#/it could be either but the backstory is different. miles has more trauma and mental manipulation and naoto never has had that.

[thedetectiveofinaba]

@chibitantei​ asked: if you had to kin assign naoto an AA character, who would it be and why?

PS: if you say edgeworth i'm going to bite you

Unprompted mun questions / accepted!

What do you mean Miles Edgeworth isn’t kin assigned Edgey, he is a prissy bitch and has trauma and bad at dealing with informal social situations - 

Nah, just kidding on that. Based on the AA Trilogy and AA4, Ema Skye fits closer to home with the traits Naoto has. She appears only during the last case of AA1 and during AAI and AAI2 and can be kinda seen as the Maya Fey during the Rise From the Ashes, but her demeanor and attitude to people and her job during AA4 is sometimes really Naoto-esque. She’s also not really filtering it if she doesn’t like you as a person: she hates Klavier for spoiler reasons and it’s really obvious if you listen her talking about Klav.

One of the best lines I’ve heard from her is something Naoto would comment aka “Can’t we have a straightforward, simple murder case?!” after she’s fed up with AA convoluted murder plotlines. 

[artswaps]

I don't ship kallurance but I LOVE being nosy about other people's projects. Whatchu got in the works 👀

I’m really mad cos I tried writing a long-ass response to this twice already!!! But my browser crashed the first time and then windows hit me with a surprise update the second lol. I had torewrite it so I’m sorry for the late reply :(

Kinda long so I put it under a cut:

Here’s an old summary for the superhero au fic (Title is almost definitely gonna change):

tbh I’m not greatat writing romance and I don’t find it particularly fun to write?? So more like kallurance-leaning slightly-shippy gen but w/ever not important OKAY SO first the backstory and oh boy it’s very convoluted and doesn’t make much sense right now so strap in: 

I was thinking the story would be set in acyperpunk-style AU, wherein Voltron is a team of underground heroes trying totake down the Galra- a sinister corporation who have essentially taken oppressive controlof the city through widespread use of their technology.  

Back when the GalraCorporation were just coming into power, team Voltron was first employed byAltea Industries- Galra’s rival company- as a heroic task-force charged withprotecting the citizens of the city. Before the story begins an “accident”happens  at Altea Industries (obviously a deliberate attack organised byGalra) that left the founder of the company dead and his daughter Allura, heirto Altea industries and member of the Voltron force, in a coma she’s yet towake up from. This is two years before the story begins.

For a short time afterthe incident, the four remaining members of Voltron (Keith, Lance, Pidge and Hunk) tried to keep the teamtogether and continue their work as vigilante heroes. They officially split upafter Keith leaves the group to look for his best-friend-slash-psuedo-brother Shiro, who went missing and isbelieved to have been taken by the Galra. Keith’s decision to leave caused anargument between him and Lance, which led to a rift in the team and the othermembers drifting away for their own reasons.

Keith was captured by theGalra in his attempts to find Shiro, and has spent a year imprisoned and subjectedto the torture of having his powers being experimented on. It’s revealed at somepoint that Keith let himself be captured deliberately so he could look forShiro on the inside- while he was there he discovered that Shiro has beenbrainwashed by the Galra and is working as one of their law enforcers. He doesn’t recognise Keith at all, and Keith realises that without Shiro’s help he’s stuck as the Galra’s prisoner. 

After the other three split, Lance is left as the soleactive member of Voltron, and has spent the two years prior to the start of thestory working to undermine the Galra and protect the city as much as he’s able,turning himself into a wanted fugitive in the process and living isolated inhiding. He’s the only one still in contact with Coran, who is protecting Allura while she’s in a coma, and they both spend the years watching over her and never losing hope that she’ll wake up.

I had some complicated plot stuff planned where Altea, before it was attacked, was in the middle of producing a piece of super-tech that would allow them to take down the Galra and restore freedom to the city. The tech shared the name “Voltron” with their team of heroes, and worked as a power-augmentation device that would allow the team to mentally connect with one another and boost their powers. The attack on Altea industries doubled as an attempt by the Galra to steal it, but somehow when she was caught in the firefight Allura used her astral projection ability to merge her consciousness with the Voltron device. The real reason she won’t wake up in present-day is that she’s still mentally connected to Voltron, which is locked away deep in a Galra facility, miles away. 

