#fusionfall academy

[numbuh223]

facing yourself

[ben10-lostandfound]

Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall - Ben 10 Nanos (Unused, Classic, Academy)

Source: FusionFall Cache

[neo-exploded]

i know i keep ranting about fusionfall but DUDE ITS SUCH A COOL CONCEPT AND WHY THE FUCK WAS THE GAME CANCELLED I STILL WANNA PLAY IT😭😭😭

but if u didnt know, fusionfall is a game based around an alien invasion involving cartoon network characters of the 2000s or somewhere around that time frame (if i am correct tho, the academy storyline has characters from some 2010s shows?)

by the way, major spoilers for the game ahead

but what is interesting about that is the fact on who is participating in the game. because fusionfall is a story based around the concept of an alien planet invading earth, it causes a life threatening situation for the characters we are introduced to and basically placing them into a war

AND DO YOU KNOW WHO IS IN THAT WAR??? LITERAL CHILDREN. mostly. what i want to mean by that is when you play the game or at least watch playthroughs of it, there are not adults that you meet at first, the only few adults i can count is Prof. Utonium and Father but there's probably more. Instead when you first join, youre met with younger people (depending on whether youre playing on the future or academy version, it really doesnt matter because either way youre meeting someone younger than the age of 20 when you first boot up the game)

this is interesting to me because, once again, think about who's participating in the war against Fusion. its actual kids, like the KND is actually the main supplier or weapons and transport throughout the entire game, and there are literally so many more examples i could give but i wont

but thinking about it from their persepctive, its fucking terrifying. its a literal war theyre in right now, and half of the population of Townsville (or wherever the game takes place) is either dead or somewhere else because nobody is there but them. for all they know, kids could be thinking that their parents or friends died in the invasion, or vice versa.

also, these characters had to take on a huge role at such a younge age. another example, but in the game (for the future version) once you complete the first quarter of the game and are sent back to the past you have to choose a guide to help you advance in your story. for those who dont know, guides are characters that lead four different story lines rhat can be a potential way to help you defeat Fuse at rhe end. The four guides consist of Dexter, Ben 10, Mojo Jojo and Double D.

Out of the four, double d stands out the most since for one, ben 10 and mojo jojo are like superpowered or something cause they feel actually qualified to be leaders in a war. Dexter is like the main reason that FusionFall takes place so he also makes sense to be a guide. Double D however is most likely still 12 years old (or older), still a genius n inventor, but he's just a normal kid here. you could argue that Dexter is just a kid as well, but he has such advanced technology that basically cancels that out.

what im trying to get at here, double d is literally just an average child with nothing but extra braincells he stole from his friends and more resources than usual that made him a guide. at 12. and is participating in a war. just. idk its probably that its horrifying to be a war general at such a young age??

OH AND I DIDNT EVEN BRING THIS UP YET BUT FUSIONFALL SURE AS HELL AINT AFRAID TO LET CHARACTERS DIE

in one of the versions of fusionfall, maybe the academy version?? Buttercup is presumed dead after one of the ppg fights against mojo jojo and she is shot into the sea and disappeared for like a bunch of years. Blossom and bubbles obviously had no idea shes still alive, and spent almost everyday trying to search for her until they had to give up and accept her sisters presumed death and THEN get burdened with an alien invasion (buttercup does come back tho, sorry for spoilers)

and in the future version where your character is accidentially sent far into the future where youre able to see the devastating amount of destruction the invasion can bring, you meet a lot less characters than you do when you travel back to the past. the past part of the game probably has at least over 50 characters or less im not sure, but when youre in the future theres at least 10 characters left

now im not totally sure if every character died or not, but considering the change in environment from the future and past, its not that far off from a possibility. though, it could jist be a personal headcanon for me.

but if this were true, then the game just killed off like the majority of their cast, including the main ones like Dexter and left some behind, obviously so you know what to do in the game but like imagine it from one of the characters perspectives??

eduardo is the only imaginary friend we meet in the future, so he's all alone with none of his friends there

eddy's the only kid left from the cul-de-sac like dude what

numbuh 2 and 5 are probably the only KND members we meet

Ben is still there

basically, everyone left had to watch their family and friends die and thats a little idk dark maybe for a cartoon network game?? i mean just a little-

anywho i love fusionfall its a lovely concept and i really want to talk to people about it but NONE OF MY FROENDS KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT CARTOON NETWORK AND IM GETTING SAD OF TALKING TO MYSLEF

goodbye

[milesonthenet]

Fusionfall: Cartoon Network's BIZARRE thought experiment!

Welcome back to the House of Milesverse, focused on some things comics, some things Transformers, and some things uh - other things.

Today we'll be talk about a special part of my childhood. I've always considered myself a CN kid more than any othr network. Nickelodeon just did not interest me, and i wasn't into Avatar or anything. But i did like Invader Zim. And my 'love' for Disney only came from the movies, and Kingdom Hearts.

But Cartoon Network? That was a different story. I loved Cartoon Network, and it was the network i watched the most. It just had a lot of fun stuff that kid-me was into.

Kid-Me loved Ben 10, and he really did enjoy Dexter's Laboratory. He'd sit down and watch Powerpuff Girls, or Cow & Chicken. He used to watch Scooby-Doo with his grandma. He even enjoyed early Adventure Time, Regular Show, and Steven Universe.

Total Drama, Johnny Test, The Secret Saturdays, Generator Rex, Teen Titans, Johnny Bravo. There was no limit to the amount of stuff that I'd watch. My entertainment wasn't just playing games or on the computer. It was sitting in front of the TV and seeing what I enjoyed.

