#I have some WORDS about that funky little crocodile

[luna-the-cretar]

I’ve seen some of those OUAW ship flowcharts, and I desperately want to make a couple myself (both for ouaw and eom, because oh BOY that is a weird complicated love spaghetti) when I get home, just for the fun of it

[bluewillowedart]

hi :) can you talk about anything related to prsk you have been thinking about lately. literally anything even if it's 15 paragraphs about an au in your head or disecting a character or just a little headcanon i Will read it. also what's the flag in your pfp?

hello :)

ohhhbhh goodness theres so much i could talk about oh god oh god.

but first - the flag in my pfp is the agender flag but the colors were picked from touyas sdsc trained card! ((you can pick the aromantic and agender flags from them and it makes me so happy hehe))

but now. jun insanity moment time. ((warning. this may be long))

uhmm idk how much i will end up putting here since. im not the best with words but. magical girl au with the gamer quartet.

i just think. pink leader emu would be so fun,, im drawing a lot of dynamic and design philosophies from precure so thats where that decision came from. the cute tiney girl with the big ass hammer being the leader is so amusing to me listen. Listen.

also the progression of who joins the team is emu -> nene -> akito -> touya

i really like the idea of touya being the more. almost aloof one whos hesitant to join the team and would prefer to work alone. that sort of concept but not exactly if you will hehe. there is an interval between nene joining compared to akito and touya. the latter two are somewhat close to precure's late cure concept. slightly.

emu and nene are established as close friends from the beginning in the au anyways so that lends itself to make the dynamic easy to build from. im still trying to figure out how to fill the void in how this blends akito and touya with this starting duo. but i like to think that touya got his powers even before akito but. kept it a secret from him (which he wish he didnt have to but you know). so when the two found out abt each other having powers. just. woah?!?!? spiderman pointing meme or smth ig.

i also should add the designs for them in general was drawn from that cutesy space/cyber aes along with very vaguely. sea slugs.

its been referenced and shown on one of my posts but their partners. emu -> crocodile, nene -> owl, akito -> wolf, touya -> panda. all based off of the animals they chose in close game offline :) they are silly little friends and the team has to pretend theyre little plushies to avert suspicions hfdjs

and similarly for their weapons. emu -> big fucking hammer. nene -> laser sniper. akito -> serraded knives. touya -> thats a secret ;)

TBH touya is an interesting chara in this au very mysterious very funky. he is super powerful but doesnt have full control over his powers yet. i will leave it at that. augh.

they have to fight off the forces that are created from the build up of negative feelings drawn from sekais that are able to phase into the real world. these said feelings are ones that have gone haywire and all. for the most part the team can use their cellphones to detect these. monsters. and fight them. they typically arent seen by the normal eye but there are some who are so powerful that can override that.

overall this au diverges from canon and theres a handful of things drawn from said canon that ive altered for the sake of this au making sense but. its my silly au i get to make the silly rules and it means so much to me aaadhjksaaaaaaa

there is also a pkmn au that keeps going in and out of my head. and my bf and i created a team for touya. milotic, miraidon, ceruledge, lucario, corviknight, decidueye. this au doesnt have a lot to it as of rn but also. emu with tinkaton. its so necessary. that mon is Meant for emu. oh yeah and akito has amarouge to compliment touya. hehe. yeas.

i have. more aus. but theyre not super developed enough for me to talk extensively abt them but they sure exist in my head.

PLEASE do continue to pick at my brain for the magical girl au tho i love that one so badly hfusjkd

[kinakoscenario]

Alastor x Demon! Reader ( SCENARIO ) Christmas Miracles.

꒰Alastor  ♡ Reader. ꒱ ゝ Hazbin Hotel

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘

New to Hell and struggling to let go of your mortality, you decide to convince your boyfriend to celebrate Christmas in Hell. 

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Request status in bio! Please check it before dropping something in my inbox. ♡ 

Thank you in advance for hearts, comments & reblogs on my work (◍＞◡＜◍) it’s always super appreciated.

› Alastor |   © Vivziepop ╱ I am in no way affiliated with Vivziepop & do not own the characters in this work unless stated otherwise.

Headcanons & Writing  | © Kinakoscenario ( Tumblr )

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𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄.  ↷

Hey, hey! Merry Christmas to those that celebrate it, I really wanted to do something with Alastor being soft and sappy with a Christmas-loving reader ;; w ;; i hope you enjoy this! 

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◍ To most everyone in Hell, Christmas was nothing more than an afterthought. Once you were dead, time was barely something that was monitored at all ━ It’s not like anyone was going anywhere. It was already over, what did you have to look forward to? What was the point? The only countdown that really mattered was the annual purge. Not really a holiday, not really something to celebrate. Hell didn’t have many (if any) holidays.

◍ You were a new arrival down here, just scraping a year now ━ It felt like no time at all since your last Christmas. No one would have thought it would have been the last one you celebrated with your family, alive and well. Not even you. 

◍ Each day you felt your humanity slipping further and further away from you. You were no longer a human and that was difficult to face. It wasn’t actually like you even deserved to be here! Wrong place, wrong time some may say. You were sacrificed by a cult. The leader of which… Well, it wasn’t something you liked to think about. 

◍ Maybe… Celebrating a human holiday, even in Hell, might make you feel a little less, you know, dead? It was clear to those around you that you were having trouble adapting to your new life and were still desperately clinging to the life you once had. You still wished to celebrate birthdays, you were afraid of the dark / bugs / spiders, and you would find yourself breathing out of habit. You didn’t need to, none of your friends did… they all said it would be a habit you would drop with time. 

◍  They all kept preaching to you that with acceptance, it would get easier. 

◍  During your time down here, you had become particularly fond of a certain overlord that was sniffing around the hotel. To your surprise (and everyone else’s) it seemed he had become rather fond of you too. It wasn’t an official relationship, he just seemed to tolerate you more than he tolerated the others. With the occasional romantic gesture. 

◍ You were the first person that made him feel something he didn’t quite understand — like a squeeze in his chest. Emotional intimacy was not something he was at all used to! But he was trying to get there. Have mercy on anyone who thought they could upset you and get away with it… Alastor had made it apparent that he would show no mercy to anyone who dared upset you. 

◍ With these newfound emotions, Alastor also had a hard time letting you down or saying no. So when you had brought up to him that you wanted a Christmas, as much as you had expected him to laugh in your face and flat out give “no” for an answer, he considered it for a few moments. His hand outstretched and took your face between his thumb and forefingers, crimson orbs focusing on your very best puppy look. The fact you felt like you needed to give him that look amused him. At least you didn’t see him as a push over just because he had made life in Hell a little easier for you, and you were still very much putting some effort and thought into the things you requested of him.

◍ “Dear, does our setting not take away from the entire meaning of Christmas?”

◍ He had tried to understand your request. Alastor could only remember one time he had celebrated Christmas, and it wasn’t in Hell. It was as a boy with his mother, sat by the fire on the 25th, the two of them bed-headed and still in pyjamas. A fond memory of his, though he didn’t remember the day well other than those few moments. He couldn’t even remember what laid within the decorative paper once he’d torn it open. 

◍ You knew Alastor wasn’t a demon who had ever had much interest in ANY holiday, whether it be celebrated in Hell or not, and even though many referred to him as “a mortal soul”, you found it hard to believe the demon you had grown to love was EVER human. Perhaps wielding a human body… but you doubted he truly understood what it meant to be alive. 

◍ After a few whimpers spilled from your lips, your small hands gently clasping against the wrist of the hand that held your chin, you noted that his shoulders bounced in a chuckle — perhaps in a frequency too low for your ears to pick up on. 

◍ How could he say no to you, to that face? That adorable little whimper. He let go of your chin and returned his hand to its place atop his microphone. You could practically hear the gears turning in his brain, weighing up the options. Should he let you have this? Would it be something beneficial for you?

◍ That was usually how he decided what demands of yours he would give into, and which ones he wouldn’t. Would it be beneficial for you, would it help you adapt more to THIS life? 

◍ “I just want to feel like me. Every day I feel my humanity, the person I used to be, slipping further and further away from my grasp. Like if I reached a little farther I could hold onto it just a little longer. I’m not ready to let go of it all yet, Alastor… This all feels like a horrible nightmare. The only silver lining to his dark cloud has been you…”

◍ You were practically biting back tears as you spoke, explaining why you desperately wanted to celebrate such a holiday. He was quiet once again, perhaps revaluating his first decision. 

◍ He hated seeing you upset. He hated seeing you cry. Not that you liked throwing a little pity party to get your own way, he was very susceptible to what we’re real tears and which were crocodile tears because he hadn’t given into you. He said yes. Yes to your very own Christmas in hell. 

◍ A flick of his wrist was all it took, a flash of green melting away, leaving behind heaps of perfectly placed faux snow, twinkling Christmas lights and reefs hung on every door. It was like something from a Christmas movie, the very scene before you unlocking some childhood memory you had forgotten you even had — the time you went to the Christmas light gardens at the snowy park with your parent(/s).

◍ You twirled around, the awe clear on your face as you took in the picture perfect sight. “Perfect” was really the only word to describe the scene before you… you felt your grin falter ever so slightly. Of course he noticed.

◍ “ You do not like it. “ 

◍ You felt yourself wince at the comment, a comment you were sure was supposed to come out a question. But he was right … you didn’t like it. There was nothing comforting or homely, loving, about this. 

◍ In a desperate attempt to prove yourself wrong you spun around once again, searching for the smallest piece of misplaced snow, a reef without a candy striped bow, a light that was out of sync with the rest or that didn’t work at all — you couldn’t find a single fault with it. 

◍ “ It’s not that I don’t like it!”

◍ “Then what is it?”

◍ “I was just hoping that the Christmas would feel a little more homely, and not as much magic would be involved. The fun part is putting UP the Christmas decorations! Sure they won’t be as perfect as this… but that’s what makes Christmas special. It’s a holiday you build together.”

◍ The smile on his mouth never faltered. Never, ever. Not even when you were rambling about the Christmas you wanted to put together yourself — with him. With the Hotel staff, your friends. The demons you had come to love over the last few months of residing there… 

◍ Another flash of green, the hotel walls were bare with nothing but Charlie’s family portraits littering the walls once more. However, the same decorations were crammed into boxes, red, green and white spewing out of the bursting cardboard. 

◍ You seemed happier at the sight of the tearing boxes than you did at the Christmas wonderland he had created for you in mere seconds. Some things just couldn’t be reached with magic. 

◍ It wasn’t long before the word had gotten around to the rest of the gang that you and Alastor were putting up Christmas decorations — They decided to join you. Charlie seemed the most enthusiastic about it! 

◍ In order, they joined Charlie & Vaggie ( together, coming back from business elsewhere ), Angel, Nifty and the last to join was Husk, who had earned himself the nickname of “Hinch” ( Husk / Grinch ). He was not in the Christmas spirit, however Nifty couldn’t reach the top of the portraits to hang tinsel from them! He enjoyed watching her struggle for a few moments, then it got sad. So he decided to step in and help! You think he liked it really.

◍ And what good would Christmas be without Christmas music, Santa hats and funky hair accessories, and ugly sweaters? 

◍ Alastor was not a fan of the itchy, red sweater. He also wasn’t a fan of the jingling reindeer horns that were placed on his head and the light - up red nose clipped to the tip of his, courtesy of Angel. But… he tolerated it for an hour or two. 

◍ He thought you looked rather adorable in a sparkly Santa hat … 

◍ It took hours to decorate the seemingly endless floors of the Happy Hotel, and by the end it was getting worse and worse. Even you were putting less effort into your own plan! It looked nothing, nowhere near, anything like what Alastor had created for you. The faux snow was too sparse in some places and over flowing in others, tinsel was messily draped and thrown everywhere and on every string of lights you could spot at least one that didn’t work. It was perfect! 

◍ Having left with Angel about an hour before you guys finished up the last few floors remaining, Nifty had baked Gingerbread demons. They were like gingerbread men, only some of these had limbs missing, extra appendages, and funny faces drawn on with icing. Angel was having fun drawing boobs on them. 

◍ You decided to watch horror movies in place of Christmas movies, since finding Christmas movies for rental in Hell was like looking for a needle in a Haystack. Hot cocoa, gingerbread demons, you were content on the lap of your love, one arm lazily holding your waist.

◍ None of you had gotten each other gifts, due to none of it being expected or plans, so instead you shared the happy memories you had! Happy memories in Hell were few and far between, but you were glad everyone could think of at least one to share. Even Husk joined in with this one!

◍ The night drew in, it got later and one by one the Hotel Staff retreated to their own rooms. It was just you and Alastor now… still perched on his lap, the cold dregs of once-hot cocoa remaining in your cup, you nestled your back into him. His arm tightened around your middle protectively, a purr sounding against your right ear. It always made you shudder. 

◍ “Thank you for making today special, Alastor.”

◍ You turned on his thighs to face him, smiling pink-cheeked up at him. He pressed a claw to your lips, his other arm leaving your waist momentarily. A flick of his wrist, a small flash of green — he was holding a piece of mistletoe. 

◍ You swore you felt your heart leap in your chest, whether that was even possible or not, you felt something. You felt a twinge of excitement and anxiety. You knew what he was after, and you had been hoping for this for a while too. 

◍ “May I?”

◍ His voice was much softer, a hand cupping the side of your face gently. Lips parted and ready for him, you gave a single nod before his mouth was pressed to yours. The kiss was slightly clumsy, yet it was passionate and needy. One hand on your face, the other half-heartedly holding up the piece of mistletoe as he melted against your mouth with a purr of pleasure.

◍ That was the first time he had kissed you, and for someone who didn’t know what he was doing too much, you had loved every second.

◍ “Merry Christmas, my sweet.”

[where-s-all-blue]

Okay so I've entered the Alabasta Arc now (I am actually pretty close to the climax in my rererewatch) so here's some thoughts:

Reverse Mountain:

I personally adored the mishaps the crew has on their way to the GrandLine, and the entire reverse mountain is very intriguing to me to this day. One day, I'll figure out just how on earth that thing works.

Laboon's story, tear jerking, absolutely devastating. Luffy being able to talk sense into a WHALE tells all you need about his ability to befriend beings. He also was the first one to hear Laboon, foreshadow for his later on found ability to Hear All Things or Haki?

Whiskey Peaks:

Ahh the time Vivi tried to be a villain. And Mister 9 is an absolute sweetheart. Honestly they made a pretty good team even if neither of them actually knew how fighting works. Personally I would've loved to see more of them, Mister 9 and Miss Monday seemed like interesting characters.

I keep forgetting about Zoro having supersonic speed in these, I kind of miss him just disappearing only to reappear right in middle of the group to mock their reaction of looking at the place he just was sitting on. The speed of him and his ability to momentarily cut through things he later on can't pretty much just tells you that he does have it in him, but it just isn't conscious thing yet. Also unconscious usage of haki spotted?

Vivi being The Vivi Nefertari is one of the more interesting and intense sequences in the pre-timeskip era, even if it takes less time than for example the Arlong Park does and shows just how devastatingly strong both Luffy and Zoro are. I can't believe that these idiots would retort to a fist fight mid battle.

Mister 5's ability is very unhygienic and I'd like to drown him in sanitizer, Miss Valentine needs to be silenced forever, her laughter creeps me out and she honestly doesn't add any value into the conversation. This is a duo I'd like to murder slowly.

