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[X] Write-in - 名もない花 or Namonai hana

It means nameless flower I also chose the name to be a partial reference to the song people with no name which has the line "even the tiniest flower has a name"

[X] Like someone prim and proper, if with male attire on one side and female on the other.
 
I was also hoping the reveal that Hanazakari could communicate when transformed regardless of language didn't feel too out of the blue. Guess I maybe could've foreshadowed it earlier at the RUNE base with someone asking about international soldiers?

The alien was also part of why I initially couldn't decide which Arc I wanted to do next, as I thought introducing a Pathragadan so shortly after introducing Blue Lotus could be a bit much all at once. But luckily it seems people don't have an issue with that
 
I was also hoping the reveal that Hanazakari could communicate when transformed regardless of language didn't feel too out of the blue. Guess I maybe could've foreshadowed it earlier at the RUNE base with someone asking about international soldiers?
Eh. Having it revealed to the readers the first time we see Koyomi meet a foreign Hanazakari (who isn't stationed at a military base in Japan alongside JSDF members) makes sense. It's not like it's short-circuiting a unique or exciting challenge; it's just smoothing over a bit of social logistics. There are plenty of mundane solutions that could have been introduced; for instance, I don't think anyone would have thought twice about it if the astronaut learned broken Japanese from a combination of anime and the Japanese astronauts she met in space.

A lot of people worry about deus ex machina, but I think they worry too much about the literal dictionary definition. A deus ex machina isn't a problem unless it feels like it's being used to avoid writing a more interesting series of events. For instance, a hero being handed an off switch for the villain's powers at the last minute is a bad deus ex machina because it prevents the interesting challenge of overcoming a superior for. A deus ex machina is fine if it's more interesting than the alternative (we call those "plot twists") or if it doesn't make the audience feel like they were cheated out of anything (we don't bother naming those).

Everything needs to be introduced somewhere, and it's hard to introduce things when they are absolutely useless—especially if they're minor worldbuilding details everyone already knows. Having Koyomi casually transform to communicate with a crash-landed foreign Hanazakari is a perfectly unremarkable way to introduce the idea that Hanazakari have a magical way to communicate which transcends language barriers.
 
I've been wondering when Animorphs would get brought up ever since I had Blue Lotus initially <talk like this>. Voting to have them look like Koyomi would also increase the Animorphs parallels, since Ax's human morph is said to be a mashup of the Animorphs' appearances.
To be specific, Ax's human morph is literally an amalgam of the other Animorphs' genomes. I remember it in part because it established how the morphing technology has depths and nuances to it which the cast can't really make use of, because - unlike Ax(imili'Isgarrouth'Isthil)* - they didn't grow up within a culture that's fully familiarized with it and has built up a body of knowledge on how to push it beyond the basics.

It formed a kind of natural memory package with how Cassie having a natural 'talent' for managing the transitional phase between morphs was something Ax once commented on: the Andalites have integrated morphing into their culture to the point where they have specific branches of the performing arts which make use of it, meaning that Cassie would have been viewed in a similar way to someone who had a gift for singing or painting on Earth.


Shooting from the hip on his full name; given I haven't read Animorphs in over a decade, I'm curious how well I did on that.
 
As a kid, I was always disappointed that Ax blended a bunch of people's genes to create a new identity, and then nobody ever used that for anything cool. As an adult, I get that you can't just blend eagle and lion DNA and expect to get a viable griffin out of it, and also that Animorphs isn't the kind of series where the main characters master an advanced technique for a boost to their battle power, but as a kid I wanted to see some chimeras or something cool come from that lore tidbit.

Come to think of it, I don't think they even used that trick to make unique disguises. I'm pretty sure they turned into animals to sneak into a place a couple of times, only for people to get suspicious because they saw two of the same cow or whatever.
 
As a kid, I was always disappointed that Ax blended a bunch of people's genes to create a new identity, and then nobody ever used that for anything cool. As an adult, I get that you can't just blend eagle and lion DNA and expect to get a viable griffin out of it, and also that Animorphs isn't the kind of series where the main characters master an advanced technique for a boost to their battle power, but as a kid I wanted to see some chimeras or something cool come from that lore tidbit.

