#Bricksburg

[darkleloog]

uh... I'm Darkleloog.. but you can just call me Darkle.. I live in Bricksburg..I mean... more like I moved here.

I have nothing else to say..

...

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[howlingday]

My idea for a potential DEATH BATTLE! #9

2023, Dec 3-6

2024 Mar 25, apr 18, jun 22

PREVIOUS POST

P3H vs Neku Sakuraba

MASTER LIST

Steve vs Emmet Brickowski (Minecraft vs The LEGO Movie)

Who's imagination will let them survive this crafty battle?

THUMBNAIL

FIGHTER 1: Steve, Minecraft's cubic builder, explorer, and slayer of monsters and dragons

FIGHTER 2: Emmet Brickowsky, LEGO's Special Master Builder from Bricksburg.

Wiz: Imagination is extremely powerful; it allows us to bring our dreams into reality, letting us create or destroy whatever we can dream of.

*insert clips of Bob the Builder, Oppenheimer, LEGO Ninjago’s Tornado of Creation, and RWBY's Relics of Creation and Destruction*

Boomstick: These two literal blockheads can create just about anything they can think of. Or destroy it. He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick.

Wiz: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armor, and skills to find out who would win... a Death Battle.

PREFACE (What to know): 

1. This MU could become an actual episode as it garnered attention when it was part of 2022's Champion Poll, so I wanted to get this one out before that happens. The consensus, as far as I can tell, is that Steve vs. The Terrarian and Emmet vs Jesse are better MUs, but I really like this MU. It's ok if you don't, but don't be a jerk about it. (If I wanted to be pedantic about it, then I'd say that Omni Man vs. Homelander and Mario vs. Sonic were done because they are legacy MUs rather than for the connections that the combatants have, but I can very well be wrong).

2. To make this fight more fitting and fair, I will place Steve in the LEGO Movie world. It shouldn't be jarring as there is such a thing as LEGO Minecraft, and the block aesthetic of Minecraft melds well with the sharp, blocky look of the LEGO Movie. This will essentially put them in the same world. Crossovers such as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and LEGO Dimensions will not be taken into consideration, but I will look to them for inspiration if desired. 

3. Emmet and Steve could build anything that we haven't seen in the movies, novels, etc. as long as it is within character.

4. No infinite strength Steve. When the player drops items in Minecraft, the items have fundamentally different properties to their block forms as compared to dropped items in Skyrim where they retain their physical properties, at least to some degree. They did the cheese calculation as a joke in Chosen Undead vs. Last Dragonborn and they didn't calculate how much weight Link would be carrying due to his iron boots and other heavy equipment in the 2021 rematch, so no inventory strength. (I would still expect a similar gag like the aforementioned cheese calculation).

5. No Creative Mode infinite materials. Steve will have to mine, forge, and enchant his stuff on his own, but he will start off with good materials like diamond and potions as well as some unbrewable potions and arrows.

WHY:

Connections (What do they have in common):

1. Both are capable of creating almost anything by taking resources from the world around and then craft anything from them. They effectively have no limit to their crafting capabilities.

2. Both are icons of IPs that represent creativity and imagination.

3. Maybe the enemy isn’t the Ender Dragon, President Business, or Rex Dangervest. Maybe the enemy is growing up.

Not many that I can think of, so if you can think of one, let me know. :)

Personal reasons (Why I want this battle/like this MU):

I like how Emmet was able to not just change, but grow in his movies. Steve may be silent, but he still expresses emotion through his body language. I want to see a wholesome battle where they both build because that's what they enjoy doing and then try to one up each other, giving way to animation that has the potential to be some of DB!'s all team greats.

THE FIGHT:

Art and animation: The fight is best in 3D. Hand-drawn would make this fight very difficult to work with and I don't think 2D pixels can express the weird and wonderful wackiness of what these two can build, the speed at which they can build, or the worlds they inhabit. The best way to go is to have Emmet move like he does in the LEGO Movies and Steve to move like he does in Minecraft and Smash Bros., but the animation would be like that of the LEGO Movies; it does not allow for all degrees of movement like human limbs, but it's still fluid and smooth. The world itself is just blocks, needless to say. I think a good guide to what the animation and art style should be like is this video which took its LEGO models from Mecabricks.

If you want to get really interesting, it would be stop motion, but that's just expecting a king’s feast on top of something already demanding in my opinion.

