#Motonari's older brother

[samurailoveballadhistory]

SLBP has been skewing historical ages around as the story needs, which is understandable, because otherwise you'd have people being dead or too old or too young.

When it comes to NPCs, though, I sometimes wonder why characters are made to be the way they are.

Kobayakawa Takakage is in real life older than Nobunaga, and naturally also older than Ieyasu. I'm curious what was the reasoning for making him this young, since I don't see anything about his character in the story that really needed to be this way. Maybe they want his father Mouri Motonari to still be alive in this universe, so they can't have Takakage (and his brother Motoharu) to be too old.

Shimizu Kageharu, on the other hand, was historically the one who is very very young in comparison to the other lords. He's younger than Masamune, even. Why turn him into this gruff old man? Maybe they just pre-emptively designed a tough looking older vassal, and then picked a completely random name from among Kobayakawa Takakage's vassals without caring about the person's historical identity.

[dear-mrs-otome]

Hey Mrs. O hope you're well! I just have a question about IkeSen. Im a bit confused about whos in power. Like they talk about an Emporer, and a shogun, and daimyo's. Im confused how Nobunaga and the other lords fit in and who is in charge lol any clarification would be greatly appreciated

Hi Nonny! Thank you, I am peachy.

I don't blame you for being confused - Ikesen gives us an extremely watered down version of Japanese history and even that is confusing because Japanese history is heckin complicated! I'm no expert but I'll see if I can make things clearer for you.

In the time of Ikemen Sengoku it is the Sengoku period obviously (which roughly spans the 15th and 16th centuries) and more specifically 1582, which is the year Oda Nobunaga 'died'. However, we're dealing in a fictional version of things where stuff gets fudged a bit, so let's not get hung up on the exact dates. The structure of Japan at that time was still a feudal system divided into 5 basic levels that looked something like this:

Emperor > Shogun >> Daimyou >>> Samurai >>>> Peasants

The Emperor was nominally the most powerful person in Japan, a political figure of course, but most of all he is a spiritual figure. He's the leader of the Shinto religion and said to be descended from the sun goddess Amaterasu. The Emperor and his Imperial Court fulfilled many important ceremonial functions and was a place where the arts and culture were encouraged and maintained.

In truth though, the most powerful person in the sphere of day to day earthly life was the shogun, a military dictator that ruled over the country. (Incidentally, the first shogun to really consolidate power and create feudalism as it existed in Japan for 600+ years was Minamoto no Yoritomo - the poster boy for Ikemen Genjiden) The shogun ruled with the Emperor's blessing, whether that was freely given or manipulated, and if you really want to grossly oversimply an analogy I think you could somewhat liken it to the concept of the Pope and some monarchs in historical Europe - both powerful in different ways, and a monarch ostensibly ruled with the Pope's stamp of approval.

Below the shogun would be the daimyou, powerful land-owning lords who controlled personal armies of samurai loyal to them. This would include many of the warlords we know by name in the game - Oda Nobunaga, Takeda Shingen, Date Masamune, Uesugi Kenshin, Mouri Motonari, Imagawa Yoshimoto, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi (eventually) were all daimyou.

Samurai in service to the daimyous could include some illustrious warriors as well, and there are plenty of them that are suitors in Ikesen too - Akechi Mitsuhide, Ishida Mitsunari, Naoe Kanetsugu, Maeda Keiji, and Sanada Yukimura were all subordinates of the men above. (Though Yukimura's older brother, Nobuyuki, was a daimyou)

In the time of Ikemen Sengoku, we have the shogun (or ex-shogun, I suppose) Ashikaga Yoshiaki. It's Complicated, but suffice it to say that Nobunaga had helped him to power as a sort of puppet shogun and then removed him from it, and Yoshiaki did not take this very well. He became a rallying point for those looking to oppose Nobunaga's rise to power and hence his role as a villain in our story.

SO, technically, at the time of our story nobody really is in charge exactly, and that's half the problem. The Emperor exists offstage in Ikesen, and the Imperial Court is always a force that has to be taken into consideration, but Nobunaga is generally adept at maintaining a positive relationship with it. It isn't until after Nobunaga manages to bring almost half of the previously fractured provinces of Japan under his control, and the unification he begins is continued by Hideyoshi and ultimately solidified by Ieyasu, that a new shogun rises to power and maintains the Tokugawa shogunate for the next three centuries or so.

If you're interested in a brief rundown on the shogunate and how it worked, this video is really useful and entertaining for giving you a good grasp on the basics. And here's another from the same channel that gives a cool visual history of Japan, but I've linked the timestamp to the Sengoku period for you here. I hope that helped, rather than made things more confusing? I obviously didn't even touch on some of the other characters in the game or how Kennyo and the Ikkou-ikki opposed Nobunaga - if you have more questions about them, feel free to ask!

[daeva-agas]

I mentioned in a previous post that IRL Motonari was not like... exiled to Tajihi by his family. His dad was the one who moved out to Tajihi, and brought Motonari along, but then the dad died. And during the mess with the evil vassal, his brother wasn’t able to help not because he was just in a different town/castle. The brother was called to Kyoto and was tied up there for 4 years (it was a big shogun mess, the irony). Wasn’t able to go back home even once.

I think what Cybird used was this popular trope that was floating around all over the internet, and it seems to be based on an older novel or TV drama from the 70s or something. I did a little more looking around because I was curious.

IRL Motonari also did have a kind stepmother (his father’s consort) who took care of him while he was kicked out of the castle. I’m not sure if this means that the stepmother also lived in poverty together with him. Maybe this suggested that his life out of the castle wasn’t so bad to the point of squalor.

He seems to be not entirely ostracised, because he was able to attend a Buddhist sermon in the house of the brother of the traitorous vassal who stole the castle. I’m actually not entirely sure how bad it really was in reality, because online it’s all the Beggar Prince sad story, and this may not be entirely true. Again, as this was based on some drama, it may already have been exaggerated (the Beggar Prince nickname, at least, has since been considered dubious).

IMO that stepmother plot feels like it could’ve been twisted to have it so that MC travels further back in time, meets little Motonari, and was the one who was nice to him way back when. But I guess Cybirb was saving that plot for ~later~ *coughcoughspoiler* LOL. 

Still reading along to see if the route mentioned how he got back his castle though, because how it happens IRL was so sus it would be on point for it to be turned into some kind of conspiracy in Ikesen. 

[chasing-storm-s]

Routes I've done for Ikemen Sengoku, Ikemen Vampire, Ikemen Villains, and Koihana Bakumeiroku. To be updated from time to time.

IkeSen Routes completed:

Masamune: romantic | dramatic | eternal (fav guy and fav routes)

Shingen: romantic | dramatic (not my type but damn I'd be lying if I say I didn't fall for him in his routes)

Nobunaga: romantic | dramatic (rather have you as an older brother figure, but you sure can be fun). sign me up for a late-night konpeito heist.

Sasuke: Romantic & Dramatic (routes SUPER fun. Guy's also super fun). Preferance: dramatic. Side story for both full love bonus is awesome!

