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nuclear-reactions · 7 years

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Hi! I love your writing so much! I don't know if I submitted this ask. So sorry if I did and forgot. Given Shaun somehow is able to "age" or progress as a person, could you write the different kinds of childhoods he'd have and what type of person he'd become based on the companion Sole raises him with. (And could I pretty please have a bonus where he's raised a little by everyone?)

(Thank you! Andyou’re fine, as long as you don’t spam me with a bunch of requestsyou don’t have to worry about resubmitting the occasional ask.Dogmeat and Codsworth excluded in the solo reactions)

It takes a villageto raise a child; Sole and their compatriots take this phrase maybe atad literally. On the bright side, Shaun has a deep, deep pool ofaunts and uncles to draw knowledge from on subjects he isn’t familiarwith. Danse and MacCready often fight over who should teach him toshoot (“I can hit a bloatfly from two miles out, I think I canteach a kid how to handle a gun.” “If he doesn’t plan on scoutingout sniper nests for a hour before every altercation, he’ll learnfrom me!”). Strong is the cause of his first broken bone when Shauntries to have an arm wrestling match. Curie is the one to set it andscold Strong. Cait and Hancock sneak him his first tastes of alcohol,each thinking they’re the only ones who do so. Cait in particular,after an intense round of day drinking, gives him an impromptu sex edlesson, and it’s an almost too honest -and descriptive- answer toShaun’s question of what sex was, not to mention quite different thanthe diagrams Curie showed him on reproductive organs. Piper isundoubtedly his best aunt, or at least, the closest thing to awell-rounded adult figure in his life. She’s usually the one he comesto with problems, and also dispels many of the myths Deacon handsdown (“No, you do not become a werebear if you eat charred yao guaimeat.”) Nick is more of the grandfather that knows card tricks.Codsworth is Codsworth, remaining the same mildly overbearing nannybot he’s always been. Preston never really gets the hang of him. Hetreats him a lot younger, being unsure what kids Shaun’s age are “into”. X6 isn’t the most helpful when it comes to rearing kids, andShaun only really turns to him when he wants brutal honesty.

Between the lot ofthem, Shaun ends up fairly well-rounded, with an…eclectic set ofskills, to say the least. He’s taught a little of everything. When itcomes time for him to leave the settlement, he leaves on dozens ofhandshakes and more than a few proud tears.

Danse- With Danse, he is groomed intothe picture of an army brat. It goes without saying that hisupbringing is strict, sometimes even a little harsh, but loving andfull of happy memories as well. Danse is not entirely warm, but then,he’s not entirely cold either. Sole never lets Danse treat Shaun toomuch like a Brotherhood initiate. They have to remind him now andthen that they’re not going to shoehorn their son into a militarycareer when he’s instructing him on the meticulous way a soldiershould make his bed in the mornings. He does learn a lot onmaintaining power armor and firearms, and leans more into becoming amechanic when he starts working. That, or following his father’sfootsteps into the Brotherhood (though he’s not popular, consideringDanse’s history with them). Making his father proud is tantamount inShaun’s mind, he pursues any life that would do just that. Danseraises him to be brave in the face of doubt, do what feels right, andto never let others decide your fate.

Hancock- Despitehis laz a fair approach to his own life, he does try to set Shaun ona better path than the one he ended up going down. He cleans up alittle, weans himself from the harder chems, and if he does keep afew habits, he doesn’t do them around the kid. He’s very much the “goask Sole” type of father, and Shaun gets away with a lot aroundhim. Just enough to be considered a mischievous kid and not adelinquent. He gets his first taste of beer early, his ownswitchblade, his own tricorn hat when he’s old enough it doesn’tslough off to one side of his head. Shaun adopts a lot of Hancock’svirtues, his self-confidence, loyalty, leadership skills, charm, butis taught to avoid many of his vices (which is mostly Sole’s doing).If he doesn’t end up taking up Hancock’s mantle of mayor, he likelyends up leader of a group like the Minutemen, leaving a string ofbroken hearts along the way of whatever path he treads. He’s acharmer, quick witted, and is taught to use his head above all- whichalso consists of keeping it clean. He doesn’t take up the casual chemuse that Hancock suffers from.

Deacon- Littlewhite lies are all Shaun is really allowed, yet he makes the best ofthem, and he develops a good poker face early on. Deacon is morehonest with Sole than anyone else, but first and foremost, he is apathological liar, prone to wild stories, and Shaun adopts that alittle too well. He impresses his school mates with all the storiesof his heroism, like the time he took down a radstag single-handed with nothing but a hunting knife. His tall tales either earn him agullible flock of followers or a beating from the kids smart enoughto see through his bravado. But he doesn’t just learn lying fromDeacon- he also learns compassion, fighting for what you think isright, protecting the people who are most vulnerable. And he is thesingle hardest kid to trick. He sees through deception just as easilyas he carries it out, so he quickly unravels most of the stories kidsget told (Sole has a nightmare of a time trying to convince him ofSanta Claus). His tendency towards “exaggeration” places him inthe position of a salesman later in life, hyping up his wares justenough that they seem shiny and appealing. If not that, then he’dfind himself with the Railroad, helping in whatever cause they followwhen the Institute is gone. Learning from Deacon’s mistakes, hebecomes an honest liar, easy going, and fights for the marginalized.

Piper- Havingmostly raised her little sister on her own, Piper sidles prettyeasily into the role of a mother, and his childhood is earnestlyclose to “normal” with her and Sole as parents. As normal asthings ever really got in the Commonwealth. He does, however, getinto scrapes in search of stories for Piper to cover. Being aninvestigative journalist is on par with being a spy in his mind-keeping your eyes and ears open, finding contacts, meeting in secret.He mostly grows out of this, but Piper still instills in him a loveof the written word and a desire to educate the Wastes on thingsbeyond the farms and cities they relegate themselves to. He takes totraveling at a young age, writing of his experiences in theCommonwealth and eventually, the rest of the ruins of the UnitedStates. If he doesn’t become a writer, he likely goes into lawenforcement, making sure (like Piper always taught him) that justicecomes to those who wrong others. He’s as silver tongued,compassionate, and as worldly as the woman who helps raise him.

Curie- She’slearning how to act human as much as Shaun is, so she mostly goeswith whatever Sole says when it comes to raising him. They knowbetter than she would; despite knowing how to keep kids healthy, shehad little experience with their emotional needs. Still, she does herbest. She reads him stories, partakes in nightly rituals like tuckinghim in and humming him to sleep, and when he’s too old for all that,she giddily encourages him in his studies. He learns more from herthan anything taught in school. She teaches him not only how to treatdisease, but passes on a genuine compassion and desire to help, tolearn, to make the Wastes a little better in some small capacity.When the time comes for him to strike out on his own, he travelsfurther than Curie ever has in search of knowledge, and exchanges theknowledge he brought from the Commowealth. He saves lives, being akind and caring figure all the while. He becomes everything Fathercould have been before he was twisted by the Institute.

