#Mega Man Red Sun

[lostplay]

Game 118: Mega Man Battle Network 4: Red Sun Oct.2024 It's hard to really say where I stand on this series because if you ask me, the first battle network game is still the best one. 2 had interesting stuff to it, but felt a bit flat, and 3 I just straight up didn't like the changes with it. So 4 basically taking elements from all previous entries really gives me whiplash because, in theory, I should like this game the most. It has the interesting chip battling combat 1 has, the tournament setting of 2, and the customization of 3. It even has it to where you can experience the game differently multiple times, and a proper fast travel system that the previous entries desperately needed. And i stand here today, acknowledging that I do indeed like this game more than the third game, but I personally don't like this game because of all the needless padding it has.

Like, I thought 3 Blue had a lot of padding to it, but 4 Red Sun really took the cake for me. It's not even long padding, it's just a lot of it at various parts without really being clever about it. So many pre-tournament events have you set on a wild goose chase to do this or that while also making it a point that you visit the same area again and again and again. Like it rarely ever does anything different when it comes to new areas, and the new areas you do get, quickly get swarmed with the same type of fetch quests of visiting those areas before moving on. I know it's not exactly adding much new to it, but I really wish they would have used more individual jack ports rather than visiting the same net areas to give it a nice sort of hide and seek motif instead. What we get with Red Sun is a more formulaic version of the usual Battle Network story with hearing about a tournament, finding out how to get in, do an event related to the match, then finish it off with said match. Repeat this action 9 times, and that's the majority of the game. Even the stuff before the game really kicks off it's tournament centered story has a lot of needless padding as you have to do a lot of the usual exploring of the hub world, and the places connected to it, but like in a way where you can't do everything at once, but keep coming back to it. Like it be different if I could just get everything done in one go or it felt more like exploration to new areas, but a lot of it is just going back and forth as a knowledge check of areas you know about. MMBN4's editions really just set out to try to make the experiences of 4 new for each individual player, but really just ends up reusing far too much of it's assets to really feel like it's as big of a world as they try to make it out to be. I understand reusing assets is a way to save money, and time when it comes developing games, but too much of it makes a lot of the game feel like a rehash, and Mega Man Battle Network 4 threads that line too close for comfort for me.

All the negative out of the way, and I will be real, I like the concept of MMBN4's story. I am a super huge fan of tournament arcs, and making new characters, bosses, and designs for each takes a lot of time. I can excuse a bit of them using generic sprites and characters considering that a lot of the characterization and story tend to be there too. It's also really really cool that each tournament can go a number of ways with a bunch of different characters based on rng and the editions you are playing. All the dark chip stuff is super neat too, but I certainly wish it was a bit more prompt in the story. Even the tie in with the main plot and final arc of this game is kinda woven out of no where, but it at least gives the game a sense of urgency needed from the usual tournament stuff. The new elements and chips of the game are mostly interesting and useful to a degree. The new enemy designs are absolutely spot on, and feel right at home with the rest of them. Them adding fast travel is a long time coming to the series, and I really hope they continue that trend by also giving the series a map. Even the game uses almost entirely new areas for each segment to really help give a distinct feel for this version of the game compared to the past. In a lot of ways, Red Sun / Blue Moon feel like a bit of a soft reboot for the series, and in a way that's ambitious enough to warrant the notice.

Still, I just can't sign off this game. I really like facing the various different robot masters, and while 2 certainly delivers that, 4 either screw me with rng or just demands too much when it comes facing all the unique robot masters in the game. 1 and 2 both give you far more unique areas to explore both with individual items and as set pieces for the next dungeon area. 4 replaces all of these features I like with faceless generic enemies, constant fetch quests, and backtracking akin to Blue 3. Even the ending dungeon of this game has it's own annoying mechanic that makes solving it's puzzles adding on both a JRPG level and a mechanic level. And that's such a shame because there is a lot of highs here for the battle network series. It also has my favorite final boss so far, and genuinely felt like a fair battle system. I don't blame anyone for liking this game, but I'm hesitant to sing praises for Mega Man Battle Network 4 due the constant high and lows.

[sstrwbrryccke]

— bullying him pt.4 | sub soobin

part 1 | part 2 | part 3

tags: loser!nerd!soobin x bully!mean!reader, gn reader, sadistic reader, masochistic soobin, dubcon, hate fingering, sadist x masochistic relationship, mutual pining, mild violence, hurt w comfort, mean dirty talk, reader's genitals are unclear and can be interpreted as either a cock or a strap, misunderstandings, public bathroom indecency, bdsm, happy ending!!!

the long await part 4 is here!! i tagged everyone who wanted a part 4 i hope you aren't too irritated by the tag >.< i did this very tired and sleep deprived so i hope it makes sense HAHAHA

tags: @yaegerphobic @strwbrryjaem @ke4s @sk104kx @bennybenten @queer-n-here @sleeping143 @browni-bin @skinnyzlegendz @roturo @zuzuhasablog

something changed after that date, you could feel it, soobin could feel it and the other classmates felt it too. it was the lingering touches, the maintained gazes during class. the way he dared to stare for just a second longer. you didn't want to admit it, and it was initially easy to ignore the problem. it's not like you weren't used to overlooking soobin. he was simply an accessory in your eyes, what's the use in admiring the shine of a singular gem on a sapphire bracelet?

though, perhaps your dismissiveness was your greatest achilles heel after all. in the end, an undeniable itch would creep up on the back of your neck. like a minuscule mosquito sting that would bloom into large red welts. it started irritating you to a degree. sure you were blatantly ignoring the man, but can a contradiction not be such opposing parallels?

because how dare he, even for a second, ignore you back?

maybe it was the small sigh of relief he let out when you passed by, or the way he kept his head down low when he exited the class. when did it start to bother you so much?

no way. he would come running back. he always did and he always will, you know it in your bones, he will come back he will. what's a victim without a bully? a nerd without a jock??? a locker without a dim-witted loser to push into????????

you will wait it out, wait for him to come out crawling and kneeling, grasping at your leg like a devout to their divine deity— prayers forcing their way frantically out of his mouth.

but seconds tick by, days even, and suddenly it's been two weeks already with no movement. all silent on the battlefront. is this what it's like for drinks to fizzle out at the bottle of a can? when a songbird no longer sings for the morning sun? and the stars no longer shine for the moon? and whatever next poetic quote that rhymes with moon?

damn, what a sad and pathetic way to conclude it. so this is the ending chapter of the depressing story of a mega fluke and his cool fling.

is what you would say if you were the cowardly choi soobin!!!

because you weren't a pussy, and you certainly weren't one to give up on your pride. so be it, if he wants you to come to him, you'll give it to him.

☆★☆

your glare bore holes into the hunched back of choi soobin. now see, normally you wouldn't even gift that loser a glance in his direction, too risky to pay him attention and blow the cover of your unconventional connection after all. but this was a special occasion, and you felt like your nerves were lit on fire, like a hormonal teenager going through puberty again. it was abnormal for everyone else too, many did not even know the unimportant side character soobin was even associated with you, arguably the most interesting (or maybe the right word is known) person in the classroom.

the metal keys weigh heavy in your uniform pants (retrieved from the staffroom after many great excuses to convince your teacher), waiting for the right moment to pounce. come on soobin, you dare him to move. fall right into the metal prongs.

"—dude, hey— HEY!" one of your friends, kiwoo, shook your shoulder, hard enough that you broke your gaze just for a second. you snap your head at him, giving him an irritated look that makes him retreat his hand.

"what's with you?" he says, suspicious, "you've been glaring at soobin ever since he entered the classroom. what? he gave you bad head or something?"

"not funny." you roll your eyes.

"is there something happening between the two of you? it doesn't feel like a simple errand boy situation anymore. you're not nonchalant and mysterious for ignoring the question by the way."

you groan, this really wasn't the time for it. what kind of excuse can you even give him? that the weird situationship you had with soobin backfired and now you're acting like an angsty possessive insecure spouse trying to get him back? tough shit.

"it's not even that deep, kiwoo. he just pissed me off this morning, that's all." you scoff out an excuse, hoping that's enough to deter your nosy friend. you look back at where soobin was seated— shit where did he go?!

"what did he do now?—" "not the time, he's gone, where did he go?" you look around, irritation seeping into your voice.

"chill, he probably just went to the b—"

you stand up, muttering another alibi before dashing out of the classroom. you catch a glimpse of his white shirt turning the corner, bingo, he's headed to the restroom! your heart thumps in your throat as you approach the bathroom, was the dominos actually falling into place? you can't believe your stupid plan was working.

once you reach the entrance, you silently take a breath, getting ready for the confrontation. you step in, closing the restroom door behind you with the keys, and you hear an all too familiar gasp as the lock sets into place.

"oh, you, the door,"

his stupid voice stutters out (you missed hearing it), shaky eyes meeting yours. he was sweating visibly, like this was a horror game and he just came face to face with the final boss.

"so—sorry wrong room!" he turns around like an npc reciting a practised line, only to be met with the tile wall, what a dumb bunny. when he pivots back around, you are already eye-to-eye with him. his voice hitches, a pathetic excuse for a squeal, and the world spins— you pin him into the wall right behind him. he would crumble onto the floor right there if it weren't for your hands holding his wrists up.

there was a moment of silence between you two, his eyes scattering around as if the gum on the floor was suddenly so much more interesting than the person in front. he bites his bottom lip in fear.

"oh stop it i told you before to not bite your chapped lips." the first words exchanged, a command that he obeys immediately like following your words was as natural as breathing. you forgot how satisfying it was to order him around.

"care to explain why you're avoiding me?" your tone sharp and cutting; as if you were physically pressing a knife up against his chest. he tries to talk. lip trembling, eyes closing, but all that comes out is a fearful whimper. you click your tongue in irritation, releasing one of his wrists— which limply drops to his side like a ragdoll. using your free hand you grab his face, forcing him to look at you.

"answer."

he tears up, sniffling as he tries not to sob. "m' sorry... i—i'm sorry for ignoring you."

you felt a pang in your heart, you can't tell if it was guilt or anger. "shit quit apologising and just answer my question. why were you avoiding me."

his shoulders were raised all the way up as if he was expecting you to smack him across the cheek, his whole body was wrecked with trembles and you're impressed he wasn't full-on sobbing yet. his face was red and holy shit no fucking way he was hard. what a strong sense of deja vu, wasn't this exactly how this whole mess started in the first place? you just stare at him for a minute, shaking and quivering with a bulge, no answer on his tongue.

"are you fucking for real? what'd i expect from a masochistic dog. of course, you're getting off from this." you grit your teeth, was he just using you for a quick jerk? that this was his kink this whole time and he only ever saw you as a fuck partner? did he ignore you simply so you would snap and give him exactly what he wants???

and for some reason, you felt betrayed, as if there was actually some relationship between you two. how hypocritical too, did you not also see soobin as sexual relief? wasn't he supposed to be an obedient mouth that opened for your dick? why was your fist clenching and veins pumping as if you caught your long-term partner cheating???

"maybe the only way to get shit through your thick skull is to fuck it out of you huh? bend you over in front of everyone with your ass out as you get fucking drilled by a big fat cock? is that what you want?" your words come out forced and throbbing red with anger.

"i—"

you clasp a rough hand over his throat, though you didn't actually squeeze, he shuts up immediately, eyes wide and fingers quivering. you almost rip his pants down, taking his underwear as well in one swift motion. he snivels pathetically, helplessly being led around as you savagely grasp his hair. you pull him to the sink, forcing him to bend over in front of the mirror. he desperately clutches the edges of the sink with a grunt, otherwise he might be toppled over by your rough handling. his body leaning down with his elbows bent onto the sink edge.

you grip his hair, painfully hard, his scalp must be killing him. you lift his head up until he's staring at his face in the reflection. it was like a brush with scarlet paint used his face as a canvas. his cheeks red and trembling. tears bulge on the edge of his eyes, threatening to slip out any second. his lips long-bitten and bleeding.

"keep staring at your slutty self. watch how pathetic and ugly you're gonna look when you get your organs fucked out. if you break your gaze even for a second i'll fucking kill you."

you cuss with every malevolence in your soul, for a second soobin thinks you might actually kill him. he holds in his breath as if one more sound from him will settle the hatred in your heart and murder him. you spit down onto his ass, watching as it dribbles down, you abruptly prod at his hole. not waiting like you would before. breaking through the rim and forcing your finger in like an intruder.

he loudly groans out in agony, body shuddering and wavering. you smack him over the head. "quit moving so much. shit, i wasted so many stupid gifts on you. and to think i was saving up the actual fucking for something more special. like we were actually a couple or something. but now you're gonna get your organs reorganised in a public bathroom. i guess that's suiting for a whore like you."

he grits his teeth in pain, trying to endure the pain and the humiliation for you. he stares at himself in the mirror in despair, brows furrowed and his vision blurry, his glasses were knocked off his nose from all the movement, but he keeps looking at himself just like you commanded. not trying to disobey you. why did he do that for you? it pissed you to new heights. why was he still acting like he was a goodie two shoes who didn't want to displease you?

you thrust the finger in and out with no care, barely being assisted by your makeshift lube to slide against his walls. his soft whimpers barely slipping out. you press another finger against his hole and this time he does stir, he jerks away. incoherent protests come out when he feels the second finger try to enter.

"break! a break! please give me uh a break b—before the second!" he begs, on the verge of breaking into full sobs.

"what makes you think you can bargain?"

he shivers at your harsh words, head hanging in shame. it was so pathetic, you feel a small semblance of pity, spitting more on his ass to assist the second. but you weren't merciful by any standard and promptly slid the two fingers in.

his shoulders shake, feeling full already with the two fingers. tears finally slip out in both overwhelming pain and pleasure. he hadn't touched himself ever since the last time you two met.

your ruthless fingers pump in and out of his ass like you were digging for his stomach, violently pressing against his prostate. it hurts like crazy. a primal and animalistic type of pain. but oh man, the electricity zipping through his body was hitting all the right places. it felt so wrong yet so right. like he belonged here pressed underneath your feet and hands. this felt like pleasure. his dick was tall and alert, pent up and ready to burst. his body begged for more while his mind was praying for mercy.

he thrashes around with each new thrust, being unable to control his body as a guttural wail forces its way out of his mouth. the slopping of skin slapping skin fills your ears. you grunt as you tighten your hold on his hair, trying to get him to stop moving. the more you ram your fingers into his prostate, the more frantic he becomes, one of his hands coming up to weakly pry at your hand holding his hair. you let go of your grip on his scalp to instead pull his body flush against your chest, hand snaking to the front and onto his throat. your fingers ceasing to stop with its insane momentum.

"please— no more— have me��mercy! i'm so sorry i'm so sorry i'm sorry—" he begs endlessly, sobbing and shaking his head, struggling against your hold.

you ignore his pleas, hand trailing down from his throat to his lower stomach, you can feel the movement of your fingers. suddenly, you push your palm down on his lower abdomen, right above his prostate. just as your two fingers press into the glands. he cries out, head blanking into sparks of light and stars. his cock spasming as he spurts out white stripes, shooting onto the mirror. his hands that were frantically prying at your wrists limps down.

your lips curl into a cruel smile, a sense of satisfaction raking over your body. you slid your two fingers out of his hole. a scoff comes out, naturally.

"hah. you came? i wasn't even trying to pleasure you, and you came like a little..."

your nasty words drift off as you look at him in the mirror. the room is now uncomfortably quiet, only the weeping and sobbing of soobin echoing in the restroom. he looks like a wreck, not in a sexy, sweaty way. but in a heart-hanging, guilt-tripping way. his face was painted with tears, snot and substance. eyes closed and afraid to look up at you. his body exhausted and leaning against you, he didn't even have the energy to quiver.

you did this to him, you absolutely ruined his pretty face and his sweet eyes. you actually deserve hell. what was wrong with you? how could you do this to someone so cute and precious? soobin deserved the world and so much more, he deserved everything good and nice and sweet and right on this earth. but what happened at that moment, how did you get here?

suddenly it was like your throat was constricted and swollen, lips dry with unsaid words. what do you say? apologise? promise to leave him alone forever?

"i..."

"i'm sorry..." he beats you to it with shaky words.

"holy shit no— no no, don't apologise." you quickly mumble, holding him up.

"i— i was scared, i didn't know how you would react. because i think, i think i'm insane, i don't know what's wrong with me. i'm scared you would be disgusted" his words tumble out breathlessly, you just stare silently in shock.

"i'm sorry— i don't get myself either, because everything about you drives me crazy and i can't be around you— i know i'm a masochistic dog but i just can't help it— no matter what you do to me makes me like you more, d—don't hate me please. i'm such a freak—" his words are barely coherent as he sobs.

"shh shhh shh it's okay, calm down soobin, calm down." you try to comfort him, beyond confused and shocked. he's crying so hard he's hiccuping and stammering. you help him lean on a wall and he slides down, you frantically kneel down to try and ground him.

"i— i don't want you to hate me— but your attention just feels so good to me— anything— any attention you give me it just shakes me to my core... i couldn't do it anymore—hic— i had to avoid you hick—" he hides his face in his hands. you try to understand his words, your head spiralling in turmoil. he what? he avoided you because you gave him too much attention? what kind of fucked up logic was that? this was starting to sound like those cliche misunderstanding tropes in romcoms. nevermind that, you had a sexually confused pile of fluff to comfort.

"soobin breathe, hey, come on." you say as softly as you can, like you were trying to approach an injured bunny in the wild. no matter, your heart pangs with guilt as he keeps crying. you pull him into a hug on your lap, wrapping your arms tight around his frame. this seems to make him cry more, but he leans into you, knees bundled tight against his chest as he savours the warmth. you two stay on the floor in this strong embrace. you coo sweet and reassuring words into his ear as you rock him back and forth, doing your best to console him. kissing each tear as it falls.

his sobs quiet down with each passing minute until there was only silence and mute sniffling. it was bizarre to cuddle on the restroom floor, but it was nice, and you have to admit that you do like soobin in your arms. not embracing him in sex, but in comfort and simply to make him feel good. this was crazy hypocritical to say, considering he was partly crying due to your assholery.

after a few more minutes of silence, you glance at soobin, still hidden away by his hands. "soob, come on, look at me." you coo into his ear, and he makes a small noise of acknowledgement. your hands gently pry at his hands and he lets you remove his shield from his face. he looks at you pitifully, eyes red and puffy from the crying, pouting. you kiss his cheek, you don't know why you did it, but it felt right to. "do you want to talk to me now?"

he nods, but hides his face in your shoulder.

"i... i'm crazy and a freak. you hurt me, you humiliate me, you cause me so much pain."

you grimace, stroking his hair. yeah, that sounds about right. if there was one thing consistent about your inconsistent personality, it was how much of an asshole you are. if soobin was your salvation, it was like the angels gave you a second chance at life. but you honestly wouldn't blame them if the ground caved beneath you right now and sent you straight to hell. was it bad to say you enjoyed all the sadistic acts? probably. you can't lie and say you regret being a sadist. but if it makes it better, you do regret the pain soobin is feeling right now.

"but... please don't hate me for this..."

"i won't hate you, soobin." you encourage him to keep talking, shushing his worries away.

"i like all of it, i like it so much it drives me crazy. i'm abnormal, i know. and i get it if you think i'm disgusting. but i'm so obsessed with you. i think about the things you do to me every night, i replay it in my head over and over again until i'm touching myself again. the more you hurt me, the more i like you... but... but you kept avoiding me, and i thought you knew how i felt and you were disgusted... and if that was the case... i didn't want to get hurt anymore..." he confesses fully, face buried deep in your neck and you feel your shirt slowly wet with his tears again.

it was silence, absolute, bewilderment from your side. the quiet seems to gnaw at soobin's heart, because he lifts his head up, gaze lowered as he stutters. "i— i get it if you're disgusted, my feelings are so strang—"

"soobin, you're a proper, proper masochist, wow." you breathe out. lifting his face up gently with two of your hands. wiping away his tears with your sleeve.

