mpdgcore

[qan-t]

saji and louise in s1 remind me a lot of what it was like to be a teenager. the world is complex and difficult to understand, and there's a desire to place things in unambiguous categories of "right" and "wrong", and nuance doesn't mean much in the face of what feels correct.

i like this one scene from the end of episode 4:

kinue understands things better precisely because she's an adult. obviously there's plenty of adults in the world who have a cut and dry, black and white way of looking at things, but generally, the older you get, the better you grasp life's complexities, and there's a very authentic teenager-ness to the way saji looks at things.

[sparrowsabre7]

The Gundam 00 Special Edition movies 2 and 3 are pretty good. As someone who enjoyed s1 more than s2, SE does a great job of truncating s2 into two 100 minute films, cutting a lot of the filler and excessive number of Innovators and makes the whole thing overall a bit more cohesive.

Sadly SE1, though great for watching some action scenes, cuts a lot of the smaller character moments , particularly Saji and Louise and their families' stories, as it's trying to fit 25 episodes into a single movie instead of two.

We don't get to see any of Kinue's investigations, nor spend time with Louise's mother, both of which add to the tragedy which comes later. While that moment remains in the film, it loses a lot of pact from having barely spent time with these people.

I loved their storyline because it reflected the lives of two people essentially so far removed from the central conflict and yet through tragic happenstance became embroiled in it nonetheless. You need that romcom dynamic of theirs to start with, otherwise there's no contrast.

Similarly, some of the big deaths don't get time to breathe, and I think especially that one big death towards the end loses something by not going almost immediately into the ED song Friends by Stephanie.

So for me, the ideal watch order is Season 1 in full, Special Edition films 2 and 3, and then A Wakening of The Trailblazer.

[a-den-of-demons]

Question for Kinue, what is the most helpless position you've ever been in during sex?

"One time I had to please a corporate stooge to get some info, and I hung off of a decently high building. It was fun at the time, but I'm not doing that again."

[the-blackbird-roleplays]

Investigative Photojournalism

Hunting the Empress, Chapter 2

(Closed RP with @a-den-of-demons)

John Bienville had just gotten used to his little throuple. An angel, a supernatural swordswoman, and Crescent City's own Spider-Man? Who'd have thought the three would mesh so damned well together? It had been barely a week and John couldn't remember a time when he'd been happier. Every day just got better and better... until she walked in. Kinue Crossroad. Crescent City's most famous and infamous investigative reporter.

John sighed softly as she entered his bar just before opening time, cocking an eyebrow as he saw she had a bit more of a skip to her step than usual.

"Welcome back to your favorite watering hole, Miss Crossroad. How can this humble bartender be of assistance to you?" He sighed out, almost more in annoyance than anything else. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate her patronage... but by god was she a horrible tipper when she didn't get a scoop!

[fenrhi]

FUUUUUCCCCKKKKKKK

[namyeonnieee]

Commission dump!

Hello I’m alive and suffering

[gundamrp]

Today in Gundam History: July 22nd

AD 2254: Homer Katagiri born. While it’s unknown whether he’s named after the classical poet or the Simpson patriarch, one can be fairly certain that either would be disappointed to learn that this bouncing baby boy grew up to lead the A-Laws.

AD 2285: Kinue Crossroad born. Kinue would grow up to follow in the footsteps of Gundam scoophounds Kai Shiden (UC), Fran Doll (Turn A), and Miriallia Haww (Seed), but she never quite learned about “Stranger Danger”.

[sapphireswimming]

She also thinks you’re quite a scoop

[the-stray-liger]

If you think about it Kinue was an incredible character and even if she hadn’t been Saji’s sister I feel like she would have been in the show, simply because of how determined she was. She had her own sort of intensity, that didn’t really manifest like it did in other characters through big emotional outbursts, but she was fucking unstoppable and determined to the point of recklessness. She was so determined to find out the truth that she willingly ran into the darkest places she could to chase it and in the end, the more she knew the less she suspected and that’s what killed her. 

