Hana no Sentai

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Femina
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This has been my project for the past week or so. A big thank you to Damsilbinder who bought me the helmets to play with and helped iron out the concepts!

Here's my first really proper go at a 'Power Rangers/Super Sentai' team and I must say that I am very pleased with the results!

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Last edited by Femina 2 years ago, edited 1 time in total.
Damselbinder

Femina wrote:
2 years ago
This has been my project for the past week or so. A bit thank you to Damsilbinder who bought me the helmets to play with and helped iron out the concepts!

Here's my first really proper go at a 'Power Rangers/Super Sentai' team and I must say that I am very pleased with the results!

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There is SO much potential for peril and storytelling here. This gets the official Damselbinder Seal of Approval, which I've only ever given out once before, to All Dogs Go to Heaven 2
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Very nice, excited to see their adventures.
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Femina
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Thanks for the early feedback all!

As a general idea of what's 'going on' with this, here's a few pictures of some of the girls battling the major villain

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Mr. X
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Giga does a good number of videos on such characters.
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Femina
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Mr. X wrote:
2 years ago
Giga does a good number of videos on such characters.
indeed I'm aware of much of the giga stuff... the Sentai/ultrawoman videos are generally my fave there. I've got pretty close to a whole concept of this... being something like a 'feudal japan'-like fantasy world the kunoichi's are invested in defending from a villainous 'lord zed'-like Red ranger's shogunate. The black ranger is turned traitor from the main team and sort of the 'Darth Vader' here.

It's a bit of a custom concept even of typical 'sentai' themes while keeping the stuff I really like about them. Stuff like, no zords cause I don't care about giant robots, but still exaggerated expressive movements from the Sentai which make their peril all the juicier etc. I'll update this thread as I introduce things. Coming up will be some info on each of the Guardians.
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So are these poser/daz studio figures?
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Meet Grandmaster Ume
Ume takes her name from the white petals of the peach tree.

Ume is uncommonly young to be Grandmaster of the Calix (a sort of dojo-esque 'command center' concept that is the center of their ninja clan), but her pupils nevertheless regard her as a near infinite font of strength and wisdom. When the chips are down Ume can be relied on to pull them from the jaws of defeat. She claimed the 'white flower' from the garden at a young age, and though it is rare for the white power to choose a host for its power, such and event usually indicates a likely candidate for a future Grandmaster.

Ume provides tutelage and tender loving support to her three pupils, and laments the traitorous turn of the Black Guardian terribly. On the larger scheme, the Red Shogun intends to have her captured and wed to him in order to scare the surrounding territories into surrendering to the Shogunate.

Notes: Ume is something of the Zordon character in the concept but takes a much more active overall role. While she isn't technically the 'squad leader' of the Guardians in the same way a 'red ranger' typically is (in this case the blue ranger fills that role) when she DOES take the field (which is often enough) she is adhered to as the defacto operations commander. She has tremendous wisdom for one so young and trains her pupils with a more nurturing hand than some more militant commanders.

If Ume can be said to have a weakness, it is that she gives her whole heart to the role of mentor. She loves unconditionally, a trait which Kuro-Bara (the Black Guardian) is more than willing to exploit.
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Mr. X wrote:
2 years ago
So are these poser/daz studio figures?
I use Daz since I've got an Nvidia graphics card and thus can utilize the Iray crap to its fullest.

The helmets however are stl files for 3d printing which I've converted to objects and PAINSTAKINGLY repainted their surface geometry for use in the program (seriously this was the most difficult part... but acquiring them was basically the thing that sparked my plunge into the entire concept)... thankfully headgear is the simplest item to do this with in the program as they almost never have any additional joint problems parenting to the head unlike some of the other regions of the body where Genesis figures in particular, can be pretty finicky with anything that isn't specifically made for them.

The group of them also render a lot easier than I was prepared for. Normally having two figures in a scene will up my render time to over two hours... (which is an ordinary barrier to my desire to produce anything more complex since I like to use my PC for stuff besides rendering) but the image of all five of them together barely took twice as long as just rendering one of them (about 10 minutes total!!!) which I suspect comes down to the program not having to deal with skin... but can't be sure... whatever the case I won't spit on the gifthorse there.

