Change my vote to.[x]Keep her on squad - Shinji is very satisfied by her performance[x]A goblin could probably workSo we can end this vote now.
Change my vote to.[x]Keep her on squad - Shinji is very satisfied by her performance[x]A goblin could probably workSo we can end this vote now.
Choice 157: [x]Keep her on squad - Shinji is very satisfied by her performance
Choice 158: [x]A goblin could probably work
Choice 159: Out of respect for sacrifice made by the goblins on the perimeter, some of which Shinji had worked and trained beside for some time, the boy requests that a goblin be assigned to fill Rin's place, as he knew them to be dutiful and competent.
"That, and if Albion is supposed to be a realm that isn't focused on wizards and what they can do, it seems like a good idea for the Home Guard's First Squad to have at least one goblin," the boy noted, with Lockhart nodding.
"I don't disagree, but are you certain you are prepared to have a goblin as a subordinate? As you may recall, what they value is very different from many wizards. In particular, you must take great care not to promise or imply you will do something if you have no intention to, even as a figure of speech, as one of the things they take very seriously is a person's word. This includes dodges like 'I will look into it', or 'I'm on it,' or pleasantries such as 'We'd love to see you again.'" He smiled thinly. "This is something the Americans in particular tend to have issues with. Europeans tend to be more literal, I find."
"Ah. So--"
"Don't lead this one around like your last teammate, or there will be consequences," the First Citizen warned. "Not just for you, but for the home guard as a whole. If you are certain, I will make the arrangements to have a goblin transferred to your team - the sole survivor from WADA's perimeter guard, in fact."
"...there was a survivor?"
"Yes, one - though he suffered rather severe injuries from the curses the Ministry used, and will be indisposed for at least a week while he is being treated."
"I see. Then--"
"In the meantime, Mister Matou, you have earned yourself a break. As Confederation representatives will be coming to London shortly for discussions regarding responsibilities and liabilities we inherit - or did not inherit - from the Ministry - several squads from their Security Directorate will be on hand to assist with matters, so the Home Guard will not be needed for the moment. Emilia obviously cannot be extracted until a settlement is reached, at which point her cover identity will be 'transferred' to France, but there is no reason you cannot take some time for yourself."
What will Shinji do with his week off? (Choose up to three)
[ ] Focus on mental training under Kohaku and Mashu (counts as two)
[ ] Go to Mahoutokoro to visit Zelkova
[ ] Restocking his ofuda
[ ] Train with ALF forces at HQ
[ ] Working with a strike force to seize Azkaban (counts as two)
[ ] Talking with Luna - her presence is usually a comfort, and they're overdue for a conversation
[ ] Speaking with Elesa, if he can find her
[ ] (write-in)
Last edited by alfheimwanderer; December 25th, 2019 at 11:40 PM.
"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." - A.A. Milne
[ ] Focus on mental training under Kohaku and Mashu
[ ] Talking with Luna - her presence is usually a comfort, and they're overdue for a conversation
Last edited by skulkidcachi90; December 25th, 2019 at 11:39 PM.
Right one more time with this.
[X] Focus on mental training under Kohaku and Mashu with an extra focus on Mashu (counts as THREE)
Just mental training for the entire week. Only that. Focus Shinji.
Reasoning behind this is the mental training helps in so many of our goals. Having Shinji be in control of himself. Having Shinji being trained to better handle being in Rin's fractured mind. Having Shinji being able to be ready and calm enough to talk to Luna when its time. And Mental training preps us for Atlas, as well as gets us back a lot of our locked skills given time.
Last edited by Skull Leader; December 26th, 2019 at 06:06 AM.
[x] Focus on mental training under Kohaku and Mashu (counts as two)
[x] Go to Mahoutokoro to visit Zelkova
[x] Focus on mental training under Kohaku and Mashu (counts as two)
[x] Write in: Reach out to your contacts to rise our chances in saving Rin
We gave our word. Time to back it up - instead of going for another stretch of procrastination and fake regrets later. We decided to take our time to save this one life. That was our official stance.
How about we commit to it in reality?
EDIT x100000
[x] 100 % Mind Training - Mashu x2 & Kohaku x1
Alright fuck it, time to go full meditation mode. There might be time to be social later. Or not.
Last edited by Daiki; December 26th, 2019 at 06:04 AM.
[x] 100 % Mind Training - Mashu x2 & Kohaku x1
Time to reach the level of enlightenment never before dreamed of. And pull Rin's lazy butt out of her unplanned vacation.
If you think you are getting paid for your leave, you are delusional, girl. You will pay for the bills involved for a long long time.
[x]100 % Mind Training - Mashu x2 & Kohaku x1
I'm editing my answer .
[x] 100 % Mind Training - Mashu x2 & Kohaku x1
Choice 159: [x] 100 % Mind Training - Mashu x2 & Kohaku x1
Choice 160: For the week, the boy decides to double down on his mental training, as he has come to realize he needs it after his time at WADA, as consciously or unconsciously, his preferences and actions were being shaped and molded by the inclinations of the elder wyrm that made up part of his soul. After all, as he'd gone through the profess of debriefing with both Lockhart and then Tomas, it occurred to him that the decision to simply kill the Aurors facing him in his initial encounter had been very...easy, that he had looked at them almost with contempt. More contempt than they deserved for merely being practitioners of witchcraft deserved, that was.Tomas, of all people, had warned him that thinking of humans as insects could lead to some rather poor outcomes down the line, and had suggested that the boy either join the raid on Azkaban to blow off steam, as his power would be welcome, or that he take the week to start to figure out what he wanted and who he was.
