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#nah it was essentially just 'hi again! does this time work for you? cool same place we'll see you there' and thats It

ellewords · 3 years

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haikyuu boys + idol!reader

request from 🌸💫anon : how about during or post-timeskip oikawa, atsumu, and kageyama finding out that a friend from high school became an idol!

fic notes : timeskip!atsumu, kageyama, oikawa x gn!reader, fluff, headcanons, wc: ~0.7k each

from elle! this was such a fun request to work on aaa definitely got carried away again >_< thank you sm for reading and i hope you like this <3 reblogs are appreciated, they help a ton <3

it was one of those days wherein he just had nothing better to do, sprawled out on the couch and mindlessly scrolling through every single social media app on his phone. he chuckles at the memes of him and the team, smiles at the compliments directed towards him, and answers a few of the questions fans leave him under his posts. he was certain that the rest of his day would just be more of this until something under the trending searches catches his eye : ln yn. he tilts his head to the side, the name is familiar, too familiar in fact.

curiosity gets the better of him and decides to find out more.

❥ miya a.

fell into the rabbit hole so quickly it’s actually insane. it started with one music video that turned into ten and then suddenly he’s watching every single interview and variety show that you and your group have ever been on. you weren’t exactly the best of friends during your inarizaki years, but you acknowledged the other’s existence when you passed each other in the halls.

comes to practice the very next day with only half of the recommended eight hours of sleep and it shows. there are light bags under his eyes, but there’s the smallest little smile on his face. you know, the kind that’s practically begging that you ask what he’s smiling about.

“okay, i'll ask. what’s on your mind?” sakusa sighs before narrowing his eyes at the smirk that slowly spread across atsumu’s lips.

“ya ever think ya know someone and ya actually don’t?”

sakusa doesn’t even try to his the look of pure confusion that crossed his face at atsumu’s answer, “…what are you talking about?”

atsumu doesn’t hesitate pulling out his phone and showing his teammates a music video, everyone huddling around him out of genuine curiosity. he’s still in genuine disbelief but there’s a light in his eyes when you appear on screen, “see that one in the middle? crushin’ the choreo? went to the same high school as ‘em.”

managed to get the entire team to become fans of your group. mostly because he can’t stop singing your songs during practices and sending them out of context clips from variety shows in the group chat. lowkey got a lil >:( when bokuto said that you were his fave member as well.

after a couple of months being a fan of your group, he genuinely couldn’t believe his luck when he runs into you one random morning on the way to the gym.

“holy sh- ln yn ?!?” his eyes go wide and atsumu’s sure he forgot how to breathe for a couple of seconds. how are you here?

“miya, miya atsumu! how long has it been?”

your smile is as warm and as bright as he remembers and his heart stops when you pull him in for a quick one-armed hug. hold on…you actually remember him?

“ya know who i am?” atsumu points to himself, making you chuckle.

“of course, i do. not everyone i go to high school with becomes super famous.”

“…i could say the same.”

atsumu would have loved to skip working out and talk to you, but your manager was asking you to huury up. so you exchange numbers and make plans to hang out and catch up soon. also, atsumu literally skipped into the next practice going, “guess who i ran intooooo?”

given your very busy schedules, it was difficult to find time to actually hang out in person. but whenever you’re not in the studio or promoting and whenever he’s not practicing or working out, you’d be texting, calling, or video chatting each other.

while atsumu has been a fan of your group for quite some time, you grow to become close friends before he actually develops romantic feelings for you. though the two of you attempt to keep your friendship on the down low, some eagle-eyed fans can’t help but make cute lil picture and video edits after seeing you photographed together and — after some research — finding out that you actually went to the same high school.

he confesses during one of your groups concerts. the entirety of msby are in the front row with him as — like i mentioned — atsumu has all turned them into fans of your group’s music.

atsumu brings a giant homemade banner with the words “i love you, ln yn” written in glitter and covered with heart-shaped stickers. he grins when you catch sight of him and the banner, cheering you on loudly for the entirety of the concert.

“did you mean it?” you ask after the show ends, trying to fight the smile on your face as atsumu has somehow stumbled into your dressing room. though you think your members and his teammates may have something to do with it.

atsumu walks towards you, smiling as he pulls you in closer, “i don’t spend five hours makin’ a banner for just about anyone, ya know?”

❥ kageyama t.

almost drops his phone when he sees your familiar face. oh gosh…he knows you!! kageyama’s mind flashes to his years at karasuno: seeing you in class or by the vending machines, in the stands at most of the games, practicing with the dance team in one of the empty classrooms. he immediately texts hinata once he has confirmed in his mind that it’s actually you.

[ kageyama tobio ] : hey boke! do you remember ln yn from high school? they’re famous now!

[ hinata shoyo ] : so cool, right?? yamaguchi, yachi, and i went to their group’s concert last year :D did you not know about them?

[ kageyama tobio ] : no ???

hinata pretty much bursts into his apartment within the next hour of texting him, determined to convert kageyama into a fan of your group. he would have brought along yamaguchi and yachi had they not been busy with work :>

anyways, kagayama listens to hinata very intently as he essentially gave a crash course on you and your group : everything from the members, the concepts you’ve explored, the music, and fan culture in general.

“this is a photo card,” hinata explains, handing him the photo of one of your members, “they usually come with albums. i got lucky because i pulled my favorite member.”

kageyama has never been genuinely this interested in something that isn’t volleyball. he finds all of it just so fascinating. the music videos, the variety show appearances, the fancams, the photo and video edits, the fanfiction ??? and the fact that you, someone he’s familiar with, are a part of it all is just so intriguing to him.

in the beginning, his sort of deep dive into you and your group was something only out of fascination and curiosity, but as time goes on and he listens to more of the music and watches more of the interviews and appearances, kageyama becomes a genuine fan.

he asks hinata, yachi, and yamaguchi to help out a little when he wants to buy merch and albums or just generally figuring out ways of supporting you and your group. tsukishima finds it incredibly amusing and endearing seeing his four friends practice choreography in his living room, so he takes a video of them and — with their permission — posts it on social media. it goes viral almost immediately.

you end up sending a dm to all five of them and ask if they ever want to meet up and hang out. without thinking or asking if anyone else would be available at the same time, kageyama accepts.

when he finds out that no one else would be free, his mind goes into overdrive: what does he wear? how does he act? are you going to comment on his dancing?

“are you wearing a disguise?” you ask, trying not to laugh at kageyama’s choice of clothing: a hoodie, a hat, and sunglasses.

“what if your fans see us? wouldn’t that cause trouble for you?”

you wave his worries off with a smile, “nah, they’re really cool. don’t worry.”

kageyama grows more at ease as time passes by and you reminisce all the time you spent in karasuno. when you get called into practice, he asks for your phone number and (of course) you give it to him. soon enough, you’re talking almost everyday and hanging out every chance you get, even integrating yourself into the friend group. the idol!yn that he’s built up in his head slowly disappears as you grow closer, and just like that…kageyama begins to fall for you, ln yn.

insanely nervous when he comes to this realization, immediately calling up the rest of the karasuno first years. yamaguchi, hinata, and yachi are excited for him while tsukishima just gives him a smirk, “took you long enough. getting kinda sick of you talking about them all the time.”

his friends help him in getting a ticket to one of your group’s fansigns. his hands are sweaty as it nears his turn and he come closer to you. kageyama has to remind himself to keep breathing.

“i see you’re wearing a disguise again,” you smile, immediately seeing through his hat, hoodie, sunglasses combo the second he reaches you and hands you a poster, “got anything you want me to write?”

“how about,” he takes a breath, “i like you.”

“…what?”

“yn, i really like you.”

❥ oikawa t.

there’s a weird surge of amazement and pride that rushes through him. woah…someone he used to know is now an idol! it’s not that the two of you were particularly close during your school days, but he does remember seeing you during games or being in group projects together. you had always been sweet and kind and it’s nice to see you being so successful.

goes through your social media posts as well as the tweets and comments from your fans, watches a couple of music videos, listens to your group’s debut album, and watches a couple of interviews and variety show appearances. oikawa has a huge smile on his face the entire time; you’ve changed so much, but at the same time, you’re still the ln yn that he remembers. after the initial dive into your group, oikawa’s certainly bold enough to send you a dm.

[ @ tooruoikawa ] : hi yn! not too sure if you remember me, but we went to seijoh together :D just dropping by to say that it’s so cool that you’re doing what you love and performing. i’ve recently started listening to your group’s music and it’s really good !!! keep it up !!

[ @ lnyn ] : how could i possibly forget oikawa tooru of all people? and he listens to our music too? thanks for checking our stuff out :) how have you been doing?

you end up spending the rest of your day messaging each other, catching the other up on what you have been up to for the past few years. oikawa doesn’t even realize that hours have gone by until he looks to his living room window to find the moon and the stars out.

talking to you has always been incredibly easy for oikawa and part of him couldn’t help but wonder why you hadn’t been closer during your years at seijoh. not gonna lie, he was feeling the slightest bit giddy as conversations between the two of you increased with each passing day.

eventually, the two of you find out that you support similar charity organizations. oikawa supports one for underfunded school sports programs while you support one in the arts. he ends up having his favorite lightbulb moment by suggesting that the two of you start some sort of charity livestream.

both yours and his managers immediately agreed to the idea as it was a good way to help your individual causes and great pr for your group and his team.

“you may be wondering,” oikawa grins to the camera before turning to face you, “how do these two possibly know each other? fun fact, we actually went to the same high school.”

you nod, employing a somewhat teasing tone as you speak, “another fun fact, he was just as popular then as he is now.”

the event was a huge success, the two of you ended up raising more money than expected. it also came with the unexpected side effect of yours and oikawa’s fans shipping the hell out of the two of you.

photo and video edits, fanfiction, you name it, there was something on the internet about #ynkawa >:) oikawa engages the fan base and comments on the edits that he thinks are cool and sends you some of the fics that he finds interesting: “look at this yn !!! didn’t know you had a crush on me in high school ;))” / “i didn’t, but this fic was pretty good.”

over time, the two of you do more videos and appearances together. you’ve taught him choreography and cheered for him during games and oikawa taught you how to play volleyball and goes to every single concert he can. (a video of him doing the fan chant with his whole heart went viral)

you and oikawa only grow closer. he admires your talent, your drive, and the passion that you have for music, it’s barely a surprise to himself that he would end up falling for you. the truth doesn’t come out until you do a video appearance together that involved a lie detector.

“this really good question comes from @ tooruandyn4ever,” you chuckle as you read the username, “do you have a crush on me, yn ln?”

panic builds from the pit of oikawa’s stomach as he stutters out the quietest, “no.”

“final answer?”

“mhmm.”

the lie detector buzzes and whirs and both of you hold your breaths in anticipation…lie !

“anything you wanna tell me, tooru?” you smirk, despite your heart racing a million miles a second.

“didn’t think i’d get exposed today,” he nervously laughs, “but yeah, there is something i wanna tell you. i’ll wait ’til the cameras are off though.”

— see if you can request something here.

taglist : @haikyuutothetop @crystal-lilac @tobioespresso @sushijimawakatoshi @itsmeaudrieee @pantherhappy @jesssobs @mysticstrawberryballoon @cloudedsky29 @sakusasimpbot @aoirohi @kokogxddess @livy384 @itachislut @crapimahuman @dkeela @duhsies @rmjace @atzuums @sanchooinc @sassyglassesbunny @cemeiia @nikiniki743 @savantsoulfinder @miyadarling @rinsangel @asaitashi @tooru--o

join my hq taglist here. <3

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adamarinayu · 3 years

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Since I can’t draw right now (it’s like 1 AM) I decided I’d just write things down about Domestic DUno AU (I still don’t have a proper name for it!!) so here we go~

Info below the cut to spare the mobile users my ramblings~~

BACKSTORY STUFF

-Donald first became PK as a teenager (14 or 15), pulling petty pranks and avenging perceived wrongdoings. He ended up accidentally becoming a hero after stopping a thief and unknowingly saving a young girl’s life, and he realized he could direct his temper, anger and frustration not at making other people miserable, but at protecting others. Gyro, who went to school with Donald (Donald and Della attended a private school that would accommodate their adventure schedule; Gyro, being the absolute genius he is, attended on a scholarship) was there and ended up helping, being the one to inadvertently provide PK with the weapon he fended off the criminals with. PK talked to Gyro and the two became partners in crime-fighting that way.

-After deciding to become a hero, it was small-town villains mostly that he dealt with. Thieves, and the like. He didn’t start fighting mutants and those kinds of things until he was 17 or so, and the Evronians didn’t show up until he was 18. This is when Scrooge gave him a summer job at his newly acquired tower, figuring since Donald didn’t want to go with him and Della on a three-month adventure (as Donald was needed in Duckburg, he couldn’t be gone for three months!!) then he may as well work and earn a little money. As Duckworth was still alive, Duckworth was in charge of the manor, so Donald didn’t need to worry about upkeeping the mansion.

-Donald met Uno after a failed attempt to fight the Evronians, and they partnered up, with Uno providing Donald with otherworldly advanced tech that Gyro... would probably understand if given the time and chance (come on, he built a time machine out of a bathtub, he could totally understand future tech). After the first battle with the Evronians that Donald eventually wins, he realized that the game had just just 10x more dangerous. Between working on his doctorate and interning for Scrooge’s science department (something the scientists working for Scrooge were salty about), Gyro didn’t have much time to work on new and improved inventions for PK so when Uno contacted Gyro about him stepping down from helping PK, Gyro agreed, acknowledging that the mysterious Uno Ducklair would probably be a better benefactor for the hero. He didn’t know PK’s identity, though, so he didn’t take the memory erasing candy. Instead he focused on his work.

-Years passed this way, with Donald and Uno working together. Of course Donald had his other adventures, such as with Jose and Panchito and Mickey and all them lovely folks, but Uno was his closest confidante and biggest supporter. He was the one he vented his frustrations with Della and Scrooge to, and the one to give him advice on how to deal with it and talk to them about it all.

-At some point during this time, Gladstone finds out Donald is PK. Of course it happens in the typical Lucky way- him finding out saved Donald’s life. Gladstone is shaken up by the knowledge that his cousin/brother is in danger every day and has almost died multiple times. Gladstone becomes a sort of third member of the whole Crime Fighting thing, yep, you heard it right, Cloverleaf is real here. He figures if he’s out in the field with Donald, then Donald will never die because of Gladstone’s supernaturally good luck. Uno, while frustrated with Gladstone’s unpredictable and illogical luck, accepts this. Donald is less keen because he doesn’t want Gladstone in danger’s path but when the gander makes up his mind it’s made up, yo.

-PK and Cloverleaf (CL from here on out) and Uno work together for 3 years before the Spear of Selene incident, where Donald is suddenly left with three eggs. Donald’s priorities now shifted, he quits being a hero and buys the houseboat so he can raise the triplets without Scrooge’s influence. Gladstone does what he can to help while trying to continue to protect Duckburg, and while watching CL on the news Donald has the sudden realization that Duckburg still needs him- new parent or not. So he (metaphorically!!) throws the eggs into their pram, rushes to Ducklair Tower, begs Lyla to watch the eggs for him and rushes off to CL’s aid.

-After the danger is over, Donald collects the eggs, thanks Lyla for her help, then meets up with CL and Uno on the 151st floor where they have a serious conversation. Donald acknowledges that Duckburg still needs PK, but Della’s children also need him. The three eventually come to the conclusion that the kids would be raised by PK and Uno there in the Tower, where they would be safe- and they would be trained so they’re ready for anything thrown at them. (Gladstone is actually the one who is like “nah cuz you be their dad I’m not cut out for that, I’ll be the cool uncle, I don’t wanna live in the tower! No offense Uno” so it isn’t like Donald just decided to leave him out of the parenting)

-The eggs hatch and Donald names them sensible (AKA not Della’s list) names (and pronounces Llewellyn correctly dammit) and Donald and Uno have a time learning hands-on how to be parents. (“I’ve read twenty different parenting guides in the last five seconds and they’re all saying different things, Donald, WHAT DO WE DO-”) The whole “raising kids together” thing brings them even closer than before and forces them to have a chat about their feelings, too.

-When the triplets are small and starting to run around, Uno baby proofs everything. He has a hard time keeping them from escaping their playpen (which is essentially a huge room with an amazing view of the city, he doesn’t know why they’re so intent on escaping). Then eventually the inevitable happens- both Don and Glad end up stuck on the other side of the world for nearly a whole month, and Uno realizes taking care of three toddlers is much easier when you have a body. So while they’re gone, he balances his time between advising them on their mission, taking care of the triplets and building an android body that can handle an AI as advanced as him (throw out that “an AI who is only good could never make a full person” shit cuz Uno can be petty as hell, he’s a whole ass person even without Due yo). By the time Don and Glad get back he’s testing his prototype. Donald is thrilled, of course- his boyfriend has a body now!

-The triplets gain a sister! Everett brings a child to them one day, a little Coronan girl who was for reasons I haven’t decided yet cast out of her family and Everett, with his weird Enlightened Powers shit, went and found her and brought her back to the people he knew would take care of her well (considering his own past failures...). And so the triplets have a little sister who is an alien! Yee! Yes it’s Asveya (Ve). She came to them when she was ~2 and the triplets were 3 or 4, and as she didn’t have a name Donald named her after a friend he met as a child, when he regularly adventured with Scrooge and Della, and whom he ended up meeting again as a young adult.

-Uno perfects the body over time as he learns more things about being a person (he very purposefully leaves out pain receptors, though he includes the best parts of being a physical person ofc- he wants his cake and he wants to eat it too!). Everett decides now that Uno has a body, it was time to introduce him as his son officially and hand the business over to him (stating that it’ll be good for the kids if at least one of their parents had a proper job and income, since savings don’t last forever), and as the kids get older Donald begins training them so they’ll be able to take care of/protect themselves if need be. Uno creates a training field/obstacle course that is fun and age-appropriate, and by the time they’re ten they’re like little superheroes in training. They can give Webby a run for her money. Ve is less interested in being like PK and more interested in being like Uno- AKA the techie behind the gadgets.

-The triplets are already playing with some rudimentary pieces of tech Ve made, playing like they’re superheroes (or villains, gotta have someone to fight!). Uno finds out when he reviews the Tower footage and immediately confiscates anything that can be dangerous, but lets them keep the more innocent stuff.

MODERN DAY STUFF (AKA the time the show takes place)

-As the kids got older Donald and Uno allowed them more freedom, even letting them go out on their own (with the promise of being back before dark, not telling anyone what their parents did for a living, they all stuck together and they didn’t speak to strangers beyond what was necessary). When the triplets were 10 and Ve was 8 or 9, Uno learned that a powerful artifact (not the gem) was in Atlantis and that if a villain got their hands on it, it would be... very bad. So Donald decides it’s time to put on his metaphorical adventure shoes again and go get it. By this time Gladstone got trapped in the casino (Uno has been looking for him, after not hearing from him for over a week) and Uno had a Big Business thing to attend, real important too, so they talk about getting a babysitter for the weekend they’ll be gone. The kids manage to convince them they don’t need one, as they’ll be safe in the 151st floor (“We’ll be safer there than anywhere else, right, Uncle Uno?”). Donald tried to call Lyla but she was unfortunately in the field, so he agreed to let them stay home on their own until Uno got back (Uno did the math and figured he could stay for a few hours to just make a good faith appearance, talk business with some stooges and then come home the same day).

-Of course, the kids get caught. Uno had already left out for his business thing at like 5 AM, and Donald was about to head out to Atlantis in one of the Duckmobiles. He happened to check on a whim the back of the mobile, where he found his surprised ducklings staring wide-eyed up at him. He knew then that he needed to cash in on a favour- he called Beakley and then drove the protesting children to the mansion. (“Come on, Unca’ Donald!” “It’s a mansion! We wanna go to the lost city, too!” “Come on, we’ve been doing real good in training!” “Please, dad? We promise we’ll listen!”) The excitement over meeting THE Scrooge McDuck is overshadowed by the disappointment that they can’t go on this mission.

-Besides, who cares about a mansion and a rich adventuring duck when your parents and uncle are not only rich adventurers, but they’re also superheroes???

-Donald gives them a forehead kiss goodbye and heads off, and Scrooge has Beakley put the kids in that old room. “It’ll only be a few hours” they said. “Until Uno gets back.” Unfortunately, Uno calls Louie and tells the duckling there’s been a problem and he won’t be back until later- Donald already informed him of the changed arrangements and he’s already contacted Beakley.

-The kids decide to escape the old room, putting their hero training into action, but are ultimately swept up into Webby’s trap. Webby is super excited to meet them when she realizes who they are (though she has no idea who Ve is), and she cuts them down from the net without them having to escape themselves. The kids know they’re not supposed to let anyone know about the “hero family” thing so try to act like normal kids, though it becomes apparent Webby doesn’t know how to be a normal kid either.

-Through shenanigans, the children inspire Scrooge to adventure again, and Dewey lets slip about lost cities and Scrooge has a moment of realization. Thus, he drags the kids to Atlantis with him. While there, the kids each get a chance to show off their moves (which they’re SUPPOSED TO HIDE but you know, when arrows are flying at you ain’t got no time to hide). Donald is pissed when he notices them in Atlantis, and Uno is pissed when he calls Donald and learns the kids are in Atlantis, right where they are NOT supposed to be.

-Things pretty much follow the episode, though with the triplets able to hold their own and Donald gunning for a completely different artifact. When they escape and get back to the surface with their respective artifacts, they’re met by a livid android who absolutely chews Scrooge out for dragging four ten year olds and an eight year old to a dangerous place like that.

-Donald decides that it might be okay for the kids to visit with Scrooge sometimes, to get a little real-world experience, and at precisely that moment something crashes into the 151st floor of Ducklair Tower. Uno is absolutely furious (“MY TOWER???”) cuz that’s gonna take a bit to fix- at the very least it’ll appear to take a while- and when the kids question “what now?” Scrooge offers up some rooms in the mansion. The kids are excited cuz they’ll get to live with Webby and explore a new place. Donald and Uno say “just until the tower is fixed” (Gladstone had Donald’s boat at the time he went missing so Donald doesn’t have it) which is good enough for the kids.

-Scrooge being sus of Uno for like a whole arc cuz he’d never heard of Uno Ducklair before recently and also his nephew?? got married???

-Gladstone finally gets a message out to Don and Uno for help, and they go immediately- but not before Scrooge makes it a family adventure. Scrooge is disparaging of Gladstone, but Donald is just worried about his cousin. They manage to save Gladstone without pseudo-sacrificing anyone. Scrooge gets a little sus when they get back to Duckburg, and days later the missing Cloverleaf has shown up again.

-HDLV ended up spilling the truth to Webby as she got closer with them, but they swore her to secrecy. Of course Beakley found out because Webby is a terrible liar.

**So basically Donald + Uno parents, a kid that calls them her dads, good Uncle Gladstone, Brotherly Gladstone + Donald, Competent Cloverleaf, PK + Cloverleaf teamup, little-hero triplets. Gyro will end up teaming up with Gizmoduck when Fenton takes up heroing, too, just like Launchpad teams up with DW (DW’s story for this AU will be different, also, just a heads up) and basically all their combined kids become a badass team of children (Huey, Dewey, Louie, Webby, Ve, Boyd, Gos, and of course Lena and Violet join in later...) Gyro teams up with Gizmoduck because every hero needs a tech guy (even heroes who are also scientists....) and he’s not only very capable, he’s worked with a hero before so he knows the ins and outs :D

However it is now 2 AM and I need to sleep so I’m gonna end my musings here but I am thinking of them so much right now I’m

#Domestic DUno AU #I still need a proper title for it #DT17 AU #PK AU #DUno #I miiiight add some Drakepad and Fenro.......#I'm a sucker for hero/sidekick pairings #Also featuring science family!#I like Gandra I really do but the hero/sidekick mannn #I mean Fenton had two hands so maybe.................

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frecklef0x · 3 years

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Mass Effect 1: Playthrough Masterpost

At last, I have finished Mass Effect 1!

I have heard some mutuals say they wish they could play it again for the first time, and you kind of can--through me! I’ve been posting little “episodes” of live-tweet-stream-of-consciousness as I play, and now I’ve compiled them into one post to make my life easier.

Anyway, here’s the first one, the rest are under the cut. :)

frecklef0x plays mass effect: (ME1) episode one

My ass looks great in this uniform, first of all

Impaled robo zombies, yikes

Cheap shot, Saren, smh. How will I pass my spectre test now?!

Why does he have robot eyes? Is he like, Geth-Turian? Why? Is he a robo zombie also? Was it the beacon???

Cool beacon nightmares, I'm sure this is fine

This Kaiden guy has implants? ORTEGA?!??!?

"Call me princess again and you'll be picking your teeth up off the floor" lol obliterated

The citadel elevators are very realistic, five minutes of tense silence huh

Ya girl got a PROMOTION and a DOPE SQUAD time to catch a TRAITOR

frecklef0x plays mass effect: (ME1) episode two

First things first, gotta go find the blue scientist to join the gang

This galaxy is HUGE! How many of these places will I actually be able to go?!

Only two friends at a time????? D:

Ah, a distress signal, let's see wha--A DESERT CENTIPEDE NOPE ABORT ABORT

Robo aliens? In MY Theronian mining facility? Its more likely than you think

Running over dudes in my Mako is extremely satisfying tbh

*runs over geth troopers* *runs over geth armature* *runs over geth colossus* ... *backs over geth colossus*

Working elevators in the ancient ruins ✔

Oooooooh man hope this nerd is gay

Wrex, a friend of yours? Nope, not a friend, too murdery

"ShAaaAame about the ruins Shep, sOooOo much collatoral damage, SHEP" stfu Council, "ruthless" was in the resume when you promoted us, 10/10 would shoot lasers through archeological digs again

When Kaiden calls us "ma'am" I am, uh, into it

frecklef0x plays mass effect: (ME1) episode three

Time to talk to the gang! Gotta meet the fam proper

Oh dear seems we got a shmee of racism on board, compatriots

Wow Raina, good foot-in-mouth moment with Wrex there huh...sorry about the eventual extinction of your race, lost this round of Pain Olympics

OH SHIT OH SHIT BLUE HOTTIE BIGENDER? THIS IS NOT A DRILL???

“hi I’m Kaiden wanna hear about my last crush ;)” “hi I’m Liara wanna hear about Asari mating rituals? ;)))” damn we really slidin right into the DMs no chill

Garrus: fuck rules and red tape amiright Raina: oh u right ;)

Guess I’ll actually do a mission now LETS GO LESBIANS LETS GO

Honestly rolling out with Tali and Liara is a mood, squad goals

Raina @ every corporation on Noveria: I would sell you to satan for one(1) corn chip

This reactivation puzzle is some shit

I see some Mistakes were made

We already killing moms at this stage damn BioWare

FUCK FUCK BENEZIA KILLED ME AND I LOST A FUCKTON OF PLAYTIME

THERES LIKE NO AUTOSAVE IN THIS BITCH FUUUUUUUUU

fuck fuck fuck god damn it gotta shoot a bunch of deranged baby bug people again god DAMN IT

Okay we killed Liara’s mom in front of her hope that’s fine

And we let mama bug go free because after talking to Wrex, Raina’s like “this galaxy is a little trigger happy with the genocide, good luck out there bug mama ❤️ be cool please”

I have literally watched the scientist in the hot labs get killed three times now

So far the debreifs with the council have not gone very well

“You let bug mama go?! How many generations until they take over everything???” “My money’s on two :D Place your bets now assholes or stfu :DDD”

Asked Liara if she was okay and she seems pretty Cool With It

I hope to one day return to Noveria and Death Star it into oblivion

frecklef0x plays mass effect: (ME1) episode four

Talked with Tali and this situation with the Geth and the Quarians is giving me an existential crisis

You “inspect” my beautiful ship? You got somethin’ to say about my crew??? Talk shit get hit, bitch I will kill you

Yoooo my old earth gang, yeah what the hell, I’ll help ou—oh nope nvm he’s a xenophobe, you hang him and I’ll shoot his friend in the face, thx for your time

Went to the citadel to finish some assignments, left tasked with twice as many

“dOn’T cUt CoRneRs” fear not dear Kaiden, I have a permit: this piece of paper that says I do what I want

Still with the elevators, I really cannot with this

“You make it all sound so...dangerous...” ;) ;))))))

frecklef0x plays mass effect: (ME1) episode five

Headin’ to Virmire to rendezvous with the Salarian team

A cure for the genophase?!?!?! :D

Oh wait oh no are we for real gonna talk about destroying the cure like Wrex isn’t standing right here omg

SHIT GUYS NO NOT LIKE THIS WREX PLEASE

Phew for a conversation that basically started with guns drawn, it went pretty well... “What Saren has isn’t even a proper cure, he’s just fucking with the Krogans at this point. Are we gonna stand for that? Or are we gonna murder?” “Damn Shep, you right, we gon’ murder”

Okay Ashley, go join the aliens, try not to die

Shadow Team!🎵 tearing through the base 🎶 disabling all the defenses 🎵 (you gotta sing it to the tune of the Trogdor song)

We free the prisoners!!! :)

We shoot the prisoners??? :(

“Raina? How can you shoot them where they stand?” So it’s more merciful to let them explode? NAH FAM

This scientist is responsible for the mind control stuff? For Benezia? Fine I’ll let her go but I hope she explodes

We did not learn our lesson concerning beacons I see

Wait if even Saren is worried about his mind control ship does that mean there are larger forces involved here?

Oh. Oh fuck

Ugh Ashley I EXPLICITLY TOLD YOU NOT TO DIE

(so we really never found any info about that genophase cure huh? disappointing)

Oh Seren, you dumb dumb. You absolute fool. Clown man.

When Raina slings Kaiden over her shoulder to carry him to the ship—mmmmmmmmwoooow I am very bisexual

Bruh Raina takes every council call and she disconnects pissed off every time

WAIT I literally just hung up with the council, ASHLEY is DEAD, and Kaiden needs a DTR RIGHT NOW?!?!? Boy, NO, READ THE ROOM

This has been a stressful day

frecklef0x plays mass effect: (ME1) episode six

Shepard will avoid her feelings and go to Faros instead

Seeing Ashley’s figure greyed out and her locker inaccessible makes me sad

Wrex and Garrus, let’s go shoot some geth 💪

A mind controlling planet—of course!

