Hit Count for "The Path of the Aura: Intertwining Crossroads": 13,122.
Hit Count for "The Path of the Aura II: Brothers in Arms": 5,466.
Total Hit Count: 18,588.
Afterword II (2)
61.1: Character Choices
Why did I select these Pokémon: Deino, Galvantula, Honedge, Oshawott, Snivy, Zorua?
I chose those six Pokémon for the same reasons that I selected the twelve main Pokémon that encompass the Coadjutors of the Pokémon of Prophecy: One-third personal favorites, one-third Type Attribute diversity, and one third Gen V/VI Pokémon. These six Pokémon will serve a vital purpose in the impending The Path of the Aura III: Bonds of Blood. For that reason, within my story, I took it to prepare them as quickly and as expertly as possible, by casting them alongside the Legendary Deities of the Sinnoh Region, where they'll be students to three timeless masters.
Will I select more Pokémon to add to my growing roster?
The better question to put here is "How many more Pokémon will I select?" I won't stop there, just with those six. More Pokémon will join their ranks, each of them with their own emotional quirks and diverse abilities.
The same can be said for enemy Pokémon.
How many Pokémon protagonists are considered too many?
Xeno Lucario.
Absol. Aggron. Aqua Lapras. Blaziken. Charizard. Dusknoir. Luxray. Metagross. Sceptile. Terra Garchomp. Tyranitar. Wanderer Lucario.
Latias and Latios.
Tiny Riolu.
Mewtwo.
Deino. Galvantula. Honedge. Oshawott. Snivy. Zorua.
Arceus.
Dialga. Giratina. Palkia.
Ho-Oh.
Entei. Raikou. Suicune.
Regigigas.
Regirock. Regice. Registeel.
Azelf. Mesprit. Uxie.
Heatran. Rotom.
Excluding non-Pokémon―Eduardo, Costas and Ian, Crazy Hand and Master Hand, and the Sinnoh Region Champion Cynthia―, the total of important Pokémon that I've given "text time" to is precisely 40.
The problem that I'll face here isn't if my numbers become too high, it's if I give each character their share in the spotlight. I did precisely that all throughout Arceus' Game (the reason why made clear in a later question), when it came to the Legendary Beasts of Johto, the Legendary Golems of Hoenn, the Legendary Deities and Lake Guardians of Sinnoh, alongside their respective "trio master" Legendary Pokémon―Arceus, Ho-Oh, and Regigigas.
Naturally, Xeno Lucario will hog the spotlight, whether he knows it or not. All of the other Pokémon will have their moments as well. And because of the type of author that I am―the liberal, wall-of-text type―, I have the grammatical freedom and lexically unlimited count to express each character to the fullest that I'm able to devise, via brainstorm or on the fly.
If I didn't do that, then both The Path of the Aura: Intertwining Crossroads and The Path of the Aura II: Brothers in Arms would've been half their length, perhaps even a third. And then the word count would've consisted of heavy description and vivid battle scenes, missing that final piece―character development―to complete the trinity of writing that I deeply enjoy writing. Whether you decide to read it or not, or whether you pay attention enough or not.
61.2: Abilities
Eduardo's Aura Dragon Cloak?
Just the word "cloak" should ring a couple of bells in any dedicated Otaku. But in case they don't (and in case you don't know what an "Otaku" is), I'll happily clarify.
See, there's this little―and recently concluded―anime by the name of Naruto. And throughout the series, the main protagonist (Naruto Uzumaki) unleashes the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed away within him. This power, for quite some time, took on the form of Kurama, complete with ominous red chakra, fox-like posture and ears, as well as a tail count that goes up from one to nine. And this power is referred to as the "Nine-Tails Cloak".
Get the picture already? Eduardo's Aura Dragon Cloak is a partially borrowed idea that also pays homage to the anime series it comes from, sort of what Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog series did with Dragon Ball Z. And naturally, I've thrown in my twists into it, so that the idea is my own and isn't blatantly ripping off, something that virtually all FanFics do at one point or another.
Xeno Lucario's Mega Evolution?
Please. For me to disregard Mega Evolution within my FanFic series is like disregarding detail to my battle scenes.
When I first heard of Mega Evolution, through the first six Pokémon officially revealed to be able to do so―Absol, Ampharos, Blaziken, Lucario, Mawile, and Mewtwo―pure elation was what I was feeling.
Being a Pokémon fan since its beginning, and having played just about all of the main Pokémon games―even though I've stated before that I played the Gen II Pokémon games much later―since then, seeing Pokémon that supposedly can't evolve or have already evolved "fully" now suddenly being able to Mega Evolve is akin to seeing your favorite video game franchise reinvent itself for the better.
Plenty of people, at some point or another, have wondered what would happen if a Pokémon could evolve a third time. There's plenty of fan art supporting this belief. I should know. I've seen a small collection of them, for Lucario in particular. Now that such a possibility exists, Mega Evolution makes great Pokémon better, old Pokémon new, forgotten Pokémon recognized, and adds a whole new layer to a tried-and-true Pokémon battle formula. It easily makes us overlook the fact that Pokémon X and Pokémon Y only added 72 definitively new Pokémon to Gen VI and bringing the total to a staggering 721, because Mega Evolution (as well as Primal Reversion) basically reinvented another 50.
Eduardo's Devil Dragon Form?
Did this scare you? Yes? No? Maybe? Well, regardless of that, this was an idea I had within my head near the beginning of my FanFic series. This is an idea that will carry a significant weight to Eduardo's overall character. His Devil Dragon Form was something that I just had to get out as soon as I can, and at the best possible moment. Hell, it's even an idea that I will most certainly illustrate, once I feel that I've grown skilled enough in my artistic craft.
A humanoid devil dragon, wearing seamless bone armor, possessing five wings, two tails, towering horns, and a face that looks as though a dragon skull crashed into the back of a human skull and fixed itself tight… Just the thought of it sounds amazing to me to draw!
Alongside a certain other Dragon Form.
Xeno Lucario's Aura Dragon Form?
Xeno can already Mega Evolve, so why throw this into the mix? Same exact reason as Eduardo's Devil Dragon Form. It was something I had in my mind to do with him, ever since I first conceived the core ideas of The Path of the Aura.
The inspiration I had for Xeno's Aura Dragon form is primarily from the lack of Lucario fan art depicting it as a dragon. I like the thought of seeing what a Lucario would look like as a dragon. And just like with Eduardo's Devil Dragon Form, it is something that I would love to try my hand at illustrating.
This is my very specific fetish.
Mega Evolution for the Coadjutors of the Pokémon of Prophecy?
For me to deny Mega Evolution, when most of the primary twelve Coadjutors of the Pokémon of Prophecy can Mega Evolve as is, is just plain taboo in my eyes.
In fact, excluding the most recent entries, the only Pokémon that can't Mega Evolve (or have yet to be able to do so) are Dusknoir, Lapras, and Luxray. Tiny Riolu doesn't count, for obvious reasons.
So, imagine my surprise when I learned that most of the Pokémon that I hold with enough regard to include in my story can indeed Mega Evolve. And there will no doubt be more Pokémon that can Mega Evolve, as the core franchise goes on.
One example of this is when I learned that Sceptile can Mega Evolve. When I uploaded the chapter that lists all of my Coadjutors and their first attempts at Mega Evolution, adding Sceptile into this mix was a last minute decision, one where I'm a bit fortunate that I had the time to include. Otherwise, I probably would've slapped my forehead if I had uploaded that particular chapter before learning of Mega Sceptile.
61.3: Arceus' Game
Origins?
The name itself should be a dead ringer to those that know me well enough. And in case it doesn't, the name is inspired by Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game.
Though at the same time, in contemplating this name, my inner Grammar Nazi couldn't decide between Arceus' Game and Arceus's Game. And according to the rules of writing, the correct use of the possessive apostrophe is without the second "S" when there's already one at the end of the name or the object used to describe ownership of something.
You don't say "cactuses". You say cacti, even though both work just fine apparently. You don't say "nemesises", you say nemeses.
Legendary Pokémon choices?
Excluding Arceus, and Its Legendary Deities of Sinnoh, why did I select all of the other Legendary Pokémon for the sake of Arceus' Game? Why did I select the Legendary Beasts of Johto: Entei, Raikou, and Suicune? Why did I select the Legendary Golems of Hoenn: Regirock, Regice, and Registeel? Why did I select their respective "trio master" Pokémon: Ho-Oh and Regigigas? And why did I also include the Legendary Lake Guardians of Sinnoh: Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie?
Well, to put it simply, I've had the general idea for Arceus' Game held within my head for so long, once again early on during The Path of the Aura: Intertwining Crossroads. And like most ideas, you as the reader don't know jack squat about them until they come to light, and that's assuming it has been polished and refined enough to come to light, or else discarded because they wouldn't work for the generality of the story.
These were the Pokémon I had in mind to include, without considering any Gen V or Gen VI Pokémon such as Reshiram, Xerneas, Yveltal, and Zekrom, simply because my idea of Arceus' Game predates those Legendary Pokémon.
Bombastic Legendary Pokémon fights?
Whether they bored you, daunted you, or thrilled you, all from the sheer length of most of them, I will happily continue to write these kinds of battles whenever I feel they're necessary.
One reason that I would is because writing battles such as these is my specialty, and comes rather easy to me after I've properly planned the core sequence out via brainstorming. Another reason is because I haven't really come across another story that does the same thing that I did, not to such a scale anyway.
Pokémon that can move continents, manipulate space, and twist time? How can you not write a glorious battle with those powers?!
If anybody else knows of a story where any one of these included Legendary Pokémon fought with as much vigor as I did, please let me know. I'm always open to any stories you recommend me to read. And I'm always going to review them, because they deserve as much.
Odraude's sudden arrival?
Once again, I've been meaning to have Odraude intrude Arceus' Game and wreak havoc in his own derogatory way. Otherwise, Arceus' Game would've been a straightforward gauntlet of challenges without any grave risks. And also, in including Odraude, it gives me the opportunity to do a few things with his character that have yet to be revealed.
Firstly, Odraude possesses far more power than it appears. In The Path of the Aura: Intertwining Crossroads, Odraude narrowly killed Xeno and also put him in a situation where his death was almost impossible to avoid. And in The Path of the Aura II: Brothers in Arms, I've been able to expand on his character and levels of power.
