Prelude: Sash Lilac vs. Shovel Knight

TFP: Sash Lilac, the Water Dragon that would eventually become the hero of Avalice.

Jake: She looks like the child of a gender bent Sonic and Spyro shipping.

TFP: Where do you get these awful ideas from?

Jake: Fanfiction.

TFP: ...

Jake: Well anyway, things didn't start off smoothly for Lilac. During her early years Lilac was just a lonely orphan who would end up joining a street gang called the Red Scarves. It was there she would meet her future partner and best friend Carol Tea.

TFP: During her time in the Red Scarves, Lilac entered numerous martial arts tournaments for cash prices on behalf of the Red Scarves, she would win a significant amount of money from these tournament. However, one day the Red Scarves and their leader Spade would take things a bit too far which resulted in Carol and Lilac leaving.

Jake: With no home or money the two decided to take the thievery approach but kept themselves limited to robbing from the rich. Just like Robin Hood...minus the giving to the poor bit.

TFP: During their journey to a wealthy place in which they would use to sustain themselves for a year, they spotted a plane crash landing further ahead. This is when they meet a turtle-shelled, duck-billed man named Torque.

Jake: Who would later just turn out to be a flat out alien...spoilers.

TFP: Torque would request to Lilac to help save the Kingdom Stone a very valuable relic that contains untold amounts of energy from Lord Brevon and his army.

Jake: This little adventure would take Lilac and her friends and put her up against all of obstacles. This includes taking down numerous soldiers, mechs and gunships of Lord Brevon's army, facing off against numerous machines of the last generation and even survive electrical torture.

TFP: She was also the only Dragonblood capable of earning the trust of the Royal Magister.

FEATS:
- The only Dragonblood capable of earning the Magister's trust.
- Has taken on numerous last generation machines.
- Survived being tortured.
* She was tortured via being electrocuted.
- Defeated Lord Brevon and his army.
* This included mechs, attack gunships and even the final Dreadnought piloted by Lord Brevon himself.

Jake: Of course to do all that Lilac would have to possess some great skills to accomplish what she did.

TFP: We've already brought up the fact that she has fought in various martial arts tournaments as a way of earning money. This means that Lilac has a good pedigree of close quarters expertise. She also has a stamina bar that can naturally recharge during combat.

Jake: and if you want even more reasons to compare Lilac to Sonic, she also possess natural super speed which has allowed her to outrun things varying from boulders to combat mechas.

SKILLS & ATTRIBUTES
- Super speed
* Which can be boosted by Dragon Boost.
- Rechargeable stamina
- Close quarters combat specialist
* Participated in numerous martial arts tournaments.

TFP: Another thing that separates Lilac from the rest of her friends is her special move set.

Jake: The Hair Whip is Lilac's basic attack where she uses her own hair to whip her foes upclose.

TFP: The low kick is...well it's a low kick nuff said.

Jake: The drop kick allows Lilac to attack her foes on the ground from midair.

TFP: and the Rising Slash is Lilac's variant of an upper...

Jake: SHORYUKEN!!!

*TFP punches Jake in the stomach*

Jake: OUCH! What the fuck man!!! *falls on the floor*

TFP: I don't like being interrupted. Anyway, Lilac's Dragon cyclone is a versatile ability mainly due to the fact in can be used on the ground or in midair. This move involves Lilac spinning with her arms open out to damage her foes. Another point about the Dragon cyclone is that it drains a bit of Lilac's stamina so constant use is not recommended.

Jake: *Cough, Cough* Goddammit that punch hurt like hell man! *gets back onto his chair*

TFP: Lilac's last but most iconic move is the Dragon Boost. This move involves Lilac spinning in midair charging up her speed, once she is released from this state she can blitz through the landscape damaging any enemy that is in Lilac's way while also providing Lilac with invincibility while in use. This special move however uses all of Lilac's stamina and only travels in a short distance so timing is very important to using this move.

SPECIAL MOVES LIST
- Hair Whip
* Lilac's basic attack.
- Low Kick
* Allows Lilac to attack small foes.
- Drop Kick
* Lilac uses this move to attack from mid-air.
- Rising Slash
* Practically Lilac's version of an uppercut.
- Dragon Cyclone
* Can be used as either a double jump or ground spin kick.
* Uses a bit of Lilac's stamina.
- Dragon Boost
* Grants Lilac temporary invulnerability when used.
* Gives Lilac a boost of speed.
* Can be activated on both the ground and in mid-air.
* Can be used as a damaging charge attack against foes.
* Uses up all of Lilac's stamina.

Jake: Lilac relies on more than her special move set. She also has access to shield power-ups which provide a defense against s specific sort of attack, jeez another feature I can compare to Sonic.

TFP: You do realize that Freedom Planet was originally a fan-made game based on Sonic right?

Jake: Oh, really? Alright then, gonna have to scribble out some jokes on my script then.