But you know what Kid me loved that had - probably most of these things in them?

Well if you weren't clued in by the opening title, I'll show you;

This game got me into playing later MMO games like Elsword and DC Universe Online. It was familiar, it had all sorts of cartoon network characters in it. It remains a big point of my childhood because of it.

So today? Put on your nostalgia lenses. As House of MilesVerse presents it's own miniature REVIEW of;

CARTOON NETWORK UNIVERSE: FUSIONFALL

Making of Fusionfall

Fusionfall's story begins with Cartoon Network and one of their first 'big' forays into gaming. The game was published by Cartoon Network, with a business model planned out by Turner Entertainment. Its developers were Grigon Entertainment, a south korean studio chosen for their art style.

Speaking of? Fusionfall's art style is definitely interesting. It portrays the setting with more anime-esque styling. Characters still retained some of their cartoony looks, however, so while it was different, it still worked.

In the game however, it uh, was an interesting experiment.

Admittedly? Eddy isn't the weirdest looking one here. THAT award goes to;

That's Jake, as in Jake the Dog. He looks like that and is one of the only NPCs with no animations. He's just static, his eyes boring deep into your soul...

Jake knows what you did.

Anyways, Fusionfall is an MMORPG where you play as an avatar. You have some limited but still versatile customization options. Your character uses many weapons, including rifles, pistols, rockets, and melee weapons.

Original? Academy?

The game had two different versions, with one ultimately replacing the other. The original was available from 2009-2011 and gave you a simple story. Your character was a hero testing out a time machine, who wound up trapped in the future. You begin a quest to come back to the past, and eventually you return with the knowledge needed to create nanos.

Don't worry about that, we will get into that bit later.

After the birthday bash, the game's tutorial and introduction was overhauled. Newer characters were added - or at least new for when the game was out. For example? Finn, Jake, Generator Rex, and the Sym-Bionic Titan were all new additions, alongside Chowder, flapjack, and the Saturdays. In addition? Mordecai, Rigby, Gumball, and Darwin were all represented through Nanos.

This version of the game is Academy, which lasts from 2011-2013 when the game inevitably shut down its servers. Academy gives you two bonuses for your character: gliding and dodging. Your multidirectional dodge lets you move from front, back, or side to side.

The overhaul changed your origin story too. You train in the null void (it's a Ben 10 thing), and then Providence. Eventually after completing enough missions, you're sent off to get your guide, completing the tutorial.

Your Guides:

The game had four guides available to you at the start. The good thing about them is that you could change missions. You could swap from one guide to another, but you would start at the first level. If you chose to swap back, then you would be able to resume from your initial position.

These four guides are:

Ben Tennyson

Edd, aka 'Double D'

Dexter

And Mojo Jojo

The guides all have different missions too. Dexter wants to find out where the missing heroes from the world are. Ben Tennyson wants to make sure Lord Fuse (We'll get to that) doesn't get his hands on alien technology. These two are pretty simple.

Mojo Jojo wants to build an army of super-monkeys powered by Chemical X and fusion matter to defeat Lord Fuse. Naturally, the player foils his schemes each time - thanks to Mandy, and Dexter, - because he's evil.

Edd is... not what I would have expected, but he wants to stop Fuse from gaining buried candy and treasure maps. I'm surprised at his inclusion, especially compared to the others. But I think he also helps appeal to the comedic leanings of Cartoon Network.

What's the story?

Now we get to the FUN bit!

Fusionfall's story centers on a connected setting between the TV Series. The events of Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Laboratory, Ben 10, and Ed, Edd n Eddy are all connected. All the characters know each other, and everything is united.

The main 'threat' of the series is Planet Fusion, a large gooey planet that's assimilated other worlds. This time it wants to assimilate Earth, breaking it down like it's done to many worlds. The various heroes of the Cartoon Network universe unite to stop Planet Fusion from taking their planet.

This isn't just an easy fight for the heroes, though. Planet Fusion creates dangerous monsters made out of fusion matter to terrorize the people. Worse, they've created evil doppelgangers of our favorite CN characters, named Fusions!

It's a big war between two sides, and your character's caught in the middle. As mentioned above, your character is accidentally sent to the future. He returns to the past with the nano blueprints, so that the resistance may have a fighting chance against Fuse.

Now? It's you, the legendary hero, helping take down Fuse's forces across the world. You lose, Fuse.

The Fusions, and the Nanos

This has been stated above, but it would be easier to hop through it again. The Fusions are evil doppelgangers of your favorite Cartoon Network characters. They may look similar, but they are not nice, and exist to help Planet Fusion move his goals along.

Fusions are always found in fusion lairs, which are in infected zones. Infected Zones are the areas most communicated with fusion matter. There are many infected zones, and they all require you talk to a Dexbot to get in.

In these infected zones, you will usually find more than one fusion lair. This is where the Fusions lurk - are you tired of hearing the word 'fusion'? Don't be, we've got a long way to go. Entering the fusion lair usually requires you fight your way through a horde of monsters, and then the fusion itself.

When the fusion finally dies, you get a nano, made from a personal item of the character, fusion matter, and your own imagination energy. This is just the story reason though, the video game reason is just "kill this fusion, and get a nano". It's adorable, by the way.

Nanos have special abilities, which come in a set of three. With a nano you can get bonus fusion matter from missions, have extra money, make monsters fall asleep, sneak past monsters, and more. You only get to pick one ability, but don't fret, you can change it later.

