An Alternate Universe fanfic, BlazBlue: Control Sequence
is a collaborative series taking inspiration and spun off of BlazBlue to make its own alternate reality saga, called EvoBlaze. It is like X Blaze or Bloodedge Experience in that exists as its own world somewhere in the Boundary. It is set in a war-torn world after the Third War, which was caused by the development of a supreme system to rule over the world and desires. The NOL's evolved successor the Novus Orbis Sequentia stands as the World's primary Order, which claims their system is the new "God" over this world. They claim their cause to be to better the world for the souls of it and attempting to craft one "true eternal world".
The story primarily follows the main protagonist Nex's endeavors to destroy the system that manipulates truth as he attempts to end the World's Desire and destroy the world before it is consumed by another power related to the mysterious Seithr Scourge. However their World is bathed in war and lies mixing from the Boundary, and not everything is as it seems.
It also delves into the struggles of the several characters in this world who have their own desires and between all of them truth is slowly unraveled, revealing what happened to their world, their souls, and discover the possibilities that twist their destinies.
Other works connected to the universe are:
Control Sequence Origins: A series explaining the events pertaining to characters between the end of the Third War and the beginning of the series.
Azure 0: Rebellion Sequence: Nex's own Origin story.
Genesis Destruction: Calamity Sequence/Catalyst Sequence: A series depicting the chronicles of the Third War of Armagus and those who rose to arms in humanity's darkest hour.
Reality 0: Embryo Sequence/Arbiter Sequence: The time before the War.
Teach Me, Nex!: A Teach me Miss Lichi Expy used to explain details and events in greater detail than in the main story
WARNING: There are unmarked spoilers for Verse 1.
BlazBlue: Control Sequence contains examples of:
- Aerith and Bob: Big time. On one hand we have pretty normal German (Siegfried, Albrecht), Greek (Marina), Japanese (Miwa, Yumiko, Akari) names, on the other we have Nex, Sylar, Serza and et cetera.
- After the End: The Irregularity Crisis during the Third War of Armagus left their world covered in highly condensed, vicious form of Seithr that turned into a tool to corrode life from an inherent destructive property, called Seithr Scourge. It was then that barriers had to be designed around the cities owned by the government to prevent the Scourge, and the Gates were shut to avoid the tampering of Seithr cores; strange embryonic, organic blue cores created by unknown means that along with these Gates are responsible for being the basis of an accident to cause the near loss of all life. Ikaruga was turned into Taoreta, a region filled with the Seithr Scourge, and is restricted from public access. The Government ended the Irregularity Crisis, and all humanity looks to them now for protection.
- Artificial Human: Many, Azure Interface Prime Field Devices are just one example.
- Attack Its Weak Point: Several, AIP will die if their core soul is destroyed and Seithr Beings will if their crystal is destroyed.
- The Bad Guy Wins: The World was dying to begin with, and humanity couldn't overcome the Seithr. Control Sequence begins with the World Order having won the War during Genesis Destruction, and completed their system with the Rogue Sectors as the rebellion, being nearly wiped out. Lukain one of the primary antagonists still remains in power even in the current story.
- Alternate Timeline: Their world is in a timeline that was created by an Embryo appearing in it a long time ago in the past during Reality 0, while the world was originally dying by Seithr and human souls couldn't survive, being consumed by their conflicts and violent natures.
- Bad Future: Possibly. As it's also implied by Nex and through "Possibility Sequences" of characters' souls (which seem to be similar to non-sequential phenomena) suggests the events in Control Sequence have already happened in some form or have been Observed, leading to an unstable timeline and determined outcomes of various characters.
- Big Brother Is Watching: Sequence is always watching thanks to their Overseers and the Eye of Sequence, people aren't aware of it normally. The main protagonist Nex—among others— are aware. It's also hinted by Nex in Verse 2 that something else aside Sequence is also 'watching' people in extreme power even the government doesn't mess with. And clearly, Nex has has met and fears them and he is apparently hiding Myri from them.
- Blatant Lies: The Government(s) is/are constantly twisting the truth.
- Black-and-Gray Morality: Our protagonist wants to destroy the world and has a personality mostly dedicated to hate and destruction, and most of the people he fights with can make him look completely rational.
- Black Magic: Lots of examples, such as Nex's Azure Grimoire or the Seithr Scourge going on in the world.
