History TearJerker / MetaRunner

---> '''Tari:''' Lucinia! I know you can hear me! I'm sorry I was involved in what Sheridan did to you! But I wanna say thank you! Because I also got to meet some amazing friends! (she starts breaking down there in tears) Tell Sofia I'm sorry for hanging up on her! And tell Lamar I loved listening to him talk about anime! And to Masa... thank you for making me a part of the team! Tell them all I will miss them! (she breaks down even more as the restraints are around Tari there as the surgery begins there)

* The flashback in "Soft Lock" is mostly heartwarming, but progressively gets more undercut as Lucinia ends up discussing with Masa about how she's been volunteering for a TAS Corp scientist's experiments... which as we all know by now, is Dr. Sheridan's Project Blue, and to really drive the point home, it ends with Lucinia saying goodbye to Masa, promising to see him the following day... [[ForegoneConclusion yeah...]]

** First off, her smile. It's not that modest, happy Tari-like smile we're used to seeing... it is a very sad WistfulSmile. The kind of smile that says "my death is impending, but [[FaceDeathWithDignity I will readily accept my fate]] if it ensures the greater good." The context is what makes this work--Tari says in the Season 3 trailer that she and Lucinia can't both come back to the real world, she realizes beforehand that she would have to basically give herself up in order to fully revive Sofia's sister, and Luke all but confirms that our hero is going to be faced with the hardest decision she's ever had to make. The show has gone to just as great pains to show us how kind she is as the [=SMG4=] videos, so the fans wouldn't put it past her to make the ultimate sacrifice.
** Second, the sea itself. At first glance, it may look like the beautiful vistas of ''Ultra Jump Mania''... but we've seen what Theo's homeworld looks like, and a closer look reveals that this is ''not'' it. There are no other islands in the background, the blue color palletes look slightly-yet-noticeably different, and the graphics have a... stylistic contrast. That's when you realize... this is another dimension entirely. The craziest part is that this very background was used before. To elaborate, the wall for the GLITCH channel (as of this writing and the showing of this season) shows Tari and Theo [[RidingIntoTheSunset moving forward]] in this particular dimension, with the former looking like she's giving the latter [[AffectionateGestureToTheHead an almost motherly head gesture]]. It's clearly [[RuleOfSymbolism the show's way of saying goodbye to the fans that stuck around]]... but ''then'' you remember that Theo disappeared recently, and with Tari no doubt being faced with a HeroicSacrifice, it makes you wonder... is this the two of them TogetherInDeath? Are they not just saying goodbye to us, but goodbye to ''life''? After all, this place does bear a slight resemblance to [[WebAnimation/SunsetParadise the In Between]]...

* Dear god, '''The Ending...'''Knowing that both she and Lucinia can't both come back physically, Tari makes the ultimate sacrifice to stay in cyberspace forever and restore Lucinia's physical form.
** She completes the deed after so many setbacks, but not before an utterly heart-wrenching goodbye she makes to all her friends at MD-5. Sure, she remains technically alive, in her own personal server with Theo, but she delivers her entire monologue on the verge of tears, knowing that she may never see them again. The speech itself is sorrowful enough but the emotional performance by Celeste Notley-Smith makes it all the more tearjerking.
--> '''Tari''': "Lucinia! I know you can hear me! I'm sorry I was involved in what Sheridan did to you! But I wanna say thank you! Because I also got to meet some amazing friends! [She starts breaking down there in tears.] Tell Sofia I'm sorry for hanging up on her! And tell Lamar I loved listening to him talk about anime! And to Masa-...Thank you for making me a part of the team! Tell them all I will miss them-..."[She breaks down even more as the restraints are around Tari there as the surgery begins there]

*** Lucinia's reaction to Tari's 'death' is summed up as having lost a part of her, considering that her mind fragments were used to give Tari life. Later, it is revealed in the graphic novel that Tari was the AI controlling Lucinia's movements in the virtual world, as part of Project Blue, and a teaser shows a flashback of the two hugging, showing that the two were extremely close. And having heard Tari's final goodbyes before coming back, Lucinia knew how much she meant to MD-5.
----> '''Lucinia''': "Even though we barely met, it- it feels like I've always known her. And now that she's gone, it feels like a piece of me is missing too-..."

* If you somehow managed to get through the final episode without shedding tears then the end credits song 'Bluejay' will definitely have you bawling your eyes out. A gorgeous, somber piano song that caps off this rollercoaster of an adventure, and one that eerily feels like some kind of eulogy towards Tari, as indicated with the name of the song, as well as some symbolism in the lyrics. It almost feels like someone close to the singer (quite possibly Lucinia) saying her final goodbyes to Tari, hoping that she'll see her again someday.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/5e017816_accf_44b3_b71c_bdaf8440ab85.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: “And now that she's gone, it feels like a piece of me is missing too-...”]]
%% Please start a new thread if you'd like to discuss a new image.

This definitely isn't [[WebAnimation/SuperMarioGlitchy4sSuperMario64Bloopers SMG4's Mario Bloopers]] anymore.

*** And the last time they saw each other at all, Masa told her that she was a better leader- a better person than he ever was, stating in all but words that he wanted her to take over leadership of MD-5 in his stead. Imagine his reaction when he realizes that that is no longer a possibility.

*** And the last time they saw each other at all, Masa told her that she is a better leader- a better person than he ever was, stating in all but words that he wanted her to take over leadership of MD-5 in his stead.

---> '''Lucinia''': “Even though we barely met, it- it feels like I've always known her. And now that she's gone, it feels like a piece of me is missing too-...”

*** The look on Masa’s face throughout says it all. He was like a mentor to Tari, and the main person who helped to guide her through the dangers that they faced along the way, so it was clear that the two were close to each other. Made all the more upsetting that the last time these two physically saw each other in the real world was in the Season 2 Finale, when Masa unwillingly shot Lucks dead and was arrested as Tari and the rest of MD-5 fled for safety. Knowing that Masa never truly got to say goodbye to Tari really makes you feel for the guy, especially with all the trauma he has been through this season.

** Once Lucinia comes back and reunites with her friends, the camera pans out to show Tari’s lifeless physical body laying on the sofa, once full of cheerful and wholesome life, now stuck in the same comatose state that Lucinia was one in, perhaps forever. It’s safe to say that having known such a kind, blessed person as Tari over the course of six months, the entire crew is distraught by this.