Come to think of it, I don't think they even used that trick to make unique disguises. I'm pretty sure they turned into animals to sneak into a place a couple of times, only for people to get suspicious because they saw two of the same cow or whatever.
I just assumed that it's something which was considered a state secret by the Andalites, and thus Ax couldn't tell them how to do it, and/or that it would have taken years of continuous training for the team to learn even the basics of it, and/or that Ax wasn't confident in his abilities as a teacher.
 
As a kid, it felt like a Chekov's Gun that was never fired.

As an adult, it feels like an explanation for Ax being able to meet with the other Animorphs without looking like a freaky alien or a clone. Which is fine, but it also feels like Applegate didn't think about whether this sci-fi concept she introduced had any potential uses beyond letting andalite infiltrators invent new faces.
 
Vote closed
Scheduled vote count started by ArlequineLunaire on Sep 29, 2023 at 6:10 AM, finished with 21 posts and 11 votes.
 
I Am the Resurrection 5.3
[X] Sfira, a Hebrew word singular for Sefirot.
[X] Like Koyomi, but with green hair.


The sunlight shimmered ever faster around the Pathragadan the Earthlings had dubbed Sfira, until they were cloaked in the image of… none other than Arisugawa Koyomi, the woman standing before them. The only telltale sign, if a blatant one, was that Sfira's 'hair' remained green.

Koyomi went pale at the sight, which at least helped differentiate the two more. "I, er, guess this'll be helpful if I need a decoy to distract Yumemi- no, forget that, that would be stooping way too low," she said.

Taking in the sight, Miyako managed to say, "Well, it's very flattering. Though Arisugawa-sama tends to brush off that sort of thing."

Reiji however barely restrained himself before he burst out laughing. "Hoo boy, this is just perfect! Hey Sfira, I'm ready to give you all the acting pointers you need for the role of Arisugawa Koyomi," he said, then gave that anyway before Sfira could ask, "Firstly, you need to have a constant slouch and scowl. Ooh, hair-trigger temper, that's a must too."

"Reiji-kun!" Miyako yelled at him.

"Come on, we've staged one of Arisugawa's books, she knows it's all in good fun, eh?" Reiji said, though Koyomi's expression didn't lift at those words. "Take notes," he then whispered to Sfira.

"<I calculated it'd be best if I made myself look like only one human at first, whilst I'm still unfamiliar with the species,>" Sfira said for themselves.

"Hold on, why not me then? I was the first human who saw you coming to Earth, you know," Vasilisa said, before a giant smirked crossed her face, "Ooh, which makes me the first human ever to see a Pathragadan. Ahem, Dandelionherts aside."

"Maybe if you hadn't shot at them," Koyomi hissed.

"Like I said, it was set to stun. To stun!" Vasilisa said.

"<That, and she was the one who gave me my Earth Name, making me more than a Numbered at least here,>" Sfira said. "<A Name, even on one planet, does overwhelm me, but as with any Pathragadan I am bound to accept it with grace.>"

"Wait, so you'd still have to do that if someone gave you a really mean name?" Miyako asked. "'Cause I kinda prefer getting to name myself due to… reasons".

"Believe me, there were a lot of Dandelionheart horror stories about just that back in the day," Koyomi said, then turned to Sfira, "The name I gave you means 'emanation' in Hebrew, one of our Earth languages and particularly close to me. An emanation from the great Sefirot tree, to be precise," with her then relieved that Miyako didn't leap to bring up any RPGs.

"<Where would this tree be in your world? I'm sorry, I am new here,>" Sfira asked.

At first, Koyomi had no idea how to answer that, not concisely anyway. "How do I put this?" she ended up trying, biting her lower lip, "In tradition, the Sefirot Tree is everywhere, and we're just on the base level emanation, called Malkuth."

"<But I thought your world was called Earth?>" Sfira asked, but then figured, "<Of course, it's a whole planet. It must be so important that it would deserve more than one name. Pathragada does too, although my Clan is only allowed to use Pathragada.>"

"Hmm, sounds like this Pathragada of yours, they don't like your clan much. Very bourgeoisie and proletariat," Vasilisa said. Her concerned look then switched right back to her smirk with "Then how good it is you're on Earth. Come, our own global community will treat you much better."

