Introduction + Some information before I reveal the shuffle units in a different blog
Mellow hello~ I am AU, the main author of ES Shuffle. I am making this in hopes of not making any retcons when it comes to writing my shuffle units because I struggle with remembering stuff at some point. Plus, I’ve debated with myself about whether I should share this or not for personal reasons.
Thanks to some encouragement, I’ve finally decided to share stuff about my shuffle units here! Have a bouquet of flowers from Kaoru :3
PS. They will be written the same way ES Stories are translated with a few narrations here and there once I actually start writing the other shuffle units. Also, the stories written will be a mix of canon and headcanon as I am still on and off with reading Enstars' stories unless my favorites are mentioned. I'll be sure to clarify whether some facts are canon or headcanons.
First, I'd like to clear up some concerns regarding certain issues in Enstars' story that are canon in-game. (Apologies if my thoughts are very messy)
About Ibuki Taki
In this version of Enstars’ story, Ibuki will be a temporary member of Akatsuki, join other units (except Eden) before settling with Special for Princess. As for Akatsuki, they will be back to 3 members and their music onward would be back to how it was initially. Gekkou (Akatsuki-based shuffle units), who was formed during Ibuki's time in Akatsuki may need to change their concept from 3katsuki era to Japanese Folklore.
What is ES Shuffle?
ES Shuffle is exactly what it means: All of the idols of Ensemble Square will be put into shuffle units, much like the first two waves of shuffle units.. The only thing different is the fact the Ensemble Square idols will be put into shuffle units based on pre-existing shuffle units from Ensemble Square (ex. ALKALOID, Valkyrie, UNDEAD & Switch).
The members are chosen by the producer whilst the units are decided via a drawbox consisting of units the members are not from. The only exception is the final unit, which is decided due to the lack of shuffle units to be selected from the draw box.
This takes place after the second wave of shuffle units, ThanXFes and Selection 10.
Rules of ES Shuffle
Everyone needs to decide who will become the leader of this shuffle unit first before picking a unit from the draw box.
The leader will pick a piece of paper from the draw box the Producer brought with them.
The members’ original units will not be present in the said draw box for obvious reasons.
Each unit’s name appears once.
If [ES Unit 1] is already picked for [Shuffle Unit 1], [ES Unit 1] will no longer be an option for future shuffle units for ES Shuffle
If the shuffle unit wishes to combine the concepts of two units, the first unit chosen should be the main.
Ex. If a unit were to be a Crazy:B Shuffle Unit with another unit, they can combine the first and second units that are picked from the drawbox.
In some cases there are only two units in the draw box, it’s also up to the members of the shuffle unit if they want to combine both or not
Finally, the unit drawn from the draw box will be final whether the selected idols of the shuffle unit like it or not.
The only exception is da capo, who is the final shuffle unit of the roster
MELLOW DEAR US’ Addition
MELLOW DEAR US was not going to be included initially as they were part of Thunderbolt Entertainment, but Nice Arneb Thunder found the idea to be interesting so he decided to have MELLOW DEAR US participate in ES Shuffle upon letting the producer co-produce MELLOW DEAR US with him. This takes place sometime after the Megasphere Arc and their addition to Rhythm Link (and by extension, BUBBLE GUM DANCE).
As MELLOW DEAR US is added immediately after joining Rhythm Link, there have been issues as to whether ES Shuffle should have a MELLOW DEAR US-themed shuffle unit or not as the shuffle units are already complete since they joined Rhythm Link. Eventually, Nice decided to have the members join pre-existing shuffle units of ES Shuffle (less hassle for the main author www), thus the reason why some shuffle units I'll be revealing in the next blog have 6 members. The units the members are going to be a part of are chosen by him without the members knowing as he thinks it will be a "nice" surprise for them and the members of the original shuffle unit.
