Having one Another's Back

October 3rd, 2015

The ticking of the clock in Johan's office was all that could be heard for the past couple of minutes. The elderly therapist sat patiently at his desk while waiting for Tatsuko to find the words to express how she's been feeling. The red haired girl sighed, wanting to tell the therapist her progress, until she decided to give up and tell him how it really felt.

"I feel like…..I feel better than I was before we started these sessions," She said finally. "But I still can't shake off my depression no matter how hard I try. It just keeps gnawing at me…."

"That's perfectly natural, miss Tatsuko." Johan said calmly. "And that is why I am here to help."

"I know, and I'm grateful for your help." Tatsuko replied. "But I just feel helpless whenever it resurfaces, like it won't go away."

Johan nodded sympathetically, and gave a weak smile. "Depression won't go away magically. This takes time, and with lots of effort."

"I was afraid of that," Tatsuko muttered. "How is it that I have the worst combination of ADHD and depression….?"

Johan's smile grew softer. "If you think that's bad, think of this, my home country of Germany prides itself on efficiency, but our transit is anything but!"

Tatsuko chuckled lightly. "Okay, yeah that does sound much worse."

"Trust me, you're better off getting a cab there." Johan said jokingly. "At least with them you know they won't cancel at the last minute!"

"Wow, that does sound bad." Tatsuko replied. "That actually made me feel a little better."

"Glad I could help." Johan said gently. "I understand a little bit of what you're going through. So I want you to know that you're not alone."

Tatsuko raised her eyebrow in curiosity. Before she could speak to ask, the sound of a gentle alarm blared in the office, and Johan sighed in disappointment. It would seem that their session has come to an end. "It would seem we shall have to end it here for today, Tatsuko. I'll see you next week at the same time?"

Tatsuko nodded and got up and opened the door on the way out of the office. "Thanks, Dr. Grueber."

"Anytime, Tatsuko, and if you ever need anything, never hesitate to ask for help." Johan said warmly.

Tatsuko nodded and gently closed the door behind her. The red haired girl took a few deep breaths and headed back to her room in silent defeat. She had hoped that Johan would give her some miracle advice on how to break through her issues, but deep down she knew that it was a tall order. Oh well, at least she has Fou for a few more weeks to herself as a support animal. His floof would be more than enough to increase her dopamine.

"Oh hey Tatsuko, just the gal I've been looking for!"

Tatsuko turned around and saw Blackbeard rushing towards her with an excited expression. "Oh hey, Teach, what's up?"

"Something I think you'd enjoy." Blackbeard said with a grin. "See, I'm deciding to put together a DnD group, and I was wondering if you'd join."

"I…..I never played before." Tatsuko answered shyly. "I wouldn't even know where to begin…"

"Hey, no need to stress." Blackbeard said. "It's not going to be happening for a couple of more days, so you have time to make a decision if you really want to join."

Tatsuko thought for a moment, but decided to shrug and get more details. "I'm not saying no, in fact, it does sound pretty fun. But who else agreed to join?"

"Well Cú and Mashu agreed to join in for the test run, and I was on my way to see who else wants to join." Blackbeard answered.

"Cú and Mashu, huh….in that case, sign me up." Tatsuko said, a bright glint in her eyes.

"Are you sure?" Blackbeard asked. "I don't want to force you into something you're not comfy with."

"It's fine. And yeah, I'm sure that I want to join." Tatsuko said.

"Then in that case here's all the things you're gonna need to make your character." Blackbeard said as he handed Tatsuko several books, surprising the teenaged Master. Tatsuko scanned the cover's and felt a pang of uncertainty in her choice, but she looked at the books a little more, and a small hint of excitement filled her heart.

"Thanks! What else do I need to know?" Tatsuko asked.

"Well, it's going to be a homebrew by yours truly, but it'll be accessible to newcomers and easy to learn." Blackbeard said.

"Even better. Oh what about dice?!"

"Not to worry, I have some right here, and everyone gets to pick their own."

