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Mirror Image
Scene Commentary by MoonlitAngel007
Tracy In Trouble
�Roger! Look!� Diane called out, almost too loud. Roger directed his attention to the young girl on the ground, crumpled up, cold, and wet. They nodded to each other, and rushed over to check out the girl.
�Hey, excuse me,� Diane whispered, kneeling down and shaking the girl lightly. She let out a painful moan, her face turning to the couple, bruised, scratched, and dirty.
I think I mentioned this before, but the beginning of this fanfic was a dream, meaning from Chapter One to parts of Chapter Two. This scene was part of it. Of course, people argue that you cannot see game characters in dreams. I beg to differ, because who said I pictured Tracy as a bunch of pixels shaped into a young girl? I wasn�t actually there with the characters, so I could see everything. Roger and Diane didn�t originally have names, and they are vague to vision simply because they are ACs. Anyway, I was trying to jog with my memory on this one, adding in snippets of dialogue, creating detail to match what I had seen, or maybe touching up the description. I noticed that the readers would suspect at first that the hurt, stranded girl is Paula due to the description given at first, but then she turns around and it�s Tracy. When that fact is known, the reader will be slightly stunned, and the wave of emotions such as pity for the girl will change slightly, since there is an abrupt character change as well due to what he/she thought. The reader may also think, "Oh, poor Tracy, where is Ness?"
Feelings
Ninten raised an eyebrow. �So you�re going to watch my every move while I try to take a rest here? You know, that makes people uneasy.� He searched his pack for a different shirt, selected it and went for the bathroom to change. He knew about her monster crush, but it didn�t mean he objected to it. It almost seemed now that they had a small relationship going on, even though they never committed to anything. He still liked her a lot, even though he was a little temperamental to her sometimes. Maybe he was emotionally insecure?
Ana felt pain twist in her heart. He was so stubborn! Why couldn�t he be nice to her more often? It was rare that he was sweet or caring, and when he did that, he usually tried to do it when she didn�t know about it, behind her back. It frustrated her to the point where she was feeling her eyes grow a little wet and her jaw tremble. She scooted off the chair and plopped face-flat on a bed, trying her best to prevent the tears from coming down. He would just yell at her for crying, probably. He always said she was a burden when she acted like this or showed her pain. So, as tired as she was, she fell asleep with the troubled thoughts swarming in her head.
Here I wanted to experiment with a new relationship other than the well-known NessxPaula. Those of us who have played "EarthBound 0"/"Mother" will already know how Ana, and possibly Ninten, feel about each other. There is something different brewing between them because they are different people. Sure, they look the same as their counterparts, but they are certainly not clones. I was trying to portray how both of them felt about each other at that frustrating moment, both what Ninten secretly thought and how Ana reacted inside when Ninten pushes her away once again. Like most people, particularly emotional girls, she was stung with those words, especially when they came from somebody who means so much to her. Therefore, she felt the urge to cry, but knew that with his attitude, he would dislike that and make fun of her even more. That is because Ninten would put up a shield to cover up his real reason for yelling at her tears, to hide the guilt and mercy. I know what it�s like to be scolded or disapproved of by someone you�re fond of or close to. I absolutely hate it.
The Meeting
�You�re� what the crap?� Ness stammered, gaping at himself with wide eyes. �How� you�re me!�
�That�s what I thought too, but if I�m not mistaken� is your name Ness?� the smaller Ness asked, halting in front of him.
�Yeah, but� what are you doing with Paula? Why does she look so much younger?� Ana felt somewhat confused, and Ninten said, �What? Paula?�
�Who�s Paula?� the little Paula asked, cocking her head somewhat in bewilderment. Now Ness was really stumped.
Wouldn�t you feel weird meeting an almost exact physical image of yourself in person? Trust me, it wouldn�t be like looking at the mirror. I suppose this is a take on if you ever actually happened to meet somebody who you could call your "twin." I tried to think like Ness would in this situation, only try to react like Ness probably would. One of the only things I regret is that I don�t think Ana looks that much like Paula, but resembles her pretty closely. Basically, this scene is just a bunch of confusion. I think it would be pretty funny to meet myself.
An Awkward Moment
Poo had been slightly stricken. He knew she wanted to talk to Ness because she was indeed troubled. She didn�t want to talk to him, just Ness. Why was Ness so different than him? How could he give her more comfort than he? Was he invisible to her in times of need? He turned his head to watch her leave. Ness was just too special to her. For some reason, a hole began to bore into the prince�s heart, but it was small and never proceeded to enlarge. It is as if she doesn�t trust me.
It sort of annoys me when I notice all the Ness/Paula relationships buzzing around, or at least, the preference of it. Even Jeff gets some pretty decent spotlight with Paula. Why, though, do I never see anything serious when it comes to Poo�s relationship with Paula deepening? I think they are very compatible. Even if they are not in a more intimate relationship, it always seems to me that Poo and Paula are like close siblings. I guess when I was writing this out, I didn�t exactly know what I was doing. I just flowed along with how Poo would feel about Paula�s extreme fondness of Ness, and how he feels as if she does not think of him as highly as she does Ness.
I want you to be in this situation. You�re in Poo�s position. Somebody you really like isn�t returning their friendliness and trust back as much as you are. It�s not an equivalent exchange. You seem to value your relationship with him/her more than he/she does, and what�s worse, he/she goes to somebody else for aid and support and seems to value them more than you want. You feel like you�re insignificant. Ness is on the pedestal for her, but Poo is not. However, Paula does not know this, so you can�t throw the blame at her. It�s one sticky situation.