So that’s where everyone’s at! The story revolves around Lance trying to resurrect team Voltron- finding and reconnecting with his old teammates and convincing them to take another shot at the Galra- while also dealing with everyone’s separate trauma and the fact that poor Shiro is still mind-controlled and basically acting as the main villain for the entire first act. 

The story begins withPidge contacting Lance for the first time since Voltron’s disbandment, claimingthat she’s been sent information from an anonymous source containing Keith’swhereabouts, and instructions on how to break him out. 

Pidge and Hunk reluctantly agree to team up once again for the sake of rescuing Keith, and they break into the Galra research facility he’s being held in.

During his time as a prisoner Keith learnt that Voltron is being kept in the same facility as him and the Galra are running tests on in. Mid break-out he convinces the others to find and retrieve it.

They rescue Keith, and when they reconvene at Coran’s hideout and bring the device within her range, Allura manages to separate her consciousness from it and finally wakes up. Yay! Everyone is confused and horrified by this revelation!! Allura, you’ve been a brain-ghost infused with a piece of stolen technology this whole time?? And the Galra have been messing with Voltron without realising you were hitching a ride?? That’s gotta have consequences, right??

Probably. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

AND NOW THE SUPERPOWERS:because that’s the most fun part of superhero aus obviously

I wanted to try and be abit more creative with the powers and stay away fromelemental/bending type ones lol. The only one I’m pretty set on is Allura, the others’ powers are things I’m still working out and would love some help with if anyone has any cool ideas! I’m totally okay with everyone having more than one superpower. Here’s what I’ve got so far:

Allura: 

One of the world’s most powerfultelepaths/psychics. Can communicate telepathically, “astral project” herconsciousness to other locations within a certain perimeter, and read minds. 

Perhaps has some of her VLD-canon Altean powers eg. can communicate withanimals. 

She can also manipulate other people’s thoughts and perceptions to createillusions. Can’t physically shapeshift but can create the illusion that she looks different. 

As well as abilitiesof the mind, she has a strong connection with spirit/essence; eg. can senseother’s whereabouts or tell when they’re being influenced by an externalsource. Cannot heal physical injuries but has some sway over ailments of thespirit and mind. 

Power augmentation through a conduit: Being connected to Voltron for so long merged her essence with it, so now she can wield it as a conduit to boost people’s power, or like,,, direct and control Voltron’s innate power-boosting abilities at will via her telepathy (tbh I’m bullshitting a bit here while I throw ideas around lol)

Keith: 

If anyone in this AU is gonna have element-based powers it’sgonna be Keith- either he has fire affinity (can create and control fire +heat) or I could ramp up the angst and have him go full-on Jean Grey Phoenixmode ehehehe. 

The other main idea I had was power negation- upon physical contact he can cancel other people’spowers out. This would be interesting if it’s something he doesn’t havefull control over, and I reckon it’s something the Galra would take a lot ofinterest in using to their own advantage- would also be an interesting oppositeto Allura’s power augmentation ability. 

The other things I had listed aspossibilities for Keith are all endurance/enhancement-based powers eg. Enhancedspeed, dexterity and agility, night vision, regenerative/accelerated healingetc. All of these could be innate or they could be powers given to him by theGalra in an attempt to turn him into a weapon like they did Shiro.

Lance: 

Also not settledon anything for Lance but I did want him in part to have more compulsion andcharisma-based powers that fit his more sociable personality. He hascharmspeaking, a hypnotic ability that lets him influence the thoughts and actionsof the person he’s talking to. Even when he’s not using the ability he has away with persuasion. 

I also like the idea of him having omniligualism (thepower to speak all languages) or a similar variant that allows him to be easilyunderstood by and communicate with anyone despite language barriers.

I had an earlier ideathat everyone’s powers, where applicable, would be based on their original lion’spowers in vld canon? I’ve mostly scrapped that at this point but I do stilllike the idea of Lance having a sort of echolocation type of thing- maybe morelike he can feel the vibrations of structures around him and instantly puttogether a mental-map of the area. If he knocks against the outside wall of abuilding then he can feel out the layout of the interior, along those lines.Think Toph Beifong.

I also wanna give him low-level telekinesis because I think he’d had fun with that lol.

