Gundam Wing Discussion Post 02

[fantastic_jackie]

It's the weekend: time for some Gundam Wing!

These posts are namely aimed at orphanage & xxdesert_rose, but if you'd like to jump into our little party, grab your copy of GW or head on over to THIS SITE, and enjoy an episode or two. Then join us for our weekly, rotating discussions since we can't exactly meet in our living rooms to chat.

Week 01





5 Gundams Confirmed
Recap: Heero, brought to the hospital by Relena, is being held as an unconscious prisoner by the Alliance under the direction of Major Sally Po. Little is known about him except that, considering his injuries, he really shouldn't be alive. Duo, after allowing this, decides to go back for Heero & busts him out, but not before having to nearly witness Heero's... 3rd or 4th, is it? attempt to kill himself: it's a good thing Relena was there to stop him. Meanwhile, Quatre & Trowa find themselves attacking the same heavily-guarded Alliance/OZ installation. While the two Gundams face off in mistrust, Zechs escapes the base with the incompleted prototype for all mobile suits, the Tallgeese.

Analysis: Amazing as Heero is, I think it's a little ridiculous that he knows exactly where he is simply by opening his eyes and peering around. - Especially when you consider that, from Episode 1, Zechs chased Heero from his probable original destination in eastern Eurasia. - It's also pretty impossible for him to start straining and stretching his considerably inhuman body without being noticed by those instruments. Subtle movements? Sure: he's Heero Yuy! Grunting while attempting to bend the table in half? Uh, no. lol Also, Heero, exactly how did you read Duo's lips with your eyes closed? O_o

But that aside, this episode is a really excellent chapter of developing the world setting as a whole. We have Treize scheming, Zechs pursuing new soldiering heights, the Alliance's ever-standing complacency and arrogance, the bravery & sacrifice of OZ soldiers*, and the first "official" bonding of Heero & Duo and Trowa & Quatre. Everyone is still very singular here, each just one person out of billions; no character is more than a character yet, but they have their bases.

* - This just another observation in my theory that OZ becomes just as responsible for bringing about true peace as the Wing Boys & Peacecrafts.

Of course, the still hilarious and most useful tidbit of information revealed in this episode is the Photoshop Tutorial. Did you want to know how to use PhotoShop TWAIN? I don't know what it is, but the Alliance was reading all about it...



The Victoria Nightmare
Recap: ZECHS x NOIN!! \o/

lol J/K.

But yes, it's there. This episode begins with a familiar camaraderie between Zechs & Noin, the revelation that she is and always has been helping him. Despite their heightened alert of knowing a Gundam Pilot is in the area to destroy the state-of-the-line Taurus mobile suits, Wufei still manages to attack the base and kill most of the pilots. Noin pursues him, but ultimately fails to bring him down due to her surprise and compassion. The peek at the ZxN relationship ends with both agreeing that they'd be happy to hunt the Gundam Pilots down together: Aww. How romantic! Meanwhile, Heero takes advantage of Duo's suit, and Quatre & Trowa have a little jam out session. Also, it simply must be mentioned that Treize takes a bubble bath. With Lady Une.

Analysis: This is one of my favorite episodes because of ZxN abundant goodness. Keeping it brief, I'll note that Zechs kept his distance from Noin at first, but I find it interesting that once her life was in danger, he didn't even bother to hide his concern. Immediately upon her arrival, he was on the zip line and gave her a gentlemanly hand out, telling her how grateful he was that she was alive. This isn't the only time he exhibits such a lackadaisical attitude towards being seen expressing himself, either: emotionally challanged and controlled as he is, when the time calls for it, Zechs doesn't care who's watching.

It's an interesting thing to take note of, considering that most people interpret Zechs to be as private and emotionally disfunctional as Heero; I don't think that's the case. I think Zechs is perfectly capable of expressing himself and chooses not to for as long as he can avoid it, whereas Heero was literally brought up to be a perfect soldier devoid of emotion and doesn't know how to express himself. - Not that Heero doesn't have emotions, but that it's been engrained into him that he should not have them. Considering Odin's advice to him to live his life by his emotions, this conflict is a constant battle within Heero.

Favorite Quoteables:

"Shoot 'em down for me, Zechs."

"He just goes and puts a broken bone back into place... Man, that just totally grosses me out thinkin' about it!"

"Battles that risk men's lives are miscalculations!"

"'Cause she's a woman!"

"Why did I even bother to rescue this guy in the first place? He's antisocial, thinks he's Evil Kenevil and hardly speaks! And you've got such a gloomy personality, why don't you just give up and stop pretending to be human?"

"It may take a miracle for you, but I can handle it."

"Well, excuse me for being a mere mortal!"

Discussion Questions
In the meeting between the military heads of the Alliance and VFM Dorlain regarding the Gundams, General Septum remarks that he'll have to place his plans for disarmament on the back burner. Do you think the Alliance really would have peacefully disarmed without the Gundams? Why or why not? If not, why would they be disarming?