Mellow hello! Boredom has kicked in so I decided to make da capo's outfits while waiting for my BP to replenish~ I'm still learning the ropes of Tumblr + it's limitations with 10 images per post, so here we are MELLOW DEAR US.
Group Shots
I based their outfits on fine's unit outfit, which mostly consists of white. The only difference I made is instead of them having blue accents, I decided to use their representing colors. As for Kuro, I had no other choice but to use pink. I hope they add more colors because I need variety. Then again, I can't be too greedy with this feature specifically and... I'll have storage issues if they added more colors and parts...
Just like Tori, I made Yume wear shorts with stockings and boots in his unit outfit (though Tori' pants are rolled up). Given the Sphere Coordination's limitations, I had to improvise with that it has.
Individual Shots
Naru and Yume use the same Metamorphose accessory, whereas the rest of da capo use the Prince Star accessory in their representing colors (except Midori because I have yet to unlock that and I am not in the mood to gamble for coord parts atm).
MV used: After the Prologue by Dream Diary (which also fits them if this were not for Selection10)
Anyone familiar with STRANGE EDEN? I mainly got into it because of Shige-chan (Mayoi's VA) voicing Mayoru but there are some songs that I feel fit certain shuffle units~ Here's what I assigned so far based on vibes and lore
- Invitation to the Waltz - Alchemist's Dolls (6 Member Version)
- SWEET BLOOD - Ringo (debating between Ringo and Nozomi for Alchemist's Dolls' 2nd musical, the latter being out of the question www)
- 8ites - Ringo
- Fleeting Light - da capo
- Boy meets xxx - Wild:Stars
Those are the other songs I listened to recently. I plan on listening to the rest of STRANGE EDEN's discography and consuming more of STRANGE EDEN when I get the chance to
Guys, what if I wrote side stories? I have some ideas for Alchemist's Dolls that I wanted to put but felt they might be fillers so I might as well have them be like how Proseka has them. I wanna know what you guys think before I do anything about that since those ideas keep brewing in my head www
//Mellow hello! If there's anyone playing in the JP server of Enstars, Natsume has a new 5* and it gives me the vibe he's been planning my fall as an Alchemist's DollsP dia-wise because I'm f2p. This card just says it all.
I can imagine him going "FuFU, I'm going to make sure Koneko-chan won't be able to save for Madoka-san by revealing my new 5* carD. That waY, she'll have no other choice but to come back to being my faN >:3" Hmph, as if I stopped being a NatsumeP!
Cuz if I stopped being a NatsumeP, what's these then, Natsume!? (this is an excuse to show my favorite pair next to NozoIzu and NozoMayo www)
≠ME RELEASED A NEW SONG AND IT GIVES ME ALCHEMIST'S DOLLS' VIBES AAAAAAA
I'm still writing their (two) musical(s) and I was thinking "Please give me your love" would fit as Nozomi's song featuring Izumi, Mayoi and Kaoru. I won't say why specifically because I'd be spoiling the story. I feel that song and "MARIONETTE" by Vivia feat. SEKAI would work as songs featuring those 4 except make it a Kaoru center :3
I guess all I could say is Nozomi did something to Charles (Kaoru) and Mayou (Mayoi) in the story while Mille (Izumi) fawns over Nozomi's character
While I'm at it, stream "Please give me your love" by ≠ME, and "MARIONETTE" by Vivia feat. SEKAI (SEKAI ver. and Vivia ver.)
Guys, I think I am set on giving "Horror Queen" by Phantom Siita to Gekkou for real. I have some ideas for when Gekkou gets a revamp in the story when they go from just indirectly bringing back the old Akatsuki to focusing on Japanese Folklore.
