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It's not wrong to make Friends in the Dungeon (Danmachi / Sanctioned [Worm])

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On a line of thought completely unrelated to the current discussion, I just wanted to say that I find the fact that Gods in Danmachi are infertile to be quite funny. Mostly because Gods like them are usually supremely fertile.

Back to the topic at hand, though. Would QA be affected by the nature of Creation? Going by narrative conventions and/or tropes, she should both be affected, yet not: She is an Outside Context Problem by her very nature, so by being unaffected by the nature of Creation, she is still playing up to her narrative role/character archetype.

Additionally, I want to see QA in the world of The Zombie Knight Saga due to its focus on Souls as a story. Outside Context Problems are more entertaining when they are just as confused by the way the setting works as well.
 
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FallenPears said:
I was sort of picturing it as QAylor accidentally revealing that she actually is the being behind her 'Name' or that it is otherwise not related to Creations Good and Evil, and that her Name is empowered by some other neutral outsider God.

What I am hoping for is slowly dawning horror as Black Knight and Warlock realise that, based on QA's musings, their reality of more controlled wars for the purposes of entertainment is one of the more peaceful cases, compared to the orgy of maximum possible conflict that most Outsider Gods seem to revel in. They're the lucky ones.
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I can also argue in another context, that they could confuse QA for an almighty power above Good and Evil; "The Author". If they go and make leapfrog logic of what Administration means (in a Black context.) Put two and two together, and how "Queen" is an 'important' (or near vital) part of the 'cycle' (read, "narrative".) Before potential horror on how odds are QA's got parents, who would love/like to adopt them all for Data...

As much, as hypothetical QA being interested/horrified over the metaphorical power of the "Narrative", being able to warp anyone's perception/actions to fit more within a 'Good vs Evil' axis. Before potentially complaining on how it overly 'simplifies' the cycle, without being able to gather stray/interesting data from the stray "greys" that would have been forced to cope within an otherwise "Heroes vs Villains" narrative, give or take end cycle escalations.

-

But honestly. Looking at fanart aside, I'd bet that if given a 'book', and QA does Administration (as part of her Concept/Name), and ends up 'halping' Black casually... It'd be he could very well go under an "oh god, she must NEVER fall to the Good side." Before potentially data mining potential narrative contrasts/differences to be aware of, from a villain standpoint.

Which in a best case scenario, would be akin to "Evil Overlord adopts an Eldritch cat/child to point out flaws, from yet another perspective. Before brute forcing a sollution that just works, narratively."
 
Hello!
So when QA said simulacrum she means the space inside Warlock's Tower. In PGTE, Creation is the closest Plane to our reality, as in bound by Physical Laws ad such. Inside a sorcerer's Tower (like Warlock's) Creation gets edited to have less or more properties, depending on the sorcerer's desire. Masego's nursery is slightly different in that is a chunk of the Fae realm that was ripped out, and the Fae realm is notoriously malleable. As for QA getting trapped in the narrative, is unlikely, because being a Shard gives her some control over reality. Is more likely that Fate would actively push other Named to eliminate her. There's also Taylor/Dreamer to add more wight and confusion to Fate as to QAylor being Good or Evil.
That said, I'm really enjoying the main story. I can wait for the moment when QA is aloud to go full Friendbomb on the setting. :)
 
AionVal said:
Hello!
So when QA said simulacrum she means the space inside Warlock's Tower. In PGTE, Creation is the closest Plane to our reality, as in bound by Physical Laws ad such. Inside a sorcerer's Tower (like Warlock's) Creation gets edited to have less or more properties, depending on the sorcerer's desire. Masego's nursery is slightly different in that is a chunk of the Fae realm that was ripped out, and the Fae realm is notoriously malleable. As for QA getting trapped in the narrative, is unlikely, because being a Shard gives her some control over reality. Is more likely that Fate would actively push other Named to eliminate her. There's also Taylor/Dreamer to add more wight and confusion to Fate as to QAylor being Good or Evil.
That said, I'm really enjoying the main story. I can wait for the moment when QA is aloud to go full Friendbomb on the setting. :)
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FRIENDSHOP CANNONS ACTIVATED AND READY TO FIRE CAPTAIN!!!
 
