#and Dedede has problems truly showing it

[pinkd3mon]

Feeling loved

Bonus:

[tyrantisterror]

Who is your favorite Nintendo villain (Bowser, Ganondorf, Dedede, Ridley, King K. Krool, etc.) and why?

I feel like the snarky "aren't I clever?" answer would be to say Edelgard from Fire Emblem Three Houses, because that's a Nintendo game from a Nintendo franchise, and while Edelgard is more morally complicated than the "villain" label would suggest, she nonetheless is designed to be villain-coded both in general and by the very specific tropes and archetypes that Fire Emblem itself has developed. And since Edelgard is one of my favorite character of all time AND plays with the concept of villainy in so many different ways depending on all the different routes you can take in the game, she'd be my favorite villain character from a Nintendo franchise - because my favorite villains are the ones who take the coding of villains in culture and make you question what truly makes one villainous.

But I'm going to assume the intent of this question is, like, less obscure villains, villains who'd appear in Nintendo branding. Smash Bros and Mario Cart villains, right?

In which case my answer would be Bowser. I love how he evolved from a very simple and basic villain concept - big fire-breathing dragon who steals a princess - into something a lot weirder and more specific, both in appearance and especially personality. Bowser is one of my favorite examples of a villain from children's media and specifically a recurring villain from children's media, because like the best villains of that specific subsection of culture, he's ultimately less a true evil doer and more a metaphor for a temperamental and antisocial kid on the playground. He's selfish and throws tantrums and acts rude, but he's not genuinely wicked - he is, in his own misguided way, seeking out a social connection with others. There's something deeply pitiable and even lovable about Bowser - we all have our days where we want to stamp our feet and shoot fire out our mouth in frustration, or wish we could just tell everyone to fuck off as we take what we want. We shouldn't, of course, but we all feel that way, and Bowser shows us both why we shouldn't and, more importantly, why having those monster-moments doesn't mean we're beyond turning over a new leaf.

Because yeah, Bowser may be a jerk who causes problems on purpose, but no one really hates him. Mario and the gang still invite him to play board games and participate in their go-kart races. He is, in a weird way, as much their friend as their enemy, and that's wonderful. And, in its own very simple way, this makes you ask the question: what truly makes someone villainous? Because if the big fire-breathing princess-kidnapping monster can have a good guy deep down beneath the scales and the bluster, then can we really write anyone off as just evil?

Also Bowser looks cool as hell.

[gemapples]

Rant away my friend

apparently a few people wanted me to vent about the kirby novels so head in hands ig i'm gonna go for it LMAO (this is inspired directly from @desultory-novice 's posts about it)

ALSO IM SORRY IF THIS IS SO DISORGANIZED gonna be honest i forgot a good half of what i wanted to talk about. But Anyways. please note that all of this is entirely My opinion you ofc dont need to agree and despite everything i actually really love and enjoy the kirby novels a lot !!

so okay after hearing her talk about the reason we're likely not getting a magolor epilogue novel and knowing takase's erm.... Infamous reputation regarding how she handles magolor's character that had me thinking a lot and. Wow i'm kind of Really nervous for how this magoland novel will turn out actually because a lot is kind of at stake here when you think about it

takase will either be forced to actually develop magolor's character, or she will just completely scrap everything that happened earlier, remove any mentions of the epilogue and go straight back to square 1 where magolor is -- once again -- the villain of the story. Don't get me wrong i like evil magolor a lot lol i think if done right it can be a very enjoyable portrayal of his character. but there's only So many times you can make a character the antagonist before it just gets straight up exhausting y'know

i think it's ESPECIALLY different in terms of magoland. This might be a cold take idk lmao but merry magoland isn't just some wacky little theme park magolor created out of the blue for no reason. It's something that signifies and sets in stone how he's a changed character. Merry magoland is magolor's dream he's had for a really long time by his own words and truly shows that all he's wanted to do is make people have fun and be happy. if you make him the antagonist in that, that completely just fucks up Everything relating to his character and renders that entire development null and also invalidates all the hardships he's gone through to make that happen

i do think takase's portrayal of magolor is fun! i do enjoy it and i do appreciate how he has a hard time communicating his desires and showing true friendship. i think that's important. one of magolor's most significant flaws is how he has a hard time understanding how friendship is supposed to work and what to do when you have friends. but maybe instead of making him the villain. Over and over and over again you could idk... have him Learn?? and actually Develop from his issues??? i know waddle dee is a completely separate character but for the sake of comparing to another person who has gone through a huge amount of development in the novels -- why can't magolor do the same? why is it constantly so insistent that he be the one causing all the problems for no reason other than haha it's funny (in most cases at least. i know dreamy gear was different and i will give it a giant shoutout for that)

i'm so sorry if i sound too harsh here i literally don't know how to word it otherwise lol i think it's important to emphasize that despite everything i do like seeing magolor's character in the novels. but it just gets to a point where it's Grating to me at times and depending on the scenario is just completely inaccurate. that's why i think magoland is such a huge point for us here with a lot on the line -- if she chooses to not make magolor the antagonist and make it accurate to the game's actions and desires, that will be an essential key for his development and showcase that we're actually making progress with his character. but if she chooses to make him the antagonist again, the potential for him being something more than a villain -- which is RIGHT there -- is completely wiped

afaik magolor and kirby's friendship was also mentioned and i just want to throw out there. merry magoland happened because of kirby. merry magoland happened because of magolor's friends. kirby, meta knight, dedede and bandee are the reason merry magoland exists. so if takase chooses to not acknowledge any mention of that and make magolor go against them all, that also erases the potential of magolor's relationship with other characters as well yknow... the characters he's gone against for this whole time? it also makes no sense whatsoever??

so yeah this is a bit long but there's just a lot to either look forward to or dread about this novel -- or even both lmao -- the more i thought about it. i want to have a decent amount of hope that i could be wrong here, maybe takase will take advantage of what she has to work with game wise and create something truly special. but throughout all of magolor's appearances in the novels... *hand on mirror* it seems like all of his character is constantly scrapped in favor of treating him like some apathetic irredeemable character with no regard for others or understanding friendship. so that's kind of a hard pill to swallow

[deafeninggardenerpanda]

The first to react was Kine.

“Hey~! Water! It’s the sound of water!”

“Where’s the sound coming from?!”

Kirby and co. surveyed the area.

“The tree’s roots!” Kine shouted. “The water's coming out of the tree’s roots!”

From the roots of the Dreamstalk, in the lake, clean water gushed out. Not only the water, but the Dreamstalk itself was changing. The trunk and leaves were dull colors, but, in the blink of an eye, it became a bright green.

“Look!” Kirby yelled. “The Dreamstalk’s all better now!”

“Because Pirka’s heart has been cleared,” Coo said, “the spell’s effects have disappeared. Which means…”

Coo got cut off by a sudden voice.

“Huh? Where am I? Why am I here?...”

It was King Dedede.

Looking as if he had just woken up from sleep, he looked around. Meta Knight was also returning to normal.

“What happened? Why is water flowing out of the roots of-”

Meta Knight looked at the group one by one, and, in the end, stopped on Pirka. He seemed to have pieced together what had happened. He sighed, and picked up his treasured sword Galaxia again.

“It seems that King Dedede and I, possibly, were being controlled. Sorry.”

“What? I don’t remember anything about being controlled!!” King Dedede insisted.

“Don’t you remember?” Rick asked. “You sent me flying with your hammer!!”

“Wait, what?”

King Dedede shifted his focus. His sharp gaze caught Pirka.

“You did this, didn’t you!?!”

“Wait, Dedede!"

Kirby stood in front of the great king and spread his arms out to block him.

“It’s over already! Pirka’s our friend now!”

“What do you mean she��s our friend now!? What an insult to someone as great as myself!!”

“I told you it’s over!!”

“Out of my way, Kirby!!”

King Dedede, looking absolutely furious, swung his hammer. Kirby nimbly dodged.

“Hey, that’s it,” he said, “let’s play tag!”

“Whaat?!”

“King Dedede’s it! Everyone, run!”

Kirby started running. Rick, Gooey, and Pirka ran in different directions.

“Heyyy! This isn’t a game of taaag! I’m getting really mad right now!!”

