#Crystal's world is a fun one to work with and I've got two stories written up for her

[captain-space-kin]

Can you talk more about your ninjago Wayward Son au if you don't mind.

I've always liked to think of the Ninja being Lloyd's elder siblings and also like parents to him.

YES YES I CAN AFDGDGFGF-

*ahem* Anyway!

Wayward Son started as an idea that I originally got in 2022 (my earliest writing is from June 26, 2022 9:28 PM apparently) after a brief dip back into the ninjago fandom. Basically at some point I was like “What if Lloyd was a baby in season one?” And then everything spiraled from there. The concept sat to the side for awhile but then at some point in spring of 2023 I got a second wind for the idea. There wasn’t much progress besides the odd idea here and there until I 1. Brought in my co-writer @carmelo-san (Ilu bestie) and 2. Rewatched all of ninjago (at that point I hadn’t seen past season 9 either so I was waaaay behind). True progress on the AU began in fall of 2023, and now there’s a 37,800 doc rewriting the entire show through Crystalized! 

So ye I kinda just followed the line of questioning that comes with “What if Lloyd but baby” and the entire AU sprung up from there lol. In season one Lloyd is 3 months old, and the rest of the ninja are in their teens (Cole being the oldest and Nya being the youngest). They end up acquiring Lloyd and become impromptu parents to him. Exploring the story and character dynamic changes that come from that has been super fun. Giving a bunch of people a baby to take care of is actually a fantastic character study! Well that and making everyone gay, we got the world’s most complicated polycule over here.

I’ve got two fics up on my ao3 account (you have to be logged into to see them), both of them were written before Melo and I finished our first pass so the “canonicty” of it is up in the air. They’re still like stuff that happened but in the newer context they might contradict some events. However, I do have some wips in the works that are written from within the context of the “canon” timeline.

The tag on my blog is “Wayward Son AU” there’s not a ton of stuff atm (also a lot of it’s old), but I’m hoping to post more in the future!

I would also like to specifically shout out @inspectorghoul and @finn-m-corvex who I have directly incorporated ideas from into the AU, and also the League of Jays discord server who I’ve infected with brainrot apparently

If anyone has any other/specific questions I am happy to answer, plz I want to talk about this AU so bad 🙏🙏 agsgdggdfgf

[clarktooncrossing]

HEY THERE PEOPLE OF TODAY AND ROBOTS OF TOMORROW! IT'S ME, CLARK!

Oh dear, it's been a while since I last posted anything, hasn't it? Time to fix that! I've been working all week on a commission for my friend @burningthrucelluloid involving his two cosmic characters, Jackie Valentine (left) and Princess Exa (right). Here's the end product:

Life on Earth was not easy for young Ms. Valentine. Being a determined black woman in the mid-1920s meant her options were limited and people were always looking down on her. Or at least they would be had she not spent most of her time in a rickety, rusty, reliable ol' biplane named Ghost Echo. It was while flying the Echo one day that our hero had an unusual encounter of the otherworldly kind. Before she could mount a proper attack, Jackie was whisked away off world by humanoid alien wasps! Y'know, that tale as old as time. On board the wasp's warship she spent many nights shivering in their cell whenever not being subjected to torture. Making matters worse was her inability to comprehend the language. Not that it mattered. Figured life would suck in the stars as much as it did back on terra firma. Nothing had changed.

At least not until a curious visitor stopped by the cell. Unbeknownst to our hero at the time, it was the Wasp queen's daughter, Exa. Being a naturally inquisitive insect by sort, the young princess was amazed by this human's tenacity and spirit. Especially in light of all the stories regarding those pesky 'fleshies'. She had to get a closer look. Over the time the two built up a report, so much so that the language barrier stopped being an issue. There was a certain look in their eyes that made everything crystal clear. Finally, after months of suffering, the two hatched a plan to free the adventurous astronaut from her captors. Exa would feign being a hostage as the Earthling carried her away on the biplane to parts unknown. Earth was now too far away to travel, but luckily a close-by planetoid provided plenty of parts to upgrade the ship, along with a much needed translator. Now the two could communicate and Exa could mistake her 'captor' as the Ghost Echo. What? It's written on the side of the ship, clearly that's the pilot's name. Jackie couldn't help but laugh. On that day forward, the Ghost Echo would defy the brutal bugs, foil the plights of space pirates, and continue courting that lovely insectoid that helped her so long ago. Heck, for one instance she even got dolled up for the occasion, complete with an appropriate 1920s style outfit. Sure, it was a tad girlier than she prefers, but Exa clearly didn't mind.

Neither did Alec when I showed this to him. Usually when artists draw Ghost Echo she's in her space suit. My masked amigo allowed me the freedom to be creative with her ensemble. So I figured I'd go all out and give her a nice formal outfit for a swanky date night. On top of that, I figured I'd include my character Rosie Stardust in on the fun:

She ships it. As I hope all of you will as well! By the way, if you're interested in a commission from me, ask me about my prices! With any luck, a proper Commissions Menu will be posted soon!

MAY THE GLASSES BE WITH YOU!

[red-the-dragon-writes]

🚧 this is not finished and there will be adjustments! 🚧 please do not reblog this post! 🚧 

Hi, I'm Red. Welcome to my writing blog. I use he/him, they/them, ne/nem, and fuck/fucker pronouns, and this is a sideblog. I follow and interact from @bitegore. I'm bi, trans, aro, polyam and above all Queer.