Shep gets all her renegade points shooting capitalists

Saved, uh, about half the colonists

If I have one more bad acid trip I stg

Oh nope here’s another one

Shep needs a nap

frecklef0x plays mass effect: (ME1) episode seven

Ah, the council. Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal.

At least Liara is good at pep talks ;)

Joker, you cockblock

Haha DUDE we airborne, you THOUGHT

Now that I am exiled from the Citadel, guess I’ll run some galactic errands:

o Killed corporate scientists who though we would rescue them lol

o Destroyed a bunch of geth camps helping Tali on her pilgrimage

o Disabled a nuke and killed some pirates

o Shut down some evil Cerberus experiments

o And illegally traded information!

Okay time to get back on track

So we may or may not be flying to our doom

OH GOD LIARA LOVES ME!!! RAINA, YOU DISASTER, YOU DID IT AAAAAH ❤️❤️❤️

frecklef0x plays mass effect: (ME1) episode eight

You know what I love? Being murdered by geth armatures

All these Ilos ruins be looking the same

Security panel is only kinda helpful

Oh, luckily I know Prothean now!

“CANNOT BE STOPPED” wow very encouraging, thanks

After that super motivating message and disabling security, its time to go down, down to goblin town

Vigil? Oh word?

My girlfriend is GEEKING out

I knew something what wrong with that fucking Citadel

Vigil: information is power. Also Vigil: What does it matter why they do what they do? All that matters is you stop them

“non-essential” personnel die first, huh? GROSS, VIGIL (gotta be honest that hits different in 2020)

Garrus gets it, I knew we liked that guy

Okay, find conduit, save galaxy, break millennium-old genocide cyle, nbd

Ugh Mako you gotta do me dirty one last time I see, I hate this thing

THE CONDUIT STRAIGHT YEETED MAKO

The citadel robot says we’re doomed : )

This shootout is SO fun, seriously

Saren get it toGETHER

Renegade Raina can kill with a conversation apparently, well done then

Concentrate on the Sovereign—why am I gonna save a council that hates my guts, sorry, but I have a JOB to DO that you ACTIVELY HINDERED

Great, zombie husk Saren, just what I needed as I mull over the possible consequences of my galaxy-altering decision

GO JOKER GO

Humanity-only council seems…questionable. Raina didn’t love the council but this sits wrong. Couldn’t we just appoint a more diverse council, including a human?

Anderson seems like a good enough dude, so…we’ll see.

TIME FOR WAR BOYS, GODDAMN WHAT A GAME

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fizzingwizard · 3 years

Text

So I’m sure you’re ALL on tenterhooks to find out what I thought of episode 36... the answer is.... LOVED IT!!!! No I really did. If you like Taishiro friendship, this is an essential episode to watch. Doesn’t blow me out of the water, but still just good.

Although Taichi has a big something to do as usual, it’s still very much a Koushirou episode. FREAKING YAY. I have a dozen thoughts about it, and what bugs me the most, of course, is how we needed this episode AGES ago ugh. But we’ve now had two or three episodes in a row that have actually felt like Digimon Adventure, so perhaps all that finger-crossing is working?

They could unravel all that good work in a minute by never addressing it again... or not letting Koushirou show his personality unless it’s his “turn” for an episode from here on... but you know, I will cross that bridge when we come to it.

Pic of the day:

“I don’t like people. But they are occasionally useful.” - 2020 Izumi Koushirou’s life lesson, lmao

*The red strip at the top is about the big earthquake that hit Eastern Japan yesterday. It’s annoying to have it there for the entire episode - usually they only stick around for a couple minutes - but this WAS a large earthquake. It caused many people to lose power. So making sure everyone knows what’s going takes precedence over Sunday morning cartoons. (I’m in Osaka and didn’t even feel it, but my friends in Tokyo prefecture very much did.)

Lots and LOTS of ranting from a rabid Taishiro fan under the cut!

(also I didn’t check for typos so. yeah)

The episode starts right off by assuring us this is a Koushirou episode. We get the trademark Izumi Koushirou floating in the void of space sequence, which is excellent and very encouraging framing.

Koushirou Kenobi: “Use the force, Taichi.”

Taichi: “Use it yourself.”

(the episode in a nutshell)

The initial thing that bugged me - okay, so the kids got separated for the umpteenth time many episodes ago, and since then we’ve stuck to Taichi like barnacles. The only glimpses we’d get of the other kids showed: Yamato running towards something, Koushirou flying towards something while researching the satellite malfunction, Jou in the hot springs, and Mimi at the crystal caves. For Jou and Mimi, I don’t care, because they never tried to move, but Yamato and Koushirou were constantly moving. Yet, in the end, it’s Taichi’s group that catches up with Koushirou, rather than the other way around. It DOES make sense - it seems like Koushirou told them to “meet at the giant gold pillar” because that’s where they needed to be to save the world, so it became the rendezvous point. But it just bugs me because, once again, all the activity is on Taichi’s side. But that’s a minor quibble. The end result is still THIS:

More of the team is together!!! Taichi and Koushirou are together!!! Yaaayy!!!

... the betting pool for how long it will be till the next separation is now open >.>

Poor Komodomon’s long mop dog fur is so dirty. “Fizz his fur always looks like that.” He’s tracking mud everywhere. “Fizz look at his ears his fur is supposed to look that way.” Next episode - everyone gives Komondomon a bath.

So the start of this episode is just a bunch of talking about how dire things are with the satellite situation. I’m not gonna bother translating. Watch the sub when it’s out if you really want to know :P The important thing is, the gold pillar is directly causing the malfunction, no one on Earth can stop the satellite from plummeting to Tokyo, the city is being evacuated, and there are only 20 minutes till impact.

Koushirou has an elaborate plan which Sora adorably sums up as “So, we’re gonna shoot it out of the sky *makes punching motion*”

The crux of Koushirou’s plan hinges on a repeat of how Omegamon saved Tokyo from the missile way back in like, episode 2 or 3. Taichi says, “Yeah, but I barely remember how we did that.” Which is hilarious because I don’t remember either because it was 30 EPISODES AGO. Once again this episode feels like it was meant to happen WAY EARLIER THAN IT DID. It’s just weird to be referencing something that happened 30 episodes ago after everything else that’s happened, AND on top of that, there are many references in this episode and none from later than like, episode 10 or 12. Making this all seem very oddly timed.

I’m not quite sure if, within the story itself, it matters that Taichi “doesn’t remember well.” He also doesn’t remember the Devimon battle where he and Agumon were infected with dark energy. That one makes sense for him not to remember. If that hadn’t happened, I would just take his “I don’t remember how we stopped the missile” to just mean it was so long ago. But together, it’s making me wonder if something else is going on.

Or maybe Taichi’s just been hit on the head one too many times (okay, that seems the most likely of all, haha)

People of Tokyo: Is it Godzilla again? I heard he’s itching to fight King Kong. You know, given how often our city is attacked by kaiju, some might wonder why we haven’t moved away by now. But home is home, ya know?

The group sets up to fly to the peak of the gold pillar. Obviously, without Yamato, there’s no Omegamon. No one points this out, but Koushirou seems very stressed with his plan, and it seems that he contacted Taichi in the first place because he thought “Taichi’s the one who can pull this off.”

After hearing the plan, Taichi shoots him through the heart with another “Koushirou, you’re so awesome!” and YAY I MISSED THIS SO MUCH!!!!!! *sobs*

Then he does his best to reassure Koushirou by remaining positive and determined that they can and will do this no matter how much Koushirou waves. The majority of the episode is them flying up the pillar while being assaulted by enemies trying to stop them, so it’s not like they get to talk about their feelings (lol). But at least we get a bunch of close ups of Koushirou’s and Taichi’s expressions, and that’s how we see this dynamic in play. Yes, Koushirou is the brainy one who made the plan, but he doesn’t have the confidence to take the lead, so he handed the reins to Taichi. As for Taichi - yes he has the confidence, yes he can do it... but he also has absolute faith in Koushirou. So that’s why this episode makes my little Koushirou fanatic heart skip a beat.

First of the enemies is this guy, aptly named BladeKuwagamon.

They’re actually pretty scary! They do real damage. (Blood in Digimon word is glowy unicorn-like stuff haha). Birdramon gets stabbed, but before Sora can get too upset, she just yanks the blade out of her chest...

... and then crushes it into dust with her beak.

Sora: Holy crap, my partner is metal AF.

Forgot to mention earlier but 5 whole minutes of the 20 minute countdown are used up just by digivolving apparently xD Taichi keeps asking Koushirou “how much time is left” and Koushirou’s panic grows more visible with each passing second...

MetaLiffeKuwagemon looks cooler than he is. Supposedly he’s there to bring out the big guns, but to be honest...

... the BladeKuwagamon don’t seem to need the help :P The enemy’s strategy is obvious: isolate each member of the team to prevent anyone from getting to the top. This is why Koushirou’s so stressed: he’s got a plan that is totally reliant on there being a leader strong enough to pull it off AND there being enough backup to protect that leader from the large number of enemies. And Koushirou doesn’t like these odds.

Garudamon gets stabbed AGAIN

Sora: Go on, we’ll be fine.

Taichi: Are you sure??

Garudamon: *DESTROYS EVERYTHING WITH FIRE*

I MEAN HONESTLY! Garudamon is not only my favorite of Piyomon’s evolutions, it’s pretty much my favorite Adventure evolution. Always has been since I was 11 years old. And she (and Sora) NEVER get that credit. Like. Growing up, with US dub Adventure, I interpreted Sora as more of a straight up tomboy than she is in the original. That’s okay, that’s whatever, but what was most important to me was that I saw her as the third “strong” member along with Taichi and Yamato. Those two were clearly in a class above her, but I saw her as being in the same “Taiorato” league. Garudamon seemed to prove that: she was so cool, so powerful, and... yeah, I just always thought she had so much potential to be awesome and never got why it wasn’t used. That’s also why I was disappointed in Tri - like, I liked Soushitsu, but I just wanted more from Sora’s arc. Same thing in Kizuna: I understand Sora’s arc, I don’t hate it or anything - I think it makes sense for her. But since I wanted something different for her all those years ago, it just left me feeling a bit flat.

but enough about other Digimon series :P Garudamon gets to be super cool here and I only hope we get to see more of it in this reboot. I’ll forgive it some of its other mistakes if we do :D

With Takeru/Hikari and Sora isolated by the BladeKuwagamon, it’s up to Taichi and Koushirou alone to race against the clock! Their teeth are clenched, sweat runs in rivulets down their skin, their hearts are pounding in desperation...

Koushirou: Taichi-san! If we don’t get to the top soon it’ll be too late!

Taichi: Just don’t call me late for dinner!

Koushirou: ASDFGHJKL;’ DAD JOKES NOW?? REALLY????????

MetaLiffeKuwagamon makes life that much harder by knocking them against the pillar. However, this is a pillar of data, which enabled the BladeKuwagamon to evolve into MetaLiffeKuwagamon in the first place. Bugs aren’t that bright.

Taichi and MetalGreymon are nearly submerged inside the pillar as a result, and then we get this sequence of red and black. The pillar had been emitting dark lightning, so I started to think... omg... is MetalGreymon gonna get a Dark Evolution???????

.... Nah. That would have made sense, but.... nah :P

Overall I’m glad though, because that would really have turned this into a Taichi episode instead of a Koushirou one.

I’m not personally certain what the point of bringing BlitzGreymon out was. I had figured he would be like, a super fast evolution that would enable them to make it to the top. That would also have turned this into a Taichi episode. But...

... Taichi tells Koushirou that he will have to go divert the satellite because Taichi has to deal with MetaLiffeKuwagamon.

I was both really pleased and really surprised. Because, again, now what’s the point of BlitzGreymon...? Why did we need a new Agumon evolution? There’s no particular reason why they couldn’t have just isolated Taichi with the enemy the same way the others were and had him tell Koushirou to keep going on his own then. They did do that, but first they gave him a new evolution. Why? Just because it’s cool?? I assume that must be the reason but we don’t even see BlitzGreymon fight xD It’s... it’s weird. But whatever.

Taichi: Go, Koushirou!!!!! You can do it!!!!!

Fiz: *dies a thousand brilliant deaths*

So, Koushirou tells Taichi that he can’t do it - he can support Taichi, but he can’t take the lead. Taichi’s just like that’s wack, dude, of course you can do it. What I LOVE about Taichi and Koushirou’s dynamic is just that: Taichi never sees Koushirou as a weakling. The fact that he’s small, or that he’s brains over brawn, or even that he’s kinda antisocial - those are all reasons an energetic, extroverted kid like Taichi might bully, or at least think poorly, of Koushirou.

But Taichi values Koushirou. He knows how hard he works and is impressed both by that hard work and his talent. What’s more, he doesn’t see Koushirou’s brains as his support system. The whole time Koushirou’s thinking he’s there to support Taichi with his plan, Taichi was thinking, “I’m here to support Koushirou’s plan.” That is SO, SO important. And that’s why I LOVE this episode. The one thing the reboot seemed to really understand, that hooked me from the start, was the way it just GOT Taichi and Koushirou. They each support and follow each other, while each feeling like the other is better than them. Ugh I could like, cry over Taishiro now... omg....

Taichi is successful in pushing Koushirou to go on, but of course Koushirou himself is still plagued with doubts. He reflects on how he’s always been fine being alone. He hasn’t particularly wanted friends and didn’t mind not having them, even though adults worried.

(Side note: this is a normal, if kinda rare, personality trait. I have it too. I always score Koushirou on “what Digimon character are you?” tests too lmao. Just like some people feel the need to be surrounded by others at all times, there are those whose social needs are very very low. I’m one of them. There’s nothing wrong with it except that even those people can get lonely and it’s easy to misunderstand them as shy or snobby. So what I love about Koushirou is, yes he learns to value his relationships more, but also learns to value himself. He is Koushirou: a brainy kid who’s happy on his own, but also happy with friends. While some people, like Mimi, struggle with that aspect of his personality, others, like Taichi, just accept it. To me that’s the best life lesson there is: there are always people who can and will be friends with you. Yes, I’ve lost friends because I just wasn’t social enough for them. But I have other friends who I’ve known for literal decades now. And I REALLY love those friends.)

Koushirou feels grateful that he has AlturKabuterimon, and also that he has Taichi. So... here he is, reflecting on the last time he had meaningful interaction with that great friend Taichi... back in episode three. -____________-

Seriously, this would mean a lot more if this dynamic had been built on continually until this episode...

Koushirou then briefly reflects on each of the other Chosen. Notably, every single solo image of them is from an episode that Koushirou either wasn’t in or wasn’t with them at the moment. Then we get this group image. It’s from EPISODE 12. (I’m actually not sure of the episode number but the point is, it’s from A LONG LONG TIME AGO. I think it’s the swamp episode??) That drives me NUTS. We shouldn’t have to reach soooo far back to find meaningful moments!!! Urk.

Koushirou makes it to the peak of the pillar and AlturKabuterimon attacks the satellite to drive it off course. We see the impression of what looks to be HerculesKabuterimon and I really thought we’d get an evolution - it seemed way more appropriate than freaking BlitzGreymon - but nope.

Oh well. Koushirou still saves the day. The people at home get to see the Crest of Knowledge take over their screens, hopefully giving rise to the idea that a nerd superhero is protecting them. Koushirou is the hero we deserve.

The satellite falls into the water. I was like, shouldn’t that cause a tsunami lol?

... be careful what you wish for >_>;

fortunately people were evacuated soooo things will be okay.

He did it!! He’s so happy! AlturKabuterimon’s triumphant holler is adorable.

Taichi and BlitzGreymon fought hard OFF SCREEN!! OFF SCREEN!! HIP HIP HOORAY! And then we get to see him leaning on Sora T_T could this episode give me any more perfect moments?? Looooove it

So yeah, if you can’t tell, I’m thrilled with this episode. There are just a couple things I would have liked to improve: better animation, at least one palpable heart to heart between Taichi and Koushirou, or just a bit more time spent explictly in Koushirou’s head - but honestly we got something that is pretty darn good, especially for this reboot. I hope we do get more like this, both for Koushirou and for the others. I hope the growth here isn’t forgotten moving forward. I really, REALLY want to see more of that “I lead, you support me - you lead, I support you” mutually beneficial relationship that is the foundation of Taishiro <3

So next week! Mimi’s back and the heads are gonna roll!

Lmao!

My theory that she’s finding crystals to make Crests seems unlikely to be the case now that we know the rocks constract the rock Digimon. But... hey, we’ll find out next week.

Also Taichi’s gonna make this face after talking with Mimi bahahahaha. I can’t wait.

#digimon adventure 2020 #digimon adventure:#digimon adventure reboot #digi spoilers #fizz watches digimon 2020 #digimon

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burlesque-articulation · 4 years

Text

So I recently went a little... Red-string-cork-board-wild for a very minuscule reason. Namely, I wanted to try and figure out if there was any evidence to back up the fanon of whether or not Graham Folger & Oliver Banks had ever been in a relationship for... Reasons.

To start with, I decided to relisten to MAG 003 just for a lil refresher on who the hell Graham even was (emphasis on the was, lmao). Now, the statement was first catalogued in 2007, but the actual events of the statement take place on 2005; first possible hole in the theory, because, in MAG 011, Oliver, under the alias of Antonio Blake, states that his relationship with "Graham" ended 8 years previous to when he gave his statement to the Magnus Institute, which was given in 2015; which means Oliver's relationship would've ended in 2007.

Why do I point this out though?

Mostly because during MAG 003, when Amy Patel has to chill in Graham Folger's flat due to being concussed, and in an attempt to reassure her, all Graham Folger says is "no worries, I'm gay ✌️" which, okay, that's reassuring, sure... But wouldn't it have been more reassuring to say, "Not only am I hella gay, but I'm also seeing someone." Now, sure, maybe because this is '05 and they don't really know each other that well, he probably thought that would be a little TMI, but then again I feel like "oh I'm seeing someone" is significantly less TMI then just flat-out coming out to someone. Either way, later Amy spends essentially weeks or months watching this dude, and he's always. Alone.

And when she described Graham Folger's flat, it didn't sound like a place TWO (2) people were sharing, it barely sounded like there was one person living there. (And Oliver mentions that he'd been in a SIX (6) YEAR relationship, with a shared living space). A little sus, but... Amy does also say that Mr. Folger spends an awful lot of time outside of his apartment so... Double life maybe? Perhaps.

-- Impromptu read more because this got longer than I intended! So the rest is under the cut --

But now let's take a long look at MAG 011, where Oliver, or Antonio if that's easier for anyone? Nah, let's keep it as Oliver— anyways, MAG 011 takes place in 2015, 8 years prior is 2007; but then.. 6 years prior to that, when Oliver's relationship with "Graham" would’ve started... That would've been in 2001 🤔 now why does that particular year ring a bell? Well, that's because in 2001 is when Graham Folger's parents passed away; which would MEAN THAT, if these two had ever dated, then either it would've been just after Graham Folger had lost his parents, OR, the accident would have happened during the start of their relationship. And I do hear that stuff like that either makes or breaks a relationship, so; hey, maybe they would've had problems from the start. Doomed to end before it began, y'know.

But this is what actually made me go back and relisten in MAG 003, again; because I wasn't 100% on that because for whatever reason I had the year 2003 stuck in my head, IDK. Anyways, it was while I was relistening to MAG 003, again, that I realized my timeline... Wasn't entirely correct. Because Amy Patel, yes she first met Graham Folger in 2005; but it was in September 2005; and the real meat of the statement doesn't start until about 4 months after that initial encounter— which means Amy would've started Graham-watching in Dec. 2005 or Jan. 2006.

You know what else I found rather interesting? In the closing comments for this statement that the Archivist gives us, the apartment under Graham Folger's name was sold in... Early 2007. I wonder... How closely that might actually line up with whenever Oliver Banks apparently ended his relationship with "Graham".

But let's loop back to the "Dec. 2005 or Jan. 2006" bit, because in the supposed timeline given to us in Oliver's statement (MAG 011), he and his "Graham" started having issues a year prior to the official break-up. Maybe that's why Amy never would've seen Graham Folger's partner, in the assumption that he had one, because they was havin' issues, so if Graham Folger had a partner, maybe they weren't hanging about too much.

Alternatively, maybe the real kicker, the Real end to this, alleged, relationship, was because things just started being Different around the start of 2006; say maybe around April? April 7th of 2006 if we want to get real specific. Maybe it was after that day that the relationship got just a bit too much.

Maybe, in the last year of this alleged relationship between Oliver Banks and Graham Folger, maybe Oliver tried to make things work, but there was just something so off about "Graham" so... Not-him, and yet this is still the man that Oliver looks at and remembers spending almost 6 years of his life with. But maybe things get just weird enough that, Oliver just does some digging, maybe he's looking for some excuse some reason for why Graham seems so different but so familiar. Maybe there was an update on the accident that happened (either before or after they got together) and it's having an affect on "Graham". Let's say he does this little research deep-dive while at work too. So he's just sitting at his desk, scrolling through old news, etc. etc, maybe checking new stuff, who knows. (And assuming that even digital scans of polaroids are also untampered) He comes across an old picture that, sure enough those are the Folger Parents, but who the hell is that dark haired teenager in the picture?

Now why would this be happening why Oliver is at work? Well, because in MAG 011, Oliver states that he had a breakdown at work that required him to take leave and supposedly helped to fuel his breakup which then left him on a friend's couch. Obviously it could actually be the other way around; that the break-up was the catalyst for the breakdown at work, but this is no longer a post about why Graham Folger and Oliver Banks weren't a thing, but rather a post on why it would hurt so much if they had been.

Because we're gonna switch gears now and take a peek from Not-Graham's perspective. Because what does Not-Graham, the Not-Them, want? Well, we know they like scaring and upsetting people, but Graham Folger isn't exactly a socialite and apparently didn't have enough of an outstanding presence that made him particularly rememberable. But you know what he did have? The table. The same table that the Not-Them really wanted to have smashed up in... MAG 039, I think (IDK main plot is just an entrée for me right now, not super important y'know). So, sure Graham Folger doesn't have a lot of people in his life, but he's got this partner that he was already having a rocky relationship with, so why not make that relationship even more unbearable on the other party? Just make it absolutely intolerable, in the hopes that the partner might just get fed up enough to do something irrational, like smash a table that apparently means just so, so much to "Graham". But in the end that doesn't work, because the partner just ends up dippin' out (side note: love the idea that Oliver is petty in the way that instead of destroying something that he knows his partner is fond of, he just like, sells the fucking table off instead, send the Not-Them on another wild goose chase to find it again, because that would be funny as fuck).

Regardless, around the beginning of 2007, the two will have broken up, and Not-Graham no longer has a reason to keep that flat so it gets sold, because the Not-Them either has the table and fucks off after that, or they gotta start all over again trying to find it, and Oliver cuts ties and starts crashing on a friend's couch.

It's circumstantial, sure. But when you really look at it... The timeline does actually match up pretty well, and I think that's pretty cool.

Anyways, that's all for now. Whether or not Graham Folger & Oliver Banks ever actually had a relationship in canon, who can say.

But if Oliver's "Graham" isn't Graham Folger, then who is it? Well, not to mix podcasts, but anyone here ever listen to The White Vault?

#burl posts #the magnus archives #oliver banks #graham folger #tma theories #i wrote this at like 2 am on my phone so if it's hard to read; that'd be why #also spoilers i guess?#but only really for like... season 1.

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mirage-babey · 4 years

Note

ayla please.... I want to talk about touched starved miraith... I want to talk about my walking heater mirage headcanon and I want to talk about the first time wraith let's mirage touch her whether it's her face or hand or waist literally the Warmth the Yearning AyLAA

It’s one thing to grab ahold of one another in the games, desperately dragging an ally to cover or jabbing a syringe into their chest in hopes of reviving them. It’s another matter entirely outside the arena.

It’s no secret that Wraith - with an alias as cold as her fingers, as cold as her gaze, as cold as her past - was a troubled soul, though her efforts meant that no one knew in what way this was the case. There were very few she truly trusted, barely enough to even count on one hand, and even they seldom saw the inner workings of her mind.

Among the three she considered herself closest to, Wattson was sweet and possessed a quick mind, but Wraith refused to burden her with personal conversation. Pathfinder was equally sweet, but he was in his own way naive and blunt, and as much as she trusted him as a squadmate, she couldn’t bring herself to share her secrets. Mirage - much to her own surprise - was possibly the one she got along with best, exchanging quips and banter at any given moment. He was more reliable than one would assume, but at the end of the day that’s all their relationship comprised of: quips and banter, and the occasional shared victory.

Still, Natalie and Path’s lives were practically presented on a platter for all to see. Wraith knew their pasts - or lack thereof - better than she knew her own.

It didn’t escape her notice that the same could not be said for Elliott Witt.

Maybe this is why she stops dead in her tracks when a whisper at the back of her mind says she’s not alone. It’s not a warning - she saw Elliott sitting at the roof’s edge before the voice spoke up - but it’s something. Her grip on the door handle tightens. She swallows thickly. Nobody comes here. This was where she went when she needed to be alone. Here the noise of the city and the wind swept away her bustling thoughts. Here she was kept company only by the city’s nightlights. Here she was removed from everything, alone, but still provided with some small reminder that it’s a big world and an even bigger galaxy, and perhaps one day she’ll find her place within it.

Yet there he is, still and quiet, just as his alias describes.

She blinks. Unlike that alias, though, he doesn’t disappear. He’s tangible and he’s truly here.

She’s not sure if it’s she herself or the voices repeating the phrase, telling her she’s not alone, but she can just about feel the burning eyes of a million different timelines urging her to stay.

“You’re underdressed.”

Elliott jolts at the sound of her voice, catching himself before he makes an unwise move that’d send him tumbling. He swivels a bit, still sat on the ground, looking over his shoulder at her with his hand on his chest as he recovers from the heart-attack she essentially just gave him.

“And you’re terrifying,” He responds. “I mean, I don’t scare easy, but was that really necessary?”

Wraith resists the urge to roll her eyes. “It’s cold up here, especially at night,” She states, taking a well distanced seat next to him. “Aren’t you cold?”

He shrugs, the city lights casting shadows that highlight how defined his bare arms are. A coy smile slips onto his face. “What can I say? I’m just that hot.”

Wraith makes no attempt to stop her eye roll this time. “I’m serious, Elliott.”

Elliott hums knowingly. “Mhm, yeah, appletinis and little birdies, very serious.”

She quickly glares at him but finds she has to avert her gaze so to hide the upward quirk of her lips. She has a feeling he noticed, but Elliott makes no mention of it. It’s quiet between them, not uncomfortably so, but she’s still hyperaware of his presence.

He’s looking at you.

Wraith glances at him from the corner of her eye, finding the statement to be true. “What?”

He seems flustered for a moment before answering. “Sorry! Just, uh, you never told us your name. It- it’s kinda strange you know us but we don’t know you.”

Wraith doesn’t answer. She doesn’t know how.

Just like that, the atmosphere turns a little more tense, a little more awkward. Mirage fiddles with his hands, radiating guilt for his intrusive question. Guilt needles at Wraith, too. A part of her wishes she could answer.

“I don’t know,” The confession slips past her lips before she can stop it, eliciting an expression of surprise from Elliott. “I don’t know my name. I think another version of me once did, though.”

Though she understands why the voidwalking Wraith that saved her from the lab risked it all in pursuit of revenge, this timeline’s Wraith still found herself resentful that she never received any true answers before she left.

“Oh,” Elliott’s reaction is, admittedly, not the greatest comfort. “That’s, uh, quite the pracid- predic- that sucks.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you-“ He clears his throat, as if trying to stifle his curiosity. “Do you know why?”

Wraith shrugs as nonchalantly as possible. “I don’t remember anything from before I escaped a lab.” She bites her tongue. She wouldn’t dare divulge more information than that.

Mirage blinks owlishly at her, seemingly startled by this unfortunate backstory. “That’s rough.”

“Yeah.”

Elliott, on the other hand, sighs, averting his gaze, choosing to instead stare at his palms. “For what it’s worth, I know how hard that is,” He swallows thickly. His voice is barely a murmur as he confesses his own blight. “Most days, my own mother doesn’t even remember who I am anymore.”

Wraith stares at him wide-eyed. By definition, a mirage is an optical illusion occurring when a hot surface heats the cool air around it.

For the first time, the warmth she sees is not a grandiose trick of the eye, but rather the flickering flame of a forlorn soul just as lost as herself. For the first time, she truly sees Elliott.

“I’m sorry.” She whispers. Though her situation is not quite the same as his, she recognises the turmoil he faces.

He laughs, albeit forced. “Nah, it- it sucks, it really does, but these things happen, right?” He seems to struggle to get the words out. “I had a dad and three brothers. They, uh, they’re all MIA though - you know how it is, you enlist to protect your home but sometimes it doesn’t go to plan. I’m all Ma has left. She’s all I have left. It just... it hurts.”

“Yeah. Life isn’t fair,” Wraith’s response isn’t one she finds preferable in this scenario, not after such a secret is shared with her, but she can’t find anything to share herself that’d make the exchange of information equivalent. “If it weren’t for the Apex Games, I wouldn’t know where to start finding information about myself.”

“I had a sespi- susitio- I kinda figured you were here for some kinda info,” Elliott hums, a casual reminder that he’s far more than the egocentric Apex Legend that he portrays himself as. “You’re careful with your drops, but when those labs were discovered near the swamps, you immediately went there.”

Wraith blinks at him, yet again caught off-guard by his true colours. He laughs at her expression.

“We agreed with that drop location because we thought it seemed important to you,” He admits, offering a smile. “We’ve been teammates long enough. Path and I trust you.”

