Decided to put my Ixal Fleet yapping in two places for simplicity purposes. It was supposed to be one, but making a plan and sticking to it is not my strong suit.
Ixal Fleet headcanon part 1.
Part 2.
Warnings:
Long post, but devided into chapters.
Themes and mentions of war, trauma and narcissism.
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Despina and Tarvos — layered friendship
The entire fleet is — as we have seen, and generally speaking due to shared trauma — very close. But these two give me very chaotic friendship vibes, depending on how one chooses to interpret the limited information we have on them.
Someone, who is mostly here for the glory of showing off his powers, instead of taking revenge, and a possible narcissist (Tarvos), and someone, who was once kind to children, but was changed by the despair of war, and possibly wishes for time to reverse (Despina).
Both appear like they are on the complete opposite side of the social spectrum — in regards to other people. But that's what makes this dynamic so interesting to me.
They probably would have never even looked at each other if not for being the only ones left of their planet. Having to learn how to deal with the loss of everything (and each other's formerly different life styles and expectations) must have also caused some major friction along the path for revenge and becoming such a solid team to turn up as the end boss. This goes for the entire fleet, but especially these two.
(Don't get me started on how Despina came so close to full force kicking Shinsuke's head when he was lying on the ground protecting the ball, but stopped herself last second from hurting a child. Tarvos over here trying (and failing) to intimidate said children (and adults). He should take notes from Dione.)
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In the earlier rendition, this would have been enough, but seeing how far I have gone with the other four, it is only fair to give Despina and Tarvos some more love, too.
The reason I think Despina wishes for time to reverse is the topic “Time Machine” in her recruiting section. Though it would be interesting to see her previous occupation revolving around how to create a time machine, since the NPC who gives you the topic wants to build one themself.
However, I think — given her other topic “Lesson” — she could have been a teacher, or another occupation surrounding teaching children, maybe even in her free time. Perhaps she had very young family members she helped with school work and studies.
Tarvos stumps me a little with his topic “Strange Special Skill”. Is it just his strength, or is it referencing his story related Hissatsu “TP Plus 10”, which apparently is only needed because he would not have enough TP to use “Shiny Feather”?
While I was already imagining him as a tad bit of a man-failure, this only adds injury to insult in the best way. Tarvos is physically so powerful that he could crush his opponents in one singular swipe. However, he forgot to rank up his charisma and stamina to properly use it.
Maybe he has another “Strange Special Skill”, with which he likes to brag, but it would only be useful as a party trick and for nothing else. I have yet to come to a satisfying conclusion of what this could be.
Both of them have the “GC Stadium Exterior” as the photo requirement to be scouted. Given Tarvos’ profile, it is quite obvious that he is excited to show off his power. Despina, ready for revenge and to let off some steam herself, was probably feeling a similar type of adrenalin rush.
A lot of members have something related to Grand Celesta Galaxy, so I will not go deeper into it – unless it could lead to something more than their plan for revenge.
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On a silly fanfic note:
Tarvos is boasting about himself (again). His dominating and loud voice echoes through the dining hall, forcing everyone to go silent as they can no longer hear their seating neighbour.
Ozrock contemplates on how to make the other keep his voice down. Even though he knows he only needs to say the word and Tarvos would obey, he refrains. This is not how he wants to operate with his teammates outside of their mission. Dione and Phobos, however, are getting up to deal with Tarvos themselves.
In comes Despina. Having already heard his voice down the hall, she verbally folds Tarvos in half for getting lost with himself (again) and has become ignorant of other people's feelings (again).
The dining room goes eerily quiet as no one can believe how this tree of a man suddenly stills and slumps down in his seat, visibly thinking over his actions for a second.
Despina takes a breath and sits herself down at Tarvos' table. Both now engaging in a normal conversation about whatever topic comes to mind in a normal volume as if she had not just torn him a new one.
Of course, this would not be the last time, but now everyone knows to get Despina involved — or use some tactics out of her book — if Tarvos is getting too pushy again, easing out remaining frictions without drawing out bad blood between each other.
(I imagine this happening right after the two had a blow out, before sorting things out and coming to a mutual understanding in private.)
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End for the narcissism warning.
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Loge and Ymir — identity
This was mostly inspired by both of them having the requirement for a photo of the city view from the terrace on Faram (Falam(??)) Orbius to be scouted.
It sounds fancy at first, but then you remember who these two are and how that view looks like. No way are they gazing at this and having a pleasant discussion — unless you count pleasant as contemplating to cause arson on an entire planet.
Sure, Loge has “reconciliation” as a scouting requirement, but this man basically follows Ozrock demands to the last letter, so I am personally not counting this as a necessary part of forgiving what has been done to Ixal. He is fuelled by one-hundred percent hatred.
