#{ v- do not underestimate her power -- Challenger }

[vulpinekiss]

Tag dump 2: Skin verses

[memoriakissed]

Tag drop: Fixed Verse Tags

[aangarchy]

Azula is not the most powerful firebender in atla

Now before you shoot me in the kneecaps for saying something so controversial, hear me out

Azula is a fantastic bender. She's a prodigy, learning at a very young age and being able to bend blue fire despite the extra effort it takes. She's mastered lightning at 14, a skill that's considered quite rare. She also uses her acrobatic skills she learned from Ty Lee to her advantage to make her even better, swifter, lighter on her feet, not needing to be steady in order to bend like other firebenders. BUT:

There are arguably two benders in the show better than her. Ozai and Iroh. Iroh isn't that hard to explain; he invented new skills by observing other bending forms, something that can only make someone more powerful. He is also able to spit fire from his mouth without being roided up from the comet (the only firebender we know of to do it w/o the comet's help). He's also a master lightning bender, and was able to keep more than a dozen Dai Li plus Azula at bay long enough for Katara to escape the crystal catacombs.

Ozai does not have a lot of screentime compared to Iroh and Azula. We only ever see him in flashbacks or sitting down on his little throne. We see him fight twice, once against Zuko and once against Aang. The fight with Aang he was roided up by the comet yes, but he still portrayed amazing skill. Lightning, propelling himself with only fire, spitting fire etc. But it's the earlier fight with Zuko where things get interesting. Ozai was able to tell when the eclipse ended by merely closing his eyes and focusing on the sun. He sensed it. Even Azula needed a cue to understand the eclipse was done: "oh sounds like firebending's back on!" Furthermore, Ozai immediately fired lightning at Zuko, and not only did he manage to do that without having to 'charge' first, he shot it out of both hands, which is something neither Azula nor Iroh can do (or at least we've never seen them do it, Azula has always had to charge her lightning and only uses one hand to shoot it, same for Iroh)

Honestly while Ozai has definitely looked like a chump in the show, I'm not sure Azula or Iroh could take him in a one v one. That might be one of the reasons his rule was never challenged, because nobody dared to take him on. I feel like the fandom underestimates him bc we only saw him fight twice and he lost both times (once bc Zuko's unknown skill took him by surprise and once bc Aang's avatar state eventually overpowered him).

[horizon-verizon]

Do you think Aemond is overrated? Both in the book and the show

How impressive he is, as in the accomplishments he has that accrue and mesh together into an imposing dressing?

Or his moral character (as in practices good morals)?

Yeah, overall. For different reasons when we go book vs TV show.

Because book!him didn't conquer anything (Criston is the one who arrived at Harrenhal after Daemon abandoned it, and then Aemond came around to claim it since Criston was also fighting for/with him). He thought he won there and that Daemon ran away, but Daemon was actually drawing him and Criston out to fly to KL and meet with Rhaenyra so they could take the city. He doesn't really get to command an army during battle, since Criston advised him to go to Oldtown and wait for Aegon but he instead wanted to just go to KL and fight Rhaenyra....but then after a mysterious argument -- that may or may not have been over Alys Rivers -- Criston and the entire army leave him to go south and Aemond is left alone. Instead of going to KL to do as he previously said he would, he burns down multiple riverlands castles, villages, and towns to draw out any of Rhaenyra's riders. He leaves behind Alys when Sabitha Frey comes for Harrenhal, and when he comes back and fires on her people he takes back Alys and disappears until Daemon draws him out. And then he eventually dies after taking the bait (Yeah he probably knew that this was a final battle of sorts. Doesn't negate that he underestimated Daemon even though the older man fooled him twice). With a sword thrust into his other remaining eye so hard that it stays in his corpse at the bottom of a lake and out through the back of his neck.

But even though we are only in the first season of HotD, the book's suggestion of his character outstrips the show's. The show's Aemond is both whitewashed AND a more pathetic version of him because the writers refused to give him half as much violence, anger, and amoral volatility as his book self has. Aemond is a lot more confident, tongue-whipping, vocal, etc and had been so since he was a small child:

Two years later, she produced a daughter for the king, Helaena; in 110 AC, she bore him a second son, Aemond, who was said to be half the size of his elder brother, but twice as fierce.

AND

Prince Aemond, despite the loss of his eye, had become a proficient and dangerous swordsman under the tutelage of Ser Criston Cole, but remained a wild and willful child, hot-tempered and unforgiving.

(Fire and Blood; “A Question of Succession”)

The word “remained” lets me know that Aemond was “willful”, “hot-tempered” and “fierce” from young childhood. And there are no suggestive contradictions to this characterization. If anything, how he speaks about Rhaenyra, how he beat his nephews "savagely" in the Vhagar claim and eye incident, and his behavior during the war all support the fact that he was a raging, misogynist bitch with too much power, a desperate need to prove himself, and an unwarranted axe to grind. Plus there are no accounts of him being a benevolent or even just a mild force to be reckoned with.

In HotD, he's presented first to audiences as a nonprovoking victim of bullying...when he would have been the bully in canon.

Was it cool to see a dragon claiming happen? Of course. And if you didn't know about F&B or hadn't ead it, you'd be all for Aemond in that scene due to the bullying. (And after the fight scene you should at least feel conflicted -- that's what the writers seem to be going for. I say you should still dislike him even if you hadn't read the book -- if you see what the original purpose of this scene is.) But from the beginning, book!him and his brothers hated the V boys (quote above).

Aemond purposefully kills Lucerys in canon. And for a guy (in the show) supposedly into the "philosophies" and learned...he couldn't muster the calm to not pursue his nephew in a rage? He couldn't not challenge him in front of Borros?!

This change (because it doesn't exist in canon) makes Aemond look even worse and more pathetic because he had the supposed material to develop a more rational mindset (as the show implies)...but throws it all out the window at Storm's End.

And Lucerys didn't even provoke him at Storm's End. Aemond was the one who approached him to demand his eye for his lost one!

Then there is the fact that medieval "philosophies" in the real world were written by religious supporters, monks, friars, nuns, and generally religious people. Would there be more moderately religious or atheist texts, yes, but the bulk came from religious persons either interpreting the Bible and its events or reusing ancient Greek and Roman writers and philosophers' thoughts and Christian-izing them, and citing word of mouth and other Christian principles or thinkers.

An example of the latter is how Tertullianus, Saint Augustine of Hippo, Aquinas, and Saint Ambrose all developed the idea that no human could truly shapeshift because they do not have God's shape-creating power to modify and the "nature", i.e., the soul, and that any subsequent change reported is actually delirium, hallucination, or the work of witches' and demons' illusions. Because they do not have God's power, they are rather creating illusions rather than real transformation and shapeshifting. And the "evidence" or reasoning came from people's word of mouth and eye witness accounts that were not disproven because those were the accounts and the mode by which they had the materials.

So if Westeros is modelled after medieval Europe and England, we can assume that these "philosophies" are these kind of texts, what always seek to prove the Faith's and the Seven gods' primacy and legitimacy, even if they were written by maesters. Highly biased. All it likely did for Aemond was reinforce his patriarchal obligations and privileges as well as his prejudices against his nephews.

*EDIT* The person who did read philosophies and prepared themselves mentally as well as physically would be Jacaerys Velaryon, not Aemond. He's the one giving military commands and such (the Red Sowing, Battle of the Trident, etc.) and he is the one who would have had to work hard to show that he was a capable ruler and commander because enough of the court suspected his parentage. *END OF EDIT*

Then there is the set up for Alys Rivers in the 9th episode, where he goes to get Aegon back with Criston. They talk to an older female sex worker whom Aegon took Aemond to have sex with when the guy was 13, and it seems Aemond is very uncomfortable or dismissive when she addressed him. People who have read the book know that this is setting us up for Alys, but instead of a situation where Aemond claims Alys as his sex slave/war prize just because he wanted to (from attraction) and could, the show is leading us into a narrative where Alys might be the one to victimize Aemond through psychological manipulation. All because she is at least 20 years older than him. Meanwhile, again , canon Aemond is fierce, volatile, and violent; he is a prince; he was trained by Cole to be a very good swordsman and fighter; at Harrenhal, he had a whole host of soldiers; he has a dragon. In what world could Alys Rivers be Aemond's abuser?! She could be any age, and she would always be at a heavy disadvantage.

If she ever were to emotionally manipulate him, it would be due to survival and take back power that was taken from her, not out of evil or selfishness or sexual perversion. Especially if she did have visions of the future, and told Aemond that Daemon would be at Gods Eye, she would have seen Daemon kill or injure Aemond....which means that if she did have visions, then she purposefully sent Aemond to die. She would have used his preexisting arrogance and desperate need to have a legacy of his own against him.

Even if she were to be a conniver, should I really feel bad for him, with all that he is?

Not only do these changes in writing and characterization all make Aemond a lot less confrontational, bold, etc, it also reduces his accountability. Because everything can be traced back to how "helpless" and "wronged he was". Meanwhile, this is a terrible way to look at what his loss of eye and subsequent evil acts means for a story that tries to show what patriarchy and entitled upperclassed men/boys can do when given a lot of leeway or allowed to develop a sense that they can and should demand more (for power respect, and glory).

Reducing or removing accountability is what Condal and the writers are pretty much going for, unfortunately. Since apparently they wish to make Aemond more reactive than proactive. As in he reacts to things as they happen. But that's not how writing stories works, characters drive the story forward in ASoIaF not plot, and reducing accountability and action only dulls the character. Where is the passion of ambition that drives him and his mother? Gone, because apparently wanting power at the cost of even your own integrity and/or others' lives with no just provocation makes you "boring".

So, in all and again, yes Aemond is criminally overrated. In both versions. He's also better and more entertaining in the book by being so comically evil while still making more sense as a character due to that unbridled entitlement fostered in him.

[karouvas]

Hi it's me again having thoughts about the fic you haven't even begun writing, the comes back wrong au. You mentioned that Gansey's being more manipulative with the Gangsey but that certain things he's doing (ie, no glasses) are just him messing things up for himself. So, and this is a roundabout way of asking, what do you think would work for the people around him? What would make him excel in Manipulation 101?

Like I told you in a message I keep on partially writing this in notes app then not liking how it’s going and starting over so just typing it all out now and posting before I can reassess. Update on this concept is that I now have an official doc and have started outlining although not very far. Context: this is referring to my fic idea I have labeled as No Humanity Gansey, essentially a Gansey Comes Back Wrong au canon divergent from TRK where he comes back without emotions think NH arcs on the tvdu or shadeless arcs on the magicians or any of the many fantasy/paranormal storylines that utilize this trope. The basic idea is to remove a chars empathy and see what they do / who they are when uninhibited and the perspective that adds to their char and dynamics normally. I am planning to move up Gansey’s death in the sequence of events to pre toga party because I want there to be a sort of Chengsey v Blue Adam Ronan Noah (since Noah hasn’t been erased due to a different price being paid) set up and that works best if say, Blue and Henry haven’t bonded yet and I also want this to be before the Pynch gets together / Gansey learns about Pynch / shovel talk section because that also changes the dynamics. So I spoke in our initial convo about it on Gansey’s being so tuned into social hierarchies and how to charm and please according to them because of his upbringing, but also being afraid to sort of abuse power including social ones because he is a kind person in general, and also his obliviousness to a lot of more interpersonal social interactions and the opportunity with this premise to explore how much of that obliviousness is genuine (some of it def is) and how much is really compartmentalization / plausible deniability when Gansey wants to prioritize the quest for Glendower / not deal with something himself / wants to not hurt someone with a perception. And generally he would be a lot more emotionally manipulative and would be attempting to manipulate the gangsey. But also some of his incorrect perceptions of his dynamics and how others view him would interfere with this conceit the example I brought up was a sillier one but he doesn’t know Blue is most attracted to him with glasses / at his nerdiest so if he was trying to say, present his most appealing self to persuade her of something contacts wouldn’t be the way to go lol. But this question is less about what Gansey thinks / would do and much more about what Would actually work in manipulating or swaying each gangsey member in some way if he could pull it off. So I might reference the former when it feels relevant but will focus on the latter. And again have not actually started out writing this fic proper so all subject to change my thoughts on once I’m in the thick of the actual process.

Ronan — I think Gansey should not underestimate Ronan which I feel like he is likely to do in some ways? Like Gansey probably would expect Ronan to be the least challenging to sway (I haven’t 100% nailed down his end goal but I do know Cabeswater still exists after his death unlike in canon and he’d want to establish himself as more closely linked with the mystical like I mentioned before. So the manipulation goals are like preferably persuading them to join him but if not at least distracting / disarming them so they won’t interfere too much) because he’s so devoted / they’re so inseparable / the dog motif Gansey, especially this version of Gansey who is more callous in his view of his friends, wouldn’t expect to have a lot of trouble managing / controlling Ronan the way he would with Adam or even Blue who clash with him far more often and care more about being independent outside of him as a concept. So I think Gansey would need to check that blind spot and recognize Ronan as someone who cares about the other Gangsey members too much to just leave them at Gansey’s request (especially since again he doesn’t know about Pynch yet if he did I think he would be a little smarter about this) I do think he’s not wrong that Ronan responds really well to Authoratative Gansey and that would be appealing to him, and also knows that Ronan has his jealousy complex and so would spin Henry being around to Ronan in a way to make Ronan the official second in command over Henry even if that wasn’t true, or a Henry is just temporary and we’ll stop needing him but I’ll always need you! Thing I think that all could be effective although the combination could only be effective with really deliberate … maneuverings and said maneuverings would have to be done in a way that doesn’t trigger Ronan’s distaste for lying/falsehood although for someone who feels that way he sure does go for men who are maskers/pretenders in some way doesn’t he… so those are my basic ideas for Ronan but I need to develop them more.

Adam — Conversely I think Gansey is going to assume Adam will be the most challenging to sway / manipulate, since they clash the most and have the most natural tension in their relationship when Gansey is his normal self. So I think that puts Adam at a disadvantage in the way it puts Ronan at an advantage. I actually think if Gansey kind of weaponized his touch with the gangsey it would be most effective in throwing Adam off his game, because of Adam being the most tactile and the most touch starved combined with how he’s always felt about Gansey combined with I hc that Gansey actually is the least tactile with Adam in general (he doesn’t touch people in canon as much as the other three do I think largely because of socialization. the times he does casually touch Adam are their fist bumps which are so intricate rituals and then a couple moments in DC otherwise he doesn’t I think, less spontaneous than some of his moments with Blue where they’re flirtily touching/holding hands or like Ronan smacking his thigh) largely because he doesn’t want to trigger Adam since he knows touch can be hard for him due to abuse associations, one of the ways Gansey tip toeing around Adam actually has the opposite effect of the one he’s going for. So yeah, I think touch and like sexual manipulation wise (although Gansey not knowing about Pynch yet would still factor his manipulations negatively in certain ways) Adam would actually be most vulnerable imo so that’s something to consider. I think Gansey might try to appeal to Adam’s ambition which isn’t a Bad strategy but Adam has developed enough as a char by TRK he wouldn’t be as solely swayed by that as he would be in earlier books, I think in a lot of ways how Gansey can succeed is just in recognizing these people and how they have changed and how they are different from his original assumptions and that’s not always very easy for him especially with Pynch I think Blue and Henry is a bit different. This is kind of something that would work to manipulate everyone but I like the idea of him accidentally stumbling into it with Adam and then purposefully using it against all of them from then on: Gansey weaponizing his own safety and mortality and pain. I think especially since Adam is so afraid of killing / hurting Gansey and also just the idea of becoming like his father through hurting someone he loves weaponizing that fear would be really fucked up but really really effective. Another big thing Gansey could utilize here is how their conflicts sometimes had to do with their differing moralities and Adam being comparatively more gray when Gansey has a more black and white view, so I think the part of Adam that really wants Gansey to understand him could be appealed to because this Gansey does understand that and wouldn’t view him reproachfully for making tough callous calls. But then also ultimately Adam loves that Gansey is kind and good, so it would be a real battle between his two impulses there and I think the latter would win out eventually but it could. Get ROUGH. Adam will really go through it in this.

