CL's Brainstorming Blog: Dawn of Courage edition

[CynthiaLover]

Okay, while I don't expect much to come from this I'm hoping to use this blog as a means of organizing my thoughts and taking advice/suggestions/ideas from others. Just because I'm not writing anything while I'm still fighting with food stamps doesn't mean I can't brainstorm ideas for Dawn of Courage. And that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Anyway, the purpose of this blog is to organize my ideas and take feedback/suggestions from others. Hopefully a handful of you will be willing to offer some ideas and responses. Since Dawn of Courage is still a work in progress I've been brainstorming various scenarios for it to further expand on the world of Edyn and it's residents. Here are a handful of ideas I've concocted that I would like feedback and/or suggestions on. They'll be in spoilers due to not only being spoilers to later in the story but also because of their length.

Spoiler: Idea #1: Meeting of the Zaboomafoos ^_^

This idea will properly introduce the Lemur Clan to the party.

The party encounters a weakened Lemur Clan girl on the road. She is unable to communicate with them due to her clan having their own language and is initially hostile to them. However, the party can see she's weak from hunger so Nova offers her some food, which she accepts eagerly before scampering off. The party later is forced to take a detour through a forest/swamp area due to the bridge on the main road having been destroyed lately and is in the middle of repairs. This detour unintentionally leads them to the Lemur Clan (or one of them, anyway) that the Lemur girl they helped earlier belongs to. They are initially attacked because the Lemur Clan doesn't trust outsiders but the Lemur girl they helped before puts in a good word for them, which grants them entry to the village.

They are brought to the Lemur Queen: Queen Rosetta, and her human husband, Jackie, who acts as both a translator and the village medic. He rescued Rosetta from death and taught this Lemur Clan about more powerful medicines, earning him their trust and Rosetta's love, thus is now part of the clan as an honorary member. After a few interesting moments (such as Rosetta mistaking Nova and Nina as a married couple) she learns that they're the Demon King's champion party. However, she ends up not being impressed with Nova, especially once she learns he's afraid of Undead yet is the Demon King's champion, resulting in her being very dismissive of both Nova and the threat of Muu, to Nina's restrained fury. As a result of this she feels that Muu isn't that big of a deal and feels that her troop can handle his forces if a "cowardly nobody" like Nova can.

She ends up eating those words when Muu's forces attack. The Lemur Clan puts up a brave fight but are extremely poorly equipped for the battle, pretty much getting curb-stomped. Rosetta herself fairs a bit better but the Undead Captain (who I have yet to name) is able to overpower her and beats her within an inch of her life. He prepares to kill her, but Nova takes the blow, earning himself a rapier through the shoulder, before retaliating and destroying the the Undead Captain with a Point: Blank Dragon Strike, knowing full well that he'll be caught in the blast as well (though he also knows he'll be immune to the attack since he's got the Lightning Ring on his finger, which negates Lightning element damage, something that neither the Undead Captain nor Rosetta know about). Nina is able to remove the rapier that is protruding from Nova's body and uses one of her Magic Fire Feathers to heal Rosetta, pointing out that the "cowardly nobody" that she was insulting risked his life to save hers.

After the party helps heal the Lemur Clan members Rosetta's opinion of Nova (and the threat of Muu) does a total 180, not only apologizing to Nova but now understanding that Muu is a serious threat, as her troop was poorly prepared to face them. She then decides to make Nova an honorary member of the clan, symbolizing it by carving a magical tattoo on his right forearm. Nova is not thrilled by this, as tattoos are a big no-no in the Blitz family, and he's already got such a negative reputation among his family as the outcast, but he allows Rosetta to do what she wants, knowing it would be in his best interest to not insult the Lemur Clan's culture. The tattoo also has a second function: if the party encounters any other Lemur Clans they can present that tattoo to gain their trust, as despite each Lemur Clan being different they will respect the decision of another clan leader in making someone an honorary member. As such it'll inform them that Nova (and by extension his party) are allies to them. (This'll actually happen later on, where the tattoo does inform another Lemur Clan that the party are allies to them.) After allowing the party to stay in their village for the night Rosetta personally escorts the party through the forest/swamp and back to the main road, past the broken bridge that led them to the Lemur Clan in the first place, allowing them to move on to their next destination.

Here's the second idea I've concocted.

Spoiler: Idea #2: Hunting for Victory

This idea will introduce the Elven Clans of Edyn. It'll also act as something of a mini arc.

The party makes it to Gem Ridge Kingdom's capital. However, there is a problem. Every year the various Elven Clans host the King's Hunt Festival, where the sons/daughters of each elven noble who have reached age 16 perform sort of a coming-of-age ritual. The various elven nobles enter a place called the Royal Hunting Grounds, which is a floating island where various food-related monsters exist, as a means of proving their worth and earning their respective clan some special benefits. The goal is simple: collect the most points from the monsters (which range from 10 to 500, depending on the breed) during the 2 1/2 day event to win. There are strict rules, however: no direct attacks on other groups, no stealing, no kill-stealing another group's prey, and no interfering with another group's hunt. Violation of these rules results in disqualification and the clan the noble represents will get punished, depending on the broken rule. As such, even the more rowdy Dark Elves tend to play by the rules. There is, however, no rule against groups working together to take down larger prey, which is actually encouraged, so long as they divide up the spoils evenly. Doing so will prove that those future clan leaders are willing to work with each other to overcome bigger obstacles. They have held this event every year for 5,000 years, even during the Great War. In essence, it's similar to the Harvest Festival arc from Welcome to Demon School Iruma-kun, only a bit tamer and more organized.

