Anders and Blackwall Banters!
Anders: You don’t seem to have a problem with mages, Blackwall. Did you work with any while you were a, uh, a warden?
Blackwall: No, not really. But I don’t have to have worked with a group of people to know that they’re people like anyone else.
Anders: Really? Huh. That’s new. Most non-mages I’ve met wouldn’t admit that I’m an actual person if Andraste herself came down from the heavens and smacked them across the head with my manifesto.
Blackwall: That’s a recurring fantasy of yours, I assume?
Anders: Oh, definitely! Imagining the look on the Knight-Commander’s face keeps me warm at night.
───────
Anders: So, how long have you been a Grey Warden?
Blackwall: About... a little over twenty years, I think? It’s hard to keep track. Why?
Anders: We didn’t know a lot about the Wardens back at Vigil’s Keep. The Warden-Commander was new to it all too. This is the first time I’ve ever met a warden who’s actually been in the Order long enough to know its secrets. I was just wondering if I could ask you some questions.
Blackwall: I... suppose you can. Can’t promise I’ll be able to answer though.
Anders: Oh, of course. Warden secrecy, after all. I understand.
Blackwall: Yes. We wardens do like our secrets.
───────
Anders: Blackwall, do you have dreams about darkspawn?
Blackwall: Oh, that. Yes, nightmares are a normal part of being a Warden. The night I was recruited the Warden who recruited me woke up screaming bloody murder. It was almost enough to make me regret going with him.
Anders: No, I didn’t mean nightmares. I meant dreams of a more… sensual nature. If you know what I mean.
Blackwall: ...Surely you’re joking.
Anders: Not at all. You don’t have those? Are you sure? I thought all Grey Wardens did.
Blackwall: I… no. Must be a mage thing.
Anders: Must be.
───────
Anders: So, Blackwall. How did your Joining go?
Blackwall: Oh, you know. Same as yours, probably.
Anders: True. I guess there’s only so many ways to run an orgy.
Blackwall: (choking noises)
(Sera: What?! You never mentioned that!
Dorian: Wait, are you serious?!)
Blackwall: I… uh...
Anders: Of course I’m joking. We got you though, didn’t we Blackwall?
Blackwall: Uh, yeah, we definitely did. Ha ha.
───────
Anders: Do you sense darkspawn? I think I sense darkspawn.
Blackwall: Oh. Yes, I think I do, now that you mention it.
Anders: Actually, you know what? I think I might just be hungry. Are you hungry too?
Blackwall: Right. That’s probably it.
Anders: That Warden appetite is a pain, isn’t it?
Blackwall: A real pain, yeah.
Anders: And it’s just so inconvenient that warden senses feel so similar to a craving for apple pie.
Blackwall: Yep. Definitely.
───────
Anders: Do you know how to kill an archdemon, Blackwall? The Warden-Commander never told us. Said something about a ritual, and some kind of dance, I think?
Blackwall: Yes, right, the ritual. I, uh, don’t know if we should talk about Warden secrets in front of the others though.
Anders: Fair enough. Next time we’re alone then? And you should show me the dance sometime. Just in case I ever find myself facing an archdemon alone, you know?
───────
(After Revelations.)
Blackwall: Anders.
Anders: Yes, Not-Blackwall?
Blackwall: You’ve been having me on. You knew the whole time.
Anders: Of course I did. Wardens can sense other wardens. I’ve known since the moment we met.
Anders: I don’t know how you didn’t catch on, honestly. I’m not usually good at lying.
(Dorian: Oh, it shows. You actually probably helped Blackwall here. I was so busy noticing how terrible of a liar you are, I didn’t even notice he’s just as bad.
Anders: Success!)
(Varric: You’re still a terrible liar, Blondie. Speaking of, I think you still owe Fenris ten sovereigns. And a finger.
Anders: Wait, he wasn’t serious about that, was he? He is joking, right??)
Blackwall: If you knew the whole time, why didn’t you say anything to the others?
