Courageous Chronicles

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[[ Introduction ]]

"Anything's possible if you've got enough nerve"

- J.K. Rowling

Greetings and salutations everyone!

In this blog, our team Y-NOTS will be presenting the lingering thoughts, experiences, and journeys of each of our favorite anime characters in the forms of written narratives. In addition to that, we will be explaining why we chose that certain character for the specific acronym we are assigned with. The ABCs challenge really made us think hard on what word we'd like to elaborate, but in the end we decided to pick the word NERVE. It has several meanings but we chose the most interesting one that means: a person's steadiness, courage, and sense of purpose when facing a demanding situation. We feel that it is closely relevant to the current Otaku Games because we all need courage in these competitive and trying times. We wouldn't be able to present unique ideas if it weren't for our determination and courageousness. In every situation of our life we must always show our courageous side because if not there are other people who will take advantage of us. Having a stronger personality is already attractive enough and to those trying to bring us down, they must never let it get to us no matter what they do. We believe that as long as we have courage, we can conquer everything that we fear. There are plenty of amazing teams in the tourney this year, which is why we all need to have courage and determination to keep going! It’s got a really strong meaning which is why we chose it. It’s also a great way to empower our spirits for the first round since it’s very challenging. Now, we were all told that the requirement is to not only stick to the main word, but to also make an acronym out of the letters in the word and explain it thoroughly. We settled with words that are as similar as possible to having courage for nerve and these words we formed are: Noble, Enterprise, Resilience, Valour, and Endurance. We hope that you will enjoy reading our blog and may it pique your interest!

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Table of Contents

Noble [Tomoyo Daidouji] = NamiSnow

Enterprise [Yaoyorozu Momo] = Minato

Resilience [Monkey D. Luffy] = Mori

Valour [Inuyasha] = Ayame

Endurance [Miaka Yuki] = NamiSnow

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Banners, Covers and Headers {Credit} by Ayame

Introduction and Outro {Credit} by NamiSnow and Ayame

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#ABCGames2021

#YNOTS

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The ‘N’ in NERVE

NOBLE

Nami

- having or showing fine personal qualities or high moral principles and ideals -

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Why Noble for Tomoyo Daidouji?

When I saw this word called Noble, the name of Tomoyo Daidouji just popped into my mind. This word is perfectly fit for her personality and status in life in her anime series called Card Captor Sakura. Yes, she is born in a wealthy family but then she doesn’t have any kind of attitude that might offend other people’s ability or status in life. Tomoyo Daidouji helps Sakura Kinomoto a lot while catching clow cards even though she doesn’t have any kinds of magical powers. In every adventure that both of them encounter she doesn’t show any kind of fear because she has a huge trust on Sakura Kinomoto and always believes that Sakura will never leave her behind even when things are in a very dangerous state. Her to her best friend is just one of a kind from Sakura Kinomoto’s costume to also having Sakura's own cheerleader and healer when she is down. This kind of bond between friends is one of the rarest nowadays and I know that there is at least one person in our life that looks and behaves like Tomoyo Daidouji. Sakura Kinomoto should not neglect Tomoyo Daidouji at any cost and she should treasure her. Tomoyo Daidouji will always surely be there for her no matter what kind of situation that she is in. Tomoyo Daidouji is the epitome of being a noble person.

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Tomoyo’s Sincere Thoughts

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What a great way to end my day because I've got to see my Sakura-chan wearing my new creation. I decided that her costume for today is like an Idol but with lots of cute details in it. Sakura always tells me that she feels bad about it. So, every time she said those lines to me I always told her that it was fine. It is not a big deal for me to create a new costume, in fact in that kind of way this kind of oddly hobby of mine is going to have a use in the future. Might as well build a boutique store hahahaha. Besides, my mother is always busy in her toy company and I do not have any siblings to play with. I always keep questioning my mom about that matter. I never regret doing a costume for Sakura-chan anyways and my hard work for making this is always being paid off.

After Sakura-chan told me about her being a card captor, I became so worried. My video camera is one of my best excuses for me to be with her when she is collecting the Clow cards. Even though I don't have any kind of magical powers like her, I want to help her in my own ways. I am always trying so hard not to be a nuisance to her when she is in her battle and give her as much as possible. I will never leave Sakura-chan alone no matter how dangerous our situation is. I have huge trust in Sakura-chan that she will also do the same for me. I always believe in her ability as a warrior. Sakura-chan is the only person who can see through me and that is not just because I was born from a wealthy family. She might not seem to notice that my feelings for her are more than just a best friend and that's alright for me because I know that she will never think of having the same feelings as mine. Her happiness is more important to me than my own, so it is fine for me if she chooses Syaoran Li to be beside her, as her partner.

