So You've Become a Villainess: an (Otome) Isekai Raising Project
- Thread starter FourthWall
- Start date
- Original Fantasy
Week 1: Pretty Princess Punch-Up
FourthWall
Love & Destroy
- Location
- Chiraq
You don't need to think about your next action. When someone challenges you to a fight, the only proper thing is to face them head on.
<Emo> "That's right, never back down from a fight, no matter how stupid or pointless!"
<Sporty> "Aw man, if you just stopped a little bit earlier that would've been cool."
<Sensible> "I know this is futile, but please try and think this through a little more! Brainy's been beating her head against the wall at the sheer illogic of our situation since we got here and this isn't helping! We are actively getting dumber!"
<Sporty> "Where we're goin' we don't need brains!"
You nod, to yourself and your Sporty side. Your Sensible side has given up and is now chugging beer beside your Brainy side. You feel that should worry you, but beer helps you think better. Maybe it'll help your Sensible side too.
Back to the matter at hand. You're not ripping up this dress and you sure as hell aren't taking it off, so you'll have to forgo kicking in this fight. Honestly? That'll make it fair for Bridgette.
You take a karate ready stance: weight on your back leg, nail of your big toe the only part of your front leg touching the ground. One hand in front of the other, chin down, eyes forward.
Even in this body, the motions are automatic.
You exhale, engaging your core, then give Bridgette a toothy smile. "Come get some!"
Bridgette nods, grunts, and dashes in. She's shifted to a peekaboo boxing stance, her baby face shielded by surprisingly built forearms. The way she bobs and weaves reminds you of a manga...
"No way," you say. "That can't be-"
"A Dempsey Roll?" Chiaki finishes your sentence. "Young Mistress, look out!"
Bridgette chambers a punch with a downright feral grin. "Say goodnight, Miss!"
She swings at your head with an overhand right. If it touches you, you're kissing floor. Time slows down, your blood rushes in your ears.
You swing your lead leg back into an unbreakable horse stance. The wind from Bridgette's punch grazes the goosebumps on your nose.
With a yell full of guts, you unleash a punch of your own into Bridgette's stomach. Confirming the hit, you instinctively follow up with strikes to the solar plexus, sternum, chest and jaw.
You hold your fist up in victory. "First Dragon Fist: Five Strikes, Dead Center!"
Bridgette goes flying at your final strike and into the waiting arms of Prince Alteisen.
Prince Alteisen's bemused mask shatters into utter bewilderment. "Wh-bu-how?!"
You wink and punch the air at him. "The House of Claudius stands unrivaled under Heaven! Just kidding~"
Prince Alteisen laughs. "That fall has certainly made you more interesting, Lady Claudius." He pulls out a red rose and tosses it to you.
You catch it between your knuckles with a flicker jab. You wince despite yourself, it's still thorned.
"I suppose I'll have to avenge my little sister's honor now." He runs a free hand through his hair. "What's another responsibility on my shoulders, eh?"
Bridgette stirs in his arms. "Sorry I wasn't strong enough, Bryn."
Prince Alteisen hugs her close. "There, there. Only the Iron-Blooded need to be strong. You can be whatever you want to be, sister dear."
"Hey!" You cry out. "Little Miss Alteisen! I can be your sparring buddy if you want!"
Bridgette wipes her face and looks at you with sparkling eyes. "Really?"
"Of course!"
Prince Alteisen chuckles bitterly. "I don't think either of our parents would approve." He points behind you. "In fact, try asking your mother right now."
You're hit by a wave of killing intent like unto a demon. It brings you to your knees, you look behind you with the terror of one looking death in the face.
It's your (Grace's) mother, Justine Valeria Nero Claudius. Her leonine eyes, gritted teeth and voluminous strawberry blonde hair reminds you of nothing more than a lion.
You remember from the Fall from Grace booklet Justine chokes out lions.
<Emo> "Remember that thing about getting into pointless fights? Forget it. There's enough train on that skirt we can probably hide from her in it."
<Sporty> "Our dress is less frilly, we might be able to outrun her."
<Sensible> "We're her daughter! *hic* It'll be fiiiiiiine~"
"Grace Julia Augusta Claudius!" Justine says with weaponized Mom Voice. "What in Sophia's name are you doing?"
Prince Alteisen takes this as his cue to leave. "Farewell, Fist Princess," he says with a breezy bow. "Sophia be with you."
You're in the study now, a stately room full of distinguished looking wooden furniture. It has the air of an older gentleman who has taken impeccable care of himself.
Justine sits behind a cherrywood desk almost as tall as you are. She's smoking a Japanese styled kiseru pipe.
"So?" She says. "Explain yourself."
You look up at her from a too big chair and feel very small. "Bridgette started it..."
Chiaki steps forth from beside you. "A thousand pardons, your Excellence. It was my folly in not properly giving the Young Mistress an outlet for her passions during her convalescence."
Justine's eyebrow quirks up. "Oho? And how do you suppose we rectify this?"
Chiaki kneels and lowers her head. "I have painstakingly sought after the finest instructors to occupy the Young Mistress's weekends in order to forge her into a woman worthy of the Claudius name."
Justine blows smoke into the air, taps her ashes into a burnished gold ashtray shaped like a roaring lion. "Raise your head, Lovelace. We both know you're too useful to us to play the sniveling servant."
Chiaki raises her head and meets Justine's eyes. "You honor this one greatly, your Excellence."
"Well that should prevent an episode like this from happening again..." Justine looks to you; you feel like a rabbit about to be eaten. "But what does my daughter have to say for the incident that just happened?"
[What Do You Say?]
[ ] I was only upholding the honor of our name.
[ ] I'm sorry Mother, I forgot myself.
[ ] She challenged me to a fight, so I knocked her flat on her butt!
After an eternity of questioning, pleading, and having to talk your new mother out of sending for an exorcist, you were free to go. Chiaki walks beside you, unfazed.
