Best idea ever.Originally Posted by Kelnish
Best idea ever.
Though abandoned, forgotten, and scorned as out-of-date dolls, they continue to carry out their mission, unchanged from the time they were designed.
Machines do not lose their worth when a newer model appears.
Their worth (life) ends when humans can no longer bear that purity.
For all we know, Gramps Zouken has just been waiting for any Matou to have the gumption and lack of being a useless loser and approach him about the REAL HISTORY OF THE MAKIRI so he can teach them how to make their own worm familiars.
Think about it; an impressionable, young grandson hears a story about his ol' grandpa's spring-time antics and actually bothers to talk to Gramps instead of cowering in terror. The old timer agrees, the grandson has a good old-fashioned storytime about how Gramps almost brought about paradise until some chumps got jealous of how cool his familiars were and how hot his girlfriend was and chased him out of Russia. There the old man had to squat in some rice-paddy dump for generations, dealing with family that kept getting worse and kept treating him like some kind of shadowy monster controlling their lives. His family gets so bad that he has to adopt some Japanese kid just to keep magecraft running in the family name!
Then comes his favorite grandson—who didn't turn out to be useless after all!—reminding him of his glory days and gosh, you know what?
Maybe Gramps teaches Shinji something cool. Like making worms. And harems.
Vote Zouken.
+1 Kelnish likes this post.
[ ] Work on ofuda
We're quite weak (at least, compared to the potential threats we might face in the coming days) at the moment. So despite how tempting it is to go social, this is gonna help later.
[ ] The Matou family's past
As for this, while I almost went for the recurring dreams, seeing the others' thoughts on our dear grandpa tipped my opinion in his direction.
[ ] Talk to Shirou
[ ] Youkai
It worked well for Zouken.
Spoiler:
What Fate/Stay Night character are you?
Kotomine Kirei
You are Kirei. You've always been a little different from the rest. You probably have low social skills. Whatever, it's not like what they think matters anyway. Ever searching for something missing within you, you probably don't experience the same happiness as everyone else. Good and evil are just labels, you are who you are.
I think I'll go with this.
[X] Work on ofuda
[X] The Matou family's past
Changing my vote.
[X] Tomas
[X] Matou Past
Honestly, why the fuck are people voting for shirou? He's not the fucking protagonist, he's a minor side character we don't even need anything from.
Ok, I am convinced. This was beautiful.
changing my vote
[X] Work on ofuda
[X] The Matou family past
Much like Sokaris when she first showed up, right? :P I don't get why you're so upset about people wanting S-Links with Shirou, it's not like he's another girl to compete with Hermoine, even if Shinji is tsundere for him in canon.
We need the bromance.
I don't know what to say to anybody in this thread who lacks the ambition of having Shinji steal the title of "Shirou's Sheath".
Just imagine Alf bearing the knowledge of one day having to type out that achievement at the end of a "Shinji Matou and X" thread.
Sometimes its better to know more about people than just be a close-minded magus and pursue the craft. We've seen what our choices can do, such as indirectly leading to Dumbledore's early death. We're at school level 3 for Ofuda already, so other than a duel with Tomas I don't see much reason to abuse it. And remember Shinji's Book of Magic scenario last year? He was able to win and sacrifice himself because of a close friend, Sokaris. Sometimes it takes a few words of understanding to solve issues that a mastery of spells would never do.
That, and for all the despicable things Zouken has done in recent years, Shinji here has a chance to FINALLY get on his good graces and not be his bitch.
(Signature credit to TheSpy in his giveaway store thread. He does avatars too)
Fate/Reach Out (Persona 4 crossover)
Precursors of Purity (Ni no Kuni crossover; two-shot)
Yeah getting on Zouken's good graces makes the most in character sense for Shinji right now.
Shinji got one close male friend, I'm not counting the Stone Cutters because he hardly spends time with them either. Also Shirou is a nice guy and he also recently lost his adoptive father. I don't really feel like I need people to be useful (or have something that Shinji wants/could use) to converse with them.
Choice 3: What should we do in our spare time?[X] Work on ofuda
Choice 4: What would you like to find out about if given the opportunity?[X] The Matou family's past
Chapter 2. Bleeding Effect
What little free time he had between the regular thrashings-cum-training sessions with Sajyou Ayaka, studying Ancient Runes with his Master, and doing the various other duties required of an apprentice (scut work, mostly, like repairing things his Master didn’t want to deal with, keeping the workshop clean, and such), Matou Shinji spent working on his ofuda.