Master Basher said:
To be fair, if he ends up playing the 'caution' angle of "I can take her", he might very well lose in an... 'acceptable' margin, before ending up in a genre savvy horror attack, over WHAT "Queen Administrator" is. Not in a sense of 'somehow, some Named Leader' analog. But more...

"A Post-post-postpostpost end of Series Protagonist", grade veteran. In alien lens. That totally has experience in being BOTH Hero AND Villain, "alien Grey"... And thus, it'd escalate into 'I can totally bribe her' instead.

Such a horror reveal of a "Shonen Protag" eldritch protagonist, whose 'story' she hails from casually has named being able to 'spread' to other 'unnamed' in a parasytic (to Black faction) relationship. All for more 'data' to properly survive the 'ending' of their stories. Where the "Queen" suffix sanding for her having an 'important' role in said story.

In short. Depending on how QAylor plys the story, she could very well be something better/worse than a mere "Heroic Threat"... But a potential princess candidate, who could very well lead the Black team towards a Revolution, in administration so hard. That she may very well lead to fear/paranoia from the actual leader's of the Evil/Black team, in case she hijacks there role, instead of merely... Administrate things.

And this is all before I even touch a hypothetical Taylor in "shard space" might do, with the narrative. Give or take deciding to scheme and write/pull a pen for QAylor, end up geeking out over similarities between the Black team and her undersiders. And cue Catherine becoming a Black Queen... Or, "Queen Black" by an approving QA, saying that she should master 'ALL' of the Black, to become a "Royal Black".

But by that point, it'd be totally a case of "QAylor hijacking Catherine's fated defeat, by cosmic horror intervention". And creation suddenly, totally going "fuck it, it's Lovecraft time... OH SHIT, WHAT CAN WE DO AGAINST QUEEN ADMINISTRATOR? Oh, I know. DEMONS AND ANGELS ALL OVER!"

...

*Scribbles notes on odds/likelihood of QAylor becoming a Demon/Angel magnet. And end up escalating things until people start staring in horror in calling her the "Black Queen" instead, or "Queen Black". Much to Administrator's ire...

-

Now. What else other than being horribly stray in thoughts over hypothetical "QAylor and pals in Shield Hero"? Give or take, if going meta; Queen Administrator (or Taylor) speaking to Cardinal Weapons, possibly giving Naofumi a 'shard halp' power up in monster taming+. Or eeriely offering "Friends" (read, bred monsters, and hijacked demi-human slaves), in exchange of 'valuable data' (read, pester Shield-chan on how their cycle 'works', and Queries/proposals for maximum efficiency.)
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I did not know I needed gods shouting " It's Lovecraft time!" Thank you for showing me what I was missing.


MEANWHILE!




The various gods and monsters all grouped up together. " Alright, nobody panic. That tends to make things worse than they actually are. So, what do we know?"

One of the gods breaks out a joint and then puffs out an indescribable mass of smoke. " Code Love Craft."

" Yes, but what level are we talking about? Is it a mere Shogoth, or an Eldar God, or what? If it's a Shogoth, we can risk one or two hero's going mad. Just need to make them the unsympathetic villians for someone else's story and boom, no problem."

" Queen Administrator does not appreciate others thinking one or two lesser titles can defeat her."

The various gods and goddess turned around in their seats to see a small child somehow in heaven, a tentacled plushie in her hands. She smiled and waved.

" FUUUUUU-"
 
Its_a_cauldron_p said:
I did not know I needed gods shouting " It's Lovecraft time!" Thank you for showing me what I was missing.


MEANWHILE!




The various gods and monsters all grouped up together. " Alright, nobody panic. That tends to make things worse than they actually are. So, what do we know?"

One of the gods breaks out a joint and then puffs out an indescribable mass of smoke. " Code Love Craft."

" Yes, but what level are we talking about? Is it a mere Shogoth, or an Eldar God, or what? If it's a Shogoth, we can risk one or two hero's going mad. Just need to make them the unsympathetic villians for someone else's story and boom, no problem."

" Queen Administrator does not appreciate others thinking one or two lesser titles can defeat her."