Mitsunari: Romantic (the incomparable angel)

Keiji: Romantic (feeling: complicated. Sometimes I hate him, other times I like him well enough. His route is different but in a good way I guess?)

Kenshin: Romantic, Dramatic. (was worried but I think I like MC in his route. Ngl did fall for him despite his yandere-ing. Although, it's probably because I expected worse). Prefer his romantic cause we get to see them all plotting to bring him back, Mai as the Goddess of War. Ah, that was such a cool scene.

Motonari: Dramatic | Romantic (boy is he wild. But nope, not my thing - looks hot tho). I surprised myself by finishing both his routes this early hahah. Liked him much better on my 2nd gameplay but gosh will I always dislike that first couple of chapters.

Hideyoshi: Romantic | Dramatic (an extremely much needed break after the prev 3 guys. Worried I would dislike his route. But I love it. Him too. Very much. Fav parts: MC saying she will not send him a letter & her threatening Mitsuhide)

Ieyasu: Dramatic | Romantic Annnd that's my first Ieyasu route completed (dramatic). Enjoyed it more than I expected since Tsunderes aren't my thing, I was worried that I would've dislike his route but it turns out alright. I am a little sad that there weren't much of Sasuke fanboying moments but yeah overall things are still fine. Not sure yet how it goes in my ranking of routes I've done tho. Romatic: i've left it too long between reading and writing this.. so I'm sorry but I really forgot how things go. BUT. I think I enjoyed dramatic more.

Yoshimoto: Romantic (very dramatic. And it's not even the dramatic route. I love it.)

Yukimura: Dramatic | Dramatic (sometimes, you need to get yourself an awkward, tactless, yet super sweet guy who'll chase after you and call you dummy. Not fav LI but my 2nd fav route to play).

Mitsuhide: romantic. ohoho. I am warming up to this guy.

Kanetsugu: dramatic | romantic. His smile. His SMILE. I melt every time. Both routes were awesome! But I'll pick dramatic over romantic cause of that one Azuchi mother hen-ing scene 😂

Kennyo: Dramatic. That was pretty good actually.

IkeVamp Routes completed:

Leonardo: romantic | dramatic (is he the sweetest guy ever or is there someone who competes for this position?)

Vlad: dramatic (quite the bittersweet route. I love him)

Jean: romantic (boy be breaking my heart with his story. Extra love given to this man.)

Napoleon: dramatic. A lovely, lighter, more humorous read (compared to previous two).

Isaac: dramatic & romantic (adorable 100%. Need I say more?)

Dazai: romantic (thoughts tbc)

Faust: dramatic. Welp, this is one dramatic, red-flagged guy. Kidnapping, threats, dubious consent (?). Then again, it's pretty much expected/we've been warned. I donno but I was quite excited about playing his route but now that I've finished it.. I donno. I thought I would've enjoyed it more maybe? (This is why expectations are dangerous). I like the drama esp that beginning and learning about his softer sides especially with his interactions with the orphanage children (I love these scenes) but, I'm feeling like there's something.. missing. Maybe it's just me these past month because it has been a very busy, full of change month for me outside of my otome games. Im just here trying to divide my braincell for everything 🙃 . I'll replay his route once I'm properly settled in.

Arthur: Romantic. I love his route, how complicated things are between him and his past and him and Emma. With their very rocky start, how the comes to be be friends and their feelings, all to aware that both could not hope to fall in love with the other. Despite the complications, things aren't messy (I'm not refering to how Arthur himself's a mess). I think the route's written quite well, and it really does messes with your feelings (I like routes that gives me strong feelings, good and bad)

Theo: Romantic. Love how he's so insistent at going to the future for MC. I haven't seen any in Sengoku (not incl sasuke cause he future person) or other Vampire suitors yet that offers to do so. Overall, I enjoyed his route. I wish there were more..

Shakespeare: Dramatic. It's awesome.

Charles: Romantic. Ugly-crying almost the whole time. Is it my hormones? Is it purely Charles? I'll never truly know. But I love his route, though I'll never forgive cybird for that one chapter for toying with my emotions like that.

Vincent: Dramatic. Pretty lovely. It has that pure, gentle feeling like the man himself. Oh but I didn't think I would hate Shakespeare as much as I did in this route. Well, it's for the plot after all.

Comte: it was a fun ride. Got so many new dresses 😌

Interlude: very enjoyable. Nice seeing lots of friendship/family dynamics and more of everyone

IkeVill routes completed:

William Rex: Mad love - I like the story. Warming up to the game and concepts. Guy wise, it's kinda hard to get a proper sense of him through translation apps but I might put him on my like-as-friends or neutral acquaintance group.

Liam Evans: Both Ends - my fav being Blind End. best boy 😭 the sweetest man I could ever ask for. But oh the pain, the hurt, the tragic backstories. The amount of times I cried.

Harrison Gray: Blind Love - did a speed run through so can't remember much right now since I am updating this like after finishing a whole different route later. But. I remember thinking that it gives the most adventurous feeling between the others I've played.

Elbert Greetia: Mad Love - Quite enjoyed the route, though El's back story was disturbing. Love the whole El, Al, and Kate relationship side of things.

Koihana Bakumeiroku

Hijikata - First route I've ever finished and well, there were parts I was confused about but did figured out in other routes I have not finished playing yet (Kido and Katsu). I liked it.

[descendent-of-the-sixth-heaven]

??: Who are you guys? Huh? Sasuke? What are you doing with Mai?

*he is glaring at Sasuke and others like an overprotective brother*

Geez, calm down. Everyone, this is my older cousin brother, Shunsuke. And brother, they are-

Shunsuke: The Oda Warlords, The Uesugi and Takeda Warlords, along with Mouri Motonari and Kichou. I know.

......Yes.

Sasuke: so, he knows.

Kichou: how come he knows our identity?

Older cousin brother…?

[ikesenmotonari]

Which lords does Motonari find tolerable? I need someone to brotp him with.

;)

[atemourisan]

Sengoku Basara OC Mōri Okimoto

Motonari's older brother Okimoto.

I was ofc inspired by how Motonari is wearing a cheongsam in Sengoku Basara.

And ofc in my fanon Okimoto is quite charming and handsome looking but he's also a bit of a goody two shoes.

Motonari and Okimoto do share a deep bond with each other that two brothers would share, he wants to be like him but doesn't know how.

And in my fanon, Okimoto doesn't die he just goes missing and when Motonari is given news of Okimoto's disappearance, he just devasted beyond belief, and even went on hunger strike until his retainers found a trace of him but so far none. And ofc Miya aka Myokyu would grow very worried for her husband starving himself that she begged him to eat atleast something, but he still ate nothing. And it took for Miya to go on hunger strike and join her husband as she doesn't want Motonari to suffer all by himself but ofc this prompts Motonari to consume some food and he begs Miya not to do the same and apologizes to her for scaring her as it was wrong of him.

Okimoto on the other hand before his disappearance would keep watch over little Shōjumaru after their mother Lady Fukubara was killed by Lady Sugi-No-Okata.