I write primarily Transformers fanfiction and, rarely, original fiction as well. I like dragons and I like robots, and I will put one or the other (or sometimes both!) into everything I do. I consider myself to be a horror writer, and I typically try to lean in toward whatever shitty implications I can come up with rather than lean out.

I have a particular love of in-universe documents and pastiche of things like current event news articles and sociological papers. I also love gore, death, horrific power dynamics, and bad sex that hurts everyone involved. I love when characters do bad things to one another and I want them to be awful.

I fully intend for everyone reading my stories to get some sort of rubberneck-style voyeuristic fascination out of everything I write. My smut is bad and I hope it makes you want to peel your skin off. My humor is pitch black and I will rhyme lying with dying and try to make you laugh about it. I do my best never to shy away from the edge and I want you to stare down at the pitch-black hole I've dropped my characters into and acknowledge the abject depths of their suffering and then be forced to admit that actually that's kind of funny anyway.

But i promise i'm chill as, like, a person and I want to give you the tools to read or not read that at your leisure and all that.

Current Ongoing Wips:

Transmissions from Cybertron - a letter-based epistolary fic about a transformer who goes on a weird mission and gets his brain fried super duper hard by it. Currently in its last few stages, I think, I just have to get it DONE.

Fortress Maximus v. Big Sword Studios - a pastiche of the ongoing "censorship is good/censorship is bad" debate from the beginning of modern media's existence set on Cybertron and in regards to deliberately provocative politically-charged pornography about (in-universe) war crimes. About half done. I have to kick it into high gear and I don't feeeeelllll like it i want to write stupid shenanigans instead.

Dedication - my take on the Tarn and Pharma Have A Child thing, wherein everything is bad, Pharma is currently dead, and the kid has never had a single positive adult in his life thus far. and also hasn't got a name yet. i just need to finish what i have written so i can get to what i want to write. this one also only needs a couple more chapters and then it should be done. Also Transformers fanfiction.

"You really wanna know where I'm from?"  - my beloved transformers oc Bait lies about her background to a bunch of people for fun and profit. A personal project and on the back burner.

some speedy pilot sharpshooter, or something - same beloved transformers oc takes a hit out on one of my friend's favorites and gives him a complex via torture, but I lost the other guy's voice and so I haven't gotten back to it yet.

laser core - Vortex (a transformer) wants to kill someone by fucking their battery until they die so bad he blows his dick up like fifteen times. Stuck in progress because I don;'t know enough engineering to make it work.

Crystal Clear - A Star Wars/Transformers crossover where Megatron and Optimus Prime are ancient jedi and Sith dug up out of the ground. I have no idea wher I was going with this but I want to get back to it someday.

Closerverse Main Story - Original fiction; a two part story that starts with a fucked up child soldier/member of a military cult discovering that non-human people (this is one of those high fantasy worlds with like shapeshifters and shit who are very much people) are still people and killing them is bad. and then falling in love, or at least good friends, with a dragon shapeshifter who also rather likes her. and THEN we take a hard swerve into grimdark territory and do bad things to our beloved dragon shapeshifter and hit him with a curse and do bad things to our ex-child soldier and THEN they go ahead and burn down the old world order and build a kinder one in its ashes. This one needs a prety comprehensive re-plotting but the bones are good; but also there's some awkward eeehhhh shit about what is essentially me processing my hashtag jewish-in-2022 feelings through making shapeshifting lizards be an oppressed culture and people that I don't want to take out because I want to be a shapeshifting lizard so bad i could cry but also the antisemites. they do that too. im not with them

no other serious origfic stories at this time smh

Housekeeping:

Tags in Use: #tag game - tag games (where I'm tagged/pinged by username) #ask game - ask games (asks sent in that I respond to) #wip thread - a long "thead" where i post snippets from one particular wip, usually short fanfics I intend to wrap and post within that week #tf writing - tag to specify Transformers writing #cls writing - tag to specify Closerverse-universe writing (changed 3/25/22) #ff writing - tag to specify other (non-Transformers) fanfiction #origfic writing - tag to specify other (non-Closerverse) original writing #others' writing - tag to specify that someone else wrote this and i just think it's cool #advice - advice #aesthetic - pretty pictures, usually just to fill up space #cn: sexual violence - "content note: sexual violence" - umbrella category for rape, noncon and dubcon #cn: gore - "content note: gore" - for body horror and "extreme" violence #cn: self-harm - "content note: self-harm" - for written descriptions of self-harm, including slightly less traditional ones like starving oneself #cn: death - "content note: death" - for stories dealing in large part with death. Note: not ones where it's incidental or background- stories where major charcters die or deal with grief.

I don't have a taglist for any wips because I have very few serious ongoing projects. If you'd like to be tagged for discussion and workshopping of Transformers fics, or for original works, please let me know which. Transformers taglist: - General TF taglist: - - Transmissions from Cybertron: - - Dedication: - - Crystal Clear: - - General Bait (OC) fic: - Origfic taglist: - General Closerverse Origfic: - - Closerverse Main Story: - - General Non-CV Origfic: -

[skekheck]

Dark Crystal Question: Rank the best ways to consume the lore of the world. I've seen the original movie and the Netflix adaptation and I love them both and I want to participate in more of the Fandom but it feels like I only have a third of the pie. Rank the best-to-worst canon materials and lore!

