REVIEW: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Raiden is back, folks. This time Raiden is featured in his own solo adventure set in the Metal Gear Solid universe. Hideo Kojima paired with Platinum Games to deliver a new action-oriented experience rather than the stealth environment that players are accustomed to in the Metal Gear universe.

Will Raiden's return as the core protagonist of a Metal Gear title be met with controversy and distaste like his role in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty where he replaced Solid Snake? Is this game worth your hard earned cash? Let's find out shall we?

Note: For those of you who read my review of the Rising (1/22/2013) demo, this full retail review will take concepts from that review and add onto it to ease repetitiveness. Besides, I don't want to sound like a broken record repeating myself. I'm literally going to take that demo review and expand upon that information with feedback from playing the entire game from start to finish.

Overview: 

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is an action video game developed by Platinum Games and produced by Kojima Productions, for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles. It is the ninth game in the Metal Gear series, with a plot set four years after the events of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. The story focuses on the cyborg ninja, Raiden, in a fight against a private military company known as Desperado Enterprises. Although a Japanese release for the Xbox 360 platform was planned, that version was cancelled.

The game was originally announced in 2009 under the title of Metal Gear Solid: Rising, and was intended to act as an interquel between the events of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. This form of the game was to be produced solely by Kojima Productions.[10][11] However, the Kojima Productions team met with difficulties in developing a game based on swordplay, so the franchise director Hideo Kojima cancelled it. A solution was found, in late 2011, with Platinum Games taking over development. Under the guidance of the new team, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance was revealed, with a significant change in gameplay. The game's setting was changed to give Platinum more creative freedom. Kojima Productions retained responsibility for the game's overall plot and Raiden's design.

Plot: (Some Minor Spoilers)

The game takes place in 2018, four years after the events of Guns of the Patriots. The protagonist is Raiden, a cyborg working for the PMC Maverick Enterprises in order to raise money for his family. Developers stated that while Raiden "has grown up" in comparison to previous Metal Gear games, he is still conflicted with his life as a child soldier in Liberia, leading him to be a "dark hero" who "grows as a character and develops as a person". He is assisted by members from Maverick Security including a Russian pointman named Boris Vyacheslavovich Popov who communicates with him through Codec. He is accompanied by Kevin Washington , a military advisor, Courtney Collins, a data analyst, and Wilhelm "Doktor" Voigt, a maintenance expert responsible for Raiden's new body. Returning from Guns of the Patriots is Sunny, a member from the company Solis that is friend of Raiden.

Members of a rival PMC, Desperado Enterprises, are the main antagonists. One of its operatives, Samuel Rodrigues serves as Raiden's rival with a conversation between the two in the beginning influencing Raiden. Rodrigues is assisted by a trio called the "Winds of Destruction". They comprise Desperado's virtual leader Sundowner, an advanced cyborg swordfighter, Mistral, a female cyborg possessing multiple arms and wields a whip-like weapon, and Monsoon , a ninja with segmented body parts. A quadruped robot named LQ-84i, known also as Bladewolf, is both Raiden's enemy and eventual ally. Additionally, a Colorado senator and potential Presidential candidate, Steven Armstrong, is involved in Desperado's activities. The game is a spin-off that is "not part of the Metal Gear Solid series", although it is considered part of the same universe, and thus "canon".

Gameplay: 

Controls:


PS3/Xbox 360:
Cross/A button - Jump
Square/X button - Fast Attack
Triangle/Y button - Heavy Attack
Circle/B button - Action/Interact
L1/LB - Sub-Weapon
L2 /LT - Blade Mode
R1/RB - Switch Lock-On
R2/RT - Ninja Run (Hold)

Radar Visor - Up D-pad
Sub-Weapon selection - Left/Right D-pad
Parry - Left analog towards incoming attack + Fast Attack

What is Blade Mode?

That shiny new cyborg body affords Raiden an impressive arsenal of new abilities, the favorite of which is easily Blade Mode. By holding down the left trigger, you can send Raiden into a zen-like state of deadly concentration, slowing time to a crawl and using the control sticks to carefully aim horizontal, vertical and diagonal slashes of his razor-sharp katana. Alternatively, you can simply hit the light and heavy attack buttons to strike multiple times in succession without precisely aiming your strikes.

That's when things got really fun. Metal Gear Rising's most unique mechanic is one that swordplay buffs have been dreaming about: the ability to graphically dismember opponents with surgical precision in the heat of battle.

Properly dissecting specific foes' left hands will net
you a "special" gift after clearing the game.

Slicing across an enemy's arm causes that appendage to separate from its owner in a spray of ruby blood. Slicing vertically from pate to groin separates enemies neatly in half. Raiden can perform multiple cuts in lightning-quick chains, separating enemies gratuitously into thirds, quarters and ever-smaller pieces. And it's not just for show—there's a purpose to dissecting your foes.

Slice an enemy the right way and you'll be prompted with a button press. Nailing it causes Raiden to reach out and into his opponent Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom-style and rip out their beating, pulsing…energy implant. These implants recharge Raiden's health and refills the Blade Mode gauge entirely.

Okay, Raiden doesn't really run around tearing enemies' hearts out and devouring them. He's not Vamp, after all. But harnessing a dismembered opponent's energy can provide him with a boost that will allow him to stay in Blade Mode longer, making it one of his most useful moves.

Later in the game, you acquire Ripper Mode as an "upgrade" of sorts for Blade Mode. What the game does NOT tell you that it's pretty much near useless unless you have a ton of fuel cells to burn and plenty of opponents around you to draw Zandetsu from. It is best suited for heavily-armored foes and even then I highly recommend deactivating it after disposing of them.

What is Ninja Run?

Another of Raiden's new signature abilities is the "Ninja Run," a combination sprint and parkour function that allows him to get around quickly while effortlessly vaulting over obstacles. The Ninja Run even allows Raiden to deflect bullets with his flashing blade.

One thing Ninja Run does NOT do, is deflect incoming missiles or other projectile weapons, such as grenades. Luckily, if you see these projectiles coming in enough time, you can react with Blade Mode and cut them out of the air.

The Verdict: 

Prior to picking up my pre-order at Gamestop last Tuesday when this game released, I was reading advanced reviews on both IGN and Kotaku whereas the editors are complaining and whining about how hard this game is and how little is explained to the player. I was literally sitting at my desk at work laughing saying to myself, "Hello? This is shit you should have learned in the damn demo for Christ's sake..."

I understand that not everyone is savvy in this genre, but at the same time, a lot of gamers this generation (myself included at times) are spoiled to death by this modern era of gaming. I actually miss the days of yore where I would draw out dungeon maps in The Legend of Zelda (NES) and Vagrant Story (PSX) back in those days where everything wasn't readily at your figure tips in-game or handed to you with ease online. If you couldn't handle the demo that was released a few weeks prior to this release or the one included with the Zone of the Enders HD Collection then don't expect for a second that this retail release will have any mercy on your poor soul.

Solid Snake wishes he could beat RAY this easily...

If you're really interested in buying the game, I suggest you do what I did for the weeks prior to the retail release. I played the demo over, and over, and over again until I could make it look like a cakewalk. I mastered the parrying mechanic to the point where I was satisfied with it, along with a few special moves as well. I know not everyone is going to take that much dedication and commitment but you will not get far in this game mindlessly slashing at your enemies and not learning to master parrying your opponents' attacks.

For those wondering about the story, your fears will be eased knowing that you will NOT have to play Guns of the Patriots to understand what is going here. Those events are not mentioned at all in their entirety, just merely glossed over. The story is focused on Raiden and his resolve to maintain his "sword of justice" or give into his murderous nature and revert back to his Jack The Ripper persona. Most other reviews and some of my fellow gamers have reported the game averages about 4-6 hours to finish the story, but my first playthrough was done in about 7 hours. Much like other action titles in this genre, such as Lollipop Chainsaw, DmC, and Bayonetta, this game is made for multiple playthroughs. So if you're looking for a long haul with this title in terms of story, you're going to be disappointed if you're looking to just experience the story then drop it afterwards. If that's the case, then I highly suggest you plow through this title as a weekend rental.

There is NO way you are buying out all of the skills, abilities, and weapons acquired from bosses in a single playthrough. Hell, those of you who pre-ordered have the Gray Fox costume skin and Fox Blade to unlock and earn upgrades for. The Fox Blade alone costs a whooping 200,000BP to unlock for use in-game. Other players will be hunting and collecting foes' special and unique Captain arms requested by Doktor for unlocking special "wigs". Infinite Wig A works like the Bandana from the Metal Gear Solid series, giving Raiden infinite ammo for sub-weapons, while Infinite Wig B provides Raiden with infinite fuel cells for Blade Mode. Other collectibles include saving all civilians, finding all enemy soldiers hidden in cardboard boxes scattered throughout the game, and collecting miscellaneous ID cards of the developers and programmers of this game. Once you have acquired all of that, you still have VR Missions (20+ to complete with more on the way via DLC) to complete, then Hard, Very Hard, and even the deadly Revengeance difficulties to conquer.

Glad we're paying Raiden to do all of this crazy shit
instead of us...

One thing that I am sure that most gamers will overlook is a LOT of the Codec dialogue between your Maverick squadmates. Character development for those 4 individuals (well 5-6 after you reunite with Sunny) happens entirely through Codec conversations. There is an achievement for discovering most of these dialogues. I suggest players to open up your Codec and manually call ALL of them after every important point in the story and during boss encounters. From Raiden's perspective, they are literally watching everything you as the player are watching so it's pretty neat that you can talk to them about their unique reactions about what is going on in Rising's world, by providing more meat to the bare bones story that the main campaign provides in its narrative. I won't spoil it but there's a hilarious conversation between Doktor and Raiden early into the game about "German torture porn." Yes, you read that right. This game is rated Teen and up for a reason!

Now, I've sat here and expressed a lot of the good in the game, but I would not be doing this review justice if I didn't express the good AND the bad. Much like many games in this genre, especially the Ninja Gaiden series, the camera is your worse enemy in this game. There were more times where I died of horrible camera angles and twitchy camera controls during Blade Mode than against anything else in this game. One moment in particular that comes to mind is during R-04 where you have to fight against enemy hordes on the service elevator. Between the enemies in the air and the ones on the ground, the camera goes NUTS on this part in close quarters. During my initial playthrough this section in particular was insanely frustrating, but after my first playthrough, Platinum Games have released a week 1 patch. I have recently breezed through that section during my current second playthrough and didn't run into the issue at all during this section. A new issue arose in its wake where the Ninja Run sections are randomly causing me to fail unexpectedly when I would survive them with ease during my initial playthrough. I have read other players having similar experiences since the week 1 patch, so I'm just wondering if that was at fault or am I merely mistiming my efforts.

Another complaint I have is how sub-weapons deter from the normal gameplay. In Bayonetta, God of War, and even the Devil May Cry series, switching weapons on the fly is the norm. Having to manually shift through a menu and switch weapons is a huge distraction from the chaotic, yet amazing gameplay. It's odd that they would make the game's narrative straight to the point on accessibility but the sub-weapons are treated in that same dated and cluttered system from the Metal Gear Solid series. I must add that the dodge/evade ability that can be purchased is useless for the most part. I suggest not abusing it, because despite of that auto-parry that it has at the end of the side-step animation, you are still highly valuable to taking damage. Sorry, folks, but there's literally no getting around learning how to parry properly in this game.

So... how does it feel to have Doc Ock and Yelena as
parents?