Possible setup: On the outskirts of Bricksburg, near a construction site, Emmet is checking the blueprints for a skyscraper he is about to build. 

"I'm going to need these many pieces of these measurements and color..." Hearing the iconic Minecraft sounds of mining ground and building, he turns to see a house that was just suddenly there.

"Whoa, where did that come from?" Steve exits his house, and Emmet confronts him. 

"Sir, did you build that house?" and Steve nods.

Emmet, the loveable goof that he is, does the Chris Pratt gasp and gushes over Steve's abilities. "Are you a Master Builder?" It would explain how the house was just there after some noise, but Steve scratches his head, and lifts his arms in an “I don’t know” pose. "Could you build it again?" Steve nods and builds another house, more impressive than the last, using wood, stone, and concrete from the construction site (imagine him building it at the speed of one of his Smash Bros. victory poses)

“Wow! I can do that, too!” Emmet then decides to build something of his own, using more materials from the construction site, building a house comparable to Steve’s who then looks at Emmet's creation and decides to build a mansion.

“Not bad, huh?” Steve nods, and takes out his sword. “Whoa! You’re a warrior AND a builder? Then let’s take this up a notch! Let’s fight and build something amazing!” Steve nods and Emmet jumps up and slams down, destroying the buildings and sending pieces around him flying.

FIGHT! :

1. Emmet then zips around, building himself a weapon like he did here. Steve slashes and is able to guard himself for a little while. Emmet keeps up his offense and knocks Steve away. Steve drinks a Potion of Strength, and is able to fend off Emmet’s strikes. Yet, Emmet is too fast and is able to hit Steve before Steve can hit back. Steve simply drinks a Potion of Swiftness, and it works! Emmet swoops in for a strike, but Steve swiftly dodges, getting behind Emmet, and strikes him using his Forward Smash:

This sends Emmet flying to the other side of the giant construction site. Steve then breaks out an enchanting table, a crafting table, and a brewing stand, and starts to furiously gather materials from around him and gets to work. Meanwhile, Emmet groans in pain, and then takes a giant leap towards Steve. Steve notices Emmet and aims a giant wall of dispensers at him and activates them, causing the dispensers to fire flaming arrows (a GIANT version of what is seen in this video). Emmet shouts a big “Whoa!” as he dodges the arrows. Emmet then uses his Master Breaker abilities to break Steve’s dispenser wall, similar to what he did here. 

2. Emmet is then hit by something, and is taken aback. Nothing is there. Then, he’s continuously hit by said nothing, it seems! Emmet tries to hit back, but he hits nothing, as expected. Steve suddenly appears at a distance as his Potion of Invisibility wears off. Steve is wearing his Diamond Armor, and he starts to throw Splash Potions. Emmet easily dodges them and grabs one of the following pieces:

Emmet then proceeds to juggle the Splash Potions and knocks some towards Steve, who gets hit with some Potions of Poison, Harming, and Decay. It appears that using the Potions in the dispenser wall was the better idea. As Steve is suffering, Emmet then starts to build a mech similar to his Construct-o-Mech and Steve uses a Potion of Regeneration and Healing. Steve had placed a myriad of TNT blocks all connected via Redstone, so when Emmet approaches Steve in his mech, he is immobilized and struggles. Steve steps on the button to activate the redstone. The TNT detonates and Emmet, being nearby, falls in his mech, and he lets out his iconic scream. However, right before Steve can move and prepare more weapons and potions, he hears something right behind him that has haunted all Minecraft players. We see that there were several Creepers right behind him, and they detonate.

3. Due to the TNT explosion and the Creepers, there is a giant hole in the ground and they both were falling. Emmet rebuilds his mech into a plane and flies away. Steve uses his fishing rod to tether himself to the plane, swings like the Green stick figure in Alan Becker‘s Minecraft videos to launch himself upwards, and unfurls his Elytra, and attaches a Firework Rocket on it, propelling him upward (Think his Up - B from SSBU.), but there is simply too much debris, so they both get crushed and fall.

