Fool Bloom (A Magical Woman Quest)

Iris-Iven-Ibis · Apr 23, 2024

SpoopyGhost said:
the brown one that turns into all of the other ones,

It more pink to purple

ArlequineLunaire · Apr 23, 2024

Though the funny thing I just remembered saying before that Sfira's and the Dandelionhearts' designs were based on Pokemon, Sfira on Celesteela and the Dandelionhearts after Hoppip. Their powers are nothing alike however.

SpoopyGhost said:
The only Pokemon I know are Pikachu, the brown one that turns into all of the other ones, and the ghost lantern one, otherwise I would love to help.

I take it the second one's Ditto, which yeah as Iris said is more pinkish purple. The last one's the Litwick>Lampent>Chandelure line I guess

SpoopyGhost · Apr 23, 2024

Iris-Iven-Ibis said:
It more pink to purple

ArlequineLunaire said:
I take it the second one's Ditto, which yeah as Iris said is more pinkish purple. The last one's the Litwick>Lampent>Chandelure line I guess

Ditto, that must have been it. Though was it pink? I know one of the forms it could turn into was pink, but the first one looked more brown or beige to me; I must be misremembering. I always thought it was cool to have one that could turn into all of the different elements.

ArlequineLunaire · Apr 23, 2024

Oh wait, since you said brown and elements, I think you actually mean Eevee

SpoopyGhost · Apr 23, 2024

ArlequineLunaire said:
Oh wait, since you said brown and elements, I think you actually mean Eevee

On looking it up, that is the one I was thinking of.

Edgedancer · Apr 23, 2024

Embler said:
It'd be easy to relate Ice-types to the Frost Fair, but also interesting to give Kazuya an affinity for them- whether it would have happened without the leech can be left up in the air, giving a vaguely uncomfortable mood to his relationship with his team. His Glaceon can have a cute friendship with Miyako's Sylveon.

Given Kazuya's fashion style and general looks, I can see a Froslass pairing decently well with him. That's a pick leaning on some of the more unfortunate implications though.

Talking about the Kai, I can see Ryoichi carrying around a Gholdengo and a Meowth. Maybe throw in a Sableye/Carbink for some extra bling, as well as an Empoleon/Serperior for that arrogant regal bearing, probably leaning more towards Empoleon, given it also has some protective attributes. Always has the newest model Rotomphone

And to throw in one more, with Emi's vibes I can kinda see her working late at night at a desk illuminated by a Litwick and fretting over whether or not its draining her lifeforce, with Greavard being a possible alternative.

Also, rather than having a team of pokemon, Maimi would probably just be a Swana.

ArlequineLunaire · Apr 23, 2024

Another sketch I did of Koyomi in Black Rose form, I'd say it does a good job capturing the 'dark author' vibe. In hindsight, her quill-sword could be bigger, and her white hairstreak is a bit hard to make out. The bookcase is undetailed, but it's not the focus here and is more there for scene setting and height comparison

Solarstream · Apr 25, 2024

[X] Go check on Emi, she's the closest and has contact already established.

Besides Ice-types for being a member of the Frost Fair, I also personally associate Blue Lotus with the Ghost type. So his team might be something like this, assuming no legendaries:

Froslass
Glalie
Cryogonal
Gengar
Hisuian Zoroark
Weavile

ArlequineLunaire · Apr 27, 2024

We currently have a tie between going to see Miyako or Emi. In the meantime though, here's a sketch of Emi, since Miyako already has art (if shared with Koyomi):

Bottom left is her Orange artsona

Kingster · Apr 28, 2024

[X] Go check on Emi, she's the closest and has contact already established.

ArlequineLunaire · Apr 29, 2024

Announcing that both Fool Bloom (2023) and my completed Quest Persona: The Beautiful (2021) made it into the 10x10 Anniversary Event, with my Doctor Who fanfic A Deal with Time having been nominated!

Also, university's started back up for me. And since I'm enrolled in not one but two writing courses, heads up it'll likely cut into Fool Bloom's update rate (well, that and I'm currently watching through Malcolm in the Middle~)

LampWitch · May 2, 2024

ArlequineLunaire said:
To tie CLAMP back into this however, I finished my rewatch of the original Cardcaptor Sakura recently. Its Alice in Wonderland episode did get me thinking I could possibly fit this Mary Poppins spoof into Quest canon through a Hanazakari with fiction powers, but unlike Alice, Mary Poppins is still under copyright (P.L. Travers died in 1996) so that could be tricky.

I talked about a Hanazakari with fiction powers before, specifically with TV, though for books I think a fitting flower could be Coriander (a Neverending Story reference). It's associated with lust in flower language though, but eh, people do indeed feel that way about fictional characters

I need to rewatch CCS. Can't you do a thing inspired by Mary Poppins? Forgot what this kind of reference is called.

ArlequineLunaire said:
I had two ideas for Divine and Demon-themed Quests. The first is Archangel Earthlocked, a reboot of the first ever Quest I ran before even coming to SV. It's about Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel waking up on Earth trapped in the forms of human women (or at least identified as such). Would be implementing a Faith metre, basically a MP bar, which is expended when you choose to use Divine abilities and slowly recovers when you don't. Don't have that much of an idea for a plot beyond the angels trying to regroup and figure out what's going on and demons interfering, the original was kind of a random events road trip-type deal.

The other has the working title of 'The Marriage of Heaven and Hell'. It's a Yuri Quest about the heiress to the Gods and heiress to Demons ending up in an arranged marriage with each other as part of an after-war truce. Along with their own discomfort as they await their marriage in the human world of The Precipice, there are also gods, demons, and even humans who don't take kindly to the whole idea.

