Question Glimpses of the Sun.

Opening this for Mage. Have at it.

Oooh! Interesting! Tons of hints at backstory, bit more hints at personality...

That tutoring seems to count for a lot of what we see from Hikaru... And then there's the Japanese stoicism or something...

Melville is very, very... ... it has standards. Unlike all the other cottages? ... Do you get assigned there by chance? Or do you have to apply? 'Cause if you don't have to apply, then it's just forcing of expectations that you never decided to give yourself...

But, I guess the Melville application process in Gen2 is different from Gen1?

... I guess 'Becca is Phoenix Down, and a healer or recovery specialist of some kind... Is there some trend for Final Fantasy inspired codenames / people??? ... Then again, that's 4/600+ students... Coincidence instead of manipulation or something?

The Rape of Nanking ... Is what I thought it was... a Japanese war crime thing, that the prof holds a... grudge-thing over. ... And not Classical rape either... Manifesting during then... if she was one of the ones that were raped... Not a happy memory...

And Professor Wang Ling is some long-lived person... 94 years old. Regen and/or Exemplar... or something. And if high enough Exemplar... that Perfect Memory won't help matters... Especially if it started working at the moment of manifestation... ... Empathy... Unlikely... Hopefully not... As that would be one of the most traumatic manifestations?

Wonder what her Codename is, if she's got one...

Hikaru was a writer! ... Wonder what she wrote... ... Is her Japanese skills comparable to her English ones? ... She wrote English books?

I've heard mention of a pole-dancing class, elsewhere...? Was it in Gen1? Or Gen2...? Or am I mistaken?

Person who turned their brother into their sister... Why does that sound familiar??? From a fanfic? If so, which one?? ... Gonna find out...? Nah. Too much work right now... ... Is it Casey Steele? ...



Benten and others have heirs... Have we seen any of them? Or not?

Hikaru's parents... Are they dead? If so, how??

Hmm... Does Hikaru have an Exemplar's enhanced sex drive? No... I don't think so?

Lapin's getting bad memory things from rooming near a girl who blasted her brother with a ray?

Lapin is getting a PTSD episode from a girl who turned her brother into her sister by accident.

Malady wrote: Oooh! Interesting! Tons of hints at backstory, bit more hints at personality...

That tutoring seems to count for a lot of what we see from Hikaru... And then there's the Japanese stoicism or something...

Melville is very, very... ... it has standards. Unlike all the other cottages? ... Do you get assigned there by chance? Or do you have to apply? 'Cause if you don't have to apply, then it's just forcing of expectations that you never decided to give yourself...

But, I guess the Melville application process in Gen2 is different from Gen1?

... I guess 'Becca is Phoenix Down, and a healer or recovery specialist of some kind... Is there some trend for Final Fantasy inspired codenames / people??? ... Then again, that's 4/600+ students... Coincidence instead of manipulation or something?

The Rape of Nanking ... Is what I thought it was... a Japanese war crime thing, that the prof holds a... grudge-thing over. ... And not Classical rape either... Manifesting during then... if she was one of the ones that were raped... Not a happy memory...

And Professor Wang Ling is some long-lived person... 94 years old. Regen and/or Exemplar... or something. And if high enough Exemplar... that Perfect Memory won't help matters... Especially if it started working at the moment of manifestation... ... Empathy... Unlikely... Hopefully not... As that would be one of the most traumatic manifestations?

Wonder what her Codename is, if she's got one...

Hikaru was a writer! ... Wonder what she wrote... ... Is her Japanese skills comparable to her English ones? ... She wrote English books?

I've heard mention of a pole-dancing class, elsewhere...? Was it in Gen1? Or Gen2...? Or am I mistaken?

Person who turned their brother into their sister... Why does that sound familiar??? From a fanfic? If so, which one?? ... Gonna find out...? Nah. Too much work right now... ... Is it Casey Steele? ...

Why do I think it's Casey Steele? [ Click to expand ] [ Click to hide ]

I guess 'cause I looked at its trope page, and it sticks in my head as OP, as it's one of the fanfics that actually get to Whateley and do orientation...

Benten and others have heirs... Have we seen any of them? Or not?

Hikaru's parents... Are they dead? If so, how??

Hmm... Does Hikaru have an Exemplar's enhanced sex drive? No... I don't think so?

Lapin's getting bad memory things from rooming near a girl who blasted her brother with a ray?

A few answers, I think.

The boy turned into a girl; Beverly Taylor. Yep from the intros in Kansas.

Yes Lapin is suffering from PTSD from hearing about a girl change a boy into a girl with a ray, just like was done to her.

The Dance Pole is upstairs in Poe, from the last chapter of Kansas.

I have the feeling that Hikaru is both much older, and formerly male, than she currently appears.

"If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, who am I? And if not now, when?" - Rabbi Hillel

I have the feeling that Hikaru is both much older, and formerly male, than she currently appears.

That's less of a feeling and more of a certainty, in my opinion. There have been hints all the way back to the first parts of Kansas.


Looking forward to seeing more of Hikaru. Anyone want to start a shipping pool? I don't recall any hints about which team(s) she bats for, which gives us lots of people to choose from!

And Oy! This isn't even Tia's story, and she still can't catch a break! The only thing I can say is at least Melville isn't as toxic as it used to be. Who do you think the 3 students (plus one more) referred to are? The Don, Hekate, and Freya are the obvious choices (with the Freya probably being the "1 more"), but who's the last one? Hekate's Master, maybe? That would mean that he's in Melville.

I quite enjoy reading stories focused on a single character more than those involving the whole group, it allows more depth in my opinion (but obviously the latter is needed for exposition purpose).