I wonder how he was dealing with the twist of Lalaya taking accountability for what her ancestors had done, and now forgiving him and his allies for their actions AND letting them live instead of executing them.
While this is sweet on paper, where did his purpose go? His source of energy? What is there to live for now after all he has lost? After all they have done?
The entire goal of seeking revenge and taking over the galaxy certainly was a double-edged sword. I’m talking about Loge in the centre, but the others must have been feeling very similarly.
We barely know anything else about him. “Black Hole” is just another part of his goal for revenge. Which makes me wonder, in his loyalty and search for revenge, has he lost who he was? Does he even know who he is anymore? Is this part of “Reconciliation” not necessarily directed at the planet that wronged him, and more so of him reconciling with his inner self and trying to find himself again?
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On the other hand, Ymir actually lost most of his memories — thanks to the war. Yet, ironically, we do know more about him than Loge.
Considering how you acquire the topic “Rich Person” in the Game, it’s safe to assume he hates the rich. Whether that started on his home planet before the war, or due to the fact that the rich from Faram Orbius destroyed his home can be debated, but I like to think it started earlier and was then enforced by the war.
Maybe he himself does not know how his hatred began, but just like in battle, he only follows his instincts to survive.
It is safe to assume he is running solely on instincts, revenge and sleepless nights (don’t get me started on all the trauma that especially he is going through), and is ready to fight god Faram Orbius or die trying.
Another interesting aspect to Ymir is the photo of the "Dirty Graffiti". Was it something he himself did in the past? If so, did he use it to taunt his enemies and help send messages to his allies during the war?
If he began with it during the war, did he enjoy it, or was it only a necessity? Artist!Ymir would give him something he could pursue after his revenge was discarded.
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Both Loge and Ymir are very open ended — just like their story. There was only really one person who was thinking about the future of Ixal Fleet and it was neither of them.
I am not sure how to end my thoughts, except that the entire Fleet needs each other more now than ever to deal with all of their grief and the potential emptiness resurfacing up inside of them.
Thankfully, they have at least one person who tends to think about the future.
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Aegir and Sinope — dealing with the past and planning the future
When I learned that Ozrock had a helper while planning revenge for their destroyed planet, and someone who was more focused on the team’s future than actual revenge, I was immediately intrigued.
What do you mean this team is made up of different personalities that are not just people actively(!) supporting the main goal, but also those who have different priorities, while still being allies to said goal?! Breaking, nuances and layered MINOR characters are real!
(My expectations in canon personalities of very minor characters are so low.)
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Serious jokes aside, Aegir and Sinope are — together with Ozrock — the brains of the group. Unlike him, however, they only work in the background. Either supporting him directly (Aegir), or through the team as a manager (Sinope).
In this sense, Aegir strikes me as the type of scholar who has difficulties bringing his studies (ideas) to the masses in an appealing manner (i.e. a lot of scientific terminology in the same type of language you would imagine a scholar to have). (Although this is more of a scientist thing, but I like it for Aegir.)
Over the time within the Fleet, his language would probably adapt, but I doubt he would ever let go of it entirely.
His topic “First come, first serve” can be seen through different angles. It is received through an NPC, who says they want to be fast in getting a place on one of the ships travelling to other planets.
This could just mean that Aegir does not waste time. Whether it be getting a sale, arriving way too early at events, or just his general attitude. Maybe he is very impatient as well with a low sense of empathy (uncaring at the loss of others who did not come "first" and in a general sense).
On a darker note, it could also mean that only those who were fast enough on the ship to escape Ixal were able to get into a Cryo-Pod, with Aegir being one of them. Whether it was via his own plan, or an accident.
If it was the latter, it could imply guilt or regret on his part. Maybe someone else did not make it, but should have (in his place) — in his mind. Though this is probably stretching it and seems unlikely to me.
“Secret” in itself seems straight forward. Maybe he is a great secret keeper, or has a way to figure out someone else’s secrets without them needing to tell him.
The topic itself is earned through finding a hidden spot and making a promise to keep it a secret. In this context, it could imply that he has a certain type of streets smarts to him. Though, I am unsure how powerful Aegir’s brain is supposed to be.
Academic intelligence is one thing, combining it with street smarts is just unfair and makes him a foe you should not be crossing. On the other hand, it could very well be that Aegir grew up in a rough environment and his intelligence helped him rise to his academic hights.
His academic language would also help cover his past life (a secret of his own). “Bonfire” would not just imply the only source of warmth during the war, but also a time in his childhood.
This means his language would not adapt until much later, while Aegir deals with more pressure hiding his past.
