NOTE: This commentary is a companion piece to The Drums of Heaven. This chapter brings everything up to speed through chapter 24, but is focused on the question-and-answer format. So, we'll see how it works out, and maybe answer some questions along the way. Enjoy.
Duo: Question and answer again, hunh.
Heero: The author's stalling on doing a chapter for Hills.
Trowa: I think Zef's just getting bummed because there's so few good GW fantasy stories.
Zefyr: Oh, there's plenty of good ones. It's just that I've read most of them, and I'm bored.
Wufei: Go to the library.
Zefyr: It's just one of those days. Where's Mr. Perky?
Heero: Which one?
Wufei: Either would kill you for calling them that, y'know.
Zefyr: As long as I'm writing, I'm safe.
Quatre: We like to let you think that.
Zefyr: *eep*
Hilde: Okay, testosterone overload. First question, back on Chapter 17, Lainwyn asked: "And is the extra confusion the handiwork of our hacker friends, the well-connected Quatre and Wufei, or possibly Duo, knowing Pops might be doing just this sort of background check?"
Quatre: I think she means confusion related to the background for Hito Young.
Heero: Or the background story on Hilde Waters.
Trowa: Either way, the answer is unfortunately that we don't know yet, Lainwyn.
Duo: The author's notes don't really say. We've got a betting pool going, though, if you want to join in.
Relena: Nickel bets.
Wufei: 3 on the hackers, 1 on Quatre/Wufei, 3 on Duo.
Trowa: Next question is from CinC, who asks about chapter 14: "Does Heero like Duo as more than a friend or not?"
Hilde: That's a tough one.
Wufei: I'm not sure, Wufei.
Duo: Hey!
Wufei: No, in the context of the story, Duo.
Duo: Well, in the text, you're right. It's relatively ambiguous.
Relena: But I think Heero figures things out, in the next few chapters. He starts exploring the feelings side.
Wufei: SilverCaladan asks, after Heero takes care of Duo's injury: "and was it just me, or did Duo let down the wall that seems to be there whenever he is around heero?"
Hilde: SC, it was just you.
Trowa: Heh.
Hilde: Okay, just teasing. Yes, I think so. Votes?
Relena: Being injured, woozy, and coming down from an adrenaline rush would probably have the same effect as being drunk, which is known to lower inhibition levels.
Duo: That's awfully clinical.
Wufei: I think it was a continuation of the guard coming down, which we saw when Heero insisted on going with Duo to rescue Trowa. You might even trace the continuing friendships' development from those points.
Relena: There's been some feedback that Duo's remained cold towards Heero, but I think if you look at the text, Duo's successfully but subtly providing positive feedback for each of Heero's actions.
Trowa: I agree. It's there.
Quatre: It's all just as ambiguous and subtle as the original series.
Heero: Crimson's question, back in chapter 14, is only now beginning to be answerable: "is hilde beginning to become... enamored with heero or something, thus her strong reaction as they left the club?"
Duo: I think the answer is yes. Or was, I mean.
Relena: Really? I thought the next chapters showed that wouldn't be true.
Duo: Then you explain Hilde's behavior at the end of chapter 24.
Wufei: Hmm.
Heero: That whole section at the end of chapter 24... I don't know. I think we need to wait, to see where Zefyr's going.
Duo: Yeah, what else could you expect from Heero? Trust in the Author, he says. I've been trusting! And so far I've---
Wufei: Moving right along.
Trowa: Lainwyn also said: "I'm also wondering why our hackers have not been caught at any point recently in their endeavors, either by Duo or Wufei or by the team that Relena mentioned early in the intrigue."
Quatre: Duo? What do the author's notes say about that?
Duo: Only that Heero's interaction with the hackers is supposed to change dramatically in the next chapter or two. Nothing else, though.
Trowa: We have to go back to working with authors that use outlines.
Wufei: Being in the dark like this bothers me.
Relena: Well, the hackers are supposed to be very good, and aren't they mostly just trying to get information? They're not actually doing anything other than looking at stuff.
Hilde: And in the story, it says something about Heero taking the risks to have them do things, knowing it's not as difficult or dangerous as the alternative of having the hackers upload altered files.
Trowa: CinC says: "I also notice that Enny's knowledge of Heero preferring to drink whiskey. How did she know?"
Hilde: Oh.
Relena: Hm.
Heero: Didn't I have some at the bar, the first time Enny showed up?
Duo: Nope. You were only drinking beer, since you were still recovering from the hangover the night before.