Lastly, I had ideas for two Final Fantasy Quests. The first one was about being a cryogenically unsealed human in a world where no other human exists anymore, just supernatural races whose evolution was supercharged by the Crystals. Kinda like the reverse of Terra being a lone Esper among humans, or like Adventure Time in premise if not execution.

The second was for a Final Fantasy take on Logan's Run, about a world where after a horrible (probably necromancy-related) sin, anyone who reaches the age of their 'Saturn return' (roughly late 20s) is hunted down and killed by giant beings of light. Thought a Final Fantasy game where the young age of the cast was a plot point could be amusing.

While the upside of doing a FF Quest is having brand recognition while getting to use an original cast and setting, the downside is the expected epic length can make them take a while to complete

The divine and demon ones interest ne more. Of the final fantasy ones, the second is cooler. But the first FF idea just feels lacking.

ArlequineLunaire · May 2, 2024

LampWitch said:
Can't you do a thing inspired by Mary Poppins? Forgot what this kind of reference is called.

Pastiche? Allusion? But yeah, I can maybe get away with something like that by just not saying 'Mary Poppins' outright.

The divine and demon ones interest ne more. Of the final fantasy ones, the second is cooler. But the first FF idea just feels lacking.

That may be because I was cautious of revealing too much about my first FF Quest idea, since like most FF plots the juicier details wouldn't come until later. But to go a little more in-depth, it'd start by the lead, the last human, being found in a sealed building by an expedition team. You'd then go an airship to meet the expedition's sponsor, but would be attacked by a mysterious cowboy in power armour along the way. The once you do meet the sponsor, you find his motives for finding the last human are more dubious than let on.

But I'm probably gonna try continuing with Fool Bloom and my other existing projects for now. The main idea I have for another Quest right now is actually a Pokémon one, where the main character would be turned down for the chance to go on an adventure. That is, until they find a mysterious patron, who they learn isn't exactly human, who'll give them their 'adventure' on the conditions that they don't quit, and don't blame anyone but themselves. It'd have some parallels to my previous Quest Persona: The Beautiful.

And yes, it's funny that both these ideas revolve around shifty sponsors

Meridian · May 2, 2024

ArlequineLunaire said:
Pastiche? Allusion? But yeah, I can maybe get away with something like that by just not saying 'Mary Poppins' outright.

I'd thought she was already public domain by now, but sadly that'll have to wait 4.5 years or so.
Mary Poppins Sequel Quest, someday.

LampWitch · May 2, 2024

ArlequineLunaire said:
[ ] Palmira. Wasn't her usual business, but they'd been surprisingly helpful against Kamizono.
[ ] Emi. There was no way she'd use her Cultivar, but her opponent fearing she might use her Cultivar could be useful, and she'd still get the standard transformation boost.
[ ] Snapdragon in Full Bloom. Okay, getting a pirate on board could cause plenty of complications, but she sure was strong.
[ ] Nepeta the Cat Cup Hanazakari. She was one of RUNE's more fringe members, so she was less likely to tattletale back to Yumemi.
[ ] Hell, Yumemi even. Sfira being Pathragadan could make her more hesitant to try anything like Project Lazarus on them. Maybe.
[ ] 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.
[ ] No, she couldn't drag any more people into this whole mess. If Narcissus was the only backup, she'd be fine.
[ ] Write-in

The choices here get wild.
Woman whose power is agony
An actual pirate.
Nepeta the fringe catgirl
Fucking Blue Lotus.

GreatWyrmGold said:
Possibly another eight Hanazakari from other countries. Probably includes France and the UK, the other two permanent UNSC members; maybe also Brazil, Germany, India, and...three other countries? From my limited understanding of the geopolitical tier list, a 16-member tournament (even with the UN, Frost Fair, and No taking up three slots) would probably require dipping into B-tier powers, and there are a lot more of those than there are spare slots in the tournament. And unless some of the new characters turn out to be interesting or important, at that point we're at, a 63% jobber density, which is too many jobbers. But 25% is kinda low, so one of the established characters would have to job for Yumemi or Blue Lotus in round 1. Probably Palmira.

Oh, nice. Wish I could come up with one for Brazil, my country. Best now is a joke about "please come to Brazil". A power over space, teleportation, pocket dimensions?

ArlequineLunaire said:
What was visible through the wound were the maidenstears roots and stems that snaked their way beneath Maimi's feathers and through her nervous system. One of the less pretty and more 'open secret' parts of being a Hanazakari was how their bodies were fused with their respective flower upon anointing, with a Hanazakari's Regalia not simply being a magic costume but their half-floral physiology rising to the surface. I guess Miyako knows this already, huh? Koyomi couldn't help but think back to her, even if knowing it and actually seeing it were two different things. Koyomi and most Hanazakari she knew had had the luck to be warned by their Dandelionhearts of this physiology shift before accepting their anointing... but was every Hanazakari so lucky?
Point was, at least this was indisputable proof that Maimi was still a Hanazakari, human or not.

I love this. Wonder how that changed things in their lives, besides the special doctors.
Oh dear, wonder what the fics did with that fact.
Koyomi: Hmm, this salad is delicious, I'll admit. Where did you get the ingredients?
Emi very flustered but overjoyed.
Realization dawning over Koyomi, along with horror and exasperation.

GreatWyrmGold said:
I'm with Emi here. I too am nostalgic for a time when things still sucked but I was ignorant enough to think I had a future.

Never too late for self-delusion. If it makes the day better, why not?
Reduce your worries, swing the idiot blade.