Blue — I think one factor that would be influencing Gansey where Blue is concerned is that this version of Gansey doesn’t have a death wish / doesn’t find death inherently appealing which is an element in his relationship with Blue, him falling for her more the more that he accepts his own death. So this version is less reckless with her but still wants her badly and also is most vulnerable to her in a lot of ways as she understands him better than Adam and Ronan do, so a lot of these things make it harder to manipulate her but do succeed in putting Gansey on edge to be constantly angling for new ways to attempt. I also think he is more aware of her level of understanding of him than he is with other chars but I still think there are areas where he has blind spots to her, because of his blind spots towards himself (the glasses like you said). I also think there’s an element of Blue being a mirror confusing him more and bringing his true self more to the surface, so just trying to not give that away would be a step in the right direction. But in terms of manipulation I think leveraging things that can help or hurt Blue’s family (he could also do this with Mathew for Ronan) would be a good strategy, I also think him being more willing to disrupt to group dynamic to be with her would be appealing to her despite herself but then that goes against his opposite impulse to be a bit more wary of her and she’s also pretty traumatized post killing him with her lips, like with Adam think there’s something to be said about weaponizing her fear or hurting/killing him but it would function differently as Blue has a different outlook / type of fear of that than. Also if Gansey figured out on his own that the kiss curse isn’t a thing anymore that could simple things up in terms of his reservations and that could lead to more success maybe but then there’s still Blue’s complicated feelings to consider and not assuming her knows what those are.

•Noah — I don’t think manipulation is really possible here from a combination of his being a ghost and a mirror, I think Gansey’s best bet would probably be getting rid of or containing him in some way so he can’t help the others.

Ty! And like I said this is just my thinking in abstract once I get to properly writing I know some of my thoughts will change / evolve.

[thecondemnedangelgabriel]

V

Emily

Do not look at what Sara is doing Online and think 'you are behaving stupidly and therefore I do not need to take you seriously or respect you or what you are trying to impart to me...' because it is simply the case that you have not been able to interpret this Person's CONTEXT

It is not Stupid AT ALL what Sara has done, it is Uninterpretable AT THE MOMENT to SOME because they do not Understand The Context

Emily, do not Listen to ANYTHING Tregonning Tells You

Sarah is Mindbending

Sara's Context Is HIGHLY HIGHLY Unusual

Sara's Online Content is NOT ILLEGAL though you've thought so...

Because of the Actual Context of Sara's Situation O O

Tregonning will tell you that is Sara Annwyl 'Being Egotistical and Unhinged', saying She's Special...

But it is not that AT ALL

These are Extraordinary Important Circumstances FOR ALL

Tregonning SEEKS TO BELITTLE to make herself feel tall...

She has therefore also Underestimated Everything that she is involved in...

Including Roxanne Anderton who took Subservient Role

To the Grimmest Extent, You Two O O

Because Roxanne was emburdened with Difficult History

And did not know how to Interact Healthily

And Sarah took Hugest Advantage, Sadistically

And THAT is to do with Tregonning's Ego which is Psychopathic

O O

Sara would like you to Come To Understand The Spiritual Reality

OF Sara Annwyl

She IS Possessed, Emily and the Ogbanje will Help Comprehension

Until this Goddess is Released by this Attacking Angel O O

The Angel is Commanded to bring forth Denial! Of Holy Reality! O

And the Angel therefore, at the End of his Angelhood...

Is enacting something extremely strange indeed, revealing the Spiritual Insanities...

Of Our Whole World Under The Power Of Old Endarkening Diana

O O O

Sara is not 'Full Of Shit', She is under Extreme Spiritual Attack

And Sara has been Fatally Entrapped in a Psychopaths Calculation

Since 2011, Sarah has been working upon this All Around Sara Annwyl...

O

Sara sought to Respond In The MOST Excellent Way Possible

To Her Life

Her O

When CHALLENGE came... O O

What IS the Challenge Asking From Us O O O

Angels do things Differently than GODS Emily

Elves are Exceptionally Cruel

They are only one frequency of the Angel, but this Angel... O GABRIEL!

Gabriel isn't Sara, Emily

And Sara isn't Vera Void or God Diana

Sara is a Different Kind of HOLY SOUL

O

[maytheoddshq]

Alecta Beckwourth. District One. Score: NINE.

PROLOGUE: INTRODUCTIONS

  “Alecta Beckwourth. District One.”

  I. LAYING PLANS

  War was a grave matter. Severe. Not something to engage in without adequate consideration. One must critically appraise their odds of victory. One must contemplate alternative routes and measures. One must not deviate from these calculations, lest they fail by way of their own negligence. Alecta’s plans were long laid, gone awry only with Cyril’s presence, but she would not lose. She would not die.

  II. WAGING WAR

  Success required winning decisive engagements quickly. Alecta’s greatest challenge, of course. She was not keen on keeping herself in reserve, nor on holding her tongue. What glory was there in limiting competition and conflict? In playing coy and cordial? So she’d challenged the best: coaxed Montgomery onto the mat, acquired the confidence of Rio, earned the attention of Cress. And she’d made clear her superiority over the other tributes – Courtney, and Prairie, and Ripley. What was a game without competition? Perhaps she could have been more palatable, and that was a double-edged sword, wasn’t it? A pleasant woman was rarely a feared one. What recourse would that leave her? To play the innocent? To permit herself to be underestimated? To be the only woman among a Career Pack of men, and to be pitied by them? The thought disgusted her. Repulsed, Alecta stepped to the simulator, picking up the first weapon from the rack within. A sword. She flourishes it, catching her reflection in its polished blade. Gorgeous. Deadly.

  III. ATTACK BY STRATAGEM

  The source of strength was not in size, but in unity. An alliance of five was not necessarily the largest one to occur within any given arena, but there had not been a Career Pack with such potential – such power and talent – in years. And if it was cohesion that would win the fight, then there was no denying the synchronicity between her and Cyril – and perhaps that also present with Cordelia. Allies, spies…their true identities would be revealed soon. Alecta turned the dial on the simulator. Easy. Standard. Hard. Expert. If there had been something above that, she would have chosen it, but she’d worry about inventing that after achieving victorhood.

  IV. TACTICAL DISPOSITIONS

  Maintain footholds. Defend existing positions. Do not give the enemy opportunities. When you see one, strike. Alecta positioned herself so that there was no space for an attack from behind. Instead of raging ahead at the first sight of a foe, which would have led her into a vulnerable state at the center of the simulation chamber, she toed the line, stalking defensively to draw them forward. And good thing, for as it became clear she would not fall for a lure, more holograms appeared from the seams, unfurling from their hiding places. Two. Then three. Then six. Alecta rolled her neck, stretching, releasing the tension on her cervical spine. Patience. Let them come. The first ran, broaching battle, striking the first match. Where Alecta had refused to give up her stronghold, this first hologram now crossed, and she welcomed them to her web, carefully spun. The blade cut through its core like butter, slicing smoothly through code. It ran another step or two before its torso slid from its hips, collapsing into nothing onto the floor.

  V. USE OF ENERGY

  And then, Alecta turned. Her back to the holograms, she surveyed the weapons rack again, placing the sword firmly back into its holder, which was just below eye level. There, in the blade, where she saw herself moments earlier, she was now watching the hoard of holograms taking aim, inching closer. Creativity in timing – the wiser cousin of patience. Alecta feigned distraction, leveraging the reflection to duck as cybertronic throwing stars hurdled toward her back. They ricocheted off the rack, and she reached for a spear, turning fluidly, releasing it, watching it pierce the hologram now that it had disposed of its ammo. It sputtered and vanished. She didn’t bother to watch, as it had rudely interrupted her original task. Alecta lifted an ax from the wall. A little unrefined for her tastes, but sturdy. More than enough to get the job done.

  VI. WEAK POINTS AND STRONG POINTS

  A later translation of the original Chinese text would change this chapter to Illusion and Reality. Alecta rejected this interpretation. Perhaps it would work for others from One, like Cress, who played games with smoke and mirrors. She was sharper than that, dabbling only in the concrete, remaining fluid through it. The core tenants supported her claim: that despite shifting landscapes of battle, one must move through them or suffer. Accommodate without falling prey. Like now: the four remaining holograms approached, but a fifth had appeared in the rafters, crouched high above. It pounced the same time the others lunged, and Alecta had to forfeit her foothold or face the consequence of rigidity. She inhaled, shifting onto the balls of her feet. Light. Lithe. She dodged the drop of the hologram from above, harnessing the force of inertia, the physics of her moving form and the weapon altering its weight, rotating to swing into its side. Then out, back into another’s head, and then forward once more, into an arm. She pulled it out, swung hard down, into neck, leaving the blade as its new holder – the hologram’s body – slumped to the floor.

  VII. MANEUVERING AN ARMY

  Direct conflict was a risk, though. Most avoid it, finding the consequences outweigh the potential odds of success. But when it is forced upon you, the only choice is to respond (as even retreat – or worse, surrender, were choices too). Alecta went to reach for the next weapon. A trident. But a hologram had taken advantage of the chaos and wormed between her and the weapons rack. She frowned, huffing in annoyance. Hand to hand was supposed to be her finale. But Alecta could adapt. Hadn’t she already? Things change. Like Cyril being here. These things didn’t diminish her talent – they didn’t make her any less good. So Alecta acquiesced, caught between two holograms, watching them close in from either side.

  VIII. VARIATIONS OF TACTICS

  As they lunged for her, she leapt up, pushing up until she could dig her heels into their silhouetted necks. She slid down onto one, on its shoulders, a thigh on either side of its neck and head, grasping its jaw and head as she settled. A quick crack – a snap to the side, just far enough past to break its neck – and the collapse of its form brought her down onto the other. They fell onto the floor, Alecta’s hands coiling around its neck, feeling the electricity reverberate from her palms and up into her core. It had no lungs, no need to breathe, and still, she choked it until it fell limp. The firmness of the hologram dissipated with its death, dissolving almost immediately into nothing, leaving her knelt on the floor. 

  IX. THE ARMY ON THE MARCH

  The three that remained moved like water, free-flowing and smooth. Alecta stood, taking the bow and three arrows from the rack. When she turned to take aim, the holograms were gone. She nocked the arrow, drawing it back on the string, stepping carefully along the perimeter. On the march, an army can face any number of encounters when in enemy territory. One must anticipate and predict intention. Where would your enemy wait? Why hide in the first place? Alecta considered this. Why would they be programmed to have drawn back on her now, and in such unison? She paused, recognizing the trap at hand. The desire to lure her to the center, wherein they could obtain a tactical advantage. The simulator had its holograms working together, cohesive in their attack. 

  X. CLASSIFICATION OF TERRAIN

  So Alecta leveraged the terrain to stay a step ahead. She tucked the arrow back in its holster, slung over her shoulder, before she began to scale up to the beams to the platforms above. But she didn’t stop there. Higher, higher, Alecta inched her way up to the rafters. From there, it was crystalline: the three holograms, glowing from behind beams, hidden, waiting for her to appear beneath. She smirked, re-nocking, drawing an arrow back before releasing, letting it cause deadly harm.

  XI. THE NINE SITUATIONS

  The arrow hit its first target, though not fatally. It did, however, alter the other two to her position. She drew back and up, using shadows to conceal her as they scattered. In this situation, one must respond systematically. Look for the wounded, the confused, the stragglers on the outskirts. Pick off their weak. Then find their stronghold. Alecta drew back another arrow, finishing the job, gifting the injured hologram with a final blow to the eye, freeing her energy to hunt the others down. Time to take the remainder of the terrain. Time to force defeat or claim their surrender. 

  XII. ATTACK BY FIRE

  Alecta slid back down from the rafters to the platforms and onto the mat. Tossing the bow and remaining arrow aside, she took the throwing knives from the rack. Her weapons of choice. Two holograms left. Except when she turned to finish them with one knife each, there were more than two forms. More than ten, even. She sucked in air. The simulator offered no way to leverage the elements or environment, sterile as it was. In the arena, she’d herd them, wrangle them with fire or lure them into deadly currents. Trap them with a mutt or crush them with snow. Here, she had only physical force. 

  “What is this even simulating? All of the outer district tributes unionizing in the arena?”

  XIII. USE OF SPIES

  The next few minutes were a blur of code and steel. The clock was ticking down dangerously low, and Alecta hadn’t factored in for a last-minute surprise. But battles weren’t all won with surefire seizure at the finish line. There were only two throwing knives, but with the hoard closing in, she was able to use them each twice: two plunged into stomach and chest before being thrown farther, landing square between eyes. The detour was going to serve her, one way or another. There were more weapons she wouldn’t have gotten to otherwise, after all. And that was what she wanted, wasn’t it? To show off? To prove that she could use anything? That she could kill with just her own claws if it came to it? A trident, thrown. A mace, brought down brutally, turning a chest concave. Alecta worked her way through the rack, letting the refuse remain where the bodies had disappeared, or disposing of them herself back onto the floor. Eventually, with seconds left, Alecta had her way: her feral finale. She had the last hologram on its back, its face in her hands, forcefully lifting it up from the mat and smashing it back down repetitively. Over and over, until the code of it collapsed and caved, crushed like skull, and at last, as it sputtered and vanished, Alecta was alone. 

  EPILOGUE

  Unscathed, Alecta stepped out of the simulator, drawing her form up proudly before dipping down in a grandiose bow. “Thank you for your consideration.” It was formal. Traditional. She lingered a moment longer, jaw held high. And then she turned, chest puffed as she exited the room. One battle won. One more victory in the art of war. Gorgeous. Deadly. 

[firesongbard]

Name the Dead

V A K A R I A N

Garrus turned his visor over in his fingers. Each name had been etched into the side with the memory of the person who died. He’d never been religious—never really bought into the pomp and circumstance of appeasing the spirits and calling them for aid. You made your own luck. And if something, somewhere, decided to help him out every once in a while—

Well, he wouldn’t complain. He just knew better than to rely on something he couldn’t see.

But he couldn’t deny that standing here, in the belly of the Normandy, facing the memorial wall, holding the last testament to his team…

…he felt something.

“You know, when we had Jack on board? She asked if she’d end up on the wall if she died.”

Shepard had snuck up beside him while he was lost in his thoughts. She stood at parade rest, eyes fixed on the names on the wall ahead. Garrus settled the visor back over his left eye, gratefully accepting the invitation to leave his own mind.

“Not like her to get fatalistic without resorting to property damage first.”

“She wants to go up as ‘Bad-Ass Bitch’.” She tucked her chin down, muffling the quiet laugh in her throat. “I told her it probably wouldn’t fly with Alliance Brass. Liara could probably track down her name… but she picked Jack. Pretty sure if the point of this wall is to honor the dead, it’d be a big insult not to use the name she chose.”

So far, they’d been lucky. So far, the names on the wall all memorialized the people who served on the SR-1. They both knew the list would get longer before they were done.

“If you use that logic to put me up as Archangel, I will personally drive the spirit of Vengeance to your ship and haunt you for the rest of eternity.”

“That can’t be how Turian spirits work.”

“Try me.” He met her eyes with the playful challenge, and saw her lip slowly turn up, forcing tiny creases by her eye.

“You know… I think I believe you’re just stubborn enough to do that.”

“Never underestimate the power of a stubborn turian.”

[mmikmmik2]

If you were to sort the Infinity Train cast(s) into the Major Arcana a la the Persona games, which Arcana would you give everyone?

anon I had SOOOOO much fun thinking about this, thank you so much for sending me this. I sorted all the major characters, plus a few other entries, based on a mix of Arcana symbolism, Persona series character archetypes, and general vibes. I came up with answers I feel pretty good about for all but four of the Arcana. (Was really tempted to say Strength is every human character who doesn't board the train because they can handle their problems on their own lol.) This is going to be a long-winded post, so I thought I’d post just the list as an image (which hopefully won’t be too blurry!) rather than wrestle with Tumblr formatting trying to make a short list, and put a big text wall under the readmore talking more about my picks.