Wraith’s mind goes truly silent, unprepared for such honesty and kindness, even from a longtime teammate. She finds herself gaping at the man before her, his words playing on loop in her mind, encouraging her to move in the direction of a better reality, one where she can find the answers she needs alongside people she can trust wholeheartedly.

She freezes at the warmth that covers her hand. It takes a moment for her to recover from the shock, but as Elliott’s fingers entwine with her own, she beings to soften.

Her grip tightens, and he squeezes back in response. The warmth begins to thaw her icy disposition as, for the first time since she escape that lab, she finds she really isn’t alone. There’s someone willing to listen and share the burden.

It’s such a small form of contact - it’s the contact she didn’t know she needed - and she finds herself clinging to it.

#ask #miraith #mirage #wraith #my post #My fic #apex legends

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stina-is-a-punk-rocker · 3 years

Text

disney’s ‘the hunchback of notre dame’, early 2000s kid nostalgia, and other midnight musings

“What the fuck, Stina? I thought this was a blog for book reviews!” you say.

“Books, amongst other things. Hence the -ish suffix,” I say. “And all my mediocre ‘reviews’ are hit-or-miss in terms of engagement, so I’m pretty much free to post whatever the fuck I want.”

I toss my head. My hair whacks me in the face.

The first time I watched Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame was been circa 2006, in the ‘movie room’ of my preschool, huddled around a CRT TV with the rest of my five-year-old classmates. Not much about the film particularly stood out to me at the age.

Fast-forward fifteen years later; I’m cooped up in quarantine, hundreds of thousands of miles away from that first viewing. I’m living my best life, rejoicing in my introverted tendencies and having a laugh at the expense of all the suffering extroverts. I haven’t moved from my bed all day, except for the bare necessities, and I’m bingeing YouTube videos. All is well.

I discovered Lindsay Ellis’s channel quite recently- embarrassingly enough, through her videos on Omegaverse and the whole Addison Cain fiasco. I stumbled down the rabbit-hole of her channel, and here I am, a few dozen videos later, and I find her one on this film.

Which, of course, led me to want to re-watch the film, with the eyes and mind (supposedly) of an adult. And it went far beyond and above my expectations.

The film is dark, much darker than the average Disney film of today- not just thematically, but the graphics too. Except for the first parts with the Festival of Fools and the last scene, the rest seems to have a dark filter put over it all. Obviously, given its themes (I’m pulling these out of my arse; I’m a STEM major and I have zero to no knowledge about film) of freedom and equality, acceptance of those different from us, corruption and lust- all that good shit, in other words- you can’t exactly have sunshine and rainbows. But it’s such a stark contrast from what I’ve been accustomed to from Disney; Frozen has Hans about to decapitate Elsa, but the background remains bright and light; Simba sobbing next to Mufasa’s body in The Lion King is heart-wrenching, but a few scenes later, we have an anthropomorphic meerkat-boar duo singing about eating bugs and farting and all that classy stuff, so it’s not as traumatizing.

The themes are a lot more on-the-nose than a lot of other kids’ movies (forgive me if I err, I am aged and forgetful)- cue la Esmeralda saying, “What do they have against people who are different, anyway?”- you get what’s essentially the same ‘accept others regardless of their differences’, ‘prejudice is bad’ morals from, say, Zootopia, but having given the main characters fursuits makes it less obvious than in this movie.

(Or maybe I’m just a dumbass. I have no elaborate notes for this; I’m high on sugar and deprived of sleep so I might be spewing bullshit.)

Admittedly, the resolution is a bit… unrealistic. The citizens of Paris = sheep, essentially; they go from throwing fruit in Quasimodo’s face because the guards started it, to helping defeat them. Maybe there’s something about mob mentality in there, but I find it hard to believe that people who showed up to watch Esmeralda burn to death were suddenly totally cool with not getting what they didn’t pay for. But then again, this is a Disney movie, and you can’t make kids too cynical too early on. Let them have their innocence and ‘people will be with the heroes in times of peril because humanity is inherently good!’ before they realize that humanity kinda fuckin’ sucks.

The characters are some of the most human from those I’ve seen in Disney (other honorable mentions: the main characters of The Emperor’s New Groove, Moana, Tangled, Anna from Frozen). Quasimodo’s the main character (lol DUH, will I ever say anything not obvious?), and he’s so lovable, but not without flaws- he’s biased against gypsies in the beginning because Frollo’s the literal scum of the earth. To borrow from the K-pop fans’ dictionary: UwU he’s so pure!

Esmeralda sparks a bit of controversy because she’s another POC leading lady from a Disney film of the 90’s (a list including Jasmine, and, sigh- Pocahontas) who’s markedly more sexualized than the white Disney princesses. It’s not something I particularly noticed nor cared about until I saw it being brought up- I mean, the woman shows a bit of cleavage and then dances for a couple of seconds- but. I’m just putting that out there.

She’s an empowering heroine without having to belt in in your face (not me making a dig at Naomi Scott’s Jasmine from the Aladdin live action film), and I also love how her role in taking down the Big Bad doesn’t have to do with her ‘power of seduction’ (the scene in the animated Aladdin film where Jasmine kissed Jafar truly traumatized me as a kid).

Phoebus is… well, he exists. Kind of a Regulus Black archetype, but not exactly. The guy on the bad side who turns good and all is forgiven. Well, at least it’s not the ‘her love made him a better man’ trope. And he is a good guy. Even if he did spend a considerable amount of his adult years on the side of the bad guys.

Systemic oppression? Nah, it’s one or two corrupt baddies. But again, it’s a Disney film, we need everything to work out for the good guys in the end.

Let’s get the gargoyles out of the way. To reference Lindsay Ellis’s video (she’s a lot smarter than I am and breaks this down better than I ever could): yes, the comedy’s oft ill-timed and inappropriate… for an adult audience. And the primary demographic of Disney films, especially princess ones (obviously Esmeralda isn’t a princess, nor does she marry into royalty, nor is she included in the group of princesses in the dumpster fire that is Ralph Breaks the Internet, but I had a book imaginatively titled ‘Disney Princess Stories’ as a kid that included Esmeralda’s story alongside Belle’s and Ariel’s, so I’m calling her a princess), are kids. And kids love fart jokes.

Additionally, I have a theory-that-is-not-really-a-theory-but-a-pretty-obvious-thing-that-happens that the gargoyles are figments of Quasimodo’s imagination, and the, at times crass and ridiculous things they say are just the voices in Quasimodo’s head (THIS IS OBVIOUS, STINA, YOU HAVEN’T STUMBLED ACROSS A STARTLING NEW REVELATION); maybe what he imagines normal townspeople to act like.

And then we have Judge Judy Chrissy Teigen Frollo. This dude is the embodiment of pure evil. He’s bigoted and rapey and abusive and one of Disney’s most successful villains- even better than Mother Gothel, who previously held the crown. It’s rare that a villain genuinely terrifies me, especially a cartoon one. Frollo, unlike your typical fairytale antagonist who wants power/fame/fortune/to overthrow Olympus, is far more sinister; driven from deep-rooted hatred instead of plain greed. He’s so much closer to people in positions of power and authority even in the modern world, and that element of reality makes him so much better as an antagonist instead of a literal sheep who hates carnivores (seriously, Disney, enough with the twist villains- they’re not working out).

Also, Hellfire slaps. In fact, the entire soundtrack does.

Speaking about Hellfire, I love the contrast between that and Heaven’s Light; how Esmeralda is viewed by Frollo (an object to possess, “Destroy Esmeralda, and let her taste the fires of hell; or else, let her be mine and mine alone”) as opposed to Quasimodo (someone with free will, “I dare to dream that she might even care for me”).

Another argument brought up, and admittedly one I had as a child was, ‘but if the whole point of the movie is acceptance and love as opposed to lust, why didn’t Quasimodo get the girl?’ Which, years later, I realize is an extremely misogynistic way to look at it. As Princess Jasmine said four years before The Hunchback was released, she is not a prize to be won. Quasimodo is Frollo’s antithesis; he lets Esmeralda choose, and she chose Phoebus. And Quasimodo accepted that, because he is good and kind and sweet and loving. Severus Snape, take note.

On a sidenote, I’m always kind of caught out of left field when the plot in films moves really fast- I’m really not a movie-watching type; I prefer to read, and books usually indicate how much time passes from one main plot point to another, and there are little slice-of-life, filler parts that tie in to character development and moving the plot forward, but at a snail’s pace. So, whenever I’m watching a movie and it’s one important event after another, I usually haven’t had enough of a refractory period to process it.

Let’s pretend that I segued smoothly into the next part of this (already tedious and long drawn out) review.

The Hunchback is the darkest film I’ve ever seen come out from Disney. Re-watching it as an adult made me pause every so often and wonder why the hell I wasn’t traumatized by it as a kid. I mean, the whole movie kicks off with Frollo about to throw an infant down a well. And then there’s that horrifying shot of the stone renditions of the Israelite kings on the church walls. Frollo falls to his death into fire. I mean, good riddance, but still. I guess it’s because the kids’ shows of today are awfully censored and polished so kids don’t have nightmares forevermore.

Update: tried to watch The Hunchback of Notre Dame 2. Exited just as fast as I clicked on it. Disney sequels really ain’t shit (yes, I’m looking at you, Frozen 2).

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kirishwima · 4 years

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oooo, what about... hcs on how MC treats the various members when they’re sick and vice versa if you’re up for it!!!!

oh i really like this! especially since im a little sick today too lol

YOOSUNG:

* When he’s sick, he’ll complain about it A Lot

* He’s just a grumpy little bean, walking around with a blanket over his head and shoulders, probably with a thermometer stuck in his mouth for extra Drama ((yoosung bby that’s-that’s now how u use thermometers))

* He’ll love it if MC takes care of him, taking his temperature, bringing him tea in bed or cooking a warm meal for him

* Even though he loves to be pampered, he’d really try his best so MC won’t catch his cold-he’ll berely even look their way, even holding his breath when MC is near his face to e.g. put a compress on his forehead

* When MC is sick, his caretaker switch is instantly flipped

* He loves to take care of his loved ones, and so he might feel a little guilty excitement to be the one to take care of MC in their time of need

* Will make delicious hecking soup, or even call his mom for some housewife flu remedies

* He’ll feel especially guilty if MC caught the cold from him-will double up his pampering ante and refuse to let MC even take a single step out of the bed

* He’ll personally call their work/uni to let them know MC’s sick, and will spend the day by their side no matter what

*He’s just a sweet caring baby :’)

ZEN:

* Also a Big. B I G drama queen when sick

* Zen: *sneezes* Zen: This is it. This is how I die. Goodbye cruel world

* He very rarely gets sick thanks to his good genes and self-care, so when he does it feels like the end of the world for him

* If MC tries to care for him, he’ll appreciate it but will refuse their help at first, worried that they’ll catch his cold

* Will eventually accept the help though, especially if his cold worsens/if he develops a fever e.t.c

* The first time MC takes care of him when he’s sick, he might actually cry; he hasn’t had someone care for him like that ever since he left home, and even then he never experienced this gentleness, the way MC cradles his face when placing a cold compress to his forehead or how they hold his hand tight to comfort him

* He simply appreciates their presence really

* If MC is sick, he’s immediatly tackling them to the bed, turning them into a burrito of clothes and blankets as he dashes into the kitchen to make them some warm tea with honey

* Might actually be a liiiittle extreme with his care-no Zen, no one needs 5 spoons of honey in their tea nor a whole box of vitamin C to get over their cold. Yes, they’ll be fine even without wearing 25 layers of pyjamas

* MC will probably have to calm him down and reassure him they’re fine, they’ve been through the common cold a dozen times and it’ll pass

* He’ll be happy to care for them whichever way they need him to though

JAEHEE:

* Baehee does NOT get colds.

* She refuses to!!

* What you heard was definitely not a sneeze. It was just. Uhhh. It was just allergies. Yup, that’s all it was.

* It takes a lot to convince her that yes, Jaehee, you do have the flu, and yes you need to rest

* The fussiest patient ever really

* Even with a burning fever she’ll refuse to stay in bed, dazily trying to get ready for work regardless of her condition

* MC please tie this girl to the bed (no, not in a kinky way, more like a please-stay-there-and-get-better sorta way)

* When she eventually gives up and allows MC to take care of her, she’ll feel really guilty about it-Jaehee’s so used to being self-efficient, that she’s never really had someone care this much for her

* She appreciates it, but is also scared-for her having someone care this much for you is both a blessing and a curse, and it’ll take her a long time to learn to accept help when she needs it

* If MC is sick however, she’s immediatly running to the pharmacy for vitamins and cold medicine

* She won’t fuss too much over MC-it’s something she herself hates, so she doesn’t want to make MC feel overwhelmed either.

* Instead she’ll discreetly push MC to go home earlier from work, will leave all the necessary medicine on the bedside table, make some tea and soup for the both of them, e.t.c

* If she knows MC likes to be pampered, she’ll be more bold with her care, cuddling MC and placing her cool hands onto MC’s forehead for comfort (i hc that Jaehee always has really cold hands and feet lol)

JUMIN:

* Similarly to Jaehee, he’s not used to getting colds

* He has his own personal doctor, nutritionist, everything needed to be in perfect health pretty much

* It’s more likely that, after getting the yearly flu shot, he develops a few flu-like symptoms for a few days as it often happens with the influenza shot

* He tries to muscle through the symptoms, but when he starts coughing midway through a meeting, he decides to take the day off and go home to rest instead

* He’s very attuned to his body-if he feels unwell, then that’s that, and he’ll simply wait for his body to recover to its natural state

* MC is probably a bit shocked at first-they’ll try to offer Jumin some help, to go get him some medicine or cook something for him, but he’ll refuse, saying his doctor has already given him all the necessary medications and that he can just call the chef to make them both something appropriate for the winter weather

* If MC tells him that they’d rather cook something for him because ‘a meal made with love will make the cold go away faster’, then he’ll simply tell the chef to take the day off, and lounge in the kitchen as he fondly watches MC make him a heartwarming soup

* He’ll indulge a little if MC lets him-will tell them to feed him, smirking at the blush that spreads on their cheeks. He’ll raise a brow and tease them, asking if they should help him shower as well, laughing at their wide eyes at the suggestion (not that he’d mind it *wink wonk*)

* If MC is the one sick however, then hoo boy, all hell will break loose

* The penthouse is effectively in quarantine-he’ll call the best doctors he knows of to examine them, will tell Jaehee that he won’t be coming into work and remain by MC’s side at all times until MC is back in full health

* Jumin: “I’ve called the best doctors I know, you’re in good hands MC” MC: “That’s literally a cardiologist and a diabetologist, Jumin that’s like asking an architect to engineer an airplane?! pls tell these poor ppl to go back home”

* He’s absoloutely one to overreact, and it’ll take a LOT to convince him to calm down and simply let MC rest

* He’ll actually try and cook for MC-nothing fancy, maybe just some rice porridge or noodle soup, and it might taste a bit weird, but he’ll be happy if MC eats even a little bit of it

* Just wants to take care of his SO, even if he doesn’t really know how to

SEVEN:

* Wait i thought idiots don’t catch colds-

* He is definitely one to catch a cold in the summer

* One moment he’s fine and memeing like usual, the next he’s laid down on the couch, sweating and coughing like there’s no tomorrow

* He’s not used to actually having someone around to care for him, and getting sick as a kid...well, it was essentially a death sentence, so he’s gotten used to hiding his symptoms as best as possible

* It’ll actually take a while for MC to notice he’s sick-they might hear him discreetly cough while trying to talk, notice he looks more tired than usual, little things that point out that he’s not in the best shape

* He won’t push MC away if they try to take care of him, but he’ll be really confused-he deadass NEVER had anyone do this for him, and he doesn’t really know what’s happening

* “Wait MC why are you pulling me to bed I’m not really in the mood for-” “SHUT UP AND LET ME NURSE YOU BACK TO HEALTH YOU BID NERD”

* Will crack nurse jokes at any and all opprotunities (will try and get MC to wear his nurse cosplay outfit ofc)

* In all honestly, his heart will swell with love when he looks up to see MC’s worried face, how they’ll place a hand on his forehead or feed him medicine and a warm meal that isn’t honey buddha chips

* He feels guilty but at the same time so happy-he never thought he could ever have this, and he does, and he’s so scared that they’ll slip right through his fingers-with the boldness that the delerium of fever allows him, he’ll hold MC close to him, not caring wether they’ll catch his cold or not, simply grateful for their presence beside him

* If MC gets sick....good luck lmao

* He wants to take care of them, he just...has no clue how to lol

* Will put honey buddha chips in the microwave and hope it works

* Nah I’m just kidding-he’s used to taking care of Saeran as kids, so he more or less knows what to do-he will however have to ask Yoosung if he can come over and help him cook since he’s hopeless in that regard

V/JIHYUN:

* V actually has a pretty weak immune system-not immunocompromised per say, but he’s just more vulnerable to the winter cold is all

* He’s used to getting sick and knows the drill-go to the pharmacy, get some meds, stay in bed for a day or two, then back to daily life it is

* Rika...never really took much care of him. It’s probably not only because she didn’t try to, but also because he’s used to doing his best to not worry anyone; whatever burden there is to carry, he’ll try and carry it alone, always

* Well, MC is here now and they ain’t about to let that happen

* V will try and undermine his flu at first, but MC will insist, will tug this big lanky boy into bed and cover him in blankets, make him some warm tea with milk and honey and stay beside him as he drinks it, rubbing soothing circles in his back if he starts coughing/sneezing

* Unused to such affection, he’ll probably be shocked and flustered at first, but will appreciate the care nontheless

* Can’t wait to get healthy again so he can pepper MC’s face with kisses and take them on a well-deserved date, as a thank you for taking care of him

* If MC gets sick, his nursing mode is ON.

* This boy is a caregiver by design-he loves to pamper his loved ones, loves to be there and caring for them as much as possible

* If MC has a cough, he’ll cook up one of his mother’s remedies-a cup of warm red wine with honey and lemon (it soothes the throat instantly, 10/10 guaranteed)

* He’ll quietly stay besides them as they sleep the cold off, reading a book and frequently checking their temperature, placing lukewarm compresses to their forehead (only after placing a quick kiss of course)

* Hates to see his MC sick, but loves to care for them, can you see the predicament poor spicy mint is in

hi im soph and im here to remind you to get your yearly flu vaccine when possible! the yearly flu is no joke and actually kills thousands per year, so please take care of yourselves and your loved ones

-send me mystic messenger headcanons/scenarios for the characters to react to!-

#mystic messenger #mysme #mystic messenger headcanons #mysme headcanons #mysme propmpts #mystic messenger prompts #mysme V #mysme 707 #mysme zen #saeyoung choi #luciel choi #jihyun kim #yoosung kim #hyun ryu #jumin han #jaehee kang #saeonna

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calitraditionalism · 3 years

Text

Arc Two: Chapter Five

(AO3 counterpart here.)

It was a few days until Mistface tripped into another conversation, though this one was at least more interesting, if not particularly helpful to the misson.

He was lazing in the sun, half-asleep and a bit bored. Greyleaf had surprisingly declined going back to see their mother with him and Beetlefoot, citing business with a few injured cats who still needed to be convinced to sit back for a few days and heal up. Mistface and Beetlefoot had gone ahead without him and returned earlier than they anticipated, giving them the rest of the day to waste time. Beetlefoot was apparently done socializing and marched off to take a walk around the settlement. Greyleaf was, of course, still trying to politely argue with the Clast cats he was treating, so Mistface had reclined outside where it was warm to wait for him to be done.

That had been about an hour ago, and Greyleaf had not shown up from where Mistface had left him.

Now it was afternoon, and all Mistface had for entertainment was a crowd gathering around to watch that grey molly fight again. Where Mistface was lying was a slightly raised bump in the ground, with its cracked stone being split apart by earth and grass. From here, he could see the fight well enough without having to sit up. He was also next to a small pile of particularly fat prey that he was sure weren’t meant for him, which meant he could chew slowly on a rabbit while observing.

It was an engaging one, at least – if for nothing else, for the skill that molly showed off. Her opponent, a blue tom a bit bigger than her, was trying very hard to at least get a blow on her, but she hopped back easily, only to launch forward and pop him on the nose or duck around to his side and bite at his shoulder. She was essentially forcing him to constantly turn to his left or right with every move she made, and he was easier to topple over because he wasn’t able to stand solidly and charge her. Meanwhile, she was practically dancing around him too quickly for him to make a move, and that massive grin on her face must have been extremely irritating and distracting for him.

Mistface found himself nodding in approval when she grabbed one of his paws with her mouth and pulled it under him, causing him to topple over and roll onto his back. This was met with a roar of admiration from the crowd. The tom tried to laugh, but it came out more like a cough, and he raised a paw in submission. The molly’s slightly short tail waved proudly and she puffed out her chest as she parted the sea of cats and strutted…

Right to where Mistface was. Fantastic.

He tried not to make eye contact while she sniffed through the prey, but he could see her looking at him out of the corner of his eye. He gave up after a long moment of avoiding it and met her gaze with a cool and questioning expression.

“That’s just where I happen to sit, usually,” she said. “After a fight.”

“Oh.” Mistface could be polite. He rose to a sitting position. “Want your spot?”

“Nah, no need to move.” She shook her head. “The shade’s nicer right now, anyway.”

With that, she pulled out a squirrel and plopped down just in front of Mistface, leaning against a slightly raised square stone. Mistface narrowed his eyes, but he knew better than to get cranky. He simply continued eating while she tucked into her own prey.

The quiet was just within the area of “awkward”, so Mistface spoke up. “You fight mighty well for a Marish cat.”

“Oh, you can tell?” The molly looked up at him, speaking loudly and with a full mouth. “Yeah, we’re mostly fishers. I’m just a cut above the norm. What about you?”

“I don’t think I’ve tussled with anythin’ besides prey,” Mistface said, with a slightly self-depreciating smile. “And I didn’t think you Marish left your home.”

The molly swallowed her prey. “Usually, no, but I pelted it a while back. I still have to go back for my sisters, but I’ve got two moons before they’re able to travel.”

That, Mistface could appreciate, but he was curious now. “And you left without them?”

The molly shifted uncomfortably, and her voice dropped a little. “I just couldn’t be there any longer. You know how some of these families suck.”

“That I do.” Mistface could sense that there was something to that statement, but it wasn’t his business, so he steered the conversation a little to the left. “It’s just close family that matters, I’d say. I got my brother and mother, and that’s enough for me.”

“Where are they?” The molly looked relieved to turn to something else. “I haven’t seen anyone like you around.”

Mistface smiled again, this time more for internal affection. “My mother’s an hour away with the Vultures, and my brother is Greyleaf.”

He jumped a little at the bark of laughter from the molly. “No! You’re brothers with that poor dweeb?”

Mistface’s smile twitched. “I hear tell he’s real useful around here.”

“Oh, he is, he’s great, but-“ The molly laughed again. “He’s just a nervous wreck. You two don’t look anything alike. Or sound alike.”

Ah. Mistface relaxed. “So I’ve been told.”

“Yeah, it’s night and day.” The molly shook her head, still looking tickled. “I’m glad Greyleaf’s got someone here that knows him well. He doesn’t talk to anyone except Redheart and whoever he’s healing at the time- hey!”

The blue tom had approached while they were talking and started nosing through the selection of prey. He looked up in genuine surprise at the molly’s scowl.

“You go to the other pile,” she said. “You lost the bet, remember?”

The tom sighed, but stepped back. “Can I at least take that mouse? It's been taunting me for an hour.”

The molly looked back at Mistface. “What do you think?”

Mistface didn’t know why she was asking him, but he tilted his head carelessly. “Ain’t gunna miss a little mouse, long as Redheart ate already.”

“Oh, Redheart never eats first,” the tom said. “She waits until we all have something.”

Mistface blinked. “Don’t deputies usually get the prime pickin’s?”

“Generally, yeah,” the molly said. “Just not this one.”

The tom scoffed. “No top-of-the-pile prey, no StarClan-given prey. You never notice her ribs poking out a little?”

Mistface recollected his mental image of Redheart, and realized that, subtle as it was, the tom was right. “Hm.”

“All that muscle hides it,” the molly said, and returned her attention to the tom. “Go on, then, get your mouse and beat it. You’re gunna have to topple me tomorrow if you want anything better.”

The tom rolled his eyes, but obeyed, beating a hasty retreat. The molly looked back to Mistface.

“Anyway,” she continued, “good of you to be with family. A lot of cats here don’t have much in the way of that, so they come here for any scrap of bonding they can find.” Her face softened a little. “I ended up doing the same thing on accident, with an apprentice I met.”

Mistface wasn’t sure whether he was interested or not, but he decided to inquire. “You adopted one?”

“Oh, no, not quite.” The molly laughed again, a little more gently. “I’ve been sort of mentoring her until Redheart does the official ceremony. She’s a former seer apprentice from Hillock, but her mother was a real piece of work and forced her into the role. So eventually she ran away, and we met one day and decided to come here.”

Mistface had a faint memory in his head. “I met one myself that had a mother like that. At a Coterie.”

The molly gave him a scrutinizing look. “Was her name Littlepaw?”

Mistface thought for a moment before nodding. “Least, I think so.”

“That’s her, then!” the molly cried, delighted. “Right, you arrived with Laurelclaw. He met her there too. She said you were familiar, but she couldn’t remember your name.” She paused. “What is your name, by the way?”

“Mistface.”

“I’m Flyfang.” The molly grinned at him. “Small world, isn’t it?”

“Small Territory, at least,” Mistface said. “I ain’t familiar with the rest of the world.”

“We might just end up discovering its size for ourselves, if we do leave,” Flyfang said philosophically, half-gazing upwards with a wistful look. “I just hope I can get my sisters before Redheart decides to leave. I can’t leave them with the Marish.”

“Well, you can’t leave me on my own, either!”

Both adults raised their heads as a small calico came around the corner of the house they were by, curly-furred tail waving happily. She bumped heads with Flyfang and dipped her head politely to Mistface, who gave her a chin-bob back.

“Ain’t polite to be listenin’ in on conversations you ain’t a part of, tyke,” Mistface said, in about as friendly of a way as he could. Apprentices weren’t too bad, at least, and she was a nice one.

“Sorry,” Littlepaw said, sounding like she meant it. “I just heard my name and I thought Flyfang was calling me.”

Mistface tilted his head a little, giving her an amused squint. “Got away from your mother, then? Good on you.”

“Sure is!” Littlepaw brightened up even more than she already was, chest puffed out. “It’s amazing out here, away from the hills. I do kind of want to check out the rest of the Territory, but I don’t know if we’ll have time before Redheart-“

“Hang a moment, kiddo,” Flyfang said, raising a paw. “We never completely decided if we’re going with her. If she goes through with it, at least, and if she's leaving too soon.”

“She sure sounds like she’s goin’ to,” Mistface said. “Though, I don’t know if anyone’ll go with her.”

“I think it’d be cool to adventure out, at least.” Littlepaw’s front feet shifted closer together, a little meeker. “I mean, maybe. I know we’d be away from StarClan’s protection, but…”

“That alone would make me hesitant to leave.” Mistface was careful to keep his tone patient and calm. “I have no idea how bad it could be out there.”

Littlepaw nodded, eyes to the ground. She eventually rotated her head a little to look at Flyfang. “We’ll talk about it, at least?”

“We’ll talk about it,” Flyfang agreed indulgently. “Here, you want some of this?”

“She can have my rabbit if she wants.” Mistface stood up, arching his back in a stretch. “I ain’t hungry, and I should find my brother.”

“Oh! That’s-“ Littlepaw looked at him, eyes wide. “That’s really nice, thank you.”

Mistface gave her a charming smile before stepping out of the way and gesturing with his tail. She went around him and climbed onto the rise in the ground, settling down and sniffing the prey. Mistface wasn’t sure he liked how quick she was to just accept a gift from a stranger – but, then again, not too many strangers in the Territory were that dangerous. Still, he thought of the loners and rogues from outside, and wondered if she should be more cautious.

Having manners, he said nothing. He simply waved a farewell and went off in search of his brother. Flyfang, around another mouthful of food, called a goodbye, as did Littlepaw.

It was nice, he thought. Littlepaw looked a great deal happier than the last time he’d seen her. Even he could appreciate that.

#warrior cats #steorra #arc two #chapter #chapter five #dullard #mistface #littlepaw #flyfang

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justlookatthosesausages · 4 years

Text

“Lift the Spirit” :: a post-Frozen 2 Elsamaren fanfic

Chapter 4: On the edge of the abyss

“You are… Going to fight with those?” Muttered Ryder.

“Yep.” Smiled Anna with a proud pout.

“Those are… Yours, Kristoff’s and Eydis’ weapons?”

“Yep.”

“Should I be concerned if you three ever get angry at me?”

“...Yep?”

They looked at each other, then burst out of laughter.

“Come on”, giggled the Queen as he closed the chest. “It’s time to eat.”

He followed her to the spot where their extended family was relaxing, and Eydis was already serving lunch.

Ryder sat happily between Anna and Honeymaren, who had Elsa on her lap.

“Ahh, the powerful trio of the three strongest women of the country!”

The referred women frowned in confusion.

“Excuse me?”

The brown-haired man grinned. “Well, Maren is the tribe leader, Anna the Queen of Arendelle, and Elsa the guardian of Ahtohallan. So yeah, you three are the most amazing women I’ve ever met.”

There was a silence, and they exchanged unsure gazes.

Ryder blinked. “Unless one of you doesn’t identify with the term ‘woman’? It’s fine then, just ask me and I’ll change.”

Anna chuckled at his kindness. “I think we’re good with the woman appellation.”

He sighed. “Okay. Cool. Sorry for panicking. I’ve spent a lot of time with Olaf on last Yule, and he kept talking about genders and pronouns, and…”

Honeymaren tapped his shoulder affectionately. “You’re doing great, Ryder. Here, take some soup before you have a cardiac arrest.”

Anna and the brunette laughed openly, however Elsa remained quiet.