So here's the tricky thing about the Dark Crystal's lore: it's contradictory. Even in stories centered around AOR, because the Jim Henson company is pretty loose with how their work and characters are portrayed, things get muddied up.

The best way I believe to think of the inconsistencies is seeing it all as different timelines (which could be backed canonically if Aughra's line of "I see many endings laid before us" has anything to go by). So what I am going to do is categorize lore-based materials into different groups, but still rank them from consistent to inconsistent.

Also, FYI, these are subjective so you can take it with a grain of salt if you don't agree.

Uncategorized:

Creation Myths: This is probably one of, if not the most, important lore-based material for this franchise. It dives into what happened during the very beginning of Thra's life, the arrival of the urSkeks, what led up to the Division, and what followed shortly after. There is some very minor contradictions between info told here and AOR, but it's not so distracting that it's noticeable. In my opinion, this should be the first thing to read as it sets groundwork for a lot of the other stories.

The Dark Crystal Bestiary: This is basically a compendium of all the creatures of Thra, including Gelfling, Skeksis, and Mystics. It doesn't include every animal within the franchise and it leaves some of the Urru and Skeksis out but overall pretty informative with nice illustrations to boot. There are some info mentioned in here that people didn't agree with but in my opinion it adds more to a lot of other characters.

Age of Resistance Focused Material:

Songs of the Seven Gelfling Clans: This is basically an in-depth look into all Seven Clans written by J.M. Lee who also was a creative consultant for AOR so because of this I think this should be ranked highest in this category. It's a nice info dump of the seven Gelfling clans so if you wanted to learn more about a specific clan this is your go-to book.

Heroes of the Resistance: It's a small book with a lot of the information taken from the Dark Crystal website word-for-word, but it also has nice additional information not seen anywhere else about some of the other characters.

The Ballad of Hup & Barfinnious: Of all three prequel comics, this one hardly, or doesn't even, contradict lore established by AOR. It's the story of how Hup got the idea of becoming a paladin being mentored by an ex-paladin named Barfinnious who get into sorts of trouble. We get little lore drops about paladins and the Spriton clan. While a fun read, it's the least memorable out of the three.

The Quest for the Dual Glaive: My personal favorite of the prequel comics. It's the story of how Ordon retrieved the dual glaive. It gives needed exploration of Ordon, as well as Fara's, characters with a look at how the First Battle of Stone-in-the-Wood went. There is some minor contradictions between how the story went and Maudra Argot's accounts of it in AOR but it's not enough to ruin the comic.

The Journey into the Mondo Leviadin: This one is a double-edged sword when it comes to consistency. The comic adds a lot of interesting things to the world including an in-depth look into the All-Maudra lineage, additional lore about the Sifan clan, and crustecean sub-species of Podlings and Arathim (called the Bobblings and Zoas in that order). However, it also makes some odd writing decisions, some of the major ones being the characterization of skekSa the Mariner and the ending which, to not give off too much spoilers, sort of flips the whole idea of the Vapra disapproving Gelfling of two different clans from getting together on its head. It also painfully contradicts some of the lore stated in Songs of the Seven Gelfling Clans that came out a month or so after this comic.

Quadrilogy Book Series:

Also known as the J.M. Lee book series. This should be seen as a self-contained story because while it eventually follows key plot points we see in AOR, it definitely takes place in a different timeline with a focus on Naia, Kylan, and co. I do recommend reading these books anyway as it gives focus to side characters who had little screen time or who haven't shown up at all (including villains such as skekLi the Satirist and skekSa). Also some other characters (like skekLach and skekMal) are different from their on screen counterparts.

Movie Focused Material:

Dark Crystal Novelization: Jim Henson said this book was like the child to the movie, as it was written along with it under his supervision. I feel like this is an important piece to read as it adds context to the film that was sorely needed. The biggest of these was giving Jen more depth as a character which honestly should have been in the film. Aside from that, the book contains ideas that are outdated, both within the franchise and surrounding certain subject matter (as this was written in the late 70s/early 80s).

The World of the Dark Crystal: This is another companion book written for the film. It's written from Aughra's point of view and does contain lore specified within the movie. Much like the novelization, it also contains outdated information.

Legend of the Dark Crystal (Vols. 1 & 2): This is the only story within the franchise so far that focuses on the Garthim Wars. I remember reading these books followed more closely with the original notes from the movie and it's one of the first lore-based material released for the Dark Crystal. Of course, this takes place in a different timeline for various reasons. The most entertaining of which is skekLach, completely different from his on-screen counterpart, being a main villain for both volumes.

Power of the Dark Crystal: This is a sequel comic to the film and was based on the script for the sequel movie that was canceled after a decade of development hell. And boy does it show. While it does introduce cool ideas, mainly the introduction to Firelings, the plot is a poorly rehashed version of the film's with many plot holes and lore contradictories. Some people might enjoy this, but if you're lore focused it's okay to skip this unless you're really curious.

Beneath the Dark Crystal: The least interesting material, not just for this category but out of all the reading material in the franchise. It doesn't do anything to clear up the plot holes and follows the inconsistencies from the previous prequel comic while being a boring read. It does add more lore about the Firelings, but a lot of ideas introduced around that is uninteresting or missed potential. I don't recommend reading this unless you really enjoyed Power but don't expect the same writing quality.

[julies-butterflies]

Honestly, your writing reminds me a lot of the buffyverse. Just the perfect balance of humor and sadness and romance and heart that just feels like a vivid window into the world you've created.

