>>"Une Inconnue Bien Connue" - "A Well-Known Unknown" (or
>>"Stranger").
>
>Although not well known for some of us, it turns out. :P

In this instance, it specifically means well-known to Gryphon.

>(I don't really play Overwatch. They lost most of my interest when it
>came out there'd be no story mode when there's obviously a really
>fucking interesting story going on!)

Yeah, I don't either, for largely the same reasons (well, that and I just don't think multiplayer-only games are fun), but the lore has always interested me even if (or, well, it's me, so maybe because) the actual game's developers are almost entirely wasting it. Also (as we have seen elsewhere on the Forum recently), BZA is big into it. Including a witch version of Tracer in OWaW was originally her idea, and dropping her into this particular plotline started as a set of jokey Twitter DMs between us that eventually reached that magical "y'know, actually, I think we have to do this now" critical mass.

>Regardless, I think there is one telling take away that Flan has from
>her period of insanity: she now has a very much zero-fucks-given
>attitude. Albeit the happy variety. Azalyn is gonna eat her up.

Well, she'll certainly want to. Whether she'll get the opportunity... no data at this time. :)

>>Fusōnese witches get things done - They're not always things
>>anyone else particularly wants to get done, but that's another
>>story.
>
>Not quite following here, but I've always been kinda dense that way.

Just that they have a reputation for being decisive and proactive to an extent that might be described by members of other cultures as "precipitate", "headstrong", or occasionally "mad". The received wisdom is that if a witch from Fusō sees something she thinks needs doing and it isn't getting done, she'll just go and do it, generally without consulting anybody first. Granted, a lot of this reputation was established singlehandedly by Mio Sakamoto, but not all of it. :)

>Aside: it could be said that this is an aspect of Japanese culture
>that isn't usually touched on. Basically, it has to do with gender
>roles within a Samurai household. Yeah, the man of the house sets
>policy and goes and makes bacon and all... But it's the lady of the
>house who makes the magic behind the scenes happen and generally
>ensures that the household operates like a smoothly oiled machine.
>Rightfully so, the wife of a Samurai is herself considered Samurai.

IIRC, they were also expected to be able to ruin somebody's day if they had to.

Medieval English society kind of worked that way, too. Less with the "ruin somebody's day" part, but in a well-off medieval household, the man of the house, for all that he was legally master of his demesne, owner of all within it, and so forth, customarily did not possess the actual keys to the house or any of the rooms, lockable containers etc. within it. His wife had them.

(This is not necessarily just a medieval thing. Theodore Roosevelt famously had no idea how much money he had or where it went much of the time, so he mostly wasn't allowed to spend it himself. Edith handed him $20 each morning, and in the evening he couldn't have told her what became of it if his life depended on it, which is why she only ever gave him $20. That was substantially more money in 1904 than it is today, of course, but the point remains. :)

>So it's no surprise that it'd be the Fusonese witches that are the
>stone-cold killers when it comes to the "Honey Do" lists at various
>JSF Squadrons.

This also partly stems from the culture of the Fusōnese armed forces, which places great emphasis on officers' initiative (particularly the Navy). "If something needs to be done, don't whine to your superiors about it, just get it done" is drilled into IFN officers at Etajima.

>At first when I had read through the relevant bit, I had at first
>thought that Remillia was speaking of the father and not the son.

They both visited, but it was the son she was a little sweet on.

>Thing is, many historians suspect that, due to the content of letters
>between Bach and the rest of his family, that he had a form of
>Tourette Syndrome. It really does do Bach credit, though, that if he
>was indeed afflicted with Tourette Syndrome, that he was able to make
>the social connections that he had made despite that.

In his era, a man could get away with a lot of social faults if he was a big enough damn genius. :)

>>Aw, jeez! My gazebo! - I never imagined I would ever have
>>occasion to give a character this line, but here we are.
>
>I don't think I've seen this used anywhere else in particular,
>though...

Well, true, but I still never imagined anyone would ever have occasion to say it before it happened.

>>unlike certain vampires I could name, I can control myself -
>>She's throwing shade at the Draculs again, not Flan.
>
>And few people can sass like the French can. It's practically an art
>form.

REMILIA
Now go away...

(readies Gungnir)

... or I shall taunt you a second time.

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.