Anders: Everyone has their secrets. Besides, every Warden I’ve met was running from something. Hiding things and keeping secrets is a good fifty percent of the job, I’d say, so I figured true or not you’d fit right in.
───────
Anders: So, you pretended to be a Grey Warden to hide the fact that you killed a bunch of people, and I ran from the Wardens and then killed a bunch of people.
Blackwall: Are you trying to compare us?
Anders: No. I've never murdered children for money.
Blackwall: Well, good for you.
───────
Anders: We’re not the same, but we’re not different.
Blackwall: Now you sound like Cole.
Anders: Well, I am part spirit. Sort of?
Anders: I meant I know what it’s like to be hated for something you’ve done.
Blackwall: You saved people. A lot of them, from what I’ve heard. I only saved myself.
Anders: The aftermath is still the same, isn’t it? People judge you for one thing and ignore everything else you’ve accomplished. You’re not Anders the mage, or the healer, or the Grey Warden. You’re just that guy who blew up a chantry and started a war.
Blackwall: You shouldn’t listen to those people. They don’t know shit about you.
Anders: That’s exactly what I was going to say.
───────
Blackwall: So, you don’t hate me for what I did?
Anders: Well, I’m not exactly going to sing poetry praising you for your actions. But it was years ago. You’re a changed man now. At least, I assume you are.
Blackwall: I want to think so.
Anders: I do too.
Anders: Though, for what it’s worth, the fact Justice hasn’t taken over and run my staff through your skull yet means that even he must see something worth redeeming in you.
Blackwall: Thanks. That’s very... reassuring.
───────
Anders: You don't want to be a warden.
Blackwall: And how do you know what I want?
Anders: No one wants to be a warden. Or, they wouldn't if they knew. About the nightmares, the taint, the Joining… It’s awful.
Blackwall: Would you go back and change it if you could?
Anders: I never had a choice, not really. It was a slow death with the Wardens or a quick one with the Templars.
Anders: You have a choice. Do us both a favour, and make it a good one.
237 notes
·
View notes
Fighting game banter, Oz edition
Inspired by @niqhtlord01 's mortal kombat banter
VS fights
Ozpin: you have to strengthen your body and aura if you want to survive. Come, one more time.
Oscar, reclurantly: *sigh* I'll do my best
***
Oscar: Trusting people is not a mistake. I promise.
Ozpin: I wish I could believe you.
***
Ozma: You have a familiar face, child. Have I seen you before?
Oscar: uh... Try looking in a mirror.
***
Oscar: I don't think I can live up to your greatness.
Ozma: Nobody is ever born great. We all start small.
***
Ozma 2.0: wow, looking at you is like looking in a mirror
Oscar: I suppose. I have no intention of creating a cult based on myself, though
***
Oscar: sometimes I miss my old, boring farm
Ozma 2.0: me too, buddy. Me too
***
Ozpin, sarcastically: do you have any advice, oh great ancestor
Ozma 2.0: don't get burned alive???
***
Ozma 2.0: don't be too prideful, kid. It's gonna be your downfall.
Ozpin: do not call me "kid"
***
Ozma: I'm sorry for what I've caused you
Ozma 2.0: what's done is done. We are in this together
***
Ozma 2.0: say, before all of this... Could everyone really use magic?
Ozma: yes. A reminder that you and I are not special or better than anybody else.
***
Ozma: locking yourself in a tower... Like a certain girl I used to know.
Ozpin: it is the price I have to pay for your mistakes
***
Ozpin: don't abandon me now, please
Ozma: I'll be with you until the very end
Tag teams vs Salem and her allies
Ozma: Salem, please. I don't want to do this again.
Ozma 2.0: I'm afraid we don't have a choice, friend
***
Ozma 2.0: I'd rather not go through this again
Oscar: but I will do what I must
***
Ozma 2.0: there's no reasoning with her
Ozpin: I was not going to
***
Ozma: please, Salem, I don't want -
Ozpin: you lovestruck fool! She does not care for you anymore
***
Ozma: how she has fallen... I pity her.