Shiro: 

I actually likethe idea of Shiro not having any powers originally; the Galra imbued him withsome abilities through his prosthetic arm that he wasn’t born with. The worst one isthe power to manipulate and deconstruct organic matter; the Galra intended forhim to use it to destroy and kill, but I had a thought I liked a lot where Shiro takesownership of it after they save him from the brainwashing, and he eventuallylearns to use it to heal and becomes the team’s go-to doctor.

I might scrap the idea ofhim not originally having any powers, depends if I can come up with anything.Maybe I can go back to my they-have-their-og-lion’s-powers idea and give himteleportation, and he eventually learns how to do it mentally and can astralproject.

Okay actually NightCrawler is my favourite superhero and I’m gonna fuckin let Shiro nightcrawl,fight me.

Pidge: 

Technopathy,obviously!!! She can do pretty much anything with technology, and I wasthinking that similar to VLD canon where Pidge adds her own modifications to herlion to give it new powers, in this AU she makes a lot of devices of her ownthrough her technopathy that give her access to a lot of manufactured superpowers eg. Invisibility/cloaking,electricity manipulation, some other cool stuff idk yet.

She also has eideticmemory and low-level telekinesis which she mostly just uses to help herretrieve objects in her lab when she’s hyperfocused and doesn’t wanna get up. 

Hunk: 

Hunk is an empath, which makes him goodat intelligence gathering because he can detect when people are lying throughtheir emotions. 

Also had animation/”life spark” down as a possibility, which isthe ability to bring inanimate objects temporarily to life; his creationsfollow his directions but their sentience levels are very low and they have noemotional intelligence. E.g he could hypothetically create an army out ofshopping mall dummies to fight for him, which probably wouldn’t do much physical damagebut would work as a good distraction while he hightails it outta there. Alsowould be a very good intimidation tactic cos that would be a terrifying sightahaha

Idk I don’t have a lot ofother good ideas for Hunk someone help me

Coran:

Enhanced memory, though not photographic or near-infalliable like Pidge’s is, and he’s kinda useless with it (mostly just usesit to subject people to long-winded anecdotes about his crazy life)

Omnilingualism. Thinks this makes him a gooddiplomat but historically it’s just gotten him into trouble with more people.

He’s spent the entire time since Voltron’sdisbandment guarding Allura while she’s asleep, protecting her from assassinationattempts, so it’d be cool if he had some other kind of power that allowed himto do this easily? Not anything flashy, an ability that a lot of people wouldunderestimate or dismiss as harmless, but something that’s let him keep themboth safe while she’s so vulnerable.  

AND THAT’S ALL I’VE GOT FOR NOW I hope it sounds interesting??? It’s kinda a complicated mess atm but I have fun thinking about this AU and I’d like to do something with it soon.

It’d be a mess of cheesy sci-fi drama and angst and found family so like,,, all good things. Thank you for asking about it I love to rant about my projects lmao

[sordm5]

Part 1 of the OC character sheet/questionnaire

Which faction(s) did they join and which did they destroy? Why?

He ended up favoring and assisting the NCR shortly after he left Goodsprings. That ended up in regret once he’d met and spoken to the people of Freeside, Westside, and The Strip. Also taking into account the people’s opinions on the aftermath of him helping the NCR take control of Primm, furthered by discovering how bureaucratic the NCR are, with little regard for the citizens in their allied regions.

What is their S.P.E.C.I.A.L.?

3, 9, 6, 4, 7, 8, 3 (All my SPECIAL stats in NV are fairly high, so I reduced some of them for more customization in line with characterization.)

Give us a summary of their backstory.

[Moved to bottom]*

What’s their full name and does it have a meaning? Do they have any nicknames and how did they get em?

For the first month after his head injury, he just went by “Courier”, since he wasn’t fully comfortable naming himself. At that period, he didn’t really have any sense of self, and didn’t know how to go about defining who he was since he had nothing to go off of. He preferred to simply avoid the entire subject when Doc Mitchell was interviewing him.

He only started going by his name when Johnson Nash had finally dug up a copy of his employment ID: Mason Shepherd McCoy. Even then, his name felt extremely foreign to him, and he flopped between accepting and rejecting it for a brief period. Those close to him ended up calling him “Mase”, for short, but still...he never quite shook off being called “Courier”.

Do they have any mental illnesses? How do they cope?

