secretsocietyofgamejumpers

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How do you think Felix and Calhoun felt about the events of RBTI?

Tell me in the comments!

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Sparks Fly: Chapter 6

The mess hall was alive with the boisterous banter of the soldiers as they stood in line, waiting to be provided with their nightly rations.

Cyndra craned her neck, peering over pairs of broad shoulders at Sergeant Calhoun as she handed out shiny black bags to each soldier.

“Is that our dinner?!” she exclaimed in horror.

“That’s it, all right,” Ali said, grimacing. “Dinner around here’s a bigger gamble than anything you’d see in Vegas.”

“Gamble?!” Cyndra exclaimed. “You mean we don’t get to pick what we get?”

“It looks that way…” Julie said sadly.

As they approached the front of the line, the three girls each received one of the uniform ration bags from the sergeant,, as well as a well-used metal tray and cup.

“You can join the boys over at their table.” She gestured to one of the long tables, where Calhoun’s men were chatting up a storm.

Despite being in the middle of their own conversations, the three ladies’ seat at the table didn’t go unnoticed by the guys.

“Boys, here comes the moment we’ve been waiting for!” called out Loya. “Welcome to paradise, ladies.”

“We must have taken a wrong turn somewhere,” Ali whispered to Cyndra.

“Allow us to introduce ourselves,” exclaimed Kersavage. “I’m Lieutenant Maddox Kersavage. Some call me the Ker-Savage Beast.” He wriggled his eyebrows mischievously.

“Yeah, probably ‘cause you haven’t trimmed those in months,” piped up Lieutenant Loya. “If you girls are ever lookin’ for a good time, I’m the one to call—Loya the Ladykiller.”

“You’re lookin’ for a lethal weapon, ladies?” Private Spears smirked. “There’s a reason they call me Private Spears.”

“H-hi…” stammered the private across from Cyndra. “I’m… Make Jarkowski���Mark Jake-Kowski…Jake. Jake Markowski.”

“Careful talkin’ to him,” Spears told the girls playfully. “There was one time we were tryin’ to pick up those girls from Street Fighter II, and the first thing he said to Chun-Li was, ‘I like your buns’!”

“I-I was talking about her hair!” stuttered Markowski, flushing even redder.

Cyndra listened intently to the soldiers’ banter, rolling her eyes in amusement at their attempts at manly pick-up lines. Of course, she wasn’t interested in any romance right now. Her main priority was proving herself…

“All right, troops!” Calhoun called. “Stow those idle animations and start chowin’ down!”

…starting right now.

At Calhoun’s announcement, every soldier in the room tore open their black bags to access the food inside.

“Beef stew!” Ali exclaimed. “Jackpot.”

Julie clapped in excitement as her pack revealed macaroni and cheese as her entree.

But Cyndra was not feeling the excitement of her fellow females, as the first thing she pulled out from her ration pack was a floppy bag labeled SLOPPY JOE.

“All our meals are B-Y-O-B,” Private Marco joked, hoping to ease Cyndra’s distress. “Bring your own barf-bag.”

Cyndra’s mood did not improve at Marco’s quip. She gingerly tore open the Sloppy Joe bag—and was met with a horrible smell, somewhere between rotten eggs and raw sewage. Cyndra retched, but tried to keep a confident smile on her face. If she could force this down, maybe she could get the soldiers to remember something about her that wasn’t her hearing aid.

Cyndra pulled her spoon out of the pack and dug in. The chunky, slimy texture made her stomach turn, and her first bite made it do a triple somersault. She put a hand to her mouth as she tried not to throw up. There was no way she could keep this stuff down.

“Cyn?” Ali spoke up. “You wanna trade? At least these pieces of burnt rubber kinda taste like beef!”

“You could have my mac and cheese,” Julie offered. “If you don’t mind a little crunch.”

Cyndra almost considered it, but the little voice in her ear said, “BATTERY LOW”, and then the little voice in her head said, Don’t do it! It’s the easy way out!

“Oh, that’s okay, girls,” Cyndra said. “I guess I can do without dinner for tonight.”

She picked up her pouch and tray and headed over to the trash chute.