The various gods and goddess turned around in their seats to see a small child somehow in heaven, a tentacled plushie in her hands. She smiled and waved.

" FUUUUUU-"
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Maybe instead of a tenticled plushie, have a black cat friend plushy?
 
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Chapter 34: Internal Issues
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    • Special thanks to @saganatsu, @DB_Explorer, @fictionfan, @Adephagia, @orchamus, @Just_A_Knight, Mr. Silver, @DaGeek247, and my fourteen other patrons not mentioned here. An extremely enthusiastic "Thank you" to @Torgamous for her patronage as well.

    AN: I'd intended to keep going until we got to QA's spell, but with classes starting tomorrow, continuing until it finished might mean waiting until this weekend or even longer. So, you get a shorter update instead.


    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~​

    Dreamer glared at the sword-hilt she'd managed to pull free. Only the hilt. Excaliburn's blade was still embedded in the rock and seemed to be regrowing a new handle. The closer Excaliburn got to its old state, the more rusted the old hilt became until it crumbled in Dreamer's hands.

    "I'm honestly beginning to hate you," Dreamer informed the sword.

    A roaring dragon belatedly descended, was turned into a cute little wyrmling, and joined the rest of the defeated defenders in playful wrestling amid the rapidly regenerating remains of what had temporarily been turned into a blasted wasteland. Dreamer regretted the momentary lapse in self-control responsible for its condition; destroying things was only okay for proper demolitions challenges or when she was sure she could rebuild it afterward. The frustrated attack she'd released back then definitely didn't qualify as either. It was fortunate that her guest-self was so robust; burning the churchyard hadn't caused any long-term problems. Honestly, Dreamer was starting to consider giving up or issuing an invitation to the Fates despite both her and their current state of busy-ness. A little break couldn't hurt anything.

    Excaliburn's gems shone in silent laughter just as thoughts of quitting were about to be converted into actions. Dreamer narrowed her eyes at the horrid thing and decided she wouldn't be giving up yet after all. She'd had enough of smug bitches for three lifetimes.

    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~​

    The Captain and Vice-Captain of Loki's Familia proved to be surprisingly reasonable, especially when considering their subordinates and their own appearances. The blonde-haired 'pallum' known as Finn Deimne was apparently old enough to be Host's father despite appearing to be several years younger than Host.

    Loki's Vice-Captain, a jade-haired 'elf' going by Riveria Ljos Alf, continued the apparent trend of deteriorating at one-fifth the normal human rate; she appeared to be in her early twenties, yet she was apparently only a little less than a century old. Queen Administrator would need to look at their genetic maps later and determine what had been done differently. It was gratifying to know that not all humans were inefficient enough to make Queen Shaper want to remake them from scratch.

    Both were found in the same office and seemed to be collaboratively reviewing logistical paperwork for the upcoming Expedition. Riveria had been the only one to stand up and have a hushed conversation with Aiz; Finn had chosen to continue his work with little more than an upward glance. Given as Riveria and Finn felt even closer to being pseudo-hosts than Aiz was, Queen Administrator expected that he'd hear every word.

    "I realize this likely wasn't your idea, but are you at all aware of the mess that child is unknowingly asking me to push you in?"

    Queen Administrator blinked and briefly reviewed what she knew of Orario's Familia. Aiz did not hold any official leadership positions that Queen Administrator knew of. Riveria did, and belonged to a faction that was less than fond of Hestia. There were also the usual issues with stealth to consider, although Queen Administrator wasn't as worried about those as Hestia seemed to be.

    "Being trained by you may imply a subordinate position of myself and my Familia beneath your own. The amount of public scrutiny we receive will likely also increase. Neither of these possibilities are unacceptable."

    A flicker of unhappiness pulled at Riveria's lips. However, it was her superior who actually answered.

    "Ye m—" Finn began oddly, then coughed on the documents he continued to read. "You may be underestimating what Orario's gods will stoop to in their efforts to have the best Familia. Aiz's skill and your 'Friends' somewhat excused her decision to teach you, yet it may be the Familia Curse that has truly been keeping the gods away. That won't last if you seem an attractive enough prize."

    He flicked his wrist toward Riveria, apparently wishing her to continue. The vice-captain did so without complaint or visible annoyance.