Igram blowing up still gets me, the reactions of the characters, the devastated facial expression of Vivi, the sound design, the shocked looks, it's just so well executed.

Vivi's reaction of mixed feelings regarding Miss All Sunday/Robin, albeit just, is very confusing for me. I remember when I met her the first time and all I could think of was "She's a nice person" just based on her facial expression and the words she used.

I forgot that Luffy broke the eternal log pose Robin gave them. Not because he didn't trust her but because the choice Vivi would've been forced to make after the shock of loosing Igram would've been too much. Also because he didn't want anyone to dictate HOW they get there, he's the captain and as such it's his job to make the final decision, he also appears to have been convinced that this way Vivi would be safe.

Little Garden:

Aah, Little Garden, the island I'd simultaneously love and hate. Love because dinosaurs, hate because loud and probably insects large enough to use me as a quick caffeine filled pick-me-up. I might have a problem.

The fact that I can understand the thought process of these giants concerns me greatly. Is this the power of the Monkey Brain?

Mister 3 would be an amazing character if only we could see his self proclaimed genius in action and hear him go through plans etc. I feel like he's just trying to compensate on his lack of battlefield knowledge and experience. Miss Golden Week is highkey a mood and I love her. I, too, want to paint whatever I want and get paid for it.

Zoro actually started to hack through his own leg because he wanted to fight so badly, what a mad lad. Usopp honestly is flexing with his quick thinking and reflexes here. We love that for him. Go you funky little sniper.

Luffy might've used observation haki instinctively in the Mister 3 crowd.

Sanji managing to outright fool Crocodile to believe that he is Mister 3 indicates that Crocodile has never heard the voices of his underlings before and just assuming that the man who answered is Mister 3. The two also apparently have similar sense of humour. That Crocodile is aware of based on what Robin has told him.

Sanji both taking down the Unluckies without any hesitation nor stopping to think about where they came from really tells volumes about him. He also apparently lied so convincingly that Crocodile was 100% sure that it was Mister 3 fighting Luffy and not a chef beating up his long distance murder pets.

Nami was bitten by a bug, which was the carrier of a rare, nearly dead disease. Based on the amount of time one would usually need to wait for the sickness to develop, I'd say that they were about a week on the ocean before Nami developed the fever.

None of the crew members, Vivi included, thought about doing a full body check on her to see if there were any other symptoms than fever, ie her body actively fighting against the infection/sickness. Also her sickness isn't apparently something that spreads, so it's very unlikely for it to be virus based or spread similar to flu.

Drum Island/Sakura Kingdom:

Nami is capable of sensing the weather, and act upon her feelings, under 40C fever. If I have any level of fever, I am rendered near vegetative state until my fever either goes down or raises past certain level. What I'm saying is that Nami is some sort of Goddess or superhero because of being able to do anything with that fever.

Vivi needing to think about whether or not she can afford waiting extra days for being taken to Alabasta or to change the course to find a doctor is one of the stupidest things ever especially since the person who is sick with such a high fever happens to be the navigator.

Warm welcome by residents is warm. And by warm I mean freezingly cold. I can't believe that Luffy thought about yelling to the person before Vivi bowed her head prompting Luffy to do the same (though heavily "encouraged" by Vivi). Vivi saying that Luffy isn't fit to be the captain reflects very strongly her own views and beliefs, but she keeps forgetting something very simple, yet important. Background. She has no idea about Luffy's past nor how he grew up, she hasn't been long enough with the crew to be able to tell just why people follow Luffy, nor is she aware of how he communicates with people. She doesn't realise that when it comes to Luffy, humility isn't a word to describe him with nor that he would be able to set his own pride aside just yet, Luffy is a 17 year old, a mere child, who has just set out on the sea few months ago, who only knows the harshness of the world, where to survive, you must take things with force or be aggressive. She also isn't familiar with Luffy's way of helping others and going all in no matter the situation.

It's interesting to see how from the time Vivi is with them, Luffy is clearly paying attention to how she does things and how she presents herself, the mannerisms and the likes. It's not as clear idolisation and wish for being equal/better than someone as it was with Katakuri's use of haki, but he is striving to learn. If not because he acknowledges how important manners and humility are, but because it makes things easier on certain places. He especially starts to pay more attention to it once Ace joins them.

By the way the sickness Nami is struck with? It's most likely the same as the one that cost the life of Captain Yorkie of the Rumbar Pirates. After all, the ship doctor couldn't heal it, he didn't know how to, he could only prolong his death for a little while, few days max.

Chopper is a joy to have around and I'd physically fight Doctor Kureha at first sight because WOMAN! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE ATTACKING YOUR PATIENTS JUST BECAUSE THEY GOT OUT OF THE BED! What if they need to use the restroom. I don't care if you're a youthful 139 year old lady, you can't just do that. Also how the hell are you still able to move that well? Most people I see start to slowly loose their mobility at 60 as their joints are starting to wear out causing pain and their muscle mass is lowering due to the inability to move as much as during their prime.

I am surprised that a reindeer even cares about something like a blue nose. The devilfruit thing? Yeah sure, but not the blue nose. These local reindeer are dicks with human level of obsession to look like the "norm". News flash, there is no default anything. Your appearances are purely dictated by a set of genes that decide to either activate or deactivate as they please without any warning and genes can skip multiple generations. That's why I apparently look identical to my great grandmother.

Nami is kind towards other women and animals. Men not so much, my assumption is that she is carrying a trauma from the Arlong time that she hasn't yet processed and as such she is even now a bit guarded against the rest of the crew.

Hiriluk's character is closer to that of a mad scientist or a very enthusiastic chemist who keeps forgetting that people aren't test subjects. His curiosity and and enthusiasm are something to strive for even if his methods are questionable, all he does want is to bring people sense of hope, wonder and awe. Though I can't help but to wonder about his story. The thief (him) having a serious incurable heart condition and seeing cherry blossoms that cured him. A metaphor for his past self being relentless and uncaring while thieving, but the indescribable beauty of the scenery he saw changed his heart to be more generous and kind?

Hiriluk's death is one of the most important ones in the series if you ask me, it defined Chopper and who he became; Doctor hoping to be capable of curing any disease there is.

[chucklepea-hotpot]

Pink Floyd, Metallica, Simon & Garfunkel, the Mamas & Papas, Deep Purple, and Madonna?

Pink Floyd: What are some things that make you sad?

Oof, there's alot of things whem I'm in the right mood... I am really sad about the fact that rn I won't be able to spend time with my grandma on my birthday because of the virus.

Metallica: Do you have any special talents?

Um,, let's see... I can do pretty muppet-ish movements with my arms but it looks really weird.

I can do pretty good scrambled eggs in my opinion.

I can be really fixated on a bunch of things, plus if daydreaming was a discipline, I would master it.

Simon and Garfunkel: What song(s) help you get through the day?

Right now I just really really like Simon and Garfunkel (ironically) especially I enjoy the whole Central Park concert.

Also I enjoy Spandau Ballet, Heaven Is A Secret and She Loved Like Diamond are BOPPIN'.

What songs I also want to add:

- America by Yes

- Crocodile Rock by Elton John

- Colours by Joan Baez

The Mamas and The Papas: Define yourself in 5 words

chaotic, mess, gay, weird & funky

Deep Purple: 3 of your greatest fears

1. Whales

2. Climate change

3. Failing

Madonna: Describe your crush

Okay listen,, she is BEAUTIFUL, she plays guitar and bass, she has curly hair which she has just dyed and is just a little bit taller than me.

Music taste wise she is so galaxy-brained, I feel sometimes so uneducated, she loves going to concerts and watching movies in cinemas.

Her style is amazing and groovy, when she laughs I don't even know what to say and she reminds me of the stars and anything space related.

[crusherthedoctor]

Sonic & Tails: Beyond the Stars - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Lambs to the Laughter

"So uh, is there something we can do for you?" Sonic asked Vector, as he leaned to his side against the cavern wall. He was still surprised that the crocodile of all people came to Viridonia out of the blue, along with his crew. The others were naturally just as curious.

"Well, we didn't come all the way here just to look for you, if that's what you're thinking," Vector explained quickly. "We were actually taking a vacation here, since we figured we could do with one! Hardworking detectives need some R&R too, after all!"

"No one's been coming to us lately anyway," Espio dryly added, arms crossed.

"Shhhhhh," the annoyed crocodile whispered, with a finger at his mouth. He turned back to the group. "Anyway, we soon learned about this big monster going around terrorizing the people, and that Dr. Eggman was here too. Now, I'm an easygoing man, but I couldn't sit by while that moustached monkey is afoot. So we decided-"

"YOU decided," Charmy cheekily corrected.

"...WE decided to get to the bottom of it and figure out what's going on. Unfortunately though..." Vector scratched the back of his scaly head in embarrassment. "Despite our skills, we've been having difficulties so far. Been one step behind every step of the way, cause of... well..."

He nodded towards the hedgehog. Sonic took a moment to realise the implication, as shown by his confused glance with Tails. But the moment it clicked, his gradually smiled sheepishly. He shrugged along with it.

"Well, Sonic isn't my name for nothing," he chuckled mildly.

"Now you guys are always in the center of Eggman's schemes, right? So we reckon that if we stick around with you, our chances will be greater."

"Otherwise we'd be clueless!" Charmy beamed.

"Charmy, geeze!"

"Well, that's fine with us, Vector," Tails smiled earnestly, yet slightly awkwardly, having attempted to conceal his begrudging amusement at the detective's frustration. "Any help is good help. Right, Sonic?"

"Right on, little buddy," Sonic agreed, with a thumbs up directed at the fox. He turned his head. "How about you, Trudy? You okay with them tagging along?"

"Of course," Lutrudis answered casually and without hesitance, despite her initial perplexment at the newcomers' presence. She walked closer to the Chaotix, and smiled at them. "Long as their hearts are just, you won't see me dismissing these... characters. I'm Lutrudis, by the way." She bowed respectfully towards them.

"Pleased to meet ya, Latruedish!" Vector announced proudly, with his hands on his hips, and a toothy grin. Espio looked subtly horrified by his teammate's abysmal pronunciation. Tails likewise cringed internally. The smile on the horse's own face did not falter in the slightest.

"So doing detective talk for a sec," Sonic started semi-jokingly. "Got any leads on where we should head to first?"

"Yes actually," Vector boasted. "Before we came here, we had deduced the very probable likelihood that Eggman may be heading for... Merry Villa."

"Merry Villa?" Lutrudis questioned, as one of her ears lowered. "But that's not an huge monument or anything, that's just... the theme park. Why would Eggman head there? I mean, I know the doctor has a history with theme parks, but that can't be the only reason, can it?"

"You are severely underestimating his preferences," Espio mused, as he polished one of his shuriken.

"Yeah, he's got an obsession with them... a major obsession with them. I would know..." The tone in Sonic's voice indicated his memory had recalled a certain amusement park of the past that the doctor created... his tone also indicated he swiftly wanted to forget about it.

"So let's gooooo! I wanna see it too!" Charmy immediately flew out of the cavern in a frenzy of ecstasy, to which an exasperated Vector followed him, who was in turn followed by Espio. Sonic was about to follow suit, but he turned to Lutrudis with a smile.

"Maybe we'll have some fun there too," he suggested, before he walked out. As Tails waited patiently for Lutrudis, the latter glanced at the crystals all around her, each of them still brimming with different energies. Her body language initially conveyed a hint of hesitance, a doubt that it was her position to use them. But she recalled her friends' words of wisdom, and after putting her doubts aside for the sake of the now, she opened up her backpack...

---

"Are you sure they'll be alright in there?" Tails asked in reference to the bag full of excited Chao that was twice the size of Cream, which the young rabbit was nonetheless holding onto with surprisingly little effort.

"Yes, Tails," Cream replied happily. Lutrudis was personally unsure about bringing the Chao along with them to a place where Eggman might be, but it was either that or leaving them on their own in the castle, and Amy had already insisted with great enthusiasm that she and the rabbit come along to check out this Merry Villa. The horse trusted that her friends knew what they were doing, since they've been on more adventures than her.

They were running through the quiet streets of Lime Shores, albeit not at their highest running speed, as Sonic finally remembered that not all of his friends were as lightning fast on their feet as he was, and he didn't want to take a toll on Lutrudis' sensitive legs. The town itself was drastically different than how Sonic was used to it. Far from the turquoise he was accustomed to seeing in the daytime, the starry night gave the buildings a sheen of purple and pink. It clearly wasn't a simple paint job, as every last building was altered in the same way, and they looked even more translucent. Could this have a connection with the Ethereal Zone's lingering effects too...?

Whatever the story was, it looked incredible. The blue hero mentally cursed Eggman for disrupting their intended vacation time in such a beautiful region, and made yet another mental note to himself to check this all out for longer after the villain was dealt with.

"You think cute couples can get in free at this one?" Amy joked in Sonic's direction, though not without sounding a tad hopeful. Sonic simply smirked.

"As if we won't get in free regardless," he snarked playfully. "We've never NOT got into these things for free... Casino Night, Casinopolis, Casino Park... It's kind of amazing, now that I think about it."

"Well, you ARE the hero of the world. Maybe they understand that they'd all be suffering under Eggman's rule if it weren't for you?" Amy smirked in return.

"Or maybe they suck at their jobs," the male hedgehog laughed, and Amy laughed along with him.

Meanwhile, Lutrudis tried to strike up a conversation with the Chaotix, in an effort to get more acquainted with them. "So you guys don't like Eggman either?" she asked as she glanced up at Vector.

"Nope," Vector stated firmly, eyes straight ahead. "He's a scoundrel."

"He's corrupted," Espio added.

"He looks weird!" Charmy finished, and made a weird face of his own to go along with it. "With that pink nose and those whiskers on his face!"

"Well, I quite agree that he's a menace." Lutrudis was still pacing herself to decrease the chances of her body overexerting itself. "And you help Sonic out on occasion, to defend the world against his horrific tyranny? That's very noble, and commendable." She let out another friendly smile.

Vector paused. He soon realised that their actual reason of wanting Eggman to pay up for an incident years ago might not sound particularly dashing, and he didn't want to bust his first impression.

"...Yeah. Sure."

"Ooooh, is that it?" Cream pointed, still not affected in any way by the weight of her bag full of Chao. The rest of the group were so deep into their conversations that they hadn't realised they were already there. Lutrudis checked for each of their reactions, and outside of Espio's low-key intrigue, they were all dazzled.

"~Chao!~" Cheese cried happily.

"That's it, alright," Tails muttered in amazement. "That looks..."

"AWESOME!" Charmy completed the fox's sentence without asking.

"This is perfect for us!" Amy beamed, and hopped slightly in excitement. "Way better than Eggman's glorified death traps! What do you think, Sonic?"

"Uh..."

It really was something else. His adventures had sent him through countless amusement-related facilities in the past, made by Eggman or otherwise, but for one that wasn't devised by the scientist, it certainly had just as much unique grandeur. Behind an impressively-sized archway, with the title carved into it, were the expected rollercoasters, big wheel, challenges... all complimented by giant marble structures and walls, the latter of which were decked out in a selection of funky patterns with paint. The hero couldn't guess if there was any symbolic meaning to them, but partly because he was also distracted by the many spherical trees throughout the park, each of them boasting different coloured leaves from red all the way to purple. The cobblestone on the ground was practically polished, and the grass alongside it was a faint, bubblegum pink.