"oh..." he just mouths, mind seemingly blank. confused by how mundane your reaction was.

"wait, so how'd you feel about what we did just then? did you like it?"

"i... didn't like you being angry at me..."

"but what about the feeling? the fingering? the rough treatment?"

he blushes. "i liked the rough treatment." he pauses for a moment. "and you paying attention to me again."

the both of you fall quiet and he crumbles at the scrutiny. you knew soobin was masochistic and that he liked you. this was not new information. shit, you knew this from the beginning. so what changed? why did you freak out and go ballistic? why'd you corner him and demand him to tell you why he avoided you? why'd you force him to endure all that pain?

"i... i was so mean to you today... i... because you kept, looking away from me, and, ignoring my gaze and avoiding me. i thought..." the words fall into noiseless void. burning on the tip of your tongue.

"i thought you didn't like me anymore,"

you admit, shame and humiliation weighing down your heart. for a self-proclaimed smartass, you were sure stupid and dense to your own emotions. when did it start? when did you actually start caring about the loser? maybe the answer was simpler than that, you never felt the feelings creeping up to you, because, in truth, you've always been looking at him. maybe that's why you picked on him so easily, always eyeing for his reaction. shit, what a twisted way your heart works. but damn did you have a lifetime of sins to atone for.

soobin was blinking up at you blearily, clearly confused and oblivious to the conclusion in your head. you pick up his cracked glasses from the ground, gently inserting them behind his ears. (you'll buy him another pair later.)

"you don't hate me?" his voice was weak and hopeful. you scoff.

"you're too easy to bully and pick on. it's the complete opposite idiot. i just have a shitty way to show my feelings, and you're unfortunately the victim." it takes a moment for him to process your words, and his face morphs into a cute kind of shock, he is ecstatic, you can tell by the way his dimples deepen. you really didn't deserve this man or any of the feelings he has, for some reason, god was merciful and sent the perfect masochistic man to slot into your sadistic tendencies.

"but... isn't our relationship weird?" he frowns.

"we crossed that line the moment i fingered you dude." he chuckles at this, caught off guard. and you appreciate the clear ringing of his laughter without any more denial.

"honestly, you picked such a shitty person to crush on. i'm the worst, i like being mean to you. i like humiliating you, i like the feeling of having you grovel at my feet."

his face reddens with each word, hiding his face into your shoulder again. you lean into him, appreciating the silky softness of his hair.

"i don't deserve you. i'm an idiot, it took what? months of sexual tension and emotional buildup for me to realise i actually like you instead of hating you?" you ramble, he snorts.

"but i'll make it up to you, i promise." you can tell he was blushing by the heated tips of his ears. this was nice, him in your lap. he's still a loser, but he's your loser. (gross, you reconsider taking everything back with this one thought.)

"let's get out of here first. screw class, we're gonna graduate anyways, what are the teachers gonna do?"

"and i should wear some pants..." he comments.

"that too."

☆★☆

you do a final check over at soobin, ointment applied and bandaged up. he looks out of place in your fancy bedroom and it makes you snicker. once a loser, forever a loser.

"okay, that's it. does it hurt anywhere else?" you ask, setting down the ointment. he's only injured slightly, it was mostly his bitten lip and some bruises from the rough handling.

he nods and you instantly look at him with concern. "where? where and what hurts?"

he exaggeratedly points at his heart and you scoff, rolling your eyes, trying your hardest not to smile at his antics. "what does the big baby want?"

soobin is pensive and shy at first, he wasn't expecting you to take his dramatics seriously. but soon his lips curl into a cheeky grin. "...cuddles, and kisses." you blush at the idea, grimacing. you stand up and walk away from him towards the bed.

soobin panics at your reaction. "s—sorry! i was being stupid, you don't have to take it seriously, don't leave me!"

"shut up, do you want it or not?" you say, sitting on the edge of the bed. arms stretched out. he grins widely, hurrying up to jump into your arms. you two roll over into the bed as you stretch the blanket to cover your bodies. you admire soobin's joyful expression, stroking his hair.

don't get it wrong, you still think such blatant displays of affection were cringe, and soobin was still a loser. but maybe it was never that deep, and you could definitely see yourself get used to this.

you lean down, your lips connecting with his, he feels so plush and soft underneath you. he's still a masochistic dog definitely, and you still think he's a pervert, but he's also so precious and lovable, there was so many things you could list about him.

you two separate. he seems beyond pleased with himself, burying his face into your neck. "i feel like this is all a dream, and i'm going to wake up."

"don't insult me, dream me could never kiss this well." you roll your eyes. he snickers.

"yeah, you're right. no one else could make me feel this way except real you."

you feel yourself grin, really grin. not out of malice, a grin of genuine satisfaction and joy. you feel your eyelids drooping as soobin drifts to sleep in your arms. if you told younger you that this was how things would turn out with soobin, they probably would've cussed and flipped you out.

oh well. they will come to accept it eventually anyways. this wasn't so bad after all.

end.

☆★☆ BONUS SCENE

soobin drools, senses heightened. tied up, gagged, blindfolded and a vibrator pressing at his cock. he wasn't going to last much longer. you were cruel, so fucking cruel. and he had no idea where you even were. did you leave him? how long has it been? minutes? hours? did you leave the room?

he was snapped back to reality by a harsh slap on his thigh. he trembles and sobs, curling into himself. he feels a pressure at the back of his head before the gag loosened up, allowing him to breathe and talk.

"pl—please, can't, can't— gon cum, can't hold it in. mercy, please mercy." he cries out, voice broken. he sobs and thrashes around. hoping he can charm his way out of this. he was going to burst any moment and he was going to be punished harshly for disobeying you.

"colour?" you whisper by his ear, making him jump with a whimper.

"g—green." he sniffles.

"good boy." you coo, stroking his chest, circling around one of his nipples. he cries, nerves jerking all over the place. "beg for it."

"please..." he begins, swallowing down a sob.

"please fuck me... please give me permission to cum— i— i can't last any longer— hic!"

you interrupt him with a large intrusion in his ass, he almost mewls in both pleasure and pain. "a—ah! so big, feeeels good, uhhg feels so good. love you, love you."

you grin cruelly, thrusting into him hard and accurate. the pleasure he was in twists into panic as he realises you hadn't given him permission to cum yet. and if you kept going at this pace, he was surely going to cum before your permission.

"w—wait ple—ease let me cum! i've been good, i've been good! please let me cum, i've been so good for you!" he snivels, were you going to be nice or heartless today? the closer he reaches to his climax, the more he frets. grovelling down at you, begging relentlessly for permission. before long, he feels his limit.

"i'm going to oh god i'm going to! i'm sorry i'm sorry i'm so disobedient i'm going to disobey you! i feel it— hic—" he cries louder, and just before he climaxes, you press down on his lower stomach, whispering in his ear.

"come for me baby."

with that, his body violently convulses, and his back arches as his mouth opens in a silent scream. cum forces its way out of his painfully hard dick, a guttural groan digs its way out as he empties completely onto the bed.

after his ejaculation, he huffs heavily, whines mixed in with his wheezing. you let him ride out his orgasm, pulling out of him. you untie him and take off the blindfold. kissing him sweetly.

"you did so well, you were so cute soob." you cheekily grin. he smiles tiredly up at you. body sore and thoroughly ruined. he stretches his arms out and you take it as a signal to lift him up into your lap.

he settles into your embrace like it is the most natural thing in the world. giggling into your shoulder. "that was amazing, i love you so much."

"i gueesss i love you." you tease.

"hey!"

you chuckle, kissing his cheek. "just kidding, i love you." soobin whispers a quiet 'i know.'

you two enjoy each other's company for a second, only interrupted by soobin's growling stomach. "greedy." you jab at him with a grin and he pouts.

"i'll get you something to eat at the convenience store." you shake your head, getting up to leave but soobin tugs at your sleeve.

"i'm going to be lonely, take me with you!"

you roll your eyes at his dramatic antics, but oblige anyways.

☆★☆

at the convenience store, you buy a simple bread bun for soobin, your hands warming up in your pockets as he enjoys his snack. it was a cold winter, and you wanted to return back to your apartment as soon as possible.

"yo!"

a vaguely familiar voice calls out, you turn around to be met with a recognizable face, a gasp on your lips—

"holy shit, kiwoo! i haven't seen you since graduation." soobin vaguely identify the man as one of your old high school friends.

"it's been quite a few years, hasn't it," he chuckles, though confusion was evident in his eyes as he recognises soobin.

"soobin? what are you doing here?" he pauses, glancing between you, and then soobin, and then you. like the gears of a clock slowly turning.

"you guys are still friends?" he asks.

you and soobin exchange a look. "not really." you chuckle.

he tilts his head and you dutifully wrap an arm around soobin's waist. a cheeky grin on your face as you show off the glinting gem on your finger.

"he's my fiance, obviously."

★★★ end ★★★

an: i hope you guys enjoyed the fic and the ending!!! it took a lot of contemplating on how i was going to end this highly anticipated series... i do have a lot of inbox asks for alternative realities and spin-offs, so i will probably work on them next!!! also so sorry for disappearing for like multiple months... i had been so busy with life help!!!

anyways... reshares and comments are always appreciated! please do let me know how you felt about the fic....

[lilacmingi]

PLAYTIME

My works are 14+ ONLY. If you are under 14 DO NOT interact with me or any of my works

Pairing: Moondrop!San & Sundrop!Wooyoung x fem reader

Word count: 4,092

Note: This was published on Wattpad October 2022 and since the FNAF movie is coming out in a couple days I’m sharing this one on Tumblr! It’s one of my favorites and I feel like it’s so unique. There will not be a part 2. Also if the cover looks bad pls ignore it :P

You huffed as you pushed up the metal garage-like door just enough for you to get through. You didn't really care where it led to, you just wanted to get out of the main area of the mall and away from those incessant staff bots.

You just started working at Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex. In fact, it was your first day on the job and you somehow managed to get yourself locked inside. You were so busy with all your work that you lost track of time. When you finished, you found that you had been locked inside.

The area you just entered was the daycare.

The first thing you spotted was a huge golden statue depicting a sun and moon character, both dressed in attire that resembled that of a jester. Glancing around the room, you saw round tables scattered about, each one with a number on it. You were quick to figure out you were in some sort of reception area of the daycare.

You peered out into the netted area beyond the reception hall, inside were two large, multicolored play structures with cartoon faces of the glamrock mascots from the Fazbear franchise stuck on them and a massive ball pit designed to look like a mote. Your gaze was drawn to a platform a few feet above the play area, made to look like the outlook on a tower, a bright spotlight shining directly on it. Red curtains draped over an arched doorway that led to what you could only assume was a room.

The daycare area appeared to be a safe and vacant place for you to lay low for a while.

Your eyes searched the area for a moment before you spotted a colorful rainbow sign that read: SLIDE INTO FUN! leading directly into the daycare area. It appeared to be your only way inside, seeing as the security bots were patrolling the staircase that led to the second entrance for adults.

Without any other option, you got in and descended down the slide, falling right into a ball pit. You waded through the colorful spheres and stepped out of the pit. Now that you were inside the netted area, you were able to get a better look at everything.

The place seemed to be empty and free of any bloodthirsty animatronics.

Surely, you'd be safe.

Suddenly, your attention was turned to the castle up on the wall. A man suddenly emerged from the arched, curtain-draped opening and stepped out onto the platform. His blonde hair was pushed back away from his face, tousled in a way that made it look a bit spiky. He was dressed in jester attire, the collar ruffled as well as the top of his yellow and red striped pants. Tied on his wrists were red ribbons with bells that jingled when he moved.

The man lifted his arms into the air, chuckling gleefully before diving into the ball pit you were just in moments ago. You watched with wary eyes as the man never came up. Hesitantly, you stepped closer, peering into the ball pit. He emerged abruptly, causing some of the colorful spheres to fly through the air. He made his way out of the ball pit, a bright smile on his face.

"Hello, new friend! You're a bit big to be in the daycare." He tilted his head. "That's alright! We can still have fun!"

He didn't give you a chance to speak as he continued talking.

"We can finger paint, tell stories, drink Fizzy Faz until our heads explode and stay up all night!" He exclaimed, giddily as he pranced around.

"I was actually just hoping to—"

"What's your name, new friend?"

"Uh... Y/n." You answered.

You were wearing a name tag. Did he not notice it?

"Ah! Y/n. What a wonderful name! I'm Wooyoung, but my friends call me Woo. Hey, do you like glitter glue?"

"I-“

"If you like glitter glue, I have glitter glue, and lots of it!"

"I'd like to just stay in here for a while if that's okay."

His eyes sparkled as an excited gasp left him.

"Of course! There's so much we can do! We could play hide and seek, have a puppet show, make macaroni art." He listed enthusiastically.

This guy didn't seem so bad and the daycare appeared to be the safest place for you. Perhaps you could stay.

"Oh, this'll be so much fun! There's one rule, however. Lights stay on. On." He punctuated the last word, his voice sounding ominous when he did.

"Uh. Yeah. I can do that."

"Wonderful!" He clasped his hands together. "Come here! I have some fun activities planned."

He grabbed your hands, yanking you forward. Because of that, you stumbled and accidentally knocked over a stack of cylinders that had crescent moons and music notes on them, the objects making the sound of a party favor as they tumbled to the floor.

Wooyoung came to a stop, turning to see the shapes that had toppled over.

"No, no, no, no! What a mess! Oh, which was the bottom? Where is the top? Clean up! Clean up!" He stressed, hurrying to stack the musical cylinders back up.

Once the stack was back the way it was, he let out a sigh.

"There. Good as new."

"Sorry." You apologized even though it wasn't really your fault, but it felt appropriate.

"It's alright, friend." He beamed. "I get ahead of myself sometimes and I can be a bit clumsy."

He continued to pull you towards a tiny table where he ushered you into a small chair that you barely fit in.

"Look at all this neat stuff!" Wooyoung beamed. "Here."

He placed a piece of copy paper in front of you and began talking about all the different arts and crafts materials he had.

You opted for the colored pencils, grabbing one of them while Wooyoung started grabbing paints.

"What are you gonna draw?" Wooyoung asked, giddily. "I'm gonna paint a sun."

"I'm not sure what I'm gonna draw yet."

"That's okay. Just wait for inspiration to strike!"

As you thought about what to draw, you noticed a black cord stretching across the play area.

"What are those cords?" You asked Wooyoung.

"Oh. Those lead to generators in the play structures. There are five of them and each connect to a light on the outside of the structures." He pointed.

You noticed a few lights here and there attached to the plastic grate walls of the structures. You wondered why there were generators in a play area for children, but chose not to ask questions.

"So, you mentioned Fizzy Faz earlier."

"Uh-huh." He nodded.

"What does it taste like?"

The paintbrush in Wooyoung's hand fell, as did his jaw.

"You've never had it?"

You shook your head.

"We have to change that right away! What flavor do you prefer? There's orange, pink lemonade, cherry, lime, and grape."

"I'll have (your choice)."

Wooyoung immediately got up from his chair and started to hurry off only to stop and turn to you.

"You won't run off, will you?"

"I don't have anywhere else to go." You shrugged.

Minutes later, Wooyoung returned with a can of the fizzy drink and a small paper cup.

"Here you go, friend." He beamed, placing the small cup down on the table.

You thanked him, trying some of the soda, the tiny cup already nearly empty.

"Are you hungry? I have all sorts of yummy snacks. Goldfish crackers, cookies, potato chips, gummies." He listed.

"Now that you mention it, I am kinda hungry."

"Great! I'll be right back."

He hurried off somewhere while you stayed in your seat, working on your drawing.

Moments later, a paper tower was placed on the table as Wooyoung started putting small piles of assorted snacks onto it.

"I wasn't sure what you wanted, so brought everything." He paused for a second. "You don't have peanut allergies, do you?"

Before you could answer, he spoke up. "It's fine. None of these snacks are made with peanut products anyway. Gotta stay safe for the kiddos." He gave a bright smile, his head cocking to the side. "Here you go, friend."

You chuckled at the setup before you. A small, paper cup with soda and a paper towel with little piles of snacks on it.

"What's so funny?" Wooyoung asked.

"This just reminds me of when I was a kid." You smiled softly at the nostalgia. "This was the usual setup for special snack at school."

"Ah, that's right. You're not a kid." He chuckled. "Sorry, friend. I'm used to being around children." He slid the can of Fizzy Faz to you before sitting back down in his seat to continue his painting.

"That's alright." You waved it off, taking a drink of the bubbly soda. "You're trained to handle kids. You're used to that, so I don't blame you for being on autopilot."

"Thank you, Y/n." Wooyoung gave you a gentle smile before turning his attention back to his artwork.

"So, you work here?" He asked.

"You just noticed?" You chuckled.

"Yeah. I was so excited to have a visitor that I got carried away."

"Well, I only just started working here today. I don't know too much about this place and I had so much work I got distracted and when I finished, the doors were locked."

"So you're stuck in here until morning?"

You nodded.

"You can stay in here with me until 6am! You'll be safe here."

"Thank you."

Things were quiet for a few moments. The only sounds were the music playing in the daycare accompanied by the soft noise of your colored pencils against the paper.

"New friend, Y/n. Can I tell you something?" Wooyoung asked, cutting through the silence.

"Sure." You hummed, painting away.

When he didn't say anything, you looked up at him. His cheeks were tinted pink and he was holding back giggles.

"What is it?" You urged.

"You're very pretty."

"Oh. Thank you."

"Only children come into the daycare, and parents, of course, but I'm not used to seeing someone as pretty as you." Wooyoung was blushing like crazy as he spoke. "The teenagers and young adults usually spend their time elsewhere like Roxy Raceway."

"Right. I'm sure this is weird for you."

"No, actually. It's a nice change. The limited non-robot staff we have here don't really come into the daycare, so I'm not around older people that often. But, again, it's a nice change."

An hour or so passed and you were having a wonderful time with Wooyoung. Making crafts and painting really took you back to your childhood and helped to distract you from worrying about animatronics. Wooyoung had even made a cute little drawing of you with crayons, which you found endearing. He was very enthusiastic and bubbly, asking lots of questions about you and your interests. Whenever you'd give him your answer he'd watch you with wide eyes, taking in every word.

The two of you were having a blast when all of a sudden the lights shut off, surrounding you in near total darkness. You let out a gasp, the bright and sunny man's stern words immediately replaying in your head.

"Lights stay on. On."

He was so serious when he said that.

What happens when the lights go off?

"Oh no." Wooyoung muttered. "Oh no. Oh no!"

He stood up from his chair abruptly, causing it to fall over as the panic in his voice rose.

"What's wrong?" You asked, worriedly.

"Not good! Not good!" He put his hands on his face, staggering backwards as he screamed in agony.

Lost in his hysterics, he tripped and fell behind a stack of large, foam blocks sitting about the daycare, the atmosphere becoming eerily silent.

"Wooyoung?" You called out, shakily.

To your shock and mild horror, a completely different person emerged from behind the shapes. This one had dark hair with a white streak in his bangs. His attire was similar to Wooyoung's, but instead of stripes, this man's pants were a dark blue color with yellow stars all over them. He donned a night cap on his head with the same pattern.

"I'm not Wooyoung." The man responded with a sinister grin. "I'm San."

"What happened to Wooyoung?" You asked, taking a step back.

"He's not here right now." His red colored irises that seemed to glow raked down your body. "You're up a bit late, don't you think?"

"No." You answered, taking another step back.

"You should be sleeping. Naughty, naughty." He shook his head while wagging a finger at you.

"I'm not a child." You responded.

He let out a tsk as he leaned in close to you, tilting his head. "Daycare rules."