"I did the best I could, Young Mistress," she says. "You can really tell where Grace got the scary bitch villainess energy from."
"I know, right?" You say excitedly. "It was awesome! Well, not the getting Mom Voiced at part, but Justine is awesome!"
Chiaki opens the door to your room. You jump out of your frilly dress and onto your huge bed.
Chiaki gathers up your dress and smiles. "You'll catch cold in that, Young Mistress."
"Listen, sister," you say. "I sleep in a sports bra and panties in the real world, if that! I think I'll be fine in bloomers and a camisole."
Chiaki giggles behind a hand. "I suppose idiots truly don't catch colds."
You playfully toss the fox miko plushie at her. She catches it and throws it back in one smooth motion, catching you unaware. The fluffy impact bowls you over.
"Now would like to select your weekend activity, or would you rather play catch?"
[Weekend Activity: Actualization gains on successes are doubled!]
[ ] Magic Lessons (Brainy and Artsy++, Sensible-)
[ ] Ballet Lessons (Artsy and Sporty++, Flashy-)
[ ] Fencing Lessons (Sporty and Flashy++, Brainy-)
[ ] Oratory Lessons (Flashy and Sensible++, Artsy-)
[ ] Cooking Lessons (Sensible and Brainy++, Sporty-)
[ ] Do Nothing (Stress--, all others-)
<Emo> "That's right, never back down from a fight, no matter how stupid or pointless!"
<Sporty> "Aw man, if you just stopped a little bit earlier that would've been cool."
<Sensible> "I know this is futile, but please try and think this through a little more! Brainy's been beating her head against the wall at the sheer illogic of our situation since we got here and this isn't helping! We are actively getting dumber!"
<Sporty> "Where we're goin' we don't need brains!"
You nod, to yourself and your Sporty side. Your Sensible side has given up and is now chugging beer beside your Brainy side. You feel that should worry you, but beer helps you think better. Maybe it'll help your Sensible side too.
Back to the matter at hand. You're not ripping up this dress and you sure as hell aren't taking it off, so you'll have to forgo kicking in this fight. Honestly? That'll make it fair for Bridgette.
You take a karate ready stance: weight on your back leg, nail of your big toe the only part of your front leg touching the ground. One hand in front of the other, chin down, eyes forward.
Even in this body, the motions are automatic.
You exhale, engaging your core, then give Bridgette a toothy smile. "Come get some!"
Bridgette nods, grunts, and dashes in. She's shifted to a peekaboo boxing stance, her baby face shielded by surprisingly built forearms. The way she bobs and weaves reminds you of a manga...
"No way," you say. "That can't be-"
"A Dempsey Roll?" Chiaki finishes your sentence. "Young Mistress, look out!"
Bridgette chambers a punch with a downright feral grin. "Say goodnight, Miss!"
She swings at your head with an overhand right. If it touches you, you're kissing floor. Time slows down, your blood rushes in your ears.
***
Event! Fight vs Bridgette Alteisen - Challenging Sporty Check: 4, 6 +4
Check success! Sporty +2, Flashy +2, Brainy -1
***
<Sporty> "I see it!"Event! Fight vs Bridgette Alteisen - Challenging Sporty Check: 4, 6 +4
Check success! Sporty +2, Flashy +2, Brainy -1
***
You swing your lead leg back into an unbreakable horse stance. The wind from Bridgette's punch grazes the goosebumps on your nose.
With a yell full of guts, you unleash a punch of your own into Bridgette's stomach. Confirming the hit, you instinctively follow up with strikes to the solar plexus, sternum, chest and jaw.
You hold your fist up in victory. "First Dragon Fist: Five Strikes, Dead Center!"
Bridgette goes flying at your final strike and into the waiting arms of Prince Alteisen.
Prince Alteisen's bemused mask shatters into utter bewilderment. "Wh-bu-how?!"
You wink and punch the air at him. "The House of Claudius stands unrivaled under Heaven! Just kidding~"
Prince Alteisen laughs. "That fall has certainly made you more interesting, Lady Claudius." He pulls out a red rose and tosses it to you.
You catch it between your knuckles with a flicker jab. You wince despite yourself, it's still thorned.
"I suppose I'll have to avenge my little sister's honor now." He runs a free hand through his hair. "What's another responsibility on my shoulders, eh?"
Bridgette stirs in his arms. "Sorry I wasn't strong enough, Bryn."
Prince Alteisen hugs her close. "There, there. Only the Iron-Blooded need to be strong. You can be whatever you want to be, sister dear."
"Hey!" You cry out. "Little Miss Alteisen! I can be your sparring buddy if you want!"
Bridgette wipes her face and looks at you with sparkling eyes. "Really?"
"Of course!"
Prince Alteisen chuckles bitterly. "I don't think either of our parents would approve." He points behind you. "In fact, try asking your mother right now."
You're hit by a wave of killing intent like unto a demon. It brings you to your knees, you look behind you with the terror of one looking death in the face.
It's your (Grace's) mother, Justine Valeria Nero Claudius. Her leonine eyes, gritted teeth and voluminous strawberry blonde hair reminds you of nothing more than a lion.
You remember from the Fall from Grace booklet Justine chokes out lions.
<Emo> "Remember that thing about getting into pointless fights? Forget it. There's enough train on that skirt we can probably hide from her in it."
<Sporty> "Our dress is less frilly, we might be able to outrun her."
<Sensible> "We're her daughter! *hic* It'll be fiiiiiiine~"
"Grace Julia Augusta Claudius!" Justine says with weaponized Mom Voice. "What in Sophia's name are you doing?"
Prince Alteisen takes this as his cue to leave. "Farewell, Fist Princess," he says with a breezy bow. "Sophia be with you."
***
You're in the study now, a stately room full of distinguished looking wooden furniture. It has the air of an older gentleman who has taken impeccable care of himself.
