#AND HE CALLS IT THE FORTRESS OF DOOM???LIKE SOME LOSER?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!!

[caracello]

imigjt die when i finally get to eternal and i see the fortress of doom im not prepared for it

[hiwelcometothemonstersancturary]

Your book sounds so cool!!!

AAAAAA, THANK YOU SO MUCH! It's called The Tale of the Evil Sorcerer/O Conto do Feiticeiro Maligno and it's free to read over Wattpad, but there isn't an english translation and I prob won't do that any time soon, as I'm going to rewrite it someday.

It's about an "evil" sorcerer who kidnapped a princess by accident, only to fall in love at first sight with the knight who came to save her. Things become worse when the princess figures out the sorcerer was never evil at all, but he's so bad at communication that he just let the rumors spread because it was easier than dealing with them, so she decides to strike a deal: She'll help him try to talk with the knight, who also happens to be her BFF, and in turn he will teach her how to be a sorcerer. And no, the knight has no idea what's going on, and he's also been indocrinated his whole life to beliefe that magic = SUPER BAD.

I love these three idiots so much. The sorcerer is called Meia-Noite (Midnight in english), princess is Valentyna, and the knight is Edgar. They share one (1) braincell and are all doomed by the narrative, except the story has a happy ending for everyone. The only villain who's not sympathetic is a transphobe named Joanne Atropa and she's english-coded. This is not a reference to an IRL transphobe/neonazi author, uh-uh, never! Infodump under the cut:

Meia-Noite is a gay disaster who lives in a fortress he found at age 13 in the middle of a jungle. Goth, anxious, and is actually a healer and not a shadow manipulator like the rumors say. He helps people if they get lost and need someone to treat their injuries because his duty as a healer is capable of overtaking his fear of strangers. He's tall with long dark hair but if the wind hits him a bit too hard he goes flying with it, the guy is a STICK.

Edgar is a bi knight who has trained his entire life to protect the girl he sees as a sister. He's autistic, albino and is REALLY serious about his duties as a knight (he's 17) to the point he forgot about everything else. Outside the harsh exterior he's actually a huge sweetie who loves photography and is super curious about magic, but feels super guilty and bad about it.

Valentyna is a lesbian princess who's a prodigy at almost everything she does, but her parents refuse to teach her light magic and she's desperate to help the people of her kingdom. This girl punched Meia the SECOND she was able to do so during the kidnapping, she may not know what she's doing but somehow she is winning the game. She cares so much about everyone around her! Also adopted an albino snake and named it Açúcar (Sugar) 15 seconds after finding her in the palace's gardens.

My girlfriend also wanted to say this:

[image id: "ALSO YOU NEED TO MENTION AÇÚCAR. lovely baby, has never done anything wrong, most important character". end image id]

Some other characters include:

Olhos de Fogo (Fire Eyes), a HUGE dumbass who's also a sorcerer. Pan king, ranked #1 arsonist over three different kingdoms, also ranked most handsome character by the readers (somehow!!!!! People love to thirst over him!) and has a "very gender" title given by me. Doomed by the narrative except unlike the trio he just accepts his fate because he's a huge loser. If this will end well for him or not it's something everyone has yet to see. My girlfriend has this to say about him:

[image id: "i love my terrible slutty son tho". end image id.]

Angélica, Meia's adopted sister, can see the future sometimes and is also a fashion enthusiasts. Use the people in the "fortress" she lives in as test subjects for her clothes, girlie is always tired and a bit terrified of the future ahead but trying her BEST to stay positive. And failing. I want to give her a special treatment in the rewrite because I think she deserves it.

Comandante (Commander), has this name because they're the commander of the non-binary nation. Accidentally misheard Meia-Noite and thought they were supposed to KIDNAP Valentyna instead of politely taking her over for a conversation about why her parents are incompetent at their jobs, now must be the parent friend to everyone. I love them so much, they're an icon to me.

Elisabeth, a princess from a rival kingdom who may or may not be Valentyna's crush. A bit more on the gothic side, had a pretty unusual childhood and her tweenhood was pretty hard. Tries her best to look eloquent and always knowing what to do, but really, REALLY wants to be a bit more loose. She and Tyna will have an enemies/rivals to lovers arc in the rewrite bc why not.

