2 minutes ago, profparm said:

I think at the end of the first major story arc, he'll be beheaded at court, after revealing the young Hantei is actually the child of the emperors wife and brother-in-law, and being promised that his only punishment will be that he'll have to return to the wall.

Isn't Satsume the emperors brother-in-law?

9 minutes ago, Kuni Katsuyoshi said:

He could just end up 'hurt' like last time, leading to the trifecta idea.

Both would make sense narratively. All the other clans so far seem to have some level of uncertain leadership. Aside from the regular Crab gripe about not getting enough support, Kisada feels like he's got it under control.

I'd be okay with them killing off Kisada early. I like Kisada, but I wasn't exactly in love with how he was handled in the original. Him dying would probably be more effective narratively. Him being killed at court would certainly put the right wheels in motion. They even set that up with the talk of Yasuki Taka getting no where with his negotiations. The next step would be Kisada himself going to the capital to petition for support.

3 minutes ago, Zesu Shadaban said:

Maybe this potential future is what triggered Yokuni's vision and prompted him to march the Dragon ASAP...he foresees Kisada's untimely death and the hot-headed reaction of his eldest son seeking revenge and glory.

What if Yokuni is seeing not the future, but the parallel AEG timeline

4 minutes ago, Zesu Shadaban said:

My post style is clearly Niten, as this was a double post.

1 minute ago, Zesu Shadaban said:

Maybe this potential future is what triggered Yokuni's vision and prompted to march the Dragon ASAP...he foresees Kisada's untimely death and the hot-headed reaction of his eldest son seeking revenge and glory.

I like that idea. That there is going to be not so much a battle, but a single event, a cataclysm so great that it will wash away the Emerald Empires tallest, oldest and most powerful rock and leave everything incredibly vulnerable for the shadowlands horde poised to spread corruption and death in it's wake.

A moment like that sure could use some perfectly positioned reinforcements...

The strap that held the mempi in place in the helmet was snapped and the daimyo carefully lifted the mask aside. The retainer gasped and Kisada was deeply grateful that the man's exclamation covered his own shock.

"Psyche!!! Totally got you there Gramps! Also you're welcome I killed that Oni you are having a hardtime fighting" shouted Doji Hotaru as she springs back up to her feet.

before Kisada could recover his wits, a shout is heard inside the courtyard.

"Doji-sama! Thank the fortunes! We got ambushed on our way here, did we miss anything?" Daidoji Nerishima asked.

I really, really liked this fiction. Kisada's POV was top notch. It also felt like much better war story than Lion one, both in the terms of the mood (you can feel the battlefield here, in the Lion it was all very...unanchored and stagey) and the "feel" of tactics involved. We are not being told that Kisada is a calculating tactician; we observe his perception of the world, shown as a constant, unending and eternal struggle of unlimited moving elements facing impossible odds...with him being the one to arrange the puzzles in a way that defies the undeniable. He is analytical, but not "high brow", smart but not academical. He is intelligent, but not book smart. Observant, persistent and willing to seize the moment, this Kisada is someone I want to follow and rally under. If his portrayal keeps up, I will be incredibly happy, because original Kisada was a character with amazing potential who was tremendously wasted, first by his dumb villainy, and then by his "because authors said so" redemption and white washing.

You can feel that this is a man who won 100000000 battles, and yet he understands that after he will be gone, war will continue on, and his sea of victories is just a drop in the ocean of conflict. You can see that he acknowledges strengths of his children - he outright says whats good about Yakamo, but you can see that, for example, he values Sukune's insight and overall LISTENS to his children. You can also see his impatience with their flaws, his frustration with the fact that not a single one of them is good enough to fully succeed him.

This Kisada is a Kisada who understands that he is but a fleeting moment in Crab history, who knows how small he really is, but also has enough will and determination to PROTECT THE GODDAMN EMPIRE to do ANYTHING in his power to turn the tide. He is, despite all his might and power - or maybe BECAUSE of it - frustrated by how powerless he is.

I'm in love wit this portrayal of Kisada, and I tremendously enjoyed the journey into his mind. I also adore how much the author was able to show without explicit telling, both about the world, the action, and especially about Kisada himself.

Who is this author anyway? Is he/she a new writer?

18 minutes ago, phillos said:

Both would make sense narratively. All the other clans so far seem to have some level of uncertain leadership. Aside from the regular Crab gripe about not getting enough support, Kisada feels like he's got it under control.

I'd be okay with them killing off Kisada early. I like Kisada, but I wasn't exactly in love with how he was handled in the original. Him dying would probably be more effective narratively. Him being killed at court would certainly put the right wheels in motion. They even set that up with the talk of Yasuki Taka getting no where with his negotiations. The next step would be Kisada himself going to the capital to petition for support.

If Kisadas' views regarding court are the same as before, that could get entertainingly messy.

Though, given the current state of affairs, he'd most likely send 1 or more of the kids instead.

equally entertaing. equally messy. Especially if that is where the Dragon offer their 'help'

4 minutes ago, WHW said:

Who is this author anyway? Is he/she a new writer?

