#FOR BOTH CYBER AND I'S SAKE

[owlf45]

You and Cyber remind me of First and Second in Imaginary I actually don't know why it's just... the vibes 😎

PLEASE ELABORATE

[classic-jamie]

breaking news: worst roomate in the world both DIDN'T stay on top of his laundry AND talked his roomie into doing something stupid. AGAIN.

this message WILL repeat in 2 weeks when he pulls it off again

[kremechihihi]

FUTURISMO ⚡️⚡️⚡️

buwan ng wika already passd but i still wanted 2 draw sum futurism in modernized filipiñana garb 4 funs

[twilightofthesandwiches]

The funny thing is that despite the many surface-level similarities between Mettaton Undertale and Tenna Deltarune; both being rectangular, charismatic TV Hosts who subject the Player Characters to many TV-Themed Minigames and a ‘score’ based Sparing Mechanic

And they even have a very similar taste is suits!

On a deeper character/thematic level, they’re actually total opposites.

Mettaton is the Underground’s only celebrity and main source of entertainment, he’s highly watched and highly popular (Well, within the standards of the Underground, it's implied they are just not that many Monsters around). Meanwhile Tenna’s whole thing is that he’s been abandoned and ignored by the whole Dreemurr family. Outcompeted and overshadowed by the many other sources of entertainment in the modern Light World.

And while Tenna is motivated by an obsessive desire to not be abandoned ever again, to keep Toriel and the Fun Gang on his shows forever… One of Mettaton’s biggest flaws is his tendency to abandon those he’s close to. He pretty much cut ties with Shyren and Napstablook when he became a star.

And he’s been growing distant from Alphys as well.

And, actually his whole darn motivation is to abandon the Underground in search of even greater fame on the surface.

His Pacifist Ending is all about him confronting that flaw in himself, understanding how important he is to the Monsters of the Underground and deciding that he should stay so he can keep bringing his brand of entertainment, joy and glamour to the people who needs it.

While Tenna’s Happy Ending is about helping him to get over his obsessive neediness to entertain specifically the Dreemurr family, and realizing he can move on to someone else, to someplace else, who will actually watch him.

On a deeper thematic level... I think you can also talk about how Mettaton is driven by his Dreams, while Tenna seeks Hope.

And also, I always saw Mettaton as representing modernity for the Underground.

Due to his human-fanboyism and fascination with the Surface, Mettaton has ended up creating and/or promoting a lot of aspects of modern human culture in the Underground. Mass media entertainment, merchandise, trademarks, fast-food, minimum-wage retail jobs, unions…

All of these things seem to exist in the Underground primarily or entirely due to Mettaton’s influence.

Every other Boss/Main Character has some kind of ‘official position’ in the Kingdom's traditional power-structure; Sentry, Royal Guard Captain, Royal Scientist, King, Queen, Prince… Mettaton is a creation of the Royal Scientist, but on his own he’s just a rich and famous celebrity. That's kind of a modern concept in it and of itself, since it kinda requires the existence of a mass media culture....

Or hell, just the fact that he’s the one Monster in the game who seems to have no real respect/loyalty for the Monarchy, and is actually working against him…

Both out of his individual sense of morality (he cares for the Humans) but also for the sake of the very modern goal of mass fame.

And of course on the most obvious level he’s a technologically-advanced robot whose ‘zone’ is the most tech-themed part in the game. (Zones? if you wanna count Hotland and the CORE as separate areas. Either way it's true of both when compared to the rest of the Underground.)

And Tenna is obviously the exact opposite of this. He and his Dark World are still kinda tech-themed in the sense that he is a Darkner based on a household electronic device, but he’s still clearly supposed to stand as a vast contrast to the much-more advanced techy-themed Darkners of Cyber City. He’s specifically meant to be themed after outdated and old-fashioned technology

And the concept of Nostalgia.

… In a way, despite Undertale being a very 2010’s game and despite the Underground being established to have 2010's technology such as Social Media… Mettaton's being primarily a TV Star with TV Show theming in most of his encounters is a very 20th century sort of concept. To use the Television as a shorthand for the concept of modernity.

Obviously that works within Undertale because that is a very familiar cultural shorthand and also it does make sense within the Very Particular Technological and Cultural Framework of the Underground… But with Deltarune being both a much newer game and taking place in a world much closer to our own, I guess it makes sense to instead use the TV to symbolize the past, outdated technology and nostalgic yearning.

[hmsthunderchild]

DELTARUNE: REDROOT.

An alternative take on the Weird/Snowgrave route, where Noelle's spell is stronger than she thought.

NOTE: Although this is an AU and non-canon, there are spoilers for the normal and weird route incorporated. Also, sorry this is so long!

STORY AND ADDITIONAL IMAGES BELOW:

The weird route starts the same and remains so up until the Berdly fight. When Noelle finally casts Snowgrave, it overwhelms her and casts everything around in ice. Unlike the canon weird route, Kris is frozen in the chaos. Their soul is ejected.

Now Noelle faces the Player, the one who's really been calling the shots. She's petrified after what she's done, professing she'd do anything to fix it - to make things right. Without a host, and the Player being as cruelly curious as they are, they take her up on this offer. In her daze, she wouldn't realise that the Player is a dangerous force before it's too late.

Being a monster, she's able to absorb the Human soul to some extent (assuming the soul functions the same in Deltarune as it does in Undertale). Her original soul and most of her bodily agency remains, but The Player is highly compelling and tormenting (not to mention the Thorn Ring still has her in a trance).

Unfortunately, in her escape from Cyber City, she bumps into the worst guy you'd want to see your mental breakdown. Spamton. He'd catch on to what happened to Kris (seeing as he knows what the Player made Noelle do in the canon route). With Noelle all alone, he leverages the opportunity. He can be bigger than big. With her new strength and the Player's help, he can share his influence to as many dark worlds as she can open.

Basically, Noelle's life sucks. She takes the Dealmaker with her, and has to battle the constant commands inside her head.

Since the soul can seal the fountain without Kris, the Player guides Noelle through Cyber City, with additional help from Spamton in finding a covert route underground to the fountain. You would miss all of the fun, lighthearted story and misadventures from the normal route. Noelle goes along with this, being told that both Berdly and Kris will wake up from the nightmare.

So, uh, how are the other two doing? Not great! Ralsei wouldn't know the full extent of what happened, but he would sense a powerful shift in the future. He knows that, whatever's occurred, he won't be needed anymore. He'd try to keep composure for Susie's sake and remains hopeful he can bring it back on track somehow.

Susie would notice Kris has been missing a while, but would have Ralsei ease her worries. Once the fountain suddenly closes without her knowledge and she's ejected out of the dark world, she'd be confused but there'd be a sense of relief. Y'know, since she assumes only Kris can seal the fountains. She wouldn't notice for a moment that Kris isn't waking up since they're prone to long naps in class.

Of course, Noelle shuffles right out with the Dealmaker in her pocket, unable to bear facing Susie with the realisation their nightmare isn't over.

Susie would stay behind and try shaking both of them up. Yet, she can feel how cold they are. She'd lug both to the hospital herself where she'd stay the night. Susie wouldn't suspect anything of Noelle yet since her mind's preoccupied with concern. Both Toriel and Asgore would be notified, both of whom are heartbroken and confused. Asriel would be heading home sooner.

Once everyone else is gone, Susie would open a dark world in the hospital, to try and fix things the only way she knows how. All they need is a little healing, right? Ralsei will know what to do.

TO BE CONTINUED .... WHEN I THINK OF THE REST!

Alas, this DOES mean Mr. Ant Tenna doesn't appear in this AU since Kris can't open the fountain. I know. I'm sorry too. Maybe I'll find a way. Also, I am not an expert on all the Deltarune mechanics, lore and tidbits so forgive me if I got any info wrong!

Anyways, if you've made it this far, thank you so much for reading! Let me know your thoughts and I'm hopeful to make more content soon!

[mr-ant-tennas-ask-blog]

//OOC: just some quick reminders before you get into this: 1) other than the fact that I'm not a therapist myself, the therapist is a scam, which explains why this isn't a realistic/good interpretation of a real therapy session. || 2) you shouldn't be able to see/know this, so when sending asks don't directly talk about this. Obviously you can use the information gathered from this post to your advantage.

//OOC: also it'd be lovely if you could help me name the therapist, I'm STRUGGLING over here!! :(

//OOC: oh, yeah! I don't think I need to say there's angst, I think it's pretty self-explanatory–

[ * Tenna hid his shrunken form under the glove compartment of the car. His screen remained completely black. ]

[ * The Zapper didn't reply and kept his gaze on Cyber World's busy road. He knew his boss was going to keep talking anyway. ]

* You know I...

* As much as I insisted on going...

* I've been dreading this moment.

[ * The bouncer nodded, trying to imagine how his boss must have been feeling. It was difficult to do, considering that he hasn't spoken much about it with his crew. ]

[ The Zapper spoke: ]

* It won't be easy, boss...but it's a necessary step.

[ Tenna looked up at him from under the glove compartment...before bringing his head back on his knees, his hands fidgeting with each other. ]

* I...I just hope everything will be alright.

[ * It didn't take much longer for them to arrive at their destination. It was a long way from TV World, but they both hoped it'd have been worth it. ]

[ * The Zapper turned off the car after parking in an almost empty parking lot. He then lowered his right hand next to a shrunken Tenna, letting him hop onto it. ]

[ * For the sake of privacy, they decided that it was best for Tenna to remain hidden until he was in his new therapist's studio. ]

[ * The bouncer opened his suit and let Tenna hop into an inner pocket. This way no one should be able to spot him. ]

[ * The Zapper got out of the car, locked it and walked over to the bluish-greyish building. ]

[ * Once inside, at first glance, it seemed like the structure was empty. The walls were bare and the furniture looked outdated for a place like Cyber World. ]

[ * Despite this, the Zapper kept Tenna hidden until they reached a corridor, at the end of which were two labeled doors: one was a bathroom and the other the actual studio. ]

[ * The bouncer looked around before speaking: ]

* Alright boss, coast is clear. Ya can come out now.

[ * He then opened his suit just enough so he could bring his hand closer to Tenna. ]

[ * Tenna hesitated at first, but he then crawled onto his hand. ]

[ * After he readjusted his size to normally fit in the corridor – and a bit of reassurance from the Zapper – he opened the studio's door and peeked inside. ]

* You must be Mr. Ant Tenna, correct?

[ * A feminine voice welcomed him. Tenna looked back at the Zapper. His screen was finally on again, but there was no mouth in sight, just his long and pointy nose. ]

[ * The bouncer gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. ]

* I'll be waiting in the car, boss. Send a signal my way and I'll come get ya.

[ * The Zapper turned around and walked down the hall while his boss watched – he was clearly stalling for time. ]

[ * He then entered the room. ]

[ * The space didn't look much different from the rest of the building, except for two armchairs, which seemed to be more modern and cozy. ]

[ * He wasn't used to being so gloomy around others, so he tried to force a smile. ]

* Yes, that's me!! The ONE and ONLY!!

[ * His smile started fading. ]

* It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Tenna. Please, take a seat.

[ * He did as he was told. Huh, the armchair really was as comfy as it looked. ]

[ * The Darkner 'sitting' across from him was...like no one he saw before: there was a rectangular pop-up floating over the armchair. Inside of it, a pixelated mannequin looking figure dressed in a suit was reorganising some documents. She was talking, but Tenna wasn't exactly paying attention to that. ]

[ * Until she asked: ]

* –how have you been lately?

[ * He forced the smile back. ]

* Who, me?

* Everything's been just, uh- HUNKY-DOODY!!

* Haha...

* ...You're not in front of an audience nor on camera. You can be honest here.

* ...

[ * Tenna's screen cut to black once more. His head lowered. A sigh escaped his lips. ]

* Who am I kidding–

* Ever since I got repaired I feel...

* ...

* I don't know how to describe it, honestly.

* It's not like I've been feeling off only recently. I've been feeling horribly for so long...

* I don't even know what to say.

[ * There was silence for a moment. Tenna wasn't looking while she – he didn't even hear her name – wrote a few notes down. ]

[ * Tenna was sitting hunched over, his elbows resting on his legs. Head down, screen turned off. He looked nothing like the TV star everyone loved. ]

* Mr. Tenna, where do you think those feelings come from? Maybe we could start from there.

[ * Tenna looked up at the pop-up before lowering his head again. ]

* Well, um...

* I've been thinking about something lately...

* It's something that always bothered me, honestly. But I always tried to pay it no mind.

[ * Tenna looked at his hands. He took off his right glove, revealing a metallic hand underneath. Screws and bolts held shiny metal sheets together, ensuring none of his wires and contorted mechanisms were exposed. ]

* Knowing that us Darkners are actually mere objects in the Light World...

* I think it's messing with me.

* If our corresponding object gets damaged or thrown away, do we cease to exist?

* Are my thoughts even mine or was I made the way I am in the Light World?

[ * The pop-up took note of this. Not every Darkner seemed to be aware of this. It was only recently that it became common knowledge. ]

[ * But the fact that Tenna said knowing he was an object has always bothered him...he must have been one of the 'lucky' ones to know from the start. She wondered how he found out. ]

* And– and objects like me are mass-produced.

* Does that mean there's another TV headed Darkner in a different Dark World who is also called Ant Tenna and is identical to me?

* The way he talks, the way he dresses, the way he thinks...?

* What about my show? Does the other Tenna ALSO have TV Time?

* If there's plenty of identical shows, is mine really that special and worth watching?

* Does my audience even enjoy it or are they watching ME out of pity?–

* Mr. Tenna...

[ * The pop-up interrupted. ]

* You seem to be afraid of being replaced in the Light World, specifically with someone like you. Is that correct?

* ...

* Well, uh...yes, but I doubt they'd replace an old CRT with another old CRT.

* Times have changed and technology has made huge progress. I doubt the best they have is...this.

* But that's not the point– Kris said they convinced their mother to keep me in their living room, so I'm not particularly worried about that at the moment.

[ * There was silence for a moment, which Tenna used to his advantage to reorganize his thoughts. ]

* Us being objects in the Light World...makes it seem like everything is...artificial. Like there's nothing natural about all this.

* And my...my body looking like a machine doesn't help with that.

[ * Not much has been said after this. Tenna spent most of the time looking at the clock, waiting for it to end. ]

[ * Although he was glad he could finally voice his concerns, he...didn't like that, at all. ]

[ * He thought he sounded crazy, so imagining how others might perceive him sent shivers down his back. ]

[ * After the Zapper who accompanied him drove him back to the studio, he closed himself in his dressing room. ]

[ * He could have gone home, but as much as he wanted to be alone, he couldn't bring himself to be completely alone. At least he knew his employees were in the studio with him, even if they weren't in his same room. ]

[tenebraevesper]

Sonic Cyber Revolution, Entry 84: The Chao Garden

''I'll go to bed, when I want to sleep. I'll wake up during the day. I'll play, when I want to play. I'll eat, when I want to eat. I'll smile, when I'm happy. I'll let myself cry, when I'm sad. Today I'm doing my best again for the sake of tomorrow's me. I work hard, so that tomorrow I won't have to strain myself so much.''

– Ashita no Watashi ni Sachi Are (May the Future Me Be Happy) by I May Be a Guild Receptionist, But I'll Solo Any Boss to Clock Out on Time

xXxXxXx

Amy sighed, feeling concerned for both Surge and Kit. She hadn't seen the two since yesterday, after Surge calmed somewhat down and Kit telling them that he would take care of her. She hoped that they would be fine. She then focused on the ongoing conversation.

Team Neos had gathered at the Taylor Workshop, discussing the adventures within the Cyberspace Fields, including Knuckles going to Angel Island, Tails and Warren suddenly finding themselves at Mystic Ruins, Amy, Minami, Silver and Makoto's adventure at Eggperial City and Touka and Eclipse somehow ending up in Crisis City. Minami had just finished telling everyone what happened at Eggperial City, with the collective reaction to Starline's death being ''Good riddance''.

''What had this Starline person done to be so hated?'' Eclipse asked Amy, being out of loop in regards to past events.

''A lot, including being the reason why Perfect Chaos was unleashed upon Neos City and causing suffering to Surge and Kit,'' Amy explained. Eclipse nodded, having already been told by Touka about Perfect Chaos and Surge and Kit and being determined to memorize the name of every enemy and ally Team Neos had for his own sake. Eclipse then observed Amy for a moment, noting to himself how she was a kind, considerate and trustworthy person. While he didn't care about the first two traits, he figured that Amy was someone he could talk to about anything without worrying about being judged.

''I have a question about something,'' Eclipse started, only to be met with a curious smile, which encouraged him to continue. ''Is there any meaning to someone eating another person's face?''

''Eh, what?'' Amy was baffled by Eclipse's question, but then forced a smile, wondering if she misunderstood something. ''Could you explain to me where you saw that?''

''I saw my brother doing it with the blue hedgehog.'' Eclipse pointed at Sonic. ''They had their mouths all over each other's faces and they seemed to be enjoying it. I thought at first that Shadow had finally given into his instincts as Black Arms and consuming the flesh of his ally, but I may be wrong.''

Amy blinked, processing Eclipse's words for a moment, only to realize what he meant. ''Oh, you mean they were kissing. Yeah, it is actually a sign of affection between two people who really like each other and- wait, Shadow and Sonic were kissing?!''