King Dedede, absolutely furious, chased after Pirka. Pirka was fast, but she was no match for the king, who was making a serious effort. In the blink of an eye, he caught her.

“Get ready, you pesky pixie!”

He was about to squeeze her, but Kirby tackled him.

“That’s enough! Pirka’s it next!”

“Yeah, I know!”

“RUN AWAAAY!” Pirka screamed.

Kirby started running. Even King Dedede got caught up in the fun and ran.

“Why am I…?” he said. “I shouldn’t be playing stupid games like tag. I’m really mad right now, so-”

As he said that, when Pirka started drawing near, the great king picked up in speed.

“Who would get caught by a loser like you!? Not me!!”

“Waaaait!”

As Pirka chased after the king and Rick, before they knew it, a loud laugh filled the air. Before everyone ran around, the lake had been filling up with more and more water.

“Clean water~!” Kine said. “Listen, Coo, do you think this water’s fine to swim in?”

“Perhaps,” Coo said, “with the shadow cast over Pirka’s heart gone, the Dreamstalk has regained its original power. This water should be pure and unpolluted.”

“Is this the same water that Kirby sucked up~? Are Kirby’s stomach and the Dreamstalk connected? Umm… umm…?”

No matter much he thought about it, it was impossible to understand. Kirby’s stomach was full of mysteries. So, Kine stopped thinking about it and jumped into the lake. As he swiftly swam around, he called out:

“Feels great~! This lakewater is super clean!”

“It appears the situation has been resolved,” Meta Knight said, “I was far from able to help. I was holding everyone back…”

“No,” Coo said, “if you two hadn’t fallen under her control, we would’ve caught Pirka much sooner. If that had happened, Pirka wouldn’t have been able to have a change of heart. In the end, we were very lucky to have struggled.”

“...though I’m hesitant to admit it, that is correct.”

Meta Knight nodded his head, then raised his voice:

“Come, let’s return to land soon.”

Kirby and the others, who heard this, stopped playing tag and gathered.

“Pirka, let’s go together!” Kirby said to Pirka.

“Huh? No, I...”

Pirka shook her head.

“Don’t worry,” Rick said, “of course we’re not gonna spill all the details to everyone. We’ll just tell them that we worked together with you to solve the problem up here.”

“Thanks, but I’m going to return to the village I came from, not Dream Land.”

Pirka looked at everyone.

“I haven’t gone back since I was exiled, but I still want to see everyone there. I must apologize to the children I had controlled. I don’t know if I could ever accept forgiveness, but… this time, I will try to become their friend.”

Pirka’s eyes were brightly sparkling.

“Is that so?”

Kirby nodded his head.

“Well then, farewell, Pirka! But, since we’re your friends, remember to come visit us here in Dream Land sometimes!”

“Thanks. I am truly grateful, Kirby.”

Pirka tightly held Kirby’s hand.

“Goodbye, everyone!”

“Goodbye, Pirka. See you later!”

Pirka spread her transparent wings and took off over the lake.

“Now then,” Meta Knight said, “let us return to the small boat.”

“Okie dokie!”

“Back to the painfully cramped boat again, huh?” King Dedede said as they walked to the small boat. “Great… hmm?”

Noticing Gooey unsteadily walking beside him, Dedede groaned.

“Why are you coming with us? Gooey!”

“Huhhhh?”

Gooey looked at the king in surprise.

“Because I wanna go home.”

“Didn’t you fly your way here?! You can go back by yourself!”

“Nah. I’m tired after all that fighting.”

“There’s no room for you!”

“There is~!”

“If I say there isn’t, then there isn’t!”

...somehow or other, all seven of them boarded the small boat, getting jam-packed in.

The small boat landed on the shore of the Rainbow Islands. Everyone who had been eagerly waiting for the return of Kirby and the others gathered at once. Captain Vul and the Meta-Knights greet Meta Knight, the first to get down, with cheers of joy.

“Lord Meta Knight! You’re safe!”

“Indeed. The operation was a success,” Meta Knight plainly informed. The Rainbow Islands’ inhabitants, surrounding the small boat, resounded.

“Just as one would expect from Lord Meta Knight!” Captain Vul shouted excitedly. “With Lord Meta Knight’s power, the Rainbow Islands were saved! Everyone should be grateful!”

“No, Captain Vul. It wasn’t my power.”

Meta Knight didn’t seem to want to be thanked, but Captain Vul didn’t understand.

“Oh! Someone as heroic as Lord Meta Knight would never show off his own accomplishments! What modesty! Everyone should follow his example!”

“Aye!”

The Meta-Knights were in high spirits.

“I knew I could count on Lord Meta Knight!”

“I’m so sorry I couldn’t accompany you!”

“I wish I could’ve seen Lord Meta Knight’s efforts!”

“Please let us hear the whole story later!”

“...”

Meta Knight became more silent than usual. After King Dedede got down from the small boat, all the Waddle Dees simultaneously sprung up in celebration.

“Hurraaaay, hurraaay!”

“Hurray for His Majesty!”

Just like Meta Knight, the king had been under Pirka’s control. However, he held no shame about it.

“Of course,” he said, proudly puffing up his chest with pride, “prepare for a barbeque on the beach! Grill the meat and vegetables! Don’t forget the marshmallows! Set up my parasol and beach chair!”

“Yes, Great King!”

Bandana Waddle Dee handed the king his life preserver and sunglasses. The king was in the mood for a vacation.

“Let’s get this party started! A beach party, Dedede-style!” the great king shouted in high spirits, when, suddenly, the area became dark, and then raindrops started falling.

“Wow, rain!” the islanders shouted with joy.

“Hurray! It’s been forever since we’ve gotten rain here!”

Their faces lit up, as they merrily frolicked around in the rain. Kirby, Rick, Kine, Coo, and Gooey got down from the small boat. Pick dashed up to Rick and embraced him.

“Welcome home, Rick! You really did it! It’s raining again!”

“Thanks to your lucky charm!”

Mine, seeming happy, cuddled up to Kine.

“Kine, did you get hurt?”

“I’m A-OK! I did my best for you~!”

“I know. I knew that if anyone could make it rain again, it’d be you!”

Pick and Mine, along with a large number of islanders, crowded around the group.

“Thanks, Kirby,” Pick said, “you saved the Rainbow Islands.”

“Gooey saved your island. We just helped him!” Kirby said. As he did, the islanders started clapping loudly.

“Thanks, Gooey!” they shouted.

Gooey, who was not very good at being all sunny and radiant, waved his tongue shyly. The rain steadily evolved into a downpour, dampening the dry ground. The once dried-up lakes and rivers filled up with water again. The fish jumped in with great energy. Of course, the only one on the joyous island who had become sulky at this sight was King Dedede.

“Ughhhhhhh…”

His plans of vacation had been ruined.

“Who had to make it rain!?” he yelled with a bitter-sounding voice.

“Um… you did, Your Majesty…”

“Wait, you’re right! Ughhhhhhh… I HATE THE RAAAAAAAIN!!”

The violent sound of rain drowned out the king’s laments.

The rain continued for the whole day, moistening the dried-up Rainbow Islands.

The next morning…

As the rain stopped, the morning sun shone down on the Rainbow Islands. Kirby and Bandana Waddle Dee, who had woken up early, walked to the sandy beach.

“I knew you could do it, Kirby,” Bandana Waddle Dee yelled, “the withered flowers are all better now!”

“We all worked together to get the job done!”

“I wish I could’ve gone with you too…”

“You could’ve gone with us if Meta Knight’s small boat was just a bit bigger.”

Kirby and Bandana Waddle Dee agilely jumped over a puddle of water.

“Tell me about what kind of adventure it was! What was above the clouds?”

At Bandana Dee’s question, Kirby sweetly smiled.

“It’s a secret!” he said.

“Huh? Why?”

“No matter what!”

“Oh, tell me, Kirby!”

“Nuh-uh!”

It was a secret that he couldn’t even tell a close friend like Bandana Dee. Bandana Dee seemed disappointed, but then, suddenly, he noticed something and yelled:

“Kirby, look! The Rainbow Bridge!”

From island to island, pretty Rainbow Bridges connected. Due to the lack of rain, the bridges had begun to fade away into nothing. Thanks to the rain returning after so long, the seven bright colors sparkled.