However, this year there is a problem. Thanks to the party Muu's forces have been heavily demoralized, which resulted in some of the more nastier Undead Captains and their platoons to become bolder and attack various settlements. As a result the various clans are on edge and worried that the Undead Armies in the territory may try to interfere and kill their sons/daughters, potentially forcing the King's Hunt Festival to be postponed, which is unheard of. However, because the party arrived at that time, King Jean of the Light Elves requests they help with the event, as the party has dealt with Muu's forces for quite some time, inspiring hope in the people of Edyn. They are promised with not only access to King Jean's intelligence network, but to some of the spoils of the hunt, among other rewards, if they act as additional bodyguards for the participants of the hunting festival. The party ends up agreeing to it, as not only do they need access to the intelligence network, but the extra food would be helpful, among the other rewards.

King Jean is able to tell the other elven clans that the Demon King's champion party is going to help them so they can proceed with the event. The party will be divided into four pairs (specifically: Nova/Nina, Sir Reginald/Kettu, Van/Angelo, and Zeeker/Elizabetta) and will be selected by lotto to four of the nobles in the event (there are more than four elven clans, and to avoid stretching out the party too much they'll only be assigned to certain groups). There will also be an increase in security in the forms of more knights than usual to provide extra insurance. When each group gets selected they begin the hunt. However, Dominic, Eoleo, and one of Muu's Undead Captains (who I have yet to name) want to interfere: the former two want to sabotage the party and collect free rare food while the latter is looking for fresh souls to give to Muu (though he's unaware of the party being involved, and neither enemy faction are aware of each other). Thus the King's Hunt Festival mini arc starts.

What do you all think of some of these ideas? If you have any suggestions or feedback please feel free to post them. And any ideas you want to offer are welcome. Happy posting.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Despite it being so early in the morning (damn restless mind syndrome strikes again...) I forgot to mention some details regarding the King's Hunt Festival. They are below in the spoiler tag.

Spoiler: King's Hunt Festival extra details

First, I forgot to mention that Cain will also be involved in the King's Harvest Festival. However, he'll be providing a similar role to the party: acting as a bodyguard for one of the elven nobles participating in the event. Unlike Dominic or Eoleo, who are interfering with the event for selfish gains, Cain volunteered to assist the elves. He will get something out of it, however, namely a chunk of the spoils, but he's doing it mainly out of good will (and he understands the threat that Muu's army is projecting right now, so he wants to do his part in stopping Muu). So Cain will act as an extra layer of security for the event to ensure unwanted interferences or threats get in the way.

Also, I forgot to mention the reward for King's Hunt Festival. The reward, other than the rare edible monsters, is that the clan(s) who win the event gain a one year promotion in the kingdom's ranks. While all the elven clans have a say in the decision making in their kingdom only the Light Elves get the final word. Whichever clan(s) wins the King's Hunt Festival gains the ability to also have the final say in any decision making processes. And yes, every now and then there are ties (the event has gone on for 5,000 years so a tie every now and then is inevitable), so whenever there is one for first place then all the clans who won gain the same thing. The winning clan(s) also gain other benefits, such as large amounts of gold and special supplies like Elemental Coins and Beast Claws. But the one year promotion alone is considered the main draw of the event, so that's the prize all the elven clans want most.

That should sum up the missing details of the event.

Also, here is the (current) list of edible monsters, many of which will debut (at least on-screen) during the event. Feel free to suggest some other ideas. I'll tweak it over time but this'll do for now. Prepare for some criminally bad punning.