Eclipse jumped when Amy suddenly shouted, giving her a nervous look as he wondered whether he said something wrong. He also didn't like the fact that everyone's attention has turned towards them. He was ready to defend himself, but that didn't seem to be necessary, because Amy walked straight to Sonic and Shadow with an accusatory look.

''Be honest you two – are you dating?'' Amy dropped the bombshell, startling the two hedgehogs. Sonic blinked, giving her a confused look.

''Uh, yeah? We are. Why are you asking?''

This confession caused an avalanche of surprised shouts and stunned looks from everyone, save for Lucas, Touka and Eclipse, the latter still having no clue what was going on. However, Amy quickly took over.

''Since when?''

''A day after that bodyswap fiasco, I believe. We figured out that we liked each other, so we gave this dating thing a go. So far, we have no regrets,'' Sonic said, with Shadow nodding in agreement. Neither of them could say that they had an experience with dating, having gotten used to being together. Amy just gave them a baffled look.

''And you couldn't bother telling us about it?'' she asked, raising an eyebrow, with Sonic suddenly realizing why she was upset.

''I guess I kinda forgot,'' Sonic admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

''It is none of your business,'' Shadow responded in a sharp tone, glaring at Amy. He couldn't give a damn about what people thought about his relationship with Sonic, including his friends. Why was she even prying into their private life? As far as he was concerned, this was something between him and Sonic.

Amy just shook her head in disbelief, then turned to Lucas and Touka. ''Did you two know about this?''

''Who do you think actually helped them get together without causing some kind of disaster because of a misunderstanding?'' Touka countered. Sonic and Shadow shifted anxiously, recalling how that reveal went. Frankly, neither of them wanted to get reminded of that.

''Yeah, that makes sense. I guess at least I avoided the pain of playing matchmaker between you two,'' Amy muttered in a deadpan tone, much to the ire of the two hedgehogs, even if they knew that was the truth.

''I still can't believe that you two got together and no one noticed,'' Tails remarked. Sonic just smiled.

''Well, what can I say… We were just trying things out,'' he responded, shrugging. Amy put her hands on her hips.

''At least I can say that I knew that something was going on between you two,'' she said.

''And yet, you never brought it up,'' Shadow said in a snarky tone, causing Amy to roll her eyes.

''Honestly, I can see how you two would get together,'' Lily said. ''You have a lot in common and I guess the whole rivalry angle provides an additional thrill to your dynamic.'' She then glanced at Knuckles, muttering, ''If only someone else realized the same.''

Knuckles, who heard this loud and clear, turned his head away in embarrassment as he recalled his last encounter with Rouge. He hadn't told Lily anything about it and he didn't really plan on doing it, at least until he figured out what to do with Rouge.

''I still have no clue what's going on,'' Eclipse muttered, more to himself than to anyone else. Frankly, he was more disappointed that Shadow's Black Arms side didn't awaken and he didn't turn on his allies. Touka was about to respond and explain the situation to him when Lucas suddenly got a call on his AR Visor.

''Huh, it's from Cream,'' he said, stunned to see the caller ID, and answered it. As expected, Cream and Cheese showed up on the holographic screen.

''Hello, Mr. Lucas! Hello everyone!'' Cream greeted them politely.

''Hi, Cream! What's up?'' Lucas asked, only for Cream's cheerful expression turn worried.

''I'm sorry if I'm interrupting something, but I'm calling because a Cyberspace Field showed up near my home and I don't know what to do with it,'' Cream explained. ''You have told me to inform you in case that happens and that you'd take care of it.''

''Right, don't worry, we'll be there soon,'' Lucas assured her. Cream's face immediately lit up.

''Thank you so much! I'll be waiting for you there. Bye!''

''Cha-Chao!''

''Bye Cream, bye Cheese!'' Lucas then turned to the rest of Team Neos. ''Well, you heard it. Cream and Cheese need our help with a Cyberspace Field.''

''I wonder what it's going to be this time,'' Makoto said in a somewhat deadpan tone, not really looking forward to dealing with this. Even though he knew that Team Neos all agreed that they would be the ones handling the Cyberspace Fields, it wasn't less exhausting or dangerous.

''Well, there is only one way to find out,'' Silver, who missed Makoto's thinly veiled sarcasm entirely, replied in a chipper tone.

xXx

As expected, Cream and Cheese were waiting for them at the Cyberspace Field, immediately running up to them.

''We made sure not to touch it, nor did we let anyone else close to it,'' Cream said, with Cheese nodding along.

''Great job, you two!'' Lucas praised them, with Cream and Cheese giving him a proud look. They joined the rest of the team as they surrounded the Cyberspace Field. Tails was already holding up the Miles Electric, trying to get a read on it and failing.

''Still nothing,'' he said, feeling disappointed by the lack of data.

''Well, from what we've seen so far, these things tend to open up randomly and pull whoever is the closest inside. All we have to do is to wait, buddy,'' Sonic said.

''Except patience isn't your greatest strength,'' Knuckles commented.

''Oh, please, I can be patient when I want to,'' Sonic said in an exasperated tone, sensing a challenge.

Unfortunately for Knuckles, it seemed that the Cyberspace Field was favouring Sonic today, because it suddenly started to glow.

''Aw, com'n! At least you could've waited until the Hedgehog started begging you to open up because of sheer boredom!'' Knuckles grumbled, throwing his hands up as the group suddenly got enveloped in a red light.

xXx

''I guess this proves that I can be patient,'' Sonic told Knuckles in a teasing tone while sporting a playful grin. The echidna warrior only scoffed in response. They then joined the rest of the group, having found themselves inside a cave, with Lucas leading them.

''Okay everyone, be careful. We don't know what we'll encounter, so we should make finding a Goal Ring our priority,'' Lucas said.

''Got it!''

''Sure!''

''We know that!''

Fortunately, everyone, save for Cream and Cheese, was already familiar enough with Cyberspace Fields to know what to do in this situation. However, no one expected to find what they found.

''No way!'' Lily's jaw dropped as she muttered what was on everyone's mind.

Because what they saw was something of an oasis with various fruit trees surrounding it, as well as a waterfall cascading down a rocky surface into several pools of water. But it wasn't the oasis that caught them off guard.

''Chao!'' Minami exclaimed. ''We're at a Chao Garden!''

Indeed, there were a bunch of Chao living in this Chao Garden, some of which have already noticed the newcomers, even flying up to Cream and Cheese to greet their fellow Chao friend.

''Look at that, Cheese! Now you get to play with many new friends!'' Cream said joyfully. Cheese chirped in response, joining their fellow Chao who welcomed them happily.

As for Team Neos, they too got surrounded by curious Chao who had taken an interest in them. They all had various reactions to the Chao, ranging from surprise to being completely captivated by the Chao and their innocence and cuteness.

''We can stay here for a while, right? Right?'' Minami asked Lucas, already itching to pet and play with the Chao.

''Well, I guess it wouldn't be a bad thing to stay here for a while. Not to mention, I don't see a Goal Ring anywhere…'' Lucas trailed off, being completely ignored by everyone the moment they heard they would stay in the Chao Garden. He sighed, watching them as they scattered all across the Chao Garden. He then smiled softly as a curious Chao approached him. ''I guess that no one can resist the cutness of a Chao.''

''Cha-Chao!'' the Chao responded in agreement, having taken an interest in Lucas and landing on his shoulder, deciding to stay with him.

Similarly to Lucas, every member of Team Neos found themselves interacting with a Chao, save for Eclipse, who appeared not to understand what all of this excitement was about.

''What is so great about Chao?'' he asked, furrowing a brow, his arms folded across his chest and his tail flicking. He didn't notice a Chao standing behind him, trying to play with Eclipse's tail.

''Well, Chao are really cute and it is fun to take care of them,'' Touka said.

''They can also adopt traits of those who take care of them,'' Cream, who joined them, explained. ''That's why Cheese is always so polite. He learned that from me.''

''Does that mean that a Chao would be able to adopt Black Arms traits?'' Eclipse asked curiously.

''Well, I guess that would be possible,'' Cream said, a little unsure about her answer.

Eclipse just grinned mischievously. ''That's all I need to know.''

He then blinked when he felt something pull his tail, turning around and noticing the Chao, who just wanted to play. Smirking, he picked the Chao up and walked away, with Cream giving Touka a look of concern. ''I hope he won't bother the Chao too much.''

''I'll keep an eye on Eclipse, so you don't have to worry,'' Touka assured her. Cream nodded, only for the two to see a Chao landing on Touka's head, taking a liking to her and deciding to accompany her.

Cream then left, wanting to make sure that everyone was treating the Chao well. She had spotted Shadow walking away from everyone, with another Chao following him.

Figuring that he didn't need her help, she instead walked over to Knuckles and Lily, who were dealing with Chao who were intrigued by Knuckles' strength. The echidna warrior destroyed a rock with his fist, impressing the Chao.

''If you want to be able to crush rocks like I do, you will have to train with us,'' Knuckles said, with the Chao cheering.

''Don't tell me that you want to turn the Chao into fellow Guardians,'' Lily stated, with Knuckles giving her a determined look.

''Why not? If they want to train, I will happily train them so they can protect their friends,'' he said.

''Maybe the Chao will be able to adapt your power,'' Cream, who approached them, suggested.

''That would make things much easier,'' Knuckles told her with a smile.

''Then, I wish you guys good luck,'' Cream told them, walking away. She then spotted Amy and Minami a bit further away, playing with their respective Chao.

''They're so cute!'' Minami exclaimed, being completely enamoured by the little critters. She poked their cheek and stomach, with the Chao laughing as Minami's actions tickled them. Meanwhile, Amy was petting the Chao who was sitting in her lap.

''I see that you're having fun,'' Cream commented.

''Yeah, we do!'' Minami said. ''Although, I wish we had some toys for the Chao to play with.''

Cream hummed in thought, only to suggest, ''Maybe we could find or even make a toy for the Chao.''

Amy and Minami exchanged glances, both smiling.

''Why not? We could try,'' Amy said.

''And I already have an idea what we could make,'' Minami added, lifting a vine that was lying under the palm tree they were at.

Cream left them to their work, turning towards Silver and Makoto, with the two helping their Chao in gathering fruit by using Silver's psychokinesis to levitate it down. The Chao were amazed by Silver's powers, happily reaching for the fruit and eating it. Meanwhile, Makoto piled up the remaining fruit for the other Chao to eat.

''Do you need any help?'' Cream asked them.

''No, thanks,'' Silver replied, only for his Chao to run up to him and reach out, waving their arms. Silver gave them a confused look. ''What's wrong?''

''I think the Chao wants you to lift them up,'' Cream said.

''Oh, you mean like this?'' Silver used his psychokinesis on the Chao, who cheered in joy as they pointed upwards. Silver nodded. ''You want me to lift you high enough so you can help with the fruit gathering? Sure!''

The Chao chirped back in agreement, glad that Silver understood them and got to work by plucking fruit for their friends, while the Chao accompaning Makoto was helping piling the fruit up.

Cream was happy to see that all of the Chao would have a nice lunch and was about to move on to the next pair, only to see Eclipse pass by, carrying a Chao in his arms and being followed by two more. Cream wondered what he was up to, but she figured that Eclipse wouldn't try to harm the Chao, and walked away in the opposite direction.

She found Tails and Warren at one of the small pools of water beneath the waterfall, with Warren giving instructions to his Chao.

''Okay, so you have to hold your head up like this and move your arms like this,'' Warren said, moving his arms in a swimming motion. The Chao nodded, carefully observing his actions. ''I will be right next to you in case you get scared and start to sink.''

The Chao nodded, but they still looked a little nervous when they glanced at the water.

''Are you teaching the Chao how to swim?'' Cream asked Warren.

''Correct. It seems that the Chao just recently hatched, so they have trouble swimming,'' Warren replied.

Cream then turned to Tails, who was dealing with a Chao who was anxious about flying. They flapped their wings, getting about a centimeter or two off the ground, only to fall back. Tails hummed in thought, scratching his head.

''That should've actually worked,'' he muttered.

''Maybe the Chao is just afraid of heights?'' Cream suggested.

''Do you really think that might be the case?'' Tails asked, turning back to the Chao, who sighed in defeat. ''But, you are a natural-born flier. Certainly more natural than I am.''

''Chao?'' The Chao gave Tails a confused look. Tails then gave them a thumbs up, accompanied by a confident look. He then started twirling his twin-tails, flying up. The Chao's jaw dropped as they stared at Tails in awe, who was hovering above them. They got encouraged to try again, albeit with their eyes closed in order to not look down. They managed to slowly get up to Tails' height, who then grabbed their hands to steady them.

''You can open your eyes now, I got you,'' Tails said, with the Chao opening one eye tentatively, then the other one. Fortunately, instead of feeling fear, the Chao was happy to have overcome their fear.

''You did great!'' Cream cheered for them, then moved on to the next duo – Sonic and his Chao, who were practicing their racing skills.

''Once we're done here, you will be the fastest Chao in the Chao Garden,'' Sonic said. The Chao gave him a determined look, then turned towards the path they were using as a racing track.

''I see that you're busy training,'' Cream said. ''May I watch?''

''Sure thing, Cream! You are about to witness awesomeness!'' Sonic said. ''Maybe we could even have a Chao Race competition with the others?''

''That would be fun!'' Cream replied with delight. Even the Chao agreed with Sonic's idea.

Sonic and Cream then observed the Chao sprint to the goal and back, only for their attention to turn towards Eclipse as he walked past them. He was now accompanied by five Chao, not counting the one holding onto his head, who had now taken a red and grey coloration.

''Um, Mr. Eclipse?'' Cream turned to the little alien. ''Could you tell me what you are doing?''

''I'm gathering an army,'' Eclipse replied, confusing Cream.

''What?'' She tilted her head quizzically. Even Sonic was caught off guard by this response.

''What do you plan on doing with an army of Chao?'' he asked.

''You'll see. But if you must know, I'm planning on getting my revenge on Shadow,'' Eclipse said, leaving them even more confused. They were then joined by Touka and Lucas, who overheard the whole conversation, while Eclipse left. Cream turned to Touka.

''Uh, should we be worried?'' she asked. Touka rose an eyebrow, thinking about it for a moment, only to shake her head.

''No, I don't think there's anything to worry about. Besides, Shadow can handle Eclipse,'' she said, glancing towards Shadow. He was at another fruit tree, tossing an apple to the Chao who had been following him. Despite having distanced himself from everyone, he was clearly busy taking care of his Chao, who was slowly turning darker in colour.

xXx

''Where is he?'' Cubot asked, looking behind a machine.

''Keep trying to find him. We don't want him to annoy the Boss,'' Orbot said. The two assistant robots were busy trying to find the tiny creature that somehow got inside the Egg Base, worried that Dr. Eggman would find this creature first. They thought about asking Metal Sonic and Ferra for help, but then figured that it would be better if they tried this on their own.

''We have turned this whole place upside down, but we still can't find them,'' Cubot said, looking at Orbot for help. The red orb robot was quiet for a moment, unsure about their next move, only to see something move in the shadows, flying past them. ''There!''

They quickly followed the creature, trying to catch it, but it was much faster than they had anticipated. Orbot realized that they would have to re-think their tactics.

''I go this way, you go this way,'' he told Cubot, pointing at the opposite side of the room. Cubot followed his suggestion, with the two surrounding the creature floating in the middle of the room. The two assistant robots sneaked up on it, leaping at the creature, only to slam into each other and falling down with a clunk.

''Oh, that looks like it hurt!''

Before Orbot and Cubot could even respond, they suddenly heard footsteps. Eggman walked into the room, looking irritated.

''What is going on here?'' he grumbled, observing the situation before him. He then rose an eyebrow in surprise. ''What is Omochao doing here?''

He stared at a small robot modeled after a Neutral Chao. He had a round waterdrop-shaped head with large orange and yellow ripple-like eyes but no nose and a round torso smaller than his head. Both his head and torso were light blue with a stripe of darker blue running down the middle. He also had small rivet studs around his framework, gray cable-like arms with round yellow balls at the end for hands, and smooth yellow feet with orange soles and tips but no legs. Neither his arms or feet had digits and had a yellow smiling mouth. Lastly, he had a small orange two-bladed propeller on the top of his head and a windup key on his back, giving him the appearance of a windup toy.

''I came here through a Cyberspace Field. Don't mind my presence, I won't be staying here for long,'' Omochao said in a loud, announcer-like voice. ''Although, your robots probably need more training if they want to capture a Chao.''

Orbot and Cubot gave Eggman a sheepish look, who just facepalmed in exasperation, dragging his hand slowly across his face. He wasn't in the mood to deal with any of this, walking away. Orbot and Cubot glanced at each other, then back at Omochao.

''You should better start working on your coordination,'' Omochao told the two in a chipper tone.

xXx

Back at the Chao Garden, Knuckles was proud of his Chao, which had developed into a Knuckles Chao, having gained considerable confidence in their abilities. The Chao gave Knuckles a determined look, throwing a punch. They were still a Chao, though, meaning their strength was nothing in comparison to their caretaker, but that didn't matter. They were still happy with the results of their training.

