Reblog Because It Must!

Buhuhuhu...I am at this point to forgive rushed story lines and Unrealistic event of Slbp ES all for the sake of studying Boys' characterization and narrative style. So you can guess why my rates are more generous.

Masa - 1st (9/10) - I love political intrigues...and I kind of understand why Masa was late to decide whether to join Hojo or Toyotomi because even though Date are powerful, siding on a losing clan in a war could still devastate them into nothingness (even great families across history are decimated when they lost a war due to the damage and political backlash...you know...POLITICS...not to mention how victors ruthlessly kill the children, wives, siblings, in-laws, elderly parents and grandparents of their defeated enemies to "cut the grass and weed out roots" to prevent them from becoming powerful enough to dipose them in the future) and that is why Masa wanted info on both sides first and due to their seemingly evenly matched strengths (Hojo being powerful clan for hundreds of years and Toyotomi being the powerful conqueror of the west), he had a difficult time choosing...and letting MC be a hostage to one clan was a HUGE gamble not only for her life... But for his clan.

Saizo - 2nd (8) - I want to smack the head of that elder's son!! But cliffhanger!

Yuki - 3rd (7) - He's sweet.😉😉

Kojuro - 4th (6) - This one could have been my fave, but I could think of many ways to solve the child problem and let him go home....AND KOJURO opt him to stay! Is he trying to use a child for his own ends?? Maybe? But nevertheless, I don't like it.

Mitsuhide - 5th (4) - MC's cooking helpsthe sick get cured, but disease seems to be respiratory in nature. And besides....this one ends in a cliffhanger! I hate cliffhangers!

Nobu - 6th (3) - sigh...why is NOBU unbelievably cruel in here? If he suspects Murashige was betraying him, the ES showed no signs to indicate Araki's deception but his retainer's disgust in the sword mochi thing that comes from Nobu's actions...Why Nobu? Are you bored? Pretending? If so, that is not a good reason to antagonize new allies this much if you want Divine Rule. There are many ways to exert dominance, but this reason isn't enough for me. This is a poorly made motivation/plot tool to make Nobu bad...sorry.

SLBP “The Bride’s Memories, Fleeting as Tears in Rain” Event Review

Props to Voltage for exploring past the traditional happily ever after! This event has been a little surprising to me in several ways - first, I didn’t expect it to ever exist, and second, well…let’s just say there is no correlation between how much I like a character and how good I thought their stories were, lol. My personal ranking, from least to most fave:

In Masamune’s ES, Hideyoshi and the Hojo clan are preparing to go to war against each other. Both of them want the Date clan to help…and both of them want MC as a hostage as well. WTF? The retainers are split, Masamune’s obviously reluctant to do anything, and MC ends up getting chloroformed by Hojo sympathizers at some point, only for M to conveniently save the day at the last second. She convinces M she wants to be a hostage, and the story ends up with MC in a palanquin, on her way to…somewhere.

My tolerance for unrealistic bullshit in SLBP stories is pretty high, but this story was just too damn much, lmao. Masamune clearly has the position of power here as the third party…can’t he just declare that he’ll ally himself to the first clan to rescind their hostage demand?! Hideyoshi and Masamune seemed to get along ok in M’s Act 2…I’m sure the guy could be made to see reason. I did like the beginning scene where Masamune strokes MC’s hair and lets her sleep in, but to be very honest I kind of thought the rest of the story was crap. ^_^

Personal enjoyment: 1/10

In Kojuro’s ES, he and MC decide to take care of a boy from the enemy Ashina clan who’s lost his memories (not sure why they couldn’t have just watched him from a distance, tbh). Except then the whole town becomes convinced that said boy is Kojuro’s “bastard” child from before MC, and gets super mad at him! I’m sure this is exactly how people in ancient Japan would’ve reacted to a powerful man’s extramarital child, lol. In the end, boy regains his memories, the Ashina clan learns about him and declares war with the Date clan over the “hostage” they imprisoned, and that’s that. 😂

I mean… I’m glad the story didn’t end with some bullshit reason to separate K from MC?! Besides that, I’m not really sure what the point of this whole ES was. The plot was pretty boring imho, and Kojuro was absent/distant/not romantic for a large part of it. I’m not sure why MC was so insistent that Kojuro be nice to an enemy child, either. Also I saw that trap coming from a mile away once Kojuro mentioned the Ashina were plotting something, and I can’t say I’m super excited to see how this story plays out.