Spoiler: Food-Producing Monsters

Food-Producing Monsters​

Name	Type	Strength	Element	Weakness	Food Item
Angel Wing Fish	Aquatic	Low	Light	Dark	Most of body
Black Bog Eel	Aquatic	Moderate	Water	Wood	Flesh
Blacktail Crayfish	Aquatic	Low	Water	Lightning	Tails
Bubbler Shrimp	Aquatic	Low	Water	Lightning	Flesh
Devil Fish	Aquatic	Moderate	Dark	Light	Most of body
Dune Clam	Aquatic	Low	Water	Lightning	Everything except the shell
Sandbar Crab	Aquatic	Moderate	Water	Wood	Pincer
Spark Squid	Aquatic	Moderate	Lightning	Wood	Tentacles
Trident Spearfish	Aquatic	High	Water	Lightning	Most of body
Fire Pheasant	Avian	Moderate	Fire	Water	Breast, Thighs, Wings
Swamp Chicken	Avian	Low	Wind	Lightning	Breast, Drumsticks, Thighs, Wings, Eggs
Terra Turkey	Avian	Moderate	Earth	Ice	Breast, Thighs, Drumsticks, Wings
Thunder Goose	Avian	Moderate	Lightning	Earth	Breast, Thighs, Drumsticks, Wings
Wood Duck	Avian	Low	Wood	Fire	Breast, Thighs, Drumsticks, Wings
Burn Bear	Beast	High	Fire	Water	Ribs, Loins, Roast
Burning Jackalope	Beast	Low	Fire	Water	Ribs, Thighs
Candy Porcupine	Beast	Moderate	Earth	Ice	Quills, Most of body
Charger Elk	Beast	Moderate	Wind	Lightning	Flank, Ribs, Roast
Clay Rabbit	Beast	Low	Earth	Ice	Ribs, Thighs
Desert Caribou	Beast	Moderate	Earth	Ice	Flank, Ribs, Roast
Iron-Horn Bison	Beast	High	Earth	Wind	Loins, Steaks, Ribs, Roast, Legs
Quick Piglet	Beast	Low	Earth	Ice	Ribs, Roast
Sugar-Horn Sheep	Beast	Moderate	Earth	Wind	Ribs, Shank, Flank, Legs, Horns
Sweet-Tusk Boar	Beast	Moderate	Earth	Ice	Ribs, Roast, Flank, Legs, Tusks
Woodstock Bull	Beast	High	Wood	Fire	Loins, Steaks, Flank, Ribs, Roast
Candy Cricket	Insect	Low	Wind	Ice	Entire body
Corn Mealworm	Insect	Low	Wood	Fire	Entire body
Honey Pot Ant	Insect	Low	Earth	Ice	Entire body
Scorch Scorpion	Insect	Moderate	Fire	Water	Entire body
Sugar Jewel Beetle	Insect	Low	Earth	Ice	Entire body
Wicked Weevil	Insect	Moderate	Earth	Ice	Entire body
Ambush Grapevine	Plant	Low	Wood	Earth	Grapes
Banana Creamer	Plant	Moderate	Wood	Fire	Bananas
Black-Eyed Peashooter	Plant	Low	Wood	Ice	Peas
Cherry Viper Plant	Plant	Low	Wood	Fire	Cherries
Cruelcumber	Plant	Moderate	Wood	Ice	Most of body
Onion Ringneck	Plant	Moderate	Earth	Ice	Onions
Peach Clobberer	Plant	Moderate	Wood	Fire	Peaches, Most of body
Pearagon Plant	Plant	Moderate	Wood	Fire	Pears, Most of body
Rockolli	Plant	Low	Earth	Ice	Florets
Rudeabaga	Plant	Moderate	Earth	Ice	Most of body
Savage Cabbage	Plant	Moderate	Wood	Fire	Leaves
Snapple Trap	Plant	Moderate	Wood	Fire	Apples
Soul Mangoon	Plant	Low	Wood	Fire	Mangos, Most of body
Speed Shroom	Plant	Low	Wood	Fire	Mushroom Cap
Strawberry Rootbrute	Plant	Moderate	Wood	Fire	Strawberries, Most of body
Vanilla Beanstalker	Plant	Moderate	Wood	Fire	Vanilla bean pods
Zugenie	Plant	High	Wind	Ice	Most of body
Caramel Snapping Turtle	Reptile	Moderate	Water	Lightning	Legs, Tail, Most of body
Gator Ghoul	Reptile	High	Water	Wood	Tail

That should cover the extra details I forgot and the current food monster list. Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome. Enjoy.

 

[CynthiaLover]

More brainstorming. Or more like brainsparking. Something of an idea that I had tucked in the back of my mind for a while now and I've decided to try to flesh out more. In spoiler tag, as usual.

Spoiler: Meeting of the Demons

The party encounters the Demon Clan, or rather some of the demons from the Netherworld that settled on Edyn in order to keep an eye on Muu. They built a remote city hidden in some badlands so they can scope out Muu's forces and act as a special location for Belzebuth's champions to find. However... they hid themselves a bit too well to the point that NO Demon King Champion has ever found them despite the Demon King Ring being programed to lead said champion to it when within a certain range of the city. This has caused two problems. 1) The purpose of the city was to act as a base to further supplement the Demon King champions and make the Demon King Ring stronger, along with provide useful intel and supplies. As a result past Demon King champions were not as strong as they could be, which is why the war has dragged out so long (other than Muu being a dirty coward and refusing to fight directly). And 2) The demons living there have become too settled and relaxed to the point they're not actually doing their job anymore. They can still provide what is needed but after 3,000 years of waiting they've just decided to enjoy their lives to the point that most of the current generations of demons are apathetic toward Muu's threat, feeling that the war will never end so they're not bothering to do their jobs anymore.

The reason why the party found the city of demons is because they happened to be in the nearby badlands searching for something. The Demon King Ring detected the city and forcefully dragged Nova (and by extension, the rest of the party) toward it, thus discovering the hidden city. Needless to say the demons there are rather surprised to see an actual Demon King champion, especially since they don't bother to leave the city to search for any of the champions, be it past or present, because of the aforementioned mentality they've developed. And needless to say even more that they're ill-prepared to actually help the party.