"Yeah, sure you will," Koyomi said, before she filled in Sfira, "Malkuth isn't really a name for Earth. It means 'kingdom', but it really refers to our whole physical universe."

"<You mean everything material is but the base of one giant tree?>" Sfira asked, then shook their head, "<Then wouldn't us Pathragadans already know this? Of course, the higher castes would, it must be their privilege to know- Oh no, did I just find out upper-caste secrets?
Also, I hope I haven't given you the wrong impression. Clan Madake is not among the higher castes, but we are not servants like Clan Dandelionheart was. No, Clan Madake is treasured, courteously looked after by those on high.>"

"Not so treasured that they'll actually give you political autonomy though, will they?" Koyomi said. Sfira had no response for that beyond flinching, and all while wearing Koyomi's face.

"Wait, if the Dandelionhearts were 'lower-caste', t-then-" Miyako muttered out as it dawned on her, "how did the higher-castes react when they… all died? Unless, unless they're not all dead, are they?"

"<…They are all dead,>" Sfira said. "<It's possible maybe a few survived in a distant corner of the universe, but that's what I'm told.>"

"Or your higher castes are keeping secrets from you again," Koyomi said.

"<But please be reassured,>" Sfira's tone then brightened, "<For the higher castes were quite pleased with the Dandelionhearts' Sacrifice. Sacrifice is one of our highest virtues, for only through it is one reborn into a higher caste, and eventually will be one with the Sun.>"

Miyako didn't know how to feel about that, I mean, if the Dandelionhearts get to be reborn then I guess that's… good? But is sacrifice the only way?

"…Is that so?" Koyomi asked, sounding like she was trying to hold back. "Then it follows that your 'higher castes' would sacrifice themselves quite often, lead by example? Well, do they?" she prodded.

Again, Sfira was stuck for words. So then Vasilisa spoke in their place, "Just my luck to meet up with the worst diplomat ever at the same time I meet a Pathragadan. This is an alien culture, rare insight into a whole new way of seeing the universe, and all you can do is interrogate them, make them feel bad about themselves?" She then sided up to Sfira.

"Really? You say that after shooting at them?" Koyomi asked, "Oh sorry, 'to stun'."

"<In Arisugawa's defence,>" Sfira finally said, "<It seems she is a Rose, so it's only to be expected she would act like this. Though I am a Rose now too, at least through illusion, which… complicates things.>"

Reiji shrugged. "Eh, I'm pretty sure Arisugawa's like that just because she's Arisugawa," he said. "I'm envisioning, oh I don't know, a daffodil or sunflower Arisugawa, and can't see her being one bit cheerier."

Having no idea whether Reiji meant that as a compliment, Koyomi blew it off by joking, "What, do the Roses control all the banks, eat children, or argue all the time?"

"<…No," was all Sfira could say at first, "<It's just the Rosethorn Clan was one of the few times a Clan was sentenced to being a lower caste, for having once led a rebellion.>"

"Hah, I like them already," Koyomi said.

"What about Zinnias, are they okay?" Vasilisa was quick to ask.

"<Yes, Zinnias are okay,>" Sfira said only so helpfully, but even that made Vasilisa sigh with relief.

"So, if the Dandelionhearts can be reborn into a 'higher caste' for sacrifice, is that what the Resurrection is then?" Miyako asked, putting two and two together. "That all the dead Hanazakari are going to come back as flower-people?"
Koyomi went cold hearing that, and even Vasilisa looked a little queasy.

"<I… can't say,>" Sfira did say, "<When our war with Frost Fair began so long ago, in defence it was decreed that no other peoples could be reborn as Pathragadan.>"

"Infiltration through reincarnation, huh. Now there's a story," Reiji said, then sighed. "Though if Hanazakari Resurrection were possible, it still isn't resurrection for everyone else who died in the war," with Miyako taking it he meant his brother.

Sfira resumed, "<However, now that's the war's over, it's possible that's been lifted, but I'm…>"

"Not high caste enough to know?" Koyomi took it, with Sfira nodding.
She then sighed and said, "Speaking of which, there's still one Frostfarer out there. Gave himself the alias 'Blue Lotus', he was captured so the military could do top-secret experiments on him, but of course he escaped."