4. Now in free fall, Steve uses his bow and fires arrows, both of the tipped and not tipped variety, sniping Emmet well in his arms. In retaliation, Emmet grunts and throws a boulder at Steve, who uses a shield to ward off the attack. Looking down, there’s a rail, so Steve simply takes a minecart out of his inventory and Emmet builds himself a vehicle out of his mech’s remains (whether it’s a hoverboard or a land-roving vehicle is up to you). Both land safely and the vehicles roll. Steve takes out a diamond sword and his shield, and Emmet fashions himself another weapon, so they start to clash again, like in Alan Becker’s Ultimate Minecart Race. Because Emmet is still affected by the Arrow of Slowness, Steve is able to get some solid hits in and block Emmet’s strikes in time. Emmet then uses his Master Breaker powers again to break the shield, and Steve is knocked forward a bit. Steve then fires more tipped arrows, but Emmet is able to dodge them and they clash weapons again, like this part from Alan Becker’s The Chef. Every sword strike is parried or blocked, and they keep at it until the ground suddenly drops beneath them and they fall again through a Nether Portal to… The Real World…?

5. The minifigures fall on the floor of the basement, and the kids that were playing with the plastic toys start arguing with each other about who is cheating and who is the winner. The adults then have to come down the basement and mediate the conflict. “Kids, I know it’s hard to play fair, but yelling and calling each other a cheater is not going to help. I thought you two were doing this because it’s fun. You’re using toys to create these great inventions and then you play with them. Putting others down will not do you any good. Right now, just have fun with each other. You’ll never know when you get to play with your friends and toys like you are now.” As we see the adults trying to resolve the conflict, Emmet picks himself up, and seeing Steve struggling, picks him up as well. The kids then apologize and compliment each other’s skills and imagination, and pick up the toys that were dropped. “Ready for one more showdown?”, asks Emmet. Steve nods and holds up his arm, and Emmet responds by giving a fist bump.

6. The kids put the toys back together and our fighters are back on the LEGO world. Emmet builds another mech, this one similar to his Triple Decker Couch mech, and Steve decks himself out with his best armor, weapon, and potions. “For now, let’s have fun.” They clash again, with Emmet’s mech and Steve’s armor and weapons being worn down, and the potion effects are diminishing. Now, it’s all or nothing.

7. Steve wins by immobilizing Emmet. He dodges and slashes at Emmet’s mech, and protects himself with his shield. He removes the limbs of the mech and destroys it, leaving cobwebs all around. When the mech is destroyed, Emmet is left helpless, and as he tries to exit, he’s immobilized by the cobwebs. “Can't… Move…!” With one final slash, Emmet dies like in the LEGO video games.

8. Emmet wins by using his Master Breaker abilities. Emmet knocks away Steve’s equipment, pins Steve down and then starts to severely damage the armor. Steve tries to detonate some TNT again, but Emmet jumps out of his mech, and comes down with one final, gigantic Master Breaker slam, destroying his mech and leaving Steve in pieces. This results in the iconic death screen.

9. In the real world, the kids simply take the pieces and start to build something new with the pieces until they are called up. “Kids, the food’s ready!” The kids run out of the basement. The last thing we see is the minifigures ready for one more fight, in armor and mech.

10. KO!

RESULT:

Strengths and weaknesses:

Steve:

+ Has the more destructive tool in TNT.

+ Greater defense with his armors and longevity with his Potions of Healing and Regeneration.

+ Enchantments and Potions of Strength improve all of his weapons, armor, tools, and stats.

+ Has ranged options in his bow, crossbow, firework rockets and arguably his fishing rod.

+ Can be considered stronger due to his fight against the Ender Dragon and his capacity to break down diamond blocks.

+ If given access to a Riptide Trident, then Steve has greater mobility and offense underwater, and a Potion of Water Breathing, allowing him to survive underwater for longer.

+ Can immobilize Emmet with cobwebs

= Under the rules set in the preface, both are similarly fast.

= Similar Risk of drowning.

- Blocks, potions and materials in inventory can be exhausted, armor and weapons can break.

- Takes time to craft, forge, and enchant whatever he’s making.

- Highly dependent on the environment to obtain good materials and ores.

Emmet Brickowsky:

+ More mobile and acrobatic.

+ Being a Master Breaker means not needing any other tools or materials to simply break stuff, so he can likely break Steve’s creations with little issue.

+ Does not need to use a forge or crafting table, and can build bigger creations with greater speed.

= Under the rules set in the preface, both are similarly fast.

= Similar risk of drowning

- Arguably less durable.

- Is vulnerable underwater without a vehicle

- Like Steve, he’s dependent on the materials provided to him by the environment, and can’t craft the pieces he needs

- Arguably his biggest weakness physically is immobilization, as seen when he was hit with the Kragle. It’s likely that the Cobwebs can be used to immobilize him. Other Master Builders have been immobilized by chewed up gum and even stickers.

