FFG posted a new Crane Clan fiction.

Please see the below link:

https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2019/10/16/wind-through-falling-leaves/

Okay, this time I agree. Yoshi is a fool.

And Kakita Yoshi keeps screwing himself over - so, I sincerely doubt that Shizue will broker an alliance between the Unicorn and Kuwanan , which means Yoshi just set into motion a plan to bring more allies to Hotaru's side in the coming Crane Civil War. Y'know, the side he's not backing .

Shizue wouldn't even have considered writing to her sister if Yoshi didn't do the Freudian slip.

51 minutes ago, Tonbo Karasu said:

Okay, this time I agree. Yoshi is a fool.

Welcome to the fold. Here have a #.

But yeah, for a supposedly astute political mind Yoshi is proving to be anything but, and this story is just reinforcing it.

51 minutes ago, Tonbo Karasu said:

Okay, this time I agree. Yoshi is a fool.

Yeah, He's good enough when he's the instigator, just incredibly bad at reacting to things which he can't control (unless it's for personal advantage - reinforcing his Yojimbo's loyalty, for example, or claiming the credit for something he didn't do. It's kinda nice in a way that both him and Kachiko seem to share that particular character flaw). Which is a huge problem given his role and prominence.

It's also slightly sad, as I'm positive that even if Toturi hadn't disappeared and could add his voice to the Edict's authenticity Yoshi would suspect the Lion as being part of the 'plot'. ****, even if the Emperor himself spoke to him from beyond the grave I'm pretty sure he'd blame the Scorpion/Lion/whoever would benefit him.

I do like how we seem to have multiple incredibly fragile alliances - Do the Phoenix stand with their allies the Crane when the Crane seek an alliance with the Unicorn?

I think as of this fiction Kakita Yoshi has singlehandedly done more to destroy the Empire than the last five years of shadowlands attacks combined.

Oh, how I love that man .

The important thing is we know who is going to be watching Fumio while Shizue is away.

As I see it I think Unicorn is Crane's only real option for an alliance. I'm not sure why the Phoenix would ally with the Crane against the Scorpion or Lion. Even if they did that prospect is less likely now that Crane and Unicorn would be formally allied considering Phoenix/Unicorn relations prior to this fiction. I really like that Shizue is writing Hotaru at the end of the story. Did Yoshi think she wouldn't? I guess he can't really say "don't tell your sister okay" because Shizue wouldn't be cool with the Yoshi/Kuwanan plot. Though Yoshi still needs a high ranking Crane to go forge the alliance. He can't send Himself or Kuwanan and obviously not Hotaru. So Shizue is next in line at the capital. Feels like Yoshi is making alot of desperate moves. He's swinging for the fences and hoping it pays off.

Still I'd prefer this than everyone is unrealistically competent. So far everyone is putting themselves in some sort of compromised position politically. Shoju, Kachiko, Hotaru, Yoshi, Kuwanan etc. It will be fun to see the friction from all these bad decisions. That's more fun than Shoju revealing he predicting Yoshi's actions, but Yoshi reveals that he predicted that Shoju would predict his actions...

My take is we have 3 likely alliances coming out of this with Crane/Unicorn and Scorpion/Dragon pretty much set at this point and I think Lion/Phoenix being a likely outcome given the Toturi/Kaede marriage and as mentioned previously their ongoing issues with the Unicorn. That leaves Crab as the swing faction likely being lobbied by the other three alliances (assuming they don't make me the happiest Mantis ever and give me an official Mantis bos so that we can become the Crab's backup in a nice 8 faction 4 way dance)

I think we already have a Crab/Mantis alliance at least clandestinely. I'd really love to see another Kisada fiction so we can understand his reaction to all of this stuff. We haven't seen Kisada since the intro fiction. At this point he just barely passes Yokuni for word count when you compare the champions and their representation in the story. Shoju is hoping that giving Crab the jade mine will buy their support or at least enough good will that they won't align against him. I'm very eager to know if that's true.