Despite her blatantly essential duty, she couldn’t help but think that she was less important than Honeymaren and Anna, who had game-changing roles that required more leadership than her. Also, they had to manage people, while Elsa had to manage magical beings. Those were just as stubborn as humans, if not more, but at least Elsa could feel their emotions and presence anytime. All of their exchanges were sincere, transparent. There was no way to be lied to in such a relationship. With the Northuldra and Arendelle, on the other hand… Not that the blonde considered them fervent liars, far from it, but one could never know about a human’s real opinion. Elsa had been Queen for 3 years, and in that experience, she had learned that people - especially male politicians - weren’t always trustworthy.

She got jolted out of her thoughts by Eydis heavily sitting down next to her, and the princess sighed longly.

“There. I hope you will all like it.” Smiled the little blonde, despite a clear stress, to the Northuldra present around them. “Bone at the teeth.”

They nodded, and Elsa chuckled discreetly. “It’s ‘bon appétit’.” She whispered to her ear.

Eydis frowned. “Isn’t it what I said?”

“Never mind.” Smiled her aunt.

They all drank their soup in silent content, and it was quite good, which they didn’t miss to tell Eydis.

The princess started to daydream, looking in the horizon at the beautiful landscape they could admire from here. She saw two Earth Giants smile at each other as they exchanged their positions, switching to watch over the Northuldra land and prevent any surprise attack.

“Auntie?”

Elsa stopped staring at Honeymaren to turn to her niece. “Yes?”

“How does the Earth Spirit works? I just saw two Giants communicate with each other without even saying a word.”

Elsa grinned, and followed her gaze. “That’s because they use magic, just like I do when I communicate with them. We could call that telepathy. The Giants even have a way faster system to talk between them, as they are parts of one and only Spirit.”

Eydis nodded longly. “So, it’s like a hive mind?”

The blonde smiled at her cleverness. “Yes, exactly. Well, I’d say more like… An archipel. Because the Giants are like the visible islands on the surface, who actually are connected to each other in one and only land underneath.”

Anna snorted. “You spend way too much time with Nokk. Water metaphors are heavy.”

Honeymaren intervened as well. “Nah, that’s just Elsa. She’s a bookworm and her metaphors are constant.”

“Uhm, I’m sitting right here.”

She indeed was on her lap, and the brunette held her closer for cuddles, proving that this was just tease.

“Anyway”, Elsa said, turning to the Giant who was guarding the place they were looking at on the horizon. “That’s Pebble.”

Anna laughed openly. “Oh gosh, sorry, but… Damn, the names you give them. See? That’s the proof you spend too much time in the water.”

“No, that’s the proof that he spends too much time with Nokk. They keep playing together. And in fact…”

She closed her eyes and frowned slightly as she focused, tying a mental bond with the Giant despite the long distance. Eydis watched as the magical being named Pebble turned a bit to their direction, like he got called.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Chuckled Elsa as she opened her eyes again. “He was hanging with Nokk before arriving for his shift.”

“That’s cute.” Commented Honeymaren, though the Snow Queen couldn’t tell if she was referring to the Spirits being good friends or to Elsa casually sharing a mind connection with a 12-meter tall being.

“Hey, Maren, speaking about bookworms, did you read the novel I gave you on last Yule?” Asked Anna.

“No, not yet. But it’s in the hut. On the nightstand, actually.”

Kristoff snorted at his wife’s intentions. “Are you turning the camp into a book club?”

The redhead laughed. “No. And no mockery! You know that the times I go to the Arendelle library on Wednesday nights are the only time of the week when I’m leaving you at peace.”

Kristoff smiled. “I love hearing you rambling about your recent readings on Thursday breakfasts, though.”

The Queen grinned lovingly.

Elsa was happy to see that Anna had made friends with townspeople. Arendellians were very open minded and knew how to forget that she was their sovereign to casually chat about novels with her in a public building.

“So, Honeymaren, are you going to join the book club once you’ve read her novel recommendation?” Laughed Kristoff.

“Oh, no, it’s not really my kind of thing anyway. I’m not much into reading.”

“Wait, what?” Frowned the redhead. “But you’ve finished several novels I told you about though.”

“I know. It’s because Elsa is the one reading them. She reads them aloud to me at night. I can’t resist it, she has the softest voice in the world.”

“Aaaaawwwww.” Melted Anna.

Elsa blushed, a bit pouty. That was a private habit…

“She does have a soft voice.” Admitted the redhead. “The kids want her to read a bedtime story everytime they can. Well, Isak at least. Eydis says she’s too old for stories now.”

She gave a look at her daughter behind Honeymaren and Elsa, and the young blonde grumbled.

“Though, the other night, she was listening to the one we told her brother. You’re still a fan, aren’t you?”

“Mooom!” Frowned Eydis, grumpy.

“Who wouldn’t be a fan of stories? You know, I’m certain that even animals love stories. You should see when we talk around the campfire. It’s like the entire Forest stops living to listen carefully.”

She even remembered the occasions when Elsa talks about her day to the reindeers, and the same phenomenon happens every time: rabbits, birds and squirrels gather near to listen to her from behind the bushes. Nevertheless, Honeymaren refrained herself to share this enchanting trivia with the others, because she realized that her wife was tense since she had talked about the reading sessions. She caressed Elsa’s back gently, and kissed her bare shoulder. The blonde looked down at her, and their eyes met. She gave her a forgiving sigh, but her azure blue irises sparkled as a warning. Honeymaren grinned, her lips stretching but still in contact with her skin.

They finished eating happily, until Anna stood up and slapped her thighs in both determination and excitement. “Alright! Let’s go scout around the camp.”

Kristoff blinked. “Can’t we take a nap first?”

“Heroes don’t nap.” Huffed the redhead.

Honeymaren giggled. “She’s kind of right. Also, I’m not saying we should tempt the devil, but if we walk around, it will give the possibility for Victor to attack, and we’ll catch him at his own game.”

They agreed and stood up along. “We’ll make two teams. I’ll go with Eydis and Elsa down the valley.” Suggested the Northuldra leader. “You two, with Ryder, across the woods.”

“Excellent.” Beamed Anna.

As they parted ways, she walked up to Honeymaren. “I trust you earnestly, but please make sure that Eydis is safe.”

“Don’t worry.” Assured Honeymaren, winking. “I’m responsible.”

Elsa scoffed sarcastically.

“What?” Frowned the brunette.

“The very first thing you taught my niece was to climb to trees, and how to hang up upside down with her legs without falling.”

Honeymaren gasped. “And isn’t that a practical thing she still uses today? That she could use in this very battle? It is, so stop staring at me like that.”

The two sisters eye-rolled. Eydis intervened to defend her aunt.

“I still thank you for that, actually. It’s not the kind of thing I’d learn from a princess royal training routine.”

“See?” Flinged Honeymaren.

“Eydis, you’re not helping right now.” Said Anna.

“I will keep an eye on your daughter, fire head. I promise.”

The princess turned at the nickname. “Hey, by the way, why do you call her ‘fire head’?”

Elsa giggled. “Because when she met your mother, it was the first time she ever saw someone with ginger hair. Nobody in the Northuldra tribe has such a hair color, you see?”

“Oooh.”

“This isn’t the only reason.” Precised Honeymaren. “When I have fight practice with Anna, her face gets all red from the effort.”

“My face doesn’t get all red. My cheeks are like, slightly more red than usual, at most. If you tease me one more time with that, Maren, I swear that we’ll have a training session right now and it will get very real.”

Ryder laughed behind them. “Liar. You secretly love that nickname. Because it sounds like a war title.”

Anna shrugged in admission, and Eydis grinned. It did have a ring to it.

She also noted how Ryder, Anna and Kristoff called Honeymaren ‘Maren’, while Elsa went for ‘Honey’. This family was really weird. She sighed.

“Shall we go, then?”

=======

“I just want to be a cooler uncle than Honeymaren to Eydis.” Insisted Ryder.

He never had gotten the chance to talk about that topic, because his niece was always around when he saw Anna and Kristoff in Arendelle. Now that they were in separate teams, it was the perfect time.

“Just tell me how!”

Kristoff laughed openly at his struggle. “It’s not something that we can advise you on, my friend. You’ll have to trust your instincts on that.”

“You know, the coolest aunt badge is already taken by Elsa.” Giggled Anna, sarcastic.

“Figuratively and literally.” Grinned the blond.

Ryder gave them a death stare as they all walked among the trees. “Can’t you help me instead of being sassy?”

Kristoff shrugged. “To be honest, Eydis is starting her teenager crisis years. So anything that we adults say to her is never ‘cool’ enough. She’s a bit indifferent to Elsa’s powers now.”

Ryder widened his eyes in shock. If she found the Fifth Spirit mundane, how could he ever compete?

Cogs turned in his mind as he thought of something.

“Having a digestive walk in the Northuldra woods, your Majesty?”

Suddenly said a voice behind them, and all three startled and turned around.

Someone was approaching, at a low and assured pace. It was a man, given his silhouette, and he seemed old, but also fit, like a retired guard.

“Are the Arendelle’s castle gardens too small for your taste? Not that you belong there anyway…” Said the mysterious man in a low voice.

He was wearing a dark purple cape, almost black. As he walked to them, and they were standing still, he took off the hood. Now they could see his face, that he didn’t plan to hide; Victor Eiglatson in person was standing in front of them.

“You…” Frowned Anna.

In her mind flashed images of his threats, his arrestation, his assaults described by Kristoff, Honeymaren, Elsa and the Northuldra, and, more importantly, the two innocent men who had died after his first attack.

“You will pay for what you have done!” Shouted Ryder, and he approached the old Arendellian.

Victor flicked his right wrist up to down in the Northuldra’s direction, and a dark slime blow hit his head from above. In a swift shock, the man groaned and fainted, falling head first in the grass.

“RYDER!!” Exclaimed Anna.

She then twirled to the enemy, her long red hair waving with her like a mane.

“I’ll have you killed for that!!”

Victor eye-rolled. “Calm down, Queenie. He’s only unconscious. I’m not gonna waste my magic on some random guy. You, on the other hand…”

Kristoff followed his gaze. He was strictly staring at Anna.

“Why are you interested in me?” Hissed the woman in question.

“That’s really obvious. You’re the Fifth Spirit’s biggest weakness. I’ll have her at my feet once I’m done with you.”

Anna frowned at his plan. She also wondered why he didn’t call her Elsa, but pushed that thought away to focus on clenching her fists.

“Well I’ll beat you up, you old--”

Kristoff’s arm stopped her in her momentum. She was strong, but he was even more muscular, so he easily held her in place.

“You’ll have to go through me first.” He threatened.

Victor didn’t even flinch at his sentence. “That can be arranged.”

He flipped his wrists, and a burst of dark slime spluttered out of his palms. Two liquid monsters formed on each side of him, and started running to them. He cackled like a maniac as they immediately ran for their lives before the creatures touched them with their long crooked fingers.

Kristoff was dragging Anna along his run, but soon understood that there was no need; she was even faster than him.

He gave a peak behind to check if there were safe, and saw to his biggest fright that the arm of the closest creature changed of form. When the goo assembled at the end of its fingers and solidified in the shape of a long blade, Kristoff’s heart leaped.

“WATCH OUT!”

He tackled Anna, and they rolled in the grass to dodge away from the attack. They stumbled to stand up, and he stared at the monster which had its blade planted to where they had been standing, now struggling to take it off. So it was solid.

Since when could they do that? Did they evolve? Did Victor learn from his past mistakes? Was he able to upgrade his creations, just like Elsa did? He gulped in apprehension.

The second creature quickly made him come back to reality; it used the same technique, but with both arms. Two black slimy blades cut through the air, whistling in the woods, and the two Arendellians jumped back to avoid being sliced in half.

They hadn’t plan this walk correctly, and Kristoff looked around to search for anything that could be used to repel the enemies.

The King then saw a trunk on the ground next to them, and he ran to it. He quickly valued his actions: he could use a fallen tree, right? He wouldn’t disrespect Nature, for this was a dead tree anyway. Kristoff nodded to himself and put his right foot on the trunk, then grasped with both hand the thickest of its branches. It was so wide his thumbs didn’t even touch his fingertips, but he managed to pull and pluck it out with a loud grunt.

Immediately, he twirled around and started to swung the branch in the direction of the creature.

He could effectively stop the left blade of the creature, but it got stuck in the wood, which surprised both him and the monster. It didn’t wait for another blow, though, and made its second blade sing in the air, aiming right at his throat. Kristoff frowned, and thought faster than light; he grabbed his stick with his hands in reverse order, and moved it towards the creature’s elbow moving in his direction. In a swift shift, the monster accidentally planted its blade in its other arm. Looking a bit dumb now, it had both arms tied together, and Kristoff pushed its body with a strong blow of the branch.

The monster fell on the ground. It then was confused on how to stand up now, with its arms like that, and it looked like it was punished and sitting with handcuffs on.

Anna grinned at the state of the enemy, and when Kristoff turned around, panting, his happy brown eyes suddenly widened in terror.

“What?” Said the redhead.

“Duck!!”

In any other context, Anna would have allowed herself a joke about the animal. Now wasn’t the time. She shrieked, curling down, and Kristoff jumped above her crouched body to slam the head of the monster who was about to spike his wife.

The racquetball-like move was given with all his strength, and the creature was stunned, losing its balance and falling backwards. Anna stood up slowly, looking at the two outperformed monsters. She breathed out with a gasp at the shock to have been close to death, and stared at Kristoff from head to toes. She made a pause to admire his muscles glistening with sweat, and his intense stare due to adrenalin.

“Gods I love you.” Sighed Anna, staring at him with arousal.

They stared at each other, and walked the meters separating them with their gaze lost in the ocean of the other’s, like the entire world had ceased to exist around them.

The approaching steps of the enemy brought them out of their reverie. Victor clapped his hands slowly with sarcasm. “Waow, truly effective, your Majesty. But you’re aware that you can’t beat them, right?”

He snapped his fingers, and the stunned creature toddled up, standing up again, while the other saw its arms vanish, then be created again. It went on its feet too.

Kristoff twirled his thick branch around, ready for round two. However, it now was covered with black magic ink, so he dropped it in a disgusted wince before he would get infected.

The Queen whinged at how they now were defenseless again.

“Why didn’t we take the weapons we brought?!” She exclaimed, blaming herself. “I’m so stupid, stupid, stupid!”

“Now is not the time for self-undervaluation, feisty.”

Anna grumbled, for he was right. She immediately placed her hands on each side of her mouth, lifted her head and sang the Spirits Call, as loudly and clear as she could. It rang in the woods and filled the air.

Victor burst out of laughter.

“What are you trying to do, nightingale? The Spirits cannot interact with my magic. Those are basic Nature rules.”

Anna gave him a side look that was overcharged with sarcasm. “I’m aware. Elsa, however, received Ahtohallan’s blessing. You’re screwed, Eiglatson.”

He shivered at her confident teal blue eyes. She wasn’t bluffing.

The old man looked around frantically, now fearing the worst. They had split up in groups, but Elsa could arrive in no time. He gritted his teeth and made his creations disappear with a hand flick.

“You’ll regret this. Deeply. Next time, I’ll have no pity.”

He stared at Kristoff and his wife, and turned around, running away. The blond frowned, not agreeing to let him escape. He ran after him, following his dark cape floating in his move, dashing through the woods. The King followed the man for a long time until the cape suddenly vanished, like it was made of the same goo than the monsters.

“Shit.” He muttered.

He had been fooled. This was an illusion. He grunted loudly, and punched the nearest tree in disappointment.

Anna helped Ryder stand up, and looked at where her husband had been running, wondering if he had managed to catch him. Though, she thought, Victor had magic, and if he was as skilled at Elsa, he would be able to disappear without a trace if he didn’t want to be followed. She knew how effective that was.

“Did he hurt your head?” Worried the Queen. “Did your skin get touched by it?”

“No, I’m okay. I had my hat on, thankfully. I knew that it would save my life one day.” Chuckled the Northuldra nervously.

Ryder retrieved his balance, when suddenly something blurry and white arrived at high speed right next to him, and he shrieked with a jump.

“ANNA!”

The blonde grasped her sister’s arms in less time that it took him to blink.

“Are you okay?! What happened? Why did you call?!”

Before Anna could even answer, Elsa counted only two persons out of three, and inspected the woods. “Where is Kristoff?!”

Gale arrived in a woosh, and made a noise, looking down at Elsa. Kristoff was okay, they said, but angry because he couldn’t catch the enemy in time.

“I’m fine, Elsa.” Assured the Queen.

“Okay, good. Good.”

“Can you please put me down now?”

The Snow Queen blinked in confusion and realized, in her panic, that she had been holding Anna by the arms like a clamp. The younger sister was stuck in her grip with her arms rigid along her body, her legs hanging in the air.

“Oh, sorry.”

She put Anna on the ground, and the redhead smiled sadly. She took Elsa’s hands in hers. “Breathe. It’s okay. He’s gone now.”

“But I couldn’t catch him!” Hissed Elsa, upset.

“I know.”

“Now we know how he looks like, and his fighting style.” Said Ryder, angry as well, so he switched his mind to an analysing mode. “Anna, tell me everything that had happened while I was unconscious. I’ll inform the warriors, and we’ll prepare.”

“Yes.” Encouraged Anna. “And this time, we will have our weapons at the ready.”

She put her hands on her elder’s cold shoulders, resolutely.

“Elsa, our next encounter with him will be the last. I vow to it.”

=======

Anna cracked her knuckles once they all gathered in the armory hut.

“Okay. Briefing the Northuldra, check. Updating their positions, check. Ours, check. Now…”

She rubbed her hands excitedly, and Elsa lifted an amused eyebrow when she recognized where she saw that expression.

“...Weaponry.”

With an excited - and a bit evil and scary - laugh, she opened the chest that they had brought on their wagon.

“Isn’t it a weird that a Queen who swears to be a pacifist and to never lead her kingdom to war is this thrilled about a battle?” Mocked Honeymaren.

“That’s because you haven’t seen my armor.” Winked Anna. “Also, a lady got to be busy. My hobbies include fight, what can I say?”

She opened the chest wide for everyone to observe, and took out weapons one by one.

To Kristoff, she gave his axe, and it shone in the soft light of the hut, its cheek and blade bright blue. The whole head that was normally made of the finest Arendelle metal had been crafted in ice, and could only had been done by one person. Elsa smiled proudly and admiratively, as her work of art got enhanced by the sun rays and floating dust that surrounded the weapon when Kristoff happily made it twirl.

“Perfectly balanced. As always.” He winked to the Snow Queen.

Elsa blushed. They bantered a lot about ice, and spend a considerable time talking about harvesting and such, but when he complimented her unique customizations, she felt a bit shy. But she deserved that praise; she had spent a lot of time on crafting the ideal addition for their weapons. She smiled bashfully and nodded, approving that her ice blade married perfectly with the wood haft. Victor’s monsters could be killed by her ice? Let it be so. But with some elegance, please.

Elsa’s eyes looked down at the grip that had Arendelle crocuses engraved on it, while Kristoff held the axe with both hands to inspect it. The blonde then congratulated herself on the density of the ice, which she could feel in the air from where she was standing. The back of the head, that had a hammer poll, looked more solid than anything despite its transparency. Since Ryder had laid eyes on the axe when Anna had showed it to him before meal, he couldn’t help imagining how Earth Giants themselves would be groggy if they got hit in the face with it.

Anna smiled and bent down again to pick up the next weapon. To Eydis, she gave her mace, whose numerous spikes shone so well that they seemed like sparks. Magically sharp, actually even sharper than razors, the blades glittered in the same way than Kristoff’s axe head, with a beautiful transparency that also scared by its density. Eydis’ mace had a classical grip, but all eyes were obviously staring at the top of it; it alternated between a blade and a spike, making it a fearsome item.

Honeymaren grinned. “So, your weapon of choice is a mace, uh? That’s a nice nod.”

“A nice nod?” Repeated Eydis. “To what?”

“Well, with what happened with Thor years ago. Did you pick this one because you’re at ease with hammers?”

The princess snorted. “Maybe. It’s handy in every meaning of the term.”

Just like her father, she spun the weapon in all ways once Anna gave it to her. She hit the air around in several expert ‘woosh’s, practicing her moves.

“I like the way it feels during fight.” Grinned Eydis.

Ryder widened his eyes at the sight. Yep, she was her mother’s daughter. However, when he saw the careful gaze that Anna was giving her, he could tell that Kristoff was definitely the one who approved on this mace. Nevertheless, Ryder would bet that Anna simply sighed and shrugged when Eydis asked for permission to make this her weapon.

The Queen returned to the chest.

Finally, she took the last weapon, hers, which was to no one’s surprise but to everyone’s honest impression, an enormous sword.

While the Northuldra siblings gasped in admiration, Kristoff sighed longly. “You had to bring your biggest sword, uh?”

“After seeing Victor Eiglatson earlier, I absolutely don’t regret it, dear.”

Honeymaren’s jaw dropped, and she came closer to observe it. Anna made quite a show when she tried it out. Obviously, the whole blade was made out of ice as well. Elsa smirked from where she was. It shone around as Anna wielded it, and even reflected on the wood walls of the hut. It was, out of the three weapons, the one with the biggest amount of ice, so it made a great impression.

Honeymaren was impressed as always by the beauty of her wife’s magic. Though, despite all of that, what impressed her the most was how effortlessly Anna was lifting the sword. It was an impressive work of art that surely weighed more than Honeymaren would even expect. How the heck did she make it seem effortless?

Eydis gasped excitedly. “Awesome! I never got to see this one close before!”

When Anna put it down against the wall of the armory hut to look for their battle outfits, the princess eyed the sword with envy, walking to it.

“Can I borrow it to try it out? With auntie’s ice blade, it’s gorgeous.”

Anna turned around and was about to give her answer, but Eydis, in her iconic nerve, already lifted the sword up. She rose it to see the cross-guard closer, but the blade was way heavier than she thought, and the weapon tilted. With a yelp, she lost her grip, and the sword fell forward to the floor.

“Holy hell!” Muttered the princess.

Anna smirked as she caught it. “I was about to suggest you to not lift it. This sword can’t be wielded by anyone, sweetheart. There is a reason why Elsa custom-made it for me.”

She approached her astonished daughter. “Only I am able to use it. It actually took a lot of training to master my moves. Also, see how long that grip is?”

“Yeah, it’s longer than any sword I’ve ever seen.” Murmured Eydis.

“That’s because it’s a two-handed sword. You lifted it with only one, so it was a foregone conclusion.” Smiled Anna.

She placed it back against the wall.

“So you put both hands on the grip?” Asked Eydis, curiosity and enthusiasm making her voice high.

“It depends on the move or feint you intend to make. Most of times, I place one hand on the grip…” She showed it to her. “And the second one on the pommel.”

Her hands now covered the pine green grip and the pommel proudly engraved with the Arendelle crocus. With its green hilt and its purple round hilt end in each hand, it gave the Queen an astonishing aura by reminding the flag’s colors. She demonstrated the easy twirls that this two hands position allowed to do.

“It’s the most beautiful sword I’ve ever seen.” Exhaled Honeymaren, in awe.

Anna smirked proudly while Elsa blushed with a soft smile.

“Elsa made it entirely for me.”

As if the entire ice blade wasn’t enough of a hint, the rain-guard - which, just like the grip, was made of high quality leather dyed green - had a embedded snowflake symbol. It was the upper half of the snowflake, and it gave the feeling that it introduced the upcoming blade to sight when one observed the stunning weapon. The scabbard, which Anna had discarded next to the chest after she proudly made the sword sing by taking it off, was breathtaking as well. All along were traced drawings that seemed to have been made by both Elsa and Anna. Honeymaren wondered if they had been crafting it together, and easily imagined them giggling as they did in a warm sharing moment.

“Why a two-handed sword, though?” Asked Ryder.

“I suggested it to her since that stubborn idiot refuses to use a shield.” Smirked Elsa.

“A really good suggestion.” Said Anna, who preferred to ignore the derision.

They went out of the hut for Ryder to show them the staff that he would be using. None of the Arendellians commented negatively on how simple his weapon was compared to them. First because they were nice and enough open-minded to not judge ahead, and second because all three of them actually knew the aching pain that followed a hit in the shins. Ryder didn’t train often, but had won a few rounds thanks to that. From what they had seen, Victor Eiglatson wasn’t wearing any armor, and that might even be the blow that would take him down. After all, the most effective attack is the one one doesn’t expect, and Ryder was an expert at sliding down to hit weak spots.

While they were outside and Elsa and Honeymaren started to chat a bit further, Eydis came close to her mother.

“Will auntie be okay? During the fight?”

Anna frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I’ve never seen her truly be mean in her blows. She’s not very direct. She’s a bit scared to be offensive, no?”

The redhead blinked as she stared at Eydis, then suddenly laughed loudly, her head wiping back. “Oh dear, you truly have no idea, do you?”

“What?” Grumbled the princess.

Anna coughed as she tried to retrieve her breath. “Yeah. Right. Sorry. You can’t know, because Arendelle and Northuldra have both always known peace since you were born. So you’ve never seen her actually fight.”

Eydis was upset by her mother’s giggles. “What is so funny?”

The Queen smiled. “Let me search for an example… Well, you have a big snowball fight with her at every Yule, uhm? Remember last year when you asked her to stop holding herself back, to have an actual challenge, and you came back to the castle exhausted?”

Eydis scoffed. “It’s not that amazing, I remember I got to touch her once or twice with a snowball.”

Anna smirked. “Because it was a game. Now imagine what she does when it’s a fight. Did you see Elsa pick up snow from the ground when she, for once, didn’t force herself to slow down?”

The little blonde widened her eyes at that realization. Elsa had been crafting those snowballs out of thin air. “No.”

“Did you see her being out of breath, just for one second?”

Now Eydis gulped. She had been able to hit her aunt several times, but was panting once the game was over. On the other hand, her aunt was perfectly fine.

The princess got suddenly aware that she had been fooled all along. Elsa had only pretended to be hit to make her happy. How dumb was she to not have understood this before? Her aunt was astonishingly athletic, she knew it. Once, she had seen her race with Nokk on the fjord shore and she had been running faster than them. And they have the shape of a horse.

Eydis’ jaw dropped. “Okay, now that is just creepy.”

Anna nodded with a smirk. “You don’t have to worry any second of her abilities on a battlefield. She could kill us all in our sleep, trust me.”

Kristoff approached to put a hand on Anna’s shoulder and a kiss on her cheek.

“I’m gonna go train with Ryder, we’ll see you later.”

He was happy for such a context, and his wife snorted. “Don’t wear yourself out. It’s better if you’re in good shape for the upcoming fight. Be careful, okay?”

The blond man smiled at her care. “I will.”

He followed Ryder to the training area, and not even two full seconds later, he tripped over a root, and almost fell to the ground.

Eydis burst out of laughter as her father grumbled. Anna remained serious to not make him feel ashamed.

“Damn, I lost my ice harvesters reflexes.”

“Too many king activities?” Teased Ryder.

“If you want, I can show you how to use an axe again.” Laughed Eydis.

“Don’t mock me, you two!”

Eydis bit her lip to hide her smile.

“Sorry. Well, I’m not gonna lie, you taught me all I know about resourcefulness in the wild and how to be an ace at ice harvesting. So I can’t demean you.”

Kristoff gave her a smile, then rejoined Ryder.

Anna went to Honeymaren and Elsa, where the brunette was preparing her bow for the battle.

She was intrigued when she approached the leader.

“Wait, don’t you usually have a bigger bow? Where’s the one you hunt with?”

Honeymaren smirked. “Judging on sizes, your Majesty?”

Anna snorted. “Of course not.”

The Northuldra made the bow twirl left to right and back with her hand on the grip. “This bow is a warrior one, that’s why the size is different.”

“Uhm, excuse me, a what? As much as I love this name, I’m confused. Why ‘warrior’?”

The brunette smiled. “It’s the type of bow. You know, they come in all shapes and sizes, just like people…”

“Stop with the tease, dummy.”

She got a smirk in return. “The one you see me use during hunt is a long bow. Very long, in fact. It’s optimized for stealth, with a light wood and silencers on the string to be as discreet as possible. We also craft them that long because we use them from a very far distance. With those features, we do not frighten the animals, and therefore are respectful of Nature. We have a more tender meat as their death was quick and without fear.”

Anna gulped at the powerful statements.

“This one...”, said Honeymaren, lifting the bow she was holding. “Is quite exactly its opposite. Notice how its wood is way shorter and curved three times, even at the tips. It’s optimized for fighting. I’m not a fan of what it represents and the context it’s used in, but it’s very effective. As we stand closer to the target, we don’t need a long bow, and this size allows faster recharge.”

“A bow for warriors on the battlefield…”

“Yes. Its unique asset is its main default, however. As we can’t draw the bow very much because it’s shorter than the usual, it only is for close range.”

Anna blinked, retrieving from those incredible details. She then smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll give you a window to shoot.”

“I count on it.” Smirked the brunette.

She went to pick up new material in the craft shed to change the grip of the bow and make it brand new. On her way, she passed by Eydis, who was staring at the stunning collection of bows all hand-crafted by the tribe.

“You don’t have those bows in Arendelle, uh?” Grinned the proud leader.

Eydis puffed. “Even if I did, I can’t buy a single thing in the kingdom without thinking of mother, anyway.”

“What, she scolds you when you buy useless things? A bow is far from being useless.”

“No, because there’s her face on every coin.” Snorted the princess.

They both laughed.

“She never scolds me for anything I buy. I could ask a chocolatier for my weight in candies and she would even encourage it.”

They laughed again.

She saw that Honeymaren had sit down at a table to extend a band of leather and cut the parts she needed. She would be using the dagger she had at her waist, and that all adult Northuldra were wearing constantly, for how multifunction it was a for a people living in the wild.

“Hey, could you do the trick again?”

Honeymaren, who was about to simply take the dagger of its sheath and casually use it, smirked. She untied the leather pouch, twirled it in the air, then placed her wrist under it to make it spin around, and took out the dagger with expertise and elegance. The whole movement had been smooth, and Eydis’ eyes sparkled.

“Never gets old.”

Honeymaren waved her eyebrows and turned the knife between her fingers before getting to work.