Wufei: Maybe Hilde told her?
Hilde: How would I have known?
Trowa: That means...
Quatre: Author screwed up!
Zefyr: What? What's going on?
Quatre: We just figured---mmmphfff!
Trowa: Nothing, Zef. Get back to revising Hills.
Zefyr: Uh. Okay. I'll be over here if you need me.
Hilde: Unh-hunh.
Duo: Heh. *whisper* Author screwww-eeeed up!
Heero: Duo. Shut up.
Duo: Make me.
Wufei: Get a room.
Quatre: Next question.
Hilde: CinC says, "Is Duo trying to keep Heero away because of Heero's betrayal by leaving? Duo must know how dangerous it is to be the muscle and doesn't want Heero to be one, right?"
Relena: Yes, and yes, I think.
Duo: Same here.
Relena: Oh, Duo-kun, you're agre---
Duo: Don't say it.
Relena: Tee-hee.
Duo: *grump*
Heero: For the record, I agree as well.
Hilde: I don't. I think it's all related to the upcoming mission.
Quatre: The one that's only decrypted in chapter 24?
Hilde: Remember, Pops said it was supposed to be a doozy. What if Duo's interpreting that as particularly dangerous, and wants to protect Heero?
Quatre: Or maybe Duo's just trying to force Heero to experience the same resentment he himself felt when Heero insisted on protecting him, during the wars.
Relena: Oh. I hadn't thought of that.
Duo: Next question, from Crimson again: "Is Heero gonna shock his friends into a heart attack by actually dancing?"
Heero: Nope. Next question.
Hilde: Dyna asks, after chapter 21: "The guy just can't get a break and Duo is certainly not cutting him any slack, is he?"
Duo: Nope. Next question.
Wufei: You two scare me sometimes.
Quatre: Chapter 21, CinC asks: "It's seen Heero had learn much in the years that he had been away from the other pilot. Is it because, by leaving the other pilots, he's running away from his past?"
Trowa: I think I get what you mean, CinC, and in some ways, no. Heero did go through therapy to deal with himself and his past, while he kept to himself.
Zefyr: I've been meaning to imply that every pilot had some sort of therapy to deal with PTSD, during the 5 years since Mariemaia.
Wufei: Zef! Get back to writing! The sooner you finish those chapters, the sooner we'll get another chapter!
Zefyr: I'm writing, I'm writing.
Hilde: I think Heero was more running from his friendships and connections.
Relena: Which is ironic, given that the entire theme through the series was that of connections between the characters, and how the interaction of the characters would change them, for better or worse.
Quatre: Just wild beat communication, and all that.
Wufei: And that whole "contact with something pure," which in this case isn't Relena or innocent colonists or peace doves like Noventa, but the pilots themselves.
Trowa: The pure warrior spirit.
Duo: Very Japanese perspective. Doesn't really translate for Westerners.
Heero: I see you've been staying up late talking to Zef again.
Duo: It's the non-lemon ice cream.
Heero: Hunh?
Duo: Revised commentary. The one before this one ---
Hilde: Are those all the questions?
Wufei: Nope, there's one from Golden Rat, who asks: "So is Duo expecting some sort of declaration of love from Heero?" GR doesn't think this is likely, by the way.
Heero: I don't know.
Duo: In the story? Hard to say.
Hilde: I think Duo's got a romantic streak. Like LadyJessy points out, there was that whole buying-photography thing.
Quatre: But at this point, I don't know if Heero's really in love with Duo. Maybe in lust, and in friendship.
Relena: Although those are both necessary for a good relationship. So maybe we're just at the foundation stage.
Trowa: Good thing Zefyr's planning on at least five or six more chapters.
Duo: Plus one extra for the non-fanfiction.net lemon.
Quatre: Duo, I swear.
Hilde: You can do better than that, Quatre.
Wufei: Someone shoot the ceiling. That seems to usually do the trick.
Relena: Where's that Ruger? Here it is!
Quatre: No, no, keep the guns away from Relena-sama, with her aim---
***Ka-BAM***
Wufei: Woman! You just put a fucking hole in the studio window!
Duo: Heero, watch the glass!
Heero: Relena, put it down.
Relena: Quatre didn't cuss! Okay, let me try---
Quatre: Got her!
Relena: Hey! That tickles---
***Ka-BAM***
Quatre: Fuck!
Trowa: The microphone---
--- END TRANSMISSION ---
End Part 14
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