Personal enjoyment: 2/10

Nobunaga spends most of his ES humiliating his new retainer Murashige. From forcing Murashige to eat mochi directly off his sword (not an innuendo!!) to insulting his young son’s drawing of him to giving a military leadership position to Hideyoshi when Murashige made the most strategic sense, one really starts to wonder how Oda “no people skills” Nobunaga was ever able to get that close to Divine Rule in the first place, lol. In any case, to nobody’s surprise Murashige ends up betraying Nobunaga at a crucial moment, and Nobunaga ends up divorcing MC (this again?! 😂) after a night of astounding sex.

Things I did like about this route: Nobunaga secretly being nice to the son when he thinks nobody’s watching. That sex scene. Nobunaga getting pissed with Murashige claiming his young wife is the most beautiful woman in world (of course, lmao). Things I didn’t love so much: Nobunaga’s total lack of communication regarding why he does the shit he does! I bet we’re going to find out during the sequel that Nobunaga knew all along that Murashige was suspicious. ^_^

Personal enjoyment: 6/10

After saving the road to a neighboring province from kidnappers and murderers, Yukimura truly proves himself to be the hero we all know he is in his ES! There isn’t too much plot beyond that, but this story is full of cute/hilarious moments instead, such as the poor idiot freaking out when he learns that MC’s gravely injured herself after several rounds of telephone, lmao (spoiler: she just cut herself, a little, while cooking). There’s also a bit of drama/angst when the neighboring province tries to poach Y for a few months to handle some problem I don’t remember and he’s reluctant to leave MC, but he eventually does leave, only to quash said problem… and have a cliff fall on him. !!

This story was definitely super light on the plot, lol. But no plot is better than a bad plot, imho! I did really like the little slice of life moments we got between MC and Yukimura, such as his adorable reaction to MC figuring out how to carve a turnip chrysanthemum ^_^ These two dorks are so in love and impressed with each other. I thought it was super sweet!! Best quote: “I cannot put anything or anyone else before you, even in my thoughts.”

Personal enjoyment: 7/10

Mitsuhide’s ES is a cute little treat. Here, the poor guy’s been obviously overworking himself, to the point of not having time to accept MC’s care/food (!). And in the meanwhile, people in town have been collapsing for mysterious reasons! After M himself also passes out, he realizes the townsfolk have been suffering from malnutrition after switching from farming to fishing. While MC teaches them how to cook veggies with the fish (lol), he saves the day by establishing a vegetable/fish trading route, and everyone lives happily ever after! …Except not, because MC finds the guy coughing BLOOD. Uh oh.

I thought the plot was a little silly (do the townsfolk really need some uppity city girl teaching them how to cook vegetables?! lmao), but it was nonetheless a lovely, self-contained, and interesting read! The real star of this story was definitely Mitsuhide himself, who apart from being an overworked sweetheart for the whole ES, also busted out the single best line of dialogue in this event: “When I eat your food…that’s how I know I am home.” Awww 😍 I’m really hoping we learn his illness isn’t terminal in the sequel!

Personal enjoyment: 8/10

Saizo’s story is one of the more adventure-filled ones! Here, the ninja’s been sent alongside Yukimura on a diplomatic mission to one of their more remote territories/villages. Unfortunately, the son of the village elder holds a grudge against Saizo due to murder (understandable). Said son also kidnaps MC and tries to rape her (less understandable!), but of course, Saizo saves the day. MC talks S down from killing the guy, but the ungrateful bastard claims Saizo’s attacked him and has him arrested…! Yikes.

