#what if X is the ruler of neo arcadia

[nih-nih]

Thinking about an AU what if Copy X never exists. And yes it’s hurt no comfort.

So X fears that he is losing his emotions so he asks Ciel to make him a spare body, then he makes her forget about this. He then transfers his core data into the new body and uses his original body to seal the dark elf, along with his happy memories (when he was with Zero and everyone else at the hunter base), emotions…and his feeling for Zero. The new body with his core data now only has the experience of 100 years fighting alone, without happy memories and emotions, he becomes an emotionless dictator like Copy X in the game (minus the Copy X’s ego). The happy memories and emotions in the original body somehow turns into a Cyber Elf and goes on to help Zero and Ciel like in the game. In a sense, X divides himself into two, the ruler of Neo Arcadia and the Cyber Elf. So individually they are not X, they are only X when united.

Then Zero comes and kills ruler X, surprises that “X” is so weak, not as strong as he remembers. It is because this “X” is not whole, he is only half of X. Zero also feels pain that he cannot understand yet.

The Cyber Elf never reveals that he is half of X to Zero and Ciel until the Yygdrasil and Elpizo happens. Zero chases Elpizo there, then he finally knows of the hardship X went through, Elpizo uses it to taunt him, capturing Cyber Elf “X” and making Zero see X’s memory and feeling for him. Then Elpizo destroys X’s original body. After that everything goes like how it is in the game.

Then Cyber Elf “X” sadly says that he is not X, only half of X. But he still pleads Zero to continue to protect the world then disappears. Tbh I’m not sure how Zero would feel. He probably feels anguish and angry at himself for not being able to protect X, bonus he now remembers his feeling for X too. But he still fights on, out of guilt and to keep his promise with X, he does want to help Ciel from the bottom of his heart though.

And then the end, he sacrifices himself, as he is falling apart, he wonders if he has done enough to make amends for his guilt.

Happy Ending should be X, now as a whole, welcoming Zero into his arm as he closes his eyes. After all, X loves Zero the most, there is no way X can blame Zero for anything.

…I wish I can have motivation to write this into a fic T-T

[bruggle]

👁👄👁

The figure cocked its head. "You want to know what happened here?" the now identifiable 'he' asked. Volnutt glanced around nervously. Now he wasn't so sure... "Tell me, has history forgotten Neo Arcadia?" the stranger continued.

"Neo Arcadia?" Volnutt echoed. He's only heard that name in a handful of hushed whispers from his family. They usually stopped talking the second it was apparent he was around... "What is that?" he asked, pushing the thought away.

"You're standing in it," the figure answered. "It once was a lovely place; a paradise, really. But it was forsaken by its ruler: X."

Volnutt felt a jolt go through his body.

X... abandoned people?

[thegatesofinfinitespace]

▶️▶️ (For Ser, can be canon or AU <:)

send “▶▶️” to get a glimpse at a scene from my muse’s future. send “◀️◀️” to get a glimpse at a memory from my muse’s past.

[WARNING: CORE CRITICAL]

[WARNING: CORE CRITICAL]

He almost doesn’t register it. It’s too much. X’s chassis crumbling before them, and neither he nor Crim were fast enough to stop it. Fending off Elpizo and Weil, and that monster, Omega... It’s not surprise his Mythos was at its limit. 

No, not his Mythos. His core. 

They scramble to kill the former Resistance Leader, Crimson’s saber sinking deep into the reploid’s core just like he did to the body of X. Not enough time to avoid the onslaught of the Dark Elf fleeing, slipping through their fingers. Omega was still there, even though Weil had given chase.

A large clawed hand swipes at his partner, and he pushes. 

[WARNING: EMERGENCY ACTIVATION?]

[Y/N?]

[Y]

His Seraphim hands crash into the demon reploid’s, halting them in their tracks with the screeching of metal. Crimson is safe. The two of them grapple for power, his own slowly ebbing away from him. A plasma shot. Omega’s pained roar. Seraph can’t even register it entirely, his vision screaming with glitches and warnings.

The pressure against him wanes, and his armor shatters, returning to it’s base form in fractals of rainbow.

[WARNING: CORE FAILSAFE - ARMOR SHUT DOWN]

I can’t move.

Long minutes pass by. The Copy wants to call out to his companion, to check on him, but finds himself unable to gather the energy to speak. Shit, I really fucked that up big time. He’d have to wait until he gathered enough energy to resume movement, but-- Wait, what’s that?

Steps clacking towards him; heels. Following that, the march of a small platoon. No. No. Seraph knows who she is before she even opens her mouth, hates her voice with every fiber of his being. The Ruler of Neo Arcadia stalks into view, her sneer rivaling his glare, aware of how powerless he was.

Cial digs her heel into his pauldron with a crack, her green eyes flashing triumph. "Imitation of our Savior X. You're under arrest for crimes against Neo Arcadia. You are to come with us and face judgement."

[swampgh0stt]

have you considered??? monster Copy X tho???

“I may have lost my memory…” Zero gripped the hilt of his saber a little tighter, “but my body remembers. My X-- the original X-- was mightier than you.” His dulled-gray eyes stared down upon the imposter with nothing but disdain. How dare he call himself a perfect copy? It was a pale imitation at best, an insult at worst. Zero would give him no such honor as to call him X, and even less to say Master X. 

Copy X’s red eyes narrowed, jealousy coiled deep within his circuits. He bared his teeth, his resolve strengthened. “Shut up!” His voice spat back as he found his way to his feet. “You-- You’ll see…! I’m a perfect copy-- No, I’m better!” 

He had gone and made the upgrades himself, with scraps of old mythos as inspiration. Ciel would never have given him such a design, but Copy X found it fitting-- if only he understood the true nature. Human cultures were ever-changing, many lost through time. One constant he noticed through different groups over time was the regal appearance of cervids. So when his sights fell upon the monster created from humans, he thought it perfect and based his own secondary form upon it. 

