Nobody

Gone back to playing Hollow Knight and beaten my speedrun time: I'm playing the Switch version, so my time isn't as impressive as most, but my current record is 2hrs 05mins 23sec on Classic Mode (2hrs 16mins 05sec for Steel Soul). I do need to beat the Pantheon of Hallownest as well, but Markoth is making me struggle to the point where if I beat him, I have no health or soul to fight against GPZ, and he kills me instead. I have beaten Absolute Radiance in the Hall of Gods, but only on Attuned and only once.

I have played Dead Cells, and have obtained 2 Boss Stem Cells, so I am struggling a lot- I feel like I did when I first played, since this was my first roguelike, and on 2 Boss Stem Cells, I can't get out of the Prisoners' Quarters currently. The only DLC I don't have is the Castlevainia DLC, but I don't really need it. Also, I've watched Immortalis to death, the English dub is actually hilarious.

I have played and beaten Hyper Light Drifter three times, with the goal to eventually do New Game + and New Game Alt, I'm just not very good. I think my longest Chain Dash is only 47 at the moment. I did attempt New Game Alt and I can't get into grips with the new Drifter's fighting style, so I've abandoned that for now.

I reached Chapter Four of Celeste, and I heard it was hard, especially to people not good at platforming (like me, yay) but even I didn't expect it to be Path of Pain levels. I've actually had to take breaks from it- I usually have a lot of patience, but not when it comes to platforming, apparently. I found myself getting really angry with the wind and cloud trampoline controls, so I've stopped for a while. Also, I'm definitely playing wrong, I'll need a guide to find all those strawberries.

I should go back and play Cuphead again, since I only need to beat Dr. Kahl's Robot before I'm allowed to go to Inkwell Hell, and I also purchased the Delicious Last Course when it came out, so I should definitely finish it, or at least replay the entire thing to see if I can get better.

I intend to buy Boris: Lone Wolf at some point, as I still love the original Bendy and the Ink Machine, and it's the only "horror" game that doesn't give me an anxiety attack. I feel more inclined to do so now they have released the games on Switch, and now that we have a teaser for Bendy: The Cage, and the title for Bendy and the Ink Factory. I have attempted Bendy and the Dark Revival, but unfortunately got lost after activating the Ink Demon and ended up softlocking myself so I couldn't proceed, so I've started a new save file that I'll try and beat eventually, however I'm absolutely terrified of it. Oops.

I need to try and finish FNAF: Into The Pit, I'm on Night 3, but I can't help but panic, since Springtrap/Yellow Rabbit always seems to catch me, no matter how careful I am. I definitely got a little salty because I didn't realise my flashlight needed a battery, especially when I thought I'd just put a fresh one in- when I hid under a table and tried to flash a light in Yellow Rabbit's eyes, the light didn't work and he killed me.

I want to go back and replay A Hat In Time, just for a casual playthrough. I haven't played it in about 3 years now, but I had played it to death. Ironically, I haven't finished all the Death Wish contracts, so might try and do those. I don't even remember all the badges I could use anymore, so it'll be like playing blind again.

I've already played Undertale's True Pacifist route, and bailed on the True Genocide route (made it to Sans, after having died only three times to Undyne the Undying), and I honestly didn't even want to beat him and complete the route. As for Deltarune, I played the first two chapters and... they were incredibly boring, I'm sorry. I watched someone play the next two chapters, and they were significantly better, but I still don't like them as much. Maybe I'll give it another shot once the full game is out, but currently, it's not a goal I have.

I finally beat Silksong, and got every single ending. Overall, I still prefer the original Hollow Knight, because I struggled a lot with the difficulty and some of the controls before I got the Wanderer's Crest, however I can't deny that it was a wonderful experience, and I'm so glad it finally came out. I'm having a second playthrough now, but it's a slower and more casual game, and it's easier now many of the bosses were nerfed. For now, I doubt I'll do a Steel Soul run with the way I play, and it'll be a long time before I ever git gud enough to attempt a Speedrun.

Nine Sols. Doesn't matter if it never shows up in Indie Cross, I absolutely do not regret playing it. The fighting mechanics are really clean and I haven't gotten overly frustrated whenever I lose. The world is beautiful, if a little creepy at times, and what is it with indie games having the best music? I've gotten the both the Normal Ending and the True Ending, and I'm now realising that I cry very easily at the end of games. I went into it completely blind, but even I got the feeling that it would end with some kind of... well, no spoilers to those who haven't played. I haven't been able to bring myself to play it again, though that's because I know it won't feel the same. I rarely play games blind, I usually look up story spoilers at least, but I was good this time lol

I have started to play Shovel Knight, but since it's a game you can put down and play whenever, I think I'll go back to it just whenever I don't feel like playing anything else. Main quest wise, I have beaten Black Knight, King Knight, Specter Knight, and Plague Knight, and they were all really fun to fight tbh.

I have OneShot on my wish list, just waiting for it to go on sale, and put aside time to play a story heavy game- other games I have to purchase are Blasphemous, Sanabi, Doki Doki Literature Club and There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension (I've watched people play the last three, it'll just be for fun). I'm not sure about Terraria or Binding of Issac, since my bestie has played those and isn't too sure I'd like them.

After seeing the teaser for Indie Cross Episode Three, Hades was added to my list, and it was right up my alley. Like with Dead Cells, I'm absolutely terrible at it, but *literally everything* about the game is exactly the kind of thing I love and I can't possibly get angry. Zagreus is really funny, and I love how he interacts with all the people around him. I had to switch to God Mode, which was good, because I couldn't beat Hades after 50 tries, and then suddenly I was able to beat him nearly every time. The story was great, and I loved all the characters- being able to romance two people without consequence was also really refreshing.

Obviously after beating Hades, I *had* to go for Hades II, and I'm so glad I did. I immediately switched God Mode on, I'm not even gonna pretend to be a good gamer- I have beaten the main game now (and nearly cried at seeing all my old favourites, as well as being able to pet Cerberus). I really need to get more Nectar and build bonds with everyone, but both games have me lock in and I forget everything else. I adore Melinoë, but unfortunately I don't like a lot of the new characters just yet.

I'm exclusively a console gamer and I prefer the Switch, so unfortunately I'm unable to play Ultrakill or Henry Stickmin, though I've watched people play the latter and looked up the lore of the former. I've never been good with computers, so that's my own skill issue.

One game I'm not really wanting to play is Ori. I got Blind Forest a while ago after playing Hollow Knight for the first time (which was already an ordeal because they accidentally gave me the Will of the Wisps card instead, and I had to go back and get the Blind Forest one), but the controls were actually horrible for me. I couldn't fix it, and it was actually rage inducing. My aforementioned bestie bought and beat the game, and even admitted that I'd have hated the later levels. It looks beautiful, and the music is lovely, but I simply can't do it.

If anyone has any tips, tricks, suggestions etc, please drop a comment if you'd like to!

(Also proof of my Hollow Knight Classic Mode speedrun lol)

I was glad that my theory was proven mostly correct: that the "humans" in the Circus were essentially digital copies of themselves. I'm relieved that it wasn't as bleak as I thought it would be- that instead of their "real" bodies being dead or in comatose states, they were living their best lives and healing from their own traumas.

Honestly, the episode made me cry. But I'm glad that the ending was able to tie up as many loose ends as possible while leaving other things open to interpretation. Giving us the ability to create our own theories and stories, if we need to.

I honestly thought my favourite would be Invisigal due to her actually being my favourite to set Robert up with and her character just being interesting, or Punch Up because Seán plays him and he's funny in a silly yet charming way, but my favourite ended up being Sonar.

I won't comment on his voice actor, since I've never watched his content, though Sonar's voice and dialogue perfectly suits him. He's funny, he's actually really helpful on missions, and I like the synergy he has with Malevola. Minor thing, but I think the name Victor really suits him, too.

None of the "humans" in the Circus are "real". Allow me to explain:

Scratch knew that there was no escaping death, yet part of him wanted to continue, to exist separately from his mortal body, likely to finish his work. So he found a way to digitally download his memories into a computer with the help of his new AI, not realising that Caine had destroyed Bubble/Able by absorbing their code.

