//------------------------------// // Meta Filler 2: One Year Anniversary, Plot, Pictures, and Music // Story: Equestria Was Merely a Setback! // by Thunderscourge //------------------------------// A/N: Equestria Was Merely a Setback hit its one year old marker awhile back and I totally forgot, so I wanted to do a one year celebration bit if that's alright with all of you. I'm still working on the next chapter, but I was able to finish this in some spare time quickly because it's far easier than an actual chapter. Some extra content to hopefully tide you over until the actual chapter. There are a lot of different sections to it too, with a variety of content I think will satiate different kinds of people. Some near Q and A stuff at the start, then some link related materials, and so on and so forth. While this may not be a real "chapter", it will have a fair bit of content for you all and may even answer some questions/thoughts you have been having, so I hope you enjoy and will let me know what you think in the comments below! Princess Luna As I am sure you all have realized by now, the most influential character in the story who we have not officially met yet is Princess Luna. Readers of We Remember Everything and Nothing Lasts Forever will know more specifically why, but neither are required reading: they just will solve the questions you may have a bit faster, since Trixie is rapidly though still just learning about how to manipulate the powers she learned from Princess Luna about dreams to further look into her own past, instead of just remembering it just bit by bit. The basics are this, as shown so far through dreams and whatnot: Luna took Trixie under her wing and helped her out, playing a basically motherly role to her, but something happened between them and Trixie is now away from her and has a bitter feeling from it all, while possessing nice memories of how things were. "Sunwell" It's also been vaguely alluded to on a couple of occasions, but Trixie has the power of a "Sunwell" within her. The reason the Defias captured her and ignored Kael, despite being hired by what is alluded to be some part of the Illidari, is that they can use the Sunwell within her to enact their plans. She's basically a walking nuclear bomb of energy, but she only can barely scratch at its surface with her own powers...but someone who could just steal her power, like Kael accidently did, can tap into far more than her which was how he managed to go toe to toe with Dathrohan, who otherwise would have crushed the adventurers horribly. Those who seek the Sunwell could care less if a "fake" Kael'thas is running around if they can do anything they please with a Sunwell. For this reason, the plot of Burning Crusade has shifted its timeline: normally they seek the Sunwell after Kael'thas is defeated at Tempest Keep, but now pre-Tempest Keep Kael is turning on his people and attacking them in his hunt for power sources. The reward that can now be found on Kael's head is a result of them trying to use a high profile person (Kael) who many will recognize to find someone who is only just becoming a public figure. The Sunwell was what once gave Blood Elves their power, and they became addicted to its energies. When they lost it, they became the magic withdrawal species that now is plagued by this new weakness...Trixie and Kael suffered from that pain early on because Trixie's Sunwell was not empowered for whatever reason (we'll learn why eventually) and she had nothing to satiate her natural thirst, nor that of Kael, who has a currently unknown link to Trixie that lets her feed him power. Who "killed" Edwin VanCleef? (Or rather, defeated) Another thing I have heavily hinted but I believe few have realized is that Kael and Trixie's first ally, Reuenthal, was the one who defeated Edwin VanCleef in the first iteration of Deadmines. The reason he had a map for them to use of the area that had such great detail was because he had been there in-person. He also had not known what the hell a Murloc at the time was, which is why he wrote "Mrglmrglmrgl" to denote where they were on the shore. I thought his heterochromia (two different eye colors) and ability to pass as a human (due to his split parentage) would have made it easy to guess, but alas I don't think my blatant hints (with even the characters realizing it, but not outright stating it) have had their intended effect. I really do like building up things to have people piece them together in an implicit manner, but I figured I may as well get this "secret" (that hasn't been a secret for ten chapters) out. Basically, Reuenthal is a Vanilla World of Warcraft player, while Trixie and Kael are players who joined at Burning Crusade