Battle Action Harem Highschool Side Character Quest (No SV, you are the Waifu)

[Manic Dogma]

You know, people are talking intently about Anna's psychology, international politics, the pros/cons of the consumption of celestial bodies and other deep, complicated shit.

But all I can think about is that if blue wave isn't fired like a Kamehameha, I will fucking riot.

 

[Alphaleph]

But all I can think about is that if blue wave isn't fired like a Kamehameha, I will fucking riot.

Click to shrink...

Nope, Big Bang Attack.

 

[Lightwhispers]

I see all the people talking about romance, and a part of my brain kinda squicks out a little. Because I'm pretty sure that a non-trivial portion of Anna's personality hasn't gotten much past 10 or so. (She started being The Lone Defender of her hometown at about 8, but it started out as intermittent attacks, so she probably some time before she had to go all combat, all the time.) Frankly, I could see it as very appropriate if her shrinking is returning her to her pre-teen body, so that she can have a chance to actually grow up this time.

 

[Bludflag]

As I said hundreds of pages ago, I don't want Anna to get into a relationship. I want her to experience asexual social interaction with people that she has positive relationships with. Romance is complicated, and can cause tremendous and long-lasting pain just as easily as it can cause joy. Anna doesn't need that kind of thing, she just needs supportive friends to help her as she heals.

@SpeckofStardust gets it.

Click to shrink...

At last.

I have found my people.

inevitably die

Click to shrink...

Wow.

What a fucking downer you are.

2. Anna doesn't really quite understand how to into normal human emotion and behavior. It would probably be a tremendously frustrating endeavor for both her and most potential matches.

Click to shrink...

This would imply a romantic relationship would somehow make it impossible for Anna to learn social gestures. And of course, there's the quote above this.

Personally, I find surpassing limits in communication exuberant and rewarding. So I just don't see that as an innately unsurpassable limit.

The top 20, aka the future one-girl nuclear powers wielding the Wave Force, are noted to be relatively chill with things. This is good, as calming influences on the whole thing. Don't make them get off their ass and you can keep playing your games.

Click to shrink...

 

[khang]

So Durga is taking Anna's mom's request to very literally when she asked Durga to give anna a childhood.

 

[Flying Dice]

Wow.

What a fucking downer you are.

Click to shrink...

Since it was apparently too subtle, that was looking at things from Anna's perspective. Or have you not noticed over the past year-and-a-bit that she was affected by everyone she tried to protect dying, many at her own hand? That in her first battle with other human combatants on her side, literally every single one that fought that Type Zero with her died? That there was a reason why she didn't want to fight other people and was reluctant to even fight alongside them? Her standard for normal outcomes is "I'm not good enough to protect the people I care about and they all die when I fail." Part of the progress that's been made is working to alleviate that worldview, but she's still pretty deeply mired in it. There's this concept where you can understand someone's perspective even if you don't necessarily agree with it.

This would imply a romantic relationship would somehow make it impossible for Anna to learn social gestures. And of course, there's the quote above this.

Personally, I find surpassing limits in communication exuberant and rewarding. So I just don't see that as an innately unsurpassable limit.

Click to shrink...

You're missing the point. She can socialize without romance. Romance is one of the most likely socialization routes to result in further emotional trauma: let's look at the most likely candidates. Koujirou. He's a stereotypical haremshit LN protagonist. No points for understanding why that's a bad idea. Yukari. Because shared PTSD with related triggers is a great bonding tool, right? Sandra. The best of bad options, but the safe money is on her and Shuri either being an item or being heterosexual life partners. She'd be the best for understanding and helping, but... friend. You know. That relationship where you understand and want to help someone?

Maybe I'm off the mark here, but this reads like the bog-standard Quest waifuing (or potentially husbandoing in this case) behavior regardless of the IC circumstances of the characters. Even the perverted projecting author of a haremshit LN typically has more grace when shoving characters into romantic relationships than that. Jokes, sure, but Anna is having a hard time even opening up to the people who are by definition her closest friends in the world. This is, what around a month after she left North America? There are vets who suffered a small fraction of what she did at a much greater level of mental maturity and were messed up for life. It's kinda sick that the response to "Wow, our character is all kinds of fucked in the head..." is "...so which other bundle of issues should we set them up with?" It's almost enough to make me wonder if Evangelion was secretly written by a group of forum game players playing Shinji.