Keeping in mind Treize's overall plans, why do you think he specifically chose VFM Dorlain to be assassinated now?

How old do you think the trainees at LVA are? Keep in mind that both Zechs & Noin are 19 at this point, and that Noin is now the head instructor & commander of that base. Do you think the two of them just graduated early due to their capabilities, or are children soldiers really the norm in AC?

Wufei reveals a piece of his need to be legitimately challenged on the battlefield in order to feel of worth and fulfilled. This will become further developed later on, but why do you think it frustrates him so?

Challenge: No challenge this week, unless you're inspired to write some ZxN. The world could always use more ZxN. ;)

Annnd that's a wrap! We'll be at xxdesert_rose's LJ next weekend for Episodes 5 & 6!

Comments

[xxdesert-rose.livejournal.com]

You brought up some of my favorite quotes! Rest assured, I shall answer the discussion questions before the weekend is out! And I shall not disappoint you next week! Two questions though. How do I post a banner and how do I do an LJ cut?

How To LJ-Cut & Insert Pics :)

[patriot-jackie.livejournal.com]

Well... it depends on how you prefer to make your posts. Do you use Rich Text Mode or HTML Mode?

I would suggest, for ease of use, using Rich Text Mode for now, but I can teach you the HTML way, as well. HTML is what I prefer, because it's just more accurate; Rich Text works about as well as writing a Word document, though.

LJ Cut


So basically, all you do is write out your entry as you usually would. When you're finished, highlight the portion you'd like to be behind the cut and click on the button outlined in red in the picture. It will pull up a window for you to type in the text for your LJ cut. When you click okay, your selected text should appear to be highlighted in grey - this means when you click Post, all of that in grey will be behind the Cut.

Inserting Pictures



You know how to get the link of a picture, right? If you don't, it's real easy to teach, too. The link is all you need for this; this instruction is for an online pic, so you will need a link. But you can upload directly too, like your userpics.

Determine where you want your picture in the body of your entry and position the cursor there. Then click on the button outlined in blue above; it will pull up the window pictured there. In the top line, you simply paste the URL of the picture. Click any open space on the screen, and you'll see the picture pop into that preview area.

If you don't want to edit the photo's size or border or alignment, etc, just click OK and that's a wrap.

But say you want to make the picture just a little smaller; let's say that the picture is 600 W x 300 H, and you want it to be half that size. All you need to do is click in either the Width or Height areas. Type in 300 for Width, and the Height will automatically be adjusted proportionally for you. OR Type 150 in for the Height, and the Width will be adjusted. You could even do something weird like 469 Width, and LJ would still adjust the Height for you.

Once again, click OK and voila! Piccy for your post. :)

Re: Answers to the Discussion Questions

[patriot-jackie.livejournal.com]

Dear FUZZY am I late getting back to this! October was ridiculous at work. And then we had something big to do every weekend... _-_

I agree with your answers to 1 & 2; I don't think the Alliance ever would have truly disarmed. Though there may have been earnest hearts within the Alliance, it would have been a political ploy for them to say, "Here! Look what we're doing! Why are you still fighting us?"

Maybe, knowing Relena was Milliardo's sister, Treize experimented.

Actually, even Treize didn't know about Relena at this point. He reveals this later on when he sends Noin to protect Relena rather than have Une kill her. It points to Zechs' mistrust of Treize, his complete dedication to protect Relena, and how much he values and trusts Noin that she's the only one he ever told. However, this rescission of Treize's, after finding out that Relena is Zechs' sister, shows that Treize does hold genuine fondness for his friend. He may be an evil manipulative genius at this point still, but even to the very end, he calls Zechs his "eternal friend."

My guess is that the trainees start training at around 17 to 19 and finish off, three to four years later, at anywhere from 21 to 23 depending.

Wouldn't it be great if we knew how old Alex and Mueller were? It would solve so much! lol I think that they would have a variable entry policy. Much like our military, once you hit 18, you can join thereafter. I'd put LVA probably at 15 or so... It's interesting that, from Episode Zero, at age 16, Zechs was already a lieutenant. Treize, by comparison, was already an instructor by 16, (which Noin probably was, as well), and by 20 or 21, the Commander and Head of OZ. I imagine that Zechs and Noin started at LVA either 12 or 13 years old and graduated at 15 or 16; Noin's remark that Wufei only looks about 14 would fall in line with that. "Shouldn't he still be training?? Not already one of the most skilled mobile suit pilots in the world?"

As to #4, I'm with you: I don't get Wufei's need to be so validated by his opponents. I understand on a somewhat parallel level the personal need for independence; I guess a lack of worthy opponents would be frustrating. (It does get to be boring on Halo and COD.) I like the idea of pride being a mask, though. He has lots of insecurities because he wasn't able to save Merian...

