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#'hm something is weird about this 001 guy' and then saw other people being way smarter than me picking out details
reikunrei · 8 months
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standing under a boiling hot shower last night talking to myself about how odd it is that people still think “the duffers wouldn’t do something that deep/complex/intricate and hide so much information because the general audience wouldn’t be able to pick up on it” is a valid argument as if the show wasn’t immediately massively popular to the point that they probably could’ve ignored the general audience this whole time and as long as they had a coherent story it would’ve continued to gain traction. it’s their show, they’re gonna do whatever they want with it and hide as many secrets as they can and they will get away with it. why should they "dumb down" their work when they want to live up to their own standards. i think i'd rather die than only do surface level shit to "appeal to the most people."
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citrussdance · 3 years
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Cardfight!! Vanguard Overdress Unit Lore: 001 “Trickstar”
In space? or simply above the planet’s surface? Amidst that faint light, change was born.
The thin and weak “wave” became a powerful “movement” that made “that space” tremble. In the very center of that trembling “space”, “it” was the first to be born.
A head, torso, two arms and legs- as it emerged, “it” slowly took on the shape of something humanoid. Eyes, a nose, and finally, a mouth appeared, creating the shape of a smile.
From the moment “it” was born, it was filled with joy.
Whispered prayers and the wishes that preceded them, carried on the “wave” like a rushing torrent, warmly embraced its spirit and body; and ever since “it” gained sentience, certain words repeatedly echoed in its head; a careful arrangement of sounds, words that proved its own existence.
Finally, an image came into its newborn heart.
Sparkling with overwhelming brightness, a white light invited “it” to the heart of this planet’s greatest nation.
-
As far as one can see, campfires as small as ants dot the wasteland, about to go out.
“Reiyu, Zonne, Rona!” Rino calls softly, in order to not disturb the pre-dawn mood. Surrounding the fire and wrapped in blankets side-by-side, the other three give no response. They sleep deeply.
“I’ll leave them be; they walked a lot yesterday, after all.”
The four girls’ rule is that the one who could stay awake would take watch, but Rino had kept watch throughout the night by herself.
Throwing a small twig onto the fire, Rino hugs her knees.
To the side, a large egg, about the size of a young child, sleeps. To say it is “sleeping” is not a figure of speech- this hatching egg has feet and a tail, and within its body, encased in its shell, there are two (closed) eyes. This egg is called the “Sunrise Egg”.
“Fuee~ I can’t eat any more!” 
Rino laughs quietly at the unwitting Rona’s sleep talk. Rona is the youngest, and the spoiled child of the group. However, her honest dances have saved the group’s mood countless times since this journey began.
Rino’s stomach rumbles quietly.
Everyone is hungry. They chose to set out on this journey by themselves, without relying on anyone’s kindness, but even the Blaze Maidens, who undergo strict training for their roles, are in truth struggling to endure the pressures of the journey.
-- The Blaze Maidens.
The world’s oldest temple, the “Red Temple of Dawn”, lies ten days’ walk from the backwoods of the Dragonia Mountain Range in the center of the Dragon Empire. The Blaze Maidens’ role is to protect and watch over a treasure that can only be found there. After dedicating their lives to this faith, the maidens live out their lives at the temple, only rarely seeing the outside world. Just ten days ago, Rino, Reiyu, Zonne, and Rona would never have dreamed of leaving the Red Temple of Dawn.
-
“We can’t go on like this. Let’s give our thanks to this land, and leave soon.” The oldest of the party, Reiyu, had said that two days ago.
At those words, Rino, who had been fondly watching Zonne eat chicken and Rona stuff her face with sweets, had frozen.
In the first village they had stayed in, the Blaze Maidens had been received warmly. The Dragon Empire is a militaristic country, ruled by a dragonic emperor. However, it is also a civilized country that follows the tradition of the world’s oldest country, Dragonia; many of its people are religious, and priests and shrine maidens are revered. So, when the Blaze Maidens and the walking egg descended from the northern mountain, the villagers, poor though they were, had gladly broken into their winter stocks and showed them the best of hospitality. In the blink of an eye, food and presents had been heaped upon them. 
Only Reiyu had not been happy. “Remember what the priest said. We, along with Rino and the Sunrise Egg, were ordered to seek “the truth of this world” and find hope for the future to bestow upon the people. All of these things gathered here are the villagers’ very lifeline until spring. We can’t let ourselves be spoiled by their kindness.”
The normally cheerful Zonne and honest Rona, and even the reasonable Rino had become somber. They are each highly capable Blaze Maidens, who the priest had trusted to journey to the outside world. However, while they are devout followers, they are also normal girls. Having warm food to fill an empty belly, a hot bath to soothe the weariness of travel, and a soft place to sleep instead of the hard ground. . . how can one blame them for being tempted by such things? Reiyu had simply been a little more of an adult than the other three.
That night, when the village was sleeping, the four girls had stolen away in secret, leaving only a polite thank-you letter and a blazing amulet containing a blessing. To them, the honest kindness of the first people they had met on their journey had also become their first bitter experience.
-
The eastern sky begins to lighten, faintly; dawn is approaching. As the embers die out, Rino, who has drawn closer to the egg, begins to nod off. Soon, it will be time to set off towards the world of dreams.
Then. . .
Outside the circle where the maidens gathered to sleep, a white-hooded head pokes out from the “empty dimension”. From there, it turns this way and that, surveying its surroundings. The only thing it hears is the soft breathing of the girls and the egg.
“Stay asleep, just like that. Now, it’s my playtime,” it whispers, and out pops the rest of its body.
