Monday, July 29, 2024

Revisioning Classic Mega Man's Story

As any Mega Man fan knows, the Mega Man Timeline is kinda in shambles thanks to Capcom's bugling. So today, I'm gonna Revise it...starting with the Classic Timeline.  

Please note - These are just MY Ideas and MY Ideas alone and may not reflect You're own ideas for a revisioning. 

Also note that I will be excluding All side games,with the exception of the Game Boy titles and Mega Man and Bass. So in this revisioning, So any canon and non-canon Side Games,besides the GB series and Mega Man and Bass,will be omitted from this new Timeline. 

Anyway, Let's go.

For Mega Man 1,I wouldn't change much. Most everything is fine the way it is. Though, I'd use a combination of the American story and the Japanese one And it would be told during the opening (ala future mega man titles).

For Mega Man 2, I would have an extra cut scene at the end of the game,where Dr. Wily gets arrested.

Starting with Mega Man 3, I'm gonna make a buncha changes. 1 - An opening cut scene explaining the games story, including mentioning that Dr. Wily got out of jail for good behavior and the Rise of the Doc Robot Counsel.

2 - Give purpose to the Doc Robots by making them the Main Antagonists, who reprogrammed the Wilight (wily and light)) Series Robot Masters to terrorize the Mining Areas. The Doc Robots are,in reality, robots created by Dr. Wily to help hide his true intentions to the World.

3 - With the exception of Gemini Man's Stage, The Mining Colonies are all set on Earth.

4 - No Breakman. That identity was both stupid and pointless. In an added cut scene,after the Doc Robot Fights, Protoman,who keeps his name secret, reveals to Mega Man that Dr. Wily found him and fixed him. And because he's indebted to him,He must destroy the Blue Bomber.

After defeating Protoman for the final time, the game happens as normal,except there will be an additional cut scene where Dr. Wily addresses the World and reveals his true intentions. He also reveals that the Doc Robots were His creations and that they were used to cause confusion and then threatens the World with Gamma.   

5 - And Finally, The Mega Man Triple Clone battle will be replaced by the Doc Robot Counsel's Leader, who has all of the abilities of the Mega Man 1 Robot Masters.

The Ending will remain unchanged, but there Will be a post-credits scene that mentions Protoman's origins and how they remain unknown to Mega Man and the rest of the World. And that only Drs. Light and Wily know the truth.

For Mega Man 4, I'd simply add in some more details to the story. In the intro, I'd add that Dr. Wily was killed at the end of 3 and that the World believes that he is,indeed,dead. I'd also add that Dr. Cossack was a disenfranchised scientist and that is the reason for his actions. 

Okay, backing up a bit, everyone is asking Why did I have Dr. Wily "killed" at the end of Mega Man 3? Because that's what can easily be interpreted by the Ending of that game, as he gets Crushed by a Huge chunk of debris from his crumbling Fortress. Plus, the Japanese sub-title of 3 is "The End of Dr. Wily?!". So...I decided to make that into a plot point.

Anyway,another thing I'd do is extend the Cut scene after Dr. Cossack's defeat. Protoman gets a line of dialog telling Wily off for abusing Kalinka and telling him that his debt to the Mad Roboticist has been paid. Dr. Wily explains to a shocked Mega Man that the Wily that was crushed at the end of 3 was a Robot duplicate made to control the Unfinished Gamma,which he himself was too apprehensive to pilot.

He then explains his motives - He Hated Dr. Cossack for overshadowing Him in the Field of Robotics,so this was his plan for Revenge. Petty Old Man,Ain't He?!

Anyway, after that,the game continues as normal, as does the Ending. However, I would add an extra scene after the credits. After the credits,there will be a line of text explaining that Dr. Cossack was arrested for his crime, but the International Court is convinced by Dr. Light and Mega Man to allow Dr. Cossack to help Dr. Light with his Inventions as a form of Community Service.

And That's how I explain how Dr. Cossack ended up working with Dr. Light. Another Plot hole filled! Now, on to Mega Man 5.

Mega Man 5 remains as is, except I add a scene and extend one. When Dr. Wily gloats on how he framed Protoman, He simply adds his motivation for doing so - Because Protoman betrayed him. 

The added scene will be after the Credits, where it'll state that Protoman had been cleared of all crimes, thanks to the International Court receiving some security camera footage of Dr. Wily gloating about his plan and creating Dark Man 4. And that the footage was dropped off by a mysterious deliverer.  

Yeah, Protoman stole the footage as Mega Man was storming Skull Castle and delivered it to the Court himself. Anyway, on to Mega Man 6.

Mega Man 6, like with 4 and 5 will have extra scenes and nothing else. Oh and Mr. X will be His Own Man!!! Not Dr. Wily in Disguise!! Although, after Mr. X's defeat, Dr. Wily reveals that he had brainwashed Mr. X to gain access to his Money. But then also reveals that Mr. X Did finance him for a while,until Mr. X decided to stop...for "Moral Reasons".

