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hellomynameisbisexual · 3 years

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Since the very conception of the motion picture, the LGBT community have been represented on-screen in some form. An early example is Algie the Miner (1912), a short silent film which follows the effeminate Algie (Billy Quirk), who enjoys kissing cowboys. In order to marry someone’s daughter, he heads west to prove that he’s a man. While this is quite an outdated stereotype of being gay, the portrayals have varied greatly over time. Only recently is LGBT representation becoming more positive and common. However, when it comes to portraying bisexuality on-screen, it still seems to be a difficult task.

Many narrative tropes have been birthed through filmmakers trying to show sexuality on-screen and most of them contribute directly to the overall erasure of bisexuality in cinema – usually with ambiguous portrayals, negative stereotyping and characters needing to pick a side. Not all instances are problematic, but their prevalence isn’t helping to combat the stigma that bisexual people face. There are three main tropes when it comes to depicting bisexuality, which is infidelity, picking a side, and the horrible husband. They’re usually found together in a common narrative that erases bisexuality, whether intentional or not.

Infidelity

There’s a long-standing stereotype that bisexual people are more likely to cheat on their partners and are incapable of commitment. This is a trope that is heavily carried in some of the most well-known depictions of bisexuality. Typically, a female protagonist is engaged or married to a man, but she meets a lesbian woman and they become involved sexually and romantically, leaving the protagonist torn between two lovers. This happens in Imagine Me & You (2005) when Rachel (Piper Perabo) falls in love with lesbian flower shop owner Luce (Lena Headey), who provided the flowers for her wedding to Hector (Matthew Goode). It’s a fairly average film that could’ve been amazing had it acknowledged Rachel’s bisexuality, but it’s still one of the better ones considering Perabo and Headey have amazing chemistry.

For some reason, bisexual characters are often in serious relationships when they’re suddenly sexually awakened. This happened to Rachel right after her wedding because she happened to meet the right woman. While this type of experience does happen in real life, it’s always the go-to narrative for films about women realizing they’re not one-hundred-percent straight. In these instances, the same-sex love affair acts as the conflict within the narrative – this can create good drama when done right, but it gets boring and bisexual characters deserve better than constantly being portrayed as cheaters. People are not more promiscuous or likely to cheat on their partners because of their sexuality, but these tropes are constantly telling people otherwise.

We deserve to see bisexual characters whose sexuality isn’t the main narrative focus or who at least explore their sexuality outside of a relationship. Appropriate Behaviour (2014) is a good example of this as Shirin (Desiree Akhavan, who is also the film’s writer and director) is a bisexual Persian American woman who is keeping her sexuality a secret from her judgemental family, while also attempting to rebuild her life after breaking up with her girlfriend. Seeing bisexuality portrayed on-screen is another place where people pick up more stigma or acceptance, and with bisexuality it, unfortunately, seems to be the former. This is why bisexual filmmakers like Akhavan are better suited to portraying the experiences of bisexual men and women than others.

Picking A Side

When the protagonist is in conflict with her sexuality, the people around her usually wonder if she’s a lesbian now – despite them being engaged or married to a man. This can be seen in Below Her Mouth (2010) where Jasmine (Natalie Krill) begins having an affair with Dallas (Erika Linder). When her husband finds out, he tells her “You’re a lesbian” but she tells him that she loves him and nothing has changed between them. It seems impossible to grasp that a person could be attracted to both men and women. Bisexuality is erased.

Some films insinuate that the protagonist isn’t necessarily bisexual or even a lesbian, it’s just that they’re attracted to this one woman only and no others – they’re an exception! This is the kind of impression you get from Below Her Mouth, but also from other films such as Imagine Me & You and Elena Undone (2010), which isn’t particularly helpful for lesbian representation either. In Imagine Me & You, Rachel tells Hector “You are my best friend. That was enough before, and it will be enough again.” This implies that Rachel was never truly attracted to him in a romantic sense, thus implying that she’s a lesbian. While this could be a case of compulsory heteronormativity, it seems problematic as it’s never discussed or explained. Avoiding discussions about sexuality – as most of these films do – are what contribute to this trope massively and result in misinterpretation and erasure.

Films as new as Netflix’s Alex Strangelove (2018) also feed into the idea that bisexuality is a stepping stone to picking a side. Alex (Daniel Doheny) prepares to lose his virginity to his girlfriend but finds his plans derailed when he’s attracted to another boy. He spends most of the film questioning his sexuality and at one point thinks he’s bisexual. The film does highlight biphobia which brings attention to this problem, so it’s disheartening at the end when Alex realizes he is gay and not bisexual after all. The set up for Alex Strangelove was perfect for a bisexual love story and, while it’s still positive LGBT representation, it’s a shame it didn’t stick with that. It’s even rarer to see bisexual men portrayed on-screen, so it would’ve been really rewarding.

It’s important to acknowledge that bisexuality is a comfortable place for some people to be while they’re trying to accept that they are gay – and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, there still seems to be some widespread discomfort when it comes to sexuality being fluid. For bisexual people, there isn’t any side to pick – they’re not torn between polar opposites, nor are they confused. They aren’t on the fence, they’re on both sides of the fence. Nevertheless, films continue to portray bisexuality as a personal conflict that needs resolving, and it does this by putting bisexual characters in a situation where they’re having affairs. This makes their sexuality the narrative conflict, which is wholly problematic in itself.

The Horrible Husband

The protagonist’s fiancé or husband is usually abusive or passive in the relationship, and thus portrayed as the antagonist. She is then drawn to a lesbian woman who treats her so much better and gives her the attention she deserves. Sometimes it’s as though these films are saying that lesbianism is the cure for a dissatisfying heterosexual relationship. This contributes to bisexual erasure by suggesting that bisexual women can only be happy with women and never with a man because they’re horrible or not good enough. It also perpetuates the idea of picking a side – almost telling bisexuals that they should just be lesbians instead.

This trope is found in films like Elena Undone, where Elena (Necar Zadegan) meets Peyton (Traci Dinwiddie) who is a famous lesbian writer. Elena’s husband Barry (Gary Weeks), however, is a homophobic pastor. Elena Undone is actually loosely based on director Nicole Conn’s real-life romance with Marina Rice Bader, but the film itself isn’t great. It’s also shown in The World Unseen (2007) as Miriam (Lisa Ray) quietly follows the customs of 1950s South Africa, alongside dealing with her abusive husband Omar (Parvin Dabas). Miriam becomes empowered to change her circumstances when she meets and falls in love with free-spirited cafe owner Amina (Sheetal Sheth).

A much better film that deals with this trope is Bound (1996). Lesbian ex-con Corky (Gina Gershon) arrives at an apartment building to start work as a painter and plumber. She soon finds herself being seduced by Violet (Jennifer Tilly) who lives next door with her boyfriend Caesar (Joe Pantoliano). Violet explains that they’ve been together for five years and he’s a money launderer for the mafia. She wants to escape and make a new life for herself, so she and Corky plan to steal $2 million of Mafia money and blame it on Caesar. The horrible husband trope actually works well in this film because the women plan to screw Caesar over and it doesn’t use Violet’s infidelity as the main narrative conflict – it’s a lot more original, which isn’t surprising as the first directorial feature film from the Wachowski Sisters. Bound would’ve been much less effective if Caesar was just a regular guy who Violet hated, but she has a better motive with the drama surrounding his violent mafia connections.

These three tropes are collectively the entire plot of Imagine Me & You, Elena Undone, The World Unseen, I Can’t Think Straight (2008), Kiss Me (2011) and more. It’s a shame that there isn’t always a huge focus on the actual relationship between the two women in these films. It’s more about them hiding their relationship and because they officially get together at the end, we never get to see much of what their life is like as a couple. They all feature very similar themes, meaning that when it comes to telling the stories of bisexual characters, the narrative is rarely diverse. Romantic comedies in general always follow the same beats which is fine, but these tropes for bisexual characters either erase their sexuality and/or display it as a problem.

These tropes can still work well (like with Bound) depending on certain aspects of the narrative. Infidelity works well in Carol (2015) due to the 1950s setting. Carol (Cate Blanchett), who is in the process of divorcing her horrible husband, and Therese (Rooney Mara) have to hide their relationship due to homosexuality not being accepted during this time. This adds an extra layer to the narrative, giving actual depth to why things are happening the way that they are. There’s also Disobedience (2017) where it works well due to the Orthodox Jewish culture. Ronit (Rachel Weisz), who is considered bisexual, returns to the community for her father’s funeral to find her childhood friend Esti (Rachel McAdams) married to a man. Esti describes herself as a lesbian woman in a relationship with a man, which is disheartening but works in the film’s world. Disobedience also plays through the infidelity trope very differently to other films, allowing it to be more effective.

The Erasure

In films with bisexual characters, it’s rare that the word “bisexual” actually comes up. It’s mostly ambiguous, implied or erased completely by the protagonist seemingly picking a side. It’s constantly reinforced by narrative tropes that are set up for dramatic entertainment, with no real intention of representing sexuality with genuine care. Erasure also happens due to words like “gay” being used as an umbrella term when referring back to certain films. Brokeback Mountain (2005) and Call Me By Your Name (2017), for example, are often referred to as gay films on social media due to the gay relationships portrayed, However, the characters are portrayed to be sexually fluid/bisexual due to the nature of their relationships with women. It also happens with films like Blue Is the Warmest Colour (2014) which is always painted as a lesbian love story when Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos) is clearly bisexual. It’s not necessarily bad to use gay and lesbian as umbrella terms, but it, unfortunately, does contribute to bisexual erasure. We should be bringing more attention to bisexuality on-screen and pointing it out specifically when we see it.

One of the biggest erasures is the portrayal of bisexual men. They appear much less frequently than bisexual women. The most recent example that comes to mind is Jake Gyllenhaal’s character in Velvet Buzzsaw (2019), but the word bisexual was never used and he was portrayed as being promiscuous, which fits into the negative stereotype (although the film is satire so perhaps it can be excused). Some better, or at least more interesting, depictions of bisexual men are still out there and can be found in films such as Velvet Goldmine (1998), Kaboom (2010), The Comedian (2012), The Lobster (2015) and Moonlight (2016).

If anything, bisexual characters are usually left out of the bury your gays/dead lesbian syndrome trope. It’s very common both in film and television for gay men and lesbian women to be killed off in some dramatic way, such as in Brokeback Mountain, The Fox (1967), Les Biches (1968), Lost and Delirious (2001) and A Single Man (2009). Bisexual women have been killed off quite a bit in television – like Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton) in The O.C. – but they’re relatively safe in film and hopefully, it’ll stay that way.

Acknowledging Bisexuality

It is disheartening that bisexual representation on-screen isn’t as good or as frequent as gay and lesbian representation. We’re also at a time where it could be massively improved, but now we face the barrier of “queer” as another umbrella term. It’s wholly unhelpful when not everyone identifies with it and when we want bisexual characters to say the word bisexual on-screen. We want to be acknowledged. Bisexual actress Stephanie Beatriz made sure her bisexual character in Brooklyn Nine-Nine got to say it earlier this year, because that word means something to certain people and the impact is great. Hopefully this will start to happen more in film going forward.

There are definitely films out there where the word bisexual is actually said, like in Appropriate Behaviour, Kiss Me, Velvet Goldmine and Margarita with a Straw (2014). It’s rare that we hear it so when we do it’s pretty exciting. In addition to these, other films that feature positive and/or complex portrayals of bisexual characters in general (and not the previously discussed tropes) are: Cabaret (1972), Chasing Amy (1997), Black Swan (2010), Atomic Blonde (2017) and Tully (2018).

There have been many positive and negative depictions of bisexuality, but the majority of them aren’t great or feed into the biphobia and the erasure of the identity. Filmmakers need to do better when it comes to portraying bisexual characters and their stories. It’s always helpful when bisexual people themselves get a voice, whether as writers, directors or actors. For some reason, although there are exceptions, most straight male and lesbian filmmakers have trouble portraying bisexuality both positively and accurately. They essentially give the message that bisexuality doesn’t exist or is an inner conflict that needs to be resolved. We must do better because one day someone will be watching a film where a character says “bisexual” and their life will suddenly fall into place.

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kaizokuou-ni-naru · 3 years

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The Voyage So Far: East Blue (Part One)

east blue (1 | 2) || alabasta (1 | 2) || skypiea || water 7 || enies lobby || thriller bark || paramount war (1 | 2) || fishman island || punk hazard || dressrosa (1 | 2) || whole cake island || wano (1 | 2)

so!! hey folks. as i’ve mentioned before, to mark the upcoming chapter 1000 (holy shit!!) as well as my blog’s first anniversary this december, i decided it would be a good time to go back and put together some highlight reel posts of my favorite panels/moments/scenes from each saga and some commentary about what i think the best parts of each arc and the series as a whole are and why, as a celebration of just how far one piece has come and how many fantastic moments we've had so far!

this will be quite a series of rather long posts- they’ll all be tagged #the voyage so far, if you’d like to avoid this messy retrospective. i'll be posting one saga a day each day until chapter 1000's official release on january 3rd!

honestly, i’m opening with this panel because it has a special place in my heart: i’m pretty sure it was the first time that one piece ever made me laugh.

the entire prologue does a really good job of setting up the tone for the entire rest of the story. i think i haven’t really written much about it before, but i really love romance dawn. it hits the exact mix of humorous and serious that’s practically one piece’s trademark tone, and introduces us to some of the main themes of the series: inherited will especially, and the theme of freedom, and the idea of betting your life for what you love.

technically this isn’t the first time we see luffy as an adult- he punches out the sea king before this- but it is his formal introduction, as well as (in the chapter title) the first time he’s referred to as strawhat luffy/mugiwara no luffy.

i really like a lot of these very early panels of luffy, really. i’m a writing person, not an art person, so i can’t really explain why, but there’s something about how he’s drawn that i think is just delightful for some reason. i like the earlier one piece art a whole lot in general, even though it’s often much less intricate and more simple than the current artstyle (which is not by any means bad either!! it’s just different). i think it fits the atmosphere of the start of the story very well- a journey just starting out.

he’s going to be pirate king!!

i’ve complained before about how zoro’s backstory doesn’t really hit the way a lot of the others do, mostly because it goes so fast, and kuina’s death is unfortunately the closest the series comes to fridging, but- that said, i do really like the core of it. i really like zoro being motivated by a promise to the one friend and rival he could never beat, and i love how this moment is what he cites later on while facing mihawk: a promise to a friend.

i love all the strawhats and their dynamics, and seeing the crew grow and develop and become a family over the course of hundreds of chapters is one of the great joys of one piece, but i think i’ll always have a soft spot for luffy and zoro’s relationship. there’s never really any conflict between them after their very first meeting; there’s loyalty and dedication and understanding there that starts from this moment and never really wavers.

it makes me grin to see the two of them, here at the start of it all. they don’t have a flag or a ship or a destination, yet, but this is the start of the strawhat pirates.

this series will probably reveal that i have a great weakness for group shots, and i think oda is particularly good at them- especially in these earlier arcs, you can usually see every character’s personality and feelings coming through in how they’re placed and what they’re doing.

i had actually forgotten that usopp did this, and while i know kuro was egging him on on purpose, i feel like he doesn’t get enough credit for being a reckless idiot sometimes. there’s a reason he fits in as a strawhat, after all, even if he himself isn’t always aware of it.

this is a lovely panel just on its own, but i think it (and all the other appearances of sunrise and dawn in the story) hits different now, with all the 'coming dawn’ theming that’s been established in recent arcs.

oda often absolutely nails his use of negative space to emphasize heavy little moments like this, and i for one absolutely love it. this one in particular gets me in the heart.

i like how you can reread some of these early arcs and see nami’s affection for the crew growing in little moments like these, and it’s very sweet, but there’s also a quiet kind of sadness in knowing she’s spending the whole time knowing she’s going to have to betray and leave them eventually.

i LOVE the new crewmate toasts. they all always look so happy.

also, in my opinion, this is the first time the strawhat pirates feel like a proper crew. they have a SHIP now! and just after this, they get their jolly roger to seal the deal.

it is my opinion that sanji has one of the best character introductions i’ve ever seen. in just a few chapters we know just about everything we need to know about him: he's not to be fucked with, he has extremely high respect for food and absolutely none for morons, and the first genuine smile we see from him is when he gives a free meal to a starving man.

i think about this moment a lot, really. luffy knows almost nothing about sanji at this point. he hasn’t tasted his food- he doesn’t even know his name. but he’s seen sanji give free food to gin for no other reason than that he’s hungry and it’s right, and that’s all it takes for luffy to decide that sanji is gonna be his cook.

baratie is mostly a serious arc (and leads into the even more serious arlong park), but it has some really good funny moments towards the start and this is one of them. you know they’re friends because they all just start roasting luffy without sympathy or hesitation.

i’ve mentioned before that the zoro and mihawk fight was one of the big things that hooked me on one piece (the other being sanji’s backstory), but the way it ends, especially, is one of my favorite moments in the whole series. i love,, strawhat loyalty moments. carve “any complaints, pirate king?” on my fucking grave.

sanji has a lot of really great action panels in this arc, but this is one of my favorites mostly because his combat abilities are being revealed to the audience at the same time they’re revealed to a lot of the characters watching. i can’t remember who pointed it out but sanji’s character design (especially pre-timeskip) just really looks like he’s designed for kicking- shiny black shoes, about 70% leg- and it really shows in panels like this.

sanji and zeff’s chronic inability to communicate is kind of the emotional core of baratie, and i think sanji calling the restaurant zeff’s treasure sums up the entire conflict between them very neatly. of course zeff values sanji way more than the restaurant, but zeff will never tell that to his face and sanji has negative zero self-worth so he’s never going to figure it out on his own. so they’re basically in a stalemate.

sanji’s backstory is absolutely brutal. we spend a truly agonizing amount of time literally just watching him slowly starve to death. it’s no secret that oda is really amazing at backstories, but i think sanji’s is probably one of the most effective at driving home exactly where his very specific mindset as an adult comes from. it’s hard to even read this section and not come away with at least a little more appreciation for food.

(to be continued in east blue part two!)

#the voyage so far #one piece #opmeta #arc: romance dawn #arc: syrup village #arc: baratie #not japanese #long post

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x0401x · 3 years

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Given the Movie: Web Newtype Interview

Depicting the immature romance of the adult trio! Interview with Nakazawa Masatomo, Eguchi Takuya and Asanuma Shintarou about “Given the Movie”.

“Given” has gathered attention due to being the first BL comic that Noitamina adapted into anime. If one attempted to open the lid and take a look at it, they would find it was a youthful drama that sensibly portrays the growth of bandmates, which could be enjoyed regardless of age or gender. In the TV anime, the main focus was on the high school characters Satou Mafuyu and Uenoyama Ritsuka, and a teenage-like heat and freshness were the charm of it, but in the movie, the main focus is on Nakayama Haruki, Kaji Akihiko and the violinist Murata Ugetsu. It depicts the nature of the adults’ relationships, which was not in the TV anime. Here, we had Nakazawa Masatomo, who plays Nakayama Haruki, Eguchi Takuya, who plays Kaji Akihiko, and Asanuma Shintarou, who plays Murata Ugetsu, discuss about the movie’s appeal.

——Please tell us how you felt when the theatrical adaptation was green-lit and you found out that you would play the main roles.

Nakazawa: I was both happy and surprised. I had heard that the anime would only have one 11-episode cour, so I imagined that it would end at the first live concert scene, and just when I was thinking that people were supposed to look forward to seeing the trio’s story in the original work, we received this proposal. I was overjoyed, and while listening to it, I was thinking, “So we’re going to do that scene”. *embarrassed*

Eguchi: In the TV series, we did not manage to perform their true forms, as in their realistic side, so I was purely happy that we would be able to enact what happens afterwards.

Asanuma: Just before I took part in the TV series, I heard that my character was apparently active in the movie, so I remember feeling tension at the fact that I had to perform while keeping this in mind. Nothing changed in the drama itself, but I thought that, since the sound and the screen size are completely different and people would watch it in an environment so unlike watching at home, I should be conscious of thinking it out by matching all of that.

——Please tell us your impressions regarding the nature of Akihiko and Ugetsu’s relationship.