I always look back and think the Nanos are a refreshing gimmick. Imagine being able to carry a chibi-fied version of Mojo Jojo around. They come with their own voice lines too, with higher-pitched voices.

The base game had around 36 nanos which you gained for each level. Academy added a few notable bonuses, with nanos themed off of more-recent CN characters. In addition, you could use a code to gain access to a nano.

The inevitable shutdown (and potential successors):

August 29, 2013, saw Fusionfall close its servers and shut down. I didn't understand it at the time, but I moved on. It was a sad moment for many fans who had gotten attached to the game series.

Other successors have tried to follow the game series. Fusionfall Retro was released as a revival of the original game before the Academy relaunch. Fusionfall Legacy was going to be released as an upscaled version of the original game with additiona l content.

Both games were struck down by a DMCA issued by Cartoon Network. Retro was removed entirely, and Legacy was canceled before release. Retro is playable through 'Retrobution', a modified spin on Retro.

In addition, both the original and academy games are playable after years of being 'gone'. This is through OpenFusion, an unofficial server that preserves both original iterations of the game. Retrobution is also made using this server.

Conclusion:

Fusionfall was a big part of my childhood, especially as a CN Kid. I'm glad i got to make those memories while playing it. However, I never got to beat the original game because i stopped playing.

Things are different now, and after playing on Openfusion, I managed to beat all 36 levels. I was happy to finally see that through. If I could time travel, I'd go back, and fist-bump my younger self. We finally did it, and we saw it through to the end.

Fusionfall was a cute idea, and the strength of its concept alone could prove useful. However, I don't think it could find an audience in today's market. Outside of old fans, I'm not sure if 'new' kids are as attached to cartoon network as the past few generations were.

Regardless? It could be cool to imagine what it would be like now. Better game engines combined with better controls. Newer cartoon network series like Steven Universe, We Bare Bears, or Craig of The Creek. You could even throw in some oddballs, like Scooby-Doo.

I sure hope you all had fun reading this one. I'll be back later on with another dig. Maybe I can show you guys why I love the Cybertron Transformers games so much. After all, they are also a part of my childhood!

The time is now. The hero is you.

[silyabeeodess]

FusionFall Headcanons: Terrorpins

Never smile at a crocodile--and that goes doubly so for this double-mawed monstrosity! Lurking primarily in murky areas, Terropins will patiently wait to scope up any prey within range of their jaws. If you can help it, this is one beast you do not want to wrestle with.

Fuse and his army of spawns appear to be just as confused about the difference between alligators and crocodiles as we often get, because the Terrorpin shows traits of both. Seen in concept art, while it has a gator's more rounded snout(s), its fangs can jut both up and downward on the outside of its twin mouths (granted, we don't see as many in the upward position). Like alligators, these things exist around bodies of freshwater; however, like crocodiles, they are extremely aggressive and, due to their fusion matter makeup, they're actually fine in both salt and fresh bodies of water. They can exhibit both solitary and social habits. As such, this distinction is less important than the one between the monster's variants.

SIDE NOTE: Based on the name for the concept art file itself as well as their shells, these monsters are also heavily based on snapping turtles. However, as they lack a lure-like tongue to catch prey and have so many more similarities to gators/crocs, the snapping turtle influence seems to be more minimal outside of defenses and ambush habits already present in all three animals.

Terrorpins can be found anywhere from the Wilds to the sewers in the City. However, as the latter case only occurs during the time of the Academy and there's not really anywhere for them to naturally come from nearby, it's likely that they were brought to the City rather than spawned there initially--following the myth of alligators in the sewers based on how pets from the southern USA were brought to places like NYC. By the time of the Academy, fusion fighters in the City pretty much dominated fusion monsters in urban warfare. As such, to try to get a stronger hold of those areas, more spawns were created/migrated to them. The Terrorpins would be one of these species, attaching them to the myths as a means of catering to human fears. Attacking the City underground also succeeded in giving Fuse a base of operations in the City that wasn't as easily disrupted as any would be on the surface.

From their description, Terrorpins are noted to have only one weak spot: The head. This is due to the rest of their bodies being covered in that heavy, shell-like armor. Still, we never see them draw within their shells as turtles do.

Because of their shell and the double set of jaws, they can't kill their victims in the same way a normal alligator or crocodile would--by rolling their bodies violently to shake and beat their prey. If they attempted this, especially when fighting on land or in shallow waters, they're more than likely to get stuck on their sides or backs and risk exposing their somewhat softer underbellies. Instead, they crush and tear at their targets. Like crocodiles, their jaws are strong enough to shatter bone. Having two jaws means that they can attack two vitals areas of the body at once for large targets, and their jaws are capable of stretching apart from one another somewhat in order to rip at their prey further.

If you get caught in their teeth, chances of escape are slim, so it's best to fight at long-range when you can. If not, you might be able to jump on their backs and attack from the top of the head. While this can be an effective strategy at times, just keep in mind that they do have spikes meant to prevent this from happening, as well as fusion matter oozing between their armored plates.

Like real crocs and gators, the Terrorpins have pretty good eyesight--especially since they have an additional, forward-facing third eye. However, due to the massive shells on their backs, they can severely lack visibility from behind. Chances are though, you might not be able to see faster, as they have excellent camouflage from being made largely of twisted, gnarled wood.

