Preliminary thoughts on which two magic knights Mira and Lucia should focus on are mostly similar to what Lunaryon said (aka Mira takes Hikaru and Lucia talks with Umi; though it should be noted that the Magic Knight we don't select will be attended by both Mira and Lucia once they finish talking with their original selections, according to the following)
EDIT: Since no one's really adding anything to the discussion...
[X] Plan Matching Partners
-[X] Mira
--[X] Umi
-[X] Lucia
--[X] Fuu
I decided that Hikaru might be better off being attended by both Mira and Lucia, hence why I'm having Mira go for Umi first, while Lucia talks with Fuu.
But it's actually identical to the current plan, anyways.
I think the thread's "apathy" here isn't so much apathy as these being...relatively minor votes. It's who we send to interact with specific characters. We're not picking who we get to see, as all three will be seen, just who sees them and when. And here, it's basically the same, except instead we have "pick two, odd one out gets both later".
There just isn't much to be done with these specific votes, not without getting very pedantic.
[X] Plan Matching Partners.
Although I will admit to considering focusing on Umi instead, due to her Umi-ness, but then I remembered that Hikaru absolutely, verifiably took the whole Emeraude situation the worst.
Winning Vote:
[X] Plan Matching Partners
-[X] Mira
--[X] Umi
-[X] Lucia
--[X] Fuu
[X] Plan RE: The Children (and Dr Saotome) Aren't Alright -[X] Mandatory (does not count against action count): New Year's party!
--[X] Archangel crew and pilots
-[X] Check in with the EVA pilots
-[X] Check on the Magic Knights
--[X] Lucia
-[X] Unholy Alliance -> Unholy Matrimony
-[X] Retroactive Thesis
-[X] Patchwork Amalgam
-[X] Second Advent
Mandatory End of Turn Event: Decisive Fire
January UE 0084
(Umi) Ryuuzaki Family Estate, Tokyo
You were told the Ryuuzakis (not to be confused with Kazuya Ryuuzaki's family) were absolutely loaded, but you hadn't been prepared for just how big their family mansion is. As you are buzzed through the front gate, you can't help but gape at the size of the front courtyard. Kouji Kabuto and Kaname Chidori had mentioned in the past how every square meter of real estate in Tokyo was ludicrously valuable, especially since Second Impact.
Old money, or new money? You can't help but think to yourself as you follow the footpath to the mansion proper.
You knock twice, and the door opens up to reveal a young woman with blue hair pulled back in a bun, wearing a...you can't decide if it's a dress that looks like an apron, or a heavily modified frock coat, but regardless, it has poofy shoulders, and she's wearing it over a dress shirt. Umi's mother, you presume.
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Ryuuzaki. I'm Mira Ayana, from the Solar Vanguard." You say while holding out your hand.
Mrs. Ryuuzaki takes your hand and shakes it eagerly.
"Thank for taking the time come check up on our dear Umi, Ms. Ayana, please, come in!" Mrs. Ryuuzaki all but drags you inside, closing the door behind the two of you.
She guides you to what looks like a dining room, where you see a handsome man in a business suit reading a newspaper.
"Dear, this is Mira Ayana from the Solar Vanguard. She's hear to check on Umi." Mrs. Ryuuzaki says.
Mr. Ryuuzaki puts his newspaper down on the table and sighs in relief.
"Thank goodness you're here. We've been trying to help our darling Umi ever since she got back from that dreadful business in Cephiro, but she's still so gloomy! Her favorite foods, new clothes, nothing's worked! I can't remember the last time she genuinely smiled!" Mr. Ryuuzaki laments.
"Other people are starting to notice too. Her teammates on the fencing club say she doesn't seem as passionate about being captain of the team as before." Mrs. Ryuuzaki chimes in.
"We considered hiring a therapist to help Umi and her new friends, but between how confidential the whole business with Cephiro must be and how difficult it would be to get the therapist to believe it..." Mr. Ryuuzaki shakes his head.
Mrs. Ryuuzaki walks over and wraps her arms around Mr. Ryuuzaki.
"Oh, honey..." Mrs. Ryuuzaki says.
"Darling..." Mr. Ryuuzaki says as he snuggles up to his wife.
You suddenly feel like a third wheel.
Umi's parents direct you to her room, and you knock on the door.
"Come in." Umi's muffled voice says.
You open the door and enter to see Umi lying down on her bed. At the very least, Umi isn't as disheveled as when she first got back from Cephiro, although she has the tell tale signs of long term stress on her face.