Oscar: it's strange but... I don't
***
Ozpin: whatever happens, I will not let you kill this child
Oscar: let's fight together, Oz
134 notes
·
View notes
Legend’s Role in the Group
I made this post about how Legend hasn’t really used any of his most OP items in combat yet. The reason I gave for it in the post was that Jojo is saving his more powerful abilities for bigger battles yet. But there’s a second reason, too.
Legend has been on six adventures by himself before LU. Sure, he had friends to help him, but for the most part, he was fighting powerful foes totally alone. Save for Triforce Heroes, I guess, but I haven’t played that game so I don’t exactly know its deal.
My point is - with how proficient a solo adventurer he is, and combined with his general snark, you might assume that Legend is shit at teamwork, and operating in a group. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
In fact, Legend is pretty much the braincell of this group of heroes, and is playing a vital role of support. I will prove it to you in this post. So let’s go.
Here are Legend’s OG character notes. I highlighted in bold the ones I wanna talk about.
chooses not to be a leader type
the most experienced adventurer
he’s got a tool for that
very mature for his age, however, still young at heart
the most reliable, you want him on your team
seems emotionally unaffected by his travels however he keeps Koholint his dark secret
Chooses Not To Be A Leader Type
Legend could be the leader of this group, quite easily. After all, he is the most experienced one! But I reckon that as the early group dynamics emerged, he saw Time, the tallest and oldest, Warriors, the guy who commanded others in a war, and Twilight, able to emotionally understand the team better than he could, and thought ‘Right, I’m not touching all that’. When a group has 3 guys older than you who all seem to be competent leaders, why would you step up to be one?
That being said, Legend’s qualities as a leader don’t go to waste. He just applies them in different, less obvious, ways. One of my favourite examples is when he chooses to through the portal first.
His subtle leadership manifests in other ways, too. Often in battles he’s the one telling the group to stay focused, or directing their attention to where he wants it. He’s the first one to warn everyone to keep away from the Iron Knuckle.
I really respect that Legend chooses not to be a leader, ultimately. Again, with his experience, he could, but it shows his maturity that he leaves the role to those who are better suited for it instead. And yet, he doesn’t just sit back and let others boss him around - he finds his own ways to apply his knowledge and help the group. He’s his own kind of leader.
Speaking of his maturity, that brings me neatly to:
Very mature for his age, however, still young at heart
Legend is snarky. We all know this. At a glance, he might come off as immature compared to some of the... nicer members of the group, but I believe it’s quite the opposite. His snark and banter display the depths of his maturity, more than anything.
Legend’s snark is purposeful. If you look at any point in the comic where he’s made a comment, it’s normally at a point of tension. One of the Links has said something accidentally hurtful, or a serious topic is being disucssed. In those times, you can rely on Legend to swoop in with some form of banter. Here are a few of my favourite examples:
As we later find out, Time’s comment isn’t intended to supposed to be harmful, but it clearly hurts Twilight a little. Legend steps in and playfully jabs at Time, while making fun of himself too, to point out how Time’s comment came off wrong. Not only does this show Legend’s self awareness of his prickliness, it allows Time to go on to clarify that he meant the monster was infected, and he wasn’t trying to downplay anyone’s efforts.
Again, Time says something that hurts another member of the chain, Legend notices, and teases him to diffuse tension. (Side note, Time does seem to have a habit of coming off as harsh, doesn’t he? But that’s a can of worms for another day). It’s almost like Legend is practically using his reputation as slightly mean for the opposite effect - to subtly mediate between the members of the group.
One more example:
Wind’s thrown off and fumbling around Time’s question, which is fair enough given Wind Waker’s lore. It’s unclear if anyone else picks up on Wind’s discomfort, but Legend is right there again to lighten the mood a little.
Of course, a few banterous comments here and there aren’t enough to tackle all the tension and secret keeping the Links have between them, but it keeps things from boiling over. Legend is lowkey doing 90% of the peacekeeping in the group, and the others hardly seem to realise!
