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sir-yeehaw-paws · 5 months

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Big Boss: What Happened?

Big Boss: Info Dump Request

@qoppybirdie requested:

This is my attempt at fulfilling that, with my own take on it. And probably a whole lot longer than OP wanted. But here we are.

Google Doc version. NOW ACCEESIBLE (Opened Access)

As a quick aside, I personally consider Portable Ops canon to the timeline and lore. Not everyone does, but in this I will be using examples from Portable Ops, as to me, it’s canon. I’m aware this is debated, so I’m putting it out there first and foremost.

Here we go!

“Politics are a living thing. They change along with the times. Today’s good may be tomorrow's evil.”-The Boss, to Big Boss (then Naked Snake) during the Virtuous Mission, 1964.

Big Boss, known as John/Jack, was born in the USA in 1935. Almost nothing of his life is known until the age of 15/16, when he met The Boss in 1950, becoming her apprentice. The Boss served as his mentor, and remains one of the most defining figures in his life, up until his death in 2014. Soon after meeting The Boss, John fought in the Korean War, and was part of nuclear testing in Bikini Atoll, in 1954.

This puts the FOX unit in jeopardy, and at risk of execution unless they can prove America wasn’t involved, with Big Boss given the task of rescuing Dr. Sokolov for a second time, assassinating the Boss, and as they put it “if possible, Colonel Volgin”. Volgin happens to have a metal gear, but that’s secondary to this story believe it or not.

This is the Operation where he also meets Ocelot, and Eva. Both of whom we’ll get back to later.

Cue Operation Snake Eater, and what is arguably the start of a nearly 60 year downfall for Big Boss. Big Boss defeats the Shagohod Metal Gear and Volgin, (does not manage to save Sokolov) and kills The Boss. When he returns to the United States, he’s given a medal for his service, and is left with a feeling of emptiness, grief and a whole lot of unanswered questions.

Whenever I think about the spiral of Big Boss, I tend to come back to the moment here, (and the one later, when he’s at the Boss’ grave). It can be argued that he never, ever recovers from this. While it takes him a lifetime to understand it, by the time of his death in 2014,he has fallen so far from the man he once was that it’s only at death he can acknowledge what he’s become, to his clone son Solid Snake,(Dave).

“Boss, you only need one Snake now..no, the world would be better without Snake’s.” Big Boss (at the Boss’ grave to Solid Snake, in 2014)

I could almost end this here, on the notion that he was used by the military to kill someone he loved and cared about, and lost all sense of what he believed in, and himself, in doing so. That the next 60ish years are just him going through the motions, attempting to come to a conclusion that doesn’t exist.

Why was he used? Why was he the one that needed to pull the trigger? Big Boss wasn’t exactly what I’d call an ‘idealist’ before that, but he did hold certain preconceived beliefs about his place in the world, and what he was meant to do with it. And that he had all of them wiped aside in an instant, all to save face for a country that would discard him at a moment's notice.

Before she was assassinated, the Boss was legendary as a soldier, and an American. She was idolised by her country and the people she served and worked with. When we find out later that her defection was part of a mission, and that it was jeopardised by Volgin behaving in a way nobody saw coming, it took nothing for them to discard her. When Big Boss is being awarded a service medal and the president attempts to shake his hand, I can imagine those are the thoughts playing on loop in his head.

They honour him now, in the moment. Yet a week before he was almost going to be executed by that same government and country, and his mentor, someone so beloved by the USA, was given that exact fate

He realizes here that his role, his personhood means nothing in the greater scope of war, and he’s supposed to just stand there, accept a handshake and pretend this total farce is a good thing?

Just like she told him, “Today's enemy, tomorrow’s friend.” That was a lesson the Boss understood before he did, and it’s one that he grasps all too well afterwards..to a degree. Big Boss we come to see is betrayed again and again by the people around him, because up to a certain point, he allows people into his life. In the same need for human connection and meaning all people have. Something that is abused countless times by the people close to him.

It takes years, but at some point, he does eventually give up. As we’ll see.

Following Operation Snake Eater, Big Boss leaves the military for a bit. He works at various jobs like hunting guides, only to go back to fighting and meet and rescue Frank Jaeger during the Mozambican War of Independence in 1966, but ultimately ends up doing mercenary work. In 1970, he’s captured via drugging by another rogue FOX unit, headed by a rogue agent known as GENE in what became the San Hieronymo Incident.

Gene had an idea, a nation of soldier’s. Made by soldier’s for soldiers.

This will sound extremely familiar, as it is almost verbatim to what Big Boss ends up creating himself later on. Outer Heaven. Even though the San Hieronymo Incident ends in Gene’s defeat, and with Big Boss returning to the USA and forming The Patriots with his former commander, Major Zero and members of the unit in Operation Snake Eater. Such as SIGINT (Donald Anderson), Para-Medic, Ocelot and Eva. Using some of the Philosopher’s Legacy, (money), The Patriots started out as an attempt to unify the world, but expanded and corrupted far beyond that original goal.

Big Boss himself leaves the Patriots in 1972, after facing the second major betrayal via the creation of Les Enfants Terribles (aka, ‘The Terrible Children), under Para-Medic’s care. Without telling Big Boss, or asking his consent, LET was undergone using Big Boss’ DNA, with an unnamed egg donor and Eva as the surrogate to make his clone sons, Solid Snake and Liquid Snake (Eli). As well as the ‘perfect clone’ Solidus Snake, (George). (He was not surrogated by Eva, however).

“They’re no sons of mine.” “Just a bunch of cells grown in a lab?”

“What they are is much sicker than that.”- John and Ocelot discussing the clone sons, in 1984.

LET existed because Zero and Para-Medic wanted to ensure the continuation of Big Boss’ genes and soldier capabilities. He saw them as an abomination and betrayal. After learning of LET, Big Boss leaves the Patriots, and the United States. Working again as a mercenary for higher.

No matter what he does, he cannot get himself out of warzones.

“The Boss and I may have gone down different paths, but we were trapped in the same cage.”- Big Boss to Solid Snake, in 2014

Really quick, the definition of a mercenary according to Merriam Webster is; ‘one that serves merely for wages’. They mostly find themselves in warzones, but they are not fighting on behalf of a country. They are not conscripted or drafted. The gain is purely financial. But most specifically, a mercenary is hired ‘for foreign conflicts’ in particular. This is largely because a country may want to get involved in a certain conflict, or mission, but are unable to legally, or without raising suspicions. Thus, they hire a non-related mercenary, for pay, to do what they cannot.

This is the sort of environment Big Boss finds himself operating in more often than not. He’s fresh off a second betrayal, mistrustful and hurt, and finds himself on the lam and a gun for hire in Columbia, eventually ending up hired by the Colombian government to work with their army. I can imagine his attitude in Columbia being one that is grieving, disillusioned and bitter. It’s here that he comes upon a guerilla squad commanded by Kazuhira Miller, and wipes them out. Except for Miller. Who he ‘recruits’ under the idea of it being non-negotiable. Kaz is the only survivor, and if he doesn’t stay with Big Boss, he’ll be executed. (Instead, Big Boss blackmails a commander who could be responsible for it, in order to keep Kaz off the chopping block). Which is a nice little fact to hang over Kaz’s head, should he choose to escape.

Heiwa to Kazuhira no Blues (the Peace Walker audio drama) expands on this a great deal. His ‘recruitment’ is no simple thing, and Big Boss also puts Kaz through a number of rigged trials he knows Kaz can’t win, in order to further cement his place under him. Combining that in conjunction with the fact that Kaz will be executed should he not ally with Big Boss (and I’ll point out here that yes, Kaz does try to blow himself and Big Boss up with a grenade but does he really want to die?) it’s something of a hopeless situation and somewhat one-sided.

The entire relationship and scenario with Kaz is complicated enough on its own. Kaz isn’t a fully innocent victim either, but it is at this point and time that one can see a significant shift happening in Big Boss’ mindset. There’s a sinister element to the trials he puts Kaz through, and yet, there’s still a part of him that clings to the idea of companionship. He’s edging closer to the dark end of grey in his climbing scale, but he has not yet crossed that point.

Kaz spearfishing during one of the trials (art by Yoji Shinkawa)

Defeated, Kaz joins Big Boss, and as his subcommander they form one of the first ever PMC’s (or, Private Military Company)-Militaires Sans Frontières (Army without Borders, or MSF). The concept of the PMC later takes over in the world (and the disastrous environment Solid Snake finds himself dealing with come 2014). While in MSF, Big Boss finds himself in Costa Rica to deal with the Peace Walker incident, and becomes allied there with some revolutionaries from the Sandinista National Liberation Front, who are under the command of Amanda Valenciano Libre, after the death of her father (the original commander). And via Amanda, Big Boss meets her brother, Ricardo Valenciano Libre, or. Chico.

Chico is where this gets complicated. Chico is around 12 years old at the time, and one of the key elements to where we see Big Boss’ mindset shifting fully. While he’s still somewhat optimistic, even a little goofy at times (the way we see him in Snake Eater), Chico’s situation is a mixed bag. On the one hand, it’s easy to argue that Chico being part of the MSF is one of the only alternatives he could have at the time. He’s in the middle of a warzone with his sister. If he’s not under Big Boss, where else can he go? What else can he reasonably do?

-What makes discussing Big Boss so tricky, I think-and why I believe it’s almost impossible to say he had some sort of ‘turning point’, is that it is completely possible to look at everything he does, everything that happens, and find a way to excuse or come up with a justification, or even logic for it. This is not me saying that he is right, or a good person. Metal Gear cannot just be boxed into ‘good’ or ‘evil’ it is grey. It is supposed to be grey. It centres around people and themes that do not have such simplistic barriers to work with. That is the point.-

-The downfall of Big Boss does not happen overnight. It is a slow burning wreck that expands and grows. It is the make-up and conclusion of many factors, incidents and events. It happens slowly, and sometimes it happens below the surface.-

For all intents and purposes, Chico is a child soldier. But is that Big Boss’ fault? Children are as wrapped up in war as any other. War does not care if you’re a child, or an adult. Did Chico truly have anywhere else to go?

I don’t really have an answer to that. And I’m going to admit it out right. What I will say is that early on in Chico’s recruitment, Big Boss rescues Chico, but he doesn’t want to go back with him because he’s ashamed of giving up information (link should be time stamped for access) about the others to the enemy.

There are MANY ways to interpret this moment. I’ve seen various interpretations of it myself, but here’s how I’m going to explain it. As per how I see it. Again, this is a complicated story and scenario-and people’s view on it is going to differ a lot. One of the points I really want to stress in this far-too-long essay here is that none of what we see comes with the easiest answers. It’s all layered. How you view a moment may differ from how someone else views it.

Anyway, to me, I’m going to put it like this. Big Boss knows that Chico doesn’t mean that. What I can’t say for sure is if he’d have really shot him or not (I don’t think he would’ve, not only because he promised Amanda he’d bring Chico back, and if nothing else Big Boss will usually complete his missions. But that as far as we know, he never outright executes a child in the series). But Chico does not know this. Big Boss is, essentially, showing Chico that no, he doesn't want to die, come on now. And that breaking under the situation isn’t something he needs to feel guilty about. Nor, is it worth dying for.

WE can assume that Big Boss isn’t going to hurt him. WE can realise that but there is no way for Chico to hold the same understanding here.

But Chico isn’t a man. Chico is a child. When Chico dies in 1975, Skullface says something very similar. Negating the fact that at the end of the day, this is no adult.