Of course, some of this was harder to notice among the crowds upon crowds of ecstatic citizens running around and having the time of their lives. But Sonic noticed all of it regardless, and if the glint in his eye hadn't given it away, he was undoubtably impressed with the showing.

"At least we're getting in free after all... like always... Hey, while we're here...!" His attention compromised, he ran up to a rotund mole, who was standing beside a Test Your Strength challenge.

"Really?" Espio scoffed. "Right now?"

"Yeah, aren't we kind of... looking for Eggman?" Tails wondered in confusion. "Not that I don't like the look of this place, but..."

Sonic wasn't paying attention to them however, as his eyes were focused intently on the prize at stake: a real necklace in the style and pattern of a flower crown. He knew Cream would love the look of this, and he was determined to win it for her.

"May I?" he asked the older mole, as he picked up the hammer required for the challenge.

"Go right ahead, sir," he replied in a posh accent.

The hedgehog chuckled to himself, as he tightened his grip on the hammer. Everyone else gathered round, some more reluctantly than others. He prepared himself, he aimed at the target on the ground, he threw himself back, and with lightning speed...

WHACK!

...He didn't get it.

"What!?" Sonic barked angrily. "How the heck was that not strong enough!? Is this rigged?"

"Anyone else want to try?" the posh mole asked, not answering Sonic's question. His moustache hid the amused smirk on his face.

"Me!" Amy called out as she raised her hand. "Got experience with hammers, you know," she winked playfully. The mole nodded wordlessly, and handed the hammer over to her. Sonic was still visibly annoyed at the implication that the guy who beat numerous ancient entitles was apparently not enough for this simple carnival challenge.

Amy readied herself, with a closed eye, and her tongue sticking out. Espio was rolling his eyes, and Vector put his hands in his pockets rather awkwardly. With a lot of energy, she gave it her all...

"Yah!"

WHACK!

...Still no victory.

"Aw, come on!" she complained. "I totally put everything into that one!"

"Anyone else...?" the mole asked again. He was not too subtly entertained by these proceedings. "Perhaps you, madam?"

He looked in Lutrudis' direction. She blinked, and turned to Sonic and Amy. They both shrugged. Turning back, she nervously walked up to the mole, despite her obvious lack of confidence. Might as well try it for Cream's sake, right?

"Don't be shy, you might have what it takes..." the mole chortled lightly. Lutrudis laughed unconvincingly at his reassurance, but slowly took the hammer from him anyway. She walked up to the target on the ground, positioning herself as carefully as she could. Her tail flicked slowly back and forth as she focused. She closed her eyes tightly, as she prepared to strike...

WHA-BOING!

She opened her eyes, taken off guard by a very different noise. She looked at the moustached mole, who looked as though he had seen a ghost. She turned to everyone else, who all shared the exact same expression. Wondering what they were all looking at, she glanced at the top of the machine... or rather, where it used to be. It was now on the ground, broken, along with the meter itself.

She stared at the ruined machine blankly, only blinking a few times. She then stared at her hands, which were still gripping onto the hammer. She looked at the machine again, with the same blank emotion. Incredibly slowly, she shyly gave the hammer back to the mole, whose gaze was still in the same place. She stood beside him, with her hands behind her back. Her eyes glanced to the side.

"So uh..."

Without a further word from her, he handed the necklace over to her. His head still didn't turn, nor did the bewildered look on his face.

"Thank you, sir..." Lutrudis mumbled nervously, before she turned to Cream to give the prize over. As soon as she saw it, and realised it was for her, the rabbit jumped for joy and hugged the horse's legs. Lutrudis in turn simply pat her on the head, smiling contently. The rest of the group, Sonic and Amy included, walked away from the scene one by one, still notably shocked by what just happened. As Cream skipped along to catch up with Amy, Lutrudis stopped for a moment, and walked back to the elderly mole. His face was still exactly the same, and it seemed nothing would snap him out of his shock at this rate.

"Keep the change," she awkwardly muttered as she placed a twenty note into his pocket. She walked off without another word, somewhat quickly at that.

---

Merry Villa Zone

Act 1: Parade Plaza

Lutrudis’ Badnik Logs: Splats - "These may be the hoppiest bunnies I've ever seen. They're also the most malicious, as they have full intention to flatten you with their springs. Cute as they begrudgingly are, they don't hold a candle to Cream."

Dribbler - "The basketball kind, not the... you know... kind. Anyway, those bumpers they're so fixated on aren't just for show, for they're capable of using their slam dunking expertise to do you in. I sincerely doubt they wish to welcome us to the jam."

Buyon - "More bunnies! But these ones are even less adorable than Cream, not to mention their peculiar talent of extending and defending themselves with a gelatinous substance, thereby rendering themselves impervious to your attacks until they shrink back down. You would think they'd stay like that forever with such a defense."

Glider Pawn - "Purple as the night, Glider Pawns serve their namesake by riding atop their bat-shaped contraptions. They hang around in the air like a pungent smell, and their pumpkin-themed grenades show no mercy. Apparently, they're not too fond of arachnids."

Mimento - "These lanky boys take their business to a new level, as their hand miming somehow deflects you if you try to swipe them, as if they were using a shield. Your best bet is to catch them from behind. The doctor ought to be ashamed for giving monochromatic people a bad name."

Unicrusher - "There's no one riding them, but these unicycles can roll along just fine, and their spiked wheels do little to slow them down. Perhaps we could get one of the spikes to pop them?"

Welcome to Merry Villa, the brightest park in the land, and an adrenaline junkie's dream for no extra charge. (Suppose Heavy Rider would be up for it then.) The sights and spots may catch your attention, but you better not gawk for long if Eggman is around, and that's assuming he's alone. But you are the fastest around, so maybe you could get away with it...

The fancy, multi-layered fountain in the center highlights the considerable deco of the park, with a few parkgoers tossing a ring into it to make a wish. What could they be wishing for? To become a billionaire? To cure all the world's diseases? ...To not get killed by robots tonight? You can go right in the fountain and take those rings for yourself if you really want to, though Lutrudis will advise against it for moral reasons. On the other hand, Vector will strongly suggest it for monetary reasons.

The tall lampposts along the pathways illuminate the area nicely, but so do the grenades of the meddling Glider Pawns. If you defeat them quickly enough, you can briefly ride atop their gliders yourself, before they eventually explode. Note that they only go straight ahead though, meaning they turn about as well as you did back in Soleanna. (Relax, the illusion that you don't remember that one died ages ago.) You can also interact with the workers in oversized mascot suits, which includes possums, jackrabbits, and bobcats. Their appearance seems to be somewhat derivative... and the kids seem to be weirded out by them too.

Bobcat Mascot: There's no need to be afraid, boys and girls! What could possibly go wrong?

Sonic: Your career, apparently...

You can also run up and along the mildly psychadelic patterned walls, which are occasionally separated by small streams of water. And then there's the rides themselves. Climb up the big wheel (or fly, if you're Tails) to get a good view, race along the rollercoasters for shortcuts, scale the swinging pirate ships to nab some hidden items, and watch out for dodgem-manning Egg Pawns. Note that if you take a route involving an especially speedy or momentum-based ride, Lutrudis will always take a detour, as those kind of rides wouldn't do her body any favors.

By the way, yes, she noticed the merry go round. Yes, she noticed it had horses. Yes, she knows Sonic noticed them too.

Lutrudis: Go on then. What witticism do you wish to share about them?

Sonic: Well, they're not as pretty, I guess!

Lutrudis: ...???...

If you climb the big wheel, you can actually see some of the other zones in Viridonia, hiding far away in the background. And not just the ones you've already explored, but a few examples of new territory as well... including a mountain even greater in scale than Zephyr Mountain, covered completely from top to bottom in snow. As beautiful as it looks, you can't help but sense something foreboding about it...

Aside from the aforementioned Glider Pawns, Buyons and Mimentos will prove to be the biggest annoyances of this Badnik selection. Luckily, you've dealt with Buyons in the past, and the strategy for them before works just as well here, so just wait for them to shrink. Mimentos don't cause any damage themselves, but they have a knack for standing near obstacles that will hurt you. All the more reason to use your head when dealing with these jokers.

The end of the stage is signified by the presence of a tunnel. A rather pretty tunnel actually, that's teeming with waterfalls and flowers. Wait, you don't think this could be...

---

"A Tunnel of Love!" Amy gushed merrily. "Not even Twinkle Park had one of these! Let's try that out!"

"All of us...?" Espio muttered awkwardly. He didn't think his expert ninja training would come to this, though it wasn't as if he had anything better to do at this moment in time.

"That's a wonderful idea!" Cream complimented cheerfully, and the numerous Chao on her person were voicing their approval as well, in their famously distinctive language.

"Seems kinda girly though..." Charmy thought, clearly not as impressed with it as he was with the rollercoasters. "Like Vector's singing."

"I heard that!" the crocodile complained.

"Can we, Sonic? Pretty please?" Amy made sure to master her best puppy dog eyes for maximum effect. Sonic rolled his eyes, though it was obviously in jest.

"Whatever, no harm I guess," Sonic shrugged as they all got on the nearby boat one by one. In another stunning display of the hedgehog's luck with parks, no one was there to demand a fee from him. The boat itself was - somewhat predictably for this occasion - shaped like a large gondola, and it had no trouble with housing eight anthros. And Chao. Tails was at the front, followed by the Chaotix, then Amy and Cream, then Sonic and Lutrudis.

As their little ride through the tunnel started, they immediately noticed that the roof of the tunnel displayed huge constellations, and other forms of dazzling astral projections. Neon purple lights shined throughout the "night sky", which reflected off the water and flora. Amy and Cream were immediately hooked, as was Tails.

"Man..." Vector let out quietly.

"Okay, this is pretty rad," said Charmy, having retracted his previous sentiment.

Everyone was deeply focused on the spectacle, and Sonic himself was no different. It almost reminded him of his experiences in the Chaos Emeralds' ever changing pocket dimension. He turned to Lutrudis to see her own reaction, and he saw the purple reflect off her brown eyes. He noticed this for perhaps longer than necessary.

"This is the first time I've been here," she commented, her eyes still looking up. Her arms were resting on her knees. "Never thought it would look like this."

"Really? Your first time? You've never been to the park in your own region?" Sonic raised an eyebrow, shocked by this claim. He looked around himself, taking the scenery in once more, before turning back to her. "Not a fan of places like this?"

"Oh no, it's not a taste thing," Lutrudis answered. "It's not that they're not made for me. Rather, it's... the opposite." She rubbed her arm with a little unease, clearly uncomfortable with having to remember the countless ways her life had to be made needlessly complicated through an undesirable situation. "I can't really get much mileage with most rides..."

Sonic continued looking at his friend. Though he understood her words immediately, he also sensed through her troubled body language that this wasn't just limited to parks.

"Don't take this the wrong way Trudy, but... you don't go out much, do you?" he asked out of concern. He really hoped she wouldn't be offended.

Lutrudis glanced at the others. She looked at Amy and Cream's unrestrained glee at the tunnel's beauty, and smiled, though it appeared bittersweet.

"No, not really. I know where everything is around here, but outside of my immediate area and the town, that's pretty much me." She chuckled. "I don't suppose the guardian of the Master Emerald would sympathise."

Sonic chuckled in turn, though that passed quickly. For someone who has lived the life that he has, and continues to live, it was obvious to him from his friend's tone that she desperately wanted to change this aspect of her own life, but felt unable to do so. All because of an illness beyond her control.

"You know... there's still a lot of places in the world," the hedgehog pointed out innocently. He didn't seem to realise he had scooted closer to her. "In all shapes and sizes. Surely there's many that would suit your needs, even if others don't."

Lutrudis paused to contemplate his suggestion. She appeared to be unsure about it, but after finding solace in his famous green eyes, which once again failed to show any sign that he didn't mean what he said, her ears slowly lowered.

"You really think there's more out there for me...?" she questioned.

Sonic simply nodded, with a warm look on his face. Lutrudis, very gradually, returned the hero's smile, not noticing that her hand was now slightly on top of his. If Sonic noticed it, he didn't show it, nor did he complain.

"Looks like this is the end of the path!" Tails called out, as he pointed towards the light at the end of the tunnel.

"Thank god, I was starting to get seasick," Vector muttered, his face having turned slightly blue.

"In a love tunnel...?" Espio queried.

"S-Shut up..."

---

Act 2: Toy Towers

Lutrudis’ Badnik Logs: Spiker - "Pointy, aren't they? But they're not. By violating common sense and bouncing on them, you will find that their spiked form is but a clever ruse. It's rather a shame that they tend to hide alongside real spikes..."

Ringleader - "Their blocky arms may look tough, but their danger actually comes from their underside, which can detach from the main body and slice you up like a particularly gruesome boomerang... Bonza...?"

Guards - "These... uh, guards, come in threes, and though they may be smaller than a mouse, they've got bombs hiding in those trumpets. Even though they can still play the trumpets just fine..."

Slitty - A slinky may be for every girl and boy, but if they're this sharp and hazardous, they're hardly a joy. Be cautious with stairs and ledges, as they like to hang around them... or drop down from them, to be more accurate."

Boxfiend - "It's a box, and there's a fiend inside... Brilliant. The striped jesters within are eager to pound you into dust with their oversized boxing gloves. Might want to watch your ear..."

Blocker - "Now the ABC's are trying to kill us. What will they think of next. Depending on which letter their face is, they can either open up to reveal a flamethrower, or they can... give you rings...? Was this an intentional design choice...?"

Returning Enemies: Dribbler

Sonic: Toys...?

Tails: Lots of them!

Cream: I like this place!

Espio: I don't.

Yes, it would seem that the Tunnel of Love brought us to a place where everything is made from toys. And I do mean everything, including the very ground you step on. The grass and the trees look as though they're made out of paper, and the towers made of different colored blocks are a size worthy for a giant's son... or Eggman, if you want to argue about what constitutes for a child.

Anyway, there's a whole bunch of gimmicks here, which naturally work in tandem with the motif going on here. Basketballs bounce along the ground, which you can jump on to gain height for trickier jumps, though you can also get crushed if you're underneath. You can jump even higher by bouncing on the giant trampolines, but you can also bust them if you strain them too much. Bonus points can be gained by scoring a bullseye on the dartboards... with the dart in question being you.

On another note, have you secretly entered a cartoon universe (that isn't your own)? It might feel that way, because you also have to deal with falling anvils, walls that don't actually exist, and stacks of dynamite lighting up on seemingly their own accord. Who could possibly be causing all this... magic?

Sonic: Did anyone else hear a weird... laugh?

It's this level where the Chaotix will really get to help you out. In areas where there's a lot of basketballs, Espio can fire his shuriken to pop some of them, which gives you a little more leeway. Vector, if you desire, can use his music to knock down some towers, which can reveal some hidden goodies. And Charmy can take care of some enemies in the air if you're busy dealing with them on land. Of course, the others in your group can still help out as well.

"~Mmm hmm hmm!~"

Tails: There it is again! That laugh!

Amy: Come on out and show yourself, coward!

Lutrudis: Wonder what they find so funny...

Around the halfway point, you'll arrive in what appears to be an elaborate mini-golf course. There's no ball though, so I guess you'll have to stand in for it. There's plenty of smooth slopes to get your speed going, but be careful as you roll under narrow windmills, and avoid the holes that count as pits. There should really be a safety inspector for this.

