FYI @FourthWall that tally looks wrong, the tally I see has Go look for Bridgette and "Who said guys can't be strong and beautiful? Strong IS beautiful!" as the winning votes. I don't know why the scheduled vote seems to have incorrect tallies sometimes.
I clicked the Vote Tally tab to make a new count, saw Law of Robotics's was already in the system, and corroborated what they said with what the most recent, non-scheduled tally did.
E: Here's a fresh tally from me, too.
Adhoc vote count started by FourthWall on Mar 14, 2023 at 5:10 PM, finished with 31 posts and 21 votes.
While Big Sis Grace stuffed herself with cake, I, Bridgette Alteisen, watched Duchess Justine seize the Gala in the palm of her hand.
It was said the Duchess had a touch of the dramatic, which made sense given House Claudius' sponsorship of the arts, but I admired the confidence and sheer presence the woman had. No one but Father had the stones to say no to her, not for long, anyway. Her aura was a regal, savage thing; her house's heraldic lion made manifest. Wordlessly, effortlessly, she commanded the whole attention of the room upon her.
When she brought up the idea to delay Elder Brother and Grace Claudius's marriage until they had both 'refined' themselves, Father's furious response was typical. He hated theatricality and saw ostentatiousness as an unwanted cost of nobility. As the Claudius matriarch and her fascinating daughter reveled in these things, it put them naturally at odds with Father, and thus, House Alteisen. This arranged marriage was meant as a bridge between troubled houses, or at least to provide a ceasefire.
Furthermore, Elder Brother was always Father's pride and joy. Even alluding to the idea he wasn't the perfect heir would get his blood boiling. The only time he ever shows that much emotion towards me is when I get into fights.
Still, the Duchess's silver tongue soothed even his shitty temper, and he eventually agreed to delay the marriage till they were both adults. I should have welcomed this: given the extra time, Elder Brother would clearly see Big Sis Grace wasn't on his level and go find some other decorative noble lady to win Father's approval with. I could've made a diplomatic alliance with the Claudius house myself, allowing Father to see me do things "properly", so he'd get off my back while I had more time to learn under Big Sis Grace.
No doubt once she was married, the stifling expectations of 'proper' Royal behavior would chain Big Sis Grace's spirit as it had mine, so she would be in ill humor to teach, let alone have any opportunity to do so. So I had to maximize my time with the fun, pugilistic Big Sis Grace.
So it was with some interest when Father pressed for a demonstration of the so-called couple's abilities. It surprised me that Elder Brother chose to meet Big Sis on her terms; he's good with a blade, but I thought he was going to make it some display of magical prowess. Elder Brother likes picking fights he can win, and was confident his aptitude in the Iron Blood and his magical knowledge.
I knew Big Sis Grace was going to pick something physical, though. Despite her frilly dresses, the girl had the heart of a fighter…But the young woman's suggestion for wrestling was beyond what even she expected. Even for her rebellious heart, the idea was scandalous! It conjured too many images of the far more common reasons for a male and female's sweaty bodies to be pressed together.
...Seriously, she could be such a dirty monkey sometimes!
Father attempted to chastise Big Sis Grace for unladylike behavior with the same imposing demeanor he'd directed my way for wanting to learn bladework with Elder Brother...but the Claudius were disdainful of Royal opinion at the best of times, and Big Sis made that point more willfully than most. I snuck in as many chortles as I could at Father being ignored, until he turned his stern visage my way.
...Then Elder Brother invited Big Sis Grace to a dance. I was silently begging her to say no, maybe even to throw that knockout punch to his jaw. To my, and everyone else's, surprise she accepted.
It wasn't even an excuse to just stomp on his feet like a few petty nobles I knew might, instead Big Sis Grace seemed perfectly willing to go along with it. Her moves were graceful and flawless. She was enthralling like Dutchess Justine, but warm and inviting. That, coupled with her very frilly gown, made her seem, for the moment, the picture of femininity.
An illusion no doubt, one not broken by Big Sis Grace, but by Elder Brother! I couldn't *hear* him say the words, but I picked up lipreading from our gossipy ex-maids and caught enough of the exchange. His asking for training in the secrets of her beauty and strength, the same desires that my own heart yearned for. How could he want what I want? How could he not tell me, his only sister, the secret depths of his heart?
