#2020 Dodge Rampage

[dotthings]

Let me debunk a few more misinformation things about what Misha or Jensen say about Destiel. (Bolding some particularly relevant things I really want people to notice).

At Darklight Con Nov 8, 2020, Misha firmly said Cas's confession was about romantic feelings for Dean. (Notably, this is a European con, not CE in the US). Misinformation has sometimes been spread that Misha said Cas's confession wasn't romantic. Not true.

Misha then added that in his "interpretation" it was "unrequited" but continued on that "I'm speculating" and "I don't know what's in Dean's head. And Cas doesn't know." Misinformation has gotten around that Misha ever confirmed that Dean absolutely isn't in love with Cas back.

He then said the same things Jensen has said about supporting people's interpretations. They align on this viewpoint. (Antis don't want to listen, it's inconvenient for them).

He confirmed that Jensen was all in supporting Cas's confession scene. And that Jensen was told 3 months in advance. Since some have tried to claim it was sprung on Jensen at the last minute, a week before filming or something, and it was all an evol nefarious plot to lie to Jensen, trick him, and ambush him.

I mean, come tf on.

Jensen had three months to think about it.

And it's not only common practice on TV to have actors not know things too far in advance so their performances can be as spontaneous as possible, Jensen himself has said it's his own practice not to read ahead, so Dean's reactions can be as spontaneous as possible, and Jensen was in fact was given more than the usual amount of lead time about Cas's confession.

And was all in.

But especially interesting to me is how Jensen and Misha's comments mirror each other's take about the other's character.

Jensen and Misha have both told us they talked about Destiel.

Am I being clear enough here? They have talked about it. With each other. Often. They have an understanding among each other. (Yet antis seem to be in complete rampaging denial about this little fact).

And Jensen and Misha's takes often complement each other's, fit each other's on certain points, or even align via different styles and slightly different approaches and takes but actually boil down in essence to the same thing, plus both of them keep saying to fans...run with your interpretation.

It's like...both of them were trying to hand it to us, in any way they could manage, despite all those network shenanigans where it's not going to be acknowledge on any official SPN PR (like DVD set extras...and it seems like Misha kinda went, you know what if the network won't back press about this, I'll do it myself so he said things, here and there, to say what this was, dodging the CW sniper).

Misha's take: Cas has no idea what's in Dean's head and Cas doesn't know whether Dean is in love with him romantically the way Cas loves Dean or not. Jensen's take: in Dean's pov, because of Cas being an angel, assumption that his love is so cosmic and unfathomable no human can grasp it, so Dean has no clue as to the specific nature of those feelings for him. Mirroring!!!

(Side note...there's plenty of room here for an interpretation that Cas did know how loved he is at the moment The Empty took him. And I think that too...but that doesn't mean he knows Dean is romantically in love with him back, just that Dean loves him, period).

BTW, Jensen never said anything about how he played things wrt Dean's feelings for Cas, what he said was he never played Dean knowing Cas was in love with Dean (because Dean didn't know Cas was in love with him!!!!).

(And omfg I am so sick and tired of seeing Jensen misquoted about that, and it's never done with good faith motives, ever.)

It's about what Dean didn't know. It's about what Cas didn't know.

Which is the actual plot!! We watched!!! Dean and Cas not realizing the other one is in love with him is just so *chef's kiss* exactly miscommunication destihell. Was always part of the story, how many times did we talk about this ourselves?

Receipts below.

[atlanticcanada]

Nova Scotia RCMP investigate theft from park dedicated to two women killed by gunman

The husband of a woman killed in the Nova Scotia mass shooting three years ago is offering a reward for information about a theft from a memorial park that pays tribute to her life.

In a Facebook message posted Friday, Nick Beaton alleges someone recently entered Heart's Haven Memorial Park in Debert, N.S., and stole two steel beams that were to be used to build a bridge at the site.

"You low-lifes hit an all time low," Beaton's message says, adding that a white Dodge or Ford pickup was seen in the area on April 16. "Maybe if anyone has a camera in the . . . area could give a look for that truck."

The park is dedicated to preserving the memory of Kristen Beaton and Heather O'Brien, both of whom were killed nearby by a lone gunman disguised as a Mountie on the morning of April 19, 2020.

They were among 22 people who were shot to death during the killer's 13-hour rampage, which ended when two RCMP officers fatally shot him at a gas station north of Halifax.

At the time of her death, 33-year-old Kristen Beaton was pregnant with her second child. She had worked for the Victorian Order of Nurses as a continuing care assistant for nearly six years. She was on her way to visit a client when she was killed in her car as it was parked at the roadside.

O'Brien was Kristen Beaton's co-worker at the Victorian Order of Nurses. The 55-year-old woman was a licensed practical nurse who had worked with VON for nearly 17 years.

Shortly after her death, daughter Darcy Dobson described her mother as a kind and beautiful woman.

"I want everyone to remember how kind she was, (and) how much she loved being a nurse," Dobson said at the time.

The RCMP confirmed Saturday that investigators are looking into the theft from the park.

Sgt. Andrew Joyce said the five-metre beams are worth about $2,000 each and weight about 300 kilograms in total.

A message from Dobson on the park's Facebook page said surveillance footage is being reviewed.

"To be a thief in any capacity is horrible but to take away from a community-funded memorial park in honour of two selfless women is deplorable," Dobson wrote. "If any one has any information or thinks they saw something please reach out."

In response to Dobson's message, several people expressed their sadness and anger.

"What compels someone to do something so heartless and despicable?" asked one commenter. "I don't understand it."

Others were more blunt: "There is no end to what some people will do! Unbelievable!"

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 23, 2023.

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/ELNTqs4

[tfwbigbang]

Team Free Will Big Bang Masterlist 2020

Here are 2020′s stories and art pieces. Please check the ships and tags on links before reading…

Limbo Lost

Mature | Dean/Cas | Big Bang

Story: spnsmile | Art: verobatto-angel-hunter

Summary:

Castiel reveals Emily Dickinson is a prophet, Dean needs to board a hot air balloon, but most importantly TFW2.0 needs to retrieve a heavenly weapon from heaven where a literal door in the sky exists. Adventure is clearly out there until the blue sky turns dark and things explode because the Bermuda Triangle is known for that.

Amidst all the distractions of mirrors and doors, all Dean can think about is romance his angel or invoke his fury while Castiel only wants to gut a sorceress for laying a hand on his charge.

Story | Art

Can’t Escape Anything in this Town

Teen Up | Sam/Cas | Mini Bang

Story: hit_the_books | Art: thegoodthebadandtheart

Summary:

Team Free Will 2.0 rock up in LA to check out a series of mysterious deaths all seemingly tied to a corner of the LA contemporary art scene. Needing to infiltrate the community there, Sam plays at being a billionaire, and Cas (at Cas’s own suggestion) plays at being Sam’s boyfriend.

Dean and Jack have no idea what to make of the two of them, though they are far more concerned about the case. There’s a pretty high body count already and whatever is behind it needs to be stopped.

Story | Art

Third Wheel

Explicit | Dean/Cas/Sam | Mini Bang

Story: AngelTortured | Art: LeafZelindor

Summary:

Castiel really wishes he had listened to Dean all those years ago outside that gas station.

“I could be your third wheel,” Castiel had said with such excitement. He was eager to have a new purpose, following the Winchesters and helping people. He still needed to help. It was the only thing that made him see clearly - helping. Who better to teach him than the brothers who spend their lives helping others?

“You know that’s not a good thing, right?” Dean had replied, his tone gruff. His annoyed posture had been in stark contrast to Castiel’s glowing face about the idea.

Sam chuckled at the terrible idea. Castiel knows that… anything involving himself at that time was a bad idea. He wishes he knew then what he does now. Being the third wheel is a terrible thing.

Story | Art

Reluctant Faith 

Mature | Gen | Big Bang

Story: GhoulsnHalos | Art: Amberdreams

Summary:

Cybernetically enhanced bounty hunter, Dean Winchester is not a righteous man, or a bright soul. But he will hunt down anything for the right price. His brother, ex-lawman turned bounty hunter Sam Winchester is no king, but like Dean he’ll bring you in if the price is right. Bunker dwelling rogue angel Castiel is immortal - unless you know how to kill one of the Host.

Castiel must firstly convince Sam & Dean that he is not the real enemy despite the bounties on his head. Then he must get them to believe that the three of them are the ones foretold in prophecy.

Do that, and with a bit of help from a few ‘friends’, Team Free Will can take on the might of the Host. The fate of a cyberpunk Wēalhaz hangs in the balance. Can the Immortal, The Boy King and the Righteous Man prophesied in the holy books save the world?

Story | Art

Graceless

Teen Up | Minor Dean/Cas, Sam/Crowley | Big Bang

Story: sarasaurussex | Art: JenniferB

Summary:

Set in early season 13, Sam and Dean catch wind of a dangerous artifact making its way to New Orleans that can supposedly expel angels from their vessels. They meet up with Castiel and Jack, but tensions arise when it’s made clear that Dean still doesn’t trust Jack. To add to their problems, the artifact has attracted a powerful new villain to the Crescent City, Emile.

Despite the help of an unexpected ally, Team Free Will 2.0 is no match for Emile and he uses the artifact to expel Castiel and severely damage Jack’s powers. All seems lost, until Castiel saves Sam, Dean, and Jack in a temporary new vessel: an eight-year-old girl.