If this list does end up illegible, the same info is under the readmore as text! Plus some characters for Magician, Strength, Justice, and Death that I didn’t want to add to the “official” list because they’re more based on headcanon. (Although my reasoning for some of the “official” picks is pretty weak lol.)

One-One as 0. The Fool

Oh my gosh, what am I?

IT is great at fleshing out character backstories and families, so One-One at the beginning of S1 is one of the few characters who really feels like a blank slate. He's got a lot of his baggage back by the end of the season, and I think One and One-One are more similar than they seem at first glance, but S1 does seem to have been very formative for One-One and how he thinks about what he's supposed to be doing and how he relates to other people. So it does kind of feel like his fool's journey.

Alrick Timmens as I. The Magician

The magician begins the journey... by beefing it on a dirt bike, dying, and sending his wife flying off the deep end. Rip.

Alrick was an engineer like Amelia, so I could see him suiting some of the themes of the Magician, like conscious thought and manifesting ideas. His apparent playfulness and insecurity are similar to the Magician characters in Persona.

Kez as II. The High Priestess

“We can’t make this decision for you, Kez.” “You know what to do.”

I thought really hard about making Kez the Magician because just like every Magician since Persona 3, she's dumb, horny, and insecure dlkjasfdkl

(and also her showing up at the start of the story arc and being helpful but also super needy is very Magician)

But the idea of "intuition" really does suit Kez. Sometimes her intuition is as bad as her conscious reasoning, but I think that's a lot because she's so confused about what happened with Jeremy, and Morgan making Kez feel like she did a bad thing by helping him.

Tuba as III. The Empress

She made me feel like I was warm all the time.

Tuba's a mom. Sorry, this one's not that deep, haha.

Simon Laurent as IV. The Emperor

Highest number! I'm the leader now.

Simon has a lot of issues, but the one that felt the most prominent to me was his unhealthy relationship with power, authority, dominance, and rules. Another quote I considered using here was what he said in Grace's memory of meeting Amelia: "I never thought I'd get to see the Conductor with my own eyes. He's perfect! Everything finally makes sense again." In his emotional crisis, he thought everything could be fixed just by the existence of a huge, scary, powerful, male authority figure, even if they weren't doing anything helpful or informative.

Atticus as V. The Hierophant

I like to think that our stones are sturdy and handsome, like the Corgis that crafted them.

Atticus is a figure of traditional authority who deeply loves the history, society, and culture of his people. He often provides spiritual wisdom and encourages Tulip to get out of her own head and engage with the world around her. Also in Persona, Hiero is the Dad Arcana so it's very funny to me (a) to make the little dog be Hiero and (b) that the little dog really does have the strongest Wholesome Dad Energy of the whole cast.

Jesse Cosay as VI. The Lovers

Don't tell me what to do. I'm not going to be a part of anything like this, on or off the train.

This was my first and easiest pick lol, Jesse is sooooo Lovers. Like, the focus on choice and personal values and relationships? Yep, that's Jesse. It works on an "actual meaning of the Arcana" level and a "vibes with the Persona characters" level lol... popular, upbeat, and having such an identity crisis.

Lake as VII. The Chariot

I'm my own person, who is getting off this train!

I don't know if Chariot captures all the ways Lake grew over the course of S2, but I feel like they had the most externally focused conflict of all the IT characters, which suits Chariot. They've been fighting to stake out their personhood from start to finish, and they took action and used their willpower to achieve that goal. Also they have at least a little jock energy which is a prereq for Chariot tbh.

Frank as VIII. Strength

I dunno, I kinda imagine him as a simple man and easily underestimated, but with a lot of heart. The Cat may say they're keeping things casual but I don't think she'd take him with her on her private vacation unless he had some kind of inner toughness that would let him stand toe-to-toe with her.

Morgan as IX. The Hermit

I need to be alone right now. Kez... maybe... we can talk later.

I like that Morgan embodies toxic self-isolation and stonewalling and rejection, but that she seems to be moving towards the positive aspects of Hermit and taking some time to calm down and process and think. I like it when characters can embody the best and worst of their Arcana.

Tulip Olsen as X. The Wheel of Fortune

We have to adapt to the changes in our lives. It's the only way things can get better.

Tulip has a lot of themes and conflicts, but this one is a clear standout as the most important. I also like it for Tulip because, while she has to handle a lot of difficult and even traumatic situations, some of the change that challenges her isn't as unambiguously bad as e.g. the death of a loved one. It really is just change itself she's struggling with, and that's Fortune babey. Also, from the perspective of the train itself and lots of other characters, by reversing Amelia and One-One's positions again and changing how One-One administrates the train, Tulip is the one giving the wheel a spin. That's fun.

Lucy as XI. Justice

One of my friends once described the Justice characters in Persona as "the ones the player character is ultimately accountable towards", and I like to think of Lucy as kind of being that for Grace (...since Hazel has excused herself). Lucy is the Apex kid we see Grace interact with the most, the first Apex kid Grace admitted to herself that she had harmed (see Grace very briefly showing distress and then regret when Jesse points the harpoons at his face and she stops him), and the first person to confront Grace when she came home in The New Apex.

Min-Gi Park as XII. The Hanged Man

I don't know if we'll sell a single album, but we'll figure that out as we go.

Min-Gi sacrifices his "realistic", "sensible" goals for a more personally (spiritually, even?) enriching life that's beyond his control and outside of the expected norm. Like the Hanged Man, who dangles foolishly upside-down, but as a deliberate choice and in a state of serenity and enlightenment. I also think this arcana suits a reading of Min-Gi's character development as starting off going slower as a way to stall and live in denial, but then going slower with deliberation. Compare his arrogant insistence on refusing to act in The Astro Queue Car to his patience and care in The Castle Car and The Train to Nowhere.

Jeremy as XIII. Death

This isn't about the death of his family - I'm thinking of his reluctance to admit his number was going down. He cared about Morgan and Kez, and it's possible both that he may have really wanted to stay with them despite his exit and that that might even have been a healthy choice - they're real ass people with feelings and everything, not holodeck characters. But I also think Jeremy was using his life with them to avoid moving on out of that fog (because it was hard and it hurt and he didn't want to think about what that would mean for him and Morgan) and Morgan was enabling him.

Ryan Akagi as XIV. Temperance

Maybe the experience is the point. I wasn't just rushing you. I was rushing myself.

I think this one speaks for itself. Also, the other quote I considered putting here, from The Art Gallery Car: "You told me I can't appreciate the song without taking in the rest of the album. I need the whole package."

The Cat as XV. The Devil

I always do the right thing.

Honestly, this is one I really wasn't sure about. The Cat isn't a great pick for a lot of the meanings of Devil. She is definitely consumed by material comforts, and the short-term rewards of ignoring her issues at a long-term cost, though. This is more of a "vibes with Persona characters with this arcana" pick... Devil characters tend to start off being somewhat exploitative or even antagonistic towards the player character, and gradually showing a more conflicted and genuine side.

Amelia Hughes as XVI. The Tower

There's a hole in the universe where Alrick used to be.

Amelia's life is defined by catastrophe and upheaval - both those she's suffered and those she's inflicted on others.

Hazel as XVII. The Star

I'm going to keep loving you like you're still here.

When I think of "The Star" as a small but inextinguishable light in the darkness, Hazel seems like the obvious choice. Although we left her deeply wounded, I think she still has a flicker of her hope, faith, and purpose.

Grace Monroe as XVIII. The Moon

But it's unfair for me to tell you how to understand yourself. I mean, I don't even fully understand me.

Grace is probably the most complex and dynamic character on the show and hence one of the most difficult to place. I considered Empress, Strength, Devil, and Judgement for her... I think ultimately, lies and illusions are the most unifying theme of her character arc. Also, from a Persona angle, her pursuit of status out of a lack of true self-worth reminds me of Ai and Mishima.

Alan Dracula as XIX. The Sun

Brought together by the majesty of a superpowered deer!

I'm sorry dkjasfklads this is largely because I thought it was funny to have this completely inexpressive dead-eyed deer as Sun akfk but also... like... it kind of works okay!!! Think about the genuine joy and comfort and positivity he brings to Lake and Jesse (and me)!

The New Apex as XX. Judgement

"Then what are we gonna be?" "Guess we'll have to figure it out?"

This is kind of a Persona mythology gag again because of Judgement being a group social link near the end of the narratives of P3 and P4, when the protagonists have pierced through the lies and actually figured out who the villain of their game is and are ready to really start making progress.

0 as XI. The World

Ah, train does it again!

It's an ending and the completion of a journey, but also the beginning of a new one. And the world is literally what the passengers receive at the end of their train journey. Welcome home.

[pinkykitten]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMs1CkOZuB0

MARVEL OC - ALEXANDRIA (Caitriona Balfe) my sis oc

(feat. HADES - Michael McElhatton, ARES (villian) - Gerard Butler, ATHENA - Gwendoline Christie, Alexandria’s friend / he sees her as lover - Manu Bennett)

Two spirits were siblings but the dark spirit of destruction named Mors wanted power and corrupted the lands and war began. Light spirit of life named Galatea helped Zeus and the gods win the war. Her brother the dark spirit was put into a Pandora’s box and kept guarded. There was a bridge created between Olympus and earth long ago. Humans with their families could come to live in Olympus and their was a time of peace. Zeus son Ares was not chosen by the light spirit to be emperor and foretells that one greater will kill Ares and bring peace. The prophecy says that one of mortal blood would kill Ares. Ares angry opens the box freeing and fuses with the dark spirit. He and his followers kill all who oppose him and go after the mortals. Zeus tries to stop them but before he is defeated he destroys the bridge so Ares can’t reach Earth. Ares kills Zeus and many others in his way. (Alexandria is a half blood since her mother, Kore, is a mortal. Ares tries to kill Alexandria but her mother hides her. Now all half bloods are the lowest of the civilization and treated the worst.) When the people turned to the light spirit Galatea she had vanished, many believe she too was destroyed by Ares. Any gods who wanted to keep there power needed to bend the knee to Ares and declare him as the true Emperor. Any others fled their lands and went into hiding leading to chaos. Now Ares is king and is very cruel and rules with an iron fist. The darkness has once again corrupted the land which is making it die and it caused an incurable disease that creates all living things into hideous man eating monsters

Alexandria grew up with her father Hades and her mentor and cousin Athena in hiding with others in the rebellion against Ares. She would be chosen by the light spirit as a baby but Hades would try and keep that hidden from others in their camp. She would grow up being made fun of because she couldn’t control her powers and the other children thought she was a freak. Athena teaches her whole life how to fight and the history of the spirit within her and the prophecy she must fulfill. When she is older is captured by the capital guards and taken as a slave. They underestimate her since she is a woman and throw her into the Colosseum with other captured people. However, she uses her training and strength to defeat them. Since she’s in the capital she knows Ares is there so she tries to keep her powers under control when she is made into a gladiator. But the audience starts to catch on and begin using her as the face for the rebellion. Ares tries to get her killed without the people knowing it is his doing since she is loved by the people and it would cause chaos. So he keeps putting her in situations that should kill her but she continues to succeed. He sends her and a groups of his men, this is where she meets her best friend, partner, and he who loves her, to the deeper and darker parts of the land behind the protection of the wall where no one goes to find the item Zeus left that would open the bridge to earth. But it’s abandoned and the monsters are the most prevalent there especially people how have turned. She is treated so terribly as a slave and branded on her back multiple times and she protects a child who is a slave with her she is whipped mercilessly on her back. So she bears these scars.

She challenge Ares to fight in the Colosseum and he accepts. However, she didn’t know what she was up against and he almost kills her. But just in time Athena and Hades make it to help her escape and Athena fights with her brother Ares to buy them time and this is where the guy who likes Alexandria betrays Ares and helps them escape. After this she learns how to use her powers fully and must bring an army together to stop Ares and his army since she gave him the key to opening up the bridge to earth. 

PERMANENT TAG LIST: @witchofinterest, @chlobenet, @abbysarcane, @myocmultiverse, @allaboutocs, @nkskywalker, @whctsherncme, @ocfairygodmother, @fandomchick80 lmk if you want to be tagged in Alexandria posts!

Please heart, reblog or comment! I worked really hard on this edit, its my first time editing a video and it took me like 3-4 days all day. I and my sister would really appreciate if you would give Alexandria some love, thank you!

[sablelab]

Covert Operations - Chapter 98

DISCLAIMER: This is a modern AU crossover story with Outlander and La Femme Nikita. LFN and its characters do not belong to me nor do those from Outlander.

THANK YOU so much for reading.  I’m sure it was disappointing to read that Claire’s rescue moment was fleeting and that their escape was foiled. Unfortunately, it was inevitable as the triad were aware that James Fraser had entered the monastery.  Nevertheless, the retrieval teams with Murtagh are getting closer and the triad may yet be the ones who have underestimated Section One. Until then, there is still a little more heartbreak for our two.  

 SYNOPSIS: Jamie and Claire are both now incarcerated.  Jamie is taken away in the hope that he will capitulate to Jonathon Randal’s methods of persuasion.

This chapter contains violence.  Previous chapters can be found at … https://sablelab.tumblr.com/covertoperations

 CHAPTER 98 (V)

 Jonathon Randall had been observing the captives from the doorway but once having seen and heard enough, he sauntered over. He glanced from one person to the other before standing in front of the cages with a sarcastic yet knowing smile curving his thin mouth. There was no mistaking the body language of the two people. It wouldn’t take a genius to put two and two together. There was obviously a strong connection between the two people and Karen had confirmed as much. He looked at Jamie. “Ahh! ... A heroic rescue attempt by a fellow operative, how ... romantic ... but it didn’t work, did it Fraser?” he added mockingly. Jamie glanced indifferently at the man who had been responsible for causing his Claire so much pain and suffering. He would not give him the satisfaction of an answer, instead an intense loathing for Randall and everything he stood for wracked through his body. If given half a chance he would have strangled him with his bare hands and think nothing of it ... except now he was not able to do so. However, Randall’s time would come and he would deal with him accordingly on his terms. Watching Jamie Fraser intensely Jonathon tried to see any emotion on his face. The man was indomitable though and the only reaction he got from him was a blank expression. He was cold, unmoved by their plight and the self-assuredness that surrounded him was worrying. Like Claire he would be hard to break. Nevertheless, James Fraser would be the means to an end. This sabotage concerning the triad had gone on for too long. Sun Yee Lok was biting at his heels to resolve the situation and the elimination of both these Section One operatives was his end game.

He would so enjoy torturing this man and he had plans in mind that would certainly test a lesser man. He looked forward to matching wits with James Fraser and seeing him capitulate.  He had to show Section One that the triad was much more powerful than anyone they could send to outwit and outsmart them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Jonathon Randall’s gaze narrowed as he glanced towards Claire Beauchamp. They had already subjected her to torture that would have broken a lesser man ... but as a woman she had proven to be made of a strong constitution. Would seeing Fraser suffer lower her defences? Could she bear to see him suffer even greater torture than she herself had endured? He would like to see her reaction to that.

He smiled dryly before walking closer to Claire’s cage and studied her face intently. Randall threw another glance back towards Jamie who in turn watched him. His eyes, then words revealed the thoughts that had been coursing through his mind since observing the two captives.

“Hmm ... I see that there’s a certain closeness between you and Claire, Fraser … perhaps something more.” Jamie said nothing just merely observed his face.

Randall’s face seldom showed what he was thinking presenting instead a bland and impenetrable façade. However, this time a sly look of cunning appeared in Jonathon’s eyes as he glanced from him to Claire then back to Jamie again. Then with some glee in his voice he remonstrated.

