129 | in which I reach Day 6 of Seven's Route on Mystic Messenger & delight in every moment of it

[straightforwardly]

►Mystic Messenger update: I am on Day 6 of Seven’s route and I love it so much, omg. ♥

I don’t have too much to say about the first four days, but there were some fun and/or interesting conversations! Like this one:

Yoosung: “But still, you’re happy that you met us, right [MC]?”
MC: “I’m kind of bored.”
Yoosung: “Wow… so brutal.”
Seven: “lolol”
Seven: “I’ll make it more interesting ^^”
Yoosung: “If you fall for Seven;;”
Yoosung: “he’ll make you join forces with the devil [MC].”

Seven’s developing romance with the MC is incredibly adorable. It hits just the right note of playfulness and angst for me. For example, these texts:

MC: “We’re official allies! Let’s do this, Captain Seven!!”
Seven: “Our first target is!!! Jumin Han’s hidden love life!!!”
Seven: “But you be the captain!”
Seven: “Captain [MC]! Just give me the orders! I’ll follow you!! lololol”

So cute. ♥ I also really liked this conversation, mostly because Jaehee’s reaction amused me:

Seven: “The guts got on my fingers”
Seven: “so typing with one finger.”
Jaehee: “Do not call the red bean paste guts;;”
MC: “I want to lick it.”
Seven: “>_<”
Jaehee: “What are you doing?”
Jaehee: “My stomach just lurched a bit.”

And then there was him telling the MC that even if they don’t get to hold the party, “it’s enough for me to just chat with you like this!!!” Which was cute, but also broke my heart, because he’s so happy with so little. Seven… ;_;

His building her the robot puppy was the cutest, and my only disappointment is that he didn’t actually give it to her. At least the chat options let me make the MC squee over how adorable it was to the fullest. ♥ And him saying that it suits her, because they’re both cute! ♥ Loved it, loved it, loved it.

(Also loved: Jaehee expressing jealousy that Seven’s the only one who knows what the MC looks like. Yes, Jaehee/MC, LET’S GO. ♥)

Also, FLUSTERED!SEVEN IS THE BEST SEVEN. Take this wonderful example from one of the phone calls:

”I see… uhm… so, thank you. Thank you too. I’ll say thanks since you said thanks. Uhm… I definitely called to say something but I forgot. Still thanks for thanking me.”

And then, when he gets a hold of himself: “What the hell am I saying!?”

In summary: Seven, you are the CUTEST. ♥ ♥ ♥

I love the serious bits about their relationship too: Seven worrying about the MC’s safety, Seven trying to deny it by saying his brain isn’t “wired” to have such feelings, the MC encouraging him when he gets down, Seven worrying about the MC getting hurt if she gets too close to him/learns too much about him… honestly, I probably could just say “Seven worrying about the MC” and leave it at that, and it’d cover most of it. .

Some Seven-specific stuff not related to the MC: I was intrigued by what he said in a phone call about how “Acting loopy for a minute always helps my brain function again.” It adds evidence to my impression that the RFA is… stress-relief, I guess, or the one place he can unwind, for him. I’m also really interested in his investment in Zen’s popularity, and how he works for that— the second the possibility of a Tripter bot was mentioned I knew that 1) it had to actually exist and 2) that Seven was behind it, and lo and behold, I was right (to my delight). I feel like the following was super-revealing:

Seven: “I make the world a better place by catching hackers behind the curtain,”
Seven: “but Zen has to work to purify the world where everyone can see him!!”

There’s a lot about the characters worrying about Seven in this route so far, which is exactly the sort of content I’m here for. ♥ One thing that intrigued me was when Jumin mentioned that Seven used to talk about his work more, with Yoosung chiming in about how now if he asks Seven about his work he deflects by saying it’s “top secret” or “classified”— which implies that that wasn’t always the case, and that something’s changed since then.

And then there’s also Seven worrying about the RFA! Which pretty much ties with the RFA worrying about Seven for me. Maybe I should simplify it— I just love the RFA worrying about each other. Like this conversation, which is a beautiful circle of the MC and Zen worrying about Seven, and Seven worrying about them:

MC: “I’ll go with you!! You can’t go there alone!”
Seven: “Thank you but don’t say that…”
Seven: “How could I take you there when I don’t even know what’ll be there?...”
Zen: “At least take me!”
Seven: “You can’t. You have to practice your acting.”
Seven: “And you might get a new role.”
Zen: “That’s not more important than everyone’s safety.”

And, a bit later, after Seven leaves the chat room:

Zen: “Why is he trying to do everything on his own?”
Zen: “I’m nervous about this…”
Zen: “I’m worried he’s trying to take all the burden himself…”
MC: “I think so too. Everything will work out if we work together…”
Zen: “Exactly.”
Zen: “He could at least take me…”

And so on; it continues a bit from there, but I think those are the most relevant bits.

There were also a few interesting insights into Seven and V’s relationship! First, there was this:

Seven: “But to be honest,”
Seven: “Luciel=V’s SLAVE.”
Seven: “It’s true.”
Seven: “Something like”
Seven: “a lone hunter in a dark world”
Seven: “who has complete faith in V!”

And then, later, this:

MC: “You only talk to Seven.”
V: “Because Seven is in charge of handling classified information.”
V: “I’m not especially attached to Luciel or anything ^^;”
Jumin: “Why do I feel like that cat abusing freak is only serious in front f you?”
V: “Hmm… I don’t think Luciel considers me his friend.”
Jumin: “Then?”
V: “More like a mentor I feel…”
Jumin: “...”
V: “Are you jealous?”
Jumin: “Not at all.”