Copy X launched himself away from Zero, kicking off the floor of his throne room. 

The blonde reploid stood his ground, shielding his eyes from the sudden blast of light from the other reploid. When the light faded away, his vision took its time to clear and settle on the larger form before him: A gaunt, horribly elongated body that scarcely resembled anything humanoid. A large rack of antlers crowned the helmet upon his head, with two red eyes still glowing out of what mirrored a deer skull upon him. Conical teeth bared, matching the sharp claws on each hand-- perfectly crafted to tear through mechanical bodies with ease. 

Copy X towered over Zero, more than three times the size of the blonde reploid in this form. For someone deemed the savior of Neo Arcadia-- he sure didn’t look it anymore. Clawed hands were slammed down, sinking into the floors of the throne room with thunderous echoes. Cracks spidered away from his hands, splintering the marbled floors. Then, Copy X cried out with a two-toned scream that reverberated off the walls and caused the lights around them to flicker.  

Now, he resembled the tyrannical ruler Zero had come to know since he was forcefully awakened… and Now, more than ever, he knew he needed to destroy this monster to preserve his husband’s legacy. 

[sarahwaraor]

Present me seeing this old art: wow if this looks out of context, it looks like the 3 Guardians are actually the ones who killed Phantom and Copy X🏃🏻‍♀️💨 thriller genre Megaman Zero: Behind Neo Arcadia whoaoaoa

Okay continue copy paste from my Twitter description:

/////////

Leviathan: To think Phantom of all people… did that for the Fake.

Harpuia: Mas- Copy X isn’t at the fault. It’s our fault for not guiding him how to become the real X. It costs not only him but also Phantom…

Fefnir: Then… why Phantom…? Not us?

Harpuia:….

Leviathan: Harpuia…?

Harpuia: I have a hunch.

Fefnir: Well, with Copy X gone, you’re gonna replace him as Neo Arcadia leader. This is your chance to change the system from within, Harp!

Harpuia: It won’t be simple, yes. But this is… the hunch that I’m worried about. Levi, did you cut off our comms from all channels?

Leviathan: Done as soon as we regroup here.

Harpuia: Hm. …. Something… is wrong. Neo Arcadia… Something isn’t right in Neo Arcadia. Something that only Phantom knows but unable to relay it to us.

///////////

AKA I haven’t forget Tyflos webcomic. I just busy. _(:”3_)L so, here we’re about to enter the dialogue that have a bit of connection to the Tyflos comic.

///////////

Harpuia: We’ve been under a dictator ruler for long years we blindly follow his orders.

Leviathan: But I still don’t understand. You said Copy X isn’t at fault but you said he’s a dictator; and it’s our fault for not teaching him how to be a good leader?

Fefnir: Harpuia… Is this… part of your hunch…?

The three siblings went silent, until Harpuia talks.

Harpuia: …I’m afraid so. I don’t know what our real X, our father�� haven’t told us before the seal. Neo Arcadia is full of secrets that we had to unveil them ourselves. But… something… Someone. Someone is hiding among us. Traitors? Someone disguised as our Neo Arcadia staffs? We don’t have any evidence or clues about them yet.

Leviathan:… how can you be so sure…?

Fefnir: The Resistance?

Harpuia: Logically, I’m still unsure. But what I’m sure is the Resistance isn’t the culprit here.

Levi & Fef: ?!

Fefnir:… the… hunch.

Harpuia: Fefnir, Leviathan, I want you and your teams to stay vigilant.

[beevean]

Thoughts on Megaman Zero 3? :)

I... don't know yet.

I've been told this is considered the best Zero game, but my experience oscillated between "this is roughly as good as Zero 2" and "man it's even more annoying than Zero 2". I'm sure that it's because it's my first playthrough and I obviously got blindsided a lot :\

It doesn't help that it took me a long time to beat it, and it's already a much longer game than its predecessors :\

But it's not bad, far from it! From a gameplay perspective, there are some things I appreciated more than Zero 2, like the many chips you collect. I still like the Forms, but the chips give you cooler abilities like double jump, not slipping on ice and dashing through enemies, and they are far, far easier to find :P the Elves have been retooled to be more forgiving, and I used them far more. The Cyberspace was a bit of a pointless addition, but I suppose it makes your life easier if you're grinding :P

(however I'm not a fan of how the Kuuenzan got progressively downgraded to a move Zero learns automatically, to a move you unlock by upgrading, to a move specific to a certain form, to a move that you can only use with an Elf)

(also I still prefer the Triple Rod and the Chain Rod to the Recoil Rod, sorry)

The music is just behind Z2, with some bangers like Break Out, Prismatic (an incredible upgrade compared to the previous Base themes), Volcano, Reborn Mechanics, Old Life Space, Final Count Down, Cold Smile, Trail on Powdery Snow (what is this happy bop doing in my Zero?) Crash III (nope still won't forgive that this jam became a miniboss theme), Scrapped Beat (Crash is still the best boss theme but this is a very close second), and of course the infamous Cannonball :P

And the plot? Where do I begin? Dr. Weil carries the entire plot on his shoulders. Man, he's so slimy, manipulative and petty! He's responsible for pretty much every "oh crap" moment in the story, from Copy X blowing up and Weil declaring himself ruler of Neo Arcadia, to Weil revealing he can possess Reploids (although that didn't have the consequences I was expecting), and most of all the Omega twist. I knew it was coming because it's an infamous scene, and because the hints drop like flies throughout the game, but the implications for Zero's character! The cruelty! The fact that the game makes you the player destroy Zero's old body! Ah, if only he looked like the old Zero :P

But as for the game, I have... not much to say about the level design. Some levels have a more memorable gimmick, like Flizard's "jump on platforms on lava", Foxtar's lamps, Tretista's elevator sequence or Volteel's electrified water and "find the right door", but I kinda forgot most of them already, especially the levels of the resurrected Reploids which are just tacked on. Again, I fully admit my fault as I likely wasn't playing the "correct" way. And I sucked at pretty much every boss bar two or three so I don't remember any of them fondly ^^' (well I guess Foxtar has a cute design)

(okay okay, Omega's final phase was fun, and it hurt in the heart to see someone else using my old attacks)

Sorry this was not as enthusiastic as you hoped, but my first impressions were that I could appreciate very little because I'm not good enough. I think I won't start Z4 immediately and try my hands on Z3's new game plus, I don't care if it's cheating.

