[X] "You said 'they were fine', but I would really like a second opinion from Sfira first."
[X] Hell, Yumemi even. Sfira being Pathragadan could make her more hesitant to try anything like Project Lazarus on them. Maybe.
Any port in a storm, and given that the people currently declaring ownership of Sfira are planning to make her compete in a public combat spectacle, I'm hoping that Yumemi/RUNE will have the good sense to instead aim for encouraging Pathragadans to continue associating with humanity.
Because holy shit, Vasilisa, do you really think that treating a member of an intergalactic polity this way is in the best interests of your homeland?
Actually, @ArlequineLunaire, would a write-in pointing out that they're potentially sabotaging human-Pathragadan relations moving forward be acceptable?
Honestly, given that Koyomi is basically the anti-authority faction in this fighting for Sfira's freedom, getting a lawless element involved might not be the worst wildcard to pull.
Yeah...the main reason I didn't vote for her is that, as far as we know, Snapdragon and Koyomi are strangers. Barring some unmentioned connection, it feels weird that she'd think to call Snapdragon and weirder that Snapdragon would trust her enough to trek overland to a tournament in the middle of nowhere.
Because holy shit, Vasilisa, do you really think that treating a member of an intergalactic polity this way is in the best interests of your homeland?
Actually, @ArlequineLunaire, would a write-in pointing out that they're potentially sabotaging human-Pathragadan relations moving forward be acceptable?
There's no contradiction there. Putting national interests first often means making things worse for humanity as a whole. That's the ol' prisoner's dilemma in action.
[X] "You said 'they were fine', but I would really like a second opinion from Sfira first."
[X] Blue Lotus, somehow. Obviously shooting for the moon, but she liked the idea of him getting killed in the melee, or at least publicly exposed. He'd certainly have thoughts on Pathragadans
They weren't planning to make Sfira compete actually, don't want to damage the one you're trying to get custody over. Unless you meant 'make Koyomi compete' and I misread.
would a write-in pointing out that they're potentially sabotaging human-Pathragadan relations moving forward be acceptable?
The fallout of Koyomi trying to deliberately invite Blue Lotus, disjointed from whether she succeeds? Or the fallout of Blue Lotus showing up, disjointed from whether anyone invited him? Because for me, the latter is way more interesting than the former (which would probably be a bunch of "Koyomi WTF?"s)
[X] "You said 'they were fine', but I would really like a second opinion from Sfira first."
[X] Snapdragon in Full Bloom. Okay, getting a pirate on board could cause plenty of complications, but she sure was strong.
[X] "You said 'they were fine', but I would really like a second opinion from Sfira first."
[X] Hell, Yumemi even. Sfira being Pathragadan could make her more hesitant to try anything like Project Lazarus on them. Maybe.
The fallout of Koyomi trying to deliberately invite Blue Lotus, disjointed from whether she succeeds? Or the fallout of Blue Lotus showing up, disjointed from whether anyone invited him? [Snip]
There's no contradiction there. Putting national interests first often means making things worse for humanity as a whole. That's the ol' prisoner's dilemma in action.
If you decide to kidnap and hold Sfira for the glory of the motherland, then you have one Pathragadan.
If you decide to instead focus on making Sfira's time on Earth as pleasant as possible, and have her go back to her homeworld with a formal communique, then you have the possibility of getting access to Pathragadan technology, resources, etc, etc, etc
If you decide to kidnap and hold Sfira for the glory of the motherland, then you have one Pathragadan.
If you decide to instead focus on making Sfira's time on Earth as pleasant as possible, and have her go back to her homeworld with a formal communique, then you have the possibility of getting access to Pathragadan technology, resources, etc, etc, etc
First off, one bird in the hand versus two in the bush. Second, if Russia doesn't monopolize access to Pathragadan resources, it hasn't gotten ahead; it only keeps up with the pack. Finally, nationalists tend to be mediocre diplomats.
[X] Blue Lotus, somehow. Obviously shooting for the moon, but she liked the idea of him getting killed in the melee, or at least publicly exposed. He'd certainly have thoughts on Pathragadans
[X] "You said 'they were fine', but I would really like a second opinion from Sfira first."