Ending puns:

"In the end, Steve could only dig his own grave."

"Sorry, Emmet, but the only thing you can do is LEGO."

MUSIC:

Name: Build The Best

The name makes reference to how both the characters and series are known for letting people build whatever they want and let their creations come to life as well as Emmet’s title of “Master Builder”.

Art: At the front of the picture, we see Steve’s crafting table with some LEGO gears leaning against it and potions and the iconic red LEGO blocks around them. To the right of the crafting table is the enchanting table with Steve’s sword and Emmet’s wrench crossing each other. To the right of the crafting table is Steve’s armor holding the Piece of Resistance.

Sound: The song starts mellow, like Subwoofer Lullaby or Living Mice to give off a feeling of nostalgia and intimacy, and then slowly picks up in volume as the two blockheads show off their abilities before the fight. Then, there’s a record scratch and the music becomes upbeat and happy, like Everything is Awesome. The music changes to Pigstep but played with LEGO movie instruments during the minecart chase. When in the Real World and listening to the talk between the adult and kids, the music is more somber, again similar to Minecraft’s more mellow music or the music from the “You are The Special” scene from the first LEGO Movie. During the buildup to and during final confrontation, it switches to I Am A Master Builder. Our heroes are near the end, so now it’s the time to push further still. As the battle ends and we linger on the result, the instrumentation starts to play Subwoofer Lullaby or Living Mice again, and then the instrumentation from the beginning returns and the music fades out.

I want it to reflect how we start with LEGOs and Minecraft: with small bits and pieces, but then, the creations become bigger and more complex. More energy and thought is required into planning and building the structures desired. It’s like life: we start with childhood, simple and uncomplicated in the grand scheme of things, but as we get older, we take on more responsibilities, and we have to do more and more, leading us to reminisce on the “good old days” when we could build for ourselves, for fun. Maybe in the end, the real enemy, the true challenge, is growing up.

FINAL THOUGHTS AND WORDS:

I am sorry for releasing this so late. This semester was a total pain, and I rarely had time to create this. I had an extremely rough six months, and I don’t want to use it as a crutch, but it’s school, and it’s demanding.

There were also so many ideas I wanted to implement into this battle, like how a kid just wants to create the biggest setpieces because they’re just the coolest things in the world.

IDEAS THAT I HAD:

1. A getaway chase on redstone minecart and planes

2. Weapons, armor, potions and enchantments to match Emmet’s mechs.

3. Master Destroyer vs Steve’s creations, armor, and potions.

4. Falling into nether portal and fighting monsters in the Nether

5. Dive into the ocean, risk of drowning.

6. Creepers and TNT

7. Confrontation in the real world, conflict with the kids that are controlling Steve and Emmet.

8. Heartfelt message as is tradition with all The LEGO Movies.

9. Have some Easter Eggs that reference Tetris. Both Tetris and Minecraft are among the most sold video games of all time, and LEGO is the most influential toy in the world. These three form a sort of blocky trinity, and it feels incomplete to leave Tetris out of this.

THANK YOU AND I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS!

NEXT TIME…!

In a conference in an inner city, we see a gigantic sign for a superhero conference, and under it it says “Brought to you by Vought Corporation”.

In a raceway we see two heroes, getting ready for a race. There is a crowd around them and in the stands, cheering on for both of them.

“May the better speedster win!” The younger of the two outstretches his right arm, with his helmet in his left underarm.

“Oh, I plan to.” The older of the two simply walks by his fellow speedster and gets into running position. The younger speedster is taken aback by the rudeness of his fellow hero. However, there is a race that is about to go underway. He puts on his helmet, and he gets into a racing position as well.

“Gentlemen! Start your engines!”

There is a gunshot, and the two heroes are off at sonic speeds.

Tenya Iida vs. A-Train (My Hero Academia vs. The Boys)

--------------------------------------------------

Very good! I like how the battle ends on a wholesome route, like Goku V. Superman III. Granted, the NEXT fight won't be so friendly.

I'll be honest, I don't know much on Minecraft (the last update I remember being a part of was the mooshroom) or the Lego Movie franchise (I only saw the first movie and Lego Batman), so I didn't know who was more powerful from the start. That said, I do like the idea of two creators duking it out with their craft. Call this one...

