#the final quest

[atomic-chronoscaph]

The Final Quest - art by Chris Achilleos (1981)

[vaiyamagic]

Vi rereads Elfquest, The Final Quest #13

Because they're his people? Picky has been shown to not be quite as selfish as you elves seem to think all trolls are.

Oh, the palace can keep stashes of dreamberries fresh? Or help them grow when the outside world in inhospitable? Hm. Interesting. You hear that, Pike? Maybe you could have a tiny piece of the palace stay with the wolfriders in the mountains just to keep the dreamberries growing.

I don't think anybody really knows what The Way is at all anymore.

So the mountain that appeared out of nowhere one day has now disappeared. No one will be suspicious.

Shukopek's having a lot of children. Goodness.

Oh, we finally acknowledged that having mountains appearing out of nowhere might be odd? Hm.

Aurek, what have they done to you? Why would you only be eating grubs and lichens? Why have you not washed your hair? Will you have a nice conversation with Two-Edge, the one who saved your life? No? You're not even going to interact at all? Hm.

Oh hey, look, they finally acknowledge that Rayek had parents. Not too keen on just completely changing their designs, but whatever. Kinda nice having them meet Venka, too.

It was such a great, wonderful, selfless thing Rayek did to save the Palace and all elves from Winnowill's black soul. His redemption is-- what? Oh, he's still being selfish, and they could have redeemed her at any time, so his sacrifice means nothing? Oh. Ok.

Good to know that everything that happens in Rogue's Curse is just him being a selfish jerk instead of tragic redemption. Yeah. Great.

I do like that basically every time something changes with Rayek, he's just like "Ekuar, don't follow me, it's too dangerous, I'll ruin your life!" And Ekuar's just, "Anyway," *follows.*

And Rayek's parents are forgotten as quickly as they were introduced.

Did they leave any Preservers in the Forbidden Grove when they left? They didn't know at the time that they wouldn't be back. Do we think there are any preserver webs that still have stuff inside either way? Are there ten thousand year old creatures inside?

[vaiyamagic]

Vi rereads Elfquest, The Final Quest #22

Farewell, High Winds Holt, we saw you, like 3 times, and never learned what happened to the humans who made you in the first place. What a waste.

I'm going to gag.

About friggin' time Venka tells you she's not interested. I do like that he takes it well though, and apologizes. At least someone gets some character growth I guess.

I'm not sure a gun is the worst thing in the world, though I guess it is the worst one that humans could copy. I'm also not sure that New Moon is the best thing... your lifemate and brother in all but blood are right there. Are you saying your sword is better than them?

Looks like you didn't "teach him so he learns" last time, Venka.

It's weird seeing her personality shift from the "they did not teach me to hate" Venka to "I will have it out with my sire." I get that he's kinda crossing the line, but this Venka is very different from the one pre-FQ.

HOW are you two in one, Cutter? Explain. Is it two souls in one body or is it one soul in two bodies? Why won't they explain this?

I do kinda like how aware Two-Edge is of his crazy though.

If only we could have seen their relationship develope in the however-many years the two were helping Treestump.

Say, are Treestump and Clearbrook still blacksmithing in the troll tunnels? What does Picknose have to say about that?

Why are you surprised??? He's been saying this for years!!

This is so stupid.

Nice callback, and Toorah's outfit is very pretty. The Jarrah and Ingen cameo is dumb though. Why have them here at all?

Where is Ahnshen??

[vaiyamagic]

Vi rereads Elfquest, The Final Quest #26 (take 2)

Hm. It's a little funny, but Shenshen's being a bit rude here. Just say you're not into humans. Maybe this would be funnier if he'd been asking multiple times instead of this once.

While I do have a couple issues with the way these two seemed to be thrown at each other plot-wise, this scene is actually pretty cute.

I do wonder why she and Windkin aren't still together, since he spent years wearing snakes and protecting her supposedly dead spirit, but now that she's alive, he's basically forgotten she exists... it's weird.

Edit: I find it interesting that when the wolfriders have two healers, Leetah and Mender, everyone's libido goes into overdrive apparently. And yet, when the Wavedancers have THREE....

You know, if we hadn't gotten that scene where we learn the elves of the palace could absolutely heal and cleanse Winnowill's spirit but only if he lets her go, then maybe I would believe that. As it is, we did get that scene, and it makes you seem even more selfish, not some tragic hero.

Picky, that's some talk from someone who seems to appreciate his wife's de-aging treatment. And don't think we don't notice your grey hair is not grey anymore.