Now, in order to retrieve the artifact, defeat Emile, and save Cas and Jack’s grace, Team Free Will 2.0 must put aside their issues and trust one another. Only then will they understand that, grace or no grace, human or angel, they’re all one family

Story | Art

Duo Familiars

Explicit | Dean/Sam, Sam/Cas | Big Bang

Story: Inkblooded Witch | Art: MidnightSilve

Summary:

It’s highly irregular to have more than one Familiar, but then Sam Winchester never proscribed to normality. Besides, it’s no more irregular than being in a relationship with your Familiar, or for your Familiar to be your brother, providing the two are different people. It makes Castiel’s being with Dean seem downright normal. However unorthodox their lifestyle, even for mages and Familiars, they are content. Anyone or anything that threatens that contentedness never meets a merciful end. A point they have to make abundantly clear when they are waylaid by another mage-Familiar pair on the road.

Story | Art

Shake the Foundation

Mature | Gen | Big Bang

Story: Waning_Grace | Art: heart-eyescastiel

Summary:

St. Patrick’s Day is supposed to be a day filled with fun and green beer, but this year it’s going to be anything but for the Winchester’s. When Dean goes missing after a night out at the bar following a bad hunt it’s up to Sam to find him. When days go past with no leads Sam calls Castiel…but will the two of them be able to find Dean before it’s too late? 

Story | Art

Once Upon A Time

Teen Up | Gen | Mini Bang

Story: Center of the Galaxy | Art: destielle

Summary:

After making a wish on a shooting star, Jack awakes in a medieval fairy tale where he is the Crown Prince, Sam is the King, Dean is the Knight Captain of the Royal Guard and Castiel is the court mage. Determined to rescue his family and break free, Jack needs to get his family back to their old selves, stop the dragon rampaging the village, and catch the witch who sent them all here. All in a day’s work for Team Free Will 2.0, right?

Story | Art

Crashed in Paradise

Teen Up | Gen | Big Bang

Story: Impala_Cherry_Trickster | Art: casquecest

Summary:

Eight unrelated people, who happen to board the same plane heading back to the States. Before the flight, they knew nothing about each other, but when the plane crashes somewhere over the Atlantic, they have very little choice but to work as a group to survive. Unfortunately, surviving the crash isn’t the biggest challenge the group will face, when one of the group turns out to be working against them.

Story | Art

But Memories Last Forever

Teen Up | Gen | Mini Bang

Story: Sakarrie | Art: Gio

Summary:

Dean and Cas come back from a fruitless lead to find Sam the latest victim of the hunt. Determined to stop it before it can kill Sam, they enter into his dreams, but as they hop one from nightmare to the next, it becomes obvious that the creature is hunting them too.

Story | Art

The Silence of Souls

Mature | Cas/Dean, Rowena/Sam (past) | Big Bang

Story: thefandomsinhalor | Art: impmakesart

Summary:

After receiving an unexpected phone call from Patrick, a witch who Sam and Dean encountered years ago, Team Free Will 2.0 leave Dodge City behind and rush to meet him in Wichita. The reason: He claims to know a way that could help Mary cross back to their universe.

His demands are reasonable and the spell is simple, but Patrick warns them that the spell is not without risks. After all, the universe always has a way of balancing itself out.

Not thrilled at the idea of potentially releasing something bad into the world, they nevertheless think that Mary’s safety is worth the risk.

So, the original Team Free Will cast the spell, with Jack by their side, ready to assist them against any surging danger.

Unfortunately, what is unleashed upon them is far more troubling than anything they had anticipated.

It’s the spell-casters’ darkest versions of themselves.

Namely, Godstiel, the Boy King of Hell and Deanmon, bearer of the mark of Cain.

And all three of them are determined to make themselves very comfortable in their new home.

Story | Art

View the 2020 Team Free Will Big Bang AO3 collection here.

[carsthatnevermadeitetc]

Rampage, 2020. A render of a Dodge Challenger-based pick-up that is being used to promote  FCA’s Drive for Design competition inviting artists to design the “wickedest and most outrageous” Ram truck. 

enter here

[dearchikkie]

My Dream Soulmate

MARICHAT MAY 2020

Day 11: Chat Blanc

A/N: this fic is ignoring the events of the canon Chat Blanc episode, also pretend Marinette doesn't have the Ladybug Miraculous + a Soulmate AU... I know, it's a lot. also, i’ve decided for my mental health, i’m just going to update with the prompts I have ideas on and when i feel like... sorry if i miss a prompt you liked, but after may i WILL write a fic for every prompt and post them here and ao3, enjoy :)

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧*:･ﾟ✧

At the young age of 9, Marinette had gained the courage to ask her mother what a 'soulmate' was. Immediately, Sabine Cheng smiled and sat her down.

A soulmate, she had started, was a lifelong partner. Someone to spend your life with, to grow old with. They'd care about you forever, and you them.

Marinette has been ecstatic. A soulmate! It sounded amazing, she'd always dreamed of a handsome prince sweeping her off her feet and taking her away to somewhere far, far away. And now that dream could become a reality!

There was someone out there, just for her. Someone to care for her. To cherish her. To love her.

But how would she find them? She asked, how would she separate them from the thousands of people she passed every day? She stared at her mother perplexed, to which Sabine had simply shaken her head. Marinette watched as she pulled up her sleeve, revealing a monstrous gash in her shoulder, clear signs of stitching through it.

When did you get that? Marinette scrunched up her face at the sight of it. Sabine covered it back down with her sleeve, remember that accident your father had last year? When he had fallen down the stairs?

Why of course, Marinette couldn't get the bloody sight of Tom at the bottom of the steps out of her mind that easily.

Well, Sabine continued, he has the exact same bruise on his same shoulder. Every bruise, scrape, scratch and gash would appear on her body in the same location her soulmate sustained it.

Thank god though, only the injury appeared; you barely felt the pain too.

With this new information, every mysterious knee scrape, stomach ache or simple scratch had a new feeling to it: when her nose bled she wondered if her soulmate had caused it; when her fingers ached she wondered what her soulmate had been doing so purposefully; she felt bad every time she accidentally pricked her fingers with sewing needles and cringed when she finally got her ears pierced.

But then things took a turn for the worse. As Alya's neck began to ache, Kim's elbows blackened and Mylene's knuckles bruised, Marinette started to get gapes along her legs and blood dripping down her face during class.

Luckily, Marinette knew she wasn't prone to sudden lethal injury, so she knew it had to be her soulmate, but could he slow it down a little? She was sick of suddenly vomiting during lunch or passing out during chemistry!

Then again, everyone knew why someone could be getting injured so badly: akuma's. The new threats rampaging Paris. Terrifying villains given powers only found in movies ran rampant in the streets seeking revenge against those who wronged them. Luckily, after a while they were returned to normal; whether that took someone random being beaten up thoroughly or some masked figure defeating them, it didn't matter. They always went away.

Until the 'Chat Blanc' appeared.

He'd been an akuma for three months now, and while he only appeared at night, he still was a terror: destroying billboards and expensive Agreste stores; turning trees to ash and trashing the homes of millionaires. He hadn't directed any specific person, he hadn't been taken down by a masked vigilante, and the police could do nothing to stop him.

No. Marinette shouldn't focus on that. She had incredible friends, went to a school she loved, had loving parents and wasn't completely failing in class. She had a lot of great things going for her; she didn't need a soulmate right now.

Despite that, Marinette couldn't stop thinking about them. Today, for example, she should have been paying attention to Mme. Bustier drone on about classic literature, but instead, she was daydreaming about her accident-prone soulmate. What were they like? What was their name? How did they act? How-

"CHAT BLANC!"

Screams were heard from outside the door as the students inside began to panic, "Ok everybody. You know the drill, emergency exits are at the back and west side of the school! Do not push or shove and leave your bags behind!" Marinette's classmates began shuffling towards the door, even Chloe [who had put up quite a fight the first time she was forced to leave behind her newest designer handbag] now followed without complaint.

Guess everyone was used to it now.

The calmness inside the classroom was now gone as students ran in all directions; Marinette watched as Kim leapt over a pile of debris, helping Max and Alix behind him.

"C'mon, girl! We gotta hurry!" Marinette moved away from them and let herself be dragged by Alya and Nino to the nearest exit. "Watch out!" rubble shot out from beside them and Marinette felt herself be pulled to the ground. Her blood ran cold as white flashed across the scene.

Alya stiffened beside her, and she could hear Nino begin cursing under his breath. A white flash flew by, the rubble before them crumbled and ash clouds rose from where they had once been.

Chat Blanc.

"Put your hands in the air!" police ran to the scene, swat teams appearing in front of the young teens. "Y-You're under arrest!" one cop shouted, sounding as brave as he could.

Chat Blanc glared at them all and whispered something under his breath. White mist materialized around his fingers as he gnarled his teeth at the nearest officer. Marinette could hear her heart pumping a mile a minute at the sight of his cold, violet eyes.

"This is your final warning; surrender or we will open fire!"

Chat Blanc opened his mouth slightly, revealing glaring white fangs. He smirked at them all and let his tongue slide over them, "Fuck off."