The most reliable, you want him on your team
To loop back around to what made me start this post in the first place, let’s look at how Legend behaves in combat.
In The Shadow, Legend doesn’t even fight once, instead holding back to let Warriors do the work. He also refocuses the group’s attention, making sure they’re all taking out an equal amount of monsters. But when he really comes into his own as the team’s rock is in the most recent arc, Sunset.
Legend is one of the four people who knew exactly who got hurt when Wolfie did. Everyone else in that group - Time, Wild and Four - react aggressively and emotionally in response to Twilight getting hit. But Legend doesn’t. In fact, he’s the first person to warn the others to stay away from the Iron Knuckle, even before Twilight’s wound didn’t heal - which led Wars and Sky to work out its blade was cursed, and warn everyone too.
I think part of this is because he still isn’t as close to Twilight as the others who know Wolfie’s true identity - they’ve bonded, sure, but this is all happening barely a couple of days after Divine Dark Reflections. So, him and Twilight aren’t quite besties yet, and thus Legend is more easily able to keep a cool head.
But I think it’s just also who he is. He sees a situation get 10x more stressful, and immediately starts working harder to ensure things are under control. In a way, his role is keeping the group in equibrilium. Twilight is hurt, and he’s worried. But he knows Warriors and Sky are already at his side, so instead, he focuses on what he can do to help the group as a whole, which is telling them to clear out the monsters so Wars and Sky have breathing space. He stops the others from throwing themselves into danger and taking on the Iron Knuckle, or at least he tries to, in the case of Wild.
To go back to what prompted me to make this post in the first place, I think this behaviour is also why we haven’t seen him use any of his powerful abilities yet. I mean, we haven’t seen Legend use a lick of magic on the battlefield yet! The others have been to his house and seen how many crazy items he has, yet in the comic, all he relies on is his sword, his pegasus boots, and a dream. Plus, we know he does have his magical abilities with him since he’s wearing his rings + Ravio’s bracelet, and we’ve seen his fire and ice rods respectively, so him simply not having access to his more powerful tools is a disproven possibility.
Instead, he’s purposefully holding back, for the same reasons he told the others not to throw themselves at the Iron Knuckle. He’s forfeiting showing off his skills in favour of being a reliable member of the team. I’m not saying the others are unreliable, and I do believe Legend will have his moment to shine in the future, but for now, he’s choosing to play the role of support. It’s worth noting that the boys don’t really know jack shit about what they’re up against. All of them have had dangerous adventures and near death experiences, but with the most experience under his belt, I think Legend’s exercising the most caution against Dink. He fears disrupting the battlefield with one of his more OP abilities, especially not without telling the others.
The way Legend fights reflects how he behaves in the group generally. He’s adjusting himself to be as stable as possible. He’s holding back on the wild magic he used on his solo adventures, just like how he’s choosing not to be a leader, and trying to mediate the group tension. In short, he definitely is the guy you want on your team.
But why is he like this?
One of the most important aspects of LU is one that’s easy to forget - the Links really haven’t known each other that long. Since the main comic begins after they have all met, we don’t know how much time has passed since they all banded together, but it’s reasonable to assume it’s only been a short while. There are tentative dynamics forming, but the group still don’t know a whole lot about each other, especially the more personal details of their lives. They’re still walking on eggshells around each other.
Legend’s behaviour is in response to all of this. For all of his teasing comments, at the end of the day, he’s actively making sure no big fights explode among the others, and that everyone stays safe, calm and alive. From assuming his own type of leadership, to keeping the group mood light, he’s navigating his first ever adventure working with such a large group of people - and imo, doing a fantastic job at it. He’s making sure he doesn’t disrupt such a fragile group dynamic. Though looks at Sunset despite Legend’s best efforts, it seems like some serious interpersonal drama is brewing anyway.
In the future, I do hope we get to see Legend absolutely going off in battle, because it will be epic. But until that day comes, I really appreciate the role he has in the group.
TL;DR Legend is the braincell. Here is a pic of him disappearing into the void. thank you for reading
947 notes
·
View notes