GreatWyrmGold said:
ame time as the others, or did he hang around on the rooftop waiting for some other Hanazakari to show up to rescue/kidnap Sfira so he could make a dramatic entrance?
...it's not that implausible. He's clearly a drama king. Look at what he's wearing!

His side lost. All he has left is being an extravagant supervillain, have as much fun as he can until he gets murked.

ArlequineLunaire said:
That may be because I was cautious of revealing too much about my first FF Quest idea, since like most FF plots the juicier details wouldn't come until later. But to go a little more in-depth, it'd start by the lead, the last human, being found in a sealed building by an expedition team. You'd then go an airship to meet the expedition's sponsor, but would be attacked by a mysterious cowboy in power armour along the way. The once you do meet the sponsor, you find his motives for finding the last human are more dubious than let on.

But I'm probably gonna try continuing with Fool Bloom and my other existing projects for now. The main idea I have for another Quest right now is actually a Pokémon one, where the main character would be turned down for the chance to go on an adventure. That is, until they find a mysterious patron, who they learn isn't exactly human, who'll give them their 'adventure' on the conditions that they don't quit, and don't blame anyone but themselves. It'd have some parallels to my previous Quest Persona: The Beautiful.

And yes, it's funny that both these ideas revolve around shifty sponsors

I see I see. First one is fish out of their original waters, struggling against the currents. Interesting, specially with the new species caused by the crystals
Second one. Man, must suck not being allowed to blame others for your fuckups. Worst deal. 0/10.

LampWitch · May 3, 2024

ArlequineLunaire said:
Except that their cover was blown the moment Koyomi stepped inside the boudoir. A woman shrieked at Koyomi simply laying eyes on her, a dark-haired woman clad in gold and white wielding an afterimage-ringed wand who looked like an older Chigusa... no, like Chigusa at her actual age. Like a woman not that much older than Koyomi.

Afterimage-ringed? As in, it's blurry?

WallFlower said:
Is Arisugawa's trait of critical thinking contagious!? Rune needs to put her in quarantine to keep the threat in check, before we have a Aristotelia in full bloom incident again!

GreatWyrmGold said:
What do you think he is? A Hanazakari who watched Hellsing Ultimate and Frozen back-to-back?

That would be an interesting crossover.

ArlequineLunaire said:
Hellebore was among a list of lucky Hanazakari who Yamahi told me I was free to use as Snow Queen

Company discarding their lives like that, unsurprising. Also, it's unlikely, but a snow queen plot of reawakening Hibiki's psyche came to mind.

ArlequineLunaire said:
Her mind was made up. If Hibiki lost her life against Blue Lotus, then what chance did Miyako have?

Miyako stood awkwardly, in the room completely splattered with water.
Koyomi slowly calmed down from her panic, but was still frozen in shock.

ArlequineLunaire said:
Looking up and out of her thoughts, Miyako took a step back when she saw someone she feared she'd never see again at the gate. "Miyako," Koyomi said, arms outstretched, "I was wrong. It's wrong of me to leave you alone, now more than ever."

Miyako glanced either side of her, not knowing how to react if Asahi saw who it was. But with the coast clear, a smile overcame her, crying with joy as she ran over to reunite with the first Hanazakari who'd ever been there for her.

This feels so good. I thought it was someone's trick.

ArlequineLunaire said:
Speaking of Arcs, I'd be eager to hear how people think Fountain of Youth stacks up in comparison with previous arcs?

It's good. A look at enemy magical girls, but not as bad as Rafflesia. Expanding on Hibiki, and her death was a good moment. Also liked the bonding with the astronaut, and Koyomi finally opening up, to other magical girls and Miyako.
I likely overlook some weakness as I had low expectations anyway, from how it started with a fake-out on the tournament and became "break into celebrity's house." Well, guess you could've cooked more with Hibiki before her death.

ArlequineLunaire said:
Her ear pressed just below the shrine window, Miyako felt her spine shudder as she listened in on Koyomi and Asahi snapping at each other inside.

This has such energy of kid's parents arguing. Guess if Koyomi knows a woman from way back, she'll have divorced energy with her.

ArlequineLunaire said:
"Besides, how much of this is about Miyako and how much is about you? You hate the whole idea of someone else needing a Hanazakari to save them, am I right? Now that I do remember about you."

Yeah, feels like she has a complex over hanazakari and her former best friend.

Edgedancer said:
(Not exactly a date, but more of a family activity, I suppose. Koyomi might be growing into her role, but neither Yumemi's nor Asahi's attempt at being Miyako's second mom worked out great. Probably because they're mostly in it for the custody battles. )

Miyako forcing a complex network of relationships into existence around Koyomi. Well, that's one cure to loneliness.

ArlequineLunaire said:
[ ] If Reiji and Ryoichi lost it at each other, she'd make them settle their differences by daring them to date her, then declaring the winner.
[ ] Challenge Reiji and Ryoichi to see who could find Kazuya, and even Emi, the better job.

Amazing.
I realize, Miyako has not shown enough of her boy craze outwardly yet.
Koyomi and Asahi having boyfriends introduced to them, now that's amazing.

ArlequineLunaire said:
"Your thoughts are too plebeian. For one of Kazuya's status to get stuck with anything entry-level, why that would be a stain on our name. None of that nouveau riche 'work your way up' prattling about for us, no sir! All I need is a few phone calls, and I'll get him the cushiest spot there is," Ryoichi said, his sing-songy laugh the cherry on top.

Oh okay. He cares. He's just too high-class brained.
Miyako: I can fix him.