He was able to invade the Hall of Origin, corrupt a weakened Arceus, toy with Eduardo, transform into a frightening sable-scaled dragon, and sic a trained team of Elemental Aura Adepts onto our heroes, nearly killing them all in the process.
Eduardo's "Ultima Weapon" Keyblade?
To be more specific, the "Ultima Weapon" Keyblade from the very first Kingdom Hearts game. The very same Keyblade that is the strongest weapon in that particular game. The very same Keyblade that is also the hardest weapon to obtain in that particular game, and just as hard if not harder in most other entries in the Kingdom Hearts franchise.
The reason why I made this particular Keyblade Eduardo's newest weapon isn't because of its strength. I selected it because it's my favorite Keyblade out of all of them, even out of all of the other "Ultima Weapon" Keyblade variations that different Kingdom Hearts games have. And, as my series keep on going, the purpose of this weapon will become clearer and clearer to Eduardo.
For starters, the Keyblade can lock and unlock virtually anything. One of these things being Eduardo's sealed memories.
Xeno Lucario's "Revolver" Gunblade?
Does anyone remember back in The Path of the Aura: Intertwining Crossroads, when Xeno was still in Team Rocket, and when Xeno was relieving some stress with a little firearms practice? Remember Xeno's discreet fascination with guns, back when Giovanni's bodyguards narrowly killed him with them.
Indirectly, this was setting Xeno up for his "Revolver" Gunblade. And as the series progresses, the purpose of this weapon for Xeno will be made clear. But I will make this fact clear. I'll have it share similar abilities with Eduardo's Keyblade, such as its interchangeable key chains.
Outside of the fact that this weapon's origins are from Final Fantasy VIII (which I've yet to play but know well enough through the Kingdom Hearts series), I opted for the default Gunblade, the one people know best. Because, unlike the Keyblade, the Gunblade actually encompasses over a few other Final Fantasy titles via completely different looks, to the point where it's actually its own weapon class.
Fun fact: the concept of combining a gun with a sword has been implemented. And while I won't debate on the reliability or practicality of such a combination, because I just plain don't care about that, I will say that the Gunblade is one of my favorite video game swords.
61.4: Elemental Plates
Why search for them?
Firstly, it gives each individual Coadjutor "text time" and fleshes out their characters. And second, it's just how I chose to make the plot, when I made it clear that Arceus only has the Pixie Plate in Its possession, during the chapter where Tiny Riolu was resurrected by Arceus Itself.
And because of that, one can't help but wonder how Arceus only has one elemental plate, instead of seventeen. And that question will be answered in The Path of the Aura III: Bonds of Blood.
Why Sinnoh? Why not Unova or Kalos?
Firstly, Sinnoh is the region that introduced us to our favorite multi-typed white overlord, and therefore introduced us to Its sources of power. The Elemental Plates scattered across Sinnoh are all searchable via Item Finder and/or on the world map. Also, they can be located in Sinnoh Underground, but that is random at best.
Secondly, when I contemplated the idea for an Elemental Plate hunt, Sinnoh was still the newest region. Neither Unova nor Kalos were introduced yet. And ever since Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl, Elemental Plates are obtainable in previous regions as well, but they don't compare to Sinnoh's Elemental Plates. Not in my eyes anyway.
Pixie Plate?
I know for a fact that I'm not the only one who tries to keep their story as current as possible to the Pokémon franchise. I'm just lucky that some events work out for me and work nicely if I implement them into my FanFic series, such as Mega Evolution, for reasons already stated above.
That being said, the introduction of the Fairy-Type, as well as the resulting Pixie Plate created for Arceus, sort of threw me for a loop with how I initially and indirectly portrayed Arceus as having no Elemental Plates on Its possession. And when I say "sort of", I mean "not really". When the new Type Attribute and resulting Elemental Plate was introduced, I found myself recalling events back at the twelfth Pokémon movie, Arceus and the Jewel of Life, and how no irreversible damage was done.
For those who don't know what I'm talking about and/or have never seen Arceus and the Jewel of Life, Arceus' power is drawn from sixteen―seventeen now―Elemental Plates. Without them, Arceus slowly begins to die. So, in order to live, Arceus needs at least one of them.
Going by the logic of this Pokémon film, Arceus would've been dying. But as I made clear in the chapter where Tiny Riolu is resurrected, Arceus possesses the Pixie Plate. And that in itself was a last minute change inserted at the time, so that the only Elemental Plate not native to Sinnoh is out of the question.
Why include these characters: Cynthia, Heatran, and Rotom?
Outside of the fact that they're each in close proximity to an Elemental Plate, including them as obstacles of sorts would make for a fun chapter to write, where the Coadjutor in question would learn a bit more about themselves. Otherwise, had I decided not to include them, the entire Elemental Plate hunt would've been repetitive at best, serving as a pleasant distraction (and a break) to the fights that Eduardo and Xeno Lucario were getting themselves into.
For Cynthia, she asked some particularly good questions and raised a few points to Terra. Why is the Pokémon of Prophecy a Lucario, when he/she/it could've easily been born as any other Pokémon? How much faith does Terra (and in turn, everybody else) have in Xeno Lucario, and their roles in preventing the Void of the Dark One? What do the Coadjutors think of the Void of the Dark One? And why do they choose to remain calm by putting their faith into Arceus and Xeno, the kingpin Pokémon in this overall cause?
For Heatran, it sealed obvious cracks across Charizard's character, and this helped the Flame Pokémon better cope with itself. Before Heatran, Charizard was a frighteningly powerful Pokémon, but seldom exudes said power unless its anger takes over, or one/many of its friends are in danger. And while it possesses this kind of power, with or without the ability to Mega Evolve into Mega Charizard X or Mega Charizard Y, Charizard plainly fears its strength, since learning of its aptitude for carnage in Team Rocket. But now Charizard has begun to learn better, and will no doubt reflect its newfound growth in The Path of the Aura III: Bonds of Blood.
And as for Rotom? Well, through its idiosyncratic anti-hero character, it patched Sceptile's emotional wounds as thoroughly as Heatran sealed Charizard's emotional cracks. Sceptile still possessed some lingering trauma over Tiny Riolu's passing, as evident of its thoughts of the buster sword it still carries on its back, and how after Tiny's death, Sceptile tried to crudely mend the Emanation Pokémon's corpse together through twigs.
It's a good thing then that both Sceptile and Wanderer Lucario now know that Tiny Riolu is alive and well, thanks to Arceus.
61.5: Roman Organization XIII
Origin of thought?
Well, to anybody familiar with the Kingdom Hearts series, it's a no brainer where their name and the generality of their characters and name choices comes from. And if you don't know that Roman Organization XIII is based off of Kingdom Hearts' Organization XIII, and that the "X" in their anagram names comes from the thirteen Elemental Aura attributes, well now you know.
As for why I created them? Multiple reasons personally.
One, I wanted to pay homage to one of my favorite video game series, even introduce some people into the series in my own distinct way.
Two, I needed a collection of colorful antagonists that would challenge my protagonists within an inch of their lives―kind of why the entire Roman Organization XIII fight is over 100,000 words.
Three, I wanted to make clear that Eduardo isn't the only Adept of Elemental Aura.
Four, I wanted to create a set of weapons that would fit each and every Elemental Aura attribute, regardless of their real-life practicality.
And five, I wanted to bring Prattlecus back into the story, when I'm certain most if not all of you thought he was done. Of course, for all that I know, you as the readers may have suspected something was amiss when it came to the character formerly known as Xondus. You might have been speculating if Xondus was Prattlecus, based on his unusual behavior whenever Eduardo is mentioned.
Or not. I don't know. I can't read your minds through the screens.
61.6: Revelations
Eduardo?
In The Path of the Aura: intertwining Crossroads, Eduardo has been revealed to possess keen intellect, acumen for gadgetry and inventions, steadfast combat prowess, Elemental Aura abilities, and dragon transformation. In The Path of the Aura II: Brothers in Arms, I've expanded on that.
Eduardo's Aura Dragon Cloak, which was once a defense mechanism that activates when he falls unconscious but now activates with rage frequently triggering it. Eduardo's Elemental Aura versatility now branches out to thirteen different attributes, each with their own spectrum of possibilities. Eduardo now wields the "Ultima Weapon" Keyblade, bestowed upon him by Arceus Itself. Eduardo has now unleashed his nightmarishly vituperative Devil Dragon Form, resembling more of a mindless beast of carnage than ever. And he has come close to unlocking his sealed memories.
With the nature of his character, one wonders what kind of person Eduardo exactly is, and what side he belongs in. After all, many of his battles in The Path of the Aura II: Brothers in Arms jeopardized the lives of his friends.
When Xeno Lucario fought Eduardo as he first used his Aura Dragon Cloak, Eduardo fought instinctively, often brutally even. When Eduardo fought the Legendary Beasts of Johto, he crushed their skulls simultaneously. When Eduardo fought Ho-Oh, he fought the Rainbow Pokémon riotously, one of his moves involving swinging Ho-Oh's body around himself while grasping the Legendary Pokémon's neck. When he fought Dialga, he punched off Dialga's mandible. When Odraude trounced Eduardo, his inner beast overrode his logic and made him behave recklessly. And when Eduardo transformed into his Devil Dragon Form, a good chunk of Roman Organization XIII died vindictively at his claws and quiet spite.
…
…Does it strike you odd that Arceus repeatedly puts its attention to Eduardo, more so than to Xeno? Have you wondered what it is about Eduardo that I have yet to reveal, that is likely making you play the guessing game until I feel the time is right to place all of my cards on the table?
Most importantly, why did Odraude call Eduardo a "traitor"? What motive does Odraude have in warping Eduardo's path in seeking answers with one simple albeit powerful word?
Xeno Lucario?
Ever since The Path of the Aura: Intertwining Crossroads, Xeno has displayed strength unlike that of virtually any Pokémon. Before turning a day old, he already learned how to use AURA SPHERE. He evolved rather young in his life, at 2 ½ years of age (dog years need not apply). He knows Pokémon techniques that are impossible for his species to learn, and has taught them to others like a Pokémon Move Tutor. He's been targeted by Team Rocket and captured by Giovanni, made an Admin during his bitter time there, before defecting with newfound friends and forming Team Liberator. He's been sent to the "real world" Earth after learning that he's the Pokémon of Prophecy, and survived a run-in with Odraude.