Interestingly enough, while fusion monsters rarely show a need to eat, Great Terrorpins are one of the few that actively do. Their description notes that they constantly catch fish that drop from the Forgotten Falls--and warn the reader that they'll hunt down fusion fighters as well. Regular Terrorpins may also "eat" their victims, but this would indicate that the Great Terropins have a truer/much larger appetite and are more violent as a result. It may also indicate a sneakier nature more like the real animal/s they are based on, as they are willing to lie along familiar paths in-wait for prey. We see them do this out of the water as well, near the main path at the top of the Falls that fusion fighters often travel by.

[cherry-bomb-ships]

Oh my God Ruby now that I finally remembered to follow you back I need to share this with you. In my academy build FusionFall save, my guide is Mojo Jojo. And every time I boot up my game, one of the first clips I hear is him bitching at me to check my messages. It keeps making me internally go “That’s nice and all, don’t you have a Ruby to be kissing or something?” Figured you deserve to know seeing as you’re in your Mojo Jojo Era

— Joey of hit Tumblr blog @planetfusion

JOEY OF HIT TUMBLR BLOG PLANETFUSION IN MY INBOX?!?! 🤯🤯🤯 Omg that is SO SWEET OF YOU TO SAY HEEHEE Yes ur right he DOES have a Ruby to kiss he should go do that NOW 💖💖💖💖💖

[voxbrini]

HI THE ARTIST FROM THAT ONE MAY FUSIONFALL THING, YES IT STILL EXISTS. YES U CAN STILL PLAY IT. its under OpenFusion now free to play both academy version and future! Have a good day!

oooh! thank you for taking the time to let me know! <3 lovely work btw! really like space may!!!

[numbuh223]

[numbuh223]

back at it again! just not looking forward to bloo's quests...

[numbuh223]

C:KND version!

[silyabeeodess]

FusionFall Headcanons: The Academy

I think I’ve finally gotten to the point where I’m running low on a lot of the main topics for the OG version, so I’ll go ahead and add the Academy version.  (Please note in advance that, due to conflicts these two versions may have, I’ll be sticking to info from the OG primarily and seeing what I can incorporate from the latter from there.) For now though, let’s just discuss the Academy itself. 

 At the beginning of the war, there was no real sense of structure to the Fusion Fighters as a whole; only within the separate groups that had joined together.  While much of that is still an issue simply do to the massive scale of the war and number of differing forces involved, Earth was eventually able to organize enough to turn this odd bunch of soldiers into more of a true, unified army. Part of this included restructuring how new recruits were added in, training them in a controlled area as opposed to how many were thrown into the battlefield beforehand.  Therefore, the Academy was created.

There were three main groups involved in the Academy’s creation: Providence, the Plumbers, and the AWSM.  Providence already had experience quickly organizing in a crisis situation thanks to their work handling EVOs. The Plumbers had the greatest knowledge of Fuse and ability to maintain some structure of a large scale.  The AWSM was able to rally even more heroes to the cause and keep track of each other in the event of another issue like the events of Dexter’s guide missions, in which several heroes went missing thanks to Demongo and his Fusion.  More importantly, all three groups were able to offer training, room, and board. 

The Null Void and Providence HQ were both prime locations to take fusion monsters for study and have new recruits battle them in a controlled environment.  The base at Mt. Neverest (in the same range as Super Summit) was already being constructed as an HQ as more heroes were admitted into the AWSM following the events of the PPG episode “Members Only” and was repurposed for the war. Recruits are taught different tactics and levels of combat at each location, with the Plumbers and Providence agents relying on more structure and the AWSM heroes teaching more varied, flexible types of fighting. Mt. Neverest also tends to be where recruits get their first assignments after graduation.  

For a lot of people, the initial dive into the Null Void for training is jarring to say the least: Compared to the lush life on Earth, it’s glaringly inhospitable and with the number of intergalactic criminals that have been dumped there, there’s more to worry about than whatever the instructors have you fighting on any particular day.  This is what makes it so ideal, separating the true soldiers from the likes of those who only joined the fight to get in on the deal with Grim’s Resurrect ‘Ems.  The fight for Earth is still bad enough that there’s always a place for someone in the army, and the Plumbers make sure to keep the newbies as safe as possible, but it’s a good test nonetheless.  People find the training at Providence much easier by comparison thanks to the better atmosphere alone. 

Occasionally, heroes like Ben, Lance, and Rex visit these locations to check on the recruits and assist in training.  This also includes soldiers who fought in some of the roughest battles, like those who spent time in the Darklands.  A handful of independent agents who would have otherwise ended their service signed on as instructors as well, so newbies will hear a wealth of war stories between training sessions. 

Restructuring the Fusion Fighters also meant drawing in additional funding for them.  As a result, new recruits were able to get better equipment early on.  

Graduating from the Academy itself isn’t celebrated as much as meeting Earth’s various heroes and finding out which ones you’ll be working under.  The ceremony is short, with more focus given to going over all necessary info with the recruits one final time before they leave.  It’s common for many of them to keep autograph books and photos as souvenirs.  So long as nothing they do risks security, most heroes don’t mind this as they’re used to the fanfare.    

[silyabeeodess]

FusionFall Headcanons: Academy Recruits

When the invasion first hit, Earth was in a mad scramble to get as many people as possible to fight it off.  If you weren’t part of a group like the KND, Plumbers, or Providence, you could easily sign-up as an independent agent with no questions asked.  While this did allow Earth to bring together a massive force in a short time, it also allowed individuals with less-than-pure intentions to join the Fusion Fighters simply for the benefits.  (For example, there were some cases of people joining as independent agents for the sake of being registered to the Resurrect ‘Ems and/or to get discounts at businesses who wouldn’t actually take on missions themselves or would allow their squads to carry their weight.)  As such, once the situation on Earth stabilized enough and the first batch of enlistments ended, stricter requirements for the army were put in place.   

