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Thoughts/musings on Nimue

I've been revisiting Xenoblade Chronicles 3 via NG+ after completing it the 1st time a year and a half ago, and a thought struck me: how did Nimue, someone from a peaceful colony isolated from normal contact (let alone fighting), rise to power as another colony's military strategist and its commander's right-hand woman? 

I like to think that Isurd saw her potential during his time recovering at the Lost Colony, like he played a strategy board game or something with her and she turned out to have a talent for tactics.

The idea of "sleeping your way to the top" likely doesn't even compute with these Agnian and Kevesi soldiers who have no concept of things like romance. So they wouldn't be thinking and saying stuff like that. But I assume there was likely still initial skepticism, maybe even resentment, at the time Nimue first joined Isurd's colony. I doubt they would have accepted some random girl Isurd brought in as their strategist right off the bat. She probably had to prove herself through a fair share of battles against Keves to earn respect from Colony Lambda and earn her place as its strategist, and prove that Isurd's high regard of her isn't unfounded.

That made me think that's partly why Nimue regards Taion with fondness and compassion. Maybe by seeing him struggle as a budding tactician and getting pushback from his peers, it reminds Nimue of her own struggles with assimilating into Colony Lambda.

Anyway maybe I'm rambling at this point. I love to fill in room between the lines for interpretation of minor characters I like. 

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When you're carrying around at work the resident petty vindictive tsundere of Unicorn Overlord but patients and coworkers say "I like the pretty angel on your badge." (art and keychain by MorVertCrafts)

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In a way, Naamah is canonically a dog person. She has Glasya-Labolas at her beck and call. Agrat definitely seems like a cat person. Lilith is canonically a snake person. Eisheth is a people person. As in an I-love-ripping-off-limbs-and-eyes-from-people person.

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Basically Persona 3

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Nahobino more like Nahobi-need knee replacement

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Did Agrat pulled a time travel and meet King David?

Agrat is an ancient demon, so I don't think she needs to time travel and it's very possible she was around when David was alive. Multiple Jewish texts state that Agrat is the mother of Asmodeus, not Naamah, but for some reason Vengeance lore says otherwise. According to some of those texts, Agrat spent a night with David to bear Asmodeus. I like to think of it a little differently, so here's my fan reinterpretation: 

Agrat and David met and knew each other during the time he was a boy in his late teens, before he became king and around the time he had to slay Goliath. As a newly minted Qadištu at the time and Lilith's daughter, Agrat was pressured by Lilith to find someone to sire an heir, preferably someone kingly to equal Agrat's lofty status as a queen of demons. 

She traveled to the human world in human disguise and wandered in her travels until she found David, who at first glance looked like a lowly shepherd boy, but with her divination she foresaw his destiny to become a great king. Initially she got acquainted with him as a means to an end, but eventually they developed genuine love for each other. It was Agrat who advised David how to kill Goliath and gave him the encouragement he needed to be a brave leader. 

Once Agrat became pregnant, however, Lilith commanded her to return to the netherworld, cut ties with David, and wipe his memory of her existence. Agrat had no choice but to obey. On the day David killed Goliath, Agrat wiped his memory and returned to the netherworld to give birth to their son Asmodeus and raise him as a prince of demons. 

Asmodeus grew up not hearing and knowing much about his father. Agrat is reluctant to talk about David beyond brief mentions, because deep down she still carries the heartbreak of leaving him and being forgotten. As a demon, Agrat is no stranger to seducing and exploiting humans to her benefit, but David was the only one she truly loved.

Centuries later, the Nahobino reminds her of David, and that's why in some of her demon haunt conversations she implies feelings for him and likes the thought of him being the king to her queen in ruling demons.

So yeah, that's my spiel on Agrat x David.

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Proof that Agrat is an anesthesia provider (kidding kind of)

Currently I'm playing SMT V Vengeance as the main way to destress after work. This line from Agrat in the first pic basically describes what I do for a living (delivering and managing anesthesia in the operating room).

Makes people feel sluggish and sleepy. Has to "titrate to effect," delivering just the right doses, so nobody dies. Administration of magic/medicine can still lead to some undesirable side effects. Most importantly, she sits in (an invisible) chair. She checks all the boxes. Agrat is an anesthetist. Tao even pulls the classic "blame anesthesia" move ("It was you...all those people. You made them all sick!") 

