Lurker > rwlh

I won't be around when the new match goes live, so here's some info on Janet:

Janet is a sentient AI-like helper who comes bundled in with every Good Place neighborhood. There is a Janet in every neighborhood in the afterlife; this specific Janet is the one the show follows, who gets repeatedly rebooted and becomes closer to human than any other Janet.

Janet claims to know everything on Earth, from major events to the minutiae of people's lives. (It could be argued that she knows every fictional universe in this contest as a result, but I'm not sure I feel like going down that road.) She has gaps in her knowledge about the afterlife, but it is consistently shown that she is full of knowledge about Earth.

Janet also has the ability to instantly summon any object on Earth, ranging from the mundane to the spectacularly weird. We never see her use this power offensively, though there is nothing theoretically stopping her from doing so.

In addition, Janet can automatically retreat to her void, a formless place that exists outside space and time. She can do this at any time. She can also create other beings who are like her (she creates a "boyfriend" that functions in much the same way), as well as constructs of people who behave like normal people. This isn't perfect, however - the boyfriend in particular is very weird and acts like a defective Janet model. But this is something she can do.

Also, Janet states in the finale that she doesn't experience time the normal way. This is probably a result of the afterlife timeline moving in a non-linear fashion, but also she's been known to retreat to her void and come back seconds later, though a lot of time has passed for her.

Janet is tricky here because she's more of a conceptual fighter. She has a wide array of abilities but she never really uses them in direct combat. The only time we actually see Janet engaged in direct combat is when her powers have been removed due to being on Earth. She's able to easily overpower a group of demons (who look and act like humans) through basic hand-to-hand combat. When her powers briefly return, her attacks are amplified (she's able to easily toss them away). She also, while in the Bad Place, held a demon up by the neck and threw him into a wall so hard the wall cracked.

There are two canon ways to defeat Janet. One is to push on her nose and put a paper clip in a small hole near her left ear; this will turn her into a marble. The other, more interesting way, is that in every neighborhood, Janet has a kill switch located remotely somewhere. If you press it, it doesn't actually kill her - it knocks her out for a while, but then she reboots and grows in terms of sentience. This particular Janet has been rebooted around 800 times, making her far more self-aware than other Janets. I think a kill switch would spawn somewhere in the arena, though whether her opponent would know to target it specifically or not is up in the air. Also, whenever someone approaches the switch, Janet is programmed to plead for her life (even going so far as to show a picture of fake kids she claims to have), though as soon as you walk away, she will admit it's all an act. Here's a video of that:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vo4Fdf7E0w

You might want to take Battler out of Low also.

Zack it is then.

Oh. I thought it was just a song about nightlife in a city or something.

I did?

25. Kirby Triple Deluxe - Moonstruck Blossom [8]
vs.
46. Einhander - Thermosphere [6]

What I probably had:
Moonstruck Blossom > Midnight Lady? Maybe?

Moonstruck Blossom still somewhat overrated by the rankings, which I should probably fix. I still prefer it over Thermosphere though.

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59. Terraria Calamity - The Filthy Mind (Theme of the Hive Mind) [4]
vs.
29. Beatmania IIDX 25 Cannon Ballers - Midnight Lady [7.5]

What I probably had:
Battle YAS 2 > Bitbop

Midnight Lady is definitely my favorite Cinderella run of this year's contest. My opinion of it has only grown over the contest. Will it be the first wildcard to retire? I hope so!

-

Votes:
Moonstruck Blossom
Midnight Lady

Doesn't Cyclops rarely exert a huge amount of power at once? I think he prefers to do things like trick shots. Too much exertion and he could collapse. He's been the leader of the X-Men for ages so he's got to have a sound tactical mind, which means he probably doesn't just blow everything up.

Cyclops can shoot OPTIC BLASTS through a mountain, but he can only do it for so long. Cloud and Sephiroth can cut through buildings with ease - how does Zack compare?

42. Opoona - Partizans [7]
vs.
41. DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Black Label - Flotage (Stage3-B) [7]

What I probably had:
Sky Tower > Desire Blue Sky (wildcard)

These two are right next to each other in my rankings WHOOAOOAOAAOAOAO. Partizans sounds like frolicking music, which I have to be in the right mood for, but I am in the right mood for it today! Flotage is louder and more intense and I'm not as in the mood for that today as I am its fluffy frolicky opponent. I could easily swap on a different day!