You took a step back, stumbling when your foot hit something. You had accidentally knocked over the same stack of cylinder shapes that you'd bumped into earlier.

San growled angrily, bending down.

"Clean up! clean up!" He repeated in a seemingly annoyed voice as he began stacking the objects back up.

You then realized Wooyoung reacted the same way and perhaps you could use that to your advantage. You took that as your chance to try and escape, bolting directly for the play structures, crawling up the slide, opting to hide there for a moment.

"Oh~ you wanna play hide and seek?" San chuckled, the sound coming out in a rasp. "I think I can manage."

It sounded like San was on the opposite side of the daycare, which put your nerves at ease, but only for a moment.

Afraid to stay in one place for too long, you

shimmied up the slide and started crawling around in the structure.

What do I do? What do I do?

Would you have to spend the rest of the night hiding from this San guy?

You advanced further into the play structure, moving up a bit higher, taking a moment to peer out into the daycare. It was dark except for the giant screen at the front of the room depicting a sun character that resembled Wooyoung.

Using the light from the screen, you looked around the area from above. You didn't see San anywhere, which terrified you. Instead of staying in one place for too long, you continued on your way, slipping through a colorful tube and into another section of the structure.

As you crawled ahead, you felt your foot catch on something, instinctively flinching before turning around to find a generator. The relief you felt when you saw that it wasn't San was immeasurable.

That's right. There are generators inside the play structures.

You shuffled back to the generator, a red light shining. Feeling around, you managed to find a switch of some sort, your fingers curling around the handle. You pulled up on it, a light on the outside of the structure coming on shortly after.

A quiet sigh of relief leaves you.

One down, four to go.

"You can't hide forever, dear." You heard San's voice from somewhere below.

Taking one last look out into the daycare, you spotted San creeping across the bridge above the ball pit.

You needed to find the other generators, and fast.

You crawled through the top area of the play structure, not finding any. As much as you hated to, you knew you'd have to go back down to the lower level.

Taking in a deep breath and gathering all the courage you could muster, you headed down until you got to the bottom level. You glanced around, checking for San before sneaking your way into another section of the play structure. It didn't take long for you to come across a second generator. You flipped it on and were on the move once again.

The floodlights didn't illuminate the area very well, but it was better than nothing. You hoped turning on all five would somehow bring Wooyoung back.

You continued searching the play structure, opting to follow the cords throughout the area, hoping they would lead you to a generator. Sometimes they would lead to one you had already turned on, while other times they led to a light attached to the outside of the structure.

You hadn't spotted San for quite some time, which gave you a sense of relief. Maybe you got lucky and he forgot about you.

Just then, you spotted him clinging to the outside of the play structure. A scream tore through you as the man leaned close to the grates.

"It's past your bedtime, my dear." He said with a sinister smirk.

You scurried away as quickly as you could, wanting to get as far away from him as possible, your knees becoming sore from crawling around so much.

You had already turned four generators on. There was only one left, but you couldn't seem to find it.

I've searched this entire structure. You thought to yourself. Where could it be?

Just then, you spotted a second play structure on the other side of the daycare, your heart dropping in your chest. The last generator is over there. You're certain of it.

You would have to find a way over to it without getting caught.

Moving silently throughout the play structure, you made your way to the bottom where you slowly began to lose your nerve. Your mind began to fill with petrifying thoughts, wondering what ghastly things San would do if he caught you.

You have to get to that last generator, Y/n. You told yourself, trying your best to psych yourself up and gather your nerves. Getting the lights back on was the only way to ensure yourself safety.

Taking one last look out into the daycare, you got ready to make a break for it, checking for San. When you didn't see him, you took off across the colorful foam flooring, skittering towards the second play structure.

Dark chuckles echoed through the vast room.

"Run run as fast as you can."

Hearing San's taunting frightened you and had you shaking like a leaf, but it also gave you that extra rush of adrenaline you needed, helping to get you safely to the second structure where you momentarily felt safe.

"I can see you." He sang creepily, prompting you to scurry further into the structure in an attempt to get away from him.

You hated this. Why did the lights have to go out all of a sudden? That was the one thing Wooyoung said not to do and now look where you are. It's your first day on the job and you're going to die by the hands of some psychopath in star pajamas. The mere thought of being caught made the panic within you rise tenfold.

You creeped through the structure, hoping San doesn't find his way inside. Little did you know, your fears would soon become a reality.

As you're crawling, you feel someone's breath fanning against your neck.

"Knock knock." He whispered.

You let out a terrified yelp, continuing to move forward at a quicker pace, but you didn't make it very far.

A gasp left you as San grabbed hold of your ankle, jerking you backwards until you were underneath him.

"Caught you."

His hands held you firmly against the flooring of the play structure, preventing you from escaping. You were just a foot from the last generator—so close, yet so far away. San moved in closer, his sharp eyes gazing down at you as a wicked smirk played at his lips.

What do I do?

You were panicking, your heart beating so fast you could hear the pounding in your ears. Fearful of what he would do with you, you shoved him away with your knee, pulling yourself closer to the generator, stretching your arm out, your fingers reaching for the switch, just barely brushing it.

"Wait!"

You paused after hearing San call out to you.

"Don't. Please."

The desperation in his voice caught you off guard, making you hesitate in your actions.

Your brows pulled together in confusion. Did he just ask you not to flip the generator on?

"I thought we were playing hide and seek." He continued, a frown pulling the corners of his mouth downward.

"Hide and seek?" You parroted in disbelief. "I thought you were trying to kill me!"

"Kill you? No. I thought we were just playing a game."

He pout in his voice almost made you feel bad for him. Almost.

"You didn't exactly make that clear."

He sighed, his head dropping in disappointment.

"I'm turning this on." You told him. "I want Wooyoung back."

"You don't like me?"

Your hand froze once again after hearing his words. He sounded hurt. Pitiful, almost. Turning back to him, you saw the expression on his face. His bottom lip was stuck out in a pout, quivering slightly as his red eyes appearing glossy with tears.

Your hand went limp, abandoning the the generator and silently hoping you weren't about to make a mistake.

•

Your heart thudded against your rib cage, your knees hitting the plastic flooring of the play structure as you crawled as fast as you could through the narrow passageways, getting lost in the maze once again.

I can't believe I let this happen again.

You barely made it out the first time and now you're stuck here once more. That all too familiar feeling of terror was beginning to build inside you as you hurried to hide, ominous chuckles from San echoing down the tunnel you were crawling through. Your body shook as you hurried through the endless labyrinth that was the play structures. The raw panic and trepidation that ran through your body was the only thing keeping you going. Your trembling hand grabbed onto the switch on the third generator, flipping it on.

That's when you heard San's dark chuckling behind you, causing you to gasp.

He was inside the play structure.

Crawling as fast as you possibly could, you turned a corner, shuffling through a tube, coming out at the bridge that connected two of the play towers. You hurried across into the second structure in search for the next generator.

"You're getting better at this, darling." San's voice emitted from across the bridge.

He was right on your tail.

You followed the twists and turns of the tunnels and platforms, not realizing you'd somehow gotten turned around.

Panicked, you changed directions and shimmied down a nearby passageway, narrowly escaping. You arrived at a small ramp that led to a lower level of the play structure. From what you remember, there was a generator nearby one of the ramps, though you weren't sure if this one was the right one. There was no time to think it over as you took the chance.

Just when you thought you were about to find the next generator, you ran into San who had a wicked smile on his face, his eyes flickering with mischief.

You yelped in surprise, which only made him grin wider. In one, swift motion he lunged forward, wrapping his arms around you.

"Gotcha."

"You promised you wouldn't chase me this time." You frowned.

"Sorry." He giggled. "It's just so much fun."

"I've had enough hide and seek for the night. I wanna hang out with Wooyoung."

"You got to hang out with Wooyoung earlier." San whined.

"Alright, fine. But I don't want you scaring me anymore."

"No scaring. I promise!"

After that first night at the pizzaplex, you learned San wasn't so bad after all. He just had an odd way of interacting with people sometimes and tended to come off a bit scary. He wasn't nearly as terrifying as he appeared. In fact, he was actually rather adorable.

His counterpart, Wooyoung, had apologized profusely to you once the sun had come up, worried that San had spooked you. Being honest with him, you explained what happened, but assured him that San wasn't a bad person and you actually enjoyed your time with him—when he wasn't chasing you, that is.

From then on, you would drop in and visit Wooyoung during the day while working and stay after hours to spend a little more time with him before bringing San out. Something fishy was definitely going down at the mega pizzaplex, especially with the glamrock animatronics, but with San and Wooyoung around, you felt safe. You found yourself looking forward to seeing them every day, wondering what new shenanigans would ensue once the pizzaplex closed for the night.

Masterlist ᝰ — enjoyed this imagine? reblogs & comments are very much appreciated!

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[delicatebarness]

i think he knows | chapter eleven

Summary: There is a celebration for one of the Rogers to be held.

Warnings: Kissing?

Word Count: 1377

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A/N: For everyone who voted for this in my poll today, I've been reading and listening don't worry. I know you miss Sunshine.

Tags: @bigtreefest | @caplanbuckybarnes | @angelbabyyy99 | @mega-kittyglitter-1 | @cjand10 | @armystay89 | @itvy5601 | @spider-mans-hoe

Soft patterns are painted against your bedroom wall as the morning sun filters through the curtains. You stirred awake with a sense of excitement, rubbing the remnants of sleep out of your eyes you could hear the faint sounds of movement coming from your bathroom. Steve was already up. 

Rolling out of bed, the events of the night before were still fresh in your mind. Bucky’s confession about the list had left you with mixed emotions: gratitude, surprise, and also a sense of trust. Despite the chaos you were welcomed by at Stark’s Motors, Bucky’s gesture had been a reassurance of his sincerity.

As you headed downstairs, you found your parents gathered in the kitchen. The nervous energy filled the air. Your dad was sitting at the table, his leg bounced anxiously as he repeatedly checked the time on his watch.

“Any news yet?” you asked, taking a seat at the table. 

Your dad shook his head, there was a hint of frustration in his voice. “Not yet,” 

Your mom shot a worried glance towards your dad, their concern was evident. Suddenly, the familiar chime of an email incoming broke the tension. Your parent's eyes widen as they sucked in a breath and turned towards the stairs. 

“I got it!” Steve exclaimed, his voice filled with joy as he rushed down the stairs, laptop in hand. “I got the scholarship!” 

Your parents rushed to their feet, erupting in cheers as they enveloped Steve in hugs and congratulations. Relief washed over you as a smile tugged at your lips. “That’s fantastic, Steve!” your dad exclaimed, his eyes shined with pride at his son’s achievement. “Tonight we’ll celebrate, dinner anywhere you want!” 

Steve’s grin widened, nodding eagerly. “Yeah, that sounds great!” 

~

As Steve drove you both down the familiar streets, the sunlight cast a warm glow over the town, and you shared a comfortable silence. The morning had been eventful, but now, as you headed to school together, there was a sense of peace in the air. 

Glancing over at your brother, you couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride. “I really am proud of you, Steve,” you said, your voice filled with sincerity. His smile widened at your words. You reached out, placing a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry about what happened at the game,” 

Steve shook his head, “Don’t worry about it. It’s in the past now.” A few moments passed, the car began to stop at a red light and Steve turned to you. “Listen,” he began, his voice soft but firm. “I don’t want you getting too close to Bucky,” he continued with a somber tone. “I’ve seen the way he can be, and I don’t trust him.” 

Your heart sank, you weren’t surprised that Steve was still adamant about you and Bucky but the disappointment washed over you. “But Steve,” you began, pausing for a moment to search for the right words. “I don’t think he’s as bad as you think.”

He sighed, his gaze returned to the road. “I know you might not see it, but I just want what’s best for you,” As the light turned green, he continued the journey ti school. “I don’t think Bucky is it.”

~

The hallway bustled with passing students as you felt a hand grip your wrist, before you knew it you had been pulled into a dimly lit bathroom. Your heart raced for a moment before looking up at the small smile playing against Bucky’s lips. 

Before you could utter a word, Bucky’s lips crashed against yours in a fervent kiss, a wildfire of desire igniting within you as your back hit against the cold tiled walls. For a moment, you lost yourself in the heat until a pang of concern pierced through you. 

Breaking away from his embrace, your eyes darted around the bathroom and your voice trembled with urgency. “What if someone catches us?”

A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he brushed a strand of hair away from your flushed face. His voice was laced with confidence as his hand moved down to cup your cheek. “I’ll be careful, I promise.” 

Your resolve wavered as you drowned in Bucky’s intense gaze, your resistance crumbled. “Okay..” You closed the gap between you again, your lips meeting again in a tender kiss. The embrace was filled with a quiet intensity, it felt like it was lasting a lifetime. 

When you finally parted, your breaths mingled in the stillness of the bathroom. Bucky’s voice was soft with longing as he spoke. “Hey, I was thinking… maybe we could sneak away after school, and have a little fun just the two of us.” 

A surge of excitement coursed through you at the suggestion, but also a flicker of guilt. “I wish I could, but my dad is taking us out to celebrate Steve getting into college tonight,” You began to fidget with the zipper that hung from his leather jacket. “I can’t get out of that.” 

Bucky’s lips curled into a smile, resting his forehead against yours. “It’s okay, Sunshine,” Letting out a relieved sigh, Bucky’s understanding lifting a weight off your shoulders, your hand found his, fingers intertwining. ��We’ll find another time,” Bucky said softly, squeezing your hand gently. 

You nodded, as the sounds of the hallway filtered through the walls. Bucky leaned in for one last lingering kiss before reluctantly pulling away. After a final glance, you turned to leave the bathroom, your hand slipping from his as you stepped back into the crowded hallways. 

As you set off toward your next class, a smile played on your lips as the thoughts of his lips on yours lingered in your mind. 

~

The celebration dinner for Steve was a lively affair, held at a quaint local diner that you knew Steve came to with his friends and Sharon. The diner had been decorated with colorful streamers and balloons, all the colors of the college he would be heading to. The air was filled with buzzing chatter of other families and friends eating out, and the aroma of food. 

Settled into a cozy corner booth, the vinyl seats creaked slightly. This diner was nothing compared to the one Bucky took you to the evening before. You noticed Steve had changed into his best shirt and tie, looking every bit the part of the accomplished high school senior. His smile hadn’t faltered all night. 

Throughout the dinner, conversations were consumed by laughter and animated gestures. Your parents couldn’t contain their pride, showering your brother with praise. You found yourself joining in, expressing how proud you were of his achievement. 

As the plates of fries and burgers were being passed around the table, Steve retold tales of the scholarship application process and how he achieved it. Each story was met with understanding nods and verbal recognition. 

You couldn’t shake off the encounter with Bucky earlier in the day, his kisses lingering in your mind. As you stole the occasional glance at Steve, you couldn’t help but wonder if he could sense the turmoil beneath your cheerful facade. 

When dessert arrived, your dad raised his plastic cup for a toast. “To Steve, I couldn’t be prouder of you.” His eyes glistened with pride as he directed his words towards your brother. “From the moment you set your sights on this scholarship, you showed determination, perseverance, and commitment,” You smiled as you glanced over at Steve, just as Sharon placed her hand on his arm, giving him a reassuring squeeze. “You poured your heart and soul into every application, every essay, every game.”

As your dad continued to praise your brother, you thought about what your life would look like in a year. Who would be at a table like this when you get your acceptance letter? What will your dad say about you? Would Steve be back home to celebrate? Would you have someone by your side, offering reassurance? Would it be Bucky?

“... may your future be filled with success, happiness, and endless possibilities. We love you.” 

You were brought back to the present by the cheers and applause of your family. With a smile, you raised your cup high in tribute to your big brother, and silently to your journey ahead of you.

---

Series Masterlist | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

[quitealotofsodapop]

Ok but what, exactly, are their reactions to baby Yubei? We know their general opinions but when Yellow Tusk and Peng are first released, there's this baby m9nkey jsut sitting in Azure's paws. A baby moneky that is apparently Wukong's blood daughter, they he had apparently carried. Had been carrying since he sealed them to begin with they soon learn

Azure is pretty much handed baby Yuebei by MK and Mei since he was the only adult around + MK was panicking at the loss of his mentor, dads, and Sandy. Azure figures out quickly from Yuebei's smell that she's Wukong's cub - he also smells Macaque on her, which surprises and disappoints him. The hut on FFM also gives him a clearer picture - many of Wukong's maternity clothes are still lying around the house, theres baby bottles, and a little sun and moon-themed nursery. All things that point towards his two former sworn brethern no longer being the same fighters he knew back then. And even worse, the King he often cared for loving another.

Yuebei's kidnapping was an unexpected, but welcome, addition to the plan. In Azure's palm held the greatest bargaining chip in all of the Heavens - the daughter of Sun Wukong. Containing many the same powers as her birth parent, and ones undiscovered yet.

When the MKrew escape the Scroll, Wukong is snarling like a beast at Azure until he sees that tiny puff of black fur held between his claws... his face goes pale and he drops to his knees like he did to the Jade Emperor millennia ago when his mate was threatened. He instinctively submits to ensure his cub's safety. It was no great feat for Azure to trap the Monkey King back into the Scroll after that (in the show it just took a snap of his fingers). The gang are less accomodating though - MK comes charging at the Brotherhood even as his body contorts painfully from his true monkey side breaking through. Yuebei is pretty much his adoptive baby sister, and he isn't going to let some creep take her as collateral!

Like in canon, their attempts to fight the Brotherhood are in vain. MK flies away screaming for his mentor and his fellow cub. Macaque hears his distress darn near across the country and comes running.

In the immediate aftermath of their release, Peng and Yellowtusk are mega confused why there's a baby monkey in Azure's hands rn?? Until they learn that it's the child of their "traitorous" former brother. Yellow Tusk's face drops, while Peng is amused by having the perfect the hostage. The elephant is the one to point out that the baby monkey can't be allowed to be near any of the fighting less she get seriously hurt (and they lose their hostage).

Azure likely has Yuebei trapped in her own Scroll column (a strangely hefty one he notes), for the time being, and releases her when he's fianlly sitting on the throne.

I'm honestly surprised that the Brotherhood didn't have a bigger reaction to Red Son - given that they likely never knew that their bro DBK had settled down and become a family man. Then again in this au, they don't get to have much of a chance to react.

Azure: "Demon Bull King. It's been many years-" DBK, sees Azure holding Yuebei hostage: "WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH OUR GODDAUGHTER!?" *immediate boss fight ensues*

Red Son ends up not just alerting the Celestial Realm about the Brotherhood's escape, but also tracks down Macaque to tell him exactly what happened to baby Yuebei. Macaque is understandably pissed, despite him and Wukong going through a rough patch. You better believe that the Warrior is seconds from beating down that palace door himself if it means Yuebei stays safe. But he has to focus on finding MK and Wukong rn first.

Macaque does lay it in to MK for a while though, not only out of anger for his poor judgement, but to force him to see his own hypocrisy.

Macaque: "Why would you give the baby to a stranger!? Why couldn't have you waited until I got back?! Or found DBK or the Vixen!?" MK: "I panicked ok!? I just wanted my family back!" Macaque: "I though you said on Camel Ridge you didn't have a family?" MK, still crying: "YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN! I'm just some... thing dumped here. I don't even know who created me!" Macaque, angry tears: "Neither do I! Do I cry about it? No! Because I have a troop! I have a mate! And by the gods, I have cubs of my own now!" Macaque: *pulls MK into a suffocating hug* "And like it or not, that includes you too bud." MK: *starts crying harder, like a little kid again*

Eventually the second fight with the Brotherhood becomes more of trying to stop Macaque from skinning the lion then and there, at least until he hands over Yuebei. Azure given them the choice; Yuebei's life - or the Jade Emperor's.