With everything that had happened in the past year, he hadn’t made much progress in working with his elemental affinities. He had managed to refine the basic non-elemental spells he knew, getting higher yields from his explosive ofuda and the like, and even a few earth aligned spells related to binding and exorcism, but the rest still lay beyond him.
Water-based techniques, in particular, proved quite stubborn, with the flows of prana resisting him at every turn, like venomous serpents writhing and twisting in a bid to break his control. And if they ever did…
…well, that way lay calamity.
Even after a year, the only ones he’d managed properly were either those which froze water or caused it to condense itself from the air. Given how most of the basic water techniques he tried had been corrupted by darkness, he knew better than to try any spells of healing; and as for spells of decay and destruction…well, losing control of any of those would likely be his end.
Touko had suggested last year that his strengths did not lay in healing, but Ayaka had gone further, given her odd affinity for yin and yang, instead of one of the conventional elements.
The girl had determined that his strong yin affinity – amplified by a wand that was itself yin-aligned – was bleeding into the rest of his craft, with an array of consequences across the board, depending how stable or unstable the purpose of each discipline was.
It didn’t affect most charms, for instance, since those had a single, clearly defined purpose, but it would negatively impact his abilities in say…transfiguration, which by its very nature involved inducing a stable system to change and transform.
…as a side effect, Ayaka had mentioned, Matou Shinji might have noticed being able to untransfigure objects with greater ease.
Which indeed he had.
And now that Shinji thought about it, this mirrored his experience with Earth and Water quite well. Earth techniques, due to the stable nature of the underlying element, weren’t affected by his yin affinity, while water techniques, with their inherent complexities and elemental instabilities, were much more easily by any imbalance in a prana flow.
So he found himself in the shop called Root of the Sky, consulting with Matsuo Hijiri, the maiden of the Tree, his original teacher in the Eastern Arts – and the woman who had crafted his wand.
“What do you think, Matsuo-san?” the practitioner of witchcraft asked respectfully, after he had laid out the specifics of the situation.
“Sajyou-san is correct in her assessment,” the other confirmed, regarding him with eyes the color of blood. “And your wand does indeed have a strong affinity for yin, as opposed to yang. This is not entirely unusual for wands made in the East, given that crafters here simply care that a wand matches the natural affinity of a given individual.”
“Oh?” Shinji inquired, noticing that she’d not said anything about wands made in the West. “Is it different elsewhere?”
The woman chuckled dryly.
“Each crafter has his or her preferences and philosophies as to what is best,” Hijiri replied, the ghost of a smile playing across her lips. “Garrick Ollivander, who has supplied Britain with wands for many years now, uses only phoenix feathers, the heartstrings of drakes, or unicorn hairs – all powerful yang-aligned cores – providing his customers with a certain consistency of performance. Others disagree, using what cores are required for a more tailored wand, one that more closely matches the affinities of the wielder. Due to this, the results are less consistent in general, but tend to be better in certain areas.”
“So, say…a wand may be particularly well-suited for binding or sealing – or the Dark Arts, but not say…transfiguration?” Shinji said, holding up the length of cherry she’d made for him two years ago.
“Exactly so, in your case,” Hijiri noted, nodding slightly, “though to be precise, your wand is well-suited for an offensive role in combat. While these are usually classified as the Dark Arts, as opposed to spells used in Defense, in practice the distinction is near non-existent.”
“Is that so…?” Shinji murmured, recalling one of Lockhart’s lectures on how the Unforgivable Curses were not Unforgivable in Japan. Perhaps Hijiri could explain to him why the distinction had been made elsewhere then?
“Quite. In regions that have known much in the way of conflict – Central and Northern Europe, for instance, or Asia, the Dark Arts are recognized as simply another tool for self-preservation. In more sheltered areas such as Britain – whose practitioners of witchcraft were spared the worst of the fighting due to the presence of the Clock Tower, they were seen as a possible threat to those in power instead.”
“…which is why some were banned – and others regulated – after the British Ministry of Magic rose to power.”