 

[Kaizuki]

This is pretty moot anyway, I would legit veto a vote in this direction because I wouldn't have a clue what to do if you all decided to just become a planet. Like what even would prompt such a thing

Click to shrink...

Senpai needs hugs, nyan.

*hugs*

 

[Imrix]

Anna can look into romance once she's had a childhood, as far as I'm concerned.

 

[JackOfAll]

Re; Integrating another Valkyrie Core.

That's impossible. Can't be done.

Click to shrink...

Huh... but can it be eaten, with component used to enhance main core capabilities?

Or is it possible to integrate ones body?


Usually a normal human mindset would prevent it. But Anna spent so long fighting with a frame, so long without real human contact defending her city. At that time, if someone asked "who are you?" image in her mind would be Valkyrie Frame. Not her body. After all she looked through Durga's eyes. Heard through Durga's ears. Felt through Durga's hand and sensed through Durga's impeller field. For all respects she was Durga.

It is only a gues, but I believe that during that time she identifies herself with Durga. She did not see it as something separate. It was her. Her body. Organic part of her was only one more component. Once that served important function, yes, but merely one more part of a whole. Such mindset should lend itself to integration of a body.

If Anna's body was indeed integrated, it would explain many of things. Why and how she is physically shrinking over time. Her deep connection with Durga on level noone else can match. The way she can process data. It is simply her body and brain being subject to core's optimization. Just like any other part of Valkyrie Frame do.

 

[Devran]

Am i the only who finds the whole de-aging Anna into pre-teenager thing pretty creepy?

As in "take a seat" kind of creepy.

 

[Vanguard_D]

Am i the only who finds the whole de-aging Anna into pre-teenager thing pretty creepy?

As in "take a seat" kind of creepy.

Click to shrink...

Is returning her to the size and age she is supposed to be creepy? No not really.

 

[Tallamee]

Erm...I'm pretty sure the UN of 2070 in this quest is a very different beast than the UN of 2016 IRL.

At the very least, it has the entire logistical/infrastructure/military/production/command structures of humanity centralized under itself. It also includes things like Armstrong Base, a colony on the moon that doesn't appear to belong to any of the old nations from Earth. UN forces appear to be totally integrated; there is no national division among forces (at most, there is regional division among Academies at the Arcologies, but those boundaries disappear as early as their third year).

Click to shrink...

These are minor details at best. The UN still has independently functioning member states, a general assembly and a security council. The UN security council of 2070 still has a permanent security council membership. The UN has traditionally maintained a peacekeeping force under its own unified command structure (these peacekeepers are not, to my knowledge, segregated by nation of origin). The present circumstances have lead to the massive increase in size and complexity of that and other portions of the UN (the humanitarian aid programs appear to be larger as well), but they are still fundamentally the same organisation.

We're most likely looking at something like the Allies in WW2 (sans the USSR, for obvious reasons), except even more unified culturally, militarily, logistically, politically, and psychologically. Even after the war, the relationships and common ground built by the nations and peoples would be strong, lasting, and profound, such that the notion of war between them is absurd.

Click to shrink...

I would be willing to bet that the PRC is doing a pretty good impression of WWII USSR right about now. They could have had a change of government post impact, but the words of the video game club chairwoman would lead me to think that the Chinese Communist Party is still in charge. Otherwise I am much in agreement.

And given how the source of AGs is extremely unlikely to be decisively dealt with during this war (the Breaches? Sure. But wherever the AGs came from originally? No.), the threat of future AG invasions is always going to be there.

Click to shrink...

With this I can completely agree.

 

[Imrix]

Am i the only who finds the whole de-aging Anna into pre-teenager thing pretty creepy?

As in "take a seat" kind of creepy.

Click to shrink...

So far as I understand, the problem is that she was artificially aged into being a teenager (or possibly an adult) beforehand, and now she's being returned. It's likely she's becoming a preteen because that's who she was - although perhaps it's not where she 'should' be by now, if her growth hadn't been futzed with at all?

Regardless, yeah, it is a bit creepy. All of it is - it's probably played havoc with her mental and emotional development, but Anna's mental and emotional development is a smoking mess anyway, this is just an aspect of it. We just have to muddle forward as best we can.

This is part of why I'm ignoring romantic entanglements. She needs time and comfort to get her psychological house in order before she's any kind of ready for that, I think.