You can imagine what they choose. Nezha can't even disagree with their choice. (Nezha: "If he lays a claw upon her head, not even the Buddha could stop what I'd do to him.").

Cue MK and Macaque dipping into SWK's Scroll column to get their Monkey King back. And for both of them to have character-shaking revelations.

And ofc back in the Celestial Realm, Azure is sitting upon his conquered throne with Yuebei on his knee. The power of the Emperor corrupting his mind to think of a world where she's his heir, and Wukong his consort, things he only dreamed of half-heartedly. These thoughts become even more frenzied as the other two uncover copies of Wukong's medical reports from Gold Star's office (shared via Lao Tzu); explaining to all three of them just how long Yuebei has been cooking for + Macaque didn't sire her. This reinenforced the corrupted Azure Emperor that Wukong was *meant* to be his Queen, otherwise, why else would Yuebei be born just shy of his release?

(Hint: It's cause Macaque came back and Wukong started trusting others again.)

Yellow Tusk is horrified by Azure's behavior, while Peng just wants to see their leader happy. The palace staff brave enough to stay (notably the Orchard Maidens) are terrified for the baby's and the world's safety.

Yuebei this whole time, is getting increasingly angry at not being able to see her parents or troop, and is about to darn near explode if the "bad kitty" doesn't let her go. Or if the "shiny birdy" doesn't stop teasing her.

[devilish-parrot]

Tally Hall themed names for pets:

you can also use this to name your children (or renaming yourself)

If you own a tally hall themed zoo(bin), then you know where to look for names

these are all of course only sugestions. im not forcing you to name you dog zirconium pants.

Most of this isnt serious but if you see some good ideas, go for it. youre welcome in advance

(this has been sitting in my drafts for months and ive lost motivation to finish it but you can roughly guess how it goes)

peoples names:

Zubin

Rob

Ross

Andrew

Joe

Bora

Casey

Marvin

Sally

Steve

Ryan

Colours:

Blue

Yellow

Grey

Green

Red

Orange

Black

Instruments:

Electric guitar

Acoustic guitar

Guitar

Ukuklele

Accordian

Flute

Drum

Piano

Keyboard

Microphone

Amp

Roland Amp

Violin

Bongo

Pair names:

What, When

Circles, Spirals

Birds, Bees (unfortunetly most people will think its a sex ed reference)

Mary-Kate, Ashley (most ppl will think its a direct reference to the olsen twins though)

Juno, Sun

Good, Evil

T, A-L-L-Y

Case, Bass

Click, Flick

Collectable, Delectable

No Answers, No Questions

Bubmle, Mumble

Once, Twice

Where, There

Here, There

Twice, Thrice

Direction, Voice

Double, Bonus

Bung Vulchungo, Zimbabwe Songbirds

Laugh, Kick it back

Rythm, Rhyme

Whether, Whatever

Whether, Anything

Bungalay, Bungalow

Too much, Not enough

Back, Forth

One Thing, Another

Spring, Storm

Enthusiastic, Alive

Silent, Explosive

Over Again, Never Again

Laugh, Clap

Serious, Delirious

Gallows, Ghetto

Town, Meadow

Billows, Over the Sun

End of a time, Another Begun

sky, all the land

Song Lyrics:

MARVINS MARVELOUS MECHANICAL MUSEUM

Good Day

Id like to say hello and welcome you good day

Glass eyes

Nothing

Something

Television

Cardboard houses

Xray Vision

Silly Rhymes

Telephones

Silly games

Periods

Question Marks

2. Greener

Greener

Seconds

Boulders

Weather

Breaking me slowly

Meaner

Cleaner

Greener shade of envy

3. Welcome to Tally Hall

T-A-L-L-Y

Mini Mall

Mega Mart

Eddie Thatch (most ppl will think youre directly referencing blackbeard)

WWTDH

Tizzy Hizzy

Carnival

Tally Hall (not the most creative but whatever)

Automated Players

Suave Fellow

Heterophonic Tunes

Proud Loud Guy

Sipping 'gnac (or Cognac)

Bill Laimbeer

Locksmith

Keys

Badiggle

Unpredictable Games

Antiqueties

English Chap

Knickers

Gall

Sterosonic

Animatronic

Robo-Electronic Ebonics

Quick Distraction

Mechanic Attraction

Good Old-Fashioned Puppet Show

Marionette Quintet

We think we're playing in a band

4. Taken For a Ride

Helpless land

Happy

Sadistic Mystic

Elavator

Fifteen Flights

Creatures

Listening

Painted Whispered Light

Forgotten Hill

Stranded Senate

White Brick House

Lonely Papaerbacks

Tiptoed

Wooden Sign

Lovely

One Secondary Smile

Extra Mile

Chemistry (is gone)

Taken for a Ride

Actor

World Renowned

Last real day of silence

Picture of a Letter

No Secrets (In the door)

5. The Bidding

Mmm-mmmmm-mmmm-mmmm (you have to hum the tune)

Cardboard Box

Liqor shop

Pavlov Dog

(Activate my) Bell

(Not a) Single Lady

Atmosphere

Continent

Hemisphere

Circumvent

Disappear

I graduated at the Top

(I like to take advantage of the) Bourgeoisie

Fantasy

Queen

Couple bucks

Gentlemen

Four Times a Lady

Dont shop Around

The Bidding

He's Sold

6. Be Born

Quite Content

Swimming Pool

Pink-Skinned Babes

Forever Young

See the Sun

Six Inches

Dozen People

Cry

(Follow my) Instruction

Little Ball

Bah/ Dah/ Baheyah

7. Banana Man

Colonel P.T Chester Whitmore

Bung Vulchungo

Zimbabwe Songbirds

Banana man

White Hot Sand

Banana Tree

Banana Flow

Mm mm mm mmm

Flame

Spirit

Spirit Game

Spirit Names

Spirit Cloud

Songbirds

Fire light

uptight

Little Fun

Bungalow

Bumping of the drum

Troubles

Go with the Flow

Whatever you may never know

Beckoning Man

African't

Nine o clock

Busy Town

8. Just Apathy

Just one state of mind

Something better

(no) Perfect find

Why i bother

Consider the Possibility

Im so tired

Inspired

I feel bad

I made her sad

I need to learn

Step blindly

close my eyes

Acting kindly

9. Spring and a Storm

Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah

Please stop complaining

Rain

Ground

Sky

Music

Clouds growled overhead

Thunder

Drained my soul away

Mr moon

Deep

Dark

Eternally high (great name for a giraffe)

Obscure

Star

Silent

Explosive

Create

Universe

Overworked

Re-crown

Creation

Over and over and over again

Never again

10. Two Wuv

little thing

just a fling

solely mine

mural

great eyes

fancies

apartments

enrolled in your school

bee

sadness

passes

im calling from tally hall

say that again slowly

lovliness blossomed

11. Haiku

trying

write

haiku

beyond

ancient asian poetry

lost in the sauce

formulaec verse

forte

tried attempts

lah da dee diddum lah dah dah dum ditto dum doo lah dee doh

sufficient

webster

12. the whole world and you

pretty people

sotries

passing letters

questions answered

metaphysical

astronomical

mystical

magical

la la la la la la la la la la la la

kings

distant cities

servisory

congratulatory

brewing

cooing

revealed the truth

not about me

retract

abstract

concluding

13. Ruler of everything

juno

juno was mad

shot at the sun

sun

wily

wily one only friend

mechanical hands

ruler of everything

ruler

everythung

jackrabbit

dance

zurconium pants

consequental

trance

walk

talk

disintegrates

chalk

wif

job

egocentric

mannerisms

wall

mirror

clearer

standing so tall

slobber

clovers

side of the hill

observing the birds

circle in for the kill

facade

scam

cry

detective undercover brotherhood

objective obscene

flibbity jibbity jibber jabber

word to sell story to tell

ringing the bell

comprehend

ubderstand

you resemble a fool

bumbling dragon

14. Hidden in the sand

playing in the sand

found a little band

bid adieu

buy a pony

15. Mucka Blucka

bluck

ba-bluck

a-bluck

blucka

bluck-bluck

blu-ha-ha

blaaah

mucka blucka

mucka-blah

mucka

mucka ba-ba

ba-ba

blough

blucka

bluck

bow

bluckity

blickity

bluck-bluck-bluck

blick

beeiiish

jerk chicken

Good & Evil

Never meant to know

lay of the land

feather in cap

sun in the sand

offered

together again

the earth can stay below

meat from the bone

perfectly equal

being alone

outermost clime

parts combine to one

around the sun

disarray

the sun the shadows cast

reasons on the other hand

2. &

love of the s*n

martyr claiming friends

either perspective of &

weak, strong

wet, dry

right, wrong

live, die

sane, gone

love, not

we forgot

hear it

dont deny it

high, low

new, old

stop, go

hot, cold

john, yoko

dark, light

good night

lesson fron their fathers

same command

lives stuck beside

words, numbers

sound, silence

stop the peace, keep the violence

no, yes

we digress

sad, hapenis (i know how to spell happiness i just cant unhear "ha penis oh god")

big bad betty

golden rule

jungle meet

nothing to love, no one to beat

thungs we know, things we dont

think, cant, will, wont

loath to gather

together, bereft

capitalists, communists

hokey pokey

hate eachother, love yourselves

heaven, hell

3. you & me

starting out a road

carefully unload

open-eyed

another seed to sow

getaway undone

divine, circular design

do do-do do-do

time, place

points along a line

keep on turning

sitting in the park

carefully remark

better when youre learning

in the dark

keep on turning

turn away and around

ive been coming down

4. cannibal

cavern

place where she can stay

darkness

obsessed

need to feed

willing victim

cannibal

rips out my bones

animal

blood is drained

calls it a game

wound

unimstakeable

dig up the skeletons

believe

corners disguised

phantom of glammer

feeding

conceding

5. who you are

appointment

sitting, waiting, hoping

air, night, airplane

flight overcame

distance

emmiting a glow

holding the thoughts

thinking too often

little aloft

not enough heart

armed to the teeth

fireside

falls down

rose up, rode underground

finding found

6. sacred beast

service of the king

almighty

in control of everything

queen decides

lives, dies

tonight we will sing

love, *humming and whistling*

easiest thing

mission

slay the sacred beast

claim our innocence

wont return

feast

riding high

hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm

easisest thing

mission

claim our innocence

it knows its only truth

made of lies

auht, ever-wise

compromise

other sides of our disguise

seperate peace

LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE AWSOME TALLY HALL CONTENT LIKE THIS!!!

[meowmeowmeowmeow4x]

Dark Blue Moon and the Suffering Sun Chapter 33

MASTAPOST

god im so sleepy lmao also warning for skulker being a mega creep, but not to the extent of vlad

Damian, for the second time in as many days, awoke in a tank, a fact with which he was extremely displeased. The last thing he recalled was his stomach lurching, the bag he’d been stuffed into serving as an excellent package for Skulker to make off with him. Damian longed for a good blade to sink into the man’s body.

That fact was amplified by the feeling of cold metal on his scales. Damian scratched at the golden bracelets cupping his arms. He was dressed up in luxurious gold and jewels like a lecherous sultan’s slave. A ringed belt-like piece of silver wrapped around his waist and looped over his hip fins. Two more golden rings, each adorned with gleaming rubies, cupped the thinnest portion of his tail just above his tailfin. Despite his best efforts, he was unable to relieve himself of any of the filthy things. They were fitted tight as a glove, almost like they were made for his measurements. Damian shivered, and turned to more productive activities.

His new prison cell was at least more amenable than his last. In fact, it was a little too amenable. Damian found himself in a veritable miniature aquarium. If it weren’t for the reflection of his scaly face in the glass and the lavish (and frankly, tasteless) furniture beyond, he’d have thought himself in the actual ocean. The bottom was padded with beautiful white sand, populated by towering coral structures and schools upon schools of fish, jellyfish, and even a few manta rays. Stalks of kelp rose to the ceiling of the room, as the tank was that tall. Seaweed swayed in an artificial current. Damian picked up the sound of a wave machine gently pushing against the surface of the water.

Tapping the glass proved it was not some common fishbowl’s glass. The barrier between the water and air was at least two inches thick, something even a human Robin would find trouble with, let alone his current state. A golden shine caught his eye. Damian tutted. His fins rattled. It seems Skulker’s poor taste knew no bounds. Solid gold pillars lined the corners of the tank, and ran along the top and bottom.

With a closer look outside the tank, Damian clocked the numerous animal heads lining the walls of the room. Even more baffling was the inclusion of beautiful hand-crafted stone bird fountains scattered around the walls and mounted on posts in the room, populated by, of all the things, red duck candles. An old fashioned writing desk and chair sat facing away from the tank, decorated with what else but more preserved animals, and even more tacky candles, as if they were bought from the novelty shops that Richard would occasionally visit.

Outside of his already-revolting interior décor tastes, Skulker was a hunter. Went after rare and exotic creatures, Danny had told him. Damian’s eyes narrowed. Now he understood fully what the man was after. The abduction, the drowning, the pursuit, the sudden presence of the GiW in Panama, the entire reason for this trip in the first place.

The better question now was whether he was the prize, or the bait? And Damian suspected he was both. After all, Danny had made it very clear how much Skulker wanted his pelt specifically. Why go through the effort of making such a luxurious fish tank for a dead teenager?

There were so many other sirens in the sea, though. It made perfect sense that Damian would be the bait, but why also the prize?

He had caused a media sensation when he’d first arrived in Gotham. Tabloids ran for months, drooling over the gossip and rumours surrounding the mysterious biological son of Bruce Wayne. He’d been swarmed by mobs of rich snobs trying to pair their daughters with him, until his biting tone chased most of them off.

While Skulker wanted to make a coat out of Danny’s scales, he probably also wanted to allure of having such a mysterious and exotic pet. A pet that he’d had a direct hand in creating. Damian’s cheeks heated. He gritted his teeth. Of course. Here he was as much a trophy as the heads on the wall.

The door swung open. Damian bared his teeth. His fins flared wide. If he had his way, he’d be sinking them into the man’s jugular. Instead he was forced to bear Skulker’s smug smirk. He walked in, dressed in black cargo pants and a tank top instead of the customary hulking metal suit. Damian’s scales ran cold as the man looked over his body, bare except for jewelry he himself had placed.

Skulker went to the desk and retrieved a microphone from the drawer. He flipped it on, causing a brief whine in the tank.

“Good afternoon, Damian Wayne. I trust you find your new accommodation satisfactory?”

Damian hissed at him. “If you set me free I might let you live.”

“Hah!” Skulker laughed. The man reached into another drawer and pulled a can of beer. “I’m afraid the world outside is far too dangerous for a little guppy like you. You’ll be safer in here.”

“My absence has already been noted. You will not be able to get away with this!”

“Do you truly believe that, little boy?” Skulker shotgunned the beer in one. “Your little friend Danny wasn’t recognised by his own mother at gunpoint. And even if by some miracle they came here, what would you do? Squeak at them?”

Actually, he would tap out a message in Morse Code, but Skulker didn’t need to know that. And this time he would not hesitate.

Still, that brought up another concern. Skulker did not know he was Robin. As far as he believed, Damian was just some spoilt rich boy. On the one hand, it meant that there would be underestimation, and from there an opportunity. On the other hand, any overt competence he displayed would do badly for the family secret.

What a conundrum.

“So what do you intend to do with me, then? Sell my scales? Bed me?”

Skulker gasped in genuine shock, not the fake politeness that he’d seen Father’s parasites give off. “Did you not know? I am Skulker, the greatest hunter in the seven seas! I am not some kind of sicko. All the pleasure I need comes from the thrill of the hunt! And you have been an admirable quarry, and may now live out the rest of your days in comfort as my greatest trophy.”

Despite his ‘reassurance,’ Damian distinctly thought this made him even more of a sicko. “And what of Phantom’s pelt?”

“Danny will be my greatest coat, or a handbag. I’m open to options. Probably won’t even die the first skinning, what with his regeneration.”

Definitely a sicko. This man would fit right in on Gotham’s rogue’s gallery. Damian had disdain for hunters, especially trophy hunters, but to chase after someone whom you know is human? He recalled the fiery siren girl’s words back at the cave near Amity. To go after your own kind indeed. And Danny had the confidence to casually banter with this man like it was Tuesday?! Not to mention while being shot at by his parents, and the government.

Robin always had Batman, and the family, and the Justice League beyond those people. There were times he craved independence, to strike out on his own and prove himself, only to sorely regret it when it inevitably went pear-shaped. And yet Danny did all that and more, and the only adults in his life wanted to kill him.

“Phantom is thrice the man you will ever be. To covet his skin will only bring you ruin.”

Skulker pressed his face right up against the glass, grinning sadistically. Damian hissed back. “What does a baby sea monster know about manhood? Or ruin, for that matter. Let me spell it out for you. You. Have. No. Rights. Nobody who has those rights is coming for you. I could parade you around animal conservation centres for all the world to see and as far as the law is concerned I’d be as innocent as a newborn babe.”

Rage boiled over. Damian snarled. He lashed out against the glass, clawing uselessly at the barrier. Skulker only laughed harder. Damian slammed at the glass with his tail. His tail rings clanged against it uselessly.

“You’re an adorable trophy. I ought to put a little bell on you, like a kitten.”

The man left soon after, cackling like a TV supervillain (or just a regular real life supervillain, honestly), leaving Damian to stew in his rage.

He was not one to stew for long. With rage, there was never inaction.

Danny stuffed as much seaweed into his mouth as he could fit in his arms. He shoveled shellfish in like a waterslide. His belly bulged with how much food it was taking, and yet kept shrinking rapidly. Danny slashed open a fat fish. He sank his teeth into his flesh, ripped out the guts, then threw the rest out in seconds. It would take too much time to pick the flesh between bones, so he just killed another. Then another, and another.

He’d exhausted himself, and got Damian caught by fucking Skulker. That mistake couldn’t happen again. He couldn’t fail Damian again.

He tried to ignore the way his skin crawled just from how close his mother was. How close Damian’s dad was. If Bruce Wayne learned how badly he’d fucked up, Danny would be a dead fish and he wouldn’t even complain. He deserved it.

Danny ate, and ate, and ate.

He sniffed the water. It was Skulker’s dolphins. The trail was heading away from the shore. Danny swam faster than he had ever swum before.

It seemed Skulker had anticipated many of his first ideas. Damian found the water filter practically welded to its spot. His new ornaments proved useless at breaking or dislodging anything. He’d even found the larger rocks of the aquarium affixed to the bottom and immovable. The pebbles gathered up in bunches at the bottom proved ineffective as well. At the top, Damian found a hatch, probably for maintenance and cleaners to enter, but it was sealed shut. The tank featured no other entrances or exists. What he saw was what he got.

Even if he could break the glass, he didn’t even want to. He was not the only unwilling resident of this tank, but he was the only one with lungs. That left the top hatch as his current best option.

Damian swam into a nook, and began to plan.

This was not ideal. No weapons, no tools, a body for which measures had already been taken. Of course, Danny might come for him. He might. He’d heard an explosion moments after he was snatched right off Danny’s back, then there was the issue of Dr Fenton and his father. To expect Danny to be swift was unreasonable. 

In fact, it might be Damian who needed to save Danny. 

Which was to say he could not afford to lounge around. Simultaneously, it was possible he’s be forced to play the long game in his escape attempt, and the longer he had to endure Skulker’s lecherous gaze, the more chance he might pop a vein or two. 

Time to work on it then. Damian swam up to the top. He knocked against the hatch, testing its durability. To his surprise, there was just the slightest amount of give. Perhaps with a pebble, he could pry it open. A crowbar would’ve been preferable, but beggars could not be choosers. 

Seizing stress overwhelmed his tiny body. His subconscious recognised it first. Then his conscious mind registered the rattling of everything in the room. The boat shook, as if rocked by an attack. Damian dashed back behind a rock. He waited for a moment. 