Nick- Having arobot detective as a father is probably the coolest thing a childcould experience, and Shaun is in near constant awe of Nick. Nickhimself takes easily to being a dad and enjoys it. Shaun is his son,and really, with them both being synths cast from similar molds, itnever once felt like he wasn’t family. Having someone he could passthings on to… it was more than Nick had ever really hoped for. Hespends much of his childhood in the glow of the heart-shaped signoutside Valentine’s Detective Agency, reading through old case files,picking over evidence from new case files, and each case is a puzzlefor him to piece together. He grows up sharp and inquisitive, eagleeyed with a nose for lies. He also learns as much about synth’s innerworkings as he does humans. Nick needs the occasional tuneup whenSole isn’t around, so he helps now and then with the screws andpanels he can’t reach on his own. With this knowledge, if he doesn’tend up taking over the agency, he goes out to help runaway synthsstill wandering the Commonwealth, confused and with heads full ofmemories that aren’t their own. He grows to be perceptive, a naturalproblem solver, and sets the wrong things right wherever he goes.

Cait- Her biggestfear, besides sliding back into old habits, is becoming her parents.She does her damn best to be a good parent almost entirely out ofspite. Shaun is absolutely spoiled rotten. If Sole won’t give himsomething, he asks Caits, and nine times out of ten he gets what hewants. She’s as short tempered as she’s always been, yet for him, shekeeps it together. For him, she does better. She’s also wildlyprotective, and unsurprisingly, teaches him most problems can besolved with his fists. He’s reared knowing how to stick up forhimself, and the two of them spar a few times a week until he’s oldand skilled enough to actually beat her in a fight. By the time he’sready to leave home, there is no doubt in anyone’s minds that he’sbeen raised to take care of himself, whatever is thrown at him.Strength and fighting skills usually don’t amount to much more thanfalling in with a gang of raiders, but Shaun knows that’s not thelife either of his parents want, and the thrashing he would get ifCait knew he even considered it, so he goes into work as a bountyhunter, a body guard; anything that lets him both use his skills andsleep with an easy conscience. He’s a little wilder, a little louder,and grows up to be a fighter.

MacCready- Havingsome experience raising kids, he takes in Shaun without secondthought. Duncan has a big brother when he arrives in theCommonwealth, the two of them taking to each other almost right away.There’s hardly a day they’re separated, playing catch and shooting BBguns with their father. Shaun is protective and immensely proud ofhis younger sibling, and MacCready can finally loosen the tight griphe’d kept on his youngest son. He still keeps a watchful eye over thetwo of them, but he feels like, finally, there was someone he trustedimplicitly to keep Duncan safe. Of course, the more he gains, themore he fears losing, and he can sometimes be a bit harsh if eitherone of them do something dangerous. He couldn’t take losing them.This drives Shaun to leave at a fairly young age, learningMacCready’s stubbornness and the bravado of his youth, and Duncan isquick to follow. The two, having been taught to shoot guns beforethey could read (as well as stay out of the thick of fights) endup becoming a formidable pair of snipers. They know better than tojoin up with the Gunners or other mercenary gangs, instead becomingguns for hire. Freelance killers with a bit stricter moral codes thantheir father. If only a bit. He’s cunning, careful, and a hell of agood shot.

Preston- Being asyoung and new to parenthood as he is, he isn’t entirely prepared toraise a child who came to them fully formed. He’s anxious, alwaysconcerned he’s doing something wrong, but he does the things hisfather did for him. Teaches Shaun to shoot, the importance of a goodbook, that being kind is a reward in itself. He also teaches him thethings he had to learn for himself; that it’s fine to cry, to not beokay, to rely on others for strength when you feel like your own isfailing. Shaun’s childhood is as bumpy as any child’s is in theCommonwealth, but with Preston, there’s light even in the darkesttimes. He carries this indomitable sense of good and rightness withhim even when he’s grown, and if he doesn’t settle into a simplerlife in a settlement, he joins the Minutemen, carrying on the valueshe’s been taught. Preston teaches him the strength in community, thathope and mercy are not weakness, and to always lend a hand, whateverhe does.

X6-88- He hasspent more time with Shaun (this version and technically, the humanShaun as well) than Sole ever has, only, just not in any kind of parentalrole. He ferried him back and forth from the Institute and theCommonwealth and their relationship never went far past that. It wasstrange, suddenly being a role model for someone. Siblings, parents,family, they weren’t really an option for synths in the Institute.For Coursers, even less so. The first few years, he’s more of abodyguard than a parental figure. Learning to let go of the deathgrip he has on Institute protocol and the image of synths as tools,that takes awhile. Shaun helps. He loves him, which meant a synthlike X6 was capable of that. It was a comforting thought that one dayhe’d feel for Shaun what Shaun felt for him. He relies more on Solefor getting through the emotional turmoil of youth, as most of X6’sresponses to trivial things like school and first loves is fairlycold indifference. Not like he really understood it, he’d been madewithout thought for such things. He was still navigating some things(like first love) himself. What he does instruct Shaun in mostlypertains to combat, though he does teach him a skill that helped X6survive in the Institute- masking your true emotions. He’d have beenreprogrammed a long time ago if he hadn’t picked up that talent.Shaun grows up somewhat cold with him, making a habit of keepingthose pesky feelings to himself early on, to the point not even Solecan really coax them out of him. Not fully. As X6 learns how to bemore human, Shaun learns to be more machine. His nature andintelligence veer him, oddly enough, into politics. From X6 he learnscold calculation, the importance of keeping your cards close to yourchest, and that there’s little use for remorse.

Strong- Childhoodwith Strong being a co-parent is… weird. To say the least. Soledoes everything they can to keep him from feeding the kid human meat, eventhough he insists it will help Shaun grow big and strong, but now andthen there are a few bits of mystery meat sneaking their way into hismeals whose origins Sole couldn’t quite suss out. Regardless of hispotential foray into cannibalism, Shaun does, surprisingly, learn athing or two from his Super Mutant guardian. Mostly the things a mancan say that will make their fellow man spontaneously shitthemselves. More than a few scrapes with older children ends withShaun bellowing in his closest approximation of Strong; “THIS ISWHAT DEATH LOOKS LIKE UP CLOSE!” Despite Sole’s best efforts, Shauntakes after him, even beyond shouting his throat raw.Many arguments with him end in headbutts. He grows into a young manwho takes no shit from anyone, who understands brutality can be anecessity, and who fights with the feral tenacity of a mutie. Ignoring family protests, he goes into raiding (ever the lucrative business)and is renowned for his uncanny ability to shout down Super Mutantsbands that encroach on his band’s territory. That, or he’s a respectedfighter in the nearest Thorn. Sole might have more influence on hismorals, but Strong passes on the knowledge of Super Mutants. Whichisn’t much beyond violence and shouting. He grows up pretty confused.