I really like the Poo/Paula relationship. That is why I decided to deepen their relationship with each other a bit more, even if it is one-sided. However, when Ness and Paula�s relationship flips over to both ways, then Poo has serious competition.
Lumine Hall
Why did I agree to come with them? I knew this was going to happen. Something secret might spill out, like my true feelings for Paula, or CRAP! I HATE THIS! I WANT TO JUST RUN OUT OF HERE! NOW I�M GOING TO BE ASKED QUESTIONS LIKE �Ness, what do you mean? True feelings?� �Um� All eyes were pointed straight at the young teen with the red face. They had found their mark. Paula was lightly blushing.
Ahaha, poor Ness. XD I�ve always thought about what it might be like if everyone could read your thoughts as clearly as if they were on a white board. Sometimes, I�ve even believed that somebody might be able to read my thoughts clearly, so it made me uneasy and paranoid and I constantly shoved whatever private thoughts were in my head at the moment away. Unfortunately, when you are aware that people are reading your mind, they snap back like a magnet. You worry that people will read one of your deepest, darkest secrets. Those are the things that usually pop up when you�re trying to hide everything away. Oh, and when Paula finds out, she�s pretty happy, and that�s an understatement. Too bad Ness� feelings had to come out like that. He could have saved the time for something more� er, romantic! Haha!
The Dreams
�It started when the stars fell from the sky. They crashed like meteorites upon several appropriate areas until the gem was back in my possession. The world around me lighted up once again, and I could see. I was at Milky Well, not Summers. That�s where I found this thing.� She touched the pristine jewel once more. �I�m trying to figure out what it all means.�
I wanted something interesting and mysterious to happen. Dreams are sometimes like hidden messages. They are the perfect riddle in any adventure, now aren�t they? I chose Paula because she seems appropriate to have the dreams. I can�t explain that one, but it just makes everything cooler. The stars crashing and the blindness are just hidden meanings that she has to interpret for herself. Of course, I understand what it means. Does that make me smarter than Paula? :P
A Mysterious Confrontation
�Never give out your names to strangers, though. They can use your name for valuable information, such as the fact that you�re precious to my worst enemies. I�m sorry, but you�re no longer safe in my presence.� The next and only thing Tony and Tracy could do was to widen their eyes in terror and shock, and then after a bright array of yellow light surrounded them, a black curtain shielded their eyes.
I think this is a good start for this "mysterious being's" personality. He seems so calm, collected, and intelligent. This most likely goes along with the stalker issue. If they know your name, they can hack into personal information and scoop out what they need to know in order to abduct you. This is a lesson learned for Tony and Tracy, then. Poor things. This thing is a child abductor! I can�t wait until the fanfic nears its end.
The Truth
�Forget it. It�s� nothing.� He turned away to hide his embarrassment.
Ana was slightly crushed. He was really close! She wanted so badly to hear those words spill out of his mouth, for at least a year now. Her feelings were mixed up in a vat of frustration, desire, anxiety, and hope. She wanted to say something to bring back to the moment they were sharing. Sure, she still lay snuggled in his arms, but he was about to confess something wonderful, almost magical. �No, Ninten�� she whispered. �I want to know� I�ve been dying to know. What are you trying to say?�
His cheeks flushed redder.
Disappointment is a really sucky thing to deal with. I�ve been disappointed thousands of times, but that�s part of life. This is bad especially since this is something Ana has been awaiting for a long time. It�s like when you�ve almost run a good five miles, and right before you reach the finish line, you pass out. Ana longs to have her feelings returned, even if it is only a little amount. It�s funny how Ninten is having so much trouble spitting it out when she already knows anyway what he is trying to say. It is only valuable once he actually says it and admits, instead of having it go unstated. Then the sweet relationship is practically floating out of reach. But, we understand you, Ninten. Saying something that takes commitment is really hard, especially when you�re describing something beyond words.
So Where Does That Leave Loid?
Maybe she deserved somebody like Ninten. Perhaps if it was best for her, that�s the way it should go. He may not be able to hug her frequently or be told those special three words every day, but all that mattered was that she could be happy the way she was. It hurt Loid to think that way, though. He wanted her.
I could be just as good as Ninten, part of him boldly declared. But you don�t have the confidence, another piece snarled. Why did Ana matter to him that much, anyway? His interests didn�t lie in girls. However, as he had gotten to know her, he had fallen into the dangerous trap of love and could find no means out. It could happen to anybody. Loid found himself blinking more frequently to keep his eyes from stinging with tears that attempted to form. His heart hurt like nothing before, and the shock of it all was overwhelming. Desperately he hoped something bad would occur in their relationship so that she could be his, but that was selfish. Most of all, Loid simply wanted to break out from this torment of heartache, and there was no better way to do so than to sleep. Definitely not in here, though.
Good question. Nah, just kidding. We always have inner wars, but it�s always unclear just who wins. Love is a confusing thing, especially when you�re Loid�s age. It�s like a foreign language that you learn as you go along. Face it, we are all selfish, and some more than others. Loid really wants Ana to be happy, but if she is happy, then he is not, and it just leads to a repeating cycle. If Loid is happy, then Ana is probably not as happy, and instead of fishing Loid out of a trashcan, Ninten will be dumping him INTO one. Who knows, Loid might not love Ana after all. He could love her only because she accepted him, making it an illusion.
EFR
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