Kinue was honest and she wanted nothing more than to bring the truth to the light and got killed for it. And it means a lot that I was unable to forget her precisely because the whole of s2 shows how mass media can be manipulated by those in power to hide the truth, when the news go as far as to modify the images of a mass killing to change the story.

[ex-shark-virtue-005]

A Comprehensive deep-dive into the only Gundam 00 Manga adaptation that was translated into English and why it sucks. Part 1

In this post I will be going through each volume of the English Gundam 00 Manga adaptation and why it sucks. It was licensed by Bandai Entertainment and was one of the very last series Bandai Entertainment localized before filing for Bankruptcy in North America. It was originally published in 2008 by Kadokawa Shoten Publishing and was written by Kouzoh Ohmori. The rest will be under a cut and done as concise as I can. I'll cover the first season in this one and the second season in another.

Vol. 1 (First season) Three chapters The First chapter basically covers the first episode of the anime and is pretty faithful. Chapter 2 covers the Ceylon conflict and the first battle between Setsuna and Graham Aker. Chapter three covers the Taribia conflict and the first half of the Moralia PMC conflict ending with Setsuna battling Ali Al- Saachez covering episodes 4 and 6. Content cut : All of episode 5 "Escape Limit Zone." So Allelujah never goes to oversee Soma Peries' performance test, so she never fires at the orbital station's gravity block and Dynames' surface-to-space firing capabilities are never shown.

Vol.2 (First season) Four chapters. Chapter 1: Covers the second half of the Moralia PMC conflict and the subsequent Tieria and Setsuna pulling guns on each other on the beach (episode 7). Chapter 2: Covers the indiscriminate terrorist attacks by La Edenra and how the conflict is resolved (episode 8). Chapters three and four: Covers the kidnapping of Massoud Rachmadi and the civil unrest in Azadistan and the rescue and resolution of the conflict. Chapter 4 ends with the introduction of the Trinities (episodes 12-13, 17). Content cut: The entirety of the HRL and Sergei Simrnov's plot to capture Kyrios and Virtue. Tieria is never forced to reveal the Nadleeh. And Allelujah is never shown destroying the HRL's Super Human Institute. (Episodes 9-11 are cut entirely).

Vol. 3 (First Season) Four chapters (this one's a doozy) Chapter 1: Covers the Thrones' brutal assault on various military bases, the attack on the Halevy family in Spain, the battle between Tieria and Setsuna and the Thrones, and the introduction of the GN-X units (episodes 17-20). Chapter 2: Covers the emergence of the GN-X units and their assault on the Trinities, the Gundams getting cut off from Veda's support, the death of Johann and Michel Trinity, and Lockon's injury (Episode 21).

Chapter 3 and 4: The Gundams get access to the Trans-Am system during the battle they were cut from Veda's support. The beginning of Fallen Angels However: Lockon sorties and is paired with Tieria and they battle Ali Al-Saachezs who badly damages the Virtue and knocks Tieria unconscious. Lockon defeats Saachez by self-destructing the Dynames, Lockon is then killed when he gets vaporized by the Alvatore. Tieria regains consciousness in time to see that unfold then he promptly loses his mind and uses the Nadleeh to take out as many of the GN-X units as he can. Ptolemaios' bridge is destroyed by the Alvatore, Feldt and Sumeragi get caught up in it but only Christina and Lichty die. Setsuna's and Allelujah's battles stay exactly the same. Content cut: The joint military operation in the Taklamakan desert (episodes 15-16 are cut entirely), Kinue Crossroad's death, the Trinities never board the Ptolemaios, they talk via video chat. Setsuna never "rescues" Nena from Saachez.

So yeah tl;dr: This manga cuts Allelujah rescuing the gravity block after Soma Peries shoots it, the HRL's attempt to capture Virtue and Kyrios, the destruction of the HRL's Super Human Institute, the joint military operation in the Taklamakan desert and the four Meisters getting rescued by the Trinities. Changes the final battle for Lockon and Tieria and completely changes the former's death. I'll post the second season's analysis in a few days.