Like a lot of people, I adore Agrat's skeleton-doll-witch hybrid design, her being voiced by the queen Cherami Leigh (who voices my other fav Makoto Niijima), and how she's a crit beast in gameplay. Wanted to add here my own reason to gush over my favorite character in this game. How Agrat reminds me of my line of work makes me like her even more.

P.S: Eisheth is the surgeon. (Now I'm imagining the utter chaos of the Qadištu working as an operating room team)

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Silly Qadištu family headcanons

(Disclaimer that some of these headcanons go against SMT V Vengeance lore, as I'm drawing from various sources texts on Jewish mysticism and mythology that say otherwise. Demons are slippery things, open to many different interpretations.)

-Being ancient and well-learned demons, the Qadištu speak and understand a great number of languages, though their native tongue is Hebrew.

-Lilith and Agrat are mother and daughter. Naamah is Lilith's younger sister, therefore Agrat's aunt. Eisheth is Naamah's favorite lover. They take the crown for being Da'at's darkest, weirdest, most dysfunctional family.

-Agrat's full name is Agrat Bat Mahlat because despite Lilith being her biological mother, Agrat spent her early years raised by a foster mother and demon named Mahlat. Lilith wanted proof that her offspring would in time become strong and worthy before welcoming Agrat as one of the Qadištu.

-With her love of rainy weather and talent for dancing, Agrat lives up to her nickname as the "demon dancing on the roof" by spending her free time tap dancing somewhere up high, happily twirling her umbrella under a shower of rain.

-Eisheth loves to carve works of art with her absurdly long nails on all kinds of surfaces. The fleshier the better, of course.

-Eisheth has the soul of an artist. In her free time she travels to the human world in disguise to visit art museums and admire the greats.

-Eisheth is also a culinary connoisseur and has a vast appetite. Naamah is convinced that Eisheth's stomach is a bottomless void somehow connected to a black hole somewhere in the universe. One time Eisheth was challenged by the rest of the Qadištu to an eating contest. Even combined, the three of them still lost.

-Agrat enchanted her hat so it stays on her head at all times, even through blustering winds and howling blizzards.

-Agrat and Eisheth fight like cats and dogs, Agrat using every chance she gets to piss off and egg on Eisheth (a very easy target), while Eisheth constantly calls her whelp, kid or brat, and hardly ever refers to Agrat by her proper name.

-As the oldest, Lilith is the matriarch and the glue keeping the Qadištu together all these years, acting as peacemaker whenever the other three get into petty spats.

-Agrat has a son named Asmodeus, who she had with David before he became the king of Israel. Being half-demon, he ages very slowly. He has lived for hundreds of years but appears physically nine or ten years old. He has a penchant for impish mischief and can have nasty temper flare-ups (literally, complete with hair and eyes on fire), but also has razor-sharp cunning and intellect that make his mother proud. He goes by his nickname Mo when referred to with affection and endearment.

-Unlike most demons who entirely leave their offspring to fend for themselves, Agrat has been invested with educating and caring for Asmodeus since his birth, due to the unusual attachment she feels for his father David. She teaches Mo everything from magic and music to the ways of the demon and human worlds.

-The only thing that annoys Eisheth more than Agrat ("Whelp") is Mo ("Whelp Jr.") Whenever they're in the same room, Eisheth says dramatically "Oh Goddess there's two of them."

-Naamah has had so many lovers and demonic offspring over the centuries that she can't bother to keep track of them and remember all their names. Eisheth being the exception, of course. Their dates typically consist of human killing sprees.

-Naamah has no interest in protecting and raising her own children, but dotes on her grand-nephew Mo and encourages his attempts at pulling pranks. It won't happen anytime soon (give or take a few centuries), but she looks forward to the time he's matured and grown so she can teach him how to be the ultimate ladies' man.

-Lilith dotes on her faithful snake companion, who is never far from her and in turn closely protects his mistress. She likes to feed him live prey and doesn't mind the bloody mess he makes when he's crunching into something over her shoulder.

-Out of the four, Agrat is the most scholarly and especially knowledgeable in medicine and disease. She's more interested in the knowledge and application of diseases, of course.

-Out of the four, Naamah is the most knowledgable and invested in cosmetics. She keeps a huge secret stash of makeup that she refuses to share with her fellow Qadištu. Her love and sharp eye for good aesthetic is why she and Eisheth get along so well.

-Eisheth somersaults in place midair when she's bored.