Gunfire rang through the air. Cops shouted orders as front guards reloaded frantically. In the face of it all, Chat Blanc easily dodged every bullet. Swerving and deflecting each one with his baton or tail. Then endless lines of fire; Marinette's ears began to sting from the loud firing,

"Get out of here!" a man with stubble pointed directly at the group of friends, that was all Alya needed before grabbing both Nino and Marinette and dragging them back onto their feet. For a moment, Marinette stared back at Chat Blanc. Instead of the usual fear, Marinette felt her cheeks warm and breath halt.

Chat Blanc froze and met her gaze. He looked at her with no malice, but instead, just confusion.

Taking advantage of his distraction, one of the shooters shot directly at his hand. Chat Blanc broke eye contact and glared at the guilty officer. He hissed in pain and shook his hand slightly, then pounced on him.

Before Marinette could see what happened, Alya hauled her away, sprinting together to the nearest exit.

Once free and around the corner of the school, Alya, Marinette and Nino all collapsed to the ground, heaving. Sweat dripped down their faces as a chill ran down their sides.

Marinette couldn't get his eyes out of her mind. They had struck through her; purple and bright. Why couldn't she get them out of her mind?

"Marinette! Oh, god-- are you ok?" Marinette stared down and followed Alya and Nino's concerned gazes. A thick, red liquid was dripping down her arm, staining her white shirt. She gasped and wiped it away, feigning pain.

But she felt nothing.

Her heart couldn't stop beating. Nino ripped off the sleeve of his jacket and carefully began wrapping it over her injury. She pretended to cringe in pain. She felt bad letting Nino care for a wound that wasn't even hurting her. But she couldn't let them know it was her soulmates. Marinette now knew exactly who her soulmate was.

She had watched her soulmate get shot. She had watched Him get shot. She had watched Chat Blanc get shot in the exact same hand as the one now bleeding.

It didn't take a genius to put the points together.

Chat Blanc was her soulmate.

Her soulmate was a criminal. A bloodthirsty akuma. A thief.

Oh god. Oh god oh god. Oh no.

No no no no no no no no no no

Nino barely caught her as she fainted.

End Note: guys!! I'm going to develop this oneshot into a short fic! after Marichat May is over, i'll be updating on ao3 and tumblr-- can't wait to start :)

[dlamp-dictator]

Allen X Rambles about Chapter 7

“I hope Episode 7 is focused on only 2 or three characters with little distraction... Amiya maybe finding out that Ch’en is slowly becoming Infected and helping her come to terms with that. Ch’en revealing her past to Amiya and the two connecting over losing so many close to them due to Oripathy. The two standing up to the political corruption of Lungmen, shoulder to shoulder, as women that refuse to see another life lost due to the indifference of a city’s politics.”

-Allen X, October 2nd, 2020, Rambling about Chapter 6

Man... I’m starting to believe it when they say Arknight’s story mode is longer than the Harry Potter series. Things are getting crazy in Chapter 7 and crazy-long to in terms of length. This chapter really had me on the edge of my seat as I read through it and as I played through because 7-16 and 7-18 were a bitch to get through that require some of the most precise timing I’ve seen in this game yet. That aside, I enjoyed a lot what I read and experienced.

And I wanted to talk about it a bit.

But first, as always, a synopsis.

Coming off the heels of Frostnova’s death and the realization of Wei Yenwu’s purging of the Lungmen slums, tensions are high and trust has been fractured between Rhodes Island and Lungmen. However, in the midst of Ch’en hot temper and Amiya’s cool head, Reunion is plans to send the Russian Ursusian   city of Chernobog on a collision course with Hong Kong Lungmen, giving Ursus a cause to make war against Lungmen and its great region of Tawain China Yen. However, through some rather amazing political maneuvering and passionate words by Wei Yenwu’s wife Fumizuki, Rhodes Island agrees to mobilize in order to save Lungmen, the Infected, and the beloved daughter of Lungmen, Ch’en. But beyond Chernobog lies Patriot, Reunions greatest commander next to Talulah herself, who’s rage toward his daughter’s death is only matched by his disciplined mind and even more disciplined soldiers. It’s a fight to the center of the Chernobog to save as many lives as possible, even at the cost of this great general’s life.

An Addendum to 7-18

So between my venting about 7-18 when I talked about some fun Arknight’s lore a handful of people wanted to give me some advice on how to conquer that stage. Admittedly that venting was said out of anger and was much more acidic in tone than my usual essays and opinion pieces. I have since beaten that stage and I can give some of my thoughts on this advice. Some of it was helpful... some of it.

“AmIyA cAn TaNk PaTrIoT’s SpEaR tOsS!”

This is technically true and I was technically wrong. When Amiya’s S3 is active she gained increased Max HP and can in fact survive with a sliver of health. However, Amiya’s S3 takes quite a long time to charge even with her talent, and unless someone is actively blocking Patriot her can honestly spam his spear through for how long it takes Amiya to get prepped for her S3. This is more of an issue of Amiya’s balancing than with the game, but I’ll talk about that later.

“jUsT sTaLl PaTrIoT tO kEeP hIm FrOm UsInG tHe SpEaR tOsS!”

This would be pretty viable advice if Patriot didn’t one-shot my units. Yes, defenders like Cuora, Nian, Hoshigumi, and even tankier vanguards like Zima and Siege can tank at least one hit from Patriot without dying, meaning a squad of healers can just focus-fire on them while they do chip damage to Patriot and stall him out. However, Patriot’s phase 2 has him do constant damage to nearby units with his aura ability, so if he can get lucky enough, he take someone down to a sliver and let his poison damage finish off your staller before they get a chance to be healed. That strategy needs luck and some damn smart unit placement. Neither of which I honestly have.

“uSe SpEcTeR aNd DeBuFfErS!”

Again, this is also a pretty good strategy. Specter’s S2 makes her immortal for a limited time and pairing that with healers like Breeze and Celycon who reduce stun damage isn’t a bad idea. Characters that ignore or lower defense like Pramanix, Shamare, and Meteor are also good. This doesn’t work for me however since I only have Pram and the other debuffers are way too underleveled and not on my priority at the moment, and E2-ing units this late in the game just to take out one boss feels like madness.

“f12 CaN dOdGe ThE sPeAr ToSs!”

F12, W, Jessica, and FEater have a dodge chance. Their dodges are not guarantees. Yes, Patriot will target the ranged operator furthest from him and there are range tiles pretty close to his spawn point for that purpose. However, some of those operators have some pretty damn expensive DP costs and waste that on a chance to survive isn’t worth.And feeding Patriot ranged units that take over 30 seconds to redeploy is a waste of DP in general. And those either dodge chances aren’t viable. Them surviving isn’t a strategy, it’s a fluke, and you can’t depend on flukes in auto-deployment.

“Allen, you’re being kind of an asshole to what’s actually sound advice.”

Yes, I am. 

I don’t care. 

7-18 does things to a person, man. That stage breaks people. I lost sanity IRL just doing that stage or 20 times with a guide... dear lord this stage.

Anyway, moving on.

Story Notes

My, this story sure was thick, wasn’t it? It’s been while since I’ve been on a ride that wild. And this time around I don’t have any small issues to bring up. All the characters felt in character without breaking my suspension of disbelief. There weren’t multiple character arcs going on at once. And I even tolerated Kal’tsit berating the Doctor for reasons beyond his understand since she wasn’t discussing too many things that were above my head as the player.

No... I only have big issues. 

But before that, I wanted to hit on some actual important notes that were very good and smartly written.

Rosmontis and Child Soldiers

This was probably the biggest takeaway for me. I know the Arknights community likes to poke a lot of fun about the child soldier thing and how Kal’tsit is harboring slave children, but... man, it makes so much since now.

These kids aren’t just kids, they’re all infected people with some rather scary abilities. Popukar has a history of mental instability coupled with monstrous strength. Ifrit has powers she can just barely keep under control and could set Rhodes Island ablaze at any point. Frostleaf and GreyThroat are deeply traumatized from their past. The Ursus Self Government are full of kids with hatred, resentment, and fear of both the world and themselves. The list goes on, but the fact is that these kids all either have abilities that would be a danger to themselves and others if they aren’t trained, or have emotional hang-ups that might very well have them lash out at innocent people if not put on a leash. Wouldn’t it be better to at least give them some training and let them hack and blast away at the actual bad guys? Wouldn’t it be better to at least make them a weapon for some kind of greater good? And would anyone else really treat these broken, powerful children as anything but weapons and warriors anyway?

I know this is about chapter 7, but I remember in Children of Ursus Rosa asked Zima why she fought, and Zima casually answered that she just liked fighting. It’d be far better to have someone with that mindset working for an organization like Rhodes Island than ending up in Ursus’s fold and blindly hacking at something she shouldn’t. 

And I think it’s important to remind everyone that Amiya is the head of Rhodes Island and not Kal’tsit. She’s a big part of the organization, but it’s the bunny in charge. And the bunny that is herself close to a living nuke and is also has empathetic superpowers understands this probably better than anyone else, which is why she okays it. 

