#dunban was right: timing really is everything.

[kadoodles-on-ao3]

I have been. SO BUSY! But in a good way!!!

Fic-wise I am nearly done with the prologue! Sorry it's taken me so long to do, I ended up not being happy with how it was going pacing/length-wise but still liking much of the guts of what I wrote so I took a full day to redraft it. And now I'm *much* happier with it. All that's left is to get my bf to beta read it after work and it will be posted!! Very exciting!!!! :) Part of why it took so long for me to finish it is...

Over the past week I've made a new friend who has been unpacking a ton of stuff from the Xenoblade Chronicles ISO: I now have access to all of the audio in the game, not just the battle lines! I've ripped and uploaded the missing boss lines to Sounds Resource myself! (They may still be pending approval but they're on their way!)

As such I'm making a catalogue of the background music and the cutscene audio as well! They will be fully organized and available to download on my Drive on the 10th! :) (Still gotta finish up the cutscene audio though, there's sooooo much) Sounds Resource doesn't allow music or cutscene audio to be uploaded there so this is the only place you can get them aside from ripping them yourself. Which brings me to...

I've also wrote an extensive tutorial on how to rip all of the assets I have so anyone can do it, as well as explain which files lead to which data! A huge part of the process for me was not knowing how to use the toolkit nor knowing where to look for what I wanted, but now that can all be cleared up for good for everyone! I'll also be posting this on the 10th!

Of course I also need to finalize my organization sheet for the battle lines: move my notes to text docs instead, put links to explanations for terms when they show up, figure out Face Nemesis' unused lines now that I know they exist... lots to do!

[monsterqueers]

Semi-Liveblog of Xenogears

Finally getting around to this crunchy 1998 jrpg, watching it on youtube because ive been told the UI and game mechanics are really ass in places, this will be copypasted from my carefully largely spoiler free discord ramblings to my platonic partner in batches so no spam.

I know a few spoilers for this that were specifically why I wanted to witness it- IE that I can ‘Same Neurotype!’ a character, and its Really Dark. The Mindfuck stuff goes without saying its the monolithsoft staff.

Copypaste from last night under the cut

Ohhh man the screen resolution and menu sound effects very crunchy ps1 shit The low res anime&cgi  cutscenes with 90s dub voices... -chefs kiss- Very crunchy Man I think I recognize this fucking random extras voice.

(...)

but the dubbing pool of voices in 98 was pretty small so chances are I HAVE heard it but oh man this is a tense moment and the VAs sound like they are discussing the weather this is great

-juicy Space Bullshit happening- Some dude: Im evacuating the ship (said like im ordering coffee)

The graphics are pretty impressive for the ps1 I think. The cgi is hysterical tho Im sure it looked better on a crt tv because the spacing and blurring or the lights makes the shading look less fucky on a lot of older stuff The detail on the 2d animation is really good tho for a ps1 anime custscene

oh naked lady dubiously censored naked lady yes this is a xeno game there must be boobie. Contextless boobie Oh man now I gotta read a lot of white text on black screen lol but the music is nice never heard it but it sounds nostalgic 'look at this cute village with cute music!' ok 'it is now on fire!' That sounds about right oh my fffuninkg god that screen transition windows movie maker shit ohhh yes this is good the screen is still wobbling and flashing oh lord the eyestrain lol

First thing the protagonist does is swear we are getting off to an excellent start Awwwe he paints thats cute

oh god the iu direction hud THATS AWFUL(complementary) thats very 90s 00 Weird Shit Before They Codified Whats Expected With A Hud design

Fei(Protagonist) has a sparse room with just a fuckton of art supplies in it where he seems to be only drawing self insert fanfic lol. Hes got his priorities in order. oh man that low poly cow

They did good to make a fully 3d  'move the camera around' game in 98, as low poly as it is I can see the 'sort of squeezing out everything you can out of the game engine' effort that went into xc1 in this

This girl and also this whole village totally has death flags I can smell it on them they are to happy and cosy Fei dodging conversation he doesnt wanna have like Naked Dunban

Oh what the shit you can talk to an npc while you talk to another npc??? lmao CRUNCHY gameplay that sounds like you can cause problems for the ui and fill the screen with textboxes I hope they thought of that and don let let you endlessly add more text boxes this town music really sounds like music ive heard a million times before for hours but I know ive never played this game maybe its background music for some video essayist or something very cosy tho

KITTY OMG IF YOU TALK TO THE CAT IT MEOWS??? CAT SPOTTED AND IT IS ALSO GREEN FOR SOME REASON KITTY KITTY they better not kill the cat (they will probably kill the cat) you can make him(the protagonist not the cat) jump in a well for no reason lol OH PUN "'well' done! you found an item!" "Alls well that ends well." Ok this is a good localization

'bearcows' Oh so that isnt a cow its some fucked up chimera thing oH GOD ITS MOUTH OPENS LIKE A BEAR GOT IT OK

its got canines..... This animal is almost certainly one of the most dangerous.... Bulls kill so many people every year and this one has TEETH

'We got -list of a bunch of combo fruits and veggies- and turnips!' turnips, the universal constant I guess

no dont drink fertilizer fei apparently drinking miracle gro will heal you Dont Worry About It

The space lazer sounds for messing around in the menu lol

There is just no combat tutorial AT ALL HA oh hes got voice acted lines in battle lol!!! Thats a higher voice than I expected

completely incomprehensible battle hud fans really werent lying there it is Super Crunchy Can barely read this lol and at the speed the person playing is buzzing through it I cant tell if its turn based or not Dont know what that bar is either I THINK its turn based with a time limit? Yeah seems to be Head so hard you can kill a wolf by headbutting it I guess sorry its a two tailed jackal lol thats cool monster design tho

its a chicken in the house how cute! -talks to the chicken and it makes a horrible staticky noise- ah Fei, while pleasant bg music plays: hm wonder where the doctor is :) -explosion noise- -all music stops-

found him!

Ah yes For No Particular Reason This Is Shaped Like A Cross And Has A Winged Person Statue In It

This game is under NO CIRCUMSTANCE epilepsy or motion sickness friendly lol

Also yes the windows movie maker wobbly screen effect is EXACTLY what dissociation feels like thats right.

Knowing the special spoiler that I do about this game makes this part unintentionally funny. Dude its your alter. Crack ur plural egg. The childs VOICE ACTOR OH MY GOD LMAOOO OOF Things are already going ‘fun’ directions

Oh I think im getting whats going on with combat, you do fucking button combos in your turn??? is that whats going on? Oh GOD the platforming..... Oh thats the real content warning for this game.... Oh wow. Thats really bad. oh! Is that a conlang or another real language I cant tell its cool has anyone tried to make a language bible for it if its a conlang? conversations like Fei: If ur gonna kill me at least try to aim for the vitals attempted murderer: What The Fuck We finally get a full name for our protag! Rejoice! HAHAHAHHA OH MY GOD WHO IS THE MCS VOICE ACTOR LMAO OH MY GOD THIS IS VERY MUCH EARLY DUB HMGJFDjgh

oh hey his va was an extra in avatar the last airbender

The voice cracks in the kid version of the character ohhh my god this is excellent horrible 00s english dub

the music is really good though very nice atmosphere

Yeah it seems to be different button presses use some energy on the bar and you combo them in an attempt to puzzle that together for your turn with some combos being special and will do lots of damage or something???

Also you can really hear the music vibe being very xenoseries. Them violins set to mental break downs <3

'the lip synch in xc2 is bad' Observe Xenogears Lip Synching in the anime cutscenes Oh man its Bad Lip Synching (in a good way)

wow thats a lot more blood than theyd get away with in a t rated game today! well its 2d so probably actually thats fine but

Jesus christ Feis english VA is unintentionally hilarious Its a 14 year old anime boy voice and hes Beefy Like it would be one thing if it was a good 14 year old boy voice, but it sounds like a grown man trying(badly) to do a 14 year old boy voice for a beefy man which is why its funny good thing hes mostly crying and screaming in the cutscenes and not talking

Random t rex in a xeno game we meet again!

LMAO deus es helicopter

Dropkicking sharks in the desert... Yes. Normal activities

Ahhh yes, time for the talking about god again! This is a xenogame AND a jrpg after all. Gods are hunted for sport. I think I kinda like the 1.25 speed versions of some of these songs more than the regular version but that might be because ive now listened to them that way for 2 hours

Oh yeah this is a game that if you played high would be a very bad time. Some real mindfuck shit is happening (complementary) HIM! The dude the internet really likes! Blonde himbo spotted! BART XENOGEARS,,,

wow the doctor guy can do a full split his wife must like that

HHHEXCUSE ME???!?! Word for word quote: 'Is there anyone who is almost dead, with no arms and legs, or in need of an abdominal operation!? No one...? Well that's depressing..."

LMAOOOO We found a dude in a cave who doesnt believe in evolution and thinks space aliens brought humans to the planet and hes probably right lets be real this is a jrpg. (edited) Guy In A Cave: -proceeds to belt out straight up bible stories when asked about what ‘myth’ he believes in- Ok this is a xeno game he is almost certainly right if hes yelling about god

Just three dudes in a cave, two himbos with hair past their ass and an old man yelling about god and his skull collection. Lovely.

There is one brain cell in the party and our other guy has it who isnt in the party right now. We are talking to the old dude. We should not be talking to an old dude who collects human skulls even if he is friendly but thats just me

This customization menu is atrocious oh wow INCREDIBLE,,,

Wow Bart really is proto-Zeke from xc2 no wonder xenofans are rabid for himbos. WHY must the customization window zoom to the asscheeks of the not-gundams every time you refuel them What, are we piping fuel up the robots asshole? Is that whats happening?