A few minutes passed, and Eydis admired all the weaponry. Several ice arrows were on a table near the wall, and she approached her hand.

“Waow, those are superb. Look at the very precise and intricate heads…”

“Don’t touch that!” Exclaimed Honeymaren, rushing to her niece.

Eydis’ admirative eyes switched to angry ones. “Damnit! Why can’t I touch anything?!”

“Language.” Scolded Anna from afar.

“Sorry, Eydis.” Said the Northuldra leader with a pout. “Those are extremely sharp. Elsa upgraded them since the last time I used them, and even myself have to be very careful when handling them.”

She slowly placed them back in her quiver, and wondered why she had been leaving them there. Northuldra children could have hurt themselves… When they joined a whole stack of others in her quiver, she realized that in fact, Elsa had been crafting new ones after their meal.

She admired her wife’s dedication and work on their weapons. Each of them had been enhanced with Elsa’s unbreakable ice. Their efficiency against the monster would be unprecedented. Even Ryder’s staff was covered with a thin layer of ice to strengthen it, keeping the traditional way of fighting.

When Elsa had announced that she would be using a spear entirely made out of ice, and she had crafted it under their eyes, Honeymaren’s knees had almost buckled at the flashing image of how attractive her wife would be when she would fight with it. The spear was blue - obviously - and had - as usual - intricate details, for Elsa couldn’t help being extra. The shaft had all the colors of the Spirits spreaded on it, with the four diamond shapes and their symbols proudly displayed along. The head of the spear wasn’t the classical one but a four pronged trident, inspired by the four Spirits’ harmony. The blades were long and placed facing each other two by two, forming a round cross and looking like the cardinal points. Anna had made the remark that if she crafted this quadrident spear while on Nokk, she would look like Poseidon, but Honeymaren didn’t get the reference.

The odds for the fight were really good. Honeymaren smiled proudly and positively when the two sisters joined them.

“With Elsa’s expertise, we will defeat Eiglatson in no time.”

Anna wanted to support her positivity, but she shivered. “‘Next time, I’ll have no pity’, he said. I just hope that we will be strong enough. May the gods be on our side.”

Elsa nodded, then suddenly widened her eyes. It was like she had remembered or realized something out of nowhere.

“We will be prepared, Anna, don’t worry.” Assured Honeymaren with a firm leader voice.

They all agreed. Anna suggested to help Honeymaren refine the Northuldra warriors’ strategy, and Eydis to sharpen their weapons.

Elsa was the only one not to move, and she remained oddly silent, staring down.

Anna turned to her, and lifted an eyebrow, about to ask what was wrong.

“I need to take a moment alone before the fight.” Said the blonde, forcing herself to smile. “I’ll take a break in Ahtohallan.”

Her sister nodded. Elsa certainly needed to recharge in every meaning of the term; as an introvert with a bubble of calm, and a magical being with the ancient glacier. She had noted long ago how better the Snow Queen’s mood was after meditating in the magical source.

Honeymaren watched her lover go, slightly suspicious. But she shrugged and walked with Anna to the hut where they had spreaded a giant map on a table.

“Okay… Strategy thinking…” Mumbled the redhead, and Honeymaren got amused by her pout. “Maren, do you consider yourself lucky?”

The Northuldra leader snorted. “Well, I got to marry a Spirit who also is the most beautiful woman in the world, so… I certainly am.”

Anna eye-rolled comically. “I meant, if we make a back-up plan based on chance, would that be in your favor or not?”

“Yeah, sure.”

The Queen stared at Honeymaren, because now she had been silent, and the distance separating them from the hut was long, so that would soon be awkward between them. Anna noticed that the brunette was fidgeting with something on her left hand, but didn’t get to ask.

“You must think that I’m a hopeless romantic, uh?”

Anna smiled. “No, not at all. I mean, yes, you really are, but I don’t mind it, if it’s what you’re afraid of. I find your couple adorable. And you know already how Elsa’s happiness deeply matters to me, so to know that she’s living a perfect married life with you fills my heart with joy.”

Honeymaren smiled. “I’m the thankful one, I swear. You know, she changed my whole world.”

She rose her hands, showing the woods surrounding them. “First, by freeing the Forest, and then, by teaching me on her first night in the camp that constellations had names. It was barely hours after I discovered the existence of stars. Imagine how overwhelming that was.”

“I easily do.” Grinned Anna. “She’s a real nerd. I’ve known her for such a long time - I can’t say my whole life, that would be lying - and she still teaches me stuff about science and physics. It’s crazy coming from someone who also defies those laws with magic.”

Honeymaren chuckled tenderly.

“Once, she crafted a sextant for a little girl in the village.” Continued the redhead.

“A sex… What?”

Anna burst of laughter.

“It has nothing to do with sex. It’s a navigation tool, based on the position of stars.”

“Oh, I see. Old Northuldra told me that our people used to watch the stars to find their way.”

“All people used to.” Smiled Anna wisely.

Honeymaren nodded. It was also true figuratively. Elsa was the brightest star that ever shone to her eyes. She could follow her everywhere, like her true north. The brunette fidgeted with her ice ring again at the image of her wife giggling when she ran after her stunning figure in the fields, and Elsa turning around with a smile that warmed her heart like nothing else did.

“Mareeeeen…” Called Anna’s voice, probably not for the first time, and finally succeeding in bringing her back to Earth.

“Oh, sorry, you were saying?”

When she turned to the redhead, she was smirking. “Uhm, correct me if I’m wrong, but the hut is that way, no?” She said, pointing the other way.

Honeymaren blinked and look at where she was heading. Three more steps and she would bump head first into a tree.

“Y-yes, yes, I was… I’m coming.”

She cleared her throat, and followed her smiling sister-in-law to where she was supposed to go.

=======

When they went out of the hut more than two hours later, Anna stretched next to Honeymaren, then she suddenly heard a neigh in the distance.

She saw a familiar horse, gleaming between the trees, and trotting through the camp in their direction.

“Oh, hi Nokk!” Smiled Anna, waving. “What are you doing here? Isn’t Elsa with you?”

She then saw that someone was on their back, but not seated like they rode them; that person had been picked up and transported.

Nokk stopped walking in the middle of the camp, about twenty meters away from them. Honeymaren’s eyes widened at the platinum blonde hair of the of woman.

“Elsa?!”

The blonde groaned, shook her head and massaged her forehead. She forced herself to sit up, but she clearly had difficulties.

“Elsa, are you okay?!” Panicked Anna, staring at the blonde.

Nokk neighed loudly.

“I’m fine.” Murmured Elsa, getting down from the Water Spirit with as much composure as she could.

Nokk neighed again, insistent.

“Okay, I may not be.” Muttered the Snow Queen, and only the horse could hear that.

She let go of Nokk’s neck and lurched along the path. Anna and Honeymaren had come close, sensing that something was wrong.

“Elsa, you’re usually pale, but now you’re white as a sheet. What happened?” Worried her sister.

“Do you need help to walk?”

“I can walk, it’s okay…”

Honeymaren didn’t insist, noticing how stubborn Elsa was. However, as her and Anna gave way for her to walk through the camp, her knees suddenly buckled.

“Elsa!!”

She collapsed to the ground, and Honeymaren rushed to catch her. The blonde fainted in her arms, her head dropping back, and Honeymaren lifted it up.

“ELSA!!” Screamed the brunette a second time, starting at her lover’s face with alarmed wide eyes.

She shook Elsa’s body desperately. She pressed her ear to her chest to hear if her heart was beating, but her own heart was beating so fast that she couldn’t focus on the right sound. To make it even worse, Anna had fallen to her knees next to her and was breathing faster and louder each passing second, inspecting her elder’s face.

“ELSA!!”

The Snow Queen didn’t respond, still unconscious, her eyes closed. Honeymaren kept her hand behind her head and fumbled at her belt with the other. She grabbed the knife at her waist and drew it in one swift move, then contrasted with that speed by delicately placing the blade under Elsa’s nose. Time seemed to hang in the air while both Anna and Honeymaren stared desperately at the metal, until it covered with condensation. Elsa was breathing.

They both sighed heavily, their shoulders slumped. They now were sitting on their heels, gripping the blonde’s body. Honeymaren shook her arms.

“Please, please open your eyes, Elsa. Please stay with me. Please stay with us.”

She shook her body again, and Elsa blinked tiredly, opening her eyes very slowly.

Honeymaren gasped and held her tight, muttering a long line of prayers and gratitudes to the world for bringing back her wife. As she hugged her, she felt the ice and snow clothes under her fingers, and she only realized then that it should have been the best clue to know that she hadn’t left them; the magic fabric would have melted away otherwise.

“I like it when you hold me in your arms like that…” Muttered the voice of her lover next to her ear.

The Northuldra leader detached from the hug, and kept her wife in her arms, but away enough to stare at her face.

“What happened to you??”

The Snow Queen’s weak features twitched in a smile. “I found the password, Honey…”

“What?” Blinked the brunette.

“‘Only time itself will tell’... Kronos. It was Kronos.”

Anna and Honeymaren remained silent in confusion. What the hell was she talking about?

“Kronos… The greek god of time…” Murmured Elsa with a weak, almost imperceptible voice.

She however had an obvious sly smile, and Anna blinked.

“Wait, what? What are you talking about?”

Had her sister gone mad? She sounded delirious.

Honeymaren, on the other hand, had connected the dots. She shook her head, as stunned as Anna, but for a different reason. She sighed at the brilliant mind of her wife.

“You’re incredible, Elsa, I swear… In all meanings of the term.”

The blonde allowed herself a grin despite her lack of strength.

“Would someone care to explain?” Frowned Anna, upset that she was missing something that clearly was important.

“The code word that would unlock the repressed memories of the previous Fifth Spirit… It was ‘Kronos’.” Said Honeymaren.

Elsa felt happy as the two people she cared the most about exchanged a gaze with huffed smiles. Though, when their eyes reverted to her, her forces left her; her eyes turned up again and she plunged back into darkness.

=======

When Elsa regained consciousness, she slowly opened her eyes, recovering her sight in blurry steps. She first saw the floating blue candle jars hovering just below the ceiling of the hut. So she was in her bed. At the idea, a feeling of warmth invaded her heart. She then saw, as her vision sharpened, Honeymaren looking at her in distress, then deep relief as she sighed when she saw her wife smile.

The brunette cuddled next to her and pressed her forehead to her temple.

“Thanks Ahtohallan, you’re alright.” She murmured.

“Actually, what happened is Ahtohallan’s fault…” Pointed out another familiar voice, filled with reproach but also concern.

Elsa’s smile went larger as she turned her face and saw her sister bent over her as well on the other side of the bed. Anna’s sarcasm left her face to quickly be replaced by happiness when she crossed her elder’s gaze.

“Hey you.”

The blonde winced. “Actually, it wasn’t entirely Ahtohallan’s fault.”

Anna sighed. “Yeah, once again you had to go to far, and now you regret it. Seriously, is she this alluring? Is the need to know the truth like a drug or something?”

Honeymaren and Elsa chuckled.

“Gotta say, the Spirits call can be breathtakingly beautiful sometimes. I can’t imagine how attractive it is when it comes from the source itself.” Admitted the Northuldra leader.

“And in addition to your dorky snoop personality…” Smirked Anna.

“Says the one who keeps asking me about gossip!” Gasped Elsa.

“Well, at least, I’m not risking my life when I ask!”

Elsa eye-rolled. The sisters grinned, and hugged each other warmly.

“You scared me a bit there.” Murmured the Queen against Elsa’s ear.

“It’s a good thing you’re used to my drama then.”

“True.”

After Anna detached from the hug, Honeymaren stared at her wife in a scolding expression.

“You really shouldn’t have done that! Don’t make me quote the song. When will you finally...”

Her frowned eyebrows suddenly shot up, the rest of her sentence vanishing in her throat as she realized what she was doing. “Oh no. I shouldn’t be angry at you. You could have died, and I’m lucky enough for you to be alive…”

Elsa’s hand quickly slid on the sheets to hold hers. “You’re my wife, Honey. That’s what married life does. You get deadly worried about the other.”

Anna winced at the word ‘deadly’.

“You care about me with all your soul, and you’re angry because you weren’t there to protect me.” Continued Elsa.

“So you agree that it was extremely dangerous.”

The blonde winced. “Yes.”

“Your hella curious personality will be your undoing, Elsa.” Grumbled Anna.

“Without my curiosity, we wouldn’t have known about Runeard’s plan!” Reminded Elsa coldly.

The two other women couldn’t deny it, and remained silent.

Honeymaren sighed in an upset way. She didn’t like how Elsa purposely went to Ahtohallan alone right when she figured the code word, because she would definitely have prevented her if she was accompanied.

She passed a hand in her wife’s hair, retrieving her smile.

“So the previous Fifth Spirit was a nerd as well, uh?”

Elsa frowned as she was sitting up with her elbows.

“Why do you say that?”

“Oh, don’t go ‘anyone could have guessed the Kronos password’. You know that none of us would have found it. Did you see memories of him making jokes about Orion’s belt?”

Elsa slapped her arm, and she grinned.

“Those jokes would be so bad that he probably put them in his repressed coded memories, though.”

She received another slap, and this one was stronger.

“Well, I’m glad to see that your regained strength.” Laughed Honeymaren, rubbing her bruises.

Elsa couldn’t help but smile, and shook her head.

“Can you stand up?” Asked Anna.

“I think I can.”

She however put her hand in Honeymaren’s stretched one, just to make sure that she wouldn’t fall if her knees buckled. Nevertheless, she could step easily through the hut, and even started to go outside. As a double reward, the Northuldra who were working near the hut turned to her and beamed to see that she was okay. Elsa smiled back, and she felt infinitely better. Now that she knew all the truth and was replenished, she felt ready to fight Victor.

“You know, I wouldn’t be surprised that Ahtohallan gifts each Fifth Spirit with sarcasm, drama and nerdiness.” Smiled Anna’s voice behind her as she and Honeymaren got out of the hut.

Elsa gave her a stare. “Don’t encourage her.”

The two women simply shrugged, amused. Though, Elsa’s sudden serious face changed the mood.

“Actually, let’s go back inside. We need to sit down.”

“Uhh, what? Are you okay?”

“I’m alright. But I have to tell you all the truth about Victor Eiglatson. And it’s best if we do it privately.”

The Northuldra and Arendelle leaders exchanged a worried glance, and followed her back inside, closing the door behind them.

Elsa then proceeded to explain that they got a lot of things wrong about him, as they sadly expected.

“He has been planning his revenge on the Fifth Spirit for years. Longer than any of us three was born.”

“This is a really spooky introduction, thank you very much.” Commented Anna, her eyes wide.

“I’ve had access to every single memory that the previous Fifth Spirit had been ashamed of and hiding, even to himself, and…”

Elsa shivered. That meant a lot coming from her. Honeymaren understood now that her weak state wasn’t only because going far in the secret past had impacted her magic; it was an emotional wreck as well.

“I’m gonna explain it from the very beginning.” Told Elsa. “So, first of all, Victor Eiglatson had a wife, called Niks.”

Her sister puffed. “How could a man like him have been married?”

Elsa gave her a stare.

“Anna, I love you with all my heart, but I’m begging you to not interrupt me until I’m finished.”

The redhead pouted in a sullen expression, and Honeymaren bit her lip with a smile. ‘Let her continue’, she said with a gaze.

“Victor and Niks both were merchants, who traveled around the country, and they both had dark magic.”

“What? How??”

“Anna…”

“Okay, okay, I’m quiet.”

Elsa resumed.

“While Victor kept it low profile, Niks kept using her dark magic for larceny. Robbery, bullying… She kept wielding her powers for evil ends. One day, they were delivering supplies to the Northuldra, and she had threatened the people during the night. The Fifth Spirit had noticed, and spied on her to see if she would do it again. He saw her doing it repetitively each night Victor and her had stayed in the camp, as they had asked for board and lodging for a week.

Two days before they left, the Northuldra leader told her that he knew what she was doing. He warned her, stating that the next time she would use her powers for such acts, he would have to punish her. She didn’t take him seriously at all. On the following night, she blackmailed a young mother and her child, saying that she would send monsters and hell on the poor family if they didn’t give her half of their crops by the next time they would do business here. The Fifth Spirit saw everything. On the morning after their departure, he followed their caravan, and…”

The Snow Queen interrupted her story. It was a bit sudden, so the others wondered what had happened.

“He…” Elsa stopped to gulped. She took a few seconds, then retrieve the needed courage. “He killed her. He killed Niks with his ice and snow magic.”

Anna and Honeymaren let out synchronized gasps. Anna’s hand flew to her mouth. Elsa closed her eyes and lowered her head.

“I saw everything. I mean, it was in ice statues form, but… Still. And as he used the same magic than I do, I could almost… Feel what I saw. He impaled her in one go.”

Honeymaren’s throat tightened, a ball forming in her throat, and she guessed that it was the same for Elsa. She placed a tender hand on her shoulder, and the blonde squeezed it tenderly. After a breathe in, she continued.

“Victor saw everything. He was boiling with sorrow and rage. He wanted to kill the Fifth Spirit right away, but he froze his lower body and walked away, returning to the camp. He said that it was what needed to be done.”

Elsa’s hands had returned in her lap, and she clenched her fists nervously.

“He didn’t even apologize. Victor had spend the day screaming and shouting until the ice melted with the heat of the sun. Once it had vanished, he realized that he had to bury his wife properly before setting off to the camp to murder the Northuldra leader. On her tombstone, he swore to avenge her, and built a plan. Only, when he came to the Forest days later…”

She looked up at the ceiling, like she could see the sky from where they were.

“The mist had fallen.”

She shrugged sadly. “He tried all he could, poured all his magic into his efforts, but it was in vain. As you know, only Anna and I can open the mist. Only the Bridge can. Only the Fifth Spirit can. And the Fifth Spirit… Had just died in turn.”

Elsa looked at the wall absentmindedly as she remembered the ice statues. “Victor learned about his death through rumors as he came back to the kingdom. He noticed how some soldiers were hateful towards the Northuldra, and he enrolled in the army to train for the day the mist would lift. He planned and planned and planned, and his dark magic got better and darker each passing year. The only thing that separated him from his revenge was a wall of smoke.”

Her eyes lifted to Anna. “Years later, he learned that I was the Fifth Spirit. In fact, that we both technically were. He started to shout to everyone that we did not deserve to be Queens of Arendelle for that reason. You know the rest. He got sent to prison for such words, but he escaped with magic. His goo monsters slipped through the bars really easily…”

She once again couldn’t help but let out a little bit of admiration for his creations, despite some disgust.

“It was less than a month ago. He had trained a lot since. But… Despite hating the Fifth Spirit with all his soul, and his promise to avenge his wife’s death... He actually doesn’t plan to kill me.”

Honeymaren gave her a look that meant ‘Let me guess, it’s way worse?’

“His goal is to rip my magic out of me.”

The two other woman widened their eyes in utter astonishment. And to make things worse, Elsa kept going.

“He cleverly thought of that because with his research, he understood that the Fifth Spirit reincarnation is a cycle. Ahtohallan gives the ice and snow powers to a new person each time the previous dies, for them to be the only one to read her memories. And if he kills me, the chain would not stop, it would simply continue. However, by absorbing my magic, his revenge will be complete.”

Anna had at least a hundred of questions burning her lips at Elsa’s statements. Yet, the elder lifted a finger.

“Wait, that’s not all; I also saw a memory on his frieze that wasn’t there the last time we checked it with Honeymaren. It was the most recent one. From this afternoon.”

She gave a pause, and gulped. “He’s planning to attack Ahtohallan’s tonight, and rot it to the core with his goo magic.”

The two women let out the same gasp, quickly replaced by a deep groan. No one would touch Elsa, and no one would touch Ahtohallan. For Anna, the magic glacier was the source of her magic and who she was and had allowed her to be fully proud of her identity. For Honeymaren, it was this and even more; Ahtohallan was her deity, a representant of the sacred laws of Nature, and she would never let anyone profane the entity that the Northuldra worshipped since forever.

“We’ve got to unite all of our forces and prevent him from crossing the Dark Sea.” Stated Elsa with emotion.

A silence fell, and she looked at them with sad eyes.

Anna didn’t dare to react verbally yet.

“Uhm… Are you finished?”

Elsa sighed. “Gosh, I hope so. Yeah, you can talk.”

“Well, I don’t even know where to start.” Exhaled the Queen.

“The only thing I retain from all of these news is that I call dibs on the first shot to Victor’s heart.” Grumbled Honeymaren, fire in her hazelnut eyes.

“Honey, no.” Calmed Elsa. “Violence is not the solution. I mean, of course we’re going to fight him with all our forces, don’t look at me like that, but we’re not going to kill him. This is not who we are. He’s the murderer, not us. He will have to face justice.”

Honeymaren sighed in a pout. Elsa was right.

“M’kay.”

She didn’t seem so convinced, but admitted that shooting arrows at a human’s heart wasn’t really the way to show a good example.

Anna passed a hand in her hair, and tucked it behind her ear. “So… People with magic can… Rip magic out of other magic people?”

Elsa gave her a sad look. “I didn’t even know it was possible until today. And I’ve been exploring the abilities of my magic since the Great Thaw, so for nearly 20 years. Never would I have thought that I could extract magic out of someone’s soul…”

A silence floated in the room. Honeymaren and Anna exchanged a gaze, not daring to ask the question. Finally, Anna did.

“And… Do you think that you…”

“No. I would never do that. I don’t want to learn how to do it, and I never want to do it.” Stated Elsa, her voice firm and strong.

Her azure blue eyes had been so intense that the two other women got stunned by it, then they had grateful smiles. Elsa had god tier powers, but never would she commit such an act.

However, guilt roamed the Snow Queen’s body as she remembered that the previous Fifth Spirit, on the other hand, had come to a decision of this gravity.

She looked down as she passed her hands on her arms, curling a bit on herself. “First my grandfather… Now him… I’m tied to criminals.”

“Don’t say that!” Exclaimed Anna.

“He killed, Anna. My previous incarnation killed someone.”

“He’s not you. You are not defined by his action. You’re you own person, even if you have identical powers. You’re no evil, Elsa. Do you hear me?”

The redhead had been grabbing her sister’s arms for impact, but also to make her stop cowering.

“You’re literally the most gentle, nicest person I’ve ever met.”

Elsa blinked sadly. Honeymaren nodded firmly next to Anna, and passed a soft hand in her hair and along her face.

“Yes, you are, snømus. Would I have made a murderer my wife? I don’t think so.”

A snort escaped Elsa’s sad lips.

With the way her sister and lover were holding her, she could cry instantly, so humor was a good way to prevent that. She took a long inhale, and stood up.

“Yes, it’s no time to get emotional. Victor is cruel and reckless. Tonight we face him with all that we got.”

The Snow Queen walked to the entrance of the hut, opened it, and turned around to face the two women who looked at her in undeniable awe. With the light passing by the wood slits and the candles projecting blue hues on her face, she looked like a fierce Valkyrie on the warpath.

She gave their stunned faces a big grin.

“Let’s suit on.”

A second of impressed silence fell. Anna let out an amazed puff. “Waow, look at who’s all confident about conflict now. Who are you and what have you done with my forever insecure sister?”

The blonde gave her a judging look. She had just ruined her epic attitude.

“I’m not saying that negatively.” Assured the younger. “Only… Damn, you’ve become such a badass. What happened to you?”

Honeymaren put a hand on Anna’s shoulder.

“She married me.”

Elsa smirked.

=======

Anna helped Eydis to put her armor on, then Elsa helped Anna with hers. Sometimes, the redhead had so snap her sister back to reality, because she was admiring the beauty of some steel pieces and taking a lot of breaks.

“Elsa, you’ll get plenty of time to admire my armor once I have it entirely on.”

“Yeah, sorry. Am I too slow?”

“No, it’s fine. It’s actually touching that you love it so much. I like to have your opinion on those kind of things. But right now, I’m starting to lose my balance.”

Elsa hurried to place her boot correctly. She then asked for Anna to turn around to tighten her brigandine. Anna had a proud grin as she stood with her hands on her hips while Elsa was busy.

“With it, there’s no way those monster’s dark slime will touch my skin.”

She was about to turn to look at Elsa, when an annoying noise came from her neck. “Damn, my gorget keeps squeaking. Can you do something about it?”

Elsa turned once she was done with the bodice.

“Well, my magic may do a lot of miracles, however ice and snow are everything but oily. So I’m afraid I can’t.”

“I was talking about actual grease, dummy. Do you have some?”

“Oh. Yes.”

Anna smiled as Elsa went to get some in the shed. It was funny how, long ago, the Snow Queen would never have dared to use her magic for anything, and now it was her default option.

“A Northuldra is using it next door, he will bring it back. Apparently, Kristoff have the same problem.” Smiled Elsa. “I know it’s a good sign, but when was the last time you two wore armors?”

“It’s not that it’s rusty”, defended Anna. “They are pure work of art from Arendellian’s best craft people. But they need some… Restoration?”

The blonde grinned. She kept helping her sister place the armor’s pieces one by one, picking them up from the chest where only hers had remained. Her smile faded when she saw how red Anna’s face had gotten when she lifted the faulds and was about to place them.

“What is it? You seem uncomfortable.”

Anna looked away with a little pout. “It’s nothing.”

“No, it’s something. Your freckles almost are disappearing under your blush. What’s wrong?”

The Queen looked at the faulds. “They’re very large, aren’t they?”

Elsa blinked in incomprehension. “Uhh… Yeah, they’re meant to go around the waist and hips to protect them. So, by definition, they are.”

“No, I mean…”

She was unable to finish her sentence. Elsa frowned as she tried to understand. “You mean your hips and waist are very large.”

Anna looked away again, and nodded silently. The Snow Queen put away the faults in a brisk move, which the redhead interpreted as revulsion. That’s why she was confused when both her hands got seized in hers.

“Anna, look at me.”

The redhead had startled at the touch, and she turned to her sister. “What?”

“You can’t possibly be saying that you don’t like your body, right?”

The teal blue eyes went down. “So you agree. You think I’m fat too.”

“Oh Ahtohallan, no, Anna, hey, look at me.”

She quitted holding her hands to place soft palms against her cheeks. Anna looked at her, and she was on the verge of crying.

A silence passed, and Elsa’s gaze switched from one eye to the other.

“What if you are.”

“Excuse me?”

“What if you’re fat?” Said Elsa.

Anna blinked. It surprised her so much that her tears went away.

“Yeah, what if you’re fat. Does it matter?” Asked Elsa.

The redhead blabbered. “Well, of course it does!”

“No it doesn’t. Stop me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure that Kristoff has seen you naked a couple of times or more, didn’t he?” She asked, half-teasing.

Anna blushed. “Uh, yeah.”

“Did he ever say anything negative about your body? In 10 years of marriage?”

“I… No, quite the opposite.” Muttered Anna. “But he could be lying.”

“Oh. Sure. So, allow me to ask: when was the last time Kristoff has ever lied to you?”

Anna was speechless. Why was Elsa so good at this? How did she knew exactly which arguments do use? How did she knew precisely what Anna had to be reassured about? The elder sister brushed her cheek with her thumbs to take her out of her thoughts.

“Anna. You gave birth to two beautiful, amazing children. Your body changed from that. There is nothing more normal in the entire world. Nature gave you the space to bear children.”

As if those touching words weren’t enough to wreck Anna’s entire soul, Elsa’s left hand went to Anna’s lower belly. “You carried life. Life is the most beautiful thing in the world. Don’t you think that life deserves as much space as possible? And you carried it with love. Love is the most important thing in the world. Don’t you think that love also deserves as much space as possible?”

The redhead’s lips trembled, and she could barely talk as they stretched in a smile.

“Y-- Yes.”

“Then cherish each and every single ounce of your body that fills that space today.”

Anna’s eyes closed and her tears fell, then she launched herself in Elsa’s arms for a tight hug. It was truly tight with her armor, but the blonde couldn’t care less. She closed her eyes as her little sister’s doubts faded away, and she could almost feel how lighter her soul was.

“Thank you so much, I… I…”

Anna had troubles breathing, and gasped over her shoulder.

“Hey, take your time. It’s okay.” Elsa said gently, rubbing the back of her hair.

Anna soon detached from the hug to rub her tears and sniff. “I should stop crying though, or this armor really will get rusty.”

Elsa smiled. The Queen stared at her resolutely.

“You know, you often say it for yourself, but I swear that I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Nonsense. You rule a kingdom. And are the most admired monarch of Arendelle’s history.”

A silence passed, and they looked at each other with sighs, until Anna stopped sniffing. Elsa picked the iron piece from where she had left it.

“Now, can I please put your faulds on?”

“Yes.”

They kept going with smiles, continuing component after component.

“Can you promise me you won’t tell anyone about what just happened?”

Elsa smirked.

“Sure, don’t worry. I’ll take your secret to the greave.”

Anna stared at her sister, then down at the piece of armor she was holding around her leg, then stared at her again, and this time in a judging way.

“Was that a pun?”

Elsa wheezed, not able to retain herself. “It was a good one, admit it!”

“I can’t freaking believe that my sister just made a joke about a grave. Oh my gods. Hey, stop laughing. No, don’t fall to the floor. Elsa!! Put the greave back on my… Ugh. You’re impossible!!”

She grunted as she placed the piece herself, shaking her head at her elder’s giggles. With the shake, the gorget squeaked, which made Elsa howl with laughter even more. Actually, the blonde’s laugh was so contagious that Anna laughed as well.

“That really was an awful joke. I hereby declare, Queen Anna of Arendelle, that you are not allowed to enter the kingdom’s territory anymore. We don’t tolerate this bad humor.”

Elsa snorted. “Oh, come on. Everyone knows how acclaimed I am in Arendelle. People would riot if they don’t hear my stupid jokes from time to time.”

Anna sighed dramatically. “Granted.”

“You wouldn’t get rid of me that easily anyway.” Smirked Elsa.

Anna kept going on her drama.

“I know. That’s my burden. Being stuck with you as my sister for my whole life.”