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After 100+ hours I finished my first playthrough of Unicorn Overlord today and here are my (very) scattered thoughts, opinions, and reactions (spoilers ahead):

-Melisandre is best girl and was my ring of the maiden choice. From the start she cracked me up over how she has it down BAD for Alain (and even straight up tells him as much). Their last rapport was really touching and sealed the deal for me to give her the ring. She leads my swordfighter unit and was my go-to with holding down the fort at the command post.

-On the other hand, Scarlett just didn't quite work for me as a romantic interest. I don't sense a lot of natural chemistry in her interactions with Alain, despite the game seeming to push the player in her direction. Fiora from Xenoblade Chronicles was another main girl/childhood friend archetype, but I liked her a lot more. Maybe I have a weakness for girls with dual swords. I will say that I like Scarlett as a healer in gameplay and in rapports with other characters (that don't have to do with petty jealousy and rivalry with other girls). Just not a fan of her as a romance option for Alain.

-Virginia is another very cool character and absolutely kills it in my Hilda-led, real damage-dealing all-girls unit. I've never seen her fall, like ever. She may be slow but she knows how to take hits like a tank and dish out real damage.

-Same with Berengaria and Hilda. Really cool designs, real tough badasses, reliable fighters that always crush everything in their path. Love the sibling dynamics they have with Travis and Primm, respectively.

-I tend to suddenly obsess over very minor characters and in Unicorn Overlord, Raenys became the one. She comes in so late into the game, but her VA gives her a fantastic voice and she succeeded Ochlys to lead my alpha strike angel unit in late game, since she can fly plus provide arrow assist.

-I love talking animal characters, so Bastorias naturally became my favorite country to explore. The bestral unit led by Morard became one of my best hard hitters in late game. They're my night strike team.

-Character design is very hit and miss for me, particularly the women. Some like Virginia and Berengaria look absolutely cool and it certainly helps that their armor looks reasonable, but others make no sense and look absurd like Amalia's steel armor underwear.

-Sharon x Ochlys is my non-Alain OTP. They're so cute together and it's so painfully obvious they have a thing for each other. Romancing any of them as Alain felt wrong to me.

-My other crack OTP: Selvie x Bruno's gluts. Their rapport had me rolling on the floor.

-"I hope you get little eggshells in your omelettes for the rest of your life" from Nina is my new favorite insult.

-The localized writing/script sometimes feels needlessly embellished and elevated. Some of it is okay, but I feel like they overdo it at times. It's like seasoning with spices: sprinkle here and there for flavor, don't throw in so much that it just becomes overwhelming. I suspect they took inspiration from fantasy staples like Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, among other things.

-Foraging and collecting stuff in overworld is lowkey kinda addicting. When I see a blue shiny light from the ground, I have to run over to collect it.

-The graphics for the rapport building meals look incredibly delectable. Someone should make a little cookbook on all the recipes.

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Sae headcanon I came up with to make myself sad:

Mrs. Niijima had succumbed to postpartum hemorrhage just a few days after delivering Makoto. Eight year-old Sae was by her mother's bedside, and her father was away to check on Makoto in the NICU, when the vitals suddenly plummeted and her mother lost consciousness. Sae was jostled aside by doctors and nurses to a corner of the room in their rush to perform lifesaving interventions, which ultimately failed. After several minutes of being barred from the room, Mr. Niijima was finally able to break through to retrieve his terrified, petrified daughter, who was left forgotten in the chaos. He pulled Sae aside to console her and shield her from the sights and sounds of the emergency, but the damage was already done. Sae was left with a strong, deep-seated hatred of hospitals. The idea of having children herself takes her back to that traumatic day she witnessed losing her mother. Despite this, she doesn't blame Makoto at all for their mother's death.

Sae was more than academically capable to go through medical school and become a physician. She just has absolutely no interest in the field.

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I read and studied The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri extensively in academia, and it's one of my favorite pieces of classical literature, so I geeked out when I started playing Episode Aigis and learned that most of the doors in the Abyss of Time are named after the lower circles and sub-circles of Hell of fraud and treachery in Dante's Inferno:

Malebolge (the eighth circle of Hell, subdivided into 9 kinds of fraud and deception)

Cocytus (the ninth and lowest circle of Hell where traitors go, further divided into...)