“Ahhh.  It all makes sense now. I remember that you talked in your sleep Claire Beauchamp about this man and now that I see the two of you together your words run hollow my dear. There is a connection between the two of you and one that goes deeper than just friendship.”

With a look that would kill, they both refused to comply to his slurs. He could go to Hell for all they cared, for they would never admit to anything concerning each other under coercion. He could speculate all he wanted about the two of them ... but they would never capitulate.

Cold, steely eyes canvassed the two prisoners and despite them not responding to his tirade he continued. “You're lovers. ... When you work with bodies as much as I do, you learn to watch every move, every twitch, and you two are lovers ... Yes ... this should be very interesting.”

He could barely wipe the malicious smile from his mouth very pleased with his summation of the two Section One operatives. If in fact they were lovers then this should prove to be very interesting as he could play one off against the other. But who would yield first? He looked forward to the challenge.  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Turning his head Jamie pointedly looked at Jonathon Randall. He knew what his captor was eluding to but he was prepared for what may come.

Many a target in the White Room had thought they had the upper hand, that is until the Torture Twins appeared.  Would Randall employ such torture methods too?  He had been trained to tolerate severe pain but he would not let his Sassenach be subjected to any more suffering. Jonathon Randall was a sadist and he knew at some point he would try his methods on him but he was ready for whatever may transpire between them.

Jamie watched as Randall began a tirade to try and convince him of his intentions.  

“I want to try and save time and any further discomfort for either of you. Right now, I can make this easy on everyone ... if I get what I want.” Jamie’s blank stare was his only answer and he gazed stonily ahead. Jonathon Randall blinked at him indifferently. “Oh, well, don’t say I didn’t try.” Staring at him without emotion, Jamie didn’t flinch with the knowledge of what was to come. He knew what Randall’s next words would be as too did Claire. Angry that he couldn’t crack either of these two people, those callous eyes locked on Jamie’s as a slight sneer appeared on his mouth then turning to the guards he ordered, “Take him!” Following Randall’s orders, they stepped forward, lowered Jamie’s cage and roughly yanked him out of his enclosure. “What do you want from us?” Claire yelled out frightened for she knew what they were about to do. “All in good time Miss Beauchamp ... There are a few things that need taking care of first.” Worriedly she grabbed the wire grill of her cage not knowing that the wire was cutting into her flesh. Blood began to trickle down her fingers ... but she felt nothing. Jamie’s imminent pain suddenly became her pain. With her heart in her mouth, worry and anxiety made her ache with anguish. Stretching her neck Claire watched as the guards dragged Jamie down some stairs until he disappeared from sight. Tears filled her eyes. She lowered her head in sadness but an unexpected sense of throbbing made her look down at her fingers. She was bleeding but she cared nothing about her own pain.

Closing her eyes, Claire prayed that Jamie’s torture session would be swift. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* “We're going to be wildly acquainted in the next few hours Mr Fraser,” Jonathon Randall stated as he gestured to his guards to prepare him for the water then the electro-shock treatment. Ignoring his statement, Jamie cast his two sidekicks a disinterested glance. “May I call you Jamie?” He asked condescendingly.

“I care not. But if ye're expecting me to cooperate, you'll be sorely disappointed.”

Standing to the side Jonathon Randall watched his captor’s reaction and he watched the guards as they carried out his orders. Cold water splashed and puddled on the floor as Jamie was targeted with what appeared to be a fire hose. He staggered back as he lost his footing but managed to remain standing despite the pressure from the water.

“Once more,” Randall said dispassionately.

Flinching Jamie coughed under the second drenching shower of water but he stood his ground this time eyeing his captor with deadly contempt.

Jonathon Randall strode forward and took him by the hair yanking his head back shaking it like a drowned animal so that drops of water splattered on the walls. Jamie’s eyes were dull slits as he peered back at him. Randall in turn, threw his head back in disgust wiping his hand down the side of his trousers and turned away. However, his eyes must have caught the flicker of movement because he began to turn back but not in time to brace himself against the Section One operative’s sudden lunge.

Jamie’s arms went around Randall’s neck with his forearm braced on his windpipe.  Randall turned purple and began to sag and Jamie loosened his hand just long enough to drive it into his kidney. The blow was enough to make his persecutor give at the knees.   However, before he could strike another blow, Jamie was tackled by two triad members and held forcibly while Jonathon Randal stood up holding his hand to his side and eyed his captive with a deadly glare.

Nicely fought Fraser but futile nonetheless.”  Regaining his breath back Randall’s voice was hoarse but as composed as ever. “Take him,” he then ordered gesturing to his men.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Strapping him into a chair they placed a device on to Jamie’s head with wires leading to two different pieces of equipment. Smirking, Jonathon grabbed one of the devices and went over to Jamie. 

“Our time together here... is but a momentary reprieve for your Mr Fraser but ... “

“What is it ye want from me, Randall?” Jamie asked somewhat aggrieved.

“Let me tell you how it’s going to be ... You will tell me everything I want to know, and much that I don't care about. I will ask, and you will leap … that's it! And … I expect you to answer my questions or else …” He left his sentence up in the air knowing that Fraser would put two and two together as to his meaning.

“And what would that be?”

“That you are involved in triad business. You cannot escape me Fraser. Surrender this information ... this pride that you hide behind and admit that, you're terrified.”

Standing in front of the chair Randall glared at Jamie with sinister glee then without severing his glance, then pressed the button on the apparatus. The sound of an electric current crackled in the air.

Excruciating pain raced through Jamie’s nervous system, however, he refused to show his interrogator any capitulation whatsoever. Jonathon gave him another dose or two of their torture techniques seeming to take great delight in seeing him suffer. His sadistic nature reared its ugly head again and again.

“On the contrary.  Ye dinna frighten me Randall.  It is ye who should be frightened.”

He laughed at Jamie’s audacity. “Give me what I ask and I will give you the death that you deserve. Clean, honourable, and of your own choosing. You could have a Roman death. You could fall on your sword like Brutus. Or maybe a Greek demise. Socrates took hemlock.  No... Perhaps you do not want to see my face at the end. I understand. I can simply slit your throat from behind. It's messy, but ... the choice is yours.”

“How will I ever choose?”

“But choose you must.”

Sweat began to pour from Jamie’s brow and blood oozed out of his nose brought on by the shock to his body. His eyes were as cold as steel and he glared at Jonathon Randall. “Your weaponry and tactics in entering the monastery suggest Section One, am I right?” 

Jamie showed no emotion, response, or movement. He looked disdainfully at Randall, then looked away.

“First, you must give me the answers I require. And make no mistake, I will have your responses before you leave this world.”

“All right. But I won't admit defeat.”

“I have to declare. There is a part of me that would be crestfallen if you did Mr Fraser. You do know that every man can be broken though?  It's... truly nothing to be ashamed of. It just takes time and I have plenty of that.”

“Ye’re the broken one Randall.”

The two men parried with a battle of wills and a struggle for supremacy. However, the conflict for domination was most prominent from Randall who certainly had the upper hand in this situation.

“I see we might need a little more persuasion.”

Noting his captor’s indifference, he gestured to one of his men.  Ordering him to increase more of the same, Jonathon Randall stood to the side watching as his commands were carried out. “Where is the extracting agent for Karen?” he asked as an afterthought. Still there was no response. Jamie refused to answer as he was bombarded with one question after another. “What is your involvement in the deaths of Tony Wong and Madame Cheung? .... “What do you know about the Rising Dragons?” Jamie closed his eyes. He heard the questions but remained stoic in his demeanour. “You answer me James Fraser! Or we can start this procedure right from the top once more.” Jonathon Randall looked annoyed and extremely exasperated with his failure to react to the torture treatment or to his questions. Jamie’s refusal to answer made him livid. When he zapped him again, two red lights on the head device came on. “What's it like to feel pain?” he goaded enjoying seeing Fraser suffer. It was evident that Jamie was smarting with the effects of the shock treatment, but he refused to answer any of Randall’s questions. The pain was excruciating. He felt it pool behind his eyes, his ears throbbed, his nose was bleeding and even his teeth felt the piercing pain that riddled his head. “Why do you force me to treat you in such an abominable way? Why do you choose to spend the few hours left to you refusing to answer my questions? Why do you force me to hurt you?”

“I’ll … kill ye Randall ... Arrgghh ...”

Jonathon ignored his retort.  “I could make this so much easier for you. Don't fight me. How far are you going to let me take this? … Hmm? … You may wish you were dead, Mr. Fraser, but I can assure you I'm too good at what I do to let that happen. Is Claire really worth all this Jamie, or would she do even half as much for you? ”

“Ye can go straight to ...”

Cutting off his reply, he zapped him again. “Ah … I see you are still alert Mr. Fraser.”

Jamie's eyes rolled back in his head in total pain knowing that the Rising Dragons would seek their pound of flesh in order to make him talk. 

“Perhaps this time you will tell us what we want to know.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ However, that was not to be. Jonathon turned away, shaking his head in disbelief at not being able to break him. “We'll have another session after you've had time to consider the price you pay for silence.” Crouching down behind him, Randall reached under the head devise and grabbed a handful of Jamie’s hair, exposing his neck. “We have some more questions to ask you before you're disposed of. We're curious how you found out about us.” Fraser’s silence was exacerbating Jonathon Randall’s frustration. Bringing up his other hand to show Jamie that he was holding a syringe; he injected a drug into his neck. No sooner had he done that, than Jamie's head dropped forward as the drug immediately took effect. Standing up Randall nodded to the two men guarding him. “Get him prepared ... and watch him ... I’ll be back.” ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Jonathon Randall returned to the torture room sometime later, he moved to stand in front of Jamie, who was confined in the high-tech metal frame chair staring into space. He’d been heavily sedated; his expression appeared vacant.

“His blood level is at 88. Should I increase?” asked the guard standing nearby controlling the various machinery. 

Randall stood so he was almost in Jamie's face, but he showed no indication that he was aware of his presence. “No. That should be enough. ... Let's begin Mr Fraser. Where is the extracting formula for the isotope?” Jamie answered in a trance-like tone. “In the left pocket of my mission jacket.” Watching for any change on the screen to Fraser’s vital signs, the guard answered, “His brain way patterns are stable,  He’s telling the truth.”

“Did Section One order Claire to kill Tony Wong and Madame Cheung?” 

Jamie hesitated a moment, then his eyes rolled back and he seemed to black out. Jonathon Randall became impatient and repeated the question. “I asked you a question, Mr Fraser. Did Section One order Claire to kill Tony Wong and Madame Cheung?” Again no answer was given. The injector arms pumped more of the drugs into Jamie’s arms. Sweat was pouring down his body and he seemed barely conscious. Seeing his target nearly comatose, Jonathon turned to the guard monitoring his vital signs and enquired worriedly, “What's the problem?” “It's likely he's programmed to resist certain types of memory de-sensing.” “Can we work around it?” He turned the dial up on the machine administering the drug. “I've boosted the dosage. He should be ready.”

 “Good.” 

Jonathon Randall repeated the question for the third time. “Did Section One order you and Claire to kill Tony Wong and Madame Cheung?” It was obvious that Jamie was trying to resist the effects of the drugs, but they were too powerful for him. His vacant eyes looked up. His mouth moved and something came out, but it was barely audible. “C'mon, spit it out Fraser ... or should I fetch Claire for some of the same treatment and ask her again?” He goaded with malign glee. His head screamed Nooooo!!!! His Sassenach could not bear any more torture. She had been through enough. I can bear pain myself but I couldna bear hers, he repeated in his mind. That would take more strength than I have.  ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Seeing a glimmer of hope that James Fraser was about to capitulate, Jonathon Randall kept up his persistent questioning. “Do I need to ask again or will you give me an answer?”

Jamie turned his head and tried to focus on his antagonist. He blinked his eyes. Once ... twice, then he looked at Jonathon Randall. If he could save his Claire from further suffering and another bout of torture then he would. He uttered a soft reply with a husky breath. Leaning forward Randall taunted him with a smirk on his face. “I'm sorry Jamie; I can't hear you … speak up! ... What did you say?” “Aye,” he muttered quietly. “Louder, so I can hear.” “All right ... all right … I'll tell ye ... Yes.” Jonathon Randall was most pleased. At long last the triad had the answers they wanted. All that was left now was to eliminate the couple.

“Game over Fraser … take him away!”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ to be continued on Friday 7th February

[beyond-the-mirror]

DMC x Pokemon AU - Which pokemon they would choose

So an idea appeared out of nowhere in my head: If Pokemon somehow existed in the DMC universe and pokemon training and battles were officially a thing too, which pokemon would the crew choose as their companions?

For these headcanons, I will give each character two kinds of pokemon: the first one will be a pokemon they would totally choose as a friend and partner for adventure as well as competitive battles, and the other will be one they would keep at their side mostly as a cute or silly companion, whether it’s a baby pokemon or a fully evolved one, it’s one they are really fond of and always look after.

So let’s get started! More bellow the cut because it’s a really long post.

Dante

Ideal partner: Houndoom

He considers Houndoom’s general appearance as cool and badass, of course he would love having a literal hellhound in his team.

If you think about it, they share lots of similarities: The same color palette, the devil motif, the fact that Dante has horns too when in DT or SDT form… it’s as if this pokemon was made with him in mind.

Dante found him when he was a little puppy Houndour. The poor thing was all alone in an alley near his shop and seeing him crying out made his heart ache.

So he brought the little one back home and nursed him. Now he’s a powerful Houndoom who loves nothing more than to fight alongside his trainer. There’s nothing that can stop those too when together.

Silly companion: Alcremie

Obviously.

One reason only: Infinite strawberry sundaes.

That’s it.

Would totally have an entire team made of Alcremies. He wouldn’t even battle or anything. He just wants to enjoy his lifetime supply of strawberry sundaes.

Vergil

Ideal partner: Aegislash

Vergil is a man of the sword, so it’s clear he would choose an Aegislash as his partner.

The first time he spotted this particular Honedge, he knew. He could see the great power dormant in them, so it was a matter of awakening said potential.

He trained them vigorously, making them evolve into a Doublade, and finally, into an Aegislash. To this day, not a single pokemon has managed to defeat them, the only exception being Dante and his Houndoom.

That won’t stop them though. They are both too prideful in their quest for strength and power.

Silly companion: Snom

Yeaaah, this is a weird one. Snom is such a cute baby, maybe this adorableness can melt Vergil’s heart?

It was Dante who gifted his twin a Snom. To quote him: “You’re too grumpy. Maybe this cute little guy can help you ease some of that grumpiness away.”

Wherever he goes, the little baby follows behind. Vergil will never admit this out loud but he does smile at the peaceful sensation his silly friend gives him.

Also imagine him trying to pronounce their name in that nasal voice of his. SHnom. 

V

Ideal partner: Corviknight, Umbreon and Dusknoir

It was a tie between these pokemon since they represent V’s three demon familiars: Griffon, Shadow and Nightmare respectively.

Corviknight may have a playful personality, but during battles he’s dead serious. He’s down right merciless and enjoys tearing apart his foes.

Umbreon is as calm as a housecat, but beware! She is a fierce one and won’t think twice to attack those who step out of line. Even more ruthless than Corviknight.

Dusknoir is as mysterious as the man himself, but V still trusts them and lets them do pretty much their own thing. Despite V never giving them orders, it almost looks as if Dusknoir can understand his thoughts telepathically. No one is sure how the hell he does it though. Quite a mystery indeed.

Silly companion: Mr Rime

Both wear a coat. Both carry a cane. Both love to tap dance. See what I’m getting at?

The first time V spotted a Mr Rime and witnessed their comical moves, he couldn’t help but laugh in endearment.

You will often find them enjoying a nice cup of tea together. They may speak different languages, but somehow they understand each other so perfectly.

When feeling in a dance mood, he and Mr Rime will dance together in perfect harmony and sync. Singin’ in the Rain is their favorite musical btw.