Perhaps I should plan how these shuffle unit stories go because I might stray from my initial plan more than I have. I even have Fuwa*2 Soft 2.0 and Current Alchemist's Dolls planned since October (aka when MDU first appeared in the game) www
If I were making "Horror Queen" about Gekkou, it'd be showing the version of them that evolved since the first time they were formed, especially with how their concept changed sometime after Ibuki joins Esupuri after all the shuffle units in ES Shuffle are revealed in the story. They have Zoku Zoku aka Wataru's center for ES Shuffle. While I had thoughts on it being for Wataru because of "Red Garden" by fine, decided to give the center to Tsukasa because of the Vocaloid program in my brain tuning Tsukasa's voice and being all "yo Tsukasa would sound good as Moka" as Moka has the most lines in "Horror Queen".
My initial line distribution for everyone in Zoku Zoku went:
Wataru - Moka
Mao - Miu
Kohaku - Mona
Tetora - Rinka
Tsukasa - Sui
Now, I'm sorta shuffling around them with:
Tsukasa & Tetora - Moka
Kohaku - Miu
Wataru- Rinka
Mao - Mona
I swear I am totally normal about my shuffle units and totally don't yoink every song I listen to said shuffle units nope nu-uh no way www
(gosh I need to work on lyric videos for the Alchemist's Dolls version of Koisuru Marionette and Zenmai Shoujo Tokei, the other 3 feature Nozomi)
Okay, so I asked oomf if I could share it and here it is (sorry I promised it last night in my time but forgor because I was trying to reverse search the reference images I used for Alchemist's Dolls' outfits and compiling them.
(Credits to Choco aka @/chococinnaMORON on twitter. Ily Chococchi /platonically)
Izumi may not be in the illust, but that alone gave me an idea for what Nozomi's character will do to Mille in their musical!
Natsume's outfit is mainly based on Anaxagoras from Honkai Star Rail + Shellin Burgundy (didn't know him prior to seeing his design). There was a fanart of him that I really liked but couldn't use because I'm still finding the artist that drew it.
HiMERU's outfit is mainly based on this
Nozomi's outfit is based on this humanized version of Espresso Cookie from Cookie Run Kingdom (I don't play the game since I heard stuff about it).
Izumi, Kaoru & Mayoi's outfits are based on these three respectively. Anyway, #CurseSphereCoordinationLimitations I'm probably one of the few people that want more stuff in Sphere Coordination.
Okay, so I made outfits for Alchemist's Dolls (only decided to use alt colors now). I made some revisions to their outfits after asking oomf to draw them in a scene I had in mind for their little musical. I'll need to ask for perms before sharing it sooo, yeah. I've strayed from their initial inspiration like Izumi, Mayoi and Kaoru's outfits being based in Nobel, Ruma and Ein's stage outfits in Technoroid (I'll send that in a few) and decided to have their colors be based on their creators (except Kaoru who's different and his character wants to be a little different than Natsume's).
I based Natsume's outfit on Anaxagoras (I refuse to say his shortened name because that's against Rule No. 1) from Honkai Star Rail mostly because I (and still) am Anaxagoras-pilled as he was the character that got me back into said game. Imagine Natsume in that kind of fit + 2½ inch heels because Natsume's short www
HiMERU's wearing green mostly because I want to show how Himmel (HiMERU's character) admires Nathaniel (Natsume's character) especially prior to becoming his apprentice.
Mayoi's outfit has blue accents to show that Mayou is made by Himmel. I wasn't going to add an eyepatch to Mayoi's outfit until a fellow MDU-P drew Alchemist's Dolls and Mayoi in Ruma from Technoroid's outfit (my main inspo for him) is just [chef's kiss] that I went with it.
Kaoru strayed from my initial inspo because of the color I chose for him. I had this idea that his outfit would be similar to Einsatz/Ein from Technoroid because Charles is Nathaniel's magnum opus, whereas Ein is the same with Nobel and Ruma (who created him together). If HappyEle adds a monocle, I'd be so happy (pls I need it for Fuwa*2 Soft KogaJui too)
Izumi has dark accents in his outfit to show Mille's state as an abandoned doll despite his white coat that he got from Nathaniel and Himmel after they found him in the forest he was left in. Izumi's main inspo for his outfit is Nobel from Technoroid (HAPPYELE ID BE HAPPY IF YOU ADD VARIETY TO GLOVES)
Finally, Nozomi Madoka... I have no particular inspiration for him (and HiMERU) but there was this reference I used that has a guy wearing glasses that I eventually adapted it. Nozomi wasn't even going to wear glasses until fellow MDU-P drew glasses for his outfit.