[qan-t]

no more worlds like this, no more days like that

[dearkaelsman]

//I can’t believe the chick who plays Morgana in Persona 5 was cast as Miriallia in the Gundam SEED re-dub and I’m legit bothered by this.

Anna Cummer (who was also Kinue Crossroad in Gundam 00) is reduced to Alberta Health Services radio commercials and getting TacoTime from Vicente also on the radio, and in the odd theatre play in Calgary and someone known for playing little boy voices steps in....

[a-den-of-demons]

Human Muses

Revy (Black Lagoon)- Personality: Brash, Loud, Aggressive; Slutty and dominant

Height: 5'5"

Bust Size: DD Cup

Kinks: Sloppy Blowjobs, Gangbangs, Anal

Forms: Human Hunter

Kinue Crossroad- Personality: Curious, Brave, Intelligent; Becomes a babbling slut when broken; Submissive

Height 5'5"

Bust Size: C Cup

Kinks: Being used like a toy, Feeling helpless, Sex from behind

Form: Human hunter

Saya Takagi (Highschool of the Dead)- Personality: Loud, Egotistical, Confident; A hidden slut; Switch

Height: 5'1"

Bust Size: F Cup

Kinks: Breeding, Size Queen, Titjobs

Forms: Human hunter backer

Saeko Bushijima (Highschool of the Dead)- Personality: Cool, Collected, War-like; Very sexually aggressive; Dominant

Height: 5'8"

Bust Size: D Cup

Kinks: Sex from behind, Aggressive groping, Cowgirl or similar positions

Forms: Human hunter

Samus Aran (Metroid)- Personality: Cool, Calm, Stoic; Switch with a focus on submissive

Height: 6'4"

Bust Size: DD Cup

Kinks: Mating Press, Hair pulling, Being ordered around like whore

Forms: Fey Modified Human Hunter

Sir Integra (Hellsing)- Similar to canon; Very active in bed

Bust Size: C Cup

Kinks: Dominant, Into pegging, Loves sex toys

Forms: Human Hunter

Female Jaune Arc; Alternately Jaune's twin sister Jeanne Arc (RWBY)- Naive, Friendly, Brave; Innocent sexually

Size: 5'10"

Bust Size: E Cup

Kinks: Sensitive Breasts, Spanking, Oral (Giving and recieving); Submissive

Forms: Human hunter

Kairi (Kingdom Hearts)- Similar to canon; Not slutty til broken

Height: 5'4"

Bust Size: C Cup

Kinks: Missionary, Doggy, Degradation; Switch

Forms: Mage Hunter

Pyrrha Nikos (RWBY)- Kind, Thoughtful, Determined; Super submissive once broken

Height: 5'10"

Bust Size: DD Cup

Kinks: Doggy Style, Pulling on her hair, Spanking

Forms: Human Hunter

Yoko Littner (Gurren Lagann)- Personality: Firey, Needy in bed, Self Confident; Submissive and slutty

Height: 5'1"

Cup Size: F Cup

Kinks: Exhibitionist, Titjobs, Missionary

Forms: Human Hunter

Lucina- Personality: Brave, Inspiring, Awkward; Switch

Height: 5'5"

Cup Size: B Cup

Kinks: Praise, Defeat kink, Flexible

Forms: Human Hunter

Tifa Lockhart (FF7)- Personality: Bold, Compassionate, Strong-willed; Submissive

Height: 5'4"

Bust Size: F Cup

Kinks: Size Queen, Monster fucker, Defeat Fetish

Forms: Human Hunter

Weiss Schnee (RWBY)- Personality: Prissy, Prideful, Stubborn; Submissive

Height: 5'

Bust Size: C Cup

Kinks: Older men, Domination, BDSM

Forms: Human hunter

Chiba Nagisa (CG)- Personality: Firey, Stubborn, Brave; Sub

Height: 5'6"