All because I wandered too close to him, gave him the willpower he used to break free, that haunting thought seized Miyako.

"Goes to show that state Hanazakari suddenly became A-OK with the Frost Fair the moment they could use one of them to their advantage. Weren't they supposed to be the heroes again?" Reiji said, even if Koyomi needed no reminder.

Sfira seized up, the illusion around them starting to falter. "<The Frost Fair's still on Earth? And the Hanazakari chose not to eliminate them? I-I came here because I thought it was safe now…>" they blurted out, clutching their head. "<Okay, it's just the one, I guess it'll be okay?>"

"I assure you, 'Sfira'," Vasilisa said, wincing as she used Koyomi's name for the bamboo alien, "Had this Blue Lotus been captured by Russia, my country, he would've been terminated on the spot."

"…Honestly, are you auditioning to be a comedian?" Koyomi asked as she shot a dark look at Vasilisa.

"It's okay!" Miyako then told Sfira as she ran up to them, "As long as you're here, we'll keep you safe from Blue Lotus. Won't we?"

"Yes, come with me and that Blue Lotus will be melted if he so much as lays a finger on you," Vasilisa swooped in to say.

"Haha, no. What proof have you shown so far that you have any ability to protect Sfira?" Koyomi glared at her.

"ISS astronaut with her own personal gravity field, a single Frostfarer is nothing," Vasilisa smugly shot back, not quite getting Koyomi's point. "And if you are still unconvinced, Chernaya Roza, then why don't we settle it in a tournament? Pfft, though your Japanese Hanazakari matches are kid gloves compared to back home."

"Wait, why not just have it out here then?" Reiji asked.

"Because she wants all eyes on her," Koyomi took it.

"Shouldn't we ask if Sfira's okay with this first?" Miyako spoke up.

"<Er, I suppose an Earth tournament would at least be something to see?>" Sfira gave all the answer they could settle on right now, a slight quiver in their voice.

"Look, if you're so concerned with Sfira's safety, then shouldn't we do something about their ship first?" Koyomi asked, pointing at the giant vase.

"<It's meant to have cloaking technology, but…>" Sfira said, "<I'm not the most experienced pilot, I confess that could've gotten damaged on the way down.>"

"Great, so now anyone can come to Sekigahara and see a spaceship right there. Boy is RUNE going to love this," Koyomi snarled.

Article:
Their solution to the blatantly visible spaceship dilemma, for now anyway, was to:
[ ] Do everything to get the cloak tech working again.
[ ] Have Sfira repark it somewhere more hidden.
[ ] Put a sign in front of it saying it's an elaborate sculpture, it's not like RUNE knew what a Pathragadan ship looked like.
[ ] Trust that nobody passing by could tell it was a ship, wasn't like anyone would know how to drive it.
[ ] Just contact RUNE and tell them, initiating things might grant some bargaining power than them finding out on their own.
[] Keep it hidden under a shroud of constant darkness. [Koyomi lacks the Heart and Technique to do this.]
[ ] Write-in


"Arisugawa-sama, since we're at Sekigahara, can I ask a question?" Miyako then said, "Oh, it's okay, not about Shin Sekigahara, about the original."

Koyomi shrugged and said, "Sure, fire away. Just know I'm no history teacher."

"I was curious, which side would you have been on back then, Tokugawa's Eastern Army or Ishida's Western?" Miyako asked. "Assuming you've got no future knowledge, of course, and they let you fight."

Article:
After a while pondering, Koyomi said:
[ ] "Eastern. I am a Tokyoite, or rather was, and Ieyasu was the least awful of the Unifiers."
[ ] "Western. I know I'm supposed to forget my future knowledge, but part of me's drawn to backing the losing side."
[ ] "Neither, if possible. You know me, as if I could care about the disputes of nobles."
[ ] "If I could get away with it, I'd probably keep switching to whichever side had the upper hand. Opportunistic I know, but I care for living, not dying or 'sacrificing'."
[ ] Write-in
 
[X] Put a sign in front of it saying it's an elaborate sculpture, it's not like RUNE knew what a Pathragadan ship looked like.
[X] "Neither, if possible. You know me, as if I could care about the disputes of nobles."