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55. Idola Phantasy Star Saga - Endeavour [5.5]
vs.
7. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX - Sky Tower [9]

What I probably had:
FEEL the POWER in YOUR SOUL > IDOLA The Strange Fruits (wildcard)

I might be in the minority but I very clearly prefer the verses of Endeavour to the chorus. Sky Tower isn't as strong as the original for me but it's still very very good.

-

Votes:
Partizans
Sky Tower

To be fair, Mario didn't fight Culex alone. He normally fights Bowser alone, and it took Mario and Bowser, plus three other people of comparable power, to beat Culex.

That said, in https://suguri.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Breaker (which UF8 posted above) it says Star Breaker "immolated an entire city." Not sure how that compares to Big Jon's destructive capabilities though. His durability seems pretty good, given that, according to UF8, "it takes a team of 4 who can resurrect each other to take it down."

Against Big Jon, Mario could:
- Capture him with Cappy
- punch him in the face, but Big Jon might take it, given his above durability
- burn him with Ultra Flame
- hit him with a hammer or with a giant shell
- lots of additional stuff with powerups

Against Mario, Big Jon could:
https://100orangejuice.gamepedia.com/Big_the_Jonathan#Cards
- teleport repeatedly and rush him
- send down damaging rain
- divebomb him

I'm not seeing how Big Jon puts Mario down for the count, and I'm seeing lots of ways Mario could do it.

Also, a durability feat for Mario: in Super Mario Odyssey he gets knocked off an airship while high in the sky and survives a fall down to the ground. He's knocked unconscious, but he has no lingering ill effects. Granted, unconsciousness is probably a win for his opponent, but can Big Jon deal comparable force to Mario?

Mario doesn't break things with his head! He uses his fist.

I didn't say it was a good strategy, lol.

Drakeryn posted...

this was my immediate thought, though it sounds like it's not the seagull's go-to mode of attack?

He doesn't have a mode of attack. He's a peaceful bird who literally transcends the mortal realm and teaches other birds the meaning of flying freely. The only thing he can do against Mario is either divebomb him (which wouldn't be very effective against Mario) or something off-the-beaten-path like grabbing onto Mario and teleporting both of them to get a ring out, which I don't know if Jonathan would ever even consider. I guess he could maybe knock some things onto Mario's head?

Jonathan Livingston Seagull is a peaceful bird who would probably recognize Mario as a kindred spirit. Jonathan's existence is based around flying and freedom, and that's basically Mario's existence too. The bird probably teaches Mario to fly without the need for a powerup, and they go flying off into the sky together. So, draw.

However, what probably happens, since they're compelled to fight, is Jonathan tries divebombing Mario and Mario hops on him like a normal enemy. Jonathan could theoretically teleport away from Mario's feet and/or fists, but I don't think the bird's reaction time is probably all that great. Maybe he gets in a hit on Mario if he's fortunate, but Mario is not to be fooled more than once.

Mario.

Going to attempt some fancy guesswork with "What I had."

22. Phantasy Star Online 2 - GUERRANT-OFENZA-SUPRONT-UNNE [8]
vs.
30. Alto's Odyssey - An Endless Desert [7.5]

What I (probably) had:
Battle Tower > Kanata no Rafflesia

Good match. I'd be fine with either song winning here. An Endless Desert I loved during nominations, was lukewarm on in rounds 1 and 2, voted for in round 3, and am now voting for it for retirement. I'd say it grew on me but then it grew off me and now it's back on again. I said this last round (and if I didn't I'm saying it now) but I'm happy something as..."not super accessible" as An Endless Desert got this far.

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53. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim - -[Deoxyribose]- [6]
vs.
33. Ar tonelico III - EXEC_Z/. [7.5]

What I had:
Miracle Matter > ...Megaraph Fleet? Would probably take Miracle Matter > Deoxyribose now

Whoa what the actual crap Deoxyribose clicked for me for the first time today. If I'm basing the rankings on today's match, it probably goes sup like 20 places or so. I like EXEC_Z/. but I've been lukewarm on it all contest (granted, it's still a 7.5).