"Nice nice! I'm beginning to get pumped up."

Blackbeard put his materials down, and brought out several pairs of colored dice for Tatsuko to pick. The orange haired girl perused each one, until she gasped and grinned. "Oh these orange ones look cute! I'll take those."

"Have at them then!" Blackbeard said as Tatsuko took her new set of dice.

"I think this is going to be a fun ride hehehehehe." Tatsuko muttered.

Blackbeard chuckled deviously. "Careful, otherwise you might get too swept up before you get the chance to realize what you're getting into."

"I've gone against tentacle monsters, Argonauts, and you especially." Tatsuko countered. "I think I can handle this."

"Careful now, I'm the DM for the story, and I can be quite challenging." Blackbeard said with an evil laugh. Tatsuko gulped as she felt her spine get a chill, but was soon gone as Blackbeard put a hand on her shoulder and smiled warmly. "Don't worry so much, if you ever feel nervous, just reach out and I'll help, okay?"

Tatsuko nodded silently and watched as the Rider raised himself and picked up more of the items he placed down. "I won't take any more of your time now, so just relax and find your footing on what you'd like to do for the game."

"Th-thanks." Tatsuko muttered. With a simple wave, Blackbeard walked away, but not before calling to Antonio and Jonas for a few words, no doubt to bring them into the session. The red haired girl walked away back to her room and opened the door. She walked in and saw Fou resting for a moment before he saw her, and leapt into her arms. Tatsuko smiled as she felt Fou rub against her cheek and gave her some gentle licks across her face out of affection. "Are you just hungry? Or did you actually miss me?"

"Fou Fou!"

"Both huh? Well I guess I could make you some lunch." Tatsuko said. "Just don't tell Mashu, otherwise she might get pouty."

Fou wagged his tail as Tatsuko walked towards her kitchen area, putting down the books and sheets given to her a few minutes ago and decided to cook up some nice fish and fries. Fou looked on in anticipation the entire time, and wagged his tail as the girl finally finished cooking his meal, and placed it gently on the table. Fou ate happily as Tatsuko scratched behind his ears momentarily and sat down at the table to relax. The girl then remembered the books and papers on the table, and with nothing else better to do, decided to take a peak at them now. She decided to go for the Player's Handbook, wanting to find out where to start and figure out her game plan. As Tatsuko started reading, she widened her eyes in shock as she continued to turn the pages, another chill in her spine ran through. There was so much information and so many characters to play, it felt slightly overwhelming.

"Damn, this is going to be tougher than I thought….." She muttered.

"Fou Fou!"

Tatsuko turned to see Fou had finished his meal, and walked over to read the book with her. "So you want to take a look too, eh?"

"Fou!"

"Well get comfy, we're going to be here a while."

The two of them buckled down, and continued to read the Handbook, at least until a good twenty minutes later when Fou perked his ears and twitched slightly. "Fou, Fou Fou Fou."

"Wait wait wait, you want to play this now too?" Tatsuko asked. "But we just got started reading the materials!"

"Fou Fou Fou."

"Wow, you're really sure about this." Tatsuko said in slight surprise. "But how will you make a character?"

"Fou Fou Fou!"

"So Mashu might help? Okay I take back my comments and condone this!" Tatsuko said. "But uh…..do you know what you want to play as?"

"Fou Fou, Fou Kyu!" Fou said proudly.

"You want to keep it secret huh?" Tatsuko asked. "Oh well, I guess I'll have to wait until the session starts…. Now let's see here, next up on this list is….Ranger? Okay, let's see what this one's all about."

As the red haired girl continued to read the book, she soon forgot her worries and delved deeper into the lore of each class, and their perks, stats, everything. A wave of excitement flowed within her as she thought about everything being said, and how to best play each class. After a little while longer, Tatsuko put down the book, and sighed.

"Wow, okay that's a lot of information….But at least I have a few ideas on what to play." Tatsuko said. "Now let's see what else I need to read. Hrmmm, the 2014 rule book? Well I probably should have started with that first."

