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wordsandrobots · 6 months

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If there's one thing I crave more of from IBO, it's Bauduin sibling interactions. I've watched that scene with them McGillis in S1E11 more times than I can count.

I do like that we've gotten a few more pieces of the Bauduin family situation from the side-stories. Almiria's assessment of marriage as a man and woman living together in the same house, eating together, going out together, and arguing once a month suggests certain very specific things about Lord and Lady Bauduin's relationship, perhaps making sense of why Gaelio and Almiria's mother is nowhere to be seen come the start of the series. Although, saying that, *none* of the Seven Star kids' mothers appear to be a presence in their lives. When Carta and Iok lose their fathers (effectively and actually), they're placed with guardians rather than being raised by their other parent. Which is probably yet another aspect of the predominance of bloodlines in Gjallarhorn's social mores. When only one parent truly 'counts', intimacy is going to be the first casualty.

I think a lot about how that applies to the Bauduin kids. Because they clearly know each other well enough to be properly annoying, and their father shows genuine concern for them, so I don't imagine their home-life was particularly cold or remote. At the same time, I wonder how much contact Gaelio and Almiria have actually had. The implication is that he's at a boarding school in his teens and then on to military academy. It's possible he only ever saw Almiria during holidays and while on leave. If we're being generous, we might use that to explain why he stresses her babyishness so much -- he's literally missed seeing her grow up. Although, even if that is true, Gaelio is 1) a jerk and 2) kind of weird about the status Almiria throws herself into living up to.

Don't get me wrong, he really needed that 'learning to be a better person by exposure to normal people' arc. Yet we see he has contempt for the corrupt, the underhanded and, significantly, for the specific people in his social circle. "The guests are even more vulgar than usual," indeed! I'd imagine childhood spent in proximity to those in Iok's mould would not give you a good impression of your peers. Coupling that to the whole 'running for the hills when people propose to him', it's feasible Gaelio finds Almiria ridiculous for affecting manners he himself resents. He's standing there, isolated by his status as Gallus' heir, with McGillis and Carta as his only actual friends, and Carta going like that as she gets older, and here's his baby sister acting all prim, too naive to understand she's being used as a pawn. It's small wonder he turns to mocking sarcasm.

For her part, Almiria is caught between the reality of being a child and the expectations placed upon her by the adults in her life. As much as Gaelio mocks her, she *can't* be a baby, or else the whole political structure of their lives falls apart. Being ridiculed for being a little girl is exceptionally cruel in the context of having her husband picked out for her when she was five. Like, what do you want from her, you bastards? Because what you got was a kid who idolised the idea of being grown up as a kind of freedom, while being unable to conceptualise it beyond the social structures that caused her to be in this situation to begin with. Gah, sorry, I know it's off the point, but I am constantly struck by how Almiria in some ways has it worse than the kids who are actually homeless. At least they have some measure of personal autonomy.

Anyway, jerk or no, I still think Gaelio cares for his sister and was sincerely afraid for her following what McGillis said at Edmonton, albeit in a 'I am her big brother so I should be protecting her' sort of way rather than necessarily protecting Almiria the person. I played into that hard when I approached writing their relationship post-canon: with how they were raised and the gaps between them it caused, I feel it's reasonable to assume they each have an idea of the other that causes them certain emotions, without necessarily knowing one another. They are both good at loving shadows, after all, and even if it is genuinely love, I think it would take some very hard conversations to make them close.

(For plot reasons, I weighted that towards Gaelio seeing what he expects/wants while Almiria gains a better understanding of what's going on between his ears, but it's still rather superficial on both sides. Gaelio tries. He really does. Almiria . . . well. Ahem. I did Things with Almiria as a character.)

In terms of scenes we could have gotten but didn't, I'd personally want to see a Bauduin family meal. Gallus, Mrs Gallus, Gaelio and Almiria, all round a table together. Probably a very big one that made it impossible to have comfortable conversations, with fancy food and servants fading into the walls. It'd be the dinner from hell, one way or another, but I'd love to get a glimpse at the full dynamic.

