Interdimensional Observer

After Chapter 18 is when the enemies start promoting in the Deeprealms on all routes (and when Offsprings Seals first appear I think). It's after 18 that Spear & Knight become particularly challenging. By selecting to do a childlogue before fighting C18, you've picked the "optimal" moment in terms of difficulty. You can potentially have a bunch of 20/1+ characters, whilst the enemies remain without promotion bonuses. Or, it could be you're playing a Hoshidan child chapter. The nature of each baby rescue loosely aligns with the nationality of the rapid-aging artificial human's "father". The sons and daughters of the Conquest tend to have more complicated maps, while the bokus and himes of Birthright tend to be plain old basic routs, and those who transcend the night and day are slightly in-between, if leaning towards the latter. The RevCons feature neat goodies in the maps too, whilst the 'Rights have no stuff, providing EXP alone.

The XC2 talk is making me want to pop it in again, I could justify it with completion of the one Blade Quest I left undone. But, no. I've got Sakuna left unfinished and I can't remove it from my Switch until the. Damnit, why can't I throw off this albatross and finish the story?!

If you wanted an SRPG with all units being two characters, to align with the Blade system, I think I know where to insert XB2...

Free weapon ranks, but more importantly, free EXP. An early child will partake of the same finite EXP pool everyone else does, the longer you wait, the less limited EXP the child will consume, and their stats will be fine. You can fluff up a mid-lategame army in a way you couldn't if you didn't have buns still in the oven. A longer wait means less availability, which means less helping, but thats the fair tradeoff. I'm someone who is much more inclined to recruit later than sooner for most children. Let Gen 1 do the work, let Gen 2 supplement them when it is needed.

Not that many. Ignatius and Shiro yes, but the rest are either controllable from the start or are in no immediate danger. I've never had significant problems with the rest.

I'd say Tales of Xillia's Jude is to an extent open about things too. He is a little embarrassed acknowledging his interest in Milla, but plays it fairly straight when confronted about it, I don't remember any major "you're blushing hahaha!" moments. Though I could be forgetting/missing something. And whilst I need to get to his origin game to confirm things, Reiji Arisu seems pretty chill with Xiaomu. He is very stoic, and her boss (despite being like 700 years younger and she apparently worked with his dead dad), willing to deliver posterior punishment if she misbehaves. I think it's in being stoic, but not antisocial, that he can quietly admit to being in love, even if he is no-fun about it at times. Or at least thats the way with Reiji Beta- "Nanbu" and Xiaomu 00- "Browning".

For missile silos, if I can't get to them first, I've usually held off on bigger purchases until the AI has exhausted the ones they can use. I'm agreed on the CO Powers though. Kindle's Urban Blight is alright, so is Von Bolt if I'm not Grit-tier defensive. But Drake is hair-pulling, and Rachel is awful if you fight her 1 vs. 1. Although both of those COs have weak day-to-days, they need something to redeem themselves. Map-wise, the it varies, Black Cannons/Lasers were usually bearable, the two volcano battles, less so because I couldn't memorize the lava spots. Final battle DoR is half good, half bad. Usually I do have a bunch of enemies left on this map, because they aren't aggressive, and unlike some Rev maps, there isn't a windfall of droppable goodies. Skimming the north is too easy here. I don't think she is that bad statwise compared to Takumi in the long term. But, her one major advantage, more Spd, is undercut by her bases. Even on BR, where she joins before Takucutie, she doesn't have the time to build up to the point where she starts doubling before he shows up. Add in Takumi's better bases, including a higher weapon rank and the Fujin Yumi (slightly strong Steel/weaker Silver with no drawbacks, thats useful), and the second prince, who is rather... average at best outside of Skl (which isn't wholly worthless, Yumis are a little inaccurate, which Setsuna also is), ends up being superior sans grind. Then, Reina seals the no-grind fate of BR Setsuna. Whilst I understand the concept of growth units, would it be wrong to ask for a character's primary stats to do their jobs right away? Why must I wait for them to bud?

I've never made a meme, don't plan on it. Likewise I'm... 😑. This said, there are far worse things on the Internet than harmless silliness over a video game. So I can't let myself get worked up over it. Now, where does "visibility" fall? By which I mean, the (not related to skin) exposure of audiences to a character. Think of it like this, almost all lords make it into the high ranks of the CYL polls, and so do the FEH OCs, despite them being -usually- regarded as flatter than paper and more shallow than a kiddie pool. Also keep in mind that Roy has never had his game officially released outside of Japan, but still won CYL1. In other works, it doesn't so much matter what the character or what they do, being very visible can make them popular. We could probably apply this to KOS-MOS too, if she stirs up crowds, how many actually know her, as in having actually played Xenosaga?

I was fine with a chapter on a 13-year war with the Ottomans that ran through the then-greatly-empty east and south of Europe: Croatia, Hungary, Moldavia, Wallachia, and Transylvania (which really lives up to its name 50% forests and only 20% of the land under cultivation at the time). But a chapter on Spain? It was a long tangent, which turned into another tangent on the Dutch Republic, with a mercifully quick turn to Wars of Religion France, and Savoy in northern Italy, and a pinch of Swiss and something super-obscure called "Rhetia". So, now I must be at the Thirty Years' War at la- *Sees the title word "Denmark" on the next page* 😵 However, I can't say I'm not learning stuff, I like it. My understanding of the Spanish Empire has increased significantly. It's a total train wreck, but one that was impossibly optimistic about its future and obsessed with reputacion. Also: "God, who has given me so many kingdoms, has denied me a son capable of ruling them." Ouch. The future Philip III must've been put in a coma after his dad said that, so cutting. Although, the best line to emerge from these dozens of pages, has to be the one where colonial South American mine inspectors might receive poisoned hot chocolate from the local -and corrupt- mine managers. That sounds outlandish, but I'll assume the author of the book is implying that actually happened.🍫☕☠️