“No more wargames, you’re a real man now, soldier”.-Skullface (to Chico when he’s a tortured prisoner in Camp Omega, 1975)

Here, Big Boss is visibly (I can assume anyway) attempting to encourage Chico. Prove to him that he doesn’t want to die, and that he doesn’t need to die for the infraction he believes himself to have made. (None of Chico’s compatriots blame him for giving up information, and why would they? He is a kid).

But did he? Big Boss can think that the ‘child’ died, and he became a man. But is any of that really true? Is Chico not as much a child now as he is when he dies a year later?

I find it very significant that the artist, Ashley Wood, has Big Boss completely in shadow here. It says a lot about what Chico must be feeling, and how we (the audience) might be meant to interpret him. There is none of the silly dork we know Big Boss to have been a decade prior. There is none of the innocence and even almost child-like awkwardness he was so beholden to. So much of his optimism, his original outlook and hope, is eradicated by this point.

Chico, I’ll note really quick is never seen off-radio. He is kept ‘safe’ (if you can call it that) on the MSF base itself. And working as radio support. I’ll note too that Chico always wants to be seen as an ‘adult’ by the people around him. But, come on. I’m sure we all remember being 13. I’m sure everyone had that ‘I am desperate to be mature and taken seriously’ awkward teen phase. That doesn’t change the fact that he’s still a child, who is stealing Amanda’s cigarettes one moment, and laughing about his favourite monsters and cryptids the next.

It’s no more justified (in my opinion) than Huey Emmerich is when he uses the absolutely pathetic reasoning behind letting a 4-year-old Hal pilot Sahelanthropus.

“He (Hal) wanted to get in!”-Huey Emmerich to Revolver Ocelot under torture. 1984.

What Hal may have wanted is irrelevant to the fact that you don’t let a kid touch a hot stove because they want to. It is on the adults around them to make sure they don’t do things they can’t control. Granted, Chico is old enough in Peace Walker to have very valid feelings about what he might want, and more than old enough for personal agency, but still young enough to where adults around him should be protecting him.

And I know that in war, the rules are not the same. I understand that. Later on we see a 12 year old Liquid Snake and child soldiers in situations no child should be in, but does that mean they still didn’t need protection? In any case, I’m too close to getting off topic here, so let’s keep going.

We will see him goofing off a bit more in Peace Walker. But it is important to note that by its end, Big Boss’ ideology, and his view on the world has shifted a lot.

He also comes to find out that Kaz was employed by Zero (now going by ‘Cipher’) and working as a spy. Marking the third time Big Boss is betrayed by someone close to him. In this, I’m sort of torn. My personal interpretation of the ‘spy Kaz’ bit is extensive and doesn’t quite belong here, but I’ll note that it’s another way in which Big Boss comes to find that he can’t trust anyone that it doesn’t matter how close someone is to him, they are going to find a way to stab him in the back.

He’s already become more and more cynical around this point, and it is not aided by finding out the truth about Kaz either. The cloud around Big Boss darkens all the more.

By the end of Peace Walker, Big Boss has come to learn what he thinks is the truth about the Boss. When she put down her gun (stopped fighting) she (in his mind) betrayed the ideology and beliefs that he feels she taught him, and when Big Boss ‘let’s go’ of her (in disgust, as he takes this to be an example of her betraying the will of the soldier, and him). I don’t fully grasp how he comes to this conclusion, but in letting the Boss ‘go’ (by removing her bandana) he shifts again, willingly keeping a nuke on Mother Base in the MSF (at Kaz’s suggestion, I’ll note) To Big Boss, I guess he might see this as the fourth betrayal.

With another metal gear defeated, Big Boss declares the following to the MSF:

"We have no nation, no philosophy, no ideology. We go where we're needed, fighting not for country, not for government, but for ourselves. We need no reason to fight. We fight because we are needed. We will be the deterrent for those with no other recourse. We are soldiers without borders, our purpose defined by the era we live in."-Big Boss to the MSF, after the Metal Gear ZEKE battle.

But this is not where that speech ends. Big Boss is under few illusions about the sort of man he’s become, and he tells his men much the same.

Fairly self explanatory, in my opinion.

Thus, the MSF becomes a nuclear power. And this is the mindset that Big Boss has when he goes into the Ground Zeroes mission at Camp Omega. Chico has escaped to go rescue Paz and Skullface has planned an attack on Mother Base while they’re gone. The inspection approved by Huey Emmerich (who didn’t ask Big Boss or Kaz first, and was apparently under the belief it was legitimate..and I don’t know if it’s true or not, I can never fully come to a conclusion there).

The base explodes, and while Kaz is seething and raging, Big Boss is left so shell shocked all he can do is sit motionless while Kaz shakes him repeatedly. Attempting to get any sort of answer from him. Answers Big Boss doesn’t give, nor does he have. After all, it’s not his fault the base went up in flames. The end result is the death of Paz and Chico, and the start of a 9-year- coma for Big Boss.

And, for the medic on that chopper, whom Ocelot and Zero turn into Venom Snake. Big Boss’ phantom and living body-double. Fully hypnotized, brainwashed and made into another man, all without his consent.

The creation of Venom alone is gregarious enough, but Big Boss didn’t sign off on Venom. He was already made by the time he wakes up in 1984. But aside from a moment of protesting it, Big Boss embraces it. Allowing Venom to wake up in a hospital that’s largely blown to shreds and turned into a massacre under XOF (Skullface’s unit), all so he and Venom can escape under cover. Countless people die in that hospital, and Big Boss has become arrogant and callous enough to where it doesn’t matter to him.

Ocelot is also the only one aware of the truth. (Someone Big Boss doesn’t seem to mind having that right, since up to this point, and the rest of his life, Ocelot is one of the few people who doesn’t betray him). Kaz, by contrast, has been completely abandoned and cast aside by him. And not told about Venom being a different man (until later). Which has a real element of cruelty in it, in my opinion. Especially since it’s Venom who saves Kaz after he’s been a POW for a while. But that’s another post in it’s own way.

Big Boss wakes up a new man, with a new (stolen) identity, and with his body double firmly in place and Ocelot pleasantly self-hypnotized to carry it out, he leaves to go begin the formation of Outer Heaven. Free to let others do his dirty work, while he continues to operate by himself.

Putting aside the fact that he looks damn good here-that isn’t the face of a guy with a whole lot of humanity left in him.

Remember Zero? Let’s go back to him for a quick moment. Because it’s at this point in the timeline that Big Boss begins to embrace a concept that was originally propagated by Zero when they were still all working together as the Patriots. By the early 1970’s, Big Boss had a pretty good reputation behind him as legendary soldier. And Zero believed it would be a good call to emphasise that narrative. It was beneficial to have Big Boss’ legend spread throughout, and continued. It’s also important to note that Big Boss himself rejected being called ‘Big Boss’ as he believed the title should only belong to the Boss.

In San Hieronymo, he’s called ‘Snake’ (much like his original codename, Naked Snake) and in Peace Walker the sandinistas often call him ‘Vic Boss’ as they compare him to Che Guevara (as does Kaz). The comparisons to Guevara do not end there, as historically, Guevara was most known for having several jobs under his belt, and being a key figure in the Cuban Revolution. Until his execution by the CIA in 1965. Personal opinions of Guevara are extensive and far beyond the scope of what I’m going to cover here, and will undoubtedly vary by person. Thus, I’ve left it as a link. He was a radical revolutionary in his lifetime, and is mentioned periodically in conjunction with Naked Snake, which paints a suggested idea of how some characters in-series viewed Big Boss as a person.

This being a good or bad thing, is again up to personal interpretation.

Either way, it’s notable (for me and I guess for the purpose of this essay) that up until the end of Peace Walker, Big Boss largely rejects the idea of being a figurehead, a martyr or particularly legendary. That is no longer the case in the 80’s. Where he is fully ‘Big Boss’ as we know him, and absolutely fine with leaving people in the line of fire (consent or otherwise) after a long coma, one too many betrayals, and the full disillusionment of his original beliefs at the hands of a lot of hurt, and years of pain and complicated warfare.

I don’t know that I’d consider Big Boss was ever a ‘humble’ sort of man. In the very beginning of his first mission we see him doing (the Halo Jump into the Virtuous Mission) he’s arrogantly smoking and ignoring the man telling him to put on his mask. But by the end of the 80’s he’s gone completely into the beast he and others created, arrogant and without care.

While Venom is working on the Diamond Dogs (who are also later transferred to Outer Heaven, while Big Boss himself operates Foxhound), he’s (at some point) reuniting with Frank Jaeger (now Gray Fox, at some point rescues and recruits Sniper Wolf, and building up Zanzibarland). By the 1990’s, Big Boss is kidnapping scientists, building metal gears, has children he saved on his base, and is nothing like the man we saw in the mid 60’s.

Hey, speaking of kidnapping, let’s go over how soldiers get ‘recruited’ to the MSF, Diamond Dogs (again yes I know that’s Venom), Outer Heaven, etc. Starting with the MSF, (but there was a taste of it in the San Hieronymo Incident), soldiers are knocked out and dragged back to the base. They’re left in the brig for a little bit, and come out completely and utterly loyal to Big Boss.

How loyal?

“We live and die by your order, Boss!”-Diamond Dogs infected with the Vocal Cord Parasite mutation, just before being mercy executed by Venom Snake.

That loyal.(Again, it’s best to operate when talking about Venom Snake in this specific case as if he and Big Boss are one in the same, because it’s not exactly about the man, but the situation, the cult for lack of a better word, of Big Boss). To these soldiers, who they are as people doesn’t matter as much as what the Boss demands. It’s that same energy, that mindset, that had Venom Snake (then the Medic) throw himself in front of a flaming chopper to save Big Boss’ life.

And where Big Boss might’ve questioned that sort of thing beforehand, by the time of Diamond Dogs, Outer Heaven etc, it is fully embraced. It’s fine that he’s got another man doing plenty of his dirty work (without his consent). It’s fine that he left Kaz because Kaz hurt him and betrayed him and he doesn’t deserve to hear otherwise. It’s fine that thousands die in a burning hospital to save his own life.

And then it’s later ‘fine’ when a young Solid Snake (who doesn’t know he’s Big Boss’ son) is sent into Outer Heaven during Operation Intrude N313, to kill who he thinks is Big Boss, but is actually Venom Snake.

Venom Snake, who has now spent 11 years as Big Boss himself, who has one last mission to die. As Big Boss for Big Boss. Again. The tape to Venom is Big Boss at what I believe is one of his most arrogant moments yet. In it, he thanks Venom *sort of* for his work, and how he’s helped him build up their shared legend. A legend that later Big Boss takes all the credit for. Because Outer Heaven explodes, and the man is all but erased from memory. Absorbed back into Big Boss yet again.

For a man that wanted to create a nation where soldiers mean something, and are revered, Venom’s discarded pretty quick (and he never agreed to be there to begin with). I cannot say if the Medic would’ve agreed to become Big Boss if he’d even been able to, but I can say that it is hard to deny that he’s used as much as any other soldier. Because at this moment, Big Boss now believes that dying on a battlefield is the only way to go, and Venom should be honoured to be him. Or ‘them’ as Big Boss puts it.

“I am you, and you are me.This story, this legend, it’s ours. I cheated death thanks to you.”-Big Boss to Venom Snake.

And then Venom dies, all but forgotten. His purpose has been served. His job is done. He’s no longer needed. Him, nor any of the soldiers who die in Outer Heaven. With Solid mostly oblivious to the secondary layers happening below. (Big Boss has absolutely no issue using Solid, either. He’s past the point of caring). I can imagine someone telling Solid, “This guy used to laugh about eating glowing mushrooms that recharge his batteries” and being unable to believe it.

When Solid Snake faces down Big Boss for the second time in 1999, he is past the point of caring about anything that isn’t war. His speech to Solid in Zanzibarland before Solid defeats him is infamous, and sums up his general view of the world in a nice, succinct fashion for Solid (and the audience).