Elder Brother had always been there for me, my secret supporter in the household. With Father and Mother pushing me away from fencing towards more feminine arts, Elder Brother'd been the only one willing to actually train with me, even if his busy schedule didn't allow him to do so much. I trusted him, used his strength as my foundation, and he betrayed me like this?
My heart sank into the floor, because I knew the only betrayal here was from my own cowardice. The walls in my own heart I was afraid to destroy. I should have asked first. I should have been honest with myself. I should have had the courage to take that dumb, wonderful monkey girl's hand in mine.
...I'm such a stupid child.
So I ran away like a child. I ran until I found my old hiding place, a little used nook behind one of the walkways. For once my reputation as the black sheep of the family helped, none pursued me. Not even Elder Brother.
All I could do was impotently grind my teeth, this self-annoyance needed an outlet. I desperately wished to thrash someone in a proper fencing match, and all the more that I could beat own lack of self-control into submission. Since I couldn't, I ran myself through with self-recriminations instead.
When put on the spot, hadn't Big Sis Grace been flexible enough to adapt when put on the spot? Hadn't she turned Father's indictments into a greater indictment towards him? Hadn't she metamorphosised into a ideal woman? If Big Sis can do it, why can't I?
I stewed so deeply in my self-loathing I only sensed a figure behind me when they were but a few strides away. Usually, I can pick up a presence from at least fifty paces.
I was about to give them a royal verbal smackdown, but the words died in my throat as I saw who it was. It was the last person I expected, but the one I had hoped for the most.
Sorry for the late update, whole lotta things going on.
***
[CONTINUE?]
>YES
NO
***
You're in a daze for a good long while as you run off to find Bridgette. You can't just let a friend and/or member of your entourage run off like that and not do something about it. Something about the whole situation feels like a bomb about to go off.
<Sensible>: "We're in a dating sim, right?"
<Flashy>: "That we are, dahling."
<Sensible>: "Are they usually this full of a sense of impending doom?"
<Artsy>: "The bombs of the heart are as perilous as they are metaphorical~"
<Brainy>: "Give me a lab and more time with the science of this world, I'll bring metaphor to grim reality."
<Sporty>: "Oi oi oi, the only thing we should be exploding is off the starting line!"
Sure enough, as you run a little blue HUD appears in the corner of your eye.
***
BOMBS AND YOU The route to a capture target's heart can be a treacherous one! Doing things a target dislikes, or generally being a dickhead, can spawn a Bomb! If not defused with kindness and things the target likes, it will explode! Their relationship with you will tank, and they'll spread all sorts of nasty rumors! Am I using enough exclamation points yet, senpai!?
-Resplendent Crane of the Ricefields
TenCo Guide Writer, Fall From Grace: A-spec
***
"There's a guide?" You say to yourself.
<All>: "There's a guide?!"
<Emo>: "A lifeline for the dead, ufu..."
Sensible whips another beer can at the semi-corporeal Emo side of you as you dash through the halls. You'd kick yourself over not knowing the guide but it's current year; who reads guides?
Wait, Chiaki reads guides! Even for games she doesn't play! You'll have to tell her about what you saw when you meet her again.
You'll also have to wing this one, since you don't really know how to access the guide again. No matter how much you strain your (formerly) beer-addled brain, you can't bring the thing back up. You start to panic, the panic moves you faster and deeper into the bowels of the castle.
Even your prodigious stamina starts to flag by the time you reach a walkway connecting the main hall to somewhere you don't even know. Sweat pours from your forehead, your ponytail has worked itself free. Strands of hair wipe your brow and form a sweatband to keep the stinging liquid from your eyes.
It feels like you ran through the whole castle.
You honestly might have run through the whole castle.
You gasp for breath and hear a gasp back.
"Big Sis..."
It's Bridgette, eyes puffy and face runny with tears. She glowers at you, but it's a sulky sort of thing.
You catch your breath and smile at her. "Warn me next time when you wanna play hide and seek, 'kay?"
Bridgette gives you a pouty, needy underlook. "Tch. It's just a game to you, huh?"
"Course not," you say, stretching. "This stuff's life and death for me." With a hup, you leap up and clamber into Bridgette's hiding spot.
Shocked, she presses herself against the side of the alcove. "Too close, too close!" Her face is red for a different reason now.