 

[veekie]

I see all the people talking about romance, and a part of my brain kinda squicks out a little. Because I'm pretty sure that a non-trivial portion of Anna's personality hasn't gotten much past 10 or so. (She started being The Lone Defender of her hometown at about 8, but it started out as intermittent attacks, so she probably some time before she had to go all combat, all the time.) Frankly, I could see it as very appropriate if her shrinking is returning her to her pre-teen body, so that she can have a chance to actually grow up this time.

Click to shrink...

Buried under the shell of murder, science and maximum velocity is a pure maiden.

 

[UberJJK]

Is returning her to the size and age she is supposed to be creepy? No not really.

Click to shrink...

But Anna is sixteen. Just because you spend eight years in hell as a child soldier doesn't magically make you eight. She's traumatized and unused to prorogued positive human contact. Those aren't issues that can be resolved by shrinking and "redoing" her childhood.


Edit to avoid double post:

So far as I understand, the problem is that she was artificially aged into being a teenager (or possibly an adult) beforehand, and now she's being returned. It's likely she's becoming a preteen because that's who she was - although perhaps it's not where she 'should' be by now, if her growth hadn't been futzed with at all?

Click to shrink...

That is all baseless speculation. We have zero clue as to why Anna is shrinking. There are countless theories but no evidence for anything. The sum total that we know is:
1) Anna is shrinking
2) The rate at which she is shrinking is decreasing
3) At the present rate, therefore assuming it didn't continue decreasing as per fact 2, Anna would reach Setsuna's height by Year 3.

 

[Imrix]

But Anna is sixteen. Just because you spend eight years in hell as a child soldier doesn't magically make you eight. She's traumatized and unused to prorogued positive human contact. Those aren't issues that can be resolved by shrinking and "redoing" her childhood.

Click to shrink...

True. But it is at least a reasonable attempt. Again, we muddle through as best we can.

Remember; trauma doesn't make you mature. It just makes you traumatised.

That is all baseless speculation.

Click to shrink...

Mm, I wouldn't call it baseless, but yes, it is speculation.

 

[Kaizuki]

Remember; trauma doesn't make you mature. It just makes you traumatised.

Click to shrink...

Yes.

 

[GamingGeek]

....Man, this thread has taken off again. I was going to respond to some stuff but that was 6 pages back (even if it's one day ago). No reason to reply now.

True. But it is at least a reasonable attempt. Again, we muddle through as best we can.

Remember; trauma doesn't make you mature. It just makes you traumatised.

Click to shrink...

Yep. Still dealing with the aftermath of Trauma myself, and that was just over 2 decades ago.

 

[Diazo]

@ Anna shrinking: Where did this idea that Anna is shrinking to something unnatural come from?

My take was that she is currently unnaturally large due to Durga-schenanigins and is shrinking back to what is normal for her. She wasn't "aged-up" or "fast-grown", my expectation is that Durga just kind of stretched Anna out.

Either for combat enhancement reasons (more room for stuff) or because that is what Anna was exposed to (probably the best soldiers/fighters around her hometown were big burly men so Durga tried to match that), Durga made Anna's body (her "frame") larger.

Now, unnaturally large does not mean she's freakish or anything, just unusual. I have a co-worker who's well over 7' tall, the first time you see him you kind of go "wow, he's tall", then never think of it again.

I expect this has been why more mention of this by other characters upon meeting Anna has not been made when they first meet her, her stature is unusual yes, but not out of expectation.

D.

 

[Briefvoice]

True. But it is at least a reasonable attempt. Again, we muddle through as best we can.

Remember; trauma doesn't make you mature. It just makes you traumatised.

Click to shrink...

On the other hand, maturing while undergoing trauma doesn't mean you didn't mature. It just means your maturation sucked.

EDIT: And according to the early posts (which are fresh for me), Anna claims that she's not even the tallest girl in her class. Tall yes, but not freakishly tall or anything.

 

[Bludflag]

You're missing the point.

Click to shrink...

I think you just missed my point. I was saying Anna having a romantic relationship wouldn't magically make her not socialize or learn how people tick. Your post sounded to me like Anna would be completely incapable of communication with someone in a romantic relationship and overall socialization.

Rereading, my interpretation of your post seems to be mistaken. Sorry about that.

Maybe I'm off the mark here, but this reads like the bog-standard Quest waifuing (or potentially husbandoing in this case) behavior regardless of the IC circumstances of the characters.

Click to shrink...