ArlequineLunaire said:
There's also another, more subconscious than intended inspiration, though it's a bit of a spoiler for where you're up to.

Hmm? Which one, now that I caught up to this point?

ArlequineLunaire said:
"Before I settle them for you," Koyomi muttered, looking down at the two.

Koyomi having to wrangle the kids, haha.

ArlequineLunaire said:
Still, Miyako took off into a makeshift alley between two tents. Koyomi following her, she asked, "Who is he? Did he do something to you? He must've, to make you run and hide like that."

"What? No, Sora's nice, he's never done anything to me. It's just," Miyako paused for breath as she tried to explain, "Yasuda Sora's my friend from school. Thing is, well, I never told him about running away or me being trans, he wouldn't know me as Miyako, and I've got no idea how he'd react to seeing me now. I'm sure he'd be okay, but… this stuff's really tough to predict. Summerland's a real popular place, so I guess it's no surprise. Look, I'm just nervous, really, really nervous."

"Whatever he may do to you," Koyomi then stated, "know I won't tolerate it."

Miyako gave a smile at that, yet wondered if Koyomi always had to assume the worst. Then again, wasn't that what she was now doing?

Her care and concern are heartwarming.

LampWitch · May 7, 2024

@SpoopyGhost You don't seem caught up, so I removed the pings. Then thought about pinging you at the top to tell you, then realized I could've left the other pings if I put this warning on top. Oh well.

WallFlower said:
Just to sure. I'm meming, I'm sure that Sora will turn out to be a entertaining character no matter what direction he takes. I just like shipping Miyako with everything approximating her age.

So does she.

Edgedancer said:
Not sure I've got much to say on Sora right now. He didn't make a horrible impression, but aside from his past with Mmiyako he just kinda strikes me as a guy.

Unfortunately, for Koyomi it was an horrible first impression. If he wants her blessing to court Miyako, he better start shaping up.
He could seek favor from Asahi, or, snicker, Yumemi, somehow. Emi unfortunately always agrees with Koyomj.

SpoopyGhost said:
Oh dear.
Oh dear.
Oh dear.

...Well, the silver lining is that if being shown A/B/O real-person fanfiction has not made Koyomi disown her on the spot, I am quite confident nothing will. Her bark is severe but she truly has the patience of a saint.

I'm reminded of the hanahaki bit. And how it goes with what we now know of hanazakari biology.

SpoopyGhost said:
I know from discussion in the crossover thread that Koyomi and Asahi are not the reason for the "toxic yuri" tag, but my initial assumption was that they were. Their dynamic is fascinating, in the way a terrible freak-chance disaster that killed thousands is fascinating.

Them getting together could be wonderful or a disaster. We must make it happen.

ArlequineLunaire said:
Two girls who definitely did get mentioned were Cherry and Chrysanthemum in Full Bloom, the most famous Hanazakari to ever come out of Japan. The latter a Wand clad in gold with powers of command and control, the latter a pink Sword whose blade could kill in one slice. Miyako remembered being told as a child that Cherry could 'defeat' anyone with a cut, but no, she since learned it really was 'kill'.
She couldn't help but remember that Cherry and Chrysanthemum were the first two Hanazakari she'd ever tried to contact. It had naturally been a disaster, given how private Cherry had become and how busy Chrysanthemum was. Credit to Sora for being polite with her about it, unlike the rest of her school. Still, that had been her start till she eventually contacted Koyomi.

Interesting. How did the school know?
Now I wonder at the two popping up later in the story and seeing how much Miyako impacted hanazakari business. Also thought about them seeing Koyomi, but later it gets confimerd they don't know each other. Too bad, it'd be funny for them to know her as this recluse, then see how she got a whole network now due to Miyako, and later realizing they got dragged into Koyomi's harem too.

SpoopyGhost said:
I quite like this method of conveying multiple snippets of

Yeah, need to keep it in mind.

SpoopyGhost said:
As I said before, even with how heavily this arc has emphasized Miyako's embarrassing attributes, I do like that Koyomi is not exempt from being narratively mocked either.

Oh, good catch. Guess if I noticed anything, it got lost from not reading for a while. Now that I think about it, with how idealistic Koyomi actually is, how similar was she to Miyako back then? Before the trauma started setting in.

SpoopyGhost said:
Though Hanahaki disease, despite its unfortunate aspects in regards to us aspecs, would be an especially interesting thing to occur in this particular universe, given the existence of the Hanazakari. Whatever else can and has been said about My Chemical Valentine, Miyako really did stumble across some potential brilliance with that as

Yeah, some troubling aspects. I like hanahaki for how it makes solid in reality people's emotional issues while doing something beautiful and symbolic looking, and then we have a plot about their isolation, hiding their condition, letting the issues grow. Then the loved ones around them getting corcerned. Too bad hanahaki is usually only that specific concept of unrequited love
I saw a cool version where instead, flowers grow from unresolved negative emotions.. ANother, where it was secrets and repression.

SpoopyGhost said:
This was very enjoyable! I do quite like these sorts of prototypical versions of stories; this feels like an unaired pilot episode for a television show that has been unearthed years after the original run ended.

Thanks! I had missed that.

ArlequineLunaire said:
We're the closest planet to our sun, Cocytus being the furthest. Pathragada would've stopped being inhabitable long ago, if not for the psychic shields that keep our sun at bay. To have your spirit join with a shield upon one's sacrifice is one of our greatest honours.>"

Again, Miyako winced hearing the word 'sacrifice'.