who are going through a lot of Vanilla content. As it would be, canon-Vanessa would not have had her plans to rebuild the Defias ruined by a pair of Elves, and instead would go on to get her happy revenge at some point before eventually being defeated at the time of Cataclysm where she'd die fighting the player characters. Now, Vanessa still wants revenge along with the rebuilding of the Defias yet again, but is distracted by it at the moment by the feelings of crushing loneliness at having lost everyone she loves and grief over her part in that. So she's trying to latch onto the only people who are showing her any kind of kindness...Trixie's group, with Trixie being the main one. Rivalries A lot of characters have long term counterparts/rivals, and so I'm working on what will be major rivalries as time goes on: Trixie: an arena specific rivalry with Kargath, but also she is a parallel to Jaina (as someone Kael loves, but treats him wholly differently than how Jaina had), and also to Kael himself in one regard...her desires to become famous run contrary to the position they are put in due to his infamous status. She also wants to rise to the top and become a star, while Kael automatically is one due to his prince status. Not bad-rivals, but their partnership has tradeoffs in this regard. Kael: Kael's counterpart is obviously the other Kael, whose anti-heroic actions have become outright villainous ones, while our Kael is still on the anti-hero side of things. Lavitz: while not an outright rivalry, he fulfills a similar role to Kargath in the Illidari. As compared to Kargath, they both follow around Kael and help do the "dirty work", but Lavitz is fighting for honorable reasons and causes and not himself, while Kargath fights for his own ego. While one is just the brute, the other fulfills the role of an adviser/lancer to the leader. Vanessa: Vendetta against Reuenthal, who she does not know specifically or else she'd have tried killing him already, and now on the receiving end of vengeance from Jerid, who she's killed the two closest friends of. Hitting Your Limit Also, a theme that will be explored in the coming arcs is the idea of "potential". That is, that there are just some things that one cannot surpass on their own, that everyone has a limit to what they can achieve in an area. Some are able to reach it easier than others, while some must toil hard to get what they can. Things can alter this of course, such as a powerful artifact or object. Main cast Trixie: Level 30 (Level 50, enhanced Level 80) Kael: Level 30 (Level 70) Lavitz: Level 32 (Level 60) Vanessa: Level 37 (Level 45) Reuenthal: Level 61 (Level 60) Mittermeyer: Level 60 (Level 59) Karl: Level 36 (Level 40) Crusaders Dathrohan: Level 62 Elite/Heroic, ~level 65 in normal levels Mograine: Level 40 Elite/Heroic, ~level 45-50 in normal levels Whitemane: Level 40 Elite/Heroic, ~level 45-50 in normal levels Abbendis: Level 58 (Level 60) Jerid: Level 30 (Level 70) Lila: Level 35 (Level 70) Kacricon: Level 30 (Level 55) Others Kael'thas (Outland): Level 70 Elite/Heroic, ~level 72-75 in normal levels Kargath: Level 70 Elite/Heroic, ~level 71-72 in normal levels Sylvanas: Level 65 Elite/Heroic, ~level 70 in normal levels (she is increasing from her level 60 in classis/vanilla WoW to her level in BC) On the one hand we have characters who haven't hit their "peak" yet such as Trixie and Kael, at which point it'll be harder for them to improve (though not impossible). On the other, we have those who have hit their natural limit like Reuenthal and Mittermeyer and are not able to progress as easily as our protagonists. Similarly, Vanessa is a prodigy for combat for someone her age, but she comments in-game that she does not have the same talent as her father...despite being stronger, in game terms (level 80's boss versus ~level 20 boss). Certain things can augment one's capabilities, such as the mentioned Sunwell, but much like how leveling in the game becomes much more difficult after a certain point so will it here. Everyone can still continue onward from when they hit their natural limit, of course, but it'll be overall much more difficult (which is why, while our protagonists have been leveling about 20-25 levels since they last saw their allies, Mitter'meyer and Reuenthal have gotten about 15 despite preparing greatly for when they are needed). Thicker than blood Another theme that will prove important is that family is more than who you are related to by blood. Trixie had a poor relationship with her birth mother, which is why she latched onto Luna, but now she has a whole new group of people to bond with. On the one hand she has a great partnership with Kael, has the support and loyalty of