IT/THAT THING/ANYTHING/THE ???????????. A creature that's always watching. Also may be the guy that gave Meia half of his trauma.

The NARRADORA, AKA Narrator, the girl who's telling this story. It's her first big assignment and she LOOOVES saying her opinions about what is going on, much to her professor/adopted father's dismay.

THE NARRADOR, AKA Narrator but masc, is Narradora's older brother and a lot more kept-together than her, except it's all a facade for an equally chaotic creature. Loves gossip.

THE PROTAGONISTA, AKA Protagonist, who's ALSO another narrator. Super insecure because he's still training to be a storyteller, but he has his boyfriend (Narrador) and best friend (Narradora) to help.

THE LOCUTOR, who only appears to narrate like three times max. Older brother figure of the group, a huge cryptid who seems to be the coolest thing ever until you discover he stole an one-night-stand's head for funsies and is yet to give it back.

THE HOMEM VELHO, AKA Old Man, the professor of the group. Never makes a proper apparition but I want to mention him because he's a tired dad, someone PLEASE give him a break.

[scarletarosa]

Odin

Norse god of wisdom, knowledge, poetry, war, victory, sovereignty, divination, and magick

One of Odin’s countless titles is “All-father” (Old Norse: Alfaðir), since he is essentially the father of all of the Norse gods and was believed to be the divine ancestor of countless families from all over northern Europe. He is simultaneously an Aesir god, a Vanir god (the Vanir god Odr is only an extension or transposition of Odin), and a jötunn (ancient giant). Odin’s mother, Bestla, was one of the first frost-giants. One Old Norse poem even identifies him with önd, the breath of life. Furthermore, Odin is also the discoverer of the Runic alphabet and is married to the mother-goddess Frigg. 

Appearance and Roles: Old Norse texts portray Odin as one-eyed and long-bearded, frequently wielding a spear named Gungnir and wearing a cloak and a broad hat. One of the most striking attributes of his appearance is his single, piercing eye. His other eye socket is empty – the eye it once held was sacrificed by himself in order to gain wisdom. Odin is often accompanied by his animal companions and familiars—the wolves Geri and Freki and the ravens Huginn and Muninn, who bring him information from all over Midgard—and rides the flying, eight-legged steed Sleipnir across the sky and into the Underworld. Odin is the son of Bestla and Borr and has two brothers, Vili and Vé. Odin is attested as having many sons, most famously the gods Thor (with Jörð) and Baldr (with Frigg), and is known by hundreds of names. In these texts he frequently seeks greater knowledge, at times in disguise (most famously by obtaining the Mead of Poetry), makes wagers with his wife Frigg over the outcome of exploits, and takes part both in the creation of the world by way of slaying the primordial being Ymir and in giving the gift of life to the first two humans, Ask and Embla. Odin has a particular association with the festival of Yule, and mankind's knowledge of both the runes and poetry is also attributed to him. 

Old Norse texts also state that female entities connected with the battlefield—the valkyries—were led by Odin, since he oversees Valhalla, where he receives half of those who die in battle, the einherjar, the honourable warriors. The other half are then claimed by the goddess Freyja for her afterlife location, Fólkvangr. Odin also is said to consult the disembodied, herb-embalmed head of the wise being Mímir for advice, and during the foretold events of Ragnarök Odin is told to lead the einherjar into battle before being consumed by the monstrous wolf Fenrir. In later folklore Odin appears as a leader of the Wild Hunt, a ghostly procession of the dead through the winter sky. He is also associated with charms and other forms of magic, particularly in Old English and Old Norse texts. 

As a god of sovereignty, Odin is paradoxically also the favourite god and helper of outlaws, those who have been banished from society for some especially heinous crime, as well. Like Odin, many such men were exceptionally strong-willed warrior-poets who were apathetic to established societal norms – Egill Skallagrímsson (Egil’s Saga) and Grettir Ásmundarson (The Saga of Grettir the Strong) are two examples. The late twelfth/early thirteenth-century Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus even relates a tale of Odin being outlawed from Asgard for ten years so that the other gods and goddesses wouldn’t be tarnished by the vile reputation he had acquired amongst many humans. Whatever their social stature, the humans favored by Odin are distinguished by their intelligence, creativity, and competence in the proverbial “war of all against all”. For Odin, any kind of limitation is something to be overcome by any means necessary, and his actions are carried out within the context of a relentless and ruthless quest for more wisdom, knowledge, and power, usually of a magical sort. 