“Indeed,” Hijiri affirmed. “And so classes in this style of magic were subsequently named Defense against the Dark Arts, biasing the population against once valuable spells and techniques.”
“…why not in Mahoutokoro then?” Shinji inquired, curious about the differences.
The maiden of the tree was silent for a moment, her expression quite out of place on a face that seemed as young as hers.
When she replied at last, her words were flat and emotionless.
“Because we are not a society formed only of practitioners of Witchcraft, Matou Shinji,” she spoke, each word ringing with a sense of history. “And it has never been our way to simply separate light from dark, given our view of yin and yang as an indivisible whole. Medicine cures, but it does so by destroying that which makes us ill. The offensive arts damage and destroy – but in the process protect. That aside, we know full well of struggle and conflict, and so have a keen interest in ensuring we remain strong.”
That we shall not be conquered.
“Then what of China?”
“They do not interact much with the West, except on their terms,” the maiden noted, shaking her head. “Neither the Tower nor the Confederation have much influence there, given that China boasts its own schools of Thaumaturgy, facilities for training Witches, and the like. To be frank, much of our lore does come from that country, though we do not often admit it. We prefer to learn what we can from the West, however, to blend the best of several traditions and create something stronger than the sum of its parts.”
“Like Yin and Yang.”
“Precisely.”
This time, it was Shinji’s turn to be silent as he mused over what to ask. When he did speak up, he was more hesitant than before, given that it was the true reason he was here. He’d come for advice, after all, and had a bit of trepidation as to how she would answer.
“Speaking of yin and yang, do you recommendations as to my training, Matsuo-san?” he inquired. He knew she was quite experienced with these arts – much more than he – and he was curious what she would advise, given his limited time. “Per Kaiduka’s recommendation, I have begun focusing on my yin affinity to gain some control over it, but…”
“…that is a long-term solution, not an immediate aid,” Hijiri filled in helpfully.
“Well. Yes,” Shinji admitted. “There’s also the fact that I spend most of the year over at Hogwarts, not here, and need something I can work on there in the absence of a teacher.”
“A valid point, Matou,” the maiden noted, regarding the boy with her piercing gaze. “I suppose there are a few options before you, but before I make further suggestions, be aware that Earth and Water are very different elemental styles, and that learning both at once would be quite difficult, especially when greatly disposed to either yin or yang.”
“With water being the most closely tied to Yin, yes?”
“Correct. Still, even for those with a more balanced yin-yang alignment, the general recommendation is to master one element at a time,” the miko explained, a quirky smile crossing her lips. “For you, this is all the more so.”
“I see,” Shinji murmured, though he frowned as he recalled last summer, and how Hijiri had made him work on both. “But after you tested me, you had me work on water and earth.”
“That is because the harnessing the elemental aspect of the craft is difficult,” Hijiri responded with a frown. “There have been many who do not go beyond the basics, using it only as a supplement for their craft. Others only have one elemental affinity, so the choice of what to train is simple. In your case, however, you had two, so I needed to see which you were best at, and how your affinities and your underlying alignment would react with one another.”
“…I can see that,” the Matou scion noted. “You wanted to see which elements I was able to use in practice, and to what extent.”
“Exactly. Normally, this would take one term, after which we would then choose a single element for you to focus on, but in your case, there was no time.”
“Since I study at Hogwarts, you mean.”
“Exactly. Given the lack of a dedicated training period, I thought it would be more useful to allow you to experiment over the course of the year and see if you could overcome your challenges with water, but unfortunately, such was not the case,” the shrine maiden explained, shrugging her shoulders. “And so our conversation today.”
“Ah.”
“As you’ve stated, you find Earth element techniques easy enough to use,” she summarized. “It is one of the easiest to start with, and mastery will enhance your binding and sealing techniques. Unsurprisingly, water, a far more volatile element, is proving more difficult, but then, that is the element of disruption and decay – as well as healing. Thus far, you find that your yin energy corrupts any attempt to use the element, correct?”
“Yes.”
“An effect I have seen before,” Hijiri stated blandly. “The easiest option would be to simply focus on Yin until you manage to control the bleeding effect, but I somehow doubt you have the patience for that. Secondly, you could choose one of your elemental affinities to work with in addition to yin. For that, I would recommend earth, since it is less likely to lead to mishaps without supervision.”