My last complaint comes in the form of the bosses. I'm not saying they are difficult or anything, but it's just that since the original Metal Gear Solid no group of baddies have come close (Okay, okay the Cobra Unit in Snake Eater were pretty bad ass but I'm just biased towards The Boss) to brilliance that was FOXHOUND. Each member of that group were deadly on their own and left their own individual impression on you as you dispatched each one. In Rising, each of the "Winds of Destruction" come off as either very boring or a total letdown from how easy they go down. Mistal was a cheap knock-off of Yelena from Deus Ex: Human Revolution, instead of using firearms she swapped those out for the Doc Ock arms. It was unique that she used them like a whip and polearm in tandem though. Monsoon borrowed his design from both Dynamo from the Megaman X series and Hamushi from the anime Outlaw Star, whereas she had a similar power to his own - the ability to negate incoming attacks with ease due to the aura around her body. I swear, it's a curse that I've played so many games and seen so many animes that a lot of this stuff just looks recycled and cliched to me... Anywho, Sundowner was okay, but Jetstream Sam -- err Samuel Rodriguez (Seriously, whoever came up with his codename needs to be slapped... That sounds like they were naming Mavericks for a new Megaman X title.) was the biggest letdown of them all. The fight against him is literally a cakewalk - let alone we knew that finish was going to happen. So much for the blade making the man, huh Sam? That boss fight alone proved that Raiden's first loss against him was a fluke just because he didn't have the proper upgrades and wasn't mentally prepared to face him. Still, these guys are nowhere as lame as Dead Cell (Solidus doesn't even count that dude was in a league of his own...) was in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. I'll give them that much.

I know I won't get any high regards for this review if I don't mention how insane the last boss of this game is. The guy literally turns into Greed from Fullmetal Alchemist on your ass and it's insanely brutal and difficult. I won't lie - I spent over 30 minutes trying to beat that fool on my first playthrough of the game. Looking back, it's not actually a bad last final boss in terms of design as it contributes and adds to the highly over-the-top nature of this game, but Jesus H. Christ that crap was a brutal, yet satisfying finale to this action-packed title.

With this game fitting into my favorite genre along with my favorite developer, Platinum Games, it's pretty hard for me to judge this game and not be pretty biased. I'll say this much though - if you ever wanted to control one of the Cyborg Ninjas from the Metal Gear Solid series, well this is your golden opportunity. Love him or hate him, there's a lot to enjoy here in Rising as you join Raiden along for the over-the-top ride from start to finish. There's a few glitches/hiccups here and there, but it's not enough to ruin the overall experience. Most long-term Metal Gear Solid players may be alienated towards this title since it's more action-oriented than stealth-oriented and doesn't punish you as much as the latter series would. That being said, the story mode does offer multiple opportunities to exercise stealth over brute force. So don't allow it's action-heavily nature deter you from giving this title a shot.

After weighing the good and the bad, I give this title a 8.25 out of 10. It's a strict rental for casuals and newbies to this genre, but veterans and achievement hunters will be playing this for months on end trying to master everything and collect every collectible and hidden item.

**** BONUS ***As a bit of bonus footage for you guys who prolly haven't Liked the Method To Madness page on Facebook, here's my test footage for my new capture card with a little tidbit of me playing Rising. Enjoy guys. I have a short player guide in the works. It's not going to be a full walkthrough just an assortment of tips and tactics I think all players would benefit from if they expect to master and enjoy this game for the best results. If you guys like this footage, then there's more stuff like it on the way. 

If you guys have any in-depth questions or help with the game, feel free to ask. 

Kid Stuff: My Impressions on the Current Generation of Cartoons

Long time, no chat, ladies and gentlemen... I know I haven't updated the blog much lately, so I figured end this period of inactivity with a topic that has been annoying me for a while now. Sometimes I wake up early enough on the weekends to watch Saturday morning cartoons like I used to as a kid, but more often than not, I end up sleeping in, thanks to my hectic work schedule. Regardless, I manage to find time to YouTube these particular shows and gauge them to being worthy to some of the amazing works of animation that were around in my childhood (80's babies FTW).

Let's get things started shall we? Also be warned, there are some spoilers below.

Ben 10: Omniverse

Plot:

The series follows the adventures of Ben Tennyson, bearer of the Omnitrix, a watch-like device that allows Ben to change into aliens. Storylines alternate between that of eleven-year old Ben (a year after the original series) and sixteen-year old Ben (a few months after Ben 10: Ultimate Alien). After Gwen leaves for college and Kevin leaves to be closer and nearer to her, sixteen-year old Ben gets a new partner, a rookie by-the-book alien Plumber named Rook. On a mission to explore a secret underground alien city named Undertown, Ben explores the quirkier side of things in the alien underground and discovers that enemies from his past are looking for a rematch. All the while, Ben becomes targeted by a mysterious hunter known as Khyber who is working for Malware (a psychotic mutant Galvanic Mechamorph) and Dr. Psychobos (a Cerebrocrustacean mad scientist).

My Thoughts:

I have kept up with Ben 10 since it's debut when Ben was a kid, followed his teenage years in Alien Force and Ultimate Alien - along with Ben's cameos in Generator Rex (another great show from Man of Action - sad to see it end after two seasons though) and the live action, made-for-TV movies. Sadly, Omniverse is where I have to draw the line. I have given the show a fair chance, despite of my personal disgust with this style of animation. I didn't care for it in Teen Titans, REALLY didn't like it in Transformers: Animated, and it just looks beyond stupid here. Characters look half-assed and poorly drawn now when this cartoon used to be only bested by Justice League Unlimited in terms of American animation on Cartoon Network.

I honestly don't understand why the series continues to act like Ben doesn't know how to use the new Omnitrix at all when we have seen him straight-up embarrass Vilgax to the point where even Azmuth was shocked during Ultimate Alien. I understand that this is a new version of the Omnitrix but at the same time, this ongoing joke that Ben is just fumbling around with the device like his 10 yr. old self and getting lucky all the time, somehow making it work out regardless, is really getting old at this point in the franchise. One interesting thing that this series is doing is occasionally turning the clock back for a few flashbacks with 10 yr. old Ben and showing how the past has affected the present day.

But despite its flaws, this show is STILL the Ben 10 that we know and love.

Notable Episodes:

Of Predators and Prey (Part 1 & 2) - These episodes act as the finale to Season 1, fleshing out the entire backstory on the mysterious bounty hunter, Khyber, and the creation of the Nemetrix. I personally found the Nemetrix to be a rather silly concept as the Omnitrix is supposed to have every creature in the universe. So how it is that Azmuth is continuously forgetting to include particular aliens, especially their natural predators? Shows how much of a genius Azmuth is. On the positive side, this is one of the few episodes where Ben isn't goofing up with the new Omnitrix and both Ben and Rook finally manage to work together without it looking like a complete accident.

Many Happy Returns - This episode features the first appearances of both Kevin Levin and Gwen Tennyson in Season 2. I missed having Gwen and Kevin around regularly as I had grown accustomed to their witty banter and remarks while working with Ben full-time in the last two series, so it was a nice breath of fresh air here. But can anyone explain to me why does Kevin look like he's homeless now that's he's older? And we can't forget this episode's abrupt ending that literally leaves you with a huge WTF moment...

Ben Again - Hands down my favorite episode of this series thus far. 10 yr. old Ben and 16 yr. old Ben switched minds and bodies due to the return of Eon. The two Bens must then team up with their respective timelines and rescue Professor Paradox (I really dug the new design for Paradox) before the entire timeline is corrupted beyond repair. 16 yr. old Gwen and 10 yr. Ben's banter was hilarious, despite of the fact that Gwen assumed that she was too mature now to fall for his teasing. It was great to see 10 yr. old Ben mark out over the amount of aliens in the new Omnitrix while 16 yr. old Ben groans at how few he had to work with back then.

From left to right: Aya, Razer, Hal Jordan, and Kilowog. 

Green Lantern: The Animated Series

Plot: 

The series focuses on the adventures of Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern of Sector 2814, and his partner Kilowog. In the first story arc, they battle the series' main antagonists, the Red Lanterns, led by the villain Atrocitus. Atrocitus, seeking revenge on The Guardians of the Universe for destroying his home planet, leads the Red Lanterns against the worlds and Green Lanterns of "Frontier Space." In the second story arc, the primary antagonist becomes the Anti Monitor, controlling an army of Manhunters. Carol Ferris, Salaak, The Guardians of the Universe, Saint Walker, and Zilius Zox serve as supporting characters in the series, and Guy Gardner appeared in the first episode of the second half of the season.

My Thoughts: 

From its start this show has struggled to pick up any momentum, despite of Josh Keaton's stellar voice acting talents at the helm of Hal Jordon himself. The show recycles the same pattern for majority of the series. They land on a random remote planet, get into some hi-jinks with the natives that involves a bit of witty comedy, and ends with them somehow pulling out of the hopeless situations they get into to end the episode with that happily ever after theme. Sadly, when they did trek into darker territory, such as the recent story arc involving the Anti-Monitor and the other Lanterns of color, it's hard to take any of this with a grain of salt.

If the show was given a broader scope and more focus than recycling the same pattern over and over, I could see this being a hit, but as it stands it's a mediocre take on the Green Lantern oriented side of DC Universe.

Noteworthy Episodes:

Heir Apparent - This episode is one of the series' first depths into darker storytelling, showcasing how far a delusional prince (voiced by Will Friedle) will do to obtain power.

Prisoner of Sinestro - This is the first (and possibly only) appearance of Sinestro (voiced by Ron Perlman) in this series, appearing as veteran Green Lantern. There are a few hints here of a possible fall from grace in the future, but sadly we won't be able to see Sinestro turn to the dark side. Warner Bros. has told CN to keep Sinestro good so don't expect to see his turn to evil in this show in the least as this show, along with Young Justice, are set to be strapped later this year for Beware The Batman and Teen Titans, GO!

Love is a Battlefield - The now, emotion-less Aya Monitor returns to the planet of the Star Sapphires and orders that they explain what is the meaning of love and why is it so powerful. When they could not answer her question, she pits the Red Lantern Atrocitus against the human Carol Ferris, who becomes Star Sapphire for the second time in this series. Carol Ferris is voiced by Jennifer Hale. Am I the only one bothered that the Aya Monitor is voiced by Princess Azula (Grey Delisle) from Avatar: The Last Airbender? I just kept thinking that Azula was tormenting people from that series everytime she spoke on this episode...

Princess Azula... err Aya Monitor

The bottom line issue with this show is more with the Green Lantern universe more than the actual show. GL has more lame characters than cooler ones and one thing that irked me from the start of the show was that they constantly threw in more and more modern concepts and ideas into the show and expect it to be a hit for kids without really explaining how all of this works or how is it all connected. It's like throwing shit against the wall and seeing if it sticks or not. Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes worked because they started at the beginning and slowly (well until Season 2...) worked things forward before introducing more modern and familiar flavors into the mix. The Red Lanterns were given the type of presence that the Sinestro Corps were given in comics for years now, then the narrative simply scratches the surface of the other colored Lanterns - a marvel that was truly highlighted in the Blackest Night and Brightest Day story arcs (Seriously, go read the graphic novels) and made them seem stale in comparison to the Green Lanterns in this animated series.

As it stands, this series will have a rather cliched and predictable ending thanks to the budding romance between Razer and Aya. My prediction is that Razer will find a way to subdue his rage from his Red Lantern ring and finally confess his feelings for Aya that somehow snaps her out of the emotionless trace she's in after interfacing with the Anti-Monitor.

Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012)

Plot: 

When ninjutsu master Hamato Yoshi and his four pet turtles are exposed to mutagen (a chemical from another world that transforms anyone who comes in contact with it into mutant creatures), they undergo major physical transformations: Hamato Yoshi becomes a humanoid rat under the name of Splinter and the turtles become human/turtle hybrids. Splinter retreats to the New York City sewers, where he raises the four turtles as his sons and imparts to them his knowledge of ninjutsu.

After venturing to the surface for the first time, the teenage Turtles discover an alien race called the Kraang is planning to take over New York City with their plans involving the same mutagen that created the Ninja Turtles. The Turtles befriend the teenage April O'Neil when she and her father Kirby have been abducted by the Kraang alongside some other captive scientists. While Kirby remains a prisoner of the Kraang, April becomes an ally of the Turtles as they help her to find out where the Kraang have taken her father.
The Turtles also learn that the Shredder is leading the Foot Clan into tracking down Splinter and his sons to put an end to their clan.

My Thoughts: 

I won't lie when I saw the initial previews for this reboot for the TMNT franchise I literally cringed. But after seeing it and keeping up with its run thus far, it's not so bad. It has the campy/kiddy feel of the 90s original series, while incorporating some of the seriousness from the 2003 series. For what it's worth, this is a stellar homage to the original series that most of us grew up on.