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The First ‘E’ in NERVE

ENTERPRISE

Minato

- initiative and resourcefulness -

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Why Enterprise for Momo Yaoyorozu?

Momo Yaoyorozu is one of the many side characters in the highly popular anime My Hero Academia. When the show first started I wasn’t a huge fan. Honestly I thought it might have been a copy and paste of some old classics I’ve seen but that wasn’t it. Time ed and I watched and became a true fan loving the pros and even the cons of the show. The story is based in a world where all human beings are born with quirks aka superpowers. You can live a normal life or choose to become a hero or villain. This all varies depending on the person and how complicated their childhood was. When I think of the word enterprise I automatically imagine a hero…Yaoyorozu specifically. Seeing this character develop throughout the seasons has made her become more relevant in my opinion. A lot of people think that her quirk isn’t that powerful and most likely she will turn out to be a sidekick but I believe that because of her position as a character her quirk isn’t expressed as much as it could be. Even so, what is most important is her personality and I feel that out of all the students of class 1-A Momo is the most resourceful and in dangerous situations she doesn’t think twice about taking the initiative. This behavior is in her blood and is taught to her every single day. Her biggest dream is to become a pro hero so it’s no surprise that her character comes with that natural drive to do what needs to be done or the creativity and leadership it takes to command when she is in charge.

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YaoMomo’s Sincere Thoughts

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Every time I'm alone, I always feel like writing in the book that sits on my table. Usually it's covered in numbers and notes to help me get past the next day, but tonight I have something different in mind. I know I have to keep my scores up and concentrate so I can one day become the pro hero I dream to be but I know nothing is wrong with jotting down the loose thoughts that go through my head. When I began the Hero program, I was reluctant to let others get to know me. It’s oblivious to hide now but I was brought up in a wealthy setting and instead of my classmates asking about all the things that come with having money they instead cheered me on and talked about other things that were more important. For instance, the night the girls and boys saw my bedroom. I couldn't help but feel at home by taking my bed and other living conditions out of the house and moving them into my new room. They always act surprised and impressed which can be embarrassing yet comforting. I was welcomed with open arms from the start. My taste in fashion and decoration is above the top, some could say. It’s an area I know I exceed in. I really can’t say the same for my quirk and combat abilities even though I’m the Vice President for my class. Being a hero taught me a lot of things that I never realized before... it changed me and it keeps changing me every day. My quirk allows me to take the lipids and fats from my body and transmute them into materials that I can use to create non-living objects of any kind. The only thing to is that I need to understand the atomic configuration of the object before it can be created. The larger it is the more worn out I become and I hate it. I want to master my quirk as quickly as possible so I can be more helpful during my missions. My power can be seen as the ive type so it’s natural that I will be in the back either making ive weapons or ammunition to hold cover. I realize this makes me a very resourceful asset to class 1-A and I’m always happy that I can help my friends when they are in need but my confidence can waver at times. During the training exercise against professor Aizawa I still feel like to this day I put a burden on Todoroki by not having faith in my capabilities. Even though I felt this way about myself, Todoroki and even the professor knew that I had it in me to come up with an effective plan and use my quirk to its utmost potential. It brings tears to my eyes when I think about it but I always have a smile on my face. Taking the initiative when problems occur is our duty as heroes and I have no issue doing so when I know my quirk can help save lives when used correctly. I’m not a pro hero yet but every day I continue to work harder especially after my victory with the help of my team against Saiko and my loss to Kendo. I was told once that when you're in a tough situation, you don't try to be what you're not. You realize what you do best, and then you finalize it. I know I still have a lot to work on when it comes to my ability and I see myself getting stronger in the future but in order to become a pro hero just “getting stronger” is not gonna cut it. I have to go PLUS ULTRA with Jiro, Midoriya and the others. I have to keep walking and not let anything stop me.

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The “R” in NERVE

RESILIENCE

Mori

-the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness-

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Why Resilience for Luffy?

Ahhh Monkey D. Luffy— loved by many, known by all, the strong hard headed man, my favorite character amongst all fiction… well! What better reason than that to write about him! Luffy faces many difficult trials, it seems his persistence and ability to keep pushing has even earned him such a well known spot in the leaderboards as far as shonen manga goes! If you’re a One Piece fan such as myself, it’s no surprise to see Luffy being described as ‘resilient’, it’s practically written into his character. When Luffy says he’s gonna do something, no way he’ll let it go without being done, even if that means risking his own life (which is usually the case). But, words can only take Luffy so far! Despite being so persistent, this guy sure does lose a lot— but that’s what makes him so good! I’m not even sure Luffy can get through a battle without first tasting defeat, but, even when he’s knocked down, bent into a corner, or can’t see the path ahead of him, he never stops trying to find the way to victory. So yeah, I’d say he’s a pretty tough guy, out on a journey for the ultimate prize that is total freedom!