Odin’s competitive side once drove him to challenge the wisest of the jǫtnar (giants) to a contest to see who was more knowledgeable. The reward was to be the head of the loser, and Odin won this challenge by asking his opponent something that only he himself could know. Odin then claimed his prize and returned to Asgard. Along with Freyja, he is one of the two greatest practitioners of shamanism amongst the gods. The Ynglinga Saga records that Odin often “travels to distant lands on his own errands or those of others” while he appears to others to be asleep or dead. Another instance is recorded in the Eddic poem “Baldur’s Dreams,” where Odin rode Sleipnir, an eight-legged horse, to the Underworld in order to consult a dead seeress on behalf of his son. Odin’s mastery of necromancy, the magical art of communicating with and raising the dead, is frequently noted. While there are several reasons Odin maintains this commerce with the dead, including his desire to learn what knowledge and wisdom they possess, the most significant reason is his dread-driven desire to have as many of the best warriors as possible on his side when he must face the wolf Fenrir during Ragnarok – even though he knows that he’s doomed to die in the battle. 

Myths: In myth, Odin needed to make a sacrifice of himself in order to obtain great wisdom. This myth displays the great desire for knowledge and wisdom Odin holds, as well as his unstoppable will-power. Odin All-Father was troubled deeply for the whisperings of the Yggdrasil tree had told him the prophecies of the end, of Ragnarök. He had listened and knew of how Surtr the Black would join the giants in their war against the gods, how he would arise out of the flames of Muspell and drown the earth in fire. Odin’s wisdom told him that he could not prevent this end, but he hoped that perhaps, with wisdom, something could be done to have some gods and humans to survive. Odin travelled the Bifrost to Midgard and began to search for the well of Mimir. The well lay beneath the root of Yggdrasil that grew out of Jotunheim. It was kept my Mimir, the man who drank its wisdom each morning and who kept watch over the Gjallar-horn that Heimdallr, the white watcher, will blow on the day of Ragnarök. 

After many days of travel, Odin came to the edge of the well deep in Jotunheim. Mimir approached him and took up the horn Gjallar and filled it with good water from the well and gave the horn to Odin to drink. As he drank, his eyes opened and saw visions of great and terrible sufferings that would befall both men and gods. He drank again and saw the ways that gods and men might, in great noble courage, fight and defeat the evils that would surely arise, though at great cost for he saw also his death and the death of the Aesir that lived in Asgard by his side. How mighty Thor would succumb to the venom of the great serpent, and how Loki would come against Heimdallr and would kill one another, he saw his own defeat at the jaws of Fenrir, and many more deaths and failings that would come of Ragnarök. 

After witnessing these things, Odin put his hand to his face and plucked out his right eye. The pain was great and searing, but he made no sound nor showed his great suffering. Mimir took the eye and threw it into the well where it sunk deep but glistened like glass, a sign to any who might pass of the price Odin All-Father paid for his wisdom. And Odin returned to Asgard and sat upon his throne and considered the things he had seen. 

In another myth, Odin underwent a ritual death and rebirth in order to discover the runes. At the centre of the Norse cosmos stands the great tree Yggdrasil. Yggdrasil’s upper branches cradle Asgard, the home and fortress of the Aesir gods and goddesses, of whom Odin is the chief. Yggdrasil grows out of the Well of Urd, a pool whose fathomless depths hold many of the most powerful forces and beings in the cosmos. Among these beings are the Norns, three sagacious maidens who create the fate of all beings. One of the foremost techniques they use to shape fate is carving runes into Yggdrasil’s trunk. The symbols then carry these intentions throughout the tree, affecting everything in the Nine Worlds. Since the runes’ native home is in the Well of Urd with the Norns, and since the runes do not reveal themselves to any but those who prove themselves worthy of such fearful insights and abilities, Odin hung himself from a branch of Yggdrasil, pierced himself with his spear, and peered downward into the shadowy waters below. He forbade any of the other gods to grant him the slightest aid, not even a sip of water. 