Numbers didn’t drop off significantly during this period. Most people who signed on as fusion fighters out of a genuine desire to defend Earth were pretty quick to register a second time since they wanted to see the war to its end.  As far as they were concerned, the fight wasn’t over until Planet Fusion was out of their solar system.  A small portion of the people who left the army were just tired or figured it was better “to leave the rest of the fighting to the real heroes,” like Ben, Rex, and the PPG.  As mentioned though, the biggest drop in numbers came from people who were trying to take advantage of the war, failed to prove otherwise, and would be replaced primarily with young hopefuls that saw Earth’s improved chances of surviving the invasion.  

While independent agents had the most flexibility in terms of the jobs they could take or where they were assigned, many were left running from place-to-place, mission-to-mission.  If a veteran from the first batch of enlistments didn’t leave the Fusion Fighters, many still kept themselves on reserve or shifted into non-combat roles. Some of them would go on to teach at the Academy while others just wanted to focus on helping their own communities.  New recruits who would become independent agents themselves often got the best teaching based on experience out of these veterans.   

While the Academy wasn’t the only means of recruitment, it was the Fusion Fighter’s answer to solving the recruiting issue: A way of giving the army a bit more structure and testing newcomers to see if they would even put in the work.

Many of the Academy’s graduates would become independent agents, but it wasn’t unheard of for the different divisions that made up the Fusion Fighters to use the Academy also as a means of scouting for new members, particularly the Providence and the Plumbers since the former’s HQ and the Null Void were used as training grounds.  A talented recruit could be called aside at any point in a request to join, followed by a transfer so that their training would specifically fit their new group.

Funding the Academy also meant more funding to arm the new recruits, hence why all of them are given a standard set of gear.  The first set of armor they’re given during training is an almost perfect match to a standard Plumber suit--notable differences in design including their grey color as opposed to white and more-fitted collar. Plumber suits are known to be easily modifiable, and these were fashioned more with humans specifically in-mind. Given this obvious connection, backed further by the uniform’s description, they were supplied to the Fusion Fighters by the Plumbers not only out of support in their fight against Fuse, but to get fusion fighters used to such gear early-on.  The suits can function in different environments, including space, which will be necessary when the fight is taken to Planet Fusion and other surviving worlds that Fuse also attacked.  Some adjustments were also likely made to increase defenses against fusion matter and the channeling of imaginary energy (IE).  

Following that, there’s also the graduation uniform.  While there’s four different versions of it, they’re of equal durability.  They’re used for the ceremony, but are also often worn by fusion fighters for their first series of missions until they can better customize their gear.  This expected customization is the main reason why recruits are given a choice of the four.  Whether they make their decision as a sign of support to their leaders, to better camouflage themselves wherever they’re to be stationed, or simply due to personal taste is up to them.  Some may even just keep the uniforms strictly for ceremony period.  Nevertheless, it’s often the easiest way to recognize a newbie.  

The training is so intense from the get-go and soldiers are still needed in the field so much that recruits can’t expect to spend much longer than two months at the Academy barring special circumstances.  In that time, they’ll get to know their fellow trainees pretty fast.  Working with them outside of the Academy is another matter, since they can expect to be stationed in different locations.  At most, people might stick with one or two of their training buddies who travelled with them post-graduation, partnering with them on early missions before they ultimately have to part ways.      

[silyabeeodess]

FusionFall Headcanons: Tread Heads

The Tread Heads are terrifyingly strong, and a fusion fighter shouldn’t even consider trying to face these things without a weapon. The heavy rubber of their bodies not only makes them incredibly durable, but makes their attacks fierce. Smaller, scrap tires alone can weigh around 9 kilograms: Imagine a massive, fist-shaped version of that flying at your face. It’s not going to be pretty... The best thing a soldier can do when facing these monsters is to keep their distance and work on blasting them apart with firearms.

This type of fusion monster is one that manifested toward the end of the war, the evidence being that it only appears in the Future. One thing that majorly supports this is how the monster is mostly made from the rubber of tires. While tire vehicles are still used in the world of FusionFall, such as Kevin’s car and the Rust Bucket, the most common type are hovercars. About the only areas you could find a large amount of tire vehicles in one place were scrapyards, or else the tires would need to be pulled from heavier pieces of machinery. However, by the events of the Future, there would be plenty of damaged vehicles to pull material from no matter the variety. Meanwhile, the Tread Heads don’t appear in the Academy version of events because they don’t really exist due to the change in history.

The closest species anyone can compare these monsters to are the Thep Khufan, due to their overall humanoid shapes, large hands and feet with elongated fingers/toes, and flexibility. Thankfully though, due to the different material of their bodies and bulkier figures, the Tread Heads can’t manipulate themselves anywhere near to the same degree: It just makes them more dexterous in combat. The Tread Heads also appear to have an extra set of eyes, as seen in concept art.  

While they can fight similar to most humans/humanoids, a common tactic due to their large size is to grab their opponents or slam down on them with their fists. The bigger Tread Heads have no trouble capturing a human around the torso in one hand. Once in that grasp, it can be hard to escape, so again, maintaining your distance is important when fighting them. 

