They are, but...

PPC Boss Battles. by World-Jumper on 2013-12-02 22:48:00 UTC Reply

Imagine, for a moment, that the PPC had a video game.

...Well, OK, we do have one, but I am thinking about a different kind of game. A game with boss battles in it. A game where the bosses have strengths and weaknesses either as part of their fighting style or environment. Games like Legend of Zelda, Kingdom Hearts, amoung many others. The PPC has a lot of enemies, ones that could make for interesting boss battles. I challenge you to write how a boss battle with particular enemies of the PPC would work. Where are you fighting? How are they fought? Strengths, weaknesses, and taunts are needed as well.

Now, I am sure several of you are asking, "What qualifies an enemy worthy of being a boss?" Think Sues, preferably from Legendary Badfic, or heads of hostile departments or organizations. However, in the end, just about any named hostile could work.

I will leve you all to create your boss battles. Oh, and before anybody tries to take it, Pinkamena Diane Pie from Cupcakes is mine! Happy battling.

Let's try it! Jay and Acacia vs. Elvira Magiseer! by doctorlit on 2013-12-04 01:06:00 UTC Reply

This is something I imagine far too often. Being a gigantic Kingdom Hearts fanatic, I tend to want things to end in giant boss battles now. (Looking forward to that, Ekyl!)

I also like imagining soundtracks to missions. Neshomeh's most recent one incorporated music into the story through footnote links to YouTube videos. (I'm heavily tempted to steal that idea for all my missions.)

So! To video game-ify some scenes from PPC past! (Italics are from the original story. Apologies to authors of any characters involved. And concrit is still appreciated, as there's still quite a bit of writing involved here.)

1. Dragon!Jay and Dragon!Acacia vs. Elvira Flameheart in "Elemental Crystals" (http://www.misssandman.com/PPC/ElementalCrystals.html)

(Playing throughout, from beginning of opening cut scene to Elvira's deth at Smaug's ~~hands~~ breath, is "Age of Dragons," by Howard Shore and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, from the trailer to The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2IFji_6TVQ)

The Sues and the dragons stepped onto a huge pile of gold, in coin and jewelry. The gold continued all the way up to the scales of the dragon who was sitting on the top.

"Now, see there?" said the white dragon (Jay). "That's what J.R.R.'s dragons are ACTUALLY like. Big, scary, mean, scary, evil--"

"And they don't go around casting spells, by the way," cut in the blue dragon (Acacia). "They breathe fire, sure, but that's just sort of a . . . dragon thing."

"ROGUES!" shrieked Elvira, as she suddenly grew up into her red and black dragon form. "Silavren, stay back! I'll punish these rebels!"

All three non-Tolkien dragons took to the air, scattering dust and gold coins with the gusts stirred by their wings, and prompting Smaug to finally open his eyes and watch the fight.

"I am the Magiseer! Most powerful sorcerer in the whole of Middle-earth!"

"Not saying much," said Jay, "considering your one-of-a-kind-ness."

"Fortunately for everyone else involved," added Acacia.

(Elvira has power over all five of the elements pointlessly present in her story (fire, water, earth, wind and wood). She has a different spell to represent each one. After losing half her health, she begins to cast them in multiples to create combo spells. Throughout, she probably spouts off the obnoxious demands for respect and obedience that fill the whole mission.)

(Jay is a white (air) dragon and can probably fly faster than Acacia during this fight. Acacia is blue (for water), so maybe she has some kind of resistance or immunity to Elvira's fire spells?)

(The entire battle is in the dark, with Elvira lit up by Smaug's vision t all times. If any party gets too close to Smaug or his treasure, he will attack with powerful jets of fire.)

After the battle, Elvira was knocked to the ground at the foot of Smaug's horde, but immediately stands up. "You can't stand against me! I am Chosen by the Fates! I will--"

"Enough." Smaug's deep rumble of a voice cut off the Sue and immediately shocked Jay and Acacia out of the adrenaline rush of the fight. The glow from Smaug's eyes regarded each of them in turn.

