#it gives out that giant robot from Eva

[oobbbear]

Color I can’t I’m at the urge of smashing my computer what part of me think green and purple is a good idea

[cypress-punk]

Recommend me something with giant robots that really encapsulates the giant robots media experience. Not necessarily something good; the best representative sample. I trust your judgement.

This is kind of hard to answer, as the giant robot experience is kind split down the middle into two broad categories.

The first flavor is military Scifi, this is usually given the moniker "Real Robot" because it leans more toward hard scifi and the idea of the mech as an actual machine with mechanical and logistical concerns. For my money the best taste of this type of story is original Mobile Suit Gundam from 1979. It's kind of the originator of the entire Real Robot conceit.

Gundam, and another work by it's director, Yoshiyuki Tomino, Space Runaway Ideon, were both major Influences of Neon Genesis Evangelion, which is not really a typical "real robot" show (in fact it's often more like Ultraman than mecha), but Eva is extremely influential on the genre and there's a whole generation of shows that are either responding to it or ripping it off.

The second flavor is what's generally called "Super Robot". Super Robot stories are classically Saturday Morning cartoons, complete with bright colors and flashy super hero style brawls and big special attacks whose names get screamed out before they're executed. The OG Super Robot is Mazinger Z, and both it's manga and anime are worth looking at, but for my money the best Super Robot experience is The Legendary King of Braves: GaoGaiGar. It's a perfect Saturday morning cartoon style mecha with a lot of charm and good production. The major caveat with it is that it uses an obscene amount of strobe effects that make it hard to actually look at the action scenes sometimes. Serious Epilepsy warning for that show.

Super Robot has also evolved in later years into more of a high octane action joint, Gurren Lagann is the best known example of this style of Super Robot, but for my money the best in this style is one of Gainax's earlier works, Gunbuster. It's just as high octane as it's little brother and has genuinely incredible animation.

There's also a sub-set of mecha I call "Boy and His Dog" mecha, which typically focus on a big meandering robot companion to a young boy, with a focus on coming of age type stories. The original of these is Tetsujin-28 (which is also arguably the first true mecha), also known as Gigantor in the west. There's a 2004 a anime that reimagines the story as an examination of post world war II Japan and it's pretty good. My favorite of these is Giant Robo: The Animation, which is also just my favorite work of mecha genre stuff period. Its very well animated and captures a strong pulp adventure vibe.

Alright so I've yet to actually give you an answer to this ask, I've just kind of rambled about mecha, but I wanted to lay some groundwork. I'm gonna list a lot of stuff below but the main touchstones I'd reccomend to get the taste of the genre you're looking for are the works listed under anime. The rest are just further reccomendations of things I like. Sorry about my chronic long windedness.

Manga:

- Mazinger Z by Go Nagai

- Getter Robo by Ken Ishikawa and Go Nagai (didn't mention this one above but it's about as classic as Mazinger. I reccomend the manga because none of its adaptations really capture the energy of the manga)

Anime:

- Mobile Suit Gundam (1979) (there's a lot of gundam out there and a lot of debate about where to start. The original show is the best starting point in my opinion, especially in this context)

- Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995)

- Gunbuster (1988)

- Legendary King of Braves GaoGaiGar (1997) (mind the epilepsy warning. If the strobes are a problem try Brave Express Might Gaine, Combattler V, or the Mazinger Z anime)

- Giant Robo: The Animation (1992) (also called Giant Robo: The Day the Earth Stood Still)

- Macross: Do You Remember Love? (1984) (film adaptation of the TV anime Super Dimension Fortress Macross, I think the movie is better than the show.)

- SSSS. Gridman and SSSS. Dynazenon (these two shows are just really good so I'm sneaking them in here)

Video Games:

- Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon (you can give any Armored Core a try this is just the most recent one)

- Heaven Will Be Mine (visual novel. It's a favorite of mine)

- Super Robot Wars 30 (a turn based strategy game, SRW is a massive crossover of tons of different mecha shows. 30 is the easiest of the series to get in the US. SRW is pretty beloved in the mecha fandom)

Tabletop Games:

- Lancer by Massif Press

- BattleTech by Catalyst Games (BattleTech is the one solidly American mecha franchise which makes it pretty unique. it has a complicated relationship with its Japanese influences)

Novels:

- Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao (cool feminist mecha story that draws heavily upon, and reimagines, a lot of traditional Chinese culture, literature, and historical figures)

- Titanicus by Dan Abnett (this is a Warhammer 40k novel, but it's an old fav of mine. It's focused on the giant Titan mechs of that setting and it was my intro to 40k and sparked my interest in mecha)

Podcasts

- Friends At the Table: COUNTER/Weight (Friends at the Table is a great actual play podcast and COUNTER/Weight is a really fun mecha focused campaign of there's.)

- Mobile Suit Breakdown (great companion podcast for the Gundam franchise if you want more historical and cultural context and analysis for the various shows)

[suethesocks]

Ascalon Redesigns!

Ive always bashed Ascalon alot (still do) but watching kuro's breakdowns i coudnt help but wonder about how cool it wouldve been if it was actually executed well

My main gripes with it is that it didnt look like technology, made no sense to look the way it does, and felt very poorly thought out overall like the lore for it was a complete afterthought

As you can see here (and in my george design) Ive made ascalon alot more technological-looking and like something azmuth would actually build

So whats the deal with this device? Ascalon is a weapon that uses the incomplete DNA of powerful beings (such as celestialsapiens) to harness their power and manifest it into a superpowerful suit of armor and weapon that, if used correctly, can be used to dissect and study the fabric of reality.

This way Ascalon contrasts alot more directly to the omnitrix, being both DNA devices of sorts. And both made for the purposes of knowledge, but one is alot more destructive and obviously made for offensive purposes than the other

I gave it those weird vertical circle thingies to sort of look like the star alignment we saw in the flashbacks with Zennith. Always found it weird how that never came up and the design didnt evoke it at all apart from simply.. being long?

The armor and weapon are based off of the user and what their mind sort of understands as "combat gear." This is why it looks like a knights armor for George and how it manifests into a sword (or rather one of those cartooonishly large claymores). I tried to give it white tubes and some green dots to evoke the omnitrix more. Also slapped on a cool big cape because every robot armor should have a cape tbh. I didnt intend for that at the time but this ended up being a motif throughout the designs, finding a way to incorprate cloth into them

Here we have a hypothetical design for azmuth if he were to wield it. For galvans i imagine they probably go into battle in giant mechs, so thats what his ascalon is. Gave ascalon that 1 zigzag that his staff in soto has, but tried to move away from the soto mechs design for this bc i never imagined that one was used for serious military combat

In the azmuth flashbacks we saw that he gave Ascalon to an incursean warrior which is what led to their homeworld's destruction. I think DJW later said that the warrior was not an Incursean but idc !!

I drew this in the same pose that the warrior had in the shot we saw him in. Gave him the classic incursean helmet as well as some more incursean-y elements to his armor. He has a normal sword that looks more like canon ascalon's than george's (i wish i could pretend it was because hes the technical original wielder of ascalon so he gets to have the design match the canon but no it was a coincidence)

We saw Vilgax wield Ascalon for a brief moment in the show so i had to! This ascalon was a very easy choice for me since i made up my mind ages before i even got the idea. Vilgax should never ever wield any sort of weapon, because hes simply strong enough on his own that he can pure muscle and brain his way out of any conflict. Brute force is his fortei, not becasue hes dumb but because he just doesnt need to do anything else. BUT if you were to give him a weapon, it shouldnt be a sword or a gun (both things UAF had lmao) it should be something like a hammer or a mace or gauntlets. Brute force sort of weapon

Vilgax is a already warlord so it was simple to work off of his canon OS design (the coolest one) and come up with an armor for him. I also took some inspirations from Eva Unit-02 for the helmet and the cape (specifically its debut where it was covered in cloth)

Of course, for ascalon i had to go with hammer. I mean his ship is called the Chimeran Hammer so you gotta! Also i think its the most fun visual with vilgax

Last but not least, the last person to wield ascalon in the show, Ben himself! I originally wasnt planning to do this, but then i got the idea of giving him these 2 designs to represent his change in mindset he has in the finale

In the beginning hes mostly influenced by how he saw george wield ascalon and stuff,and hes kinda losing it in the sauce a little. So he has an armor similar to that of goerge. Then as he remembers his friends and his humanity, he comes back down to earth (metaphorically?) and his armor itself shifts to represent this, being a mostly cartoonish armor based off ultra ben who i assume is like bens sona or something lol

The cloth is a menacing badass cape like George's, but then shifts into this sort of bubbly friendly skirt. His weapon also shifts from daggers wrapped around the omnitrix (representing using the omnitrix as a wepaon) to a shield wrapped around the omnitrix (representing using the omnitrix as a peacekeeping device)

These weapons dont actually interact with his omnitrix in anyway, theyre mostly just wrapped around it so he can still access it. The aliens would probably have george's armor but with slight changes to fit each alien better

Bonus!!