Thanks for the interest!
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Poly count is not the issue. The issues are things like raytrace bounces and transparencies and other mappings that involve interaction with the environment. The graphics card can easily handle all the polygons. Looking at the figures they share a lot of textures so that shared mem cuts down render time. Good work!!
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Mr. X wrote:
2 years ago
Poly count is not the issue. The issues are things like raytrace bounces and transparencies and other mappings that involve interaction with the environment. The graphics card can easily handle all the polygons. Looking at the figures they share a lot of textures so that shared mem cuts down render time. Good work!!
aaaaah... yeah that makes sense. Idk that I have many shared CUSTOM texture maps... cause like I kind of have to go and diddle with them individually to get them different colors where 'emblems' and such are concerned... but they share a fairly uniform style of particular clothing items used to put them together, anything that doesn't have an emblem on it certainly is shared mostly across the board and I trim down saving geometry but using the geometry editor to literally just DESTROY the geometry poly's I'm not using (which often enough is most of what I'd otherwise attempt to use a transparency map on)
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Mr. X
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You're not saving anything killing geometry. You're better off with a transmap.
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Mr. X wrote:
2 years ago
You're not saving anything killing geometry. You're better off with a transmap.
transmaps have a wonky effect in iray occasionally, particularly over dark material (black being the worst offender by far) creating weird little speckles over the underlaying stuff beneath the vanished item. It's often still the only choice... particularly if I want a specific like... emblematic effect akin to 'variable' material types on a single surface... but if I don't need the bits at all, just cutting the geometry is generally the safest bet
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Poser had something similar and it was usually some other channel that was pushed over 1.0 on its dial. I don't use IRAY so whatever works for you is fine. I know in poser the gradient bump map did odd things and so did bump of dialed up too high as well. Check if you have a material that's cranked up too much like a large ambient or diffuse.
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Meet Asagi, the Blue Guardian
Asagi takes her name from the Asagao, or Morning Glory flower

Asagi is the defacto Squad leader when Grandmaster Ume is not on the battlefield. She's usually calm and collected and quick on her feet. Unlike the rest of the Guardians she uses no special weaponry, instead she trains her body to be strong and powerful on its own. She spends half her time training in all manner of martial forms, taken to the extreme, she is an acknowledged artist where it comes to unarmed combat, having bested even Grandmaster Ume in a contest where the usage of their Guardian Ki powers were not permitted, earning herself the honor of favorite to one day succeed Ume as Grandmaster of the Calix. The Pink and Green guardians look up to her as a source of physical and emotional strength, and for good reason.

Notes: Asagi takes the majority of her inspiration from Chun Li. She's a physical powerhouse, but with feminine curves and a grace of movement of a woman half her size. If the concept can be said to have a main character, it is probably her. The majority of the 'basic' Guardian uniform comes from her as well, all three of the normy Guardians (Blue, Pink, and black) share pretty close to the exact design she wears simply with their colors and emblems to differentiate them, wheras the Grandmaster has a few design alterations to indicate she is something of a 'special' Guardian, and then Green has her own differentiating aspects I'll get into when I introduce her character.

Asagi has a couple of weaknesses that can be exploited. Her training, while strengthening her body, is something she does excessively, particularly when she is stressed. As a result she is the most likely of the Guardians to take to the field already exhausted. On top of that, Asagi feels an unconscious draw toward her own peril which she begins to discover over the course of the concept, as she comes to taste the sting of defeat more and more.
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Mr. X wrote:
2 years ago
Poser had something similar and it was usually some other channel that was pushed over 1.0 on its dial. I don't use IRAY so whatever works for you is fine. I know in poser the gradient bump map did odd things and so did bump of dialed up too high as well. Check if you have a material that's cranked up too much like a large ambient or diffuse.
In this case, it's something I've looked into a bit due to it kind of NEVER happening to me back in my poser days or even on DAZ before I got a rig that could handle the IRAY renderer. It's apparently got to do with the way Iray generates lighting effects. It 'theoretically' create 'real light' that zips about and bounces off surfaces the same way as light particles and for whatever reason, whether an object is set visible or not, it's still affected by their surfaces (sometimes even if the item is triggered as invisible to the parameters tab even... in which case I believe the ambiance actually IS the issue... but most often just with transparency maps in which ambiance doesn't seem to matter at all), creating a sort of 'shadow' but not a shadow that manifests EARLY in the rendering process as a dark imprint of the item that's there, and later in to just be strange light speckles in the 'general' shape.