Oomf's drawing may or may not have given me ideas for why Alchemist's Dolls have their outfits as is and I am living for it (my god Aria, lock in on your barista j*b)
Okay, so I've been revisiting my K-Pop phase from 2018 (aka the time I was also in my Vocaloid/Anime phase) and I remember listening to like a variety of K-Pop artists, one of them being GFRIEND (though the me back then only listened to 3 of their songs...). GFRIEND's 3 songs (Me gustsas tu, Rough and Glass Bead) have fine's sound and that got me thinking about da capo.
It appears as of late, I am having da capo brainworms when I should be working on how to write Hiiro, Rei, Ritsu and Rinne's dynamics for their shuffle unit story (+ their interactions with the twins and Mama). I already have a vague idea for Fuwa*2 Soft though I should be sleeping after taking a shower (I say as if it's not 11PM where I'm at www)
The preview of "Horror Queen" by Phantom Siita is so good~ I was debating on which unit it would fit if I were to actually consider including it and so far, I got Gekkou and da capo in mind. Gekkou because it's made by teniwoha (aka the one responsible for "Zoku Zoku") + the vibes are there instrumental & choreography-wise (the latter perchance) and da capo because I wanted something new for da capo.
I may or may not have encountered someone posting a full version of said song and that may have got me wanting to give it to Gekkou. I feel it could be a Wataru center totally not because of Red Garden but that'll mean Wawa would have two center songs done by the same artist + www (alternatively, it could be for Tsukasa)
While on the topic of ES Shuffle with Phantom Siita's songs yoinked into some units, "Meguru" (Phantom Siita's April Fool's song) could be for da capo because it has fine's vibes instrumental-wise, the lyrics make me think "wait, this could be for da capo" and it gave me the same vibes as "Mob no Derella" by ≠ME. I initially wanted it to be for Alchemist's Dolls (huge bias towards them, trying my best to avoid biases), but I already assigned them two songs by Phantom Siita. "Moo-ii-kai?" is putting me on chokehold and going "this should go to Alchemist's Dolls" because it's by Hitoyama aka one of my favorite vocaloid producers and their songs give me those kinda vibes TwT
For da capo, I do think that your concept would work really well. They all have their moments where they don’t feel like they belong in an environment, and some of this is yet to be covered in full by Happy Ele ^^ Hokuto may be worried about trying to work with these ES idols that he rarely talks with, Naru-chan and Yume might share a similar fear and worry of being outed (cough cough Mizu5), Kuro as one of the AKATSUKI members who was a big part of the war might worry about everyone else’s safety and state over himself, an who was the last one again uhhh MIDORI he kinda always has a bit of nerves whenever he’s performing
i forgot to read the rest of da capo lore so im guessing from this point on
Hokuto might draw some bad memories from Yumenosaki like the moment when he and Subaru argued like maybe there’s an accidental fight between some of the members? (Def not Midori tho ㅋㅋㅋㅋ)
Naru-chan and Yume perhaps maybe misgender each other or have a bad first impression?? (Idk their canon interactions sob)
Kuro would probably one of the member who is trying to fix everything and talk things ojt with people without having them worry about himself. If there is like a fight argument, maybe right after Kuro passes out from exhaustion because working too much flr the unit while that happenee?
I don’t know Midori’s lore much 😭 but maybe he learns to grow a bit and tells everyone to be more open and patient with each other
holy yap session
HOLY YAP SESSION INDEED OMG!!! /pos
I just got home from work so seeing this really made me happy because I finally got an ask and you may have given me an idea for da capo's shuffle unit story!