I think i already have pavlovian reflexes ... everytime i see Tia's name, i perk up. All the odds are stacked against her (Non-mutant in a mutant school, transformed into a girl against her will, her relative lack of mutant abilities, the weaknesses related to her BIT, being a public figure, being removed from a theorically more friendly environnement toward her gender identity, and having to deal with her former girlfriend).

Well, enough talk about Tia, Hikaru also has a lot to deal with even if her problems are not of the same nature. I won't speculate on a possible gender-change, i must be thickheaded because i haven't picked up all the clues. For the age regression yes, but not the gender change. I will have to read the previous stories again. At least she has a lot of support and we are beginning to see that she can accept help even if it's with some reluctance. She needs to be able to trust Amateratsu, so i look forward the moment they will have a "heart-to heart" conversation.

Also, it's nice to see that the school staff members have learned from their previous "mistakes". And with a new school administration, i am wondering what else will change in the future.

Thanks MageOhki.

You're welcome, Esar.

Re-reading for my reactions, 'cause I lacked that in my previous post.

“Um, well. Yes.” Clearing his throat, he suddenly became more animated. “Well. As you might know from your testing elsewhere, at Langley and at the IOPS facility in Tokyo, you’re an avatar.” A flat look from the girl indicated that she was very much aware of this to the doctor. “Well, yes, of course you are. But what you don’t know, is how rare you are!” Hikaru felt like facepalming. “I mean, you’re the only recorded avatar of Amaterasu, of course, which you knew, but you’re also her paladin, and channeler!” Hikaru’s stare was retaining its flatness.

“You’re generating essence, we think, converting it to pre made spells.”

Like Glyph?

“Really, given how flexible your energizer abilities are, everyone should have figured it out, though I can guess they didn’t expect Amaterasu to create a magical girl.”

*... maybe because I don’t know maho?* Amaterasu snorted. *But you’d look so good in a magical girl outfit. Hmm..* Hikaru just facepalmed.

“Why me.” The Doctor did hear that, but tactfully kept from commenting, and hurried along.

... What would her show be called?? What would her title be?... Solar Girl Hikaru?


[Repeat of Kodiak Scene... Or was that from a preview?]

No problems, all the floor was quiet,and nothing to do or worry about for once.

Fate tempt!

*BOOM* Hikaru rolled off her lounger, headphones falling off as she scanned the area, reacting to the sudden noise and spike of adrenaline.

Fate responds!

...

Le Compte is something... Is Hikaru's inability to place him an effect of some kind?

Compte... As in Count, as in counting, 1,2,3... Count? A pun? Or what?

***

knowing she had time, and no interruptions should happen, the other girls were getting ready for the mixer, and she had dealt with all the possible issues already.

Fate tempt! 2!

“Hikaru-sama.” Kurenai’s voice broke into Hikaru’s relaxed trance. “Kaho-sama is on the line for you.” Hikaru blinked. Blinked again. It was 6am in Tokyo!

Fate responds! 2~!

Running Gag? "Hikaru can't relax peacefully." ?

***

Heartfinder... Codename and Real Names are being mixed around so much... It's gonna be fun figuring out who's who, and what they can do!

[Stopping here... Rereading Unseen Switch]...

Esar wrote: Well, enough talk about Tia, Hikaru also has a lot to deal with even if her problems are not of the same nature.

They're not?

Honestly, the ways they are so similar are the reason they work so well as a dramatic/comedic pair. Tia and Hikaru are both immensely public figures. Tia for the gossip/political scandal of the summer, and Hikaru has people fawning over her when they recognize her, or they try to exploit her politically as well (see Calamari). Both are burn out victims, and both (as far as the hints have shown for Hikaru), were less than willing with their change.

And now both have to learn to live a little. Hikaru has bound herself up in "duty" when everyone around her is telling her to learn to let go, and Tia has to accept what she's become and stop being afraid. Both also have what the other needs, though they might not know it yet. Hikaru's combat skill, now focusing on agility and not physical power, and Tia having that connection to party culture...whether she wanted it or not.

Malady wrote: Oooh! Interesting! Tons of hints at backstory, bit more hints at personality...

That tutoring seems to count for a lot of what we see from Hikaru... And then there's the Japanese stoicism or something...

To some extent, both are correct. Note: TO some extent.

Melville is very, very... ... it has standards. Unlike all the other cottages? ... Do you get assigned there by chance? Or do you have to apply? 'Cause if you don't have to apply, then it's just forcing of expectations that you never decided to give yourself...

Apply, since you pay extra.

But, I guess the Melville application process in Gen2 is different from Gen1?

... I guess 'Becca is Phoenix Down, and a healer or recovery specialist of some kind... Is there some trend for Final Fantasy inspired codenames / people??? ... Then again, that's 4/600+ students... Coincidence instead of manipulation or something?

Or easily amused authors, or easily amused authors...

The Rape of Nanking ... Is what I thought it was... a Japanese war crime thing, that the prof holds a... grudge-thing over. ... And not Classical rape either... Manifesting during then... if she was one of the ones that were raped... Not a happy memory...

No commnet.

And Professor Wang Ling is some long-lived person... 94 years old. Regen and/or Exemplar... or something. And if high enough Exemplar... that Perfect Memory won't help matters... Especially if it started working at the moment of manifestation... ... Empathy... Unlikely... Hopefully not... As that would be one of the most traumatic manifestations?

Not saying.

Wonder what her Codename is, if she's got one...

Hikaru was a writer! ... Wonder what she wrote... ... Is her Japanese skills comparable to her English ones? ... She wrote English books?

Mmmhmmm. Yes, she did write English material. Who knows, maybe you'll see some of her work in future bits.