1-Caina (for traitors of kin)

2-Antenora (for traitors to country)

3-Ptolomea (for traitors to guests and hosts)

4-Judecca (for traitors to one's masters, where Judas Iscariot is punished for his betrayal of Jesus to be devoured for eternity by Satan himself)

Empyrean is the exception. That's all the way up in Paradiso.

This is my 1st time playing Episode Aigis; I can guess at this point starting out where the fraud element plays a role in the story, but what's the deal with all the Dantean names alluding to treachery? And Empyrean? Vurry interestinggg.

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Post-ending Claymore headcanons

-By unspoken unanimous agreement among warriors, Miria was appointed their leader. She leads a patrol of warriors who roam the continent, dedicated to their mission of eliminating any remaining yoma and Awakened Beings. This new hunting group has no formal name, though the general public comes to refer to them as the Silver Patrol. Warriors don't object to being called this. It's better than Silver-Eyed Witches. Helen jokingly calls them the Sisterhood.

-Father Vincent came up with the idea of incorporating Rabona nuns and priests into the warriors' patrol structure. They serve not only as ambassadors of the city's holy order, but to aid as liaisons between the common folk and warriors and help foster friendly relations. Service is not mandatory, but the men and women who volunteered to travel and work with the warriors found the experience very rewarding. The warriors in turn really appreciate the human company, a welcoming change from the men in black to men and women of holy cloth.

-Rabona is the base of operations and primary residence for warriors. Residential situations among them vary greatly: Miria is one of the few who is constantly traveling all over the continent and occasionally drops by to visit. Some, like Clare, Cynthia and Yuma, alternate between being deployed on patrol duty and staying at home. Others, like Galatea, choose to remain in Rabona permanently and guard its borders closely.

-The ranking and number system was abolished, though warriors sometimes refer to themselves by their numbers out of habit. Old habits die hard.

-Warriors on patrol hardly ever travel and fight alone nowadays. They're almost always in groups of at least four, often more, depending on the kind of foe they face. A warrior may request to take on a mission alone, but generally Miria likes to encourage teamwork and fellowship among her comrades.

-The emblem and black card system is one of the few remnants from the organization that warriors elected to keep. "The only good thing to ever come out of those sick bastards," Helen once said.

-The present dress code is a lot looser than the organization's. Miria encourages her comrades to wear armor and other attire that best accommodate their strengths and abilities. Many have learned to strip the hides and armor from Awakened Beings they kill and repurpose them into uniforms.

-Discrimination against warriors is a reportable offense and punishable by fine in Rabona. Warriors are more than capable of weathering some harsh words, but they appreciate the city's gesture of goodwill and protection.

-Cynthia is appointed the chief medical officer for warriors. In addition to her clinical duties, she teaches other warriors with an aptitude for or show interest in healing and tends to human patients as well. Many a young healer is smitten by her (attracting Helen's relentless teases and Cynthia's embarrassment).

-As Rabona became a welcoming sanctuary for warriors, the Ghosts brought the swords of their fallen comrades from Pieta to a designated spot in the church's graveyard. Names beautifully etched onto stone plaques were the handiwork of Rabona masons. Many flowers are left by those swords, even by common folk with no connection to the warriors at all. The sight of these swords surrounded by flowers and greenery, no longer buried in snow, ice and obscurity, moves the Ghosts enough to tears sometimes.

-A memorial for Clarice is also located in the churchyard. The stone plaque by her buried sword has no mention at all of her rank, only that she was a valiant defender and valued friend of Rabona. Warriors often visit the site to honor and remember her, with Galatea being the most loyal visitor. She plans on telling Miata the truth one day, when the girl grows in maturity and wisdom.

-Irene turned down the chance to relocate to Rabona, since she is so used to living in the wilderness and prefers keeping to herself. She is happy, however, for her comrades who get to call Rabona their home. Occasionally she will visit the city to catch up with Clare and be a guest instructor for warriors who want to work on their swordsmanship.

-Helen started the tradition of hosting annual games for warriors in Rabona. It's an entertaining spectacle for humans and warriors alike, drawing even people traveling from distant villages. There are competitions for wrestling, sword sparring, archery, javelin throwing, and running, among other things. The top three warriors in each event earn bronze, silver and gold medals respectively. (Out of fairness, Miria does not participate in the running events but acts as the referee.)

-Girls who were in training by the time of the organization's collapse were given the choice to either continue training and become a full-fledged warrior, or live normal lives among civilians. Some, like Miata, gave up the sword and joined the order of Rabona nuns to try leading lives of peace. Many girls were adopted and raised by loving, willing families. Others, like the twins, aspired to join the patrol, so they were taken in by more experienced warriors to complete their training.