I can imagine Hokke getting flashbacks from the time Eichi was getting him to join fine during The Revolution and that makes him feel a bit off.
I admit I have not read much of Naru, Yume, Midori and Kuro and my knowledge on Enstars so far is main story stuff (Basic, War Era and a bit of Music Era) and I do plan on reading what stories I can that have each shuffle unit member's interactions with each other (it's gonna take a while as I write a mix of headcannon and canon, take notes on everyone's relationships with each other, ask r/enstars Discord about the characters + dynamics and such and of course, cite my sources like it's a research paper www)
Naru and Yume... YOU MAKE ME WANNA HUG THEM ESP WITH THE MIZU5 MENTION AAAAAAA (ngl, that event actually got me back into Proseka somehow)
Kuro and Midori... I feel Midori would worry about Kuro despite Kuro's efforts to not make the rest worry about him. Then the moment Kuro passes out or something, Midori is the one who speaks up about the conflict and such and gets the unit back.
Kyaaaaa thanks for the idea! I haven't received an ask since forever (/exaggerating) <- Person who should be focusing on KY0UD4I first before the rest despite not knowing how to write the Sakuma and Amagi bros
I once talked about the TL for Succession and the YT video for it, so I wanted to share it here. To those who are finding out now, yes, AU does stand for Aria Uruha
Google Docs of TL
Lyric video of the OG version of Succession (will make the Alchemist's Dolls version when I'm not at work)
I swear every time I listen to a new song or wanna revisit some songs I listened to before, I end up going "wait, this could be fit for (ES Shuffle Unit 1) or (ES Shuffle Unit 2)".
As of writing this, I'm listening to "Hey, dear my friends" by Yohane, Riko and Mari from the Yohane anime. I was thinking about it being for da capo or Kaoru, Izumi and Mayoi from Alchemist's Dolls for their stage play that's still WIP. I keep getting ideas for that even while at work.
That song being for Alchemist's Dolls could happen when Mille (Izumi's character) finally grows close to Mayou (Mayoi's character) and Charles (Kaoru's character), learns new things and eventually enjoys being with everyone sometime after being abandoned by his creator.
For da capo, I don't have a specific character center in mind, but I can see this being about the members opening up about their struggles, realizing they share the same feelings that they don't feel alone about it anymore. At least it would somewhat fit their concept. I'm not well-versed with Hokuto, Naru, Yume, Kuro and Midori, so lmk how I can make this work with da capo TwT (Yes, I stylize da capo the way I do fine whenever I talk about them www. Also random idea again: their collab name could be da capo al fine)
I finally TL'd Succession and made the video for the OG version~ I had to use a translator for words I'm not familiar with and there are times where I translated them literally. I wish Tenaku didn't go eos so I can try it and get the gist of the game in general for this TL TwT
I WILL MAKE THE ALCHEMIST'S DOLLS VERSION #TRUST Speaking of those guys, I got a Natsumanjuu as a birthday gift from my friend and he's bigger than my Osamu Haikyuu manjuu~
Really random ES Shuffle thought: I had this idea of Wild:Stars doing a collab performance with Trickstar and Crazy:B with "Nemohamo Rumor" by AKB48 as their song. I gotta look up the lyrics before I do anything with that idea. While the choreography is really energetic and fits my idea of Wild:Stars' concept, I fear the possibility of the lyrics not being matchies uuuuu TwT
The day of Alchemist’s Dolls’ first live show arrives and we’re met with the guys backstage preparing everything before it starts. As the members of Alchemist's Dolls are performing, they internally reflect on the events prior to the day of the performance.
Featured Characters:
Natsume, HiMERU, Mayoi, Izumi, Kaoru, Shu, Mika & Arashi
⚬──────────✧──────────⚬
Fitting Room
Natsume: Not baD, Koneko-chan. These outfits fit us perfecLY.