Cup Size: E Cup

Kinks: Degredation, Raceplay, Size Queen

Forms: Human Hunter

Chel (Road to El Dorado)- Personality: Flirty, Stubborn, Manipulative; Switch

Height: 5'3"

Bust Size: F Cup

Kinks: Gangbangs, Dominant Men, Size Queen

Forms: Human Hunter

Lara Croft (Tomb Raider)- Personality: Bold, Fearless, Confident; Sub

Height: 5'5"

Cup Size: F Cup

Kinks: Gangbangs, Monsterfucker, Sensitive Breasts

Forms: Human Hunter

Mai (ATLA)- Personality: Stoic, Collected, Deadly; Switch

Height: 5'7"

Cup Size: C Cup

Kinks: Knifeplay, Handcuffs, Oral

Forms: Human Hunter

[visforvore]

/m/ asks the important questions

[ninthfeather]

Saji Crossroad? U love him :D

Headcanon A:  realistic

Celestial Being is a bit of an odd experience for Saji, and for reasons beyond the obvious. Back in Tokyo, he was always one of the most mature people his age in any given setting. As an orphan who took care of most of the housework for an older sister who worked full-time, he’d grown up quickly in some senses. But he didn’t realize how much of a childhood Kinue had still managed to give him until he compared himself to Setsuna and Feldt. Feeling like the immature one is new for him, and he doesn’t like it, on a number of levels.

Headcanon B: while it may not be realistic it is hilarious

One thing that Saji doesn’t expect to gain through his brief military career, but does nonetheless, is a wider cooking repertoire. Celestial Being is international, and while the kitchens aren’t exactly well-stocked, he still ends up picking up at least one or two recipes from a number of members.  Louise approves.

Headcanon C: heart-crushing and awful, but fun to inflict on friends

Saji never finds out why Kinue died.  After he finds out that the main branch of Celestial Being itself wasn’t responsible for her death, he tries to investigate further, but Corner was too smart to keep records of what he asked Al-Saachez to do. Saji suspects Corner and his CB-adjacent organization, of course, but he never finds proof. 

Headcanon D: unrealistic, but I will disregard canon about it because I reject canon reality and substitute my own.

Saji eventually processes his desire to disassociate himself from his brief military career and accepts those events as things that happened and were even somewhat formative, rather than continuing to pretend to himself that he was minimally involved, as the movie seems to suggest.

headcanon ask meme

[eigwayne]

Happy Birthday Choriisu Setsuna!

Gundam 00 Week, Day 6 - April 7th Can also be interpreted as: Setsuna’s birthday, UC Gundam crossover/AU, Gunpla, Mobile Suits

Saji and Louise discover it’s Setsuna’s birthday. The world’s tamest birthday party ensues, but ‘tame’ doesn’t mean Setsuna knows what to do. Birthday fluff, chorii~su!

———–

It’s set toward the end of the first season and there are some references to events in Season One, so mild spoilers. There’s also a reference so a drama track but you should be able to get the joke without it? I hope?

Or you can watch/read these:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXKA_9RoRY8

http://dramacdtranslations.tumblr.com/post/55193324939/cd-drama-special-mobile-suit-gundam-00-another

Oh, and the AO3 mirror for the story is here.

———–

“Sa~ji~” Louise whined. “But I don’t like him!”

“Louise,” Saji said, who resisted the urge to whine himself and instead tried to placate her, somehow. “You do not not like him. Plus, it’s his birthday, and Sis said he was all alone over there.” He didn’t know how or when Kinue had gotten their taciturn neighbor’s birthday out of him, or even when they had talked at all, but she had.

“Oh. That’s sad.” Louise’s expression fell and she stopped kicking her feet against the couch. “No one should be alone on their birthday.”

She said it with such a melancholy tone that Saji suspected she had been alone for one of hers. It wasn’t the last one; she’d been with him for that and the date they’d gone on had cost him an arm and a leg. But she’d smiled the whole time so it had totally been worth it. Louise’s smile was like sunshine.