It's all but invisible over white or bright colors, and impossible to ignore the darker it gets.
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That "bouncing around" is ray tracing. Are you using ray traced shadows or shadow maps? Shadow maps can do weird things.
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Mr. X wrote:
2 years ago
That "bouncing around" is ray tracing. Are you using ray traced shadows or shadow maps? Shadow maps can do weird things.
It's all traced shadows (jesus you know what? I think its been so long since I used a shadow map now that It took me a little bit to realize what you were talking about O.O). Poser's old Firefly engine was always VASTLY superior to Daz's '3Delight' renderer as well in terms of utilizing tools like shadow maps and the like (though I don't rightly know what Poser currently uses for rendering software, I'd have rated it below the Iray renderer... but of course processing power is the primary qualifier here... I couldn't render anything like what I currently do on any of my old rigs anyhow).

Anyway, I just let Iray do its thing where lighting is concerned... and a lot of the tools typically meant for its old rendering software simply don't apply on an Iray surface... shadow maps aren't even an option on them unless you specifically tack it onto an iray surface the long way around, and indeed, would probably result in all kinds of wonky false 'half shadows' and the like. The geometry editor has honestly proven to be my best friend in terms of workarounds with Iray since the ray tracing cares about its digital 'physical space' it just generally tends to be simpler to ensure there simply is nothing there in a space where somethings supposed to be invisible.

I should say, the only place this effect is pretty much always 100% notable every time is on black. Often enough it can be as simple a solution as letting the render run longer until it fixes itself on anything of a middling to 'darker' tone, but as I've said above, I tend to shy away from things that I need to spend hours rendering cause I generally need my processing power for other things. Often I've got to just bite the bullet and cut back on my cpu cores working with DAZ which only makes rendering longer... so the fact I can render one of these gals in about 5 minutes and ALL FIVE in about ten is a pretty enormous Pro in comparison to what I'm normally dealing with.
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Femina wrote:
2 years ago

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Would be amazing to get dominated by her like that as some superhero, as Superman perhaps!
Femina wrote:
2 years ago

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I sure want to get into this exciting action, but what should I wear I wonder?
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Femina wrote:
2 years ago

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These are very sexy indeed, I've always liked the leotard over some full suit combo style costumes. My favorites in order are black, pink (black instead of grey is sexier I think), white and blue quite even, green (lighter green better for my taste). So I assume black leotard girl is some evil supervillain, which ones are superheroines?
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Evil Spider wrote:
2 years ago
Femina wrote:
2 years ago

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These are very sexy indeed, I've always liked the leotard over some full suit combo style costumes. My favorites in order are black, pink (black instead of grey is sexier I think), white and blue quite even, green (lighter green better for my taste). So I assume black leotard girl is some evil supervillain, which ones are superheroines?
Black is a traitor (hence why her back is turned in the picture). Red is also a villain... but he's a lot different from the kunoichi. He's a 'samurai' ranger and the sort of 'Lord Zed' of the concept. I'm not really angling for brighter colors overall for a couple of reasons. One is technical, in that the effect of the particular brand of spandex' shading I'm using for the costumes isn't as notable on bright clothing and second because ninja's usually wear darker shades... you can kind of see what I mean with pink up there whose just like a smudge of pink... I've since darkened her costume a shade to bring out the 'shine'. White's an obvious exception here... but as the 'special ranger' of the original five she has a more metallic vibe to her clothing material.
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Evil Spider
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I'm totally ready for the sexy black leotard traitor, what's her name or is it mysteriously secret?
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kinky!!! I love it
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Evil Spider wrote:
2 years ago
I'm totally ready for the sexy black leotard traitor, what's her name or is it mysteriously secret?
Funny you should ask because...