#words in answer #gundam ibo #g tekketsu #Bauduin Family #Gaelio Bauduin #Almiria Bauduin #character interpretation #spoilers

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jounouchis · 1 year

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IBO art from april 2020 my favorite characters......

#i dont think i finished ibo lmao #i will some day i swear #probably #mobile suit gundam iron blooded orphans #aston altland #Gaelio Bauduin #dylan needs an art tag

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trafalgarlog · 9 months

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youtube

Iron Blooded Orphans G - Side Stories: Almiria in Love (English Subs!)

#mobile suit gundam #gundam #fandom: mobile suit gundam: iron blooded orphans #gundamibo #gundam ibo #mcgillis fareed #almiria bauduin #gaelio bauduin #gundam iron blooded orphans #Youtube

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loverlylight · 20 days

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Had a thought--

Gaelio: You ready?

Ein: I don't know, I'm nervous!

Gaelio: Oh no no, don't be! You got this.

Ein: ...you're like, -super- nice to me.

Gaelio: ...not really. I'm just doing the bare minimum here.

Ein: You're the best friend I ever had!

Gaelio: Oh, that's sad!

Ein: I think I'm in love with you.

Gaelio: ...okay.

#come on this is pretty much exactly their dynamic before Gali became as obsessed with Ein as Ein was with him #iron blooded orphans #starkid #gaelio bauduin #ein dalton

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prezaki · 7 months

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@kydoesthings1 asked me to also share my McGae playlist and it's honestly... not long, but here's my favourites for them! feat. ridiculously mainstream artists, don't @ me......

Don't You Dare Forget The Sun by Get Scared

You're a mess, tangled with your confidence You think you haven't sinned Well, you're unstoppable Your walls are impassible, oh Oh, I think you're better off looking alone 'Cause the boys that chase your hips can just go find their way home And at the end of the day you think to yourself "My body is a product being sold on a shelf" [...] You look down on, me so casually In everything I know You look down on me, but not right at me Did I wreck this broken home?

This one is just my Nr. 1 McGillis song.

One Little Soldier by Regina Spektor

Did you think you'd get to run the world forever? Little soldiers fighting loyal by your side That you’d get to play the role of grand commander Never questioning your motives or your pride [...] Did you want me as your whore or your Madonna? Did you want me to stay quiet or get loud? Did you want me in bright lights or in your shadow? Did you want me 'cause you knew I'd draw a crowd?

This one's just a Vidar song to me.

The Quiet by Imogen Heap

In the time that it takes for a smile to cross the room In the time that it takes to be finally understood In the time that it takes from being one of us to two Is the time it takes to make the break to win at life Again Stargazer, storm chaser Bought for dust, sold for gold But will the true cost ever be known? Can I even begin To comprehend what you must've been through? You're still tunneling dirt To escape the hurt

Another Gaelio POV song!

Stay from Amélie The Musical

I'll make you count to one hundred so I have a good chance to hide Don't expect me to play fair Move and I'll move even deeper inside I like you right there [...] Stay where you are Safe in a frame Try to move closer, you'll only get halfway Pin down your heart, put out the flame Don't come any closer but don't move away Stay where you are, Stay, where you are Safe in a frame

Maybe my wildest choice for a McGillis POV song but... Look. LOOK.

Hoax by Taylor Swift

My only one My smoking gun My eclipsed sun This has broken me down My twisted knife My sleepless night My winless fight This has frozen my ground Stood on the cliffside screaming, "Give me a reason" Your faithless love's the only hoax I believe in Don't want no other shade of blue but you No other sadness in the world would do

I'm sorry to assign a swift song to Gaelio. But look.

Graveyard by Halsey

It's crazy when The thing you love the most is the detriment Let that sink in You can think again When the hand you wanna hold is a weapon and You're nothing but skin Oh, 'cause I keep diggin' myself down deeper I won't stop 'til I get where you are I keep running, I keep running, I keep running

Gaelio to Vidar transition is real here.... I have an AMV started to this one, maybe one day I'll finish.

#I REALLY NEED TO EXPAND MY PLAYLIST HONESTLY #mcgillis fareed #gaelio bauduin #mcgae

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gonk2020 · 2 months

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Doubles Match.