Between Yori's madness, the shadowland incursions in the Crab farmlands, the jade mine acquisition, the Naga awakening in the Shinomen Mori, Kisada's political reactions to the edict, etc. we've got alot of simmering pots left on the burner for Crab. I hope we get a fiction for them soon.

6 minutes ago, phillos said:

I think we already have a Crab/Mantis alliance at least clandestinely. I'd really love to see another Kisada fiction so we can understand his reaction to all of this stuff. We haven't seen Kisada since the intro fiction. At this point he just barely passes Yokuni for word count when you compare the champions and their representation in the story. Shoju is hoping that giving Crab the jade mine will buy their support or at least enough good will that they won't align against him. I'm very eager to know if that's true.

Between Yori's madness, the shadowland incursions in the Crab farmlands, the jade mine acquisition, the Naga awakening in the Shinomen Mori, Kisada's political reactions to the edict, etc. we've got alot of simmering pots left on the burner for Crab. I hope we get a fiction for them soon.

Crab Mantis is definitely an established alliance in the lore at this point and can definitely be played up on the RPG end of things, but the question is how representative is it in the actual LCG as Mantis have only a token presence at best.

#makemantisagreatclanagain

21 minutes ago, phillos said:

The important thing is we know who is going to be watching Fumio while Shizue is away.

As the true face of Fu Leng, it is important to separate the two.

10 minutes ago, Schmoozies said:

(assuming they don't make me the happiest Mantis ever and give me an official Mantis bos so that we can become the Crab's backup in a nice 8 faction 4 way dance)

I've been waiting since the game restarted for that. I hope it doesn't take two more years to get there (at the pace of the fiction....)

5 minutes ago, phillos said:

Between Yori's madness, the shadowland incursions in the Crab farmlands, the jade mine acquisition, the Naga awakening in the Shinomen Mori, Kisada's political reactions to the edict, etc. we've got alot of simmering pots left on the burner for Crab. I hope we get a fiction for them soon.

My guess would be that whomever is in charge of fiction now doesn't feel that Kisada is a relatable character. Or maybe they (like many of my opponents) have spent way too much time cursing during games about his static trait. And hate him.

Either way, I think it's well past time for Kisada fiction. I think a decent author could show him to be very relatable.

5 minutes ago, Schmoozies said:

#makemantisagreatclanagain

YES!

2 minutes ago, Coyote Walks said:

My guess would be that whomever is in charge of fiction now doesn't feel that Kisada is a relatable character. Or maybe they (like many of my opponents) have spent way too much time cursing during games about his static trait. And hate him.

Either way, I think it's well past time for Kisada fiction. I think a decent author could show him to be very relatable.

I think the main issue has been that the last rounds of fiction were very focused on the goings on around the Imperial Court, which is an area where Crab are decidedly lacking. But now that we are approaching the spark of war stage of the story the ground work can be raised for the clans to start poking the Bear and get the Crab all riled up with the mess being made North of them and the distraction its creating.

2 minutes ago, Coyote Walks said:

My guess would be that whomever is in charge of fiction now doesn't feel that Kisada is a relatable character. Or maybe they (like many of my opponents) have spent way too much time cursing during games about his static trait. And hate him.

I think Annie did a fantastic job with Kisada in the intro fiction for the Crab and she's still on the team. She just had a Lion fiction get released. From her fiction he came off way more relatable this time around.

"...claiming a regency that should have been Yoshi's..."

It seems our friend has a bit of an entitlement problem going on here. The whole "Yoshi is a fool" thing aside, he seems like he's in danger of self-destructing. He's blaming anyone he can think of, and thrashing for a way to get himself where he wants to be, but he's also not only dragging himself into this Crane civil war thing but setting up this forgery claim into the bargain. His "evidence" had best be legendary, considering it's not, in fact, a forgery.

Solidifying an alliance with the Unicorn is an interesting decision. On one hand, they may alienate the Phoenix, which is a problem the Dragon are already trying to work out, and worse, maybe even push them toward the Lion. On the other hand, what good are the Phoenix doing them right now? A sure deal with the Unicorn seems much better than a maybe from the Phoenix, and doubly so with a newly-more-aggressive mutual enemy in the Lion.

