Genesisbunnies

Title: Genesisbunnies
Series: Zoids Genesis
Original Publication: May 2006, Phenotype's Zoids Forum

My last Zoids fanfic, Genesisbunnies was planned to be a long-running satirical story arc akin to my other Zoids Fics. Unfortunately, instead, it wound up only being two chapters long. There are a number of reasons for this, but the most important was simple. At the time, the North American Zoids fandom was dying. There had been no new Western Zoids releases in years, no new English-language media after the abortive end of Fuzors, and the Japanese Genesis toy line was busy bombing big-time, and the show stunk. That had the net result of making a fandom parody rather redundant; after all, it's hard to make fun of a fandom when it no longer exists.

With that being said, I'm rather fond of the two chapters completed, and I personally feel that they're some of my best Zoids work. And even if it's glaringly incomplete, there's still elements of what's to come.


Author's Notes and Trivia:

A protagonist called Rex Brandtiger who likes ham rolls? Real subtle reference, huh?

The members of the Spiral Mountain Trabe, as well as the trabe itself, were all named for Zoids form the OER Zoids comic. Grant Morrison wishes I wouldn't do that.

Speaking of which, no "Trabe" is not a typo. It's an old running gag of mine, going back many years. Chalk it down to linguistic drift or the like.

Other members of the Clan of the Cabe Bearfighter (Now there's an awful pun/reference) include Grug Ugmush Jr, Shaman Wonkinese and Thag Simmons.

The ancient text that Freddie Cromarte is reading from is a Babelfish-translated extract from the OJR Battle Story. Good luck figuring it out.

The scene with the "beloved peasant village" is a deliberate parody of one of the most over-used elements of Zoids Fanfic and Fandom in general; a helpless village that exists only to be destroyed by Random Bandits, usually leaving behind a lone, angst-ridden orphan who swears that he'll get vengeance for his loss by winning an entirely unrelated tournament. In addition, its' quietly mocking what seemed to be one of the Genesis anime's central messages (if unplanned), in the form of 'Isolated communities = Good, central government = Bad)

Mirar Kurokami is inspired by another character form Zoids fandom. They know who they are. Hi, and thanks for helping inspire this fic!

There are references to both Random Crappy Zoids Fic and The Broken Chairs hidden in the fic. The goal was to make it unclear what continuity, if any, Genesisbunnies was following.

At least two more members of the "protagonist team" were set to be introduced; a girl in a flying Zoid (because the flying Zoid pilot has to be a girl. Fan rule) and a guy in an Elephander. Neither reached text, but there was a complex, multi-layered pun related to the Elephander.

The third chapter, introducing the girl, would have been entitled "No Wing." Only a couple of paragraphs were ever written, and they are sadly lost.