This is the culmination of decades of hurt, betrayals and the knowledge that he is a man built and bred for the war machine. Big Boss has come to a point where he’s suffered enough, experienced enough, that war is all he can understand. War is all that he can possibly care about. He has stopped being able to feel, to connect with people. He is hollowed out, hardened and fully embracing the man he’s turned himself into.

These are not excuses. Big Boss can be a victim of his fate and the war machine, and still not be in the right here. The two can and in this case I’d argue, do very much co-exist. As I said above, his ‘downfall’ was not a matter of tripping down some steps. It was a slow, consistent decline that eventually accumulated. Despite this, Solid does defeat him, and Big Boss is put in stasis for the next few years. Left quite literally on ice. Conscious, but trapped in his body.

Don’t YOU make your clone son kill your body double and use him almost as badly as others used you? No? (Solid Snake and Big Boss, Metal Gear Solid 2, Yoji Shinkawa)

“I never saw you as a son. But as a man, a soldier.”-Big Boss to Solid Snake, 2014

We know how this story ends. Big Boss spends a bunch of time on ice, gets re-fitted with body parts taken from Solidus’ and dies of the new Foxdie virus (which also kills Eva and Ocelot, just like it did Liquid before) in the same cemetery where most of it started. Leaning up against the Boss’ grave. Aware that he spent decades misunderstanding her will, and that he never quite got it right in life.

How then, would I wrap this up? Well, I guess you could say that I’ve cheated a little. Because I never truly answer the question, “how does Big Boss become evil”, did I? I suppose some of it’s because, as I summed up earlier, I just don’t see it as such a simple case. I do believe that we’re all meant to have our own interpretation, at the end of the day, and the easiest way to summarise it might be that a man becomes so enmeshed in the war machine, that he turns into the very machine himself.

Big Boss had child soldiers (but did the kids fight?). Big Boss used, and abused many people (and was used and abused himself). Big Boss created PMC’s (with help). Big Boss had nukes (at the suggestion of others).

Etc, etc.

At the end of the day, I’ll conclude this long, rambling spiral of thoughts to say that the moment Big Boss ‘turns’ is up to interpretation. Which may seem like a cowards way out, but is it not true? Whenever I pose the question, I see many different answers and responses out in the wild.

This, therefore, is my own take on it. My attempt. And I know I’ve probably forgotten something (or many something’s) but I personally, will end here.

If you made it this far, congratulations! I cannot believe how long this got, and thanks for coming along with me.

By,

Nate

#big boss #character posts: big boss #mgs #request posts #user: qoppybirdie #thoughts posts #nates headcanons #this is 23 pages long send HELP #i knew id ramble but CHRIST #anyway i feel slightly mad but hey least my uni skills go somewhere fun

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real-total-drama-takes · 6 months

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I'm here to share my warrior cats au. this is a very very long ask so sorry and if I'm missing anyone lmk but I'm pretty sure I got everyone

thunderclan - TDI original

Owen - oakstar (previously oakmouth)

Gwen - bramblevole (deputy)

Noah - newtspike (medicine cat, HATES his job and refuses to get his own herbs)

Alejandro - eelshine (he was a stray visiting but he ended up staying. his name went to al -> eel -> eelshine)

DJ - dapplejump

heather - duskheather

Bridgette - leafwave

Ezekiel - Zeke ( kittypet who is horribly, horribly lost)

Izzy - frecklehawk

Trent - troutsong

Courtney - eaglecreek

Eva - evefight

Cody - cloverslip

sierra - sandpaw (actually one of the oldest in the clan, noone has given her a warrior ceremony yet. Cody is her begrudging mentor)

justin - juniperface

Harold - houndleg

leshawna - lavenderfire

Tyler - tanglestep

Lindsay - lizardshimmer

Beth - birchbush

Katie - kitecloud

Sadie - silvercloud

Geoff - goldenhail

Duncan - duskclaw

windclan - TDI 2023

Priya - puddlestar (previously puddlestone)

Bowie - ivyberry (deputy)

Julia - snakeshell (medcat, absolutely bitch to everyone)

Raj - riverowl

Wayne - willowsnow

Millie - cricketspirit

chase - runninghare

zee - squirrelbird

ripper - raggedbrook

Emma - emberviolet (this is a reference to the song by hole btw)

axel - amberfight

nichelle - nectarbright

Caleb - cedarpelt

scary girl/Lauren - lakebone or scary shecat

mk - mousekite

Damien - daisymist

Riverclan - roti the radioactivity is just pollution. nothing too bad things are just a little more weird than the other clans

lightning - lightningstar (previously lightningpelt. he got struck by lightning once when he was an apprentice and has burn marks down his back)

Cameron - smallmaple (deputy)

dawn - dawnblossom (medicine cat)

scott - dirtfang

Dakota/dakotazoid - "kittypet" that keeps visiting the clan when she was young and eventually she grew up into a "massive monster". she's actually a borzoi

Zoey - shyrose

mike - mudstrike

Anne Maria - applemoth

jo - jumpsmoke

brick - stonerunner

Sam - streamclaw

b - beaverdusk

staci - softmouth

shadowclan - pi

Shane - rottenstar (previously sheeptalon, but he got hit by a car on his way to get his nine lives and got revived prematurely. he's been terrified of other cats getting revived ever since)

sky - skystep (deputy)

Leonard - leapswirl (medicine cat, generic medcat magic but also Tammy is a kittypet who lives in a smarthouse and he thinks he's magic bc of it)

jasmine - tallmagpie

Amy - applewish

Sammy - snailwish (snapplewish)

Scarlett - blazesnake

sugar - sweetjay

Ella - songfeather

Dave - driftwhisker (previous kittypet, he's the only one that knows what a smarthouse is. he also doesn't know that medcats are magic)

Rodney - mooseheart

beardo - stray that lives in an old music shop

max - darkwind

Topher - gopherlight

don, Chris and chef are the only two cats anyone can see in starclan. noone knows why and noone questions it. they don't even have warrior names, just don, Chris and chef. blaineley is in the dark forest.

also all the rr characters that aren't already mentioned are kittypets/strays. crimson and enuui are two kittypets who live in the same apartment block. the cops are the two cats that the police keep in the precinct. Brody is a cat that visits thunderclan with Geoff sometimes.

#warrior cats anon #total drama #long post #td warrior cats au

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sunshinies · 11 months

Text

⋆❅ Qiqi inspired names/pronouns/titles ! ❆⋆

art by x!

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

❄️ names: addie , alice , annie , aspen , birdie , charlie , cinna , clara , coco , cora , daphne , dot , eva , finch , flora , heather , holly , hope , ivette , ivory , jenny , june , juniper , kiki , lacy , lucy , luna , may , memory , mia , milly , mira , nala , nana , naomi , nellie , neva , noel , nola , nora , nova , odette , opal , pandora , poppy , remy , shay , snow , violet , whitney , willa , winter

🤍 pronouns: che/cher/cherish , ?/?s/?self , finch/finches/finchself , ice/ices/iceself , cry/cryos/cryoself , fro/frosts/frostself , nurse/nurses/nurseself , med/medis/mediself , herb/herbs/herbself , vio/vios/violetself , zom/zombs/zombself , sweet/sweets/sweetself , 7/7s/7self , snow/snows/snowself , cold/colds/coldself , mourn/mourns/mournself , death/deaths/deathself , forget/forgets/forgetself , stiff/stiffs/stiffself , mem/mems/memoryself , shy/hyr/hyrself , mort/mortis/mortiself

any other variation pronouns of these may be used , of course !

🪻 titles: she who arose from the frost , her soft and icy embrace , the smallest herb-gatherer , her gentle rigor , she of healing frost , she who wields the adepti’s power , the little jiangshi , the pharmacist’s apprentice , the forgetful nurse

prns and gendered terms may be replaced.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

additional tags: @eternoelle @hauntingidol @delusielle @puriette @the-astropaws @cocajimmycola @ladyth

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valerieandherweekofwonderz · 1 year

Note

thank you for all you do! i just got into czech(o)slovak cinema because of you and was wondering if you had any favorite films on the GD that you recommend?

Hi! ❤️ Thank you for your words! I’m glad my blog has encouraged you to start exploring CS cinema! I’m pretty sure you won’t be disappointed 🙂

I’ll list my favourite films from each folder but you can’t go wrong with any film that you’ll find there.

30's - 40's

Divá Bára / Wild Barbara (1949) dir. by Vladimír Čech (drama)

Eva tropí hlouposti / Eva Fools Around (1939) dir. by Martin Frič (comedy, romance)

Podobizna / The Portrait (1947) dir. by Jiří Slavíček (drama, horror, mystery)

Fairy Tales

Byl jednou jeden král… / Once Upon a Time, There Was a King… (1954) dir. by Bořivoj Zeman

Jak se budí princezny / How to Wake Up Princesses (1977) dir. by Václav Vorlíček

Perinbaba / The Feather Fairy (1985) dir. by Juraj Jakubisko

Princ a Večernice / The Prince and the Evening Star (1978) dir. by Václav Vorlíček

Princezna se zlatou hvězdou / The Princess with the Golden Star (1959) dir. by Martin Frič

Pyšná princezna / The Proud Princess (1952) dir. by Bořivoj Zeman

S čerty nejsou žerty / Give the Devil His Due (1984) dir. by Hynek Bočan

Tři oříšky pro Popelku / Three Wishes for Cinderella (1973) dir. by Václav Vorlíček

Films directed by Juraj Herz

Morgiana (1972) (horror, drama)

Panna a netvor / Beauty and the Beast (1978) (fairy tale, horror, romance)

Petrolejové lampy / The Petroleum Lamps (1971) (drama)

Spalovač mrtvol / The Cremator (1968) (drama, horror)

Films directed by Karel Kachyňa

Kočár do Vídně / A Carriage Going to Vienna (1966) (drama, war)

Malá mořská víla / The Little Mermaid (1976) (fairy tale, drama)

Ucho / The Ear (1970) (drama, thriller)

Musicals / Opera

Noc na Karlštejně / A Night at Karlstein (1973) dir. by Zdeněk Podskalský

Films directed by Karel Zeman

Baron Prášil / The Fabulous Baron Munchausen (1961) (sci-fi, fantasy, adventure)

Čarodějův učeň / The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1977) (animated, horror, fairy tale)

Na kometě / On the Comet (1970) (sci-fi, fantasy, adventure)

Vynález zkázy / Invention for Destruction or The Fabulous World of Jules Verne (1958) (sci-fi, fantasy, adventure)

Other

Marketa Lazarová (1967) dir. by František Vláčil (drama, history)

Parodies / Comedies

Adéla ještě nevečeřela / Adela Has Not Had Her Supper Yet (1977) dir. by Oldřich Lipský

Dívka na koštěti / The Girl on the Broomstick (1971) dir. by Václav Vorlíček

Jak utopit Dr. Mráčka aneb Konec vodníků v Čechách / How to Drown Dr. Mracek, the Lawyer (1974) dir. by Václav Vorlíček

Jára Cimrman ležící, spící / Jára Cimrman Lying, Sleeping (1983) dir. by Ladislav Smoljak

Tajemství hradu v Karpatech / The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians (1981) dir. by Oldřich Lipský

Recent Films

Fair Play (2014) dir. by Andrea Sedláčková (drama)

Kolja (1996) dir. by Jan Svěrák (comedy, drama)

Kytice / Wild Flowers (2000) dir. by F. A. Brabec (drama, horror, romance, poetic)

Pelíšky / Cosy Dens (1999) dir. by Jan Hřebejk (comedy, drama)

Requiem pro panenku / Requiem for a Doll (1991) dir. by Filip Renč (drama, thriller)

Želary (2003) dir. by Ondřej Trojan (drama, war, romace)

New Wave

Lásky jedné plavovlásky / Loves of a Blonde (1965) dir. by Miloš Forman (comedy, drama)

Slávnosť v botanickej záhrade / Celebration in the Botanical Garden (1969) dir. by Elo Havetta (comedy)

Slnko v sieti / The Sun in the Net (1962) dir. by Štefan Uher (drama)

Valerie a týden divů / Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970) dir. by Jaromil Jireš (fantasy, horror)

Silent Films

Erotikon (1929) dir. by Gustav Machatý (drama, romance)

TV Series

Arabela (1980) dir. by Václav Vorlíček (comedy, fairy tale, fantasy)

Návštěvníci / The Visitors (1983) dir. by Jindřich Polák (sci-fi, comedy)

Films directed by Věra Chytilová

Ovoce stromů rajských jíme / We Eat the Fruit of the Trees of Paradise (1969) (CS new wave movement)

Sedmikrásky / Daisies (1966) (comedy, CS new wave movement)

Vlčí bouda / Wolf’s Hole (1986) (horror, drama)

Enjoy❣️

#Ask #beetlejuices

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radiokathryn-if · 7 months

Note

this is based in England right?? What are the ros fave insults/curse words??

this is my new favourite ask. fun fact about me, my friends and I used to get in trouble bc on the bus to school (so like 7 in the morning) we would have competitions on who could string along the longest and most foul insult chain... i'll refrain from getting that bad for the ROs!