Skulker did not come. Perhaps Damian had underestimated Danny’s tenacity yet again. This represented a prime opportunity. While Skulker was busy fighting Danny, Damian could escape and then assist. 

So he got to work immediately. He picked up the largest pebble he could get his scaly hands on. Then he went to the bottom of the tank. Steeling his nerves, Damian kicked his fins in sync. He undulated his body in one fluid motion, and surged with blinding speed. The metal clanged loudly and echoed in the water as he slammed as hard as he could against the hatch. 

It budged a quarter of a millimetre. Damian could hardly believe it. Then he did it again. And again. What he lacked in body mass he made up for with supernatural speed, pebbles in hand bashing against the hatch. He could not hear any more fighting or gather information on the situation outside the ship. The drive to get back to his friend fuelled his resolve, let him ignore his bruising knuckles and aching elbows. Damian surged up and attacked the opening once more.

His heart sank. The door was pushed open enough to reveal a padlock and chains covering the outside. Curse that Skulker! Damian yelled Todd-esque obscenities as he clawed uselessly at the chains. The lock was too far in the air for the water bound boy to reach, the opening too narrow to fit his hands through. He was Robin! He had no intention of letting a demented two-bit hunter with an ego the size of Lake Michigan get the better of him. 

So Damian coiled his tail like a spring again. He imagined all sorts of hateful and unpleasant things plastered over the hatch. The Fenton parents. The Joker. Grandfather. 

Nerves fired up, Damian snarled a barely-human battle cry. He launched himself faster than ever before. One second he was at the bottom. The next he was-

The next second, Damian found himself above the surface. Barely registering his surroundings, he let his gills open up immediately. Did he break the hatch? Was this super strength?

He was on some kind of platform over the tank, like the kind at aquariums for trainers or feeders. There was a tight constrictive feeling around his waist. Damian looked back, and his eyes widened.

The doors had budged, but only by a few inches. The lock and chain remained, albeit stretched out. And Damian? His waist compressed through the tiny gap like an octopus. He made out the gleam of the silver belt and necklace on the other side, wrapped around his tail, which should have been too big for them to fit, and yet Damian barely felt inconvenienced. 

Well. This changed things. 

Damian gripped the metal platform and pulled. He distinctly felt his organs squelch. His stomach had been pushed into his chest cavity, finally returning to its normal spot as his waist came through. His hip fins folded in on themselves. Then each of his bones in his tail bent like rubber bands, his scales sliding through with the help of his copious mucus secretions. At last Damian’s tailfin went through the gap, thin enough to not require any nauseating body modification. Unfortunately, the rings above it were also small enough. If he had the time, he’d have forced them off. 

He didn’t have time, though. Danny was out there and he needed his help. With the help of his mucus, Damian slithered snake-like over the metal platform, then down the stairs at the side. 

Skulker’s trophy room looked even more garish when there wasn’t glass covering his view. Damian spat on the carpet in disgust. Indeed, he was already intending on slathering a generous trail of mucus over the expensive decor, but it was not just about the raw damage. It was about sending a message. 

Damian began to roll across the room. However, just as he went underneath one of the fiendishly ugly bird fountains, another explosion shook the room. Out of water, it was able to ring at his ear fins. Damian was startled out of his wheel position, splaying himself on the floor. 

The shockwaves rattled everything in the room. The water rippled. Mounted animal heads jerked up an inch before returning to their hooks. The post holding up the bird fountain just above Damian jerked to one side. Before Damian knew it, a small waxy weight fell on his side. 

Everything in his body burned.

The jet ski’s radar pinged bright. Their drone in the air confirmed it. Turns out Brucie Wayne had some nifty contacts. Managed to figure out this ‘Skulker’ fellow was the proud owner of a yacht, and had connections in the human trafficking business. Jack felt sick to his stomach.

Brucie should’ve come with them, should’ve been there to rescue their sons by his and Maddie’s side, but he was still injured from Jazz’s mind-controlled swing, which meant it was just the classic Fenton pair once again. He felt another tinge of pride for his daughter’s arm. But mostly, he felt ready to tear this Skulker apart molecule by molecule.

He just couldn’t believe it. Maddie’d seen him. She’d seen Danny. He was right there and she was just that close and then-

He relaxed his body and took in a deep breath, just like Jazzy said. Whatever was going to happen, he and Maddie were going to give it their all, and get the boys back. Then this would all be over.

Five kilometres north. He glanced to his side, where Maddie, the love of his life, revved her craft. Now or never.

Their presence did not go unnoticed. Jack’s goggles picked up dozens of rockets in the air. His scanners detected torpedoes in the water. Without a word, Maddie was firing at will, and Jack manned the jet skis’ systems. Counter-torpedoes launched from tubes underneath their seats. Mini-guns sprang from their concealments and opened fire.

“Jack, there’s one flanking you!”

“Go high!” He yelled back. Jack spotted the lone torpedo moments away from hitting his ski. On cue, Maddie’s jet ski shot ten feet into the air off the back of its thrusters. Jack waited until it was within striking distance. He pushed the handle bars to full throttle as his ski’s backup thrusters went into overdrive. He shot off away from the torpedo at a sharp right angle. Once he had enough distance, Jack directed the blasters to intercept.

The yacht emerged from the horizon. From hatches and panels along its hole, a veritable arsenal primed itself to fire. Looked like Brucie’s intel was solid. Now it was his and Maddie’s time to shine. Jack charged his weapons, he nodded affirmation to Maddie, and together they went into the fray.

[pale-opal]

So there's this idea that's been bouncing around in my brain for a while: what if, a bunch of reploids from a bunch of eras in time found themselves firmly and irreparably thrown into the Mega Man Legends point of the timeline? How would they handle that? How would they deal with the threats from their old life being no more, with the very world they knew being lost to time? How would they feel about humanity being no more, with a species known as "carbons" taking their place? What would they do to survive in this new frontier? And how would the carbons feel about this? After all, reploids haven't existed in thousands of years, and now all of sudden, all of these mechanical humanoids have come in from out of nowhere. How would they interact with this entirely new group of people? And what would they do if mavericks were part of this new era, as well? And what if... what if I threw some OCs in there? Heck, what if I made them the main focus? Sure, the characters we all know and love would be relevant at some points, but... we need to get into the heads of the people. Get some guys who don't have the experience of fighting in eight maverick wars in here.

After a while, I decided: I had to write something for this. I had to. After all, what good is an idea that never sees the light of day? Especially if execution of said idea isn't even attempted? And so, with this in mind, I would like to introduce anyone who's interested to:

Convergence: A Mega Man Fanfiction

Chapter 1 - Wrong Place, Wrong Time

First (You are here!) | Next Note: this chapter contains graphic descriptions of violence, allusions to child neglect, and an instance of strong language (albeit censored). Reader discretion is advised. ---

On Katherine’s fourteenth birthday, the world exploded. Well, okay. Not really. But it may as well have, with how she woke up to strange red lights outside of her window and screams and sirens and everything else that says “Hey. You. Everything’s gone to hell in a handbasket.”

It was mysteriously dark out, the sun nowhere to be seen. Thick clouds covered the sky, black and threatening. Rain fell in thick sheets, with smoke running through the street defiantly. At first, upon seeing all this, Katherine’s first instinct was to pull her covers over her head and cower in fear. After all, it certainly looked like she’d woken up just in time for the end of the world.

And she did follow through with that instinct, for a moment. But after a moment of realizing that things were not, by the sound of it, actively getting worse, she decided to have another look at the window. Forcing herself to examine what exactly was going on outside, she was able to see that quite a few emergency vehicles were lined up on the street. People were running this way and that, and a few confused individuals stumbled in the street. But there was something… off about the last group. The way they moved was so… smooth, despite their apparent puzzlement. And some of them had on some odd clothing, to say the least. It was almost as if they had come out of a different time. What time that was, Katherine wasn’t sure. She had only gotten as far back as 40XX in her history books…

In any case, it didn’t quite seem like the world was ending anymore. Something was happening, that was clear. And that something was almost certainly dangerous. Especially with the storm outside - she jumped as a bolt of lightning flashed, followed by an achingly loud crack of thunder. Katherine looked at the backpack she had packed the night before, small and yellow and filled to the brim with as many clothes and non-perishable food items and hygiene products as she could fit. She looked at the boots she had planned to wear, brown and tall for her height. She looked at the clothes she had chosen to sleep in, rather than pajamas – she wanted to save time by skipping the need to change. She had even gone as far to put on a scarf for today (it was September, and windy weather was starting to set in). And after all of that, all she could think was this: Maybe I picked a bad day to run away from home after all. Despite that, Katherine put her shoes on and her backpack, and went to the bathroom to finish getting ready for the day. Even if the current situation outside was a hot mess and a half, she figured that it would be best to make sure of something before deciding that the plan to run away was a complete and utter wash.

First, she went to the kitchen. There was very little available to eat, and a child younger than her expressed her distaste with a wail. Ms. Taffeta was speaking to someone on the phone, receiver squished between her head and shoulders and baby in her arms. “...I cannot handle any more children at the moment! You already assigned five more to me in the past month…” Eventually, Taffeta hung the phone up and stood there, resting her free hand against her forehead. Eventually, she turned around and saw Katherine. And eventually, Katherine realized that while she may have been in her line of sight, she didn’t truly see her – she was being given a look of glass, just as she always had been. Seeing as how getting breakfast wasn’t really an option for spending her time, Katherine headed over to the living room. And almost immediately, she wanted to curl up and hide. All of the other children were clustered into different groups, laughing and talking to each other. Some of them had gathered together at the living room windows, observing what was going on. She wasn’t sure where to begin with them, if she should begin. Eventually, she caught a few eyes on her. She darted out of the room – she knew it was only a matter of time before the whispers started, and their glances changed to show how weird they thought she was or how much they pitied her or how– Katherine took a breath of air, finding herself back in her bedroom. She stared out the window again. While everything outside may have changed, nothing indoors had. And as the rain outside slowed into a break, she made up her mind. She could not stay there.

Opening her window, Katherine stuck her head out – nobody was paying any attention to her. Taking advantage of this, she climbed out onto the grass, and pushed the window shut behind her. She then turned to her right, knowing that the living room windows would be to her left. She couldn’t risk one of the kids from earlier seeing her and telling on her. She couldn’t risk that. Not now, when she had gotten so far, when she had gotten the courage to get this far. So she started walking to the right. And then she started running. And then she was gone. --- The next two weeks were hard. For starters, it soon became apparent that Katherine had to get out of the city. Like, really had to get out of the city. Crime was happening everywhere. Looting, breaking and entering, vandalism, general disturbance of the peace. It was chaos. She… didn’t know if anyone was hurting anybody else, or worse. But one thing was for sure: she didn’t want to stick around to find out.

So she went off to the woods instead. But that was almost worse than the city. There was hardly anywhere dry to sleep, thanks to all the rain. And said rain had also made it much colder than expected. She spent her nights shivering and her days trying to ration out her food and figure out how to go as long as she could without running out of clean clothes. And then there was the matter of bathing. The river she was able to come across after about a day was freezing. But she tried to tell herself that it was fine. It got the job done, as far as getting clean went. But then she found a leech stuck to her arm after getting dressed, and then all bets were off. She screamed, flailed, realized she had to touch it and pull it off, screamed some more, managed to calm down enough to do said touching and pulling, made sure it didn’t latch on to her fingers, and then spent the next hour curled up against a tree and trying very hard not to vomit from how disgusting the whole ordeal was. Needless to say, the river would not be a viable option for maintaining her hygiene – but after five days, she ran out of disinfectant wipes. So back to the river she went.

And back to pulling off leeches and trying not to panic (and subsequently failing). After three days of that, though, she was able to get the hang of it. The leeches didn’t even seem so scary anymore. So that problem was solved. But all of that, from finding the river to conquering her fear of leeches, was just the first nine days. By day ten, she was exhausted. She hadn’t been able to sleep – too many bugs, too many beady eyes looking at her in the distance. But she had to keep going. By day eleven, she was washing her clothes in the river, and had just about passed out when she found a frog in the pocket of the skirt she had worn at the beginning of her journey. By day twelve, she was out of water. And she knew better than to even think about drinking it from the river. Not with all the leeches and frogs and unseen bacteria and everything else floating in it. No way. So with her mind made up, Katherine decided to go without until it rained again – maybe she could catch some water in her empty water bottles. And on day thirteen, she had made a horrible discovery: she was out of food, too. Her mind raced as she tried to figure out how that could be – she had been careful to save her food and ration it out to one item in the afternoon, even though that left her feeling hungry and dizzy the rest of the time. And Katherine knew full well that she had brought more than fourteen things to eat.

Eventually, she noticed what appeared to be a trail: a trail of crumbs. Chip crumbs. Crumbs from chips she hadn’t had the chance to eat. Following this trail, she stumbled across a group of chipmunks. And by the looks of it, they had gotten ahold of her other food, too. And as for the beef jerky and other non-perishable protein products, some empty packaging nearby led her to a coyote, mouth still full of crackers. She had been robbed. She had been robbed of her food by animals. Animals who were essentially knock-off squirrels and a more annoying dingo. And upon making this discovery, there was only one thing Katherine could do: She screamed.

But she didn’t scream the way she had when she had been attacked by leeches, no sir. This scream was something else. It came somewhere deep inside of her, and her throat stung afterward. She pulled on her hair in frustration – it was a subconscious thing, a result of her hair just past her waist and being so easy to grab. She yanked on the ends hard enough to snatch a few strands out, but she didn’t care. She was just so angry. How could she have gone this long without realizing her food was being stolen? Why did living in the woods have to suck so much? It was nothing like the novels she’d read! She was in a better position than Brian Robeson was, for instance, and she was doing worse than he had! And why did the world have to go through some sort of natural disaster or whatever was going on out in the city on the day she had chosen to run away? Why anything?! And by the time her scream session was done, she didn’t feel better. In fact, she actually felt worse. So much so, in fact, that she began to cry. She let out quiet, hiccuping sobs, wiping at her face and staring at the ground. Because, to top it all off, she couldn’t go back to where she had come from. Not even if she wanted to. For one thing, it wouldn’t change the fact that everything there was awful, all the time. At least out here she had peace and quiet and nobody to stare at her and judge her. And her scream had managed to scare off the chipmunks, coyote, and a few birds. She didn’t even know her voice could be so powerful. She most likely would have never known if she didn’t come out here.

Not only that, but there would be consequences for returning. The other kids would whisper about her for sure, even though they likely didn’t even notice she was gone. And she couldn’t shake the thought that Ms. Taffeta’s look would change from a look of glass to a look of stone. That she would look at her with disdain and hatred. And being hated– That almost seemed worse than being ignored. So, swallowing, Katherine made a decision. She dried her tears and grabbed her bag, now much lighter on her back thanks to the water bottles being empty and the lack of food. And then she started walking back to the city.

---

On the dawn of the fourteenth day, she shambled back into town, tired from the lack of sleep and the absence of water and food. She made it her mission to get into town. She needed somewhere dry to sleep, a way to get sustenance. And maybe she could use the money she had brought to use in emergencies to take a taxi to another town. She carefully made her way through the streets, taking advantage of the sleeping city to avoid being seen. There was a good chance that Ms. Taffeta had reported her as missing by now. And she steered clear of the group home – she was not going back there. Not ever, if she could help it. But as time passed, it occurred to Katherine that the city was staying asleep. Which was strange. The sun had been up for a while now… But maybe it was because she seemed to be in a less… structured part of town. Boards were up over the windows, and the buildings were dilapidated and abandoned. She had never been to this part of town before – she had gone down a bunch of streets that were previously unknown to her in an attempt to stay hidden. But now, she was… starting to regret it… Eventually, she came to a crossroad of sorts. There was a path that led to the left, one that went through an alleyway. And on the right were more creepy abandoned buildings. So, with that in mind, she chose to go to the left.

Perhaps, if she had gone to the right just as she had before, when she first ran away, her life would have turned out completely different. But as it were, she did not go right. She went left. And perhaps, as she walked along, if she had been more focused on her surroundings rather than letting her mind wander with fear at her circumstances, seeing shapes and eyes that weren’t there, she would have heard the sound of bones crunching under steel, the sound of breaths hurried by adrenaline. But as it were, she was not focused on her surroundings. She was in her own head. So by the time she looked up at the sounds she had heard, she was right in front of their source – the alley split off into a dead end, to her left still, and there, in that small space, was a scene that made her blood run cold.

Nine beasts, creatures of metal, stood over the deceased, limp body of a man. Blood covered the sidewalk, and one of the beasts had blood dripping from its snout. They all wore armor, thick and in different colors. And they were all staring right. At. Her. After a beat, Katherine stopped taking in the sight before her – and she ran. She ran hard and she ran fast. Especially for someone who had gone a while without proper access to food and water. But it wasn’t enough. She soon found herself being yoked up, and was promptly carried off to some darker, stranger part of the town, no matter how wildly she kicked or how much she yelled. And she soon found herself being turned around, her feet dangling over a pit that appeared to belong to a junkyard. It was large and full of scrap metal, with all sorts of sharp objects jutting out of where they had been stuck into the sides. She was held by her backpack, one of the metallic beasts peering at her – the same one that had blood on its snout. It appeared to be a wolf of some kind, but could walk and talk like a person could. The word that came to mind for her was werewolf, but that didn’t seem quite right. After all, there was nothing wolfman like about this creature, beyond its most base personifications.

And the armor, of course. The armor was quite strange. When Katherine found herself staring this beast down (or, rather, the beast was staring her down. She, on the other hand, was trying very hard not to start screaming), she felt herself stammer out a sentence, a desperate hail Mary being made to spare her life. “I - I won’t - I won’t tell anybody. I - I promise.” The wolf snuffled at her. And then, to her shock, he spoke. “I know you won’t.” And then she was dropped. She let out a shrill scream as she fell through the air, the sky getting farther and farther away from her. She only stopped when she hit her head on some metal.

---

Newbert gasped, air rushing into his lungs. He took a few heaving, rapid breaths, borderline hyperventilating. Where- Where was- He had been- The feeling of something cool hitting his face snapped him out of it. He took a good look around him – he was outside, and the sky was covered in clouds. Dark clouds, ones just a few shades lighter than pitch. That cool something hit his face again. And then again. Until it dawned on him – it was raining! There was rain, actual rain! Not rain manufactured by Arcadian technology. And based on the lack of burning on his skin, it was raining water! Just water – no acid rain to burn through his artificial skin.

He sat up, the rolling of thunder vibrating though his body. He had never experienced anything like this. Turning his face up to the sky, he took in just how beautiful something like this could be– BOOM! Newbert yelped as lighting struck the ground a few yards away from him. Right. That was the thing about storms – they were dangerous. He had to be careful. And he’d actually been quite lucky just then: he was one of the taller things around, and he was made of metal. It really was a miracle that the ground had been struck, and not him. And speaking of the ground, the dirt was weird. Bending down to pick up a handful, Newbert found that it was rather fine. It slipped straight through his fingers, and right back to where it had come from. And he could tell that it was pale in color, despite how dark the clouds made everything. WWSHHAAAaa A strange sound was perceived by him as he stood on the pale dirt, and something salty struck his nose. He turned around and gasped – in front of him was a seemingly endless amount of water. An ocean.