#gundam #mobile suit gundam #garma zabi #gaelio bauduin #char aznable #mcgillis fareed #i think the idea of Char and McGillis really hating each other and getting annoyed when people point out the similarities is funny #meanwhile Garma and Gaelio would just be chilling or trying to kill each other for entirely impersonal reasons

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fiannalover · 11 months

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Anyway Gaelio should kiss his Gundam (Ein. I'm saying he should kiss Ein through his Gundam)

#iron blooded orphans #gundam #gaelio bauduin #ein dalton #gaelio/#ein

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sheepibum · 1 year

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Title: a constellation of blood drops

Summary: Tekkadan decides to salvage Gaelio’s mobile suit for spare parts; turns out that the most useful one is the pilot. To the dismay of everyone involved.

i | ii | iii | iv

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

V. ad astra (to the stars)

Naze Turbine is smiling, surrounded by beautiful women, as far as Gaelio can see in the screen. If that is not that man’s idea of a preemptive strike, then Gaelio will eat his family crest for breakfast.

“Ah, so you’re the one who convinced the old man to ground me for the past months,” he says, with a pleasant smile. Gaelio thanks his family for his severe upbringing, not for the first time, as it is the one thing keeping him for showing his discomfort on his face, on the rigidity of his spine.

“That I am,” he answers, instead, his voice a spring of steadiness. “I can explain myself, if you like, but I also have a request to make.”

Naze waves his hand in the air, suddenly casual.

“There’s no need, no need. The old man said enough and I’ve been drawing my own conclusions from Tekkadan’s actions, you know?”

Gaelio knows; Orga and Merribit maintain constant contact with the Turbines and no amount of cajoling would have convinced them to stop, so he hadn’t even tried. The man on the screen suddenly leans forward, lacing his fingers and placing his chin on top, smiling razor sharp.

“I appreciate that you’re looking out for my little brother, even if it meant driving us away from them. But I’ll have you know some of my girls weren’t very happy with that.”

As if on cue, several of the women started voicing exactly how unhappy they were with that decision. A good intimidation tactic, he supposes. Very effective, given the feeling of heat on his ears.

“I apologize if I caused you any strife, Mr. Naze, but it was done with the best intentions in mind.”

“Oh, yes,” the woman draped around Naze, smiles, not sharp with the promise of retribution, but with the knowledge of having seen all of the players’ cards and coming out on top. “If that hadn’t been the case we wouldn’t be having this conversation in the first place.”

“I... see.”

“Ah, forgive my darling Amida,” Naze smiles besottedly at the woman, a striking contrast with his previous attitude. “She’s become very protective of Tekkadan, you see. But now, I think you should tell us what is this request of yours. I’m sure you know that we’ve been having trouble with certain Teiwaz’ branches, so if you need help with that you’re better off asking the old man or even Orga directly.”

Gaelio is also aware of this, having convinced Merribit of going along with his plans, even those he has kept from Orga. He’s truly beginning to master the art of subterfuge; finally he can see why Rustal Elion is so fond of using such underhanded tactics when they promise victory with the least amount of sacrifices. It’s ironic that he’s about to use that knowledge against the man himself. Gaelio looks directly at Naze, plasters a charming smile on his face and says:

“I need your ship.”

★

It’s a good plan. He has been perfecting it with McGillis’ help ever since the incident with the Mobile Armor, Merribit and McMurdo both gave him their approval, and even Orga cleared it once he finally told Tekkadan about it, although not before threatening him to never withhold something like that from them again or else. Even Naze was convinced, which is why the plan can be put in motion at all, because he needed the Turbines’ Hammerhead.

It’s a good, solid plan with a decent chance of success. And even if it fails, Tekkadan and the Turbines should have enough sense as to make the best of it to expose yet another example of Gjallarhorn’s corruption. The maximum number of casualties would be two, and one of those would be Gaelio himself, who is already dead for all intents and purposes, anyway.

It’s a good plan, is what he keeps telling himself, as he traverses the route they have purposely leaked to Jasley and his goons, as the sole pilot of the Turbines’ ship with nothing but a very illegal weapon and a very grumpy child for company.