Lavitz, and is fulfilling a similar role to Luna herself in relation to Vanessa, who was left adrift and needed someone. Vanessa had lost her father and mother, only to be looked after by the Saldeans and the Defias Brotherhood...though she lost both, forcing her to once again look for a new home. Vanessa is not the only wounded soul in the story though, and Trixie has a special kind of perception for such things given what she has been through...so expect her to grow their makeshift family a bit more. Character descriptions/pictures One thing I hate about my own writing is that I'm not great at character or setting details...so I'm just going to give you all some pictures for them now to make up for past mistakes (since while I plan to go back and add details, I don't expect you all to re-read every chapter for a few bits of text) I have done Trixie images earlier in the story, so I'll be skipping her. Kael, our lovely deuteragonist. Now you may see why even our oblivious heroine Trixie is attracted to him (though she doesn't either realize or ant to admit it)! Lavitz, our dear tank, as someone created him in Soul Calibur V Vanessa (a bit older than now, as this story takes place before her introduction in WoW as a young adult) Karl, a basically real life Human Kael'thas in his features. Blonde, lean, handsome...if he just was a bit more of a "pretty boy" he'd be a complete match. Needs more Orlando Bloom in him. Tony, our deceased tech guy Renault Mograine, our current villain Mograine with his fellow leader and partner Whitemane Grand Crusader Dathrohan Brigitte Abbendis Sylvanas, with her Dreadlord Varimathras behind her Lor'themar Theron Jaina, who has a striking resemblance to how Trixie looks minus Elven features and certain other physical differences...(Trixie has hips that are large like a horse's) Reuenthal and Mitter'meyer, our loyal soldiers And last but not least, our regular crusaders, since the little guy needs love too! I always do like minor villains...especially when they graduate to full fledged ones. Lila, recently deceased despite Vanessa's best efforts Jerid, whose hair looks remarkably like Lavitz's I must say. Jerid with his friend Kacricon Crossover parody/deconstruction Now, I have been referencing a fair bit of WoW game mechanics, features, and traits and plan to eventually do a post compiling everything I've referenced, but for this time I want to go into one specifically that is preeeetty meta: this is a crossover story, and WoW itself references a TON of different materials, so I am doing the same (albeit different ones). In World of Warcraft we have the archaeologist Harrison Jones for example (Harrison Ford played Indiana Jones). I actually have plans to have the crossover element not just be a random thing that goes unexplained like some stories, however, and will gradually unveil it all as the main plot progresses...while also poking fun at how WoW does it. So in order to parody WoW's tendency to reference things, I sat down and decided what characters would best do so without interfering with my basic plotline I already had planned, while also referencing it all in-story (with our as of yet unknown crossover character noting that many such crossovers are occurring). Here are the results. Lavitz (The Legend of Dragoon): I was going to have the team pick up a Human tank and/or healer early on in the Westfall arc to allow them to succeed in the Deadmines. I had part of a mind to do a Paladin, Johanna, who was from Diablo but my mind was definitely on Lavitz since I had, while playing my Trixie character in WoW, run into a Lavitz who was roleplaying as him. So my mind was made up, especially since Lavitz is one of my favorite characters from that game, a good team player, and also most importantly a shipper in his source material of the main characters...AKA, someone to help along our clueless Trixie and our shy Kael. Reuenthal/Mitter'meyer (Legend of the Galactic Heroes): I needed Blood Elves who would be willing to support Trixie and Kael despite their current allegiance to Lor'themar Theron, and there aren't too many Kael'thas loyalists in Azeroth (they happen to be in Outland), so I needed to kind of either change an existing minor character or utilize a reference...so I went the route of reference and tweaked some minor Blood Elf characters in a compromise. I did not change the allegiance of existing NPC's, I just gave them more in-depth characters (Mitter'meyer's torturers), while adding two characters who are notable for pledging allegiance to an upstart golden hero who is trying to topple an existing leader. What confirmed my choice was that Reuenthal's character in his original series causes the downfall of a