This story was delightfully dramatic, and I really enjoyed it. Not to mention, Saizo was sweeter than I’ve ever seen him before! From buying MC a cord she was eyeing to resting in her lap to talking in the onsen with her to acknowledging that MC’s made him less murderous, this guy showed that he definitely is capable of doing the romance thing when he wants to. Not to mention, his saving MC scene was super badass (The ravens have come…and so has he)!! I’m quite curious to see what’ll happen in the sequel!

Personal enjoyment: 9/10

I may not have loved every story in this latest event (cough Date clan), but every CG looks so good, like wow! My favorite is definitely Nobunaga’s ;)

Anyway, what did you think of this event?? ^_^

@otome-reviews Remember when I asked you about Masanari and Saizo in a duel...Saizo pretty much owns the snake man in melee due to his long hair. 😀

Q&A: Long Hair

Is it not yet completely insane for someone who engages in combat a lot to have long, say shoulder-length, hair? I saw your posts about armour and put two and two together when you said anything that can be grabbed isn’t that good of an idea, so hair…?

This one’s pretty simple; you’ve identified one of the two main issues.

So, long hair is a detriment to combat effectiveness, but it’s not terminal. You don’t want hair that will get in the way, and you don’t want hair that can be grabbed. After that, do what you want.

So, long hair will, usually, get in the way. No matter your best intentions, it’ll fall in front of your face, get in your eyes, and, generally, make a nuisance out of itself at every opportunity. Before someone tries to come down on me for this: I’ve had long hair for most of my life. I know.

The simplest answer is: You bind it back in a tight ponytail; that will keep it out of the way. Historically, this has been men’s fashion in a number of cultures. Ideally a shorter ponytail is better than a longer one, but to some extent, it doesn’t matter. Buns are also an option, as are dreadlocks and tight braids. Anything that keeps the hair out of the way will do the job.

So, why bother? Because in colder climates, long hair will keep your head warm. Hair is a fantastic insulator, and if you’re living on a tundra, that will help keep your head warm when you’re out working. When you’re fighting, you’ll probably want to tie it back.

The other reason is, yes, someone can grab you by your hair. There’s a couple caveats here, and they depend on the kind of combat you’re in. In a fight with bladed weapons, going for someone’s hair is a good way to get carved up. You’re giving up one hand, and limiting your mobility, and hoping your opponent won’t use one hand to grab your weapon arm, and the other one to run you through repeatedly. This is less of a consideration if your foe is wearing armor, though, at that point, you probably are as well, and getting into the situation in the first place is going to be harder.

Also, ponytails blunt the effect of having your hair pulled. I suspect this has something to do with how it distributes the force across the scalp, but a ponytail will not offer the same control grabbing a fist full of loose hair will.

In ranged combat, somewhat obviously, you’re not going to be getting a grip on someone’s hair, and some the same considerations apply as the previous example. If you do get in close enough to grab their hair, they’ll probably pump a couple rounds into you.

Not, strictly related, but long hair can be a detriment when working around heavy machinery. If it gets caught, it can get pulled in. So, that’s something else to avoid. At that point, even the ponytail can be serious safety issue. This is more of a general, “yeah, long hair can be a detriment, than a specific issue, and shoulder length shouldn’t be a problem.

So, no, nothing insane about having hair, that’s normal, and long hair is common enough, but it does come with special considerations.

-Starke

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Q&A: Long Hair was originally published on How to Fight Write.

Otome Game Memes…

When Your Event Allies Quit Midway…

When you like the Side Characters more than your “hubbies”…

When you alone is rooting for the fandom’s “least favorite” Love Interest amongst your circle of friends…

When you rant about a certain route or a character on social media…

When your ship is sailing to lala land in the limited edition epilogue you just bought..

Arashi

Tags: No romantic pairings. Angst. Suspense. War. Politics

Slight Canon Divergence. Behind the scenes that occur in Hideyoshi MS, but in Maeda Toshiie’s POV.

What were Toshiie’s thoughts after he was exiled by Lord Nobunaga?

Chapter 1: Into the Rain

Toshiie hated waiting.