“Woah…”

“How nice!”

As the light of the morning sun intensified, the Rainbow Bridges’ colors grew prettier and prettier. As they basked in the refreshing breeze, the two would forever admire the Rainbow Bridges.

< Previous | Table of Contents | Next >

[applekitty]

i’ve seen lots of talk about escargoon lately

so i want to talk about him too. please note, i’m not specifically talking about sub or dub escargoon, as they both are still very similar in execution.

escargoon is a character who was written to be comic relief. he was written as to have the whole ‘oh boss is mean to his underling haha look at this idiot minion get beat up’ dynamic thing that so many other shows have, but escargoon deviates from the narrative by showing romantic interest in his boss. he’s shown to be gay / coded gay by the show numerous times (though it usually differentiates depending on who’s writing him) through his actions, and through the dub inparticular through his voice. and there’s our problem. 

if i may deviate quickly to be my onbrand 4kids stan self.. to be quite honest, 4kids had the right idea by toning down the gay escargoon had in his dialogue because just.. jesus christ, i don’t want to listen to this poor gay guy pine over the fucker who beats him! that’s like fanfic levels of awful! i dont want to blame 4kids for the voice chosen either, and i fucking wont because 4kids didn’t make the decisions on the voices, japan did. the voice still sounds like a stereotype gay one, which still gives us gay escargoon, but at the very least we don’t listen to escargoon lovingly sing about how much he loves the guy who beats him. 

anyways. 

he has the similar problem that le fou from beauty and the beast (YES, both the 2d and live action ver) has. he’s there to be beaten and there to be abused and there to be gay. we’re getting a gay character beaten and abused onscreen constantly. his affections will never be reciprocated, and to be honest it’s good that they arent— his boss being a mean asshole means if they were reciprocated it’d probably be purely for deceit or to gain more power to lord over him and make him do what his boss wants.

escargoon as a character, being gay, is cool. the way he’s written in the narrative is not, and despite me being the biggest anime fan around i’d never side with how he’s written. it’s truly unacceptable, and honestly if he had gotten better treatment that would’ve been great. if he were able to take out his aggression on dedede, or leave, or anything, that would’ve been great. but due to syndicated tv programming we couldn’t get that (we need everything to go back to normal after the episode ends unless it’s a 2 parter).

something also noteworthy is also the nastiness of escargoon’s character. because when he’s not around dedede, when he’s around people he cares about (such as his mom), he can legitimately be sweet and caring. but when he’s on castle grounds or in the car with the king he’s a completely different person. whatever reason he may have for that, it shows escargoon is a redeemable person, he has more depth than just ‘evil sidekick’, and has an opportunity to be better.

escargoon’s character is very much a victim of circumstance, and his narrative is too. he’s a victim, also, of internalized homophobia among writers who weren’t exactly fully aware of what they were writing. japan was never very good at the whole ‘gay character’ deal, and it continues to not be very good with other lgbt+ identities *cough* trans people *cough*.

escargoon is and always will be forever stuck in a limbo of status quo where he can never leave. and when i think about it that way, it’s very much a accurate depiction of abuse in relationships. he always gets a reason to stay and never leave, via force of the narrative. he is always forced to be dedede’s consort, and he can’t ever deviate. he is forced to be abused over, and over, and over again, and he can never leave. he is never given a chance to leave because he is a main villain, and he needs to be there to be dedede’s ‘comical’ gay punching bag.

the only people who say escargoon’s treatment is easy to ‘brush off’ are either dedesuka shippers, people who have no braincells, or strawmen. people who completely devoid the relationship between escargoon and dedede of any abuse, imo, are wrong to do so because it is a key in their relationship. you cannot have these two be together and have it not be abusive, canon has shown that through 100 episodes of constant snail abuse. to brush off the abuse after that much of it being shown is disrespectful to escargoon’s character and simply should not be done. 

escargoon deserves to have peace of mind not because the abuse simply disppeared. lets be real, i’m sure he hopes that the abuse will stop and things will go back to ‘normal’, as most abuse victims do. he remembers and KNOWS there’s times when dedede’s not hurting him, maybe one day dedede’ll stop hurting him for good. but no. it does not work that way. we cannot give that to him because that means he’ll stay with his abuser, and dedede will not give that to him because he’s abusive.

escargoon deserves better from us, he deserves closure of a mature kind. he deserves to he, himself, realize the cycle he’s been through for 100 fucking episodes and try to take a stand. he gets tiff and tuff and kirby to help him and he finally removes himself from dedede, even though it makes him sad to do so at first. he starts to heal and he starts to move on from dedede. he can become self dependant, he can work on his own flaws that he’d developed by being around dedede, he can become a better person and work to be nicer. he needs to heal.

but if we can’t get that, then..

it’s time someone on ao3 or ffn or SOMEWHERE started shipping him with their oc. because lets be real no one else in the series is good for escargoon, not even meta knight. let escargoon heal and grow, become a good person, then give escargoon a good husband.

edit 6/14/19:

No. ‘Game Dedede’ Is Not A Good Husband For Escargoon, Get Off My Post.

[megamanx1994]

The Legend of Kuzon Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Teamwork

(Disclaimer! I own nothing of Korra or Kirby!)

Kuzon and I were heading to King Dedede’s castle.

Him being an expert on spirits, I was sure he could tell what this spirit was.

“Poyo poyo."

"Seems like he’s grown accustomed to our world,” Kuzon said.

“I just can’t wait to learn what kind of spirit Kirby is,” I said.

Kuzon stopped.

“Kirby? What’s Kirby?”

“That's….. what I decided to call him,"

I knocked on the door and the king’s servant, Escargoon opened the door.

"Let me guess, you left something in the castle again?” He asked annoyed.

“Not quite. But we have something the king is gonna wanna see.”

We were in the room explaining the situation.

“And so we were wondering if you know what Kirby was."

"What’s a Kirby?”

“Not a Kirby, Kirby,” Kuzon said.

“Ok show him what you got,”.

Kirby opened his mouth and inhaled a chocolate bar.

“Wow, he’s got vacuum power?"

"Yes Uncle Dedede, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

I allowed Kirby to inhale me and then spit me out.

He had a hairstyle similar to mine and could blow gusts of wind.

“Incredible. Do me, do me!”

“What?!” Asked Escargoon, “Absolutely not!”

Kirby inhaled the King’s hammer and gave it back.

He now had a hammer on his own.

“Looks like we got 2 Uncle Dededes now,”

“Let’s see what else he can eat."

He threw a bunch of food at Kirby and he ate it all.

He could even eat some inedible objects.

"Let’s try this,” Escargoon said grabbing a coffee machine.

“NOT THE COFFEE MACHINE!” Kuzon and I said in unison.

“Well, based on his ability to copy other abilities,” King Dedede begun, “I think it would be best to dub him as… an Echo Fighter.”

“What was wrong with my idea?” Asked Escargoon.

“Its not a bad idea, but….. Siamese warrior?"

Kuzon and Kirby laughed.

"Saria, I need you to call the guys and tell them to meet at this location,” he said giving me a piece of paper.

“Why’s that?”

“You’ll see,"

We were an abandoned park in Republic City that used to be a training ground for elements.

"So your father was part of the Knight of Cydonia?” I asked.

“That’s right,” said Kuzon, “He was a well known hero and leader of the group.”

“So where do we come in?” Asked Anana.

“Well, you all have bending abilities,” said Kuzon.

“Basically he wants to carry on Dad’s legacy,” said Zoe, “Which is why I upgraded Kuzon’s suit.”

She showed them a hologram of other suits she created.

“I realize I can’t take on this Tokuga guy on my own, which is why I think you guys would make good teammates.”

“I have also done the same for you all to upgrade your abilities based on your element,” said Zoe.

“Whoa, why is my costume that heinous color orange?"

"You don’t like it?” Asked Zoe.

“Do you want me to look like a geek? Change it!”

“Do your thing,” Zoe said giving her the hologram.

I changed it to green.

“Now that’s more like it,”

Later we were telling each other about our bending abilities.

“We need some code names,” said Kanji.

“That might work. I’m gonna go by Fish Hooks.”

“Why that name?” Asked Kuzon.