Nate──he gets harsh with his curses— "cunt" "twat" "wanker" but he uses 'swear' words all the time like "bollocks" "bloody" "fuck(er)" "shit(er)" and so on. Nate may have the worst case of sailors mouth out of all of them, uses cruder versions of words like "piss" and has called people (of all genders) "slags" and "skanks" and "whores" just because he can.

Eva──doesn't swear in English often but when she does is mostly the common swears like "fuck" and . She has called Nate a "Hijo de puta resignada" (son of a twice fucked whore) before, her more colourful language being in Spanish.

Mica──doesn't swear all to much, unless they're angry in which they tend to stick with more classic curses and insults like— "knobhead" "arsehole" "git" "tosser" or "bellend". Has called someone a "neek" before and never did again after their hilarious overeaction. (It means nerd/geek)

Detective Han──doesn't swear. They're intimidation factor comes from them not their words. Is not afraid to call someone an "idiot" though and it feels harsher than it should.

José──uses "mother fucker" so much it's kind lost its impact. Also uses "shit" all the time. Is kind of enabled by their whole family (including their parents!) but José doesn't really go further than that.

Ji Han──doesn't swear out loud. He's a medical student and an apprentice at a hospital, he has to make sure he doesn't slip up so he doesn't swear audibly. I will say, he gets quite scary when he does audibly swear. He gets creative with insults because he's observant enough to notice what gets under the other person's skin. Doesn't use "shit" but does use "fuck(ing)" will also use "damn" sometimes.

Fauve──she has a couple favourite favourites that include— "fuckwit" "piss weasel" "wank stain" "ballache" and "bearded clam", but isn't afraid to swear in her every day language. Not afraid to call people a "nonce" or a "slack-jawed, jug-eared, mouth-breathing, bottom-feeding thunder cunt." She says "crap" over "shit" but tends to say "pee" over "piss" because it sounds too harsh... (weird hill to die on Fauve!)

Jackson──has a young daughter so actively slowed down cussing. Has called multiple people a "prat" a "prick" a "plonker" or a "pillock" and uses tamer insults like "idiot" or "muppet" around Cilly.

???──likes swearing so much but doesn't because they still feel weird about it after getting scolded by their parents for it in their youth. (typically taking the rapp for their twin). Can usually get away with less brash insults like "sod" "daft" "bloody" "damn" or "shit" without feeling guilty. Will unleash their hidden vernacular in blind anger though with things like "cack-handed nitwit" or "smeg head" or "absolute oxygen thieving cockwomble".

: )

#radio kathryn if #all ros #c: nate nicks #c: eva vidal #c: mica hollens #c: detective han #c: josé danger #c: ji han #c: fauve #c: jackson lewis #c: ???#this was too much fun #tw cursing

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chipkoy · 1 year

Text

vanilla stuff w/ muriel and eva @evathenovice

cw: the arcana characters, muriel x eva, muriel, eva the apprentice, spicy content

18+ minors don’t touch

#the arcana #the arcana game #muriel #muriel of the kokhuri #muriel the mountain man #muriel the hermit #muriel the arcana #eva #eva the novice #eva the apprentice #muriel x eva #digital art #spicy content #my art

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iamfabiloz · 4 months

Note

OOOH. lilysmog or willowweep lore :3? ilike their names

@jayzzu @on-a-sunbeam tagging u guys bc this post talks Abt Willowweep lore hehee and u both sent asks asking Abt her :D

But THANK U YAYY :3 their names r some of my fav I have, plants 🌱 😎

^^^ So first up is Willowweep 😢!! She was a pretty chill, laid back kitty, quick to crying like her name suggests, but one of the most major events to happen to her is her sib tragically getting caught in an bear trap and dying!! In the first doodle <— SpruceClan deputy Snowshiver is attempting to comfort grieving willow, despiteeee being the reason willow’s sib died in the first place (me when I wanna be leader so I set up scenarios that lead to my opponents gruesome ends) ☹️ next doodle is Willow chatting with her friend silverbark; they are apprentices together :) and last doodle is Willow with her father Sturdybranch he has big eyebrows :3 sturdy and willow were close but got even closer after willow’s sib’s face tragic passing. She may have more relevance to my oc story at large but that is tbd as I am still writing and plotting MWAHAHA

^^^ second is LILYSMOG the lady eva!! She is SpruceClan #1 gossip she is quite nosy and wants to know what is happened all da time and also is Snowshiver’s biggest (one sided) rival. Lilysmog’s hates Snowshivers guts to bits (Snowshiver cat divorced one of Lily’s closest friends named Finchcry and also lily generally hates snow’s pretend attitude of being fair and kind. Lilysmog knows snow is fishy, but it’s hard to get any sort of dirt on her. She’s as clean as her nearly pure white pelt 🤔)

Lily considers her and Snow enemies, but snow has never hated lily, she finds her antics quite amusing and endearing. (Lily might have a slight crush on snow on top of it all and she does not write fanfic or doodle snowsmog ship art randomly 🤔🤔)

Anyways thar is Willow and Lily’s tales YAYY!! Ty for asking Abt them I could talk forever and Eva Abt these KITTYY cats

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eletricheart · 1 year

Text

Carolina

(Mother Miranda x fem!reader)

*image creds to the owner

Word count: 1.945

"things that only Carolina will ever know"

----------------------------------------------------

You and Miranda were childhood friends, living next to each other made it all easier. You would have cooking lessons together, sewing, etiquette, everything proper for a woman to learn at school during those times.

Miranda's father was an apothecary, having countless books and scrolls in his office.

One day, after the daily classes, Miranda left her house claiming she was looking for flowers for decoration. You knew the girl hated doing that, so you went after her. She was sitting under a tree near the lake reading when you found her.

That was the first time you heard her talking about leaving the village.

At 12 years old, you both had to leave school and prepare for house work duties, meeting only for evening readings at the lake. You weren't interested in becoming an apothecary, but you would always listen to her, and so you did.

At 13 years old, you explored the castle on the hill. It was when you told her about becoming an explorer.

At 14 years old, your parents married you to the farmer's son, "he had lands" they said. Miranda was furious. That's when you both became just acquaintances.

At 15 years old, Miranda married an apothecary, her father's apprentice. You met at the lake for the first time in two years, she didn't want to marry him.

At 16 years old, it was at the castle. Your husband was upset, you weren't pregnant yet. Miranda told you stories about the sea.

At 17 years old, Miranda was pregnant with Eva. You met each other less often, she was busy and your husband didn't like you outside.

Eva - 1 year birthday

You congratulated little Eva during your market visit the day before, knowing that the small party would be only for family.

However, you and Miranda made your own celebration at the lake on a saturday, both of your husbands were busy working, or at the tavern believing they fooled you.

It was a sunny day, perfect for a picnic, you were in charge of bringing the food while Miranda brought some books and refreshments.

Eva was restless, running around, laughing, eating, she wouldn't stop, looking as happier than ever. Miranda was obviously worried, but after Eva falling for the third time and laughing it off, she relaxed a bit.

Eventually, Eva got tired and layed on the blanket. Leaving you and Miranda talking alone.

It had been a while since you were alone, without the constant pressure of marriage and pregnancy. It was good to be heard and seen.

"You seem well, Mira, happier. Eva is good for you." You said looking at the little girl sleeping.

"To be honest, she truly is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I never expected for something so perfect to come out of this marriage." She said, chuckling.

"I hate him too." You whispered.

"Would you run away with me?" Miranda asked, looking at you.

You smiled at her. "Of course, you were always a part of my dreams."

You talked for a few more minutes before Eva woke up and called you to play with her.

Eva - 2 years birthday

Your husband was mad, it's been 5 years and you haven't given him a child. You didn't see Miranda for the next few days.

She wanted to stop by your house but your husband would never let her in.

Around the fifth day with no sign of you, she waited until your husband left to jumped inside your window.

Miranda promised she would kill him.

Eva - 3 years birthday

You were pregnant.

Your husband was out celebrating with the boys so you left to meet with Miranda and Eva, taking a birthday present for the girl.

This time, you met at the castle, setting up flowers and candles to make it seem like a fairytale, with Eva being the most adorable princess ever. The games possibilities were endless, you would play pretend, hide and seek, tag. Anything the little girl asked, you and Miranda would do with no hesitation.

If she wanted to explore the castle, you became an adventure seeker with compasses. If she wanted to climb the walls, you happily carried her around.

The day after, you and Mira went back to clean up early on the day, taking a break to see the sunrise on the roof.

She looked beautiful.

"I read a book." You confessed to the woman.

She smiled at you. "What a rule breaker. Which book?"

"It was about sea animals. There are countless living beings out there, free." You sighed.

"Can you tell me about them?"

You fully turned to her. "Well, I have a favorite one, it's a white whale. Apparently many men have tried to find them, but they always escape. So they roam free around the ocean, bringing men to their demise by just living."

Miranda laughed and got closer in a way that both could feel each other's breath. "But…are they alone?"

"I don't think so."

"Would you like to be alone?"

"No."

"Good."

You stared at her for what felt like an eternity until she touched your cheek. It was faint, close enough to being only imagination, but it was there.

You've known each other for years, every fear, every dream, every desire.

Miranda was hesitant, nothing like the little girl who would bravely steal books from her father mostly to impress you.

So you took the first step, you got close enough for your lips to touch but yet neither dared to move, as if it would fade away.

You stayed like that for a while before Miranda stood up and left to finish cleaning.

Eva - 4 years birthday

You had lost the baby, the apothecary said it was God's will. A new disease was coming and it was best to bring the child after it.

When the plague arrived in the village, you were one of the first to get it, staying in complete isolation, and missing Eva's birthday.

Miranda was stressed, having to deal with not seeing you and her idiotic husband bringing patients into the house. They argued every day, her daughter was to remain in her room so as to not get in contact with the sick.

One day, Miranda left for five minutes in order to pick up more fruits, just five minutes.

Her husband wanted someone to bring him water, so he ordered Eva to assist him while the woman was out. She got sick two days later, he didn't care.

She died five days after the first fever.

Miranda was devastated, furious at him for killing her baby, upset for not being enough to save her. So she left.

