Comments on The Final Stretch – Chapter 74: Unraveling
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Nat
Story: The Quest for the Legends (ILCOE)
Chapter: The Final Stretch – Chapter 74: Unraveling
Damn, damn, I was so convinced that Rob was going to be killed. Deliberately this time. He said he’d sooner die or release Mew, and everyone was so desperate, and it was all falling apart and I thought someone might actually order a Pokemon to attack and kill Rob. And then they’d need to deal with that too. I had such a feeling of dread.
On a related note tho. I think my favorite part of TQFTL is the incredibly messy fallout of Tyler Lancaster’s death. Neither Tyler nor Rick are really good people, they do a lot of really, really dubious things, like hypnotizing law enforcement and treating Pokemon as tools more than partners.
And like. May is a much better and more fair battler, everyone agrees. But if this were the Pokemon anime, there’d probably be an extended arc around how treating your Pokemon as friends is a far superior strategy towards pushing them to win. But also everyone still viewed her are objectively the better trainer, and they’re not wrong but she’s still a kid. She’s twelve. She’s twelve and the police never listen to her and everyone is calling her a murderer, judging her, saying ‘you should have known better! You should never have let this happen! This is all your fault!’
And they’re not wrong, she did play a major part in it happening but. She’s 12 and the world is ending and everyone is calling her a murderer, and she’d never been the most friendly or likable kid before but no one wants to be a murderer. And at 12, that’s gotta mess you up.
I really love the conflicting morality in TQFTL. Robin and Alan want to do the morally correct thing, but in doing so come off as not seeing the big picture, or unempathetic towards how this whole ordeal affected May. Chaletwo wants to save the world, but he’s also so terrified of dying. Mark got caught up in something so much bigger than himself.
I think Alan and May’s character development is amazing, too. It’s sad they haven’t entirely made up, but I’m delighted Alan apologized for how he acted towards May.
Also did not realize you releases a slightly edited version. Hopping over there now— so excited to at last read the ending!Reply: <3 Thank youuu, I really appreciate comments like these!
[06/23/2022 10:38:10]
Seren
Story: The Quest for the Legends (ILCOE)
Chapter: The Final Stretch – Chapter 74: Unraveling
Well, I was definitely fooled, because I assumed Rick's Mewtwo² was just a clone of a clone and never seriously considered it an actual legendary that might be affected by the War. I'd also thought that if that WERE the case, then not only would they have to catch all the legendaries, but then they'd have to make sure Rick didn't have a single one of his clones out at the exact right moment also, and there was just no way they'd know when that was going to be. (I was also swept up by thinking of Rick and the War as two separate threats, though, too, so consider that a success.)
Honestly this is probably my favorite chapter after confronting Rick. It really does build this looming feeling of tension and dread, the Mew Hunter twist was actually pretty clever, and that feeling of "wait, was that the pulse?!?!" and the immediately following "oh no something is very wrong" was a fantastic climax.
[09/16/2019 04:05:12]
Shadowkaiserin
Story: The Quest for the Legends (ILCOE)
Chapter: The Final Stretch – Chapter 74: Unraveling
It's finally happening! I'm so excited!