Meanwhile, Markowski had polished off his packet of franks and beans, and was heading to the garbage disposal himself.

A small smile crossed his face at the sight of the pretty soldier—maybe now was his chance to make his move, farther away from the ribbing of his fellow soldiers.

But Markowski’s musings had distracted him, and he wound up making another kind of move.

As Cyndra tossed her sloppy Joe down the hole, Markowski’s foot landed in a wet spot on the floor—and he tipped forward like a flailing domino, sending poor Cyndra flying into the garbage chute!

The soldiers burst into uproarious laughter as Cyndra clambered out of the chute, her armor filthy with food remains. Markowski fled the scene, blushing furiously.

Calhoun marched over to the scene of the crime.

“Boys, we are NOT on the playground!” she admonished the snickering soldiers. “And, Sparks…that is not a play slide.”

Cyndra shrank, not even bothering to point out that Markowski’s clumsiness was the reason for her fall.

“Dinner is over,” Calhoun said curtly. “Soldiers, I expect you all to get some shut-eye before training starts tomorrow.“

But Cyndra was sure tonight would be sleepless.

At least they’d remember her for something else now…

but this wasn’t what she’d hoped.

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Sparks Fly: Chapter 5

Beneath her thick spectacles, Cyndra’s eyes were shining as she took in the twisted landscape of Hero’s Duty. She imagined herself hurtling down the battlefield with the men, her Multi-Mode Rifle blazing as she fearlessly blasted Cy-Bugs left and right.

A loud beep in her ears jolted the new recruit back to reality.

“Oh, shut up, you,” she muttered.

Another distraction emerged a second later—an excited tap on her shoulder.

Cyndra whirled around to see the freckle-faced Asian girl who had been the first to introduce herself. The smile on the young woman’s face was so enthusiastic Cyndra couldn’t stay grumpy.

“Hiya, Cyn! Can I call you Cyn?” the girl prattled on. “I can’t believe the sarge picked us to save all of humanity!“

“I can’t believe it either.” Another voice from behind them spoke up. “Who knew humans were such bad judges of character?” The voice belonged to the red-headed older private.

“Hi, guys,” Cyndra said with a wave. “You’re…uh…Private Wine and Private Deadline, right?”

“Private Wine?” The coarse-curled older lady gave a laugh. “If she was one of the new recruits, we’d all be a lot happier.” She flashed Cyndra a wry smirk.

“Actually, we’re Private Wang and Private Detwiler,” the full-faced recruit explained. “But you can call me Julie.”

“Ali.” said Private Detwiler, holding out a hand to shake.

Cyndra felt her cheeks flush as she shook the older lady’s hand. “Sorry about that, girls…and sorry for holdin’ you up at roll call.”

Ali clasped Cyndra’s shoulder reassuringly. “Well, someone had to be the first to be yelled at.” She chuckled.

Cyndra shared in the laugh, her nerves beginning to fade.

“Cyn, look up ahead!” Julie exclaimed. “We made it!”

The women began to crowd into the barracks, plopping down on the cozy bunk beds and unpacking their possessions.

“So, Cyn,” Julie asked as she sat down beside Cyndra, “you ready to start trainin’?”

“Oh, I don’t know…” Cyndra sighed. “I’ve already made quite the impression on the sarge.” She cringed.

“I wouldn’t worry about that.” Julie wrapped a reassuring arm around Cyndra’s shoulders. “You’ve just gotta show her what you’re made of, y’know?”

“Yeah…” Cyndra sighed. “But I’m afraid she’s already made up her mind that all I’m made of is hair gel and high heels…”

“Well, that means you’re slick and sharp,” Ali piped in. “The perfect combination.”

Cyndra smiled. “Thanks, girls.” She brushed back a lock of her poufy hair and grinned bashfully—but that grin turned to a look of horror as she realized what she’d just revealed.

“Whoa!” Julie exclaimed. “Are you part cyborg or something?”

Cyndra hastily dropped the lock of her hair. “N-no! What makes you say that?”

“That thing in your ear!” Julie asked.

“That’s a hearing aid, Jule.” Ali pointed out.

“Y-you didn’t see anything!” stammered Cyndra.