"Hey Umi. Just wanted to check on you and see how you were doing." You say kindly as you sit down at her desk.
"Thanks for that. I heard a little bit of what happened downstairs. Did my parents start cuddling each other again?" Umi asks.
"Yes, and it looked like they were going to start calling each other pet names before I came up here." You respond.
"Yep, that's my mom and dad with their eternal honeymoon." Umi rolls her eyes.
You chuckle before taking another look at Umi.
"Seriously though, how are you doing? Your parents said that you haven't really smiled at all for the past few months." You say.
Umi's face falters.
"It's just...nothing feels the same anymore, if you get what I mean. Especially fencing...I know the foils we use aren't sharp enough to hurt anyone, especially with our protective gear, but I still subconsciously avoid striking at what would be vital areas. It's...not fun." Umi says as she turns over to look at you.
"I can imagine." You say.
After a bit of silence, Umi sits up.
"Sorry if it seems like I'm being obtuse, but...I guess I'm still processing everything that happened." Umi says.
"No one's rushing you on this." You say gently.
Umi sighs.
"I know this might seem like a weird request, but...can I hug you?" She asks. "I haven't really had any close contact with anyone other than my parents, and, well...I feel like I need something to break up the monotony."
"Sure." You say with little hesitation.
You stand up and spread your arms out. Umi stands up, walks forward, and wraps her arms around you. The two of you stay like that for a few seconds before separating.
"Thanks." Umi says timidly.
"Don't mention it. Anything else?" You ask.
"No. I...think I need a little more time alone. Thanks for checking up on me. Have you talked to the others yet?" Umi asks.
"Lucia is with Fuu now, and we were going to meet Hikaru together." You say.
"Ah, good, good..." Umi looks down before glancing back up at you. "Hikaru's easily the one who took things the worst out of all of us. Please, help her."
"We will." You say as you place a hand on Umi's shoulder to reassure her. Hououji Household, Tokyo
You are Lucia, and you've come to check up on Fuu Hououji. You knock on the front door of her family home.
The door opens, and you see the face of Kuu, Fuu's older sister.
"Ah, are you from the Solar Vanguard?" She asks.
You nod.
"Please, come in. Thank you for taking the time to check on her." She says as you take off your shoes.
"How has she been these past few months?" You ask.
Kuu sighs.
"My sister has been quite...downcast these past few months since returning from Cephiro." She says sadly.
"I see." You say while biting your lip.
"Please, if there's anything you can do to help her..." Kuu says.
"I'll try my best." You say.
"Thank you."
Kuu directs you to Fuu's room, and you knock on the door.
Fuu opens the door.
"Ah, it's you, Lucia. Please, come in." You enter, and Fuu waves at Kuu before she closes the door.
"So, how have you been? Heard from your sister that you've been kind of down." You say as you point to the chair at her desk and the bed. Fuu gestures to the bed, and you plop down on the mattress while Fuu sits down at her desk.
"That's...one way of putting it." Fuu sighs. She points to a retro game console in the corner of the room and takes a cartridge off of a shelf. "I used to be a big fan of RPGs. Now, I can't even keep my composure when the villains call my character a monster."
You wince, but say nothing.
"I feel like a fool." Fuu states.
"How so?" You ask with a raised eyebrow.
"I deduced early on that Cephiro's Pillar System only allows for total peace or total chaos. I only saw the holes in the façade in hidnsight. If I had realized sooner, perhaps this could have been avoided..." Fuu laments.
"Hey, don't beat yourself up. Just because you knew what the Pillar System could enable doesn't mean that you could have figured out how it was supposed to be fixed. We didn't suspect anything either." You point out.
"I suppose that's true..." Fuu says. Judging by her expression, she still blames herself for not realizing the truth of things sooner.
"So, have you had any contact with the other Magic Knights recently?" You ask.
"We text each other occasionally." Fuu says.
"Has that helped?"
"A bit, at least for me." Fuu says. "I'm worried about Hikaru though. She took things the worst out of all of us."
"Don't worry, Mira and I are going to talk to her after I'm done here. She's actually with Umi right now."
"Ah, that's good..." Fuu says.
"Hey, if you need anything, just ask, okay?" You say.
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." Fuu says. In front of Shidou Dojo, Tokyo
You meet Lucia in front of HIkaru's family dojo. Thankfully, lessons have just ended, so the two of you should be able to talk to Hikaru without any interference.
"Hey, what's that?" Lucia asks as she points at the basket in your hand.
"Oh, these are cakes Umi wanted to give to Hikaru. She figured the poor girl could use some kind of pick-me-up." You explain.