And he stared downward, downward, and called to the runes. He survived in this state, teetering on the precipice that separates the living from the dead, for no less than nine days and nights. At the end of the ninth night, he at last perceived shapes in the depths: the runes. They had accepted his sacrifice and shown themselves to him, revealing to him not only their forms, but also the secrets that lie within them. Having fixed this knowledge in his formidable memory, Odin ended his ordeal with a scream of exultation. Having been initiated into the mysteries of the runes, Odin recounted:

“Then I was fertilized and became wise; I truly grew and thrived. From a word to a word I was led to a word, From a work to a work I was led to a work.”

Equipped with the knowledge of how to wield the runes, he became one of the mightiest and most accomplished beings in the cosmos. He learned chants that enabled him to heal emotional and bodily wounds, to bind his enemies and render their weapons worthless, to free himself from constraints, to put out fires, to expose and banish practitioners of malevolent magic, to protect his friends in battle, to wake the dead, to win and keep a lover, and to perform many other feats like these.

Personality: In my personal experiences with Odin, he is withdrawn, reclusive, analytical, methodical, studious, very serious, loves riddles and numbers, is a physiomancer (can divine the future through many methods), and takes oaths very seriously, rarely forgiving anyone who breaks them. He can help with many things, including gaining wisdom and knowledge, magickal prowess, divination, shamanism, spiritual rebirths, cunning, and discovering what truly matters in life so we can move past lesser things. Odin says that he can also assist in protecting against the malicious god Loki, who tricks others into trusting him and then harms them unsuspectingly, or disguises himself as their loved ones in order to hurt them or get his way.  

Offerings: beer (all types but prefers dark/stout), meat (pork, all game animals and birds), eggs, courgettis, oak, ash wood, runes, amber, lightning bolt imagery, any form of fortune telling tools (tarot, pendulum, etc.), crow/raven skulls or feathers, black silk, aubergine, wooden bowls, white sandalwood, black peppercorns, cedar, white daisies, cosmic tree imagery, crow/raven statuettes.

[bestfrownsforever]

Frown of Doom: Chapter 2

(Cover art by me)

After hours of drug-induced sleep, Unikitty found herself drowsily waking up in the Doom Lord fortress’ dimly lit conference room.  Her eyes fluttered open and she sat up, her head aching.  The princess kept one front paw on her head and the other on the ground below her, which was made of steel.  It didn’t take long for her to find out that she was locked in a cage, and her eyes searched the room for a potential way out.  But the coffins, open closets of weapons, and maps pinned to the walls with red marker sloppily written and drawn all over them made her scream.

“Ok,” Unikitty said as she trembled, “just stay positive.  It’s really dark and scary in here, but Master Frown and Brock have to be here too.  So when they show up we can talk about all this and it’ll be fine…everything will go right back to normal…with nothing to worry about…”

She heard something from behind her and turned to face the door.  The approaching red light and the sound of someone’s familiar chuckling was getting closer and closer until Master Frown opened the doors.  The same light in his eyes surrounded Master Plague’s beak, which floated inches away from his hand as he spun it around with his mind.  He slowly walked closer to Unikitty’s cage and circled it, his wide grin and eager eyes showing how much he relished every moment she was in front of him so helplessly.

“Oh, Princess Unikitty.  I’ve waited so long for this day!  I’ve asked myself if it’d ever happen, and here you are, finally in my control!  But now that you’re here…what should I do with you?  Should I set up a fancy execution outside?  Should I go back and kidnap your friends so I can kill you all together?  Should I stuff and mount your head on the wall?  Should I mind control you too and make you my kitty servant?  Should I just stab you right now and be done with you forever?  Ah, so many choices…so little time.”

(Art by @friffinx​)

“But why!?”  Unikitty asked, “Why would you do this!?  You’ve never done anything this bad before!”  “Oh yes I have!” Master Frown bragged, “It’s just been so long since you’ve seen me, so you have no idea what I can do in a split second!  And there’s nothing you or any of your loser friends can do to stop me!”  As Master Frown laughed, Unikitty began to cross her internal border between sad and angry.

“No!  You’re dead wrong, mister!” she shouted, “If anything now that you’ve taken me away, my friends are gonna go out of their way to find me and won’t stop until they do!  We mean everything to each other so you’re the one who’d better watch out or you’re gonna get badly hurt!”  “Come on, that’s…”  Before he could finish, Master Frown stopped to think about what he was saying and the red in his eyes faded away, “…actually true.  Brock!”