I'm definitely curious how Shoju's overtures to the Crab turn out. The Crab & Scorpion don't like each other, sure, but a Scorpion willing to play ball has got to be better than nothing for the Crab. Is it possible the presence of the Dragon will mess it up somehow - in particular the presence of Hitomi in the capital, or will Shoju & Sumiko be able to work it out? I could almost see this as a tournament thing - the winner sways the Crab to their side, between Crane/Unicorn, Lion/Phoenix, or Dragon/Scorpion. Of course, it's also possible that, as others have said, Crab/Mantis is going to be a faction unto itself.

3 minutes ago, MirumotoKatsuro said:

I'm definitely curious how Shoju's overtures to the Crab turn out. The Crab & Scorpion don't like each other, sure, but a Scorpion willing to play ball has got to be better than nothing for the Crab.

I'm fairly sure that the Shadowlands book mentioned that some in the Crab looked to the Scorpion as a potential ally in their 'shadow war' with the Crane (due to the Crane/Scorpion political mess), though the Kuni on the whole opposed it as they didn't want to lose access to the Phoenix. This could lead to a Crab split, beyond Yori's madness.

The Crane/Crab fracas makes the Scorpion natural allies (As well as the Lion, especially given the fact that the Crab have historical reasons to dislike the Unicorn). Things get especially interesting if Tadaka's interest in the Shadowlands is enough to convince some of the Crab's higher ups that maybe conflict with the Crane wouldn't necessarily isolate the Phoenix (at least, in a way that functionally matters beyond courtly denunciations that the Crab have little time for). The Crab wouldn't even have to deploy many bodies to support military action, simply threaten both the Unicorn and Crane flanks with enough siege equipment/Ashigaru (who aren't routinely deployed to the Wall anyway due to fears over their suitability) to force both clans to keep badly needed military forces on that border.

It would be hilarious if this potential alliance is destroyed by Kachiko and Aramarou threatening the Jade mines.

I do wonder how far Tsuko would be willing to go for her 'true victory' over the Crane, given that it seems that how victory is achieved (Striking as soon as possible - and consequently when the enemy is better able to fight - rather than when it could do the most damage) matters far more to her than actually achieving victory. Would she accept Scorpion allies? Crab? (Especially if doing so places the Lion under an obligation to them, and she feels that the 'gift' of Toshi Ranbo should have been the Lion's.)

An interesting way for the Unicorn to spin Shahai's flight with Daisetsu could be to claim that she left to protect the Prince from Shoju's manipulations if the Unicorn side with Yoshi's assertion that the Edict is a forgery. (And therefore that the Unicorn and Crane act to preserve the rightful succession against the Scorpion attempting to subvert the natural order of things, using the youngest Prince for political advantage.) Doing so could lead to interesting things.

1 hour ago, phillos said:

Still I'd prefer this than everyone is unrealistically competent. So far everyone is putting themselves in some sort of compromised position politically. Shoju, Kachiko, Hotaru, Yoshi, Kuwanan etc. It will be fun to see the friction from all these bad decisions. That's more fun than Shoju revealing he predicting Yoshi's actions, but Yoshi reveals that he predicted that Shoju would predict his actions...

And then everyone drops their jaw when it turns out that Hida Kisada was actually the Kami Hida in disguise all along!

1 hour ago, Coyote Walks said:

My guess would be that whomever is in charge of fiction now doesn't feel that Kisada is a relatable character. Or maybe they (like many of my opponents) have spent way too much time cursing during games about his static trait. And hate him.

Either way, I think it's well past time for Kisada fiction. I think a decent author could show him to be very relatable.

1 hour ago, Schmoozies said:

I think the main issue has been that the last rounds of fiction were very focused on the goings on around the Imperial Court, which is an area where Crab are decidedly lacking. But now that we are approaching the spark of war stage of the story the ground work can be raised for the clans to start poking the Bear and get the Crab all riled up with the mess being made North of them and the distraction its creating.

