In the Light of Dusk - Chapter Eighteen Updated 25/06/2016

[Tigellinus]

A brilliant update, exciting and immersive! Ieyasu is a formidable and ruthless commander.

Thank you, Alwyn! Always a pleasure to get your feedback!

Glad you enjoyed the chapter. I would like to ask you (and anyone else) Whether they prefer the chapters with multiple perspectives, or simply one?

Also, is there anything you think I need to improve on?

Thanks

Tigellinus

[Merchant of Venice]

My friend, I haven't read the latest chapter, just read the one before it and what can I say?? What a chapter! My own story pales in comparison to this. The mood of the piece, of the dialogue, of the battles is just so superbly created that I feel I'm with the characters. Ahhh I'll read the next chapter as soon as I can, sadly time is rare commodity for me.

EDIT: Just read the other one. So many emotions, I really felt for Ieyasu and his sheer joy in returning home encapsulated me. Loved it, loved the contrast between him returning home and the serenity of it and the ruthlessness of him in battle. Another excellent chapter!

[Caillagh de Bodemloze]

So... on the one hand, I feel bad for not commenting sooner. On the other hand, my lateness means I get to comment on two chapters at once!

You're making a great return, Tigellinus. Both chapters are excellent. If I had to choose (which I don't, thankfully - I can keep both ) I'd say that Chapter Eighteen contains even better writing than Chapter Seventeen.

You ask about single or multiple perspectives. For me, I think it's less about the number of perspectives than it is about the length of the chapter. If you're writing a really long chapter(as some of yours are*), I think changing the perspective provides a welcome break in the flow for the reader. Changing the perspective is a good excuse for changing the level of tension, or the speed of the action, and that can be a good thing. (It can also be useful to have a place to have a literal break; if for some reason you can't read a whole chapter at once, a change of perspective is a good place to stop, because when you get back it's easy to find where you'd got up to.) But if the chapter's shorter, then I'd say it matters less - do whatever suits the chapter.

*I'm not saying long chapters are inherently bad. They're not. They just don't work quite the same way as short or medium chapters.

[Tigellinus]

Thank you both immensely for the praise and your thoughts!
As well as for the rep, thank you both!

Chapter Nineteen will be out either today, or in the next few days. I am doing both it and the character list. The character list right now only has Nobunaga right now but I intend to add the rest of them over the next few days!

Also good news for traditional AARs lovers, I'll be incorporating screenshots regularly now, due to the fact that we're at the part where the campaign begins to aid my story properly.

Thanks to all for reading.

Tigellinus

[RodentDung]

Will you continue?
If you post screenshots, battle pictures are best. For me anyways. I like battles more than talking.

[Tigellinus]

Will you continue?
If you post screenshots, battle pictures are best. For me anyways. I like battles more than talking.

As do most people! Action and battles are the major pull for the Total War series, after all!

I will definitely continue, I have simply been on hold due to unexpected changes in exam dates.
Well, mock exams dates. The real exams happen in November.

Thankfully, exams have actually instilled some form of discipline in me, and I write at least a thousand words a day now. So, everything should come along nicely!

Thanks

Tigellinus

[Swaeft]

Hey,

I finally got around to reading the Shogun 2 AAR section. Of course once I saw your name I had to jump in and read, and dear me it is nothing if not enjoyable. Your writing is excellent, and I can feel the emotions the characters are feeling - the sense of lost, pain and anger is very profound, especially for Nobunaga and his loyal sensei Himichiro. The dialogue is superb, and I love the interactions between Nobunaga and his men, especially Himichiro again. The ones between Takeda Shingen and his brother are also pretty good. I am also particularly impressed by your description of Nobunaga's wounds and their treatment, as well as his raw reactions to the pain and suffering he gets from said wounds. Where did you learn to describe in such detail the treatment of wounds? It's really impressive.

Visually and descriptively this AAR also amazing, you use phrases and imagery that make me feel like I am actually there. I was hooked since the first chapter (well done to you to as well Reronicius aka Mr. Mysterious for that wonderful chapter between the two daimyos) and how you described Nobunaga's decision making process...everything for the good of the Oda clan, eh? We shall see...we shall see... The descriptions seem to portray a very last samurai-esque atmosphere, which I really like! I've only read until Chapter 6 so far, so I'll give you more comments as I go along, and I don't know if you intend to continue this, but whether you do or not I know I already have a very enjoyable read up ahead, so thanks for writing this great piece and +rep!