My own takes on Vilcubra and Dagax

Always really really really disliked both of these designs in the show, they felt like they went through zero drafts before the final design and they just kinda did whatever (which isnt far off from how the rest of this arc was handled lol)

I tried making vilcubra look more creepy and like his body was indeed transformed to be a servant, and also closer to how the lacubras actually look so i SLASHED off his toesies and took out his eyes and put them on his shoulders so they dont look like eyes (leaving room for the teeth to overtake the face) also gave him a tail

I think the idea behind having Dagax be a floating vilcubra head vilgax was because they thought a floating normal vilgax head would look goofy (theyre right) but i think they failed to realize that the floating vilcubra head is equally goofy even if indeed you give it red eyes. So i just tried to make my design be something of a mix between the actual Dagon and vilgax

I admit i ran into some trouble trying to do that as vilgax was the OG cthulu inspired design, so trying to mix him with other cthulu presented trouble. I tried to at least slant his eyes the same way they looked in OS and give him the OS yellow spots, as well as the 2 big tentacles he has in the back of his head in OS and OV

[duhragonball]

Neon Genesis Evangelion 01

Not a hoax, not a dream, not an imaginary story, and it's not an April Fool's prank! The Neon Genesis Evangelion liveblog begins here!

Man, it feels surreal to actually be doing this. This is one of those bucket-list anime series that I thought I should watch just to understand all the pop culture references. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure was one, Revolutionary Girl Utena was another, but those were a lot easier to track down. Hell, RGU was free on YouTube when I watched it. But Eva was a little tougher to get ahold of. There weren't a lot home video releases, and streaming services weren't carrying it. I think that's changed in the last few years, but I'd heard the Netflix version had some changes to the subtitles, and besides, I was busy with other things.

So a few years back I just said "fuck it" and paid too much money for the old ADV DVDs. I think it's out on Blu-Ray now, but I can't take screenshots from Blu-Rays so this is the play. But that's all prologue. We're finally here, and I'm finally watching this thing, so it's time to see what this thing's all about.

Ah, so it's a historical drama, is it?

I could gush about the theme song, which I've enjoyed for years, even without watching this show, but nah, let's just move on to the show itself. You know the words, and if you don't, go look up "Cruel Angel's Thesis" and prepare to rock out.

There's a little backstory in this episode, but the important stuff is pretty self-evident. There's some giant monster thing that emerged from the water, and a big UN military force is desperate to destroy it before it attacks. Conventional weapons are completely ineffective, and a big chunk of Episode 01 is spent on watching this thing shrug off missiles and shells as it strolls towards... someplace. I'm assuming it's a city or a base.

It's fast, strong, and agile, as seen here when it catches a missile in one hand. The missile explodes in its face and has no effect.

While this is going on, a woman named Misato Katsugari is trying to pick up a kid named Shinji Ikari. The monster attack hits right before she finds him, and he almost gets killed when she pulls up in her car. On their way to the base, she sees that the U.N. is deploying a nuclear weapon? It looks like a nuke, but I missed that line, so maybe it was something else. Anyway, it doesn't work either, but it does blow over Misato's car.

When the dust settles, they push the car back on its wheels and continue. Misato calls for some sort of train to pick them up and take them the rest of the way, and it's like some kind of car-carrier train, I guess. Not important.

Since the nuke didn't work, the UN hands things off to the NERV agency, headed by Shinji's father, Gendo Ikari. Okay, so in brief, they call the monsters "angels", and if I remember right, they said there was an attack fifteen years ago, so this is an ongoing thing. NERV was established to combat these angels, but I guess the UN wanted to see if they could hack it on their own first.

Misato works for NERV, and she introduces Shinji to Ritsuko Akagi. They discuss Shinji as being the "Third Child", so it's becoming clear that Shinji didn't just come here to visit his dad.

I kind of glossed over all this technobabble, but I already know where this is going. There's big robots that can fight the angels, and they must need Shinji to pilot one of them, and he must be uniquely capable of doing so or they wouldn't have bothered sending for him.

The ladies give Shinji a NERV manual to read, but when they show him the robot, they tell him it's not in the manual. So why is there a manual at all? I mean, there's not much else to this operation besides the robots, right? Maybe that's why the manual looks so short.

I guess they were going to slowly introduce Shinji to the job, but the angel is attacking the base, so they kind of cut to the chase. NERV needs Shinji to pilot this specific robot, Evangelion Unit 01, to fight the angel. Shinji is obviously untrained, but his dad insists that he only has to sit in the pilot seat. Shinji still hates this idea, and his dad stone cold doesn't care. Shinji clearly doesn't trust his dad, and his dad stone cold doesn't care about that either.

Misato is the only one here who's even a little sympathetic to Shinji's predicament here, but even she pressures him to get in the robot, because they're all going to die if the angel gets any closer. She says something about how Shinji needs to "confront" his dad and himself, which Shinji seems to understand, like he's known for a while now that this day was coming. He still can't bring himself to go through with it though. So Gendo goes with Plan B.

Plan B is Rei Ayanami, a girl about Shinji's age who piloted another NERV robot, Unit 00. I guess she fought an angel recently, which is why she's so badly hurt in this episode. They have to wheel her in on a gurney. The NERV staff are somewhat incredulous about this, but as Gendo puts it "She's not dead", and if Shinji won't fight, this is all they have left. Despite her condition, Rei agrees to do it, although it's pretty clear to everyone that she's in no condition for this, if she ever was.

While Shinji is still processing the implications of sending Rei in his place, the base is rocked by the angel outside, and it's enough to knock over Rei's gurney and send some stuff crashing onto Shinji... until Unit 01 raises its hand to mimic his own instictive motions. Improbably, Shinji is so in tune with the robot that he can control it from the outside, without even being conscious of it. So this sheds some light on why Gendo wanted him to pilot the thing so badly.

So between this and the pathetic state Rei's in, Shinji agrees to pilot the robot and defend the base. There's a lengthy scene of him getting put inside the robot and sending the robot outside, but I'm not going to do into that.

Gendo's second-in-command asks him if he's sure about this, and he points out that if they don't defeat the angels, then they have no future. As cold and indifferent as he seems, he does have a point. If Rei and Shinji are the only ones who can pilot the robots, what choice do they have? But I'm pretty sure the rest of this series will show that it's not that simple...

And that's the episode. I'm a little surprised they're saving the actual fight for episode 2, but at this point it seems like a foregone conclusion. If Shinji can't win, they all die, and I have a feeling the kaiju battles are kind of secondary to the rest anyway.

The way I understood it, this show started out like a fairly typical Sentai/Kaiju/Whatever-You-Call-It TV series. Kids in colorful suits, they hop in giant robots, which are the only thing that can stop the giant monsters, it's been done a million times. But as the series progresses, it turns into this introspective psychodrama or something. Also, it plays up how messed up it is to send teenagers into a war zone like this, but I think we just saw that happen already, so it looks like the social commentary hit the ground running.

I don't really have much more to say here since we're just getting started. There's not much point in trying to figure out Gendo, even though that's clearly the guy we're supposed to be wondering about. Better to wait for more information and go from there. So I'll see you next time.

[aliflower88]

Royai Fanfic Recommendations:

I've posted this in parts before but since it's royai week I thought I'd do a complete fic rec list, enjoy!!

Delicate:

Summary: Riza's upbringing leaves her with scars.

  Most have already read this one since it's so popular, but if not it's a character study of Riza that spans from her early childhood to post-canon. It honestly gives so much more depth and meaning to Riza's character as well as her relationship with Roy.

 Our embalmed hearts, our desolate kingdoms

Summary: "He leans back, palms connecting with the concrete, and looks up over their city, their desolate kingdom. In the rain, Central City might as well be the ruins of Xerxes, empty and grey, and he and she may as well be the last two people on earth."

Or, Love in the Time of Giant Robots

   This fic is an Evangelion au and it absolutely destroyed me. The way the relationships between the characters are written is so complex and interesting. It’s a fantastic slow burn and story overall. A strong contender for my favourite fic of all time. ( + it’s still really great even if you've never watched Eva.)

Dismantle the Sun

Summary: Dairut is a crossroads. A settlement on the border of Amestris and the Great Desert, a hub of Ishvalan and Xerxian history, it is a place caught between past regret and future hope.

In Central City, Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye prepare to return to Ishval for the first time. In Resembool, Edward Elric navigates the complicated minutia of his personal life, but remains unable to shake the feeling that his work in Amestris is not yet finished. In Dairut, Miles and the new Muhaddith break ground on Al’Arshif, the sacred Archive, in the hope of restoring a sense of continuity to their long-suffering people.

Then archeologist Winnie Stokes uncovers an ancient relic in the desert. Then a mysterious cult called the Risen strip Captain Hawkeye from the Flame Alchemist’s side. Then something monstrous begins to stir in the mind of Selim Bradley. Five years after the Promised Day, Ed, Roy, and Miles must face an evil of apocalyptic scale, before it destroys everything they’ve worked for, and everyone they hold dear.

Dairut is a crossroads. But Dairut is also the end of the line. Things are changing in Amestris, and not everyone will survive.

   My all-time favourite post-canon fic! It has stunning writing and a super well-thought-out plot. It's so much more than royai and even if that is all you're looking for I still urge you to read this incredible story.