Lucia nods in understanding before the two of you turn toward the Shidou family dojo.
"So...how are we gonna do this?" Lucia asks.
Good question, you're still trying to figure that out yourself.
[ ] Write-in Rewloola-class battleship Hatalamapa, L2 region
You are Nanai Miguel, and you are elated, both at the return of Captain Aznable and the opportunity to serve under Lady Mineva in a new, better Zeon as part of a new Federation.
Your first mission is to monitor the Balm and Boazanians as they conduct negotiations for a potential alliance, and, if possible, cause their relationship to sour. Thus far, the two alien factions have sent a single ship to what they must have agreed upon is a neutral zone, and are currently communicating wirelessly, as neither ship has sent any shuttles to the other.
"Ma'am?" The sensor officer gets your attention. "We're picking up an odd blip on the sensors. They're too far to get a good visual, but the data is similar to that of a group of Jegans."
"Jegans? Show me." You order.
The sensor officer brings up the relevant screen, and you frown.
"The Federation doesn't have anything out this far, and if they did, they would have told us." You say.
"Ma'am! I've got something!" The communications officer says.
"What is it?" You ask.
"It appears to be a communique to the Boazanian ship to its superiors. I have a rough translation." The communication officer's console spits out a sheet of paper, and he picks it up and starts reading. "Try to get the hornless feathered bipeds on our side. We could use the living shields. If we can get their princess as a trophy, so much the better."
"Well, that's not very flattering." You note sardonically. "Is there any way to get this to the Balm ship?"
"We can transmit to them outright, but they'd have to accept the tranmission." The communications officer says.
"Hm." You tut.
What do you do?
[ ] Intercept the fake Jegans
[ ] Try broadcasting the intercepted Boazanian transmission to the Balm ship
[ ] Write-in Wilderness of Korea
You are Ryoma Nagare, and you look on Professor Saotome with unease. He's clad in an armored hazmat suit, and is being escorted by a security team from the Labs. You yourself are piloting Shin Getter 1.
"You sure about this, professor?" You ask.
"We know little and less about the Invaders as it is. Although I'm certain that this Stinger and Cohen are some kind of imposters made by the Invaders, interacting with them might at least give us some insight into their motivations, or least their instincts." Professor Saotome says.
"If you say so." Hayato sighs.
You're glad the Solar Vanguard sent some extra muscle. You get the feeling this isn't going to end well.
What did the Solar Vanguard send over as backup? (Pick THREE)
[ ] Leo x30
[ ] Heavygun x20
[ ] Serpent x18
[ ] GN-XIII x15
[ ] M9 x21
[ ] Jegan x20
[ ] Akatsuki x19 A/N: Please don't plan vote on this, as the votes are separate. Please vote, discuss, and critique!
I'm not certain how to handle Hikaru yet, so as of now, I don't have anything to propose on that front. As for the other matters...
For the Balm-Boaz situation, tempted to say that we want to focus on intercepting the Jegan false flag attack. While exposing the Boazanian intercepted communication should be enough to sink the alliance talks (so long as it is believed), the mastermind of the false flag attack might try to persuade others from Balm to not accept our transmission out of paranoia that we're calling to expose his scheme. Though I'd also like to get @Aron593's input on the matter, since he's more acquainted with, at the very least, the plot of Daimos, if not the plot of Voltes V as well.
Regarding the reinforcements to be sent over to guard Professor Saotome, preliminary though is to send a mix of Heavyguns, Serpents and GN-XIII units, though aside from the Serpents (which I want because they are ranged focused, which means they don't have to fight Invaders up close, which I suspect to be a risky thing to do for mook units), I'm willing to hear arguments on the other units we can send over.
Tbh doubt contacting Richter will do any good, as I said before guy is just too much of a hardhead to really listen to anything we say, there is also that they have to accept the transmission, so unless we put these idiots on full on speakers he won't lister.
I also smell something fishy in here, since this would fall into the modus operandi of the Balm rotten apples since it was the tactic they used to kickstart the plot.
The only reason Boa would be using this would be because the other rotten apples from Voltes V appeared (those being Belgan and general Gurul)
Either way seems the plans is to interrupt the talks and make it seem like us were the ones that threw the first stone
We could try to combine both options since there is a writte in for this, intercept the fake jegans and try to take their pilots alive and confess of a complot to either Richter or Heinel, specially the later, since Heinel hates this type of tactic and will tell him that someone is trying to use foul play on his forces.