#first reaction of 2018 WOOP #companion reactions #fallout 4 #strong #codsworth #paladin danse #maccready #curie #Piper Wright #cait #Robert Joseph MacCready #preston garvey #nick valentine #hancock #deacon #synth!shaun

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itscharlieheat-blog · 6 years

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Put A Ring On It || Natarlie

TAGGING: Charlie Heaton and Natarlia Dyer @itsnataliadyr

LOCATION: Hotel Room in Santorini .

TIMEFRAME: Early evening 23rd June 2018

NOTES: Charlie plans a big event with Archie as his little helper.

Charlie: They had been in Greece most of the week now enjoying the week the two of them and Archie it was the first Holiday they were taking with his son and everything so far had been perfect and only one thing could make it more perfect and it was something he had been planning for some time now, it had taken a few calls to the front desk some food set up with floors on their balcony a table set for three while they were enjoying themselves on a walk around the island. He opened the door to the room as they arrived back, checking the balcony before he opened it fully a smile on his face and a quick wink to Archie who nodded to his dad grinning knowing his part in all this. Smiling charlie opened the balcony door revealing the table set for them, " i mentioned there was a reason we shouldn't stop for dinner" he smiled at Natalia

Natalia: This week had been nothing but incredible so far. They were finally able to relax a bit after they both had been caught up in work and all their responsibilities lately. In those past few weeks Natalia had learned, that there was always something that could cheer you up when you were having a bad day. It was the laugh of a child, it was cuddling with a child. She loved the little one with all her heart. Archie made this vacation even more wonderful. His big curious eyes, whenever they would show him something new, were so worth it. Today they had been taking a walk around the island, just enjoying the view and each other’s company. Natalia had suggested they should get something to eat, but Charlie convinced her not to. And when they entered their room and the balcony she knew why. A soft smile was playing on her lips, mirroring his smile, when she looked around the beautifully decorated balcony. “Charlie, this is beautiful. You shouldn’t have.” She shook her head slightly, completely in awe, because she hadn’t expected this.

Charlie: He smiled pressing a light kiss to her lips fingers brushing her cheek, "I'm going to go change Archie out of this shirt quickly" He laughed at archies little stain of chocolate ice cream fro earlier as he poured some wine for the two of them and orange juice for Archie, "We'll be back in a moment" He smiled to her as he watched her sip the wine. He picked up a shirt and walked into the bathroom with archie smiling as he saw the small bunch of roses set up in the bathroom "You remember what I told you to do?" He smiled at archie going into his toiletry bag and pulling out the box he hid in there this morning. He picked up the flowers checking they had detorned them and handed them to his son. "Showtime" he smiled and watched as his son made his way out to the balcony with the flowers in hand. "You make daddy so happy" The little boy said from the heart but to what he and charlie had agreed. Charlie watched as his son handed the flowers to his girl, fiddling with the box in his hand. "and I think you're really fun." Charlie made his way to the balcony door smiling as he waited for his son to say the last little bit "I'm glad he is with you" Charlie made his way behind archie kneeling down next to his son who smiled at him. "You've won over my boy and I knew so long ago you would continue to win me over every day, and I hope you do so for the rest of my life, Marry me Natalia." He popped open the box the two bad ring nestled in it

Natalia: She looked down at little Archie and chuckled softly. “Yeah, least we know he enjoyed his ice cream. I’ll be right here.” Natalia said then before she sat down. For a moment her gaze followed Charlie and Archie, but then she turned around, just taking in the scenery, while she took a sip of the wine. It was delicious and sweet, just how she liked it. While the taste of the wine was still lingering on her tongue, she leaned back. It had been such a wonderful day and she couldn’t think of a better way to end it. She’d make sure to thank Charlie for all of this. He always was so attentive and nothing but great. Whenever she looked at him she could feel the butterflies all over again. As promised it didn’t take long for her boys to return to the balcony. She expected them to sit down with her so they could have dinner together, but instead, Archie was holding a small bunch of roses in his little hands. And when he started to talk she immediately had tears in her eyes, while she alternated between looking at little Archie and Charlie. She wasn’t sure what was happening, but it already filled her heart with so much happiness. Nat couldn’t hold back a little laugh. It was just too cute. And as she wanted to reply to Archie, tell him that he was really fun too, Charlie approached her, just to kneel down before her, holding a small box in his hand. “Charlie…” She was completely overwhelmed by everything, her head was spinning. She could feel the happy tears on her cheeks now, her hand covering her mouth in surprise. “Oh my god. You are crazy.” She said, her voice trembling with a soft laugh. “Yes, oh my. Yes, of course, I’m gonna marry you!”

Charlie: He watched her reaction to his son his heart warming knowing more and more that this was more than the right thing for him to be doing she was the perfect woman for him and she loved not only him but his son in a way that showed him she would be in their lives for a lifetime with that love not wavering. His grin grew as she started to question his actions her realisation obvious and it both made him more and less scared to let words fall from his lips the gesture already clear from the box in his hands. He took her hand in his kissing the place where he was about to place the ring before removing the rings from the box and sliding them onto her dainty finger a smile that could light up the darkening sky around them. He leaned up kissing her with so much passion as he could muster before he pulled back bursting out laughing as archie started woop bouncing up and down on the spot.

Natalia: This very moment felt so surreal and real at the same time. Was this really happening? Yes, it was. It took only one look at Charlie, as he placed a tender kiss on the spot where he would put the ring only seconds after, to ground her and to stop the spinning thoughts in her head. The gesture so delicate and sweet it filled her eyes with tears again. Whenever she’d feel like she was losing control there was Charlie. He knew her struggles all too well and she had never met a person who could anchor her down like he could. It had been like this from the moment they had met. At first, he was there for her as a friend, but soon they realized, that there was more to it. They had been together for almost two years now and whenever she had been thinking about the future she had always seen him right beside her. She didn’t even have to think about her Yes for one second. She looked up from the ring, her smile just as bright as his. His kiss made her head spin again, but this time because of a whole other reason. She returned it with the same passion, being captivated by the moment and his presence. She wasn’t able to hold back the laugh either when she saw Archie. It was just too cute. “Well, someone’s excited…” she chuckled, her voice still a little shaky. Her gaze fell on the ring now and it took her breath away. “The ring is so beautiful!”

Charlie: He watched her take in the ring, he had wanted something unique and her nothing like these more simple genertic styles seemed to fit his girl, he needed something as unique and as delicate as she was, something that fit the woman he fell in love with, the sunburst base ring representing the way no matter what she lit up his life since she was in it and the numerous gems on the main band the countless memories they shared together and would share together in the years to come. She was everything to him. The smile on her face just once again highlighted why the bottom stacker was included. He smiled his hand not leaving her cheek as he laughed at his son, holding open an arm for the boy to join the embrace before Natalia took time to look at the rings. "I needed something that could hold a light to you even slightly" He smiled knowing how cheesy he was being but it was the kind of time when that was okay.