God the Body...the best forty minutes of television I may never watch again. I've rewatched Willow and Tara's kiss (because I'll adore them forever), but just...the weight of it. It took me a full month to work up the nerve to watch the episode, to be ready to cry that much.

What you said about not wanting people to suffer, because of your work...It's never once felt like that for me. And I've cried a LOT while reading your work. I'll try to explain it the best I can

Grief can be so isolating, and disorienting. Your world goes topsey-turvey, supports you took for granted go flying into the abyss and suddenly it's a minefield of those glass shards. And no one's grief is identical. No two circumstances are the same. It's not possible for anyone else to know exactly how you feel, because no two hearts break alike.

Sometimes, it's because people just don't understand. Sometime's it's because they no longer want to. But some days, that feeling of aloneness can be crushing.

Then one night, I stumbled upon Let These Shadows Fall Away Like Dust. That one hit me way harder than I was ever expecting. The question of how to grieve the living, the dilemma on when forgiveness is deserved...Alex's anger, his devestation, the rawness of it all....That's my broken glass. Those are concepts I've been struggling for over a year. I'm still picking up pieces every day.

I sobbed, because it was such a relief. To see the feelings that had been scrambled up in my mind just reflected there, on my screen. The reminder I had desperately needed, that I was not alone. That even though my circumstances were different, I was not the only one trying to unravel those messy emotions.

Then again, I also read your deathfic for fun, so maybe I'm not the best judge of this. I tend to like angst. I tend to get a lot of "WHY WOULD YOU MAKE IT THAT SAD" in group chats :D

Please don't feel any pressure to respond to me quickly or anything. I never mind the wait. I'm so sorry for the rough times. Wishing that you and your family gets whatever you need to help ease your storm. Sending love and support as well.

(sorry for all the metaphors. I'm super sleepy and apparently, I resort to purple prose when tired lol)

I know exactly what you mean about Emily. I understand why people don't like her, but I just love to see her written as such a grey character. It's just so much more powerful when the love is so clearly there.

I mean, that's what a tragedy is, really. Love cut short. Grieving a future that could have been everything, if fate had not been cruel. I don't know if you know musical theater, but I like to think about the Barber and His Wife, from Sweeney Todd: the whole tragedy of that show, is that they were happy all together, and then permanently broken. How their paths keep crossing, but they never connect to heal. Never lost, but never found.

And that's the tragedy of Luke and Emily: too stubborn and too late. You find that grey area, the messiness so well, and just bring it all out so wonderfully. You do the same with Bobby/Trevor, ESPECIALLY in the horror and the wild. God, that absolutely devestated me. I'm not a big fan of horror in general, and I haven't explored the genre that much but...if all horror is like yours then DAMN, I might just have to become a fan.

This got super long (lol) so I'll wrap it up now but! THE SIC FIC QUEENS TOGETHER???? When I tell you I lost it.... all too well Bobby and what you've lost reggie in the same story are killing me. I am hooked and incredibly hyped. Loved both updates so far, and cannot wait to see where the story goes!

Oh yeah and I forget: I have to ask, do you have a fan cast of the one, the only, the incredible Keith Richards? (and that goblin is so cute!!! I really want to pet the blood thirsty monster. So badly)

Love, your totally-not-undead-pen-pal, :D

-Vampire Anon

Know musicals? Vampire Anon my beloved, I am a musical theatre bitch. Take a look at my high school graduation cap! (Anastasia is my favorite musical... something about the themes of home, love, and family, the idea of always finding a place in the world even after enduring incredible hardship, that anything is survivable with faith and love in your heart... I'm also a Romanov history bitch, and Christy Altomare is such an incredible talent and human being.) Literally, talk to me about musicals anytime!

And yeah, I definitely see your metaphor... the tragedy of The Barber and his Wife was how close they came to each other throughout the whole show, existing within reach the entire time, after being separated for so long. But it wasn't the same; it never could be. Time and trauma had changed them both into something unrecognizeable, and when they came face-to-face, they could only hurt each other. At a certain point, the ghosts of your past are meant to stay ghosts. Sure, you might want them back more than anything --- but what would it mean? What would you truly be getting back?

Luke's "back", of course, and he comes home to visit his parents multiple times... but they're not the same people he left. They're older, greyer, changed by grief... while he's just the same. A snapshot forever frozen in time, a memory crystalized in amber. You can't hold memories in your hands. You can't pull them close and refuse to let them go. Eventually, they'll slip away... and to Mitch and Emily, a memory is all their son is, now. That's what's so heartrending about the situation we see in the show, especially --- so much love still exists between all of them, but it has no place to go.

Okay, sorry, it's 3am here and I'm rambling too, haha --- mentioning musical theatre was a mistake.

I'm so glad my stories have been able to connect with you, especially 'shadows' --- that one resonated with a lot of people, more than I ever realized it would. It's not the most personal story to me... but definitely one that needed to be told, and the emotion in it... hits home for a lot of people. It means so much to me knowing that story, and Alex's internal struggle, has made people feel less alone.

I think I'm going to have a hard time looking back on that one, though. We were staying at my aunt's house for the weekend where I wrote most of it; I read a few excerpts to her, and she said she liked it. She was always interested in my writing... I kind of wish I'd gotten the chance to share more of it with her.

Like you said. Grief's a funny thing. Disorienting, relentless, and crushing.