- Bio-Augmentation: The Boundary Manifestation Experiments were created on purpose, and it is said it was done via alterations to the body and everything inside. This can also extend to the Azure Interface Prime Field and people like Sylar who clearly had their genetics played with in horrific genetic engineering and gene splicing.
- The Corruption: Too many to list. Not only does the main protagonist deal with it daily, but this wonderful world is filled with things that corrupt and cause people to generally just become evil, from Nex Exitium to the Seithr Scourge, and powers of the Boundary like Azure. All of this in excess is almost guaranteed to ruin your spirit and plunge you into The Dark Side.
- The Boundary Manifestation Experiments are prime examples, they are created and corrupt essences— forces of destruction from being linked directly to the powers of the Boundary who seek to absolutely destroy life itself.
- Although its apparent Source from the Eye of Sheol is weakened, the Black Corrosion is a tool of corruption and can attack people through the heavy doses of Seithr Scourge.
- Crapsack World: With the Seithr Scourge and ravenous monsters like the Seithr Beings, or criminals who have enhanced their abilities, it makes the canon world look like a good vacation spot in comparison.
- Crystal Dragon Jesus: The Goddess, a mysterious deity whose religion takes an equal standing with Christianity, Islam and Buddhisim.
- Cyberpunk: The universe has some elements of it, including Ridiculously Human Robots, Police State and so on.
- Dark Fantasy: Played with. Given the state of magic being insanely powerful and debatably corrupted, the leading authority being opposed to any using it besides them, creatures outside of logic also includes the created beings like the Boundary Manifestation Experiments and etc.
- Dishing Out Dirt: Yuega Tegi and his abilities to control earth extend to even the tectonic plates.
- Dystopia: Does this even need explaining? A war-torn world that has two (to a point) corrupt governments destroying one another and a protagonist who wants to destroy it with a good reason. Blatant lies everywhere and people living under the belief of false hopes and pursuits of perfection. It points out the worst in humanity with them being the "main" culprits to this world and having become blind to the nightmare they unknowingly designed.
- The belief in the government is to the point it's been hinted it's in actuality Happiness in Slavery
- Its also infested with highly aggressive forms of Seithr called Seithr Beings and evolved versions of these lesser ones called the BME like Zaezel who want to destroy humanity— who the government's world protectors were hiding the existence of thanks to their Secret Police.
- Expy: There are many to list, some related to the canon characters, and others to the authors' original characters.
- Evil Evolves: In Verse 2 there's a few examples that become clear. Individuals like Zaezel who all prey on other energy and people for fueling the refinement and development of their abilities and they can most definitely all become stronger this way. Another is the Azure Grimoire Nex contains. It will eat other's energy to make his own Azure's destructive power develop and become stronger and he becomes just a bit different in this mindset.
- Evil Weapon: The Nex Exitium, a highly advanced class of weaponry designed in the Third War of Armagus utilizing powerful forces of energy from the Boundary. They are the next evolution of weaponry as successors to the Nox Nyctores and contain the controlled powers of destruction at the core of their body making them extremely potent weaponry. They're capable of erasing an individual's core existence itself which gave them the names "Agents of Death". Much like Nox Nyctores, each of them affects the wielder's mind to a certain degree and almost always carries a price.
- Fantasy Kitchen Sink: Tons and tons of variety in the cast races.
- Foregone Conclusion: The Origins of the characters.
- Gone Horribly Wrong: The Boundary Manifestation Experiments can qualify for this. They're a creation of mankind and the entities who use the Boundary's destructive power implying they probably had a purpose- but the irony is they're now out to destroy mankind. Akuhei has also mentioned that they were merely failed monsters who fell short of the true idea.
- Guilt-Free Extermination War: As of Control Sequence's beginning, there is absolutely no explanation as to why the LS and NOS are so hellbent on destroying each other— other than their clashing ideals. However, they just continue to make a spiral of conflict against each other. After the Third War, there was some peace, but it didn't last long the Liberation Sector turned very malicious all of a sudden when their leaders were lost, and attempted continued assaults and their world became ensnared in a bloody war between the two once more. It became less about liberation after the split of the Sectors and more about vengeance and hate. Neither truly cares who loses their soul, suffers, or dies in the process of this war nor do any of them seem to feel bad about any of it (Outside of a few characters caught in the middle on either side). Peace isn't an option here, its complete annihilation of the other side that they seek and everything that comes after is optional.
- Heart Drive: For Seithr Beings, their Boundary Fragments/Seithr Shards, it can keep them alive and even regenerate their body. But once it's removed from them they can no longer keep their existence together and fall apart into Seithr.