I've heard mention of a pole-dancing class, elsewhere...? Was it in Gen1? Or Gen2...? Or am I mistaken?

Person who turned their brother into their sister... Why does that sound familiar??? From a fanfic? If so, which one?? ... Gonna find out...? Nah. Too much work right now... ... Is it Casey Steele? ...

Why do I think it's Casey Steele? [ Click to expand ] [ Click to hide ]

I guess 'cause I looked at its trope page, and it sticks in my head as OP, as it's one of the fanfics that actually get to Whateley and do orientation...

Benten and others have heirs... Have we seen any of them? Or not?

May not have been literal, heirs of the body, after all, though...

Hikaru's parents... Are they dead? If so, how??

>>
<<
No comment.

Hmm... Does Hikaru have an Exemplar's enhanced sex drive? No... I don't think so?

She is an exemplar. Take that for what you will.
quote]
Lapin's getting bad memory things from rooming near a girl who blasted her brother with a ray?[/quote]

Valentine wrote: A few answers, I think.

The boy turned into a girl; Beverly Taylor. Yep from the intros in Kansas.

Yep. Elisabeth Taylor, Velvet, Is her older sister.

Yes Lapin is suffering from PTSD from hearing about a girl change a boy into a girl with a ray, just like was done to her.

The Dance Pole is upstairs in Poe, from the last chapter of Kansas.

I have the feeling that Hikaru is both much older, and formerly male, than she currently appears.

No comment.

Arcanist Lupus wrote: "If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, who am I? And if not now, when?" - Rabbi Hillel

I have the feeling that Hikaru is both much older, and formerly male, than she currently appears.

That's less of a feeling and more of a certainty, in my opinion. There have been hints all the way back to the first parts of Kansas.

No comment.

Looking forward to seeing more of Hikaru. Anyone want to start a shipping pool? I don't recall any hints about which team(s) she bats for, which gives us lots of people to choose from!

... I'm not sure how to take this.

And Oy! This isn't even Tia's story, and she still can't catch a break! The only thing I can say is at least Melville isn't as toxic as it used to be. Who do you think the 3 students (plus one more) referred to are? The Don, Hekate, and Freya are the obvious choices (with the Freya probably being the "1 more"), but who's the last one? Hekate's Master, maybe? That would mean that he's in Melville.

There's others, might be referring to someone before the Don/Freya, etc.

Malady wrote: Re-reading for my reactions, 'cause I lacked that in my previous post.

“Um, well. Yes.” Clearing his throat, he suddenly became more animated. “Well. As you might know from your testing elsewhere, at Langley and at the IOPS facility in Tokyo, you’re an avatar.” A flat look from the girl indicated that she was very much aware of this to the doctor. “Well, yes, of course you are. But what you don’t know, is how rare you are!” Hikaru felt like facepalming. “I mean, you’re the only recorded avatar of Amaterasu, of course, which you knew, but you’re also her paladin, and channeler!” Hikaru’s stare was retaining its flatness.

She's such an easy target to yank the chain on...

“You’re generating essence, we think, converting it to pre made spells.”

Like Glyph?

No. Completely (if the tester's right) different mechanism.
Hint; Hikaru's BIT _is_ Ammy's. At least in shape. Other aspects of her powers... Weeeeeeeeeeeeeelll.

“Really, given how flexible your energizer abilities are, everyone should have figured it out, though I can guess they didn’t expect Amaterasu to create a magical girl.”

*... maybe because I don’t know maho?* Amaterasu snorted. *But you’d look so good in a magical girl outfit. Hmm..* Hikaru just facepalmed.

“Why me.” The Doctor did hear that, but tactfully kept from commenting, and hurried along.

... What would her show be called?? What would her title be?... Solar Girl Hikaru?

Let Lapin come up with a name.

[Repeat of Kodiak Scene... Or was that from a preview?]

Repeat.

No problems, all the floor was quiet,and nothing to do or worry about for once.

Fate tempt!

*BOOM* Hikaru rolled off her lounger, headphones falling off as she scanned the area, reacting to the sudden noise and spike of adrenaline.

Fate responds!

...

Le Compte is something... Is Hikaru's inability to place him an effect of some kind?

Compte... As in Count, as in counting, 1,2,3... Count? A pun? Or what?

***

I didn't name him, so. And no, it's more that she hasn't seen a picture of him yet.

knowing she had time, and no interruptions should happen, the other girls were getting ready for the mixer, and she had dealt with all the possible issues already.

Fate tempt! 2!

“Hikaru-sama.” Kurenai’s voice broke into Hikaru’s relaxed trance. “Kaho-sama is on the line for you.” Hikaru blinked. Blinked again. It was 6am in Tokyo!

Fate responds! 2~!

Running Gag? "Hikaru can't relax peacefully." ?

*whistles innocently*

***

Heartfinder... Codename and Real Names are being mixed around so much... It's gonna be fun figuring out who's who, and what they can do!

Yep.

[Stopping here... Rereading Unseen Switch]...

Kay.
Thank you for reading, all.

MageOhki wrote:

Malady wrote: Melville is very, very... ... it has standards. Unlike all the other cottages? ... Do you get assigned there by chance? Or do you have to apply? 'Cause if you don't have to apply, then it's just forcing of expectations that you never decided to give yourself...

Apply, since you pay extra.

Hmm... Does that mean that Lapin's in Melville 'cause someone paid her deposit-thing? Or, somehow, all the other cottages are 'full' and she has to go in Melville?

I guess not. Else those kicked out from Melville would have nowhere to go? ... You aren't expelled if you're kicked out from Melville, right? Just moved to a different dorm?

I guess you pay for all 4 years when you enter Melville?