“Yeah?” Brock asked as he peeked into the room.  “Stay down here and watch Unikitty,” Master Frown commanded, his eyes glowing again, “There’s a few things, or should I say, people I have to take care of.”

Brock stepped closer to the cage.  He wanted to feel more excited and relieved to finally see Unikitty again, but he knew that judging from what happened before his consciousness came back, it would be hard to reconnect with her after what she went through.  He could tell by looking into her eyes that she was more confused than anything else, and he couldn’t blame her.

“So…you just want me to talk to her?” Brock asked.  “Well duh,” Master Frown groaned, rolling his eyes, “Do anything with her for all I care, just don’t let her out of the cage!”  He took the beak out with his mind again and grinned.  “I’ll be back before you know it.”

Unikitty made sure that the Doom Lord left before grabbing the cage bars, trying to trust what looked like the Brock she always knew.

“Brock?  What happened to you and Master Frown!?  How did all this…you know…?”  “Well,” Brock nervously sighed, “Let’s just say that Master Frown’s the world’s one and only Doom Lord now…the rest are gone.”  “Oh…” Unikitty thought aloud, “When will they get back?”  “He killed them Unikitty,” Brock grimly said.

“REALLY!?” Unikitty gasped at the thought of something so unheard of to her.

“Yeah,” Brock continued, “and since then he’s been spreading sadness and misery all over Frowntown in their place but it’s like, way worse.  He’ll even mind control me sometimes if I don’t give him what he wants in enough time.”

“WHAT!?” Unikitty gasped again, almost in tears before stopping her potential breakdown, “Oooh so that’s why your eyes are red.”

“Yep,” Brock replied before continuing again, “I don’t remember anything that goes on when he mind controls me, though.  It’s like I just…go blank, and someone else takes over.  But if I wanted to know what happens when I’m not totally in there, I’d go in there.”

Brock pointed to the biggest closet in the room.  It had the signature shape of Master Doom’s head like all the other doors but also plenty of scratch marks.  The words “DO NOT OPEN EVER (THAT MEANS YOU BROCK!)” were written on it in red.

“Wow,” Unikitty wondered, “what else could he have done!?  But Poor Master Frown must’ve been pushed around so much until he finally lost it.”  “That’s what I’ve been thinking,” Brock added, “And if anything this is my fault for not helping as much as I should’ve or trying to stop him-“

“No it’s not!” Unikitty insisted, putting her hand over Brock’s mouth through the bars, “Don’t you dare think that way!  You’ve been doing your best for Master Frown, more than anyone would dare to!  So consider that enough.  But you can help me figure this out and maybe even get back to how he was before!”

(Art by @pastel-gothicorn​)

“Well I guess he kinda is as long as his eyes aren’t red,” Brock said.  Unikitty gasped, stars and lightbulbs popping from her head and glowing in her eyes.  “That’s it!  We gotta find out what makes his eyes red!  We'll just get back to the Unikingdom, find our friends, and get him right where we want him, so then we can hopefully save Master Frown from uh, himself!  And it starts with you getting me out of this cage.”

“Genius plan, Unikitty!” Brock winked and got up, “I like your way of thinking, just lemme just find the key.”  “Ok!” Unikitty called back, watching Brock walk out of the conference room with strong determination in her eyes.

                                                         : ~~~ :

Unikitty’s friends didn’t have any time to regret letting Master Frown get away; only to prepare for another fight and way to save the princess.  As Hawkodile, Richard, and Puppycorn grouped together and talked about what the best course of action would be in the lab, Dr. Fox kept checking the kingdom’s security cameras, quickly switching from one to another at a time.  But then one screen particularly caught her eye; it showed Master Frown peeking up from behind a bush and looking around carefully before running offscreen.

“GUYS,” Dr. Fox warned, “MASTER FROWN’S COMING BACK!!!  Everyone get ready!!!”

“On it!” Hawkodile said as he sprang up and away.

“Yeah, let’s get him!” Puppycorn shouted, about to sprint until Richard floated in front of and stopped him.

"No, Puppycorn," Richard said, "you're staying in the castle with me."