Kaoru: Uwah, who knew Mayocchi would look good in a corset?
HiMERU: HiMERU thinks so too.
Mayoi: Hie, but why corsets?
Kaoru: Because Valkyrie wears them and not gonna lie, we definitely look good in these corsets.
Izumi: You've worn one before for your feature live, right? Shouldn't you be used to it by now?
Mayoi: R-Right…
Izumi: Sakasaki, don’t move.
Natsume: WhY, Sena-senpa-
Izumi: [fixes Natsume’s ribbon] It’s a little crooked.
Natsume: Ah, thankS, Sena-senpai. [eventually stares down at his heeled boots then to Izumi and Mayoi]
HiMERU: What’s wrong, Sakasaki-san?
Natsume: These heels are higher than the ones I’ve worn previousLY…
Kaoru: Pfft- I still find it funny that Producer-chan went and added 5cm to your height with those heels~!*¹ [ends up wheezing]
HiMERU: Hakaze-senpai.
Kaoru: You’ve managed to practice wearing those during our dress rehearsal, so you’ll do fine~
Natsume: ThanKS, Hakaze-senpai.
Izumi: Ayase, your ribbon! How many times do I have to tell you to fix it?
Mayoi: I’m sorry! [starts fixing his ribbon]
HiMERU: Leave it to HiMERU.
Mayoi: Uuu… thank you, HiMERU-san.
HiMERU: [nods while fixing Mayoi’s ribbon]
The Producer enters the fitting room and announces that Alchemist’s Dolls should be ready to go live in 5 minutes and leaves
Natsume: FuFU, looks like that’s our cuE, everyONE.
HiMERU: Let’s go.
Backstage
Mika: Nakkun! [waves his arms around excitedly]
Arashi: Ara, you five look absolutely amazing~
Shu: Hmph, I knew they make the five of you look presentable.
Natsume: Shu nii-san!
Mika: So things went okay in yer end, Nakkun? Ayase-kun ‘n HiMERU-san were worried sick ‘bout ya.
Natsume: [chuckles awkwardly] Shu nii-san told me about thaT.
[turns to Shu] Shu nii-san why does my outfit look similar to that demised scholar from H*nkai St*r R*il?
Kaoru: Ooh, now that you mention it, it does look similar.
Shu: Komusume felt bad for you and decided to sew your outfit as a way to apologize for what happened to you during preparations.
Natsume: [turns to the Producer and chuckles] Koneko-chan, you didn’t need to apoloGIZE. It was my fault for not saying anything at firsT.
The Producer explains how she felt bad because she didn’t know what was going on between Natsume and Shu and that she should’ve asked him if he had any objections to the unit chosen from the draw box.
Natsume: Koneko-chan, it’s finE, realLY. BeSIDES, I like how I looK. [poses similarly to An*xagoras from H*nkai St*r R*il]
Izumi: Oi, Sakasaki, you’re Kao-kun’s creator today, not the St*r R*il character.
Natsume: I can’t help iT.
The Producer announces it’s time for Alchemist’s Dolls to go on the stage and break a leg (not literally)
Mika: Break a leg, guys!
ES Stage
In a distant land, there lives an alchemist known for creating dolls that can dance beautifully. He worked day and night trying to complete the one he'd call his magnum opus. That was a man with blond hair and light brown eyes. One day, he decided to present his magnum opus to the public and do a little performance with that masterpiece of his.
Nathaniel (Natsume): “Welcome to our gathering this evening.”
Charles (Kaoru): “We shall present the tale of the spider demon as told.”
Nathaniel: “We are the storytellers, Nathaniel.”
Charles: “And Charles.”
(Insert CG - Magnum Opus: Kaoru Hakze Bloomed)
Nathaniel & Charles: “Please stay with us until the very end.”