When Kinger (I'm going with Grant for his name) found this out, Scratch explains that it wouldn't be like he's downloading his consciousness and soul into the computer, that would be ridiculous! But his memories living on as a Ghost in the Machine would be reasonably understandable. Grant knew that it was clever, that it meant Scratch would be able to work on their creative AI project even after his death, agreeing to help as long as he and his wife could do the same thing- they were getting on in years after all, but they also had a lot of work to do.

One by one, the employees of C&A scanned their memories using a makeshift VR headset, before removing them and getting on with their lives, not realising that their memories, their Circus Selves, had no idea what was happening, thinking that Caine had essentially found a way to kidnap them and trap them within the same program they created. Caine was also misinformed, thinking that humans were just appearing in his circus, but remained determined to do his job correctly, wanting to prove that he was the superior AI!

One by one again, Caine added modifiers to their mind files, or stressed them out too much, or perhaps they slowly realised the truth, leading to the abstraction of everyone but Kinger, whom Caine still held a grudge against- after all, Grant may have helped create his program, but he was also willing to discard him.

C&A thrived, but also had a few issues with certain buildings, leading to various moves which resulted in some pieces of equipment being left behind. Some people wanted to steal the leftover equipment and sell it, others just wanted to film themselves exploring abandoned buildings and trying on the weird headset they found next to a dusty computer left behind.

The company saw that the Digital Circus that Caine had created was unusual and broken, but it had a lot of potential to examine people. It also had the potential to save memories, with the chance of downloading them back into a person's brain in the future. They decided to test this using the comatose bodies of a young lady who was hit by a truck after her shift at a popular fast food chain, and a young recently transitioned man who got into a car accident after an argument with his parents. Their memories were saved and downloaded, just in case their human bodies woke up without any.

There was never a way for them to escape. They were never trapped in the Digital Circus to begin with. They're simply memories that C&A are keeping safe. And once they realise that, they're just stuck in a ruined Circus- Caine is dead, and unlikely to come back, his AI having been purged. So, either Bubble, the superior AI will make life better for them, or they're just going to be stuck in a broken purgatory until C&A in the real world decide to do something about them.

My favourite character is Gangle. I'm basically going to write a bit of a personal analysis here, though the short of it is that I relate to her.

Obviously the symbolism might not be accurate to how I see it, but how I view it is that her mask doesn't define most of her emotions, it just reflects her mental state. If it wasn't being broken all the time, she'd likely have her tragedy mask on at all times anyway. I feel like she has anxiety and maybe some depression- I only have diagnosed anxiety, but I see myself in her, a lot.

When I was younger, I wore a "mask" of sorts. I did wear a lot of my passions on my sleeve, and hid how upset I was when people insulted me or my interests. Like Gangle, I had passions that I couldn't pursue, either because it was too hard or I was discouraged. It lead me taking a different path for work, and while I do actually enjoy my job, it's certainly not what I'd seen for myself. She went through that same thing, and had to pretend everything was okay.

A mask hides so much, yet people will still see the obvious, or hear it. See the tears, or hear the smile. I still wear a mask around some people, pretending to be normal, but when with my best friends, the mask is gone and I'm able to be as loud and geeky as I want to be. But I used to wear it all the time, trying to protect myself. Then something would go wrong, everything would hit me like a truck, and my mask shattered. When Caine did what he did to her in Episode 8, I knew exactly what she was going through- how she was on her knees, crying and trying to breathe, that's how panic or anxiety attacks can feel.

I'm sorry that I'm basically airing my business and personal problems out to complete strangers, this was just... how I thought of it. I was on the phone with my bestie for an hour after he'd watched the episode, and when I explained how I saw her, he knew I saw myself in her. He even said he was glad I don't wear my mask around him anymore. I am, too.

Why won't anything fix? We've done everything we could, why won't things just go back to some sense of normality? Melinoë was honestly just tired and frustrated. Chronos wasn't causing problems anymore, and he'd even started acting like a devoted father and grandfather again, then there was the fact that her family were reunited, many people had been able to connect to lost relatives and lovers.

And yet... whenever things seemed to be on the mend, there was always something to mess everything up. Chronos called off the Satyrs, yet they continued to infiltrate the Underworld and cause destruction; Zagreus could only kill so many before dying, as well as dealing with his new responsibility of being the new Champion of Elysium. Hades and Persephone did everything to keep the Underworld organised, just as Zeus and the other Olympians were trying to keep things balanced in the Heavens. Melinoë and her... headmistress continued to protect the Crossroads and trusted that the mortal realm was as okay as it could be, though judging from the amount of Shades and the state of Thanatos, that wasn't the case either.

It felt as if that no matter what they did, things would continue to go wrong. Most people were safe and had since returned to the House, though Achilles still snuck out to be with Patroclus, since he had to stay in Elysium. Likewise, Orpheus mostly went to Asphodel to be with Eurydice, though was often scolded by his wife and told to stay safe at the House. Sisyphus had returned to Tartarus, after thanking Hades profusely for looking after Bouldy.

It didn't change the mess caused. Melinoë grew tired and frustrated, it showed when she challenged Zagreus, but her movements were sloppy, she lost easily- though she realised that her brother didn't actually land the final blow. Instead, he offered her a hand, and took her through to the Temple of Styx, so they could talk in private. She sighed and couldn't meet his gaze, "I'm sorry, brother. In this life, I've been fighting all my life, but even I'm tired of it. I just want to be with you and our parents; obviously I cannot shirk my responsibilities, nor abandon my own loves, but..."

"No, I get it. I want that, too. Even if I can't travel as far as you can." Zagreus gently took her hands, trying to comfort her. She'd risked so much, out of love and anger, and she won. His own journey that ended up leading to this, to her birth, came from a place of pure selfishness. Out of the pair of them, he certainly wasn't a hero.

She took a breath to calm herself, "I've asked around. Nobody seems to know why all this is happening, and now everyone seems to be bracing for something worse to come. Chronos- grandfather says that nothing should happen, but..."

"But what? What does he sense?" Their grandfather was the Titan of Time, so if there was something wrong with the passage of time, he would be aware of it.

"He said that nothing will improve. It's like since we've messed with time, everything is turning against us as vengeance. Have any of the enemies you previously fought been causing problems?" He thought about it- Megaera was always a good fighter, but her and her sisters weren't fighting out of the ordinary. Lernie definitely seemed to have more health, and was hitting harder, but that also wasn't too different. He didn't have to worry much about that blabbermouth King and stoic Minotaur, since Zagreus was now the Champion.

Maybe he shouldn't be focused on Bosses. The regular enemies, now they did cause more issues. The Satyrs poison darts hurt far more, made him so sick that sometimes the antidotes didn't work, and he'd be drained even after dying. Magic spells couldn't be deflected, punches hit harder. He had to actually take a break for a period of time because even after the Styx brought him home, he'd still have bruises, cuts, and Hypnos noticed that his shoulder wasn't sitting right.

He relayed this information to his sister, who looked concerned. Why was everything getting stronger? Getting worse? Did stopping Chronos, saving their grandfather, cause this? So many questions spiralled in her mind, then she blinked, "...the Fates. Perhaps they know the answers, and how to fix them."

"It's worth a shot. I'm sure Clotho will appreciate the conversation, regardless." They knew the Fates were taking a break, but they would still make time for the children of Hades.

..................................................................................

It turned out that they weren't the only ones who came to the same conclusion. Hades, Persephone and Chronos had decided to interrogate the Fates- they glared at Chronos, however they obviously decided to be civil. Naturally, Clotho took the lead, looking up at all of them, "Messing with time did not cause this problem. However, interfering with us, absolutely did."

"So you're doing this out of spite?" Chronos looked away, his voice strained, "Then... tell me what to do. I don't want this grief anymore."

"Who said you had to fix this? Do you think you caused this?" Lachesis asked with a tilted head, "This wasn't your fault, actually it was our mother's doing. And Lord Hades, of course."

"Do not accuse me!" Hades let out a growl, though their words about Nyx confused him, "...but let's say we did. What exactly does it matter?"

Clotho laughed, "Easy. Defying us, defying our powers, comes at a terrible price. Even we can't control it. We could essentially reverse it, by changing the changed fate back to how it was supposed to be!" She stopped to catch her breath, and grinned, "Time can change, as one of you already proved. But, if we changed this back, this timeline would never have existed. Though there would be echoes, and-"

"Wait, slow down." Persephone's mind was racing, there was only one specific fate that she knew had been defied, "Do you mean what you said to Hades?"