[X] Hell, Yumemi even. Sfira being Pathragadan could make her more hesitant to try anything like Project Lazarus on them. Maybe.
"<Black Rose, ah, Arisugawa,>" Sfira started, but then went on to say like they were describing the weather, "<Being treated like this is normal for me. My clan are among the Treasures of Pathragada, we are prized possessions of the greater castes. They were auctions over us, and fights breaking out did happen. So I don't see it as wrong that Earth would treat me the same.>"
This wasn't the first time Koyomi had heard about Sfira's situation on Pathragada, but the reminder still made her clench. She was about to protest, only for Emi to randomly step in and do it for her.
"But that's wrong!" Emi blurted out, even if she'd barely talked to Sfira before. "You're your own person! No one just or loving would have you believe that!"
With Emi sounding a bit too much like she was scripting a manga than trying to reach through to Sfira, Koyomi had to think, Is she only saying this because it's what she thinks I'd most want to hear her say? She's telling Sfira to snap out of their conditioning though, so does her intent matter? Well, her words could be stated more effectively.
"Sfira, how do you know that's what you really believe?" Koyomi asked them. "Do you only think you're some object because that's what these 'greater castes' have been telling you your whole life? Hell, if you really are just some object, why did you come alone to Earth? Doesn't sound like something Pathragada would let you do, so you must've come here through your own choice, and can an object choose?"
Sfira tensed up for a second, then gave something of an answer. "<I... thought maybe coming to Earth could show me things were different elsewhere. And I haven't seen much yet, but so far, I don't think things are,>" they said, their stalks all drooping, "<That Rafflesia said all her followers were saved and sanctified, yet they still had to obey her every word. And Freesia leapt at taking the powers of our dollmakers to turn people into toys. Even having our powers can't stop you fighting with the Frost Fair if your superiors say so.>" They may not have mentioned Hibiki, but even the actress with her 'default' personality still squirmed at that reminder.
"<So, it seems inevitable that I am what my clan is, no matter where I am in the universe,>" they finished.
Those words already stung Koyomi, especially as she thought of how slavery wasn't gone from Earth as people would like to think. She now expected Vasilisa to rub the wound in further, as proof she was right and that Koyomi was 'disrespecting alien culture'. But instead, the cosmonaut looked a little askance.
"Okay, I know you gave the lowdown on how you being a Treasure is just Pathragadan culture, but... this is starting to creep me out," Vasilisa said as she glanced down at Sfira, lower lip bitten. "Maybe it's Soviet ideals deep down inside me, 'cause all this talk of class stratification gets me on edge. Point is, if you're not gonna happily come along to Russia, then I think I'd prefer it if you put up more of fight, y'know?"
"Really? And I thought subservience would be right up your alley," Koyomi hissed up at her, and aren't we a bit too nostalgic for being back in the USSR? Part of her did think of talking Vasilisa into seeing the error of her ways... but most of her was just so fed up with her by this point that instead she tried twisting the knife in further. "Oh by the way, did you also know I've got a line to RUNE's Japan branch, to a Brigadier no less?" Saying that made her squirm, but she kept going, "They won't be happy to hear you've been trying to claim an alien who landed on Japanese soil. Especially with how much grief your country's been giving worldwide."
"W-what?" Vasilisa gasped at first, before she went back to a crooked smile and said, "Stupid Nihon-jin, my country was one of the UN's own founders! You-you really think RUNE's gonna lift a finger against me? And don't try to threaten me with turning this whole thing public, I welcome it! Finally, us Russian Starknights will show our worth on the world stage by defeating you, our country will have pride once again! Doubly so as we keep being told we'll get kicked off our own ISS."
Okay, so maybe twisting the knife in further was entirely the wrong tactic, probably the most Koyomi had accomplished was making Vasilisa look a little silly in front of Hibiki and Chigusa. Well, sillier.
"If you really are planning to escalate things by getting RUNE involved, then a change of plans may be needed," Hibiki said as she clasped her hands, before she giggled and said in a radically different, yet all too familiar, tone of voice. "Playtime!"
The transformed Hibiki took on the same pink and yellow colour scheme as Freesia of all people. Vasilisa found herself scrambling in midair hearing so close a voice, at which Hibiki said, "Oh, you can tell who I'm playing dress up as then? Teehee, and you really think you could play a great big game against me, space girl?"