Noteworthy Episodes:

New Girl in Town & The Alien Agenda - These two episodes feature the debut of Karai (voiced by Kelly Hu), the Shredder's daughter who was a popular - and my personal favorite - character from the 2003 series and appeared in the CGI animated TMNT movie. Karai is essentially the same in this series as her previous iterations. She is fiercely loyal to her father, yet driven by her own code of honor, which causes her to see eye-to-eye with Leonardo on several occasions. It can be debated whether or not their relationship is a romantic one or one of just respect between warriors. In this series, it seems that Karai and Leonardo have a Batman/Catwoman-like dynamic. She is a bad girl that he only wishes to covert to his side of good while she wants him to join her style of mischief. Only time will tell if they are going to make this relationship between them more deep or merely teasing. I really don't like her character design in this series at all. She just looks like skinny girl with bad make-up trying to cosplay as Shredder.

Another reason these two episodes stuck out to me was that they cover a topic that was addressed in the TMNT film. Raphael and Leonardo were always butting heads at leadership, so Leonardo grew fed up of making all of the hard decisions and their roles reversed. Raph led the team against Snakeweed while Leo recklessly played a game of cat and mouse with Karai. Both eventually realized that they were in over their heads.

Power Rangers: Megaforce 

Plot:

When the evil Warstar aliens attack Earth, the supernatural guardian Gosei and his faithful robot assistant Tensou recruit five teenagers with attitude to combat the invading forces. Equipped with powers that grant them mastery over martial arts and other forms of combat, the teenagers transform into the latest champions of good: The Power Rangers Megaforce.

The show will be part of the Power Rangers 20th anniversary. Kidscreen reported that Megaforce will feature "the return of many historic Rangers." Megaforce uses footage, costumes, and props from the Japanese Super Sentai Series Tensou Sentai Goseiger.

My Thoughts:

Go ahead and laugh. I'll admit it - I still watch Power Rangers after all of these years. Hell, I still read comics, watch anime/cartoons, and play video games, so I don't see what's the big deal. Now that's over with, let's discuss this series. Hot off the heels of Power Rangers Super Samurai's finale, this series acts as Saban's 20th anniversary celebration. This series definitely has quite a few nods to the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, with Gosei acting as the Zordon-like figure, and the respective Rangers all from various sects of the local high school. (Laughing) At least the color schemes aren't as racist as the originals were...

First of all, I have to say I freakin' love the costume designs. It's a great throwback to the original series, yet at the same time, they don't look as ridiculous as some of the other season's outfits (I'm looking at you guys in Lightspeed Rescue...). Its going to take a while for that card loading device to grow on me, though. I thought the card game fad died after Yu-Gi-OH! and Digimon Tamers lost their momentum a few years back? Without any spoilers, the series begins with a teaser of a great war that brings back ALL of the previous seasons of Rangers for a final battle to save Earth. How they are going to pull that shit off is beyond me, but I'm anxious to see them pull it off. Then the Zords are something else to behold here too as it seems like there will be a LOT of them like how Operation Overdrive had a full army of Zords by the end. I did have to laugh that the Gosei Great Megazord pretty much rips off a few of Voltron's signature moves, especially the Lion Heads Attack. Last but not least, the weapons are hit or miss here. It's either you're going to love them or hate them. I personally find them to be as lame as the weapons from Turbo and Wild Force that just served as mere appetizers to the Rangers' combination weapon. In this season, it's a huge throwback to the original as their weapons unite into a huge crossbow and they take the same iconic pose before firing in unison.

Since this series is still fairly new, there's no noteworthy episodes to check out, but definitely give this season a chance, whether you're a long-time fan or just a fan of the original series. There's something for everyone to enjoy here.

Transformers: Prime

Plot:

Set in the timeline after the novels and video games preceding the television series, Prime began with a five-part mini-series titled "Darkness Rising", which served to introduce the main characters and provide a back story on the Transformers and their war.

Mini-Series

In Jasper, Nevada, three young humans, Jack Darby, Miko Nakadai, and Rafael Esquivel, are accidentally caught in the crossfire in a fight between enormous robots that transform into vehicles. They are taken to the base of the heroic Autobots, where their leader Optimus Prime explains that he and his team are from the planet Cybertron. As it turns out, the Autobots had a devastating war against the ruthless Megatron and his followers, the Decepticons long ago on Cybertron. While this is going on, Megatron returns from a three year long exile in deep space, bringing with him Dark Energon, a substance able to revive the dead and he sets out to raise an army of the undead and conquer Earth. In the conclusion to Darkness Rising, Megatron is seen in front of the Space Bridge waiting for his army of the undead to come through it; however, the Space Bridge explodes, and Megatron is seen no more. During this mini-series, Arcee's partner, Cliffjumper is killed in the first episode, setting the tone for the series.

Season 1

After Megatron's supposed death during the explosion that destroyed the Decepticons' Space Bridge, Starscream assumes his master's leadership. But Megatron is found barely alive in the wreckage of the Space Bridge. Megatron remained in stasis for a portion of the first season until he returned to power. New characters are introduced such as Bulkhead's best friend, Wheeljack, a former member of a group of Autobots called Wreckers, Silas, leader of a group of human villains known as MECH, and the Decepticons known as Skyquake, Makeshift, Knock Out, Breakdown, and Airachnid. At the end of the season, the Autobots form an uneasy alliance with Megatron when Earth is threatened by an ancient enemy from the past called Unicron the Chaos Bringer. With the power of the Matrix of Leadership, Earth is saved from Unicron's dark powers. But there comes a price. When Optimus surrenders the Matrix, he loses more than the collective wisdom of the Primes. He loses his own memory of his life as a Prime and reverts to his original identity of Orion Pax.

Season 2

Following the events of the finale of the first season, Optimus, as Orion, is converted into a Decepticon when Megatron takes advantage of his amnesia. Jack goes on a mission to help the Autobots restore Optimus's memory and they eventually succeed. With his memory restored, Optimus regains the power of the Matrix as well as his leadership of the Autobots. The main theme for the rest of the season is the discovery of ancient relics from Cybertron buried on Earth with the Transformers fighting over each new discovery which ultimately leads their battle all the way back to Cybertron. New characters introduced in the second season include a young Autobot named Smokescreen, Optimus's old mentor, the archivist known as Alpha Trion, Optimus's evil twin, Nemesis Prime, and the Decepticons known as Shockwave and Dreadwing as well as a swarm of Insecticons.

Season 3

At the New York Comic Con on October 21, 2012 Transformers: Prime: Beast Hunters was revealed, and is set to be released in Spring 2013. The season will begin with the Autobots recovering following the Decepticons' attack on their base. It will also feature the Autobots having to face a new beast-like Decepticon called Predaking and the return of Shockwave. A recent trailer reveals that Shockwave will create the Predacons, but will lose control over them, and the Predacons will come to Earth to hunt the Autobots one by one. This will be the show's final season.

My Thoughts:

I have honestly only have seen only a few episodes of this series here and there, but from what I have seen it's not as bad as I thought it was going to be after getting Transformers: Animated out of my mouth. Before I get a torrent of hatemail on my wall, hear me out on Animated. I understand it was supposed to be campy but like I mentioned above in the Omniverse write-up, I really can't get behind that type of animation style. When it comes to Transformers, my love goes to Beast Wars: Transformers first as I hold that series to the highest then G1 Transformers, followed by everything else. Animated lost cool points to me as it was more focused on cheap cameos (Sentinel Prime, Ultra Magnus, Jetfire, Soundwave, Dinobots, Constructicons, etc.) and lame revamps of established fan favorites, such as Black Arachnia and Waspinator, who both literally had NOTHING to do with G1 Transformers. I get that those characters are popular after Beast Wars but that's no reason to just whore them out in this series. That goes double for Starscream's treatment in that series. He was literally god-tier at one point thanks to the AllSpark fragment. But I will say the coolest and most original thing to come out of Animated was Blitzwing and his three personalities. That was awesome, freaky, and hilarious at the same time. Why didn't they do more with that character in that series is beyond me.

Okay, enough about Animated, onto Prime. This series uses some of the same character designs but its in a CG cartoon rather than being drawn by hand. This series marks the return of Peter Cullen (the original legendary Optimus Prime voice) to the franchise, helming Prime for the time in animation for over two decades. I'm aware that he did the live action films but those don't essentially count. From the few episodes I have watched of this series, I noticed that they have a healthy balance of the the human element (the kids that are only there as a means of identification for younger viewers), action, and storytelling. It seems that the story uses some points from the Transformers lore from over the years but manages to interpret it via their own means. I will continue to keep this series under a microscope until I can garner a worthy opinion on it in its entirety.

Ultimate Spider-Man (Season 2)

Plot: 

Season One

As the series begins, Peter Parker has been Spider-Man for one year. He has saved lives and fought supervillains, but he is still in the process of learning how to be a superhero. Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. offers Peter the chance to train to be a real superhero and become "The Ultimate Spider-Man". However, beforehand Peter will have to learn how to work with a team of four fellow teenage superheroes. The teen heroes Spider-Man will be teaming up with are Nova, White Tiger, Iron Fist, and Power Man.

Season Two

Following the fight with the Green Goblin which resulted in the destruction of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, Spider-Man's team ends up staying at Peter Parker's house. The first four episodes of the season feature the first appearances in this series of Lizard, Electro, Rhino, and Kraven the Hunter. Episode 5 features a team-up with the Avengers and Episode 6 the first appearance of the Sinister Six, which consists of Lizard, Electro, Rhino, Kraven the Hunter, Beetle, and Doctor Octopus.

My Thoughts:

(Whistles) Where to begin on this, shall we? I was a HUGE fan of Spectacular Spider-Man and was pretty bummed out when it was cancelled abruptly. When I heard they were replacing it with this series on Disney XD's Marvel Comics' oriented programming block, I was anxious to see the results. This show sacrifices majority of its time allowing Spidey (voiced by Drake Bell) to break the 4th wall like he's Deadpool or She-Hulk only to cut jokes and talk to the viewers. The results of these attempts to be funny fail hard most of the time and when the series takes the opportunity to take itself seriously, it's hard to when every 2-5 minutes Spidey has to kill the mood by breaking the 4th wall. Sure, I get Spidey's a wise guy and I love that about him, but he seriously needs to leave breaking the 4th wall to Deadpool and She-Hulk and just stick to his witty banter.

I really don't see the point of Spidey having a team as the episodes where he has solo adventures are the more enjoyable ones. Power Man and Iron Fist haven't really been relevant for years, save for Iron Fist's stellar solo comic series and that Heroes for Hire series a while back. I'm familiar with the original White Tiger, who was a male, and everything he could do Black Panther, Black Cat, or Tigra does a hundred times better. A female White Tiger's talents are totally wasted here when Black Cat would have been a much more entertaining reoccurring character. Then that dork Nova is Marvel's answer to the Green Lantern Corps. I can't knock them for that as DC has been stealing ideas from Marvel for years and vice versa. My guess is Marvel wants kids to be a bit more familiar with Nova as I'm sure he will have a part to play in the Guardians of the Galaxy film that is set to arrive in the near future.

Noteworthy Episodes: 

Doomed - Spidey and his team are anxious to catch their first big major villain and decide to travel to Latveria and take on the biggest baddie himself, Dr. Doom. Things get hairy back on the SHIELD Helicarrier when it becomes apparent that Dr. Doom allowed them to capture one of his Doombots instead of himself willingly. This is one of the first occasions where Spidey and his comrades work together effectively.

Home Sick Hulk - After being infected by the Phalanx, Spidey brings Hulk home to help him recover but the episode turns into a hilarious romp of Spidey racing to both the ailing Hulk and Aunt May's needs. Out of all of the comedy in this series so far, this episode was the funniest from start to finish. Call me biased towards the Hulk, but I was rolling off this one.

The Rise of the Goblin - Spidey and his SHIELD buddies are no match for Green Goblin (who looks like the Hulk wearing Stark designed battle armor in this version) but things turn for the worse when Venom joins the fight as well. This chaotic encounter serves as the finale to Season 1. It's an interesting take on how Spidey deals with two of his worst enemies at the same time, but at the same time, this episode proves that Spidey's allies are really no help to him at all. He spends majority of the episode saving them from harm, rather them providing him proper back-up against this combined threat.