Oh new himbo is kind to children no wonder people think hes husband material lol

-insert 'sand is coarse and rough and gets everywhere' star wars joke here- also new guy has pirate music and pirates are cool so like.

its a fucking prOJECTOR HEHEHEHEH LIke the ones that project light on a viewscreen from above omg you can taste the 00s

Man I can see exactly why xenogears people are so obsessed with Bart. Pretty, beefy, friendly but distinctly weird to mildly unhinged, pirate-cowboy-prince, whips. wait a minute wait a minute. Robots, mindfuckery, sad protagonist who Doesnt want To Get in The Robot.... When did NGE come out old on- I thought so it came out in ‘95 I feel this is a bit of a love letter to NGE

omg omg Bart does a little hopping animation when hes excited thats adorable

does... does this bad guy really just straight up have a giant cross tattooed on his face??? Theres heavyhanded symbolism and then theres whatever that is (edited)

ok I have to stop watching these and go to bed but thots so far: - The fandom darling is as good as advertised. Excellent man lemmie give him a headpat I want to eat him like a croissant. - Charming and Weird And Fucked Up in equal measure which is good - You can smell the crunchy 90s sci-fi emanating from this game(complementary) - The music sounds deeply nostalgic like ive heard it for hours a million times before but ive 100% never heard any of this game. Good stuff. - I am intrigued how the funny 'jump in the well' gag has progressed from funny pun hole with items in it if you jump down it a few times into using a well to sneak into some shitheads lair and unkidnap a little girl. Wonder if this is gonna keep being a thing.

[childrenofmeyneth]

Light Within Each and Every Person Ch 1

Chapter 1 of a new small fic! Check the Ao3 link to see art by @bionisinterior for it!

Meyneth’s Monado is no longer in her hands, Meyneth is pulling away from her body. Meyneth is going to die. She’s going to die and all Fiora can do is stare up and beg her not to do it.

She feels like her life is flashing before her eyes.

Meeting Shulk when they were both so young, fighting Reyn and running away when she began to lose, making the choice to get into the mobile artillery.

Attacking Metal Face (it had been Mumkhar, how had she not realized it was Mumkhar), being stabbed through and the darkness that followed, being torn to shreds by Mechon.

Waking up and unable to control her body (watching Meyneth, not knowing it was Meyneth, using her body), begging Meyneth to save Shulk and everyone else, falling so far -- down to the endless sea.

Finally waking up to see Shulk -- so relieved she was back, sitting in Linada’s medbay as she realizes her body can’t survive for long, looking up at Mechonis and feeling a connection she didn’t used to have.

Seeing Vanea and remembering her from when she first woke up unable to use her new body, seeing the fate of the Machina as Meyneth used her body, begging Egil to see he was loved.

Falling and surviving as Gadolt dies, Vanea telling her she’s sure Meyneth was happy to meet her, watching as the Monado nearly tore Shulk’s arm to shreds.

Watching Shulk resist Zanza only to be shot in the back.

“No!” The word tears from her throat as she jumps up and finds herself suspended in the air, in front of Meyneth. “I won’t let you!”

“Fiora, you’ll be killed!” Meyneth’s voice is painful. “Get back!”

Fiora doesn’t listen, she holds out her hands, ready to take the hit for her. Ready to die for the woman who gave her a second chance at life. And then her chest begins to feel warm.

There are blades in her hands now, and she has no time to wonder where they came from. She hears Meyneth fall to the ground, her Monado clattering to the ground next to her. Fiora stands her ground, deflects the attack with the blades in her hand.

“I see,” Zanza sneers as he reaches out a hand, Meyneth’s Monado quickly joining into one blade and settling there. “Troublesome, but nothing my disciples couldn’t handle. Dickson, it’s time to go.”

Without another word, Zanza was gone.

Fiora falls, suddenly feeling weak as she places the blades at her side. Meyneth catches her, holds her carefully with a frown on her face. She looks so worried as she holds tightly to the girl.

“You could have died,” she says.

“You would’ve died if I did nothing,” Fiora replies with a weak smile. “Little ol’ me or you… the answer seemed obvious.”

Meyneth says nothing then, just hugs her and sobs. Fiora returns the hug as she recovers, the Mechonis rumbling around them.

“We need to go!” Dunban yells, watching Vanea run down to where Egil lays. “The Mechonis could fall apart at any moment!”

Fiora nods and pulls away from Meyneth. “You’re right… What about Vanea and Egil, though?”

“Let me talk to them,” Meyneth says, already heading the way Vanea had gone, “we will meet up with you shortly.”

Fiora pauses for a moment, but nods. There’s no one she trusts more than Meyneth, not at this moment.

“Reyn,” Fiora turns to her friend. “Grab Shulk! Melia, Riki, you stay close to me!”

Reyn gently lifts Shulk’s motionless body into his arms. Melia and Riki are at her side in no time, and Dunban and Sharla prepare to follow just a bit behind, providing back cover. She glances back for a second, towards the bottom of Mechonis Core, and she prays those three will join them shortly.

--

“Vanea, I’m sorry…” Egil coughs, weak from the attack Zanza had struck him with. “I was so blind…”

“None of that, not right now,” Vanea shakes her head, crying into his chest. “I’m just so glad that you came to your senses… We can talk about everything else later.”

Egil frowns, heaves a heavy breath. “Vanea, I cannot go with you. There is still much that can be done.”

“No!” Vanea shakes her head. “I can’t leave you here!”

“Vanea,” Egil shakes his head. “It is too late for me.”

“No it’s not, Egil, don’t you speak like that.” Vanea’s head snaps up and she turns, seeing Lady Meyneth behind them. “There is no reason for you to stay here, we can leave. I… I can do what is needed.”

“I will not let you die…!” Egil forces himself to sit up. “Lady Meyneth--”

“I will not die, and even if I did,” Meyneth looks away for a second. “It would lead to the world we both want. A world with no need for gods.”

“Lady Meyneth…” Vanea’s lower lip trembles. “Please, no. I cannot lose either of you, I cannot…!”

“Do not worry, Vanea.” Meyneth kisses her forehead with a gentleness exclusive to a mother goddess. “We will all survive.”

Egil grunts, and Vanea watches as he stands, the chords connecting him to Yaldabaoth break and snap. He can barely stand and Vanea moves to match him, letting him lean against her. She pats his chest gently, pulling him out of Yaldabaoth.

Meyneth takes his other side, humming gently as if to calm them both. “Come on then, Fiora and the others must be waiting for us.”

--

Meyneth lets out a scream as she falls to the ground, feeling her vessel, the Mechonis, be split in two. Fiora is at her side quickly, hands on her shoulders and frown on her face.

“Are you alright?” Fiora asks, rubbing her shoulders gently.

“I’m fine, just… in pain…” Meyneth lets out a sigh. “That is… all I will be able to do, to help you.”

Fiora nods, “that’s okay. You’ve done enough.”

Fiora sighs, thinking of everything that’s been happening. From Dickson shooting Shulk to Meyneth nearly dying to these strange blades… She closes her eyes, just as yells alert her to problems on the deck of Junks.

She runs out, leaving Meyneth behind with Miqol (and Shulk and Egil, lying unconscious in Med Bay beds-- no, she can’t think about that now). There’s Dickson, and more Telethia than she thought possible.

(It reminds her of Meyneth’s memories of the attack on Agniratha she thinks with a shiver).

“Dickson!” Fiora calls out, a frown on her face. “Why are you doing this?”

“This isn’t like you,” Sharla adds. “Snap out of it, Dickson!”

“How could you do this, Dickson?!” Dunban shakes his head. “Shulk adored you, looked up to you!

“ You can quit your bellyaching! I'm in total control,” Dickson laughs. “I've always been like this! Ever since long before any of you lot were born!”

“Before we were born?!” Dunban furrows his brow, but Fiora can see where this is going.

“Now you get it! It's just like Egil said,” Fiora bites her lip as he continues. “I'm Lord Zanza's disciple. Dickson of the Trinity!”

Before much can be said, a Telethia comes down, and there’s no choice but to fight. Fiora pulls the strange blades from her side and prepares for it, Melia and Riki coming to her side.

Reyn, Dunban, and Sharla stand a bit further back, but they’re all there, too. All of them, except for Shulk. Fiora reminds herself of that when she lunges. She lets the beams of the blades tear into the Telethia and it screams out.

Melia’s summoning elementals to her, enough that Fiora feels faster than she ever has before. She runs around it, watching as Riki spits poison onto the thing. Dunban digs his own blade into its side as Reyn draws its attention and Sharla shoots it straight in the head.

It begins to use Soul Read, Melia’s told her about this. That the only way to stop it is when she’s overflowing with Ether or when Shulk is using the Monado… Shulk… She grits her teeth and lets power in her chest build.

“Let’s see how you like this,” she hisses out, knowing Final Cross does not miss. Beams of Ether attack the beast and it falls to the ground, but not for long. It seems like there’s no stopping it… No matter what they do.

Dickson jumps on the back of the Telethia, a grin on his face as he looks at the group. “Look at all of you wastes of space! None of you are that tough without Shulk, eh?”

He shoots at Fiora and Dunban, the two barely dodging out of the way. “Stupid beast and a little girl who’s only good for cheering Shulk on! You should all be grateful, really. Not everyone has a war buddy, or a man who just happens to be able to guide you through the Marsh.”

“Dickson…!” Reyn grits his teeth. “You…!”

“It’s too bad, too, that Shulk didn’t listen. I told him someone would die if he didn’t end Egil,” Dickson turns his gaze to Fiora. “Someone just had to fill his mind with ideas of peace. If you had just laid down and let him do what Lord Zanza had planned, maybe he’d take it easy on you all.”

“I’d rather die fighting you than live as a slave of Zanza!” Fiora snaps back, pointing one of her blades at him.

“Then die!” The Telethia is starting to rear up and Fiora prepares… Only for an attack to hit their enemies, making Dickson fumble. “What?! Who was that? Show yourself!”

“Melia, are you alright?” Dickson hops off of the Telethia as Kallian approaches.

Fiora notes that he seems quite strong, but kind all the same (reminds her a bit of Dunban, really). She’s never seen him before, just listened to Melia talk about him with quite the adoration. And now he’s here to save them… maybe she’ll talk about him the same way in the future because of that.

“Brother!” Melia runs up next to Fiora, hands on her arm.

“Kallian!” Reyn is quick to speak up. “Dickson! He works for the Bionis like those Bionite blokes! He shot Shulk in the back!”

Kallian’s eyes widen and he looks at the girls. “Is this true?!”