Please just remember, though --- whatever you're dealing with, you're not alone. You don't have to cut yourself on those broken pieces... one day, you'll wake up, and realize you feel whole again. It will never feel the same, and the pain will always be there... but healing around it is what makes us stronger. You don't owe anyone your forgiveness; it's okay to grieve when you've lost something, regardless of whether death has taken them from you. Grief doesn't have to be earned, it simply has to be felt.

You'll be stronger for it, in the end. I'm sorry you've been hurting so much.

Anyways! Oh gosh! On to lighter, happier topics! Please tell me...

What are your favorite fics? (Like, my fics, obviously, which fics of mine do you just go gaga over? Please praise me or else my ego will shrivel like a worm on hot pavement.) No, okay, I'm kidding --- what are your top fics for this fandom? Like, what are the ones that really resonate with you, that you could read over and over? The JATP fandom has so many greats, but I'm always drawn back to Some Killer Queen You Are by pearlcaddy (buffyverse meets jatp!! iconic!!), Lantern's Light by thefairhero (literally the SOFTEST reggie), the sky's not empty tonight by firefall (just... devastating and beautiful in a dozen ways), and literally anything by foundfamilyvevo.

How long have you been in the JATP fandom? Who are your favorite characters? What's your favorite JATP song?

And finally, most importantly... what are your favorite musicals?

(also... since u asked... behold keith richards and tremble)

[crossroadsdimension]

World Collision -- Chapter 16

Dungeon Zone

Seeker didn’t want to set up camp in the small abandoned town that they’d come across.

“We’re too out in the open.” He motioned to the Time Barrier that was mere steps away from the front of a building with a red roof and busted-in doors. “Airam could very easily come through the Time Barrier and come after us, and summon who knows how many Dark Arms down on our heads as a result. We’re going to have to go in deeper into the World Zone before I’d feel comfortable setting up a base.”

“Oldale Town was never this close to the Petalburg Woods.”

Everyone turned and looked at Crystal, who ducked her head at the stares she was getting.

“I-I mean, there’s supposed to be another town with a Gym and a coastline between here and—“

“Is this your home zone, Crystal?” Myra asked in surprise.

Crystal looked over at Myra and nodded. “Y-yeah. This is my home, but…not like this. Everything’s all wrong.”

“If this is your world, then it’s going to be different from what I originally thought it was going to be.” Seeker frowned, folding his arms across his chest. “At least that explains why Sonic and the others aren’t involved in this.”

“Who?”

Seeker shook his head at Crystal’s confused expression. “Don’t worry about them; they aren’t here, so they were able to stay out of this. What I’m worried about is who we’ve got to go after in order to win this Zone back.”

Crystal gulped. “U-um…do you know about a Pokémon called Mewtwo?”

Myra blinked. “Didn’t you say that was your brother or something?”

Seeker groaned and dragged a hand down his face.

“How bad’s this cat-two thing?” Tony Stark folded his arms across his chest and frowned.

“A mafia organization created Mewtwo to be a genetic weapon,” Seeker replied. “They were planning on using him to take over the world.”

Myra gulped.

“But, his attacks are mainly psychic in nature.” Seeker looked over at Myra. “We might be needing your help in order to take him out, if your mind can stand an assault like what he could dish out.”

“Mythos is mine.” Crystal stepped forward and frowned at Seeker. “I know his moves and his limits, and I’m not limited by what he is. I can take him.”

“What if there are any Mew in the area?” Seeker argued.

Crystal hesitated, then shook her head. “Rosa and Catzin are too smart to let themselves be caught. They’re okay. They have to be.”

“We’ll have to see.” Nightwing looked around at the open clearing right in front of the forest. “You are right, Seeker; we’re too open here. We’re going to need somewhere more hidden.”

“If you are intending to enter the forest, I doubt that we will be able to follow,” Optimus said from where he stood towering over the rest of them.

“Agreed,” Megatron said in his rasping voice. “I suggest we remain here until the World Jumper has decided it is time to catch up with the rest of us, then find a way around to reach our Zone.”

“You’ll be leaving yourself vulnerable for if and when the Dark Arms decide to strike,” Captain America argued instantly.

“In case you haven’t noticed, fleshbag, it’s a little more difficult for us to conceal ourselves.” Starscream leaned down and sneered at the humans gathered below, causing those near his feet to back up a few steps. “We would be attracting their attention to all of us regardless of whether or not we stayed or went!”

Megatron shot Starscream a dark look as the silver mech with wings straightened himself up. “Yes. And I do not intend to insure that we are to lose every chance of finding a way to not only stop these pesky creatures, but also separate our dimensions. Go ahead without us; we will cover your tracks and give the Dark Arms a merry chase across the World Zones.” He grinned widely, showing more sharp teeth than Myra thought was possible to fit into a mouth.

Seeker inclined his head at that, then nodded. “All right. Everybody except for the Cybertronians into the woods. We’ll find a hiding place in there and plot how we’re going to return everything back to the way it’s supposed to be. The Cybertronians will watch our backs and keep an eye out for when Flare-Up follows after us; either she’ll come straight to us or leave this World Zone and help the Cybertronians in the Cyber Zone. Let’s go.”

Seeker turned and started into the forest, Nightwing falling into step next to him. Myra was quick to follow, Crystal right on her heels as the rest of the human-sized group split into groups of twos and threes.