Only one demon in the city has his act together: General Crimzon, Belzebuth's right-hand demon. He was tasked by Belzebuth to upgrade the Demon King Ring with more power, and thus has waited for 3,000 years for one of the Demon King champions to appear. The problem is... regular demons only live roughly 800-1,000 years, give or take, and General Crimzon has been alive since the battle between Belzebuth and Muu started in the Netherworld itself, thus he's over 3,000 years old, and clearly feeling it. But he's had to keep himself alive so he could help at least one Demon King champion, as he contains the energy upgrade the Demon King Ring needs to boost its power to the point it can destroy Muu outright. However, because no past champions have found the hidden city the power has been building up inside of him, pushing his body to its limit, especially in his advanced age. Originally the ring only needed to be increased by 70% to make it strong enough to tackle Muu head-on. But because the power has been building up for 3,000 years, it's grown to the point that, if fed to the ring, it'll boost its power by a whooping 700%, and there's no way to reduce the energy upgrade. As a result every setting will be enhanced tremendously and the Demon King Ring will be pushed to its absolute limit. Even Lesser Devil Mode will have the same strength as pre-upgrade Ifrit Mode after the upgrade.

However, this presents a problem. The Demon King Ring will be at its absolute limit and using too much power could cause a large enough recoil that could potentially kill Nova. Especially Armageddon Mode, which has a 99% chance to atomize Nova if he were to use it because of the recoil. Thus Nova needs to be tested to ensure he'll be smart about the upgrade and will be able to handle it. Thus he needs to undergo a trial of sorts to prove he has the capacity, strength, and intelligence to wield this tremendous power without endangering himself or his party members. And the trial is a one-on-one with General Crimzon, who still has enough fight left in him for one last battle. Effectively a fight to the death. Nova has to fight using his own abilities: no using the Demon King Ring, no Shaman magic, no weapon skills, no magical accessories, no mana bow, just the natural abilities he's developed over the course of the adventure. And the party cannot interfere or participate at all. In fact they're not even allowed in the special room where the battle will take place to ensure that they cannot interfere. This is to ensure that Nova is capable of being trusted with such immense power.

There are a few smaller events that take place during this time. Such as some of the female demons expressing an interest in Nova (to Nina's fury), Sir Reginald accidentally insulting General Crimzon and making the old demon general furious (which Kettu teases him about), requiring Nina to use her "feminine wiles" to coax General Crimzon into helping them (to Nova's fury, and also revealing that he's a dirty old man with a thing for boobalicious women, to Elizabetta's fury, as she doesn't quite fit his "criteria"), and a handful of other events.

What do you all think of this idea? I've had it stewing away in the back of my mind for a good month or so now. There are some changes to my original design of this scenario (namely Nova would be allowed to use Shaman magic since his awkward compatibility would mean it will push his body and energy to their limits during the battle), but I decided to take a page from Breath of Fire 3 and force Nova to fight General Crimzon without any powers (this scenario is actually loosely based off of the event in Breath of Fire 3 where Ryu gains the Infinity Gene). I also took a page from the Breath of Fire 3 fanfiction "Of Gods and Dragons" (I hope I'm remembering that title right) where Ryu in the same scenario fights Jono to the death one-on-one for the Infinity Gene and the party is forced to sit it out. Let me know what you think. Until next time.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Again it's early in the morning. And again I forgot to mention some details regarding the King's Hunt Harvest. In the spoiler, as usual.

Spoiler: Additional King's Hunt Festival information

Familiars are allow to assist in the King's Hunt Harvest. As each elven noble obtains a familiar during on their 16th birthday every participating noble possesses a familiar. As a result it is often encouraged for noble and familiar to work together to increase their success in the festival. Familiars, however, are forbidden from attacking one another, lest their masters get disqualified, as it counts as attacking another participant. They can, however, act as bodyguards during the night, to ensure that no participant is attacked and/or eaten by the monsters present in the event.

Also, whenever a participant obtains a monster (or parts of it, like the Snapple Trap's vine of apples), they can store it into a special capsule called a Capture Capsule. This magical item can shrink down anything that goes inside it and seal it in before shrinking down to a smaller size itself for easy storage a la Poke Balls. Each noble is given 250 of these Capture Capsules so they can easily store their successful hunts, with a large sack to hold them in. The Capture Capsules can only work if the creature in question is dead (or the needed part has been removed, like the Banana Creamer's bananas), thus killing the monsters (if necessary) is still required in order to actually obtain the points needed to win the event. Whenever a Capture Capsule is used it'll display the point value of whatever it is inside of it, thus allowing for easy point calculations.

As a last note, certain monsters can produce bonus points due to having additional parts that are considered valuable. Examples include Candy Porcupine quills (which are worth 1-5 points each, depending on the breed), the Peach Clobberer's peaches (worth 5 points each), and the Sweet-Tusk Boar's tusks (worth 10 points each). Thus these types of monsters are more coveted due to providing additional points toward the total.

That about covers the last few details I forgot to mention. Interesting stuff, right? Until next time.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Small idea that I've been toying with in my head for a bit now. Since the last 5th/6th of the series will be dedicated to Nova's and Nina's life on Earth I've been cooking up some scenarios for them. This is one such idea I've had for a bit. In spoiler, as usual.