    "Gods and goddesses are not above using each other as bait and only striking afterward. You are not a member of the Loki Familia; we cannot protect you as we would our own. We possess rivals of our own and aiding you would encourage them to deliberately cancel our efforts. Having an exotic mortal queen among one's Familia is enough of a prize to tempt many; a queen with enough potential to warrant training from several first-class adventurers is an even greater treasure. I would be doing you a disservice by accepting."

    The vice-captain lapsed into silence and looked expectantly at Queen Administrator. The shard took only a moment to review her options before answering.

    "I do not believe we are requesting long-term magical lessons. I merely need to know enough to avoid fatal spell failure. I can manage further calibrations independently as long as resulting injuries are not crippling. If possible, I would appreciate aid in knowing how to choose and care for a staff and archery equipment, but that is not strictly necessary."

    Archival note: Finish healer-Friend design when time allows. Independent magical experimentation may require it.

    Riveria frowned and slowly shook her head.

    "That girl needs to consider the consequences of her actions," Riveria sighed. "Then you definitely don't need my help. Go straight downstairs and ask for Lefiya Viridis. I expect she should be happy to help. If not, tell her it's her punishment for sneaking up on an adventurer. I would appreciate the opportunity to have a proper conversation in the future, yet we're simply too busy right now. If you could visit a few days after our next Expedition ends, I would greatly appreciate it."


    And that seemed to be the end of it. No guide was provided; apparently, Riveria and Finn seemed perfectly comfortable letting Queen Administrator and Lili wander around their home. A show of trust to offset the refusal, perhaps? QA didn't think such a thing was necessary. If obtaining aid from Lefiya would accomplish the same thing with fewer negative consequences, then Queen Administrator would not object to the alternative.

    ~ ~ ~​

    Lili sincerely regretted thinking for even a moment that she should accept Aiz Wallenstein's invitation to visit. Everything she saw only reinforced her hatred of adventurers. Like most Familia in the city, the Loki Familia seemingly flaunted their wealth at every available opportunity. Lili was pretty sure they were even using Magic Swords as ornamental wall decorations. She was sure that could only aid any intruders or thieves; as what were essentially self-casting spells, Magic Swords didn't care about the strength of their wielder, only the abilities of whoever had constructed them.

    Were the Loki Familia really so arrogant as to assume nobody could break inside? The enhanced senses of high-level adventurers might make most thievery a lost cause, but those senses only helped them when they were around. Loki was perhaps the loudest Familia in the entirety of Orario when it came to announcing their Expeditions to the Dungeon's Deep Floors.

    Lili was sure that a few measly days of effort — or even one day, if it was during an Expedition — could've purchased her freedom. Was this what all adventurers did with the money they stole from Lili? Spent it on luxury items without caring about the suffering of others and uncomfortably looking away from the idea of even one day of extra effort? She'd known all adventurers were greedy, but there was a difference between knowing and seeing. Every step she took through the lavish Twilight Manor reminded her of all the reasons she hated them.

    The regular vibrations of Lili's Friend, Polly — short for Polychromatic — against the small of Lili's back kept her from saying anything foolish. She'd at least managed to escape from the Soma Familia and the vivid descriptions of what Queen Administrator's Friends could do to people were strangely comforting. Abnormal Resistance might protect first-class adventurers from much of the venom they could inject, but that wouldn't stop Lili's Friend from injecting it into their eyes while they were reeling from the painful speech that passed for Queen Administrator's twisted language.

    If that didn't blind them, Polly herself could shine brightly enough to render an adventurer's eyes useless against her and she didn't make any sound while flying. Lili still didn't understand how Queen Administrator had managed that or how something so small could continue to fly upward despite Lili's best attempts to push it down. Personal strength was one thing, but why should that matter when it had nothing to brace itself against? It wasn't as though its wings were flapping enough to produce big gusts of wind. Lili had checked.