Justine sits behind a cherrywood desk almost as tall as you are. She's smoking a Japanese styled kiseru pipe.
"So?" She says. "Explain yourself."
You look up at her from a too big chair and feel very small. "Bridgette started it..."
Chiaki steps forth from beside you. "A thousand pardons, your Excellence. It was my folly in not properly giving the Young Mistress an outlet for her passions during her convalescence."
Justine's eyebrow quirks up. "Oho? And how do you suppose we rectify this?"
Chiaki kneels and lowers her head. "I have painstakingly sought after the finest instructors to occupy the Young Mistress's weekends in order to forge her into a woman worthy of the Claudius name."
Justine blows smoke into the air, taps her ashes into a burnished gold ashtray shaped like a roaring lion. "Raise your head, Lovelace. We both know you're too useful to us to play the sniveling servant."
Chiaki raises her head and meets Justine's eyes. "You honor this one greatly, your Excellence."
"Well that should prevent an episode like this from happening again..." Justine looks to you; you feel like a rabbit about to be eaten. "But what does my daughter have to say for the incident that just happened?"
***
[What Do You Say?]
[ ] I was only upholding the honor of our name.
[ ] I'm sorry Mother, I forgot myself.
[ ] She challenged me to a fight, so I knocked her flat on her butt!
***
After an eternity of questioning, pleading, and having to talk your new mother out of sending for an exorcist, you were free to go. Chiaki walks beside you, unfazed.
"I did the best I could, Young Mistress," she says. "You can really tell where Grace got the scary bitch villainess energy from."
"I know, right?" You say excitedly. "It was awesome! Well, not the getting Mom Voiced at part, but Justine is awesome!"
Chiaki opens the door to your room. You jump out of your frilly dress and onto your huge bed.
Chiaki gathers up your dress and smiles. "You'll catch cold in that, Young Mistress."
"Listen, sister," you say. "I sleep in a sports bra and panties in the real world, if that! I think I'll be fine in bloomers and a camisole."
Chiaki giggles behind a hand. "I suppose idiots truly don't catch colds."
You playfully toss the fox miko plushie at her. She catches it and throws it back in one smooth motion, catching you unaware. The fluffy impact bowls you over.
"Now would like to select your weekend activity, or would you rather play catch?"
***
[Weekend Activity: Actualization gains on successes are doubled!]
[ ] Magic Lessons (Brainy and Artsy++, Sensible-)
[ ] Ballet Lessons (Artsy and Sporty++, Flashy-)
[ ] Fencing Lessons (Sporty and Flashy++, Brainy-)
[ ] Oratory Lessons (Flashy and Sensible++, Artsy-)
[ ] Cooking Lessons (Sensible and Brainy++, Sporty-)
NAME
Kid A Grace Claudia, Age 12
AVATAR GRADES
Brainy: Below Average (+2)
Artsy: Below Average (+2)
Flashy: Average (+3)
Sporty: Great (+4)
Sensible: Great (+4)
ACTUALIZATION SCORES
BRN 38 ART 33 FLA 49 SPO 92 SEN 53
STRESS 45
DESTRUDO LEVEL
Elevated
AVATAR GRADES
Brainy: Below Average (+2)
Artsy: Below Average (+2)
Flashy: Average (+3)
Sporty: Great (+4)
Sensible: Great (+4)
ACTUALIZATION SCORES
BRN 38 ART 33 FLA 49 SPO 92 SEN 53
STRESS 45
DESTRUDO LEVEL
Elevated
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[X] I'm sorry Mother, I forgot myself.
-[X] I'll endeavor to make up for this by dedicating myself to the tutors Autumn has chosen for us.
[X] Fencing Lessons (Sporty and Flashy++, Brainy-)
@FourthWall how's this for a write in?
-[X] I'll endeavor to make up for this by dedicating myself to the tutors Autumn has chosen for us.
[X] Fencing Lessons (Sporty and Flashy++, Brainy-)
@FourthWall how's this for a write in?
FourthWall
Love & Destroy
- Location
- Chiraq
Works for me @megrisvernin
- Location
- PA
[X] I'm sorry Mother, I forgot myself.
I mean, she's not feelign smart enough to come up with a better excuse then that.
[X] Magic Lessons (Brainy and Artsy++, Sensible-)
Because clearly what we need is to be able to ENCHANT OUR FISTS WITH MAGIC!
...In before we get something like 'how to make your lace magic'.
I mean, she's not feelign smart enough to come up with a better excuse then that.
[X] Magic Lessons (Brainy and Artsy++, Sensible-)
Because clearly what we need is to be able to ENCHANT OUR FISTS WITH MAGIC!
...In before we get something like 'how to make your lace magic'.
- Location
- New York
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Cooking Lessons (Sensible and Brainy++, Sporty-)
[X] I'm sorry Mother, I forgot myself.
[X] I'm sorry Mother, I forgot myself.
On my end. I think we should come up with a better writein to cover for Autumn. Promising to follow our tutors advice seems the sort of thing that will help things out for Chiaki. We're not thinking of ourselves as much as helping out a friend.
I think there are different options valid for actions.
Magic fists is amusing, and I do want to find more about the magic systems. The prospect of enchanting clothing is an amusing thought. Enchanting layers of clothing to be more durable or give other buffs could justify some aspects of magical girls in elaborate outfits we see in fiction. *Especially* when they level up. I could see it in an otome game too, to justify DLC on new outfits.
[X] I'm sorry Mother, I forgot myself.
-[X] I'll endeavor to make up for this by dedicating myself to the tutors Autumn has chosen for us.
[X] Magic Lessons (Brainy and Artsy++, Sensible-)
I think there are different options valid for actions.
Magic fists is amusing, and I do want to find more about the magic systems. The prospect of enchanting clothing is an amusing thought. Enchanting layers of clothing to be more durable or give other buffs could justify some aspects of magical girls in elaborate outfits we see in fiction. *Especially* when they level up. I could see it in an otome game too, to justify DLC on new outfits.