“No use in hidin’ it, Sparks,” Ali said. “With how crazy fast this game is, someone’s gonna see it sooner or later.”

“W-what if the Sarge sees it?” Cyndra exclaimed. “Is she gonna feed me to the Cy-Bugs?”

“All evidence points to yes…” said Ali with a smirk. Then, seeing Cyndra’s distress, she added, “Kidding. I hope.”

“Ali!” Julie admonished her. “Don’t worry, Cyn. I’m sure you’ll blow her away at training. Maybe she won’t even notice your hearing aid!”

“And if anyone asks,” Ali added, clasping Julie and Cyndra’s hands with a wink, “tell ‘em you’re part cyborg.”

The blaring of the barracks alarm interrupted the girls’ moment of bonding.

“Dinner starts in five minutes, ladies!” Sergeant Calhoun’s voice cracked through the atmosphere like a whip. “Make sure you’ve got stomachs of steel!”

The women got up from their bunks and headed for the mess hall, but the thick-haired girl lingered behind for a moment, her new friends’ words echoing in her head.

Maybe she won’t even notice your hearing aid!

There was only one way that could happen. If she wanted people to forget about her hearing aid, Cyndra needed to be more than a good soldier. More than a great soldier.

She needed to be a perfect soldier.

Starting tonight.

Hello, readers! Thank you so much for your support of Sparks Fly. I’m still working out the kinks in this story—so I appreciate any constructive feedback you have. Do you have any tips for me to get more exposure?

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I'm noticing an uptick in comments complaining that most of the current WIR fandom content is Turbo instead of the other characters and, like... you guys know you can search other characters by their specific tags, right??? Or exclude Turbo from search results by temporarily blacklisting him in your filtered tags?

Idk, it's just weird to me to be discouraging towards people making fandom content just because it's not the specific content you want to see, like, it's ok to want to see other content, but complaining about how other people aren't catering to your tastes enough instead of just making the content you want to see yourself is kinda bad vibes, y'know?? (And that's not to say that I think those comments are intended out of malice of course, I really don't think they are, I just wanted to point out that it can come off as a little entitled, as well as discouraging towards people who just want to draw Turbo, which is something that should be fine if that's what they want to do. Fandom should be fun for everybody, and there's lots of tools available to curate your experience with it!)

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Calhoun (and Felix, and Ralph, and Vanellope) can be found on these blogs:

@bashfulgnome

@jefpoo421

@sadboytristan

@sgtcalhouns

@secretsocietyofgamejumpers (yours truly!)

Looking at wreck it Ralph posts on here. Why is it all Turbo. Where's the Calhoun appreciation :'(

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Sparks Fly: Chapter 4

Sorry to keep you waiting…

The new girls had arrived.

They were all beautiful—though, of course, on the battlefield, that didn’t matter. Tall and lithe, every skin tone and hair type was represented in the group.

The soldiers stood bug-eyed and slack-jawed as they took in the sight.

Markowski’s eyes were drawn to the girl in the center. Her dark skin was dotted with freckles, and her hair was one big, beautiful pouf of dark brown curls. Emerald-green eyes peered from behind thick spectacles. Though she was just as good-looking as the rest, that wasn’t what caught Markowski’s attention. Looking into the woman’s eyes was like looking into a mirror for Markowski—her eyes were wide with apprehension as she surveyed the station.

“Girls, are you waiting for a written invitation?” Calhoun announced. “C’mon out and show your faces!”

The lady soldiers stepped off the train and into the station.

“Ladies, front and center!” she called. The group stood at attention, saluting the sergeant. “State your name!”

A full-faced young woman with fair skin and freckles gave the first cheerful salute. “Private Julie Wang, ma’am!”

Next to step forward was a long-legged lady with coarse red curls. “Private Ali Detwiler.” She gave a jaded salute.

“Private Melissa Ramirez!” “Private Octavia DeMille!” “Private Olivia Nelson!”

Calhoun surveyed the line, noticing the absence of one specific soldier—the bespectacled beauty Markowski had noticed.

“SPECS!” She shouted. “Stop lollygaggin’ and get in line!”