Though Motonari and Okimoto would one day reunite, Motonari is full of emotions since he finally could breathe a bit better that he has his brother back, Okimoto would also be very protective of him, even wanting to protect him from Motochika, Harukata Sue, Yoshitaka Ouchi, Haruhisa Amago, Sōrin Otomo and ofc Xavi and ofc those who betrayed him.

[thescentoflavender]

In which Motonari shares his tragic backstory with MC 💔

---

Motonari: I might as well tell you about my childhood too.

Before he came of age, Motonari’s parents had both passed away. As his brother was also much older than him,

he arranged for a guardian to look after him and sent him to live in Tajihi-Sarukake Castle. 

Motonari: However, that guardian betrayed me and kicked me out of the castle.

Motonari: I was only a child then. Not knowing what to do, I could only seek shelter in a decrepit shack.

Motonari: Thanks to this, my neighbours nicknamed me “Beggar King”. Behind my back, they would whisper amongst themselves.

Motonari: You said before that people aren’t born evil, didn’t you.

Motonari: Once upon a time, I used to subscribe to this belief as well. But this kind of naive thinking only led to me being kicked out of the castle.

Motonari: A pitiable child, don’t you think?

He let out a laugh which was conspicuously incongruent with what he had said.

---

Trivia:

The Mencius school of thought in ancient Chinese culture is that all humans are born good (“人性之善也，犹水之就下也” ——《告子》）. What Motonari is referring to here is this belief. The phrase he uses (“人之初，性本非恶”) is an adaptation from the original phrase “人之初，性本善”, from the work《三字经》，believed to be written in the Song Dynasty. (Though I must admit, this is most probably a quirk of translation. I’m not sure if the original text in IkeSen JP actually referenced 《三字经》。 Anyone read a Japanese translation of 《三字经》 and care to compare?)

The most famous opposition to this would be Xunzi (another ancient Chinese philosopher) and his followers. They subscribe to the belief that all humans are born evil (“人之生，固小人”——《荣辱》）。

I guess that puts adult Motonari in Xunzi’s camp... 

[blue-and-art]

MORI OKIMOTO

Wanted to do a nicer piece of one of my Sengoku Basara OCs. Here’s Okimoto using his wind element to manipulate paper (but he can do this with any item movable by wind, with enough focus)

The older brother of Mori Motonari, and previous head of the clan, Okimoto was known as scholarly and optimistic, never seen without a notebook or jotting information down. A secret between the two brothers, however, was Okimoto’s deeply-rooted anxieties, which led him to drink away his worries frequently. Despite this, Motonari (then Shojumaru) still respected and learned from his older brother.

Until one day, Okimoto didn’t wake up.

Okimoto’s fighting style is heavily based off the paper masters from Read or Die: The TV (Minute 1:30 of this video is a good summary).

[daeva-agas]

I looked up Motonari’s kids, and so many them were adopted into different houses like wow. Of 10 listed sons, only 3 had remained surnamed Mouri. The eldest son and heir Takamoto, fifth son Motoaki, and youngest son Hidekane.

Hidekane is so young that his older brother is old enough to be his father, and later on indeed adopted him as a son (Motonari, seriously, you’re 70 and you’re not well anymore, why the hell are you still producing babies)

[gossamer-sky]

28. Opinion for the new characters, Yoshimoto, Ranmaru, and Motonari?

Oooh yay thank you for the ask!!

I find Yoshimoto very intriguing; from what we saw in Mitsuhide’s route I was pretty hooked on his story (I do love a tragedy). I’m excited for the angst that I’m sure he’ll bring, and I’m really hoping for a well-written route! As far as his character, I agree with a lot of the headcanons most people seem to have: he’s more proper than other warlords, upholding customs and takes pride in being polite. Also, he’s just lovely and I bet he’s a total romantic too 😍

Ranmaru I find a little puzzling; he’s adorable to be sure, but I just don’t know if I see him as a romantic interest? Perhaps that’s just because I’m an older player, but he seems a lot more like a younger brother or a cute puppy lmao. I think it’ll be interesting to see where they go with his route; if they’ll play into his more innocent personality or if they’ll reveal a darker side (which I’m assuming they will based on what we know already but?? We’ll see?)

Motonari is already very hot in my book, I’m weak for a pirate lol. But also, I just don’t know that much about him other than he clearly only fights for himself. I love that aspect, something that will be an exciting take considering most warlords have loyalty either to a lord or to their ideals. It’ll be fun to see how much Motonari just wants to watch the world burn. I’m assuming he’ll be similar to Masamune in that he’s totally wild, but other than that I have no real preconceptions (other than what I’ve written in my headcanons, but those are honestly just me reaaally leaning into my thing for pirates haha)

Send me an ikesen question from here

[gobureis]

My personal SW5 impressions of characters after playing the game once (plus some lol)  

note: I’m talking about all of them as characters in a video game. 

----

Nobunaga - ngl I love him. I feel his depiction might become a bit controversial among fans, but as a story it’s great imho.

Mitsuhide - I love him too lol deep down he’s pretty similar to his SW4 counterpart, but he also isn’t. He made different choices, and there are different settings (i.e. Akechi castle being burned down and his whole family dying) that made a difference, and then there’s his relationship with Nobunaga [but it isn’t just Nobunaga who influences Mitsuhide]

Hideyoshi - he’s such a fun character. It’s always a hit or miss with Hideyoshi and me in various media, and I admit i wasn’t a big fan of some parts of SW4 Hideyoshi, but this younger version who is all about making it big and becoming a powerful daimyou is refreshing and fun. There’s some rivalry between him and Mitsuhide (mostly one-sided), and respect for Ieyasu. The Hashiba group (Hideyoshi, Hanbei, Kazuuji, Kanbei) are very warm and almost family-like

Ieyasu - he’s also a nice character. I liked SW4 Ieyasu and the Tokugawa clan a lot, and you can still feel the bonds here as well. He’s very, not serious, but he knows he’s not good enough and he works really hard to become a good samurai. He’s very loyal to Nobunaga, and he’s like a puppy around him. It’s cute.

Imagawa Yoshimoto - he’s pretty much there only to be a villain

Shingen - I was never particularly interested in Shingen (and Takeda clan and Sanada clan as a whole in SW4) so having Shingen as the enemy officer only is like shrug (he’s fun in the Uesugi vs Takeda stage in Mitsuhide’s chapter, but his presence isn’t strong overall, I know there’s one Ieyasu stage where Takeda are with them but I forgot what it’s about)

Kenshin - LOL this time Kenshin got some Kanetsugu’s characterization so he’s very loud, very opinionated, and all about righteousness, which isn’t GI this time but TADASHIKI. At the moment, he’s a bit annoying (but I also felt that way about SW4 Kanetsugu at the beginning, and he’s among my faves now, so...)

Mouri Motonari - he’s also there to be a villain and he does it well. He’s not a nice grandfather, he’s dark and shrewd, and it’s very different from SW4. 

Azai Nagamasa - he’s different, I’m still not sure if in a good or bad way

Matsunaga Hisahide - he’s fun lol (I mean I liked his SW4 version, and I like his SW5′s one too) He’s not really a joke character anymore, and he’s VERY interested in Mitsuhide. I’m glad he stayed as a playable character.