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Meet Kura-Bara, once known simply as Kuro to her 'friends'
She takes her name from the Black Rose

Kura was always a troubled child. No matter what she did, who she spoke with, or how hard she tried there was always an emptiness inside of her that she could not fill. The black flower, which was attracted to voids that required filling, chose her when she was relatively young... but the former Grandmaster would not allow her to claim it, worrying that she wasn't a balanced enough person to act as a Guardian. When Ume became grandmaster she upheld her predecessors decree for a time, hoping that the black flower would choose another, but when it would not she relented and allowed Kura to become the Black Guardian and simply vowed to take a special interest in Kura's training and development. It was Grandmaster Ume's strong belief that the purpose and duties of the Guardians alongside her own outpouring of love for Kura would be enough to fill the void within her... alas, Kura's affliction was much worse than anyone could possibly have guessed. Kura could not feel love, nor duty... all she ever felt was hunger.

In time, rules and training chaffed at Kura's patience. She came to resent her Sensei as though Ume's gentle ministrations were somehow akin to enslavement... when the war with the Shogun began, Kura saw her opportunity and she left the Calix to offer her services to a 'strong' Shogunate...

Notes: Kura was the grand strategist of the Guardians before she left to become their enemy, a fact that will come to haunt the them for the duration of the concept. She knows them all better than they know themselves, she knows how to hurt them, how to humiliate them, and how to manipulate them toward rash or unwise action and tactics. The Shogun allows her to do essentially, whatever she likes with his armies under the excuse that she is his General and her machinations are working... but truthfully it's because he is terrified of her, and telling Kura 'no' is a dangerous proposition that must be carefully measured out.

Though she was incapable of feeling or understanding it, Kura desperately craved the love of her fellow Sentai that they had for one another, that hunger has twisted itself into a drive that often manifests as psychological and sexual abuse. To be captured by Kura is to become her obsessive 'toy' during the long march back to the Shogunate for imprisonment. Unfortunately, she is logically brilliant, changing her tactics and behaviors to utilize the best form to combat each of her former comrades in turn. She holds a special enmity toward Ume and Asagi. Asagi she hates for being chosen by Ume as successor for Grandmaster, and Ume she hates most of all for reasons much deeper than she could ever properly understand.
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Meet Sakura
Sakura takes her name from the pink flowers of the cherry tree

Sakura is both the heart of the team, and also a bit of a victim to vanity. She can be the sweetest person in the room or the most annoyingly selfish depending entirely on her mood. Nevertheless, her dedication to the Guardians is unshakable, as is her love and appreciation of her fellow Sentai. If someone needs cheering up, one should expect a chipper visit from Sakura doing everything in her power to raise their spirits. Sakura's sadness over Kuro's betrayal is second only to Grandmaster Ume herself.

Notes: Sakura's inspiration is pretty much the only major carryover from the original MMPR. She's got a lot of Kimberly in her. She's a bit of an airhead sometimes and ultra susceptible to flattery... but similarly everyone pretty much loves her and would do anything to keep her safe. Sakura is the one most likely to wind up in some kind of peril or other for a variety of reasons... the most common being that she's not great at worrying about her surroundings.
Damselbinder

Femina wrote:
2 years ago
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Meet Sakura
Sakura takes her name from the pink flowers of the cherry tree

Sakura is both the heart of the team, and also a bit of a victim to vanity. She can be the sweetest person in the room or the most annoyingly selfish depending entirely on her mood. Nevertheless, her dedication to the Guardians is unshakable, as is her love and appreciation of her fellow Sentai. If someone needs cheering up, one should expect a chipper visit from Sakura doing everything in her power to raise their spirits. Sakura's sadness over Kuro's betrayal is second only to Grandmaster Ume herself.