Now, in The Path of the Aura II: Brothers in Arms, he's accomplished and grown so much more.
He's learned and utilized a handful of techniques that Legendary Pokémon use, such as HEART SWAP and SACRED SWORD. He's combined attacks more frequently, yielding some devastating results. He's gone toe-to-toe with Eduardo. He's able to fight unpredictably while stumbling drunk. He's obliterated the Legendary Golems of Hoenn with his bare paws. He overpowered Regigigas by mastering his Mega Evolution. He alongside Eduardo overcame the Legendary Deities of Sinnoh. He has been bestowed with the "Revolver" Gunblade by Arceus Itself. And he outsmarted Roman Organization XIII by faking his death, before retaliating in his Aura Dragon Form, a form created through his SKETCH of Eduardo's dragon transformation process.
And yet, just like Eduardo and his friends, he has been brought down to situations that damn near killed him. And during each and every time, he has sidestepped death, either dexterously or by the fur over his skin.
One wonders if his apparent luck will continue like that. One also wonders why he was reprimanding of Eduardo's Devil Dragon Form, when he said this line: "…One day, Eduardo. You're going to learn that nothing lasts forever. And when that day comes, I hope that you can learn to let go."
Tiny Riolu?
Based on review feedback, bringing Tiny Riolu back was a good thing. It certainly was the right thing for me to do, because it was in my cards to have him die and be brought back by Arceus Itself. But in doing so, I had to make it clear that Arceus reviving a fallen soul is not without consequence.
It took Arceus years to search through the white void that is Purgatory in order to locate one soul that is slowly losing itself amongst trillions more. There's no denying that if anybody else shared Tiny's fate, they would spend just as long in there, and then either be salvaged or reincarnated under a clean slate and new body.
Tiny Riolu was certainly heading down that path. But now that he is amongst the living, he intends to stay that way.
Latias and Latios?
As Emissaries to the Original One, their primary roles in The Path of the Aura: Intertwining Crossroads was to monitor Xeno Lucario and all of the Pokémon in close proximity of him, be they friend or foe, as was the case between Absol and Latias. They assisted Xeno in reuniting with his friends at Hoenn's Mirage Island, when Xeno gave them the opportunity to escape as he clashed with Giovanni. Lastly, they helped guide Mewtwo to the path that both Crazy Hand and Master Hand offered it.
Did it come as a surprise to you, as the readers, when Latias and Latios came with Tiny Riolu, and in turn joined forces with Costas, Ian, Eduardo, and Xeno Lucario, making their team total seven instead of four or five? I never had them battle before, and adding the Eon Duo as characters to work with when it came to my fight sequences was quite a delight.
Especially since both Latias and Latios can Mega Evolve.
Odraude?
In The Path of the Aura: Intertwining Crossroads, he was an outright enigma when he first appeared in "Chapter VI (6)", known vaguely as a "hooded figure", a Nameless Emissary to the Dark One. From there, he and his agenda have been hiding in the shadows, guiding the protagonists together when he transported a banished Eduardo back to his home village, when he informed Eduardo of Xeno Lucario, when he brutalized the Aura Pokémon, and finally when he transported Xeno to Rome, where Draco Eduardo narrowly saved him from the Roman Emperor Nero.
But thanks (or should it be no thanks) to The Path of the Aura II: Brothers in Arms, his roles have not only been more substantial, his presence and powers have as well.
Not only was it revealed that he was the sable-scaled dragon that clashed with Eduardo during his banishment, as well as possessing the power to overshadow and control weaker souls, Odraude has proven himself to be quite the force to be reckoned with. He possesses acumen with Elemental Aura great enough to create thirteen disciples, each harboring individual attributes that are stronger in their segments than Eduardo's as a whole. Odraude possesses power great enough to bend and even break gods. And all of this is fueled by his general hate for all things living.
With a broader spectrum of abilities brought to light, Odraude is just as much of a threat as the Dark One, simply because more is known about Odraude than the Dark One. And the remainder of his hidden character will soon be made apparent in The Path of the Aura III: Bonds of Blood, in ways that I hope none of you will see coming.
Prattlecus/Xondus?
Surprise, surprise. I brought Prattlecus back for the sequel, just as I did with Latias, Latios, and Tiny Riolu.
He returns as a Roman General who has uncaringly fallen from grace, since his humiliating defeat at the hands of one boy who enigmatically gained supernatural abilities. And through Nero and Odraude, he was made the leader of Roman Organization XIII. But unbeknownst to them, "Xondus" holds a great deal of respect to Eduardo, and used Roman Organization XIII as a way to meet back with him for saving his live, knowing that Eduardo and his team would fell Roman Organization XIII, and uncaring if he himself were to die or not.
He continued feigning vengeance towards Eduardo, in order to tell secrets regarding the Void of the Dark One, and the truth of the death of Eduardo's parents, because we already know Prattlecus wasn't to blame for that. But alas, Odraude cut Prattlecus short from saying anything further, and was left to fight to the death at the Flavian Amphitheatre.
Will he die? Will he live? All the reassurance we have of him is his strength that comes from his stripped rank.
Arceus?
With only the Pixie Plate in Its possession, Arceus can only call upon a fraction of its full strength. But even with a sliver of Its full power, Arceus is capable of phenomenal feats in battle. Sadly though, Odraude managed to "redirect" Arceus' power, leaving It to maltreat Its own Children to the point of nearly killing them.
In some ways, Odraude is right about his talk of God. But the only reason he's right is because there's a hidden connection between Arceus and the Void of the Dark One.
What happened in Arceus' past that led It next to powerless and in need of help from others? And at the same time, what does Arceus know about Eduardo that warrants the Alpha Pokémon to pay particular attention to him?
The Dark One/Curseax?
At long last! The Dark One has not only been fully acknowledged as a character and therefore my story's greatest antagonist, but He has a name! A name that, if you've been paying attention to my patterns, shouldn't be a surprise to you. But if it is and you're clueless, I'd be happy to offer a hint.
After removing the "X", do the remaining letters seem familiar to you? And if they do, does Curseax described features also seem familiar to you? And if you answered both of these questions correctly, then what does this all mean? What revelations will happen in the third story for you all to see?
World Champion?
As any Pokémon fan should know, there are Champions in the Pokémon series. By their definition in the anime, games, and manga, a Champion is one of the highest classes of Pokémon Trainer, obtained by defeating a region's eight Gym Leaders and collecting all eight Gym Badges, then defeating the Elite Four and the region's respective Champion. And even though in the games the player protagonist never truly assumes the role of Champion (for as long as this statement holds firm in the future) and it's considered more of a symbolic goal, one that unlocks more paths to the protagonist once that goal is reached, the title Champion still holds firm, for those that are already Champions and for those that become them.
For the sake of this FanFic series, the title "Champion" will hold a title of class and of political leadership, something that is quite common across other Pokémon FanFiction for a reason.
Blue, Lance, and Red of the Indigo/Johto League.
Steven Stone and Wallace of the Hoenn League.
Cynthia of the Sinnoh League.
Alder and Iris of the Unova League.
Diantha of the Kalos League.
Those are the known Pokémon Champions across the games and manga, but not necessarily the anime. In the anime, Blue is Gary Oak, Red is Ash Ketchum, and Iris is…a traveling companion. Everybody else is still Champions. And as I've made clear throughout my FanFic series, it's (loosely) based around the anime, with a nod to the games and manga here and there, such as the conversation involving the Pokémon Global Trade Station, and the manga's acronym for the name Team R.O.C.K.E.T.
So, what does that make the World Champion?
Well, ignoring the fact that in Pokémon Black 2 and Pokémon White 2, they were essentially free DLC of real-life Pokémon tournament players, and considering that the term "Champion" can be synonymous with presidency as the Pokémon fandom enjoys believing, the "World Champion" is essentially ruler of the world.
That just leaves one question left to be answered: Who exactly is the World Champion?
All you have to go with is the fact that he's imprisoned by Team Rocket, by his own choice no less. He's extremely brawny, wears jeans, and has long, black, spiky hair.
Giovanni?
Compared to The Path of the Aura: Intertwining Crossroads, his role is somewhat minimal in the sequel. In my first story, he captured Xeno, knows of the Prophecy and the role Xeno plays, and constructed a suit of battle armor that is based as much on technology as it is on Pokémon abilities. In The Path of the Aura II: Brothers in Arms, he only appears twice: to (failingly) retrieve the Fist Plate and to join up with the leaders of other established Teams, forming Team Prism.
In short and in my head, The Path of the Aura III: Bonds of Blood is shaping up to be one of the most exciting good vs. evil confrontations that I've ever written.
Team Prism?
The origin of the name was already mentioned, as a reference to all of the lights in the visible spectrum jointing together into the white light from whence it came. For Teams Aqua, Flare, Galactic, Magma, Plasma, and Rocket, it means six Teams that have fallen from grace are joining together, setting aside all of their personal discord in order to take over the Pokémon World. And with their pooled resources, alongside an entity by the codename "Triple Zero" fueling their fires, they will certainly be impossible to ignore or brush off.
You know what they say. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
61.7: General
Recap Prologue?
There are two reasons for my choice in writing the "Recap Prologue" chapter to begin my sequel story.
One, the "Recap Prologue" chapter summarizes just about everything that happened in The Path of the Aura: Intertwining Crossroads. For that to happen, I had every single chapter written to my first story accessible, skimmed through them to review my past work, and make sure that the same principle would apply to you.
And two, I began The Path of the Aura II: Brothers in Arms with a summarization of the first story to keep my first story in the same spotlight that my second story would be subjected to. Because the first chapter on just about any FanFic is always the chapter that will have the most views to it, I made the first chapter to my sequel story connect to my first story.
The purpose for this? To have any new readers read the first story if they find themselves reading my sequel story, after reading through the entirety of the "Recap Prologue". They'll see the general picture of what I wrote before, better than what the story summary could ever do with its limited characters, and flock over there before or during their reading of the sequel story.
Case in point, at times The Path of the Aura: Intertwining Crossroads proves to be more popular than The Path of the Aura II: Brothers in Arms, based on views.
Of course, other reasons could be at work for that.
Chapter titles continuing from first story?