[wieldiism]

@angelicaesthetix // here. 

Neo Arcadia...?! That would explain why none of the biometals are awake, but only Model O. Aile panics, but covers her negative thoughts with a prideful mask, staring at X, shallowing the stone in her throat alone. 

How did she land here...?! 

“My name is Aile, & I am new to Neo Acadia. A mere traveler. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ruler X.” a bold lie, using a proper & serious voice, masking her anixtey, expression ever straight-faced. Aile gets on her knee, a sign of respect, bowing her head down, with a familiar voice whispering into her antennas, Model O. They know when fear is present. 

Aile. We should t a k e down this ruler. They whisper so sweetly, like a demon onto her shoulder, what’s a few m o n s t e r s gonna do? we can take them all Aile. Just pull me out & u s e me.  Rolling purrs, with wielder trying hard not to break out of self restraint. 

this is real bad. 

[aksthetwosainthijimiko-blog]

I am not Zero; Part three

A bit of a plot-hole between game and game two... Copy X blew up the top part of the Neo-arcadia tower, and the energy generated was so great, it propelled Zero out of it crumbling concrete structure and kilometre’s away from the Eden dome and right into the desert...

Now, how did the floor X was on remained intact? Really, he should be at the same place as Zero, and more damaged.

Unless the X in the second game was a fake... and mother Elf-was a hoax... or the whole thing was dreamed up by Zero as he laid dying in the desert.

---------------------------------------------------------

Phantom stared... the floor was gone, Master... the copy, in a desperate bid to destroy Zero, had destroyed it... partly. Leaving a rather convenient platform for the Red ripper to play on... Until the Mad Man tried to reach to him again.

Phantom had to give it to him. For a maverick and the antithesis of X with the way he dealt with the enemies, Zero was rather... Kind.

But the copy only got more intense than before. And while the first part of the fight had been pathetically easy for the ancient reploid, the second one was a floorless, forcing Zero to use the walls and the Copy’s own control rod to survive.

And Zero did! Practically flying from surface to surface as he rained punishment on the pirated copy of the legendary blue reploid. Whom, after his first attempt, had learned that it was better to use those wings to move then to just hover in one place like a lagging mess of wires.

Seriously... it was like the copy wanted Zero to destroy him.

But, as always, the red hero had won... and the pirated copy of the greatest reploid alive plummeted to his doom, his fate sealed with Zero’s disk weapon cutting his power core out.

After this fight... the quiet that pervaded Area X was deafening. And Phantom was his with the reality that he had helped Zero assassinate the leader of the ‘supposed’ last bastion of humanity... And Phantom as watched the event without even raising his voice.

He was Zero’s accomplice in inaction.

Speaking of the Successful assassin, Zero was hanging from an edge... something he had to cut out from the panels. He had ripped out some wires and... hot wired himself?

No... Phantom had no idea what the mad man did... only that he was dangling from this tear like an electrocuted squirrel a wire.

The Shinobi, using his nin-jutsu, made his way to Zero.

Dare he hope the bane of Neo-Arcadia died?

‘No... He stopped me from suiciding. So for him to perform this act would be ridiculous...’

But dared he hoped for Zero to be unharmed?

He was already a traitor by his inaction...

“Zero?” He called out to the limp reploid... no reaction.

‘He doesn’t look all that damage... and he didn't use one of his damn subtank... what’s wrong with him?’ Phantom wondered as he moved ever so closer.

And then... He heard it... a sniffle.

Now, not Many reploid would make this noise simply because they didn’t have any mucus to deal with. Meaning that this was purely cosmetic, and why was Zero crying after killing an enemy?

“Zero?” Phantom tried again, a little more forceful this time.

Still nothing...

Phantom mentally prepared for what he had to do next. “Dear... Lolita...” he managed to speak out.

Obliviously, This roused Zero from whatever was afflicting him. But it was clear the reploid was not at his best.

“Zero... what Happened? Why are you-” Crying... not that Crying and Zero should ever be in the same phrase, it was criminal.

“He was so young.... they never gave him a name.” The red and black reploid rasped. “ He... He wanted to die... to leave his mark on the world and...” He bit his lips as he vented out harshly. “He made his choice... I can only pray Yamaraja won’t let him wait down this shaft for too long.” He cleared his vents as his eyes turned dull.

‘Great... now what?’ The Shinobi wondered... only to have a hidden door open at the other side of the chasm.

This was the door Copy-X had used to get in the room... it was also a maintenance way.

“Alright... let’s get out of here... do you have a bomb squad?” Zero asked the Shinobi as he hopped his way to the open door.

“Not personally. But Fefnir has.”

“Obliviously...” Zero paused as he sat down on solid ground, leaning his head and back on the wall as he closed his eyes and took out a white cotton thread from under his armour and wrapped it around his thumb. Then, sitting straighter, he began to meditate again.

Phantom stared owlishly at the sight... He had no idea someone would be so eager to meditate... or pray as Zero.

Especially after murdering a copy.