The further you go on, the more the oddities ramp up. Some of the walls will suddenly try to flatten you, enemies will start appearing out of thin air, and at one point, even Sonic himself gets a different coat of paint, his fur now being green with black on top.

Sonic: HEY! Change me back right now, whoever you are! Or else...!

Magician: Only if you win, my blue comrade. But I fear this resulting match, will become quite sad!

Sonic: Oh great, it's you...

BOSS: Heavy Magician

Magician is a talkative robot.

Magician: You shall not evade my tricks, for this time the doctor's victory will stick!

She also likes to rhyme.

Magician: Are you daring to have a go? Try as you might, this will be your last foe!

A lot.

Magician: Don't see fit to be so coarse, for there are many things I could do to your horse!

Lutrudis: Thanks for making me feel involved, I guess...

The witch-like fiend tends to fly all around, waving her erratic hands all the way. Though she's not afraid to fire a drop of magic directly at you now and then, she favors using the environment against you. In addition to making enemies appear and altering the walls to squash you, she also summons falling anvils, and she can knock the block towers herself at the expense of your own wellbeing. Unsurprisingly, she also hides a lot of the time, which includes making herself invisible.

The key to beating her is by out-tricking her. She may fly around, but she's usually close to where you are. So if, say, you activated one of the squashing walls, and waited till the last second to escape from it... you might just get her squashed in your place, which will deactivate her invisibility cloak for a brief period. Give 'er the ol' one-two spin, and the cycle repeats.

...For a while. But she sees your ways eventually, and thus she decides to change tactics. How? By doing what every annoying boss worth their salt does... by cloning herself. You now have four copies of Magician to deal with, and you gotta figure out which one's the real deal. How do you do that? By noticing something off about their design? By noticing a difference in speed?

Nope. You just need to wait until the real Magician blabbers in rhyme again, thereby giving herself away, as the clones don't say anything. As punishment for her vice, you can keep up the beatdown, and after eight hits in total, the rascally robot will fly away, but not before one last ominous message...

Magician: Your strength and speed may be worth a crave, but when you see what we have in store, you will share a pretty grave!

---

"At least my fur's back to normal," Sonic muttered, as it restored itself to its usual blue. "I'd like to see her try that again..."

"What did she mean about us sharing a grave?" Cream asked fearfully. One of the Chao in her bag tried valiantly to pat the side of her head.

"Don't listen to her," Amy put her hand on the young rabbit's shoulder. "She's just trying to scare us," she added confidently. Just after she said this, her ear suddenly twitched madly. She appeared to feel a strange and unexpected sense of euphoria, judging from the strong look on her face.

"Is it just me, or do I smell something really tasty?"

The rest of the group exchanged glances of varying confirmation, until Amy pointed to where she thought it came from. Another tunnel from the looks of it, although this one had no water. Just by getting closer to it, her ear twitched again, even faster this time.

"DEFINITELY through here," she stated, with a hint of hunger lust.

"Don't you think this might be a trap?" Tails asked hesitantly. He looked behind him to see if anyone was following them through the tunnel.

"Indeed, we haven't encountered the doctor in this facility yet," Espio mentioned.

"Who cares? I'm hungry!" Charmy reasoned.

Lutrudis raised an eye at the bee's apparent lack of self-preservation, though that's not to say she wasn't amused. She looked into her backpack, which - in addition to her usual arrows - was now filled with the mystical crystals from her cavern. Was it really a good idea to bring them along...?

"No trap would get past us. Besides, even if it is, we can take it on no prob-"

Sonic cut himself off upon witnessing the sight in front of him. Everyone else was similarly speechless, and Vector was practically salivating. Standing tall and proud was a land made almost completely out of tasty treats, and colorful delights. Checkered walls were made entirely of chocolate, hills were made of ice cream, rivers were made of strawberry milk, candy canes were planted here and there, bridges were made out of ice lollies... tempting was an apt word to describe this place. Why there weren't more people here remained a mystery.

"This is gonna be bad for my diet," Vector confessed.

"You don't have a diet," Espio countered.

"Fine, hypothetical diet."

"I can't resist..." Amy weakly muttered, before pouting sadly. "But I know I have to..."

"I feel you," Sonic replied, similarly fighting the temptation for the sake of finding Eggman. Lutrudis simply clenched her chest with her arms to fight against her own hunger. Tails had to be pat on the back by both Cream and Charmy as he puffed out in exhaustion at the prospect of there being mint candy.

---

Act 3: Confectionery Factory

Lutrudis’ Badnik Logs: Gingerdread - "Horror movie material right here. With their candy-colored ice picks, these grinning treats could skewer you if you're not careful. Pray tell, why must the doctor corrupt something so sweet?"

Caramelt - "These sentient blocks of chocolate look harmless enough, but getting close to them will cause them to separate and extend themselves through molten caramel. Way I see it, if you can't eat it without it burning your mouth off, it has simply failed as an edible."

Gobshocker - "They're blue and round just like you, Sonic. But they're twice your size, and they can charge themselves with electricity. Won't be eating that one, then..."

Jellybomber - "They've got a lot of jellybeans in their glass cases, but don't get your hopes up, they're just explosives. Doesn't matter which colour they fire, they're all made with the intent to blow you to kingdom come... Maybe the red ones aren't too bad though...?"

So I guess Viridonia is pretty lax about getting sued...

But who could blame the heroes for their temptation? This is every diabetic's greatest dream. And there's so much to choose from, so there's bound to be something for you! Candy, chocolate, ice cream, killer robots, the list is endless!

Naturally, there's a lot of gimmicks here as well. Giant muffins take the place of trampolines, you can spin up candy canes, and cake frosting works exactly the same as ice, though fortunately the latter sections are rarely next to anything especially dangerous. Licorice can be grinded on, and the strawberry milk is free to swim around in... and your character will remain pink for a few seconds after they come out, much to their chagrin. And if you search hard enough, you can find candy based on Sonic's own face! Complete with gumballs for eyes...

Sonic: ...I look nothing like that.

If you're able to run on top of one of the giant lollipops, with a little help from Lutrudis' whip, you can get it to fall on its side and whack another lollipop on the way down, which will cause that one to fall and whack another one, and the conker effect resumes until the last one crashes down onto a gate concealing a bunch of extra lives. Other tricks include pushing protruded chocolate blocks on the walls into their slots for more points (which Amy will occasionally sort out herself courtesy of her hammer), and just like in the jungles of Tricky Tropics, you can use the confectionery against your enemies should you possess the high intellect to do so. What's the best way to get rid of a Caramelt? By dunking them with ten times more caramel!

Strangely enough, the trickiest obstacle aside from the robots are the bridges made from ice lollies. You see, they work just like ice as well, but the speed changes depending on which colour you're currently sliding on... and the bridges consist of all the colours, meaning one moment you could be sliding normally, and the next moment you're suddenly sliding at faster speeds. Here's a handy checklist for which colours are which:

Purple and Pink > Slow

Cyan and Blue > Moderate

Yellow and Green > Fast

Red and Orange > Might as well be Mach Speed

So be careful. Otherwise your golden ticket will be for nothing. Did I mention that Gingerdreads sometimes occupy the bridges as well? At least they're affected by the different speeds too.

Towards the end, which is signified by a whole pack of Gobshockers, Heavy Magician suddenly appears again to knock all of you into a nearby chute. The good news is that it's just more strawberry milk. The bad news is that it's a current.

Vector: Yaargh!

Tails: Hang on guys!

Sonic: It's like the dam all over again!

Magician: ~Mmm hmm hmm!~

This one is a little harder, because not only is the path notably more diagonal and confusing, there are also floating Jellybombers, whose ability to pelt you with candy-colored bombs has not been impeded by the current. There's also a few more obstacles to avoid alongside them, like cherries and chocolate blocks. But if you persevere in one piece, you'll make it out alive. Literally. You're outside now, though still within the park. As you clean yourself up after that strawberry bath, you can spot some fancy lights in the distance, and a giant tent among them...

---

"Everyone okay?" Sonic asked, as he got the rest of the milk out of his right ear.

"Yeah... I think," Amy replied, slightly knocked out by the prior affair. Cream checked frantically that every Chao they had was still safe and sound in her bag, and to her relief, they were. Espio was trying to wipe the pink off of his horn, to debatable success, and Charmy was cleaning Vector's back. Tails used his twin tails to fan the rest of the substance off of Lutrudis.

"Well at least we're out of there now," Tails thought, though a hint of his hunger remained. "Any longer in there, and I would have acted on my impulses," he joked.

"Maybe you SHOULD have acted on them!" an unexpected voice called out to them from a very loud radio.

"Eggman!" Amy got into her usual defensive position with her hammer, even though the doctor wasn't technically present. "So you ARE here after all!"

"Of course," the arch villain confirmed. "Gotta check out rival theme parks after all! This one isn't bad, but I could make it so much better! And did they rip me off with that little candy factory of theirs...? How predictable for them to steal from my genius."

"Alright doc, where's the money?" Vector put up his dukes, and Espio and Charmy rallied beside him. "You KNOW I'll never let that go until we get it!"

"Money...?" Lutrudis questioned.

"Oh, get over that already, you mediocre detective. I said I'd give you it once the world is mine, yes? Ever consider that getting in my way delays that? Hmmmm?"

"Where are you, Eggman?" Sonic demanded firmly. He knew the scientist was up to something from his far too casual tone, and he didn't like it.

"You really want to know? Right here! In the Big Top! I've got a show of my own prepared, and I'd be grief-stricken if you missed it. Come inside... if you dare! Ho ho!"

The giant tent they could see even from a distance was a spectacle. It stood tall and wide, with red and white stripes, along with dozens upon dozens of bulbs around the outside perimeter that lit the place up nicely. Not that it needed them, since the surrounding area was also filled with lights, as well as smaller tents colored blue, with purple patterns. The spotlights shot up to the night sky, like a laser through butter.

The group looked at the main tent with a look of doubt, which they then exchanged with one another. Espio was already polishing his shuriken again, just in case.

"This is probably a bad idea," Lutrudis said what everyone else was thinking, the innocent Cream included. The horse's right foot was kicking the ground a little, possibly out of anxiousness.

Sonic nodded, though his look of determination remained. "But the only way our goose chase can end is when we get more words out of him. He's got arrogance the size of a moon, he'll blurt out something sooner or later."

"And he'll give us our money sooner or later..." Vector added through gritted teeth, and clenched fists. Charmy offered a look of sympathy.

---

Act 4: Cirque de Spectre

Lutrudis’ Badnik Logs: Boo - "Eggman isn't a witch doctor, is he? Because these don't look like robots to me. And yet, given that they'll attempt to grab you and halt your movement, these paranormal hoodlums appear to be in league with him anyway. Why, though...?"

Pierrot - "As if clowns didn't have a bad reputation already. These fellows are quite versatile, as they can juggle with skittles, carry around a hammer twice their size, or balance themselves on a big shiny ball. All three tactics deliver the pain regardless, so beware."

Juggle Saw - "This crabby duo shares a buzzsaw with each other, which they'll hand over to one another after a short period. I think that might count as cheating in regards to juggling, but I'm hardly a circus connoisseur."

Jackalope - "These names certainly come from a right jackanape. Carved from metal rather than fruit, these pumpkins alternate between emotions. They take it easy with their bouncing if they're sad, but if they look happy, they go extremely fast... you're still the king of speed though, Sonic, don't worry."

Leo - "It's okay, it's only a robot lion... actually, that might be worse. Either way, they're quick to pounce on you, and they tend to do it in small packs. Good thing there's just as many of us, wouldn't you say?"

Gumbo - "Goodness, those are sizable elephants! Not only can they use their long ears to blow you away, they can also shoot a gooey substance out of their trunks that will briefly immobolise you... and it kind of stinks a bit, but at least it isn't fatal."

Returning Enemies: Buyon Unicrusher Boxfiend

At least Eggman had the decency to indulge in his circus fantasies while the planet isn't being invaded by aliens this time. Pumpkins litter every corner, white gates are closed off, and lights flash on and off in different patterns. This place may have not been built by the villain, but he's set up shop here nonetheless, as evidenced by his takeover of the big top and the usual robots running around causing mischief.

As Lutrudis already noted however, it's not just the doctor's goons you're fighting this time. The Boos have appeared to menace our heroic anthros once more, and while they've had a history of lounging around Eggman-occupied establishments, here they seem to be actively working for him as opposed to remaining a neutral third party. You can tell this, because they have no compunctions about teaming up with the robots to knock you down. What did Eggman do to them...?

Sonic: Not the first time he's enslaved ghosts.

Lutrudis: So not even the dead are safe from his tampering. That filthy beast...

They act exactly as they did all the way back in the A.R.K. incident. Luckily, they haven't improved either, so a quick spin or tail whack will be enough for them to disappear. Most of the robots are actually the bigger problem, particularly the Gumbos and Leos. And yes, those two do come together often, meaning it's very easy to get Gumbo's gunk on you, and immediately follow it up by Leos pouncing away at a now helpless you. The Badniks are getting smarter still with their strategies, but keep a collected head, and you'll do fine.

As for the environment itself, you can grind on certain corners of the tents, and should they see you, the spotlights will summon more robots for you to deal with. If you can't be bothered with that, you and Vector can team up to break them. There are also loads of floating red and white barrels, which you can use to gain more momentum, although Sonic seems to be rather iffy about them, for... whatever reason...

More daring obstacles include fiery hoops, the latter of which slowly turn around in the air, and rarely stay still. Venturing within the blue tents will treat you to trapezes that you can use, but watch out for Juggle Saws on the roof, as they might cut the wire with their sawblade. If it comes to that, there is mercifully no bottomless pit below... just a whole bunch of enemies, mostly Unicrushers. But you've got your friends (and the Chaotix) on your side, so we're even. And do watch out for the knives that go flying towards boxes, lest you want a death that isn't a trick.

As you get closer to the red tent, you can slowly start to hear a bunch of gibberish... familiar, high-pitched gibberish... It's definitely not coming from the doctor...

---

"Alright doc, we're ready for your little... game?"

No sooner than he went inside the tent was Sonic already caught by surprise. That same surprise reached everyone else's faces, though Espio looked only mildly confused. The tent looked as you expected, as brightly lit as the outside, and sure enough, Eggman was right there, on a throne high above the arena, with Orbot and Cubot at his sides. For reasons only known to himself, he was inexplicably wearing a black suit and top hat, complete with red cuffs and a stripe above the brim.

That wasn't what they were shocked about though. The screaming and pleading made that obvious. The audience, if you could call them that, were all watching behind bars, trapped in the tent for the purpose of watching Eggman's little show against their will. Notably, Eggman showed no emotional reaction to their relentless cries for help.

"Oh thank god, it's Sonic the Hedgehog!" a male giraffe noted, his neck poking through his bars. "Save us from this crazy man!"

"He's been playing his theme song for hours!" exclaimed a hippo, depressed from knowing the words of I Am The Eggman by memory despite wanting to forget them.

"And one of his robots shocked my mate Jerry!" a grieving ape explained. "I saw it with my own eyes! You've gotta stop that fool, Jerry was a good man!"

"Hmph," Eggman thought, as he crossed his arms. "Fool this, crazy that... Seems I can never get my deserved respect from you lot."

"What's respectful about enslaving innocents?" Amy questioned out of anger. Her hammer was ready to make contact with the doctor's cranium the moment the opportunity presented itself.