Confessionalization Introduction Religious tensions impaired the working of the imperial constitution and contributed to the outbreak of war in 1618. However, not the connection was not straightforward. Th 1500s was far less violent than the Middle Ages, numerous feud, even emperors deposed by their vassals. Distinct confessional identities important to the outbreak of war. All Christian confessions sprang from common roots, but developed a momentum of their own due to: Vested material interests Social concerns for status and prestige Psychological need to belong and to define that belonging by distancing oneself from those holding different views. Theological controversy forced each principal denomination to stress particular aspects as distinctive.: Catholicism- Primacy of organization. With the Roman church as the only competent authority for interpreting the Word of God for all Christians. (Supremacy of the Pope was a mixed bag, not all Catholics accepted his most bold claims to authority. Borromeo among many others preferred Church councils. Trent and the Jesuits liked papal supremacy.) Lutheranism- Primacy of doctrine. Free the Word of God from being misinterpreted by a church that had lost its way. Calvinism- Primacy of practice. Follow Luther’s “reformation of doctrine” with a “reformation of life”, bringing behavior in line with faith. (Never mind it that it doesn’t matter b/c predestination.) Catholicism Martin Luther began by trying to renew Catholicism, his break forced both political and theological responses from the papacy. Council of Trent (1545-1563)- Convening of cardinals intended to heal the rift with Luther, ended up condemning his evangelicals as heretics. Trent defined Catholicism and outlined a program to exterminate heresy by renewing Catholic life. Placed emphasis on the Eucharist, a central collective act of worship bringing priest and lay community together. Constituted a form of “Tridentine mass”. The priest was essential for the consecration of the wafers into the real body of Christ. Reminding everyone of the importance of the Catholic priesthood. Revival of the medieval Eucharist cult, accompanied by Corpus Christi processions on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday. Trent issued a wide range of decrees to counter Luther’s assertion the Catholic priesthood was not up to the task of mediating between God and believers. Clerical education expanded to priests were sure to understand the true faith and not mislead the flocks. Bishops were told to serve their dioceses, not exploit them. Carlo Borromeo (1538-1584), first Archbishop of Milan in 80 years to reside in the city. Regularly visited churches and sponsoring religious orders to enliven the community with an active Christian life. Invented the modern confessional box. Removing the public shame aspect of confession and creating an opportunity for individual spiritual guidance. Made confession more popular. Assailed heresy in Switzerland, became the object of his own personality cult, became a cardinal, declared a saint in 1610 (Not even thirty years after dying? Yowzas thats fast!). Veneration of saints, including many local saints, an important mark of Tridentine Catholicism. Saints more than just role models (the Protestant view?), they were believed to be direct intercessors with God. Liturgy remained in Latin, but other aspects of worship were held in vernacular and accompanied by music, singing, and other activities intended to strengthen solidarity. Pilgrimages revived, especially within the HRE at the bleeding heart shrines at Weingarten and Walldurn which survived the Reformation. Their protection by the Duke of Bavaria and Archbishop of Mainz respectively demonstrated their Catholic credentials. Number of visitors reached 10000 a year in 1590, doubled or tripled that by the 1620s, continued to thrive barring three years during the 30YW. The Holy Family gained in prominence. Joseph’s saintly character became more emphasized, presented as defender and guardian of all Catholic Christian families. Cult of Madonna reached new heights, new pilgrimage sites at Altotting and Passau. Marian confraternities expanded to include lay members to integrate more of the Catholic community. Cologne had 2000 members in a total popular of 45000 by 1650. Reform of the papal curia and expansion of its diplomatic network in response to Protestantism and a shift in the balance of powers within the Catholic monarchies. Habsburg Spain had won territories in Italy taken from France, which existed on multiple sides of the Papal States by 1559. The pontiff did not forget that it was Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, not at all a Protestant, who had sacked Rome in 1527. The Pope recognized that Catholicism needed the Habsburgs in Spain & the HRE and their possessions in the New World and East Asia. Pope saw himself as padre commune, using his influence to broker reconciliation within the Christian community. But Pope had to work through the Catholic monarchs for fear of his personal safety. He suspected they placed their dynastic priorities over what was best for their faith. Tried to leverage France and the remaining Italian city-states against the Habsburgs, but Italy was in post-Renaissance decline. France was weak, surrounded by the enemy Habsburgs, caught up in its Reformation-induced religious wars. As a result, the papacy had to surrender initiative to Catholic monarchs to advance local Catholic interests. Jesuits!: Officially founded as the Society of Jesus in 1540 by papal decree under the initiative of Ignatius Loyola. Goal- Extirpate the “epidemic of the soul”- Protestantism. Remove Protestants and Catholics who would cooperate with them from positions of power. Afterwards, restore the health of the soul through promoting a vigorous Catholic life and doctrine. Jesuits were overtly political in their tactics, which set them apart from other Catholic orders. The Capuchins of the Franciscan tradition contrasted with the Jesuits. The Capuchins emphasized working among the ordinary people. The Capuchins were ordered by Borromeo to restore Catholicism in Swiss and Habsburg alpine villages in the Tirol. The Jesuits worked from the top-down of the political hierarchy, not the bottom-up. If they won over the territory’s ruler and its elite, they believed they believed the rest of society would gradually follow. Loyola ordered a Jesuit to become confessor to the King of Portugal in 1552 when the post opened up, became a typical Jesuit practice. Not all Catholics liked the Jesuits. The more traditional orders resented their pushiness, acquisition of churches, schools, and other assets through political connections. Some were alarmed by their apparent radicalism. One former Jesuit tried killing Henri IV (Henri of Navarre) of France in 1594 (he lived to be assassinated another day). Another defended tyrannicide in a book published five years later. Easy to believe they were tied to other conspiracies like the English Gunpowder Plot of 1605. (Needless it be said, Protestants hated Jesuits as the metaphoric elite soldiers of the Pope, and as conspirators who used their political ties for disproportionate control of the world.) Jesuits had to reconcile their Counter-Reformation mission with a hierarchical world view, and evolved a distinct approach to being confessors. The Devil tempted the princes to make concessions to the heretics. God would forgive if the prince -provided such concessions had been politically necessary and were revoked at the first opportunity. This allowed for pragmatism and a belief in compromise that could thwart the tendency for militancy. It depended on the individual Jesuit and the person they served. Holy Roman Emperor uniquely in Europe had an unbroken line of Jesuit confessors for a time, the Jesuits weren’t as influential outside of the porous Empire. Martin Becan- Flexible, pragmatic Jesuit confessor chosen in 1620. William Lamormaini- Succeeded Becan, a militant hardliner. Lasted until Emperor Ferdinand II’s death in 1637. Johannes Gans- Chosen by Ferdinand II’s son and successor. A Jesuit known more for his love of good dinners and more secular lifestyle. Jesuits expanded rapidly. 50 members in the Empire out of 1000 total at the time of Loyola’s death in 1556. Reached 1600 out 13100 worldwide by 1615. Most Jesuits were not confessors (only so many rulers), but teachers. The order’s primacy influence stemmed from its role as educator of the lay and clerical elite. 