You are off the mark.

I said in that very post that I'm glad that I found people who weren't going for the romance (Dark Abstraction, SpeckOfStardust), with the gif and everything.

That is all baseless speculation. We have zero clue as to why Anna is shrinking. There are countless theories but no evidence for anything. The sum total that we know is:

Click to shrink...

I thought Avalanche said it was because of the useless (well, now) cybernetic implants? Something like that?

I'm going off of memory of sleepless nights of reading arguments, so I'm probably wrong.

 

[Icipall]

I thought Avalanche said it was because of the useless (well, now) cybernetic implants? Something like that?

I'm going off of memory of sleepless nights of reading arguments, so I'm probably wrong.

Click to shrink...

IIRC, no reason has been given why exactly she's shrinking, aside from the fact that she's no longer in constant combat situation.

 

[al103]

Remember; trauma doesn't make you mature. It just makes you traumatised.

Click to shrink...

One-time trauma? No. But living in trauma-causing environment usually do though and pretty quickly.
Also dealing with trauma do make you mature.


BTW reverting to child is not dealing with trauma, but repressing it.

 

[Yeangst]

Romance doesn't equate to sex. In Anna's context romance of any sort is a bad, bad idea for her right now, for multiple reasons.

1. Worse trauma when they inevitably die, more neurotic protection-obsession while they're alive. Gods help us if it's her that does the hurting or killing.

2. Anna doesn't really quite understand how to into normal human emotion and behavior. It would probably be a tremendously frustrating endeavor for both her and most potential matches.

3. What she needs, more than anything else, is a stable network of friends to help normalize and resocialize her. She's been a self-driven child soldier for half of her life, watched her parents and everyone else she ever knew die because she "wasn't good enough", and (perhaps redundantly) has a whole sheaf of issues from Mental and Emotional Damage Monthly. She's probably never going to be totally functional on the human end of things, and anyone with an inkling of what happened to her would be pretty sick to actively pursue her romantically, but reliable friends who don't die in combat and platonic cuddling would help reduce some of her more outstanding issues with other people in danger and (I'm guessing) betrayal--it hasn't been explored much, but having half of the town turn on her like that probably created its own little pile of issues.

/justlikemyopinionman

Click to shrink...

I just mean I don't cuddle with my friends, except very occasionally as a joke. I guess I used to cuddle with my parents, but it's been a while. Otherwise, in my experience, cuddling has always had some sexual dimension to it.

As for romance and friendship, I'll quote some wise women: "If you wannabe my lover, you gotta get with my friends. Make it last forever. Friendship never ends."

While I do agree with you that Anna shouldn't get into a romantic relationship right now, I do think that, eventually, a true romantic (even if not necessarily sexual) connection with another person will be one of the best things that could happen to her, both for mental health and happiness.

And I don't agree with the idea, put forward by others in this thread, that Anna has the emotional maturity of a ten year old. While she's obviously heavily traumatized with a ton of issues, the idea that you need 18 years of responsibility free frolicking before you can be considered mature is sort of a strawman of the modern Western conception of childhood. I'm pretty sure you won't find any such claims in any modern psychological textbook.

In fact, by many measures, Anna is more mature by far than Setsuna or Koujiro, who have never really seen true loss, or shouldered real responsibility in their lives.

That said, I in no way advocate that a heavily traumatized teenage girl with little understanding of how to navigate society should be entering any sexual relationships any time soon.

 

[Dark Abstraction]

One-time trauma? No. But living in trauma-causing environment usually do though and pretty quickly.
Also dealing with trauma do make you mature.


BTW reverting to child is not dealing with trauma, but repressing it.

Click to shrink...

No, living in a traumatizing environment does not make you mature. It compounds the traumatization over a great length of time. It makes your traumatization worse. Maturity is an entirely separate thing, and while Anna is more mature than others her age, that does not mean she is any less broken.

And Anna hasn't dealt with her trauma. She and Durga have suppressed (most of) it. When it does rear its head, it continues to traumatize Anna. That's why she can't take showers, why she doesn't turn her Impeller off except when she goes to sleep in her bed, why she has dispassionate instances of murderousness when combat feels too real or when suggestions of allowing humans to die occur.

Anna is not well-adjusted and she is not particularly mature. She is a fundamentally damaged person trying to acclimate to a foreign environment free of the psychologically damaging circumstances which she has spent most of her life submerged in.