While also try to have an unit to try and sent the signal to Balm ship to reveal the ruse.
Maybe instead of sending the ping as a earth one, we could try to mask ours into a signal close to Boa and try to ssend the communications that way, since they are expecting Boa units to arrive, we could trick them into thinking that the Boa units are opening communications with them, only to get a message that Richter for sure will demand some heads to roll over.
EDIT: Thinking better about it, our best bet is capturing these pilots and making them confess to both heads of the invasions, as I said this smells really fishy, so if we go and put the blame on boa for something they may not have done we may as well throw a dagger to Heinel while he has his back turned, those 2 pride is stupid yes, but it is something you don't really want to mess with unless you want them to retaliate.
This is the first, and honestly one of the biggest, reasons I wanted to support the Magic Knights at every turn.
Depending on how this shakes out, there is one to two major factors we can head off.
The first is Hikaru's own confidence and will. She is broken right now, to varying degrees depending on the version used. Helping her regain that, even just partially, will matter a lot in the coming events in Cephiro...and possibly head off the second, which is spoiler-heavy.
The second may, or may not have already happened...
But Nova, one of the major villains of S2, may be formed after this talk. She is Hikaru's despair given form. She hates everything Hikaru loves, and loves everything Hikaru hates...including, at this point, Hikaru herself.
Being able to preempt Nova entirely would be a major boon, as she's a full-on Yandere who won't hesitate to kill us for "keeping" Hikaru from her, as well as depriving Debonair of one of her elites... But, if we can't, helping Hikaru grieve and heal will go a long way in letting Hikaru accept Nova back into her.
Ok, now that's done, it seems I was wrong in my lack of paranoia towards Balm going for the hat trick again. But right to pick them out regardless! As for intercepting them...Capture and forcing a confession might not work...but a capture and being reallyloud about it...maybe.
Hm...need to think about that a bit more...
As for getters...Hm, Invaders have a few different things we can take advantage of in terms of lore weaknesses. Strong physical weaponry, electricity, and freezing weapons should be more effective, although how that relates to the units we can pick from, I don't know.
I have an idea that is either terrible or great for handling Hikaru.
We need to break into her house and full on kidnap her to the closest ice cream shop. Like.
I know this is a bad idea. But it will still cause chaos and that is what Hikaru and the others kind of needed anyways. They are stuck in a rut due to struggling to return to regular life, and creating chaos in order to force them to stop thinking in circles is the most important thing.
They are stuck in a rut due to struggling to return to regular life, and creating chaos in order to force them to stop thinking in circles is the most important thing.
Strong physical weaponry, electricity, and freezing weapons should be more effective, although how that relates to the units we can pick from, I don't know.
Freezing weapons are not something we have access to for mook units, so those are out. Same with electricity. As for physical weaponry... Leos, Serpents, M9s and Akatsukis are the units on our available reinforcement roster that focus more on physical weaponry rather than beam weaponry and/or estoreic weaponry that isn't electric-based or ice-based (to a lesser extent, the Heavyguns do have access to grenades and their head vulcans, but otherwise their equipment is still more slanted towards beam weaponry).
Tentative attempt at a write-in for the Balm-Boaz situation, opinions on it are welcome (no voting for it until QM confirms it is valid and until we have also have something valid with regards to Hikaru).
[] Intercept and attempt to capture one of the supposed Jegan units.
-[] In case the capture attempt is successfull, interrogate the captured pilot about what he and his colleagues were trying to do.
--[] Try to have the interrogation broadcasted on an open channel that can be listened in by both Balm and Boaz forces.
Eergghhh... Invaders. And Saotome is on foot. Amazing...
Invaders are natural shapeshifters who can reform their bodies when severely injured. When in battle, they use their shapeshifting to fire tendrils of their biomass and generate physical claws and fangs to rip their enemies apart, combined with their ability to assimilate other living things. Their main weakness is that despite being able to feed on Getter Rays, a sufficient concentration of them will cause them to "over-evolve", sending their physiology out of control and reducing them to a cancerous lump that promptly explodes. The good news is, we have Shin Getter and it's actually cooperating for once. The bad news is, mass produced Getters like the D2s haven't been invented yet, so we only have Shin Getter.
I'm inclined to send the M9s and Akatsukis, backed by Serpents. If possible, ask the Serpent pilots to bring physical weapons rather than their usual Beam gatlings - most energy weapons aren't great against Invaders, unless it's got Getter Rays in it.
Here's what I have so far with regards to how to handle Hikaru, opinions are welcome, since this is still very much a work in progress and an important enough bit that it needs to be checked before it is voted upon...