"Why do you do these things, Dr. Eggman?" Cream asked in addition, clearly upset that he continued to spread malicious intent rather than repent.

"Chao?" Cheese mused.

"Release them right now, Eggman!" Sonic insisted, as his spikes bristled.

"Uh, no?" Eggman blew a raspberry at his nemesis, complete with his hand on his nose. Cubot laughed at this. "Yeah, like I'm going to just do as you say. Keep on dreaming, hedgehog."

"Isn't that what you expect from everyone else?" Charmy pointed out. Both Vector and Espio looked at the bee in surprise, as they weren't used to this kind of reasonable logic coming from him.

"Wait a minute," Eggman suddenly paused, after noticing the bag on Cream's person. Whether he deliberately chose to dodge Charmy's query was up for debate. He could spot a familiar water dropped shape tucked in at the top of the bag.

"Chao," he muttered. His tone shifted. "You brought them here? Where you knew I would be?"

Cream froze in fear. She felt as though she was put on the spot. She didn't know how to answer the doctor, and she couldn't deal with feeling stupid. Said feeling increased by the second, and it was getting to her. Before she could mentally hyperventilate any longer however, Lutrudis stepped in front of her defensively, with her bow out.

"You're still not getting them," she bluntly stated. "They're not your tools."

"Oh yeah?" Eggman scoffed. "Says who?"

"Me," Sonic answered. He stood beside Lutrudis.

"And me," added Tails. He did the same.

"And me!" Amy said, as she went to the other side of the horse and rabbit.

"And us," Vector pointed at himself, with his two associates alongside him.

"You know, they kind of had you there when you asked that," Orbot pointed out, not even trying to hide his own amusement.

"Grrr, fine, so be it then!" He immediately went right back to grinning, as he took out a little bell. "Boo me all you want, ladies and gentlemen! You'll be speechless after I do... this!"

He rung the bell, which echoed throughout the tent. Not a second after, a flurry of wind started up from the inside, to which the heroes quickly held on to each other to keep themselves from flying out of the tent. The unfortunate prisoners were banging against their bars due to the wind, which they very loudly complained about. It soon became apparent however that the wind... wasn't wind. Rather, it was the entrance for a particularly spooky adversary.

"What the-!" Sonic let out in confusion. In front of them, out of the blue, was a gigantic ghost, with several of his followers by his side. His claws were bendy, his eyes were beady, and most jarringly of all, his tongue had all the colours of the rainbow. A certain echidna would have been all too familiar with this presence.

"BLARGH BLARGH BLAAAARRRRGHH!"

---

BOSS: King Boom Boo

Knuckles had an advantage back in the day, because it was still daylight when he fought Boom Boo. You do not have that advantage, and even if you did, there are no windows that could show him the light anyway. What's the strategy for him this time then? Your audience wouldn't know.

"What is that thing!?"

"But there's no such thing as ghosts!"

"DON'T LET IT KISS ME!"

First off, your friends will take care of the regular Boos (Espio is the best at eliminating them due to his speed and weapons), but if you help them out, you can get rid of them quicker. This actually works to your benefit, for although you'll have to avoid Boom Boo's blue fire and stupid laughter in the meantime, getting rid of the Boos means you can ALL focus on him. Of course, you still can't actually attack him, since there's nothing around to weaken him...

Unless... the crystals...

Lutrudis: Please don't backfire on me...!

In a moment of ingenuity, Lutrudis will get the idea to use her yellow crystals, which have electric capabilities. It might not be light, but it'll do. She might miss once or twice, but not as much as she would with the Paindozer. Her accuracy is getting better with moving targets, slowly but surely. With a direct hit from a crystal-imbued arrow, the king will be briefly paralyzed in shock, before he goes on a rampage around the arena. This is your chance for everyone and their dog to get a hit in, but beware, he's still electrified don't forget, so you need to time your hits to when he's NOT covered in static. Eggman is quick to notice the power of the horse's arrow, with an alarming intrigue.

Eggman: How... How did you do that...?

This process repeats two more times, but as you'll expect at this point, he changes things up halfway through. Not forgetting his other main ability, Boom Boo will dig into the ground and become a shadow, and will continue to hide in the ground and on the tent's walls unless you do something about it. All the while, the regular Boos will start using their master's fire to thwart you. It's at this point that Amy pipes up.

Amy: Maybe THIS will work...!

She will start hammering the ground with considerable force, which causes shockwaves. These shockwaves do not hurt you thankfully, although they can knock you on your derriere if you're clumsy, as evidenced with it happening to everyone else, particularly Vector. These shockwaves, if they reach Boom Boo's shadow, will not bring him out, but they WILL make his shadow bulge ever so slightly, for a brief moment. That's your cue to slam down on him, which will send him flying out of the ground in a panic. Lutrudis will then bring out the arrows again, and the routine goes from there, although the amount of Boos increase with each hit.

On his sixth and final hit, Boom Boo will absorb all the Boos in the vicinity to double his size, and he takes up the center of the arena. He'll send forth a very large pillar of blue flame from his mouth, and will go left and right with it, in different speeds. He won't let up for a good while, and it can be easy for him to catch you out, but eventually he'll tire himself out, with his tongue dangling from it. Lutrudis, somewhat begrudgingly because she doesn't want to feel like a sadist, will fire an electrified arrow at the tongue. As he goes absolutely ballistic, time yourself right and attack him right in the mouth. It's a critical hit, and he'll cry out in pain, explode wildly, and disappear as mysteriously as he entered. Well, what does Eggman have to say about this turn of events?

---

"Awesome job, Sonic!" a female sheep called out from her cage.

"Can I get your autograph... after I'm out of here?" asked a nervous otter.

"Not bad," Eggman dryly commented, clapping sarcastically all the while. He still had a smile on his face, which was seriously beginning to unnerve Sonic. He had seen it many times before, of course he had, but he could be counted on to lose it instantly and fly into a petulant rage the moment things went south. Why wasn't that happening this time? What was he so consistently giddy about?

"You know doc, I remember the days when you used to fight me all the time," the hedgehog said, trying his best to rile him up. His fists were still clenched. "Fought me in Green Hill, fought me in Emerald Hill, fought me in Splash Hill... What happened? Got cowardly on me?"

There was a glint in Eggman's glasses. Yet his grin stayed put. "Not at all, my blue foe. I've simply become a busy man, and while we're on that topic... you."

He immediately focused on Lutrudis, who slightly jumped at the sudden attention. Deep down however, she already figured out why he turned to her.

"Your arrows," he started. "Arrows don't do that. Not on their own. You've altered them, haven't you? And I think I know with what..."

There was a brief silence. Lutrudis and Eggman's shared glare remained for what felt like forever. Tails darted his eyes back and forth, waiting to see which of them broke the silence.

"Your suspicions are true," Lutrudis nervously, yet sternly replied. She saw no reason to hide or deny the obvious, since for all of the man's flaws, he was far from dumb. "And you're not getting those either. Not without a fight."

"Hmph," he scoffed again, looking at Orbot while he pointed at the lady like she was crazy. "And what, you think you're on the same category as the rest here? With that jello you call a body?"

Lutrudis' eyes froze.

He did not just say that.

The doctor's grin grew wider, knowing full well that he struck her hard. "Yes, that's right. I learned about your... situation, little pony. It's why you use those crystals, isn't it? Cause you know you're nothing without them."

She paused. And stuttered slightly. "That's not why..."

"Okay, you shut up right now," Sonic sneered at Eggman venomously, his spikes bristling up yet again. Amy was similarly fuming, and was gripping her hammer harder than ever. The Chaotix had no idea what they were talking about, but they disapproved of the doctor's comments regardless.

"Oh, but it's true though, isn't it?" He snickered briefly, as did Cubot, despite the latter not understanding the discussion in the slightest. Eggman continued. "You wake up every day, knowing that the world around you looks down on you, for offering nothing. Why settle for you, when they could settle for the gifted?"

"I swear Eggman," Sonic huffed, while being held back by a cautious yet sympathetic Tails. "If you don't shut your trap..."

Eggman leaned forward, as the light flashed on his grinning mug. He knew exactly what he was doing. "No one likes damaged goods, Lutrudis. Not even your supposed friends."

"Don't listen to him!" Cream cried out, who was clearly just as hurt by his remarks. "It's not true! You're not damaged like that!" Cheese appeared to be just as pained.

"What are you guys even talking about?" a confused rhino shouted. "We're waiting to be freed here!"

Lutrudis struggled to retort. She knew he was lying. She knew Sonic wasn't like that. She knew Tails wasn't like that. She knew none of them were like that. She knew better than to doubt them. She had no reason to doubt them.

But that's the thing. It wasn't them she doubted... it was herself. It wasn't a case of whether they were sincere, but rather whether she earned that sincerity to begin with. Did she really deserve their company...? Did she really deserve their companionship...?

"...Tell us why you want the Chao," she finally said, in an effort to change the subject, as well as to help her friends calm down. "And the crystals. The Wraith. The Ethereal Zone. All of it. What are you doing all this for?" Her voice was lower than usual, which matched the conflicted and distracted look of guilt on her face.

In a small burst of relief, the doctor did in fact change to that topic. "Still haven't figured it out, eh?" His smile increased in its smugness, and he crossed his legs stylishly. Evidently, he enjoyed being the smartest man in the room. He decided to humor his opponents' wish, for if only they knew how far this rabbit hole truly went...

"What if I told you that it's all... connected...?"

---

Back to Chapter 4-5 Interlude...

To Chapter 6...

[mysmashplaythroughs]

Donkey Kong Playthrough

Fighter: Donkey Kong.

Game: Donkey Kong Country, Wii U Virtual Console (SNES). First released November 21st 1994.

Fighter Bio.

He’s the leader of the bunch, you know him well, he’s finally back, to kick some tail. Donkey Kong is a gorilla (although it might be more correct to say he’s of the Kong species which we’ll go into later) who lives on and is the leader of Donkey Kong Island. He is not the first Donkey Kong as the original DK was the one who fought Mario in the arcade game of the same name, however that Donkey Kong is now an elderly ape known as Cranky Kong. When it comes to the current Donkey Kong’s relation to Cranky Kong it has not always been entirely clear, with DK being called in the past Cranky Kong’s son and more commonly now his Grandson. Compounding this is that the original Donkey Kong had a son called Donkey Kong Jr, who initially was believed to be the current Donkey Kong, but now it’s said that the current DK is actually Jr’s son. As with most Nintendo characters, it’s not entirely important and the main point is that the Donkey Kong from Donkey Kong Country onward is the current DK.

Donkey Kong can be a hero, but more often than not is motivated by fairly simple means into action, one of the most common of which is his banana hoard being stolen and him going on a journey to take it back. He is more laid back than the original Donkey Kong, preferring to just laze about eating bananas, however he has inherited Cranky’s temper when it comes to people taking what he wants. In most cases this is justified such as when it comes to his banana hoard or having his Island taken over, but there have been some occasions where he has gone on a rampage for more selfish reasons, such as the new Mini Mario toy he wanted going out of stock, causing him to steal them from the factory. Despite this, he has often been shown to care about his friends and family, and help out others when he feels in the mood such as in various Mario series spin-off games.

He has great strength and despite not being the absolute strongest Kong, is also faster than the few who are more powerful than him such as Chunky Kong. One of his trademark skills is throwing barrels, something Cranky Kong did back during his rivalry with Mario, and something the current Donkey Kong does in various adventures he goes on when he can get his hands on them. Although his ‘nephew’ Diddy Kong and others are much faster, DK can still move pretty well both on land, jumping from platform to platform and swimming in the sea. He’s more intelligent than most animals being able to use tools such as a coconut gun and having his own treehouse, however there are other Kongs who are more industrious than him making him of fairly average intelligence in comparison. He has sometimes been shown able to speak, although it seems more often he can only communicate with other creatures from his island rather than humans such as Mario.

Friends: Donkey Kong’s best friend is Diddy Kong, who at times has been called DK’s nephew, although in other cases a “nephew-wannabe”. Another friend of his also considered his best friend besides Diddy is Funky Kong who despite the last name has no known relation to DK beyond being a friend. Kong seems to be more of a species of ape which the various characters on DK Island belong to than a family name. His implied love interest is Candy Kong although their true relationship remains a mystery. Cranky Kong as stated before is said to be Donkey Kong’s grandfather and as his name implies tends to be grouchy often going on about how much better games were back in his day before all these fancy graphics and gimmicks. Wrinkly Kong is DK’s grandmother who is married to Cranky Kong. She passed away following Donkey Kong Country 3, however she still returns as a ghost to help out the various Kongs from time to time. DK is mostly friendly with the other various Kongs in the series, however he has not often interacted as much with them, with often Diddy being more related to characters such as Swanky Kong. DK has teamed up with Diddy’s girlfriend Dixie Kong recently however, Dixie having saved Donkey Kong in the past when he had been kidnapped a couple of times.

DK also has various animal friends, often referred to as Animal Buddies who he can ride to help him through levels. The most famous and long running of these is Rambi the Rhino. Expresso the Ostrich, Winky the Frog and Enguarde the Swordfish have also let DK ride them in the past to help him in his adventure. Squawks the Parrot is unable to carry DK, but has helped him in other ways such as carrying a torch for him in dark places, delivering messages to him and helping DK spot rare collectables in a level. There are also the various Mario characters DK has interacted with in spin-off Mario games. These include characters such as Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi and many others. DK has been shown to get along well with most of them, although he has a competitive spirit for many of the sports and other competitions he takes part in. He has also been a helpful character in games such as Mario Party often giving characters bonuses for landing on his spot on the board. Finally, it’s important to mention the character who the original Donkey Kong knew and kidnapped in his feud with Mario, Pauline. The current Donkey Kong has met Pauline a couple of times in the Mario vs Donkey Kong series, and often when he’s gotten upset he’s kidnapped her, however he often is calmed down by her and reconciles with her and Mario in the end, even working together one time to test Mario’s new Mini Mario toys.

Enemies/Rivals: DK’s main enemy is King K Rool, the leader of the Kremlings who has stolen his Banana Hoard multiple times. K Rool has also however managed to kidnap DK a couple of times, often by catching him off-guard, which makes him arguably the most dangerous villain he’s ever faced. Other enemies DK has faced over the years include the instrument themed Tiki Tak Tribe, the Viking Snowmads who took over his island and fairly rare run ins with Bowser in a couple of Mario Spin-off games where he’s playable. DK doesn’t have the same antagonistic relationship with Mario as Cranky Kong once did, however he has been at odds with him before, such as with the previously mentioned Mini Mario toy incident. Often this is due to DK’s temper however and afterwards he will calm down and reconcile with Mario. Finally, in one unusual case, Donkey Kong travelled to various Kingdoms fighting their kings in order to conquer their islands, which brought him into conflict with various Kongs and other large beasts, finally culminating with him battling the evil Cactus King. Following his defeat of the Cactus King he celebrated with the other Kongs which seemed to suggest they had become allies in the end. Personally I prefer to think of the somewhat unusual events of this game as actually being the original Donkey Kong as it would fit his more rage fuelled rampages than the current DK, but there’s no word really on it either way and the game’s too obscure for it to likely be clarified.