Nakazawa: The timing in which Akihiko became serious about music – but a genius appeared and crushed him – and the one in which he fell in love happened at the same moment. For Ugetsu, too, the instant in which he fell in love was the same as the one in which he decided that he wanted to focus more on his beloved music, and this was where things began to turn sour, I guess. I watched while thinking that it must be hard to start from there.

Eguchi: Akihiko and Ugetsu are such adults, so warped. They aren’t dating even though they like each other, and despite having no idea what awaits them in the future, they’re living together and leading their daily lives with one another anyhow... It’s outrageous, but in contrast, it’s shrewd. *laughs* Still, what the feeling of wanting to be with someone means is complicated. But I felt emotion in that and I liked it. Feels like their days are made of glass and seem easily breakable.

Asanuma: On my own accord, I refer to this work as “usuhari” (a particularly thin type of glass). It feels like it’ll fall apart if you aren’t careful with how you handle it... I’m always being told this a lot so it’s embarrassing to say it now, but there’s the saying “you don’t do love, you fall into it”, right? It feels like these two have exactly that kind of relationship, and even then, they had no motive to get it together, so it gives you the feeling that they’re always searching for a reason to be drawn to each other, as well as to let go of each other. But even when they think, “This is it”, they set the reason aside... so I’m sure that they indeed “fell”.

——How about Haruki and Akihiko?

Nakazawa: I think the fact that Haruki gave special attention to Akihiko must have become an obstacle. Akihiko, too, was hiding a part of himself, either knowingly or not, like, “Haruki would probably hate me if he saw this”. He must have feared that their bond would have no fixing if it ever broke. I have the impression that their romance doesn’t move forward because they think of each other as special.

Eguchi: I simply thought... “Haruki has it hard, huh”.

Nakazawa: *bursts into laughter*

Eguchi: He keeps shouldering a love that he doesn’t sort out, and most likely, he catches onto the feeling that Haruki favors him, which I believe has turned into comfort for him and he basks on it. That’s an unfair side of him, but Haruki accepts it too... I think this would be all right if their relationship was of bandmates, but since romantic love comes into the scene, it gets difficult. Akihiko is doing all he can in his own way, but in seeing it from Haruki’s eyes, there’s also inertia in him, and since people have many sides, it all gets tangled in an even more complex way.

Asanuma: There’s one amongst Haruki and Akihiko’s scenes that makes me think, “Ah, I wish I was in it too”. In this painful story, which is sometimes intense and feels like it’s going to break, this scene between Haruki and Akihiko became somewhat of a salvation. Also, I felt that when Haruki said, “Leave me alone”, he actually didn’t want Akihiko to go away, yet when Ugetsu said, “Leave me alone”, it was when he really did want Akihiko to go away. *laughs* I thought these two polar opposites were interesting.

——From Mafuyu, who confessed on his own, to Haruki, who was always hiding his feelings, each of the characters experiences a different type of romantic love. Which character to you sympathize with the most?

Asanuma: The only one I could be is Haruki. I’m the type who feels complexed and raises the flag too early. *laughs* But when it comes to sympathy, they all have a side of them that I can sympathize with.

Nakazawa: *nodding* There’s nothing impossible in this series. The way they love and the agony of it is realistic, and i want all the love stories to become happy ones, to tell them all that they don’t have to suffer... but amongst them, I guess the one I can personally relate to is Haruki. But I can also understand Ugetsu’s feeling of wanting something to remain in the end and Akihiko’s impulse to break him, and I think one of the characteristics of “Given” is that none of them can be said to fit the mold.

Eguchi: I want to be Akihiko. I think he’s wonderful because he ends up at a point where he’s “seeking people”. He has this conflict because he’s trying to find some sort of truth by pursuing someone, and he’s got a way of protecting himself that could be considered unfair, yet he’s forgiven because of it... That’s nice. *laughs*

Asanuma: When it comes to which of them is more human, it’s most likely Akihiko.

——Please leave a message to the fans who had been waiting for the movie’s release.

Asanuma: I described it as “usuhari” earlier, because this sort of series is just that delicate and perilous, and when things do break, it’s sharp yet beautiful – the kind of work you want to look at forever. When people write about romance in fiction, there’s a huge drama and absurdly shocking things tend to happen, but this series is full of things that, if they happened anywhere near you, it wouldn’t be strange, yet even in the middle of all this, there are several scenes where emotions are portrayed down to their detailed bits. I hope people can love it deeply, along with the music they play.

Nakazawa: In the TV anime, regarding each of the so-called adult group’s three people, it was said that Akihiko was the “older brother figure”, Haruki was the “nice person” and Ugetsu was the “genius” or the “mysterious guy”. But in the movie, you can see that Akihiko is someone who has an older brother-like attitude, Haruki is someone who talks and acts like a good person and Ugetsu is someone who has a raging love for music deep down. There’s a grown-up side to them in the way that the high school duo sees it, and it’s realistic that the adults choose it and go along with it. I hope everyone can enjoy the different ways of watching it as it went from TV anime to movie.

Eguchi: We’ve made something good, so I’m filled to the brim with the wish that people watch it by any means. Even when the animation was still not ready, there were many scenes that struck home. I think there’s a part of it that can move people’s hearts not just from the romantic aspect but also as human beings. I wonder which parts will move my heart... I believe these works are mirrors that reflect myself. “Given” is a series that has many such mirrors in this sense.

Asanuma: *whispers something into Eguchi-san’s ear*

Eguchi: There aren’t just four yearly seasons. There aren’t just four emotions either. It makes you think that there are many sorts of feelings... *laughs*

Asanuma: He said everything I wanted to say! *laughs* The rainy season was added to the four seasons of the year. Along with this, many kinds of emotions that aren’t limited to joy, anger, grief and pleasure are depicted in it.

Nakazawa: Ones with a high “humidity level” at that. Movies sure are good. *laughs*

Eguchi: Please watch it in the theaters!

#given #givendaily #dailygiven #fyeahgiven #given movie #kaji akihiko #nakayama haruki #murata ugetsu #eguchi takuya #nakazawa masatomo #asanuma shintarou #anime #interview #my translation #newtype #seiyuu

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tjerra14 · 3 years

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HELLO I would really, really love to hear any rambling thoughts you have on In You, All Things. Absolutely anything you fancy about it, I’m sitting with my chin in my hands ready to listen.

Oh god, free rambling you say. You’ve doomed yourself and the single brain cell I’ve got left.

In You, All Things was my very first Horizon fic, and the first thing I wrote in almost a year. I had a pretty regular writing habit while I was away on an internship/then straight up work during spring/summer 2020 because my tiny tablet PC was the only thing I could handily carry with me to my mother’s place, and all the other leisure time activities—gaming, or drawing, or simply sinking hours into Youtube and/or Netflix—were pretty much impossible due to its very limited processing power. After returning home, however, I kind of stopped, and slowly but surely started sinking an abundance of hours into HZD. At the back of my mind, two things happened: first, I wanted to pick up writing again (at that point, it was Dragon Age as that was the only fandom I was writing for). Second, I wanted to finally write a f/f ship (but aside from DA OCs I didn’t have a couple in mind, and absolutely no story). Then a friend came along suggesting Aloy and Ikrie would be “fun and cute” together while I was streaming Frozen Wilds for her, and with a bit of time, it spiralled from there.

I’m a bit picky when it comes to romance I want to read, so there was never a question that I would likely have to write it myself, and thus, In You, All Things was born. Originally called Moths for the metaphor of the moths being drawn to the flame and then burning in a moment of beauty was the very first note I took on it, when I wasn’t even sure yet I would actually write it, it came with a few problems that seemed insurmountable at first.

First, I had a timing problem—when would this be set? I tend to play Frozen Wilds early in the game’s story, but never felt Aloy would fall quickly for someone without becoming close friends with them first which takes time, or even allow herself to with all that is going on in the main game. In the end, I kind of glossed over this with a non-specific “repeated visits, repeated inexplicable meetings” and only specified in Linger, when they’re already in an established relationship. I still don’t know when this one is set, exactly. I suppose it doesn’t matter.

Then, the actual plot of the fic. The thought of them “accidentally” meeting up time and again was rather intriguing and also the only way I could see this play out—neither of them would admit they were looking for the other’s company, Aloy thinking she has to depend on herself and Ikrie recently having decided that she has to now, too—but how could I raise the stakes for the bit of drama that would bring them together and have them admit their feelings? I flip-flopped between Aloy getting hurt, Ikrie getting hurt, no one getting hurt and the both of them just teaming up for a difficult fight (a Fireclaw was the meanest critter I could think of in a FW setting, and consecutively bent Naltuk’s “we spotted them all” a little since CYAN never specifies an exact number and the Cut is treacherous and hostile terrain. I accidentally put “Frostclaw” in my notes often enough an additional “check if it’s always Fireclaw in the fic” note popped up) and finally settled on Ikrie, with an injury that needs tending to but wouldn’t be too serious so it doesn’t overshadow the internal conflicts of both, admitting and submitting to their vulnerability.

The cave probably gave me more grey hair. I needed a safe spot for both to retreat, both from the machines and the weather, so a cave seemed ideal, but there was the question of the campfire. I wanted Aloy to leave for a bit so Ikrie could get to start treating her injury on her own but failing, allowing Aloy to rush to her side when she returns; but also slot in some angst. The image of Ikrie sitting by the campfire, straining to reach the injury with a wet cloth, came to mind very early on, as well, and I wanted to keep it, even though it presented me with the issue of who built that fire, if Aloy goes out to hunt. If she also collects firewood, the fire can’t be going when she returns. If Ikrie collects it in her absence, Aloy’s “I’ll get that” is of little consequence. The solution was to make it a cave Ikrie uses as shelter on her hunting trips, which seems logical, but it took me four days to get there.

And then, well, the ending. Originally, I wanted to leave it ambiguous if they even kissed, but subsequently caved (haha) as I enjoyed leaning into that vulnerability of a shared touch quite a bit. This is also where the final title came from. Originally, I had Ikrie becoming very poetic about the things she wants and is afraid of, then decided it was a bit too much for her as a character (it sounded more like Ourea, to be honest), so I went back to her snow ghost line about being free to do what she wants, and how that is impossible. Now “in you, all things are possible” offered itself to be stolen and used out of context with Aloy answering that it doesn’t have to be, and well…it was trash hours. (It still is. It hasn’t stopped. Only now it’s syrup. I'm doomed.)

#hzd #hzd fanfic #writing #asks

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chibivesicle · 4 years

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Golden Kamuy chapters 251 and 252 - rumble in the brewhouse

These chapters show the beginning of the mess that is happening inside of and outside of the Sapporo brewery. Or as I’d like to colloquially call it Abashiri 2.0. Chapter 251 is a color cover page featuring Tsukishima and Koito. Let’s just take a second to look at this page. I personally love this cover page and as the manga has continued many of you know that I’ve warmed up to Koito since Karafuto.

Both men a surrounded by items related to them. For Tsukishima there is the bag that Edogai made, his bathhouse supplies, one of Koito’s trunks, various firearms, a grenade like the one he threw at Abashiri, a bayonet and lots of shells and military packs and bags. On Koito’s side there are his menko, umbrella from the circus, his childhood motorbike, saber, an anpan and his photos.

What I find interesting is that some of Koito’s items are from his past and are related to Tsukishima as one of his kidnappers while other items are present Koito. In contrast, all of Tsukishima’s items are from the current timeline and events in the manga, but not from his past, e.g. not hair from his fiancee.

One of the question posed on the cover is asking if ‘love’ is found on the battlefield which really gets back to Tsurumi’s epiphany about the power of love and how he uses that to create his super loyal men on the battlefield. Looking at both of them I read it as Koito looking forward to perhaps finding his own ‘love’ and purpose as he stands in a stiff and serious pose. Meanwhile, Tsukishima looks down, his eyes shaded and his hands in his coat pocket. It seems that Tsukishima may be reflecting on all of his past deeds on and off of the battlefield. This makes sense to me since Tsukishima has much more experience than Koito.

We also know that since both me disobeyed Tsurumi’s orders in regard to Tanigaki and Inkarmat, they have tied each other together in their independence from being total Tsurumi loyalists. Well enough about the cover, let’s get into the action.

The chapter starts with Sugimoto leading Asirpa and Shiraishi towards Ushiyama, Kadokura and Kirawus. Sugimoto boldly claims that they need to hurry since Kadokura and Kirawus are unreliable and useless. Burn.

Noda quickly updates us on everyone’s locations while Usami meets his match in Ushiyama.

It is clear that Hijikata’s group is now at a disadvantage as the other groups are running opposite of Jack. Sugimoto comments on Usami trying to fire a rifle at Ushiyama, and the others rush even more quickly to the location.

Usami, quickly realizes that Ushiyama is no man to be trifled with and he drops the rifle in favor of judo. The situation only becomes worse as Ushiyama has a moment of thought in the heat of conflict to ask Kadokura to confirm Usami’s identity. Good job Ushiyama!

Kadokura of course confirms he’s working for Tsurumi and at that point Tsukishima, Kikuta, Koito and Nikaido arrive. Again, Kikuta is the one in charge as he orders them to step away from Usami. Tsukishima has his rifle already drawn and Kikuta has his pair of revolvers ready. This really shows that the 27th is ready for action.

The next page has Koito taking charge, telling the others to stand down so that he can attach with his saber and prevent the chances of friendly fire hitting Usami.

I don’t think Koito is being an idiot rushing in without thinking in this instance. Instead, he’s thinking of the best course of action with the ‘safest’ option to try to help Usami without harming him. The fact that he makes his order and then gives a rational reason tells me that Koito is becoming more mature in how he thinks about things. Unfortunately, he doesn’t know that Ushiyama is no some normal guy. It is Nikaido who advises against close combat and Koito doesn’t even manage to get that close as Tsukishima tells him to dodge as he can see that Usami is about to get tossed into the air.

The next page is a repeat of Ushiyama’s ability to toss people long distances. Recall that back when Hijikata first recruited him to join his faction, he tossed a naked prostitute through the air in a similar fashion. Tsukishima’s warning is enough for Koito to show his athletic abilities and we are even given a slow motion panel of Koito looking at Usami’s face.

I think this shows that Koito and Tsukishima have reached a better level of communication between the two characters. I think if this were back before Karafuto, the timing would have been off and instead of avoiding the UFO (Usami Flying Object) Koito instead would have been taken out by Usami. But he doesn’t get hit by Usami, he’s able to dodge and they are able to quickly recover to pursue Ushiyama, who smartly jumps into the brewery to escape knowing he’s outnumbered since they have rifles and revolvers. This was a situation that could have backfired, but it worked out well as there is good cohesion between Tsukishima and Koito.

With Ushiyama’s escape, Kikuta takes charge again. The fact that Tsukishima has been working with him on and off for a long time likely means that he respects Kikuta as a strategist. We’ve seen indications that Kikuta thinks quickly on his feet and has good basic urban combat knowledge. The failing of Tsukishima, Koito and Kikuta is an inability to reign in Usami.

They saved him fro Ushiyama and ran into the brewery while he gets up on his own and with his bayonet targets his favorite tanuki, Kadokura. It is clear that Usami’s obsession with Kadokura goes completely against his current orders from Tsurumi to catch Jack. For a man who was dedicated to catching him to show his worth to Tsurumi to receive his love, it is clear his love of Kadokura overrides that. Could it be that Kadokura is Usami’s Tsurumisexuality kryptonite?

The adrenaline filled chapter continues with our dapper convict approaching the wee babe Kantarou. Hijikata’s aura is strong enough (indicated by that intense screentone action!) that Jack turns and Kantarou stands up to slow down his escape.

Kantarou is slashed by him, but by slowing him, Hijikata is able to pull up his Winchester and aim at the killer. As a result, Hijikata proves to be an accurate shot hitting him in the left shoulder and takes a few more shots before he escapes around a corner. Hijikata orders Nagakura to launch their firework. This is similar to Abashiri where an artificial light source leads to downstream effects for various players. First off, the result is confusion. Sugimoto is confused and Shiraishi wonders what is happening. Boutarou asks for clarification for the direction of the killer and Toni makes it clear that the gunfire was Hijikata’s, he suggests that they split up. The firework also shows us the location of Vasily.

He’s on a roof with his mosin-nagant ready and looking through his binoculars in search of Ogata. The next page is a dramatic zoom in on a fire watchtower. Thanks to @goldenkamuyhunting updating me on the information from @osomanga that this is a fire watchtower. I had been looking for what it was and the best guess I had come up with was an early grain elevator due to the double roof and the location near the brewery. I thought this was a decent guess since most of the agricultural development was driven by Americans in Hokkaido and the wooden grain elevator was once a hallmark of a huge portion of North America. Noda uses classic manga techniques to zoom in on Ogata’s location from Vasily’s point of view to show that he’s spotted his target.

This creates dramatic tension indicating that Ogata is potentially in trouble as he’s been spotted by Vasily and he’s instead paying attention to the action on the ground. Gasp! Ogata is in danger! Of course, I wasn’t worried since, well Ogata is a main character and Vasily isn’t exactly fighting fair for their ‘rematch’ that Ogata isn’t really even aware of.

Hijikata checks in with Kantarou, as he quickly bandages his forehead to stop the blood from running onto his face. Hijikata is proud of him and gives him words of encouragement that he isn’t the type of man to turn his back in battle. Of course he tells him to follow him and Kantarou is beaming in pride and excitement!

We don’t see enough of Kantarou, but I’m honestly proud of him here. He’s a capable gangster, and is becoming more than just a gangster. I mean his eyes are almost sparkling and the screentone behind him is sparkling. I hope Kantarou doesn’t meet an unfortunate end, he’s a solid guy.

Sugimoto, Asirpa and Shiraishi catch up to Kirawus finally who must have hung back and wasn’t noticed by the 7th. Sugimoto of course charges into the building with Asirpa following close behind as indicated on the next page. Sadly, Kirawus isn’t fast enough to get Sugimoto and Asirpa to pause and he only is able to finally tell Shiraishi that there are five soldiers in there.

Of course Shiraishi is concerned and by time he enters, he’s become separated form Sugimoto and Asirpa as he tries to find them and warns them the 7th is inside. Only after some time does Asirpa realize Shiraishi is missing. Yep, excellent leadership skills there Sugimoto. You can’t even keep your party together!

Sugimoto has his rifle ready as he thinks perhaps he’s found Shiraishi. But of course not! It is Nikaido and he’s ready to kill Sugimoto as Sugimoto aims his rifle with his eyes white with murder intent.

All in all this was an epic failure of so many levels. Shiraishi the brains of their team is lost, Asirpa blindly followed Sugimoto and now he’s up against a man who is beyond obsessed with killing him.

Tumblr started to be weird so, I’ll have to split this meta into two parts. Sometimes it can’t deal with images . . .

#golden kamuy #golden kamuy meta #sugimoto saichi #ASIRPA #Shiraishi Yoshitake #hijikata toshizo #nagakura shinpachi #kantarou #kirawus #kadokura #Usami Tokishige #ushiyama tatsuma #nikaido #warrant officer kikuta #tsukishima hajime #koito otonoshin #ogata hyakunosuke #vasily #boutarou the pirate

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thesunwillshineonusagain757 · 4 years

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Reasons why I don’t like Beward/ Bedward/ Bellward

Not my gifs

Disclaimer: My intentions with this post are to expose what I thing about this ship . In no way, shape , or form do I intend to offend those who ship it . If you like it , who am I to tell you that you are a bad person for it , right ? But I wanted to put out there some of my thought so here it goes . ( and sorry this is a giant of a post )

He is old and she is underaged :

I know what you are going to say . But she isn’t underaged for the whole saga . But still he fell in love with a high schooler and he is safely more than 80, seeing that he says that Carlisle transformed him when he had got Spanish flu, and let me tell you . Spanish flu had three major waves , and the three of them were during the First World War so he was probably 20 when he was turned and he was turned in between 1914-1918 , that makes him at least 110 years old , and he is in love with an underaged school girl ... Let’s just say if he looked his age people would assume he had far different intentions with her .

Bella emotionally toys with both of the guys :

Then we will enter in this part of the conversation, Bella is a girl who literally has two supernatural beings at her feet, two men who claim themselves to be attracted to her, and Bella clearly decides very early on in being with one of the guys by the end of the first book, however, several times during the narrative of the series, she oscillates between the two even going so far as to ask that the other romantic interest kisses her when she is clearly in a serious relationship with the other man. I font know about you but for me she is coming across as quite shady and not in the good way .