“We’re detecting several Ahab reactor signals approaching,” announces said grumpy child. “It doesn’t look like the JPT Trust.”

Gaelio takes a deep breath.

“No, it’s probably not.”

Aston looks at him, his eyes boring into him with a kind of interest that is trying very hard not to be interested in the first place.

“Gjallarhorn?”

Gaelio allows himself a smile.

“It looks like our plan worked.”

(Aston frowns at the use of the plural, because Tekkadan had very little to do with this plan, but he supposes that Gaelio is mostly part of Tekkadan by now, no matter what the man himself says.)

“We still need them to try to confiscate the Dainsleaf, or to attack us without provocation.”

“Please,” Gaelio snorts, finally having the visual of the insignia ship that looms ever closer to them. “That there is Iok Kujan, I’d be honestly surprised if he opens communications before a salvo of ‘warning shots’.”

Aston opens his mouth to give his opinion and almost bites his tongue at the sudden lurch of the ship caused by, what else, a barrage of shots from the main ship itself. A voice-only transmission is immediately sent to all Gjallarhorn ships and Gaelio has to fight off his smile trying to make his voice sound distressed.

“We request the immediate cease of hostilities! I repeat, we request the immediate cease of hostilities! This ship is carrying dangerous cargo that could easily be set off with an attack. I repeat—”

Gaelio doesn’t get to repeat himself, because their ship is attacked again, and the both of them almost tumble off their seats, even as an elated expression takes over Gaelio’s face.

(‘Space rats’ is a term Aston is unfortunately deeply familiar with, but as he looks at Gaelio grinning with a savage giddiness at the enemy, he can’t help but think of cats. Those creatures are loved by many people, despite their predator instincts and proneness to play with their food, and he can sort of understand why, and here is a man toying with the prey already in his grasp.

It’s a good thing Mikazuki decided they should keep him; it really is.)

“Ha!”

Gaelio cannot believe his luck, he’s going to keep the record of this conversation for the rest of his life and show it to anyone who is ever in need of a definition of idiocy.

“We know exactly what ‘dangerous cargo’ you’re carrying, scum! Surrender the railgun weapon at once or we will take it by force for the glory of Gjallarhorn!”

Gaelio takes a second to school his expression into a stern, affronted scowl before opening a video communication with Iok’s ship.

“Lord Iok of the Seven Stars’ Kujan family,” he booms like the voice of thunder, “what exactly is the meaning of this?”

Aston can see the exact moment they recognize who it is they have been attacking, as half the people on deck turn white as paper, either in shock or disbelief.

“... Bauduin?”

“That is Lord Bauduin to you,” Gaelio hisses with enough venom in his voice to paralyze the entire crew. “And I’m still waiting for an explanation as to why would you attack a civilian ship without provocation, without announcing your presence or intent, or even giving a previous warning, as it is proper to do, or why would you ignore a request for the cease of hostilities for safety reasons, endangering all ships present and their crews, or why would you use Gjallarhorn’s name, legacy and implications to threaten said civilian ship, again, without prior provocation or an adequate excuse.”

Aston raises his eyebrows, reluctantly impressed. Gaelio managed to hiss all of that without seemingly having to pause for breath to not give Iok the time to form a coherent defense. Gaelio preens internally, and then narrows his eyes, a cold, calculating look taking over his face, before he continues:

“Or, indeed, why are you here, Lord Kujan, as I have it on good authority that Lord Fareed asked the families to refrain from interfering in this particular route for the time being, as a most delicate and secret operation was taking place for the glory of Gjallarhorn.”

“My apologies, Lord Bauduin,” a voice cuts into the conversation, another video transmission from a different ship. “It seems young Iok here was misinformed, although I must confess I was also unaware of this secret operation that required you to leave your family bereft of their heir.”

Rustal Elion.

Gaelio doesn’t even have to fake the deepening of his scowl.