The Sinister Six - Spider-Man is trapped with six of his most dangerous foes, including Rhino, Kraven the Hunter, Beetle, Lizard, Electro, and Doctor Octopus. This is hands-down the most rushed and biggest clusterfuck version of the Sinister Six in any Spidey-related animation to date. The Beetle is more of an Ironman villain than a Spider-Man one (even though he was part of that Deadly Foes of Spider-Man series), Lizard proved to be too feral for even Doc Ock to control, then Rhino, Kraven, and Electro seem to not to understand the concept of teamwork in this series at all. You gotta love the ending taken straight out of the X-Men (90's Fox Kids series) episode dubbed "Cold Comfort" where the X-Men face against Forge's X-Factor. The good guys are overwhelmed by their opponents until someone (in this case, Spidey) gets the eureka moment to tell everyone to switch opponents. It's pathetic that most of the time Spidey has to tell his SHIELD buddies literally how to exactly use their own damn powers.

Young Justice: Invasion

Plot: 

The show corresponds to the present time of our world, a time period Vietti has called "a new age of heroes".

The pilot episode (later re-broadcast as the opening two episodes of season 1) aired a month prior to the debut of the regular series and introduced four characters: Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, and Speedy. It established their desire for greater recognition and respect, namely, a promotion from sidekicks to full-fledged superheroes. Met with opposition from their respective mentors in the Justice League, Batman, Aquaman, Flash, and Green Arrow, the protégés react in different ways. Speedy resigns from being Green Arrow's partner and begins calling himself Red Arrow. The others seek to persuade their mentors of their worth by secretly taking on a Justice League mission to investigate the Cadmus building. During their infiltration of Cadmus' headquarters, the three heroes find a clone of Superman named Superboy. After the discovery, the team finds out Cadmus is creating living weapons called Genomorphs. The episode deals with this revelation, the origin of Superboy, and how this relates to a mysterious group of people called the Light. In the end, Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, and Superboy negotiate with Batman to organize a covert operations team as a practical contrast to the Justice League, whose celebrity status makes it difficult to maintain secrecy or initiate stealth operations. After consulting with his colleagues, Batman establishes Young Justice in a secret cave located inside a former Justice League headquarters, Mount Justice, a hollowed-out mountain. Here the teens are trained and mentored by the Justice League. Miss Martian makes an appearance at the end of the episode and joins as the fifth member.

Continuity

Although Young Justice follows a continuity considerably different from that of the mainstream DC Universe, Greg Weisman has stated that the series covers its early stages. Earth-16 was chosen by DC Entertainment for the show because it was largely untapped, freeing the series and its franchise from established continuity restraints set by either the main DC Universe or other worlds in the Multiverse.

There are differences in the line-up of this Young Justice team as compared to the team in the comic series of the same name. Dick Grayson and Wally West were chosen over Tim Drake and Bart Allen/Impulse. Miss Martian was added because the date of her arrival to Earth could still fit in the early DC Universe concept. Aqualad, as opposed to Robin, is established in the beginning as the leader of the team.

Furthermore, the Aqualad presented in the show is an entirely new character created by Weisman and Vietti, with Bourassa responsible for the original character design. Arrowette was replaced by Artemis because of the producers' desire to focus on the latter's storylines. Some of the Young Justice characters' ages are tweaked from those of their original counterparts; however, the spirit and intent of the characters are said to be kept.

Characters who are a part of the line-up in the comic will also make an appearance in the show. This includes Garth, the first incarnation of Aqualad who later becomes the third Tempest in DC Comics; Arrowette, the archer of the team in the Young Justice comic book series; and Wonder Girl, whose legal issues originally prohibited the producers from using the character but later allowed her to be included. In the show, Garth features as the best friend of Aqualad/Kaldur'ahm.

My Thoughts: 

I'm just going to go ahead and say it. This show is a clusterfuck. Season 1 had that kick ass intro and perfect sense of pacing - stealth covert missions that slowly cracked the surface of a bigger picture of what was going on behind the scenes with the major big baddies, dubbed The Light, as The Team had a mole among their ranks. By the time the "truth" was revealed about the mole, Season 1 really brought things together nicely and showed that Young Justice could hold a candle to Justice League Unlimited's legacy.

But then we had the 5 year time jump after the finale of Season 1 to start things off with Season 2. Season 2 took the idea that JLU did with it's second season and introduced a ton of new (both popular and lesser known) heroes and heroines into the mix. The sad thing here is that it's a mixed reaction. On some episodes, it's pretty cool to see many and diverse sets of heroes working together (even with the League on a few occasions), but at the same time, viewers aren't allowed to see some of these characters more than others for they can truly invest in whether or not they actually like them. I honestly didn't see a reason to include the ENTIRE Bat family (Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl) on a particular mission just for fan service and that goes double for the episode where Impulse comes from the future to team up with every modern day Flash (Silver Age Flash, Flash, and Kid Flash) in the present. Other episodes proved to have some interesting team-ups between the teenage counterparts of DC's flagship characters, such as the all-female squad undergoing a covert mission on their own.

Without spoiling anything, I just hope that this concept with multiple "moles" within The Light doesn't fizzle out into a less than stellar ending. After the end of the first season, Young Justice has to continue to set the bar high if they expect to leave Cartoon Network with a notable impact like Justice League Unlimited did.

Noteworthy Episodes: 

Usual Suspects - The "mole" is finally revealed as The Team takes down several big players within The Light. After this episode, it seems that there won't be anymore secrets between these young heroes. This episode really shines as one of the best in Season 1 as it brings all of these secrets and hidden agendas that have been stirring throughout the entire season and finally brings them to the light - literally.

Auld Acquaintance - It's The Team vs. the brainwashed Justice League and by far some of the best fights in this series to date. My personal favorite was the tag team match between Robin and Superboy against Batman and Superman. Any comic book fan will mark the fuck out during that one. This episode acts as the finale to Season 1.

Beneath - Miss Martian leads an all-female team (Batgirl, Wonder Girl, and Bumblebee) to Bialya to investigate Queen Bee (her psychic powers have no effect on women), but run into Psimon instead. In a subplot, Blue Beetle is searching for the whereabouts of his friend Tye who has ranaway from home, but everything is not what it seems. Girl power proves to be more than enough to get the job done on this episode as the Alpha Team even renders Nightwing speakless at one point. It is reminiscient to the "Girl Fight" episode of JLU whereas Huntress and Black Canary are given the spotlight for the entire episode with the other girls of the League (Fire, Vixen, Hawkgirl, and Wonder Woman) against Roulette and her newest attraction, the Glamour Slam.

Depths - Due to Nightwing's request, Artemis (now Kid Flash's girlfriend) returns to active duty. Unfortunately for The Team, Kaldur (now turned traitor as he has allied with his father, Black Manta). The reveal of Manta being Kaldur's dad wasn't really a shock for anyone who has read the comics prior to this series coming to fruition, but the death at the end of this episode would have had a LOT more impact if they didn't explain that it was a charade immediately afterwards. This is exactly when I felt Season 2 dropped the ball.

War - Mongul (voiced by Keith David) arrives to Earth as it's savior - meaning that he's going to destroy it with his War World. The Team infiltrates War World while the Justice League keeps War World distracted. Just as everything seems to be going just fine, the deception that we all knew was coming occurs at the

Complications - The depths of Kaldur, Miss Martian, and Tigress' deception escalates into a huge potential mess as Chesire and Sportsmaster sneak onto Black Manta's submarine while Deathstroke has them all underneath the microscope, watching and studying their every move.

I have to admit, Deathstroke looks pretty bad ass on this show. At least CN is past the point of thinking it's in bad taste to call him Slade instead of Deathstroke since this is supposed to be a kids' show.

Sym-Bionic Titan

Summary: 

Billed as "an exciting hybrid of high school drama and giant robot battles", Sym-Bionic Titan features "the adventures of three beings from the planet Galaluna who crash-land on Earth while attempting to escape their war-torn world." The series follows the lives of Ilana, Lance, and Octus, two alien teens and a robot in the form of humanoids who arrive on Earth, an "identical" planet to Galaluna, while fleeing an evil general who has taken over their home planet with the help of monstrous creatures called Mutraddi.

The three main characters include Ilana, princess of the royal family; Lance, a rebellious but capable soldier; and Octus, a bio-cybernetic robot, all of whom must now blend into everyday life in Sherman, Illinois. Posing as high school students, Lance and Octus work to conceal Princess Ilana from General Modula and his hideous space mutants sent to kill the sole heir of Galaluna. When called into battle, the Galalunans are outfitted with individual armor that provides more than ample protection. It is when the gravest of danger appears that Octus activates the sym-bionic defense program and he, Ilana, and Lance unite "Heart, Body and Mind" and come together to form the spectacular cyber-giant Sym-Bionic Titan.

My Thoughts:

Sym-Bionic Titan, along with Thundercats (2011) are currently being shown in reruns on Cartoon Network's Toonami block on Saturday nights. Genndy Tartakovsky's works seem to suffer this same problem - they die out before people treasure them for the rare gems that they are. It happened to Dexter's Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls, Samurai Jack, and ultimately to Sym-Bionic Titan as well. Much like with Samurai Jack, I would love to pick Genndy's brain and ask him how he would end both of these series if he was given a platform to do so.

Noteworthy Episodes:

Lessons in Love - When Kimmy the cheerleader comes over to study, she strongly becomes romantically infatuated with Octus' human student disguise. Meanwhile, Lance and Ilana encounter a manta-like Mutraddi creature that is absorbing electrical energy that also causes their armor activators/communicators to shut down.

This episode is hilarious on how Octus copes with the complexities of trying to tutor the prima donna, Kimmy. This episode serves as the first of many episodes where the trio begin to attach to the Earthlings romantically.

Fortress of Deception - When Lance and Ilana are captured by G3, Octus has to discover the location of their base. Meanwhile Ilana and Lance are locked up in some sort of Galalunian-like cell at the G3 base. When Lance is taken in to be interrogated Ilana meets a seemingly fellow prisoner, Lance takes a beating from his interrogator and breaks out to get Ilana. They all run to get out and after being reunited with their communicators and Octus, they form Titan and break free.

This episode serves as our first in-depth look at the mysterious G3 organization. I still think that Lance's so-called deceased father is backing them from behind the scenes somehow. That would only explain how these guys have Galalunian training. At least we got to see what Solomon looks like without all of that gear on...

Escape from Galaluna - Another flashback episode showing the invasion of Mutraddi on Galaluna and Ilana, Lance, and Octus's escape. Ilana attends the opening of a school in a tribal region of Galaluna with her guardian, Hobbes. Meanwhile, Lance goes on a mission to rescue hostages from an observatory. His commander tells him to return to his post, but sneaks in to the observatory as the Muddradi Leader was talking to Modula (unbeknown to Lance) and Lance was imprisoned for getting the hostages killed (even though they were beforehand). Meanwhile, the King is seen finishing building Octus. The invasion occurs and Hobbes is injured and returns Ilana to the palace with both of them alive, and Lance's commander is revealed to be a traitor for Modula. Lance kills his former commander after a long sword fight and events lead up to how the trio arrived on earth in the pilot episode.

This episode is my personal favorite as we get a look at how things went to hell on Galaluna. I honestly think that this should have been the first episode instead being 16 episodes into the series, but it was worth the wait.

A New Beginning - In this unofficial series finale, General Steel launches an all-out assault on G3's mobile airship base with his new Hammer robot, and it's up to Lance and Ilana to stop it. The battle is soon interrupted when three Mutraddi monsters attack three parts of the world simultaneously. During the battle, the mysterious leader of G3 revives Octus and they reform Titan, defeating all three monsters. At the end of the day Octus sends Kimmy a text that he will be home soon.

This was a sad way for the series to come to its impromptu ending, but it seems that the trio have more allies on Earth than they originally though. I really hope this series garners enough interest in reruns to convince the creators to bring it back for a second season.