Natalia: She couldn’t even start to wrap her head around what had just happened. But looking at the ring helped. It made her realize that, yes, they were indeed engaged now. And she already knew she would hold on to this memory dearly even years ahead because Charlie had proposed in the sweetest way she could have ever imagined. Meeting Archie for the first time had been one of the things she had feared. She wanted to be a good friend to Charlie’s son and getting to know him was important to her, because she wanted to embrace every part of Charlie’s life. Archie being part of the proposal now, two years in, made it even more special. “Flatterer…” she said with a small smile playing on her lips, hugging both her boys tightly. She could already see Archie glancing at the table now and she couldn’t blame him, because the food looked delicious. “My god…this is really amazing..” she was still in awe, still lacking the words to say, how it made her feel. But the happy tears on her cheeks and the big smile on her face already told what she felt.

#{she light up even the darkest room}#{you anchor me back down}#{It's a love story baby just say yes}

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mysticdragon3md3 · 6 years

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I’ve been watching Knights & Magic from the beginning (finally ;p ) and I just want to post my reactions before I forget. So my fandom records can stay closer to chronological. Even if I don’t have time to polish this...I wouldn’t recommend reading this jumbled mess. ^.^;

6:20 PM 6/5/2018 Kights & Magic ep1 Kurata is Ernie, huh? I don't like his co-workers talking shit about Kurata just because he has a whole room full of gunpla. I really like that Addy and Kid are set up like Ernie's siblings. I'm so sick of the "girl is too tsundere to admit she has a crush on the protagonist for almost the entire series" thing. Plus, I love siblings and trios of friends. ^____^ Ok. I'll admit it. I understand now why all the aniTubers I respect called this series trash. Thsi first episode is just a big exposition dump with nothing really important happening. I mean, "show, don't tell" is important, but...These parts of Ernie's background aren't interesting enough, emotionally to warrant taking the time to show. Maybe if some scenes were used in a flashback, during a later episode...This might work. But for now...Is any of this reason to get invested in Ernie as a main character? Are any of the scenes experiences that an audience would enjoy viariously feeling? Sadly, no. In fact, the only reason I'm sticking with this, the only reason any of these scenes are interesting to me at all, is because I've already watched the entire 2nd half of this series, and I grew to really like Ernie from there. (I guess that's why I like in medias res so much. ^^; ) This is just Mary Sue exposition dump...For an ENTIRE episode. O_O; I still don't get why Addy and Kid don't like or act like they're afraid of thier stepsister. With all this exposition, you'd think they'd explain what type of person she is. I mean, maybe I'm out of the loop because I'm American, but what kind of presumedly treatment do they get for not being in the line of succession? And does their stepsister really take advantage of their lower class status? I have a feeling this is going to get demonstrated instead of explained. "What's a robot?" "What every man dreams of!" I used think I like Ernie because of his overwhelmingly infectious, positive enthusiasm. But maybe another way of saying that is that I love that he's a geek. A completely unabashed, proud geek. ^-^ I can't help it. I still really like this show. ^___^ It's like an action version of a "slice of life". Even Dog Days wasn't as tame and iyashikei-like as this. LOL Nothing really happens, nothing is traumatic, it's just the thing for people with anxiety problems. ^__^

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9:09 PM 6/5/2018 Knights and Magic ep2 As much as I love watching the protag being all confident and having fun... What just happened? It would have been nice if they explained why Ernie's attack would bring down the Behemoth, before he actually attacked. Then we could understand why what we're seeing is supposed to be cool. LOL I love how everyone in this show is so seriousl about their circumstances, but Ernie (and Addie and Kid) are just non-chalantly having fun with everything. ^o^ 9:52 PM 6/5/2018 Woops. Crunchyroll started ep3 without me. I'll have to go back later and see if ep2 had something before or after its end credits. "I'm making them because they don't exist! If they existed, I wouldn't need to make them." I know that feel. Actuallly, I think every crafter or artist does. ^^; Well, Deitrich bounced back. Did something happen at the end of ep2 that I missed??? Wasn't he still moping in ep3? Well, it's good to see him feeling better. I know that technically, nothing is really happening story-wise or drama-wise, but I really like all this technical design stuff. Testing designs, honing based on feedback, watching even a little success in an experiment, the way Ernie's brain is constantly working on the next step/design,...This is all my jam! ^u^ This series is really just running past the emotional toll on the pilots. I wonder if it's on purpose, like a refutation of all the mecha series that have focused on pilot angst ever since Eva. LOL But I like it. I like the lighthearted tone, how everyone can just have a friendly fight and be friends again the next day,... Yeah, there's no drama. But I don't like drama. I like iyashikei and "slice of life", nothing emotionally draining or even close to a rollercoaster ride. This is what happens when you have anxiety. I'm just glad a series that I watch for _entertainment_ doesn't add to the drama already in my head. It's soothing. ^_^ Helvi perked up when she heard Ernie say "The path of a Silhouette Knight isn't trod in one day!" Oh, I guess she was really putting everything into that sparring match, huh. Here, I was thinking in terms of a designer, like Ernie, who just saw it as a test with inevitable failings, just glad it didn't blow up, and very happy to see the new model get as far as it did. I was even impressed with Helvi modifying her tactics to accomodate the Telestale's lack of precision. But while a designer is going to just see this model's preformance as a stepping stone to the next experiment, Helvi probably put all her pride into it and took all the blame into herself, when she didn't get a clear victory. But really, I thought she did win, and it was clearly the experimental model's failing. But I guess this identifying with the preformance one's mecha is the type of thing that commonly happens in angsty mecha pilot anime. I've been thinking about how a character design like Helvi's is reflective of a lot of Japanese "manly" characteristics. She shows a lot of skin, she wears her jacket with the top down, and she's not all modest and proper. Although there have been a lot of anime in the past who use their tomboys as an opportunity for fanservice costume designs, Helvi's design seems to much more focus on just making her seem like a tomboy by layering Japanese "masculine" costume designs on top of her. I really like that, because I grew up on the "harem anime" genre and by now, I'm tired of the boobs busting out and jiggling everywhere. 10:23 PM 6/5/2018 Wow. Ep4 started without a commercial break! O.o Oh this show is so cute! I love how Ernie is so unbound to humanoid forms and this joke about him being frustrated that Addy came up with that non-human form solution to the mana capacity/output problem instead of him, when it's his speciality, is just funny. ^_^ I love silly sibling dynamics. ^__^ I thought you just said "maybe we shouldn't fire this in town"?!? Why are you firing it again? LOL "Creativity and challenging yourself are wonderful goals in and of themselves, don't you think?" Yes, Ernie! Yes they are! ;u; Who knew this show would have so many "creative motivation" lines? ^u^ "I need more Ernie in my life. I haven't hugged him in a week!" LOL I love how Addy says everything that people addicted to cute things are thinking. ^u^ She's like Taki Toru from Natsume Yuujinchou! ^o^ I'm glad that there MIGHT be a reason Addy and Kid have to believe that their father isn't just using them to spy on Ernie and claim credit by association (in that the siblings believe if their father tells the king about Ernie's designs before the government's Lab finds out, then the King might protect Ernie from the Lab stealing his designs and maybe shutting him out of further development). But there's been this ominous tone the entire time and I'm just waiting for what horrible ulterior motive someone has, fighting over Ernie's designs---that aren't even done yet! Maybe the Bronze Fang spies were supposed to take on on the suspicious undertoines, but I'm still worried about all these Marquis and officials screwing Ernie over. If they shut Ernie out, just so they can get good standing with the King for claiming to come up with the designs themselves, I'm going to be very sad for Ernie being unable to complete development. There's nothing worse than leaving a project hanging before perfecting the final process. LOL I love how Ernie just DEFLATES all the tension! This entire episode has been building up tension about Ernie getting screwed over by the Marquis, and Ernie just turns everything into cheerful skipping. LOL That flashback to the Marquis realizing how similar Ernie's ambition was to the King, was really effective. ...But wait. I only know that was the young version of the King because I've seen the 2nd half of this series. Well, I guess a first-time watcher would just have to rely on the fact that the Marqui was suddenly backing off of trying to intimidate Ernie, to realize that person in the flashback was someone he respected from his memories. That was really sweet how the Boss found a way for everyone to visit Ernie and take the edge off not getting to ride Ernie's new designs anymore. 11:07 PM 6/5/2018 ep5 I'm glad that village was saved. The fact that I was really effected by the engineer dwarves getting killed by the spies, msut be a testament to how sensitive I am to need to avoid drama from a show with real ups and down. I mean, there was nothing special about the direction, and everyone getting killed wasn't given special attention by the camera to warrant being this effected by it. In fact, the camera was pretty distant and quick about the portrayal. But I think that because this series has spent all this time, getting me attached to the repair workers at the school, that it was easy to conflate them with the workers at the Marqui's fort. They were just doing their jobs! ;o;!!! Damn. I just realized the Haimerwort is using a big hammer. That means his fighting style is imprecise and slow. He already lost the advantage that the old mechas had against the Telestales. ~_~; Wow! The students have got this precise targetting and control over the new units, down! ^u^ Is no one going to mention how Ernie just took his Silhouette Gear without being surprised it was even there? LOL How many automatic functions just happened with Kid's Silhouette Gear and just so happened to save him just now?! LOL Teh fact that Edgar lasted this long with the old model of mecha is pretty impressive. I forgot for a while that he was using the old model.