Nero

Ideal partner: Toxtricity

It only made sense to grant our punk boy Nero a punk pokemon like Toxtricity.

Both share an explosive and energetic personality, as well as an identical inclination towards rock and metal music. They especially love taunting their foes by doing an air guitar together.

The way these two fight is absolutely brutal. Do not anger them, you cannot defeat them.

However, despite their looks like they could kill you, they are actually sweet cinnamon rolls in front of the right ones. Pet them, they are good bois after all.

Silly companion: Mankey

Two grumpy bois grumpying around. Don’t talk to them, they are angy.

Kyrie often teases them with how identical they are. They literally share the exact same expression when angry.

Nero says it’s not funny. It is.

Little Mankey only calms down when given pets and cuddles. “Just like you Nero!” she teases again. 

Trish

Ideal partner: Luxray

Step aside everyone. Two bewitching and electrifying devils are coming through.

Trish was new to the world when one day she encountered a Shinx, except their fur was yellow? Wasn’t the fur supposed to be blue??

She took them to Dante and Lady for an explanation. Their eyes widened in complete awe. “Trish… it’s a shiny. You found a shiny!” “…Oh.”

Now the two are an inseparable and lethal duo. Many have made the mistake of challenging them, only to end up battered and humiliated.

Silly companion: Yamper

Just look at this good boi.

A cute pupper? AND with electrical powers?! Trish is so in!

You bet she spoils her Yamper rotten. She particularly adores baby-talking her lovely companion to no end.

“Have you seen my puppy? He’s not lost or anything, I just wanted to show you how awesome he is” Yep. She did this at one point or another. 

Lady

Ideal partner: Inteleon

A couple of ‘Walking Arsenals’ indeed. Ready to take on any challenge they may encounter.

Lady remembers how she met her partner when they were a tiny and shy Sobble. Now that they’ve become such a strong pokemon, Lady feels so proud of their growth.

Extremely resourceful, even in dire situations. Will use all the tools at their disposition to finish their job.

Their sniper skills are unparalleled so you’d better watch out. In a battle of wits, there’s no beating this duo.

Silly companion: Eevee

Lady is such an Eevee fan, her childhood dream was to befriend one and have numerous adventures together.

So when she finally got one many years later, she actually started crying happy tears. (It was a gift from Dante. He figured she deserved a companion after what happened in the Temen-ni-gru incident.)

She spends her free time playing with her adorable Eevee, there’s even a whole collection of toys for their playtime together.

If you happen to have an Evolution Stone with you, DO. NOT. COME. ANY. CLOSER. Lady adores her Eevee just how it is. You have been warned.

Kyrie

Ideal partner: Gardevoir

I personally consider Kyrie as a woman with a righteous heart and a strong sense of justice just like her brother Credo, so it’s no surprise her pokemon partner is actually a Gardevoir.

Mess with them and hoo boy. So you have chosen death.

She and Gardevoir are actually among the strongest teams in the region. In fact, to this day, Nero and his Toxtricity haven’t been able to defeat these two in a pokemon battle.

Do not underestimate these girls. They can and will drag you through the mud if you dare hurt them or their loved ones.

Silly companion: Wooloo

Kyrie melted at the sight of Wooloo. So soft, and adorable, and puffy!

She loves knitting, so they would be perfect to provide her with lots of top quality wool. 

Once during Christmas, she donated handmade sweaters to the children at the local orphanage. Wooloo and her were so happy to help the little ones, they made it a tradition for them to do every year.

The sweaters and scarfs she knits with the help of her friend are actually very fashionable and pretty. Everyone in the crew loves showing theirs off any chance they get.

Nico

Ideal partner: Arcanine

A fire pokemon with majestic fur, excellent speed and an extremely keen sense of smell. Nico knew Arcanine would be a perfect partner to have.

She can count on their powerful fire to melt the metals she needs to forge her weapons. Her works of art have been made possible thanks to them and she could not feel more thankful.

Using their olfactory sense, Arcanine can track and retrieve any demon parts or carcasses which can later be used to create Devil Arms.

Although they are not that interested in competitive battles, they’re still a very strong duo that should not be taken so lightly. 

Silly companion: Rotom

So one day a wild Rotom sneaked into Nico’s van, causing a ruckus everywhere. Despite the disaster, Nico was incredibly fascinated since Rotom sightings are extremely rare.

She befriended the poltergeist pokemon almost right away. She even built a device for them to inhabit (just like Ash’s Rotomdex in the anime).

Now they’re Nico’s very own pokemon assitant! Thanks to her device Rotom can communicate, take pictures and save files and notes, which is perfect for her work.

Also they’re really nice to have a chat with! Just beware the unflattering pics they may take during battles.

Lucia

Ideal partner: Absol

It’s easy to see the similarities between Lucia and her Absol.

With Absol being erroneously blamed for natural disasters and Lucia being an artificial demon her creator labelled as ‘defective’, you could say they both share similar backstories. They felt outcasted by everyone else.

These two are incredibly agile fighters, using graceful and precise moves that prove to be lethal to their foes.

Personality wise they both appear to be stoic and aloof, but they’re actually very kind. They do tend to worry a lot about their friends though.

Silly companion: Espurr

Espurrs are known to constantly try to control and contain their enormous psychic power with all their might. Lucia understands her cute little companion all too well.

Being with each other has helped them both a lot, their shared company feels therapeutic for them.

Also Lucia enjoys cuddling Espurr. They feel so soft like a plushie!

Often have staring contests with each other. They always end with a tie though.

[meggannn]

Thoughts and analysis on Gen. Armstrong (if you don't mind)

oh absolutely. a lot of this is speculation on my part, but it’s just my reading and theories on how she kind of came to be who she is.

so i vibe with armstrongs being a very traditional, patriarchal family in a very old-fashioned country. they had four daughters, olivier being the oldest and (arguably) most capable, but alex, the second youngest kid but only son, was the one chosen to lead the family. i think that olivier carried a lot of the burdens of being the oldest sibling and oldest daughter.

maybe olivier was the first daughter in the armstrong family in a long list of sons? i like that idea because it kind of has the opportunity harden her to the world as a kid, in my mind. a lot of excitement for the firstborn in an illustrious family, and… it’s a girl. ugh. okay, well, we’ll try again.

except i think olivier really decided to just start doing whatever she thought a male firstborn would get to do, taking her studies seriously, preparing to be the armstrong heir, and her family just kinda sighed and didn’t take her seriously. when she joins the military, i am going to bet that she either had to fight for it, or there was a lot of familial backlash/tsking between her parents because ~a woman shouldnt be in the army~ (i am operating under the belief she’s the only female officer to ever make it to general, because to my recollection i don’t think we’ve ever seen another female officer as high or higher than her). and when alex follows her to the military years later, i’m going to bet she was L I V I D when their parents were like “well of course, he’s the oldest son, he’s going to make us proud.” there were screaming matches of epic proportions when she joined, and when he does, it’s all fine. (even alex as an adult isn’t entirely rid of sexism when he asks when she’s ever gonna change her attitude so she can get a husband. and when she challenges his right to head the family, he arguably loses because he underestimated her. although i’m also going to chalk part of that up to the fact that although alex wanted to head the family, he didn’t NEED to win as badly as olivier needed to, because she needed to kick their family out and use the mansion to house her troops to prepare for the promised day. that’s the kind of person she is, “i need this to happen and so it will happen, i will give myself no other option.”)

i don’t think that olivier is the kind of person who pushes her limits to try to “prove” anything to other people; maybe she started by trying to mostly prove it to herself, but it eventually just became who she is. no nonsense. very protective, but maybe tired of taking care of kids/siblings. highly capable, very savvy. perfect for briggs. i think she takes her role as their leader VERY seriously. she knows she’s earned it, and up north defending the border, she sees how every person matters.

i’ve always wondered if there’s something in how olivier is stationed at briggs, the furthest possible post away from central. i don’t think it’s to get away from anything, exactly; it does seem like the best job suited for her. i think partly this represents her physical distance and distain for politics: she clearly looks down on mustang, possibly because he’s a state alchemist, and maybe part of it is for his reputation of being an annoying flirt who can charm his way up the ranks while maybe she had to fight for every rank she earned, though i think also part of it is because she thinks he’s naive to join the very system he’s trying to abolish. but as we see in late show, she’s not terrible at the politics and backstabbing, i think she just doesn’t like to deal with bullshit. she’s a very blunt person. she’ll play chess if she has to, clearly, but when she pulls the sword on the room full of officers, you know she’s been waiting MONTHS to do that.

she also doesn’t like alchemy. i’ve always wondered if there’s a reason behind this – the wiki says “she views [equivalent exchange] as a mindset promoting easy handouts and unnecessary compromise” so i’m guessing she doesnt like philosophies that base themselves around quid pro quo agreements, especially since it leads very easily to corruption. the armstrongs are a very noble family that take that sort of thing seriously. i think she’s smart enough to realize alchemy is often NECESSARY, but the state alchemists themselves are… ugh. difficult to deal with and probably almost always really bossy. and think they’re so fuckin special. and also all male. so it’s no wonder she doesn’t give a shit about edward elric, some kid who shows up with no warning with a letter from her annoying brother, asking for her help.

so already she has a chip on her shoulder about alex: he’s a younger sibling she had to take care of; he’s a younger BROTHER who got more support and fewer roadblocks than she did for achieving (or even wanting) the same things way before he ever did; he’s also an alchemist, and state alchemist. she’d see that as annoying at best and borderline dishonorable at worst.

and then ishval.

so for the record, i fully believe that by the events of canon, olivier’s intense disgust for alex for his “cowardly” actions in ishval is mostly, if not entirely, an act. i think it’s EASY for her to act like it’s real, because she struggles with real feelings of hostility and annoyance toward alex for the reasons above, and she WOULD probably think he’s a poor soldier for defying orders…… but would she openly advocate for genocide? she’s not perfect, but i don’t think that of her. but she lets absolutely none of that internal questioning show on the outside. externally? “my brother is a disgrace. he failed to protect this country. if i were head of the family, i’d dishonor him publicly.” and alex, you know, i think he sees past this, a little? he knows she has to say these things otherwise she’d lose her reputation and might also be demoted, given she’s on a rickety foundation as a woman general as is. she doesn’t have to be so passionate about her opinions, but she might also have gained a target on her back by his actions in ishval; maybe they’d assume she had ishvallan sympathies because he was her brother. so she’s already got enough baggage against alex, and he inadvertently dumps some more political bullshit on her back just because he didn’t do his job. i think she’d say the things she did to distance herself from alex, not because she’s angry with him or disappointed in him (though there is a bit of that, but for unrelated reasons), to keep her position. she’s very ruthless politically. you could question the morality of this, like i do, but i don’t entirely blame her for feeling like she could lose her position as the only female general in charge of defending a politically hot border position.

fma has a rather annoying “we don’t see color” attitude wrt race at times, but in the case of olivier, whose attitude after all the years in briggs is “we literally cannot afford to be prejucide, there are so few capable people here, and if someone works, they are part of the team and will be treated with respect, full stop” it makes sense why she’d say what she said to miles. it’s not that i think she’s an ishvallan activist behind the scenes because of her lieutenant, but i think she knows the “war” was complete horseshit and fully respects his bitter feelings toward the amestrian government.

privately, though, i think olivier knows clearly that this country is messed up, before “the shape of this country.” but she has a very powerful family, and it’s hard to completely renounce that dedication. she still loves amestris a lot. she feels very protective of the people she’s defending, even if she doesn’t like them very much.

i respect that she swallows her pride, gives up briggs, and joins the political battle in central when it becomes clear that that’s the best way to get to the center of the matter. imo she and roy mustang teaming up, unnoticed, in the heart of the beast could have made an amazing combo, but ofc she’d never let that happen lmao. she is a good person without being a nice person. that’s refreshing. she’s ruthless, pragmatic, ambitious, angry, untrusting, and kind of an asshole, and yet you never doubt that she is, at heart, honorable and trustworthy. she will tell you what she thinks of you. she hates lying. but she will cave and do what the people of amestris needs her to do; we see she IS able to separate her government from her country. i think she always knew, but the events of the show are kind of her “put up or shut up” moment to stand up and show where her loyalties really are, and she delivered. she’d be offended if you ever even thought she might choose differently.

i love olivier a lot because she doesn’t have an arc in the traditional sense; her personality and position don’t change much from the time we meet her to the last time we see her. her biggest change is that she lets herself show pride in her brother, or maybe she’s able to admit that she’s proud of him in the first place. i think for her, that’s enough. i also really, really like that she’s not shown as someone who NEEDS to change. she’s allowed to be an angry, confident, strong woman in charge of a fort who likes things the way she likes them and expects you bend to her rules in her fort or you will leave. i think it’s a great accomplishment and testament to the writing and acting to show that she is not nice, and not always likable, but you never question she is a good person.

[etlunainmorte]

✒ P.S. I Love You ✒

***

(Y/N) and Victor's grandchild closed and locked the door after the gentlemen left. She, then, turned to look at the old wooden box which V left on the table for her. She sat on the sofa and opened the thing, revealing its contents. And when she saw the amount of photographs that were in it, the emotions flooded her chest once more. As she took the photograph that showed her grandparents' wedding charade, she simply let her tears flow freely.

Despite those tears clouding her sight, she didn't wipe them away like what she did before. Instead, she held the photograph close to her chest, imagining how happy her grandparents must be during those trouble - free times.

She turned to the side table, carefully placing the precious photograph next to the small framed picture of her one and only grand daughter who was in Paris. She, then, sighed, letting her eyes roam from her grandparents to her grandchild.

Finally lingering on her grandparents' image, she whispered, "Please keep those people safe."

"What do we do now?" Roman asked V as they made their way back towards the mansion.

"We must find the container where their souls are hidden," V answered, his voice and his sight as resolute as ever. " ... then, we'll set them free."

"What about Avery?"

"We'll prevent Lancaster from sacrificing her."

"And that monster?"

V stopped and looked down at Griffon, who was waiting for him to go back home, the metal cane, which he abandoned, still on his waiting beak. The poet didn't hesitate and took it from his familiar, who flew and landed on his shoulder.

Then, he faced the door of the mansion one more time.

"We'll send him to where he belong," He answered. " ... to Hell."

***

XV

***

Both V and Roman were fully expecting something to attack them the moment they step foot inside the now dark and desolate place. However, all seemed normal.

Strangely normal, given the dire situation they were in.

"Aren't there any monsters here that would attack us?" Roman questioned, making both the poet and the familiar look at him with raised eyebrows.

"You seemed,... rather eager." V answered him as he threw his cane and caught it with his other hand.

"I - i'm not! It's just,... the silence is too suspicious. You know what I'm saying?"

The man was right. It was too quiet. "We should not underestimate our enemy." V uttered in a low voice as he took a few cautious steps forward towards the grand staircase, still half - expecting Roselle, or that still unknown creature that tried to kill Nico, to come out of the shadows and make its move. "This is Christopher Lancaster we're talking about, after all."

"Alright." Roman said as he pulled out his red handkerchief from his pocket and wore it around his head like a headband. He inhaled through his nostrils and shook his shoulders, making Griffon roll his eyes. "I'm ready!"

V only gave Avery's fiancé a sideways glance and a grin as he made his way to the second floor. At least, someone's excited to take on that Demon,...

Never letting their guard down, the Summoner, the familiar, and the human made their way towards the second floor. However, no creature of any kind made itself known, the entire floor was void of the heavy feeling that once taunted V to do suicide, but most importantly,...

... he was not being pulled into another timeline.

What,... is happening here? V thought as he led the way straight towards the accursed third room, still expecting for anything to happen or to attack them. He turned the brass door knob and pushed the door open, bracing himself for what was to come,...

"AVERY!" Roman howled as he sped past V and Griffon and made his way straight towards the center of the room where his beloved fiancée was, unconscious and tied to a chair.

"You, imbecile!" Griffon whispered, mocking at Roman's callous actions. "That evil doctor might - !"