"Fou Fou?"

"I don't know why I didn't." Tatsuko said sheepishly. "I just saw the first book on the pile that seemed interesting, and I took it….."

Without any other argument, both of them proceeded to read the rule book. Fou wagged his tail happily, chirping as he rubbed against Tatsuko's cheek and licking it affectionately as they read through the rule book and felt a little intimidated when seeing a certain section. "Holy shit….that's a lot of dice…..Oh well, Teach did give me the dice here, so might as well test them out."

After a few more moments, Tatsuko resumed her reading of the book, but not before getting up and sitting down on her couch alongside Fou, and perusing the book with more intent, getting more inspiration for what she wanted to play as.

October 5th, 2015

"So, you got invited too?" Ritsuka asked Antonio.

"Sí." Antonio answered. "I've played before in college so when he said everyone else never played before I knew I had to sign up in order to help guide the others a bit."

"Seriously? Wait, how old are you exactly?"

"I'm 23, so not much older than you." Antonio answered. "Heck, I was the second youngest recruit in Chaldea until you and Tatsuko arrived."

"Wow, that's…pretty impressive. Wait a second? Who was the youngest?" Ritsuka said.

Antonio shrugged. "Never met the person, but I heard that I was the second youngest, that's all."

"I see…..anyway, do you have any idea what you want to play as?"

"Oh I can't say that." Antonio said playfully. "I prefer to keep these things a secret, hermano."

"Okay, then I guess I'll wait until then." Ritsuka said.

"Oho, so Teach asked you too?"

"Actually Cú told me and he got me in." Ritsuka answered. "And I have an idea what I want to be and what race."

"Nice! You work quick!"

Ritsuka widened his eyes. "Wait, how long does it take to make a character?"

"Depends on the person," Antonio answered. "Some people can take hours, while others can take a couple of days."

The black haired teen stared at the taller man with slight shock and disbelief. "You can't be serious…days?"

"Yep! Heck I remember my first time playing it took me….a week, I think?"

"A whole week?!"

"It was my first time, and I didn't know what to do." Antonio countered. "Trust me, everything will be fine, and since you already have yours down, you don't need to worry so much."

"I guess…but I wonder how Tatsuko's handling it." Ritsuka muttered.

"Well, we're nearing her room right now, so why don't we check in on her and see?"

"Good idea." Ritsuka replied. The two men really were close to her room, not even a minute away, and when they knocked on her door. It only took a few moments to wait for the door to open, and when they saw Tatsuko, both men stared at her with pale faces. Her eyes were baggy, and reddened from exhaustion. A strong scent washed over them and saw plates filled with Doritos and Mountain Dew on her table.

"Please tell me you showered…." Ritsuka muttered.

"Yes yes, I showered." Tatsuko answered. "How can I help?"

"We were just checking in on you to see how you were doing." Antonio answered. Tatsuko shrugged and let both men into her quarters. The smell thankfully subsided as they grew accustomed to it, but something still felt off. Tatsuko left to get them some drinks, but it was taking longer than anticipated, and when she came back, her hair was slightly cleaner, but still disheveled.

"So…..rough night sleeping?" Antonio asked.

"Not exactly…." Tatsuko answered robotically. "I just got so caught up in making my characters for the session that I forgot some sleep. I've….been having difficulty with what I want."

Both men stared directly into her blank eyes, and saw no lie in them. And that immediately made them concerned. They had to tread carefully now, otherwise she might shut down, and they'd get nowhere.

"Maybe you should take a break?" Ritsuka asked. "Oh I know! Emiya and Boudicca are starting a cooking club, so why not ask to join?"

"I'm fine…besides I already cook my own meals. Had to learn the hard way." Tatsuko said calmly.

"Maybe take a stroll in Animusphere City." Antonio replied. "Get some fresh air and have some fun!"

Tatsuko's eyes lit up for a moment, but soon returned to a glassy stare. A small, weak smile formed on her lips, making both men feel uncertain of her next move.

