Nothing Like A Dumb Question

Nothing like a dumb question

Marco, Eri, Tarma, and Fio huddled together in a desert village, hidden in a war trench as they waited for the arrival of Rebel soldiers. They gathered around a campfire, roasting sausages and marshmallows on sticks as its warm glow cast flickering shadows on their faces. The silence was unbearable for Tarma, knowing he had to say something to break the awkward stillness.

Tarma: Hey... If I punch myself and it hurts, am I weak or strong? I really need to know, guys!

Fio: *stops eating her perfectly roasted marshmallow and gasps* That's so strong of you!

Marco lets out an exhausted sigh, well-aware that what Tarma asked is utterly ridiculous. However, he didn't want to give his friend the silent treatment, so he chose to respond instead of ignoring him.

Marco: Uhhmmm... Sounds weak to me… *he softly mutters before eating what’s left of his sausage*

Eri's right eye twitched slightly as she rolled her eyes at the stupidity of Tarma's question.

Eri: *she crosses her arms* You'll be an utter idiot if you did that. What’s up with you and asking us the most absurd shit?

Tarma frowned slightly at Eri and scoffed.

Tarma: You're such a party pooper. You know that?

Fio snickered for a brief moment as Eri was left dumbfounded by what Tarma just told her. She decided to roast another marshmallow, but ended up burning it.

Updated: October 14, 2024

Reworked Species #1: Martians

Overview

Their scientific name is Cephalorepens galacticus (meaning “creeping head of the galaxy”). They're commonly referred to as the Martians, but some people also refer to them as the Mars People. An omni-linguistic alien species led by their queen, Rootmars, possesses intellectual and sensory capabilities surpassing those of humanity. They possess exceptional expertise in three key areas: necromancy, biological engineering, and technological proficiency, encompassing the use, processes, and mechanical intricacies of advanced technology. Their military force is called the Pipovulaj Army.

Language

Their language consists mainly of words formed with the syllables Pa, Pe, Pi, Po, and Pu. However, translation is challenging due to the seemingly random application of the Pa, Pe, Pi, Po, and Pu syllables, making it difficult to discern a predictable pattern or meaning. They’re capable of producing audible sounds, these noises resemble feline growls, mouse-like squeaks, and unearthly squeals. When speaking their native language, they’re capable of vocalising their words and syllables. When interacting with beings who don't share their language, they shift to telepathic communication, transcending linguistic barriers and conveying their thoughts in the recipient's native tongue.

Hierarchy

The Mars Elite (Cephalorepens galacticus albus) are comprised of four distinct castes: leading scientists who drive innovation, esteemed judges who uphold the law, elite soldiers who embody excellence, and commanding officers who lead with strategic precision.

The Mars Garrison (Cephalorepens galacticus fuscus) are comprised of three main castes: scientists who conduct technological and biological experiments, assassins who conduct covert operations, and assault troops who wield stronger and heavier weaponry.

The Mars Quotidian (Cephalorepens galacticus pallidus) are comprised of four distinct castes: hive workers who repair technology and nurture the young, spies who gather intelligence, researchers who advance their knowledge, and common troops.

Appearance

Martians are taller than the average human, standing approximately at 7’ 3” (220.98 cm) for males and 7’ 6” (228.6 cm) for females. They have a large head with two sets of tentacles: thirty stinger tentacles act as their hands, capable of controlling an electrical pulse to temporarily paralyse people; and twelve leg tentacles with protruding greenish veins and suckers. Their stinger tentacles are half their body length, but they won't stop growing until they have reached double their height, an indication of older and wiser age. They’re sufficiently strong to grasp items firmly, being able to wield a weapon with one of their appendages. They can contract their leg tentacles, enabling them to jump considerable distances and descend slowly in a controlled manner. The skin on their heads and tentacles is surprisingly smooth and contains small pores that can release a thin layer of purplish-white slime. They have greenish-pink blood with a strange taste reminiscent of melon soda.

