed now that I was here.

“Zaria, I’m sending you to Ueda to live and train with Yukimura.”

“What–” I was speechless. Train with Lord Yukimura in Ueda?

Surprise and confusion hung in the air, while Master Sasuke seemed calm about it as Lord Shingen kept speaking. 

“This is only temporary. Yukimura, I’m tasking you to train her in the proper ways of a samurai, from weapons to riding a horse. I don’t want a single thing left out. If she needs to be trained alongside your men, so be it.”

Lord Yukimura looked at me, then back to him, a stammered response coming out before he could finally find the words, “B-But Milord… I don’t understand the reason for all of this.”

“Even an onna-bugeisha of my house needs to ensure she has her basics, Yukimura.” Lord Shingen spoke so matter-of-factly as he explained the reason like he was talking about the weather, but it didn’t seem to settle the surprise we felt over the matter. 

It was all so sudden, and my gaze was on Saizo for his reaction, but he had already schooled his expressions while we were more verbal and expressive on the matter. 

“I won’t be around forever, and she’s going to need to learn everything she can before she can lead the clan.” Lord Shingen’s words were like a last will of sorts, leaving me with an unsettling feeling.

“Lead the clan…?”

“But…” I looked to Lord Shingen. “...I don’t quite understand why I’d have to be sent to Ueda, Milord.”

“Many people would want the head of the clan dead, Zaria. If people were to know you were next in line, then you wouldn’t be safe in the condition you’re in. By sending you to Ueda where you can get the utmost amount of training since Yukimura is already training his men and others, rather than consume that time through travelling back and forth from here. You will also be safer this way, but I expect you to be fully trained in two months.”

Saizo seemed to not care, but rather, question the usage of Lord Yukimura’s time. “So we’re expected to turn a castle cook into the new head of the Takeda? That’s a pretty tall order, Shingen.”

Master Sasuke spoke up next, drawing our attention to him. “She’s already got quite a bit of skill, so you don’t have to worry about her being able to lift, but it’s just a matter of making sure she has the foundations of a samurai. Well, in her case, an onna-bugeisha.” He looked over to me with a grin. “But with everything you already know, you might end up being a new kind of onna-bugeisha."

I diverted my gaze from Lord Yukimura and Saizo. This discussion was far from what I expected to happen in telling them. Then again, I didn't have a plan of how to tell them properly. But it was too late, now that Lord Shingen and Master Sasuke were saying all these things. "You say that as if I know more than you, but I only know what you’ve all taught me before.”

Lord Shingen chuckled, his reaction halting any starts of protests. "I trust you'll be learning a lot, Zaria. Yukimura is one of our best in the army, I'm sure you know that already, but there is no one else I'd trust to train you." His laughing expression turned serious. "But we can't have word of this spreading around. In Ueda, it will be fine if everyone knows where she stands in the clan, but anyone else may pose a danger if they were to know. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Milord."

Despite the fact that I responded with the both of them, I felt hesitation and uncertainty. I wasn’t schooling my expressions today, and it seemed that Lord Shingen caught sight of it when he called to me,

"Zaria, stay back for a moment." He waited as Master Sasuke, Lord Yukimura and Saizo got up to leave, shutting the door behind them. "Something on your mind, little cub?"

I relaxed a bit when he addressed me as such, though I could only glance at the doorway. "I know you said that it'd be safer to go to Ueda but… is there really no other way?"

“Come here.” Lord Shingen motioned me over.

I got up and sat right in front of him, his large hand coming up to rest on my head. 

"You have a big responsibility, Zaria. If someone doesn't take over this clan, you will, and I know you’ve seen the things everyone has had to do around here to ensure the Takeda continue to survive. This is the only option we have right now if you’re nowhere near ready." He had to say it so bluntly, like there was really no other answer, no matter how much I wanted to stay and learn here. 

"But I can also learn about the clan's affairs just as well by being here!"

"I know you've been listening well when you come to deliver tea, but knowing how to handle the politics of the Takeda is only half the battle. You'll go to Ueda with Yukimura and Saizo when they leave for the day. Use this time to learn from Yukimura and then come back to me. I'll teach you as much as I can. I know you like cooking, but don't overdo it when you get there, yeah?" He grinned, ruffling my hair.

"L-Lord Shingen!"

"Hey now, aren't you being a bit too informal? I'm your old man now."

I chewed on my lower lip, as the words sunk into my head. That's right. I have someone to call that now. I looked up at him after a moment and smiled. "Thank you, Father. I'll make sure to train well."

"That's my little cub." He grinned. "Now go see Kiku. If we're going to show you off as a lady of this House, she'll make sure you know how to knock 'em dead. Just make sure you give yourself some time to pack."