Spoiler: Awakening Parental Instincts

At one point Nova, on his way home from errands, encounters an apartment building on fire. One of the residents is in a panic as his wife and 6 month old son are trapped inside. Nova dons one of his remaining Aura Gauntlets and braves the flames to rescue the mother and child, earning him their eternal gratitude. About a week or so later the family tracks him down and makes a big request: they want Nova to become their son's godfather, as the fire showed them that disaster could strike at any time, thus they want some insurance that if anything were to happen to them their son would have a chance at a future. Nova is very much taken aback, as he wasn't expecting anything for saving the family, once again showing his good karma rewarding him, but he ultimately accepts. After some paperwork Nova becomes James' godfather, becoming the first Blitz family member to become a godparent.

Every so often, while the parents are hunting for new homes, they leave James with Nova and Nina to babysit him (and fulfill his role as a godparent). It is during these times that Nova displays some incredible parental instincts, indicating he's a natural father deep down that has now been awakened. He's able to care for James as if the boy was his own flesh and blood. This is both to show his natural ability as a parent and the dichotomy between him and his family in action again: male Blitz family members tend to be somewhat awkward as fathers, at least at first, requiring some help and time before they settle into the role, while Nova takes to parenting like a fish takes to water.

This greatly pleases Nina, as when the duo finally decide to have a family of their own (and they will) it means Nova will be able to care for them without issue. It's also good training for them when they do decide to have kids of their own. This also proves to be a huge help for James' parents, as they'll be living with relatives while hunting for a new home, thus having the option to leave James in Nova's care when need be gives them some major peace of mind, knowing their son will be in good hands when they can't take him with them.

What do you think? It's a small idea but I felt it would be a nice one. Plus it would show a side of Nova that isn't seen normally (at least up to that point). Let me know what you think. Until next time.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Another update regarding the King's Hunt Festival. Since all the elven nobles will possess familiars, as I stated earlier, I decided to do a list of them so to keep things organized. They are below in the spoiler.

Spoiler: Elven Noble Familiars

Elven Clan Familiars​

Noble Name	Gender	Clan	Familiar
Sapphira	Female	Aqua Elf	Befuddle Cuttlefish
Julia	Female	Crystal Elf	Wise Tortoise
Glass	Female	Dark Elf	Devil Cat
Snowgem	Female	Frostbite Elf	Icefloe Sealion
Mayfair	Female	Grassland Elf	Lothar Leopard
Vulcan	Male	Lava Elf	Lava Mermaid
Lance	Male	Light Elf	Feathered Serpent
Claytor	Male	Mudwave Elf	Venus Flower
Sandblast	Male	Sandstone Elf	Quick Cobra
Swiftfoot	Male	Shadow Elf	Moon Bat
Stormfly	Female	Thunder Elf	Storm Hawk
Gusthall	Male	Wind Elf	Siren Harpy
Juniper	Male	Wood Elf	Wood Dog

Not bad, right? This'll give some underrated and/or unused familiars some screentime, along with showcasing their abilities. It also shows the different elven clans that are participating in the King's Hunt Festival. I'm still sorting out which party members go to which noble but I have time until then. Until next time.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Another idea that's been stewing around in my head for a while now. It's another post-adventure scenario, one where Nova finally confronts the entire Blitz family about how he feels about his treatment and the family. Thing is... this one can go a few different ways so I want some input from others on this one. In spoiler tag, as usual.

Spoiler: Blitz BBQ Bash

Nova and Nina have settled into their new roles/lives on Earth, for the most part. But they are soon invited to the Blitz Family 4th of July BBQ, the first time Nova's been invited to it in quite a while. After confronting his parents about what needs to be changed in the Blitz family, who promised to make things right now that their eyes are open, this is considered an opportunity for the family to show that they are capable of changing and returning to their roots like they should instead of developing a toxic, cult-like mentality and sense of uniformism. Nova is, of course, hesitant to attend due to how horrible past get-togethers have been, but is persuaded by Nina to go, which he ultimately does. Donning his adventurer's outfit for extra flare (and to further prove his story about his isakai adventure), he and Nina go to the barbeque. After making quite the entrance (Nina flies the duo to the BBQ in her phoenix form and gives off bit of a show in the process) the family finally meets Nina properly (many of them thought she didn't exist due to how strange the story was about what happened to Nova, since his parents retold most of what Nova said happened to the rest of the family).

It is during this time that Nova is rather prickly toward the family, especially ones like his jerkass cousin, Ryan (who is basically the butt-monkey of the event due to always getting on the business end of either Nina's anger, Elora's protectiveness, and/or Nova's newfound skills because he can't keep his mouth shut). It is here than Nova finally lets out all his pent-up anger and aggression toward the family, giving them a royal earful at what he's had to endure, the toxic mentality the family has developed, and calls them out on their desires for uniformism and disregard for skills outside of business, teaching, and scientific fields. And the family has no choice but to take the beating because they know they inflicted those wounds on Nova's heart and soul. They also have to stomach Nova effectively flexing his skills and abilities that they could never achieve on them since they've been doing the same to him for the past 13 years, effectively allowing him to take revenge on them for his misery and humiliation at their hands.