They nod, and things start to go too fast for Fiora to keep up. Kallian swears to stop Dickson, and says the Harves can stop them… And then the woman, Lorithia, reveals herself to work with Dickson and Zanza too.

The High Entia are Telethia, when the right amount of Ether is concentrated. The Havres become part of them, even. Fiora feels sick, sicker than she feels looking at other Faces. Melia screams, but she can’t make out what she’s screaming.

All she can make out is Reyn pulling her back as Kallian rams into Lorithia and they explode.

--

“Your brother seemed kind,” Vanea’s words are awkward as she sits next to Melia, who cries in the corridor as they head for Colony 6. “He loved you.”

“I wish he did not,” Melia replies. “If he did not, he would not have done that to save me.”

“Oh, Melia…” Vanea frowns and reaches out to touch her shoulder. “You should not think like that. The love of a sibling is a wonderful thing. You may not realize it, but… not having that love hurts more than anything.”

“Like you and Egil?” Melia asks, looking up at her. “When he said those things to you in Agniratha… did that hurt?”

“More than anything else I had experienced,” Vanea admits. “He… he was willing to die, back in the Core. If Lady Meyneth had not been there, he would have. If he died, it would hurt… But I could at least find peace knowing he loved me again, at the end.”

“Vanea…” Melia looks down again, eyes glued to her feet. “I am sorry, it was selfish of me to wish like that.”

“It is alright to be selfish sometimes,” Vanea replies. “It is just important to remember the love he had for you. Even if that may be hard right now.”

“You’re right,” Melia wipes tears from her eyes. “I… I did not realize my father loved me until he died. It was different with Kallian, though. I knew he loved me, from a very young age I understood he cared for me. It makes losing him… so different.”

“It will take time to register it completely, Melia,” Vanea squeezes her shoulder gently. “Allow yourself that time. Just know he died to let you live, and that you have the chance to carry on his wishes.”

Melia nods. “That is… a wonderful way to look at it. My people are bound to be displaced now, and I am to be their hope. For their sake, and for Kallian, I must be strong.”

“Even one who is the hope of their people can ask for help, though,” Vanea reminds. “Please do not hesitate, I am sure everyone would be willing to assist.”

Melia looks at Vanea, a smile finally coming to her lips. “Thank you, Vanea.”

[peopleofmechonis]

Dickson

I was discussing some XC1 thoughts and observations with a friend, and we ended up talking about Dickson and Zanza’s disciples.

I’ll be taking the opportunity to share some more observations ramblings. This time about our favourite slimeball.

It’s a pretty long post, so I’ll be placing a ‘’keep reading’’ below.

Hope you enjoy!

When I played for the first time, he was this guy I really couldn’t put a finger on. Everyone else was more or less clear in intentions, and their character estabilishing moments gave off impressions that last. 

To be fair, I still can’t put a finger on this mustachio.

With Dickson, it is unclear. His words and actions constantly contradict eachother. One time he’s a goody goody ally and helps out Dunban, and calls him a beast, which seemed a fitting nickname, the other time he absolutely stabs the main party in the back in one of the most epic plot twists I’ve seen. Upon replaying the first few cutscenes, it looks more like he wanted Dunban to die so Shulk gets the Monado, and that ‘’beast’’ nickname seems a lot more derogatory. He’s a Giant, one of Bionis’ first races, of course a Homs is a mere beast to him. 

Yet in the cutscene with Metal Face right after the Ether Mines, beast remains an affectionate nickname of sorts, and he doesn’t call anyone else that way. He also seemed genuinely concerned with the whole Metal Face shenanigans going on, even helping out the party. 

And that’s with Dunban, someone that could be considered a friend of sorts. With Shulk, it’s a whole different can of worms. 

The interactions, the observations, all these moments he talks to himself, it’s hard to gauge whether he truly cared about the boy, or only cared about safekeeping Zanza’s vessel until his reawakening. 

The game implies Dickson raised Shulk himself, took him under his wing and trained him. He taught Shulk the value of research and learning about the Monado as long it was in Dunban’s possession.  I have to say, we do not know when or how Dunban got a hold of the Monado, only that Dickson found the blade with young Shulk sleeping next to it. I could ponder on that bit, but I think that’s best left for another post.  Back to the topic on hand, Dickson took Shulk in. If he wanted to keep Zanza’s vessel alive, he could’ve easily tossed him into an orphanage and sponsored said orphanage. Or if he was friends with Dunban for a long time, he could’ve asked him to look after Shulk alongside Fiora. 

It’s not like Dickson cares about the implications around tossing baggage onto someone. 

Yet he took the boy in. He raised him. He taught him everything Shulk needed to know to develop on his own. I feel that alone contradicts his attitude in general.  Might he have felt any regret upon finding Shulk? Was it purely to keep Zanza safe? Or did he simply grow to care?

That’s pre-game. During the course of the game, Dickson is constantly encouraging Shulk to stay on the right track. The track of avenging Fiora and possibly ending up getting the world rid of the Mechon or even the Mechonis. That the one who killed Fiora happened to be a Faced Mechon and therefore Homs integrated with machinery was probably just another opportunity.

An opportunity to have Shulk climb all the way up to Prison Island and unshackle the Monado. Strengthening the chances of his God’s awakening.

Yet, there are moments where Dickson seems to be regretful about steering Shulk into that direction. That he really hoped that the kiddo would survive everything thrown his way.

These moments were when he was alone and talking to himself. There was no reason for him to lie, unless he is somehow aware that the world is a video game and there’s an audience. 

I doubt that is the case.

A moment that stands out for me is moment right before Mechonis Core, when Dickson and Alvis opt to stay behind. Dickson seems to be worried and mentions something along the lines of ‘’I hope you’ll do what is right, Shulk.’’

He has caught on Shulk’s reluctance on mindless revenge and ‘’making the enemy pay, regardless’’ since Fiora ended up alive. He really hopes Shulk will make the decision he would have made if he had never found Fiora, but he seems doubtful of it.

Having doubt about Shulk’s future actions, Dickson knows he has to intervene if Shulk doesn’t kill Egil as intended. 

The whole fact he is worried about it is strange. I doubt Dickson would behave this way if Shulk was just another vessel. Killing Shulk would simply complete his goals sooner.

Perhaps Dickson thought, or even knew, that there was a possibility Zanza would keep Shulk alive. For Dickson, or for Zanza’s own selfish reason, I don’t know. To Dickson, it might have been his preferred outcome, even if things would have ended up the same regardless.

That, and the fact he waited until the last possible moment for intervention. Mechonis had stopped moving long before Shulk got shot as Egil and Shulk had this lengthy conversation before shit hit the fan. Dickson would have known Shulk had either killed Egil, or didn’t, and could’ve gone up into the Core a long time before the shooting. 

Did he go up as soon the Mechonis stopped? Did he stand there watching the events unfold, cursing himself and the boy?

Or did he just wait until he figured the party wasn’t coming down any time soon and went up and fired a shot as soon he saw things weren’t to his liking? 

Did he hesitate before pulling the trigger?

Either way... I find the time taken to be very strange for someone who was pretty spontaneous with his actions the times prior. 

Joining Dunban during Battle of Sword Valley and just going along.

Going to Fallen Arm as soon he realized Shulk was there. 

His big damn heroes moment alongside Dunban with Metal Face.

Spotting Junks and abandoning the fight to aid the party prior to Core.

All spontaneous actions. Everything of it is a guy who knows what to do to keep things moving along nicely for his master.

Yet this one moment, he seems to take forever. 

And also precisely the moment he had to hurt someone he implied he cared about.

I find that fishy for someone who claims to be a heartless liar during the third arc.

The moments afterwards are a bit blurry for me. I played through the third arc of the game (post-Core) into the dead of the night, because I was too far in to put the game away. The downside is that it didn’t get registered in memory very well.

But there were several moments that Dickson still seemed to care and implied he rooted for Shulk. He even said he obeyed the strongest, but if the strongest was overthrown by someone else, then he’d obey said someone else. (I think that was during the Telethia attack on Colony 6)

That was said in the presence of the party, therefore I take it with a grain of salt. I doubt Dickson would say the truth with others around. 

And then there’s Prison Island. He could have faced the party as soon as possible, but instead, he tosses three boss battles at the party.

It could be in order to postpone the party’s arrival at the top of Prison Island.

It could be in order to get them to die before they can get to Zanza.

Or is it an attempt to avoid the inevitable battle against Shulk? 

Then he finally fights Shulk. The boy he claims to see as his son. The boy he claims to care about. 

He ends up losing thanks to, yes I’m going to say it, the power of friendship. The party cooperates like clockwork and the last Giant is finally bested. 

Dickson tells Shulk he’s proud the student has outmatched the master. He witholds dying in front of the party. He claims he doesn’t want to give the party the reward of seeing him die, as a final middle finger. 

Or did he not want Shulk to see his father figures die? Or did he not want to face Shulk’s reaction in his last moments? 

It’s hard to tell at this point. The expressions aren’t exactly nuanced or subtle, but based on what I’ve observed before, I think it is because Dickson cared.

In a very twisted and selfish way, a way only an ancient individual obsessed with power can be, Dickson cared about the kiddo he took in fourteen years prior. 

He likely knew Shulk was going to be his downfall, and he went into it with his chin held up high.

Downfall or not, he’d get in and out of it with a bang.

And that he did. 

[kentuckywrites]

deform to form a star

Long after the events of the main story, Shulk has a dream and sees Alvis again.

Shulk had skipped dinner that night in favor of working in the lab uninterrupted. Mechon parts were strewed about on his desk haphazardly, some dangling off the edge, threatening to fall. Blueprints to various inventions and upgrades were crumpled up or tucked away, and only one was in clear view. It was the design for an arm cast, a mechanical splint. If everything worked out, it would give Dunban movement in his right arm again. Shulk hoped to surprise him with it once it was done. 

But the claws of the unconscious were grabbing his temples, and with every passing moment Shulk wanted to give in to its grasp and sleep. Eventually he decided he wouldn’t get anywhere like this, and even if he did manage to keep going, there was no guarantee that the work he did would be adequate, or even subpar. Shifting some of the parts away with his arm, Shulk used the crook of his elbow as a makeshift pillow, and when his eyes fluttered shut the world of dreams embraced him with a quiet indignation.