Patriot and Reunion

As much as I despise, and I do mean despise, how cagey this series can be with it’s portrayal of Reunion’s morality I can understand why a lot of its members can see the group as being just. Patriot is a warrior of such renown and praise, and Talulah has so much charisma and power that I can see the group overlooking characters like Mephisto and W when the other two do so much for their members and general people. The Guerillas under Patriot behave like soldiers. They don’t rampage, loot, pillage, or harm everyone in sight, only those that halt, stagnant, and harm the infect. Talulah has a charisma about her and attracts people, and seems to come from some sort of royal/noble line to match. And while Faust wasn’t mentioned much in this chapter, he was a soldier that started at the bottom, worked his way to the top, and made sure to play by rules that kept his moral high ground. Mephisto seems to be the only outliner here for some baffling reason.

But... there are some major issues with this story. I hint at them every time I talk about Arknights’ story, but I’ll go into depth here. And I’ll present these two issues I have in the form of a two question:

Who is the Doctor?

I don’t mean this the sense of the story, but what is his function as a character? Is he a self-insert for the player, or his own character to be explored and examined?

And either answer, to me, is wrong. 

The Doctor Isn’t a Self-Insert

It’s straight up impossible for the Doctor to be a self-insert character. Most self-inserts are blank enough to let us place our own personality onto them and the situations their in the choices they make are meant to be more or less choices we’d make or at least a general audience could make barring some specifics. Their personalities tend to be blank or at least bland to let us, the players, live through them and project our personalities onto them.

The Doctor isn’t this. 

There are too many moment where our choices are clearly pointing to one conclusion and most choices, though varied, give a clear idea that the Doctor is someone that care about the operators’ wellbeing deeply and hates seeing them used, abused, or manipulated. They are strategist and commander, but they have enough humanity to not see people as tools. They are passionate when they see other operators and especially Amiya in harms way and tries to come up with strategies to minimize lost and causalities. Awhile we, the player, feel the same in this regard the Doctor has dialogue that feels more conversational and toward specific directions than what a player would likely want and gives us some bits and piece about what they’re actually like. 

The Doctor hates Kal’tsit and wants little to do with her, only tolerating her presence as much as she is with the Doctor. The Doctor is a bit of a bleeding heart that doesn’t fully grasp that they are constantly in a warzone despite their strategic competency. The Doctor has an extremely weird diet and eating style, devouring live animals and ingesting foods that would probably need to be probably mixed and brewed before consumption. The Doctor still sees Amiya as a child despite her mature nature. 

The list goes on, but there’s enough there for me to say the Doctor is more like Hakuno Kishinami of the Fate/Extra series, a character that seems like a self-insert but has a number of traits and character tics that keep them from fulfill that role. However Fate/Extra, for all I have against it, makes Hakuno work by giving them their own internal thoughts outside of the player’s actions that explain their dialogue choices and actions outside of the player’s control. The Doctor doesn’t, so them being a self-insert feels really weak and irritating when the dots stop connecting.

But despite this...

The Doctor Isn’t Their Own Character

Too much of what the Doctor does is passive. For a clear as their personality is, at least to me, they don’t have much agency in the plot. Not enough for me to call them their own character at least. They commander the battlefield, but they don’t have a place on it. They don’t have much reason to interact with characters like Patriot and Talulah unless its on the metaphorical and literal chessboard we’re playing on. 

Every time the Doctor says something that advances the plot in some way I feel like it could be said by another character and work better. Amiya trying talk down Patriot and explain that Frostnova fought bravely did not need the Doctor’s interjections, especially when Patriot shoots them down in the same manner. In chapter 6, being trap with Frostnova would had worked much better with Amiya since that chapter was giving them parallels anyway. The only thing that really works is the Doctor trying to call out Kal’tsit for her treatment of Rosmontis as a soldier despite her age, as that’s only something that someone who didn’t have the full context could do. 

But... Jessica, Frostleaf, Frostnova, Melantha and several other Operators are young teenagers and even children. Specter and Lappland are clearly just as mentally damaged and still going into battles. The Doctor knows the kinds of people that fight for Rhodes Island, so isn’t this just another young fighter like Popukar and Suzuran? Hell, in chapter 6 we canonically had Beagle and Fang in a stage where they had to fight and tank Faust, why is the Doctor so surprised that someone like Rosmontis exist and works for Rhodes Island?

See? 

See how trying to give this character separation from being a self-insert and actively slot them in the active story does more harm than good? 

I think games like Girls Frontline and Honkai Impact 3rd do this better, where the player character is clearly more behind the scenes and is only a passing influence, if any.

But that leads me to my next question, which is...

Who is Amiya?

Amiya falls into the trope of being a cute anime girl with a mysterious past and dangerous powers. More accurately, she has a mysterious past and powers to the player, but everyone in Amiya’s inner circle seems to have a clue about it. I don’t mind this being a mystery, but... when our main character’s plot revolves around things the player doesn’t know, it’s curious at best, and infuriating at worse. 

Folks, I’m not someone that looks to theory-crafting. I’m not someone that reads every scrap of dialogue in this game to find out more about its lore. The lore, to me, is just fun and interesting. I honestly do not have the time and energy to spend on making theories and predictions that could be wrong and a waste of mental energy. However, with all this stuff about the King of Fiends just feels like a waste of time, or at least a last minute addition to something I could had been added properly in Chapter 8.

A lot of it feels like you had to know about the Darknight Memoir side story to really get a feel for what’s going on. The Sarkaz civil war, Theresa, W’s role back when Rhodes Island was Babel, a lot of things that don’t come up in the main storyline. Especially with that bombshell about the Doctor maybe killing Theresa. 

I don’t like it when a story expects me to have read the spinoff to understand the mainline story. This is why I don’t like the Dragon Age series and I’m really getting annoyed with Arknights right now.

This bombshell of the King of Fiends also kind of sours a bit of Amiya’s character as this young child who rose through the ranks of Rhodes Island as a charismatic leader being able to steel optimism with the reality of war to forge ahead as a proper leader through her abilities as both a commander and an empath. Instead it’s beginning to come across that her skills as a leader comes from something more supernatural, or at least something more forced than "small child is a good leader and can lead an army,” which is surprisingly more believable and nuanced given how seriously the series takes Amiya’s character. 

That said, I recognize this criticism is more my wish of what was rather than an issue of what is. I completely understand that essentially wishing for my own fanfic and limited fan theories to come true isn’t a sound criticism, but it's a criticism I have regardless.

But moving on, there’s one more issue that bugs me.

W’s Importance

I’ll keep this brief since I already discussed my bigger issues of the story and this is an admittedly small portion of the story:

W wasn’t utilized much in this story despite being a main feature of it in the promotional material. She has a pretty lengthy intro, disappears from the story for most of it, then reappears at the last bits of chapter 7 to make mean looks at Kal’tsit and the Doctor before being literally shoved offscreen again. I’ve already discussed my issues with the Doctor’s agency so I won’t bother here.

W’s banner should had been during Darknight Memoir, it just makes more sense given she was the feature character of it and her high physical damage would had been a goodsend among all the arts-resistant Sarkaz units of that series of chokepoint-heavy maps, similar to Weedy’s inclusion her is helpful as a lot of these maps could use a good pusher, especially 7-16.

Speaking of, Weedy, the other operator on this limited banner, has no presence in the story at all. Need I remind you in the last limited banner Aak and Hung at least had cameo-esque appearances in the Ancient Forge event. Weedy’s inclusion feels like an afterthought because they didn’t want the limited 6-Star to have a good chance to be pulled for the whales.

Anyway, I believe those are all the big issues I had with this story, so...

In the Future

As I always tend to say, I don’t like the idea of trying to fix something that has already been made and has already passed. It’s too late to change the past, but I see nothing wrong with asking for things to happen in the future as a way of giving feedback. 

To that end, I still have hope that Chapter 8 will have a focus on Amiya and Ch’en tackling Talulah together. From my understanding of some spoilers this is more or less what is going to happen. I also hope that we’ll have a more detailed idea on this whole King of Fiends thing is about. As much as I personally don’t care for it, it’s already be discussed in the story so I at least hope we get the full idea on what’s going on with that plotline. 

I also hope the Doctor either plays less a role or becomes their own character outright away from any player influence. Us speaking through a character that already has a personality feels weird to me and I’d rather not have it at all.

Anyway, that’s it for me folks. Next time... maybe I’ll talk about anime or something, who knows.

[pinkysfaultorbrainsfault]

pinky and the brain - s1e3a: tokyo grows

episode summary: inexplicably existing in post-war japan, brain hijacks a shrink ray he just found laying around in order to make it a growth ray. he intends to dress pinky up as terrifying local monster gollyzilla, and pretend to defeat him, so the japanese people... elect him... president. of. japan.

all i’m gonna say is shinzo abe’s replacement has a hell of a lot coming to him if that’s a job requirement.

the rundown:

IT IS TOKYO IN 1956.

you can tell because it says “tokyo 1956″ in big letters at the bottom of the screen.

as we take a detour into acmeshito labs, senior-ly produced by tom ruegger,

we see a fellow sacrificing his shoes to the shoe gods. (sorry about that weird line at the bottom. vlc player has just decided it’s doing that now, i guess. nothing i can do about it.)

inside, some other lads, who have all been produced by peter hastings (my, the man gets around) are shrinking tvs for fun and giggles.

“at last! professor mifune! you have perfected the process of shrinking electronic devices, so we can sell them to americans for a lot of money!”

hm.