“So does that mean you’ll go next door and get him so I can finish decorating the cake?” Saji asked gently.

“I’ll do it,” she said. There was a pout in her voice and she bounced off the couch with more force than was strictly necessary, but she headed to the door, her hair swishing against her back.

Saji sighed heavily, wishing she wouldn’t put on such a show all the time, and turned back to the cake.

*~*~*~*~*

Louise knocked loudly on the neighbor boy’s door. “Setsuna?” she called. She waited, not exactly patiently, for him to get to the door. She could hear him moving inside so she wasn’t leaving. She told Saji she would get him, so she was going to get him.

Finally the door opened a crack and Setsuna’s gold-brown eyes peeked out. “Louise Halevy,” he said by way of greeting.

“Good afternoon, Setsuna,” she said, putting on her brightest smile. “I’ve come to invite you over to Saji’s.”

“Thank you. No,” he said, and started to close the door.

Louise was a smart girl. She’d already tucked her toe in the crack, expecting him to shut the door at least once. Instead of closing shut, the door was stopped by her shoe.

“Saji has been working really hard on this meal,” she scolded. “And I know you’re not doing anything for your birthday, you’re too quiet to be doing something. So you are going to come to Saji’s and have some food and cake and I bought you a present so you’re coming over.”

Setsuna was a smart boy. He’d already picked up that he shouldn’t refuse Louise, especially when she got that tone. “All right. Let me put on a shirt.”

Louise’s eyes widened at the thought that he might not be dressed. Her gaze fell and she caught a glimpse of a bare arm (what on earth did he do to get such muscle definition as a just-turned-seventeen-year-old!?), and she quickly looked away from the crack in the door, her cheeks getting hot. But she didn’t move her foot in case he tried to close the door and escape. There was a soft rustling and he came back to the door with a plain, high-colored button down shirt that he was swiftly doing the buttons on.

“Are we going?” he said in the same flat tone as always. Louise let out a small, annoyed huff, and whirled on her heel. She had half a mind to close Saji’s door in Setsuna’s face.

*~*~*~*~*

Setsuna hadn’t had a real birthday party since he was eight or so. There was a few attempts to exchange gifts in the interim years, but they were mostly hushed, hurried affairs, the other boys in the KGB giving him tokens, and him returning the favor when he could. Those gifts were useful and therefore used, or destroyed in the fighting. Gone.

So he was completely out of his element even though his ‘party’ consisted of himself, Saji Crossroad, and Louise Halevy. Louise chattered to fill up the quiet, and Saji played host, and Setsuna sat like a lump.

The food was great, though, and he happily cleaned his plate and nodded when Saji asked if he wanted another helping. Saji beamed at him and went to get him seconds. Louise leaned over and whispered, “See, I told you. Saji’s the best cook.” Setsuna nodded again, although he was fairly certain Kinue was the better cook. Still, the Crossroad siblings had made him the tastiest meals he’d had in a long, long time.

(In the years that followed, he would think back on those meals as he ate MREs and energy bars to survive. They were a precious, painful memory of the world he was trying to protect.)

“Open the presents!” Louise said after Saji cleared their plates from lunch. “And then we can have cake!” She seemed far more cheerful than when she had pried him away from his nap. Even though it wasn’t her birthday, she was enjoying the festivities. Good food, some TV show they were all ignoring in the background, Saji waiting on her… It must be everything she wanted, Setsuna thought.

(Setsuna didn’t know, but in the years that followed, she would look back on this as the day Saji’s weird neighbor was almost human, and Saji was an angel. It was a precious, painful memory of the world she could never have back.)

Saji deposited a box on Setsuna’s lap. “Here. It’s from my sister. She had to work today so she couldn’t be here, but she left this for you. I guess Celestial Being is keeping her busy again.”

“Celestial Being is keeping a lot of people busy,” Setsuna muttered. He tore the tape on the box. Inside was a photo of Exia in exceptional quality, a print from a newsreel about Azadistan. The Gundam stood in the palace courtyard, hand extended. The shadows were long, showing it was late in the day, but the whole thing had a serenity to it, the calm of a clear sunset.