Dreams were not something Shulk wished for, not after all that had happened. His nights were haunted by ghosts of the past, of mistakes he couldn’t fix and lives he couldn’t save. He would wake as if he hadn’t slept at all and go about the day normally, avoiding any and all questions about why there were dark circles under his eyes, why he kept tripping over his own two feet. When darkness claimed him he knew he would dream, and the vast expanse of space greeted him coldly. Shulk knew this vision - this was where he and the others fought Zanza and all the ghosts of their past. Metal Face, Face Nemesis, Jade Face, Xord. Mumhkar, Fiora, Gadolt, and whoever Xord had been in a past life. He felt the hilt of the Machina’s monado in his hand, and he prepared himself for a lonely fight in a lonely void.

But the scene changed, and when he went to grip the monado tighter his fingers pressed into his palm, empty. The sun, distant in the sky, grew higher as grassy land pressed into Shulk’s boots. A gentle breeze came to comfort him and the sky turned a brilliant shade of blue. He knew this place - it was just outside of the former Colony 6, the path out of the ether mine. Loose fence posts jutted out in weird directions, hardly performing their intended purpose at the edge of the land. In one of their many gaps, a familiar Homs sat, his feet dangling over the edge of the Bionis. Shulk had to rub his eyes to fully realize that it was Alvis, who hadn’t acknowledged that he was there yet. Smiling, he walked over, choosing not to sit down yet.

“Alvis!” He said, “It’s been a long time.”

“Indeed,” Alvis didn’t look up at Shulk, his silver gaze focused on some distant point on the horizon, “And it would seem during that time, you’ve been in good health.”

“I’d say so,” Shulk stretched his arms outwards, noticing that in this dream all of his aches and pains had been alleviated, “Rebuilding the colonies is taking longer than I first thought, but they’re coming along nicely. I’m back to working in a lab again too! Overall, everything’s coming along.”

“Good news,” He nodded, and without looking up he patted the space to his left. That silent affirmation was all Shulk needed to sit down next to Alvis, letting his legs dangle off the land. There was a dull sense of danger involved, but in the end, even if he fell, this was only a dream. Still, everything around him felt real - the sights, the textures, even the faint smell of iron and rosewater that the breeze carried over from Alvis. This close to him, Shulk could even see how smooth Alvis’s skin was, flawless and pure, porcelain that held no imperfections. His hair, feathery like the High Entia he’d worked with long ago, metallic and shining in the sunlight. The frown decorating his thin lips, desperately wanting to turn into a grin, but held back by something beneath the skin.

Shulk decided to ask what was bothering him, because it was obvious that Alvis was sad. 

“How have you been holding up?” He said, “Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see you again.”

“I have nothing to report.”

Well, that was anticlimactic. 

“Really? Nothing new at all?”

“There isn’t much of anything for me to report. It is as you said, Shulk. Everything is coming along.”

“But what have you been up to?” Shulk pressed, “It’s been months since I’ve heard word from you. I find it hard to believe you haven’t been doing anything at all!”

Alvis paused, contemplative. His hands found their way into his lap, folding ever so perfectly with each other. “My administrative duties have taken up the bulk of that timeframe, but even then there is not much left to maintain. Thanks to you, this world has progressed in a natural manner. I believe in due time, my line of work will become obsolete.”

“Because this world has no gods to control it?”

“Precisely. I was set to maintain the world for Zanza’s return, but now that there are no gods left to govern it, this world has progressed on its own terms. It’s possible for me to collect new data regarding the future of this world, but…”

“But that’s not what you want.” Shulk finished, and finally Alvis turned to face him. His expression had taken on a miserable quality, his brow furrowing and his eyes creasing at the corners.

“Correction: that is not what you want, Shulk,” He said, “You expressed the desire to live life each day as it comes, and whatever the future held for you, you would embrace with open arms. It is difficult to collect data on a future that is not predetermined, only because of the infinite possibilities in store.”

“Right,” He agreed with a small sigh, “Though if I might ask...are you sad that this is what I chose?”

Alvis’s eyes went wide. “I could never be disappointed in you, Shulk. This world is prospering because of your decision, and I cannot fault you for placing the people of this world into your consideration.”

“But I basically took away your purpose,” Shulk protested, “You don’t have anything left to do anymore. Zanza gave you a job to fulfill, as much as it’s weird to admit it, but now you’re just…”

“Outdated technology.” Alvis turned away again, his legs gently kicking outwards. “All technology is bound to be replaced as advancements are made. I simply wasn’t expecting my own expiration to be so soon.”

“Expiration? Alvis, you’re not just a piece of equipment to be thrown away once you’ve served your purpose. You’re sentient. You can think for yourself. You can make a life for yourself, if you want!”

“My own life…”

The silver-haired Homs went quiet, now staring down at his hands, observing how his fingers bent to press down on his palms. It was a gentle movement, so carefully planned that Shulk couldn’t resist watching him. When the silence had passed, Alvis took a deep breath, and his hands came to rest on his thighs.

“Zanza once informed me that I would never change,” Alvis said, “That I was a program made to execute commands and nothing more. I cannot help but consider that he was right.”

“I killed Zanza, remember?” Shulk found himself laughing, “He can’t control who you are or who you want to be. Isn’t that why you helped me?”

“I deny that I was of any assistance to you. Your friends considered me a traitor, and even in the end, all I asked of you was to make a decision.”

“So all those times you appeared to me in my dreams weren’t supposed to be helpful? Alvis, you gave me the strength to keep fighting. When I thought I was nothing more than an empty shell, you were there to tell me that I had meaning - that everything I’d done had purpose to it.”

Alvis looked to Shulk again, and this time the saddened hint to his face had increased tenfold. It was like Shulk had spoken a truth he wasn’t prepared to accept. His eyes threatened tears, silver pools of mechanical grace that hid a mortal life. His lips parted, showing the slightest hint of white teeth, though no words could escape his body. So Shulk continued, smiling now that he knew what Alvis needed to hear.

“Maybe you can come and live in Colony 9 with me and experience what it’s like to be alive. You deserve to live, after all. Nothing can change that.”

“I...I’m afraid I may not live up to your expectations,” Alvis confessed, twisting a part of his hair behind his ear, “I have witnessed firsthand how life can be cruel, that the decisions you make can lead to life being taken away.”

“You’re afraid that you’ll hurt people? I was scared of that too, even when I had the Mona - when I had you.” Shulk told him, “But I don’t think you’d need to worry about that at all. Because now you’ll have me.”

And that was what broke the dam. Alvis’s tears spilled over onto his perfect cheeks, leaving trails of saltwater behind as evidence. Despite his tears, a beautiful smile now adored his face, and he was beautiful, and now Shulk never wanted to leave this moment. Before he could think, his arms were wrapped around Alvis, and Alvis’s arms pressed into his back, and Alvis’s face was pressed into Shulk’s shoulder, and Alvis was pressed into all of Shulk so perfectly that it was hard to believe this was a dream. 

With quiet sobs Alvis whispered, “Thank you.”

The smell of iron and rosewater followed Shulk into the waking world, and when he sat up and looked around, he saw Alvis faceplanted onto the floor behind him, fast asleep. The sight would’ve been comical without context, but all Shulk could do was smile. He didn’t know how long he’d been encased within the dream, or how the dream had followed him here. Shulk stood up from his chair, the aches and pains returning to declare vengeance, but he ignored them to pick Alvis up off the ground and carry him bridal style out of the lab. Along the way, Alvis’s eyes peeked open, still exhausted from his travels out of the unconscious. 

“Will you truly share this life with me?” He mumbled, a question that caused Shulk to blush.

“Of course I will,” He answered, for what else could he have said? “Now let’s get you somewhere comfortable to sleep. I’ll show you around the colony tomorrow.”

[bearpillowmonster]

Xenoblade Definitive Nonspoiler Review (Main)

I've heard high opinions of this game, in fact, I don't think I've heard a bad review for this one specifically, maybe Xenoblade X or 2 but not this one. Chuggaconroy even said that it was his favorite game. I decided I wasn't going to buy it on Wii, it was rare anyway, but I started watching a playthrough of it but didn't make it much past the beginning. Shulk got in smash and now there's a definitive edition on Switch so hey, let's give it a go.

Characters first, as I expected, the Nopons are kind of annoying, I barely ever used Riki though. Who is best girl? Well for the main female characters, we have Fiora, Sharla, and Melia. I'm a bit torn between the three because they all offer something different. 

I was team Fiora from the start, I just assumed that's how it went, I had previsions to like her but when it came down to it, there wasn't a whole lot to her at first. Then things happened and I have to say, her background with Shulk makes her a strong contender. She is a lot like him in more ways than one.

So then came Melia, who I instantly really liked, and tried to keep pampered throughout my playthrough. There isn't a whole lot I can say about her without spoiling though.

Sharla is the one that I know I don't ship with Shulk. She's a few years older anyway and she'd fit with Reyn more, they push that pretty hard. But she has the best character development and is probably the most interesting, 9 times out of 10, I had her in my party because for one, she's a sniper and I love snipers and she can reach birds that a sword or even the Monado can't normally reach. And two, she's a healer.

So we have best relationship, best character, and best story. I'm leaning towards Melia as best girl overall, even if I don't know who belongs with Shulk.

As for other characters, I was afraid Dunban would get sidelined and he kind of did, he’s only there because (spoiler) is there, then he gets told certain things by the ending and it’s like it barely even fazes him, sure he had that one moment where he was kind of broken up but other than that...Now Reyn is kind of the best, he’s ironically hilarious and the one that brings the team together, even if he does make mistakes sometimes and he’s easy to make fun of, he was a decent addition. And I expected Shulk to be my favorite yet I couldn’t help but feel he wasn’t, his quirk is that he’s kind of milquetoast but he’s learning not to be, I like that aspect but I just like everybody else’s character more.

Story

I’m making this review because I’m challenging the game. I started feeling like it was all too familiar but then I realized Sword Art Online definitely took a few notes for Alicization. The dialogue is pretty campy too. It’s not clear whether Shulk SEES these visions the same as what we’re seeing as well as hearing them but if he does then he’s really oblivious. “What could this mean?” Gee uh, maybe someone crying for help?! If he was just hearing it though, I could totally understand except he talks about "seeing" things so I assume he knows. 