The Amestrian Candidate:

Summary: General Roy Mustang—charming, intelligent, heroic—is predicted to be the next Fuhrer of Amestris. But a series of acts of terrorism drive the General into a ruthless race against a magnetic opponent. Mustang and his team scramble to salvage a campaign in the face of rising nationalism, scandal, and international tension. If they succeed, they can save an infant democracy from collapse. Mustang must consider what and whom he is willing to sacrifice, and he must ask himself the most difficult question of his life: can one be a good politician and a good man?

  This fic has an intriguing plot and painfully realistic post-canon politics. I always have preferred romance within a larger plot and this story executes that perfectly.

Homefront:

Summary: Miss Riza's arrival in Resembool has the potential to ruin everything.

  Riza becomes Ed and Al’s caretaker after their mother passes. This fic is wonderful, it feels historically accurate which is great and if you are a fan of parental Riza then you'll definitely enjoy this.

We That Are Young:

Summary: It's a well-known fact that innocents make poor soldiers. Fortunately, Riza Hawkeye's childhood was not entirely innocent. She had to grow up fast... though she wasn't the only one. The early years of the Colonel and his First Lieutenant.

  I believe this was written before Brotherhood so there are a few discrepancies between it and canon but it's definitely still worth the read. The fic details Roy and Riza’s life from ages 3 and 8 to 13 and 17. And is a wonderful coming-of-age story though upsetting at times. 

Beautiful People 

Summary: Soon after the conclusion of the Ishvalan Civil War, Captain Maes Hughes receives a phone call in the middle of the night. The message is short, concise... and perhaps the most terrifying thing Hughes has ever heard.

Hawkeye's apartment. Now. Come alone. Someone has been hurt.

A promise was once made amidst the sands of a distant desert land: oaths will be upheld, and secrets will be scorched away. The sinful had waited too long; Roy Mustang was indebted to his promise, and Riza Hawkeye had come to collect.

  This is probably my favourite depiction of Roy burning Riza's back that I've read. It's super intense and vivid, I really loved it!! 

Baby Your a Haunted House: 

Summary: Riza Hawkeye, aged 11, knows two things:

1. Roy Mustang is a useless city-kid

2. There's a haint in the woods

Roy Mustang, aged 15, knows, beyond a shadow of a doubt that there's no such thing as ghosts.

  This fic has excellent writing and a wonderfully creepy atmosphere. I've re-read it many, many times. (also I adore feral young Riza and this definitely delivers on that.)

When Thou Shalt Come To Judge the World By Fire

Summary: Roy was silent, unable to answer. Hughes was right. There hadn’t been any other girl for him, not really. Something about her. Something about Riza Hawkeye that made her so much more than a memory.

Hughes leaned against the bar, shadows lengthening on his face. “So, what was it? What ruined dating? A regret, or a promise?”

   Pre-canon royai with absolutely gorgeous writing! I adore the depiction of each period in their lives from the time they spent with Berthold to Ishval to before Ed and Al. It's all done perfectly. 

Order 3066

Summary: Everyone who returned from Ishval changed, and Riza Hawkeye was no different. She caused more deaths than any other person - not only with her own hands but also with the weapon she unleashed upon the world. No one could return from a massacre like that the way they were before.

  This fic is a really good exploration of Roy and Riza's time in Ishval. The characterization is great and their descent into war criminals is very well done.

Atlas

Summary: After six years apart, intelligence agent Roy Mustang attempts to rebuild his relationship with a former partner. But when past and present intertwine, their reunion triggers one of life's most difficult decisions: duty or family.

  The dual timeline of younger royai and older royal in this au is super interesting. This fic is exciting, heartwarming and a really well-crafted story.

Not All of Me Will End:

Summary: Nothing remains of her but what must be left behind.

  In this fic, Riza gets cancer and passes away. I rarely feel sad when reading or watching emotional things but this made me cry. It's beautifully written and made in a way that feels so personal, as though Riza was a real person. It’s a difficult read but ends on a relatively hopeful note.

The Lathe of Hell

Summary: 1908 • Ishval

An uneasy ceasefire grips the ruins of Ishval, but near the medical station at Daliha, Amestrian soldiers are dying. Desperate to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, the 27th Infantry Division sends Riza Hawkeye and Solf J. Kimblee to smoke the assassin out.

But Roy Mustang suspects Kimblee's aim isn't the death of one rogue Ishvalan.

For Hawkeye has a secret, one the Crimson Alchemist hungers for... a power forged in fire.

This is one of the two great labyrinths into which human minds are drawn: the question of duty versus predestination...

There is an old story... perhaps you've heard of it. A man falls asleep and loses his way on the journey through life. He encounters a poet and the two begin a series of travels through Hell where they witness the many punishments for those who disobeyed God during their lives.

   I adore Kimblee in this fic. I know this list is about royai but seeing him interact with them is super interesting. 

Ex Tempore 

Summary: Riza Hawkeye comes into the possession of a family heirloom upon her grandfather's final words: "Keep him safe." Confused and grief-stricken, Riza finds herself pulled in time to Prohibition Era New York, recovering from a gang-related firefight under the care of Dr. Roy Mustang, a reluctant member of the Hughes-Mustang crime family and a self-proclaimed guardian to two boys by the names of Edward and Alphonse.

    This is a 1920s mafia/time travel au, it has such a fun premise that is executed really really well.

Here Dead We Lie

  Following a disastrous operation in Aerugo, Colonel Mustang wakes from a coma to discover his world has fallen apart. Under the shadow of the state, he tries to find impossible answers before it is too late.

   This fic has a brilliant story but is also very very dark so be warned before starting this fic. If angst is your thing though definitely check it out!

[theacedragon0w0]

First Meeting

Bday gift for @tamberwoof

Sage was like a fish out of water during her first meeting, Velvette had brought them as a way for Hazel to "show her the ropes" as a new addition to Velvette's personal security.

Sage tapped Hazel's shoulder, "So we just stand here while they talk business? I thought Vox would come with Eva?"

Hazel snorted, "Psh, nah Boss here handles all that mumbo jumbo, we pretty much intervene if anyone tries to jump her,"

Sage understood that, but from Velvette hashing out insults to the other overlords, she wondered if it was the opposite case.

Sage's eyes wondered around the room, from the right of her boss sat two overlords, one with a flaming skull, the other a giant pink dinosaur, both sharing a look of tiredness from the spitfire social media overlord.

At the end of the table stood Carmilla, the arms dealer matriarch who was returning Velvette's insults. On both sides stood demons that looked almost identical to her, they were most likely the daughters Velvette complained about. The hellhound that stood behind them was scarred on her face, and her right ear looked torn. To be honest, sage was intimidated but her cold, almost robotic stance, hackles standing on end.

Sage's gaze moved further to the left side of the table, noticing a woman with dark, obsidian eyes, she wore a vintage dress and her hellhound behind her was giving the most intense glare at the person sitting next to her boss, like if she could gut the overlord with her mind.

Fuck it took Sage that long to notice Alastor, the demon Sage hope she wouldn't have to deal with. He was chatting with his neighbor, either ignoring or unaware of the daggers the bloodhound was staring at him with.

Thankfully the hellhounds and Sage were told to wait outside, mainly for securing the vehicles for their bosses. Now that Sage got to see the other guards act, she felt more at ease. The bloodhound was cursing about Alastor that could make Satan himself blush, and the other that looked battle ridden was agreeing, her voice notably soft and quiet.

Like instinct Sage reached for their pockets to pull out some small bag of cookies that she baked the night before.

"Sage you really think that now's the best time?"

"Oh it's fine, we're all waiting for our bosses to finish whatever political bs they have, might as well break the ice."

"Psh, ight, you're funeral." Hazel stepped back, watching Sage approach the conversing hellhounds. Both stopping to look at the blue reptile approaching them

"Hey guys, I'm Sage, like the herb, I'm working with Hazel over there and I figured you guys might want a snack after we had to deal with that screaming match in there." Sage was expecting their offer to be smacked out of her hands as she quickly learned that reaction from the hotel.

But the two guards' eyes sparkled at the bagged goodies, both gently grabbing the bags and pulling out a cookie from them.

Sage was relieved when she watched the two guards sigh from sampling the baked goods. And the bloodhound spoke up,

"These are some of the best biscuits I have ever eaten," the other guard nodding in agreement "but let me introduce myself, I'm Iris, and this sweetie here is Sydney." To which Sydney made a small wave at Sage.

Sage was about to shake Iris' hand when they saw her face sharpen, Sydney joining the same hostility.

"Hello Ms Chef"

Sage quickly spun to see the radio demon himself towering over her, Hazel trying to get to them but she was blocked by Alastor's tendrils

His focus was on the new guard, ignoring the growls and cussing from her new acquaintances.

"It's funny to see you here of all places, did the princess and her lackies sent you to spy on me?"

"I'm on duty sir, and I don't see what you are concerned about where I earn extra on my paycheck."

Alastor then looked around the three guards, and his immovable grin was coupled with his condenseding eyes.

"You know of all the job openings I wouldn't expect a self-respecting sinner like yourself to be mingling with talking pets-"

"And I wouldn't expect a self-centered jackass like yourself to give a shit to sinners like me on what they do on their own damn time."

Alastor was taken aback, noticing the posse of fur and teeth drawing closer to him.