[X] I'm sorry Mother, I forgot myself.
-[X] I'll endeavor to make up for this by dedicating myself to the tutors Autumn has chosen for us.
[X] Magic Lessons (Brainy and Artsy++, Sensible-)
Astra Myst
Do you want a wish?
- Location
- Milky Way Galaxy
[X] I'm sorry Mother, I forgot myself.
-[X] I'll endeavor to make up for this by dedicating myself to the tutors Autumn has chosen for us.
[X] Magic Lessons (Brainy and Artsy++, Sensible-)
-[X] I'll endeavor to make up for this by dedicating myself to the tutors Autumn has chosen for us.
[X] Magic Lessons (Brainy and Artsy++, Sensible-)
I'm really enjoying some of these head voice narrations. This one was pretty cool.
I'm distinctly tempted to do more brain reduction stuff here, though the allure of magic was enough to distract me below.
Heh, I can see the experience of wearing expensive outfits for cons is influencing us. No way do you risk damaging your cosplay outfit. Do you know how many hours or money it cost!? Irreplacable!
This makes me think she might be a reincarnation too. That or some of the programmers were lazy when writing combat styles.
This is so chuuni I don't know if she's quoting a movie, game, or making it up on the spot.
Lol, that got us affection points!?!? Maybe this love interest has more cultured tastes than I thought.
Sisterhood of the travelling
This makes me distinctly curious if she's got combat experience. The mother being a well known warrior is a thing in a lot of villainess otome stories. I'm reminded of a quote from season 2 of the witcher where Citri says her mother wore a dress and also won victories on the battlefield.
Lol.
Discretion is the better part of valor I see.
***
She touched me first! This really does come across as a childish excuse.
Heh mother has confidence in our maid I see to manage us. Is it funny I see Chiaki as the sort to manage us back in our first lives too.
I'm highly amused we are actually impressed by our mother like this. And this gives me some fun ideas.
Makes me wonder what the climate is like in game.
Why do I suspect this was dlc in the villainess route?
"Now would like to select your weekend activity, or would you rather play catch?"
Despite a temptation to drive our brain to drinking more, magic is really tempting here.
Nice, my image made it into the character avatar!
React post.
- Location
- Philippines
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] I'm sorry Mother, I forgot myself.
-[X] I'll endeavor to make up for this by dedicating myself to the tutors Autumn has chosen for us.
[X] Magic Lessons (Brainy and Artsy++, Sensible-)
-[X] I'll endeavor to make up for this by dedicating myself to the tutors Autumn has chosen for us.
[X] Magic Lessons (Brainy and Artsy++, Sensible-)
- Location
- St. Petersburg
I can't believe it! What is this craven apologetic attitude? 
First off, it's a bald-faced lie. Assuming player voices are thoughts in Grace's head, the previous vote has been the only unanimous one in the quest so far. There was not a single dissenting thought, not even an inkling of doubt. That's not what I call forgetting ourselves, it's what it means to be ourselves.
Second, our heroine is a sportswoman through and through, from her talents to her inclinations to her motto. In sports, a challenge is ought to be answered in kind.
Third, we have upheld the honor of House Claudius and buddied up with a princess who now wants to spar with us -- something that never would have happened if we were acting as an obedient child. We got ties with royalty and brought no shame to our name.
[x] She challenged me to a fight, so I knocked her flat on her butt!
...I mean, who is going to judge us, Lady Wears-Lions-For-Muffers? Please.
[x] Fencing Lessons (Sporty and Flashy++, Brainy-)
First off, it's a bald-faced lie. Assuming player voices are thoughts in Grace's head, the previous vote has been the only unanimous one in the quest so far. There was not a single dissenting thought, not even an inkling of doubt. That's not what I call forgetting ourselves, it's what it means to be ourselves.
Second, our heroine is a sportswoman through and through, from her talents to her inclinations to her motto. In sports, a challenge is ought to be answered in kind.
Third, we have upheld the honor of House Claudius and buddied up with a princess who now wants to spar with us -- something that never would have happened if we were acting as an obedient child. We got ties with royalty and brought no shame to our name.
[x] She challenged me to a fight, so I knocked her flat on her butt!
...I mean, who is going to judge us, Lady Wears-Lions-For-Muffers? Please.
[x] Fencing Lessons (Sporty and Flashy++, Brainy-)
And stay there!
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Always Late
Lacking in coffee, sleep, and brains
- Location
- Ohio
[X] I'm sorry Mother, I forgot myself.
-[X] I'll endeavor to make up for this by dedicating myself to the tutors Autumn has chosen for us.
[X] Magic Lessons (Brainy and Artsy++, Sensible-)
-[X] I'll endeavor to make up for this by dedicating myself to the tutors Autumn has chosen for us.
[X] Magic Lessons (Brainy and Artsy++, Sensible-)
FourthWall
Love & Destroy
- Location
- Chiraq
<Sensible> /throws empty can at @Nevill "Sometimes lying ish the sensible thing to do. You wanna throw down with shomeone who chokes out lions as a twelve-year-old? And think of how it looks if we're all proud of fighting when Chiaki'sh all contrite an' shtuff."
<Sensible> /cracks open another beer "We can show Justine we upheld the family honor with our fists ahfter we start shparring with Bridgette."
<Sensible> /cracks open another beer "We can show Justine we upheld the family honor with our fists ahfter we start shparring with Bridgette."
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- Location
- St. Petersburg
Maybe lying is just the <Sensible> thing to do. >_>
Where are the others, though? I get why Brainy decided to take a break and vacate the premises, but how come we haven't even seen Artsy once? Same goes for Flashy who's been silent despite the dress-up party. I kinda expected her to be a bigger presence, since it's our next biggest stat after Sensible and we are not entirely devoid of charm... or fashion sense.