22 Jesuit colleges in the Rhineland by the outbreak of 30YW, another 20 in southern Germany, and 23 more in Austria and Bohemia by 1630. Enrollment rose dramatically. Trier had 135 students when founded in 1561, reached 1000 by 1577. Jesuits persuaded rulers to elevate them from colleges to universities, attracting students from more prosperous and elevated backgrounds. Success bred success, struggling institutions like humanist colleges at Ingolstadt and Dilligen were entrusted to them in the mid-1500s. Vienna also gave them its university. Expansion originated from a range of teaching methods that are obvious today, cutting edge at the time. All Jesuits were university graduates and applied a common curriculum throughout the colleges. Combined humanist grammar schools with deeper, systematic study of theology and philosophy. Schooling open to anyone who could pass the entrance examination, no tuition fees. Pupils streamed into classes according to ability, enabling progression. More than one teacher at each establishment allowed for specialist instruction with regular lesson plans. The education program had broad appeal across German society. Those destined for a higher clerical career often sent to the order’s Collegium Germanicum founded in Rome in 1552 and funded by the papacy. Enrollment declined during 30YW, but the Collegium had a profound impact on the Reichskirche, providing around a seventh of all cathedral canons during the first half of the 1600s. Note- There were other, non-Jesuit Catholic universities. Eight universities were also founded in Protestant territories in the century after 1527. Total student numbers across the Empire rose from 2700 in 1500, to 8000 by 1618; a figure not reached again until the 1800s. Jesuit influence was also blunted by other traditions within German Catholicism. Secular Catholic rulers were keen to combat heresy, as religious dissent was seen as the first step to sedition. Many ecclesiastical princes viewed the Jesuits with suspicion, Bavaria and the Habsburgs were therefore the order’s principal primary sponsors within the Empire. Spread of the Reformation largely confined Catholicism to imperial church territories. Apart from the Habsburg lands, only Bavaria and Lorraine remained as large Catholic principalities by the mid-1500s. Though numerous, most ecclesiastical territories were relatively small, with underdeveloped political institutions. Government in each territory was largely in the hands of a cathedral or abbey chapter that elected the bishop or abbot. Election to an abbey or bishopric depended on the membership of the relevant chapter, canons preferred candidates who shared their views. Jurisdiction was fragmented by the presence of other collegiate churches and religious foundations. Five collegiate churches in Speyer controlled a quarter of all parishes. Half of the Archbishopric of Trier was incorporated into foundations and monasteries beyond the Archbishop’s direct control. Tridentine decrees enhanced the powers of bishops to supervise autonomous foundations and parish clergy, who opposed the interference in their affairs. Most middle and senior clergy in the Empire associated faith with lifestyle and local interest. The Catholic establishment was closely tied to the noble and patrician elite in their area, and shared their worldly, Renaissance humanist outlook. Long-standing patterns of placing younger sons and unmarried daughters in the Reichskirche, providing suitable social status and comfortable income. As institutions of the Empire, religious foundations were woven into the imperial constitution, with their own rights and prerogatives. They excised political jurisdiction that was local and particular, clashing with the Jesuits’ allegiance to Rome. The political influence associated with the imperial church encouraged the continuing pattern of absenteeism by accumulating benefices and sees wherever possible. Tridentine reforms were implemented only slowly and selectively, making their main impact only in the later 1600s, long after 30YW. Reforming in favor of militancy was met by strong opposition on the ground, where priests lived as members of the community and were conscious their position depended largely on how they were accepted by parishioners. Priests on the ground saw the human face of everyday life, which the militants urging confessional conformity frequently ignored or misunderstood. Doctrine was bent to fit local practices, pragmatic and material interests, contributing to the strength and diversity of Catholicism within the Empire. Lutheranism The Lutheran Reformation had wanted to eliminate the above heterodoxy within Catholicism. It had not wanted to create its own church, only reform the existing one. The one place Martin Luther contested papal authority was on his refusal to accept Luther’s interpretation of doctrine. Doctrine became central to Lutheranism, setting it apart from Catholicism and sustaining a distinct community of believers. Luther translated the Bible into German, to free the source of all Truth from papal misinterpretation. Luther’s followers considered themselves an evangelical moment, only gradually adopting the label “Protestant” that derived from the formal protest by Lutheran princes at the decision of of the Catholic majority in the 1529 Reichstag at Speyer to take action against heresy. The dispute forced Lutherans to define their beliefs in a series of written statements, beginning with the Confession of Augsburg that was delivered to the Emperor at the Reichsstag meeting in that city in 1530. Stress on the Word of God direct from the Bible lessened the role of the priest as the intermediary, and prompted Luther to reduce the sacraments to only Baptism and the Eucharist. On the latter, accepted the Catholic belief in the real presence of Jesus, but increased lay participation in the service. Concept of justification by faith alone. Separated justification -salvation- from sanctification -good works- by arguing that entry to Heaven cameo as a gift from God and could not be earned. An individual was not trapped in a cycle of sin, confession, contrition, penance, since God alone decided who would be saved. The faithful should concentrate on living a good, Christian life, rather than constantly prepare for a “good death” through confession, good works, or indulgences. Luther did not expect all the implications of his doctrines- the German Peasants War of 1524-1526. Concept of a “priesthood of all believers” implicitly challenged the political as well as clerical hierarchy. Provided a theological basis for the radicalism that culminated in the German Peasants War. This war attempted to settle a host of local grievances, and contained a powerful political image of an Empire without any intermediaries between the Emperor and the “common man”. Crushed by with considerable brutality by both Protestant and Catholic princes. The rebellion left a lasting impact on the Empire, rulers allowed the ordinary folk to take their grievances to court, binding the territories further within the imperial judicial system, and strengthening the hierarchical imperial constitution. The German Peasants’ War fundamentally changed Lutheranism. Luther condemned the peasants, and shifted Lutheranism in a more conservative direction. Theologians reaffirmed the role of secular authority in supervising both laity and clergy. (So put down the “bad peasants”.) Enhanced clerics as guardians of true doctrine. (So what the “bad peasants” say is wrong.) Fragmentation of political authority within the Empire resulted in separate Lutheran church structures in each territory adopting the new faith. The territory’s ruler broke ties with Rome and assumed the supervisory role previously held by the bishop or archbishop in whose diocese his lands lay. The Lutheran distinction between worldly and spiritual matters entrusted the episcopal powers to two new institutions. Responsibility for spiritual management was entrust to a consistory staffed by theologians who vetted parish priests according to their conformity with the approved doctrine. Each priest was expected to deliver at least 200 sermons a year, including two each Sunday. Drafts of sermons had to be submitted to the consistory for approval. Hourglasses were set up in the churches to make sure the parishioners were not shortchanged. (A sermon thats not too short, joy.) Regular sermons reinforced the community of believers, and provided a convenient opportunity for secular authorities disseminate their decrees. Thus, church services dovetailed with state social-discipling, both spiritual and secular authorities instilling obedience, morality, thrift. A church council was entrusted with the Kirchengut -church property- the newly Protestant prince confiscated from the Catholic Church. They were to use the property to support the Protestant territorial church. This was not “secularization” as Henry VIII did by dissolving the monasteries in the English Reformation. Some money was diverted to the princely household or music at court, but otherwise the Catholic assets were consolidated and given to