Anita Blake Finale

[mariadeangeles.livejournal.com]

I was thinking about this last night because some friends who were Lost fans got into a debate after doing a marathon. Some of them ranted that the writing went bad after season three and felt cheated by the ending while the others defended the show with diehard loyalty.
The divide in the fans reminded me of the split between Anita followers and the us, especially since the loyal Lost fans accused the disillusioned ones of being "close-minded" for not accepting the mediocre explanations the writers came up with for the island's mysteries. much like we're accused of being narrow minded for not accepting Anita's sexuality.

My question is: What would be the all time perfect Finale Book to the Anita Series that you feel would redeem the entire journey of the series for you?

For me it would be that Anita snaps/gets a hold of herself and realizes her harem is out of control and their powers are a threat to humanity so she kills them off to get her old self back.

Comments

[dwg.livejournal.com]

I'm kinda torn - I really want Edward to be teaming up with her just so he can take out all the competition, because nobody gets to kill Anita but him. She'll never see it coming, which is why it'll be so awesome.

But I also want to see Anita stripped of her magical powers and have to actually fight to survive. Bonus if she has to kill someone she loves -- I really want it to be Nathaniel -- in the process. Double bonus if there's consequences of not just having to live with that, but the police etc..

Barring all that, I'll settle for the Council to show up and reduce St Louis to a smouldering crater. It'd be nice to have the vampires actually do something badass rather than phone it in across the astral plane.

Yes

[mariadeangeles.livejournal.com]

I would LOVE it if Nathaniel died. He is so obnoxious. I'd be okay with the council finishing off St. Louis as long as there's plenty of action and struggle, not like they just come in and everyone dies with the flick of a hand or some simple magic that kills them off in a heartbeat.
It definitely be cool if Edward killed Anita too but since its a first person narrative from her POV, it would kind of suck to miss out on Edward's plot to kill her, the execution and the aftermath of her death. I'm guessing the story just ends after the narrator's death unless she tells us what she sees as a ghost or something

Re: Yes

[dwg.livejournal.com]

Ugh, yes, I am tired of hearing about Nathaniel's divine buttocks and super long hair. But mostly, I want Anita to have to deal with it and how she's incredibly fucked up.

The other alternative is Anita being raised as a zombie and her soul stuffed back in there so she doens't rot, and she's trapped inside her own corpse and can do nothing but reflect upon her condition. Edward's smart enough to go to a witch to get charms and blessings when he's going after something powerful, he could totally arrange something like this.

I am really mean to fictional characters. :P

[unseelie.livejournal.com]

i can imagine a scene of her waking up from a coma shortly after the events of book 8, and telling her friends about this really weird/horrid sex dream nightmare she was having....

[neriah.livejournal.com]

I'd like to see them all set free or the whole thing blown to hell withe everyone done.

Re: Yes

[subtle-shades.livejournal.com]

I can get behind this.

I'd also like there to be legal consequences. I mean, that secret!body dumping ground has got to be filling up.

But then, I too love torturing fictional characters.

[polymexina.livejournal.com]

I want Anita's mom to come back -- she's not dead at all, just had to go into hiding because she knew she and her daughter were doomed to kill each other. Anita's fulfilled her part of the prohecy by becoming a great evil, and now her mother really does have to destroy her.

[zombiemonkey.livejournal.com]

1. It was all the dream of an autistic child.
2. PETA and the Humane Society team up and perma-arrest Anita for beastiality/animal cruelty.
3. EVIL TWIN!! The real Anita has been trapped in a cave with basic cable and knitting all along! the series can continue with real Anita solving knitting-related mysteries.

[staringiscaring.livejournal.com]

I would read it if it turned out that Jean-Claude had been a putter master from the start and got her hooked on the arduer simply to leech off her power and enslave her and it was revealed. Anita finds a way to beat the spell before having to kill her lovers and take down Jean-Claude.