Nouhime - (no one calls her Nouhime lol ETA: Sena does) she is a great character but unfortunately her ‘screen time’ is way too short. Her interactions are mostly limited to Nobunaga, but I guess I just need to trigger more in battle dialogues. I like what they did with her in the IF stories.

Mitsuki - she was such a delightful surprise. She’s written well, and I really like her story, and also her involvement in Nobunaga and Mitsuhide’s story

Toshiie - he’s pretty much the same as in SW4, he’s Nobunaga’s childhood friend and just follows whatever Nobunaga orders, without questioning it much (the furthest he went was before Hiei-zan, but nothing really came from it anyway). He has bigger role during the early chapters, after Mitsuhide joins Nobunaga, Nobunaga apparently forgets he already had a BFF? idk lol 

Katsuie - he became more handsome, but at the core, he’s pretty much the same Katsuie too. But this time they decided to make Katsuie loyal primarily to Oichi and make him her bodyguard (probably to avoid any potential creepiness considering Oichi’s age this time). Toshiie and Katsuie don’t really have any familial relationship, and Hideyoshi calls him “danna” lol

Oichi - she’s a... child, basically (and I did like the mother-like figure in SW4, especially in SW4-2), but she keeps growing on me. 

Saitou Toshimitsu - he’s extremely loyal to Mitsuhide and he follows him no matter what. They have a nice lord/vassal relationship very different from all lord/vassal relationships that were in SW4, so it’s refreshing

Yamanaka Shikanosuke - he’s a great character, he’s friends with Mitsuhide, and they both swore under the moon to become stronger, so they could protect those who were important to them, and that promise made them move forward. It’s a great friendship, but tragic. (as everything in this stupid game is) Although, I admit that at this time, more than his relationship with Mitsuhide, I’m more interested in his relationship with Mori Motonari and Kobayakawa Takakage.

Hanbei - omg I love this version of Hanbei a LOT. I feel like in SW4 he wasn’t around that much, and when he was I just focused more on Kanbei, but do I love him in SW5. His characterization is basically the same, but he’s also more soft? And more on equal ground with Hideyoshi, whom he calls ‘Hideyoshi’, and while their relationship isn’t THAT different, Hideyoshi’s personality and age makes it different, and I love it. Because of his time with Dosan, he gets a lot of ‘screen time’ this time around, so that’s great too.

Kanbei - Kanbei is... young LOL He appears pretty late in the game, so I didn’t have much time to really focus on him because this time, I focused more on Hanbei. Their senpai-kohai relationship is cute though

Nakamura Kazuuji - he’s... there. He has a nice relationship with Mitsuki, but we also never really see them interact properly or hear about their past (maybe the citadel events?), and he’s very loyal to Hideyoshi, so that’s cool too. Like I said above I like the Hashiba group. 

Sena - Sena is great, different from the other girls in this game, more mature. 

Tadakatsu - he’s like a big loud puppy who follows his master Takechiyo. I didn’t focus on him much tbh I’ve always preferred Ieyasu’s relationship with Hanzou, and that didn’t really change. And this time there was also Sena, so... Tadakatsu was... just there, more like an older brother than a vassal

Hanzou - also great. The age difference this time made some changes with his relationship with Ieyasu, and there’s no ‘shadow to Ieyasu’s light’ symbolism this time, but it is still a nice relationship. 

Sandayu - he’s a character that’s very present and he goes from a nice big brother figure to ********, but I haven’t really made an opinion about him yet. He’s a good character, but I like others more, basically.

Kobayakawa Takakage - hahahahaha he’s very self-centered and at first I was like you’re so annoying, but he also started to grow on me, so we’ll see (I definitely do prefer SW4 though). Although, this Kobayakawa and this Hanbei would work quite well together. I need to replay the Hashiba VS Mouri stages.

Saika Magoichi - he’s a nicer version of his SW4 version with no weird womanizer thing thrown in (yet). Unfortunately he only serves as a villain and you don’t really get to know his story, but he’s a person with integrity

Yasuke - Yasuke only joins at the very end of the game, and he’s very cool. He definitely works better than Ranmaru for what this story is about.

Oda Nobuyuki - he was a nice character. tbh they could have made him fully playable because he was present for two whole chapters but well... 

Okabe - idk you fight against him

Katsuyori - I like that Shingen calls him ‘Jirou’ LOL otherwise it didn’t really matter to me if he had a special design or not (but like I said I’m not interested in Takeda clan) - he’s voiced by the same guy who’s voicing Kobayakawa so when I don’t particularly pay attention I’m like why is Ieyasu fighting Kobayakawa? lol

Kikkawa Motoharu - ??? he’s there. he’s the muscles to Kobayakawa’s brain, I guess

Mouri Terumoto - he’s young, he feels the burden, but he doesn’t have much presence

Dousan - well, Dousan is Dousan

Saitou Yoshitatsu - at one moment he’s laughing like a cartoon villain

Asakura Yoshikage - he’s so good. He has a bigger presence that Nagamasa, and it’s a shame he wasn’t made fully playable. But he also never joined Nobunaga... he’s a really nice lord who cares about his territory and people, and does everything to protect them

Ashikaga Yoshiaki - your usual incompetent shogun, I guess

Mitsubushi Fujihide - I love him! He’s very loyal to the shogunate and Yoshiaki and does everything to protect him. (even though the shogun is the way he is)

aaaand done. Future me, how did your opinions change?

TOP 5 characters: Mitsuhide, Nobunaga, Hanbei, Hideyoshi, Toshimitsu

[ikesenmotonari]

thoughts on the motonari preview

ooooohhh boy. i don't think anything negative about it. in fact, i’m super hyped for motonari’s release! i'm just wary of how they'll treat the characters based on what we have in this post by @deathbyotome (i love you and thank you for translating!!).

i love his ship. i LOOOVE the outfits for mc, i’m gonna draw that. his castle is fantastic: the royal, warm colours upstairs versus the vibrant (and classic motonari palette) of teal and gold downstairs. that’s his duality. on a related note, i want to see how cybird handles his ‘beggar prince’ title.

his ship is kinda funny, it’s extremely western. he probably got it from europeans.

i... don’t like his casual kimono that much. the cloak placement throws me off and i wish he had a shorter kimono that looks more like a shirt, since he’s wearing pants and boots. BOOTS. just like nobunaga and his stinky ugly brown boots. i’m gonna scream. i know he’s all about being bold but like... what...

since mc is straight up gonna fall in love with him, i wonder how they’ll write the progression from enemies to lovers. motonari is no easy guy to love. like in this ask i got, i sincerely hope mc doesn’t go like “i forgive you because you’re traumatized!”. yikes.

i’m gonna put all my thoughts on each scene in order.

1. of all the things in this preview, the “locked in a room” scene pissed me off the most (though number five on this list is worse, but i wasn’t surprised by it). why? think of it this way: you’re locked in an unfamiliar place with an enemy, someone you are scared of, someone who threatened your life. you want to escape. what planet was mc raised on that made her want to wipe off the water on his face? the water... on a pirate? motonari spends weeks getting stormed on and you’re worried about him GETTING A FUCKING COLD? i’m with motonari on this one. don’t fucking touch him. wtf.

