[FFML] Children of an Elder God Finale (Episode 24) COMPLETE

[David McMillan]

On 8/29/2010 11:08 PM, John Biles wrote:

> That's right, here it comes, the final chapter.  Enjoy!

	And what a long, strange trip it's been.

> 	But not for long, as he heard a bumping noise downstairs.  A burglar?
>   He crept out of his room and down the hallway to the top of the
> stairs.  What he saw was a trio of malformed dogs; one had two heads,
> one had a face on the side of its torso and one had six legs.  They
> were ripping up and eating a five-legged dear which was purple.

	dear<>deer.

> 	"I can do it if you don't want to," Misato said kindly to Kensuke.
>
> 	"No, it has to be me," Kensuke said.  "I'm sorry, everyone.  This is
> the last time I'll ever see you.  But the truth must out.  Or everyone
> is going to die."

	If an illusion is so close to the real thing that it can realize it's 
an illusion, and decide to end itself in favor of the truth... is it 
still, in truth, an illusion?

	On a related note, *dang* but I like Kensuke in this story.  He didn't 
get much time on stage, but he never missed his Big Damn Hero cue when 
it came by.

> 	He seized the lantern and it came to life and he became light and the
> light was the truth and the truth was revealed.
>
> 	Everything was a lie.

	THE CAKE IS A LIE!!!!
	If Cthulhu used a computer, it would probably run GladOS.

>Yui had used the power of the EVA units and
> the Children according to a pre-determined plan.  The Ceremony of
> Innocence had used the Dream King's power to fuse dreams and reality
> to reshape the world into her vision of a perfect world.  The dead
> walked again and all humanity's worst problems were solved with a
> brilliant future ahead of them.

	For a long time, COAEG just seemed to be further and further divergent 
from canon NGE.  But with this, it takes a BIG step back towards 
parallelism with canonicity.
	...er....

> 	Someone would have to stay behind to be its Soul, the master who
> controlled it and guided its madness in constructive ways, restrained
> its whims and kept it ready to protect mankind if new menaces arrived,
> without it destroying mankind in a dream of death.

	Oh, this is Not Good.

> 	"I...," Misato began.
>
> 	"I will do it," Rei said.  "I was made for this battle; the normal
> world has nothing for me, for I cannot be normal.  I am a hunter.
> Best I remain to hunt humanity's enemies.  And atone for my sins."

	Somebody needs to slap that girl with a Clue Bat.  She doesn't deserve 
this, no matter what she thinks.

> 	"We can't leave you alone," Shinji said.  "We won't."
>
> 	"You must go and go quickly, or you will never be able to leave," Rei
> said.  "I will be fine."  Her voice was brave, but it wobbled.
>
> 	"I don't want to stay in this freaky thing forever listening to it
> gibber but there's no fucking way I'm leaving you here," Touji said.
> "You deserve a normal life too."
>
> 	"For me, a normal life is only a dream," Rei said.
>
> 	The King in Yellow made an effort to wrap them in the Yellow Sign.
> They squashed him without hardly noticing.

	DBZ, here we come.  Really drives home just how far they've come by 
this point.

> 	"Rei...I.." Asuka said.  Part of her hated Rei and part of her knew
> she could have ended up doing the same thing.  She could feel the
> hungers which raged inside her now.  She was chained by them again.
> "I don't know if any of us can be normal."

	This is one of those Stand Up And Cheer heroic moments -- no drama, 
just... plain, stubborn loyalty.
	Although I notice Hikari doesn't say anything when the others do.

> 	"You have to try," Rei said.  "You will all become like me if you
> stay.  I will take the fall.  Go, go while you still can."
>
> 	Misato touched her star to Rei's forehead.  There was a flash of
> light.  "There," she said softly. "Give her a piece of yourself, each
> of you.  So she won't have to be alone."

	Dangit, Biles, you made me tear up here.

> 	Touji went next, wondering if life was ever going to stop being part
> of weird shit.  "You're a good friend, Rei," he said lamely as he drew
> a basketball crudely on her forehead.
>
> 	Hikari embraced her and touched their foreheads together.  "I've been
> you," she said softly.  "Now you can try being me."
>
> 	Asuka hesitantly stepped up, staring at Rei's feet, then took Rei's
> hands and squeezed them and touched them to her forehead and fire
> ringed them.  "I wish it could have been like our dream," she said
> softly, then let go.
>
> 	Shinji embraced Rei and kissed her on the lips.  She froze, then
> turned red and he smiled a little and stepped back.  "We love you,
> Rei," he said softly and she smiled weakly, then turned serious again.

	And that's a victory.  Not beating the bad guys, or saving the world -- 
just "we love you."  That's what won everything else.
	It's a victory with a decidedly Phyrric aftertaste... but you take the 
wins you can get.

> 	Sgt. Volkritter held his hand up as his men moved warily through the
> ruins of NERV-Germany.  They could hear a woman, talking to someone.

	Shouldn't that be Volkenritter?  Or are you not making a vague Nanhoa ref?

>
> 	"We won," Misato said.  "This world now belongs to mankind."
>
> 	"So, basically, we're screwed," he said, clearly trying to make a
> joke but also clearly exhausted.

	Ah, gallows humor -- what *really* lets humanity survive these traumas.

> 	"If you can drive a giant robot, you can drive a car," Abadiah said.
> "You turn sixteen here, you get to drive."

	Doesn't that kind of common sense break some Trope Law of mecha shows?

> 	"You're good kids," Abadiah said.  "Your family doing well?"

	They are good kids.  Nice to see that someone on the outside can 
recognize it.
	Although... I have this odd feeling that I'm missing an in-joke with 
these four old men....

> 	They each put a hand out and stacked them, Misato's on the bottom.
> Then Shinji said, "Until we meet again."  Then he took Asuka's hand
> and they walked onto the boat and sailed out to sea.

	Sailing into the West, to the elven lands...

> 	They never returned to human civilization, but one day, they all did
> meet again.

	Textbook Bittersweet Ending.  But as long as they were together 
again... I think they'll count it as being happy.  Happy enough, at least.

> 	"And flourished," Maya said.  "Unfortunately, this universe still
> doesn't like us very much.  And humanity's struggling with the legacy
> of the Children."
>
> 	"Go on?"
>
> 	"People have been seeing visions of them, and some are developing
> powers," Maya said.  "Cults are arising again, and the stars are
> moving unnaturally.  If we don't figure out some way to handle this,
> we may well destroy ourselves."  She sighed.  "But that's always the
> way with advances.  Humanity is about to take its next step in
> evolution, I think, and we have to ensure it survives it without
> self-destructing.  Not an invasion like last time; this time, we have
> to fight and overcome what's inside us.   Our own darkness, made worse
> by the legacy of Adam and the powers in this universe."  She sounded
> rather worried about whether they'd win.

	And the Wheel turns again.  Well, heck, Maya, they never promised us 
victory, just a fighting chance.
	...actually, they never promised us that, either, but the forged 
signatures on this document are good enough to stand up in any court. 
So we'll all just pretend they did.

> 	"I never had time for kids," Maya said.  "We can think about having
> some after this crisis is over."
>
> 	"I didn't mean..."  Ritsuko's eyes crossed.
>
> 	"You're still fun to tease," Maya said, smiling.  "Anyway, follow me!"
>
> 	Ritsuko let Maya lead her on into the future.  There was work to do,
> and Ritsuko needed that.

	Yeah.  Again, happy enough.  It'll do.
>
>   	Good luck, Misato, Ritsuko thought.  Perhaps we'll meet again.

	We can only hope.