Further away from them, the Amy Chao was helping another Chao swing on the swingset Amy and Minami built out of vines and wood they had found lying around. The new attraction had attracted the attention of other Chao, who wanted to take turns on the swing. Rest assured, the two caretakers were happy that their efforts had paid off.

Meanwhile with Warren, his Chao was swimming happily in the shallow pool, joined by Lily's Chao. As for Tails, his Chao had turned into a Tails Chao, improving their flying skills, much to their and Tails' joy. Both had fun zooming around the Chao Garden, flying past Makoto and his Chao, who were distributing the fruit to the Chao that got hungry.

As for Silver, his Chao had turned into a Silver Chao, narrowing their eyes as they stared at the fruit before them. They then held out their tiny paws, mimicking Silver and attempting to lift the fruit with psychokinesis, but it was obvious that they didn't adapt Silver's power, only his appearance. They sighed, looking sad about it, only to be lifted by Silver who gave them an encouraging smile.

''Don't worry. What matters is that you're doing your best to help your friends. After all, you helped us to gather fruit for your friends to eat,'' Silver assured them, with the Silver Chao chirping in joy.

The Sonic Chao suddenly ran up to them,  grabbing a spare fruit and ran back to Sonic. While not having supersonic speed, they were a bit faster than your typical Chao, thanks to Sonic's training and offered their caretaker the fruit. Sonic smiled, petting his Chao and then returning the fruit to them.

''You should eat it. You deserve it for the effort you put into your racing skills,'' he said. The Sonic Chao cheered, happily eating the fruit.

Unknown to them, the two, specifically the Sonic Chao, were observed by someone who was hiding behind a tree. That Chao was the Shadow Chao, showing curiosity for the Sonic Chao while sporting a mischievous smile. Shadow observed his Chao, well aware that the latter, unlike his blue counterpart, was up to mischief. In fact, after witnessing Sonic and his Chao training, the Shadow Chao also attempted to prove themselves in strength and speed, its power being comparable to the Sonic Chao, if not even greater.

''So, you want to become The Ultimate Chao?'' Shadow asked in slight amusement, being intrigued by the Chao's determination. The Chao nodded, showing confidence in their skills, with Shadow agreeing to help them grow and develop. Soon, he found himself observing a miniature copy of himself, brooding under the tree, but at the same time also glancing at the other Chao, clearly wanting to join them in their games.

Shadow took note of that, and when the Shadow Chao glanced back at their caretaker, he nodded. ''We should challenge them to a race show how fast you are.''

The Shadow Chao cheered in agreement, flying up to Sonic and the Sonic Chao, both of them being surprised when they were suddenly approached by their respective counterparts. The Shadow Chao started to talk and gesture to the Sonic Chao, who understood that they were getting challenged. Both took their places on the makeshift racing track, shouting in unison as they started their race. Sonic observed the two with a smile, glancing at Shadow as they watched their Chao compete.

''Who would've said that you'd be such a good Chao caretaker,'' he told Shadow in a teasing tone.

''I'm glad that you're acknowledging that I'm better than you at taking care of a Chao,'' Shadow replied in a haughty tone.

''Whaaa- I never said that!'' Sonic responded, acting as if he was offended. He was well aware that Shadow was just teasing him back, evidenced by the smirk on his lips. Sonic then rubbed his nose. ''Besides, I'm sure that we both know who is the best at Chao raising.''

The two then turned their attention to Cream, who was playing with Cheese and the other Chao.

''I agree with you,'' Shadow said, him and Sonic turning back to their Chao as they raced each other, now going back to them. Both winced when the Sonic Chao suddenly tripped, lunging at the Shadow Chao, with both tumbling towards their respective owners, stopping in front of them with no clear winner.

Fortunately, both were fine, with the Sonic Chao even laughing about this whole thing, while the Shadow Chao just huffed. It seemed that the blue Chao saw this whole thing as a game, while the black and red Chao considered it a competition. The Sonic Chao took note of the Shadow Chao's grumpy look, only to tackle the Shadow Chao, hugging them in an attempt to cheer them up.

''Your Chao certainly shares your personality,'' Shadow commented in a deadpan tone, with Sonic snickering.

''I could say the same for your Chao,'' Sonic said, with the Shadow Chao now sitting on the ground, still being hugged by the Sonic Chao, trying to not show how much they appreciate the gesture by acting uninterested while at the same time not pushing the Sonic Chao away.

Unknown to them, Cream took note of their interactions, glad to see that Shadow and the Shadow Chao joined everyone else. Her attention then turned to Eclipse, who was now accompanied by a dozen of Chao, as well as an Eclipse Chao. His Chao Army was now sitting on the grass, listening carefully to his instructions, some having confused expressions, others looking excited. Cream wondered if she should warn Shadow, considering how Eclipse was targeting him specifically, but she then recalled Touka's words of assurance that there was nothing to worry about. She knew that Shadow and Eclipse were siblings and that they had a bit of a sibling rivalry, concluding that maybe Eclipse's plan had something to do with that. She was of the opinion that siblings should get along, but according to Touka, this was the best-case scenario and to just leave the two be. At least they accepted that they would be living together and agreed to keep peace.

Eclipse then rose his hand, his fist clenched, after having given his Chao Army what appeared to be a pep talk, with the Chao Army then marching towards Shadow… or rather, just walking, their steps making a tapping sound. They got close enough, then stopped, with Shadow, Sonic and their respective Chao raising their heads, looking puzzled.

''Now, attack!'' Eclipse suddenly shouted, with the Chao Army, led by the Eclipse Chao, charging straight at the dark hedgehog. Shadow's eyes widened and he didn't even have the time to react when he got knocked over by Eclipse's Chao Army, who kept him pinned down on the ground and were… tickling him? He could feel their little paws all over his body, their laughter echoing in his ears as they engaged in this 'attack', and biting his lip to not laugh as he felt a mix of disbelief and annoyance, but also a sense of amusement due to the sheer ridiculousness of the situation.

Eclipse approached them, looking quite proud of himself as his tail flicked and waved contently, while Sonic gave him a baffled look. The Sonic Chao and the Shadow Chao, on the other hand, joined the Chao Army, seeing the 'attack' as a game they wanted to participate in.

''Eh, Eclipse? What was this attack?'' Sonic asked.

''That was my revenge!'' Eclipse declared, watching as Shadow sat up, giving the latter an annoyed look while still having the Chao cling to him. Sonic snorted, having to admit that this was kinda hilarious.

''What are you talking about?'' Shadow asked, glaring at Eclipse.

''After you have defeated me multiple times, I have been thinking of a way to get revenge on you, brother. Once I learned more about this place and the Chao, I decided to gather my personal Chao Army to defeat you. Admit it, you can't even attack me like this,'' Eclipse replied in a haughty tone, relishing in his victory. Shadow just rolled his eyes, only to sigh.

''Fine, you defeated me. Happy now?'' he asked. Eclipse nodded, arms folded across his chest.

''Very.''

Sonic started laughing, finding this whole exchange funny. Further away from them, Touka and her Chao joined Cream, with Touka giving Cream an amused look.

''I told Shadow can deal with Eclipse's mischief,'' she said confidently.

''It looks to me more like they were playing a game,'' Cream commented, relieved nothing bad had happened.

The group was then approached by Lucas and his Chao, both having somewhat troubled looks on their expressions. ''Hey, guys, we found the Goal Ring! It's back at the cave we came out from.''

''Really? So, does that mean that we'll have to leave now?'' Minami asked, looking quite disappointed. In fact, everyone felt downcast when they realized that they couldn't stay forever inside the Cyberspace Field, especially since they had no idea whether their exit would vanish.

''I know. We've been having so much fun playing with the Chao that we forgot in what kind of environment we are,'' Lucas stated.

''Can't we just bring the Chao along with us?'' Eclipse asked, not wanting to separate with his Chao.

''Unfortunately, we can't. The Chao's home is here in the Chao Garden,'' Cream stated, with Cheese giving her a sad look. ''We could try to find another spot that would work as a Chao Garden at Neos City, but I don't know whether that would be possible.''

''I can't think of any area that has this kind of environment where the Chao would be able to live in peace,'' Tails admitted.

''Starlight Lake could work, but it's too deep for the Chao to swim in and it also is something of a tourist spot,'' Lily mentioned.

''Maybe we could bring them to Eden,'' Makoto suggested.

''We could try, but I don't think that all of these Chao would want to leave their home,'' Silver said, with some of the Chao nodding in agreement. It was obvious that there was no easy solution here. Then, the Knuckles Chao stepped up, gesturing that they would all be fine and that Team Neos didn't have to worry about them. They were joined by the Amy Chao, Tails Chao, Silver Chao, Shadow Chao, Sonic Chao and Eclipse Shadow, all of which assured the group that they could leave, certain that they would see each other again.

Despite their gloomy mood, the group did say their good-byes, going towards the cave and leaving through the Goal Ring. They found themselves next to Cream and Cheese's home, surprising Vanilla and Chocola as they were watering the garden.

''Oh, Cream, Cheese! I was wondering where you two went to,'' Vanilla said as her daughter ran up to her.

''We have found a Chao Garden, but…'' Cream lowered her head, only for her and everyone's attention turn to the Goal Ring, which was starting to glow, only for the red star inside it to vanish, but the portal itself to remain. To everyone's shock, the Chao they seemed to have left behind suddenly emerged from the portal, all of their flying towards their respective caretakers.

''But, how?'' Lucas was stunned when his Chao hugged him tightly. ''I thought the Goal Ring was supposed to close!''

''That's because it has been determined that this Chao Garden will remain open.''

The group turned their attention to the person speaking to them, all of them stunned to see Omochao flying above them.

''Eh, Omochao? What are you talking about?'' Amy asked.

''Does this mean that someone is really behind these Cyberspace Fields?'' Tails asked, furrowing a brow. Omochao just crossed his stubby little arms.

''I'm sorry, but I cannot disclose any further information. Point is, you've been granted access to the Chao Garden anytime you want,'' Omochao replied, then flew away. The group exchanged glances, completely baffled.

''So… now what?'' Touka asked.

''How about a cup of tea and you tell me about what had happened?'' Vanilla suggested, with Chocola cheering at the idea of playing with many more Chao friends.

Team Neos just grinned in agreement, figuring that this was a Cyberspace Field they'd be happy to allow to remain open.

#Previous Chapter

#Next Chapter

[toreii]

Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns Review

Let me just preface this post by saying I’m still on the fence about sharing my thoughts. Like many, I am highly disappointed with the direction this DLC went. I would have never imagined this was in store for me last year during the summer when I first watched the Lin Kuei trailer. Khaos Reigns provoked two days of awful headaches followed by days of disillusion. Yes, NRS played me for a fool (thank god I did not purchase this). I gave them the benefit of the doubt, and it came to bite me in the ass. If I had a physical copy of the game, I’d chuck it in the trash. I’m finding it difficult to proceed forward which is hard because I like to see things through even if it sucks. All I can do is protect my vision of Bi-Han and staying true to the old lore as I try and move on.

That being said, to address my take on this expansion:

To begin, the elephant in the freaking room--Sektor and Cyrax.

I am a Lin Kuei fan overall. Not a big fan of him in general, but there has been appreciation for him and Cyrax throughout the years. When I learned that both were going to be genderbent, I had a little bit of misgivings suddenly changing things drastically. But, again, I gave NRS the benefit of the doubt. Since this is a new era, I was on board with it until the rumors started circulating about both being love interests for the brothers. I was like "That makes no sense whatsoever." To me, the Lin Kuei has always been like a brotherhood. In no given time, has there ever been any indication of personal relationships outside of camaraderie. For example, Cyrax and Smoke being vehemently upset over Bi-Han's death in MK9, and not just Kuai Liang.

The argument can be constantly made that this is a new timeline, and it's Liu Kang's creation over and over. But, when you have that man (Dominic) constantly saying the timelines are canon, but not really. But, still are. It's incredibly hard to take anything seriously right now especially with the constant flip flopping that man does for the sake of the current script. Which is another point, but back to the bastardization of our two Lin Kuei girls.

I wanted to believe in a strong, female Sektor, who has her own ideals which we can all clearly see. Like her past iterations, she lives, breathes, and bleeds Lin Kuei. I wanted to see a Sektor who slowly, but surely descended into her own madness of corruption as she pursued her goals for the Cyber Initiative. Sektor has always been known for his technological genius, and she would be no different. To see her potential constantly get staunched for her adulation and obsession for Bi-Han was hard to witness. I can understand that this may be a flaw for her, but it is a very shitty flaw. Because this one trait absolutely negates everything she stands for. I can see that both she and Bi-Han use each other to a certain extent where it seems fit. I know her horrible romance is the center of focus right now, but if you listen to her intros with Bi-Han, it seems to be all business between them. There is barely any indication that their relationship goes beyond the realm of the clan and into a personal tryst. Sektor calls it love, but it's not quite there. I mean, there's love for the grandmaster, but the love that seems to be implied between the two is not quite there. At least, in my view.

I don't know about Sektor yet, but I already deduced that Bi-Han isn't someone who's desperate to correct anyone on the spot. He doesn't have to. He doesn't owe anyone an explanation, so of course he runs with whatever people say about him. He's unbothered by anyone's opinions of him. When Kuai Liang told Cyrax the truth about Bi-Han letting their father die, Bi-Han could have stepped in at any given moment and contradicted Kuai Liang. Instead, he chose to own every word Kuai said. I've had this feeling since the end of the base campaign that Kuai Liang simply took pieces of what Bi-Han said, and spun them to fit his own narrative. (Killing your father and letting him die because of an accident are two completely different things.)

Anyways, going back to Sektor, that scene where Bi-Han's mind was being restored seems to be the only shoehorned indication that there is more to them than meets the eye. But, again, it was badly placed, badly presented as well. First of all, Sektor really should not have been there in that room at all. From a storytelling perspective, I'm supposed to believe that both Sektor and Bi-Han have this obsessive romance and codependency between each other in a few seconds of frames, than the brotherhood between Bi-Han, Kuai Liang, and Tomas??? And this was my worst fear for Bi-Han too. I did not want him to be "saved" by romance. I wanted his salvation to come from within himself as he reflected on his poor decisions and the tragedy of his downfall which sadly we were robbed and negated from. If the scene only involved Liu Kang, Bi-Han, and Kuai Liang, it would have been more poignant. There has always been that story between the two brothers. I understand, this is not the same Kuai of two timelines ago. But, why is MK: Onslaught's ScorpKuai a lot more wholesome than our MK1 iteration??? He was absolutely horrified meeting MK11 Noob. He couldn't understand why Bi-Han became Noob (and how). But, Kuai's first instinct in the DLC is to be absolutely pissed and disgusted? "Your new attire suits you. It is as black as your heart." Darling, no. I would have been more pleased seeing Kuai approach the table and have this conflicting expression. The hatred can still be there, but the concern and sorrow for whom was once family to him, and his eldest brother needed to be portrayed. I mean, we sort of got it with the whole coffin scene at the end. But, in that scene, in that moment, that more than Bi-Han reaching for Sektor and touching foreheads with her is a lot more powerful in terms of storytelling. I don't know why NRS is so against these two hashing it out and resolving their issues.

Now to Cyrax...oh my god...

According to Kuai Liang in the main story, Cyrax and Sektor were supposed to be absolutely loyal to Bi-Han and would abet his corruption than follow him. We obviously see that in Sektor, but what the hell happened to Cyrax? It leads me to believe that Dominic and others suddenly decided to change the script. Mind you, I firmly believe that they did so. Sektor and Cyrax being women in this game must've been a decision that came after everything was said and done for the base campaign. I'm a bit skeptical on Bi-Han suddenly turning on Cyrax because I do recall some time ago listening to some leaked audio in which Bi-Han says "Kuai Liang was supposed to give Cyrax back." It made me think "Oh shit. Does Cyrax get held hostage or something?" Like, what the hell happened? And, I'm realizing, are we missing dialogue now? There is so much that does not make sense!!! Why would they turn on her all of a sudden?!

She's supposed to be close to Bi-Han just as much as Sektor. And suddenly, Cyrax is presented as a free thinking individual who abides by her own ideals and tradition. The moment that is threatened, she feels like she can no longer follow Bi-Han and his ambitions. To make it worse, she feels so much remorse with Kuai Liang that she's ready to give up her life in penance to make up for it. It just makes no sense. And to make it worse, she spends the rest of the DLC following Kuai Liang like a little puppy ready to serve her new grandmaster. Why was she even presented as a strong individual when all she wants is Kuai Liang's adoration as well? Not to mention, it was a really gross line to include in the intros where Noob threatens to spill her relationship with Kuai Liang to Harumi. We're seriously cheapening these two women to typical high school romance tropes? Like others have expressed, this is fanfiction levels of madness.