He’d slipped when Kinue was talking to him once, probably the same day he’d let his birthday out, and Kinue had found out that he didn’t entirely hate the Gundams and liked ‘the blue one, that rescued a religious leader in the Middle East.’ Her description, not his, but at least he hadn’t given away anything else.

“Oooh, that’s a cool shot,” Louise said. She sighed. “Remember when they did their first thing, and it didn’t seem so bad? I mean, they did stuff like this back then.”

“Louise, that was only six months ago,” Saji pointed out.

“Yeah, but it’s like they’re two completely different people now! Ever since the red ones-”

Setsuna stiffened and wished he’d grabbed his gun. Did she know? He could probably take one of them bare-handed if there was trouble, but that would give the other time to call for help or escape. He’d have to take Louise out first- she looked like she could scream louder and run faster than Saji.

“Let’s not ruin the party with politics,” Saji said, waving his hands. Setsuna relaxed, just a little. Saji’s eyes were guileless as always. The only thing Saji could threaten was a sink full of dishes.

“Oh my god, she gave you that, too?” Saji’s face fell and he pointed at a video in the box.

It had been underneath the photo frame. A video of classic Japanese comedy, a compilation of the best stand-up and variety acts from 300-200 years ago.

Setsuna groaned inwardly. Damn Personality Type R35 and it’s idiotic verbal tick! At least he had talked Sumeragi out of making him use it more than once (he vaguely remembered saying ‘This is supposed to be a safehouse, not a madhouse!’ in a rare act of rebellion), but he’d had to explain his personality shift to Kinue and now she thought they shared an interest in this… drivel.

“I’m sorry, choriisu,” Saji said, patting his shoulder. Setsuna didn’t like the laughter in his tone and scowled. If he never heard that sorry excuse for a catchphrase, it would be too soon.

“We’re not watching it,” Louise said with authority. Setsuna silently thanked her imperial attitude for the first and only time. “Do Saji’s next! We’ll save the best for last.” She grinned and winked, and Saji flushed.

“Sorry it’s not very flashy,” he said as he gave a slim wrapped package to Setsuna. When the paper was off, Setsuna held a book of recipes for college students.

Saji awkwardly had a hand behind his neck, a pose that Setsuna had come to equate with Japan in general and Saji Crossroad in particular. “Sorry,” he said again.

“It’s fine,” Setsuna said, thumbing through it quickly. “It will be useful.” It would, with all the tips on cooking fast and buying cheap and adding nutrition to near-garbage.

“And now mine!” Louise plunked a box in his lap. It was a clothing box and very lightweight. Saji let out a low whistle when he saw the emblem on it, some expensive brand name Setsuna wouldn’t recognize until he looked it up later.

It was a scarf in a creamy beige color. Setsuna gingerly stroked the fabric. “Soft.”

“Mm-hm!” Louise said, still as excited as if the present was for herself. Setsuna would learn later that she loved gifts. Giving was as good as receiving (unless it was Saji and then she expected to receive). “It’s nice and light for summer! So you can keep your look even when it’s hot out. Don’t think I didn’t notice you’re always in one!”

“Thank you,” Setsuna murmured, unsure of how else to respond. “And thank your sister for me.”

“Sure!” Saji said, beaming.

“Saji, Saji! Take a picture!” Louise held out one of their phones- Saji’s probably, from the lack of cutesy straps dangling off it- and once Saji took it, she picked up the scarf and wrapped it around Setsuna.

Saji squeezed closer to Setsuna and held out the phone. Louise grinned and flashed a peace sign.

“Happy Birthday, Setsuna!” they both said as he took the picture.

Setsuna’s cheeks felt warm and he wondered if he was over-exhausted or if the pair were just too close, snugged up against his sides. He found that he was okay if it was the latter, and hid his smile against the silk of his new scarf.