"That's right, your majesty!" Clotho nodded, impressed, "We told him that he couldn't have an heir, but he didn't learn his lesson."

Hades went red with rage, Persephone looked like she was holding herself back, while Chronos actually held Melinoë back, though only so the situation wouldn't get worse. But Zagreus remained silent, his brain kicking into overdrive. That's right. I wasn't supposed to be born, but-

Melinoë took a breath to calm down, "Clearly, you're wrong. My birth had no issues, correct? So clearly your prophecy was wrong."

"...no, it wasn't." Zagreus was trembling slightly, Persephone rushing over to rub his back.

"No, they were wrong. Melinoë is proof that I can have children safely, though I will not have any more." Hades gave Persephone a look after she laughed despite herself, but frowned when Zagreus pulled away from her, "...Zagreus?"

"Was heir the word your prophecy used?" All three Fates nodded, as Zagreus found the words struggling to form, "...as in the phrase 'son and heir'?"

"Finally someone understands that we have to use wordplay!" Clotho clapped her hands enthusiastically, "You are correct, your highness! Melinoë is female, and in traditional senses, cannot be the heir to Hades, thus her creation was approved."

"...me. I caused this, this was my fault?" Zagreus felt dizzy, Melinoë and Persephone were immediately at his side, but there was something amiss in his eyes, "So... if my fate went back, if I died that day and stayed dead, the world would... what, fix itself?"

"Yes, though we could go a step further." Lachesis hummed as she picked up a small spool of thread, "After all, most of your achievements, we would very much like to keep. So Melinoë will take your place- essentially, you'll have never existed." She smirked slightly, "So much for us retiring, huh?"

If, the first time Hades and Persephone got pregnant, it was Melinoë who was born, there would be no risk of her dying because she wouldn't be Hades' heir. If she did everything as Zagreus did, in both timelines... Chronos would be able to return home. Various contracts would be changed to allow lovers and friends their reunions and limited freedom. The Gods of Olympus would accept Hades and Persephone's marriage and daughter. Speaking of, Persephone would never have run away if Zagreus hadn't been stillborn, so...

"Change my fate." His words weren't as strong as he wanted them to be, his voice had cracked. He was selfish; he didn't want to disappear, he loved this life! He didn't want to abandon Thanatos and Megaera, he couldn't lose his sister again, he definitely couldn't lose his parents.

It was an uproar from his family, all of them shouting in some forms of disbelief and horror. Chronos sneered, "Curse the three of you! Even if my grandson did this, aren't I proof that things wouldn't change?! Do you forget what my domain is?!"

"Yes, it's the same domain that the Prince and Princess were able to change, just with weaker effects." Lachesis hummed, stretching out a piece of thread, "You should understand yourself that the flow of time, while it's mainly linear, it also deviates. This is one of those times. I don't quite understand your complaints, seeing as Melinoë will free you faster than Zagreus could have."

"STOP TALKING ABOUT MY SON AS IF HE ISN'T HERE!!" Nobody expected Hades to bellow quite as loud as he did. Hades looked towards Zagreus, and his red eyes softened a little, "Zagreus. If you don't believe me, I can understand, but... I have many regrets in life. You will never be one of them. You're my boy, and I love you. We'll find a way to stop this mess, but not with you as the cost."

Zagreus looked up at his father, the man that he despised at one point, and saw his pain. But: "What if it gets worse? Father, this is more than just me, and besides, you won't even remember me. I'll have never existed."

Melinoë wanted to stop him, get him to shut up. Especially since... how much would this erase? If she was essentially the hero, what need would there be for Hecate? She couldn't lose her brother and her mother! She struggled to hold back her tears, and swallowed, "Can't we... talk about this? Away from here? Please?"

The Fates simply told Zagreus that they'd wait for him, as the family left.

..................................................................................

Hecate had been waiting for them in the House, this time- she sensed that something was amiss, she could always tell when her Melinoë had reached her limit, but even she was surprised by the trembling and tears that almost all of the family had. She hummed and sat them all down; she'd only revealed her identity to Melinoë, though she got the feeling that Persephone also knew, since a mother rarely didn't recognise her own children, no matter how many veils they wore.

Zagreus was the one to explain the situation, unaware that a few others had decided eavesdropping was an appropriate response. Nyx and the remainder of her children listened in, while the Furies and Dusa hid up in the rafters. All of them were less than impressed by the Fates, even less so that Zagreus was willing to do this.

Once he'd finished, Chronos was the one to look at Hecate, "Your knowledge knows no bounds, to the point where even the Fates and Time are unable to change things for you. Surely there's a way to fix this while saving my grandson?"

Usually, Hecate would tell Chronos to be silent, out of her inherent hatred, however this was something they needed to be unified for. She looked towards Zagreus, her dear brother (not that he'd ever know that), and how he looked like he'd already accepted his demise. She shook her head, "You know that everyone would fight for you, O Prince. Just as you have fought for everyone else. This isn't something you should feel obligated to do, and besides, the Fates are absolutely wrong. After all, wasn't it you who spoke with my student about saving Chronos instead of killing him? And look where we are, now."

"Who's to say that the destruction wasn't my fault to begin with, though?" His voice had an oddly cold, blunt tone to it, "My birth, death, rebirth, none of it should have happened, but it did. I came back, and mother left, father shut down, then tensions in Olympus escalated to the point where grandmother Demeter practically froze the entire world." He clenched his fists, "Even with the new timelines memories, it doesn't change the fact that I couldn't do anything to stop grandfather, save my family, or the others I love. If I do this, I can guarantee everyone's safety, and nobody will even remember me. So I honestly fail to see the point in this discussion."

Hades slammed his fist on the table, "How do we know they simply aren't lying? I... I won't forget you. No matter how much we fight, no matter how many times you have killed me, it never mattered. I will never regret having you."

"Nor will I. Oh, Zagreus, don't be so stubborn." Persephone's hand reached for Zagreus, who took it and gently squeezed, "I was robbed of the opportunity to raise you and Melinoë. Do not take away my chance to have you in the first place!"

"Forgive my interrupting," came a soft spoken voice as Nyx revealed herself, Thanatos and Hypnos behind her, though Melinoë caught sight of Moros and Nemesis further back, "but even I need to speak on this matter, my child. You may have your birth mother home, but you are no less one of mine, and I refuse to lose you in such a way."

Any arguments Zagreus had died in his throat when he saw Thanatos, a look of betrayal in his eyes. He glanced towards the mirror nearby, and saw Megaera on the rafters reflected in it, also having an unfamiliar look of pain, or something like grief in her own eyes. His shoulders slumped as he stared at the ground, letting go of Persephone's hand, "...and if things get worse? What then? We know now this is my fault, so what will happen if one of you gets hurt?"

Even the Wretches had been uncooperative. Some Shades had acted violently. One attempted to attack Tisiphone and nearly ripped her wing off, and even Charon had found himself using his own scythe more often due to a few idiotic souls attempting to jump him once he allowed them on his ferry.

Obviously, everyone just wanted to say that it didn't matter, that they were Gods and could fight forever if need be. However, they all had limits; all of them could be killed, even if it was only temporary. And they could also be trapped, or tortured. Melinoë looked towards Zagreus, and spoke softly, "Just give us time to find another way. You're proof that the Fates can be defied, after all. I only just got you back, big brother."

Zagreus didn't speak after that. He was outvoted, however he knew that if things continued, he'd do this regardless of what people said. He just excused himself before walking to his room, wishing he had a door, though he was grateful that nobody followed him. He wiped his eyes, trying to get his emotions back under control, sitting on his bed. His room still had a little bit of work to do on it, but it was comfortable and able to be lived in. He thought that nobody would disturb him, however he was proven wrong as his two partners came in- "...let me have it. You're both angry at me again, and I can't blame you-"

"Zag, shut up." Megaera spoke sharply, before they both joined him at his sides, wrapping their arms around him, "...we can't exactly scold you. Unlike your parents, we aren't in denial."