-As warriors became more integrated into human society, particularly Rabona's, they find lovers, friends, and family outside their little silver-eyed circle. The more time they spend mingling with humans, the more human they become themselves. Many break free from the shell of aloofness and stiffness their former lonely lifestyles had imposed on them. Laughing, crying, cracking jokes, and gestures of kindness, it all becomes easier and more natural.

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Faith, Science, and Lessons to Learn in Claymore

Here come my thoughts I've articulated the best I could on why I absolutely love Claymore for over ten years. I love how faith and science are represented and explored in this series, especially how they are not only compared side by side but brought together. And I don't exaggerate when I say this series had taught me valuable life lessons and how to be a better person.

Faith vs science: Rabona represents the institution of faith. The organization is an institution of science. As Claymore is a story centered on, of course, the Claymores, and the world as they know it, we see a lot more than the institution of faith how the institution of science operates. And it's a very cruel, brutal operation. Girls are salvaged and trafficked to be subject to experimentation and training, conditioned to think and work like cogs in a machine. Their entire lives revolve around constant, endless missions of killing yoma. All the while they're fighting against their own inhuman side. They're ticking time bombs destined for nothing but a violent death. It's a vicious cycle. A system set up to doom them from the start.

I have to mention how incredibly disgusting and clever the psychology behind the organization's system is. 47 Claymores are deployed and scattered throughout the continent at all times, but few ever come across one another. I'm sure that after training, most full-fledged warriors go through their entire careers without ever meeting another of their own. The few times they meet up are strictly for missions only. No time for real bonding and fraternizing. In fact, it seems to be discouraged and deliberate. And there is no care or effort whatsoever put into fostering friendly relations between Claymores and the common folk. They have no home, no family, not even friends, no autonomy, only complete dependence on the organization. Not unlike a toxic relationship where the victim has no choice but to be shackled to the abusive partner. That's exactly how the organization wants it to be. They want their subjects to be powerful, dependable, but expendable and replaceable at the drop of a hat. The lonely and isolated lifestyle imposed on Claymores, along with the rules, keep them in line. Keep them apart and they would never get a whiff of the skeleton in the organization's closet and entertain the idea of rebelling. We all know that didn't last forever. (More on that in a later section...)

All right I think I've been beating a dead horse talking about how horrible the organization is. In contrast to their operations involving exploitation, dissection, and separation of Claymores, Rabona is the site of their unity and humanization.

Rabona is the pivoting point for bringing together a Claymore and three humans in their efforts to take down a yoma. It's where we learn that bonds are stronger than the carnal desire to awaken and feast on guts. Years later, it's also in Rabona where the same cooperation happens. Just on a much greater scale. Humans and Claymores collectively learned to fight alongside each other. Irene proved that it's possible to survive outside the organization. Galatea took it a step further, being the first to show that it's possible for a warrior to live happily among humans, albeit in secret. By the end, an era of a truly peaceful coexistence begins. It's a beautiful irony that the city well known for its spirituality, image of holiness, and rejection of the "unholy" becomes the first place to openly welcome Claymores.

The organization topples and falls apart from a single decisive strike. Meanwhile, despite multiple assaults from powerful Awakened Beings, Rabona still stands. And I'm sure it will continue to endure and flourish with the Claymores as its new resident defenders. An institution built on fear and blind obedience is much weaker than one built on the warriors' true sense of allegiance, belonging, and home.

That is not to say that science is all bad in Claymore. After all, surgery is what physically brought Teresa and Clare together.

Father Vincent: I need to talk about this man and how vastly underrated he is. In a story full of incredibly strong and kickass half-monster women, Vincent is not only one of the few ordinary men in the cast, but the best of them morally speaking (second to Raki). That scene of Vincent with Galatea, Clarice, and Miata made him my favorite male character in the series. He had come a long way since his first appearance. Even then, he had come around from a position of prejudice and his city's idea of holy vs unholy to acceptance and gratitude for Clare. His brief sharing with Galatea of that turning point shows incredible self-awareness and introspection, a mindset we should all strive to have. Then, as the head priest of the religious order entrenched in Rabona, he initiates that change at the greater societal level, turning Rabona into a sanctuary that welcomes all Claymores. I especially love that panel where he raises a hand of blessing to Galatea and says he wants to pray "for her and her wonderful companions." I found that incredibly touching. Those words must mean the world to Galatea, and to any Claymore if they heard. After all, they're so used to being dehumanized and reviled. Vincent is the perfect foil to the terrible men of the organization, second to Raki when it comes to showing empathy and compassion to Claymores and regarding them as more human than monster. Vincent sets a great example of what it means to be a decent human being, and just what it means to be human, to be capable of growth and change for the better. I'm sure we all want to be badass like the Claymores, but really we must try to be the Father Vincent in people's lives. You don't need yoma power to be an agent for good and change.