After that,the rest of the game goes on as normal. After the credits I'd add a scene informing everyone that Mr. X turned himself in for helping Dr. Wily and that he regrets helping a "terrorist".

Whew. That was a chore filling all of those plot holes is quite a challenge..but we ain't done yet and things are only gonna get tougher from here...On to Mega Man 7.

For Mega Man 7, I would only change the intro and cut scenes by adding to them. For the intro, I would add a scene where various Fortress Bosses are unleashed along with the Robot Masters.

Next,after fighting Bass during the Intro Stage, I'd have Him mention that he'll help Mega Man by taking care of the Fortress Bosses, and show the World that he can be a Hero too.

A New cut scene will play showing Bass destroying the Fortress Bosses and gaining the World's admiration. This cut scene would play after defeating the first 2 Robot Masters.

This new cut scene was added to show the player and the people of Mega Man's World that maybe Bass Really Is a good guy (though he's just fooling everyone to gain dr. light's trust, which comes into play later).

The next new cut scene occurs after Mega Man destroys the Clown Robot at the Robot Museum, only to be attacked by another one and beaten. Bass and Treble arrive and destroy the Robot. Mega Man and Bass have a small conversation and Mega Man now fully trusts Bass.  

This scene just adds to Bass' (and Dr. Wily's) deception.

The rest of the game plays out as normal, except Dr. Wily announces his plans of World Domination to the World, instead of just Dr. Light. And of course, he reveals that Bass and Treble were His creations made during the "Mr. X Incident" and that their goal was to deceive Dr. Light and Mega Man in order to gain access to Dr. Light's lab and steal the Good Doctor's latest Inventions. 

The only change now is the Ending. Here, I'm gonna just throw out the American Ending and just use the Japanese One. 

For those NOT in the Know, the Ending for Mega Man 7 was re-scripted to have Mega Man threaten to Kill Dr. Wily, which was done at Nintendo of America's request.

Y'see, during that time, Sega of America and Nintendo of America were in a Very Very Heated Rivalry and Nintendo was considered to be the Less Mature System and that Classic Mega Man was considered for losers and children....at least here in the U.S. 

So Nintendo had Capcom USA spice up the translation a bit. This resulted in a very uncharacteristic moment for Mega Man. Rock Hates Dr. Wily, but Never wanted him dead. In fact, Localization "Spice-Ups" Still Exist and are used Very frequently by English Localizers. This leads to some Disgusting Dialog and Unneeded Hard Profanities. Pathetic And Wrong!!! 

UGH!!! 

*sighs* L-Let's just let's head on to Mega Man 8 now....

For the 8th main entry, I'll make it so that the Evil Energy that Wily took in the Intro Stage is actually the Soul of the Evil Robot, who manipulates Dr. Wily into helping Him dominate the World. In 2 New cut scenes, which will be added after beating 2 Robot Masters from the 1st set and then 2 more from the 2nd set.

In the 1st New Cut Scene, It's revealed that the Evil Robot wanted to conquer earth, but, because Duo ran interference, he never got the chance. And in the 2nd, it depicts the Evil Robot's Soul manipulating Wily. 

I will also have Duo let Mega Man copy his Special Ability after saving the Blue Bomber from Wily in Wily Tower. Now, I'm doing this because Mega Man will need it later. Story-wise, Duo feels that Mega Man might need the Power.

After Wily is defeated, The Evil Robot's Soul comes out of the Wily Machine and insults Wily for losing. He then reveals his plan to Mega Man and after some dialog, Wily grows angry, but is scared off by the Evil Soul. The Battle Begins. Mega Man can only damage the Evil Soul by attacking with Duo's Power, called the Justice Fist.

In the Ending,As Wily Tower starts to collapse,The Evil Soul, now weakened from the fight, decides to use Mega Man's body as a vessel. After that the rest of ending plays out as Capcom intended, except Rush teleports Mega Man out and is with him in the first part of the Ending FMV.

So.. You're likely asking - Why bother adding these scenes in? Simple, It's because I want the Evil Robot to have a big role. In the original game, the Evil Robot's main purpose was to be defeated by Duo. He deserved better, don'tcha think?.

BTW, the Evil Robot will be named Oud, which is Duo spelled backwards. Which is appropriate, as The Evil Robot is a mirror image of Duo's original form. Plus, Oud is a musical instrument,so it's also music themed,and it fits even more. Cool huh?

Other than all of this, My version of 8 would mostly be the same as Capcom's..but with E-Cans.  

Whew..what a job huh? And things are gonna get even more big. On to Mega Man and Bass.

First things first, an Intro explaining the games story. In the OG MM&B, there was none. Anyway, adding to the story is that King hospitalizes Dr. Wily, making King the Main Villain. Why? Because it's a refreshing change of pace. Plus, King needed more spotlight as a villain. Why must it be Dr. Wily All of The Damn Time?!!