Lines can run along their bodies where the sculpted rubber doesn’t entirely meet. These are their weakest points, often exposing the mess of fusion matter inside them. If caught by a Tread Head, it’s recommended that a soldier quickly pierce the limb along these lines. Doing so has the potential to effectively cut a “tendon” and force the Tread Head to let go.

Unfortunately for the Tread Heads, like some other fusion monsters, their lifespans aren’t that long. While the lifespan of a tire can vary for multiple factors, they tend not to last more than five or six years at the longest--a decade really pushing it. Even though a Tread Head obviously won’t face much wear on the road, there’s still the effect of what fusion matter can do to the material to consider. They might’ve been able to last through the war with Earth, but probably not long afterwards. Chances are, unless something were drastically done to their makeup to make them longer-lived, Fuse would just use their monsters for their brute force as long as possible before letting them die out on their own.         

[silyabeeodess]

Do you have any hcs about the Totems or the Book of Prophecy in FusionFall?

The first few bullets are pretty long and can’t be compiled easily into a couple paragraphs for an opening, so I’ll just keep everything below the cut:

A while back in another set of headcanons, I mentioned the possibility of some alien visiting Earth long ago to warn the planet about Fuse in-advance. While I still think it can work given that aliens do canonically visit us present-day in the game and the news and the ability/material to create the totems would have to come from somewhere off-world, I do have another idea as well. I will say this now: I don't think Fuse visited Earth at some point previously given how close he was to taking it over before we players travelled back to the past with blueprints for the nanos. However, if we take time-travel and the wormholes from the mission “Messages Across Time” into consideration, there's a lot more we can work with:  

One interesting thing about the totems is that we find several familiar cartoon characters depicted on them.  What’s interesting about this though is that they aren’t CN’s original characters, but rather some of Hanna-Barbera’s characters such as Fred Flintstone, Top Cat, and--more importantly for what I’m about to get into--George Jetson.  Hanna-Barbera characters such as Scooby Doo have been featured alongside CN originals during the CN City era, and they also have appeared in cameos like Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo Bear in GAOBAM.  It’s also worth noting that one important location tied to the totems, the ruins, is called the Hani-Baba (Hanna-Barbera) Temple.  Therefore, it’s likely safe to say that these characters exist within the world of FusionFall even if we never interact with them directly.  It’s possible that these characters took the information from Fuse’s invasion and planted that knowledge in ancient times so present-day Earth would stand a better chance than whatever occurred in their own timeline.  We know time-travel exists for them because of crossovers between The Jetsons and The Flintstones like “The Flintstones: The Rescue of Dino and Hoppy” and “The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones.”  This would explain why we see such characters across multiple eras featured on the totems.  Someone from the Jetson’s futuristic time period (It’s 2062, according to promotional sources for their show, but we can make some leeway in either direction since the creators couldn’t have known where we’d be technologically in modern times and FusionFall itself also has a futuristic setting.) could’ve travelled to the Flintstone’s Stone Age and established the totems then.   

While there is also a possibility of multiverse travel/communication, with the name for the temple coming from the name of the Hanna-Barbera universe, I feel this is less likely for two reasons.  The first reason is that, aside from Professor Paradox’s appearance in the game, the difference in missions from its original version and the Academy update would show that much of FusionFall’s attention is on a single, linear timeline: As players, our actions in the Future and jump back to the Past do massively change events. The second reason is that the multiverse idea wouldn’t explain how the totems themselves were created, what materials they’re made from, or how said materials were obtained.  

So, here’s a balance between my initial ideas and what we’ve gathered in the previous bullets.  Aliens have visited Earth to help in the fight against Fuse: We see it with the Plumbers and the anonymous visitors in their UFO hovering over the Haunted Ridge, the ones who gave us an off-world ore that can fend off Fuse’s infection via a crashed meteor in the “SACT Attack” mission arc.  This ore is never mentioned again, but given its similar attributes to the totems; that the same fusion monsters, Alpha Arachnids, both try to tamper with the meteoric ore and rip out pages the Book of Prophecy; and that none of Earth’s materials have been known to defend against fusion matter, the totems are likely made from that ore specifically.  In modern times, all anyone knew how to do with it was place the raw ore in separate locations, as seen when Agent Greenberg has us place them around the Haunted Ridge mining camp.  By the time anyone figured out how to draw out its full strength against fusion matter, similar to the nanos’ creation, it was too late. Therefore, just like us, someone must’ve gone back in time to create the totems and spread them all across Earth before Fuse could arrive. (Why they’d choose Earth’s ancient civilization instead of something more recent is up in the air, unless they something went wrong with their own jump through time, again, like us.)  These were likely some of the Hanna-Barbera characters, which the ancient people listened to and revered enough to carve their likenesses into the totems themselves.  Their knowledge would then be added to the Book of Prophecy, passed from generation to generation to prepare ours for the invasion those fellow time-travelers also experienced and give whoever possessed the book the key to activating the totems.  It’s not a traditional “prophecy,” as an ancient civilization would assume, but a retelling of events experienced by those from the future.       

It’s important to note that the power to activate the totems (referred to as both the Power of Prophecy and the forces of Destiny) came from the book itself and not the player, so it doesn’t seem to be derived from imaginary energy (IE) or anyone with IE could’ve managed the job.  In the mission “Head to Totem (Part 1 of 5),” the player “absorbs” the Book of Prophecy’s spine when trying to activate the first totem.  This and the fact that the power is somewhat easily transferred from one person to another--given how Billy stole it, how Hex would’ve stolen it if Billy hadn’t already, and how it was transferred to the Pillow of Common Sense and then given back to us with Mandy’s help--seems to be an intentional security measure.  Something like a book is easily destroyed, as seen with the Alpha Arachnids’ attempt.  Meanwhile, if that power is able to move from one host to the next, it’s much more difficult for Fuse to track down and get rid of. This would also explain why the runes that allowed the player to activate the totems were hidden along the spine instead of in the book’s pages, as well as explain the existence of the Rock of Transference that Hex used, which is located at the Hani-Baba Temple.   