the Lutheran church council. Spiritual practices with no foundation in Lutheran doctrine were discontinued- e.g. no ritual of the masses for the dead in (the abolished) convents and monasteries. But, other activities carried out by Catholic foundations: poor relief, the provision of hospitals and education, were continued. Political leadership from the princes was necessary to defend Lutheranism within the Empire. Charles V tried to settle the doctrinal controversy by sponsoring meetings of theologians, they failed. He invoked public peace legislation because Catholics accused Protestants of stealing Church property and fomenting sedition within the Empire. Charles V gets the Reichstag to hold the Diet of Worms in 1521, Luther is summoned there to answer the charges of the Papacy against him. Luther refuses to recant. As “defender of the faith” Charles V puts an imperial ban on Luther, the highest secular sanction, declaring him an outlaw and subject to pursuit and punishment under the framework of public peace. The spread of Lutheranism among the princes and imperial cities entrenches the Catholic-Protestant schism, shattering the unity of law and religion on which the Emperor’s verdict had been based. Denial of the Pope’s right to judge doctrine by the princes, is followed by their belief subordination to God superseded subordination to the Empire. The political story of the Reformation is essentially that of a series of Protestant attempt to postpone or annual the Edict of Worms from 1521, by mobilizing through the imperial constitution. Protestant territories were larger and more populous, but in the imperial institutions, they remained outnumbered by the smaller and more numerous Catholic Estates. Threat of prosecution through the Reichskammergericht forced the Elector of Saxony, Landgrave of Hessen, and other Lutheran princes to form the Schmalkaldic League in 1531, notable as a Protestant defense association outside of the constitution. Problems with France and the Ottomans kept the Emperor busy until 1546, where his large army defeated the Elector of Saxony at the battle of Muhlberg in April 1547. The victory allowed Charles to impose his solution to the Empire’s problems. The doctrinal dispute was settled in 1547 through a compromise statement of faith known as the Interim, for it was provisional pending papal approval. Contained some concessions to Protestants, but broadly endorsed Catholic interpretation on most points. Meanwhile, the Empires Holy Roman and Habsburg was reorganized to make things easier for the dynasty to manage. Burgundy and the Italian possessions went to the future King of Spain, Charles V’s son, Phillip II of Spain. Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia went to Charles V’s brother Ferdinand, who would succeed him as Holy Roman Emperor. The remaining non-Habsburg imperial Estates were to be brought in special alliance with the Emperor. Saxony was taken from the senior Ernestine branch of the Wettin family, and passed to its junior Albertine under Duke Moritz branch because the Ernestine had opposed the Emperor and the Albertine had sided with him in the Schmalkaldic War. These sweeping demonstrations of Imperial authority alarmed even its beneficiaries- the Emperor had to be made to back down. Duke Moritz, motivated by both personal and political motives -Charles held his father-in-law the Landgrave of Hessen captive- conspired to reverse parts of the Interim. France was welcomed by the German princes to occupy the bishoprics of Metz, Toul, and Verdun on the Western frontier in 1552. (Foreign intrusion was deemed acceptable? Charlie 5 must’ve really crossed a line.) Charles withdrew to Innsbruck as his empire turned against him, he was very old and he left his brother and heir Ferdinand to negotiate with the rebels. Ferdinand granted Moritz’s demand and agreed to the Peace of Passau in June 1552. The demands were: Confirmation of Moritz’s electoral title. Release of Moritz’s father-in-law. Suspension of the Interim. Another assembling of the Reichstag to reach a definite settlement. Charles let the more pragmatic and moderate Ferdinand establish the Religious Peace of Augsburg in 1555. Charles transferred the imperial government to Ferdinand the following year, retiring to his other land of Spain and dying there two years later. The Habsburgs then officially split into the senior Spanish and junior Austrian lines (but who could tell the difference when there was so much uncle-niece incest?). The Peace of Augsburg represented a deep crisis for German Lutheranism. Moritz of Saxony was controversial -remember he fought against the proudly Lutheran Schmalkaldic League- threatening to discredit princely leadership of the religious movement. Armed opposition to the Emperor threw political and religious loyalties into conflict. France kept the three bishoprics they were invited to “temporarily” occupy, the dangers of seeking foreign help. Inability to agree on political action fueled disagreement over doctrine. Martin Luther died in 1546, coinciding with the moment of crisis. As his followers faced the stark choice of compromising their core beliefs, or defying the Emperor and throwing the Empire into civil war. Pragmatists followed Philipp Melanchthon, who represented the Eramsian humanist strand of Lutheranism, that was already prepared to accept peripheral elements of traditional worship, in return for recognition within the imperial constitution. Gnesio Lutherans -Greek for “the real thing” were the opposition of the Philippists. Insisted on the original 1530 Confession of Augsburg, rejecting the “Variata” version prepared by Melanchthon ten years later with Martin Luther’s tacit approval. To the Gnesio Lutherans, the Interim represented the first step towards eradication and they thought the Book of Revelation was at hand, true Christians vs. the Antichrist. Were centered in Magdeburg and defied the Interim until imperial troops took the city in November 1552. Conflict caused the Philippists and Gnesios to fragment. Flacians- named after the Croatin Lutheran Matthias Flacius. A more radical group the Gnesio Lutherans purged from their ranks. Flacius was convinced deformed babies and other things heralded the physical degeneration of mankind, the end of the world was at hand. More orthodox Lutheran recruits were born into the Reformation, not before it, they gave up on the Philippist hope of eventual reconciliation with Catholics. trying instead instead to convert them. They were now making their careers in the new Lutheran church establishment. Uncertainty lead some Lutherans to convert back to Catholicism. As leader of the evangelical Lutheran princes, Saxony tried to broker a compromise after 1573. The Saxony court preachers compiled the Book of Concord between 1577 and 1580. Endorsed Gnesio Lutheranism as the correct interpretation of their faith, rejecting all of Flacianism and most of Philippism. Saxony led the drive to sup the Protestant imperial Estates, securing acceptance of the Book of Concord from 20 princes, 30 other lords, and 40 cities by 1583. Calvinism Protestant dissenters criticized this imposition of orthodoxy as the “Book of Discord”. Claiming the book sacrificed the Reformation’s potential to truly transform Christian life. Those seeking a “second Reformation” became associated with the theology of the French reformer Jean Calvin. Whose ideas spread into Germany after the 1555 Religious Peace of Augsburg. The Elector Palatine converted to Calvinism around 1560, giving Calvinism a considerable boost. And it helped ensure that, unlike elsewhere in Europe, Calvinism in the Holy Roman Empire was led by princes, rather than more humble folk. Around 20 counts and minor princes followed the elector’s example by 1618, but the Landgrave of Hessen (1603) and the Elector of Brandenburg (1613) were the only other important rulers to embrace the new faith. Calvinists called themselves “the Reformed”, because “Calvinism” had connotations of an illegal sect. The Reformed aimed complete Luther’s Reformation, by eradicating the remnants of “papist superstition” in both ritual and doctrine. High altar and clerical vestments- gone! Iconoclasm! Paints and sculptures are powerless idols. Ministers adopted sober, academic dress, appearing as professionals qualified to preach and teach. Long-standing elements of doctrine were rejected- exorcism at infant baptism. Real presence at the Eucharist. Calvin abhorred the notion Christ was physically present, because this meant his ingested body eventually came out as excrement. Communion was purely a commemorative ceremony, East Frisians went so far as to drink beer instead of wine. Calvin, like Luther, also developed some Catholic ideas in new directions- predestination. Predestination gave his religion its dynamic