A way too long analysis on what else Flame learned from each of his mentors during his training arc :)
For @wisdomsgemini bc I had to resort to bribery to get them to sleep.
Flame reaching out to other players who he sees as better than him in some aspects was such a step forward for him, he realized he wasn't the strongest, at least not in his current form. I've said in past analysis's that Flame relies on consistency, a steady and predictable rhythm. Wemmbu and Law both bested Flame because they were able to throw Flame off beat, trip him up, surprise him, catch him off guard. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. Getting beat once is a coincidence, a statistical probability bound to happen. Getting beat twice? That's the beginning of a pattern. So Flame sees that the steady rhythm he's relied on for so long needs to change, and he thinks it's just his combat that needs to improve, but it's also his world view.
First, Sword and Shield, the combat style Flame primarily uses. Swight is his mentor, a mercenary who only cares for money, at least that's what he claims. Swight does care about his reputation, but it's more appearance based than honor based like Flame is. He doesn't want to be made a fool of, because fools don't get paid. When Flame confronts Swight about this, he indirectly confronts his own beliefs about honor and reputation. Flame literally had to counter argue the very things he stood for because Swight embodied those values in that moment. It doesn't completely change Flame's thoughts on reputation and honor, but it does have Flame begin to question them. And when Swight told Flame he'd make a good mercenary, something typically honor less, it has Flame reconsidering his values. Going invisible had Flame not perceived as the Immortal Demon, but just as Flame, a player who is naturally skilled, a powerful fighter. Not the reputation, just Flame, someone who never existed just as himself. It's similar to Wemmbu, but Wemmbu was trying to get BACK to being normal, for Flame, it's the first time he's ever been normal.
Next is Spear, and we get our glorious reunion between Blindfold Brothers with the return of Manepear. Their dynamic in the episode is interesting, because Flame is insistent, a bother, while Mane is dismissive, distant. Brothers who have grown apart because of their mindsets. Mane wants to have fun, Flame wants to be the strongest. Flame actually opens up to Mane this episode, something he rarely, if ever, has done. But this is his brother, they share more history than anyone else on the server, they trust each other in a way only brothers could. Flame opens up because he's questioning his identity after his loss to Law and training with Swight, he's questioning himself, and wants his sworn brothers input, because Mane knew Flame well before he became the strongest. And they talk, peacefully, about their differences, what they value, and Flame listens, because it's Mane, his sworn brother, someone who doesn't see him as the strongest, but as Flame. Mane tells Flame he needs to have fun, that being at the top only invites constant challenge or boredom, how neither are good, because neither are fun. It also isolates Flame because very few can keep up with him, or his position forces him to push people away. Mane tells Flame that they will always be brothers, that he'll always have someone in his corner. And Flame relaxes after that, the idea that someone is willing to support and help him, Flame, not the Immortal Demon. From Mane, Flame slowly has his idea and value of reputation and the strongest being chipped away at. Swight weakened it, Mane's the first to remove bits of it.
ItzRealMe taught Flame the ins and outs of Mace combat, but did two other important things. 1) Showed Flame how to enter 'The Zone' and 2) showed Flame what his future could look like. 'The Zone' forced Flame to lock in, to stop complaining about fairness and honor, to PROVE that he was the better fighter instead of talking about how the other players aren't. Flame's never been one for words, he's all about fighting, an action, but 'The Zone' got rid of a habit he had since Toxic Civ, something he actually got from them, talking in combat when it's not necessary. To fight well, you must be focused, and if you're distracted talking, you aren't fully focused on the fight. That's what 'The Zone' and mediation were about, focus, lock in, prove it. 'The Zone' is what inspired this rewrite as I finally caught onto the massive character development Flame was undergoing. Looping back to the second point, ItzRealMe held the position of best pvper for YEARS before he decided to take a step back. I don't know the actual reasons for this, but he and Flame had a discussion on it, how Flame commented that he'd never give up or feel like he maxed out because to him, there's always higher to go, no ceiling to his sky. But Itz knows better, he's been through it, living evidence of what happens when you reach that ceiling you didn't know existed. It's what Mane warned of, lack of fun, no passion or fire to keep you going. It makes Flame realize that he needs something outside of pvp, something that's not just constant fighting. Friends, pets, hobbies, builds, something to keep him going, busy between the fights.
Finally we have TheobaldtheBird with Carting. Now Flame's done carting before, worked with Leo(rest in tragedy) on it, used it during his team up with Mane. He's proficient, just like sword and shield, but unlike his main combat style, he's not consistent in it, not good enough to fight against the full force of Law. Theo teaches Flame how to manipulate his surroundings in a fight for an advantage, turn the favor towards you. In a way, it goes against what he initially stood for, honor and fairness. But Flame's changed, the Immortal Demon has adapted, altered himself. This episode is also a bit of a step in a different direction because we get GodofWar, a Law commander who Flame fights and defeats, combining all his previous skills, proving he has become a better fight, but also, him demanding GodofWar to get better, to hate him, shows that Flame hasn't fully shattered his worldview, hasn't fully realized that combat isn't his only option in life. GodofWar is so similar to Flame after he got beat by Wemmbu, how the anger fuels them and makes them stronger.
The training ends with that, but Kings Arc doesn't, it ends with the defeat of Law, the sparing of Lettuce, and finally, finally, Flame stepping away from his title of the Immortal Demon, because beyond all the weapons, all of the fighting, all of the death, he is a friend, a friend to Lomedy, who only accepts Flame's apology not after Flame redeems himself through combat, but when Flame says he's going to try to be a better person, not a fighter. Beyond the weapons, Flame finally realizes who he is, and it took 4 mentors, a war, and a very stubborn best friend to knock some sense into him.
Ty for listening to my yap :D