Exactly four minutes later, Zero reopened his eyes and tucked the tread back in... but didn’t get up. Instead, he let all tension leave his body.

“Zer-”

“Just Lalita Das will do.” The red and black reploid mumbled. “I just needed some time to pray. Krishna told me I needed to rest and wait for a bit before I could find X...” He opened his eyes and looked right at Phantom.

The Shinobi... not knowing what to do, sat down.

“And who’s Krishna Again?” He asked as he observed the oddly devoted reploid.

“God... He’s a good friend to.”

Phantom grunted... Apparently, the cyber-devil was a buddy with God...

“He told me that if I killed... this kid, then, in a last ditch effort, he would blow this whole level.” Zero explained. Then he pointed at something behind Phantom.

The Shinobi followed the digit... and indeed, there was an unmistakable pack of potent explosive placed there.

This maintenance shaft was off limit to most, save X’s copy and a few humans...

The implication chilled Phantom core to a kelvin that would make Leviathan inelegantly splutter and blush.

‘How did I not noticed? I’m his... was his spy master!’ The Black and white reploid thought with quite a bit of shame and anger... and a healthy dose of fear.

The damage done to the towers surrounding area would be extensive, the debris would’ve killed quite a few, since the surrounding area of the tower yet another rather popular park... and the ever so popular apple market.

“Z... Lolita, tell your God... Thank you.” Phantom managed to choke out as he contacted Fefnir trough one of his tertiary account. He still wanted to appear dead to the world until Lalita’s work was done.

“Krishna’s your God too... and he said; Your welcome.” A soft smile drew itself on Zero’s... Lolita Das’ soft lips. “So... what’s your plan Phantom? I just killed tour ruler, I’m damaged and at your mercy... I’m sure the Neo-Arcadia will hail you as a hero when you drag my corps in the street’s to be disposed of.” he openly joked.

Well... probably not about being damage, he certainly looked roughed up. And he did have a point.

And yet...

“Humph! You're not getting out of the deal this easily Lolita.” Phantom smirked as he crossed his arms against his chest and leaned on the wall... the one that he hoped had no C-4 or whatever. “You still have plenty of time to find the real master X... but I doubt you will find him here.” Phantom admitted to his... Partner in crime.

“Hmm? And why is that?” Zero... Lolita asked.

“Think about it, why would they keep the original in a place where he could be easily found? Can you imagine if this copy-”

“Jagadananda already did...” Zero spoke sadly. “That’s why he went mad with power and desperate to prove that he was better than my friend.”

Phantom stared as he tried to work out whom Lolita was speaking about. “You gave it-”

“Him.”

“-A name.”

Zero opened his sharp blue eyes and glared at the Shinobi. “Despite what he did, Jagu was still just a child and a soul robed of all senses of individuality.” He began, not bothering to hide the anger in his voice. “ He was called X the moment he was activated, his head stuffed with the idea that he was the original who suffered from amnesia. He was X, he was the Hero...” The black and red reploid gritted his teeth. “And last year... Krishna told me a woman brought him to the top of the tower...” Zero’s voice faded as his ire grew.

“And then?” Phantom ventured... knowing that what would come next would probably cement his budding allegiance to Dear Lolita Das.

“He saw X... my best friend... and it broke him.” And this seemed to break Zero.

as this phantom learned about Lolita Zero... He was not as emotionless as expected.

He let him... express his sorrow. For if what Phantom had learned so far was true... Lolita had woken up in a worst-case scenario...

Not even Phantom would remain of stones if he would wake up one day in Lolita’s place...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An hour and a half passed, an hour in which the glitch in the system had mourned for an innocent life lost and concluded his meditation.

Meanwhile, this gave Phantom a chance to review all that had happened in the span of four hours... and how much his life had changed due to Zero’s intervention.

He was alive, first... and he had learned and witness the madness of a four-year-old trying to play the role of a king, his death and the dept of Zero’s heart.

It was deep... and had more than enough space for the fake, the resistance and Neo-Arcadia. From what Phantom had learned from the red hero, this was to be expected from a Vaishnava... for he saw everyone as a dear parcel of God, an eternal spirit soul suffering in the material world.

“But... I’m not really there yet.” Lolita Zero admitted. “I still have some resentment for some people.”

“Like that woman who showed Jagu the truth...”

“Yes... and whoever thought it would be a good idea to keep X’s body inside Neo-Arcadia’s wall.” Zero grumbled. “I mean really, who’s idea was it to keep the Dark-Elf in Neo-Arcadia?”

“Probably the same person who showed Jagu X’s remains.” Phantom grumbled... then he realized what Zero had just told him. “How do you know about the Dark-Elf and how she got sealed?!”

Zero gave his partner in crimes a look.

“You can’t be serious.”

“Krishna just told me were to look.”

“But it’s top Secret!” Phantom scoffed.

“Once again, God told me were to look... I just followed his indication.” Zero muttered.

Silence fell on the two reploid like a heavy blanket. That was until Zero got up and stretched. “Talking about it won't get us anywhere.” he muttered. “I know you’re... other units will start to look around for you’re remains, and I would rather not have to face Harpuia and Leviathan.” A small shudder moved his frame as he climbed the wall up to a trap at the top.

“Oh? too strong for you?” Phantom teased as he went to help Zero open the trap.

“No, not really... But Harpuia’s wind ability messes up my proximity sensors more than I care about, and Leviathan... Is a bit too into me for my taste.”

“Why? You don’t like the attention?” Phantom openly teased, he knew he was now a traitor, and accomplice of Lolita... might as well enjoy it.

“No... I’m under strict vows of Brahmacharia.”

“Meaning?” Phantom asked as he managed to unlatch the hidden trap door, pushing it up to a dark void.

“Meaning, I’m a monk... and celibacy is the name of the game.” He admitted as he fearlessly hoisted himself up the hatch and into the unknown.