She turned to the door when she heard Eydis come in the hut to pick her gauntlets.

“Eydis, could you come over here please?”

“Why?” Frowned the princess, wondering what her mother was talking about from behind the changing screen.

“Would you grab your mace and kill me? I can’t stand Elsa anymore.”

The girl knew her mother’s ramblings enough to understand that she was joking, and didn’t even lift her head from the gauntlets she was tying up at her wrists.

“Sure. Do you want to be knocked on the head or in the face?”

The sisters laughed.

“Gosh, she’s a future mercenary.” Chuckled Elsa.

“She’s actually aiming for ice harvester mixed with sailor.” Shrugged Anna.

Soon, they were finished. “Come on, let’s go outside so I can admire it in the sunlight.” Beamed the Snow Queen.

=======

“So now you’re the one in need of a tissue. Do you need one?” Grinned Anna. “We probably packed some.”

Elsa breathed in and out heavily as she blinked to chase her emotional tears.

“You just look… So great, in this, Anna. I’m…”

She let out a noise that was a mix of a gasp and a squeal. “I’m really proud of you.”

The Queen of Arendelle smiled widely at the compliment. “Thank you, sis.”

Anna’s armor was entirely polished with a matte golden color, and it made her look like a stunning legend. The absence of reflections gave her a serious aura and the detailed finishing touches showcased her. Each joint of the metal and seam of the reinforced garment were engraved and embroidered with ivy motives. On both of her shoulder pieces were drawn Arendelle crocuses, one in green and one in purple. Her plackart proudly displayed the kingdom’s flag, and it married perfectly with the gold color of the whole outfit.

Gods, was it hard for Elsa to not burst into tears at the whole sight.

She approached to wrap her arms around the redhead. It was rare that Elsa was the one to initiate embraces, so it meant a lot to Anna, and it warmed her heart.

When they finished hugging, Elsa held the face of her little sister in her hands, sniffing at her beauty. “You’ve become a wonderful woman, Anna. A passionate Queen, a devoted mother, and a hero with a heart of gold.”

The redhead snorted modestly. “You’ve only seen me in that armor for like, two minutes.”

Elsa shrugged. “And yet, I can attest you that you would look way better on a Joan of Arc style portrait than I’ll ever do.”

Her younger laughed. “This might be the best compliment in the world.”

“Looking really good, Anna!” Approved a voice behind them, and they turned to see Honeymaren with a thumb up.

Anna giggled and thanked her with a comical curtsey.

“I’ll join you in a moment, I’m gonna suit up too.” Informed the Northuldra.

“Okay.”

She disappeared in the armory hut, and the Snow Queen smiled when her eyes landed on the redhead again. “With Kristoff and Eydis, you three look absolutely amazing. This really looks like the Arendelle flag was brought to life.”

Anna smiled. “Let’s hope that it will fly forever, then.”

The exchanged a gaze, their eyes sparkling with emotion.

Elsa looked over to where Kristoff and Eydis had been standing, and the sisters spent a long time talking about the specificities of each. Kristoff’s one definitely was a mix of a knight armor and an ice harvester outfit, while Eydis’ one seemed like a miniature of her mother’s, but in silver. With her blonde hair, she was really pretty. All the armors, in their own way, demonstrated how talented Arendelle’s craftspeople were.

“I like how we got those armors made to measure.” Said Anna. “It allows easy movements, while it assures efficient protection.”

“Yeah, it’s…”

The blonde’s answer vanished in her throat. Elsa suddenly disconnected from reality as she stared behind Anna, but it was like she was staring at nothing. Or rather, at something divine.

“Hey, are you with me?” Said her sister, snapping her fingers in front of her eyes. “Did your brain fry in Ahtohallan or what?”

Elsa didn’t respond. With a frown, Anna turned around to follow her gaze, and when she saw Honeymaren step out of the hut, it was like the Forest itself had stopped its activity to stare in awe.

The brunette was wearing a traditional war outfit only wore by Northuldra leaders, and it suddenly became very clear to Anna why Elsa hadn’t been able to make words. Anyone had to admit that Honeymaren was giving a stunning impression with that attire. Anna’s jaw dropped when the brunette took a few steps outside and looked over the tribe with a stare that made her aura matching the one of a falcon, except that her eyes were filled with pride and care for her people. The redhead then realized that she was looking for Elsa among the crowd that was staring at her, and when she finally recognized the platinum blonde woman behind Anna, her satisfied smile went larger in a beam. She made her way to her, and the Queen wondered if Honeymaren was ready to see up close the ravenous look that Elsa was giving her, and if Elsa was strong enough to not faint right when the leader would be breathing near her.

With amusement, Anna’s eyes darted from one woman to the other, and it was certain now that Elsa had never seen Honeymaren wearing that outfit. Which made sense, given the current peaceful times.

It was a mix of a tunic and an armor made of hard leather. The latter fabric clearly had been reinforced with an unusual thickness that was reserved to battle gear, and Anna was impressed by the details that however had been drawn on it. How much time did the Northuldra have spent on this? It required a lot of expertise and talent for a tribe that only used manual tools. Several bands of lighter leather crossed Honeymaren’s torso and fell from her shoulders to land on her hips, both holding her weapons and assuring that the flexible armor would stay in place. A large band of thick leather crossed the leader’s belly and juxtaposed her traditional belt, to which was still attached her usual dagger. Beautiful darker pieces were covering her forearms so she could easily protect herself from the blows, and Anna noticed the sames on her thighs and shins, tied above her tunic. Her left wrist was protected on the inside as well, the leather also serving as a guard to avoid any injury when archery is involved. The outfit was objectively magnificent with all its practical yet sophisticated pieces, all dyed with different natural colors that made it soar. Some were pitch black, others a deep brown interlaced with ochre bands - which highlighted her chestnut eyes - and others, especially her tunic, were bright beige.

Honeymaren had completed the outfit with her bow in her back and her quiver at her waist, and it looked like she was ready to slay. In fact, Anna was almost considering the idea to let her go to battle on her own and take care of everything. Who could stand up to her?

Elsa let out a noise when her wife arrived to her level, and it betrayed the fact that she had forgotten to breathe for a moment.

“H-- Hey-y… You.”

Both Anna and Honeymaren bit their lips to hide their giggle at Elsa’s rare fluster. For a very articulate person, she seemed to have lost all her vocabulary.

“H-Honey…”

She tried to say a full sentence, but was simply unable to.

Bruni trotted nearby and squeaked, and Anna smirked. Was it to admire the Northuldra leader and compliment her outfit, or to check that the Fifth Spirit wasn’t on fire?

“Are you okay?” Grinned Honeymaren, teasing, though a bit concerned. Now wasn’t the time for Elsa to faint again.

“I-- I’m beautiful. I mean… I’m not... I’m super-- I’m great.”

Anna giggled, but she managed to hide it behind her palm. Elsa was too busy staring deeply at her lover to even notice it.

“Breathe, love.” Smiled Honeymaren, passing her hand along the blonde’s cheek.

One could think that this would make her arousal even deeper, but the brunette actually succeeded in taking Elsa out of her transe. She gulped as she retrieved her normal behavior.

“Yeah, uhm… Uh… Let’s get ready, shall we?”

She coughed and turned around, inviting the others to follow her.

“Auntie, what will you wear for battle?” Inquired Eydis, running a bit to go walk next to her, her mace bouncing on her shoulder.

Her little eyes were sparkling as she imagined the most amazing armor possible. Elsa recovered from her fluster and looked at her niece with a smirk.

“Why, my work outfit of course.”

As she walked, and there was no need for her to stop nor slow down, she flicked her wrists up in unison. Gusts and twirls of glittering magic appeared from her palms and went in two ways. One move went down from her wrists and added layers of protection to the casual white tunic she had been wearing. The other move went up like embers of ice that floated in the air, which then deposited on her bright white outfit like petals. The magical dust formed new shapes on her shoulders, knees, chest, belly, hips and shins, creating the most perfect ice armor. It couldn’t be more custom-made, and it obeyed each and every motion she made, being comfortable and ergonomic. It also was incredibly beautiful with its breathtaking details and decorations, once again reminding the four other Spirits. Most of the parts were diamond-shaped. Despite the whole piece of art it made, its transparency didn’t fool anyone; the armor was sturdy, if not more than regular ones. Elsa admired her own work.

“...With a few additions, I’ll admit.” She smiled.

Honeymaren’s chestnut eyes got lost at the sight, having not missed any of the show while she walked on Elsa’s other side. That was, for the lack of any other word, a divine transformation. Her eyes filled with tears. Were they due to emotion or because the outfit was bright white and gave the feeling to stare at the full Moon herself? She blinked to dissimulate them.

“Not very stealthy, but I guess what we’ll have to deal with it.” Shrugged Honeymaren, to joke about it and switch her mood.

She giggled when she received a white-covered elbow nudging her ribs.

Elsa shook her head, then looked at the horizon. Her gaze now was more focused than ever.

“Okay, Victor. You wanted to face me? I’m not alone anymore. Here we come.”

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itsclydebitches · 4 years

Text

RWBY Recaps: “Gravity”

Good lord, folks. Buckle your seat-belts because we’ve got a lot to get through this episode. I think this is my longest recap to date, so settle in.

Episode Eleven’s “Gravity” starts out simple enough, focusing on the two fights we’d set up during “Out in the Open.” First up, Ironwood vs. Watts. Overall this fight does a really excellent job of showcasing their different fighting styles. Right from the start Watts is pointing his gun forward to take a clear shot at Ironwood, whereas Ironwood points his backwards to use as a surge of momentum.

He’s going to do this frequently throughout the battle, constantly using his gun to maneuver in the air, slow falls, regain his balance, and change directions, a much more complicated series of choices than the one-off shots we see Ruby use with her sniper rifle. This is partly because Ironwood seems to have a much larger supply of bullets---some sort of energy/dust ammo---than Watts does. His steampunk-esque gun holds only nineteen bullets, requiring him to keep track throughout the fight. Which is always a fun trope but sorry, Watts, you can’t compare to the king.

Thus, with limited weaponry available to him, Watts is forced to get creative with the arena itself. We see him manipulating gravity, shooting up columns of water and fire, and making use of his own pathways between platforms, all in an effort to throw Ironwood off and catch up unawares. However, Ironwood is, frankly, the much better fighter. He was right last week to assume he could handle Watts even though he sent three off to tackle Tyrian. He’s able to recover much more quickly and learns from any mistakes, as evidenced by his ability to hit Watts dead on while in the air the second time he takes out the gravity. When they come together in hand-to-hand Ironwood easily dominates, no doubt thanks not just to his military training and huntsmen lifestyle, but also in large part to his prosthetics which I would assume grant him more speed and power. Throughout the course of the fight we see Watts consistently take more damage to his aura and he’s unable to sense when Ironwood is sneaking up on him. After that little maneuver, Watts (presumably) grows reckless and lets off his last three or four shots in a random barrage. All of them miss.

This emphasis on emotion continues when they land back onto the main stage with Watts shouting, “You never appreciated my genius, James! You just stood atop it and called yourself a giant.” Oh, did Ironwood actually do something horrendous in the past? Is there something juicy that would explain---though not excuse---Watts’ turn towards villainy? Nah. He quickly follows that up with, “You chose that fat imbecile over me!” referring to Pietro. So... nice one, Watts. Crazy arrogance, willful ignorance of Pietro’s own, clear genius (anyone who can create Penny is no slouch), as well as a bit of fat-shamming on top of it all. No sympathy from me.

This moment emphasizes how unhinged Watts is becoming though as the fight turns against him. Even when he manages to setup a head shot Ironwood reveals, “You’re smart, but you’re not the only one who can count,” referencing that Watt’s emotions got the better of him, leading to him wasting his last bullet before it could be of real use.

...except not. I’ve got to admit, I was very pleased when all of this---or at least this particular moment---was merely a plan to get Ironwood to let his guard down. Watts is way too smart a character to be done in by the “You got too emotional and that made you sloppy” trope. So kudos there (even if it remains to be seen whether that Pietro comment was really his motivation, or just another part of the plan). Instead, he uses Ironwood’s confidence in his victory to trap him with the rings that control the arena, essentially pinning Ironwood’s non-prosthetic arm through the energy shields he’s been using. We can immediately see that the parts that have touched Ironwood already have horribly burned the skin.

And that ends up being Watt’s downfall. Not stupidity on his own part, but his lack of understanding of Ironwood himself. He assumes that this truly is a trap for him, rather than another sacrifice. After all, what fool would ruin their one remaining arm to stop him? Watts himself wouldn’t. Don’t pull, he cautions Ironwood, not “unless you’re hoping to add more metal to that body of yours.” Watts goes so far as to turn his back on Ironwood who then makes the sacrifice we all knew he would. One burned, useless arm later and he’s free.

I would like everyone to keep this moment in mind. Namely the utter devastation of it. I’d go so far as to say it’s as bad at Yang losing her arm in Volume 3. Despite seeing it bandaged later, Watts at least thinks it will be a complete loss if Ironwood sacrifices it. He’ll need to “add more metal,” AKA replace his arm, so though he obviously still has it in the following scenes, we don’t know if it will ever be functional again. Just as important, Ironwood had to choose to do that to himself. That wasn’t a horrific, but ultimately clean cut done in a moment of surprise. That was a conscious decision, a slow pull through all that pain, and then having to finish your fight immediately afterward. It’s a very different kind of psychological trauma, no better or worse than having someone take your arm from you by force. Throughout this volume I’ve seen a lot of fans being critical not only of Ironwood’s main decisions, but just his overall attitude as well. Too strict, too stern, doesn’t smile enough, yells sometimes, etc. basically associating someone who isn’t all sunshine and smiles with someone who is “bad.” Ignoring for the moment that we can say the same thing about many of our group---notably Yang---I have little doubt that I’ll see similar posts after this episode. Writings in the vein of, “Ironwood is unhinged! I can’t believe he yelled and hit his desk like that!” So everyone just keep this moment in mind and ask yourself how calm you’d be if you’d sacrificed your arm like that all of half an hour ago. And then found Salem’s calling card on your desk. And then came to the realization that the allies you trusted have been lying to you from the start. And then Salem herself appears to mock you. And then your city is about to be overrun. Basic summary of the rest of the episode: holy shit. So yeah. If Yang is allowed to be angry and upset after losing her arm, or just angry in general like she is in the later half of “Gravity,” I think we owe it to Ironwood to let him be angry too. I have a lot of feelings about the utter insanity he’s been forced through with little to no support and if he wants to take all that out by hitting his desk once, by god I’d say that’s a good coping strategy given the circumstances. Both the writing and the fans tend to erase trauma once you’ve passed age 25. The girls have every right to be upset, to break, to not trust people because they’ve been through a few months of hardship, but Ozpin isn’t allowed the same after a couple thousand years of that. We’re going to see the same hypocrisy later in this episode---the group can be upset about lies but Ironwood is not---and I’m hoping (against hope) that the fandom doesn’t make that worse by sweeping this injury under the rug. It’s horrific and absolutely has a bearing on his inability to keep his cool with the group immediately afterwards. We’ve long passed Ironwood owing them endless reassurances and calm responses.

Anyway, Ironwood still manages to finish the fight because his remaining arm is his robotic one, giving him the strength to easily drag and raise Watts into the air one-handed. He dangles him over the edge of the arena, announcing that he will “sacrifice whatever it takes to stop [Salem].” A clear bit of foreshadowing for his decision at the end of the episode. Watts responds that he hopes he does.

We then move to the Tyrian fight which, on the whole, I don’t think was done quite as well. Granted, there are a lot of enjoyable and badass moments. I like that Clover’s first act is to announce that Tyrian is under arrest, maintaining the law that Atlas (and Ironwood) works to uphold. It doesn’t matter that Tyrian is a crazy serial killer in league with an immortal sorceress hell-bent on destroying the world. Even crazy serial killers have rights and are given the option of surrendering, even when everyone present knows there’s exactly zero chance of that happening. It’s the principal of the thing and the ability to say, “We gave him a chance.” In a world overrun with inequality, this is a small but important attempt to level the field. If you do something wrong you face legal action and those rights are announced to you. Same for Tyrian. Same for Team RWBY. But we’ll get to that.

For now, we see Qrow attack first and like back in Volume Four he and Tyrian are pretty evenly matched. The tide doesn’t turn until Robyn and Clover come into play. Throughout this exchange we see a lot of cool combos among the three of them. Tyrian will block an incoming arrow with his tail only for Clover to snag it with his hook. Robyn can get another arrow to perfectly bounce off the walls and then Qrow’s scythe, hitting Tyrian dead on. Clover can dive between Tyrian’s legs, giving Qrow the opening he needs to attack. It is, as said, pretty badass... almost a little too badass. Personally, I would have appreciated them messing up once or twice. They’re all professionals, yes, but Qrow and Clover have only had one fight together. Robyn, meanwhile, wasn’t even allied with them until an hour ago. This is a situation where skills shouldn’t really trump, “We’re three very distinct people who don’t know each other’s fighting styles well, trying to attack one guy in very close quarters.” There should have been some screw-ups. Especially when we take semblances into account. What, are we supposed to assume here that Clover’s semblance just conveniently overrides Qrow’s? That no mistakes---let alone anything bad---will happen in this fight despite the fact that it’s an extreme parallel to Volume Four? That whole battle emphasized, “Don’t come closer!” because when people fight near Qrow bad shit happens. Now, he fights with two other people in a narrow alleyway and there’s not a single repercussion. Based on their travels looking for the geist, I don’t buy that Qrow’s semblance is just conveniently inactive while near Clover. Even if I did... that’s not a very good writing decision. To me, it’s just more evidence that Rooster Teeth doesn’t understand its own rules/doesn’t know what to do with an ability like Qrow’s. It causes problems only when they explicitly want it to. Then, miraculously, it’s no longer in effect.

Still, we’ll acknowledge that RWBY had a lot else it wanted to accomplish in this episode, so the need to power through this fight is somewhat justified. I personally would have had the entirety of this episode be the two battles---I was shocked when both ended just eight minutes in---but I’m obviously not the one writing the show. Thus, instead of an episode devoted to both the action and the emotion of confronting our two main villains this volume, Tyrian loses his cool after getting punched in the gut, manages to catch Robyn’s arrow in his teeth...

But it’s a bomb.

Down he goes. Fight’s done.

Which leads us into the second half of the episode. I want to preface this with a short acknowledgment before we go any further.

Did these last ten minutes give me what I’ve been looking for since the beginning of Volume Six? No. It’s easy to assume it did because all the pieces are there. Ironwood is finally angry about the secret keeping. The Ace Ops are criticizing the group left and right. Surely this is the “The group is capable of making mistakes and they should be called out for it!” that I wanted, right? Not really. For the simple reason that there is a massive difference between:

A story that acknowledges mistakes as mistakes. The characters either grow from this lesson or dig in their heels and are painted as being in the wrong for that decision.

and

A story that takes what the audience (me) perceives as mistakes and frames them as justified choices. The characters do not grow because they’re 100% sure they’re in the right and those who would criticize them are painted as in the wrong.

“Gravity” is so far into that second option I don’t think the series can come back from it. Does the group face criticism? Yes, but every single time the writing insists that it’s undeserved criticism. It paints the group as the underdogs facing unfair odds, rather than equals---with all the responsibility that comes with that---facing criticism that they need to own up to. Absolutely nothing in this second half implies that the group is going to learn from their mistakes because they, and the writing, still insists that they weren’t mistakes. Which is precisely what we’ve gotten before. Cordovin might criticism them, but Cordovin is in the wrong. Winter might criticism them, but Winter is in the wrong. Every time a character goes, “Hey, you shouldn’t have done this” the group responds with, “Yes we should have!” and the story backs them up. Yes, you should have attacked Argus. Yes, you should have stolen an airship. Yes, you should have lied to Ironwood and spilled the secret to Robyn. Yes, yes, yes. That’s the takeaway every single time. The group is never in the wrong. Others just think they are and those others are painted as cruel, militaristic, unhinged characters.

It’s not at all what I was looking for. Just more of the same.

So that’s the preface. In terms of what we actually get, Ironwood returns to his office with his arm bandaged and in a sling, carrying Watts’ bag, only to drop it when he sees the queen piece on his desk. He calls Winter asking, “Was anyone caught entering the school grounds while I was away?” and when she says no Ironwood has her race off to the Winter Maiden, unknowingly leading Cinder there in the process. “Now show me where you’ve been hiding her.”

We then cut to the group where the trouble begins. They’re not just curious about why Ironwood is recalling them with Mantle still in need of evacuation, they’re actively questioning it. This is the attitude I simply don’t understand. The group acts as if Ironwood is deliberately screwing everyone over when they know better. This is no longer the beginning of the volume where they thought he was some horrific dictator hell bent on destroying his own Kingdom. This is just an hour or so after, “We should tell Ironwood!” and the happy-go-lucky ‘We trust him now’ moment. Even less time after Ruby stared up at him in awe with, “He’s doing it.” They had reason to trust him before they even made it to Atlas. They were given even more reasons in the form of Ironwood sharing his secrets, early licenses, and being allowed to work on the tower. They then still waited until Ironwood was doing everything they wanted before giving him some of that trust back... but the moment he stops doing precisely what they want---we want to keep evacuating Mantle---he’s deemed suspicious again.

I mean seriously, is the group that dense? Are they incapable of thinking to themselves, “Wow, something must have happened if Ironwood is recalling us before evacuations are complete,” which is precisely the case. The scene tries to frame it as “Group Good” and “Ace Ops Blinding Obeying Orders Bad” but that aspect doesn’t even come into play. There’s nothing blind about it. It simply takes two seconds of critical thinking skills to realize that something really awful must have happened back at the Academy that trumps what you’re doing in Mantle. This is what I mean by the writing being biased. Before we even reach the fight in Ironwood’s office it’s trying to paint him as potentially cruel, potentially suspicious, potentially abandoning his people, look how worried our heroes are about this secret decision he’s made... when all that requires ignoring some really basic deduction in order to reach those assumptions. Remember that intelligence is a plot device in RWBY. If they want Ironwood forced to spill his secrets, he’ll randomly start talking about them in front of his enemies. If they want Ironwood painted as the villain, the group will randomly be incapable of realizing that maybe, just maybe, something went wrong on the home front and you’re needed there.

Things just get so much worse from then on. The group splits with JNR going off to find Oscar and, admittedly, I was shocked we got that at all. I mean yeah, it’s setup for the final reveal at the end of the episode, but the fact that anyone remembered Oscar was missing---let alone happily went off to find him---was still a surprise. So only Team RWBY heads back to Ironwood’s office where they find him (rightfully) panicking over the queen on his desk. Weiss tries to baby him, acting like he’s freaking out over nothing, when all these characters should recall precisely what Ironwood himself points out: the last time we saw this symbol it was a message that Beacon had fallen. He’s not paranoid here. He’s entirely justified in his panic. Ironwood likewise points out that they may have been duped into bringing thousands of people into Atlas as easy targets and Vine agrees, setting up that the Ace Ops are on Team Ironwood throughout the course of this conversation. Not out of blind loyalty, but because he’s right. That is a concern. That may be the plan. We do need to try and do something about that. Team RWBY, however, isn’t convinced.

That is, until Ruby realizes that the chess piece is made of black glass. Which means Cinder left it. Normally I’d congratulate her on that deduction---it is the one smart move we see Ruby pull this whole episode---but I just hate what follows. Namely that Ruby and Ruby alone controls her team’s opinions on a situation. Again. We saw it back in the snow, then again when Blake announced in the elevator that they’d do whatever she wanted. Team RWBY is the one who blindly follows their leader, not the Ace Ops, the only exception being Blake and Yang going rogue in regards to Robyn, but we see that hive-mind mindset here again. Ironwood brings up a good point? Nothing. Ace Ops support that point with more logic? Nothing. Ruby supports it? Oh, suddenly Weiss and Blake are taking this seriously. Suddenly Yang is fired up and ready to do whatever is necessary. Ruby controls the room. It’s only when she’s on board that her teammates decide this is worth getting riled up about.

Which, as I’ve said before, is a horrible way to write a diverse group. Especially when the writing is trying to paint the Ace Ops as mindless soldiers. For all their claims that they just have to follow orders, they’re the only ones parsing through this situation and coming to their own conclusions. It’s just that their conclusions do end up aligning with Ironwood’s which is the “bad” take in this scene. Team RWBY, however, waits until their leader makes a decision and then simply rides her cloak tails. The day that Blake, Yang, or Weiss legitimately disagree with Ruby---not a token “Are you sure we should keep secrets from Ironwood? We’re not actually challenging this. Just checking in”---is the day the writing will disagree with her. AKA, no time soon.

Blake tries to give some bland reassurance about them all being with Ironwood to which he responds, “Are you with me? How did Robyn know about the global communications tower?” Thank you! Thank you for giving us Ironwood’s characterization back and acknowledging that he has no reason to buy their generic ‘Got your back’ statements when everything they’ve done this volume has proven otherwise. They don’t support Ironwood, only themselves and their own teams. The minute he does something they don’t like he’s chucked under the bus. Too bad the writing doesn’t acknowledge any of this and instead continually paints the group as being justified in their decisions. It’s that hypocrisy again. When the group yells at Ozpin for keeping secrets we’re supposed to be on their side. When the Ace Ops yell at the group for keeping secrets we’re... still supposed to be on their side.

Weiss tries to diffuse the situation with “None of this matters right now!” which is real rich when they were just complaining about Ironwood not telling them why they were called back. They get to worry over that, but Ironwood isn’t allowed to worry about them outright betraying him? “Loyalty always matters!” he shouts back and he’s right. Why should Ironwood trust them to have his back in this crucial moment when they’ve never had it before? I’m already seeing more of this hypocrisy among the fandom. When Ozpin kept secrets and told lies the group was given a whole volume to be pissed about that and fans still, to this very day, insist that it hasn’t been enough time for them to get over it, to regain even a portion of that trust. But now that Ironwood has been lied to and betrayed in the same manner? People are annoyed that he’s not just shrugging it off. How dare you not get over in thirty seconds what our heroes got weeks to work through. His inability to just suck it up, as it were, is used to make him seem irrational here. I don’t see anyone, characters or fans alike, acknowledging that his anger is as righteous as the group’s was out in the snow. That there is the disconnect.

Of course, something has to break the tension. Drawn by all the fury and fear, a grimm pops out of Watts’ bag. A fail-safe for if he was defeated and captured. Salem immediately takes control of the grimm and kills it, using its form to appear before them. She reveals that it doesn’t matter that her men were captured. They were just there to “set the stage,” which they’ve done. Still doesn’t explain the random Penny side plot to my mind (seriously, why did the story bother to resurrect her when she has done nothing plot-wise or emotionally?), but whatever. Much more importantly, the stage is set for Salem herself. She’s approaching with the grimm army we saw her amassing which is... iffy.

First off, why? Why after a thousand years has she suddenly changed her MO from keeping to the sidelines to a full-on attack? Again, what’s the catalyst for that massive change? We don’t know. Meanwhile, from a writing perspective, I’m hesitant about having our Big Bad thrown into the mix before the finale. We know there are plenty of volumes left in this series, which automatically undermines any battle they might have with Salem. Will they win?? Of course not! Because RWBY isn’t over yet. Granted, this could all just be a ruse of some sort. Maybe Salem just wants them to think she’s approaching with an army, which would be much more up her alley in terms of long-distance manipulation. But if not... seriously, what’s the point of that?

Here’s hoping it’s a bluff.

Speaking of manipulation, we get a fantastically creepy moment where Salem tells Ironwood to “simply accept the futility of your situation” while smiling like a kind mother. That’s the Salem who is truly dangerous. Ironwood reaffirms that he won’t give up the relics and Ruby pips up with, “We don’t have to kill you to stop you.”

Hey wait. I’m gonna give you all another graphic.

This is Ozpin’s stance! This is his plan! His version of hope! We spent all of Volume Six having the cast beat on him for, “Omg Salem is immortal?!” and with the exception of Nora’s comment, no discussion of this in Volume Seven... but now suddenly Ruby is making this announcement? The group came to this revelation sometime off screen which we a) don’t get to see and b) once again created no scenario in the form of, “Wow! Ozpin was right all along! Maybe we should go talk to him...”

I’m just... wow. The number of times the writing takes what the group and the adults do, the exact same perspectives and decisions, and twists it so that the group comes out looking like heroes and the adults look like misguided, unhinged fools who need to be put in their place... I’m really over it at this point. And by extension the group themselves. Their characterizations have been so badly mangled at this point I legitimately don’t like them as people. I don’t care if they say they want to protect Mantle, or if they say they’ll support Ironwood, or if they say they’re unsure about their choices. All their actions claim otherwise.

Rather than grappling with the huge revelation that the group is apparently no longer obsessed with Salem’s immortality (or rather that Ruby isn’t. The rest of the group doesn’t actually matter. As established, they sync up with her beliefs the second she announces them), we return to Summer Rose. Salem goes, “Your mother said those words to me” and Ruby... loses it? What? I would have been 100% on board with this if we’d gotten it last Volume because then we saw Ruby losing her cool periodically. The smashed alcohol bottles. Chucking her scroll. Screaming at Qrow. That was all building to something. But then we had a year and roughly twelve episodes of normality. Ruby jumps into her fight with Cordovin and has been fine ever since. Hell, she’s been bubbly and confident, goofing off with Penny in one episode, then giving strong orders to her team in another. The one time we see her falter was in her conversation with Qrow and he reassured her completely that she was both doing the right thing and in no way comparable to Ozpin. Now, suddenly, one line from Salem and Ruby collapses? Full on incapacitated? I could buy the crying while still standing strong, I could buy a collapse if we’d kept her characterization going from Volume Six, but this kind of reaction in this context just felt so extreme. Doesn’t help that I really wasn’t sold on the voice acting here. Those cries sound less like devastated sobs and more like weird hiccups. Not to rag on Lindsay. On the whole I think she does a really excellent job as Ruby, it’s just this particular moment didn’t read right to me. I didn’t feel Ruby’s supposed grief here.