It's ironic, I started this because I thought the story was supposed to be good and I thought the gameplay was just something you had to accept. I ended up staying for the gameplay and thinking the story is kind of outlandish, I'm not sure where the whole Zanza thing came from and when I looked it up when I was thinking about buying this game, it didn't show that side of the story, because it's a spoiler. Yeah it’s hinted at throughout but I don’t care, it’s not my thing at all. I won't talk about it but just know that it's questionable, I thought I got rid of it with Persona 5. I wasn't going to complain about the cutscenes because Kingdom Hearts has long cutscenes but these are especially sluggish, and over nothing, Shulk sometimes just stands there and "mmph"s and "urgh"s looking at the Monado and then you enter a new area and you walk down a ramp and immediately comes another cutscene. I would start doing something else while some of the cutscenes were playing because they were so slow. Don't tell me that I shouldn't judge the story that way because first off, if it doesn't engage me enough to stay there then it's not my kind of thing and second, I only started doing that towards the end and still understood everything. It should have just ended when (to put it in non-spoiler terms) Shulk sat on the Golden Mechon. I think this game is more for people who were already fans anyway though.

As for the graphics, I’m a fan of these designs, it reminds me of a Kingdom Hearts style, kind of cartoonish and vibrant and they aren’t too realistic. Why is that? Because apparently Tetsuya Nomura himself put a little bit of influence in there. Looking up a few things here and there, I can tell that it’s definitely a glow-up over the original especially the character models, I can actually tell their faces apart. The original actually reminds me of the FF12 era. I see some people saying that it’s still not great because of the resolution but as long as it has style then it’s fine with me, I couldn't see myself playing any other version after even glancing at the improvement of these designs. 

You could call this a gameplay thing but it fits here since it's design. I really really love this one. So, with a lot of RPGs, there are equipable items, weapons, and gear but most of the time, it’s just for stats, they don’t actually show up. With this game, they do! You can customize your character essentially and it keeps it even during cutscenes. As if that wasn't good enough right? So if you just want to have the cutscenes look good but also have a style going on, there is a section to put on the gear that you want visible while also have the same attributes of the other gear you have “equipped” so no worries. The only gripe with it is that I really liked the short sleeved outfit in the trailers "The Monado style" but you know what? You have to play the epilogue to get it, "Future Connected" which means after the main story. I’m not doing that because I ended up being disappointed with the main game, why bother? I looked up some FC stuff and it seems just as messy, like they wanted to add to the ending of the game but it doesn’t add all that much from what I see. Not in terms of length but actual lore and story.

Now do I recommend this game? Ho ho, people are gonna be mad but no. Maybe I don’t understand it, but I played the game, you tell me why it’s supposedly good.

[imagined-comfort]

Update: Upcoming Requests

Hello Loves!

Here’s currently what I have in the inbox:

Request from V [DMC] - Comfort - Depression and work burn out have gotten you down. 

Request from the DMC boys [Admin will pick 2] - Comfort - Life feels really hard right now.

Request from Fon Master Ion - Comfort  - You’re autistic and you feel guilty when you don’t manage to keep conversations going.

Request from Trevor and Alucard - Comfort - You’re losing your grandmother who’s been a big part of your life.

Request from Dunban [Xenoblade Chronicles] - Comfort - You’re a trans guy that feels their missing out on having an older brother.

Request from Jumin Han - Comfort - Co-worker wouldn’t respect your answer of No.

Request from James Moriarty - Comfort/Advice - You run a Sherlock blog you were considering expanding and you’re nervous.

Request from Ignis - Comfort - Life is a bit out of control and you feel no one will understand. 

Request from Hector and maybe Adrian [Castlevania] - Comfort - You fear that you’re not a good pet parent

Request from Dorian [Dragon Age] - Comfort - You’re a trans man and you’re parents don’t accept who you are, and your suffering from PTSD from an abusive relationship. TW: Past Abuse

Request from Giles [Buffy the Vampire slayer] - Comfort/Encouragement - Feeling like you’ve stalled on your recovery from an abusive childhood. TW: Past Abuse

Request from Ignis - Comfort/Encouragement - You just started your second seasonal job and the shift is wearing you out.

Request from Vergil - Comfort - You’ve got a lot on your plate and you need someone to tell you it’s ok.

Request from Logan and Virgil [Sanders Sides] - Comfort - A long term relationship just ended and you just want some kind words.

Request from Nyx [Kingsglaive] - Comfort - Your mom is in the hospital and you’re scared as you’re the rock for everyone else.

Request from Handsome Jack [Borderlands] - Comfort - You’ve been going through a tough time lately.

Request from Gladio and Prompto - Comfort - You’re afraid that you may end up homeless.

Request from Gilgamesh [Fate Series] - Comfort - You’re tired from existing, and it’s hard to find the will to do anything.

Request from Noct and Prompto - Advice/Comfort - You want them to kill you, at least that’s what you think you want. TW: Suicide Mention

Request from Noctis and Prompto - Comfort - Your medication ran out for your depression and anxiety and you’re afraid you’re going to get addicted to hurting yourself again. TW: Self Harm

Request from Balto and Steele [Balto] - Comfort/Encouragement - You’re about to go to court for a personal matter and you want some good words to go with you.

This is currently everything I have in the inbox! When I close the inbox on 7/15 I will update this list again! 

Again, thank you so much for your patience! I love you guys!

Much Love, ~Admin Manda

[stage-select-hub]

► NAME ➔   “Shulk Soss”

► ARE YOU SINGLE? ➔  “No, I’m in a relationship.”

► ARE YOU HAPPY? ➔  “Yes, I’d say so.”

► ARE YOU ANGRY? ➔ “Not right now.”

► ARE YOUR PARENTS STILL MARRIED? ➔ “... Yes, I guess you’d say.”

NINE FACTS.

► BIRTHPLACE ➔   “Colony 9.”

► HAIR COLOR ➔   “Blond”

► EYE COLOR➔   “Sea Blue”

► BIRTHDAY➔   “June 10th”

► MOOD ➔   “Tired.”

► GENDER ➔   “Male”

► SUMMER OR WINTER? ➔   “Winter.”

► MORNING OR AFTERNOON? ➔   “Afternoon.”

EIGHT THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE.

► ARE YOU IN LOVE? ➔ “Yes, she’s amazing!”

► DO YOU BELIEVE IN LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT? ➔ “Not really. It takes time to know someone.”

► WHO ENDED YOUR LAST RELATIONSHIP? ➔ “... Is it cheating to say a robot?”

► HAVE YOU EVER BROKEN SOMEONE’S HEART? ➔ “... Reyn is saying that Xord’s daughter was in love with me, I think I may have...”

► ARE YOU AFRAID OF COMMITMENTS? ➔  "No, not in the slightest!”

► HAVE YOU HUGGED SOMEONE WITHIN THE LAST WEEK? ➔  “No, it’s been too long since I’ve been to the Bionis.”

► HAVE YOU EVER HAD A SECRET ADMIRER? ➔  "I guess Xord’s daughter.”

► HAVE YOU EVER BROKEN YOUR OWN HEART? ➔  “ No, not really.“

SIX CHOICES.

► LOVE OR LUST? ➔  ”Love.”

► LEMONADE OR ICE TEA? ➔   “I don’t know what either of these things are.”

► CATS OR DOGS? ➔  "Dogs.”

► A FEW BEST FRIENDS OR MANY REGULAR FRIENDS: “A few best friends.”

► WILD NIGHT OUT OR ROMANTIC NIGHT IN? ➔  “I’d say a night in..”

► DAY OR NIGHT? ➔  "Night.”

FIVE HAVE YOU EVERS.

► BEEN CAUGHT SNEAKING OUT? ➔   “Hmph. Yes, I have. It was actually kind of funny.”

► FALLEN DOWN / UP THE STAIRS? ➔   “No, I don’t usually go up the stairs.”

► WANTED SOMEONE / SOMETHING SO BADLY IT HURT? ➔ “Does Fiora count?”

► WANTED TO DISAPPEAR?➔  "I didn’t have to want it.”

FOUR PREFERENCES.

► SMILE OR EYES? ➔  "Smile!”

► SHORTER OR TALLER? ➔  "Shorter... I don’t like thinking about my height.“

► INTELLIGENCE OR ATTRACTION? ➔ “Intelligence.”

► HOOK-UP OR RELATIONSHIPS? ➔  ”Relationships.“

FAMILY.

► DO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY GET ALONG?➔  "...”

► WOULD YOU SAY YOU HAVE A “MESSED UP LIFE?” ➔ “... Kind of...”

► HAVE YOU EVER RAN AWAY FROM HOME? ➔ “No, but I had thought about it.”

► HAVE YOU EVER GOTTEN KICKED OUT? ➔  “No.”

FRIENDS.

► DO YOU SECRETLY HATE ONE OF YOUR FRIENDS? ➔ “No! Why would I!?”

► DO YOU CONSIDER ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS GOOD FRIENDS? ➔ "Of course!”

► WHO IS YOUR BEST FRIEND? ➔  “Reyn!”

► WHO KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU? ➔ “Reyn, Fiora, Melia, Riki, Dunban, Sharla, all of my friends know all about me.”

[sir-teatei-moonlight]

Xenoblade reference: obscure facts hidden in quest comments

Compared to the heart-to-hearts, there’s less juicy canon info hidden in the bonus comments you can get from quests if you have the right character in the field at the time. But there’s still a good bit. So I’ve gone through everything on the wikia (credit to @fortgalahad​ for adding most if not all of them) to parse out the coolest info and compile it here.

Note that this is “obscure” stuff only, i.e.: you’d never hear of it anywhere else. (Or maybe I just find it funny.) It’s sorted by character, mostly. And hopefully I don’t miss anything that I accidentally think is common knowledge or is too easily assumable (poke me if you think I have).

Obviously there be spoilers. Mostly about who Seven is.