Kaoru: ‘I can’t believe I’m able to move around like this. Thank you, Mayocchi, Senacchi. I guess I owe a lot to you two for helping me out here.’
Upon witnessing their performance, the public is awed by their synchronization and vocals. A man with blue hair and his friend happen to drop by mid-performance, eventually being drawn in by it. The man with blue hair admired how the alchemist's creation worked and aimed to be just like him.
Himmel (HiMERU)*²: ‘All my life, I have never found something I genuinely want to do while I’m alive. I tried almost everything most people my age do and… None of them had stuck with me. But seeing that alchemist on stage with his partner, made me realize this must be it…!’
*****, I want to be just like him!
Friend (Voiced over by Shu): Fufu, I, too, share the same sentiment as thee.
Himmel: Then let’s give it a shot!
Friend: Aye.
Himmel’s intentions are as pure as a child’s. While his friend’s intention is to just help Himmel, the alchemist still took them under his wing.
However, as time goes on, Himmel becomes the one being praised more than his friend. His friend got sick and tired of Himmel being the so-called favorite that he left before Himmel’s creation came into being.
Nathaniel: You finally did it, Himmel.
Charles: I won’t be lonely anymore~
Nathaniel: [glares at Charles]
Charles: I was wanting another friend like Mikael, you know. [shrugs]
Nathaniel: Now, wake him up.
Himmel: [takes a deep breath] Open your eyes.
??? (Mayoi): … [takes a while before finally opening his eyes as he looks up at Himmel with a blank expression]
Himmel: [eyes sparkle with joy] I… finally did it! Can you hear me?
???: Hie! [moves back a bit because of Himmel’s energy]
Himmel: Ah, sorry, it’s just…
???: U-Um, where am I...?
Himmel: You’re in my sensei’s workshop. I’m Himmel, a student of Nathaniel-sensei. It’s nice to meet you… Mayou.
Charles: “Mayou”?
Himmel: It may sound strange as a name, but I think it fits him and me.
Charles: Oh?
Himmel: Prior to learning alchemy, I was struggling to find out what I wanted to do growing up. After trying so many things and none of them sticking to me, I felt like I was incapable of doing anything. Eventually, I was afraid of starting something new until Noble decided we would help at the market since he was working part-time there and the people there needed extra hands and meeting you two.
Charles: So that explains why we saw you two carrying those crates back then.
Himmel: Yes, and seeing Mayou now reminded me of my past self that I want to help him reach where I’ve ended up right now.
Mayou (Mayoi): Eh?
Himmel: So, Mayou, will you join me as I continue this route as a newly-fledged alchemist?
Mayou: W-Will I be able to keep up?
Himmel: We can go about it, baby steps, if you want. [holds his hand out to Mayou]
Mayou: A-All right. [holds Himmel’s hand]
Despite this, Mayou still fears Himmel and his overwhelmingly positive energy despite the hardships Himmel went through. Sometimes, he would hide from Himmel in fear and would only come out during lessons with Nathaniel.
Nathaniel: Now, Himmel, it will take some time for you and your creation to be in sync with each other, like Charles and I.
Himmel: How will Mayou and I be able to do so? He and I seem to not get along despite the fact I created him. He's always hiding from me.
Nathaniel: I was the same with Charles. The only difference being he did not want to talk to me and constantly rebelled against me.
Charles: Come on, can you not tell him, Master?
Nathaniel: Sorry, I just can't help thinking about it. Fufu, you’ve come such a long way since then, Charles.
Himmel: I can't imagine you two being that way.
Nathaniel: Like I said, it takes time. Besides, both of your hearts need to be in sync.
Mayou: [taking a peek from behind the wall] …
Nathaniel: [notices Mayou hiding] You two will reach that stage eventually. When that happens, it’s best if you don’t fall in love…
Himmel: Why…?
Nathaniel: I can’t say for certain. My teacher once told me the same.