MASTER CRAFTERS

[barracudo]

I recreated the bricksburg monorail from the first LEGO movie. It’s basically just a heavily modified version of a tram from a city set lol

[bricksxbooks]

The outside of the building is so interesting!

I support this product idea on LEGO Ideas, and you should, too!

[sa1808fi]

Currently trying to write a emmetstyle fic, and I just realized

Where the fuck was Emmet and Lucy living when they were still in Apocalypseburg???

I know one might think it would be in that house Emmet ended up building in the beginning of the second movie, but obviously, that was supposed to be a gift for Lucy, so they were not living there during those 5 years.

Was it like- in a bunker??? Like an apocalypse bunker in the ground???

Honestly though that's actually pretty on brand for Lucy.

She said the whole reason she didn't like the house Emmet built for the two of them (and Unikitty as their third wheel) was because it was bright and colorful and would draw attention to them, leading to the duplos attacking them.

What's a good way to avoid detection?

UNDERGROUND BUNKER

...

New headcanon: Lucy had an underground bunker in Apocalypseburg

[unfo11owmelol]

....

(I'm glad their making another Lego movie, but why not continue the original Lego movie storyline that has been in the hearts of tons of people for the last 9 years? (And before anyone comes screaming at me saying they can't because they don't have the rights to the characters, I know.))

[askthechronoverse]

So update on the dog:

Richie an' I are going to a shelter in Heartlake City tomorrow. Apparently, some cottomeranian puppies were found in a scrapyard in New Bricksburg and dropped off there.

[somedudewithantlers]

do u ever think president business’s super secret police force were tracking down masterbuilders like “calling all units we have a category 10 doohickey in west bricksburg”

[officialoctan]

Hello beloved citizens!

It’s your favorite world leader, Business, in the flesh! I’m not exactly a Tumblr aficionado, but I have made this blog to really get to know the people of Bricksburg! You can ask me anything, and tell me anything, I’ll listen, promise!

And if you’re lucky, I might post some ORIGINAL BUSINESS ART! That’s right. Your president is an artist! And it’s good stuff, oh I promise, it’s great! So play nice, and I’ll show you my life-changing creations.

—OOC for a second

Please don’t send anything inappropriate or any advances onto me. I can take a joke, but you better make it funny. Keep in mind that I’m 15.

I also now find the need to clarify that Business is a bit of a liar. You shouldn’t take everything he says at face value.

Business also might be a little mean. That’s just the character, please don’t think I actually have anything against you.

—

I have a golf game in a few now, CIAO!

[tootalltech]

one thing about me is i love fucked up towns. salem. urinetown. ...gotham?

also… technically… bricksburg.

[goofballalex]

Hello hi! I is Alex! Just a little guy in Bricksburg.

I like to be serious but sometimes being silly is fun!

Just know my English is not the greatest!!

I seem stupid most times but I’m really well with computer :Dc

ask me whatever! My ask thingy is open for everyone! I will try to answer all of them!

Alex’s personality;

(Alex is a bit of a mixture of Rex Dangervest, Lord Business, Emmet, and Benny in his personality. But it really just depends on his mood and/or if you trigger him, he mostly just shows his silly and fun side of him but if you piss him off,,,yikes...Never ask an Alex fan what happened on October 5th 2024.

I don’t really make him show his serious self because I feel like you guys would find him boring so I just show his goofy side so he can be likable and look less of a loser, I’m kind of mischaracterizing the actual Alex, people who knew Alex since 2021 will understand)

(Alex has a soft spot for friends, if you are his friend, he will not leave you alone. He also likes to put other people first instead of himself, he needs to take better care of himself. I’d say he’s a decent cook, tell him you’re hungry and he’ll cook you whatever he can make. He also looks up very much to President Lord Business, but he is scared of him and tries to avoid him because then he will start to cry)

Texting system;

(When ooc and both me and Alex are speaking, I’ll be talking like this, Alex will have normal talking. Tags will not be used)

(If It's only me talking and not Alex then I will put OOC// at the top of the post to show it will be me talking the whole post)

(please know that the character still needs some developing and doesn't have much info to him yet. He acts stupid and maybe childish but he is NOT A CHILD!!! Even though he is an adult, please do not ask nsfw questions. I like to use pictures a lot so you will be seeing Alex's face a lot, lol. He will also be typing with little faces like :D, :], :3, you get what I mean.)