“A monk named Lolita...” Phantom flatly shot back as he followed the crazy fighting monk... who happened to be more right than wrong.

“It’s Dhira-Lalita Das Brahmachari. Servant of Manorama das and his wife Tivra-Bhakti devi dasi.” Zero corrected his unlikely companion as he scanned around the dark. “Great... This body’s useless in pitch darkness.”

“Really? You don’t have night vision?” Phantom asked as he pulled himself up, selecting said visual option now that he didn't run the risk of going blind.

Zero remained silent, probably digging in his surprisingly intact memories. “Well, it’s seemed I used to have it, but after my first bout of amnesia, I forgot I had it.” Zero admit as he jumped to an edge only Phantom could see. “I have better now.”

“Yes... so, you're a celibate monk who just so happen to be the deadliest reploid out there, having decommissioned and killed the ...’leader’ of Neo-Arcadia.”

“Serving God can take many forms... and I swear I didn't mean to kill him, Jagu forced my hands.” Zero argued back. “And I’m terrible at saving people... exe-” he stopped himself, it was clear he didn’t want to jinx it.

After that, Dhira-Lalita remained quiet until they reached the real upper floor. Where, If he were to be trusted, X remains were kept, and the dark-elf lurked.

And phantom could only pray to Krishna that Lalita was wrong.

[arcadiantyrxnt]

Stop being a NEET and a bitch and go outside.

"Oh?" 

The smug expression on his face is insufferable, sitting upon his throne with that 'holier than thou' attitude that he wears so well. One leg crossed over the other, his chin resting upon his hand in such a comfortable manner, making sure his 'beloved citizen' knows he's unfazed by the words being spat at his feet. After all, what can this simple, nameless reploid possibly do to him? There's nothing they can do that he hasn't already dealt with before, and he's more than prepared to deal with it again... He may as well humor them for the moment. Before he deals with them in the only way fit for someone so willing to say such impolite things to their benevolent ruler who spends every day ensuring the prosperity of this Utopia he’s made for them. 

He moves slightly, just enough so that he’s sitting up straight on the throne, planting both feet firmly on the floor and rising from the comfort of his throne, not breaking eye contact with the defiant fool for even a moment. No, he doesn’t want them to miss the change in his expression as he lets the calm smile fall away from his face, he wants to make sure they see the cold disapproval in his gaze. He wants them to feel the shift in tone, wants it to shake them to their very core.

“After everything that I’ve done for you,” and he waves his hand dismissively, sending away the pantheons that stand by him. He won’t be needing them for this one, after all... “you still choose to speak to me like this? I’m disappointed...” And with that, the last of the ever-loyal pantheons leaves the room, leaving just X and the other reploid. “But perhaps you’ll at least be of some use. Maybe you can at least make for a good example for the rest of Neo Arcadia.” And he raises a hand, making sure the reploid gets to see it as it changes from hand to weapon, staring them down from the other end of what’s now a buster, and it’s glowing dangerously.

[noeggets]

Ciel au

Ciel is the first human child to be experimented on by human sciences infused with reploid dna? she was tampered with so much that her brain was beyond the reploid and human smartness so she knew more then them and X just watched it happen cause what else could X do? This kinda stuff wasn't the ruler of neo arcadias problem

X told them to stop but they didn't listen and said it was for reploid kind so X did the next best thing and was partly there for her as a care taker

When they were done with her Ciel more basicly a human with the mind of a reploid now she could solve any problem just like a robot she could do complex math and she could make blue prints for almost anything without seeing the object first hand

This kinda goes along with sense she's smart enough to make the biometal maybe she full on turn herself into a reploid to live to see her creations cause I'm not gonna sleep with that she died or went missing garbage

The went missing one is better tho cause maybe she didn't wanna be involved anymore or somebody was after her for the creation of biometal just like somebody could have been after dr cain for making reploids and then they go mavrick so she went into hiding

The best au of ciel I ever heard was by somebody on twitter where ciel was made in a lab and Zero said she's more like us then them by somebody name moogs @ elfcollection

[neon-darklight]

Top Ten Favorite Video Game Villains!!!!!

Okay, so, here’s a little secret for y’all: I wanted this to win. But better late than never. So, villains. Villains, like bosses, often shape a video game, and we’re here for me to squee at my favorites. So WE’RE COUNTING DOWN!!!

Now, Mega Man has had a pretty mixed bag when it comes to villains. And while I could go with Wily, as he made the Maverick virus, I chose the more dickish doctor.

Number Ten: Dr. Weil (Mega Man franchise)

Yeah, I absolutely despise this guy for what he did, but he barely edged out the Archangels from Shin Megami Tensei for a spot on this list. So, what did he do? He corrupted the Mother Elf, turning it into the Dark Elf. He stole Zero’s body, putting his second-in-command Omega inside it, made Copy X, became the totalitarian ruler of Neo Arcadia, almost destroyed Area Zero, killed over half of the world population, and last but not least, became Biometal Model W, corrupting Master Albert and Master Thomas, the latter of which likely killed Master Mikhail. Oh, and he’s racist towards Reploids too. What makes Weil such a good villain is because of how easy it is to absolutely despise the fucker, and he did a shit ton of damage.

[worldofadvent]

NEO World of Advent Chapter Six

NEO World of Advent Chapter Six

Cero, not for the first time in recent history, found himself deep within the nursery beside Allouette, a handful of sparkling E-Crystals in hand. He stared through the glass of an in-use incubation chamber at the growing form of his cyber elf. Clover had grown considerably in the past few weeks, already taking on a childish form, though definitively still elfish. Data sprinkled like a continuous shower of dust from her body even though she had since evolved from her more primitive orb-like form.