Edwars is always jealous:

It is no secret that half of the conflicts in the twilight series revolve around the love triangle, and the ultra-ciumese attitudes of vampire Edward. If I had to count the amount of times Edward expresses his extreme jealousy towards Bella because of her relationship with her friends , but specially mister Jacob the wolfboy , I wouldn’t have enough hands . In my opinion a good relationship is based on trust you trust your partner , you must trust the people you love . “If you love it set I free”. But that is quite the opposite what mister Cullen does . He is overbearing and seems to not know th definition of boundaries. You may thing it’s him just being old school but for someone who has been around for so long , he might have to change his mind a bit. You also may justify that by saying it’s just because he love her , but let me tell you many of the approaches he takes to ensure her “ safety” are very in line with the actions of abusers .

The lack of respect :

Edward stalks Bella, he breaks into her room unbeknownst to her and follows her to the city when she goes out shopping, clearly not respecting her personal space or respecting her privacy. His justification is that she is so hopeless that she cannot look after herself, showing that he doesn’t even respect her judgement as poor as it may be, he literally treats her as if her brains of made of gummy bears. True, he ends up saving her from being assaulted but that doesn’t justify the stalking in the first place. If anyone breaks into your house to watch you sleep, you fucking call the cops! That’s not romantic, it’s creepy as hell and motherfucking terrifying.

Edward makes decision Bella just tags along:

Talking about gummy bear brain , Edward makes some big ass decision without even consulting Bella first . For example he end their relationship , without an explanation , and totally ghosts her after that . But not limiting himself to that he also shoved her into a car on the first movie and drove away with her because he put her in danger in the first place . She couldn’t tell her family where she was , she couldn’t go home because he would let her and she was scared . That is some major red flangs you don’t do that because you love someone you do that because you see them as your property.

The need they have for each other :

Listen healthy relationships are based on the affection that you have for someone , but that affection cannot be as crippling as the one they have . That is not love it’s callled obsession and is as far from healthy as it could be . The line where he says “ you are my life now” just comes to show that those two do not have a healthy relationship where they can distinguish themself from their significant other. Where they have a personally that is fully developed and being in love with each other is not personally trait .

It is the perfect example of a toxic relationship being disguised as a romance story:

Let’s face the music , this relationship has to many signs and red flags , to be considered anything but a toxic relationship . Bella, the main character, displays three characteristics common to victims of violent relationships. The first and perhaps most obvious trait is her consistent low self-esteem. Bella constantly reminds herself that she's uncoordinated, unsocial, and unattractive, is that she is particularly attracted to men who are forbidden, she is thus drawn to the “ bad boy” , and third, and most unfortunately, Bella is simply excited by violence, aggression, and danger; she finds it all thrilling. Bella's attraction to anything dangerous is clear in many cases through her human life. She rides a motorcycle because of the danger. When Edward tells Bella that he'll literally kill anyone who tries to hurt her, she get’s attracted to the violent nature he has. She is exactly the type of person a abused or even worst a sexual predator would look for and as we already noted that Edward’s does not help his case , I kind of see a pattern here .

In conclusion :

I used to like this paring as a young , naive teen but as I grew old I came to see the treacherous nature of this type of relationships where , so many red flangs are so apparent. I’m not saying you are a bad person for shipping it , I ask that you try to read into the subtext and the clear and alarming signs, of this ship . I’m not asking for you to stop shipping it , only asking that you have more of a critical mind when you read , watch and dive into fandom .

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theliterarywolf · 5 years

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So... Let's talk about Hetalia. Controversies, Specifically.

Tagging @apply-force-too-begin since they’re the one who was interested.

Hetalia was one of my first big fandoms outside of 'The Big Three' anime (Naruto, Bleach, One Piece) and outside of video games (mostly whatever wee babby weeaboo me could get on the Gamecube).

And, you know what? It's a dumb, silly anime about stereotypes, poking fun at the absurdities of History, and one's relationships with clashing cultures. It's dumb... But, remember, we all need our daily thirty minutes of dumb. And some of the characters are cute.

And, you know what? Most of the most engaging aspects of the fandom were those who used the initial shallow splash of history that the anime gave them to actually research and make engaging, well-written, culturally-sensitive content.

Of course, I'm not going to ignore how... Over-the-top some members of the fandom have been. We've seen how, whenever recent political conflict or natural disaster have occurred, we have to remind younger members of the Hetalia fandom to not cutsiefy it with the Hetalia characters. Examples that come to mind are: when the conflict between Russia and Ukraine was surging up, kids kept trying to draw art of 'Russia just wants his big sister back~!', and the last major earthquake that hit Japan that had people making fanart of the Japan character which, while some was tasteful and was meant to bring awareness and donations for Disaster Relief, not... all of it was...

Hell, that’s not even bringing into account the last time I went to Anime Expo (way back during Hetalia’s hayday), I was walking around and saw a bunch of Russia and Baltic State cosplayers being interviewed by the news and the one dressed up in a USSR uniform was holding up a Communist flag and shouting ‘Whoo! SOVIET TAKEOVER!!’

However, one thing that I have noticed, while researching for this write-up, was this:

Most of the controversies and pieces of fandom-wank that have surrounded Hetalia and its fandom... Aside from one instance... Are the results of the Western-fandom and Western-localization of the anime via Funimation.

Aside from one... Most of the issues surrounding Hetalia are due to the West and not even the source media in of itself.

So, with that in mind, let's talk about the main controversies of both Hetalia and its fanbase.

Controversy 1 – The South Korea Controversy/Protests

As I recently answered a question about this, so I'll just pull that answer for this segment:

'To summarize it: there’s a Hetalia character meant to represent South Korea. As every Hetalia character has a gag related to them (America gorges himself on fast food and constantly proclaims himself to be the Hero, Italy is cowardly, Germany is constantly angry, China constantly builds Chinatowns wherever he goes and sells bootleg merchandise, etc), so did S. Korea.

His gag was calling all the other Asian countries ‘big brother’ as well as groping the chests of male characters (China and Japan mostly), proclaiming ‘these mountains belong to South Korea, da ze!’

Of course, people would draw pictures of S. Korea doing his thing but one day during a meeting between a bunch of South Korean politicians and representatives, someone brought out a piece of fanart that depicted S. Korea groping Japan’s chest with the latter looking embarrassed and what not.

They interpreted the character as being an offensive, lecherous stereotype that was somehow belittling S. Korea’s worth as a country.

There were a bunch of small protests until, finally, Himaruya Hidekazu (the creator of Hetalia) just decided to say “you know what? Fine! I’m not getting rid of the character but he’ll never appear in the anime adaptation, okay?!’

So… Yeah! Fun times…'

Magnitude of Controversy – MAJOR

Like... In what universe is 'this meme hurt my feewings, we need to take VALUABLE TIME DURING GOVERNMENT FORUMS to talk about it RATHER THAN OTHER PRESSING ISSUES' a good response? And the fact that people took to the streets to protest? Come on, guys! There's so much more to worry about in this world...

Controversy 2 – Emperor Heliogabalus and Himaruya's 'Transgender Erasure'

There was a section of time where Himaruya Hidekazu, rather than focusing on the nation characters of the series, made chapters and updates about certain historical figures. They were all done for laughs while interspersing various bits of trivia and facts about them.

One of these updates centered around the Roman emperor Heliogabalus (or 'Elagabalus'). And this is where certain portions of this hellsite got soooooo upset...

You see, Himaruya titled the update centered on Heliogabalus as 'The Emperor Who Tried to Live as a Woman... Even Though He Was Really a Guy'.

Almost immediately people were typing up callout posts about how 'transphobic' Himaruya was for the title and 'how dare he misgender my precious trans baby~!' or 'this just goes to show how ignorant Japanese people are to Western history' and so many more, all because Himaruya didn't use out-and-out female pronouns for Heliogabalus.

Now. Mm, two things!

One! This was during the time when Himaruya had an open blog where, not only did he post pictures and updates about where in the world he was traveling and what he was researching, but it also had an inbox that was open for people to send insight to him.

So, if people were really incensed by this, you would think that they would use such a means to let a creator know 'hey, this is kind of problematic; can you edit it to show this information', right?

Right?

NO ONE tried to inform Himaruya of their upset; they literally didn't want an answer, they just wanted to be upset!

But, here's the kicker: the guy that all of these people were stanning for? Emperor Heliogabalus?

WASN'T FUCKING TRANS!!

The real Heliogabalus was a sadistic little shit who was connivingly put on the throne by his mother via a bunch of espionage and assassinations... Who, as thanks, had his own mother murdered once he was emperor. Other wonderful exploits of this 'icon' that tumblr kids decided to stan was:

Getting politicians and countrymen drunk and then, while they were passed out, brought in lions to kill and eat them

Deciding 'fuck Jupiter, Helios is my husbando – We're all going to worship him now!'

Completely wrecking Rome's monetary system

Promising favors to his lovers (whom he called his 'husbands' despite not making anything official) that strictly contradicted favors to his other lovers

And just generally being a hot mess

So... why were tumblr children so insistent on him being a transgender woman?

You ready for this?

Okay.

Because he occaisionally dressed in women's clothing and called his male lovers his 'husbands'.

Yeah.

One of the earliest case of tumblr children trying to ruin someone's life because they didn't follow their headcanons.

Magnitude of Controversy – Honestly, this was just fandom-wank. But it was one of the earlier instances of fandom brats using serious terms (transphobia) to justify being upset at a creator not following their headcanons.

Controversy 3 – The Passover Photoshoot

…

I'm sorry, just...

Everytime I remember or have to go over this one, I have to stop and reflect; maybe grab a drink.

…

Okay.

So, pretty early into the Western reaches of the Hetalia fandom, a group of friends and Hetalia fans decided to meet up together at a mall for a cosplay photoshoot.

Okay. Cool. Fine.

They were all dressed up as their favorite characters from the series! Germany, Austria, Hungary, P-Prussia, Holy... Roman Empire...

Ahem. Okay. Cool. Fine.

So, they get to the mall and start taking pictures. But then someone in the group gets the amazing idea for everyone to do certain poses.

I... You know, why did I start this, I could have just not done thi--

Nazi salutes. You had a bunch of dumb kids dressed up as Germanic nations. Performing Nazi salutes and shouting 'Heil Hitler'.

Now, as bad as this was... you could have just drawn it out as shitty edgelord humor; we still have plenty of that going on today.

H-however. There were two factors that made this photoshoot 50 Shades of Tasteless.

Number one. This photoshoot took place during Passover.

And number two. The mall that this photoshoot took place at...

WAS JUST A HOP, SKIP, AND A JUMP FROM THE UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MUSEUM!!!

This is the one, THE ONE, instance where, anytime someone talks about 'lol, young Hetalia fans are so cringey', this is what pops into my head.

Those of us older members of the fandom can never fucking forget this. Yeah, the perpetrators were called out; yeah, they learned their lessons, yeah it opened up a conversation about appropriate behavior in fandom. But this one event will always remain as the big 'Ooh, baby, nooooo! What are you doing?!' moment in the fandom.

Even moreso than what the current batch of hatedum is about.

Magnitude of Controversy – Huge. The South Korea controversy was discussed on a governmental scale, but the Passover Photoshoot is what remains as the biggest mark on the fandom.

Controversy 4 - FUCKING FUNIMATION!!

Okay, I...

This one is so infuriating because it’s the result of Funimation just not giving a DAMN.

So, Hetalia got popular enough to be localized! Yay... And it was going to be handled by Funimation. Yay... They do quality work... Sometimes.

*kicks the Black Butler dub into the sun*

So, they dubbed Hetalia. And, you know what? So many questionable decisions went into this fucking dub.

You have Vic Mignogna! You! *clap* Have! *clap* Vic! *clap* Mignogna! You could have easily put him as one of the Axis characters or the Allied characters and you...

Don’t use him...

Until three seasons down the line...

And then you have him as Greece.

A character who barely says anything.

... And this was WAY before the clusterfuck of KickVic, so they really had no excuse.

Oh, also! For China, who is a main character, maybe we should have an actual voice-actor?

Pssh! Fuck that shit, let’s just have some random chick from accounting voice him.

... They literally had some random-chick from accounting do an overly stereotypical Chinese accent and said ‘yeah, that’s fine; print!’

And she gave us such... wonderful line-reads as: during the Hetalia movie Paint It, White! --

“SUCK BALLS! I knew za fortune cookie today was bad ruck~!”

But as bad as the dub got sometimes (Oh God, I’m having war flashbacks of Russia...), the exchange from the dub that people constantly point to as ‘see! This show was antisemitic all along!’ were these:

Exchange 1 -

S. Italy/Romano - ‘Hey asshole, I have a surprise for you~!’

Germany - ‘What is it? Another Jew?’

And, you know what? As asinine and idiotic as that brief exchange was...

IT WASN’T IN THE ORIGINAL MATERIAL!

Funimation, in their infinite wisdom, wrote that in and thought ‘yeah, that’s fine; print!’

So, there goes another issue of ‘problem that only existed because of the idiocy of a Western presence’.

Magnitude of Controversy - Well, people are still talking about it, despite it literally being because of Funimation’s laziness, so...

'Controversy' 5 – The Civil War fanart

So, this segment will be short because it doesn't even need to exist. But, you may have noticed an upsurge in people hating on the series again; even going so far as to raid Discord servers for fans of the series with gore.

Hell, I even scrolled past one person doing a 'call to arms' for people to spam any server that has to do with Hetalia as a big 'gotcha'.

And you wanna know where this fandom-wank started?

Someone on tumblr re-posted an old piece of... questionable chibi fanart of Confederate!America and Union!America. Union!America is hiding a slave woman behind him while shouting at Confederate!America to 'Pick your own damn cotton!'

(deep breath... okay)

And, while the art in of itself is... not great, the fact that it is an old piece of fanart and that someone posted it onto tumblr for the 'lol, look at this cringe' lolz, is what rallied some people to start shitting on fans of the show and raiding servers.

There also may have been some drama over on picrew by some teenage LGBT user lashing out at the whole 'stop spamming Picrew with gay shit' sentiment and then some edgelord over on this hellsite screencapping their game and talking about 'lol, of course it would be a cringey Hetalian to post some dumb shit like this; get off the site, queer' but, honestly, this last one, while being the reason why people are acting dumber than usual, is the most inconsequential.

Magnitude of the Controversy – It would be minimal at best, especially compared to the other ones in this write-up, but like I said, it does have some trickling into the current hatedumb.

So, yeah, here was my little write-up/mini-dive into the madness. You guys can let me know if you want more insight or if you have any questions, and I love you and buh-bye!

#fandom-wank #fandom history

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beneaththetangles · 4 years

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Snow White with the Red Hair: An Appealing Image of Respect and Honor

Our guest post today comes from author Audie Thacker, whom you can also find writing about anime and other topics at Speculative Faith.

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I almost didn’t start watching this series.

When I first saw some notices about it, I had either finished or was close to finishing Yona of the Dawn. Seeing how much the girl in the image for SWRH looked like Yona, my first reaction was that it was some kind of cheap copy of Yona, so I dismissed it as something not worth watching.

Why did I finally give it shot? Maybe just because those notices kept showing up, but even that’s not really much of an answer. For whatever reasons, after a few days or weeks of spurning the suggestion, I finally gave in and gave it a try.

And from the first image of the first episode, I was drawn to it.

That first episode opens with a very close view of a dew drop on a leaf, and reflecting in the dew drop was the sky and the tops of several towering trees. It’s a very well-made image, displaying how much care had been put into the art and animation for this series.

After that, what kept me hooked was the interplay between the two main characters, Shirayuki and Zen.

Romance stories often rely on certain tropes, things that are common in such stories, situations that can provide tension between the two love interests until the end when they finally realize that they don’t want to live without the other. For example, the misunderstanding the makes one person angry at the other, the ex who shows up out of nowhere just as the two are starting to make some progress in their relationship, or the secret that one of them keeps from the other that they fear would ruin the relation if it should ever come out.

What struck me strongly after a few episodes of SWRH is that these kinds of typical tropes are either missing, or given a creative twist.

There is one early episode that plays on the idea of being spurned, where it seems as if Zen has banned Shirayuki from the palace. But one of the things this series does differently is that instead of having Shirayuki wallow in this misunderstanding, going away to feel miserable and alone, she determines to hear from Zen himself about what’s happened, and does so even when it seems like her own life may have been threatened.

So, I watched one episode after another, finding myself very much enjoying the series, until at the end of the first season I was ready to put it among my favorites. In fact, SWRH is the subject of the first review I sent to Speculative Faith.

What was it about this series that drew me so strongly? Why even did I keep thinking about it, pondering what I had seen in it?

After all, while this is a pleasant series, most viewers might think it’s not a deep series. A person watching it would likely not put it in the same category as an Evangelion, or a Fullmetal Alchemist, or a March Comes In Like A Lion, the types of series that have complex situations and complex characters. SWRH is for the most part just the slow unfolding of a nice romance.

Yet it’s how that romance unfolds that I found so entrancing.

I’ve mentioned one thing that drew my attention—the lack of the normal sources of conflict in such romance stories. But there’s more to this. What I was watching was two people who treated each other well, who respected each other, who honored each other’s efforts, who trusted each other, and who wanted to help and support the other in any way they thought was best.

This is a day of hyperbole and exaggeration. It’s everywhere, and it’s wearisome. An ad for food can’t just be about how good the food is, but about how someone is so obsessed with it that they can barely function without it, and must scale mountains and cross deserts and even fight karate-kicking koalas in order to have this food. I usually find I’m kicking against that kind of thing, trying to be more thoughtful, or maybe cynical, in my views of things.

So, it seems as if I’m going a bit against myself when I write this: SWRH is one of the few, the very few, romances I’ve seen, either in real life or in fiction, that has left me thinking that if I were in a relationship with a woman, I would want it to be like the one in this series, that I would want to treat her with the same kind of honor and respect, as well as affection, that Zen treats Shirayuki.

In our culture, relationships are a shipwreck.

For example, the divorce stats are horrible, and that’s dealing with divorce and separations merely as stats, and not as real-world events with real-world and far-reaching consequences.

But I don’t even have to look only at stats to see how bad things are. I can look at things I’ve seen and heard my own self: people dating each other who seemed to care only for themselves instead of the other person, husbands and wives who speak to each other with irritation and even anger, times when seemingly innocent words sparked a fire of disagreement between a couple that did not soon die down, separations and divorces that seemingly came out of nowhere. All of it has shown me a rather bleak picture.

While things are better in the church, they really do not seem to be much so. Perhaps, as some sources indicate, the divorce rate among those who are “committed Christians” is not as high as among those who are considered “marginal,” but at 38 percent that still seems rather a high percentage.

One little anime series is not going to cure these things, but at least for me, it’s given me some things to ponder on. Here are some examples.

There is an episode where Shirayuki is taking a test to see if she’s able to be a court herbalist. It’s a test that lasts a couple of days, and she has to watch over the plants in a greenhouse. At one point, the head court herbalist tells Zen that as a prince of the country all he has to do is to say the word, and Shirayuki will be accepted into the position no matter if she passes the test or doesn’t.

I’d guess that many people might consider that if Zen really did care about her then he would do anything in his power to ensure her position, even throwing his weight around a little to make sure she got it.

But that’s not what Zen does. He’s seen her prepare for this test, and knows that she would not want the position if she could not earn it honestly. Plus, he knows that she’d be very upset with him if he did use his authority in that way. He respect her efforts and her wishes, even if that may mean she doesn’t pass the test.

In a later episode, Zen and his crew travel to inspect a fort, but when they get there they find the soldiers are seriously ill, so along with Shirayuki they have to find out what’s happened.

Shirayuki and Zen work together to fix this situation, but in their own ways and with their own expertise: Shirayuki uses her knowledge to find out what’s making the men sick and is able to get them back up and going again soon, while Zen and his people set out to deal with the bandits who were really behind the cause of the fort’s problems.