self-confidence, while fostering the seeds of doubt and indecision in some of his followers at the same time. Parts of the early Christian church condemned the view that merit and following Christian tenets alone could earn one eternal reward. St. Augustine wrote in favor of predestination, that God alone decided that some people before their birth were predestined to be saved- “the Elect”. Calvin disagreed the Catholic interpretation. Because it made God seem weak if all he did was save some people in advance, as if he wanted to save others, but could not. Double Predestination- Jean Calvin’s unique interpretation. God alone chose those who were predestined to be saved, and those He did not, He alone predestined as reprobates- sinners destined for Hell. Calvin discouraged individual speculation on fate, believers simply had to trust in God, and that faith would lead them away from sin and towards a life lived according to the Commandments. But, doubt would not go away, inducing a brittle confidence in many Calvinists that crumbled in the face of adversity, as they interpreted personal reverses as signs they were not among the Elect. Calvin’s reorganization of the Genevan church provided a model for the new doctrine of living to accompany the Calvinist beliefs. The model was copied to varying extents elsewhere. The princely character of the “second Reformation” in the Empire meant there was already a Protestant church structure in place. Calvinists recruited its German converts from the Lutherans, not Catholics. As the Lutherans were only recently established, converting the system required only minor adjustments. A system of mutual monitoring was established, where parishioners and ministers were encouraged to report on each other’s doctrinal conformity and moral standards. Social discipling was attractive to the princes and urban magistrates, as they struggled to master the problems stemming from inflation, population growth, rising underemployment and poverty. Lutherans and Catholics also wanted doctrinal purity to be matched by moral renewal, but the Calvinists were convinced their discipline was the greatest, and combined with their theology, meant they were the true heirs to the church of its earliest centuries. Calvinist fundamentalism was reinforced by its international character. Its followers were widely scattered across Europe, nowhere in the political majority. Lutherans in Germany, Denmark, Sweden, embraced truth and honesty as true characteristics of their ethnicity, deviousness was the way of foreigners. They across geopolitical boundaries relished in the defiance of the foreign Rome. Calvinism took root in individual cities and princely homes, without an obvious center. Each community looked to established ones elsewhere for guidance and support. The Elector Palatine, as a prestigious Elector, became the obvious choice for German Calvinists to rally behind. The Heidelberg Catechism of 1563 became the doctrinal model for Calvinists within the Empire, supplanting the influence of Geneva in the 1580s. Over 200 Hungarian and 500 French students attended Heidelberg University between 1560 and 1610, strengthening the Palatinate’s international Calvinist standing. The Elector welcomed French Huguenot (Calvinist) and Dutch Calvinist refugees fleeing their religious civil wars which began in 1562 and 1566 respectively. Calvinists identified with the biblical Israelites, often a hard life on the road. Finding a home in new communities, forging bonds with coreligionists of other countries that lasted a lifetime. Believers saw their local struggles as part of a wider battle between good and evil, especially as Spanish involvement in the French and Dutch civil wars reinforced the impression of righteous Calvinists confronted by a national Catholic conspiracy at every turn. Limits to Confessionalization Society by the late 1500s was becoming deeply divided by religion. Many aspects of life were confessionalized, erecting invisible barriers between or even within communities. A person’s name faith could be discerned from their name. Catholics liked Joseph, Maria. Calvinists disliked saints’ names and preferred those from the Old Testament: Abraham, Daniel, Zacharias, Rachel, Sarah. The German language was affected by the religious schism. Luther’s Bible translation spread his Saxon dialect throughout central and parts of northern Germany as the correct written form. The Jesuit standardization of High German became entrenched in the Catholic south of the Empire. When a territory changed its confessional allegiance, its written language followed suit. And this applied for individual believers as well. On theatre… Calvinists rejected it all. Lutherans used it in their schools, Jesuits in their colleges. On sermons… Catholics- Ave Maria & the saints! Lutherans & Calvinists- morality. Time-keeping… Pope Gregory XIII declared set the clock back ten days in October and declared the new year was to start on January 1st, 1583. The Gregorian calendar, created to keep Easter and the four seasons properly aligned after centuries of things getting off-kilter. Protestant scientists -Johannes Kepler- asked Protestants do adopt this new calendar right away, like the Catholics. But the Protestants rejected this as the Pope trying to steal ten days from their lives. Attempts to impose the Gregorian calendar in Protestant areas was rocky. Many even after imposition by authorities (first in bi-confessional areas) continued to attend Church on “their” Sunday. However, considerable evidence shows society was not as confessionalized as it was by the early 1700s. Mixed marriages and social contact remained fairly common in Augsburg prior to Swedish occupation in the 1630s. Protestants and Catholics drank together in the same taverns without court records recording sectarian brawls. Hostels became segregated only following the Peace of Westphalia (1648), when magistrates took bi-confessionalism to legal extremes. Some people outwardly conformed, while inwardly dissenting. Others selected the beliefs and practices they found most meaningful and useful in their daily lives, regardless of orthodoxy. Traders sought profit over piety and sold to whoever would buy their wares (no surprise to me, Medieval Venetians sold to heathen Arabs, schismatic Byzantines, and good followers of the Vicar of Christ alike). It was not possible to escape censorship entirely. But, political fragmentation in the Empire offered opportunities to disseminate and receive a variety of news. -The benefits of weak central authority and diversity. Fundamentalists of all creeds struggled to stamp distinctive patterns of thought and behavior on a society that carried a rich pre-Reformation heritage. The humanist educational ideal that spread in the 1400s continued to shape schools, universities, literary clubs regardless of confession. The lessons may have varied, yet the form of instruction provided at least some common ground. The wealthy and fortunate continued a tradition of attending several institutions during their studies, often irrespective of their confession. The common veneration of classical forms helped elevate the exchange of ideas above sectarian strife. During the 30YW, the very Catholic Emperor still chose Protestants as imperial poet laureates. Humanism offered the example of Desiderius Erasmus, who pursued a more private faith, free of clerical supervision. Ferdinand I and his successor Maximillian II sponsored humanists scholars who sought common elements among the confessions as a basis for reuniting Christians. As France (St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre in1572) and the Netherlands descended into sectarian violence, the Holy Roman Empire enjoyed peace. Proposals of toleration: Unity against fears of the Islamic Ottomans, who were powerful at this time and threatened all Christians. Very common belief. Toleration based on loyalty to a strong monarchy over confessional interests. Had some international formulation outside of the empire. Proposal that toleration should be based on the secular authority having no right to dictate matters of conscience. Toleration should be based on mutual understanding, not political expedience. -A minority view. Europeans in the 1500s inhabited multiple mental worlds simultaneously, accepting different ideas without trying to reconcile them. Things that might seem illogical and incompatible today, didn’t necessarily seem so back then. Militancy was growing, particularly as those who had been born into this divided world and who knew no alternative, reached maturity and positions of influence around 1580. But, it is impossible to ascribe the outbreak of the 30YW directly to militant sentiment. Confessional differences entwined with constitutional disputes- that leads to war in 1618.