"Well you're right on that, just making sure you don't meddle with my business." And in a puff of black smoke he disappeared.

The three hellhounds rushed to Sage, who was now pissed that Alastor might get Charlie to force her to stay at the hotel, but her thoughts halted when Sydney spoke,

"H-hey, are you ok?"

Hazel joined as well "Yeah is there something you wanna tell us about that dick?"

To which Iris jumped in "Oh he thinks he can do that black smoke who-ha and can get away with it! Honestly I don't know how Rosie can stand that bastard!!"

Sage, looking at the three hellhounds, began to smile, "yeah I'm ok, he is a jackass, but I doubt that he would care enough to bother me; anyway," Sage pulled out their new phone that Velvette got for her to keep tabs on.

"Do you guys use Penstagram?"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY @tamberwoof YOU GOOBER

Sydney belongs to @tamberwoof

Iris belongs to @helluvadyke

Hazel belongs to @puffymucher

And small shoutout to @bigfatbimbo who owns Eva

[antimonyandthyme]

https://at.tumblr.com/princemick/just-smick-walking-around-together/tp2pio1ontv2

Athy Athy Athy look at first gif and see how in synch both of them, it immediately scratched at my brain about your Pacific Rim au with Sebmick!! how drift compatible they are, even before their tests, everyone could see that but Seb is in big denial about it, hurting Mick in the process ;_;

anon you have the biggest brain in existence don't let anyone tell you otherwise look at them walking entirely in sync :(((

a pacific rim au's just perfect for them :((( perfect in the sense that it's heartbreaking first (before it gets better)

anon anon once again i'm mixing NGE up with pacific rim but if you have time please i have thoughts about sync scores

in evangelion you have sync scores with your robot incidentally i will never ever get over shinji fusing with his eva because he exceeded a sync threshold rate of 100% but that's for another post pls if anybody out there's an nge fan hit me up i've got too little people to talk about giant robots with :(((

ANYWAY, i don't think i've encountered scores in the pacific rim universe it's more of a *vibe* like oh my god, i think we drift, like we just know it, you know? but i do like including scores as an indication for levels of drift compatibility.

in training sessions it's clear as day mick is drift compatible with seb that's the *vibe* right? everyone looking at them goes yeah, they could pilot together. except seb refuses to acknowledge any of this and brushes off mick's thinly veiled requests to pilot together

mick... refuses to take this lying down, submits a formal request for them to have a sync test together, which seb is unable to refuse because he has no good reason to. their sync score is--

ridiculous. it comes closer to the threshold than anyone before, any closer they'd be at 100% which is impossible, you can't have a sync score of 100% because you're talking about two people. even twins don't have that sync score.

seb is obviously in shambles over it. it's higher than the score he achieved with michael, which at the time they were still piloting together was in the top five highest the ppdc had ever seen. seb's boss (mark webber, i make mark seb's direct officer in pacific rim aus that's just what i do, see down in the depths) is like hey what gives, seb? we need drift compatible pilots. why won't you do this? it's not like you to shy away from responsibility--

responsibility? seb hisses. i have a responsibility to michael. i have a responsibility to the safety of his son--

except mick is furious and doubly hurt that even after a sync test that leaves no room for argument, seb still refuses to pilot with him, and it all comes to a head in this (where brilliant pacific rim au anon has given us this wonderful story!)

anyway i need to write this anon thank you for the reminder

[grayintogreen]

YCDHN LINER NOTES: Chapter Two

WHO'S READY TO DELVE INTO SOME ~MIND RAPE~ TERRITORY. So this chapter is a rough one emotionally and an exhausting tense action-packed drama bomb so like we're right out of the gate getting walloped with action compared to the slow burn of OUADYA. The stakes are higher here (though I will promise that Chapter Three is a breather ep). I do love a good breather ep.

SO LET'S GET INTO MY THOUGHT PROCESS. Put under a cut for people who haven't read yet.

[INCEPTION NOISE]

Lucien's Mindfuck sequences were planned out around the time I first started conceiving of this fic and were one of the clearest images I had. The idea of the Somnovem systematically digging through Lucien's mind to find something that could break him seemed like the most devious form of torture they could think up. Also it establishes that his connection to them goes both ways- he can sort methodically through the many minds of Cognouza, but he's just ONE mind and they're all working together to get into his.

Also it introduces a third layer to Cognouza- we have the flesh layer, the dream layer beneath it, and then Lucien's own mind, which has its own tiers. Gunshot gunshot cash register noise inception gong. No matter what happens, Lucien has been hooked into Cognouza so deeply and so long that he's like a secondary organ, so you can imagine why they're not happy to let go of their extra brain who is both liberated and snared at the same time.

The repeated refrain of "this isn't how it happens" is all Tamsyn Muir, and I will admit that reading Harrow the Ninth definitely contributed a lot to how those dream sequences played out.

I had a very specific image in mind for the opening scene of Lucien on the altar and it's basically Asuka's death scene from End of Evangelion- seen in screencap form here. What you can't see is her mind-linked giant robot being disemboweled while she's still synced to it. That's what I wanted the experience to feel like for him. The absolute helplessness of knowing this isn't happening to YOU but it feels like it is because your brain is processing it like it is.

Also I just don't think you can do a Mind Rape scene without referencing Eva just a bit once you've seen it. That shit sticks with you.

Incidentally, the commentaries on the old Eva movies are how I first learned about Taliesin Jaffe's existence and started idolizing his brain. It has been very strange several years realizing he's more than just a little guy talking about Babylonian myths in an audio commentary.

The ink splatter butterfly aspect of the Somnovem Omega (and boy do I just love making up new aspects to creepify them. I watch a lot of horror movies. My brain is scary) is based on The Darkness from the 1999 House on Haunted Hill remake, seen here:

Incidentally I cannot believe I found a gif of that.

The people chosen for Lucien's dream up until Gaudius throws in the dick move are all, in some form or fashion, his abusers or, in Derrin's case, just someone he thought didn't give him his due (which lead to leaving the Orders). There's a reason why Derrin was the first and least violent kill, whereas Lucien went to town on Reese and Dodger.

(He doesn't get to kill Vess because he never gets to kill Vess in this universe.)

It was important that Lucien resist the attempts to break him with his abusers and then crumble under the face of love, like if you accept that love is what makes people, then you have to accept that the opposite is true. Lucien's start of darkness began with Heather's death. There's a part of him that still rationalizes that he would have been fine if she had lived, but she didn't and that's HER fault, not his own for never processing it properly because he was a terrified child. And because he never processed that grief properly, of course that's going to be what gets him in the end- the idea that he could have her love and safety and not have to fight so hard anymore.

Go on and ask me again why I like my headcanon better than what's presented in the book. I THOUGHT VERY HARD ON IT.

THE HAPPY FUN BALL OF NIGHTMARES

You'll notice that I just went apeshit on the order of operations here- most of the stuff that happens in this chapter are things that happen in the Permaheart/Save Yussa plotline, which is going to happen, but I wanted a really dynamic fight scene to make the dragon more pressing since the Nein are level 12 right now, and the scribe mites and the froghemoths were cool.

Also I just refuse to be sensible about things that happen in canon and will absolutely shake them up. These are not the canon events you're looking for. Any resemblance is just me vibing with that and using it.

I know this whole fic is about contrived coincidences and fate pushing the Nein in a way, but I really did think that them stumbling upon the means for soul transference in ANY OTHER context would have been weird, but the HFB has already been established as having a really random connection to something they'll deal with later and Halas WAS trying to do immortality experiments and he'd need to know how to transfer souls to get his soul in one of his clone bodies.

But also I love the idea that the villains can manipulate events in their favor too and the fact that the Permaheart IS in there and it would fuck up their plans if the Nein found it adds a layer of hubris to the whole thing.

The "fantasy prepper" larder scene was just for fun but come on guys THE HFB IS BASICALLY A BOMB SHELTER. There's totally random ass canned food and freeze dried jerky in there along with his vegetable garden.

AND NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT THE LITTLE RED DOT. So I have thought a long time about that dot and I think everyone thinks it's meant to be Cognouza and it could be still, but Cognouza doesn't have a fixed location and it would have JUST HAPPENED when Halas constructed the Heirloom Sphere. Yeah, he was doing experiments in an astral dreadnought but the way he talks to Caleb suggests he's never seen the city in the astral sea. So what the fuck ELSE could it be.

Well, you'll notice Molly heard chains before he touched it and something Tharizdun-shaped happened to the Somnovem and Cognouza when the psychic storm hit, so I'm sure that's not important or anything.

And that does it for these liner notes unless anyone has [David Pumpkins voice] any questionssss... I will answer just about anything that isn't spoilery, honestly. I have a lot of thoughts.