And thus, he sparred with a lone training dummy in the middle of the courtyard in an effort to improve his martial skills, despite knowing that most of his peers cannot best him. Dusk was falling, and the next day, the army would set off towards the battlefield. None of his former mentor’s retainers went out to train along with him in order to get ready for the upcoming war.

For months the young man had prepared himself for the big event; one that would determine his fate as a samurai. He had trained with his former colleagues, participated in mock battles together with the regiment of Lord Shibata Katsuie, one of the senior retainers of Oda clan and Toshiie’s former teacher. And even though the young man was “officially” a ronin for incurring the wrath of his former liege lord, he is still well-respected; enough to warrant a warm welcome within the estate of the lord commander, who treats the youth like his own son.

When evening falls, there will sometimes be sudden torrential rains. The skies were overcast and  Toshiie could see dark heavy clouds shrouded the dignified Kiyosu castle from afar like a cage. His rain-soaked purple kimono swayed languidly everytime he moves that the top hem of his robes started to become undone. He adjusted it afterwards.  He could hear the trees rustling due to the strong winds that passed them by.

Despite the downpour, however, Toshiie didn’t stop his exercises. He could hear the loud clack whenever his weapon hit the dummy, and whooshing sounds as he maneuvered his practice spear. For a moment, his focus was on his target. The next, however, his mind began to wander as he recalled some of his memories. He gripped his weapon hard that his knuckles went white as his past flashed before his eyes like an old painting.

Keep reading

Reviewing Ieyasu’s MS

So. Ieyasu. Who I see is in the top five characters in Japan again. (There’s a psychological study in that, if anyone has the resources.) I finally finished his MS a few weeks ago, but have been putting off writing my overall impressions because, frankly, I haven’t wanted to.

I collected dozens of screenshots documenting how his character does and doesn’t change throughout the story, but the thought of going through them just to say the same things as before has been disheartening. Rather than talk about abuse and the romantic view it’s given here again, I’m going to start by talking about something I haven’t given much attention to yet: the non-Ieyasu characters.

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Wow! Nobuyuki, did you just used your tactics what I think you did? 😂😂 Good work on this one @ichigo-daifuku 😉😉.

Beloved

SLBP Fanfiction [Read on AO3]

Sanada Yukimura/MC; Sanada Nobuyuki/MC

Rated E | Warning: Mildly Dubious Consent. If you have decided to proceed reading, please do so with caution. Thank you!

Word Count: ~5k

In a place called Shinano, she was beloved.

Keep reading

Shattered Bonds

Fandom: Samurai Love Ballad Party

Character: Inuchiyo

Summary:  His heartache came from the fact that he didn't ask for this upcoming war to happen; and yet, just because two of his most important persons decided one cannot live with another under the same sky, he found himself forced to choose sides and fight against his former friend.

Slightly based ON REAL HISTORY. How this young lord must have felt when he found HIMSELF on the other side of war against his close friend. One-shot (possibly out of many).

Also posted on my AO3.

Little pieces of white fell down from the blackened skies as the overcast clouds suppressed the dignified fortress atop a mountain. The wind blew its coldest as anxious servants within the stronghold struggle to make fire, soldiers rummaging through the stocks for extra blankets, and scouts braving the intense cold to look for signs of enemy ambush, or infiltration beyond its walls.

Or signs of invasion from their former allies.

At least, this is what the young lord of the castle (who is inside the war council room alone at the moment) wanted to think with regards to their "enemy"—a belief that is shared by the majority of his people. The lord may be young, but if there is any indication, the dark circles around his eyes suggest he had aged a lot from all the stress. A jar of sake was placed on the table, beside it were two cups: one for the man himself, the other was for the special somebody the man had all but lost thanks to this conflict. Filling the second cup was his usual habit whenever he and his friend would meet up for drinks in the past, and now, as an homage for his absent friend. It was meant to calm him, help him relax a little; obviously, it didn't work.