This. The Crab are the least courtly Great Clan in the setting, and by a pretty good margin, too; add to that the last time the Crab sought any aid from the Imperial Court, we got the birth of #KakitaYoshiIsAFool - naturally, for a period where the setting has been primarily concerned with the proceedings at the Imperial Court, the Crab not being involved makes sense - they've got more important things to do than squabble over who's ancestor still hasn't returned that spoonful of sugar they borrowed three centuries ago.

But now that we're entering the Clan War, the Crab are going to be much easier to fit into the story.

22 minutes ago, Mangod said:

And then everyone drops their jaw when it turns out that Hida Kisada was actually the Kami Hida in disguise all along!

And then he comes in with an elbow drop from the top rope?

1 hour ago, MirumotoKatsuro said:

"...claiming a regency that should have been Yoshi's..."

It seems our friend has a bit of an entitlement problem going on here.

His entitlement is at the root of the folly I've been harping on since I laid eyes on this version of the character.

And yeah, this fiction... well.

Hate the Crane though I do, my sympathies to their fans. I'd honestly been hoping that some story would trot along to show that my "Kakita Yoshi is a fool" was, at most, a half-truth, but nope. No, Yoshi is a myopic, self-obsessed imbecile who has systematically made things worse for the Crane and the Empire since we met him. At every step, he has made the wrong choice, and unfortunately for all involved, he's still in a position to make choices.

I'm rather disappointed we didn't get to see Shoju and Yoshi interact. I really wanted to see Shoju's opinion of him.

Kakita Yoshi is a fantastic Crane villain: A superficial work of art that’s hollow on the inside and devoid of meaning.

Just as Matsu Tsuko is the embodiment of Lion aggression and Kachiko the paragon of Scorpion manipulation, Yoshi is the personification of the Crane’s smug superiority. At the very least, if Kuwanan & Hotaru are able to make peace, we can throw Yoshi under the bus as the instigator of the Civil War.

The Crab do not need to deal with filthy pirate scum under the table anymore. Shoju has placed what they want on top of the table, gift wrapped and hand delivered with the compliments of the Throne. Hopefully now the filth can slink back into the sea - or better yet come home and become a family of the Crab, where they belong had their founder not been a petulant child and a coward.

As for Shoju and Yoshi not interacting, drama so often depends on wacky misundersandings and them not meeting perpetuates this. I do not think that Yoshi will trust Shoju worth a jot but if Shoju puts some cards on the table regarding his suspicions of Kachiko, he could get Yoshi to de-escalate. But we need those wacky misundertandings to continue so the Clan Wars have to start.

Yoshi's flaws have always been the Kakita ones, Ego and Perfectionism. Things are not "right" until they have gone exactly as Kakita Yoshi has planned, and things not going to plan are clearly a conspiracy. If he was allowed to fight, he certainly would just fight people until he gets what he wants (or died trying) but instead he must court.

But, this run also does a really good job of detailing the characters and the fictions show both sides of the Clans and their major personalities over time. Other Crane characters have showed the grace, honor and culture that the clan is known for, so somebody has to be a smug prick, like Doji Hyokin points out. At the same time, while maybe we could do with a bit of shades of what the status quo was (because obviously Clan War is not status quo), if you read between the lines you can maybe see why Yoshi is so desperate - he's been Imperial Chancellor for goodness knows how long and has been seeing his clan lose ground to their traditional rivals, plus the tsunami. As far as he can tell Crane have nobody left to turn to but the Unicorn, and to him a lot of people are not doing what he thinks they "should" be doing. Now obviously, as we can see from his fictions his opinions on what should be done are not necessarily correct, but he's also not wrong that the Crane are in a bit of downturn, he just is being a butt thinking that obviously he, Kakita Yoshi, is qualified to rearrange their leadership and push them out of their slump.

1. Actually feeling bad for Yoshi, being "misinformed" and assuming "wrongly"will not end well but of course we need that for the story to evolve. Anyway he is probably feeling something like he is almost losing everything - he lost his"house", his wife is a hostage, and his career is not panning out the way he wants it to. Tough luck.

2. Do I smell a Shono x Shizue ship on the way?

3. Fumio: "Time to give my loyal servant Junzo a nudge for I am Fu... mioaw!