(As much as I’m not the greatest at speak/typing, I am also not the best reader, please be patient with me I WILL be making mistakes and reading things wrong. I have no idea how this happened)

(PLEASE KNOW THAT ALEX AND ME/THE CREATOR, ARE NOT THE SAME PLEASE SEE US AS DIFFERENT PEOPLE. I DO NOT ACT LIKE ALEX AND HE IS JUST AN OC, NOT A PERSONA)

[thicc-astronaut]

I find it funny that in The LEGO Movie the song "Everything is Awesome" is like, explicitly, in-universe, written by literal soulless robots as part of a deep-state psyop to keep the citizens of Bricksburg complacent thru the use of catchy feel-good pop music beats. It's Emmet's favorite song and his mind is shown to be "prodigiously empty"

And then outside of the movie, the song actually became pretty popular because it absolutely nailed being a catchy feel-good pop song. Absolute earworm. It worked exactly like it did in the film. That's hilarious to me.

[ask-good-cop-bad-cop]

why don’t your father’s brothers family not like you two? And why not say your uncle’s family?

▪️ Because he was a jerk and his kids are jerks and we don't really want to claim them. We mentioned before that he stayed behind in Middle Zealand when Dad and Mommom and Poppop moved to the Bricksburg realm. He'd decided he'd heard enough about the "modern city" and decided it wasn't for him, which that in itself is fine, we get it. Even as well as we've taken to city life, we still need to get away every once in a while too. But when Mom and Dad brought us back to Dad's home town to meet our extended family... Our cousins treated us pretty much the same as every other kid we grew up with. We were expecting that. We could handle that. It was our uncle's harsh words to Dad about "spawning a demon" that was the deciding factor for us. Even on our best behavior, he hated us just for existing as we are.

▫️ We went back just one more time a few years later. Their opinions about us hadn't changed a bit. Dad was persistent in writing to him, but he never wrote back. He died a few years ago. Dad had to hear it from an old family friend some months later, because our cousins never bothered to inform him.

[sunnydayart]

How many times do you guys think gcbc pulled over a car in bricksburg and accidentally walked to the right side instead of the left

(cars in northern ireland have right hand drive which means the drivers seat would be on the right)

[sa1808fi]

finally rewatched tlm2 and been thinking about this scene ever since, but thoughts on Emmet essentially admitting to Rex the second he met him that the reason he's had so much trouble "getting on with the times" and "getting tougher" was because he heavily struggles to cope with change? And secretly really misses how simple living in Bricksburg was, despite now knowing it was a giant brainwashing scheme?

I mean Bricksburg was Emmet's home for a long time. I like to think that it’s also his hometown, where he grew up, so obviously he has a deep attachment to it and would probably be devastated to see it get destroyed.

Emmet is used to the structured lifestyle Bricksburg provided, and unlike other master builders, he actually enjoyed it a lot. So I guess you could say that he's a creature of habit, and he takes comfort in said habits.

Apocalypseburg isn't really an environment he can thrive in, because of how disorganized it seems. There definitely is some weird form of a system, but it's not exactly one that Emmet is the most okay with following.

Now I'm not saying Emmet is incapable or resistant to change. Quite frankly he seemed to adapt to the new environment pretty well, just not in a way that was accepted. (Adding on, he also adapted to being a master builder quickly too, especially considering what his life used to be like)

What people expected was for him to change himself to fit the new lifestyle following the destruction of Bricksburg. But instead of that, Emmet stuck to what he knew, and that was the habits he developed in the years he lived in Brickburg. His first home.

He struggles with the expectation that he has to change everything about himself to make others happy. Really, he only thinks he struggles with change around him. In reality, he can't handle the idea of having to change his personality.

You could consider the house he built for Lucy as a way of him tying himself down in his past, trying to cling to the last remaining vestiges of Bricksburg he could. But it's also him using his new skills to build a future for him and Lucy. One that doesn't have to abide by how he's expected to act.

I think after the first movie and finding out about the brainwashing scheme, he does look back in a bittersweet way instead of just sadness. Even though a lot of his life there ended up being influenced in a way that made everyone obedient to the rules, it was still his home.

[the-umiran-amulet]

As Cary had suspected, Benny was a relentless chatterbox. He talked a lot about the stars, of days spent studying them, learning how to navigate by them, reading the stories that their ancestors had come up with about them. Some of the things he said made it sound like he had even been up in the heavens to see them in person. It made Cary laugh about how completely, well, starstruck he sounded about them.

