I missed episode 19

[Spider66SIC]

I missed episode 19 of .hack//SIGN on Saturday (July 5th). Can somebody fill me in on what happened? I have never missed an episode, but I was sick Saturday. You know, a virus, that whole feeling shity crap.

[tsaidesu]

Recollection: mainly about subaru with flashbacks including the Crimson Nights' Origin. In the end we see Subaru offline...

[Fatal Outlaw]

an episode detailing Subaru's early days in the game, why she wanted to play the game and the incarnation of the Crimson Knights. to be more descriptive, (in one huge flashback scene) a party 'bullied' Subaru and Krim, and Subaru thought them a thing of two about netiquete (?), next thing you know, Krim calls their party (so far, Subaru and Krim) the Crimson Knights. as time went by, the knights grew in numbers, and Krim feels like the knights lost their true purpose, and predicts that it will someday fall (which it did in ep 18)

also, in the final scenes, it shows Subaru in real life, she's in a wheelchair (paralyzed), and thats the reason why she plays the game from dusk till dawn, because thats (the world) is the only place where she can go around.

if anyone is wondering, all this is from ep. 19.

[Spider66SIC]

Ok, I'm all filled in then. Thanks.

[Andy00]

:amused at the different varities of commercials.: They have no idea who they're directing .hack//SIGN at, do they? (Though it is hard to categorize, I admit.)

In which we see the reprecussions of Subaru's decision to her worldview. In which Krim tries to seduce Subaru to the Bold And Aggressive Side of the Force.

Episode 19 - Recollection

Subaru is walking, and a hoard of other PCs are wondering about her. She's not the _real_ Subaru, is she? Probably another copy. Lots of Subaru copies have been around, especially since the Crimson Knights were disbanded. The real Subaru probably quit.....

Nope. It's her. She's gone to a snowy area, and is contemplating some snow blossoms while emersed in a flashback (one of many, if there was any doubt this was made by the same people who did Noir.....)

In the flashback, we see Krim (aka the Red Thunder, friend to any damsel in distress) asking his favorite question to Subaru. "What do you _want?_

Which is interupted by an Annoying Person. Krim introduces said Annoying Person his spear, and tells his to die or go away.

He then continues his question. Subaru is defensive.

Not wrong, Krim says, but you still have to show Force. Like to the Annoying Guy, he was wrong, she was right. She has to be able to tell them to screw off, and do so with head high, and eyes straight.

This bothers Subaru a lot. It's hiding behind roles again. "What do you want?" Subaru...wants to be here. Krim brightens. Well, he can do something about that. Leave it to him!

:end flashback:

Subaru's walking.

:renew flashback:

Krim notes that Subaru's causing speculation. That people say she's really not familiar with how The World works, or how you play the game.

No, no..he's not interested in her personal life. Why is she playing, though? What does she want?

Well, Subaru just wants a forum for talking. For making friends, and being oneself. Is that wrong?

Not wrong, but she's not aggressive. She doesn't present herself forcefully. She has to change herself to interact with others. Put up defenses. (Subaru does not want this at all.)

Along come some helpful ruffians to show Krim's point. They knock Krim down. Subaru tries out this "forceful" business, and lectures them about how such behavior will scare newbies away. Not _quite_ what Krim was looking for, but he see's potential, and backs her up with the threat of a couple of "Crimson Knights" will give a good fight if need be. They decide to go elsewhere.

End flashback.

Subaru's walking alone now. She flashesback to a time when the CK were all together, and she was knighting SilverKnight. (Krim was there) Theirs was supposed to be an organization of the proud and pure.

Related, she comes across a former lesser CK. He asks her to reinstate the Knights, that she must. That SilverKnight is creating a formidable organization of his own, and that this is against everything the Knight's stood for. As she often does, she gives the advice that she wants to take herself. That the CK are gone, and that each of them needs to find their own way.

Cut to Mimiru and Bear, in a "we need to get paid" scene. <g> Mimiru's still taking in that the CK are gone. She wonders what's Subaru going to do. Bear's slightly gruff, saying that if Subaru wanted to quit, she could, it's her business. Mimiru's slightly dismayed at his tone, saying he sounds like BT. Bear smiles, and says that he personally thinks Subaru is still on. She's set things in motion, and there's unfinished business for her in The World.

:commercial:

Subaru's having _another_ flashback. (I've seriously lost count now.) To a fight that SilverKnight and Krim were having. Krim is exasperated at the order and rules of conduct the Knights are displaying. He wants to play the game for himself, so he quits the order. Subaru witnesses, and asks Krim alone about it. It's for him, he says. He's not sacrificing himself because his values are different than SilverKnight and that would rip the organization apart or anything. However! If Subaru ever needs help, just call, and he'll come. She should stand tall till then. In fact, he's going to "cast a spell" for her.