[phoenix-san.livejournal.com]

I've had an idea that could either be an ending or serve as kind of a fresh start to the series. It's a little long and sorry if it sounds overly silly or confusing. I also haven't read the newer books past Danse Macabre, so forgive me if my details are a bit off.

It is somehow revealed that when Obsidan Butterfly gave Anita some of her power, she also did something to her to make her more suspectable to Jean-Claude's influence and the ardeur by extension. By doing so, she's managed to strengthen Jean Claude's power base-which was one of her intentions. He had been aware that something has been affecting Anita's behavior, but as it seemed to be to both of their benefits, he kept that fact to himself.

Obsidian Butterfly's endgame was to garner enough power to actually take on and possibly replace the Mother of All Darkness and strengthening and subtly manipulating Anita into becoming a proverbial walking power source was all a part of it.

Micah is revealed to have been a plant of Obsidian Butterfly's from the start. He approached her about Chimera and she set him upon Anita as a distraction for her and a means to weaken her bonds with Richard and the triumvirate as a whole.

Obsidian Butterfly then comes to St. Louis with her vampires and weres, pretty much drains all of Anita's excess special abilities and takes the ardeur with her-as she does feed from power-and the only thing that keeps her from killing Anita is Edward's timely interference.

Micah and his leopards help tear apart Anita's allies, casualties possibly being Nathaniel, Asher Jason and Damien to start. Jean-Claude might manage to get away, as self-preservation is what he does best. Richard and his pack are relatively unscathed, given his distance from the Circus.

Anita is left shell-shocked and-mostly-human again. Finally in true control of herself for the first time in months(?) she's horrified by the things she's done and the people she has mistreated and pushed away. She also has Jean-Claude and Micah's individual betrayals to deal with.

Edward has no interest in coddling her either. Having dealt with a witch on one of more recent jobs, he found out that Anita's power has somehow been influencing his own behavior as well and came to St. Louis to end her. But now, he has a whole lot of monsters that need to be dealt with and if Anita's up to it, he's putting the flamethrower aside and going with the bazooka.

Whew.

[estllechauvelin.livejournal.com]

You beat me to #1, although I was also considering Anita waking up, finding Richard in the shower, and telling him about the crazy dream she had.

[desert-vixen.livejournal.com]

I'd actually read this!

Re: Yes

[the-mome-wrath.livejournal.com]

But remember if animators become zombies they go on a killing rampage. Not that that would be a bad thing. Especially if her harem was around.

Re: Yes

[frabjously.livejournal.com]

Then an Edward spin-off series ghostwritten by someone who will treat him right.

[terratheelf.livejournal.com]

The only sane ending: Rocks fall, everyone dies.

[chubling.livejournal.com]

I like this if Asher doesn't die. He just stops sucking and him and Jean-Claude get together.

And Richard stops being INSANE and weird |:

[dwg.livejournal.com]

I would read the hell out of this.

[unrund.livejournal.com]

This I would actually buy and put on my bookshelves.

Re: Yes

[terrie01.livejournal.com]

Sometimes, since Nathaniel is a were-cat, I have images of him chasing his hair like a cat chasing his tail. "I can't help it. It's so... swishy."

[phoenix-san.livejournal.com]

That's a possibility too. Or if Jean-Claude bites it, he could take over. Avoid the status quo and whatnot.

Seconded regarding Richard. He definitely deserves better than what he's received.

[phoenix-san.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

[phoenix-san.livejournal.com]

Heh, thanks. It almost makes me wish Ms. Hamilton allowed fanfiction.

[dwg.livejournal.com]

She does in a "don't ask, don't tell," kind of manner. So you can write it, just don't link her to it. I don't think she's savvy enough to go searching for it, so you should be okay.

Re: Yes

[dwg.livejournal.com]

loool that is an awesome mental image. XD

[sankaku-atama.livejournal.com]

The sticky note with that marked down on it probably fell behind the computer.