I don't really have to repeat myself regarding why I deliberately chose to use Roman Numerals in my chapter titles. That question was answered in my "Afterword" chapter to The Path of the Aura: Intertwining Crossroads. What I'm answering here is why I started off The Path of the Aura II: Brothers in Arms with a "Chapter XIX (19)" instead of simply resetting the counter back to one.
The reason is plain and simple: Continuity.
The Path of the Aura II: Brothers in Arms is a sequel, a direct sequel, meaning that it leaves off where the first story, The Path of the Aura: Intertwining Crossroads, last left off. I ended my first story with Eduardo realizing that Odraude looks just like him, and I started my second story―ignoring the Recap Prologue―with him contemplating the logic behind that.
And with The Path of the Aura III: Bonds of Blood, I'll imply that same continuity.
Eduardo vs. Xeno Lucario?
This had to happen, plain and simple. I wanted it to happen shortly after they met, so that they can gauge each other's strengths and make for a battle worth remembering. In fact, I did this fight so well that I've been asked if I can have the two of them fight a full-fledged, no-holds-barred battle again!
The answer to that question is a wholehearted "yes", but the situation has to call for it.
Anyway, the only thing I had second thoughts about this particular battle is where I should put it within my story. It's placed at the beginning of The Path of the Aura II: Brothers in Arms, but I also considered placing it at the end of The Path of the Aura: Intertwining Crossroads. But in the end, I opted for the former, and I'm glad I did.
Not only did I execute the five-worded ending to my first story quite well―"He looks…just like you."―, but in putting a battle of this magnitude at the beginning of the sequel story, it means that readers will see early on just what I'm capable of. And if they like it, they can read on.
Good thing too, since the vast majority of The Path of the Aura II: Brothers in Arms is a grandiose fist fight.
Speaking of which…
Why more action?
As I stated earlier, with the ideas I had in my mind and the "text time" I wanted to give these newcomer Pokémon characters, I wanted to make those battles in Arceus' Game as larger-than-life as I possibly could. I wanted to do this because I didn't see any other opportunity to do so, to have a battle involving Pokémon that can move continents or alter the space-time continuum.
That's primarily why The Path of the Aura II: Brothers in Arms is longer than The Path of the Aura: Intertwining Crossroads. Much more action.
In my opinion, which story is better and why?
In terms of plot, my first story. And in terms of action, my second story.
That's the way I see it. That's the way I decided to make it. And I regret nothing.
Consequence of death?
Anyone ever watched Dragon Ball Z? Of course you have. Anyone remember the seven Dragon Balls, how they have the power to grant wishes, and how one can use those wishes to bring back those from the dead, as long as they didn't die of natural causes or were already wished back to life? Otherwise, they'd probably die moments later, like the Grand Elder from planet Namek.
Death still had a consequence in that show. However, dying twice was the end-all consequence for the main protagonists, because if they died twice, then they would cease to exist, plain and simple.
Death has consequences in my FanFic series as well. Don't forget that just because Tiny Riolu was resurrected by Arceus. Remember that it took Arceus―the Original One, the Alpha Pokémon, and the God of All Pokémon―years to locate Tiny in Purgatory, with only one Elemental Plate in Its possession. And if Tiny Riolu remained in there any longer, then his very being would've been wiped clean, free to be reborn as a different entity altogether, regardless of gender and species.
So in short, Tiny's revival was a gamble that Arceus persisted in, and anyone else sharing Tiny's earlier fate would be met with the same results, most likely irreversible.
Other possible protagonist deaths?
Killing off enemies is one thing. Killing off allies is another thing entirely. Anyone who has ever played an entry in Nintendo's Fire Emblem series will reinforce that belief, and tell you how many times they've had to reset the game in order to preserve the life of all of their characters, and beat the game without losing anybody.
That being said…will I kill off anyone else?
Well, I've come close, and I've stated where so I won't repeat myself. And while being as cryptic as possible, I will kill again. With how I envision The Path of the Aura III: Bonds of Blood, deaths will happen.
That's why I chose the title "Bonds of Blood". The meaning of that, if you've figured it out already, will be played out, one way or another.
Coadjutors of the Pokémon of Prophecy?
Both Eduardo and Xeno have titles. Arceus and all of the Legendary Pokémon have titles. And when you think about it, Team Liberator is a title. But because Team Liberator's purpose is done and the members of it have moved on from liberating Pokémon to searching for Arceus' Elemental Plates, Arceus Itself gave the Pokémon supporting Xeno the title of "Coadjutors of the Pokémon of Prophecy". And through Pokémon that are close to Arceus, the name of that title soon spread like a virus to those that are Coadjutors, where they've quickly accepted it and exercised it through their designated roles.
Still, not all of the Pokémon that Arceus labeled Coadjutors have yet to realize that Arceus labeled them as Coadjutors.
And for those who still don't know what a Coadjutor is (as in have yet to bother to look up the word in the dictionary), the definition is actually quite fitting.
Coadjutor [koh-aj-uh-ter, koh-uh-joo-ter]. Noun.
1. An assistant.
2. An assistant to a bishop or other ecclesiastic.
3. A bishop who assists another bishop, with the right of succession.
In short, "Coadjutor" best fits a religious assistant.
Nicknames for all?
Few of the Pokémon I've made into protagonists have a nickname. Those that don't have nicknames just go by their default species names, which works just fine. Those that have nicknames―"Aqua" Lapras, "Terra" Garchomp, "Tiny" Riolu, "Wanderer" Lucario and "Xeno" Lucario―are fewer in comparison to those that don't.
In short, why don't I give nicknames for all of my Pokémon protagonists?
Well, in my opinion, the moment for that has already passed by me as I've progressed further and further within my story. And I'm not exactly willing to radically go back and alter my chapters to give everybody else nicknames. Doing something like that is not in my cards.
The better course of action would be to re-master my work, and therefore tweak any lingering errors or subtly change any little details that would only enhance the flow of the story. But to do that, I need to finish my trilogy first.
Gender identification to all?
Just like with the Pokémon nicknames, perhaps this is something else that I should do if I ever re-master my work. Just replace all of the "its" so that my characters have a better sense of identity. I've been doing that for Latias, Latios, Tiny Riolu, and Xeno Lucario. And Legendary Pokémon don't apply to this because they're genderless.
I can start this with The Path of the Aura III: Bonds of Blood. Because if you've been paying attention to my crude humor and vulgar remarks through my characters' dialogue, my strictness over gender has disappeared.
I "blame" pornography.
Nonchalance to gender?
Mentioning genital anatomy, sexual desires, and even portraying Arceus as a fertility goddess… depending on your stance as a Pokémon fan, that's either a disturbing thought or a source of inspiration for a piece of Rule 34 fan art.
…That's kind of why I kept the whole gender topic down to a minimum. But I'm an adult now, and the amount of fucks I give has dropped exponentially.
And yes, that's the third F-bomb I've dropped without censoring it or cutting it short. I'm no different than a PG-13 movie.
Weak God Arceus?
For Arceus to be portrayed as weak, does that also mean that Arceus is portrayed as flawed? And for a God to be portrayed as flawed, what does that say about religion?
…I'm not going there. That's not a topic to answer here, where I might offend someone.
Anyway, what I'm going for with this is why did I choose to portray Arceus as "weak"?
Well, even though it is believed that Arceus created the Pokémon Universe, Arceus nearly died from repelling a meteor in the Pokémon movie Arceus and the Jewel of Life. All of Its Elemental Plates were knocked out of Its body as a result.
A similar assumption can apply to Dialga, in that same movie. Dialga transports Ash Ketchum and the main protagonists to the past, and passes out soon after that, just from the effort. That forces Giratina and Palkia to work double time in repelling Arceus.
At least I portray Arceus as the protagonist, while the anime and manga hasn't shied away from depicting the Alpha Pokémon as a villain.
Greater length compared to The Path of the Aura: Intertwining Crossroads?
Yeah. The Path of the Aura II: Brothers in Arms is just about twice the length of my first story. I don't regret that at all, knowing well enough what I planned to put into my sequel story. The reason for that length is, obviously, the greater quality and quantity of my battle scenes. Hell, the "final battle" involving Roman Organization XIII clocked in at over 100,000 words, and is one of the most intricate battles I've ever written.
For The Path of the Aura III: Bonds of Blood, I'll try to minimize my word count, but I will make no promises. Greater length does lead to greater details, which is my specialty. I dislike "dumbing down" the quality of my work, which is the main reason why I made Xeno Lucario speak Spanish when he's drunk, instead of slurring his words (which doesn't work out too well when writing on Microsoft Office Word). A picture is worth 1,000 words, not a hundred.
So in short, if I feel like writing a paragraph to describe the color of the sky, then so be it. As long as it doesn't impede the flow of my writing and seem out of place to the train of thought.
Is this story Kingdom Hearts inspired?
Arceus' Game taking place in the realm known as the "Awakening", a Gunblade, a Keyblade, and an Organization XIII fan-made knockoff…
In many ways, yes, a good amount of The Path of the Aura II: Brothers in Arms is inspired by the Kingdom Hearts saga. And unlike the Kingdom Hearts series, the plot to my The Path of the Aura series isn't convoluted and twisted into itself. My plot is much more straightforward in comparison, and with deliberately punched-in holes that will be filled in The Path of the Aura III: Brothers in Arms.
As far as I'm aware of, this is the farthest I can currently go with inserting Kingdom Hearts into The Path of the Aura without making it a full-fledged crossover. It's not in my plans to do so with my impending third story. No room for Sora, Kairi, and Riku, or Mickey Mouse and Axel/Lea.
The Gunblade and Keyblade, as well as a few transcending themes, are more than enough.
Music Choices?
Not surprisingly, because The Path of the Aura II: Brothers in Arms is much larger than The Path of the Aura: Intertwining Crossroads, the song count is higher. My first story, from start to finish, referenced 45 songs. This story referenced a grand total of 241 songs (not including those in the "Bonus Chapter"). And together, they total 286 songs, none of them repeats!
Want to see all of the songs that I chose for my sequel story? Yes? No? I don't care. Here it is anyway, in artist/album order.