“yes, shimura, and now i say to you! miniturisation will be very,

BIG.”

and then they both shuffle over to stand in front of each other and laugh in a weird stilted way.

HA. HAHAHA. HAHAHA. i’m not sure if this is making fun of japanese people, or a common trend in japanese media (or voice acting?) at the time, but, um, i’m uncomfortable.

thankfully, the newly miniturised radio advertises that Legendary Prehistoric Monster Gollyzilla has been spotted, and apparently

the emperor wants mifune’s scientific opinion on gollyzilla

GOLLYZILLA

so maybe it’s best for mifune and shimura to get the fuck out of dodge.

so the two of them make a hasty retreat - after toeing their shoes back on, of course.

but who are these two!

brain looks pensive. i don’t know what’s in that waterbottle, but he’s having a tiny mousie crisis. pinky is narfing at him with little to no concern for his mental state.

still, crisis or not, brain has a world to take over. he mentions to pinky that the scentific equipment before them will be “invaluable for his plan to”

“TAKE OVER THE WORLD.” we really do get one per episode, huh.

“you mean you’re going to shrink down all the electronic so only mice can operate them?”

which is a reasonable idea, i think. brain counters it with “don’t be absurd, pinky, there’s no future in minaturisation,” and clarifies that is is big things that strike fear into the hearts of humans.

like that ridiculous legend of gollyzilla. <gay little hands on hip pose>

as pinky ponders whether Kay Ballard is In The Union (sorry, pinky, she’s dead) brain explains that his intent is to alter the shrink ray into a growth ray, to “become a four hundred foot tall mouse and save the world from gollyzilla.”

“but you just. said there was no such thing as gollyzilla, brain.”

“there is now, pinky.”

did we really need another closeup for that line, guys? really? is it not enough to have the mouse say his lines without shoving the camera into his face? must the man deepthroat the camera every time he has things to say?

anyway brain’s plan is to dress pinky up as gollyzilla and “save tokyo” from him. you can tell because the camera angle makes it look like his head is on gollyzilla’s body.

this random man takes a toke from his old timey pipe. “yes, i see.” he says. this is not explained.

as brain reverses the shrink ray into a growth ray, pinky makes his debut.

TADAAAAAAA POIT.

“what do you think, brain? pretty scaaaaaaary, eh?”

“yes, pinky. terrifying. stand by.”

boop.

there probably won’t be a lot left of the lab when brain is done, unfortunately.

but hey! check this out!

“narf.”

“where are you, brain? i can’t see you.”

“i’m down--”

bonk.

well, he’s clearly dead, so i guess that’s this review over.

jokes, of course. lucky for us, brain is still alive, and he has brought a little megaphone with him! awwww.

“now, go on your rampage, gollyzilla!” he’s very hype for that, it appears. pinky tries his best not to disappoint.

NARF POIT I AM PINKZILLA KING OF THE MONSTERS

AARGHGGHGHH RAAARGHGHG ARGH.

it’s this random man again. “yesss, i see.” i don’t know who he is, or why he’s here, and i am scared.

but never mind him. we cut to this adorable straight couple chilling on this bridge.

“i love you, fumiko.”

“and i love you, hershel.”

awwww.

unfortunately, famously heterophobic legendary monster gollyzilla is here. “hello!” he says, cheerily. “i’m on a rampage. narf.”

fumiko and hershel get the fuck out of dodge.

still, pinky’s having fun, and that’s what matters.

though bits of his costume are coming off.

“oooh, i can’t see through this thing!”

“oh.”

“oh no! the giant monster is moulting!”

rip that guy, i guess. upon attempting to recover his lost glove, pinky accidentally spikes his tail on a nearby building in the process.

“egad. i’m all a tangle!”

he gives it a yank, for good measure,

and ends up catapulting himself into the abyss.

the random man is back. “yesss, i see,” he says. what does he want? what is he doing here? please don’t smoke in front of me, sir. i have real bad asthma.

meanwhile, brain is making himself “the largest mouse on earth, and hero of the planet.”

donk.

this frame is terrifying so obviously i’m making everyone look at it.

“people of tokyo! do not fear! i, brainodo, have come to save you!”

i’m not sure they’re convinced. the army have shown up, by this point.

“it’s another giant monster! even more ugly than gollyzilla!”

rude.

brain suggests that, perhaps, he is actually an artificially enlarged labmouse here to save them from gollyzilla, and maybe they could thank him by making them emperor.

the military do not agree.

so, yknow, maybe it’s best that he goes to look for pinky.

“how can i save the city from gollyzilla with no gollyzilla!” yells brain, as he steps on a school bus and either, 1, kills like 40 children, or 2, ruins the setpiece for melanie martinez’s 2019 music video “wheels on the bus.”

(no one’s watching us don’t give a fuck wheels on the bus ou ou)

anyway it’s a good thing that pinky has decided to spontaniously burst out of this lake. man’s really commiting to the role, huh.

again, he’s having fun.

brain is less impressed.

after admonishing pinky for running off,

brain reminds him to “make the battle look realistic”. their plan, of course, depends on it.

TAKE THAT, YOU HORRIBLE BEAST

ouch.

pinky sure is putting a weird amount of effort into this battle. and pyrotechnics??? yeah.

bonk.

bonk.

yeet.

as brain unflomphs himself, and prepares to strike back, pinky comes over to see what’s going on.

“scuse me, brain.”

“go away, pinky. can’t you see i’m fighting with pinky?”

“oh, but. wait.”

“how can you be fighting with me over there, if i’m over here?”

“it’s a very simple principle, pinky! it’s because!”

“that’s the real gollyzilla.”

and by the looks of things, he’s not very happy.

conclusion:

pinky’s first instinct, upon seeing The Real Gollyzilla (please stand up, please stand up) brandishing a building at them, is to pick brain up and flee in terror.

it’s very cute. he just scoops him up and nopes him away. not today, gollyzilla. not today.

gollyzilla, unfortunately, seems pretty bloody determined to make it today.

unfortunately, in his quest to deliver brain to safety, pinky walks right into a pylon.

bonk. they fall over. ):

and unfortunately, they fell directly onto what was once acmeshito labs, which activates the growth ray in the process.

it’s this guy again.

who are you??? what the fuck do you want?? why are you just smoking your pipe and looking at me like that and saying yesss, i seeeee. what do you see??? did the newslady send you??? what do you want from me??????

he gets shot by the growth ray. good. die.

the mice, as you can imagine, are not having a great time of things right now.

gollyzilla is fully prepared to bonk them on the head.

but oh! what is this?

random man? is that you? are you our hero, random man? is this your redemption arc?

do you see now, random man? what do you see?

well, he just yeeted a building, so jot that down.

he seems to be preparing himself to yeet gollyzilla, too.

same.

the mice duck out of the way as the fearsome creature is launched like an olympic sport. good thing tokyo 2020 got cancelled, i guess.

air lizard. nyoom. unfortunately they land on the remains of acmeshitu labs,

and nudges the growth ray in the process.

it goes a bit haywire.

the mice look on, perturbed, as it starts firing at random objects.

like this building.

and that fire hydrant.

and that building.

and this, uh.

city?

um????

oh dear.

at least acmeshito labs is going back in for repairs.

“it’s a shame we’re not giant any more, brain.”

“we are, pinky. unfortunately, so is everything else. our relative smallness remains.”

alright. that’s the end of that one, i guess. that’s going down as a solid outside influence.

brain: 5 ½ pinky: 6 ½ outside influence: 11

brilliant, brain!

but oh, wait, no. is earth like, 400 times its’ previous size, now? surely that can’t be good for the universe????

what are your thoughts, bbc science focus?

well. that’s not good.

[wits-writing]

Ultraman Z Ep. 4: “Robot-2 Activation Plan” (TV Review)

(Original Air Date: July 11, 2020, Director: Takanori Tsujimoto, Writer: Satoshi Suzuki)

While the subterranean monster Telesdon surfaces after underground construction disturbed its rest, STORAGE works to get their latest asset, the giant robot Windom, ready to deal with the threat. Yuka’s scientific mind especially gets put to hard work as she puts her all into making Windom the best machine it can be.

[Full Review Under the Cut]

Yuka’s story in this episode highlights not only her personality, but something I appreciate more with each episode of Ultraman Z so far, the way STORAGE is presented. We see more of the support staff again while they’re working to get Windom ready for launch. There’s a clear sense of collective achievement while they celebrate watching the robot’s first fight and cheering it on, even throwing confetti to add to the celebratory atmosphere. The road getting there makes the celebration feel earned with Yuka’s frustration at the slow pace of the development in the beginning of the episode. While Windom is set to be able to fight for five minutes, compared to Sevenger’s three, charging is estimated to take four days. A complication in the design Yuka blames on the people in charge not following her instructions for what parts would make things most efficient.

Yuka’s frustration and determination this episode lets us see a wider range of emotions from her and get more sense of what she does around STORAGE. Calling back to her excitement to study Neronga’s remains in episode two, we get to see the fridge where she keeps her most valuable samples. When she sees that Haruki’s storing his pudding in the same fridge, she playfully teases him over it (which she should, considering that fridge is for science.) We later see her determination to make Windom’s charge more efficient drive her to pull an all-nighter at STORAGE HQ, eventually walking out in the middle of the night to see chief mechanic Bako (Jun Hashizume) taking a break from trying to solve the same problem.