"<So the higher castes would know it's not the most bearable place for others. From what I've seen of humans, the streets being mostly vertical, all vines, would pose a problem too,>" Sfira finished. But Miyako had to wonder whether the higher castes really would change their tune if Pathragada's biosphere was more human-friendly.

Very interesting. One "favoured" by the sun, one shunned. The sun feeding into the cruelty inflicted upon the people, dressed up as an honour.
Hmm, dangerous sun, divine punishment. We going digital devil saga here, aren't we?

ArlequineLunaire said:
"Kamizono-sama said all of us Hanazakari first came from the stars, of course," Emi needed no prompting to repeat, a glazed look on her face, "but she also I was once both a god and down in the demon realm, and my human lives included being Toriyama Sekien, Artemisia Gentileschi, and the Gakutensoku, er, well the last one wasn't exactly human," she then sighed, "Just artists, no full authors though. Then again, she said Minakata-sama was once Marie Antoinette, Linda Hazzard, and Hans Christian Andersen which is, er, quite the statement." At least that was something close to doubting her former leader.

Full on like a cult. Touch of realism here.

ArlequineLunaire said:
Emi was already at the fortune-telling tent. With Emi heading inside, Miyako followed right behind because eh, why not?

This just reminds me of the circus amusement park in Banjo Tooie. There, the witch Gruntilda, the antagonist, had a tent where you get random results. Either rewards or a beating. Well, the beatings were funny, thus could be considered rewarding.

ArlequineLunaire said:
"<That I shall not answer exactly,>" Eyebright told her, leaving Miyako's face to droop. "<Choice is key to love. Should I divine who thine red string leads to

Yup, just like Koyomi. It figures hanazakari would value emotions and free will. Also, this is a quest after all, choice is key.

ArlequineLunaire said:
"<Well, that is for thou to decide, Orange. Now, as for your question,>" she said, with Emi wincing at being called by her flower, "<It is simple who this Shiori is. The Hellebore's daughter.>"

Both Emi and Miyako had to take a step back. "But Izumi-sama, she- she never had children, she was never even married!" Emi gasped.

Miyako then did the same and said, "Shiori, that's Ogami-san's daughter. Okay, hold on, if Arisugawa-sama were here she'd probably say lots of people are called Shiori."

Huh, Hibiki had a kid. WHo is now with a RUNE agent. The organization that has a conection to YamahiPro. The company that held power over her in some way, which she claimed was based on what they knew about her. And her jealousy of Koyomi takes on a new dimension.

ArlequineLunaire said:
"<I thought thou would already know,>" Eyebright said to Miyako, then pulled back her hood to show that her eyes were the only fleshy thing in her head, "<that the dark secrets around us Hanazakari are without end.>"

Get the themes of this story though your head, Miyako.

ArlequineLunaire said:
"According to her, a Hanazakari had a Cultivar where their weapon would keep on existing after death, drawing power from the emotions of whoever wielded it. In short, we do indeed have a phantom sword on our hands."

That's very interesting. Stuff that outlasts the starknights. Their power, in a way, being passed down. Bet RUNE and other groups are all over that, and how to induce it in others, at least by altering their mental states.
And also, what kinda personality did this one have, I wonder?

ArlequineLunaire said:
I can feel the opposite sometimes, that a work having a huge backlog can be intimidating (especially as I've had to catch up on quite a few lengthy quests for the SV MG crossover). So it's good to know someone's not daunted by length

I have backlogs upon backlogs. Bared checked teh flying circus quests here, damn.

ArlequineLunaire said:
"Nozawa-chan brought up self-image, and mine couldn't get any worse," Emi muttered, looking at her hands again. "And, ah, being alone with you wouldn't be so bad, Arisugawa-sama."

Koyomi winced hearing that, yet still the two went into the mirror maze anyway.

Didn't expect her to be so forward.

ArlequineLunaire said:
Yet as the two embraced, Miyako caught sight of Sora of all people, standing right there looking at them. "S-Sora? I thought you'd gone?" she said.

"Ah, realised I'd left a bunch of stuff here at the last minute," Sora said in a rush, before he

Man, he keeps getting the worst social situations. Unlucky childhood friend. I'm kinda reminded of that scene in a Little Vice. With the date with Lupin while Inessa watches
-Haunted house bgm. Okami, eh? I loved this game.

ArlequineLunaire said:
But good news was not how Reiji took that at all.

Reiji is in a burning circus of unaware people. Miyako's intelligence needs to get pumped up.

ArlequineLunaire said:
At first, Miyako was content to lick the icing off her face, but then both she and Emi saw something. Shiori's long bangs had been pushed back by the flapping of Maimi's wings, and they could see why she grew them out. For where one side of her face should've been, there was a miniature forest of vines growing out from her eye. Like the plants that grew inside Hanazakari except… different. Wrong.

Guilt on her mind, Miyako looked away again. But between Shiori's strange half-face and everything with that phantom sword, things were getting suspicious again. As a budding reporter Miyako should've been all over this, but instead, she just felt a spinal chill.

I see. Hanazakari reproducing may lead to this. I don't think the kids get significant powers, at least not frequently. Otherwise hanazakari kids would be notorious, and test tube babies would've probably been mentioned.
Miyako feeling a chill is good. Means she's taking this seriously, actually feeling for the events she depicts as a journalist.

ArlequineLunaire said:
Scowling at that, Koyomi deliberately chose the most mismatched outfit from what was available.

Behavior of a 40 year old serious woman.

ArlequineLunaire said:
both unsurprisingly coloured a stark white

Okay, the color white seems to be happening a lot here in the fake world.

Aaaaand caught up.