The mother wandered around the forest for days, most of the time walking in circles, always coming back to the lake. She cried, she screamed, she said things that only the lake would know, and then she left.

There was no one else, you were unreachable, most town gossip claimed you died, Eva died, her husband was useless and her family was unbearable.

However, the woman found a cave, believing she would die in there, but instead came across an unexplainable being. It promised her Eva. Therefore, she accepted it's help.

Miranda's first act with her new abilities was to kill her daughter's murderer. Later on she went after you, finding only your husband passed out on the couch with a bottle of whisky.

She encountered you at the lake, you seemed fragile, not only more pale than usual but also skinnier.

The woman approached you slowly, scared that you would fade away. Once getting by your side, she sat down.

You kept looking at the water, hugging your blanket. "I'm sorry about what happened."

Miranda stiffened and held back tears. "It's okay. I can fix it."

You gave her a faint smile, noticing the slight differences in her appearance. "Are you sure?"

"Do you trust me?"

You scoffed at her question. "I asked first, Mira."

She rolled her eyes. "I am sure."

You gave a faint laugh. "I trust you."

You held her hand and stayed for a few more minutes enjoying the peace.

4 years later

You and Miranda were living in a cabin with a complete view to the village and castle. Miranda, keeping her promise, killed your husband, as for you to be free.

You stayed together, she would perform her experiments and you would take care of the house. It was peaceful.

1 year later

Miranda tried to transport you through the mutamycete. It took some tries but once you stopped throwing up she deemed it a success and took you for a surprise.

It was the first time you had seen the ocean, becoming completely mesmerized by it's grandiosity.

She made sand castles with you, swam in the water, had a water fight.

During moments like these, the mother forgot about the projects, forgot about the pain, all she could think and feel was you.

Miranda's Birthday

You walked with her through the old paths leading to the lake, saying jokes and new flowers you planted.

You read scientific books and listened to Mira's explanation of every single term.

You were laying next to her when the first snow of winter arrived. The woman wanted to bring you home but you convinced her to stay a few more minutes, just to watch.

She was enchanted by you and how your eyes glistened every time a snowflake would fall near.

This time, she took the first step, she got closer to you, she brought her lips to yours, she kissed you, with everything she had, all the love, happiness, care. And you kissed her back, just as intensely, with all the unspoken words, that only the lake would know.

1920

The experiments were going well, two patients had survived but not enough to become a vessel, therefore received a part of the land and was asked to administrate the village for Miranda.

You, on the other hand, was tired during most of the day, feeling cramps pain every day even without your period.

The newly priestess was terrified, she kept trying to find disease symptoms but nothing would match. You kept telling it was fine, it happened sometimes, but she didn't believe you.

The days were each harder for you, sometimes you couldn't move out of your bed. So, Miranda kept trying, she kept looking for an answer.

When you passed out in the garden, the mother worked on automatic, running to the lab and starting to examine you.

After this incident, she became more alert as you got sicker. She couldn't allow this to happen again.

The number of lycans and corpses increased as Miranda attempted to improve the Cadou for you.

The villagers believed you were her assistant, nothing more. After all, it would be more harm than good if they discovered that the Goddess doesn't live without you. She has lost so much, you were the last of her sanity.

March 29, 1920

Miranda performed the implant on you. Hours earlier you had started to throw up blood and passed out. She waited for you to stabilize before doing anything.

But you didn't wake up, you survived but your body wouldn't respond, as if it was healing slowly.

Miranda knew you were alive, so she would wait for you, as long as it took.

And the priestess did, she created more Lords, built an empire, all for you and Eva.

Some say she lost herself on the way, but how would they know. Her story is between only herself, the sand and the woods. Only the lakes would truly know.

"It's between me, the sand, and the sea

Carolina knows"

----------------------------------------------------

masterlist

#resident evil village #re8 #resident evil #non canon #spotify #fanfic #mother miranda #re8 mother miranda #mother miranda x reader #mother miranda x fem!reader #angst #resident evil fandom #resident evil fanfiction #Spotify

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magus-echoes · 6 months

Text

Fusspot

Adolf couldn’t exactly say he rarely felt defeated in life. He was the kind of guy that people walked over without much worry for those whom they trampled underfoot. In this instance, however, he’d forgive the wrongdoing, because the little dragon hatchlings currently huddled up around him in concern were far cuter than any human.

The little Uil who’d bowled into him was poking at his face he lay there in the grass, catching his breath. Their game of chase had gotten a little rowdy, and it was always the Uil chicks who would zoom about, practically taking off into the sky without much awareness of where their wings were going. A slight lapse in awareness in them both had sent Adolf rolling across the ground and every hatchling bowling into each other to create a messy pile of wings and limbs. The culprit, a young chick named Eva, was not new to such incidents; she’d thwacked their Master Lindel hard over the head with a wing just the other day, making it clear she was not quite used to their growing size yet. Head spinning and lungs wheezing, Adolf went to pull himself to his feet, only for a sharp pain to shoot up his wrist, causing him to stagger forward and nearly land back on it. There was a collective squeal from the dragons at this, and three of them rushed away, shouting to each other.

‘Are you okay?’ Eva fussed, ‘I didn’t mean to… But you really should have run faster!’

Shaking his head as the adrenaline died down, Adolf chuckled at the chick’s protests. He was no old man like Lindel was, but he was hardly as spry as he’d used to be. It was both himself and the hatchlings that overestimated his athletic ability.

‘It’s alright,’ he lowered to his knees again, nursing the wrist that was starting to throb, ‘you’ll have to go easier on me next time.’

He let go of his wrist to gingerly pat the head of the (at least somewhat) apologetic dragon, before returning to cradle it with a hiss. As he did this, he heard a commotion as several dragons came running back over, their master in tow, but smartly staying a metre or so from the overexcited younglings as they raced each other.

‘Alright, alright! What’s happened?’ Lindel consoled the protesting Eva, but even as he did so his concerned eyes were looking over Adolf for injuries. Adolf couldn’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia for his youth, where he’d been far more reckless with the dragons and gotten into far worse states.

‘He just slowed down and before I knew it- WHAM! I ran into him! But I’m very sorry, Master Lindel…’ The Uil hung her head in a little more shame now as Lindel knelt down next to his former apprentice, gently prying his hands from cradling his sore wrist, and taking a look at the damage.

‘Now Eva, I don’t think I’m the one you ought to be apologising to… hm?’ Lindel’s tone was gentle, but stern, and the little dragon’s head drooped even further as she mumbled genuine apologies to Adolf. He couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at that, although the way his master’s eyebrows had shot up upon inspecting his wrist didn’t help his nerves. By this point, even Merituuli had jumped out of the lake to investigate the commotion, and they had a small audience. Given this, Adolf was glad when his master stood up and ushered the young hatchlings away, urging them to play with each other a little more safely. Merituuli inspected the situation with a rather unbothered expression, before promptly walking off and hopping back into the water.

Adolf clambered back up to his feet, wrist held protectively in his other arm as he tried, but failed, not to look at his master with a sheepish expression. The older man was at his side already, and guiding him, by his good elbow, back to where the campfire gently flickered. His legs were a little shaky and his wrist had moved from the throbbing stage to a persistent pain that ran from his hand to his elbow. As he seated himself by the fire, a thick cloak was set around his shoulders, indicating his master had, in fact, noticed his shivers. The warmth and smell was calming, but again, Adolf felt like he was a little past the age to need such babying.

‘It wasn’t really Eva’s fault - you know how she is with those wings,’ the grimace that graced Lindel’s face told him he knew all too well. The man instinctively rubbed the back of his head.

‘I’m fairly certain I still have a bruise. And she practically sent Merituuli across the mountains!’ Yes indeed, Adolf remembered, it had been a multi-casualty incident. ‘But no bones broken. At least in our case.’ The older man’s blue eyes flickered once again to Adolf’s wrist.

‘It’s broken?!’ It was half with a groan that Adolf asked this, even though he supposed the feeling was familiar. When he was a teenager, long before he’d met Lindel, he’d once broken a bone. He’d injured his foot jumping from a tree, and he was loath to admit that it was this occasion that had come to mind when he’d first hurt his wrist. Lindel tutted,

‘You’re hardly young enough to get away with such injuries anymore. Somehow I manage to escape playing with the hatchlings unscathed, don't I?’ Even though he knew his master was playing around, Adolf’s face reddened a little.

‘This coming from the man who narrowly escaped a concussion from the same culprit!’

‘Childish excuses. You should admit you just want your old master to fuss over you a bit, hm?’ Adolf’s face reddened a lot. He was hardly about to try and insist that Lindel's attention wasn’t welcome, because it was! To admit that, however, was a harder task than it first appeared. His recent ‘vacation’ to the Aerie had been the most relaxed he’d been in such a long time, and this was largely because he’d had his master there with him, both to live alongside and also care for him, somewhat. Was he ready to admit this, however? Absolutely not. He’d decided instead to start fiddling with the edge of the cloak he was snuggled into, coughing rather obviously as he searched for a change of topic.

‘Meri didn’t seem impressed.’

‘Very little impresses Meri, you know this,’ Suddenly, Lindel’s voice came from directly above Adolf, and he had to crane his neck up rather stupidly to meet his eyes. His gaze followed as the older man knelt down in front of him, his back to the fire, which cast orange light round his silhouette in the dimming day.

‘Let me look?’ He didn’t even need to ask. Gingerly, Adolf uncovered his wrist, and grimaced at how swollen it now looked. He really didn’t need a broken right wrist right now; there were forms and papers calling his name back at the college. A flick to the forehead distracted him from this thought, but he couldn’t quite voice his protests.

‘Could you stop stressing, and let this master look after you for once?’ Beyond his cool exterior, Adolf could almost see Lindel looking a little frazzled, a tinge of red on his cheeks. As soon as the two pairs of blue eyes met, the blonde directed his gaze downwards instead, and the other was briefly allowed to admire the shadow that long blonde lashes cast over his cheeks. Lindel’s hold on the wrist was gentle as he examined it, but he still placated Adolf with soothing hums at every wince and bite to his lip. Then, the pain melted away as a different kind of warmth spread like warm, rippling water through the bone. The prodding and fixing deftly executed by Lindel wasn’t as easily noticed through the waves of magic flowing from one pair of hands to another.

This was very nostalgic. Whilst he didn’t have a tendency to break bones, younger Adolf had procured his fair share of bruises, bites, scratches and the like. Sometimes Lindel was left incredulous as to how his apprentice had managed, in such a safe environment, to get hurt. Yet, this incredulity never took precedent over his dutiful care for Adolf. Despite his teasing demeanour, he really could be a fusspot at times, and he’d never allow his apprentice to be in pain for very long.

‘I’m spoiled.’ Adolf stated as Lindel’s hands drew reluctantly away. It was meant to have been a dry, sarcastic statement to fend off the tension that had settled low over the two of them. As they met eyes, however, the truth of the statement made it more of a confession than a tease. He missed the warmth of Lindel’s hands on his wrists, and it was something neither the cloak, nor the fire, could compensate for. He leaned imperceptibly forwards, eyes still fixated on those long, blonde eyelashes. His master stayed still, calmly watching the other approach attentively. Adolf kept leaning closer. Perhaps he could get that warmth back if he-

‘Master Lindel! Adolf!’ A blue blur of furs and limbs went pitching into Adolf enough to wind him and send him careening to the floor, clutching his wrist as he landed.

‘Merituuli!’ Lindel’s voice was more scolding than before, but the selkie was even less apologetic than the little dragon. He got up from where he sat, atop Adolf, and procured three large fish from his bag, holding them up like a prize for the others to inspect.