2. the cooking with him scene is cute. i like that motonari doesn’t trust anyone else to give him food... he has to make it himself. that’s a lovely callback to how his trauma shaped him into a skeptical, distant guy. if i were him, i wouldn’t trust anyone not to poison my food. motonari doesn’t keep anyone close...

3. ... though, sleeping next to him happens later in the route. idk mc, i’d be lookin’ at him like that too if i had to sleep an arm’s length away from him lmao. actually, fuck it, i’d kiss him. i agree with lissa’s comment -- it sounds a bit unnatural for motonari’s character to be like “i’m being nice right now” and “go the fuck to sleep” one after the other. we don’t have the full context of this scene, but with how he said “i’m trying to do what you want, here”, it makes me wonder if this is when motonari trusts mc enough to have her in the same bed as him. is he struggling with how to be nice to her?

4. THIS SCENE IS WHAT MADE ME SO EXCITED. HIROYOSHI! HE’S CANON! OH MY GOD! a retainer who was with the mori clan for years! he’s freaking canon!!! of course motonari lets him talk back, he’s the only one motonari can reasonably trust on the ship! hiroyoshi worked for motonari’s dad, then older brother, motonari, and eventually motonari’s children. he’s so, so important for motonari and i’m so happy the pirate has one connection -- dare i say, friend -- from his childhood. (i think i’m just more excited for the backstory at this rate...) i’m guessing hiroyoshi is also a friendly face on the ship so that mc doesn’t feel completely hopeless on board.

5. master/slave stuff. great (/s).

i’m not surprised. i don’t want to unpack all of this.

as i said earlier, we don’t know the full context for these previews. still, cybird’s treatment of dark-skinned characters baffles me. lots to think about.

overall, though? i’m pretty excited to learn more about him. i’m happy with any motonari content, and i still do love ikesen! some writing is questionable but i still enjoy it! what do you guys think of the preview? 

[blue-and-dog]

Hey y’all, have some Sengoku BASARA OC art I forgot to post!

1) Kou, the eldest daughter of Maeda Toshiie and Matsu. She is four. She likes mushrooms. She’s wholesome.

2) Megohime redesign.

3) More Megohime.

4) Learned the Border Effect trick on Clip Studio and tried drawing Ayane with more detailed hair.

5) Mori Okimoto, the late older brother of Mori Motonari. My version is a somewhat eccentric but even-keeled man with the element of wind; with this element he manipulated papers and pages to be his weapon. But the pressure to maintain perfection caused him never-ending stress, and this drove him to drink, until his body just couldn’t take the damage anymore...

[haloshornsinkstains]

Six Month RAD-iversary

A rewrite of the party event with Kore (my Obey Me! MC). Self indulgent because why the hell not?

and now I can get back to writing the Motonari fic I’ve been struggling with for a week

Kore joined the Student Council in the main hall only slightly nervous. She was fairly sure she hadn’t done anything to get herself into trouble this week and her grades were pretty good, as long as you didn’t look too closely at her marks in History. Still, she made sure to stand just a little behind Mammon just in case. She watched Lord Diavolo get ready to make his announcement, eyes flicking around the room for any sign this was bad news, but everyone looked just as confused as she did. “I’ve gathered you all here for a very special reason. In a few days, Kore will have been with us for a full six months.” Oh… OH! Had it really been so long? Suddenly it felt like time was moving way too fast, half way through the year had come up well before she was ready for it. “Tell us, Kore, how do you feel? Do you wish to continue staying at the House of Lamentation?” She wanted to shout yes, that she never wanted to leave. But she was mindful of Lucifer stood only a few feet away, and he wouldn’t be best pleased with such uncouth behaviour in front of the Prince. As if sensing her thoughts she vaguely heard Lucifer say something about answering honestly. Ducking her head slightly and taking a single deep breath she nodded. “Of course!” Well she’d tried to stay composed, but she knew her voice carried just a touch too much excitement and her grin was a bit too broad. To his credit, Diavolo just chuckled, clearly pleased with her answer. Apparently pleased too, with just how close she’d managed to get to the seven brothers. As the room around her dissolved into a debate about whether the time had gone too fast or if it felt as if she’d always been there ( both , she thought) she found Diavolo’s eyes and smiled at him, mouthing a thank you. She could hear the brothers joking with each other about their first impressions and her heart filled with warmth and affection for them all. Sensing a lull in the conversation she cleared her throat, grinning broadly as they all turned to look at her. “Let’s throw a party to celebrate!” Suddenly the mood shifted. Was it such a terrible idea? Usually at least some of them would be pleased at an excuse to party, but as they started making their excuses (and Asmo was the first, which hurt more than she’d expected) she felt her heart drop. Worrying her bottom lip between her teeth and trying not to let the hurt show on her face as one by one they told her they were too busy. She half expected it from Levi, but the others… some of those excuses were terrible. Even Mammon was looking shifty and refusing to meet her eyes. “It seems like everyone is rather busy. Well then, this meeting is adjourned.” It took everything in her not to run out of the doors as soon as Diavolo had finished speaking, instead she gave the Prince a quick nod, spinning on her heel and swiftly making her way out of the hall, muttering something about homework.

Simeon and the other exchange students found her before she could find them, apparently Luke had been worried when she’d been pulled away to the hall for a meeting and she ruffled the boys hair fondly despite his complaints. Luke might be many years older than her, but he looked like a kid and she couldn’t not treat him like one. She sat on one of the desks in the abandoned classroom, letting the fake smile drop from her face as she rested her chin on her palm. “Mhm, six months. I suggested a party but suddenly they’re all far too busy for that. Even Asmo. Asmo! He who jumps on every opportunity to get dressed up like he’s starving and its the best food he’s ever seen!” Simeon rested a hand on her shoulder, giving her a reassuring squeeze. “I’m sure it was just a coincidence that they all had plans.” Solomon beside him nodded. “They are demons, after all. Perhaps they don’t care much about things like half year anniversaries.” The conversation dissolved into how their time seemed to have flown by, and how Solomon seemed so at ease here from the start. “There are still things I’m not used to.” Kore shrugged. “I still need reminding sometimes to check the food to make sure it won’t hurt me, which is odd. And, well, living in the House of Lamentation is always full of surprises. Still.. It feels like home.” “Well naturally you wouldn’t be used to everything. The Devildom is completely different to the human world.” “Not completely.” This time the smile she wore was genuine. “There’s plenty of similarities, I will give you that the differences aren’t always subtle though.” If she hadn’t been watching carefully she might have missed the slightly fond smile that touched the corners of the Sorceror’s normally stoic expression. Such a stark contrast to the warmth she could feel from Simeon smiling beside her. “Oh right, Kore…” Solomon cleared his throat, eyes narrowing just a touch as he studied her. “I was planning to go buy those materials you recommended after class. Could you possibly come with me?” Huh? Solomon was inviting her on a shopping trip? That was… unusual. Narrowing her gaze ever so slightly back at him she considered it for a few moments before nodding. If the boys were going to avoid her then she might as well use her time doing something interesting, and shopping with Solomon would be a good distraction. “Of course.” Kore smiled at him brightly. “Don’t leave without me.”