"None of you are truly dragons," he said, looking down at Elvira once more. "But YOU. You dare to call yourself RULER over me!" The dragon laughed, the echoes of his voice thundering around the cave.

"I am! You're nothing but a rogue!" Elvira snapped her wings and launched herself at Smaug's face. Smaug merely turned so that she collided with his shoulder.

She bounced roughly off his diamond-hard scales, then slid down the pile of treasure to the ground below, stunned. Lifting her head again, she found herself directly into Smaug's eyes.

"I am strong. Look into my eyes and know."

"Strong." Elvira shuddered, unable to look away from the dragon's gaze as one great claw clutched down over her body, pinning it against the ground. "So strong."

"And you," Smaug said, inhaling, "are ash."

Silavren and the agents had to shut their eyes gainst the bright red fire that poured from Smaug's mouth over Elvira.

(That went long. Might do more later. I've never written Jay or Acacia (or Smaug) before; how was that?)

Heh, pretty good. by World-Jumper on 2013-12-04 09:25:00 UTC Reply

I like the idea of Smaug being a lazy bystander the whole battle, smaking/breathing away the characters if they get too close. I also like the cutscenes at the beginning and end. Works great for set-up.

Is it just me, or does the idea of Jay and Acacia being the first agent pair you play as work for this imaginary game? Later on you could unlock other agents and play out their missions. You could even fight other cretures, like Slorp.

...Oh goodness. Somebody needs to make the Blackout a game, like, soon. Fighting the Angel in the hall of mirrors, Creepers, and a stray Timberwolf pack, all building up to the confrontation with Slorp. Sombody, do this.

I now have "Yell! Dead Cell" stuck in my head. Thanks. :P by Ekyl on 2013-12-03 02:43:00 UTC Reply

Incidentally, I've been trying to learn Game Maker, so this kinda thing might not be a pipe dream for ever...

I'll come up with a battle to take and give it a whirl in near future.
My challange by Falcon7974 on 2013-12-03 02:14:00 UTC Reply

I think I'm gonna do the self-insert Stu from NARUTO VENGENACE REVELATION. That being said if that doesnt work. I can do the monster from Agony in Pink and also how long does the battle have to be

As long, or short, as you want. (nm) by World-Jumper on 2013-12-03 03:30:00 UTC Reply

One of my Floaters missions actually has a "boss" in it. by Herr Wozzeck on 2013-12-02 23:41:00 UTC Reply

And people got hurt dealing with it, so... here, have that mission:

https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1_693UCSa0yT-K2hRiTscIyq6cLs7kxCgIABw7P9vQrY

Yeah, it was a Stu with the ability to manipulate ice and water in ways that even broke logic at one point. His weakness? Well... He likes to monologue.
You mean the exorcism/fighting scenes aren't boss battles? (nm) by BlockMechanics on 2013-12-02 23:11:00 UTC Reply

They are, but... by World-Jumper on 2013-12-03 00:35:00 UTC Reply

How do I put this... They don't feel like a boss battle. They feel like a fight scene in literature, which they are supposed to, as that is the medium. In many missions, (not all, mind you, just several) the Agents manage to kill their target without too much of a fight, and when there is one, it does not have the same feel as a boss battle. I'm asking, if you were to make a full-fledged PPC game with fighting in it, how would you design the Sues and Stus? What's the stats? How do they move in relation to the environment? What are their weaknesses (hit for massive damage!), either physical or environmental? Stuff like that.

Hold on, give me some time, and I'll write out Pinkamena's, to show more of what I'm talking about.

That's kinda hard actually. by BlockMechanics on 2013-12-03 01:48:00 UTC Reply

To game-i-fy a story that incorporate the entire spectrum of pop-culture media is going to be a very hard one.