Anyway, after the the Intro Stage,I'll add a cut scene telling more of the story ,where Mega Man and Bass reluctantly agree to team-up against King.

Everything plays out as it should after that new cut scene. except NOW you can switch between Mega Man and Bass at anytime. Also E-Cans will now be available at the Shop.

When they finally face King at Kings Tower,it's a Fake and the Real King is in another part of the castle. The Fake King has no dialog and Protoman doesn't show up until later. After destroying the fake King, the Real King reveals his whereabouts. The heroes move on to the next part of the Fortress, where the Boss Rush and the Real King await.

For the first form, King's shield makes him invulnerable. After a few minutes, Protoman enters and uses his Protostrike to destroy it. Protoman tells the Hero that they can handle King now and teleports away.

For the 2nd Form, it's just King. And for the 3rd, King summons the King Jet and King Tank and fuses with them. 

After King's death, the final battle will depend on Who defeated King. If you're playing as Mega Man, Bass will appear and get pissed that he defeated King and not him. To get his pride back, Bass challenges Mega Man to a Fight.

If you beat King as Bass, Mega Man is upset and miffed off at Bass for being "too brutal" with King. After an argument, they fight.

For the shared ending, the battle ends in a draw. Bass tells Mega Man that he'll never give up trying to be the strongest. Mega Man criticizes Bass' life goals. After banter, they both Leave. After this scene we go on to the Individual Endings, which differ depending on who you finished the game with.

For Mega Man, he is sad that he couldn't save King, but vows to not to let that happen again and will help every misguided Robot..especially Bass.

For Bass, it's the same as what Capcom intended. except Dr. Wily is bandaged up and has a cast.

Aside from the above changes, My Mega Man and Bass is identical to Capcom's  Whew, that was a big change, and the Big Changes are just getting started ...Here's Mega Man 9.

The intro is much different. it opens with Dr. Light and his Robot Masters attacking the World. Dr. Light declares War on the Worlds governments for ruining his Dream of Robots and Humans living in peace, with the passing of the Robot Master Expiration Law.  

Mega Man can't believe it. Roll and Auto decide to investigate, while Mega Man stops and Dr. Light's Robot Masters and brings them back.

The next batch of cut scenes will remain untouched. Also...Mega Man still has his Slide and Charge Shot. There..Fixed Capcom's Really Stupid Mistake. *sighs* Anyway, the story goes on as Capcom intended, up until the confrontation with Dr. Wily, where he gloats about his plan of framing Dr. Light and destroying his reputation.

After that, the battle begins and everything goes on as normal....including the ending...for the most part. That part where it explains that "Dr. Light had been clear of all charges" is changed. Y'see in my revision, the Robot Master's recorded memories aren't enough to clear Dr. Light. However, The International Court once again gets a special delivery from a mysterious figure - Security Footage of Dr. Wily bragging about his crime to Mega Man. And with the footage, they also deliver the Dr. Light Robot. This is just enough evidence to clear Dr. Light of all charges. And Dr. Wily is made Public Enemy #1.

Oh, and the "Mysterious Figure" is none other than Protoman.

Anyway, I'll add in a post credits Ending explaining Bass' absence. He simply training somewhere for his next fight with Mega Man.

That's it for Mega Man 9. Time for Mega Man 10.  

For the 1st Double Digit Entry, The story remains the same, except Bass has a part in it from the beginning, agreeing to help Mega Man and Protoman deal with the threat...but Only because it's interfering with his goal to defeat Mega Man.

Also, Dr. Cossack replaces Dr. Wily as Dr. Light's ally. Dr. Cossack needs more love and he's trustworthy too. Well, what about Dr. Wily? He appears later to gloat about his Roboenza plan. Another thing is that Mega Man and Bass Keep All of their established abilities. Capcom stupidly took them away again in 10.

Anyway, I've decided to change the ending. Dr. Wily escapes and Dr. Light and Dr. Cossack finish the Vaccine Machine and distribute millions of vaccines to Robots all over the World. Roboenza is cured.

I changed the ending for common sense reasons. With Dr. Wily being named public enemy #1, I'd be too risky for him to go to a public hospital when he got sick. He gets better, obviously.

Well that was easier than I thought. I guess Mega Man 10 only needed some minor revisions, huh? Well the same can be said about Mega Man 11, the (as of now) latest game in the franchise. Here we go.

My Mega Man 11 revision only contains 2 minor changes and 1 major one. The 2 minor ones come in the opening cut scene, where I'd expand it to explain that Dr. Light has opened up a Robot Master Repair Center for some extra money and that Protoman has gone on vacation, thus explaining Why he isn't in the game.

The Major one will be an improvement. I'd replace that stupid looking 2nd Wily Boss with Bass. In this battle, Bass has equipped both the Speed Gear and the Power Gear. And, to prove that he doesn't need them, Bass fights Without the use of Master Weapons. 

The meta reason I did this is because I'm not so sure I'd like the changes to Bass' helmet if he equipped a Master Weapon. 