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LUFFY's Sincere Thoughts

Im MonKey D Luffy!!!! and i'm Gonna Be the KING of the Pirates!!!!!!!!! . . . (next to that was a little doodle of Pirate King Luffy) . . . Okay! Nami said I gotta write more and c l e a r e r! Hmm well I’m really hungry right now- but can’t eat until I’m done! Recently I’ve been thinking a lot. I’ve been ing things that have happened in our past journeys! Something’s good somethings bad- back at the sky island I ed when I finally faced off against that god guy! I was kinda bummed, he wasn’t half as strong as he said he was! But even though he wasn’t strong SOME HOW HE MANAGED TO SEND ME AWAY! He was pretty clever! It’s kinda hard to fight with a huge solid gold ball attached to your arm, but I couldn’t let that stop me! The guys back on Jaya were counting on me! So I rang that bell despite any challenges in my way! Ohhh that was super cool!

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Now that I think of it, every adventure I face alongside my crew has been pretty difficult! I mean, I know Nami’s told me that before, but I guess I didn’t believe her, they were too fun to be difficult! But, the challenges I’ve had to face without the backup of my crew right beside me has always been tougher. I can’t say I make the smartest choices without their say, trying to take on three irals in my condition wouldn’t have been smiled upon by them— buuuuut I could take em with my arms tied behind my back! I how when before we arrived to the battlefield where my big brother Ace was being held how I had been poisoned by the diarrhea guy, and something like frozen on another floor from impel down! I didn’t think I could make it haha but luckily I had bon! He helped snap me out of that! Even found Iva who helped get me back on my feet! They never stopped trying for me, whenever it really counted they could help me go the extra mile. How could I not get back into battle???

When it comes to fighting, I’m always eager to find the strongest guy out there to sink my punches into! But sometimes I get to face em coincidentally dobtcha think???? When Nami’s town was being held by fishman and the Arlong pirates, I got my ass kicked pretty bad by their boss! But, since he IS the guy who hurt Nami, there was no way I was gonna let em go so easy! I broke his nose and everything! Or or when I fought with Crocodile for the first time at Alanasta! I mean, of course I was just fighting there for Vivi! But Crocodile turned out to be such a strong guy!! It pissed me off when he beat me the first time :anger: how was I supposed to know he could absorb the water inside of me?! ITS REALLY HARD TO PUNCH A GUY LIKE THAT!! but that’s all the more reason to kick his ass! I had to go for round two! This time using my head! He may have gotten me the first time but no trick can work on me twice ahha! Hey, I’m pretty smart! Yeah! That’s why I let the bad guys SEEM like they’ve won when they get that first victory on me! I come back and punch 'em where it hurts! They never see it coming! Not many get get stronger just by getting their face thrashed shishishii~! Usopp said it’s a special talent of mine! I how that split head took chopper and thought he could keep beating me with that stupid stupid slow slow attack! Or when I got my soul taken and turned into that big Orse guy! And even when I thought all hope was lost and had nothing- well! Even after losing to chopper we got him back! And I beat the shadows outta Gecko Moria! And despite thinking I was lost and had nobody else, I’ve still got my crew, even now they’re always there for me. They help pick me back up whenever I’m down, even when they’re several hundreds of miles away- Jinbe helped me that one aha.

No matter who tries to take us on or knock us down, I know I can always get back up and fight until I win! Even if that means getting help from others! After all, a victory with friends is still a victory in my book. If I ever gave up what kind of a Pirate would I be??? You can’t expect me to back down! After all, I'm not just any old pirate! I'M GONNA BE KING OF THE PIRATES! Hey! Sanji’s finally done making dinner I gotta go!!!!

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The ‘V’ in NERVE

VALOUR

Ayame

- great courage in the face of danger, especially in battle -

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Why Valour for Inuyasha?