Voting against my ratings in both matches, and this one is a huge departure!

-

Votes:
An Endless Desert
-[Deoxyribose]-

Constantine, I guess.

NFUN posted...

I'd say that in order to reconcile the different teleportation systems, Elizabeth can only teleport to alternate versions of Earth that are fundamentally the same but had history evolve differently (for example, a version where the whole area is barren or a metropolis or where there's a war going on with weapons to take)... unless Rick opens a portal to another type of Universe, which she then gets access to with the same abilities and intuition she does normally. So if Rick opens up a portal to a magic no-tech variant of Earth, Elizabeth can then go there and explore all of the different variations of it

This is at least how I'd think of it

Reiterating again that this would be a fun match to watch. (Assuming Rick takes it seriously, which it sounds like he wouldn't.)

Elizabeth takes it based on arguments. Really interesting match though.

Rankings are still out of 64. Going to have to stop the "What I had" segment of this program because RIP Bracketmaker. ;_; Instead I'll post the ratings of each song (thanks for the idea @tgs2 ). You might notice nothing remaining is below 5, with only one song actually at 5 (The Filthy Mind). I've said it before, but this is a very strong remaining field, even if most of my top 10 got eliminated last round.

10. Deltarune - Rude Buster [9]
vs.
16. jubeat saucer fulfill - Scars of FAUNA [9]

Good match. Rude Buster is a lively little jaunt, and Scars of FAUNA is a big ol' Nekomata sandwich. But is it too much bread? That's the real question.

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49. Raiden V - Apostle's Maraud [6]
vs.
26. Blue Reflection - TIGAR (All Phase Mix) [8]

I said a lot about both of these songs last round so I won't repeat myself. There's just so much stuff going on in Apostle's Maraud that I find it challenging to focus on any one part of it. TIGAR has a similar issue, but it at least isolates parts enough that I feel more grounded in the journey. 4:40 is still amazing and is probably the best moment of anything today.

-

Votes:
Rude Buster
TIGAR (All Phase Mix)

What is Elizabeth's personality like? Is she the type to go for the kill right away? Would she actively initiate the fight, or would she keep a low profile and observe first?

More than any other fight so far, this seems like one that would be fun to watch.

So apparently when Neo fights in the real world, he has telekinesis and can sense machines and programming. He's also blind. How does that affect his fighting abilities?

63. Kirby: Planet Robobot - P-R-O-G-R-A-M
vs.
38. Fire Emblem Fates - Desire Below (Flow)

What I had:
I don't know, because Bracketmaker is currently down

Vagrant Counting Song of Retrospection (what a name) is a song I don't care for (hence 63/64 place), but I think I get why people like it: lots of glitchiness and constantly changing patterns, plus a very clear atmosphere. Those are normally good recipes for me liking a song, but I have a hard time with modern Kirby (post-N64) in general, so there you have it.

Desire Below Flow originally got like a 2.5 on my first listen through the bracket, and now it's at a 7. Just goes to show how relistens can alter your perception of a song! This is super cool, with a lot of, well, flow to it: I feel like I'm being swept along by a powerful current when I listen to this. The meter/tempo changeup is nice.

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27. Killer7 - Rave On
vs.
37. Alone in the Dark - Who Am I?

What I had:
See above

Rave On is a super fun song. With its PULSATING EDM BEAT, it would be a perfect song to hear in a club. It's very repetitive, but I don't mind that, given that the melody is always engaging to me. I also like the breakdown at the end, which it seems like a lot of people don't care for?

Who Am I? is cool too. It has a very distinct sound to it, very unique from probably anything else in the contest. I want to vote for it on principle, but I do like Rave On a bit more. I'm rooting for Who Am I? though!

-

Votes:
Desire Below (Flow)
Rave On

I asked the question for a reason! I've never seen The Matrix and I always figured Neo's entire set of powers came from it.

I would assume it's just gameplay, given that she's just as much at risk of being killed off as the other students in the first game.

I see.

hombad46 posted...