“Lord Elion, I was also unaware of your involvement in this incident, and I do not wish to repeat the questions I have already made to your protegee, although I am deeply disappointed to see him behaving in such a manner even under your guidance,” the meaning will be lost on Aston, who seems to be following the conversation with interest, but Iok flinches on screen before the implications that his actions have reflected badly on his mentor and that his mentor has knowingly allowed a behavior that goes against Gjallarhorn’s code of conduct. “As for your concerns, it is my understanding that Lord Fareed suspected that some members of Gjallarhorn have established worrisome connections with certain unsavory characters that sought to acquire a weapon that had been banned, and that I volunteered to retrieve under conditions that would have undoubtedly caused more grief to my family had they been made aware of them. I have been working undercover, as I hope it has been made obvious by now, and you are endangering both my mission and my life as it is by having chosen to ignore Lord Fareed’s request, as I should already have met with his fleet and delivered the weapon were it not for your interference. Which brings me to the question, Lord Kujan, of how exactly did you obtain the information on the whereabouts of this weapon. And please note that this exchange is being treated as an official interrogation, given the circumstances, and is both being recorded and re-transmitted.”

He doesn’t say to whom, but then again, he doesn’t need to. Iok Kujan grits his teeth.

“Please, allow me to explain this unfortunate incident, Lord Bauduin... I received a tip from an anonymous source that a dangerous weapon was being transported across this route—”

“An anonymous source, you say?” Gaelio drawls the words in such a way that it makes them sound more like are you shitting me right now?, something that is not lost on anyone. “And your first course of action was to blast the ship transporting this weapon, without care for the crew of said ship or yours, as you had no way of knowing the nature of this weapon? Or was it because you received information about the weapon itself that you had no care for those transporting it?”

“I...”

“I shall take that as a confession, Lord Kujan. In the future, I suggest you are more careful with the sources you receive information from, as Gjallarhorn is better off without the internal conflicts caused by paying heed to the words of untrustworthy allies.”

“My only intention was to seize the weapon, Lord Bauduin,” Iok looks defiantly at him through the screen. “I was certain that the end justified the means, regardless of whom I received the information from, and decided to act on my own to ensure the weapon did not fall on the wrong hands in order to redeem myself for my past faults and regain my honor.”

Gaelio somehow manages to narrow his eyes even more, leaving only the barest of slits.

“This at the cost of Gjallarhorn’s honor, Lord Kujan?” He asks, in a voice that makes it clear that Iok is threading on thin ice and dares him to take another step. Which Iok immediately does.

“I’m sure my goal is—”

“Personal glory has no place in the noble pursuits of our organization!” Roars Gaelio, making Aston jump in his seat. “If you have no wish other than to make a name for yourself, you should not be hiding behind the name your ancestors have elevated so, scion of the Kujan family!”

“I—” Iok seems at loss for a moment, torn between doing something stupid and something cowardly; self-preservation seems to win at the end, and he offers a shaky bow of his head. “My apologies, Lord Bauduin, it was not my intention to imply otherwise.”

Gaelio turns theatrically (and unnecessarily) to face the video transmission of Rustal Elion, making it clear that Iok has been dismissed.

“I see that this mission has seen you mature splendidly, Lord Bauduin.”

“I have been forced to endure the dregs of society, Lord Rustal. My apologies if I come across as overzealous, but I have found that clinging to the tethers of our civility is the only thing that has allowed me to keep myself separate from them. Now, I suggest you escort your protegee’s fleet and myself to my destination. I’m late as it is, and I would hate for the Outer Earth Orbit Joint Regulatory Fleet to travel all the way here just for a misunderstanding.”

That is a filthy lie, the Outer Earth Orbit Joint Regulatory Fleet must be en route to the JPT Trust ship, having ‘just received’ a tip that they have been spreading false information to Gjallarhorn’s officers with malicious intent. With McMurdo’s permission, of course.

But Rustal Elion doesn’t know that.

“Of course, it would be my honor, Lord Bauduin.”

Gjallarhorn ships accompany them to the rendezvous point where McGillis is waiting and where Iok Kujan is detained for being in possession of several banned weapons while Rustal Elion and Gaelio are received with all the graciousness and honors their host can provide, exulting their bravery. Rustal is briefed on Gaelio’s ‘undercover mission’ and asked to keep the knowledge to himself, as well as to ensure that Iok knows this has to be kept under wraps. And Gaelio thought he was pretty good at acting, but McGillis is a monster on a whole other level. Rustal goes on his merry way adding another tally to Iok’s increasing list of detrimental actions and believing himself to have earned McGillis trust, or at least having information that would be useful for blackmailing him, while Iok Kujan stews himself in another failure inside a cell.