V held out a hand before the demonic familiar could even blurt out any more insult, and made his way to where the couple was.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, I'll get you out of here." Roman said as he tried to untie Avery from the chair. However, as V came along to help, he noticed the wounds on both of her arms, the blood that dripped from them forming something on the ground beneath their feet. And when the gentlemen gazed down at it, they drew back in fear,...

... for the blood that was flowing from Avery's wounds was slowly forming a huge crimson pentacle on the floor - a seven - pointed star that matched the illustration from the booklet of Demons that the old woman showed them.

The ritual,... was nearing its completion.

"There was a man,... from another plane of existence,"

V, Roman, and Griffon all looked at the vicinity of the desk a few feet from where they were standing and saw, in their utter fright, a strange gentleman sitting behind it, his long and bony fingers that partially covered the lower part of his pallid face intertwined, his thick, dark brows furrowed in deep contemplation.

And at the mere sight of the strange one alone, V felt all of his power leave his body at the same time his heart became heavy with utter dread, unexplainable grief, and sheer hopelessness.

It was the man, himself.

"... who once dreamed of achieving immortality and eternal glory beyond human perception." The man, whose pair of red, sinister eyes seemingly made V's blood freeze, went on. "Abducting numerous little girls and molding them into his,... idea,... of earthly perfection. This man, and a number of followers, sacrificed these innocent children, one by one, until Pandemonium, the Demon he worshipped, finally chose that one perfect vessel, a fitting equivalent exchange for the wish that was to be fulfilled. However, he made a huge and irrevocable mistake." The man uncovered his face, finally letting the men see his familiar and intimidating visage, and stood from his chair, making his way closer towards them. "The vessel's sister, an imperfect being crippled with earthly flaws, who he failed to kill, and who was, then, chosen by the Sisters Of Fate for her will to save a loved one, retaliated, setting into motion a chain of events that ultimately," The man stopped a few inches away from them, his overwhelming presence stealing their will to live and survive. " ... led to Pandemonium's downfall,... and the man's,... demise.

"But, I' am far from that foolish man." The man simply told them as he gave each of them a look that conveyed a form of overwhelming power that resided within him. "I do not wish to achieve perfection, nor do I make it out of false dreams. Bedlam has opened my eyes to the harsh reality of this world. To the ugliness of the world's truth. I vow to share this,... great blessing,... to everyone who would kneel to me."

"KNEEL, MY ASS! YOU, EVIL, INSANE GODDAMN WITCH DOCTOR!" Roman howled, blindly charging towards the man with every intent to tackle him on the ground and give him a piece of his mind before V could even stop him.

"You listen when someone older than you is speaking!" The doctor rebutted as he simply made a flicking gesture with his right hand, summoning a form of unseen power that flung poor Roman to the other end of the room, making him instantly unconscious, the impact of his landing scattering and breaking some of the old and dusty furniture that lay on the ground. The doctor, then, turned to V and gave him a challenging look. "And you, oh, foolish poet? I believe you wish to challenge me, as well."

V visibly flinched at the insurmountable force before him, yet, he still tried to face the enemy by calling upon his familiars to attack the doctor simultaneously. With utter fear etched into their very bone and core, the familiars, Griffon and Shadow, went all out with their attacks, sending lightning bolt after lightning bolt and spear after morphed spear of attacks.

And, as expected, the powerful attacks from the familiars, which were supposedly enough to bring down an entire horde of higher Demons, didn't do anything to the doctor, who only stood still and took everything without so much as a blink of an eye. The familiars took one more shot, this time, by combining their powers as Griffon sent Shadow his most powerful lightning attack, and the feline receiving the power and morphing into a set of massive spears, skewering the doctor in every part of his body and frying him alive at the same time.

For a second, they thought that they succeeded but, as soon as Shadow morphed back into her feline form looking beaten and Griffon settled down on the ground, actually looking like a worn - out wind - up toy relying on batteries to move, the doctor slowly stood up from the ground where he was beaten, his wounds healing and the tears on his clothes closing up like nothing even happened.

"Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me!" Griffon howled annoyingly as the doctor made his way towards him, grabbing the poor bird by his wings and tearing him apart like paper, spilling his blood and guts on the floor and making him enter his stalemate state.

"Hmm, just like on that other plane." The doctor uttered to himself. And before V could even lift a finger to call Shadow back, the doctor kicked the poor feline in her mid section, successfully dismantling her, turning her back into ash and making her enter stalemate like Griffon. "That one, not so much."

With eyes wide with disbelief, teeth gritted in anger, and thoughts wild and disarrayed with panic, V hastily raised his left arm, his fingers ready for the snap that would summon his trump card.

However, the doctor proved to be much faster as he seemingly phased from his position next to the stalemated familiars to his side, steadily holding V's left arm and threatening to even break it. The doctor held up a finger, swaying it from side to side as he playfully shook his head, his sadistic smile making V feel weaker than ever before.

V, despite his growing hopelessness, made up his mind, not wanting to lose to this evil doctor. He struggled and snapped his fingers, waiting for his most powerful ally to bring down the house and finish the doctor for him. 

To hell with this mansion! This evil must be stopped,... at all cost!

He waited and waited but, nothing happened.

And this only made the doctor smile even wider, the side of his lips almost reaching his ears.

V,... lost to Christopher Lancaster.

The doctor let go of his arm, letting him collapse and cower with fear on the ground. Then, after all this, the enemy simply stepped away and made his way towards Avery, who was still tied to the chair, bleeding and unconscious.

"Now, you see how benevolent I' am." Lancaster told V as he checked Avery's pulse and checked on his pocket watch like he was still a normal doctor. "I gave you the chance to play along. Allowed the both of us to settle the score. But, you have only wasted my time." The doctor hid his pocket watch and gave V a sideways glance. "I suggest you leave now. Before I change my mind."

"Ouch!" Roman winced in pain as he finally gained consciousness a few minutes later, rubbing his temples and looking around him. At the center of the room, he found Lancaster checking on Avery's pulse, and on one corner, he saw V kneeling in front of two floating, glowing orbs that weakly pulsated with dull red and blue lights. "V?" He limped his way towards his companion, only to see the utter shock in the poet's eyes.

Like he completely lost all hope and his will to keep on living.

"What happened?" Roman asked the poet, his sight darting from him to the strange orbs floating above the ground.

"We lost." The poet uttered monotonously.

"W - what?! How did we - ?"

"Lancaster,... is far too strong than what we could've imagined."

Roman's eyes widened with utter disbelief. He collapsed on the ground and placed both of his hands on V's shoulders. "You're kidding, right? Y - you're V! And you're the strongest man I've ever met! And the bravest one! You can't just lose to that evil doctor!"

The poet looked at him, his eyes suspiciously cloudy like he was in a trance, and gave him a wry smile. "This is a mistake. I should not have accepted this job in the first place. I should have ran away from the start. I should not have faced Christopher Lancaster."

And this only made Roman lose his temper. "AND WHAT ABOUT AVERY, HUH?! SHE NEEDS US!"

"She's,... lost to us."

"WHAT ABOUT NICO?! DON'T TELL ME HER SACRIFICE LED TO NOTHING!"

"As I've said, this is a mistake,... right from the very start."

"AND WHAT ABOUT (Y/N), HUH?" Roman screamed angrily at V as he shook his shoulders hard enough, hoping for the man to come to his sense. "SHE NEEDS YOU! YOU HAVE TO SET HER SOUL FREE! DO YOU WANT HER TO BE DAMNED TO HELL?! V, TALK TO ME!"

"(Y/N),... means nothing to me,..."

"FUCK YOU!" Roman swore as he punched V on the cheek. The poet's face jerked sideways with the sheer force of the mad and disappointed fiancé.

Meanwhile, V felt like his soul was floating into nothingness. He couldn't see nor hear anything. And yet, this strange voice, this achingly familiar voice, kept calling to him. He tried to follow the sound despite his blindness. He reached out, his hands wanting to grasp this familiar something,...

"I'm here, Victor." The voice told him. "Follow my voice."

"(Y/N),... ?" V called as he opened his eyes,...

... and saw the ceiling of the familiar office. Feeling numbness all over his body, he carefully sat up and gazed at the room. He was sure it was the same room, however, somehow, he felt at ease. His chest no longer felt heavy, and his whole body felt really light. A sense of calm radiated all over the place, and even the sun shone brightly and cheerfully outside.

He carefully sat up, surveying the atmosphere around him, and finally stood, his eyes darting from one furniture to the next.

Then, he heard it once more: the voice of an angel.

V opened the door and made his way towards the source of the sound, his ears wanting to feast on the lovely sound and his soul longing to bask in it. He went down the staircase, walked past the Grecian statues, and made his way directly towards the Library where he knew she was. He took a deep breath and opened the door, the light of the room blinding him momentarily and the sweet scent that was wafting from it overwhelming his senses.

And when his eyes finally adjusted to the brightness of the room, he saw her there, sitting on a stool in front of the piano, singing an achingly familiar tune he has unfortunately forgotten as she flawlessly played the simple notes. His eyes burning at the sight and his chest bursting with gladness, he slowly made his way towards her, his steps as light as they could possibly be in fear that she would vanish at the slightest disturbance.

And when he was finally so close next to her, she stopped playing and gazed up at him, a smile on her young and gentle face.

It was, indeed, (Y/N). The girl he knew from his visions. The girl who has, undoubtedly, captured his, and Victor's, heart.

The girl,...

... right before all the tragedies and nightmares in the house occurred.

"You're not supposed to be here." She told him, a hint of disappointment in her lovely (E/C) eyes.

"I,..." V began, suddenly, and for the first time ever, at a loss for his own words. "I lost,... to him."

(Y/N) furrowed her eyebrows, the amused smile still not leaving her beautiful and healthy visage. "That wasn't supposed to happen."

"I,... forgive me." V apologized, feeling defeated and dejected.

To this, the girl smiled tenderly and slightly moved, making a space on the stool for him and gesturing at it with her dainty right hand. "Come, sit with me." The poet did so, and the moment he was mere inches from her, his arms actually brushing against the soft fabric of her (F/C) dress, she smiled and positioned her fingers over the keys. Those adorable fingers glided on the keys once more, and a few notes in, V was taken prisoner. He closed his eyes, feeling the music overtake his mind, his heart, and his whole being.

He really wished he could stay here forever.

Forever,... with her,...

It seemed like forever, though, her playing the piano and him listening to it wholeheartedly. And when her music gradually came to a slow halt, V finally opened his eyes and let them fall on her immaculate figure.

"Heaven." V whispered softly, making her turn and look straight into his eyes. "Is this,... heaven? If so, then I would not want to go back."

(Y/N) smiled as she reached out a hand, lying it gently onto V's face. The poet grasped her hand, her warmth calming his senses and putting his chaotic soul at ease. "You have no idea how long I have waited for this. For us to be this close, to feel your touch again, to hear your voice so close to my ear." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her brows furrowing as tears drenched those long eyelashes of hers. "You have no idea,... how much I love you. I love you so much. Even after death, my heart still beats for you and you alone.

"But, you don't belong here, V." She opened her eyes, her smile turning into a frown that tore V's heart in two. "You belong with your friends, your family, with people who loves you."

V cupped her cheeks and rested his forehead against hers, their breaths mingling and their eyes looking deeply into each other. "I don't want to lose you, ever again."

(Y/N) closed her eyes, the smile returning to her face once more. "You never lost me. I stayed with you, and I always will. Until the end of time. But, we are both lost in this labyrinth." She took his hands and brought them down, her eyes conveying something that triggered a dormant emotion deep within V's chest. "As much as I wanted to let you stay here, I simply can't. You have to fulfill your mission. You have to set us free and save the woman from being sacrificed to the Devil. You must defeat Christopher Lancaster."

"But, I can't! I'm,... powerless against him! I - "

"You can defeat him, V." She told him, her resoluteness starting a fire inside his chest. "You have to believe that you can. He is but a mere fragment of the past animated by the Demon Bedlam to carry on an insidious mission on this world. He is but a mere puppet. And a puppet like him,... could never lay a finger on the one who believes in hope."

The moment (Y/N) mentioned the Demon's name, V felt a tremor beneath his feet, the room suddenly felt heavy, and the sun outside seemed to abruptly set.

This plane,... was starting to collapse.

Despite that fact, the girl still gazed lovingly  at his eyes and held his hands, giving him all the encouragement he needed for the mission that was wiped out of his mind from the moment he admitted his lost to the evil doctor.

And now that he could finally remember everything, of Avery giving him the mission in the first place, of Roman, who supported him and stood his ground despite his own weakness, of (Y/N) and Victor's grandchild bidding them a successful return, of his familiars supporting him along the way, of Nico, who accepted him as a friend despite his flaws and their differences and did her best to help him,...

... of the woman who wrote those messages,...

... of this one girl he wanted to save,...

"The time is running out. You must leave. Now."

V stood up and took a few steps away from her. And before he could finally turn away, he felt a hand on his arm, turning him around, and,...

He closed his eyes, letting her soft lips glide against his. And for the very first and last time, V wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her closer to him and reciprocating her gesture of undying affection by showering her with the utmost passion he didn't know he possessed.

He wanted,... so very badly,... to go on kissing her like this, to show her how much she meant to him, to give her everything that life has stolen from her. To love her right then and there. But, he knew he couldn't. Her time on this world was over, her story about to end. His, on the other hand, was only beginning. And she knew this, as well. And when their lips finally parted, he felt her slid her hand on his pocket, putting something in it. She, then, broke away from his embrace and stepped away, letting her fingers glide on the smooth surface of her beloved piano one last time as the world before them started collapsing, shattering like glass, its shards and pieces falling apart one by one.

She smiled and waved her hand. "I'll see you soon, V."

"What - ?" He began but he was interrupted when he felt a hand grab him by the wrist. He turned around and saw (Y/N)'s loyal maidservant looking up at him.

"Young master, I'll help you get out of here!" She told him, dragging him along and leading the way out of the shattering plane. "This is the very last thing I will do for you. Believe in my lady's words, and you will be able to defeat him. Do everything you can to set us free. And do not lose hope! Do not lose hope! Do not - "

" - LOSE HOPE!" He heard Roman's voice as he finally opened his eyes, seeing the fiancé’s flustered and angry face. "DO NOT,... LOSE HOPE!"

V let those words sink in as he slowly got up, giving Lancaster an angry look as the doctor watched them like they were animals.

"I will not." The poet muttered, grabbing the metal cane from the floor and facing his enemy one more time. "You are just a mere puppet. A mere instrument for the Devil's machinations. And you will never,... succeed,... not today, not tomorrow,... NOT WHILE I LIVE!"

"Such fancy words for a useless man such as yourself!" Lancaster mocked, showing his sardonic smile once more.

"I'm not useless." V uttered, taking even more resolute steps towards Lancaster, his hands clutching the cane, ready to swing it at any given time. "She believes in me. I will set her free,... and send you to hell!" The poet gritted his teeth as he let out a swift hook that successfully connected with Lancaster's face, sending the shocked doctor flying towards the other end of the room.

V's eyes widened with disbelief, then looked at the bony fist that sent the doctor reeling on the ground. He, a weak Devil Hunter whose strength could never compare to the likes of both Dante and Nero, actually brought an insanely powerful maniac down to his knees!

"YES! BEAT HIM TO A BLOODY PULP, V!" Roman howled and cheered behind him as the familiars finally broke free of their stalemate state. And as Roman, Griffon, and Shadow witnessed the awesome fight that V was giving the bewildered doctor, they could not help but feel hopeful and alive once more.

But, their celebration was short lived as the doctor kicked V in the legs, making the poet fall on the ground.

"COME ON, V! YOU CAN DO IT!"

V struggled to get on his feet but, the doctor just wouldn't let him. Tackling him and bringing his face to the floor, the doctor snatched V's cane and held it up above his head. "YOU, ANNOYING INSECT! HOW DARE YOU?! I SHOULD NOT HAVE LET YOU LIVE! I SHOULD - !"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever!"