The measurable versus the immeasurable: In this world where only the strong survive, power and rank is everything. Or so it seems. Like I mentioned earlier, the organization is insidiously clever in using a ranking system to define the Claymores and keep them in line. Claymores have very few possessions to call their own: the emblem and armor they wear, the sword they wield, and the number they're given. Numbers are what separate and define them, what seem to give them identity, worth, and purpose. Enter Clare, the series protagonist, who flips a giant middle finger at all that. Unlike some Claymores who obsess over numbers (lookin' at you, pre-timeskip Helen), Clare doesn't let her low rank define or upset her. Mathematically and rationally speaking, with the flesh of a half yoma warrior, she's only a quarter yoma, therefore half the strength of a typical Claymore and the weakest of them all. Clare gives that rationale the middle finger too. What keeps her alive from beginning to end is her limitless, immeasurable, astounding courage and endurance that impressed Teresa from the beginning. And there's her great capacity to love and care for others. Love forged those strong, lasting bonds with Teresa and Raki. The lengths she went to save Jean inspired a loyalty like no other, and what leads to one of my favorite quotes in the series: "She saved my life. Her rank meant nothing then and it means even less to me now."

The Seven Ghosts embody true sisterhood allowed to flourish outside the confines and prying eyes of the organization. Living, hiding, and training together, sharing survivors' guilt from that massacre in Pieta, they are fueled by a drive that's far greater and more enduring than mere petty competition for ranks within the organization. They don't fight just to survive, but to honor the memory of their fallen comrades. Years later, those old ranks they were given mean nothing. The Ghosts become more than that, undefinable, and for all their strengths and weaknesses they come to regard each other as equals, as true friends and sisters ought to.

And finally, the most powerful manifestation of love is none other than Teresa and Clare, the twin goddesses who defeat the one horned monster. The organization had tried and failed many times to replicate that perfect synergy. They left out one important part of the equation. Clare and Teresa's love for each other makes their union a truly powerful thing that defies the limits and bounds of numbers and stats. Many times throughout the series, especially by men from the organization, it's brought up that Clare's true abilities and potential don't align with the number she was given. She's truly a wild card, defiant in the face of obeying the organization's rules and rationalities. It's human nature to assign numbers and ranks to things because we like to compartmentalize, but the real world is a lot messier than that. Clare is there to teach us that we are not defined by the numbers we earn or are given.

All of this is to say that the most important lesson I took away from Claymore is this: it's what you do for others that truly counts, not what others think of you. Love and compassion is enough to move the most powerful being in the entire series to tears.

[thaisibir]

My high school nostalgia captured in 27 volumes. (Featuring my curious kitties Morag and Brighid.) It's been 15ish years and I still f$&ing love this series. Half the manga has gone unadapted and it really deserves an anime. So many cool fights and pivotal moments would look amazing animated.

[thaisibir]

some Noel and Sophia headcanons

-Both joined the organization and graduated from training around the same time. All the other trainees were driven to the brink of insanity from the constant quarreling between those two.

-The handler in charge of Noel and Sophia gets paid extra for his troubles.

-Brought up on a noblewoman's education, Sophia likes throwing around big words Noel can't understand. Noel retaliates by butchering the words badly to annoy Sophia.

-Noel uses every chance she can get to mock Sophia's hoity toity background, using the most ridiculous, stuffiest posh accent possible.

-All else being roughly equal, Sophia edges past Noel in rank due to her better skills in leadership. As the daughter of a rich and powerful lord, Sophia was saddled from an early age with the expectation and training to inherit her father's authority and estate.(Based on profiles in the Claymore databook that state Sophia's leadership is B while Noel's is C.)

-Noel doesn't really suck at math. It's just that she fights with such speed and agility that things somewhat blur together and she miscounts sometimes.