It is during this rant that 99% of Nova's cousins finally reveal that they, too, are resentful of the paths their parents have been pushing them down, completely disregarding their own desires and dreams in favor of satisfying their parents. All of them express to follow paths that don't align with the current mentality of the family, such as painting, sports, music, and more. In other words, the same skills Nova has. The only reason why they kept quiet about it is because they saw Nova's suffering and being effectively cast out by the Blitz family and, out of fear, kept their true desires hidden so they don't receive the same treatment. But now that Nova's finally giving the Blitz family what for they come out and express their true desires and end up siding with Nova, showing that they, too, detest what the family has become. The only exception is Ryan, who rather likes the way the family is now, and is actually angry that Nova, who he has a petty rivalry with, is forcing the family to change. (Note that this mentality comes back to haunt Ryan, especially when his dark secrets and hidden incompetence are revealed, effectively turning HIM into the shame of the family, which is revealed to be karmic due to how he bullies the other children in the Blitz family, especially Nova.)

This provides the last, and most brutal, wake-up call to the Blitz family that they have been crushing their children's dreams in favor of their own desires and thirst for success. Now that their own children are effectively "rebelling" and showing the rift they have created the Blitz family fully repents, truly seeing where they went wrong. They know it won't be an overnight change but the fact that their own children want the family to change motivates them to complete the change. And they now see that Nova isn't the shame of the family, but rather the pride of the family, since he remained true to the Blitz family's ancestor's path, thus is the only "true" Blitz family member in the group. Nova is still rather prickly despite finally getting everything off his chest, along with getting the unexpected aid of his "rebellions" cousins, but he's able to unwind a bit more despite still being rather uncomfortable at the BBQ. Thus the "redemption arc" of the Blitz family goes into overdrive.

What do you think? There are a number of ways that the scenes can play out so I want some input and ideas on how/what to prioritize and execute. This also opens the door for more... "civil" get-togethers now that Nova's no longer the shame of the family, which I'm open to suggestions on. That's enough for one night. Until next time.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Another before bed idea strikes, causing me to literally lose sleep as a result. This one takes place during the adventure on Edyn as sort of a "before the storm" scenario. It also contains a plot spoiler that I've been building up for a little while now. Read at your own risk.

Spoiler: Ball Before Battle

After destroying the final Undead Base on Edyn, leaving only Muu's continent left to liberate, the party is invited to a grand ball at Galvatar Kingdom in celebration of removing Muu's influence from the other lands/kingdoms. The ball invites various nobles, royals, and other important people, with the party being the guests of honor. It is basically a small reward for the party before the final battle takes place.

During the time Nina reveals that the Phoenix Clan can't hold their liquor very well. It literally takes only one goblet of wine to make a Phoenix Clan member, be it male or female, drunk. Nina got drunk once a few years ago at another event, having tried wine for the first time, but was able to hold it together long enough until she got home. He brothers, on the other hand, not only got drunk, but made fools of themselves. It was one of the few incidents where Nina tried to be a responsible older sister and warn them not to drink any alcohol, but thanks to the clan's sexist mentality they blew off her warning and ended up drunk after a single glass of wine, making complete idiots of themselves. It was also one of the rare incidents where Nina not only got to rub salt on their wounds during the subsequent hangover without repercussions, but one of the few times she got praise from her parents for trying to stop her brothers from doing what they did, and one of the few times her brothers got punished for their actions.

This is revealed because a young noble takes an interest in Nina and tries to court her with some wine. Nina, who clearly wants nothing to do with him, rejects his flirting, citing she's already engaged to Nova. Nova intervenes before things can get too heated and the noble is, as always, clearly unimpressed by Nova's appearance, thinking he's unfit to be the Demon King champion. Nina nearly decks the guy but Nova restrains her and is able to take calm potshots at the noble before guiding Nina away. Soon it is time to dance, with Nina dragging Nova out onto the dancefloor (and Elizabetta doing the same with Zeeker) and perform a waltz. Surprisingly, Nova is very graceful on the dancefloor, something that not even he was aware of. Because of this he wonders if this is another dichotomy-exclusive skill he has or if other Blitz family members are capable dancers and he just hasn't seen them dance yet.

After a few dances King Hendrik takes the stage and announces that the final battle will soon be upon them. Thanks to Muu taking their bait from earlier in the adventure they are now in a position to strike his home base down while he's in a false sense of security. Belzebuth's plan was to rebuild the Infinity Cannon, a cannon made during the Great War as a means of fighting Muu, which has been hinted at during the story, in order to destroy Muu's barrier and its generator, thereby allowing the allied forces to perform the final charge against his army. However, they need two power sources in order to get the cannon working, as it's now been fully repaired. One power source is currently in King Hendrik's possession while the second one is in Nova's possession, much to the latter's surprise, until he realizes what it is: the Spellstones. The Spellstones are the power source for the Infinity Cannon. Nova possesses the positively charged Spellstone while King Hendrik possesses the negatively charged one, and both are needed to power the Infinity Cannon. Nova hands over the Spellstone he's had with him since the incident at the former Navaral Kingdom's capital, with King Hendrik promising to return the Spellstone to him when the battle is over, as it does rightfully belong to him now. Thus with both Spellstones and the Infinity Cannon ready the final battle will soon be upon them.