“The Power of Prophecy (Part 3 of 4)” reveals that there were many more totems spread across the globe than the ones we encountered.  However, with Juniper Lee’s and the Magic Tree’s help, the player is able to amplify that power and activate all of the remaining totems at once.  This and Hex’s expertise would hint at the power’s origins being something more akin to magic or ancient technomancy than a science.  

As for the Book of Prophecy itself, ancient books didn’t always have spines as we know them today: Some were just clasped together with metal or leather, and wooden boards were used only as early the 6th century.  In order for the book to have a spine more similar to what we know, it would have to be at least that old and/or the time-travelers would’ve also had to pass on the knowledge of more modern-day bookbinding.

Furthermore, the book wasn’t written solely for the sake of beating Fuse.  Maybe that could’ve been the initial purpose, but it was twisted later on.  In “The Book of Prophecy” mission arc, the love potion May has us create is from its pages.  This makes it clear that, over time, the book was used less for the purpose of containing “prophecies” and instead used more as a general book on magic.  This also further addresses how it’s been passed to various people across the years, with some of those people having ill intentions.  

“The Book of Prophecy (Part 3 of 5)” reveals that Marie Kanker got it “from a graveyard at midnight” before it ended up in May’s hands.  What she was doing in said graveyard or whether or not she had to... do some digging, to get the book is probably better left unknown... 

Hex’s discovery of the Rock of Transference likely means that more knowledge exists elsewhere in the world regarding the specifics of the book, totems, and Hani-Baba Temple.  

Give the temple’s overall importance to the totems, it’s highly likely that they originated in its general area.  

[silyabeeodess]

FusionFall Headcanons: Rex Salazar

Added some headcanons in an ask here, but finally, here’s a more polished list for him.  

While the world of FusionFall is no stranger to chaos, unfortunately, that hasn’t stopped some people from shunning EVOs.  This is less due to their appearance and abilities--with many EVOs actually blending in well with different places in society, like Boba Haha with the sentient animals in Prickly Pines or Habitat Homes. Instead, it’s caused more by the fear of them losing their sanity/control: Effectively, EVOs are viewed by some as ticking time-bombs.  Nanite enhancers have only deepened this concern. Truthfully though, separating an actual monster or alien from an EVO can be extremely difficult without either witnessing their transformations or scanning them for nanites. (I imagine there may even be a few, very rare alien EVOs adding to the mix.)  

People’s reactions to Rex himself can sometimes be mixed.  Only a small percentage of people who’ve seen his berserk, full EVO form know it’s him and how dangerous he himself can be in that state.  In general, due to his good, carefree personality and hard work stopping EVOs, he’s well-liked by the public.  Some don’t even know he’s an EVO, instead comparing him to supers like the PPG and Major Glory.  However, his history with Quarry would get out at some point--likely thanks to an EVO unhappy with Rex’s hero-status despite his criminal past and him also being an EVO--diminishing some of the public’s opinion of him.  This would cause a few heroes to treat him with reluctance as well.  Despite this, Rex takes everything in stride and remains his largely carefree self.  Since he’s got a world to save and knows there are plenty of people who would back him and him them in turn, he can dismiss whatever some people have to say negatively about him.

While Rex spends a good chunk of time at Providence HQ to help with the Academy, he does a lot of travelling for missions as well.  His connections through Providence and power over tech allow him to speedily travel from one destination to the other, wherever he may be needed most.     

Rex knew Ben before the war, but didn’t know Finn or Lance until it began and they all helped out with training recruits at the Academy.  Rex and Lance’s friendship with Ben and shared interests allowed them to also befriend each other pretty fast. Finn is the odd one out of the group of four, being the youngest and a complete outsider--a hero in Ooo, but unknown to the rest of the world.  When he, Rex, and Lance have off time in Providence HQ together, Rex is the one to remember to include Finn the most so he doesn’t feel left out.    

According to the mission “Grounded,” fusion seedlings and some form of contaminated earth can radiate an energy that interferes with Rex’s nanites.  This puts Rex at a severe disadvantage, rendering him weaponless and forcing him to rely solely on his own physical strengths--which he is lacking in compared to other heroes (though he is still in good form compared to the average human).  While we don’t get a conclusion as to what the dirt was or how it or the fusion seedlings affected the nanites, I don’t think it was a random accident.  There’s a Providence Outpost in the City, which Rex would have likely stayed in often, and Rex would bring attention to himself thanks to his nanites already channeling his imaginary energy (IE) throughout/around his body naturally.  There’s also a chance Fuse could’ve fought techno-organic beings among any of the other worlds he previously invaded and would have some countermeasures against them, similarly to how he knew to target and shut down Megas.  Targeting an EVO’s nanites specifically would just be him adjusting strategies he’s previously worked with--likely with the aid of his scientist fusions who would know more about Earth’s minerals and how they react to fusion matter.  