"I think I might do that." Tatsuko said. "But a little later. I promise, I'll do it."

"Good to hear." Antonio said. "Do you want us to come along?"

"No, that won't be necessary." Tatsuko answered. "Thanks for the offer though."

"In other news, how's your progress on that character creation?" Ritsuka asked.

"It's…..harder than I thought it would be." Tatsuko said with a sigh. The orange haired girl sat down on the couch across from them and fidgeted. "I just don't know if any of them will be suitable for the session, and everytime I think of it, I just get anxious, and make more characters to try and see what I can do to improve."

"Hey hey, no need to worry." Antonio said. "You can just take all of them into the session and see which one might fit best!"

"But what if no one likes them?" Tatsuko asked.

"That doesn't change that you're still you." Ritsuka said. "And everyone likes you."

"I….thanks." Tatsuko muttered. "I appreciate it."

"Hey, if you want some tips or advice, maybe I could take a look at the stats or something?" Antonio asked.

"Sorry, but I'd rather keep that to myself for a little while." Tatsuko answered.

"Okay, just give a holler if you want some advice." Antonio replied. "I might be able to help."

"I appreciate it." Tatsuko felt her heart lighten a bit, her body feeling like a feather and her eyes regaining her shine. "I think I'll go on that walk now."

"You want me to come?" Ritsuka asked.

"No, no, that won't be necessary." Tatsuko said.

A small beep rang on Antonio's watch, causing the young man groan. "Shit, Dustin is needing some help with moving some things around, so I have to get going."

Tatsuko nodded and opened the door, watching both Antonio and Ritsuka leave her place, and closed the door again. As soon as the footsteps faded away, Tatsuko took a deep breath, and sighed as she sank to the floor. The orange haired woman cursed under breath, and mentally kicked herself several times over. She got so caught up in her fears and insecurities that she dragged Ritsuka and Antonio into her problems. She hated being an inconvenience, but she always seemed to find herself in this position. Tatsuko slowly got up and headed to her bedroom to get changed into better clothes. Antonio was probably right, going for a walk might make her feel better…..

Meanwhile, Ritsuka decided to help Antonio with Dustin's issue, and on the way, Ritsuka remained silent, trying to think about Tatsuko and her state of mind. He hated seeing her like that, but he didn't know what to do to help her.

"Hey, you okay man?" Antonio asked.

"O-oh, yeah I'm fine." Ritsuka said. "Just thinking."

Antonio stared at the boy for a few moments before sighing, his expression unchanging. "You know, sometimes you worry me just as much as Tatsuko."

"I….what?"

"Think about it, for a second." Antonio said. "Both of you act like everything's fine, but in the end, neither of you had any real chances to talk about your issues, and now with everything going on, I'm just worried it might boil over."

"Tatsuko had it worse than I did." Ritsuka countered.

Antonio remained silent, deciding not to press further. The young man cleared his throat, and a small, hopeful smile appeared on his face. "So, apparently Dustin needs help rearranging his entire room…"

Ritsuka's face went pale, a chill ran up his spine, but Antonio's disarming smile calmed him a bit. "I see, does he know what needs to be moved first?"

"He told me earlier that he'd let us know when we get there."

"Well I'm happy to help anyway." Ritsuka replied.

"Buen niño, that's what I like to hear!" Antonio said as he walked faster towards Dustin's quarters, leaving Ritsuka to mull in his own thoughts. The black haired teen returned to thinking about Tatsuko's problems, and tried to think of what he could do. He couldn't just let her do this alone. He had to show her that he had her back, no matter what. But how to do that….

That was when the light bulb went off in his head, and a mischievous smile appeared on his lips. He knew exactly what would help…..

October 7th, 2015

Tatsuko stared at the doors to the gaming studio and took a deep breath. Her heart caught in her chest and she felt her heart race faster and faster as the world darkened around her. She looked down at her sheets, dice and her writing utensils and gulped. Sweat started to appear on her brow as doubt and anxiety took hold. She gripped the papers tightly, thinking of what she should do. She could go in, and have to face the music, or just run away and not have to deal with possible rejection. Yes, she could probably do that!