Chronicles of a Fed-Head: The Rise & Fall of ZXWWF -- CHAPTER 3: DECEPTION

One thing I want to get across before I get to the straight ugly of my e-federation is that despite all of this negativity underneath the surface that I'm positive that bulk of my members never saw come to light, was that there was a lot of good to overshadow it. Much like my RL demeanor, I rather bottle up and dust the bad underneath the rug and focus on the good. I didn't allow what was happening behind the scenes affect what good the 'good eggs' were doing on the surface and consistently made sure they were enjoying themselves in my e-federation.

Writing something like this is hard, you know? It's hard because you're going to hurt a lot of people's feelings when you tell the truth of the matter on all of these events that they thought they knew so well and in turn, it may open up new wounds of hostility towards me and towards others, while continuing to pour salt into existing ones. I know that I haven't said it in the previous chapters, but I'm going to say it again - no, several more times by the time this chronicle is over, but to my former ZXWWF members, from the bottom of my heart, I am sorry.

(Sighs) Okay, let's get these last two chapters over with shall we?

CHAPTER THREE -- DECEPTION

Lesson 9: A simple measuring stick for your success as a fed-head is the amount of people in your fed truly feel like extensions of your own family.

June 24, 2007 -- That was a day that hit every wrestling fan, small to large, in a major way - otherwise known as the date of Chris Benoit's death. At the time, he was a NPC, holding one of ZXWWF's major titles on it's 3rd brand that was ironically like ECW dubbed XHE or "Xtremely Hardcore Experience". I know, it sounds cheesy. Let me remind you, I'm the same guy who is still a fan of the cheesiness that is anime and more notably Power Rangers. After the news got out to what really happened, I was expecting my forum to blow up like the rest of the internet wrestling community at the time and constantly be split down the middle between name calling and verbally assaulting each other while arguing whether or not this man should be remembered more as the wrestler we know him as or the murderer he left this world as. Instead, this marked one of the first occasions that my members came together as a family.

We are all wrestling fans - that's how we knew this man and despite the way how his life ended, we all agreed to remember Chris Benoit, the wrestler. I don't know about the rest of my members, but I know I damn sure have an arsenal of personal demons, so who am I to judge another man's psychological burdens?

Fast forward a few more years in ZXWWF. It's near the end of 2008 and we have a rather solid roster from top to bottom - equal amounts of guys and girls (I dunno what it is about e-feds attracting more reliable girls than guys during my experiences...) committing themselves into interesting feuds and rivalries.

For guys, we had Shia Storm (more on him in a bit...), Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin), Marcus Brett (who Kirsten swears I jobbed him out personally for a reason. Here's the truth - it's not my fault your CAW sucked, dude.), Samoa Joe, James Storm (his handler was a girl though), Chris Jericho (Jiancy aka leader of the High Rollers), Dean Maddoxxx, Kane, The Undertaker, Eric Reeves, Age of the Fall (Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black), Victor Philips, just to name a few.

For the girls, we had April Hunter (Lina switched from Ashley Massaro for a heavy hitter for the time being...), Hard Candy (Lali Pop & Candy Cane; Mrscenabatista's deceased friend and the handler Jira playing Miss Welsh from Rumble Roses), Blonde Ambition (I mentioned them in the previous chapter), Angelic Insanity (this team was nearing their last run together after so long being a team...), Raven, Kirsten, Cheerleader Melissa, Tina Angel (and her multiple personality syndrome...), Aimee Vaughan, Debra, Candice Michelle, Shantelle Taylor, Victoria, Ivory, just to name a few.

Lesson 10: As the fed-head of your federation, you gotta know when and where to take a dive for your members to make them look better.

It disgusts me to this day to hear that the following came out of Kirsten's mouth after leaving ZXWWF, "ZX did nothing but hold people back and got off watching them fail." Okay, allow me to quote Jeff Jarrett for a second and say, "Let's pull the curtain back and show what's this REALLY about..."

Kirsten was upset that Marcus Brett (her then-boyfriend) and Nicole (her sister) didn't amount to her level of success in ZXWWF. Nicole barely roleplayed or contributed at all outside of acting as a backstage interviewer while Justice carried her through the Women's Tag Team division on her heels of success. When Angelic Insanity split up, Nicole quickly became irrelevant without clinging to someone else. Marcus Brett had a few notable feuds while bouncing between divisions and even held some singles gold, so I don't really see what is there to whine about. Did I have anything against any of them? No, not at all, but apparently, they all had a bone to pick with me one way or another. Plus, I'm positive, much like with Mrscenabatista, she was prolly handling all of their so-called accounts anyway, along with her friends' in the fed's accounts.

Cute, but that looked like
a bad wig from Lady GaGa's
yard sale...

Like I mentioned before, Pinky (my nickname for Kirsten since her character dyed her hair pink to step away from the Lita wannabe remarks... And people say Mariah having purple hair was absurd...) was pissed that her then-boyfriend Marcus Brett was on a losing streak - bad. To be honest, I didn't notice it until he brought it up jokingly. So, if you guys want to say it was intentional go for it. I don't give a damn anymore. Besides, if  you're in e-feds wondering about your win/lose record then you have chosen the wrong hobby buddy. But like a good fed-head, I sought to remedy his losing streak and go him and myself (ZX) involved in the feud for the Vixen Championship that Kirsten and Mariah were feuding over at the time. The match I had in mind was a Glass Tables Match at the Summertime Suffering 2008 PPV. TNA Wrestling had used it a few weeks prior and I thought it would be a good way to draw interest in the feud since things got that extreme. Weeks prior to the event, I told Kirsten straight up that I would job for them in the match. Kirsten replied to me via PM said she was in tears in disbelief that I would do something that big for them. So I'm like no big deal. We would work the idea around that. Mind you, ZX is my staple character and was no stranger to being main event status. They won the match at my expense as I even kept my character out on injury status to pour more salt in the wound. Kirsten and Mariah continued to feud until the next PPV, with Mariah vowing revenge for what happened to ZX. I even got Nicole involved before the PPV, having her state how 'disgusted' she was with her sister's heel behavior in kayfabe to add more sting to the match. Eventually, we got Kirsten's long-time nemesis, Raven, into the mix and we really had all eyes on the Vixen division. Just when people thought it would end, we added Cheerleader Melissa (handled by Jasmine) into the mix. After all of that build-up, I had Mariah drop the title to Cheerleader Melissa, instead of Kirsten. That's the REAL reason why she was upset - Melissa walked out of the winner with the gold after this long feud and not her. Did I do it out of spite towards Kirsten? No, that wasn't it at all. Cheerleader Melissa and Samoa Joe were on a strong debut of dominance as they were reestablishing themselves after being neglected and ignored in storylines and I felt it was more appropriate to award Melissa's handler for her hard work. Besides, if you look in the record books, Kirsten ends up toppling her for the gold at 'Mania IV that year anyway.

Well, since we're on the subject... Out of all of the ZXWWF 'Mania events, I have to say that ZXWWF 'Mania IV was my favorite for a lot of reasons, in no particular order:

Note: These are only a FEW of the reasons why I liked this PPV the most, not all of them.

1) I was able to give Shia Storm a proper send-off/retirement match.

One of the longest members to stay on the roster of my e-federations is an individual known to many as Shia Storm (known now as Double S), but a truly loyal individual nonetheless. Shia Storm has stood by me throughout all of my flops and failures as a fed-head and continues to be with me today in my current e-federation. That act alone has earned my utmost respect, let alone that he has never caused me any trouble and made the best of whatever angle, storyline, or absurd angle I stuck him with.

He was growing tired of e-feds after his experiences in other federations outside of my own, but I personally felt that I owed it to him to provide him with a decent match for his bow off the stage. He never asked for anything and didn't cause me nor his fellow members any ounce of grief but was continuously loyal, even to this day. The least I could do is give this guy a match against one of his favorite opponents, Dean Maddoxxx, who has the same track record as Shia. I saw their final match as a passing of the torch in a sense. Both of those individuals have stuck with me from the beginning and saw my little e-fed start from mere nothing to blossom and thrive on its own.

2) Mariah, Amanda, and Amberz were all on the same page like the sisters they are and earned a win against  MsChif, Chyna, and Sensational Mary.

People still ask me to this day, "Why did you decide to make Amanda, Amberz, and Mariah sisters?" I already saw Amberz' handler, Amber, to be like a sister - when she was around anyway. She had that habit of popping in and out unexpectedly after taking a long periods of time away from the federation, but still she never caused me any grief or started any drama in the federation, so she was cool to have around. We cooked up the silly idea that Amber would debut as Mariah's younger sister that she clearly instructed to stay at home and stay away from the rough life of being a wrestler. Of course, being stubborn like her older sister, Amber wanted to prove herself worthy of following in Mariah's footsteps. Amber was never around long enough to make an impact, but this one match was special that we were all able to share this victory together. This might be the last time the sisters might be in the ring together as I have no idea where Amber is nowadays. Amber, if you're reading this, then I have one message for you: God bless you and take care of yourself on your journey called life.

Now, why Amanda? That's a funny subject. Amanda's character always intrigued me since the Diva Search she debuted in and it was a honor to see the character grow over the years in my federation. Amanda's handler is actually German, so Amanda pretty much learned English as a 2nd language while participating in ZXWWF. I know the other members gave her a hard time about the grammar and spelling over the years, but while Amanda would contribute to just about everything that took place on the fed - ranging from promos, match roleplays, and even the dating roleplays - she never did any harm to anyone out-of-character (OOC) and I respected that. Amber and I already were having fun with our "Sister, Sister" storyline (see Mariah's wiki for details), so I figured a curveball would make things interesting. Besides, if any of Chuckles' brotherly knowledge rubbed off on me about telling stories in e-feds, I learned that you have to have that wildcard element to break up that predictability in your angle and keep people interested. Revealing that Mariah's family wasn't so perfect was a hit too, as I revealed that their father had an affair with Amanda's mother so they were all sisters by blood by relation of the same father. In the end, their mutual father had passed away recently (that's why Amberz urged to reunite with MiMi to tell her the news) while Amanda's died giving birth her, but despite all of that betrayal, Mariah and Amberz' mother accepted Amanda into their family as her own. I know it sounds cheesy, but at the time, Amanda's character has been depicted as heartless and almost a maniac at times. Hell, some of the members were actually literally scared of her OOC because of how violent she was in matches. Here, I felt like I was able to repay Amanda for her loyal dedication in the federation and gave her the humanizing element she needed to balance her out. I won't take all the credit on that one. Gabriel Wingue was the one who took her to the next level when he proposed to her. Look that one up in the ZXWWF archives, ha! Gabe, dude, I swear you need to give e-fedding one more last hurrah before you hang it up for good.

3) Ultimate Stratusfaction (Trish Stratus & Raven) ended the death grip that The Beautiful People (Angelina Love & Velvet Sky) had on the Women's Tag Team Championships for almost the entire year. I won't sit here and discredit TBP's handler as she was superb at what she everything she did, but I was starting to lose hope that the other girls would stop rising to the challenge and I could tell that TBP were getting bored without any challenges. Mrscenabatista (Trish Stratus) and Katrena (Raven) had an everlasting feud with Trish and Raven due to their similarities - it's a given since they were carbon copies of each other. Sue me, I can't stand Trish Stratus IRL, but in e-feds, Mrscenabatista was one of the few handlers that made me actually enjoy seeing her bring Trish's unique heel charm to the action. In my eyes, this wasn't a win for neither team, this was a win for the entire women's tag team division as there was new blood and new interest in the title scene.

The PhotoShopped Image that
started the heated rivalry for the
affections of MCMG between
Aimee and Melina.

4) Shine It On Me's Amiee Vaughan character single-handedly broke up the happy home that was the relationship between the MCMG and Melina. I suggested the pairing out of sarcasm when ZXWWF had this ongoing theme of far too many women and platforms for them to participate in. In response, a lot of the girls took to managing and valeting some of the other guys who needed a push or had similar gimmicks/interests. I figured Melina has that paparazzi gimmick and Alex Shelley had the ongoing Paparazzi Productions gimmick going on in TNA at the time, so why not? Apparently, Adam (MCMG's handler) and Mrscenabatista (Melina's handler) loved it so they went nuts with the idea. As a result, it got sickening from how mushy they were making the relationship/bound with between them that it was borderline out of kayfabe at times and just pure fangirl having her way with them.