We’ve also seen from “Grounded” (and possibly “Off the Grid, Again!”)  that, even if he’s in a situation where he can’t really fight on his own, Rex can’t bring himself to just wait around: If it means getting results as soon as possible, he’ll rush off to get them himself despite orders or risks. Thankfully, Dr. Holiday is so intelligent that he hopefully didn’t have to wait too long for her to sort out the problem with his nanites so he could truly jump back into battle once again.

Rex didn’t really feel one way or another about joining the nano project, but he is pretty proud that his nanos are as popular as they are among the Academy’s recruits.  Because Rex was able to work alongside the recruits, he left an impression on many of them, so a lot of them ended up wanting a nano of him on their teams.  Due to his workload and how much he travels around, he doesn’t get to help out with their own training as much.  Thankfully, the nanos take to their abilities on instinct and don’t need much instruction.  They may even generate new machines inspired by their creation by/time with their IE Donors.   

[silyabeeodess]

FusionFall Headcanons: Professor Paradox

Whether in FusionFall or the Ben 10 multiverse, Professor Paradox is just an much an enigma as ever.  He can appear at any point in the timestream to lend a hand or give a cryptic warning, keeping much of his knowledge close to the vest.  However, while it is understandable that many would be wary of him, this time-traveler is only looking to help.  

Despite all of his abilities, Paradox does mention that there are “places he cannot go and things he cannot do.” For the sake of this point, I’ll bring up Omniverse. In the episode “Ben Again,” Paradox warns Eon against travelling to a place in time “with two time-travelers (himself and Eon) already there” since he could “cause a rupture” on an already stretched timeline and lose himself in time altogether.  This would confirm that Paradox can meet past or alternative versions of himself and must be extremely careful as a result.  Since Ben and Gwen have met their past/future selves, it seems to be a bigger issue for Paradox since he is an immortal time-traveler manipulating the events of history.  If a separate Professor Paradox exists in FusionFall, the two versions would likely need to stay out of each other’s way and/or silently agree to keep to their own, respective multiverses. 

Paradox doesn’t exactly get along with the Time Squad organization due to their goals not always aligning: Paradox travels through time with the hopes of improving the events of history while the Time Squad does so to ensure that history follows its correct course.  He’s run into their officers on countless occasions, both allying with them and going against them.  Ultimately, both sides want to positively effect the timestream, but they have separate ideas of how to do so.  Paradox views members of the Time Squad as being short-sighted, with their general focus on a singular timeline as opposed to the wider multiverse. Time Squad officers, meanwhile, often see Paradox as a threat/criminal disrupting past events.

Because of this, just like how Celestialsapiens and Chronosapiens don’t like Paradox, he isn’t always welcome in FusionFall or similar universes by other time-travelers.  He’s a force outside of their control/knowledge and no one knows what he’s going to change for his view of a better timeline.  He doesn’t follow their sets of rules.  Luckily for Paradox, he’s developed the wisdom to know how to best act in most situations, including sometimes discussing solutions with other time-travelers in roles like his own first in order to avoid conflict when possible.  

I’d like to think that Paradox has messed up at times, in the very least when he first began his journey as a time-traveler, contributing to the hatred he gets from various beings.

As mentioned in other posts, there are quite a few people who’ve time-travelled in the world of FusionFall. (Samurai Jack’s backstory, the Time Squad, the PPG in “Speed Demon” and “Get Back Mojo”; Dexter in “Ego Trip,” “Deedeemensional”, and “Old Flame”; Numbuh 4 in “Operation F.U.T.U.R.E.”; Billy and Mandy in “Test of Time”; Gwen in “Time Heals”; and, of course, the research participants in Dexter’s experiments from the game itself.)  Paradox has even helped clean up a couple of messes left behind during some of these incidents, and it kind of fascinates him just how many countering forces can exist in FusionFall without the timeline imploding... 

As to why some of these cases have halted aging while others haven’t, it has to do with how their jumps through time occurred--whether or not a being was displaced outside of time like Paradox himself.  For the sake of FusionFall’s combined storylines, I believe this may have been what resulted in Samurai Jack no longer aging given Aku’s explanation in Season 5 and how we see the greater effects of his time-travel abilities in the game “Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time.”  The game’s alternate ending allows Jack to save Ashi from being erased from the timeline due to the future Aku’s death/entrapment in a timeless realm of his own creation.  The state of this realm and its greater effects of events outside of it are what makes me think that Jack was possibly removed from time already during his initial jump via the magical portal.  Like Jack though, most people don’t even know what’s happened to them or that such an incident occurred until they notice their unchanging state over the course of years. Paradox is aware of who fell out of time and who didn’t, but usually chooses not to interfere. For one thing, most cases are more similar to Jack’s than his own, where the fall out of time is “brief” to that individual.  They have to cope with their ageless state, but don’t share Paradox’s understanding of spacetime.  He wouldn’t mind helping them if an individual chose the path of an immortal time-traveler, in the very least to avoid trouble later down the road: He just knows that many won’t, instead finding other paths.  As such, the most he does is keep an eye out for them in case they’re being threatened by other time-travelers and see how their involvement in certain events could change history.

It’s largely thanks to Paradox that the wormholes disappeared. Along with the return of Dexter’s research participants to the past, he was able to push certain events behind the scene that stabilized the timeline enough to fix them by the time the events of the Academy version occurred.  Once the wormholes went away, most of everyone’s memories of them also faded aside from Paradox’s own.  Most people just vaguely recall the messages sent through them, similar to how Gwen remembered what (future) Ben told her to do in “Ben Again,” but not the events surrounding that moment.   

Some of the stones in the Crystalline Caverns are the same type of quartz crystals used for his initial spacetime experiment.