Anyway, he fuses with Treble in his 2nd phase. After defeat, Bass curses Wily and his Double Gear System, calling it "Just another Failed Invention by a Screwed Up Old Man!" and promises to win by his Own Strength and Abilities next time.

Bass deserves more love, besides I thought that Wily boss was stupid anyway. The Ending remains the same, no need for changes.

What an improvement to an already good storyline,huh?.Well, I'm almost done. And before I get to My Personal idea of where the series goes from here, I'm gonna rewind back to the Game Boy titles aka the Mega Man World series.

For Mega Man Dr. Wily's Revenge, I'd just add an intro talking about the games plot. Nothing needs to change from a story perspective. However, the Biggest Story change occurs in Mega Man II aka Mega Man World 2.

Oh, before I forget, World 1 takes place After Mega Man 2 in the canon. 

*clears throat* As I was gonna say, Mega Man World 2 will begin with an intro to the games story. Where, after the events of Mega Man 3, a Mysterious Robot that looks like Mega Man (Quint) attacks the World with his army of Robots. He claims the World in the name of his "Master". After making threats he escapes to one of Dr. Wily's abandoned Fortresses, as his Robots do damage. Mega Man jumps into action.

After beating the initial 4 Robot Masters, Mega Man storms the Abandoned fortress, where he confronts Quint. Quint shocks Mega Man when he reveals that he's him from another Universe, sent by the Dr. Wily of His World to conquer Mega Man's.

Okay, Note: You're wondering Why I changed the story from Traveler from the Future to Traveler from an Alt-Reality? Simple. Dr. Wily was heavily involved in the original plot and in My revision, He's Presumed Dead by everyone, including, Mega Man. And I wanna keep the big reveal that Wily survived Mega Man 3 for Mega Man 4. More dramatic that way.

Plus, Time Travel is kinda messy.

Anywhoo, on with the story.

After the little chat, Mega Man is forced to battle the other 4 Robot Masters in their own stages. Once that's done, Mega Man chases Quint to another one of Wily's Abandoned Bases - an incomplete Space Station.

Quint is the Final Boss and has 3 phases - First is Quint on Sakugarne. In the 2nd phase, Quint Runs, Jumps,Shoots,and Slides. And the 3rd and final phase involves him using a Beam Sabre. 

The Ending is also changed. After Mega Man beats Quint,Quint reveals his origins. Quint reveals that He is Not Quint,but a Robot Superhero called Super Rock and that during one of his missions he was captured by His Dr. Wily and reprogrammed to do his bidding, but that he's back to his old self again thanks to the evil encoding in his memory circuits being deleted as a result of the fight.

After a friendly chat with Mega Man, Super Rock goes back to his Own Universe to deal with His Dr. Wily. 

Not a bad rewrite, huh? I tried as best as I could to stick with the Classic Series form of Storytelling. I think Classic Series fans would enjoy it. Anyway, on to Mega Man World 3 aka Mega Man III GB.

All I'd do is add an intro to the game's plot,add in Dr. Cossack as Dr. Light's assistant, and start Mega Man off with the Rush Coil. Nothing more nothing less. It's simple and perfect for the Classic Series. The events take place After Mega Man 4, so Dr. Wily is back.

For Mega Man World 4 aka Mega Man IV GB, I'd leave that one alone too.  The events of this game take place after Mega Man 5 and the next takes place after Mega Man 6, reasons coming up.

Now the 5th GB game,on the other hand,Will have major changes. No Wily, No Wily Star, No Rematches with the Mega Man Killers and Quint. All because, Dr. Wily is Still in Jail.

Sunstar is the Main Villain and Master of the Stardroids. Plus, the Wily Star is replaced by the Stardroids Star Base. Those and Dr. Cossack remaining an ally, who helps Dr. Light create the Mega Arm, will be the only changes. 

The Ending remains the same...sans Dr. Wily (who, at this point, is still in jail.). So? Why no Dr. Wily This time? Because I wanted the Stardroids to shine on their own as Villains. And adding in Dr. Wily would just cheapen their presence, as it did in Capcom's Story. 

And now...the moment everyone's been waiting for...My Ultimate Map on How The Mega Man Classic Story Should Go (note this is my own opinion and no one elses...).

*clears throat* Anyway, here's my idea for Mega Man 12. Well, for starters, I'd reuse the Mega Man 11 designs. They are an Excellent art evolution for the series. Second, No Dr. Wily!!! His story is currently finished and won't continue until the End Times of the Classic Series.

No, Instead, I'm gonna give the game a Brand New Villain....or should I say, Old Villain. I've decided to pull a Toei and Bird Studios and Canonize a Non-Canon Character - In this case, The Malicious Alien Supercomputer Ra-Moon!

In the year 20XX, it's been a whole year-and-a-half since Dr. Wily terrorized the world and hasn't been seen since. As peace grew, Rock and Roll enjoy some sibling bonding time..with Protoman watching over them.