Bionis/the world itself

You don’t try to pull shells off Krabbles. They get very angry. (Pride and Courage)

Nopon

It’s claimed that trying to keep Nopon as pets is a thing in Alcamoth. It’s hard to tell whether this is widespread, localized, or even true. (Looking for Freedom)

All the lamps in Frontier Village are pollen orbs, not ether crystals. (Pollen Orb Ingredients)

Sharla wonders where a Nopon’s knees are. Yusa points his out with a “Can’t you see?!” and calls them “good solid knee joints”. (Let's Make Fillings!)

It’s claimed that Nopon don’t really feel cold because of their fur. They have to be not hungry though. (Valak Mountain Research, The Freezing Nopon)

Shulk

Shulk is aware that his grandfather was dead before he was born. (Hunt for Bug-Loving Friend)

After being told he doesn’t look like a scientist, Shulk worries that maybe he’s “getting too buffed up” from travelling. (The Deciphering Machine)

Fiora

Apparently, Fiora needed a new chopping knife, but Shulk thinks she would’ve gotten angry for him to give her one for her birthday. (Cook-Off Final Blow?!)

Fiora’s teeth got worked on when she was given her new body, and is surprised her toothache is gone. (Medical Advancements)

Dunban

Dunban claims that he stopped drinking alcohol when Fiora told him it was “bad for him”. (Losing the Taste for Alcohol)

Sharla

Apparently, Sharla likes to make boots sometimes. (Best Boots)

Melia

Melia happens to think she has “no need to rely on” items that are purported to create love. (Romantic Notions of a Girl)

There’s some suspicion that Melia is someone important because she speaks “really fancy”. (Supplies for Satorl)

Riki

“Riki's favourite subject sleeping. Riki get A+!” (Adviser Hunt)

[machineryfield]

Chapter 1: Normal Days

Shulk looks over the communications set-up again and smiles to himself. This was the first time ever that the Colonies had the chance to be so interconnected… He just hopes it all works like it’s supposed to.

There’s a lot riding on this, and all of it is on his back. He was the technical genius who set up the communication lines. He was the expert at making sure they all actually connected in the right places…

And he was also the nerd that wasn’t much for talking, who was too nervous to contact strangers to make sure it all worked. Instant communication with so much distance between them all still scared Shulk a bit, and he wasn’t sure he could start with a stranger.

So he decides to wait. Fiora is busy right now, but the farmhouse she lives on should be the perfect distance… He can call her in the morning, and their first ever long-distance morning conversation can happen.

He readjusts his glasses and decides to do a little more work on this… It was crucial it works just right, after all! They didn’t want to lose any other colonies to the beasts and monsters that roamed the plains, after all.

The idea of another ending up like Colony 8 because they don’t get the distress signal in time… It sends a shiver down Shulk’s spine, because that would be his fault. Barely twenty and he’d be the reason they lost so many Homs… Not a fun thought.

So he keeps working -- promises himself that if it’s perfect he can mess around with that new-fangled computer Dickson bought him. He’s lucky to have one, and yet barely has time to poke at it… Funny how that works out, huh?

“Just a bit more,” he reminds himself, “if the Colonies are all connected, I’ll have plenty of time to have as much fun with the computer as I want.”

He can invite Fiora and Reyn to poke around it, too, he decides. They aren’t much for machinery and technology, at least not like him, but they seem to enjoy watching him. He thinks it could be a fun afternoon activity one of these days…

He’ll need to ask that nurse from Colony 6, Sharla, if she and her brother can keep an eye on Dunban, though. He knows how Fiora hates leaving him alone when he’s still recovering from… whatever it is that hurt him.

A sigh of frustration leaves Shulk. If he’d finished all of this just a bit sooner, they wouldn’t be in this position. Of Dunban, Dickson, and Mumkhar vanishing only for the two former to come back. Wouldn’t be at a loss for where they had gone…

He needs to work on mobile communication next, he decides. So people don’t go off the radar like that as much… Maybe with tracking, so even if they don’t have the communicative powers they can find and save the people.

No more like Mumkhar, he swears to himself. No more lives lost because he doesn’t work fast enough.

“Hey, kid.” Dickson’s voice pulls him out of his thoughts. “That’s enough workin’ for today, you should get your arse to bed.”

“Dickson,” Shulk blinks out of his thoughts, “is it that late already?”

“Sure is,” Dickson nods. “Don’t want to see you staying up all night when the project is already done, anyway. C’mon, get, I’ll look it over for ya if it’ll get you to bed.”

“Okay,” he stands, “just make sure it all looks okay. If anything is wrong let me know and I can fix--”

“Shulk.” Dickson gives him a look that burns through his skull. “Bed.”

  --

Shulk is used to this dream by now. Walking through the frozen tundra, searching for two people -- people he can’t quite remember. Maybe Fiora and Reyn? Dickson and Dunban? Maybe even his parents, lost to him before he could really remember.

It doesn’t matter, though, it never matters. He wanders endlessly, towards a giant spire in the distance -- Ose Tower. He doesn’t think it’s really so big, but he’s only seen it as a child. Scattered memories of it in the distance and his parents always coming to him as he sleeps.

He trudges onward, shivering as the cold seeps into his bones. He wants to make it there, and find whoever it is he’s thinking of. He wants the dreams to end, for the cold to stop gnawing at his very soul.

He makes it to the doors of the tower, for the first time, he actually makes it. He puts his hands on the doors and pushes them open, the warmth from inside hitting him in moments. How it can be so warm in there, he doesn’t know, but he likes it.

Eyes closed, he soaks in the feeling at first. Allows himself to let a calm that these dreams never bring him wash over him. Then he opens his eyes to velvety blues and the sounds of a woman singing.

He can just make out a figure, sitting on the empty pedestal he vaguely remembers from his childhood, and his eyes snap open.

Shulk stares up at the ceiling, the dream still registering in his mind… Was that person one of the people he was searching for? If they were, where was the other? And if not… who were they? Someone to point him in the right direction.

He’s not sure about that, but he’s sure the sun is coming up. That’s his cue to check in with Fiora and see if things are working right. 

Pulling himself out of bed, he pushes the dream away. Whatever it means, he can figure it out later. There’s more important matters to attend to.

--

Shulk sits down in front of their new phone and smiles when he sees a note from Dickson. It says that everything was working just fine, Shulk should believe in himself more. That’s just like Dickson, he thinks, as he pulls it off the receiver.

The number to the farmhouse is placed in and within seconds, a familiar voice is filtering through the line.

“Hello?”

“Fiora,” he smiles, “looks like it works.”

“Shulk!” Her excitement oozes off her words and he can imagine the joy on her face. “I knew you could do it… Never thought I’d hear your voice this early in the morning.”

“What can I say? You were the first person I thought to call.”

“Aw, I think you’re just trying to flatter me now! Though, if you want to keep flattering me…” Fiora trails off for a moment, “you and Reyn could come by for a visit! It’s been a while!”

That’s right, he and Reyn had been so caught up in other things that they’d barely visited her. Shulk’s obsession with the communications and Reyn’s focus on training… Well, together they led to two blokes who were pretty bad friends, all things considered.

“I know, I know,” he sighs, kicking himself mentally a bit, “I’ll find Reyn later and we can come over for lunch.”

“That sounds great!” Fiora sounds giddy. “Maybe there’ll be enough time that we can head to town after. I have a little shopping I need to do, and Reyn’s arms could help me carry it all.”

Shulk laughs, “Don’t let Reyn hear you say that.”

“We both know that if I stroke his ego enough he’ll agree… I should get going, though. In the middle of making breakfast.”

“Yeah, talk to you later.” He nods as if she could even see him. “See you in a while.”

“See you! And oh,” a pause, “don’t forget to eat breakfast, okay?”

“You got it.”

[rainbowwing251]

I have gained the courage to make another post about Xenoblade here! This post will be my thoughts on Shulk and his experience with tickling.

Once again, this post will be long, and once again, there will be spoilers for Xenoblade Chronicles in this post. Do not click “Keep Reading” unless you have gotten to Mechonis Core at the very least. Hell, to be safe, you should only click on “Keep Reading” if you have beaten the game.

Alright, so first things first, I am going to make a contradiction here. In the last post I made, I said that Shulk had been tickled from his first month in Colony 9 all the way up to the day that Dunban was sent off to Sword Valley.

I am going to say this right now: I am going to change that first part.

I actually think that Shulk would have been tickled for the first time after living in Colony 9 for about three months. Tickling someone who you just met one month ago doesn’t really sound right. I don’t think that would be a long enough time to get used to someone.

Anyway, that’s the only part of this story that I am going to change. Everything else should be about the same.

So, I headcannon that at 6-and-a-half years old, Shulk begins to enjoy the feeling of being tickled. Dickson doesn’t really show that much affection at all (when he did, he never tickled Shulk, and he never would tickle him before his death. Besides, if Dickson tickled Shulk, he would have been tickling Zanza, and oh sweet Meyneth would he have paid for that.), so Reyn, Dunban, and Fiora were the main three people to show him what it’s liked to be unconditionally loved by someone.

Much like adult Shulk, kid Shulk was quite embarrassed about asking for tickles. He only managed to do it twice. Even then, Reyn, Dunban, and Fiora could tell that he wanted to be tickled.

When those three put the pieces together, they asked Shulk if he enjoyed it, and of course, he got flustered. For the first time in his life, Shulk felt ashamed for liking something. Good news for him, however: Reyn, Dunban, and Fiora were not disgusted. They didn’t even ask him why he enjoyed it at that moment, they just pounced on him (yes, all three of them at once. Shulk was getting wrecked before he even turned 10. Must have sucked for him. It didn’t).

It wasn’t quite obvious to Shulk at that moment, but eventually, he realized that he didn’t have to be embarrassed about his love for tickling.

For the next 10-and-a-half-years, Shulk would be tickled on a regular basis.

Then came the day that Dunban got sent off.

After Dunban left Colony 9, Shulk was, naturally, worried about him. He was so worried about his friend that he didn’t want to be tickled all that often. He only experienced lee moods about 3 times during that time period (during this time, Shulk did not know that his desire to be tickled was called a “lee mood.” I’ll get to the part where he learns about this later.).