He didn’t think that these existed anymore. He had only ever read about them. And that explained the dirt: it was sand! Real, actual sand– BOOM! Newbert came out of his awe, once again aware of just how much danger he was in. He had to find shelter. Turning back around, he looked for somewhere he could hide – and saw trees, with luscious green leaves and bark the color of Earth- BOOM! CRACK! One of the trees was struck by lighting, and almost immediately caught on fire. But the rain put it out almost immediately, making the forest safe once more. As he approached it, Newbert began to realize just how out of palce he was. He shivered – he shouldn’t have been there. The more the thought on it, the more true that felt. He tried to reflect on what had happened before he ended up on the beach. But for the life of him, he couldn’t remember what had led him to that point. But he could remember quite a bit from before that. He remembered feeling… small. So small. But he had also been powerful. Much more so than he had been before he was small. And people had wanted that strength. And so they took pieces of it again and again, without giving him anything in return. “Model N.T.”, they had called him. An odd name. A name that never really clicked for him.

He wasn’t able to recall how he’d ended up like that, either. But he did remember… something else. He remembered dying. It was quick, a sudden thing. The ground had started to shake, and then the Earth split open. And then it was bright and hot and burning– And then it was over. But everything, from birth up until that point, came to him easily – both for better and for worse. But none of that explained to Newbert how he had gotten to where he was now. Regardless, he pressed on toward the forest. And he found that he wasn’t alone – dozens of other reploids were coming off of different parts of the beach and going to the forest, too. They all looked just as confused as he did, but he didn’t recognize any of them. Which only added to his own confusion. Eventually, the reploids settled into a group, talking amongst each other as they moved forward. But eventually, they found themselves at a village of some kind. The reploids started to whisper amongst one another: “What do we do now?” “Where even are we?” “...Does anyone know how far we are from Abel City?” “Huh? Abel City? That place was wiped off the map a century ago!” “What!? No way! I was just there… kind of. It’s - complicated.” “Does anybody know what’s going on?!”

Newbert frowned – they weren’t going to get anywhere like this. He walked right up to one of the houses, noticing that its lights were on. He knocked on the door, and waited for someone to answer. A human woman answered, her eyes wide in shock at the crowd of perplexed individuals outside. “Can I - can I help you?” Newbert gave her a smile, trying to ease the tension. “‘Ello, miss!” He greeted, making sure to keep his tone light. He watched as the woman started to relax. “Do ye reckon ye c’n give the lot o’ us some directions? Or a good map? I t’ink we’re all a little lost.”

The next two weeks were interesting. For starters, the reploids had found out they were on an island – and as far as Newbert could tell, it was far from Eden. So far, in fact, that none of the humans there had even heard of it, most of them thinking he was talking about the garden from the Bible. And none of the other reploids had any luck finding anything out about where they were from, either. So by the looks of it, Newbert wasn’t going home anytime soon. But that sure didn’t stop him from trying. As soon as it registered that he wasn’t going to make any progress by sticking around on the island, he walked right up to the first bloke he saw with a boat and asked him for a ride to the mainland. Which, as it turned out, was just a much, much larger island. …He was a long way from home, wasn’t he? But the distance from where he was supposed to be didn’t change the fact that he was supposed to pay for the ride. And he wished that he had asked what method of payment the ferryman wanted before leaving – needless to say, the confused look Newbert received when he pulled out a few e-crystals told him that they weren’t exactly an acceptable form of currency. Fortunately, the ferryman said he knew a guy who could hire him for some work. He could earn enough money to pay off his debt – and keep working for him for an actual living, since a bunch of “weird looking rocks” wouldn’t suffice for room and board or anything else.

Unfortunately, the job that said guy needed doing required Newbert to start doing one of the things he hated the most. It had been so long since he’d done it, but it was still just as hard as it had been since– Stop it. I don’t want to think about it. In any case, all of these events culminated in what was now taking place. Newbert was running for his life– “GET HIM!” –from a bunch of people who thought he didn’t hold up his end of the deal. It wasn’t an unusual situation for him. He’d been in this scenario before several times. And so far, Newbert had been doing well. He had always been a fast runner, naturally light on his feet. A result of being built lightweight, he supposed. But after a while, he started to get tired. And the buggers who were after him were awfully determined. Combine those with the fact that he hadn’t the foggiest idea where he was (he had just picked a direction and fled as fast as his legs could carry him once it became apparent that his clients were going to give him trouble), and it was only a matter of time before he got caught. But he was going to make it as hard for them as he could before they got their hands on him.

Hopping over a fence, he found himself leaving the neighborhood he had just ran through and entering an empty street. Not that it mattered – the whole place was a ghost town. The windows were boarded up, the houses and shops abandoned. Newbert was on his own no matter where he went. Running blindly through the town, he could hear the footsteps of the men chasing him getting closer. He knew he had started to slow down, but he really couldn’t help it – he had been running for a while now. His legs needed a break. But they couldn’t have one, not yet. Eventually, he found himself scrambling through a junkyard, searching for somewhere to hide. It was fruitless. There was nowhere he could safely and quickly crawl into or behind, and nowhere he could climb up fast enough to avoid getting caught. And soon, he found himself running straight toward a pit full of metal. Newbert gasped and slid to a stop, feet half a foot from the edge. He started to back up, only to get snatched up by the back of his cloak by the biggest member of the men who were after him. “Now, lads,” Newbert started, trying to remain calm. He couldn’t kick or stab his way out of this one. That’d just give this guy incentive to drop him. “Let’s be reasonable about t’is. I reck’n t’ere’s been a misunderstandin’-” “You cheated us!” The leader of the group, a small, whiny little reploid, came forward. “You cheated us out of one of our goods!” “And how do you shake ‘at one, mate?” “A heart. We were supposed to get a heart.” Ah, okay. That explains all of this. Hearts were something that everyone took very seriously. Especially Newbert – he should know. Hearts were his specialty. “Well, mate, I t’ink ye’ll be ‘appy ta hear ‘at t’ere was a misunderstandin’. See, you lot asked fer a nine-valve. Nine valves don’ exist. I can’t bring ye somet’in’ ‘at isn’t real. Heart valves only run up ta eight, an’ I’d rat’er not bring ye somet’in’ ye migh’ no’ use. I was plannin’ ta ask ye if ye meant anot’er number, bu’ none o’ ye answered me dispatches. So I didn’t bring ye a heart. Simple as t’at. Now, if ye can recall, I didn’t accept payment fer the–”

“Shut up!” The leader screeched. “What are you talking about?! Hearts run up to twelve valves, not eight!” Newbert blinked, confused. “Eh?? Since when?!” “Since always, you dumba–!” But Newbert shook his head, brow furrowed. “No, lad. I t’ink yer the one who’s mistaken. I’ve done t’is fer a long while, and I reckon I’d know if–” “Mickey.” The little man gestured to the guy holding Newbert, giving him a signal of some kind. “Get rid of him.” The big fellow holding Newbert (“Mickey”, apparently) moved closer to the edge and responded in a deep, bellowing voice. “Sure thing, boss.” Oh crap. “Now, wait. ‘Old on. Ye don’ need to– AAAHHH!!!” A sharp scream came from Newbert’s mouth as he fell, Mickey dropping him like he was nothing. He hit the ground roughly, a low “Awwhhh…” of pain being his response. Lucky for him, he was made out of metal. A quick check of his systems revealed that he hadn’t sustained any injuries, and the pain he felt in body was only because of the fall itself. But he knew better than to get up right away. The faint voices of the group leader and Mickey reached his ears. “Is he movin’?” “No. I don’t think so.” “Alright, good. Let’s get out of here.”

Newbert waited for all of the men’s footsteps to fade away, and then he allowed himself to lift his head. He groaned as he did so, body still aching from the fall. He took a brief look around before attempting to sit up. There was nothing in the pit but scraps of metal and other refuse, as well as what looked like a person. There was also a bunch of dirt. Pretty typical junkyard pit fare, as far as Newbert knew. Wait, what? Newbert paused, taking a good look at the silhouette in the distance. It didn’t just look like a person – it was a person. Admittedly, he had never actually been to a junkyard before today. But he was pretty sure people didn’t belong in them. Pushing through his now waning pain, Newbert got up and walked over for a closer look – his breath hitched as he stood over the figure. This person was a female, based on the clothing and long hair. A human female at that, since her blood was red. It seemed to be coming out of a deep cut on the side of her head. Looking around, Newbert saw that there was a sharp piece of metal sticking out of one of the pit walls, the edge of which was stained with drying red fluid. It looked like the human had fallen down here as well. But, wait. She was so little for a person. And after daring himself to look at her face, Newbert found himself cursing under his breath – a child. What on Earth was a child doing alone and injured in a place like this? And then, a horrible thought occurred to him. What if she’s dead?

She had been still the whole time he was here. Kneeling down, Newbert brought two fingers to the side of her neck – he didn’t know much about human biology, but he knew that this was somehow an accurate way to get their pulse. Sure enough, he felt a faint beating under the skin. And afterward, a shaky breath came from the girl’s mouth. Newbert sighed in relief. The child was alive. Good – that was good. But she was still hurt. Just when Newbert started to wonder if he could staunch the bleeding with his cloak, the girl started to stir. And then her eyes shot open. Pink irises (what an interesting eye color for a human to have!) met chrysoprase-green ones for a moment, only for the girl to let out a squeal and jump back, screaming. Newbert, startled, fell to the ground and let out a scream of his own. The two of them continued on like that for a moment, staring and screaming at each other, before the girl ran out of breath and started panting, and Newbert became quiet and blinked at her wide-eyed. The girl then started to back away while still on the ground. Newbert put his hands up, attempting to show that he meant no harm. “Easy, lass.” He tried to speak softly, not wanting to scare her further. “I won’ hurt ye. Honest.” The girl stopped moving and instead curled in on herself slightly – she seemed terrified. And she looked like she was actively avoiding Newbert’s gaze. Regardless, he slowly came forward. Only, this made the girl curl up completely and try to hide her face in her knees. “Oh, lass…” He came close to her now. “It’s okay. Yer safe now, I promise.” But the girl doesn’t move. Just what had happened to her to put her in such a state? Eventually, the girl gets enough courage to turn her eyes toward Newbert. She gives him a quick glance up and down, and then, quietly: “You look like - you look like Robin Hood.”

---

Katherine had no idea why she said that. It was just the first thing that came to mind. But now this guy is going to think she’s weird and leave her down here in this pit full of metal to die– “Why, t’ank ye, lass! I’m flattered ye t’ink ‘at.” Katherine’s eyebrows shot up – he took it as a compliment. Not that she meant it negatively – it really was just the first thing she thought when she saw him. He wore a lot of green, for one. And the black boots gave off the vibe, too. He was missing a hat, though – instead, he had black fingerless gloves and a green cloak. Katherine tried to sit up, to take a better look at him, but a bout of dizziness struck her. She put a hand to her forehead, only to see that she was bleeding. Not only that, but the side of her head stung like crazy. “Ow…” “Aw, lass. Yer cut’s causin’ ye problems, aye?” The man motioned for her to come closer, and Katherine reluctantly obeyed. “Lemme see…” He gently moved some of her hair away from her injury, and let out a rough “Mm” at the sight of it. “‘At’s a nasty cut, lass… yer definitely gonna need a doctor.” The man made something of a sigh. “Sakes alive, yer bleedin’ a lot…” Katherine moved away a little bit and took her bag off. “It’s okay… I have stuff we could - we could use for it, maybe…” She rummaged through her bag, and was able to get a few bandages, some gauze, and hand sanitizer. She frowned. This was going to sting. “Alrighty, lass. Let’s see wha’ we c’n do wit’ t’is…” The man brought her two him again, and ripped some of the gauze off the roll. He used it to wipe the cut clean, and then gently applied the hand sanitizer to it. Katherine stifled a hiss, not wanting to bother him. He didn’t have to help her, after all. She wasn’t even sure why he was bothering. Wasn’t this an inconvenience for him, especially since he had somehow gotten stuck down here as well?

“Okay, it should be all clean now.” The man reached for the bandages with a hum, looking over one as he pulled it from the box. “Oh, wow. I didn’ know t’ey made t’ese so large… t’at’s lucky! It shouldn’t take too many fer me ta cover t’is fer ye.” Three bandages later, and Katherine’s cut was covered. The man let her adjust her own hair, knowing that she’d know best on how to avoid disturbing the injured part of her head. “Bet’er?” “Yes… thank - thank you…” Katherine looked away as she cleaned up the mess, shoving the leftover bandages and gauze into her bag and the trash into her skirt pocket. “No’ a problem, lass! I’m jus’ glad I got ta ye before ye got any worse… now, t’en. I t’ink we should try ta find a way out o’ here. T’is is no place fer people, aye?” The man looked around, searching for something that could be used as an exit. And it was then that Katherine noticed something. He was moving smoothly – too smoothly, just like the confused people she saw outside of her window on the day she ran away. She shivered. Now that she thought about it, the beasts that threw her in here moved the same way. She hoped there wasn’t any correlation between them. “Hm…” The man stood up to get a better look, and folded his arms. “Do ye feel up fer a climb, lass?” Katherine shrugged – she still felt kind of dizzy… “If not, I c’n carry ye. I wouldn’t mind.” But Katherine shook her head – the man had gone to enough trouble for her already. She didn’t want him to think she was a nuisance. “Are ye sure?” Katheirne gave a little nod. “Well… okay, t’en.” He started walking toward the wall opposite of the one Katherine woke up next to, and she hesitantly followed. He gestured up at a series of metal refuse jutting out of it. They looked sturdy enough, but the distance between each piece was sizable. “I reckon we c’n jump on top of t’ese an’ make our way out ‘at way.” Katherine felt herself shrink. There was no way she’d be able to make those jumps. “Are ye ready, lass?”

With a gulp, Katherine nodded. It seemed like the man was letting her go first. She climbed up onto the first piece, head throbbing. Now it was time for the second. She took a deep breath, and then hopped – she just barely made it. Now for the third. Another jump– And she was falling again. Right when she was about to scream, though, the man caught her, keeping her from falling to the ground. “Maith, lass!” Katherine could feel the man’s heart beating against his chest – she’d startled him. “Are ye okay?” “Yeah… I’m – I’m sorry.” Tears stung at the corners of her eyes. “I can’t – I can’t do it…” Please don’t be mad at me. Please don’t be mad at me. Please don’t be– “T’at’s alrigh’, lass! I should’ve known ‘at was a bit much fer ye.” Katherine gasped as she felt herself being lifted into the air, and she was placed onto the man’s shoulders. “I know ye said ye didn’t want ta be carried, bu’ I don’ t’ink we’ve got much of a choice.” He gave her leg a pat. “I’ll make it quick, t’ough. Alrigh’?” “Uhm – okay…” The man nodded, and then he went over to the metal pieces. “Hold on tigh’, lass!” “Wait-” Katherine gasped as the man jumped and moved from piece to piece with ease, nimbly making the climb. But they were both caught off guard when one of the higher pieces started to give way, not able to handle their combined weight. He made the next jump just in time, grabbing on hard to the next part of the “stairs” or “ladder” or whatever they were supposed to call this.

“...Ye still wit’ me, lass?” Katherine breathed heavily, still spooked by the narrowly avoided fall. She had her arms wrapped around the man’s neck tightly, but not hard enough to start choking him. “Y-Yes – yes! I’m fine!” The man took that as a sign to push them up onto the next piece. Once they were out of danger, he hastily completed the time before they could have any more near accidents. He stepped out of the pit, got a few feet away from it, and gently set Katherine down. “T’ere we go – t’at wasn’t so bad, righ’?” Katherine shook her head, and the man smiled at her before resting a hand on her head. “Yer quite brave, lass. I jus’ about had meself a heart attack when we almost fell.” Katherine cast her eyes down. She sure didn’t feel brave. She was just as scared as the man was, if not more. But she tried to be polite about the compliment regardless. “Thank – thank you.” The man gave a little frown, and Katheirne felt her heart skip a beat. Had she done something wrong? “Lass, I’ll cut to the chase – what was a girl like ye doin’ unconscious at the bottom of a place like that?” Katherine bit her lip – she couldn’t tell. The man seemed nice, but what if he knew the monsters she had run from earlier? Or what if he didn’t believe her? Or what if they tried to tell someone about what she had seen in the alleyway, only for the beasts to find out about it? Then they would be after both of them. “I - I, uhm…” She tried to think of something to say. “M-Monsters,” she stammered out finally. “Monsters - monsters threw me down there.” Surely it would be okay if she was vague, right?

The man gave her a slight head tilt. “Monsters?” Katherine wanted to shrivel up. She must’ve sounded like a little kid earlier. “Yes - monsters. They weren’t – they weren’t people. They were like – they were like animals… but they could walk and talk like us. And they – and they all wore this strange armor…” “Mavericks.” The man’s voice came out as a growl, and Katherine flinched. “Sounds like ye were chased by mavericks, lass.” He sounded gentler now, but there was still a layer of anger in tone. But Katherine knew it wasn’t directed at her. It was directed at the monsters – or “mavericks” as the man called them. She dared to ask a question. “Did – did they throw you in there, too?” “Oh – not quite, lass.” The man’s voice was starting to take on its usual lightness. “I go’ mysel’ into jus’ a wee bit o’ trouble, as it were…” He laughed, and Katherine relaxed, feeling her muscles loosen and her shoulders drop. “Okay, maybe more t’an a wee bit.” “So what – what happened?” “I ticked the wrong people off. Bu’ it wasn’t entirely my fault, ya see. The whole situation was a mess, from front ta back. An’ the ot’ers jus’ wouldn’t see reason…” The man shook his head. “A bloody proper mess, really…” Katherine tugged at the ends of her hair. It sounded like there were still a lot of bad people in the city, even though it had been abandoned in the two weeks she was gone. “I should – I should go,” she muttered to herself. “The city’s not safe…”

“I t’ink ye’ve got the righ’ idea, lass. Bu’...” The man kneeled down, and Katherine found herself making eye contact with him. She looked away as he put a hand on her shoulder. “Where are yer parents, lass?” Katherine thought for a moment. “I – I don’t know…” And it was the truth. She had been dropped off at the group home as a baby, parents nowhere in sight. For all she knew, her parents could be dead. “Do ye have anybody takin’ care of ye?” Katherine shook her head – she couldn’t go back to the group home. She couldn’t. They wouldn’t want her, they’d hate her, and they’d probably left town already so it didn’t even matter– “Lass? Ye alrigh’?” Katherine found herself taking a breath, train of thought interrupted. “I’m – I’m fine…” “Ye sure?” “Uh-huh…” The two of them were quiet for a moment, and then the man spoke again. “Lass, I get the sense ‘at ye’ve been on yer own fer a minute, now. Is ‘at true?” Katherine nodded. “I see… well, I reckon it’s no good fer me ta leave ye on yer own, now is it?” A shrug. The man stood up. “What’s yer name, lass?” “Kath – Katherine,” she mumbled. “It’s Katherine.” “Kat’rine, eh?” The man gave her a smile. “‘At’s a pretty name.” “Thank you…” Katherine felt her face flush – nobody had ever said anything like that to her before. “What’s – what’s your name?” The man flashes her a grin. “It’s Newbert!” He seems proud to say it. “I picked it out mseself.”

“Oh!” It seemed Katherine was experiencing a slew of new things today – this was the first she’d heard of a person naming themselves. It was kind of a neat idea, now that she was thinking about it. “That’s – that’s cool!” Newbert smiled at her again. “Well, Miss Kat’erine – I t’ink I have a proposition fer ye. Ye can’t wander the Eart’ by yerself. Kids need somebody ta take care o’ t’em – especially human children, aye?” Katherine blinked. First “maverick”, and now… Earth? Human? What was with all of these words she’d never heard before? But she let out a little “Yes” in agreement anyway. “So, since we agree on t’at… ‘ow would ye feel abou’ me helpin’ ye? We could find yer folks, or somebody who could help us find ‘em. And I’ll keep t’ose mavericks from gettin’ ahold o’ ye again, if they’re still around.” Katherine tugged at her hair again. “But… what if we – what if we can’t find my - my parents?” “Well, t’en… I ‘spose you’ll stay wit’ me. I’ll admit I’ve ne’er taken care of a kid by myself like t’at before, bu’ I’ll try muh best. Or we c’n find someone who c’n take care o’ ye. Whate’er ye would like, lass. Jus’ so long as ye aren’t by yourself.” Newbert took his hand from Katherine’s shoulder and extended it toward her. “What do ye say, lass?” Katherine thought for a moment, shifting from foot to foot. She just couldn’t figure it out. Why was Newbert being so nice to her? They barely knew anything about each other. And yet, at the same time… it didn’t seem like he was trying to take care of her because he felt forced to, or because he wanted something from her. He really did come across as genuine.