She doesn't look familiar, but looking her up online it looks like she's mostly known for video game writing. I hope she does more because I agree. It was a very well written fiction.

I looked her up and she was involved in Alpha Protocol. Alpha Protocol is one of my favorite western cRPGs. Go figure!

Yeah I saw that. Being a former Obsidian employee is a good heritage for a video game story writer. Alpha Protocol was awesome.

As for Yakamo, this fiction gave me an impression that he is acting so exaggerated because he knows that his father values STRENGTH and POWER so he tries to make him proud and curry favor with Kisada by being all macho and powerful. Good example of this is at the very beginning, where he seizes the occasion to paint his siblings as weak children fearing little babbby goblins - which makes them look silly and weak, while making him look strong and powerful, and cool. And Kisada is probably like UGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH GROW UP KID.

8 minutes ago, WHW said:

As for Yakamo, this fiction gave me an impression that he is acting so exaggerated because he knows that his father values STRENGTH and POWER so he tries to make him proud and curry favor with Kisada by being all macho and powerful. Good example of this is at the very beginning, where he seizes the occasion to paint his siblings as weak children fearing little babbby goblins - which makes them look silly and weak, while making him look strong and powerful, and cool. And Kisada is probably like UGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH GROW UP KID.

Makes one wonder what he'll have to go through to get to 'grown up'

Kisada looks like a parent who is impossible to please, to be honest. Yakamo developed a foolish personality trying to impress his father and keep up with the "post" of the eldest, Sukune looks like he is constantly aware of his own weakness and considers his insights not valuable due to it, and O-Ushi looked like she thought that her father doesn't respect her by not taking her with him and sending her on a boring mission away (IMHO he did so because she is the most level headed of them and is grown up enough to not be baby sit by him :V delicious irony)

1 minute ago, Kuni Katsuyoshi said:

Makes one wonder what he'll have to go through to get to 'grown up'

Responsibility.Probably with some screw-ups on his part. Being alpha means taking care of the pack.

2 minutes ago, Kuni Katsuyoshi said:

Makes one wonder what he'll have to go through to get to 'grown up'

One look at Mirumoto Hitomi and we see a long distance relationship blooming.

9 hours ago, phillos said:

Both would make sense narratively. All the other clans so far seem to have some level of uncertain leadership. Aside from the regular Crab gripe about not getting enough support, Kisada feels like he's got it under control.

I'd be okay with them killing off Kisada early. I like Kisada, but I wasn't exactly in love with how he was handled in the original. Him dying would probably be more effective narratively. Him being killed at court would certainly put the right wheels in motion. They even set that up with the talk of Yasuki Taka getting no where with his negotiations. The next step would be Kisada himself going to the capital to petition for support.

I've been thinking about this, and wanting to comment on it somewhere, but we do have very different Clan Champions. We always have, but as this is a new storyline I think it's a cool thing to think about.

1) Crane - She is extremely well trained, but she is young. Its like she doesn't trust her own youth, even though her deeds merit respect.

2) Lion - He wasn't supposed to be in charge. He is good at what he does, but hasn't had any expectations and his training was much less formal. He is the most green of all champions, with practically 0 control / respect in his clan.

3) Dragon - this champion is obviously a Champion in his prime. He is respected by his clan, and his deeds are acknowledged by himself and his people. Not only is he well off, but his successor is already decided.

4) Crab - This is a champion who is fading out of his prime. He's the type envisioned in that song As Good as I Once Was by Toby Keith. He is absolutely respected in and out of his clan for both his words and deeds, but his time at the wheel is coming to an end. The problem is that he has 3 potential heirs to succeed him, and none are perfect. If he goes quickly it could cause quite a rift if the 3 do not agree on what to do next...

I wouldn't blame this Kisada for considering some of the Shadowlands Taint for both power and longevity... I also think he is not personally power hungry as much as he simply knows himself, and trusts his own ability, and is less trusting of others (or maybe just doesn't want to sacrifice them by letting them become the biggest target on the wall)

I speculate that:

5) Tsukune is going to be a newer champion, in the vein of Haturo. She is probably going to be more confident but less trusted by her clan who typically heed the Isawa anyway.

6) I can't speculate much on the Unicorn at this point... They have that weird "we're all foreign anyway" thing that I think overcomes their story. I'm excited to see if a new perspective can be woven with the new fiction.

7) What is interesting about the Scorpion is that Shoju, as much as he is the "master of secrets" isn't actually the mover and shaker we may expect. Kachiko overshadows him as the face of the Scorpion clan. If any of the champions is actually 3 kids in a trench coat Shoju is the prime candidate for the reveal. Maybe this is because the SCC and Shoju's death was the story I came into L5R with... Shoju was never as well developed a character as much as he was defined by the coup. I'm excited to see what perspective they give this character.

