#first raindrops

I'm sure I mentioned this before, but when I worked on the concept for this fic (when the idea was "Castoria is sent back into the past and meets Tonelico" -> ToneCas), I genuinely wanted to lead them to a happy end. They both suffered more than enough, and I like them, so I wish them to find happiness, ideally with each other. But no matter how long and hard I thought about it, I didn't really find a way out of the misery for them. No idea I had worked out. The issue isn't simply that Fairy Britain is a cursed hell by nature, but also that Tonelico and Castoria - or fairies generally - don't really have a limited lifespan. It's not as though they only have to make it through about a century or so in happiness until they can die peacefully in their sleep and all is well - nope. They'll live until they're killed, or until Fairy Britain finds its end.

I had the idea (when I was already too deep into this story) to cheese things and go for some very cliche'd kind of ending where Cernunnos finds peace through Tonelico and Castoria's love for each other making them both entirely willing to sacrifice their entire self for the other and do whatever they could for each other - more or less the opposite of the original fairies' attitude - which would rid Fairy Britain of the curses plaguing it. No more calamities, no more Moss... But even then, it turned into a matter of - okay, but what then? It's still a Lostbelt. Tonelico and Castoria still don't have a lifespan, and fairies won't suddenly turn good either.

It was hopeless, and I despaired... so, I ended up deciding on this ending. I actually love it a lot, and I think it's more meaningful than a happy end would've been - I think it's consequences and sacrifice that give meaning to decisions and love.

With that in mind: Just for fun, I also brainstormed a "What if the Tonelico and Castoria from this story were summoned in FGO?" kind of AU/idea. Please don't expect me to ever write that, it's just fun to think about. And I at least want to share my thoughts about that here.

First of all: Tonelico would be summoned as "Tonelico Avalon". I would imagine here as looking somewhat in between Rain Witch, Savior, and Morgan - the physique of Morgan, but keeping Tonelico's blonde hair, eyes, and glasses. She's the Tonelico who gave up on her ideals for the one she loves (Castoria), and having that person by her side allowed her to not lose her gentle heart. However, because she's only reached that stage through meeting and falling in love with Castoria, she's quite the siscon. For the most part, "Tonelico Avalon" is the Tonelico from after the original draft of this story (in which she went to forge the holy sword), but she's also affected by the time loop of the new version - so, the fact that Tonelico went through countless cycles of meeting and falling in love with Castoria again and again just for the small chance of a happy ending added to the siscon tendencies.

With her own Castoria "lost", she instead dotes on the canon Castoria who's pretty creeped out. Tonelico Avalon doesn't mind, as Castoria is cute even when she's rejecting her. Canon Morgan and canon Tonelico have more of a "... what happened to cause that!?" reaction to Tonelico Avalon. Artoria Avalon gets along pretty well with her, though Tonelico Avalon doesn't quite feel the same way about AA as she does about Castoria.

Oh, and Tonelico Avalon is a Moon Cancer. She would have Ruler potential, if not for the siscon and related stuff.

Petrichor-Castoria would be summoned as an Avenger. For one, because Avenger is weak to Moon Cancer, but also because like Tonelico's spirit origin has the accumulated feelings of love and dedication for Castoria mixed into it, for Castoria it's the feeling of being left out and "abandoned" by Tonelico at the end of each cycle like she was in this finale. That grudge festered, and she only got more angry when she saw her Tonelico (Avalon) dote on the canon-Castoria, making it seem as though she wasn't only abandoned, but replaced.

They're deeply connected by Tonelico Avalon still having her glasses, but Avenger-Castoria also carrying those glasses. The paradox is intentional as this whole story is technically quite a paradox anyway...