Arcana (Dark Age of Reason; Lament; Repentance)
Biohazard [Resident Evil] Revelations (Bleakness)
Bleach (Break Through Even; Dark One; Encirclement Battle; Fight to the Death; Nothing Can Be Explained:Instrumental 2008; Ominous Premonition; On the Precipice of Defeat; Power To Strive; Senna; Shadow's Masquerade; Stand Up Be Strong(Part I); Stand Up Be Strong(Part II); Tables Have Turned)
Brand X Music (Eternal Flame)
Call of Duty (The Coup)
Dragon Ball Z/Kai (A Disastrous Spectacle; A Grim Fate; A Moment for Shuddering; A New Foe Rears His Head; A Tough Struggle; An Eerie Stillness; Destiny; One Hit to Victory; Requiem ~To Those Who Meet Their End~; Running Across the Land; The Braveheart's Triumphant Return; The Joy Turns to Silence)
drammatica -The Very Best of Yoko Shimomura- (Earth Painting [Seiken Densetsu Legend of Mana]; Forgotten Wings ~Wasurerareta Tsubasa~ [Live A Live]; The Tale Told by the Wind ~Ending Theme from Heroes of Mana~ [Seiken Densetsu Heroes of Mana])
Final Fantasy (The Man With The Machine Gun (Final Fantasy VIII))
Final Fantasy Tactics (Trisection)
Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift (A Grand Spell; A Hurried Guess; A Time Eternal; Beyond the Wasteland; Crossing Over the Hill; Mad Dash!; Requiem; Sorrow; That Which Stands in the Way; Unpreparedness is One's Greatest Foe)
Halo (Ambient Wonder; Ashes; Bonus Tracks: IV. "Finish the Fight"; Belly of the Beast; Bravery, Brotherhood; Brothers in Arms; Earth City; Ending: III. "Wake Me When You Need Me"; Green and Blue; Immaterial; In Amber Clad; Requiem; Sacred Icon Suite 2; Unforgotten)
How to Train Your Dragon 2 (Two New Alphas)
Kingdom Hearts (Broken Reality; Darkness of the Unknown; Dearly Dreams; Destiny's Union; Disappeared; Extreme Encounters; Face It!; Fate of the Unknown; Forze Del Male ("Force of Evil"); Forze dell'Oscurita ("Force of Darkness"); Fragments of Sorrow; Future Masters; Guardando Nel Buio ("Watching in the Dark"); Hikari -KINGDOM Orchestra Instrumental Version-; Hunter Of The Dark; Majestic Wings; March Caprice for Piano and Orchestra; My Heart's Descent; Night in the Dark Dream; Night of Tragedy; Organization XIII; Rage Awakened; Rinzler Recompiled; Rowdy Rumble; Shaded Truths; Sinister Shadows; Struggle Away; Tears Of The Light; Tension Rising; The 13th Dilemma; The 13th Floor; The 13th Reflection; The 13th Struggle [Kingdom Hearts II Version]; The 13th Struggle [Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories Version]; The Fight for My Friends; The Key of Light; The Other Promise; The Promised Beginning; The Tumbling; Unforgettable; UNTAMABLE; Vim and Vigor; Wild Blue)
Monster Hunter (Wind of Departure)
Naruto (A Crisis After Another; Avenger; Heavy Violence; Need To Be Strong; Nervous; Orochimaru's Theme; Sadness and Sorrow; Sneaking Nightmare; The Raising Fighting Spirit)
Naruto: Shippuden (Akatsuki; Anger; Blind Animal; Companions; Courtesy (Girei); Departure to the Front Lines; Despair; Emergence of Talents; Hidan; Hundreds of Thunderclaps; Hurricane Suite; Impregnable (Nankoufuraku); Jinchuuriki; Lightning Speed; MADARA; Madara vs Naruto; Man of the World; Many Nights (Sen'ya); Mountain Haze (Yamaka); Prophet (Yogensha); Reverse Situation; Rising Dragon (Shouryuu); Stalemate; Strong and Strike; Sunspot (Kokuten); The Scarlet Letter (Himoji); Warrior)
Okami (A Great Spirit Lies in Wait)
Pocket Monsters Sound Anime Collection (A Formidable Enemy Appears)
Pokémon Black and Pokémon White (sayonara -refrain-)
Pokémon Black 2 and Pokémon White 2 (Battle! Giratina!; Battle! Regirock, Regice, Registeel!; Distortion World)
Pokémon HeartGold and Pokémon SoulSilver (Battle! (Ho-Oh))
Pokémon Movies (Clash ~Dialga´s Attack~ ~Those Who Should Not Meet~ ~Dialga vs. Palkia vs. Darkrai~; Pokémon Called Gods; To Latios!)
Professor Layton (Memories; The Dark Forest (High Quality))
Requiem of a Dream (Lux Aeterna (Full Orchestral Remix))
Sonic the Hedgehog (Dreams of an Absolution (LB vs. JS Remix))
Super Mario 64 (Dire, Dire Docks (Original Title: Water); Haunted House)
Super Mario Galaxy (Hell Prominence; Stardust Road; Teresa Waltz; Wind Garden)
Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Haunty Halls Galaxy; Melty Monster Galaxy)
Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Battle Theme Medley (Golden Sun); Dialga & Palkia Battle (Pokémon Diamond & Pearl); Love Theme (Metal Gear Solid IV); Multi-Man Melee (Smash Bros. Melee); Theme (Luigi's Mansion); Type A (Tetris); Victory Road (Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire))
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (Omae no XXX de Ten wo Tsuke! ~Hajimete Mita Chijou ver.~ [Thrust Through the Heavens with Your XXX! ~The Surface First Seen ver.~])
The 50 Greatest Pieces of Classical Music (Adagio for Strings, Op. 11a; Adagio in G Minor for Strings and Organ, "Albinoni's Adagio"; Má Vlast (My Fatherland): Vltava (The Moldau River))
The 99 Darkest Pieces of Classical Music (Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten for Strings and Bell (1977); Danse Macabre in G Minor, Op. 40; Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor, BWV 582; Sonata in G Minor for Cello and Piano, Op. 19: II. Allegro Scherzando)
The Matrix Revolutions (Bridge of Immortality)
Two Steps From Hell [Also includes Nick Phoenix and Thomas J. Bergerson] (All Is Hell That Ends Well; Army of Justice; Atlas; Aura; Benedictus; Betrayed (Choir); Black Assassin; Black Blade; Blade Fighter; Blood Of The Titan; Bloodlust; Born of Ash; Corruption; Could've Been; Decimator; Diabolic Clockwork; Divine Intervention (Choir); Dragon Rider; Earth Rising; El Mexicano, Five Finger Fillet; Freefall; Guardians; Gloria; Great Spirits; He's the Giant; Homecoming; House Of Fire; Hurt; Illusions; Kronos; Lord of Death; More than Friends; Neptune's Secret; No Honor in Blood; None Shall Live; One By One; Perchance to Dream; Power of Darkness; Rapture; Rise of Evil; Rise Of The Abyss; Shaken, Not Stirred; Sons of War; Speed of Sound; Spirit Of Champions; The Last Stand; The Summoning; Tower Of Mischief; Tragic Dragon; Tyrianis; Two Hearts; Undefeated; Undying Faith; United We Stand - Divided We Fall; What's Happening to Me?; Winterspell; Wolf King)
WWE (Next Big Thing; Rest in Peace)
Yu-Gi-Oh! (Kaminoikari [God's Anger]; Obelisk)
…
…Quite the list, isn't it?
The biggest hitters of this list, just by looking at them, are Kingdom Hearts, Naruto: Shippuden, and Two Steps From Hell (which I have OseanSoldier to thank for introducing me to their unbelievably illustrious music repertoire). And if you've been listening to that type of music, and perhaps any other music that I had yet to reference, expect plenty more like that in The Path of the Aura III: Bonds of Blood.
Makes you wonder where I get all of that music from, and just what kind of music I have on me, since I NEVER choose a song that I don't have, and I NEVER select a song that I would label as "mainstream". I prefer selecting music that amplifies the imagination, not kills it. I generally favor instrumental music, not generic lyrics from talentless or hyperbolized music artists. Just because everybody can sing doesn't mean that everybody should.
Don't care if that offends anyone. That's my two cents on music.
Music repertoire?
Back in my first Afterword chapter, I said I had about 5,500 songs saved onto a 32 GB MicroSD card that I keep within my smartphone. And the rough date that I made my first "Afterword" chapter was September 2012.
So as of May 2015 (which is the date I initially wrote this "Afterword II"), my music repertoire has tripled, and my storage space quadrupled, totaling just about 15,000 songs on a somewhat expensive yet personally preferable 128 GB MicroSD card.
Just like before, here comes another big list (mercifully outdated because of time reasons and will be made up to date in a future "Afterword" chapter). And in case you're well aware of the songs I've already listed in my "Afterword" chapter, I've marked the new ones in bold font.
Animé/cartoon (Avatar: The Last Airbender; Bleach (Beat collection, Breathless collection, both Concept Covers, the four Original Soundtracks, The Best, The Best Instrumental, everything movie related); Death Note; Dragon Ball Kai (Complete Song Collection, Original Soundtrack, Original Soundtrack 2, Song Collection, and Soundtrack III & Songs); Dragon Ball Z Hit Song Collection (from one to twelve only); Dragon Ball Z American Soundtrack Best of Dragon Ball Z (all of them); H.O.T.D (Highschool of the Dead); Kill la Kill (all of them); My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (all of the songs from the first to fourth seasons, even the full opening song and Japanese versions of the opening songs); Naruto (all three Original Soundtracks, The Very Best Hit Instrumental Version, and the Best Hit Collection II, and everything movie related); Naruto: Shippuden (both Original Soundtracks and everything movie related); Pokémon (2.B.A. Master, 3: The Ultimate Soundtrack, Christmas Bash, Gotta Catch 'em Live!, Sound Anime Collection, TV Anime Pocket Monsters Original Sountrack Best 1997-2010, World, X: 10 Years of Pokémon, and everything movie related); Shingeki no Kyojin [Attack on Titan] (Both Original Soundtracks); SpongeBob SquarePants (most of the production music, Greatest Hits, The Best Day Ever, The Yellow Album, and "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Soundtrack: Music from the Movie and More….");Sword Art Online (the Bonus Disc: Original Soundtrack Vol.1; Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (BEST SOUND and Original Soundtrack); The Legend of Korra; Yu-Gi-Oh! (4Kids Opening Collection; 5D's ED 1-5 Single; 5D's OP 1-5; 5D's Sound Duel Vol I-III; Duel Monsters ~ Duel VOCAL BEST! 2012; Duel Monsters ED 1, 3, and 5; Duel Monsters GX ED 1-4; Duel Monsters GX OP 1-4; Duel Monsters GX Sound Duel Vol I and II; Duel Monsters OP 1-5; Duel Monsters: Original Soundtrack Duel I and II; Duel Monsters: Original Soundtrack Sound Duel I-IV; Kawaita Sakebi CD Single; Music to Duel By; Series Duel VOCAL BEST! 2; The Movie Soundtrack; The Movie Super Fusion! Bonds That Transcended Time Single – Makemagic; Unreleased Soundtrack; ZEXAL ED 1-3 Single; ZEXAL II ED and OP Single; ZEXAL OP 1-3 Single; ZEXAL Sound Duel 1-3).).