‘Look what I caught!’ Lindel leant over to pick Adolf up, brushing him off and eyeing his wrist in concern. It was then that Adolf noticed it didn’t hurt anymore, but he hadn’t really expected any less.

—

They cooked the fish for dinner, and Adolf said nothing about the cloak that had been placed, once again, around his shoulders. Merituuli sat on his lap, making many a joke at his expense about the incident with the dragons. Adolf knew not to take him seriously, and he barely hid a grin when the Selkie handed the larger of the fish to him before Lindel had the chance to distribute them himself. Meri knew how to be a fusspot too, in his own way. He was very like his master in that regard. When Adolf met his master’s watchful eyes over the selkie’s head, however, he got the feeling that his fussing wasn’t over.

#lindel #mtny #ancient magus bride #the ancient magus bride #lindenbaum #magus bride #tamb #mahou tsukai no yome #adolf stroud #lindolf #lindel x adolf #God works hard but lindolf shippers work harder

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crossovershipstournament · 10 months

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SIDE 1A: ROUND 1: Ange Ushiromiya (Umineko no Naku Koro Ni)/Rin Tohsaka (Fate/Stay Night) VS Max Goof (Disney)/Yakko Warner (Animaniacs)

Propaganda for Ange Ushiromiya/Rin Tohsaka:

Okay, I discussed it with my friend a long time ago, the times in which their series take place are relatively close, and I’ll try to avoid heavy spoilers. Ange and Rin both end up becoming the head of their respective powerful families due to deaths of their family, all while losing a family member they cared for at a young age and having a horrid person as their guardian (I love Ange’s aunt Eva but she did not need to take out her pain on a 6 year old). They both struggle to openly show their emotions due to how they grew up (Rin comes from a lineage of mages who think being a good person is the wrong way to do magic, and Ange is abused by her aunt and bullied at school). They both take a role of the performance of magic in their series, and Rin is often the teacher of magic whereas Ange is often treated as an apprentice honing her skills. They both have dramatic scenes where they leap off a building at night. They’re also shown to be sapphic (there are multiple instances in which Rin shows an attraction to Saber who is a woman while also implying that they’re intimate, and she does straight up seduce Saber in one H scene while remarking “I didn’t know I swung that way”, meanwhile Ange’s magical servants are all busty girls in fanservice outfits where she remarks “Sorry, I can only remember how your thighs look” and her most devoted servant is one who wants to monopolize her and dote on her). They’d work really well together once they overcome the trauma their families left on them!

#Ahhh angexrin got in!!!!

Propaganda for Max Goof/Yakko Warner:

I just like them. I think its cute. Romeo and juliet vibes because theyre from different studios, Disney vs warner brothers. They're both funny, dorky guys, and they bring out the best in each other. Plus only child vs overworked older child turned parent is a really good dynamic too.

Video of Max's voice actor shipping them

Art Credit:

Ange/Rin edit by @/kannra-orhara Max/Yakko art by @/doodle-poofes

#Crossover Ships Tournament #Tournament Poll #Ange Ushiromiya #Umineko no Naku Koro Ni #Rin Tohsaka #Fate/Stay Night #Max Goof #Goof Troop #A Goofy Movie #Yakko Warner #Animaniacs

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samasmith23 · 4 months

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Evangelion: You Can (Not) Marathon — (Part 13)

Neon Genesis Evangelion, “Episode 13: Angel Invasion/LILLIPUTIAN HITCHER”

Continuing my Evangelion re-watch marathon with NGE, “Episode 13: Angel Invasion/LILLIPUTIAN HITCHER.” For my thoughts on the previous episode, click the link to the post below:

Happy New Year everyone! Yeah… it’s been quite a while since I posted my last episode analysis of Evangelion, hasn’t it? The last time I discussed an episode was back in August 2023, as I had to temporarily postpone this marathon due to being preoccupied with Graduate School classes. But since I’m currently on Winter Break in-between semesters and I’ve only got one more class to complete before I finally get my Master’s degree in History of Ideas, I thought it was finally time to resume my marathon of every episode and movie from the EVA franchise! So with all of that out of the way, let's dig into the 13th episode of NGE!

Aww! I love how right off the bat this episode reiterates the deep-seated admiration that one of the three main NERV staff members, Maya Ibuki, holds for the organization’s head scientist, Ritsuko Akagi. Specifically, the episode opens in Central Dogma where Ritsuko & Maya are conducting a routine system’s check-up on the facility’s advanced supercomputer, the MAGI system. Not only does Ritsuko complement the speed at which Maya enters the code sequences into the database, to which Maya replies, “Of course. Did I have any choice with you as my boss,” but Maya can’t help but stare in awe at her screen when Ritsuko types in a more rapid command-function, stating to herself, “Wow… she is the master…”

In addition to emphasizing Ritsuko’s skill and proficiency as a computer programmer, which serves as a central focus for the episode, this opening scene also subtly hints through the former’s interaction with Maya that the latter might view her relationship with Ritsuko in a much higher regard than just a mere master-&-apprentice bond. Specifically, I along with a lot of other EVA fans interpret Maya as a lesbian who’s secretly in love with Ritsuko.

The subject of queer-coding in Evangelion will become of greater significance when I eventually get around to discussing the character of Kaworu Nagisa in Episode 24, but this interaction along with several other scenes from future episodes of the series heavily infer that Maya secretly possesses romantic feelings for Ritsuko based on her dialogue and mannerisms when interacting with her. Although Maya’s attraction seems to be one-sided since it will later revealed that Ritsuko is sleeping with her boss Gendo Ikari in a failed effort to try and emotionally connect with her dead mother (which, again… GROSS…).

But while it would also be inappropriate for Ritsuko to instead get together with Maya due to the mentor/student power imbalance in their relationship, I can’t help but feel that Ritsuko would be in a much happier and healthier place in life if she also came out as gay and dumped the bastard Gendo for a female love interest. Heck, I’d personally ship Ritsuko with Misato! considering that the two are both best friends who attended university together, plus there was also some potential queer-coding in that brief moment of a swimsuit-clad Ritsuko suggestively bumping into Misato back in Episode 1!

One last aspect of Maya’s queer-coding that I’ll briefly elaborate on here is that many fans have pointed out that her character design heavily resembles that of the main protagonist, Shinji Ikari, further visually coding Shinji as potentially being a trans-femme egg! I absolutely love it!

Lol! As soon as I start talking about shipping Ritsuko & Misato, the latter then shows up to see if Ritsuko’s done with the MAGI’s system check-up. As Bane from The Dark Knight Rises once famously stated:

Alright, if I recall this is the first time the viewer is provided a visual diagram of the MAGI and how it specifically functions. While the MAGI has been referenced in passing throughout previous episodes, where it was portrayed as an advanced supercomputer that assists in and analyzes the effectiveness of battle strategies for combatting the Angels, as well as serves as the de-facto governing body for Tokyo-3 in place of an ACTUAL human mayor (who’s stated in Episode 11 to be a simple figure-head), it is here in Episode 13 that we first get a real glimpse of exactly how the MAGI operates.

According to the monitor diagram, the MAGI is divided into three separate systems that function in conjunction with each other, and are distinguished by the names “Melchior 1,” “Balthasar 2,” and “Casper 3.”

The names for the MAGI system themselves serve as yet another Biblical reference, specifically to the Three Wise Men from the Book of Matthew. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, “Magi, in Christian tradition, the noble pilgrims ‘from the East’ who followed a miraculous guiding star to Bethlehem, where they paid homage to the infant Jesus as king of the Jews (Matthew 2:1–12)… Eastern tradition sets the number of Magi at 12, but Western tradition sets their number at three, probably based on the three gifts of ‘gold, frankincense, and myrrh’ (Matthew 2:11) presented to the infant… In about the 8th century, the names of three Magi—Bithisarea, Melchior, and Gathaspa—appear in a chronicle known as the Excerpta Latina Barbari. They have become known most commonly as Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar (or Casper).”

Furthermore, the episode’s opening also alludes to the later twist that the MAGI is far more than simply just a set of 3 advanced supercomputers. Specifically, following the routine system check-up the scene immediately transitions to a weary Ritsuko alone in the bathroom where she looks at her reflection and states, “Everything checked out. As usual, Mother’s in good shape, but… is it just me getting older?”

Not only does Ritsuko’s line effectively foreshadow that her late mother, Dr. Naoko Akagi, was the MAGI’s original inventor, but also the revelation that Naoko digitized her own consciousness into the system itself.

Also, that final line of Ritsuko’s, “Is it just me getting older?” Not only does this line indicate that Ritsuko is potentially experiencing a mid-life crisis, but it is also reflective of the emptiness that she feels due to her existence being solely defined by her association with the inventions of her late mother whom it later revealed that she had a strained relationship with due to the latter career-oriented pursuits as a world-renowned scientist. Here, Hideaki Anno & crew effectively communicates through simple visuals and dialogue that Ritusko is burdened by her desire to understand and connect with her mother by routinely tending to her living legacy.

Also also, another fan online pointed this out, but these shots of Ritsuko leaning at the sink and staring at her reflection directly parallel those of Asuka later on in Episode 22, who similarly pilots her EVA Unit-02 due to being haunted by the specter of her own emotionally neglectful mother. Once again, Anno truly is a master of being able to convey so much information and character nuance through subtle visuals alone!

Lol! As hilarious as it is to listen to Asuka’s complaints about having to completely undress alongside Shinji & Rei as they enter a decontamination for a special harmonics synchronization test with their respective EVAs, I do legitimately love how the animators here utilize the three pilots’ silhouetted postures (only the character’s faces & feet are left unobscured) behind the glass to distinguish each character’s unique personality traits!

Despite Asuka’s justified protestations of being required to strip down for this test, we see that she’s standing proud and firm with both hands on her hips, which is contrasted against the frustrated expression on her face, conveying how Asuka utilizes her boastful pride as a facade to mask her insecurities in front of others. In stark contrast to Asuka, Shinji is unable to hide his embarrassment and anxiety, since in addition to having a nervous expression he’s placing both his hands over his crotch to desperately preserve his modesty, which is reflective of the character’s fears of opening himself up to others. Finally, Rei is once again presented as the neutral middle-ground to Shinji & Asuka’s opposing ends of the emotional spectrum, as she simply gives a blank deadpanned expression while standing completely still in a non-exaggerated manner, highlighting her struggles to emotionally connect with herself and others.

Also, I’m totally with Asuka here! I sincerely hope that Ritsuko is telling the truth when she reassures Asuka on the intercom that the security cameras have their monitors temporarily shut off as the pilots exit their decontamination showers to enter their EVAs. At least… that’s what I’m hoping the red light suddenly appearing on the camera following the two’s conversation…

Still, however, I am somewhat surprised that the exit hallway lacks any guard railing between the shower doors to protect the pilot’s modesty from each other. I know that I would personally want such a feature, especially as someone who’s always HATED and refused to utilize open-door public shower facilities! UGH! That’s always been a major pet peeve of mine!

Whew… at least we as viewers can breathe a sigh of relief in the fact that Ritsuko was at least telling the truth about the naked pilot’s visuals being obscured from the test operator’s computer screens since they’re only presented as green silhouettes inside of their Entry-Plugs. Although Shinji seems to be the only one among the trio wearing a safety belt inside. Weird…

So I’m rather curious as to what the purpose of this specific harmonics test is exactly. Like, I understand the idea that the reason Ritsuko had Shinji, Rei & Asuka undergo decontamination and sit inside their Entry Plugs completely naked was so that she could determine how well each pilot synchronizes with their respective EVA Units without any foreign contamination (which feels like a callback to Episode 8 when Asuka forced Shinji to sit inside the Entry-Plug with her and she initially experienced a program error due to Shinji’s Japanese thought patterns interfering with her Unit being pre-conditioned for her native German language).

