Maogrim

I was gong to say that the bad things happening in Malifaux usually happen to citizens and side characters - those named characters repesented in actual crews usually make it relatively unscathed. Sonnia for example was possessed by Cherufe but recovered and managed to return to her former self. Rasputina, Tara, Shenlong and the Dreamer remain being tied to Tyrants but haven't lost themselves so far (not sure about Rasputina's current status though). We have lost named and important characters though, either indefinitely (Lilith and Ramos) or permanently (Colodi and Nicodem) but Tyrants were not involved. I just really doubt that a permantky mutated and damaged Jakob Lynch would still be useful to the Darkness. It was his charm and indeed human resourcefulness that allowed the Darkness to spread its influence in tge first place. And I doubt it's strong enough to try an open power grab.

I have to diagree here. Granting Jakob the option to hand control over to the Darkness and then regaining it would just be similar to things occasionally happening in other properties. Think of the dynamic between Venom and Eddie Brock. And the Tyrants basically never win. Plague/Hamelin for example is the stereotypical mustache-twirling villain whose plans are constantly thwarted. Similar things can be said about December or Cherufe. The Dragon seemingly has even (at least temporarily) lost control over Shenlong.

Now, talking about lore (because I basically have no idea about playing the game): Do you guys think that this is Jakob's fate now? Has he completely succumbed and will stay like this, or did he temporarily give the Darkness full controll to save themselves from a dire situation? He was supposed to be immune to the brilliance, which is why he became the Darkness' host in the first place, so I could see him regain control and the mutations reverting again in time.

From the artwork I would have never guessed that this is Youko, so they definitely got the 'Unseen' part covered. It's weird that a model wearing a Katana, dual-wielded daggers and a belt full of throwing knives has just one attack action while her prior version has three. Seems like, apart from pass tokens and Distracted, Youko's true gimmick is wearing weapons for show only.

That's pretty much my point. Misaki had done away with her father's old generals and replaced them with those who stood loyal to her and her coup - the TT masters we have today, plus Youko who joined her a little later. So Misaki had just consolidated near complete power over the faction. There is no one left to challenge her which makes ot all the more baffling that she is the one to switch. They wouldn't want to turn Ten Thunders into the new Burning Man faction, right? My only hope is that with alle the Charm Warders, monks, Yan Lo and Asami there is probably no faction better equipped to eventually exorcize the Burning Man's influence from our esteemed Oyabun's pristine body and soul to make her whole once more.

I don't think anyone is actually argueing whether the Burning Man would be able to corrupt any human in Malifaux but a) how it could get to Misaki and b) whether it makes sense from a narrative standpoint. Concerning a) I suppose it's perfectly viable to assume that something just happens to her out of the blue, like unknowingly walking past one of its portals or powerful minions on her mornig jog to grab coffee and some cinnamon rolls. But some foreshadowing would have been way more elegant. Maybe a corrupted Torakage could have placed an artifact in her quarters. But that should have happened in a previous book. But b) is more important, I think. What narrative purpose does Misaki's corruption serve and what does it mean for the rest of the faction? Misaki's lieutenants are mostly extremely powerful and intelligent beings. Maybe the Burning Man's influence could sneak past Mei Feng, but what about Shenlong, who is the vessel for a tyrant himself, Yan Lo, who is millenia old and familiar with all kinds of supernatural beings, or the Hungering Darkness who might not be a Tyrant yet but on its way to become one. Were all of them simply occupied while Misaki grew imcreasingly more erratic and ... fractured?

Heated Iron and the Statue's Crumbling Apart results in a nice 1 damage pimg pulse. Sadly it's only once per activation. Also Fore-Mei has a lot more use for all the Scrap the Statue will be dropping. The welder causes automatic burning, the Statue intensifies it. Sure, it's nothing gamebreaking (it's still Mei after all) but I think there are some neat synergies.

I really like the art, though it doesn't really scream 'master' to me. And maybe we finally have a master that'll go well with the Obsidian Statue.

But Misaki had just regained control by uncovering Mei's plot and defeating her in an honorable duel. And she's closely allied with Youko now who should be able and seems willing to help Misaki maintain a closer hold on the organization. Granted, McCabe has also started feeling more at home with the Explorers, but that is also something Youko should be able to find out sooner or later. I don't know, I just don't like the prospect of the Thunder's sole leader being the one corrupted. I don't think something similarly drastic is happening to the other factions. I am quite interested in seeing the alternate versions for Jakob, Youko and Mei though (as well as Hamelin and Colette). Don't think any of them had been shown already?!

From a lore perspective I hate this. Misaki was always examplary by her iron will. Now she gets corrupted by a force that she has no connection to. Mei would have made so much more sense.

For Honeypot I think Lords of War and/or Silent Strike should be orange as well. While there is no direct synergy with the keyword's mechanics, Fuhatsu and the Samurai lend themselves to the slow and turtly playstyle, providing Mr. Lynch with some serious pressure from afar.

Youko Hamasaki, Celibacy Advocat

So here's Youko. Terrible picture, but I still think I overdid it with shading and highlights and did a terrible job with the face. Hair looks decent, though. @Caedrus 15 subpar Stones done.

@Harlekin As mentioned above I've decided to try painting Youko next week, provided I still have a 30mm Cobblestone base left for her. So yeah, let's get our acts together, friend. 😃 Sure you didn't hand one in for March? We're in April already... And sorry for being so fickle, dear friends. I find myself hard to bear sometimes as well.

@lusciousmccabe Thank you so much for your kind words! I noticed that Youko got revamped, which renewed my interest in her and Malifaux. So I will try to get her painted up next week, which should carry me safely into May.. I imagine her in pristine white, as an hommage to Lucy Liu's O-Ren Ishii.. 😃