Kinda like the evasion-during-execution Arts? Stagger & Stun in XCX might be comparable as well. I like on paper these precision Arts, they force you to pay attention in real time, but I never learn to use them properly myself. 😄

Except, her accent is country girl, not princess. I'm fine with the choice of VA and I don't have a problem with assigning it to a snow maiden design, but... theres something that clashes with her.

That reminds me of this: How do you make a mysterious human in a robot shell(???) dress casually? You go from the left image above, to the right one. All you need is to do the same with the BK, fit a tuxedo or non-modern culturally interesting wedding attire over his standard armor. We could take things a step further and repaint the Black Knight the White Knight (or Green Knight).

If you're looking for peak soldier mortality, I've been told World War I is the war you'd want to emulate. Over the trenches men! Into no man's land we char-*hit by an artillery shell*. While any chance of death is too high for me, I've been informed by military history geeks that war wasn't necessarily deadlier back them. I'm told in Renaissance Italy, the Condottieri mercenaries intentionally fought lousy much of the time. The less they kill each other, the more battles they can fight tomorrow, and more battles means a bigger paycheck (unless the employer threatens to fire you, I guess you have to kill a few people to appease them then). Little Miss Axe the Church I think. @Dayni If you're interested, I've begun making bullet points of the 30YW book I'm reading, so I can retain it better. If you'd like in some of the information, I could copy it here.

And why do they have only a Steel Axe? Thats what bothers me.

People like to air their grievances. And on the positive side, it concentrates a lot of them into a single place, as opposed to littering more of the forums.

I won't deny that. And we later have the Treaty of Tortillas Tordesillas, the Pope splitting the Old and New Worlds between Spain and Portugal. It's not as black and white as "Almighty Pope, Submissive Princes" is what I'm saying. Medieval monarchs liked having some say over the ecclesiastical appointment process in their realm. And it seems the people of Rome revolted once a month against His Holiness in the Middle Ages, with the Roman elite's hateful factions dying to lay their hands on the Papacy. Although I'd say it might be worth separating Pope and Church here, since being in an era without modern means of travel and communication, the wealth and prestige of the Church outside of Italy wasn't entirely the Papacy's to realistically command. Church strong, Papacy claims to be strong and sometimes is (approving royal marriages of course), but others times not so much.