Extreme bouts of paranoia due to his amnesia. He lost hope on ever recovering his memories after coming across a pre-war medical text on amnesia due to physical trauma resulting in brain damage. It’s hard for him to trust people because of this, and his inclination for helping people is an odd cycle of redemption-seeking and regret.

This leads to a tendency of running from both his problems and his responsibilities, which is an issue that hasn’t been solved.

How much do they care about their outer appearance? What’s their “beauty routine”? How often do they shower/ bathe?

While the Lucky 38 was acting as a base, he may have gotten a little too used to bathing frequently (even if it was short-lived), and after that, his stay in Zion, where the water was remarkably free of radiation. Having the opportunity to get clean whenever he felt like it was a luxury he hadn’t realized he’d been missing out on.

Not a lot goes into keeping up appearances, though. He tries to keep his face clean-shaven and his hair fairly short. But...since he usually wears a ranger hat, he doesn’t mind when his hair gets a little messy.

What do they fear the most?

Something or someone from the past he can’t remember coming back to confront him. That and permanently losing people he cares for.

Their biggest flaw? Do they recognize it as a flaw?

Probably his occasional stoicism and constant lack of trust. He doesn’t see automatic distrust as a flaw, he sees it as a strategy for life (which eventually does prove useful), but it largely feeds into his inability to connect with people.

What Wasteland threat do they fear the most? (ex. Deathclaws, super mutants, raiders)

Cazadores.

Also, Legion assassins disguised as traders and caravaneers became a very real threat and fear while he stayed in Zion. He’d thought they were easy enough to handle in the Mojave, being able to see them coming from miles away in their bright crimson costumes, and knowing when to steer clear. But back then he hadn’t dealt with the convincing deception of the Frumentarii, especially not when there was a target on his back, and an even bigger target on someone close to him.

What natural alignment are they? (ex. Lawful Good, Chaotic Evil)

A varying spectrum of neutral, depending. More accurately, he started off as neutral good, and became more chaotic neutral near the middle and end of his campaign.

Do they have any hobbies? What are they?

Does collecting unique weaponry count as a hobby?

Other than that, he developed a fondness for his former job title - maybe some sort of imprinted nostalgia from his past. Even though he’s no longer formally employed by the Mojave Express, he still enjoys running low-pressure delivery jobs. He finds it calming, and it gives him purpose without any emotional responsibility.

Do they have a favorite holiday? How do they celebrate it?

He’s read about Halloween, and seen pre-war decorations for it, which he thought sounded and looked incredibly fun. Later on, Joshua tells him about Christmas, and he finds it extremely fascinating. He doesn’t celebrate either...though he wouldn’t mind dressing up in a terrifying outfit and asking people for free sweets.

What’s their favorite season?

Anything but summer. Summers out west, the Mojave in particular, are absolutely unforgiving. He spent the larger part of the first summer he can remember in Zion, and was constantly tempted to lay face first in the water of The Narrows.

Do they have a temper or are they level headed?

Level-headed, but that stems from not being on the talkative side. Not talking leaves a lot of room for listening, speculating, and problem solving. However, he did have more of a temper in the beginning. Multiple instances of losing his composure to anger, followed by regret after calming back down, prompted him to learn how to control it better. 

Do they express their emotions freely or hide their true feelings?

More prone to hiding his feelings. Not only does he not like sharing, but he doesn’t like to burden other people with his issues. He’s only open with those he’s spent a lot of time with, and even then he holds onto some reservations.

Are they a leader or a follower?

Neutral with slight leadership leanings. While wandering across the Mojave and various western territories, he got used to the concept of leadership just by exercising his will and freedom, and that feeling grew by taking companions along with him. It’s not an assertive type of leadership so much as it is learning self-assurance.

He doesn’t have a problem with taking orders (even prefers it sometimes), as long as he agrees with them to some extent. He had no objections to being in deference to Joshua’s leadership while in Zion, for example.

Do they prefer to travel alone or with company? Who have they traveled with if any? Current companion if any?

While in the west, he was with a companion more often than not. During his long travel east, he kept to himself...due to a myriad of reasons, including trying to avoid being followed by potentially unwanted pursuers. Aside from the infrequent drunken bar stop, and some friendly conversationalists when roaming with different caravans, he was alone.

Before that, he spent the most time with ED-E, Arcade, and Joshua, in order of who he met first. 