"Oh did you just arrive too, Tatsuko?"

The orange haired woman turned around to see Mashu and Fou walking towards her. Fou leapt off of Mashu's shoulder and onto Tatsuko's rubbing his face on her cheek and licking her until returning to Mashu, causing both girls to smile a bit.

"So, did you get everything ready?" Mashu asked.

"Y-yeah….I was just thinking about what to do." Tatsuko answered. "I'm really nervous."

"I am too." Mashu said. "I never played games with other people before, so I do not know what to expect. But it is also very exciting!"

Tatsuko took a deep breath and nodded. If Mashu was here, then scurrying off was out of the cards. She just couldn't lie to the Demi-Servant about this, so there was no use trying to. The both of them approached the door and when it opened, a pleasant smell filled their nostrils. It was some sort of food, and their stomachs growled in hunger as the scent became stronger. As they entered the studio, they locked eyes with Antonio, Iris, Cú, Blackbeard and…..

"Marie? You're here too?"

"Oui oui!" Marie answered. "I heard about the game and I wanted to join as well! And I brought snacks as well!"

The girls looked at the table and saw an assortment of candies, vegetables, cakes, and most importantly for Fou, lots of bacon bits. All mouthwateringly tantalizing, but the girls and Fou broke the trance and noticed Blackbeard waving to them to join them. Mashu took the first steps and smiled as she talked to the others alongside Fou. Tatsuko felt that ice cold grip on her heart again, daring not to meet their gazes as they stared back at her. Blackbeard stared at her in slight concern, tilting his head in curiosity. "Are you okay?"

Tatsuko gulped. She didn't want to worry them, but she couldn't speak. She wanted to run, but her legs failed her. She felt like a deer caught in headlights, but could do nothing as the car would hit her. It took all her effort to open her mouth to try and get out of this situation. "I-I-"

"Sorry I'm late guys, I needed to get more materials and get out of the locker the bullies stuffed me in!" Cried out a nasally, almost ridiculous voice.

The people at the table looked behind Tatsuko, and tried holding in their laughter as they saw the culprit. Tatsuko turned around, and her eyes widened, her heart and body feeling lighter as she tried not to laugh as well.

Standing there, dressed as a typical movie nerd, hunched over and with big glasses and holding multiple objects with fake buck teeth was none other than Ritsuka. The black haired teen snorted as he walked towards the table, smiling confidently as he placed his items down.

"I got all I need here, Dungeon Master." Ritsuka said in that stereotypical geeky voice, making everyone finally burst into laughter.

"Why are you dressed like that?" Iris asked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Ritsuka replied, still carrying on with the act.

"Well I think it has a certain charm, no?" Marie asked.

"Thanks!" Ritsuka said. "Okay okay, I can't do the voice anymore, it's too much."

"I appreciate you stopping." Blackbeard said. "Otherwise I might have died laughing!"

"Now how about we give our esteemed narrator our sheets so he can have some advice to give." Cú said.

"Then how about Tatsuko goes first?" Ritsuka suggested. The black haired Master turned to face his friend, and saw the look in her eyes. The orange haired girl stared blankly at him, her laughter finally subsiding. In its place, a knowing, appreciative smile appeared on her lips. Everything finally calmed within her soul, and she felt like she could do this. Tatsuko walked straight to the table with confidence, and handed Blackbeard her first sheet without hesitation.

"Let's see…..a Drow Ranger?" Blackbeard asked. The Rider then laughed alongside Tatsuko until his expression became playfully deadpan. "Okay, seriously what class do you want to play?"

Tatsuko grinned, knowing he was only joking around. "I thought you'd say that, so I made another one, here you go!"

Blackbeard nodded and took the other sheet from the girl, and whistled in approval. "A chaotic neutral Drow Rogue? Oh this is going to be fun. Okay, take a seat and I'll just hand this back."