Enter Shine It On Me. Justine (Shine It On Me) was an unique case all on her own. I originally met her through Caws.ws when I first started ZXWWF and asked her permission to use a few of her original CAWs (Delta Madison & Miss Liz) as NPCs in the fed starting out. Time had passed and she finally had free time to take the helms and try ZXWWF for herself. Currently, Justine and I have had a falling out of sorts, but during this time, we were on the same page. She was silly, yet an all-around good girl to get along with. She just seemed to allow a lot of the MTV Real World-esque drama that seemed to be driving several members' angles to annoy her - a LOT. From my perspective, it seemed like she had a personal vendetta to end this melodrama. Naturally, Mrscenabatista was the queen of these kind of angles at the time with her 'fanclub' of followers (more on the Fanclub in detail in a bit...) egging her on. The feud lasted for the last few months, ending here with Aimee Vaughan coming out on top. I'm sure Mrscenabatista thought I was playing favorites, but I wasn't. It showed a lot of originality from Shine It On Me to build this into a compelling and interesting storyline out of the fangirl drama that MCB was doing alone with the MCMG.

5) Debra defeats Allison Wonderland, earning her first big 'Mania win in ZXWWF. Old School Kane (or OSK) was Debra's handler (played Kane and Taker too naturally) and continuously found a way to get himself noticed on the shows, whether it was a minor part of a huge one. OSK was a very talented roleplayer that I managed to snag from ICW since they rejected him. Here, he managed to take the newcomer handling Allison Wonderland and build a feud while showing her the ropes of how things worked. Their feud went back and forth over the course of the several weeks leading up to 'Mania. OSK had a natural talent for playing these established wrestlers like very few I've seen before him. He kept true to what made them unique and special IRL while at same time, breathing a new life into them that doesn't stray far away from their receptions in reality. Even to this day, I have seen very few roleplayers who consistently play real wrestlers pull this off to this degree.

6) Candice Michelle def. Beth Phoenix and Victoria to retain the Women's Championship. Rachel (handling Candice Michelle) was stellar at playing the Candy-Coated Diva, even fooled me a few times to make me question whether or not she really was Candice. Sorry, Cheeka (as I know you're prolly reading this...) but since I never seen you play Candice in UFWA, Rachel was the best Candice I have had the honor of seeing in my e-feds. Bella (who was really on a roll as Victoria) and Beth Phoenix really didn't skip a beat here either. I was proud of these three ladies after their hard work to show that even these girls could pull off a great feud just a well as the girls in the Vixen division.

I freakin' LOVED this banner for this
match, even more so since I
mark for Cheerleader Melissa
IRL. 

7) Kirsten def. Cheerleader Melissa to become Vixen Champion. I gave both Kirsten and Melissa (Jasmine) solid victories in the months prior (read above) to make them look formidable and at the top of their game for the benefit of all of the girls on the division. Now the ball was in their court to see who was going to take the gold home. Now was it coincidence that both her sister Nicole (who was handling Daizee Haze now) won tonight on this PPV? No, it was about time that BOTH of them were pulling their weight. I know the common assumption that I was playing favorites for Jasmine because she was doing these awesome graphics for our PPVs, but I couldn't help that Jasmine had natural roleplaying talent and her 'haters' were just jealous of her success.

8) Shantelle Taylor def. Cheeka and Tina Angel to retain the VWA Divas Championship. For those that don't know, VWA was our 'developmental' brand, like NXT or OVW. A lot of members found it to be 'disrespectful' to be drafted to this brand at first, but other members warmed up for the opportunity to reinvent themselves and start over from scratch. Enter Chrissy or Chris-E (from how she's known in feds nowadays). Initially, she was comfortable just playing the parts of a simple manager/valet to the guys but slowly she urged to get into the action. In VWA she was allowed to do so and managed to capture the VWA Divas title as Shantelle Taylor (Taylor Wilde in TNA at the time). Cheeka was making the transition from being the masked luchador, Yuki Suzuki, to being a unmasked competitor with more of a brawler archetype while Tina Angel was looking to reinvent herself here as well. Cheeka and Tina won a #1 contender spot a few months prior and they continued their rivalry with the championship right in the middle of the mix. Chrissy rose to the occasion and didn't allow the multiple challengers deter her resolve to remain champion.

9) Triple H def. Victor Phillips to become the VWA Champion. Victor was another respected member of ZXWWF's run that I honestly don't have anything bad to say about him in the slightest. Much like Shia, he didn't complain or whine like most when I sent him to VWA. Instead of looking at it as a sign of disrespect, Victor rose to the challenge as the first main eventer to step down and start over in VWA. I'm sure Victor is wondering why did I send him there in the first place. The answer is simple. I knew he could handle the challenge. Plus, the way I saw it, he did everything he could do at the top on the main roster so a change of scenery would do him good and provide him with new opponents and hurdles to overcome. Triple H was being handled by one of Mrscenabatista's young upstarts and he was quickly being trained in the verses of roleplaying as she took him personally underneath her wing. I don't know if that was a good thing or not, but his talent did naturally improve over time to the point that I was no longer cringing reading his roleplays as the King of Kings.

10) Chris Jericho def. James Storm to become the ZXWWF Champion. (Laughing remembering this clearly as yesterday) Okay, a few PPVs prior to this event, ZXWWF has a Champion of Champions match where all of the champions compete head to head in the Elimination Chamber to earn the right to be called the fed's best champion of the year. Reigning Gen-NeXt (our version of X-Division) Champion Justice won the match but James Storm cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase immediately afterwards - my idea. Storm dethroned Shia Storm in that shocker. That literally was "Sorry 'Bout Yo' Damn Luck!" there. As a result, the High Rollers have been bitching and moaning about being main event and I'm still holding them back. Let's be real here for a second. Majority of the members of the Rollers couldn't roleplay for shit. Sorry to be blunt but that's just how it was. Over the months leading up to 'Mania, a fire was ignited underneath Jericho's ass and he was finally stepping his game up. I personally felt that he literally earned this win after putting the work in instead of me just handing the win to him like how he and Lina wanted. Scary, those two were almost as crazy as Jack Crazy and Litablaze... Okay, okay. They weren't THAT bad... Despite my differences with them, I was proud to see them actually earn something with their own ability for once here. Give yourself a pat on the pat for a job well done, Jiancy. You earned it here, kiddo.

Lesson 11: Your members will spoon feed you BS by the truckload if you allow them.

If you don't take ANYTHING else from this chronicle, then take this lesson to heart.

Fast forward the clock a few months after Shia Storm's retirement and ZXWWF 'Mania IV, everyone is looking for new directions to take their characters after giving 'Mania IV their all. By now, everyone has gotten into the flow of things and naturally let me know via PM what they are planning or want to run by me before they get started. Among all of this, Mrscenabatista messages me, clearly having a breakdown. She is worried about how sitting online e-fedding for the last few years has been ruining her life and causing her to amount to nothing. She was originally planning to stay for another year, but felt now (the show set for July 3, 2009) was the time to hang up the boots and move on with her life. When my members make these decisions to step down and go onto other things, I'm not going to beg them to stay as I don't want anyone to do it to me when my time comes I want to step down for good. And trust me, at this rate I was really close to that breaking point as she had my sympathy. I didn't have an exit strategy (yet) and I didn't mind providing her with sweet release if that's what she desired.

Here's the full segment from that show, unedited and exactly how it was shown on the results for her official retirement episode. Take notes how everyone involved pretty much killed their characters' momentum and especially their heel vibes (majority of everyone in this segment was HEEL, mind you...) during this segment:

Trixie stood up after her match out of breath, with her chest heaving, her face slightly falling knowing that, that was her last match. She nodded and looked around asking for a microphone, after receiving one she put it to her lips before speaking 
Trixie Callaway - "Now..as I'm sure you've all heard. Tonight is my last show in the ZXWWF."
She nodded as the crowd seemed split, some cheering some boo'ing
Trixie Callaway - "Tonight is my final appearance in the world of Wrestling, I've had a nice run and I've accomplished things that I never thought possible. I've hit my highest highs here along with my lowest lows, but through it all my years here at the ZXWWF have taught me to grow. I was bred to be a wrestler, that's how I was brought up and that's all I know, I've been doing this since I was 15. I have a passion for this business that I'm sure can never be extinguished I.."
She stopped as a slow chant of her name began to filter through the arena, She smiled and looked around through the crowd as it grew louder attempted as she attempted to get back on the mic
Trixie Callaway - "I.."
She stopped again this time her voice cracking. She paused for a moment and took a deep breath
Trixie Callaway - "I wouldn't be anywhere with out you fans, so I thank you for helping me through my career. I started this company as a young punk out for a fast time..."
Her voice cracked again mid-sentence but she continued talking as it grew more and more shaky
Trixie Callaway - "And now I stand before you a grown woman, whose paid her dues and tried her damnedest to put on entertaining a show for you people. I'd like to hope i did do my best for you all. But now i fear, it's my time to go. Through all teh bumps and bruises, Thank you all"
Trixie dropped the mic to her side and quickly wiped away a few budding tears
Interrupting this emotional moment, deafening boo's are heard suddenly as Cheeka appears at the entrance way, without her music. She walks swiftly down to the ring with a look on her face very foreign than the usual evil eyes. She takes a mic and enters the ring, looking directly at Trixie, as if she can't hear the fans at all.
Cheeka - I see your mind's made up...
The crowd chills out a little bit as her voice is unusually quiet.
Cheeka - You know, Trix, I had this whole thing planned for your retirement. TriXplosion. Celebrating, partying, livin' it up before you go out, and here you come wit the sneak attack....
She's interrupted by a short gasp from her current emotion.
Cheeka - Aren't you gonna miss all this...? They love you...
She points at the crowd, which breaks into cheers for the departing Trixie.
Cheeka - ...And we haven't gotten to your boyfriend's pre-30 heart attack yet...
She attempts a smile, but fails. Trixie attempted to laugh through the tears streaming down her cheeks
Cheeka - If it's really time for you to go .... I guess even now, I don't have the power to stop you....
The crowd again boo's and chants of "Please Don't Go!" start echoing throughout.
Cheeka - I don't know what to say, and I've been thinking about it since you announced this would be your last show.... lo siento mucho..... 
She looks down at the mat, almost as if she'd failed at something.
Cheeka - Thanks for helpin' make my first year in this business fun... from the Bugatti... to the cake you forced me into...
She's finally able to smile after the memory of that moment.
Cheeka - ...to lettin' me stay at your place when I needed to lay low... lettin' me play in your garage and drive your cars... I could go on, but... oh yeah, how could I not mention all the drunken fun at Club Luda!
She laughs, but quickly "fixes her hair", in an attempt to conceal a tear.
Cheeka - I...really don't know what to say... I guess the only thing I can is... hope you have a good retirement...bye Trix....
She drops the mic, and Trixie pulls Cheeka into a hug saying thank you but was cut short as "The Game" hits over the PA,and out comes The VWA champion triple H.As he walks to the ring he claps his hands,and points at Trix.After a couple of minutes he is in the ring with Trixie,and hugging her,finally hunter grabs a mic.
Triple H - I knew you had a big announcement,but i didn't think it would be anything like this.I'm going to miss having my sidekick around,or my backpack...for better terms.
He says laughing.
Triple H - It's going to be a little bit quieter around here without you kicking ass,and taking names. 
He hugs her again.
Triple H - But for tonight...i have a gift.
He tells the guys in the back "Now" and something lowers from the roof of the arena.
Triple H - Like i said i have a gift..
He takes the cloth cover,and unzips it....revealing another VWA championship with Trixie's name on it.
Triple H - Tonight...your the champ.
Hunter hands the title to Trixie,and stands back clapping, as the arena went dark as the intro to “Go Girl” by Ciara played through the speakers. As the 1st verse hit, the arena brightened up & Raven stepped through the curtains in a nonchalant way. With her half of the titles slung over her shoulder and a pair of Gucci shades covering her eyes, she made a straight path down to the ring ignoring the fans requests for high 5’s. She came in the ring and came up to Trixie and smiled at her. She reached for a mic from Lillian and began to speak as the music & the crowds heckling faded
Raven - Normally, when I come out here it usually means bad news for my competition, but I not out here for that. I’m here to say farewell to one my dearest friend in this bidness: Trixie.
She crowd erupted with cheers as Raven nodded her head in approval to their reaction. She waited for them to quiet down then she looked over to Trixie
Raven - Trixie, you were actually one of my first friends in this company & we didn’t really get off to a good start. The first time I met you I made fun of the ‘basketballs’ under your shirt then we really got into it. I tossed a drink in your face and you just laughed & walked away. Then later that night you sent me this little gift saying what you really thought of me……
Raven directed everyone to the screen as this picture came up