The town is bright and bustling, and being here without one of the brothers was a novel experience in itself. Besides, she hadn’t had much chance to talk to Solomon outside of classes so this was the perfect excuse to pick his brains. He wouldn’t give up personal information, she didn’t know why she expected any different, but he was a wealth of knowledge about pacts and magic and really she should have been picking his brains much earlier. Plus he had all the best stories about Simeon and Luke, she’d gathered enough material to tease the littlest angel with for weeks, if not months. “Thank you for coming with me.” Kore shrugged. “It’s no problem, it’s nice to get to know you a little better. You’re an interesting dude.” “I’ve been called many things, but I think that’s a first.” She grinned and sketched a mock bow, freezing still bent double at the sound of a familiar voice. Slowly she righted herself, glancing around until she spotted him. “Oh… isn’t that Mammon?” Solomon muttered from beside her, a thread of confusion lacing through his words. “What are you doing Mammon?” He froze, nearly jumping out of his skin at the sight of her stood there with Solomon, stumbling over his words as his eyes darted between the two of them. Even Solomon’s perfectly mundane questions leaving him flustered. Kore frowned, just a little, feeling a pang of something painful in her chest when he admitted he was saving up for something. Mammon, she had learned, was almost as bad as Levi when it came to excitement over things he wanted to buy. Which meant he was specifically hiding it from her. She almost missed Solomon’s sly jab at the demon, sending a quick elbow into his ribs when she realised what he’d said. When Mammon turned his attention back to her, questioning why she was out with Solomon, a small hurt part of her wanted to lie, tell him it was a date. Luckily, the bigger, less petty side of her won out. “We just came to buy some materials.” She shrugged, chewing on her bottom lip. With a half-explanation Solomon vanished, leaving the two of them alone as Mammon starting to bluster about her going out with other guys. This she was used to, and it made her feel just a little better. “Are you jealous?” A small smirk played across her lips. He was, she knew he was, he knew he was, hells, even Solomon could have spotted it a mile away. But he always denied it, even after everything. She made a mental note that maybe more lessons on sharing were in order and sighed, listening to him bluster. He wouldn’t tell her what he was buying, and it stung, even when he apologised for the way they all turned her down. The only one of the brothers so far to express any real remorse over their sudden busy schedules. “I get it, you’re working now, of course you’re busy.” He nodded. “Yeah! Still… sorry. Anyway, I gotta get back to it. I’ll see ya at home.” She nodded. “Bye Mammon.”

The next day she started getting suspicious, Beel came to find her in her room and took her out to Hell’s Kitchen on a pretense of thanking her for her help. Beel was always sweet to her, but this felt more so than usual, he offered to take her more often, held her hand, asked about her favourite food… she wondered if maybe he felt guilty for turning her down as well, food was a classic Beel apology after all. And he did only share food with special people. But then, when they got back, Asmo collared her and insisted on trying a whole host of beauty products on her. In and of itself, not incredibly unusual, but two of them doing this in one day was kind of suspicious. Maybe they were feeling guilty? Not that she’d say no to being pampered right now, not when sadness had started to gnaw a hole in her chest. But then two became three, Levi calling her on pretense of some emergency only to get her to look through games with him. Half of which were games she knew she’d been talking about in the past few weeks. Though it did offer her a chance to at least get to hold his hand, leaning against him with a smile as he went through reviews with her. They might all be acting sketchy as hell, but the opportunity to spend a little time with each of the brothers soothed some of the ache of their sudden attempted departure from her life. Though the warmth came crashing down as they all suddenly declared hectic schedules and vanished on her after lunch, on a weekend, the one day everyone had off. Trying not to let the hurt show on her face Kore grabbed her coat, pulling out her D.D.D and firing off a quick message to the group chat she had with the Purgatory Hall residents. “I’m going to see the angels for a bit. Don’t wait up.” She was out of the door before anyone could stop her, stalking across the campus. Mammon frowned and looked over at the eldest. “Do we really hafta keep this a secret from her?” “It’s not really a surprise party if she knows about it.” Satan frowned. “But she’s…” Mammon flailed his hands towards the door. “It’ll be worth it in the end.” Lucifer nodded, though his tone suggested he was trying to convince himself as much at them.

Over at Purgatory Hall Kore had called an emergency group meeting, trying to hide the worry and panic on her face when she greeted the other exchange students. She had hoped they’d tell her she was being silly, that nothing had changed, but even Luke had noticed the brothers were acting colder than usual. She felt her face crumpling a little, Simeon resting a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Well they are busy right?” Kore tried to nod, but Solomon stopped her with a simple “I think they’re lying”. She bit down hard on her lip, willing herself not to cry, not to let the panic set in as she listened to them debate whether the brothers were up to something or not, offering her own agreement that they were acting sketchy. She felt Simeon squeeze her gently, reassurance and just the touch of something protective. “Well, we’ll have to keep an eye on them.”

The next day she found herself in the Library, maybe getting lost in a good book (or even a terrible one) would help her feel better. Help her forget. What she didn’t expect was to wander into Satan, who was apparently doing a terrible job of being busy. She froze, an apology falling off her tongue as soon as he spotted her. But he gestured for her to join him, asking after her mood (she just managed to bite her tongue from pointing out that of course she was upset, you idiot) and offering her a seat next to him which she gladly took. It was a tight squeeze, but aside from a pretty blush on his cheeks he didn’t complain, and Kore enjoyed the warmth of his closeness, inhaling the scent of books and resting her cheek against his shoulder. She could hear him talking, but she was only half paying attention until he asked a question. “Are there any books you want to read?�� “I want to talk with you.” ‘Since you’re all ignoring me the rest of the time’ . She half expected him to make excuses and disappear, but instead he agreed, showing her a magical photo album full of old photos of him. Though she wouldn’t have guessed they were old judging by how little they’d aged, darn Demon biology. All too soon it was over, as he ushered her out of the room towards dinner, only for her to find herself ushered back out of the dining room on a mission to find Belphie.

As they watched her leave Asmo frowned at his brother. “Do you think she suspects something?” Satan shrugged. “Not sure, I can never tell with her. Some days she’s almost as sharp as me, others it’s fairly clear Mammon’s influence is rubbing off on her.” He frowned a little. “She’s sad though, I think.” “Well of course she’s sad! We’re all suddenly ignoring her all the time!” Mammon grumbled, shooting a glare at Lucifer. “I told you this was a terrible idea!” “It is not a terrible idea, and we’re not completely ignoring her. Everyone has spent at least some time with her over the past few days.” Lucifer sighed, rubbing his temples. “The party is tomorrow, she’ll be fine Mammon. She’s not a child.” Mammon just grumbled something under his breath about taking better care of their human and glanced towards the stairs, figuring by now Belphie would have convinced her into trying out pillows with him. She was, surprisingly, much less skittish around the youngest now despite all of his worrying. Certainly less so than any of them would have expected of her after all that had happened, and when they returned she was smiling softly. Belphie shooting them a quick thumbs up from behind her. She had that look on her face she normally got when Mammon was scheming, though the second eldest was watching hurt flash through her eyes at the same time. He wanted to tell her everything, to stop that forlorn lonely expression from crossing her face every time they were all suddenly busy, but Lucifer had been so insistent that the ends justified the means and he really wanted to see her joy at the surprise. So he swallowed down the bitter taste in his mouth, the pain that rose up every time he saw her dig her nails into her skin when they all disappeared on her, and the broken fragments of conversation he had caught coming from outside Purgatory Hall as he walked home one evening. It was probably a good thing he hadn't seen her then, the wobble in her voice and the flash of utter despair in her expression that had prompted Simeon to pull her into a hug would have had him spilling the beans in an instant. Lucifer be damned. He almost did it regardless when her face crumpled as they all announced their early nights, more so when she startled at Lucifer's request (order) to join him in his room, but she followed him regardless.