Hiding it in plain sight is fun. Struggling to imagine what Koyomi's opinion on Sengoku politics is gonna affect, but she's contrary enough that when asked to choose she might pick neither.

I'm pretty excited for Otona Precure later this week, its premise seems relevant to this thread. I hope it's more than simple nostalgia.
 
[x] Have Sfira repark it somewhere more hidden.
[x ] "Neither, if possible. You know me, as if I could care about the disputes of nobles."
 
[X] Put a sign in front of it saying it's an elaborate sculpture, it's not like RUNE knew what a Pathragadan ship looked like.
[X] "Neither, if possible. You know me, as if I could care about the disputes of nobles."
 
Koyomi went pale at the sight, which at least helped differentiate the two more. "I, er, guess this'll be helpful if I need a decoy to distract Yumemi- no, forget that, that would be stooping way too low," she said.
If this were a real anime, I would love a fanfic about this kind of shenanigans.

"Wait, so you'd still have to do that if someone gave you a really mean name?" Miyako asked. "'Cause I kinda prefer getting to name myself due to… reasons".
Hm. On one hand, explaining "transgender" to someone who doesn't understand human concepts of gender would be difficult. On the other hand, they'd be more likely to accept that someone like Miyako isn't just a nan in a dress. Erm, man. Whatever they're called.

Again, Sfira was stuck for words. So then Vasilisa spoke in their place, "Just my luck to meet up with the worst diplomat ever at the same time I meet a Pathragadan. This is an alien culture, rare insight into a whole new way of seeing the universe, and all you can do is interrogate them, make them feel bad about themselves?"
She's not wrong...honestly, Miyako might be the only decent diplomat in the group.

"And if you are still unconvinced, Chernaya Roza, then why don't we settle it in a tournament?"
Vasilisa, you can't have a tournament with only two people. That's a duel. You need at least four people for a tournament, and if you want a decent arc you really need at least eight. Though if you did have the numbers, I'm sure Miyako would be jazzed to be the referee for a proper Hanazakari tournament arc. And I'm sure Yumemi would accept the invitation...probably best to ask her last, though. She'd probably bring backup, and a tournament arc where most of the contestants have basically the same allegiance, goals, and values is pretty dull.

"<I… can't say,>" Sfira did say, "<When our war with Frost Fair began so long ago, in defence it was decreed that no other peoples could be reborn as Pathragadan.>"
Hm.
There are two possibilities here. One is that the Pathragadans don't actually reincarnate and they just have religious beliefs which give their leaders some authority over the afterlife. The other is that reincarnation is a real deal and the leaders do have some authority over it.

The former is likelier, but the latter...not impossible. And it would have implications. Hm.


[X] Have Sfira repark it somewhere more hidden.
[X] "Neither, if possible. You know me, as if I could care about the disputes of nobles."

The sculpture plan is funnier, but it feels like something that one of the Hanazakari present would shoot down.
 
Arisugawa shows that she's the two braincells in every party yet again.

I wonder if the Lionhearts have chosen mainly minorities, because they where empathetic to their situation and not because of sympathies or some order from above.

[X] Have Sfira repark it somewhere more hidden.
Prentending that it is a sculpture might cause some trouble if someone decides that it shouldn't have been here.


[X] "Neither, if possible. You know me, as if I could care about the disputes of nobles."

EDIT: removed a stuttered word
 
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Also, Fool Bloom is now the second-longest work I've written on SV (after Persona: The Beautiful at 300k words rounded up), well it passed the mark a little bit ago, and the longest non-fanfic (guess Revalkyrie in third is kinda sorta a fanfic due to using public domain characters)
 
[ ] "Eastern. I am a Tokyoite, or rather was, and Ieyasu was the least awful of the Unifiers."
GAHAHAHAHAHA

Him? The glass-chewing psychopath who strangled his own wife to death for daring to call him on forcing his own son to commit suicide in the name of political convenience, after spending decades deliberately wrecking any possible hope of lasting peace because he would rather see the Warring States drag on for another generation than allow anyone else but him to sit in the big chair?