ED-E was almost an instant companion once he’d made it to Primm, and, in a unique way, ED-E became a best friend. Even if ED-E gave no confirmation that he was listening to Mason’s rare, sporadic rants (he was mostly talking to himself, anyway), the eyebot’s presence still brought comfort. He refused to send ED-E away, even after meeting Arcade and hearing him complain about his general distaste for the bot.

The dynamic he shared with Arcade, however, was completely different. They fed off each other’s sarcastic quips, another feature that could bring out the expressive side of Mason, and kept themselves entertained with creative use of wording. But beyond amusing each other, under the banter was a general acceptance and understanding, and Mason found that to be invaluable.

After leaving the Mojave (more like fleeing), Mason meets Joshua via his job with the Happy Trails Caravan. After assisting Joshua in ridding Zion of the White Legs, Mason decides to stay - his decision fueled by his trepidation of returning to the Mojave, and by developing a misguided attachment to Joshua. He learns fairly quickly that the majority of those around Joshua seem to be magnetized to his intense personality, some even bordering on misplaced hero-worship, and though Mason’s aware he’s fallen in line with this behavior, he can’t bring himself to care. 

It’s almost a year before Mason reluctantly decides to leave Zion, and the west altogether, coming to the conclusion it’d be the best for himself and those around him. In that time, a mutual respect between himself and Joshua became a tentative friendship, which eventually became an actual friendship, and, more importantly, it became trust. Leaving Zion and the Mojave felt like leaving himself and starting from the bottom...all over again.

-

The years spent crossing the Wasteland, after leaving all he knew behind, changes Mason in an unprecedented way. He’s inclined to more reckless behavior, and cares less about the repercussions of his choices. He’s certain he doesn’t need anyone, and is hesitant to let people close beyond casual meetings. 

Would you describe them as selfless or selfish? Does it depend on the situation?

Ultimately, all the reasons behind his choices are based on selfishness. Even leaving the west was built on the idea of escaping his responsibilities. There were some selfless reasons contributing to it, and those definitely pushed him over the edge, but he knows that those reasons wouldn’t have been enough on their own. Perhaps enough to leave Zion, but not the Mojave. 

What do they find most attractive in others? Name at least one psychological and physical trait. (doesn’t have to be romantic attraction)

Confidence, self-assurance, and some amount of outward leadership. When he’s around people who appear to lack fear, it relieves some of the pressure that weighs on him. He doesn’t like being the person who always has to make the decisions, though he aspires to lose his reservations over that very thing.

He doesn’t care for physicality beyond shallow acknowledgement that someone is good-looking to him. But there is no ‘one feature’ that he always finds attractive.

Do they flirt often? How easily do they fall in love?

Does an agonizingly bare and plain display of trust count as flirting? 

What’s their love life like? Are they interested in anyone or in a relationship?

He only completely trusted one person after he’d been shot and lost his memories. He fully accepted that whatever he felt wasn’t going to lead to anything, and he respected that. It was unspoken, even if both parties were aware of it, but that’s all it ever would be.

Do they prefer to solve things diplomatically or using violence?

While he doesn’t enjoy speaking to those he doesn’t know well, he will try to de-escalate tense situations with words nonetheless. If it comes to no other choice, he has no objections on defending himself.

What is their combat style? What range do they prefer? Do they sneak?

Ranged, preferring both bolt and lever action rifles. He’ll always choose to scout an area from a recon position and engage any enemies from afar, only after gathering information on the land and what weapons his targets are equipped with. If things get out of hand and the fight ends up close range, he’ll switch to either a pistol or 12 gauge, depending on what he has with him.

What weapon(s) do they always carry with them?

One primary large rifle, and a secondary pistol or shotgun. Favorite weapons are: Paciencia, Medicine Stick, This Machine, Dinner Bell, That Gun, and Lil Devil. He changes his loadout frequently to remain light, and only carries two weapons with him at any given time.

Their most prized possession?

Perhaps not a prized possession, but he always has his Mojave Express ID with him, taped to the inside of an old delivery organizer. Maybe he’s gotten attached to it – maybe it’s insurance in case history repeats itself.

(I attempted to “draw” the delivery notebook and the ID.)

Their thoughts on power armor?

Impractical for his type of combat specialties. He sees power armor as an anti-radiation tool for certain circumstances, but he rarely applies the armor even then, since he can’t be bothered to burden the armor around while wandering or travelling. And...well...he thinks it looks silly.