Kuai Liang is all levels of messed up too. I am so sick and tired of him prancing around like he does no wrong, and everyone believes every word he says. Suddenly, he's the self appointed grand hero of the story when you have Liu Kang's champions sitting around and twiddling their thumbs? Why not place faith in them and send them with Kuai to resolve the current threat. I understand Kuai's Shirai Ryu is now the new protectors, but you also have these other people and beings who are preparing themselves as well for these upcoming threats. I hate that they just suddenly bled into the background, and disappeared completely. Somebody needs to not only knock Bi-Han but Kuai Liang as well a few pegs down. He too is not without his own flaws and they need to be addressed. And Liu Kang's line "Trust your wife. Avail yourself of her wisdom." The same thing with Sektor and Bi-Han. Here too. This fucking trope cannot be it. Love cannot only be the thing that saves the day. His anger, his vengeance, is no where near the levels of Hanzo. Hanzo legit had a reason to be like that. Kuai is literally throwing a bitch fit at Bi-Han, and pointing fingers anywhere but himself. Seriously, his anger and disgust against Cyrax was so unwarranted. And every time she was flustered and tried to explain, he barely gave her time to say a word. Always cutting her off, and rejecting her apologies until the end because it is implied Harumi stepped in. And he seems to just completely simmer down a bit in the presence of Noob. Where was the you who tried to take him on earlier in Chaosrealm? Suddenly, you don't feel like butting heads with your brother? Kuai Liang is such a hypocrite, and I'm tired of seeing it.

Liu Kang was also another that just got dragged through the mud. A lot of his words and actions did not make sense. He's content with disposing of Titan Shang Sung and Titan Quan Chi, but he won't let Bi-Han finish off Titan Havik because he isn't sure how he's tied to his timeline, and doesn't want to kill innocent lives? What about the timelines tied to the other two? Liu Kang had no problem ending those. Why is Titan Havik's timeline any different? Bi-Han is right. Why does that timeline matter when the most important one is theirs, Liu Kang's timeline? He tells Raiden and Kung Lao to do their best and pray they make it out alive, when Liu Kang could have better prepared them. Gets his ass handed to him, can't even go save Geras himself. Sends Kuai, Cyrax, and Sektor to Chaosrealm in blindly. And, snaps at Bi-Han for the most part towards the end instead of having a meaningful talk with him. Not just simply telling him "This is what you are meant to do. Defend Earthrealm." Well, geez, why not elaborate on that, Liu Kang? Can't you give Bi-Han a few minutes of your time to air out grievances and come to a consensus?

And what the hell happened to Titan Havik? Is he dead? Does he still live? Trapped in the void? The Kamidogu were briefly mentioned, and then dropped. They were hyped to be of importance in this DLC. I'm certain they'll make their return eventually if NRS continues the story involving Onaga when the time comes. But, Havik had plans for them as well. And we only see him fusing with the Kamidogu. That final fight with him felt pretty lackluster. Just a regular match like any other.

We are definitely missing script, and scenes. We were supposed to have gotten a whole lot more. Ed Boon said this was their project for the next few years. I suppose they felt compelled not just to omit certain things, but cut out others for future DLCs. This was setup to be more than what we got. The bar absolutely fell short of what the end product was. To charge full price is absolutely heinous. I'm sorry, but I do not have $50 on hand for each DLC that they plan to release. They charged full price for the main game, and now they plan to do so for every little story line that comes after? I can't in good conscious support this kind of marketing. I'm devastated with the story. Like, I could work and make sense and justify every decision made with the main story to a degree. I can't do the same with Khaos Reigns.

I know I was making gifs of Bi-Han last week, but after KR...my heart right now really isn't in MK1. Every time I come across posts and remotely start thinking about it, I get headaches. They are not as bad as they initially were, but this is how horribly this DLC affects me. It keeps giving me headaches. I know I probably regurgitated the same sentiments and ideas as many others have already. But, a friend told me it would be cathartic to do this. So, instead of my journal, I am here expunging these thoughts and emotions. I don't know what my future with the brand will entail, but godspeed NRS. I wish you well on your future endeavors, and that's really saying a lot on my end. I can't even hope anymore. They massacred my heart and left me to die just like papa Lin Kuei (I wish we had a name for him).

[odditycircus-2002]

Quan Chi’s Granddaughter with MK11 Young Scorpion hcs? It must be INCREDIBLY uncomfortable being around her younger version of father who wants to kill her mother in both versions for vengeance, so she has to follow him around to make sure he doesn’t do anything. She’ll still be polite to him and help him in battles, but other than that, she’s still awkward around him bc her future father is dead. It’ll be worst if he judges her badly bc of her necromancy powers.

A/N: For the sake of the plot and for me to better balance the characters, Imma leave out Y/N's past self coming into the fray. I hope you're still happy with the results. Also, I decided that a placeholder name for D/N will be Setsuna because of some of your initial requests.

A Father's Love

When Kronika started to merge past and future, Setsuna was with the Special Forces, standing in for Takeda. Like everyone else, Setsuna was perplexed when people from the past, including younger versions of Sonya and Jax, appeared out of the sand and when Dark Raiden was reduced to nothing but sand save for Shinnok's amulet. After observing that the temporal change affects ALL the realms, Setsuna used the two-way mirror you gave her for long-distance communication. You picked up almost immediately and started hounding Setsuna with questions about her well-being. The magical talisman had no volume control, so everyone in the base could hear you fretting over your daughter. Jacqui gave the young Shirai Ryu a sympathetic grimace, knowing her father would ask her more or less the same questions as you. When you paused to breathe between your questions-turned-rambling, Setsuna did her best to assure you, emphasizing that she's FINE while giving you a situation report based on what the Special Forces could gather, including figures from the past appearing and present Raiden's disappearance. Given what Hanzo told you beforehand, the latter did not surprise you as much as Setsuna would've assumed. When she asked you the same question, you told your daughter that Hanzo was with Grandmaster Kuai Liang to take down a revived Sektor while you stayed behind to fortify Shirai Ryu's defenses. Before you deactivated the talisman, you begged Setsuna to come back home alive, to which the usually stoic ninja softened as she promised to do so.

For hours afterward, when not practicing in the training room, Setsuna assisted the Special Forces in monitoring the temporal activity across Earthrealm to keep busy and later report back to her father and Grandmaster. This fact greatly surprised Raiden, seeing he only knew her father as a wraith seeking vengeance for all he'd lost, including his wife and child. Yet, Raiden would surprise Setsuna by informing her of the appearance of Scorpion at the Shaolin Temple, who had allied himself with Kronika's forces. The Thunder God told the young Shirai Ryu all he knows about Scorpion, including how his rage can blind him to reason, leading him to mow down anyone in his path for vengeance or follow anyone that can grant his vengeance, even Kronika. A description of her father at that time Setsuna was familiar with but never had to contend with the possibility of facing in reality...

Speaking of whom, eventually, Setsuna would contact you again through her talisman and be pleasantly surprised by the appearance of Hanzo Hasashi. Getting down to business, Setsuna first reported her observations about the time anomalies taking place all over Earthrealm AND Outworld. After she was done, Hanzo told his daughter what happened at the revived Cyber-Lin Kuei factory, including the appearance of Bi-Han, who was thought to be dead after being swallowed by a storm of souls. The Shirai Ryu's Grandmaster insisted he talk to Raiden to tell him everything he and Grandmaster Sub-Zero learned at the factory. However, Raiden wasn't available to speak to since he was strategizing with Kotal Khan in Outworld. Hanzo then expresses his gratitude for having returned home in one piece to you and the sight of your daughter, even if it's not in person. Not for the first time, Hanzo tells you both that you, your daughter, and the clan are his world. However, noticing Setsuna's troubled expression, you asked your daughter what was troubling her, but before she could say anything, alarms started blaring, and light bathed the Special Forces' desert base.

Setsuna only gives a brief assurance of speaking with you and Hanzo later before deactivating the talisman. The sound of alarms and gunfire being the last thing you heard did nothing to calm you or your husband's nerves. It is evident with you as it seemed like a gust of wind immediately blew into your home, jostling everything not bolted down. Yet, a solid hand on your shoulder and a gentle reminder from Hanzo to breathe helped get your power under control again. Hanzo admits to sharing your anxiety about your daughter, but for the sake of the clan and Setsuna, he reminds you that you must stay calm and focused on your tasks to safeguard Earthrealm. You agreed as you wrapped your arms around Hanzo's neck, who gave a fond smile as he kissed your forehead, assuring one another that they were still here.

Meanwhile, Setsuna was fighting off waves of Cyber Lin Kuei while trying to make her way to the SF's Control Center. She could use her fire and Hoko Yari spear to mow down multiple cyborgs swiftly and efficiently, thanks to her training. All the while, she pushed back the thought of how these cyberized Lin Kuei she beheaded were once people she may have known, even in passing, to the back of her mind. The mere thought of a Grandmaster of all people taking away his clan's humanity and free will enraged Setsuna. Yet, she couldn't afford to lose focus amidst her rage; all that mattered now was regrouping with the others in her team to devise a retaliation plan. Then, Lin Kuei could receive justice for these crimes against nature!

Setsuna nearly took off Jacqui's head when the latter approached from behind, which Jacqui did not appreciate. Fortunately, past-Jax was able to diffuse the situation before any friendly fire could happen. Not too long after, present-day Johnny Cage would join the small group, explaining he got held up from fighting a younger Erron Black. By the time all of you made it to the base's Control Center, the SF soldiers and Cyber Lin-Kuei corpses could be found scattered about the room, their scarlet blood staining the once polished floor; most of the screen monitors were shattered and sparking and a thick smoke filled the air. Fortunately, Cassie could be found, knocked out on the ground but still breathing. Unfortunately, whoever orchestrated the attack on the base, took past-Sonya. Fortunately, Jacqui was quick to locate the latter at Tarmac B.

While present-Cage was handling the situation outside, Setsuna and Jacqui got to work to patching up an injured Cassie. Setsuna went as far as to cauterize a bullet wound of Cass's that was bleeding profusely, which got a scream from the Commander even after taking some painkillers for it. Yet, it did its job, as all of them were now ready and able to face the intruders head-on. It didn't amount to much in the end since the past versions of Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade were both captured by two Kanos, the present Cage was injured, and an upgraded Cyrax was set to blow up the Special Forces Command base sky-high with everyone still on it, including Setsuna. Fortunately, a literal Deus ex Machina would arrive in the form of Raiden, who teleported the remaining survivors off the base and not a second too soon.

Setsuna immediately recognized the trees and their flame-colored leaves when they all appeared again. She took a deep breath, enjoying the familiar crisp air of The Fire Gardens, the gentle ringing of bells, the small stream nearby, the feeling of a cool wind on her skin, all of it letting her know that she's home. Setsuna's confirmation is confirmed when you looks up from your shamisen, followed shortly by her father, Hanzo, exiting the temple he was meditating in. Without hesitation, you went to embrace your daughter, stating that you're greatly relieved that your daughter returned to you and her father, alive. Grandmaster Hasashi joined your side then, giving Setsuna a warm smile of relief. But before he could say anything, the Thunder God before him humbly requested refuge within the Fire Gardens. To which Grandmaster Hasashi accepts.

After Raiden informed everyone, including Lui Kang and Kung Lao, of the intel he had learned from Cetrion and Kotal Khan's capture, Setsuna requested a private word with Lui Kang and Kung Lao. Both of them exchange glances before accepting. Hanzo attempted to ask his daughter why she wished to speak with the monks, but you stopped him before he could approach Setsuna. You reasoned with your husband that your daughter would share her concerns with you both when she's ready. Hanzo gave you a look in protest, only for you to raise a knowing brow. Ultimately, Hanzo dropped the matter as he knew you were right, you always were in these matters.

As you predicted, Setsuna approached you and Hanzo alone a few hours after meditating on her conversation with the monks. A conversation that was rather insightful for the young Shirai Ryu warrior for a possible confrontation. Setsuna voiced her conflicted emotions about facing her father's past self, Scorpion. She knows that, if the situation requires, she would do everything in her power, short of killing Scorpion, to detain the wraith. Yet, Setsuna knows that her anger may get out of hand, especially knowing that Scorpion would care nothing for you nor the new Shirai Ryu.

"... While neither of you kept no secrets regarding Father's past and the man he once was, I now have concerns that the past isn't quite past." Setsuna turned her gaze toward Hanzo, her fists clenching as she addressed the man who had shown her nothing but love and patience. " Father, I was there the night Mother offered her life in repentance for her inadvertent role in the Shirai Ryu's genocide," Hanzo's eyes widen in surprise. You put your hands over your mouth as your eyes glistened. Hanzo opens his mouth to speak, but Setsuna holds out a hand as a silent plea to let her finish talking. The Grandmaster obliges, as do you. "Father, I will forever remember that brief glint of pure rage in your eyes, which I knew had to be this "Scorpion". Unlike you, Father, Scorpion holds no love for Mother. I know that Specter wouldn't have hesitated to strike down my mother, should it mean coming one step closer to his perceived revenge. I will not allow that to happen, but I fear acting just as rashly as Scorpion should my desire to protect you, Mother, and the Shirai Ryu overcome my reason. Which could lead me to never being born, all because of my rage." A moment of heavy silence hangs in the air between all of you, as you and Hanzo absorb your daughter's words.

In response, Hanzo puts a comforting hand on your daughter's shoulder. Hanzo apologizes for his past, for although he has made peace with it, he never intended it to burden your daughter. Now, the former wraith sees how it began to hurt his child so profoundly, despite his best efforts to distance himself from his past mistakes. You, in turn, reason that Scorpion is a part of him and always will be; Hanzo raised and trained Setsuna throughout her life, not the wraith. So you implore your husband and daughter that while everything is uncertain now, your bonds as a clan will remain strong and sure. Setsuna left for another Special Forces mission with Jacqui and a past Jax, feeling slightly lighter having talked with you and her father.

Before this mission with Jacqui, Setsuna had only heard stories about Shang Tsung's mystical island. The sight of the once grandiose palace and courtyard now in ruin, with vultures circling the skies and corpses littering the courtyard, would be enough to give most people a great sense of unease. But to Setsuna? She found it underwhelming since the courtyard was much smaller than she imagined, paying the hanging corpses with the same indifference as one would random trash. Besides the three of them, there appeared to be no one else on the island... or so they thought.

Jacqui's tablet picked up about three other contacts, including Kabal's Revenent, whom Setsuna and Jacqui thought was buried under tons of castle debris. Past-Jax opted to take on Kabal, while Setsuna and Jacqui worked together to take down Jade's Revenant. The two did an admirable job keeping Jade on the ropes, with Jacqui working more melee while Setsuna was given a more ranged role, given her expertise with her spear. In fact, Jade and Setsuna did cross weapons at one point, with Jacqui using the opportunity to get a hit in on the Revenant woman. Yet, Jade, having FAR more experience than both young women combined, got in a good hit on Jacqui, sending her flying right into Past-Jax's arms. Setsuna followed closely behind, abandoning her fight with Jade to check on her teammate.

Not long after Setsuna did so, Jade used her staff to revive the dead monks to surround the trio, even getting the ones who hanged themselves to jump down from their ropes. Jade declares that neither of them would disturb Kronika's work toward the New Era, to which Setsuna replies,

"Given your track record, I wouldn't hold my breath."

Jade only narrowed her milky eyes.

"We have ways of dealing with traitors like you and your mother."

Past-Jax opted to take on Jade herself, while Setsuna and Jacqui handled the undead monks, who were no slouches in martial arts. Yet, Setsuna and Jacqui weren't amateurs themselves. While Jacqui filled the zombies with more holes than Swiss cheese, Setsuna got to work impaling and decapitating the undead hoard. She even set one ablaze until nothing but scorched bones remained. Yet, Setsuna became so occupied with the undead monks she overlooked a familiar kunai and chain until it impaled itself in her back before dragging her away, bringing her to Scorpion's feet, outside the courtyard.

"Stand up and fight, pretender! While you are no Shirai Ryu, at least fight with dignity and honor!"

Scorpion shouted as Setsuna quickly got back on her feet and took a defensive pose with her spear, her grip tightening on the weapon Hanzo had gifted her long ago. Setsuna saw Jacqui and Jax move toward her in the corner of her eye, but she held up her hand, eyes locked on the enemy in front of her.

"Leave me to handle him! You have to get to The Well of Souls or all of this will be in vain!"

Jacqui nodded, promising to return for Setsuna before leaving with Past Jax deeper into Shang Tsung's island. Oddly, Scorpion didn't follow after them, and Setsuna took up his focus entirely. Without another word, the wraith pulled out his katana and lunged out at Setsuna, who used the middle of her spear's staff to block the initial attack. Scorpion only followed his first attack with even more slices with his katana, but Setsuna managed to block each and every one with her spear, causing sparks to light up between their respective blades from the force of their clash. Scorpion tried to use the flash of light to his advantage, ripping off his mask to reveal his flaming skeletal face. He opens his jaws wide to unleash a torrent of fire directly into Setsuna's face. This proved ineffective, as Setsuna could knock back the wraith with a swing of her spear. Who then was able to see that the young woman was utterly unaffected by his hellfire.

"How is this possible?!?" Scorpion demanded as he placed his mask back on, returning both hands to his katana. Setsuna stepped toward Scorpion, her spear still in her hand, its head pointed towards the ground. "I was born with the same hellfire that makes up your soul." "Speak plainly, pretender!" Setsuna raises her Hoko Yari spear before her, eyes hardened and focused. "You are my father. Or will be at least." This gives the wraith pause. His milky eyes took in the young warrior's form, noting familiar features to his own, including the same determined eyes with that same fire. 'Could it be...?' As soon as the thought entered Scorpion's mind, he immediately banished it like some annoying gnat. After all, his family is dead. The wraith gives an infuriated growl as he gets into position to take down the lying devil standing before him. "Kronika was right about the Shirai Ryu now being made up of liars and imposters, but I would never think demons would be allowed as well!" Setsuna grinds her teeth, unwittingly transforming them into fangs. "I care not if you believe me! I will not let the likes of you bring ruin to my clan!"