Female Martians possess a distinctive sac located beneath their head and at the centre of their leg tentacles. This sac is characterised by a bulbous orifice and a translucent yellow-orange coloration with visible skin wrinkles and greenish veins. The interior of the sac is coated with a protective purplish secretion that serves to repel harmful parasites. It also maintains the sac's cleanliness by preventing the accumulation of dirt and menstrual fluid.

Male Martians possess a writhing penis that is translucent and orangish-white in colour. The morphology of this organ bears a resemblance to that of a leopard slug's reproductive structure. It features greenish veins and is characterised by soft, spike-like protrusions encircling its tip. They feature three testicular organs located within cavities situated posterior to their head. These organs are partially visible, protruding slightly from the skin at the back of their head. Two of the testicles contain fertilised seminal fluid with a celadon-green colour, while the central testicle houses eggs with a distinctive amethyst hue and crimson spots. These reproductive organs are incapable of urinating as Martians have a unique physiology that eliminates the need to release bodily waste.

They have a skull of golden-yellow hue, covered in whitish neural veins, and possess an involuntary nervous system. They possess a navel cavity, and when they exhale, the barely visible slits on their face open, revealing small, thin, oval-shaped openings, before promptly closing again. They have two bead-like eyes with white pupils that can constrict or dilate, allowing them better visual control. They possess a mouth capable of opening into a circular, gaping maw with a full set of fleshy, omnivorous teeth that can inject a deadly poison as lethal as cyanide. They also have a serpentine tongue covered in microscopic hooks.

The Mars Elite (Cephalorepens galacticus albus): They have pearlescent white skin, lilac eyes, China rose-coloured leg tentacles, and Syracuse red-orange suckers. They possess two iridescent purple bat-like wings with bony, silver-clawed hands and an impressive wingspan of 9' 5" (287.02 cm). From the back of their head, they have a tail that's eerily similar to a human spine, but it's held together by greenish veins and stretched, glistening dark purple flesh. They have a spiked ball at the tip of their spine-like tail, which holds a black acid. The spikes have small holes, allowing them to spray the acid at their enemies.

The Mars Garrison (Cephalorepens galacticus fuscus): They have brown-tanned skin, raspberry rose eyes, lavender grey leg tentacles, and palatinate purple suckers. They have a large amber-coloured eye in the middle of the back of their head, featuring a slit pupil. At the back of their head, they possess two elongated, mantis-like arms, equipped with two rows of razor-sharp spines, enabling them to grab people from behind.

The Mars Quotidian (Cephalorepens galacticus pallidus): They have greyish-green skin, ultramarine eyes, pale azure leg tentacles, and lapis lazuli suckers.

Abilities

To facilitate telepathic communication with other sentient beings, they employ their mouth and tongue to replicate the physiological processes of human speech. Two exceedingly thin, iridescent tentacles, reminiscent of dew on a spider's silk, emerge from two minuscule openings above their eyes. These tentacles can bifurcate into millions of tiny, hair-like tendrils, which are inserted into the ears of their chosen communicants. The tendrils then navigate to the brain, where they manipulate the electrical signals traversing the neural pathways to access areas responsible for thought and auditory perception.

They shapeshift by mentally imagining what they want to change and coating themselves in a thin layer of purplish-white slime. This strange slime drastically alters their bodily molecules and DNA structure, allowing them to perfectly transform into whatever they envisioned. The Martians possess the ability of dichotomous intangibility, but it’s limited to a duration of 10 minutes. Overextending this power can lead to severe consequences, including ocular degeneration, causing their eyes to become mushy, and cerebral overflow, resulting in permanent blindness and neural damage.

They possess telekinetic abilities, but require the movement of their stinger tentacles and intense concentration on the object they intend to lift or manipulate. Notably, they can focus on up to 20 different objects simultaneously. They can teleport up to 20 metres to different locations, but only in areas they are intimately familiar with. This ability is achieved by vibrating at imperceptible speeds, effectively propelling themselves to their desired destination.