“Well, this,” she answered.

Her water bending resembled a hook.

“Nice,” said Zoe.

“Thanks,” said Anana.

Saria stepped forward.

“Of course you guys know I can airbend,” I said, “But I also have a hidden talent.”

I casted to gusts of strong wind and they were sharp enough to put cuts on the statue.

“Shit,” said Kuzon.

“That’s not all,” said Zoe, “Kuzon I need you to be a test subject for something.”

“What is it?” Asked Kuzon.

I had a cape on her costume.

“This cape has a hidden ability as well,” said Zoe, “So try striking her.”

“Ok,” said Kuzon.

He charged up a punch and threw it at me.

I quickly dodged it.

“Not that hard dumbass!” Said Zoe.

“Hey, you said to strike her not how hard to strike her,” said Kuzon.

“Ok, try again,” said Zoe holding a camera.

“Any reason why you’re recording?” Kuzon asked.

“Research,” said Zoe.

Kuzon charged up another punch and threw it.

I swung my cape and it went straight back at Kuzon knocking him into something.

Zoe was laughing.

“Get rid of that footage!” Said Kuzon.

“I’m gonna go with… Ambar,” said Saria.

They all turned to Kanji.

“So what about you man, what’s your hidden power?” Anana asked.

“I’m not…. I can’t do it in here.”

“Well just do it out there."

"I don’t know,"

"Come on! Kanji! Kanji! Kanji! Kanji!”

Everyone else chanted with me until Kanji gave in.

“Alright,” said Kuzon stepping outside near the statue.

“There’s our guy,"

"Get down when I say,” Kanji said getting ready.

“Get down when I say,” Kuzon said mocking him.

“Get back,"

We stepped back some then came back out.

"Get back!”

We stayed there.

“Whatever,” said Kanji.

He started running then his body was starting to cover up in stone.

His whole body was stone and he ran straight to the statue crushing it.

“Whoa!” Said Kuzon.

We started to clap.

“Now that was amazing,”

The next day, Zhu Li was helping people with certain situations.

Korra was welcomed back by many of her friends while Zoe was working with Asami on some blueprints.

“I have to say, the people of Republic City owe it to Zhu li for her impressive leadership skills,” Tenzin said, “Meanwhile Raiko is busy with the reelection to talk to his people about their problems.”

“I’ll say. At this rate even a flying lemur could run against him.”

“Why not Pokey!” Meelo said.

“Is there anything we can do to help?” I asked.

“Perhaps an audience with the avatar can lift their spirits up,"

"Go get ‘em Korra,”

When she stepped out people started to crowd her.

“I’m sorry about what happened, but believe me I’ll do whatever it takes to help. Me and a group of allies I met over the last few days.”

“Allies?” Kanji asked, “Looks like she’s found some other assistance.”

“She’s talking about us,"

The people had a bunch of requests.

"I got an idea,"

He stepped out gathering everyone’s attention.

"I understand you’re all tired, frustrated, and all of the above, but a great man once told me that change can be good or bad depending on your point of view. So I think it would be best to take this as a new beginning.”

“Kuzon…” Korra said smiling.

“I’m sure that whatever comes our way, all of us, benders, non benders, can face these challenges together, and live in balance with one another,” said Kuzon, “And evolving into our best selves becoming who we truly are! For the Future!”

“FOR THE FUTURE!” Said everyone.

Kuzon and Korra secretly held hands.

“That was a great speech Kuzon, thanks for helping me out there.”

“Don’t mention it,” he said.

Asami had some housing plans.

“Now we just need to show these to him,” Asami said.

“I’ll tag along,” I said.

Uncle Wenyan was showing Raiko a poster for his reelection.

“This seems a bit misleading as Korra was the one who was responsible for saving Republic City from whatever the Yellow Devil was,” he said.

“Mr. President!” I said, “Can I speak with you for a moment.”

“Saria, don’t you see the president is having an important conversation?” Asked Uncle Wenyan.

“Please, I’m not too busy to speak with someone,” Raiko said.

Asami handed him some blueprints for housing.

“These people need some homes really fast,” I said, “Asami has been working on some plans.”

He took a look at them.

“These seem interesting,” he said.

Uncle Wenyan was looking at them and then came up with a scheme.

“If I use these, I can give Raiko the credit and turn the others against the avatar,” he said to himself.

“Asami finish up drawing these plans and we will carry out immediately,” said President Raiko.

“Thank you sir,” Asami said.

“Kuzon, if I can speak with you for a moment,” President Raiko said.

“Yes sir?” He asked.

“What did this rat do now?” Uncle Wenyan asked, “Did he violate another statue?”

“This is a private matter,” Raiko said.

He brought Kuzon to another room.

“Keep a sharp eye on this Knuckle Joe character,” said President Raiko, “I know he is doing his best to help us and the Avatar protect Republic City.”

“Finally, something we agree on,” said Kuzon.

“And if you see anything suspicious, you or Saria let me know about it,” he finished, “I don’t think I want to continue being the mayor anymore, and we will need someone else to run against me.”

Kuzon had some ideas.

[logobosskingdom]

Kirby s lobster

When Meta Knight encounters a Heavy Lobster during the initial stage of his story mode, he'll say "Kirby had no problems dealing with you.

It's been re-arranged and plays on Candy Constellation. Heavy Lobster's battle music from Kirby Super Star can be unlocked after fighting three Heavy Lobsters in The Dark Tournament. Master Hand, sometime after the events, sent a mirror copy of Meta Knight to head back to the abandoned (at the time, anyway) Halberd and mass produce an improved model. The Heavy Lobsters in Clash are constructed by the Subspace Army after Meta Knight's model of the creature had failed to stop Kirby during the events of Kirby Super Star. Be aware that if you defeat a Heavy Lobster, it explodes with similar impact to a Bob-omb, so try finishing it with a ranged attack. It has a few of it's attack from Kirby game appearances, such as multi-hit fire attack that can hit for up to 30%, left and right rushes that deal 12%, and a massive stomp that deals 18% with some stars created nearby that do 5% each. They have pretty high HP and cannot be stunned by normal attacks, although super moves get the job done. Heavy Lobsters are some of the mooks you fight in the Kirby-themed platforming levels of the mode mostly late in Kirby and Meta Knight's stories. All versions of the robot generally attack with fire, sudden movements and massive jumping attacks. Recently, a soldier of Master Hand's has found the original blueprints and the Subspace Army has created a new supply of machines. We have been serving quality food at affordable prices for decades and plan on keeping it that way. We proudly offer great food and service in a friendly and cozy atmosphere. Another model of the robot was used to defeat Kirby once he found himself back inside the Halberd, but it ultimately was defeated. Kirby's Grill & Taphouse - Westvale is a locally-owned and operated All-American steakhouse. It's initial use was to provide a distraction for Kirby while Meta Knight would get him away from his ship. The Heavy Lobster is a massive, mechanical. It's pose is similar to the artwork above. You can obtain the Heavy Lobster as a random trophy.