Inuyasha is the main protagonist of the Inuyasha series. I started watching it a few days ago and I can definitely say that it’s been great so far. The anime has plenty of fight scenes too which is why I think it’s suitable to talk about the determined main character Inuyasha for “valour.” Throughout the first 40+ episodes I’ve seen, I can tell that Inuyasha is one of the strongest and most courageous characters in the anime. His epic fighting skills with the Tetsusaiga and will to protect Kagome shows that he is a good person and that he will never back down from a fight even when hurt or in danger. He is the kind of guy who will stand up and fight for his friends. It’s also obvious that he cares for Kagome Higurashi a lot because he goes out of his way to save her and he’s only able to wield Tetsusaiga due to his will to protect a human, in this case Kagome. He still denies it sometimes because he’s such a tsundere lol. I think it’s such a cute trait for someone like Inuyasha because he’s a half-demon who wants the sacred jewel to become a full-fledged demon, yet he’s grown attached to the friends he made along the way, haha. Like you’d think he’d be evil like his older brother Sesshomaru, but Inuyasha clearly has a soft side for humans and it’s greatly influenced by Kagome recently, and Kikyo of the past. His mother was also human, which makes a lot of sense why he’s so protective of them.

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Inuyasha’s Sincere Thoughts

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I don’t know what that really means but I just discovered this weird book paper of sorts and I think Kagome calls it a book note?? Damn it, I forgot but she keeps writing ‘dear diary' at the start. I didn’t pry too much into her privacy of course. Just tore a piece of paper from the mysterious book in hopes that Kagome won’t notice a page has gone missing. Sigh, well I hope she doesn’t see that I’m writing this right now since I’ll be venting out what’s been happening to me lately. Over the last few weeks that I’ve been wandering across the map in search of the Sacred Jewel fragments with Kagome and the others, I think I’ve become hesitant about certain things. Old Kaede suggested that I try to write my thoughts onto paper, but of course I told her that I wouldn’t since it’s embarrassing. This is really unlike me to do, but here I am doing it anyway. I’m not sure what struck me but my recent behavior makes me question if I still want to be a full-fledged demon. I’ve been doing so many great deeds that I really think I’m becoming the Good Samaritan… or so I always tell Miroku. I just can’t resent some humans. When I think of Kagome in danger, I get furious and want to punch the life out of the person who hurts her. I’ve been getting a hand of the Tetsusaiga too recently. I’m just glad I was able to see the Wind Scar because I was able to kill 100 demons in one strike; thanks old man for this parting gift!

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I also recently found out that Naraku was the one behind how Kikyo and I ended up hating each other. I’ll never forgive Naraku for playing us dirty like that, no wonder I didn’t get a clue why Kikyo told me I betrayed her! One day, she also backstabbed me but I never knew why. Damn you Naraku! Kikyo… my Kikyo. I’ll definitely avenge your death, but why do you resent me so much and help Naraku by giving him the fragments I worked so hard to collect with Kagome and the others? Do you know that he gets stronger the more fragments he possesses? Just what are you planning, Kikyo? I’ve got so many questions left unanswered. However, even though you do these things and even if your physical body is not present and just made out of clay, I could never hate you. You are still you, the Kikyo I fifty years ago, even if you try to trick me. Whenever your name is mentioned, all I want to do is meet up with you, have an honest conversation, and be left in a warm embrace. You know I’ve always been… fond of you. I really meant it when I said I’ll become human with the power of the Sacred Jewel and live life with you. I never had any intentions of breaking that promise! It’s too many years late now but if only Naraku didn’t trick us, we would be together; free from hatred. When I first met Kagome, I was shocked yet a little overjoyed since she’s the spitting image of you, Kikyo. I even addressed her by your name at first, but she gave me a temper saying “I’m not Kikyo, I’m Kagome! Ka-go-me!” It makes me chuckle when I try to that day since it’s been so many weeks now. She also even has the same powers as you. Her sacred arrows have been useful throughout the fights I was in. She reminds me a lot of you back in the day; I still reminisce flashbacks to fifty years ago every now and then. Old Kaede says Kagome is the reincarnation of you and that your spirit is within her, but when she first used the bow and arrow, her aims were so terrible that I started to take it back hahaha. I call her an idiot a lot, but really, she’s smart in these tough situations. I just never it it because it gets me flustered. To this day, I also still wonder why Miroku asked me who I’d save between Kikyo and Kagome. Of course I’d want to save them both, but it made Miroku sigh in disappointment. Must I choose between them? That’s so difficult!