[] Attempt to cheer Hikaru up and get her out of the funk she's in.
-[] Have Mira emphasize and relate with how Hikaru is feeling right now by remembering how she felt after Stella revealed what she knew about Mira's past and origin, while Lucia attempts to make use of what she learned during the attempts she and Mira's other two copilots made to get Mira out of the funk she was following the earlier discussed revelation.
--[] Try to determine how similar Mira and Hikaru are, character-wise, in order for Lucia to best determine what things she tried to cheer Mira with would be more likely to work on Hikaru.
-[] Reaffirm once more that the rest of the Solar Vanguard is there to help the Magic Knights in any way it can, be it during battles or to offer support support our guidance.
-[] Remind Hikaru of the fact that her family and friends care for her and that, for their sake, she needs to accept whatever negative feelings dvel inside her, while, at the same time, not letting them dominate her.
--[] Offer her the cake basket made by Umi and reveal who was it who made the cakes and wanted to send it to Hikaru in order to prove the fact that Hikaru friends and family still very much care for her.
[] Attempt to cheer Hikaru up and get her out of the funk she's in.
-[] Have Mira emphasize and relate with how Hikaru is feeling right now by remembering how she felt after Stella revealed what she knew about Mira's past and origin, while Lucia attempts to make use of what she learned during the attempts she and Mira's other two copilots made to get Mira out of the funk she was following the earlier discussed revelation.
-[] Reaffirm once more that the rest of the Solar Vanguard is there to help the Magic Knights in any way it can, be it during battles or to offer support support our guidance.
-[] Remind Hikaru of the fact that her family and friends care for her and that, for their sake, she needs to accept whatever negative feelings dvel inside her, while, at the same time, not letting them dominate her.
--[] Offer her the cake basket made by Umi and reveal who was it who made the cakes and wanted to send it to Hikaru in order to prove the fact that Hikaru friends and family still very much care for her.
[] Intercept and attempt to capture one of the supposed Jegan units.
-[] In case the capture attempt is successfull, interrogate the captured pilot about what he and his colleagues were trying to do.
--[] Try to have the interrogation broadcasted on an open channel that can be listened in by both Balm and Boaz forces.
Once again, putting the write-ins up for discussion, because while it was confirmed the write-in for the Boaz-Balm situation is valid, I want it debated some more before we actually start voting for it, to make sure that it is a good plan, while the write-in for Hikaru did not have QM chime in on whether or not it is valid (and is also something that should be debated to make sure that it is good).
Also, an alternative for the Balm-Boaz write-in that I'd also like to be discussed, because I'm not sure if it should be pursued or not:
[] Intercept and attempt to capture one of the supposed Jegan units.
-[] In case the capture attempt is successfull, interrogate the captured pilot about what he and his colleagues were trying to do.
--[] Try to have the interrogation broadcasted on an open channel that can be listened in by both Balm and Boaz forces.
-[] At the same time, check and see if there are any available EWAC units. If EWAC units are available, try to spoof a Boazanian signal to the Balm forces if possible.
--[] If the Balm forces do open communications and the spoofing is possible, leak the intercepted Boazanian to the Balm forces.
EDIT: Amended the write-in for Hikaru, based on what QM said.
The plan for talking with Hikaru seems good, although trying to determine how similar Mira and Hikaru are won't really work for this situation. Also, as much as Umi and Fuu would like to talk with Hikaru, they're not available to do so, otherwise you would have talked to all three of them at once.
I'm heading to bed. Once I'll wake up, I'll see whatever else was discussed on with regards to the write-ins I've put forward, make any needed modifications and then vote for them. Good night to anyone else who's heading to sleep soon.
I am alive, i have worked, I'll weigh in once I have eaten.
I have eaten, I am fat and happy. Time to weigh in.
Ok, so, I mostly agree with the plan, but I'm...uncertain how to approach my thoughts. I kinda agree with Lunaryon in that taking her out of her house for awhile could do her some good.
I'm also uncertain on how the whole Stella situation relates, other than Mira feeling like absolute dogshit, binging magical girl cartoons and ice cream. Hikaru's having to deal with being summoned to kill a girl for falling in love. I think the plan tapdances around that core issue too much.
Instead...Mira is a soldier. Mira has had to kill, and has had to kill good men. I feel like Mira should try to help her come to terms with the fact that Hikaru was forced to kill a good person, but that doesn't make her a monster.
It isn't...really, her fault, although Hikaru certainly won't accept that logic.