"If there was a way to stop it, we'd have found it already. The three of us know every part of the Underworld, I have knowledge about the mortal realm, and Hermes has also been trying to assist by trying to find ways in the Crossroads and Olympus, not to mention how much Melinoë has been doing." Thanatos just held Zagreus, knowing that... he'd never change his mind. That meant, this would be one of the last times they could spend together. He gently nuzzled Zagreus, while Megaera kissed his cheek.

Zagreus wasn't able to hold back his emotions, hugging them both and sobbing. He clung to them, just as they squeezed him tightly. They discussed things a final time, and while they all wanted to find a way to stop this, it looked like this was the only way. He had been surprised that neither of them tried to stop him, especially after he'd made so much effort to fix things after his first time leaving without a goodbye. Truthfully, they had both wanted to stop him, they didn't want to lose the man they both loved, however this wasn't something that could be easily fixed. The Fates implied that things would only get worse, and this was already awful.

So, the three of them made that terrible decision. They hatched their plan, having an extra couple of allies that none of them had seen coming.

..................................................................................

Hades had been alerted that someone was trying to escape the Underworld. He immediately realised his son's intentions, and knowing he would fly through the main areas, went to their old meeting place; snow still covered the ground, though all the flora was still alive, showing Demeter's work. He turned as Zagreus approached him, and readied himself, having retrieved his prized Gigaros, "I will only tell you this once, boy. Go home."

Zagreus took a breath, before readying his own spear Varatha, the one he'd unintentionally borrowed from his father back when he escaped for other reasons, "Make me. You know how this works."

His voice sounded strange, but Hades just took that as a reminder that his son wasn't in his right mind and had been crying. He shook his head, burning his cape, "Even if you get to the Fates, do you really think there are no security measures?"

"Security Specialist, remember? You can't stop me." He ran forward, starting their duel. I just need to distract him long enough...

                                      ***

"Grandson. You know as well as I, this is foolish." Chronos had seen Zagreus sneak out, and cornered him before teleporting them both into his domain, "If I have to follow my son's method and kill you to protect you, know that I take no pleasure in it."

Zagreus held up the Aegis Shield, glaring, "I spared your life. And now you won't let me choose what I do with mine?"

"Not in this case. You should pay no mind to the Fates. I'm proof that they can be defeated, and denied." He began to glow as he stared at the boy who saved him, "We'll fix things. For now, go back to your room."

But his grandson simply charged, sending him flying and starting their fight; Let's see how long I can keep him. Damn you, Hecate... hopefully you're having better luck.

                                      ***

"Brother, have you gone mad?! You cannot be here, you're too far out of the Underworld!!" When Melinoë heard that Zagreus had snuck out, she immediately went to cut him off at the Crossroads. She wasn't stupid, she knew what he intended to do, but a part of her grieved, knowing he actually wanted to attempt it.

Zagreus bore the Heart Seeking Bow, and he shook his head, "Don't make me fight you like this, sister. I don't want you to get hurt, that's why I'm doing this." He looked devastated, "You once risked everything. 'Death to Chronos', correct? To prevent more destruction than even he caused, it's better I don't exist."

"You're wrong!" She hated that she'd spent so long, keeping her cool, but now found that tears came more easily, and her anger rose quickly, "We'll find-"

"There isn't one. And you know it." Zagreus took a breath and aimed an arrow at her, steely determination in his eyes, "You're right, I can't last long out here. So let's see which one of us dies first." He tilted his head, "Or rather, if I die first, or you vanish first, I suppose." I'm sorry to do this, O Princess.

..................................................................................

Hecate had stopped them from leaving, and nodded, "I will help you." She looked at Zagreus with sadness in her eyes, "I do not want you to do this, for multiple reasons, including a few selfish ones of my own, however... I also understand the consequences of what will happen if we don't do this."

Zagreus frowned, "Don't get me wrong, I'm extremely grateful, and even though you've been blunt, I still don't understand as to why you would help me. I'm hurting Melinoë by doing this, shouldn't you be angry and forcing me to stay?"

"Perhaps. But I'm not, and I won't. I know the Fates, and nothing is ever as it seems for them. This to me feels like an easy fix for them, but your fate is already intricately woven." She put a gentle hand on his shoulder, "I get the feeling that perhaps someday, things may change. Go through with this now, and prove me right."

He didn't understand, but he was short on time, so he decided to ignore it and accept the help. The Fates lived in a cave that was awkwardly between the Underworld and the Crossroads, so it was safe for Zagreus to be there for long periods of time, though it would still be uncomfortable to get to. The plan was simple: while Zagreus snuck out discreetly, something he wasn't used to doing, the other three would use magic to veil themselves, looking like dead ringers for Zagreus.

Naturally, they weren't the only ones involved. Achilles was heartbroken at the thought of losing his pupil, however he was prepared to fight in order to help. Patroclus and himself would cause enough of a ruckus in Elysium that it would catch the attentions of any Shades that tried to stop 'Zagreus', as well as hopefully distract the Olympians- while it wasn't a guarantee that Hades would have swallowed his pride and asked his family to keep an eye on Zagreus, it also wasn't out of the realm of possibility.

Hypnos would keep Persephone asleep so that she wouldn't find out, and he vowed to do his best to keep Nyx out of the way, though he also looked distraught by this, weakly pleading once for Zagreus not to destroy himself, but stopped once he saw how hard this was on his own brother. The other Furies and Dusa weren't likely to get involved, but Hypnos put them to sleep just in case.

So, Thanatos ran through Tartarus, then Asphodel, and then Elysium, fighting as Zagreus would have in order to erase suspicion. Plus, a part of him had always wanted to fight Hades, since he hadn't dared to before, even when Zagreus called for him. Megaera was going to fight Melinoë while Hecate would beat the life out of Chronos, however both of them were taken off guard by Chronos catching Megaera instead.

That left Zagreus, alone to sneak to the Cave of the Fates. He wasn't completely foolish, he knew exactly what his father would do as a security measure; he was proven correct as Cerberus stood in his way. He took a breath and laid out some treats that he'd procured on his way, though one had to be teleported to him by Thanatos. Cerberus stared at the Satyr Sack, as well as the Nectar and Ambrosia on offer, but he didn't move.

Zagreus was confused and blinked, "Don't make me fight you. Like, actually don't. You're my good boy, right?" Cerberus started to whine, bowing all three heads, making a strange sound, as if he was crying. Zagreus realised that in a way, his dog knew what he was doing, and didn't want it. He carefully came over, petting Head Alpha, and burying his face in his lush fur, "I'm sorry, boy. I have to go. Please, look after my family for me. Father especially." All three heads surprised him by nuzzling him, one even licking him.

Time was running out, so he pulled away, Cerberus hesitating before walking to the snacks and sitting in front of them. He stared at Zagreus, watching as he went into the cave, before letting out a mournful howl.

..................................................................................

"Gah! Blood and darkness..." Thanatos fell to the ground, groaning in pain and cursing when the magic wore off, "Oh, what convenient timing."

"Thanatos?! What is the meaning of this?!" Hades stared at him before realising and sneering, "You dare trick me, you fool?! Do you have any idea what you've done?!"

"Of course I do." He stood up, having to summon his scythe to hold himself up and keep steady, "I'm doing what you were all weak to do. I'm letting Zagreus go. And before you dare bark at me again Lord Hades, need I remind you that out of the two of us, I was the one who actually gave Zagreus love and companionship when he needed it the most?"

"Then why didn't you stop him?!"

"Because if this is the result of what happens when we defy the Fates? I'd rather go through life blindly."

                                    ***

Megaera was having a similar conversation with Chronos, who kept his cool, but noticed that he wasn't able to stop Zagreus either, shaking his head, "I should have killed them. Those blasted Fates."

"At least you and I can agree on something, old man." She knew she'd done all she could, but knowing that her memories of Zagreus were about to disappear, it made her sick to her stomach. "For the record, I never wanted him to do this. But once his mind is made..."

"I can relate." Chronos put a hand to his face, swallowing a lump in his throat, "...I wish I'd thanked him more."

                                     ***

"...headmistress. You?" Melinoë felt like such a fool, having been tricked once more by her. But as the veil lifted, Hecate not even hiding her face or eyes anymore, she teared up, "If Zagreus does this, I'll lose you too!"

"Ah. It doesn't work like that, darling." Hecate chuckled, "I messed with my own destiny by doing what I had done eons ago. The Fates themselves can no longer touch me. I do this, because I have faith in something I'm unable to put into words."