Well, looks like they used up their animation budget for fight scenes. ^^; This last battle is all stills and narration. But tying it back to the Demon Beast attack on Darie Village makes it seem like that was the whole reason that village attack happened. But it was also the reason the spies were able to get into the Marquis's fort. I guess the demon beast attacks were foreshadowing for Frankholm and the Marqui to realize they were attacked by another country's spies, after they found the Cursed Bait. I'm so glad this conversation after Edgar so seriously began say, "Helvi, there's something I have to tell you," turned out to not be anything romantic. ;u;! I'sm so done with that cliche! It's way more touching that Edgar was just trying to confess that the stolen mech was Helvi's personal mecha and he's promising to get her "partner" back. Yujo!!!!!! ;u;!!! 11:48 PM 6/5/2018 I guess I should stop and do my daily drawing challenge before midnight. ~.~ I guess. I guess I can use ep6 as incentive to get up early tomorrow. 2:48 AM 6/6/2018 Also, I forgot to mention that I really love that annoyed, exasperated look in Ernie's eyes when Addy or her step-sister hug and squee over him. LOL Me too, Ernesti. Me too. And by that, I mean it's really nice to see a male character for once simply be tired of the "girls fighting over him" cliche. This series feels more like it's also annoyed with this cliche. Lots of mecha anime are overtaken by harem genre cliches and romance polyhedrons. It makes me feel better about this series re-steering the focus of mecha anime, away from pilot angst and a motif to lay over a harem anime, and more towards just fanboying over mecha. ^.^ I just love that geeky attitude! ^o^ And hey man, not everything needs to be about romance.

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9:44 AM 6/6/2018 Knight's & Magic ep6

I love this silly sibling dynamic between Ernie and Addy. Any other series, and it'd be a really annoying romantic relationship, either between tsundere(s) or "the indecisive harem guy who doesn't know how to handle the overly-forward girl".

It's funny seeing Marquis Kunt Dixguard suddenly not drawn like an antagonist now.

These are all some names I needed to remember: Magus Engine Ether Reactor Knightsmiths Bat

Uh...How about you not say aloud how you're going to backstab the protagonist, Chief?

I really like seeing these Knights who were portrayed so ominously before (but by association to the building ominous portrayal of the Marquis, plus the ominous storm to foreshadow the Bronze Fang's attack), just so easily on friendly terms with Ernie now. ^-^ I really like seeing everyone on good terms. ^___^

I like how Bad, Kid, and the Boss are enthusiastic vs intimidated by the announcement of the mock battle with the Lab in 10 months. Like Ernie's enthusiasim is rubbing off on others. ^_^ It would be so easy for another anime to turn this into a conflict point, everyone arguing with Ernie about "how did you get us into this mess", being scared to fight the government lab's mechs. But this scene just keeps flowing. ^___^

Yes! Increased speed mech!

Option Works

"That may make your dream come true, huh?" "Yeah. I can still only get glimpses of it...I couldn't reach it in my dreams, but this is reality, and I can grab it with my own hands." Ever since I realized this series peppers in so many relatable experiences of the creative process, it's become so interesting or even inspirational. There's a story I heard once about how the music a composer achieves will never be as perfect as the music they hear in their head. It's supposed to be a warning against perfectionism and taking the angst of the creative ambition too far. So it's really inspiring to hear Ernie say that he will achieve the creation he dreamed of, in reality. It's like that post going around Tumblr, encouraging artists to, when they feel down about their art, remember that they "created something out of nothing, LIKE A GOD!" ^o^

Aw~ Edgar is so nice! I'm glad they didn't just leave the new students (or where they new graduates?) with the Boss's scary introduction. Edgar talks like an actual formal commander! O.o

Oh, new carefully designed character. New main character. Nora Frykberg. Oh, that's nice! She's special security so the school won't get the Order of the Silver Phoenix's designs leaked again. ^u^ Oh, so this is the Order of the Azure Hawk. Run by Marquis Duxgard, right? Convenient that she has blue hair.

Uh-oh. Addy's jealousy just went from "older sister/aunt who wants to squeeze your cheeks" to "jealous girlfirend" tropes. o~o; Thank goodness I've seen the rest of this series already, so I know I don't have to worry about this erring towards romantic tension BS. It'll stay towards the "older sister"/"I like cute things" vibe. ...But in retrospect, maybe the trope was just a quick way to get Addy into a Silhouette Knight, vs just sticking to the Silhouette Gears. ^^; That's fine. They kept the jealous romance tropes to a minimum. Now just focus on Addy piloting and Ernie's mecha experiments and I'll be happy.