“There’s something I should tell you about the Dungeon Zone,” Crystal said as they stepped into the trees.

“What is it?” Myra looked at Crystal with a frown as the other looked around at the trees.

“Forests and other places like these are giant mazes.”

“Mazes?”

“The locals call them Mystery Dungeons. We’re gonna have to get through one in order to find a safe place inside here, which is…probably the Petalburg Woods? I think?” Crystal looked around, and Myra noticed that the trees to either side of them seemed to be closer together than trees were supposed to be. It was almost like they had formed a wall. “Anyway, it’s not gonna be normal woods. And we’re going to have to watch out for wild Pokémon attacking us.”

“You mean, we could run into those creatures you’re always talking about? The ones that can do what we can?”

Crystal hummed as she nodded. “I can take them on, no problem. I’m pretty sure you can, too, since your powers are already Pokémon-ish. Just follow my lead and you’ll be fine!” She grinned and gave Myra a thumbs-up.

Myra blinked at Crystal’s sudden show of confidence, then nodded and smiled a little in reply. “Yeah. Okay. So what do we have to keep an eye out for?”

“Well, that depends. If this is the Petalburg Woods, it’s going to be Bug and Grass-Types, mostly. Your fire should scare them away at least, since it has the potential of burning the forest down if it’s powerful enough. If that doesn’t work, I can handle spitting Flamethrowers at them without a problem.”

Something shifted in the trees ahead of them, and Myra noticed suddenly that they were following a path that turned sharply to the left up ahead. She clenched her fists in preparation for whatever was coming through.

Something waddled around the corner – a green-brown creature with deep green spots all over its rounded shape. The frowning expression it had on its face almost seemed cute.

“A Shroomish?” Crystal blinked. “Well, that is common enough here—“

The little creature shrieked and shook itself, expelling a dust that was bright yellow in color.

Crystal reared back a little. “Flamethrower!”

The blast of flames that came shooting out of her mouth caused Myra to jump back in surprise as the attack engulfed the Shroomish in flames. The creature shrieked again, then dashed off into the trees, still screaming.

Myra stared at Crystal. “Did you really have to set it on fire?”

“It was either that or we got paralyzed from the Stun Spore it set off,” Crystal replied. “Come on; let’s keep moving before something bigger finds us.”

The two quickened their pace as the screaming faded behind them. Myra couldn’t help but look back to make sure that the thing wasn’t following after them.

“So, that was a Pokémon?”

“Yup. Shroomish are pretty common around here, but they’re normally found deeper in the forest. They like dark, damp places – like mushrooms.” Crystal tilted her head to one side, ears twitching a little. “Or are mushrooms like Shroomish?” She shook her head. “I’ll have to ask Professor Oak about that one when I find him again.”

“So, there are Pokémon like inanimate objects or…?”

“Well, that depends on whether or not the object was invented before or after the Pokémon. I think Voltorb came into existence because of an accident making PokeBalls, but no one’s exactly sure on that.” Crystal shrugged.

“Th-that sounds crazy!”

“Maybe to you, but it’s normal for me. But if you think that Voltorb sound crazy, wait until you meet my team! My first Pokémon has a giant flower growing out of—“

Something rustled in the trees ahead of them, causing Crystal to cut herself off and turn her attention to what was ahead of them.

A figure stumbled onto the path ahead of them, humanoid in shape but mostly colored green, with a large, round hat on top of its head.

Crystal stiffened. “No way…”

“What is it?” Myra stepped back. “Is it related to that Shroomish thing you took out earlier?”

The figure turned its blank gaze on the two girls, and Crystal sucked in a breath sharply.

“Not on my watch!” Crystal pushed a hand forward, and a blast of strange, purple energy blasted out and slammed into the creature, sending it flying back against a tree.

Something black and sparking flew off the back of the creature’s neck as it sank to the ground.

“Samuel!” Crystal ran forward, leaving Myra standing confused.

“Samuel?” Myra repeated.

Crystal ignored her, instead helping the strange-looking Pokémon to its feet as the creature shook its head, the dazed look leaving them.

“Bre?” the creature asked in confusion.

Crystal laughed and grabbed the creature in a hug. “Samuel! You’re okay!”

“Breloom?!” the Pokémon stared at Crystal in confused shock, then proceeded to repeat the word rapidly, leaving Myra even more confused.

“I’m fine; they haven’t gotten me.” Crystal showed the creature the back of her neck. “There are others in the forest who are free, too; they’re here to help us! But we have to get through the Petalburg Woods Mystery Dungeon first; think you can help?”

Samuel nodded quickly. “Bre!” He motioned for the two to follow him, then started down the path.

“You can understand what…he’s saying?” Myra asked as she fell into step behind Crystal.

“Yeah. Since I’m part Pokémon, I can understand what any creature from my world is saying.” Crystal smiled back at Myra. “Samuel is one of the Pokémon on my team; he’s a Breloom, which is mostly what it sounds like he’s saying when he talks.”

“Yeah, I noticed that. So, that Shroomish we ran into earlier would be saying its name over and over?”

“Yup! Breloom are actually the grown-up forms of Shroomish, so I probably Flamethrower’d one of Samuel’s cousins or something.”

Samuel snorted at that. “Bre.”

The trek through the woods continued on for what felt like a few more minutes, and then the path opened up into a small clearing with a strange statue in the middle of a creature with a smaller version of itself in a pouch on its stomach.