"How is she doing?" Cero asked concernedly. He had taken on a "Mother Hen" attitude about the whole thing, as Allouette put it. Every moment he could spare, he was at the elf's side, watching her grow, talking to her excitedly at times about whatever was on his mind at the time.

Allouette gave him a wan smile. "She's fine, Cero. In fact, she'll be ready to leave the incubation chamber soon."

"Really?" Cero looked at Clover, who seemed to be following the conversation, as her head turned to face whoever was speaking at the time. "You hear that Clover? Soon you can see the Resistance with me!"

Clover gave a happy noise, a crude but recognizable smile on her face. She tapped the glass with her hands curiously.

"Not yet," Allouette told her gently. "You still have some growing to do."

The thought occurred to Cero that Clover had been growing at an alarmingly fast rate. "Aunt 'Lou, is she growing a bit… too fast, if you know what I mean?"

Allouette shook her head and pressed a button, muting their end of the conversation so Clover couldn't hear. While done out of respect for her feelings, the sentiment brought no solace to the irate Elf, who tapped the panel of the chamber incessantly. "If you're worrying about her reaching her natural life cycle's end too soon, I don't think it's something to be worried about. Not unduly, at any rate. Some cyber elves mature a lot faster than others. She's special; we don't really know how long she can be expected to live. Croire lived to be about ten years old when she passed away and Clover here is in layman's terms "a more advanced" elf. She could live to be a hundred for all we know."

Cero frowned. "What if I created something that prolonged her life span? You know, if I have to."

"If anyone could, it would be you," Allouette said. "Why don't you get to know each other a bit more? I'll be in one of the other rooms; some of the other elves' development aren't coming along as nicely as Clover's and I need to make sure they're doing alright."

Cero nodded. "Sure thing. I'll get you if something comes up." As Allouette left the door, Cero unmuted the chamber to an unimpressed Clover who fixed him with a baleful stare. "Sorry!" Cero said. "And hey, I'm not the one who did it."

Clover rolled her eyes, sitting down on the screen, eyes fixed warily on the panel that was used to cut off her auditory feed to the outside world. Her eyes were a pale green shade, her hair taking on a chestnut brown color.

Cero sighed. "Alright, I promise not to mute it. I can't speak for Aunt 'Lou though, okay?"

Clover nodded, apparently satisfied with this compromise. She tapped the screen with her index finger, which Cero learned by now meant she was bored.

"Do you want me to read you something?" Cero got out a large and well used history book over the history of Neo Arcadia. It was a favorite of his, finding the founding and different problems the city faced fascinating. Clover made a face that made Cero think she did not share his views on the subject.

"Come on," Cero said. "It'll be fun. I'll talk about something interesting, like how Dad was seen by the people during Weil's reign."

Clover rolled a green eye but relented all the same, letting go of the screen expectantly. Cero cleared his throat and began.

"The people of Neo Arcadia were not always receptive to the existence of the Resistance. For many years, the now-allied faction were regarded as terrorists under the authoritarian regime of Dr. Weil. Propaganda surrounding the people's beloved leader, X, surfaced amidst suspicion placed upon the legendary reploid Zero. Many believed the crimson hero to have betrayed his old friend in a fit of maverick rage."

Cero paused to explain the section further. "It's fascinating to see the people's views on the subject. For example, many still don't know that the ruler of Neo Arcadia that Zero fought was actually a copy. They also conveniently leave out the fact that they viewed the Resistance as criminals unfairly even before Dr. Weil was in the picture, but that's a story for another time. Often history takes a slant so that the ones writing it look better to the people."

Clover nodded. Cero doubted she really cared enough to grasp the situation as a whole though, and put the book down. "We can do something else if you want. I have a video game with me if you don't mind seeing that."

This, Cero could tell, was a hit for the young Elf. Her face brightened almost instantly and pressed her face against the screen as if it were already playing out of sight.

"Hold on," Cero said with a laugh. "I have to get it set up first." He took out a console and hooked up a few wires to the incubation screen so that she could see better. Soon a pixelated game titled "Spellblade" came up as an option. Cero pressed the Start button and an intro scene played. It wasn't high tech by any stretch, but the more retro style graphics drew a cult following and the game was considered a large success by many. Inside the intro, a man escapes a dungeon, fleeing to the forest, where a beautiful spirit gives him a fiery sword. The sword grows to fit the title credits, cutting through the titular word Spellblade with the aforementioned weapon.

Cero opened up his save file, finding himself in the middle of the Enchanted Forest, F3. Occasionally random mobs would appear, usually consisting of gremlins or if he was especially unlucky, a cave minotaur. Cero dispatched the enemies with ease, having grinded to the point where the enemies on this floor weren't a real concern to him. Despite the repetitive feel of each fight, Clover was enraptured. Every time an enemy hit, she let out a squeal and when his sword glowed red hot and made a simple slashing animation at an enemy, her hands curled tight like she was actually wielding the sword.

"The game's about a hero in red armor," Cero explained. "He teams up with the powerful Spirit of the Forest to slay the evil king, who oppresses his people with dark magic." Cero felt oddly at peace with the controller in hand, talking to Clover. It occurred to him that he really didn't have any friends. Sure, he had a few people in the resistance closer to his age that were fun to hang around, but they were too often on missions and with their own friends for him to really consider them friends.

"I like this game," Cero said, "Because it reminds me of Dad. It's also funny that the people of Neo Arcadia made a game loosely based around him. Kind of ironic. It's really popular."

Clover nodded and pointed to the game, then herself.

"You want to play?" Clover nods. Cero takes a moment to think. "I guess that could work. It does have a two player mode. You can play as the Forest Spirit."