But maybe even more significantly, this episode shows that Zen and Shirayuki can correct and even scold each other without the other person taking it personally and getting all offended about it. Shirayuki tells Zen to stay away from the sick soldiers while she’s trying to learn what’s happened, and while he does kick against it a little, he eventually accepts the advice and stays away. Later, when Shirayuki has exhausted herself in taking care of the recovering soldiers, Zen gently scolds her a bit for not asking for help when she was wearing down.

This is something else that can be uncommon in real life, where the person being corrected can all too often take the correction as an insult, an attack, and become offended at the one daring to tell them they are wrong. And this problem is all too often made worse when the person doing the correcting will do so in a way that seems to belittle the one being corrected. When the person doing the correcting is demeaning and insulting, or prideful and superior, that can make the correction all the harder to accept, even if it is needed.

The scene that really caused me to begin thinking the first time I watched through the series was the proposal.

We have certain popular images of how a marriage proposal is to be done. Two of those images are what I’ll call the Buffoonish and the Beggarly.

By Buffoonish, I don’t mean unintentional mistakes—I can understand any man making an unintentional buffoon of himself in such a situation—but an element of silliness and even foolishness that’s inserted on purpose into the proposal to make the occasion seem less serious than it should; for example, the man who has “the question” pop up on a screen during a sporting event, or the man who has “the question” written in the sky by an airplane.

The Beggarly is clearly shown in jewelry store commercials: the man and woman are walking in the park, chatting about this or that, then suddenly he drops to one knee, looks up into her face with puppy dog eyes, and with a pleading voice pops “the question”, and of course the lady in the commercial thinks it’s all moving and romantic, and the ad ends with the two of them kissing while the jewelry store’s jingle plays.

Only one word is needed for me to sum up my reactions to these two images…

Barf.

When Zen knelt before Shirayuki, it wasn’t as a pleading puppy, and when he gave words to his feelings for her, he didn’t make a joke out of it. There was a necessary gravity to the situation and to his words, an acknowledging that what he’s saying and what he’s asking of her were not insignificant, but rather that they were serious and important, that the moment and their responses would bring great changes to both of them.

A proposal can be an occasion for joy and merriment, but for a man to make a joke of a marriage proposal or to act like a beggar is to demean and disrespect both the occasion and the woman he is asking.

The Bible’s relationship advice is often kinda sparse, usually addressing people already married with advice like, “Husbands, love your wives”, and, “Wives, submit to your husbands.” Zen and Shirayuki are not yet married, but in showing two people greatly respecting to each other, honoring each other’s positions and efforts, listening to each other, supporting each other, and sharing with each other their desires to walk by each other’s side for the rest of their lives, this story does give us a fairly good example of how that advice might look in practice.

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Audie is a Christian of undetermined denomination. He hangs out at Reformed Anime Hub a lot, usually peacefully. Usually. Like all writers, he likes to pretend to himself that he’s a writer, and sometimes, on rare occasion, he even actually writes.

#Anime #Christianity #Akagami no Shirayukihime #Snow White with the Red Hair #Shirayuki #Zen Wistalia #Love #Romance #Relationships #Articles #Author: Audie Thacker

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rachelkaser · 5 years

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Catch-Up Critic: Assassin’s Creed Origins

This review was originally set to come out shortly after the game was released. But life happened, and things generally conspired that I couldn’t publish it for ages. Originally the nuts-and-bolts part of the review was more extensive, but I basically decided to keep that part short because my deeply critical inner fangirl demanded I spend the most time on the story part.

This will come in handy when I publish my series critique of Assassin’s Creed next week. Stay tuned!

When I first heard the whispers about the Egyptian Assassin’s Creed back in what feels like the late Cretaceous, I had my doubts as to how it would make the story work. This would be the first time the series set a game in the period before the historical Hashashin and Knights Templar existed, so I was skeptical of how it could tie it to the existing narrative without feeling contrived.

For the most part, that worry was assuaged. The game’s narrative is probably better for not being tied so closely to the tangled mess that is Anno Domini-era Assassin’s Creed. That said, it suffers from a few pitfalls that keep me from really loving the story, for all I do like the main characters.

First, the Basics

It’s the age of Cleopatra, and Bayek of Siwa, a member of a now-defunct order of warriors, is on the warpath. The death of his son Khemu has sent him on a murderous rampage, looking for those responsible. Assisting him in the quest is his wife Aya, and the two eventually realize they may have stumbled on something bigger and more sinister than either of them ever realized. By the end of the game they realize they must expand their purpose beyond avenging one crime if they’re truly to help the people of Egypt -- effectively becoming the first Assassins.

The (somewhat literal) sandbox in Origins is the biggest I've ever seen in an AC game [this was written before I played AC Odyssey], encompassing what feels like the entire Egyptian empire. The terrain is varied, from rocky and swampy to sandy to forested. The scenery is by far the best thing about the game, at once arrestingly beautiful and rather forlorn.

Bayek is generally a likable protagonist, far more world-weary and intelligent than the last couple of AC leads have been. His and Aya’s relationship is a refreshing new spin on the series’ usual take on romantic relationships, being an established, loving marriage that strains under weight of grief and anger. That said, there are some points where their characterization strains credibility...but we’ll get to that.

The open-world traversal is serviceable, if a little boring. The combat is also much more fun than the vast majority of the games in the series. If there’s one good thing I can say about Ubisoft’s efforts, it’s that they have managed to finally evolve away from 1 & 2′s atrocious “one opponent at a time” combat, even if the evolution came in painfully slow fashion over about five games.

The animation quality is generally of a much higher quality than in the last couple of games, and everyone in the game. That said, I question the need to hunt and kill the Egyptian wildlife. It’s not really in-character for Bayek -- in fact, it hasn’t really been in character for any of the Assassins except for Connor and Edward.

Also, speaking as someone who’s actually ridden similar animals in the real world -- what the fuck is with the horses in the game? I’m not just talking about how they behave (though it’s nice to see the ancestors of Geralt’s Roach teleporting all over the sands), but more about how they look and move. I realize the horses of Roman Egypt would be quite different animals to the Quarter Horses of my time, but still ... who is responsible for these swan-necked beasts and their incredible uncomfortable-looking gallops? How is it, when horses have been in the games and reasonably well-animated for ten fucking years, they’ve suddenly become something out of one of those girly Barbie PC games from the nineties?

Quest-ion for you

Now we’ve got to get to the problems I have with this game’s story, and what it means for the series in general.

It feels like, as the Assassin’s Creed series goes on, the story structure loses more and more of its load-bearing beats. To be clear, AC has had basically the same story since the beginning: Personal misfortune forces the main character to claw up to Master Assassin status and find personal fulfillment in the Creed. I challenge you to give me a game in the series where that’s not the basic structure, other than Rogue and the sequels to AC2, of course. And as we get into ever-higher franchise numbers, every game seems to be in a bit more of a hurry to get that pesky initial development out of the way so it can get to work handing the player tasks to complete.

Let me break it down even further: Altair, in AC1, starts the game as a cocky little shit who thinks he can get away with everything, and it takes a long, drawn-out sequence of having his hooded head smacked around to bring him down to earth. When you start the meat of the game, he’s been stripped of his rank and has to work his way back up. Along the way, he must grow his mind and devote himself to the spirit of the Creed in order to match himself against a conspiracy that’s miles over his head. That’s the character arc.

In AC2, Ezio has an extended sequence roaming Florence, making friends, and getting into trouble. He’s established as a sweet, if reckless boy who really loves his family. When that family is torn apart for reasons young Ezio doesn’t really understand, he goes on the attack. Over the course of about twenty years, he takes the Creed to heart and sets about dismantling the entire operation that led to his father’s and brothers’ deaths in the first place, for the good of society more than for his own personal gratification. That’s the arc.

AC3: Connor grows from being a kid with a narrow sense of justice, to a man who takes the teachings of the Creed to understand moral grey areas, gaining a more nuanced reason why he opposes the Templars, and also how he can steer the course of the society around him in a better direction.

AC Liberation: Aveline hunts Templars initially because her Assassin Mentor tells her to, and only after she rescues her mother does she come to a greater understanding of what the Assassin/Templar conflict is actually like and decides for herself why she wants to be an Assassin.

AC Unity: Arno is accused of a crime he didn’t commit, and has to grow from a silly kid to a serious, politically-savvy adult in the space of a few months, finding the internal strength to oppose the people he loves like family (in theory, anyway; I don’t think it quite managed to sell that story, but the thought was evidently there).

But recently, the games have seemed to steamroll past these essential bits of early character development, as if they are incidental to the arc. They aren’t, and it’s starting to look more and more like the devs don’t realize that.

In Syndicate, for example, the Frye twins’ personal misfortune that prompts them to act out is the death of their father Ethan. While the central conflict of the story that prompts most of their character growth comes from their differing viewpoints, the death of the Frye pater familias is still intermittently treated as serious business for them. Since we never see or know much about Ethan or what he felt for his kids, it doesn’t mean much and ends up stunting the likeability of the characters.

Similarly, in AC: Chronicles, we’re dropped headlong into the stories of the three protagonists and never really given insight into what they feel about the conflict with the Templars and why they’ve come down on the side they have. In that case, it’s mostly because all three are novel/comic characters who have already undergone their essential growth in other media, but their stories still feel as though they’re missing crucial elements.

So it goes with Bayek of Siwa. We’re supposed to be attached to him (and to a lesser extent, his wife Aya) and invested in his quest to avenge the death of his son. However, literally the only time we spend with him pre-revenge quest is a five-second lingering close-up intercut with acid trip memories of the incident that prompted the quest. Then we smash cut to him killing the first of his targets, screaming about how he wants his revenge, when we haven’t even been gifted with his name yet. It’s as abrupt as it sounds.

Why Are We Here Again?

Speaking of said revenge quest: For something that’s so important to Bayek, and crucial to the plot of the game, it’s treated with almost startling flippancy by everyone else. Aside from one kind comment from Cleopatra, almost no one seems the least bit sensitive to the issue. Keep in mind, we’re talking about the on-screen murder of a child.

For example, Bayek’s relationship with his wife Aya slowly sours over the course of the game. If this had happened because their relationship simply couldn’t bear the strain of their mutual tragedy, I’d understand, and call that a mature depiction of a relationship, even. After all, you’d think, if anyone would be on Bayek’s side when he’s working through his grief, it’d be the mother of his murdered child.

Instead, Aya seems far more concerned with ingratiating herself with Cleopatra then she does with avenging the death of her son -- and it’s hard for me to see a good reason for that. Cleopatra is telegraphed as someone with good intentions who might fold under power, and any series devotee already knows she’ll be killed by an Assassin later in life, so it’s pretty clear she’s not above becoming a tyrant. There’s a good reason, gameplay-wise for Aya to be so besotted -- it’s to make sure an increasingly-cynical Bayek has to associate with the most known figure from the time period, someone he otherwise wouldn’t approach with a ten-foot pole. But story-wise, it’s just a little baffling.

For example, when she’s telling Bayek she has no intention of returning to their hometown towards the end of the game, she asks him what higher calling he answers to. When he responds their calling is that they’re parents, she responds, almost casually, “We were parents.” Her child was murdered in cold blood a short time ago, I’ll remind you. No mother would say that. Nobody would say that.

Bayek, for his part, is single-minded in his focus to bring his son’s killer to justice, and it effects every aspect of his character. He’s portrayed as being incredibly kind and friendly to children, relating to them and bringing his parenting skills to bear during investigations, and distraught when his actions indirectly harm them.

That said, even he’s not immune to rocky inconsistencies in tone and character. Late in the game, he approaches Cleopatra, having murdered several members of the Order on her command. When she commends him and offers him a new set of targets, he complains that he feels like a glorified hitman and none of the people he killed were involved with his son’s death. She brushes him off and tells him about the enemy she wants him to kill. Less than five minutes after complaining that Cleopatra’s using his quest for vengeance to further her own political agenda ... Bayek seemingly forgets this and, with no further reassurances from Cleo, excitedly wonders if this latest Order target is the one who killed his son.

Now What?

As much as I want to adore this game, there are certain problems with the story and the need to fit Bayek in to the role of Assassin as other characters have played it in the past undercut its meaning and emotion.

I’m going to be looking at the series’ overall story as it currently stands, and Origins marks a watershed moment for the current generation of AC games. Where it delivers on crunchy combat and open-world gameplay, it fails in character growth and consistency.

#assassins creed #game review #catchup critic #bayek of siwa #assassin's creed #assassins creed origins

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canvaswolfdoll · 5 years

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CanvasWatches: Dragon Pilot: Hisone and Masotan

Not going to do a Summer 2018 write up because I only lasted through one anime, and Chio’s School Road had… issues I don’t feel like discussing.

Also, haven’t had time to continue the Digimon Rewatch (which is exclusive to the Patreon until I finish season one).

Doesn’t mean I’ve been slacking! Netflix’s most recent license camping for it’s tedious binge watch format is Dragon Pilot: Hisone and Masotan, which was a delight to watch! Go watch it, right now! Do it!

Anyways, time for my… whatever this thing is... on it.

Hisone is a woman who joined the airforce because, near as I can tell, she didn’t have any other ideas for what to put on her school’s career plan worksheet that shows up in every anime, and she saw a fighter plane soar by.

There’s… worse motivations, I guess?

Anyways, while working a desk job, she’s invited to an interview at a far away hangar.

She goes to the hangar and is promptly eaten by a dragon.

But it’s okay! The dragon just wanted to eat her old flip phone! And the crew got her thrown up pretty quick! And now they want her to pilot the dragon.

By getting swallowed and controlling the thing but prodding its soft innards.

Anime

So, Dragons are a thing that exist, and the world governments have been helping hiding them because… that’s the deal they made? Anyways, Japan hides their dragons as fighter planes, and has their air force manage them.

Because we need to explain this bizarre premise somehow.

Dragons are selective about who they will swallow and not digest, and Hisone is one of those lucky few. So she’s a D-Pilot now, which is probably a promotion from her ill-defined desk job.

Also, now she has to put up with Nao Kaizaki, initially the only member of Gifu Base’s D-Pi program, and a woman who couldn’t get the dragon to swallow her, so her position is more theoretical.

Kaizaki is introduced exhibiting the mannerisms of your typical High School Thug boy character, so you know she’ll be interesting.[1]

Hisone’s superior officer, Remi Kakiyasu, was also once a candidate for dragon piloting who couldn’t get the dragon to accept her. So the entire program is kind of low on practical experience.

Then there’s the woman selling yogurt who is clearly important, but it’ll take a few episodes for yogurt woman to reveal her purpose.

So Kaizaki and Kakiyasu train Hisone up as she comes to grips with her new responsibilities.

Hisone finds a plaque embedded in the dragon to learn his name is Masotan.

And so, the title is complete.

Then three more pilots fly in in episode 4, and the main plot starts to meander in a direction.

Let’s meet the other three team members!

Elle Hoshino: Enlisted to become the first female fighter pilot, and is displeased to have been placed on the OTF (Organic Transformed Flier) program instead. So her dragon, F-2/Norma, refuses to leave it’s plane form to please its partner. Eventually Elle comes around and loosens up. She’s fine.

Mayumi Hitomi: A matronly shaped pilot. She’s soft-hearted and soft spoken. Flies a large, goofy looking dragon named Futomomo. She’s fine.

Lilico Kinutsugai: Winner of the Canvas’s ‘Wait, I want more’ award, Lilico is a shut-in with a wry sense of humor and love of manga. Her dragon is the samurai-looking Akemi. Lilico is also apparently asexual, something I wish they’d given space to explore a little more.

She could’ve been my favorite pilot,[2] but the show didn’t commit enough.

So the pilots are placed through a couple adventures to become friends as the creepy Iboshi (some vaguely defined government guy) watches and plots.

Iboshi is the closest thing the series has to a villain, despite it being more of a Man vs. Nature affair. He possesses a callous disregard for the people of the D-Pi program, focused on the looming Ritual the D-Pi are needed for.

This cold-naturedness made me dislike him, but also allows the series to run relationship drama in a really interesting direction.

Because, guess what? If the D-Pi fall in love, the dragons will instinctively reject them. And they need the D-Pi to keep the Dragons healthy, and also escort a giant dragon to ensure it doesn’t destroy Japan in its wake! Oh dear. This frames the ‘will-they, won’t-they’ of Hisone and Haruto of the maintenance team into an major conflict with dramatic consequences and justifies a dumb ‘misunderstanding’ plot with one of the other D-Pi.

This shows builds a very grounded, mature, and compelling view on romance, and I am super game for it. And super down to sing its praises.

I’ve found that the sweet spot for making me care about a romance plot isn’t tsundere antics, or fear, or dumb misunderstandings, because there’s nothing I crave in my media more than emotional honesty.

No, the slow burn I crave is sheer ignorance. It takes several episodes for Hisone to understand she may have feelings for Haruto beyond friendship, then more for her to actually accept and admit her feelings to herself, then the fantasy takes over to prevent a tedious ‘Oh, will you two just talk’ subplot, because Hisone can no longer do her job lest she get digested by her dragon! So the conflict of “How does Hisone deal with her feelings” becomes augmented to “How does Hisone do her freaking job now!?”

The answer, seemingly, is just have a level head on the topic: Mayumi Hitomi also has plenty of ship teases with another character, but never is at risk of being eaten. It doesn’t get examined, because Hitomi’s ability to just kind of… casually acknowledge it and not let the Doki-Dokis mess up her stride doesn’t draw attention.

And because Hitomi’s resolution to the conflict eventually comes down to “I don’t want to abandon anyone ever” means her love for Haruto[4] is just added to the pile of things Hitomi is just anxiously passionate about, in equal measures to her love of flying Masoton, and that seems to work out.

Which, I guess means the secret to flying the dragon’s isn’t a creepy expectation of a pure heart, Iboshi, but emotional maturity.

Which brings us to the jerky, playboy wannabe breaking Elle’s heart. Like a monster.

Take note, writers: this is the first time ‘I broke your heart to protect/save you!’ has ever been successfully executed without one or both parties catching a case of the stupids! Watch this and learn!

So, early in the series, we meet Yutaka Zaito, a wannabe womanizer who has no success, but maintains his illusion of charisma nevertheless. Then he meets Elle, whose serious attitude and cold shoulder grabs his attention, and he suddenly abandons his swarm and tries to, gently, ingratiate himself to Elle, who gradually warms up to him.

It’s nice.

But then the whole ‘Dragon digests those with unsteady hearts’ plot point happens, and Elle is in a position where she can’t even fly her dragon, sending her ambitions even further away. And she hasn’t realized it’s Zaito causing her heart flutters.

But Zaito, upon learning the situation, does understand. And knows that it’s either him or Elle’s career.

So, he turns up the creep, approaches Elle, and proposes a friends-with-benefits arrangement, claiming not to want a serious relationship, and subtly mocks Elle’s dragon rejection. This breaks Elle’s heart, of course, but resolves the matter. She can fly Norma again, and Zaito is left to bite his tongue and let his crush pursue her best life.

The sequence is well executed. It’s a misunderstanding perpetuated intentionally, knowingly, and selflessly by one party, and exists for reasons beyond ‘Neh, let’s have some dumb romance drama now’. Zaito knows what he’s giving up, but still breaks Elle’s heart because she legitimately needs him to so she can pursue her dreams. There’s no other timely way.

On the other end, the show introduces Natsume,[5] a childhood friend of Haruto, who comes in to be Hisone’s rival!

Except Hisone is too oblivious and all-loving to care, and Haruto is straight disinterested in Natsume. And Natsume is a shallow Tsundere and lacks any appealing characterization. They could’ve given her role to Nao, who desperately needs something to do in the later half of the series, or, better yet, just have Haruto be the human sacrifice.

“But you need a girl for the sacrificial beauty role!”

Okay.

Make Haruto a girl.

“Are you proposing the show suddenly swerve into Yuri?”

I mean, Yogurt lady’s backstory is literally a Tragic WWII-era Yuri love story.[6]

Sada Hinomoto shows up selling yogurt and being charming and mysterious so you know there’s something deeper going on.

Turns out, she’s the last D-Pi from the last time they did the ritual, so she actually has proper experience to teach the new kids, and, oh yeah, she hates Iboshi, resents the entire procedure, and carries a lot of trauma from when her friend Yae was chosen to be the human sacrifice last time, and though the show doesn’t spell it out, the intimate blocking and their schemes to flee to Paris paints a super clear picture about what that relationship was about and, gosh dangit, is she one cool grandma.