-When she joined the organization, Sophia was at first surprised and embarrassed at her brute strength. Other trainees had called her a freak. Eventually she came around to embracing it and taking great pride in it. She uses her dainty lady's upbringing to keep that strength under control. She especially enjoys surprising people who assume from her appearance that she's frail and delicate.

-Noel likes to keep her hair short and messy. She believes long hair would get in her way when she fights, and brushing it is useless since it sticks out in every direction after running anyway. And she runs pretty much all the time.

-Sophia puts a lot of effort into maintaining nice hair and skin. The organization allows warriors a small stipend for personal needs, and Sophia likes to use that stipend on hair and skin care products such as brushes, soaps, and creams. She wishes she can spend that stipend on nice dresses as well, but uniform regulations are strict and undercover missions that allow wearing other clothes are far and few in between.

-Sophia made a face like she smelled something dead when she found out that Noel doesn't bathe every day.

-Noel swears like a sailor. The colorful four letter words really fly when Sophia slings insults her way. Meanwhile Sophia would clutch her pearls at the very thought of uttering such profanity herself. 

-Noel and Sophia were forced to work together for one undercover mission, using yoki suppression pills to pose as traveling minstrels in order to lure out yoma. Noel pretended to be a circus acrobat while Sophia acted as a singer. The mission was a resounding success, though not without a lot of bickering and poking fun at each other along the way.

-Under the effects of suppression pills, Noel's natural eye color is green and Sophia's natural eye color is blue.

-Sophia really hates being dirty. Noel was beside herself when she found this out. If the two fight together in close proximity, Noel would "accidentally" spray dirt and yoma blood Sophia's way, just to get on her nerves and enjoy the disgusted look on a normally composed face. Sophia's aversion to dirtiness is why she's so impressed that Irene remains pristine and spotless whenever she decimates yoma with the Quicksword technique.

-Of all the things that Noel insults and makes fun of, she doesn't cross the line when it comes to the fact that Sophia was often sick and bedridden as a little girl.

[thaisibir]

Claymore backstory headcanons

(Yagi has set up a compelling world and cast of characters in Claymore, but so many of them have unknown histories, so that leaves a lot of room for interpretation. I thought I try fleshing out some of my favorite characters with my own takes.)

Miria: She was the daughter of the most talented tracker and scout in their village. Her father would coordinate search parties and patrols, working well within groups. She learned about leadership from him and greatly admired him. In her warrior days, she strives to follow her father's example. One day her father returned as the only survivor of his search party from a yoma attack. A smart girl who knows him well, Miria caught on to his suspicious behavior and realized he must be a yoma in disguise himself. She'd refuse his orders to come home or stay home. As a child she enjoyed racing other children for fun, often coming out as the winner. From those races she knew the village like the back of her hand. She'd run around ducking into nooks and crannies beyond the yoma's sight and reach, sending him on a wild goose chase until the village had time to call in a warrior to kill him. The warrior's handler was so impressed by Miria's spirit and intelligence that he recruited her on the spot.

Galatea: Though born with a humble background of no distinguished class, she was famed for being the most beautiful girl in her village. She married a man and had a son in her late teens. Their happy life as a family was cut short when a yoma killed and took over her husband's body, and Galatea had to witness him devouring their son. Rafaela was the warrior who intervened and saved Galatea's life. Ermita, the man who found Galatea in exile from her village and would become her handler, is the only one in the organization who knows of her past life. She never speaks of her deceased spouse and son to anyone, preferring to keep memories of them locked deep in the back of her mind. Galatea joined the organization as the oldest among the trainees, though her maturity served her well as she quickly rose through the ranks to number 3. Despite herself, her strong maternal instinct and soft spot for children never went away. She sees Clare as a wild child who often needs a firm hold on the leash, and dotes on the orphans in Rabona.

Sophia: Born into a noble family as the only child of a powerful and wealthy lord. She was a sickly girl whom her father doted on. When she wasn't bedridden and sick, she enjoyed singing. She survived many bouts of life-threatening fever and a yoma attack that killed her father and decimated her estate. Fearing she was a yoma too, the surviving servants sold her to the organization and fetched a hefty sum for her noble status. Since warriors don't succumb to illness as humans do, and stinging from the servants' betrayal and the loss of her father and home, Sophia's inner strength manifested as extremely powerful physical strength that led to her high rank and moniker within Teresa's generation. Noble roots are behind her elegant demeanor and polite speech. Unlike her peers, she's great at exchanging pleasantries to put regular folks at ease while on the job. She can sweet talk her way to staying in nice inns at a discount, mostly because she loves a nice clean bed and hates sleeping outside in the dirt and cold like a vagrant. The one thing she enjoys while being on the road is singing and humming to herself. Underneath her lady-like aloofness is a persistent melancholy and the ultimate wish for a quick death in battle that would end her warrior life, so she can be reunited with her father. In the end, she got just that.