Classical music (The 50 Greatest Pieces of Classical Music; The 99 Darkest Pieces of Classical Music; Mozart – 100 Supreme Classical Masterpieces: Rise of the Masters).
Movie soundtracks (A Bug's Life; Avengers Assemble (both the original motion picture soundtrack and the inspired music soundtrack); Avengers: Age of Ultron; Big Hero 6; Cars; Ender's Game; Finding Nemo; Forrest Gump (both the Original Motion Picture Score and the Soundtrack); Frozen; How to Train Your Dragon (and its sequel); James Cameron's Avatar; Kung Fu Panda (and its sequel); Man of Steel; Monsters Inc.; Ratatouille; Requiem of a Dream (just the "Lux Aeterna" Orchestral Version); Shrek (all of them); Star Wars (all six current episodes); Tangled; The Dark Knight Trilogy; The Hunchback of Notre Dame; The Hunger Games (both the first and second movies); The Incredibles; The Land Before Time; The Lego Movie; The Lion King; The Matrix Revolutions; The Prince of Egypt; Titanic; Toy Story (all three movies); Transformers (all four films' respective albums and scores); Up; Wall-E; Wreck-It Ralph).
Music artists (ACDC; Arcana; Brand X Music; Coldplay; Deep Purple; Disturbed; DragonForce; Electric Light Orchestra; Elvis Presley; Europe; Foster the People; Gary Stadler; Green Day; Guns N' Roses; Jean-Jacques Perry; Linkin Park; Lost Horizon; Metallica; Michael Jackson; Queen; Radio Head; Serj Tankian (everything that isn't System of a Down); Styx; System of a Down; Two Steps From Hell; Van Halen).
Video game soundtracks [by far my largest genre] (A Bug's Life (the PS1 video game); Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War; Batman: Arkham City; Bayonetta (both the first and its sequel); Call of Duty (all of them); Biohazard Revelations/Resident Evil: Revelations; Dementium II; Donkey Kong Country Returns; Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies (both the Original Soundtrack and the Symphonic Suite); Drammatica -The Very Best of Yoko Shimomura-; Final Fantasy (I & II: Dawn of Souls, III DS, IV DS, IV Celtic Moon, the two "Distant Worlds" albums, all three Tactics games, the Symphonic Suite, and the "Echoes of Betrayal, Light of Redemption" fan-made album); Fire Emblem (The Sacred Stones); Gran Turismo; Gyakuten Saiban/Phoenix Wright (all of them plus the recent Gyakuten Saiban 5, even Gyakuten Kenji/Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, except for the Japanese Phoenix Wright film); Halo (all of the video games soundtracks and even the one for Halo: Legends); Hotel Dusk: Room 215; Kid Icarus: Uprising; Kingdom Hearts (all of the video game soundtracks and the two piano albums, even 1.5 HD Remix and the two "Project Destati" fan-made albums); Kyokugen Dasshutsu 9 Jikan 9 Nin 9 no Tobira [999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors]; Last Window: The Secret of Cape West; Mario & Luigi (Superstar Saga, Partners in Time, Bowser's Inside Story, and Dream Team); Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater; Metroid (Fusion, the Prime Trilogy, Other M, and even the "Harmony of a Hunter" and "Harmony of a Hunter: 101% Run" fan-made albums); Minecraft (both the Volume Alpha and Volume Beta); Monster Hunter (all of them, including the 8-bit, anniversary, brass, club mix, disco, ethic, guitar, jazz, orgel, and orchestral variants); Need for Speed IV: High Stakes; Okami; Pac-Man World 20th Anniversary; Pokémon (Black and White, Black 2 and White 2, Conquest, Diamond and Pearl, Emerald, FireRed and LeafGreen, Gotta Catch the Sound, HeartGold and SoulSilver, Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, Platinum, Reorchestrated: Kanto Symphony, Reorchestrated: Double Team, Reorchestrated: Hoenn Summer, Ruby and Sapphire; X and Y; and even the "Still Want To Live In Their World?" fan-made album); Portal; Professor Layton (Curious Village, Diabolical Box, The Unwound Future, The Last Specter, Miracle Mask, and even the Professor Layton VS Gyakuten Saiban [Phoenix Wright] Magical Mystery Music); Solatorobo: Red the Hunter (upgraded to the Perfect Sound Track instead of the included CD soundtrack); Super Smash Bros. (Melee, Brawl, 3DS, Wii U, the Smashing…Live! Album, and even the "Harmony of Heroes" fan-made album); Sonic the Hedgehog (the "Dreams of the Absolution [LB vs. JS Remix" only); Star Fox (64 3D, Adventures, Assault, and Command); Subarashiki Kono Sekai [The World Ends With You]; Super Mario (3D Land, 64, Galaxy, Galaxy 2, Sunshine, and World); Symphonic Fantasies -Music from Square Enix-; Symphonic Legends -Music from Nintendo-; The Greatest Video Game Music (and its sequel); The Legend of Zelda (25th Anniversary Special Orchestra CD, Hyrule Symphony, Ocarina of Time 3D, Skyward Sword, and Twilight Princess); Toy Story 2 (the PS1 game); Trauma Center: Under the Knife (and its sequel); Video Games Live; Video Games Live: Level 2).
Other (Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? The Album; WWE (Piledriver: The Wrestling Album 2; RAW: Greatest Hits – the Music; The Wrestling Album; ThemeAddict: WWE The Music, Vol. 6; Voices: WWE The Music, Vol. 9; WrestleMania: The Album; WWE Anthology; WWE Hall of Fame 2012 – The Music; WWE Originals; WWE The Music, Vol. 8; WWE The Music: A New Day, Vol. 10; WWE The Music: The Beginning (Volumes 1-5); WWE The Music: Vol. 7; WWE Wreckless Intent; WWE: SummerSlam – The Music 2013; WWF Aggression; WWF Forceable Entry; WWF The Music, Vol. 2-5; WWF We Gotta Wrestle; You Can't See Me).)
…
…And that's that. A daunting list made even more daunting my growing repertoire of music, of a variety of genres, preferences, and tastes. Nothing predictable or "common". No Taylor Swift, no Lil' Wayne, no Nicki Minaj, and certainly no internet trash, the latter of which you're free to interpret as you please.
Overall though, how would you describe my taste in music? If you know even a quarter of this music library, instrumentals is my preferred genre. Then again, there's a surplus of oddball choices in this list. A game show soundtrack? Shrek? SpongeBob SquarePants? WWE/WWF? I prefer these over the mainstream media?
Absolutely. The mainstream media grows more generic, imbecilic, one-sided, predictable, sexualized, and laughably treasured by the day. And while there are definite gems in that list that I enjoy (Coldplay for example), that's only because I've quickly accepted them after being exposed to them. And everything else, I just dismiss.
I wish more people were like that. I wish more people played music from Two Steps From Hell when they drive (I know I do), not whatever weighs heavily on the radio.
Retaining the "T" rating?
If you recall correctly, I had a poll where you would decide for me if I should keep my stories rated "T" or change them to "M", because of the graphic violence I don't shy away at the slightest from portraying. And after having that poll up for just over a year, the results reflected to me that you all were just as divided as I was.
But as you can obviously tell, the story is still rated "T". I've stated my reasons in my first "Afterword" chapter as to why I have that "T" rating. And instead of rehashing my reasons, I'll support them with evidence I've gathered recently.
Exhibit A: Disney.
Recently, I've been watching a lot of WatchMojo's Top 10 videos on YouTube. Some of them involved Disney and the deaths portrayed in those movies. I won't spoil anything about that, in case you feel like seeing it for yourself. The only thing I will say is that those movies are rated "G" and "PG", even though a couple of them actually show blood, and even impalement.
Exhibit B: Deaths.
Would you believe that "children's" movies have more death than "adult" movies? Would you believe the ratio is 2.5 to 1? Would you believe that this is most apparent with animation, Disney in particular? Would you believe that parents in "kids" movies are five times more likely to die than in "adult" movies?
Sure, some of these deaths are kept PG, usually by animal attacks or falling off-screen, and R-rated deaths involve gunshots, bloody wounds, car crashes, torture, etc. But emotionally, to the viewers, they can be just as significant, sometimes more so if you're young and/or have a vivid imagination.
Exhibit C: Language.
Including this chapter, I've dropped three F-bombs and a word that rhymes with "aunt" throughout this sequel story. And doing so just once is passable by PG-13 movies and programs. I can think of a few movies that have dropped the F-bomb, but I won't bother listing them. I know a few FanFics that are much more vulgar than mine and have fuller swear jars than me (here's to you Tsuki the Wolf, and your ongoing Undertale FanFic series). Their rating is a "T" because strong language isn't enough to bump up that rating. The most decisive reason is my fourth and final piece of evidence.
Exhibit D: Sexual Content.
You can mention breasts and pussy, and the content remains PG-13. Showing breasts seldom leaves a story PG-13 (anybody remember that famous scene from James Cameron's Titanic?). Showing female genitalia immediately makes it mature. And full-on graphic sexual content makes it NSFW.
My current pair of stories are rated "T" because my sexual content is shallow at best, only present in my attempts at humor. And that was only because I recently shed away a few of my restrictions and constricting thoughts. In terms of Pokémon having tangible genders, the only ones that don't are those that can't reproduce, which is virtually every single Legendary Pokémon. Everything else goes, but I'll keep it to a minimum and as accepted or as "realistic" as possible.
Time spent writing overall?
Unlike many other writers, I've actually kept track and pay attention to when I first began writing my story.