The next half hour was spent teaching Clover the controls, which she picked up remarkably quickly. Soon, the two of them were embroiled in slaying endless hordes of blue slimes as they sought out enough gold for better gear. Soon, the Hero was decked out in red chain mail (everything was red with him) and the Forest Spirit was decked out in enchanted cloth and a magic scepter Clover managed to get as a rare drop from a gold slime.

Cero nodded with satisfaction at their handiwork. +2 to wind resistance and +4 mana respectively. The sword was enchanted as well, but its powers unlocked as the story progressed. The hero's flowing mane of blonde hair was suspended in a cutscene as the two of them searched for the key that unlocked the catacombs beneath the town. Afterwards, Clover bought as many health potions as their meager amount of gold could buy after Cero told her how it had to be used when either character got hurt.

"I like to think of myself as Zero when I play," Cero confessed. He had never told anyone this, but he felt like he was in safe confidence with Clover. "I always feel so useless in the real world. He's this amazing hero who saved the world and I can't even hold a sword without dropping it first. He never says it, but I feel like sometimes… Like I'm a disappointment. I've tried," Cero says, unable to stop the unwanted presence of tears at the corners of his eyes, "To learn how to fight like he does. I've read the books on swordplay, even basic martial arts stances. Nothing I do is ever good enough. Some days I wonder how I could be his son at all."

Cero wiped his eyes as the screen flashed before him. Apparently, Clover was trying to give him a health potion, eyes looking at him with some concern. "It doesn't work like that," Cero said, the corners of his mouth lifting all the same. "But thanks. It's just that I have these amazing parents, and I'm just me. Just Cero. It's hard to step out of their shadows sometimes."

Clover shook her head and typed in the word "HERO" in the chatbox. Cero felt warmth toward his Elf as he picked up the controller again. "Ready to continue?"

They progressed to the point past where Cero was in his save file, despite Clover's insistence that they check every potion on the floor or go to every dead end in search of treasure. Clover, Cero learned, was a completionist. She didn't like to leave the room until she was in no means uncertain that the room hadn't been completely cleared. Soon they reached a floor Boss with six arms and a different weapon in each hand that Cero heard held a different enchantment each.

"This might be tough," Cero warned. "I don't know if we can handle it just yet." The warning was lost on Clover, however, who ushered their characters forward, triggering the cutscene before the fight.

The Six Armed Samurai turned out to be too powerful and, after an unlucky crit against Clover's character, the Forest Spirit sank to the floor to the "Game Over" credits. Clover let out a distressed sound, eyes wide. Cero was quick to reassure her that it wasn't over yet, and that they had saved beforehand. Cero gave her a Potion of Sorcerous Might and the fight ended this time, in their favor. Clover let out a sigh of relief as the samurai made the death animation, opening up another cutscene. The door opened, and Allouette looks at them amusedly.

"You two sure bond quick," she said. "Cero, it's almost time for dinner. Go get washed up and meet your parents upstairs. I'll make sure Clover gets something to eat."

Clover shook her head, mashing the CONTINUE? Button expectantly. Cero grimaced apologetically. "Sorry Clover, but I have to eat." Clover tapped the screen with a leftover energy crystal.

"I can't eat that," Cero said. "I have to eat human food. Wait," he said as he turned to Allouette. "Can I eat that? If I can eat human food, shouldn't I be able to eat reploid stuff as well?"

"There's already been a study done on the subject," Allouette said. "I'm surprised you haven't heard of it. Advents can eat energy crystals and drink certain kinds of oil, but it only strengthens their reploid halves - your oversol for example. You're still going to need to eat human food if you don't want to starve."

"Wait," Cero said excitably. "You mean if I eat E-Crystals I might get my oversol to appear?"

Allouette looked as though she regretted bringing it up. "Yes," she said slowly, "But I'm not convinced that's a good idea. You don't have an oversol problem, Cero. Stronger Advents often have a more difficult time controlling their oversol. I really wouldn't give the matter too much thought."

"But it could make me stronger, right?" Cero pressured his aunt. "It couldn't hurt, could it?"

"I suppose not," Allouette relented. "I'll look into it and have a healthy dosage prescribed for you sometime soon. For now, you can eat these with your afternoon meal." Allouette gave him a small capsule of blue diamonds. "It's a moderate dosage for baby elves, but I'm sure it'll do fine for an adolescent Advent. Don't eat them all at once though," she warned. "We still don't know all the effects they have on Advent bodies."

Cero promised not to overdo it and made another hasty apology to Clover who was currently giving him the stink eye. Outside, he pocketed the crystals with a happy grin. Maybe this is what he needed to be able to use his oversol.

Cero took the massive elevator upstairs, enjoying the mechanical hum it made as it ascended to the proper level. It grinded to a sudden halt and opened up to give Cero full view of the mess room, where the Resistance as a whole ate together for their dusktime meal. Hibou waved Cero over to the table where Ciel and Zero were sitting at beside Cerveau and Doigt.

"Hey there," Hibou greeted Cero. "We were just wondering where you were."

"I was in the nursery," Cero explained. "I was just checking up on Clover."

"Again? His mother gave him an approving glance. "I'm glad to see you taking this so seriously."

Zero nodded. "You've shown yourself quite responsible in this regard. It's good to see something you excel at."

Cero squirmed at the hidden implication, but let the feeling go with the bubble of excitement as he took out the capsule of E Crystals. "Aunt 'Lou gave me these," he explained. "They're supposed to make me stronger."

Zero zoned in on the small bottle of crystals with interest. "Really? Does a higher dosage yield better or quicker results?"

Ciel smacked her husband gently. "It's like a human medicine Zero," she explained. "Too much might be unhealthy. But I doubt Allouette gave you anything you could overdose on in there," she added.

Zero nodded and re entered a heated conversation between Doigt and Cerveau on the proper application of the recoil rod. Hibou gave the crystals a hungry look as Cero sprinkled the whole bottle over his plate.