2 In The Dark Tournament: Adventure Mode.

The above description came from Pengy, and was edited by yours truly. The ground shuddered beneath Dwayne's feet.Then came thelatethunderclap of detonation. The Halberd made it's appearance in that game too. Awesome, would be Kirby's reaction right now. Heavy Lobster is also an enemy in the SNES game Kirby Superstar and made it's appearance in Revenge of Meta Knight. Ice Kirby froze the monster and Sword Knight finished it off by blasting it to pieces with the bazooka. Server Trainer Red Lobster Help Desk Analyst Infiniti Systems Group Lead Bartender 100th Bomb Group Restaurant. But Kawasaki showed up again and threw Kirby a couple of ice cubes and he transformed into Ice Kirby. Later, they entered the room of the Halberd's main engine and it would look like nothing could stand in Heavy Lobster's way. A Warp Star leads to the second room, which still has many Laser Balls, but. The first room features many Broom Hatters, Laser Balls, and Capsule Js/Capsule J2s, as well as Star Blocks over a bottomless pit. After Kirby destroys Main Cannon 2, he flies to the Halberds left wing. But Dedede didn't want anymore monsters from Nightmare Enterprises and the Heavy Lobster turned against him and started attacking the king and his servant snail. Chapter 5 is the fifth chapter of Revenge of Meta Knight, a sub-game appearing in Kirby Super Star and its remake. It also showed up at King Dedede and Escargoon's jail cell and blasted them out. the gang made a run for it after Cook Kirby failed to destroy Heavy Lobster. But Meta Knight told them the monster is mechanical and Cook Kirby cannot defeat it. Meta Knight sent two teams to stop it, one consisting of Kirby, Tiff, and Tuff, and another consisting of Sword Knight and Blade Knight who were armed with a bazooka.Ĭhef Kawasaki showed up and tosses Kirby his frying pan and Kirby transformed into Cook Kirby. It attacked the three cappies and Kit Cosmos reported the sight of the monster. Kit Cosmos was training Mabel, Chief Bookum, and Mayor Blustergast and that's when Heavy Lobster struck. eNeMeE sent the monster, sealed in a space capsule, towards Meta Knight's battleship, the Halberd. Heavy Lobster made it's appearance in Kirby's first movie, Kirby Fright to the Finish. It's armed with powerful cannons that it can shoot from it's claws or pincers or whatever they are called. It's a mechanical robotic lobster constructed to destroy. Matter of fact, it was the final monster eNeMeE sent on Kirby. Heavy Lobster is one of eNeMeE's most powerful monsters.

[xb-squaredx]

The Kirby Stagnation Problem

Kirby, Kirby, Kirby. Everyone’s favorite pink puffball has been around for ages, and with so many games under his belt, I’m shocked at how consistent the Kirby series has been quality-wise in all that time. While some games fare a bit better than others, I don’t that any of them are outright BAD. Kirby stands out as an extremely strong series in that regard; with each new Kirby game released, you have a good idea of what you’re going to get. Great music and visuals, fun, if somewhat unchallenging gameplay, and a fair spattering of content. Kirby’s consistency is so good, in fact, that it might be masking a subtle problem that’s come to a head with his latest adventure, Kirby Star Allies. Is Kirby…growing a little stagnant? Is the star of the show in a rut? Let’s discuss this below the break.

Truth be told, Kirby is a franchise that does experiment a LOT; Kirby seems to be the go-to Nintendo character to place on a novel game concept that would likely not sell very well otherwise. Had Kirby’s Epic Yarn or Kirby Mass Attack been original IPs, it’s likely they’d fly under the radar. When it comes to these spin-offs, they have a lot more freedom to go off the rails. Turn Kirby into a ball and use the stylus to draw paths for him! Put him in a racing game that uses one button! Let Dedede star in a rhythm game! So when I talk of possible stagnation, I’m mostly talking about the core platformers where Kirby made his name, the “real” Kirby games in that sense.

Making his debut in 1993, Kirby was the product of then-newbie director Masahiro Sakurai. Sakurai saw the complexities of then-modern gaming and desired a game that catered more towards the newcomer, but would still be satisfying for more hardcore fans, and Kirby was born! Since then, the puffball has starred in all kinds of games, and they’ve kept that beginner-friendly mentality. However, this design philosophy might also be responsible for Kirby’s possible stagnation. After all, you can only innovate so much without making the game too complex for these beginning players.

(How many times do we have to beat you down, you old tree?!)

When looking at Kirby’s platform games, you do notice innovation and more complexities being added for sure. The original game didn’t even have his now-signature Copy Abilities yet, so imagine how HUGE of a change that was for his franchise. The problem I’m seeing though is that while there are a good number of ideas generated in these titles…you start to see a pattern. Super Star, and to an extent Dream Land 2 and 3 introduced Helpers, with Super Star and Dream Land 3 also featuring co-op play, which carried over into Kirby & the Amazing Mirror and Kirby’s Return to Dreamland. Kirby 64 introduced the concept of mixing and matching Copy Abilities, which was used to a lesser extent in Kirby: Squeak Squad. Moving into the modern era games, Kirby’s Return to Dreamland, Kirby: Triple Deluxe and Kirby: Planet Robobot felt like a culmination of past games, with one big new feature that debuted in one game, only to be replaced in the next game. First we had Ultra Abilities, then the Hypernova ability and then finally Kirby piloting a mech suit. And so when Kirby makes his true HD debut with Kirby Star Allies what does he bring to the table? Helpers. And co-op. And…mixing…abilities…together. Huh.

Don’t get me wrong; Kirby Star Allies is pretty good, and in many ways improves on those features. The stages feel designed around four players this time around, and the mixing and matching of powers is both more fluid than in Kirby 64 and leads to more interesting combinations and interactions with the environment. That being said though, there isn’t really anything surprising there anymore. You know what you’re going to get with a Kirby game; a main campaign, a harder, extra campaign, two throw-away minigames and a boss rush mode…and that’s all here with no extra curveballs. Hal Laboratories has managed to stay pretty consistent, but I fear that’s come at the cost of ambition.

It’s been a while since a game has come along that’s really wowed the fan base and truly pushed it forward. Some of these concepts are great, like the mech suit from Planet Robobot. I mean, it’s definitely unexpected! But you know it’s only around for one game. I’m not saying we need a Super Mario Odyssey or Breath of the Wild-level overhaul of the series, but I do think the series does need to start taking some more chances, but doing so might alienate the beginner crowd.

I am in no way saying that Kirby as a franchise needs to focus on the hardcore OR the casuals exclusively. I wouldn’t want a Kirby game to come along that’s incredibly hard; that just isn’t the appeal. I understand that Hal’s hands are kind of tied; to innovate or try something totally out of left field might drive fans away, so it’s a delicate balancing act. It’s really hard to say what the next game should do; it isn’t as simple as “just make it 3D!” There seem to be some signs that Hal is working on SOMETHING in the background with Kirby; the bits and pieces we get of plot seem to get a bit more dire with each new game, making me wonder if we’re subtly building up to something that’s, dare I say it, epic in scale. Probably not but it’s something that would surprise me, and I think that’s something Kirby needs to do. Super Star is a fine game, but there’s no need to stick to that formula exclusively. If you become predictable, you risk becoming boring. And that’s the kiss of death.

I fear we’re getting to a point where if you play one Kirby game, you’ve played them all. Maybe we already are at that point. But for a series as enduring as Kirby has been, I can only hope that the fan base doesn’t fizzle out before a new game comes along that feels really special and not so by-the-numbers. Kirby is a franchise that’s special to me, special to a lot of people…it’s not like its gotten BAD or anything, and it doesn’t seem in any danger of dying anytime soon, but I feel it’s going through a slightly bumpy patch. Here’s hoping he comes out the other side all the better for it.

Until next time,

-B

[kenjus-benjus-jedi-wayseeker]

Kirby Lore: Queen Sectonia

A hero is nothing without a good villain to oppose them, and it’s all the better when an entire rouge’s gallery is at odds with the protagonist. Kirby has encountered a host of rivals throughout his career, from a disgruntled penguin or distressed mother eagle, to planet-destroying dark matter and physical incarnations of nightmares. One of the more unique villains Kirby has battled in Queen Sectonia, matriarch of Floralia. Though she is seen as an egomaniacal despot, there are hints strewn about Triple Deluxe and later Kirby material that hint to a tragic fall from grace. Buckle yourself in, because this is a long one.

For the purpose of clarity, I’m going to be telling Sectonia’s story chronologically from her perspective, rather than in the order the audience discovers it. Also, the events of the True Arena, Dedede Tour, and Meta Knightmare Returns are considered non-canon by the game’s director, Shinya Kuzamaki. However, they provide interesting explorations of Sectonia’s character, and will be included regardless.

The story begins in Floralia, one of the territories that exists on the geologically impossible peaceful planet of Popstar. Floralia is a series of floating islands that circle the planet from low orbit, and exists isolated from the cultures of the surface world. Floralia is inhabited by many beings, but there are two that appear in great prominence. First are the people of the sky, who resemble flowers, and the Floralian Nobles, who are spider-like in appearance. Two of these beings were in charge of Floralia. The first was the newly crowned Queen Sectonia, and the second was her adviser, Taranza. The two were competent and well-meaning rulers in their early years who treated each other as equals. All was well for many years, until an innocent gesture of affection became a fatal error. 