What do you think? It helps set up the final battle with Muu's forces, and shows that Nova's party are the closest to succeeding in eliminating Muu once and for all. It has also been building up the proper use for the item Nova obtained a while back. And it sets the stage for the allied forces to finally end the nightmare that is Muu once and for all. Now that I got that out of my head I can relax for a bit. Until next time.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Slight update on Dawn of Courage. Since I'll be entering the King's Hunt Festival very soon (though I'm taking a short break for the Christmas holiday) I've had to iron out the last few details of said arc. I've finally figured out which elven noble gets which group of party members (and by extension, Cain). They are below in the spoiler.

Spoiler: Noble/Party groups

Elven Noble	Party Members
Juniper (Wood Elf Clan)	Nova/Nina
Sapphira (Aqua Elf Clan)	Van/Angelo
Vulcan (Lava Elf Clan)	Sir Reginald/Kettu
Mayfair (Grassland Elf Clan)	Zeeker/Elizabetta
Stormfly (Thunder Elf Clan)	Cain

That should wrap up the last important details. I might add a few more monsters to the edible monster list as a couple of possible ideas came into my head recently. But since everything is now on hold until after Christmas I'll mull it over until then. There is technically one more chapter before the actual arc begins proper, but it acts as sort of an introduction/"welcome mat" to the arc, since the King's Hunt Festival will be mentioned in it, along with the plot of the chapter being sort of an prelude to how the arc will play out. When the holiday is over expect to see possibly more details added in as I start the arc proper. Until then.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Got a slight update with an idea I've been toying with. In the spoiler, as usual. (Warning: contains sexual content)

Spoiler: Nova's and Nina's relationship in full bloom

At one point in the series Nova and Nina get separated from the group. While traveling down a path over a ravine a rockslide happens, destroying the bridge and sending Nova and Nina down the ravine. Nova is able to use his Hoverboots to prevent him and Nina from crashing but Nina is knocked out from a rock to the head (her Magic Fire Feathers heal her but she's still out cold for a bit). Nova instructs the party to meet them in the next village. Eventually Nova and Nina need to retreat into a shallow cave when the weather turns bad, with Nova using the Demon King Ring to cast Stalagmite (effectively Edyn's version of Stone Edge) to seal the cave up to protect them from threats.

Eventually Nina regains consciousness from the lump to the head. After having some heart-to-heart Nina effectively begs Nova to take her. Nova is, at first, reluctant, as he worries about her getting pregnant while on the battlefield (though he does say he'll take responsibility for his actions if he does impregnate Nina). But with some persuasion (and his own desires getting into the mix), the two end up making love for the first time, fully cementing their relationship, and future, with each other.

Afterward the two spend some time talking, both eager for their future together. They know they have to get past Muu first but knowing they'll always be together makes facing that daunting threat worth it. By virtue of good fortune Nina doesn't get pregnant after this event (obviously learned later on), giving the duo more time to plan accordingly. After the weather clears up the following day the couple are able to make it to the next village (they run into Elizabetta along the way, who was sent out to search for them, and follow her back to the nearest village.

Sort of the logical path for the duo regarding their relationship. I haven't quite decided on using this idea or not, as it's still in the "Maybe" pile, but it is somewhat tempting since it would act as a logical step further to their future together. Let me know what you think.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Expanded on a previous idea I had a little while ago. This one further foreshadows events that'll happen later on but it'll also show just how far Nova will go for Nina. In spoiler tag, as usual.

Spoiler: Bird Song

The party eventually comes to a town that's having their annual singing contest (technically it's the following day but registration is now). Nina wants to enter but the sponsor named Vivian, who is obsessed with her youthfulness and beauty (and is generally a b*tch in sheep's clothing), refuses to let her join (mainly because she's jealous of Nina's youth and beauty) despite the fact there is an opening left to partake in the contest. Plus she doesn't feel a "worthless traveler" could even sing. Nova is having none of this, as he knows first-hand how beautiful Nina's singing voice is.

After a bit Nova and Vivian cut a deal: Nova has to be her personal maid for a day, complete with maid outfit, until midnight that night, and in exchange Vivian will allow Nina to enter with no strings attached. Nova, however, having learned from the previous event where the party had to do something for a stuck-up noble, takes precautions by making a contract out of the magic in the Demon King Ring (Vivian is unaware of this) so that way if Vivian tries to back out of it the contract will punish her. That and having it in writing is also smart. So Nova endures a day of being humiliated in a maid outfit in public since he's willing to do it for Nina, as she means more to him than his own life, showing just how devoted he is to her, to Nina's eternal gratitude.

After Nova lives up to his end of the bargain he confront Vivian about hers. Predictably, she tries to back out of it, but it's then that Nova reveals the true nature of the contract. And if she doesn't fulfill her end of the bargain the contract will punish her: by robbing her of her youthfulness and beauty, turning her into a "decrepit monkey skeleton" and "revealing her true inner ugliness" to everyone. She also can't try to sabotage Nina in any shape or form otherwise the contract will activate and punish her. Because Nova lived up to his end of the bargain he's immune to any negative effects, so he basically holds all the cards now, to Vivian's fury. She has no choice but to comply, but Nova knows she won't play fair.