However, a new more credible threat invades Earth - Ra-Moon. Ra-Moon announces his plans to replace All Human Leaders with His Minions to the World. He also warns that he is the most Powerful Being in the Universe. After his message, he begins his plan. To help him, Ra-Moon reprograms 8 of the World's most Powerful Robot Masters.

Duo, who chased Ra-Moon to Earth arrives and forms another alliance with Mega Man to stop the Evil Alien Supercomputer. Protoman volunteers to join to keep an eye on Mega Man. Bass, pissed off that Ra-Moon considers himself the Strongest, joins the battle to destroy him and to prove to the World that HE is the most Powerful and that the reason he's helping Mega Man is to make sure that he lives, because Only He should be allowed to Destroy the Blue Bomber and He'll be Damned if he loses that right to a "Stupid Alien".

And So, the 4 team up to defeat Ra-Moon.

Now,as you can tell, this game will have 4 playable characters.  I'm not gonna go into the gameplay aspects here, this post is just focused on the Story. I might make a separate post dedicated to that in the future..maybe.

Anyway, on with the story. After defeating 2 Robot Masters, Duo explains Ra-Moon's origins and how he's powered by Evil Energy. After beating 4 Robot Masters, You'll get a mid-game challenge from Ra-Moon's Harold, the Powerful Ra-Thor, who wants to stop the 4 from interfering with his Master's mission.  


After defeating the final 4 Robot Masters, the 4 head to Ra-Moon's Star Base, where they face the Ra-Devil, have a Rematch with Ra-Thor, Go though the Boss Rush,and finally Fight Ra-Moon.

During the meeting with Ra-Moon,we learn that he not only wants to dominate Earth, but also wants to destroy Mega Man for destroying his "Children" - Sunstar and The Stardroids.

Nice little call back, huh?

He also intends on conquering other Worlds once he's conquered Earth.

After Ra-Moon is defeated the 1st time, he gains a stronger 2nd Form..and then a 3rd and Final. After destroying Ra-Moon, Duo destroys Ra-Moon's Soul,and then his Star Base. Next we go on to the Individual endings, which play depending on Who you beat the game with. Also, each individual ending takes place Hours after Ra-Moon's defeat.

For Mega Man's ending, He and Duo are back on Earth. After they thank each other,Mega Man and Duo talk about Ra-Moon and how he's not the only threat in the Universe. Duo counts on Mega Man to keep defending Earth, as he defends space. After saying their Good-Bye's, Duo departs from Earth, leaving it's protection to Mega Man.

For Protoman, The Red Robot Master Prototype is standing on a rooftop looking at the sun set on the City. Proto mentions that while it was fun teaming up with Mega Man and Duo,the battle kinda made his defective Core worse. However, he declares that if the next few battles results in his death, he wouldn't wanna go out any other way.

For Bass, He and Treble are training in the mountains,where He vows Never to let Anyone take his title of "Most Powerful Robot".  

And For Duo, He's back in Space doing his thing.

Not too shabby,huh? I figured I'd be cool to not only Canonize Ra-Moon and Ra-Thor, but to also have Duo return. And have Ra-Moon connected to the Stardroids. Anyway, before I sign off, I wanna let you in on ideas I have for the next Mega Man titles.

For Mega Man 13, I plan on aging up the Characters, why? Because I want to. Anyway, 13 will introduce 2 new Characters - Nastenka Cossack, Bodyguard and Android Sister of Kalinka. And the Evil Dr. Regal, the New Main Bad.

For the story, I figured I'd make it a throwback to the 1st game. Dr. Cossack creates 8 Industrial Robot Masters to help the World,However, Dr. Regal, an old academic rival who hates Dr. Cossack's success and craves to become the World's Emperor, captures and reprograms Dr. Cossack's Robots to follow him.

Dr. Cossack summons Mega Man to help. Nastenka also volunteers to help Mega Man. Together,they team up to stop Dr. Regal. As all of this is going on, Protoman is relaxing at the beach, while Bass is taking part in the Robot Master World Tournament (the same from 6, but under new management).

Ok, before Anyone mentions it..YES, Dr. Regal Is based on the same dude from The Battle Network Series..in fact, He's the Counterpart. Nastenka's play style is pretty much Zero's from the X-Series. BTW, from this moment forward, Nastenka becomes Mega Man's Partner.

As for Dr. Wily? He's still in hiding and not gonna be doing Anything until Mega Man 41, the Final Classic Series game Story-wise. So for Mega Mans 15 through 30, the Main Villain will alternate between Dr. Regal and Other Non-Wily Evil-Doers. And, of course, Nastenka will be by Mega Man's side as he fights them.

Anyway,for Mega Man 14, Dr. Regal does his revenge plan by kidnapping Kalinka and Roll. He also unleashes his own Robot Masters. Mega Man and Nastenka jump into action. Bass also joins the fight to ,again, make sure Mega Man is safe, because No One destroys Mega Man but Him. 