All she wants to to get back to the giant dragon to find closure with what happened to Yae and force an alternate solution.

Fortunately, Hisone is just the sort of loveable goofball to find an alternate to the Giant Dragon’s bedtime snack!

So there’s another reason why Hisone’s love interest should’ve been a girl.[8]

Now, practically this could’ve been accomplished a couple of ways: gender flip Haruto, cut Haruto and use Nao, pr combine characters. Point is, no matter how you do it, this hypothetical female love interest is now the human sacrifice for Mitatsu-sama.

With this change, there is a new parallel drawn between Hisone and Hinomoto,[9] further underlines Hisone’s tendency toward heartfelt dedication to unconventional methods, and Hisone’s desire for saving the sacrifice changes from an impersonal “Human sacrifices are wrong”[10] to “Human sacrifices are wrong, and also screw you I love that girl!”

And if that girl had Tsundere tendencies (like Nao or Natsume), that’d make the pairing even cuter.

Also, points for the entire D-Pi team unambiguously disbelieving Hisone’s ambiguous fate at the end. It’s fun to see such trope-awareness.[11]

In conclusion: Dragon Pilot is super adorable and sincere, the premise is quintessential anime, and it’s just fun. Sure, most of the characters deserve more depth and exploration, but that’s always my complaint and it’s only a 12-episode series. Plus, it very good at portraying mature characters without stooping into immature means.

And it’s really cementing my love of BONES as a studio.[12] I need to put more effort into seeking out their work.

So go watch it.

Thanks for reading my review! These do tend towards inconsistent release, but they’re fun to do. Consider checking out my other reviews, essays, and the rarer original work. I’m also nearing the end of my Muffin Comics experiment, so catch those while you can! If you really like what I’m outputting, I’ve got a Patreon, set on a monthly schedule so you know what you’re committing to.[13]

Next time: a Netflix Original of a magical tone! (And hopefully more Digimon)

Kataal kataal

[1] At least, that’s the hope. Gets dashed once the other D-Pi arrive on base and Kaizaki slips out of the spotlight. [2] The title goes to Hisone herself.[3] [3] Anyone else have troubles saying the main character/romantic lead are their favorite? Like it’s too easy an answer or something? Because I do. [4] All these H names are raising the hackles of my Mug Rule… [5] Presumably so they can localize Harvest Moon games. [6] Which means we were this close to a Yuri anime not about assaulting high schoolers and creepy family dynamics,[7] but one about Dragons pretending to be a spitfire and historical context and and light-hearted comedy and I honestly would trade this show for that and I love Hisone & Maston! [7] Citrus did not sit well with Canvas. [8] Canvas’s full tilt idea, by the way, is to combine Haruto, Nao, and Natsume. Condense characters and keep them all relevant longer. [9] Way too many H names. [10] Not that Hisone being a goofy all-loving hero isn’t super endearing. [11] Though it’d be nice to know what Hisone and Masoton were doing. Had Hisone ejected out of the dragon at any point during the… months(?) long time jump? [12] Wolf’s Rain notwithstanding. [13] Not going to lie, nothing deflects me from lending support quicker than a ‘Per Update’ schedule.

#CanvasWatches #dragon pilot #anime #CanvasReviews

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utopianparadoxist · 7 years

Note

Do you think that Rose and Kanaya were originally going to be moirails, and that their being girlfriends was OOC and detrimental to their characters? Generally, what do you think of rosemary?

Well, it’s @rosemarymonth and I’ve wanted to talk about Rosemary and why I think the canon gets WAY too little credit with regards to their execution for ages so I may as well do it now.

Keep in mind, of course, that I am a dude and in no way want any wlw to feel I’m shutting down critiques of Homestuck’s flaws in this regard. I think that’s perfectly valid, this is just my reading. I’ll be interested in seeing what people have to say.

I don’t get to talk about Rosemary enough anyway, so I’ll also take you up on it and go over why I love Rosemary and why I think readings that they were “meant to be moirails” and “go ooc” is straight up just misreading the text, because the comic is actually pretty clear in broadcasting its intent.

The thing to keep in mind is that Homestuck’s entire plot follows one consistent rule: The message of AURYN from The Neverending Story, “Do what you will.”

The events in Homestuck that actually happen are by design the sum product of the wills of the entire cast, and how well characters express their wills on reality directly correlates to how “powerful” they are.

Caliborn is the villain because Lord English violates EVERYONE’s agency by confining them all to the plot of Homestuck/his Alpha Timeline. Within the confines of those prescribed paths, however, reality always defaults to fulfilling the wishes of all characters involved, or resolving the tension between them.

What this means PRACTICALLY is that almost every event that happens in the story, no matter how ridiculous….

is, on some level, foreshadowed by the desires of the characters, just as Arquius’ heroic sacrifice and absorption into LE is foreshadowed by the desires of both him and Caliborn:

Oh, and speaking about Caliborn wanting to be bros with Dirk and allowing him to die as if going to sleep:

All this in mind, let’s focus on Rose and Kanaya. No, I don’t get the impression they were ever going to be moirails. I’m not sure when Hussie decided on Rosemary, but I get the impression it was early, at least by the time Kanaya was introduced.

Why? Let’s take stock of both girls’ desires and conflicts throughout Act 5.

Kanaya’s early characterization revolved around A) A tendency to gravitate and pacify take-charge, forward individuals,

and B) A profound dissatisfaction with that role.

That’s what burned her out so hard when she was interested in Vriska. So I’m not sure why one would assume that actually, Kanaya’s True Destiny was to fall into… the exact same arrangement with Rose once again, despite expressly avoiding it. That doesn’t seem like good storytelling to me.

Especially since Rose is, from the very beginning, posited as an idealistic escape from that solitude for Kanaya. Kanaya is the receiver of Rose’s prophetic text—one of her earliest big contributions as a Seer of Light– and it makes a tremendous impact on her.

That impact is partly manifested as an out and out romantic fantasy about Rose, who Kanaya idealizes as the legendary leader of her session.

Kanaya’s fantasies about Rose in this regard play heavily into her attempted courtship through the Flighty Broads and their Snarky Horseshitometer sequence—and it is romantic courtship.

Kanaya makes that clear in the mission-critical text document where she positions herself as an antagonistic suitor to John, and that document is first referenced in… oh, mid-Act 4.

So Kanaya’s romantic interest suffuses the narrative from pretty early on. What about Rose?

Let’s talk about romance aesthetics. Pretty much every endgame ship in Homestuck is couched in a distinctive brand of romantic connotation. For example, Dave and Karkat are linked to anime romance cliches, with Dave as shonen hero and Karkat as heroine.

Jade and Davepeta are linked by a mutual indulgence in furry identity. Vriska and Terezi get the “Home Sweet Home” connotation of The Wizard of Oz, and Dirk and Jake have the undying devotion and mutual passion implied by their link to The Princess Bride.

Rose is once described as a reserved girl “enamored by what dwelt in shadow”. This is a facet of her characterization that’s present from moment 1, what with her interest in the Horrorterrors. Another obvious place to go is Mom, and by association Roxy–both of whom certainly “dwell in shadow” as Void players.

And then, of course, we have Kanaya:

Vampires are traditionally associated with hiding in darkness, away from the Light. And Kanaya describes her rainbow drinker fantasy in exactly those terms. So this aesthetic link between them is established pretty damn early, too.

Of course, Kanaya is not a traditional vampire. I’m far from the first to point out that Rainbow Drinkers most strongly resemble the hyper-romanticized, shine-in-the-light vampires of Twilight, one of the most popular romance series for teen girls of the 2000′s.

Taking that incredibly popular aesthetic and using it as a wrapper for the love story of two girls is instantly compelling. What’s genius is that this is a cocktail of imagery that has natural appeal for Rose as a person, because while it’s true that she’s interested in the darkness that surrounds her, it’s clear that Rose spends her narrative seeking the truth and the meaningful.

In other words, even when she’s enmeshed in darkness, what Rose wants is…

The Light. She may not have taken an interest in Meyer’s prose or Edward’s surly patriarchal authority, but all else being equal? Rose was all but made for a story with imagery like Twilight’s. That in and of itself would be evocative and romantic enough, but it goes deeper.

Because Rose’s relationship with Kanaya is deeply interwoven with her relationship to the reality of Homestuck, a conflict that Kanaya directly helps her solve. Perhaps fittingly, given that Kanaya is a Sylph implied to be “Made of Space”, and so innately linked to the Setting of the story through her Aspect.

This conflict between Rose and the Setting of Homestuck is, in my view, nothing less than the main thrust of Rose’s character arc, so it’ll take a little bit to unpack. Let’s dig in.

Rose gets too little credit. She is the first of the main cast to really learn about Lord English, and the unfathomable, canon-defining threat he poses to the cast.

But even before she learns about him in name, she spends pretty much her entire arc resisting and fighting against his machinations, subtly perceiving something deeply wrong in the story from its very beginning.

In this, Rose strikes a compelling counterpoint to her partner TT, Dirk Strider. Because If Dirk’s character arc revolves around his belief that he himself is inherently evil, then it’s fair to say Rose’s main conflict is a belief that the world itself is inherently evil.

Or at the very least, incomprehensible and meaningless. Random and empty of logic or reason. And borderline antagonistic to her and her friends, as though reality itself is an unfortunate occurence.

In other words, Rose’s experience of reality is deeply colored by Void, the aspect of the unimportant, meaningless, irrelevant, and most importantly: incomprehensible.

Just as Dave’s sense of self is broken by his abusive upbringing from a Prince of Heart, so too Rose’s sense of reality is shaped by her codependent relationship with her Mom, a guardian whose actions she can neither understand nor predict.

As a Seer of Light, Rose is drawn towards trying to understand the truth, and in particular the inner truths and meanings behind the minds of others. At the core of her being, Rose is a person who desperately desires to know and understand.

Consider how frustrating this must make Mom’s erratic and dysfunctional behavior to her–there’s no rhyme or reason behind her mother’s actions, influenced as they are by her depression, loneliness, and alcoholism. There’s just apparent randomness from the person who defines her entire life–in essence, the God of her household.

Add in Roxy’s tendency toward passive-aggressive behavior–which Rose definitely perceives from her Mom, whether it was intentionally directed at her or not–and it’s unsurprising that Rose quickly begins to view reality as not just nonsensical and arbitrary, but outright antagonistic.

Rose’s inherently defiant worldview is only intensified by Sburb. Not only does Mom continue being aloof and indecipherable, but Rose discovers that fate has apparently already decreed that she and her friends are doomed to failure and death. To Rose this is more than unacceptable: It’s infuriating.

Throughout Act 5, characters often comment on how Rose’s obsession with subverting Sburb leads her to becoming withdrawn, self-serious, and distant from her relationships. She also attempts to assume responsibility for herself and everyone around her, culminating in the suicide mission she tries to take on alone.

All of this is accompanied by her tearing her Land apart, as she foregoes its “childish” path in favor of something she perceives as more mature and adult. Most blatantly of all, Rose flirts with emulating her Mom in her most obviously adult activity: indulging alcohol. Rose is, in essence, trying to be an adult. Forcing herself to grow up too fast.

By the way? Withdrawing emotions, carefully managing the feelings of others, attempting to assume outsize responsibility for their households and attempting to take care of their guardians are all behavioral hallmarks of kids who grow up in codependent households.

Fast-forward to the aftermath of Cascade, when Rose achieves God Tier and comes face to face with Kanaya for the first time. It’s notable that achieving God Tier is the first moment that Rose is given any indication whatsoever that the plight she shared with her friends was not just random, pointless doom.

It is instead a lucky break. Or a suggestion of greater meaning. In essence, it’s the first time Rose is given really any reason to see reality as anything but the chaotic, nonsensical burden she’s experienced it as so far.

The revelation is accompanied by Kanaya’s sudden phosphorescence, which Rose describes as “inexplicable”–a word usually associated with frustration for her. Here, however, it comes as a happy surprise. Here, Rose is seeing through the incomprehensible Void of her reality to perceive Light for the first time.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the moment is paired with Rose’s first romantic overture toward Kanaya.

Especially since the trend continues. As Rose grows more confident reality not necessarily ALWAYS being a hellish, meaningless landscape of random and pointless suffering, she also grows more playful and willing to be sincere. She grows to trust the Light she was once so suspicious of, asks Kanaya out on dates, and comments on things she enjoys about her without insincerity.

But she remains traumatized and conflicted about her relationship to both her Mom and the world, and takes up Mom’s alcoholism as a way to try to understand the former and ignore the latter.

This comes between her and Kanaya, since Kanaya relies on Rose to help her figure out HER role in the world, and to figure out how to achieve the revival of her species.

It’s worth mentioning that alcohol abuse, for both Rose and Roxy, is extremely Void-coded. It leads Rose to prioritize the pointless, ridiculous, unimportant and non-existent.

Void is also deeply tied to all things physical, as opposed to Light’s link to ideas and the imaginary. And Rose’s lack of guidance is a factor in making Kanaya succumb to her own addiction to Blood.

Here, Kanaya ends up valuing the desires of her physical form as a Rainbow Drinker over the more idealistic goal of the revival of her species, or even her relationship with Rose. As such, the two girls’ problems are marked as the same problem, even as they drive them further apart from one another.

And we see where their disunity and lack of direction takes them Pre-Retcon: It renders both of them less effective, and thus less important to the plot. It also leads them to misfortune. Rose’s inability to connect with and help, or even be helped by Kanaya, leads directly to tragedy in her relationship to the world.

Good thing there’s a flip side.

In the retcon timeline, Rose and Kanaya work stuff out. Rose gets past her alcohol addiction and directly credits Kanaya’s aid for it. Kanaya resists the pull of literal blood as she takes Karkat to Echidna and engages in an intellectual discussion about his relationship to his Aspect and the future of Troll-kind.

Rose reconciles with her Mom completely through Roxy, finding meaning where she could only speculate before. And with her increased ability to sort truth from lie, important from unimportant, and meaningful from irrelevant…

She resolves the tension between herself and the “demands” of Sburb, openly voicing her ambivalence to the very concept of her Personal Quest. In so doing, she illuminates an important truth to both the cast and the audience: that Sburb’s prescribed path to self-actualization is not particularly important, and certainly not strictly necessary.

Inner truth, understanding, good fortune, foresight, and happiness–Rose never needed to comply with some videogame’s 12-step program for self-satisfaction to get any of that, and neither do we. Light can arise anywhere, as long as you have the patience to look for it and people who love you at your side.

Hope this helps you see what I see, anon. Rose and Kanaya’s story is one worth cherishing, and I haven’t even come close to saying all I think there is to say about it, if you can believe that! But its a start.

Happy rosemary month, happy Halloween, and as always

Keep rising! ;)

[Patreon] [Hiveswap Discord]

#Rosemary #Rosemary month #Rose Lalonde #Kanaya Maryam #Homestuck #MSPA #My MSPA Analysis #Seer of Light #Anonymous #Sylph of Space #long post

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andrewthoughtsbombdiggity · 3 years

Text

‘Supah Hero

Super Hero Character

Name: Andra (ANNE-Dra)

Alias: None

Character Intro:

Andra is a human man featured as a main character in Where the Heart Lies and as a main character/secondary character throughout the series. He is 5’8, well built with the exception of a small gut, tan and brown haired (with a pretty prominent flip in the front). He has a power born within him known as the Light, an ambiguously originated power hypothesized by other to be from God (as it seems to work really well against witches, demons, etc.). The Light can be used in many ways and is powered by Andra’s soul.

Setting:

The setting of Andra’s world is on an earth very similar to ours and takes place from 2017ish – 2032. Earth is much like our own except much like the Fallout games its technologically oriented in the 1970’s-90’s. America is America minus the fact that there aren’t “states” as much as there are regions that the country is broken into. Some regions are small (such as The Island (Long Island)) and act without direct control of the country, other regions are large and under direct control of the government (The Mountains (later referred to as Upper Appalachia and Andra’s current home). It is also more forested and aesthetically the cities look more as they would in the 1800’s rather than industrial and modern architecture.

Biography:

Early Childhood:

Little is known of Andra’s early childhood, he has parents named Jen-Jen and Lawro and a brother named Joe (not to be confused with the prominent character Jojo). He mentions that “My mom and dad gave us [me and Joe] the best life possible… but I haven’t seen them since I came home from the war… and I’d rather not”. He had his powers since the day he was born and his mother said that he contained the “divine spark” and stated she had a vision of the universe opening in front of her when he was born. Whether or not this was the power of Light being imbued within him by some vague force has not yet been revealed. It has been written that Andra once mended an injured frog when he was 7… and this was when he became aware of his powers, although he didn’t really know what they were. By age 14 he had a grasp of his basic abilities though unaware where it came from or how it was powered Adolescence: At age 15 he and his friend Jojo were drafted from The Island to battle China in the “Grand War” a devastating 1 year war that left China in ruins… but so many Americans died in the conflict no one was really happy with the result. The Grand Army was disbanded and all previous draftees were given the option to leave or join The New Army, Jojo joined the new while Andra left… thoroughly traumatized. This started the darkening of his heart and his soul was tainted… restraining his powers greatly. He moved to the mountains and lived by himself in peace until…

Events of Where the Heart Lies:

Away from his friends and family at 17 as well as suffering from his trauma from the war Andra had a very hard time until he met his friend Noah, a studying friar whose powers of “The Word” soothed him. However he also fell in love with a woman named Carmilla Rose who seemed to help Andra get over his pain and put him on the road to freedom. However, Carmilla was actually a witch who knew of Andra’s powers (Through the demon Naradonna who whispered her will into Carmilla to destroy him) and wished to corrupt and harness them {see: ‘Powers’ below} for her benefit which would ultimately have killed Andra. She stole his heart and ran further into the wilderness to complete her dark magic whilst leaving Andra to wither and die. Noah not knowing what to do sent for Jojo and together all three journeyed to figure out the curse, cure Andra, and confront Carmilla and defeat her.

Events of Global Seed and Politzania Mania

Andra in Global Seed and Politzania Mania is a bit older at 22 and 24 respectfully. Having honed his powers better in these two stories his personality remains the same save for the fact that he adopts a baby that he names Lucy (she was born of a strange ritual in aboriginal Australia) and fathers twins with an unnamed woman called Arthur and Sally who appear to have inherited the Light. After completing the respective journeys and adventures he seeks a quiet life with his children far off in the countryside away from it all, determining that the world is at peace once and for all. Fatherhood calms his more excitable tendencies as most of his energy is drawn to them and this makes Andra become more even-keel, wiser.

Events of Super Flower Platinum

Andra is a main character yet again, now 32 and with a little “huskiness” to him, Andra built “the Village” as a refuge for all his friends and their families after the events of Politzania Mania. Living in the quiet village, they all believe their work as heroes is done as they wish to live in tranquil remote retirement. Unbeknownst to them one final threat looms its’ ugly head in the form of the demon Polestar. Having fused with Gak (a character in the previous stories) and gifting him dark powers, Gak submits Yarri (another character) to his will and corrupts the planet. After killing an ally, Andra and co. find out the assailant and chase after him. Andra loses his left arm in the initial brawl and Polestar and company escape. Andra has changed in this, having the world so corrupted constantly brings up memories of the Grand War, and this leads a change in him to be erratic and anxious as the journey continues. His kids die as well towards the end (except 1, and he fathered 4 more children in the years leading up to Super Flower Platinum) and this breaks him into a calm madness, far from the joyful and happy-go-lucky character of before… no this is WAR Andra.

Powers:

The Light: The Light is a mysterious power gifted by God to Andra at birth and only fully realized after the defeat of Carmilla Rose in the events of Where the Heart Lies. It allows Andra to manipulate light and energy. While enhancing one’s physical stamina and strength to slightly above average means, it is mainly powered through the soul and the heart of Andra (the heart in the main belief of humans of this world is that the heart is the bridge between spiritual and physical, hence why Carmilla stole the heart as she would have control not just over Andra, but over his soul). Noble intentions are not required although it tends to weaken the overall ability of whatever Andra is doing. Another downside to the Light is that it can damage Andra physically or spiritually if he over exerts although it still will hit his target. The Light doesn’t grant immortality or anything… Andra still ages normally and functions as a normal human.