Tatsuko nodded and took back her papers as she sat down next to Marie and took one of the snacks to eat. Blackbeard turned to Iris to get her character sheet, and the green haired woman did so without hesitation.

"Going with a wood elf Druid?"

"Aye, I thought I might as well stick with what I know." The Irish woman answered.

"Well, you can't go wrong there!" Blackbeard said. The Rider handed Iris her paper's back, and gestured to Mashu for hers. The Shielder handed over her character sheet, wondering what Blackbeard would think. "So a human Cleric of Selune? Classic!"

Mashu's eyes beamed as she took her papers back in excitement. Cú was next, and Blackbeard had a mischievous glint in his eyes. "A wizard eh? I can totally see this working out and-Oh, he's dead already!"

Cú bellowed a mighty laugh alongside the Rider as the pirate handed him back his papers in approval. He then turned to Antonio, who handed him his paper, and Blackbeard raised an eyebrow. "A human bard?"

Antonio chuckled. "I always did enjoy charming people."

"Oh my, seems we have a dangerous man here." Iris said playfully.

"You know it, Chica!" Antonio said with a playful wink. Blackbeard chuckled weakly, but approved of the decision. However, he also made a mental note to try and figure out a way to make sure the young man didn't just solve everything by seducing everything…

"Anyway, how about you Marie? What did you choose?" Ritsuka asked.

"Here you are Captain Blackbeard!" Marie said excitedly. The captain of the Queen Anne's Revenge took a look at her sheet, and stared at the younger Rider in approval and amusement. "A Tiefling Sorcerer eh?"

"Mhm! They looked so interesting!"

"I was actually hoping someone would choose this combo." Blackbeard said. "Your turn Ritsuka."

Ritsuka nodded and handed his papers over to Blackbeard, and the Rider's eyes went wide as saucers. "A Chaotic neutral Red Dragonborn Paladin?"

"I just liked the color scheme." Ritsuka said. "And I DO like setting things on fire…..sometimes."

"I think last Singularity gave you a taste of burning things." Cú joked.

"And I desire more." Ritsuka joked back.

"Well I'll allow it, and I think this looks really good!" Blackbeard replied. "And now onto Fou."

Fou took his papers from Mashu's hands, and trotted over to the Rider personally. As the captain read the papers, Fou wagged his tail, and jumped up as Blackbeard stared at everyone in awe and fear. "A Dwarf Barbarian….with decent Intelligence and Wisdom!"

Everyone aside from Mashu went silent as they stared at Fou wagging his tail in amusement. The critter chirped as he reclaimed his papers and sat back down next to Tatsuko, who scratched him behind the ears as everyone nodded together.

"Okay, everyone who wants Fou to be the leader of our party, say aye!" Ritsuka shouted.

"AYE!" Everyone shouted in response. Soon, everyone went quiet once more, and took out the rest of their materials to get the session started. They all turned to their Dungeon Master, waiting for him to begin. The Rider cleared his throat and began to set the stage.

"Okay, here we go." He said calmly. "You all meet in a tavern. But before any of you can introduce yourselves, a simple farmer walks up to you, distraught and concerned. 'Ah, hello adventurers! My sheep have run amok, and I need your help to find them!'"

Everyone looked at each other to figure out their next move, until Antonio grinned and stared at the DM with mischievous glee. "What's his name?"

Blackbeard chuckled evilly, anticipating this answer. "His name…Is Greg. Greg the Garlic Farmer!"

Everyone turned to their leader Fou, who simply wagged his tail. "Fou!"

"Well, you heard him guys," Cú said. "Let's help this guy get his sheep back, and make introductions along the way."

Everyone nodded and began to settle in for the rest of the session. As everyone began to talk and laugh together, Tatsuko stole glances at Ritsuka, smiling under her breath as she saw how lively he was today. She couldn't help but remember what he told her the day after she told him of her leave of absence. He called her his best friend, but now looking back at it, Tatsuko thought he was understating his own influence on her mental state.

To her, he was the bestest friend she could have ever asked for.

