In regards to the firefly post, correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought the mechs helped stabilize their condition instead of making it worse?
From what I remember, I thought the main reason firefly was always in Sam mode was, yes, because it’s her stronger form, but also bc it stabilized her els while she was doing missions. In her myriad celestial trailer (the 2d animated one, idr if that’s the right name) I thought that’s also why the cavalry wasn’t supposed to exit their armor for long. Because it weakened them further, and they weren’t supposed to die when not fighting the swarm.
Yes, the cavalry was meant to burn itself out, but moreso because they were made to die fighting; if they weren’t in battle mode, they’d only die quicker, and thus would defeat the purpose of making them in the first place. The els was meant to stop them from living a “normal” life away from combat. If they weren’t in combat (in the mech), then the dresses would progress faster.
Also, and i dont remember where this is, but i thought whenever an “icy medical cabin” was mentioned, i thought it referred to Sam? And her line when returning to a safe zone “let me stay longer in this body” I also thought was in reference to Sam? Like, in both cases, she wanted to live as “firefly” both in body and mind, instead of being forced to stay inside of Sam for her own health.
In 3.8, I also thought the reason firefly faced death 3 was because she used up so much power when fighting the swarm mech and tanking the stellaron that it overpowered whatever stabilization Sam provided her, and she quite literally burned herself out and enhanced the illnesses effects.
Again, It has been a long time since I looked into everything properly, and I don’t have the chance to double check in more depth right now, so I could be wrong about this and misremembering (shitty memory sucks). But I thought Sam helped to stabilize firefly, and she didn’t like it because she wanted to live a normal life, not because the mech made her els worse.
I HAD A WHOLE HUGE REPLY TO THIS AND THEN TUMBLR GOT MEAN AND ERASED IT QWQ
Take two, this ones going to be shorter (more concise) and it’s going to annoy me but whatever. Tumblr is mean to me chat.
Okay so basically, the suit is more like, temporary medication. It doesnt actually do anything to help the illness, just more or less slow it down.
However, it makes ELS more painful to experience.
Its cruel, and honestly feels unnecessary.
The lifepod basically acts as actual treatment, it wont cure the illness permanently, but it will help. The mech doesnt properly help.
The difference between a surgery and then like taking some ibuprofen, basically.
ELS is also a age based illness. It activates fully and starts the process of killing the person at a certain age, like 30s or so. The lifepod is liable to have some kinda age-stasis thing or smth, because Firefly looks the same age as she was in the past, and we’ve seen what an older Iron Cavalry looks like.
As for the ‘stay in the mech’ rule, thats not a thing for their own sake.
Its to keep them under control, and keep them as something other than people. Out of the mech, they can humanize themselves- to themself and others - in a way that is unwanted.
The Iron Cavalry were only ever considered as war-fodder to throw at the swarm. Not people, and their creators wanted them to remain as such.
Firefly doesnt like being Sam (though she’s accepted him as apart of her) because she wants to live a normal life, and one without pain. Neither thing Sam is conducive towards.
As for the Stellaron and Firefly’s third death, it wasnt the Stellaron itself that caused her ELS to speed up so aggressively, but rather the Propagation which the Stellaron had attached itself to.
Firefly took out the Harbinger of Death, but the Swarm was still returning in accordance with the Stellaron- with ‘her wish’ (to live). So Firefly took it unto herself, replaced the Harbinger as the head of the swarm (hence the purple) and iirc lead the swarm in a kamikaze move to aid in breaking through the layers of the dreamscape. And then, after giving Trailblazer that final push, she went off to die slowly alone while everyone else was distracted.
(Ignoring Trailblazer pulling their Terminus bullshit, thats not the important bit here.)
Thats what the whole “If embracing fate (her death), is another form of resistance (defeating Sunday) then this time, i shall embrace death! (sacrifice herself)” was. Basically she’s sacrificing herself because of course she is, she’s a Stellaron Hunter, and those idiots have the worst fucking self-preservation especially when the others are in danger-
But yeah. In short, the lifepod works as genuine help, the suit as temporary help, and it was the concentration of propagation that caused her 3rd death alongside her own self-sacrificial tendencies.
Also imo, ‘icy medical cabin’ fits better with a lifepod, than a iirc, canonically really hot (temperature wise, but im willing to hear the other way out) mecha.
One of these days, Trailblazer has gotta introduce Ruan Mei and Firefly like seriously, the woman is RIGHT THERE, she’s just busy being gay with Herta, but istg she can cure Firefly with not much of an issue, come on man-
This post is like half the length it originally was and im annoyed but im way too tired to type allat back out.. Tumblr is mean to me and wants me to be concise apparently.
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