Abilities:

Detonate- detonate is an ability Andra has that light travels through the spacing of his fingers and blows up anything under or being held by his hand without damage to people (unless he wants it to). This comes in handy if he needs to open a lock or door forcefully or to momentarily distract an enemy (Painfully).

Stun- Stun can stun an enemy by focusing a touch to the heart or to other pressure points although it is more effective when the heart is touched. Blinder- Blinder blinds an enemy with a flash of light that can also double as an attack because it can also burn demons and witches.

Sun King- This ability is the most powerful in Andra’s arsenal and has only been used once, it appears at first as a pulsating ball of yellow/white light that contracts and expands then appears as many smaller balls of pulsating light that cover a large range, they then explode. The catch is that it can kill Andra and he does not control where the little light balls go.

Bam-Bam- any physical/melee attack enhanced by light Pulse- Pulse allows for Andra to place his hand onto an opponent, at which he will pulse light through them, this causes the enemy to glow and burn from the inside out, really effective against witches.

Dawn and Dusk- A last resort; Andra can attach himself to an opponent and explode. It can kill him.

Personality:

Andra’s personality shifts drastically throughout the entire series. Very withdrawn, quiet, and skittish in Where the Heart Lies, he is described by Jojo as being a scared and timid shell of his former shelf, although this is due to the curse. Following the lifting of the curse, he is much more stern and serious but this eventually gives way to his very goofy, jovial, and gregarious true self in later stories, and even further when he becomes an older adult with a child, he’s more mature and experienced and this shows prominently in the third story Politzania Mania where he acts as a counsel to Adrino (another character) when confronted with identity issues. He is still haunted by the Grand War and he sometimes drinks himself to sleep on occasion, much to the chagrin of everyone. He can also be quick to judgment and he finds this out the hard way when his powers weaken and seemingly the most inopportune times.

Goals:

After the events of the first story, Andra simply wishes to live a life of peace and quiet. However he and his friends keep finding themselves embroiled in these mysterious fights of good and evil. After many supernatural run-ins (i.e. the events of The Global Seed), he deduces that he shall find a way to clear the world of supernatural and spiritual evils… thus ridding fear (conscious or unconscious) of primary evil. He’s an unknowing hero, just on a mission to make the world a little brighter. It is unknown if the Light pushes him to cleanse the darkness or if he feels he can accomplish this because of the Light.

Death and Legacy:

The death of Andra takes place a little before the end of the events in Super Flower Platinum. Polestar having recognized the one power that can vanquish him and Gak as well as his offspring (born in the beginning of Super Flower Platinum, named GolStar and SilStar), he kills all but 2 of Andra’s children in a gambit to rid a legacy of the Light and to break Andra mentally to make him easier to defeat. The two surviving children are Saraphina and Lucy, Andra’s adopted child. Andra in a mad outburst goes all out against Polestar, killing SilStar and critically wounding GolStar, however in a moment of distraction Polestar launches a powerful wave of demonic energy at Andra’s left side. Not covered or prepared to defend Andra watches in horror as Lucy uses her ability to sacrifice herself and give Andra one last fighting chance (She turns into a giant tree resistant to anti-nature energies and encases Andra in it, the sap from said tree heals him and her spirit snaps him back into reason and reality). The ensuing fight is brutal with Polestar and Gak seeming to become the victors. With hope fading in the eyes of his comrades, Andra is moved to tears, he then realizes what he must do. Inferring Polestar is the final supernatural threat to worldly peace he charges towards him, incurring many fatal shots to the body before wrapping himself around Polestar/Gak and essentially converting himself and his soul into a Light bomb, destroying Gak/Polestar and GolStar and SilStar and restoring Yarri’s sanity. All saddened at the loss of their friend, the remaining heroes erect a statue in his honor with the inscription “Let the Light Take You Higher” as his ultimate message that people are good, and that good is Light, and the Light will lift you up when all seems lost and hopeless, as demonstrated by his sacrifice. And if there was anything he left behind besides his daughter Saraphina, the only wielder of the Light ability now, it was not only the proof of truly good people, but also that world will no longer encounter true evil ever again.

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sonoflayton · 4 years

Text

Case File

General Information

Name: Alfendi Joshua Carson Layton Nicknames: Al, Fendi Alias: Jonothan "John" Rubens (Fendi), Alexander "Xander" Rubens (Al) [Aliases used in times when Alfendi feels unsafe and is not comfortable giving any real names] Gender: Trans Male (Al), Demiboy (Fendi) Pronouns: He/him and they/them Sexual Orientation: Asexual biromantic (Fendi), [demi]bisexual biromantic (Al) Birthday: June 19th Age: 29 Birthplace: Portland, Maine Resides: London, England Mental Ailments: Dissociative Identity Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (Al), Major Depressive Disorder (Fendi).

Alfendi Layton is an inspector at the Scotland Yard. He is the sole inspector in a division called “London's New Scotland Yard Serious Crime Division Classified Investigation Agency Headquarters“, which he affectionately dubs “the Mystery Room”, where the most difficult of cases are sent. He works there with his assistant, Detective Constable Lucy Baker, to solve the most head-scratching, mind-boggling, toughest cases to enter the Scotland Yard.

Alfendi has developed a condition called Dissociative Identity Disorder, which means, in essence, that there are two complete identities residing in the body of Alfendi Layton. Their names are Al and Fendi Layton, two boys that claim the other as their brother, and work together to create the whole being known as Alfendi Layton.

Canon-Divergence Summary

A brief explanation for those unfamiliar with Layton Brothers: Mystery Room and those who don't wish to read the entire bio on the major points where my Alfendi's canon differs from the game's canon.

• Instead of splitting post-Forbodium, Al and Fendi split during their childhood and grew up together.

• Alfendi's hair remains crimson, regardless of who's fronting.

• Alfendi is the biological son of Gabriel Cunningham, from Trauma Team.

• Alfendi was involved in a bus accident at the age of three, which killed Gabriel and shattered both of Alfendi's legs, which afflicted him with permanent nerve damage and frequent muscle spasms in his legs.

• Alfendi's hometown, Portland, Maine, was home to a dangerous epidemic. The Rosalia Virus killed Alfendi's abusive mother and caused Alfendi physical suffering. Alfendi now has a fear of disease.

• Justin used hypnosis to alter some of Fendi's memories about Forbodium. Al doesn't remember Forbodium due to the trauma.

Appearance

Height: 6'6", MINUS HIS SLOUCH Hair Color: CRIMSON Eye Color: AMBER

Alfendi is a tall, thin, lanky man. His skin is pasty and pale from lack of sunshine, decorated with faint freckles along the bridge of his nose.

His wavy, shoulder-length hair is pulled back into a loose ponytail, but that doesn't do much to tame his unruly hair. Fendi prefers to tuck his bangs behind his ears so he can see. Al has a habit of running his fingers through his hair when he become frustrated, leading to messy bangs in his eyes. This, among a few other characteristics, is a quick way to identify which of them is fronting.

Alfendi's nose is large, mishapen and a bit crooked; it is something that is difficult to miss, and if one is to point it out, neither Al nor Fendi are likely to respond positively.

There are many scars adorning Al and Fendi's body, including those from childhood accidents and sensitive situations that have faded over time. Most notable are the long surgical scars along their legs and a gunshot wound on the left side of his chest.

Alfendi's legs are different lengths, and shoe inserts are used to level this out. If one is to see Alfendi without his shoes on, he will hobble a bit and hold his head toward one side.

The System Named Alfendi Layton

Alfendi has developed Dissociative Identity Disorder. The identities living in Alfendi identify as brothers — named Al and Fendi — sharing the same body to create the one whole being named Alfendi Layton.

They call themselves Alfendi, as that's what they were called growing up, and the 'Layton' surname was adopted after they were adopted by Hershel Layton. All alters have the name Alfendi, and the name can be both associated with themself as an alter and themselves as a system, and the information on which they're referring to can usually be drawn from context.

Name: Alfendi "Al" Layton

Age: 29

Pronouns: He/him

Roles: Protector, Trauma-bearer

Interests: Cooking, psychology, solving mysteries, criminal psychology, movies and TV shows.

Appearance in headspace: Wavy crimson hair that is jaw length, styled in a fashionably messy way. Instead of the body's amber eyes, Al's eyes are an unmistakable yellow. Al is cleanshaven. He sports a scar on his cheek, the same that the body does. In the realm of the headspace, Al wears a favorite jacket of his, a brown tweed jacket with chocolate elbow patches.

Behaviors and Personality

Al is quite the unique character. As a young boy, Al was a sweet, outgoing child. When his abusive mother died and Al was faced with conflicting emotions, he cursed himself for feeling emotions that weren't sadness, and became an aggressive and mean child to drive others away, having convinced himself that he was a 'monster'.

What started as protective measures for others morphed into defense measures for himself and the body. He began to put on the mask of the violent stereotype of DID Systems to gain and maintain control of a given situation through fear, and he would do this through intimidation. When other kids attempted to approach him or call his bluff, Al would follow through on his threats, and get into loads of fights. He was given detention and suspension more times than he can count.

Over the course of his ten years living with Hershel, with the help of a therapist, Al eventually learned that violence isn't the answer, and now seldom follows through with his threats, the only exception being when he or someone he loves is truly in danger. He now only makes threats when he feels he's lost control over a situation, to drive away someone when he feels he's too vulnerable or when they're getting too close to him emotionally, or simply to see someone who's unfamiliar with him squirm.

Fendi

Name: Alfendi "Fendi" Layton

Age: 29

Pronouns: He/him, they/them

Roles: Protector, Host

Interests: Listening to the radio, solving mysteries, finding Hershel Layton.

Appearance in headspace: Wavy wine-colored hair that is shoulder-length, held back in a braid by a scrunchie. Instead of the body's amber eyes, Fendi's are olive. Fendi has a patchy beard growing. In the realm of the headspace, Fendi wears the same outfit that he does when he gets them dressed in the morning: a white labcoat, a blue and red striped sweater, gray pants, and red converse high-tops.

Behaviors and Personality

Fendi's role in the system is to protect the body from further harm, but from what, he doesn't know. He has zero memory of any of his trauma. In moments of crisis, all pain and suffering is shouldered onto Al, leaving Fendi to be the functional alter in any given situation.

As a child, Fendi was quiet and softspoken, even more than usual. He spent most of his time doing his best to be well-behaved and to avoid being a burden on others around him. This behavior was extreme, to the point where he spent most of his early childhood locked away in his bedroom, if not hiding away in his closet. His hobbies included daydreaming and listening to the radio.

After being adopted by Hershel, these behaviors carried with him. For many, many months, Fendi would tuck away in the closet, hiding away from his new family unless encouraged by Hershel or Flora to spend time together. Fendi was quiet and dilligent in class, earning good grades, and seldom socialized with other students, making him a frequent target of teasing. Over the course of his time with Hershel, Fendi learned that he's allowed to exist and take up space, and be more assertive. Even still, he's quiet, soft-spoken, and quite the pushover.

Joshua

Name: Alfendi "Joshua" Layton

Age: 29

Pronouns: He/him

Roles: Gatekeeper

Interests:

Appearance in headspace: Joshua looks a lot like Gabriel, their father. He has wavy, wirey olive hair that sticks more up than down, and is mid-neck length. Joshua's eyes are brown. He has some stubble.

Behaviors and Personality

Joshua hardly ever comes out, only doing so when Al and Fendi are both incapacitated, and when this happens, a new alter may be created. Joshua manages the system from the inside, organizing memories, controlling when switches occur and giving Al and Fendi any information they need when switching.

Carson

Name: Alfendi "Carson" Layton

If Al is broken to the point of not being able to process any more trauma in a given moment, and Fendi is put under stress, it's very likely that Joshua will create a new alter, named Carson. If this occurs, Carson will virtually be a blank slate, and their personality will be developed over time and influenced by their experiences.

Rose

Name: Rosalia "Rose"

Age: N/A

Pronouns: They/them, he/him or she/her depending on vessel's pronouns.

Roles: N/A

Interests:

Appearance in headspace: N/A

Behaviors and Personality

*Rose is not apart of the Alfendi Layton System, and is not canon, being exclusive to the following verses: We Are Rosalia, The Last Survivor, and Multiverse: Parallel Worlds Theory. Rose is a personification of the Rosalia virus, a hivemind virus that tries to infect and control every living being on earth. Rosalia has a fondness particularly for little Alfendi's body, and uses Alfendi for most errands in Maine.

Rose has a personality that's sickeningly sweet, but in a way that's offsetting and creepy. They have no regard for personal space, invading it in an effort to infect their target. Rose tends to have a grin that's too wide and appears fake, and tends to contort their bodies in ways that are abnormal enough to make people very uncomfortable.

Biography

**Trigger warning for: injury, car accident, death, mentioned chest gore, guns, comas, weapons, abuse, child abuse, and blackmail.**

**Spoiler alert forthe entirety of Layton Brothers: Mystery Room and the 2010 Wii game Trauma Center: Trauma Team!**

Alfendi was born as ▇▇▇▇▇ Cunningham, AFAB, to his biological mother, Lisa Cunningham, and his biological father, Gabriel Cunningham. At first, they were a happy family, but as time passed, the spark of love faded away. After months of ceaseless arguing and lots of emotional abuse from Lisa, Gabriel left when Alfendi was three years old. Alfendi lived with his mother and visited his father every other weekend.

One day, Alfendi went to the mall with his father to buy a birthday present for his mother. To their surprise, they encounter not one, but three of Gabriel’s co-workers from the hospital.

Suddenly, a school bus crashed through the wall. Alfendi was shoved out of the way by his father, saving him from being hit by the bus, but putting his legs in the way of the wheels, causing them to be crushed under the weight of the wheels. Luckily, Gabriel’s co-workers, two doctors and a first responder, were present and able to save nearly everyone. Gabriel was hit by the bus, pushed through the partiton, fell to the floor below, and was covered in falling rubble, and did not survive the accident.

Shortly after Gabriel’s death, without her legal husband to scapegoat all of her problems on to, Lisa turned to her son. She blamed him first for petty things he had no control over, then over things he had no relation to. As time went on, the emotional abuse became more frequent, then more severe, then turned physical.

As Alfendi endured these traumatic experiences, he developed Dissociative Identity Disorder as a result of his frequent dissociation. There were two complete identities in Alfendi’s body: Fendi, who tried to be a people pleaser, stay out of trouble, protect himself by being good, and Al, the trauma bearer, the alter who endured all of the pain, and therefore, is the only one who remembers it.

Alfendi was a frequent patient at Resurgam hospital, mostly due to a broken nose. Doctors and nurses were skeptical on the origins of these injuries, but Fendi always fronted at the hospital and claimed not to be able to remember what caused them. Nothing could be proven.

One day, around the age of eight for Alfendi, there was a report on the news; the united states had declared a state of national emergency. There was an outbreak of a new virus, the Rosalia virus, which was being spread across the city at an increasingly rapid rate, and the city of Portland, Maine was under quarantine. Both Alfendi and his mother began showing symptoms of the virus within a day, and they rushed to Resurgam hospital for care. Lisa passed away from the Rosalia virus due to a comprimised immune system as a result from a pre-existing condition, but a serum was made in time to save Alfendi.

Since Alfendi was orphaned, he stayed in the hospital after he was cured while the chaos of the Rosalia Virus cleared. During his stay, Fendi met Professor Hershel Layton, who was flown in from London in hopes that his legendary intuition would be helpful in finding the source of and a cure for the virus. Hershel would visit him frequently and read picture books to him, then, upon learning that he was orphaned, decided to adopt him. From then on, he would be known as a Layton.

Alfendi lived a lovely life growing up with his new father and two sisters, Katrielle and Flora. Hershel would sometimes leave on trips to go on adventures with his assistant, Luke, and archeological digs, leaving the Layton children in the care of Flora, the eldest. Alfendi would worry about Hershel while he was gone, but he would always keep in touch and return safely.

Al and Fendi were both transmasculine, and the Layon family were very supportive. They helped them by cutting thier hair in an affirming way and helping them to legally change their name to Alfendi as a child, getting them prescribed puberty blockers at 13, then testosterone at 16, and finally, gifting top surgery as a 17th birthday present (after years of saving and penny-pinching).

When Alfendi was 17, Hershel went on an adventure, and after a month of no contact, was declared missing. It was as if he had vanished off the face of the earth. In Hershel’s absence, Flora declared custody over her little siblings, and was able to support them with her job as a journalist.

Eventually, Alfendi graduated from Gressenheller University with a major in criminal justice, and ascended the ranks in the Scotland Yard, all the way up to Detective Chief Inspector of the homicide division. Alfendi was a prodigy in the solving of mysteries and reaching logical conclusions, just like both of his fathers, and was assigned the homicide division, with the exception of a single case that Fendi insisted on being assigned to: their father’s.

After a few years of working at the Yard, Alfendi moved from Flora’s house to Hershel Layton’s flat, which had been put into the care of and maintained by Flora. It was a logical decision, seeing as the flat was closer to his work than Flora’s place, but he was still close enough that he would come over for dinner nearly every night to eat with Flora and Katrielle.

At the age of 25, Alfendi worked on the task force for the case of the Jigsaw Killer, a string of murders connected only by a puzzle piece left at the scene as a signature. It was there that Alfendi met Justin Lawson, a fellow homicide inspector and Alfendi’s friend, and Hilda Pertinax, the interpol agent assigned to the case who requested the help of the Scotland Yard's finest to solve the case. Al fronted for the entirety of the time he worked on the case, due to his fascination with the case and developing crush on and chemistry with Hilda. Before he knew it, Al began keeping his DID a secret from Justin and Hilda, as it had never been 'a good time' to introduce them.

After some time, the suspects had been narrowed down to one Keelan Makepeace, who was chased by the police to an abandoned castle an hour outside of the city called the Forbodium Castle.

During pursuit, there was a stand off on the roof of one of the towers between Keelan Makepeace, and Al, who in his rush, had neglected to put on a bulletproof vest. Alfendi took a bullet to the chest from Makepeace. Afterward, Keelan was murdered by Justin, who had long before cracked the case. Lawson had been blackmailing Makepeace: kill who I ask you to, in exchange for your continued freedom.

Alfendi was rushed to a hospital, where the bullet was surgically removed. Miraculously, Alfendi survived at the cost of part of his left lung. He was in a coma for three months, and stayed in the hospital for a few weeks after waking for observation. During this time, Lawson visited them in the hospital daily, and due to him using genuine hypnotic suggestion found in a janky book about brainwashing, Al and Fendi’s memories of the incident are fuzzy. Al, the alter who was actually fronting at the time, claims to have little to no understanding of what happened, as his memories are scrambled and bits and pieces are missing, as it was a traumatic moment, and everything happened too fast. Fendi, however, has no genuine memory of the incident, and due to hypnotic suggestion, his mind has filled the gaps in his memory with events that never occured, and now seems to be convinced that he has shot Makepeace.

Hilda also visited Alfendi in the hospital, but because Al was busy processing the trauma of what had happened, Fendi had been the one fronting. The chemistry and playful banter she and Al had did not carry over to Fendi. He regarded her with polite distance and respect. If she tried to joke, he seldom understood, and if she teased him, he would meekly apologize. Realizing that she had fallen in love with Al and not Fendi, Hilda slowly distanced herself until she mostly disappeared from his life, aside from the occasional professional interaction.

Alfendi was given a not guilty verdict due to self-defense, but was demoted to Detective Inspector and legally prohibited from posessing a firearm of any sort, including a service weapon. Despite this, Alfendi is a talented inspector, one who is valuable to the Scotland yard. The comissioner, a man with a soft spot for Alfendi due to working with his father in the past, created a new division specifically for Alfendi, one where he can put his Layton intuition to work without going out into the field. This divison is called London's New Scotland Yard Serious Crime Division Classified Investigation Agency Headquarters, but is affectionately referred to as the Mystery Room, and is a place where the difficult cases that stump the other divisions, typically locked room murders and the sort, are sent. Armed with the reconstruction device, a machine that can recreate any crime scene from pictures taken by the initial investigators, Alfendi can solve any mystery without leaving the comfort of his office.

After four years, Alfendi was reluctantly assigned an assistant, a chipper detective constable named Lucy with a strong Yorkshire accent. Despite his initial hesitations, Al, Fendi and Lucy develop strong bonds and become a formidable trio.