Ixal Fleet must succeed, and they can only do so by trusting in his capabilities and not dismiss him because of his background — Aegir in his mind, probably.
Keeping this secret would not be easy around someone like Phobos (more on him in the next). Even so, it would take time for Aegir to understand that his past does not make him lesser and he will be accepted regardless.
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Sinope will probably do the heavy lifting in figuring out what to do, after their plan fails, and how to approach their new life. It also speaks for the team that everyone is fine with her approach, even before their purpose is taken away.
I am aware that her text could also be read as her accepting her team regardless of their past. However, every member of the fleet could care less, so it does not make for a compelling narrative.
(It is much more fun to imagine she wants to get everyone through therapy after the team has let off some steam during their revenge.)
Starting off with the light-hearted, yet again very limiting Photo of the “Tournament Logo” and the “Manager Towel” item. Both of them play into her profile as acting not just as a player, but also their team’s manager. I will be going with the actual definition of a manager.
She handles all the active tasks in the background. She is more than aware how the game works and how to best train her fellow teammates. Though not mentioned, I am certain she, too, has multiple discussion with Ozrock on how to lay out strategies on the field, and individually assists the others in a similar manner.
Sinope knows how to work with finances and possibly has a close eye on the spending of other members. Many were probably annoyed with her constant input at the start, but after some discussions and the setting of boundaries learned to appreciate it.
With her looking ahead, she probably had a plan laid out in how to govern every single planet within the galaxy. Although their rule would have been tyrannical, I think she would be smart enough to become aware of the different cultures and inside networks — even if just on a surface level — to better spot uprisings and possibly gain actual loyal followers.
This plays into “Leadership” and how it is obtained — by an NPC describing how leadership is needed to conquer other planets, while also alluding to that said NPC is unable to understand the words (language barrier or actual meaning) of aliens [like you]. Sinope does understand (language and meaning), but could care less what aliens are thinking.
Despite appearing like a well-put-together girlboss, her mothering certainly has left many feeling smothered at multiple points in time.
She could be the type that drowns her sorrows in work and controlling behaviour to try and fix her unstable emotions. Her focusing on the future could also stem from trying to forget about the past.
In this situation, Sinope needs someone to talk her out of it, and make her realise that what she is doing is counterproductive and the opposite of what she and everyone wants.
Thankfully, she has the entire fleet, with Ozrock and Aegir (having come to terms with himself, partly through Sinope as well) at the forefront by her side.
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End Note
I neglected to go into their names, but I think I can yap about these another time. This is already long enough and has gone through so much editing already.
I'm still worried I missed something or could have used better phrasing, but lemme rest, brain!!! This is for fun and not for academic purposes!! Lol.
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If anyone even got this far, thank you for reading!
General thank you to those lovely peeps who have been liking and reblogging my Ixal Fleet related posts. I always read your tags and they make my day. You are awesome!
I was catsitting for over two weeks, and naturally, I had to cattify the gang of space wizards. Alien space cats with headcanon scars on some of their ears, because why not.
Sketched kitty shenanigens on grey background incoming. (Pulled them appart, because "ALT" did not work on them.)
[Image ID: Phobos lies on his back, about to bite in a football he holds with three paws. /.End ID]
[Image ID: Aegir sings in tone deaf notes. His mouth is round like the one from the big mouth cat gif. /.End ID]
[Image ID: Ishigashi sits with the back to the viewer and glares over his shoulder. An empty bowl to his paws with judgment ray circles manifesting above him. /.End ID]
[Image ID: Deimos stares at a glowing ball between his front paws with glimmering eyes. /.End ID]
[Image ID: Ymir sleeps peacefully with his head and front legs on the ground, while the rest of his body is elevated higher. He dreams of a pterodactyl. /.End ID]
[Image ID: Sinope has an innocent, cattish smile on her face as she proclaims to have spotted an UFO. /.End ID]
[Image ID: Tarvos side profile. He smiles proudly while shiny feathers manifest on his shoulders. /.End ID]
[Image ID: Dione challenges the viewer with a glare, his right paw on a football. He stands in a small crater. /.End ID]
[Image ID: Despina sits on the Magic Amp circle, glaring at the viewer with mischievous intent. It is hinted that she has a scar on the right side of her face around her eye. /.End ID]
[Image ID: Ozrock stares up with wide eyes, which reflect the stars. He does the bleb with his tongue. /.End ID]
[Image ID: Loge playfully pulls at a football, which has been stretched out. His claws dig into the ground. /.End ID]
I know the hissatsu was "stolen" from Kazemaru, but I am more obsessed with my antagonistic woman over here. Idk if she and Kagura (wind yokai with an attack named Fuujin no Mai; Inuyasha) would get along, but Despina is wearing her clothes now. :3
