#ransei secret santa

[rdmfavcpls]

My Little Secret

Title: My Little Secret

Category: Samurai Warriors/Pokemon Conquest

Rating: T

Pairing: Aya/Kanetsugu

Summary: After a gruesome battle, a day before harvesting season, the Uesugi clan goes to retire for the night, while others focus on healing the wounded. One important figure hides among the shadows to focus on others.

Disclaimer: I do not owe any rights to the Samurai Warriors or the Pokemon franchise.

Author’s Note: This is my secret santa gift for @setethx for the Samurai Warriors Secret Santa Exchange. That’s right! I was your secret Santa! I hope you enjoy this story!

~~Story Begins~~

The lingering scent of gunpowder, smoke, and blood flew into the light spring breeze as the leaves danced into the Uesugi camp in a swirl of reds and oranges. The cries of worried Pokemon partners, families, and wounded soldiers filled the otherwise silent night where they would otherwise be asleep in preparation for the busy day tomorrow.

In one of the tents saved for the wounded, an Alakazam watched in worry as his partner helped tended to the wounded soldiers, ignoring their own serious injuries, especially the deep gash he had quickly bandaged so no one would notice his side bleeding.

“I can sense your worry, my friend,” Alakazam’s partner said. “I will take care of my wound once the seeds have been planted for the harvest season. A lot of our farmers were caught in this battle with the Oda forces and they will need all of the help they can get.”

Alakazam nodded its head. It did love its human partner and shared its views of righteous and justice. It was how its human trained him since he was a small Abra, but he still worried over his human. The psychic pokemon could already tell that the wound was taking its toll on him, but if left untreated, it’s going to get infected. 

“Lord Kanetsuga,” a peasant said as they entered the wounded tent. “I know it has been a long night for our soldiers and our lords, but we could use the help in getting our crops planted.”

The peasant bowed as he continued to talk. “We understand if you cannot help us this season as you fought extremely valiantly in the battlefield and helped take care of the wounded.”

Kanetsuga laughed. “Nonsense, my friend,” he said with a laugh. “I would be more than happy to help with the harvest season again. We must cheer up the spirits of the people as well as it is a time to celebrate! Just allow me a few minutes before I join.”

“Of course, thank you so much Lord Kanetsugu,” the peasant said before leaving.

Alakazam looked at its partner who had already lost some color. It raised its concern in its heart and Kanetsuga could feel it. He patted Alakazam's head with a weak smile. “Don’t worry, once the planting is done, I’ll take care of the wound and then sleep. You go ahead and get some rest. You worked just as hard as I did during the battle and must be exhausted.”

Alakazam watched its partner leave the tent as the dawn’s early rays started to break through the night. The pokemon left the tent and proceeded to head to its human’s private tent.

The sun has risen a few times and something was wrong back in Illusion Froslass and her human partner could sense it as they returned from their training in Avia. They had heard about the Oda forces invading from Cragspur to Illusio, but Kanetsuga had defended it bravely. 

“How interesting,” Aya said. “Kanetsuga would have been at the entrance with a report over the month’s events. He’s not in sight and neither is his Alakazam.”

Her Frolass let out a hum of questioning.

“Maybe the unsuspecting warlord of Aurora moved him to a different kingdom,” Aya said and shook her head. “No. They have been strategic in making sure that someone who is originally from the kingdom and knows the terrain stays there.”

“Lady Aya,” a messenger said as he ran up to her. “I’m sorry for the delay, but I have the report.”

“Where is Kanetsugu?” Aya said. “It is unusual for him to relay on a messenger when my dear brother or myself return.”

The messenger looked nervous. “He is currently unable to, Lady Aya. That’s what my report is about.”

“Oh? He has been known to get sidetracked with helping around Illusion, but he never forgets when we are scheduled to return,” Aya said.

The messenger shook his head. “Lady Aya, Lord Kanetsuga is currently running a dangerous high fever. The doctors are unsure if he will make it through another month.”

“Lead me to him,” Aya said in the chill tone of voice that was usually reserved for Lady No. 

“Yes, ma’am,” the messenger said, “but as a warning, he hasn’t been very conscious or audible in what he’s saying.”

When Aya reached his private quarters and walked inside, she instantly knew this was going to be a tough battle. Alakazam looked up at her from his spot by Kanetsuga’s side, his powers were still working on changing the bandages on the wound that was infected with puss leaking out.