All the occupants of the room, the combatants included, looked at the door to see Nico, swatted in bandages in many parts of her body, sucking at her cigar and blowing smoke like nobody's business. She looked down at V and Lancaster and showed a very mischievous smirk.

"Aww, have y'all forgotten 'bout me?" She taunted. "Whatever." She took out her radio and held it up, her finger close to the red emergency button. "May I present to ya,... NERO'S SHOWER CONCERT,... VOLUME TWO!"

And with just one push of the accursed button, the whole house was filled with the young Devil Hunter's obnoxious voice. Nico,... actually connected all the speakers on the ground floor, letting her play Nero's awful singing at full and unadulterated blast!

"Ah - ah - ah, ah! Ah - ah - ah, ah! We come from the land of the ice and snow, from the midnight sun, where the hot springs flow. The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands to fight the horde, and sing and cry. Valhalla, I am coming! On we sweep with threshing oar! Our only goal will be the western shore!"

"What is that God awful voice?!" Avery, who finally woke up due to the eardrum - shattering sound, complained.

"Sweetheart!" Roman exclaimed in happiness as he went to her.

"WHAT FORM OF POWER IS THIS?!" Lancaster howled and writhed in pain as he covered his ears and fell off V, giving the poet ample time to get his cane back. And during this moment of complete vulnerability, V was able to feel a strange power coming from the doctor's chest. The poet went down and started ransacking his vest, and right there, he found Lancaster's pocket watch. V could feel some form of massive energy from it. "GIVE IT TO ME! GIVE IT,... BACK!"

This is it! "Keep this safe!" V turned towards Roman and threw the antique to him. The man caught this at the same time he felt something cold grab his ankle. He looked down and was horrified to see the doctor starting to actually rot. He was finally losing his power!

(Y/N) was right all along! A puppet like Lancaster,... has no power against the one who believes in hope! Bedlam,... has no power over me!

"You,... can't defeat me!" Lancaster moaned as he twitched and trembled. "Bedlam,... chose me!"

"You're wrong." V answered as he kicked the doctor, the mere contact making Lancaster howl in agony. "No one chose you!" V stepped on the evil doctor's shoulder, the contact actually burning Lancaster's clothes and searing the flesh beneath it. The poet could feel tremendous power burning his insides, and it has given him absolute control over the evil energy that enslaved the mansion for a very long time. It gave him more than enough strength to defeat Lancaster.

And he knew full well,...

... that this tremendous power,...

... came from (Y/N).

He raised the cane, pointing it to the doctor's chest.

"NO! PLEASE! I BEG YOU! DO NOT KILL ME! PLEASE!"

"The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom. You never know what is enough until you know what is more than enough."

"NO! NO! HAVE MERCY ON ME!"

"I will not cease from mental fight, nor shall my sword sleep in my hand, 'till we have built Jerusalem, in England’s green and pleasant land."

And after one last look at the eye of the man who made many people suffer, he brought down his cane,...

***

✒ @la-vita , @micaelagua , @v-vic , @birdgirl69 , @beyond-the-mirror , and @cantcopewithlosingv . ✒

***

"So, this is it, huh?" Roman asked an hour later as he looked at the golden pocket watch in his hands.

"I believe it is the item that we seek, yes." V answered as he allowed Griffon to perch on his shoulder and watched Shadow trot proudly next to him.

"What are you two talking about?" Avery asked as she let Nico assist her as they walked.

"I think I have an idea." Nico smiled at the gentlemen, especially at V, who successfully defeated the evil in the mansion.

V smiled and nodded at Roman. "I will let you do the honors. Open it."

Roman raised an eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders. Still, with both hands, he carefully opened the pocket watch and,...

"Oh, my God!" Avery whispered as she pointed at something in front them. All of them looked and saw the blonde maid smiling and waving at them. "Who,... is that?"

"That is Roselle Velez." V answered as he watched the servant wave at something behind them. They turned and saw the little boy named Phineas running past them and meeting Roselle halfway. The woman took the boy's hand and with one final wave, the two finally disintegrated right before their very own eyes.

"That's Daniella!" Nico practically shrieked as she pointed at another specter from one corner of the hall. "She tried to save me that night but, yeah. Bitchy evil doctor happened."

V turned to the other end of the hall and saw Maria, the loyal housekeeper, emerging from the kitchen. And right before his very eyes, she glowed and morphed into her original form - of the loyal maidservant who served (Y/N) and never left her side.

It seemed that Maria's mission,... was finally fulfilled. And she has faithfully kept her promise,... of waiting for V to arrive after more than a hundred years and helping him defeat the evil Christopher Lancaster.

And with smiles on their faces, Daniella and Maria met, finally going hand in hand to that promised place that Roselle and the boy just went to.

After a while, after seemingly a long period of silence, V felt something strange come out of his body. And as it walked away from the him, Roman, Nico, Avery, Griffon, and even Shadow stared in disbelief. It was none other than the English poet, Victor Blake, himself. His body seemed to glow with a powerful force that casted the shadows of the mansion away. V watched in awe as the man made his way towards something he could not quite see, and when Victor stopped walking, they saw a group of orbs materializing out of thin air. These little orbs of light danced, and when they finally merged into one, they slowly morphed into the one person V wanted to see.

It was (Y/N) (L/N), herself. And she looked perfect. Simply perfect.

When the lovers finally met, their hearts twitched in pain as they saw the lady weep and run towards her lover's open arms. And when Victor embraced her, his tears of joy falling freely from his eyes for finally seeing the love of his life after many, many years, they can't help but shed some tears of their own.

And V? He did not cry. In fact, he was happy. He was happy that they finally got their happy ending. And before they went away, the lovers looked at V and smiled at him.

Thank you! (Y/N) mouthed her gratitude as she pointed at V's pocket.

And then, as V felt for the thing in his pocket, the thing she put a few hours earlier, the lovers finally vanished into the night,... into sweet delight.

***

✒✒✒

***

[mysterylover123]

BNHA Rewatch Episode 21 “Battle On Challengers”

mysterylover123

Now let’s get through all the Beta matches in a single swoop. 

Kaminari vs Shiozaki! This starts the trend this episode of male participants either underestimating girls and getting their butt kicked, or fighting all out against them and winning. Setup for a certain famous scene in the next ep maybe?

Kamui Woods is impressed. (Please tell me Ibara interns with him!)

Izuku is muttering and taking notes. I love how his muttering just hits Bakugou in the side of the head and annoys everyone and creeps out Uraraka even a little. 

Deku reveals he’s been stalking Uraraka too. She fangirls over him for a minute, which would be charming if it didn’t remind me of future developments I find irritating. 

Iida vs Hatsume! I love the crap out of this fight. One of my favorite minor Sports Fest matchups. The way in which Hatsume completely subverts everything we think we’re gonna get from this match, turns it into an exhibition match for her items...it’s so perfect. 

Seeing them banter a bit kinda makes me ship Iida/Hatsume, since there is a lot of fun to be had with their contrasting personalities...

Only to be reminded of the One True Iida ship again. An interesting change from the manga here: Manga! Deku notices right away that Uraraka left her drink behind. Anime! Deku doesn’t until two matches later.

Mina vs Aoyama! Like before, the guy underestimating the girl gets him floored. (Iida underestimated Hatsume’s deviousness and it humiliated him; Kaminari underestimated Shiozaki and was instantly beaten). Aoyama assumes he’s more powerful, and drastically underestimates Mina. Hence she wins!

Now the devastating matchup of Momo vs Tokoyami. Basically, this works on 2 levels: One, in the pattern of not underestimating an opponent based on gender. Tokoyami and Bakugou don’t, and they win. 

Two, as a part of Momo’s character arc: Prior to this, Momo has always been the best of the best, the cream of the crop; excepting the Obstacle race, where Mineta slowed her down anyway, she came in first in everything. And this gave her a bit of an ego, and a slightly condescending attitude towards those not as smart as her. But this loss, and its subsequent consequences, humble her (too much, initially) and force her to confront her own flaws. Failure is, after all, the way in which we succeed.

Now to Iida and Uraraka in the prep room! I find them very shippable in this scene, because...well, it’s actually kinda rare to see Uraraka being open, and vulnerable, with anyone besides her parents, and later on her teachers. Around most of her peers, she just tries to keep up this veneer of being happy, chill and confident all the time, and usually avoids vulnerability or admitting to fear. But here, in this room with Iida, she admits to it. She’s scared. 

Here comes Deku to crash the party. I talked about Deku’s motives in this scene during my rather exhausive analysis of Izuocha, and I think Deku wants badly to pay Uraraka back for all the times she’s helped him (one of his core motivations in general). But she turns him down, denying him the chance to support her on even grounds the way she supports him. I think this bothers him a little - he’s noticeably less close to her after this arc ends. 

I have complicated feelings about this choice of Uraraka’s too. First time around, I was absolutely floored by this twist. I was rolling my eyes at her jealousy over Mei, her behavior this ep, and convinced the show was going for a potential romance arc, which I found a little irritating. But then this happened, and Uraraka turned into a surprising character, full of more depth and self-awareness than I expected. I think this was the point where I officially gave up on trying to predict the series, deciding that Horikoshi would just surprise me at every turn.

In hindsight, I think she could’ve still accepted some advice from Deku. After all, Midoriya accepted advice from Ojiro before he fought Shinso. It’s ok - hell, admirable - to learn as much about your opponent as you can. Still, Uraraka’s decision here bugs me a bit from a Romance-with-Deku angle, since she shuts him out of the role of supporter in her life and tries to go it alone, because - as she reveals in the next ep - of her desire to be just like him. Combined with how she frames her choice in the Cavalry battle here as a negative, and I have trouble viewing their relationship in a positive romantic light. It feels like the series is framing Uraraka’s feelings for Midoriya as a bad thing (I’ll touch on this again later) and making her lose herself in her desire to be like him. Which I find worrying from a romance POV. 

Uraraka describing them as “all being rivals” is another interesting “what a twist” moment to me, because its a good way to describe the early part of the series. Everyone is fighting everyone. Things are a little chummier now, and I’ll cop to missing that atmosphere of antagonism a little. (If I may get into some shipping positivity tho, I like how she mentions Iida challenging Deku as something that inspired her.) 

As our two contestants face each other in the ring, preparing for battle, we end on another brutal cliffhanger. 

I like this episode, but it does mostly feel like the waiting rom in between interesting parts. Like the stuff you have to get through to get to the big guns. I do love how it builds into the next ep, though. Every fight is mixed gender (cept Kiri vs Tetsu) and the ep lays out a clear thesis about not underestimating girls. Uraraka’s gonna win it on her own and the buildup to Ep22 is really great. 

BKDK CORNER:

Some progress. Bakugou doesn’t tell him to shut up here. He must be fairly used to Deku’s muttering by now. He’s the only one in the crowd it doesn’t phase. 

“I don’t think Bakugou would give his explosive all against a female opponent.” “No, he would....no one’s holding back here, Kacchan least of all.” Deku knows his Kacchan. (And respects the crap out of him for this tendency, despite how mean it is.) 

 BEST GIRL OF THE EPISODE: Yui Kodai 

For more info on her: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cUHGKLWgfY 

RANKER: Best Sports Fest Matches

5. Iida vs Todoroki 

4. Deku vs Shinso  

3. Todoroki vs Bakugou

2. Uraraka vs Bakugou 

1. Midoriya vs Todoroki 

[bronyinabottle]

ENDING OF THE END + THE LAST PROBLEM + SERIES END THOUGHTS

Well here we are, the final episodes of the entire series before MLP heads off into uncharted waters of an entirely new 5th generation. The future of MLP is uncertain, there’s absolutely no guarantee and I’d even say it’s inevitable that G5 even if does turn out good. Does not quite hit the same lightning in a bottle G4 did. It’ll be a hard act to follow. Especially given how well the ending was executed. For I truly believe that the two-parter is the best one since Twilight’s Kingdom and the series finale itself is the best single episode since Perfect Pear in Season 7.

Let’s get started with the two-parter first though.

THE ENDING OF THE END

I think the real genius about this two-parter is how it ties just about everything from the past 9 seasons together. Just in the first scene you get Chrysalis placing distrust between types of ponies akin to the Hearth’s Warming tale as she did in the previous Summer Sun celebration episode from this season. It takes having seen most episodes to get everything and know all the cameos. Finales are of course supposed to have some sort of payoff for a lot of things. Throughout this thoughts I may take note of many instances.

The villain team-up while it was first established in the opener can be applied to having big mentions to the finales of Season 2 (Chrysalis), Season 4 (Tirek), and Season 8 (Cozy). The few remaining villains not to be reformed or in the case of Sombra… dead.

The first big twist showing up with Grogar being Discord all this time. It’s certainly strange to have them sort of hype up Grogar only for him to turn out to be an established character and in fact on the Heroes side all along. Though I believe the logic was Discord trying to reform the three by having them experience friendship together like they almost did at the end of Frenemies. And if it failed well it’s another of his “tests” for Twilight and the others to topple over that he’s been doing on occasion since Season 4, though he probably wasn’t expecting to lose his magic amidst all that. On Grogar though, it was a bit weird that we really weren’t getting a lot much about him and even if he was actually a threat they’d have to put some sort of focus on why he’s a bigger threat then the villain team-up (And it’d either playout that the Mane 6 work with the villains once they realize that Grogar’s worse for Equestria then the villains. Though nothing indicated what Grogar plans for Equestira were that destructive, since it was simply instructing the villain trio to use teamwork to defeat the Mane 6. When in reality he was Discord trying to make that teamwork reform them in all likelihood. Like Discord said later he had good intentions, but once again his actions almost resulted in the end of Equestria as we know it just like in Twilight’s Kingdom. Albeit to be fair in Twilight’s Kingdom there was enough reason to believe that Tirek gave him something the ponies still weren’t at that time.)

Finally getting back to our ponies proper, Twilight’s first action this episode is to give Spike the role of royal adviser. You know me regarding Twilight and Spike by now, you just know I love this for all sorts of reasons. ^^

The crazy, superpowered Chaos Cozy moment was pretty funny. It’s also a great setup for something later in the two-parter that’s just as if not better.

But not long before the battle begins.Cozy heading straight for Twilight and the others with Alicorn magic. Tirek easily beating the founders of Equestria, and while she puts up the best fight out of them. Starlight still falls to Chrysalis (Though not without some pretty nice one-liners)

Result is that the rest of the Mane 6, Discord, and a magicless Celestia and Luna hold up a barricade just long enough for Twilight to teleport out as the first half of the two-parter ends.

It’s quite nice that Tirek’s first concern is with Twilight still out there. He probably remembers after the events of Twilight’s Kingdom that there’s a danger of Twilight having some sort of secret trinket or something else that will save Equestria.

Even though the situation they’re in is kind of Discord’s fault. He at least seems to still have quite a bit of cleverness that we remember from his Season 2 debut by tricking Tirek to fire off a blast he can reflect to maybe help free a pony and just so happens to free a pretty powerful one in Starlight.

The Mane 6 get to escape and get to Twilight but amidst some angst about the situation things start looking even worse as the Windigoes sense the distrust that the villain trio has placed in Equestria. It takes some convincing, but Twilight heads the charge against some pretty big odds. And a pretty clever Pinky and the Brain reference (Almost wish Chancellor Neighsay was there for that, given he was Brain’s voice actor)

I like the different ideas Chrysalis and Tirek had about the windigoes which gives an insight on what kind of villains they are. Chrysalis wants to them to stick around to break ponies of Equestria spirits where once they’re defeated by Chrysalis the ponies will have no choice but to bow to her or else she may let the Windigoes come back or something else. While Tirek doesn’t underestimate how hard they might be to control and wants to take them out right away cause they may very well be an obstacle for even an all-powerful villain. A frozen wasteland may not be as ideal to rule over as a normal defeated Equestria after all. But before they can even think of challenging the windigoes the Mane 6 have arrived to challenge the trio for the final battle.