[xxdesert-rose.livejournal.com]

I really need to get some GW icons...

1) Do you think the Alliance really would have peacefully disarmed without the Gundams? Why or why not? If not, why would they be disarming?

Of course not. The Alliance was all talk. They would have probably don't the same thing OZ did except they might have opted for a more subtle approach whereas OZ took the direct, in your face approach. If they were "disarming" so much, they probably would have made a big show of it but still kept their weapons in secret. That's the sort of disarming I think they would have done.

2) Keeping in mind Treize's overall plans, why do you think he specifically chose VFM Dorlain to be assassinated now?

I already mentioned this in my analysis over on my journal but I think he had the order put out because the VFM was too powerful. Most likely, he had the ears of the colonists and the people of Earth. Had the VFM lived long enough, he would have become an even bigger threat to OZ's plans.

3) How old do you think the trainees at LVA are? Keep in mind that both Zechs & Noin are 19 at this point, and that Noin is now the head instructor & commander of that base. Do you think the two of them just graduated early due to their capabilities, or are children soldiers really the norm in AC?

I think they couldn't have been any older than 16 or 17. Yes, everyone in the GW universe seems to be between the ages of 15 to 21 but I don't think child soldiers are normal in the AC universe. I have to agree with Hailey. Noin seemed pretty shocked over how young Wufei was. As for Noin and Zechs, I think they graduated early because of their talents and their family connections. I mean Zechs used to belong to the Peacecraft family and Noin probably came from a wealthy/influential family too. So that could be the reason why they moved up so fast in the military.

4) Wufei reveals a piece of his need to be legitimately challenged on the battlefield in order to feel of worth and fulfilled. This will become further developed later on, but why do you think it frustrates him so?

Wufei's like this because of what happened in his past. If he hadn't been so stubborn, he probably wouldn't have even been a pilot in the show. His wife would still be alive and he'd probably still be on L5 studying to be a scholar. He wants to have a worthy opponent because he's guilt ridden over the past and because he's so honor/justice bound. To him, it's an insult to fight a lesser opponent. He wants to experience true victory and that can only come from fighting with someone who is going to give him a real fight.

[patriot-jackie.livejournal.com]

Ugh! I'm so super late! October was a LOADED month; between work and weekends, I just couldn't catch up with everything! Here's hoping for a less busy November. @.@

If they were "disarming" so much, they probably would have made a big show of it but still kept their weapons in secret.

I agree; it probably would have amounted to little more than a political ploy. "Look, now see here, you rebels. We're disarming in this part of the world, you see? Why are you still fighting us? You're the only reason we have weapons!" ...And then something bad happens and they trot out an entire arsenal. Obviously there were some among them who truly were aiming for peace, though, but the Alliance was rotten from the inside out. I really do wonder how far the Alliance would have gotten with organizations like the Romafeller Foundation being so bloodthirsty...

Had the VFM lived long enough, he would have become an even bigger threat to OZ's plans.

I agree. I think he could have used his position to call for peace between the people of Earth and the Colonies. Considering how ineffective he was at the Alliance meetings, I'm not sure his threat would have ever manifested itself into something dangerous, but Treize did inadvertantly unleash the greatest threat to OZ through this assassination: Relena! :D

I think they couldn't have been any older than 16 or 17. Yes, everyone in the GW universe seems to be between the ages of 15 to 21 but I don't think child soldiers are normal in the AC universe.

Like I said above, I believe that LVA students are probably able to enter the academy once they've reached 15 years of age; I think it would be somewhat like our military in that once you hit 18, you're free afterwards to enter, up until a certain age. Still, Zechs, Noin, Treize, and Une all graduated from their acadamies early. It seems as though Zechs and Noin had to have graduated around 15 or 16, if we take into account Episode Zero. (In fact, I wonder whether Relena's Episode Zero marks Zechs' first mission as a commissioned officer.) Treize and Une, in order to reach their higher ranks, may have graduated even earlier. - Treize definitely. He was probably raised through various military academies... Zechs probably ended up tagging along with him.

I do love the idea that Noin is also of some nobility herself. Apparently her parents and family are dead. (Though it's never mentioned, it just seems to be the case for everyone in the war...) It creates a whole new level at which she and Zechs can relate! Especially as expressed in fics, I love it when this possibility is explored. Hee!

He wants to have a worthy opponent because he's guilt ridden over the past and because he's so honor/justice bound.

Not to go all political and societal, but considering our society's lack of emphasis on honor and justice, I don't think we'll ever truly understand Wufei. The Japanese are probably able to relate to Wufei on more of a cultural level than we ever could; I think that's why most people over here just don't get him. I do think, like you're saying, that Merian and his own honor are the reasons. But I also think that Wufei is arrogant. While constantly fighting opponents of lesser skill can become frustrating (I cite my video game skillz in Halo and COD.) I don't understand how that can translate to not being able to fight later on. Wufei is a strange one. O_o