family, which in turn leads to someone from it seeking revenge on him...much like I was planning to have Vanessa seek revenge for her father. Instead of a nameless nobody, I was able to turn it into an interesting conflict. Karl/Tony (Die Hard): I needed thieves who would help with a break in, and Karl's a complete badass while Tony is smart, so the decision was simple. Jerid/Kacricon/Lila (Zeta Gundam): I was toiling away after completing the "arc" of the Huntard we've had since the beginning, kind of dissatisfied that I didn't accomplish more with them. They were a simple villain, fulfilled their purpose, and I don't mind the way I portrayed what is basically a player in WoW...but I still felt like I needed a better recurring villain, so I took to thinking how I could make one in the next arc. While putting together the Crusader arc, I realized that I could very well characterize them and show that they are not just pure evil, every single one of them, while also showing that their leaders are horrible and that many of them do horrible things. Thus I borrowed the sympathetic villain from Zeta Gundam, whose mentor/lover is killed by a kid (seventeen year old, older than Vanessa at least), and then soon after he loses his best friend to the same person. I reversed things to suit the circumstances and because doing so amused me. I'm hoping to follow up on this tragedy by showing that even our villains have loved ones, much like Vanessa previously showed...just now in an interesting twist she is on the receiving end of the hatred and revenge. As you have seen a glimpse of, even outpowered and horribly wounded, Vanessa was actually contested by a barely standing Jerid (such is the strength of Retribution). Character Theme Songs Now, I talked about some songs in the last one, so I thought I'd do that again here. Here are some songs and the characters I'd attribute them to, as well as reasons for all but the first of them (which instead I'll leave up to you guys to ponder). Trixie Lulamoon (Breaking the Habit): I'll leave it up to you to interpret this one, since Trixie is our main protagonist and I'll be going more in-depth with the others. Kael'thas Sunstrider (How Can I Live): A seeming twin to the Kael'thas in Outland, our protagonist is very much akin to how the man once was rather than how he has become. Prone to making rash/reckless decisions in the long or short term if it means saving those he cares about, first Trixie after he awoke in Sunstrider Isle, then Lavitz, and now his people as a whole, who he has remembered the pain and grief of. Seeing as how the one in Outland fell due to constantly choosing the lesser of two evils and making such decisions, it remains yet to be seen if this iteration will follow down the path of the other completely or if he will change his fate wholly. Reuenthal (Question Everything): A man tortured by his upbringing, I find it fitting to assign him a song that is from the same band that inspired "We Remember Everything", in which the main characters (our Trixie being one of them) are souls who have suffered their fair share. Prone to self-destructive tendencies, blaming himself for his mother's actions (trying to kill him as an infant), and highly independent, questioning the social context he was born into (nobles, racial bigotry, why certain people have power). And an instrumental one to go along with it. Lavitz's theme: his actual theme from The Legend of Dragoon. Kind of lowkey, the song is one of the things the game uses to drive home the tragedy of a soldier's life, in addition to the symbolism of cherry blossoms. Being a good man does not mean life is easy. Vanessa's theme (Nightmare): she is not pure evil, but she has continually brought suffering on herself with her actions (though not all of it is her own fault, she did sacrifice her loved ones to save her own life, and her attempt to work with seemingly the Illidari backfired and destroyed what she had left). And here's one last one for our new recurring villain, Jerid, who has suffered at the hands of Vanessa. A song about taking revenge, it is a good match for a Retribution Paladin. Can also be used this coming chapter for the inevitable Karl vs Mograine showdown in vengeance for his brother. Not a character related one, but this one should play at some point in the next chapter... That's all for this meta-filler chapter, and I'd like to thank you all for supporting this story this past year, and I hope you'll still be with me in a year to come! Next time we'll hit the climax and finale of the Scarlet Crusaders arc, and boy is it going to be a big finish! I hope you'll all enjoy, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts when the time comes.