“You have been doing a good job of taking care of your partner by yourself,” Aya said. “Get some rest. Frolass and I will help.”

Aya would not let anyone know that she was slightly pleased when Kanetsuga leaned his head into her chilled hands when she placed them on his sweaty forehead or that the happy hum he let out was as adorable as her Frolass.

Maybe when Ransei is finally united as one country and the war is over, maybe she will tease Kanetsugu about this. Then maybe she could convince her brother to nudge Kanetsugu to act on his feelings for her, but with a war where Nobunga has no problems exploiting weaknesses, and No taunting her about beauty whenever they are in each other’s presence, she can only enjoy these little moments. Until then, she will enjoy these moments where they can be themselves with their pokemon and not have to worry about expectations. 

[flyingsassysaddles]

“We did it! We conquered Ransei!”

My gift to @lucifer-nanezgani as part of the @ransei-secretsanta !! I apologize for how late this is ;v; but hey better late than never! Ranmaru is one of my fav characters, mostly bc he’s adorable, and he was so much fun to draw! Happy holidays!!

[lucifer-nanezgani]

@sianri I am so, so, so incredibly sorry my gift is this late, life kind of... got in the way, sorry. But a very late merry Christmas and happy new year! I’m your secret Santa for the @ransei-secretsanta project! You wanted something Nene-related, so I had a go at drawing her in a winter/Christmas-themed outfit! Sorry for how messy it is :( but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!

[maggyfall]

HAPPY HOLIDAYS @daphneblakess ! ITS STILL CHRISTMAS SO I GOT THIS OUT ON TIME, THANK GOODNESS! Anyways, I tried my best to fit into a few of the things you wanted. So let’s consider this a part of No’s childhood in Nixtorm since you wanted something connecting to your fic, and I TRIED to make it a lil bit Aya/No. Idk, I always wondered how Aya got an ice type partner considering she lives in Illusio so I went with that and your past for No living in Nixtorm for a time. I hope this is kinda what you’re looking for. I know it’s not exactly cannon dynamics BUT hey hopefully you still like it. Hope your holidays are going well! (if you want some music to set the mood I listened to this on repeat when writing it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvuKLBv4Pys )

The light shuffling of feet could be heard in Nixtorm’s castle halls. No tried to stay as silent as she could, but only being eleven meant young No had not mastered the art of sneaking in silence just yet. Even so, she was quiet enough she wouldn’t get caught unless someone was wandering around at this hour. Which was very unlikely, considering both the outside and inside were bone-chillingly cold. It was the dead of night, the new moon casting no light both outside nor inside. All other inhabitants of the castle, besides the young girl and the guards who had duties in the evening, were asleep trying to ease the night’s cold with mountains of blankets. Yet, the young girl continued her sneaking. Wrapped in her heaviest and darkest furs she exited the castle as quietly as she could, eyes scoping the area for any guards.

It was even colder out where there were no walls guarding one against the wind. The stars being the only light to help No see, the snow falling slow and lazily for the time being. Lord Mitsuhide had warned that by morning the snowfall would become a blizzard. No’s body shivered, but she still began to make her trek to the frozen forest. She’d need to be quick lest she’d get caught in the storm. Lord Mitsuhide was already quite strict with the girl’s protection, barely allowing her to leave Nixtorm’s castle. He had good reason considering what happened to her mother, but now wasn’t the time for such thoughts. No, tonight was the type of night that made a girl like No smile. Why else would she be making a journey out in such cold lest there be a reason?

There were lots of legends in Ransei, and No had grown up to love the ghostly tales from Spectra. There were a few legends in Nixtorm that interested her, but there was in particular that dazzled her. The stories of the Yuki-onna. Women of the ice fields, those who preyed on lost travelers, some stories even claimed that the Pokemon Froslass were a kind of Yuki-onna. She’d bury her nose in any book about the legends of these women. Each tale hauntingly beautiful, and even better was that they were true. No had seen a Yuki-onna wander by the frozen forest from her bedroom’s window, but only on nights like this.

Nights were the moon was gone, and the winds howled, and the snow fell she’d see a figure dressed in white robes walk towards those forests. At first, No had thought it was just some maid, but that made little sense the more she thought about it. Who would wander the snowfields at night in such weather? Her young mind had decided that the figure she had seen must have been one of them, a real-life Yuki-onna. And thus No decided that she’d go out and see the woman of legend and lore in the forest, the next time it snowed on the night of the new moon.