"Yeah beyotch, and 'cause you gotta transform to talk, you'll be outta juice and will totes be owned all the way back to toytown!" the closest Chigusa said up at Vasilisa, showing she might've looked young but sure could no longer talk young. Not like that calmed Vasilisa any, might've made her worse if anything.
But then Emi, still without any self-regard, ran out in front of Hibiki and said, "Izumi-sama, why are you doing this? This isn't you! You were the one who rescued me and- and-" she then froze up when she remembered just how Hibiki had rescued her. And that the woman she'd sentenced to excruciating pain was now the same one she was copying.
"Silly Miss Orange. I was told to play pretend as a good guy that mission. I was having fun... till you started being a real crybaby and hanging out with that mean old witch. Now I don't wanna play with you anymore," Hibiki first smiled then sneered, as she turned her mask into an exact copy of Freesia's toy sword.
"B-Blossom, Or... or..." Emi struggled to transform but couldn't go through with it. So she settled for bluffing, "Don't come near me! I-I can make acting feel like nothing but misery for you!"
"Yeah right, scaredy-cat!" Hibiki as Freesia taunted, then went "Boop!" and turned the mangaka into a toy. "Bo-ring, who wants a doll of the stupid drawer?!" she added per her role.
Koyomi gasped and Vasilisa shrieked as Hibiki picked Emi up then touched her toy arm... only for Hibiki to grit her teeth and put her back down. "You forgot, Daimon," she then said dropping the Freesia impression, "Acting already is nothing but misery for me..."
Hibiki not acting the part of Emi's mutilator was only so much consolation for Koyomi, as she was outmatched two to one, and that wasn't counting all the Narcissi. Vasilisa had just collapsed on the ground as Narcissus had predicted, far away from her wheelchair, though her time as a toy being so blatantly brought up again left her in little fighting mood as it was.
I was only bluffing about calling Yumemi, she thought as she shuddered, to think I might genuinely have to do it. "Henshin!" she then transformed and called out deep into the forest for the only other Hanazakari around, "Maimi, get over here now!"
"For serious, old timer, that's your transformation mantra?" the Narcissi all laughed, "Puh-lease! The 70s called, they want their catchphrase back."
Koyomi was quick to shroud all the Narcissi in darkness, only for the darkness to be sent back right over to her. Her Cultivar pre-equipping her with darkvision, Koyomi almost froze on seeing that it was her colour scheme Hibiki had now adopted.
"Your character was harder to figure out than Freesia's," Hibiki admitted using Koyomi's own voice, replica quill-sword in hand, "but I got the gist. You try to play the witch of darkness, but you can't. You still have to be the goody-two-shoes heroine of love and justice, fearing that was nothing but a fairytale Pathragada had pre-written for us. So, you have nothing but loathing for every Hanazakari who can't meet your standards, every creator who can't afford your 'integrity', everyone who made the sacrifices you were too precious to make. Oh you tried to be professional with me, but don't lie, you could never forgive me for what I had no choice in!"
With those last few lines, Hibiki's impression of her broke, leaving only the actress' own voice. Izumi Hibiki, Hellebore, the same woman Koyomi was told killed Emet, killed the last Dandelionheart, however willingly.
Koyomi was left hyperventilating, her own Cultivar thrown back at her. Then Narcissus, her clones having Sfira surrounded and grabbed all of their limbs, said, "Cool beans, Alien Get! Tournament Arc's all over it looks like, and don't ya love it when it doesn't take up half the anime? Alright old lady Izumi, let's bounce!"
"<It's okay, Arisugawa. This is what I was born to be, I'm used to this,>" Sfira thought-muttered.
Or was the 'tournament' really over? Maimi through some feat of hearing came flying in, her swan self having grown larger and frillier as several bulb-like pink and green feathers now blossomed from her wings. Though she made a beeline straight for Sfira, she was struck down as Hibiki, her colours having changed to white and blue, shot an icicle right up at her. With that Hibiki left, not even saying a parting word.
