#ch54

Generally, for Lisanna and the Strauss siblings again! To answer the questions first, I have read Eden’s Zero, but I’m not caught up, sorry! I stopped quite a bit ago and have been too lazy to pick it up again. It is definitely a hella intriguing story, I’ll give Mashima that. 

The idea that Elfman might be half is a really fun idea that could actually make sense in canon! 

So, I like to think Lisanna has the tendency to climb and loiter in slightly unconventional places, like a cat. (Think of Lucy who usually walks along the ledge of the riverside instead of on the road when she’s on her way home) Let’s say Lisanna does that a ton too but also on trees, roofs, bridges, etc, because she’s affected by all the small animals she’s taken over that love climbing up precarious, fun spots like that. So I like to think Elfman and Mirajane are naturally attuned to be attentive or keep her in the corner of their eye to catch her if she ever falls or trips, even on normally paved roads. Everyone else tends to be careful and not as interested in walking on those kinds of places, so it’s not until Lucy joins that those honed instincts finally have a use again.  

Same thing to animal habits like pushing glasses off tables, huddling for warmth, and gathering acorns. One day someone nearly elbows a beer mug off the counter, and Mira doesn’t even look over to snag it right out of the air and slam it back on the counter. Everyone’s completely speechless. She doesn’t understand why everyone is gawking at her. 

In that vein, I like to think that they’re all mildly affected by their Take-Overs, even when their magic is deactivated. They’ve all got mild ‘hunting instincts’ of some sort, and when they meet an enemy of their specialty, their first instinct is always to size them up. Mirajane has the instinct to assert her authority and territory, which is why she fights a lot with Erza, who was the ‘leading figure’ of the kids before she joined. Elfman has something similar, but more of ‘needing to show his power’ to establish his position in the wild, hence the whole manly schtick. Lisanna doesn’t have much of that that, instead, she has the instincts to stay on the downlow and survive. She has pack instinct to survive in a group, rather than trying to be the strongest of the group like her siblings. She knows when to run, and is very quick to realize when danger is around the corner. The first time Lisanna defies those instincts is when she walks up to Elfman to try and stop him in his berserk rampage as the Beast. 

Also, I think it’s kind of funny that Mashima put in a strong emphasis on removing all red from Lisanna’s wardrobe after she ‘died’, starting from her guild mark. Mirajane stuck to red to match Lisanna’s old clothes after she died, but after she comes back she goes back to being multicoloured anytime. Lisanna, however, very specifically never wears red again, almost like it’s forbidden from her clothing choices, because red’s Natsu’s colour, you know? And white and blue is the general Strauss sibling colours (eye and hair) to symbolize her priority now as family, rather than her old connection with Natsu. Like, Mashima really went ‘let’s not make this situation messier with a love triangle’, and went extra hard on it to avoid shipwars aksdljalksdja. She wears a bit of red sometimes, (GMG outfit) but it’s always less than the amount of blue she wears in the same outfit. 

Which makes me wonder, since she first got the blue and purples from Edolas, maybe in Edolas, perhaps she never had that extra special connection with Natsu, since Happy wasn’t there. Maybe Edo-Lisanna was always more inclined toward family, domesticity, and waitressing than the slight jungle/animal inclination that Earth-Lisanna had. And when Earth-Lis replaced Edo-Lis, rather than just Cut and Paste, it was more like fusion, so the family side of both of them won out as her priority henceforth. And that would also kind of explain why Lisanna survived enough to walk and explore after arriving at Edolas even though she was so weak she couldn’t see her own sister, because Edo-Lis didn’t get those injuries, she was transported in the middle of a fall. 

Honestly, I think it’d be fun if Edo-Lisanna was actually personality-wise different from Earth, which gives more to the fact that they knew form the start that she wasn’t their Lisanna. Maybe Edo-Lisanna was, just like Earth counterparts, similar to Lucy. Which would mean being slightly punk and devilish/mischievous, maybe not to the same rough degree, maybe just irritable and strict. Maybe Edo-Lucy dialed up her delinquent image two times after Lisanna turned sweet, because they kind of missed it all, and so she tones it all down once Lisanna’s well and truly gone for them. 

I like to think everyone’s seen resemblance of Lisanna in Lucy shortly after she joined, but most of them dismiss it because, you know, it’s a good thing. Mirajane can’t help but want to be nice and kind of coddle her, which is why she’s always there to talk to Lucy, teach her anything, and share all she wants to know. She even gives her extra warnings that, when rereading, alludes to Lisanna. In her own way back then, she was trying to move on, to heal, but she just couldn’t let go, and thus, she latched on to Lucy, hoping that the nostalgia and the ‘next little sister to protect’ could help her through. 

I would think, in contrast to that, Elfman would either avoid or stay ‘acquaintances’ with Lucy. He didn’t try to directly team up or have casual conversations with her like Gray or Cana, because they didn’t exactly click or resonate in the magic department/Natsu had dibs, so there wasn’t much a reason to. But when he realizes that Lucy resembles Lisanna, he would, too, try his best to protect her, and he would be mortified if Lucy’s ever upset because of something he said. (The Phantom scene after Lucy revealed her past to them, for example.) 