That was, was Matou Shinji a monster in the shape of a man, a man who fancied himself a monster - and could borrow the powers of one, or something in between?
"I don't really care which you are, so long as follow orders and prove useful, but I suspect others will."
"Oh?"
"The First Citizen, for one. And, oh...Miss Lovegood, for another, as I do not believe she thought her lover to be a beast whose lusts for destruction were barely veiled."
"...right," Shinji grunted, feeling something like ice in the pit of his stomach. "I...I hadn't..."
"You have been focused on the present, on what is in front of you and nothing else," Tomas noted, as his lips curved up into a cruel semblance of a smile. "How...reptilian."
The boy flinched, yet even as he did so, he felt his fingers sharpening into claws and scales beginning to--
"...you see my point, Matou Shinji?" the automaton interrupted, as he eyed the scales. "Make an effort to figure out who and what you are - and what you want to be, before that choice is taken from you."
Shinji began to say something, but thought better of it, as he mulled over the puppet's words in his head. And as he did, he came to a realization.
"...you had to do this too, didn't you?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper. "Given..."
"Yes. It would have been too easy to slip into his habits otherwise, and that would have been a shame, as Riddle accomplished nothing of worth."
Shinji, rather than saluting, bowed.
"You have given me much to think about."
"So long as you do more than think about it, Commander," the puppet noted. "Take your week and use it well, Matou Shinji, or Nine, or whichever name you wish to go with. Dismissed."
As Shinji is going to be working on building a foundation for who is and wants to be, he needs a clear image of what that should be...the question is - who is he?
[ ] A boy who can call upon an ancient dragon's might - but only at will (dragon abilities harder to access, remove base Magic Resistance)
[ ] A dragon wearing a human's flesh, a predator among the sheep (human memories harder to access, bonus to draconic cunning and permanent magic resist)
[ ] A thing of dirt - a mud doll, taking on whatever shape is needed for a situation - be it draconic or human (No change from present)
[ ] Something else (write-in)
"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." - A.A. Milne
[ ] A boy who can call upon an ancient dragon's might - but only at will (dragon abilities harder to access, remove base Magic Resistance)
A delicate, yet important choice.
[x] An Onmyouji - A being of twilight that merges the physical and the spiritual sides.
Less focus on new abilities (after the change) and more returning to his core skills.
A being of harmony rather than destruction, someone who perceives the world clearly and who can reach out to others - physical or spiritual.
[X] A boy who can call upon an ancient dragon's might - but only at will (dragon abilities harder to access, remove base Magic Resistance)The Onmyouji write in is interesting, but it feels like a sub pick, with the prime pick having to be the above. An Onmyouji is a possibly way he defines himself as a boy, but more importantly I need him to define himself as boy first with the power to call on a dragon, or his golem side. Once that is pick I think it would be fair to vote a how we see Shinji in a more deeper way to fine tune the aspect that he embraces.
[x] An Onmyouji - A being of twilight that merges the physical and the spiritual sides.
Fine we can go with this after review of what this write in means. Looking at himself like he is somewhere between Human-Yokai is better than viewing himself like a dragon or a golem. Not that the golem is bad but I would think it would be hell on his relationships given what would a golem ever care about them. It would just mold itself to be whatever it needed to be when around others, which would totally cause issues on romance.
Last edited by Skull Leader; December 28th, 2019 at 10:07 AM.
To think that we once fancied Shinji an innovator, the creator of something new and undiscovered, the blend of East and West. How things have changed. Nowadays we look at the West and don't see anything of worth to strive for. How saddening.
[x] An Onmyouji - A being of twilight that merges the physical and the spiritual sides.
You cannot choose to be everything. Choosing one side in a sense means abandoning the other - it seems that we are ready to accept this old adage. With one part of our arsenal becoming a true priority and others being the supplement to it. The path to greatness is covered with broken dreams, heh.
The things we do to reach her side.
Last edited by Malorius; December 28th, 2019 at 01:25 AM.
[x]An Onmyouji - A being of twilight that merges the physical and the spiritual sides.
[x] An Onmyouji - A being of twilight that merges the physical and the spiritual sides.
Choice 160: [x] An Onmyouji - A being of twilight that merges the physical and the spiritual sides.
Choice 161: There was little point, Shinji thought, to restricting himself to the limits of a mere human. At the same time, he had no wish to live as a beast ruled by his instincts and desires, or as a thing of dirt whose abilities, form, and nature lent itself to merely being a tool for others. His great ambition in life, his overriding goal, was to one day be able to stand beside Sokaris as an equal, and that meant having both power and discipline. Being human was secondary to that, so long as he seemed human enough to function in society.
In this, he took the onmyouji he knew as exemplars - people like Kaiduka, Hijiri, or Hokuto - one of which was a kitsune, one of which was the Maiden of the Tree (and essentially lived in a permanent state of fusion), and one of which was a half-kitsune. They were not fully human, yet they lived among humans, and were respected as authorities, deferred to by others - even other authorities. Shinji couldn't deny that there was a certain appeal to that - to being recognized as powerful, interacting with society when one chose, and generally being above petty arguments and mundane struggles.
Yes - he could see himself in such a role quite well.
Who would be the best model of an onmyouji though?
[ ] Ayaka
[ ] Hokuto
[ ] Hijiri
[ ] Kaiduka
[ ] ...maybe Shiroe?
"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." - A.A. Milne
[X] Hijiri
The person that represents best both worlds. A human that because their amount of time connected to a yokai is no longer fully human. But still consider the heart of Mahotokoro even to her tree. It is my hope that using her as a baseline he stays connected with his human nature enough to not go fully yokai but at the same time embracing the inhuman nature by fusing with it.
[X] Hijiri
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