"What!?" Puppycorn complained, "But Rick, I can fight too! Check it!" Puppycorn made jumps and imitated action moves, accompanied by fitting grunts and shouts, to show off what he thought were impressive fighting moves. But from start to finishing pose, Richard wasn't impressed.

"No," the brick said in his ever-monotone voice, "Now come with me."

"Aww man!" Puppycorn reluctantly dashed away with him.

Hawkodile and Dr. Fox went back to the dojo, picking and putting the perfect weapons together. Both were incredibly uneasy at the thought of such a do or die moment happening again, but Hawkodile also worried that he'd have no time to tell Dr. Fox that he loved her. His heart raced as he finished packing for the battle and turned her way.

"Uh...Dr. Fox?" he found the courage to say.

"Yes Hawkodile?" she asked back.

"Well," Hawkodile stammered, "since this could...you know, be our last moment together, with uh...Master Frown getting dangerous and all, there's uh....something I've wanted to say to you. For a really long time.

"Really? " Dr. Fox asked, "What is it?"

All Hawkodile could say was "Uuuhhhhh..."

He grew redder, sweating, stuttering, playing with his hands, and looking down at the ground. Even when he feared for his life, he couldn't admit how he felt about Dr. Fox, who still looked up at him, confused.

"YOU'RE REALLY REALLY SMART AND I RESPECT THAT!" Hawkodile blurted out before dashing off.

"Umm...thank you?" Dr. Fox replied, puzzled.

Richard looked down at the kingdom from the castle balcony, the fear of an old foe being truly dangerous worrying him as much as it did his friends. All was strangely calm until Puppycorn ran up to him, not staying still for a single second.

"Hey Rick! Rick! Richard!" Puppycorn yelled, circling around the brick. "Yes, Puppycorn?" Richard gave in. "Why can't I fight Master Frown too?" Puppycorn asked, "You didn't tell me yet!"

"Hmm," Richard hesitantly wondered how to put it to innocent, young Puppycorn, "Well, Master Frown is coming back for us as a form of revenge after disappearing to take care of...Doom Lord business, and we have to stay safe or he'll horribly hurt us physically and/or emotionally. Do you understand?"

"I guess so," Puppycorn grumbled, "but can I at least help Hawkodile and Dr. Fox? Please please please?"

"No." Richard still wasn't moved.

"Awww come on!" Puppycorn angrily groaned. Not even begging worked, but he still tried if it meant getting in on some form of action. "Then I just watch, pleeeaase? I wanna see everything!"

(Art by @samthecookielord​)

“Fine,” Richard signed, “Just go back inside so Master Frown doesn’t see you.”

“Yay!” Puppycorn cheered, “I’m a spectator!”  He ran inside and and looking through the nearest window.

Hawkodile and Dr. Fox walked carefully through the streets, looking in every direction and hardly making a sound.

“WE KNOW YOU’RE OUT HERE, FROWN!” Hawkodile yelled as he pointed ahead, “COME OUT AND FIGHT!”  “YEAH!” Dr. Fox shouted, “This is what you’ll get for taking Unikitty away from us!”

There was a thud as Master Frown jumped down into the street before them, dirt kicking up into the air and slightly concealing his body before it scattered, except for the light of his eyes.

“Awww,” he chuckled, “you honestly still think you can beat me after everything I’ve done, let alone to you and your stupid princess?  How adorable.  But if you insist…”  He drew his “sword.”  “I came prepared.”

“Well so did we!” Dr. Fox tried intimidating him, taking out the Razor Revolver.  Hawkodile posed next to her, ready to charge forward and punch the villainous Doom Lord.  “Just the way I like it,” Master Frown grinned.

Dr. Fox was ready to dash in and begin the fight side by side with Hawkodile, but Hawkodile held her back and started the fight alone in an attempt to protect her.  Master Frown charged back, and the two almost crashed into each other upon impact.

(Art by @friffinx​, again)

Both fighters moved lightning fast, taking Hawkodile by surprise with how much better at fighting Master Frown became.  He would’ve wondered when or how Frown learned to fight like this, but he couldn’t even think fast enough.  All he could do was pay attention to his enemy’s movements and avoid getting stabbed, just missing the tip of the soft green beak every time.  Neither fighter was winning or losing; it was a seemingly endless game of dodging each other’s attacks.  But Master Frown took it as something working well in his favor and laughed.