When Dunban came back, Shulk’s desires became even less prevalent. He only experienced 5 lee moods between the day that Dunban came back from Sword Valley all the way up to the attack on Colony 9.

When the day of the attack finally came and went, Shulk’s lee moods vanished. He did not have a single lee mood throughout his entire journey, and he didn’t have them for years after Zanza’s defeat.

Just like the last post, this would change once he got his invitation to Smash Bros.

Now, Shulk didn’t really have lee moods for almost 4 years after he got the invitation. However, he did have one (1) lee mood.

That lee mood occurred because Shulk was watching Palutena and Pit as the former completely annihilated the latter with tickles. Neither Palutena nor Pit noticed that Shulk was watching.

Shulk didn’t watch the scene for long. He stood there, flustered out of his mind, for about 30 seconds before his brain was like, “fuck this shit, I’m out.” He bolted from the scene, confusing some of his fellow Smashers when he ran past them.

Once the entire Smash roster made it to the two month anniversary of Galeem and Dharkon’s defeat, Shulk finally began to experience lee moods on a regular basis again.

For at least three months after the first lee mood, Shulk hid his feelings from the entire roster. Then one day, he decided to admit his secret to someone.

He was scared. He was quite scared. But he knew exactly who to confess to.

He went to the people who caused him to have his first lee mood in years: Pit and Palutena.

Like I said in the previous post, he was incredibly embarrassed about confessing his love for tickling. Nonetheless, he was able to get the truth out.

And just like Fiora, Dunban, Reyn did when he was a kid, Pit and Palutena accepted him without question. After all, who would Pit be to talk shit about someone who is a lee, just like him? And why would Palutena do so when she had accepted the fact that Pit was a lee without questioning him?

Needless to say, Shulk was very happy about the fact that someone in the Smash roster had accepted him for who he is.

And of course Palutena would drag him into her merciless tickle sessions. Sometimes she goes after him alone, sometimes she will tickle him at the same time as Pit.

Maybe at some point in the future, Shulk will tell another member of the Smash roster about his secret. Keyword being maybe. I would like to believe that he eventually tells another Smash member about his secret, but if that’s the case, who would it be?

Anyway that’s it. That’s the story.

[xenobladeimagines]

How are the first game party members at getting gifts for others?

Shulk: He keeps notes of what ehat everyone mentions wanting in whatever the closest piece of paper is, which leads to him swearing and looking through his trash whenever it comes time to shop. He somehow remembers what everyone wanted anyway and/or finds he also made a list on his phone.

Reyn: He’s terrible at figuring out what people want, so he just straight asks them to make sure they’re not dissapointed, though he won’t accept “just money” as an answer. He has a tendency to wrap everything and then tag them, which has led to some pretty funny stuff.

Fiora: She’ll figure out whatpeople want pretty easily, and also make some of their favourite snacks to go with it. 

Sharla: She can and will get everyone joke girfts along with their actual gifts. It’s not exactly what they ask for, but she’s still right on the money. It’s a talent. 

Dunban: He always forgets what everyone wants, so he asks Fiora instead. Thanks to her, he gets everyone just what they wanted. When he can’t ask Fiora, he gets everyone girt cards. 

Melia: She gets everything perfect and wraps it really nicely, so much that the others almost don’t want to unwrap them. 

Riki: He’ll also give out gift cards, but really expensive ones at nice places. He’ll also give everyone some small gifts like candies and chocolates. 

[doktorpeace]

Feelin’ a little better about Xenoblade Chronicles 2 after spending a few more hours with it but it’s still on thin fucking ice.

Basically it has these story heavy segments that I can get relatively invested in and set up a world and a history that I’m interested in knowing more about but it way too often interrupts these with ‘comedic’ scenes that basically amount to ‘Haha C-List Anime Tropes Am I Right!?’ and it’s like, no...they aren’t funny. The game’s most successful storytelling moments are actually the slow moments that try and build the party as a cohesive unit, as much as I hate the idea of Rex and Pyra becoming a Compulsory Heterosexual Couple the scene with the group around a fire was quite nice. Another thing the game does poorly, alongside most of its attempts at humor, are when it decides to have Big Battles With Big Setpieces In Cutscenes. It already does this way too damn much cause every time I feel the same two things: 1) Wow, I wish I was playing this followed by 2) Man, that was really kind of flaccid and lame actually. It’s like it interrupts the gameplay and actual story to try and show me 3D Rendered Cool Anime Fight Scenes that I’m just not into at all because they simply aren’t done well enough. Both the original and X largely avoided showing actual fighting during cutscenes but the few times it did, like Dunban and Mumkhar fighting in Valak Mountain, Shulk being shot by Dixon, Cross’ arm being destroyed or Lao showing up and stabbing Luxaar are all both Coreographed Well and feel meaningful because they stand out among the game’s other cutscenes by actually being actiony. Meanwhile this game can barely get through like, maybe 2 hours of actual story cutscenes at this point without inserting a bunch of Unfunny ‘Comedy’ and a like 5 Big ‘Epic’ Battles So Cool! I feel a ton better about the gameplay at this point and frankly the game’s gotten A Lot Better in terms of basically everything since the prologue but it still just is consistently tinged by these bad cutscenes in the middle of things I actually am trying to give a shit about. I mean, I’m glad it’s getting better at all, I’m actually having fun with it, but I just can’t shake this feeling of it being less good than it should be because frankly it is. Also for god’s sake getting this game’s sound balance down right is fucking impossible. And also the soundtrack is honestly kind of disappointing so far.

[kentuckywrites]

And I Will Proclaim The End

Zanza installed an emergency protocol into Alvis, should he ever fail in his mission. He failed, and Alvis has no choice but to enact His will.

Light enveloped Shulk as his Monado pierced through Zanza’s armor, straight through to the skin. Zanza proclaimed in a desperate whisper that he was fading, but his parting words fell on deaf ears. All Shulk had on his mind was ridding this world - his home - of this vengeful god. And when the light surrounded him, he knew that he’d won.

His feet found purchase on the holographic ground of space once again, and with a quick glance over his right shoulder, he saw his friends, all wide eyed and tense. Shulk gave them all a tired smile. This fight was more than they’d expected, but they’d all made it out alive. Victory was theirs to share, victory was theirs to revel in. 

As Shulk turned around to face where Zanza had once stood, he saw both of the other Monados floating in the air, their blades touching at the tips. A third form joined them, a teal-green glow that took the shape of a diamond. While the two Monados circled each other in time, the diamond was out of sync, moving faster for some unknown reason. He gazed down at the blue Monado in his hand, a testament to his will and perseverance, glowing faintly in the void of space. It was only fatigue he could blame for how his hand quivered. 

A question came to his lips, but only a name was brought to fruition. 

“Alvis?”

The silver haired Homs had told him only moments before that it was time for him to choose, and he’d made his decision without regret. In the silence, every question he had about Alvis began to bubble back to the surface, but Alvis was nowhere to be seen. At least, the form that Shulk was accustomed to wasn’t there. Some foreign feeling in his gut prompted him to stare at the green diamond amongst the two Monados in the air. Again, he called out, more sure of himself this time.

“Alvis?”

“Forgive me, Shulk.”

And there was his voice, stoic and calm, echoing from the diamond. Shulk went to ask why, why was he apologizing, but when he blinked, the diamond had turned red. Shulk stepped back, his heart racing under his jacket, and he clutched the hilt of his Monado tighter, tighter, until his knuckles had turned white. 

“What’s happening?” Fiora asked, a curious fear evident in her voice. Her swords were still drawn, but with this new development she prepared a fighting stance once again. 

“Executing File 12, Program 17.”

The diamond floated downwards towards the unseen floor, spinning faster and faster until its shape was indeterminable. From the midst of its light, Alvis’s laughter pierced through, but it grew into something maniacal, something dark and twisted. And from the light, a new shape began to take form. Shulk watched as arms, legs, a body grew - Alvis’s body, it had to be. But where there had been simple layers of clothing before, there was now armor that gave him structure. The light began to fade, and Alvis’s details grew clearer. The armor he now adorned was reminiscent of Zanza’s, circular and shining, though where gold had adorned Zanza, red now complemented the crystal on Alvis’s necklace. Lines of energy cascaded down his arms, legs and chest, pulsating with what Shulk could only assume was ether. A new crown had formed around his forehead, and across parts of his body, there were glowing fragments similar to a Telethia’s wings.

Alvis’s stare found Shulk first, a new contempt hidden behind his familiar silver eyes. A crooked smile adorned his lips, and in that smile Shulk saw Zanza, and only Zanza.

“My apologies, Shulk, but I’m afraid your journey will have to end here,” Alvis said, and his voice was warmer now, full of a seething hatred Shulk hadn’t realized he was capable of.

“Alvis? What is the meaning of this nonsense?” Melia piped up, trying to act dignified in the face of this uncertainty, “What’s happened to you?”

“Your Highness, isn’t it quite obvious?” Alvis chuckled, “Lord Zanza programmed me to undertake His responsibilities, in the event of His demise. An emergency protocol, really, but it would seem that in this case, it was better to be safe than sorry.”

“Programmed? You’re talking like you’re a machine for Zanza to control!” Shulk said.

“Precisely, Shulk. I exist only to serve Lord Zanza and perpetuate his will upon this forsaken world. Once you have been removed, He will rise again to complete the cycle of destruction and creation.”

“Shulk just killed Zanza! He ain’t comin’ back!” Reyn cried out, “Yer fightin’ a battle for a dead guy! Just admit you’ve lost, ya filthy traitor!”

Again, Alvis chuckled, pressing his fist to his chin as if he was in deep thought. “So long as you speak His name, Lord Zanza remains alive, though without corporeal form. In due time He will return, and until that time is upon us, I shall set out to finish what He could not.”

Reyn hissed as he sucked in air through his clenched teeth. He took a step forward, acting as though he was ready to fight. But a katana blocked his path; Dunban had extended his blade into Reyn’s path, staring at Alvis with a cold and unblinking stare. Shulk couldn’t begin to imagine what was going through his mind, but all he knew was that they wouldn’t be able to fight for much longer. Everyone was exhausted - Zanza had been a formidable opponent a nearly omnipotent god facing seven mortals of his own design.