The Path of the Aura Intertwining Crossroads began officially on July 5th, 2009, not on the date that I first began to upload it. I finished the last chapter to my first story on October 9th, 2012. The Path of the Aura II: Brothers in Arms officially began on October 10th, 2012, and ended on June 2015 (not including proofreading). The time it took me to write my first story is three years and three months, or thirty-nine months. The time it took me to write my second story is two years and eight months, or thirty-two months!
How is that possible, when my second story is twice as long as my first?! There are a few reasons actually.
One: deviations.
I wrote a few statistical articles regarding my characters, as a means to gauge their powers. But I scrapped this shortly before I began uploading the first chapters to The Path of the Aura: Intertwining Crossroads, because I ultimately found it to be a waste of time, pointless, and ultimately redundant. I was still writing articles regarding Elemental Aura and "S-Rank" inventions, because that definitely had relevance.
Two: me.
Simply put, I'm able to write more in less time because I'm ambitious in getting my ideas on paper, disciplined enough to commit to writing on a daily basis and with an established word count, and have grown far more experienced in writing with Microsoft Office Word than when I originally began.
And in my eyes, this honestly isn't too difficult. I'm only putting in 1-2 hours daily into my writing, and taking a day or two off when I've finished a new chapter, to rest and contemplate how I'll write my next chapter and what will go into it. Which brings me to my third and final reason…
Three: brainstorming.
As a budding artist, I've learned that it's better to draw what you see instead of what you know. And as an experienced writer, I've learned that planning and writing your thoughts out before writing officially leads to a more streamlined flow of ideas and word progression. Alongside my proficient character and typing experience, this allows me to concoct detailed chapters when I've noticed it takes people weeks, even months, to write a chapter with a fraction of the length I'm able to take in a fraction of the time.
I'm not here to compare myself to others, because everybody is different. I'm here to set a good example, and to tell you that I take this hobby seriously. I don't want to stop writing until I finish. And the only way I'll stop writing prematurely is if I die.
Not gonna lie. Thinking and embracing an impending death also provides me with enough motivation to write. After all, look at how much I've written in six years.
61.8: About Me
Name?
Just like my human OC, my name is Eduardo. I've mentioned this before in my last "Afterword" chapter. I've also mentioned that the reason my OC is named after me is simply because my name generally means "guardian", and is a Spanish derivation of the name "Edward".
Age?
As of this "Afterword II" chapter, I'm 22 years old. My birthday is on May 2nd, and I was born in 1993. Good window of birth too, because tons of 90's kids were dedicated almost religiously to cartoons and anime. Pokémon, Digimon, Yu-Gi-Oh! Dragon Ball Z, just to name a few.
Location?
USA, obviously, even though I've also got a bit of Mexican lineage in my blood. But to be more specific about my home without giving it away outright, I live in the Bay Area of California.
Whether you take that as the truth or a lie is entirely up to you.
Other hobbies outside of writing FanFiction?
When I'm not writing FanFiction, my hobbies generally include video games (Nintendo in particular), contributing to e621, working out, etc. And recently, I've been getting into drawing art myself. The motivation for that came to me through exposure to generally impressive art and my brother's acumen for it.
And just in case I need to clarify myself again, I'm not quitting writing FanFiction. I'm accompanying my FanFiction with my art. One day, I want to be able to illustrate key scenes from my growing FanFic series. I don't exactly have a shortage of inspiration either. It's more like a surplus.
Other hobbies include collecting and selling Pokémon cards on eBay, playing the violin, watching YouTube videos, and organizing the fan art I've gathered over time.
Budding art hobby?
I began drawing on precisely March 1st, 2015. In that time, I've simply been sketching inanimate objects on a 5.5" x 8.5" sketchbook, in order to practice for when I eventually transition into drawing digitally and drawing animate objects, such as Pokémon.
What I've drawn is viewable through links on my FanFiction profile page, or by searching for the name "GameManiac7509" on deviantart, furaffinity, and inkbunny, as well as "GameManiac" on e621, but only the images relevant to that website's nature.
Note: All four of those websites carry pornographic material. So if you don't like that sort of stuff, be sure to configure your settings to block that kind of content. Although I haven't drawn that type of content, not yet anyway.
What kind of artist do I see myself becoming?
Ultimately, it depends on what I feel like drawing, just like most other artists, regardless of experience. I have a list of what I want to draw, a few clever ideas here and there, and obviously I want to illustrate my FanFic series. And as to the quality of my foreseen work, I just want to make it look as professional as possible, regardless of subject matter. For all that I know, that may not be so difficult of me, if my FanFiction hobby is anything to go by.
I won't be surprised if I'm the type of artist that takes their time to draw stunning works of art. I won't be surprised if I'm commissioned by other people to draw whatever it is they want me to draw. And I also won't be surprised if I find myself drawing pornographic material.
There. I said it.
You spend enough time on the internet, and it desensitizes you. That's one reason why nothing grosses me out. And believe me, I've seen some weird shit. I know fetishes that many of you haven't heard of. I've seen smut that most others steer clear of. And I'm an adult now, so what do I care what others think of me and my interests. All that matters to me is that I have an open mind, some freedom, and some control where necessary. Which is why I don't see myself RP-ing on websites (I have better things to write anyway), getting creepy with my preferences (or apparent lack of if you've met me on e621), creating a "fursona" for myself (though technically I already made a "scalesona" with Eduardo's Dragon and Devil Dragon Forms), and donning a fursuit…unless it's exceptionally made.
Hell, if I can, I would love to own and wear a Lucario fursuit. The only problem is that there's next to no physically perfect fursuits like that. I know. I've checked. I'll keep checking though on occasion, hunting for one that looks just like what Nintendo officially uses when they promote their Pokémon series.
So, without digressing any further, the artist I see myself becoming is one who doesn't want to half-ass and grow experienced, who may or may not have relatively few images on their gallery compared to other artists, but they're all of high-quality or of incrementally growing progress. The images could be clean, could be dirty, could be tasteful, or could be repulsive. They can be diverse, based on characters from video games, and based on what other people have made. They can be suggested to me and even paid up front to me to draw them.
A jack of all trades. Master of none.
I also see myself drawing scenes from my FanFic series the most. And not just my FanFic series, but from others as well. It all depends on how confident I am in my skills and how much time I'm willing to invest into this fairly new hobby of mine.
It's all basically what I have the time to do at the moment.
List of played video games?
Just about every single video game that I have listed on my music repertoire is a video game that I've played or owned and will play. The only exception to this is the Halo series, because I've only played the original.
This list contains most of all of the games that I've played, that I can recollect on and list (as of May 2015, not present day), whether I still have them in my possession or not. For most of the games and all of the consoles and handhelds on this list, I still have them in my possession, tucked away where they won't collect any dust. For others, I played them via emulators and still have them digitally or have long since deleted them. And for some of the most recent entries in this list, I own them but have them backlogged.
And just to be clear, my first console is the Sony PlayStation, and my first handheld is the Nintendo GameBoy Color (Teal Blue color to be specific). And the other systems I have since then include the PS2, PSP, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DS Lite, Nintendo DSi, Nintendo 3DS, New Nintendo 3DS XL (the Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate version), Nintendo Wii, and Nintendo Wii U. Systems on this list that appear to contradict what I've stated above are either backwards compatible or downloaded digitally.
Nintendo 3DS (3D Classics: Excitebike; 3D Classics: Kid Icarus; Animal Crossing: New Leaf; Bravely Default: Flying Fairy; Crashmo; Crimson Shroud; Dillon's Rolling Western; Doctor Lautrec and the Forgotten Knights; Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D; Fire Emblem: Awakening; Flipnote Studio 3D; Kid Icarus: Uprising; Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance; Liberation Maiden; Mario & Luigi: Dream Team; Mario Kart 7; Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D; Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate; New Super Mario Bros 2.; Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies; Pokédex 3D; Pokédex 3D Pro; Pokémon Bank; Pokémon Alpha Sapphire; Pokémon Dream Radar; Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity; Pokémon Rumble World; Pokémon Shuffle; Pokémon X; Pokémon Y; Project X Zone; Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask; Professor Layton VS Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney; Pushmo; Resident Evil: Revelations; Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword; Shin Megami Tensei IV; Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked; Star Fox 64 3D; Super Mario 3D Land; Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS; The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D; The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D; Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call; Unchained Blades).
Nintendo DS (999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors; Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth; Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney; Final Fantasy III; Final Fantasy IV; Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift; Golden Sun: Dark Dawn; Hotel Dusk: Room 215; Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days; Kingdom Hearts Re:coded; Infinite Space; Last Window: The Secret of Cape West; Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story; Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time; Mario Kart DS; Metroid Prime Hunters; New Super Mario Bros.; Okamiden; Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney; Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Justice for All; Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations; Pokémon Diamond; Pokémon Pearl; Pokémon Platinum; Pokémon SoulSilver; Pokémon White; Pokémon Black 2; Professor Layton and the Curious Village; Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box; Professor Layton and the Last Specter; Professor Layton and the Unwound Future; Solatorobo: Red the Hunter; Star Fox Command; Super Mario 64 DS; The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass; The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks; The World Ends With You).
Nintendo DSi Ware (Anonymous Notes 1 - From The Abyss -; Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!; Shantae: Risky's Revenge; The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition; Zenonia).
Nintendo Entertainment System (Balloon Fight; Donkey Kong Jr.; Ice Climber; Kirby's Adventure; Mega Man; Metroid; NES Open Tournament Golf; Super Mario Bros.; The Legend of Zelda; Wrecking Crew; Yoshi; Zelda II – The Adventure of Link).
Nintendo GameBoy (A Bug's Life; Game & Watch Gallery; Game & Watch Gallery 2; Metroid II: Return of Samus; Pokémon Blue; Pokémon Crystal; Pokémon Silver; Pokémon Yellow; Spider-Man; Super Mario Land; Tarzan; The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX).
Nintendo GameBoy Advance (Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls; Final Fantasy V Advance; Final Fantasy VI Advance; Final Fantasy Tactics; Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones; F-Zero: Maximum Velocity; Golden Sun; Kirby & The Amazing Mirror; Mario & Luigi: Superstars Saga; Mario Kart: Super Circuit; Mario vs. Donkey Kong; Metroid Fusion; Pokémon Emerald; Pokémon LeafGreen; The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap; WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$; Wario Land 4; Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3).
Nintendo GameCube (Star Fox Adventures; Star Fox Assault; Super Mario Sunshine).