TFP: The wood shield is color coded pink and provides defense to lilac from poison attacks. Another feature of the wood shield is that it drops a life petal which regenerates a bit of Lilac's health for every 20 crystals (equivalent to rings in Sonic) collected.

Jake: The earth shield which is color coded in yellow and provides defense against Earth and Crystal based attacks. The earth shield can also draw in nearby crystals for Lilac to pick up.

TFP: The water shield which is color coded blue allows Lilac to breathe underwater for long periods of time while also protecting her against bubble based attacks.

Jake: WAIT BUBBLES!? Pft HAHAHAHAHA OH DEAR ME BUBBLES MY ONE WEAKNESS!

TFP: The fire shield color coded red protects Lilac from fire based attacks and also grants the ability to do constant damage to any foe that touches the shield.

Jake: The metal shield which is color coded white protects Lilac from spikes and electricity based attacks.

TFP: Finally we have the rainbow gem, this artifact can provide a temporary invincibility to Lilac for about a minute.


SHIELDS
- Wood Shield (pink)
* Drops life petals for every 20 crystals collected. 
* Grants immunity to poison attacks.
- Earth Shield (yellow)
* Draws in nearby crystals.
* Grants immunity to rock and crystal-based attacks.
- Water Shield (blue)
* Lets Lilac breathe underwater.
* Grants immunity to bubble attacks.
- Fire Shield (red)
* Deals constant damage to enemies Lilac touches.
* Grants immunity to flames.
- Metal Shield (white)
* Grants immunity to spikes and electricity.
- Rainbow Gem
* Grants Lilac temporary invincibility.

TFP: Lilac may seem unstoppable but just like everyone else she does come with a set of flaws. For starters she lacks a ranged weapon meaning she has to stick close to her opponent to deal any sort of damage. Plus her approach to combat is relatively straight forward which can be exploited by a far more strategic foe.

Jake: It also doesn't help that her stamina while can naturally regenerate is severely limited so she has to time her usage of Dragon Cyclone and Dragon Boost. Plus at times she tends to be a bit oblivious to incoming danger.

TFP: and finally if someone were to cause harm to her friends she will go berserk and practically try to tear you apart limb from lib without any remorse.

Jake: Good thing we have that no outside help rule then.


WEAKNESSES
- Limited Stamina.
- Straight forward approach to combat.
- Lacks a ranged weapon.
- Get's extremely angry when one of her friends get hurt.
- Sometimes oblivious to incoming danger.

Jake: Luckily Lilac hasn't let these weaknesses get in the way of her heroic deeds.

TFP: When the dragon is unleashed you wold really wished you hadn't messed with this little water dragon and her friends.

(Lilac: Your machines won't save you from the dragon you've unleashed! I will destroy everything you throw at me! I WILL MAKE YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!)

Name: Shovel Knight
Alias: N/A
Age: N/A
Occupation: Knight, Adventurer, Treasure Hunter
Theme:


Jake: The Shovel Knight was once a adventuring treasure hunter alongside his trusty sidekick/possible lover Shield Knight.

TFP: The duo were referred as a great champions and adventurers wandering around the landscape hunting for treasure, that was until tragedy struck as the two Knights were separated in the Tower of Fates.

Jake: This event forced Shovel Knight to retire from his adventuring and became a farmer. Ouch, talk about a quick career change.

TFP: During Shovel Knight's retirement, many champions from across the land began disappearing and soon news had reached to Shovel Knight about a group of dastardly knights called the order of no quarter who were led by the sinister Enchantress into conquering lands that did not belong to them.

Jake: This news was just what Shovel Knight needed to take the quest given to him to drive away the Order of No Quarter from the conquered lands and finally defeat them as well as the Enchantress. Who also turned out possessed the Shield Knight so he got to rescue his girlfriend for an added bonus.

TFP: During his adventures he would need to defeat many minions, solve many challenging puzzles and oddly enough encounter and challenge both the Battletoads and the God of War Kratos.

FEATS:
- Was a great champion along with his partner Shield Knight.
- Defeated the Order of No Quarter.
* Would proceed to beat all of them again in the Tower of Fate
- Solved many challenging puzzles during his adventures.
- Along with Shield Knight, destroyed the Enchantress
- Has managed to defeat the Battletoads as well as the God of War Kratos (Questionable if it's canon)

TFP: To do all that he would achieve, The Shovel Knight would need to possess a particular set of skills to get through all the puzzles and enemies that awaited him.

Jake: and boy does Shovel Knight here possess some awesome skills. He is a master of adventuring, treasure hunting and the art of the warrior. He possesses superhuman physicality being able to destroy blocks of loose Earth with his shovel, has never been shown to tire during his adventures and has taken blows from all sorts of attacks and kept on pushing. He even created his own move called the Shovel Drop 

TFP: Shovel Knight has also been shown to be an intelligent fighter, being able to adapt o atack patterns as well as being able to solve challenging puzzles.

