DON'T MISS OUT ON THE LATEST INSTALLMENT OF THE ULTIMATE MONSTER BATTLE EXPERIENCE: RELOADED!
LAST TIME, ON AMBER…
TENSIONS ROSE, AS THISTLE AND MALBEC TUSSLED OVER THE TECHNICAL DETAILS OF MALBEC'S SORDID, FIRE-RELATED SECRET! THORN AND MONOCHROME WENT HEAD TO TENTACLED HEAD, AND THISTLE'S VILLAINOUS RANT MADE CHILD IN THE AUDIENCE CRY.
MEANWHILE, REIGNING CHAMPIONS CYCLOPS AND MALBEC'S UNEASY COLLABORATION BEGAN TO SHOW CRACKS! AN ACRIMONIOUS FIGHT OVER STRATEGY TURNED INTO A NO-HOLDS-BARRED BEATDOWN BETWEEN FROST WYRM AND MONOCHROME!
BUT THEN…
EMERGING FROM BACKSTAGE, CAME A CHALLENGER. IT WAS BLANKET, LOOKING TO SETTLE OLD SCORES WITH MALBEC - AND WITH HIM… THE FIERCE, MALEVOLENT THISTLE! BOTH BACK FOR A REMATCH!!!
TONIGHT, WE SEE THISTLE AND BLANKET FACE OFF AGAINST MALBEC AND CYCLOPS! WILL JUSTICE PREVAIL? WILL OUR HEROES' HARD-WON TEAMWORK SURVIVE LAST WEEK'S HIT? TUNE IN NOW FOR THE ANSWERS!
AS EVER, I, DECIBEL, YOUR HUMBLE COMMENTATOR, WILL BE GIVING YOU THE HIGHLIGHTS! GUEST-STARRING MIDNIGHT, AND SPONSORED BY TTI.
What was the secret to AMBER's nigh-instant success? Most claim, the personalities of its original Competitors and Stakeholders.
AMBER took what so many people already loved about the Arena and amplified it - turned the spotlights up to maximum, and the drama up to the nth degree. On an instinctual level, they recognised Bastion's sheer, Fannish love of stories: the delight at seeing friendship, love, hatred and rivalry blossom in an incredibly human way in the Arena.
Each fight was narratively significant. Every twist in the tale was memorable.
There was Malbec, the flawed yet ultimately loveable hero. Born into a family of greats, and accustomed to living in their twin shadows, she clawed her way up to the top on her own merits, and was willing to do anything to stay there. Her determination captured Fans' hearts, but her dark, secretive past barred her from forming bonds of trust. Her story arc was a classic hero's journey, but the ride was anything other than smooth. Still, with the rideable sheep MonoChrome to aid her in her travels, it was certainly bearable.
Then, there was her rival and nemesis, Thistle, whose dark, sardonic antics dominated the stadium. Thistle was an interesting case: on the face of it, a plain-dealing villain whose thirst for power and fame acted as the twisted mirror to Malbec's own ambition. However, occasionally, flaws in the facade showed: Thistle's ill-concealed weakness for cute, fluffy things, and her genuine love for her husband (and frequent guest star) Crabgrass, to say nothing of her ironclad loyalty to her gigantic spiked Monster, Thorn, gave the impression of a vulnerable, complex individual.
Meanwhile, Malbec's friend and on-again, off-again Doubles Partner, Cyclops, was a beloved Fan favourite, whose commitment to Monster rights made them one of the most endearing figures in the stadium. A decent, all-round believer in fair play, they often kept Malbec on the straight and narrow - and backed her when she fell foul of Thistle's schemes. Their Monster-taming skills were second to none, as prominently displayed by their characteristic move of riding the lightning-fast Frost Wyrm into battle and charging. Meanwhile, they often headed the crowd-pleasing 'cutesy' fights at the beginning of each installment.
Finally, Blanket, a late addition to the original crew, introduced during a dramatic surprise revenge sequence against Malbec, commanded vast amounts of Fan attention. A seasoned Alpha Division Trainer, he brought with him a tremendous amount of support, and though bent on exacting comeuppance against Malbec for her betrayal, lacked the sly malevolence of Thistle, and came across rather as a justice-loving vigilante. Footsie, re-rebranded after its brief stint of Hard as Nails, delighted audiences with its socky breakdancing routines, and was a staple of AMBER's half-time shows.
Fic, art and fanwork of all varities was published on the topic of this ensemble. Nothing, it seemed, could rival AMBER's sense of narrative drive: when it came to creative, moving plotlines, it was second to none.
Others, however, attribute AMBER's success to the ample skills of its commentator, Decibel. With nothing more than their own raw charisma, Decibel could ensure that crowds flocked to AMBER; their Fanbase was large, unruly and utterly ride-or-die. It is down to Decibel, perhaps, that AMBER possessed that rare, electric energy that made it so striking. They had an uncanny eye for detail, and were able to effortlessly show AMBER's stars in their best, most theatrical light with a single, seemingly throwaway comment, or a well-timed witticism. Part of the draw of AMBER was not just seeing a story unfold, but being told that story - hearing, as well as seeing it in action.
Nonetheless, it was not solely their aesthetic sensibilities that kept them afloat. Without the economic acumen of Tatters of Tatters Trading Industries, AMBER would undoubtedly have sunk. Following a number of narrowly-averted marketing mishaps, Tatters seemed to take AMBER's ongoing financial stability into her own hands, implementing changes that encouraged, not just a steady Fanbase, but profits. AMBER's merchandising drive was masterminded by its sponsor - albeit in absentia, as Tatters soon left for the Wasteland after AMBER began to take off. Still, her budgets, long-term plans and regulations remained - just as well, considering what might have otherwise happened had AMBER fallen victim to the misguided efforts of the commercially illiterate Wreath, its co-founder.
Overall, then, AMBER was able to listen to the dictates of its heart and its head. With its efficient yet utterly transparent operations, it was something of a model business - and, to this day, is much-loved by the Fans of Bastion.
From The Fall of the Bastion Network, by Relic
“Despite the obvious corruption that tends to follow significant financial success, as far as anyone can tell AMBER as an institution has remained remarkably clean throughout the years. While much of this is undoubtedly due to the leadership of former UMBA trainers Malbec and Thistle, the impact of the early adoption of a rulebook written by UMBA Rules Lawyer Yarn shortly before their demise at the hands of Dark Steel cannot be overstated.
These rules codified for the first time safeguards for Monster and Gladiator wellbeing, financial support for retired Monsters and their Trainers. For the first time there were countermeasures in place to prevent Monster doping, Rules Lawyering was banned and dangerous Archeotech restricted. Perhaps most importantly these rules reorganised the corporate incentive structure to prevent AMBER employees from being tempted into the same excesses of corruption that UMBA suffered.
Yarn’s life may have been characterised by corruption, the mistreatment of their Monsters and a dubious relationship with the infamous Briquid corporation but history remembers them kindly. Yarn’s famous speech, and the riots that followed it, are often considered to be the tipping point public opinion on the Network, and helped shape a new and reformed Arena. The cause of Yarn’s change of heart remains a mystery, but the people of Bastion have certainly benefited from it.”
- A Brief History of AMBER, by Beam
