shellphones | video; what's up with those dragons?

Type: Video
Sender ID: pinksidekicking (Nimona)
To: General Public
Subject: Dragons
Warnings: Only maybe spoilers for Nimona movie

[ Please do not adjust your screens, there is, in fact, a pink gorilla appearing on the network. One who opens their mouth and a somewhat feminine voice comes out of. ]

You know, there are a lot of awesome things about this place. You can have a crew, no one's trying to kill you just because of being different, all the new foods, getting to explore the world, having ample opportunity to use fish and sea puns... breaking things sometimes. [ The gorilla is counting on their fingers. ]

Really, I could go on and on about why I love this world. [ It sounds like there's a- ]

But! You know what really gets me? We can't adopt dragons! Sure, they say "dragons can't be tamed", or "they're just too wild". [ Cue the quotation marks and the eye roll. ] But all I want in this life is a tiny pink mini-me dragon. Who better to try and be a dragon parent than someone who's also a dragon? At least a dragon on occasion.

Come on, you can't keep placing dragons in front of me and expect me to not want to adopt one of my very own! I am literally made to be a dragon parent, watch this!

[ The gorilla is setting up the phone to stand on its own, then steps back several feet before... with a little sparkle of pink magic - turns into a semi-large, equally pink dragon. It's holding out front arms like "ta-dah"! ]

Dragon parent Nimona!

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[ Just walking up to the poor, fallen little girl. Just kind of. Kicks are her shoe with his own. ]

Really? What if I told you I fought a dragon once?

[ The foot bobs back and forth dramatically. ]

I would ask you if you took pictures. [ Teasingly, then more seriously. ] I know that not every dragon is going to be cute and nice like that little pink one.

[ Said as if biting people is cute or nice. ]

Was it big? Did it take a big bite out of anyone? What color was it?

[ She is clearly not upset that she can't adopt any dragon, or that people might be fighting them out there. Nimona is not going to be trying to save every creature here that's been marked as a target or bounty. ]

Didn't think about it too much at the time. Not sure you could call it a real dragon, even though it looked like one.

[ But yeah. He is going to take a moment to describe how they came across Ultima Weapon. How the fight went. Why it was important for them to take it on. ]

[ She listens attentively to the story, eyes wide. ]

That is wild. The planet making weapons and then them looking like creatures to fight. That's like, the ultimate test.

"If you wish to be worthy, you must defeat my weapons in combat." [ Her voice takes on a much deeper tone. ]

[ Cloud huffs one of his amused little laughs. That's certainly one way to think about all of the Weapons scattered across the planet. ]

It honestly felt like that, almost. Like some sort of trial.

[ She grabs her knees and leans back a little. ]

Your world sounds a lot more fun than mine does. I wish people in mind had to go on some epic quest to find ultimate weapons to save the world.

You say that but... Usually that sort of thing means that the planet or people you care about are in danger. Do you really want that part of it too?

[ Please say no, Nimona. ]

[ There's a moment when Nimona is quiet and thoughtful. ]

I mean... hear me out; sometimes things need to get shaken up for change to happen for the better. But, if my planet or the people I cared about were in danger, I'd try to do something about it.

[ Even if the people of her world hate and fear her, try to kill her upon learning what she can do, she'd still try to save them. ]

People as a whole will build up walls to keep themselves safe - sometimes literally and figuratively. Those walls aren't going to come down without something big enough to make all those people realize that walls aren't what really keeps them safe. Maybe that will be a good "something", and maybe it will be a bad one. We can't just take the ones we want and only have good ones, we have to accept that the bad ones are going to happen, and be there to protect the people.

[ There's another pause of silence. ]

Do I think the people of my world would band together and break down the wall if their "something bad" was gone? Sometimes. But if there was some planet-wide threat out there? In an instant.

[ Now it's Cloud's turn to grow silent and thoughtful. He takes a seat next to Nimona. Pauses and listens to her words. It's funny... He thinks that she would fit in just fine with everyone back where he is from. Still doesn't understand why people fear her either. Human or not, things like physical appearance really don't matter. It's her heart, which really is so good, that matters most of all. ]

I'm not disagreeing. But I guess what I meant by that was that I wouldn't have needed to do half of what I've told you if it wasn't for this guy wanting to kill everyone on the planet. We were kind of doing a good job of that on our own, but some people were working really hard to put a stop to it.

[ He frowns, looking up at the ceiling. ]

Been on both sides of it, though. I thought that joining Shinra as a SOLDIER would make me into someone. As a kid I really looked up to Sephiroth and thought that what Shinra wanted was a good thing. Still believed it pretty much right up until the guy lost his mind. Turns out he was an experiment made by Shinra and he wasn't the only dirty secret kept by the company.

[ Nimona takes in his words, his story. She knew about the darkness guy a little, but Cloud is really opening up about it now. ]

If it wasn't for that guy, would you even be the person you are today? Would you have been willing to try to look past my darkness and save me, if it ever takes over me? [ Would he be strong enough to stop her if he couldn't save her? ] The darkness shapes us just as much the light does.

[ But she gets it. ]

Shinra actually sounds worse than the Institute, though. I bet they painted a pretty picture to the public.

No, I wouldn't but then my mother would still be alive. So would Tifa's father.

[ Sure, it shapes them. Cloud knows that and has come to accept that. But is it really worth all of the pain and suffering that has been brought on because of it? ]

I wouldn't have lost almost five years of my life being someone else's experiment.

video; what's up with those dragons?

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