Trying to do Brazilian Hanazakari, just from the "come to Brazil" meme. Spatial manipulation, portals. Her portal power can't have too long a range, since that'd be high-end, and you've shown that Brazil isn't among the movers and shakers. Could restrict her long range portals to having destination: Brazil, but that's a weird restriction. So, cap on range, also need of familiarity with the place to teleport. Transport and battlefield manipulation. Oh, could give her her own dimension.
Personality, well. I regretfully can't create a good one. Did consider giving her delusions of being descended from the Brazilian royal family, and believing she has a destiny furthering the country, but already have two hanazakari with delusions of greatness. Space powers bring to mind connections and relationships, and the idea of environments and organization.

Another Hanazakari power I came up with. Artillery. Can fire shots of light and fire, or use them to guide other projectiles. Can apply an effect to attacks that weakens their damage, but allows them to hit better and penetrate defenses to some extent. Enhanced senses, capable of picking up sights and sounds in a large area, and with magic, get the effects of advanced sensors. Every seven minutes, may fire a shot that never misses and bypasses defenses. Wields a big rifle.
So. Deliberate and analytical. But fire implying some passion.

Some quotes are messed up, likely due to doing them on mobile before moving to PC.
I'm not sure what to vote

SpoopyGhost · May 13, 2024

LampWitch said:
@SpoopyGhost You don't seem caught up

This is correct. I still mean to, but have not had much opportunity as of late.

LampWitch said:
so I removed the pings. Then thought about pinging you at the top to tell you, then realized I could've left the other pings if I put this warning on top. Oh well.

What were the pings about?

LampWitch · May 13, 2024

WallFlower said:
The thought of Yumeni's reaction to Koyomi going like my ~~magical~~ girl senses are tingling and walking up to some weird random guy and going like.
And being like, I'm the mysterious author of your favorite fiction and here is a skirt, you are bassicly my daughter in the alternate reality. And Miyako just jumping opportunity without question or second thought.

Kept me up all night.
It would be nice if Yumeni followed us for that moment.
That might be the moment when she starts getting actually worried.

Specially with knowing so much about a random girl's life. Oh man, if she remembers too.
"Yo kid, I remember the actual timeline. Get in the car, we're going clothes shopping!"
"Honey, wh-"
"Koyomi!"
"... What."

ArlequineLunaire said:
So for a more casual question, which Pokémon teams do people think FB characters would have? I saw the same discussion pop up over on A Little Vice.

I'm hesitant to allow Legendaries, but have to admit that Darkrai and Cresselia would suit Koyomi and Yumemi quite well, even if their personalities don't quite align with them

Smeargle is a cute pokemon for Emi, and I imagine rather therapeutic. I like Honedge for how it's a sword that drains you, kinda similar to her power making something you do awful to you, and I like the imagery of Aigislash being protective of her. Give Miyako a Mimikyu, both for the Pikachu cosplay and also how her journey has been finding the darkness underneath the public image of Hanazakari. Banette could be a childhood doll she kept hidden.

Yes, most are ghost types. They just come to mind easier, since I prefer them.

SpoopyGhost said:
What were the pings about?

All the times I quoted you.

Iris-Iven-Ibis · May 13, 2024

LampWitch said:
Give Miyako a Mimikyu, both for the Pikachu cosplay and also how her journey has been finding the darkness underneath the public image of Hanazakari. Banette could be a childhood doll she kept hidden.

Yes, most are ghost types. They just come to mind easier, since I prefer them.

I don't have to see that we both have the same idea with Miyako and Ghost types though apparently came to the idea from different perspectives

Speaking of favorite type thinking about it my favorite type is probably bug has a lot neet Pokemon part of me want to say fairies but I quickly realized that just because I like the FAE

ArlequineLunaire · May 14, 2024

Scheduled vote count started by ArlequineLunaire on Apr 21, 2024 at 7:15 AM, finished with 33 posts and 9 votes.

4 people have voted
[X] Go check on Emi, she's the closest and has contact already established.
3 people have voted
[X] Try to find Miyako, even if she had nearly no leads.
1 people have voted
[X] Test Yumemi more to see if she's really behind this, or if she's just another alternate.
- WallFlower
1 people have voted
[X] See how Hinodeharu's faring, with Tokyo sucking up the rural population.
- Embler

ArlequineLunaire · May 14, 2024

[X] Go check on Emi, she's the closest and has contact already established.

For all the time she'd been spending with her, Koyomi still had zero leads on where Miyako would be, let alone if she was even called 'Miyako' in this world. So she settled on contacting this version of Emi instead, which was due anyway as the two were apparently collaborators here.

To think her teenage dream had come true here, Koyomi was now a mangaka. No, the other Koyomi, dream, alternate reality, whichever, is a mangaka, I'm just stuck here, Koyomi reminded herself. And while being a mangaka was what she'd wanted back then, everything she'd since learned about the manga industry, especially from Emi herself, made her wonder if the dream was really a nightmare. Who knows? Not knowing any artists and only being capable of stick figures myself may've saved me, she thought, but had to admit the novel industry was hardly sunshine and rainbows either. And I guess scripting manga means my other self can't work on her prose, just dialogue and thoughts, so there's always downsides.

She easily found Emi's number on her phone, which incidentally was a bright shiny new model unlike the cracked one she'd been forced to buy back in her world. Her automatic suspicion was that Yumemi had picked it out for her. Emi's voice, not surprisingly sounding muffled even though the phone's speakers worked fine, then came on with, "Oh, Arisugawa-sama! I-I wasn't expecting a call, but thank you."