Initially, Setsuna tried to fight Scorpion with just her Shirai Ryu training, primarily out of Shirai Ryu pride. While Scorpion could commend that the young warrior fights just like a Shirai Ryu Chujin, that didn't stop him from including his more hellish abilities in his fight against Setsuna. As their battle became more intense, Setsuna set aside her plan of fighting like a Shirai Ryu and resorted to using her more demonic abilities to match Scorpion. This included using a shield of bones from the surrounding undead monks to block an attack when the wraith teleported behind her, stopping him in his tracks before sending a wave of sharpened bones up from beneath the ground. Setsuna even gave Scorpion a look at her more demonic form. Despite the hard fight, Setsuna ultimately won, leaving Scorpion prone on the stone floor.

"I can't believe Father was once you."

Setsuna muttered, with disappointment thick in her tone as she looked contemptuously at Scorpion. However, it's forgotten as the ground below her begins to shake, followed by a great CRACK from the courtyard. Setsuna turned to see what the origin of that sound was, finding the earth open up, and from inside the crack, she could hear Jacqui screaming. Setsuna raced towards where Jacqui was, changing into her more demonic form when sensing GREAT power emanating from the new, unusual woman with a halo made up of floating crystals. Yet, with the flick of her hand, Cetrion encased Setsuna in the earth with a green glow from the shoulders down.

To Setsuna's confusion, the Jax she knows was standing beside Cetrion in armor similar in design to the Cyber Lin-Kuei that attacked the Special Forces! She glared in disappointment at the older Jax, quickly putting two and two together on his betrayal. Setsuna couldn't believe the man could be so blind to the manipulation and foul play! How little Jax mattered to Kronika in her grand scheme! But Setsuna didn't feel the same disappointment when younger Jax gave the Crown of Souls to his older counterpart to save his future daughter. She knows her father would've done the same in a heartbeat.

While returning to the Fire Gardens, Setsuna tries to console Jacqui after the latter tells her everything she missed while engaged with Scorpion. Jacqui shared with her how she's still trying to process her father, of all people, joining the bad guys trying to wipe out all of their timelines. She knew that her father blamed himself for why his daughter felt the need to enlist, but she didn't think his paranoia and fears would get the best of him like this! In turn, Setsuna shared the feelings of frustration and rage she felt, meeting the literal ghost of her father's past. The specter is so filled with rage that Setsuna barely recognizes Scorpion being the same man as her father.

"Goddamn, we both have daddy issues." "Unfortunately, that appears so." Jacqui rubs her hands down her face as she lets out a groan. Setsuna continued to sharpen her spear and double-check that the spearhead was secured. Jacqui looks ahead at the horizon and glances at the younger version of her dad, who didn't betray her. "Still, this fight is far from over." "Agreed."

After leaving Jacqui to give her report to Raiden, Setsuna leaves to seek out you and Hanzo. She only found you as you prepared the clan's warriors for the final battle. You told your daughter that Hanzo and Grandmaster Kuai Liang left soon after her to seek out Kharon the Ferryman to lead them to Kronika's Keep. Setsuna then asked you to help prepare her by training her to use her demonic powers efficiently. You agreed that you need some productive distraction, but you won't let any of your clan or daughter know this. You know you must be strong and stable for everyone's sake.

While you and Setsuna took a small break between sparring, your daughter asked when you fell in love with her father. You paused to think about it before giving an answer. You don't know exactly when or what caused you to fall for the Shirai Ryu's Grandmaster, but you knew it started when Hanzo was Scorpion. Despite how Scorpion acts and holds himself, the wraith still has his humanity behind all that hellfire. But that hellfire that helped resurrect him wasn't the spark that started his rage, but rather, the loss of his wife and infant son, a love that preserves even in death. You heard Scorpion mourn for Harumi and Satoshi, the deep well of grief that would've drowned him were it not for the fire within him for the injustice of their deaths. It was that same grief and subsequent anger that Quan-chi used to enslave Scorpion for years. So, you chose to bring some small comfort to the wraith in any way you can, including your friendship. Eventually, Scorpion begins to reciprocate your friendship in his own way, showing the humanity still within the wraith. It's that humanity you wanted to preserve, so you betrayed Quan-chi. Even after 25 years, you love your husband as both Hanzo AND Scorpion, as they make up the man who taught you how to truly live your life.

Setsuna watched as Grandmaster Sub-Zero returned from the Netherrealm and reported that Kharon's Lighthouse had been located. Still, Hanzo stayed behind in the Netherrealm to take care of whatever intruder entered Kharon's abode. She eventually joined you in your walk around the Fire Gardens with Lin-Kuei's Grandmaster and Lui Kang. Setsuna relayed to Kuai Liang that she would aid him in his return to the Netherrealm should they not hear word from Grandmaster Hasashi soon.

Immediately after she said that Scorpion appeared before all of you in a burst of fire. Setsuna steps forward, ready to fight the wraith again, but you grab your daughter's arm before she can do anything rash. You tell her to go with Lui Kang to retrieve Raiden, your tone leaving no room for argument, so Setsuna acquiesces. She didn't notice Scorpion's gaze following her form.

"She was telling the truth. I do have a daughter."

When Setsuna returned with Lui Kang and Raiden, she first saw you and Kuai Liang pass out on the ground. When Scorpion tells her and the others that Grandmaster Hasashi, her father, is dead, Setsuna immediately blames the wraith for killing her father. Scorpion reiterates everything he said, including that he's here to assist Raiden and his allies, to be the truth before genuinely apologizing for his early transgressions against Setsuna. The latter's teeth started to sharpen, horns grew from her head, and her eyes turned red as she spat out how Scorpion was a hypocrite for calling her an imposter and a liar when he spouts lies.

"It is no lie! I am truly sorry for not believing you earlier!"

Fortunately, Lui Kang held her back before she could do anything rash. Unfortunately for Scorpion, Raiden shared the same belief as Setsuna that Scorpion's word is not to be trusted. After a brief skirmish, in which the wraith is the victor, Scorpion pleads for Raiden to believe he is being truthful. While Setsuna didn't fully share Lui Kang's belief that Scorpion MAY be telling the truth, even in her rage, she saw the wisdom in hearing the valuable information the wraith may hold. Yet, Raiden didn't agree with either of them, as his rage made him attack Scorpion with Shinnok's amulet. Everything after happened before Setsuna could adequately react.

You were up on your feet again, standing over Scorpion, as you sent a magic-infused sound wave to push Raiden back a few good meters. The Thunder God only used Shinnok's amulet to disintegrate your shamisen completely before aiming to strike at Scorpion again. Despite Raiden's warning, you didn't hesitate to cover the wraith's body with your own. You didn't move out of the way, even as lightning coursed through your body. Your screams of pain and agony finally urged Setsuna and Lui Kang to intervene.

Setsuna grabbed the hand holding Shinnok's amulet when he raised it to strike Lui Kang again. The young warrior asked if Raiden would so carelessly break his oath to one of his own disciples. The Thunder god bellows that if it means protecting Earthrealm, then yes, it is. Setsuna's arm became thicker, and bony spines grew from her forearm before setting it ablaze in hellfire; her eyes became blood red as she concentrated on breaking Raiden's grip on the cursed amulet. Yet, Setsuna lost her grip after Raiden used his free hand to fly to Lui Kang's side.

When the Shaolin Monk and young warrior rose to their feet again, this time to fight Raiden to force him to see reason, Setsuna entirely transformed into her demonic form. While her form was smoother and shorter than your demonic form, with only two eyes rather than four or a spear-like tail, Setsuna was no less frightening. She was deathly white except for her forearms being a deep red that made it seem like they were drenched in blood. Bright orange lights are glowing between the cracks of her body's plates, with her more dragonic skull completely exposed, two long horns jutting out, and her sharpened teeth wholly exposed. You repeatedly warned Setsuna against using her demonic form, stating that the longer she remains that way, the greater she risks losing control completely, given how inexperienced she is with that form compared to your centuries of practice. But this time, it's one of those times where it's best to let Hell loose, especially against an out-of-control Raiden.

"Order or tyranny? I have heard this talk from you before, but no more!"

Yet it seemed all for not, considering Raiden's usage of Shinnok's amulet. Still, that didn't stop Lui Kang or Setsuna from getting back on their feet, ready to fight the enraged Thunder God. After Lui Kang proclaims that what the Revenants said about Raiden is true, the Thunder God must be disposed of, and the latter halts his rampage. Setsuna observed in confusion as the red lightning that cloaked Raiden and turned his eyes red disappeared, and realization of some sort filled his entire expression. By then, everyone else has gathered when Raiden finally puts down the cursed amulet.

While Setsuna may not completely understand what made the Thunder God change his tune, she followed him as he walked over the prone forms of you and Scorpion. Your daughter helps you up after Raiden healed you and Scorpion from his attacks. Setsuna frets over your well-being despite your insistence that you're okay. Knowing that you're well, she and Scorpion ask you why you would do something so drastic. All for a wraith that isn't the man you called your husband and father of your daughter, no less?

"I'm grateful that you protected me from Raiden's wrath, but I don't understand why you would do so. You were so enraged with me. Why would you just throw yourself in harm's way for me?" "I was about to ask the same thing. Why Mother? Why defend this erratic wraith?" You glanced at Scorpion and Setsuna, two warriors who are so alike, whether past or present. Both warriors hold a special place in your heart, warming your soul. After a brief pause, you then address Scorpion. "Because both Scorpion the Specter and Hanzo the Man are my husband." You shift your gaze to a nonplussed Setsuna. "Both who make up the person you call, Father. So why ask me if I would do the obvious? Or do you ask me to break my vows to your father, my husband?"

Your words took Scorpion and Setsuna aback, as they knew you spoke nothing but the truth. There was no doubt left in Scorpion's mind that you truly loved his future self or that Setsuna was, would be his daughter. So he didn't hesitate to tell you both Hanzo's last message.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't return to you."

You thanked Scorpion for his message, but Setsuna could see welling up inside you, threatening to drown you. Scorpion vows that he will honor his future self's dying wish, for you and Setsuna are Shirai Ryu. That's when you excuse yourself, thanking Scorpion again for his kind words, stating that with the news the wraith delivered, you would need to get the Shirai Ryu to embark on the Sea of Blood. Setsuna followed close behind you, telling Scorpion to not follow her or you before departing.

You returned to your home, which once was filled with vitality and warmth but now seemed more somber with no life to be found. Without thinking, your feet led you to your marital bed , which you and Hanzo woke up in just this morning. You clutched the comforter in your hands, inhaling the traces of Hanzo's scent deeply. Unable to hold it in any longer, you allowed your tears to fall. Your crying is interrupted when you hear the door slide open behind you.

You turned around, your eyes puffy, to face your daughter. She had tears coming out of the corner of her eyes, her hands still clenched as fists. You opened your arms to Setsuna, who, without another word, accepted the silent invitation and walked into your embrace. You held Setsuna to your chest, not minding how her tears stained your front, not when you were letting out choked wails that scratched at the insides of your throat. You don't know who started the fire, but neither you nor your daughter hardly noticed when you were both engulfed in flames or the sudden wind that picked up and began to disturb everything not bolted down, which perfectly reflected their sorrow and turmoil. Still, even amidst the hellfire, you combed your fingers through your daughter's H/C locks as you whispered assurances to her, voice hoarse from your cries.

"It will be alright. We're going to be alright. I miss him too."

Unbeknownst to either of you, Scorpion followed after Setsuna but remained hidden outside your home. The wraith witnessed his future family's grief and the overflow of tears they shed for his future self. Scorpion feels a knot forming in his stomach when you let out your wails, barely choked back enough to not destroy the entire structure. The wraith couldn't help but feel injudicious to have judged you and Setsuna so quickly and assume the worst even quicker.

After a while, you pull Setsuna away from you to hold her face in both your hands as you speak, gently wiping away a stray tear with your thumb. You told your daughter she had to be strong now, both of you, for the clan's sake and for Hanzo's memory. You and she could not let his death be in vain, but Hanzo would have justice. Setsuna solemnly nods before wiping away her tears, hardening her gaze. Scorpion couldn't help but feel a sense of pride at the both of them, which only increased as you rallied the Shirai Ryu. You spoke passionately and confidently, befitting a Shirai Ryu, speaking of avenging their Grandmaster and carrying out his last wish, which fired up all of the clan's warriors. If Scorpion didn't know any better, he would've thought you were a completely different person from the meek and downtrodden demoness he first met.

The wraith is later reminded that no matter how much time may pass, you are still the same person at your core. He knew this to be true when you spoke with him on the side while traveling with the Shirai Ryu and Sub-Zero on one of Kharon's ships. You two watched from afar as Setsuna spoke strategy with Cassie and Jacqui for the upcoming final battle. You gave a proud smile to your daughter as you began to recall to Scorpion how excited and joyful Hanzo was when you first learned about your pregnancy with Setsuna. You gave a short chuckle as you recalled your late-night cravings for meat and jam. It seemed like yesterday to you when you and Hanzo first held Setsuna, who was so small and helpless, and she was the perfect being you ever saw.

"She inherited your scowl, you know. I knew it the moment I first saw her."

Scorpion smiled in amusement behind his mask when you brought up how you broke Hanzo's hand during labor, and that didn't stop him from holding his infant daughter.

"Harumi didn't break my hand, but she made it well known she blamed me for her pain at Satoshi's birth."

Scorpion looked away from Setsuna and into the bloody sea below, his shoulder slumped and brow furrowed. He muttered how his future self may have forgotten Harumi and Satoshi to find "peace" with you and Setsuna. You saw this shift in mood, cautiously putting a hand on Scorpion's shoulder, which he did not pull away from. You assured the wraith that neither Setsuna or you could ever replace his first wife and child. Hanzo didn't replace his family; instead, his heart made more room for you and your daughter besides his first family.

"Hanzo found peace, but that doesn't beget his memory of those he had lost nor the pain that accompanied them."

That appeases Scorpion, knowing his road to redemption wouldn't require him to toss aside everything he lost.

Again, Scorpion is astonished, to say the least, seeing how you led the Shirai Ryu into battle alongside the Shaolin. Were you truly once that quiet and soft-spoken woman who could barely look anyone in the eye? Scorpion couldn't imagine her as the same woman who could and would send shockwaves from her instrument so intense it literally blew up the heads of dozens of demons! Or the same person that would rip and tear apart demon hordes with her bare hands and sharp tail. Yet, the wraith had no time to ponder too long, not when he too was preoccupied with cutting through endless waves of demons.

Meanwhile, Setsuna stood beside Jacqui, past Jax, and Cassie as they gunned down wave of demon after demon or, in Setsuna's case, sending a volley of Hellfire with rapid twirls with her spear. While Setsuna was grateful for present-Jax change of heart, even if her calling him an idiot didn't make it appear that way, it still wasn't enough as more demons started to push them back into the sea of blood. Yet, a column of fire appear out of nowhere before the small group, with Scorpion revealed to have been in the eye of it.

Setsuna thanked Scorpion, who vowed he would never lose his family again. Which the younger warrior smiled genuinely at. Scorpion then led her and her team through the burnt demons closer to Kronika's gates.

Once Fire God Lui Kang made a HUGE opening through the demon army and Kronika's gates, you immediately shifted forms to handle more enormous beasts. Meanwhile, Scorpion and Setsuna watched each other's back during the battle. Setsuna stabbed a demon, approaching from behind, through the head before ripping out its spine to bludgeon more demons.

Yet, before all of you and the allying armies could storm Kronika's Keep, time started to reverse, undoing all progress. Leaving only Lui Kang unaffected. Yet, it wasn't quite the end for Setsuna. Lui Kang had plans for her in his New Era and the near future.

Playlist While Writing This:

"Without You" by Casey Lee Williams

"Legends Never Die" from League of Legends

"Warriors" by Imagine Dragons

"I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire" by The Ink Spots

"Would You Fall In Love With Me Again" from Epic the Musical: The Ithica Saga

"Live and Learn" by Crush 40

[iwoulddothingstothisman]

Figuring out

"Sam, Sam."

"Psst, Sam"

"What Dean?"

"I think I love him."

"That's great he loves you too, go back to sleep."

"I don't think I can."

"Then for fuck sake, shut up," Sam grunted and turned over on his shitty motel bed to face away from Dean's bed.

"Then shut up," Dean mocked under his breath, "bitch." He flopped back down onto the pillow only to stare up at the celling he had just enough light from the freeway to see.

Not four hours later the sound of wings fluttering reefed both boys from their sleep. Dean jolted up knife already in hand only to see Cas, his Cas maybe even, standing at the foot off his bed looking for all the world like a lost child.

"Cas, not that it's not good to see you, but why are you here, it's like five in the morning," Dean grunted while rubbing his eyes with the hand not holding his knife.

"I wanted to see you, though waking you was not intentional." His head was tilted a little to the side, an adorable pout on his lips. Thank god for the dark room or Cas would've seen the blush creeping up his neck.

"Well I'm up now, what d'ya want for breakfast, Sam?" Dean asked while swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

"Whatever they have, salad-wise," Sam said, snuggling deeper into the covers.