And then after this I have to visit Merchant's way of the bow

Edit 18/09/18: Ok so I've read through chapters seven to ten today and I think you're being really modest when you say this isn't your best work. Okay, maybe you're not, but that just means that I'm buying your books someday. The writing is excellent, really. I don't know how else to describe it. It's very vivid and emotional, and it just evokes that sense of raw emotion from you when you read it. Lovely stuff, really.

Now for the chapter specific stuff:

7: That was some massacre right there. If nothing else I thought skipping the battle made it sound easy...you made it clear the Takeda were vastly outnumbered by the Uesugi, yet they charge all at once and managed to rout all of them. Now I know this has happened before many times in history...but man...the Uesugi commander should have been more experienced. That being said, I know you're just writing with the limitations of the AI so I'm not faulting you for that, in fact I think it's a good way to overcome the AI's shortcomings - crafting a believable story rather than just the nth army dispatched. Also, good plot twist there, I thought you were going to play as the Takeda too!

8: Man, I thought my chapters were long by at 6k words! What an achievement and boy did I have a thoroughly enjoyable time reading it. It's refreshing to see a change of perspectives in an AAR, though that is somewhat concerning for me because I did plan to write one AAR with a focus entirely on one character. But I digress. These characters Nobuyuki and Ieyasu aren't new, so having them pop up in the AAR as new perspectives fit pretty well! It's nice to see things from their side of the story too. Nobunaga's longing for home is strong as ever and I wonder if that will eventually be his downfall. I don't quite know what to make of Ieyasu yet, but allying with the Oda is still the logical thing to do for now. Nobuyuki just has a lot to learn

9 and 10: F the Kiso man...just F them...now on to 10.

Just kidding...but damn the way you wrote it I really hated them for attacking during a meeting. Vassalage! HA! I wondered if something was off when you mentioned the Kiso's 18 bodyguards but still didn't expect it. Having Nobunaga evacuated while watching his men get cut down all around him is just brutal. His men might have saved him in time, but the damage that massacre did to his brain will be lasting and severe...I do hope someday he gets over it. Though that's nothing compared to what Nobuyuki had to go through. I can see how this will turn Nobunaga into a bloodthirsty, battle frenzied person. Great writing as usual!

Will comment more when I have the time!

Edit 25/09/18: Got another few chapters down, and man you do not disappoint.

11: Well this one was a pleasant advance in the story. Getting Ieyasu to train Nobuyuki was a great idea, and led to some great character development and lines as well. 'How can I protect him if I can only watch' was amazing! So young yet so eager to fight...I hope he doesn't become too overconfident. As you have said yourself, the samurai are too confident. Very nice idea to have the Oda men disguised as Takeda soldiers (I wonder how Shingen will react to that once he hears of that news, though in game you probably got them to break their alliance through diplomacy haha). Wonder who the new guy is too. Maybe an Oda bow hero in the making? Dialogue is excellent as usual and makes me wonder how I didn't read this earlier.

12: Yoshimoto seems like an intelligent leader. It's amazing how quickly he remembered the Oda child he let escape. Perhaps it's been on his mind, haunting him. And after that you got me cackling with glee here. A samurai duel! Oh boy...imagine if it was anything like the Shogun 2 trailer LOL! This AAR is really encapsulating Japan at war. I can imagine Hideyoshi defecting halfway through the battle, or maybe even deserting at the start to join Nobunaga. Not Teshima though. He seems too loyal to Yoshimoto. Oh dear. And what a rousing speech by Nobunaga too! Can't wait...must read on...chapter 13...

13: HIDEYOSHI! IT HAD TO BE HIM! Great descriptions, got me at the edge of my seat throughout. I'm going to take a break and end it here for today...it's been a little bit too much excitement for me. Great writing again, Tigellinus, this is really excellent stuff. Maybe continue it if you ever decide to play Shogun 2 again lol.

[Swaeft]

Finally finished reading this and boy was it an enjoyable read from start to finish.

14: The dream sequence was wonderful, and an unexpected surprise. I do not know how you constantly managed to amaze with such vivid descriptions and thoughts, but you have done it again. Lady Kae..this is going to be another main character...right? I honestly don't think that the Takeda men would sack Owari again, just after marching towards it in an attempt to save it, but then again men's hearts are dark. In any case it was a good thing Ieyasu put them to work. Where will the Oda get their own sizable army from, though?

15: This was a thrilling chapter. You never cease to surprise me. I don't know which was more astonishing, Nobunaga throwing himself to the mercy of the people, or the vengeful populace venting their anger on him...wdf??? And to top it all off...Nobunaga ordering Ieyasu to BURN Mikawa? Oh dear, he just got his own province back, and he's asking a Tokugawa to destroy his own province...ouch.