    Still, the wonderful gifts didn't stop Lili from remembering where she'd come from. Lili had never really thought she could become powerful or important, but Que—Taylor's blessing meant that Lili might be able to progress despite being a Supporter. If Queen Administrator could become a first-class adventurer, then Lili might be dragged along merely by helping her. If Lili's income ever grew so absurd that she could technically flaunt it, she wouldn't mind instead taking time to help other people escape from awful lives. She might not be any sort of hero, but she also wasn't an adventurer. The rest was the mere empathy they all seemed to have forgotten.

    ~ ~ ~​

    Loki initially had rather significant misgivings regarding granting a hand-sized kitten a Falna, Spirit-blessed or not. Children of all species technically could be granted a Falna soon after birth, but there was seldom any story to manifest so early in their lives and the mere presence of the blessing could attract monsters. It was best to wait and give children time to grow lest one force them into a life they might not want after all. Adventuring was not a career for the faint of heart.

    Those misgivings pretty much vanished when Aiz dug out her command list and ordered Felicity to maul a decorative suit of armor. The Friend had given Aiz a slightly odd look in response to the order, but promptly clawed her way up to the helmet and began literally tearing it into scrap metal. Loki didn't need much convincing after that and entirely stopped grumbling within moments of starting. It'd been quite a while since Aiz saw her goddess so thoroughly flabbergasted. Aiz couldn't blame her; even with Loki's best attempts at small handwriting, the skin of Felicity's back was still covered with words.

    Felicity <Sympathizer Falna-Friend Version 16.1c (Final)>​
    Lv. 1​
    Strength: I 0​
    Endurance: I 0​
    Dexterity: I 0​
    Agility: I 0​
    Magic: I 0​
    ​
    Magic: ​
    ​
    None. ​
    ​
    Skills: ​
    ​
    Undying Loyalty <Only Mostly Dead>: User cannot truly die as long as its progenitor lives. Strength loss from restoration will be greatly reduced if user's original body is recovered and returned to user's progenitor.​
    I'm not meant to make you cry,​
    So don't think I'll go and die!​
    If I seem a bit too still,​
    You should think about this skill.​
    ​
    Emotional Support Organism: Passively lifts the spirits of nearby allies until they reach "neutral" emotional status.​
    I have no voice with which to speak,​
    I don't do more than cutely squeak.​
    But if you need a Friend nearby,​
    I'll come to you and convey "Hi!"​

    "A kitten with skills," Loki said aloud, as though saying it would make it less real. "A kitten with skills. A weirdly named kitten with skills, plural, that come with cutesy rhymes. A weirdly named kitten with rhymes and a skill that basically makes her immortal."

    Loki nodded decisively and crossed her arms.

    "Aiz, we're bringing in Administrator. She's not safe where she is and if we're her Familia, everyone could be allowed Friends."

    Aiz closed her eyes and quietly sighed. She really should've seen this one coming. She really did hate conversational topics that could affect other people to such an extent. As a first-class adventurer and the current Record Holder, everyone seemed to treat her words as gospel and casual advice as something to be heeded at all costs.

    And people wonder why I don't spend more time around rookies.

    "Loki," Aiz carefully replied. "We are not forcing Administrator to go anywhere she doesn't want to."

    "Then we make her want to," Loki insisted. "Hestia is weak and poor. If you hadn't already gone and bought Administrator all that equipment, we might already have gotten her to join up. More importantly, she really is a dozing doe. You can't tell me the likes of Apollo wouldn't force the issue if he thought he could get away with it. Protecting her might push Hestia into an even bigger mess."

    Aiz did have to admit the part about Apollo was probably accurate. Queen Administrator wasn't the kind of radiant beauty he usually sought out, but she was attractive enough and her Friends were gorgeous. Plus, Apollo was just as interested in power as any other deity. Just like everyone else, he would pounce on Administrator in a heartbeat if he ever learned of Terpsichore.

    However, the Sword Princess did have to wonder if that particular overpowered skill also extended to leveling up. If it didn't, Administrator might take rather a long time to achieve a feat worthy of acknowledgement; her Friends would tear most opponents to shreds even if they represented a genuine danger to Administrator herself. Something to ask other long-ranged attackers about, maybe?

    Aiz shook her head and forced it back to the subject at hand. She'd seen how overwhelmed Queen Administrator had been by the exuberant greeting downstairs; the monarch didn't seem as though she'd find the Loki Familia at all relaxing.