They can sustain themselves by absorbing the vital fluids of other living organisms and the heat of electrical devices, fire, and solar radiation. The Martians possess a unique optic nerve that captures and stores a small portion of their body heat and absorbed energy. This specialised nerve forms a ring around their eyes, featuring a subtle opening that enables the focused release of intense, fiery energy beams.

They can hear low-frequency hums from any planet's core, echoes of ancient riverbeds, whispers of the wind, and the creaking and groaning of dust devils. They can smell the metallic scent of iron oxide dust, the acrid smell of sulphur from volcanic regions, and the ozone-like smell of electrical storms. The Martians can taste soil, the metallic taste of recycled water, the sweet taste of hydroponic crops, the sour taste of fermented food supplies, and the umami taste of protein-rich algae. They can see plankton, the tops of mountains, every pore on a human's face, and the texture of clouds.

Technology

Their technology is based entirely on expertise in bioengineering and energy manipulation. Their technology features a unique blend of elements, including circular shapes, industrial tubes resembling intestines, engravings of ancient pictograms that depict their ancestry, glistening flesh-like surfaces, malleable metal plates, and eerie metallic sheens. Their technology also incorporates pillars, computer modules, pulsating electric fields that double as protection and prison cells, fleshy orifices, and opaque stasis chambers filled with a clear liquid capable of inducing sleep for cloning purposes.

Their primary weapon is a ray gun that fires spores and features a settings mode, offering three distinct options:

Transformation: Transforms individuals into Man Eaters

Electrification: Emits an electric charge to incapacitate targets

Energy Beam: Generates circular light blue energy beams that can effortlessly ensnare targets

There are two types of ray guns: lightweight models, resembling those used by Martians in the mainline Metal Slug games, which emit slow-moving orange spores; and heavyweight models, similar to those used by the Mars People Attacker in Metal Slug Attack, which fire fast-moving blue spores. These spores can be easily neutralised with gunfire or effectively eliminated with well-timed melee attacks.

They employ the same gauntlet-point shields and staffs used by the Mars People Tanks and Healers in Metal Slug Attack. However, when a Martian utilises the staff for healing or summoning lightning storms, the glowing light blue orb transforms into a bright neon pink, and they’re temporarily enveloped in a fiery aura.

They utilise advanced, portable communication devices to connect with fellow members of their species and allies over vast distances. These devices feature a screen displaying a contact list and enable real-time video transmission, allowing users to see the recipient's surroundings. The design bears a striking resemblance to the handheld device depicted in the Mars People artwork from Neo-Geo Battle Coliseum.

Their mothership, the Rugname, measures 459’ 3” (13997 cm) in length and 75’ 5” (2298.7 cm) in height. The exterior is protected by a thin layer of adamant, providing an extremely durable coat that makes it resistant to destruction by conventional weaponry. Its interior features a unique spiral layout, with a continuous corridor stretching from the outer rim to the central hub. On board, the ship houses a variety of facilities, including living quarters, a nursery, a laboratory, a cloning chamber, and torture chamber.

It’s controlled by a simulated, lifeless replica of infant Rootmars, whose brain is encased in a protective glassy film. This replica can generate electric signals that accumulate and discharge as massive blasts of circular, flashing blue and green energy spheres, capable of incinerating individuals. They deploy surveillance drones known as Pupastiko, which resemble massive, sunset-hued locusts with a singular metallic blue-orange eye. These drones are capable of projecting orbs of green fire and expelling streams of acidic, corrosive fluid that mimics blood.

The Dai-Manji boasts exceptional armour, comprising malleable metal plates reinforced with bullet-resistant flesh and a thin shielding of greenish-blue electricity. Serving as the core of the Rugname, it releases Mini-UFOs, unleashes lethal electrical discharges, shoots purple fireballs electrified with sparkling blue sparks, and propels fiery energy bolts with precision to target enemies. It’s believed that there are forty Dai-Manji stored within the Rugname with only four to six permitted to be deployed at any given time. Each one features a logo with the insignia of the Martian race: a circular pickled bluewood crest with an eight-pointed red-orange star at its centre, outlined with a gold border and adorned with four emerald dots at the cardinal directional points (north, south, east, and west).