Favorite armor/ outfit?

Anything resembling a duster or long coat, and he’s automatically into it. It doesn’t really go any deeper than that.

How’s their aim? Do their hands shake while pointing a gun?

Because of his preferred style of combat, he can’t afford to have shaking hands. The recoil between shots in a large rifle is long and offers too much of an opportunity for the enemy to get the upper hand. Each shot has to count, and any motion outside of involuntary bodily movement, like breathing, can lead to failure or death. He spent...a long time training his body to respond properly to using rifles.

What are their thoughts on having to kill on a daily bases in order to survive? Does it take a toll on them? Or do they shake it off rather easily?

He was surprised it didn’t affect him beyond the initial adrenaline when he took part in his first shootout - when the Powder Gangers attacked Goodsprings. He didn’t feel remorse, and neither did anyone around him, which gave him pause. Perhaps it was an instinct from his old self to not dwell on lost lives for nameless faces, or maybe his brain was damaged beyond amnesia. 

So, no - killing doesn’t take a toll on him, but trying to analyze why it doesn’t affect him can sometimes keep him up into the wee hours of the night.

Thoughts on death if any? (ex. Fear it, accept it)

He’s convinced he’s experienced death already. Shot in the head, buried in a shallow grave, followed by an immediate and total loss of self. If your past and memories define you, and those are all lost in the blink of an eye - is that not a sort of “death”? Coming to this conclusion brought him peace with the idea of dying.

He’s very much not okay with the idea of those he cares for dying, however. This is small part of his reasoning behind leaving the west.

Do they move around a lot or prefer to have a place to call home?

Zion was his home for nearly a year, and it’s the longest lasting home he can remember having. He’s had a few different “bases” - his room in Novac, the Lucky 38, (the back of a caravan wagon), (the side of a dusty road) - but nothing that truly classified as a “home” to him.

Their opinions on ghouls, feral and not feral?

A ghoul is just another person - a feral is just another target (bloody annoying targets that he’ll try to avoid, if he can).

Do they scavenge for their supplies or simply buy them?

Scavenge for parts to make his own supplies and ammo, buy them when he’s desperate and running low.

How do they sleep? Are they picky about where and how or can they sleep basically anywhere?

You don’t get a lot of options for bedding when you’re always on the move. When exhaustion finally gets the better of him, it’s not unheard of for him to fall asleep sitting straight up with a bottle of whiskey in hand. 

What’s their favorite radio station and song? (post-apocalypse)

He prefers Radio New Vegas, but the Mojave Radio plays a few good ones too. He can’t resist singing or humming along to Big Iron. Every. Time.

What’s their favorite post-apocalyptic food? Are they a picky eater? Do they know how to cook?

Iguana bits have a certain quality about them that he can’t quite place. Iguana on a stick doesn’t compare, nor does a gecko kebab or squirrel bits. He’s attempted to replicate the recipe numerous times, even with his low survival skill and lack of culinary knowledge, but ultimately failed.

;-))))) (If he knew the truth, he’d probably grasp at his throat and make dramatic gagging noises, recoiling in horror, remembering all the times he enjoyed iguana bits.

What’s their favorite beverage? Do they drink alcohol?

Water, booze, and Sunset Sarsaparilla. Whiskey is a long time favorite, though when he hits the east coast he starts picking up a palette for bourbon. Surprisingly enough, he can barely stand Nuka-Cola.

*

With no memories or defining character traits to speak of, the most difficult thing Mason struggled with was finding a purpose for himself. He’d felt useful helping the people of Goodsprings with their troubles, and it kept his mind from clouding with negative thoughts about his circumstances (he didn’t recognize the person he saw in the mirror; his voice didn’t sound as he expected; sometimes he felt younger than how he looked - sometimes older, etc.). But, after he had set off from Goodsprings, he felt empty.

At first, the prospect of finding his shooter didn’t much appeal to him, but eventually, a dull anger set in, and he found new purpose in tracking down the man who stole everything from him. He kept with his inclination of helping people in his journey across the Mojave, and though that quickly lost its novelty and no longer brought him comfort, he would do it anyway.