Oh, Addy is just taking measurements and observing the test? I thought Ernie was asking her to pilot while he would take notes. ^o^;

LOL Ernie is the only one not phased by the Boss yelling at them for destroying that Kaldatoah. ^o^ He's probably still mentally rambling improvement ideas to himself.

Huh? "How long are you going to let a girl be covered in soot?" What? That's out of nowhere. But their clothes seem to imply this isn't just some obligatory fanservice scene. Otherwise, Addy would be wearing MUCH less than a dress-length shirt and there'd be a drawn-out scene of both of them just undressing. Even Helvi's top is the same as she always wears, so there's nothing to really draw the eye, after all these epsiodes of being accostomed to seeing that strapless corset on her everywhere. Wait...Don't tell me this is going to turn into one of those "girl talk" scenes where the older character prods the younger to vent out her romantic problems weighing down her thoughts. ~.~; Well, if they do go in that direction, I hope it's just Helvi re-affirming to Addy that she doesn't have to try so hard to be a "cool girl"; just be herself. They don't have to cover that Addy is trying to be a "cool girl" who can pilot a Silhouette Knight and fight in battle, because she got jealous of Nora and afraid that Ernie only likes "cool girls". If the conversation just sticks to Helvi encouraging Addy to accept herself as-is, then I'll be fine with this scene. And Helvi, being a "cool girl" is the perfect character type to talk to Addy about this. ^-^ Thank you, Addy. She wanted to invite Ernie to bath with them. LOL "Ernie's not a guy! Ernie is Ernie!" Look at that expression on Helvi's face! LOL I love how Addy makes the possible "romance" undertones of this show a complete non-starter! ^o^! (I just want to say that as much as I love being a fujoshi and obsessing over my OTP being in romantic relationships, platonic relationships are still VERY important to me and I'm so glad to see more series, even one generally dismissed by the anime critic community, take the focus off romantic relationships. ;u;!!! )

Oh that swivel on Addy's pilot seat is so cool! ^o^

Ooh! So excited for the testing duel! ^o^ Even though Ive seen it already from when I first strated this series! LOL

Wow. The pilots wear big armor inside their mechs. I forgot: It was like that at the fort raid too, huh?

They descreased teh STrand-Type Crystal-Tissue? o.O

Capacity Blame solves the "mana pool drain issues" AND improves defense?! *o* Oh this is so cool! The quadraped reveal! ^o^

The Marquis is sighing again because he knows how Ernie is now. LOL Was he the one who was telling Ernie that Silhouette Knights are supposed to resemble humans and Ernie just questioned that imemdiately? Maybe it was the Knightsmiths' Boss?

Omg, I'm so excited for this next epsiode---that I've already seen before! LOL

After seeing some series analysis about how Darling in the Franxx is just an allegory for sexual "coming of age" and how their pilot system is pretty much just positioning the female and male pilots the same was as "doggy style" sex, Addy and Kid's pilot positions being similar makes me kind of uncomfortable. But why should I let a completely different series ruin the one of few series I've finally found, devoid of sexual innuendo and fixation on romance?

10:52 AM 6/6/2018 ep7

10:54 AM 6/6/2018 Ok I have to get on with my day. I can't just marathon this anime and write reactions to every scene all day.

Though I will say that I'm so glad that not every character with sharp eyes or a stoic demeanor is proven to be anatagonistic in the end. When I first saw this series/episode, I thought for sure that the Director of the King's Lab would turn out to be a traitor becasue he was drawn with sharp eyes that usually indicate suspicious danger. But this series didn't go for that easy cliche. It's safe to have faith in people, in this series. ^-^

It's funny how they kept the Lab Chief's eyes and general character design so cartoonish that it was unreadable. So I was totally able to buy that he was going to be an antagonist, but it also perfectly fit when he proved to be just another geek like Ernie, excited to talk with another geek. ^o^

Everything ends all happy and fun. No grudges. No one hurt during the mock fight. No real battles barging in, to interrupt the sparring match. Etc., etc. cliches. When other people complain about overused tropes, I will often counter that cliches become cliches for a reason: they're effective. But I think this series, dropping cliches, exchanged it for something I value more or equally: the same safe, cheerful, soothing atmosphere as an iyashikei. I understand that for most people, the lack of drama and tension leaves a story boring. But I can't stand drama. I hate "Oscar bait" movies and TV drama shows. It often forces characters to be portrayed as artificially generating problems through jumping to misunderstandings and assuming the worst, vs SIMPLY communicating with each other (especially between characters that consider each other FRIENDS) and having faith in other people. I NEED A BREAK FROM THAT. DESPERATELY. So I don't care if people call this series trash, I'm loving every bit of it. ;u;!!! <3 <3 <3

I like that the quadraped Silhouett Knights switched to 1 pilot. The 2 pilot system seemed risky if it'll cut troop numbers in half.

I forgot that this was teh saem episode with the King retiring and the duel with Prince Emrys. That was also really fun too!

I'm pretty sure I wrote a reaction before about how I liked the King's motives in fighting over the Goldleo with Emrys. Where is that thing?