The snow crunched under her feet, it beginning to fall at a much faster rate. Yet, No continued her trek into the forest. Young, curious eyes hunting for a woman in white. The temperature only continued to drop as her shivering legs continued stepping forward, it was so much cooler in the frozen forest then the fields. So much darker too, but No continued on. She would only return back to the castle once she saw her. She made it to a forest clearing before she saw the white, No quickly hiding behind a tree as a smile spread on her red face.

In the clearing there she stood, the woman in the white robes... Though she was much shorter than No had imagined, and when the Yuki-onna turned No was surprised to see she looked not much older than she. Hair as brown as a tree’s bark, eyes as icy and blue as the frozen lake, her face so lovely against the blue, white, and gold of her robes. No felt as if she couldn’t breathe she was so captured by the other girl’s beauty. The faintest of smiles on those pale cheeks, as the Yuki-onna, lowered herself onto the frozen ground, holding her arms out for someone. No almost believed it was for her, that she had been spotted by the beautiful woman. Fear, excitement, enrapturement, No was so rushed with emotions she simply could not move. It was as if she was just another frozen tree of the forest.

She soon discovered the Yuki-onna was only beckoning a small Snowrunt towards her. Perhaps Yuki-onna did have a connection with Snowrunt and Froslass after all? Later No would consider this, but for now, she simply stared as she watched the two stand together in the cold. How they stood, it looked as if they were trying to build a connection between Pokemon and Warlord. Could a creature of lore do that? No didn’t know nor did she really care about the answer, instead she just watched. Her body beginning to freeze as the weather became much worse.

The wind had gotten to the point it snapped a branch off the tree No hid behind, causing her to have to leap to dodge its fall. And now, those chillingly blue eyes were on her. The two girls simply stared, the only noise No could hear was her labored breathing and the winds howls. The Yuki-onna looked almost afraid of her, why should she be? It was No who should be afraid of the Yuki-onna!

The moment of them both capturing by the other with their gaze broke as the Yuki-onna moved to lift up the Snowrunt and began to run. It took No a moment to react, but soon she was chasing after the girl in white. Strange, she could have sworn the stories had it the other way around. The chase did not last long, however, the Yuki-onna running into some sort of portal like object, vanishing without a trace.

As No trecked back to the castle, her tracks now being covered with fresh snow, she couldn’t help but wonder what had really happened in the forest that night. As a child she’d tell herself she’d only seen a young Yuki-onna bring a Snowrunt to her realm, perhaps to evolve her into a Froslass? However, as years went by that memory became more like a dream. Her adult mind simply believing she had conjured up the memory due to her fascination with the stories.

That was until the day No had to defend the kingdom of Spectra from invaders, and amongst their army, there was a pair of very familiar blue, icy eyes.

[wingsofhcpe]

Happy holidays @lucifer-nanezgani !!! The pairing of female MC x Oichi was in your wishlist and, well, i'm weak for some good gayTM so I decided to work with it! I wanted to do art but this year was tough on me and I didn't have much time or energy, so I went for an edit. Still, I hope you like it, and I wish you happy holidays!!! 💗💗💗

[ Thanks again to @ransei-secretsanta for organising this year's event! ]

[ransei-secretsanta]

Have you heard the news, warriors?

It’s time for another year of the Pokemon Conquest / Samurai Warriors Secret Santa!

Let's face it, this year has been rough for Ransei. So we've decided it's time to bring back some holiday cheer! We’ve had so much fun watching this exchange grow over the last three years, and we hope that year four can be the biggest one yet! 

How does it work?

- Reblog this post anytime before December 1st to let us know that you want in. Once you’ve reblogged this post, send your wishlist through Tumblr’s messaging system to head mod @daphneblakess​

- What should you put on your wishlist? 3 to 5 characters, ships, kingdoms, clans, etc. from the Pokemon Conquest and/or Samurai Warriors games. Please tell us which game continuities you would like your gifts to be from! This helps to make the exchange accessible to people from both fandoms, and to pair you with someone similar. NSFW requests are allowed, but only if both parties are comfortable with it and over 18.

- On December 1st, your Secret Santa will be messaged your url and wishlist. While it’s not mandatory, we encourage you to send them some friendly anons throughout the month!

- You will have until December 25th to create your gifts. We understand that not everybody feels confident gifting artwork, so your gift can also be fanfiction, a playlist, headcanons, or anything else you can think of! The only requirements are that it matches something on your recipient’s wishlist, and that it looks like you put effort into it. After all, you wouldn’t want to receive something that looked like it was made in five minutes.