Not only that, but… what else could Katheirne do? If she declined, would she just walk around by herself? Would she go back to the woods (just the thought of doing that made her shudder)? She hardly had any money, and was sans of both food and water. Not to mention her injury. But if she went with Newbert, there was a good chance that those issues would be rectified. There was also the matter of the mavericks as well – she would be powerless against them if she was found, and ran the genuine risk of being killed or worse. And in any case, there was nothing stopping Newbert from forcing her to go with him. He was an adult, and with how easy it was for him to get both of them out of the pit, there was little doubt in her mind that he was capable of chasing her down and grabbing her. So it really would be better to go willingly… So, after weighing all of that out, Katherine accepted Newbert’s hand. “Okay. I’ll – I’ll go with you…” Newbert gently grabbed her hand, and smiled at her yet again. “I’m happy ta hear ‘at, lass! Now, t’en – let’s get somewhere safe.” Eying another city on the horizon, he led her away from the pit, from the abandoned town and from the long-since disowned group home, never to return.

---

And so ends Chapter 1 of Convergence! I hope that you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! And now, for the acknowledgements section. I would like to take a moment to thank:

God, because I quite literally could not have done this without Him.

@crystalclear365, for being the best beta reader anyone could ask for (thank you for reading yet another piece of writing from me!).

@bruggle, for letting me conceptualize Newbert in a story they've been letting me write with them (and for lowkey showing me how to write an Irish accent).

@nitkat360, for letting me talk to her about this AU before I had even typed out a single word of this chapter (and for highkey helping me realize how much storytelling potential the "Mega Man Legends" games have. My goodness).

You, the reader, for making it this far.

And if you'll stick around a bit longer, there are a few more things I'd like to clarify in regards to the characters and the future of the story:

Newbert is Irish! Hence why his dialogue is written the way it is: I'm trying to convey his accent. He can speak fluent Irish, as well! In fact, you might have noticed that he used an Irish term when talking to Katherine: "Maith" means "Goodness" - or least, that's what Google Translate says it means... (today on "Opal Writes Characters Who Speak Languages She Doesn't Know").

Katherine and Newbert have an eight-year age gap between them, with Katherine being fourteen (14) and Newbert being twenty-two (22). They develop a familial relationship as the story goes on.

Katherine and Newbert are not the only OCs Convergence goes on. More will be introduced - just you wait. >:)

Alright, confession time: Convergence is connected to Collision Course, with it acting as an epilogue to an alternate timeline (that will require another post or something for me to explain, due to how in-depth it is (I have a diagram, y'all. A diagram)). However, Collision Course is not required reading for Convergence, and vice versa.

At the moment, I'm not entirely sure if I'll put Convergence on ao3. So for now, it'll only be here on tumblr.

Unlike my other currently running fic, Second Strike, Convergence doesn't have a set upload schedule. Chapters will be released when they are finished.

If you have any questions to ask about the story or about characters, please feel free to! I would be more than happy to answer them.

Alright, that's all I have to say for now. Stay safe, have a good day, and may God bless you.

[duckprintspress]

32 of Our Favorite Sci-Fi Reads for National Science Fiction Day

Duck Prints Press LOVES kicking off the new year with one of our favorite annual recommendation lists: science fiction stories (ideally queer, but it wasn’t required) to celebrate National Science Fiction Day! For this year, 14 Duck Prints Press contributors suggested a whopping 32 awesome science fiction books. Note that there’s no overlap with last year (by design) so make sure you also check out Our Ten Favorite Science Fiction Reads of 2022 for some more titles to add to your 2024 TBR.

Our 2024 Science Fiction Recs:

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots

Little Mushroom by Shisi

Always Human by Ari North

More Than We Deserve by Nicola Kapron

Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho

Ocean’s Echo by Everina Maxwell

Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

CrashCourse by Wilhelmina Baird

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

We Have Always Been Here by Lena Nguyen

Emergent Properties by Aimee Ogden

Victories Greater than Death by Charlie Jane Anders

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

The Fever King by Victoria Lee

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

Infomocracy by Malka Older

Zero Sum Game by S. L. Huang

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott

Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone

Trigun and Trigun Maximum by Yasuhiro Nightow

Legend of the Galactic Heroes by Yoshiki Tanaka & Katsumi Michihara

In the Lives of Puppets by T. J. Klune

Mega Man by Ian Flynn & Pat Spaz Spaziante

Mega Man Megamix by Hitoshi Ariga

Ghost in the Shell by Masamune Shirow

Once & Future by A. R. Capetta & Cory McCarthy

Five-Twelfths of Heaven by Melissa Scott

The Big Sigma by Joseph R. Lallo

Want to come read some of these books with us? Join our 2024 Queer Book Challenge on Storygraph! One of our challenges there is to read a queer science fiction book, and there’s a lot on this list that’d count!

You can check out all our sci-fi recs on this Goodreads shelf.

Wish you could contribute to these lists? Back our Patreon, join our Discord, and you can!

[ghostchanuwu]

2nd to last batch of AniRedux Hoenn redesigns!!!After Hoenn I'm gonna do some Kanto and Johto ones (more designs under the cut,first 4 are older drawings but will be updated,all designs are finalized so no major changes when redone)

Tbh Tate and Liza's ORAS designs are already pretty solid so all I did was add their sun/moon imagery to line up with their aces (also hairstyle changes with Tate being slightly more flared to closer represent the sun and Liza's being smoother to represent the moon)

I went full Volcarona with Flannery's design along with giving her a more tough girl look with the cut sleeves and having more red and orange colors in her design while also keeping her towel belt bc of the theme of her gym being a hot spring (her gym goes SO HARD in ORAS)

Roxanne's design leans in hard into the teacher aesthetic along with having a nice business vibe since Rustboro is Hoenn's financial hub

Wattson's design leaned more into his RSE side but also added a bit of yellow to his hair and some plusle minun themed goggles since this man definitely owns a bunch of novelty accessories and shirts (he is wearing a Togedemaru themed Alola shirt under his jacket)

Pre current day trio back when they were traveling together! (Steven at this point is 16 about to hit 17 while Winona and Wallace are 17)

Steven is freshly graduated from Rustboro High 2 years early with honors and is set to go to university but he had decided to take on the Hoenn League before he does since he was considered a prodigy in his advanced battling courses and was noted to have an affinity for steel types and psychic types

Winona had originally set off at 14 as a part of her Field Researcher course, she wasn't very interested in it at first but was hooked immediately when the teachers said that she would be studying in Fallarbor which not only has a healthy Swablu population nearby but also some Skarmory and Gligar sightings, she and Steven meet back up after 2 years of not seeing eachother and the first thing they do is go out to try to catch a Skarmory (it goes comedically wrong but ends with Winona getting a newly hatched Skarmory and Steven getting the world's snarkiest Skarmory despite it only being a few months old)

Wallace is an up and coming Coordinator who already has a bit of a following from the contest he had participated in in Slateport showing off his Milotic and Gyarados duo which shocked the audience since most trainers his age completely forego training Gyarados because of their temper but Wallace's is surprisingly elegant, he doesn't participate in the Gym Circuit until he hits his early 20s but does have the Rain Badge (he did attend Rustboro's middle school years ago which is where he first met Steven and Winona but quickly transfered to Uva-Naranja academy in Paldea since they was offering a really nice foreign exchange student program)

Steven-Metang,Skarmory,Aron,Kirlia

Winona-Swablu,Skarmory,Swellow

Wallace-Milotic,Gyarados,Quaxly,Marshtomp

(Winona's Swablu is shiny since her father had wanted to have a special one bred to be her starter)

I may have done a little something special with Maxie's design, he still keeps the shoulder pads since every admin in Magma wears some form of armor but he is hiding a little something behind those glasses, he had been partially possessed by the Red Orb when he first came into contact with it years ago permanently scaring him along with changing his eyes (at first I went 3.0 + 1.0 Gendo-like but simply stuck with how Primal Groudon's would look), he just simply hides it along with the glasses having improved his eyesight along with it being where his keystone is affixed

Zinnia went full gremlin vagabond vibes, messy hair and a torn sleeve from where she had to patch up a nasty wound that her Salamence had suffered when they first left Meteor Falls no thanks to a very angry Walrein, she had been entrusted with the 2nd mega anklet that her village possessed officially crowning her as Lorekeeper along with the remains of Aster's cape (Aster had the 1st mega anklet but it was lost when they passed)

[athousandgateaux]

I spend a lot of time seeking out and listening to queer music and artists, so I thought I'd share a list of some of my favourite artists* in case anyone's interested and doesn't know where to start.

*disclaimer: these are just some of the artists I like, not an exhaustive list of queer musicians. If you want to add suggestions, that would be awesome. I tried to group artists by genre, but many of them cross genres or are difficult to classify in that way.

Anyway, list is under the cut!

punk/metal/hardcore/post-punk

-Dog Park Dissidents

-She/Her/Hers

-Priests

-DITZ

-Crack Cloud

-Limp Wrist

-Queen Zee

-Danny Denial

-G.L.O.S.S.

-Slouch

-Tribe8

-Fit For Rivals

-Nervus

-Tacocat

-The Total Bettys

-Dyke Drama

-Pansy Division

-Art Project

-Trash Boat

-Against Me!

-Sloppy Jane

-Queen Zee

-The Degenerettes

-Size of Sadness

-Seth Bogart

-The Spook School

-Dream Nails

-Gina Young

-Mhaol

-Artio

-Arcadia Grey

-thotcrime

-VIAL

pop/hyperpop

-Rina Sawayama

-Kim Petras

-girli

-Regina Gently

-MUNA

-Janelle Monae

-George Michael

-Divine

-Noah Davis

-Sir Babygirl

-Myylo

-The Communards

-I Blame Coco

-MNEK

-Haley Kiyoko

-Boy Jr.

-Sofya Wang

-Allie X

-COBRAH

-Tayla Parx

-SOPHIE

-Hikaru Utada

-Alice Longyu Gao

indie rock / alt-pop / art pop

-Perfume Genius

-Model Child

-Shamir

-Lynks

-ZEE MACHINE

-Cry Club

-The Magnetic Fields

-Patrick Wolf

-Owen Pallett

-Black Belt Eagle Scout

-Moses Sumney

-Yves Tumor

-Anna Calvi

-Ah-Mer-Ah-Su

-Xiu Xiu

-Black Dresses

-NoSo

-Rostam

-Left at London

-Sneakyseabear

-Rosie Tucker

-MEN (JD Samson)

-Le Tigre

-Lord Troy

-Hunx & His Punx

-Arthur Russel

-Cris Derksen

-Ezra Furman

-Rhumba Club

-Arca

-Dizzy Fae

-The Spook School

-Jeremy Dutcher

-corook

-Saucy Santana

-Lilac Boy

-Knife Girl

-Mega Mango

-serpentwithfeet

-Bree Runway

-The Irrepressibles

-Becca Mancari

-MAN ON MAN

-Jayne County

-Gentleman Reg

-Tom Robinson Band

rap/hip-hop

-Chris Conde

-Kalifa (Le1f)

-Quay Dash

-Young M.A.

-Backxwash

-Mykki Blanco

-Ocean Kelly

-Cakes da Killa

-Ddm

-Big Dipper

-Cartel Madras

-Angel Haze

-Deep Dickollective

-Saucy Santana

-Big Daddy Karsten

-Ayesha Erotica

-CHIKA

-Tayla Parx

-Doechii

-DAMAG3

-Fly Young Red

r&b/soul/funk/disco

-Remi Wolf

-Arlo Parks

-Syd

-Shea Diamond

-Meshell Ndegeocello

-Dua Selah

-Jackie Shane

-Sylvester

-Bronski Beat

-SuperKnova

-be steadwell

-Orion Sun

-Labi Siffre

country/folk/blues

-Sufjan Stevens

-Mary Gauthier

-Trixie Mattel

-Lavender Country

-Lord Troy

-Beth Elliot

-Paisley Fields

-Onsind

-Holly Miranda

-Rae Spoon

-Grace Petrie

-Orville Peck

-Villagers

-Lucille Bogan

-Ma Rainey

-Kokomo Arnold

-Peg Leg Howell

house/electronica

-Quanah Style

-Divoli S'vere

-Boy Pussy

-Fritz Helder

-Mx Blouse

-Chippy Nonstop

-Gendered Destruktion

-dj genderfluid

-Electric Fields

-Urias

-vivivivivi

[lonk-water]

NPCs (Real World)

NPCs (Net) (left: Doghouse Cmp, right: StereoComp)

(More Images under the cut)

I tried my best to take the images in comparable locations

Lan's room

Outside Lan's House

Squirrel Statue

Inside Higsby's

Lan's Homepage

ACDC Area 1

Battle (Doghouse Cmp)

Custom Screen (Battlechip Selection)

Mega Man Battle Network 3: Blue on the left,

Mega Man Battle Network 4: Red Sun on the right, both Screenshots taken from the Mega Man Battle Network Legacy collection Vol.1 & Vol.2 on Nintendo Switch

The NPCs from the first image are not in comparable locations.

These images are not fully representative of the visual style of the games but Tumblr has a 10 image limit and I already spent at least two hours taking the screenshots and editing them together

[freshlypizza]

@sun-anonn asked how I think Curt and Owen met (I can't find the ask for some reason), so here's how I think it would've went:

Curt Mega was on a mission in New York. His job was to infiltrate a high-class party and retrieve a file with some extremely confidential information (information that could lead to something really bad if anyone but A.S.S got their hands on it). The most classic spy mission.

He knew who had the files, a 29-year-old blonde haired, green eyed woman with the name Elizabeth Bancroft.

Getting into the exclusive party was easy, he had dressed in one of his best suits and had slipped his hand into a guests pocket, taking their invitation.

Once in the huge ballroom, he headed straight towards the bar. Thankfully, his target was there.

Curt swaggered towards her, his strategy was to seduce her.

Seduction was always the easy choice for spies. It was quick, it was convenient. For Curt, especially, it was okay. He never felt anything for any female target, anyway, so when he had to make his escape, he wouldn't feel bad about leaving.

Male targets were different - he couldn't seduce them (no matter how much he wanted to).

Elizabeth was not alone.

She was talking to a very tall and lanky man, whose hair was slicked back. He leaned on the bar, Curt couldn't see his face. She was twirling her hair, flustered.

Curt made it to the bar, standing next to Elizabeth, and ordered a drink for himself.

“Hello, stunning,” Curt almost winced at himself.

Elizabeth turned around, “hey!” Curt could tell she was drunk. He could finally see the man fully, and he looked annoyed.

“Is everything alright?” Curt asked.

“Yes, yes!” Her smile was wonky, “Mr Carvour, here,” she slapped his chest, “was just telling me about London!” She dissolved into a fit of giggles, “he says it's so pretty! Don't you think he's pretty?” The question was random, and very uncalled for. Carvour smiled.

“No,” was all Curt said.

“That's the first time somebody has said no to that question,” Carvour had a very thick British accent, “do you want to rethink that?”

“I'm good, thanks,” Curt downed his tequila. Elizabeth continued to giggle.

Carvour checked his watch, “well, I’d best be going. I'm travelling early in the morning and I can't miss my plane. See you around, Elizabeth,” he took her hand and kissed it, her face went bright red and her giggles grew into laughter.

He walked away, Curt could make his move.

He eventually managed to take her to her hotel room, where she passed out immediately, with her green sequin dress, and heels, still on. He sighed, and began to search the room for the files.

He didn't find them that night, and when he got back to HQ, he got a mouthful from Cynthia.

–

Curt saw Carvour again when he was placed on a mission in Venice.

And then again in Barcelona.

They ran into each other in almost every mission Curt was assigned on, and everytime Curt found his face growing redder and redder when he was around Carvour. Everytime, Curt would learn something about the Brit that would make him more endearing to Curt.

It was only when they ran into each other again in Paris, when Carvour grabbed Curt's wrist and dragged him into a five-star hotel bedroom.

He grabbed a gun from the bedside table, and pointed it to Curt's chest.

“Woah!” Curt raised his hands.

“Who do you work for?” Carvour hissed.

“What?”

“Who the fuck do you work for? Why are you following me? Who are you?"

“Could you put the gun down, maybe?” Curt moved his hands up and down, gesturing to lower the gun.

“Not until you answer me.”

Curt sighed, he was definitely going to be getting a lecture from Cynthia later, but it was going to help him avoid death, so it was worth it. “I am agent Curt Mega of the American Secret Service.”

“A.S.S?” He pronounced it weirdly (“arse”).

Curt nodded, and Carvour lowered his gun. “Okay, now who are you?”

“Agent Owen Carvour. MI6."

“So, we are both spies?”

“Seems that way, love.” That made Curt’s face grow red. “Are you okay?”

“Yes!” He said way too quickly, “yes, I am! Now that this is all over, I'm gonna go and finish the mission.” He inched towards the door.

“Wait,” Owen said, “don't you think it'd be easier for us to, I don't know, work together? We are after the same thing, aren't we?"

Curt agreed.

The mission was done in record time. They had enough time to drink.

They found a spare table at the party they had infiltrated, and began to talk about everything and anything. Family, work, their respective home countries.

Curt took a sip of his tequila, and then he woke up in a bed. He was shirtless. There was another person under the covers with him.

He quickly got out of the bed, ignoring the headache that caused, realising very fast that Owen Carvour was the one in bed next to him.

“Fuck, shit, fuck-” he grabbed his shirt from the floor, fastening the buttons as hastily as he could.

Owen sat up, rubbing his eyes, he was also shirtless. “What's going on?” He opened his eyes, putting the pieces together in his mind, his eyes opened wider, “oh god.”

“I'm so sorry- we shouldn't have- oh god, we are going to lose our jobs- shit, shit, shit..”

Owen hushed him from the bed, “nobody's going to find out, love.”

“They're always watching, Owen. We are spies, Owen! We work for the damn government! They know everything!"

“It's going to be fine.”

Curt had finally finished getting dressed, “I'm leaving.”

“Will I see you again?” Owen smiled, it was a smile of several emotions.

Curt knew the safe answer, no. What happened was a one night thing and would never happen again, they were drunk, for fucks sake!

But Curt's heart wanted it's turn to speak, and it said, “I hope so.” He walked out the room.