I don't know how to feel about half of our head-personalities not being on talking terms with each other...
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FourthWall
Love & Destroy
- Location
- Chiraq
<Sensible> "It's the thing mosht of our thoughts are leaning to."
To start with, the three Bakas with the highest Actualization scores were going to be your active voices. Stress/Destrudo counts as an Actualization for this purpose, which is why Emo is your third voice. Your other Bakas stay quiet until they've reached a grade of Good. So Flashy will start chiming in if you train that up even one more time. Artsy's locked herself in her room.
I don't know how to feel about half of our head-personalities not being on talking terms with each other...
Chiaki: "Become a more well-rounded person and things will sort themselves out."
Also, I forgot to mention this earlier but Grace's attack name is a reference @megrisvernin . They're Japanese -> English transliterations of Street Fighter moves.
First Dragon Fist = Shoryuken
Five Strikes, Dead Center is a loose translation of Makoto's SA 1, Seichuusen Godanzuki.
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Solarstream
It's all in the cards
- Location
- Zombie World
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] I'm sorry Mother, I forgot myself.
-[X] I'll endeavor to make up for this by dedicating myself to the tutors Autumn has chosen for us.
[X] Fencing Lessons (Sporty and Flashy++, Brainy-)
-[X] I'll endeavor to make up for this by dedicating myself to the tutors Autumn has chosen for us.
[X] Fencing Lessons (Sporty and Flashy++, Brainy-)
FourthWall
Love & Destroy
- Location
- Chiraq
Omake post soonish, new vote after omake.
Omake - Barrier Dress, Set Up!
"I'm sorry Mother, I forgot myself," you apologize. From your mother's acerbic expression you don't quite think a mere 'sorry' will make up for it. More than that, it occurs to you that you're not the only one in trouble either. If you *did* screw up again it'd be Chiaki's fault for not preventing it.
"I'll endeavor to make up for this by dedicating myself to the tutors Autumn has chosen for us," you solemnly pledge.
Hmm. Justine takes a breath from her pipe in consideration. You feel your stress rise, wondering if that would satisfy her.
"That would be a nice silver lining to come out of this sordid affair," the ferocious matriarch of the Claudius family admits.
"I look forward to seeing the fruits of your efforts, Grace." Good, she's not using your full name again.
"Thanks again for helping to calm down Justine-I mean Mother yesterday," you correct yourself as you thank your maid as she helps you dress for the next day.
"It's my responsibility to assist you, Young Mistress," Chiaki insists. "So it's only natural I take some of the responsibility, your failings reflect on me as well."
You fall silent at that, feeling a little guilty.
<Sporty> "It's natural to respond to a challenge! She's the one who wanted to fight us."
<Sensible> "It's unseemly for someone of our background, let alone in the presence of Prince Alteisen. Fighting his sister could be seen as assaulting Royalty!"
<Emo> "The villainess character is always found guilty by the heroine's capture targets of grave crimes against her. All routes lead to doom."
That it caused trouble for Chiaki…well, you'd just have to do better next time. "I meant what I said to Ju-Mother," you say.
"About forgetting yourself?" We all understand you're a little more scatterbrained than usual after your head wound," Chiaki explains.
You begin to nod in agreement before realizing the embedded insult. "I'm not that scatterbrained! I can focus on one thing."
"Saying you have tunnel vision isn't the best defense, Young Mistress," your friend teases.
"I meant the part about doing my best with any tutors you get me," you clarify pouting.
Chiaki pauses taken aback. "You were serious? I just thought you were trying to get out of trouble."
"It's not that surprising! And yes that was part of it…" you admit. "But I don't like causing trouble for you C-Autumn. Besides, like I said I should give it my all on everything."
"I'm lucky to have such a dedicated Young Mistress," your personal servant says pleased. Hehehe you probably sounded really mature right then!
As your maid resumes dressing you, you notice that while similar the dress your maid is having you wear isn't quite the same as the one before.
Oh, it's similar having the same color scheme, but some of the frills are in a different pattern and the ribbons are subtly different shades.
"It wouldn't do for the Claudius heir to wear the same outfit in a row," Chiaki intones. Oh, that makes sense, you think she said something about that yesterday. "It's being washed, but will be available for you to wear again tomorrow.
<Sporty> "This marks us out as the protagonist! Similar but distinct outfits is the sort of attention to detail only the main character gets."
<Sensible> "There were dozens of outfits we didn't try on, presumably this was one of those-"
"Anyways Young Mistress what would you like to focus on today? If you're feeling more athletically inclined the ballet and fencing instructors are available, as are the magic and rhetoric tutors-."
"Magic! Did you say Magic Chiaki?!" You interrupt her. You knew Fall from Grace and the Our Bloody Valentine had magic systems, but it was a secondary mechanic to grind money and unlock the DLC without spending money. Hardly anyone did it in favor of focusing on clearing all the routes.
But with the prospect of actually wielding magic, you could feel all your chuuni moments from middle school come back to you and you strike a pose. "Darkness blacker than black, I your summoner call out to you. I hereby swear that I shall be all the good in the world, and with thine own hands defeat all evil in the world. Upon your true name Maximus Draco I call you forth. If you head to the covenant appear before me-"
"Ouchies!" You cover up your forehead where Chiaki flicked you.
"Mou, Aachan, that isn't even the right magic system," your maid sighs. "Also 'Biggest dragon' you couldn't come up with something more original? Don't think I didn't notice you cribbing games and manga there."
"It's called paying homage to the originals!" You protest. Besides, I'm a Claudius from a family of renowned dragon slayers." Among other things.
Sadly your friend just rolls her eyes. "I for one don't want to consider the mess that'd make of the manor even if you did summon something. Imagine if you snagged some deer or alligator, let alone a dragon."
"Oh," you said meekly. Maybe you should wait till you meet the teacher..."
"We can enchant our outfits!?" You cry out excitedly to your magical tutor.