The plan is a resounding success.

★

Gaelio and Aston agree than they should return immediately to Tekkadan, only stopping long enough to repair the damage suffered by the Hammerhead. It is quiet on the way back, although Gaelio still can feel the blood pounding in his ears. He wonders how is Aston holding up, and is surprised to find the teen looking at him. And Gaelio might be going crazy or perhaps the stress of the situation is causing him to hallucinate, but the boy just might be smiling a little.

“Do all of you always talk so funny?”

“Oh my god,” Gaelio huffs, smiling so wide he knows that’s the stress finally crashing on him, “we really do.”

And what starts as a quiet shared chuckle turns into full-blown hysterical laughter (and hysterical is the correct description, finally realizing that holy shit, their crazy plan worked and they survived) as they make their way back to Tekkadan. Neither of them can stop laughing, not even when Orga opens a video transmission to check if they’re still alive and then has to stomp away because what is it with you and making people laugh like hyenas, and that only makes them laugh harder.

Also, he’s totally going to tell McGillis that Orga thinks he laughs like a hyena the first chance he gets.

He cannot believe it. They’re alive.

★

They’re lucky enough to arrive while Orga is busy talking to Isurugi about taking in the Human Debris that Jasley had been using and that were captured by Gjallarhorn under Tekkadan’s protection. Their welcome is a small affair, but Takaki is there to make sure that he has kept Aston alive and whole, and Gaelio receives enough slaps on the back and fist-bumps to make up for a life time of deferential, hypocritical bows and back-handed compliments.

Mikazuki doesn’t say anything, just directs his current method of transportation (Eugene) in Gaelio’s direction and holds the arm he can still move towards him, saying nothing as if it were entirely unnecessary; which it is, because Gaelio is already moving.

Fuck his life, is what he thinks, well aware of how the axis of his world has shifted, how he doesn’t even care that such a thing, that would have been unthinkable before and in all honesty should probably still be unthinkable even now, has happened. He knows this and he has decided he doesn’t care.

So he goes. He truly has no choice in the matter, Mikazuki’s name is much too apt and he is helpless to resist the gravity that pulls him toward him.

★

He almost drops Mikazuki when the boy starts rubbing the sleeve of his jacket on his cheek, trying to wipe out the make-up he used to conceal the scars on his face.

“You look weird like that,” is all he says.

It occurs to Gaelio that he must, at least to him. They hadn’t exactly seen much of each other before Gaelio got his scars.

“Do you dislike it?” He asks, smiling like his teeth are armor. Mikazuki squints at him.

“It smells weird.”

Gaelio laughs.

★

Mikazuki doesn’t laugh, but the sight of Gaelio carrying him and laughing is enough to stop Orga Itsuka in his tracks, spit out some vicious curse that Gaelio is quite sure he doesn’t deserve (at least not yet), turn around and stomp back the way he had come from.

If anything, it only makes him laugh harder. He has to lean his back against a wall while he shakes from laughter. If Mikazuki takes that chance to pull Gaelio’s face down towards him with his one good arm, Gaelio is certainly not going to stop him.

Gaelio laughs, a muffled sound, made softer by the soft feelings blooming in his chest, and wonders how is this his life now.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Notes: Hello everyone! ヾ(^▽^*)))

Haha, it's been a while but I finally got around writing another chapter for this abomination; special thanks to everyone who read/liked/reblogged this after I had forgotten all about it, since it made me want to get back to it. In particular because, believe it or not, the whole plan concocted in this chapter was one of the first things I came up with for this AU, deep in the throes of denial and despair that was the second season of this series.

Anyway, happy winter holidays and happy new year, here's hoping it's much better than this one! Remember to stay warm (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)

#ibo constellation #shameless fix-fic #the sheep writes #gundam ibo #mikazuki augus #gaelio bauduin #now more shameless and more fix-fic than before!