Malady wrote: Hmm... Does that mean that Lapin's in Melville 'cause someone paid her deposit-thing? Or, somehow, all the other cottages are 'full' and she has to go in Melville?

Right now i think we can assume (If i recall correctly so does Tia) that either Hugh Hefner or Ibby paid for her to go to melville, they have the means, the motive and opportunity. Neither of them knew poe's Secret so they might have though that melville would be better suited for her. Mrs Horston said that the administration told her that poe was full, even if it was not the case, so it adds weigh to the possibility that someone put pressure on the administration to put Tia in Melville.

Of course it could be a red herring, letting us think that "uncle Hugh" or Ibby are responsibles.

Glimpses of the Sun comments
So now we know that Mages, Avatars, manifestors, and energizers always get tested and retested first. Plus extreme changes and one or burnouts add to that, ouch, Hikaru hit the testing 'bad luck' lottery. Kind of obvious from everything that we have seen of her she is an avatar, paladin, and channeler, would have to be to handle all that power. Dang, the best scientific and magical experts not there to confirm her Avatar rating, that means that 5 could be higher or lower or accurate but have hidden meaning, etc.

All that to state she isn't using energizer powers and more retesting with several mages in attendance, ouch, the hits just keep on coming. Generating essence and converting it into pre made spells, magical girl, bwahahaha. Amaterasu's reaction to that and Dr. Hewley gave her an idea, Hikaru is in for it now. Ouch, Exemplar ratings like that means more testing in the future. The look into Hikaru's inner mind and emotions she doesn't show is insightful, almost like a bubbling pot ready to boil over if the right trigger comes along to get past her outward personality and training.

Note of extreme change by Dr. Hewley, plus how she got a sad look after seeing the picture of Wyatt's family, all but confirms age regression, in my opinion at least. Nice to reread that scene between Hikaru and Wyatt again, saw some details I missed before. Wonder if Hikaru will listen to his words of wisdom or be stubborn like a normal teen, thinking she knows herself better.

Relaxing and taking in the sun while listening to music, now there is a side of Hikaru we need to see more of. And so it gets interrupted by an explosion, Velvet's devise having exploded on her, have a feeling Velvet is going to be a source of stress for Hikaru if that happens too often. J Dean and Phoenix Down, from calling them her superiors they must be older RAs. Okay, I'm with Hikaru on this, Velvet is nuts even by normal devisor standards, no sense of safety for herself or others.

Oh crap, Tia heard Velvet say she turned her little brother into her little sister, this is bad. Tried turning a friend into a girl who wanted to become a girl, but little brother got in a way and messed things up, oh boy. Great, a thing like that not in Hikaru's file on Velvet, now Tia is running away having a PTSD attack. News on California, Velvet is more scatter-brained than most devisors to not keep up on news from home. Amaterasu suggesting Hikaru wear more bikinis so one of Velvet's explosions can blow it off, for a high-level goddess she has wicked sense of humor.

Hikaru has her first meeting with the new headmaster, him keeping his true identity hidden for the time being behind truths that don't tell who he truly is. Not used to dealing with young adults and putting on an act, at least he is trying to be friendly even if it is part of an act. Okay, that went creepy there, steepling his fingers as he laced them in front of his mouth, what he said to Hikaru, definitely shows he isn't just a friendly older gentleman. When he steepled his fingers like that, I almost expected him to say "Excellent." Testing her reaction, then words of wisdom in Japanese, he is definitely unpredictable. And his codename when he was in the Syndicate was Le Compte, someone whom Hikaru has dealt with in the past before her incidents that lead her to be at Whateley.

Getting ready to relax in a nice warm bath and interrupted by her BF from Japan calling at 6 am over there, good grief. Almost like it is a running gag that whenever Hikaru tries to relax something will interrupt it. Man, you can tell they care for each other with how they tease but don't get truly upset. Nice set-up for the room, guessing it is set up like her place back home in Japan. Bwahahaha!

"Hopefully you remembered rule one, taught to you by your elder cousin! Make the boys pant!"

I like her, she's silly.

Ah hah! So Kaho signed Hikaru up for Home Ec, a little bit of blackmail and teasing with a threat to get her way with the car and license. Nice to see this side of Hikaru, opening up and talking with Kaho. These kids are...kids. Confirmed age regression. Plus she is right about the cultural differences between Japan and the U.S.A. Though some things with teens are universal, at least it seems so. Between Kaho and Tia, Hikaru is going to learn how to enjoy herself and learn about how to live whether she likes it or not.

Uh oh, asking Kaho what else she can do for herself has opened the floodgates. Though good advise all-around, stuff I bet more than one teen would love to hear, or grown-up would have loved to know when they were a teen. *chuckles* The reaction of Hikaru to Kaho saying she knows she likes attention from guys. She got Hikaru drunk once, Kaho is better at getting her to loosen up than I realized. Bwahahahahaha! Those last back and forth exchanges between those two, Kaho really knows how to get under Hikaru's skin.

Michelle Brown aka Matsu dressed like that, oh boy, always at least a few trouble makers in every cottage. Janelle Grey aka Sheba upset almost everyone else followed the RAs instructions, another trouble-maker. And Miss Taylor, oh crud, that means Velvet is Elizabeth Taylor's older sister, that poor kid. Oh brother, Sheba is in for it now, ranting like that to one of the RAs. Read the rules and regulations of Melville, I wouldn't want to be in that cottage. Nice speech, wonder how many of the students will take it to heart and which ones will seek to actively defy it.