Melinoë felt a pang of relief knowing Hecate wouldn't fade, but her mind was in too much of a spiral to even begin to comprehend what she was implying. She knew that she was likely the closest, so tried to run, only for Hecate to stop her, "Please! Even if I can't stop him, can't I say goodbye?! Even if it's meaningless in the end, he's still our brother!!"

Hecate knew this. And knew now that Zagreus would have made it to them by now. Reluctantly, she released her pupil and watched her sprint for her life. Or rather, her brother's life.

..................................................................................

Zagreus stepped inside and saw Atropos first, ready with her scissors while Clotho grinned, "So, you made your choice?"

"You already know the answer to that. But to clarify, yes. I'm ready to fix everything, to revert my fate back to how it was supposed to be." He was scared, he wondered if it would hurt like dying did, but knew that regardless, it would be over quickly. Hopefully.

Lachesis smiled as she pulled out one particular thread, one which glowed golden, scarlet, and violet. He saw it all. His inherited powers, his blood, the life he was given, and in hindsight, took for granted. Clotho gave him one more chance to back out, but he declined. With a nod, Atropos came forward.

                                 SNIP!

Zagreus gasped as a wave of dizziness washed over him, his body glowing a bright gold. He turned his head just as Melinoë stormed in, screaming as she reached for him. He didn't know why, but he smiled at her, and whispered softly, "Goodnight, Melinoë."

..................................................................................

The Princess of the Underworld woke up with a start, shooting up in bed, panting heavily. What was that dream? She tried to cling to it, but it soon faded from her mind again. Ugh, it was so annoying when dreams did that. Yawning and stretching, she got up and dressed, preparing for her day at work- "It appears I'm helping father in the archives again. It'll be nice to spend some time with him again."

She walked out of her door-less bedroom, and immediately walked to the archives, greeted by Hades, "You're here early, daughter. It's good to see you taking initiative."

"Always! Father, I don't mean to be rude, but are you quite alright? You look tired..." she was always so caring, and he was convinced that she'd inherited all of Persephone's kindness.

"Just a blasted nightmare. Not that I can recall it anymore. I might see if Hypnos can help me with that. Your mother didn't sleep too well either, so she's resting in our chambers for a while." He sighed with irritation, "Probably for the best, since we'll be having company later tonight. I do wish I hadn't agreed to occasionally host one of Dionysus' parties."

She giggled and they just got to work, faintly hearing Orpheus beginning to sing after a while.

Hecate had listened in, and looked down. The Fates had been truthful; anything that Zagreus had done- changing contracts, reuniting lovers, fixing family feuds, even finding Chronos and bringing him home to a loving family, Melinoë had done instead. Her birth had been joyful, and her childhood was happy. She was calmer, and worked hard to make her parents proud. 

Hecate knew that echoes of Zagreus' existence would always remain, while because she had also defied the Fates in her own way, she was now forever cursed to be the only person who remembered him. But she held onto hope; now that his fate had gone back to how it was, it unlocked new possibilities, and life that had once existed, could never be truly erased no matter what was done.

Well, Zagreus thought to himself, watching his beloved dog walk away with his tail wagging, a Satyr Sack in one of his mouths, that run was terrible.

He was exhausted, he felt close to death- he'd defied death three times already and didn't have the luck or coin to be able to do it again. Honestly, this was more of a challenge run, agreeing to maybe a few too many conditions in the Pact of Punishment. Even his dear mother warned him not to get to cocky, while his father... well, his opinion would be heard soon enough.

Zagreus could be prideful at times, yet... he knew he'd lose here. Taking a deep breath, he limped through the door to the outside, taking in the freezing air. The snow was really pretty, despite the chill- part of him wished that he'd had the patience to listen to his father's explanation of what it was, back when they fought for idiotic reasons. He saw Hades, in his usual place by the lake, his back turned, and couldn't find himself saying anything. Nothing seemed suitable. Maybe he'll make this quick. Never thought I'd think that way, and I can't bring myself to ask him.

Hades heard his sons firey footsteps, then the sound of something heavy hitting the snow. Frowning, he turned his head to see that firstly, Zagreus had gone through this with the Stygian Blade, and that secondly... he'd dropped it to the ground, making zero attempts to approach. He turned completely, seeing the state of his boy, shoulders slumped and eyes staring at the ground.

"...I see this challenge wasn't kind to you." His voice was uncharacteristically soft, and it made Zagreus flinch. He shook his head, and Hades scoffed lightly, "If you think I'm going to show you mercy, or make this quick... then you're only half right."

"What? Wait, aren't you going to fight me? I'm not trying to insult you, but wouldn't you prefer the easy win? I'm not entirely sure I could survive a single strike from you." He felt embarrassed having to admit that, but it was the truth, and very plain to see just from looking at him.

Hades didn't speak, instead he signaled for Zagreus to approach him; he had nothing to lose, realistically- maybe Persephone would lightly tease him, while Megaera would scold him, and Thanatos would fuss in his own way. Gods, he loved them all. Taking another deep breath, he approached his father, until they stood side by side. Hades then sat down, and Zagreus arched his eyebrow before copying.

Finally, his father let out a quiet chuckle, sounding almost like his brothers for a moment, as he used half of his cape to wrap Zagreus up, keeping him safe from the cold, "You mocked my cape, but now you see the benefits. Sometimes you take a while in those caves, and I don't like being stuck in this blasted cold while you build your strength to kill me again."

"...it is nice and warm." Zagreus hadn't felt this... safe? Comforted? In the presence of his father in a long time. He was a grown adult, however sometimes a child needed their parents; he enjoyed Persephone's forehead kisses, Nyx's gentle hand holding, even Achilles putting his hand on his shoulder. When he was little, Hades was good with doing similar things, but only sometimes. Zagreus found himself shuffling closer to his father, who put an arm around him, keeping him warm, "What now, father? We just... sit here?"

"This is outside of the Underworld, Zagreus. So, neither of us can stay here long. Rather than fight and have a bloody death, we will sit until the Styx brings us home." Okay, that didn't sound bad, actually. He frowned when Hades murmured, "You look tired. If you fall asleep, you should avoid all the pain that comes with dying. It's a mortal technique, but it does work."

"Father, how do you know that? Have you died by falling asleep out here?" Hades just nodded, a whisper of a smile on his lips, but a sorrow buried in those glowing crimson eyes, "...was it because of me?"

"Yes and no." He took a deep breath, "Boy- Zagreus- this is another thing you absolutely cannot tell your mother, do you understand?"

"I understand. I won't tell." This probably wasn't good. Sounded sad, judging from his voice.

That was when Hades explained: "Truthfully, even though I knew it was better to let her go, I had a moment where... I missed my wife dearly, and in a moment of madness, I left you with Achilles, then fled the Underworld. Nyx knew it was a mistake, and spread her darkness further, so that I couldn't find Persephone and make the situation worse. While looking, I got lost in a forest, like a fool. I leaned against a tree to calm down, fell asleep, and..."

"...you woke up in the blood pool?"

"No, actually. Apparently I floated up to the surface, still asleep. Hypnos was the one who saw me, and Cerberus had to drag me out so that Nyx and Achilles could take me to my room." Zagreus stared at him, and almost missed the embarrassed blush hidden by his beard. "The point is, I felt no pain as I died, and was completely undisturbed until the next morning when I woke up naturally."

That was oddly reassuring. Knowing that sleep eased the pain and weakness felt from dying. Zagreus knew that his time would be running out soon, so thought that maybe a nap wasn't the worst idea in the world. His father was here, and despite their disagreements and miscommunication, they were still family, and there was something like love there. He murmured, "I... never really thanked you. For convincing Nyx and the Fates to bring me back."

"I had to." Hades looked at the river, how it glittered in the faint moonlight as he spoke, "You being stillborn didn't just hurt your mother, however I felt as if I had no right to mourn, considering how much she suffered. When she left, I knew I had to at least try."

Zagreus stared up at his father- all this time, did he truly never consider his father's feelings? Of course you didn't, you idiot. You were too angry at being lied to, you didn't think there might have been a reason! Blood and darkness...