"Naturally." Dean put his knife onto the bedside table so it was within Sam's reach if need be then trundled his way into the bathroom after grabbing the same jeans he wore yesterday and his only clean shirt.

He came back out, did up his boots and grabbed the keys for Baby.

"C'mon Cas, we'll let Sammy get his beauty rest," He said while walking past the Angel who followed a half step behind Dean

The drive to the diner was thankfully uneventful, no vampires trying to slash their tyres and no women in white trying to seduce them.

The diner was even more dull. The standard traffic of office monkeys that hate their life but can't bring themselves to end it and early morning joggers who think they're different for getting oat milk and tweeting about it on their aggressively nature themed blog that calls to the end for all farming. The only stand-outish part of it all was the cashier. A woman in her maybe late 20's by Dean's guess with bright blue hair, a pro-Palestine hat that said 'from the river to the sea' with the Palestinian flag under it and a full cyber-sigilism tattoo sleeve.

Dean had been so busy studying her appearance that he hadn't even noticed the line had moved enough that it was their turn to order.

"So what will you and your boyfriend be having today?" She asked with a tinge of an Aussie accent and Dean faltered.

"We- uh- he's- we're ah not together." He stumbled to get his words out.

"Sorry mate, what can I get ya?" She asked again, this time her accent came through thicker.

"I'll just get a bacon and egg muffin with a coffee, black, two sugars please and, do you guys do a Caesar salad?"

"We do, yeah."

"The largest one of those I can get, to go please." He passed her the money and pocketed his change before walking over to the table furthest from the door.

"It is odd that she thought we were together," Cas stated. Dean almost choked.

"Yeah, yeah it is." dean replied praying to a god he knew didn't care that Cas would drop it, of course, God doesn't care so Cas did no such thing.

"I wonder what it is about us that made her think that, I've been told that I 'look the type' whatever that means, maybe that was it."

"Yeah, yeah I guess you do." Dean paused for a second but kept talking before Cas could open his mouth. "Cas can I talk to you for a second?" He asked.

"You already are." Cas said, tilting his.

"Not the point, the bible doesn't say anything about being gay is a sin, right?" Dean asked.

"Not the original one, no. Why?"

"Because I think I love you." He rushed out.

"Yes, I love you too, I believe." Cas said, making Dean chuckle and shake his head.

"No Cas, I'm IN love with you."

"Oh well in that case then I too, am in love with you, perhaps not in the exact same way that a human might be, but rest assured I have loved you since I pulled you from perdition." Cas admitted with a soft smile.

Dean's tunnel vision on Cas was broken when the same cashier set their food on the table between then with just enough force to almost startle Dean out of his seat.

"Have a good one," she said before speed walking away back to the counter where a chef was relentlessly ringing the bell.

"Come, we'll continue this in the car." Cas said while getting up and grabbing the bag.

Cas was waiting next to the passenger door when Dean finally pried himself from his seat in the diner. He swiftly unlocked Baby and jumped in to start the car. Cas wasn't half a second behind him and had the door closed before Baby had started.

"Did you mean in when you said you've loved me since you pulled me from hell."

"Of course, why else would I say it?"

"Then why, why, didn't you say anything?" Dean exclaimed.

"I didn't want to make you uncomfortable."

"Good grief Cas." Was all Dean said before grabbing Cas by the lapels of his coat and kissing him. He pulled back a second later only to be pulled straight back in by Cas' hand in his hair.

The food was cool by the time they got back to the motel and Sam had packed all of his stuff and some of Dean's

"Good to see you two are still alive, I was about to send out a search party." He said with a knowing smirk.

"Shut up, bitch."

"Whatever, jerk."

Sure they still had a lot to work out, especially when it came to Dean's issues but they took the first step and that's what really matter.

With that thought Dean ate his cold muffin with a small smile on his face.

This is my first time posting something original (on this blog) and I'm super nervous. Please let me know if you find any egregious mistakes and I hope you liked it.

[gatormeister]

GQuuuuuuX Episode 7!!!!!!!

Nothing ever goes wrong when a Psycho Gundam gets involved, right? Right..? Oh boy.

I always somehow start writing a whole summary when this is just supposed to be thoughts. Weird.

Anyways, Machu and Nyaan work to prevent the MPs from ambushing Shuji while getting the money necessary for transport to Earth. Of course the Psycho Gundam (Omg it looks so good, and the armor flies off and orbits around it giving it a sleeker look than any other version. When kit? Me want) doesn’t really care about Clanbat and immediately attacks the colony and goes after Kycilia, but I’ll set that aside for now.

Nyaan, in the chaos, is quick to suggest that she and Shuji should abandon Machu and the Gundams and just run away together. Shuji, being Shuji, just wonders where they’d go before getting distracted by the Red Gundam starting a miniature Zeknova, and him disappearing with it. When Machu gets to where the two were all that’s left is the GQuuuuuuX and a bunch of MPs who positively identify her and label her a terrorist.

Back with Kycilia and the Psycho Gundam, Xavier comes in with a really cool looking Gyan to protect her, while Challia uses his Kikeroga to destroy the Psycho Gundam. During these events the mini Zeknova happens, and Kycilia can hear the Lalah sound suggesting to me that Kycilia is a newtype this go round. At the same time the “Kira Kira,” that I just assumed was a way to visualize newtype connections in GQuuuuuuX, disappears, suggesting that it was a phenomenon directly connected to the Red Gundam. My first thought is that perhaps it’s Char pulling other Newtypes into his consciousness/influence either intentionally or unintentionally.

Challia asks whether Deux is an artificial newtype, to which she actually has a really interesting response I think. Essentially saying that because she chose to become one, that she actually has more of a right to the name Newtype than those who didn’t. She has a strong sense of pride as a cyber newtype specifically. I imagine part of that is some sort of conditioning from the experiments and surgeries that go into making a cyber newtype, especially the “right to the newtype name” bit, but it feels like a really cool new take on the perspective of a cyber newtype.

Nyaan is eventually found by Xavier who recruits her into Zeon under Kycilia as a pilot presumably. While Machu and the GQuuuuuuX are in the Custody of Challia and the Sodon. Challia reveals that he intends to assassinate both Gihren and Kycilia to Simus, stating that he intends to do so for the sake of maintaining the peace that followed the end of the One Year War. Whether he came to this decision because of Char or not is yet to be seen, but perhaps the next episode will shed some light on that. It being another OYW flashback.

One thing I do feel confident on, is that whatever happens going forward, Machu and Nyaan will find themselves on opposite sides of it. At least for the time being.

Sheesh these posts are only getting longer.

[loonarii]

Ari's K-Pop Roundup: May 2024 (aespa, NewJeans, IVE, tripleS, YVES, ARTMS + MORE)

sorry this one was a little late - it was partly due to my personal life being a bit hectic at the moment, and partly due to the amount of stuff I wanted to say about this month's releases. check out last month's installment here, and happy pride month :)))

Supernova + Armageddon - aespa

Instant classic. 'Drama' in all its electric cyber-crush glory is a tough act to follow, but 'Supernova' holds it's ground from the first second and starts being fucking iconic in the next five.

Dem Jointz is all over this track, I love how he gets to go a little wild with the complexity of his production when working with groups like aespa and NCT. The beat bounces and booms, taking the listener on an intergalactic roller coaster ride of dance-pop rhythm, with the aespa girls as our celestial guides. 'Supernova' is a masterclass in vocal mixing and ad libs, Ningning's vocals sound especially addictive on this track, low and oozing confidence. It's an instant hit, and one of aespa's best.

While 'Supernova' feels very much in aespa's usual territory, 'Armageddon' takes a few more risks - it's slightly less dancepop, a little more edgy; less first-listen club banger and more third listen unexpected groove. Don't get me wrong, it definitely maintains the hallmarks of an aespa title track: full of unplaceable futuristic synths, tin-can trap beats, and a deep sliding baseline, but something about that half time chorus and the switch up to focus on the members lower registers more feels so confident. 'Armageddon' depicts an aespa utterly assured in their abilities as idols, musicians, entertainers, and performers, and regardless of it you liked the song or not, I think it is clear to anyone from this title track that aespa have far from reached their peak, and they still have much more to do in this industry.

Frustratingly, the album did not live up to the quality of the titles that represent it. There are a few stand out hits, like 'Bahama', which pulls off y3k h2o just add water mermaidcore effortlessly, as well as 'Set The Tone' a classic aespa style track evocative of the 'Drama' and 'Savage' EPs in sound, and 'Licorice' which apparently is controversial to enjoy, but I can't help but love its bounce and rhythm; but much of the rest of the tracklist fell short. I couldn't help but notice a lack of coherence both in the sound and concept of this era. The album feels like a hodgepodge of tracks rather than a deliberate project - there aren't any through lines between tracks other than aespa's flagship futuristic production style (which isn't actually present on every track but whatever), and each song seems to be appealing to different scenarios of streaming music - BAHAMA is for a summer beach date, but Supernova is for the club, but then Live My Life is for a disney channel original movie starring Demi Lovato?? The overall vibe seems to be disjointed.

This is a problem I have with a lot of aespa's releases since the 'Savage' EP - on the EP or mini album or album or whatever around 65-90% of the tracks are certified bangers, life changing hits, and then there are a few dull fillers to pad the runtime. I know there is a pressure for groups to release something twice a year or so, but I think aespa is at a point in their career where they can certainly afford to release an album once a year if it's for the sake of quality music.

Great titles, poor b-sides - aespa deserves more than a top-heavy album, SM take more than six months next time you want to make an album for them I beg.

How Sweet - NewJeans

It's been a rough couple of months over at HYBE, and considering how sick we are of it as fans and listeners, I can't even imagine how exhausted the members are of the whole ordeal. Being at the centre of one of k-pop's biggest company dramas in history in the middle of your comeback season isn't for the weak, but NewJeans make it look easy. They are back, stronger than ever, with yet another instant classic.

'How Sweet' is the complementary reversal of 'Bubblegum', capitalizing on the members gorgeous lower registers and pairing them with a 90s hip-hop vibe, featuring their signature NewJeans production flairs as always. I've seen a little bit of criticism that this song feels too much like 'ETA', (which I think is a bizarre comparison, it much more sounds like a lovechild of 'OMG' and 'Ditto') but I don't think that groups releasing music in their established sound is a bad thing at all. NewJeans aren't rookies anymore, they have more than proved themselves to be a force to be reckoned with both on the charts and on the stage, and with the korean general public and bunnies themselves consistently loving the NewJeans sonic identity it makes no sense for them to abandon it entirely. They've grown a lot since 'Attention' and 'Hype Boy', and their performance of this song shows that clearly.

The girls' vocals on this song are to die for, every line they deliver exudes confidence and assurance in their capabilities. Danielle and Hanni's little chant of 'Toxic loverrrrr you're no betterrrrr, 거기 숨지 말고 얼른 나와, you little demon in my storyline, don't knock on my door, I'll see you out' is adorable and SO catchy, Danielle's delivery in that outro with her Aussie accent being a highlight of the song as a whole.

Yet another banger from (in my opinion) the most exciting kpop group out right now - it is becoming clearer and clearer to me that the day NewJeans release a bad song is the day pigs fly.

Girls Never Die - tripleS (<ASSEMBLE24>)

The final lineup for tripleS is here, and with it, one of the groups best songs to date. Juggling 24 members in one song is feat few have successfully managed, but tripleS expertly uses the plethora of voices they have at their disposal to deliver a title track as hypnotic as it is anthemic.

'Girls Never Die' has all the hallmarks of a tripleS song we've grown to adore, from y3k style production to the classic 'lalala' hook in the chorus - sonically it both calls back to the groups humble beginnings with Acid Angel From Asia's 'Generation', and looks to the future of the group with its united 24 members. The verses tend to lose me a little, but although they are dull, they are thankfully short, and the chorus is a stunner. The finale of the track is a triumph, the final refrain of 'girls never die 절대 never cry' closing the song giving the effect of a battle cry - to me 'Girls Never Die' says tripleS are here to shake things up in the industry, and release fun music while doing it.

I've enjoyed many a tripleS project before this, with the +(KR)ystal Eyes EP and the 2023 ASSEMBLE album being real highlights. '<ASSEMBLE24>' is immediately one of ( if not their best) albums, b-sides such as 'Beyond the Beyond', 'White Soul Sneakers', and ESPECIALLY 'Chiyu' bringing the heat fully.

tripleS are one to watch, and while I have genuinely no clue what 'decentralized kpop idol group' means or what the fuck an objekt is, trust when I say I will be watching.

Accendio - IVE (IVE SWITCH)

After the exciting return of an IVE that is worthy of their hitmaker epithet with 'HEYA', I was intrigued to see what 'Accendio' would bring to the table other than a matching cherry-red wig moment for the members (which was iconic btw.)

'Accendio' borrows some ideas from garage, but generally just feels very kpop - it's functionally the epicentre of the sounds of the industry right now; a little bit tripleS, a little bit (G)-IDLE, but 100% IVE. It has an ethereal quality, but in the sense of a fallen angel, with the lyrics bringing a sense of Catholic guilt (not sure why this is becoming a trend right now but sure!). The chorus is half high-fashion girlpop with their chant of 'watch me, don't touch me; love me, don't hurt me', and half rhythmic acid trip with the onomatopoeia and the refrain of '주문 걸어, accendio'; it's a highly successful marriage of opposites. To me it recalls the sound of their Japanese single 'WAVE' which I personally loved, and while 'HEYA' is technically a more advanced kpop song production-wise, 'Accendio' just has a pace and rhythm to it that 'HEYA' lacks, making it feel more exciting and engaging.

It's actually kind of crazy how good the rest of the album is, like IVE's b-sides have never been criminally bad, but this is wild. Potentially a niche reference for you 4th gen stans, but 'Blue Heart' and 'Ice Queen' are to 'Accendio' what 'Clue' and 'Note' are to SHINee's 'Sherlock'. 'Blue Heart' expands on that vogueish, runway style sound from the first part of the 'Accendio' chorus, and 'Ice Queen' explores that gossamer flowy sound from the refrain. I doubt this was intentional, but I love any sense of sonic consistency in kpop albums (@rinas4ki this kind of what we were talking about) and all three tracks are very successful.

'WOW' is a little bit of a wildcard, an acoustic style girly type of track that sounds like the kind of thing SM used to force aespa to sing, but it works very well for IVE. That post chorus of 'wowowow' is very cute. 'RESET' also has a little bit of a garage sound, and reminds me a lot of Yves debut (which will be discussed below), and while it is pretty catchy, it isn't especially memorable, especially in the context of IVE's discography and the quality of the other tracks on this mini album, but it is still worth a listen for sure.

Overall I am very impressed with IVE this time around, 'HEYA' is very enjoyable, 'Accendio' is even more enjoyable, and the b-sides don't put a spanner in the works at all, in fact they in many ways boost the overall quality of the comeback, a feat frustratingly rare in the kpop scene. If you missed the 'IVE SWITCH' album this month, I would definitely recommend giving it a listen.

LOOP - YVES (LOOP)

It feels good knowing all 12 members of LOONA have redebuted after leaving BBC, and what a way to end it. Yves has always been one of my biases in LOONA, and this solo debut proves exactly why she's so special.

'LOOP' is a uk garage style kpop classic, and while Lil Cherry's rap occasionally wanders into questionable territory, Yves' vocals melded with the gorgeous Pink Pantheress style production (no she didn't actually produce it, but a girl can dream, right?) make the track the hit it is. I've seen the use of 8-bit sounding vocal processing being criticised online, but I personally love the computerized sound it brings - with Yves lilting 'ooh's and refrain of 'yeah I'm lost but I like it' 'LOOP' creates an atmosphere of a virtual euphoria.

'LOOP' is great and all, but for me the real star of the album is the beautiful, the stunning, the AWE INSPIRING, 'DIORAMA'. It's so effortless in it's production and that chorus is so subtle yet addictive, it's seriously good. 'DIORAMA' has been on repeat since it's release, I can definitely see this one finding a spot high on my top kpop tracks of 2024 list.

The mini album as a whole is amazing, Yves is such an exciting soloist, she clearly has a lot she wants to achieve, and 'LOOP' is evidence of that.

Virtual Angel - ARTMS (Dall)

WARNING - PLEASE READ: If you wish to support ARTMS after reading this review, please be warned that the music video for 'Virtual Angel' contains repeated flashing scenes, and has been reported to trigger seizures, epilepsy and headaches in a small minority of viewers - even the 'Human Eye Ver.' has some flashing elements. Please stay safe!

I think i speak for all orbits when I say we had big expectations for 'Dall'. Both of the Loossemble albums so far have been excellent, Chuu and Yves have been bringing it in their solo projects, and everything we've heard out of Modhaus concerning Loona has been incredible - for ARTMS to stumble with this album would be immensely frustrating. Fortunately, they did not stumble at all, they smashed through the finish line of the Loona redebuts, and elevated the groups post-BBC discography to another level of excellence.

'Dall' is an album that is difficult to put into words. It has the essence of Loona beyond just having Heejin, Kim Lip, Jinsoul, Choerry and Haseul involved, it is genuinely quite moving how it echoes that 'Hi High' sound from so long ago. I say this as a joke a lot, but 'Dall' is genuinely an album that feels like an ascension to another plane of existence - it is euphoric and ethereal, especially in the context of the fight the members and orbits have put up since 2022.