I would really like to see Shoju as a very trusted person, similar to Yojiro. Someone who you can trust to get a job done, and even trust with your secrets knowing that he isn't here to cause chaos or destroy lives, and that simply returning the favor if called for it is enough. I want to see a Shoju who is real friends with some of the key players, and embodies the role of "protecting the empire from the shadows" more than "master of ninjas, poison, and blackmail who messes with people's lives just b/c" It would be a GREAT reveal if he was the cause of Satsume's death, as well as Arasou's (in fact, as much as I am a critique of the Lion clan story, I think if it is revealed that Shoju aided in getting Hotaru to Toshi Ranbo it would do a lot to change that story...) playing king maker in getting younger champions for both clans who are more able to be controlled, and less likely to seek their own power (both Arasou and Satsume are personally power hungry)

Kisada is not personally power hungry, but I could imagine a storyline in which he considers the Taint as a way to overcome his situation, giving him some strength and longevity to continue to serve. Shoju would fit well to show him how capable his family are by thrusting certain situations on them, allowing Kisada to trust them more and let go.

By the way I would be totally fine with Kisada's mental game board arriving at a state where he perceives the only winning move to be "move your army token to Imperial Capital, discard the emperor, shuffle the Hantei deck, draw one and put it into play under your control".

Heck I would probably do whatever possible to support his side of the story.

5 minutes ago, WHW said:

Kisada looks like a parent who is impossible to please, to be honest. Yakamo developed a foolish personality trying to impress his father and keep up with the "post" of the eldest, Sukune looks like he is constantly aware of his own weakness and considers his insights not valuable due to it, and O-Ushi looked like she thought that her father doesn't respect her by not taking her with him and sending her on a boring mission away (IMHO he did so because she is the most level headed of them and is grown up enough to not be baby sit by him :V delicious irony)

I also got the impression that his orders to his children were all very deliberate.

2 minutes ago, WHW said:

By the way I would be totally fine with Kisada's mental game board arriving at a state where he perceives the only winning move to be "move your army token to Imperial Capital, discard the emperor, shuffle the Hantei deck, draw one and put it into play under your control".

Heck I would probably do whatever possible to support his side of the story.

You missed the the cost of the action.

take one sword stab in the gut.

I liked their reactions to it, too. Each case shows how they fail at communicating with each other:

- Yakamo thought that he is being favored and that its his reward for being the mightiest, THE HONOR OF FIGHTING NEXT TO FATHER YEAHHHHHHHHHH while in reality Kisada doesn't trust him enough to let him go alone and wanted him next to him just in case he needed to remind him of his place

- O-Ushi looked dissatisfied with being sent away from the big event, probably thinking she is being overshadowed by Yakamo, while IMHO she is the child Kisada trusts the most and enough to give her a fully autonomous command duty where she needs to exercise her own judgement on how to proceed

- Sukune got a command post, signalling that Kisada respects his insight and judgement, but he is constantly doubting himself, and when it's time to brace the storm, he escapes having to make the choice and relies on Kisada to call the shot.

9 minutes ago, phillos said:

I also got the impression that his orders to his children were all very deliberate.

For sure.

Smart and weak: Stay safe, stay away, and manage our most precious resources very well.

Strong and stupid: Be of use in the battle but FFS stay close and don't get yourself killed kid.

Strong and dependable: Be of use outside the battle in a key position where we just might be extremely grateful someone high level is there.*Oh look, we would have gotten overrun by ogres if someone high level and dependable wasn't exactly where I needed them to be*

35 minutes ago, Kuni Katsuyoshi said:

Makes one wonder what he'll have to go through to get to 'grown up'

Last time it took him murdering a teenager in a duel, getting his hand cut off by a teenage girl, wearing a crab claw gauntlet, having an oni arm grafted into his body, his brother nailed to a banner, getting that arm torn off, I seem to remember him dying or something? Being brought back to life as a part snake person, having a magical hand of Jade, then becoming the son.

That is If I remember all that correctly.

Just now, Devin-the-Poet said:

Last time it took him murdering a teenager in a duel, getting his hand cut off by a teenage girl, wearing a crab claw gauntlet, having an oni arm grafted into his body, his brother nailed to a banner, getting that arm torn off, I seem to remember him dying or something? Being brought back to life as a part snake person, having a magical hand of Jade, then becoming the son.

That is If I remember all that correctly.

Lets hope he can get off the 'short bus' before having to resort to all that this time around

Personally, I see Kisada's orders for his children are simply him understanding them and their strengths...even with Yakamo.

- He knows Yakamo's strength and bloodlust, and while he needs to be reigned in, having that kind of power by your side is a boon if/when things go south. Had Yakamo maintained his position by his father's side, the Oni's attack would likely have posed less of a disruption for Kisada.

- He trusts Sukune's abilities primarily as a logistics/quartermaster specialist. Without Kisada's signals, Sukune has little power to act on his own. However, the army operates smoothly and efficiently with Sukune relaying his father's commands. The interactions between Sukune and Kisada also indicate that Sukune is directly responsible for maintaining at least one of their most vital resources, jade. I wouldn't be surprised if he takes a direct role in maintaining and ordering other supplies as well.

- While Yakamo and Sukune both fill roles under Kisada's direct command, O-Ushi stands out in that she clearly has independent command experience, and Kisada uses that to his advantage by having her cover the weak point in the wall. Note that he tells her "Collect your best troops..." These are her own, existing troops she is leading. He considers her dependable, yes, but he is also clearly aware of her experience in her own command position.