- On December 25th, post your creation in the tag #pokemon conquest secret santa and tag the user who it’s for! If for some reason you won’t be able to post your gift until past this deadline, or if you have to drop out, you must notify us at least a week in advance. We understand that life can get busy around the holidays, but it’s not fair to your recipient when everyone else has gotten their gifts and you’ve left them hanging with no explanation.

- The final deadline to post gifts will be January 1st, and this will only be extended to people who message us before December 25th. Due to issues with this in prior years, we will unfortunately have to blacklist anyone who fails to post their gift by this deadline from participating in the future.

More than anything else, we want this exchange to continue being about having fun, helping people in fandom meet each other, and creating new content! We need you all to help make that happen. Happy holidays, and as always, we can’t wait to see what you come up with!

[hunny-pp]

hi @nyasamune !! for this year’s ransei secret santa, here’s a masamune portrait!! 

i hope you enjoy it and happy holidays !!

[scribblewing]

Hey @jokerboney! I was your Secret Santa this year for @ransei-secretsanta!

One of your wishes was Kagekatsu with Galarian Rapidash, so I made a fake screenshot. Maybe if Pokemon Conquest 2 happens they’ll be included? Here’s hoping!

[lesbianchandelure]

hey there @lavendreghost!!! as fate would have it, I wound up being your Pokemon Conquest Secret Santa this year! which is perfect, because now I have the opportunity to drop some of my favorite headcanons about Illusio!

Illusio is the largest kingdom in Ransei, and its landscape is incredibly varied. While a good portion of the central kingdom is forested, the terrain is mountainous throughout, and many valleys, ridges, and rivers within the kingdom are home to smaller villages (such as the one a certain honorable retainer hails from). The trees thin out the closer you get to Terrera, and peaks start forming along the border pass that leads to the eastern kingdoms.

Alongside Terrera, Illusio spans right through the center of Ransei, which means they get hit hard by just about every season. While spring and autumn are beautiful across the kingdom, winters are frigid and summers are searing. This actually doesn’t discourage many of Illusio’s inhabitants, though! For them, it’s just another part of life, and Aya in particular has spent many a winter’s night stargazing on the roof on the castle without a thought for any cold winds.

Of course, there is one very big thing that differentiates Illusio from any other kingdom in Ransei. The mystery of Illusio’s psychic crystals is one that countless warriors have devoted themselves to studying, and while it is believed that the presence and powers of the crystals is a result of the kingdom’s high Psychic Pokemon concentration, much still remains to be learned about them. Kenshin believes that their ancestors once had greater access to the power of the crystals than the Uesugi clan currently possesses, and this is how they were able to do things like lift the castle into the sky.

Illusio is widely renowned as a patron kingdom of the arts. So much so that a large section of the city is dedicated to the musicians, artists, and performers who often flock to Illusio in search of inspiration or a wealthy patron among the kingdom’s nobility. The artists’ quarter was a favorite haunt of Aya’s in her youth, and she often took Kenshin there with her when she could sneak him past the castle guards. Even today, they can be found strolling its streets, enjoying the rare moments where no greater concerns are demanding their attention.

Illusio is one of the last two true hereditary monarchies in Ransei, the other being Nixtorm. They’re also kingdoms where a real separation is still felt between the nobility and the common folk, and while Kenshin and Aya have made strides towards easing this gap, that atmosphere of elitism hasn’t gone away overnight. A large part of Kenshin’s efforts has included the welcoming of all sorts of warriors, even commoners and outsiders from other kingdoms, into Illusio’s army.

Instead of a traditional “junior warlord” position, the warlord of Illusio will appoint a captain of the royal guard, who is charged with leading the elite squadron of warriors tasked with defending the warlord. Aya has always acted as this for Kenshin, although it’s no secret between them that she’s been eyeing Kanetsugu as her possible successor. That’s not to say Aya has plans to retire anytime soon, though!

Illusio is well-renowned throughout the history of Ransei for its military prowess, and several battles for control of the kingdom over the centuries have been the tipping points of entire wars. Kenshin has continued this legacy, both in his strategic maneuvering against his longtime rival (and perhaps best friend - although you didn’t hear that from Aya) Shingen, and in his holding back of Nobunaga’s attempts to break through the eastern pass.