“Your punches can’t stop me anymore, bird-brain!”  Master Frown bragged, immediately followed by Hawkodile punching him dozens of yards back.  “Heh,” Hawkodile smugly regained some confidence, “you sure about that?”

When Master Frown landed and started getting up, he found himself right at Dr. Fox’s feet, and the Razor Revolver was pointed right at him.  She pressed the trigger, but he moved aside before the blade could reach him.

The dodging game began again, with Master Frown working his way around every shot and swing, as Dr. Fox did the same, frightfully working her way around the green beak.  Even if it annoyed him how good she was too, Master Frown still saw his equally impressive fighting as a silver lining.

“Not sorry to break it to you,” Master Frown taunted, his beak sword clashing with one of the Razor Revolver’s, “your so-called ‘brilliant inventions’ are pretty much useless.  I mean who even puts a sword and a gun together, pick one or the other!” He cackled in her face (trying to hide his regret for not coming up with that idea first), further enraging Dr. Fox.

“Oh no,” she started, “you want to know what’s useless!?  Doing your best to work on scientific breakthroughs and having everything go wrong almost every time!  But do you see me trying kill my friends or enemies!?  NO!  I keep trying, because I know what I’m capable of, that I can improve and still use my skills to help my friends!”

Her stare grew far more menacing.  “But I’ll gladly show you how I can use my skills to destroy people like you.”

(Art by @x-master-brock-x​)

Her anger and force all came out as she pressed the Razor Revolver’s trigger and swung the unleashed sword.  But said anger turned to immense regret when she realized that the blade didn’t strike Master Frown.  The Doom Lord dodged her just in time for the sword to stab Hawkodile (who she didn’t see suddenly fly down to try and help) in the arm.  The bodyguard fell to his knees in pain.

“HAWKODILE!!!” Dr. Fox yelled, choking up fast and kneeling down at his side to help him up, “Hawkodile, I-I’m so sorry, I-“

Master Frown saw this as a perfect opportunity to strike, and went for the kill.  But even at her most vulnerable, Dr. Fox could still pull out a flamethrower and aim it right at him fast enough.  She fired it at him, and as he screamed and put out the flames that were burning him, she fled, wrapping her arms tighter around a dizzy, almost unconscious Hawkodile.  She tried her hardest not to look at him out of intense guilt, but she knew she had to if she wanted to guide him home safely.

“Hawkodile,” Dr. Fox instructed, “listen to me, we have to leave now!!”

“…I still have one good arm,” Hawkodile weakly said, lifting his uninjured arm like he was about to punch with it, “If we can-“

“NO WE CAN’T,” Dr. Fox yelled, “WE’RE NOT IN THE RIGHT CONDITION TO FIGHT ANYMORE, LET’S GO!!!”

“Ohohoh,” Master Frown shouted, “I didn’t say you get out alive!”  He finished putting out the flames (except for a very tiny one on his right horn) that distracted him from his targets.  He ran after them again, this time so fast that Dr. Fox feared he’d catch up to them.  Hawkodile wasn’t conscious enough to have much of an idea of what was happening but even he tried quickly limping along with the doctor, who came up with what she felt was her only truly bright idea the whole time.

“If I use it on myself it might not work,” Dr. Fox explained, “you’re a little too heavy for me to carry.”  “Huh?” Hawkodile faintly asked.  To him it sounded like maybe she said something that’d offend him, but he wasn’t sure.

“Just hold still,” Dr. Fox said softly.  She frantically pulled out her jetpack, strapped it onto Hawkodile, and turned it on, sending them flying back to the castle.

“Oh no you don’t!” Master Frown yelled, still close behind and trying desperately to slay his two opponents.  But he still couldn’t land a hit, and his would-be victims made their way back to the castle.  Master Frown knew he should’ve gone after them, but he was too ashamed of himself.  It was supposed to be such a simple task but he failed miserably and he couldn’t even stand himself anymore.  All he felt that he could do was storm off in a fit of rage.

Puppycorn didn’t understand why Richard didn’t want him to watch the fight after a while, and sitting in the foyer room with his caretaker for what he thought was no good reason felt like the most boring and unfair moment of his life.  He begged, barked, and even tried to distract Richard, but nothing worked.  Then the front doors opened, and both were stunned at the sight of Hawkodile with an open wound in his arm and holding onto a desperate Dr. Fox.