Koyomi ran to catch the fallen Maimi, seeing that while Hibiki had avoided piercing anywhere vital, there was no way of telling how long, if ever, it would be till Maimi would be able to fly again. As she glared back at a parting Hibiki playing no less than a Frostfarer, Koyomi thought, You better be portraying a Frostfarer from back in the day, because I don't want to even imagine you cavorting with Blue Lotus.
...Though maybe it's the perfect role for the likes of you. The Frost Fair know all about treachery, don't they?
She then carried a quivering Vasilisa back to her wheelchair and took Maimi and Emi inside; the latter still stuck a toy showed that even an imitation Cultivar took time to wear off. At least Emi was in pristine condition, Hibiki still having drawn the line at the 'modifying' part of Freesia's character. That didn't stop Koyomi feeling sick just from looking at what had happened to her.
Gritting her teeth, she made good on what had started as a bluff. "Yumemi, you there? Listen, give me every secret you've got on YamahiPro, and anything on one Kagamino Chigusa, Narcissus in Full Bloom!"
"I'm not your maid, Koyomi. You think I appreciate you phoning out of nowhere to start a conversation like that?" was of course Yumemi's response.
"Thing is..." Koyomi said, almost making herself sick even as she knew Yumemi would need more convincing, "No less than a Pathragadan has touched down on Earth, they're called Sfira, well they are now. Had some trouble with an ISS woman saying they saw them first, but now two YamahiPro Idols, Izumi Hibiki and that Kagamino, have captured them 'cause their bosses want a fresh Hanazakari batch or whatever." She naturally left out the part about Sfira having ultimately gone willingly.
"My, that is indeed serious, if it's true," Yumemi had to phrase it like that. "Our government may have covered for YamahiPro's, ahem, Frost Decade activities. However, if they think they can push their luck by taking someone who by all rights is RUNE's to address first, they'll find us far less generous this time. I'll tell you everything you need to know... provided you do something for me in return. Don't worry, I'll be gentle and not force you to enlist or anything, though I do have on mission in mind."
"What?!" Koyomi snarled, is telling you about Sfira not enough?
Article:
"I have several demands, pick any one you'd like," Yumemi said, then said Koyomi could:
[ ] Tell her where Sfira's spaceship could be found.
[ ] Inform her of any other Hanazakari she'd been in contact with lately.
[ ] Remain under house arrest until further notice.
[ ] Do time for a month in the nearest Malebolge.
[ ] Have a brand placed on her so RUNE would know where she was at all times.
[ ] Act as a Slayer for RUNE just for one mission.
[ ] Subject herself to a RUNE experiment, for the good of humanity of course. [] Make amends with the Earthly Purified, as there was overlap between their members and RUNE. [Koyomi has too much Mind to do this.]
[ ] Write-in
[ ] Write-in- "No" and hang up
[ ] Go on a date with Yumemi
[ ] Write-in- "I just told someone they weren't some object" and hang up
Kinda wanted to keep it vague, but the use of 'Do time' is a big hint. It's a prison for Hanazakari.
Also, if anyone's wondering what happened to the tournament arc, you would've actually seen a proper one had you voted for one of the other options instead of asking Sfira what they think. Instead, you got the route where Hibiki and Chigusa ditched the idea and just took off with Sfira, given the whole tournament was Vasilisa's idea and she had no way of trusting them to play along.
I was also inspired by people asking how necessary this tournament was, and thought the idea of a tournament being built up only to be a non-starter was pretty funny, given how many of them there are. Plus, I already ran and finished an entire Quest-long Tournament Arc
"Really? And I thought subservience would be right up your alley," Koyomi hissed up at her, and aren't we a bit too nostalgic for being back in the USSR?
Depends. If the Shock Doctrine happened on this iteration of Earth, then I would consider it entirely unobjectionable, given that "being back in the USSR" would primarily mean "not being deliberately immiserated and having our entire infrastructure turned into a rummage sale by and for the First World" for most people.
Likewise, I'll give Vasilisa a pass because "Soviet ideals" has enough daylight in peoples' minds between itself and figures like Stalin.
"Your character was harder to figure out than Freesia's," Hibiki admitted using Koyomi's own voice, replica quill-sword in hand, "but I got the gist. You try to play the witch of darkness, but you can't. You still have to be the goody-two-shoes heroine of love and justice, fearing that was nothing but a fairytale Pathragada had pre-written for us. So, you have nothing but loathing for every Hanazakari who can't meet your standards, every creator who can't afford your 'integrity', everyone who made the sacrifices you were too precious to make. Oh you tried to be professional with me, but don't lie, you could never forgive me for what I had no choice in!"