I like that the quadraped Silhouett Knights switched to 1 pilot. The 2 pilot system seemed risky if it'll cut troop numbers in half. I forgot that this was teh saem episode with the King retiring and the duel with Prince Emrys. That was also really fun too! 12:00 PM 6/6/2018 ep8 Wait. I don't recognize this episode. o.o Wait. The former King came to fight the shellcased horde too?! O.o I know retiring let's him have fun without worrying as much, but still! It's nice to see Dietrich leading his own squad with confidence. ^_^ He's not burdened by that freak-out he had at his introduction anymore. ^_^ Every time I see Edgar fight, I'm surprised he's still using the same mech, but I guess I just got confused. His mech has been continually upgraded, it just doesn't have the back arms and they focused development on upgrading his shield instead. That shield has gotten more and more functions since the test sparring match vs the Lab. ^o^ Weaponizing the mecha's transportation carriage is cool! Oh yeah, I already forgot about that brain frying tactic Ernie used on teh Behemoth. Ether Reaction construction method! *o*! I'm so happy for Ernie. ^_^ Alvs. Changing Ones = humans. "He doesn't give up that easily on his hobbies." I like that Ernie's geeky enthusiasm is on parr with the former King's fighting ambition. Like they're kindred. The funny thing is that as "flat" as I keep admitting this series and its character dynamics to be, I really like everyone. I've been atched to them for a while now. I regret not buying that Nendoroid Ernesti! Everyone's personalities seem fundamentally rooted in Compassion, my favorite ideal. Even if Emrys or the former king could be misperceived as one of my most annoying pet peeves "confusing Power with Strength", they don't seem to make that fallacy. They love to fight with brute force and powerful mechas, but they seem more like the positive portrayals of continual Growth/ambition in Fighting Spirit, rather than jerks who confuse Power with Strength, by forgetting Compassion. There have been plenty of opportunities for them to be callous or Malicious, but they haven't. They've just been non-chalant, warm, and even encouraging others to share their ambition and confidence. I sense they're good guys, and they were most primed to be in positions of setting off one of my pet peeves. So I'm glad they and everyone is staying good, good people, and that's all I need from "good characters". "...But we're lazy...For the first 100 years, we're like the Changing Ones. But then after 200-300 years we spend most of our time sleeping or in thought." Yup. That's immortality for you. Can the Alvs Elder see Ernie's past life? "Thinking is the most valuable thing for us. We simply saw the value in one another." Did the Elder see how Ernie's mind never stops thinking? WAit. Ether Reactors are the heart of living things? Is that why they harvested that Behemoth heart? That reminded me of Escaflowne and I guess I just assumed they used it the same way, to power their mechs, but they never really talked about it, huh. More terms: Catalyst Crystals (heart of Ether Reactors) So Ether Reactors turn air into Mana. And Catalyst Crystals turn mana into magic, but also sometimes ether into mana. Ether Reactors are really sounding more and more like a living thing. But then when they start talking about dense scripts, it sounds like computer programming. ^.~ Alvs and Demon Beasts have Catalyst Crystals inside them. So are mined Catalyst Crystals from prehistoric Demon Beasts? ^o^ "Astonishing even the Alvs...In 3 months he learned all their secrets." I know we're not supposed to like OP Mary Sues...But I really like Ernie. The way we all know he's just going to be so cheerful and casual about all this new knowlege/power of his, that confidence in him to not see Power turn him into a prick, just makes him learning stuff feel like his enthusiasm over enjoying his obby is infectious instead. I guess the Alv Elder can see Ernie's past life, after all. Oh, that's so cool. Addy is using the flying spell with the gun rod that Ernie usually only uses. Does everyone use those gunrods now? OMG YOU NEVER SEE THAT! I'M SO HAPPY! I'm so glad Nora saw that Addy was just jealous and insecure about staying close to Ernie, now that Nora was talking with him alone a lot, but instead of getting upset that "this kid is bothering her" or playing with her feelings, she saw Addy's underlying feelings and reassured her instead. She even trusted her with her secret as a spy! ;u; What a kind and mature person! ;U; I'm so glad this is turning out to be an anti-melodrama show! ;U; (I mean, I like melodrama in terms of overacting grandness can be fun, but I hate "drama" as in excessive relationship tensions.) 1:00 PM 6/6/2018 ep9 Western Grand Storm? "These lands all used to be ruled by 1 king! Let's go reclaim it!" Well, that's a pretty stupid reason to start a war. Maybe THE stupidest reason. ~___~; Still sniffly at Eleonora saying goodbye to her father. I know serious stuff is happening, but Ernesti turning battle into just a fun game is just...fun. "Silver Phoenix Merchant Association". LOL Well, this time watching this episode, now I know who the blue-haired maid spy is. ^_^ Who knew Nora had such a big setup before. Probably just to give Addy some depth. "What are those horse things? Well, it doesn't matter. We're destory them." This Gustav Mardonnes guy is stupidly reckless. Oh, this is the guy who became like Dietrich's kind of nemesis. I've never heard of this Mabus Animation Studio or Bigbowl before. 1:26 PM 6/6/2018 ep10 I really have to stop paying attention now , and owrk on artist alley stuff. 3:11 PM 6/6/2018 ep13 / Last ep. Are they setting up a romance between Nora and D? Did Kojass come from our world too? "Maximize" is an English word. It's funny to hear Ernie now advocating for mechas to reflect human form. I guess Kojass's Wyvern is like an extreme of the "inhumanness" that Marquis was trying to ward Ernie('s designs) away from. Still, I don't see any reason to stay so human. And if this series was going to get symbolic about human form equating good human traits like being humane, then they didn't consistently set that up. I like that this climactic battle is all a group effort. There is no one moment of victory where only the protagonist is the only proactive agent of every the victorious moment.

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3:10 PM 4/6/2018 Just watched Knights and Magic ep7. I really like this show. I feel kind of bad for feeling this way, when Mother's Basement said this series was bad. I mean, shouldn't I defer to an expert? And really, have I been watching enough anime lately to have any sense anymore? I mean, I just keep watching the same series over and over again, instead of exposing myself to anything new. And actually, I've been watching more YouTube than anime lately---these past FEW YEARS. But I do like this series. Like, just this ep, episode 7: Sure, nothing really happened, and nothing dramatic happens too much in the characters' growth. Even the old engineer who was growling at the demo fight of Ernie's new mechas, who looked like he might be a bitter problem later, ended up just bonding with Ernie over their love of fanboying over mechas. Even the whole thing with the Prince and his Grandpa didn't change anything between them, or within them individually. Prince Emyrs didn't even know that his Grandpa had any special meaning to their duel. Only Ernie and his comrade got to see that, without Emrys knowing. It was more like a peek into their lives. And I think that's what I like about this series. It strikes me as a "slice of life". Even if big mechas are clashing and everyone's talking about monster attacks, and later in the series, there are attacks, death, and wars initiated by another nation who brings some intrigue, Ernie smothers it all with his unwavering positive enthusiasm. It's still a safe, "nothing really happens" series. And I think that's why I've been avoiding anime lately. Every time I think, "I shoudl catch up on this series that everyone's talking about", I just can't commit to that kind of emmersion and focus, or I'm in too fragrile a mental/emotional state to deal with anything dramatic, even the slightest bit. But this show, Knight's & Magic may be just the thing I need. It won't make me bawl my eyes out like Natsume Yuujinchou (my favorite series) or March Comes In Like a Lion (which I desperately need to catch up on). There aren't any bully characters that make me feel traumatized by spending time in their company, like Boku no Hero Academia. I'm continually baffled that I'm not watching any of KyoAni's recent series, when they've been like the "kind of slice of life" to me, for so many years. But I just can't get into Dragon Maid---And I'm tearing my hair out, trying to figure out why! ;o; I love dragons! I love slice of life! Androgynous heroine who dresses in more "masculine" clothing? My favorite! I used to read nothing but the "chicks in pants" subgenre of fantasy novels.