Crossovers with other Smash characters: Donkey Kong himself has had a few crossovers over the years with other Smash Bros characters. In Mario Kart 8, DK crossed over with Link (his Skyward Sword and Breath of the Wild incarnations), Inklings, Isabelle and some human Animal Crossing Villagers. Samus herself didn’t appear in Tropical Freeze, however her gunship can be seen in the background of Busted Bayou seemingly crash landed in the vines. Metroids also make a cameo appearance underwater in Amiss Abyss, appearing in the background floating up to the surface. Mr Game & Watch similarly to Mario crossed over with DK in the Game & Watch Gallery series, however it seems this version of DK is actually the original aka Cranky Kong, as he was often accompanied in this game by DK Jr rather than Diddy Kong. Mr Game & Watch also appeared in Donkey Kong Country Returns as a cameo in the background of the stage Foggy Fumes hammering a pipe. DK appeared as part of the group in the NES version of Tetris playing instruments, this being the original version of DK also. He was playing the drum alongside Pit, Samus, Link and Mario. DK was in all but the original Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series, first appearing in the first Olympic Winter Games, as such crossing over with Sonic and many characters from his series, often interacting most with other power-based characters such as Knuckles and Vector the Crocodile. 

Although I do not want to go into other media too often, Donkey Kong technically appeared in Captain N the Games Master cartoon. In this he was based on the original DK and more like King Kong being a giant angry antagonistic ape. Through this show, DK crossed over with Megaman, Simon Belmont and Pit once again. Perhaps the biggest crossover for DK was his appearance in Punch-out on the Wii as a secret boss. DK would sometimes appear in the audience for matches watching as Little Mac made his way to become the champ. During Little Mac’s Last Stand, a mode where Little Mac will retire from boxing after three losses, he decides to take on the champ himself in the ring, making him the final new opponent faced in the game. The original DK and DK Jr also appeared in the crowd in the arcade Punch-out games. DK appeared in all of the Mario Kart GP arcade games, crossing over with Pac-Man, interestingly their only game crossover despite both being famous for starting as arcade games. Finally, despite a lot of association between the series, DK himself never crossed over with Banjo and Kazooie, although in an early beta version of DK64 there was a shower stall with their faces on it in DK’s Treehouse which was later removed. Whether this would have involved a crossover with the games such as the Stop N Swap features planned for Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie is unknown at this point.

Why this game?

Donkey Kong is known best as a character who is typically one of the most powerful in the games he’s in, including Smash Bros. Over the years he has had various games where he’s been playable, with his own series, Donkey Kong Country. What’s interesting with this series is that in the original three games DK himself was only playable in the very first, having been kidnapped by K Rool in the second and third games. He returned to being playable in DK64 where he was the first of 5 characters that were unlockable in the game being second only to Chunky Kong in strength. After Rareware, the developers of the Donkey Kong Country games and DK64 were sold to Microsoft, Nintendo came out with a new game, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. In this game DK was probably the most violent and powerful he’d been shown in a platformer, with his moves often involving beating his enemies repeatedly with powerful attacks. After this and a long break, the Donkey Kong Country series finally returned in a game called fittingly Donkey Kong Country Returns, a new 2.5D platformer in which DK had to go across his island to reclaim his banana hoard again. This time however, he had to take it back from the Tiki Tak Tribe rather than the Kremlings as in the original series. This game managed to make DK feel more powerful as he did in Jungle Beat but also keep the same platforming style of the original games with one of the most notable features being how the environments DK would travel through would often change based on his actions, with him smashing his way through various locations.

So, with many of the later games focusing more on DK’s power, why did I choose Donkey Kong Country rather than the later games to represent DK? Well, simply put because those games all build off of the foundation Donkey Kong Country set down. Before Donkey Kong Country, DK had only appeared in games where he was an enemy of Mario or in one case a pest exterminator called Stanley. With a remake of the original arcade game on Gameboy having come out within the same year, only a few months before DKC, it’s easy to compare the two to see just how different the original DK was to the one who’s used today. Donkey Kong in this new game was made into a new character from the original, with the original now becoming Cranky Kong, a grouchy old ape past his prime. Donkey Kong Country introduced DK’s new home of DK Island, a new cast who helped him on his adventure along with a new set of enemies in the Kremlings and their leader King K Rool. DK’s design was also changed, one which has stuck pretty much to this day with the odd sort of hairstyle the fur on his head makes. It’s for this reason I feel when looking at DK’s origins, this game is the best place to start, as it was the game that essentially redefined DK into the form he has to this day.

My past with this game.

This game and series as a whole are very important to me and a huge part of my gaming history. This series along with Mario were the games I grew up with, with this and Super Mario Bros 3 I believe being probably the first videogames I ever played. As such, I admit to having a massive nostalgia bias to the series, however, I still to this day feel this is a fantastic game, amongst some of my personal favourite games of all time. This game specifically isn’t my favourite of the series. In comparison to the other two Donkey Kong Country games, this game was shorter with less secrets, such as the secret worlds and secret final bosses the other two games had to offer. However, I definitely wouldn’t pass it up in favour of the other two games and I have enjoyed replaying it many times over the years. One aspect I have fond memories of personally is that this was one of the few games my parents would play with me, with my Dad in particular being a big fan of it. It was probably one of the only games where I had the experience of starting off being far worse at the game than my Father but gradually getting better until finally, I could beat the game, something he’d not been able to do. As such I suppose I could consider this game as sort of a benchmark for me with regards to finally starting to actually finish games. I have other personal memories from my childhood relating to this game, such as only really being able to play when my parents would allow me to set up the SNES as I was around 4-5 years old and having my Cousins over to play the game with me, but I don’t feel going into that much more would really add a lot to this.

With regards to the gameplay itself etc, the game was fairly simple to the point I could play it as my first game, but even now there are definitely a fair few challenges later down the line, granted nothing on the level of other games around at the time and earlier that I’d never played such as Megaman and Castlevania, but definitely parts that I had to play a lot of times to get past. I remember one specific stage I had trouble with to the point that I actually asked my parents if I could phone the Nintendo Helpline. The level in question was Slipslide Ride, a level where there were ropes you would climb, with the purple ones constantly sliding you down and the blue ones constantly sliding you up. The part I got stuck on was where the only option to proceed was to climb up two purple ropes, however trying to climb up wouldn’t work due to the constant slipping with you only at best being able to stay in place. I remember when I managed to get through on the Nintendo Helpline the operator on the other end gave me the solution, which was to jump between the two purple ropes which would let you gradually get higher until you could jump off them onto the platform above. So what’s the moral of the story? Well, I’d say it’s that I’ve always been a stinky cheater even before looking up solutions on the internet was a thing. Although really, I’m only mentioning this because I find it sort of an interesting example of one of the possible ways to get help with games before you could just look up a walkthrough on the internet. Of course, I believe book guides and game magazines were probably around at the time that I could have used, but being a fairly young kid then and not really seeing many other kids beyond my Cousins sometimes meant that I wasn’t really aware of most of these options. I forget now if the Nintendo Helpline was meant to be one for people with actual issues with their systems or games etc or was advertised as a service for help with “game tips” also, either way I was probably one of those kids who would lead to Nintendo’s attempts to put help features into games down the line, i.e. a true hero.

Something not particularly good for the subject of this post, Donkey Kong himself is he tended to be shown up in this game by his new friend Diddy, with his only real advantage being he could defeat a specific enemy Diddy couldn’t. DK could defeat Krusha a muscle-bound Kremling, and could defeat two other enemies Diddy couldn’t as easily, being Klump a Kremling with a hardhat that Diddy had to cartwheel into, and Army an Armadillo who Diddy would have to jump on once to bring him out of his ball form and then jump on again to defeat. DK could defeat both of these enemies with just a single jump. Diddy on the other hand, would move faster and was nimbler with his jumps, although DK could still manage to jump as far as was needed in the game, everyone I knew who played the game would always prefer to keep Diddy in reserve when playing. This brings me onto another aspect that at the time and even now I quite liked about the game, how the Kongs would team up. Instead of playing through stages as either DK or Diddy alone, you would play as one of the Kongs with the other following you. When you got hit by an enemy, the Kong who was hit would run away and you’d take control of the Kong who was following. The Kong who was following you wouldn’t be able to do anything, being more of a ghost really in actual gameplay, just following you along not being affected by enemies or obstacles. This I feel really added to the atmosphere of the game as you didn’t feel as alone as in other games unless you’d lost one of the Kongs, and with DK and Diddy often being on-screen together it helped make them feel more of a duo than other game characters at the time such as Mario and Luigi, who in most of their games then would take turns going through levels on their own rather than together. The game also did a good job of avoiding the screen becoming too cluttered or confusing the Kong you were controlling for the one you weren’t by making the one following have a slightly more faded look, making it easier to focus on the character you were specifically controlling at the time. In order to bring back one of the Kongs you’d lost when you were down to just one you would have to find a DK barrel to break them out of, which you might recognise in Smash as being DK and Diddy’s entrance animation.

Atmosphere is probably why this game has always been so nostalgic to me. I’ve never cared overly much for graphics (although I definitely can appreciate when something looks good) and whilst this game at the time was fairly breath-taking graphically, the music and the art style were probably the bigger aspect of why I loved the game, with me often as a kid enjoying drawing all the different characters and enemies and reading the instruction manual to look at the various artwork in it. The series would get even better from here, but there are a lot of visual aspects unique to this game that stand out even now. Probably one of the most cited examples at the time was in the very first stage where just before you reached the end of it the sun would set and the place would turn from day to night. It’s hard really to describe atmosphere much more as it’s something you get just from playing or seeing the game itself, so I think it’s best to leave it at saying simply I’ve always liked it in this game.

My Smash Playthrough.

As I’ve stated before, this is a game I’ve played through a few times before, and I was looking forward to doing so again. Although this is the second post I’m making, at the time this was probably the fifth game I played roughly. The reason why is that I made this list before Smash Bros Ultimate was announced and gave an order to the fighters, so rather than having DK as fighter 2 I had the characters more often shown in various trailers, such as the first trailer for Smash Wii U with Mario, Link, Kirby and Pikachu as the first ones on my list. It was due to this therefore I was on a roll and moved pretty quickly onto this game seeing as the previous game I’d played for Kirby wasn’t very long or difficult. Replaying this game from what I remember I didn’t run into many problems and it was overall the same fun experience I’ve always found it to be replaying it.

So when it comes to remembering this run again as it was some time ago there aren’t many things that stick out in my mind. Stages I remember having issues with were mostly ones I’ve always found difficult, and I think most people do. One of them, Tanked up Trouble was a level I’d always found irritating as you are on a platform with five lights on it which gradually go out. You have to collect fuel barrels in order to bring the lights back on, and if the lights all go out the platform would fall with you on it. Of course, you also had to stay on the moving platform the whole time or else you would fall off the stage, and enemies would be waiting to block your way requiring you to either avoid them or jump on them if you could all while not losing track of and landing back on the platform. I believe overall I didn’t find this level as difficult as I had in the past, although I definitely had a couple of deaths on it. Probably the hardest level overall was Platform Perils, the final regular level in the game which has you jumping between various small moving platforms. The biggest issue on this stage however was the grey Krushas, exclusive to this stage. These variations of Krusha enemies were strong enough that even DK couldn’t beat them by jumping on them, requiring a barrel to be thrown at them as the only way of defeating them. Due to this, often the stage would require you to carry a barrel on small moving platforms and not drop or accidentally break it before you reached the Krusha who is on another small platform you need to get onto. If you lost the barrel there was no way to defeat the Krusha meaning you’d end up dying and having to try the level again. This level took me many attempts I remember and was probably the biggest challenge I had, but eventually I beat it, leading on to me beating the final bosses not too much longer after.

When replaying this game, I’ll admit there was one negative that stood out to me more now than I remember when playing it as a kid, which is objects in the foreground. I think this is more a problem I’ve found myself than one that many people commonly find, but I’d sometimes find myself getting irritated in stages where there would be decorations in the foreground that go past. I would not find them big enough to actually block the view of gameplay, but moving quickly through a stage and having them go by would on some occasions be something I’d find irritating to look at, with some examples being the stalactites and stalagmites in the cave levels that would appear in the foreground as you went along. Another irritating visual effect I’ve found is the blizzard effect in the snow stages. The point of it of course is to make it more difficult to see, however I would find it somewhat taxing on my eyes at times, and with the stages often requiring either precise jumping on platforms or timing when to blast from one barrel cannon to another it could get very irritating. One improvement I’d say in the virtual console release is the removal of a specific effect in the stage Torchlight Trouble. In this stage you are going through a dark cave and require Squawks the Parrot to follow you with a torchlight so you could see where you’re going. In the original version of the game, every time you’d turn Squawks would turn and shine the torchlight directly at the screen creating a bright flash for a fraction of a second. This would happen every time you turned and I remember finding it could be very irritating, so I was glad to see the Virtual Console release had gotten rid of the flash.

The bosses are fairly average when it comes down to it, and out of the three games in the series probably the least interesting. This isn’t helped by two of them being basically recoloured harder versions of earlier bosses later in the game, although this game was hardly the first to do this. This does get a funny reference in the GBA remake of this game where Cranky Kong will appear to talk with DK after each boss, and on the first recolour boss he appears to basically complain about how lazy the designers are just reusing an earlier boss. Probably one of the few aspects of the remakes I liked. Most of the bosses simply require you to jump on them when you get the chance, with the others requiring you either to simply avoid them and kill the enemies they spawn, or throw barrels at them when they’re not invincible. The bosses consist of larger versions of regular enemies such as the giant beaver Very Gnawty which is a bigger version of the regular Gnawty enemies. The final boss King K Rool however is easily the best boss in the game. He’s fairly challenging and has a lot of fun attacks. I don’t want to spoil too much of the boss fight against him as a lot of it relates to his portrayal in Smash so I will simply say he makes a great conclusion to the game.

The game’s ending isn’t particularly special, but of course personally it holds a lot of nostalgia for me, especially being one of the first ever endings I actually got to in a game. The music for it is a really nice ending track and it has a nice cast call with every character, enemy and boss in the game walking through DK’s Treehouse with their name being displayed below. I tend to like these endings in games as it’s a fun recap of what you’ve gone through in the game. I didn’t 100% (or as this is a Rareware game 101%) the game, mostly as the only real reward is Cranky Kong’s dialogue changes from saying ‘if I’d been playing I’d have found everything’ to congratulating you. Also, I tend to leave some things in the games I’ve been playing through so I have something that if I feel like coming back to the game later down the line I can still do. Overall, despite the few complaints I brought up, this is still an amazing game and one that will always be very important to me personally which I enjoyed playing through again.

Specific aspects about the game relating to Donkey Kong in Smash.

Donkey Kong is another character who doesn’t really have equipment he uses in the game, nor any really customisable aspects. Unlike Mario in Super Mario 64 however, he also doesn’t have a lot of moves he really draws from this game. The only moves he has in Smash Bros that come from this game specifically are his forward roll, which was added in his later Smash Bros appearances, and his Hand Slap move. This move involves DK slapping the ground with his hands, often defeating enemies who are right in front of him when he does it, producing a single banana when they’re defeated and being usable sometimes to find hidden items in the floor. It is fairly difficult to use on enemies not having a very far reach and is fairly slow making it not very useful, especially in comparison to just jumping on or rolling into enemies. Later games such as Donkey Kong Country Returns and Tropical Freeze would make this ability far more powerful and useful, but this is where it originated and as such is what the move in Smash Bros is based on. One final aspect from this game that DK uses in Smash Bros is his ability to lift barrels and move around with them. In Smash Bros DK was one of the only characters in the original game who could lift heavy objects such as barrels and walk around with them. Later games would have other big characters such as Bowser also be able to do this, however DK has another ability unique to him. When grabbing another character, DK can lift them similar to how he lifts heavy objects such as barrels and he can carry them around before throwing them or they escape from his grasp, which is most likely based on his carrying abilities with barrels in this game. The only other thing of note which I mentioned earlier is DK’s stage entrance involves him breaking out of a DK barrel, similarly to how he will be trapped in one when playing as Diddy alone in this game and will have to be broken out of it.