His heartache came from the fact that he didn't ask for this upcoming war to happen; and yet, just because two of his most important persons decided one cannot live with another under the same sky, he found himself forced to choose sides and fight against his former friend. If it were up to him, he would have stormed towards his dear partner on that fateful day, and beat the crap out of him for his crazy plan of following THEIR LATE LORD'S dream—and hope it will be just that. But no... his friend had coldly shrugged him off, as if his words are nothing and proceeded to leave without saying anything to him, he didn't even look at him in the eye! That usual smugness of his had always made the young lord's blood boil, but that day, he feared he had crossed the line, a point of no return.

So, now that the conflict has escalated, the young lord remembered that he had volunteered to lead the front and fight the good fight, hoping the prodigal himself will somehow turn back after a few defeats. Unfortunately, he got stonewalled by his superiors, given his ties to their supposed "traitor". There were no words just how angry he had been, angry at the people he and his departed friend were supposed to protect. Angry at his friend for not trusting HIM enough. Angry at himself for not knowing just how bad things had gone after their lord died on that tragic fire. Angry that he was forced to station at the rear by those scheming bastards who may or may not have designs for him and his clan. The bad memories only made the lord bit his lip and clench his sake cup hard until whites from his knuckles had formed.

It wasn't easy for the young lord to handle things at the rear, even though they were far from the actual fighting. A while ago, he had a fight with a vassal, whom he secretly knew as a spy from the old guards who had stonewalled him. Logistics had said that their supplies are barely enough to last for a month, a grave matter. The vassal in question had strongly suggested to scour nearby villages for food, water and heat by pillaging them. This was, of course, met with gasps and indignation from the young lord's loyalists but couldn't openly complain due to the vassal's backing.

Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how one sees this incident), the young lord refused the vassal's advice and even reprimanded him without regard of the political ramifications. To say things became chaotic is an utter understatement and the lord was at wits end during the ordeal. In the end, the vassal and his army left, leaving the castle almost defenseless and short of manpower at the present.

Frustration and a lingering sense of fear loom over this lord's heart as he sat inside the room, alone, waiting for someone from the shadows. There are a lot of things in this man's mind, questioning his own capacity as a leader. Was he wrong to refuse that vassal? Was he right to separate his own army from his? Hard questions poured into his mind as lines between right and wrong blur in every passing moment.

And the fact that all the tension from the upcoming battle and worsening weather got him at this breaking point...it is terrifying how much more burden he could take, before everything else snaps; before he himself become a cold heartless monster, all because of this wretched war.

He gulped down his sake and closed his eyes to find himself some semblance of peace, some form of control over the looming rage within his heart. The hearthfire failed to ease his foul mood and the silence only serves as a reminder of how poor morale is at the moment.

The castle lord stood up, his family sigil evident from his blue-black silk kimono. He made his way to the armory, passing through the wintery cold of the outdoors, checking on his soldiers, pages and servants along the way.

Once alone in the armory, he made his way towards his ornate spear, gently touching as if trying to recall a happier memory in order to keep himself sane. Lost in his own thoughts, he recalled his past as a young boy learning to wield his weapon. The time when he was still naive from the hard truths of war.

One sunny day, he had once held a practice spear in the middle of a match. Cheers of encouragement and jeers by the audience had filled the air. Old war veterans on the sidelines had looked thoughtfully at him and his opponent, assessing their strengths.

Across him had been another boy whose hair was a soft brown. His eyes were like clear brown sugar candies. His height couldn't match his own and his practice katana had been too small, but despite the obvious disadvantage, his opponent had given him a familiar lopsided grin; as if he knew how to turn things into his favor.

A time when both boys began as rivals, before they became best of friends, who still (ironically) fight here and there due to some simple crazy differences.

Before they became great vassals of their lord and achieved great things in their own right...

Before they inevitably became enemies after their lord had died…

Once upon a time, before he became the head of his clan and lord of this fortress, he was a rebellious boy of a prestigious samurai clan named Inuchiyo, and his enemy was his former friend, a clever peasant boy named Tokichiro.

When Dining Table became my Working Table.

Tagging @otome-comments remember 5 things in your room/bag contents? This is what happens when I "get serious" 😂😂😂

I spent millions of credits on these.

Brings back memories :)