[mysteriouspresence]

Madoka Magica and Evangelion: A Review

part 2/3

this is a brief, spoiler free introduction to Madoka Magica and Evangelion, two anime that i was surprised to find many similarities between. you can skip this post if you want to just see the analysis too, just click on this link → Part 3

i got carried away, so please expand to see the whole post!

to begin, let's point out the obvious differences that both franchises sell at a glance.

take this promotional poster of Madoka Magica:

(promotional poster for original Madoka Magica anime, source from official website)

from this first glance, Puella Magi Madoka Magica is very reminiscent of a shoujo show targeted at young girls (along with merchandise such as figurines, plushies, and props that can be easily put into toy stores). the premise of the story is simple enough as well — Kyubey, the magical animal sidekick, wants to recruit the main character Madoka and her friend Sayaka to become magical girls to fight against the evil witches who trap innocent's in pocket dimensional spaces known as “labyrinths” and torment them. In exchange, Kyubey promises to grant any wish they have, and grant them magical powers and strength that will let them right against their enemies. Sayaka is strong willed, tomboyish, and wants to use her wish to heal her sick love interest, while Madoka is kind-hearted but indecisive on how to best use their wish. the story also introduced three veteran magical girls: Mami, who takes Madoka and Sayaka under her wing as they consider their options; Kyoko, who lives in the city over and hunts competitively for witches; and Homura, who shows up every now and then to coldly warn the girls about the dangers of the job. Seems simple enough, right? 

now, let's take a look at the opening for our second series:

(video of Neon Genesis Evangelion anime opening, sourced from YouTube repost)

Neon Genesis Evangelion instantly gives shonen vibes (again, giant mecha toys sell very well) with its action scenes, kaiju-esque battles, and futuristic technology (albeit dated, since it was written twenty-plus years ago!) Shinji, a young boy, is called to the big city Tokyo-3 by his estranged father to pilot a giant robot (EVA Unit 01) to fight alien creatures known as Angels. though unwilling at first, due to his poor relationship with his father, he ultimately decides to take the call to action and learn to overcome his cowardice. he is joined by fellow pilots Asuka — a textbook tsundere girl from Germany — and Rei — a typical kuudere with a mysterious past. together, they fight tougher Angels in a monster-of-the-week fashion, learning to synchronize and get along with each other to improve their teamwork and reach greater heights. sounds fun, doesn't it?

both these series earned high acclaim and received canon movie expansions that continue the story, spinoff series with alternate universes and endings, and yes, merchandise for days. but all targeted at adults — the seinen demographic, to be specific — rather than kids.

why?

psychological horror. (Top: Madoka Magica episode 8, Bottom: Evangelion episode 25)

cosmic horror. (Top: Evangelion episode 22, Bottom: Madoka Magica episode 11)

thus, not suited for children and some adults too. Evangelion also includes themes and visual symbolism that allude to Freud’s studies in human sexuality, and both shows get quite bloody and violent in their dispatching of the enemies — this isn’t some bloodless exorcism or cool explosion seen in other shows. the viewer and the traumatized protagonists are forced to watch the people around them — their comrades, their mentors, their innocent friends, and random civilians — get injured and even killed in brutal ways. but just like the protagonists, the viewer cannot turn away. both become too embroiled in the tragedy that unfolds to escape.

yeah, i would not recommend my 14-year-old brother watch this yet.

behind the thin film of the cherry, childish themes of adventure and “14 year olds saving the world” is the exploration of the grim nature of sending children off to fight humanities battles and how cruel fate can be when the only option between humanity and a few lives is the latter. these two works from unexpected corners of fiction share a metric ton of cool parallels, converging and colliding through shared themes, plot elements, and character arcs. i believe that people should definitely check out these two key series if they enjoy trippy stories that work to subvert the viewer’s expectations using the conventions that existing trope sets have using genre deconstruction, to explore the deeper aspects of sub-genres often targeted to children in an adult light. after all, tons of dark magical girl/mecha series that popped up afterward were all inspired by, and encouraged by these two shows — in defying one genre, they helped establish a new one. 

[miss-peanut-butter-cups]

The End of Ram's Foray Into Neon Genesis Evangellion

Lotta companies that made this one

so did Shinji's character development realm from the last two episodes happen?

Forgot she was in hospital

uhhh

what the fuck

wtf dude

ah, it's a cult

Oh there were more Magis

Yeah that's a pretty sure situation

Wow they're just sending in the whole army, I thought they'd have an Eva or something

Steele's been preparing for this for a while

Now that's probably the single worst Thu for Rei to find

It is very disorienting to see armed conflict and casualties in this show

What happened to "happy shinji who wants to live" from last episode

God damn N2s are strong

Yeah let's have a nice exposition talk in the giant skull corridor

Wait are the other angels from different species

Asuka mumbling t herself like that if very unsettling

It can make the cross beam!?

Ah. She's lost it.

Oh that's a lot more Eva's than j thought they:d bave

Oh hey they're that one Elden Ring enemy

Unit-02 goes hard

Ah fuck Misato's definitely dying

So was episode 25+26 an alternate ending?

She's holding up very well for being shot

Uhh gonna put that up to the blood loss

Rei?

"Hey here's an idea let's give out new Eva's giant mouths" some shmuck at steele

Ritsuko can I have an exposition speech here?

How exactly are the Eva's their mothers?

GET IN THE FUCKING ROBOT SHINJI

What how'd they get that back!?

Oh fuck she's actually lost an eye

Fuuuuuuck. That's a way to go.

The wings!!

Evangellion why are you showing me credits halfway through this? There's still 45mins to go.

Well while they roll, halfway thoughts:

This is a lot darker than I was anticipating. So much death, and there's a real sense of despair. I really feel for the mission control people stuck in their room while it gets assaulted. Asuka's battle against the S2 Eva's was so cool, great to see her go all out. Sucks they just have respawn cheats though. Also, if that's Lilith chained up beneath Nerv, then where's Adam.

Oh ok that's where Adam is.

That doesn't look healthy.

Wait. Are you doing this whole end of days mastermind gigaplan just to see your dead wife!?

Did you have to reach there Gendo

Oh it was a second spear that got Asuka?

ITS THE THU G CDKM THE JNTRK!!

Good last words, random soldier

Whoa.

Yeah! You go do .. whatever your about to do Rei

Haha, that's fucking creepy as shit

Yeah that's how JD be reacting too Shinji

How do all the organisations know what's going on here?

Wow it managed to get creepier

So he wants to destroy Nerv?

If I had a penny for everyone there's a just-too-long out of frame sex scene between Misato and Kaji. I'd have 2 more pennies than I'd want.

Are these real memories? If that's they case then Shinji and Asuka have a very unhealthy relationship

VERY UNHEALTHY

THUS JS WHY YOU FIBW THERAPY RK TBE MJND YKU LHT JN TBE GKD RKBKT

Wow this is a beautiful sequence

Wait was Seele a robot all along!

Everyone dies?

Nope don't like that put it back j your fkrehead

Man what the fuck is going on

Huh???

Why are w ein live action land

Did this show in cinemas? Are those the people that watched it?

Is... he undoing it?

Oh ok Unit 01 was just in there

JESSE WHAT THE FUCK JS GOING ON

No way did Asuka survive all that. Or did she just rebirth herself?

That's your first instinct? To strangle her? Really?

Closing Thoughts:

Nostalgic Show. Strange Show. Good Show.

[srevangelion]

Silver Remnant Evangelion - Episode 002: Ursa Attack (Part 2)

Yang looks up at her mother. Her hands ball up into fists, enraged at how seelingly uncaring her mother acted toward her. She reaches down to pick a pebble up, as if to throw at the Commander, when a hand reached out and grabbed her shoulder. Swiftly, she looks back to see Glynda's face looking at hers.

"Come along, Yang. We have to get you into the Entry Plug"

Yang rolls her shoulder, almost in defiance as the woman touches her on the shoulder. The two walked through another corridor and into a changing room. Reaching into her labcoat, Glynda produces two small yellow clips to put in Yang's hair. "These will allow us to monitor your vital signs. In return, you will have an easier time controlling Unit 01." She explains. "As for a proper plugsuit, as you are on a probationary period recommended by Commander Schnee and Director Branwen, you do not yet have one made. Stick around and we'll do that once everything checks out."

"You're talking as if I am staying." Yang says, raising an eyebrow.

Glynda smiles. "And I thought, based on your dossier, you are a thrillseeker. Just riding the Eva to surface is something that might excite you."

Yang blinks. "I mean, yes. I do have a motorcycle back home." Taking a deep breath, she gives a sigh. "Fine."

Glynda nods and leads her to another door. Next to said door was a window looking out toward a giant metal tube labeled "EVA - 01" along the side. On the opposite end of the tube was the mark of a rose. A port on the side was open, with a seat protruding out. "When ready, just sit down on the seat, we'll walk you through the rest once inside."

The door opens up, leading to the dock where the tube and the chair of the tube stands, waiting to accept her pilot. Walking out, Yang strides toward the tube. The pit the giant machine was located in began draining, revealing more of the lanky giant robot. The colors were, much like the head, white with red accents. As Yang takes a seat, she was pulled in to the tube, the door closing and sealing.

The head lowers down and the spine of the mechanical monster snaps open. The tube descends slowly right into the hole in the spine. As soon as it was inserted, the rest of the system in the body began pulling on the tube, as if it were some sort of plug.