The contest begins and after some intense rounds Nina is declared the winner. However, as soon as Nina gets her trophy Vivian grabs it and smashes it out of spite. However, because the contest hadn't officially ended the demonic contract activates, withering her away into an old, ugly hag. Nova points out if she had just waited a few more minutes the contract would've been fulfilled and thus she would've been spared. The village then learns from Nova about what Vivian tried to do and why he was forced to wear a maid outfit, which turns the village against Vivian, turning her into a hated outcast because of her actions and "true ugliness" being revealed. Fortunately, because this event is yearly the judges give Nina a replacement trophy, which she stores in Nova's Digi-Pack to prevent it from being smashed again.

Later that night the party has set up camp at a magical campsite. Nova is stargazing when Nina joins him. She thanks him from the bottom of her heart for what he did for her. The two share a romantic moment before Nova suggests that Nina take up singing professionally when they return to Earth together, feeling she has a shot at becoming an idol singer or something along those lines, something that Nina is receptive to. This is foreshadowing to Nina's future after the war with Muu is over.

What do you think? Sounds like a good idea? I had the idea of Nina partaking in a singing contest to show off her future as a singer but it was pretty barebones at the time. Now it's been expanded into a proper plot. Let me know what you think. Until then.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Despite another horrible night's sleep I was somehow able to concoct a scenario for the party to encounter. In spoiler below.

Spoiler: Return of Ancient Monsters

The party is heading to one of the elven clans' hometowns (either Shadow or Wood Elf, haven't decided yet). They run into a paladin hired by said elven clan to investigate a problem: the local well has died up, some people have gone missing, and some strange monsters have been seen scuttling around late at night. The monsters in question are the Scuttzle family of monsters, a supposedly extinct breed of insectoid monsters that come in various elements. The last sighting of them was back after the Great War and they haven't been seen since.

The paladin "hires" the party to assist him, as they're strong enough to fight such powerful beasts. Not to mention each version of the Scuttzle monsters have a protective elemental aura not unlike what certain Beast Claws can produce, coming in flavors of Fire, Water, Ice, Lightning, Wood, and Light, with the Light version being the strongest of the batch. They're being commanded by a Scylla, which is the queen of the species, also supposedly extinct. She's capable of brainwashing any enemies (though only one at a time), can call upon all the "special" attacks of her spawn, can use some elemental magic (most notably Earth and Dark), can breathe fire by igniting sacs of gas in her cheeks and throat, and can cast Death. Her Achille's Heel, however, is that she can't leave pools of water for too long, as her body would overheat (this is because they used to be desert-dwelling monsters, with the Scylla residing in the oasis to keep cool).

The party fights the various Scuttzles and makes their way to where the Scylla is residing, as she's blocked the waterflow from the well to better suit her needs. The resulting battle is rough, with the Scylla using her brainwashing ability to try to turn the party against themselves (though all it takes is a sharp jolt to the head to restore the victim to normal). They soon find out that the Scylla is actually a zombified version of itself yet can still produce genuine Scuttzle eggs via Undead magic, indicating the species' unwanted return is because of Muu.

During the battle Nova is forced to bait the Scylla into using her brainwashing ability on him with the Dare spell, as she can only hold one person at a time, giving the party a chance to strike her down. Despite being under the brainwashing effect Nova is somehow able to keep himself from attacking the party, though he's struggling badly. As a last ditch attempt to turn the tide Nova is able to resist the effects and summons Celestial Judgment Arrow again and destroys her, also damaging the blockage that she created to stop the water.

However, Nova is very badly shaken, as the brainwashing spell had the unfortunate effect of unlocking several traumatic memories and emotions that are now haunting him. But the party needs to find the missing villagers first before figuring out a way to break the blockade without drowning immediately afterward. They find the villagers under the control of some remaining baby Scuttzles, forcing them to kill the babies in order to free the villagers.

Nova, despite still being extremely shaken, gets an idea: he summons his mana bow, conjures up three mana arrows, sets the Demon King Ring to Ifrit Mode, and fires the arrows at the blockade all the way from the entrance to the well, as the arrows have a homing ability. He just needs to focus hard enough and envision the blockade so the arrows will strike it, which isn't easy because of how scrambled his head is right now. Everyone else evacuates while they can so Nova can get his shots off.

He succeeds in the task and makes his escape but soon has a mental breakdown from the whirlwind of memories and emotions, collapsing and becoming bedridden. The paladin is able to reseal those memories and emotions with holy magic so Nova can recover in peace but tells the party that if Muu is capable of reviving and zombifying extinct monster breeds then they need to be extra careful, as some of the ancient monsters were extremely tough and near-impossible to kill without special powers like Shaman magic. And many of them had properties similar to the Scylla and her Scuttzle minions, such as brainwashing, protective auras, and stronger elemental manipulation than most modern monsters. This would ultimately prove true as when the party gets into the next kingdom sometime later a handful of extinct monster breeds are now roaming the land, having been revived by Undead magic as Muu's last attempt to hold onto what little territory he has left on Edyn.

What do you think? Sounds interesting? Let me know what anyone thinks of this idea. Now, time to see if I can regain some lost sleep.