The Pupivah, also known as the Mars Satellites, are remotely controlled spacecraft shaped like feldgrau Nazi UFOs with a gilded sheen, capable of achieving remarkably high velocities. They are equipped with dual luminous laser systems, emitting either emerald green beams that incinerate targets or magenta beams that petrify them.

The Pepapiro, also known as the Mini-UFOs, are highly agile aircraft equipped with a beehive-shaped ray gun that emits slow-moving greenish-blue lasers capable of penetrating cloth and flesh. The Mini-UFOs are distinguished by their colour schemes and pilots: grey metal variants with eight saffron-yellow stripes are operated by the Mars Quotidian, black metal variants with six red-orange stripes are operated by the Mars Garrison, and gilded variants with four crimson stripes are operated by the Mars Elite.

The Popaphubi, also known as the Hopper Mechas, are suicidal drones that detonate explosive payloads fueled by nuclear radiation and flammable bile, delivering a lethal blow to their targets. They are ten-legged, rust-coloured arachnids featuring gilded pedipalps and a distinctive, shaky silver stripe extending from the cephalothorax to the mid-abdomen. Their forehead bears a triangular arrangement of six blackish-brown eyes, while their entire body is covered in flexible, crystalline hairs.

The Papophiv, also known as the Mars Walkers, are gigantic quadrupeds with metallic blue-red flesh and articulated legs terminating in five clawed, slender fingers. Their bulbous knee joints are covered in hook-like spikes. The creatures' belly features sixteen intestinal tubes encircling a large, glossy jade half-orb. They are capable of producing a black, poisonous gas that causes rapid skin decay and lung rupture. The jade half-orb can produce bouncing bubbles that cause highly corrosive burns once in contact with living organisms. They possess three slit-shaped eyes that exhibit a purely iridescent purple hue, and an antenna that strikingly resembles a sunflower. However, this antenna conceals a deadly capability–it can emit intense, fiery purple lightning bolts.

The Pipopuvhax, also known as the Ring Laser Mechas or Utoms, are sentient, glistening purplish-grey cerebral entities that propel a navy blue tubular body replete with biomechanical organs akin to those found in mammals. They possess four highly flexible robotic arms, surpassing human limb dexterity, which manipulate tusk-like, porcelain-hued levers and metallic green, red, and orange buttons. Their muscular brain features prominent, jutting veins and is shielded by a protective film of whitish, heat-resistant, bulletproof slime. They’re capable of unleashing rings of electrokinetic force, inducing bodily combustion, and generating nearly invisible, bony appendages to grasp individuals.

Goals and beliefs

Their primary objective is to debilitate Earth's military forces and leverage the planet's technological advancements to subjugate humanity. However, their motivations aren’t entirely malevolent; they seek to eradicate the destructive exploitation and harmful activities plaguing Earth. By doing so, the Martians believe they can redirect its resources towards fostering universal unification. They have a disgust for species who harm and abuse the resources and well-being of their home planets. They automatically deem them as inferior and in need of re-education through assimilation into their culture and ways of thinking.

Rootmars and many Martians advocate for the subjugation of humanity to save Earth, but a splinter faction disagrees with this ideology. This dissenting group led by Pupipi, known as the Pipajozhe Army, believes that cohabitation and global cooperation are the only paths to achieving universal peace and protecting the planet. However, due to this belief, the Pipovulaj Army views them as traitors, finding it foolish and shameful that they can have sympathy for an "inferior species". They will stop at nothing to publicly humiliate and/or brutally execute anyone who joins or is found to be part of the Pipajozhe Army, if that person is one of their own kind.