Well for one, Genocide Jill uses scissors, not knives, but that's nitpicking. She does have experience fighting against killer robot bears, but I'm not overly familiar with Ultra Despair Girls

Good catch, thanks. And I forgot about Ultra Despair Girls. Here's what Jack/Jill does for combat in that game:

On the other hand, the player can also choose to call upon the invincible Genocide Jack, who carries her "Genoscissors" and a stun gun which allows her to go on a rampage and destroy all the Monokuma Units around her. However, the player can only use Genocide Jack for a limited period of time. Once the batteries are drained, Genocide Jack will immediately revert back to Toko. The player can revert Genocide Jack manually to preserve batteries. On Genocide Mode, the batteries will regenerate when using Komaru, but on all other modes, batteries can only be replenished by collecting battery drops from MonoMono Machines.

Genocide Jack's normal attacks include a basic melee combo, whose length can be upgraded by buying upgrades from shops, and through a charge attack. The charge attack functions differently and does more damage the longer it's charged. A short charge results in Genocide Jack throwing scissors in all directions and is effective at close range. A medium charge results in Genocide Jack flipping upside down and flying forward while spinning like a top while slashing, cutting a wide swath through enemies. At full charge, Genocide Jack flies forwards while spinning like a drill, punching through any enemy in her path. Being attacked will cancel any charge. Upgrades also exist for both charge attack damage and charge speed.

In addition to her normal attacks, Genocide Jack can also use special moves using Slash Lust. The Slash Lust gauge is indicated by a row of scissor symbols at the bottom of the screen while Genocide Jack is active. Slash Lust charges by using normal and charge attacks to kill Monokumas, and both the charge rate and the maximum capacity are upgradeable. When using Slash Lust, the player must first lock onto a target. Two types of Slash Lust attacks are available. The first uses only a single unit of Slash Lust and targets a single enemy. The second uses three units and can target up to five enemies. Once activated, Genocide Jack jumps off-screen, and then an automated sequence is shown in which she attacks the targeted enemy.

Genocide Jill is just, like, a high schooler with knives, right?

Neo outside the Matrix seems like a weird choice for an entrant. What does he even do outside the Matrix?

This seems like a match between ordinary people with a moderate level of physical ability. Could be missing something though.

Sorting things out here.

I don't know the scope of these dragons Ghaleon kills, nor do I know the scope of his instant death spell (I flipped through a video of the fight from Silver Star Story and I couldn't find it). Godzilla has range and size, but Ghaleon has mobility and also range.

If Ghaleon takes a shot of Atomic Breath, can he tank it with his barrier? I don't know, maybe? I'm inclined to believe he can, but it would still mess him up a bit.

Personality might be the key here. Godzilla is hard to miss from wherever in the "arena" Ghaleon is in. Ghaleon strikes me as very overconfident in general, the type who automatically assumes he's going to win (after all, he's the Magic Emperor, who can stand against him?). He probably looks at Godzilla and thinks he's just another dragon. Maybe, in true RPG villain mode, he doesn't attack right away, preferring to give the "poor monster" a sense of hope.

Then he gets vaporized by Atomic Breath.

Godzilla.

i still don't know aaahhhh

39. Mamorukun Curse! - YO-KAI Disco (Hell's Entrance World)
vs.
52. The Caligula Effect - Distorted Happiness

What I had:
Birth of a Wish > Redial

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19. Maiden & Spell - The Wyrm's Jewelbox
vs.
35. pop'n Music Usagi to neko to shounen no yume - HYMN

What I had:
The Wyrm's Jewelbox > Scrap I/O

-

Votes:
YO-KAI Disco (Hell's Entrance World)
The Wyrm's Jewelbox

PrinceKaro posted...

And he has an instant death spell. Why is this even a debate?

I wouldn't necessarily take instant death spells against Godzilla, depending on how tough his hide is. Avada Kedavra is an instant death spell but that gets deflected by statues.

From https://wikizilla.org/wiki/Godzilla#Atomic_Breath

"Starting in King Kong vs. Godzilla, Godzilla's breath attack became known as his Atomic Breath ( Hsha Nessen, lit. Radioactive Heat Ray). The atomic breath is a focused beam of atomic energy which is typically neon blue in color. In the Showa series, Godzilla uses his atomic breath to destroy buildings and military weaponry, and to burn enemy monsters. In the Heisei series, Godzilla's atomic breath is portrayed as a powerful focused blue laser capable of causing large explosions and severely wounding some monsters such as Rodan and Battra when fired at point-blank range. According to the book Godzilla 1954-1999 Super Complete Works, the temperature of Godzilla's standard atomic breath in the Heisei series is 500,000 degrees Celsius."