(Okay, I could have cut off that quote a bit earlier, but I found the V/Jumin bits really cute too, so. ♥)

I’ve been really loving Seven’s VN segments, mostly for all they’ve been revealing about his life, and the ways in which what he tells the RFA are just twisted versions of the truth. Like Vanderwood being his maid— Vanderwood does clean up for him, so it’s not entirely a lie (though it was amusing when he told Seven he should get a maid, all things considered), but it’s also very clear that Seven answers to him, not the other way around.

Something else that amused me: Vanderwood saying, “I carry around an Arabic dictionary because of you…” I loved Seven’s security system so much. &hearts’

Speaking of security systems: I think bomb time is coming up, and soon. There was a VN segment last night which basically consisted entirely of a text saying that the special security system has been activated, deactivated, then activated again, which was enough to raise my suspicions— and then there was a VN segment with Unknown earlier today that all-but confirmed it. I’m just waiting for it all to begin, now.

It’s interesting that everyone (minus Seven) got the strange email, instead of how it was just Jaehee in Yoosung’s route.

Also, this time on Shipping Zen With All The Guys, he had the best interactions with Jumin:

Jumin: “A morning that starts with you…”
Jumin: “That is giving me goosebumps.”
Jumin: “When have we ever started the morning together?”
Zen: “Never! Not even once!”
Zen: “Don’t even imagine it;;;;”

Methinks he protests too much. And then, a bit later:

Zen: “;;;;Yeah? So the situation is pretty bad?”
Zen: “I can’t really tell”
Zen: “because I was so deep in sleep that I didn’t hear anything…;”
Jumin: “Me as well.”
Zen: “...”
Jumin: “...”
MC: “No way…”
Zen: “No!”
Jumin: “She didn’t say anything.”
Zen: “Whatever!!”
Zen: “You shut up.”
Jumin: “I didn’t say much.”
Zen: “Let’s change the subejyt”
Zen: “I mean, subject.”

HE’S SO FLUSTERED. ♥ I love it.

Other small things from thought bubbles, phone calls, and the chats that I loved:

Seven musing over whether he should learn Tolkien’s Elvish ♥ ♥ ♥, Jumin wondering if he should make a cat army before ultimately concluding that “it’s more likely that they will just abandon the people and leave”, Jumin admitting to using a photo editing app to add cat ears and tails to a picture of his chief of security, Jumin thanking Zen for giving his blessing when Zen said that Jumin’s soulmate is his cat, Yoosung being super-supportive of Seven/MC, Yoosung’s idea of “proper books” being shoujo manga and his recommending a series to Seven, Jumin knowing what UrbanDictionary is, Zen picking up that not all is well behind Seven’s happy-go-lucky facade...

In short, so many things. ♥ I do really love this game.

► I’ve been poking around on the Fire Emblem: Awakening wiki reading some of the scripts for the Summer Scramble and Harvest Scramble, mostly concentrating on the ones relating to Lissa or Gaius for now (for fic-writing reasons). I bring this up because one of the Harvest Scramble conversations really struck me.

Here’s the conversation in question:

Libra: So, Gaius, are you telling me you DON'T regret your past misdeeds?
Gaius: Look at it this way: what's my main role here in Chrom's army? Opening locked doors and cracking sealed treasure chests, that's what. And how is that different from the old days? Not one bit, that's how.
Libra: Yes, I suppose so, but...
Gaius: And not only that. I spend a lot of my time sneakin' into enemy camps... I'm a spy, a saboteur, a guerilla... even an assassin sometimes. Now, does that sound like someone who's trying to atone for a criminal past?
Libra: But tell me. Why do you do those things?
Gaius: Because I'm good at them, and it ups the odds of us survivin' the next battle. No matter how dirty the job, if it saves one more life on our side, I'll do it.
Libra: That sounds...logical. On the face of it. But—
Gaius: But even if the cause is just, the deed is still wrong? Is that your theory? Well, so be it. Someone's gotta do the dirty jobs, and it might as well be me.
Libra: Gaius, I fear there may be some misunderstanding. I do not blame you for your deeds, now or in the past. That's not my point.
Gaius: So why the third degree?
Libra: As you yourself seem to recognize, your actions are hardly worthy of praise. On the contrary, your..."special" skills may earn you the distrust of your allies. Your duties are dangerous, dirty, and bring you little personal reward. Yet even so, despite this, persist in them. THAT is why I ask—why?
Gaius: It takes more than pretty words and noble purpose to build a better future. Someone's gotta dig the latrines and haul out the rubbish. If it's not me, it's gonna be someone else. And why not me, right? Then you fair-haired do-gooders can concentrate on saving the world. And you can do it without having to fret about getting your hands dirty.
Libra: But, Gaius...
Gaius: The right tool for the job, Padre. That's all I am. (Gaius leaves)
Libra: ...... Ah, Gaius. Chrom's army is served by many a righteous, noble knight...but I would say you might just be the most upright and noble of them all... May the gods protect you!

Ugh, Gaius. ♥

On an unrelated note, the Harvest Scramble conversations between Maribelle and Lissa were so shippy, omg. I don’t even ship them, and still I couldn’t read them in any other way than Maribelle being in love with Lissa.

Oh, that reminds me: I did finish my replay of the game, if anyone’s curious. I don’t really have much to say, though I did find Inigo’s comment during the fight about how he can’t think of anything worse than dying alone to be very revealing, and intriguing.