“Kangaskhan Rock.” Crystal let out a sigh of relief. “This is a good spot to stop for a quick breather. Maybe other people have come through here.” She started investigating around the statue as Samuel leaned against it with a tired sigh.

“Are these things important?” Myra moved closer to the statue curiously.

“In Mystery Dungeons, they’re vital for survival.” Crystal nodded. “They can store items, and work as teleport points if you get damaged to the point of being knocked out. Because it’s either you end up at one of these or kicked back to the entrance.” She nodded back the way they had come. “No one else has come through yet, so either that means we’re ahead of everyone else or they’re taking different paths through the woods.”

“Is that possible?”

“Yup! But other paths will only end up looping in on each other; they’d have to come through this way eventually. So, do you guys want to sit and wait here or keep moving forward?”

Samuel snorted and muttered something, motioning with one of the red, hoof-like paws on his front towards the path that led out of the clearing.

“What’d he say?” Myra looked at Crystal.

“He said there’s a better spot further in, but it’s being used by people controlled by the Dark Arms right now.” Crystal frowned in thought, tail twitching. “What are we up against, Samuel?”

“Bre-bre.”

Crystal’s frown deepened, and she gritted her teeth. “Dark-Types. Of course.”

“Dark-Types?” Myra repeated.

“The only Type that can resist Psychic attacks like what you and I can do.” Crystal shivered a little. “I’ve had…bad experiences with them, in the past. I’m moving past it, though.” She straightened herself, gaining a more confident expression. “And I know moves that can knock them out, and Samuel does too. You hang back while we take care of the Dark-Types; you can handle the rest of them.”

Myra blinked at that, then nodded. “Okay, then. If you’re so set on it, let’s get moving.”

Crystal nodded in agreement. “Samuel, come on!”

The next part of the Petalburg Woods was even darker than the first, and the two girls and the Breloom ran into more Pokémon as they went deeper in – more Shroomish, mostly, but there were some spider-like creatures that Crystal called “Ariados” that she also said weren’t supposed to be in the area.

“It’s almost like Petalburg and the Viridian Forest merged together.” Crystal frowned. “This can’t be good for the Pokémon that are living in the area.”

Myra thought she could see spiderwebs through the trees and figures that didn’t look human trapped inside them. She did her best to ignore them and hit the next Ariados with a purple Flamethrower as they kept going deeper.

Eventually, the path opened up again into another open clearing – this one far larger than the one they had reached earlier.

And this one had spiders on the outer edge and seven strange, jewel-covered imps running around every which direction.

“Sabeleye.” Crystal gritted her teeth. Then she raised her voice as she started glowing with a bright pink aura. “Hey, gremlins!”

The imps stopped running and looked over at the trio before pulling themselves together into a large clump.

Crystal threw a hand up above her head, the pink aura massing on her open palm. “Moonblast!”

The pink aura exploded in a bright pink flash that hit the weird-looking Pokémon and sent them flying back into the trees with a loud screech that sounded like rocks scraping together.

“Take care of the Ariados! It looks like they’ve got some people trapped in their webs!”

Myra looked around at Crystal’s yell as more Pokémon started coming out of the trees: six four-legged, black-furred, dog-like animals, with red and yellow eyes and snarls on their faces.

“Samuel!” Crystal barked. “Vacuum Wave!”

“Bre!” Samuel lunged for the Pokémon as Myra started covering her arms in purple fire, preparing to hit the giant spiders as they turned their attention from the wrapped-up bundles in their webs to the intruders.

“Yah!” Myra threw a fireball at one of the Ariados as it started to get close to her, but it pulled back, leaving the purple fire to burn into the grass.

Myra blinked a couple times. “U-uh—“

“Don’t just throw the fire! Direct where it should be hit!” Crystal encouraged. “Use the yo-yo!”

Samuel swung around and hit one of the dogs with his tail, sending it flying into a nearby tree with a triumphant yell.

“Got it!” Myra gathered fire in her hands again, a thin spindle of flame wrapping around her ring finger on her right hand before she threw the fireball again – this time with a curve.

The fireball hit the Ariados in the side, causing the creature to let out a loud screech as the “string” between Myra’s hand and the fireball dissipated before another fireball formed in her hand. An identical one formed in her left hand a moment later, and she started throwing them at the large spider Pokémon more quickly, using the “strings” to direct where the fireball was going.

One missed and Ariados, which leapt at her with an angered screech.

Myra unleashed a shockwave of purple flames on instinct. “Mental Blast!”

The shockwave caught the Ariados and sent it flying backwards. It landed a short distance away from Myra, legs in the air, unmoving.

“Bre-loom!” Samuel whacked the last of the large black dogs into a tree, then stood back, head held high. “Breeeee!”

Crystal laughed. “Yes, that was awesome!” She looked at the six dog Pokémon for a moment. “Help me see if they’ve got any black boxes on them like you did – I think one of them might be Mike.”

“Bre?!”

“Myra, can you get those bundles opened up? I think there might be some people I know trapped inside them.”

Myra nodded to Crystal’s request as the pink-eared girl started going through the fur on the back of one of the dog Pokémon. She reached the first of the six bundles of webbing and frowned at it before she set her hands aflame and started pulling away at the sticky white string.

A boy tumbled out of the first one, a red and gold baseball cap worn backwards on his head and with a matching jacket and shorts. A sprig of black hair was sticking out from under his hat, and there were a small number of red and white spheres attached to the belt at his waist.