Noel: Born into a family of traveling performers, Noel can't sing to save her life, but her acrobatic talent and prowess was put to good use as she'd astound the audience with daring somersaults and jumps. She was the only girl amid four brothers, so verbal spars and rowdiness among them was commonplace. Her family was attacked by yoma on a path through the woods, on the way to their next performance at a nearby village. Noel ran as fast as she could to that village, leaving her the only survivor. As a warrior, she loves to put on a good show while slaying yoma, giving it a performer's spin. Sophia poking fun at her acrobatics is always a sore spot. Noel is secretly jealous of Sophia's talent for singing, though she smugly enjoys her rival's discomfort with the nomadic life she had known since birth. So used to having brothers and her family allowing free reign of her tomboyishness, Noel feels out of place surrounded by girls and women as a warrior. The power system of attaining ranks and numbers stirs her competitive streak. It's the only thing that gives her some sliver of purpose in what she believes is an otherwise bleak and pathetic existence. Deep down she misses her brothers and wants more than anything, even more than being a top warrior, to see them again. She ended up getting what she wanted.

Irene: Born as an orphan with no memory of any family. She scraped by stealing from vendors in the streets for food and clothes. A shrewd observer and gifted with tactical intelligence, she'd gauge her targets from afar and work together with other orphans on joint thieving operations. But outside this, she has zero people skills and has no idea how to go about socializing and making small talk. When Teresa's hit squad stormed the inn, Irene let Sophia handle the payment and apologies to the innkeeper. After Priscilla's awakening, Irene was perfectly content and good at living as a hermit with no civilization in sight.

Flora: Born to merchant parents who made a living of selling and arranging flowers. She got initiated into the family business at an early age, and found her talent in swiftly yet elegantly nicking off thorns and other undesirable parts of a flower with a small knife. She was always soft-spoken, though sharing her extensive knowledge of flowers would break the barrier of her shyness. When yoma invaded her village, they destroyed her family's establishment while slaughtering them. The sight of crushed flowers smothered in blood was seared into her mind like a hot brand, fueling her desire to later grow strong as a warrior so she can cut down the ugly stain of yoma in this world. Born and raised in the warmth of the southern region, she despises the cold because hardly anything colorful and beautiful grows there (which she hid very well during the mission in Pieta).

[thaisibir]

SEES members react to period pain simulator

(Go here for "Phantom Thieves react to period pain simulator")

Makoto: sits through every level from 1 to 10 with a straight "I don't care" face, but silently hopes that Mitsuru won't get any ideas to use it for some execution

Kotone: keeps saying it's fine and smiles through the pain, even when she's crying inside by level 8

Yukari: giggles hysterically even up to level 10 because she finds it ticklish, almost falls off the dorm sofa from rolling around on it so much

Junpei: thinks it can't be any worse than a kick to the balls, promptly proven wrong when he starts bawling and begs to stop it at level 4

Mitsuru: reacts to every level with hand to her chin and a thoughtful pensive "hmm," comes away inspired by many creative ideas to use it for some execution

Akihiko: treats it like taking punches to the gut in a boxing match, makes it to level 10 looking strained and sweating, asks where he can buy the simulator so he can use it for his core strengthening regimen

Fuuka: blessed with baseline level 0-1 cramps, makes it to level 6, expresses much sympathy for girls who have to deal with high level cramps

Ken: tolerates up to level 5 before he can't put up a brave face anymore and bails, in utter disbelief when told that periods can hit girls as early as his age

Koromaru: reaction not known or recorded, no one has the heart to stick on the pads and put him through fake pain

Aigis: lacks pain receptors to process real pain, but through connecting the pads to her circuitry she gets the closest approximation to it, concludes that menstrual cramps are indeed an unpleasant aspect of the female experience

Shinjiro: had a Shadow-inflicted abdominal wound from his middle school fighting days with Akihiko and Mitsuru, a sensitive area to this day, so he doubles over swearing and wincing from the simulator