After 14, I'm gonna step aside and allow Capcom to do their thing with the ideas I've given them.. 

And now, we fast forward to Mega Man 41, where Dr. Wily returns for 1 Final Scheme and ushers in the End Times for the Classic Series.

Well, That was fun...and a bit exhausting too. I plan on doing a Revision for the X Series soon, so keep a look out for that.

That's gonna do it for now. Hope you enjoyed my little Revisioning of the Mega Man Classic Series?

Until Next Time,Space Cowboys, Stay Gold and Resist Modern Attitudes.

The Retro King Has Spoken!!!

Sunday, July 14, 2024

He's Sweating To The Oldies in Heaven Now! R.I.P. Richard Simmons!

In a shocking turn of events - Legendary Fitness Guru Richard Simmons has passed away.

Richard Simmons was best known from his "Sweating To The Oldies" Series of Videos back in the Late 80's and Early 90's. He was a flamboyent, yet gentle soul, who was fully dedicated to helping people get healthy.

He was 76.  He will be missed.

For more information about this icon, please head to his Wikipedia page. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Simmons

RIP
Milton Teagle "Richard" Simmons
7/12/1948 - 7/13/2024 .

Sunday, July 7, 2024

What If?! - Demona...a hero?!

 

The two faces of Demona! In the normal Earth, she is as evil as they come. No shed of human emotion. But the Demona from an alternate Earth, she is the exact opposite. This Demona is a noble, kind and benevolent as all the humans and merfolk combined.



"Greetings, bloggers and dreamers alike. I am Uatu, but you can call me, The Watcher. For several millennia, my race of cosmic beings always observe everything all over the universe, even those from the multiverse. As a certain Earth being once said, in the multiverse, everything is possible, even us characters of fiction. The possibilities are always endless, which depends on your imagination. Take this subject that we are going to talk about today. As we all know about Demona. Once a proud member of a clan of gargoyles of Castle Wyvern in 19th Century Scotland, and once the mate of its leader, Goliath, who he coined her his "Angel of the Night." Fast Forward to the 20th Century and into Manhattan, Demona revealed her true character towards her former mate and her fellow gargoyles, for her hatred for the humans they protect is as deadly and menacing as King Triton's xenophobia was. She has been Goliath's sworn enemy and the bane of human existence ever since. Even with her daughter, Angela, trying to sway her from her xenophobic ways, Demona's heart is as black as the night itself. There is not a shed of redemption in her soul. But what if, what if Demona had a different life, a different purpose and a different story that shaped her life differently? So, let us observe the multiverse and see what different life Demona has, if she was hero and a mother towards the humans, even the young ones, in another reality."



Demona (V.O.): "My name is Demona, and I am the guardian of the brave soldiers of kingdom of Copenhagen, Denmark. I am a gargoyle."

*FADE IN*

- On top of Prince Eric's castle in Copenhagen, Denmark, sitting on its rooftop, a female gargoyle, with her wings, mostly closed up like a cape, with long red hair, a beige tank top, revealing her midriff, matching beige loincloth with a black, leather belt with gold buckle, and sporting a white headband instead of her gold, jagged crown (more on that later). Normally, gargoyles remain stone at daytime and mostly flesh at night, but she is wearing a special magical necklace that keeps her from becoming stone at daytime. The female gargoyle, DEMONA, feeling sad, ponders about her life and ponders about her future.

Demona (V.O.): "As we all know, that this is 19th century Copenhagen, Denmark. I am all alone, the last surviving gargoyle of the Wyvern clan back in Scotland, protecting the very humans not just in this kingdom, but everywhere is this strange world. But it wasn't always like this, though. I had a life...once."

*Flashback*

- Outside Wyvern Castle, at daytime, stone statues stand around the castle from its edges to the top of the spires, including a big, statue that resembles a muscular gargoyle, and Demona, in stone, was next to it.

Demona (V.O.; cont.): "I was once a proud member of a clan of gargoyles, protecting the castle at all times, for the most part, anyway."

- Invading Vikings attack the exterior of the castle before raiding into the interior.

Demona (V.O.; cont.): "In the daytime, we were all stone. The perfect sculpture for decorating your place, even a castle as big as this. Legend says that gargoyles ward away evil spirits, or in this case, invaders from other lands. Sadly, we can't do anything when frozen in stone at daytime. However...

- The sun sets, turning day into night; the stone statues start to break, revealing to the invading soldiers the very living, breathing gargoyles that protect the castle.

Demona (V.O.; cont.): "When the sun goes down, and turns to night, we are stone statues no longer. We become flesh and no force on Earth, even those weak-willed soldiers, can stop us.

- The lead gargoyle, whose skin is purple, big, muscular frame, long, straight black hair and wears a brown loincloth and black leather belt, comes to life first, and grabs one soldier, who got scared when the big gargoyle, who was named GOLIATH, came to life.