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I also ponder if it was jealousy I felt when Kagome clung onto that wolf cub Koga. Haha, it couldn’t have been jealousy… right? Oh well, not like it matters much but maybe, just maybe, part of me didn’t like seeing Kagome being close and friendly to Koga. It made me frustrated! We did have a really foolish argument over it after that it made her go back to her time, but I was very worried about her, you know? It was really weird to me because I’m not the type of person to really care, but since it’s Kagome we’re talking about here, all I want to do is protect her! Even if I’m hurt, in danger, or threatened by thousands of demons, protecting Kagome is first and foremost. I will never back down from a fight if it means protecting Kagome as well as Shippo, Miroku, Sango, and Kirara. Those four somehow ended up traveling with us because we had the same objectives: to search for the Sacred Jewel fragments and defeat Naraku. I wasn’t okay with it at first, but Kagome wanted to forces. Now that I think about it, Kagome’s made my life more entertaining and noisy, that idiot! But it’s not at all bad… I it. Maybe my decisions have slightly been dependent on Kagome’s wishes. These days it even feels so natural helping others. Sometimes I just help people without even being told by Kagome, it’s like my own will to do so and I’m always ready to take someone one with my Tetsusaiga weapon. Am I doing things right Father? Is this how you felt too when you showed likeness towards my human mother?. It seems there’s still plenty of demons to fight and fragments left to find, but I know that we’ll make it to the end and defeat Naraku. Even if he almost has the full Sacred Jewel completed, we’re going to take him down and become the standing victors! For Kagome, Kikyo, Shippo’s father, Miroku’s curse, and Sango’s brother Kohaku, we will defeat Naraku! I wonder what happens after that though, do I still really want to become a full demon? Will I remain kind to Kagome and the rest? I don’t want to become like Sesshomaru. Yikes, I smell Kagome’s scent nearby. I better go and burn this secret ‘diary’ thing I wrote quickly… may this never be found. Even if this piece of evidence with my thoughts is gone, I’m sure that I will never lose sight of my goal. I’m going to defeat Naraku.

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The Last 'E' in NERVE

Endurance

Nami

- the fact or power of enduring an unpleasant or difficult process or situation without giving way -

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Why Endurance for Miaka Yuki?

When it comes to Endurance, the first thing that pops into my head is the image of an anime character from the anime series Fushigi Yuugi. Her name is Miaka Yuki. If you think Miaka Yuki may seem like one of your typical girls out there, think again. It is not easy to adjust when you go to other places that are not familiar to you and the fact that the place that she accidentally goes to is a very dangerous one. When she first comes inside of the book of the Universe of the Four Gods, she then already encounters a disturbing scene in which she and her best friend are about to be kidnapped by men. Like me, you would easily think of the word Endurance from that specific scenario. They both endure the feeling of being afraid and the act of confusion. Inside of that book Miaka Yuki didn't just experience that kind of scenario, she endured a lot of painful moments from separation to death from someone she has been attached to. As she keeps on experiencing these things her personality develops into a fine woman.

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Miaka Yuki's Sincere Thoughts

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I still can not believe that I agreed to become the priestess of Suzaku the moment the book sucked me in. I endured a lot of sad moments inside of that book. There are only a few moments where I felt happy inside of that book. I did grow from what I went through in that so-called Universe of the Four Gods book. I never would've thought that I'd survive until the end of its story. As you can make an observation of what happened to me inside, it was hopeless and you just cannot easily become optimistic about those dilemmas that I kept on experiencing. I know that I am not alone in this world but it is still difficult, like you just can not feel too comfortable since you can't be so sure that nothing bad will happen again. It is like you still need to be alert all the time. Honestly speaking, I really hate those kinds of emotions. I was supposed to be an easy-going type of a person but then when this kind of stuff keeps on happening to me, I suddenly become an anxious person. I keep on wishing that all of this will just come to an end. I know to myself that I just cannot easily come back to where I originally came from, I am still trying my best to stay alive and not to become much of a nuisance to people who keep on trying to save me from our enemies. I want to live in peace again.

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[[ Conclusion ]]

Noble, Enterprise, Resilience, Valour, and Endurance - these are the five words that compose NERVE in our team’s definition. From Noble about Tomoyo Daidouji to Enterprise about MoMo Yaoyorozu, Resilience about Monkey D. Luffy, Valour about Inuyasha, and Endurance about Miaka Yuki, we’ve elaborated each word and made it closely relevant to NERVE’s definition about courage. Each of our team wrote narratives in the perspective of the characters we chose to give the readers/audience an idea about the character’s personality, thoughts, and experiences. Hence why the title of our blog is called Courageous Chronicles instead of simply putting NERVE, because it is a combination of using nerve’s definition of courage and the use of written narratives. We also explained why we chose each character for the given word we were assigned with.

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Thank you for reading our entry for the ABC challenge and we are hoping that we will bring out more to the next round of Otaku Games~