The forbodium incident is brought up again soon after, with Keelan’s daughter, Diane Makepeace, luring Alfendi and Lucy out to Forbodium Castle again with the promise of information. After splitting up Alfendi and Lucy, Diane hatches a plan to take revenge by plotting to kill Alfendi in front of Lucy. She blindfolded him, tied him to a chair, and held a pistol to his head, but before Lucy could arrive, Justin Lawson arrived first. He shot and killed Diane Makepeace, then dropped her pistol in Al’s lap in an attempt to frame him a second time.

Using everything she’d learned from her time working in the mystery room, Lucy was able to solve a case deemed unsolvable by proving that there was no other possibility except for Justin being the killer of both Makepeaces. This cleared the name of Alfendi Layton, and sent Justin Lawson to face the punishment deemed by the law.

Though Alfendi is now free to rejoin the homicide department and obtain a license for carry, Al and Fendi both love their job at the Mystery Room, and have opted to continue working there with Lucy. As for the gun, he carries a service weapon now, and has a few other legally-owned guns stashed around his flat for defense.

Soon after, Alfendi got a phone call from his sister, Katrielle, who grew up to be a detective to search for their father. She declared that she found Hershel. After ten years of absence, Al and Fendi’s relationships with their father are certainly different. Fendi has spent his time looking for him, and is relieved to see him again despite the rift of ten years straining their relationship, while Al, who chose to replace his pain with anger, is resentful and angry for his disappearance in the first place.

Post-Hypnotic Triggers

"Shoot Keelan Makepeace", "Shoot Keelan", or "Shoot Makepeace"

When these sets of words are used in a sentence, it will cause Fendi to respond with "I shot Keelan Makepeace". Fendi readily admits to shooting Keelan, as he (believes he) remembers having done so. This particular suggestion does not affect Al, as he does not remember the events of Forbodium and his instinct not to confess to a crime he doesn't remember committing overwhelms the power of this suggestion.

"Relax, Relax, Relax"

This trigger is one that puts Alfendi in a hypnotic trance, and therefore, an easily suggestable state. This trigger has a variety of uses, including allowing one to create false memories for one of the alters, planting a new suggestion, causing temporary amnesia, and, if done correctly, creating a new behavioral response to a post-hypnotic trigger.

"Don't Forget to Remember This"

Once in a trance, when this phrase is heard and followed with a story in the second person, it allows the speaker to 'write' a false scenario into Fendi's memory. When the speaker is done, they can say "understand?" to clarify that they're finished, though it can usually be drawn from context when the 'memory' is over.

"Completely Forget About Forbodium"

During Justin's attempt to 'brainwash' Alfendi, he attempted to make Alfendi forget entirely about the events occurring at Forbodium. This, of course, isn't possible. It is, however, possible to cause temporary short-term amnesia regarding something specific, which is what occured. This trigger will cause him to forget about the events at Forbodium for up to thirty minutes, or until something reminds him of it.

Trauma Triggers

• The sound of a car pulling into a driveway

• Tomato soup

• Disease

0 notes

acuaticamber06 · 7 years

Text

Undertone, Chapter Three

Good morning, everyone! This is round two for me and this chapter… I saved it as a draft and went back to post in and *POOF* it was gone. I have no idea where it vanished to in the ether, but I hope whoever has it is enjoying all of the EDITING I HAD TO DO! *hits head on desk repeatedly*

Sorry it’s late, but here’s the next chapter! This one was a toughie. I struggled with whether or not I should jump right into the main conflict of the story this early in the telling. Luckily, @reptilerach gives excellent advice and was my sounding board when I needed another opinion.

So the conflict will have to wait for another chapter while Rin and Grillby get to know each other.

Warnings: Fluff Alert! Otherwise, nothing!

Obvious Disclaimer: I do not own Undertale or any of the characters in it. This story is for fun. ^_^

Chapter Three

Grillby didn't have to look down to send the text to Rin. Typing on a touchscreen with near-perfect accuracy was one of the new talents he had acquired over the course of the year. When he stopped at a red light, he glanced down at her reply.

R *Goodnight, Grillby.

A soft smile crinkled the corners of his eyes, but it was erased almost immediately by a frown.

It was one sentence; two words. That's all it was. And yet, getting that simple text from Rin had unconsciously raised his body temperature by several degrees. As a fire elemental, Grillby had to be aware of his temperature and flame height. He didn't want accidentally start any fires or burn someone.

Or scorch my leather seats.

Learning to control their bodies is something all elementals are taught at an early age. It is essential for existing alongside other monsters. Grillby couldn't afford to be losing that control every time he got a text message. He needed to bring his head back to things that mattered.

Like the bar.

~~~

Grillby looked upset when he came back through the kitchen to the main room. Sans spotted his bad mood right away. Not only had he known Grillby a long time and considered him a friend, elementals tended to be easy to read.

When Grillby was sad, the flames on his body were lower and darker. When he was happy, they were taller and brighter. When he was angry or frustrated, they were taller and brighter yet.

Judging by the height of the flames on his head and the frown on his face, Sans guessed that his friend was upset, but what had triggered him was still a mystery.

Grillby tucked his towel into his back pocket and lifted an eyebrow quizzically at Sans.

"It's like I said before: nothing's changed. Although some people may need refills." Sans reported.

Grillby nodded and went to tend to his customers. Sans watched him interacting with the patrons with a critical eye.

Something was wrong. No matter what his mood, once Grillby got into the zone of bartending, everything else seemed to fade away. He always calmed right down. This time, however, his flames stayed tall and the frown remained.

Sans pulled out his phone and opened his messages.

S *Hey, bro? Are you home?

P *INDEED I AM, BROTHER!

S *Paps, your caps lock is on again.

P *WHAT? WHAT DO YOU MEAN? ARE MY KNEE CAPS IN MORTAL DANGER?

S *What?

P *ARE THEY GOING TO LOCK UP, NEVER AGAIN TO BEND?

S *No, Paps.

P *AM I DOOMED TO WALK FOREVER AS THOUGH I HAVE BEEN SPEARED BY UNDYNE THROUGH THE BOTTOMS OF MY PERFECTLY SHINED BOOTS?!?

S *Just forget I said anything, bro.

P *VERY WELL. ALTHOUGH IT CONFUSES ME, I WILL FORGET ABOUT THIS CONVERSATION.

S *Thanks.

P *HELLO SANS, THE BROTHER THAT I HAVE NOT SPOKEN TO AT ALL THIS AFTERNOON!

S *...Hi. Have you made dinner yet?

P *YES. I AM JUST FINISHING THE SPAGHETTI.

S *Okay. Will you save mine for me?

P *IT SMELLS DELICIOUS, BUT I SUPPOSE I CAN STORE YOUR DINNER IN OUR REFRIGERATOR. WHY?

S *Something's wrong with Grillby and I want to stay and help him.

P *OH NO! ARE GRILLBY'S KNEES ALSO IN DANGER OF LOCKING UP?

S *No. I don't know how late I'll be, so go to bed when you get tired.

P *HOW CAN YOU EXPECT ME TO SLEEP WHEN OUR DEAR FRIEND IS IN TROUBLE?

S *Paps, he's going to be fine.

P *I WILL COME TO THE BAR RIGHT AWAY TO HELP!

S *NO. I will handle this. Trust me.

P *VERY WELL, BROTHER.

P *...

P *SANS, ARE MY ELBOWS ALSO IN DANGER OF LOCKING?

S *GOODNIGHT, PAPYRUS

P *GOODNIGHT, SANS!

Sans shook his head and shoved his phone back into his pocket with an amused smile.

Grillby was now behind the counter, polishing glasses. Sans watched him pick up and clean them one by one, but he was lacking his usual precision. As if to prove his point, Grillby set down and picked up a glass he'd already polished, only to clean it again.

"So! How did dropping off our newest friend go?" He smirked.

Grillby jumped a little and stared at him, his brows drawn together.

"Oh, come on, Grillbz! You had a pretty girl all to yourself. Do you really expect me to believe that nothing happened?"

Grillby moved the tablet over to Sans and started typing.

*Nothing happened.

"Nothing at all?"

*No. Nothing at all happened.

Sans lifted one boney eyebrow at him.

"I don't believe you."

Grillby's flames started shooting a bit higher, but Sans wasn't too worried.

*I just took her home. I stayed long enough to make sure she made it inside safely and then I left.

"Jeez, Grillbz, we've got to work on your pickup skills." Sans put a hand to his forehead and sighed. "Don't worry, I'll be your wingman and we'll figure it out. Did you at least get her phone number?"

All at once, the flames lowered and blue lightly tinged his cheeks. Grillby hesitated, but eventually answered.

*Yes.

"Great! You're not such a lost cause after all." Sans grinned at his friend.

"So tell me, then..." He lowered his voice to where only Grillby could hear it. "If tonight was such a success, then why are you so upset?"

Grillby started typing, but Sans talked over him.

"And don't try to tell me that you aren't, because I can read you like an open book. Besides, I just watched you polish the same glass three times."

Grillby stopped. He stared at the screen, avoiding Sans' eyes.

"You're my friend, Grillby. Talk to me. Let me help if I can. I'll sit here all night if I have to."

The elemental sighed and brought his gaze back over to Sans.

*Alright. Wait until everybody leaves.

~~~

When Grillby had seen everyone else to the door, he locked it and turned off the sign outside. He bolstered himself and went back to sit next to his friend.

"Now, what happened?" Sans asked.

Grillby didn't hold anything back. He talked about how frustrated he was when Rin wouldn't just accept his offer to drive her home. He recalled the feeling that he was losing track of everything else when he looked at her. He told him about the text message and his body's reaction.

*It just doesn't make any sense. It's been less than 24 hours since we first met!

"It makes perfect sense to me." Sans smiled.

Grillby decided that he should be watching his friend a bit more closely for any other symptoms of insanity.

"There's a term the humans use for it...if I could just remember what it was..." The skeleton tapped a phalange against his chin. "It had something to do with dogs. I know that for sure."

Oh look. Another symptom.

Sans held the finger in the air suddenly. "Puppy love! That's what they call it. Puppy love!"

*What?

"Yep! You have a serious case of Puppy Love." Sans nodded confidently.

Grillby typed the phrase into his phone and looked it up.

*"An intense but relatively shallow romantic attachment, typically associated with adolescents"?

"Wait! No, that's not it." Sans frowned. He dug out his own phone and did a web search. "It's...love at first sight!"

Grillby snorted.

*Love at first sight is nonsense.

"No it's not!" He insisted. "Look, it says here that 'the first few minutes of a relationship have shown to be predictive of the relationship's future success.'"

*Wikipedia is not a scholarly source, Sans.

The skeleton rubbed the bridge of his non-existent nose. "We're not getting anywhere with this. Look, all of that aside, what's so wrong with being attracted to someone?"

Grillby stared at the bar top, lost in thought.

"And what's so bad about that someone being Rin?" Sans continued.

I...don't know.

His friend laid a gentle hand on his arm. "It's been a long time since-"

Grillby raised his other hand to stop Sans before he went any further. He was fully aware of how long it had been.

Sans sighed. "All I'm saying is that it's okay to let yourself fall in love again. Rin is a different girl in every way. And I think she'd be a lot of fun to get to know."

Grillby nodded.

*I'll think about it.

Sans hopped down from the bar stool, stretching and cracking several joints. Grillby stood up and started for the door to let him out.

"Don't bother, Grilbz. I'll take the shortcut."

He looked up at Grillby with a pleading look. "Don't shoot it down right away. Think about it."

Grillby nodded again and Sans disappeared in a cerulean blip.

~~~

Grillby locked the money in the safe without counting it.

I'll deal with it tomorrow.

Dimming the lights, he walked back through the kitchen and opened the door to the basement. With one finger, he turned on all six lights between the stairwell and his living room.

When he got to the bottom of the stairs, he paused and turned them all off again. It wasn't as if he couldn't see. He was a walking nightlight.

Grillby eased into his bedtime routine, trying to consider what Sans had said. He kept structuring sentences in his head, but every time he got one together, it dissipated into the big ball of white noise that seemed to have taken over his brain. He couldn't think straight. He couldn't weigh out pros and cons. He couldn't even argue with himself.

By the time he got to his bed, Grillby knew what the white noise was: it was every memory and thought being swept under the rug of his mind by the simpler but more important yes-or-no question he needed to answer:

Was he open to a new relationship or not?

He fell into bed and unlocked his phone so he could close some apps and plug it in to charge. The first thing he saw on the screen was her message.

This time, Grillby didn't get angry; he didn't automatically shut down. He just waited for a reaction, like waiting for a thunderclap after seeing a bolt of lightning. He could hear her voice in his head and he read it again.

Goodnight, Grillby.

In his mind, her hazel eyes looked up at him through her long eyelashes.

His heart fluttered and he could see the dusting of blue on his cheeks reflecting back to him off his glossy phone case. It was perfectly clear what his body and mind wanted.

What's so wrong with being attracted to someone?

After a moment of staring at the screen, Grillby tapped on Rin's number and created a new contact. The cursor blinked steadily in the "Name" box.

Raven.

Grillby smiled as he typed it, and the static in his mind melted away. Saving the contact, he set aside his phone and put his arms behind his head, staring up at the ceiling.

A silly grin grew on his face, and this time he let it stay.

Raven.

~~~

The next week was filled with hunting and interviewing for more jobs. She busied herself with filling out applications, call-backs, and creating multiple outfits out of the only skirt she owned. But during the walks she took to get to and from her interviews, Rin's mind wandered back to Grillby's bar and the peace she felt there.

I wonder what he's doing right now?

Rin paused at a bus stop bench to change out of her nice heels and into her tennis shoes. She put the heels in her backpack. No way was she walking any considerable distance in those.

She looked at her watch. It was almost 2 o'clock.

Ah. He's probably preparing in the kitchen to open.

Rin saw him in her mind: gliding around the room, filling drinks and greeting customers. She knew Sans would be posted in his usual spot later, sipping on ketchup and watching the activity in room.

She pulled out her phone to send him a text, but chickened out. Again.

No. That would sound stupid.

It had been a week. Seven days had passed since she stepped into Grillby's, and she still hadn't worked up the courage to text him.

How long do you wait to text someone? Three days? A week? More? There should be a guide book for this crap.

Rin pulled an uneaten half of a peanut butter sandwich out of her backpack and set off for home, chewing as she walked.

Her last paycheck had come in, and with it the literal end of her funds. Minimum wage didn't get her much, and it was half of the regular paycheck she usually earned because she'd only worked for half of that last week.

This wasn't the first time in her life that she'd had to stretch her money, and she knew what she had to do. The first thing she did after cashing her check was go to the store and buy the biggest tub of bargain-brand peanut butter she could find. The thing was huge. The container was almost a foot tall. Then she went to the bakery department and bought a bunch of clearanced bread items. There were rolls and croissants and entire loaves of bread for half a dollar or less. When she got home, she put all of the bread in the freezer and only took out what she needed for the day. It didn't go moldy that way. If she was careful, she might be able to make her money last this way to the end of the month.

But I'll never eat peanut butter again.

Rin wanted to see if there were any other marked-down goods, so she altered her route to swing by the store. She was glad they built the new store close to her apartment.

What if Grillby has forgotten all about me? Do fire elementals have good memories? He might have said those things just to be nice.

Her new train of thought depressed her, so Rin stopped. She tried to be her own cheerleading squad instead.

He WAS being nice! Genuinely nice! You haven't had a friend since grade school. You've earned the right.

That put a spring in her step...until the little voice in the back of her head spoke up.

You don't deserve it.

Deflated, she pushed the thought away. Whether she wanted a friend or not, the only person she could really trust was herself. She had always been a loner. That wasn't about to change anytime soon.

The store's clearance bin was sadly empty, save for a wilted head of lettuce. Rin took it, knowing that she could perk it up overnight if she soaked it and stuck it in the fridge. She grabbed a fresh head of lettuce too because she had a thing for buying stuff in pairs (and to extend her window of non-peanut butter meals), then she lightly browsed on her way to the checkout and paid for her food.

The rest of her walk home was uneventful. As she trudged up the steps to her apartment, she thought about the peanut butter dinner that awaited her and cringed. A burger from Grillby's sounded like mana from heaven in comparison.

She took out her phone and opened the message again.

He's a potential friend! Friends text each other! It's a totally normal thing to do!

Rin hesitated for a moment, then plowed right past the second-guessing.

R *I have to applaud your culinary technique. Your Burg made quite an impression on me. It's been a week and my mouth still waters when I think about that night!

Rin hit send before she could stop herself and held her breath until it was fully sent. Then and only then did the flood of regret swirl back into her mind. She tried to shrug it off with an "Oh well" attitude.

Can't do anything about it now! It's already gone.

Rin turned on her AC and collapsed on the sofa. It was a ratty old thing, but boy was it comfortable. She found it at a thrift store for 15 bucks, then splurged and rented a pickup truck to get it home. She didn't have a TV, but she sat there to read books and listen to the radio.

She stared at the back of her eyelids, dreading his response. He might thank her, but actually be totally weirded out by her comments.

What if he doesn't respond at all?

Her phone chimed and she jumped.

I guess that option's off the table.

She opened the message, afraid to look.

G *A cook can receive no greater compliment. I'm glad you liked it.

Rin sighed and felt a wave of relief.

He answered!

She heard a bloop! from her phone.

G *Do you want another one? I don't usually deliver, but I'd make an exception for someone who appreciates my work.

Fear flashed over like a fire. Rin quickly typed a response.

R *Oh, no! I couldn't ask you to do that! There have to be a million things you need to do before you open. It would be pretty selfish of me to interrupt all of that.

She exhaled.

Hopefully that was tactful enough to-

Bloop!

G *I did all my prep work last night. It would be no trouble at all...and I'd actually really like the company. If you don't mind, of course.

Rin softened.

He's lonely?

R *Well...when you put it that way... I'd really like the company, too.

Rin face-palmed.

Of all the cheesy things to say-

Bloop!

G *Great! I'll be over as soon as they're done.

R *Okay! See you then!

As an afterthought, she sent him her address. It would help if he knew where to go.

She looked around at her apartment and anxiety bubbled back up her throat.

This place is a wreck! I have to straighten up!

~~~

Once her apartment was sufficiently tidy, Rin went to the kitchen to make a salad. She felt like it was the least she could do, considering that Grillby was making her food and bringing it out to her.

She had begun researching cooking and recipes when she was still little. Actually, she really enjoyed experimenting in the kitchen, but it wasn't often that she got the chance to do it. Most of the time, she was finding ways to make things tasty on the tightest budget possible.

Salad dressing was something she perfected as a teenager, because lettuce was cheap and (with the right ingredients) the dressing could be, too, if you made it yourself. Really, any vinaigrette was just a balancing act between acids and oils: you combined one part acid to every three parts oil. And because there were so many different vinegars and oils to choose from, the combinations were almost endless.

Rin opened her refrigerator to see what she had in the acid department.

Hmm, balsamic or rice vinegar?

Balsamic could really pack a punch, whereas rice vinegar was more subtle. And since this was seasoned rice vinegar, it had a sweet and salty flavor to it.

Rin grabbed the little bottle and closed the fridge. She thought that a cook like Grillby would appreciate the rice vinegar like she did. Setting it on the counter, she went to her spice cabinet and shuffled through what was there. She took out the olive oil and picked up powdered ginger for a little kick.

Rin sang softly to herself as she prepared the dressing and the lettuce. Halfway through a song, she realized something.

This is the first time I've cooked for a friend.

~~~

Grillby was a little nervous. He stood outside Rin's door, hand poised to knock.

Am I intruding here? Did I push this on her when she didn't want guests?

Music interrupted his worrying. He could hear a muffled female voice singing.

Is that Rin?

Grillby was entranced. Her voice was full and powerful one moment, then light and airy the next. She had a beautiful tone.

He listened for a moment more, then knocked rhythmically on the door. He was loathe to do so, but he only had about a half hour until he had to get back to the bar.

The singing stopped abruptly, and Rin opened the door. She grinned when their eyes met.

She has hazel eyes.

"Hi." She said sweetly.

Internally, Grillby melted, then returned the greeting with his eyes and an incline of the head.

Hi.