It's well-known that humans and Martians share a similar DNA structure, making interbreeding possible. However, due to the Martians' dominant genetic makeup, offspring always exhibit predominantly Martian traits with subtle human influences. The dynamics of Martian-human reproduction are complex as only male Martians can produce viable offspring with humans. Female Martians can engage in intimate relations with both male and female humans but are incapable of conception.

The two prominent Martian armies, the Pipovulaj Army and Pipajozhe Army, hold differing views on human-Martian reproduction. Those who serve the Pipovulaj Army are vehemently opposed interbreeding, prioritising the preservation of their pure Martian lineage. They fear genetic contamination from outsiders, especially if they find out that they’re wrongfully exploiting their own home planet. In contrast, those who serve the Pipajozhe Army view human-Martian reproduction as a means to enhance their survival prospects. They also believe it can foster meaningful relationships, alleviate human fears, and promote coexistence.

The Martians are open-minded and embrace a diverse range of spiritual concepts, including reincarnation, the psyche, and deities that embody specific principles. In their view, deities serve as avatar conduits for the principles they represent with some requiring more worship and acknowledgement than others to sustain their power. They believe in the supremacy of a unified cosmos, where every individual has a purpose determined by their willingness to align with moral righteousness and strive towards their hopes and dreams.

They hold that no being is above the true purpose of existence and the eleven fundamental powers of the universe: seamlessness, centration, allurement, emergence, homeostasis, cataclysm, synergy, transmutation, transformation, interrelatedness, and radiance. They firmly believe that the true purpose of existence lies beyond human comprehension and will only be revealed to those who have attained divine enlightenment, thereby gaining the capacity to grasp the vast expanse of extraterrestrial mysteries and horrors.

All Martians share the conviction that natural resources provided by planets are invaluable and should be treated with utmost care and reverence. The mishandling of such resources is viewed as a heinous and sacrilegious act against the divine forces of the universe. They hold in high esteem the preservation of ancient knowledge and architecture, and endeavour to protect and pass on the cultural heritage of all species through various means, including meticulous drawings, written works, and other forms of documentation. They regard biological evolution and technological advancement as two pivotal, dynamic forces that shape and transform society and ecosystems in a perpetual state of flux.

Masterpost for the Iron Eclipse AU

Random information

Main timeline

Reworked characters (main cast):

Marco Rossi

Tarma Roving

Eri Kasamoto

Fio Germi

Trevor Spacey

Nadia Cassel

Ralf Jones

Clark Still

Tequila

Gimlet

Red Eye

Reworked characters (antagonists):

General Morden

Allen O'Neil

Doctor Amadeus

Ptolemaios

Rootmars

Invader King

Reworked characters (other):

Walter Ryan

Tyra Elson

Avatar of Evil

Sol Dae Rokker

Hyakutaro Ichimonji

Allen Jr.

Pupipi

Rumi Aikawa

Madoka Aikawa

Sophia Greenville

Margaret Southwood

President Marx

Original characters:

Wysteria

Celaphios

Sagan and Logan

Torquil, Guilherme, and Ferdinand

Reworked species:

Martians (includes the Pipovulaj Army and Pipajozhe Army)

Tuatha Dé Danann

Invaders

Mutants

Zombies

Mummies

Sasquatches

Man Eaters

Reworked groups:

Rebel Army

Regular Army

Peregrine Falcons Squad (P.F. Squad)

S.P.A.R.R.O.W.S.

Ikari Warriors

Division 6

Amadeus Syndicate

Ptolemaic Army

Miscellaneous:

Which characters are assigned to each of the seven Regular Army garrisons?

What does the cast of the Iron Eclipse AU prefer to call the SV-001 by?

How good is the Iron Eclipse cast at cooking?

Which characters are right-handed, left-handed or ambidextrous?

These are the results for my second playthrough of Metal Slug X. I felt like replaying it on Level 8 difficulty on the same day as my third playthrough of Metal Slug 1 because I was bored and had nothing else to do (besides writing). Not gonna lie, I gave up on the final boss, which explains the two continues.

Metal Slug on Sega Saturn