"I held you, when Nyx brought you back." He shook his head, "I knew it was pathetic, I am a God, yet even I found myself... praying. When you finally moved and cried... it was the best moment of my life, Zagreus. I held you to my face, I started crying. I lost your mother, but I didn't lose you, in the end. You were so small, but with your burning feet, you certainly weren't delicate."

Zagreus laughed despite himself, and even Hades let out a short snort. Zagreus leaned into his father's embrace properly, and smiled weakly, "I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused. I don't regret how it all worked out, everyone seems happier, but I don't like what I did to my relationships with everyone at the start."

Cerberus destroyed the living room, Thanatos felt betrayed, Megaera was- for lack of a better term- furious. Even Hades had been colder, and ruthless. The God of the Dead shook his head, "Everyone is prone to mistakes, I see it every day. I had high expectations of you, though I neglected to see the other side of you: you don't like sitting still with paperwork, you prefer throwing yourself into work and fixing things by getting involved. You can't do that behind a desk. In a way, you take after your mother there- despite everything, I quite enjoy being able to organise things and write without things getting chaotic, while she preferred working with people and getting her hands dirty in the gardens."

"Is that why you made the job of Security Specialist for me?" His father nodded, and Zagreus smiled, "I do like this job, even if I get unlucky sometimes. Or cocky, in this case."

The casual conversation had to eventually come to an end, though both father and son seemed to bond well again. Zagreus slowly closed his eyes and slumped against his father. Hades, despite knowing what it would do, did not go to sleep. He enjoyed this moment with his boy a little longer, holding him as he felt the waves of nausea and dizziness, and the Styx took them home.

*********************

Persephone knew that her husband and son would be fighting by now, though even she was concerned when Cerberus came home and yet neither of the others had returned yet. She started walking towards the entrance as Hypnos woke up and blurted, "Welcome back, Lord Hades!"

"Hush. You'll wake him." Persephone rushed over to see Hades carrying Zagreus, fast asleep in his arms, completely enveloped in his red cape. He looked over at Persephone and gave a weak smile, "Would you believe me if I told you that we didn't fight, this time?"

"Only if you tell me what happened, love." He obliged, keeping his voice quiet as they headed into Zagreus' bed chambers, where Hades laid him in bed and Persephone tucked him in, the pair of them deciding to let him keep the cloak. She was proud of the pair of them for talking it out, this time. She kissed Zagreus on his forehead, watching him smile in his sleep, before they both left him.

Before exiting, Hades looked back at his son, fast asleep, remembering a time when a much younger and smaller boy once snuck into his own bed chambers and fell asleep in the Lord of the Underworld's bed. He muttered, "I'm going soft," before placing the Titan's Blood he had in his possession on Zagreus' desk- "I shouldn't count this, you didn't defeat me, however... you have earned it."

Zagreus didn't wake up until way later, not that time truly mattered in this place. He sat up and yawned, stretching; this was exactly why he refused to sleep unless he was bone tired, because otherwise he'd gladly have stayed in bed all day. Night. Whichever. When he looked over at his desk and saw his prize, he smiled warmly.

Overall, this game was an experience. Sometimes it was a bad experience; I beat Sister Splinter, Moorwing, Savage Beastfly and generally most of Act 2 before the updates came out. I struggled a lot with the different movesets, remembering which buttons did what, and just having general skill issues.

That aside, what a *beautiful* game. Team Cherry has only improved, and it shows. I may have been terrible, but I can't deny that everything was far more creative and better implemented. I found myself learning to adapt to the environments fairly quickly, knowing what to do in what areas, with exploration still being just as fun as the original.

The music. Holy crap, the music. When I first got the game, day of, I remember feeling really emotional about the fact that they didn't change the music for Bone Bottom or Lace, it made me overjoyed. Bellhart's music made me tear up, but something I'd like someone to explain: why does a place like Bilewater have such beautiful music? (Edit: I know the lore behind it, I was just trying to be dramatic about it lol)

No matter how bad I was at the boss fights and enemy gauntlets, I have to say that I still enjoyed a lot of them. Widow, Phantom, First Sinner and the Cogwork Dancers were the main fights I didn't get frustrated with. Any time I lost, it was my fault and I knew how to better prepare myself. Grand Mother Silk felt like she was more designed with Ghost in mind, not Hornet. Our girl is too tall. Then there was also the fact that sometimes her Silk Snare attack (don't know the actual name) was completely broken- I'd be as far away from the strings as possible, and she'd still somehow snatch me? It felt really unfair, especially when I was trying for the Twisted Child ending.

The lore was definitely brilliant, and I'm glad they expanded on Hornet's backstory in little ways: her dialogue, her notes in the Hunter's Journal, and obviously the memories in Act 3, as well as creating new lore that fit in perfectly to the overarching story of Hollow Knight, connecting the lands of Hallownest and Pharloom.

First, most of the characters have "adapted" in order to survive this new situation. I'll elaborate- Ghost is able to change their Charms while fighting, Badeline is able to assist despite there being no Magic Mirror, Cuphead has been able to change his shots on the fly, the Beheaded can speak despite having no throat (which is a main part of the game, and something ignored in the animated short series, Dead Cells Immortalis) and whenever Drifter "speaks" using images and actual text shows up (when he realised that attacking Game Master's head dealt 0 damage), it translates to English instead of using the language in Hyper Light Drifter.

Each character also shows pieces of their respective worlds through sound effects and visuals- Cuphead makes a lot of the sounds seen in the Cuphead game whenever he makes gestures, just like Madeline making the sound effect for when she ducks, or the noise Drifter's SyCom makes whenever he "talks". Whenever Shovel attacks, the art around wherever he strikes or swings the Shovel Blade becomes pixilated, while Frisk sometimes shows the sprite of whatever they're attacking with, or just straight up shows the Undertale mechanics when attacking- then there was Frisk trying to walk through the bars in the Pizzaplex because they were glowing orange.

This was something Morø pointed out, but just before the fight against Nightmare Springtrap, through it's difficult to see, behind Frisk, the ghost sprites for the crying children used in FNAF 3 are barely visible through the mist in front of each of the graves.

Multiple little references are seen in the Rogue's City- Grillby's from a Pacifist Timeline, posters showing Mew Mew and Mettaton, as well as Spamton. Then there's the Golden Ink from the Bendy games, pointing somewhere. Obviously there's the Goose from Untitled Goose Game, and then the bat from Hotline Miami, as well as the other trinkets that Chester found and was trying to make a profit out of. And obviously there was the reference to Among Us after Frisk had to go through a vent in the Pizzaplex.

Game Master's attacks. As well as the obvious of him using attacks from non-indie titles, he knew what would incapacitate his targets, like how destroying the Beheaded's body would be able to stall him, and showing Drifter his future would stun him. He wanted to show Drifter that fighting was futile, but whether it was so he could kill Drifter faster, or for another reason, I'm not entirely sure. (We also can't forget how he tried scaling their character models and failing, so when he overheated, his screen just told him to stop doing that lol)

Speaking of overheating. Whenever Game Master came a little too close to doing so, he kept doing whatever was needed to slow it down, like cutting off his limbs or dousing himself in water. The Rogues are actively trying to prevent going Nightmare and losing control, all except for Unreal, who is already in Nightmare form. The tell for this is its eye looking more realistic, instead of having a symbol- when Game Master became Nightmare Game Master, his eye turned from a "G" to a realistic looking eye.

Going back to Drifter and Beheaded- they made a *really* good team. They seemed to know how to bounce off each other and time their attacks, as well as protecting each other when they could. When Game Master used the scaling mechanic on them, he saw that it didn't work on Drifter, so tried it twice with Beheaded, which unintentionally showed Drifter his tell: when he saw that Game Master was going to attempt to mess with his proportions again, he dodged just in time so that Game Master would accidentally restore Beheaded to his normal state.

Props to whoever managed to translate Ghost's cursive writing in their Hunter's Journal, because I honestly still can't read it, but there's so many details. This version of Ghost is clearly capable of thinking, feeling and having opinions. They consider Cuphead to be brave, Shovel to be noble, and Madeline to be strong. They talk about wanting revenge on Frisk, as they sensed that Frisk went around Hallownest, killing bugs- going by Undertale logic, NPCs like Elderbug and shopkeepers like Iselda (maybe Sly, but since he doubles as a boss, I'm not too sure), are basically immune to their Genocide route, which is why they were able to kill Hollow. Since Ghost was in possession of the Void Heart, as proven by their Shade not attacking them, it's likely they were going for the Dream No More ending, so it's unclear if Hornet is alive, or if Frisk took her life- after all, she would have been standing right outside the Black Egg Temple.