“I can’t claim to understand what’s going on,” Dunban told the group, his voice hoarse, “But it looks as though a fight is unavoidable.”

“But Alvis is friend!” Riki bounced up and down in protest, “Riki cannot hurt his friend!”

“He is not our friend anymore, Riki,” Melia said, resigned to this new fate. “And I will not hesitate to strike him down, as he stands in the way of our futures!”

Shulk trembled - this was not what he had planned for. He agreed with Riki in that Alvis was a friend. He’d been there to push Shulk forward, venerating his ability to choose his own fate. But Melia was right, too. They’d come too far to stop now. Everyone on Bionis depended on him and his friends. Hell, his friends were depending on him. Everything fell onto Shulk’s shoulders, in the end, and he would carry that weight for as long as he needed. 

Confused, scared, betrayed, he pointed his Monado at Alvis. There was a flash of something hidden in his gaze, something that Shulk realized too late was regret. “So you wish to fight? Then I shall entertain you, Shulk, one last time.”

Alvis summoned both Zanza and Meyneth’s Monados in the second that Shulk blinked, and he tossed Shulk a wicked smile as if it were a cheap birthday gift. Shulk tried to calm his nerves by telling himself that this couldn’t be Alvis - no, it wasn’t Alvis, it was Zanza’s will, Zanza controlling the puppet’s strings even in death. He’d had fate tied around his fingers, twisted in perfect knots, and now they wrapped around Alvis’s body and mind and soul. 

But Shulk had cut those strings before. He knew he had, because Zanza never expected to die. But how many more times would he have to cut the strings of fate before they couldn’t tie themselves back together?

Gripping his Monado in both hands, his knuckles went white with stress. Behind him, Shulk heard Fiora’s ether cannons firing up, and Sharla reloading her ether rifle. His friends had his back, and that he knew for a fact. 

“Alright everyone,” He said, “We’ve beat a god once...what’s one more?”

Chapter 2 

[eienias20]

Saw @aeviann do this earlier today so...why not?

​1. Nickname: Eienias (Eien for short) tho I have a wide collection from school that range from the simple “Kev” to the please don’t call me this “K-money”

2. Star sign: Leo

3. Height: have no idea off the top of my head. I wrote it down in my phone some time back but I also do not have my phone...

4.Time right now: 10:38PM

5. Favorite music artist: Audioslave, lostprophets, Rage Against the Machine, Papa Roach, Metallica, Skyhill

6. Song stuck in your head: Like A Stone (Audioslave)

7.Last Movie Watched: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

8.Last tv show/anime watched: Doubutsu Sentai Jyuohger

9. What are you wearing right now: Gray shirt, gray shorts...glasses? I mean I kinda need em but I am wearing em.

10.When did you create your blog: June 22nd 2015 (actually super easy to find this out.) Here’s my first post!

11. What kind of stuff do you post: my stuff mainly consists of screenshot galleries from games I post, fan art and fan fiction as well as my scattered thoughts, rambles and rants on things, primarily gaming related things.

12.Do you have any other blogs: I made a bunch of ones over the years on different sites but they’re all pretty much abandoned.

13. Do you get asks regularly: nope, I’d like to but I don’t

14.Why did you choose your url: I’ve had the handle “Eienias” for years. YEARS. And I use it for just about everything. I don’t remember the full story as how to I came to that name but it’s mine, often with a number after it, mostly 20 cause that was the number of comics I had done at the time. Was supposed to update with every additional one till I realized dA didn’t let you update your name so...the 20 stuck.

15.Gender: male

16.Hogwarts House: I dunno. Gryffindor or Ravenclaw I’d say

17.Pokemon Team: Greninja, Pangoro, Nidoking, Pyroar...I know I used these 4 for the majority of my Pokemon X run. Good times.

18. Favorite Colour: Blue

19. Average hours of sleep: usually the recommended 8 but other times in the range from 6-9.

20. Lucky numbers: I don’t think I have a lucky number...I kinda really like 20 now.

21. Favorite characters: Shulk, Reyn, Sharla, Dunban, Melia, Riki, Fiora...yeah. The entire Xenoblade Chronicles crew. No better fictional family than them anywhere.

Yusei Fudo, Jack Atlas, Izayoi Aki, Crow Hogan, Luca and Lua. The YuGiOh 5Ds Signers.

The Tellius Cast of Fire Emblems 9 & 10 are also pretty rad (Path of Radiance / Radiant Dawn). Special mention to the good ol’ Greil Mercenaries.

22. How many blankets do you sleep with: Two. One ‘normal’ blanket, like a thin one and a thick comforter.

23. Dream Job: Editor for movies, commercials or tv shows. Post Production yo.

24. Following: I am following 36 and 131 are following me.

I guess I’ll tag my good pal @kentucky-the-fried up for some answers? if not ya don’t have to. Anyone else who sees this wants to give it a go? Feel free! It’s fun.

[xenobladeimagines]

Thanksgiving special

Fiora had been working all day at the ovens, wanting to make a perfect Thanksgiving meal. It was their first with all seven of them, and she wanted it to be extra special. She’d spent the previous day at the market, getting as many different spices and fresh ingredients as she could.

She’d gotten spices and ingredients from Makna and Eryth, along with the Colony 9 and  6 classics.

Fiora had woken up before dawn, and soon enough, a sweet smell started drifting into the house.

Dunban had been stirred awake by the smell, and made his way downstairs. “Oh, I forgot it was today.” He said.

She laughed. “You always forget Thanksgiving.”

He shrugged. “Want me to get anything in town?”

“No, I got everything yesterday. Just keep Reyn and Riki out of here before it’s time to eat. You know how they get.”

He laughed. “Will do. Will it be ready at sun wane, like usual?”

She nodded as she turned back to the counter. She still had a lot of work to do.

An hour or so later, Melia came yawning down the stairs. “What are you doing?” she asked.

“Thanksgiving dinner. Did you have that in Alcamoth?”

“Yes, though it was in November, not October.”

Fiora nodded, then gave her a smile. “Do you want to help?”

“If you would let me.”

“Of course, come on over. I could use a hand.”

After a little explanation, they got to work. While the turkey was already in the oven, it would be cooking all day and there were many side-dishes to prepare. Melia was mashing cool potatoes and mixing in cheese, butter and Eryth spices. Fiora, meanwhile, was working on some mac and cheese. They worked in silence, not really needing to talk.

Sharla dropped by around noon, which is when they took a break. For lunch, they sampled some of the side-dishes to make sure they tasted alright. Sharla would’ve joined them for cooking, but she still had work today. Fiora and Melia didn’t mind, insisting that Juju come along for the supper, since, of course, he was also part of the family.

They kept working throughout the afternoon, talking about everything and anything, even singing along to the radio. They were glad to be able to spend this time together, since they’d both been really busy recently.

Dunban had dropped by again, bringing back some tablecloths that Fiora hadn’t noticed were missing. She thanked him, then asked if Shulk was still alive in the lab, since he’d been there since last night.

“I found him asleep at his desk, so I carried him to one of the rooms in the lab.” Dunban replied with a sigh. “I’ll make sure he’s there tonight.”

“What about Riki?” Melia asked. “What has he been up to today?”

“His littlepon are running around the commercial and residential districts. His hands are full.”

Melia laughed. “Are they joining us tonight?”

“No, they’ll’ve exhausted  themselves by then and gone for bedtime. Oka will be joining us though.”

Fiora nodded.

They still had a couple of hours until sun wane, and a lot to do.

“Are you sure we’re cooking for 9 people and not the entire colony?” Melia eventually asked.

Fiora laughed. “Dunban always says I don’t know how to cook for a small group of people. We’ll have leftovers for awhile, and I’m going to donate some of this to the food bank and give it to some that don’t have much.”

Melia nodded. “It’s better than letting the food go to waste.”

“Yeah, I hate wasting food.”

Time passed quickly afterwards, the sun started waning and they starting plating. Shulk was the first one to arrive. He helped out with the final details. Then Reyn and Sharla came in, holding the door for Riki and Oka. Dunban was the last one there, fashionably late, as he called it.

Once they were all seated and all of the food was on the table, they started eating.

“So,” Dunban declared. “What is everyone thankful for this year?”

There was a beat of silence.

“I’m glad we’re all here together.” Dunban started. “That we all made it safely, and that we can even be here, together.”

“I’m glad for that too,” Reyn added. “I’m thankful for everything we went through, because even if it was hard at times, we came out stronger, and we wouldn’t be this close if we hadn’t.”

“I’m thankful for being alive.” Shulk said. “And that you all stuck with me. You could’ve easily left and stopped, or not come along. I also could’ve easily died in Mechonis Core, and I’m glad I didn’t.”

“I’m thankful for meeting you when I did.” Sharla said. “You allowed me to find Gadolt, and even if he isn’t with us here right now, I know he’s thankful for you all, too.”

“I’m glad I met you all, neither Sharla or I would be alive if it wasn’t for you all.” Juju said. “And Colony 6 wouldn’t have been reconstructed.”

“Oka happy friends brought Riki back in one piece!”

“Riki happy he meet everyone! Riki meet new people and see new places all thanks to friends!”

“I am glad I met you all.”  Melia said. “I don't think I would’ve been able to go through everything that happened had it not been for all of you. I’m thankful for your constant support and friendships, and I truly hope we can keep being friends for as long as possible.”

“I’m thankful I’m alive.” Fiora said. “I’m glad you didn’t leave me behind, and that you worked so hard to help me get my body back. I wouldn’t be alive if not for that. I’m also thankful to Meyneth, even if she isn’t with us anymore. None of us would be here without her.”

They all nodded.

Dunban raised his glass, which was just plain water. “To another year.”

They all raised their glasses. “To another year.”

The supper continued on, Fiora scolding Reyn every time he tried to reach for more food even if his plate wasn’t empty. The same thing happened to Riki and Juju, though Fiora didn’t notice the latter until after he’d done it.

When everyone was full, they cleared the table and played board games until they were ready for dessert. After that, they talked over coffee and tea until it was well past midnight.

They eventually went home, everyone bringing some of the food back to their houses.