Tiff, always nice to see her interact with Hikaru. And Velvet forgetting what time it is and having to go change, see a lot of that in the future. Poor Tia, freaked out by students who remind her of what happened to her. Previous students of Melville, with the way she is talking it sounds like member of the Alphas at the beginning of Gen 1. At least 3 dead or in prison, oh boy, guessing the rumor involving Mrs. Carson would be Freya. Ah, so checks and balances within the RAs now to prevent corruption from getting out of control, is what it sounds like. Matsu will go after anything that moves, wonder why she didn't end up in Poe, like Melville perks too much or something else going on. Okay, between Kaho, Tia, and Tiff, there is no chance for Hikaru not to end up having some fun whether she wants to or not.

Dang, Tiff read Hikaru like a book, looks and insightful as well. Mercy is it's own sharp blade, wonder why Hikaru reacted so badly to that. It can't be easy, adjusting to life as a teen again, in a country and culture so different from what she was raised in and taught. All this advice from Tiff, going to take a while to sink in. Dragged out to go partying by Tiff, with the agreement to spar and even bringing Taka to help get her skills back into shape. She is at least starting to open up a little, in a remarkably short amount of time since she got to Whateley.

Bwahahahaha, now Amaterasu is talking like Kaho, never expected a goddess to be like this.

"Loosen the fuck up."

*in George Takei voice* Oh my. Role-playing games, fiction, older video games, she hides her geeky side well. Too bad, there is a lot of fun to be had in those areas at Whateley. Dang, never expected to hear a speech like that from a goddess, she really thinks of and treats Hikaru as her daughter and wants what's best for her. Talk of strip clubs and setting her up with Benten-chan, she is quite bawdy. Take care of yourself, first. Good advice, at least despite what she is saying to herself Hikaru is taking steps to do things that will make her happy.

Tiff has a battle outfit modeled after Tifa, oh boy, she is going to be keeping the boys away with a tree [stick seemed too small in this case]. Kurenai giving Laura attitude about her phone, and Laura still thinks Kurenai is just a VI and not an AI, oh boy. Dodging, bobbing and blocking strikes from Kenshin like that, she has very impressive skills. Ouch, shinai shattered by Tiff's exemplar 4 strength punches. Ouch, hit by Kenshin and high kick from Tiff, that has to smart.

Jimmy shows up and has Tavi start to film, Laura just a little too happy Hikaru is on the defensive. *eyes bug out* Teleporting in flashes of light in quick succession like that during a fight and gains the upper hand, Hikaru just showed how dangerous she can be, if just a little. Tia and Tanya show up as Tiff gets Hikaru in a headlock, only for Hikaru to box her ears using her feet! A leg-lock around Tiff's head and using leverage to throw her, Hikaru gets more impressive in her fighting skills with each second.

Tiff is out, Hikaru is bleeding from the earlier headstrike by Kenshin, but Hikaru is grinning and enjoying this. Clash of shinai as both break and the shattered stump of Kenshin's slashed down Hikaru's face! Kick for strike to the kidney from Hikaru, then brings her elbow down on Kenshin's head. Hikaru is upset by what she did to Tiff, while her injuries heal fast and she has a look that suggest she is ready for any challenger. Laura actually wants to take the challenge on, until Hikaru blinks, says that stung and passes out onto the floor.

Pushed too hard and went overboard because she is happy to have not lost what she learned from her last living Myoujin relative at the time, going to have to watch her closely for stunts like this. Tolman shows up and Hikaru has no excuse for what happened, that level of sparring requiring staff supervision, plus Tiff didn't realize how far Hikaru would go. Students freaked out by the whole thing, yikes, that just complicated her whole "getting closer to the students" she was told to do.

Hikaru did forget how deadly she is, even Tolman agrees with that, all sparring with Hikaru is supervised by Tolman or someone she approves t supervised in her place until Hikaru proves she knows what being a master is again. Tiff is actually not upset, just glad she wasn't killed and realized that villains won't be as nice as Hikaru was, despite her getting lost to the fight. Becca aka Phoenix Down most likely, is the reason Tiff is up and ready for the day already, impressive healing ability.

Onishi Kiyoko and her treating Hikaru like that, has to be reminded they are in America and fellow students by Hikaru. Hikaru saying to come to her if she has any problems, Kiyoko doesn't seem prepared for that response. Polite talk between them before a cultured New England accent spoke. Professor Wang Ling, Asian Studies and 2nd Sino-Japanese War History teacher. Not sure what to make of her, with how she talks and acts towards them, especially with how Hikaru reacted and almost turned to violence.

With what she said to Wang Ling, Hikaru just suppressed rage at the rudeness of Wang Ling, plus thinking what Amaterasu would require her to do. Janet, middle schooler, reacts to a fire in a vision, poor kid. Louis Qiu needs to learn some manners, if not for Kiyoko he might have gotten hurt by Hikaru. Girls seemed to need a firm hand, this guy is a misogynist creep. Talking about women like that, if he doesn't keep his big mouth shut he is going to be seeing the inside of Doyle a lot.

Taka has gotten better with his English or they are speaking in Japanese. Marian Chou stops Louise Qiu from responding, calling him a Neanderthal. At least her question about Taka being typical defused Hikaru's anger, that was close. Marian Chou's codename is apparently Nushu, as she is called out for interrupting Kowloon, Louis Qiu probably, by Eugene Lee. A maniac who seems to think Iron Dragon has restored men and women to their "proper place" in China and will do so to the rest of Asia, talk about arrogance.

Even Qiu is taken aback by his rant, everyone either staring at him or hanging their heads in shame. Marian says he is the club's resident maniac, asking he not be burned to a crisp as they would never get the smell out. Hikaru tries to keep the peace and ask Taka to escort Kiyoko while she escorts Janet out of the suddenly unhealthy environment. As they leave Marian rips at someone and other voices respond. Professor Wang Ling is that old and manifested during a horrible incident in history. *looks up Rape of Nanking* *tries to hold down food after reading article on it* That...is the act of monsters. No wonder she has such a hostile attitude towards the Japanese, to manifest during that.