Things changed him throughout his time in the desert. He met interesting people, some of them becoming his friends, and he learned more about himself and the land around him. The prospect of craving revenge became more and more distant, and he learned to let go of his anger. But, unfortunately, he ended up unintentionally winding himself into the politics of the Mojave, and made quite the name for himself. This only worsened once he’d finally reached The Strip.

He let Benny live, and berated himself for being such an idiot after the ambush. Later, at Fortification Hill, Mason was ready to pull the trigger, but, at the last second, he’d stiffly turned away (he remembered lowly uttering, “Do what you want with him, I’m not your puppet,” to Caesar and his guard.) It was one of the biggest decisions he’d made, and he was aware of it.

With the Platinum Chip in hand and the second battle for Hoover Dam on the horizon, situations only became more tense. Yes Man, Caesar, and the NCR all persistently trying to whisper in his ear, with the latter of the three being the one he made most reputation with. A regret. He became determined to no longer unwittingly further anymore political agendas, but the pressure from the three factions was getting to him. He turned on his radio, made another big decision, and fled to Zion.

He didn’t think his problems from the Mojave would find him there - but, after a time, they do. Too many assassins and intelligencers. They’d had a purpose to be there before he’d arrived, one that was bigger than him. An unfortunate slip up in a fight, and then there were two targets the Legion were gunning for in Zion, rather than one. (”You’ve made the wrong friends, Courier Six,” a frumentarii hissed as a boot crushed Mason’s windpipe.)

It took him a long time to make the final decision to leave the west coast for good. Before, he’d only been fleeing from the political mess he wound up in, but it became worse than just a mess. He knew he was being hunted, and more, they knew he was allied to Joshua - that just added to the difficulties Joshua already faced with Legion spies and assassins, and also put all the tribes in Zion at a greater risk.

He couldn’t go back to the Mojave...so that really only left one choice.

Screenshots:

[kalico-to-the-letter]

REVIEW: RWBY – Vol. 4, Ch. 11: “TAKING CONTROL”

With the reassertion of control comes the idea that all the pieces are at last being moved into readiness ahead of a horizon that all can see. Hmm.

Welcome to my review of the 11th Chapter of the 4th Volume, entitled, “Taking Control”.

This week gave us: demotivational training, dusting off the old gear, escaping like a boss, support in the face of self-pity, and some real Resident Evil type shit. Seriously. Like damn.

Spoilers after the jump.

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Last week – like much of this season – was all about sombre reflection, so the idea of the following episode being titled “Taking Control” should have signified actions motivated by that reflection. These are characters that really have struggled to stand back up after being kicked to the floor at the end of last season. The progress made in this season of reflection has been decent in its pace, though the short shrift given to some characters has also been glossed over by the new structure of the show.

I wasn’t too pleased, then, that the entirety of last week’s episode was devoted to the pausing of momentum for the sake of some backstory, despite that backstory being both relevant and good to watch. I was left wondering what the finale would do, and how big it would go with the cards it had in its disposal.

As far as setup goes, “Taking Control” has everything I was quietly expecting. After a long time apart, the paths of the Team RWBY girls are indeed poised to cross in Mistral. It would be truly astonishing if they don’t come back together from this point in the story.

They are each going to Mistral for different reasons. Ruby is continuing her journey. Yang, after finally feeling ready to jump back in, has a choice between chasing her or chasing Raven, her estranged and not-great mother.

If it were earlier in the season, then I would call a 50-50 between the two choices. But at this point? I expect Yang to go after Ruby, and it would be terribly unsatisfying if the alternative were to eventuate.

Weiss has peaced out of her family home/prison, and is also Mistral-bound after learning (through eavesdropping on a convo between her father and an increasingly frustrated Ironwood) that that’s where Winter is and has been for a long time. Could we perhaps see her next week?

Okay, look. I love Blake. She's my absolute favourite, and has been for the show’s entire run. But out of all the decisions that signal Team RWBY’s reunion, hers is the one that feels most unearned.

Something odd happens with her character this week, and her scene is very much a tale of two parts. We haven’t seen her since Sun was wounded by her old White Fang acquaintance, and we start her return with Sun’s recovery. It took me a second to remember exactly what the situation in Menagerie was, but I digress. 