You brush out your hair with a hand and scoot into a more comfortable position. "Hey, don't you want me to be close? Even a monkey girl like me can tell when someone's crushing on them."
Bridgette turns away from you. "...S'not a crush."
<Flashy>: "Dahling, it's a crush."
"...Then we're cool being friends?" You ask.
Bridgette grits her teeth and curls inwards. "What about Elder Brother? How can we be friends if you're his now, even if the two of you aren't betrothed."
You flinch and flail your arms, nearly scraping your fingertips on the stone arches. "Wha? No! Heck no! We just danced and I told him strength is beautiful! I'm not his at all!"
"When high society decides a man and a woman are paired, they won't abide them not being joined at the hip," Bridgette grumbles.
"Shippers gonna ship," you say. "Doesn't change the fact I'm not his woman. I'm not even a woman yet!"
"You should've socked him," Bridgette says, after a long pause. "Showed him how strong you really were."
"I wanted to, but controlling your impulses is a kind of strength." You look at your fist, unfurl it, and offer your hand to Bridgette. "You two have the same sad eyes, y'know?"
Bridgette sniffles and stares at your hand. "So you're a sucker for sad people, then?"
You flick her nose. "Hey!"
She gets up in your face, no longer minding the distance. "What was that for? Just because you beat my ass in the carriage doesn't mean I won't throw down right here!"
"It was to snap you out of your funk," you say. "Look, the Prince isn't gonna steal me away. We're kids, for Sophia's sake! It's too early to start worrying about love and propriety and other adult stuff. I wanted to dance, so I did. I wanted to find you, so I did. I wanna see you smile, so I'm gonna."
She chuckles, her lips curling up into the ghost of a smile.
You give her your cheeky monkey smile and giggle back. "See? Grace Claudius always gets what she wants~"
She looks directly into your eyes and steels herself "...You're weird, you know that? You hit your head and suddenly you're this cheeky little angel. It's like you're a different person."
<Brainy>: "She figured it out?"
<Sensible>: "She figured it out. Crap."
<Artsy>: "What is there to figure out? We are Grace and Grace is we~"
Your face is frozen in an awkward smile. "Well, uh, I can explain-"
Bridgette hugs you tightly. The pointy bits of her dress poke you, but you endure. "I like this new you. Like, I like like this new you. I don't wanna lose you. Not to Elder Brother, not to this shitty noble society, not to anyone. Knowing that a even a girl like you can change into something like this makes me feel all warm inside."
Your hair instinctively cocoons her. Trusting your actions to speak for you, you stay silent and hug her.
She luxuriates in your hug before firmly grasping your shoulders. "I want to be by your side forever," she says with a deadly serious look. "Let me be your blood sister. I'll be honor-bound to have your back."
You remember this! Not with Grace and Bridgette, but from all those Yakuza movies you watch! You're already going to be sisters-in-law, but this is serious.
Take a bullet for you serious.
***
[What Do You Do?]
[ ] Accept
[ ] Decline
[ ] Write-In
Wait, sisterhood is kinda a two-way deal? Are we expected to take a bullte for her? Not good, not good at all! Tanya, we are in urgent need of designing a bulletproof vest!
In unrelated news, can we get a Dramatis Personae? There are several chearacters who are not a part of pre-capture routes, and I started to forget them. Tanya's or Lucciano's family names appeared in the story exactly once, when they introduced themselves.
Wait, sisterhood is kinda a two-way deal? Are we expected to take a bullte for her? Not good, not good at all! Tanya, we are in urgent need of designing a bulletproof vest!
Sisterhood is a two-way street, but Bridgette is thinking much more about taking a bullet for Grace than vice-versa. Tanya could hook you up with a bulletproof vest, though.
In unrelated news, can we get a Dramatis Personae? There are several chearacters who are not a part of pre-capture routes, and I started to forget them. Tanya's or Lucciano's family names appeared in the story exactly once, when they introduced themselves.
Grace Julia Augusta Claudius: The main antagonist of Our Bloody Valentine and player character of Fall From Grace. Your average otome isekai Villainess with an SNK final boss's sense of style and fighting prowess. Currently the vessel of Kid A.
Kid A/Kid Grace (Akko Asagiri): The player character of So You've Become a Villainess. Your average otome isekai monkey-girl, with Olympic-tier athletic ability, a penchant for cosplay, and a drinking problem. Currently inhabiting Grace Claudius after slam-dancing with Truck-kun.