- The other gargoyles followed suit and attack the invaders, causing them to hastly retreat.

- The remaining soldiers were hiding inside the castle interior, until scared away by Demona, whose eyes were flashing red.

Demona (V.O.; cont.): "The humans called me Demona, which means 'She-Demon', because I fought like a thousand demons. They've couldn't be more right. I will fight like a thousand demons to protect my home and my people, even the humans in this castle."

- The next night, the people of Wyvern Castle were in the presence of Demona, Goliath and the other gargoyles, including a red, slender gargoyle with long, blonde hair, a light blue, big boned gargoyle, a small yellow green gargoyle with wings on his arms, an aged gargoyle with one blind eye, silver white hair and was fully clothed unlike the other gargoyles and a small, but fierce blue gargoyle hound. In the normal reality and in modern times, their names are BROOKLYN, BROADWAY, LEXINGTON, HUDSON and BRONX respectively. The king, queen, court magician and the other soldiers and people in the castle bow to the gargoyles, as they see them as their equals.

Demona (V.O.; cont.): "The inhabitants of the castle sees us as guardian angels. When they first met us, they were cautious because of who we are. But in time and patience, we have earned their trust. We gargoyles don't age like normal humans. We are practically immortal. Nothing, not even conventional means like fire sticks and swords, can harm us. When we turn to stone, our wounds heal up overtime and we become "fresh as a daisy", as the old human saying goes. But they only thing that can kill us is magic. We have been loyal to the humans, and we have been ever since. So in a way, we all have enjoyed relative peace for centuries."

CUT TO:

- Prince Eric's castle; Copenhagen, Denmark.

- Inside Eric's castle, where Eric, Grimsby, Carlotta, and all the other servants, including one, shy little boy, who hides behind Eric, when they meet Goliath, Demona, the other gargoyles and the denizens of Wyvern Castle.

Demona (V.O; cont.): "Then one day, myself, Goliath, my clan and the humans of Wyvern Castle visited the kingdom of Copenhagen, where we meet its ruler, Prince Eric. He and his loyal subjects were very kind, especially when they need much help regarding their situation with them and the denizens of the undersea kingdom of Atlantica. Finding common ground between the land and sea is a bit more complicated, especially with Atlantica's ruler. Around at the same time, I met a very young boy, who is a bit shy at the time. It is like he has never seen a gargoyle up close before. I ensured the young one that we are not here to hurt him. But about this young boy, when I look at him, I sense that he was destined for greatness. I have grown fond of this boy, which he will play a key role one day. But for now, he sees me as a stranger and I don't blame him."

CUT TO:

- Demona being stoic as she reflects on her past, among other things.

Demona (V.O.; cont.): "For centuries, the surface world and Atlantica have been in relative peace for many years. Though separated, they have enjoyed their respective cultures and vice versa. But Atlantica's ruler, King Triton, who was once a benevolent monarch, has grew bitter and a tad cruel. He's been acting like this ever since the death of his wife, Queen Athena, blaming all humans in the process. Not all humans are soulless barbarians. Wiping out a whole race of people never solved everything. Triton has since kept his distance from all humans eyes. However, his youngest daughter, Ariel, longs to see the surface world. And against her father's objections, from time to time, she not only collects human things for her grotto, but she occasionally sees Prince Eric. They have fallen for each other ever since. When he learned of his daugther's facsination with the human world and falling for for a human, it enraged Triton to destroy her grotto, including the statue of Eric the night she saved his life. Because of that, Ariel ran away from home and lived among the humans and with her beloved. I thought it would be the end of the story. However, it is further from the truth. As I spend time with the young boy, who was orphaned after that terrible storm at sea, we have grown acustomed to each other. He starts seeing me like a mother to him. So much so, during one of our training sessions, he bandaged my forehead after an accidental strike. It has since become my headband, which was a symbol of our fighting spirit. Then, one night later, Goliath and I took a stroll, away from the others. He only did that for one reason, to ask my hand in marriage, which I quickly accepted. I long for a family, not just one with my human friends, but with Goliath, knowing that our offspring will live on and carry on our legacy. I thought I have finally found my "Happily Ever After", but nothing last forever, one fateful day later."

CUT TO:


- At sunset, Demona and Goliath were walking outside the outskirts of Wyvern Castle, talking about reasoning with King Triton to end his stance against the humans.

Demona: "Are you sure you know what you are doing, Goliath? From what I heard, King Triton isn't exactly a reasonable sea king. His hatred for the humans has no bounds and he will hurt anyone who aligns with them. Tread lightly, my beloved."

Goliath: "It is okay, Demona. Nothing is going to happen. Triton will not cause harm upon us. He will not break his word. Everything is under control."

Triton (offscreen): "Goliath!"

- Goliath and Demona turn around and see a huge, merman with gold bracelets on his wrists, a cyan blue fish tail, silver white hair and a matching long silver white beard, sporting a sea themed crown, and carries a big, golden trident. That is KING TRITON, ruler of Atlantica. Triton, as he arrived, is riding on a makeshift wave, as he approaches Goliath and his reluctant mate.