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kydoesthings1 · 2 months

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McGillis and the Pied Piper

because February 24th’s Wordle was piper and I am procrastinating on school work

At 16:57 of S2E21 (E46) Gaelio says this to McGillis before charging him.

(Gaelio is speaking through the comms offscreen.)

(Apparently this line was also used in a game. I forgot which one. I don't play Gundam games.)

Gaelio literally says something along the lines of "Are you still going to play the pipe of Hamelin even when the battle is going like this?" Not sure why this is the subtitle. But they mostly mean the same thing so maybe I'm just nitpicking.

To refresh your memory a little, this is when the Revolutionary Fleet is very clearly losing to Arianrhod, and McGillis just made his pep talk and this iconic frame. They are preparing to retreat and regroup when Gaelio shows up to fight McGillis.

Gaelio referencing the Pied Piper of Hamelin (Hameln, same thing) is of course connected to McGillis's and thus his love of myth/folk tales. Because of McGillis's influence, Gaelio also has a strong liking for stories. He names himself and Gundam Vidar/Kimaris Vidar after Vidar, the Norse god of revenge and silence, son of Odin and slayer of Fenrir (Fenris, same thing but IBO uses Fenrir) the monster wolf son of Loki during Ragnarok. The same side story 'Eve of Vidar' also tells us he used to hit on girls using Norse mythology fun facts, including Yamazin Toka when he was a test pilot for the Schwalbe Graze.

Although these are relatively common knowledge for us, the viewers, they are probably niche facts however many years in the future the Post Disaster timeline is (in UC0079 Hitler and WW2 is considered "middle ages" despite being historically quite recent for us). This is one thing Gaelio and McGillis have in common and it is because of McGillis.

(Also this is kind of a weak diss? Like if you're gonna insult McGillis why compare him to something so cool. "Snake on the moon" - now that's an insult. But I digress.)

But what is the Pied Piper exactly? The Pied Piper, or the Ratcatcher (der Rattenfänger) is a legend of the town Hamelin in Lower Saxony of Germany. There are dozens of variations of this tale, but I'll only be talking about the most popular versions that relate to the events of IBO.

In 1284, Hamelin had a rat problem. Basically there were a whole bunch of rats, and they made life suck for the townspeople, as large numbers of rats tend to do. According to Robert Browning's poem, the people were mad at the mayor for not being able to solve the problem, and were about to kick him out. Then a man wearing a coat of many bright colors (Browning's version says yellow and red, both in McGillis's palette at some point) and holding a pipe showed up. The Piper promised to get rid of all the rats in exchange for 1000 guilders. He then played his pipe and all the rats came out and followed him into the river Weser and drowned.

The townspeople did not follow through on their end, however, and came up with all sorts of excuses to not give him the promised 1000 guilders. This angered the Piper, and he played his pipe again, and this time all 130 of the town's children came out and followed him away dancing and they never returned, nor were they ever seen again. Versions disagree on what happened to the children. In the Grimm Brothers and Browning's versions they went to Transylvania. Others say they went to a land like paradise in a cave. Others say they drowned in the river like the rats.

So how does this relate to McGillis and IBO? Well actually it's pretty obvious - Gaelio is simply saying McGillis is luring Isurugi, the Revolutionary Fleet and Tekkadan to their doom with false promises.

However, the point of this post is to point out some interesting details of this parallel. The Piper lured the children of Hamelin away as an act of revenge on the adults of the town because they didn't pay him what was rightfully his for his service. McGillis's coup can be framed as revenge on the corrupt system of the world Gjallarhorn maintains, and those who personally victimized him.

Interestingly, some accounts describe the Piper as "a miracle of God" and that he was sent to test the townspeople, and punish them when they didn't keep their word. Others call him the devil in disguise, who intended to trick the people and take their children. This is like how McGillis can be seen as a charismatic leader aiming to change the world for the better, or a ruthless, cold-blooded, lying, backstabbing, power-hungry traitor who will stop at nothing.

Additionally, Bael, the demon king, is a fallen angel who was cast out with Lucifer for rebelling against God, and Gundam Bael's gunpla box describes it as "a demon with the appearance of an angel" (this could also apply to McGillis himself).