Anyway, apparently they could have cured the misfit trolls the entire time and just chose not to.

Hm.

Do we believe that? Also, like, is it just Mender's hair she likes?

I do like them showing that people can backslide a bit, but also continue to grow. But come on Rayek, this is the upteenth time, you really are a bit dense.

Gee, this guy who is about to ally himself with the bad guys looks a lot like Shuna's ex. Because all bad people have to be related to other bad people, and always someone we've met before.

And that tribe was pretty firmly against angering the spirits, and the ones who did follow him mostly didn't come home alive. So is this guy just a disgraced human looking to back the new strong group in town?

Dude, how many times is Wendy going to make Redlance fight a fire from burning down the trees?

Hoo boy.

Firstly, I still hate Aurek's outfit. Why the weird clash of see-thru robe and leather hat? And why is Aroree carrying him? Can't he fly? And get this man some sleep, he has bags under his eyes.

And why is Chot with Door? How did that happen? Where is Jethel? Is Forevergreen canon or not, because it seems like they can't make up their minds.

I mean, some non-magic users are also bent on having their way, but they're less noticeable, I guess.

And Cutter is just wearing his original quest outfit now?

Child Ember would have come up with three solutions by now.

[vaiyamagic]

Vi rereads Elfquest, The Final Quest #31 finale

Timmain, I'm not surprised about. Sunstream, I would have expected some surprise, at least, even if he had already come to terms with his father's inevitable end. I mean, they only just left.

Savah, no. The death of a mate has no real bearing on how much Leetah works as a Mother of Memory.

Well, clearly it's not that hard to zip back to the world of two moons.

I'm with you on this one, Skywise. (Though those clothes should be really baggy on you now that you've shrunk down to size again.)

I do like Cutter's body feeding the new Father Tree, and I guess the quote that Skywise is repeating here makes it pretty poetic.

And that's that. A nice little scene with elves, humans, and trolls all together. (Trinket seems to be looking at Goldruff like she used to look at Mender. Was your Mender-troll not enough for you?

I find it odd that Dre-Ahn came because of the call, and then didn't go with the Palace.

Well, that's that.

I think I will take a break for a bit before diving into Jink, Rebels, and FutureQuest, and then to Stargazer's Hunt. (I want to do it in that order so I can see what was originally planned, vs. how much gets retconned later.)

Happy new year, all!

[vaiyamagic]

Vi rereads Elfquest, The Final Quest #15

While that is a super pretty living space from the outside, exactly how practical is it inside?

Who is this guy? Like, how did they learn his name? Did he sing it? Is he just mysterious for the sake of being mysterious? Where did he come from? Who are his people? Why does he only sing? Is he a rehashed version of Dreamsinger? Why introduce him if you don't tell us anything about him? Why does he look like Kahvi and Rayek?

Ah yes, the arrival of uncanney valley Timmain. Why does she look so weird? I'm sure there's a way to make her short without making her look like a creepy doll.

And Skywise makes the connection, and is not given an answer, and somehow he's ok with that?

And why is Yun even here? Seriously, what has she done since coming to Cutter's tribe? Why isn't she still with Ember's tribe and her human son?

New characters! Except... we don't actually get to meet them? Do we ever hear about that wrapstuffed couple again?

Korafay's gravity-defying hair confuses me.

This is weird to me. Trolls are supposed to have different beauty standards, so why is this even a concern?

Also: it's pretty clear trolls age, so are they really immortal? Their hair turns grey, and they get more and more wrinkles. Do they eventually get so old they they die? Or do they just keep going, as a super wrinkly and aged immortal? *glances at firstcomer troll*

Anyway, apparently all the misfit trolls needed was some food?

And where's Drub's people? Or did Picknose come here, and she took over his kingdom? That would make more sense.

Would this actually help him become faster? I mean, I guess it would ease his powers a bit, but it would be more akin to gliding (lol) than actual flying. And you're hardly aerodynamic like your father was. You'd do better to shave off all the pretty hair (that no longer looks awful like earlier. Actually looks like real hair now.)

Completely unearned.

Dart voiced some concerns about Mender becoming a new Winnowill. Time passed, we get shown none of him trying to rectify it, we get very little of them even hanging out together. And now they're lifemates? No more concerns, Dart? Everything's ok now?

I have no problem with them being together in a general sense, but it's very out of character for Mender to just out of the blue want Dart like this. *Show* us their relationship develop! (And what is the obsession with making so many lifemates be related in some way? Ember and Teir are related multiple times, Newstar is getting with her lifemate's brother, and now Mender is getting with his neice's Recognized?)