But what’s NERV’s specific end goal here? To simply see whether or not the pilots can better synchronize with their Units without the presence of their usual plug-suits?

While the exact answer is left incredibly vague and unanswered, I personally subscribe to a fan theory that I encountered online a while back (although I can’t remember where it originated from), but I believe that Ritsuko and NERV intend to utilize the data collected from each pilot’s unfiltered and decontaminated synch-ratios from this test as part of the dreaded Dummy-Plug system program in later episodes, since those specific Entry-Plugs are stated to perfectly imitate the thought-patterns of a pilot to trick an EVA-Unit to engage in an auto-pilot function even without the presence of an actual human pilot inside the plug.

Although... this theory does have some holes in it since it’s also later implied that NERV’s Dummy Plug system is specifically derived from the thought patterns of dozens of Rei clones (and that SEELE utilizes her counterpart Kaworu for the Dummy Plugs for the Mass-Production Evangelions in The End of Evangelion).

Also, I just realized something else! The fact that Shinji, Asuka & Rei are sitting inside of their Entry-Plugs naked (which is somewhat akin to a fetal position), and that the Entry-Plugs themselves are symbolically reflective of a mother’s womb due to the EVA-Units containing the souls of their dead mother’s (at least for Shinji & Asuka’s respective units…), and that the pilots are also submerged in Liquid LCL while inside of their Entry-Plugs, and LCL is the primordial soup that humanity was originally birthed from by the Seed of Life known as Lilith…

Geez, this scene alone takes all of the pre-existing Freudian imagery that EVA is known for, and pumps it up on steroids!

Moving on from that though, we get more foreshadowing of the true nature of the MAGI when Ritsuko coldly remarks, “You can sure feel their creator’s original personality can you,” in response to the 3 supercomputers suddenly processing a mysterious dilemma.

In addition to Ritsuko officially confirming to Misato (and by extension, the audience) that her mother Naoko was the original inventor of the MAGI system, we also get to see the initial signs of cracks beginning to form in Misato & Ritsuko’s friendship. Despite Misato’s high-ranking status as a NERV military officer and her promotion to Major in the last episode, it is evident that Misato is still in the dark concerning NERV’s more intimate secrets. While Ritsuko is willing to chastize Misato’s ignorance regarding the MAGI system due to the former’s personal connections with the classified hardware, Misato will grow increasingly distrustful of the other secrets Ritsuko is guarding for Gendo and will be inspired by her lover Kaji to try and unravel the conspiracy behind NERV.

Also, Misato’s annoyed retort, “That’s because unlike me, you never talk about yourself Ritsuko,” feels intentionally hypocritical on Anno’s part since Misato frequently attempts to hide specific aspects of her personality from others like Shinji due to her internal Hedgehog’s Dilemma. Although this exchange does convey that in contrast to Misato’s more emotionally extroverted persona, Ritsuko’s personality is more introverted, presenting herself more coldly and rationally due to her nature as a scientist.

I love the early ominous visual representations of the “dilemma” that the MAGI is responding to. First in the form of a visual graph up in Central Dogma’s mainframe, which Aoba & Fuyutsuki describe as “corrosion of the 87th protein wall” that they attribute to recently-installed parts to the system, as well as what appears to be a purple acidic burn-mark on the walls of one of NERV HQ’s tunnels.

Not only does this help provide initial intrigue and suspense for the viewer concerning this mysterious “dilemma,” but Fuyutsuki & Aoba’s dialogue debating the potential causes of the system error in highly-detailed technological detail reminds me of why I’ve always nicknamed this, “the Techno-Babble episode” of NGE!

Trust me when I say, there is going to be so much techno-babble in this episode alone that it would make Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation blush!

Also… that corrosion is creepy as all heck!

Lol! Both Ritsuko & Fuyutsuki make the exact same comment, “Ikari would chew my ass off,” in response to letting the corrosion interfere with their synchronization test! It’s like the old saying goes: “Two great minds truly think alike!”

Wait a minute… so the pilot’s EVA-Units are in their usual holding cages during this test? Then what exactly is that fleshy unarmored EVA-arm submerged in water and connected to half-a-dozen wires outside the window of Ritsuko’s control room supposed to be? Is it part of Rei’s EVA Unit-00 but on the opposite side of the wall-locks, or something else entirely? Either way, the fact that Ritsuko tells specifically Rei to move her arm in conjunction with that submerged severed arm does seem to suggest my earlier theory that this test is actually somehow connected to the Dummy Plug system…

Oh crap! Glowing red sparks appearing on the purple corrosive wall stain as soon as Rei synchronizes with the submerged EVA arm! Definitely not unusual and foreboding in the slightest! Not at all!

I’ve gotta say, I’m really enjoying the nice change of pace this episode takes in regards to its action scenes and building suspense! Instead of the usual strategic planning and bombastic Mecha vs. Kaju fights, Episode 13 takes full advantage of its focus on computer science by having Ritsuko utilize her technological expertise to try and quickly quarantine and prevent the spread of the corrosion of the 87th protein wall into the testing chambers.

Despite initially seeming inherently less exciting on the surface, from a cinematography and editing perspective the flow of action in this scene feels incredibly intense and suspenseful due to the fast pace and quick cuts between the various computer screen alerts & graphs, Ritsuko’s technical commands, and the closing of doors & pipes to prevent the spreading of the corrosion! Anno & GAINAX certainly know how to make even the seemingly mundane incredibly captivating from an action standpoint! That takes incredible talent!

Also, I don’t know why but I FREAKING love the design of those water drones that Ritsuko deploys into the testing pool!

Oh, I see now! The pilot’s Entry-Plugs are actually connected to 3 full-flesh unarmored EVA bodies inside the testing pool! I just couldn’t tell at first due to the previous camera angles of the pool framing the scene from outside the control room window, which combined with the darkly lit underwater conditions helped obscure the other two EVA-bodies! Also, the fact that the heads are missing and are replaced with wires (which I’m assuming are connected to each pilot’s main respective units…), aided in my confusion in thinking that these were just arms.

My mistake! Lol!

But being serious again, all that tension built up with Ritsuko’s technical commands & counters comes to a roaring head as the mysterious corrosion finally reaches the testing pool and causes the arm of Rei’s EVA-body to move against its will and try and breach the window of the control room (mirroring the flashback EVA Unit-00’s failed test in Episode 5)!

Holy FREAKING Crap! Even though Ritsuko & Misato fortunately had the arm of Rei’s EVA severed before it could break the glass and forcibly ejected the pilot’s Entry-Plugs out of the pool, the worst possible case scenario is confirmed when the drones fire their lasers at the mysterious corrosive force, only for said force to suddenly repel their attacks with an AT Field! That’s right, NERV HQ has just been infiltrated by the 11th Angel, Ireul!

Out of all the Angels presented in the series so far, Ireul is easily one of the most distinctively unique due to its lack of a consistent physical form, being primarily represented in the form of either a corrosive substance on the wall or as a pixilated glow on the test EVA’s.

Speaking of which, dang is the animation of Ireul infecting and possessing the arm of one of the other test EVAs so FREAKING cool! It has this unique red-digitized effect to it! I can’t even begin to imagine how tricky it must have been for GAINAX to animate the hand-drawn frames for the Ireul infection scenes! I sincerely hope that they were paid well for their work…

Also, regarding this specific Angel’s name, according to Wikipedia, “Iruel (イロウル, Irouru), also known as Yroul, Yrouel and Ireul, [is referred to] n religious texts as the angel of fear.” In addition to Episode 13’s primary scriptwriter, Mitsuo Iso, stating that the primary inspiration for Ireul’s abstract design was to showcase “a battle against an invisible enemy,” the historical theological interpretations of Ireul as the “Angel of Terror” were noted by ThingsAnime blog writer Will Raus in his article Neon Genesis — An Angelic Vision, who stated that, “the episode featuring Ireul is marked by panic from the lab techs that operate the MAGI.”

I’m curious as to what exactly was going through Ritsuko’s head as she just coldly stared at Ireul breaking the glass while the rest of the staff fled the control room. Was she merely so distracted by her scientific curiosity that she completely neglected her own safety? Or is this indicative of Ritsuko having suicidal ideation?

Knowing what I know occurs later in Episode 23, I have a strong feeling it’s the latter option, especially since Misato is similarly the one here to try and snap out of her trance before Ireul can flood the room.

The sheer amount of scenes that directly mirror each other in regards to subtle details in animation & character framing that I’m noticing upon rewatch is honestly FREAKING phenomenal! Anno certainly took a page from George Lucas’ playbook as a director!

Oh boy, we’re getting some more foreshadowing to the conflict between Gendo & SEELE since immediately after getting off the phone with another “Sound-Only” screen, he orders the rest of the staff to lie about the presence of an Angel inside of NERV HQ being just “an error in the alarm system.”

Lol! It looks like the computer diagrams confirmed my fan theory regarding the purpose of the harmonics test, since the 3 EVA bodies inside of the pool, or “Pribnow Box” are labeled as “Dummy 1-3!”

Oh crap! More foreshadowing in the form of Fuytsuki & Gendo whispering to each other that Ireul’s contamination of the systems is spreading “too close to Adam.”

Double crap! Even more foreshadowing in the form of Gendo prioritizing the safety of Unit-01 above that of Units 00 & 02 when ordering them to be launched without the pilots to prevent them from being infected by Ireul!

Triple crap! The foreshadowing just keeps on going as we now see Kaji randomly exiting an elevator inside of the tunnel to Central Dogma directly below Ireul’s contamination zone! Continuing to play the double/triple agent game I’m guessing!

Leave it to Fuyutsuki to ask the million-dollar question on everyone’s mind: “How exactly can you fight an Angel without an Evangelion?”

Man do I love just how unapologetically science-oriented and techno-babble-heavy this particular episode of EVA is! It’s honestly pretty cool watching Ritsuko and the rest of the NERV staff’s attempts to try and counter Ireul’s spread by increasing the ozone levels in the heavy water boundary of the testing pool, only for Ireul to rapidly adapt and increase its resistance to ozone before evolving into an organic electronic life form capable of hacking its presence into NERV’s computer files to infiltrate the MAGI system!

While a lot of the technical and computer programming terms completely fly over my head and are borderline gibberish to me, the scene itself is so tightly edited and quickly paced that it’s NEVER boring and the natural flow of dialogue makes the increasing threat of the Angel clear to the viewer even if they’re not computer scientists themselves! That takes a lot of skill from a writing & and directing standpoint!

Also, Shiro Sagisu’s soundtrack further elevates the tension in this scene in near-perfect symbiosis with the editing and dialogue! The sequence of musical scores from “The Day Tokyo-3 Stood Still,” to “Harbinger of Tragedy,” to “The Beast” really serve to gradually increase the suspense and fear derived from this scene, even though all we’re doing is basically looking at computer screens & graphs & listening to techno-babble! I love it!

Also also, Ritsuko provides the first direct indication of the Angel’s ability to repeatedly evolve and adapt to its surroundings to actively counter NERV’s defenses to try and reach “Adam” in Terminal Dogma! While the Angel’s environmental adaptation capabilities were already established with Sandalphon from Episode 10 being born in the heart of a magma chamber, here we get our first glimpse of the Angel’s evolving intelligence as Ireul learns how to hack the MAGI system to utilize NERV’s own supercomputers as a weapon against them!

The sheer speed at which Ireul completely infects Melchior which it then utilizes to try and hack into Balthasar next before Ritsuko enters a fail-safe code-sequence to halt the Angel’s spread for 2-hours next is legitimately FREAKING terrifying!