From https://lunar.fandom.com/wiki/Ghaleon#In_Battle:
"Outside of attacks, sometimes he creates a barrier around himself that requires to be hit with 1000 damage to break, until then he takes no damage."

Ghaleon also moves two or three times per turn, which indicates that he's much faster than the party.

I don't know, I had Godzilla pegged as much tougher than I'm finding, but I guess it depends on which version we're using.

What version of Godzilla are we using?

This seems to sum up what Ghaleon can do in combat:
https://lunar.fandom.com/wiki/Ghaleon#In_Battle

Seems like this guy would lose to Evangeline, let alone Godzilla.

Okay this is pretty impressive: Shadow dodging a bullet at point blank range.
https://imgur.com/a/8neHel7

Shadow probably takes it, but I'm still curious about speed feats for round 2.

12. Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet - Dungeon - Geofront 4
vs.
36. Plok! - A Line In The Sand

What I had:
Rainbow Road > Credits (maimai MiLK)

-

7. Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon - Fire Island Volcano
vs.
50. Metal Gear Solid - The Best Is Yet To Come

What I had:
Onboro (wildcard) > Fire Island Volcano

-

Votes:
Dungeon - Geofront 4
Fire Island Volcano

ZenOfThunder posted...

i think Kat actually does have a decent shot but if you go by actual Sonic canon even without an emerald Shadow and Sonic can move close to the speed of sound, most likely Shadow would just get behind her and shoot her in the head. Sonic and Shadow are completely broken even without the chaos emeralds for the same reason the Flash is always broken

iirc Sonic's base top speed is 3000 MPH and Shadow is a little slower than him (just a little bit, Shadow is almost identical but Sonic has hero power and needs to be canonically the fastest so Shadow's top speed is like 2900 MPH or something) but regardless if you couple that with bloodlust and a high-powered handgun Shadow wins this easily, although it has been a while since i played gravity rush and i dont remember if kat has any similarly broken traits

This is a legit question, because I don't know the answer: does Shadow (and Sonic) actually have any instances of going this fast in canon? The games constantly tout the idea that they go incredibly fast but I'm curious to know how that translates to actual canon. I know it's weird gameplay and all so it should be taken with a grain of salt, but Sonic can't even outrun Robotnik at the end of Sonic 2, and Shadow is comparable Sonic's top speed.

Shadow has a homing attack, so presumably he can lock onto Kat if she comes close.

What can Kat do offensively? Shadow has speed, range, and teleportation (though I don't know what the in-universe mechanics are on if he needs a Chaos Emerald for that or not).

28. Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist of Arland - Akeldama
vs.
64. Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim - The Ruined City Kishgal

What I had:
Main Theme (Tong Nou) > Battle! Uxie/Mesprit/Azelf

Akeldama is full of the world music sounds I tend to like in Atelier/Gust music. Nice flute, nice percussion, nice accordion. Really everything comes together super well. Definitely a song that's grown on me since the contest began.

Hey, it's my least favorite song remaining. In the interest of staying positive I won't fixate on what I dislike about Kishgal, though I'll say that, to the surprise of probably nobody who knows my taste, that off-key stringed instrument that fills the song is basically the sole reason it's so low. I actually like the electronic elements throughout the piece, but that one prominent aspect just drags the whole thing down for me.

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1. Magical Chase - Variations on a Ra Melody
vs.
4. maimai MiLK - Credits

What I had:
Variations on a Ra Melody > Dungeon Geofront 4 (wildcard)

My favorite song remaining on the same day as my least favorite! Truly a day of emotional extremes. Anyway, Ra Melody is a song that thrives on that crystally backing trill that runs for the entirety of the song. It feels very DESTINY but not in the usual way; instead, it's like a pressing need to move forward, whatever the cost. I still have a hard time believing a song like this could come out of the TurboGrafx-16! Based on how well Ra Melody's done so far (round 3 is nothing to sneeze at!), I'll likely nominate Waltz of Meditation part2 next year, which - spoilers - I like even more than Ra Melody.