The big part of this series is just how much of the charictarization and plot is just glossed over, or time-jumped. This worked well in Kings, because we had to fit 500 years in one issue. This... doesn't work. The Final Quest either needed to be longer or needed to not tackle quite so many loose plot threads.

[vaiyamagic]

Vi rereads Elfquest, The Final Quest #25

Rayek's getting poetic.

And just because you stay with the wolfriders doesn't mean you'll have to ride a wolf. But you could learn if you wanted to, as evidenced by the jackwolfriders.

Say, what about them anyway? We really think that the Sun Villagers who chose to do that over gardening ALL wanted to stay in the Palace? Even... no wait, Shushen's dead. Or-- no, Zhantee's dead too. How about ponytail lady? Or curly haired guy? Or bandana guy? I just love how they were such a big deal and most of them never got names...

Is bandana guy in the Palace with a preserver silk bandana?

This does not feel like an explanation or even reconciliation. It just feels like a cop-out.

The idea that some elves have chosen to look like humans is fascinating. Are they still immortal and have to travel from place to place to keep from being found out? Or do they stay with their human people and just live forever? Do they breed? Is there elf blood in some humans now? (Say, whatever happened to Wavelet anyway?)

I am going to nit-pick and say that if Leetah is the one who made Shenshen look human, then whe wasn't technically SELF-shaped.

I'm not sure how I feel about fire elves. How does thay even work?

I am sure that I don't like it when they gloss over the new elves. Yeah, there's a bunch of new ones. No, we're not going to let you meet them or know anything about them. Moving on!

:I

Anyway, why are Dart and Mender pale now?

So..... the trolls have known about this guy forever, and just never mentioned it?

And why, exactly, are we trying to pair everyone off? Maggoty don't need no man.

This is so dumb. So, is what happened in Forevergreen canon or not? Because it feels like they're trying to say it both is and isn't. Or that some of it did, and some didn't, but won't tell us which. Door is alive and well, and didn't get his head smacked open by Dodia, and Chot is somehow caught by him and we get some weird unnecessary exposition. And Door is evil because of Winnowill, because if it's not humans, everything else is her fault.

Okay, sure, he's evil and wants the Palace, but like, why does he not want to go the starhome? And if those trolls liked shiny things so much, why smash the palace and leave the pieces? And if Ahdri could sense that they were going to cut open her cocoon, why couldn't she sense that they were going to smash the little palace? And honestly, why wasn't the little palace in the wrapstuff with her? This plotline is just so dumb.

I do wonder why the GoBacks couldn't just be like, a neighboring tribe. Close enough to answer calls for help, but far enough away that they don't clash with the Wolfriders.

Oh wait, the Wolfriders are the best and can do no wrong, and every elf that stays needs to be just like them. I forgot. Sorry.

[vaiyamagic]

Vi rereads Elfquest, The Final Quest #6

I am torn between this being hilarious or a cheap joke. Probably both.

This feels like a reveal that's going to be important, but feels really weird coming from Krim. Especially since it's not something she ever seemed to think or care about before.

Did he say his people could come back as another creature? She seemed to think it was always human. I do like the joke, though, and he seemed to as well.

We're killing off a lot of people really quickly. We're still on graphic novel book 1 of this, and there's already been Krim, Lehrigan, Ruffel, Ikopek... Kahvi and Tyldak, even though they were flashbacks. Have we had this many in so short a time? And it's not even a war!

Mender: Hey, uh, you two! Bad timing!

I wonder how they decide what someone's soulname should be? Is there a method?

And.... that background looks familiar....

It's tweaked a little, but almost line for line.

Let's all watch Mender do something that Winnowill did to the ninja guys in the Shards arc, except it's ok, because he's a good guy.

I really think this wasn't necessary. It seemed like they were doing a pretty good job fending them off, and they could have easily run before the next guys came.

And they've just given up on the language distinctions. Human language, elf language? It's all the same it this point.

Threksh't's holding pen? I really want to know more about Threksh't.

It's really bad that I can't tell if it's the doctor's arm, or the son's arm that's holding that blanket up?

Also, how and why are you giving audience while a doctor works on your dick?? (Or balls, I guess.)

Hysterical Teir is pissing me off. He was always calm, cool, and collected, even when fearful.

Why is Teir being made the leader? Just because you Recognized him? He's kinda freaking out right now, and probably not in the best spot to lead.

This would be a good time to maybe show that Scouter has grown? Or I dunno. You don't really have a lot of people in your tribe, Ember, do you?