SKILLS & ABILITIES
- Superhuman Strength
* Can break through big blocks of ground with his shovel.
- Superhuman Stamina
* Never tires during his adventures.
- Superhuman Intelligence
* Can adapt to attack patterns from enemies.
* Solved many challenging puzzles.
- Superhuman Durability
* Taken blows from all sorts of attacks and lived.
- Master Warrior
- Master Adventurer
- Master Treasure Hunter
- Shovel Drop
* Drops on enemies from above, using his shovel for a downward stab.

Jake: No Knight however is ready for an adventure until he has a trusty weapon that he can use to cut down any foes that gets in his way.

TFP: and sticking to his name the Shovel Knight's main weapon...is a shovel.

Jake: Not just any shovel, this badass weapon is made of Damascus steel and with a bladed edge can slice through anything dumb enough to be it's target. It also has the ability to reflect magical projectiles.

TFP: Throughout his adventures, the Shovel Knight has been able to upgrade his Shovel which grants him extra abilities. The charge handle allows the Shovel Knight to do double the damage for the cost of half the speed while charging. The trench blade upgrade allows the Shovel Knight to immediately dig-up from any mound of dirt and the drop spark allows the SHovel Knight to use projectiles while at full health.


WEAPONRY
- Shovel
* Likely Damascus Steel.
* Likely bladed.
* Reflects magical projectiles.
* Charge Handle allows for a double-damage attack at the cost of half speed while charging.
* Trench Blade allows for immediate dig-up of any mound of dirt.
* Drop Spark allows for a projectile attack at full health.
* Favored weapon.

Jake: The shovel is not the only weapon in the Shovel Knight's arsenal. He can call upon the powers of numerous relics and items that he has collected over the years. 

TFP: The Shovel Knight possesses two different Troupple Chalices, the first one can fully heal Shovel Knight as well as restore his Magicka. The second Troupple Chalice can grant the Shovel Knight temporary invincibility against all attacks. Both Chalices can be used without using any Magicka however they can only be used once.

Jake: Shovel Knight also carries in his non-existent pockets a fishing rod, an Alchemy coin which make enemies drop more money when they're killed, the phase locket which can grant the Shovel Knight invincibility for 2 or 3 seconds, a throwing anchor which files in an arc, dust knuckles which causes forward movement when hitting something.

TFP: Shovel Knight also carries the war horn which can cause great damage over a wide area and also ignores any means of defense and armor that the enemy possesses, he also carries the propeller dagger which can cause forward movement within use and if used in the air can cause a slight loss of altitude within every use.

Jake: The mobile gear allows the Shovel Knight to move faster and finally the flare wand can be used to fire three magical flaming projectiles at once.


RELICS & ITEMS
- Draw on Magicka
- Chaos Sphere
* Does repeated damage.
* Bounces.
- Troupple Chalice #1
* Filled with Ichor of Renewal.
* Fully heals and fully restores Magicka.
* Uses no magicka.
- Troupple Chalice #2
* Filled with Ichor of Boldness.
* Invincibility for 10 seconds.
* Can still fight.
* Uses no magicka.
- Fishing Rod
- Alchemy Coin
* Killed enemies drop more money.
- Phase Locket
* Invincibility for 2 or 3 seconds.
- Throwing Anchor
* Flies in an arc.
- Dust Knuckles
* Hitting an object causes forward movement.
- War Horn
* Causes great damage over a wide area.
* Ignores defenses and armor.
- Propeller Dagger
* Use causes forward movement.
* Use in air causes slight loss of altitude with each use.
- Mobile Gear
* Allows faster forward movement.
- Flare Wand
* Fires magical flaming projectiles.
* Able to fire three at once.

Jake: Unfortunately for Shovel Knight there are a few chinks in his armor and he has a few notable weaknesses that can be exploited.

TFP: Right, for instance excluding the Troupple Chalices, each item and relic uses up a Shovel Knight's Magicka which cannot be recharged naturally so once he runs out of Magicka he will be limited to his shovel based attacks. Plus the Chalices can only be used once so he has to use them wisely.

Jake: and as good as moving faster sounds, the mobile gear lacks any sort of defense plus who would bring a fishing rod to fight!? It's Useless!

TFP: Also when Shovel Knight takes damage it nullifies the Drop Spark stopping him from using the projectile attack plus he can't naturally regenerate health meaning enough hits to Shovel Knight will kill him


WEAKNESSES
- Mobile Gear has no defenses.
- Finite, non-replenishable pool of Magicka.
- Chalices have only one use.
- Fishing Rod is nearly useless in combat.
- No way to naturally regenerate Health or Magicka without Ichor of Renewal.
- Any damage taken nullifies the Drop Spark.

TFP: Shovel Knight is not the type to back down from an adventure.

Jake: Yep and when it comes to adventures, the Shovel Knight sure had some great ones.

(Screen: “STEEL THY SHOVEL!”
Shovel Knight: *Leaps in and holds his shovel aloft*)