So that was... a lot for one line from Salem in a volume of otherwise confident and cool-headed Ruby. We also don’t see it amounting to anything, as per usual with RWBY’s writing. Ruby isn’t out of commission for the rest of the conversation or anything. She pops right back up after a second in Yang’s lap, just as confident and go-getting as before. There was no lead up to this and there are no consequences for the breakdown. Rooster Teeth honestly seems to think they can just chuck random things into the story---Ruby needs to show emotion at some point!---and then just leave it at that, entirely disconnected from everything else around it. Would we have known that Ruby just had her first breakdown of the series a minute later while once again betraying Ironwood? Nope.

Finally, this scene shows us again that the Argus battle was a bunch of nonsense. Ruby’s eyes nearly activate when she’s grieving for her mother, imagining---or perhaps seeing via Salem?---a sad Summer, not a smiling one. Just like her eyes activated while seeing Pyrrha die. Just like they activated when Blake was nearly killed by the Apathy. They activate now while thinking about her mother’s death. The montage of happy moments in lieu of the sad ones not working last volume was entirely out of place.

Salem finally leaves. Now everyone is panicking about this army. Elm points out that they’ll know if anything approaches. Vine checks and realizes that Watts took out their perimeter. Either that or Salem has already destroyed everyone and everything out there. It’s impossible to know. During all this Blake asks if the Amity tower is actually finished and we get more nonsense about how Ironwood is evil for telling a lie, but the group is always justified in telling theirs. The writing really tried to compare Ironwood telling Mantle---who I guarantee 100% does not care about whether a communications tower is finished while they’re getting attacked by grimm---a lie to lure out one of their biggest threats to Blake and Yang going behind Ironwood’s back to tell a potentially non-trustworthy outlaw about said tower, risking that the information would fall into the wrong hands and doom the project before it could be completed either way. Those are not in any way comparable situations, yet the writing really has Weiss going, “General Ironwood?” in a ‘How could you betray us like that?’ tone while Yang continues to look pissed.

And as if they didn’t know! How is this a personal betrayal? They were all helping to build that tower. Surely they’d know it it was that close to being done. Again, critical thinking skills, people. Anyone with two brain cells and their insider information should have looked at Ironwood’s announcement and gone, “Oh, that must be a bluff. Just a few days ago we were arguing about whether to continue taking resources from Mantle. No way is Amity ready. He’s going after Watts. Who is indeed the much bigger threat. Considering that he has control over the entirety of our technology and there’s literally no downside to telling Mantle about a finished tower when they’re getting devoured by grimm.” This is another, “But lying is wrong!” in the face of “But lying kept us alive...?”

Does everyone get what I’m saying here? How RWBY takes these situations and tries to paint them in an absolutely ridiculous light, expecting the audience to blindly accept this perspective despite everything else they’ve seen for themselves? Like, two episodes ago? I swear I’ve never encountered writing that treats its audience this badly. Scene after scene relies heavily on the viewer having no ability to think for themselves. Just accept that Ironwood is a horrible person for lying about the tower even though there are no repercussions for that and we JUST watched him defeating Watts as a result. Like, five minutes ago. That just happened. In this episode.

Ironwood then drops the bomb that Winter has gone off to claim the Maiden power. Interesting development. I wonder what that means exactly. Is she just going to lock herself away until the Maiden dies naturally? Do they have her on some sort of life support and is there an agreement to pull the plug if necessary? Are they going to use a machine similar to the one Pyrrha was in and try to force the change early? Or is this just a misleading comment and Winter is merely off to protect the Maiden, no intention of taking the power now? Who knows. We’ll have to wait until next episode to find out.

Ironwood likewise announces that the staff and the lamp need to be locked away now that they’re compromised, even though they’ve been compromised since they first saw Tyrian in Mantle. Insert another [this scenario is so stupid and contrived] explanation here. It’s made worse by Ruby’s childish “You said we could keep it.” Excuse me? What, did you think the lamp was your personal property now forever and always? Is Ruby really sitting there arguing that something Ironwood told her weeks ago trumps the obvious logic of putting the relic where it’s somewhere safe? That’s the characterization we’re going for, a leader who cares more about, ‘But you said we could have it!’ over the fate of the world? What even is this? The fact that Ironwood has to explain to them that the situation has changed just reinforces the group’s overall attitude. That is, one of arrogance and importance. They literally need to be told why putting the relic in a nearly impenetrable vault is better than letting them have it just because they want it. Plus, you know, they lied about the lamp from the start. So there’s that too.

Finally, Ironwood reveals that Amity was originally a plan of Ozpin’s but he didn’t push it far enough. Instead, he intends to use the staff to lift all of Atlas instead, hopefully taking two relics and a Maiden far out of Salem’s reach. Ruby wants to use the tower for its designed purpose instead, which is only a valid option in her mind because the writing was stupid last week. If there had actually been any logic there---if people had been allowed to react naturally and in a variety of ways to the Salem announcement, rather than a super convenient “Yeah! Let’s all work together!” across an entire, panicking city---she wouldn’t be quite so eager to tell the whole world. But we all know at this point that logic bends to the protagonists’ whims, so Ruby wants that same perfect ending across all of Remnant. She stands her ground, as does her team. Obviously.

Meanwhile, the Ace Ops aren’t just following Ironwood’s orders like the writing wants us to think via Harriet’s earlier comment. Rather, they’re each thinking through the situation for themselves and making very good points. If Salem has taken out our perimeter than we know our tech and people don’t stand a chance against this army. We just finished up the fight in Mantle and none of us are in a position to start another. Notably, Harriet brings this up, the one whose aura took a massive hit while nearly getting crushed underfoot. Vine points out that sometimes you have to lose a battle to win the war, but Team RWBY, to be blunt, simply doesn’t care.

I’ll be blunt myself here too: I don’t have an easy solution to this particular scenario. I don’t know what the “right” or the “wrong” choice is. Weighing starting a fight with VERY high stakes you’ll lose against abandoning the people of Mantle is just a straight up horrific decision. Like so much of what Ozpin faced, there is no clear-cut, good answer here. Do you stand by the people and risk the world, or work to save the world and doom the people? I don’t know and I do commend Rooster Teeth for writing a difficult choice... just not in giving each side the weight it deserves. Because as said, we’re meant to root for Team RWBY, always. Theirs is presented as the “right” choice every time, despite the fact that, as established, this is far from a black and white decision.

What frustrates me the most is when faced with all of these logical and very important considerations (we might not have backup, we’re in no position to fight, if Salem gets the relics and another Maiden the world is screwed) the group won’t even acknowledge these things. They’re so set in their own perspective they won’t even give these HUGE concerns the time of day. Rather, Yang shoots back, “You can’t just back down from a fight!”

That’s it. That’s the group’s problem in a single line.

This is what got Pyrrha killed.

It’s something the group should remember. She also insisted on fighting when she should have retreated and, since this was back during the days when characters actually faced consequences for their actions, it cost Pyrrha her life. Granted, going after Cinder was a truly useless endeavor. Pyrrha achieved nothing with her sacrifice. Here, Team RWBY hopes to save the people of Mantle, adding a clear justification for their insistence on fighting... but this is nevertheless indicative of that larger “punch it until it stops moving” mindset. It’s not that they decide to fight instead of retreating that’s the problem, it’s that to their mind fighting is the only option. Ever. This is what led to them attacking Cordovin and destroying Argus’ mech, drawing a massive grimm in the process. When faced with the option of backing down, Team RWBY doesn’t consider that an option at all. Which is heroic when up against an actual enemy, far less so when you’re facing an ally and the choice to fight has serious repercussions attached to it. Hell, the group doesn’t even consider compromises. They could have easily acknowledged that collecting the relics, the Maiden, and getting the staff to work on Atlas will take time. You do that while we focus on evacuating the rest of Mantle to the city. But no, even the concept of a compromise simply isn’t possible. You just always fight. Straight up. Anyone who suggests anything less isn’t a true huntsmen. “We’re loyal to the people!” Ruby shouts, as if “the people” doesn’t also include the rest of the world that Ironwood is trying to save and that they’re endangering by keeping the relics and Maiden within Salem’s reach.

That is one messed up perspective to tout in a story infused with the complex and the morally gray.

The real kicker though? Ruby’s ‘My way or the highway’ attitude obliterates a solution that fell straight into her lap. Jaune calls and says straight out that they have another situation. If Ruby had listened to her teammate for just three seconds they all would have learned about Oscar, thereby undermining Ironwood’s plan. He can’t keep the lamp safe if he doesn’t know where it is. You look for it while, again, we evacuate Mantle. Then we take everything out of Salem’s reach. Win-win. Instead, Ruby blasts her way through the situation. Literally, dodging Ironwood and hiding behind his desk shouting a highly bias version of his plan in the hopes of getting everyone on her side. And it works.

Because those like Clover don’t get to hear any of that context. Like how the perimeter is gone, there’s an army potentially coming, no one is in a position to fight, we’ve already lost a relic... they just here a Ruby’s version of events that paints Ironwood as the callous man Robyn thought he was---oh my god he’s abandoning Mantle for no good reason!---and people will react accordingly. Ruby likewise doesn’t care that shouting such information over all channels does things like, say, clue Tyrian into their plan. She just wants to do things her way, right now. Pausing to think (because thinking isn’t fighting) simply doesn’t happen.

I used to adore Ruby as a hero. Someone who was intrinsically good, hopeful, and wickedly clever in her ability to come out on top. Now she’s stubborn, arrogant, at times cruel, and charges in headfirst like her sister, refusing to consider any perspective other than her own. And her team endlessly supports that. The writing endlessly supports that. This isn’t our hero working through her flaws, but rather a flawed character that the writing refuses to acknowledge is flawed. When Ruby flies behind Ironwood’s desk the music rises triumphantly, just like it did when she attacked Cordovin’s mech. When Ironwood announces that they’re under arrest, Ruby spits back, “We won’t just let you take us” and we’re supposed to cheer.

Which brings us back to the question of whether the group really faced consequences here. Let me give you all a random, non-RWBY example of two scenes. Scenario One:

Parent: You punched her?

Teen: She insulted me!

Parent: I understand that, but that doesn’t mean you were justified in attacking her.

Teen: Oh, I was.

Parent: Maybe you were, maybe you weren’t, but you can’t solve all your problems that way.

Teen: I... I know that, okay. Back off. I just get so angry...

Parent: I know. We’re going to work on that. You’re grounded this weekend. We can discuss this more then.

Teen: [sighs] Fine.

vs. Scenario Two:

Parent: You punched her?

Teen: She insulted me!

Parent: I understand that, but that doesn’t mean you were justified in attacking her.

Teen: Oh, I was.

Parent: Maybe you were, maybe you weren’t, but you can’t solve all your problems that way.

Teen: Screw you! It worked didn’t it? I think a good punch goes a long way.

Parent: That’s not... okay look. You’re grounded this weekend so---

Teen: Like hell I am. [Proceeds to run off]

Teen: [Later to friend] ---and then she tried to ground me? Can you believe that?

Friend: Holy shit what an asshole.

If we put aside my own iffy dialogue for the moment, Scenario One acknowledges the complexity of the situation while likewise pointing out that the teen didn’t handle herself well. RWBY has achieved that here: the ethics of this scenario are acknowledged as complicated, but the group did things they shouldn’t have, as evidence by Ironwood’s anger and the Ace Ops’ criticism. However, Scenario One goes on to let the teen acknowledge that mistake, thereby validating it in the first place. A consequence is set, grounding, and they accept that, thereby further validating that their behavior needs work. They accept the consequence because both they and the writing acknowledge that the consequence is deserved. It takes what was previously two subjective stances---they say I’m wrong, I say I’m right---and encourages the audience to find the middle ground. Neither was totally wrong or right. The teen might be justified in some respects, but still made mistakes in others. She needs to improve.

RWBY, however, steers firmly into Scenario Two wherein the teen (Team RWBY) insists points blank that they never made mistakes in the first place, thereby encouraging the audience to question whether Ironwood and the Ace Ops (the parent) is right to be calling them out at all. We see no humility or guilt, only confidence. Ruby shouting “No!” at Cordovin when she’s told to surrender. Yang keeping silent after admitting that she and Blake told Robyn, not bothering to apologize or admit that this might have been a breech of trust. They challenge the validity of the claim that mistakes were made and by virtue of being protagonists encourage the audience to challenge it too. Finally, we see them reject the consequence because they will not admit that it’s deserved. The teen will not accept a grounding. Ruby: “We won’t just let you take us.” We’re then told by others that this rejection was warranted. The friend reinforces the view that the teen was right to run because that punishment is undeserved. The message is, “You never did anything wrong in the first place.” The plot of RWBY likewise reinforces the view that resisting Cordovin’s arrest was right by having her randomly let the group go. The consequence is replaced with a reward and, presumably, we’ll have a similar situation wherein the group either defeats the Ace Ops or is released by them. The consequences never take hold because the writing doesn’t think there should be consequences in the first place. Team RWBY isn’t going to be arrested here. They’re certainly not acknowledging that on some level they deserve to be. We didn’t see that humility while they were cuffed on the airship---that most basic acknowledgement of, “Did we make some mistakes? Could we have done something better? Is Ironwood right to be this mad?”---and there’s none of it now here, either. The tone is pure, “How dare you try and arrest us? We’re the good guys here!”

This remains as pro-protagonist as it has been the last two volumes. There are no consequences, only another hurdle for the group to overcome, painted as heroes for doing so. It’s Team RWBY vs. The Ace Ops and there’s no confusion about who we’re supposed to be rooting for. The Ace Ops because the group should rightly be stopped from hindering Ironwood’s attempts to keep the relics and a Maiden out of Salem’s hands, for their own lies and secret keeping that endangered them all this volume? Nope. It’s Team RWBY as the presumed heroes, facing off against soldiers who (supposedly) prioritize orders over what’s “right.”

And yeah, Oscar is gone. There are a number of dismantled robots and blaster fire in the room where Neo presumably took him. So unless they do a flashback we don’t get to see if/how Ozpin reacted to this initial attack. I hope they do provide a flashback because otherwise that’s another crucial scene of Oscar’s that happened off screen...

Can’t wait to see what else we’ll end up with next week! Until then, 💜

#rwby #rwby volume 7 #rwby volume 7 spoilers #rwby recaps #mymetas

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katyatalks · 4 years

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Otomedia April 2019 - Character Designer Kameda, Eyecatch Team Kenja, Series Co-ordinator Seko & Director Tachikawa - Interview Translation

Here’s Character Designer Kameda, Eye-catch Team Kenja, Series Co-ordinator Seko & Director Tachikawa’s interviews from April 2019’s Otomedia! Semi-summary style as there’s a lot to get through - naturally, this is a long one, but there’s plenty of cool stuff in here that makes for a good read. Includes stuff like why certain scenes were cut from the anime (boxcutter Minori, the cat, etc.), Joseph’s original character design, where Reigen got some of his ‘wise sayings’ from, the reason behind the kaleidoscope imagery in the S2 intro and outro, and plenty more!

KAMEDA YOSHIMICHI Character Designer

Asked how the production environment was for season 2, he says that it was “strangely pretty hectic - lots of stuff going on (laughs)”. States that with season 2 they understood the direction that MP100 would take more than they did with season 1. Something he and Director Tachikawa struggled with in season 1 was what kind of anime style would be best for the manga.

For season 2 the majority of the staff working on it had seen season 1, so production was steady.

He says that before season 2 he’d been working on “Doraemon the Movie: Nobita's Treasure Island”, but work for season 2 began before he was finished with that film.

Just before working on season 1 of MP100 he’d worked on One Punch Man, “and it’s thanks to that that I was able to snap into work on Mob Psycho 100, but this time around it was a bit of a hard fight.” While drawing the designs for the new characters who’d appear in season 2 he eventually found himself readjusting to the proportions of MP100 (vs. Doraemon’s style)

Mentions how Tachikawa has been working on the MP100 OVA previously so getting back into work on Mob Psycho didn’t seem to be that strange for him, but for Kameda personally it took a bit of getting used to.

He’s asked if there’s anything regarding Mob’s character design that is essential to maintain a certain ‘Mob’-ness about him, to which Kameda replies; “The length of his fringe/bangs, ie. whether or not you can see his eyebrows.” Discusses how there’s only a certain amount of space between where his hair ends and his eyelids start to give an expression, and the depth of his expression varies greatly depending on if he has eyebrows or not.

“Mob is a character who isn’t really expressive, but regardless, it is important to be able to show his expressions. That’s something I told everyone to pay attention to.”

“In season 1 we avoided drawing Mob with eyebrows as much as possible, but in season 2 we see them again and again, and then we have the super handsome sparkly-eyed Mob that we see in S2E5! Since that episode, even in his normal state, it became fine to give him eyebrows (laughs).”

“This season, he’s had a lot of angry scenes. The start of episode 9 has him quite notably angry. For that, you’ve got to give him eyebrows.”

Q: “Would you say season 2 lifted the ban on eyebrows?” A: “Season 2 lifted the ban on eyebrows!” States he himself didn’t draw eyebrows much at all during season 1. “Right now, I’m doing work on the final episode, and I’m giving those eyebrows a certain plumpness (laughs).”

He is asked if there were any other changes made to the characters. “This is a very minute change, but for certain characters like Mob and Reigen I made a change to their silhouettes - beforehand, their hair had a rounder shape, but now their hair has become a little more playful.”

“I suppose rather than a choice I made on purpose, their hair ended up this way because it’s easier to draw. It’s probably the result of the great amount of advertisement art I drew after season 1 finished broadcasting.”

Asked what he thinks season 2’s “power-up” point is or where it’s changed compared to season 1, he says that they had a lot of young animators participate this season and the quality of their digital work was amazing.

Mentions how with digital animation the look of things like smoke and sparks, and spatial representation, improves.

“For example, in S2E3, when Reigen is looking through the window, the camera passes by him and while approaching the girl, the camera turns to the wall and enters it… the animator made the environment for that scene in 3D with a virtual camera.”

Q: ”A good amount of new characters show up this season - which of them is your favourite?” A: ”Shinra Banshoumaru! I made him chubbier than he is in the manga. His belly that sticks out, his short legs, his harem pants… I drew those, but Tachikawa-san told me I was going too far. But I persisted; ‘Tachikawa-san, we live in a time where there’s no chubby characters in anime! If there’s any anime that can challenge that it’s Mob Psycho 100!’ I was like a bulldozer with the things I said, and as a result I got him how I wanted him!... I say that, but Tachikawa-san also topped-up the amount of belly-sways Shinra has (laughs).”

He's asked about characters post S2E9, to which he mentions Joseph's clothes being different in the manga. "He wears a greyish suit in the manga, but I feel like Joseph has more of a white image. Plus, a grey suit would overlap with Reigen. At first I had Joseph wear a black leather jacket, but a few days later I reviewed that and went, 'nah, that's not right.' I had it changed to white."

He is asked about any scenes up until S2E9 that he particularly fussed over, or any that left an impression on him. “Episode 7. It’s a great Reigen story, and I had the privilege of being the animation director for it. I paid great attention to Reigen’s expressions. It’s an episode with a lot of good cuts, so I wanted to make sure they were all the best quality they could be.”

Q: “Of those cuts, which would you say is the best?” A: “It really leaves an impression on you in the manga - when Reigen says, ‘You’ve really grown up, haven’t you’, a message for beyond the camera. [...] Then, in the final part of the episode, when he talks to Mob on the bridge. Episode 7 truly has some great expressions; my favourite faces.”

He’s asked if there’s anything coming up that he’d like us to pay attention to & any highlights - mentions the battle between Shibata and Gouda. Says the anime brings action and originality that only anime can achieve.

His final message to readers is that if you haven’t read the manga yet, don’t go running to read it, wait for the anime first, so you can experience the tension of not knowing what happens next. “The quality of season 2 is insane, right up until the end.”

---

KENJA Eyecatches Kenja are described as a video production group, who have made promotional advertisements for MP100 (both for the manga and S1 of the anime), and were in charge of the eyecatches for season 2. The eyecatches were mainly made by koya, Takarai & 0gt. koya, their representative, has worked as ONE’s assistant, and Takarai participated as an animator this season.

Asked how they ended up doing the eyecatches for season 2, koya says that Satou Miyo (who was in charge of the season 1 ending) was a classmate of his when he was a graduate student. “We got back in touch and the message I got was, ‘I’m doing work on the ending of Mob Psycho 100, do you want to work on something too, koya-kun?’ (laughs).”

Takarai had his way in via already being an animator for the show, and koya discusses being ONE’s assistant. “ONE-san and I get along very well, so I’d tag along to anime events. I got talking to Director Tachikawa and now here we are.”

They were originally told that it’d be fine to have the same eyecatch for before and after the commercial pause, but they were worried that watching the same thing twice would be a bit unbearable, so they made two for each episode instead.

koya: “Ended up being tougher than I thought (laughs).”

Takarai: “Well, simply put, we doubled our work load (laughs).”

The eyecatch for episode 3 is brought up. Takarai; “Eyecatches have this image of being stand-alone things, but for this episode, it snuggles up to the plot. It was a choice that made me anxious, but looking at everyone’s reactions to it, I was relieved.”

Their final message to the readers comes from koya, who states that going on Twitter and seeing everyone react to mob psycho 100 stuff as it happens in real time is very encouraging. “Even just, ‘I wonder what the eyecatches will be today?’, makes me happy.”

---

SEKO HIROSHI Series Co-ordinator

Asked where he thinks season 2 has powered up compared to season 1, he says that season 1 had to introduce all the characters - season 2 starts off with the characters introduced, so the action kicks off full-throttle.

He’s asked what his thought process was in choosing what parts of the manga to leave out of the anime. “My process is, I first write with absolutely everything from the manga in the script, then choose what to cut from there. The flow of the story as a whole is important - I keep that in the forefront of my mind, and choose to keep things that are vital to the story. Other than that, I try to keep scenes that show off the personalities of the characters. There’s been moments where I’ve had to cut scenes, even though I really like them, just because they wouldn’t fit into the length of the episode…! Other than episode length, there’s also parts of Mob Psycho 100 that we wouldn’t have been able to include due to broadcasting code.”

He’s asked which character he thinks grew the most, to which he says Mob. “What stuck with me was episode 3. ‘Mob’s been thinking about this kind of stuff’... I was like, ‘oh’.

He’s asked if there’s any other character he feels has had a big change since season 1. “Naturally, Reigen. [...] I feel like Reigen has had a layer peeled back, after episodes 6 and 7. He’s an adult, and he does act that way sometimes, but there’s parts of him that haven’t matured… but I feel with the completion of that arc, he’s taken a step closer to becoming a fully-fledged adult.”

He’s asked if there’s been any part of the season up until episode 9 that’s particularly left an impression on him, to which he says episode 8. “The marathon. [...] That was a part that made me think, wow, this manga is amazing. You have a regular school marathon, and then come home to find your house on fire - not something you’d be quick to find anywhere else, huh. (Laughs)”

He discusses how originally season 2 was 12 episodes, and the house fire would’ve come at the end of Part A of the original episode 8, and Claw Arc would commence with the B part. It was with Warner Brother’s intervention that season 2 became 13 episodes, as an individual from Warner Bros. wanted to have the fire come at the end of episode 8.

He’s asked which of the new characters in season 2 has particularly been on his mind. “His entry is a little later on, but I love Serizawa from the Ultimate Five. How should I put it… it’s not surprising that he’s the way he is. He was a hikikomori, and he doesn’t know anything about society, so he believes in and follows his ‘boss’. I think this sort of situation can happen to anyone. He was brainwashed, so to say. But, what becomes of him? His story is one that I really love, so he’s definitely the character on my mind.”

He’s asked what it is about Mob Psycho 100 that makes it Mob-Psycho-100-ish, to which he says that the characters don’t feel like they’re just characters - they’re all a bit hopeless but that’s what makes them loveable.

“The Telepathy Club guys, for example… if they were real they probably wouldn’t be able to become proper members of society, but we still think of them fondly. Perhaps we’re too harsh to people who we deem hopeless in this world of ours.”

“No matter who you are, ONE-san will be warm to you. I think the goodness in Mob Psycho 100 comes from ONE-san’s personality.”

---

TACHIKAWA YUZURU Director

Says that the average age of people working on season 2 dropped slightly compared to season 1. “We had people who love the manga, people who had only seen season 1, and those who love both. So there was a harmonious atmosphere.”

States that there was a lot of creative freedom given to the staff. “We can play around. That’s a merit of a show of this calibre - you can do as you please.”

States that Season 2 powered up compared to season 1 when it comes to emotions. Says that even in fight scenes, the personalities of the characters and their relationships shine through, which is something he wanted to maintain when shifting the MP100 manga into anime form.

“There’s quite an oscillation when it comes to emotions in the first half of the season. Episode 1 is warm and fluffy; episode 2 has a mix of laughs and horror; episode 3 impacts you… as do 4 and 5 (laughs). Then, episodes 6 and 7 moved plenty of our staff to tears. They’re full of heart.”

States that within all this oscillation, “from the start to the end, something we paid attention to was making sure the theme of ‘Mob’s ongoing growth’ was present. That ‘he is able to change himself’.”

“He’s able to change because he has everyone, and everyone around him is able to change, too.”

Discussion of season 2’s ED. “The emotional intensity of season 2 shifts a lot, and when the show makes you feel down it makes you feel /down/. So, I asked for an ending that’s warm and fluffy - something that calms you when you watch it. The illustrations are incredibly cute, but actually, the ending is not just cute - there’s stuff depicted that holds a deeper meaning.”

He’s asked about the kaleidoscope imagery present in the intro. “Originally the S2 outro didn’t have any kaleidoscope imagery, but I wanted to add it in, so now there’s that link between the intro and the outro. Mob continuously changes as a result of the people he meets… that’s a theme of the outro, but it’s also a theme of Mob Psycho 100 in general. There’s several parts within a kaleidoscope, but put the parts together and they create something new and charming. Mob gains friends, and as a result of all these different friends, he’s able to grow… that’s the meaning behind the kaleidoscope, and why it’s present in both the intro and outro.”

Interviewer brings up that Tachikawa previously said that season 1 was written with Reigen & Mob’s shishou-deshi relationship at its core, and asks what is at the core of season 2. “Reigen is also a protagonist-type character in Mob Psycho 100, but this time around we focused on Mob… season 2 has ‘The people surrounding Mob and his relationships with them’ at its core. Episodes 6 and 7 are pretty firmly about Reigen in that ‘people surrounding Mob’ role. Then there’s Mogami, and Serizawa later on. But, even deeper at its core season 2 focuses on how Mob grows as a result of the people he meets.”

Interviewer brings up that Tachikawa previously said he wanted to animate Reigen’s press conference, and asks how it was having that wish become reality. “We have it in season 1, that scene where Mob meets Reigen for the first time. When we put that in season 1, we thought if we’d ever get to animate the press conference, we’d use that scene again but have Reigen’s monologue from the manga this time around. I’m glad we were able to do that.”

Reigen’s past not being in the manga is brought up. “With the anime, I wanted to show a bit of how Reigen ended up where he is now. We don’t see the company Reigen used to work for in the manga. Occasionally, Reigen will come out with some ‘wise sayings’, such as ‘the secret behind business success lies in your smile’, so we thought it would be good to have those words come from where he used to work. We struggled deciding whether Reigen’s past should be as a water filter salesman, or as an insurance salesman. Ultimately, we asked ONE-sensei, who decided for us: ‘I like the idea of him selling water.’”

Discussion of Tsubomi coming to S&S as not being in the manga. Tachikawa wanted a scene in which Reigen, Ritsu, Teru do something for Mob - “something that sets things back to normal, after Whitey Arc.” ONE gave the idea, then published it as an omake manga.

He is asked what he’d like us to pay attention to with the final episodes. “Each character has their own motivation, but at the end of the day those motivations all add up to ‘defeat claw’.” Mentions a bunch of new characters making their entrance.

His final message to readers is that a lot of work went into the final episodes and attention was paid to detail, so please enjoy.

---

Original twitter thread has a few more pictures in it, link to that is here.

Otomedia April 2019;

ONE’s special interview here.

Sakurai Takahiro [Reigen VA] & Itou Setsuo [Mob VA] joint interview here.

Kokuryuu Sachi [Shou VA] interview here.

Itou Setsuo [Mob VA] & Irino Miyu [Ritsu VA] interview here.

Character Designer Kameda, Eye-catch Team Kenja, Series Co-ordinator Seko & Director Tachikawa's interview here.

#mp100 #mob psycho 100 #otomedia april 2019 #interview #kameda yoshimichi #tachikawa yuzuru #kenja #seko hiroshi #my stuff

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thegreatkaleesi32 · 4 years

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Whumpy fluff

Whumptober Day 10: Alt. Prompt: Water

@whumptober2020

Here’s another excerpt from my novel that I’ve been working on all morning. This comes much later than anything else I’ve posted so far, so bear with me. Lena is a scientist (self insert) who’s crashed on their magical island and befriends James.

Summary: James has been rescued and is having a bad time in fever delirium and panicking. His dad (Peter), Lena, and his dog (Delilah), help him through.

CW: Referenced torture, referenced drowning, referenced psychological abuse, aftermath of torture, injuries, fever, broken bones.

...

Lena grunted and pulled at her arm, throwing almost her entire weight into it.

Delilah snarled in response and yanked back.

Lena got her feet out from under her and shoved them into Delilah’s behind. She knew it didn’t hurt her, and she used her placement as leverage to pull Delilah forward. She let out the most un-lady like grunt she’d ever made as she pulled.

Delilah snarled harder and Lena felt her straining.

“I know you’re playing but this is getting ridiculous,” Peter commented.

“Nah…” Lena panted. “We’re just funnin’ around.”

The game was simple. Delilah bit down on Lena’s forearm, holding it in her mouth. It was tight enough that Lena couldn’t get her arm out but not enough to break skin. It wasn’t entirely pleasant, but it wasn’t for Delilah either. If Lena could get her arm out, she won. If she tapped out or their attention got called elsewhere, Delilah won.