"Of course, that's the bit you focus on," Chiaki facepalms to your side.
"Magical girl outfits Autumn!" You counter.
"Ah, yes that's right," your arcane teacher answers. She's in her late twenties with dark hair wearing a pair of glasses not too dissimilar from Chiaki's, if colored a light blue. "While fireballs and the like might be the more *eyecatching* spells, there's a much less appreciated field of applied enchantments and runesmithing. You can enchant fabrics with any number of effects from enhanced durability to greater resistance to fire or other elemental attacks.
<Sporty> "She'd sound more authoritative if she had a proper staff and witch's hat. That way she could whack people even if they came in close!"
<Sensible raise an eyebrow at Sporty> "Surprisingly that makes some sense. That isn't just because of our dropping intelligence score is it?"
"Would defensive-oriented clothes be blue?" You wonder aloud. That was pretty common in games. "Red for offensive power, or maybe fire resistant?" You guess.
The teacher's eyebrows go up. "My, that's rather knowledgeable of you Lady Claudius. While the convention isn't a hard and fast rule, it's common to use color or other visual shorthand to communicate the type of enchantments an outfit has. You see this is helpful when working in Adventuring parties, particularly for new groups…"
<Sensible> "Either our IQ just went up, or we dropped it enough we've somehow glitched back into high values."
<Emo> "With our luck we'll run into a fatal glitch."
"Now typically the expense of enchantments limits mage casters to a few basic ones unless they find a patron. But I imagine your family won't have this concern." The teacher's eyes twinkle.
That's right! In the game, there was all that DLC content of outfits offering bonuses. You never paid much attention as you lacked the money and didn't have the patience to grind through it all. But there were a ton of effects you could choose from.
Ohmygosh. Not only could you have magic clothes, but you could add in all kinds of different effects and combos. With the wealth and prestige your family commanded, money would be no object. Yet another reminder that being rich was a superpower all its own!
"With the difficulty of adding enchantments goes up exponentially the more you try to include, it's often considered preferable to use overlapping layers of enchanted fabric. That way you can 'stack' multiple effects without them interfering with each other."
"So that's why magical girl outfits get more elaborate the stronger they are," you murmur aloud to a facepalm from Chiaki. It was all making so much sense now.
"While I don't think I've heard it phrased that way before-" Whoops, you had to be more careful about letting terms like that slip through. "Yes, for those investing in enchanted clothing, there is an association between ostentation and capability. Aesthetically pleasing and also providing more volume of material to attach enchantments too. My, it's quite a pleasure to have such a learned student."
You felt vindicated in your choice of outfit. You initially choose your frilly dress because of how pleasing it looked, but with what you learned you could anchor spells to make it a battle dress. You imagine yourself charging across the battlefield absorbing blows, or even it letting you move faster.
"Young Mistress Claudius is eager to prove her family proud." You puff out your chest proudly. Hah, and your parents said you never learned anything from playing otome games or watching magical girl shows!
"While a wide range of fabrics can of course be enchanted, silk remains one of the most efficient materials to imbue. Enough that production of it is considered a strategic resource for the kingdom..." Your teacher continues.
Really, enchanting clothes reminded you most of barrier jackets from Magical Girl Nanoha, except the outfits weren't composed entirely of magic. Those could manifest in a variety of shapes and styles best matching the combat style of the wearer.
Thinking of Justine Claudius something occurs to you then. "Wait, are my mother's clothes enchanted?"
"You have a good eye, indeed, Lady Claudius's garments contain considerable defensive enchantments. Only fitting to have such protection for a pillar of the kingdom." Wow, and with how frilly her gown was, not to mention the train, she was probably the next best thing to a walking tank!
Internally you squealed, your new mom was even awesomer than you thought! You wanted to be like her even more. Being that resilient in enchanted clothes sounded great, and while you could still probably lift up your skirts to run you'd imagine you'd be slower carrying all that clothing.-Wait maybe there was magic for that-
"Is there speed magic?" You wonder aloud.
"Mages can cast haste spells," your magic teacher agreed. "Speed enchantments are a thing as well but are considered some of the most difficult runes to enchant. You see the degree of speed improvement is more linear than multiplicative…"
Gah, you're even happier you didn't try to run from Justine! Rather than an early slow tank, she was probably more like a lightning bruiser! If her weaponized Mom Voice was one thing, you could imagine just how devastating an ear or cheek grab from her might be.
Now that you thought back to it, her gown had looked quite pretty too. You hadn't much of a chance to appreciate the aesthetics as much at the time, on account of having an angry lion staring you down, but it did look nice.
From your trying on outfits earlier, the frillier the gown the more you seemed to like it so this was just a step in that direction. And with the outfit not only looking great but letting you be even more of a powerhouse? You're liking the thought of dressing like her more and more!
<Sporty> "Outfits making you even better at fighting? Sign me up! Imagine being able to go totally on the offensive, holding back nothing as you devastated foe after foe."
<Sensible> "I don't think she'd be happy with us getting into more fights but I do like being well protected! And maybe Justine would take it as a compliment we were taking after her? She was disappointed in us before…"
In your prior life you'd shy away from dressing like either of your parents, but then neither of them had quite the same presence or persona Justine did. It was like she was like a combination of model, high-class CEO, and politician and was stylish, confident and overwhelming all at once. Like in mirroring her you might echo a small amount of her coolness yourself.
If what you wore now was the kind of thing to make you take first place at a con, dressing like Justine would be like those private model shoot images that you could mistake for game CGI!
You feel a prod in your side and look over to see a flat expression from Chiaki mouthing 'pay attention'. Shifting your attention back to your teacher she doesn't seem to have noticed your daydreaming, talking about synergies from different enchantment layouts.
You wrote down your thoughts on the parchment in front of you so you didn't forget. You had a good feeling about this idea!