You still call me Arisugawa-sama even though we're collaborating? Koyomi instantly thought. Also, who thanks anyone for calling at an unexpected time?

Before Koyomi had the chance to say anything to Emi though, Yumemi stepped right up to earshot and asked, "Why are you even bothering with her right now? She sent you the art for your issue this week, I don't see any further reason to put up with her constant apologising for her existence."

A deep seething consumed Koyomi on hearing that. But she showed a remarkable restraint, if tinged with spittle, as she said, "Well, maybe I just want to politely tell her that I got her art?" Like a decent human being. Hearing that Frost Generation was apparently on a weekly schedule just made it worse.
She turned away from Yumemi and back at her phone, desperately hoping Emi hadn't heard any of that, and said, "Hello Daimon, your art came through just fine," she presumed, having not actually seen it, "I also wanted to check that you were okay, that pumping out all this art for me isn't wearing you down. Mind if I turn the video chat on to check?" She kept quiet that her asking this was because she predicted Emi, as in her world, would lie about being fine out of not wanting to be a burden.

"You do? I mean, of course I can show you," Emi said, turning the screen on at her end. Seeing her hands made Koyomi wince. For while they may still have been flesh and blood here, the veins popping out and angles they were bent at showed this world had been barely kinder to them.
Koyomi had seen on the drafts that Emi had only been credited for Frost Generation's art, though she knew she could also write, at least in her reality. Someone with the talent to write not getting to do so instinctively filled Koyomi with bile, yet on seeing Emi's hands… perhaps it was best right now that she just did art. And even just art was taking its toll.

Looking closer at the screen, Koyomi also saw that Emi was in some sort of booth, a tiny bed, laptop, and a pile of manga scattered around. The cautious conclusion was that Emi was just here to read, but Koyomi couldn't help but suspect that Emi's precarity had led her to stay here. She was about to ask 'Daimon, tell me, is this were you're living?' but stopped. She knew she couldn't offer her anywhere better, as she couldn't see Yumemi letting her crash at their place at all.
"Daimon, before anything else, I insist that you get your hands looked at," Koyomi ultimately spoke up, cutting through all the thoughts swarming around in her head.

"What? No, I can't, if I do the next issue won't make the deadline!" Emi gasped.

"Next issue? You only just finished this issue," Koyomi said, gritting her teeth. She notably said 'you' instead of 'we', but not that this world's Emi knew that. "And if you don't get your hands fixed, soon enough there won't be any more issues. As for deadlines, well the publishers can go blame themselves, they're the bastards who set them in the first place. What's important is you."

A trembling Emi took a deep breath, then managed to say, "Look, if my hands stop working, I-I'm sure you can… always find another artist. You don't need someone like me, I'm not that… special."

Her being so apologetic made Koyomi start to fume, at least her world's Emi took the initiative to do something about her hands. But she then clamed herself, however slowly it took, and told Emi, "You're part of the team. I don't want to replace you, but you have to go take care of yourself first. Hire more assistants if we can." Also, shouldn't my alternate self have already told you this? It was this world's Koyomi whose schedule she was cutting into after all, not her own. Then again, if her alternate self hadn't done anything about Emi's hands, then as far as this Koyomi was concerned, she had it coming. If that's the case, do they even deserve to be called my alternate self at all? Though who knows how she could've turned out with this much more exposure to Yumemi.

Emi strained to say this, but went, "Thank you, Arisugawa-sama. I'll, I'll get them looked at." That made Koyomi smile in return, with the call ending soon after. Leaving her with Yumemi's piercing glare.

"Did I hear right?" Yumemi stated, her rage not fire but sheer ice, "You are willing to sabotage your deadline, and your whole job with it, over some wrist pains any artist gets? Koyomi, are you aware you're risking both our livelihoods on a whim? For an artist who told you she's fine with being replaced?"

Any artist gets? To the point where they get their hands roboticised? Koyomi thought seething at her. But on the surface, she shrugged and said smoothly, "So? Just get a job yourself, start pulling your weight already." Like Prime Minister, heh.

"Did I hear right, 'pulling my weight'?" Yumemi said. For a second she was about to raise her voice, but she instead kept it controlled as she hissed, "Koyomi, I give everything for this relationship. I've dedicated my life to looking after you and maintaining your home. In return, when I say you're pushing both of us into precarity, you listen. And know what you owe me."

"Yumemi," Koyomi began, all sorts of chills down her spine. She almost referred to her less personally as 'Hoshizora'. "It's a manga, not a novel. You've got Daimon to thank just as much as me for the food on our table and the roof over our heads. So by your own logic, don't you owe her?" she asked.

"If you say so," was all Yumemi said to that. At least it was a better response than Koyomi expected.

Huh, couldn't get control over the military in this world, so you settled for controlling one person's life instead, is that it? Koyomi thought.
That she'd thought of this world's own Koyomi while talking to Emi then sparked another thought. While she was here, had the other Koyomi waken up in her world? Without her powers, prone to yet more exploitation by a more powerful Yumemi? What would Miyako be thinking, or Asahi, or G-d forbid Hayato? Or Blue Lotus?

Of course, that was all assuming that this world wasn't a dream or illusion. She'd already gone over how Padma, the only multiversal Hanazakari, hadn't even met her, while a Hanazakari with dream powers most certainly had. Then again, she'd also gone over how this world felt too historically detailed to just be a dream, unless Yumemi had been working some serious overtime on it. There were the Padma and White Egret Pathragadan clans, but why would they single her out?