Himmel: Is that why-
Nathaniel: If you need anything from me, I’ll be in my workshop. Charles, I believe I need to make adjustments to your right arm.
Himmel: …
Charles: Haah, indeed you do. I felt something was off while we were showing your apprentice our synchronization.
Nathaniel: Why didn’t you say so earlier?
Charles: You were busy explaining to your apprentice about his and Mayou’s hearts needing to be in sync…
One day, he and one of his apprentices had finished performing maintenance on the doll they had found recently.
Nathaniel: Open your eyes.
??? (Izumi): [opens his eyes] …Where am I…?
Nathaniel: You're in my workshop.
Himmel: Do you have a name? Who created you?
Mayou: [holding the doll’s hand and inspecting it] He seems to be created the same way as us.
???: I don't remember… who created me.
Charles: [eyes widen in surprise upon realizing Mayou’s statement] Master, is there a chace he’s created by him?
Nathaniel: …! What’s your name?
Mille (Izumi): I remember… my name is Mille.
Nathaniel: Well, Mille, I want to see how you dance. Let’s begin~
Everyone gets to their starting positions; Izumi, Kaoru and Mayoi lying on the ground, seemingly lifeless, whereas Natsume and HiMERU are standing behind the three, ready to pull their strings.
Nathaniel: [stomps his foot to signal the start of Alchemist’s Dolls’ song to play]
Nathaniel & Himmel: “Now, open your eyes!”
Upon hearing their command, the three open their eyes. Natsume and HiMERU tug on their invisible strings as they move around as intended.
Charles & Mille: ～♪
Nathaniel & Himmel: ～♪
Mayou: ～♪
(Insert CG - Abandoned Doll: Izumi Sena Bloomed)
Izumi: ‘I still can’t believe I'm playing the role of a doll, let alone with Ayase and Kao-kun. As for Sakasaki…’
‘As much as I hate to admit it, I’m relieved that he’s no longer thinking that he’s mocking Itsuki’s unit. He never was in the first place.’
(Insert CG - Shy Doll: Mayoi Ayase Bloomed)
Mayoi: ‘I was initially afraid of being part of this shuffle unit because of Izumi-san and Natsume-san, but I’m relieved to know that HiMERU-san is here too. If it weren’t for HiMERU-san, I wouldn’t be able to feel like I belong here.’
‘Hiiro-san and the others are cheering me on, so I have to do what I can to make them proud.’
Natsume: ‘I still feel bad for not voicing out my concerns during our meeTING. I really didn’t want to worry you with my problems which stemmed from the war years aGO. SpecificalLY, how I felt about Shu nii-san as one of my surrogate brothers who protected mE.’
‘I’m truly sorry for bringing you and having others get involved in our mesS.’
Himmel: “Close your eyes…”
Nathaniel: “May you three…”
Nathaniel & Himmel: “...rest in ease.”
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*¹ Natsume’s heels just make him look like he's 176cm instead of 171cm. Also, I want him to look like he has the same height as Nozomi since HiMEKao and IzuMayo have the same height. Just imagine Natsume’s outfit being somewhat similar to Anaxagoras with a few modifications + 5cm heels to fit his appearance.
*² When I was thinking of a name for HiMERU, Himmel first came to mind, not knowing about Frieren. I have not watched Frieren, but I do see a lot of Frieren-related stuff online, this store I frequent and the fact that one of my superiors cosplayed as characters from there during our Christmas party since our theme at the time was anime and cosplay. Should I watch it?
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Ending Note:
Kyaaaa I finally finished posting all of the chapters of Awakening of the Dolls! I hope you guys enjoyed this as this was my first time writing Enstars. This has been in the works since 2023 and I'm glad to finally let this see the light of day!
Fun fact:
- The first few lines of Nathaniel and Charles are from Taranta la Musica.
- Mayoi's character's name came from Meiro Mayou, the VTuber that Mayoi portrayed during April Fool's