Nintendo Wii (Metroid Prime Trilogy; Metroid: Other M; Monster hunter 3 Ultimate; Nerf N-Strike; Okami; Super Mario Galaxy; Super Mario Galaxy 2; The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword; The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess; Wii Sports; Wii Sports Resort; Xenoblade Chronicles).
Nintendo Wii U (Batman: Arkham City: Armored Edition; Bayonetta; Bayonetta 2; Deus Ex Human Revolution: Director's Cut; Mario Kart 8; NES REMIX; Nintendo Land; Pikmon 3; Super Smash Bros. for Wii U; TANK! TANK! TANK!; The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD; The Wonderful 101; Wii Sports Club; Zen Pinball 2).
Sony PlayStation (A Bug's Life; All Star Racing; Bugs Bunny: Lost in Time; Chess; Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX; Disney's Treasure Planet; Disney/Pixar's Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue; Ford Racing; Gran Turismo; Gran Turismo 2; Namco Museum Volume 1; Need for Speed: High Stakes; Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed; Putter Golf; RC Helicopter; Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase; Snowboarding; Stuart Little 2; Test Drive Off-Road; Test Drive Off-Road 2; Test Drive Off-Road 3; Test Drive 4; Test Drive 5; The Land Before Time: Big Water Adventure; The Land Before Time: Great Valley Racing Adventure; The Land Before Time: Return to the Great Valley; Tiny Toon Adventures: Plucky's Big Adventure; Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3; Turbo Prop Racing).
Sony PlayStation 2 (Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War; Burnout 3: Takedown; Burnout 4: Revenge; Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec; Gran Turismo 4; Kingdom Hearts; Kingdom Hearts II; Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories; NBA Street Vol. 2).
Sony PlayStation Portable (Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-; Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions; Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops; Monster Hunter Freedom Unite).
Super Nintendo Entertainment System (EarthBound; Super Mario World; Super Metroid; The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past).
…
What does this list tell you about me? Well for starters, I had a lot of licensed video games with the PlayStation, as well as a sizeable amount of oddball titles. And as I matured with newer systems, my gaming library…still has some oddball titles. Solatorobo? Last Window? Infinite Space? Those are titles that not too many people have played, heard, much less owned.
Its titles like that, alongside Metroid Prime Trilogy and Xenoblade Chronicles (the Wii version), that make them sell on eBay for tantalizingly inflated prices. And its titles like that that I wouldn't part ways with for the world. Even though MPT and XC exist elsewhere, why sell them for a version that is similar/memory filling? One should only buy remakes if they want to or have never played the original.
61.9: What's Next?
The Path of the Aura III: Bonds of Blood?
At the end of the chapter prior to my "Afterword II", I concluded my sequel story by including all of the established sides and giving them their own "text time".
For the six neophyte Coadjutors of the Pokémon of Prophecy, they've gone with Dialga, Giratina, and Palkia. They will train under their guidance within Giratina's Distortion World, making themselves on par with the remaining Coadjutors within a flipside world of established reality, devoid of flowing time and logic.
For the Roman Empire, all of it is under Odraude's control, allowing him to do whatever he sees fit, overshadowing the puppets who hold political power and pulling their strings. And the sole survivor of Roman Organization XIII, and antagonist who in reality is a protagonist, Prattlecus will spent the rest of his days in the Flavian Amphitheatre, fighting until the death.
For Giovanni, his hidden agenda is finally ready to be unleashed on the world. He has captured the World Champion, united under the other five Teams to form "Team Prism", developed his battle armor tech, and tethered it to the enigmatic entity known as "Triple Zero". Now, he and his allies are ready to unleash an attack on the Coadjutors, and then the world.
For Eduardo, Xeno Lucario, and their five friends, their hard-fought victory against Roman Organization XIII has shed some new light about themselves and their abilities, some dormant, others executed. Their plans are to prepare themselves for Rome, where the climax of their problems and questions reside.
And lastly, for The Dark One, aka "Curseax"…
To make a long story short, His Void approaches.
Adjusted writing style?
By now, you should be familiar with how I choose to write my stories. Subchapters, referenced songs, end quotes, highlighting times and locations whenever necessary, dividing transitions into different settings and set(s) of characters, use of bold font, italics, and underlining, etc. But as I've grown more experienced with writing, the easier it has become for me. And that in turn means that my work has grown much longer as a result.
To compensate for this, and to try to make my future chapters much less daunting than the handful of 30,000+ worded chapters I've already written in my first and second stories, my first priority for The Path of the Aura III: Bonds of Blood will be for it to have shorter chapters.
It has become clear to me that because of my subchapters, I can divide my work easily. But that usually comes after I write, and I choose not to do so because I feel it wouldn't be right to leave a cliffhanger when the action is getting good. For some chapters, it works well, such as the three chapters involving the battle against Roman Organization XIII, that I decided to divide into five relatively even length chapters instead. For others, it's questionable to me at best.
So, knowing that, my eventual brainstorming for the layout of my third story will focus on shorter chapters, which in turn will most likely mean more of them. And as I've stated before, I'll try to make my third story average between the length of my first and second stories.
Of course, for all that I know, it just might be my longest piece of work yet.
The Ensnarement of Dimensions?
Progress in that story won't yield. I'll make sure of that. Nevertheless, it doesn't come as a surprise to me that it's a bit slower to update because that story is being written by three authors, each with their own agendas and writing styles.
We're all human. We all have our own personal lives. You'll just have to bear with us regardless.
Just be thankful that Cyndaquil123, DarkFoxKit, and I aren't the types of authors to just abandon their work and come back to it months or even years later.
Other eventual story ideas?
I currently have four story ideas that I have my mind set on writing. The first is a short story compilation FanFic pertaining to vague and/or unexplained events in my The Path of the Aura series. The second is a Pokémon FanFic centering around the timeline and origins of the Pokémon universe. The third is a crossover FanFic involving the world of Monster Hunter, and the "Mane Six" characters of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. And the fourth is a post-apocalyptic Digimon FanFic that centers on the main six characters of Digimon Tamers, including Yu-Gi-Oh! cards into the mix.
Now, let me make a few things clear.
These brainstorming ideas aren't finite. For example, I'm visualizing my fourth idea as a Digimon/Yu-Gi-Oh! crossover instead of it predominantly being a Digimon Tamers FanFic, meaning that I'll throw in some characters from the Yu-Gi-Oh! animeinto the mix as well. Also, and I've stated this before, the purpose of my current poll isn't to see which of these story ideas I'll write. It's to see which of these story ideas I'll write first. And lastly, the estimated lengths of these four stories shouldn't exceed the lengths of my first story. They may exceed 100,000 words, but to make it easy on me, I'll keep them "somewhat" brief.
And I say "make it easy on me", because as I'm writing The Path of the Aura III: Bonds of Blood, I'll be writing two of these story ideas as well.
Throughout the poll, I've already noticed which of my four ideas are more popular, with all four of them easily distinguishable as first, second, third, and fourth. And luckily for you as the readers and voters, it's exactly as I assumed.
The two story ideas I have, involving the origins and timeline of the Pokémon universe, as well as the short story compilation FanFic to my The Path of the Aura series, are what you want to see me write first. And I will honor those choices, by writing them alongside The Path of the Aura III: Bonds of Blood.
What will they be titled? Luckily for you, I already have titles thought up for them. The other two story ideas―the Digimon/Yu-Gi-Oh! and Monster Hunter/My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic crossover stories―have titles as well, but those two stories won't be written until after I've completed The Path of the Aura III: Bonds of Blood.
For the Pokémon FanFic centering around the origins and timeline of the Pokémon universe, it will be titled The First Immortal: or How I Learned to Make the Pokémon Universe. For anyone familiar with Dr. Strangelove, the title should be familiar.
And for the short story compilation FanFic pertaining to vague and/or unexplained events in my The Path of the Aura series, it will be titled Diverging from the Path of the Aura.
The First Immortal: or How I Learned to Make the Pokémon Universe will begin with Arceus and Its origins, before moving on to the remainder of the Pokémon universe and highlighting other key Legendary Pokémon, while simultaneously encompassing topics like evolution, Pokémon diversity, mythology, and humanity. My goal is to try and make this story as historical and factual as possible, while still making it progress as a story.
Diverging from the Path of the Aura will be a bit more…spontaneous. The ideas on what to write in it will come to me as I progress. Luckily, I already have a small collection of them. Eduardo's time during his banishment, Team Liberator's time spent liberating other Pokémon, Xeno's training alongside the Swords of Justice, and even his little skirmish with OseanSoldier's Lucario and Zoroark. Roman Organization XIII training and pasts, as well as the unexplained pasts of some of my Coadjutors will be more relevant throughout this story, as I use it to fill in holes I've left for myself throughout my progressing The Path of the Aura series. And one last thing, the order of events may not agree with each other, if I find myself focusing on Eduardo, then on Xeno Lucario, then to any other particular character(s), back and forth, hopping across the timeline.
The Path of the Aura IV, V, and VI?!
No, this is not a joke. When it comes to writing, I take it as seriously as a bullet wound.
Before, in my first "Afterword" chapter, I said that I would make The Path of the Aura into a quartet, with the third entry involving Mewtwo and its time in the Super Smash Bros. series, and making the fourth entry the end of Eduardo's and Xeno Lucario's story.
But because I'm ambitious (or have no life to put my time elsewhere into), my plans have changed.
Instead of a quartet, there will be two trilogies. The second trilogy I will remain tight-lipped and hand-bound in explaining, for the obvious reason that I'm not there yet. All I will say about the second trilogy is that for it to work, I have to set myself up for it.
A bit of permission and the other story ideas I have will build me up to that point. That's all that I have that is worth saying in regards to my future plans.
And rest assured, I will never abandon my work before it is finished. The only way I will abandon it is if I find myself dying before my time.
61.10: Bonus Chapter?
Normally, my "Afterword" chapters signify the end of my story. But in this case, I felt like adding a "Bonus Chapter", which will indeed conclude this story and help progress into The Path of the Aura III: Bonds of Blood.
As to what the "Bonus Chapter" contains…
Well, to put it simply, out of all of the characters I've given "text time" to, which character haven't I mentioned yet?
The next chapter will answer that.
"There are times when the world is rearranging itself, and at times like that, the right words can change the world." —Orson Scott Card (128) ("Ender's Game")