Raven - Remember? I hated you after that, but then something clicked and we got along fine after that. Behind the cameras you’re the only person I really had no problem getting along with. Sure, you can still go to hell with a gasoline bra for that picture – inside joke people – But I nothing but luv for ya, girl.
Trixie shook her head laughing. Raven stopped as she wiped the tears creeping from the bottom of her shades
Raven - You’re one of the few Divas that made a name for themselves here. Sure you could’ve stayed in your dad’s shadow, but you broke out. Doing all these “W.T.F.” matches like a dog collar match against our own version of Two-Face. Nonetheless you came in this bidness hitting the ground, running and quickly made an impact on us all. I….. I don’t know what else to say other than I’ll miss you.
She dropped the mic and her title as she pulled Trixie in for a hug, still hiding her teary eyes behind her shades, but was interupted by the entrance theme of the Minnesota Home Wrecking Crew, 'Intoxication' by Disturbed began to play as both Rain and Lacey appeared on stage, Rain with a microphone in hand. The two made their way down the ramp and entered the ring as their music eventually faded. Trixie started them down with her jaw tight
Rain - "Don't worry, we're not here to cause trouble. We're just out here to say goodbye.... You're leaving us so soon... too soon... and we genuinely mean it when we say we wish you could stick around a little longer."
She continued to smile as she noticed the somewhat shocked expression on Trixie's face.
Rain - "But we understand why you've made the decision to go and it's not just because we keep kicking your ass..."
She stopped and laughed.
Rain - "Just kidding. We really are going to miss you around here, that goes without saying and I know we're not the only ones to think that. It just won't be the same without you around this place."
She smiled and passed the microphone over to Lacey.
Lacey - "Trixie... I know this isn't what you were expecting from me of all people, but even you've got to admit that the matches the two of us... even the four of us, including Rain and that estranged sister of yours... have been a part of together, have been great. Even through all the exchanged words of hate we've shared over the past few weeks... months even... I still couldn't have wished for a better opponent."
She drew in a sharp breath and closed her eyes momentarily before she let out a sigh through a smile on her lips.
Lacey - "And I cant believe I'm saying this... but I really do wish you all the best for your future. I can't think of anybody more deserving of that than you..."
Trixie nodded and actually smiled at Lacey & Rain as "No More Words" by EndeverafteR hit the speakers as Jeff Hardy made his way onto the stage before heading down the ramp. As he entered the ring, he greeted Trix with a hug as he took a microphone, with the music fading out in the background shortly after.
Jeff - "Trixie, I know I've hardly been around in the last couple of months or so... and thats my fault entirely... but I wouldn't have missed being here right now for anything."
He nodded as the crowd cheered once again.
Jeff - "I've known you longer than pretty much everyone else here and the two of us know each other a lot better than anyone ever could. We've been through a helluva lot in the past and I've watched you become the amazing woman you are today. As you said, you've been doing this for a long time now and I cant honestly say that I've ever known somebody with as much passion for professional wrestling as you have."
As another round of cheers came from the crowd, Jeff did his best to attempt a smile.
Jeff - "You've given a lot to this business...this company...these fans... And you'll go down in history as one of the greatest athletes we've all had the pleasure of watching every week in this ring. It's a shame we've got to see you leave now but we all know you've put your all into everything you've ever done and now that it's time to move on, all of your hard work, effort and desire can be focused on new challenges."
He drew in a deep breath and sighed.
Jeff - "So I guess what I'm trying to say, is that words can't even express just how much I'm gonna miss you. Good luck for whatever the future may bring... and for you, that should only be good things."
Jeff & Trixie shared a hug, followed by Debra's theme hit and she walked out carrying a big bunch of flowers, Kane was just behind. Debra looked well tanned from her visit to her family down in the deep south of Alabama but she was all smiles as she came to the ring with her boyfriend and Trixie's Uncle in tow. A white lie it had been when Debra told Trixie by phone that she wouldn't make it back but surprising Trixie like this was very much worth it.

Kane helped Debra through the ropes allowing Debra to greet Trixie with a bug hug & kisses on the cheeks. Debra politely asked for the mic which Trixie glady accepted by handing it to her. After the "Show Us Your Puppies" chant died down Debra began to speak. Trixie admired the flowers, normally she wouldn't care for flowers but coming from Deb it meant a lot.
Debra - When I first came here last year I had many expectations and I have met many of them but... I did not expect to have gotten involved with the Callaway family nor did I expect to become romantically involved with one of them (she smiled at Kane) but further still I never imagined meeting such a lovely person as you are... you took me in and helped me understand your uncle, without which I don't think we would be as strong as we are now. (Kane nodded) You befriended me from the start, you stood by me when things got tough and when Kane was in coma you were the only sweet lil' thing that stopped me from breaking down...On the outside people see you as a fierce gal covered in her tattoos but I've got to know the REAL Trixie and you can betcha that I'm hella glad! (she laughed) These flowers & my words don't cover it enough what you mean to me, you are a beautiful young lady with a bright future outside of the wrestling business ahead of you... and lord knows how lucky the fella you've got is to have you. (Tearful) I can't believe your not gonna be on the shows anymore, your one of the few who laugh at my bad jokes! (they both laugh wiping a tear) Promise me one thang... stop calling me Auntie Deb!
Debra & Trixie laughed out loud before they hugged again to a big pop. Debra couldn't stop smiling before she handed the mic to Kane.
Kane - Trixie, Trixie, Trixie... (laughs) I just don't know where the time has gone... I still remember that sweet little girl who was afraid of the monster in the closet... and she grew up into a woman who wouldn't think twice about taking on The Big Show. (Trixie smiled) You are my brothers adopted daughter and I'm not gonna lie, a number of years ago our relationship was at an all time low due to things we couldn't control... but as you step out of ZXWWF into retirement after a long career in wrestling I can say that the bond we once had that was broken... is strong again. The way you and my future girlfriend bonded so quickly a year ago made me realise that I'd missed some of the best years of your life... and I sure as hell don't want to lose anymore. I am very proud of you, you have no fear in this ring or out of it but underneath your tough skin you have a soft heart... the way you took care of my girlfriend while I was in a coma is something I'll never forget... and can never repay... except by being there for you from now on for the rest of our lives. As much as an uncle can I love you Trixie and I'll always be there to fight for you when you need me... thats if your not winning yet another bar brawl again! (They both laugh. Trixie flings herself on Kane for a big hug. With Kane towering over Trixie it was a nice image)
The Undertakers theme hit as Debra looked nervously down the ramp. The Undertaker was dressed casually but without his bike. He quickly climbed into the ring and raised his hands to the fans. Undertaker received the mic from Trixie and the Undertaker quickly slipped out of character
Undertaker - Trixie, my beautiful daughter... ain't she a cutie? (he always knew how to make her feel embarrassed as she blushed a little) I adopted you when you were this (he puts his hand near the mat) high and its crazy to think how the time has gone. I never thought I would feel so proud of anything I did in life... but seeing the woman you have become makes me something like nothing else... I raised you, taught you how to fight and take care of yourself... but the one thing I never openly showed is how much I care about you... I never stopped thinking about you for A SECOND when I was in jail... and when that dirty lawyer convinced me that you didn't want to know... it broke my heart...Thankfully though that all turned out to be a lie... I'm glad too because you mean the world to me... I've done some bad things in life but you have always stood by me through thick & the very thin. You could easily have said "Not anymore" and walked away from me and I wouldn't have blamed you... but you didn't... (he walked over to face Trix up close) I haven't been a good father (Trixie tried to speak back) I have treated you like a child for too long... now you are leaving the wrestling world to find something new... so now I have something to say to you...Your love is Jimmy Jacobs, I've always been against him, you know that... but its only because I don't want to see him break your heart... but now... I give your relationship with him my full and unconditional blessing. (Trixie jumped for joy and hugged her father) You must promise me though... I don't want any half measures from you... if this is what you want I expect you to go for it 100%... (he smiled) so you deal with that Trixie... my sweet beautiful daughter. (they hug again)

They hugged again as 'No Compromise' by The Haunted hit, Trixie looked up and before long, one half of the Tag Team Champions, Jimmy Jacobs began to make his way down the ramp. Upon entering the ring, he felt the need to plant a kiss on Trixie before pulling her into a hug. He stepped back once his music had died out as he took a microphone and began to speak.
Jimmy - "Earlier this week, you asked me how I felt about you leaving and I'll admit, I didn't give the most thought over answer. So I figured this would be the best time to offer you a better response."
He nodded and continued.
Jimmy "As I said at the time... as a part of my short answer... everybody is gonna miss the hell outta ya here. It’s surprisingly hard to do this… stand here and tell you just how much everybody… the fans, the rest of the roster… all want to see you stay. Sure, I’ll see you a lot anyway, but still, not being able to see you in a ZXWWF ring? It's hard to imagine... it's just where you belong.”
He let out a sigh but then looked back up at Trixie with a smile.
Jimmy - "You were actually the first person I met within the company almost a year ago now. We had our problems at the time, but we've worked through it all and here we are today. So thank you for being there for me on the awkward first day on the job and getting me through that."
Jimmy laughed slightly, pausing for a moment before speaking again.
Jimmy - "But I'm more than aware of the reasons behind your decision to leave and you know that you've obviously got my full support... that's what I'm here for. But for now, I guess all I can really do is stand here and echo everything that's already been said..."
He shrugged his shoulders and looked around momentarily before turning back to Trix.
Jimmy - "You mean the world to me, and even though you and Cheeka did indeed seem pretty set on giving me that pre-30 heart attack... I'm glad that's managed to be held off till at least now so I could be here for this moment and to see you being given the send-off from the company you deserve for giving as much to it as you did. I know this is always where your passion will lie.."
He smiled before suddenly dropping that look and turning back to Trix with a slightly more serious expression.
Jimmy - "You may be leaving the company but you're not leaving me... I want to make sure I never lose you because I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Trixie Callaway..."
He stopped, dropping down to a knee as he produced a small box out of his pocket, opening it to reveal an engagement ring inside.
Jimmy - "...will you marry me?"
Trixie eyes widened as she dropped the title Triple H had given her, a smile grew on her tear stained face and she, unable to speak, simply nodded quickly and Jimmy returned her smile and stood up pulling her into a kiss once again. After a few seconds of the crowd, along with everyone in the ring, cheering Trixie and Jimmy broke the kiss. Trixie smiled widely and looked to everyone before turning, picking up the title and walking over and posing on the turnbuckle. As she made her way to all four corners, people slowly dissipated from the ring. After posing on all corners and having her eyes fill up with tears once again, she made her way up the ramp turning to the crowd holding up the title and mouthing 'thank you', before pointing to the rafters and mouthing something else. She took one last look at the filled arena before making her way to teh back once again

And here's what ZX (clearly a HEEL here, since I didn't forget about kayfabe) said in-character afterwards:

 Trixie and Jimmy are stopped at the top of the entrance ramp by a VERY familiar face, grinning from ear to ear. It was none other than the ZXWWF Founder, himself, ZX. 

”Whoa, hold on a second there Emo-Man and Robin the Big-Breasted Wonder.”

Trixie and Jimmy look at each other with the “Oh, god, what did we do now…” looks on their faces.

”First things, first. (Looks out towards the ring) Yo, sup, Jeff Hardy, I didn’t even know you were part of the company still. Damn, who’s been signing your paychecks? I’m sure as hell sure it wasn’t me.

Second, Cheeka…bring yo’ fine, big booty-ass up here with me.

Third…seriously, can I have what drugs you guys are all on? I mean, wow, it must be some heavy stuff you guys are all on to forget that you all hate each other and what not just tell the Princess of Punx how much we’re going to miss her. 