While Yuka joins him on this break to eat together, she brings up how they might solve Windom’s energy problem by decreasing its output capabilities. Bako tells her to not give up on her ideals that easily. Pointing out how he was using an old exhaust plate from Sevenger as a cooking surface as an example of using what you have to get the results you want, saying answers can come from unexpected places. Working with what you have while never ceasing to strive for an ideal outcome serves as a strong core message for this episode and fits with Yuka’s character as we’ve seen her so far. When she takes that lesson to heart and figures out her solution, after noticing Haruki’s pudding cooked in her fridge while being stored next to Neronga’s horn, it’s fun to see her take advantage of her resources. Using the excess energy left in Neronga horn, in a delightful display of mad science, the mechanic team and her transfer that power to Windom and launch it into battle against Telesdon.

Windom’s debut, befitting its place in the title, is the central set piece of this episode’s action. Yuka gives the rundown of the key differences between Windom and Sevenger early on, namely a jet propulsion system and more humanoid shape that give it better speed and agility. When it finally bursts onto the scene piloted by Yoko, all those abilities are on full display with the addition of an expansive arsenal of missiles put to good use against the rampaging Telesdon. Windom easily matches and eventually overpowers the monster that gave Sevenger and Ultraman Z Beta Smash a run for their money. The fight makes it clear that Windom could have defeated Telesdon on its own, if not for the monster getting some outside help.

Help that comes from someone we haven’t seen since the end of episode one, Shinya Kaburagi (Rihito Noda). Last we saw of him was getting possessed by an alien parasite while handling Genegarg’s remains and obtaining a Z-Riser of his own. We see him again in this episode observing the initial confrontation between STORAGE and Telesdon. There’s not much more we’re explicitly told about him this time, but we do get to see some of how he’s operating. His Riser gives him access to a pocket dimension, similar to the one Haruki and Zett talk in but hued in a sickly green. A mysterious machine sits within that dimension that lets Shinya take the remains of monsters and turn them into Monster Medals for his own use. The power of those medals gets demonstrated when Shinya interferes in the fight between Telesdon and Windom, enhancing Telesdon with the power of another classic Ultraman monster, Jirahs, giving Telesdon that monster’s neck-frills, the ability to deflect energy attacks, and give its heat blasts wider range with rapid fire.

Taking the cue from what Windom’s greater speed let it do against Telesdon, Zett tells Haruki to switch to Alpha Edge, which lets them stay on the defensive and dodge the monster’s blasts long enough for Windom to grab Telesdon’s frills and rip them off, giving them both the chance to deliver their finishing blows against the monster. Aside from getting a demonstration of what Shinya can do with his Z-Riser and medals, we mainly end up left with similar questions to Haruki and Zett when they find the Jirahs Medal after Telesdon’s defeat about the full details of what’s going on.

That’s not the only mystery expanded on in this episode. While everyone else is celebrating Windom’s first success as the newest member of the STORAGE Family, Chief Hebikura is playing with a bizarre Rubik’s cube in his office. In his frustration trying to solve it, he talks about needing a “new toy” while looking at his computer playing footage from one of Ultraman Z’s fights and smirking. That being the note the episode ends on, plus the preview clips we see for next week’s episode seem to confirm the big fan theory surrounding the chief, but I’ll wait until next time to discuss the details of that.

Between Yuka’s journey to finding new ways to achieve her goals, getting more details on the on-going side mysteries of the series, and the debut fight of Windom, “Robot-2 Activation Plan” makes for a blast of an episode with a central theme that’s easy to appreciate.

If you like what you’ve read here, please like/reblog or share elsewhere online, follow me on Twitter (@WC_WIT), and consider throwing some support my way at either Ko-Fi.com or Patreon.com at the extension “/witswriting”

[optimabatteries]

Mike Copeland’s 1984 Dodge Rampage at the 2020 OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational, presented by @advanceautoparts at Circuit of the Americas https://www.optimabatteries.com/experience/blog/2020-optima-ultimate-street-car-invitational-results

[nomolosk]

Snapshots (AU Yeah August 2020)

read on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25655623/chapters/62452285

Day 4- Bender

Adrien had barely a few moments to recover from the strange experience of being dislodged from his own time- and being rescued by Ladybug no less! An older, much hotter Ladybug…- before a Corrupted Earth-bender started tearing everything apart around him. His image of Ladybug- even her name- morphed into a different configuration in his mind, even as he cursed his luck and ran off, trying to find somewhere marginally safe where he could change into his alternate persona. With an Earth-bender, even a building built with metal wasn’t necessarily safe. By report it was wickedly hard to bend metal, but you never knew who had the will-power, and a Corrupted Bender was typically more powerful than an Uncorrupted one. Adrien was once again thankful he’d made his messenger bag part of his usual “look,” and always stood his ground when Gabriel questioned his constant reliance on it.

Technically, he was supposed to go straight home when a Corrupted Bender attacked the city- his father insisted on it. But who else could help Cricketbird when someone’s spirit was overtaken, if not her steadfast partner Sir Pontichat Noir? Even now, dodging dislodged bricks and uprooted sections of asphalt and cement, Adrien felt himself smirk at his alter ego's name. He was proud of that one. He spotted a plastic waste bin and made for it. With all the rogue benders lately attacking the city, the mayor had decreed (along with many other reforms) that as many metal dumpsters and waste bins as possible be replaced with fiberglass or plastic, reasoning that it was the only material still safe from manipulation by benders. While it was a decent idea, Adrien privately wondered how long that state of affairs would last.

Either way, he opened the lid and jumped in just as the rogue bender swept past. A few more jolts and rumbles, and then the worst was over. Adrien pulled the tightly rolled suit out of the special concealed pocket in his messenger bag. He unrolled it only to have a moment of deep disconnect. The suit didn’t look right, didn’t feel right all of a sudden. For an instant he had a vision of… of something. Somewhere else. Almost like a memory, but he had the impression it was very recent. A woman in a Cricketbird suit, only… only it wasn’t the Cricketbird he was familiar with. She was older, and Paris looked… different. Very different. Yet, still familiar somehow... 

Thankfully the vision didn’t last long. Everything snapped back into focus and his sudden unease with the suit faded. As much as it shook him a little, he tried to ignore it, quickly putting the suit on over his regular clothes and swaddling his shoes in special coverings. He reached up to muss his hair before putting on the mask. He checked to make sure everything was secure before stashing the bag in the small slit between the plastic waste bin and the wall of the building behind it.

He wasn’t the only one who fought against the spirit controlled benders, and all of them wore disguises, usually choosing an animal of some kind. He felt his own- the snake-cat- gave him considerable intimidation factor. He had sharp plastic claws on the ends of his gloves, and of course his fire-bending imitated the destructive quality of snake venom. Cricketbird, on the other hand, was the luckiest person he’d ever met. In most fights, she’d snatch up a piece of trash, trinket, or random bit of scenery just lying around, declare it her “lucky charm,” and somehow find a way to use it to disable the bender and get in close so she could purge their spirit of the corrupting influence. Of all of them, she was the only one who knew the technique. 

Sometimes, Adrien wondered if she were the Avatar in disguise. But no one had seen an Avatar for at least 200 years, and most thought the cycle had ended or been interrupted somehow. Adrien wasn’t sure about that, especially since he’d been fighting with Cricketbird. But she’d never shown any indication that she could control anything but her own element of Air.

Either way, Avatar or not, she needed his help right now. They were the first two to rise against the Corrupted, so their partnership was on another level, even though they’d allowed and even asked others to join the fight. 

Sir Pontichat Noir clambered as quickly as he could over the rubble, tracking the Corrupted bender through the easy medium of following the path of destruction. It was a good thing one of the members of their team was also an Earth-bender. Caraquack would help put everything to rights after the battle was over. 

It wasn’t long before Sir Pontichat caught up to the fight in progress. Cricketbird and Caraquack were already on the scene, Caraquack trying to suppress and deflect the Corrupted bender’s projectiles, shielding the surrounding buildings, and doing just fine holding his own. Sir Pontichat joined them, circling around to Cricketbird’s position. She was glancing around in a way he recognized and he knew it wouldn’t be long before she found something to help her- to help them- win the fight.

“Where do you need me, bugaboo?” he said, sidling up to her. Cricketbird acknowledged him with a nod and a roll of her eyes for the nickname.

“Sorry, scaly-cat, but what we really need to do is get him off the ground, and that calls for Air, more than fire. Can you hold down this position so I can get up there?” she asked, nodding toward a fairly intact building slightly behind the Corrupted’s position. “Try to keep her distracted so she doesn’t tear the building down under my feet, okay?”

“Done, and done,” Sir Pontichat said, giving her a two-finger salute. Again, there was a strange sense of deja-vu about the simple action, but he shook it off. He needed all his wits about him if he was going to get through this fight without significant injuries. Rena Belette knew some Healing, but she was still learning, and it took time- time Pontichat usually didn’t have. And he couldn’t go home with injuries he couldn’t explain when he was supposed to be avoiding the Corrupted fights.