I mean, to be blunt? I have very little sympathy, given that:
A) You literally tried to help exterminate humanity; extenuating circumstances kind of stop mattering at that point. At absolute best, the excuse would be that you were an idiot child who literally couldn't figure out that obeying your producer would just lead to whoever they were holding as leverage being killed anyway.
B) You're currently going the Vogon route and vomiting your own pain all over everyone near you, up to and including knowingly mantling a depraved serial killer & torturer in order to win a pissing contest. If you put on a role, then you accept responsibility for what that entails.
Maimi through some feat of hearing came flying in, her swan self having grown larger and frillier as several bulb-like pink and green feathers now blossomed from her wings. Though she made a beeline straight for Sfira, she was struck down as Hibiki, her colours having changed to white and blue, shot an icicle right up at her. With that Hibiki left, not even saying a parting word.
(And no, I do NOT believe that Hibiki is some brilliant markswoman who could be assured that this stunt wouldn't have crippled or killed Maimi outright. This was attempted murder, committed for no reason other than obedience to her corporate masters - and perhaps a simple desire to hurt people for the crime of not being as miserable and loathsome as her.)
As far as I'm concerned, Hibiki has retroactively burned any clemency she might have deserved for her actions during the Frost Decade not only through the behavior she's shown here, but by willingly continuing to keep YamahiPro's secrets and even continuing to actively serve them after what they made her do.
"My, that is indeed serious, if it's true," Yumemi had to phrase it like that. "Our government may have covered for YamahiPro's, ahem, Frost Decade activities. However, if they think they can push their luck by taking someone who by all rights is RUNE's to address first, they'll find us far less generous this time. I'll tell you everything you need to know... provided you do something for me in return. Don't worry, I'll be gentle and not force you to enlist or anything, though I do have on mission in mind."
...And yeah, Sfira was pretty much right. This entire civilization is a rancid lie that should have been burnt to the ground decades ago. It's rotten down to the fucking marrow. The only reason the Frost Fair didn't justly annihilate it was the Dandelionhearts being too moral for their own good, and lending aid to people who promptly betrayed them and then handed the power they'd been given over to soulless oligarchs.
Gotta say, I'm agreeing with @GardenerBriareus.
The recurring pattern of every non-Miyako character (and non-Emi too, I guess) being some flavor of either distrusting or hypocritical is starting to wear on me.
Oh, and I guess Kai and Hayato too, but Kai's had no emotions for the vast majority of his life and Hayato is almost as completely devoid of personality as him.
[X] Tell her where Sfira's spaceship could be found.
[X] Inform her of any other Hanazakari she'd been in contact with lately.
The least bad options, I guess. Unless we backtrack, but it always feels a taf unsporting to do that for votes I didn't even vote on in the first place.
Also, if anyone's wondering what happened to the tournament arc, you would've actually seen a proper one had you voted for one of the other options instead of asking Sfira what they think. Instead, you got the route where Hibiki and Chigusa ditched the idea and just took off with Sfira, given the whole tournament was Vasilisa's idea and she had no way of trusting them to play along.
Thought about approval voting spaceship to play nicely with the previous vote, but honestly I don't think calling in Yumemi as backup in a fight means we have to go on to cooperate with RUNE, who as we can see are not a sympathetic faction. It may make for reduced agency and a 'harder' quest, but I'd prefer Koyomi sticks to her guns and refuses to cooperate with lesser evils, even if pride goes before the fall.
"My, that is indeed serious, if it's true," Yumemi had to phrase it like that. "Our government may have covered for YamahiPro's, ahem, Frost Decade activities. However, if they think they can push their luck by taking someone who by all rights is RUNE's to address first, they'll find us far less generous this time. I'll tell you everything you need to know... provided you do something for me in return. Don't worry, I'll be gentle and not force you to enlist or anything, though I do have on mission in mind."
"Hey, thank you for telling me that people are interfering with my job and giving me this important intel. I'll help you do my job, if you help me a little bit more..."