Credits.

Information such as release dates were found through Super Mario Wiki and Donkey Kong Wiki.

Screenshots taken by me using Miiverse.

[thenextrush]

Sydney is being turned into a giant playground this school holidays with some of the most thrilling activities set to entertain kids of all ages!  A great range of free activities and special pop-ups are planned around the city.   Here are just a few of the highlights:

ADRENALINE KIDS:  

Did you know: Four-year-olds can swim with sharks? Five-year-olds can drive a race buggy? And 12-year-olds can skydive?

Since 1999, Adrenaline has given more than 3 million customers access to the best adventure sports and activities in Australia.   Founded on a pure passion for adventure, seeking out new trends and concepts to deliver incredible ‘heart pumping’ experiences for customers with a vision to ‘shift the way people experience life’.   850 thrill-worthy experiences across the country constitute  the new ‘Adrenaline Kids’ adventures set the stage for some memorable moments this school holidays.

Experience categories include: indoor skydiving, jet boating, zoos and animal encounters, theme parks, abseiling, horse riding, tree top adventures, quad biking, jet packs, kayaking, movie tickets, surfing, sailing and many more.

Adrenaline General Manager Julia Wilson said the range was designed to make life easier for parents who often struggle with ideas of things to do with the kids on weekends, on vacation and throughout extended school holiday periods.  “As a working mum myself I know how hard it is to keep the kids occupied during the holidays, and even on the weekend when you’re hearing the words ‘I’m bored’ at least ten times a day,” Ms Wilson said.  “We saw a trend emerging on the Adrenaline site where people were searching more and more for experiences for children, and we took that need and ran with it. Whether they’re mini daredevils, junior artists or just full of energy, the range boasts great experiences for all ages.  It’s great to see families wanting to do things together and create lasting memories.”

  MERLIN ENTERTAINMENT PASSES:

  CASULA POWERHOUSE ARTS CENTRE:

Free LIVE Music series featuring some of the city’s up and coming bands, and weekly creative art workshops

Headlinging Act, Bloods

After the smashing success of CPAC Live’s first showing which focused on hip-hop, the second installment promises to fill the Turbine Hall on Saturday 27 April from 5pm with the thumping beats and electric atmosphere of good old fashioned rock.

“Our fist CPAC Live event in February had hundreds of people head to the Powerhouse for than evening of outstanding hip hop performances and it proved that there’s a huge appetite for live music in Liverpool,” said CPAC Director Craig Donarski.  “We’re really excited to be following up the inaugural event with a night of exceptionally curated live rock, performed by the biggest up-and-coming local acts on the scene right now. We invite everyone to come down this April to join us for another colossal CPAC Live.”

The garage-punk-pop peddling Bloods will headline the night.  Since their inception, Bloods have maintained their place as one of the country’s most endearing bands. Whether it’s through their highly infectious, undeniably fun punk-pop-meets-riot-grrrl tunes or their live shows, Bloods are an ever evolving rock experience who recently inked a deal with US based record label Share It Music.

Supporting Bloods will be: high school young guns The 902, funky five-piece The Elevator District, rock’n’roll radicals The Factory, roof-raising heart racers Avalanche and the soft and sweet duo Ash & Nic

Open Ceramic Studio – From 6-pm until July Suitable for both beginners (every Tuesday) and more advanced students (every Thursday) 16+, the Open Studio is a delightful dive into the world of ceramics focusing on basic skills like pinching and slab rolling, to higher level techniques like glazing and wheel throwing.

Drawing on an Open Mind every Tuesday from 7 May to 2 July – 6 to 8pm  Encouraging vibrantly new ways of looking at the world, this workshop will draw from modern and contemporary artists to develop a greater understanding of the world around us.

        EVENT CINEMAS:

Interactive events and activities themed to this season’s family movies!

Pint-sized movie-lovers will be spoiled for choice with a stellar line up of fun films this autumn. Take flight with Tim Burton’s incredible remake of Dumbo; 

witness the world’s most out there amusement park come to life in Wonder Park; or join up with Emmet, Lucy and Batman as they go on another adventure to save the citizens of Bricksburg in The Lego Movie 2.  

To compliment these screenings, participating Event Cinemas across the country have programmed free art activities that’ll have kids using their minds, hands and flexing their creativity to make take-home artworks as a memory of their day out at the movies.   From making bookmarks, hats, masks and more, the arts activities are all themed to the family films showing during the school break.

Mini-artists can showcase their colouring abilities for the Dumbo colouring-in competition and get the chance to win a Dumbo prize pack!  The fun doesn’t stop at the cinema though!   Don’t forget to collect your interactive Watch & Play calendar from the box office or download a digital version online to start unlocking games and offers.

  AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM:

For budding marine biologists and explorers of marine life!

Explore the biggest habitat on earth in the Whales | Tohorā exhibition, check out the weird and wonderful animals that live in the deep oceans in their Mini-Makers program, find out about whale ‘snot’ in Scientist for a Day, exercise your body and imagination at Wild Yoga.

MINI MAKERS – IN THE DEEP SEA 3-18 April & 22-28 April – 11.30am, 1pm ($10 Child aged 4-10  / accompanyied Adults FREE after General Admission) Dive into the coolest underwater party where children and accompanying adults craft bioluminescent sea creatures and rock out, like a seahorse, at the silent disco.

DINOSNORE – Sleepover at the Museum. Prepare for a night of adventure! 12- 13 April,  6pm to 8am $150

The Museum is a very different place after dark, when the hoards of visitors have left and the lights go out. Join us for an unforgettable overnight experience at the AM.

Enjoy a buffet dinner and get up close to native Australian animals, such as crocodiles, before coming face-to-face with our resident Muttaburrasaurus – an Australian dinosaur that lived around 100 million years ago. Embark on a tour by torchlight to discover secrets and stories of our objects and collections before relaxing in the theatre to watch a family favourite film. The evening is topped off by sleeping next to some old dinosaur favourites including Stegosaurus and Tyrannosaurus rex. In the morning, you will wake to a continental breakfast at our rooftop cafe followed by an exclusive viewing of our current special exhibition.

SCIENTIST FOR A DAY: MARINE BIOLOGIST 16–17 April – 9am to 4pm, $125 (8 to 12 year olds) Did whales ever walk on land? Do they sleep? Why do whales beach themselves? Mini-marine biologists discover the latest research and meet real marine scientist, Dr. Vanessa Pirotta,  to help answer these fascinating questions. Includes exclusive access to the immersive exhibition – Whales | Tohorā, where children come face-to-face with the world’s largest animals. Jam-packed with fun activities, behind-the-scenes collection tour, science experiments, games, and more!

  WET ‘N’ WILD SYDNEY:

  MACARTHUR SQUARE SHOPPING CENTRE – CENTRE COURT:

Easter Egg Decorating, Burger & Sushi making & more!

Free events and installations include the Centre Court Lego Zone and visit from Lego 2 Movies’s, Emmet.   On Wednesday 17th, Thursday 18th and Saturdy 20th April,  families can meet the Easter Buggy MEET THE EASTER BUNNY from 11am to 2pm.

GRILL’D MASTERCLASS – $12 Tuesday 16th, Wednesday 17th, Tuesday 23rd, Wednesday 24th and Friday 26th April Grill’d, Kellicar Lane

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Learn to make healthy burgers and eat them too. Grill’d Macarthur Square will teach your little ones the tricks of the trade, and show them how to make our famous burgers from the bun up. Book via email at macarthursquare@grilld.com.au KIDS IN THE KITCHEN – FREE Saturday 20th April, 9am to 12pm Located near Cha Time, level 3 Macarthur Square Shopping Centre Kids will have the opportunity to decorate a delicious Easter cupcake.

SUSHI MAKING WORKSHOP – FREE Tuesday 23rd and Wednesday 24th April FREE, 5 sesssions run from 1.30pm-5pm Food Court, Level 3 near Sushi Hub Join Sushi Hub for a FREE fun-filled and hands on sushi making workshop for kids. Attendance is by booking only. Limited spots available (5-12 year old).

Contact Centre Management on (02) 4626 1466 to secure a spot. HOLIDAY CAMPS:

News tip-offs and announcements: editor@thenextrushmagazine.com

  School Holiday Guide: Kids experiences, museum sleepover, cookings classes, arts & crafts at the movies and more! Sydney is being turned into a giant playground this school holidays with some of the most thrilling activities set to entertain kids of all ages!  

[captainexplody]

Plonker Donk

The Kong family reunion is in full swing. All of the Kongs from around Kong Island and even those who moved away have come back for this classy shindig that some of the other Kongs put together. Dixie Kong beams with pride as she looks around the beach they are all partying on, looking at all the other Kongs she and some of the others were able to gather together. A lot of the Kongs on Kong Island have no idea about their other relatives who live abroad, so she feels this little family reunion was long overdue. She waves across the beach at Diddy and Donkey Kong, who are both loitering near some trees, where jungle meets sand. Donkey Kong looks mildly confused, Diddy Kong looks disinterested. He wants to go home and play his rocking guitar, he doesn’t care about other Kongs. Donkey sees Dixie waving at him and cheerfully waves back. 

Down by the water Funky Kong makes his arrival by pulling up his home made jetski up beside a hastily made dock made out of old banana crates. Funky Kong leaps off his jetski and high fives some of the other Kongs, happily accepting a half coconut full of banana juice they present to him, complete with tiny little cocktail umbrella. Funky Kong walks funkily over to Dixie Kong, shooting a finger gun at her as he sips from his half coconut.

Funky Kong: What’s shaking, little Kong?

Dixie Kong: Heya Funky! You made it!

Funky Kong: I wouldn’t miss a shindig like this now, would I? Where’s the big Kong at?

Funky Kong looks around the beach, looking for Donkey Kong. He spies the ‘big Kong’ lurking by the trees and he shoots some finger guns towards him. Grabbing Dixie and throwing her onto his shoulders, he strolls across the beach confidently in that way that only Funky Kong can, with swagger and purpose and other cool describing words like that. Donkey Kong walks across the sand to greet his most funky of cousins.

Funky Kong: Donkey my man! It’s been a while, dude! You only come and visit when you need me to build you a plane, right?

Donkey Kong shrugs sheepishly; Diddy Kong folds his arms in a huffy manner as he leans against Donkey.

Dixie Kong: Fun party, right guys? I had to make an awful lot of calls to get everyone here but I think it was worth it.

Funky Kong: Heck yeah it was, little Kong! And it’s gonna get a whole lot better, this party is just getting started, hoooooo!

Funky Kong reaches over and effortlessly grabs Dixie from off of his shoulders, placing her down beside Donkey Kong, in front of Diddy, who still looks huffy. He just wants to go home, and he certainly doesn’t appreciate it when Funky ruffles his head with his big hands, smushing his hat against his head. Diddy pouts and pulls at his hat, straightening it up.

Funky Kong: I’m gonna go mingle with some of these guys I haven’t seen in years, yeah? But hey, I’ll be back soon, I wanna throw down some ideas I have, you’re gonna love ‘em. Man it’ll turbo charge your go-kart so bad that plumber will be eating your dust for weeks. 

Donkey Kong: Donkey beat plumber all the time at karts.

Funky Kong: Yeah, sure you do big guy. You keep telling yourself that...

Funky Kong slaps Donkey on the back in amusement, and with that he walks away, pointing finger guns at various other Kongs gathered at the beach. Diddy Kong still looks annoyed and huffy, but Dixie is having the time of her life.

Dixie Kong: Isn’t this great you guys? So many Kongs here. Hey look, here comes Cranky, I bet he’ll be able to introduce all these new Kongs to us!

Cranky Kong, the oldest of the Kong clan, hobbles over to Donkey and the other Kongs who happen to be hanging around him. Following Cranky Kong is a small group of new and unfamiliar Kongs. 

Cranky Kong: Alright, you idiots. I’m not going to waste too much time on introductions, because I’ve been introducing these guys to everyone else on the beach and I’m tired and fed up, ok? So here. Here’s the whole gang or whatever. I’m only going to say this once so listen up.

Cranky half heartedly points to some of the other Kongs behind him, obviously fed up of all the introductions he’s been doing. 

Cranky Kong: Ok. This here is Lord Earl Greyington Thistle-Sticks Kong, he’s from the United Kingdom of Great Britain, or something.

Lord Earl Greyington Thistle-Sticks Kong nods at the others and raises his pint of beer in acknowledgement.

Cranky Kong: Over here, this is James Bond Kong, he used to be a stand in for James Bond in those films, those James Bond films.

James Bond Kong straightens his tie and takes a sip of his martini.

Cranky Kong: Here’s Kongo Kong, he’s a professional wrestler.

Kongo Kong shakes his fists angrily and yells about how hungry he is.

Cranky Kong: Yes yes, pipe down. There’s steaks over there.

Cranky Kong points to a table on the other side of the beach beside a barbecue. Kongo Kong beats his chest and runs towards it happily.

Cranky Kong: Yeesh. This here is Domino Kong, he’s a professional dominos player.

Domino Kong gives the group a pleasant thumbs up.

Cranky Kong: And, er... this is Plonker Donk, Donkey’s evil twin brother that we had exiled to a different island soon after he was born. 

A Kong that looks suspiciously like Donkey Kong, only wearing a full suit instead of just a tie, and with a little monocle resting over his right eye, comes to the front of the group, smiling broadly at Donkey Kong. 

Plonker Donk: How do you do, dear fellow? My my, I have been waiting for this day for a long time.

Plonker Donk cracks his knuckles as he smiles eerily at Donkey Kong. Donkey Kong raises a suspicious eyebrow at his evil twin, Plonker Donk. The two Kongs glare at each other as Cranky shakes his head sadly.

Cranky Kong: Urgh, I knew it’d be a bad idea to introduce you two...

Dixie Kong: Wow, that’s Donkey’s twin brother?

Cranky Kong: Unfortunately yes.

Dixie Kong: And he was sent away to a different island just after he was born?

Cranky Kong: Yes.

Dixie Kong: Why?

Cranky Kong: Eh. At the time everybody was convinced that Donkey Kong was the good one, and Plonker Donk was the evil one. You know, how they say that one twin is evil and one is good?

Dixie Kong: I’ve never heard that before, is that scientifically accurate?

Cranky Kong shakes his head as he cackles slightly.

Cranky Kong: Oh c’mon now Dixie, nothing we do is scientifically accurate. We’re all talking monkeys for Gods sake. We all thought the smartest thing to do was to send Plonker Donk off to live on a different island, so that’s what we did.

Dixie Kong: What was it that Plonker Donk did that made you think he was the evil twin?

Cranky Kong: Well he has a monocle. That’s a big sign, nobody who isn’t evil wears a monocle. 

