Ok first of all. I hc her as transfem (she/they). But the only things she changed were her pronouns and adding more armor around her waist (for practicality reasons). Otherwise she presents exactly the same. Now that I think about it I haven't posted a drawing of them on this blog yet I should really fix that...
She drags that fucking Barrier Spear EVERYWHERE. In the Mega Man Killer Mobile. On the couch. In the robot spa. No she won't retract it quit being a baby. Many a fight was started because she accidentally poked Ballade in the eyes.
Barrier Spear itself as also really, really heavy, despite how easily Enker handles it. A lot of Enker's free time outside of (voluntary) training is spent sharpening or otherwise maintaining it.
Enker outwardly appears like a miserable piece of shit. But in actuality she is the Strongest Optimist in the World, just in the most asshole way ever. Enker doesn't understand the concept of dwelling over failure. Every time they mess up or lose a fight, it's just an opportunity to improve for next time. When Enker sees other rms wasting time feeling bad about their failings or not even bothering to identify them, Enker just thinks they're stupid.
She does not believe in compliment sandwiches. She doesn't even believe in compliments. She'll just tell you everything that she perceives is wrong with you or what you're doing and expect you to take it as an informative asset. And if you don't, she thinks of you as an idiot destined for mediocrity. Enker thinks she's the best because she's the only one who fits her own standards lol
As a result, Enker is not the most popular person. She doesn't care though. The only people she hangs out with are the other RKNs (+ Quint.) And they probably wouldn't have become friends if they weren't literally forced to hang out with each other in the beginning. (They're tight now tho)
Enker has no animosity towards Rock. He's actually one of the few people she respects and considers admirable. She just also really really really wants to kill him. Both can coexist.
Enker is the worst type of gamer oh my god. Ultra competitive and toxic and refuses to admit it. (Un)fortunately the other RKNs (minus Quint) are equally competitive shitheads so board game night works out regardless.
This is pretty much just canon but Enker is a reckless, reckless fighter. Obviously she's skilled and competent, but she has NO qualms throwing herself to the edge of destruction if it's necessary for the perfect counterattack. Whether this is a boon or a deficit really depends on who she's fighting.
The nature of how Mirror Buster works means Enker is one of the few rms capable of seriously damaging the Stardroids. She's also one of the few reckless enough to challenge them...
Enker's the leader of the RKNs because seniority ☝️ and also she is actually the best at understanding and coordinating everyone's combat weaknesses and strengths. Punk was chill with this. Ballade was Not. But he's over it now.
No art today, but I've really been thinking about the rkn's characterization as of late.
They're honestly the antithesis of each other; their character traits clash and clash hard but I feel like that makes for a very nice sibling dynamic they have with each other. I also like to hc that their differing personalities was an intentional design choice by Wily.
I'll explain what I mean, just know that I'm not great at articulating my thoughts and this is more of a stream of consciousness than anything else. So! With that in mind:
Enker--Based on his CD data, we know that he's very dedicated to destroying Mega Man, and takes it very seriously; he's a hard-ass with a gloomy personality. Hell, if you know anything about Enka music in general you'd know he's pretty much a physical representation of the music's soulful but sad melodies.
He is so dedicated to his programming that he would rather put himself in harm's way (i.e. sustaining damage to use the Barrier Spear) if that meant he could destroy Mega Man. He is an agent of order dedicated solely to completing his tasks.
So, when said agent of order failed at his one and only task, it makes sense for Wily to overcorrect. Why not design a robot to be the complete opposite of Enker?
That's when Punk was created.
Punk--He's loud. He's brash. He's hates PTAs and the government. Ya gotta love him.
Anyways, he couldn't be farther removed from Enker. While Enker is stated not to stand out, Punk loves showing out, represented by his love of accessories. While Enker would prefer to uphold the status quo, Punk wants to shake it up and have fun doing it.
His personality is heavily based on his namesake, Punk music, which has its roots in anti-facism and rebellion against "the man." It fucking rocks. This is heavily contrasted by the melancholic, "refined," Enka music. Y'see where I'm getting at?
I find it interesting that Punk's entire existence is a paradox considering I'd imagine he has disdain for any kind of authority, Wily included, but must follow Wily's orders anyways. But that's a text post for another day.
Back to the main point, even his fighting style is contrasted by Enker's. Enker's has a level of elegance to it, while Punk just throws his entire body at you. However, this doesn't mean Punk is reckless. In fact, this attack is pretty safe considering he can't be damaged while in his ball form. This is contrasted by Enker's extremely unsafe, even reckless, method of attack, that requires him to sustain damage.
But even Punk, the agent of chaos, wasn't enough to stop Mega Man.
You probably noticed that I haven't touched on Ballade yet. And that's because he doesn't really have any contrasting traits compared to his brothers. Wily must've realized he swung too far in both directions with Enker and Punk, so he made Ballade as a nice middle ground between the two.
Ballade--doesn't really stand for much except fighting. He wants to fight a strong opponent, and views himself as the "strongest" robot, and because of this he can come across as single minded. He feels too standard, too plain.
But his complexities are revealed once he is beaten and realizes what he is fighting for is wrong. He respects Mega Man's power, something that neither Enker nor Punk did.
Maybe the reason why he was able to break Wily's programming was because he didn't stand for much, able to break his base instincts because of his "weak will."
Or maybe because his will was so strong was the reason he broke his programming. Was he, perhaps, tired of fighting for Wily, and saw self-destruction as the only way out? I haven't decided myself.
Whatever the case, in his dying moments he was able to stand for something: ending up on the right side of history by helping Mega Man.
So sorry if this was a rambling, confused read! I've got that RKN autism, lmao. Btw, I really wanted to dissect Quint some too since I consider him their adopted brother, but it was getting way too long. A text post for another time! :)