Kore was still a little nervous around the eldest, especially when he caught her off guard like this. "Did I do something?" She really didn't think she had done anything worth being in trouble over, but Lucifer's definition of misdeeds didn't always match her own so there was the chance. Instead he had her tasting teas. If this was a punishment it was her favourite so far, even better than that one time he had a flogger out. But as the tea tasting drew on she felt more and more like something was amiss, and listening more carefully to his words she wondered briefly how Lucifer had ever kept any secrets at all. Though he was, she mused, usually less open so maybe that was it. Either way she left the room full of delicious tea and more convinced than ever the brothers were up to something. For some small measure of revenge she teased him about blind folding him, knowing the eldest would never actually go for it but finding his reactions amusing all the same. "Maybe next time?" She hummed, leaving him with a wink and a smirk.

The next day, she realised a little belatedly after waking, was the six month anniversary. No one was acting right, Mammon was even juniper than usual, Lucifer barely said a word to her before vanishing and Asmo didn't even try to flirt with her over breakfast. With them all practically avoiding her the day went slowly and painfully. And when lessons ended the brothers were nowhere to be found. With a sigh Kore went to find the Angels and Solomon, clutching a small bag of gifts to her chest. "They left without you?" Luke's expression didn't know whether to be angry or upset. Kore nodded. "They're acting so weird. Do-do you think they hate me now?" Simeon had his arms around her almost immediately, hushing her with gentle reassurances. "Don't be foolish Little Lamb." Even Solomon scoffed, shaking his head. "I know for certain they don't. I've never seen a group of demons so smitten with a human. Mammon in particular…" Kore flapped a hand at him, her cheeks flushed. "Okay, okay, I get it. I just don't know what's going on!" "Maybe you should ask them when you get back. I'll walk you to the gates." Simeon smiled, gently pressing on her back as he guided her towards the exit.

“Is everything ready?” Mammon was a ball of nervous energy, flitting back and forth between the decorations and the food on the table. He flapped his hands at Beel, chasing him away from the feast they’d laid out. Though even he had to admit his younger brother had been extremely well behaved around the food, all things considered. “Nearly, do you think she’ll like it?” Asmo patted the decoration he’d finished hanging gently. Lucifer nodded. “She seemed excited about the idea of a party, and she enjoyed roping you all into a surprise party for me.” Mammon frowned. “I hope she likes it, we need this to make up for hurting her.” It was quiet, barely a mutter, and he was pretty sure only Levi heard him judging by the way the third born gently patted him on the shoulder. “She’ll be happy.” He nodded. Lucifer sighed. “Do you know what to do Mammon?” “Yeah, yeah, I’m not an idiot y’know?” Satan chuckled. “Well that’s debatable.”

She pushed her way quietly through the doors of the House of Lamentation, Simeon’s gentle words and encouragement on the way there giving her some courage to face the brothers and hopefully press some answers out of them. She hadn’t expected to see any of them, much less Mammon standing in the entrance hall ready to greet her. “Ah, Kore, you’re back! You gotta come quick! The guys need your help! C’mon!” She froze, narrowing her eyes ever so slightly at him, a sharp retort ready on her tongue. But before she could say anything he was ushering her into the dining room Barely a few steps through the door she froze, eyes wide and heart jumping into her throat. There stood all the brothers, amidst decorations and a lavish spread of food. ‘Kore, do not cry. You’re not going to cry at this. ’ “Happy half-year anniversary!” ‘ Nope, do not cry. Hold it together. ’ But her throat is tight as she stares at them, all so happy amongst the decorations. “What’s going on?” She tries to keep the tremor from her voice, but she’s not entirely sure it worked. She’s so in awe she barely catches Lucifer explaining the surprise, that they’d been planning it for ages. As much as she wants to call them out on their weird behaviour the words won’t come when they all look so pleased with themselves and they clearly worked so hard. She nods. “What a surprise!” The twins look so pleased at her (mostly) faux surprise, though it’s hard to tell with Belphie - he at least seems pleased she hadn’t figured it out to their knowledge. Lucifer just nods. “It’s a modest affair but I hope you’ll enjoy it.” “It’s amazing! You’re all amazing!” Her voice is really shaking now, the tears starting to form in her eyes. But Lucifer isn’t done yet. “Each of us has prepared a gift for you.” ‘ Oh no. They’re really trying to make me cry here aren’t they? ’ Mammon is first, always greedy for attention, in his hands he holds a mug “I gotcha this! A mug with your name on it! You said you wanted one, right?” His hand is over his face, half hiding his smile and the flush on his cheeks, though it does nothing to hide the bright joy in his eyes, and the undercurrent of a need to please, to be accepted. “This is what I was saving up for!” Kore just nods, unable to form words though the bright smile that threatens to split her face in two seems to be enough for Mammon, who is grinning bright back at her as she gently takes the mug from him, clutching it to her chest. Mammon, who would find any excuse or scheme to try and get money with as little effort as possible, had actually worked a real job to save up for this for her. It meant more than any material gift. Levi is next, handing over the game they’d chosen together in his room. The gift, as much as she will deeply enjoy playing it, especially the co-op parts with Levi by her side, also reminds me vividly of the warmth of holding his hand while they looked through the reviews and she swallows hard, grinning and mouthing her thanks. Asmo brought her beauty products, those she tried with him and a few extras including a lotion that promises to smell delicious. Breathing deeply through her nose she smiles at him and gently takes the basket, resting the game from Levi on top safely. “Promise you’ll give me a massage with that lotion some time?” It’s not quite a joke, and the words are a little choked, but his grin and the semi-tease of her words manages to calm some of the tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. “Any time beautiful.” He winks, ignoring the noise of protest from Mammon. Beel gives her a favour coupon, one that will let her ask him to cook for her any time. The thought sends warmth blooming through her chest, and a pang of hunger in her stomach. Beel is one of the best cooks in the house, if not the best, though she guesses it’s little surprise given how much he eats, and the thought that he is not only willing to share food with her but to cook for her means more than she can say. Satan presents her with a magical album, one she can’t wait to fill with pictures of the brothers. She makes a mental note that they will start filling it tonight, the perfect way to remember her time at RAD, to imprint these men on her life forever. She nods at him, tucking the album under her arm with a smile and a promise to see it filled. Belphie gives her the pillow she had liked so much when she went to get him for dinner, and a promise to nap together. Carefully jugging the gifts she manages to tuck it under her other arm, it’s such a Belphie gift and she’s so happy he can be at ease with her now. That he actually likes her after everything. “My next day off, we’ll watch movies and nap yeah?” He nods and steps back, finally it’s Lucifer’s turn. He has tea, her favourites from their taste-testing session, and a promise that he’ll teach her how to make it properly next time. She can feel her eyes stinging, vision starting to blur. Still, she offers him her best attempt at a smirk. “With blindfolds this time?” The brothers all stare at her, but Lucifer merely chuckles. “That was for tasting, preparing tea in a blindfold is foolish no?” She grins. Though it’s a little tearful, looking around until she spots a small side table and very carefully setting the gifts down before she turns to look at them all again. “Thank you all so much…” She’s smiling but she can feel a tear starting to trickle down her cheek, and she’s half certain Asmo is about to cut in with something about ruining her makeup or her skin but right now she couldn’t care less. “I’m sure that seeing you happy is enough of a reward for everyone. All right, on the count of three. One, two... ” “Kore, please stay with us for a bit longer!” That’s it. The dam truly breaks at the sight of them all stood together, asking her to stay with them. Seven of the most powerful demons in all of Devildom and they want her, a silly little human with no power, to stay there with them. Her heart is bursting and no matter what she does the tears won’t stop now. “Wait! Wait!” Mammon steps towards her, the other brothers closing in a little. “Human, uh, hey Kore, why’re you crying? Oof!” She doesn’t answer right away, nearly knocking Mammon and several of his brothers off their feet as she flings herself at them in a giant hug, beckoning with her free hand for the others to join until they’re one mass of warmth and hugs. “I’m just happy Mammon. I’m so happy.” She sniffles, choking back a sob. “I love you all so much, and you did all this for me. I- I thought you all… Oh it doesn’t matter. You guys are the best. Of course I’m staying, I never want to leave.” She’s sure she hears Mammon sniffle against her shoulder, but he’s buried in the pile of his brothers and she can’t see his face. He’s composed enough by the time they all pull away that she can’t quite tell is she heard right or not, though his eyes look a little red.