The voice of Glynda speaks up in the system. "We're going to begin flooding the entry plug with a substance we call LCL. This will help with neural synchronization and provide oxygen. Don't panic and please breath normally." Once the communications ended, the orange fluid that once was in the pool the robot sat in began filling the plug. Instinctively, Yang began holding her breath. Once she ran out of breath, she took a deep breath, realizing Glynda was telling the truth. Once the plug completely filled, the walls surrounding her faded away, giving her sight of the world around from the mechanical beast's point of view. Various HUD components litter the screen, including a clock, marked with "0:00 - Tethered", off to the side.

---

"Aura Synchronization Rate Normal. Neural Synchronization to follow."

The bridge officers in the operations room scrambled to get Unit 01's startup sequence underway. Raven once more sat in her loft, overlooking as usual.

"All systems green. We are go for launch."

Winter, standing behind the bridge officers, turns to face Raven. "Madame, Unit-01 is ready."

"Very well. Carry on." The stoic woman stated.

Turning her attention back to the screen, Winter inhales and speaks with a bark. "Unit-01... LAUNCH!"

---

As everything was checked by the Operations Center, Yang began to feel pulled backwards against a wall. The ceiling above her gave way, revealing it was a tunnel leading to the surface.

"Unit-01... LAUNCH!"

Without a moment of warning, the platform Yang was standing on shot up towards the sky, faster than the acceleration she experienced on her bike. Sure enough, Glynda's promise of finding thrill did come to fruition. Adrenaline pulsed through the blonde teen as she was hurtled to the surface. "YAAAA-HOOOOOO!"

"Miss Xiao-Long, please try to act professional here." Winter called over the communications system.

The rest of the trip was silent until it reaches the top. As Yang's eyes adjusted, she looked around at the controls. Glynda speaks once more as she provides instruction. "This should be a literal walk. The pedals your feet rest on control the legs. Moving them like you are walking will cause the unit to move."

Yang followed the instructions given. Slowly, the massive robot lurched clunkily, almost tripping as it moved forward. "Easy Yang. Deep breath and take it one step at a time." She told herself. Once familiar, she spots the monster causing havok among Vale. A bear, standing 50 foot tall with a white mask with red markings. Her heart skip a beat, her feet freezing in place as the beast rushes toward her. Her mind was still deciding between fight or flight.

---

"Aura Desynchronizing! The pilot's gone catatonic!"

"Disconnect! Disconnect!"

The Operations Center entered a flustured flurry as Yang's mind raced to decide how to process the threat.

"Negative, Unit-01 is not responding."

Winter's hand slams into the nearest surface. "GODS DAMN IT, YANG! MOVE!"

---

The beast bears down upon Unit-01, taking a swipe right at the machine. As the pilot was still neurally synchronized, she felt the strike as if it tore right through her. She let out a scream of pain. The strike itself seemed to snap her out of her state, infuriating her. Aura rising once more, she grit her teeth. It was Fight and she was about to tap into Burn.

---

"Wait, Aura is resynchronizing once more."

Winter let out a sigh of relief. However, that was short lived as sirens once more sound.

"Im... Impossible. Her aura's overloading Unit-01..."

"What?" The Schnee lady raises an eyebrow. "That's... not possible, is it?"

Their view of the situation shifted. The lanky machine that was once deep in their headquarters opened it's jaw and let out a roar, a yellow aura surrounding it and eyes glowing a deep red.

"Emergency Shutdown, now!"

A cacophonous moment occured before Coco, a young woman with chestnut brown hair, wearing the typical Bridge Officer uniform, along with a stylish beret and a pair of sunglasses, called back. "Negative. Unit-01's awake!"

"EJECT NOW!"

---

However, those words never reached Yang's ears. Her sights were set on one thing, the monster who attacked her. The robot she piloted stood up and lowered itself to the ground before charging forward. The hand pulled back and drove right into the Grimm, ripping it from limb to limb with a roar of it's own.

Yang felt something she had longed to feel for a long time. She felt some sensation of security as she watched the Grimm get beaten to death by those arms. It wasn't her thought or actions that caused the fighting, even though it was her aura.

The Evangelion continued to beat and strike the Grimm in revenge for the attacks. The eyes of the machine went from the red brought on by Yang's semblance to a illustrious silver. The expression of the Ursa shifted from rage to absolute fear. Raising it's fists above the head, Unit-01 brings it right down on the mask, shattering it into pieces. A spark of light launched into the sky, only to explode into the shape of a crucifix. The beast disintegrates into dust in the aftermath of the explosion. Once complete, Unit-01 drops down to it's knees. Yang began hyperventilating, unsure of what was going on. The world about her began to grow dark until she blacked out.

---

"Sync Rate normalized. Performing Emergency Shutdown."

Winter looks at the image of the explosion with curiosity. The head drops down, revealing the entry port as the plug is fired into the sky. "Scramble the Recovery Teams."

Raven looks down to the floor. "Winter? Call an emergency train. If Yang walks out, she best have a way home. Let her know that this is the only courtesy I'll allow her weakass."

"Aye, Madame." Came Winter's only response. The screen flickered, displaying a team pulling the plug back to Beacon. "Madame, may I ask exactly what happened?"

Raven tightens her fingers in thought. Her attention was turned to a flashing light on her desk. "Maybe later. I have something to tend to. Tai..."

The blonde gentleman nods, understanding what his ex-wife needed to do.

---

Minutes later --

The door opens into a darkened board room. Present is a silver haired gentleman sitting at the head of the table. To his right was a woman with alabaster skin and matching hair, dressed in a flowing black robe. The other three spots at the table were represented by black slabs, reading -SEELE: Audio Only-.

"Gentlemen..." Raven began.

The head of the table gestures to the other end. "Miss Branwen. We saw the test of Unit-01. The pilot... needs some work, however, we are quite pleased with the progress."

The woman on the right nods. "Indeed. We shall press on with the project."

Raven takes the seat as gestured. "That is good to hear. If we're on your schedule, that means we are to recieve the Second Child. That is if the Third can be coerced to stay."

The head of the table smiles. "I'm sure you can find a way to make her stay. After all, you are her mother. That is all we have to say. We'll leave you to your business."

---

Hours later --

Yang slowly comes to, sitting up with the same speed as her brain came to. She spotted Winter's face off to the side, having a bit of a smile. "Easy does it, Yang. There we go."

"Mmh... what happened?" The blonde woman asks with a groggy tone to her voice.

"Well, Miss Xiao-Long, we have successfully recovered the Entry Plug from the surface. You did pilot the giant robot and... well... were the human element that took down the Grimm attacking Vale."

Yang rubs the back of her head. "I remember seeing some large monster and freezing up a bit before deciding to just wanting to destroy it before... feeling like I was getting a back massage."

The other woman smiles, not catching that last bit. "Well, now it's your call. Are you going to stay and help or will you head home?"

Yang takes a moment to think. "Does my mother still think me weak?"

Winter pauses a moment, sighing softly. "Well... yes."

"Fuck yeah, I'm staying, then." Yang says. "I want to spite her. I want to do so with every bone in my body. If I run now, she'll be proven right. If I take my sweet time lingering here, it'll piss her off and it'll bring me joy."

"That's.. a little unconventional." Winter admits. "But I'll accept your answer." Wiping her brow, she lets out a sigh of relief. "Honestly, there was an office betting pool that you might dash off and leave the place after what you went through, and honestly, I can't blame you if you had any reservations about all of this." She stretches out her hand. "Welcome to FABLE, Miss Xiao-Long. I'll schedule in a moment to get a picture taken for your Common Access Card."

Yang reached for the glass of water waiting for her on the closest counter. Raising the glass to her lips, she takes in a deep sip. Once she was told of the pool, she spits it all back at Winter. "You... what?" Her aura began to rise once more off her body. "I expect Raven not to have faith in me, but even you?"

Winter shakes her hands. "N...no... not at all! Some people had doubts, but not me of course!" Seeing as this quelled the wrath of the Brawny Brawler, she sighs. "Let's get your ID made."

---

Somewhere in the Ocean --

An aircraft carrier marked with the United Kingdoms Insignia moves on a predetermined route towards Patch. Standing on the deck is a young girl, no older than 15, dressed in a white combat skirt and matching blazer. Her hair is familiar to some people, yet pulled into a single ponytail off to an angle. Strapped to her hip was a rapier. Arms crossed, she looks off to the side.

"Tch... how much longer must I wait before I can see my beloved sister again?"

------

Elements of this tale is borrowed from Neon Genesis Evangelion (a property owned by Studio Khara). The author is not an employee of the entity above and will not make this tale available for charge. An attempt has been made to reflect both series in a positive light and to ensure characterizations belonging to the entity do not heavily deviate toward the profane. Strong language is found within this tale by characters whose characterization may allow them to do so. --- This is not endorsed by Rooster Teeth in any way. Views, opinions, thoughts are all my own. Rooster Teeth and RWBY are trade names or registered trademarks of Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC. © Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC.

[aliflower88]

I’ve been reading an insane amount of royai fanfic so here are a few of my favourites!!

Delicate:

Summary: Riza's upbringing leaves her with scars.

  You may have already read this one since it’s so popular but if not it’s a character study of Riza that spans from her early childhood to post-canon. It honestly gives so much more depth and meaning to Riza's character as well as her relationship with Roy. 