Cricketbird leaped away, her jumping enhanced by the springs attached to her calves. Sir Pontichat remembered their first few fights, when she’d still be learning to use them. She’d launched herself into him, walls, the pavement… but now, she moved in them with the grace of a leopard-deer. In a few moments she was out of sight. Sir Pontichat started zig-zagging around the area, drawing the Corrupted’s attention with fire bursts. Caraquack proved just as quick on the uptake as usual and started pelting the Corrupted from wherever Pontichat wasn’t attacking. Pontichat used every bit of his parkour skills to dodge, run, and leap over the torn-up street without getting hit or boxed in. Even so, he had to use fire-blasts to deflect incoming rocks and break out of a potential trap several times before a whirlwind descended on the Corrupted. It swept her up, breaking her connection with the earth, and bore her over to where Cricketbird stood on the roof of her chosen building. She reached into the whirlwind and grasped an arm, using it to stabilize the Corrupted so she could reach up and touch her head as well.

Sir Pontichat and Caraquack watched in their usual awe as the Corrupted started glowing in two different colors- her body a neon green that they’d seen from other Earth-benders, but with a virulent orange head. The orange clearly didn’t belong, and was creeping slowly down the neck as well. Cricketbird, in turn, glowed a warm yellow. Slowly, her color invaded the other’s, though only up the arm she grasped, and spreading out from her hand on her head. The yellow overcame the orange, then receded, leaving healthy green in its wake.

Sir Pontichat often felt guilty for his own Fire-bending during this process. The one time Cricketbird had had trouble purging a Corrupted was when it was also a Fire-bender- that time it had taken nearly half an hour for her to find the invading spirit and overcome it, and she’d been exhausted afterwards. It was clearly a Fire-bender who was corrupting people, and everytime Sir Pontichat watched Cricketbird purge someone, it made him that much more determined to find the culprit and make sure they wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone else ever again.

Fire-benders were already looked at sideways by many, since their powers were almost always destructive and could quickly run out of control. It was one of the reasons Gabriel insisted Adrien Agreste was a non-bender, and forbade him to bend in public, or even very much at home, beyond honing his ability to suppress the power. It had taken Sir Pontichat Noir almost a year of fighting the Corrupted to really gain power and confidence in his Fire-bending.

After making sure Cricketbird didn’t need him for anything else, Sir Pontichat Noir slipped off. Caraquack was busy restoring the road and buildings, joined after a while by other Earth-benders if the increased sounds of thumping and bumping behind him were any indication. It was another thing Sir Pontichat felt guilty about. He might be able to provide support during a fight, but he had never yet been able to help clean up afterwards. Fire was a good bending ability- it could keep people warm and clear a path, but in the end, it was destructive in its very nature. About the only way it could be said to help create anything was to refine other materials, to make earth even harder in the form of brick and ceramics, or to power machines that created other things.

Fortunately, the Earth-bending crew was working from the end of the rampaging zone backward, which meant that the area where Sir Pontichat Noir had first appeared was still relatively deserted. It made it much easier for him to creep back into the original alley, retrieve his messenger bag, and turn back into Adrien Agreste. Even then, Adrien took some back alleys away from the location so he could rejoin the crowds in a busier part of town. 

He didn’t perceive the nearly invisible wave that swept over him and his surroundings, morphing the buildings and people into new shapes and forms. His memories were subtly edited, removing all reference to elemental bending and Corrupted Benders, and replacing those with references to akumas and Miraculous powers. It was so swift and subtle that once again, neither Adrien nor anyone around him noticed.

@auyeahaugust

[enginerumors]

2020 Dodge Rampage Price, Release Date, Specs

2020 Dodge Rampage Price, Release Date, Specs

2020 Dodge Rampage Price, Release Date, Specs – 2020 Dodge Rampageis indeed a generally all you need from your auto. It is actually significant and additionally frustrating, to ensure wide freight area regarding a variety of piling you will need. It is moreover quite enjoyable, particularly in the stay, gives 7 car seats for about three posts to get dimension and also fantastic holiday maker as…

[thesweatystudententhusiastfan]

New Post has been published on 2018 2019 Car Review

New Post has been published on https://www.carworldinfo.com/2020-dodge-rampage-release-date-concept-price/

2020 Dodge Rampage Release Date, Concept, Price

2020 Dodge Rampage Release Date, Concept, Price – The time period 2020 definitely offer numerous particular novelties in exactly the same time as intense redesigns, particularly in business entailed with constructing a range on-up automobiles that may possibly arrive obtaining prepared to produce obtaining practically one across the substantially much more suggested and genuinely very best-marketing and advertising in the USA. One amongst this type of keenly awaited sorts has generally without any uncertainty stress in the suitable Dodge Rampage which was pretty tad in spite in the reality that in prior rumored truly is going to virtually certainly strike the highways as acquiring a 2020 Dodge Rampage type, although it supplies not but confirm ultimate finish outcome obtain decided nonetheless.

2020 Dodge Rampage Review

2020 Dodge Rampage Review

Heading more than Synopsis, 2020 Dodge Rampage can, by all-natural demonstrates, make use of a seem at usually show up, even creating this basically the really significant in the beginning release, fairly a great deal unquestionably for the describe that company has one issue around the typical purchaser ought to have pickup automobiles like rampage. Obtaining with acquiring on substantial 22-” wheels, Rampage has observed a substantial quantity of closures and a massive vehicle traveling a car big Lodge. Important entry door shield consists of a 60-sided slatted make-up, in the motion and lightweight aluminum elements and also contains about greater Led front door lighting fixtures. By generating consumption of exclusive goal, in getting to conserve a terrific deal of regions, the company back finish access as obtaining a gliding edition, as a result of this, they consume evidently drastically considerably significantly less spot but traits a propensity to produce it doable for the company obtains ineffectively.

2020 Dodge Rampage Exterior

Minimum often be recognized in the interior especially how the 2020 Dodge Rampage will surely generally make acknowledged, even so, the enthusiasts foresee transpires in becoming cabin called for to show some current-time goods and a big quantity of changes in regards to architectural know-how simultaneously as stability and stability. Your cabin nearly surely is important and profitable, delivering some comfy new youthful kid seat towards net web site company. The actual truck certainly nearly totally give you using an extensive comprehensive great deal greater infomercial make speak with with-confirm on the cardiovascular technique notebook laptop or laptop or notebook pc video gaming strategy which could potentially appropriately certainly offer you with honestly very quiet a few in relation to the significantly far more existing attributes and also website net web page hyperlink alternatives, as one occasion, the transporting, ambiance sustain, Wi-Fi hotspot, Standard serial trainer plug-ins and also Wi-Fi Wireless Bluetooth.

2020 Dodge Rampage Interior

2020 Dodge Rampage Engine

Offered that this honestly quite very first specialist acquired significantly less than, in relation to the engine, there could come to become a lot of alternate possibilities. It could come to become a special essential strategy, by way of instance, the effortless design of 2020 Dodge Rampage, converts up mutually on account of V-8 powertrain. This could come to become with no obtaining uncertainty the 5.7-liter electric motor unit. Even so, that suggests the engine potentially continue to maintain in operation to generate power to 350 hp, partnering by producing usage of a 5-pace transmission. In a wellness supplement, use quantity degree has got to go among 15 mpg to 18 miles per gallon. Genuinely really a couple of in the exchange alternatives are hybrid engines in which demands fuel resumption. Other people and girls rely upon of taking close to in closed up closeness towards the examination.

2020 Dodge Rampage Engine

2020 Dodge Rampage Release Date and Price

Nonetheless, it’s in fact in reality undoubtedly a 2020-design is, you can uncover out enhanced possibilities you may have bought the capability to obtain 2020 Dodge rampage in the receiving commenced totally free from 2020, and even in the center from it. Hassle-free price must be in close to up closeness to $30,000, but alongside the trims for $10,000 produced.

[5hit-i-l00k-at]

2020 Dodge Rampage Rumors, Price, And Redesign

New Post has been published on https://www.2020dodge.com/2020-dodge-rampage-rumors-price-redesign/

2020 Dodge Rampage Rumors, Price, And Redesign

2020 Dodge Rampage Rumors, Price, And Redesign – 2020 Dodge Rampage is the latest version of very well liked large van that lots of customers had been drawn too. Nonetheless, we are unsure if the producer has organized to stay the same condition and gear with this vehicle, but based on rumors and we understand right now, it really should not be very much altered that the previous model.

2020 Dodge Rampage Specs

Feature

2020 Dodge Rampage is a muscle mass car with brief but hostile front-end and lots of well-known particulars. The front-end has decorative mesh grille divided on 4, an indicator of identification for every single Dodge. On the ends of the particular grille are sizeable Guided top lighting fixtures, when the underside of the original grille has large air flow ingestion and also hooks for tugging. There is undoubtedly also metal safety on the base. The rear stop is level, although with lightly softened corners and easy rear lamps that distribute on the aspect of the fender. Although the cabin appears under on vehicles, it is remarkably practical and significant.

Exterior And Interior

The maker created the cabin within 2020 Dodge Rampage to become useful and sensible, but there may be some specifics that will make this 2020 Dodge Rampage stylish, also. All the cabin is undoubtedly created with higher luxurious and top quality dark and reddish colored resources, on basic but cozy chairs with changeable features. It is spread out cabin with several chairs, and a great deal of room for mature travelers, but more essential is a useful center bunch right in front of the motorist, angled to become like a lot obtainable like it is probable and stylishly round with stainless. In the terminology of technological innovation, there are things like these close wi-fi connections, infotainment method, Wireless Bluetooth connection, menu manages, Universal serial bus plug-ins and luxury cruise management.