Also floating in the skies of Popstar is an artifact known as the Dimensional Mirror, which connects Dream Land to a mirrored version of itself, which was once ruled by a demon named Dark Mind. That demon was dispatched some time ago by Kirby and Meta Knight. However, trapped in the plane between worlds was a vengeful warrior who desired revenge against those who had defeated Dark Mind. Dark Meta Knight had become the mind of the mirror. Taranza, unaware of these circumstances, removed the mirror from its place in the sky and brought it to Sectonia as a gift. This exposed Sectonia to Dark Meta Knight’s corrupting influence. Gazing into the mirror she saw the infinite expanse of the universe and universes beyond, becoming increasingly aware of her own insignificance (or something of the sort). She became obsessed with standing out and lasting forever. She anted to be the most beautiful thing in existence, but what is beauty? Dark Meta Knight answered her question. “Beauty is control.”

Sectonia set out to have iron fisted control of everything in her life. Control of her army. Control of her people. Control of her appearance. She began to change herself, modifying her body with bits and pieces stolen from those she disposed of who surpassed her in beauty. Her form changed completely countless times, eventually finding her perfect body; a parasitic wasp encrusted in gold and jewels. Sectonia had been subjugating her people and reduced Taranza from an equal partner to a sniveling and lowly servant. Floralia had become a nation gripped by fear. The people of the sky saw no other option but to launch a coup and overthrow their queen. Having heard of the exploits of a surface-dwelling hero (spoiler: it’s Kirby), they created a magic seed that would grow into the Dreamstalk, a giant vine that could lead the hero up to Floralia. Queen Sectonia interscepted this knowledge, but put no effort into stopping the growth of the Dreamstalk, as she saw potential use in it. She instead decided to have Taranza abduct the hero so that he would have no opportunity to stop her. Taranza, however, had no information on who the hero was, and kidnapped King Dedede by mistake. 

Kirby set out after Taranza to rescue his best friend / arch rival, ascending the Dreamstalk and using Sun Stones to accelerate its growth. Using the Miracle Fruits provded by the Dreamstalk, Kirby scaled the six islands of Floralia, reaching the doorstep of Sectonia’s palace. Taranza, in a last line of defense, cast a possession spell on Dedede, pitting him against Kirby. That battle has a foregone conclusion, however, and Kirby successfully rescued his King. Sectonia then revealed herself to Kirby, punishing Taranza for his repeated failures and challenging the hero to a duel. Sectonia was a powerful foe, but Kirby had much more combat experience. He bested her in direct combat, but Sectonia’s ego would not allow her to give in easily. She decided to weaponize that which was once a sign of resistance. Changing her form one last time, Sectonia discarded her body and merged with the Dreamstalk. Sectonia’s vines eclipsed Popstar, blocking out the sun and threatened to suffocate it inhabitants. The battle with Kirby was long and hard, but using Hypernova, he redierected Sectonia’s most powerful attack back at her, killing her. The battle would have ended then and there, but sections of the Dreamstalk that had yet to die out absorbed the last of the Miracle Fruits, resurrecting the Soul of Sectonia. Kirby took on the undead queen in a secret battle, and managed to finally best her. Sectonia’s soul was driven back, and she shattered into petals. In her absence, the Dreamstalk bloomed, freeing Popstar and restoring peace to Dreamland and Floralia. However, the root of the problem had yet to be addressed.

Free to return home, King Dedede instead ascended the blooming Dreamstalk in search of answers. As he climbed, he encountered monsters Kirby had once bested, but much stronger than they were. In fact, it was almost like they were different creatures entirely. At the highest point in Floralia, Dedede encountered somebody who appeared to be the deceased Queen Sectonia. Though there is no in-game explanation for her appearance, there is reason to believe the EX Bosses, including EX Sectonia, are actually the original bosses’ Mirror World counterparts, come from their realm to oppose Dedede. (This however creates an inconsistency with Kracko, who appeared in Amazing Mirror and has a different color scheme than Triple Deluxe’s EX Kracko.) After defeating Sectonia EX, Dedede discovered the Dimensional Mirror, which had gone unnoticed the last time he was there. The mirror summoned its final resistance, Shadow Dedede, come from the Mirror World to conquer himself. Dedede dispatched with his Doppelganger and entered the Mirror to do battle with the one who had set these events into motion. Dark Meta Knight revealed himself and drew his blade, engaging in his first one-on-one battle since Kirby defeated him, which was eons ago from his perspective. It was a well-fought battle, but Dedede came out on top and shattered the Dimensional Mirror, freeing Floralia from its corrupting influence. 

Dedede’s victory would have been the end of the story, but not long after the events of Triple Deluxe, Planet Robobot begins. That game saw a galactic mega-corporation called the Haltmann Works Company invade Popstar. While Sectonia does not appear in the game proper, there are revelations made in the game’s second campaign, Meta Knightmare Returns. At the end of Meta Knight’s quest, he is put through a test from Star Dream OS to see if he is capable of becoming its admin in President Haltmann’s absence. One of Star Dream’s tests is a battle against a clone of Queen Sectonia. This clone is created using one of the petals that remained when Soul of Sectonia was destroyed. In its death, the clone, which by Star Dream’s own admission is imperfect, revealed Sectonia’s original form. These events also show that Sectonia is truly dead, and could only ever be brought back by the intervention of something as powerful as or more powerful than a Nova.

That just about covers everything. Sectonia is a very complex character with a rich history, and she ties into interesting events from previous games. Other aspects, like her well-done design, unique motif, and captivating music makes her a front runner in the list of amazing Kirby villains. It’s a little saddening that she died so quickly, but it’s better that a character make a good but short impression instead of overstaying their welcome. Sorry this got so long, but there is just a LOT of stuff to cover in Kirby stories now. Hope it was informative, and kudos if you read this far.

[thelegendofkuzon]

The Legend of Kuzon Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Teamwork

(Disclaimer! I own nothing of Korra or Kirby!)

Kuzon and I were heading to King Dedede's castle.

Him being an expert on spirits, I was sure he could tell what this spirit was.

"Poyo poyo." 

"Seems like he's grown accustomed to our world," Kuzon said.

"I just can't wait to learn what kind of spirit Kirby is," I said.

Kuzon stopped.

"Kirby? What's Kirby?"

"That's….. what I decided to call him," 

I knocked on the door and the king's servant, Escargoon opened the door.

"Let me guess, you left something in the castle again?" He asked annoyed.

"Not quite. But we have something the king is gonna wanna see."

We were in the room explaining the situation.

"And so we were wondering if you know what Kirby was." 

"What's a Kirby?"

"Not a Kirby, Kirby," Kuzon said.

"Ok show him what you got,".

Kirby opened his mouth and inhaled a chocolate bar.

"Wow, he's got vacuum power?" 

"Yes Uncle Dedede, but that's just the tip of the iceberg."

I allowed Kirby to inhale me and then spit me out.

He had a hairstyle similar to mine and could blow gusts of wind.

"Incredible. Do me, do me!"

"What?!" Asked Escargoon, "Absolutely not!"

Kirby inhaled the King's hammer and gave it back.

He now had a hammer on his own.

"Looks like we got 2 Uncle Dededes now," Kuzon joked.

"Let's see what else he can eat." 

He threw a bunch of food at Kirby and he ate it all.

He could even eat some inedible objects.

"Let's try this," Escargoon said grabbing a coffee machine.

"NOT THE COFFEE MACHINE!" Kuzon and I said in unison.

"Well, based on his ability to copy other abilities," King Dedede begun, "I think it would be best to dub him as… an Echo Fighter."

"What was wrong with my idea?" Asked Escargoon.

"Its not a bad idea, but….. Siamese warrior?" 

Kuzon and Kirby laughed.

"Saria, I need you to call the guys and tell them to meet at this location," he said giving me a piece of paper.

"Why's that?"

"You'll see," 

We were an abandoned park in Republic City that used to be a training ground for elements.

"So your father was part of the Knight of Cydonia?" I asked.

"That's right," said Kuzon, "He was a well known hero and leader of the group."

"So where do we come in?" Asked Anana.

"Well, you all have bending abilities," said Kuzon.

"Basically he wants to carry on Dad's legacy," said Zoe, "Which is why I upgraded Kuzon's suit."

She showed them a hologram of other suits she created.