“PLEASE HELP US!” Dr. Fox pleaded.  Richard and Puppycorn ran to her and Hawkodile as fast as they could.

"Goodness, Hawkodile," Richard nearly shrieked, "what happened to your arm?" "Eh..it's a long story," Hawkodile weakly said as Dr. Fox let go of him to let Richard tend to his wound, "But maybe not."

Dr. Fox turned away from the scene, thinking it would save her at least a little from her guilty conscience until Puppycorn ran up to her.

"WHAT HAPPENED!?" the prince asked, "Is this why Rick told me to look away???" Dr. Fox tried to come up with a good answer that a puppy like him would understand, but then she was sweating and stammering; her normally quick-thinking mind at a loss for words until she couldn't stand listening to Hawkodile's painful moaning from behind her.

"CAN'T TALK, GOTTA GET TO THE LAB, BYE!" Dr. Fox yelled, running away. Puppycorn titled his head in confusion before turning back to Richard and Hawkodile.

"Owowowowow," Hawkodile winced as Richard bandaged his arm, "ok, I uh, no, I'll be fine...I'll be fine, I'm fine." He gave a nervous smile, trying to show confidence.

"Umm," Richard doubted, "no, you're not fine. Your arm is almost falling off for goodness sake!" "Yeah," Hawkodile said, "but Dr. Fox and I can-" He turned his head up, realizing that Dr. Fox was gone.

"Uh...Dr. Fox?"

"She just went down to the lab," Puppycorn said, "Maybe she's already working on something to help us!"

"I don't know," Richard said, "She looked like she was about to have a breakdown. I doubt she can come up with something in that mood that fast."

"But then who's gonna fix Hawkodile so he can fight Master Frown again?" Puppycorn asked.

"I can try," Richard sighed, "Hawkodile, hold still, and Puppycorn, get the first aid kit for me." "Ok!" Puppycorn obeyed, running upstairs.

"Ah, the poor little squirt." Hawkodile softly giggled. "Indeed," Richard agreed, "once he comes back we can't let him stay and watch."

"I don't know," Hawkodile wondered, "maybe he can help. Yeah he's just a kid, but-"

"No," Richard bluntly said, "we've already lost Unikitty and we can't risk losing anyone else!" "Yeah," Hawkodile understood, "but we're running out of options here. Master Frown and Brock are actually formidable opponents who know our every move now, what else can we do?"

"Just try our best, I suppose," Richard said, "At least for now. Which includes you getting the proper rest and time to heal that you need."

"Please," Hawkodile tried persuading Richard by weakly standing up and posing, "it'll take a lot more than this to stop these bad boys! And once Dr. Fox and I are good to go, Master Frown's going-OWW!!!" Punching his fists together went horribly wrong and he sat back down in pain.

"See?" Richard raised an eyebrow as his point was proven. "Yeah," Hawkodile quietly accepted defeat and sat still to heal.

Dr. Fox raced around her lab, grabbing whatever paper-filled folders and serums she could.  She was panting from all the hard, fast-paced work but took no time to rest.  The only time she stood still was when she typed on her computer’s keyboard.

(Art by @drfoxs-lab​, whose main blog I would’ve tagged if I could find it...)

“Ok ok,” she told herself, “keep it together, Dr. Fox.  It’s all gonna be great!….You’re the hero, you’re gonna save everyone, you’ve got this, you can do this, you can DO this!!…Just think, a captured friend is one thing, a broken arm is another, but both…is completely and totally IMPOSSIBLE!!!  WHAT AM I SAYING!?  THIS IS ALL MY FAULT!  I…I-I CAN’T DO THIS, I…”

Her confidence and sanity shattered as she broke down on the floor, regretting everything and losing all hope.

WOO-HOO, I finished another chapter!  :D

Thanks again SO SO much to my co-artists, whose blogs you can all find above.

Again, if you’re not a co-artist but like the art you saw and would like to be a co-artist, too, then just ask or DM me here or on Amino!  I’d be happy to let you join!

Until next time...

(Which should be soon, chapter 3 is the shortest one :P)