I really like the idea of them projecting Lisanna into Lucy, especially prominently in the Phantom Arc, because they’re all jumping at the idea, jumping at the realisation, that they are here and they have the time and power to help, and they genuinely, deeply, want to do anything they can for the sister they once failed. I think it’s wonderful that her death is revealed in this arc, because that was also genuinely the worst case scenario for Lucy, if they lost the war, and it emphasizes so deeply how much they don’t want it to happen ever again. 

Remember the scene where Mirajane disguises as Lucy and walks up to surrender herself and challenge Jose? 

It reminds me very much of Lisanna’s death scene. 

The way she unhesitatingly goes up to the great, humongous beast that’s far beyond her capabilities. The way she spreads her arms and calls out to it, volunteering herself to be recognized despite the dangers. The way everyone flinches and hisses and warns her, and yet they’re all too preoccupied by enemies to stop her.

Mirajane volunteers to be Lisanna in this recreation, because right now, what she is protecting behind her is Lucy, her newest, dearest sister that she does not want to lose. And she’s banking on the power of compassion to help them. 

A woman in a hooded jacket leans with her back against the wall, one foot against it like a teenager. He is hunched over, her hand over her mouth as she tries to stifle her laughter. She glances upward and catches the group’s gazes. This makes her laugh even harder, as she gives up concealing herself any longer, doubling over with hilarity.

“Oh-ho-ho shit, dammit… that’s embarrassing…” The woman sighs loudly, and sweeps off her hood to reveal her shorn head. T’onga shakes her head, refusing to believe what she sees. 

“Phew! Couldn’t keep a straight face, huh?” Sunmi says nonchalantly, pushing herself away from the wall. “I was hoping the girl’s friends would give you some privacy, but they really don’t trust you. That aside, it’s good to see your face again, Tong-Tong~.” 

“H-he…! He wouldn’t… Not you…!” the assassin bleats, her knees shaking.

“You know how that man of mine is,” Sunmi chuckles. “Once his mind is made up, there’s no him!”

Kilo leans to whisper in Moya’s ear. “Who the fuck?”

“I don’t know,” Moya responds. “I don’t know her. I’ve never seen her before…!”

T’onga suddenly hisses and roughly grabs Shizuka by her shoulders. However, she freezes again when Sunmi speaks.

“Ah ah ah ah, slow down there, Tong Tong! Don’t freak out! Nothing’s happening yet! Nothing has to happen. All-Kill said so to me himself, everything you’ve done can still be forgiven! All you need to do is come home with me, and you can talk it over. You, him, and your sweet little girl…”

Shizuka finally seems to regain awareness, turning her head to frown at Sunmi. “Who the hell are you supposed to be?”

“Not now, honey,” Sunmi responds, “The grown ups are talking. Come on, Tong. Just come with me, and I swear nothing bad will happen. You know I keep my promises, don’t you?” 

The two women stare at each other. Sunmi’s expression is serious, her eyes wide open like a predator’s. T’onga trembles before her gaze, a small animal seemingly mesmerized by a serpent. 

But then her expression hardens. She inhales, then exhales. She tightens her grips on Shizuka’s arms, causing her daughter to wince. Bodily lifting her, she hurls the girl straight towards her friends. Kilo blinks and rushes forward to catch Shizuka. 

“GET HER OUT OF HERE NOW!!!” she shouts. 

“Mo-!!” Shizuka yells, before Kilo drags her away as fast as he can. “Kilo?!! What are you doing?!!” 

“MOVE!!!” he shouts in response, shoving her onto her feet and forcing her to run like hell. Jerome follows them, trying his best to keep up, leaving T’onga and Sunmi together.

Sunmi’s face twists into a delighted, murderous grin. Obviously, she’s pleased with T’onga’s decision as her Stand emerges. Or rather, Stands. There is a metallic buzzing that fills the air as over a hundred chrome plated wasp creatures swarm out of her, hovering on silver-dagger wings. In place of abdomens, each has a hypodermic needle filled with a dark red fluid.

T’onga backs away, then runs. Sunmi’s colony doesn’t pursue immediately, and their master ponders. “Hmm… Who do I go for first? There’s no telling where the Princess will run off to now, so I could snatch her up now… but on the other hand, T’onga’s the one All-Kill’s really mad at…” She rubs her chin, then smiles. “OK~. Decision made. Here I come, T’onga~!”

She claps her hands together. Like a flash of lightning, fifteen of her Stand drones fly towards fifteen random people. These civilians wince in pain as the drones land on their bare skin and inject their red fluid into their veins. 

Their bodies begin to contort and they begin babbling nonsense, to the shock and horror of their unaffected neighbors. The white of their eyes fill with blood, turning ominous red. When the convulsions cease, evil intent infuses their expressions.

“Go now…” Sunmi says, raising her hand imperiously, throwing the hooded jacket off her shoulders. “QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE…!!”

Translation;

Senku;

- a guy complimenting another guy is either flirting or wants to gain something 😒

Gen;

- I don't want to gain anything from you, I like you in the gay way.. do you think I'm gross?

Senku;

-ur not gross Gen 😏