You know how around the time we started Vanguard of Forseti we were going over our favorite works from last season? I've added some of mine (complete with links to the first part of each) into my signature.
Lyudi Strannyye was of course the collaboration derived from Modya Dragomirov's catchphrase. At the time I was caught really off guard by Alexia's reactions to the point of panicking a little, but in retrospect it was amazing and organic (even if I had to cheat a little to prevent myself from making a mistake).
Treacherous Loose Ends was the collaboration in which Atka dealt with Burton, and it always has stuck out in my mind as one of the big collabs between her and Jake, though there was one other that I love to no end.
Confessions of a Pathetic Soul. Oh my God, this one was sweet. Not to mention it was written and posted on Valentine's Day, as if it couldn't get any more heartwarming.
Ruinous Designs was the post in which Invidia possessed Keiko and tried to kill Lily and Emma. The action, intensity, and mental duel between Atka and her nemesis, the Ethereal Overseer Invidia, made for an excellent story.
A Day in the Life is one of two of my favorite solos written by myself. I put a lot of work into this one to show how Modya's days went. He trains with his fellow Rocketeers, goes to visit the one in the infimary, meets Vee Exalt, talks with his friend Thomas Burrick, and ends the day with his girlfriend who would, as we all know, later become his wife, Jessica Lockheart. And it ends with his catchphrase, combined with "People are Good to Me" in Russian. Aw.
The other solo is "Strike of Midnight." I love it not only for the chemistry I felt between Vee and Tom, but also because it ties in with one of those underlying symbols of Story of Defiance. Late evenings and nights, symbolizing the secrecy of the organization and the fact that the guardians of Earth never sleep. That and coffee, which this time is replaced with tea, if you've noticed. Though you might see the old coffee symbol return for "Rulers of Shambhala" if we get around to that.
This Day just Keeps Getting Better is the only Elene post I've put in here so far, though there'll probably be a bunch more collabs (to the point where I'll have to pick some honest-to-God top 3-5 or something and make the other ones in smaller text, or at least less prominent). This is where Markus confesses his love to Elene, and she has a rather undignified reaction for the Exalt heriess, but it turns out alright.
And finally, the Invidia mission. Oh man, this one was fun. Atka's combat use of precognition to predict the possessed Thin Man's grenade trick (Thank you Zmby for setting that up for me), the horror of having to fight human heavy floaters that are derived from the DNA of Atka's fellow Inuit, even her family members (Yes, I suggested that. I'm evil), the battle with Xifeng and the bittersweet conclusion combined with the surprise of Acedia being there (Thank you again, Zmby), my idea to have Atka and the others have to actually spend a few hours resting just to recover their strength to battle Invidia, the battle against Invidia herself and the near-escape thanks to the body trick, calling back to what the Sectoid Commander warned us about (Thank you a third time Zombie), and that conclusion. Stands next to the final mission as one of my sincere favorites. (Get it?)