Pull the other one, it has got bells on.
 
Easy to justify Ieyasu as the least worst when his competition are the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven and the warmongering Monkey who rigidly enforced the social caste system by separating commoners and samurai and repressing the peasants in the Sword Hunt. It's all about perspective and how one chooses to interpret history.
Ah, right. Forgot that Sekigahara was in Ieyasu's youth. I was thinking of him in the context of the war which he precipitated after Toyotomi's death, where he didn't have nearly as much competition in the Biggest Douchebag in Japan contest.
 
Ah, right. Forgot that Sekigahara was in Ieyasu's youth. I was thinking of him in the context of the war which he precipitated after Toyotomi's death, where he didn't have nearly as much competition in the Biggest Douchebag in Japan contest.
That's not at all what I was saying though? That prompt if Koyomi is voted as using it is talking about the Three Great Unifiers of Japan, which are Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Oda was infamous for being extremely brutal in his actions, took the betrayal of Azai Nagamasa extremely personally in spite of it being due to Oda's choice to attack the Azai's long cherished allies the Asakura to the point that he had his nephew executed for being Azai's son, and villainized over time because of being the antithesis of traditional Japanese culture. Toyotomi was a commoner who rose through the ranks because of his abilities who seized power in the wake of Oda's assassination, had ordered the deaths of his son and his son's entire family for the son's coup attempt, launched an extremely wasteful campaign to conquer Korea as a springboard to potentially invade China while simultaneously pissing off the formerly friendly Spanish by trying to flippantly force them into subservience, and encouraged the act of cutting off the noses as a substitute for the more traditional beheadings to serve as war trophies. Ieyasu did all the things you mentioned, and used the excuse of a bell in a temple having the characters of his name split as a pretense to attack Osaka castle at the end of his reign leading to the extinction of the Toyotomi, and even ended up paving the way for the fall of Shogunate because of the very policies he implemented which lead to Japan's isolationism and fueled a long lasting resentment in the clans who he punished for not supporting him at Sekigahara. All three Unifiers have actions that can be praised or condemned and I personally dislike Ieyasu the most while liking Nobunaga. What matters is how they are chosen to be viewed, and clearly Koyomi in that route choses to view Ieyasu more positively than the other two.
 
That's not at all what I was saying though?
I was agreeing with you? I think?

My previous post was meant to convey "Oh, shit, I wasn't discussing Tokugawa in the proper context of Sekigahara, because my memory of when Sekigahara happened was off by several decades. My bad, Tokugawa could absolutely have come off as the better option within this context."


and encouraged the act of cutting off the noses as a substitute for the more traditional beheadings to serve as war trophies.
... That seems like an unqualified improvement in the state of affairs?

In case you didn't know, the tradition of soldiers beheading fallen enemies to bring back as proof of their prowess could and did lead to massacres of civilians.

Soldiers who fled in battle without claiming any heads would face suspicion of cowardice, or even that they'd tried to desert and lost their nerve. In order to prevent that, such soldiers would often go to a nearby village, lop off the heads of the first few commoners they found, and then present them as the heads of enemy soldiers after returning to camp - taking enough time on the way back for the heads to rot and become unrecognizable, of course.

It's not nearly enough, but at least Toyotomi's reform meant the victims of that practice could potentially survive, even if they'd be disfigured - and I'm not sure Toyotomi would have been able to push through a "stop harvesting body parts from people to prove your valor" policy, even if he'd wanted to.
 
My previous post was meant to convey "Oh, shit, I wasn't discussing Tokugawa in the proper context of Sekigahara, because my memory of when Sekigahara happened was off by several decades. My bad, Tokugawa could absolutely have come off as the better option within this context."
Ah, I completely misunderstood, since Sekigahara did happen towards the end of his life, 1600 (57 years old) while he died in 1616 a year after the Siege of Osaka. I had thought you were being sarcastic because of it. Tone is really hard to catch through text sometimes.

... That seems like an unqualified improvement in the state of affairs?
In this case, it's more an issue of disfiguring corpses which can be and very much was taken pretty badly. But yeah I was unaware of the massacring civilians aspect.
 
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