The traditional festival of Illusio is a massive celebration of the arts that the kingdom is so well-known for. It draws in people from all over Ransei, and while a lot of the festivities are centralized in the artists’ quarter, they tend to spill all through the city. For a long time, most of the songs, writings, and plays being staged were odes to the Uesugi clan, as there was an award for the “warlord’s choice”. Kenshin finally got tired of it and began strongly encouraging people to look to other stories for inspiration.

The holiday season is a gorgeous time in Illusio. Snow covers the trees of the forests and trails outside the city, and the outdoor crystals will frost over in all sorts of colors. Winter solstice is a particularly special night for Aya, and the sky always seems to be clear for her every year. Kenshin will join her on the roof for as long as he can stand the cold, usually with some of their favorite hot chocolate in tow.

[jokerboney]

Heya @autistic-mouse I was your secret Santa for @ransei-secretsanta this year! You asked for Ginchiyo so I did a picture of her!

Happy Holidays and sorry for the delay

[daphneblakess]

Happy holidays, @disappointedofficeseeker , I’m your Ransei Secret Santa! I decided to do something a little different for this gift and write up some headcanons about Greenleaf (and I also made a little playlist you could listen to while reading them if you want!) 

The kingdom itself is almost entirely forest, but its exact makeup varies based on where you are. In the southern part closer to the shore, it’s thicker and more jungle-like, while in the central area near the castle it’s more of a traditional “forest”. The closer you get to the border with Violight, the growth starts to get thinner, and the elevation increases as well.

The climate is fairly moderate year-round, although like the other three kingdoms making up southern Ransei, temperatures lean towards warmer and it’s rare that winters get truly harsh. This works out well for the kingdom’s residents since…

Not just the castle, but the entire city surrounding it are enclosed by glass domes, effectively making them year-round greenhouses. Because of this, Greenleaf natives don’t blink twice at heat or humidity being everyday parts of their lives, although when the castle entertains visitors from kingdoms like Nixtorm or Illusio, watching them try to adapt to the different environment is very entertaining.

In the same vein that Illusio is considered the patron kingdom of the arts, Greenleaf is the undisputed patron kingdom of scholars. The castle library is always open to the public, and its contents are unrivaled by anything else in Ransei. Not only does it contain information on pretty much anything you could want to study, it’s also home to an invaluable amount of historical records.

The government of Greenleaf has its own unique structure as well. Motonari isn’t actually the sole warlord - the ruling body of Greenleaf is a council of several elected scholars, who can be of any age or societal position. Motonari acts as their leader and representative in matters concerning other kingdoms, but any decisions regarding Greenleaf are discussed among all of them before being carried out.

I really like to imagine Greenleaf having major solarpunk vibes - maybe with Violight’s help, Motonari has started implementing methods of solar power, or there’s a partnership with Fontaine in regards to irrigation systems and hydroenergy. The city and castle are constructed with the kingdom's wide variety of flora in mind.

Greenleaf has always been pacifist in regards to the wars throughout Ransei’s history, and Motonari isn’t any different. In peacetime, he has particularly close friendships with Kenshin and the warlord of Aurora. He’s a pretty easygoing guy outside of battle, so it’s difficult to not like him.

Each kingdom has a seasonal festival with its own unique origins - for Greenleaf, this is rooted around its scholars. It takes place during midsummer, when the days are at their longest. The celebration is for everyone, but there’s an additional goal for whoever wants to participate: a knowledge race. Scholars from all over Ransei will compete to see who can take in the most new material each day by the festival’s end, so the library is almost always full to bursting. On the final day of the festival, each will set up somewhere in the city and issue “tests of knowledge” to others. Whoever has won the most by the end of the day is declared the winner of that year’s festival - Motonari has won five times.

As for other holidays? Two words: Christmas trees. Seriously, it’s unbelievable how massive they are. The city greenhouses can grow pretty much anything, these being no exception, and it always helps when there’s a horde of Grass Pokemon settled down in your garden and happy to help you with whatever your current botanical project is.

[rdmfavcpls]

Not Worthy of the Light

 Title: Not Worthy of the Light

Category: Pokemon Conquest/Samurai Warriors

Pairing: Nene/Hanzo 

One-sided: Oichi/Hideyoshi

        Nene/Hideyoshi

Rating: T

Summary: The brighter the light shines, the darker the shadow becomes. When the light dims, the shadow protects the lights and tries to restore it.

Author’s Note: Merry Christmas! @liifesword. How did you know that I love to write for rare-pairs and the pair of Nene/Hanzo is beautiful. I’m sorry that I can’t draw so I hope this story works for you. I also took some elements from the Samurai Warriors franchise and combined it with Pokemon Conquest.