I came close to supporting Credits, and I can't remember if I did or if it had already gotten in by that front. It's a very unconventional song, that's for sure, with its trance-like repetition (not trance the genre, trance as in hypnosis) and frequent glitchy vocal samples. Even if it doesn't win today (which, I mean, I like it, but you saw the ranking...!), I'm very happy a song this unique has done so well.

-

Votes:
Akeldama
Variations on a Ra Melody

Guess it's The Beast then.

Here's a John Wick clip that shows off his hand-to-hand skills, proficiency with firearms, and ability to keep his cool in a dangerous setting:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S8_1PIolnY

This is way below what the Beast can do, so unless anyone has any compelling arguments for Wick, I'll vote for the Beast.

Here's a clip of the Beast's frog-like technique (they call it something specific in the clip), where he puffs himself like a bullfrog and torpedoes into buildings. He only seems to do this when his opponent starts dominating, which suggests maybe he wouldn't do it at the start of a fight. The clip also shows how he's ultimately defeated (at least I think that's near the end of the movie), if you're curious about that.
https://youtu.be/u5eqQKSp2ww?t=63

He also has a feat where he punches a guy in the face so hard the guy's head spins 180 degrees around, killing him instantly.

21. Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon - Second Dark Matter Battle
vs.
58. Mushihimesama Futari - Shinjugamori Rebel Army

What I had:
Roll Me In > Second Dark Matter Battle

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24. VVVVVV - Pressure Cooker
vs.
48. Ragnarok Tactics - Zeal Continent

What I had:
Solitude > You're Not Here (wildcard)

-

Votes:
Second Dark Matter Battle
Pressure Cooker

What is Death's reaction time? If SCP-682 is very fast - and it sounds like it is - it could get the jump on Death.

That said, it sounds like the only ways to truly incapacitate Death are to trap him or kill him with his own scythe (or presumably some equivalent, like I'm guessing Balefire could do it). SCP doesn't sound like it has either.

Death.

Does SCP-682 have any actual combat abilities? All I'm seeing is "he adapts to any attack." What does he do offensively?

Quirrell, I guess. If Evangeline hits me he's probably toast (although I don't have a good durability feat for Potter shields), but I think he can probably get the drop on her.

Questions are still unanswered!

I don't have a lot to say today (sorry to those of you who eagerly await these writeups every day lol), largely because I only really care about one song and I'm trying to keep these writeups positive! But I'll go through the whole process anyway.

61. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity - Infinite Dungeon 2
vs.
56. Taiko no Tatsujin 7 - Burning Force Medley

What I had:
Taliyah, the Stoneweaver > Dark Man Stage

Bellz I like bellz. The Mystery Dungeon subseries seems obsessed with bells. They're used prominently here. They're probably my favorite part of the song.

0:20 of Burning Force Medley always makes me smile. Just the way the melody kicks in with that gnarly synth. it's a hoot every time. On a related note, I wonder how this song would sound on kazoo. Seems built for it.

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15. Eschatos - Massive X
vs.
40. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - Another Winter

What I had:
Massive X > Another Winter (wildcard) (heyyyyyy!)

Massive X is a blast. I'm not nearly as high on Yasui as others, but Massive X is a high-octane ride every time. I always enjoy listening to this song.

I remember when the Scott Pilgrim game soundtrack first dropped, almost ten years ago (!!). I fell in love with Another Winter and its charming retraux melodies. Subsequent relistens have been less kind.

-

Votes:
Burning Force Medley
Massive X

The way I see it, here are the big unanswered questions:
- What is Evangeline's typical approach to combat? Would she be overly cautious, overly uncaring, or somewhere in between? Quirrell almost certainly doesn't reveal himself until he has to and, upon finding her, probably observes her for a time to figure out her weakness. Which brings me to the second question:
- Does Evangeline have any ability to detect invisible beings or magic? If she does, Quirrell loses a huge advantage.
- Finally - I'm guessing this is a no but I'm asking anyway - are we also taking into account Evangeline from UQ Holder, when she's restored to full power?