2020 Dodge Rampage Interior

2020 Dodge Rampage Engine

There is nonetheless tiny details about the engine that can be put less than the particular lid about 2020 Dodge Rampage. Presently there tend to be high odds that could become 5.7-liter HEMI V8 car engine, established as powerful and remarkably effective for big vehicles like Rampage is definitely. The only we all know concerning this engine is that this will create 345 horsepower and the available transmission is several-pace intelligent a single. Even so, gossip claim that we must assume a diesel edition of this powerplant although not before the traditional design is going to be on the marketplace presently.

2020 Dodge Rampage Price

2020 Dodge Rampage Price And Release Date

Even though the delivering day is not identified presently, it is anticipated that could attend the finish of 2018. Whenever the producer remains to be components of the 2020 Dodge Rampage as on existing model type. The price is going to be $30,000 meant for the base design nevertheless it very quickly could be higher with improvements the company is likely to offer you.

[levaduraa]

2020 Dodge Rampage Rumors, Price, And Redesign

New Post has been published on https://www.2020dodge.com/2020-dodge-rampage-rumors-price-redesign/

2020 Dodge Rampage Rumors, Price, And Redesign

2020 Dodge Rampage Rumors, Price, And Redesign – 2020 Dodge Rampage is the latest version of very well liked large van that lots of customers had been drawn too. Nonetheless, we are unsure if the producer has organized to stay the same condition and gear with this vehicle, but based on rumors and we understand right now, it really should not be very much altered that the previous model.

2020 Dodge Rampage Specs

Feature

2020 Dodge Rampage is a muscle mass car with brief but hostile front-end and lots of well-known particulars. The front-end has decorative mesh grille divided on 4, an indicator of identification for every single Dodge. On the ends of the particular grille are sizeable Guided top lighting fixtures, when the underside of the original grille has large air flow ingestion and also hooks for tugging. There is undoubtedly also metal safety on the base. The rear stop is level, although with lightly softened corners and easy rear lamps that distribute on the aspect of the fender. Although the cabin appears under on vehicles, it is remarkably practical and significant.

Exterior And Interior

The maker created the cabin within 2020 Dodge Rampage to become useful and sensible, but there may be some specifics that will make this 2020 Dodge Rampage stylish, also. All the cabin is undoubtedly created with higher luxurious and top quality dark and reddish colored resources, on basic but cozy chairs with changeable features. It is spread out cabin with several chairs, and a great deal of room for mature travelers, but more essential is a useful center bunch right in front of the motorist, angled to become like a lot obtainable like it is probable and stylishly round with stainless. In the terminology of technological innovation, there are things like these close wi-fi connections, infotainment method, Wireless Bluetooth connection, menu manages, Universal serial bus plug-ins and luxury cruise management.

2020 Dodge Rampage Interior

2020 Dodge Rampage Engine

There is nonetheless tiny details about the engine that can be put less than the particular lid about 2020 Dodge Rampage. Presently there tend to be high odds that could become 5.7-liter HEMI V8 car engine, established as powerful and remarkably effective for big vehicles like Rampage is definitely. The only we all know concerning this engine is that this will create 345 horsepower and the available transmission is several-pace intelligent a single. Even so, gossip claim that we must assume a diesel edition of this powerplant although not before the traditional design is going to be on the marketplace presently.

2020 Dodge Rampage Price

2020 Dodge Rampage Price And Release Date

Even though the delivering day is not identified presently, it is anticipated that could attend the finish of 2018. Whenever the producer remains to be components of the 2020 Dodge Rampage as on existing model type. The price is going to be $30,000 meant for the base design nevertheless it very quickly could be higher with improvements the company is likely to offer you.

[mariokolaric]

2020 Dodge Rampage Rumors, Price, And Redesign

New Post has been published on https://www.2020dodge.com/2020-dodge-rampage-rumors-price-redesign/

2020 Dodge Rampage Rumors, Price, And Redesign

2020 Dodge Rampage Rumors, Price, And Redesign – 2020 Dodge Rampage is the latest version of very well liked large van that lots of customers had been drawn too. Nonetheless, we are unsure if the producer has organized to stay the same condition and gear with this vehicle, but based on rumors and we understand right now, it really should not be very much altered that the previous model.

2020 Dodge Rampage Specs

Feature

2020 Dodge Rampage is a muscle mass car with brief but hostile front-end and lots of well-known particulars. The front-end has decorative mesh grille divided on 4, an indicator of identification for every single Dodge. On the ends of the particular grille are sizeable Guided top lighting fixtures, when the underside of the original grille has large air flow ingestion and also hooks for tugging. There is undoubtedly also metal safety on the base. The rear stop is level, although with lightly softened corners and easy rear lamps that distribute on the aspect of the fender. Although the cabin appears under on vehicles, it is remarkably practical and significant.

Exterior And Interior

The maker created the cabin within 2020 Dodge Rampage to become useful and sensible, but there may be some specifics that will make this 2020 Dodge Rampage stylish, also. All the cabin is undoubtedly created with higher luxurious and top quality dark and reddish colored resources, on basic but cozy chairs with changeable features. It is spread out cabin with several chairs, and a great deal of room for mature travelers, but more essential is a useful center bunch right in front of the motorist, angled to become like a lot obtainable like it is probable and stylishly round with stainless. In the terminology of technological innovation, there are things like these close wi-fi connections, infotainment method, Wireless Bluetooth connection, menu manages, Universal serial bus plug-ins and luxury cruise management.

2020 Dodge Rampage Interior

2020 Dodge Rampage Engine

There is nonetheless tiny details about the engine that can be put less than the particular lid about 2020 Dodge Rampage. Presently there tend to be high odds that could become 5.7-liter HEMI V8 car engine, established as powerful and remarkably effective for big vehicles like Rampage is definitely. The only we all know concerning this engine is that this will create 345 horsepower and the available transmission is several-pace intelligent a single. Even so, gossip claim that we must assume a diesel edition of this powerplant although not before the traditional design is going to be on the marketplace presently.

2020 Dodge Rampage Price

2020 Dodge Rampage Price And Release Date

Even though the delivering day is not identified presently, it is anticipated that could attend the finish of 2018. Whenever the producer remains to be components of the 2020 Dodge Rampage as on existing model type. The price is going to be $30,000 meant for the base design nevertheless it very quickly could be higher with improvements the company is likely to offer you.

[levantine-chant]

2020 Dodge Rampage Rumors, Price, And Redesign

New Post has been published on https://www.2020dodge.com/2020-dodge-rampage-rumors-price-redesign/

2020 Dodge Rampage Rumors, Price, And Redesign

2020 Dodge Rampage Rumors, Price, And Redesign – 2020 Dodge Rampage is the latest version of very well liked large van that lots of customers had been drawn too. Nonetheless, we are unsure if the producer has organized to stay the same condition and gear with this vehicle, but based on rumors and we understand right now, it really should not be very much altered that the previous model.

2020 Dodge Rampage Specs

Feature

2020 Dodge Rampage is a muscle mass car with brief but hostile front-end and lots of well-known particulars. The front-end has decorative mesh grille divided on 4, an indicator of identification for every single Dodge. On the ends of the particular grille are sizeable Guided top lighting fixtures, when the underside of the original grille has large air flow ingestion and also hooks for tugging. There is undoubtedly also metal safety on the base. The rear stop is level, although with lightly softened corners and easy rear lamps that distribute on the aspect of the fender. Although the cabin appears under on vehicles, it is remarkably practical and significant.

Exterior And Interior

The maker created the cabin within 2020 Dodge Rampage to become useful and sensible, but there may be some specifics that will make this 2020 Dodge Rampage stylish, also. All the cabin is undoubtedly created with higher luxurious and top quality dark and reddish colored resources, on basic but cozy chairs with changeable features. It is spread out cabin with several chairs, and a great deal of room for mature travelers, but more essential is a useful center bunch right in front of the motorist, angled to become like a lot obtainable like it is probable and stylishly round with stainless. In the terminology of technological innovation, there are things like these close wi-fi connections, infotainment method, Wireless Bluetooth connection, menu manages, Universal serial bus plug-ins and luxury cruise management.

2020 Dodge Rampage Interior

2020 Dodge Rampage Engine

There is nonetheless tiny details about the engine that can be put less than the particular lid about 2020 Dodge Rampage. Presently there tend to be high odds that could become 5.7-liter HEMI V8 car engine, established as powerful and remarkably effective for big vehicles like Rampage is definitely. The only we all know concerning this engine is that this will create 345 horsepower and the available transmission is several-pace intelligent a single. Even so, gossip claim that we must assume a diesel edition of this powerplant although not before the traditional design is going to be on the marketplace presently.

2020 Dodge Rampage Price

2020 Dodge Rampage Price And Release Date

Even though the delivering day is not identified presently, it is anticipated that could attend the finish of 2018. Whenever the producer remains to be components of the 2020 Dodge Rampage as on existing model type. The price is going to be $30,000 meant for the base design nevertheless it very quickly could be higher with improvements the company is likely to offer you.