I consider 'Girl Front' the gold standard for Loona songs, and 'Virtual Angel' genuinely comes close to snatching that crown. The whole album is so fucking good, and while I would usually go through the charade of describing every track and its genre influences and whether the hook is catchy or not, I refuse for this album - I will not steal the experience from you of hearing this album for the first time.

So yeah, this is probably a mildly shit review, but PLEASE go stream this album, if there was any post BBC Loona album you were going to listen to, let it be this one (but also the Odd Eye Circle album lmao). 'Virtual Angel' is a triumph, 'Dall' is a triumph, 'The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy', 'Sparkle' and 'Unf/Air' ESPECIALLY are triumphs.

In conclusion... stan loona.

MINI REVIEWS:

Taxi Blurr - Jay Park (feat. Natty of KISS OF LIFE): i may not like Jay Park, but Natty is and always will be my girl, so here we are. I really love the 90s r&b style of this track, and Natty especially sounds amazing on it - her vocal colour is so beautiful. The two's voices blend really well in my opinion, the harmonies in the bridge are satisfying as hell.

Mona Lisa - Soojin (formerly (G)-IDLE)): questionable album titles aside, Soojin is back with her second comeback post leaving (G)-IDLE. This song is frustrating because it's not really offensively bad in any sense, but it is also not really especially good in any sense either. The budget for the MV is kind of crazy, but I wish they had put some of that into the making of the actual song.

No Biggie + Algorhythm - ITZY: (requested by @a-moth-to-the-light) If you've been on my blog before, you will know that JYP's direction of ITZY's korean releases has been irking me for a while, but somehow when ITZY gets on that plane and lands in Japan I am always obsessed. I'm into pretty much all of their Japanese releases, like Ringo went triple platinum in my mental chart. 'No Biggie' is really cool actually, super catchy and Yuna sounds amazing on it - it feels very laid back and relevant to the 2024 music space, something that ITZY's korean singles seem to struggle with. 'Algorhythm' is also SO GOOD, in production, style, and vocal performance. The music video and song also have major old red velvet vibes, which I love. ITZY - please stay in Japan a little longer, the discography over there is so solid. I miss Lia so much though, I hope she's doing well.

LOST! - RM (BTS): I really appreciate namjoon's artistry, and I actually enjoyed his 2022 album 'Indigo', quite a bit, but this song just doesn't work for me. I have heard from others that the album is something special tho, so if i have a spare half hour I might give it a listen.

나의 이름은 (ROTY) - YOUNG POSSE: I would like to redact my previous statements on young posse, I get it now, and this song is so fun. Very 2000s, very y2k, beautiful production, great raps from everyone, what more could you want.

Supernatural - A.C.E: Saw a GIF from the music video on my dash and decided to check it out, and I was severely impressed. 'Supernatural' is not an ear-splitting noisy headache of a track I have come to expect from kpop boy groups, it's a light hearted, classic Bruno Mars style pop hit. Good music and a well produced fun concept? I need to check out this group more.

[4supermarkets]

s3 headcanons and stuff(derranged rambling)

Dreamsmasher has already become the face on posters, billboards and advertizements in the dream world thanks to royce, and also the number 1 target for vandalisim!

dreamsmasher the type of guy to unironically post trash fortnite gameplay while one and zero are forced to like and repost it, d-shock and the cyberlings sends the dislikes

i feel like night hunter would try to be WAYYY more undercover, not only because zoey wants him to stop causing trouble and he genuinley wants to change for the better but he also knows that now people know he has a daughter people can use it to hurt them and the last thing he wants is the grim realm getting attacked again ( COUGH COUGH dreamsmasher cough)

he and the grimspawn would also try to redeem himself a bit by helping out ms. Castillo in her landing, helping her garden and water plants, make food, take care of the remaining uncorrupted fauna and flora and stuff. Night hunter would HATE it at first because it meant the grim realm had to change for the BETTER and become MORE GOOD THAN BAD , but overtime start to warm up to the idea. Maybe its a good thing the grim realm can help out

cooper and oz work overtime now that the dream realms have been rearranged, which means changes in their enviorment, wildlife and where dreamers appear. The whole night bureau has to deal with it and get used to it and thankfully Night Hunter also helps a bit in managing the realms since hes pretty much the new ruler of the grim realm

also since night hunter is the ruler of the grim realm he has to do tons of paperwork and community service, grimspawn included. He even had to wake up the nightmare king to do some files

Logan spends more time with astrid to go on dates and Zoey spends more time hanging out with her dad and helping other dream realms, so now very rareley can the whole gang hang out together since all of them have alot on their plates.

royce has become a little bit less stuck up, especially after dreamsmasher arrived. Hes more in favor on dreamshamer that the dreamchasers since dreamsmasher can get the job done, but in the doom dome with oz and night hunter taught him something on how to treat his protoge better.

the never witch stays LOW,,even lover than night hunter, completley MIA. She did return the artifacts to the night bureau however.

Nova and sneak sometimes spy on zoey and beau when they hang out, and zoey and beau sometimes invite them to their hangout sessions since zoey needs nova to know that her dad isnt bad news, but nova is still very skeptical. Sneak is fine with beau but also stays cautious for novas sake

Zoey and beau have been trying to make snivel, susan and sneak make up, but they cant force forgiveness.

Cooper has become more cocky than before, now that he has faith in his current skills. He also has been researching on the cyber villains and cyber corruption as a whole with nova, but theyre still stumped how dreamsmasher takes care of it with ease

Royce, Albert and Night Hunter dislike dreamsmasher, but they cant show it because royce says its 'unprofessional.' They diss him in secret though over paella both in the waking and dream world

Dizzie is the one who takes care of wildoria now that fraudious is gone, shes actually great at being leader! a bit bossy but still good. She even sees the never witch sometimes in wildoria and has attempted to talk with her

Lunias hourglass was left behind in the grim realm during the end of s1 but its actually so well hidden that the night bureau forgot where they put it! oh wait

this is all just my silly headcanons and hopes for s3 and stuff , maaaaybe i will draw it idk

this will probably never be canon but its ok

[pyro-madder]

On the Four Guardians, their connection and relation to X (the both of them)

-because the lore is a mess and I Needed Answers. i only meant to compile the different pieces of the puzzle at first, but once it turned into a full essay, i figured i'd share it !

disclaimers :

due to my inability to read or understand japanese i'll be relying solely on english material - official localizations, fantranslations, and a bit of machine translation, and pray there weren't major farts during either processes. all my sources that aren't in-game screenshots will be linked at the end of the post.

for the sake of simplicity - both in analysis and writing - i will proceed with the assumption that all the guardians were built/activated at the same time, and that a hint applying to one applies to all four of them (and by "one" i really mean Harpuia who hogs all the screentime for himself)

this is merely my own analysis and conclusions for the sake of my fanworks and interest, not a guideline on what people should believe. anyone with more info or thoughts is free to chime in ( ´ ◡ ` )

So... let's dive into it.

First things first : who, or what, are the Four Guardians ?

First game introduces them as Neo Arcadia's elite and Copy X's inner circle, then the lore entries in 2&3 (Ciel's computer + Secret Disks) specify they were built after X himself.

In-games we only know the Four as military generals, but the Official Complete Works reveal they had another job - or at least Harpuia and Leviathan did.

This is repeated and expanded on in their profiles for the Remastered Tracks : Zero booklet (which i'll just link here instead of pasting four more paragraphs). An excerpt from Harpuia's : "Neo Arcadia, aspiring to restore the world of humans, heralded 2 goals. One of them was the annihilation of the [Mavericks], source of the wars, and the other was regeneration of the Earth's environment to expand the human living area."

Terraformers ; Reploids made from X to assist in the repopulation of a planet damaged beyond words by over 100 years of war, while suppressing the maverick threat.

Then, the Megaman Zero collection website drops these bombs (flash website, translation courtesy of ggle lens, with thanks to @/cinnamononions for two of those three screenshots and to @/irys955 for the post that brought the matter on the table for me) :

Here rather than merely built after X, the Four were full parts of him that separated into their own beings upon sealing the Dark Elf. Not the same thing ! This is something that not only contradicts the games - aka the source material - but has never been seen anywhere else. So, I don't think it's worth much unless you want it to, but there are two implications to point out anyway :

the Cyber Elf X we meet and speak to throughout the games is incomplete compared to his original MMX self, something you'd think would be addressed, or that you'd be able to tell when interacted with ;

the Guardians never met the original X. This was my main question out of this whole mess, and this bit is what directed the rest of my digging.

In Z2 Harpuia has this line-

-which i've seen taken as evidence that he knew of the og X's body all along. while not impossible, it's not a guarantee - there is a whole year between Z1 and 2, he could very much have found out during that period, especially from his newfound leadership of Neo Arcadia !

and YET, when faced with MK-II in 3, knowing him to be the copy (Zero only says "a" copy, but MK-II clearly has the memories from the one in 1, so either way works) - he still immediately submits.

And in the first half of the game, while he tries to reason with MK-II, he never turns directly against him - even when MK-II tells him off and steps him down, even after the missile strike (the human deaths !!) he's co-responsible for, Harpuia's anger is consistently and ONLY directed at Weil.

He knows that's not the og X, yet he keeps his respect, and with him being comatose while MK-II goes out, we will never know how long that could have gone on.

Apart from what the Collection said above - which again, I consider as dubiously reliable - the question of when the Four were built, or at least activated (the distinction is important) is never asked and never clearly answered. The only thing we can be certain of is that it was after the Elf Wars - Z1 is their first meeting with Zero, they're not aware of Omega's true body (Phantom learns it first through Cyberspace), and the intro cutscenes in Z3 make it clear that while they knew Omega and Weil by name, they had never seen them in person before.

The implicit question behind it being, "have they known the og X while he was alive ?"

Well, the OCW has a timeline, let's take a look !

... they're not on it, except for that mention alongside Copy X at the bottom left paragraph.

And on (an excerpt of) the relationship chart from this same book :

They are written as underlings to Copy X only - no link to the og X at all, not even a "created after"...

So my takeaway is that they were activated roughly around the same time as Copy X. (There's also the fact that they use Copy X's leitmotif, "The Legend", rather than X's "Cyberelf", even after Copy X is no more, but that may be a stretch on my end.)

According to the devs, Ciel may have been as young as 5 when she made Copy X, so doing the math with her being 14 in Z1 brings us to at most 9 years before Z1.

And this made me think, aren't the Four a little late for their terraforming business then ? Neo Arcadia has been standing for almost a century ! To which the devs answer that they'd been working outside of Neo Arcadia. Crisis averted.

(The "they weren't supposed to be weapons" is an interesting bit, in-line with Megaman tradition and twice as ironical coming from expies of the pacifist X, though we're never told what non-military function Fefnir and Phantom could have occupied. But I disgress.)

So now we have Reploids made after the og X but likely never knew him alive. So the last (and I'd say most important) question is, were they at least aware they were following a clone ?

The "disappearance" of X was likely not something planned ahead, by Neo Arcadian authorities or by himself - I'm not that familiar with his character, so feel free to correct me on that, but I can't imagine he'd be in favor of maintaining a facade with a fake, even for the sake of maintaining a sense of stability and security. Copy X's lie is held to the general populace, as we see in Z3 (through Weil framing "X's" sudden brutal end on Zero) and Z4 (the human Caravaners very much believing that). But how high exactly does it go ?

See again my point about Harpuia's Z2 line not being irrefutable evidence he was in the know, and let's compare with what other characters know, as told by the Remastered Tracks : Telos dramas !

Case 1) TK-31 :

We are already in Copy X era, and the to-be Elpizo is at this point a regular worker in Neo Arcadia's City Management Bureau - in other words, a civilian (in Z2, he's referred to as a citizen by Leviathan and as an errand boy by himself). He seems to be in content, practically complicit ignorance of Neo Arcadia's inner workings despite his own condition as a nameless, mass-produced model, so it's safe to assume what he knows isn't much above what the average citizen knows. He recognizes the Dark Elf and Weil but not Omega, and is of course unaware the X he sees here is different from the one he knows.

Then he gets found out and berated by Harpuia :

Is Harpuia trying to keep a mere civilian away from the truth he's privy to, or is he himself unquestionningly following orders not to pry ? It honestly wouldn't be far off from his character. Remember the earlier paragraph with MK-II. Remember that in Z3, any of his protests are immediately shut down with "you used to be more obedient than that" !

Case 2) (half of) the Eight Gentle Judges :

Now we're at the top of the echelon - or, well, close enough. And that last line is immediately telling : the Judges knew the og X and noticed the change without realizing he's been replaced. And immediately after that...

From the respect Kelverian shows here, it would seem that the Guardians are at least one rung above the Judges on Neo Arcadia's ladder, so again : is this keeping the lower ranks in the dark, or is this just the usual Sage "don't you dare doubt Master X" Harpuia ?

Case 3) Fellow Guardian, Phantom (and with direct ft. of og X) :

The wording here is a little confusing ("we meet at last" but also "you haven't changed a bit", is this their first meeting or a reunion ?) ; but we do have "my darkness will not serve any other light than [the og X's]." Can Copy X's "light" be equated to the og X's ? Because we're dealing with the guy who was willing to blow himself up to stop Zero from reaching Copy X. Whether or not he already knew about the og X back then, Phantom's loyalty, like Harpuia's, seems to extend to both Xes unconditionally.

Note that he also states "protecting the people and Reploids", which up until then seemed to be completely optional for the Guardians with how ready they were to terminate their own.

And now, with Harpuia's own musings :

An illusion. There WAS something he didn't know at this point. And this point is the beginning of Z3 - he's aware of the Elf Wars, of Weil and Omega, and he's aware of the original X's now-destroyed body. So what is it he's still missing ?

When Harpuia asks Zero to stop Elpizo, and when he opposes Weil and Omega, it's because they threaten human lives. There's no character development here, no changing to Zero and the Resistance's side. Leviathan and Fefnir too, when asked by X to help Zero in their own drama track, only accept because Weil/Omega are shared enemies, and they're shared enemies because they threaten humanity and Neo Arcadia's order as a whole. The protection of humans, and their master(s), has been their singular consistent goal, even when it came at the cost of their own kind. Perhaps much like the Judges, merely carrying out orders while being kept in the dark of how exactly their victims came to be labelled Mavericks !

So, my conclusion on what Harpuia figured here is the original purpose of Neo Arcadia - an utopia for humans and Reploids, as the og X envisionned, and not only for the former. (And if you listen to the drama track itself, he sounds in clear distress and denial, which may explain why he holds onto MK-II anyway.)

Last but not least is really just... law of parcimony/occam's razor. It's much easier to explain the Four's ruthless enforcement of Copy X's agenda, something we know the og X would have never stood for, if it's the only status quo they've ever know, isn't it ?

If you're still there, we're nearing the end, and I'll recap my own conclusion with another homemade Canva masterpiece made from everything we've discussed :

The Four Guardians were modeled and coded after X, and activated alongside or after Copy X to help humanity repopulate the Earth before being reconverted as military assets. They were either kept in the dark about the og X entirely, or were led to believe they were carrying on his legacy by enforcing Copy X's regime, regardless of whether they knew about the og body in Yggdrasil or if they learned about it later.

I specify "activated" to keep the possibility that their project as terraformers might have been something X was involved with, but the seal of Dark Elf happened before he could see them open their eyes.

The whole other can of worms that is important yet that we will probably never know ANYTHING about, and the one that makes me use the passive voice above, is the human side of Neo Arcadia's government : whoever made Ciel build Copy X to begin with, and saw no issue in his regime. These are people with enough power to keep the truth away from up to the Gentle Judges, and I'm thinking the Guardians may not have been exempt from that.

Everything compiled here still leaves a ton of blanks, and anything more will have to be headcanon territory, so...

Thank you so much for reading ! Figuring out this mess then writing this took me like A Month, and it's quite awkward doing that on a 20 y/o game from a franchise we KNOW gets inconsistent. It might just be a compilation of what we already knew from still fairly recent translations but I hope you enjoyed the read anyway. 🙏

Sources :

MMZ2 in-game script

MMZ3 in-game script

MMZ Official Complete Works

MMZ Remastered Tracks booklet translation (character profiles)

MMZ Remastered Tracks Telos booklet translation (creator's chat)

MMZ Remastered Tracks Telos drama tracks (audio w/ translations, MMKB translations)

MMZ Collection Website (website, MMKB translation)

[beemochi-art]

why do u gotta pick between oplita and megop? megoplita. optimus has two hands. his partners can hate each other, its fine. they can glare daggers at each other over optimus's shoulders or behind his back.

I just mean to two types of fans of the ship. It’s like they both hate each other. Especially on Twitter. It’s like sometimes I like Both! And people are always at war at each other. Sigh

Well here’s the thing. I’ve never been too big op megoplita. I’ve always imagined Optimus as monogamous. And I feel like Oplita gives me more freedom to do whatever I want with Megs. If anything, I think it’s incredibly interesting if Mega was crushing on Op but Elita unknowingly takes Ops attention away, making Megs a jealous bitch. It’s like Elita is Ops wife, but you gotta admit fighting the same guy for 4 million years is a little 🏳️‍🌈✨.