The book didn't really explain the concept that clearly, forgive me for the error. The wording on the sentences explaining double predestination was tricky, I didn't quite understand it on a first read. Rereading it again, it sounds like the criticism of God being weak, was that the Elect were saved because it sounded as though God hadn't the power to save other people. Calvin's double predestination properly established God's true might by stating God saves the Elect, and damns the Reprobate. Using predestination and the Elect to be arrogant sounds possible. Although predestination is infamous for being a source of anxiety as well, because "what if for all my acting as though I'm Elect throughout my life, I'm doomed to burn for eternity?".😬 The Thirty Years' War book I'm reading does mention militant fanatics in the big three denominations of Christianity in Germany at the time, though it speaks as much of moderates who tried to hammer out compromises. Calvinism's major flaw in this context being that they were a religious minority within the political minority, embraced only by the Elector Palatinate, since the majority of the political minority were Lutherans. Being founded by a Frenchman did help Calvinism in Bohemia and the non-German parts of the Hapsburg Monarchy, because Lutheranism was suspected by some as being a German conspiracy. I have no idea what the author of that quote thought of Fred the Red. And I seriously need to find a good comprehensive yet digestible general history of Medieval Europe (I'll settle for just the Frankish realm if all of Europe is too much to ask for), specifically the High Middle Ages, I'm not so interested ATM in the Dark/migratory period. What little I've learned from books on Frederick Barbarossa so far comes mostly from a general history of the Papacy I was reading. if the Pope wasn't on Frederick II's side, he would force him to take his side. And the Pope refused, then he would hunt him down no matter where he would flee to and install an Antipope to become the actual Pope when the Pope who refused to obey was finally dealt with. Why would Frederick do this? The papal history didn't explain it. I'll assume he thought God to be on his side. And if God was on his side, then God would allow him to install a Pope approving of him God's blessed emperor. But then if Frederick knew God was on his side, why did he need the Pope to give approval? ...Because as a good Catholic, Frederick saw the Vicar of Christ as God's representative on Earth whose blessings were necessary for him? But if he was a good Catholic, wouldn't he have obeyed the Pope's injunctions against threatening his life? ...Frederick, go jump in a river, you're confusing me. Maybe if he lived in another era he'd have gone Protestant or atheist, but those things were centuries away. The positive to come from that papal history was a complete shattering of any notion of all of Europe's great and powerful men being on their knees powerless before the Papacy. Of course, the individual man makes a difference, but the commonplace image of the Church being all-powerful in the Middle Ages is a fiction. Respect for the Papacy yes, nobody wants to be excommunicated, and the Church amassed great land holdings, but the Pope was in no way invincible and capable of playing almighty kingmaker. And it's better this way, because the premise the Church controls all is a tad bland.

The view that dislikes the HRE can be summarized in the old Voltaire quote "...neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire", certain components of which may be true. But coming from Voltaire, I get the impression that if the Frenchman barbed you, he aimed to impale. A noted mid-20th century English historian of Medieval German history said of it in 1946: A culture "servilely imitative of France and Italy" Served only to testify to the "exhaustion of the German spirit" Politics were "petrifaction" Germany "existed but did not live" "Petty absolutisms, whose sole object was self-glorification" "The historian's only interest in this stultifying ossification lies in the process by which it was brought to an end" And the author of the book from which I took this (The Pursuit of Glory, one of my favorite reads from college), said this kind of lampooning was par the course for all historians until the late 1900s. The main reason for this loathing of the HRE for about two centuries factoring in it appearing first in the late 1700s, is the rise of the idea of the Nation-State. Because the 1800s was dominated by the rise of nationalism in Europe, institutions that appeared antithetical to Nation-States -to centralized governments consisting of a single people- were to be stoned to death or have their graves urinated on if they were already dead. The HRE was not a modern Nation-State, it was not centralized, and it had the only somewhat German Kingdom of Bohemia as an Elector plus the man in Hanover for a time was both an Elector and the monarch of Great Britain. Although there are problems associated with decentralized authority and ethnic diversity in the modern day *coughAmericaCovidresponse&racismcough*, I think the modern era recognizes that decentralization in the form of "autonomy" isn't inherently bad, and that ethnic purity is a supremacist-ly bad idea in any country. As for views of the Holy Roman Empire in the century before Napoleon killed it (gosh how stupid he was- by destroying the HRE and letting secular Electors eat almost everyone else, he made Germany more of a menace to France in the long term), the author does point out there were a few people besides Voltaire who hated it. Joseph II Holy Roman Emperor being among the most fervent haters, which with great irony let Frederick II of Prussia -who hugely upset the peace within the HRE via his theft of Silesia and subsequent abuse of Saxony as his personal sandbag of money- become a defender of the HRE for a short moment. But, The Pursuit of Glory also cites a passage from Goethe's Faust wherein the HRE is praised by a young man at a bar, who also says they don't have any idea how it works, and considers themselves lucky they aren't Emperor or Chancellor. And, there were many who the book says, cherished the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, that being its official name, as the epitome of the German spirit and believed it inspired a sense of patriotism that no other country could match. Of course, those voices in praise of the HRE gave rather cold takes for the time, and it's the hot takes that are so much more memorable. I'm not sure if there is anything relevant to the HRE at the moment that by itself is incredible. It's the sheer mass of princes, bishoprics, free or imperial cities, and imperial knights and all the functioning glue that they held them together that is most impressive. The book (The Thirty Years' War: Europe's Tragedy) points out how through the later half of the 1500s that France was engulfed in the Wars of Religion (as was the Netherlands apparently, but the Spanish was the big problem there, not so much each other I think), yet Germany despite religious division was at peace. if you like thinking of income inequality, consider that 41% of the Kingdom of Hungary (a Hapsburg possession outside of the HRE) was owned by 51 magnate families (magnates as opposed to gentry- the not-mega-rich nobles). And in the Kingdom of Bohemia, the number of knights fell by almost a third in the five decades before 1618, with 11 aristocratic families owning 25% of the country. Oh, and apparently Calvinists (the book goes into detail about religion in Germany at the time, it is very relevant, if not the only cause of the 30YW as is often claimed) believe in or used to believe in "double predestination". When the Frenchman John Calvin read St. Augustine and saw him describe predestination, he thought "God would be weak if He could only predestine people at birth, I'm almightily against that! God can make it manifest in this world that he has predestined sinners by having them repent later in life". One general detail the book mentions is the reason for the Imperial Estates in the first place. During the Medieval period, monarchs were expected to live off their own lands, a king was not expected to tax their nobles as we'd expect them to. Instead, when extraordinary circumstances arose, the king would petition a levy from his nobles, a one-off payment. This explains why the Hapsburgs were able to establish themselves as Holy Roman Emperors from 1438 to 1806 (barring a tiny three year period because of a short-lived Wittelsbach). Being Emperor was very prestigious, but it gave you very few material riches in itself, it was expected the Emperor would have their independent sources of income, and the Hapsburg Monarchy was just that. As monarchs gradually became more ambitious, the frequency of the "extraordinary" requests grew, to the point it became ordinary. The Estates were created as a standardized means by which the Emperor could ask for his yearly income, and they functioned in the interest of the bishops, nobles, and burghers who comprised the Estates as well. The Estates formalized the hitherto not so formal contract between the Medieval monarch and his elite subjects. They give him money and manpower, and he respects the rights, freedoms, and privileges that they had accumulated over the centuries. When I think on it reading this, the institutions of the HRE doesn't become the British Parliament of the late 1600s and 1700s, but it sounds to me to be appropriate to the earliest days of Early Modern Europe. It's feudalism, but being so formalized for the sake of the increasing demands of the nascent state, it's a bridge to not-so-early modernity. The book's introduction started with the infamous Defenestration of Prague too. Three ambassadors sent by the Holy Roman Emperor to Prague in the Kingdom of Bohemia, find themselves thrown out the window of a castle 17 meters off the ground. One of them cracked their skull, but another landed on their feet, and all lived and scurried back to the Emperor to tell him "these Protestant (or Utraquist or Brethren, I'm not sure which yet) fanatics cannot be reasoned with!", the result- war. Chapter 3 explains it fairly early on. It's Break -> Topple -> Launch -> Smaaaaaaaaash! Each post-Break stage drops HP Potions, Smash also damages the enemy and causes them to drop money and Chips and Core Crystals. You cannot spam Arts of one stage to make it last longer, that could be abused back in XC1 to stop enemies from ever attacking once you Toppled them.