Autumn Lovelace: Grace Claudius' ever-busy, ever-loving combat maid. Tends to die horribly protecting Grace in the games. Currently inhabited by Chiaki Aihara.
Chiaki Aihara: Kid A's ever-learning, ever-loving best friend. Separated from Kid A due to a full ride Metaphysical Biology scholarship at Stanford, but inseparable before that. Otomege junkie. Currently inhabiting Autumn Lovelace after her heart exploded writing a dissertation on digitizing the soul.
Justine Valeria Nero Claudius: The Crimson (She-)Wolf. Baddest woman on the planet and Grace's mother. An innovator and trendsetter for all things fashion and violence. Women want to be her, men want to follow her, and the Royalist faction wants to stop her before she goes Caesar on their asses. A woman of silk-clad steel, the proverbial iron fist in velvet glove. Gave Grace an unbelievable inferiority complex she took out on others. Gives Kid Grace a role model and blueprint for womanhood.
Prince Bryn Alteisen: The prime capture target for Our Bloody Valentine, and the secondary antagonist of Fall From Grace. One of the many people who try to kill Grace and succeed, most notably at the end of Fall From Grace. A fox-eyed, handsome youth with a lust for power, a scheming side and a hidden desire to be beautiful. Inheritor of the Iron Blood: the Alteisen line's magic crest and proof of pedigree. Is normally betrothed to Grace at twelve, but Kid Grace managed to put it off until graduation. More DIO than Geordo.
Princess Bridgette Alteisen: Pugilistic princess chafing at being "just a girl". More martially inclined and aggressive than her brother, the Prince, but pushed by her parents into being docile and ladylike. Has a hair-trigger temper and a burning desire to show her father, Lord Alteisen, her strength. Has latched on hard to Kid Grace after going 0-1-1 with her in fights. Is part of Kid Grace's entourage (and a fellow fist sister), but clearly wants more. Would make a good delinquent girl in the real world.
Lord Alteisen: Current lord of the land Fall From Grace and Our Bloody Valentine takes place in. Father of Bryn and Bridgette Alteisen. A man as hard and implacable as a mountain, valuing tradition and strength over all. Not the biggest fan of Justine.
Camille Asuka: Straightforward fencing femboy. Capture target in Fall From Grace. One of the many people who try to kill Grace and succeed. An aloof, tsundere type during the game, but is almost painfully honest towards Kid Grace. Has a complex about their looks. Future heir to the Asuka Family Fencing School, a style made to counteract the use of combat dresses popularized by Justine. Has been teaching Kid Grace the style in secret from both their families. Is not a magical girl, but would look good as one.
Tanya Schwartzwald: Morally suspect alchemist and potential school shooter. One of the many people who try to kill Grace and succeed. A prodigy whose alchemic talents earned them the title of a minor noble and the ire of former Grace. Currently tsundere for Kid Grace, who has entered an anti-bully protection pact with her. Not an HR corpo in a little girl suit, but is voiced by Yuki Aoi.
Lucciano Morningstar: Cold-hearted handsome devil art pervert. The bastard child of High Priestess Maria Morningstar and an incubus, raised by nouveaux rich adventurers and endless Grace abuse into a cruel Casanova. One of the many people who try to kill Grace and succeed. Currently a wibbly softboi who gets scary intense when painting, hinting at the demon inside. Considers Kid Grace a work of art, Kid Grace considers him a fellow talent.
Lily Valentine: The protagonist and player character of Our Bloody Valentine, and the antagonist/hardest capture target of Fall From Grace. A fledgling half-vampire Darkling who hasn't tasted the heart's blood, keeping her from blossoming into true vampire nobility. Kinda mousy and nerdy, but cute enough to be an acceptable audience cipher for otomege enthusiasts. Plucky, but in a moé sort of way. Kid Grace's procession ran her over, making her act a little...differently. Now part of Kid Grace's entourage. The cause of, and solution to, all of Grace's problems.
Nameless Physicker: Really wishes she didn't come into work today.
Chiaki did say her heart gave out from overwork back in Isekai Duet. If it didn't, things in the real world would've gotten real Serial Experiments Lain once she got out of university. Or real Eva, if Kid A still got caught by Truck-kun.