Just last week the Homewreckers were beating the shit out of Trix and her then partner Lita – even though we ALL knew it was REALLY about Jimmy Boy like ALWAYS. I can’t blame Lita for calling that team splitsville. Debbie Snack Cakes, The Big Red Love Machine, and Mickey Mouse…err Undertaker…I feel for you Jimmy at the family reunions, sheesh. Chee, you’re SOO making up you getting missing tonight so I’m skipping over you… and the bird has flown the coop into kindness as I didn’t ever dream of seeing Baby Rae out here as I thought the only person she cared about was herself, her shoes, and that title on her shoulder. Damn, I guess everyone come out of the woods when Cheeka’s giving out the kilos of marijuana and coke, eh? Mami, don’t tell me you’re the one who got Morrison his ‘roids, too!!??

As Cheeka doesn’t give ZX a solid yes or no, Trixie perks a brow at ZX with her hands on her hips as everyone can tell that she’s more than anxious to leave with Jimmy Jacobs, clearly sick and tired of his jokes. ZX smirks and continues regardless.

Sure, she’s driven us all to hell and back, mentally, physically, and spiritually on a regular basis, but we still have a special place in our hearts for the lil’ firecracker, Trixie Callaway. You guys are acting like it’s the end – she’s always welcome to come back. She is part of the ZXWWF family after all. Sheesh…you guys are out here like you don’t even know that…Besides, you all know you’ll see her everyday and any day off-air anyway. Our Princess of Punx is NO stranger to mischief, but that’s why she has such a loyal following in this federation. 

Trixie turns around to hear chants of “Thank You Trix!” as she waves to the fans once more as the Superstars, Divas, and Vixens watching in the ring and backstage give her an applause for her last match while she exits through the curtain for the last time. Everyone motions to stop them, but ZX holds up a hand to stop them and continues once again. 

All jokes aside here, but I’m REALLY confused about something here. Okay, we have TWO VWA Champions now? No wait…HHH is holding a toy replica and gave Trix the old one so that’s a title change, then she dropped it on the floor after Jimmy boy made mushy with her – that’s a title change, then picked it up again – title change… and she’s champion currently. 

Okay, she can’t keep it when she retires so I know what to do. I know this isn’t VWA but I’m making a new match for Patriotic Punishment since our friends from VWA have granted Xplosion a visit tonight. Since the VWA Championship is currently vacant due to the current champion retiring from ZXWWF entirely, at Patriotic Punishment, VWA will have it’s first ever Championship Scramble match with “The Game” Triple H, “The Deadman” Undertaker, Samuel, “The Aerial Ace” Evan Bourne, “The Shaman of Sexy” John Morrison, and Victor “Ironman” Philips competing for the gold. 

Jericho and Amanda are seen applauding the ZXWWF Founder’s recent announcement while Jack appears to be getting back in the ring. Jack stands up and reveals to the camera that he has gotten a metal briefcase from under the ring. Quickly, fans begin to scream however their efforts fails as Jack connects a smash of the briefcase to the back of Jericho's skull. Amanda jumps back out of surprise and fear as Jericho goes down immediately and holds the back of his head for a while before remaining still. Amanda comes back and looks confused as Jack eyes her and nods his head.

Quickly, he reaches down and snaps the briefcase open before dumping thousands and thousands of chips onto the back of Jericho. The camera closes in on the chips to see that they have a custom print of Y2J onto them. Jack drops the briefcase and looks back at Amanda, whose confusion has only grown. The camera angle switches to show Jack's face as his mouth begins to speak. While inaudible over the boos and screams of the fans, reading lips would show that it's something along the lines of, "This is for last week."

Jack goes and leaves the ring, leaving Amanda to turn back to the chip-covered motionless Jericho lying in the center. A camera shows her face as her expression changes from confusion to heartless glee. A smirk appears on Amanda's face and blood can be seen staining the back of Jericho's golden hair. Amanda's grin only grows as chants of "Y2J!" begin to surface, all but doing nothing as Jericho's body still remains in the center of the ring. EMT's coming out and Amanda standing and watching the gruesome scene are what the camera fades out to end this week's Xplosion. 

Keep in mind, this is supposed to be the last match of the night but it turns into a testament to flushing kayfabe down the drain for the sake of a character who hasn't really achieved anything in-character. To her credit, she was great at roleplaying and helping out as a staff member, but to put this much time and focus towards herself (Trixie Callaway) was just a vain attempt to get attention and pity. And like the naive fool I was at time, I drank that entire pitcher of her pity Kool-Aid and actually allowed the first bit of that segment be part of the show. In my eyes, I remedied that mistake to those of us who didn't deem that to be appropriate ending to the weekly broadcast of that week.

Looking back, if I was a better fed-head, I would have just simply contacted all of the individuals who were involved prior to this going up, ask them if they really want to throw caution to the wind and let them kill their heel heat that many of them have established over the last few months or just simply suggest to do this OOC on one of the other boards as not part of the actual program for the week. Simply put, I only have myself to blame for this travesty and allowing what came afterwards to slowly tear my federation apart from within.

In my defense, this segment was longer than the actual show itself and was completely out of kayfabe. Candi (Mrscenabatista) and most of my staff members who were part of her 'fanclub' spat in my face that I was totally disrespectful to her and didn't let her walk out with pride like Shia Storm did. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Shia, didn't ask for a HUGE standing ovation for his departure. Hell, he didn't even make a big deal of it nor spoke to anyone else about it other than me. It was MY choice to give him a send off match. He was perfectly fine with bowing out silently. She got the same treatment - a last respectable match, but the segment afterwards grew out of hand and should have clearly taken place on the OOC boards in private.

As a result, Candi felt that I disrespected her completely and deleted her account, leaving in a angry huff. I told you guys, it's an ongoing pattern here... Bitchfit + delete account = "Can I come back Z?" Rumors around the forum was that Candi was talking her Fanclub into threatening to leave after her. I don't know why I didn't see it earlier but the bulk of my staff members consisted of the Fanclub. By this point, I had enough of this crap, so I kindly sent the following message to everyone still registered to the forum at that point:

In the past week, we've had heated arguments and we've lost a few dear friends around the forum, but this isn't a reason to call it the end.
As the creator of this efed, I take FULL responsibility for the chaos that resulted in the past week and throughout the weekend over the forementioned possibility of the Freeroaming RP board being deleted along with the "corruption" of TriXie Callaway's retirement on Xplosion this past Friday. 
The Freeroaming topic was in the back of my head for ages now and I just wanted some honest feedback on the topic. I would like to apologize for any ugly characteristics that were brought out of the members here in that discussion. As for the segment in Xplosion, I'd like to say that I'm not apologizing for anything that I've done in-character as I consider you ALL to be mature enough to not take that as my truest feelings, but as my own way of adding more heat to my heel run with my character. From the dead silence around the forum lately, I can see I've gotten more than my wish on that one...  I guarantee that it was not in no shape or form, anyway to disrespect what Mrscenabatista has done for this efed. I appreciate her commitment and time with this to the highest. 
But with that being said...I know there's some still some hostile feelings in the air and I'm giving you all the chance to go... Yes, I mean that. If you think you can't move on, forgive, and forget what's been said and/or done over the past week then you can gladly PM me a "F*** You ZX" , delete your accounts, and go on with your lives. I appreciate your time here and thank you for it, but it's doing none of us good if we're just all tip-toeing around each other, just b/c you don't like each other anymore. Just to end the confusion, this "invitation" so to speak is open to all members, including staff. 
To those of you that stay, you have my humble thanks as we attempt to continue ZXWWF with pride; to those who feel that they must go, I respect your decisions as I'm not holding any grudges. 
Thank you all for you time, ~ZX, ZXWWF Creator~

Afterwards, I did receive a few noteworthy responses. If I quoted you here, then I apologize if I didn't ask permission to air these private messages:

Kirsten's honesty:

Okay, complete honesty it is...
The argument about the Freeroaming Boards getting out of hand, is definitely not your fault, I can guarantee that. I definitely understand the want to delete the boards though and the reason behind you making the poll to find out everyone else's opinions. People here seem to be passionate about keeping it so of course they'll react that way, but so far I do think thats been handled quite well. Even better if an agreement is reached. The most popular opinion seems to be to keep them, but if theres a way to do that and manage to get everybody to fill their contractual obligations at the same time, great. Maybe just completely de-push the people who don't promo but still RP, I guess.
And about MrsCenaBatista's departure... As far as I know, she was meant to stick around longer right? Well, I think the reason that she did leave as suddenly as she did though was the adding of your part to her retirement speech. Don't get me wrong, I know she definitely went far too over the top with it in the first place, but I also know a few people ended up finding your part disrespectful to her, not just in character but after everything she's done as a staff member etc... and I've actually spoken to quite a few people here who were left rather annoyed w/ how her goodbye turned out and I'm inclined to kinda agree.
So yeah basically, in case none of that really made sense... the Freeroaming Boards thing is NOT your fault but the MCB thing isnt entirely but could slightly be, as much as I hate to say it. =/

Bella's enthusiam:

But one thing still bothers me,you said that she will be until August,but suddenly she left leaving all these feuds and stuff.It's pretty weird for my taste.
(my response) What I'm hearing from her fanclub is that she was "insulted and disrespected" by my interference of her speech and that was inexcusable due her SUPERB staff member achievements. 
If I knew people were going to act this juvenile about it I wouldn't have let her do a "retirement" speech PERIOD.
Bella: Wow.She really went loco.I'm glad that she's out of here.
And by the way,I support you against this war with the MCB fan club. ;D
(my response)Forums been quiet since everyone who worships MCB threw a bitchfit, I know it's gonna stay like this for a while. 
Well, at least I gave Lil' Miss Ego-Trip what she deserved in-character as she didn't need a GODLY retirement like she won every title in the efed.

Victor's undying faith in my leadership:

Z dont worry about any of those members as they will get over it. They have to understand you are a heel now and if you would have came out and been the smiley happy etc type of Zx that represented you as a face then you would have killed a lot of your momentum that you gained in your turn. I like the choice you gave them grow up and move on or truly move on. THey have to understand this is a wrestling company and for the most part you should stay in character which a lot of these people dont. I dont like bashing the other members of this board as we are all a family but when they try and get in your face about something that you were not wrong about then I dont appreciate that because in reality they were the ones who went out of character. They could have sent those out of character good-bye's as pms and did some in-character work for the show.
As for that Free Roaming stuff allow me to put it like this, it has no purpose that actually pertains to the actual fed, I saw a lot of them say it helps them build a personality/character for their wrestler and helps them create feuds. Well I can say that I have never set foot into that section and I have had two of the most sucessful gimmicks in this fed. As for storylines can I ask you when have I never not been a a feud or storyline of sorts? Never! I cant remember anytime so that shows that you can create feud for yourself without using that place. I mean look at what I have done with Triple H and John Morrison. I creeated both those feuds through single rp's and without the help of those FRR boards. Speaking of Trips he told me he was kind of upset at losing the title without losing it. i say it like this at first i was a bit confused over the angle but once I figured it out it made for an intersting angle. I told him that more than likely that he would at least remain in the title picture and would most likely end up the first two time VWA champ but not if he kept comlaining. YOu get what I am saying

Sam's vote of confidence:

Nicely done w/the mass PM, you said everything that needed to be said in a non-offensive manner.
I'm starting to think that no one is really going anywhere, they're anger will subside shortly. I went back into the history books again for some of your old discussions and saw that "mrblack" created the free roam (he seemed quite the individual ) So the change will take a little getting used to, but it'll be normal after a few months.
Not sure if MCB talked to you about the end to the Ivory/Milyna feud, but Ivory was supposed to break her neck at the end of the match. Is that still happening, that's why Ivory's gone a psycho and stuff.

One thing I want you guys to keep in mind before this last chapter. Out of all of my staff members at the time, only TWO messaged me and were vocal about their opinions on how I handled that matter when I gave a clear platform to do so. The others, obviously part of the 'fanclub' kept their mouths shut. After that ultimatum, things returned to normal for the most part but behind the shadows, Mrscenabatista was still among us. How did that happen? Well, stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion to this chronicle.

TO BE CONCLUDED...