The curly-topped soldier scrambled off the train and into position with a messy salute. “Private Cyndra Sparks, ma’am!” She announced, blushing furiously.

“Welcome to Hero’s Duty,” Calhoun said evenly. “I am your commander, Sergeant Calhoun. I won’t tell you my first name because I already made that mistake once.” She glared at the men, who were quietly snickering. “You girls are humanity’s last hope…and from what I just saw, I can see why you weren’t their first.” She shot an icy glare at Cyndra, who seemed to shrink under her gaze.

Markowski was still gazing intently at the timid-looking lady, his heart nearly beating out of his chest. He’d thought all the soldiers would be out of his league—but here was someone who seemed as nervous and awkward as he was. Maybe, just maybe, he’d found the perfect match?

Meanwhile, Calhoun continued her spiel.

“Don’t worry…women and men are treated equally here. You’ll both get yelled at the same.” She gave a wry smile. “Training starts tomorrow at eight a.m. sharp. Although, technically, dinner counts as an endurance exercise. Be there at five tonight.”

Finally, she clapped her hands in a spit-spot motion. “The women’s barracks is right across the way. Go ahead and get acquainted with your fellow ladies for a while. See you tonight, soldiers.”

As the ladies headed off to their barracks, the poufy-haired private glanced back at the formidable sergeant and shuddered.

I knew I should have checked my batteries…

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Thank you so much @leecheaterrr!!!

Markowski and Cyndra look adorable in your style!

Read Sparks Fly on AO3! I appreciate any feedback you might have!

Request from @secretsocietyofgamejumpers

Here they are! Their armor was fun but also difficult to draw

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I redesigned the Markowski card from Lorcana!

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new completely insane crack ship just dropped (King Candybug/Markowski)

Still workshopping a funny ship name but any and all suggestions are welcome! I'm liking the sound of "Hero's Hazards"

(hazards both as in workplace hazards (because for safety reasons Cybug-related issues fall under Hero's Duty's jurisdiction) and car hazard lights because KCB is a cyborg who may or may not have the Royal Racer incorporated into his body, and lights are also what Hero's Duty uses to subdue the mechanical menaces :3)

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THIS JUST IN…

New Lorcana cards were revealed today!

CALHOUN IS FINALLY HERE!!!

And Kohut!

Am I the only one who hates that quote? It seems OOC…

Last but not least…my favorite marine, Markowski!

He looks a little wonky…

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Markowski: only in the movie for one minute, but that one minute was gold.

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THIS JUST IN…

New Lorcana cards were revealed today!

CALHOUN IS FINALLY HERE!!!

And Kohut!

Am I the only one who hates that quote? It seems OOC…

Last but not least…my favorite marine, Markowski!

He looks a little wonky…

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Thanks for everything, BashfulGnome! I’m so happy to have your support as a budding fanartist and writer. Long live Litwak’s Arcade!

Happy 12th Anniversary, Wreck-It Ralph!

As I say every year on the anniversary, another November is upon us, and I’d like to express my yearly appreciation for this fantastic movie, its creative crew, and all of the friends I’ve made in this lovely fandom!

This day always comes up fast but that's no wonder, considering all the stories, art, brainstorming, and friendly clownery we have going around to keep us busy all year. It's awesome to have all you lovely people to bounce around ideas, we all inspire each other!

Naturally there’s way too many Wrecklings to tag, but you all know who you are here. All my gratitude to you! Best wishes to many more years of our friendship, creativity, and enjoyment of this movie and its universe. I love you guys, and keep wreckin’!

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When @badbugbotblood mentions Markowski in their tags:

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I just got back from my college Halloween party…

And the last song they played was…

WHEN CAN I SEE YOU AGAIN!!!!!!

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Check out my fanfic Sparks Fly!

@sadboytristan

@badbugbotblood

@king-candybug-backup

@sgtcalhouns

@ask-icancraft-it

@therockyroadster

@speared-mint

The first three chapters are up! I may be doing a rewrite at some point.

You can find them by searching “sparks fly”.

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Happy Halloween from Litwak’s, everyone!

Trick or Treat?

Disney Halloweencoming soon!