The first part of her appearance this week is great. It is, after all, no secret that Blake has a penchant for self-pity, and is incredibly hard on herself to the point that it can blind her to the way forward. Did we forget seeing her with rings around her eyes in Volume 2? She gives us more of this in her scene, but there is something quite lovely about her finally admitting her feelings about leaving Team RWBY, and leaving her friends behind. Sun being wounded just reminds her of why she ran, and she is still quite against getting back into the fray.

For the first time in a long time, Sun acts cool, and reminds her about the importance of everyone being in it together, and supporting each other in it. And he all but acknowledged that Yang and Blake are meant to be together, so that was cool too. (Okay, not really, but let me have this!)

Nonetheless, it was looking for a moment that I had to change my “Everyone’s going to Mistral!” note to “Everyone’s not going to Mistral!”, because I couldn't immediately see a way for Blake to get back there, after being so against going. Let’s be honest: one decent spiel in an unresolved conversation did not look like enough to sway her so suddenly.

And yet, the sudden sway happens, because these girls need to reunite! And it comes with her parents interrupting their conversation to bring news of a planned coup in the White Fang by none other than Adam Taurus, the man who visited so much misery on the Bumblebee at the end of last season. He wants to take a powerful White Fang force to Mistral, and … yep, Blake’s going.

Seriously? Just like that.

As satisfying as her little moment was, and regardless of my excitement toward what it insinuated, it really felt like there was something missing to connect the two parts of this storyline, or at least connect Blake’s mentality to her eventual decision. Because the two just didn’t seem to compute in this case.

But this little issue will be probably be ignored, because who cares?! The gang’s getting back together, so who cares if one of them takes an odd leap towards that scenario, right?

If you say so. I still prefer logical storytelling, and it’s disappointing that it has seemed to escape the writing at what could have been such an amazing moment, especially considering how well it’s held up throughout this season.

Again, “Taking Control” does almost everything it has to for the key players of Team RWBY. It gives them all a convergent destination and different reasons to converge.

But this the finale that we’re approaching, and whereas previous seasons were very keen to showcase the talents of the series’ antagonists, Volume 4 has had a distinct lack of a focal point as far as antagonists are concerned. We see Salem, and she appeared with Cinder again this week, but it really doesn’t appear that either are going to have major influence on or intervention in the events of the finale. Salem’s work this season has been largely subtle and referential, aside from tasking Tyrian with capturing Ruby. And while last season, Adam Taurus and the White Fang were working with Cinder, it appears that he is now working without partnership in his mission to control the whole White Fang and sack Mistral. Of course, Salem benefits, but who knows how much he even recognises that.

Regardless, who has really been the antagonist of Volume 4?

if we agree that Salem and her crew haven’t done enough to fill that role, then we turn to the White Fang. But their active influence has been confined to only minor intrigue in Blake’s storyline, and now they’re going to march on Mistral. If that’s not enough, then we turn to the more symbolic of foes, in the Grimm.

The monsters present a complete binary, but they have had the most consistent presence in Volume 4′s storyline, despite that presence being largely only felt in Ruby’s storyline. 

(Indeed, we experienced Ren’s horror as he came face-to-face with the particular monster that scarred his childhood. And that thing was freaky. Combined with the filming work, it looked like something you would encounter in one of Resident Evil’s infamous hallways. Terrifying.)

Or is Volume 4′s antagonist completely symbolic? Is loss the antagonist? Is trauma? And does that make perseverance the season’s true hero?

In a season which has been devoid of the happier moments which graced seasons past, but has also been successful in applying a more considered and graceful touch, perhaps it is fitting that the great conflict is one which merely hangs in the air above all the smaller ones, and will hang over this sudden showdown with the White Fang.

But if such headiness is not for you, then that’s okay. You’ll get your action scene next week and then you can move on. It’s still very nice to see such a consistent and universal conflict take charge of a story which has always shown the potential for greater nuance.

For as much as Volume 4 has tended to meander, and even now as it suddenly accelerates towards its climax, I am still ready to call the Volume 4 experiment a success. I will expand further after next week’s finale, but I believe that Rooster Teeth have really done well. Everything about Volume 4, and the end of Volume 3, was working against them in the court of public opinion. There was nowhere to go with Volume 4 but in a different direction. 

Does it mean I will suddenly sing from the rooftops with the praises of Miles Luna and Kerry Shawcross? No. I still have problems with them. But I’ll give them credit for sticking with a new, difficult direction and executing it with the respect such a challenge deserves.