"I'll endeavor to make up for this by dedicating myself to the tutors Autumn has chosen for us," you solemnly pledge.
Hmm. Justine takes a breath from her pipe in consideration. You feel your stress rise, wondering if that would satisfy her.
"That would be a nice silver lining to come out of this sordid affair," the ferocious matriarch of the Claudius family admits.
"I look forward to seeing the fruits of your efforts, Grace." Good, she's not using your full name again.
((()))
"Thanks again for helping to calm down Justine-I mean Mother yesterday," you correct yourself as you thank your maid as she helps you dress for the next day.
"It's my responsibility to assist you, Young Mistress," Chiaki insists. "So it's only natural I take some of the responsibility, your failings reflect on me as well."
You fall silent at that, feeling a little guilty.
<Sporty> "It's natural to respond to a challenge! She's the one who wanted to fight us."
<Sensible> "It's unseemly for someone of our background, let alone in the presence of Prince Alteisen. Fighting his sister could be seen as assaulting Royalty!"
<Emo> "The villainess character is always found guilty by the heroine's capture targets of grave crimes against her. All routes lead to doom."
That it caused trouble for Chiaki…well, you'd just have to do better next time. "I meant what I said to Ju-Mother," you say.
"About forgetting yourself?" We all understand you're a little more scatterbrained than usual after your head wound," Chiaki explains.
You begin to nod in agreement before realizing the embedded insult. "I'm not that scatterbrained! I can focus on one thing."
"Saying you have tunnel vision isn't the best defense, Young Mistress," your friend teases.
"I meant the part about doing my best with any tutors you get me," you clarify pouting.
Chiaki pauses taken aback. "You were serious? I just thought you were trying to get out of trouble."
"It's not that surprising! And yes that was part of it…" you admit. "But I don't like causing trouble for you C-Autumn. Besides, like I said I should give it my all on everything."
"I'm lucky to have such a dedicated Young Mistress," your personal servant says pleased. Hehehe you probably sounded really mature right then!
As your maid resumes dressing you, you notice that while similar the dress your maid is having you wear isn't quite the same as the one before.
Oh, it's similar having the same color scheme, but some of the frills are in a different pattern and the ribbons are subtly different shades.
"It wouldn't do for the Claudius heir to wear the same outfit in a row," Chiaki intones. Oh, that makes sense, you think she said something about that yesterday. "It's being washed, but will be available for you to wear again tomorrow.
<Sporty> "This marks us out as the protagonist! Similar but distinct outfits is the sort of attention to detail only the main character gets."
<Sensible> "There were dozens of outfits we didn't try on, presumably this was one of those-"
"Anyways Young Mistress what would you like to focus on today? If you're feeling more athletically inclined the ballet and fencing instructors are available, as are the magic and rhetoric tutors-."
"Magic! Did you say Magic Chiaki?!" You interrupt her. You knew Fall from Grace and the Our Bloody Valentine had magic systems, but it was a secondary mechanic to grind money and unlock the DLC without spending money. Hardly anyone did it in favor of focusing on clearing all the routes.
But with the prospect of actually wielding magic, you could feel all your chuuni moments from middle school come back to you and you strike a pose. "Darkness blacker than black, I your summoner call out to you. I hereby swear that I shall be all the good in the world, and with thine own hands defeat all evil in the world. Upon your true name Maximus Draco I call you forth. If you head to the covenant appear before me-"
"Ouchies!" You cover up your forehead where Chiaki flicked you.
"Mou, Aachan, that isn't even the right magic system," your maid sighs. "Also 'Biggest dragon' you couldn't come up with something more original? Don't think I didn't notice you cribbing games and manga there."
"It's called paying homage to the originals!" You protest. Besides, I'm a Claudius from a family of renowned dragon slayers." Among other things.
Sadly your friend just rolls her eyes. "I for one don't want to consider the mess that'd make of the manor even if you did summon something. Imagine if you snagged some deer or alligator, let alone a dragon."
"Oh," you said meekly. Maybe you should wait till you meet the teacher..."
((()))
"We can enchant our outfits!?" You cry out excitedly to your magical tutor.
"Of course, that's the bit you focus on," Chiaki facepalms to your side.
"Magical girl outfits Autumn!" You counter.
"Ah, yes that's right," your arcane teacher answers. She's in her late twenties with dark hair wearing a pair of glasses not too dissimilar from Chiaki's, if colored a light blue. "While fireballs and the like might be the more *eyecatching* spells, there's a much less appreciated field of applied enchantments and runesmithing. You can enchant fabrics with any number of effects from enhanced durability to greater resistance to fire or other elemental attacks.
<Sporty> "She'd sound more authoritative if she had a proper staff and witch's hat. That way she could whack people even if they came in close!"
<Sensible raise an eyebrow at Sporty> "Surprisingly that makes some sense. That isn't just because of our dropping intelligence score is it?"
"Would defensive-oriented clothes be blue?" You wonder aloud. That was pretty common in games. "Red for offensive power, or maybe fire resistant?" You guess.
The teacher's eyebrows go up. "My, that's rather knowledgeable of you Lady Claudius. While the convention isn't a hard and fast rule, it's common to use color or other visual shorthand to communicate the type of enchantments an outfit has. You see this is helpful when working in Adventuring parties, particularly for new groups…"
<Sensible> "Either our IQ just went up, or we dropped it enough we've somehow glitched back into high values."
<Emo> "With our luck we'll run into a fatal glitch."
"Now typically the expense of enchantments limits mage casters to a few basic ones unless they find a patron. But I imagine your family won't have this concern." The teacher's eyes twinkle.
That's right! In the game, there was all that DLC content of outfits offering bonuses. You never paid much attention as you lacked the money and didn't have the patience to grind through it all. But there were a ton of effects you could choose from.
Ohmygosh. Not only could you have magic clothes, but you could add in all kinds of different effects and combos. With the wealth and prestige your family commanded, money would be no object. Yet another reminder that being rich was a superpower all its own!