Fuyutsuki’s words, “The MAGI have become our enemy,” are even made more disturbing by the panning shot showing the 3 giant red boxes that serve the supercomputer mainframe directly below Central Dogma’s main command deck, emphasizing that the Angel is directly under NERV’s feet.

As Kakashi once famously told Sasuke during the survival exercise in Naruto, an attack from below is the most dangerous since it’s the least expected!

Also, the way Ritsuko describes Ireul as having evolved into a nano-machine-esque living computer virus, now all I can think of is the Ms. Marvel villain Doc.X, who’s also a sentient computer virus!

I love how Ritsuko immediately and harshly rejects Misato’s recommendation to Gendo that they self-destruct the MAGI system to destroy Ireul.

While Ritsuko justifies this by countering to Misato that “destroying the MAGI means destroying headquarters itself,” it’s clear that Ritsuko is desperately trying to preserve some piece of her mother’s legacy, still desperately struggling to understand the individual who prioritized her roles as a scientist & a woman over her role as a mother.

I am totally NOT foreshadowing anything with my specific word choice of “scientist, woman & mother!” NOT at all! Lol!

The transition from Misato’s exasperated anger towards Ritsuko’s stubbornness to calm yet confused questioning of the latter’s refusal to “share the responsibility” or “trust someone else” is honestly quite profound. You truly get the sense that Misato is desperately trying to understand her friend’s inability to rely on the assistance of others. It effectively illustrates Misato’s self-awareness concerning the Hedgehog’s Dilemma, as she’s able to recognize and wants to help others who are struggling from a similar place as herself. Whether it be Shinji and now Ritsuko.

Also, I can’t help but appreciate the irony of the fact that Ritsuko was the one who first informed Misato of the Hedgehog’s Dilemma back in Episode 3, but is now clearly shown to be struggling with her own version of said dilemma as she’s emotionally closing herself off from others in a misguided effort to connect with her dead mother, just like Misato does with her dead father.

Despite their contrasting personalities, Misato & Ritsuko truly are very similar to each other. It’s no wonder the two formed such a close friendship. This makes the gradual deterioration of their trust in each other as the series all the more tragic…

Alright, we finally get a run-down of Ritsuko’s plan to defeat Ireul! Essentially, Ritsuko intends to utilize the Angel’s evolutionary survival mechanisms against itself by reprogramming the final remaining MAGI supercomputer, Casper, with a program designed to regress Ireul’s evolution and force it to self-destruct within the system.

Just like all of the previous strategies portrayed so far in EVA, there are considerable risks involved since not only can Ireul be exposed to said program by intentionally deactivating the firewalls preventing it from hacking into Casper, but Ritsuko needs to introduce her counter-program into Casper’s mainframe much faster than it will take the Angel to fully infect the system. And once again, I think this strategy is FREAKING brilliant due to how insane and risky it is!

It is also worth noting that Ritsuko’s plan to introduce a counter program into the MAGI that will force the Angelic computer virus to delete itself is heavily reminiscent of the scientific phenomenon known as Apoptosis, which Susan Elmore of the National Library of Medicine refers to as, “the process of programmed cell death, or apoptosis, is generally characterized by distinct morphological characteristics and energy-dependent biochemical mechanisms.”

You can certainly tell that Anno & crew engaged in a lot of scientific research for this specific episode!

Also, I can’t help but notice the fact that it is the Casper supercomputer that is the one that will inevitably result in Ireul’s self-destruction. I’m skipping ahead a little, but it will later be revealed at the end of the episode that Naoko designed each of the MAGI supercomputers to embody the three main aspects of her identity, those being herself as a scientist, a mother, and a woman respectively. Furthermore, it will later be revealed that Naoko was not only having an affair with Gendo which led to her committing (which her daughter is also now engaging in), but that Casper is the supercomputer which specifically reflects Naoko’s identity as a woman, or more accurately a lover.

So basically, Ritsuko is channeling both her mother and her own self-destructive sexual characteristics to kill the 11th Angel.

Honestly, this feels incredibly reminiscent of one of the core themes that will become increasingly apparent as the series progresses: the Freudian dichotomy between sex & death.

Dang! I love the physical design of the MAGI mainframes, which similar to the Evangelions are a hybrid of mechanical & organic components. Not only do all the wires and pipes appear to have a blood-like red texture to them, but they’re arranged in a pattern that is heavily reminiscent of a brain. An association that is made even more visibly apparent through the central core of Casper being what appears to be literal brain matter and tissue!

Given that Naoko transferred pieces of her consciousness into the MAGI, combined with the future twist of Rei being a clone of Shinji’s mother Yui Ikari, I feel like this is heavily implying that Naoko cloned her own brain matter to make these computers operate. If so, that’s honestly kinda disturbing…

Lol! Not only do we get more hints of Maya’s romantic attraction towards Ritsuko through her fan-girl reactions to the hundreds of the original developer’s notes taped all across the interior walls of Casper, but we also see the kanji, “Ikari, you jerk,”angrily scribbled across one of the pipes!

I’m not sure if it was Naoko or Ritsuko who wrote that specific note, but either way, I’m all for insulting that bastard Gendo!

I love the little bit of Ritsuko smiling, “Thanks Mom, with your help we can make it,” as she begins crawling into Casper’s interiors. It implies that she seemingly does care about & and misses Naoko, however much she tries to deny it…

Also, the imagery of Ritsuko crawling inside of the computer that’s essentially her mother is once again incredibly Freudian, reflective of how the EVA-pilot’s Entry-Plugs metaphorically represent a return to the womb. Or in Ritsuko’s case with the MAGI, a return to the brain?

Aww… Misato can’t help but reminisce on her and Ritsuko’s college days together…

I am curious though as to what specific memories mirrored their current situation of doing engineering and programming work inside of a tightly cramped space…

Interesting! Not only does Ritsuko disclose to Misato that the MAGI utilized a personality transplant system that transferred Naoko’s consciousness into the system, but that the exact same transference system was utilized for the Evangelions, once again foreshadowing that the souls of Shinji & Asuka’s dead mothers inhabit their respective EVA Units!

Also, it’s here that Ritsuko truly reveals her complicated feelings towards her mother. When Misato questions whether Ritsuko’s desire to protect the MAGI is motivated by love for her mother, Ritsuko instead states that in actuality she “never really liked [her] mother,” and that “[her] decision was that of a scientist.”

Does this imply that Ritsuko’s efforts to try and understand her late mother, whether it be through maintaining & protecting the MAGI or sleeping with Gendo (again… EWWW!!!), are motivated solely by scientific personality? That Ritsuko is actively attempting to reject the womanly side of her mother in favor of the scientific side? Or is Ritsuko lying to herself and there’s a part of her that secretly does love her mother like Misato suggested?

This kind of multifaceted and nuanced character-writing is a major aspect of why I love Evangelion so much! Nearly all of its characters are such fascinating and human messes of psychological contradictions that you can’t help but become invested in their personal struggles!

Wow! The actual initiation of Ritsuko’s counter program is once again FREAKING intense! Not only does Ireul manage to quickly hack into Casper once the firewall is lifted, but in what has got to be the most prolonged single second in the history of fictional media, Ritsuko & Maya manage to enter final code-sequences and command keys necessary just in time before the Angel can infiltrate what is quite literally the last single tiny block of uninfected data on Casper’s diagram!

And as soon as Ritsuko engages the counter-program, the tension is finally alleviated as that tiny blue square of uninfected data quickly spreads out and consumes the corrupted red data blocks across all 3 MAGI supercomputers, indicating the Angel’s rapid demise!

Like… dang! I’m honestly impressed by just how suspenseful Anno & GAINAX managed to make this back-&-forth computer-hacking battle against the Angel, especially since this more down-to-Earth tone deviates so heavily from the series’ usual formula of epic and otherworldly giant-kaju battles! It just goes to show how EVA can so efficiently balance various genres and tones into a cohesive whole.

Additionally, it was also a nice change of pace to witness a character outside of the main trio of EVA pilots be directly involved in the defeat of an Angel, while also utilizing said battle to heavily flesh out Ritsuko’s character similar to the previous episode’s heavy emphasis on Misato’s character development!

Speaking of the EVA pilots though, I couldn’t help but chuckle when we cut back to Shinji, Asuka & Rei STILL inside of their Entry-Plugs after all this time!

Not only is it hilarious knowing that the trio are completely oblivious to Ireul’s infiltration and Ritsuko single-handedly defeating it, but I can’t help but sympathize with Asuka’s embarrassment and irritation since they spent all that time undressed inside of their Entry-Plugs floating alone in the GeoFront lake without any access to outside communication! That’s gotta super suck!

Lol! Ritsuko’s tired but relaxed line, “I must be getting old. These all-nighters are really rough,” is such a clever bookend! While the episode began with Ritsuko’s exhaustion regarding her mid-life crisis and anxiety of being solely defined by her mother’s shadow, she now can’t help but feel content in the fact that she protected Naoko’s legacy from being annihilated, staying true to her promise despite her complicated feelings towards her mother.

Also, it’s here that Ritsuko reveals the MAGI’s true nature to Misato as the dichotomy between Naoko’s respective identities as a mother, scientist, and woman. What I can’t help but find fascinating though is that according to Ritsuko, “Those three aspects are struggling for dominance within the MAGI. She intentionally implanted the dilemma to imitate the human experience.”

Honestly, that kind of blending between humanity & machinery makes for an incredibly fascinating concept, since it subverts the emotionless rationality that usually defines A.I. in science fiction media, instead exploring the possibilities of how a machine would function with more human characteristics.

And the episode concludes with some further insight into Ritsuko’s relationship with the late Naoko, clarifying that while she respects her mother as a scientist, she struggles to understand her as a mother while hating the side of her that is a woman. That latter comment in particular does make me wonder if the reason she’s sexually involved with Gendo is because she wants to spite that aspect of her mother instead of merely trying to misguidedly understand it. Or maybe it’s a little bit of both…

Either way, it truly does feel like Ritsuko embodies a mixture of the Oedipus complex which characterizes Shinji, and the Electra complex which characterizes Misato, which I honestly find to be incredibly intriguing…

Also, one last piece of foreshadowing in the form of Ritsuko’s ominous statement that it was the woman aspect of Naoko’s personality that she stayed true to to the very end!

So that was NGE, “Episode 13: Angel Invasion/LILLIPUTIAN HITCHER,” and overall it was another incredibly solid entry to the series! For as much as I snarkily joked about the heavy emphasis on the techno-babble aspect in this particular episode, I was legitimately impressed by the immense levels of tension & suspense Anno and crew were able to generate through a non-traditional Angel battle in what essentially boiled down to a computer hacking contest, as well as the specific focus on Ritsuko’s character and fleshing out her strained relationship with her late mother Naoko. Furthermore, I was not expecting the large quantity of subtle foreshadowing to future twists and revelations across the series in just this one episode, including but not limited to Ritsuko & Naoko’s dommed relationships with Gendo Ikari, the Dummy Plug systems, the presence of human souls inside of the EVAs, and Gendo’s conflict with SEELE. It highlights just how tightly written and cleverly interconnected Evangelion’s narrative and characters are, despite some behind-the-scenes issues that fundamentally altered the thematic and tonal trajectory of the series as a whole.

But that’s stuff I’ll begin delving into next time in my discussion of Episode 14, which will likely be less lengthy compared to my other posts in this marathon concerning the actual content of the episode itself due to its first half essentially being a clip-show (albeit, a rather creative clip-show)… although I will use it as an opportunity to delve into a lot of the behind-the-scenes trivia and drama surrounding the production of the original Neon Genesis Evangelion anime! It should be an interesting discussion at the very least!

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