Disclaimer: I own no rights to the franchises mentioned. 

~~Story Begins~~

Ninjas were supposed to stay hidden in the shadows. Their names only known to their lords, but there were always those who did not fit the mold. The ninjas that do not blend in with the shadows, but filter into the light, those are the ninjas that are most dangerous when their emotions run high. If you bring upon a ninja’s personal wrath, the only thing I can advise, is to run out of town, but even then you might not make it out with your life.

-Excerpt from The Way of the Ninja by Motonari Mori

The only way Nene could be described was a candle with a flame that made shadows dance with her movements. The way she moved on the battlefield, spinning out of her enemies attack range while her Crobat swooped in for the finishing blow or a poison strike rivaled even the dances of Okuni on the stage or off the stage. 

Hanzo would deny it publicity, but he knew he was a coward when it came to Nene, even though it always seemed like he was scolding her and Kunoichi. He would use excuses to visit her kingdom of Viperina, ignoring the laughter of his Spiritomb and Gengar, ignoring the knowing looks that Ieyasu and Tadakatsu shared when Hanzo was gone.

He was content to watch Nene and her Crobat from his beloved spot in the shadows.

Until that monkey showed up.

Nene’s full focus centered on that monkey and his equally ridiculous monkey partner like it was the center of her world. She treated him like he was the sun when Hanzo knew that Nene could outrival the sun with personality. Even when the monkey’s attention was making Oichi jealous over his status as Nobunga’s right-hand man.

Oichi was unimpressed and neither was Nobunga, since Nene was the one who got him that position. Nobunga also gave the proper big brother speech and the face that Hideyoshi wore is one that Kotaro still looks back on as one of his fondest memories.

That didn’t stop Hideyoshi and his quest of gaining Oichi’s heart, even to the dismay of Nobunga, Oichi, and the warlord of Aurora, and he tried another way to make her jealous. He courted Nene in public which caused a lot of warlords to give warning advice (Kotaro’s promise of chaos hidden in his message from Ujiyasu to Nene was heard) if she needed Hideyoshi to be taken care of. Hanzo was one of the many ninjas who had to resist the temptation of hunting Hideyoshi when he started to chase after other females while Nene stayed loyal to him.