Article:

Maybe she really should tell someone she wasn't 'their' Koyomi, as hard as it could be to convince anybody. She wasn't one to tolerate deceit, here or anywhere else:

[ ] Just tell Yumemi. Either she already knew, or would quickly discern that someone's awry anyway.
[ ] Tell Emi. It'd be hard on her, but she couldn't stand to leave her of all people out of the loop.
[ ] Find someone else and tell them.
- [ ] Miyako
- [ ] Asahi
- [ ] Palmira
- [ ] Maimi
- [ ] Hibiki, if she and Emi still had connections.
- [ ] Her parents. Well, what's family for?
- [ ] Someone deranged enough to believe her, Kurara even.
- [ ] Some multiverse study lab or whoever looked into these things.
- [ ] Write-in
[ ] Nobody. If Padma or Pathragada were behind this, she'd wait for them to explain themselves.
[ ] Write-in

LampWitch · May 14, 2024

ArlequineLunaire said:
Before Koyomi had the chance to say anything to Emi though, Yumemi stepped right up to earshot and asked, "Why are you even bothering with her right now? She sent you the art for your issue this week, I don't see any further reason to put up with her constant apologising for her existence."

A deep seething consumed Koyomi on hearing that. But she showed a remarkable restraint, if tinged with spittle, as she said, "Well, maybe I just want to politely tell her that I got her art?" Like a decent human being. Hearing that Frost Generation was apparently on a weekly schedule just made it worse.

ArlequineLunaire said:
"Did I hear right?" Yumemi stated, her rage not fire but sheer ice, "You are willing to sabotage your deadline, and your whole job with it, over some wrist pains any artist gets? Koyomi, are you aware you're risking both our livelihoods on a whim? For an artist who told you she's fine with being replaced?"

ArlequineLunaire said:
Huh, couldn't get control over the military in this world, so you settled for controlling one person's life instead, is that it? Koyomi thought.
That she'd thought of this world's own Koyomi while talking to Emi then sparked another thought. While she was here, had the other Koyomi waken up in her world? Without her powers, prone to yet more exploitation by a more powerful Yumemi? What would Miyako be thinking, or Asahi, or G-d forbid Hayato? Or Blue Lotus?

And there it is! This Yumemi actually sucks too. Final nail in the coffin to the idea they could've been happy together. Yumemi already had seed s of toxicity, and they would bloom in a mundane world too. And interesting, either alternate Koyomi sucks, or is so under Yumemi's control she'll let someone be badly hurt for their gain.

For votes, leaning on those
[ ] Tell Emi. It'd be hard on her, but she couldn't stand to leave her of all people out of the loop.
[ ] Find someone else and tell them.
- [ ] Palmira
- [ ] Hibiki, if she and Emi still had connections.
- [ ] Her parents. Well, what's family for?
- [ ] Maimi
[ ] Just tell Yumemi. Either she already knew, or would quickly discern that someone's awry anyway.
Hibiki might have a sucky life like Emi. I think both would be more willing to accept the world is fake.
Palmira is an investigator, she might accept the world is fake and help discover what's going on. Or she'll go full Schwarzwald and start awakening giant robot while yapping about fear and truth.
We could get the opportunity to meet Koyomi's family.
Maimi, well. We've seen that the people of this universe/dream are mostly the "same". Yumemi is controlling, Emi is abused. Only Koyomi's alternate would be different, from what we've seen. And she isn't here, our Koyomi is.* Maimi would be a good case to verify this isn't a dream conforming to the characters' personalities and expectations of how the world treats them. Because Maimi's case is very unique. Also we'd get to know her better, as a bonus.
*And the situation might in fact be produced because that's what Yumemi wants, and what Koyomi expects from her, if she even has much influence on the dream considering she's "disconnected" from it. So the dream created a "history" where Koyomi is under Yumemi's control, per her expectations.
Yumemi feels like she could cause a lot of problems if she gets suspicious. So blowing her mind and making her get that she is out of her depth could be useful.

Iris-Iven-Ibis · May 14, 2024

Koyomi Would haven a homoeratic fight with her other Koyomi

Edgedancer · May 14, 2024

[X] Just tell Yumemi. Either she already knew, or would quickly discern that someone's awry anyway.
[X] Find someone else and tell them.
- [X] Miyako

I may be bordering on being a one issue voter this arc, but telling Yumemi has the double punch of "well, I don't care if I ruin your livelihood, because I'm not actually the woman you know and also ~~anime~~ manga is real" and also just, you know, maybe not leaving AU Koyomi to hold the bag (assuming she actually exsists). We could probably have a long talk about how breaking up with Yumemi is actually a boon, but that's still kinda a jerk move to ruin someone's relationship without their consent.

ArlequineLunaire said:
Or Blue Lotus?

Supervillains do love multiverses, especially if they have an entire people that may or may not have been driven nearly extinct in other worlds, so yeah, he'd probably be as close to elated at the news as he can manage. Which... isn't exactly great for anybody else.

LampWitch said:
Honedge

Which reminds me, the phantom blade from the end of the last arc is probably the closest we're going to get to a honedge.

Fool Bloom (A Magical Woman Quest)

Interested-Idiot-Immortal

Modern Middle Norn (Avatar drawn by me)

Undead Demi Kuudere Tsundere

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Undead Demi Kuudere Tsundere

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It's all in the cards

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Modern Middle Norn (Avatar drawn by me)

Modern Middle Norn (Avatar drawn by me)

Undead Demi Kuudere Tsundere

Interested-Idiot-Immortal

Modern Middle Norn (Avatar drawn by me)

Modern Middle Norn (Avatar drawn by me)

Interested-Idiot-Immortal