Our embalmed hearts, our desolate kingdoms:

Summary: He leans back, palms connecting with the concrete, and looks up over their city, their desolate kingdom. In the rain, Central City might as well be the ruins of Xerxes, empty and grey, and he and she may as well be the last two people on earth."

Or, Love in the Time of Giant Robots

   This fic is an Evangelion au and it absolutely destroyed me. The way the relationships between the characters are written is so complex. It’s a fantastic slow burn and story overall. (And it’s still really great even if you've never watched Eva.)

Dismantle the Sun:

Summary: Dairut is a crossroads. A settlement on the border of Amestris and the Great Desert, a hub of Ishvalan and Xerxian history, it is a place caught between past regret and future hope.

In Central City, Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye prepare to return to Ishval for the first time. In Resembool, Edward Elric navigates the complicated minutia of his personal life, but remains unable to shake the feeling that his work in Amestris is not yet finished. In Dairut, Miles and the new Muhaddith break ground on Al’Arshif, the sacred Archive, in the hope of restoring a sense of continuity to their long-suffering people.

Then archeologist Winnie Stokes uncovers an ancient relic in the desert. Then a mysterious cult called the Risen strip Captain Hawkeye from the Flame Alchemist’s side. Then something monstrous begins to stir in the mind of Selim Bradley. Five years after the Promised Day, Ed, Roy, and Miles must face an evil of apocalyptic scale, before it destroys everything they’ve worked for, and everyone they hold dear.

Dairut is a crossroads. But Dairut is also the end of the line. Things are changing in Amestris, and not everyone will survive.

     My favourite post-canon fic! The writing is so beautiful and the plot is very well thought out and interesting. This one definitely kept me awake at night :’)

When Thou Shalt Come To Judge the World By Fire:

Summary: Roy was silent, unable to answer. Hughes was right. There hadn’t been any other girl for him, not really. Something about her. Something about Riza Hawkeye that made her so much more than a memory.

Hughes leaned against the bar, shadows lengthening on his face. “So, what was it? What ruined dating? A regret, or a promise?”

  An amazing exploration of pre-canon royai the depictions of each period in their lives from the time they spent with Berthold to Ishval to before Ed and Al are all done wonderfully.

Not All of Me Will End:

Summary: Nothing remains of her but what must be left behind.

  In this fic, Riza gets cancer and passes away. I never usually get upset over shows or books but this made me cry. It is beautifully written and makes Riza feel like a real person. It’s a difficult read but ends on a relatively hopeful note.

Atlas

Summary: After six years apart, intelligence agent Roy Mustang attempts to rebuild his relationship with a former partner. But when past and present intertwine, their reunion triggers one of life's most difficult decisions: duty or family.

  An amazing au!! The writing is captivating and the dual timeline of younger royai and older royai is super interesting. It's exciting, heartwarming and a really well-crafted story.

We That Are Young:

Summary: It's a well-known fact that innocents make poor soldiers. Fortunately, Riza Hawkeye's childhood was not entirely innocent. She had to grow up fast... though she wasn't the only one. The early years of the Colonel and his First Lieutenant.

   I believe this was written before Brotherhood so there are a few discrepancies between this and canon but it's definitely still worth the read. The fic details Roy and Riza’s life from ages 3 and 8 to 13 and 17. And is a wonderful coming-of-age story though upsetting at times. 

alright folks, I need to know your favorite royai fanfiction, the ones that kept you awake at night, the ones that raised the bar so high that nothing could compare, the ones that consumed your soul and left only ashes afterwards because they were so beautiful that for days you did nothing but stare blankly in the void without purpose

[ponett]

Thoughts on mecha series and Evangellion in relation to Gundam? (I'm trying to get you started)

other people have explored these subjects in-depth many times, but i think people who like later mecha series should just go watch the original 1979 gundam. i know it's old and the animation isn't amazing, but it's good. but mainly i think people who haven't seen it would be shocked by how many elements of later mecha protagonists like shinji in eva, simon in gurren lagann, and renton in eureka seven were already there in amuro

i think people will watch darker takes on a genre like eva and madoka without having much experience with the things they're riffing on, and thus assume that they must be "deconstructing" the tropes in the originals. like people just have some vague assumption about what gundam is about (there is in fact a viral post about this going around tumblr right now) and, in turn, assume that eva is critiquing the trope of forcing teenagers to fight in a giant robot war by saying "that's fucked up, actually." and so that becomes their main take on what eva is "about"

in reality... that's already what gundam is about! amuro goes through so much of the same shit as shinji. he's too young to be piloting the gundam, but he's being manipulated by the adults with power over him. he tries and fails to run away from all the fighting. he ends up losing people he cares about and is traumatized. he becomes desensitized to the violence he commits. in many scenes the gundam is basically an unstoppable fucking monster to the zeon forces in the same way that the eva is. perhaps my favorite example of this is the episode where amuro reunites with his mother. she sees him kill two zeon soldiers and is horrified at what her child has become. at this point amuro has been conditioned to believe that he needs to be a killer in order to be loved, because piloting the gundam is the only thing that earns him praise aboard the white base. he runs away and lashes out by obliterating a random defenseless zeon base. bright praises him for this despite previously saying it was a pointless risk, and the episode ends with amuro's mom watching in tears as her son flies off to keep fighting the war. they never see each other again

that's only episode 13 of the original gundam series and they were already doing shit like that! it rules

but the thing is, i think when you actually go back and watch classic gundam (and ideon, etc.), you gain more of an appreciation for the elements of those later shows that are new, instead of giving them credit for the things that are unabashedly pulled straight from gundam. eva's not novel for saying that making kids pilot giant killing machines is bad. what it does do is trade the wartime political drama of gundam for a focus more squarely on the psychology of the characters (and lots of christian imagery because anno likes shit like devilman and ultraman). it's not about war, it's about the ways in which shinji struggles to relate with other people, and some very fraught parent/child relationships, and things like that

also guntank is the best. they should've put guntank in eva

[duhragonball]

Neon Genesis Evangelion 20

Last time, Evangelion Unit 01 ran out of power in the middle of a battle, but that's okay because it came to life and ate the Angel it was a fighting. So NERV has taken it back to base and trussed it up with bandages and some kind of "cage" to restrain it while they figure out what to do with her. Oh, right, the Evangelion is a girl. We just found that out.

God forbid a woman do anything.

The crappy old man council doesn't like any of this at all, but they're crappy old men, so they can't do anything but whine about it. They're like "we never should have put Gendo Ikari in charge of NERV." "But he's the only one qualified to do the work." "Well we should have put a bell around his neck." "There was a bell, but it didn't ring." "That's stupid, what good is a bell if it doesn't ring?" "Well, we need to put a better bell on his neck next time." Just the most asinine dialogue ever written.

What happened to Shinji? Well, they never could eject his plug from Unit 01, and when they finally get a look inside, it turns out he's not even there. His plugsuit is floating around in the LCL fluid, but there's no sign of his body. Ritsuko theorizes that his physical body is still in there, but it's been dissolved into something akin to "primordial soup". As for his mind, it must still exist as well, inside the Eva's consciousness.

Misato asks, for the umpteenth time, what the hell the Eva even is. It's clearly not a giant robot, or an Angel, or anything remotely resembling human technology. So what are they, that one of them could do something like this? Where did they come from? Ritsuko gives a bunch of non-answers and riddles, so Misato slaps her. I like Ritsuko, but yeah, she kind of deserves this. If you don't want to tell Misato, that's one thing, but don't jerk her around with poetry when she just wants to know what this thing is that you're supposed to be an expert on.

I mean, the only characters who seem to truly understand the Evas are Gendo Ikari and Ritsuko, and that might be it. If Ritsuko can't explain what an Eva is, then what business does anyone have even trying to use them?

Ritsuko does have a plan to recover Shinji, but I'm not even going to try to explain how it works. It's based on a procedure her mother came up with ten years ago. I guess something similar happened at NERV back then, but Ritsuko says it didn't work that time. As it stands, it takes Ritsuko about a month to set it up this time, and she still has no idea if it will do any good.

Basically, if they can access the Eva in some way, they might be able to coax Shinji's mind into separating from the Eva's, and then the Eva might be so gracious as to reassemble his body from the chemicals in the LCL fluid.

But it seems to fail, not because the procedure isn't working, but because it seems like Shinji doesn't want to return.

This is probably because, from Shinji's perspective, he's in communion with the Eva, and he's having a nutty vision involving imagery and voices from his memories. There's a lot of stuff in this, but I'd say the culmination of it all is when the Eva takes the form of Misato, Asuka, and Rei, and offers to combine with Shinji.

Then the plug ejects, and Shinji's suit spills out along with all the LCL fluid. Misato thinks that's it, and he must be lost forever...

But then Shinji's nude body tumbles out beside her, so apparently the whole thing worked after all, despite Ritsuko's readings to the contrary.

Before he emerges, he has a somewhat more lucid vision of himself realizing he's inside the Eva, and the Eva informs him that he's piloted the Eva, and he just got done piloting the Eva, and that he will do so again. Okey-dokey.

Misato goes to have sex with Kaji after it's all over, and she asks him what he knows about NERV and Gendo Ikari's goals, but the answers are things he either doesn't know himself or can't explain just yet. Then they have sex off-screen, for an uncomfortable amount of time. She tells him not to put strange things in there and I really don't think I want to know what that means. Then he gives her something, and she puts a capsule on the counter next to her drink.