(OC and Yatsu finish decorating the studio, putting the banners up and smiling as they look at their handiwork.)

OC: Wow, would you look at that.

Y: Yeah, it looks like it's really coming along.

OC: Yep.

OC (looks at Vlad's chair, places a hand on it, smiles and pats it.): We did it buddy, we reached the next big milestone.

Ahem, sorry, guys, but I just had to get this out of the way. I just want to say…..Thank you all, it's because of you, that we have reached the next big milestone. Chaldean Chronicles has now reached 100K views. Last week when I uploaded the last chapter, we were at 99 thousand and four hundred something views. But then the next day, I checked again, and we somehow gained 500 more views, and I was absolutely shocked. I kinda want to know where some of those came from, but I will not question it, because this is truly a momentous occasion.

Y: It's a pretty big moment. I joined along a bit later, but it's still been a crazy ride since then. Well, regardless, we still owe a thanks to those that have been following along this entire time.

OC: Indeed, and this came especially at a time where I was needing it most. For context, for those who live in Florida like me, or in any of the affected states, Hurricane Helene really hit us hard. Thankfully, it didn't hit where I'm personally living right now, but other areas, including some states outside Florida, weren't so lucky. My childhood hometown in Florida was especially hit hard, and seeing the photos of the damage really made me concerned and scared. Thankfully, my entire family is fine, and the worst that happened was that my father and step-mom lost power for a while, but others weren't so lucky, and the roads, and houses were absolutely flooded, and several deaths have been confirmed. Now to make things worse, Hurricane Milton is now coming in two days as we write this, and its headed straight for my area. So yeah…..I've been having that over my head, but knowing we reached this milestone has definitely made me feel a little better, and I really cannot express my gratitude for this support.

Y: Yeah, OC's been keeping me filled in on what's been happening up in Florida. I also have some family in Florida that were hit hard by the hurricane, but they're thankfully fine. Just part of life, sad to say, but we hunker down and make it out the best we can.

OC: Normally we would have a special guest come out now, but for this, I think waiting to the end would be best. But let's just get to the breakdown. So for this chapter, this was one of the first ones where Yatsu and I truly laid the groundwork together as a team, just like last week, but this was during earlier this year. And it involved DnD! As for why we decided this, well…I may or may not have been addicted to Baldur's Gate 3 for the majority of the year, having played it since December of last year….. I'm on my latest playthrough right now, and have it on as we speak and this is our way to celebrate Mods coming to the console versions! I'm on my Sixth. Playthrough...Sixth... I think I might have a problem lol.

Y: He's been stuck in there for quite a while. I've had to use a fishing rod with a picture of Mashu (in a bikini) as bait to lure him out of the gaming hole.

OC: It worked pretty well, though Jalter would have gotten me out even faster. The plot of this chapter, on the other hand, quickly became more about Tatsuko, and her dealing with her personal struggles again as we wanted to address it again and show that this isn't going to be an easy road for her, but she is slowly getting better. And that ending with Ritsuka making a fool of himself is probably one of my favorite parts as he basically made her forget about her anxiety, and allowed her to feel confident in herself again. He truly looks out for her like any bestie would!

Y: It's a good interaction, and it's one that's proactive. Part of any relationship (platonic or otherwise) is that it requires work; you have to be willing to reach out and do that work. Anyone who has played a Persona game knows that, even though it's streamlined by quite a bit.

OC: Yep yep! And the fact we delved more into Antonio, who was first introduced right before Okeanos, was a fun little time for us. Making him one of the younger members is an interesting thing as it gives a more fresh perspective, and gives the trio someone who's closer to their age to talk to. It's not much, but they at least have a shoulder to lean on in the event the older adults aren't there to really listen.

Y: Mhmm, it's kinda amusing that most of Chaldea are adults except for Mash and Ritsuka at the start. It was an interesting addition to throw in someone closer to their age for these sort of shenanigans. I suspect this was also why !SPOILER! did the same in the Raidou Kuzunoha games. Good logic.