Notes: Sakura's inspiration is pretty much the only major carryover from the original MMPR. She's got a lot of Kimberly in her. She's a bit of an airhead sometimes and ultra susceptible to flattery... but similarly everyone pretty much loves her and would do anything to keep her safe. Sakura is the one most likely to wind up in some kind of peril or other for a variety of reasons... the most common being that she's not great at worrying about her surroundings.
A real cutie she be. Great job!
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Finally, Meet Noriko
Noriko takes her name from no flower

Noriko is not from the Hidden Village. She is a member of one of the regional clans whom the Sentai once protected from the Shogun's forces. A warrior in her own right, she was dismayed when she lacked the power to combat the Shogun's supernatural forces, and awed by the ease by which the Flower Guardians dispatched those same forces. She begged them to take her with them and they brought her to Grandmaster Ume for evaluation. When the recently bloomed 'Green Flower' resonated at Noriko's presence Ume knew she had found a new Guardian!

Notes: While the fantasy world I've created here and most of the characters from the Hidden Villiage and much of the Shogunate are a Japanese inspired people, Noriko is an exception. Within the war torn region are actually many clans of many different racial precedents. Noriko comes from a clan of more Nordic inspiration and thus is a blonde haired blue eyed Valkyrie of a woman who finds herself incapable of perfectly blending the ninjutsu styles of her more experienced and skilled allies. As such, her flower has manifested her with a more 'armored' transformation and a metallic cloth material that is more defensive (it in fact represents a future 'power up' for the others as well) and its a defense she sorely needs. Noriko is the bruiser and the tank of the group, with little choice often enough but to slug it out with her foes up close and trade blows. She's the hardiest of the girls... but nevertheless the clear rookie... ordinarily acting as a defensive distraction so that her fellow Sentai can clean up the larger threats... but she has a great deal of potential for more.

Noriko's weakness is a short temper and poor self worth. She sees herself as inferior to the other girls in worth and morality... and she's more easily driven to rash action by unkind words.
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Mr. X
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Keep up the great work!!!
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Femina
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Mr. X wrote:
2 years ago
Keep up the great work!!!
Thank you thank you... now the ladies are all introduced... have some peril shots!

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Evil Spider
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Very hot action indeed, these characters and costumes would be amazing for some exciting roleplay too!
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Evil Spider
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Which one is your personal favorite and do you roleplay as any of these sexy spandex warriors?
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Femina
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Evil Spider wrote:
2 years ago
Which one is your personal favorite and do you roleplay as any of these sexy spandex warriors?
I don't roleplay really. My days of that sort of thing are well behind me and I have enough trouble drudging up the motivation to write at all on my own stories, much less try to collaborate with others. I tend to have a lot more fun in the character design, visuals and story concepting departments than in the actual nitty gritty. Occasionally the spark of inspiration may drive me to write a thing or two... but even that comes less and less.

Anyway, to answer your question two ways... White is my favorite on a basic visual design space and was the first gal I put together due to my long love of white rangers, and the white/gold color combination for heroines. The White 'Alien Ranger' that was based off the actual 'shinobi' sentai group of the time (whose helmets my Sentai are wearing alongside an overall suit design more akin to the 'ninja storm' era... so merging my favorites basically) is a notable character in sparking my realization for the fetish.

Blue is probably the character I'm most interested in exploring however as I've picked her out as the concepts main protagonist, and the character whose in for the most juicy peril bits (according to my own tastes of course).
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Femina
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Just mussing some more with ideas

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And here I am playing around with an idea for one of the 'Oni' which are to be the concept for the typical Sentai 'Monster of the Week'

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Damselbinder

Femina wrote:
2 years ago
Mr. X wrote:
2 years ago
Keep up the great work!!!
Thank you thank you... now the ladies are all introduced... have some peril shots!

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The spice!

The dominance!
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Here's my latest work on the project. What our four heroines look like under the helmet!

Asagi
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Sakura
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Noriko
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Grandmaster Ume
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Damselbinder

All gorgeous. Though it does kinda look like Noriko's about to lop off my head with a cry of "THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE"
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valugi
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I loved the idea, do you have any stories to read? The images were very good
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