Having to help out Hikaru, but all those details left out for security reasons, yikes, talk about hindered. Doctor Jensen, did she appear in a precious Whateley Academy story, trying to remember. Some of the skills not required or wanted anymore, wonder which skills Hikaru doesn't want anymore. Ouch, having to retake math courses, plus spelling tutors, big ouch. To learn her skills have fallen that much, talk about a huge blow. At least Dr. Jensen noticed how she was acting and sent an email to Wyatt.

Wyatt has gotten better with time at reading people, plus he speaks from experience about losing yourself in the moment of a fight.

"Though I still need to get use to my new body fully."

With the distaste at everything, that suggest far more than age regression happened. Wonder if the guessing about her being a changeling are correct or if it is something else, only learn in time. Bwahahaha, talk of Wyatt and Hikaru sparring but changes his mind when he thinks Lanie wouldn't like it.

Adjust her style, I'm as curious about this explanation as Wyatt is. Because she looked like someone who could take on some of the best in the world and win. Nice explanation of the elemental theory of personality or fighting styles. That is a big change in fighting styles, can see why though with Wyatt's explanation about exemplars and how the brain functions. Yikes, she restrains her emotions so much, it is like watching a volcano and waiting for it to erupt.

Telling her he is a fellow avatar and the fights he's had with his spirit seems to have help her loosen up around him. Though still holding back about talking about Amaterasu with anyone, sigh. She dug that hole herself by bringing up pole dancing class, even Amaterasu is getting in on the act. Wyatt got Hikaru to blush, she is too easy to fluster. Dang, a part of herself actually wants to take the class but she is too afraid to let go, something is going to give soon or later. Fun story and insight into Hikaru and what she is going through, can't wait to read more, MageOhki.

MageOhki wrote:

Looking forward to seeing more of Hikaru. Anyone want to start a shipping pool? I don't recall any hints about which team(s) she bats for, which gives us lots of people to choose from!

... I'm not sure how to take this.

With a grain of good humor, I'd hope. I'm currently trying to set up a shipping pool for an omnicidal cosmic entity on a different forum. That effort was prompted by a thread titled "OblivAeon shipping" which was about shipping the game to people. In this case, my shipping was prompted by all the characters telling Hikaru to get laid. It made me wonder who she would get laid with.

A general comment: extreme age regression is pretty much a given at this point. The loss of numerous skills that she previously had, being a published author in her previous life, being a martial marts in her previous life, the pain caused by looking at Wyatt's family photos...

Substantial body change is also a given; not only she often refers to her "new body", but also she remarks how her martial arts approach has changed due to it.

Is gender change a possible explanation? Sure is, this is Whateley after all, so if that turns out to be true, it won't be exactly a shock. But she COULD be just a substantially taller, bulkier, physically more powerful woman.

*IF* Hikaru was a man in her previous life... I think she has adapted very well to her new gender. Kaho has noted that she "looks" at men, for instance; and she displays no annoyance at wearing female clothes, or sunning in a bikini. That *might* be the result of a partial loss of memories caused by her burnout, followed by strict indoctrination by the Imperial House tutors.

What *is* her sexual orientation? I think not even Hikaru is sure of it (she has repressed herself *a lot*), and people close to her know it. Note how both Kaho and Amaterasu tease her by suggesting that she might find either a boy or a girl.

I entertained the notion for a while that Hikaru might not even have been Japanes originally, but I note this passage probably torpedoes that idea:

Hikaru’s first thought on awakening was a mental rebuke for pushing that hard. She knew she had gone overboard, simply reveling in the fact she hadn’t lost what she had been taught by the man, her last living Myoujin relative at the time, had taught her.

Considering that this passage refers to her martial skills, specifically referring about not having lost them, this strongly puts forth the idea that she was always a Myoujin, that is, she was not "adopted" into the name after manifestation. Also interesting is the phrase "last living Myoujin relative AT THE TIME", which implies that eventually there were more Myoujin relatives -- her children in her original life? The man's children? Oh, well, MageOhki will tell us... sometime.

I note also that Amaterasu is a much more friendly and down-to-earth (if you forgive the expression), less overbearing goddess-spirit than, say, Aunghandail, Wakan Tanka or even Kodiak.

Now... two questions:
1. What is this "maho" thing that Amaterasu says she doesn't know? Is it some anime thing? Sorry, I'm not an otaku and I'm really not up to par in the genre slang.
2. "Elisabeth Taylor"? Really? The parents saddled her with THAT name, and all the expectations that come from it? And she got PURPLE eyes when manifested, to boot? Poor girl. I hope she is a dazzling Exemplar under that soot.

Sir Lee wrote: 1. What is this "maho" thing that Amaterasu says she doesn't know? Is it some anime thing? Sorry, I'm not an otaku and I'm really not up to par in the genre slang.

Not sure, tried looking it up myself and kept getting Urban Dictionary and sure isn't the right one. She said it in reference to magical girl, so it could be related to Mahou Shoujo, the term for Magical Girl manga and anime. Mahou can also be spelt Maho, so there is that.

Sir Lee wrote: A general comment: extreme age regression is pretty much a given at this point. The loss of numerous skills that she previously had, being a published author in her previous life, being a martial marts in her previous life, the pain caused by looking at Wyatt's family photos...

Substantial body change is also a given; not only she often refers to her "new body", but also she remarks how her martial arts approach has changed due to it.