I've read about 75 pages of the 30 Years' War book I took out, my neurons are overflowing with activity.🤓 A great deal of fascinating information on the political structure of the Early Modern Holy Roman Empire & Hapsburg Monarchy. I've a liking for this in part because it fills in a vague, empty space in my mind about what real empire, real monarchy entailed, which I can then apply to... notions of deep and interesting world-building that no video game would ever try to integrate. I really want to write outlines of each and every chapter, because I love having this information so much and don't want to forget it. Except, that'd take tedious hours of flipping between book and laptop to do. This is the second book I've read which chose to reject the long-held idea that the HRE was maddening, unworkable trash. This is, no surprise, throwing me into the pro-HRE camp. Although, maybe my sympathies for it are stemming from a brain that can't tell right from wrong, stemming from the reality that it has been temporarily turned into a pretzel, resulting from complications of attempting to comprehend the feudal German Liberties.

@Ice Dragon Was it you who stated long ago during the Greil VDay stuff about the way the Tome categories are named in Japanese? Like it being "Red Magic" instead of "Red Tome", and therefore made no reference to the physical medium through which the magic is cast, hence how that banner having Titania as "Red Tome" yet using a weapon clearly not a tome was perfectly sensible? Because if what I think you said is true, then Jotari's inquiry would be answerable with an easy "he doesn't have to be staff, Red Tome is fine despite Thyrsus".

Last year didn't have many games that interested me, very possibly because of Covid. I'm actually expecting this year to be better, but that might be unwarranted optimism, unwarranted as reaching herd-immunity levels of vaccination will require most of the year. Will 2022 be an unending cascade of pent-up game releases then? Even when I was sufficiently leveled, Nezda, or in one instance Guan Yu, instantly OHKO'ed me on Normal, so I gave in and swapped over to Easy for more fun. My primary issue with the level 1 problem is the movesets, nobody has their full arsenal of attacks at base, thats far more crippling. Getting people to like 15-20 is necessary to resolve that. And, while I have your attention Draggy, I stumbled in the past few days on a -fictional- character taken from IRL folklore they could add to Dynasty Warriors (they've already been featured in two unrelated games with the trappings of history). Taken from Wikipedia: I'd rather they cancel the Olympics altogether than spread the virus, but if they think they can seriously manage the sheer number of people (vaccinations for all athletes, stadium workers, and the small number of attendees? -as long as it doesn't mean they're jumping too far ahead in the line), then thats good.🙂 The Mario appearance thing sprung to mind b/c the last Summer Olympics had the closing ceremony throw in a warp pipe during the "passing the torch" moment, if you don't remember. It says something about Nintendo's global cultural impact if they included Mario into an event made to be seen by the world.

There is a term which may apply here- presque vu. You have a brilliant idea, but forget it the very next moment and it leaves you frustrated, because you don't remember what it was, but you do remember that it was so good.😣 😩 I WAS SO LOOKING FORWARD TO THE MARIO REFERENCE IN THE OPENING CEREMONY! They should be guaranteed the 2032 spot if it's the next available. But that is so far away and I'll be mashed prunes by then.

*Another play session of Sakuna, talk happens about a happy occasion to be hosted.🙂* *A pop-up as soon as the conversation ends tells me to make a save in a separate slot before initiating the event* 😲 That cannot be good... I'll kill some time and get the current rice crop harvested for the extra stats just in case. Not like there is much else I can do to get stronger. ---- Vietnam has been fully revealed for Civ6. Not as cultural some people would've wanted, and Ba Trieu is a creation of folklore (I'd like it if Koei shoehorned her into Dynasty Warriors (or Warriors Orochi as a Mystic) however, she "lived" according to the myths during the same time period as the Three Kingdoms), but I like city planning and the civ has a unique beat with this. I am concerned their defensive combat bonuses are too strong from a balance perspective, I think I'd wait until aluminum and uranium become available before trying to invade Vietnam. Same. To this day I generally avoid the uniquely English concept of swear language, the f-bombs I'd be dropping in reality is "flabbergasted". I have a tendency to groom, proofread, and edit my sentences on this forum, wherein I do partake of less eloquent verbiage (intentionally being a few degrees more formal in this response) from time to time to express a particular tone. If I must write a text message IRL, I do make the unnecessary point of including proper punctuation.

I assume it allllllllll depends on context. Link works as the main protagonist of every single Zelda, even if it isn't the exact same person, because Link is a silent protagonist and Zelda games aren't huge on story. Although I've only played one Ys game, I assume Nihon Falcom's (the Trails series's developer as well) has done the same with Adol, who could very readily be compared to Link. However, if we're talking about a franchise with a greater focus on its story and character development, and the main character isn't silent, then is having them be the main character for multiple games such a good idea? Maybe, but it could go awry. A single character can only develop so much if every game is a long tale of serious struggles and drama with a narrative-character focus directly on them. A single character can have only so many secrets in their past they must confront. At a certain point, I think it's inevitable the character would become overexposed to the player, their growth would stop and they'd become stagnant. It would be in their own interest if they definitively moved off the center of the stage. Perhaps they could stay on, but it would be in an auxiliary role. I think a good case of a partial retirement would be, a game I've spoken of several times here before and apologize if I've spoken of it too much, Super Robot Taisen: OG Saga Endless Frontier: EXCEED. Haken, the main protagonist from the first game, is no longer the central main character, that role gracefully passing to Alady, but, Haken retains a little story arc for himself it's Kaguya and Suzuka who get shoved in a closet, and there is one awesome moment where they manifest this passing of the lead.