This time Lena gave her arm a wide swing, attempting to knock Delilah off her feet. Delilah went with the motion and Lena used her legs to try and hold her down.

Lena was laughing like a giddy maniac and Delilah was snarling and foaming at the mouth. But her tail was wagging and her eyes were sparkling with joy. She understood how it could look like she was being mauled to an on-looker. Delilah did too which was half the fun.

Lena grunted again, letting out more of a primal yell as she finally knocked Delilah off balance. But Delilah held on tight even as she went down.

The next yell wasn’t by either of them though.

It was James.

Delilah immediately released her hold on Lena and they both scrambled to their feet and over to James.

Peter was already there, trying to soothe him with gentle words.

James was unresponsive, muttering to himself and letting out little whimpers and cries of pain.

“Julie, please, Julie…” Lena caught.

James writhed underneath the blanket.

“Dad, please don’t leave me,” He screamed.

“I’m right here. I’m right here, pumpkin,” Peter cooed. “I’m not going anywhere. It’s okay. You’re safe now.”

Delilah curled up next to him and let out a whine of distress.

“What is it, girl?”

Delilah put her paw on James’s forehead.

Lena understood and copied Delilah’s motion.

“He’s burning up!”

James, in whatever fever dream he was in, did not like the touch. He wailed and tried to throw her off.

Now that she was leaning over him, she felt the heat radiating off him.

“Peter, draw a bath, we need to cool him down.”

“How cold?”

“Just cool. Ice cold would be dangerous.”

“Sure thing.”

Peter ran into the bathroom.

Delilah howled. It sounded like a wolf summoning her pack at a full moon but was heavy with fear and concern. She rubbed her snout against James’s cheek. He turned his head away, and Lena could feel Delilah’s distress.

Lena began hurriedly pulling off bandages, looking to see if any wounds had festered or if any of the infections had gotten worse.

Delilah tried to help. Lena had her hold James up while she undid the bandages around his chest.

She left the splints on. It was a tough decision, letting the bandages get wet and soggy or risk moving a limb. Soggy bandages could be fixed much easier. She also left his shorts. He would be mortified if they removed them for something as simple as a bath. Not when they had other pairs at the ready.

Peter and Lena were done at about the same time. Peter wrapped his arm around James’s shoulders and the other under his legs and easily lifted him.

James fought against the hold, thrashing against Peter so hard that Peter nearly dropped him.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay,” Peter chanted, but knew James wasn’t hearing them.

Peter lowered James into the tub, keeping his arms out over the lip to preserve the bandages on his hands.

The water must have hurt, but it was impossible to tell if it was enough to arouse James or not. He shrieked again, and flailed his limbs, hitting against Peter and Lena. The two of them had to hold him in the tub. Peter tried to talk over James’s crying and soothe him, but he was clearly elsewhere.

James eventually gave into them. She was horrified that it wasn’t because he understood where he was and what was happening, but rather some other reason that fed into his nightmare. He was mumbling to himself again, and Lena couldn’t make out what he was saying.

Lena rested his head on the lip so his face was upturned and gently scooped water onto his forehead. She made sure it dribbled into his hair, not onto his face. He stiffened at each pass of water. Peter kept his hands on James’s shoulders as a precaution.

She could still feel the unease of the universe. It was thriving off his fear and pain. Was she supposed to save him from drowning in the basement, or from something else?

What she did know what that caring for him felt natural, as if they’d been friends for years. When he was lucid, he was easy to talk to, and she felt closer to him than to anyone she’d met at King’s. He was so vulnerable, and it amazed her that he was able to connect with her through his ordeal.

He really was amazing, and it was a shame he didn’t see it.

After a few minutes of sitting in the cool water, James came to.

His eyes fluttered open. He gasped and tried to clamber out of the tub. He splashed water in his face which made him recoil and clamp his mouth closed.

“James, it’s okay. It’s okay. Easy now. You’re home, pumpkin.” Peter said in the gentlest tone possible. Lena heard the undercurrent of urgency though.

“I’m home?” He asked, looking around the room.

“Yes, James. You’re safe at home. We’re in the water because you have a nasty fever. You were delirious.”

“Where…where’s Julie?”

“She’s not here. She’s not here, sport.”

“Julie?” He asked looking up at Lena, arching his neck bath further.

“No Julie here. Just me. Just Lena.”

“Lena!”

“Right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

James moaned and closed his eyes.

She knew what this meant by now. He thought he was hallucinating or dreaming and it made her heart very heavy.

“Are you still confused, James?” Lena asked.

He nodded slowly. Peter had tried to assure him, but said too many things at once. Peter was quite good at soothing him, but Lena was better somehow, able to tell what he needed in the moment.

“That’s okay. There’s a lot going on right now.”

“There’s…there’s water,” he slurred.

“I know there is,” Lena said softly. “We’re not going to let you drown. The hands on your shoulders aren’t going to hurt you; they’re making sure you stay above water.”

He moaned and slumped into the tub. The water rose and he shrieked, eyes flying open again.

“It’s okay,” Lena intoned. “It’s not going to go any higher.”

James nodded and closed his eyes again. Lena slowly carded through his hair.

“Are you feeling any better?” she asked.

“A little.”

“That’s great. You were probably really warm, huh?”

He nodded again.

“Do you remember where you are?”

“Home.”

“That’s absolutely right. You’re home. You’re safe now. I know the water is scary but we have to cool you off, alright?”

“It hurts,” he said.

“I know. I know it does. When we get you cooled down a bit I can give you some more meds.”

“What do I have to do?”

“You don’t have to do anything. Rest now. Try and relax. Let us handle the rest.”

“But they’ll torture me…you’ll tell Julie and she’ll…”

“You’re home now,” Lena repeated. She looked up at Peter. His jaw was set and his cheeks were red. “You’re home which means you’re safe. No one is going to hurt you.”

“Please…I just…I wanna sleep.”

“I know. When you’re nice and cool we’ll get you into bed and you can sleep as long as you want.”

“I can’t.”

“What do you mean you can’t?”

“You keep giving me potions…”

“Those have worn off by now, I’m sure. You’re home, remember? So we’re not giving you those potions.”

“It hurts too bad. And I’m scared.”

“I know, James. But we’ll do what we can with the medicines to ease the pain. And I’ll get you some ice, maybe that’ll numb some of the injuries and cool you down. And I know you’re scared, but you’re safe here. We’re protecting you. I want you to try to relax, okay? Think you can do that for me?”

“I…I can try.”

“We’re right here for you. We’re not going anywhere.”

“Promise?”

“Of course I promise,” Lena responded easily.

“And dad?” It took him a moment to be able to focus on his dad.

“I’m not leaving your side.”

He hummed in acknowledgement.

“What else are you confused about?” Lena asked.

“The water,” he said. “Wait, I think you explained that already.”

“I did, but I’m happy to reiterate as many times as you need to feel better.”

“I’m sorry, I’m stupid,”

“Hey,” Lena said. “You’re not. There is tons and tons of proof that pain, fear, fever, injuries, everything you have, affects memory, reasoning, and critical thinking. And other things of course. I’m also sure you have a concussion.”

“What’s that?” James asked.

“It’s when your brain bounces off your skull, essentially leaving it bruised. The same way your chest hurts when your ribs move, your brain hurts when you have to think. And the same way you can’t lift anything heavy, your brain can’t process as much.”

“How…how did that happen? Surely I’d know if my brain was bouncing around.”

Lena chuckled, and didn’t mean to. But miraculously, James did to.

“Getting hit the head. Which I’m assuming happened to you.”

“Is that why I’m so scared, and confused, and weak?”

“I think your concussion is definitely contributing, especially to the confusion. But I attribute the fear to the trauma, the conditioning, and the gas lighting. And I don’t think you are weak. Not being able to use your limbs and being scared are not weak. Neither is asking for help. In fact, asking for help when you need it is the epitome of bravery.”

“What do you mean conditioning?”

Lena sighed. She found herself massaging his shoulders. He leaned into her touch, and she felt knots ease as she dug her fingers into his shoulders.

“It means like training you essentially. They made you fear them and your surroundings. They made you distrusting and skeptical because they wanted you to feel unsafe and afraid.”

“And…and there was another word you said, and I’m not sure what it meant…I don’t remember what it was.”

Lena racked her brain. “It was probably gas-lighting.”

“Yes, that. What is it?”

“It’s like, making you doubt yourself. It’s a form of manipulation that makes your question your own judgement and memory.”

“How…how do you know all this?”

“The terminology, or know they did it?”

“Both.”

Lena moved both her hands to his left side to really work at one of the knots. She was slow going and gentle, because she knew massages could hurt.

“I have friends who took psych classes and shared their knowledge with me. And I know they did it to you because of how uncertain you are. You literally don’t believe your eyes that you’re home. Which tells me they made you hallucinate and tricked you so you stopped believing what your senses told you.”

He hummed and looked up at his dad. James’s face fell and he looked down at his chest. He must have seen how upset his dad was.

It did warm her to see how caring he was, but also made her heart even heavier as didn’t want him to feel guilty.

“James, do you remember the other day? When your dad told you about your official nickname?” Lena asked.

“Yes,” He said.

“You’re dad said that making you feel weak was nothing more than a technique.”

James nodded.

“I know you don’t believe him.”

“I’ve been trying to hide it.”

“Why?”

“I didn’t want you to be upset.”

“James, I could never be upset with you about that,” Peter assured.

“It’s going to take time to believe us and feel safe,” Lena said. “It’s sad for us, because we want you to feel better and can’t do much in the meantime. But you can’t protect us from that feeling. The best thing you can do is tell us what’s wrong, or that you don’t believe us because then we get to help and everyone feels better and endorphins get released at all the love and affection.”

He smiled again.

“What are endorphins?”

“Happy chemicals. They literally bind to the happy receptors in your brain. Or maybe they get released into the brain? I don’t remember exactly. Or hold on, they might be a family of happy chemicals. I was never good with remembering my hormones.”

She laughed at herself. James did too.

And she loved this about him. He loved her science jargon which seeped into her regular speech. And he asked her what they meant so he could better communicate. She also wondered if it distracted him from the pain and fear.

She shifted to his right shoulder. He was indeed releasing tension in his shoulders, and this was the most relaxed she’d seen him in a long time. Even in the water, which was incredible.

“Do you remember the point I was trying to make?” She asked. “Because I don’t.”

James started laughing again.

“Oh, yes,” Lena said. “I got sidetracked. They wanted to break you down mentally because they wanted you to surrender. There’s three main components to that. First, physical. All the physical pain reinforces the other two components, makes you miserable, and frankly makes it harder to think, which makes the other two components work better. The other two are mind games. Gaslighting. They made you doubt yourself and your perceptions so they could make you feel worthless. And they induced, well, it’s called learned-helplessness, which is pretty self explanatory. Make you feel reliant on your captors, which induces shame and fear, so they could manipulate you into surrendering.”

“You know a lot about kidnapping people,” James commented.

Lena snorted in laughter. Peter smiled and looked up at her.

“I read a lot,” She answered.

“About kidnapping?” James asked.

“Back to my point,” Lena spoke purposefully fast to make them think she was deliberately changing the subject. She had no qualms about sharing her reading history, but figured that might not be a good conversation to have with James.

And to her great relief, James chuckled.

“All these feelings, the confusion, fear, and doubt were tactics they used to break you,” Lena said. “They are not weakness. It’s okay to tell us about those feelings. It’s the same as telling us your back hurts.”

“Lena, thank you. I think…I think that finally started to sink in.”

“I’m glad.”

“You’re very articulate.”

Lena smiled. Her hands were aching now, so she stopped her massaging. Instead she poured more water on his forehead. The rest of his skin was cool now, except his forehead.

“What else can we do to help?” Lena asked gently.

James shook his head every so slightly.

“That’s okay. Just hang in there. Do you want me to tell you what I remember about brain chemistry and hormones?”

“Yes please.”

“Okay, fair warning, this is digging through some ancient knowledge. Like we are going way back into the filing cabinets.”

“That’s okay, I probably won’t remember anyway,” James answered.

“I guess that’s a good point.”

So she named as many hormones as she could, starting with dopamine and serotonin. But she didn’t know as much about those, so mentioned the stress pathways with cortisol, and eventually found herself talking about estrogen and progesterone. She could see that Peter was uncomfortable about female sex hormones, but Lena remembered those the best.

James slowly drifted back into unconsciousness.

“I’m summoning Julie.” Peter said. His words were curt and harsh but his eyes were brimmed with tears.

“I still don’t know about that.”

“I wasn’t asking you.”

“Alright.” Lena said, doing her best to hide her annoyance. She knew James was suffering and of course she wanted it to end, but having Julie come here would traumatize him all over again.

“I’ll take all precautions. And when he awakes healed, we will tell him we found a magic potion. Or Tom invented one. Or we got it from the spirits. Whatever we need to say.”

Lena nodded. There was no arguing with him.

“Can he be transported to a different room when Julie comes?” Peter asked.

“Sure. Just as long as you’re careful.”

Peter nodded. He set up towels on the bed while Lena sat with James, still combing her fingers through his hair.

They pulled him out when he started shivering. They quickly tagged teamed the event, having grown used to the most efficient way to dry him off, put disinfectant and wound cream everywhere it was needed and bandage everything again.

They rested him in the bed, above the covers this time, and placed a cool cloth on his forehead.

It warmed up instantly.

Peter and Lena both knew they were in for a long night. And Lena changed her mind about summoning Julie.

#whumptober2020 #no.10 #alternate prompt #water #alt prompt: water #torture aftermath #aftermath of trauma #bathing #caretaker #injured whumpee #comfort #fever #referenced torture #referenced past abuse #writing #whump #OCs

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bungou-stray-haikyuu · 4 years

Note

Just some theory questions, do you think Chuuya's full ability can effect time and space? Because if I'm not mistaken, according to Einstein's theory of relativity, strong gravity can bend time and space

Oh my gosh ok I really hope this is a recent ask because I literally never check my mailbox if not I’m sosososo sorry I didn’t see this earlier!!

Onto your question:

I mean heck this is the most awesome question ever because fanfic prospects but let’s see why I haven’t immediately started drafting a fic using this concept.

Before I dig into the details, a quick disclamer: Please do not 100% believe anything I am about to say because

it has been over a year since I touched gravitational physics

I am known for my convincing bs

We are talking about a fictional character in a universe that lets one guy casually manipulate gravity so theoretically anything is possible but I’m gonna try prove/disprove it using our physical laws plus some funky physics unproved theory

also real short summary at the end for anyone who ain’t interested in all the physics stuff and rambling

OK let’s get started!

So! My initial reaction to your question is...no, he can’t bend space-time. Why? Because Chuuya’s ability controls the gravity of an object and that’s not...really a thing. Gravity is the effect caused by an object having mass. A simple example is the difference between the gravitational pull of the Earth and the Moon: The Earth as a much larger mass than the moon does, which is why it’s gravitational pull is stronger.

When I actually step back and think about what ‘alter the gravity of an object’ means, I come up blank. Now if he was altering the mass of an object in order to alter it’s gravity then that makes sense- but also it could be Asagiri doesn’t want to give us all a physics lesson in Chuuya’s description and has made it simpler for fictional effect.

So as I said, my initial answer would be no...

However

Chuuya’s ability isn’t particularly well explained and you did specify his full ability which I assume would refer to Corruption. So let’s dig into what the wiki page says and see if we can conjure up a cooler answer:

If you read the section on his ability on his character page, it says this:

His ability, Upon the Tainted Sorrow (汚れっちまった悲しみに, Yogorecchimatta Kanashimi ni?), revolves around gravity-manipulation, allowing him to manipulate and make gravitons, as well as alter the gravity of anything he touches. He is also capable of standing and walking upside down from ceilings.

It only ever mentions gravity manipulation which I’ve sort-of dismissed as being false because gravity is an effect, but gravitons are also mentioned in the description which does give us a ray of hope:

Gravitons are theoretical fundamental particles that essentially mediate the property ‘gravity’ (Much in the same way photons are what mediate electromagnetism). There is no proof that they exist, but we can make the assumption that they do exist in the BSD universe given they’re mentioned and Chuuya can manipulate them.

This changes things a bit because we now suddenly have what is essentially a ‘gravity source’ - you add gravitons, the gravitational effect of something increases and vice versa but...gravity is still just an effect.

I love the analogy of ball bearings on a stretched flat surface to represent how space-time works and if you imagine that (or find a video because it’s really cool), you can see that it’s the mass of the ball bearings that dictates how far the ball sinks into the surface (aka how much gravitational effect that object has). I can’t see how manipulating only the gravitational effect of something can cause it to bend space-time, but then again you could liken ‘adding gravity’ to pushing the ball bearing further into the surface (mass is the same, you just have an extra force from a higher dimension). Is Chuuya a multidimensional creature? I mean- Aharabaki could be- but nah, not really. Are gravitons multidimensional particles? Well- they actually could be. A particle that can control the gravitational effect of something without directly changing its properties sure sounds like me pushing the ball bearing down from a dimension outside of the stretched material.

This is all very specualtive though and I don’t actually know how gravitons work in theory, but it makes an interesting case. If I were to try and explain his manipulation of gravitons....I’d say he uses them like glue. He can walk along ceilings and pick up heavy stuff because he uses the gravitons to kinda act as tiiiny bits of gravity (wow scientific) and let him do all that funky gravity manipulation stuff.

There is, however, actual conclusive evidence that he can manipulate space-time! I’ve dragged this out so much but I love theorising and debating with myself so my apologies. Let’s step away from For the Tainted Sorrow now and go to Corruption as that technically the true form of Chuuya’s ability:

Taking a look at the ability page for For the Tainted Sorrow, it gives a description about Corruption:

Corruption (汚濁, Ojoku?) is the true form of Chūya's ability and is exceedingly dangerous. This ability allows him to manipulate the gravitons in his surroundings. By increasing his own density, he is capable of crushing a tank with his bare hands. He is also able to shoot balls of compressed gravity that act like black holes that swallow anything. However, he has no control over his Ability's true form; he will continue in that state if his Ability is not nullified until he dies.

Now, this is interesting because it specifically says Chuuya can increase his own density meaning that he could manipulate space and time. I’ve been banging on about mass this whole time and here we are! By increasing his own density he increases his mass per unit volume (not a lot of volume in our small mafioso but still XD ) and therefore his overall mass will also increase.

Success! He can now manipulate space-time!

Theoretically.

Before we get too excited let’s just remember what Corruption actually does to his body. Within just a few minutes of throwing black holes around and going bezerk his body starts to deteriorate and he’ll eventually die. Harbouring a raging God of destruction inside that tiny body is pretty hard work, and even without attempting to control it Chuuya would die pretty quickly if it wasn’t for Dazai’s wonderful ability, so if we now add the stress of increasing his own density to the point where he would significantly bend space-time, rather than just a little bit so he can crush tanks...he’d probably burn out instantly.

Not only that but he’d probably destroy the Earth while he’s at it. I mean, imagine a tiny but very dense star appearing right next to the Earth, even closer than the moon...the sudden appearance would probably jerk the Earth right into a collision course and BAM Earth obliterated (or at the very least uninhabitable for the rest of time because it’s been knocked out of the Goldilocks zone of our star).

Soooo to summarise:

yes, Chuuya can theoretically manipulate space-time when he uses Corruption

no, it’s not viable even in fanfics because he’d die instantly and destroy the earth while he’s at it

Really hope this was an interesting read and gave a mostly-satisfying answer and thank you so much for the ask!! I loved looking into this and it gave me something other than my uni stuff to study so again, thank you!!!

#BSH Answers #Thoughts'n'Theories

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surveys-at-your-service · 3 years

Text

Survey #330

“and i don't want ya / and i don't need ya / don't bother to resist, or i'll beat ya / it's not your fault that you're always wrong / the weak ones are there to justify the strong”

If you have a job, do you like it? I'm unemployed. Do you like any kinds of fruit? Well of course. Are you waiting for something right now? Covid and this headache to fuck off, May for my tattoo, to be paid to take some pictures again... What is your favorite kind of animal? Kind, not the actual animal itself? In that case, social species, usually mammals. What kind of Dippin' Dots do you like? Holy shit, I haven't had that in like a damn decade or something. I don't know, I barely remember the taste. Who is the most badass woman that you can think of? My mom. My mother is a fucking warrior. Do you have a Pinterest account? Yeah. I get a lot of photography ideas from there, as well as base pictures to make Mark icons, haha. If you were to write a book, what would it be about? The stories I and my friends have weaved in RP. Have you ever seen the television show The Munsters? AHHHHH YES!!!!! Mom loves that show, so I used to watch it with her growing up. Have you ever written one of those 'Roses are red...' valentines? I don't think so. Would you/have you spent more than $200 on any one person for a holiday? I haven't, but I would for certain people. Do you have a favorite Robin Williams movie? Probably Night at the Museum. Thoughts on Slender Man? Have you even heard of him? I think it's a cool creepypasta; he does look pretty unnerving with his height and especially lack of a face. The movie was good too, btw. Do you know what the Tardis is? I think almost everyone does in this generation, haha. Doctor Who ain't no joke to a whole lot of people. Are there any children's shows that you'd watch today if they were on? Sure, like Pokemon or Avatar: The Last Airbender, among others. I wouldn't at all be opposed to watching The Lion Guard, either. I actually want to, with my whole TLK love. I'm not embarrassed to watch "kids" shows or movies at all. What would you call yourself the King or Queen of? Having not an ounce of knowledge on how to love things in moderation/avoid total obsession with things, haha. If I paid for you to take karate lessons, would you? No, especially not now with my legs. Do you read more fiction or non-fiction? Almost solely fiction. What modern technology are you especially grateful for? Laptops, ig. Do you have a favorite science topic? Genetics. Very fascinating stuff. Have you ever read any Sherlock Holmes stories? No. What is the saddest movie that you've ever seen? Either Johnny Got His Gun or Boy in the Striped Pajamas. What's your most popular post? On what? If Facebook, I don't really know. Possibly my "coming out" one or a lovey-dovey essay when Sara and I were together. On Tumblr, it's definitely the gif I made of Mark and Chica (his dog) with I think over 10k notes. Manga or anime? Anime. I don't read manga, though I've been tempted with Deadman Wonderland since the show only had one season and ends on a ginormous cliffhanger, but there's more story to be had. A card game that you're good at? None, really. A popular book you haven't read yet? To Kill a Mockingbird. I feel like every school student has read it at some point. Favorite Mean Girls quote? I don't know any. It's a fine movie, but I've never understood the hype. Name your top 3 albums from your favorite band/artist. Black Rain, Ozzmosis, and... then I can't choose. I love so, so many very dearly. Name your top 5 music videos. I don't really watch music videos, so I definitely can't name five. My #1 favorite is probably "Wrong Side of Heaven" by Five Finger Death Punch; I absolutely cannot watch it without crying. What are you most passionate about? How did this passion develop? Animals. I was born simply adoring animals and have always wanted to protect them and their environment. Do you like monkeys? Do you believe in evolution? Yes and yes. We've literally watched it in action. What embarrasses you the most in front of other people? Discussing RP if you're not involved in it. I'm terrified of people thinking I'm weird. Have you considered running for president? Absolutely not. Which famous person would you like to be BFFs with? I'd say Mark, but I'd be way too interested in dating him instead of being just friends, haha... So with that said, maybe Bindi Irwin? Would you ever go skinny dipping with the last person who commented you? Lyndsey would be that person, so no. She's a great friend of mine, but realistically I'd probably only ever - if ever - do that with the company of my s/o. Are you still friends with the last person who broke your trust? No. How long did your last relationship last? Around two years. Have you ever been banned from anywhere? Online, yes, as a little kid on the Animal Planet forum, haha... Has anyone kissed you when you weren't expecting it? Yeah, Juan. Did you like it? It was a sweet moment, but I didn't want it. Does your dad smoke? Like a chimney. Is your mom over 50? Yeah. Are you currently listening to anything? Yeah, kinda hooked on "The Horrible People" by Manson. I've found a lot of great music lately. Would you ever consider getting breast implants? No, but once (if...) I lose all the weight I want, it's going to be a moderate priority to get a breast lift. I've hated my body way too fucking long and am dying to be satisfied with it again, and with how much weight I need to lose, I would essentially have grandma tits. :x Do you know anyone who is bisexual? Me, haha. Among some friends. Who would you tell, or who did you tell when you lost your virginity? That's not something I'd just go to tell someone afterwards for no reason... I'd only ever mention having lost my virginity if I was actually asked or if it was relevant to a conversation. Is there something you have been trying to learn lately? I'm really trying to practice opposite action and behavioral activation, among other things I've learned in group therapy. When you think about your future career, do you envision yourself becoming the head honcho or CEO? If not, why not? Well, I want to be my own boss as a freelance photographer. In any other job, I definitely wouldn't want that. Too much responsibility and leadership skills. Can you think of a time when you seriously misjudged a music artist based on their name? I don't think so? Have you ever kissed someone that you didn’t really want to kiss (not assault, just indifference)? Why did you go along with it and how did you feel after? Yes, Tyler. I felt like I was "supposed to." I felt really uncomfortable afterwards. If you have to wake up early for something, what time is just TOO early for you to be there and be presentable and sentient? Have you ever had to be somewhere that early? Probably like, 5:00. No. Have the majority of your romantic relationships started with a physical attraction or a deeper connection? Always an emotional connection. Did you ever write a fan letter to a celebrity? How about submit something to a magazine? No to both. What hair color is the most attractive on the opposite sex? Of natural colors, black, but I like unnaturally dyed hair most. Where do you like to go to when you are stressed? On a carride, so long as I'm controlling the music nice and loud and not talking. Where do you go to get your hair cut/dyed? To a family friend's little salon/small business. Why do you want the career that you want? Because I adore art and think it's pretty darn magical that you can freeze a moment forever to not just remember in your head, but actually see. Have you ever watched iCarly? Yeah, I enjoyed it when I was younger. What was your favorite class during your sophomore year of high school? Art. Do you wear bandanas in your hair? No. Have you ever been on a blind date? No, not interested. How many living grandparents do you still have? None. Have you ever worked in an office? No. Who does the grocery shopping in your house? Mom. Have you ever stayed in a hotel without your parents or older relatives? No. Did you have an Easy-Bake oven when you were little? Sure did. Have you ever seen a donkey? Yeah. Have you ever made out in a hot tub? Pretty sure no. Do you always flush the toilet after you use it? Yes. What were the last words you said to your dad? Probably "bye, love you." Have you cuddled with someone you weren’t dating? Nah. Who has the ability to hurt you the most emotionally? JASON. Are you a really understanding person? Yeah, very. Are you the type of person that enjoys getting hugs? Yes. When’s the last time you wore a wig? For a witch costume many years ago. Why were you last hospitalized? Suicide attempt. What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without food? At least 12 hours, but I think I almost went a day once back when recovery started and my appetite was non-existent. What was the last name of your third grade teacher? Mrs. Britt. How was the last chicken you ate cooked? They were chicken tenders. What is your favorite kind of chip? Hot crunchy Cheetos. What grade did you have your first boyfriend? 7th. Have you ever been told that you’ve lost weight? Yeah, back when I actually WAS losing loads of weight. >> Do you have the same political views as your parents? Some things, but definitely not all. Does anyone call you babe/baby? No. Have you ever made a significant other cry? Sadly. If you could make your lips bigger, would you? Maybe just a teeeeny bit. Are you one to sneak food into movie theaters? Yep. Fuck them prices. Are you prone to illness? Definitely not. What races do you usually date? History says Caucasian, but I have no actual preference. I'll date any race. What’s your cup size? C. Ever flirted with a teacher? Yikes, no thanks. Who was the main cook of your Thanksgiving meal last year? My older sister made the most stuff. Have you ever been dumped really harshly? Well, considering it literally traumatized me... Do you have any ex’s you can’t stand anymore? No. Are you more of a phone or a computer person? Computer, definitely. When was the last time you made a sandwich? What did you put on it? Yesterday for lunch. Ham, American cheese, and mustard. Have you ever made friends with someone that you didn’t expect to get along with? Yeah. Do you own any accessories with your name on? No. What brand of eyeliner do you use? I pay no attention to this. Have you ever been sexually harassed? No. Have you ever sent a naughty text message? Suggestive ones, yes. How long have you had your pets? Roman, around two years. Venus, around three or four years. Who was the last person to tell you that they love you, other than family? Sara. Has one of your friends ever tried to hook you up with someone? Colleen tried obnoxiously hard to push Girt and me together. We all went out to eat pizza once just as friends hanging out, and this bitch prefaced an uncomfortable and nosy question to him with an even more uncomfortable "because I'm trying to get you in her pants...", and that, my friends, was the closest occasion I've ever come to slapping someone right across the face. I looked at her in absolute disgust, and Girt was clearly thinking "what the actual fuck" as well. I do not miss her feral mouth. Are you good at staring contests? No. Eye contact is very difficult for me to maintain. Do you like peanut butter? I love peanut butter. When was the last time you had to present something to your class? In this mandatory but entirely pointless entry class at my last college, we all had to do like this PowerPoint introducing ourselves. I hated it. Who was the last person that told you they missed you? I think my friend Chelsea. What store is your favorite shirt from? It's not a real store, but rather an online brand: Cloak. Mark is one of the owners/creators so I obviously support them intensely. Have you ever fell off your bed while you were sleeping? No, thankfully. Do you have something you’re supposed to tell someone, but you haven’t yet? No. What type of food do you never really eat? Vegetables, oops. Have you ever cut someone else’s hair? No. Do you like going to weddings? Not really, if I'm being honest. I'm only interested in photographing weddings for the only the couple pictures and pay, really. I'm not big on formal events. What’s your favorite flavor squash? I don’t like squash. Do you or anyone in your house have a severe allergy? No. Who was the last guest in your house and what were they staying for? Our landlord/family friend, just to hang out for a little bit and chat with Mom. What fad were you actually into? Hm. What was the last spontaneous thing you did? I'm not a very spontaneous person, so I really don't know.

#survey #surveys #questions #lyrics: ''the beautiful people'' by marilyn manson

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