[wolfgabe]

Astro Bot VIP list Nintendo Edition

Been watching gameplay of Astro Bot on PS5 and now I want to see Nintendo make their own celebration game that is filled with Nintendo character cameos complete with deep cut nods

Super Mario VIPs

Mario

Luigi

Peach

Toad

Captain Toad

Bowser

Bowser Jr

Koopa Troopa

Goomba

Daisy

Waluigi

Wario

Rosalina

Luma

Foreman Spike

Eggplant Man

Yoshi

Kamek

Cappy

Paper Mario

Geno

Legend of Zelda VIPs

Link

Zelda

Ganondorf

Tingle

Tetra

Skull Kid

Epona

Daruk

Mipha

Revali

Urbosa

Guardian Stalker

Koroks

King of Red Lions

Midna

Zant

Happy Mask Salesman

Fierce Diety

Donkey Kong VIPs

Donkey Kong

Diddy Kong

Cranky Kong

Funky Kong

Dixie Kong

Kiddie Kong

King K Rool

Kritter

Rambi

Metroid VIPs

Samus

Zero Suit Samus

Dark Samus

Sylux

Ridley

Kraid

Mother Brain

Raven Beak

SA-X

Metroids

Adam Malkovich

Xenoblade Series VIPs

Shulk

Reyn

Fiora

Dunban

Rex

Pyra

Mythra

Malos

Jin

Noah

Mio

Animal Crossing VIPs

Tom Nook

Tommy and Timmy Nook

Mr Resetti

Rover

Blathers

Celeste

Brewster

Crazy Redd

Villager (Male)

Villager (Female)

Blanca

Tortimer

Isabelle

KK Slider

Splatoon VIPs

Inkling Boy

Inkling Girl

Octoling

Callie

Marie

Pearl

Marina

Shiver

Frye

Big Man

Sheldon

DJ Octavio

Mr Grizz

Captain Cuttlefish

Judd

Lil Judd

Fire Emblem VIPs

Marth

Roy

Ike

Lucina

Chrom

Robin

Lynn

Corrin

Ryoma

Xander

Takumi

Byleth

Sothis

Dmitri

Claude

Edelgard

Kirby VIPs

Kirby

King Dedede

Meta Knight

Bandana Waddle Dee

Whispy Woods

Marx

Magolor

Taranza

Queen Sectonia

Susie

President Haltmann

Three Mage Sisters

Elfilin

Pokemon VIPs

Pikachu

Bulbasaur

Squirtle

Charmander

Meowth

Pokemon Trainer

Mew

Mewtwo

Detective Pikachu

Star Fox VIPs

Fox

Falco

Peppy Hare

Slippy Toad

General Pepper

Andross

Krystal

Wolf

Leon

Pigma

Prince Tricky

Earthbound/MOTHER VIPs

Ness

Paula

Jeff

Poo

Mr Saturn

Ninten

Anna

Lloyd

Teddy

EVE

Lucas

Duster

Kumatora

Boney

Porky

F-Zero VIPs

Captain Falcon

Pico

Samurai Goro

Dr Stewart

Black Shadow

Blood Falcon

Mr EAD

Kid Icarus VIPs

Pit

Palutena

Medusa

Dark Pit

Hades

Viridi

Super Smash Bros series VIPs

Master Hand

Crazy Hand

Fighting Polygon

Fighting Wire Frame

Alloy Fighter

Ancient Minister

Primid

Tabuu

Pikmin VIPs

Olimar

Louie

Alph

Charlie

Brittany

The President

Red Pikmin

Blue Pikmin

Yellow Pikmin

Purple Pikmin

White Pikmin

Winged Pikmin

Rock Pikmin

Ice Pikmin

Glow Pikmin

Oatchi

Moss

NES/Famicom era VIPs

Excitebike Racer

Diskun

Hockey Player

Volleyball Player

Baseball Player

Bubbles

Ice Climbers

Ayumi Tachibana

Gumshoe

Duck Hunt Dog

Balloon Fighter

R.O.B

Professor Hector

Urban Champion Fighter

Sherriff

Tamagon

Devil

Mach Rider

Takamaru

Famicom Wars Soldier

Sukapon

Punch Out!! VIPs

Little Mac

Doc Louis

Glass Joe

King Hippo

Bald Bull

Don Flamenco

Mr Dream

ARMS VIPs

Spring Man

Ribbon Girl

Min Min

Helix

Max Brass

Helix

Dr Coyle

Hedlok

Other VIPs

Dillon

Ashley Robbins

Mr Game and Watch

Tethu from Ever Oasis

Wii Fit Trainer

Dr Wright

X Commander

Sable Prince

F-Type Car

Ray Mk III

Isacc from Golden Sun

Starfy

Starly

Moe the Clam

Lip

Karate Joe

Chorus Kids

Cubivore Pig

Chibi Robo

Dr Kawashima

Nintendog

Elite Beat Agents

T-Rex

Captain Rainbow

Zip

Mallo

Nikki

Jill from Drill Dozer

Qbby

Arcade Bunny from Nintendo Badge Arcade

Third Party VIPs

Sonic the Hedgehog

Billy Hatcher

Jason from Blaster Master

Hebe

Simon Belmont

Mega Man

Commander Video

Shovel Knight

Wonder Red

Wonder Blue

Bayonetta

Galaga Ship

Bomberman

Mega Man

Shantae

Erdrick

Banjo and Kazooie

Cuphead

[cyberdragoninfinity]

have been putting together Iliaster Pokemon Teams off and on fooooor the last couple months or so... I always like to put way too much thought into teams so under the cut I have all my reasonings for these choices. I like Pokemon and I like these characters a Perfectly Normal Amount <3

BRUNO/ANTINOMY:

Lucario: feels just very much like a good partner Pokemon for him...same shade of blue, very noble and loyal, EXTREME SPEED!! something something Lucario's innate aura reading and ability to sense emotions and thoughts vs. Bruno's complicated quest to figure out who he is. I think they would be friends!!! It gets amnesia too in whatever funny Pokemon AU Bruno's situation happens in

Skitty: obligatory Bruno kitty cat pokemon <3

Armarouge: T.G. Halberd Cannon/Blade Blaster type vibes, its pauldrons literally turn into a cannon, fire type echoing the sun in the Antinomy/Yusei duel, also a very loyal Pokemon. Plus bonus counterpart to Primo's Ceruledge >:3c

Rotom: silly little guy who likes motors and electronics and machinery!! Also Bruno having a ghost type and being. yknow. a robotic copy of a dead man. I think it suits him.

Yanmega: T.G. Recipro Dragonfly, it literally has eyes covered with a red visor, it's super fast and its design echoes a vehicle (aircraft rather than motorcycle, but still.)

Registeel/Regieleki: in Tag Force 6 Bruno uses and seems to really like Machina Fortress, so I wanted to give him a big 'ol bulky Steel Type. Antinomy gets Regieleki as a counterpart because it's literally The Fastest Pokemon, probably great for Delta Accel Synchro <3 Also Modern Age/electricity/android type invocations...

Porygon/Porygon2: Bruno needs a boxy little computer friend!! Antinomy gettin the evolved form since a big part of Porygon2's lore is that it was made for space travel...thinkin bout that duel again. The Porygon line, Porygon2 especially, also has a really similar color palette to Bruno's various forms!

Miraidon: ok ive seen people give Jack Miraidon and i get it, it's his color palette, BUT LIKE. THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST BRUNO POKEMON EVER. literal robot motorcycle from the future who washes up on the beach with limited memories!!! it has a silly goofy friendly form and a badass powered up fighter form!!! it can be the perfect counterpart to Yusei having a Koraidon!!! LISTEN.

LESTER:

Skarmory: Meklord Emperor Skiel of course!!! Violent metal bird moment!!

Wingull: in the Tag Force games Lester really likes the Stuffed Seagull Plush item and I think that's just so cute

Zorua: Little red-haired mischief-maker that can create illusions and false appearances?? IT'S PERFECT FOR HIM.

Klang: From the episode when he infiltrated the twins' school, he used Gear Golem the Moving Fortress....gotta give him some gears.

Durant: Skiel Guard! Little weird metal bugaboo :]

Iron Bundle: challenging myself to give all the Iliaster members (aside from Z-one) Future Paradox Pokemon...Lester of course gets the Bird one. It even shoots a laser like Skiel does!!

PRIMO:

Bisharp: god his whole team is just Mean Blade Guys but like. Look at Him. That's Primo. the way Bisharp commands an army of Pawniard the way Primo commands the Diablo also relevant.

Ceruledge: This is kind of the Primo Pokemon of All Time For Me--haunted grudge-powered knight that "cuts its enemies to pieces without mercy" with sword arms infused with "the lingering resentment of a sword wielder who fell before accomplishing their goal"--like... COME ON. DUDE.

Mega Beedrill: gotta shout out the iconic bee commentary of course, and also it's Another Violent Pokemon With Sharp Dangerous Blade-like Arms.

Melmetal: MEKLORD EMPEROR WISEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Scizor: Metal-clad evolution of a blade-armed beast, also violent and merciless. And it does the thing where it uses its pincers to look like it has three heads--funny for one of Aporia's components~

Iron Valiant: ANOTHER PRIMO POKEMON OF ALL TIME FROM GEN 9. LIKE!!! White robot with a big dangerous sword, created by a mad science supposedly, "said to be cruel enough to take its brilliantly shining blade and cut down anyone confronting it without hesitation"... THEY CANT KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH IT

JAKOB:

Mega Aggron: Granel <3 Big fuckoff metal monster. I also thought it would be fun to try and give the Three Nobles each a pure Steel type Pokemon for the Robot Funsies.

Barraskewda: For Granel's bizarrely fish-like canons and components--Barraskewda also being based on a projectile weapon a bonus, too.

Skeledirge: GOTTA give one of the Nobles something that ties into their sub opera singer namesakes, plus Skeledirge's Spanish influence is perfect for Jakob/Jose. And its an aquatic-based animal like all of Granel's components, too :^)

Alolan Golem: For Jakob's big old beard and eyebrow, PLUS it's a grumpy stubborn beast that launches electric rock blasts. Just suits him imo.

Ursaring: gave myself the added challenge of giving The Three Nobles each an unevolved Pokemon that Aporia has the fully evolved form of.... Jakob gets Ursaring for their matching surly expression and eye(s) plus the Guts ability boosting Attack when inflicted with a status effect is perfect for the Gaining Power Through Suffering motif of these guys <3

Iron Hands: Freakishly powerful big bulky electric robot monster!!! Yellow color motif like Granel!!! probably one of the most Meklord-y Paradox Pokemon, to me.

PARADOX sidenote it's so fucked up he just doesnt have a tag force sprite. sad!

Origin Dialga: Since his whole deal in BBT is having a deck of stolen Legendary Iconic Dragon Cards, i GOTTA indulge and give Paradox a bunch of Legendary Dragon Pokemon!!! Origin Dialga is for the time travel and also it's just a bizarre creature that feels on par with Malefic Paradox and Truth Dragon tbh. Plus it was created by Arceus, and Pdox was created by Z-one <3

Zekrom: GEE PARADOX WHY DOES YOUR MOM LET YOU HAVE TWO UNOVA DRAGONS... he's got that whole black and white color motif with his mask/the Malefic dragon armor. And Zekrom's got an engine...like a motorcycle...

Reshiram: Beautiful long haired bishie of a dragon plus the aforementioned black and white motifs. Also the concept of wanting to make a true AND ideal new future is really fun and kind of Very at play with Paradox~

Espathra: A.) im a Psychic Duelist Paradox truther, I rly wanted to give him a Psychic type, B.) Espathra is a violent weirdo that literally has his hair color palette/style. In my mind's eye this was his partner Pokemon originally ....Paradox with a Flittle is so funny to me.

Roaring Moon: if anyone deserves an Ancient AND Future Paradox Pokemon it's... WELL. THIS GUY. Malefics are almost all Dark Dragons so give him the freakish vicious Dragon/Dark that's like a twisted version of an existing monster (much like how Malefics are twisted versions of existing cards ;])

Iron Treads: Successfully continuing to give all the Iliaster guys Future pdox 'mons...Iron Treads is a big robot tire effectively which works great for a guy who motorcycles through time!!!

SHERRY:

Lunala: For that freaky Soul Binding Gate skeleton door, also a Pokemon that is brought under Necrozma's (Z-one's) power. Sherry having Lunala and Aporia having Solgaleo also just makes me a little insane.

Florges: FRENCH. FLOWER LADY. EASY PICK.

Rapidash: For Horse of the Floral Knights/Sherry's horse shaped duel runner...i love that she's a horse girl 🥴

Teddiursa: For that TEDDY BEAR!!! And also, again, her having a Pokemon from the same line as Pokemon Aporia has is just a fun detail for me.

Tsareena: 100% female. Floral Knights/Chevalier le Fleur. Kicks and fights triumphantly.

Iron Leaves: in general Virizion is already a perfect Sherry 'mon (grass horse, based on French literature, etc.) and I imagine she originally had one before it somehow Became an Iron Leaves when she joined Iliaster :^)

APORIA:

Solgaleo: i mean. He Just Looks Exactly Like One!!!! Also Steel/Psychic is a really good type for this big miserable monster lion angel robot. Plus it can be controlled by Necrozma.

Kingambit: Evolved form of Primo's Bisharp, a powerful and intense leader that fights primarily with brute strength. It's also got an ability that boosts its power the more of its allies fall (die <3) Power through suffering!!!

Silvally: Synthetic chimera of mishmashed fused parts created in a lab :) Can only evolve and reach its true potential through friendship :))) also giving him Silvally and Z-one Arceus just to make myself a little sick in the head.

Klingklang: Evolved form of Lester's Klang, mechanical 'mon that echoes the Ark Cradle's Sun Gear(s) that Aporia protects

Ursaluna: Evolve form of Jakob's Ursaring, hulking powerful bear with big claws and a back sail that looks exactly like Aporia's big metal halo.

Iron Jugulis: MEKLORD ASTRO DRAGON TRISKELION!!!! also a hydra like Aporia's duel runner >:D

Z-ONE:

Necrozma: first of all it kind of looks like Z-one's freaky life support+huge claws contraption second of all something something Infinite Light vs. Necrozma being a light consuming monster third of all the way it can dominate and lord over Solgaleo and Lunala. pounds my fists on the pavement.

Celebi: HE'S THE BIG BAD HE GETS AS MANY LEGENDARIES AS HE WANTS and he needs Celebi of course. Time Angel :)

Omastar: Freaky ancient Pokemon that resembles the nautilus shape of Z-one's contraption...also there's something about fossils being kept alive in there somewhere I'm sure.

Mimikyu: this is like. perfect for him tbh HDHGSDFG Wears the guise of another Pokemon and pretends to be it (and I would definitely give Yusei a Pikachu,) reacts with violence and panic when pushed into a corner, Fairy type (like all the Timelords are), competitively can fill the niche of being Difficult and full of underhanded status effects and tactics and I think that's just lovely for Z-one <3 In my mind's eye I like to think this was his partner Pokemon from even before The Yusei Factkinning Event.

Bloodmoon Ursaluna: Well it's literally got the odd 'device' clamped over one of its (weird glowing) eyes and also. For Aporia <3 That's Aporia <33 Z-one's giant time-displaced apex predator with a big weird circle on its forehead <3333

Arceus: THAT'S GOD BABEYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[quitealotofsodapop]

The crew listens to Epic: the Musical.

MK's favorite song is Legendary.

Wukong identifies with Just a Man (not that he'll admit it).

Macaque likes Ruthlessness because he's an emo little stinker.

Sandy likes Open Arms (of course).

Tang and Red Son like Warrior of the Mind.

Pigsy really thinks the monkeys should take Luck Runs Out to heart.

Mei likes Keep Your friends close (a fun bop that belies danger underneath, just like her).

I have to be careful binging a new muscial (or in this case Saga) cus I end up playing each song on loop for hours. Opinions might change once the full and finished versions of later sagas are released.

I love all these hcs <3

Im imagining the gang likely sees/listens to Epic on the reccomendation of MK (who's currently on a Greek Mythology hyperfixation), and he gets them all to watch the full play - maybe in the future as a irl performance or film.

"Legendary" is SUCH an MK song. Both him and Telemachus growing up with the stories of someone dear to them and wanting to replicate their success. I could also see him really liking "Warrior of the Mind" with the theme of "some nobody" gaining the favor of a god (reminds you of anyone?) + SWK is infamously the personification of The Mind in Jttw so its a bonus. MK is smiling evily whenever a harsh plot twist occurs and his fam are shocked silent. >:3

Sun Wukong feels targeted personally with how many of the Epic songs remind him of his past. Ofc he starts crying halfway through "Horse and the Infant", and is inconsolable during "Just A Man" - verbally yelling "NO!" at the end. And like Nezha and Sandy is *silent* during Posideon's songs. Is super jazzed during the triumphant Ithaca Saga though! And feels mega catharic during "King" when Odysseus proves that he still rules to the suitors! He tries his best to hide how much the muscial is affecting him.

Macaque is a canon theatre Nerd - so he's already listened to the musical multiple times, but he's uber excited to see the live performance (and secretly bond with his found fam). Is rocking out during "Ruthlessness" and "Done For" in particular, so much so that he's fidgeting and dancing within his seat. He also vibes with "No Longer You" as someone with powers of prophecy. Is really amazed how much Wukong gets into the musical, but in retrospect understands *why*. Him and Wukong accidentally share a glance during "Would You Fall In Love With Me Again" and it gets a little awkward afterwards.

Mei is similarly excited to see anything with her bestie, so she tried her best not hear/see any spoilers ("it's a centuries' old story Mei" "Ssssh!! Dont tell me!"). She was shooketh by how hard the muscial goes. "Keep Your Friends Close" is her fave based on beat alone. She gets delightedly scared and amazed by consistent horse imagery used with Posideon (shameless link to my fave Animatic of "Ruthlessness").

Tang loves himself some historical and mythological adaptations, and is estatic that MK has given him an excuse to go see one! He's not as familar with Hellenic mytholgy as he is with Hindu-Chinese, but he knows enough lore to make the pog-champ face at every foreshadowing/reference. "Warrior of the Mind" really gets to him as a song about valuing your smarts. He also feels really empathetic for Calypso.

Pigsy only went cus Tang begged him. He feels super lost by the deep Greek lore he's missing, but he can get Odysseus's whole thing with trying to get home - but he def identifies more with Eurylochus. "Luck Runs Out" proves this to him. Later on he feels that the second-in-command was justified in having the soldiers rebel against Odysseus after so many losses (who wouldn't after losing all their friends?). Audibly gasps at the end of "Just A Man" - cus who would just do that!? Is a little freaked out by Circe turning the Athenian's into pigs - Eurylochus is depicted as partly-transformed, played by a pig-demon actor who was in super convincing human makeup in the previous sagas. He also gets protective feelings by-proxy seeing Telemachus's situation since the prince reminds him of MK. Is surprised by how much he likes the musical!

Sandy feels betrayed. This isn't like Disney Hercules at all! He does really enjoy Polites message in "Open Arms" and the later moments when the hopeful soldier's outlook is proven correct. He's a little overwhelmed at points though - he get eerily quiet during Posideon's scenes. He sobs joyfully when Odysseus finally makes it home and reunites with his family! :')

Because of this really good animatic/almost child-like depiction of Aelous by gigi; I can def see "Keep Your Friends Close" being Nezha's fave. It reminds Nezha of when he was far more carefree + has a solid lesson on about trust/"forbidden fruit". He also enjoys the more march-like tune of "Survive". He does however, freeze when he listens to Posideon's songs "Ruthlessness" and "Get in the Water" - he has been on the bad end of a sea god before and is quietly shtting himself for Odysseus.

Red Son goes in feeling like he could have stayed at home listening to the musical on his phone while working on a car instead. He is however blown away by the heavy themes and performances, especially "Warrior of the Mind" and Telemachus's situation - a prince forced to grow up fatherless and protecting his mother from suitors due to his dad pissing off a higher power? Hello?? Accidentally shrieks "YES!!!" when Athena becomes Telemachus's mentor/friend after "Little Wolf".

Princess Iron Fan I could see loving any song including Penelope (she empathizes with the Queen's situation hard), but unexpectedly enjoys "Keep Your Friends Close" - she's a fellow Wind Goddess at her core. It also reminds her of her not-so-little-anymore nephew.

DBK on the flip side loves the heavier songs like "Polyphemus" and "Ruthlessness". This man is a Posedion apologist. He does feels bad for Odysseus by the end though - man just wants to get back to his wife and kid dammit!

Bonus: The Spider Gang are watching the bootleg and Spider Queen agrees with Circe's whole girlboss attitude especially "Puppeteer". Scorpion Queen is Calypso in "Not Sorry For Loving You".

This got a little away from me - hope you enjoy!