"With the difficulty of adding enchantments goes up exponentially the more you try to include, it's often considered preferable to use overlapping layers of enchanted fabric. That way you can 'stack' multiple effects without them interfering with each other."
"So that's why magical girl outfits get more elaborate the stronger they are," you murmur aloud to a facepalm from Chiaki. It was all making so much sense now.
"While I don't think I've heard it phrased that way before-" Whoops, you had to be more careful about letting terms like that slip through. "Yes, for those investing in enchanted clothing, there is an association between ostentation and capability. Aesthetically pleasing and also providing more volume of material to attach enchantments too. My, it's quite a pleasure to have such a learned student."
You felt vindicated in your choice of outfit. You initially choose your frilly dress because of how pleasing it looked, but with what you learned you could anchor spells to make it a battle dress. You imagine yourself charging across the battlefield absorbing blows, or even it letting you move faster.
"Young Mistress Claudius is eager to prove her family proud." You puff out your chest proudly. Hah, and your parents said you never learned anything from playing otome games or watching magical girl shows!
"While a wide range of fabrics can of course be enchanted, silk remains one of the most efficient materials to imbue. Enough that production of it is considered a strategic resource for the kingdom..." Your teacher continues.
Really, enchanting clothes reminded you most of barrier jackets from Magical Girl Nanoha, except the outfits weren't composed entirely of magic. Those could manifest in a variety of shapes and styles best matching the combat style of the wearer.
Thinking of Justine Claudius something occurs to you then. "Wait, are my mother's clothes enchanted?"
"You have a good eye, indeed, Lady Claudius's garments contain considerable defensive enchantments. Only fitting to have such protection for a pillar of the kingdom." Wow, and with how frilly her gown was, not to mention the train, she was probably the next best thing to a walking tank!
Internally you squealed, your new mom was even awesomer than you thought! You wanted to be like her even more. Being that resilient in enchanted clothes sounded great, and while you could still probably lift up your skirts to run you'd imagine you'd be slower carrying all that clothing.-Wait maybe there was magic for that-
"Is there speed magic?" You wonder aloud.
"Mages can cast haste spells," your magic teacher agreed. "Speed enchantments are a thing as well but are considered some of the most difficult runes to enchant. You see the degree of speed improvement is more linear than multiplicative…"
Gah, you're even happier you didn't try to run from Justine! Rather than an early slow tank, she was probably more like a lightning bruiser! If her weaponized Mom Voice was one thing, you could imagine just how devastating an ear or cheek grab from her might be.
Now that you thought back to it, her gown had looked quite pretty too. You hadn't much of a chance to appreciate the aesthetics as much at the time, on account of having an angry lion staring you down, but it did look nice.
From your trying on outfits earlier, the frillier the gown the more you seemed to like it so this was just a step in that direction. And with the outfit not only looking great but letting you be even more of a powerhouse? You're liking the thought of dressing like her more and more!
<Sporty> "Outfits making you even better at fighting? Sign me up! Imagine being able to go totally on the offensive, holding back nothing as you devastated foe after foe."
<Sensible> "I don't think she'd be happy with us getting into more fights but I do like being well protected! And maybe Justine would take it as a compliment we were taking after her? She was disappointed in us before…"
In your prior life you'd shy away from dressing like either of your parents, but then neither of them had quite the same presence or persona Justine did. It was like she was like a combination of model, high-class CEO, and politician and was stylish, confident and overwhelming all at once. Like in mirroring her you might echo a small amount of her coolness yourself.
If what you wore now was the kind of thing to make you take first place at a con, dressing like Justine would be like those private model shoot images that you could mistake for game CGI!
You feel a prod in your side and look over to see a flat expression from Chiaki mouthing 'pay attention'. Shifting your attention back to your teacher she doesn't seem to have noticed your daydreaming, talking about synergies from different enchantment layouts.
You wrote down your thoughts on the parchment in front of you so you didn't forget. You had a good feeling about this idea!
Last edited:
Weekend 1 Extra Material
FourthWall
Love & Destroy
- Location
- Chiraq
So after that, this.
[What do you want to learn more about?]
[ ] Elemental Magic
[ ] Heavenly Magic
[ ] Summoning Magic
[ ] Enchanting your fists
***
Justine is pleased with your response. No Stress added.
Magic Lessons auto-success! +4 Brainy, +4 Artsy, -1 Sensible
***
Justine is pleased with your response. No Stress added.
Magic Lessons auto-success! +4 Brainy, +4 Artsy, -1 Sensible
***
[What do you want to learn more about?]
[ ] Elemental Magic
[ ] Heavenly Magic
[ ] Summoning Magic
[ ] Enchanting your fists
NAME
Kid A Grace Claudia, Age 12
AVATAR GRADES
Brainy: Average (+3)
Artsy: Below Average (+2)
Flashy: Average (+3)
Sporty: Great (+4)
Sensible: Great (+4)
ACTUALIZATION SCORES
BRN 42 ART 37 FLA 49 SPO 92 SEN 52
STRESS 45
DESTRUDO LEVEL
Elevated
AVATAR GRADES
Brainy: Average (+3)
Artsy: Below Average (+2)
Flashy: Average (+3)
Sporty: Great (+4)
Sensible: Great (+4)
ACTUALIZATION SCORES
BRN 42 ART 37 FLA 49 SPO 92 SEN 52
STRESS 45
DESTRUDO LEVEL
Elevated
Last edited:
- Location
- New York
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Enchanting your fists
Could someone explain the nickname here? I thought his name was Alteisen, and I don't see how that would shorten to "Bryn".
Then again, considering we called Bridgette "Little Miss Alteisen", maybe it's just the family name.
[X] Enchanting your fists
FourthWall
Love & Destroy
- Location
- Chiraq
Yep, Alteisen is the family name. Bryn is the Prince's given name.