“And if I chose water?”
The miko just raised an eyebrow.
“Then I would suggest finding a very safe place to practice it, so that if you lose control of it, the only victim will be yourself,” Hijiri intoned ominously, the baleful expression on her face causing Shinji to swallow and take a step back. “You come from a family of magi, so I needn’t tell you about walking with death.”
“Ah.”
Her expression softened slightly as she shook her head.
“That and use a different wand,” the miko continued, eying the mystic code she’d crafted for him. “The one you hold is certainly powerful, but it compounds your existing yin imbalance.”
“Any other suggestions?”
“Well…there are rituals through which your affinity may be altered, but those are usually quite painful. In addition, the altered affinity is usually not as powerful as that which it was changed from.”
…rituals similar to those by which Matou Zouken had given the adopted Sakura a water affinity when she had been born with only one for “Imaginary Numbers” and other things of shadow.
“…no, I don’t think the last is a viable option,” Shinji responded quickly. “But thank you for the suggestion, Matsuo-san.”
“True. You wouldn’t want to be left a potential vegetable when your lady love arrives, would you?” Hijiri quipped merrily, her mood seemingly restored. “After all, she’d be quite disappointed if you weren’t there after you so gallantly asked if she could join you in finding a familiar.”
Shinji’s response was to look down, trying to hide a face flushed incandescent red.
“I-it’s really not like that,” he grumbled, refusing to meet the shrine maiden’s eye. “She…she’s just curious about magical creatures outside of Britain, like I’ve already explained.” He sighed, shaking his head. “Her father saw something like a Kirin in the past.”
Hijiri blinked.
“…I was unaware that one had been seen in recent memory. You are aware of how rare sightings are, I presume?”
“I am,” Shinji acknowledged. “Her father publishes a magazine which features odd animals, her favorite of which looks very much like a Kirin, though she calls it a Crumple-Horned Snorkack.”
“Curious,” the shrine maiden noted, regarding the boy oddly. “Do you intend to teach her any of your craft, I wonder?”
“…that I don’t know.”
And he didn’t, honestly. It was true that she knew some of his secrets, but he wasn’t sure about letting any one person know all of them. That and he was pretty sure that if he taught Luna how to use ofuda, Hermione would be quite irritated with him, even if he just wanted someone to spar with, and with hom he could talk about his Craft.
Harry, the only other person who knew something about ofuda at Hogwarts – because Shinji had taught him – was usually too busy for a spar, and too closely watched by most of Slytherin. The Stone Cutters themselves had an agreement about sharing skills, but Hillard had been busy as Watch Captain – and presumably would be Head Boy this year – and who knew the Twins were up to.
…well, he could practice against Peeves, he supposed, which would be interesting, even if the poltergeist couldn’t fight as a practitioner of witchcraft might.
Still, he suspected Luna probably had a yang alignment and would make a good healer, something that the Stone Cutters gravely lacked, and it would be nice to talk with someone who appreciated more of the intricacies and oddities of the moonlit world, instead of acting as if everything was just…normal.
“The decision is yours, of course,” the miko said solemnly, “though I would ask that if you do teach something of our arts, you obtain an agreement not to spread the knowledge.”
“I can do that,” Shinji said quickly. It was a good precaution, after all. Though… “Do you know anything of the ancestry of practitioners of witchcraft, perchance?”
“You mean how your kind is distantly related to fey and youkai?” Hijiri questioned, sending a shiver down Shinji’s spine. Sokaris had said she was aware of the inhuman origins of practitioners, but this was the first time someone had finally said it outright. “What of it?”
‘Ah…so I was right…’
“…is it possible to tap into the abilities of that heritage?” the Matou scion inquired, his expression intent and almost…hungry. If that was a way to reach more power…
“In several ways. The animagus transformation is the most obvious of these, of course, but one may also gain other abilities, depending on one’s specific heritage,” the miko explained. “In some, the supernatural blood is stronger, so they may sense things others do not, or have a more instinctive gift with their Craft. I would caution against exploring this avenue too deeply before you are ready, however.”
“Oh? Why is that?”
“The gift may be awakened in a corrupted manner, such as lycanthropy, or the aspect you awaken may be incompatible with your skillset.”