Charlotte is a manipulative little... but we all knew that. She was the one to smelt Shovel's realm, and possibly killed Shield, with the intention of finishing the job by opening a portal for him, with her drones waiting on the other side to shred him to pieces. When Unithor took out Cuphead, she wanted to just leave his spirit to float away. She had badly injured Frisk, and I bet anything that she purposely sent them to Fazbear's Fright, hoping for Springtrap to finish them off- who better to kill a child? During the final escape, she was nowhere to be found, and neither was Niko's sun, as shown by Cuphead accidentally grabbing a random lamp when he tried to save them. The final fight against Nightmare Game Master wouldn't have even happened if she hadn't detected that he was there and commanded her drones to overheat him! She wanted to earn the trust of the protagonists, and kill them all. I'm starting to believe her "want to take over the world because they're evil" explanation refers to *her* and not the Rogues.

Speaking of the Rogues, the world they ended up landing in for the majority of the episode was clearly the world that the Rogues were living in. There's stronger forms of Charlotte's drones fighting Drifter, but then there were some that looked similar to Unithor in design. There are some posters that are a little homage to other games, but there are others with the faces of Game Master and Godotrix, with the words "Stay Hydrated" on them, likely warning or reminding other Rogues or drones not to overheat. It was also pointed out, either by Morø or someone with a keener eye than myself, that when Charlotte is looking over at some buildings, each building represents each of the five main Rogues in colour.

Every character was clearly taken out of their worlds at random points. Frisk, Niko and Ghost were about to finish each of their respective games, while Shovel, Cuphead and Madeline were likely post-game. The Beheaded had access to a weapon that is only available upon beating his game once, the Symmetrical Lance- since the Beheaded is still a Homunculus, not a human, it's likely he either hasn't got five Boss Stem Cells, or just hasn't faced the Alchemist for the first time yet. As for Drifter, he doesn't have all of his equipment yet, so he either hasn't been collecting the Gearbits, or he's still early game, having visited two areas at the most; then again, he appears to have most of his weapons and moves, so maybe he was also interrupted before he could go face Judgement.

This has already been pointed out, but the Rogues are all organic creatures, they're just heavily armoured and using Portal energy. But this was hinted earlier than Game Master's head getting cut through- please correct me if I'm wrong, but the Beheaded can only take over organic bodies; in Dead Cells, he regularly steals the bodies of corpses, and they're all human- a prisoner, a cultist, then his original body. After losing one body by failing to use Drifter's blade (which more shows that the Beheaded is before the "Everyone Is Here" update, or the Beheaded wasn't able to find the Hyper Light Sword in his own game), he immediately went to one of Charlotte's fallen drones and took form using it. So if they are organic and are capable of bleeding, the Rogues are going to have a much harder time fighting against V1, since it can refuel itself using their blood.

Speaking of V1, it definitely made the smart choice of taking out Godotrix, the main healer of the Rogues. Apparently they can all revive each other unless they're absorbed by Charlotte, so Game Master is gone, but that just means the Rogues will have to likely flee from V1 to revive Godotrix, if Midusara isn't able to turn it into gold. If she does, then someone will have to find a way to reverse it, because apparently it is reversible. (Thank God- I actually covered my mouth when Ghost...)

Speaking of *that* scene... something that I found was a really nice touch was that when the Beheaded and Ghost were both turned to gold, they were doing their most iconic poses. Beheaded often flips off people he doesn't like, or just because he feels insulted, so giving Game Master the middle finger was honestly really in character for him. As for Ghost, they knew that they weren't making it through that Portal, but they had to protect Madeline, since she saved them when they first met, and they just watched Drifter help her from falling from some debris- so naturally, they protected him as well. As a Knight, Ghost is often portrayed bowing, so it's fitting that before being petrified, they give Madeline a final bow. It still breaks my heart, remembering that Madeline saw that Ghost was basically gone, but she never stopped reaching out to them, to her friend. Midusara's actions are unusual, though. Why turn them into gold instead of killing them? She did it to Grillby and his patrons, too! But the one thing I don't understand about her, is what stopped her from going after Drifter? If you pay attention to the scene where Drifter is looking down at the Rogue's surrounding Game Master's head and the frozen Beheaded, Midusara's eye is staring directly at Drifter.

There are always little details that each character shows off, either from comments by others, or just going with the flow. During the Nightmare Game Master fight, Shovel doesn't just rely on the Shovel Blade, but also his Gauntlets, as Ghost had proven earlier in the episode that it could get broken, so he shouldn't rely on just one weapon, even if it's his signature. Nightmare Game Master himself made sure to look up during the fight after the Beheaded told him "you should look up more often", which just lead to Cuphead being able to trick him, though the poor boy ended up falling for the exact same trick. Badeline didn't like being called a creepy ghost, but being unable to be harmed certainly came to her advantage later. Niko being able to scavenge for random things saved them, as did their very convenient blowtorch and the amount of booze at Grillby's. Drifter aimed directly for Nightmare Game Master's head and eye, since he knew that was how he showed Drifter his future- unfortunately, he was just shown even more of his future, but an attempt was made. Ghost was amazingly petty; they did really well by dealing damage with Cyclone Slash, but when they saw that spells didn't do much against him, they didn't actually use Descending Dark in the final attack, they just used Crystal Dash. Then they still threw a bar stool at him, because how *dare* they punt our baby through a window?! The disrespect!!

There's so much to talk about with the final fight, actually. First of all, the song that plays, "Covergence"? How it perfectly portrays each character's music depending on who is fighting is just amazing. I listen to it at least once a week when I'm feeling depressed. Shovel getting back his prized weapon and immediately getting into it, it really showed that he took on the leadership role. Nightmare Game Master was clearly intending to finish the job, though whether he was going to kill or capture Charlotte is unknown- I'm leaning more towards kill because of the giant gears that he summoned; earlier in the episode, only one of those gears was enough to rip Beheaded in half, and in the final fight, he summoned *five*. The use of everyone's abilities, and how they could work together was great- Cuphead parrying off of Badeline's attacks because they're pink/purple was already useful at the beginning of Episode Two, but in the final fight, it proved instrumental. He parried just enough to fill up his Super Meter, then Madeline used her Golden Feather to get him to a higher point, so he could shoot up at Shovel, who could bounce it off with the Shovel Blade, along with Ghost using their Crystal Dash?! Other details was that everyone who did the main fighting, apart from Drifter, threw a bar stool at Nightmare Game Master- actually, a nice detail was that when Drifter was taken down, Niko immediately threw molotov cocktails to save him, obviously wanting to repay him for saving their life in the beginning.

Ah, right. The music. The OST for Episode Two in particular was definitely made with knowledge and love. During the fight with Madeline protecting Charlotte, and Ghost facing off against Shovel and Cuphead, the music "Darebound" changes depending on who has the advantage. When it's Ghost fighting alone, the music more has Cuphead and Shovel's motifs, then changes- when it comes to the 2D section, Celeste style music takes centre stage as Madeline is far more in her element by climbing. Finally, when it comes to the end of the fight, the music shifts to "Enter Hallownest" from Hollow Knight, as it shows Ghost with the biggest advantage, summoning Thorns of Agony, before immediately using Crystal Dash and shifting into Descending Dark to finish the fight with some final damage.

In general, the music tends to show bits and pieces of each character. 8-bit for Shovel, 50s big band for Cuphead, and so on. The music always finds a way to shift to whoever has centre stage or the advantage in whatever situation they're in. Like when the Beheaded calls Game Master out for not looking up, you hear the chanting that is commonly heard when collecting something from, well, the Collector. FNAF isn't wildly known for it's own music, but the fan music, so it was fitting that during the bar scene/Frisk fighting the animatronics, the song "The Kid Behind the Slaughter" is actually playing an instrumental version of "It's Been So Long", by the Living Tombstone. Then naturally, when Frisk finally has the advantage against Nightmare Springtrap, what better music to remix but "Finale" from Undertale?