OC: Interesting…..no idea what that is, but yeah it's always interesting to have that more human element, and have them address the problems instead of keeping it to themselves. And after discussing more of our plans for Antonio, I can't help but find him very fun to utilize due to his age and happy go lucky attitude.

Y: He brings a lot of happy vibes to the place, like Tobi did with the Akatsuki in Naruto. Tobi was a Good Boy.

OC: No comment…..but onto the final scene and where the hilarity happens. So here's the funny thing about that, the main group we agreed on was already established since a few weeks before we wrote this chapter, except for one person, and that was Marie. She literally came into this chapter as we wrote it, and we thought it would be hilarious to add the cinnamon roll as the last addition. Though her choice of class is going to be terrifying and amusing. She's gonna commit so many war crimes as a sorcerer.

Y: Marie was a woman of many talents. She'd love to be a Sorcerer, and would insist on dressing up for the occasion, as befits her fashionista persona (this time without getting her head cut off).

OC: And making Fou the leader of their merry band of murder hobos fits so well. Also before anyone questions why Ritsuka's Red Dragonborn paladin is Chaotic Neutral instead of any of the evil alignments, well, because not all Dragonborn's associated with Tiamat are evil! Some can be good…..

Also because in my second playthrough of BG3, I played as a Black Dragonborn Paladin of Vengeance and played him as a hero, especially when he became an Oathbreaker. So there, that is my answer.

Y: Tiamat is a good mom. She'd be happy to be a Mom Class and just feed everyone delicious meals when they get hungry. Also, Dragonborns are cool

OC: I mean….you're not wrong. Also fun fact, a few of the choices in classes and races are ones that I did for my first three playthroughs for BG3.

Drow Ranger (NOT LOLTH DROW) for my first playthrough.

Dragonborn Paladin of Vengeance, except mine was black.

A tiefling, but mine was a fighter, not a sorcerer. And Yatsu even helped me name the character!

And I also snuck in some references from Viva La Dirt League (if you know you know which one I did hehehe), and also One Shot Questers because I found them so hilarious that I had to make a nod to them in this chapter.

Y: That was a good one. And a Drow Ranger sounds like a fun build; kinda a dark counterpart to High Elf Archer from Goblin Slayer (I met her voice actress at a convention yesterday, very nice woman). She would insist on committing more war crimes.

OC: And with that, our time has run out. Thank you all for this week's chapter, but now for our special guest! Come on out Artoria! Bring him out!

(Artoria arrives with a writhing and skittish man is trying to break free from his bed)

Artoria: Thank you for doing this. It's been a long time coming.

OC: Not a problem.

(OC takes off the sack off the guest's head, revealing it to be none other than Nasu himself.)

OC: Well well well, I didn't think we'd get the Mushroom himself to show up in our neck of the woods.

Y: He spawns when he feels like it, much like fungus does.

(Books and other objects begin to float around and circle the stage as Nasu writhes and shakes his head trying to break free of his bonds)

OC: Has he been doing this all day?

Artoria: Yes, which is why catching him was such a challenge.

OC: Well, better late than never. Hey Yatsu, can you hand me that book so we can begin the exorcism?

(Yatsu throws OC the book, and OC opens it to the exact page he needed)

OC: By the powers vested in this studio, and all the Saber faces of the world. I command thee…..READ MUSHROOM, READ!

(The page says…..HER NAME'S ARTORIA, NOT ALTRIA!)

Nasu: (Screams and writhes more and more as he is forced to look at the book, all the while the audience cheers at the declaration, hoping this works on Nasu).

Y: That's a special brand of exorcism. Drives out the evilness in the hearts of people that don't understand the language they're trying to adapt. Turns out that trying to nail down the feminization of an English (with Latin and Celtic roots) names can be difficult when working with just a phonological basis of a completely different language with zero overlap…

All three Mini Nobbus: Nobu Nobu Nobu!

(Special Translation: Thank you all for stopping by for this installment of Chaldean Chronicles. Please tune in next time for the next chapter!)