Is gender change a possible explanation? Sure is, this is Whateley after all, so if that turns out to be true, it won't be exactly a shock. But she COULD be just a substantially taller, bulkier, physically more powerful woman.

*IF* Hikaru was a man in her previous life... I think she has adapted very well to her new gender. Kaho has noted that she "looks" at men, for instance; and she displays no annoyance at wearing female clothes, or sunning in a bikini. That *might* be the result of a partial loss of memories caused by her burnout, followed by strict indoctrination by the Imperial House tutors.

What *is* her sexual orientation? I think not even Hikaru is sure of it (she has repressed herself *a lot*), and people close to her know it. Note how both Kaho and Amaterasu tease her by suggesting that she might find either a boy or a girl.

No comment. I'm having too much fun watching you all.

I entertained the notion for a while that Hikaru might not even have been Japanes originally, but I note this passage probably torpedoes that idea:

Hikaru’s first thought on awakening was a mental rebuke for pushing that hard. She knew she had gone overboard, simply reveling in the fact she hadn’t lost what she had been taught by the man, her last living Myoujin relative at the time, had taught her.

Considering that this passage refers to her martial skills, specifically referring about not having lost them, this strongly puts forth the idea that she was always a Myoujin, that is, she was not "adopted" into the name after manifestation. Also interesting is the phrase "last living Myoujin relative AT THE TIME", which implies that eventually there were more Myoujin relatives -- her children in her original life? The man's children? Oh, well, MageOhki will tell us... sometime.

Actually, she _is_ adopted into the NAME, not the bloodline. She always WAS a Myoujin of the main house/line in blood. That's how she can host Amaterasu that tightly. As for how MUCH of a Japanese she was... *whistles innocently*

I note also that Amaterasu is a much more friendly and down-to-earth (if you forgive the expression), less overbearing goddess-spirit than, say, Aunghandail, Wakan Tanka or even Kodiak.

Different mindset, different experiences, Ammy has generally kept somewhat world of the world, so she knows what computers, et al is, and is more or less 'aware' of Japan as is.

Now... two questions:
1. What is this "maho" thing that Amaterasu says she doesn't know? Is it some anime thing? Sorry, I'm not an otaku and I'm really not up to par in the genre slang.

Magic... somewhat. it gets complex.
SPECIFICALLY, "Witchcraft/sorcery" To Amaterasu, she's using it in the sense of "sidhe/western" magic, more or less. Amaterasu, more or less is referencing western style magic here, when she uses the word.

2. "Elisabeth Taylor"? Really? The parents saddled her with THAT name, and all the expectations that come from it? And she got PURPLE eyes when manifested, to boot? Poor girl. I hope she is a dazzling Exemplar under that soot.

Um, her BIT?
Per Maggie (who created her)
"She looks EXCATLY like Elisabeth Taylor did at that age."

Yeeeep.
Poor Velvet.

MageOhki wrote:

Sir Lee wrote: 2. "Elisabeth Taylor"? Really? The parents saddled her with THAT name, and all the expectations that come from it? And she got PURPLE eyes when manifested, to boot? Poor girl. I hope she is a dazzling Exemplar under that soot.

Um, her BIT?
Per Maggie (who created her)
"She looks EXCATLY like Elisabeth Taylor did at that age."

Yeeeep.
Poor Velvet.

Velvet knew who Elizabeth Taylor was, before the manifestation, yes? No? ... More evidence towards mentally-based BITs... If there wasn't enough evidence before hand... ... The only counter-evidence, in-universe, is Jade and Phase? 'Cause they don't like their forms? Phase has got that magic messing it up, and Jade's got some suppression thing?

***

In other news... J Dean is a James Dean BIT Exemplar? ... Or is that the Justin that 'Becca's supposed to be saving?

... What does Phoenix Down look like?

I guess we'll find out most of these in due time...

Per Maggie (who created her)
"She looks EXCATLY like Elisabeth Taylor did at that age."

Yeeeep.
Poor Velvet.

I wonder if Velvet has had to suffer through many horse jokes.

I am liking Amaterasu more and more. Mazarin as well. I hope she continues calling him Geoff. He said she could!

And wow, those Chinese characters. Clearly this is going to be an interesting school year. I enjoyed the part where even Qiu was taken aback by Eugene. I also enjoyed that Eugene is named Eugene; I imagine that's a sore spot. Wang's another dick, but Marian sounds cool.

Sir Lee wrote: Also interesting is the phrase "last living Myoujin relative AT THE TIME", which implies that eventually there were more Myoujin relatives -- her children in her original life? The man's children? Oh, well, MageOhki will tell us... sometime.

Actually, it only implies that the number of living Myoujin relatives has changed. Maybe the number increased, but maybe he died and it decreased to zero. Maybe that's Hikaru's fault. Maybe there could be only one.

Malady wrote: ... What does Phoenix Down look like?

Presumably Puppet also has a magically messed up BIT. Jello's BIT also has problems. And Tisiphone's BIT was shredded by Phase. And there was a furry mentioned in Dr. DNA, well probably a lot of the BIT/GSD cases are problems.

Hikaru Shipping: How about a third possibiltiy - Hikaru's asexual (maybe even aromantic)?

My main thought when reading this update was that Hikaru considers herself a slave of duty (all together now: "# When Hikaru was a little lass / She proved so brave and daring..."), and rigidly believes she must adhere to that role, despite everyone (including Ammy and Kurenai) telling her she must lighten up, socialise, and (re)learn how to have fun other than behind a steering wheel.

Actually, it's probably a good job Ammy can only talk to Hikaru - imagine what could potentially happen (to Hikaru's annoyance) if she could communicate with Kurenai...

