Hall of Mirrors

(First written from January 5th, 2022 to February 11th, 2022)

Hall of Mirrors

Glossary

This section details various relevant parts of the story. Underlined entries have links to pages that explain them in further detail.

Bramble Blast: An Ability used by Diddy Kong. Diddy Kong uses Nature magic to summon dozens of brambles from the ground, whipping and entangling the targets while slicing them with their thorns.
Chunky Kong: A character from Donkey Kong 64, a video game released in 1999. A sapient gorilla who is very large and strong, but also rather young. Is good friends with Diddy Kong.
Diddy Kong: A character from the Donkey Kong series of video games. A sapient monkey who likes using wooden technology, especially his jetpack, the “Barrel Jet”. Is good friends with Chunky Kong.
Donkey Kong Island: A location from the Donkey Kong series of video games. A remote island with a mountain at the center shaped like a gorilla head.
Fungi Forest: A location from Donkey Kong 64, a video game released in 1999. Found via a portal on Donkey Kong Island, one of its notable landmarks is a giant mushroom with a hollow inside filled with ladders and platforms.
Heart Boost: An item from Donkey Kong Country Returns, a video game released in 2010. In The Chaos Zone, it has the power to heal someone completely, and make them immune to the next attack to hit them as long as it deals less than half their full health.
Mitsumo: A character from the Len’en Project series. A sentient mirror that can possess people by showing them their greatest fears. In Chaos Zone, Mitsumo can puppeteer people even when they have died. Has no definitive birth gender, using they/them pronouns.

(The following parts of the glossary are temporary, and will be moved to corresponding Character pages when said pages are made)

Ape Action: A passive skill of Chunky Kong’s. If he is able to focus enough, Chunky Kong can willingly seperate his mind and body, allowing him to attack and dodge at immense speeds. The power is based on the “Ultra Instinct” ability from the Dragon Ball series.
Barrel Jet: A wooden jetpack used by Diddy Kong.
Pineapple Launcher: An Ability used by Chunky Kong. Chunky Kong shoots a powerful pineapple from a large wooden bazooka.
Primate Punch: An Ability used by Chunky Kong. Chunky Kong punches the opponent. Despite being incredibly simple in concept, and having long windup, it is among the strongest attacks that a mortal Kong can use.
Rocketbarrel Attack: An Ability used by Diddy Kong. Diddy Kong’s Barrel Jet backfires, causing flames to burst out and surround him.
Solar Stun: An Ability used by Diddy Kong. Diddy Kong uses Nature magic to channel energy from the sun, releasing it in a pillar of light beneath the target that immobilizes them for as long as they’re in it, or until it dissipates naturally.
Walking Wall: An Ability used by Chunky Kong. The user envelops themselves in a layer of energy that temporarily boosts their ability to endure attacks and reduces all knockback, with a small decrease in attack power and a big decrease in speed as a trade-off.
Water Hold: An Ability used by Chunky Kong. Chunky Kong surrounds himself in Water magic that flies outward, protecting him and allies from weaker projectiles and possibly redirecting stronger ones. Deals very little damage to opponents in range, but can push them far away.
Whale Whisker: An Ability used by Chunky Kong. Chunky Kong uses Water magic to unleash a watery punch and summon a long, straight wave of water in front of him. Deals high knockback that can only be reduced based on the opponent’s resistance to Water-type or otherwise liquid attacks.
Wood Burst: An Ability used by Diddy Kong. Diddy Kong uses his Nature magic to unleash a rapid series of explosions over the target.

Story

(The story begins on Donkey Kong Island)

(The story skips forward as Chunky follows the figure deep into the forest)

Afterword

The basic idea of this chapter was basically me killing two birds with one stone: I wanted to introduce Mitsumo into Chaos Zone, and I wanted to give Chunky Kong a significant story that explored his character.

One of the big things that made me interested in Mitsumo is how despite being such a horrifying concept, they aren’t taken very seriously in their game of origin; if you fight them at all, they’ll be the first major opponent you fight out of six, and none of the characters seem all that worried about the child under Mitsumo’s control. I figured some of this might be chalked up to how the Len’en cast can be eccentric, and/or how used they are to such unusual horrors.

That last park is where Chunky comes in; his adventures haven’t been all sunshine and rainbows (many levels in his original game, Donkey Kong 64, have an eerieness to them), but he’s still never faced anything quite like Mitsumo, and as a somewhat fearful character, he seemed like an easy target for Mitsumo, and a perfect way to portray how someone inexperienced with the dangerous world of Len’en could easily be lured to Mitsumo.

Furthermore, while Chunky’s perfectly competent in combat, I made sure his trump card, Ape Action, wasn’t easily accessible by making sure Mitsumo had the ability to keep Chunky unfocused for long enough that it took extra assistance from Diddy Kong for Chunky to tap into that hidden power, instead of letting it be something that let him get the best of Mitsumo right away.

Overall, I think this is a fine little story that fleshes out an overlooked villain and gives some limelight to one of my less prevalent characters.