With a white hood that extends into a cloak, the body that houses “it” is stiffer than a living being’s, being best approximated as like to a doll. In the dim light of dawn, “its” white face is the only thing visible, floating in the darkness.
“I’ll help myself to this~”
One of the gold pins holding Rino’s hair up disappears.
“And this-”
The bracelet around Reiyu’s wrist is gone.
“I’ll borrow this, too, okay?”
Three glass marbles from the pouch at Rona’s hip. These strangely shaped beads are normally used to tell the future, but when the girls are bored, they serve as toys, as well.
“Oops- this one’s pretty important, hm?”
One of Zonne’s beloved giant folding fans.
Finally, “it” turns to the egg, and puts a hand on its hip, thinking. “Hmm. . . I want to play a trick on you, too, but you have nothing to steal, huh? Boring.”
“You won’t be able to steal anything at all anymore.” Zonne’s voice, trembling with anger, comes from behind “it”.
“Eh- ?”
-
Spinning this way and that, suspended from a tree, “it” cries and makes excuses. “Trickstar! I can’t believe you’d tie me up like this! Trickstar!”
“Trickstar. . . is that your name?” Rino asks.
“Probably, yes. . . since in the beginning, I only knew that word.”
“You. . . I thought it was weird that the marbles kept disappearing!”
“Oh! Those, those are pretty! I love them. Everyone looks like they’re having so much fun, playing with them!” Trickstar perks up.
“Oi, where’s your shame? Your remorse?!” Zonne, who had been pretending to sleep until then, had been able to capture Trickstar in the blink of an eye- as expected of a Blaze Maiden, as well as a prominent martial arts practitioner.
“I’m sorryyyy! It was only a little joke!”
“Stealing is not a joke, it is a punishable crime,” Reiyu warns in a tone as cold as ice. “In some towns and villages, it’s punished with an instant death penalty. . .”
“Eek!” Trickstar, still tied up, turns pale all the way to the tips of its fingers and trembles.
“Oh, Reiyu. It returned all the things it stole, and even apologized. . .” begins Rino.
“You’re always too soft, Rino,” replies Zonne.
“That’s a good thing, though!” Rona laughs.
“Very well. If you promise to never steal our things again, we’ll let you go. - However, I want to ask you two things, Trickstar.” Reiyu says. Behind her, in the light of sunrise, moons of various sizes, as well as a planet that colors the heavens, rise into the sky. “One. You are able to travel into the ‘empty dimension’. So, those bindings mean nothing.” “Mhmm. You’re right, Reiyu.” Trickstar slips out of the ropes as if they don’t exist at all, and poses with hands and legs outstretched. “Playing at being tied up sounded interesting, so I did it! This is just another prank. It was fun, right, Zonne?”
Zonne’s face twitches. At some point, Trickstar even learned their names.
“Another question. Why us?”
“Did you want our things? We’re not carrying anything valuable. . .” Rino adds.
“No, Rino. You’re very valuable and special. For some reason, when I fell to this planet Cray, I thought, ‘I have to be here.’ There are people who I’m meant to meet, and who I’m supposed to be with.”
“So, you’ve been following us for three days?”
“Ehe, so you’ve known since the beginning, Rona.”
“Wait a second. You just said that you fell, right? Are you not from this planet?” Rino asks. By the way, aliens and extraterrestrials are not very unusual to the people of Cray.
“I don’t know- I don’t remember. I mean, Rino, you guys don’t remember when you were born, right?”
“That’s true. . . Hm. This conversation is over. Go where you like, Trickstar- but don’t steal.”
“That’s just boring, Reiyu. Hey, take me with you! I’ll be useful, I promise.”
“Look, you. We’re not exactly on vacation, here.” Zonne frowns.
“I know- you’re protecting the dragon’s egg, the Sunrise Egg. Rino stands in front of everyone and prays to the egg every morning, right? Egg-kun sits back and puts its feet up, all smug. It’s really funny!”
“You saw that, too?” Rino mumbles, surprised. It had been decided at the temple that the Sunrise Egg is Rino’s egg, so she leads the prayers, too.
“Our hands are already quite full,” says Reiyu.
“Then, how about this? If you travel about half a day to the west from here, there’s a pretty rich village that’s planning to hold a festival tomorrow. There, I think you can eat and buy all the things you need without worrying. Everyone decided they want to travel on their own power, without relying on others, right?”
“Wow. . .” says Rona.
“Wait, wait. You don’t just disappear, you can teleport to faraway places, too? That’s amazing.” Zonne blinks.
“. . . Rino, you decide. This is your egg and your journey, after all.” Reiyu turns to Rino.
“Eh- ?! Ah, what should I do. . .” With the spotlight suddenly focused on her, Rino becomes flustered. Her gaze automatically turns to her egg, the Sunrise Egg.
The Sunrise Egg is already awake.
It plops over to Trickstar, and comes face to face with this strange clown.
Stare.
The Sunrise Egg stares at Trickstar.
Staaare.
The Sunrise Egg stares at Trickstar.
Staaaaaaare.
Finally, the egg headbutts Trickstar with a crash, and starts happily dancing. Trickstar dances too, drawing a circle to the rhythm. Their cheers grow, filling the wasteland campground with all the bustle of a festival. “Yahoo-!”
The four maidens look at each other.
Rino laughs and gives her answer. “Okay. Let’s bring it along, according to the egg’s guidance. May the great sun and holy dragon smile upon you.”
“May the great sun and holy dragon smile upon you.” The other three repeat the line in harmony.
And finally, the sun ascends, shining upon the lands of planet Cray. A day in the lives of the Blaze Maidens and the dragon’s egg begins.
Now that they have Trickstar, this day marks the start of a new journey.
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