Undead’s New Unit Is Called Hellsing, Like, Abraham Van Helsing, The Classic Enemy Of Dracula? Seeing

urania im so sorry honey you deserved better i love you

Came Back Wrong from the gocey store

You're super cool, and you're from California too? Woah. Nice! I'm not in LA (well, unless you count Greater LA. Then I AM in LA) but it's still so nice to see someone else from the area also be an enstarrie! (Well, there's millions of people around here. So there's no way there isn't other enstarries, but you know what I mean, yeah?) Hope you have a wonderful night!!

i know what you mean 😭 there were at least 3 enstars cupsleeve events in LA/OC back in 2022: one for leo bday, one for niki bday, and one combined event for reikao bdays, so definitely lots of enstarries in socal! unfortunately, i have not met any of them...

anyway we are not alone. we will find our bretheren

still thinking about how the concept of undead's AIs could have been explored even more. it makes so much sense for a morally bankrupt company like rhylink (who already doesn't understand the appeal of undead as a unit) to fund an AI version of undead using their old selves because all they see are numbers and the popularity of hellsing (and it's certainly what akira was expecting us to assume from the first half). they set up so much for the conflict to center around undead feeling useless in the face of technological progression, like all of adonis' comments about feeling unmotivated to improve his writing when he could just run it through an AI writer.

take rei's monologue in the final chapter about what the true strength of humans is -- that humans are alive. (and he's talking about himself, too -- he's a human, he's alive.) rei comes face to face with an AI version of himself that acts as his charismatic, godlike war-era self with none of the physical disability and limitation, something that can do anything and everything, and recognizes that it's not alive. not just because it's an AI -- rei was also not alive back then. rei was just like the AI, acting out a shallow personality, following a set pattern of behavior, not feeling any kind of human emotion or connection. like a living corpse pretending to be human. his "softness" in the modern era doesn't make him weak, but is rather his greatest strength. and now rei is loved just as he is, for being human.

i also think it would make the reveal of koga having written resurrection soul more impactful -- this is proof, flesh and blood, that AI is a shallow copy. every song koga writes is a labor of love (nightless world's lyrics make me incredibly emotional). rock 'n roll comes from deep within your soul, as koga would say! all the pain and love and character development undead went through over these past few years is sublimated into their music. AI would have been a fantastic vehicle to reaffirm what undead meant as a unit, especially in the wake of undead losing fans in !!-era and feeling directionless.

does it ever strike you guys as funny that Rei took Koga in the divorce?

Koga: Ah, it's Saturday already?

sound of metal pipe clattering in the distance

[TL] PYSCHOBREAK/Chapter 3

[ This post uses Ois~su ♪ ]

Rei: Umu. I did some research regarding it, and I found that no one in RhythmLink requested that we take part in the experiment.

Koga: Huh? W-whaddya mean!?

Rei: I asked and it seems that it was a machine we spoke with. No real person knows about the experiment— that is the story they are sticking with.

It is unusual for myself to put on a serious face, but this time I feigned total ignorance…

It was rather bold of me, to tell a lie.

Kaoru: Yup. The higher ups thought we were behaving recklessly and were all up in arms about it.

Adonis: Umu. We were flooded with messages asking what HELLSING was.

Koga: I-I’m startin’ to feel kinda scared…

Guess I’m speakin’ with hindsight but we was probably too hasty ‘bout gettin’ involved with a questionable experiment.

Rei: So it seems… We realised we were losing popularity and tried to regain as much control as we could as quickly as we could.

And it all snowballed from there. In reality, I am as much of a fool as I thought I was— I must reflect on this.

Kaoru: You can reflect later, but first we need to focus on the problem at hand.

Rei 2: Eh? Where’s the problem?

Ain’t this turnin’ into a good thing for you guys?

Kaoru: Okay? Fake Rei-kun, can you shut it? We’re having an important conversation right now, alright?

Rei 2: Haha, someone’s in a bad mood~! If your lack of sleep is gettin’ to ya, why dontcha sleep with me, Kaoru-cha~n ♪

Kaoru: Wa, nononono….You’re just being creepy and gross now. Adonis-kun, you deal with him.

Adonis: I’d rather not either. Please don’t pass him to me.

…Despite his appearance, the fake Sakuma-senpai is nothing like him.

As things are now, fake me probably has a different personality too.

Adonis 2: ...

Rei 2: Our recall ain’t perfect yet, ‘n we still got a long way t’go. But hey, we’re still collectin’ data from you as we speak—

Sooner or later​, we’re gonna be so similar to you that even your parents won’t be able t’tell the difference.

Adonis: Is that your purpose?

Rei 2: You oughta be usin’ keigo, kohai. Even though we’re brand new, you still gotta pay respect to us.

Rei: I actually feel rather lonely when someone speaks to me in keigo. It's distant.

Rei 2: You’ve gotten soft, real me.

Well whatever. Becomin’ ‘real’ is instinct, but not our purpose.

We don’t have a sense of purpose.

Like I said earlier, we’re machines, wooden dolls, puppets. We ain’t got a heart, jus’ programmin’.

To feel, to think, to desire—

And dreamin’ too, is an annoyin’ flaw unique to you humans.

Rei: I believe that is what makes humans so fantastic.

We should move on. Questioning these fakes is not worth our time. Let us leave these machines behind and begin exploring the inside of the facilities.

Though it seems they have already disposed of any evidence, perhaps we can locate some documents here and there. Then we can discover why this has taken place.

And before you ask, I have already reported what we know so far to ES and the RhythmLink higher ups, and have been given permission to search the facilities.

Adonis: As always, Sakuma-senpai is fast at covering all his bases.

Rei: That’s one of my strong points. Of course, we are far from experts, and I don’t expect to find much–

But what else can we do in this moment?

Rei 2: Whilst you’re doin’ that, we’ll carry on with idol activities in your place.

Koga: Haa? Get over yourselves, you ain’t real.

The fans are confused ‘cos of you. They don’t wanna see fakes that only look like us from the outside, you bastards.

Rei 2: Confused? But from what I saw, there were a lot of really happy fans?

It’s pretty funny once you realise but–

When fans saw what HELLSING was up to, they was so happy, cryin’ too, goin’ “The real UNDEAD are back!”

Can you guys even afford a detour by checkin’ out the facility?

Whilst you’re worryin’ ‘bout things that don’t matter, we’re replacin’ you ♪

Koga: ...

[ ☆ ]

Chapter 2

Was having a rough week, and drawing Undead cheers me up, so here they are in dresses