He switched tracks easily enough though, when nudged with another topic. “So how does a noble end up fighting as a soldier? Most of our experiences with your lot, you all do whatever you can to get out of it.”

“Oh? Figured that out, did you?”

“Most people in the lower classes can’t spare the kind of gold it takes for magic lessons.”

Benny shrugged. “Seemed like the right thing to do. Too many of my ‘kinsmen’ are all too happy to sit around at home while so many other people are dying. I thought maybe I could shame them into taking action, or something. At the very least, I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t do something to actively help. There are few enough mages fighting this war on our side as it is, maybe I can help to save a few people.”

“And have you?”

“I don’t know. I hope so.”

Later that day, Benny got his bandages removed. Cary wasn’t quite sure what he was expecting, but a mass of copper-colored ringlets wasn’t it. He had never seen such vibrant red hair before. The doctor gave his head one final check, then declared him to be in the clear.

Benny still didn’t leave, though.

“Depleted magicka reserves,” the mage explained when Cary gave him a confused look. “The head wound is what landed me here—along with a few other, smaller physical injuries, of course—but that’s what’s keeping me here.”

“And how does that happen?”

“Overexertion,” Benny said with a shrug. “It was a pretty nasty battle. I’d like to think that me giving it my all is why so many of the other soldiers in my division made it out alive, but I was knocked out at some point, so I can’t say for sure. Last thing I can remember, I was trying to catch my breath, and then a sharp pain exploded in my skull. Whoever it was must have been in a hurry, to just leave me lying on the ground after that, but I’m not complaining. I was still one of the lucky ones.” Cary nodded his understanding. “The doctors here have never seen a case as bad as mine before. I do feel fine now, my head was what I was more concerned about, but I guess it’s their job to worry. I mean, that sort of thing can have long term or even permanent effects on a person.”

“The... depleted magicka reserves, you mean?”

Benny nodded. “Left untreated, it could have permanently damaged my ability to cast spells. But I’m well on my way to recovery now,” he added when Cary gave him a concerned look. “They’ll probably let me go home in a couple more days.”

The thought saddened the twins. Though they had only known each other for twenty-four hours at this point, they had already come to be fond of Benny. Even knowing who they were now, even having heard the rumors of what happened at Southlake Point, he didn’t pry, or push them to describe what they had seen there. Instead he chattered brightly about the stars, or about his siblings (he had five, a mix of brothers and sisters, of which he was the youngest), or his magic lessons he took while growing up. When he did ask them questions, they were about their parents, or what life was like while they were growing up.

“We grew up in Studsboro,” Cary answered at length. “Small town, west of Bricksburg. Mum and Dad still live there. It’s a fishing town, right on the coast, with a thick wood on its eastern side. We played there a lot when we were young, the other kids thought we were too strange to play with.”

“Do you have any siblings?” Benny asked, leaning forward in his curiosity to the point that he nearly fell off his bed. He caught himself before he could do a faceplant on the floor.

Cary nodded. “Our younger brother, Keelan. He’s still at home with Mum and Dad. They didn’t manage to have us until later in life, so he looks after them and helps around the house.”

Benny smiled. “That’s sweet of him.”

They spent the rest of the afternoon trading stories about the mischief they and their siblings got up to as children. Benny’s current tale of how his eldest brother had trained their dog to eat his homework had the twins in stitches. Cary couldn’t remember ever laughing so much before.

“And we found that out the hard way, too. I had just finished my homework, and set it down on the counter to get myself a snack. When I came back like two minutes later, Curly had it all over the floor and ripped to pieces. I mean, you can not imagine the look on my teacher’s face when I had to tell her my dog really did eat my homework, my mom even had to write her a letter to back up my story—”

Cary tried, very unsuccessfully, to stifle his giggles when a nurse brought in their supper. As if the contents of Benny’s tales weren’t hilarious enough on their own, he was also such an animated storyteller. The nurse eyed him warily as she handed over his tray. “I’m glad to see your mood has improved,” she ventured. Cary snorted. She gave Benny his tray before turning and leaving, seemingly in a rush. Benny burst into laughter.

“Have you been terrorizing the hospital staff?”

“Maybe,” Cary admitted with a grumble. “Can you really blame me though, when they kept setting up loud mouthed idiots in here that couldn’t leave us well enough alone? Nosy bastards.” Benny snickered.