When it comes to different continuations as well.

Cyber verse. Oh god Megop all the way. Not even just cause elita isn’t in there. But Megs is super gay for that man.

Prime, I’m am not a megop shipper at all. But a lil bit of Orion and Megs action is nice. I really with they would have kept Elita as a plot point for Op’s grief.

I won’t get into all the continuings but Earthspark. That’s a big one. As much as I’m dying for Oplita! You can’t deny Megop has way more sauce. I guess there would be the case where I choose megoplita. But still I’m not big on it.

I feel in the ideal Megoplita situation. I can see Optimum and Elita already being a thing. But if Megs wants Op they come as a set. The glaring daggers at each other will not fly with Optimus. It’s not a matter of just be civil for Optimus sake. Megs knows he’ll choose his wife every time. So I feel like Megs would have to swoon Elita too. A little gentler and wayy more respectful. I think Megs would find that he very much likes her too. Creating the best thing ever! MEGLITA!!

[centralcitylibrary]

Response to Death Battle's Bowser vs. Dr. Eggman: Part 3/3 - Analysing the Match-up

Welcome to part 3/3 of my response to Death Battle. This part will focus on my providing my own analysis of the match-up, and my conclusion at the very end of it. If you watched the whole episode, you’ll know that this absolutely required its own dedicated part just to focus on. For the sake of a fair analysis, this will operate on the same standards that Death Battle themselves operate, rather than my usual methods (assuming you’ve seen it prior).

You can find part 1 here, and part 2 here.

This is probably the absolute hardest Mario vs. Sonic MU to decide on. Both sides have so many options, it’s dizzying, and any side could pull out a win from just unveiling one of their strongest weapons at the right time.

In fact, these instant win weapons are so numerous on both sides, that it turns the strength advantage, usually a major factor in any fight, into merely another number on the list of victory conditions. As such, while I will still provide my own strength calculations, I’ll primarily be focused on each of these trump cards, and what options the opposing army has in stopping them – alongside how both combatants could leverage these trump cards.

Let’s first list out the actual trump cards both sides have, just to make things clear:

Bowser:

Castle Bowser – can warp reality on a universal level, given enough time to charge up.

Dream Stone – can erase people from existence, and if broken its pieces can be consumed for Dreamy Bowser, which empowers him based on how many dreams he can absorb – potentially a raw power option if it can absorb enough dreams.

Fury Bowser – can mind control and corrupt others while he’s active in the form, alongside sending people to another world, and lastly invulnerability negation. Requires Bowser Jr.’s paint brush.

Star Rod – can grant wishes and is on par with the Star Spirits, who created the Dream Depot.

Painting (King Boo) – sealing. Anyone who gets trapped in this cannot escape.

Several ghosts – operating under King Boo, their release can destabilise the dimension.

Mind control.

Power Stars & Grand Stars – raw power.

Pure Hearts – raw power (but even more), invulnerability negation.

Eggman:

Metal Virus – transmutes any organic member infected by it into a metal zombie.

Finalised Phantom Ruby Prototype – can create tangible illusions (effectively reality warping) that only affect those the user wants to affect, alongside inverting gravity, creating an infinite army, and banishing others to Null Space (which blocks dimensional travel) – has 4 copies.

Phantom Ruby (original) – the same as above, except it provides its own power source. All Phantom Rubies can only be used by those with enough willpower, which amongst Eggman’s army includes Eggman himself, Infinite, Metal Sonic, and the Hardboiled Heavies.

Modified Phantom Ruby Prototype – can modify memories alongside the above’s effects, designed to alter the planet’s memories – has 2 copies. Can create infinitely sized areas via his Egg Fields, and thus has infinite range.

The Chaos Emeralds – just… so many things. Including raw power.

Mind Control Cannon – mind control.

Jewelled Sceptre – raw power (again).

Reverie – turns dreams into reality (aka real reality warping).

Sol Emeralds – they’re like the Chaos Emeralds.

Cyber Space (Sage) – can trap people within, separating their bodies and soul, and even (slowly) corrupt anyone who tries to save them. Even if they can escape, they’ll be left involuntarily intangible.

Time Eater – space-time erasure (and by proxy, existence erasure), raw power (yet again).

Supreme – raw power (constant showings of raw power).

Now all of these tools should – in theory – be able to instantly end the battle, or at bare minimum instantly remove the opposing side’s standard army, leaving it to just the main 2 to duke it out. However, a vast majority of these trump cards has at least 1 method of dealing with them, usually multiple. These are all of the checks and counters to those trump cards mentioned above (if you’re familiar with competitive Pokemon, those terms should be familiar to you – a check is anything that can prevent an opposing tool from working once it’s actively on the field, while a counter is either outright immunity or can be brought on after the fact to counteract it).

Bowser’s checks & counters:

Transmutation magic (Bowser, Kamek) – can counter the Metal Virus, and can check the Phantom Rubies, Jewelled Sceptre, Reverie, Mind Control Cannon, and Time Eater. Cannot counter the Chaos Emeralds, as the latter are not only able to undo their own transmutation, but still work even while transmutated.

Reality warping (Castle Bowser, Bowser to a lesser extent) – checks the Phantom Rubies’ own reality warping; Jewelled Sceptre, Reverie, the Time Eater, and Supreme. Counters the Mind Control Cannon.

Item theft (Kamek) – checks the Phantom Rubies, Jewelled Sceptre, Reverie, and Time Eater. Because of the presence of both the Chaos Emeralds and Sol Emeralds, attempting to steal either of them without knowing how to control them will destabilise the universe, and Eggman’s knowledge on this fact will prompt him to leave the universe immediately while Bowser’s side dies, letting him gain a technical win. Phantom Rubies will not work for Eggman’s side when stolen. Some of Eggman’s items can check his trump cards.

Power nullification (Kamek) – can check everything except the Metal Virus and Sage, especially the Chaos Emeralds and Sol Emeralds. While both can be restored by positive emotions, Eggman has never done so himself, and likely can’t due to his poor genuine leadership skills combined with his immense ego; leaving Sage as the only positive bond he has in this fight. Counters the Mind Control Cannon, as it does not function without Hyper-Go-On.

Illusions (King Boo, maybe Kamek) – since the Phantom Rubies are all illusion-based, counteracting the illusions should be a functional check to them.

Bowser’s computer brain (Bowser) – yeah his computer brain. It can restore his memories, allowing Bowser (albeit only Bowser) to counter the memory altering effects of the Modified Phantom Ruby Prototype.

Minion Spirit – makes Bowser’s army immune to mind control from sheer loyalty, if they’re devoted enough. Should also apply to Bowser himself, and is thus a check to both the Metal Virus and the Mind Control Cannon.

Existence erasure (Dream Stone) – is a soft check to everything Eggman can bring out, albeit it’s possible for Eggman to send Metal Sonic, or a Replica of Metal Sonic or Shadow into White Space to search for and restore whatever has been erased, if Eggman’s forces can stall for long enough.

Data immersion (King Boo) – is a very soft counter to Sage, by virtue of being the only individual who can directly deal with her when she’s not piloting Supreme. Cannot check Supreme directly, as Sage was unable to hack any of the Titans and could only pilot Supreme because it had no pilot.

Invulnerability negation (the Pure Hearts) – can negate invulnerability granted by the Chaos/Sol Emeralds.

Raw Power & restoration (the Pure Hearts) – can counter Eggman’s strongest weapons by virtue of equivalent power and counteracting space-time erasure (assuming finite values).

Eggman’s checks & counters:

That weird illusion/selective reality manipulation (the Phantom Rubies) – can check Castle Bowser (and Bowser’s reality manipulation), the Dream Stone, and Fury Bowser.

Reality warping (Reverie) – can check Castle Bowser, the Dream Stone, Fury Bowser, and the Star Rod.

Memory Manipulation – can check everything that doesn’t come from Bowser himself, and even remove some of Bowser’s own checks and counters such as Minion Spirit or his allies.

Dimensional travel (Chaos Control, Sage, potentially the Phantom Rubies) – can counter anyone being removed from the battlefield by Fury Bowser.

Item theft (Forcejewels) – can unreliably check the Wonder Flowers, Dream Stone, Star Rod, Power Stars, Grand Stars, and Pure Hearts. Some of Bowser’s items can check other items of his.

Mind Control Cannon – can unreliably check King Boo’s painting sealing, by forcing King Boo to undo the effect. Not guaranteed to work, given the potential of true minion spirit, but given there is no indication King Boo is particularly loyal it should be more likely to work than not. Even if Eggman is taken out, Sage can use the mind control cannon on King Boo to undo it.

Sage – given she’s not a physical entity and is really on the EggNet, she should be able to ignore Kamek’s mind control and send Eggman out of range to command his troops from afar, or take direct control of Eggman’s army – a check.

Neo Metal Sonic – his bio-data copying means that he can become immune to any check/counter that comes from an innate ability of any of the Koopa Troop, which can potentially counter many of Bowser’s own checks and counters.

Damage transfer (rings) – checks Bowser’s Power Stars, Grand Stars, and Pure Hearts, as they allowed base Sonic to survive hits from The End, a being more powerful than even Solaris and Time Eater.

Shield (Sage) – is able to block hits from even The End, serving as a check to the Power Stars and even Pure Hearts.

Raw power (Chaos Emeralds, Jewelled Sceptre, Sol Emeralds, Time Eater, Supreme) counters Bowser’s Power Stars and the Pure Hearts (assuming peak values).

That’s a lot, isn’t it? But if you noticed, everything has at least 1 check or 1 counter to it, no matter how unreliable that check/counter actually is.

Some highlights include:

The Chaos/Sol Emeralds are only checked by Kamek and the Dream Stone, and attempting to steal them will in fact force a tie from the resulting destruction and destabilisation.

Kamek alone checks so many of Eggman’s trump cards that he’ll end up becoming a priority target as the battle goes on.

Metal Sonic, if he’s not shut down by Kamek, can continue to copy more and more of Bowser’s powers based off of the bio-data of him and his army, which means that with enough time he can gain a majority of the checks and counters that Bowser’s army has, and gain immunity from them as a result (albeit that likely came too late for it to influence the result of the Death Battle).

Sage, due to being part of the EggNet/Cyerbspace, can only be checked by the Dream Stone and King Boo, meaning she’ll become a top priority to deal with by the end of the battle. Piloting Supreme ironically makes her more vulnerable, given that if Supreme is destroyed while she’s piloting it she’ll die too.

Bowser’s computer brain is the only true method Bowser has to deal with the modified Phantom Ruby’s memory manipulation, and he’ll need to get rid of it as soon as possible if he doesn’t want his allies turning against him.

Supreme is the most dangerous of the raw power weapons on Eggman’s army, as it came in pre-charged and doesn’t need continued use of the Chaos Emeralds unless it were to get its power drained, and is invulnerable to conventional damage.

Altogether, the sheer volume of weapons plus the fact that every single one of them has the potential to be stopped in its tracks with the right set up means that ultimately this duel is going to come down to a quick draw – who can pull off a broken win condition first. Which, of course, means that stats is the next most important factor to bring up.

And I’ll be bringing out stats twice for each side, a calculated finite value, and their absolute peak.

Power:

Bowser (base):

Finite: 2.28012318407×10^108 Foe – Can defeat Culex, who claimed – after gaining a 3rd dimensional form – to be capable of destroying all of time and space. Assuming this would destroy the entire universe at every single moment in time down to the Planck time, and assuming the universe is as old as ours from Big Bang to present, this is the value required to destroy the universe. Mario (and by proxy Bowser) has gotten stronger since then.

Peak: Infinite – could defeat Culex, who claimed to be capable of destroying all of time and space.

Power Stars & Grand Stars:

Finite: 8.05115087719×10^50 Foe – 284 Power Stars/Grand Stars, with one possessing enough power to destroy the universe. Likely lower, as Power Stars are weaker than Grand Stars.

Peak: Infinite – unspecified boost from every single Power Star and Grand Star.

Pure Hearts

Finite: 2.28012318407×10^108 Foe – their amp allowed Bowser to defeat foes amplified by the Chaos Heart – which is strong enough to destroy the entire space-time of a universe (same as the Culex finite feat). Much higher to an unquantifiable degree, as every universe should bring back a roughly equivalent value.

Peak: Infinite multiverse – could threaten the entire Mario multiverse.

Eggman (base mechs):

Finite: 1.4125×10^48 Foe – can fight with Sonic, who while weakened could defeat the Erazor Djinn empowered by half of the World of the Arabian Nights, which should be comparable to a universe given it resembles Earth and has stars. Sonic has gotten stronger since then, and Eggman constantly upgrades his machines to match.

Peak: Infinite/2 – the World of the Arabian Nights includes an infinitely sized location, which should make the whole universe infinite in size.

Chaos Emeralds:

Finite: 2.28012318407×10^108 Foe – Solaris could destroy the entire space-time of a universe (same as the finite Culex feat). Much higher to an unquantifiable degree, as every universe should bring back a roughly equivalent value.

Peak: Infinite 4th dimensional multiverse – Solaris could threaten the entire Sonic multiverse (Maginaryworld is explicitly confirmed to be 4th dimensional, and when the (weaker) Paradox Prism shattered Sonic’s prime universe into the Shatterverse, it was divided into multiple universe sized spaces with separate space-times and ended with restoring the original universe within the Shatterverse, suggesting that a universe is a higher dimensional construct housing one or more 3rd dimensional spaces within).

Now that was power, and as you can see who’s stronger depends on whether we’re using finite values or infinite values (Bowser handily taking the advantage in the prior category, Eggman taking the advantage in the latter). But as I said before, raw power is not important in this fight, and merely a bullet point on the list of ways they could win.

The real important stat is speed, and well...

Speed:

Bowser:

Finite: 24,450,000,000,000,000 C (24.45 quadrillion times the speed of light) – Mario flew to the trial galaxies – located at the edge of the universe with a launch star (and back with a Power Star), and can react at these speeds (as evidenced by landing on his feet and picking up star bits on the way) – given this happens before Mario rescues Peach from Bowser, each trip should take no more than 6 hours to make, but I’ll be generous and claim it took 1 minute.

I know Death Battle claimed this trip took 3 seconds, but there’s a loading screen both to and from the Trial Galaxies, and when the loading screen ends Mario is already back at the observatory – and the trip to the galaxy features a menu while Mario is flying at high speeds (as evidenced by the moving speed lines), which doesn’t have any time limit to the player selecting the Star, making the true time frame hard to accurately verify.

Peak: 24,450,000,000,000,000 C (24.45 quadrillion times the speed of light) – Mario flew to the trial galaxies – located at the edge of the universe with a launch star (and back with a Power Star), and can react at these speeds (as evidenced by landing on his feet and picking up star bits on the way).

Eggman:

Finite: 48,900,000,000,000,000 C (48.9 quadrillion times the speed of light) – Time Eater erased the entire universe in seconds. Even though we see Shadow sent to White Space in the time it took to raise his hands, and Sonic’s chilli dog landed back in his hand instead of landing on the ground after he defeated the Time Eater, I’ll be strict and assume a 30 second time span. Eggman was piloting the Time Eater, and Classic Sonic and Shadow could each react to this feat happening to them, so by all accounts this should scale to Eggman’s reaction time (and the reaction time of his post-Generations machines). In addition, later in Frontiers base Sonic could react to the Titans, who are themselves empowered by the Chaos Emeralds.

Peak: Immeasurable – regularly battles Sonic, who could restore areas erased from time by the Time Eater with his raw speed.

… Oh. Even with being generous towards Bowser, and strict towards Eggman, Eggman still ended up faster. You could argue that I could be even more generous towards Bowser, or even more strict towards Eggman – and that’s true – however, the opposite is true as well.

If we treat both these feats as generously as possible Eggman’s speed feat should still be extremely close to Bowser’s, enough to have little relevance, while if we treat both of them as strictly as possible Mario’s half-universal trip has a lot more potential time to cross than Sonic’s chilli dog flight.

All of this, of course, while ignoring the fact that Shadow Generations just provided a better speed feat than before with no ambiguity, showing Time Eater erasing the universe in 12 seconds – and no loading screen, so the timeframe is exact. This likely wouldn’t be added into the voiceover, but would absolutely make it into the analysis & black boxes given information from Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood made it in.

And that’s just talking about the finite values, once we delve into their hypothetical peaks that speed advantage just gets exaggerated, and Eggman just speed blitzes Bowser’s entire army and wins for free.

If we exclusively discuss in terms of finite values then Bowser’s strong enough to one shot anything that isn’t a Super tier in base, but only his Pure Hearts form is strong enough to contend with those Super tiers. This raw power gap would also prompt Eggman to rely on his trump cards far quicker than usual (something he already tends to go for), making an incredibly close match, but ultimately one that Eggman should come out on top for.

This in addition to Sage being able to make millions of calculations in a short time span, whose battle strategy is said by Sage herself to be on focusing on the best method of survival, and whose intelligence surpasses even Eggman’s, thanks to her AI nature and being integrated with the Ancients’ Cyber Space.

Or in other words…

Eggman wins.

Thank you for reading my 3 part response to Death Battle – or at least reading any one of my 3 parts, I hope you enjoyed this deep dive into the match-up, and I hope Death Battle going independent means that they can continue to push and evolve the show even further beyond what it’s been this last decade.

Happy independence!