16: To be honest, I did not quite like some parts of this chapter, and this was very hard thing for me to say. For a people that had so openly opposed Nobunaga and were calling for his head, they seem to have changed their loyalties too quickly. Also, Nobunaga had to face the one guy who ran away from the initial battle just so he could have the moral high ground. That's too convenient. Indeed Nobunaga might have lost the most out of everyone, but that is in his mind, and in actuality is up for debate. Who has lost more? The lord who has lost his title and castle, or the common man who has lost his family? The answer is both. Because to both, they have lost everything.

Other than that, it was another great chapter. Hideyoshi becoming the commander of the ashigaru is quite a feat (since the Oda have great ashigaru I am assuming your armies will be comprised mainly of the peasantry ), and I'm curious to see how the Takeda will handle being ordered around. Also, Yoshimoto is crazy. Way to send your own men to their deaths. Seems a bit senile to me, but what do I know This will probably result in Teshima eventually switching loyalties, but we shall see.

17: An ambush! Great stuff! Once again your descriptions and phrases are top notch, and I have nothing to add. If the Imagawa scouts didn't die in battle, they certainly need to commit seppuku. Poor Imagawa men - shields were not used during this time period for the Japanese. "As Shiraishi had done all life, without fail, without question and with never a hint of doubt to his loyalty, Shiraishi did as he was commanded." - A really great ending line, absolutely love it!

It was a rather poignant scene to see Nobunaga and Nobuyuki part ways, but I think game-wise, it was necessary, at least for a bit, since Nobuyuki isn't of age yet. I wonder what this will mean for the Oda - perhaps an alliance with the Shogunate?

18: Oh boy, this is where tension between the Oda and Tokugawa begins. I know it is a cheery update, and victory is being celebrated by both the Tokugawa and the Oda, but Nobunaga is right - what happens when the problems eventually begin to arise? Game - wise, the Tokugawa will not be consigned to one province on the campaign map for long.

Ieyasu was portrayed as a warrior of legend, and seems to be a rather formidable commander as well as swordsman. Just the ally Nobunaga needs. I love the parallels between his return to Mikawa and Nobunaga's return to Owari. It is perhaps even more important to Ieyasu, since he has been away from Mikawa longer than Nobunaga from Owari.

One final point - I know how lovely Shogun 2 looks as a game, graphics wise, and it has just dawned on me - a very strong proponent of using screenshots in AARs - that I have read through this entire thing without seeing a single picture. Whether or not this is because the site you use has gone extinct (curse you, imageshack) or you did not use any images in the first place, it doesn't matter. I managed to read it from start to finish, something I could not do for other AARs without images, and I think that about sums up the quality of this AAR.

I always hesitate to use the word perfection, because I know there is always room for improvement, but there is stunningly little here that I would have written or done differently. Vivid imagery, amazingly detailed descriptions and evocative emotions are a huge plus to this AAR. I would strongly recommend it to anyone interested in Shogun 2 or have played it before.

I am sorry I wasn't around to nominate this for AAR of the year in 2016 or 2015, but if I was, I would have done it in a heartbeat. Well done, Tigellinus, truly. An amazing piece of work that I am very glad to have been able to read...and perhaps, one day, write my own.

[Tigellinus]

Whoa! You read ​all of it?
​

That, my dear friend, is an achievement. Not least of all because of all the mistakes and errors within it.

I'm about to finish University for the year (by the end of next week, actually!) And your comments make me want to return to this and Shogun 2.

I re-read Chapter 18, and I honestly thought my last Chapter had been the one I wrote after that. (Chapter Nineteen was finished, and is still sitting on my computer, I think).

So, at the very least, Chapter Nineteen should be posted soonish. though, if it is still on my computer, I'll probably do a full re-write of it.

I like to think that my writing has improved since I was sixteen

Thank you for all the kind words, comments and advice! I'm genuinely thankful that my writing was an enjoyable read and worth it!

If I ​do ​continue this AAR, I might just end it at the destruction of the Imagawa. I had a whole lot of plot planned out and how it would all end. (Which, obviously, involved the Shogunate and the Emperor, because power is fun to write about. )

Kind regards and thanks,

Tigellinus

Note on Pictures: I had a total of three in the entire AAR. If they're gone then it likely means the site I was hosting them through (I think it was Photobucket), is gone.

[Swaeft]

It's cool, I don't expect you to finish this, so no pressure there. It's already been an enjoyable read, and there's no shame in ending it here. That being said, since you have Chapter 19 almost finished, might as well go ahead and post it

Now you're just teasing me with the Shogunate and the Emperor...sigh...but like I said, no need to do it. It is after all from a long way back.

P.S. Yeah I think the site you hosted them on flipped out, they're gone.