"I realize I can't take on this Tokuga guy on my own, which is why I think you guys would make good teammates."

"I have also done the same for you all to upgrade your abilities based on your element," said Zoe.

"Whoa, why is my costume that heinous color orange?" 

"You don't like it?" Asked Zoe.

"Do you want me to look like a geek? Change it!"

"Do your thing," Zoe said giving her the hologram.

I changed it to green.

"Now that's more like it,"

Later we were telling each other about our bending abilities.

"We need some code names," said Kanji.

"That might work. I'm gonna go by Fish Hooks."

"Why that name?" Asked Kuzon.

"Well, this," she answered.

Her water bending resembled a hook.

"Nice," said Zoe.

"Thanks," said Anana.

Saria stepped forward.

"Of course you guys know I can airbend," I said, "But I also have a hidden talent."

I casted to gusts of strong wind and they were sharp enough to put cuts on the statue.

"Shit," said Kuzon.

"That's not all," said Zoe, "Kuzon I need you to be a test subject for something."

"What is it?" Asked Kuzon.

I had a cape on her costume.

"This cape has a hidden ability as well," said Zoe, "So try striking her."

"Ok," said Kuzon.

He charged up a punch and threw it at me.

I quickly dodged it.

"Not that hard dumbass!" Said Zoe.

"Hey, you said to strike her not how hard to strike her," said Kuzon.

"Ok, try again," said Zoe holding a camera.

"Any reason why you're recording?" Kuzon asked.

"Research," said Zoe.

Kuzon charged up another punch and threw it.

I swung my cape and it went straight back at Kuzon knocking him into something.

Zoe was laughing.

"Get rid of that footage!" Said Kuzon.

"I'm gonna go with… Ambar," said Saria.

They all turned to Kanji.

"So what about you man, what's your hidden power?" Anana asked.

"I'm not…. I can't do it in here."

"Well just do it out there." 

"I don't know," 

"Come on! Kanji! Kanji! Kanji! Kanji!"

Everyone else chanted with me until Kanji gave in.

"Alright," said Kuzon stepping outside near the statue.

"There's our guy," 

"Get down when I say," Kanji said getting ready.

"Get down when I say," Kuzon said mocking him.

"Get back," 

We stepped back some then came back out.

"Get back!"

We stayed there.

"Whatever," said Kanji.

He started running then his body was starting to cover up in stone.

His whole body was stone and he ran straight to the statue crushing it.

"Whoa!" Said Kuzon.

We started to clap.

"Now that was amazing,"

The next day, Zhu Li was helping people with certain situations.

Korra was welcomed back by many of her friends while Zoe was working with Asami on some blueprints.

"I have to say, the people of Republic City owe it to Zhu li for her impressive leadership skills," Tenzin said, "Meanwhile Raiko is busy with the reelection to talk to his people about their problems."

"I'll say. At this rate even a flying lemur could run against him."

"Why not Pokey!" Meelo said.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" I asked.

"Perhaps an audience with the avatar can lift their spirits up," 

"Go get 'em Korra,"

When she stepped out people started to crowd her.

"I'm sorry about what happened, but believe me I'll do whatever it takes to help. Me and a group of allies I met over the last few days."

"Allies?" Kanji asked, "Looks like she's found some other assistance."

"She's talking about us," 

The people had a bunch of requests.

"I got an idea," 

He stepped out gathering everyone's attention.

"I understand you're all tired, frustrated, and all of the above, but a great man once told me that change can be good or bad depending on your point of view. So I think it would be best to take this as a new beginning."

"Kuzon…" Korra said smiling.

"I'm sure that whatever comes our way, all of us, benders, non benders, can face these challenges together, and live in balance with one another," said Kuzon, "And evolving into our best selves becoming who we truly are! For the Future!"

"FOR THE FUTURE!" Said everyone.

Kuzon and Korra secretly held hands.

"That was a great speech Kuzon, thanks for helping me out there."

"Don't mention it," he said.

Asami had some housing plans.

"Now we just need to show these to him," Asami said.

"I'll tag along," I said.

Uncle Wenyan was showing Raiko a poster for his reelection.

"This seems a bit misleading as Korra was the one who was responsible for saving Republic City from whatever the Yellow Devil was," he said.

"Mr. President!" I said, "Can I speak with you for a moment."

"Saria, don't you see the president is having an important conversation?" Asked Uncle Wenyan.

"Please, I'm not too busy to speak with someone," Raiko said.

Asami handed him some blueprints for housing.

"These people need some homes really fast," I said, "Asami has been working on some plans."

He took a look at them.

"These seem interesting," he said.

Uncle Wenyan was looking at them and then came up with a scheme.

"If I use these, I can give Raiko the credit and turn the others against the avatar," he said to himself.

"Asami finish up drawing these plans and we will carry out immediately," said President Raiko.

"Thank you sir," Asami said.

"Kuzon, if I can speak with you for a moment," President Raiko said.

"Yes sir?" He asked.

"What did this rat do now?" Uncle Wenyan asked, "Did he violate another statue?"

"This is a private matter," Raiko said.

He brought Kuzon to another room.

"Keep a sharp eye on this Knuckle Joe character," said President Raiko, "I know he is doing his best to help us and the Avatar protect Republic City."

"Finally, something we agree on," said Kuzon.

"And if you see anything suspicious, you or Saria let me know about it," he finished, "I don't think I want to continue being the mayor anymore, and we will need someone else to run against me."

Kuzon had some ideas.

[deafeninggardenerpanda]

Kirby and his friends vigorously climbed into the small boat. King Dedede, crammed into a small seat, immediately after departure, was incessantly complaining.

“Hey fuzzball, give me some space,” the king shouted to Rick, who was sitting right next to him, “it’s too hot in here!!”

In spite of the complaining, Rick, full of determination, didn’t flinch in the slightest.

“What? Who’re you calling fuzzy? My fur is known for being the shiniest in the Rainbow Islands!”

“I don’t care. Anywho, it’s way too hot in these small, cramped seats. Meta Knight, couldn’t you have prepared a ship that was just a little bit bigger?”

“The size of a small boat has its perks,” Meta Knight coolly answered, sitting in the spacious cockpit, “it’s more difficult for your enemies to spot you because you are able to move more quickly, which is very important. Actually, this small boat was made as a three-seater.”

Meta Knight looked back at the seats behind him. Behind the captain’s seat, there were only two seats. Since King Dedede, Kirby, Rick, Kine, Coo, and Pirka were seated there, they were, of course, cramped together.

“You’ve got seven people sitting in a small three-seater boat!” King Dedede said, seemingly-fed up. “Rick, Kine, Coo! You guys keep squishing the rest of us. I’m enough to take out the bad guy-”

Rick shook his head.

“Not a chance! This is a problem dealing with the Rainbow Islands. Thanks for coming to help us, but we’re not just gonna stand around while you do all the work!”

“....................”

Kine shook his dorsal fin to express agreement. He couldn’t talk because he was holding Kirby in his mouth. For the sake of having more space, Kirby fit inside his large mouth.

“Humph, you two are acting all self-important,” King Dedede said with a sour look, “but you just wanna show off to your wife and girlfriend anyway. I can see right through you.”

“Wh-What did you just say!?”

Having apparently been right on the mark, Rick waved his limbs around in confusion.

“Th-That’s not what we’re trying to do!! At this point, even if we were, Pick already knows how good I look!”

“...................!!!”

Kine shook his dorsal fin, sitting. As Kine was unable to say anything, Kirby spoke instead:

“It doesn’t matter what they’re doing this for! The more the merrier. Eating and playing are way more fun when you do it with others!”

“For goodness sake, we’re not going there to play,” Coo said, exasperated. He was resting on top of Kine’s head. “We’re going there to catch the evildoer above the clouds. We mustn’t be so careless.”

“Um, I agree,” Pirka said, calling out to Kirby and the others, “there’s only one enemy to face, but it is very strong, to a barbarous extent. Everyone, please be careful not to get hurt.”

“We’ll be fine, it’ll all be fine!” Kirby said in a happy-go-lucky voice.

“We are going to arrive soon,” Meta Knight said, still sitting in the cockpit, “There’s a chance that the enemy that attacked Pirka will suddenly attack us as well.”