The meal is wonderful, a spread of human and devildom food, and nearly all of her favourites including Simeon’s BLTs and what she’s fairly certain are pastries made by Barbatos. Someone, Levi she guesses, even somehow acquired adzuki mochi as part of the desserts spread. And there she sits, surrounded by the brothers, the men (demons) she loves most in the world, drinking expensive Demonus out of a cute little mug with her name on it. Lucifer tried to convince her to sit at the head of the table, in his usual seat, but she’s much more comfortable in her usual seat in the thick of things, sandwiched between Mammon and Levi. The older brother’s hand on her knee, while she grins and laughs and drinks happily. It’s pure bliss, spurred on by the drink, and even Lucifer is getting tipsy at this point. Several drinks and already flushed in she stands and lifts her mug, all eyes turning to her. “I know I said this before, but I love you all so much.” She takes a sip and a deep breath. “And I want to spend more time with you all. So… so… promise me. Promise me you’ll all spend lots of time with me now? And we can take lots of pictures to fill my album, and I can keep telling you all how great you are.” There’s a beat of silence, the expectation that Lucifer will admonish her for her drinking. But instead he stands, cheeks flushed as he moves to scoop her into his arms again, his face pressed against hers. “We promise.” He practically purrs, voice dropping to a whisper as he gently presses a kiss to her cheek in a way she’s sure the rest will mock him relentlessly for later. “We still have blindfolded tea tasting to come.” She flushes, stumbling as Mammon tugs her out of his brother's grip and back down into her chair. “Hey hey, I’m her first! Remember that!” She soothes him gently, stroking his cheek and running her hand through his hair. “Shh Mammon, remember sharing?” He blushes, biting back a moan as her fingers scratch lazily against his scalp. “I’m so happy.” Kore grins, popping a bite of cake into her mouth.

Lord Diavolo and Barbatos make a surprise appearance later into the night, and it’s only by the grace of his intoxication that Kore is spared a harsh lecture for her cries of “Lord Diavolo! Barbatos!” and over excited leap from the table. She stops just short of hugging him straight away, though, to his immense credit, the Prince takes it all in his stride smiling warmly and pulling her into a gentle hug, large hand patting her head gently. “Thank you… so much… for letting me…” her voice wobbles again and she can’t finish the sentence for fear of crying again “I’m sorry.” “I’m glad to see the exchange programme is such a success.” He chuckles, watching Beel gently lead her back to her seat. “You’ve been a credit to the human race Kore. I can’t wait to see what other surprises you have in store for us in the next six months.” He speaks with Lucifer for a few moments, clearly amused at the other’s state of intoxication and the warm hug the fallen angel wraps around him, before they both take their leave. As Barbatos shuts the door behind them, drowning out the sounds of the party, they just hear a plaintive cry from the human. “Oh! We should have got a group picture!”

They do in the end, though without the Demon Lord and his butler despite her complaints. It takes pride of place in the very front of her photo album.

[samurailoveballadhistory]

Any idea why Sanada Yukitaka sort of got phased out of modern media? From what I can tell, the main source on Sanada is a chronicle that starts with Yukitaka -> Masayuki -> Yukimura but nowadays you only hear about Masayuki and Yukimura.

Disclaimer: This is my observation from the very mainstream circles, i.e stuff that made splashes in the news, and mostly visual media (movies,TV dramas, games, anime/manga). Even so, there’s a lot of manga that I may not know of, and I have never touched novels. So if there’s different impression from book-reader circles, I wouldn’t know. 

I’m inclined to think that not many in the general public actually cares about the Sanada as a whole. Yukimura is interesting on his own, Masayuki is interesting on his own, but everyone else are just bonus add-ons. It’s the same with a lot of the clans. There’s usually only one guy that everyone likes, and everyone else are akin to blank-faced NPCs. Masamune is all cool and everything, but what do you know about his father? Mouri Motonari is the badass lord of the Western provinces, but what about his sons?  

As a comparison, Nobuyuki seems to have much less prominence too. He’s Yukimura’s brother, and there’s interesting stories written about their brotherhood, but Nobuyuki as his own person? Maybe he’s out there in the stuff that I can’t look at, but from what I see so far he doesn’t seem to make a distinct impression other than “he’s Yukimura’s brother”. 

I’m assuming you’re kind of familiar with SLBP because you’re here... That version of Nobuyuki is somewhat indicative that people in general is so blank on him that they’re resorted to having him hijack Masayuki’s role. Basically they both take turns doing the talking when there’s diplomacy issues come up. Sometimes Masayuki makes the decision, while Nobuyuki smooths it out for Yukimura and the vassals. Other times, Masayuki does and says little, and Nobuyuki is the one who makes the plans. 

I mean, the other possible reason is just that Yukitaka is from the older generation that nobody seems to care about either. Shingen’s younger days, his alliance with Hojo and Imagawa, etc... there’s not much of that in the media either. Things are only interesting to the public once Kenshin shows up.