Yknow, A Lot Of SMT IV Apocalypse Could've Been Skipped If Flynn Had Told Someone He Could Come Back

Yknow, a lot of SMT IV Apocalypse could've been skipped if Flynn had told someone he could come back to life. Like Flynn is badly hurt and they need to escape Tsukiji Konganji? Hand him a stack of macca, let him die, then wait for him to revive so he can help everyone fight their way out. Flynn doesn't revive? They got the wrong Flynn, time to keep searching for the real one.

Wait a sec all of the people of Mikado still have the demonic gene. How does that work out? Do they still need to ban literature? Is it like a known thing in Tokyo, don't let anyone from Mikado read classical literature or there's a chance they start turning into a demon? Do people start keeping books on hand, like "LPT! If you're surrounded by demons find the closest person of Mikado descent and make them read Karl Marx"?

An AU I thought of based on this is Nanashi gets isekaied (read: demon summoning accident) to Mikado Castle. The Samurai pull him in front of King Azahuya who takes one look at him and realizes he bears the marks of King Aquila (scar and eyebrows), prophecied to return at Mikado's darkest hour, whose true appearance has been kept secret by the royal family for generations to prevent pretenders.

Now knowing the worst time in the kingdom's history is happening right now, Azahuya presents Nanashi with Akira's gauntlet and starts work on uncovering what exactly might lead to Mikado's downfall.

Nanashi's connection to King Aquila is kept secret outside of Hope, tasked to train him so he can survive whatever is to come. However, unbeknownst to Azahuya there are others able to recognize Aquila's reincarnation. Soon enough a certain sister at the Monastery makes her move, and Nanashi finds himself wrapped in a conspiracy a thousand years in the making...

Do you think some Mikado citizens ever figured out they could get their original works published as long as they threw King Aquila in there somewhere? And how much of it was actually fanfiction about Aquila, Mikado's state-designated blorbo? It'd be really funny if Aquila also got "and he'll return in Mikado's darkest hour" like King Arthur. Like technically he did!

@thonkphonk

OK......... THE FAERIE QUEENE IS AN INTEREST OF MINE. I read Books 3 and 4 for a class called 'Violence and Romance in Renaissance Literature'. We spent a lot of time on it, because iirc the only other thing we read in the class at all was some Shakespeare. So it was actually mostly a class on the Faerie Queen books 3 and 4 lol (and all of my papers were on the Faerie Queene instead of Shakespeare lol).

The whole deal with the Faerie Queene is that the titular Queene is the goal of King Arthur's quest, and yet Arthur himself only has cameos in the stories because he is the 'main plot' where all the books have different main characters (and focuses on elaborating on various virtues that each main knight upholds--Arthur is the perfect knight, who extols all virtues, whereas all the characters in the books exist to define specific virtues--ex: Britomart represents Chastity, Artegall represents Justice, etc). And Spenser never actually finished the Faerie Queene, which is why Arthur's quest never gets full attention.

To apply this to SMTIV would be extremely fun.

Absolutely I could see so many stories about King Aquila's times. Especially since Mikado is trapped in this sort of medieval stone-age ('holy times' as viewed by angels) so its not even like stories about Aquila would be dated, it would be so easy to write stories of modern times with Aquila present. Or, even easier, would be his inclusion in these 'fairy-stories' the Luxurors know.

Aquila means so much to people despite having lived so long ago, I would assume his knights are known the same way Arthur's are (with people inventing new knights all the time, as with Arthurian legends as well). So people would toss Aquila into all this often while writing their own stories about the various knights (with a focus on those knights because, like Arthur's presentation in the Faerie Queene, Aquila would be the 'perfect' character, meaning that the stories are more interesting if they can be about the flaws of the others).

But 100% Aquila would always come in to save the day, or to approve of the resolution the story reaches, etc. I am so on board with that idea.

That being said, this would mean the angels likely erase much of this when they take over Mikado, Aquila' name remains on the Obelisk, but his statue is destroyed, so I imagine many of these books are just straight up burned. A few would survive though, less objectionable ones,but the angels hate the influence Aquila still has on the people, and how he is still venerated.

Also you are SO RIGHT about the 'once and future' thing. Like. This has no support in the game because the game is so nebulous about Nanashi's birth, but I do somewhat theorize he was born in Mikado? He's literally just found in Sky Tower, so I'm like, okay was he born there and brought down somehow? I would KILL to know anything about this because like. Ok, they found a baby. How did they find him? In the hands of a demon, dead humans, or just like, on the ground? Hello? Can I have some information please?

But I've always assumed Nanashi was born in Mikado and then SOMETHING was a reason for him to be carried below, and then discovered. Because like. we don't even know why the HUNTERS were in Sky Tower--most people knew about Medusa back then and wouldn't want to go, and people even assume Medusa works for Tayama (which is false--I theorize she worked for Akira but that isn't confirmed anywhere). but if people just assumed the Sky Tower was controlled by the Ashura-kai, I don't know why anyone would approach--they KNOW Medusa kills everyone up there.

and Nanashi of course is randomly discovered after Medusa is there, he's only born well after Akira establishes Mikado, so the Hunters have long-withdrawn from Sky Tower and like. what. is happening.

But yeah a prophecy about Aquila's return and somehow that also including the need for Nanashi to go below rather than above, there's some sect of people somewhere that know something, this is just, one of those many holes left open in the SMTIV world. so we are free to make theories and headcanons and I am so with it.

Thank you for sending this, this was so fun omg. I went on a bit of a ramble.

Flynn likes Nanashi's eyebrows. They're all scrunkly! They make him look extra cool and fierce! When he smiles the eyebrows are a charm point!

Then one day Nanashi buys a new wig that doesn't cover his brows. He decides that since he's already doing the rest of his face he might as well shape his eyebrows too.

When Flynn sees he gets all quiet and sulky and sad, which for him is standing in one spot and staring off into the distance, the picture of melancholic contemplation. Life has once again taken something precious away from him, woe is Flynn.

The next morning Nanashi asks Asahi if he can borrow her eyebrow pencil. No he can't just wait to go out and buy one later in the day, he has to draw his eyebrows back in before Flynn wakes up. Shut up Asahi stop laughing.

But wait, isn't the issue not size but quality? What if someone wants to read fandom shortposts but not about the random shower thoughts?

...I think I have to re-org the tags again

I've re-orged my tags! Shorter, off the cuff stuff is shortpost. Longer posts is thonkphonk! Currently I'm deciding whether fandom-related shortposts should be tagged with the fandom if it's a less active fandom tag, don't want to spam. Shipping tags will still remain.