"Thank you, L- Father." I nodded and stood up, excusing myself from his chambers. I appreciated the things that Lord Shingen was doing for me, and it seemed that there was really no other way to go about it. I couldn't keep being scared and hiding in my fear of others knowing, but I had to work hard to show that his decision to allow me in was not for nothing. I knew Lord Yukimura and Saizo would start questioning everything as soon as they saw me but up ahead, I could see them talking to Master Sasuke before I slipped around the corner. My footsteps picked up at the sound of my name being called but I pretended to not hear it.

What was that about not being scared and hiding in your fear of others knowing?

… J-Just give me a bit more time and I'll talk to them.

You're contradicting yourself again.

I'm trying my best. I shook my head clear and went down an alternate corridor towards Lady Kiku's chambers in hopes she was there.

Lady Kiku was Lord Shingen's niece, beautiful and sweet. We had met before in passing, though I wasn't sure if she remembered me at first. Or at least, I was mistaken to think so, the very thought flying out the window when I saw the way she lit up when I came in. Sounds of glee filled the room and kimonos flew in every direction in every attempt to help me dress the part of my new station, hardly wasting any time in dolling me up with lessons for the entire morning. Lunch had been spent focused on mannerisms, while her lessons on how to walk and behave like a noble lady were ruthless, meaning to undo every way I knew how to walk as it already was. 

"–Is what Uncle says is true? That you'll be fighting on the battlefield too?"

"Huh?" I stopped in my tracks to look at her. I nearly dropped the book I was using to keep my head steady to the floor, my hands reflexively catching it for my practice to halt temporarily. "He told you about that, did he…"

Lady Kiku was intuitive, but she also had a curiosity that seemed to try and understand the freedom Lord Shingen seemed to brazenly have, as if wanting that for her own. While she sat there looking pretty and elegant, her way of speaking had become more casual as she went on. "When he told me about teaching you, I didn't quite understand why he had taken on a daughter instead of a bride. I know it's not my business to ask, but he told me anyhow." She smiled and leaned forward a little, her eyes curious. "But you're too pretty for the battlefield. Any man would probably fall in love with you if you were more confident in yourself. Hmm…"

I never wanted to disagree more than I did then and there, but it was hard to deny it when she was getting a little too close, making me blink and lean back bit by bit. "W-What is it…?"

She had an innocent look on her face, mischief flickering over for a moment. "If you had to marry a samurai, who would you pick?"

I was taken aback at the question. "W-Why the s-sudden question?" My cheeks flared up, taking a step back to avoid her peering gaze.

She smiled, leaning back as if she enjoyed being able to get this out of me. "It's been so long since I've been able to have any girl talk. Come on, do tell! One day we'll have to get married, but if you could pick, what kind of man would marry?" She patted the spot next to her, drawing me away from my practice.

"If I could…?" I echoed back.

"It doesn't hurt to dream a little, would it?"

Lord Shingen's words about marriage a few nights ago were no longer a worry, yet I still felt like I had done this irreversible crime that slapped Saizo in the face. But I was ready to be hated for what I was doing, out of my own selfishness, out of the need for duty. I wanted to make sure the people I cared about didn't die, and unfortunately, this was the consequence of my selfishness. Even though I had considered Saizo in my decision-making, I was that much more afraid of losing him physically than emotionally.

Then Lord Yukimura would lose someone close to him, and he would have to deal with that. Other people's happiness was my happiness, and I didn't want to see anyone suffer.

In this position, I held responsibility for my simple yes. It was a trade-off that never would've given me equal to what it would receive. I had much to learn in so little time.

Being at Ueda wouldn't do anything to save that affection. 

So after a moment of thinking, I gave Lady Kiku a sheepish smile. I’ll let my words betray my thoughts just this once. "I wouldn't know, Lady Kiku. It's never really crossed my mind."

#fanfic: daughter of the takeda #fanfics ; #fanfic: slbp #I've been sitting on this chapter for a while but it's something I had to really think about #I also got sidetracked but here's hoping we're back on track to something better #minju fanfics ;

[kirigakutie]

I’m glad that you were born when you were to be with me. Always remember that you are loved. Happy B-day💕

#恋乱 #霧隠才蔵 #祝_才蔵bd #祝_霧隠才蔵_生誕祭2017 #kirigakure saizo #slbp saizo #saizo kirigakure #slbp #tenka touitsu koi no ran #tenka touitsu love ballad #i love you saizo #you are loved #ahkansjzbz #ugly crying #hugs you forever and ever #thank you for coming into my life #i love you so much