Dixie Kong: He didn’t always wear a monocle, surely. I mean he wasn’t born wearing a monocle.

Cranky Kong: He was, actually. Came out wearing the monocle, yeah. I mean we took that to be a pretty big sign. So we shipped him off to a different island where he was raised by wolves or something, I don’t know.

Plonker Donk shines his monocle against the shirt of his suit and places it back over his eye.

Plonker Donk: I raised myself, actually. I was soon able to acclimatise myself to my surroundings and get my bearings. I built myself a shelter and even managed to turn a nearby cave into a makeshift fridge, keeping my food cold until I needed to use it. From there I was able to not only categorise the island, but also divide it into zones and keep it controlled, balancing nature perfectly, allowing it to be a true paradise. Alas, eventually the island was invaded by a group of humanoids calling themselves ‘Christians’, declaring that they were there to spread the word of some magical man, and demanding they build their little shrines on my fantastic island. I countered that I was the saviour they had been looking for all this time, but they did not appreciate my braggadocios, albeit completely true, declarations, and they tried to fight me, to dethrone me of the island that I had claimed as my own, desperate to claim it for themselves. Of course, with my superior intellect it was child’s play to dispose of them. I left one of them alive and sent him back to where he came from, to spread the world that my island is off limits. 

Cranky Kong: Aww jeez, I knew we kept the wrong Kong.

Plonker Donk: Yes indeed, I am a completely self made Kong.

Plonker Donk and Donkey Kong stare each other down, Plonker Donk with a little smile on his face. Eventually Donkey Kong breaks the tension.

Donkey Kong: Ok. Donkey hungry.

Donkey Kong shrugs his big shoulders, and then he starts to lumber off towards Funky Kong who is standing beside a barbecue and chugging beers with Lanky Kong. Diddy Kong flips off Plonker Donk and then rocket jets off somewhere else, but one of his rockets malfunctions and he ends off crash landing into the sea somehow. Dixie runs after Donkey Kong, hopping onto his back and getting a free ride to the barbecue. Plonker Donk looks confused and turns to Cranky Kong.

Plonker Donk: They aren’t amazed at my tales of survival and constant evolution?

Cranky Kong: Eh, these philistines wouldn’t recognise a good story if it bit them on the arse. You rescue a bunch of bananas from some talking crocodiles though, everyone thinks your a hero. That’s the way of the world, man. You could be the greatest hero ever, the most inspirational Kong in the world, but if you aren’t stealing something obvious that somebody else has already stolen then you’re a nobody.

Plonker Donk: But that doesn’t make any sense!

Cranky Kong: Eh, that’s life kid. Nothing makes sense and the idiots rule.

Plonker Donk shakes his head sadly, at the state of the world today.

Cranky Kong: So... you want a beer or something?

Plonker Donk: No thank you. I think I’ll retire back to my original island. I’ve had enough of this place, these people. I preferred the isolation on my island.

Cranky Kong: Yeah, this place sure does suck. Hey can I come visit you on your island?

Plonker Donk: No.

Cranky Kong: Yeah, fair enough.

And with that, Plonker Donk turns on his heels (monkey paw things?) and walks away, back to the home made boat he built himself to transport him between islands. Cranky Kong sighs and looks at the other group of Kongs he’s stood beside.

Cranky Kong: Any of you guys want a beer?

James Bond Kong: No thank you. Although I couldn’t trouble you for a martini, could I dear boy? Shaken, not stirred.

Cranky Kong: What do I look like, a fucking bartender? You can have a beer. Everyone can have a beer...

Cranky grumbles as he walks over to a nearby beer cooler. He’s so cranky! The end.

[mindfulnessmattersireland]

Who’s teaching who?

“Aren’t the sun’s rays beautiful coming through the trees Mammy?”

These were the words uttered by my five year old on our way to school a few weeks ago a mere fifteen minutes after she had thrown a cup across the kitchen in anger!

Initially I felt like saying “I don’t care about the sun’s rays!” – my head and my emotions were still back in the kitchen trying to deal with the flying cup!  I caught myself and I agreed with my little girl because she was right – they were truly beautiful.  My frustration and anger gave way to a sense of pride and awe……for here was my daughter teaching her Mammy how to be mindful. Here she was genuinely living in the moment.

I really couldn’t blame her for feeling like shouting and throwing cups. If I was honest I felt like doing the same.  She had every right to be angry – only months earlier she had found her doting Daddy dead in his bed and I, her Mammy, wasn’t there to help her.  In that moment of throwing the cup she had owned that anger (I’m not saying it was the healthiest way of owning it but that’s an issue for another day!), expressed it and then moved on with her day – allowing space for other emotions to move in and out.  I, on the other hand, was struggling to let go of the stress of the situation.  I was replaying it over and over in my head, all the while missing out on, among other things, the beauty of the sun’s rays coming through the trees.

Children know how to live mindfully.  They are our greatest teachers when it comes to living in the now.  Our role as educators is to name it for them, to help them to realise when they are being mindful, to guide them in the different approaches that support mindful living so that as they get older and the ‘busyness’ of life begins to take over, they always have the capacity and the skills necessary to assist them with noticing the sun’s rays!*

But as well as teaching them, we desperately need to learn from them.  We need to embrace the opportunities that arise so often where we can gain from their innocent and pure wisdom.  ‘Not now’, ‘maybe next time’, ‘I don’t have time’, ‘we’re going to be late!’ are phrases that most of us as busy parents/teachers say to our children on a regular basis.  Of course sometimes it’s absolutely necessary to say these things to our little ones but on other occasions we are missing out on so much precious learning and sharing for no real reason – these responses can become a habit and sometimes we don’t even realise how often we say them.

This morning Lottie was outside bouncing on the trampoline as I dashed around doing a few last-minute tasks before the three of us left for school.  Suddenly I heard her shout “Mammy come and look at the clouds”. I was just about to shout “Not now Lottie, get in the car” when I caught myself.  I went out and lay on the trampoline for five minutes with my two little girls lying either side of me and we looked at the clouds that resembled “a giant’s sled”, “a bunny on an elephant’s trunk”, “a loveheart” and “a crocodile eating a banana” among other things! Yes we weren’t as early as usual getting to school and I wasn’t as organised as I might have liked to be starting the day but the three of us had shared those five minutes in a very intimate and special way and that was far more important.

Challenge yourself in the coming days to catch yourself when you’re about to use some of these phrases when speaking to your children or pupils, ask yourself is it absolutely necessary to say them and if it’s not, see what learning could you take from the given situation.  Enjoy a little bit of role reversal and allow your little ones to become your guides.

*If you’re a teacher looking to help your pupils to identify when they are living mindfully and to develop further approaches to ‘living in the now’, I would highly recommend that you enrol on one of the Mindfulness Matters summer courses. Both courses include a huge amount of excellent resources and practical approaches to assist you in promoting mindfulness in your classroom. See below for further details on the brand new course being offered by Mindfulness Matters this summer and for details on how to enrol.

 Teacher well-being is always number one for Mindfulness Matters!

Dr. Ann Caulfield’s research and Mindfulness Matters’ interaction on their on line forum with 6,000 teachers has formed the basis of Derval and Ann’s practical guide to well-being for teachers. This BRAND NEW follow up on line course includes tips on WSE with ease, opportunities to really rest body and mind, simple ways to weave peace and calm into daily life, resilience, mindful communication and self-compassion. The perfect way to EPV with ease!

This innovative new Mindfulness Matters course Well-being, Mindfulness and Resilience for Teachers and Children also has a creative cross-curricular theme covering SESE subjects Science and Geography, SPHE, PE, Art, Irish, literacy, and support for planning whole school well-being. Dr. Ann and Caulfield and Derval Dunford, pioneers of mindfulness and well-being in Ireland, continue to pave the way to wellness in the Irish education system!

BOOK NOW Mindfulness Matters course 1 Developing Mindfulness and Well-being in Primary School Children

INTO http://moodle.intolearning.ie/login/index.php

Mayo Education Centre   http://cpdcourses.mayoeducationcentre.ie/summer-courses/on-line-courses/sm-17-373

BOOK NOW Mindfulness Matters course 2 BRAND NEW follow up course Well-being, Mindfulness and Resilience for Teachers and Children

INTO http://cpdcourses.mayoeducationcentre.ie/summer-courses/on-line-courses/sm-17-1224Mayo

Mayo Education centre http://cpdcourses.mayoeducationcentre.ie/summer-courses/on-line-courses/sm-17-1224

To book SPECIAL OFFER course 1 & 2, gain an extra EPV day and save money http://cpdcourses.mayoeducationcentre.ie/summer-courses/on-line-courses/sm-17-373-1224

Teacher’s kind words on Mindfulness Matters course 1:

‘This course was funky and edgy’  ‘Creative and inspirational’  ‘The best course of my professional career’

‘Life changing’  ‘It enabled me to relax and make the most of my summer’

  }

[territorymob-blog]

15 things you need to know before you visit to get the most out of your Down Under adventure.

Are you planning to visit Australia?  There are a number of things that we think you should know about before you head Down Under.

FYI: The UK fits into Australia 31.5 times!

Our geography for one – Australia is a big country and there are a lot of people who love living here.  Over 23 million Aussies live here!   Our nation is made up of people from other nations and we love our multi-cultural country.

Our lingo is probably the most noted of the most talked about ‘oddities’. (see #2).  The movie ‘Crocodile Dundee‘,  introduced the Australian language to the world.   A fun movie that did fabulous things for tourism in Australia and taught the world how to say ‘G’day’, Australian style.

Australia is one huge island continent! You simply won’t be able to see everything in a couple of weeks! If you are planning a trip to Australia, best plan to do it state by state to see all our favourite places. Each one of our States and Territories has their own special features.  Tasmania is known for its pristine wilderness.  Queensland is where the Great Barrier Reef is.  Victoria hosts our most cosmopolitan city and famed for the Melbourne Cup – the race that stops the nation.  New South Wales is home to the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  South Australia is famous for it’s extraordinary winery regions.  Western Australia has Broome, Monkey Mia, Cable Beach and the Northern Territory lays claim to the real outback with Uluru (Ayres Rock), Kakadu National Park and mean looking crocodiles!

The Australian strine (local lingo) is a bit quirky! We tend to make a whole lot of new words up as a way of clarifying what we’re trying to say … which usually doesn’t clarify anything at all!  Check out this earlier post – Australians speak funny to confuse you even more!

Our sense of humour is a bit strange! We love to poke fun and have a laugh.  Don’t believe everything you’re told .. especially by a serious faced Aussie.  Our biggest game is to ‘reel in the fish’, so if you take the bait, enjoy the ride.  We mean no harm 🙂

Aussies are known to eat weird things! Whoever came up with the ‘shrimp on the Barbie’ thing is just plain nuts!  I must admit, to others our food choices probably border on the bizarre.   We love chunky meat pies, a nice ribeye steak on the BBQ, thick black sticky stuff called ‘vegemite’ on our toast for breakfast and you can’t do a trip down under without tasting our most famous dessert – the Pavlova!  If anything, BBQs and roast dinners would be our all time favourite meals to share with friends.

No, kangaroos don’t hop down our main streets. Well actually, that’s not entirely true – I do know of a couple of towns in the outback where they really do hop down the main street – see my post about Daly Waters. Sadly in some areas these cute furry kangaroos are considered a pest. They have been known to destroy acres of crops, knock down fences and generally make a nuisance of themselves.  But we do admit, they are very cute!

Australia has one of the oldest Indigenous cultures known to man. Experience our Aboriginal culture.  Be sure to visit our cultural areas like Uluru, Kata Tjuta, the Devils Marbles and Kakaku.Learn about bush tucker, traditional hunting tools, bush medicines and listen to Dreamtime stories – it’s part of our unique heritage and we’re very proud to be a part of it all.

There are plenty of things that can kill you, in Australia. We have 21 or the 25 most venomous snakes in the world! We also have sharks, deadly spiders, killer jellyfish – often so small you can’t see them, dingos, boxing kangaroos, prehistoric mean-looking crocodiles, blue ringed octopus, toads and cone shells that deadly animals live in which will give you a nasty bite. We like to shock our visitors .. but really, the chances of anything ‘getting you’ is unlikely – and you’ll probably never come into contact with most of them.  If by chance you do – Take heed of the warning signs ie: ‘Beware of Crocodiles’ and make sure you follow the instructions!

Slip, Slop & Slap!   Australia has some serious sun issues!  To quote a famous song written by Noel Coward;  “Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun”.  Be aware. Down here, the sun is HOT, and it WILL damage your skin. Australia is known to have one of the highest records of skin cancer so get with the program and cover up!  Most of the fun stuff in Australia is held on our beaches or out in our open spaces so you need to protect yourself. Slip on a shirt, Slop on some sunscreen and Slap on a hat.

A rip?  What’s a rip?  Do you know what a rip is? Australia has a lot of beaches and this is one of the most important things to know about our beaches. Swim between the flags and follow the direction of the surf lifesavers. Treacherous undercurrents can tear you off your feet and sweep you out to sea. Make sure you look for any warning signs on the beaches, obey the lifeguards and don’t swim anywhere beaches are unpatrolled.

Australia has some of the world’s best Road Trips.  Long, often straight roads with some magnificent scenery to experience through the Australian outback.  Or try the Great Ocean Road to see the spectacular coastline. Some of my favourite Road Trips are Darwin to Alice Springs & Alice Springs to Adelaide. If you decide to venture out – be sure to take your safety seriously.  Its often a long distance between towns and sometimes the conditions are not always ideal. Read 10 trips to Drive Safely in Australia.  It may just save your life.

Some advice if you’re planning on doing a road-trip Down Under. Make sure you don’t take fruits and vegetables across the borders.  Australia has extensive farmlands growing fruit, grain and vegetables – many of which are isolated from noxious pests and insects.  Don’t be the one to transport bugs and pests across the country which could potentially wipe out entire crops.

Beer o’clock happens!   Aussies love their beer and there’s nothing like a cold beer on a hot day.  Visit a pub any hot day (and trust me, there are plenty of pubs Down Under), strike up a conversation about footy and fishing and you’ll have the makings of a good day.

Stop at some of the funky little roadside servos no matter how dodgy they look. Some of our best travel experiences have been when we’ve randomly stopped at roadside stops that haven’t looked picturesque or appealing.  Coober Pedy is an adventure all of it’s own.   Daly Waters is an experience we keep going back for, and in outback western Queensland, the Winton Pub was one of the most fun places we’ve ever stopped en route.  Step outside your comfort zone and experience the real Australia.  You won’t regret it!

Don’t underestimate the harsh bush conditions. Sadly, each year we see news reports of visitors (and sometimes our own) who underestimate the Australian bush by often setting out for a bushwalk with nothing more than a bottle of water.  Sadly some perish in our harsh conditions.  Make sure you prepare properly, take notice of signs and be sure to let someone know where you’re heading.

All in all, we’re a fun place to visit.  We’ve lots of exciting things to see and do and if you really want an adventure of a lifetime – Australia is definitely the place to go!

Quick Quiz: Q: What is a boomerang that doesn’t come back?

A:  A stick!

Have you visited Australia yet?  We’ve put together a list of 15 things you should know before you visit the land Down Under.   Let us know if you think there’s anything we’ve missed.

Visit Australia - 15 things to know before you head Down Under 15 things you need to know before you visit to get the most out of your Down Under adventure.