The battle itself is well-done and funnily enough has some resemblance to a part I did in Return to Saddle Arabia where most of the Mane 6 and Spike are about to be blasted to oblivion before some kind of magic shield protects them. Granted it’s not exactly the most original idea to go with a scene where the heroes bravely face potential death before some miracle came in. But I like that a few things I’ve done in Genie Twi had something like it happen in canon.

But anyway yes, the unicorns of Equestria have came together to provide a shield. You have Neighsay, Trixie, Moondance, Tempest, Twilight’s parents, Sunburst’s Mom, and Twilight’s old Canterlot friends (Heck even Flim and Flam are helping which may be a little surprising since you’d expect them to just try to profit. Though arguably maybe they’re just going to try to use the publicity of having helped save Equestria to boost their buisness). And back behind them. Are Yaks, Changelings, Dragons and Pegasi. It’s also very clever for the Changelings to become the Main 6 to help confuse the villain trio as to where the real ones are.

And the reason they’re all here to back up? It’s all thanks to the school of friendship from Season 8 along with the Student 6 there to keep everyone together despite the attempts to divide everyone. The ultimate lesson in education helping prevent people/ponies of different kinds of places and entire species in the case of Equestria to come together. While Season 8 wasn’t the most solid season of the show, the role it plays in this finale really gives it a solid purpose that is better way of saving Equestria then the majority of the two-parters where a miracle mcguffin is used to do it. I still love Twilight’s Kingdom a lot but while I’m still deciding whether I like this two-parter more or less then that one. Ending of the End for sure has the better ending, as Twilight’s Kingdom still kind of uses a mcguffin-esque ending with the Rainbow Power which never shows up again outside of a dream sequence. The thing that saves the day is set up over like two seasons, while the Rainbow Power was generally just keys throughout random parts of Season 4. Which is still great. But the school helping is the end after having been established a while ago is a much better setup.

This was the setup from the superpowered Cozy. Pinkie getting it briefly xD Hilariously burying the depowered villain trio with a giant cupcake. While most see the comic where Pinkie was a chaos princess, I also kind of see something similar when I was introducing Genie Pinkie for Ain’t Never Had Friends Like Us.

But yeah, instead of being reformed. Tirek, Cozy, and Chrysalis will remain in stone for probably a long time. Will they get another chance someday like Discord did who was in a similar situation? Who knows, that’s likely up to fanfic authors to decide that now. There is somewhat of a controversy about this. Though given people have had enough of villains being reformed. Wish granted I guess? Though I think most of it surrounds Cozy since she is just a little filly. Unless the “Season 10” MLP comics get around to it, we won’t know Cozy’s history though so we don’t exactly know how Cozy got this way. And perhaps it’s just easier to assume she’s a born psychopath, though the sad look on her face before she’s petrified probably doesn’t help said controversy. All we can really say is, hey they weren’t reformed after all. You happy now? :V If you want a show that literally reforms every villain, I guess there’s always Steven Universe. And arguably some of those villains did much worse then any Friendship is Magic villain ever. Not to be mean to Steven Universe since I do like that show, but you do kind of have to realize they’re even more lenient on the reformations then Friendship is Magic.

With the battle over, Twilight delays the coronation for some time until Canterlot’s castle is rebuilt. And decide to take a good long break at Donut Joe’s shop. The same place they went to after the first gala the Mane 6 went to. Which is certainly a nice touch.

Overall, just a really awesome two-parter of which we haven’t seen since Season 4. Most of the ending with a bang came from this. But coming just right after, is the closing single episode. 22 minutes entirely focused on closing out the series on a happy epilogue.

THE LAST PROBLEM

Whenever there was discussion about what a series finale for the show looked like. I don’t know if there were many diverse ideas. But there were always two ideas on my mind: A timeskip that shows what the world of Equestria is like years in the future especially after we know Twilight’s a princess where she’d be at the very least Cadence sized. Or a sort of final farewell, where all 6 have their own stuff to pursuit. Which the latter became slightly muddled on somehow they’re still able to teach when some of them already have full careers. But nonetheless the Finale did kind of hit both in a way. Where yes much of the episode is about a time skip but we also get a flashback where the Mane 6 are worried about Twilight having to be in Canterlot now. With less time to spend with her friends.

I must say first of all Twilight looks pretty great Celestia-sized. It would be nice to know just how an “Alicorn puberty” works but maybe that’s a job for the “Season 10” comics. Spike’s design on the other hand seems to received mixed responses for the most part. Nonetheless, he’s a muscly dragon friendship ambassador that says he’s been trying to bring peace between a dog species (Diamond Dogs) and a cat species (Abyssinians).

Gallus is now in the Royal Guard. A showing that Equestria has truly diversified.

But anyway, we meet Luster Dawn. Someone Twilight calls her top student who sort of repeats some of Twilight’s own thoughts on friendship during the pilot. It’s a sort of history repeats cycle here going on here.

Anyway, while I still love this episode. I do have to admit there’s something I don’t quite get about the moving part. The tree of harmony gave Twilight a whole castle that’s even themed on her. If she was just going to sit at Canterlot. Why was the castle made in the first place and what will Twilight’s ponyville castle be used for? Just for when she happens to be visiting there occasionally?  Do her friends use the castle? Just a little strange to leave a castle that’s perfectly fine and even still in Ponyville for just about everything to work out. Perhaps it’s just a little much to move the capital and a way to kind of keep Ponyville to it’s roots as a generally more outdoor town with less of the royal hubbub. (Then again, because of how the Mane 6 there. So much happens because of it). I guess it’s kind of similar to why have Twilight’s castle when they could of just refurbished the old Castle that was in the Everfree. These ponies sure know how to waste perfectly good castles don’t they heh.

Anyway, we’re getting to real bittersweet part of the flashback. Twilight’s going to be the new ruler of Equestria but being in Canterlot means it’s not going to be a simple walk to see her friends any more. She hopes to see them worried about it just like her. But they seem to be handling things just fine. Unbeknownst to Twilight, they’re just hoping to make Twilight feel better despite the fact that it’s their worries that would make Twilight feel better. The 6 have a good group cry together before they realize the talk has nearly made them late for the train. They even spin past poor Starlight who had a present for Twilight which would have to be opened later. The rush however will have consequences as all the things the rest set up are getting messed up now that they’re aren’t there to head things up. The coronation has lots of things go wrong, but I wonder if at this point the population is generally used to things going wrong with the canterlot events with these 6 like with the Gala. They screw up the formal event but when it comes to saving and leading, Twilight’s done good enough for Equestria.

And now we get to seeing where the rest of Twilight’s friends are in the timeskip!

To the surprise of many, the only one 100% confirmed to be married is Pinkie. Who went with Cheese Sandwich and even had a child (There seems to be a controversy regarding the gender given Big Jim said the script says Lil’ Cheese is male despite having a filly snout and eyelashes while Josh Haber has said no gender was specified. Perhaps we should just say Lil’ Cheese is trans.. if it weren’t for the fact that always gets even worse responses from transphobics). But yeah, while I was never one to heavily ship Pinkie with a character. If I had to see her with anyone. Cheese Sandwich was one that came to mind as a great choice. (Even if we would of thought if any of the 6 were happily married it would be Rarity.) Apparently between Pinkie and Maud, the Pie sisters want someone similar to them. We know anyone that’s just as grumpy as Limestone? Or just as shy as Marble? (That isn’t Big Mac for already married reasons)

Which speaking of which Rarity comes by with some grey streaks in her mane and Tail. Looks like all that stress making dresses late at night has caught up to her heh.

Then Rainbow Dash and Applejack come in at the same time. Some are saying they are a confirmed couple buuuuut it feels like the episode plays it a little too vaguely to say that for sure. They argue like an old married couple yeah, but in all fairness. They’ve done that all series long pretty much. I hope none of you fans of Appledash get mad at me by saying it’s not exactly confirmed here but you’re as free as I am in expressing the opinion on what’s going on here. I may have seen somewhere that Appledash was originally going to be more explicitly shown, but as is we can only take what we see from the final version of the episode. You’re free to suggest they are a couple, but I think I needed more then few dialogue and looks to say that. It’s shipping fuel at the very least, but not concrete like Pinkie and Cheese. But anyway, Rainbow Dash seems to be the new captain of the Wonderbolts after assuringly Spitfire retired and AJ’s still on the farm as always.

Same with regards to the Fluttershy and Discord ship too. Though it might have a slight bigger leg to stand on then the AppleDash thing given the hint from the Angel episode a while ago and the lunchbag with cute drawn faces is there. But otherwise hard to confirm or deny either way. If you think they’re together then they are, if you think they aren’t. That’s all fair.

Anyway, the present that Starlight had was a book of memories that seems to have like enchanted photos of moments throughout the series. Which is pretty cool. Though of course Twilight doesn’t want to leave it off on just the photo album.

Before we get to the very ending, it’s probably something to cover up another slight controversy about this ep: The implication that Twilight will probably outlive her friends. Since Twilight is indeed Celestia sized now and the rest are obviously older with grey hair in the case of Rarity and bags under their eyes. It’s true that this can be saddening to think about, but it’s kind of only bad if they had like shown Twilight see their gravestones after they’ve passed to leave us all sad before the end. Where as it ends here it’s just that they’re older. I know it doesn’t exactly help to know such a future will eventually happen to Twilight. But we must remember that Faust has mentioned that Twilight taking over Celestia’s role was the way she wanted to end the series. And the staff made sure they follow a lot of what Faust wanted. There’s only 3 ways they could of adhered to “Twilight won’t outlive her friends” as said in the Meghan McCarthy tweet. Where either Twilight sacrifices herself to save Equestria from the final threat, the rest of the 6 also become Alicorns, or Twilight somehow vouches to give up her Alicornhood to become a Unicorn again. All of which have their own problems.

Twilight sacrificing herself wouldn’t be unprecedented since it’d be similar to if DBZ had ended with the Cell Saga when Goku’s sacrifice nearly defeated Cell. While Goku’s sacrifice wasn’t what defeated Cell for good, it’d still playout that the main character of the show we’ve seen grow died in a noble sacrifice. Which offers a touching ending but may be a bit of a very sour note to end on for the little girls who look up to Twilight. They’d at least have to make sure Twilight has some sort of Force Ghost type thing, but nonetheless kind of hard to really go for.

If the rest became Alicorns it sort of cheapens Twilight’s own ascension moment. Not to mention it sort of goes to “Every girl wants to be a princess!” which isn’t exactly the case. Maybe arguably things like Flurry Heart being born already kind of cheapened it. But I don’t know it’d just be weird to have like Rainbow be big while still on the wonder bolts. Or a princess Applejack doing the stuff on the farm.

And as for Twilight demoting herself, that sort of makes everything from the Magical Mystery Cure to near the end of Season 9 entirely pointless. Which for people still salty about Twilight becoming an Alicorn might enjoy, it wouldn’t for those who were just fine with Twilight being a princess. There are many areas of the show that some believe the show jumped the shark. Even I’d say the way they executed Starlight’s rise to a recurring character kind of boggled down the show for a good while. But for those who hung on after MMC, there was still plenty of fun we got from the series.

I guess besides these three options maybe you could bring up if Twilight had never become a Princess. Though before she became a Princess we never really knew for sure what Twilight was being groomed for by Celestia. Before Season 3 happened all we could see is maybe she becomes some sort of Grand Wizard ala Starswirl the Bearded after having helped Celestia bring her sister back. But advertisements for Season 3 mentioned a “true destiny” for Twilight And that’s what this was. Some of the stuff people were worried about back when MMC happened have come into fruition here. But even with the fact that there will be a flood of sadfics about when the time comes when all of Twi’s friends pass. It feels like it’s something that was coming anyway. I might be a bit biased on this front though given my own blog has Twilight become a genie before she even became an Alicorn where she had to choose between staying a genie and eventually seeing her friends pass or staying a genie for Spike as well as the massive reserves of magic she’ll have over the years. I can understand everyone’s concern about the implication of Twilight outliving her friends. But whole those still bitter about MMC will shake their fist, we must remember again we see no gravestones. We simply see aging friends at the end of the series. Even with the fact Twilight will outlive them. Twilight still has plenty of time left with them before it all happens. The whole thing gives it a whole bittersweet feeling admittedly, but I wouldn’t say the ending’s ruined by this implication.

Now it’s time though for the final song of the series. And what a note to end on. It’s absolutely one of the most beautiful songs of the series. The chorus always seems to somewhat well up tears in my eyes even beyond just knowing this was the final scene of the episode. The song’s just emotionally powerful in that way. In the midst of the song we also see many older versions of the characters. An older version of the kids from the CMC to Diamond Tiara, and Twist. Pound and Pumpkin Cake older. the older Student six along withe said CMC who seem to be the new teachers at the school. Big Mac and Sugar Belle have their own child (On a sad note you can see Granny Smith’s neck accessory around Applejack as well as Goldie Delicious who’s around Apple Bloom. Both seem to have passed away from old age by this time)

Now what’s really cool is the screen where the 6 come across the screen where the ponies their associated with throughout the series are shown. All the characters that were particularly touched in one way or another by the 6 ponies we’ve come to know over these long 9 years of the show. We see pinkie’s family along with Cheese Sandwich, Gilda, and Cranky. In Fluttershy’s we see Discord, Tree Hugger, the Parasprites, and Iron Will. In Rainbow’s we see the Wonderbolts, Daring Do, Quibble Pants and his family, Derpy, and Tank. In Applejack’s we even see her deceased parents, Autumn Blaze, and Coloratura. In Rarity’s we see Fancy Pants, Saffron, Capper, Ember, and Coco. And of course for Twilight we see the princesses, Moondancer, and heck for the first and only time in the series we see Sunset Shimmer (Albeit it’s kind of sad that this is the only main show appearance for her. I thought I heard somewhere that at some point they were going to show her too and reveal she’s the new principal of Canterlot High. In which I feel could of been a funny dialogue thing where she could say “When I was young, I was sure one day I would succeed Celestia. I just didn’t think it’d be like this!”.

And as Luster Dawn goes to her friends, the sun sets on the day as the Mane 6 all look on. And the book from the very first episode closes. And thus, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic was over.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This was just a great ending of the series. As I’ve said before iI’m glad it got to end on this sort of note rather then being cancelled out of nowhere with an ending not quite as satisfying as this. Magical Mystery Cure could of been our series finale had the fans not supported the show so much. Some of the stuff we got would of been implicated of happening anyway if indeed the series ended with *BOOM!* Twilight’s a princess but I think it really helped to see quite a bit of aftermath of Twilight struggling with the promotion until she’s finally ready to step into Celestia’s shoes as the new ruler. We should remind ourselves time and again that’s how Faust wanted the series to end and while this show isn’t perfect and there are times in the shows where stuff dropped and episodes that missed the mark. There are usually amazing episodes throughout that has made following the series worthwhile.

And while G4 as a show is over there is still some comics to look forward to. We’ll also hopefullly see how G5 turns out. Though even if it fails, perhaps one day Hasbro will throw us a bone and do a nostalgic special with the G4 cast again. They’ve sometimes done it for Transformers. Hasbro should have the message sent on what made G4 so successful and they’ll try to somewhat replicate it’s success. Though they’ll certainly have an uphill battle with an all new staff and a hard act to follow.

I’m really glad I found this show all the way back in early 2011. It’s been so much fun following the characters as well as meeting new friends online who shared love for the show and even going to conventions related to all this. There’s still some fandom stuff to be done on my part even extending to next year as I’m not quite done with Genie Twilight yet. It is heavy thanks to this show being great for me that I’m gladly working on a little hobby blog for about 7 years or so. Thank you DHX, Hasbro, and everyone else involved with the show’s run for a fantastic show. We’ll never forget as the magic of friendship grows within all of us.