“Nah. I think I’d probably be pretty grumpy too, if people kept asking me dumb questions like that.”

The twins couldn’t fight down their melancholy when Benny was finally released a couple days later. They would miss his ridiculous stories and impromptu astronomy lectures (even if they barely understood a word he said when he got going). They glanced up when he emerged from the attached bathroom again, finally wearing something other than the loose shirt and pants provided by the hospital. He looked every inch the noble he was supposed to be, dressed in such fine clothes, his blue silk vest covered in embroidered silver starbursts, the rest of his slightly darker blue suit also trimmed in silver to match. The black leather of his boots looked so soft that Cary almost couldn’t resist reaching out to touch them. Benny only gave him a knowing smirk when he spotted the soldier catching himself.

“It really was nice getting to know you both,” he eventually spoke. Even he could sense the somber atmosphere the room had taken on. “You said you live in Bricksburg, right?” Cary nodded. “Look me up sometime, whenever you get home. I don’t really have any friends, anymore, so I’d like to keep in touch. If that’s all right with you.”

They almost couldn’t believe their ears. Benny really considered them his friends? Cary nodded eagerly. It took him a moment to find his voice again. “Yeah, of course. We’d like that too.” Benny smiled brightly at them before finally waving goodbye and leaving the room.

They weren’t paired with anyone else after that.

It was still another week before the twins were finally declared fit for release, and though they still weren’t cleared to return to active duty, General Mooring had sent them a letter requesting their presence at Headquarters once they were home and able to make the trip.

It wasn’t the letter Alastar was hoping for. That letter never made an appearance, driving their already morose mood even further down.

Their parents and brother had traveled all the way from Studsboro to the hospital in Platon to see them and bring them home. They appreciated the help—it would have been even slower going, trying to manage by themselves when they still required crutches to get around. Though the doctors had removed their cast, the torn calf muscle would take several weeks to heal yet.

The trip back to Bricksburg took four days. Cary and Alastar were both grateful that their parents had insisted on bringing the horse and cart. They had even had the forethought to put cushioning in the back of the cart for the twins to sit or lay on so they would be more comfortable. Nora, Daniel, and Keelan took turns driving so they could all spend equal time with the twins.

“When do you think they’ll let you return to active duty?” their mother asked once they were settled back in their cottage.

“I don’t know,” Cary sighed. “After what happened at Southlake... Well, there’s no telling what they’ll decide. I just hope my record up until that point will be enough to convince them it was a fluke.” Nora sighed and gave her sons a tight hug.

“If not, then maybe I can stop worrying about you boys so much.” Cary managed a weak smile and hugged her back.

“We’ll be fine, Mum.”

“Are you sure you don’t need us to stay?” Daniel asked.

“Positive, Dad. Our leg’s feeling so much better already. We’ll manage.”

“Independent to a fault,” Keelan teased, earning a huff and a ruffling of his hair. He grinned at his brothers as he straightened his hair out again. The twins accepted a final kiss from their mother, and hugs from their father and brother, before their family finally stepped back out through their front door and began their own journey home.

Cary sighed.

Don’t despair yet, Alastar tried to encourage. The General only said to meet with him once we got home. He didn’t give any indication that what he has to say is bad.

“He didn’t give any indication that what he has to say is good either,” Cary muttered in response. “But let’s get this over with.”

They got themselves cleaned up and changed into fresh clothes, then flagged down a carriage to take them to Headquarters, where the General would be waiting for them. Cary stared out of the window during the ride, unable to help the churning feeling in his stomach. Alastar was right—he knew he shouldn’t be jumping to conclusions, but he simply couldn’t help himself, when he had no information whatsoever to go on. His twin did his best to try to help keep him calm, but even Alastar was feeling some apprehension. Sterling record or not, they did just have one hell of a botched battle. There was no salvaging that.

Finally they arrived, and Cary hobbled his way into the building. The guard at the door was kind enough to open it for him, at least. They made their way to the General’s office. “Sir?” Cary called to announce their presence.

“Callaghan,” the General greeted with a curt nod. “About time.”

A stone formed in their stomach, and their apprehension only grew. He didn’t have the patience for all the formal bullshit, and decided to cut right to the chase. “What’s the verdict, sir.”

“Trial. You’re to be dishonorably discharged after.”

Cary closed his eyes against the overwhelming grief. “Yes, sir.”