No one saw the light that is known as Nene begin to dim except for the one who protected her and watched from the shadows.

~~~

The first spring breeze fluttered through the newly reawakening leaves as the region enjoys its first spring with no bloodshed. The glow of the crescent moon illuminated the dark night and the lone female with golden armor and brown hair that stood on the balcony.

“Have you come to laugh at me as well?” Nene said as tiny bumps formed on her skin. A mixture of cool air from winter trying to keep its grasp on the region as the days grew warmer and the ominous feeling of being prey that always accompanies two ninjas from the shadows.

“…No,” Hanzo said as he stood beside his fellow ninja. His black and dark purple armor blending into the night, the only movement that was noticed in the night was the black hair tied out of his face. A simple illusion to think his enemies were being attacked from the corner of their eye, but their fate already sealed as the ninja was behind them.

They stood there in comfortable silence, a trait that calmed Nene so much during the war in Ransei. Her Crobat flew into the night, just as careless as her partner used to be and not the shell that she is now. His Gengar watched from the shadows just as vigilant as his own partner.

“He’s an idiot,” Hanzo said.

“Is the world ending after the war stops?” Nene said. “Kuniouchi said the same thing to me this morning. In fact, that was her alarm for me.”

“…”

“Everyone has been watching me, but you have kept an eye on me even beforehand. I always found it comforting and even now it’s been a big comfort. Especially since I know he’s in town right now, trying to outdrink Keiji and chatting up Okuni.”

“Okuni finds the monkey dull and boring,” Hanzo said. “The monkey is not work the pain. You are worth more than him with your Crobat alone, let alone your own ninja skills.”

“Hanzo…”

“We work in the shadows, Nene,” Hanzo said. “We can mask our emotions until the perfect moment arises for our revenge. His guard is never up, it is always down. Even when we were in war.”

The silence between them came back as they stared at the moon. The silhouette of a Crobat cawing out its sorrow of his mistress’s heart the only sound in the night.

“Hanzo.”

 A slight movement of his amethyst eyes let her know she had his attention. It was little movements that she had to look for when he interacted with the other lords to see how he treated them. It took awhile for her to realize she was one of the two lords who used body language to talk.

“Can I borrow your Gengar for a few nights?”

“…If you must.”

~~

Ninjas must always hide their emotions in case their enemies use it to their advantage. However, there are two sides to every tale, ninjas emotions can also be their most powerful weapon. Soon, the region of Ransei would know that the anger of Lady No or Lady Aya and their long feud over beauty did not make them the scariest woman in the region. For the anger that Lady Nene had shown made Lady No and Lady’s Aya child’s play in comparison.

-Excerpt from The Warlords of Ransei by Motonari Mori

~~

The older Warlords watched as Hideyoshi started to become paranoid. His two trusted officials, Kanbei and Hanbei, both had a knowing look, but refused to say anything. Kanbei has been the one to keep Ignis in order and with the help of Hanbei, Nobunga, and the warlord of Aurora, they were working on making a treaty to force Hideyoshi into giving up Ignis to Kanbei as he has been neglectful in his duties as a warlord.

When they finally found Hideyoshi, his Inferape told their pokemon about how his master has been haunted by nightmares and hallucinations. That it was just this morning, Hideyoshi had woke up to a blade being pressed against his neck by Lady Nene with Crobat’s fang dripping with a dark purple liquid right above the blade. What she said to Hideyoshi, Inferape did not know, but Hideyoshi had been rocking in the corner of a dark room for a majority of the day.

~~

“Hanzo, are you here to question me over Hideyoshi’s claim?” Nene said when she felt that familiar chill that no longer made her feel like prey (unless it came from the agent of chaos).

“I do not know of what you speak of,” Hanzo said with a slight glint in his eye that told her he was playing ignorant.

“Then what brings you here?”

“Lord Ieyasu has personally let me go from his services and I am in search of a new master,” Hanzo said.

“Do you wish to join me in Viperia?” Nene said.

“If I may be of service to you, Your Ladyship.” Hanzo said.

[allhailthestarnugget]

Ransei Secret Santa

Merry Christmas, @BlackJackGabbiani! I'm your Ransei secret Santa! I saw you wanted Modern AU and Oichi-oriented stuff, so here's some headcanons and playlists I made for you! Hope you enjoy!

(Note: I haven't actually finished the game, so most of the Oichi stuff is derived from their Samurai Warriors personalities blended with the plot details I do know.)

-Oichi found about Nobunaga's plan because he was EXTREMELY forward about it with her. He wanted her loyalty right out of the gate. She had plenty of good opportunities to betray him and ruin his plans, so he had to make sure she agreed with him.

-She didn't, to say the least. She felt heartbroken that Nobunaga would even consider this. She attempted talking him out of it, but he seemed aggressively set on his plan.

-So, instead of challenging her own brother, she left. She figured the best she could do is prepare someone to challenge him.

-Nobunaga actually spent WEEKS trying to find her. He really regretted that he drove her away, but he wasn't about to change. Have you met Nobunaga?

That's all I had for Oichi's story. So here's the modern stuff!

-First off, Ransei isn't a system of clashing warlords. It's more of a federal constitutional monarchy, with the MC as president and emperor, and the other warlords as governors/advisors.