- Hive Mind: Zaezel flat out said the entities like himself all share a shared conscious of destruction and that they exist to carry out a certain purpose and will.
- I'm Having Soul Pains: A side effect of the cores or shards is that it afflicts the mind and soul and for any character who this happens to it isn't the most pleasurable experience. Nex has this happen often when he uses the Grimoire and some villains can also cause this.
- I Want Them Alive!: Nex is the first to come to mind. Despite being the main threat to their world, Nex is desired by the world alive for many reasons (AIP say his Existence "must" continue) some of which relating to his power over the Azure which for his entire life he's been hunted for religiously by the NOS ever since he claimed the Grimoire. But none more so want him than his arch nemesis and the NOS's Sequence Intelligence Agency.
- This also extends to others with unique power, where the world sees use in them, they'll typically be desired alive for various reasons.
- I Need You Stronger: The main antagonists of the story such as Akuhei or Lukain are shown to be able to destroy the protagonists in combat. Even stronger ones like Nex and Sylar and it's to the point it's clearly not even a challenge— however its often followed by quotes that detail they need to become stronger. Most commonly this is said to Nex who is always fed more power by various plot points to make his Azure and Grimoire stronger for ambiguous varying reasons—but none are good.
- La Résistance: The Liberation Sector. Left over from the Rogue Sectors, they are the only standing force against the Novus Orbis Sequentia and wish to bring it down and free the world of Sequence's power. However, it's heavily implied even they aren't completely clean due to their heavy despair of losing their leaders from the War to the Sequence Destroyers and are becoming desperate.
- Mind Virus: Many things in the universe afflict the mind itself. It's later revealed some of it is from the Irregularity generating the Seithr Scourge, along with the Black Corrosion it causes, spoken of in Verse 2.
- Murder, Inc.: The League of Shadows serves as a government-approved, but still a secret one.
- Nigh-Invulnerability: The main source of the Seithr Scourge hidden deep in the Boundary. It's implied to have been attempted to be destroyed during the Third War, but all those attempts were met with failure. It seems to use Proxies to interact.
- Police State: Any city under control by the NOS. You have an ID and your purpose is implied to become theirs to decide - all this in exchange for protection from the Seithr Scourge and most war. Without this assurance, you're an enemy.
- Power Crystal: The fragmented power of the Boundary which are crystal-like and found in the body of Seithr Beings and some individuals who have Drive- commonly called Seithr Shards. They appear anywhere on or in the body and can also be forcefully put into people.
- Power Glows: Plenty of cases.
- Secret Police: SIA's Sequence Destroyers. They literally exist to destroy the existence of another who is threatening their authorities and also step in to keep everyone from questioning the government's motives. In essence, they are the ones who allow the government to reshape history and write their own truth.
- The Omniscient Council of Vagueness: So far seen to be the Overseers or the 'Unknown 5' for the NOS who seem to watch Nex's progress against the NOS, and stopping the World Crisis from happening again. (Note:Not to be confused with the actual World Order Council, who is more the Not-So-Omniscient Council of Bickering.)
- Extends to an unknown group simply watching for now, and has been watching Nex since who knows when— that he in Verse 2 mentions. This group apparently loves to try and plant the idea that Nex is not in control of his own fate. None of the members are currently known.
- To Be Lawful or Good: Comes up a lot to act as a conflict for characters in the story.
- State Sec: The Sequence Intelligence Agency (SIA) in general, they are their own sovereign authority operating under their own heads of command.
- Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: Like its inspiration it leans heavily towards cynicism with small bits of idealism showing up.
- White Magic: People like Myri, Miwa, and Reiga seem to draw on ideas of this.
- Wound That Will Not Heal: Any character who is unfortunate enough to deal with a strong Exitium attack NEEDS to get healed by magic or another way as most of them leave some nasty after effects through wounds and they won't close on their own.
- It is also to a lesser extent if one suffers from internal damage by concentrated Seithr-based weapons where the wound will continue to corrupt the afflicted and possibly lead to Black Corrosion.
- Wretched Hive: Taoreta, aka former Ikaruga. During the World Crisis it became infested with a corrosive strain of Seithr, forcing most people to evacuate from that place. It's mostly used by NOS as a site for Seithr Harvesting facilities and as a penal colony, where various criminals are exiled or forced to operate said facilities. The criminals have found ways to survive in dense Seithr and formed their own society in the Ruined Cities.