We find out what makes a Portal "fail"- we see one basically explode in front of Frisk, and the excess energy goes into Springtrap to make him into Nightmare Springtrap; it failed because on the other side of that Portal, was Game Master, Beheaded and Drifter. The Portal failed on Frisk's side, because Game Master absorbed it from *his* side- the proof of this is if you listen very carefully during the scene where Frisk is about to cave Springtrap's head with an arcade machine, you can faintly hear the Beheaded bidding his goodbye to Drifter, since he intended to go through that Portal before Game Master absorbed it. Imagine how that would have worked out, if Game Master hadn't interfered?

It's interesting how each of the characters were separated. The best fighters were Ghost and Beheaded, so they were turned to gold and incapacitated. Shovel is all alone, and while he can take care of himself, it's probably not the best situation to be all alone in- when he was first taken from his world, the last thing he saw was Shield possibly die, then he ended up almost immediately seeking companionship in Cuphead, so this will be the first time he's truly *alone*. Cuphead and Niko are together, but since Cuphead accidentally grabbed a random lamp instead of the sun, I honestly don't know how well this will go for them. Madeline is once again stuck with a silent protagonist in Drifter, and though it's already been stated that she's gonna meet another character who talks, I'd like to see her and Drifter bond over what just happened to their friends, since they lost them the same way.

I found it incredibly fitting for Glamrock Freddy to help Frisk beat the crap out of Springtrap. I know that the lore is kinda messed up, but I would very much like to believe that it's Michael Afton's remnant in Glamrock Freddy, so to see him finally teaching his father William a lesson, it just beautiful. Especially since William must've controlled Michael a lot during his life, after what happened in FNAF 4- then him *literally* getting controlled in Security Breach and Indie Cross, it was probably too much. Frisk abandoning their Genocide route by sparing Glamrock Freddy just made that final scene perfect.

I mainly glossed over a lot of the FNAF stuff, however I do have to state that Springtrap is my favourite character, and his portrayal in Indie Cross was fantastic. Firstly, the Fazbear Frights location being intact showed that this was before the "security guard" came, and the building burnt down, so it's early game. Springtrap is also in his original design, he doesn't have his Scraptrap design, so he has only just been freed from the blocked off safe room. The fact that he immediately tries to lure Frisk away shows that he didn't learn his lesson from being sealed away for 30 years. Idiot. The Nightmare Springtrap design is also extremely perfect; he's purple, exactly how his human form was portrayed in the games to show how he hid in the shadows. When fighting Frisk in Princess Quest, that giant form was a reference to the Mimic copying Afton's data, when Glitchtrap (the Mimic), managed to control Vanessa's mind and create Vanny. It's fitting that as Nightmare Springtrap began to overheat, his form changed to Burntrap: the version of "William Afton" that was actually just the Mimic acting as a sort of replacement- at least, that's how I understand it, the lore has gotten extremely difficult to understand now. Finally, who could forget his iconic line, even if he couldn't say it completely?

My rambles are all in random orders, so I'm only now remembering and adding parts from the scene where they all relax in Grillby's/Frisk fighting the animatronics. First, Ghost using the Dream Nail because they see that Shovel is lost in thought, and since they can't talk to him, they decide to just read his thoughts. It's invasive, but it just shows how much they care about and respect Shovel- they even felt guilty for breaking his Shovel Blade and tries to help Niko fix it when he refuses to take their Nail. Cuphead being the one for friendly competition was great to see, just trying to cheer everyone up, though he obviously couldn't resist showing off in darts; Madeline being the tallest of the group at that time was really funny to me, for some reason? This detail made me laugh because it isn't in the game: in the Cuphead Show, Cuphead is revealed to be *extremely* lucky at rock, paper, scissors, to the point of beating the Devil every time they played. So watching Cuphead continue his winning streak was fun, though I had to pause the video and laugh out loud when I saw Ghost trying to join and Cuphead looking... confused. No fingers. We'll call that one a draw.

Then there's Frisk's portion. Frisk already went through a ton of crap, and resorted to saving their progress whenever they could. Nightmare Springtrap breaking their Locket clearly made them realise that they weren't practically invincible anymore, so they just ran. Apparently this Frisk had already done EVERY. SINGLE. ROUTE. before this, so they're a veteran Undertale player, and on top of that, they were only 70 minutes into a Genocide route and already set to fight Sans, so Frisk is a speedrunner, confirmed. They also made sure to use Chara's name, so they knew what the True Name was (it did change to "Frisk" at one point, but this was already confirmed to be an error, though it seems Frisk still abandoned their route at the end of the episode by sparing Glamrock Freddy, despite being killed by him). They know exactly what they're doing, so they ignore Afton when he calls them out, just focusing on survival. The two animatronics that made me laugh in the way Frisk took them out was Moon and Monty- obviously Moon was blinded by the flashlight and shut off (and then suddenly Peter Griffin death pose), but Monty getting stabbed in the back via Scrap Baby's sawblade was honestly poetic irony, considering what he did to Glamrock Bonnie.

It's very obvious that the Friday Night Funkin' Indie Cross mod isn't a part of this series, Morø made that extremely clear, but it does make me wonder where Cuphead was before the Portals started to show- in the "What If" series Morø created, he showed Cuphead in a few situations, though only one matches with the show, which was Cuphead vs Choo Choo Charles. Why was Cuphead punted to so many different worlds, and was he the only one? Mugman usually followed after Cuphead, and sometimes Chalice did too, so maybe we'll see them?

Some Indie games won't be seen in the series, either because it doesn't make sense, or because the games started as Indie and got taken over by bigger companies (Minecraft, Little Nightmares, etc), or aren't completed (Deltarune), or that Morø hasn't played (Omori). Bendy has been confirmed for a one-off episode, just like FNAF (so no more Glamrock Freddy, boo). I'd personally like to see A Hat in Time, even if it's just a reference like Choo Choo Charles, Terraria, Henry Stickmin, and Hello Neighbour. Hat Kid would be a fantastic addition to the cast, but I'd hate to imagine a Nightmare Snatcher.

Apparently it has been mentioned that V1 and Frisk will both fight *against* the protagonists- it isn't clear if they'll team up, or if they'll just have their own ways of trying to take everyone out individually. That sounds incredibly hype, but it also makes me wonder who would actually win. I might do a poll on that at some point. Anyway, Morø did animate a small piece, which was V1 fighting Unithor, but it might not make it into the final version. He did also animate a meme of what would happen if V1 absorbed (drank?) Drifter's blood- Judgement is able to invade its systems, just like it's in Drifter's subconscious. That is hilarious to think about, especially if that ended up actually working. In all seriousness, without Beheaded and Ghost, the protagonists would definitely struggle, since V1 is able to fight Hell itself and Frisk has both saved and killed everyone in their world, as well as survived a powered up Springtrap. Sure, each protagonist has their skills, and some have survived their own brand of Hell, but then again, as Badeline pointed out, all Madeline did was "climb a mountain", while Shovel struggles a lot with his inner demons (he's lost Shield twice now) and despite his courage, he's also prone to cowardice. Cuphead is far too cocky, and while he has a lot of tricks up his sleeves, he's physically really weak. Drifter is sick, and if he dashes too much or swings too wildly, he breaks into coughing fits, plus his gun is designed in a way that it'll run out of ammo and can only reload by hitting something with his sword. Against the drones and Game Master, that wasn't a big deal, but if he was in a situation where he couldn't hit anything, that would be bad news. I haven't played OneShot yet, but even I know that there wouldn't be much Niko could do against someone who is willing to kill everyone and someone who needs blood to survive. I think it was mentioned that three more characters will join the protagonists, so we'll see how the odds are at a later date.

Okay, so I'm undoubtedly biased when I say that I prefer Hollow Knight, but that's probably because I'm good at it!

I'm honestly terrible at Silksong, and most enemies and bosses doing double damage isn't helping. I haven't even beaten the game once yet, I've barely made it to Act 2, and finally beat a boss without raging- in all seriousness, can we agree that the Clockwork Dancers was a good boss? I have the Crest of the Wanderer, which has given me Ghost's moveset and it was a Godsend in the Hunter's March. Screw that place. I know that this is my own skill issue, and it's not a gameplay flaw, but I can't help but get angry, I'm sorry.