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9:12 PM 11/11/2017 WAtching KNights and Magic for the first time. ep9. Getting flashbacks of Escaflowne. REmember when all these mecha battles were hand-drawn? And it was BEAUTIFUL! *o* Really surprised this isn't a Sunrise series. 9:32 PM 11/11/2017 Starting ep10. I like this Ernesti kid. He's just so perpetually enthusiastic about everything! ^u^ His expression never changes! His eyes are so bright, all the time! ^o^ I was just telling my brother that Ernesti must be so perpetually happy because everything in this world is about mechas. LOL "Bloody wars? Princess in peril?" "It's all good because we get to fight with mechs!" LOL Evne the opening theme is just so peppy, despite this war going on with already dramatic stakes established with kings fighting suicide duels just so his daughter can escape. I want Kojass and Ernesti to be friends so much! Have geek-outs together! LOL The funny thing is that while Ernesti's complete dismissal of the seriousness of battle looks innocent and silly, because he's a mecha geek, on the bad guy side, that sort of detatchment from people's lives being taken, looks more sociopathic. Even though they have the same priorities! ...Though, I guess the difference in their geekiness, is that while Ernesti is happy to see people with more knowledge than him, so he can learn new ideas from them, from anyone, and from anywhere, Kojass gets defensive that his superiority is challenged. ^^; This princess Eleonora is a little frustrating, but she's just so sweet, I can't quite feel annoyed about it. (Unlike my brother.) But I firmly believe that leaders who prioritize Compassion and value themselves last, are the best leaders. So I really think she has what it takes to be a benevolent leader, she just needs to learn more confidence and get some experience. I get a little frustrated with Archid/Kid not knowing enough to answer her questions with philosophical answers. Like, "What's the worth in rescuing her?" She's not the one who gets to decide what her worth is! As long as she's alive, her country's people still has a figurehead to rally behind and retain their identity. "Why are you being kind to someone like me?" she asked. Because who wouldn't want to be kind to anyone? Who wouldn't want someone who feels bad, to cheer up? But Kid doesn't seem intellectual enough to provide logical answers like that. But his genki type is good for cheering up people and being emotional. That's why when he got out of his armor to encourage the princess to accept her rescue, while my brother watching that scene was impatient that they were wasting time with guards on their way to stop the rescue, I said, "No, it's the right thing to do." He's a good kid. ^_^ Maybe it'll inadvertantly set up a romance between them, when she'll have to eventually have to marry someone else for political reasons or won't be allowed to marry a lower rank like knight, but for now, it's good for them. ^_^

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1:17 PM 5/17/2018 Just finished Knight's and Magic ep12. I love this show. ^_^ It's just a bunch of fun. Even with the voices of aniTubers I respect, in my head telling me that the show sucks, I just have a good time. LOL When I first heard they thought it was a bad show, I asked myself why it was fun, and I realized that nothing really happens in this series. Episodes begin and end with characters in teh same state without much or any growth. It's essentially a "slice of life" with occaisional mecha battles. Nothing really serious happens, and I think that for people with anxiety like me, I just really love that. After all, for the past few years, I've been watching exclusively moe, "slice of life" series, and iyashikei. Why would I need a bunch of serious drama or heart-shattering moments in a series? That's the last stuff I need! Not when my anxiety has finally gotten to this point of agoraphobia! So I love this show. I love Ernstie's unflappable genki demeanor, I love how he cuts through whatever tone is going on around him, to just make the situation about having fun as an engineer playing with his mecha, and that even the final stakes of this show for our protagonist seem to be about his pride in his hobby...It's relaxing and fun. ^o^ And considering that most of the "good" mecha series out there are metaphorical sexual "coming of age" stories", and I'm gray-asexual, it only makes sense that I'd rather watch Knights and Magic vs Darling in the Franxx. I mean, my favorite mecha show is Code Geass, for gods' sakes! Whatever sexual "coming of age" metaphores there are, are in the background. And most of the other generally acclaimed shows I like, that are about sexual "coming of age", I only tolerate because they shift towards a conversation about gender more than sexuality. Like Utena; as sensual as that show is, and as much as it goes on about hetero relationships and lesbian relationships kind of standing-in for hetero dynamic conventios (until near the end of teh series), it spends a lot more time talking about gender. Ranma 1/2, Maze, etc...are gender series, some with mecha, but not so much about dating, heterosexual negotiations, and awkward learning about sex, but about what it means to be a certain gender and questioning definitions of gender. 1:22 PM 5/17/2018 I need to get back to work in 10 minutes, but I'll watch a little bit of ep13. 1:32 PM 5/17/2018 As soon as they made that hard turn to port, after ramming speed, I exclaimed "HUH?!?" Because who chases after and OBVIOUS feint/decoy tactic?!?! Seriously?! (Besides Sanada Yukimura, okay.) And I can't beleive the enemy is using the Blood Grail already. Pushed to the corner that early? C'mon. If you can't fight with what you've already got, then throwing aroudn a big weapon that you've already been warned is a "double-edged sword", is gonna blow up in your face. Or at least going to prove a weak spot, when your crutch gets taken out. That's why Ryu Maho always trained to fight without a weapon, despite being a natural genious with a sword. This is why I always played 2D fighting games with basic moves vs relying on special attacks.

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1:08 PM 6/7/2018 Knights and Magic ep7 re-watch Listen. I realize they want Prince Emrys's introduction to be intriguing, but putting that shadow on just his face, when he's in the full sunlight, away from anything that could create shade, is just weird. The audience already doesn't know who he is, that's mystery enough. Might as well just show is full face and let the auidence think "Who is that? I don't recognize him." ------------------ last eps re-watch What I really like about finally watching this series from the beginning, is that when I get back around to the end, seeing these students suddenly now leading units with the new equipment designs, lets us see their evolution. But whereas most series focus on the characters' dramatic evolutions, in the final eps of this series, I can just look across the squad of new designs, now into production models, and see how that reflects how far these characters have come. I realize that that may be indirect drama for most people, but it's really effective for me, even emotionally. When I look at these mecha, I remember what they started as, the initial designs, how they slowly improved, better and better, then eventually became finalized versions which were good enough to be put into production models...It's just a long swath of history and indiviudal evolution in each design. I know that's how most people think about characters in a series, but I really feel that way, just looking at these mecha, since the series focused more on their design evolution and progression, more than the characters' drama. I think maybe this shift in focus towards emotional attachment to the mechas' progress/evolution was effective for me, becasue I think in terms like Ernie, focused on design and creative projects, knowing how much goes into each reiteration and what an epiphany each new design is. And similary, I focus less on social interactions. I am thoroughly engrossed in all these exposition dumps of Ernie explaining his designs and whatever new limmitations he's trying to think around. I love weighing all the options and problem solving along with him. I just really feel in sync with this series more than most other mecha drama. (Which is why I've avoided Darling in the Franxx. As much praise as that's getting, I suspect it's just not my thing.) 1:27 PM 6/7/2018 ep7 rewatch Addy and Kid do have gunrods. And they're swords too! O.O Really, why are all the other wizards even using magic wands/staffs? Ernie's gunrod idea is a multifunctional tool now! *o* 1:41 PM 6/7/2018 It's funny when I think now of when I first watched this series, starting in the middle, I asked my brother who was crushing on who, who was jealous, etc. Because almost all series, especially big casts of mecha pilots are always about who is crushing on who. Doesn't mean I like series like that. In fact, I hate it. But if I'm going to sit in front of the TV while my brother continues a series he's watching, I might as well know what's gong on. I can at least brace myself for when characters act jealous or act weird instead of just working together in the midddle of a battle maneuver. I don't like it, but I can at least brace myself against it. I'm even more glad now, discovering that this series isn't about interpersonal drama at all.

#md3 watches knight's & magic #reactions #knights and magic #please ignore my idiocy #platonic relationships

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