Kaji calls this a gift, perhaps the last one he'll ever be able to give. I don't know what the hell they're talking about.

Now I've pretty much zipped right past all of Shinji's visions while he was inside the Eva, but to be honest, most of it is lost on me. He talks about how he wants people to like him and be nice to him, and he feel like the only reason people treat him well these days is because he pilots the Eva, but we kind of already understood that.

He also mentions that he thinks his father deserted him because he found a surrogate child in the form of Rei Ayanami. I'm not sure if that's actually true, although there is a flashback(?) to Gendo telling Shinji's mother that he'll name their unborn baby Shinji or Rei, depending on whether it's a boy or a girl.

So maybe Rei is Shinji's sister? Or Gendo had another child that he named Rei? Or Gendo made Rei in his lab and gave her that name? Or Gendo just happened to meet Rei and they got along well and she just so happens to have the name he would have given to his daughter if he ever had one?

I'm not going to waste a lot of time trying to figure this stuff out. There's six more episodes and I have a feeling the important stuff will get a full explanation in due time.

[tyrantisterror]

Everyone focuses on the dark deconstructive elements of Neon Geneiss Evangelion, but I never see anyone talking about the comedic deconstructions, even though they’re just as big a part of the show as the grimdark stuff.  So I’m gonna talk about one of my favorite comedic bits in the show, which I shall now dub:

SHINJI’S KNIFE

Much has been made of how Eva is a deconstruction of your typical giant robot anime.  Well, one of the big tropes of a giant robot show is the robot’s super secret final weapon of last resort, which more often than not takes the form of some big, elaborate, cool-ass looking sword.

FORM BLAZING SWORD and the like, right?  It’s a rad as hell moment, the fist-pumping sign that the fight is finally going to end.  We don’t question why this giant weapon was saved until things got dire, or where the hell these robots store such massive and elaborate weapons.

Well, Eva’s got its own take on that.  It’s own funny fucking take.

What, you don’t see it?  Here, I’ll get another shot for you.

Still not noticing it?  Here, look.

It’s a knife.  A fucking knife.

Not even a big knife.  I mean, ok, it’s scaled to a giant robot, so technically it’s a big knife, but at the robot’s scale... like, that’s not even a bowie knife.  It’s the size of a damn steak knife.  And despite the glowing effect some of these frames have, it’s not a particularly elaborate knife.  You could put that in the hands of an utterly mundane human character and it wouldn’t look out of place.  It’s just... just a knife.

It’s this dinky little knife that’s stored in one of the Eva’s fins, popping out when the battle’s gone south to give Shinji one last resort against the angels.  It technically performs the purpose of your giant robot super weapon, but... it’s JUST a knife.  An ordinary, not all that impressive knife!

And because it’s JUST a knife, there’s no fun super move to pull off with it.  Shinji doesn’t slash the air and make the enemy explode from a wave of energy it shoots out or whatever.  No, instead Shinji takes this dinky knife, makes his Eva run in close, and has to shank the fucking monster repeatedly with it, all while screaming like a fourteen year old who’s been forced to stab a kodiac bear to death before it tears his face off.

Like... think about that on paper, ok?  Imagine this as an episode of Voltron.  The monster has our hero on the ropes, none of the other weapons have worked, the robot’s running out of power, and, in a last desperate attempt to save the day, the hero unleashes their secret weapon, and it’s... just a knife.  And he has to run up to the monster and shank it to death with this dinky little knife.

It’s fucking hilarious.

The other weapons in the show are similarly humorously mundane.  Like, look at this shot.  Look at this fucking robot holding a tiny ass pea-shooter pistol and hiding behind buildings for cover like it’s in a shootout at the end of a Tarantino movie.  It’s fucking ridiculous!

And all of this is just as much a part of the deconstruction of super robot shows as the teenagers having series-long mental breakdowns while fighting eldritch abominations.  It’s all connected.  Hell, it’s so important that the model kits of Unit 01 even have one fin specially engineered to replicate the scene where that dinky piece of shit knife pops out.

God I love Evangelion.

[sdxstudio]

Chapter 3

(This is timeskip to years later where Mike works in FNAF 2 pizzeria)

Michael changed his name to Mike Schmidt. He moved out of his family home to small apartment. He couldn't stand his father. Now he's in his mid 30's. He adopted Eva and left William and his past behind. He changed how he looks for William to not recognize him. He wanted to have calm life with his now sister Eva. She grew tall, tho she's still stubborn. Mike knew how others will look at Eva, so he made endoskeleton arm with skin color silicone cover. Mike now works in Freddy Fazbear's pizzeria, runned by random manager of his father. His sister on the other hand, works in Chica's Milkshake World. She's a part time waitress there.

Mike walked into his apartment. It was a bit dark there. He switched light switch on, and to his shock, he was an animatronic bunny. Eva was behind it, working on wires. She didn't saw him. She was busy with her new creation. Music was jamming from their radio. Michael turned off the radio and with crossed arms he looks at her annoyed.

Mike: Eveline Schmidt. What is this?

Eva: oh ummm. I didn't told you, buuuut I took robotic classes and this is my new project that will give me chance for scholarship. We do just little robots in class, so I made giant animatronic bunny. They'll give me A+ for it-

Mike: how many times I told you that I don't like those things? I teached you how to fix your endo arm, not to build nightmares. Please, after this project, never make those things again. I really mean it.

Eva: you still have those nightmares? Look, Mike. I don't wanna be rude, but those things can't do anything more than what you programed them to do. There are no Fredbears with giant sharp teeth or ghosts. Take a chill, and please rest after your work. You look really tired. Oh and I got you coffee donuts from my work. Your favorite.

Mike sighed, took donuts and left to his room. He turned on TV to see his favorite show "The immortal and the restless". After few minutes of watching it, he fell asleep on his chair.

Eva walked to his room worried. She was still covered in oil from animatronic. She turned off his TV and wanted to walk out, but then she looked at his desk. It was full of newspapers. Eva walked to it and began to read it all. Then she saw this specific old newspaper from 1983. It had title "Fredbear's closing", "young Evan Afton, a son of famous dinner owner William Afton, had an accident with springlock animatronic called Fredbear. In the day of his birthday, people say that Evan was playing too close to said animatronic. Animatronic jaw then had malfunction which trapped him in. William Afton states "I didn't knew how it happened. I walked away for a second, and once I looked back, it happened. We'll close this dinner, it'll only remind me of this day. We'll also put more security into our friendly robots for safety of our customers"". Now she knows why she was called like it. Because of Mike's little brother. She felt anger that he never told her it. But then she calmed down to see other newspapers. "Baby's Pizza World is opening it's doors tomorrow. People gathers to see the new and improovment animatronics. We heard that the main animatronic will be giving away free ice cream on the day of opening", "Elizabeth Afton is still missing. Few days after the Baby's Pizza World's opening, Elizabeth Afton, the daughter of William Afton went missing. People says that the last time they saw her, was in Baby's party room. We are still seeking clews of where she is.", "Grand opening of Freddy Fazbear's pizzeria is a success. William Afton, the owner of fameous Baby's Pizza World, made new Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria. There will be many new animatronics and the main one, Freddy Fazbear. Locals says that this place is great for their little ones. In the opening day we saw colorful party rooms arcade area and main stage for the stars of the show.".

Story of Michael (re-make)

Info: I make a re-make of my story, because last one was not that good. It is made in canon universe but with my OC. So yeah, enjoy.

(Credit to Scott C.)

Chapter 1

Michael walked to his father's new pizzeria. He was angry at himself for what he did to Evan. His little brother is no more here. I wished and prayed for him to be back. His guilt was growing more and more. Because of the "accident", Fredbear's family dinner was closed for good. Everytime he thinks of Evan, he remembers what happened this day. His friends left him after it. He only had Elizabeth now. His little sister was his father's favorite.

Near the back door of pizzeria, he saw a girl. She was without her arm, clothes were dirty and she looked lonely. She looked familiar. Brown hair reminded him of Evan. Michael shaked his head. He didn't wanted to think of Evan. But sadly when he looked at her, he did. He walked to her to check on her. She was eating pizza from yesterday. He didn't knew why they just throw it away. Such a waste of food. He sat next to her.

Michael: h-hey. What are you doing here?

She: I'm eating lunch. They have good pizza here. You?

Michael: I ummm. I help my father. He works here. Sooo, what's your name?

She: I uhhh. I don't remember. One day I woke up in pizzeria and just forgot everything. All I know is that pizza is great here.

Michael: Can I pick you a name? If you want of course.

She: sure. I want to have name.

Michael thought a lot. But only thing he could think of is Evan. But he couldn't just call her that. Could he?

Michael: I'll call you Eva. Is that a good name?

Eva: yes. I like it very much.

Michael: do you want to go to my place? You look hungry and also in bad condition. We can pick you spare clothes later.

Eva: I really wanted to have home. Yes. I can't wait to go there.

He then walked with her to his home. He thought that it was his 2nd chance to to fix what he did. Behind her, there was a familiar shadow with crying eyes. Who is it?