In many versions of the story, some children are left behind. Which ones exactly vary, but Browning's focuses on a boy with a broken leg who couldn't keep up with the other children, so he was able to tell the villagers where he saw them go. The boy said they went into a portal on the side of the mountain, and on the other side was a paradise where everything was beautiful and peaceful. The boy was very sad he couldn't join his friends there because now he was all alone and couldn't return to that land.

Sounds kind of familiar, doesn't it?

In the epilogue, Gaelio is in a wheelchair and his bandaged neck suggests that his Alaya-Vijnana implants had been removed fairly recently. Supplemental info reveals that McGillis injured his spine during their fight at Edmonton, and Gaelio was only able to be up and about in S2 thanks to his AVS.

If the land the Piper and the children went to is Heaven, then this could be read as Gaelio being the only one not to follow McGillis into death, and being the sole survivor of his friends (for the sake of this argument Julieta doesn't count because Gaelio wasn't fighting for or against her).

An important difference is the boy longed to follow the Piper, while Gaelio rejected McGillis because he schemed to kill him and his friends.

The Piper's other name, the Ratcatcher? Tekkadan are space rats?

Also McGillis's true name Montag, presumably his surname before Iznario's adoption, is German for Monday, hinting at his heritage, and the Piper is a German story (obviously).

The Pied Piper is a legend that originated in the Middle Ages, and Gjallarhorn's leadership, ideology and overall aesthetic is reminiscent of that.

There is a version of the story that the Piper will return in 300 years. Which he did not do, but 300 years? McGillis, the self-proclaimed successor to Agnika Kaieru after 300 years?

I can't be bothered to write a separate piece on Gaelio's legs so I should also mention that Vidar, the Norse god defeats Fenrir by stepping on his lower jaw with his shoe made from all the collected pieces of leather people cut from their own shoes, and grabbing his upper jaw and ripping him apart at the mouth.

Vidar's special shoes are like how Gaelio says he’s carrying all the wishes of Carta and Ein, and the AVS Type-E also serves as his literal feet. (Also he wears very striking white thigh-high boots that are very hot. What they're not is part of the Gjallarhorn uniform, just to make this connection, in addition to exacting revenge in style.)

In many carvings, Vidar is shown stabbing Fenrir through the heart also, and Gaelio/Kimaris Vidar defeats McGillis by pinning him against the Arianrhod flagship and stabbing him/Bael through the torso.

Proposed origins of the Pied Piper

Now obviously there was no piper guy dressed in goofy clothes that stole all the children of a town with magic music. There are several theories about what the legend is based on. This has nothing to do with IBO anymore and I just thought it was fun so feel free to stop reading if you don't agree.

Plague: According to this theory, all the children died because of illness and the place they went to is a mass grave. The Piper's many-colored clothing represents the sores and discoloration of skin of those who contracted the illness, and he is the personification of the plague/death. Rats are carriers of fleas, which spread the plague. 1284 is a bit too early for the Bubonic Plague (Black Death) though, so it may have been something else.

Emigration: The emigration theory suggests that much of the people of Hamelin moved to eastern Europe in search of better opportunities as only the eldest son had inheritance and the others could only be serfs. In this theory, "children of Hamelin" are not actual children, and it's just a figure of speech to say they were of a certain place. This correlates with some versions where the Piper and the children he took were sighted in Transylvania.

Human trafficking/the Children's Crusades: In these two theories the Piper is the recruiter/trafficker and the story was made up by the town to please their officials.

Dancing mania: There have been records of dancing mania in about the same time period in the surrounding region, and children were among the affected. Dancing mania can sometimes result in death due to exhaustion. It was originally attributed to a curse by a saint (St. John or St. Vitus) and you had to pray to them to lift the curse. Modern explanations for dancing mania are neurological disorders or collective mental disorders.

Pagan ritual: supposedly the pipe music and dancing children are part of this ritual that took place in the mountains, and the children died from a landslide or similar accident.

"You're reading way too much into Gaelio's one line" no actually I am reading exactly the right amount into it and everyone else isn't reading into it enough

#mcgillis fareed #gaelio bauduin #iron blooded orphans #gundam iron blooded orphans #gundam ibo

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