The traditional deities of most societies were a lot more earthy than most modern Western people brought up on Abrahamic religions realize; for that matter, YHWH/Jehovah/Allah is too, especially as He is portrayed in Genesis and Exodus compared to later scriptures (and the mortals are a lot less stiff than most people realize, too; this is particularly true in the English speaking countries, where the King James Version is the most widely used translation, as the compilers deliberately wrote it in language that was already archaic in the 17th century, to give it a greater sense of gravitas, and downplayed the humor and ribaldry which they thought was inappropriate for a sacred text but couldn't outright remove).

In the case of Amaterasu, the story of how Ame-no-Uzume-no-mikoto lured her out of a sacred cave is telling. After Amaterasu hid in the cave to sulk over her brother Susano'o killing one of her attendants in a mad rage, Ame-no-Uzume (Susano'o's wife) called all the gods and goddesses together outside the mouth of the cave. She then performed a hilariously bawdy strip tease that caused the other kami to laugh so hard that Amaterasu came out to see what had happened, and was so amused by Ame-no-Uzume's dance that she agreed to come out of the cave.

Schol-R-LEA wrote: The traditional deities of most societies were a lot more earthy than most modern Western people brought up on Abrahamic religions realize; for that matter, YHWH/Jehovah/Allah is too, especially as He is portrayed in Genesis and Exodus compared to later scriptures (and the mortals are a lot less stiff than most people realize, too; this is particularly true in the English speaking countries, where the King James Version is the most widely used translation, as the compilers deliberately wrote it in language that was already archaic in the 17th century, to give it a greater sense of gravitas, and downplayed the humor and ribaldry which they thought was inappropriate for a sacred text but couldn't outright remove).

In the case of Amaterasu, the story of how Ame-no-Uzume-no-mikoto lured her out of a sacred cave is telling. After Amaterasu hid in the cave to sulk over her brother Susano'o killing one of her attendants in a mad rage, Ame-no-Uzume (Susano'o's wife) called all the gods and goddesses together outside the mouth of the cave. She then performed a hilariously bawdy strip tease that caused the other kami to laugh so hard that Amaterasu came out to see what had happened, and was so amused by Ame-no-Uzume's dance that she agreed to come out of the cave.

There are times when I wonder if the stories of the various old gods were not exactly religious text, but for all intents and purposes 'fan-fiction' And those stories were so much more enjoyable than the 'canon' stories, that they are the only ones that are remembered. ^_^

Many tales were passed down orally through the generations before eventually being written on paper / papyrus / parchment, so needless to say, there'd be a fair amount of the religious equivalent of poetic license with each retelling (which probably explains how the OT Patriarchs had suspiciously long lives...). There were also cases where tales were almost certainly deliberately invented to explain things (e.g. ruined, deserted cities) and present the illusion of a single coherent historical narrative to help bind the population together - perhaps the most notable example being Jericho, which archaeological evidence suggests had been conquered by the Egyptians, deserted and left to ruin at least a century before Joshua was supposed to have turned up with his army and felled the walls simply by perambulating around their circumference whilst blowing trumpets.

MageOhki wrote:

Sir Lee wrote: Now... two questions:
1. What is this "maho" thing that Amaterasu says she doesn't know? Is it some anime thing? Sorry, I'm not an otaku and I'm really not up to par in the genre slang.

Magic... somewhat. it gets complex.
SPECIFICALLY, "Witchcraft/sorcery" To Amaterasu, she's using it in the sense of "sidhe/western" magic, more or less. Amaterasu, more or less is referencing western style magic here, when she uses the word.

[/quote]
Western, eh? What about onmyou, o-fuda and the other eastern arts, then?

Schol-R-LEA wrote: The traditional deities of most societies were a lot more earthy than most modern Western people brought up on Abrahamic religions realize; for that matter, YHWH/Jehovah/Allah is too, especially as He is portrayed in Genesis and Exodus compared to later scriptures (and the mortals are a lot less stiff than most people realize, too; this is particularly true in the English speaking countries, where the King James Version is the most widely used translation, as the compilers deliberately wrote it in language that was already archaic in the 17th century, to give it a greater sense of gravitas, and downplayed the humor and ribaldry which they thought was inappropriate for a sacred text but couldn't outright remove).

In the case of Amaterasu, the story of how Ame-no-Uzume-no-mikoto lured her out of a sacred cave is telling. After Amaterasu hid in the cave to sulk over her brother Susano'o killing one of her attendants in a mad rage, Ame-no-Uzume (Susano'o's wife) called all the gods and goddesses together outside the mouth of the cave. She then performed a hilariously bawdy strip tease that caused the other kami to laugh so hard that Amaterasu came out to see what had happened, and was so amused by Ame-no-Uzume's dance that she agreed to come out of the cave.

The Japanese story of creation is just hilarious. The whole incestual creation of world and life is way better than any other setup I read so far, imho.

Talking about ribaldry in the bible, the Song of Songs is a fun example.

Kotadama, Fujutsu, etc, etc. Whatever the specific style is. Japanese specifically doesn't have one word for magic, and they overlap. Mahou, in WU is referring to Sidhe/Western formations of magic, specifically, while eastern styles is generally lumped under their own. kumo-mahou is 'black' magic, or more specifically referring to Mythos.

Ammy's using a more classical sense, to most 'modern' Japanese (including Hikaru at times) magic's lumped under Mahou, though Hikaru tends to shy away from that, given the association with black magics/western sorcery, or Majikku

Remember, Ammy uses near ancient Japanese. Hikaru tends towards more modern, but will tend to some classical/old formations, when she's separating out styles/schools practices of magic.

Oh, for the Wiki:

Princess Kako, or Princess Kaho? Or neither / both 'cause Romanization is inaccurate?

Kako.