Triton: "You say you want my kingdom to co-exist with the humans, correct?"

(beat)

Goliath: "Yes, that is correct."

- Triton, without saying a word, backs up, and summons a small army of armor clad demon soldiers, who look part human, part fish, but all demon. The demons begin to surround Goliath and Demona.

Goliath (motions to Demona): "Go."

- Demona attempts to run off, while Goliath prepares to fight off the demons, as his normal black eyes turn glowing white, as his rage kicks in.

- One by one, Goliath single-handedly fought against the demons, almost in a feral kind of way.

- As Demona attempts to make her escape, King Triton grabs her, throat first, and slams her into the ground.

- Demona crawls backwards in fear, as Triton slowly approaches her with much hate and anger.

Demona: "Why?"

Triton: "Any creature who sides with the humans, will be destroyed. You are such a disappointment, just like my daughter. Ariel's fascination with the human world will be her undoing. That's why I have her imprisoned. But for you..."

- Triton points his trident at Demona.

Triton (cont.): "Your fate will be much worse."

- After dispatching the demons, Goliath sees Triton attempting to destroy Demona.

- As Demona continues to cower in fear, as Triton powers up his trident, Goliath tackles the evil sea king and have a life or death tassle.

Goliath: "Demona, GO!!"

- Goliath's intervention gave Demona the chance to get away. But it was too late.

- Triton slams Goliath hard to the ground. And from Demona's point of view, hiding at a nearby rock, Triton blasted Goliath into nothing with his trident, as he was turned into dust.

- Demona sheds some tears after the demise of her beloved.

Demona (V.O.): "Goliath, he fought for me. I never saw him again."

- Demona ran off as far away from Triton as possible.

CUT TO:

- Demona flying back to Wyvern Castle, to warn her clan and the other humans about King Triton's actions and the demise of Goliath.


Demona (V.O.; cont.): "I returned to the castle to warn my clan and the other humans about Triton's treachary and what happened to Goliath. By the time I arrived..."

- Through Demona's shock, she sees the castle in ruins. The main part of it was flooded all around and the top parts of it were on fire. Triton wiped out all of the inhabitants of Wyvern Castle while she and Goliath were away, including Goliath's clan.

Demona (V.O.; cont): "It was too late. My people, my human friends, all gone. I am the only one left."

- Demona turns her head away, as she mourns her people and her human friends, as her tears shed."

CUT TO:

- Demona wanders around the land for a long time, but feels tired and drained because of it.

Demona (V.O.; cont.): "I was lost, cast away, forgotten through time. Even though I am immortal, I felt tired and weak. I fear that if I live among other humans, I would be ostracized for all eternity. I thought I would never find any sanctuary to live in. That's how I ended up back on the very land I am familiar with: the castle of Prince Eric in Coppenhagen."

- Demona, feeling exhausted, collapsed near the steps towards the castle.

- The young boy, JASON, who Demona met when he was younger, now around 14 years old, discovered the unconscious female gargoyle, and does remember her. Only this time, he isn't afraid of her, not like the time he was shy.

Jason: ERIC!! We got a live one here! I'm gonna need some help!

- Demona slowly awakens and sees the face of the young boy.

Demona (turns slowly to Jason): "It's you."

Jason: "Don't worry. I am not scared. Come on, I'll get you inside."

- Demona slowly smiles, as Jason helps her get inside the castle.

Flashback ends

Demona (V.O.; cont.): "And that's my story. And to make it short, I have been nursed back to health, helping out the prince and Attina fight against Triton's forces to save Ariel, and on top of that, I have been helping Jason with his studies, in more ways than one. The boy has a healthy future. Though, for the most part, he feels happy and optimistic. But deep down, he feels sad, so alone. It is like he lost someone he cared about, aside from Ariel, of course. Aside from my duties for Eric, it is my sworn duty to look after Jason. Since his parents died from a terrible maelstrom, I took it upon myself to raise the boy as my own, which is a small compensation to the family I wanted with Goliath, before Triton took it all away. So in a sense, I think of him like a son to me. I will watch over him, every day and every night. I stake my life on it, for Goliath's sake, and for all the creatures that walk upon this world. In a way, at least one thing is clear..."

- Demona sees Jason from afar; Jason waves at Demona, Demona waves back at him with a smile."

Demona (V.O.; cont.): "...I am not alone. Not now, not ever."


"And there you have it. An alternate take of Demona being a tragic, sympathetic, kind-hearted, and brave heroine, who will risk her life to protect all life from King Triton's wrath. What the future holds in this reality? It is up to the viewer, or the storymaker, who will interpret it. The Multiverse and all of its imagination will flow, as long as pure imagination lives on in all of us. Until next time."


Music used: Adagio For TRON (From "TRON: Legacy"/Score) - YouTube