Myra checked to see if he had a black box on the back of his neck and blinked in surprise when she found he didn’t have one. “Uh…”

“Gold!” Crystal leapt up as one of the black dogs she had been looking over started to get unsteadily to its feet. Crystal crushed a black box in her hand and ran over. “Is he—“

“He doesn’t have one and I have no clue why.” Myra shrugged.

“It’s because he’s part Electric.” Crystal looked up at Myra with a grin. “They don’t like Electric-Types because they mess with the circuitry of the MindTech. Come on – let’s check the other ones; there could be more people like Gold here!”

Crystal instantly went to the second one and started tearing it open; Myra followed suit and started working at the third.

The two pods of webbing opened to release two more boys: one dressed in red, with orange dragon wings on his back and a tail with a small spurt of flame on the end, and the other with brown, spiky hair dressed in blue, with a turtle shell affixed to his back.

“Red! Blue!” Crystal checked the backs of their necks and let out a relieved sound. “They haven’t been boxed, either. This must’ve been where they were holding caught prisoners until the Dark Arms could pick them up.”

“Then doesn’t that mean we should be moving on as quickly as possible?” Myra started pulling at the fourth pod’s webbing worriedly.

Crystal’s excited expression faded a little. “Yeah, yeah, that definitely sounds like a good idea.” She started pulling at the fifth pod’s webbing as Myra pulled out a girl with bright red flowers in her brown hair.

“So, who’s this one?” Myra lay the girl down gently on the ground and checked to make sure there wasn’t a black box on the back of her neck.

“That’s Leaf. She’s a Grass-Type, Red’s a Fire-Type, and Blue’s a Water-Type.” Crystal started pulling out a the fifth figure – a little girl with long, yellow hair and a straw hat on her head. “And this is Yellow – she’s a Normal-Type.”

“There’s such a thing as a Normal-Type?” Myra asked in confusion.

“Well, yeah.”

Myra turned sharply at the new voice and saw Gold starting to push himself up to his feet.

“They’re the only Pokémon that don’t have a Type they’re super-effective against,” Gold added. He brushed off his jacket, then paused and looked at Crystal as she started working at the final pod. “Wait. Crystal? What are you doing here?”

“Saving you, what does it look like?” Crystal gritted her teeth as she pulled a little harder on the strings that were holding the last pod together. “Man, this is stronger than the last ones – Myra, do you think you can—“

Something purple sparked from inside the pod, causing Crystal to stumble back with a yelp of surprise as purple electricity danced up her arm for a second.

The pod wriggled, and a muffled yell came from inside the pod seconds before it exploded with a bright purple flash of lightning. Myra pulled an arm up over her face to keep her eyes from getting hit by a large glob of the stuff.

“Guh! Man, if one of those things comes near me again, I’m frying it!”

Myra lowered her arm and stared at the figure who had just released himself from the pod of spider webbing: a dark-skinned teenage boy wearing a purple, black, yellow, and white outfit with a lightning-bolt shape on the black shirt he was wearing.

“Geez, and I thought that—“ The boy cut himself off and looked over at the rest of the group standing in the clearing before getting into a defensive stance. “Who are you?! Are you with them?!”

Crystal held up her hands. “C-could you calm down? Just a little bit? W-we’re not with the Dark Arms if that’s what you’re—“

He was instantly in Crystal’s face, purple sparks flying from his hair and fingers. “And how am I to know that for sure?”

“Hey!” Gold stepped forward and grabbed one of the boy’s hands. “I’ve got the Lightning Rod ability and I’m not afraid to use it.”

Even as Gold spoke, the purple sparks were starting to dart up Gold’s arm, causing the other to look at him sharply.

He pulled his arm from Gold’s hand. “Okay, okay, so you’re not with them. Who are you?”

“I’m Crystal, and these are Gold, Samuel, Mike, and Myra.” Crystal motioned to each of them in turn.

“I hope you’re not forgetting about us.”

Myra turned around sharply at the unfamiliar voice, her eyes widening when she caught sight of Red standing upright and with his arms crossed over his chest as Blue picked Yellow up and Leaf rose unsteadily to her feet.

Crystal turned and gained a sheepish expression. “R-right. I just wasn’t sure if you were going to wake up anytime soon.”

“Being out in the fresh air helps.” Red looked over at Myra and frowned a little. “You two shouldn’t be alone in the middle of the woods like this. We have a hideout not far from here.”

“You’re hiding out in the middle of the woods?” the dark-skinned boy asked, frowning.

“This entire area’s been taken over by the forest,” Blue replied flatly. “It’s not like we have any other choice. Come on; let’s get away from the Ariados nests before they wake up and start combing this part of the woods again.”

“There are more of us out here,” Crystal spoke up quickly. “People from other places that got mixed up in all this. We’re gonna need them to get where we’re going, too.”

“I’ll find them.” Leaf took off into the trees, a black dog from the pack of six loping off after her.

“U-uh—“

“The Mighteyna’s safe; I checked her,” Crystal gave Myra a reassuring look. “Come on; she’ll be able to find the others and get them to where we’re going.”

Myra frowned, then nodded a little. If Crystal was willing to trust Red and the others, then that meant it was probably safe to follow them.

“And what’s your name?” Gold looked over at the dark-skinned boy.

“…call me Static,” the boy replied in a guarded tone.