"Come on in!"

~~~

The apartment was small, but it didn't feel cramped. The kitchen was open into the living room, making it feel bigger than it actually was. Rin didn't have much in the way of decorations around the room, save for a few rocks on the counter that were odd shapes and flecked with color and mica.

Her little dinette set was between the two rooms on a small blue rug. It had been set with plates and flatware, along with two glasses of ice water and a simple salad in a yellow striped bowl.

He set the two packages in his hand on the counter while Rin was still speaking.

"It's not much, but it's home. Make yourself comfortable. I didn't have much to offer, but-" she paused. After clearing her throat, she continued. "I did have lettuce, so I made a salad. I need to get myself to a grocery store soon."

He was pleasantly surprised. Grillby didn't expect her to make anything. He just wanted to spend some time with her.

He dug out his tablet and handed it to her. Honestly, his system was pretty quick and Rin was used to it. Considering how much time he had to stay, he thought it was the best way.

He smiled.

*You didn't have to make anything. I was the one bringing lunch to you.

"I felt like I had to. It’s kind of a special occasion as it's been...a while since I have invited anyone over to my place." Rin rubbed the back of her neck and looked embarrassed.

*I feel honored to have been chosen.

Grillby lifted the paper bag along with his eyebrows.

*Hungry?

Rin chuckled. "Starving!"

He unloaded the contents of the bag onto the counter. Retrieving the plates from the table, he unwrapped toasted buns, toppings, and condiments, building the burgers piece by piece. The last package was wrapped in aluminum foil.

*It may not be as impressive as setting a skillet on fire but...

He concentrated on the package in his hand, raising his temperature rapidly to heat it up. The flames on his arm and fingers leapt visibly higher, while they were usually more subdued. Rin seemed fascinated by the process.

Once they were hot, he unwrapped them and finished constructing the sandwiches. He made a sweeping gesture to the table, inviting her to sit.

"Wow! Dinner and a show! I didn't know I was getting a two-for-one deal." Rin picked up a glass bottle from the counter and went to her seat.

Grillby pulled out her chair for her.

"Thank you." She smiled. He sat across from her.

*So! What is this magnificent salad you've prepared for us?

She snorted and tossed the salad in a dressing. "Hardly magnificent. It's just lettuce. Although, I did make the dressing myself."

*Oh?

"Yes! You'll have to tell me how it tastes."

Grillby's focus went from the salad, to the glass of water, and back again.

Hmm. I'm going to need to spell these... I wonder if she knows?

He looked up at Rin, then began to type.

*What do you know about monsters and magic?

"Not much, actually. I have a lot to learn about monsterkind." She hung her head.

He looked at her fondly. He didn't mean to make her feel bad.

*It's not your fault if you don't know. It's just that nobody's told you yet.

He smiled, which prompted her to smile in return.

That's better. She's cute when she smiles.

*Magic can do a lot of things in the hands of the right monster, but it's crucial for fire elementals like me.

"Why's that?" Rin asked. She had this way of tilting her head to the right whenever she had a question that was adorable. Grillby made himself to continue.

*While things like our own bodily fluids don't hurt us, other liquids do. Pouring a glass of water on a fire elemental would be like dumping a cup of acid on your neighbor. It burns. It can do serious damage to our bodies, and if we aren't prepared, it could even kill us.

Rin's face went white. "Oh. Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I'll get rid of-"

She went reaching for his water and he put a hand out to stop her.

*No, it's okay! Let me finish.

She settled back in her chair uneasily. "A-alright..."

He nodded reassuringly and continued.

*So the first magic we learn as children is how to make foods and liquids safe for us to eat. I'm going to do that now. Watch.

Grillby put his hands on either side of his place setting, containing his glass and the salad bowl between them. He pushed a little harder than usual on the magic so that she'd be able to see it.His hands began to glow purple, and as he pushed, the purple light flowed over the food and drink, drenching them in light.

"Wow..." Rin breathed. "That's the coolest thing I've ever seen..."

After a minute more, he eased off and let the magic dissipate. It soon vanished.

*A lot of that was overkill. I've been casting food spells since I was a kid, so I can do it now without glowing, which makes it convenient to eat around strangers. I just wanted you to see it.

She looked at him, awed. "Amazing! So, is it safe now?"

He grinned. Dramatically, he lifted a finger and stuck it in in his glass of water. His flames were muted, but sparked back to life as soon as he withdrew his finger.

Rin applauded and he gave a tiny bow.

"Here, let me serve you some now perfectly safe salad." She smiled.

After doling out a portion to his bowl, Grillby stabbed a few leaves and took a bite. A rush of familiar and unfamiliar flavors flooded his mouth. He would know olive oil a mile away, and he'd tried Chinese food so the ginger wasn't new, but the strange sweet and salty flavor behind it was totally foreign to him.

His face must have said as much, because Rin began to giggle.

*You made this? It's delicious! What did you put in it?

"Have you ever tried sushi?"

No. No he hadn't. Eating raw fish wasn't something that really appealed to him. After all, he was a being composed of fire. Cooked food had always kind of been his thing.

*No. Not yet.

"It's good stuff. I'll have to show you where I get sushi. But, anyway, I used olive oil, seasoned rice vinegar, and ginger. The vinegar is what they put on sushi rice."

Grillby could see how the light flavors would pair well with fish. He made a mental note to cook with it sometime.

*It's delicious. I'd love to have your recipe, if you're willing to part with it.

~~~

Rin could feel a little proud blush creeping up her face. Grillby liked her dressing so much that he wanted the recipe!

"Sure! It's not complicated, though. I just enjoy mixing and creating new flavors, and that's easy to do with salad dressings."

She tucked into the burger with zeal. Even though he'd brought it all this way, it tasted just as delicious as it did back at the bar. That, or the fact that it wasn't peanut butter was clouding her judgment.

They chatted the through the meal, learning each other's likes and dislikes, and laughing at their kitchen mishaps, but soon Grillby was checking the time on his phone.

*I hate to eat and run, but I need to get back to the bar before opening time.

Rin was disappointed, but she got up to show him to the door.

"Thank you, Grillby. You didn't have to bring food all the way out here, but I'm glad you did."

Rin put out her hand to shake his, unsure of what she should do at this point.

Do I offer a hug? A handshake? Is it rude to do nothing? What do I-

All in the time that it took to breathe, Grillby took her hand in his and turned it so her palm was parallel with the floor. Rin felt a tingling sensation crawl over it, and she watched a purple light run across her skin. As soon as the light was gone, he bent and raised the back of her hand to his lips, all while keeping eye contact with her.

His lips were soft and warm. (Everything about him was, for obvious reasons.) Then Rin could feel the light moisture of his mouth on the back of her hand:

It sizzled.

Heat raced up her neck as she blushed furiously, and Rin felt her phone buzz in her pocket. After staring at him with her mouth open for a second, she pulled it out and read the message.

G *The pleasure is all mine. We should do it again sometime. How about Sunday? I'll pick you up.

Rin looked back up and found him gazing down at her, his eyes crinkling slightly at the corners. They held the same warmth and kindness she always found, but there was an intensity in his gaze that she hadn't noticed before. He tilted his head and lifted his eyebrows as if asking her a question:

What do you say?

"Uhh- ah-" Rin sputtered intelligently. She tried again. "Like a date?" her voice squeaked.

Grillby's eyes danced with laughter. He nodded.

"I, um-"

Can people and monsters be together?

Rin's mind burned with questions. She hadn't really thought about Grillby that way. But one look in his eyes told her that she wanted to find out. She needed to find out.

"Yes. I would love that."

She watched Grillby light up at her response, both literally and figuratively. His face broke into a broad grin, and his flames grew taller and brighter.

G *Great! I'll pick you up at five.

"Great! I'll be ready."

As he moved toward the door, Rin opened her hand to release his, even though she didn't want to let go. Grillby shifted his grasp so that he ran his fingers along her palm all the way to her fingertips.

A delicious chill snaked up her back.

He stepped out the door and turned to face her again. He inclined his head, like he always did, but it felt different this time. Flirty, even.

She grinned like an idiot and did the same, mirroring his move back to him.

"Bye." She said softly.

Grillby gave a little wave before striding down the hallway toward the stairs. Rin shut the door and put her back against it, sinking to the floor.

How long she sat there in stunned silence, Rin wasn't sure. Suddenly, the realization of what just happened hit her.

She jumped up, running to the window that faced the front of the building where the parking lot was. Not seeing his convertible anywhere, she stepped back and squealed, doing a happy little dance.

"I've got a DATE!"

~~~

The silly smile on Grillby's face felt plastered on. He whistled brightly as he opened the bar for the evening.

He had been so nervous in that moment before, as he looked at her outstretched hand. Grillby texted Sans as soon as she'd accepted his lunch offer, asking him what he should or shouldn't do.

S *Make sure the food it good, be yourself, and if you really feel like you've hit it off, don't miss an opportunity to sweep her off her feet and offer to take her on a date! Good luck!

He had nearly panicked, afraid that he wouldn't get a chance to ask her on a date, until she offered her hand. His mind had flashed back to one of Sans' coaching sessions.

"Plant a light kiss on the back of her hand. Let your lips linger there for a second. Oh, make sure your they aren't chapped or dry. Give 'em a little lick before if you have to. And don't break eye contact. It drives ladies wild."

So he seized the moment and did just that, pouring as much sincerity into it as he could. Then Rin turned a shade of red he didn't know humans could achieve without a sunburn and she'd had trouble answering him at first.

Words couldn't describe the feeling that washed over him when she said yes. His heart leapt up into his throat and his stomach did a backflip. Grillby was absolutely giddy on the drive back, and the feeling persisted as he welcomed guests into the bar.

Sans appeared, and it didn't take him two seconds to figure it out. His smile grew wider.

"You asked her out, didn't you?"

Grillby nodded, unable to stop smiling himself.Sans pounded on the bar top a couple of times and whooped.

"Atta boy, Grilbz! I knew you could do it!"

Grillby slid a bottle of ketchup over to him and Sans caught it with his boney hand.

"So! Do you know where you're going to take her? It's gotta be perfect."

Grillby's smile became secretive.

Oh, yes I do. And it will be.

~~~

"No... that's no good... ugh WHAT AM I GOING TO WEAR?!?"

Rin fell back on her bed in a huff. Her body made a soft whump as she hit the clothes she'd thrown out of the closet.

She'd hadn't gotten any closer to getting a job in the past two days, so shopping was absolutely out of the question.

The date is tomorrow! I'm running out of time!

She stared up at the sunset past her drapes.

Rin sat up with a start.

Wait a minute...

She'd made the curtains herself. On a thrift store run, Rin found almost an entire bolt of fabric hiding in a corner. It was a deep aubergine color, somewhere between purple and red, and even though is was opaque, it shimmered with an opalescence in the light. After she made the curtains, she tied them back with a spool of thin silver rope she'd found the same day, and put the supplies she didn't use in the back of her closet.

Scrambling off the bed, Rin dug out the fabric and the rope.

"Perfect."

~~~

If Grillby was nervous before he made his move the last time he saw Rin, then his nerves had doubled since then. He'd texted Rin that he was on his way to pick her up, and she'd asked him to let her know when he arrived.

R *Okay! Wait outside. I'll meet you by your car.

So Grillby was waiting, trying to control his anxiety levels, when the door to the complex opened.

Rin stepped out of the building looking like a Grecian goddess. Grillby had done a lot of research when he was planning the interior of his bar, and Grecian architecture was something that he looked into. Her purple dress was draped over her body like the garments worn so long ago, held up by silver rope straps and a matching belt. She'd braided her hair horizontally on both sides of her head, transforming them into a bun at the base of her neck, but she'd let a few stray tendrils frame her face.

Grillby hopped out of the car to open the door for her. He didn't know what kind of facial expression he had, but Rin giggled.

"It's good to see you, too."

Once they were in the car, he could grab his phone and actually talk to her.

G *You look stunning.

"Oh, thank you! You clean up pretty well yourself!"

He hadn't really deviated all that far from his normal outfit. He still had the same black slacks, but this time he also had a black suit jacket and tie to go with it. Rather than white, his shirt was a very light orange; it was the barest hint of color. Grillby hadn’t been too sure about it, but Sans said it looked good, so he'd bought it. If Sans hadn't dragged him out shopping, he probably would have worn his usual vest and bow tie.

G *Thanks.

Grillby pulled out onto the road and typed as he drove.

G *How do you feel about scallops?

"I love them!" Rin's face lit up. "I love all kinds of seafood."

Internally, he breathed a sigh of relief.

G *Great!

"So, what do you have planned?"

He gave her a secretive smile.

G *You'll see.

~~~

Rin had a tiny flash of disappointment as they pulled up to the back of the bar. It was quickly overwhelmed by curiosity.

If we're here, that means he's going to cook our meal!

Grillby opened the back door and Rin stepped into what she assumed was the kitchen, but it didn't look like any kitchen she'd ever seen before.There were things that she recognized. Long stainless steel counters lined the walls on her right, punctuated by a tall matching refrigerator. To her left were the flat grill, gas stove top, and separate ovens. But everything had been strung up with white Christmas lights. They hung above the counters, attached to the upper cabinetry. The stainless steel reflected their light, and all of the other lights were off, save for the spotlights over the grill and stove.

"Grillby, this is beautiful." Rin said, breathless.

A red rug guided her feet to a table in the center of the kitchen, covered in a white tablecloth and set for dinner. Grillby led her in and lit the two white candles on the table with his finger. His tablet was already set up on her side, and he typed into the app on his phone.

*I hope you're hungry. I have quite a meal planned.

He slipped off his jacket and put on a clean, black apron.

Rin flashed what she hoped was an alluring smile. "You had me at 'scallops'."

~~~

The meal was exquisite. Grillby served seared scallops and a basil pesto sauce over fettuccine with oven-roasted vegetables.

Once he could sit and talk with her, Rin became very aware of the difference in the tone of the conversation from their last meal. That, or now that she was seeing him in a romantic light, she was finally picking up on all the signals he was sending her. He mimicked the way she moved her body. To be fair, she was doing it, too.

He also seemed amused by her funny stories: like the time when she served her parents cereal in buttermilk. The tale sent his body shaking with silent laughter. And she couldn't help but giggle at his discovery of cooking: when he was holding a piece of fruit as a child, he got overly excited about eating it and his flames accidentally cooked it. No matter what they talked about, it always seemed to circle back around to their shared love of cooking.

During a lull in the conversation, Rin reached over and sipped her drink.

*So, how's the job hunt coming?

She winced.

*That bad?

"I've applied to what feels like a million places. All of the positions are low-end retail gigs. I haven't gotten any call-backs yet, but that doesn't mean I won't get one."

She sighed heavily. "Getting a job isn't the real problem. Everything I've applied for only pays minimum wage, which means I'll have to get more than one job just to stay afloat. That's going to get messy to coordinate since I walk."

Grillby thought for a moment.

*What about businesses over here? Would you mind working in a monster-run establishment?

"Oh, no! Of course not! I think it'd be a lot of fun, actually." Her face fell again. "But the distance from my apartment is just too far to make it feasible. If only I could find a cheap place to rent over here AND a job..."

*You know, I could ask around. Maybe there's something right in your price range and we just don't know it yet.

Rin smiled, but didn't get her hopes up. "I'd really appreciate it. My lease is month-to-month now, so I can end it any time...or my landlord could raise my rent and kick me out. It's a nasty little high-wire act I'm balancing, but I'm making it work for the moment."

Grillby seemed worried.

*I really wish there was something more I could do to help.

"Are you kidding?" Rin laughed in disbelief. "Look around you! This has been the most amazing night of my life. Don't even get me started on the meal."

His eyes grew mischievous.

*So the food was good?

"Good doesn't even begin to describe it." Rin beamed.

*Even better than my burger?

"No way!" Rin shut him down. "I'm not about to start playing favorites. Everything you make is delicious."

*Well, I hope you saved room for the best part. Close your eyes.

Grillby touched her hand lightly to tell her to open them.

"Cheesecake?!?" Rin gasped. "How did you know my favorite dessert?"

His eyes twinkled as he set one down in front of her.

*And to top it off, a fresh blackberry sauce.

He spooned the warm sauce over top. Rin took a bite and sighed.

"Is this heaven? I think I've died and gone to heaven."

Grillby typed something as she took another bite.

*Does that make you an angel?

She melted. It was the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to her. The cheesiest, too, but she loved it all the same.

She looked at her plate, feeling her face beginning to change a shade darker.

"If I'm an angel, what does that make you?"

He thought about it for a second.

*Probably the light at the end of the tunnel.

Rin tried. She tried so hard to hold it in. But the two of them burst out laughing at the same time.

"I'm sorry, Grillby." She laughed, wiping the tears from her eyes. "That's probably the funniest thing I've ever heard."

He tried to look indignant, but it was obvious that he was pretending.

"Well, you're the most handsome light at the end of any tunnel I've ever seen."

His face broke out in a grin.

*Alright. I forgive you.

~~~

Grillby insisted he walk her all the way up to her apartment. And seeing as her nosy next door neighbor was sitting in the hallway while the maintenance man cleaned up a minor flood in her kitchen, Rin agreed with him when he suggested that they step inside her place for a minute to chat.

She closed the door and turned to face him. He stared down at her with gentle look.

"Tonight was...incredible." Rin could feel her cheeks beginning to glow, and she wished for the hundredth time that she didn't blush so readily. "You worked so hard to make this evening a success. I'm still a little stunned that you did it...for me, of all people."

She rubbed her arm, a little frown on her face. Rin wasn't special. She hadn't gone to college, she hadn't accomplished anything of importance in her life. She didn't know what she'd do with her time if she ever got out of survival mode. She truly couldn't understand what made this wonderful, handsome monster treat her like she was something to be valued. Other people holding her in high regard was completely new to Rin, and she had no idea what to do with the feeling.

"I don't deserve it."

~~~

Grillby started to type a lengthy response as to why she was wrong, but he stopped.

Rin was standing in front of him, telling him that she didn't deserve anything. That she didn't deserve affection, or friendship...nothing. And it was plain by the look on her face that she believed it. The beautiful, wonderful young woman he'd become so fond of didn't think she was special.

He set aside his phone. Words were meaningless now. Nothing he said in this moment would really reach her.

Grillby lifted his hand and reached out to her. Halfway to his destination, she noticed what he was doing and watched him as he moved. He continued until he was right next to her face.

He was asking for permission. He stopped just short of touching her, so that she could tell him if she wanted him to stop.

His gaze flipped between his hand and her eyes.

May I?

A look of understanding crossed her expression and she gave the slightest of nods.

Grillby closed the space, brushing aside a wavy lock of hair and cupping her cheek in his hand. He brushed his thumb across it comfortingly. As he did, he cast a spell to protect her.

Then he leaned down and placed his lips on hers.

~~~

Rin's skin thrummed with the heat of his touch. When she felt the familiar tingle glide across her face, she knew what was coming and held her breath.

Grillby was so gentle. His lips barely grazed hers, as if asking for permission. This time, Rin skipped the nodding and leaned into the kiss, opening her mouth and letting him take control.

Fireworks exploded behind her eyes. His tongue was soft, and he caressed her as he explored her mouth. Her body coursed with energy, as if he was breathing new life into her, and she drifted on the feeling. It enveloped her, taking over all of her senses.

When he slowly broke away, he dragged his lips against hers until she was free. Rin swayed, feeling weak in the knees. He steadied her, one hand on her back and the other on her hip.

She couldn't think straight. No one had ever touched her like this. The only tenderness she'd ever known had been from her mother, and that was long ago.

Her eyes fluttered up to him, and he turned his phone around at the same time that he sent the message.

G *Yes, you do.

***

Grillby always knows just what to say. <3

That’s it for this chapter! I’m going to attempt to get the next one out sometime this week (heck, I’ve got half of the thing already written thanks to my indecision), but I also want to sit down and do some planning for the rest of this story. While I started Undertone with a hazy, half-formed story idea, I want to have a clearer vision of where exactly I’d like them to end up. At this point, I’ve got three or four possibilities rolling around in my head, and I’d like to see if I can work all of them in, or if I need to save some for another story. We’ll see!

Stay tuned, and feel free to leave some commentary!

Chapter Two

Chapter Four

#UndertoneFic #grillby #undertale #fluff #fanfic

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