“…ah.”
…a valid reason to stay away, though if one was to speak of those able to sense things others did not and who had a different common sense than most, Luna Lovegood would certainly fit the bill.
“Is there anything else I can do for you?” Hijiri inquired politely.
“Ah, no. Thank you, Matsuo-san. You’ve been a great help.”
“Hmph, well it is only natural for me to help a former student,” the shrine maiden noted. “Do choose your path soon, Matou Shinji. You, more than the others I teach, have only a little bit of time.”
“That much I am aware of.”
“Hmm, I suppose there is one more thing,” Hijiri noted after a moment.
“Yes?”
Reaching behind the counter, the miko withdrew a small volume that was titled Field Guide to Japan’s Youkai.
“If you do decide to go with Earth, I will lend this to you for your journey – it has some annotations by Kaiduka and Sajyou-san found it rather helpful in securing her familiar,” she said with a thin smile. “If not, well, I suppose I can recommend a good shop for another wand. Or a water-specific catalyst.”
“Oh? You wouldn’t craft it for me?”
“Fufu…you wouldn’t be able to afford the price for my services,” the woman chuckled, hiding her mouth with her sleeve.
Shinji was uncomfortably reminded of that other shop he’d encountered in Mahoutokoro, whose odd shopkeeper had demanded an equal price for whatever they desired, paid not in money, but in trade.
Still…
“Thank you for the offer, Matsuo-san. I will…think about it,” he said, not wanting to make a snap decision.
“See that you do,” she said, placing the book behind the counter again. “But don’t think too long. You of all people know the price of indecision.”
That night, before he went to bed, Matou Shinji wrote his grandfather – if Zouken was truly his grandfather and not a relative far older than that – about the enigmatic reply he’d received. He knew from studying the Matou grimoires that their family’s arts were largely of the water element, with a specialization in decay, but wanted to know more.
Was it related to the dreams he’d been having ever since he started training his yin-affinity? Were the worms there like what his grandfather used to create?
What was the true history of his family? He knew that they had been one of the three Founding Families of the Fuyuki Grail War, but beyond that, there were only rumors – and that odd play, Makar Zolgen.
‘Now that I think about it, why did Lockhart choose that play?’
There were many questions, many choices, many roads.
He needed more information. No, he needed more time.
But both of those were luxuries Matou Shinji did not have.
Choice 5: Given that our yin affinity seems to be bleeding over into our elemental ofuda, Hijiri has recommended that we choose one element to work on first. Focusing only on Yin would be ideal, of course, but given that Shinji has no full-time teacher back at Hogwarts, that is likely impractical. Thus the choice. (choose one)
[ ] Earth
[ ] Water
Choice 6: The offer of a field guide also prompts Shinji to do a bit of early shopping for the trip, given that he doesn't know what to expect. When one is going on a dangerous adventure, one shouldn't just go unprepared, after all. Given that he's squeezing this into his spare time, he has time to look for one of these. (choose one)
[ ] Robe Upgrades (physical and magic resist)
[ ] A spare wand
[ ] An [elemental] catalyst for Ofuda
[ ] A Field Guide to Japan’s Youkai (new)
[ ] A Charmed tent (to travel in style)
Last edited by alfheimwanderer; July 29th, 2015 at 02:32 AM.
[X] Earth
[X] Robe Upgrades (physical and magic resist)
Any defense to our paperthin defenses would be helpful especially since the years get more dangerous. Also messing around with water without a dedicated instructor is you know... Deadly?
Last edited by Kuroyuki; July 29th, 2015 at 02:42 AM.
[ ] Earth
Robe upgrades
Last edited by mangafreak7793; July 29th, 2015 at 10:04 AM.
Teasing the Penguin God!
Earth.
Robe upgrades.
Basically what kuro said. And the robes Could save out hides one day.
[x] water
[x] water elemental catalyst for Ofuda
we have a good amount of favor to cash in with the ghosts, one might be well versed enough in the arcane to provide us with some guidance in the element. Failing that, the book of spell and room of requirements is always available for use, the first one should be almost completely safe, but less freely available, while the latter would create the most ideal condition to safely practice the art
hopefully gramps would give us pointer on manifesting our bloodline, Shinji's the only true blood Matou that doesn't shun his legacy after all.
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