End flashback.

Ah look. An cute omen of doom, in the form of a dark-haired grunty with a skull medallion around it's neck. Subaru bends over and tries to let it lick her hand, but before it does, it runs away. Opposite of that direction comes a blonde recolor of Subaru's character. Her name is Kaho, but for reasons that are going to become readily apparently, I'll call her Anti-Subaru.

Seems Anti-Subaru is noting another player who looks like that Subaru of the Crimson Knights character. She seems to assume that Subaru is a newbie, given Subaru's hesitation to volunteer details.

And boy, did anti-Subaru hate those Crimson Knights. Follow the rules, be nice to each other, bleah. It's a game, she can do whatever she wants. Subaru's torn between saying the truth and being nice. She's flashing back to Krim. Seem's his "spell" was his phone number, which she can call at any time. Even if that's against the rules of The World, or his personal rules. He doesn't want to be Lord Krim of the Crimson Knights, but he does want to be Subaru's Krim.

Subaru tries her "let's be friends" route a little while longer, even sorta allowing that the Knights were rigid, but Anti-Subaru goes farther. She realizes that Subaru really _is_ Subaru.

End flashback

Screw it. Subaru declares to Anti-Subaru that she doesn't like her, and she should go away. Now Anti-Subaru is revealing her colors, and starts to advance upon her. Will Subaru run away? Anti-Subaru will post all about it. Subaru retorts that it would just show how shallow she was. This ticks Anti-Subaru off, and she raises her axe and attacks.

Flashback: Krim's not interested in obligations, duties. Plenty of that in the Real World. Just himself.

But what is Subaru's self? It's choked out by the Crimson Knights rules. It's choked out by the hard and forceful being that Krim wants her to be. It's choked out by the visciousness of other players.

We see Subaru on the ground, dirty her clothes torn, her eyes haunted. She apparently wasn't killed. Did Anti-Subaru win, knock Subaru's hp down to 1 and gloat? Or did Subaru actually manage to win in a fight?

It doesn't matter, as Subaru's entire social paradigm has completely and utterly been flushed down the toilet.

We see the fireflies of connection. Tsukasa's in a cave, Subaru enters it, still looking trashed and haunted. He runs to her, and stops, not knowing what to do in the situation, what would help, and what wouldn't.

Subaru asks why Tsukasa is _there_ of all places. Tsukasa tells her that he just knew she was coming there, and was waiting. Waiting? Tsukasa was waiting for her? Subaru's surprised...because she was waiting for him!

She embraced him, resting her cheek on his chest. Tsukasa's surprised at first, but accepts it, and holds her back. He starts to ask if she's hurt, but she asks him not to say anything for a while. She's really enjoying the safety of the one person, it seems, who just lets her be who she is, and doesn't demand anything.

We see Subaru's player from the back in the hazy greyness of the Real World. She's in a wheelchair, and we can see she's wearing glasses. We hear Tsukasa's voice, slightly tinny via computer speakers, asking if Subaru's crying. Yes, she is. It's okay, says Tsukasa. If Subaru wants to cry, she can cry all she wants.

Tsukasa will be right there.

A tear falls onto Subaru's keyboard, and we hear The Tone.

[Spider66SIC]

Wow, now that is filling someone in....

Thanks.

[Spike 558]

Originally posted by Andy00
We see the fireflies of connection. Tsukasa's in a cave, Subaru enters it, still looking trashed and haunted. He runs to her, and stops, not knowing what to do in the situation, what would help, and what wouldn't.

Subaru asks why Tsukasa is _there_ of all places. Tsukasa tells her that he just knew she was coming there, and was waiting. Waiting? Tsukasa was waiting for her? Subaru's surprised...because she was waiting for him!

She embraced him, resting her cheek on his chest. Tsukasa's surprised at first, but accepts it, and holds her back. He starts to ask if she's hurt, but she asks him not to say anything for a while. She's really enjoying the safety of the one person, it seems, who just lets her be who she is, and doesn't demand anything.

We see Subaru's player from the back in the hazy greyness of the Real World. She's in a wheelchair, and we can see she's wearing glasses. We hear Tsukasa's voice, slightly tinny via computer speakers, asking if Subaru's crying. Yes, she is. It's okay, says Tsukasa. If Subaru wants to cry, she can cry all she wants.

Tsukasa will be right there.

A tear falls onto Subaru's keyboard, and we hear The Tone.


All together now: Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww! :o

[dheu]

.... Interesting how something that can be moving when you watch it and hear it can just end up sounding sappy when someone describes it so bluntly...

I missed that ep too. Thanks for the script, Andy. :)


dheu