-Warlords are chosen through elections, yes, but in order to qualify for elections, you have to proceed to the finals of a local tournament. In Greenleaf, it may be tests of knowledge. In Illusio, perhaps it's an art contest.

-Most of the current warlords have been in office for almost half a decade now, but the doesn't stop them from having other careers.

-Like Motochika, who's actually in a band with Magoichi, Hideyoshi, and Ginchiyo. (You better believe that their Pokémon are ALWAYS on their album covers.)

-Aya is a fairly famous poet/singer when she's not helping Kenshin run Illusio.

-Ransei, as a country, is really supportive of Pokémon duels. It's heavily regulated, but there aren't any restrictions on who and when it happens. There are organizations who don't like this, but the people seem to like it.

-Most people are really surprised to find out Ginchiyo has been Warlord of Violight since she became old enough to be. Subsequently, equally surprising, Muneshige has never even gotten close.

Motonari:

https://open.spotify.com/user/critaan/playlist/3npGbp8GpkHrFHlbtPcCSj?si=k8XZf1h0Qh-4vXP_BmJPEQ

Motonari isn't an excitable man. He fights to survive, not to win. He's kind, and loving. This playlist shows that.

Ginchiyo:

https://open.spotify.com/user/critaan/playlist/5GvOqICGQ0pE6lM3kEFTOr?si=0KJ4nZb6RyGFwbLk_wfULw

She's a warrior queen, and you better not forget. She's a first wave feminist, and boy will she prove she can kick your ass, and probably anyone's in your family tree.

Yoshihiro:

https://open.spotify.com/user/critaan/playlist/3ZCDq874omfUVSpNppF2MF?si=BObh-yTrTROKz2gVQczlxQ

He's an old dog with a rebellious streak, and a taste for classic rock.

Motochika:

https://open.spotify.com/user/critaan/playlist/0zVm2odHptfVU4xakOdVLn?si=zOmIAlj1SzWuxVgoeEohEg

Yoshihiro rubbed off on him as a kid. Except Motochika is a bit more political. Mockingly nicknamed 'the Spirit of Revolution', Motochika has a very obvious theme in his playlist: Liberty.

Magoichi:

https://open.spotify.com/user/critaan/playlist/20gKC24MrRZiyYtGfi6kRI?si=PpDwhmrdQtqwGjyO4-uNiw

The womanizer of the warriors, Magoichi is terribly seductive, and a bit of a sex fiend.

Hideyoshi:

https://open.spotify.com/user/critaan/playlist/1dEb0d0x8kqFWLsxIQtVCe?si=uClED4MHTcmMan0Rdd_QYg

Wish I could've found more songs with 'Monkey' in the title.

[lucifer-nanezgani]

Happy holidays @candlemagic!!! I’m your Pokémon conquest secret Santa for this year :) you sent a bunch of different ideas and I decided to go with Mitsunari and Vulpix!! I apologise for the sketchiness of it and if anything looks odd, but I hope you enjoy it!!

And a big thank-you to @ransei-secretsanta for organising this amazing event!!

[wingsofhcpe]

Merry Christmas @felldragon8999 ! I'm your Samurai Warriors secret santa! I'm so sorry for not being able to do more this year, but I hope these are within your wishlist's expectations! A loyalty moodboard for Fell & Nobunaga, and a moodboard of best girl Gracia! Enjoy! 💜

@ransei-secretsanta

[rdmfavcpls]

1-5, 20-25 :D

23AAAAA thank you for asking!!. I know I haven’t really uploaded a lot of stories this year due to everything going on, but I am determined to change that as a part of my new year’s resolution.

1. I would have to say it was a part of Lonashipping week July 16th - Soulmates.

2. My least favorite is one that I will be uploading later today and it was supposed to be taken serious but unfortunately it looks like I was high on some kind of drug instead of a migraine, but it’s called No Logic in Horror and nothing in that story makes any sense.

3. My favorite line that I wrote this year is from an upcoming work that I plan on uploading for Ami/Arata fic. 

‘Ami faked a small cough to cover up her chuckle. “You haven’t heard the - oh! You’ll see in three...two...one...”

4. The total number of words I wrote this year is over 5,000. The problem is a lot of my stories would have been updated if I can ever find my missing (and still lost) notebooks that hold the stories of Hidden Moments and The Marked Ones. I also have so many story ideas written down that I really need to buy a planner so I can have an upload system.

5. I honestly have no idea which one is my most popular since all of them receive about the same amount of notes. However, Reversal seems to have the most notes with 20.

20. 0 unless its on Fanfiction.net because I don’t use that website very often anymore.

21. The most memorable comment/review that I’ve received was from my Ransel Secret Santa present when they said they were going to brawl because I wrote them a story.

22. The events that I proceeded this year were Lonashipping week and the week where they used flowers, along the Ransei Secret Santa. I’m hoping next year I can join more and actually be on time.

23. Fics that I want to write but didn’t are mostly M rated ones where it deals with the Alpha/Beta/Omega but they might be planned for next year as they are still in the works progress.

24. Favorite fic that I have read this year. Ooohh boy. So many!! So many of them because of all the road trips I took this year due to my mom’s surgery being out of town and just staying at the hospital. I would say there are two of them that I keep going back too. Chasing the Sun Chapter 5 by Technicolour (Lirriel) on Ao3 which deals with Arata/Ami and then Meet Me Under the Mistletone by pkmntrashcan. 

25. There is so many fics, but if you love Pokemon and are a big Lonashipping fan, I would highly recommend pkmntrashcan’s Planning for Disaster. (I am also envious over how much detail they put into the story and I’m trying to be at that level as well.)

Thank you so much for asking. It made me feel very special and I finally know that my Ask box is working. :3