[09/08/2017 10:14:02]
mamma
Story: The Quest for the Legends (ILCOE)
Chapter: The Final Stretch – Chapter 74: Unraveling
Kaflinn er mjög góður framan af. Vitnað í margt sem áður skeði og útskýrt. En ég botna ekkert í restinni og alls ekkert í endinum. Í fyrsta lagi, af hverju safna þau ekki restinni af hópnum saman, þegar Chaletwo segir þeim að Mew muni birtast í þessum skógi? Í öðru lagi, af hverju var Mark ekki búinn að ná í þennan bolta og endurræsa hann til að geta lokað Mew inni í honum? Í þriðja lagi, af hverju kemur þeim allt í einu á óvart að Mewtwo2 sé laus, þe. að Rick noti hann til að efla kraft sinn eða ógna, ögra, ná valdi? Í fjórða lagi, hver er Razor og hvaðan kemur hann og hvað er hann að gera þarna…Reply: Chaletwo veit ekki að Mew muni birtast í þessum skógi, hann er bara búinn að sannfæra sjálfan sig um það (rétt nægilega mikið til að segja þeim að halda áfram og að þetta takist örugglega, en ekki nóg til að kalla allt liðið þangað). Fyrr í kaflanum sagði hann sjálfur að það væri ekkert víst að Mew kæmi aftur í skóginn; það var Mark sem datt það í hug. En Chaletwo grípur þetta svo á lofti undir lokin af því að hann er hræddur og taugaóstyrkur og þarf að sannfæra sig um að þetta takist. Endilega ekki ímynda þér hann sem rödd skynseminnar, hann er alls ekki sérklega skynsamur. :)
Venjulega eru óvirkir boltar bara óvirkir; þess vegna sagði Mark í byrjun kaflans að boltinn hjálpi þeim ekki neitt af því að hann er óvirkur. Mew Hunter er hins vegar með sérfræðiþekkingu; hann eyddi löngum tíma í að lesa sér til um pokébolta og tæknina á bakvið til að geta breytt þeim. Þetta kemur líka fram: "Don't you remember? I studied Pokéballs."
Oftast eru pokémonar inni í kúlunum sínum; þess vegna gerðu þau ráð fyrir fyrir löngu síðan að klónin sem Rick á yrðu líklega ekki vandamál. Þau vita að Rick er að leita að þeim, en gera ráð fyrir að hann sé þá gangandi um með Mewtwo^2 í kúlu og sendi hann bara út ef hann finnur þau. Þau hafa hins vegar ekki pælt sérstaklega í því þannig, Rick undanfarna kafla hefur verið allt önnur ógn, á sér plani, og þau tengdu þessa hluti aldrei saman á þann hátt að byrja að velta meðvitað fyrir sér hvort hann sendi Mewtwo^2 oft út nú þegar hann er að leita að þeim. Þau eru búin að vera að einblína á Mew, og ég hef reynt að skrifa söguna þannig að lesandanum detti það ekki heldur í hug fyrr en það gerist.
[06/23/2017 14:07:37]
Altissimo
Story: The Quest for the Legends (ILCOE)
Chapter: The Final Stretch – Chapter 74: Unraveling
ive been following this fanfic for like twelve fucking years i am ready to see the end!!!! omgomg excitement
[06/19/2017 23:25:45]
Silverlatios47
Story: The Quest for the Legends (ILCOE)
Chapter: The Final Stretch – Chapter 74: Unraveling
Wow, seems I made a lot of similar remarks in the last comment I made at the end of last year, and that would be because I reread the previous few chapters to get back into things, so sorry about the repetition.Reply: Don't worry about it, haha! I really appreciate all your comments and look forward to them.
[06/19/2017 21:50:25]
Silverlatios47
Story: The Quest for the Legends (ILCOE)
Chapter: The Final Stretch – Chapter 74: Unraveling
I can't lie. I cried a little when Rob showed up.
And I almost did out of nostalgia as Mark did the drawings of previous epic moments in the story. Those moments were practically part of my childhood, and it puts so much into perspective. Those may have been triumphs, but faced with apocalypse it made them feel so bittersweet as they ultimately may have amounted to nothing.
It really felt desolate and like the story COULD come to its suddenly dreary end before they found Mew, and only knowing there are two more chapters after this made me feel safe that everyone wouldn't be slaughtered soundly.
One of the huge things I love about this fic is the stark contrast between the fantastical and far-off threat of legendary wars and said apocalypse, and the more domestic and equally lethal threat of Rick's assualt – almost more terrifying because it's tangible. And I love the conflict that comes of this.
I don't think I will ever find the words to describe my adoration and admiration of this fic, or to describe the impact it's had on me, being a presence in my life for probably half of it or more. (And TCoD as a whole!!!!!)
I can't wait to see how it concludes. With each of the sparse amount of chapters that have been coming out the past several years, I am torn between devouring the words as fast as I can read and savoring each and every sentence. I'll stop rambling now.
<3
[06/19/2017 21:42:00]
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