    "It isn't okay to risk her life just to make her join," Aiz rebuked. "And you didn't complain when I was just taking her as a student. We are not repaying her kindness with coercion."

    "If we don't, somebody else will," Loki insisted. "Everyone else is going to make the connection between a 'family Friend' loophole and Familia in general. People starting with singular skills are rare enough. A kitten starting with two is just absurd."

    Aiz hesitated and decided to bring out the big guns. Even if Queen Administrator didn't flaunt them, the deterrent and threat still existed.

    "I think her Spirit might object," Aiz said quietly. "Besides, Liliruca Arde isn't allowed to change Familia again for an entire year. It'd be horrible to force Queen Administrator to leave her new sibling."

    Loki's confidence wavered. Aiz hadn't directly implied that Queen Administrator might curse the Loki Familia, but Loki was too good of a goddess not to consider the idea. Loki had many flaws — greed and arrogance most definitely among them — but she took good care of her children.

    "That would leave a bad taste in my mouth," Loki admitted. "Fiiiine. But I'm not stopping the others from pestering Queen Administrator for Friends of their own, got it?"

    It wasn't the unblemished victory Aiz would have preferred, but it was still a victory. She'd accept it without complaint.

    "Who knows, maybe we can use the logic of 'siblings of a cousin equal more cousins,'" Loki added. "I wouldn't mind having cat fur everywhere if it meant getting a small army of immortal battle-kitties to help keep you safe."

    Aiz wondered if Loki knew about the tendency of animals to pee on things, too. She'd never encountered that problem, but some of her Familia members had been more than happy to regale the rest of them with horror stories of shredded curtains and tainted laundry. Friends might be too well-trained to do that of their own accord, but Aiz wouldn't put it past her Familia members to order Friends around as jokes if it seemed funny. Some of her Familia's members could be remarkably thoughtless sometimes.
     
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    • Alivaril said:
    Aiz wondered if Loki knew about the tendency of animals to pee on things, too. She'd never encountered that problem, but some of her Familia members had been more than happy to regale the rest of them with horror stories of shredded curtains and tainted laundry. Friends might be too well-trained to do that of their own accord, but Aiz wouldn't put it past her Familia members to order Friends around as jokes if it seemed funny. Some of her Familia's members could be remarkably thoughtless sometimes.
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    I doubt QA's Friends would use something as inefficient as a waste disposal system, probably use every part of everything they intake. 🤔
     
    I wonder if admin can make a species of immortal large cats who's souls reside in the stronger members of their species...
    As in
    Level 1: kitten (no soul storage)
    Level 2: young adult (10 soul storage)
    Level 3: adult (30 soul storage)
    Etc
    Etc

    With them reproducing with 5 in a litter every couple months and having a natural level cap at 10 where they can contain thousands of souls.

    A species as in it can reproduce on its own and the commands will only work with QA and those she deems worthy!
     
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    Alivaril said:
    Felicity <Sympathizer Falna-Friend Version 16.1c (Final)>
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    Version number and everything, that's terrific :rofl:
    Alivaril said:
    "A kitten with skills," Loki said aloud, as though saying it would make it less real. "A kitten with skills. A weirdly named kitten with skills, plural, that come with cutesy rhymes. A weirdly named kitten with rhymes and a skill that basically makes her immortal."
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    This is only the beginning!

    Love it.
     
    I adore how Lili still hates adventurers to death, despite accepting that QAylor is one too. I also felt like Loki was a real brat this chapter, sure I like it and it DOES fit, but hell woman! Learn some self-control!!

    Also also, I like how Dreamer is getting frustrated enough to blow up the imaginary landscape just to get the pickiest toothpick out of the rock. LOVE IT!
     
    Asheram said:
    Blargh. I do loathe that name. She's literally named Light Elf. Why, oh why, must anime and manga authors always butcher other languages to make things sound exotic.
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    Because saying things in foreign languages is cool, but learning a foreign language takes a lot of time from writing/drawing/etc. to make cup ramen money when there's Google Translate. Besides, is that really any stranger than a patronymic or occupation name, both very common in the historical periods fantasy settings tend to polish up and present themselves as resembling?
     
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