"Do you want any?" Cero offered.

"Me? No, no," Hibou protested. "I'm on a diet. Still, those look mighty tasty. No! Diet. I must remain strong."

"What do they taste like?" Cero asked as he examined the reflection of the crystals in the stew he poured them in.

"Well," Hibou said, now fully in his element, "different crystals come in different levels of effect and taste. Some crystals are flavored to give a more unique experience."

Cero tries a bite gingerly, noticing with surprise a sweet sensation alongside the hearty broth. "It's like sugar," he explained. "It kind of melts in your mouth."

Hibou nodded. "I can give you some of my private supply if… Well, never mind."

"Just talk to her," Cero prompted the older reploid. "Aunt 'Lou isn't the kind of person to be mean spirited about that sort of thing."

Hibou sighed. "She probably already knows. Half the Base does."

Cero shook his head. "Nah. She's too busy to take part in gossip."

Hibou looked marginally relieved at this. "Does she have a favorite flower, do you know? Or energy crystal?" he said hopefully.

Cero thought for a moment. "I don't really know. I know she keeps going on about this Exposium on newer reploid models. Maybe you could take her?"

Hibou looked like he was considering it for a moment before his head sunk in defeat. "A guy like me would only make a fool out of himself in front of a girl like her. She's so smart…"

"Smarts aren't everything," Cero told him. "Dad isn't exactly a bookworm you know and he still ended up with Mom."

"Yeah," Hibou said, "But I'm not Zero."

Cero gave him a sympathetic glance. "It's not fair to compare yourself to Zero," he said. "My Dad's not perfect either you know."

The words felt hollow in his mouth but they seemed to do the trick for Hibou, whose expression become significantly more like his old cheery self. "I think I'll look into this exposium thing," Hibou said, the color draining from his face at the prices of the event.

Cero felt, in some twisted way, happy to know that he wasn't the only one feeling down about comparing himself to his father.

Hibou took in a deep breath and got up, plate in hand.

"Where are you going?" Cero asked. "You've hardly touched your food."

"I'm going to work out," Hibou said determinedly. He dumped the food in a nearby receptacle with his eyes closed from the apparent heresy of throwing away a plate of food and made for the exit closest to the rec room.

"He must be really serious," Ciel whispered to Cero as Hibou left.

Cero nodded. "He's crazy about Aunt 'Lou. Almost everyone knows it."

"Everyone but her," Ciel sighed. "I swear, she keeps herself cooped up more than I do! Which I'm told, is not healthy. Really, it's even hard to get her to commit to girls' night."

Cero smiled at the mention of Ciel's weekly ritual where she gathered select females from the Resistance every week where they hit the malls and spas while Zero gets to not do that. Instead, he goes out to shooting ranges with Cerveau, Colbur, or sometimes Faucon. At times they come back drunk, save for Zero, who they swear has enough tolerance to down an entire tank of Sweet Oil and not feel any ill effects. The one time Cero caught Zero stagger after such a night his father had bribed him for his silence.

"Are you doing anything tonight?" Cero asked his mother.

"Your father and I are going out on a date!" Ciel exclaimed. She sounded really excited about it.

Cero couldn't help but feel happy for her. Though they looked like an odd couple, he knew his parents cared deeply for each other. Cero knew that beneath his father's rough and stoic exterior, he felt a similar excitement. Even though his idea of a romantic date didn't always add up with hers, they always made it work.

"Oh," Ciel said, "How is Clover doing? I know you mentioned her earlier but we never got to talk about her much."

"She's doing great," Cero informed her. "We were playing Spellblade earlier."

"Really now?" Ciel seemed surprised. "I didn't think she'd be that autonomous already."

"Didn't you have her for a little while before though?" Cero asked.

Ciel nodded. "I headed the team that designed her, yes. But once she was ready for incubation Allouette oversaw the most of it. She should be full of surprises."

Upon the conclusion of the subject, Cero realized that he had left Clover hanging for some time now. Asking if he could be excused, Ciel told him that it was okay to head back down so long as he went to sleep at a respectable time.

"Thanks Mom!" Cero placed his tray with the rest to be washed before sprinting to the lower floors, where the Nursery was held. Clover was in the middle of another save file, one that he realized, had overwritten his old one.

"You know there are other games, right?" he asked Clover.

Clover glared at Cero and returned her attention to her new save file.

"Sorry," Cero said. "But I have to eat other stuff. It's a human - er, Advent thing. If you want, we can continue playing Spellblade together," he offered.

Clover saved her new file, quickly reverting to their shared one, all animosity forgotten with the promise of progressing further in their quest to slay the evil king. It was well past midnight when Allouette found them stuck to the screen, slogging away at the grind for loot. Cero bid Clover a good night, and his Elf returned a sad wave, curling up in her chamber as Allouette dimmed the lights.

Cero found himself eagerly waiting for the morning, where they could continue. He wondered distantly if this is what it felt like to have a friend.

[thegatesofinfinitespace]

Seraph’s relation with Cial is, to put it lightly, poor. 

He’d only been online for a few hours when she decided to claim him as the murderer of the original X, Ruler of Neo Arcadia. It had been a calculated move to make the woman the new head of the city of humans, and all it took was for her to point to him and acknowledge that he was a fake to be scrapped.

No one even questioned where he had come from, falling in line with the perfect conflict: us versus them. 

Ser managed to survive and fled the supposed utopia with Hidden Phantom and Sage Harpuia-- who had realized Cial was the one to force X to flee with the Dark Elf, only to be picked up by the Reploid Resistance, and the now-cyberelf X leading it.

Sure, he’s heard of Ciel, the fabled lady scientist and her methods for new renewable power sources, but... She was a myth, missing long before Cial showed up in Neo Arcadia. No one knows what happened to her.