“Everyone, be careful.”

“Got it!” the group said together. Before long, the small boat steadily flew above the clouds. At last, the group had arrived at the world above the clouds, with Meta Knight standing at the lead as they got down. Though it only looked like a small cloud from the ground, as they tried to get down, it was so spacious they could not see the edge.

“Where’s the bad guy?” Rick asked as he looked around the place. “Things seem peaceful here, but-”

“Mm- mGYAAAAA!!” Kine screamed in an odd voice, spitting Kirby out of his mouth. Kirby was sent rolling. When he stopped, he looked back at Kine and complained:

“Jeez, Kine!! You could’ve warned me before you spat me out!!”

Rick laughed.

“There’s no way he would’ve been able to say anything to warn you, y’know? You were in his mouth, after all.”

“Oh, really?”

“It’s true~!”, Kine said, happy that his mouth was finally free, “hey, where’s that nice smell coming from?”

“A smell?”

Kirby stood up on the tips of his feet and tried to smell the air.

“What kind of smell? Cake? Or meat? Spaghetti? Ramen?”

“Nothing like that. Way, way better... It’s the smell of water!” Kine said, wiggling his tail fin.

“Water?”

Rick’s small nose twitched. He shook his head.

“But I don’t smell anything.”

“I understand. Follow me~!”

Kine proceeded glidingly, as if he were swimming in the air.

“Kine, you’re right,” Pirka said, “the lake is in that direction.”

She spread her wings and lightly flew. As the group chased after Kine, Meta Knight asked:

“Pirka, tell me about the dangerous creature that attacked you. What was it like?”

“Very creepy-looking.”

Pirka’s voice trembled.

“It was round, about the same size as Kirby. Its body was dark blue. It didn’t have any arms or legs, and it attacked by using its long tongue to lick me. I didn’t understand where it was looking, but it had a strange look in its eyes… It was truly terrifying.”

“That sounds really scary~!”

Kine trembled.

“It was round, dark blue, with no limbs, long tongue… strange creature,” Rick muttered with a serious look on his face, “who was it?”

“Round, dark blue,” Kirby pondered, “licking… licking… huh? What? Wait a sec!”

Kirby, having come to a sudden realization, was dumbfounded. At the same time, Coo realized.

“That creature, perhaps-”

“There it is!” Pirka shouted. “Look, it’s the lake!”

A large lake was laid out ahead. On the shore, there was a large tree growing, bearing dull purple fruits. It was an unlikely scene above the clouds. Kine cheered:

“Hurray, clean water! It looks so good~!” Immediately, Kine jumped into the lake, but, suddenly, something moved to stop him. Kine stared in awe.

“Huh? Over there, could it be…”

Before Kine’s eyes, a strange creature stood. Its body was round and dark blue. It had no limbs, and swung its long tongue left and right. It bounced up and down, as if it were playing.

“Eek!” Pirka shrieked. “That’s it! The creature! Everyone, be careful!”

“I knew it,” Kirby said, taken aback, “that’s Gooey! The weird creature Pirka told us about was Gooey!”

“He’s right!” Rick said, also astonished, “What's someone like Gooey doing in a place like this?”

Pirka, turning pale, stared at Kirby and the others.

“Kirby, everyone, do you, by any chance, know it...?”

“Yeah. He’s a friend!”

“No way!”

Pirka backed away from them, seeming horrified.

“Pirka,” Rick said, “there’s no need to be scared. Gooey’s not evil. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but he’s a fun guy.”

“But he attacked me!”

“Nuh-uh,” Kirby said, “I bet Gooey just wanted to play with you!”

“That’s not the case. He attacked me with that long tongue of his. Moreover… look!”

Pirka pointed at the lake.

“See those piled-up stones over there? He put them there!”

Exactly as Pirka said, there were stones piled up in one part of the lake.

“The water of this lake has a mechanism of falling from there to the ground below. However, by piling up those stones, he dammed up the water, causing it to stop raining!”

Rick shook his head.

“This has to be a misunderstanding! There’s no way Gooey would do something like that!”

“But-”

“Anyways,” Kirby interjected, “let’s hear what Gooey has to say about this! HEY, GOOEY!!!”

Kirby shouted in a loud voice, waving his arms. Noticing Kirby’s voice, Gooey started to approach the group. Pirka hid behind Kirby as she trembled.

“He’s coming this way!! Be careful, Kirby!! He’s going to attack you with his tongue!!”

“It’ll be fiiiiine!”

However, it was at that moment that Gooey stopped, then turned to face Kirby. Then, suddenly, Gooey stretched out his tongue and attacked!

“WHA-?!”

Kirby was confused.

However, Pirka, who had been quivering behind Kirby, couldn’t dodge it in time. Whipped by Gooey’s tongue, Pirka was knocked down.

“EEEEEEEEEEEK!!!”

Pirka had been sent flying in the air, then fell down on her back.

“What are you doing?!”

Now with a shocked expression, King Dedede, grasping his hammer, charged toward Gooey.

“You must’ve gone mad, you googly-eyed blob!! Why would you do such a thing!?”

The king jumped at Gooey and swung his hammer. Gooey dodged the attack with ease, then, once again, stretched out his tongue, not at king Dedede, but instead at Pirka, who had collapsed.

“Danger!”

In the nick of time, Meta Knight picked up Pirka and jumped out of the way.

“Gooey, stop!!” Rick screamed. “Why are you doing this?!”

However, Gooey wouldn’t respond.

“He’s after Pirka~!” Kine said, shaking his dorsal fin. “But why?”

“Maybe it’s because I tried to destroy the stones,” Pirka said, breathing heavily, “that must be why he hates me so much!”

“No way, Gooey would never-”

However, not seeming to care for what anyone had to say, Gooey kept attacking. Once again, he stretched out his tongue and tried to attack Pirka.

“He doesn’t seem to be listening,” Meta Knight yelled, covering Pirka with his cape, “if this continues, I’ll just fight. Kirby, Dedede, are you two ready?”

“Of course!”

King Dedede clutched his hammer, full of rage. However, Kirby could not be ready. Gooey was one of his best friends.

“I don’t wanna fight!!” Kirby said earnestly. “This isn’t normal!! Gooey just wants to play, no doubt!!”

However, as if to ridicule Kirby, Gooey’s attacks grew more intense.

“That is what you consider ‘play?’ Get a grip, Kirby!” Meta Knight yelled. Kirby could no longer say anything. There was no way Gooey’s behavior was meant to be playful.

“Gooey!! What’s going on?! Tell me!! Why are you doing this?!”

Gooey wouldn’t answer Kirby’s questions. For some reason, he didn't seem to care. Without a word, he simply turned to hostility. At that point, Kirby had no choice but to give up.

“Let’s get out of here!” Kirby screamed, turning away from Gooey.

“Get out of here?” Rick asked with a surprised voice. “This isn’t a joke, Kirby. We need to work together to stop Gooey!”

It was exactly as Rick said: Gooey was all by himself. If Kirby and his friends got serious, they would be able to defeat him. That’s why Kirby didn’t want to fight. Kirby didn’t want to gang up on Gooey with the others and attack him, or anything of the sort.

“I’m running away!”

Kirby grabbed Pirka by the hand and started to run.

“Everyone, follow Kirby,” Coo shouted, flapping his wings on a grand scale, “now is not the time to fight!”

“Why!?”

Rick glared at Coo, appearing irritated.

“If we fight, we can win!”

“Our goal isn’t to win. Gooey has simply lost his mind. Nothing will come of attacking him!”

“If that’s the case, then I’ll knock his senses back into him with my hammer!” King Dedede yelled, filled with fighting spirit. Meta Knight, with his treasured sword Galaxia, was about to slash Gooey at any moment. Coo raised his voice:

“Stop it! If we fight, we’re going to get hurt. Not only that, but this has left us utterly distant from Gooey! Our friendship with him has been torn!”

Kine, hearing this, panicked.

“Distant?! Does that mean we might not be friends with Gooey anymore?! I don’t want that at all~!”

“Therefore, we should get going!”

Rick and Kine nodded their heads. Meta Knight lowered his sword. King Dedede, reluctantly, lowered his hammer. They all turned their backs on Gooey and started running.

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